#still not sure if i should put catra in a suit (because that fits her character more) or as dress because the capitol is probably sexist

[waybrights]

finally figured out the interview outfits so i can actually start this chapter now 😌😌

#i kinda want their show outfits to be their rebellion outfits?? #like the s5 outfits #so their interview outfits i've made up myself rn #still not sure if i should put catra in a suit (because that fits her character more) or as dress because the capitol is probably sexist #but seriously #adora's dress in my mind is so pretty #adora spop #catra spop #catrdora #hunger games au #deep in the meadow #ditm

[lavendercodes]

Miss You

warnings: slight manipulation

fairly short fic

fluff (?), angst - catra x gn!reader

it was hard to keep your composure once you saw her. you hadn’t expected to, it wasn’t like you left the Horde with the intention of seeing anyone from there again. you swallowed your anxiety and turned away from the entrance. you hoped you would get the chance to see her again.

unfortunately, you wouldn’t be as lucky as to have your wish granted. Adora and Glimmer were busy planning something due to Catra’s sudden appearance. and Bow was off having a fun time with Perfuma. you didn’t want to bother him with your anxieties. it would only worry him and it was bad enough you didn’t really fit in with the group.

you needed some fresh air. you looked around and quietly walked out to the balcony. it was dark outside, you could see the bright lights slowly pouring out of the building.

the music was slightly muffled and it kept you somewhat calm. ever since you left the Fright Zone, you had felt weak. you thought it was the best decision, leaving with Adora and joining the rebellion. they were supposed to be the good guys. the Horde was doing so many horrible things, but the more you thought about it, the more you realized that you didn’t fit in with the ‘good guys’.

constantly, you would mess up or say something that didn’t seem very friendly. it would end up with you being scolded by Adora or Glimmer. and every time, it just made you feel more and more useless. you arms rested in the railing as you looked down at the ground.

“(Name).” a smooth voice called out.

your eyes widened and you stiffened. they seemed to notice this as a low chuckle left their lips. you turned around and met gazes with Catra. for a split second, you wanted to wrap your arms around her and next let go. however, you currently didn’t have that option.

“Catra...” you said breathlessly.

the girl approached you, her tail flicking side to side. as she stopped in front of you, it distantly attempted to curl around you out of habit.

“i take it you missed me.” Catra tilted her head to the side, “how precious...”

you squeezed your eyes shut, “please leave me alone.” you said.

Catra carefully lifted her hand to your face. you felt her palms touch your skin and immediately, a comforting sensation flooded your body. as much as you wanted to resist, you could help, but lean into Catra’s touch. she grinned at your lack of resistance to her and caressed your cheekbone a bit more.

“you shouldn’t be here.” you said softly, turning away from her hand.

“and why’s that?” Catra asked.

a sigh left your lips as you turned back to face her. “you know exactly why, Catra. Adora knows you’re planning something.” you said.

“and do you know what i’m planning?” Catra questioned.

there was a moment of hesitation. it was fairly obvious what the plan was. maybe the Rebellion didn’t realize it, but for someone who was trained in the Horde. with Catra, it was easy to find out what the plan was.

“if i had to guess, it would be to kidnap Glimmer or Bow.” you said, “or both.”

Catra smiled, “you always were smart.”

you scoffed and looked down at the stupid, fancy shoes you were wearing. “says you.”

“everyone here thinks i’m useless. i’m not even allowed in on plans because they still think i’ll betray them.” you chuckled, shaking your head.

“that’s how the Princesses are, (Name). you should know this by now.” Catra said.

you nodded in agreement.

the Horde taught you all from a young age how spineless the Princesses were. not caring for anybody, but themselves. when you left the Horde, you realized that their exaggerated tales weren’t that far off from the real story. how they only included people they felt fit in with them, how they left out others they called their friends.

without giving you a chance, they decided that you weren’t trustworthy. even Adora, who you had grown up with, slowly stopped trusting you. it hurt more than you could put into words.

“you could always come back with us.” Catra offered.

your teeth gently sunk into your lower lip, “go back? where i’ll be criticized for leaving in the first place? i’m a traitor, Catra.”

“you made a stupid decision.” Catra’s hand cupped your cheek once more, “we all mess up sometimes.”

once again, you leaned into her touch, but this time you didn’t pull away. her tail carefully curled around your waist and the both of you fell into a comfortable silence. you wanted to go back with Catra. it would be better if you stayed with her, you wouldn’t be judged. you could continue doing what you were trained to do and nothing would feel unnatural.

“i miss you.” Catra said softly.

you blinked a few times. you could hear a genuine tone in her voice. a smile slowly creeped on to your face, even an idiot could tell when they’re being manipulated. however, you really didn’t mind. as long as you could be with Catra again, you didn’t care what had to happen.

“i miss you too.” you whispered.

“will you come back with me?” Catra asked.

just as you were about to answer, Adora walked outside on to the balcony. she saw the both of you and you could see her face shift from confusion to anger. Adora quickly approached you both and pulled you away from Catra. you stumbled behind Adora and barely managed to regain your balance.

“what do you think you’re doing, Catra?”

the girl smirked and shrugged, “simply chatting with a good friend. is there something wrong with that? or is that illegal too?” she teased.

“you’re planning something. i know it.” Adora grumbled.

Catra smirked, “oh i’m sure you’re right.”

“(Name).”

your eyes turned back toward Catra. she winked at you and gave you a small wave before walking away. silence settled around you all as your eyes followed Catra walking back into the castle. Adora turned to face you and grabbed you by the shoulders.

“what are you thinking?” she practically yelled.

you winced, “stop yelling.” you said.

“do you know how dangerous Catra is? it’s already hard enough to trust you, (Name)!”

that’s what set you off.

“trust me?” you scoffed, “we were raised together and suddenly, you drag me away from all that i know to join the Rebellion. a group of idiotic Princesses who have no clue what they’re doing!”

“sorry, that i don’t fit in with your perfect group of sparkly princesses! sorry that i don’t wear a crown, or fancy outfits, or have magic!”

Adora’s eyes widened as she started to process everything you were saying. she hadn’t meant to make you so upset. she was simply frustrated that she couldn’t figure out what Catra was doing. the music inside the castle started to get slower and that was Adora’s signal to go back inside. you pushed past Adora and walked to the other side of the balcony.

she looked back at you one last time before walking back into the castle. your hands clenched tightly around the railing. this was the first time in a long time where you got unbelievably angry.

a sigh left your lips as you realized your grip on the railing. you could still feel the frustration bubbling up inside of you, but you didn’t really have the energy to deal with it. all you wanted to do was get out of that stupid outfit you were wearing and go back home, back to the Fright Zone. you pushed yourself away from the balcony and walked back into the castle.

by that point, everything appeared to be in shambles.

it seemed like Catra’s plan was already taking place. Adora was frozen on the floor and Glimmer was running after Catra. you approached the ice chamber and kneeled down next to Adora. she looked at you and practically pleaded to you with her eyes to release her. you smiled lightly and placed a hand on one of the ice shards.

“i guess you were right about one thing.” you admitted, “i can’t be trusted.”

with that, you got up and walked away from her. it get so refreshing to finally speak your mind. slowly, you rushed out on to one of the other balcony and saw an incapacitated Glimmer being dragged on a ship with Bow. you scanned over them, not being able to find Catra. you assumed she was still doing things around.

Scorpia looked at you and immediately recognized you. “(Name)!” she said excitedly.

you leaned off the edge of the ship a bit as you were headed back for the Fright Zone. admittedly, you were nervous to go back, it had been awhile and you had betrayed them. you looked down at your palms and squeezed them shut out of frustration.

“nervous?” you nodded as you felt a soft tail carefully curl itself around your waist.

“i feel guilty.” you said, “i left everything i had. everything we had all because i thought i could trust Adora. i thought she was right.”

you sighed and shook your head. “i don’t belong in a place full of princesses. they don’t like people different to them. no matter how much i tried to prove myself, they always denied me anything.”

Catra gripped your hands tightly and you turned you body to face her. the look on her face was upset, but it was obvious in her eyes that she held care for you. you chuckled lightly and brought your hand up to Catra’s cheek. she flinched a bit before relaxing and closing her eyes.

“you look good in that suit.” you hummed.

“shut up.” Catra hissed.

she turned to walk away and you burst out laughing, quickly going after her.

“Catra! stop, you know i can keep up with you right?”

“you ruined the moment, (Name).”

“oh, come on! Catra!”

#catra x reader #catra #adora #she ra #catra she ra #glimmer #bow #bow she ra #scorpia #adora x reader #she ra princess of power #fanfic #she ra fanfic #imagine #fluff #angst #x reader #gender neutral

[kittyprincessofcats]

She-Ra S5 E08 - Shot in the Dark

There might be spoilers for the rest of the season in this post!

I absolutely LOVE this episode, and at first, I couldn’t really put my finger on why I liked it that much. And then Noelle tweeted this:

And yeah, that’s what it boils down to. This is the first *happy* Catra episode since... basically since “Once Upon a Time in the Waste” - and back then, the happiness didn’t last long.

(I also just think that story of AJ being so worried about Catra and Noelle reassuring her with every script is so adorable. I love to see how much they all care about these characters.)

Now let’s get into the episode!

- “Why does space hate me so much?” Yeah Glimmer, as I’ve said before, your powers don’t work in space because otherwise things would be way too easy and this show would be over way too quickly.

- “So, your plan is to, what? Ram through an armada of ships?” “No! ...Maybe!” 😂 I love Adora.

- The way Catra’s hands are shaking when she tells Adora they’re going to get caught... oh, baby 😢. And how Adora suddenly looks so worried... gosh, these two.

- Catra and Adora playfully arguing over whether or not Catra ‘defeated’ them in the past is so cute. I love this kind of ‘former enemies’ bickering and it’s why I was so glad they didn’t wait until the very end of the show to redeem Catra.

Bow: “Adora, Catra’s right.”

[Everyone’s eyes go wide.]

Bow: ... “That felt weird to say.”

😂 Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Bring on all the ‘former enemies’ bickering, please!

- So, is this just because Wrong Hordak’s “brains were scrambled”, as Bow put it, or do all the clones randomly blurt out that Horde Prime has a weakness whenever they hear someone ask about it? I’m going to assume it’s the former. Also, the way he keeps blurting out more and then denying that Krytis exists is super funny.

- I like how they set Krytis up before with Catra having visions of it back in Taking Control - still pretty convenient that just hearing the name lets her make the connection, but I’ll take it. (Is it meant to be some lingering effect of being connected to the hivemind that she’s having visions of it again now, or is it just her remembering what she saw before?)

- I love the detail that Darla’s information on Krytis is locked and they need administrator clearance to access it. Shows again that the First Ones aren’t that different from Horde Prime - they were also ashamed of their failure to conquer Krytis and tried to hide the information on it.

- “In- In- In- Incorrect. It is located nowhere, because it does not exist, because Lord Prime destroyed it.” I honestly think this line should be a meme. When you want to hide something from someone (but you know it does exist), just quote that exact line (kind of like “There is no war in Ba Sing Se”). I once said it to my sisters when they asked about certain fanfics I wrote as a teenager. (“Nope, they are located nowhere, because they do not exist, because Lord Prime destroyed them.”)

- Changes in the opening: Micah, Spinnerella, Scorpia and Mermista are now standing mind-controlled around the Heart of Etheria in the villains’ shot. They’re also all missing from the final heroes’ card. In that final shot, Perfuma and Sea-Hawk both look sad now, and Netossa looks angry.

- Catra touching her neck when she sees the spire on Krytis... 😢. I’m here for the angst, but I also just need Catra to get lots of love and comfort after everything she’s been through.

- Can we talk about how absolutely ADORABLE her space suit is, though? Bow is absolutely right to coo over those ears. And when she tries to take it off with her foot? And Adora laughs about it? And Catra smiles when she sees her laugh? ❤️❤️❤️

- Wrong Hordak still denying that Krytis exists while currently being on Krytis is absolutely hilarious to me. It reminds me of flat-earthers or anti-vaxxers, or people who try to deny Covid exists (while others are currently dying from Covid) - not that any of those are funny, of course. I just mean that wrong Hordak nicely demonstrates how ridiculous they can sound.

- Catra calling out the Best Friend Squad on how dumb their plan is and then reacting with “Honestly, what did I expect?” is absolutely iconic. They really were missing her as the team’s braincell all along.

- Bow and Glimmer teasing Catra about her “first mission”, Catra grumbling that she’s going to kill Adora’s friends, Adora responding with a really calm “Please don’t” - everything about this is perfect. 🤣

- Also, small detail, but I love how Catra has a hard time walking in her spacesuit because she’s not used to wearing shoes.

- The remaining rebels looking around the destroyed camp is really sad. Frosta immediately trapping Castaspella in ice and checking her neck is great, though. That’s what they should have been doing all along. Why didn’t they also check Shadow Weaver’s neck, though? I know she’s intimidating and all, but there was no way of knowing if she’s chipped.

- “How did the rebellion lose so many of our finest members and yet we’re still stuck with you?” Castaspella’s asking the real questions! I like how literally no one in the rebellion likes Shadow Weaver. (Though honestly, I’m also glad she’s not chipped. Imagine how hard fighting a chipped Shadow Weaver would have been.)

- “But if you try anything, I won’t hesitate to strike you down.” Castaspella said ‘I won’t hesitate, b*tch!’

- Every single part of Wrong Hordak’s existential crisis (and Entrapta’s handling of it) is absolutely hilarious. I’m not going to quote all of it here, but pretty much every line of it is comedy gold. My favourite moment is probably “It seems Wrong Hordak has begun to question the meaning of life” (and everyone’s annoyed expressions at his crying) 😂😂. (On a more serious note, though: As much as it’s played for laughs, Wrong Hordak turning his entire worldview around in such a short amount of time is also pretty epic.)

- Catra just cutting through that door - damn, she’s strong! And I love Adora’s blush! (Yeah, the door was probably just an illusion, but my point still stands. She’s at least strong enough that it doesn’t seem completely weird that she'd be able to just cut through a door like that.)

- “You have an arrow that turns into a magnifying glass? I can’t believe we were losing to you guys.” 🤣🤣 Catra realizing the people she was fighting are actually idiots will never not be funny.

- It goes hand in hand with Bow realizing Catra is actually a cute kitty with an adorable sneeze. Good stuff. And the way her tail gets fluffy when she insists she’s not cute? D’awww. (Bow saying “The angrier you get, the cuter you are” reminded me of that scene in Steven Universe where Peridot loses her limb-enhances at the beginning of her redemption arc and Steven calls her cute and “an angry little slice of pie”.)

- Castaspella’s cape getting stuck in tree branches and the like is pretty funny, ngl. This is why Edna Mode said “No capes”.

- Shadow Weaver saying that her gifts are “far subtler” than mind-control is very fitting. Her thing is manipulation, after all. She doesn’t need to control people’s minds when she can just manipulate them and raise them in a way that’ll make them do what she wants. It’s scarier than mind-control in a way because it’s far more realistic. Mind-control doesn’t exist in real life, but manipulative parents (or just manipulative people) who will mess someone up emotionally? Very realistic.

- I like that you can tell that something’s off about Entrapta’s voice this time if you pay attention to it.

- “Seriously? How have you guys stayed alive this long?” Yup, the people you were fighting are idiots and you’re the braincell of the team now, Catra.

- I love the creepy music when Entrapta tells them it’s the first time they’ve talked since the last floor.

- Also, I love how Catra’s first instinct is to just launch herself at Melog, even though you could tell she was terrified just a moment earlier.

- I really like the moment where Glimmer realizes there’s magic on Krytis, especially since she doesn’t have her other powers right now.

- Melog bonds with Catra because they have the same sneeze ❤️❤️

- “Are you... are you petting the thing that’s been trying to kill us?” I love this whole moment 😹. I also love how Adora is so protective of Catra and immediately yells “Get away from her!” when Melog seems to get angry.

Catra: “I’m sorry. I got angry. It’s something I’m working on.”

Adora [with sparkling eyes]: “Aww, you are?”

Catra: “Yes! Now can you please...” [deep breath] “Yes. I am.”

I love everything about this. Catra genuinely working on her anger issues, Adora being so touched about it (remember back in Taking Control where she wished that Catra would ‘at least try’?), Catra having to hold back her anger because she realized Melog responds to emotions - perfect. ❤️😂👍

- Catra is so sweet when she calms Melog down. And the moment where they form their bond is really nice.

- So, can Catra understand Melog because of their bond, or because they’re both cats? I’m assuming it’s because of their bond?

- Melog’s backstory is really sad. But Adora offering to take them to Etheria is a really sweet scene.

- I like the parallel between the Best Friend Squad realizing that magic is Horde Prime’s weakness (and that the only planet he ever failed to conquer had wild magic) and Shadow Weaver telling Castaspella that the First Ones weakened Etheria’s magic and they have to set it free.

- “Stop me if I try to take the power for myself.” I’m not sure how I feel about that line. I like how SPOP has very much written Shadow Weaver as ambiguous so far. She’s not a good or nice person by any means, but is she at least on the side of the good guys and really trying to help now or is she still only after her own selfish goals? I very much did not want Shadow Weaver to get any sort of redemption or forgiveness, and I’ve always interpreted her as still being power-hungry. So, I have mixed feelings about this line. I like that it canonically acknowledges that Shadow Weaver is still tempted by power and might actually try to take the magic for herself, but asking Castaspella to stop her if she tries makes her look more selfless and like she’s taking precautions against it. (But then again, could Castaspella even stop her if she tried? I’m pretty sure Shadow Weaver is the stronger one of the two. So, you could still read this as Shadow Weaver being a master manipulator and only saying this so Castaspella will feel more inclined to trust her and go along with her plan - while knowing full-well that she could easily defeat Castaspella if it ever actually came down to it.)

Glimmer: “So, just to make sure I get it - We’re going to go running through a Horde blockade while relying on the magic of a creature we just met?”

Catra: “That about sums it up, yes.”

You know what this means - Catra’s a part of the Squad now!

- “Punch it, Darla!” I still love that the ship’s name is Darla. Also, all of their expressions when they fly through the blockade should be a “draw the squad” meme.

- Catra holding Adora’s hand and getting embarassed about it ❤️❤️ (while Adora is dumb and doesn’t even notice).

- I did not expect us to get a Glitra cheek kiss this season, but I’m not complaining! Also, Catra complaining while Glimmer and Bow are hugging her is such a cat thing; I love it.

- “We made it. We’re home.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is actually the first episode this season that ends on a happy / hopeful note and not on some kind of cliffhanger. And I really like that. This is where the “space arc” of season 5 offically comes to and end and I’m glad it has its own little happy ending. (And as much as I like the final episodes of the season, the space arc is still probably my favourite half of it.)

I love this episode, mainly because of what it means for Catra. She’s finally happy, she saved the day, she’s bonding with Bow and Glimmer and constantly flirting with Adora, and she has an amazing therapy cat now! I loved all the bickering between her and the others and how she’s starting to open up to them. Also, Wrong Hordak was absolutely hilarious in this episode and I commend Entrapta for having the patience to deal with his existential crisis. This was a really nice way to wrap the space arc up and bring the Squad back to Etheria.

[Previous episode]   [Next episode]

#spop #spop s5 #spop s5 spoilers #Shot in the Dark #Catradora #Catra #Melog #Adora #Glimmer #Bow #Entrapta #Wrong Hordak #Noelle Stevenson #AJ Michalka #She-Ra and the princesses of power #Castaspella #Shadow Weaver #long post

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 2 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Huh. Only 7 episodes. Not complaining necessarily. For series with an ongoing plot I've definitely become more in favor with their seasons only having as many episodes as they need rather than them having to stretch themselves out to full up a certain number of episodes, which can lead to padding and just bad character moments.

Episode 1: Jeez. Catra visiting Shadow Weaver's cell just to rub her success in her face and verbally abuse her back for once. It's like a twisted version of Zuko and Ozai from ATLA. Catra's upbringing under her was abusive but this is far from a healthy way for her to deal with it. She's basically deliberately swimming in her resentment.

Episode 2: It's not that I'm rooting for her but by-golly was it fun to watch Catra act like just the absolute worst she could while she was Glimmer and Bow's captive.

I touched on this in season 1 but part of the drama of the heroes feeling guilt over leaving Entrapta behind is kind of lost on me a bit simply because it was her own fault it happened. She deliberately went back into the purge room because of her machine obsession, which then closed on her and erupted in flames. It was more than reasonable to assume she was dead and no one but her was to blame, so I'm not really able to be invested in their guilt over it.

That said, weirdly enough I do like that her "abandonment" doesn't seem to be even a blip on the radar for Entrapta herself. She hasn't joined the horde because she resents the heroes or felt left behind, she simply is so obsessed with machines and experimentation that she'll be on the side of whoever lets her do the most of that. Like, it's selfish and irresponsible but it's very in-character and I'd far rather have a traitor motivation be based in that over something stupid like a misunderstanding.

Episode 3: I love the mental image of Shadow Weaver thinking up princess-themed ghost stories to tell Adora as a child.

So, if the previous She-Ra Mara separated Eternia from the other realms/planets/whatever she did and that's what cut off the She-Ra line for 1000 years, I'm guessing Hordak may be from the time before that happened, thus his drive to create portals and calling Eternia a backwards world. Either he's naturally long-lived or his technology is extending his life.

Episode 4: You know, you could maybe argue it was vague enough that it could be taken other ways but I'm definitely getting some vibes here that Scorpia is crushing on Catra. She literally refers to the two of them as soulmates at one point. I know she says she's trying to be friends but this feels a level beyond that.

Fun little reference to the original She-Ra cartoon thrown in there (and maybe Cowboy Bebop...? James Bond...? What was Glimmer's art style supposed to be?). I like how it is more like just playful ribbing than anything outright dumping on the original. Again, I've never seen original She-Ra but whenever remakes/adaptations go out of their way to trash to the original I always kind of wonder why they bothered doing an adaptation if the original is just that bad? Also, I was having trouble sleeping so it was about 2am when I watched this episode and the very Eartha Kitt Catwoman Catra made it very difficult for me not to lose my **** and stay quiet. With how much of a contrast that version is from the one in this series, that was hilarious. Bonus note, it's a nice touch that Frosta's version of Catra is a pretty crasher in that sweet suit, since that's the only impression of Catra she's ever had.

Adora being a chosen one is definitely elevated up simply by how much the pressure of what she's supposed to be is getting to her. I'm likely going to keep making Avatar The Last Airbender comparisons throughout the series but that's partly because I went into this series figuring it'd be at least structured similar to ATLA (season 1 being more episodic and a little more kid-friendly as it builds up the world before getting more serious later). Adora and Aang are interesting to compare here. Aang's worries early on were less apparent because he was more in-denial/choosing not to think about his problems that much, which fit with his character as a free-spirited Air Nomad. While Adora is much more military-minded. She can't keep herself from thinking about her problems and trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario. And jeez, that idea of who/how Catra is in her mind. Not only beating her but making her watch as she takes everything she cares about away. Not Shadow Weaver, not Lord Hordak, but Catra. That whole Lion King Mufasa/Scar moment between them in episode 11 and their fight in the S1 finale really did a number on her mental image of her old friend. Not reasonably so.

Minor note: I'm sure I'm the only one who got this impression but by the look of it, the way the robot's eye moved, and the music, after getting the soda spilled on it that little spybot gained sentience for half a second and then immediately died. It was so darkly comedic I had to laugh.

Episode 5: So that red disc is basically She-Ra's Red Kryptonite, having an effect on the mind rather than the body. The drunk Adora joke doesn't really do it for me but it did get some nice interactions going between Scorpia and Sea Hawk, two characters I certainly wasn't expecting to bond. I did really like Catra's panic when berserker She-Ra nearly beheads her. The implication is that is Adora really wanted to kill her Catra would already probably be dead. It's a thing I like about powerhouse characters like Superman or Aang, who could just demolish everything around them and don't simply because they're a good person...which in turn makes them the scariest person on the planet when they're well and truly ticked off. I'm not going to lie, I do kind of want to see a She-Ra version of Aang when Appa was stolen or when Superman fought The Elite.

Also, Catra's line of "I have control over Adora. I'm not giving that up for anything.". There's a lot to read into there.

Episode 6: I guess my prediction was sort of right. Shadow Weaver became basically a magic parasite and while it did increase the power she's capable of the implication seems to be that she needs a constant fix of magic to keep herself going, thus her attachment to the Black Garnet.

Have we seen Micah before? Given how long ago the flashback seems set, the fact that Shadow Weaver didn't kill him and thus he probably becomes someone important later in life, I'm guessing he's Glimmer's dad and the queen's late husband, since I think he's the only important male character whose face we haven't seen yet. Also, he's voice by Ezra from Star Wars Rebels and that cracks me up for some reason. It's the exact same voice and a relatively similar character.

I compared Catra and Shadow Weaver with a kind of twisted version of Zuko and Ozai and that definitely still fits here. Both Catra and Zuko confront their parent and call them out for the inexcusable abuse they put them through but while that moment was the start of Zuko's upwards journey this and SW's betrayal seems like it's going to cause Catra to spiral even further. Makes sense why Adora leaving affected her so much. She's probably the only one Catra's ever had that she could consistently trust and rely on, even if she did somewhat resent her.

Not surprised Hordak is getting along with Entrapta. She's not socially aware enough to be scared or intimidated by him, so she'll speak frankly, and since all she wants to talk about is the machines, experiments, and how they could get them to work Hordak probably doesn't take much issue with that. She's producing results, which is what he cares about, thus also why Shadow Weaver and Catra started losing favor with him. I wonder if Catra is going through imposter syndrome? Shadow Weaver had that line that Entrapta earned her place next to Hordak and, if you think about it, Catra hasn't really "earned" anything. We saw that she didn't really take her training or studies that seriously, showing up late to combat practice and even getting partial credit for what Adora beat. She wasn't promoted to Force Captain because of her own abilities but because Adora had defected when she was supposed to get that title. She's come close to a few victories but never really had any except for Glimmer and Bow's kidnapping...whom she then basically let escape when she returned Adora's sword to her. She doesn't have the slightest clue how the horde's bureaucracy works when trying to get things done, like simply getting troops armor. Given how much better than her Adora always was and how little she herself has to her name, I wonder is subconsciously Catra believes she doesn't deserve her current position and thus why she's fretting so much over trying to prove herself.

Episode 7: Am I mistaken or did Bow's parents say that he's the youngest of TWELVE siblings? I was going to ask whether Bow was adopted or if his dad's used a surrogate or if maybe there's even just simply magic in She-Ra's world that allows two people of the same sex to have a child together but now I'm just focused on the 12 kids thing. I get nervous just imagining myself having more than one. You should see me when I'm with two cats. I have to pet both of them because I'd feel like I'd be making one feel left out and like the other is the favorite. I'm a mess with kids.

The dad with dreadlocks (Lance?), his design looked familiar to me and I finally realized it reminded me a of a fanart design for a human Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Very different voices between those two characters though.

I wonder if there's any significance to the robot protecting the crystal having the same design as those in the artic in episode 5? Obviously both have the connection to the First Ones but the robot in the forest who was also protecting First Ones' tech had a more insect-like design over these more worm/Graboid ones.

I'm kind of curious what Hordak would have done if Catra had told the truth. Given his interactions with her and Shadow Weaver he doesn't seem like the time to tolerate failure but I suppose the implication here is that he at least would respect those who own up to their failures. Or I suppose more simply he was just testing to see if she would lie to him and since she did there's little merit in keeping her in a position of authority anymore where she could lie about important things again.

Season 2 verdict: Still enjoying it. Another person on this reddit recommended I view seasons 2 and 3 as one since they are basically just one season split in two. I was going to do that but this ended up longer than I thought I would, so I'll just do 2 and 3 separate to keep them semi-organized and easier to read.

I think overall Catra is my favorite character since she has the most interesting backstory, interactions, and just general path through the story out of everyone. She's like Pearl from Steven Universe or, well, Zuko. There's just so much baggage there that she's trying and kind of failing to deal with. I'm always invested in whatever's happening when she's onscreen. Hordak so far is a good big boss villain for Adora to face but Catra is a good archenemy for her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o027y3/going_in_blind_watching_season_2_for_the_first/

#she ra #she ra spop #random thoughts #reddit repost

[billyboymiki]

5 Works Tag Game

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and post or link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I got tagged by @tippenfunkaport and @caramelaire for this tag game!!

I’m not one to compliment myself on anything honestly. Recently I remember thinking about how I barely drew anything this year. There was a part of my brain nagging at me to check how much I had drawn last year. So, I uh did. Turns out I drew basically nothing?! I triple checked this in fact. My DeviantART, Tumblr AND my camera roll. Nothing . . . I drew 5 very basic pinback button designs and that was it. I couldn’t believe it; but, it made be feel so much better about what I did this year. Basically my whole instagram is all artwork from this year, since I am actually really new to IG. I got super close to 40 works this year!

Now onto the works! They are in order of when I drew them 😊

Glimmer Inspired Patterns

I wanted to teach myself how to make patterns on Clip Studio so bad! I watched a couple of YT tutorials, and I can’t even remember why I decided to make She-ra ones specifically; I’m glad I did though! The Glimmer one means so much to me. Just looking at makes me so happy! The fact that so many people have now called it ‘aesthetically pleasing’ makes me feel as though I actually created a work that others could relate to. That was enough praise for me; to create something for myself that everyone else loved as well 💖

Glimbow Cuddle

This was my first real She-ra artwork. When I saw there was a Glimbow Week again I knew I had to join this one. I don’t know if anyone knows this; but, drawings take me forever to make. I used to be strictly a traditional artist and still prefer to draw rough drafts on paper. I couldn’t decide if I wanted them on Glimmer’s window seat or in Bow’s dads’ library. I was afraid of doing backgrounds; so, both sounded absolutely terrifying. I decided to go for the fireplace even if it meant fancy lighting on top of the background aspect. I think I actually spent more time on the lighting that’s hitting Bow than on anything else in this picture. It was worth it though. I studied how the show did backgrounds and lighting for a while. I tried so many different attempts at how I wanted it to look and ultimately went with this one! I love it so much 🥺

Bow’s list with doodles

Ah, yes the drawings I did for Tippen’s birthday!! I knew I wanted to draw a scene from ‘Tuna Cans’, but I was worried to try something like this. You see, I’m somebody that likes to stay in a comfort zone and only uploaded fully rendered perfect artworks. This year was the first time that I let the ‘fun’ aspect overrule my perfectionism. I’m so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone for this, because I love Chibi styles so much. I can’t even explain the absolute joy I had drawing these. I didn’t tell anyone what I was up to, so it was just me laughing at myself for being an absolute goofball. The end result and everyone’s reactions were more than I could have ever expected. I’ve decided I’m going to revive this style soon as well so please look forwards to it!!

Space Suit Squad

Okay, so I cheated a little with this one! I couldn’t just pick ONE of the squad. Honestly though, I drew these with the thought of making them into prints in the back of my mind. I taught myself how to draw a space background and I’m really proud of it! So much in fact that the one in the final pictures is the first and last one I ended up doing! If I had to pick my favorites I think I’d have to pick Glimmer, Bow and then Catra. I LOVE the way I draw Catra I don’t know why? Maybe the eyebrows I’m not sure 🤔 It took me a while to decide on expressions and poses; although, I figured these were the ones because I could look at them and go ‘yep that’s them.’

Winter Glimbow

This one took me soooo long; I actually had to tell myself that I should put my pen down because it was done and I should stop touching it!!! I was sketching pictures in my sketchbook to make more patterns for my Redbubble account, and of course I’m like 100% Glimbow brainrot. My brain went, oooo you know what would be cute? If this skate was actually Bow’s and not just generic. So, I ended up sketching Glimmer’s as well. The heart that their skates make is like the cherry on the top for me, it had to be done! I’m not sure I did the background justice on this one? It doesn’t matter to me though because the concept was worth the effort. It was snowing here and I needed this picture like I needed air, even if it wasn’t even December at the time I posted it 🤣 I liked this one so much that I have similar ideas for the other seasons sketched out as well 👀

I’m sorry that I ramble so often. I’m like this quiet person; yet, it’s hard for me to get out everything I want to say? I’m horrible at it actually my brain runs at a hundred miles a minute and I’m not good with words most of the time. This turned out as more of a thought process than my actual feelings on each one I suppose. SO, in conclusion. I drew A LOT, I stepped out of my comfort zone, taught myself digital art and patterns. I let myself come to terms with the fact that not every piece of art has to be ‘perfect’. I drew at least 5 FULL backgrounds and I never used to draw them! I’ve also always been one for simple shading and lighting, and I do think there’s a time for that type of style, while other times sometimes a more difficult one might be appropriate. I’m glad that I did both because now I know I can do both, and they each give a characteristic that I adore 🥰 Thank you to everyone that has followed me through this journey, or just anyone who read my rambling! I have an honorable mention under the cut and some originals for anyone that made it this far! 💖

I’m not going to tag anyone; but, if you want to do this PLEASE do it. It was so great to reflect on what I did this year, it really surprised me and I think what you have done will surprise you as well! It’s been a rough year, and in the end we have been here supporting each other and that’s one of the most rewarding parts of being in a fandom! 💜

Glimmer screencap redraw

Another picture where I really tested myself on drawing a background! I love it even if it killed my hand!! The background definitely took the longest on this one too. My sister literally said ‘Wait, you did the background? I thought you just drew her?!’ And that was the only validation I needed!! I ended up thinning out Glimmer’s outline so she matched the background better. If you use the vectors on Clip please use this feature! You can do the opposite as well, it’s super useful!

Oh hi! Remember when I said I couldn’t decide between the two locations? Truth is, I also couldn’t decide if I was going to make it traditional or digital. I ended up getting really mad at the traditional version unfortunately. I haven’t gotten the hang of traditional backgrounds. In the end, I should have also done it in Copic and not cheap pencil crayons 😫

Just some space friends! There is something so rewarding about traditional art. Yes, I can see the mistakes and the proportions are most likely off; yet, it doesn’t bother me? I wanted to also show these bonus drawings because nobody is perfect and I thought some of you might like to see some of my process. Being able to hold it in my hands is something I will never tire of, in a way it’s super rewarding. I keep all my art actually and sometimes I like the rough drafts more than the finished work 👀 Outlining artwork can actually ruin the charm every so often 😔 I do really love the final versions of these though!

Annnnnd the last bonus!! As you can tell the final version stayed pretty true to my sketches! I almost went with a more realistic look and made the symbols ‘stitched’ onto the skates. In the end it felt like it didn’t fit the rest of the drawing unless I wanted to add extra details to the clothing as well. The wings on Glimmer’s skates turned into ‘Shwings’ PLEASE tell me other people know what that is? I had a pair a few years ago and misplaced them. I was doing the rough draft and it popped into brain and I treated it as a joke at first, until I gave it a proper chance XD In the end I fell in love with it!!!

#she-ra #spop #fanart #tag game #billyboymiki #Miki speaks #long post #sorry #my art #I actually cried a little writing all of this 😱 #the only thing I wanted to do really bad this year was make an spop amv #I might juggle art and making one so I can get one out at some point

[youngjusticeslut]

Center Stage (Chapter 4)

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Characters: Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Mermista, Sea Hawk, Kyle, Perfuma, Frosta, Angella, Micah, Shadow Weaver Ships: Catradora, Glimbow, Seamista, Kygelio, Scorptra Rating: T+ Summary: A Catradora Ballet School AU AO3

Adora wakes up long before her alarm goes off.

First day of classes. Big day. Her phone tells her it’s a little past six in the morning, and a quick glance to the side of the room tells her that Glimmer is gone, bed unkempt. Carefully, she crawls out of bed, hoping not to wake Catra. Though judging by the girl’s soft snores, there’s not much to worry about.

Six am means she has two hours to kill before her first class. Two hours is plenty of time. Enough for a quick workout, a thorough stretch session, and maybe even a bit of breakfast. If her stomach calms down enough to eat, that is.

From her bedside table, she grabs her earphones and plugs them into her phone. Quiet as can be, she starts with a series of pushups, followed by crunches, bicycle kicks, and leg lifts. Three sets, rinse and repeat. It helps Adora work her nerves out, and lucky for her, Catra sleeps through the entire thing, unaware of it all. She takes extra time to stretch out her muscles, especially her feet. They’d be put through the ringer today, the least she can do is prepare them for what’s to come.

By the time she showers and grabs a couple of muffins from the cafeteria, Catra’s just waking up. She smiles, seeing her awake when she enters the room. Glimmer is still nowhere to be found, it seems. “Hey there,” Adora greets softly, trying not to startle her roommate. “Late start?”

“Not an early riser,” the brunette responds. “What time is it?”

“Seven thirty. Still got about thirty minutes until class.”

“Shit.” As if on cue, Catra’s stomach growls. She glances away in mild embarrassment.  

“It’s okay,” Adora says, tossing her a muffin. Catra catches it without missing a bit. “I came prepared.”

Adora tries not to relish the look of surprise on Catra’s face. Score a point to her, for being the best roommate ever. As Catra nibbles on the muffin, Adora rifles through her drawers, pulling out her black leotards and pink tights. Boring, but apparently the required uniform at Bright Moon.

She keeps her back to Catra as she’s changing, humming to herself as a distraction. At the moment, she doesn’t even remember the name of the song she’s humming. It’s a Spanish one, something Mara would sing most mornings as she made breakfast. The routine quells the little bit of homesickness that she’s feeling.

Once she’s dressed, she walks over to the mirror and starts to pin up her hair. By now, Catra’s finished the muffin and has also begun to get dressed. “Want to walk to class together?” she asks, hoping to continue extending the olive branch. She’s not great at making friends, but she promised Mara and Razz that she’d make a better effort at it.

“Uh, sure. I have to brush my teeth, though.”

“That’s okay, I’ll—wait, is that what you’re wearing?”

Catra glances up from adjusting the straps on her leotard. “Yeah?” She pauses, cocks her head to the side and gives a little smirk. “Doesn’t suit your taste?” Unlike Adora, she wears red, with nude colored tights. It looks far better than it should, and Adora can’t help the blush that tints her cheeks.

The question leaves Adora flustered, more than it probably should. It’s too early for this. “What? No. No, it’s fine. Cool actually, super— I mean…” She stops rambling and collects herself with a deep breath. “What you’re wearing is nice, but Bright Moon has a uniform.”

“Uniform?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you read the orientation packet?”

Catra’s face says that she very much hadn’t, but the girl shrugs it off and takes off the hair tie from around her wrist. “Whatever. It’ll make me stand out.”

“I don’t think it works like that. What if you get in trouble?”

The brunette pauses from tying up her hair, shooting a quick look at Adora. “Worried about me?”

Adora scoffs and crosses her arms. “I’m trying to save you from getting your ass kicked out on the first day.”

“They won’t throw me out. Trust me, once they see me dance, they’ll forget all about what I’m wearing.” Her words are strong, but something in Catra’s eyes doesn’t exactly convince Adora. It comes off more like a front, a facade to protect her. Part of her wants to call Catra out on it, but something stops her. Truthfully, it’s none of her business. Who is Adora to stop Catra from doing what she wants?

“Hey, it’s your funeral,” Adora ends up saying.

Catra finishes to tie up her hair, leaving it in a sloppy bun with bangs framing her face. It’s a stark contrast to Adora’s sleek, neat do. “I appreciate the concern,” she says with a wink.

While Catra scoots past her into their shared bathroom to brush her teeth, Adora checks the time on her phone. Class starts in fifteen minutes. She pulls at her fingers for something to do, resisting the urge to chew on her lip. They’re cutting it awfully close. What if all the good spots are taken by the time they get there? She really wants to show up early, scope out the other girls, make a good impression on the teachers.

“Almost ready?” It comes with a bit of a whine, and Adora mentally kicks herself. Now Catra probably thinks she’s such a goody-goody. It doesn’t matter, though. There’s no answer. “Catra?”

“Nearly done. If it’s getting close, go on ahead.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll catch up.”

Permission granted, Adora grabs her already-packed ballet bag and slings it over her shoulder. She barely remembers to grab her room keys on her way out the door. Part of her feels guilty for leaving Catra behind, but she really doesn’t want to be late. Especially not on the first day.

Thanks to her strategic mapping technique from the day before, Adora is able to make it to class in less than five minutes. The dorms aren’t too far from this particular studio, and for that Adora is eternally grateful. As expected, several girls are already there in various points of preparing their pointe shoes. Glimmer stands off to the side, testing out a shiny pair of shoes. In comparison, Adora’s faded ones look abysmal. She really needs a new pair.

Adora takes her place in the center of the room, close to the barre. When class begins, she’ll be front and center; perfect for watching the teacher, and right up front to get her noticed. Easy. Almost too easy. Her pointe shoes are already broken-in, so she takes the time to prep her feet properly before slipping them on. No distractions today. She has to be at the top of her game.

Her nerves aren’t nearly as bad as they were on the day of her audition. Maybe it’s because she’s already in and the hard part is over. Or maybe it has something to do with being inside the gorgeous dance studio again. Last time she was in here, it felt like a dream. Today, it’s her reality.

“Adora!” Perfuma waves at her, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s your first day, how are you feeling? Did you eat breakfast?”

Any other morning, this amount of energy so early in the morning would have turned Adora off. She doesn’t mind it so much today. “Yeah, I got something to eat. And I’m fine. Excited for it to start, really.”

Perfuma places a hand on Adora’s shoulder and gives it a soft squeeze. “Glad to hear it. No stress?”

“Not really.”

“That’s great! I’m sure you’re going to be amazing.” For some reason, Perfuma’s encouragement actually helps Adora feel better. She knows that she’s only met the girl a day ago, but there’s something really calming about her general demeanor.

Adora’s about to respond when the doors to the dance studio open. A flock of boys enter the room, and the excitement increases tenfold. Returning students hug and squeal and group together. Off to the side, Adora finally locates Glimmer. She throws her arm around a boy, who cheers and spins her around in delight. Following right after the boys are a group of adults. Teachers, she assumes, judging by their higher air and the way they watch the students interact. Adora recognizes Angella, Spinerella and Netossa from the audition. Angella holds herself at the front of the room, standing beside a dark-haired man.

“Good morning,” she announces, bright and chipper. The energy in the room immediately simmers down, and many echo the words back to her. “We are so pleased to welcome everyone to the first day of what I am sure will be a wonderful year.”

As she welcomes the new students, Adora scans the crowd for Catra. She doesn’t find her. Biting her lip, she attempts to  focus back on Angella. Why is her roommate like this?

“You are our senior class, which means that this will be your last year attending Bright Moon Academy,” the man beside Angella continues. “At the end of the year, we will be picking the top dancers to join our company.” He scans the crowd, and offers a kind smile. “While I’m sure that all of you are incredible, this year we will only have room to add six students to the company.”

Six students? Adora clenches her fist in determination. She’s faced worse odds.

“Throughout the year, we will be observing you and your talents as ballet dancers. However, we will not make any final decisions until we see how you dance in the final workshop performance. With that said, we wish you all the best of luck, and advise you to make this your year.”

When Angella finishes speaking, the group claps. The door opens again, and Catra walks in, completely neutral, not a hint of shame on her face. The man beside Angella raises a brow. “So nice of you to fit us into your schedule, Miss…?”

“Catra.” She grins right back at him. “And no sweat.”

The class snickers at her response, but if Catra cares, she doesn’t show it. Adora sucks in her teeth. Late, again? Really. Is Catra actively trying to get herself kicked out, or does she just not care?

“One more thing before we dismiss you for classes. As you may have heard, the company gala is taking place this weekend. We always invite our senior students to attend the performance and help out at the party afterwards, so please plan accordingly. We do expect you all to attend,” Angella says. “Thank you all!”

That said, the teachers trickle out of the room and the boys bid their goodbyes before leaving for their own class. A dark-haired teacher remains at the front, hands clasped tightly. Catra catches Adora’s eye and gives her a wink, but her expression changes completely once she sees the teacher. That’s weird.

“You may call me Madame Weaver,” the woman continues. “In this class, we will be working on technique, sequences and formations three times a week. At the barre,”  she instructs, giving no pleasantries. Needless to say, the girls toss their bags to the side and scurry to their positions at the barre. Adora already has her spot, and Catra manages to grab the spot on the opposing end. Their hands are inches away from the other. Adora’s not sure why, but it makes her nervous.

“Let’s start with our pliés. First position, demi, and stretch. Full grand plié and return. Port de bras forward. Full port de bras back. The same in second, third, and fifth positions, and then rise and take a balance in fifth.” She speaks a little too quickly for Adora to fully understand what she’s asking, but since she’s good at following along, she’s not too worried.

Madame Weaver nods to the pianist in the room, who begins the opening transition. To no one’s surprise, the girls move through the pliés seamlessly. Thanks to her rigorous stretch earlier, Adora feels nice and limber.

The teacher walks around the room with something to say about everyone. Mermista needs to relax her fingers. Perfuma needs to work on feeling the support from her center. Glimmer is complimented on her technique. Adora glides through the movements, feeling confident and waiting for Madame Weaver to no doubtedly comment on how wonderful her technique is.

When she gets to her, she pauses. “Your name?” Madame Weaver asks.

“Adora.”

“You need to work on your turnout. Without it, your dancing suffers.”

It’s not the advice Adora expected to hear. She looks down at her feet and adjusts her turnout, feeling less comfortable. “Better,” Madame Weaver says before moving on. As Adora continues her plies, she watches from her peripheral as Madame Weaver approaches Catra.

“You will be on time to my class and wearing appropriate attire. You would do well to remember that your place here is subject to my approval. Do I make myself clear, Catra?”

Adora doesn’t hear a response, but she assumes that Catra agrees, for Madame Weaver moves away and proceeds onto the next student. Something about her interaction with Catra unsettles her. It’s almost like they know each other. With a slight huff, she forces the thought out of her mind. She can’t think about that right now.  

The class continues. They spend an hour on barre work alone. From there, they move on to floor work and practicing routines across the room. As much as Adora would like to admit otherwise, she struggles. She comes out of turns too slow and stumbles one time too many for her liking. Madame Weaver works quickly and she isn’t always able to catch everything she says. On the whole, she feels like she has much to improve on.

When class ends, Adora sinks down to the floor and yanks open the laces of her pointe shoes. Her feet throb and she just wants to be out of them. Lunch sounds good, too. The lonely muffin she had for breakfast is long gone, and she needs more than just a salad today.

“Hey.” Adora looks up to see Glimmer, offering her an apologetic smile. “Don’t let it get you down. The first day is always rough.”

It’s hard not to take her words personally, especially not after an entire class where Glimmer was the model student. She swallows any bitterness and smiles back. “I guess you’d know, huh?”

“Trust me, there are days I mess up too. Do you want to go have lunch?”

Adora slips into a pair of slippers and stuffs her pointe shoes in her bag before standing up. “Lunch sounds great. I don’t think I’m in the mood for salad though.”

Glimmer laughs and interlocks arms with her. The action is unexpected, but welcome. They head in the direction of the cafeteria, arm in arm. “Hard same. What are you thinking?”

“I could go for a sandwich. Grilled cheese?”

“Deal.”

In less than ten minutes, the two are in line at the cafeteria waiting to pay for their food. Adora steals a fry off her plate, nibbling at it to quell her hunger. “So, it gets better, right?”

“So much better. Weaver never gets easier though.” Glimmer chews on the inside of her cheek before looking off to the side. “She’s just very… particular.”

Adora remembers the short conversation she overheard between Madame Weaver and Catra. Note to self, stay on Weaver’s good side. Couldn’t be that hard, right? Glimmer seems to have figured it out. “She likes you, though.”

“I wish she didn’t. Believe it or not, I kind of hate being the teacher’s pet.”

“What? No way.” When it’s her turn, Adora sets down her tray and pulls out her student ID to pay for the meal. She’s so lucky that she qualified for Bright Moon’s scholarship program. Mara and Razz were more than willing to chip in, but Adora’s never been comfortable with putting more financial burden on them.

“Way.” Glimmer pulls out her card to pay for her food when she looks up and her eyes widen. “I am so sorry.”

“For what?”

“Glimmer!” Angella meets them at the cash register, a stack of papers in her hand. “You haven’t answered my texts. How was your first class?”

Glimmer flushes in embarrassment and grits her teeth. “Mom, you’re holding up the line.”

“Oh, you’re right. Here, let me pay, Dear,” she says, handing the cashier her credit card before Glimmer can argue. Once they’re all settled, Angella walks with them toward a less crowded spot.

“Adora, this is my mom,” Glimmer introduces reluctantly. “Mom, Adora.”

“Yes, Adora. I remember you, from the audition.” Angella takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. “It’s so nice to meet more of Glimmer’s friends.”

“Mom.”

Angella clears her throat, smiling bashfully and letting go of Adora’s hands. “Right, sorry. How was the first class?”

“It was good. Nothing to worry about. Right, Adora?”

Adora nods, quickly trying to swallow her mouth full of a couple more fries. “Yep! Just fine,” she says, hoping that Madame Weaver hasn’t already soiled her reputation to Angella.

“Good. I’m so glad to hear that. I won’t pry any more, you girls go on and enjoy your lunch, I just wanted to say hello.” Angella takes note of her daughter’s tray and rests a soft hand on Glimmer’s shoulder. “I thought we agreed on salads for lunch. We spoke about this, Glimmer.”

Glimmer turns as red as the ketchup on her plate. It clashes horribly with her hair. “Mom, I know. I promise, salad for dinner,” she mutters, unable to look at Adora.

The answer pleases Angella, for she pecks her forehead and lets go of her. “Good. Keep an eye on your phone, and call me tonight?”

“Yeah, Mom. Say hi to Dad for me.”

“I will. Bye girls.”

Adora watches after her as she leaves before following Glimmer to where she’d hunkered down at a nearby table. Glimmer angrily stabs a fry in some ketchup before tossing it to the side of her plate. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she warns before taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“Fair enough. My family can be a lot too,” Adora says, trying to make Glimmer feel better. “Was your dad the guy standing next to Angella this morning.”

“Yeah. I may have mentioned it yesterday, but they run the school and the company. My dad takes a bigger role in the company, and my mom the school. It works out.”

“Must have been cool to grow up around all these ballet dancers. You must have been able to learn so much from them.”

Glimmer nods, swirling a fry around in some ketchup before popping it in her mouth. “Something like that.”

As Adora digs into her grilled cheese, she notices Catra sitting at a table not too far from them. She talks to a girl with platinum hair and she looks… upset. The tall girl attempts to comfort her but Catra moves away. It seems that Madame Weaver’s words really got to her. “Kind of serves her right,” Glimmer notes after following Adora’s gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“Who does she think she is, showing up late on the first day? And breaking the dress code at that! Catra’s just asking to be kicked out,” Glimmer scoffs, taking a bite of her grilled cheese. She chews, mulls it over, and smirks. “Or maybe she just likes attention.”

Glimmer’s words don’t sit well with her. Adora crosses her arms and takes a shaky breath. “Look, I know you and Catra don’t get along. But you didn’t hear what Weaver said to her. It was… way harsh. Harsher than it should be.”

“That’s just how Weaver is.”

“I don’t think so. I’m not saying what Catra did was right, and I’m not going to sit here and make excuses for her. But I’m also not going to sit here and badmouth her.” Adora looks down at her plate. “That’s not who I am. Okay?”

Glimmer reaches for her hand. “I’m sorry, you’re right. Let’s just talk about something else?”

“Yeah.” Adora looks back in Catra’s direction, but the brunette is no longer there. Maybe she’ll talk to her later, see what’s going on. “So, about the Gala thing this weekend… Can you wear jeans to that?”

#she ra #spop #catra #adora #catradora #center stage #ariel's writing #spop fanfic #glimmer #angella #shadow weaver

[garnet-xx-rose]

Secret Santa

HO-HO-HO! @supericebeam I’m your secret Santa! So sorry for the delay, but I’m very happy with how it turned out. I was even able to hit all you’re prompts. Enjoy! Also thank you to @niuniente for hosting

"This is stupid." Catra proclaimed

It was the holidays, the few days each year when the Princess Alliance would not be active. Too many different holidays celebrated by the kingdoms individually. A perfect time to make an attack.

But instead, the Horde’s second in command found herself in the corner of Hordak’s throne room with a cup of gin in her hand and wearing what she considered the fugliest sweater she’s ever seen. Instead of conquering Etheria at its most vulnerable, the Horde was partaking in its first annual holiday party. This year’s theme: ugly sweaters.

“Oh come on Wildcat, don’t be so down,” Scorpia exclaimed as she walked over, a plate of finger foods being held by a pincer. Her sweater had holes suited for her spikes but unable to fit her muscular upper frame, making the piece look instead like a crop top. 

“Isn’t this great! We’re all here together, celebrating. Not just the holidays, but a great year. All the progress the Horde’s made.” Scorpia said excitedly while munching on her food. She gulped and looked down at Catra, blushing.

“Everything we’ve accomplished. Together.”

Catra scoffed. “Yeah, well we would be able to accomplish more if we weren’t just sitting around doing nothing. The princesses are busy with their dumb traditions, it’s an easy target!”

“Well hold on now Catra you know the rules, the Horde never invades during this time, some type of deal made during the first rebellion.” The scorpion princess stuffed a few more pigs in a blanket into her mouth, “Besides, now’s a great time to relax, take a load off. We’ve earned it!”

Catra was not made aware of that (damn, she really should’ve gone to orientation) but she didn’t really care. And now, she was getting annoyed by Scorpia’s chewing and patronizing.

“Whatever,” Catra called out before walking away to another empty space. Scorpia frowned as her friend wandered off, unsure if she should follow her, but decided against in fear of making her more agitated, “Let’s see what else is on the menu”

Catra found a spot against the wall facing the center of the party, a perfect place to people watch. 

Out on the floor were soldiers, force captains, and generals dressed in different colored sweaters, with the Horde symbol crudely stitched in the middle. They were conversing like regular townsfolk, making jokes, having heated debates, some even dancing. She could see Kyle refereeing an eating contest between Lonnie and Rogelio by the food table and on the other side Grizzlor and Octavia grooving on the dance floor, with the octo-woman taking control every now and then. But what was most bizarre of all was Lord Hordak himself, sitting high on his throne, dressed in a green sweater, sharing a plate of tiny sandwiches between himself and his little alien baby. And on his right sat the princess prisoner now turned chief scientist, Entrapta, chugging a fizzy drink with the help of a tendril while she wrote in her journal and spoke into her recorder as she oversaw the party below. 

Just like the rest of the guests, she was dressed in a sweater, but her’s was yellow with an image of Emily placed in the center. What was more noticeable to Catra was her hair put up into a mid-high ponytail, instead of pigtails, with a large ribbon bow wrapped into her hair on top. Catra had to admit the get-up did a number on her, but it was clear that Hordak was the most entranced victim to Entrapta. Every few moments Hordak would look over at his lab partner as if to reassure himself that she was there. And whenever Entrapta spoke to him or wanted to share her notes, he looked at her like she was the only thing in the world. He was leaning into her, mesmerized, and when Catra squinted she was sure she saw his hand on her thigh. Man, she wanted to be sick.

Catra groaned. This stupid party had to be Entrapta’s idea-though odd given her lack of interaction during social events like Princess Prom-just like all the other changes made to the Horde in recent memory.  It was ludicrous. In a matter of months, the strange Princess of Dryll had gone from her chained prisoner to Hordak’s most trusted member, something that not even long-time force captains could achieve. 

Entrapta had Hordak wrapped around her finger or hair for that matter. It made Catra confused, betrayed, angry. But, the more she thought about it, a vulnerable Hordak could be used to her advantage.

In the meantime, there was free food and booze just out in the open and it’s not like Catra wasn’t going to indulge herself. She made her way over to the food table, where now Scorpia had joined the eating contest.

“Hey!” Catra shouted, grabbing the attention of the young soldiers. Kyle looked nervous as usual while Lonnie was intrigued, waiting for the cat girl to explain her sudden interruption.

Catra sighed, maybe just for one day she didn’t have to play the Big bad.

“Room for one more?” 

Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio looked at each other in disbelief that Catra could be so respectful, but that disbelief was forgotten in moments as Scorpia rushed in and scooped Catra in a bone-crushing hug. 

“Oh, that’s my Wildcat, wanting to celebrate with her best friends!”

The woman put her down and starting making bowls for a new round. “Now let’s really get this party started!”

“Whatever,” Catra mumbled, stuffing a handful of pigs in a blanket in her mouth. 

————————-

The day of festivities was now at its final moments. The party had ended an hour ago and now the clean-up crew was making its final touches. On top of the staircase, party host Entrapta was dancing around the throne, gigging and squealing as her hair frizzled out in excitement.

“This is without question one of my most successful experiments to date!” 

Hordak, still seated, watched his partner jump around the room, a small smile exposed on his face. Entrapta hopped over and plopped herself on top of Hordak, her chest squished against his and her legs over tucked over his thighs. Hordak wheezed from the sudden impact. 

“According to my data, my hypothesis was correct: By hosting a social gathering with more palatable food than ration bars and activities for the Horde to partake in, morale and teamwork have increased, 32 percent might I add. And because the guests were already familiar with one another, social awkwardness was down 70 percent!” 

“Yes.” Hordak hissed, “Impressive indeed.”

He looked out to the center of the room, where only hours ago hundreds of Horde soldiers were partying and laughing. It was as if they forgot they were in the midst of decades-old war. A small part of Hordak felt envious. Seeing his captains and generals converse and laugh like old friends made him realize how little he knew about his people. It was as if the Horde had created a culture of its own, unbeknownst to Hordak, behind his back that only now was being unveiled because of such a light-hearted event. Even Catra, as anti-social as the girl was, seemed to have a good time with Force Captain Scorpia and the trio of horde soldiers Hordak always saw together. 

A gloved hand placed on his own snapped him out of his thoughts. He faced Entrapta who looked into him with the doest eyes and softest smile he’s ever seen on her face.

“I-uhh wanted to thank you for letting me conduct my experiment. I know it was a lot, convincing everyone to join and getting everything organized. It was also very nice of you to host in the throne room”

Now that she thought about, was that the first Horde party?

“I know that I can be a lot sometimes but know that I appreciate your consistent support in my endeavors, no matter how seemingly ridiculous.” Entrapta chuckled at the end of her statement, trying not to sound too sappy. Hordak’s biology betrayed him as his cheeks blushed a hard crimson. He began to stammer.

‘Well,” Hordak cleared his throat, “It has become clear that your work has exponentially improved not only the Horde’s infrastructure but my personal projections as well. I...thank you for your continuing assistance...and letting me work with a brilliant mind such as yourself.”

Now it was Entrapta’s turn to blush. With no mask to cover her face, she looked down but gave a small sigh, reassuring Hordak that she heard his flattering remark. Hordak looked back out, not wanting to make Entrapta feel any more discomfort. But only seconds later, he was staring at her again as she softly pressed herself against his chest and placed her head in the crook of his neck. Instead of freaking out and pushing her away-something that he would have done only weeks ago- Hordak rolled with it, intertwining his hand into Entrapta’s and placing his other on her backside, slowly petting her ponytail. 

These acts of intimacy were still new to them, only starting at the beginning of the month, but both have quickly come accustomed to the familiar sense of tenderness. The couple stayed embraced on the throne, quiet except for the occasional hum from Entrapta or grunt from Hordak. Time stood still as each took in the other’s presence fully. When Entrapta nuzzled herself into his neck, Hordak lost his control and gave himself to her, flaws and all. It was moments like this that Hordak could describe as nearly perfect, when everything- his defect, the war, Prime- washes away from his mind, letting his body be at peace. The calmness of it all was so intense. Hordak soon felt himself dozing off, happily wrapped in the arms of his partner.

“Wait!” Entrapta shouted, bouncing off of Hordak’s chest. Hordak’s eyes shot open at the sudden commotion. 

“I forgot about the gift exchange.” A tendril slithered behind the throne and came back around, dropping a mid-size box into Entrapta’s hands, amateurishly wrapped in blue paper. The princess than gave it to Hordak, “I would’ve given it earlier, but I didn’t want to make a scene during the party. I know how you still are with privacy.”

During the party, a secret gift exchange was held amongst the guests, but the hosts decided it would be best that they got gifts for each other. 

Hordak ran a talon across the paper, cutting it open with the edge of his nail. Neatly unwrapping the package, Hordak was left with a pink box that read in pretty cursive, “Salineas Serums”. Intrigued, the man lifted up the top of the box and moved it to the side. When he looked back into the box contents, Lord Hordak released a small gasp. Inside were two bottles of hair dye with color that matched Hordak’s hair, black eye shadow pallets, and a few other cosmetic accessories.

“You once briefly mentioned that you were running low on dye  while we working on the portal” Entrapta spoke, twiddling her finger around her ponytail, “I thought that along with some other supplies would be a sufficient present.” 

Hordak picked up the bottle and turned it in his hand, amazed at how well it matched his own. He never told Entrapta his shade, nor brand for that matter. “Oh!” Entrapta squeaked “It’s also the newest edition, so it lasts much longer and doesn’t run off as often. It’s not even set for release until next summer! And before you ask, I have a few connections with the company. They owe me a few favors after I solved their Jellyfish problem. I hope you like it!” 

Hordak stared at the bottle in disbelief. One off-handed remark about his personal care led her to this? So much time and attention put into her present. He hoped his gift to her could create at least half of the joy hers brought him. Hordak put the bottle back in the box and took a nearby pink tendril into his hand, the other grasping his partner’s. “Entrapta, this is perfect. I could not have asked for anything better.” He finished his confession by kissing the held strand of hair.

Entrapta giggled, happy at another success. Hordak was so entranced he almost forgot to present his own. He called out to Imp who was plopped on top of Emily, falling out after eating too many cookies. The infant-sized creature rubbed his eyes and sluggishly flew around the throne and came around to Entrapta, dropping another mid-size box into her lap before yawning and flying back over to Emily. 

Entrapta didn’t even take the time to appreciate the delicate wrapping, going straight in and ripping apart the paper. She was left with a brown box with a note on top that read, “A sneak peek of what’s to come,” signed “-H”. The princess took off the note, placed it to her side, and then opened the box. Inside was a stack of brown journals, she took out one and began to flip the pages. Entrapta gasped, louder than Hordak’s, almost loud enough to be a scream.

The pages were decorated in detailed drawings of planets, stars, and galaxies. Each page had not only had drawings but writings on the topic’s features and history. It would take Entrpata months, maybe even years to thoroughly get in-depth with these journals.

Life outside of Despondos, a mystery to Etherians for centuries. The answers were right here. 

Entrapta had the universe in her hands. 

“With all the progress we’ve made with the portal, I felt a little nostalgic and did some snooping around my old ship.” Entrapta looked up at Hordak, who spoke with a grin. “I found these and…I couldn’t think of a more brilliant, beautiful person to give them to.”

Entrapta could feel the rims of her eye getting wet. Before she could stop her self, her cheeks became wet too. The princess threw her arms around her partner’s, stuffing her face into his neck once more and mumbling incoherent words. Hordak continued to smile, pleased with Entrapta’s reaction, but wished to hear her words. 

“Care to repeat that?” the clone joked, rubbing his partner’s back.

Entrapta lifted herself and faced Hordak, her face still damp with small tears still streaming down her cheeks. 

“Oh, Hordak!” She cried, sniffling and then wiping her face with the sleeve of her sweater, “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten! I really don’t know what to say. It’s...it’s..”

“Out of this world?”

Entrapta’s hair frizzled in excitement. “Exactly!” She grabbed Hordak’s cheeks and snuggled his face into her own. 

“You’re amazing.” She stated, nuzzling their noses. Hordak could only respond with a small moan of reassurance.

This day was perfect, nothing could make them feel any better than they did right now.

Well…

Chirping was heard above them. Entrapta and Hordak separated from their headlock and looked up to find Imp, holding up a mistletoe, with the most devilish smirk on his face. Hordak immediately blushed. He was aware of the Etherian tradition, but it was not like he ever had a willing partner. And it was not like Entrapta was going to-

His thoughts were suppressed as soft, plump lips smashed into his own. On cue, Hordak wrapped his arms around her curvy waist as she cupped his cheeks. The kiss grew deeper and once again Hordak and Entrapta became lost into each other, Hordak caressing her back and Entrapta running a hand through his hair. Hordak melted into her arms.

Before things got too heated, Entrapta lifted her lips off of Hordak. He looked at her so dazed and out it. She giggled, happy to see the influence she had on him.

“We should do this every year.” Hordak declared, though a little slurred.

Entrapta smiled, suggestively leaning back down to meet Hordak’s face.

“The party..or the kissing?”

Hordak raised his lips only an inch away from her and smirked.

“Both.”

#entrapdak #she ra #shera #catra #entrapta #hordak #scorpia #spop #fanfic #secret santa

[emperorsfoot]

Chapter four is up! 

This time we finally get to see the clone as an actual character instead of just an unconscious prop. 

Meanwhile, Catra drags Hordak to Mara’s ship in the Crimson Wastes and they discuss Catra’s plan... as well as revisit the definition of failure. 

.

There were a great many things Hordak disliked. But it took a special kind of dislikable thing to anger him to the point where he could say, with absolute conviction, and without the shadow of a doubt, that he hated it!

Traitors were very high on his list of hates. One traitor in particular. One brilliantly intelligent, irrationally positive, absurdly energetic, prehensile haired traitor. Hordak could say that he very justifiably hated her. He vowed he would see her again, and exact his revenge!

Failure was another of his top three hates. Both the failure of his subordinates, and his own personal failures. Especially his own personal failures. He should never have trusted the Princess in the first place. He should have known better. She was originally their prisoner. What motivation did she have to help him? None! It was his own failure of judgement, failure of security, and failure to maintain boundaries that allowed her to slip in and exploit his… defects. A mistake he planned to correct in the not-too-distant future.

But the thing that was quickly rising on his list of top three hates, the thing that was vying for the coveted spot of the Most Repugnant Thing in the Universe According to Lord Hordak… was sand!

Hard, coarse, dusty, vile stuff!

It got everywhere!

Stuck under his talons. In his mouth. In his eyes! But worst of all, inside the joint and delicate inner workings of his exo-suit!

From the first step he and Catra took into the Crimson Waste, it seemed like the sand had a personal vendetta against him. Was trying to end him. If not by killing him outright, then by exposing his weakness to his companion for her to finish him off. After all, Force Captain Catra seemed to be a perfect student of Horde philosophy. Putting it into a level of practice that would make even the strict and difficult to please Horde Prime proud.

Hordren and Red Hord would’ve liked her too.

Hordwing and Hode would have hated her.

But Hordak tried not to think about Hode. His old mentor. The one who’s position on Prime’s cabinet he took over after the older clone expired. What would Hode say to him now?

‘Every situation can be turned, Zero-Zero-Three. No fall is too far for one to climb back up from. Provided you are strong enough. Are you strong enough, Zero-Zero-Three?’

Hordak liked to think he was strong enough.

Hode probably never had to deal with the betrayal of a- a- a useful associate he allowed to get too close. Hode never would have allowed one to get so close in the first place. To weasel her way past his boundaries and under his barriers. To give him new armor while simultaneously breaking down the other armor he’d carefully constructed around himself. An armor which allowed him to rise in rank within his division of the Empire. An armor which allowed him to ascend to a seat on the ruling cabinet itself! Hode never would have been so foolish, or so… weak.

Hordak liked to think he was strong, but –thus far- all evidence was to the contrary.

The wind changed, blowing a fresh cloud of dust around them.

And this All High Host-cursed sand was really testing him!

Hordak wrapped a hand around the opposite wrist of his exo-suit, already feeling the tingling of a malfunction coming on. He would not have a ‘tizzy’ in front of Catra. The fact that she was supposed to be his subordinate aside, she was in the position of power in this particular situation.

She could navigate the Crimson Wastes, he could not. She knew where they were going, he did not. She was physically fit and able-bodied, he was one prosthetic suit malfunction away from being an invalid. She had a plan, while all he had was a vague demand for satisfaction from the one who betrayed him. At this moment, in this situation, Catra was the one in control.

A fact he was sure she was just as aware of as he was. Though she had not capitalized on it yet, and Hordak had to wonder as to why. After his treatment of her over the past year, she must be harboring a grudge. All High Host knew he held a grudge against Hordren when he was still new to the cabinet and very green. Freshly promoted and newly named. Still getting used to being called ‘Hordak’ instead of ‘Zero-Zero-Three.’

“Keep up!” Catra snarled at him.

She stood, silhouetted against the empty, cloudless sky. A sky that looked as dry and uninviting as the sand through which she had dragged him. Mane of hair blowing in the wind. Tail flicking back and forth in irritation. For such a clever and formidable… survivor, she was incredibly easy to read. The cat-girl was impatient and annoyed. Not exactly the image of a leader with a plan. She did not look collected and in control. She looked frustrated.

‘Do not give into frustration, Zero-Zero-Three.’ Hode often repeated to him. Repeated to him so often, in fact, that it caused the very frustration the older clone was warning against. ‘Frustration is one of the mind killers. It clouds the ability to think.’

Perhaps that was why Entrapta’s betrayal had taken him so utterly and completely by surprise.

He had been struggling with his portal project for years. For almost as long as he had established his own little facsimile of a Horde Supremacy here on Etheria. For as long as he’d had the resources to build a portal, he’d been trying to do just that… and failing at every attempt. Again, and again, and again. He was angry, and he was impatient, and he was frustrated.

So, when this energetic little Princess appeared in his lab and just fixed it, as if it were nothing, as if it were easy, he didn’t think twice. He didn’t question. He didn’t stop to wonder the why. All he cared about was that she could give him what he wanted, and so he gave her what she wanted. Unlimited access and resources.

She managed to keep the ruse up for a very long time. So long, in fact that they actually created a working portal. So, long that she actually allowed him to succeed.

Except she didn’t allow him to succeed, because that was also the day she brought the Alliance in to destroy him.

But he would destroy her in return. He promised himself

As she had forced him to watch the destruction of all that he cared for, his one and only way home, so too would he make her watch as he destroyed all she cared for. Her precious Princess Alliance, her home Queendom of Dryl, her laboratory, all her inventions and experiments, her notes, those blasted recordings. He would wipe her very existence from the face of this world! And he would make her watch as he did so. He would see her face as she realized that he had destroyed her. That he had taken all but her life. And when she begged him to take that as well, he would refuse.

Entrapta was a brilliant scientist, after all. She was a valuable resource, and Hordak was not in the habit of throwing away resources. Perhaps he would present her to Horde Prime as a gift when he finally returned home.

…If he ever returned home.

The prospects were not looking good from his side, and there was no way for him to know if Prime received the signal from the other side.

Trying very hard to control his breaths so that Catra did not hear him wheezing, Hordak finally crested the top of the dune they were climbing. The gasp he made had nothing to do with his lungs being desperate for breath.

There, in front of them, jutting up from the desert, was an arrow shaped space ship. Not Horde in design. The Horde preferred sharp angles and hard lines. This one was smooth and elegant. Not unsimilar to some First Ones’ designs he’d seen. Not a Horde ship, then. A First Ones’ ship.

“C’mon.” Catra snapped. Then was bounding down the other slope of the dune, towards the ship.

Hordak longed for a sandworm to come up and swallow her whole. A shame the Great Makers were only native to Arakis and were not found on Etheria. We would have longed to see the cat-girl get eaten, then wash the sight down with fresh glass of Spice.

He followed her to the ship.

The sand had gotten in here too.

Sand truly was a horrible thing. It was hard, and course, and it got everywhere. Hordak hated the sand.

But there was less of it inside the ship. And, inside the ship it was cool, without the harsh sun of the Wastes beating down on them. Cool, and dim, almost dark. Not unlike his own Sanctum. It was almost homey inside the crashed First Ones’ ship, and Hordak felt himself relax before he gave his body leave to. The hand around his wrist letting go, as the tingling that was the warning sign of an episode subsided.

Taking a deep breath of the dry air, he let his aching lungs rest for a moment before asking the necessary question. “Why have you dragged me here?”

In answer to this, Catra kicked a console and a hologram appeared. A hologram of a very familiar, two and half meters tall, shiny, Princess, savior. Except that it wasn’t the one Hordak was familiar with. The She-Ra that destroyed his portal and defeated him was former-Force Captain Adora. This She-Ra, however, identified herself as…

“I am Mara, She-Ra of Etheria, and I am gone.”

It kept repeating. On a loop. The same sentence. She was She-Ra, and legendary hero of Etheria, but not the She-Ra he’d spent the past year being thwarted by.

“I’m still waiting for an explanation, Force Captain.” Hordak turned –what he hoped- was an intimidating scowl at the cat-girl. “Why have you brought me here?”

Catra crossed her arms over her chest, as if she were impatient with him. As if he should just know, without having to be told. Since he did not know, it was very inconvenient for her to have to explain.

“There’s a larger message.” She told him. “I saw it, but it was glitching. Skipping around, like an old laser disk with a scratch. I’m not techy. But you are. Fix it.”

Hordak raised one pale, waxy brow-ridge. How dare she presume to give him orders!

Except he knew exactly how she presumed to give him orders. She might not know it yet, but one carefully placed blow from her could kill him. He was not as strong as he used to be. He had not been as strong as he used to be for a very long time. Far longer than before he began making real and meaningful progress with his portal. Entrapta might not know it, but she actually saved his life when she built the exo-suit for him. Her Alliance might have won a lot sooner, and she might not have had to betray him at all, had she not gifted him with this one prosthetic suit.

Absentmindedly, Hordak touched a talon to the gem on his collar. A shard of a First Ones crystal in a dusky fuchsia color. Did Entrapta know truly what it was she was doing for him when she made it? Or did she just think it was ‘something nice’ that would prompt him to trust her more. Not just trust her more, but trust her completely. Because, at the end there, Hordak did trust her completely. Not just trust her, but want her. Want her there. When the portal was activated. Their portal. That they had made together. He wanted her standing next to him when that lever was pulled and the universe opened up for them.

But she wasn’t there.

Entrapta had been nowhere in sight. She hadn’t even showed up to laugh in his face and call him a fool for how easily he allowed himself to be manipulated by her.

Hordak did wonder where she went. Why she wasn’t there. Even in the capacity of an enemy, she should have been there. It was a decisive moment.

Catra impatiently tapped her foot on the sandy spaceship floor.

Hordak lowered his hand from the crystal at his collar. There would be time to dwell on Entrapta. Later.

“I fail to see how a corrupted message file from a long-dead speaker is of any importance.” He informed Catra.

“Because.” Began the cat-girl in a voice similar to the one she used when she had to explain something to Force Captain Scorpia. Something Catra felt should be obvious and couldn’t understand why the other people around her weren’t getting it. “That other She-Ra mentioned a weapon. I’m sure of it. And a super-weapon is exactly what we need right now. We could defeat She-Ra and take down the whole Princess Alliance in one strike.

“Assuming you know how to use this weapon.” Hordak pointed out.

“That all depends on what the weapon is, now doesn’t it.” Catra crooned. “That’s what you’re gonna find out. You’ve been incorporated First Ones’ tech into your experiments since before Entrapta came along. You’ve got to have figured out how this stuff works by now!”

Unconsciously, Hordak placed a hand to the crystal on the collar of his exo-suit. He hadn’t figured out the First Ones’ tech. Not really. He spent so much time and made so little progress. Entrapta was the real First Ones expert. Entrapta was what Catra needed. He was a poor substitute.

But he also wasn’t going to tell Catra that.

“If what you say is, in fact, true, then will She-Ra and her Princess Alliance not return to reclaim the very information we are seeking?” He pointed out instead.

But if the Princess Alliance did come to reclaim a former She-Ra’s message, and that message was buried in First Ones’ data, they would need to bring Entrapta. If he remained here and prepared an ambush for the Alliance, then he could see Entrapta again. He could have satisfaction!

“Which is why we’re gonna get it first!” Catra announced with a level of confidence that was completely unfounded given their combined knowledge of First Ones tech was barely above that of a child.

Then Catra smiled a malicious little grin. One full of dark irony and her own helping of vicious satisfaction. She scooped up handful of sand up off the floor and crossed the space between them.

“And Hordak,” she cooed up at him, almost as if with affection. “You do know what the meaning of ‘failure’ is.”

He felt a small stone of dread sink into the pit of his stomach at the question. He knew she had to be just as aware of the shift in the power dynamic between them as he was. He knew she had to be aware that she held the advantage in this particular situation. It seemed the cat-girl was capitalizing on it after all.

“If you thought the atmosphere was problematic…” She climbed up on top of the ship’s darkened and lifeless console to close the height difference between them. She looked him dead in the eyes, mismatched heterochromia to pupilless red sclera. Face stony and impassive, she dropped her handful of sand into his exo-suit, so that it trickled under the lip of the collar bow between the suit and his already sensitive skin. “…wait until you get a load of the environment.”

The almost instant skin irritation was bad enough. But then he felt the tingling that warned of a suit malfunction. The exo-suit Entrapta fitted him with not know how to communicate with his existing cybernetic implants to compensate for the foreign irritants. Hordak tried to hold his composure as best he could. He really did.

He still found himself leaning against the ship’s console. Using it to support his weight as his prosthetics shorted. Sparking visibly in the dim chamber.

Still standing on the console, Catra knelt down to whisper in his delicately pointed ear. “I trust we understand each other.”

Hordak barely managed to raise his head to look at her. But he very clearly caught her toothy grin of satisfaction.

…

It was safe to say that Socrpia had no idea what she was doing.

She didn’t know much about children, and she knew even less about clones. In the holo-dramas she sometimes watched, all clones always came out of the tubes –or tank in Little Hordak’s case- fully functioning. Able to speak, and stand, understand language and follow commands. In the holo-dramas Scorpia watched, clones were given some kind of programming or education while still gestating. So they could function like people.

Entrapta, however, did not appear to have done this.

When the little Hordak-clone first began to breath, the first thing they did was cry. Loudly.

Imp placed both of his pudgy hands over his ears and fluttered up into the rafters to get away from the sound. Scorpia similarly clapped her pincers over her ears, at a bit of a loss as to what to do.

The next few minutes were a blur of cuddles, and cooing non-sense reassurances to the clone –whom was even more of a child than they looked- when Little Hordak was finally calm and quiet again, Scorpia turned her attention to a meaningful escape. The Alliance had beaten them, Catra had betrayed her and their friendship, original-Hordak was missing.

Scorpia lifted the small child up into her arms and stomped from the lab.

Imp just barly managed to swipe Entrapta’s discarded recorder as he flew to keep up with the Force Captain. If there were any answers to the question that was the young clone, it would be on that recorder.

Scorpia carried the clone to her own quarters. Imp flapping behind them, hugging the recorder to his tiny chest. He seemed determined to stick close to the Little Hordak, almost as if they were the actual Lord himself.

Taking a sheet from her bed, Scorpia wrapped it around the clone’s naked body. She cut the hem so they could walk on their own –assuming they knew how- and cut a hole for their head, transforming the former sheet into a kind of sloppy shift. It was red, like everything else in the Horde, a stark contrast to their whiter-than-white skin and vibrant blue hair. One might have argued that the sheet brought out the color of their eyes, except the clone’s eyes weren’t really a true red. At least, not a red the same as original-Hordak’s red.

They still glowed slightly, as if lit from some internal light. An interesting bioluminescence not usually found on Etheria. But the color was different. While Hordak’s eyes were a primary-red, or a true-red, the clone’s were closer to fuchsia. An extremely bright pink with violet undertones.

Scorpia sat the clone on her now bare bed and turned to pack a quick bag for herself. But she stopped when she felt something tug on her arm. It felt almost like the sheet was tangled around her. Something coiled around her forearm and pulling.

She looked back, dark eyes going wide at what she saw.

It wasn’t the sheet wrapped around her arm. It was the clone’s blue mohawk of hair. That long tail of hair. As long as they were tall, blue and narrow, just like Hordak’s but… Scorpia looked at the hair coiled around her arm. She watched the strands move over her armor as if they had a mind of their own. She felt them try and tug her back, closer to the clone. Hair that functioned the same as any limb. Prehensile hair. Just like Entrapta! They looked like Hordak, but they had Entrapta’s prehensile hair! Maybe not the same color or style, but the same physical capabilities.

So… not a true clone, then. A combination of the two of them. An amalgamation. A composite.

An offspring.

Scropia hadn’t found Entrapta’s last experiment, she found Entrapta’s child! Entrapta’s child with Hordak. –Gross.- Scorpia inwardly cringed, there was no accounting for taste. And only Entrapta would have a baby through experimentation rather than… the usual way.

She tried to peel the hair off her arm, hooking her free pincer claw under it and all but prying the tight spiral of blue off her. It look a surprising amount of effort, the hair was stronger than they looked. But then, Entrapta’s hair had always been stronger than she looked.

Free of the limb again, Scorpia darted around her room, throwing things messily into a standard issue duffle. Spare armor, civilian clothing, underclothing. But when she darted into her private bathroom –as a Princess she was entitled to the privilege of her own washroom and toilet- the clone began to cry. Scorpia was literally the only person they knew, and she was suddenly out of sight.

She poked her head out from around the doorframe. “Hey, hey, I’m still here, kiddo.” She tried to sooth. “Uh, Hordak? Lord-? Little Lord? Little Hordak.”

Seeing her again, the clone gave a soft sniff and stopped crying.

Scorpia went back into the bathroom.

The clone began to cry again.

“Of for the love of-“ She poked her head out again.

The clone stopped crying again.

“This is not the best time to play Peek-a-Boo, Little Hordak.” She called to them.

Imp fluttered onto the bed next to the clone. Partially in an attempt to distract them, he understood the necessity of getting master’s… whatever they were to master- out of the Fright Zone before an enemy, or a rival for power learned of them. But also partly because Imp was still confused by them. By this stange new organism that hatched from a Horde cloning tank, the same as master, and the same as Hode before him. The same as every Horde clone ever. And yet they did not smell like every Horde clone. They didn’t not smell like master. Not entirely. They smelled… mixed. Hybrid. Alien.

With Imp distracting the clone, Scorpia was able to finish her frantic and haphazard packing. With the duffle thrown over her back, the strap crossing her chest, she scooped the clone back up into her arms.

There was more than one skiff already missing when the trio made it to the hangers. It looked like Scorpia wasn’t the only one who decided to jump ship after the Sanctum blew.

She settled the clone as best she could. Horde skiff’s weren’t exactly designed with seatbelts, but Socrpia didn’t trust the clone with his infant-like understanding of things not to fall out while she was piloting. She laid her duffel bag over their lap, hoping that would be enough to keep them in place. They were a kid, maybe they’d think of the duffle as an awkward heavy blanket.

“Stay down, Little Hordak.” Scorpia instructed, not even sure if the clone understood or not.

They blinked back up at her with those odd eyes. Glowing and solid sclera devoid of iris or pupil, like Hordak’s, but fuschia in color, like Entrapta’s. For half a second Scorpia wondered if they did understand.

Then the clone smiled back at her. Smiled, as if they were not fleeing a defeated military instillation full of deserters, looters, vengeful zealots, and the very enemies that defeated them in the first place. Clearly, they did not understand as much as they thought they did.

“H’dak!” The clone’s smile was also not like Hordak’s –not that Scorpia had ever actually seen the Lord smile. But Hordak’s teeth were red. Almost as red as his eyes, although, they didn’t glow –obviously. But the clone’s teeth were white. A perfectly normal color for Etherian teeth. Still sharp, and pointed, with elongated canines coming down into fangs. But they were not red. More of Entrapta manifesting itself in the clone. “H’dak!”

They were so utterly oblivious to the gravity of their situation. So innocent and trusting of her. Scorpia couldn’t help but smile back at the ignorant creature. “That’s right, kiddo, you’re Hordak.”

Imp shot a disapproving frown in her direction. This amalgam creature was most definitely not master! He held the recorder in his hands. The moment they were safe and not moving anymore, Imp was going to go through every sound file on the whole thing. He would dissect Entrapta’s notes until he discovered what this… what this genetic composite really was.

“H’dak!” The clone said again as Scorpia piloted the skiff away from the Fright Zone.

That was four days ago.

Not knowing where else to go or what else to do, Scorpia navigated them to Dryl. It was Entrapta’s Queendom, after all, and the little Hordak clone –whom she had started calling ‘Dak’- was Entrapta’s creation. It stood to reason that Dryl would be the perfect place to taken them.

The staff of Castle Dryl… had mixed reactions.

Baker, Soda Pop, and Busgirl glared at Scorpia darkly. Before word of the Horde’s defeat reached them, they were –technically- under Horde occupation. Their ruling Princess having gone over to the Horde willingly. Dryl still hung Horde banners, and was still filled with Horde soldiers. Where Baker, Soda Pop, and Busgirl once served only one eccentric and only occasionally terrifying Princess, they now had to serve a whole occupying army.

Then a Force Captain shows up out of nowhere in only a skiff, no other soldiers or guards, and a small child in tow. It was an odd event to say the least.

The occupying soldiers’ reactions were less hostile and more confused. Not all of them had ever even seen Hordak in their lives. They only knew what he looked like from vague description. But those whom had been in the presence of the leader of the Horde definitely, definitely could recognize him. Lord Hordak was not something one easily forgets. One look at the small child holding Scorpia’s claw, and sucking on their hair was all it took for some soldiers to note the resemblance and jump to conclusions.

The Horde was defeated. The Princess Alliance won. Hordak was killed. And one surviving loyal Force Captain escaped with a young child that could only be Hordak’s heir.

It was the kind of story told as the prologue to an epic opera. ‘Lord of the Rings’ –Etheria version. ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ –Dryl redux.

Scorpia sat down with Baker, Soda Pop, and Busgirl in the kitchen. They were the highest ranked staff in the castle –the highest ranked native staff- there were higher ranked Horde Scorpia could have talked with, but that could wait. She wanted these people to know what she’d discovered first. She wanted Entrapta’s people to hear it from her, not the scuttlebutt of occupying soldiers.

They sat at the kitchen table, using it as more of a makeshift conference table.

“I don’t see why you had to come here!” Busgirl blurted out what everyone else was thinking.

Baker and Soda Pop looked nervous. During her previous visit, Force Captain Scorpia had never been cruel to the people of Dryl. In fact, compared to other Horde officers, she was downright nice! Sociable and happy. Inexplicably cheerful and easy to get along with. The kind of person that put others at ease and made one forget that she was actually an agent of a tyrannical regime that was slowly taking over the planet. But, Scorpia was still a Horde officer. Testing her patience was never a good idea.

But Scorpia didn’t seem all that tested. In fact, she looked a little… awkward. One pincer scratched at the back of her head while she looked for words to explain things.

At the other end of the room –where there was no stove or carving knives for a child to hurt themselves on- Dak played with Imp. At least the staff assumed it was play. The little Horde-Etherian hybrid was trying to grab at the fluttering deamon. Clawing at the empty air with their tiny taloned hands. Occasionally they would make a jump to close the distance between them, but Imp just hovered higher, keeping just out of reach of the small master’s clone.

“Want!” The child snapped in frustration, glaring up at Imp whom insisted on hovering just out of reach. They had added several words to their vocabulary over the past few days with Scorpia. It wasn’t just ‘H’dak’ anymore. Now they could convey their ‘want!’, mangled Scorpia’s name into ‘Sc’pya’, expressed their displeasure with a pitchy ‘No!’, and understood to ask the dreaded and terrible ‘why?’

It had been four days since Scorpia and Imp found them in a cloning tank in Entrapta’s old lab. In the space of four days, little Dak had gone from the mentality and understanding of a newborn infant, to that of an 18-month old toddler. Clearly, they inherited Entrapta’s intelligence. Either that or it was just a trick of the cloning process. Scorpia didn’t know enough about any of it to hazard a guess.

Imp just chortled at the clone. Flapping over to perch atop a kitchen cabinet. He opened his mouth wide and threw the little Hordak’s own word back at them. ‘Want! Want! Want!’

In response to this taunting, Dak just growled. A low, feral sound, forming in the back of their throat. Not a sound the average Etherian could make unless they hailed from a furry sub-species.

“Oh, geez, uh,” Scorpia was trying to explain to the staff but wasn’t quite sure how, “ya see, the thing is… Little Dak isn’t just Hordak’s, uh… Hordak’s whatever. They’re also Entrapta’s!”

All three Dryl staff looked confused. “The Princess’ what?”

Frustrated with his Imp playmate, Dak tried to climb up onto the counter, using the drawer handles as foot holds. They used their hands to brace against the wall for balance on the new, higher surface, and reached their hair up to grab the little deamon for him. The thin blue mohawk coiling around the Imp tightly, entangling the small creature as if in a tentacle, and pulled Imp down off the shelf.

“Mine!” Dak announced triumphantly.

Imp just gave a chirp of resignation. He was caught. But then, that was the whole point of the game, after all. Horde were predators. Since master’s… whatever they were, didn’t recive any programming during gestation, they would need to be trained the old fashioned way. Imp was just lucky that Hode made sure Imp knew what the old fashioned way was before the old clone expired.

The staff just stared, open mouthed and wide eyed, at the child. A miniature Hordak, or so they’d been told, none of them had ever seen Hordak before. But a miniature Hordak whom also enjoyed their own Princess’ power of prehensile hair. A trait no other family on Etheria had. A trait that was unique to the royal house of Dryl. This ‘Dak’ wasn’t just Hordak’s… whatever, they were also Entrapta’s… child?

But, that couldn’t be right. It hadn’t even been a year since she was lost in the Fright Zone and joined the Horde, and this child was very clearly a decade old –in physical appearance, at least. Mentally they seemed a little over a year, but that was still too old to be the naturally begotten child born from the leader of the Horde and their Princess. Reproduction did not work that fast!

Dak noticed everyone staring at them and bared his teeth in a challenge. Teeth that were as pointed and sharp as Hordak’s, but white and enameled as an Etherian’s. They hugged Imp tighter to them. “Mine!”

“I guess that’s a good explanation right there.” Scorpia laughed good-naturedly. As if this were just a friendly conversation and a friend’s child had just done something cute. As if a giant bombshell nobody really understood hadn’t just been dropped on the staff. When Scorpia noticed that no one else was laughing along with her, she cringed.

“How is this even possible?” Baker approached the child. She was about to offer them a hand to help climb down off the counter, but Imp hissed loudly. She thought twice, not wanting that little deamon creature to bite her.

Imp glared a challenge at the other too, in case they wanted to interfere with the Horde hybrid’s training too. Master’s… heir? had to learn on their own. Master’s heir had to be strong. Otherwise they would not be Horde.

“But you get why I brought them here, right?” Scorpia asked.

All three staff exchanged a grim look. Yes, they understood. Young Hordak, second of his name, was not a lost heir of the Horde smuggled out of the Fright Zone by a loyal Captain to be raised to reclaim the thrown. Little Dak, was Entrapta’s successor, the heir to the Dryl Queendom. They were being brought home by a friend of their… (creator’s?) mother’s.

“You did the right thing.” Baker decided as she watched the pale child climb down from the counter on their own.

They had to let go of Imp to do it. Using both their hands, and their hair, for balance. But they made it down off the counter all on their own, and they didn’t stumble or fall once. Given more time and practice, they would become just as adept at climbing walls and sneaking through air vents as their mother.

“H’dak!” They announced once their feet were firmly back on the floor.

“That’s right!” Baker cooed, clapping her hands to congratulate them as if getting down off a surface without hurting themselves was a praise-worthy feat.

Dak placed a hand to their belly, frowning as they tried to think of the correct word for how they felt. “Want.” They decided. They patted their belly to make sure the adults in the room understood. “Want.”

“Are you hungry?” Baker asked. They were already in the kitchen, she could make something easily.

For half a moment, Dak looked confused, not sure what the grown-up was asking. They were still learning and language was confusing. “I’m H’dak.”

Imp fluttered down to perch on top of the child. The clone’s shoulder’s were much narrower than master’s. Imp could not perch on Dak the same way he perched on Hordak. The little deamon balanced on the back of their neck instead, one pudgy leg thrown over each shoulder. He looked at the Baker, opened his mouth, and repeated her own word back at her, ‘Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.’ To confirm for her that, yes, that was what master’s heir needed.

Nodding her understanding, Baker got to work. Pulling out mixing bowls and baking pans. Flour, eggs, milk, sugar… all the things that went into her cooking for the child’s mother.

While Baker worked, Soda Pop turned to Scorpia, a serious frown on his face. “So what’s you plan with this child?” He asked. “What are you going to do now?”

Because they might be the heir to Dryl, but they were also the heir to the Horde –assuming the Horde practiced hereditary inheritance. The staff did not like the idea of their Princess’ only child being used as a pawn in some Force Captain’s machiavellian schemes for power.

Scorpia scratched the back of her head again. “See, the thing is… I was kinda hoping you could just take them for me?” She confessed. “Take care of them, I mean. The kiddo doesn’t know anything about anything and I can’t have a kid tagging along where I’m going.”

That was not the answer Soda Pop was expecting. He was expecting the Force Captain to invite herself to stay. Install herself as Dak’s regent until they came of age and could take over Dryl. Use the clone’s pedigree for her own ambitions. Instead she was just… dropping him off at home?

“Where are you going?” Soda Pop found himself asking.

This time, when Scorpia answered, it was not sheepish or unsure. She did not scratch the back of her head awkwardly. She was resolved and firm when she spoke. “I made a mistake.” She admitted. “I betrayed a friend and sent her to a really bad place. I gotta go there and get her back.”

Soda Pop raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. He didn’t know Horde soldiers had friends. Let along friendships that were deep enough to prompt someone to go on what sounded like a dangerous and possibly life-threatening quest. “Who?”

Scorpia cast a forlorn look at Dak. “Their mother.”

#entrapdak #hordak #entrapta #entrapta/hordak #she-ra season 3 #clone baby au #non-binary oc #fanfiction #ao3 #RenkonNairu

[sir-a-nonny-mouse]

All The King’s Horses

Summary: After the portal Catra is sent to Beast Island to bring back Entrapta and Scorpia.

Notes: This story exists because what I really wanted to write was a post-redemption Catradora fic that honored the events of season 3. But in order to that I had to figure out how Catra could be redeemed after her downward spiral. 25,000+ words later…

Trigger warnings for panic attacks, giant spiders, child abuse/neglect

If you would rather read this story of AO3 it can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21072848/chapters/50132171

Catra dreamed.

Adora stands over her as she clings to the wall of the cliff. The light of the collapsing world streams up around her lifting Adora’s ponytail up into the air.

“Grab my hand,” Adora shouts, stretching down toward where Catra’s claws are starting to lose purchase. “I can still fix this! I can still save you!”

“Don’t you get it?” Catra shouts back. The roar of the ground falling apart around them is getting louder. “I don’t care! I won’t let you win. I’d rather die than let that happen!”

Adora’s face shifts. The soft concern in her eyes is replaced with the cold blue of She-ra’s gaze.

“No Catra, you don’t get it.” Her voice is deeper suddenly. There is a familiar lilting quality Catra couldn’t quite place. She isn’t shouting anymore but somehow Catra can hear every syllable. “I always win in the end. And you will always fall!”

She-ra’s lunges forward and rips Catra’s hand from the protruding rock. Catra is thrown backward into the stream of nothingness. It burns. She tries to scream but there is no air in her lungs.

***

Catra sat up in bed with a gasp. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her heart pounded so loudly in her chest it almost sounded like someone banging on the door to her room.

Wait. No. That was someone pounding on the door to her room.

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Come in,” she shouted, louder than she meant to but it covered the quiver in her voice.

“Uh…hi Catra. It’s me.” Kyle poked his head through the door. “Um…Hordak wants to see you. Right now. That’s all gottago.” He squeaked and slammed the door shut again.

Catra swallowed against nausea rising in her throat and got out of bed.

***

It had only been a week since the portal. Things in the Fright Zone had returned to some sort of normalcy; the soldiers continued their battle maneuvers and the cadets continued their training simulations. Hordak had been locked inside his inner chambers with only his demon assistants, but that wasn’t so different than before the portal. Catra had no idea what he was working on—a new portal, a new strategy for defeating She-ra and the princesses—but that was hardly a change either.

It was all disturbingly normal aside from the fact that Catra had no idea what her status was anymore. She wasn’t re-imprisoned but was she back to force captain status? Second in command? What was her mission? The lack of purpose made her skin itch. Given all her years of ducking responsibility it would have been hilarious if it weren’t so stressful. If Adora could see her now she would….

No. Adora wouldn’t care. Adora didn’t matter anymore.

Catra held her head up high as she approached Hordak’s throne. She tried to ignore the echoes of her trial as she passed the rows of soldiers lining the chamber. She spared a glance around for Scorpia but didn’t see her familiar shock of white hair anywhere in the crowd. No purple either. Not that Catra was expecting to see Entrapta….

“Catra,” said Hordak in his low gravelly voice. He was seated on his throne in his full regalia without a hair out of place. No sign of the staggering wreck Catra had seen in the chamber the day of the portal. Catra felt the familiar staccato of her heartbeat and her mouth went dry. Still, she was nothing if not good at bravado. She clenched her teeth and stepped forward.

“Lord Hordak,” she said, pleased when the words came out with confidence. “I heard you wished to speak to me. I wasn’t expecting all this ceremony.”

“It has come to my attention that the Princess Entrapta has been spotted on a transport ship to Beast Island.”

Catra could feel sweat dripping down the back of her suit. She swallowed.

“That is unexpected, my Lord. Was she apprehended on her way out of the Fright Zone?”

Hordak grunted.

“That remains to be seen. It seems your friend and fellow force captain Scorpia was seen with her.”

Catra’s heart sped up. She wondered idly what would happen if she just passed out in Hordak’s throne room in front of all these people. Probably nothing good.

“Strange,” said Catra. “Perhaps even after all this time some of her Princess tendencies have gotten the better of her.”

Hordak crossed his arms over his chest.

“An interesting theory. And yet unsatisfying given that Scorpia’s greatest allegiance appears to have been to you previously. After all, she did risk almost certain death in the Crimson Waste to accompany you.”

Catra snorted. “Perhaps she knew I wasn’t so easy to kill as you expected. I can’t imagine the same holds true for Entrapa on Beast Island.”

“I did not sentence Entrapta to die. Nor did I sanction her or Scorpia’s transfer to Beast Island.”

Catra shrugged. “Seems like it’s been taken care of for you.”

“I DID NOT SANCTION IT!” Hordak roared standing suddenly from his seat. Catra couldn’t fight her instinct to shrink backwards.

“You will go to Beast Island and retrieve them,” Hordak continued. “You have proven yourself resourceful in places with few resources in the past. And you have yet to prove your loyalty to me since returning from the Waste.”

“Prove my loyalty!” Catra forced herself to stand up straight again. “You sent me to die and I brought you the key to your most precious project! How much more loyal can I get?”

Hordak regarded her with emotionless red eyes. “You pursued your own private vendetta and nearly destroyed us all in the process. If you are truly loyal you will bring the Princesses Entrapta back for a proper trial and punishment. Scorpia as well if you are able. If not; well then Beast Island is probably a fitting punishment and I likely should have sent you there in the first place.”

He gestured to one of the soldiers, who stepped forward to grasp Catra’s arm.

“You’re sentencing me to death,” she shouted, jerking her. “For what? For helping you achieve your goal. So what I had my own agenda!? You need me.”

“Indeed. I need you to bring back the Princess Entrapta. She may well be a traitor, but she will be far more useful in my dungeons than rotting on that infernal island. That will be all now, take her away.”

With that Hordak turned and exited the throne room.

Catra whirled around only to realize she was surrounded by soldiers. She searched frantically over their shoulders for her team. For a moment she thought she caught sight of Lonnie’s braids, but it immediately was lost from her view. She tried to run but several hands were holding her arms and (horrifyingly) someone had grasped onto her tail. She heard the crackled of a stun baton and then everything went dark.

***

The boat creaked and moaned as metal slats shifted against each.

“This is fascinating,” Entrapta murmured as she peered through the porthole. “The friction between air molecules and water molecules propagates a wave function that transfers energy for miles! And the variation, there must be some sort of relation to the lunar cycles but with three moons the equation is going to be exceedingly complex. Plus, we can’t discount the possibility of interaction with the First One’s tech that has surely been buried along the route. How have I never thought to study the ocean before?”

“Oh, I don’t know about studying the ocean, but I can tell you nothing quite beats the fresh salt air,” Scorpia replied, leaning her head back against the bulkhead. “I mean, when they let you up to appreciate it. This cabin is not my favorite way to travel, no siree.” She chuckled to herself and then winced when another prisoner chose that moment to vomit into a bucket.

“Once we get to our destination, I will need to take some measurements,” Entrapta said. “I still have a few bits of equipment, but do I wish I still had access to Hordak’s lab.”

“Uh…Entrapta, you do know that we are headed to an island that no one has ever come back from, right? We are going to have to put all of our resources into survival.”

“I know! Why don’t people every come back thought; there has to be an explanation.”

“Because they get eaten by the beasts…on Beast Island?”

“Seems statistically unlikely; at least a few souls would have escaped after so many years.” Entrapta turned around and peered at Scorpia through the safety goggles pulled down of her eyes. “I have some theories, but I need to run a few more tests.”

“Uh…okay, Entrapta.” Scorpia stared up at the bulkhead ceiling. “But I don’t think we should discount the beasts either.”

“Never fear, friend,” Entrapta exclaimed, resuming her position staring out the porthole. “Like any good scientist, I have planned ahead.” She used one of her hair tendrils to thrust a small manual in Scorpia’s direction.

Scorpia took the book. “Uh…thank you?” The title read “A Princess Survival Guide to Beast Island.” Scorpia thumbed through it. “Well this seems weirdly perfectly suited to our current predicament.”

“The right tool for the right job,” declared Entrapta. Scorpia couldn’t really argue with that.

***

Catra woke up on a ship, which was just adding insult to injury, really.

A hawk-faced Force Captain glared down at her. Catra barely remembered her from one of the few Force Captain meetings she had bothered to attend. She thought her name was possibly Leona.

“Good you’re awake. Take this.” She thrust a small device at Catra who groaned as she sat up to accept it. “This only works once. You press it when you have the Princess and we will come and pick you up from the North Shore. Don’t bother pushing the button before you have Entrapta; we’re under strict orders to leave you behind if we don’t see her with you. No get-out-of-jail-free card just for managing to survive a few days out there.”

Catra stared at the device. It was a small green rectangle with a smooth red button in the center and a blinking yellow light in the top right-hand corner. She grunted.

“He’s just throwing me out there by myself?” she asked. “I can’t even bring my companions from the Waste?”

The Force Captain likely named Leona made a trilling noise that Catra interpreted as a laugh.

“They asked around, kitty. I think the exact quote was, ‘Heck no; I’ve seen how she treats her friends.’”

Catra felt her face color.

Leona leaned her head down close to Catra, beak inches from her nose. “You got a shitty deal for sure little fighter, but you can hardly say you didn’t ask for it. You’ve been playing fast and loose with your attitude. I don’t know what caused all your little friends to abandon you, but if it’s anything like the lip you gave Hordak before he sent you off to the Wastes I’m not surprised you’re all alone.” She snorted. “Bet you thought you’d lost everything then, but there’s always farther to fall.”

Catra turned her head away and pulled her knees up to her chest.

“Whatever. Just let me know when we get there.”

The captain trilled again. “Oh, trust me, you will know. And be grateful. The prisoners don’t get supplies.” With that she dropped a small bag next to Catra and walked away

Catra sank back against the side of the ship and tried to ignore the knowledge that she was surrounded by water on all sides.

She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew she was being grabbed by the shoulders and hauled to her feet. A stun baton crackled behind her.

“We’re here. Move,” came the tinny command from within the soldier’s helmet.

Catra hissed but followed instructions as she was escorted of the ship and onto a small rowboat that made her stomach churn. She sulked as sea water splashed up, cold against her arms. Once the boat hit the shore, they tried to grab her by the shoulders but Catra hissed again and jerked her arm out of the soldier’s grasp. She snatched the pack from a different soldier’s hands and leapt over the side. She winced as her feet hit the mushy sand at bottom of the shallows and marched toward the shore.

***

“Okay so according to this the first thing we should do is find fresh water,” muttered Scorpia as she flipped through manual. “I think they have diagram here…oh! Oh whoopsies.” One of her claws caught the edge of the page tearing it slightly. “Oh, I’m sorry…I think I can fix that. Do you have any tape?”

“This place is maaaagical.”

“Uh, what?” Scorpia turned to see Entrapta on her hands and knees with her nose inches from the coarse sand that covered the beach of Beast Island.

“These tiny rocks,” muttered Entrapta, holding out some sort of small cylindrical device next to her face. It made a strange whining noise.

“You mean the sand?”

“Sand? This is no ordinary sand!” She looked up and beamed at Scorpia. “These are tiny fragments of data crystals! I mean…not all of them. Some of them. Mixed in with the sand. And you know what that means?”

Scorpia tried to think. “Lots of tiny data?”

“IT MEANS THERE MUST BE A MASSIVE DATA CRYSTAL SOMEWHERE ON THIS ISLAND!” Entrapta shouted. She jumped to her feet. “And I’m going to find it. Oh, Hordak will be so excited when I tell him about this!”

“Hordak? I…wait, Entrapta!” Scorpia shouted at the purple-haired princess as she scampered off toward the shoreline. “Oh no.” She rubbed one claw across her forehead and sighed. “I hope this massive data crystal is near some fresh water at least,” she muttered as she gave chase.

***

Catra trudged up the beach to the tree line and sat on rock to take inventory. In addition to the tracker her supply bag contained two canteens of water and a handful of ration bars. Enough for a few days of survival but she was going to need to find an alternate source of fresh water and food soon if she wanted to make it through the week.

Or you could just find Entrapta and Scorpia and click your get-home button.

Catra stared at the blinking remote at the bottom of the bag and frowned. She shoved the supplies back in and threw it over her shoulder.

The moons were starting to dip below the horizon and in the dimming light the orange sand seemed to almost glow. Staying near beach was probably her safest bet for now. Catra wasn’t certain where the beast (beasts?) of Beast Island hung out, but the dense foliage past the edge of the jungle did not look inviting. She could get her bearings tonight and trek deeper in search of a means of survival once the light was better.

She scouted around the edge of the tree line collecting branches and set to work constructing a lean-to a few feet from the edge of the sand line. She cleared a small area for a camping fire, but when she thought about lighting it she imagined some burly creature with fangs emerging from the undergrowth at the smell of smoke, so she left the pile of sticks and leaves to sit.

She stared at her not fire as the light faded from the sky fully. The low hum of insects seemed to get louder as darkness fell. She could still see reasonably, thanks to whatever genetic fluke had made her part cat, but the color faded to nothing but greys. She shivered despite the humidity.

Catra glanced back at her lean to and then jumped back onto all fours as she watched a multilegged creature scurry across the floor and disappear under a log.

Heart pounding, Catra scanned the forest floor, suddenly aware of the not deafening white noise of jungle.

“Oh no,” she muttered and glanced around. Her eyes caught site of a wide tree branch hanging about ten feet above the underbrush.

“Screw this.” She scurred up the side of the tree to the branch and crouched there, studying the jungle around her. When nothing moved for several long minutes, she lay down on the branch and tried to settle herself. It wasn’t comfortable per-say, but at least she felt she was further away from things that skittered. Catra shuddered and closed her eyes.

She didn’t quite fall asleep, but after a few hours the tension in her body seemed to fade back to the low level that lived in her shoulders chronically. Slowly, very slowly, she felt her mind start to drift.

Her eyes sprang open at a soft clicking noise next to her. Immediately she was crouched on all fours, peering through the darkness. There was a small rustling in the bushes near the base of an adjacent tree.

Catra held perfectly still aside from the twitch of the tip of her tail. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

A moment later a small furry creature with pointed ears and a large fluffy tail nearly the same size as its body scampered across the camping area making a loud chittering noise. Catra let out her breath.

Almost as soon as her heartbeat started to slow the clicking noise returned, louder this time and directly behind her. Catra whirled around on the branch and almost fell in her attempt to scamper backwards as she found herself facing a large creature with a bulbous body and eight long, pointed legs hanging from a higher branch of the tree above her.

Catra hissed and extended her claws. She had half a second to consider the fact that these creatures looked remarkably like the security system of the Crystal Cavern before the spider fired webs toward her face.

Catra grinned as she swiped the web away with her claws. She leapt toward the creature, landing on its head and immediately clawing for one of the shiny red eyes. She expected to encounter glass or metal as her hand came down and was slightly horrified when her fingers sank into soft, wet tissue.

“Eugh!” She ripped her hand back staring at it in horror.

The pause was a moment too long. One of the many legs of the creature plucked her off its back and threw her off the tree and onto the forest floor. Catra managed to twist and land on her hands and feet but when she whirled around to face her opponent the only thing she could see were dripping fangs bearing down on her. She turned to run but felt a prick to the back of her right calf before she could take a step.

Immediately icy-hot pain spread out from the puncture. Catra screamed and tried to scramble away but her leg would not cooperate. She fell onto her back facing the spider who was spitting out more webs. Catra was immediately covered head to toe. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Her head swam as she tried desperate to gasp for air.

Not this way, she thought as she started to lose consciousness. It can’t end like this.

Just before she passed out, she heard a loud crash and a man’s voice shouting but she couldn’t make out the words.

***

Catra dreamed.

“Don’t you get it, Adora? I never needed you to save me.” Catra and She-ra circle each other on the edge of the cliff amidst the roar of the dying alternate universe. “You leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me!”

She dodges She-ra’s sword once, and again. She can see the frustration and anger in She-ra’s eyes—hints of Adora bleeding through—and it makes her feel powerful. She giggles as she ducks another swing of the sword and runs forward, shoving a shoulder into She Ra’s solar plexus and sending her over backwards. Catra kneels over She Ra and hisses down at her. “You only ever held me back! I’m stronger than anyone ever knew.”

She-ra’s eyes narrow and the world flips. Suddenly it’s Catra on her back with She-ra towering over her, sword in hand.

“Strong?” She-ra laughs and her face changes to something reminiscent of the corrupted princess from the frozen north. There is no Adora to be found in the alien expression and Catra feels a chill of fear run through her. “That’s funny, because I think you just tried to destroy the universe as an elaborate hissy fit for me leaving you.” She-ra leans in close and whispers in Catra’s hear. “When did you get so weak?”

She-r rears back and hold up the sword ready to strike.

“You wouldn’t have the guts,” Catra says. She can remember another time, another place where she said those words with confidence. Now she can hear the tremor in her voice.

“Wouldn’t I?”

Fear grips her. Before she can stop herself Catra shouts, “Adora, please!”

“Adora is dead,” She-ra shouts. “You killed her.”

The sword comes down through Catra’s gut. She can feel it, piercing through her, can feel the warm blood bubbling up to the surface of her skin. She coughs. She looks up She-ra and sees….

Nothing. No remorse. No panic. No sadness. Just cold, red eyes on an expressionless face.

I never thought it would end this way, Catra thinks.

***

Catra gasped herself awake. Her hand came immediately to her abdomen and a wave of relief washed over her to find the skin and clothing intact.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” said a deep voice to her right.

“Gah!” Catra snapped her head to the side and saw a man with dark hair tied in a top know and a salt and pepper beard sitting at a wooden table in the middle of a ramshackle kitchen. She shoved herself off the bed she only just realized she was lying on, ready to run. Instead both of her legs gave out under her and she collapsed to the ground, hard.

“Ah…whoops. I…uh meant to warn you about that,” said the man rushing over and reaching out for Catra’s arm.

Catra jerked away from him and hissed. “What did you do to me!?” she shouted, trying frantically to drag herself toward the door. To her horror she couldn’t seem to get either of her legs move even to inch her across the ground. She couldn’t even feel them. She raised one hand with claws extended. Her eyes darted around the room looking for an escape.

The man stepped back and held up both hands in a surrendering gesture. “It wasn’t me! just brought you here. It was the Spinder you were fighting. They have a paralytic agent in their venom.”

Catra had a flashback to the horrendous pain that had spread from where the spider-creature had bit her. She glanced from the man’s face to the door down to her own useless legs flopped on the ground.

“Who are you? How did I get here? Where am I?”

The man touched his own chest. “My name is Micah. You got here by me and Fredrich—but mostly me—carrying you. And here is…well my house. Can I please help you get back in the bed?”

Catra hissed again. “I’ll get myself back,” she snapped. She glanced at the door she suspected led outside and then back to the bed she had just vacated. Every instinct in her begged to race for the door but she had no idea what she was going to do when she got there.

Not that that’s ever stopped me before, she thought to herself before starting to drag herself back toward the bed.

Micah watched her in silence, but she could almost feel the strain as he held himself back from reaching out to help her. The process was slow and mortifying, but she was eventually able to lift herself back onto the straw-stuffed mattress.

She positioned herself with her back against the wall and glared at Micah. He was dressed in plain brown leathers with a thick heavy knit cloak over his shoulder. He looked…familiar somehow, but Catra couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Uh…are you hungry? Would you like some stew? It should be ready in a minute.”

Catra’s stomach growled at the thought but she ignored it.

“I would like some answers,” she said instead. “Why did you bring me here?”

Some color popped into Micah’s cheeks and he looked down to pick an invisible piece of lint off his shirt. “Fredrich and I were out for a late-night stroll and we heard your scream. We came to check things out and saw you were about to be lunch for the Spinder, so we decided to intervene.”

Catra narrowed her eyes. “Out for a stroll…in the middle of the night…through Beast Island? And who is Fredrich?”

Micah looked up. “Oh, he’s sitting next to you.”

Catra started. She looked to her left where she met the beady black eyes of the same little creature with the bushy tail that had run out of the underbrush last night.

Every predator instinct in her went on high alarm. She froze in place and felt her claws, which had retracted during her struggle back onto the bed, extend again.

The creature chittered at her, shook an angry fist and then darted away just moments before Catra reached out to swipe at it. She missed and nearly toppled over onto her side.

The creature, Fredrich, scampered across the floor and darted up Micah’s side perch on his shoulder. He chittered loudly into Micah’s ear.

“Well obviously,” Micah said, ostensibly replying to whatever the rodent was screeching about. “She’s a Magicat. What did you expect, bating her like that?”

“She’s a what?” Catra snapped.

Micah’s looked back over to her. “Uh…a Magicat?”

“A what?”

“Your race. The Magicats.”

Catra scowled. “I am a Horde soldier. My race is irrelevant.”

“I think technically you’re a Horde prisoner now, correct? They’re not sending their best and brightest to Beast Island these days.”

“I am not a prisoner.” Catra paused. “I…misplaced something valuable to Hordak. He sent me to find it.”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“What is it to you?” she said. “Were you in need of a second pet or something? You can hardly be taking in every wayward Horde prisoner who ends up on this forsaken island.”

Micah shrugged. “Like I said, we heard your cry and we tried to help. Obviously, you’re in no state to go searching for your lost…item right now and I don’t really want to see my hard work go to waste. Here.” He walked over to a small cookfire in the corner of the room and ladled some sort of thick broth into a bowl. “Have some stew. Relax. I have some work to do in the other room. The paralytic from the Spinder will wear off in a few days. Whenever you can walk you can leave. No more questions asked.”

Catra accepted the bowl. She stared down at the liquid and sniffed it. She looked back up at Micah.

“Oh! A spoon.” He handed her a small wooden utensil.

Catra stared at the utensil and then back at the bowl. There was delectable smell coming from the “stew” or whatever he had called it. She took the wooden object from him and then bent her head down close to the broth and lapped at it gingerly. It was warm and a bit salty with a deeper earthy flavor that Catra couldn’t place but was maybe reminiscent of the yellow ration bars in the Horde.

Micah’s eyes widened. “Have you…never had soup before?”

Catra glared.

“You uh…I mean it’s fine to eat it that way, but the spoon will help you get some of the vegetable chuncks. Let me show you.” He demonstrated dipping the spoon into the bowel and lifting it up with a large orange tuber balancing on the end. “Up to you.”

Catra snatched the spoon out of his hand causing the vegetable chunk to splash back down into the broth. She mimicked his movement, bringing up a mouthful of broth and vegetables.

It was heavenly; warm and filling and full of so many flavors Catra couldn’t describe. Swallowing it down felt like scratching an itch she hadn’t known she was ignoring. She continued to spoon the stew into her mouth, forgetting about her audience until Micah cleared his throat.

Catra looked up. “What?”

“My only rule is please don’t interrupt me while I’m working.” He gestured to a door on the right side of the room that as open just slightly enough to tell it led into a shed of some kind. “Oh, and please don’t eat Fredrich. You probably can’t catch him right now, but once you get your legs back, he might be hard to resist. I’d be very put out if he died.”

Fredrich chittered in seeming agreement with this sentiment. Catra just shrugged and said “Fine,” before returning to her stew.

Micah watched her for another minute before he disappeared into the shed and shut the door behind him. A few minutes later a faint white light seemed to glow through the slats of the wall. Catra paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth and stared. There seemed to be something familiar about the pulsing of the light.

Fredrich scampered up the side of the wall and settled himself on a shelf that contained a little nest of fabric scraps. He chittered at Catra for a few seconds before curling himself into a ball and seeming to go to sleep.

Catra set her now empty bowl aside the decided to do the same. She lay down on her side, tugging her legs into some sort of sensible position. It probably wasn’t the wisest idea to let down her guard in this strange place with this strange man and his little rat creature, but she hadn’t had a full night’s rest in almost three days now and she had no idea how long it would take before her legs were working well enough to get her out of here. If they going to hurt her, they would get a chance eventually.

Even before she fully finished the thought, she was unconscious.

***

“Good news! I found a small spring about a half hour’s walk into the jungle and there were these berry things nearby that seem to match this illustration in the manual as safe to eat!” Scorpia dumped and armload of supplies onto the campsite they had set up on the beach. “Uh…what are you doing?”

Entrapta was lying on her stomach examining an array of variably sized pebbles spread out on the flattened sand in front of her. In one hand she had the small beeping cylindrical device from earlier and in her other there was one of the seemingly endless supply of tracker pads she had on her person at all times.

“You were right!” Entrapta exclaimed as she reached for a handful of berries and shoved them in her mouth.

“Great! Uh…right about what?”

“These tiny data crystals; they contain tiny bits of data! I am collecting relevant pieces together to try to gain information about the larger piece of First One’s tech they came from! If my initial calculations are correct the main structure should be about ten miles that way.” She thrust a finger toward the densest part of the jungle and let out a delighted laugh. “I never expected such advances in my research on such a primitive appearing island.”

Scorpia sighed. “But don’t you think we should maybe stay put for a little bit longer? I finally found a reliable source of food and water and the jungle is not striking me as a particularly safe place to travel. I saw these spider webs up in the canopy that have to have been as big as Hordak’s inner sanctum.”

“Research cannot advance without risks!” Entrapta shouted jumping to her feet. She paused and took in the setting moons. “Although maybe we should wait until daytime before venturing on. We will travel more efficiently with a reliable light source.”

Scorpia gave a relieved sigh. “Good. Let’s get the fire going again.”

***

When Catra woke from her nap the cabin was silent. She lay on her side for a moment, eyes closed, just absorbing the sensation of feeling rested. After a long minute she tried to roll over and managed to get her legs tangled up on the process. She cursed and forced herself up into a sitting position.

The cabin was small; one large room and the smaller space Micah had disappeared into from what she could tell. The building was oddly put together, haphazard logs and boards going every which way with no real obvious means of support. The irregular network created dozens of small pockets of shelves that seemed to contain a strange assortment of knick knacks. Some appeared to be scraps of cloth woven into small sculptures while others looked like animal bones or colorful rocks.

In the far corner was the cookfire where the now cold pot of stew was resting. A rack beside it was covered with wooden plates and bowls and utensils. In the center of the room was a large (or at least large for the space) wooden table and a single chair which looked as whimsically constructed as the rest of the place.

The door to the room where Micah had disappeared was still closed, although the strange white light seemed to have disappeared. Catra cast a glance over to Fredrich’s nest, but he had disappeared. She felt the tip of her tail fluff up a bit at the thought of him scurrying around the cabin somewhere.

Wait! Her tail! She hadn’t been able to feel it at all before she had fallen asleep. She whipped it around in front of her and twitched the tip back and forth a few times. A wave of relief washed over her. She was getting better. Slowly, but it was happening.

The door to the side room creaked open and Micah trudged through. A few stray hairs had escaped his top knot and the bags underneath his eyes looked more pronounced.

“You look better than when I left,” Micah commented as he sat down on the single chair pushed up against the table.

“You look decidedly worse,” said Catra.

Micah raised an eyebrow. “Not one for niceties, I see. I might have guessed being raised by the Horde.”

Catra scowled. “You don’t know anything about how I was raised.”

A strange look crossed Micah’s face but he shrugged and didn’t reply.

Catra studied her claws. After a minute she sighed and said. “What is a Magicat?”

Micah looked up at her. “You really don’t know? The Horde didn’t tell you anything about…? Well no, I guess they wouldn’t.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Micah shook his head. “Did you think you were the only one of your kind?”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’m not stupid. I know where the orphans at the Horde come from.” She shrugged and studied a claw. “I was just the only one like me in the Horde.” She frowned. “Not that it mattered.”

“The Magicats were a race of cat-hybrid people that lived in a forest on the outskirts of the Crimson Waste. Half-Moon. They were excellent warriors and very territorial, so they didn’t often venture outside of their territory. They were one of the last territories to fall to the Horde before the final stand of the Princess Alliance.”

“Final stand of the Princess Alliance,” Catra muttered. “If only.”

Micah raised an eyebrow.

“What’s it to you, old man.? Following Etherian politics from your hermit cave?”

Micah laughed. “I wasn’t always the ‘hermit’ of Beast Island, kitten. I didn’t end up here by accident any more than you did.”

“You’re telling me that you fought for the rebellion?”

“I never did understand that term. The rebellion. Hordak crash landed and started taking over one kingdom at a time; how does defending your home make you a rebel? I guess it all just depends on your perspective. But yes, I fought for the princesses. Is this where you tell me that Hordak just wanted a more ‘orderly’ Etheria?”

Catra looked away.

“Yeah you don’t strike me as a true believer.”

Catra snorted. “It’s easy to have high lofty beliefs when everyone loves you. I had to fight for everything I ever had. And then, boom, one mistake and lost it all just as fast. Scrap my way back to the top and now look at me.” She gestured to her useless legs. “Let’s just say I have a really practical view about idealism.”

Micah’s mouth quirked up in a little half smile. “That’s an interesting read of the situation. I think another version might be that you doubled down on your allegiance to a man you knew very well was selling half-truths and cruelty and it predictably did not work out in your favor. The princesses are not without their flaws, but at least their ideals are in earnest.”

“Yeah, earnest enough to make them all weak and vulnerable. No thank you.” Catra squirmed herself to a more comfortable position. “Why did you even bother to save me, an evil Horde solider, anyway? You never really answered that part. For all you know I’ve just come from attacking your favorite princess stronghold. Were you more a fan of the sarcastic mermaidy one or the hippie?”

“Honestly, I didn’t know who I was saving when I went in there,” he said, standing up. “And now here you are. My vulnerable ideals preclude me from tossing you out when you can’t walk.” He moved toward the door. “Or letting you starve to death on my bed. So, I’m going to do a bit of gardening and make dinner.”

“Stew?” Catra asked before could stop herself. She winced at the hopeful rise in her voice.

Micah smiled. “Yes, stew. You’ll get sick of it eventually. But it’s nice to have someone who appreciates my cooking.” He shot a look into the corner of the room and Catra could hear angry chittering from wherever Fredrich must be hiding. “Back in a few.”

***

Scorpia was miserable. She had sand in parts of her shell she couldn’t reach, the skin on the back of her neck was sunburned and every non-shell part of her body was itching both from bug bites and a strange rash that that had popped up on her right forearm. They had been walking for hours with Entrapta cheerfully chatting about technomagical interfaces while her prehensile hair seemed to have taken on the burden of walking and swatting away bugs.

“Oh dear,” muttered Entrapta suddenly, breaking off her technobabble stream-of-consciousness.

“What?” Scorpia asked through gritted teeth.

“Weeeell, I think there might be a slight error in my calculations.”

“And?”

“And I think maybe we’ve been walking the wrong direction for the past twenty minutes.”

Scorpia took a slow, deep breath in and out of her mouth. She turned and took a step but paused when Entrapta squeaked.

“Also, I think perhaps you’re standing in a bee’s nest.”

“A what’s nest?”

“Bees? Small yellow critters with stingers?”

Scorpia suddenly became aware of a loud humming bubbling up around her feet. She glanced down and saw the swarm slowly amassing and rising from what had looked like a pile of leaves when Scorpia had stepped on it.

“Run?” asked Scorpia.

“Run,” agreed Entrapta.

“AAAAAAAAAGH”

***

Catra was starting to get used to being in the cabin. Every day she was getting a little more movement in her legs. As Micah had explained it, the poison had spread from the initial site of her injury and retreated back in much the same manner. Eventually she was able to limp awkwardly around the cabin, dragging her right leg behind her and using the furniture to support her.

Micah took this as a sign that it was time for her to pitch in.

“Weeding?”

“Have you never seen a garden before?”

Catra just raised her eyebrows at him.

Micah closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. “Do I even want to know what is in those ration bars you were carrying around with you?”

“Protein, carbohydrates and a small amount of lipids with the requisite vitamin and mineral supplementation,” said Catra.

“H’okay. Well outside of the Horde we eat something called ‘food’ which generally comes from plants in the ground or animals that are used for meat. Since everything on Beast Island is generally more interested in eating us than becoming dinner meat is sparse so most of what I make is vegetable based. To get enough vegetables to feed you, me and a surprisingly voracious squirrel I grow them in a small plot of land in the back yard. That’s called a garden. And it needs weeding.”

Catra blinked at him.

“You know what, just come with me and I’ll show you.”

It was the first time Catra had ventured outside the cabin since waking up in it. The air was humid enough she could feel the fur on her tail puff up and her skin felt tacky almost immediately. Micah handed her a long stick to use as support as she limped out onto the front porch.

Immediately she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as the low hum of the jungle came rushing at her.

“Don’t worry,” said Micah, seeing her shrink back. “We’re protected here. As long as you stay back from the tree-line you’re pretty safe.”

“Pretty safe,” Catra muttered and deliberately chose not to ask how they were so protected.

“This is the garden,” Micah said, gesturing to a large dirt square that was subdivided into several smaller squares with neat lines of greenery poking up. “Come with me, we’ll start with the carrots.” He led her over to one of the patches and crouched down.

“This is a carrot,” he said, pulling one of the stalks out of the ground to reveal a long conical orange tuber. Catra recognized it from where she had seen bunches lying out on the kitchen table in the cabin. “They grow underground, so all that you can see is the stalks poking up which should pretty much all look like this,” he pointed to the green bit he’d pulled the carrot up with. “These other plants,” now he pointed to a thin vines growing next to the row of carrot stalks, “are weeds. As they grow, they will start to choke off the carrots and take over the garden. So, we pull them up.”

He tugged gently and the vine lifted with a shower of dirt. Catra could see dozens of smaller roots dividing from the piece Micah had pulled from.

“You want to try to pull them up with the roots still attached, otherwise they just come back. Like the carrots, there is often more beneath the dirt than above it.”

Catra set down her walking stick and lowered herself down sit on the ground, unable to crouch with her weak leg. She grasped one of the weeds and pulled sharply, ripping the stalk where it went into the ground. She glared at the small piece of greenery in her hand. “This is stupid.”

“You have to be gentle, otherwise they tear like that and then you have to go after the roots with a tool. Here, try again.”

Catra smacked the dirt with one hand. “Why am I doing this? I’m leaving as soon as I can walk without that stupid stick!”

“One possible reason might be as a favor to an old man who has shown you a great deal of hospitality,” replied Micah. There was not much bite to his words but Catra could feel her cheeks heat. “Another might be that I’m watching you go quietly stir-crazy sitting around the cabin all day so this might give you something to do aside from quelling your urge to chase Fredrich around the place.”

Catra’s blush deepened.

“Here, try this one,” Micah gestured to the small plant by Catra’s hand. “Just pull gently and wiggle it a little and you can free the whole thing. If it’s really stuck or you tear it again you can use this to wedge it free.” He handed her a small trowel.

Catra reluctantly took the trowel and reached for the weed. This time she tugged a little more softly and felt the dirt slowly give way before a familiar ripping sensation and the weed pulled away with a few thick broken roots. Catra growled and threw the plant to one side sending an arc of dirt into the air.

“Better,” said Micah. “You’ll get the hang of it soon.”

“Better?” she sneered. “At this rate you’re going to have to dig up your whole garden to get all the roots out.”

Micah shrugged. “The weeds will pop back up again and give us another shot even if we miss them this time. You can’t expect to be perfect at something the first time you try it.”

Catra stared at the dirt.

“Let me guess,” Micah said. “The Horde wasn’t too forgiving on the subject of failed first attempts.”

Catra ignored him and pulled at another weed. It seemed more deeply entrenched in the ground as she wiggled at it. She shoved down the urge to rip this one out and instead extended a claw into the dirt to break up some of the hard ground around the weed. There was a sudden giveaway and the majority of the plant seemed to come free with only a few of the smaller roots broken at the edge.

“Nice,” said Micah. “You work here, I’m going to head over to the tomatoes. Just shout if you need help.”

“Oh help, Micah, the plants are attacking me,” Catra mocked, pulling another weed that came up surprisingly easily. She regarded it with a

“Well as long as your biting sarcasm is intact, I think we will be okay,” Micah said with a chuckle as he hoisted himself to his feet and moved toward a different part of the garden with large green vines draped over wooden frames.

Catra worked her way down the rows of carrots, clearing away everything except for the carrot stalks. A few times she grew frustrated again, cursing or throwing broken weeds or, once, a carrot she had pulled up by mistake. Micah ignored her and by the time she reached the end of the row she was starting to find the gentle give of the weeds coming free sort of satisfying. She was taken by surprise when Micah’s hand touched her shoulder.

“It’s getting dark,” he said. “We should go inside for some supper.”

Catra jerked back to herself and was surprised to hear her stomach let out a low rumble. Micah helped her to her feet and handed her the walking stick, but she found as she moved that she scarcely needed it. She leaned on it heavily when Micah looked in her direction and made her way back into the cabin.

***

Catra dreamed.

She is back in the Fright Zone sitting on the bottom bunk with a blanket wrapped around her. She’s not crying but she can feel that deep ache in her chest that was a familiar marker of a run in with Shadow Weaver.

She hears a noise and looks up just in time to see a blond ponytail disappear around the corner.

“Adora?” she calls, jumping up and giving chase.

She rounds the corner only to see Adora disappear into another corridor.

“Adora, wait!” But this time she is facing an empty hallway when she rounds the corner.

“Did you think she would wait around for you?”

Catra jumps and whirls to see Shadow Weaver standing behind her, arms crossed over her chest.

“Adora has more important things than to wait for her needy little pet to get over herself.” Shadow Weaver leans down close. “Were you crying again? Pathetic. Get back to training. You’re late.”

The next thing she knows Catra is standing in the locker room alone. There is laughter coming from outside the door and she thinks she can pick out the familiar lilt of Adora’s giggle. The door swings open and the cadets stream in. Catra searches frantically for Adora’s blond pouf, but she can’t see her anywhere. She turns back to her locker and catches sight of Adora sitting on the bench pulling off her boots.

Catra slinks up beside her. “Not even going to say hi, princess?”

Adora treats her to a withering look. “I don’t know what you expected. You let us down again today.”

“I….”

“Save it Catra. I have to study.”

Adora stands to walk away.

“Wait!” Catra reaches out and grabs Adora’s shoulder and suddenly the scenery has changed in they are standing in the Whispering Woods.

“Wait!?” Adora jerks her arm from Catra’s grasp. “Why should I wait for you? You never waited for me. You never did anything for me! You whine and cry about how unfair everything was and how badly you were treated but we both know you deserved it. Maybe if you’d actually tried once in a while I wouldn’t have had to leave.”

“I…I tried,” Catra stammers. She can’t seem to get ahead of swelling pain in her gut. “I did try. Shadow Weaver….”

“Shadow Weaver values strength. She was hard on you because you’re so damn weak, Catra. She had no choice.”

“No….” Tears are starting to spill over. Stop, Catra thinks. You don’t cry like this. Not in front of people. Not in front of Adora.

“Ugh, look at you.” Adora’s face is full of disgust. “What a waste.” She turns and walks away.

Catra takes a step to go after her but her knees give out and she falls to the forest floor sobbing.

Catra woke up. Her cheeks were damp. She pushed to sit herself up and found it remarkably easy with both legs working. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She pressed her aching eyes against her knees and sat like that for the rest of the night.

***

“I think the signal has been shifting this entire time!” Entrapta studied her tracker pad. “It must operate under similar properties to the Whispering Woods, although in this case it doesn’t seem like the jungle is moving so much as certain structures within the jungle that give off very strong First One signals.”

They were gathered around a small fire in a clearing a few miles from where they had run into the bee’s nest. They had been relatively lucky; Scorpia had three stings and Entrapta had escaped with just one on her ankle. After that she had agreed to set up camp for the night and continue their quest for the First One’s signal in the morning.

“Fantastic,” said Scorpia, poking the fire with a long stick. The sting on her neck ached.

“It appears we are about five miles off at this point, but I have adjusted my calculations slightly in hopes of accounting for the movements.”

Scorpia sighed as her stomach growled. “I don’t suppose that thing can give us any information on where to find some sort of food product other than berries. I’m fairly certain that a diet exclusively berries is not going to be very healthy.”

“Oh, that would be useful. Maybe I can design something once we get back to the Fright Zone!”

Scorpia looked up. “Once we get back to…. Entrapta, what do you think we’re doing here?”

“Looking for the First One’s tech on Beast Island.”

“No…I mean…do you think that Hordak sent us here? For a mission?”

Entrapta’s eyes darted from Scorpia’s face to the fire and back again. “No. I mean, I know that Catra was mad about me not wanting to activate the portal because of the whole ‘possibly could destroy all of time and space’ thing. And I heard that Beast Island is supposed to be some sort of Horde prison, so I guess being sent here makes me a prisoner. Oh! And then you came along to keep me company. Which maybe means you are a prisoner too, although I don’t know what you did to anger Catra. It seems pretty easy to do these days. But now we’re here and this island is full of mysteries so, I figure, why dwell on the whole ‘prisoner’ thing. I mean I started out as a prisoner of the Horde in the first place and that turned out to be great!”

The stick snapped in Scorpia’s claw.

“We are here because Catra sent you to your death! Don’t you get it? Beast Island is not a place you come back from. It’s a place you get sent and then you are never. Heard. From. Again!”

Scorpia stood up and threw her stick into the fire. “We’re not going back to the Fright Zone. she shouted, towering over Entrapta who just stared up at her with wide eyes. “You are not going to bring Hordak a treasure trove of First One’s tech! The most likely thing that is going to happen to us is that we are both going to be eaten by something huge and mean and everyone we ever knew or cared about is going to think we were traitors. And I….” Scorpia sniffed as tears started to leak out of her eyes.

“I came with you because what Catra did was wrong and I…I know she would have realized that eventually, but she was so angry…. And I wanted to protect you but now I’m going to die out here and you don’t even care. All you care about is your precious tech.” Scopria sank back down and buried her head and her claws.

There was silence except for Scorpia’s ragged sobs and the quiet crackling of the fire. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I…I never really had any friends other than my robots until recently,” said Entrapta softly. “I’m not very good at being a friend myself—too many parameters—but I do know that you are a very good friend, Scorpia. According to my calculations, you are my best friend, actually.”

Scorpia sniffed and turned her head to the side to look at Entrapta.

“I do know that this is dangerous and that you gave up a lot to come with me. I’m sorry if I made you feel taken for granted.  I thought that if I could find this signal maybe I could find something that would help us out here but…maybe I’ve been a little too fixated. I tend to do that.” She gave a little laugh. “My robots never really cared enough to call me on it.”

Scorpia took a shaky breath. “Yeah I….” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “That makes sense Entrapta. I…uh…I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“That’s okay!” Entraptra said. “I do better if you tell me things plainly. Not as many parameters to navigate.”

Scorpia nodded. “In that case…I need a break. We have been walking for days and I don’t have mechanical hair to help me out. And we need more food and water. Perhaps we could camp here tonight and tomorrow, find some more supplies and….”

Scorpia was cut off by a low growl coming from behind them.

“Uh…Entrapta?”

“Yes? You were saying? More supplies….” Entrapta had her tracker pad out, goggles down and was typing with her hair.

“Remember what I said about us most likely being eaten by something very large?”

Entrapta looked up. “I do.”

“That may be happening much sooner than I had hoped.” The statement was punctuated by another low growl.

They turned slowly. At first all Scorpia could see was blackness and underbrush, but the fire flared and suddenly they could see the glint off two golden eyes peering at them through the darkness.

The growl became louder as a large creature stepped into view. In addition to the yellow eyes, it was covered in pitch-dark fur with long tusks and a rope of saliva dripping from its mouth.

In unison Scorpia and Entrapa were both on their feet backing away slowly as the creature stalked forward.

“We need to run,” hissed Scorpia.

“It’s going to catch us,” Entrapta said, voice high pitched.

“Definitely. But what choice do we have. On the count of three. One…two…THREE!” Scorpia turned to run, one arm reaching to grab at Entrapta but finding empty air. Scorpia turned back just in time to watch Entrapta rushing forward.

“Entrapta, no!” shouted Scorpia as Entrapta launched herself toward the beast using her hair as a springboard.

“You stay back!” Entrapta shouted as she fell toward the creature. One hand shot out, wielding the bag of data crystals like a slingshot, smacking against the top of the animal’s snout.

To Scorpia’s shock the creature let out a loud whimper and broke off its attack, falling to the side.

Entrapta managed to steer herself with her hair and three-point landed facing the retreating beast and looking (Scorpia had to admit it) pretty badass.

The beast ran off whimpering into the woods.

“Entrapta that was amazing!” Scorpia ran toward her and scooped her up into a hug. “How did you know that was going to work?”

“I didn’t!” said Entrapta. “As a rule, I would prefer not to make calculations based on so little data, but from what I could figure the odds of fighting seemed better than running. Although I have to admit that was way more effective than I expected.”

“You’re telling me.” Scorpia set her down on the ground. “Any idea what just happened?”

Entrapta looked at the small pouch in her hand. “It seems that the beast was responding to the First One’s tech in a negative fashion. I would need more experiments to determine if this is effective for all of the beings on this island or if was only the one we just encountered. I am also not certain if there is a specific data crystal in this collection that was effective or if it was the large quantity I have collected. Perhaps with further analysis I could determine….”

“Okay ‘Trapta…how about if we revisit that idea tomorrow while we have some down time?’

“Down time!” Entrapta raised herself up on her hair to be eye to eye with Scorpia. “This is all the more reason to find the central First One’s technology stash as soon as possible. Now that we have a safe means of travel, we could leave tonight and....” She paused and studied Scorpia’s face for a moment. “I mean…right! Down time. Analysis, tomorrow!”

“And then on to the First One’s stash the day after,” agreed Scorpia with a relieved sigh.

***

“What is it?” Catra asked, taking the leather object in one hand.

“It’s a book,” said Micah. He looked pained. “I take it you didn’t have books in the Fright Zone?”

Catra shook her head. “What do you do with it?”

“You read it. Oh! I didn’t even ask if you can read.”

Catra scowled at him. “I can read. We had plenty of things we needed to read in the Horde. Like duty rosters and troop rotations and battle maneuvers. And there were like…pamphlets about the Fright Zone and the Horde.”

“In other parts of Etheria, people use writing to tell stories. Sometimes they were true stories about history and sometimes they were untrue stories that were just told for fun.”

Catra raised her eyebrows. “Untrue stories told for fun.”

“No one even told stories in the Fright Zone.” The line between his eyebrows grew deeper.

“We told stories,” Catra muttered. “I was just never into all the spooky princess tales. Adora was the one who ate that shit up.”

“If you don’t like it you can just stop reading it. But I thought it might give you something else to do while I’m working. There are only so many weeds in the garden.”

Catra felt her cheeks heat and she looked down at the tome in front of her. Once she had gotten the hang of gardening it had become difficult for Micah to get her back indoors. She found a weird satisfaction in lifting the weeds out of the dirt and had developed her claw-trowel method in a way that extracted even the most stubborn of root systems without breakage.

She had also dispensed with the walking stick in the past day. Micah had yet to comment on her new mobility and Catra hadn’t brought up leaving again.

“This book is written about the world of the Princesses, so there may be some things you don’t recognize as you go through. But just ask if you run into anything too peculiar.”

Catra opened it to the first page. “The Cat Queen,” she read. She raised an eyebrow at Micah who grinned.

“I thought this might give you a bit of an idea of what Magicat society was like, even though the events are made up. Don’t worry, there are plenty of action scenes. A little romance too.” He wigged his eyebrows and grinned. Catra rolled her eyes.

Micah stood. “I have some work to do. You can tell me what your thoughts are later this afternoon.”

Catra watched Micah disappear into the side room. A moment later that familiar, unsettling white light started to leak through the slats of the doorway. Catra sighed and opened the book to the first page.

She read for the better part of an hour and had to admit that for all the times she rolled her eyes at colorful descriptions of jungle castles built high in the trees and bizarre customs, the story was much more engrossing than any battle maneuvers she had read about.

She was eventually interrupted by Fredrich who had chosen to perch near his nest and chitter at her.

Catra sighed and closed the book. “You know I can’t understand you like Micah can,” she told him. “All you ever do is get my hackles up.”

She wasn’t entirely sure if Fredrich could understand her, but he chittered again and held something up in the air.

It was the remote to call back the Horde ship.

“You little shit!” shouted Catra and lunged toward him.

Fredrich chittered and dashed across the network of shelves. Catra, clumsy after so long without full use of her limbs, careened into the wall, missing him. She growled, tail twitching, and gave in fully to the instinct to track and pounce.

Fredrich dashed across the floor. Catra followed him with her eyes trying to anticipate where he would go. She saw him aiming for the rack of cookware and sprang after. He dodged just in time and made a break for the closed door of the work room where Micah had gone. Catra could see a squirrel-sized hole a few inches from the floor where the door met the hinge.

“Oh no you don’t,” she muttered. This time she leaped ahead of his path and slapped one paw down beside creature.

Fredrick let out a squeak, dropped the remote and leapt over her paw, narrowly escaping through a hole in the floor just under the bed.

Catra sat back against the side-room door panting feeling both embarrassed and triumphant. She turned the remote over in her hand. Her finger brushed over the single button in the center. She imagined pushing it, right now, sitting on the floor of Micah’s cabin. The boat would show up. No Catra or Entrapta to be found. And then it would leave; no second chances. No going back.

Why would we go back? Catra could hear Scorpia’s voice in her head. Let’s stay here. Forget Hordak. Forget Adora. Forget all of them. We could, you know…be happy.

The light from behind the door flared up again and reflected off the metal of the remote. Catra felt her stomach turn and her finger slid off the remote’s trigger. She twisted around and saw a small gap between the slats of the door.

She shouldn’t.

But then again when had Catra ever done what she should.

She pressed her face against the door and peered through the gap.

At first all she saw was light. She squinted and wondered if the reason she felt so unsettled was because this reminded her of the She-Ra transformations. Then her vision cleared. She could see Micah standing over a large bowl with his arms stretched up in front of him. From her angle on the floor she couldn’t see the contents of the bowl, but she could see a light pattern rising from it. She watched his hands forming intricate patterns in the air as lines of light emitted from his fingers and drifted to join the circular design. In the very center was a clear blue crystal that glowed brighter and dimmer in a slow pulse. Just beyond it was the ghostly outline of a person with long hair looking out over a cliff.

Catra let out a yelp and threw herself backwards from the door, crashing into the chair. It fell to ghe ground with a loud bang.

The glow behind the door abruptly stopped and a moment later the door swung open.

“If you need something else to do at least go into the garden and leave poor Fredrich…Catra?” Micah stopped when he saw her. Catra was crouched beside the fallen chair, eyes wide, muscles locked in place, the fur on the tip of her tail standing on end.

“Catra, are you okay?” He held up one hand and Catra jumped backward again, skidding into a defensive position.

“I saw,” she hissed. “I saw what you were doing in there.”

“Saw what I was…?”

“You’re like her,” she hissed. “How did I miss it? What do you want with me?”

“Catra, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you talking about?”

“Shadow Weaver!” Catra shouted. “I know what sorcery looks like!”

Micah froze, arm still outstretched toward her. “Wait,” he said. “It’s not what you think.”

“And what do I think, Micah?” Catra shouted, horrified to wetness springing to her eyes. She squeezed her hands into fists and realized she was still clutching the remote. She had almost just…. “What could I possibly think watching you do magic just like her.”

“It’s not like her. Catra, please! I…it’s complicated. I’m not like her. Just let me explain.”

He took a step forward and Catra immediately moved backwards, scrambling up onto the table, crouching with one hand outstretched, claws unsheathed.

“Don’t you dare get near me!” She turned and started to run toward the door. It wasn’t until her hand touched the knob that she realized she had been bracing for the familiar cold sensation of magic freezing her muscles into place.”

Instead Micah shouted, “I’m sorry! I never meant to lie to you. I was going to explain once I thought you would stay long enough to hear me out. I didn’t want to let you down again!”

Catra paused, gripping the handle.  

“Again?”

She looked back at Micah and was shocked by the expression on his face. Not the anger or fear or disappointment she expected. He looked…sad.

“This isn’t the first time our paths have crossed, Catra. You…wouldn’t remember—it was a very long time ago—but I…I will never forget it.”

Catra let her hand slip from the doorknob.

“Why should I trust you?” she asked.

Micah shrugged. “I don’t know if you should or could. But just…hear me out? I won’t lie to you anymore. About anything. And if you want to leave after you hear everything…well, I won’t stop you.”

Catra looked back toward the door. She stared at the wood grain, the cracks between the slats.

Her other hand was still clutching the remote. For a moment Catra couldn’t breathe. She reached for the door and turned the knob.

“Please?”

Catra please! You don’t have to do this.

Catra released the doorknob and walked over to the bed. She sat herself cross legged on the grass-stuffed mattress and pointed to the chair across the room.

“You stay there. Tell me your story. Don’t come close to me. Don’t even start to do any magic or I’m gone, and I’ll probably rip your face open on my way out. Don’t test me; I’ve done it before.”

Micah nodded and sank down into the chair.

“It’s a long story,” he started.

***

“I guess I should start with the woman you know as Shadow Weaver. When I met her, she was known as Light Spinner and she was one of the most powerful sorcerers in Mystacor. I was a young student there and I admired her above all my other teachers. She recognized some talent in me and after a great deal of pestering she took me on as her apprentice. I was so flattered; she had this way of making her favored students feel like they were at the center of the universe. But I take it you know something about that?”

Catra scowled down at her hands. “Not from personal experience.”

“Adora?” Micah asked. Catra eyes shot up. “You talk in your sleep sometimes.”

“This isn’t about me,” snapped Catra. Micah nodded.

“I was willing to do whatever she said to stay in her favor. Frequently that involved bending or sometimes outright breaking rules of the academy. Light Spinner always felt that she was underrecognized for her skills and at the time I thought she might have had a point. I guess in retrospect the masters recognized a hunger for power that I missed. Or…shared.

“One day she went too far. She used me to help her tap into a spell she had no business using and it backfired. The spell…it changed her somehow, scarred her face and turned her into whatever it was that became Shadow Weaver. She was cast out of Mystacor, cut off from magic and the masters told me that she was gone forever. They agreed to let me complete my training under heavy supervision after that. I wanted to put the whole thing behind me, but I always suspected she wouldn’t have just faded away like that.

“Light Spinner…Shadow Weaver was wrong about a lot of thing in Mystacor, but she did recognize that the masters were too passive when it came to bigger threats to Etheria. They expected the outside world to take care of itself. But with the Horde starting to eat up kingdoms, I couldn’t just stand by. When I completed my training, I left Mystacor and joined the rebellion. I met my wife. We had a child together, a baby girl.” Micah smiled for a moment before clearing his throat. “And together we fought against the Horde.”

“This is all nauseatingly pure, but maybe we could skip ahead a bit?” Catra interrupted.

Micah rolled his eyes but continued. “All the kingdoms have different protections, but the lands closest to the Fright Zone were the most vulnerable to the Horde. We lost ground fast before we created the Alliance and it was all we could do just to hold the line.

“One day we got the call from Half Moon, the kingdom of the Magicats.” Catra’s ear twitched. “I lead the troops as part of our aid effort, but when we got there it was already too late.

“The people of Half Moon…they were a proud people. They refused to surrender, even when the battle was clearly hopeless. I think perhaps they were holding out hope that reinforcements would arrive in time but…. When we got there the jungle kingdom was on fire and the few survivors were making a last stand or fleeing. We tried to join the fight but the Horde had already taken the castle as a stronghold, so it was as though we were the invaders. We never stood a chance.

“In the midst of the battle there was a break in the fighting, and I turned to see a familiar figure moving across the battleground. I don’t know how I recognized her—she looked so different from the woman I knew from Mystacor—but I knew immediately it was her. Light Spinner, now fully Shadow Weaver. She had something in her arms, thrown partly over one shoulder and when she turned, I could see it was a person. A Magicat child, maybe two years old, with a brown mane, grey tufts, and two mismatched eyes, one yellow and one blue.

“I pointed my staff at her head and shouted for her to stop. She did and turned to face me.

“She recognized me immediately, which threw me off guard. She looked so different I almost expected her to be a different person. But she spoke to me with the same affection she always had.

“I told her to put down the child and surrender. She laughed and told me the fight was over and I should go back home. I had a clear shot. One blast and it would have been over. I couldn’t save the rest of the kingdom, but I could save this one child and rid the word of Shadow Weaver forever.” He cast his eyes downward.

“But I couldn’t do it. I hesitated too long and, in that time, she was able to summon the power to freeze me in place. I thought she was going to kill me right then, but she walked up and stroked my cheek just like she used to do when I was her pupil. She told me it would be a waste to take my life and that the time we had worked together still meant so much to her.

“She took my staff and left me for the soldiers to tie me up. I watched her float away, unable to move or look another direction. But the clearest memory I have is watching those two mismatched eyes, one blue and one yellow, blinking at me over her shoulder as she faded into the smoke.”

Catra didn’t say anything for a minute and continued to stare at the floor. Finally, she sighed.

“You’re lying,” she stated.

“I swear, I’m not,” Micah said. “I…I did lie you before, but just about how I found you. I wasn’t just wandering through the woods in the middle of the night. I saw your boat land and I recognized you. I had Fredrich follow you and warn me when you were in danger. But everything else I told you is true.”

Catra shook her head. “Why would Shadow Weaver take a child from a battle? She never even went to the battles. And the only wards she raised were me and…Adora. And Adora was special.” She sneered through the word. “She hated me.”

“I…have my theories on that front,” said Micah. “Light Spinner only ever gave attention to the trainees she thought were the most naturally gifted. Generally, children from magical pedigrees. She used to talk about how the greatest potential student would be the offspring of a sorcerer and a royal. Able to channel sorcery with the power of a runestone.”

Catra snorted. “Well she miscalculated there if she thought that was what she was getting by kidnapping me.”

“It was a miscalculation. You are not a princess…”

“Obviously.” Catra rolled her eyes.

“…but the daughter of the Magicat queen did, in fact, have a sorcerer for a father. And she would have just turned 2 years old at the Battle of Half Moon.”

He paused as Catra put the pieces together. “She thought I was the princess.” It suddenly seemed harder to breathe. “You think she took me expecting I would be her next protégé and then…what, found out I was just normal?” Her voice kept seeming to climb in pitch without her permission. She could almost hear Shadow Weaver’s voice in her head. If you ever do anything to jeopardize Adora’s future, I will dispose of you myself. “She…that’s why she….” Catra was gasping now. “She hated me. All. Because I was….” She grabbed at her throat. “I can’t…I can’t breathe.”

Micah leaned forward in the chair.

“Don’t,” Catra shouted, one hand on her chest, the other pointing a claw in his direction. “Stay there.” She sucked in short bursts of air barely able to get the words out. “What. Did you do. To me,” she gasped.

“It’s not me,” said Micah. “You’re having a panic attack. Just…concentrate on your breathing.”

“What. Does it. Look like I’m. Doing,” Catra growled. Her head was swimming. I will dispose of you myself, she could hear the words on a loop in her mind. Dispose of you. “No!” Her lips felt numb.

“Catra! Listen to me!” She could barely hear him over the roaring in her hears. “You need to focus on something else. Think about a part of your body. Your left foot. Think about your left foot.”

Catra shot him an incredulous look.

“It helps, I promise. Just focus on your left foot. Don’t think about your breathing, think about your foot and your toes and your ankle.”

Catra forced her mind to focus on her left foot. She wigged her toes and extended her claws in and out. She rolled her ankle in a circle.

“Now your right foot.”

Catra shifted her attention to her right foot and did the same. There was still a small pain in her lower calf from where the spinder had stung her. She focused on that sensation until the roaring in her ears seemed to subside.

“Better?”

Catra opened her eyes, only then realizing she had closed them in the first place. Her breathing was calmer although the staccato rhythm of her heart was still going strong. She met Micah’s warm, concerned eyes.

“What was that?” she asked.

“I think it was your body’s response to…what I told you. It happens. When I first came here, I used to have panic attacks all the time. It took me a long time to learn how to break them. I usually just go from body part to body part, starting with my feet and moving up gradually.  I focus on each one for a second and at some point, I’ve distracted myself enough from the panic that I can function again. How do you feel?”

Catra thought about her answer for a long moment.

“Exhausted,” she said. “I can’t…I can’t think about this anymore.”

Micah nodded.

“I meant what I said. If you choose to leave, I won’t stop you. But please stay for tonight? It’s dark and the jungle is so much more dangerous at night.”

Catra nodded, too tired to argue. She felt so raw and wrung out. She tilted to her side until she was lying horizontally on the bed.

Micah looked on and gave a half smile. He pointed down at the chair where he sat. “Do you mind if I?”

Catra almost laughed. She felt too weak to fight Fredrich right now. “Go ahead,” she said with a little gesture in his direction. Micah stood up and pushed the chair in.

Catra rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, the little knots and whorls of the wood grain. She blinked her eyes and it felt so heavy to open them again. She closed her eyes again and almost instantly she was asleep.

***

Catra dreamed.

She is in the prison cell with Shadow Weaver, on her knees, arms wrapped around bare shoulders. Shadow Weaver reaches out toward her cheek. Catra flinches but lets her cup the side of her face gently in one hand.

“I will admit I was hard on you,” says Shadow Weaver. “But can you blame me?”

The grip of her face tightens, and nail-tips dig into the skin of her jawline.

“You’re hurting me,” Catra whispers. She can’t pull away.

“You were never anything but a burden to the Horde. Another mouth to feed. And yet I kept you around. For what? Certainly not for your gratitude.”

The nails dig deeper. Catra thinks she can feel blood dripping down her cheek.  “You never gave me a chance….”

“Silence! I should have disposed of you the moment I learned your true nature. It would have spared us all a lot of grief.”

Catra forces herself to look up at Shadow Weaver’s expressionless mask. “Then why didn’t you?” she asks through gritted teeth.

“Because of me.”

Catra’s eyes focus behind Shadow Weaver as Adora steps into view. She rests one hand on Shadow Weaver’s shoulder.

“I was the only one who ever wanted you. I was the only one who ever protected you.”

“You should have let me die,” Catra spits.

Adora gives her a sad smile. “I probably should have.”

Catra woke up with tears streaming down her cheeks.

The cabin was dark and quiet aside from the soft snores coming from the bed roll on the floor.

Catra stood up slowly and padded over to where Micah was sleeping and sat down cross-legged on the floor beside him. She studied his face; brow relaxed so the crevices of his forehead were smoothed to thin lines. There were speckles of grey in his pitch-black hair, thickest around the temples and scattered through the coarse beard. His breathing was slow and measured, giving a faint nasal snore as he breathed in and the slow puff of air as he breathed out again.

Catra put her hand in the top of his head and the breathing shallowed out suddenly.

A second later Micah inhaled suddenly, and his eyes shot open.

“C…Catra?”

“I have this memory,” said Catra. Then she paused. Micah waited and said nothing. He didn’t even seem to be breathing.

“I think it might be my first memory, but things are so jumbled from the early years. I remember Shadow Weaver taking me into a room and sitting me down on bunk. She stroked my hair and cupped my cheek and told me that this was my home now and she would take care of me. She told me we would do great things together. And then she called Adora over and I saw this chubby little blond thing who was one big smile. She took my hand and I felt…safe. Maybe. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that again.”

Catra reaches up to touch one of tufts of hair by her ear. “If what you said was true that must have been when she still thought I was some…Princess-Mage or something. I don’t know how soon after that she gave up on me. But I never really forgot that feeling. Even long after I stopped trying to get it back.”

Micah struggled himself into a sitting position.

“She does have that effect on people,” he said, voice scratchy from sleep.

Catra clenched one fist and glared at the ground. “It doesn’t change anything,” she said. “I knew she was cruel; I knew she was unfair. I knew I was better than she ever gave me credit for. Why do I still care what she thinks?”

Micah put his hand over her fist and squeezed lightly. “She was your mother for all intents and purposes. I don’t think you can logic away the importance of that person in your life. No matter how terrible she was.”

Catra looked up at him. “If you could go back…if you could have a second chance. To kill her. Would you do it?”

Micah stared and their joined hands for a long minute before answering. “I don’t know.”

Catra sighed and slumped. “Yeah me neither.”

“I think about it all the time,” Micah admitted. “I wonder if she was ever genuine—if she ever really cared about doing the right thing and protecting people—or if it was always just about power. I know she manipulated me but…sometimes I wonder if she knew that was what she was doing. I wonder how much of who she is today is because of her corrupted magic and how much was just who she would always have become when Mystacor wasn’t enough. I wonder if she ever really loved me, or just saw me as a tool to greater power.”

“Why is it so hard to just hate her?” asked Catra.

Micah put an arm over Catra’s shoulder. “You don’t have to hate her. Or love her. You just have to find a way to love yourself despite her.”

Catra sniffed and wiped a tear from one eye. “That’s a nauseating sentiment.”

“Don’t deflect,” said Micah. “It’s true.”

Catra sighed. “If nothing else it seems like a project that will require a little more sleep,” she muttered.

Micah chuckled. “Fair enough. Go back to bed, kitten. We will talk more tomorrow.”

Catra stood and padded across the room back to the bed. She paused before climbing in but didn’t look at Micah. “I guess this means I’m staying.”

“Glad to hear it. The place would be too quiet without you.”

***

“This is it, huh?” Scorpia ran a hand along the smooth stone at the side of the pyramid that had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the jungle. “Entrapta?” she said when there was no reply. She turned and saw the other woman staring at the monument with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“I have been looking for this my entire life,” whispered Entrapta.

“Ooookay.” Scorpia stepped back a bit and looked up toward the vanishing point at the top of the building. “But how do we get in?”

“I don’t know!” exclaimed Entrapta. “But I am going to find out!” She plopped down on the ground and started typing furiously into her tracker pad.

After a few minutes Scorpia got tired watching her and decided to wander around the base of the structure. The surface was a smooth, glass-like polished stone that seemed carved into intricate patterns that fit together with only the faintest of gaps. Scorpia had the sense that from distance the shapes might form together into a coherent image or words but this close she couldn’t really make out much.

She had almost finished her circuit when she heard Entrapta shout “I’ve got it!” and there was a sound of stone grinding against stone. Scorpia ran around the corner just in time to see Entrapta about to step through a doorway that had just opened in the side of the structure.

“Entrapta, wait!”

Entrapta paused and waved at Scorpia before disappearing through the opening.

“You will be the end of me, woman!” Scorpia muttered, starting to jog forward as the sound of grinding started up again and the rock began to shift and close.

“I hope you have a plan for getting out of here!” Scorpia shouted as she dove forward, sliding through the contracting entrance moments before it sealed up again.

Inside it is pitch black aside from the glow from Entrapta’s tracker pad. Scorpia follows the faint light forward until she nearly knocks Entrapta over at the entrance to a large circular chamber.

Entrapta has the same look on her face as she did outside the ruin; wide eyes and utter joy.

“I take it this was what you were looking for?”

“I have no idea!” Scorpia winced at the volume. “I can’t wait to find out!” Entrapta ran forward to the center of the room and once again settled herself on the floor, eyes focused on the tracker pad. Scorpia sighed and decided to do her own exploration.

The chamber was almost 200 feet in diameter, again made of that strange smooth stone material with networks of interweaving lines forming intricate patterns. Scorpia made her way to the edge of the circle to try to get a better look at the whole pattern, but she still couldn’t seem to get a great view. She glanced around and saw a short flight of stairs up on an overhang on the opposite side of the circle.

“Sure, why not,” she muttered and made her way across the room. She shot a backwards glance to where Entrapta still sat, furiously typing, and made her way up the staircase.

From this vantage point she could easily see the pattern on the chamber floor. It appeared to be an intricate series of circles surrounding a large figure with a winged helm and holding a large sword.

“Of course,” muttered Scorpia. “More She-ra.”

Turning around she was met without another relief in the wall behind the staircase she had just climbed up. This did not seem to form any figure, just concentric ovals one inside the other, in places overlapping. Smaller circles sat at irregular intervals on the larger lines. At the center was a large circular yellow crystal.

“Hey Entrapta,” Scorpia called. “I think I found one of those data-crystal-y things you like so much!” She stuck a claw into the indentation on the side of the gem and managed to wedge it free. The crystal popped free, but immediately slipped free of her pinchers. She juggled it for a second before managing to catch it balanced on her outstretched arms.

“Don’t touch anything,” she heard Entrapta shout back to her. “This place has a pretty robust security system.”

“Uh…too late?”

Suddenly, the chamber went dark. The lines forming the patterns on the walls and floor glowed an ominous red.

“Uh, Entrapta?”

“Time to go!” came the response from below.

Scorpia was already moving toward the stairs back down to the first floor, but the passageway was pitch black. She reached her arms out blindly, claw grazing the edge of the chamber wall. Her foot tripped over the top of the first step and she pitched forward into the darkness, barely catching herself before falling face first into….

Eyes. Pinpoints of bright white flicked into view in front of Scorpia and seem to float toward her in the darkness. She scrambles backwards back up the stairs.

“Entrapta! I’m stuck!”

“Get to the landing!”

Scorpia ran out to the area overlooking the main chamber and looked down. She winced. It was maybe a 15 foot drop down, definitely a risk of a broken leg.

She turned around and yelped as she saw the eyes had formed themselves into spider-creatures that were rushing toward her.

"Jump!” shouted Entrapta from below.

“Easy for you to say,” Scorpia called back, leaning back against the balcony as one of the spider legs reached out to swipe at her.

A purple tendril appeared suddenly and snaked around her torso, plucking her off the landing just as the spider launched a ropey web in her direction.

Entrapta’s hair set Scorpia down beside the other princess.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Scorpia asked, seizing Entrapta’s shoulders.

“With science!” Entrapta said with a giggle and started typing on the tracker pad again.

“Uh…’Trapta? I don’t think now is quite the time for an experiment?” The spider creatures had made their way down the and a swarm of beetle looking creatures were coming from a separate staircase on the other side of the chamber.

“Not an experiment,” said Entrapta as she continued to type furiously. “A failsafe!”

Suddenly the floor below them opened.

“Wuaaaaaah!” shouted Scorpia, grabbing for Entrapta as they both fell straight down a hidden hatch in the floor that seconds ago has been a relief of the tip of She-Ra’s sword.

They fell only about a foot before hitting a chute and starting to slide.

“Entrapta! Where is this taking us?”

“Outside! Hopefully! Also, possibly to the basement.”

“What’s in the basement?”

“I don’t know! But I would guess more security drones.”

Scorpia clung to Entrapta and prayed to Hordak that they would not be exploring a whole new part of this death trap. Thankfully the chute spat them out of the side of the pyramid and onto the jungle floor.

“Ugh,” said Scorpia, rolling onto her side and then slowly clambering to her feet. “Are you okay, Entrapta? That was a rough landing.”

“No injuries here! And this tracker pad has certainly been through worse.” Entrapta held up the device and gave it a gentle pat.

Scorpia looked up at the pyramid and…it was gone?

“What? Where did…?”

“I told you, it moves. I think we probably triggered a protective migration algorithm by messing with the tech inside.”

“Oh, Entrapta! I’m so sorry!” Scorpia sank down onto her knees. “I ruined everything.” She buried her head in her claws.

“What are you talking about? This was fantastic!”

“I touched something when I shouldn’t have and now the whole First One’s ruin is gone. I screwed up and now all of the technology you wanted is lost!”

“Don’t be silly,” said Entrapta, tabbing through something on the screen of the tablet. “That much First One’s tech is too complicated even for me to analyze in one sitting. I managed to download more than enough to keep me busy for months!”

Scorpia sighed. “You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better.”

Entrapta paused, one finger hovering in the hair over the tracker pad. “Why would I say things to make you feel better?” she asked, curiously.

Scorpia opened her mouth to explain but then paused and laughed.

“You know you were wrong, ‘Trapta.”

“I highly doubt that. I miscalculate from time to time but is usually based on sound….”

“No, I mean you’re a pretty good friend. Thank you for saving me in there.”

Entrapta beamed at her. “You are welcome, Scorpia! Also thank you for this!” She held up the yellow data crystal with one hair tentacle, eyes wide and shining with excitement. “Oh, the things you and I will be able to accomplish little guy.”

***

Micah held the long handle out to Catra who just stared at the tool dubiously.

“It’s a hoe,” he said.

“You say that as though it will clarify something for me,” Catra replied.

“Well if you would take it and follow me you might find further explanation forthcoming.”

Catra made a face but accepted the hoe, following Micah out to the garden.

“Now that there are two of us, we can expand some more and try to grow some different things. In order to do that we need to break up the ground enough to plant the new stuff and that’s where the hoe comes in.” He demonstrated digging the sharp end into the dirt below.

Catra eyed it skeptically. “Can’t I just use my claws?”

Micah huffed and swung the hoe down again. “Oh, the vigor of youth. You make my back hurt just thinking about it. Yes, I suppose you could, but it’s only fun until you get one of those razors stuck in a root and it pulls out.”

Catra winced. “Point taken,” she said. She picked up the hoe and mimicked his action. The earth beneath her the hoe’s tip cracked and crumbled into soft, dark dirt. “What are we going to grow anyway?” she asked.

Micah’s eyes lit up. “These,” he said, reaching into his pouch and producing a small, red fruit with little seeds scattered on the outside. He held it out to Catra. “Try this.”

Catra accepted it and took a bite. Juicy, tart sweetness flooded into her mouth and without thinking she closed her eyes.

“Oh,” she whispered. “What is it?”

“A strawberry!” said Micah. “I found a grove of wild ones a few months back but they’re so temperamental to grow in a garden I didn’t want to spare the space trying to cultivate them here. But now that I have your help, I figure we can take the risk.”

“I will definitely help you grow more of those,” said Catra. “I am fully committed to the effort.”

Micah laughed. “Ever the solider.”

They worked for a few hours in relative silence. Eventually they reached the end of the area Micah had designated to the project.

Catra wiped sweat of from brow and leaned against the hoe. She glanced over at Micah and then back down at the dirt.

“Go on,” said Micah. “I’ve been feeling you thinking about saying something to me all morning. I’m honestly shocked you’ve shown this much restraint.”

Catra felt her cheeks flush. “After our conversation the other night you never really told me…. I was wondering what you were doing. In the other room. With magic?”

Micah’s brow furrowed. “An oversight on my part. It’s not a secret anymore. Come with me, we’re due for a break.”

Micah led Catra through the previously forbidden door in the back of the cabin.

It still took effort to quell the wave of fear when Catra saw the large bowl in the middle of the room with the gem hovering above it. There was no light emanating from the objects now but Catra could still see echoes of the spell pattern in her mind’s eye.

“Ever since I found myself stranded on this island, I have been trying to find a way out,” said Micah. Catra absently touched the bag tied to the belt at her hip where she had taken to keeping the Horde remote.  “I expect for all she raised you, Shadow Weaver never told you much about the magical arts?” Catra shook her head. “Even the strongest sorcerers need a focus to cast magic. That is usually in the form of a crystal. Mystacore had thousands of crystals for its sorcerers to use, but when I left, I only took two with me. One I used to make my staff, which of course was lost in the Battle of Half Moon. The other I…well let’s just say Light Spinner’s unorthodox lessons mean I’m seldom unprepared. I managed to hide it well enough that it came with me to Beast Island. I’ve been using it to try to contact my family back in Bright Moon.”

Catra froze. “Bright Moon?” she asked hoarsely.

“For the first several years I was pretty resoundingly unsuccessful.” Micah continued. “My magic with the one crystal wasn’t powerful enough to get across the physical distance between Beast Island and Bright Moon. But—you may not remember this—but a few months ago there was a big shift in the magical fields around Etheria.”

Catra felt her back stiffen. The portal….

“I have these…memories from that time. I don’t know if they are real or not, but they are very vivid.” Micah shook his head. “I saw my wife. My daughter. I was back in Bright Moon again. Then this Horde solider, who I guess was your friend Adora, came and told us the world we were in wasn’t real. At some point I had all my memories of that alternate world as well as this one. Then that universe collapsed and I was back here again.”

Micah shook himself. “I’m sure it all sounds crazy now. I see the look on your face.”

Catra had no idea what look she had on her face. She bit her lip so hard she could taste blood.

“The point is that once I came back here, I tried to reach out to Angella again and for the first time I could sense her out there. It took me a long time to figure out what I was sensing and how, but eventually I realized that she was still trapped in a remnant of that other universe. And somehow—whether it’s a connection with Beast Island or my own attachment to Angie or the place itself—my magic can bridge the divide.” Micah furrowed his brow. “It’s faint. I think she can sense me, maybe see me, but we can’t speak. If I had more power, I might be able to bring her back here.” He looked back up at Catra. “So that’s what I have been working on.”

Catra nodded mechanically. “I…uh…wow,” she said. Her stomach turned. “I’m going to go get some air?” she said and turned to leave the room.

“Of course, sorry. I know you hate this magic stuff,” she heard Micah say behind her.

Catra burst out of the cabin and ran to the tree line. She fell to her knees and immediately vomited up the strawberry and stomach lining. She sat back on her heels, heart racing and wiped away the moisture that had sprung to her eyes with the heaving.

She stared out in thick jungle underbrush.

“Catra?” She heard Micah calling from behind her. “Are you okay? I didn’t think being in the room would upset you so much. I would have explained out here.”

Catra dug her claws into her palms and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Was it the mention of Adora? I know that’s still a tender topic for you.” He laid a hand on Catra’s shoulder.

“Back off old man!” Catra shouted batting his hand away and whirling around. “Who said you could touch me?” She held out one clawed hand.

Micah’s eyes were wide. Catra felt her stomach turn again as she recognized the same expression from when she told Adora she didn’t want her to come back to the Horde and brandished the stun baton at Scorpia.

“Not everything gets solved with a pathetic heart to heart!” she shouted. “Don’t pretend like you know anything about Adora just because you saw her in some dream world.”

Micah held up his hands defensively. “Catra, I don’t know what upset you, but please don’t take it out on me.”

“You upset me.” She snorted. “I knew you came from the princess’s world but seriously? Bright Moon. Husband to Queen Angella. I should have known better. You’re all the same, trying to get me to join your stupid Alliance. As though I would ever want to! As though I would just throw away everything I worked so hard for just because you all stole my friend, my mentor, my whole freaking life?”

To Catra’s surprise, Micah’s eyes went soft and sad instead of angry. “You don’t have to do this, Catra. I can’t stop you if you’re determined to self-destruct, but I also won’t stop giving you the chance to choose something better.”

“Aurgh,” Catra screamed. “I never asked for your forgiveness, old man.” She pushed past him and walked off toward the garden. Micah did not follow.

She could barely see where she was going, anger and tears clouding her vision. She stepped on a stake set into the ground to mark the start of the pea plants. Pain shot up from her foot and she let out a loud cry.

“What. The. Ahh!” She kicked the plant next to the stake, stomping it until the shoot was completely mashed and broken. Catra could see bits of green stuck to the bottom of her toes.

She gave out another anguished cry and reached out grapping a handful of pea shoots, ripping them out of the ground and throwing them as hard she could. They scattered around her. Catra grabbed handful after handful, first the pea shoots, then the carrots, then the squash. She clawed at the dirt throwing handfuls every which direction as she screamed.

Finally, somewhere near the tomato plants, she ran out of energy.

She came back to herself, chest heaving with sobs and desperate gasps for oxygen. Her hands and feet were cut and bleeding, covered in caked dirt. Dirt clung to the ripped-up knees of her leggings and debris coated her shirt and bare shoulders.

She stared at her hands and at the darkening sky above her. Then she stood stiffly and slowly walked back to the cabin.

When she reached the front door, she initially reached for the handle but then paused. She raised on dirty, bloody hand and knocked.

There was a pause and then the door swung open. Micah stood, backlit by the cooking fire that was blazing cheerfully in the corner.

“I destroyed the garden,” said Catra, flatly.

“I can see that,” Micah replied.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“There is a whole island if you want it. Try again.”

Catra looked off to the side and then back at Micah.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I forgive you,” said Micah. He steps back and let’s Catra into the cabin. “Let’s get you cleaned up and see to your hands.”

***

Catra dreamed.

She sits on the railing looking out over the sickly green yellow of the Fright Zone. Adora stands beside her, elbows propped up on the railing resting her chin on her hands.

“Not exactly the photo op that Bright Moon is, but it does have its own sort of polluted beauty,” says Adora.

“Bright Moon colors make me want to puke,” says Catra.

“To be honest that was my first thought when I went there.”

“That you wanted to puke?”

“That it would make you want to puke.” Adora tilts her head to one side and looks up at Catra. “I thought it all looked sort of…charming. I had never seen so many colors before in my life.”

They continue to take in the view in silence.

Adora is the one to break it. Of course.

“Why did you bring me here, Catra?” she asks.

“It’s our spot!”

“It was our spot. Before.”

“Why can’t it just be like that again,” said Catra. “When it was just the two of us against the world. Why can’t things be the way they were?”

Adora stares down at the pipes below them. “Maybe it could have been. At some point. But you kind of started burning down that bridge when you kidnapped my friends, threw me off a cliff, tried to destroy new home and then broke reality.”

“Can you blame me?” Catra’s voice sounds weak even to her own ears.

Adora looks up at her with the same sad, concern she had seen on Micah’s face. “Yes Catra. I blame you. You did this to yourself. I may have been the one to fracture our friendship, but you’re the one who split it open and poured salt in the wound.”

Catra turns her head away.

Adora reaches up and cups Catra’s cheek, bringing her back around to face Adora.

“I love you, Catra. But I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”

Catra is crying again, annoyed because she has been doing this so. Much. Lately. She doesn’t trust her voice but nods. Adora presses a soft kiss on her forehead.

Catra woke up with aching palms and wet cheeks.

The next morning Catra climbed out of bed just before moonrise and went to sit at the table. She reached into her pouch and placed the Horde remote on the table in front of her. She folded her arms and waited.

Micah woke up an hour later. He sat up in the bed roll and looked over to where she sat.

“I was sent here to find someone.” Catra said. “Two someones, really.” She gestured to the device in front of her. “This is my ticket back to the Fright Zone if I succeed. If I push this button a boat will show up. If I have completed my assignment, we all go home. If I am alone, they may kill me, or they may just leave me here for the Island to finish me off.  No second chances.

“The people I’m supposed to find…I did wrong by them.” She shook her head slightly. “I did wrong by a lot of people, even before I crossed this line, but I…. If they’re still alive I owe them…something. A lot. But I don’t know if a trip back to the Fright Zone is the right thing.”

She looked over at Micah. “I’ve made so many bad decisions in the past…well, my entire life. I can’t be trusted. Part of me wants to complete the mission as fast as possible and run back to the Fright Zone. Part of me wants to push this button right now and just take away the choice forever. Most of me is just delaying the decision because I’m so sure whatever choice I make it will be the wrong one.”

She held out the remote. “Please take this. Push the button if you want. Hide it away. Use it to escape and leave me behind; that would honestly be what I deserve. Just…take the option away from me.”

Micah looked at the device blinking in Catra’s outstretched hand and then up at her face. He reached out and gently took it from her.

“How about this,” said Micah. “How about if we put this away for today while we replant the garden. And then tomorrow we will start to search for these people who you wronged. And we give them the choice.”

Catra looked down at the table and nodded.

“They get to decide what it right for them, Catra. But you get to decide what is right for you. You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to.

Catra glared at the table. She thought about Scorpia’s hopeful face in the Crimson Waste. She thought about Adora taking her hand in the First One’s ruin. She thought about walking down the hallway of the Fright Zone with the soldiers parting to let her pass.

She closed her eyes.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.  

“Well think about it. Now let’s get some breakfast before we have to assess the damage. If we’re expecting to have two more guests, we’re going to need to be able to feed them!”

***

“Oh man, these little fuzzy critters are delicious when they’re cooked!” Scorpia nibbled around the edge of the charred rodent-on-a-stick and paged through Entrapta’s survival manual. “I should have read this chapter ages ago!”

“It is quite a bit more pleasant after so many berries,” said Entrapta. She was holding one of the sticks with a hair tendril, eating absent mindedly as she tinkered with the tracker pad and the gem from the First One’s ruin. “I do miss my tiny food and fizzy drinks though.”

Scorpia studied the food for a moment frowning. “I mean in a way this is tiny food. After all the creatures are way smaller than any of the big fuzzy critters. Not that I think I would look at them as food so much as the other way around….”

“Ugh.” Entrapta let the tracker pad slip from her grasp. “I’m having a terrible time getting into this thing. I can tell it has so much potential but there’s something interfering with the signal.”

“Take a break,” said Scorpia around a mouthful. “My squad leader always used to say that sometimes you just need to turn your brain off and then back on again to try to solve a problem.”

“That sounds biologically unsound but metaphorically may not be a terrible idea for the moment. I do sometimes forget that the brain requires proper rest and nutrients to operate properly.”

Scorpia smiled and settled back against the log. Their fire crackled and the camp smelled of woodsmoke and cooked meat.

Off to one side there was a faint rustling.

Scorpia sat up. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

Entrapta pulled out her sack of data crystals and gave it a little shake. “Don’t worry, we’re ready.”

“Maybe you should let me have that,” said Scorpia. “I know you’re the brains of the operation, but I should probably take point in protection. I was trained for battle by the Horde, after all.”

“I did just fine with the last three creatures,” said Entrapta. “Besides, I don’t want to lose any of these.”

“I wouldn’t lose the data crystals. I just think I could pack more of a punch with them.”

“There is no need to pack more of a….”

Entrapta was interrupted by the snap of a branch off to the side of the camp. She and Scorpia turned sharply, Entrapta brandishing the bag of stones in front of her clutched it both hands.

“Woah! No need to bring out the bludgeon!” said a deep voice. There was a soft squeaking sound and a small creature, similar to the one that had graced Scorpia and Entrapta’s skewers, ran out of the underbrush, sat back on its heels and chittered angrily shaking a tiny paw up at Scorpia.

A figure stepped out of the darkness behind the rodent. He had dark hair pulled up into a top knot with speckles of grey throughout a long beard.

“Now, Fredrich. We’ve talked about the fact that humanoids eat all manner of things. You can’t judge them for following their nature any more than I can judge you for hiding nuts in my bedrolls.” The man looked up at the two princesses.

“Hello. You must be Scorpia and Entrapta. My name is Micah. I have been looking all over for you.”

***

Catra was working in the garden when she heard the party arrive. The fur on the tip of her tail stood on end as she heard Entrapta’s excited babbling pierce the hum of the jungle. A moment later she could hear the base tones of Scorpia and Micah’s voice, although she couldn’t make out any specific words. Her heart pounded and she tried to turn her attention back to the row she was replanting.

It took another fifteen minutes before they broke through the edge of the jungle and Catra could see the group making their way toward the cabin. She stood slowly and wiped her hand on her pants.

Scorpia spotted her first. She stopped walking and just stared at Catra.

Entrapta noticed Scorpia had stopped walking and turned back to where she was standing. She tracked her gaze and caught sight of Catra as well. Her eyes went big.

“Catra!” she shouted, bounding up to her. “How did you end up on Beast Island?”

“I…uh.” Catra cleared her throat as she watched Entrapta’s face shift through a series of different expression. Excitement followed by confusion and finally settling on wariness. “I was sent to bring you back to the Fright Zone.”

“Don’t listen to her,” said Scorpia, stepping in front of Entrapta. “Hordak wouldn’t have sent her on a rescue mission out here. Not expecting her to come back.”

“I don’t know that he expected me to come back,” Catra admitted. “But that is how I ended up here.”

“Catra,” said Micah softly from behind the princesses.

Catra sighed and looked down at her feet. “I wanted to…I asked Micah to help me find you because….” She cleared her throat again.

“I…uh screwed up,” she said. “I shouldn’t have turned on you, Entrapta and I…uh…shouldn’t have threatened you, Scorpia. There’s a lot of other stuff too, I know, but that was kind of the biggest one so…I’m sorry.”

There was a long pause.

Then Scorpia let out a loud sniff and scooped Catra up in her arms. “Oh, who am I kidding. I forgive you, Wildcat. I could never stay mad at you.”

Catra winced but accepted the hug with only minimal wiggling. When Scorpia set her back down on her feet she turned to Entrapta whose face had become unreadable.

“I thought you were my friend,” said Entrapta. “My data supported it, even though Adora said I couldn’t trust you.” She made a face. “I hate it when my data misleads me in these matters.”

Catra scratched the back of her neck.  “I don’t think your data was entirely wrong. I did want you as a friend. Even if my actions didn’t reflect that.”

Entrapta shook her head. “I have additional data now. A friend would not demand that another friend do something dangerous and then hit them with a stun baton when they refused. Unless I continue to misunderstand the parameters of friendship?” She glanced at Scorpia.

Catra winced. “No, you’re right. That was…not friendly of me.”

Entrapta studied her for a moment. “I will need to gather more data,” she said after a minute. Then she nodded to herself and walked in the direction of the cabin. Scorpia scrambled after her.

Micah watched them enter the cabin, Scorpia nearly smacking her head on the low-hanging entrance.

“We might need their help to add on to the place,” said Micah. “It’s getting a bit cramped.”

Catra nodded, still watching the entrance to the cabin.

“How are you doing?” asked Micah.

“I’m going to finish planting this row,” said Catra. She knelt back down onto the soft dirt and set back to work.

***

Catra did not return to the cabin until the moons were starting to set and it became too dim to see. She could hear the rumble of conversation and laughter punctuated a few high pitched chitters from Fredrich as she paused at the front door. When she pushed through, she was greeted to the group of them gathered around the table, the room lit by the cheery crackle of the cook fire in the corner.

“…the crystals used by the sorcerers of Mystacore are in fact tiny data crystals mined from the interior of the planet. That’s how they can be channeled to form effects on the natural world of Etheria, similarly to the princesses with their runestones. They serve as a non-specific focus.” Entrapta, who seemed to have turned her hair into a chair, was leaning over the table scribbling furiously. Scorpia was seated beside her looking in the direction of the drawing but Catra could see her eyes were glazed over as she was mechanically polishing off a bowl of stew.

“I never thought of it like that,” muttered Micah, peering over her shoulder.

“Most Etherians don’t!” exclaimed Entrapta. “But I have devoted my life to figuring out the integration of magic and technology, specifically in how it relates for First One’s tech. Tadaaaah!”

Catra skirted around the edge of the room and helped herself to her own bowl of stew.

“That…that looks extraordinary, but can it really work?” asked Micah.

“I don’t know!” Entrapta let out a loud laugh. “I can’t wait to find out!”

“Did you see this?” said Micah, turning to where Catra was leaning against the wall, eating.

“I learned a long time ago that I need Entrapta to explain her diagrams in very small words if I’m going to have any idea what she’s on about,” said Catra.

“She thinks she can use this data crystal they found to bolster the signal from my casting! This might be the piece I have been missing to finally bring back Angie!”

Catra glanced up from her food. Micah was looking at her, eyes bright with excitement. Entrapta was still studying the drawing she had…apparently made directly onto the dinner table. Scorpia was looking at her with a furrowed brow.

“If my calculations are correct,” said Entrapta. “We just need to find a means of stabilizing alt-Etheria and using the data crystal we found at the First One’s ruin we should have the power to punch through and access the stranded consciousness. And now that I have seen Micah’s laboratory, I know what has been interfering with my ability to interpret the data and I downloaded from the run, and can start to analyze it in earnest!”

“That’s wonderful,” said Catra. “Just be careful. Some of Entrapta’s initial attempts can be a bit...explosive.”

“Oh, explosions won’t be the problem here,” said Entrapa, she continued to draw. “The real risk will be in re-fracturing our reality by bridging the divide and ejecting Angella’s consciousness from alt-Etheria.”

Catra paused with the spoon halfway up to her mouth. Scorpia and Micah both turned to look at Entrapta.

Entrapta looked up. “Well obviously we would run simulations before we would let that happen!”

“Sensible,” said Micah. “Did I tell you about my first attempt at a wind spell because wow, let me tell you I could have done with some simulations before jumping into that one….”

Catra placed her empty bowl near the rest of the washing up and walked back out of the cabin into the night air.

A moment later the door opened and closed again and Scorpia came to stand beside her. They stood there in silence for a long minute before Scorpia spoke.

“He doesn’t know, does he.”

Catra looked away. “Not unless you two just told him.”

“We didn’t. Only because Entrapta’s too caught up in the science of how Angella got trapped in the other universe to think about her own role in all of this, much less yours. But it might only be a matter of time.”

“And you? Are you going to tell him?”

Scorpia frowned. “He deserves to know, Catra. Don’t you think?”

“Why?” Catra threw up her arms and walked a few steps away from the front of the cabin. “It won’t change anything. He’ll just hate me, and I’ll be all alone again.”

“Maybe he won’t? From what I can gather he already knows a lot about your past.”

“This is different.”

“How?”

“He…he has his reasons for giving me the benefit of the doubt. I doubt that extends to destroying his family and almost ending the universe as we know it.”

Scorpia sighed. “I don’t deny it’s a tall order. But I would think after everything that’s happened you would have learned that avoiding your problems just makes them worse in the end.”

Catra turned away. “Are you going to tell him?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Not yet anyway.”

“Thank you, Scorpia.”

Scorpia shook her head and disappeared back into the cabin.

***

Catra dreamed.

She-ra stands over her as she clings to the wall of the cliff. The light of the collapsing alternate world streams up around her lifting her golden hair upward toward a sky filled with tiny dots of light.

“Adora!” Catra shouts. “I’m slipping!” She feels her fingers losing purchase and tries to dig in her claws. She’s met with solid stone.

She-ra walks to the edge of the cliff and looks down. “You wanted this,” she shouts above the roar. “Why should I save you?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it to go this far.”

She-ra kneels at the edge of the cliff. “But it did go this far.”

“I’ll fix it, Adora. I promise. Together we can fix it, like you said. Just help me, please!”

“It’s too late, Catra.” She-ra shakes her head. “Lives have been lost. You can’t fix it anymore.”

“Adora!” Catra feels her fingers slip again.”

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” She-ra says as she stands. “I really am going to miss you.”

Catra’s fingers grasp nothing and she feels herself fall.

Catra gasped and sat bolt upright. The cabin was silent aside from Micah’s soft snores and Scorpia muttering something about ration bars.

Catra lay back down and watched the ceiling until morning.

***

“Explain it again more slowly,” Micah was asking when Catra re-entered the cabin from gardening a few days later.

Entrapta huffed. “It’s just a minor setback. You should still be able to talk with her, no problem.”

“I don’t just want to talk to my wife, Entrapta. I want to get her out of…alt-Etheria, or whatever we’re calling it, and back home with our daughter.”

Catra ignored them and poured herself a cup of water just as Scorpia came rushing through the door.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll fix it I promise,” Scorpia interrupted, slamming the door behind her.

Catra sighed. “What happened?”

“Look I just don’t think I’m cut out for anything too delicate.” Scorpia snapped a claw a few times.

“You broke the tomato plant?”

“Maybe I should go back to clearing a new patch?”

Catra pinched the bridge of her nose. “We have enough new patches, Scorpia.”

“What about sending her out hunting?” said Entrapta. “She was very good at getting us tasty tiny critters to eat.”

Fredrich chittered angrily from his perch on one of the shelves behind Micah’s head.

“What if she brought back a bird?” suggested Micah.

Fredrich seemed to consider this with a tilt of his head and then chittered a bit more agreeably.

“Sure! A bird!” said Scorpia. Her eyes darted around the room. “I can do that. I think.”

Catra sighed. “You were doing fine planting and turning over the ground. You can go back and I’ll take over pruning.”

“Oh, thank you Catra. I promise I won’t let you down. Again. Anyway. What’s going on in here?”

“We’ve managed to set up the means to create a temporary bridge between our world and alt-Etheria,” said Entrapta.

“Is that really what we’re calling it?” Scorpia stage whispered to Catra who just shrugged.

“But…?” prompted Micah.

Entrapta let out of a huff of air. “But it’s pretty unstable and we still have not managed to find a means of stabilizing alt-Etheria if we bring Angella back to this plane.” She pointed a hair tendril at Micah. “But also I have not finished going through all of the data from the First One’s ruin so maybe if you were just a bit more patient.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry Entrapta. It’s just we’re so close. I haven’t been this hopeful since I first realized I could reach Angie when the other world collapsed.

“Just because we haven’t found the answer yet doesn’t mean we won’t discover it soon. Science is an iterative process. You can’t give up just because for first simulation doesn’t work the way you expected it.”

“This is our eighteenth simulation, Entrapta.”

“And we are so much closer than when we started. Come on!” She grabbed Micah’s arm and dragged back into the workroom, slamming the door behind them.

“We should head back out too,” said Catra, leading Scorpia back into the garden.

“They’re getting awfully close to being able to talk to Angella,” said Scorpia, settling down at one end of squash row.

Catra went over to inspect the damage to the tomatoes. “Mmmhmm.”

“Entrapta told him about the portal,” said Scorpia. “Not your part in it, I asked her not to, but she explained her own. He took it well.”

“It’s not the same and you know it,” muttered Catra.

“It’s only a matter of time before he finds out, Catra. You can’t really be so far in de.”

“Once he knows what I did, he’s going to turn on me. Just like everyone does. I’ll lose him! I’ll lose everything. All over again!”

“You lied about Shadow Weaver and we saw what that got you. You lied about Entrapta and now here you are. Maybe you should try just being honest for a change?”

Catra gave a short laugh. “And what are you going to do when he kicks me out of his little oasis here? Come protect me from the horrors of Beast Island like you did for Entrapta? Like you did for me in the Crimson Waste? That’s right, because can just choose to do whatever you want. You’ve never had to deal with loss the way I have. You’ve never had to risk anything because no one is going to risk pissing off the Scorpion princess who happens keeps slumming it with the Horde for no apparent reason.”

Scorpia jerked back as though Catra had physically hit her.

“Is that really what you think of me, Catra?” She shook her head. “You know, I thought I could do this,” she said. “I thought I could just forgive you and let things go back to the way they were. But I forgot that the way things were sucked. I’m sick of waiting for you to stop complaining everything that you don’t have and see what is right in front of you!”

Scorpia turned on her heel and started to march back toward the cabin.

“Scorpia, wait!” Catra jumped up and ran in front of her holding both hands up in a stopping gesture. “I’m sorry, you’re right, I’m sorry.”

Scorpia froze in surprise.

“I’m…what?”

“You’re right. You’ve always been there for me and I’ve always been terrible for you and I…I’m trying to change. I swear, I’m better I…just….” Catra too a deep breath. “I’m so scared.”

Catra closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them Scorpia was standing in front of her still waiting.

“When he finds out—if I tell him—he’s going to ask me why I did it. What I was thinking. If I tell him the truth, it will be that when activated the portal, I didn’t care who died or who was hurt. And when I came back and found out that Queen Angella had been lost trying to save the world my first thought was victory. That after everything, after Adora had won yet again, at least I had this one triumph. At least I had left my mark on their perfect little princesses and their perfect little world.”

Scorpia seemed to be looking at something over Catra’s shoulder.

“And now?” Scorpia asked. “How do you feel about it now?”

Catra shook her head.

“Yes Catra. I suppose I would like to know the answer to that question too.”

Catra whirled around to see Micah standing at the edge of the garden holding the cup of water she had left on the table in the cabin.

Catra’s eyes widened. “How much of that did you hear?” she whispered.

“Enough,” said Micah.

“I….” Catra’s mouth worked on nothing.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Catra shot a frantic look to Scorpia. She had no idea what she looked like but Scorpia looked immediately alarmed.

“Catra?” said Scorpia. “Take a breath. Let’s talk this through

“After everything, Catra, why can’t you just tell me the truth?” Micah asked.

Catra looked away. “It’s another long story.”

Micah spread his arms wide. “When have I ever not had time for you?”

Catra squeezed her eyes closed.

“I…I can’t,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you.”

“Of course you did,” said Micah. “I know why you did it but….” He shook his head. “I need some time,” he said.

“Micah, please,” Catra looked up as he turned to walk away. She held out one hand toward him.

Micah paused.

“Please?” begged Catra.

Micah shook his head again. “I need some time,” he repeated and walked away.

Catra couldn’t breathe. There was a vice around her ribs, and she could suck the air past it. Her breath came in short gasps and her vision was starting to tunnel inwards.

You’re having a panic attack, she heard Micah say. Just focus on your left foot.

“NO!”

Catra pushed past Scopria and ran back toward the cabin, throwing open the front door. Inside her vision was clearing slightly but the feeling of sucking air through a straw was unchanged. She grasped the edge of the table and tried to slow her breathing but to no avail.

There was a sudden glow behind the closed work room door.

Catra lunged for the door and pulled it open.

Entrapta was sitting cross-legged at the edge of the large bowl of water with her visor down and a small metal tube emitting a flame.

“Oh, Catra! Do you know if Micah is coming back soon? I think we can run the next simulation in a few hours.”

“Send me in!” Catra said, lurching forward. “Send me in to alt-Etheria.”

Entrapta turned off the flame and pushed back her visor, blinking at Catra through her goggles.

“That’s not a good idea. The bridge is still relatively unstable and, as I was saying this morning, we still haven’t solved the problem of needing an ongoing consciousness to hold alt-Etheria open.”

“I don’t care, you have to send me. I’ll…I’ll figure it out. I’ll…do something, anything.”

Entrapta looked nervously from Catra to the door. “Did something happen?” she asked slowly. “You seem distraught.”

Catra grabbed Entrapta by the shoulders and lifted her up into the air.

“I’ve never done one good thing in my entire life and now I’m going to lose everything again and I can’t. Entrapta, I can’t. You have to send me in there. It’s the only chance that I have fix this. To fix anything.”

Entrapta stared at her.

“Please, Entrapta. Do this for me and I’ll never ask you for anything ever again.”

Entrapta furrowed her brow. “Well…we have run enough simulations to say that the bridge should be stable to send one mind across.” Catra set her down and she started to gather up various bits of equipment. “I’ve been wanting to test this for ages and Micah keeps insisting on running further safety simulations.” She grabbed some sort of metal bowl with several circles on it and started plugging various tubes in at various points. “Which I understand is proper protocol and after what happened with the initial portal probably only makes good sense, but this time I know the theoretical risks and they are really far less statistically likely. Put this on your head.” She handed Catra the metal device.

Catra tried to put it on but her headpiece got in the way. With a deep sigh she removed the mask and set it aside before placing the bowl on her head.

“There is not much of alt-Etheria left,” said Entrapta. “So, it won’t be hard to find her. Time is a little different there so you can’t dawdle. As I have calculated it you have about two hours and ten minutes before the bridge becomes too unstable to travel back, but that might be off by a bit so I wouldn’t push it. And you won’t be able to bring her back here yet; there has to be at least one mind there to stabilize the alternate universe and prevent it from collapsing with our world.”

Catra sat down on the floor. “Just do it,” she muttered.

Entrapta hit the switch.

There was a flash of white light. The world around Catra disappeared.

***

Catra is sitting in the middle of a field. There is a large glowing yellow orb in the sky, blindingly bright like the brightest moon Catra has ever seen. It lights up the field an iridescent green with speckles of purple and yellow flowers as far as she can see in front of her.

Behind her, about 100 feet back, is a forest; dense trees with interlocking branches that is reminiscent of the Whispering Woods.

The whole world is silent. There is no sound of wind moving across the grass or rustling the leaves. There are no insects buzzing in the bushes or birds chirping in the trees. In the absence of sound Catra can hear her own heartbeat pounding in her chest and the rush of blood through her ears.

She looks down at herself to sees both hands clearly defined. She runs one hand down the skin of the right side of her face and releases a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

She doesn’t know what she had expected.

She stands and turns in a circle. She shields her eyes with her hand, blocking out some of the bright light. She can feel the heat from the orb beating down and beads of sweat are starting to form in a line across her forehead.

Far in the distance she can make out a faint pink smudge on the horizon.

She glances back at the inviting cool shade of the forest, but she shakes her head and starts forward.

For a long time, she walks without feeling like she is moving at all. The smudge doesn’t seem to change at all in size or definition.

Once again you let your emotions get the best of you. The admonishment comes in Shadow Weaver’s voice. No guarantee you can even find her, much less in the time allotted. No plan for when you do. No wonder you’ve never been more than second best.

“Shut up, witch,” Catra mutters and just keeps walking forward.

Eventually the smudge does start to take on the form of a figure. Then the figure begins to develop details; a tall slender stature, long hair, large delicate pink wings.

The field ends where the figure is standing, breaking off to form a steep cliff into nothingness. Angella is standing with both arms outstretched in front of her, the sword of protection lying flat on her upturned palms.

As Catra approached, Angella turns to her.

“I wasn’t expecting it would be you,” she says.

“That makes two of us.”

Angella narrows her eyes. “Why? Taunting me doesn’t seem your style. Not with Adora still on Etheria. Unless you trying to get to her through me?”

Catra gazes at the sword in Angella’s arms. It looks…incorporeal.

“I’m not here to taunt you. Or Adora.” She looks up at Angella. “I’m here to fix this.”

Angella raises her eyebrows. “Is that even possible?”

“I think so.” Catra frowns and nods. “I think it’s the only way.”

“There are always choices, child. There is a whole big world out there that needs healing. Sometimes it’s easier to make the big sacrifice than face the day-to-day of trying to make up for your mistakes.”

“I don’t think there is any making up for my mistakes,” says Catra. “I tried to be better, but I’m just…not. I’m not good.” She looks up and meets Angella’s eyes. “But maybe I don’t have to be bad,” she says and reaches out to take the sword handle.

For all it appears wispy and faint, the touch of the metal feels solid. It’s cold, an aching sort of cold that runs up Catra’s arms and forms an aching pain across the muscles of her back. She seizes the sword with both hands and pulls it from Angella’s grasp.

Angella’s eyes widen and immediately she starts to fade out, looking much like the sword had a moment ago. “Catra, no! This was my burden.”

Catra shakes her head. “My fault,” she grits out. “My burden.” She sucks in air and clings to the sword. “You know you’re a lot less terrifying than the Horde made you out to be. You’re lucky I won’t be around to out you when you get back.”

Angella’s laugh lingers as her form vanishes and Catra is left standing on the cliff, clutching the sword of protection.

“Well here we are,” she says to no one. “I suppose I might have expected it would end like this.” She looks around. “I always thought Adora would be here at least.”

She sits on the edge of the cliff, feet dangling over the edge.

Catra waits.

***

Time passes.

Catra isn’t sure how much time. After a while it all seems to run together. The bright orb in the sky doesn’t move. The nothingness before her doesn’t change.

The pain from the sword seems to fade out after a while. Eventually her arms go numb, which initially is a relief, but eventually becomes a discomfort of its own. Then that too seems to fade from awareness.

Initially, she has moments of panic thinking about eternity here. She has moments of regret. Moments of anger. But everything seems dulled and the moments fade and eventually it’s just Catra and sword and the void. And that’s okay.

And then one day (are there even days here?) there is a hand on her shoulder and Catra looks up and sees Micah standing beside her.

“No,” she says. Her voice sounds hoarse and cracked. Her fingers grip the sword.

“It’s okay, kitten,” says Micah. “You can let go now.”

“I can’t,” says Catra. “This is all I have.”

Micah sits down beside her and places a hand on her arm. “That has never been true.”

Tears leak from her eyes. “It feels true.”

“I know. But we’re working on that, right? It’s getting better. And it would be a shame to give up now.”

Catra frowns down at the sword in her hands. “But who is going to stay here.” She looks up sharply. “I won’t give it to you. You can’t take it from me!”

“I won’t,” Micah assures her. “Give it to Sarah.”

“Who is…?” There is a metallic clanking and she turns to see one of Entrapta’s bots sitting on her other side with two arms extended. “How?”

Micah just smiles. “Entrapta figured it out. I’ll explain later. But we’re running out of time. The bridge is still fragile.”

Catra nods and lets the sword onto the outstretched arms of the bot. The pain she had stopped noticing vanishes in a wave of bliss. Catra sways and Micah reaches out a hand to steady her.

Micah takes her hand in his. “Come on,” he says. “Let’s go home.”

Catra opened her eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the cabin. She was back lying on the bed in the main room.

She turned to her side and saw Micah lying beside her, their hands intertwined. He was wearing the funny little metal hat Entrapta had placed on her head to send her into alt-Etheria. His eyes were slowly blinking open.

“They’re waking up! I think he did it!”

Catra turned her head back toward the rest of the room. Scorpia and Entrapta were sitting beside the bed staring at them. Scorpia was chewing on the tips of her claws.

“Scorpia?” asked Catra. “How long was I….”

“Almost two weeks,” said a familiar, polished voice from behind the two princesses. Catra looked up to see Angella towering behind them. “It took that long for Entrapta and my husband to figure out an alternative consciousness to hold alt-Etheria stable.”

“Her name is Sarah!” said Entrapta.

Catra swung her legs around to sit up.

“Uh…hi. You…uhm…made it out.”

“Thanks to you,” said Angella. “Not discounting of course that I wouldn’t have needed rescuing if you hadn’t activated the portal in the first place.”

Catra scratched the back of her neck. “I’m…uh…sorry about that.”

Angella crouched down in front of her and took Catra’s hands in hers. She looked directly into Catra’s eyes and said, “It was a very brave and very foolish thing that you did just now. And I am very grateful. You have given me my family back. I forgive you, Catra.”

Catra looked away and nodded.

Angella smiled and stood again, ducking slightly to avoid hitting her head on one of the lower beams of the cabin.

Catra felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Micah sitting up on the bed behind her.

“Micah,” she said, eyes suddenly filling with tears as she remembered their last conversation.

Micah just smiled and shook his head. “I was always going to forgive you, kitten. You just didn’t give me the chance.”

“I…I couldn’t….”

“I know. We’re going to work on that, okay?”

Catra nodded, not trusting her voice, and let him pull her into a tight hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and told herself no one would notice all the tears soaking into the fabric of his cloak.

***

Catra dreamed.

She is sitting on the beach of Beast Island watching the moons set.

Adora walks up beside her and sits down. For a while they sit in silence.

“What next?” Adora asks.

Catra turns to look at her. “I’m so tired,” she says. “After all this…Adora, I’m just so tired.”

Adora nods. “You’ve done well. You deserve a rest.”

Catra sighs and rests her head on Adora’s shoulder. Adora reaches up and strokes her fingers through Catra’s hair.

“It’s not over though,” says Adora after another long pause. “Like Angella said, it might be easier to just take on the big sacrifice. But you’re back in the world now. Redemption doesn’t happen overnight.”

Catra sits up slowly. “I just want it to be done,” she says.

“I know,” says Adora. “But there is more work to do.”

Catra looks down at her hands. “I tried…to be better. But I went too far before. Even if I keep trying forever…can you forgive me? Do you think you could ever forgive me? After everything.”

Adora turns to her. “I do forgive you, Catra. But I’m not Adora. I’m just the part of you that you used to punish yourself.” She snorted. “I’d say I’m arguably the more important person to forgive you given that I’m really you but…. If you want to know if Adora can forgive you, I think you are going to have to ask her yourself.”

Catra’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

Adora reached out and pulled Catra’s head back onto her should.

“That’s okay. Rest now. Etheria will be there when you’re ready.”

Fin

#she ra #catra #adora #catradora #angella #micah #spop #entrapta #scorpia #shadow weaver #fanfic #fix-it fic #catra redemption

[shera-dnd]

Catra and Adora’s Tome of Love

That is both the longest I’ve spent writing a fic and the longest fic I’ve ever written, but here it is: D&D AU’s official Trash Wedding Fic™, because that is exactly what we all needed in preparation for the emotional roller coaster of the next season. 

Very few people would be glad to spend their saturday running errands around a bunch of tents in the middle of the woods, but Glimmer was one of those people and she had good reason for doing so. Two of her best friends were about to get married and she would do everything in her power to make sure this would be the perfect wedding.

She didn’t know whose idea it was to make the entire ceremony D&D themed, but she both loved and hated that person. Loved because she got to rock a cape along with her favorite purple dress and hated because getting the outfits, decorations and renting the damn LARPing space, was a logistical nightmare that she was a part of from the very beginning. Curse her good nature.

Chairs were set, decorations were placed, food was tested - for legitimate reasons, of course - now she just had to check on the brides before they both instantaneously combust. She was halfway to one of the little dressing room-tents when she was stopped by the familiar voice of the GM calling her name.

She turned around to see them covered in a black robe, with a hood that covered their face. She tried to suppress a giggle at that. Well, it made sense if everyone was dressed as their characters then of course they would dress as the mysterious figure orchestrating it all “How do I look?” they asked and was that the wrong question to ask.

“Like you’re ready to stab a hobbit”

“That bad?” They sighed “Go do your thing. I’ll try not to disappear into the lake in shame before I have to officiate all of this”

“Ok then. If you see Bow tell him to go check on Adora” They just nodded and left. Now back to her original mission: Making sure Catra did not explode. She quickly jogged towards Catra’s tent and was greeted by the sounds of an angry Catra and a - mostly - calm Angella.

“Just calm down, Catra” She heard Angella say “The dress looks fine”

“Of course the dress looks fine. It’s my dress and I’m wearing it. That is not the point” Catra shouted back “The point is that this is uncomfortable and dresses are the worst”

“Then just put away the dress and we can find you one of those tuxes you like so much” Angella tried to bargain, but it would fail. Catra was in full aggro mode.

“Fuck you, this is my wedding and I’m gonna look like a goddamn fairy princess if I want to and I fucking want to”

Glimmer took a deep breath to prepare her nerves and finally walked into the tent. She found Angella trying her best to stay calm and collected while dealing with a Catra that was clearly nearing a meltdown “Boss, why don’t you go check on Casta? I can handle it from here”

“Ah yes, I should make sure she doesn’t dehydrate from all the crying” She got up and gave Glimmer a little pat on the shoulder “Good luck” she mouthed to Glimmer as she left. Great, now she was the one dealing with Catra losing her shit.

They both stared at each other in silence for a moment “So….how are you holding up?” Glimmer tried.

“How does it look like I’m holding up?”

Ok, bad start. She had to fix this mess “Catra, it will be fine. You-”

“No it won’t be fine. Have you any idea of in how many ways this could end badly? I do. I have been thinking about it all day” Catra shouted. Oh god there was no way to stop her now “It could start raining, I could fall and ruin my dress, my parents could show up. The list goes on”

Glimmer sighed “It’s gonna stay sunny all week, I’ve known you for five years and never seen you even stumble, and your parents don’t even know you’re getting married - which is weird and you should deal with that, but that is besides the point! - The point is that I’ve seen you and Adora salvage even the most absurd situations and if all that stuff does happen I know you two can handle it”

Glimmer didn’t even realize she had started clenching her fist mid speech, but it was adding the emphasys she needed, she wanted Catra to know how serious she was about her trust on her and Adora. So she was a caught a little off guard when Catra started laughing “Are you seriously pulling an ‘anime power of love’ speech on me?” Ok not the reaction she wanted, but at least she isn’t yelling anymore “Alright, Sparkles, I think I can handle it from here. Go check on Adora for me”

“Don’t worry, I had Bow check on her before coming here” Glimmer stated with certainty, but Catra’s raised eyebrow made her question that decision “Oh god, she is probably the one taking care of him now. Time to go save the bride, I guess” Catra laughed one more time, before turning back to her preparations. This was gonna be a big day and Glimmer would make sure it was perfect.

~~~

Catra may have had a meltdown or two or twelve in the last twenty four hours, but really who doesn’t have some of those before their wedding? This was all just a side effect of how meticulous and dedicated she was in every aspect of her life. She was clearly not just a pile of screaming emotions right now and maybe if she kept repeating all of this to herself she would stop freaking the fuck out. This was basically the most important day of her adult life and she wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of that, including herself.

She looked herself over in the mirror one last time. Even though she hated wearing that damn thing, she had to admit that she looked great in her new dress. Entrapta really outdid herself with this one. Turning a stealth uniform into a delicate wedding dress took some skill and the bouquet she was carrying didn’t look all that bad either, the flowers were chosen as a joke, but Perfuma still managed to make it fit everything else. Yeah, things were looking good, she didn’t have to worry so much about things, she would walk out there and marry the woman she loves.

Things stopped going according to plan the moment she stepped out of the tent. She was supposed to walk down the aisle on her own, but Angella was - for some reason - waiting for her, so she just lend her her arm and smiled like this was all part of the plan “What the fuck are you doing?” Catra whispered.

“Glimmer told me your family wasn’t gonna show up and I wanted to show you some support” Angella answered so quietly Catra could barely hear it. Catra was halfway through mentally listing all the possible insults towards Angella, but that had quieted her down.

“Thank you” Was all she had to say and continued to walk with her emergency mom.

Friends and family - mostly friends really - flanked them on either side. All dressed in RPG parodies of formal clothing, suits covered by capes, armored dresses and more pointless belts than a Final Fantasy character. They were all stood around them in no particular order, they were all great friends to the both of them so choosing a side seemed quite pointless - Adora’s twin brother, Adam, did sit on Catra’s side just to spite his sister - and atop the altar, by the lake, stood something breathtaking.

No, not the GM looking like they were ready to steal Kingdom Hearts, but a shaking, nervous Adora, trying so hard to look regal in her clothes and damn what were those clothes? That white and gold suit was already gorgeous, but of course Adora decided to be as extra as possible and just cover her entire right arm in golden plate armor. Catra could barely believe she was gonna spend the rest of her life with someone that beautiful and that dorky and by the look on Adora’s face she couldn’t believe it either.

After reaching the altar it took everything in her not to start crying immediately, but she managed. She was at least gonna get her vows out before breaking down in tears. “You may all sit down now” The GM had begun speaking “Dearly beloved, you’ve been summoned here today to witness these two nerds join together in holy matrimony” Catra could barely hear their speech, but knew it was probably snarky or silly, she was too busy looking at her beautiful bride in her beautiful suit and praying that this moment wasn’t all just a dream.

“I think you said you wanted to say your vows first” Adora whispered to her. Oh shit, did they get to that part already? Ok she practice this, she could handle it.

“A wise man once told me that ‘excellence is pure habit, we are what we repeatedly do’ I took that message to heart. Everything I did I put my all into it. My hobbies, my work and, most importantly, my relationships. Because being good at something and having a good relationship takes habit, takes repetition, it is something you have to practice everyday and everyday there has been nothing I’ve practiced more and that I’ll continue to practice more than loving you. Then if we really are what I repeatedly do, I promise you that for the rest of my life what I am, most of all, is this love I have for you”

She could hear Bow and Glimmer crying nonstop and could even see tears in Adora’s eyes. She wondered for a moment if this speech would’ve had the same effect if they knew the ‘wise man’ was a boss from a video game.

Adora had to take a few deep breaths to recover her composure and start taking her own vows “Hey, Catra” Adora began, getting a few laughs from the crowd and even from Catra “I’m not a good writer so bear with me for a second” she took another deep breath “Of all the dozens and dozens of campaigns that we played our characters always had one thing in common. We were always lost, no family or friends to help us and guide us through all the hardships in life, but they always had each other. In the end the only family they needed was each other. It was like this in Ravenloft, The Forgotten Realms, Halcyon City, Eberron and now it will be like this here. We’ll be there for each other through every celebration and through every hardship. This I promise to you”

Ok Catra could cry now, she really needed to cry now. Oh she was crying now and there was nothing she could do to stop it. “Are you okay, honey?” Adora asked her and Catra could do very little besides sob, so her answer was a little less coherent and controlled than she wanted “Fuck you! This is my wedding and I get to ugly cry as much as I want”

Adora smiled at her and Catra just wanted to cry even more now. She barely noticed Frosta approaching with their rings. Copper for Adora and Gold for Catra. Each matching the other’s color scheme. They were both shaking as they put the rings in each other’s hands.

The GM cleared their throat “If anyone objects to this union speak now-” She could see Adam getting up in the corner of her vision, please don’t let Adora’s stupid brother make a scene “and face one of the brides in combat” Adam immediately sat down “No one? Very well. Then by the powers vested in me by the internet I hereby declare you wife and wife. You may now kiss the bride”

It was a simple and chaste kiss, compared to all the others they had shared, but this one meant so much more. Their first kiss as a real couple “Are you feeling better now?” Adora asked and Catra could only nod “Good, let me handle things from here” She dipped Catra and gave her a much more passionate kiss. She was vaguely aware of the GM covering Frosta’s eyes.

“God, you’re so full of yourself right now” Catra said, laughing.

“I’m full of love” Adora punctuated with another kiss and now Catra had gone from uncontrollable crying to uncontrollable laughter.

“Come on, you dork, we have a whole day ahead of us” She straightened her self as best she could and looked into the small group of close friends and family “Listen up, who wants some Protection From Evil and Good?” she announced while waving her bouquet around and even though most didn’t get the joke, no one wasted time gathering close to the altar for a chance to grab that bouquet.

Catra turned around and tossed it with all her strength. Which was probably not a good decision, because it flew above everyone’s heads and straight towards Mermista. Catra wished she had a camera on her, both to capture the look of shock and horror on Mermista’s face and what she did next. Not even Mermista knew what kind of dumbass reflex took over her that moment, because she simply gave that bouquet the strongest kick of her life and sent it flying straight into the lake.

Everyone stood in stunned silence at what had just transpired. Mermista turning several shades of red as everyone stared at her in awe. “I’ll get it” Sea Hawk announced, taking off his shirt and diving into the lake. That was enough to turn the silence into rolling laughter. The crowd applauding as a very wet Sea Hawk emerged with the mostly ruined bouquet and a flower in his mouth for dramatic effect.

“I think Mermista and Sea Hawk just stole our wedding” Catra said, still in awe at the mess she just witnessed.

“Let’s go steal it back”

~~~

After the ceremony itself was done they had all retreated to a nearby ‘Authentic Old Inn’ that was one of the big selling points of this particular LARPing space. Catra had gone off to help with some last minute problems, while Adora decided this was a great moment to yell at her twin.

“You’re so dead, Adam. I don’t care how funny you thought that was gonna be. Even if the GM didn’t mention the duel I would still let Catra kick your ass”

“Relax, I was just messing with you and also Glimmer pulled me down the moment you looked at me” Adam laughed as he answered “I haven’t seen you in ages. This is just me making up for lost time”

Adora rolled her eyes “You are the worst” She didn’t completely mean it, but she was still gonna give him a hard time. She also had to make up for lost time after all.

“Now care to catch me up on this? Five years ago you were complaining that you would probably have to move just to avoid that ‘annoying bitch’ at the game store and now you’re married to her” God, Adora was regretting inviting him.

“First, only I get to call my wife that. She is a bitch and I love her, and second-” Her train of thought was disrupted by the sound of mic static. She turned around to see Catra awkwardly standing next to Sea Hawk’s DJ stand with a mic on her hand.

“Hey, Adora, I know this isn’t exactly what we had planned and this isn’t exactly what people expect from a first dance, but after all this time practicing it just felt wrong to celebrate all of this without me at least singing you something”

Adora was frozen in place as everyone around her opened up space for her. She couldn’t believe Catra was doing that, but she had no objections to any of it. Catra gave Sea Hawk a thumbs up and closed her eyes.

You make me breakfast in bed

When I'm mixed up in my head

You wake me with a kiss

I could get used to this

For a moment there was only Catra in her world, as she slowly walked towards her.

You think I look the best

When my hair is a mess

I can't believe you exist

I could get used to this

She took Catra’s hand in hers and pulled her close as she put down her microphone. “Oh you think just because you’re wearing a suit this time you’re gonna lead?” Of course Adora didn’t think that, they had practiced the whole dance with Catra taking the lead, but Adora didn’t mind letting Catra get her ego boost.

The song was fast and intense, there was plenty of spinning and dipping and lifting and by the end of it they would both be out of breath. In a really stupid way it kinda mimicked their relationship. Well, that was Catra’s excuse, but they both knew she really just liked the song.

When the song finally slowed down they were holding each other very close. The plating on her right arm was getting uncomfortable and she had really started sweating in that suit, but she didn’t care. Right now all she cared for was the woman in her arms and the feeling of their hearts beating so close together. Catra would absolutely hit her with The Pillow if she said any of that out loud...she should probably do that later tonight.

They parted just enough to look in each other’s eyes, just enough to talk to one another “Wanna skip all that other shit and go get something to eat? I’m fucking starving” Catra sure knew how to make a woman feel special.

“Thought you’d never ask. No one told me this would take so much time” They both laughed at the silliness of it all “Just hold on a second, I need to grab something” She was already eyeing that something and Catra was quick to pick up what that was.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to do that” Catra sighed, but Adora was already doing that. She grabbed the replica Sword of Protection off of the wall and started making her way to their wedding cake. Catra rolled her eyes “Let me help you with that. I don’t want you cutting your fingers off before our wedding night”

They huddled up close around the cake so they could both hold the sword. The cake was small and simple compared to the crazy stuff they usually saw on tv, but it was special. Sitting atop of it were the two miniatures Bow made for them for the Princesses of Power campaign. A mini She-ra and a mini Catra, holding hands - or the closest they could get without damaging the miniatures - Adora was trying her best not to accidentally cut into the miniatures, the table or herself, she really had to thank Catra for the help later.

Carefully they cut a small slice from the cake. Catra put it aside and grabbed the sword to cut Adora her own slice, but Adora stopped her. She started cleaning the frosting from the blade, just to wipe her hand clean on Catra’s nose, cheeks and lips. She looked shocked for a second, but Adora was quick to fix it, by kissing her several times until she had cleaned alway all the frosting.

Catra giggled as she hurled several colorful insults towards Adora. She didn’t mean a single one of them and Adora knew. “Alright, dumbass, I’m clean” she giggled a little more “now let me have a taste of it” then she gave Adora a long and deep kiss “Hmmm, strawberries”

Like that the celebrations went on. They would dance, kiss and be the most beautiful couple in one moment and then start poking fun at each other in the next. It was a nice and comfortable rhythm, the kind of stuff that came naturally with years of intimacy and caring for one another and though they both knew their hardships were far from over, they knew they could face it all as long as they were together.

#catradora #dnd!au #the wedding fic #really stupidly long