Chapter 8: Foggy Spoon
Endless blue sea stretched out in front of her, glinting soft orange from the sunset and rolling lazily. Two moons hung directly above her in the fading daylight, casting their own glow. One was a chalky, light red like the clay that made up so many of Etheria's cliffsides. The other was a deep purple with a blue stripe going through it horizontally. Gorgeous and totally unfamiliar.
The cliff she stood on dropped about three hundred feet into what was presumably an ocean or large lake. The grass that covered it was long, green, and wild. The greens were deeper, and individual blades were much thicker and lengthier than the grass at Bright Moon. The surrounding foliage was also larger and bursting with more color than any of Etheria's northern regions. She didn't recognize any of it.
Crunching dirt beneath boots caught her attention and she twisted around to see a muscular woman with mid-back length black hair making her way over. Her skin tone was similar to Adora's, and she wore flowing white robes. Like the area, she'd never seen this person before.
She wanted to say something. Wanted to turn around fully and ask where they were. But the dream wasn't giving up control that easily and she acted according to its directions. So she turned back around and surveyed the sprawling ocean. Arms wrapped around her waist and the woman put her head on Adora's shoulder. The woman's body pressed against her back until there was zero space in between them.
It was...intimate. No one except for Catra had ever held her like this. She never wanted anyone but Catra to hold her like this. But the questions zipping through her mind didn't match the calm that she physically felt. The way her body swayed against this other woman made her lightheaded, in a good way. Maybe her body craved this touch, this woman, but not her head. She needed out. Everything about this was so wrong. Where was Catra and the kids? Bow and Glimmer? Etheria?
"We did what we had to do," the woman whispered against Adora's ear. She tightened her grip around her waist, and then Adora woke up.
It must've been early in the morning judging by the creeping sunlight coming out from under their curtains. And she was definitely in Bright Moon Castle. The soaring ceiling and splash of a nearby waterfall told her as much. Catra lay fast asleep on her side, snoring lightly and resting one hand on Adora's chest. Should she wake her up? It was far earlier than even Adora usually woke up and Catra liked to sleep in. Still, that dream was sticking in a way that most didn't and she'd like to talk about it. But it'd been an exhausting few days...they could talk later.
Adora carefully removed Catra's hand and started to scootch towards the edge of the bed. Before she made it, Catra's eyes opened slightly and she yawned, showing off her set of fangs. Well, so much for not waking her up.
"Hey, where are you going?" Catra asked, her voice thick with sleep.
"I thought I'd wake the kids up and then get them to come wake you up. And then everyone could be up at five A.M. Which would be so much fun."
"Hmmm, you're lucky I happen to like you."
"That does come in handy, I gotta say," Adora admitted.
"So, why are you really up? Gotta go eat raw eggs with Brick and push some tires around?"
She settled back on her side facing Catra and whispered, "I, ummm, actually had this dream that woke me up."
Catra's ears perked at that and she reached for one of Adora's hands. "Dream or nightmare?"
"I don't know. It was odd. I was with this woman on a cliffside overlooking an ocean. And it seemed like she knew me. Like really knew me. She was holding me close—her arms were wrapped around me and her head was on my shoulder. And she said, 'We did what we had to do.' What does that even mean?"
"How was she holding you?" Catra said, "Was it friendly or romantic?"
"I think I'd say it felt more romantic. Which is why it all felt so wrong. I couldn't spot you, or the kids, or Glimmer, or Bow. I didn't recognize anything. Not the place and not the woman."
"I have to say that I'm a little jealous. Was she hot?"
"I didn't notice."
Catra chuckled and said, "That's the correct answer."
"It's the truth. I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on and where I was that I wasn't thinking about that. The area was really nice, though. That I did notice. But it didn't feel like a vacation or anything even remotely fun. I don't know how to describe the atmosphere exactly but it was kinda doomy and gloomy."
"Doomy and gloomy?" Catra raised one eyebrow.
"It's five A.M. I'm sorry I'm not the spelling bee over here."
Catra let out a little laugh and moved in closer before saying, "I wave my white flag of surrender. Please continue and I promise not to interrupt. Not with jokes nor clever jabs."
"I will allow a single clever jab but that's it."
"Got it," Catra said. She pretended to zip her lips and throw the key away.
"Okay, so, I was standing on a cliffside that I'd say is quite distinctive. It overlooked an ocean and two moons were on the horizon. No moons I've ever seen before and you know I've seen a lot of moons in my time." Catra nodded. "And I was just staring at this endless sea. The ocean wasn't raging or anything like that but I didn't feel comforted like I do normally with the sea. I just sorta...starred.
"And then this plain woman, not very attractive at all, came up the hill towards me," Adora said. Catra smirked but remained silent. "She held me and my body liked it? I know this is getting weird but there's no other way to describe it. It's like when you're around and I just naturally gravitate towards you."
"So, would I be the sun in this metaphor?" Catra said, grinning.
"No, because you don't have blonde hair."
Catra's shoulders shook with silent laughter before she said, "Okay, I'm done. I got my jab in. Please continue."
"My body liked her, for whatever reason, but I wanted out. Me. The real Adora. But the dream wouldn't let me. I had to stand there and look. I had to let this woman touch me. It was all rehearsed and planned and I was just playing a part forced upon me. And the whole time, it felt like we'd been on a long journey together but it hadn't turned out well. Or maybe the conclusion was bitter-sweet or something like that. But I wasn't jumping for joy, I know that."
"Anything else?"
"And then I woke up and here we are."
"Do you want advice or just wanna talk it out?" Catra asked.
"I'll take anything you can give."
Catra shifted closer until she laid partially on top of Adora and her head was snuggled under her chin. Adora brushed a hand through her hair and waited. "Sometimes dreams are just dreams. Maybe you saw some hot, mysterious stranger and your mind was trying to sort it out. Or maybe it's nothing and your mind needed something to contemplate. Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've had my fair share of unsettling dreams and they were just that—dreams."
"I'm sure you're right," Adora said.
"Now let's get back to sleep and dream about each other." She yawned and draped an arm around Adora's neck.
"Who knew you were such a romantic?"
"It's five A.M., I don't have the energy to be suave and distant."
"I should wake you up more often," Adora said.
"Please don't."
Adora kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you in my dreams."
...
One day, in the middle of the week, at approximately 5:30 P.M., she decided enough was enough. It was about to be day three of Catra working late into the evening and Adora suspected she was neglecting herself. Had she eaten lunch? Probably not. Gotten eight hours of sleep? Absolutely not. Maybe no one else noticed, maybe even Catra didn't even notice, but Adora and the kids sure did.
Was she throwing herself at work because that needed to happen? Or did she do it to avoid something? Spirits knew Adora had fallen into similar routines before for the wrong reasons. Maybe Catra needed a reminder that someone cared, and that she needed to take care of herself.
Adora maneuvered the halls of the diplomatic corp with relative ease. Meetings or quick questions or checking-in or a thousand other things brought her up the stairs almost daily. Her third floor excursions were always a breath of fresh air because, well, the floor actually had windows. Since Bright Moon Castle was the centralized location for the diplomatic corp, its office space spanned the entire floor and dwarfed the War Department's basement dwelling. The War Department had them beat in size and scale but everyone and everything were scattered around on bases or Space Port.
Catra's office was larger than hers, had more light and better decorations, and sat in the middle of the diplomatic corp rather than shoved to the back like Adora's. Glass panels covered the entire front of her office, including the entrance, but closed blinds often obscured the occupants. Much like the office's smart exterior, the interior had the same sleek modern look characterized by glass, white accents, and sharp lines. Papers and datapads lay in organized piles on Catra's clear desk. Filing cabinets lined the wall behind her desk and monitors switched to various news outlets were mounted on the walls.
Today the blinds were open and she could see Catra standing at a filing cabinet with her back turned to Adora. As soon as she walked through the doors, Catra said, "Find it yet?"
Instead of answering, Adora walked over and leaned against the wall right next to her. "Come here often?"
"Only when I'm trying to get away from my wife," Catra said, raising her head and smiling.
"The Lord Commander, right? At least she's shoved away in the basement where everyone can forget about her."
"Someone's touchy. Is it the windows again?"
"I'm not bitter or anything but I absolutely resent my tiny, pathetic window," Adora said, "I'm the bridge between us and Etheria and I'm stuck in a brick basement with like three windows and a single beam of natural light."
"But at least you're not bitter about it."
Adora laughed and shifted so she leaned against the filing cabinet. "So who was trying to find what?"
"I've been looking for a file on Tirik for what feels like the whole day," Catra explained as she started to flip through her files again. "I enlisted Mabel to help but she can't find it either."
"Why do you need their file?"
"It's that fucking recording. I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going on over at Tirik. Abban Arnold is their King and I'm trying to figure out if there's some other way to contact him. These past few days, I've been combing through everything we have on him and Tirik trying to figure out what could be going on."
"As I recall, King Abban is barely clinging to power and Tirik is still recovering from a civil war, correct?"
"I knew I married you for a reason," Catra said, "And you're absolutely right. Tirik isn't very stable right now. Which makes me even more nervous about this situation. They're vulnerable and they'd be easy to target. With them not being close allies and on the fringe of the solar system, I think it'd be easy to invade, shut down their communications, topple their government, and install your own. And no one in the galactic community would be the wiser." Catra paused and looked at Adora's face. "Now that I say it out loud, it seems kinda insane. We have little communication with them, which is relatively normal, and some weird recording that barely says anything and I've come to the conclusion that they're under attack."
"If it makes you feel any better, I believe you," Adora said.
"You do?"
"Of course. I also thought that recording was off and this portal business happening at the same time seems like it's more than a mere coincidence. Plus, if we have our best and brightest on the issue and she's saying it's not looking good, I'm inclined to believe her."
"Best and brightest, huh?"
"No doubt in my mind," Adora said with a smile, "Now, take a breather, have this snack that I made you, and I'll find your file." She handed over the box of food and shooed Catra towards her desk. "I made it with that eggplant you pulled out of your garden a few days ago. Tell me if you like it."
"Wait, where are the kids?" Catra paused mid-stride.
"Bow's watching them right now," Adora said, "You should've seen his face when I asked. He teared up a little bit."
"Good man," Catra said as she flopped down in her chair, "Damn, we all agreed to spend more time together and that still hasn't happened." She took a bite and closed her eyes.
"Good?
"Amazing." Catra took another deliberate bite.
"Now, that's what I like to hear," Adora said before pulling the file Catra was searching for, "And I have to admit that this visit may be a little bit more than just a simple hello from yours truly. You're right about us not seeing each other much, and I may have been sent on a mission to get you to a BFS dinner."
"A high-stakes mission indeed."
"Only if you say no," Adora said, settling in a chair just across from Catra, "Then I'd be forced to kidnap you." She tossed the file towards Catra. "Or is it catnap you? ...That doesn't sound right."
"How the fuck did you find this?" Catra looked between her and the file and back again. "I mean, I have been at it for hours."
"Sometimes you file stuff away using a person's first name rather than their last so I just searched Arnold. Then there were a few other files with the same name, so I just went down them alphabetically."
Catra groaned and buried her face in her hands. "How did I miss that?"
"Because you've been going at it for hours. And I know you haven't been sleeping much. And I suspect you haven't been eating much. You haven't been taking care of yourself, Catra. And I have to say, I'm worried about you. So, come on. You've done enough for today and everyone wants to see you." Catra furrowed her eyebrows for a second before she started laughing. Was it good laughing or bad laughing? Hard to say. A cat pun would stop her in her tracks. "Are you feline okay?"
Catra paused, narrowed her eyes, and let out a bark of laughter. She wiped at her eyes and took another bite all while chuckling under her breath. Stunned. Adora knew her mouth was hanging open but was utterly powerless to close it. "Did you-did you just laugh at one of my cat puns?"
"No, I sneezed," Catra said. Adora raised an eyebrow at her. "I coughed. I coughed and I sneezed."
"Uh, huh. And all this happened at the same time?"
"Yep, all at once," Catra said.
"One time I did that and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets."
"What? Is that some horrifying human quirk?"
"No...I don't think so? I hope not. I was just kidding but maybe...," Adora said before shaking her head, "Anyways, why were you laughing before the cat pun? Was it a bad laugh? Because it kinda felt like a bad laugh."
"You said you're worried about me but I'm worried about you."
"Me? Why are you worried about me?"
"Maybe because the calmest thing that's happened these past few weeks is that we learned you're from Eternia? I mean, you've been working long hours, been attacked, watched Finn almost get attacked, punched some asshole, talked to an actual ghost, and that feels like I've just skimmed the surface."
"I see your point, I see your point," Adora said, rubbing her chin, "But everyone's been asking if I'm okay and wondering if I need anything. Has anyone asked you? You were there for a lot of that stuff too."
"You're asking now." Catra polished off the rest of the eggplant, and sat back in her chair with a purr. "And you asked me in the forest."
"That's true. So are you feline okay?"
"You're about to get a lot of mileage out of that pun, I know it."
"No doubt but you still haven't answered the question."
"I'm okay, really. Maybe a bit shaken from, well, everything but I'm alright," Catra said, "But I am deeply concerned about Tirik. And that's kept me up at night. As well as worrying about you and Finny. And Reyna. And everyone."
"But besides the gaping wound in your chest, you're alright?"
Catra laughed before she settled into a well-worn smile. "Maybe you have a point. I don't actually remember the last time I ate. And now that you mention it, I am pretty damn tired."
"Well, I think it's time to call it a day. These files will still be here and I'm all yours if you need help tomorrow. But for now, let's go have dinner." Adora stood and offered her hand. Catra took it and away they went.
When they walked hand-in-hand into the dining room, several calls of 'Mom!,' 'Catra!,' and 'Adora!' greeted them. Finn, Reyna, Bow, Glimmer, Brick, Reed, and Misty sat at the long, metal dinner table. Guards lined the walls and butlers stood off to the side with large napkins draped over their arms.
"See? What did I tell you? Everyone wants to see you," Adora whispered in her wife's ear.
"You're right, as usual," Catra whispered back, "Thanks for not letting me stay in the dungeon."
"It's not a dungeon if it has windows."
"That rule doesn't count with the Princesses."
Adora laughed and escorted Catra to her seat by Finn, Reyna, and Brick before sitting down at the head of the table, opposite Glimmer. "What are you two laughing at?" Glimmer asked while signaling a butler with the flick of her wrist and a smile.
"You know how she is with the window situation," Catra answered.
"Spirits, these fu-," Glimmer paused mid-sentence, glancing at Finn and Reyna, "-fudging windows. If all your complaining is to be believed, you'd think we threw you in a dungeon. Like a Fright Zone dungeon, not a Bright Moon dungeon."
"What's a dungeon?" Reyna asked.
"According to your Mom, it's a basement with three windows," Glimmer said.
"Huh?" The tip of Reyna's tail flicked and she cocked her head at Glimmer.
"Have you ever been to your Mom's work? The War Department?"
"Oh, yes," Reyna said while nodding, "It sucks. All that weird lighting hurts my eyes. But I do like the ping-pong table. And the vending machine."
"Hah, what did I tell you people?" Adora turned to Reyna and said, "I can always count on you to back me up, Reyns."
"Yes, you can." They high-fived and Adora leaned back in her chair. Sweet, sweet vindication.
"How do you have time to complain about the artificial lighting if you're supposed to be running a whole department?" Finn said.
"And I can always count on you to keep me humble, Finny."
"Someone's gotta do it," they said with a grin.
"Oh, don't worry, Finn," Brick said, "I'm on it. So's Mom and Catra and sometimes Sunny. Basically we have a whole strike team ready at any given moment to wrestle Adora's ego back to a manageable size. An unlikely team? Perhaps, but we're united in one mission. And it sounds like we could really use you."
"Well, count me in."
"Okay, but have you ever considered the possibility that I have an ego for a reason? I mean, I'm kinda like the greatest warrior ever but, you know, no big deal," Adora took a sip of wine before adding, "But there are songs. And more than a few cakes of my face. Oh, and someone once described me as the most humble person alive so I think that speaks for itself."
"Who said that?" Finn asked.
"Oh, ummm." She coughed and mumbled at the same time.
"I'm sorry, who?" Catra asked, "You'll have to speak up for all us geriatric folks."
She looked outside and noted the fog descending. "Foggy-," she said before searching the table, "-Spoon." Silence met her as everyone processed. Catra sat back in her chair as a slow, raspy laugh built up and then poured out of her. She'd never, ever tire of making Catra laugh.
"So an actual person named Foggy Spoon said that you were humble? Where do they live? Bull-," Brick paused as he looked at Reyna, "-poop Road?"
"Bullpoop Lane, actually," Adora said, "It's sandwiched between Hogwash Road and Sham Circle." The table erupted into laughter and dammit she could go toe-to-toe with Catra and Brick.
"I'm surprised you're not familiar," Catra said to Brick, which earned her a glare from him.
Reyna giggled and nudged Adora's hand before saying, "You're silly."
"Ya," Adora admitted, "Do you think I'm funny?"
Reyna rubbed her chin thoughtfully and searched Adora's face with narrowed eyes. "Sometimes."
"...Well, I'll take it."
"For the record, I happen to think you're very funny," Bow said, "And it's very understated and underrated. Everyone loves a Catra quip but no one can beat you when it comes to goofy."
"Why thank you, Bow. I also happen to think I'm very funny." She looked at Finn and said, "Just the cat's meow."
"Uuuuugh, no," Finn said while dragging a hand across their face, "No more cat puns."
"Not even a whisker of-." Before Adora could finish, the butlers placed soup and bread in front of everyone.
"Saved by the soup," Catra said while elbowing Finn in the side. The two exchanged a smile that spread warmth throughout Adora's chest. Something about seeing Catra interact with their children made it seem like the world was alright, and things were happening exactly as they should be.
Dinner and conversation continued, easing into well-worn patterns of banter and life updates. The courses, amazing as always, came and went and they settled into a post-dessert haze.
"Look, all I'm saying is that more high schools should teach Mother-What?" Adora asked, looking around at all the faces of her friends and family. Everyone's mouths hung open and their eyes widened as the chatter almost instantly halted.
"Ummm…" Finn pointed behind her. She turned around only to see a thick beam of green light pulsating into the night and shooting upwards towards the clouds. Despite being nine P.M., the sky looked bright enough to be noon. Rolling waves of green energy radiated out from where the beam disappeared in the clouds, causing a humm to vibrate through the air and rumble in her chest. It had to be the portal. Or portals.
"Oh!" Adora stood and called Swift Wind through their bond. She needed to get over there, and quick. "It's coming from the Crystal Castle. I'll go investigate and see what I can find out." She walked out to the balcony; Swift Wind was a few minutes out and she needed to be somewhere in the open. She heard footsteps behind her as everyone followed her out. "Okay, so here's what I'd do, evacuate the castle of civilians, either to the basement or Warcester. Then I'll-"
"Hold on, tell us what's going on," Glimmer said.
"I don't know for sure but I'd bet you anything it has something to do with those Eternian portals."
The door to the dining room flew open and in ran several guards and the Captain of the Royal Guard. "Your orders, Your Majesties?" Captain Charles Chester said. The group swept past the table and joined them on the balcony.
Glimmer glanced over at Adora before turning back to Chester. "Evacuate castle civilians to Warcester and call up our reserve Guard," Glimmer ordered. She turned to Adora. "Do what you have to do."
"Make sure we have our best operators on the PDS, call up everyone in the Royal Guard and the 1st Regiment, have them geared and ready to go. I have no idea what's coming through those portals but we need to be ready. And that includes…" Adora trailed off as soon as she noticed everyone looking past her and down towards the castle grounds.
She turned around, and saw a glowing pink humanoid shape shimmering at the edge of the forest. She dared not say it aloud but it looked like Mara. Which would be fine except for the fact that she'd never once left the Crystal Castle and her involvement propelled things from a moderately concerning happening to a 'get your brown pants ready' situation.
"Anyone have binoculars?" One of the guards handed her a pair and she peered through them. Sure enough, Mara stood on the line between the castle grounds and the woods, motioning at Adora to follow. "Well I'll be damned, that is Mara."
"Spirits," Catra said from beside her.
Unable to resist, Adora nodded and pointed. "Ya, right there." Catra turned her head slowly, deliberately and leveled Adora with an icy stare. "Oh, come on, that was funny."
"Was it, Adora? Was it?"
"Less bickering and more planning would be great right now," Glimmer interrupted.
"Right, so, we need our troops and guard ready but we also need the diplomatic corps. With any luck, this will be solved without a single sword in sight. I'll go see what Mara has to say and report back. Hopefully that will give us a better idea of what we're dealing with."
"I'll call my people," Catra said before nodding slightly at Reyna and Finn. Of course. They'd have to go with the rest of the civilians while she and Catra dealt with the portals. Had they ever been apart for something like this? No, not that she could remember.
"Glimmer, Bow, that's what I'd suggest for our next course of action. But I'll do whatever you order."
Bow and Glimmer nodded at each other before Glimmer said, "We'll do as you suggest, Adora. Brick, you'll lead the evacuation and we'll get ready for diplomatic proceedings."
"Sounds good," Adora said, "Brick, take Sunny with you. She can help."
"I'm on it," Brick said. He turned towards the Guard Captain and began reciting orders. She listened in, hoping to make a recommendation here or there but he'd done exactly everything she would do. So he had been paying attention to her all these years.
Glimmer and Bow turned to their two teens and now seemed as good a time as any to talk with Reyna and Finn. She exchanged a glance with Catra and they approached their kids together. Both stood on the edge of the action, glancing around with their ears pinned back. "Reyns, Finny," Catra said. She crouched in front of Reyna and took both of her hands. "You remember what Mommy was saying about the Eternian portals? Well, it looks like they're gonna open soon and we have to help with that. And one thing that's happening is that all civilians are getting moved to Warecester." Adora placed a hand on Finn's shoulder and they looked up at her with wide eyes. She squeezed their shoulder, and offered an unreciprocated smile.
"But we'll be staying with you, right?" Reyna asked, her tail wiggling and three times its normal size.
"Reyns, sweetheart, you have to go with the other civilians while we stay here," Catra said. She pulled Reyna closer and ran her hands up and down her arms. "You can't come with us but Brick's gonna take great care of you and make sure that you're okay. Then when everything is over, we'll come and get you, alright?"
"But I wanna be with you," Reyna said before she started crying. Catra gave her a desperate look and it was time to harness her most reassuring self.
"Come here, my Little Lion," Adora said as she knelt. Reyna did as she was asked and toddled over. Adora wrapped her in a barely hug and brushed some curls off her face. "You've gotta have courage now. We've got to go and help Etheria and we need you to be brave. Can you do that for us?" Reyna sniffled and looked up at her with watery eyes. "Do you remember what I said about being brave? That you can only do it when you're afraid? If you're scared right now, it's a great time to have a little courage. So what do you say? Are you gonna be brave?"
"Yes." Reyna wiped at her eyes. "I'm gonna be brave."
Adora hugged her tightly and smoothed some of her hair down. "That's my girl." She stood and turned her attention to Finn. "Finny, take care of your sister, okay?"
"I will," they vowed.
"Thank you," Adora said, "And we'll be back before you know it."
"Are you gonna be okay?" Catra asked, eyes on Finn.
"Ya, I think so." They ran their hands over their tail and shifted their weight from foot-to-foot.
"You're stronger than you think. You can do this," Adora said before giving them a hug. They held her tightly and buried their face in her shoulder. "Love you, Finny."
"Love you, too," Finn mumbled. She stepped out of their hug and Catra took her place, speaking softly as she hugged Finn.
Adora enveloped Reyna in a hug and said, "Make sure you stick close to Finn and listen to everything that Brick tells you, alright?" Reyna nodded against her. "I love you, Reyna."
"I love you, Mommy." Now would be a horrible time to start crying but she almost couldn't help it. Leaving them, even for only a few hours, felt like the equivalent of ripping her heart out and throwing it in the dirt.
"Alright, it's time to go." Adora held Reyna's hand and walked her over to Brick. Catra and Finn followed and soon they formed a half-circle around him. "Take good care of them."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Brick replied. They looked at each other for a few seconds and he gave her a slight nod. He wouldn't let her down. "Come on, kiddos. Let's go see what's happening over in Warcester." He turned and led Finn and Reyna away, towards the dining room door. Both turned to look back at her and Catra before they disappeared out the room.
"Absolutely fuck this whole thing," Catra said, tears building in her eyes. Thank the Spirits she wasn't the only one feeling the separation. "Brick better take good care of them or else I'll-"
"-He will, don't worry," Adora said while putting an arm around her shoulders and bringing her closer.
"What if we retired and never left the house again and the kids also never left the house again?"
"I'm right there with you. I'm ready to list She-Ra as a job opening."
"Your noble steed has arrived!" Swift Wind announced from somewhere behind them.
"That's my cue," Adora said while dropping her arm from Catra and turning around.
Catra caught her arm and pulled her back in. "Don't be a dumbass and get yourself hurt out there."
"Me? A dumbass?" Adora brought a hand up to her chest. "Never."
Catra rolled her eyes. "Just be careful, okay?"
Adora grinned and said, "Always am." She turned around and walked over to Swift Wind, who stood on the balcony with his wings stretched out and feet nervously dancing. "We need to follow Mara into the forest and see what she has to say." She climbed on his back and he took off into the air.
"Got it. Follow the scary ghost into the creepy forest. How come we never have to follow someone onto a beach or into a spa?" He asked, "Why is it always somewhere spooky?"
"They don't pay us the big bucks to go to nice places."
"Wait, you're getting paid? Just another example of the injustices committed against horses. You know-"
"Swifty, focus," Adora said, "I'll look into getting you paid after we're through with this."
"Right, focus. Where do you say she went?"
"Over there." She pointed to the spot between the woods and the castle where Mara had been waiting. No one was there now. "I don't think we're gonna be able to fly over the forest, we need to go through it."
"It's never a nice stroll through the forest. It's always, 'Swifty, let's get mauled by wolves.' 'Swifty, let's take a journey through space and time.' Why don't you ever take me for a nice ride through the Whispering Woods? Huh, Adora?"
"As Mara as my witness, I swear that I'll take you for a lovely, absolutely beautiful ride once this is all over. I'll buy you every apple you could want, braid your mane and tail, the works. But please, we need to find Mara and quickly. We don't know what's coming through these portals."
"Well, alright but don't forget," he said while touching down on the ground. He cantered forward and she looked over her shoulder at the rapidly disappearing castle lights. Hopefully, everyone would stay safe and this would all be over soon like an impressionable but fading dream.
"Mara?" She half-whispered, half-yelled into the night. The green beam produced a deep sound that churned the air like a great beast pawing at the atmosphere. It also bathed everything in an unnatural sickly color that threw shadows everywhere and turned every shape into a potential threat. And considering the past few weeks, there was a good chance more than a few threats lurked.
"Mara?" Where did she go? She'd clearly waved at Adora to join her. It didn't make sense that she'd just evaporated into the night without a trace. "Come on, Mara, tell me about these portals." Still, there was nothing. "Swifty, let's go to the Crystal Castle."
"You got it." He surged forward and they made their way to the Castle, their path lit by the beam. As soon as they were next to it, she dismounted and made her way to the entrance.
"You stay out here. I'll come and get you when I'm done." When she turned back towards the structure, Mara stood in front of her. Where did she come from?
"Adora." Mara's lips sloped downwards and her normally calm and friendly eyes stared until it felt like she was under analysis.
"Mara, what's going on? What's with the beam? It is the portals? I bet it's the portals." Mara took a step towards Adora and placed her hands on both of Adora's shoulders.
Adora blinked and stood in the center of a crumbling street, far from the Whispering Woods. Surrounding it stood tall, smoking buildings that, at one point, were probably quite beautiful. But now they sagged and their bones stuck out into the haze, desperate for flesh that would make them whole. The air burned her throat and eyes as ash and smoke swirled around. What kind of destruction had come here? What fate led to its ruin?
Footsteps followed by a short, desperate cry caused her to whirl around and there she stood, in her She-Ra form. Ash or dirt or both streaked across the other Adora's face and the Sword of Protection dripped blood. The other Adora paid no attention to her; she only had eyes for the man stumbling backwards. He was drenched with blood and a stomach wound oozed red into his shirt and down his pants. Adora tried to yell out, bring attention away from the man but this dream or vision had no patience for her interruption. She had a part to play and, this time, it was as her own witness.
"Wait, please!" He said, still shuffling backwards.
The other Adora said nothing, did nothing except continue her advance. It was her all right but the expression painting her face belonged to someone else. Someone filled with rage, with hate.
Why did Mara bring her here? What did she expect Adora to gain?
The other Adora raised her sword towards the unarmed man and her breath caught. In no world would she kill someone so easily, especially not a civilian. Besides Horde Prime, she'd never killed anyone. Had she disarmed people? Absolutely. Wounded them? Only as necessary. Nothing like this. "WAIT!" She screamed. But the other Adora couldn't or wouldn't hear. With one sideways swing, she brought the sword through his hips and cut him in half. The sword didn't even catch as she cleaved him in two.
No. Spirits, no. This wasn't her. It had to be some lookalike. Some imposter. And it wasn't even real. Mara had conjured this vision. But why? To show her what?
The man twisted around on the ground, still somehow alive. A groan escaped his lips, wet and shrill. One hand flopped around in the growing puddle of blood which spattered crimson droplets across the pavement. The lower half of his body rested inches away from his other half, intestines spilling out and leaking. As he writhed around, his intestines lost their shiny, bloody coating as sand and dust covered them. For some reason, this seemed like the most painful experience yet. And he just kept going. Kept screaming. Why didn't she just kill him quickly? Why let him suffer?
She blinked and found herself in another world. Gone was the man and the other Adora. This place felt more familiar but only barely. She'd seen it once before; it was the same forest from Lord Bulruk's vision. And it possessed the same trees–tall, unforgiving, lean. And like before, every color came out muted as if washed away by some unseen tidal wave.
"If you let them come through the portal, Adora, you will die," Mara said. Adora turned to look at her close friend, her confidant, the only other person who truly knew what being She-Ra entailed and found only compassion in her gaze. Almost pity.
"Is that what Etheria is so upset about? That I'll die?" As soon as she said it, she knew that couldn't be right. Etheria cared about her, yes, but would it really tear itself apart because there was a possibility she could be killed?
"Come on, let's go." She turned her attention away from Mara and towards the new voices. People previously absent from the area suddenly appeared in view, populating the entire clearing they stood in. Children, adults, and the elderly all huddled together under torn blankets and shredded plastic sheets. A light drizzle began and the accompanying chill made her feel like she'd never be warm again. Ragged coughs and babies crying acted as the soundtrack of this sad scene. "Form a line, one at a time," called the man she recognized as Red. "Come on people. Etheria's waiting for us. Now we just need to go to it."
The people did as he asked but they did it slowly, as if in a trance. Visible ribs and old, torn clothing on almost every child seemed to be the norm rather than the exception. Their emaciated bellies heaved as they listened to their parents with dull eyes and fell into line. Their parents looked worse. Sunken eyes and open wounds were on every adult she could see. The elderly dragged their wounded legs and hunched forward, clinging to their blankets with shaking hands.
"If I let these people through the portal, I'll die?"
Mara nodded but said nothing.
"Will I even be able to control this portal?" Adora asked. Over the years, she'd been able to form portals and even close them when opened by someone else but she could count on one hand how many times she'd dealt with one of this size and scale. One of the exceptions, the portal Light Hope forced her to open, was a lot bigger but it opened and closed within moments. Even the one Catra opened was significantly smaller and ran for a shorter duration than this one would require.
"You can and you will. The sword is still the key to the planet. It will channel its power through you."
"Mara, please, tell me what's going on."
"If you let them through, you'll start a chain of events that neither you nor I can stop. And you will die. You have a few hours before things are functional on this end. I think you should talk it over with your friends and family before making any decision. In fact, I'm begging you to do so," Mara said, "Think about my words, consider these people. Understand that letting them through will do more damage than just killing you."
"What kind of damage?"
"I wish I could tell you but I can't know the specifics. If I knew, Adora, I would tell you. Please believe me. But I've only been given what I just told you, nothing else. Please, don't make this decision alone. Your friends will understand, and they'll help you decide what to do."
"Decision? That's not much of a decision. Me for a thousand people? That's easy. And they need our help, we can't just abandon them to die."
"When they open the portal," Mara said, "It will open right where you're standing. They're using the Crystal Castle's coordinates to triangulate our position. I'm sorry, that's all I know. Good luck, Adora." With that, Mara dimmed and blurred into the landscape.
"Wait, hold on," Adora said. She couldn't just leave when there were more questions than answers. "Why did I kill that man? Why did you show me? What did he have to do with this?" But Mara disappeared entirely and left her alone.
One blink and Adora was back on Etheria, beside the Crystal Castle and Swift Wind. He nuzzled her face with his velvety nose and his chatter came into sharper focus. "-Adora, are you alright? One minute you were walking to the Castle and then you just froze. And, oh please, be okay. Come on, talk to me. Say-"
"I'm here, Swifty," she said while petting him.
"Oh, thank goodness." He threw his neck around her shoulder and brought her in for a horsey hug. She hugged him back and, after making sure he felt better, went to sit on a nearby rock.
The beam from the Crystal Castle still lit the entire area as it swirled into the sky, still cast its unnatural green light onto the forest. She sat in its wake and watched the shadows dance around as it shifted, waning one moment and surging with power in the next.
It must have something to do with the Eternians trying to pinpoint their position. Like a beacon calling them home. Or a warning to stay away. And she had the power to choose which one it would be. Send them away, close the portal, and save her own life. Invite them in, save them, and accept her own death. Except the last part wasn't so clear cut. If she were the only one paying the price, then she'd open the portal and bear the consequences. But what about the other damage that Mara referenced? Did it have something to do with her killing that man? Or was it something else?
"Tell me what to do," she whispered to the stars or Mara or Madame Razz or anyone who would hear her. She paused to listen but only the distant sound of croaking frogs and a bird calling to its mate greeted her.
Mara said she had to decide whether to let the Eternians through but was there actually much of a choice? One person dying versus thousands. The choice was easy. A no brainer. She'd never let those poor people starve and succumb to disease when she could help them. Mara did say there would be more consequences besides her death but what were the consequences of letting that many people wither and perish? Anyone wither and perish?
And, yes, it was true that Mara also mentioned additional damage but how could she fate thousands of people to death on that vague promise? A decision had to be made and it had to be made with all the facts she had, not the ones she wanted.
She'd open the portal and let the Eternians through. Come what may.
But what about talking it over with her friends and family? Honestly, it seemed like a bad idea. What good would that do? Really? These people were coming through the portal, no matter what. She'd upset everyone by telling them Mara's words, about her death, and for what? There was no decision to make. There was no choice in the matter. If it led to her death, so be it. That would be better than knowing she'd failed to help and protect innocent people, that she turned her back on people in need because of a hazy warning.
But Catra. Spirits. What would she say to Catra? Adora's self-sacrificing ways were well-documented; there was no denying she had the tendency. But right now self-sacrifice seemed reasonable enough. Options were limited and she had to go with the one that did the most good. But what if she told Catra about Mara's words? She'd hurt her in a million different ways. She'd worked hard to remind Adora that she mattered beyond She-Ra. That her happiness and comfort were a priority. If she told Catra, she'd think Adora ignored all those lessons and by extension didn't respect and love her. Which was so far from the truth it wasn't even funny. But what else was she supposed to think if Adora willingly gave her own life in exchange for the Eternians?
So she just wouldn't tell her. She'd spare her the knowledge that Adora's death was sealed and that she'd chosen that option. In fact, she wouldn't tell anyone. At worst, they'd tell her to close the portal and at best she'd break their hearts. This knowledge was hers to carry alone, a cruel burden that couldn't be placed on others.
"I'm gathering that what you saw wasn't great," Swift Wind said from beside her, "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"The people wanting to come here, the Eternians, they're not doing very well. And it was just hard to see." She didn't lie because that was absolutely true. "Come on," Adora said while standing and going to mount up, "We need to get back to Bright Moon."
They galloped back, her leaning forward into his gait, as he darted around trees and jumped over creeks. When they hit the forest's end, he launched into the air and they flew the rest of the way back to Bright Moon Castle. They touched down on the same balcony from before and she marched to the War Room.
Sure enough, she found Bow, Glimmer, and Catra racing around, coordinating, and generally preparing inside the War Room. Generals, Admirals, and officials from various other departments also populated the space. Long gone were the days of a massive room filled with only an ornate table and equally ornate chairs. Now the room had monitors, holographic maps, work stations and consoles, and a full-time staff that monitored the Etheria, its air space, and Space Port.
The room had three layers: outer, middle, and inner. The outer layer consisted entirely of monitors dotting the walls up high and seated workstations containing consoles. The middle layer was more of a walkway than anything else; people used it to transfer information from the outer layer to the inner. The inner layer contained the major players: Bow and Glimmer, Catra, her Generals and Admirals. The table and chairs still sat in the middle of it all but were used for more formal discussions as opposed to the mad scramble currently taking place. A scramble characterized by people talking on headsets, scrolling through datapads, and getting updates from their staff.
When she got closer and people noticed her arrival, they stopped what they were doing to greet her. "What did you find out?" Glimmer asked when she approached. Bow and Catra also paused and huddled together to listen.
She'd have to play this very carefully. These three knew her better than anyone and her acting skills weren't exactly up to snuff when it came to fooling even strangers. She just needed to avoid telling them about her approaching death. Easy enough.
"What's wrong?" Catra asked while grabbing up one of her hands. Dammit.
"Nothing, nothing is wrong." Wasn't that exactly what someone would say if something was wrong? "Well, I mean, it's always a bit jarring to see Mara and I'm worried about the Eternians. I had a vision of them in the woods and, you guys, it's bad. They really need our help. They're sick and they're malnourished. They'll open the portal in a few hours and we need to be ready."
"Do you know where the portal is opening? That'll determine how fast we can roll out services," Catra said.
"By the Crystal Castle. They're somehow using the castle to pinpoint our location."
"Okay, at least that's good news."
"No doubt," Adora said, "We can have our Registration unit out there quickly and G.E.M. can get their supplies moved over there. I know the Engineering Corp has been working on designing a camp for them. Do you know how well that's coming along?"
"I've been overseeing that myself," Bow said, "I wanted to make sure we get it right for these poor people. Now that we know they're by Bright Moon, I'll have them assemble it close by. I was recommended a few spots by Warcester but I wanted to run it by all of you."
"I'd say the closer to Warcester, the better," Catra said, "That way the Eternians can easily access shopping and other necessities."
"I agree," Adora said, earning a smile from Catra.
"That works for me," Glimmer said.
"Excellent," Bow said, "Can you guys believe that we're about to meet some First Ones? My Dads are gonna lose their minds. And think of everything they could know. Languages they could speak. New technologies they could bring. I can hardly wait."
"Let's just focus on getting them through the portal and settled into camp and then we can lose our shit," Catra said.
"I'll try but no promises," Bow said.
"So, all you saw were the forest Eternians and they were in bad shape?" Catra asked. "Nothing else?"
"Ya," Adora said slowly, "That's it."
"How would you characterize them? Threatening? I'm just trying to figure out why Etheria freaked out over this. It doesn't sound like these people are much of a threat."
Catra was right. Why did Etheria react so strongly to the Eternians? It'd only settled down once she'd mustered the full might of the Etherian military into service. That didn't make a lot of sense when it came to her vision of the Eternians. No one in that group could put up much of a fight. They certainly were no match for the Etherian military.
"You're right," Adora said, "That doesn't make sense. None of the people I saw could fight an Etherian soldier. They need help and badly. No one's starting a war."
"That's just so weird. We've been bombarded with warnings and on high alert and these Eternians are harmless."
"We'll proceed like this is a diplomatic or emergency aid situation," Glimmer decided. She crossed her arms and looked around the bustling room before turning her attention to Adora. "But bring enough troops and equipment to subdue them. Just in case. We'll hope for the best, and expect the worst."