Other Side of the Tracks

It had been a rough couple of days. Adora and her team had deserted the Horde, gotten a bounty on their heads, and had been traveling through the arid parts of Etheria without a proper course. The equipment they had salvaged and the rations had helped them move on and keep out of danger. But they knew it was not going to last for very long. At present, their only vehicle was a half painted wreck that was running low on gas and energy with a barely working radio. If there had been a better description of the harshness of life and entropy, it would be the ride of the former taskforce.

Adora felt like she was to blame for all of this. Although she barely had time to process what was going on with herself, she knew that she had to be the leader of her group. She had ordered them to stop amongst the forest just as they were about to reach the next town to take stock of what they had or if anyone was tailing them.

"Got anything?" Adora asked.

"No patrols coming through here for at least a day," Kyle replied.

"Good, we should go and start foraging for food. Loonie, and I will go looking for food while Scorpia stays behind to look over things." Adora walked past Lonnie as she cleaned her weapon.

"You know, we could just go into a town, get disguises and some food." Lonnie put away her weapons.

"We can't head into any town or settlement without prior knowledge of what's instored for us. We don't know if they're the enemy or not," Adora argued.

"But, um, who exactly is the enemy at this point? For us, I mean." Scorpia raised her pincer. "I mean, with the whole desertion thing and the bounty and-"

"What Scorpia is trying to say is that, we are no longer on either side of the war." Lonnie cut off Scorpia.

"We're clearly on one side." Adora scoffed.

Rogelio growled in question.

"Yeah, on which one?" Kyle asked.

Adora was about to answer the question, but she found herself unable to find a proper answer.

"We'll discuss it after Lonnie and I come back." Adora pulled Lonnie with her. "Keep your ears and eyes open. We don't know who or what may be out there apart from the Horde and the Alliance."

Lonnie rolled her eyes but knew better than to face off against the stubbornness of her friend. She looked at the rest of her friends, nodding at them to do as Adora said. Despite her position as the brawler of the team, she had now been saddled with the position of second in command of their taskforce. Or as Kyle sometimes put it, Lonnie was the big sister of the group.

"We'll be back soon, don't eat all the ration bars we've got left." Lonnie and Adora got out of the vehicle in search of food.

As Adora and Lonnie got out of their stolen vehicle, they failed to notice the movement amongst the trees.


The two girls walked through the deep foliage of the forest in search of anything that they might eat. They had spotted the tracks of a pair of wild boars and took notice of their large size.

"They passed by not long ago." Adora tested the ground of the footprint. "Went up ahead and took a turn to the right based on the broken branches. It should be enough meat for us for a while."

"Yeah, I think it's enough. So, you wanna talk about anything, Adora?" Lonnie asked.

Adora looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't confused as to why her friend wanted to talk, but she was more curious as to why she wanted to talk at that particular moment.

"Maybe later, Lonnie. We don't want to spook the boar with all the talking." Adora and Lonnie followed after the tracks.

Lonnie sighed in frustration. She should've known that Adora would keep things bottled up and far from others. The brawler had known Adora for all her life and she had seen what losing Izuku and Catra had done to her. She got deep into training, rising up the ranks with a scary determination that although was praised by Shadow Weaver and other Force Captains, it was scary for the other cadets. Lonnie sometimes wondered if Shadow Weaver had actually killed Izuku and Catra to turn Adora into the perfect soldier. it wasn't like it would be hard to convince people of that possibility. But now she saw Adora with no clear path and no idea of what she should do.

Adora and Lonnie didn't exchange any words as they continued to track their prey. Their tension was clear as smog, but neither wanted to break the ice. The two child soldiers heard a rustling up ahead. They knelt down, getting the cover they needed as a large boar poked out its face. They slowly took out their weapons and took aim. Their stunt batons were low on energy, but one shot should've been enough to knock out the beast to take it to their makeshift home.

Adora took aim, hoping to put an end to the creature just like she'd done before in her training for the Horde. But as she was about to pull the trigger, her vision flashed before her eyes. She blinked as she saw Izuku in his muscular form and Catra in her She-Ra form. Adora fired the shot, startled by what she saw before her.

The boar ran away, leaving Adora and Lonnie without lunch.

"Adora, are you alright? Lonnie knelt next to her friend.

Adora looked on at where she had seen Izuku and Catra before clenching her head. Gasping for air, her eyes started to see flashes of what she had gone through at the Beacon. She saw flashes of her form as She-Ra as a golden warrior, a sea of stars, a baby's room, and the look of Izuku and Catra looking down at her with angry expressions. Adora felt her heart beating against her chest as the air seemed to escape her.

"Adora! Please, tell me what's wrong!" Lonnie laid Adora against a tree, as she recovered her breathing.

Adora closed her eyes, pressing her hands on her face. She shook her head. She had to hold it in. She had to be strong.

"I'm-I'm good," Adora replied. "Just… Just lost it for a second. I'm good now."

"You're not. You haven't been fine since you woke up from your time as She-Ra." Lonnie held Adora. "What happened? You still haven't told us what happened at those First Ones ruins. Adora, please, we're worried about you."

Adora looked into Lonnie's eyes, noting the worry in her friend. But she couldn't just let them down, even if it was for a moment. Adora pulled herself up, bottling up her troubles once more like Shadow Weaver had drilled into her head for many years. She couldn't show weakness at the Horde and she couldn't let others down.

"I'm alright, no need to worry." Adora walked away.

Lonnie didn't know what to say at the sight of Adora just shrugging off her condition. She had head stories of what Shadow Weaver was capable of with the cadets and soldiers that she found interesting. But now she was looking at the results of that kind of upbringing first hand. She wanted to slap Adora silly until she fezzed up all that she was holding back, but she knew didn't like the idea of beating someone when they were down. So, she opted to try a more delicate approach.

"So, you think there's something between Izuku and Catra?" Lonnie blushed.

Adora almost tripped at the mention of her friends. Her mind snapped back at that moment back at the Beacon, when she saw her old childhood friends in such a position. Her ears were filled with their moans and the way they looked at each other was something that ignited a primal instinct inside of her. She instinctively covered herself, feeling naked at the thought of the memory.

"Wha-why do you ask that?" Adora asked, refusing to let out the truth.

"I mean, they spend a lot of time together, been together for a long time, the way they looked at each other at the Snow Ball," Lonnie listed off. "I just find it interesting. Also, I gotta admit that I'm a bit jealous of them. Being a gladiator in the Fright Zone doesn't let you meet a lot of possible good matches for boyfriends or girlfriends. You know I like both, but that's not important. So, what do you think?"

"Um, well, I-I wouldn't know! Anything could've happened in those years! I mean, what if they are?" Adora rambled, not looking at Lonnie in the face.

"Um, okay, new subject. How have you been sleeping?" Lonnie asked. "I've heard you mutter and-"

"What? I mean, what have I been muttering?" Adora asked.

"You've been saying She-Ra and Mara and some other things I didn't get." Lonnie scratched the back of her head. "You know, if you're stressed, we can take over."

"I'm fine. Let's just find the boar or something else that's edible." Adora walked away.

Lonnie sighed as Adora walked away. She couldn't help but feel like she was trying to make a hole through a mountain with her head alone. She was well aware of what Adora was doing and at that moment, it was going to blow up in her face. But she had to keep up with her before anyone got hurt. She was already getting hurt from all the thrashing that Adora was doing in her sleep, so the last thing she wanted was that it happened in her waking hours.


Meanwhile, Kyle, Rogelio and Scorpia were taking stock and listening to the radio for any form of information. They had only received static and little else but were keeping their eyes open for any movement, and it sort of made them feel on edge. After days of avoiding the Horde and any towns, with food running low and tensions on the rise, it was only a matter of time before someone snapped.

"Nothing so far-" Kyle said.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Scorpia snapped, dropping to her knees and scaring Kyle and Rogelio.

Kyle and Rogelio looked at each other wondering who should calm her down. At the end Kyle sighed, knowing that he was the only one that could talk.

"Come on, Scorpia. It's not so bad," Kyle said.

"We've been on the run for days and now we don't have a place to go or where to call home! We're enemies of the Alliance and wanted by the Horde! I spent my whole life living in the Fright Zone and for the Horde after my ancestors gave them a place to stay, but now I don't know what to do. Who am I?! Someone give me a sign!" Scorpia begged when suddenly they heard rustling coming from the bushes behind the truck.

Scorpia, Kyle and Rogelio stood back up and looked around for the source of the noises. They pulled out a pair of sticks to defend themselves, unaware if the noises came from their friends or from an unknown animal walking about. They narrowed their eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was stalking them. However, they didn't see anything past all the rustling leaves from the bushes.

"What do you think it is?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know, but stay behind me," Scorpia replied.

Kyle and Rogelio looked at each other in slight worry as Scorpia's stinger swiveled back and forth, like a snake before it pounced on whatever was in front of them. Not that they were afraid of being struck by a frantic tail full of paralyzing poison. But they didn't want to run the risk of being the first ones to be struck by said poison. They took one small hesitant step back as Scorpia prepared herself to take on whatever it was that was stalking them.

"Okay, Scorpia, you got this," Scorpia whispered. "You got this."

Scorpia narrowed her eyes as the rustling got closer. She saw movement. As something jumped out of the bushes, Scorpia screamed as her tail shot forward, hitting whatever it was that came out from the bushes.


Adora and Lonnie were still walking, not finding any traces of the boar that they had been tracking. The two girls were exhausted and about to give up. They stopped to rest near a bush with berries that looked very tempting.

Lonnie reached out to grab one only for Adora to stop her.

"Stop, they could be poisonous." Adora pulled Lonnie's hand away. "Remember, everything out here can be dangerous."

"Adora, I'm tired and starving, and so are you and the rest back at the truck. We should at least take these," Lonnie argued.

Adora looked at the berries just as a squirrel took one and ate it. She wasn't taking any chances after all that had happened. She looked at the squirrel as it scurried off happily and not dead like she had expected.

"Fine, you can take those berries," Adora sighed.

"Finally." Lonnie started stuffing her face with berries before putting some in a bag. "Adora, these are so, so, so good. You gotta try them."

"I'll have one of our protein bars back at the truck, you take as many as you like." Adora turned away, blinking as she remembered the words she had been hearing in her dreams.

"Adora… you must… She-Ra… restore…"

Words like that echoed in her mind every time she slept. Sometimes Adora would hear them from within a void and sometimes she would see the silhouette of a golden warrior woman. She didn't understand what the words meant, or what she had seen. But she did know that the visions, words and flashes were connected with Izuku, Catra and that sword.

"Come on, Adora, talk to me. I know something is bothering you." Lonnie put away the berries. "You're not fooling anyone. You don't have to bear this crap on your own. Forget whatever that shadow bitch taught you and just talk to us."

Adora was about to snap at the mention of the woman that raised her being mentioned.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Adora and Lonnie looked up at the scream.

"That was Scorpia," Lonnie said.

"Something must've happened! Let's go!" Adora and Lonnie ran towards the truck, with their weapons ready to face whatever was happening to their friends.

Adora ran ahead of Lonnie. Despite her exhaustion and lack of proper sleep, she would not let anything happen to the people under her care. She wasn't going to lose her friends, not a second time. She jumped over a fallen log and through the bushes. She rolled to a fighting stance, looking for whatever was attacking her team.

"Hands in the air!" Adora cried out, holding up her staff.

However, Adora was not met with any wild animals or vicious soldiers. She saw Kyle, Rogelio, and Scorpia with a pair of kids and a large knocked out donkey with a cart tied to it.

"What is going on here?" Adora asked as Lonnie caught up with her.

"Oh, hey Adora." Scorpia waved her pincer as the two kids hid behind her. "Okay, so, funny story. We were just minding our own business when this runaway cart came at us."

"No one got hurt though," Kyle added.

Rogelio chimed in with a whine.

"... Except for the donkey," Kyle chuckled.

"Kyle, Scorpia, who are these kids?" Lonnie asked.

"Oh, right, um, these two are Shota and Lily." Scorpia gestured to the boy and girl. "They were asked by their parents to take some of their provisions out of their village where they could be stored safely."

Adora and Lonnie looked at each other in confusion. The story was weird as they couldn't understand why anyone would send two little kids to store provisions. They went to the cart, stepping over the donkey, and saw what was on it. They saw food, water, clothes and other provisions that would last twenty people for a week.

"What's really going on?" Lonnie asked.

"Why did your parents send you into the forest?" Adora knelt before the boy.

Shota looked up at Scorpia as if expecting her to tell him everything was alright.

At first, Scorpia didn't know what he was looking at before realizing it.

"Oh, yeah, it's alright, you can tell them." Scorpia patted the little boy's head, comforting him.

"Our parents told us to take some of our village's rations and hide them here before the bandits came for their monthly tribute." Shota sobbed. "Please, can you help us?!"

Adora and Lonnie shared a look of concern. They weren't sure what to do and they were in no condition to fight many people.

Adora looked at the kids, thinking up of ways to tell them that they couldn't stay and help. However, as soon as she looked at them, her eyes only saw Izuku and Catra. She saw her friends being scared and in danger. She couldn't leave them. Then the memory of Shadow Weaver's words came to her mind like a dark blanket of shame. She couldn't let what happened before happen again.

"Show me where." Adora walked up to the children, shocking her friends.

"The village is that way." Lily pointed to the other side of the river.

Adora didn't wait for her team to say anything. She took off with her weapons and helmet in hand. She passed the river and went deep into the forest, leaving her team behind.

"Adora!" Lonnie called out, growling in frustration. "Scorpia, Kyle, Rogelio, get the kids and their stuff on the truck, we're going after Adora before she kills herself."

"What about the dead donkey?" Kyle asked.

The donkey jumped up back to its feet, scaring Kyle and Rogelio.

"Oh my gosh, it's alive!" Scorpia snapped, pulling the children behind her.

"This forest, it's a land of miracles," Kyle gasped.

Lonnie just rolled her eyes.


Outside of the forest and amongst a few hills, there was a small village where people had managed to live in peace and out of the war. The people that lived in it were peaceful farmers and lived from all they grew and what they could trade with the rare traveler that came across their home. However, this left them unprepared and undefended against any hostile force that came by and saw them as a target. This was the case at the moment with a gang of bandit raiders that saw the village as a living food and resource ATM that they weren't too keen on losing.

The bandit raiders were gathering the villagers in the square as they gathered their monthly tribute like they had done over the last three months.

"It seems you are coming up short this month," the bandit said, holding up his blaster over his shoulder.

"Please, you've taken a lot from this village. If you keep this up then we won't be able to survive the Winter," the village elder argued.

"That's not our problem. You should be more worried about how you'll make up what you owe already." The bandit aimed his blaster at the old man while the other bandits kept the rest of the villagers down.

However, before the bandit could pull the trigger, a spear smacked the blaster out of the bandit's hand.

"Arg! What the-?" The bandit was smacked across the face by Adora's staff before she snatched the blaster from the air.

Adora turned her blaster on the other bandits, shooting at them.

"Go, get out of here!" Adora continued firing as the villagers ran away to hide from the fight.

Adora ran towards the remaining five bandits with her staff in hand. She spun it before her, blocking the blaster fire sent her way before smacking the first one across the face with it. She didn't stop, she ducked under one of the shots before swiping her leg under the third bandit, knocking them down. She jumped up, narrowly avoiding a blaster shot. She swung down her staff at the fourth bandit's head, wreaking part of their helmet before landing a roundhouse kick to their side. Glaring with rage, she spotted the last bandit and the others she had already attacked. She charged at them with rage.

Adora continued attacking the bandits, using her spear to knock and viciously wound them. Spinning her weapon with years of training and experience, she beat up the bandits with all her pent up rage until they were a bunch of wounded and beaten cowards.

Adora knelt on one knee, using her staff for whatever support she could get. She panted in exhaustion, after days of poor sleep and flashing visions, her body was now at its limit and needed desperately to rest. But before she could take a much needed break, the first bandit she attacked got back up, pulling out another blaster.

"You won't be making fun of me today, blondie!" The bandit screamed, aiming for her head.

But just as he was about to fire his blaster, the truck came driving in at high speeds from within the forest.

"What the f-?!" The bandit was stuck by the truck and sent flying away.

"Did we just run over someone?" Scorpia asked.

"Yep," Lonnie replied as they all got down from the truck, wearing ponchos to hide their former Horde affiliation. "Adora, hang on!"

"Lonnie? What are you guys doing here?" Adora asked.

"Saving you before you drop from exhaustion, dumbass," Lonnie whispered, putting on a poncho on Adora. "Now get back to your feet so we can get out of here."

"Everyone, we brought some heroes here to help us!" Shota called out, getting the attention of the villagers.

Little by little the villagers came out to thank and greet their saviors. They cheered and clapped in praise for the warriors that stepped out of the blue to help them. Their faces were smiling for the first time in what felt like many years as they surrounded the group.

"Thank you!" The village chief bowed to Adora and Lonnie as the other villagers continued to cheer. "I don't know who you are, but in the name of our village, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Adora wasn't sure what to say. She had never been thanked like this before, least of all by so many people. She'd only received praise from Shadow Weaver and the other Force Captains, but they were never this warm. As she saw the faces of all the villagers, she couldn't help but feel like she needed to do this kind of stuff over and over. Adora's chest felt a pleasant warmth like that of a brand new day after a chilly night.

"You-you don't need to thank us, sir," Adora replied. "My friends and I only did our duty as-"

"As good Samaritans that were passing by and decided to help." Lonnie covered Adora's mouth before she said anything else.

"Please, we would be honored to have you as our guests for the night," the village chief offered.

"Thank you, sir, but there's no need," Adora said before Lonnie turned her around.

"Adora, they're offering one night of food, and a proper bed. It would be wrong to just leave, right?" Lonnie argued.

Adora turned to her other friends, who were being swarmed by the other villagers. She noted how they shrugged at their situation. She let out a sigh of defeat.

"We would be honored to be your guests, but only for one night." Adora bowed in respect.

"It is all we can ask." The village chief bowed in response before turning to his people. "Tonight, we celebrate our heroes!"

The villagers cheered as they led Adora and her friends to a barn where they could rest for the night.

As the villagers showed them where they would be staying, Kyle spotted something shiny on the bandit's body. He approached the body with a stick in his hand. With a couple of swift pokes to the body, he let out a sigh of relief. Kyle didn't feel good that the guy was dead but more so that they wouldn't spring back to their feet and attack him. He moved the bandit's clothes, revealing what was shining with the light of the sun.

"Oh, no," Kyle muttered.

Adora, Lonnie, Scorpia, Rogelio and Kyle finished settling down in the barn.

"Man, this is so comfy!" Scorpia laid on top of a large hay stack. "Who could've guessed this stuff is better than the mattresses back home? I'll sleep like a baby tonight."

"You said it, Scorpia," Lonnie sighed, laying on top of another stack of hay. "We should do stuff like this more often."

Adora looked at her two friends as Rogelio took out their sleeping bags from the truck.

"Are you two serious?" Adora asked. "We shouldn't be here. We have to keep moving."

"Relax, Adora, we have nothing to fear if we spend one night here." Lonnie stretched her arms. "No one here is looking for us and this village is isolated enough that no one will think of looking here. We have nothing to fear. Besides, we can leave tomorrow."

Adora sighed. She understood the logic behind Lonnie's words, but part of her didn't agree to just staying in a village that could be home to potential enemies. She wanted to keep her team safe from harm, but she also had no place to go. As much as she hated admitting it, her friends and her were no better than vagabonds. She yawned. She was so tired and needed sleep. She wanted to fight it, but the hay looked very tempting.

"Hey, girl, why don't you take a nap and we'll take care of things," Lonnie said.

"I'm fine, Lonnie. I can't let you guys do all the work," Adora argued.

"But you've been doing a lot of work, Adora." Scorpia raised her eyebrow. "Like seriously, you tried to drive the truck, man the radio and scout ahead at the same time the other day."

"But-" Adora began only for Lonnie to cover her mouth.

"No buts, Adora. You either take a nap now and rest, or I hit you over the head and you wake up with a major headache." Lonnie pointed to the hay.

Adora, like a scolded child, made her way to the stack of hay. She fell on her back as the softness of the hay took her. Her heavy eyelids slowly fell down despite her attempts at staying awake.

"I-I guess, a small five minute break, won't hurt," Adora yawned before sleep took her.

Adora fell into a deep sleep while her friends finished setting things up.


Her dreams slowly took her away from the land of the waking people, and into her dream. Adora found herself in a vast pastured land, feeling the wind in her face as she laid down against a tree. She heard the sound of music fill her ears as the shadow of the tree covered her face. She opened her eyes to see that she was now wearing a white dress and her hair was let down.

"You had a pleasant dream, Adora?"

Adora looked up to see Catra wearing a similar dress with her hair tied in a ponytail.

"Leave her alone, Catra. You know she needs to rest." Izuku sat down next to Adora.

"Yeah, but it's fun to tease her." Catra sat down.

Adora wrapped her arms around her friends. She wanted to keep them close and next to her.

"With you two, I have plenty to keep me busy. Now that Etheria is at peace at last, we can just spend the rest of our days in peace." Adora snuggled up with her two friends while they hugged her. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Catra whispered something into Izuku's ear, causing him to blush. She winked at him before she jumped at Adora's face. The feline girl kissed Adora's cheek, making her blush before jumping at Izuku.

"Who wants to play it safe all the time?" Catra laughed, kissing him passionately.

"Catra!" Adora scolded her.

Catra and Izuku started chasing each other, calling Adora to follow them.

Adora smiled as she wanted to run after her friends and have as much fun as she wanted. She looked at her feet as she was about to take chase.

"Adora."

The voice froze her.

Adora turned around to see Light Hope standing behind her. Her eyes widened as she remembered what happened at the Beacon.

"No… You're not here… Stay away from us!" Adora snapped.

"Y-You must answer your people's destiny…"

"My 'people'?" Adora asked confused.

"That's right, Adora. Your people in the Horde."

Adora turned to the shaded part of the tree, only to see the shadows growing darker. She saw Shadow Weaver coming out from them, raising a hand at her.

"Come back to me, Adora. Forget these anchors and return with me to where you belong." Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes at Catra and Izuku as they ran. "Together, we will reshape the world in our image."

Adora took a step back, feeling her clothes changing. She looked down to see her armor instead of her dress.

"No, I-I don't want to." Adora shook her head.

"Your destiny is to be She-Ra, and wield the Sword of Protection." Light Hope appeared before Adora. "Bring balance to Etheria and bring back the First Ones' Civilization."

Adora fell back. She opened her eyes to see that she was now in the She-Ra form with the sword in her hand. She saw her reflection in the blade and it scared her. She tossed the sword away, running from the two apparitions. She shook her head trying to get rid of all that was trying to mold her. She looked over her shoulder as Light Hope and Shadow Weaver stretched out after her like a pair of shadows haunting her.

"Stay away! Stay away!" Adora screamed.

"Hey, Adora!" Catra called out, getting her attention.

"Are you coming with us? I think the sea isn't that far." Izuku pointed to the horizon.

"If not, we'll leave you behind, slowpoke!" Catra called out.

Adora reached out to them.

"Please, don't go! Please, stay with me!" Adora cried before tripping.

Adora landed on her face. She looked down to see her own reflection, but it wasn't just her face. Adora saw herself shifting between her Horde self to the She-Ra form to Shadow Weaver and Light Hope.


Adora snapped awake, gasping for air. She was sweating, not recognizing where she was and what was happening. She thrashed, falling from the haystack and to the ground.

"Adora!" Lonnie and Scorpia ran to her side. "It's okay, it's okay, we're here. What's wrong?"

Adora kept thrashing as she looked at her armor. She couldn't breathe with it. She started taking it off as violently as she could. Throwing away the bits and pieces of the armor, she stared down at her hands, panting in search of air.

"Adora, please, tell me what's wrong." Lonnie softly placed her hand on Adora's back.

Adora didn't reply. She continued panting, hearing her heartbeat silence everything around her with an incessant beating. She closed her eyes, taking quick and shallow breaths to whatever good they were meant to do. She didn't dare to close her eyes out of fear of seeing the visions again. Her mind buzzed with questions as Lonnie and Scorpia tried to comfort her.

"Girl, let it out," Scorpia said. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know. The Beacon," Adora replied, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I saw things that I don't understand. Light Hope turned me into She-Ra because she… she wanted to bring back the First Ones…"

"But aren't they dead?" Lonnie asked.

"No… Izuku and I are descendants of the First Ones… She wanted us to take over and bring back their civilization." Adora dug her fingers into the ground. "And Shadow Weaver wanted to kill Izuku and Catra… She wanted me to be her weapon… And now I don't know who I am." Adora broke down.

Tears rained from her eyes as years of repressing her feelings were slowly being let out. Adora couldn't stop herself from breaking down and bearing her feelings out. She felt regret for not protecting her friends when she had to. She regretted not going with them and helping them change the minds of the other kids. She wanted to go to them and apologize for what she had done in the name of the Horde and not believing them. Her tears formed a small puddle under her after crying so much, but she didn't care.

"Adora, it's okay, manipulation is all Shadow Weaver's game," Lonnie said.

"Yeah, like there was this one time, I saw her tricking a guy into teasing Shigaraki and then he got turned to ash," Scorpia resounted before seeing the distraught face Adora had. "Sorry, not helping."

"What Scorpia is trying to say is that Shadow Weaver can be very persuasive. It's not your fault, you-we were kids when all this happened," Lonnie said. "We can't change the past. But maybe we can choose a better path for us."

"But where would that be? All this time, I thought that I was doing the right thing; bringing order to Etheria." Adora held her head as Lonnie held her sit down. "But it seems that all we've done is cause suffering. What do I do now?"

Lonnie and Scorpia looked at each other. They were in the same spot as Adora, but they had no illusions about the Horde. And as much as they would've liked to tell their friend that they had a plan, they were making stuff as they went along.

"Well… we can start by getting you some new clothes. Or would you prefer to see Izuku and Catra naked?" Lonnie asked.

Adora looked down to see that she was indeed naked under the poncho that she wore. She tried her best to cover herself. In her moment of panic, she had forgotten that she was indeed not wearing anything under it.

"Um, I think I would like some pants." Adora blushed.

"I think we have some spares," Lonnie said. "We'll have to patch up the Horde symbol off of them so that no one gets the wrong idea." She handed her a new shirt and a pair of pants.

"It's… probably for the best." Adora took the clothes before putting them on.

Adora finished putting on her clothes before looking at herself in a mirror. She was surprised to find that she didn't recognize herself. She now wore a long sleeved white t-shirt under a short-sleeved strong pink jacket with a lighter colored neck, and a pair of gray pants with a pair of standard sneakers. A part of her never thought she'd wear normal clothes again, but that wasn't what made her a stranger to her own eyes.

Adora had always seen herself as a warrior and as a soldier of the Horde. But now? Without her armor, she didn't know what she was meant to do. All her life she was told that she had a destiny, a great purpose. Now she was away from anything that made her think that. It was like a weight was missing for her. She needed to find something that could fill that missing piece of her.

As Adora meditated on what to do next, Kyle walked in with something in his hand.

"Hey, guys, is Adora alright?" Kyle asked.

"She's going through some stuff, Kyle." Lonnie took Kyle to the side. "What's wrong?"

Kyle handed her the object that he got from the runover bandit.

Lonnie looked at it and her eyes widened at what it was. In her hand was the badge of a Horde Force Captain.

"I found it on the bandit we hit. I don't know if he just stole it or if they were part of the Horde," Kyle said. "Maybe we can ask the villagers about them."

Lonnie looked at Adora and then at the badge. She knew that keeping this secret from Adora would be more detrimental than helpful in the near future. She sighed, knowing that she had to show this to her before she heard or saw it herself.

"Adora, I think you need to see this." Lonnie handed her the badge. "We don't know if this was just picked up by the bandits, but we should still be cautious."

Adora looked at the badge with uncertainty. For a long time it was all she wanted. But at that moment, she didn't know what to think about it. She put it inside one of her pockets before turning to Lonnie.

"Try to learn what you can from the villagers, but try not to stand out or draw too much attention to yourselves," Adora said. "If they know something, then we'll plan accordingly."


The night had arrived and the group were invited to dinner as the guests of honor.

The party was a small one, with the villagers all sharing food and drink with Adora and her friends. They all sat around a dance floor in the middle of the village as people danced, ate and drank under the light of the lanterns.

The village chief got up with his drink in hand.

"We are gathered here today to thank these brave warriors that came to us in our moment of need." the village chief raised his glass. "To our saviors!" He toasted.

"To our saviors!"

Adora and her friends toasted along with the villagers.

Once the toast was said and drunk, Adora used this chance to learn more about the bandits. She turned to the village chief, clearing her throat.

"Excuse me, chief," Adora said. "May I ask you a question? These bandits, what do you know of them?"

"I'm afraid, they used to be former Horde soldiers that were stationed near the mountains until they turned into bandits." The chief pointed to the mountains where the bandits had been posted. "They started coming here after the Horde started losing ground against the Alliance."

"That doesn't make sense," Adora muttered.

"Some say that they deserted and are now just looking for a way to survive, others say they are here on some assignment. Their leader is a piece of work though," the chief said.

"Who's their leader? Have you met him?" Adora asked.

"I only saw him once, three months ago, the bastard's name is Grizzlor." The chief drank from his cup.

Adora remembered Grizzlor, and not a very friendly one. He was a Force Captain that specialized in using brute force to get resources from enemy towns and fortresses. Hordak and the other Force Captains liked to have him around as he was a good source of muscle that didn't go for the bloodlust like Muscular. His actions were nasty, but served a purpose. Adora hated to admit that she once asked to go on one of his runs to 'repossess' Horde property. She now saw that these were the people that he was taking from.

People Adora had actually helped and defended.

She didn't know why but she felt how genuine the people were when they thanked her. They weren't being forced to do it by obligation, but because of actual gratitude for what she had done. Adora looked at the cup she had been given, seeing her reflection which showed her worried but calmed face. She turned to see the people having fun and celebrating in a way she had not seen in her life. Adora couldn't help but smile.

The night went on with Adora and her friends eating the food. It was like nothing they had tasted before. Their mouths were full of flavor from the food and the drinks that they were tasting. It was like eating something for the very first time and just loving it unlike what they had eaten before.

Adora didn't know why, but she felt happy and free for the first time in a long time. She was amongst friends in a world of color and wonder, far from the darkness of the Fright Zone. She smiled, knowing that this was the kind of party that Izuku and Catra would love to be in. Adora wished that they were there with her and the others. She started drinking more and more, much to the cheer of the villagers and her friends.

Hours passed as the festivities died down. People loved to be at the party and have fun. It was as though the war was a distant nightmare and everyone was where they should've been.


Adora and her friends returned to the brand where they all fell asleep. For the first time in a long time, the sleep was restful for the group. They soundly slept in their sleeping bags and stacks of hay in hopes of gathering whatever strength they needed for the next day. For most of them it was the type of night that they needed, not as soldiers, but as regular people that required to have a day of normalcy in their lives. However, Adora couldn't stay asleep for long.

She woke up and walked out of the barn, wanting to clear her thoughts. She looked up at the stars, remembering that it was one of the things she saw in her flashes. Reaching out towards them like she did in that flash, Adora tried to make sense of what she had seen. But the more that she tried the more those flashes seemed to be disconnected from something else. She felt like all her life she had gone through so many things but only through motions.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping, Adora?"

Adora turned around to see Lonnie, yawning as she walked towards her friend.

"There were things I couldn't get out of my head," Adora replied, looking at the stars.

"More of those weird dreams?" Lonnie walked next to her.

"...Yes. It feels like my life is a bunch of pictures that do not make sense," Adora explained. "And it feels like all the answers go back to the Beacon and She-Ra."

"What exactly happened there? You never gave us the full story," Lonnie said.

Adora looked down at her hand. She could feel the weight and power of the sword coursing through her even after so many days of not having it. The power she felt was unlike anything that she had ever seen. It wasn't like holding an electric baton or a blaster in her mind. The feeling was more akin to holding a live power cable and just feeling the energy coursing through her body. Adora couldn't forget that feeling so easily. Or how she came upon it back at the Beacon with Izuku and Catra.

"I found this large First Ones ruins, and thought it would be a good place to see how far I was from the edge of the forest," Adora began. "But I saw Izuku and Catra going inside. I followed after them and watched them as they tried to communicate with some kind of hologram. It sent out spiders against them, and that's when I attacked it. We ran before the spiders gave chase. For a while we evaded them, but then… it started replaying our own memories for us to see."

Lonnie didn't know what to say. She thought all the First Ones and their ruins were just old places with some fancy pieces of tech scattered and barely working. But she never thought that there would be a place that could do the stuff that Adora was telling her.

"What memories?" Lonnie asked.

"Some from when we were kids," Adora replied. "They got me and Catra clashing between them and the spiders. I got separated from them. Light Hope appeared before me and told me that I had a destiny that had been taken from me. I ran, not believing a word she said. I thought all that stuff was the result of another source."

"The sword." Lonnie looked down, remembering how the sword glowed with boundless power.

"I took it while Izuku tried to calm Catra, I thought she was referring to Light Hope," Adora continued. "That was what Light Hope wanted. It seems I'm always doing what others want me to do. I did a terrible thing, a long time ago. And I don't think they'll ever forgive me."

"Adora, whatever happened, it was back when we were kids and you couldn't have known." Lonnie placed her hand on Adora's shoulder.

"I wish I had, that way, maybe a lot of things wouldn't have happened." Adora balled her hand. "But in the end, here I am, not knowing where to go or who I am."

Lonnie wanted to help Adora, but didn't know how. She had seen several gladiators and soldiers in moments of stress and how they were unable to work properly. She knew that there was one thing that often helped them to blow off some steam, but she didn't know if Adora would ever consider the idea. It made her a little embarrassed but it was an idea to actually help her friend. But that's not what she needed at the moment. Lonnie needed to reassure Adora about what would happen to them.

"Look Adora, I can't tell if Izuku and Catra will forgive you," Lonnie said. "But we can do whatever we want from now on. We don't have to get involved with the Horde or the Alliance. We could look for a way to be happy."

"But I don't know what makes me happy, I just want to keep you safe," Adora said.

Lonnie turned Adora back to the barn. She knew that they were in now way done with the talk, but the need for sleep was much stronger.


The sun rose up as Adora, Lonnie and the rest of the group were loading some of the stuff that the villagers had given them before their journey.

"Are you sure you need to go on your way so early in the morning?" The village chief asked.

"We're sorry, but we need to go out on our way." Adora placed a small crate of supplies on the truck.

"Our boss wants us back on the road before we get all too comfortable in your dreamy little village," Lonnie joked.

Adora smirked, knowing that Lonnie meant well but also made them sound like they had it all figured out.

The group drove out of the village, waving away at the villagers as they left.

As they drove farther and farther out of the village, Adora couldn't help but feel like there was something that they had to do before going out into the unknown. She looked at the mountains and knew that they had to make one stop. She couldn't look away as the Horde or people oppressed others like that.

"Hey, Adora, where are you turning?" Lonnie asked.

"We're going to make sure the bandits don't come back," Adora replied.

"Um, what?" Scorpia asked. "Are you saying we should go straight to Force Captain Grizzlor and take out his forces?"

"I'm going. You can take the truck and everything else after you drop me off," Adora answered.

"Yeah, that's not happening." Lonnie took the wheel. "We're not leaving you just like that. So what's your plan exactly, hit 'em and run?"

Adora smiled.

"More or less that's the idea. They don't expect anyone to attack them like that, so I was planning to use surprise as my fist weapon. Unless you've got a better idea?" Adora asked.

Lonnie sighed.


Near the mountains, Force Captain Grizzlor and his troops were preparing to hit the village with force. He hated that after his blunder near Brightmoon, Shadow Weaver had sent him to the boonies to raid villages. But he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy being in the wild and taking from those that had what he wanted. He had found a very nice little village that was perfect for his assignment, too bad he was starting to get bored with all the easy pickings.

However, when Grizzlor heard that someone had fought off his raiders, he got intrigued. He didn't know if the villagers had hired someone to fight them off or if they had gotten spines to fight them. But now he could really go out and have fun with his toys. He chuckled at the possibility of staying in these parts and not at the front lines.

"Alright boys, we're going in and we're making each and every single villager give us up to their last scrap of valuables," Grizzlor said, getting cheers from his men. "Now, I don't know how they managed to get help so quickly, but we will make them regret ever standing up to the mighty Horde!"

The soldiers continued to cheer, unaware of what was coming to them.

As the soldiers continued preparing their attack, a couple of grenades were snatched by a reptilian hand.

The soldiers gathered around the fire as a few figures moved around the bushes as quietly as mice.

The radio at the camp suddenly started giving out static, causing the soldiers looking after it to turn around.

"Hey, what's wrong with this old junk?" one of the soldiers asked.

"It was working fine just a second ago, there must be something jamming it," another soldier said.

Two pincers sprung out from the bushes, slamming their heads against each other before being stung by a scorpion tail.

The soldiers started taking notice of the strange noises that were surrounding them. They panicked and started pulling out their weapons.

"Is it the Alliance?!"

"Maybe the villagers hired mercenaries?!"

"Quit it you bums! We're soldiers, they're farmers! We'll slaughter each and every single one of them!" Grizzlor snarled.

Just as Grizzlor finished his declaration of war, the missing grenades were thrown at the soldiers. The grenades exploded like firecrackers, scaring and spreading panic through the camp. The soldiers quickly lost control of the situation as the explosions made them fear what was out in the darkness of the night.

That's when the figures jumped out from their hiding spots.

Adora and Lonnie rushed in, using the chaos and the smoke to their advantage. They picked soldier after soldier, stealing their own electric batons to knock them out with precision.

Grizzlor couldn't help but watch in horror as his soldiers were easily taken out amidst the smoke and the chaos. He pulled out a large spiked club and started swinging like a mad beast man.

Adora and Lonnie split up, dodging the attack before it struck. They ducked and weaved as Grizzlor continued attacking them like a mad man.

The club narrowly struck Adora, but she blocked it with her staff. She parried the large weapon, sending it to the ground before kicking Grizzlor in the face.

Lonnie jumped in with her own clubs, striking at Grizzlor's back with a fierce blow. She continued her assault with a blow to the back of his knee and one more across his face.

"You'll pay for this, you bastards!" Grizzlor roared only to get tased by Adora.

"That should do it," Adora said, turning back to the remaining grunts.

The battle was short but it led to the capture and robbery of Grizzlor and his gang of bandits. The infamous Force Captain was now tied up with his fellow bandits on a large tree and unable to escape.

Adora and her task force were driving away with all the equipment that they had taken from Grizzlor.

"I don't know why, but this feels pretty good!" Scorpia said.

"You're kidding, it felt amazing." Lonnie laughed. "We literally just robbed the Horde, and we came out unscathed. It felt a little cathartic."

"Thanks for helping me with this, guys, it just felt right," Adora said.

"No problem girl. Now where to?" Lonnie asked. "We've got plenty of stuff and the open road."

Adora frowned, not knowing where she wanted or needed to go. She closed her eyes, trying to think things out. She'd been so focused on the present that she had no idea where she should go from there. Helping people was something she liked, but until she knew who she truly was then she wouldn't be able to see things through.

"...Mara… Serelia…"

Adora's eyes snapped open at the sound of that voice. She knew it was Light Hope, the only person that could make sense of her true identity. Part of her knew that it was a bad idea to trust her or go anywhere she said. But she spent her whole life playing it safe and playing by Shadow Weaver's whims and wishes. Even if it meant going into the lion's den, Adora would not be denied.

"We'll start looking up information about She-Ra and just who were the First Ones really," Adora said.

"That's pretty open-ended for an answer. But okay, you're the boss!" Lonnie stepped on the accelerator. "Onwards to destiny!"