Chapter 1: Chapter One - Losing Her
Chapter Text
You were in your room, combing your hair in front of the mirror as you tried to move your floppy, goat-like ears out of the way. Your short hair absolutely refused to stop frizzing up, and you eventually gave up. “Stupid hair…” you muttered, glaring at the comb, as if it had purposely done that. Whatever. You pulled your fringe down to cover your left eye, and checked the time before making your way to the training area, putting on your chest plate as you did so.
“All Squadrons report to the training area immediately for evaluation!” A female voice shouted from a loudspeaker as you just reached the training area, rushing past Kyle to stand on your assigned platform. Lonnie and Rogelio were already there, not counting Kyle since he was still rushing up.
“Damn, even Y/N came faster than you.” Lonnie muttered to him and Kyle just groaned as he stood on his platform, ignoring the snickers from Lonnie and Rogelio. You chuckled slightly, though wondering how you were faster than Kyle even though he reached the room earlier- wait, that wasn’t important. Focus on something else, you already swore to yourself not to focus on Kyle- a bit mean, but eh, everyone was mean to him anyway.
Adora soon reached the training area and stood next to you, giving you a quick smile before both of you turned to look at the last empty platform, where Catra was supposed to be. Adora looked around, confused. “Did anyone see Catra?” she whispered to no one in particular, and Lonnie shrugged while Kyle and Rogelio shook their heads. Catra was late… again. Adora turned to you and gave you a knowing look, while you looked back at her with a look of disappointment. “Not again…” she grumbled, before you both looked forward, getting ready to begin what they were going to ‘evaluate’.
“Attention cadets, your simulation is about to begin, here’s your scenario,” The instructor stated, holding his tablet while turning on a holographic screen in front of you, “You will be passing through the treacherous whispering woods to reach the heart of the rebel insurgency, Brightmoon.”
You could hear Kyle whimper from the side, but paid no attention to it. Lonnie and Rogelio rolled their eyes while Adora seemed indifferent. “Your mission,” the instructor continued, seemingly not noticing Kyle’s little squeak, “is to defeat the Queen of the Princesses and liberate Brightmoon in Lord Hordak’s name.” He looked around for a second, before turning to you all. “Where’s Catra?” He asked.
“She’ll come… probably.” You said quickly, and by the look on Adora’s face, she was about to say the exact same thing. “Mm-hm,” the instructor just nodded, “The Whispering Woods is full of Princesses. Vicious, violent instigators. They will take you out if given the chance. Don’t give it to them.”
“Good luck, recruits.” He added, before the door to the training area opened. All of you walked in, scanning the area with the technological glasses you were given.
A ‘purple princess’ suddenly appeared in front of you, the glasses detecting the princess that was actually just a bot, but even though it was a simulation- it had to be treated like real life.
“Watch out!” Adora yelled, avoiding a beam that was shot at all of you, Kyle screaming in the background. You all dodged the ‘Princess’s’ hits while yelling loudly. Adora hurls an explosive at the ‘princess’ and motions for all of you to follow her. “Come on, this way!”
“Taking charge again, I see.” you grin at her, and she just rolled her eyes playfully while she smirked, ignoring your comment. As you ran, you swore you saw a pair of eyes among the simulation’s trees…
After a while, Kyle was hit by one of the ‘princess’s’ beams while you were running. “Aw, dang it!” He groaned as a red X appeared on the screen of his chestplate while his suit sizzled with electricity from the hit.
“Really, Kyle?” You looked at him in disappointment. He was usually the first to be out, but this was probably his fastest. “Bravo.” Lonnie muttered sarcastically, and Kyle frowned. Before you know it, three ‘princesses’ appeared, hovering over you all. The sounds of gunshots could be heard, and of course, Kyle had messed up the run again. “Seriously, Kyle?!” Lonnie yelled, as Adora shouted to all of you.
“Run!”
You all hold your shields over your heads as the ‘princesses’ fire beams at you, and Adora- of course- sprints ahead. “Adora!” you yell at her, somewhat proud but also annoyed she was taking the lead again- she always did- but that wasn’t the reason you yelled at her this time. It was because of the beeping of an alarm that alarmed you, as the red hexagons under Adora’s feet glowed, with a robotic orb shooting up from the floor. Said orb morphed into a four-legged robot, simulating the ‘Queen’.
Adora ran at it with a staff and dodged the red beams it shot at her before jumping up to its head, bashing its guns with her staff and smashing its head as it sank to the floor. She leapt off the bot and fell to the floor onto a red hexagon, and you watch in amusement as Catra appears out of nowhere and pushes the crackling robot into the floor. Adora raised her head, looking as if she was going to say something, when you noticed the red hexagon under her glow, before it sank in and she fell in, yelling.
You walked up and joined Catra, looking into the hole, seeing Adora using her staff and hanging onto it so she doesn’t fall. “Hey guys, how’s it hanging?” Catra asked, looking down at Adora in amusement with a sly grin.
“Did you really show up late and make us do everything first?” you complained. “Yeah, Catra, that’s low, even for you,” Adora added.
“Aww… you know nothing’s too low for me.” She chuckled, “Now come on, you look stupid hanging down there.” She put out her hand and you did so too, helping Adora out as the woman over the PA made her announcement; “Training exercise successfully completed.”
—--
In the locker room, you walked up to Adora with Catra, and Catra looked very proud of herself. “You should’ve seen your face!” She laughed at Adora, “You were like, ‘AH! NO! Betrayal!’” she slid down to the ground for dramatic effect.
“Really Catra? We’re senior cadets now.” you scoff at her, rolling your eyes. “C’mon, don’t you find it a little funny?” Catra turned to you expectantly, and you couldn’t hold back your smile, though you tried very hard to. “Ahah! I knew you did!” she exclaimed, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.
“Seriously? You shouldn’t be playing such childish, immature- IS THAT A MOUSE?!” Adora suddenly yelled mid-sentence, pointing at a very much non-existent mouse in the corner.
“What? Where?!” Catra looked around frantically for the mouse, getting into a position to pounce on said mouse. She stopped when she realized it was just a prank, and you laughed with Adora, clearly finding it funny.
“Are you ever going to stop falling for that?” you teased to get on Catra’s nerves. “I don’t know, are you ever going to let it go? It was just the one time!” Catra crossed her arms in embarrassment and slight anger.
“I mean, it is funny… every time.” You muttered, Adora chuckling herself, before-
“Adora.”
Shadow Weaver’s voice could be heard as she approached the three of you, although aiming for Adora.
“Shadow Weaver.” Adora stood at attention, and you tried to do the same, while Catra didn’t bother at all.
“You have done well, You’ve completed your training course in record time.” Shadow Weaver praised Adora, and that sinking feeling of jealousy seemed to appear in the back of your mind again, as it always did.
“That wasn’t just me…” Adora protested, “You know, Catra did too, and so did Y/N.”
“Ah, of course, how someone as unmotivated and lacking in talent as you two completed the course in time- if at all- I’ll never know.” she looked at you and Catra in disapproval. Again, she was favoriting Adora yet again.
“Always serving those pep talks, huh Shadow Weaver?” Catra muttered softly, sounding so full of herself and you gave her the ‘seriously, you idiot!’ look.
“Silence! Do NOT be flippant with me, cadet.” Shadow Weaver growled, the shadow on her hair rising a bit to wrap the area around her and Catra. “Sorry, Shadow Weaver…” Catra said quickly, but even more quietly than before. Shadow Weaver relented and the shadows dissipated.
“And… you… your attitude is acceptable, I suppose…” she mused, turning to you, “but your performance needs to be improved, I could see you barely scraping through the exercise, do you understand?” She growled at you harshly. She may not have hated you as much as she did to Catra, but she still didn’t really give you the credit that you deserved very often.
“Yes, Shadow Weaver…” you muttered softly, and she looked at you for another moment, as if contemplating something, before turning away and back to Adora, her gaze softening.
“Adora, walk with me,” she said to her, her tone indefinitely gentler. Adora glanced at you two, and you both shrugged your shoulders. “Adora!” Shadow Weaver repeated and Adora quickly went to follow her, leaving you and Catra behind.
“Teacher’s pet…” you muttered, and Catra just sighed.
—-------
As you and Catra were at the balcony, admiring the view, Adora walked up beside you with a wide smile, clearly proud about something.
“What’s with that smile?” You asked her in confusion, “You look like you just took shots.” Catra looked at her as well, eyeing a badge that was now on her jacket, and you suddenly realized it was there. “Is that-?”
“Hey, what’s this?” Catra cut you off, pushing past you to grab the badge and yank it away, looking at it curiously like an actual cat.
“Wha- Catra! Give it back!” Adora huffed and tried to reach for it, but Catra held it away and hopped up to a pipe that was in the air. “You’ve been promoted?” You turn to Adora, “That’s awesome! You’re Force Captain!”
“Well- kind of? I mean, yeah, I guess… heh… but it’s not a big deal.” Adora stuttered, seemingly forgetting the fact Catra still had her precious badge.
“Are you kidding? Y/N’s right, that IS awesome! We’re gonna see the world… and conquer it! Adora, I need to blow something up!” Catra’s eyes were practically sparkling with excitement. You also turned to Adora expectantly.
“Uhmmm…” Adora had a look of uncertainty on her face, and she looked like she was ready to say something bad.
“What?”
“Let me guess, Shadow Weaver says we ain’t coming.” you scoffed, and Adora nodded slowly. “What? Our time was just as good as yours today! What’s her problem?” Catra screeched with anger and disappointment.
“I mean…. you are kinda disrespectful…” Adora muttered, directly indicating Catra, “And you… I don’t know, really, maybe she just doesn’t like you?” Adora said to you, and you rolled your eyes. “Why should I respect her? She’s just bitter that she doesn’t have any real power that doesn’t come from Hordak and everyone knows it.” Catra scoffed, and you just shook your head in disagreement.
“And anyway, Y/N, why do you even respect her at all, even when she never does anything good for you?” Catra asked you in confusion and slight disdain, and you just shrugged. “It’s easier to deal with her that way.”
“I guess it must be easy being people pleasers like you.” Catra rolled her eyes at you and Adora. “We are not people pleasers- Catra, wait…” Adora protested as Catra scurried off to a higher part of the area.
“She’s… always like this…” you muttered, and Adora just sighed, before getting a look that suggested she had a stupid idea.
“I think I know how to cheer her up…”
“Adora, I know that look, and I don’t like it.” You said firmly, but Adora just grabbed your hand and dragged you along to find Catra.
—---
“You stole a skiff? I take it all back, you’re officially awesome.” Catra grinned, and you facepalmed in disapproval, holding onto the side of said skiff in slight caution. “Catra, don’t encourage her…”
“Borrowed.” Adora corrected her, “Do not make me regret this.”
“I’ve always wanted to drive one of these things!” Catra grinned, snatching the steering joystick thing, “Gimme!”
“Hey! Catra, save us some fuel to get back!” You screeched as the skiff started to fly even faster, “You’re gonna get us killed!” Adora added, trying to snatch the joystick thing back from Catra’s grasp.
“Nah, that’s a problem for FUTURE Adora, Y/N and Catra..” Catra grinned, “You can’t have it-”
For the next few minutes, you had to watch as Adora and Catra fought for the steering joystick, before you all reached the edge of a dark forest and Adora finally stopped the skiff, much to your relief but Catra’s disappointment.
“What is it?” Catra asked, staring at the forest in front of you guys. “ I think this must be the Whispering Woods. They say there are strange, old monsters in there, and… and the trees move when you're not looking. Every Horde squadron they've sent in there has never come out again.” Adora shuddered, and you immediately had the feeling that something stupid was about to happen.
“Let’s go in!” Catra immediately yelled and grabbed the joystick, making the skiff fly straight into the forest. “WHAT?!” You and Adora yelled in unison as Catra drove you all to your expected doom. “WOO-HOO!” Catra laughed in excitement, veering around the trunks of the tall trees.
“CATRA, SLOW DOWN!” Adora yelled, and you immediately saw an incoming tree.
“TREE, TREE!!!”
Adora grabbed the joystick and tried to fly up, but a vine caught her by the neck and she fell backwards, making her fall out of the skiff and through the tree.
“ADORAA!!!:”
—----
“Hey, Adora? Adora!” Catra yelled for the fifth time, and Adora finally woke up, seeing the faces of you and Catra with a dazed look.
“Hm… guys? What happened?” She asked, sitting up quickly and pushing herself to her feet. “You fell out of the skiff after Catra-” you were saying, but Catra cut you off, “After you drove it into a tree.” She said quickly, grinning at Adora.
“No? You drove it into a tree.” Adora huffed, turning to look at you as you nodded in agreement with her.
“Eh, up for debate.” Catra muttered. “Catra, majority says you drove it into a tree.” You said sternly, and Catra rolled her eyes. “Then the majority is wrong.” She said confidently, giving you and Adora confident looks.
“Hold on… where is… where’d it go?” Adora suddenly asked out of nowhere, looking around the area with confusion.”Where’d what go?” You asked her, tilting your head in confusion with Catra’s tail stopping its wagging movement.
“There- there was a sword. It was right here,” Adora muttered, looking down at the ground as you and Catra struggled to process what she had just said, “I tried to touch it, but it got really bright.”
“Are you okay? Does your head hurt?” you asked her, grabbing her head and looking at it, as if checking over her.
“Are you brain damaged?!” Catra yelled in worry, “Don’t be brain damaged.”
“Ugh! Shadow Weaver’s gonna kill us!” You groan, continuing your ‘checking’ on Adora. “I’m not brain damaged!” Adora protested, pushing your hands away from her head, “It was here, I saw it.”
“Are you sure? I think you’re going nuts.” You added, “Why would a sword be in the middle of a forest?”
“I mean, there’s nothing here now, so c’mon, people pleasers, be people pleasers and let’s go.” Catra said while grabbing Adora’s ponytail and your arm and dragging you both back to the dented skiff.
She drove you both out the forest, with you keeping a very close eye on her incase she decided to crash the skiff somewhere else. Out of the corner of your eye, however, you saw Adora glancing back at the empty clearing, and walked over to her.
“Are you sure you’re not brain damaged?” you asked her and she turned to you in confusion. “It’s not brain damage, Y/N…” she muttered softly while patting her hair poof, “And anyway, I know what I saw.”
“You must’ve been imagining things,” you said confidently, trying to reassure her since she looked so worried about it for some reason, “Besides, if you really got brain damage, I’m dead.” you added, and she chuckled slightly.
—---
You thought the fun, drama, and anything else to do with the Whispering Woods was over.
Nope. Life had other plans.
At literally eleven in the night, you felt someone shake you awake. “Y/N… Y/N!”
When you refused to get up, someone slapped you on the face.
“OWW! What the actual heck?!” You yelled, sitting up quickly from the floor, and seeing Catra’s glowing eyes staring back at you. “Catra?! What are you doing?” you clutched your sore cheek.
“We need to go, Adora just left and I wanna know why.” She said quickly, pulling you along as you reluctantly pulled your fringe down before following her, rubbing your right eye sleepily.
“Hey, where are you going?” She asked when you both caught up with Adora, who was sneaking out of the building. “Back to the woods, there’s something I need to figure out.” Adora replied quickly, as if wanting to leave again.
“What? Why would you-” you were cut off again when Adora covered your mouth with her hand as a robot passed, making sure all three of you were silent so as not to disturb the robot.
“What is wrong with you?” Catra asked, concerned and annoyed, “Are you sure you’re not brain damaged?”
You pulled Adora’s hand off your mouth and added, “Yeah, you’ve been acting strange since we got back from the woods. Is this about that sword you thought you saw?”
“Look, Catra, Y/N, I know I saw something out there, It’s just- I just need to get another look… it feels important somehow.”
“Then… let’s go. This time, Catra is NOT taking the wheel.” you smiled slightly, wanting to follow Adora. You were a trio, and you guys did everything together, there was no way you were letting her go alone. “Yeah, whatever, let’s go!” Catra grinned, ignoring the fact you just dismissed her totally awesome driving skills.
“No, I don’t want you guys getting into trouble on my behalf.” Adora said firmly, grabbing both you and Catra and pulling you back to the room.”Just cover for me, okay?”
“What? Adora…” you trailed off, disappointed but also really worried, “You could get hurt or something…”
“Then Shadow Weaver would absolutely annihilate us!” Catra added.
“I can defend myself! Besides, I’ll be back before anyone else knows I’m gone.” Adora winked at you both before running out, leaving you two behind.
“Wait, Adora!” Catra yelled, but she had already left.
—----
“For the very last time, WHERE IS ADORA?!” Shadow Weaver yelled in a threatening tone, towering over you and Catra. Adora still hadn’t come back yet, and both you and Catra were worried, but currently dealing with Shadow Whore right now.
“For the last time, we don’t know!” Catra growled defensively.
“Do you think we keep her on a leash? Like the obedient dog you expect her to be?!” You added, rolled your eyes, and Catra grinned at you for a brief second, before returning to her defensive glare at Shadow Weaver.
“I know you are lying. You three are never apart, she would never leave without telling you.” Shadow Weaver hissed, clearly not convinced. “Then I guess she let us down, huh?” Catra said impulsively, and you looked at her with a look of genuine disbelief.
“Fine, have it your way, I already know where she is.” Shadow Weaver mused, turning her gaze to you, “I have been tracking her.”
“Then- why ask us?” you asked in confusion and annoyance, crossing your arms. Now was not the time for respect, it was time for questioning.
“Because you two are going to bring her back.” Shadow Weaver said angrily, and you narrowed your eyes at her.
“I don’t think we are. C’mon Y/N, we’re going.” Catra growled, reaching for your arm to drag you along with her, but before you knew it, a red aura crackling with electricity surrounded Catra and forced her to stand still.
“Your insolence will not protect her, you will do as I ask.” Shadow Weaver said quietly in a menacing tone, directed at both of you.
“Oh really? What makes you think we’ll listen to you this time?” you asked confidently, some of Catra’s cockiness was rubbing off on you, but you immediately regretted it when Shadow Weaver’s icy glare pierced through you.
“Or you will suffer the consequences in her place.” She said coldly, releasing Catra as her body laxed, and she looked at you in slight fear.
“Or maybe I could…” Shadow Weaver trailed off, stepping towards you and grabbing your chin forcefully, “...tell them your little secret…?” she whispered, too soft for Catra to hear, but loud enough for cold sweat to drip down your forehead.
“...fine…” you muttered in submission, not daring to make eye contact with her, but she pulled you towards her forcefully, “Look at me when I speak with you, cadet.” She narrowed her eyes through her mask and you looked at her reluctantly.
“I expect better from you… do NOT disappoint me, or else…”
—--
In all the way you could’ve gone to find Adora, you had to go in a tank. A whole. Dang. Tank. “I can’t believe they let us drive a tank!” Catra grinned in excitement, trying to figure out all the buttons and switches and First One’s knows what.
“I can’t believe this either.” you muttered, trying to act upbeat, although the inside of the tank was hot and you were sweating from it, “They should add a chiller in here, it’s so hot…” you wiped a bead of sweat off your forehead. “How are you not melting right now?”
“My own magic.” Catra chuckled, “Fur keeps the cool air in.”
“That is not fair.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Whatever,” you retorted, rolling your eyes while trying to fan yourself with your hand, “not everyone is born with fur.”
You were just about to move your bangs aside so your face didn’t feel so hot, but thought twice about it. “I am so going to take a shower when we get back.”
—--
You opened the hatch and Catra jumped past you and poked her head out of the opening as you looked outside from another angle. “Adora!”
“Catra?” Adora seemed surprised to see Catra coming out of the tank, and Catra hopped on the blaster before hopping on top of Adora. “They let us drive a tank! Can you believe it?” She said excitedly.
“Catra- I don’t understand! What are- What are you doing here? And what do you mean ‘us’?” Adora asked confusedly, sitting up as Catra leaned back to give her some breathing space. You hopped out of the tank as well. “Uh, us? We came to find you, duh.” you responded nonchalantly, standing behind Catra with a small smile. Catra helped Adora up as she processed this whole thing.
“Just cover for me! I’ll be back before anyone else knows I’m gone!” Catra mocked Adora, “I can defend myself!”
“Did you actually just immediately get captured right after you snuck out?” You asked in disbelief, shaking your head in disapproval, “And here I thought you were a good force captain- what are you wearing?”
You spotted the pink flower that was on Adora’s head, and she threw it off quickly, “Uh… look, guys, there’s no time, we have to put a stop to this!” Adora gestured to the destruction around all of you, and all the burning buildings in Thaymor.
“What? Why?” Catra tilted her head in visible confusion.
“Because this is a civilian town! Look around!” Adora spluttered, gesturing to the fire and screaming in the background. “These aren’t insurgents, they’re innocent people!”
“Mhm, yeah, sure, innocent people who kidnapped a Horde officer, right.” You rolled your eyes, wondering why Adora seemed so serious about it. At least, she seemed serious.
“C’mon, let’s get you back to the Fright Zone.” Catra said quickly, grabbing Adora’s wrist and starting to drag her back to the tank, “Shadow Weaver is freaking out,” Catra laughed for a second, “It would be funny if she wasn’t a terrible person.” she went back to being dead serious and you started to follow them.
“When is it ever funny?” You asked in confusion, but Catra just ignored that question.
“No, guys, I can’t go back!” Adora protested, freeing her wrist from Catra’s grip, “Not until the Horde leaves this town alone.”You have to help me!”
“What… Do you mean?” You titled your head, struggling to understand Adora at the moment. She didn’t want to go back? Why?
“I’m saying this is wrong! They’ve been lying to us, manipulating us!” Adora said with a voice of betrayal, “Hordak, Shadow Weaver, all of them!”
Both you and Catra blinked, looking at each other in disbelief, before you both turned back to Adora. “Well…. duh!” you facepalmed, and Catra sighed, “Did you really just figure that out?” she added, looking shocked, “Manipulation is Shadow Weaver’s whole thing! She’s been messing with our heads since we were kids.”
“H-How could you two possibly be okay with that?” Adora stuttered, looking at both of you with the same look, but more… disappointed.
“Because, it doesn’t matter what they do…. we all have to look out for each other, and soon, we’ll be the ones calling the shots.” Catra said, putting her hands on Adora’s shoulders, and you step towards them both, feeling like something was about to happen… something big. Adora narrowed her eyes in disappointment, unable to believe this was the mindset you both had- or at least, she thought you had.
“Now c’mon, can we go home already?” Catra asked, smiling at Adora like nothing happened, before an explosion happened in the background, and Adora recoiled from the smoke, with you covering your ears from the loud noise. “I’m not going home, guys, I can’t… not after everything I’ve seen.” Adora says firmly, looking away.
“Come with me… you don’t have to go back there, we can fix this!” Adora grabs Catra’s hand, and was reaching out for your’s, but you stepped back in confusion, and Catra pulled away from Adora, stepping beside you. “Are you joking? This is a joke right?” You asked in disbelief, knowing Adora was dead serious about it. “You’ve known these people for- what? A- a couple of hours, and now you’re going to leave the Horde for- for them?”
“...ugh, what happened to you?” Catra asked, and both of you looked at Adora with a sense of betrayal. “I don’t know… but I have to do something… I’m sorry.” Adora said solemnly, and turned to leave- before Catra reached out with a taser, and green sparks of electricity were audibly heard, and Adora fell to the ground.
“Catra?!” You turned to Catra in shock, “What the flip was that for?!”
She didn’t reply, looking at Adora with guilt, but also anger, before Adora groaned in pain and Catra seemed to find herself again. “Oh, man, that was a lot stronger than I thought.” she muttered to herself, turning to Adora, “Are you okay?”
“Ugh… Catra-” Adora started to get up, then Catra zapped her again. “CATRA!” You snatched the taser away from Catra as Adora fell- again.
“I’m sorry! It was a reflex!” Catra yelled in defense. “Why- why are you doing this?” Adora asked, looking up at both of you, and you looked away while Catra was thinking of an excuse, but gave up and just said the truth.
“Because you left us! And if we don’t bring you back, Shadow Weaver’s gonna have our heads!” she said desperately, and snatched the taser back from you. “Catra. wait-”
“So enough with your little identity crisis and let’s go home already.” Catra cut you off in a sad tone, pointing the taser at Adora with slight hesitation, “Or do I have to zap you again?”
“Catra, don’t-” You tried to protest, but a pink light of some sparkly magic smacked her straight in the face and she was shoved backwards, rubbing her eyes as you looked in front of you to see who did it, and saw two rebellion soldiers on a horse galloping towards you and Adora.
You stepped back and ran to Catra, “Hey, you okay?”
Catra hissing, nodding slightly before you watched her turn back to face the soldiers, with one of them comforting Adora and the other one shooting a net at Catra with a bow and arrow, with it also entangling you as both of you fell to the ground, Catra on top of you as you both struggled to get out of the ropes. “What the heck?!” you yelled, pulling at them as Catra hissed and tried to claw through them, pointing the blaster-end of the taser at Adora and the female soldier.
“Watch out!” Both you and the other soldier yelled in unison, Despite everything, you didn’t want Adora to get hurt anymore. The other soldier looked at you specifically in confusion for a moment, before the female one teleported Adora away, and the blast missed.
“ADORA!” Catra yelled, breaking you both out of the ropes. The soldier reached for more arrows, but there were none, and Catra leaped towards him.
—-
Everything else felt like a blur, and before you knew it, a literal eight-foot tall lady with a sword and a cape (for some reason) stood in the middle of the Horde Soldiers that were surrounding the rebellion soldier- whose name was apparently Bow. She slammed the tip of her fancy sword into the ground and it cracked and crumbled, sending the tanks and bots flying back a bit. Catra grabbed your hand, and dragged you with her. “catra, what are you-”
“Shh, I have this weird feeling…” she muttered, dragging you to look at the lady, who was throwing bots and tanks around. “RETREATTT!!!” A soldier yelled and all of them turned tail and ran while you and Catra stayed among the smoke to watch.
Much to your surprise… the lady suddenly stopped glowing, and fell to the ground on her knees, transforming into… Adora? She looked up and saw you both. Catra looked at her in disbelief and betrayal and you just felt tears of disappointment falling down your cheeks.
“Guys…” she muttered, but Catra grabbed your arm and pulled you away.
~~
“She wiped the floor with our recon squad, twelve feet tall at least!”
Lonnie was describing the whole ordeal in the locker room as you and the others were listening intently while Rogelio bandaged up some wounds for Kyle, “Took out every one of our machines with nothing but a sword!” she continued, swinging her arm around.
“Did you actually see her?” a cadet asked, crossing her arms, but Lonnie shook her head, “No, and it’s a good thing too. We were lucky to get out of there alive.”
“Oh please.” Catra smirked, getting up from her position on the floor to face everyone, “She’s like every other princess, all sparkle, no substance.” She said confidently. “She caught us off guard, that’s all.”
“Sure… you and Y/N were the only ones who saw her up close.” Lonnie smirked, giving you a glance but focusing on Catra, “and both of you didn’t even land a hit on her. What, did you freeze up?” she mocked, raising an eyebrow. Catra hissed and jumped in front of Lonnie in anger.
“What, do you think I’m- we’re- scared of some princess?” She asked in a quiet and dangerous tone, getting all up in Lonnie’s face in a threatening manner. “I could take her out whenever I want, I know her secret.”
“Tch, oh yeah?” Lonnie asked sarcastically and pushed Catra backwards. You quickly caught her from behind, but she pushed you off dismissively. “And what’s that?” Lonnie continued. Catra hissed, but stopped when two other cadets stepped behind her defensively.
“Hm, like i’d tell you.” She said after a while, turning around as you continued to face Lonnie and her ‘gang’.
“Easy, you two.” Lonnie said in a sing-song voice, looking at you with disdain, “Adora’s not here to protect you anymore.”
Catra’s face neutralized in realization, and you followed Catra as she walked away, glancing at Lonnie apologetically as she looked at you with a similar look, but didn’t seem too sorry about all of it.
—----
Catra growled, laying down on her bed. She gazed to the picture that she and Adora drew of the three of you when you were little, it was drawn in chalk, Adora in pink, Catra in blue and you in purple. Catra stared longingly at the drawing of Adora, all that time together, all those games, all those pranks, and she left, for people she had met for a few hours, that had captured her. A small part of her blamed herself, that maybe if she was so happy with someone else, that Catra had been a bad friend to her and making her want to leave them, but Catra forcefully shoved that part away and glared at the drawing with a new ferocious stare.
"UGH!" Catra sat up and slashed violently at the drawing on the wal, she growled as she did so and realized her mistake afterwards, she had accidentally scratched your drawing up too, only a little, around the left eye of it, and suddenly was filled with guilt. Catra gasped and looked down at her pillow, where Adora would sleep. Catra was conflicted, her heart burned and her throat was scratchy and swollen.
She screamed and unleashed all of her anger towards Adora onto the bed. She kicked, punched, scratched and ripped it up; the stuffing was leaking everywhere.
"GRRRAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" She released her war cry and took it all out, her tears now no longer threatening to spill, they fell onto the bed and leaked into the mattress. She cried and sobbed over the bed. Catra sat up and breathed heavily, her heart pounding in her chest, her face contorted from anger to loss and she began hysterically crying at the foot of Adora's bed. Nothing she did ever destroyed that shred of hurt that lingered in Catra's chest and after a while she stopped crying.
Catra wiped away her tears and used her claws to shred one last piece of the bed apart, throwing it on the floor behind her.
Catra's breath hitched when felt a familiar aura seep into the room, it hovered over the piece of cloth and made it's way to Catra specifically. The darkness shadowing the room.
"CATRA!"
"OOF!" Catra scrambled up and hit her head on your bunk, she fell slightly and ran out towards the darkness, where Shadow Weaver stood.
"What, do you want," She spat with distaste, crossing her arms.
"Impertinent as always, I see, with such a grand failure under your belt, it would benefit for you to show a little more respect, cadet." Shadow weaver felt under Catra's chin and caressed it before forcefully grabbing the tip of Catra's chin and making her become face to face with her.
"We did exactly what you told us to do, you were the one who didnt warn us there would be princesses there-"
"I gave you a simple task," Shadow spoke, making herself larger in comparison to Catra, and putting her hands together "BRING BACK ADORA, instead your squadron was ravaged, your war machines destroyed and Adora is still missing!"
She used her shadow magic to surround Catra, making her feel inferior, it swirled around her, snaking her in darkness.
"Newsflash, old lady, if Adora wanted to come home, she'd be here right now," Catra smirked at Shadow Weavers loss for words "Adora's gone, she defected, and I'm starting to think she had the right idea!"
"So maybe it's YOU," She pointed a sharp claw to Shadow Weaver's chest and growled angrily "Who should be showing a little more respect, to ME!"
Shadow Weaver shouted, making her self at least 15 feet tall and she towered over Catra. All the lights in the room popped and everything went dark, she could no longer see Shadow Weaver.
"LIES!!! I have not the PATIENCE to address your incompetence and your insubordination, cadet!" Suddenly the darkness completely encapsulated Catra, leaving just her and Shadow Weaver, face to face "You will answer to a higher power, Lord Hordak, himself!"
You, who had been sitting at the top bunk the whole time, looked down, expressionless. “Great job, dingus.”
~~~~
“And you mean to tell me you’re still down a force captain?”
Hordak’s piercing, deep voice shook you to the bone. Being hidden in the shadows wasn’t your forte, but it was enough to make sure Catra wasn’t hurt in any way during the meeting. Catra watched you from the corner of her eye, knelt down before Lord Hordak nervously.
“Yes, my lord… but rest assured, nothing will stop us from finding Adora and bringing her back.”
Finding Adora? Pfft, yeah right. You internally rolled your eyes from the corner at Shadow Weaver’s false hope-
“No, you will elect another force captain… and resume normal operations.”
What?
“But- my lord! Adora is the only viable candidate.”
Bullshit…
“You have your other wards… like Catra and Y/N. Are they not sufficient as well?”
Why was your name being brought up? Was Hordak actually considering you both?
“Catra has been nothing but a disappointment to me, and Y/N is nowhere close to Adora’s standards!”
You could see Catra’s look of annoyance, subtle but there.
“If you have failed to condition them properly, you have no one but yourself to blame.” Hordak seemed final on his word. It was almost amusing to see Shadow Weaver so flustered. You snickered to yourself, and so did Catra, holding back a laugh.
“But my lord-!”
“Enough. I have made my decision.”
Hordak looked down, turning to Catra, and you heard words you’d never thought you’d hear from someone like him. “Rise, Force Captain Catra.”
Catra looked up in disbelief, and you gasped, covering your mouth in case they heard you. Catra? A Force Captain? It was either cool, or incredibly stupid… Catra stood up, receiving a badge from Lord Hordak as Shadow Weaver watched in shock from behind.
“Hm.”
Lord Hordak looked her up and down, as if scrutinising her, and Catra’s smirk was evident.
Chapter 2: Chapter Two - A Force and Sea Captain
Chapter Text
“AAAAGH! I give up! I give up!”
“Damn it Kyle!” You groaned, trying to pull him out of the robot’s claws, ultimately failing.
“Ugh- quit playing around, Kyle!” Lonnie wasn’t too happy either, obviously angry at the shortage of manpower for the training robot simulator- and Kyle’s stupidity. “Where’s Catra? She’s supposed to be here!”
You paused, not knowing how exactly to break the news, when- “Not anymore, cadet Lonnie.”
Catra came in, looking the most confident she had in a while. She grinned and Lonnie was far from amused.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” She rolled her eyes, swinging the staff at the robot while talking as you climbed on top of the darn, scrap thing.
“Oh Lonnie, Lonnie, sweet dumb Lonnie…” Catra chuckled, tapping her new Force Captain badge. You smiled slightly, before falling off the robot with Rogelio catching you and throwing you aside, letting you land on your feet with a grunt.
“Yeap, they made her Force Captain.” You sighed, faking exasperation, as Lonnie stared in disbelief.
“They made… Catra… Force Captain?” Lonnie questioned, not believing a word.
“Congrats, Catra!” Kyle cheered, before being shaken around and dragged away by the robot.
“Hordak knows a good thing when he sees it.” Catra boasted, her arms on her hips. She clearly thought of herself as the boss or something, much to Lonnie’s annoyance and your amusement. “Now that I’m in charge, Shadow Weaver-“
“Is right behind you,” you interrupted, pointing behind her as Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio saluted. You followed suit, and Catra turned around, saluting with a nervous smile. Shadow Weaver pointed out, and both her and Catra left the room.
“…uh… I’m gonna go check on them.” You gave your staff to Lonnie, who gladly took the extra weapon, and went outside to observe. You hid behind the lockers, watching the conversation.
“What do you need, Shadow Weaver?” Catra asked, nonchalant and bored. “Ooh, are you giving me my first mission?”
“You will explain how you lost Force Captain Adora.” Shadow Weaver turned around menacingly, glaring at Catra through her… ugly… mask. Catra stared at her before groaning in disbelief.
“Ughhhhhhh- I’ve told you everything I know about Adora!” She sighed, exasperated, and tore down a drawing of Adora on her locker, crumpling it up and throwing it to the side, which you caught. Opening the paper, it was a drawing of her in her princessy form, riding a… horse. With wings and what seemed to be a spike on its head, like the one the arrow boy was on.
“I know you’re lying. You have to be lying. What happened to Adora- what did you do?!” Shadow Weaver cornered Catra as you watched from the corner, her shadows flowing around.
“What did I do?! She left us! She left me and Y/N and- ugh! You think Adora’s as loyal as you thought? Well- maybe you’re wrong!” Catra yelled, anger showing in her claws coming out. You stepped back a little, just in case.
“I will learn the truth, Catra, even if I have to drag it from you- AAAGH!” Shadow Weaver’s horrifying ambush was cut off by a yell of pain, with the sound of waves being heard from the crystal embedded into her mask. You gasped, and Catra flinched backwards. She stepped forward, reaching out to Shadow Weaver, but she just shoved Catra away.
“Out of my way!”
Shadow Weaver then fled out of the room, leaving Catra confused and maybe even worried but no one knew that. You ran up to her, smirking.
“Seems even the crystal has it against her, huh?” You joked, and Catra snapped out of her daze, chuckling to herself, and elbowing you in the stomach playfully,
“Shut up…”
~~~
You convinced Catra to stay with the others, (she gladly agreed, wanting to mess with Lonnie even more), and followed Shadow Weaver to her… lair, of sorts. You saw her leaning against the Black Garnet, glaring at it as if it was sentient. “You will not refuse me!” She growled, the crystal glowing brightly.
“Shadow Weaver.”
The voice of Hordak shocked you again, and you hid behind the door frame more, seeing Shadow Weaver look up to a screen where Hordak’s face was.
“Lord Hordak!”
“You have disobeyed my orders.” He boomed, stroking the Imp on his lap with a snarl. You looked at Shadow Weaver, who was trying to keep a calm front.
“I’ve done no such thing, Lord Hordak… my will is your will.” She insisted, bowing. You rolled your eyes at that.
“Then explain to me why you’d requisitioned more troops to look for one. Missing. Soldier. A soldier I ordered you to give up on.”
It had never occurred to you that Shadow Weaver was still looking for Adora. You considered this, the rest of Hordak’s monologue somewhat fading into the background. However, you were snapped out of your daze as Hordak’s next words intrigued you.
“And never forget. I gave you your magical power, and at my slightest whim, I can take it away. Understand?”
You looked up, noticing Shadow Weaver clench her fists. She seemed… oddly enraged. “Of course. Lord Hordak…”
The moment the screen turned off, Shadow Weaver let out the ugliest, most desperate cry of anger as her shadows expanded, and you ran from the door frame to avoid being hit. Shadow Weaver? Defying orders? It made sense, especially since Lord Hordak wouldn't allow so much resources to be used to track down one person.
~~~
In the middle of the night, you were at the top bunk, trying to sleep, when you heard purring from above your head. Opening your eyes, you squinted upwards, seeing Catra’s eyes directly in front of your face.
“WHAT THE- Catra!” You groaned, and Catra immediately started her ramble.
“So, guess what my oh-so-important mission is,” she began, sarcasm dripping from every word. “I’m supposed to track down Adora and bring her back to the Horde. Because apparently, she’s still Shadow Weaver’s favourite.” She snorted, clearly unimpressed.
“It’s ridiculous. She’s probably halfway across Etheria by now, doing sparkle stuff.” You sighed, raising an eyebrow as you sat up, rubbing your eyes, “Why do you have to tell me this now?”
“Because if I don’t, I’ll destroy the bed.” Catra huffed, half-joking. “As much as Adora should be here, it’s weird that Shadow Weaver cares so much that she can’t accept the fact Adora beat up a bunch of our own.
“She what?!” You sat up some more, and Catra blinked.
“Yeah, Shadow Weaver showed me footage. Adora went full hero-mode, like some over-the-top rebel, swinging that sword around and taking out every Horde soldier who tried to stop her.” Catra smirked, her eyes narrowing mischievously. “She’s supposed to be the model soldier, right? But there she was, tossing people left and right like she was defending the whole planet. Shadow Weaver’s fuming about it.”
You let out a low whistle, shaking your head. “I thought Adora was just… you know, stupid. I didn’t think she’d actually fight us.”
Catra gave a mocking shrug, leaning even closer. “Guess all those years of being ‘perfect’ finally broke her. Now I have to be the one to drag her back, like she’s some lost kitten.” She scoffed, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. “She’s not coming back willingly, that’s for sure.”
You laughed softly, despite yourself. “And what are you gonna do, Catra? Give her pouty eyes until she surrenders? We don't have a lot of time to get to her anyway, Hordak's probably furious at the fact Shadow Weaver's using so much of her energy for just Adora.
“Very funny,” she grumbled, batting at you with her hand. “But if I have to chase her halfway across Etheria, believe me, she’ll be back…”
~~~
“Adora is in Seaworthy. I’m giving you one more chance to bring her back.”
You had followed Catra when Shadow Weaver ordered her presence. It seemed she was still trying too hard to get back Adora, funnily enough. Catra yawned, crossing her arms. “Uh… didn’t Hordak just order you to stop going after Adora?”
“And who is going to tell him? You?” Shadow Weaver challenged, turning to the both of you with a glare. Catra narrowed her eyes, and you put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at you, before gently taking your hand off.
“Fine, about time you start treating me like a Force Captain anyway.” She huffed, looking away as she started to walk out with you, “I’ll bring her back.”
“Not so fast… you’ll be joined by Force Captain Scorpia.”
You and Catra paused, turning back to face Shadow Weaver, confused. The moment you both turned back around, a menacing, tall figure was behind you with a playful smirk…
“Kitty!”
…what?
“Just so you know, I’m a hugger.” Scorpia grinned as she picked Catra up, much to Catra’s confusion, and gave Catra a tight squeeze, leading to Catra hurriedly jumping out and dragging you behind Shadow Weaver.
“Is this some kind of joke?” You asked, chuckling to yourself, ignoring Catra’s startled annoyance.
“Scorpia will see that you are kept in line.” Shadow Weaver huffed, as Scorpia smiled at you both in the most cheerful, sappy way.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Ugh, okay, whatever.”
You and Catra had mixed reactions, and gave each other odd looks before Catra continued. “You’re at least giving us a vehicle, right?”
“Something like that.” Shadow Weaver’s amusement was evident in her voice.
~~~
“No. Not-“
“Boats!” Scorpia grinned, staring out into the ocean as Catra held onto the edge for dear life. You laughed at her obvious hate for boats, at the side holding onto the wall to keep yourself from falling.
“Oh- I just love boats, don’t you? The wind in your hair, ocean on every side, miles and miles from the nearest dry land!” Scorpia smiled as she took in the watery scene, “…watery death awaiting at the slightest mishap! Man, that's what I call living.”
You laughed even harder as the splash of water hit Catra’s face, watching her reel back with a pained expression like she’d been struck by sunlight. She tried to shake it off, snarling, “Yeah… I’m really gonna need you to shut up.”
“Seasick much?” You grinned, strolling closer. Scorpia gasped as Catra’s pale, queasy look confirmed it. Without hesitation, Scorpia swooped in, lifting Catra up into her arms like a newlywed bride, determined to help.
“Just focus on me, okay? It’ll help,” she encouraged soothingly. But Catra, never one for coddling, squirmed in her grip, pushing against Scorpia’s shoulder as she wriggled free and plopped onto the floor with a hiss.
“Put me down! What is wrong with you?” she groaned, trying to shake off the dizziness as you laughed louder. She shot you a glare that could’ve melted steel. “Shut up, Y/N!”
“Oh, come on, Catra can’t handle the huggies?” you teased, crossing your arms as she glared daggers at you, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. With a huff, she pulled herself to her feet, wiping her mouth like she was done with the whole ordeal.
In her disoriented state, she stumbled right into the line of sight of Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle, who were watching the whole scene with their jaws hanging open. Catra, quick to recover her tough-girl act, barked, “What are you looking at? Get back to doing boat things!”
The three scrambled off, each pretending to do whatever “boat things” they thought might look important. You facepalmed, unable to hold back a grin as you turned to Scorpia, who was still watching Catra fondly.
“So… what are you exactly? Some kind of… scorpion hybrid?” you asked, half-jokingly. “Was one parent human and the other… you know, scorpion?”
Scorpia laughed, shaking her head. “Nah, both of my moms were like me! Full scorpion hybrids. We’re made to be tough!” She flexed her muscles with a grin, showing off as you chuckled.
“Right, I forgot, you’re the muscle,” you replied, nodding, but then she looked back at you, raising an eyebrow.
“And what about you?” She tilted her head, gesturing at your pointed ears. “Goat hybrid? Centaur? Alien?”
“Uh… your guess is as good as mine.” You shrugged. “I was brought up by the Horde, so who knows? I might be some rare mix or just… you know, half of me’s a mystery.” You brushed it off, like it didn’t matter, even though sometimes you did wonder.
After a while, you all finally reached Seaworthy. The boat came to a jarring halt, and you noticed Catra heading to the front, confronting Kyle, who was peering out at something with his telescope. “Why did we stop?” she demanded, crossing her arms.
“The Sea Gate is blocking our path—there’s no way around it, Force Captain Catra…” Kyle said, quickly snapping into a salute. Catra blinked, processing this, and before he knew it, she’d leapt onto his shoulders, snatching the telescope from his grip to look for herself.
As Kyle toppled over with a yelp, you walked up beside Catra and looked out. In the distance, a massive, shimmering barrier spanned the water, blocking your path to Salineas. “Huh. Guess Shadow Weaver forgot to mention the giant glowing wall in the middle of the ocean, huh?” you said, rolling your eyes as Catra groaned.
“Oh, just perfect. Really helpful, Shadow Weaver…” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Scorpia, noticing the exchange, walked over with a puzzled expression.
“Wait a minute, didn’t you learn about the Salineas Sea Gate in Force Captain orientation?” Scorpia asked innocently. You and Catra turned to her in shock.
“There’s a Force Captain Orientation?” Catra scoffed, a mix of disbelief and annoyance in her voice. She shot you a look, her jaw dropping at the revelation she’d somehow missed.
“Oh, yeah, totally!” Scorpia chuckled, a bit sheepish. Catra groaned, tossing the telescope aside as she turned to the others, who were goofing off nearby, oblivious to the growing tension.
“All hands on deck!” she barked, her voice sharp and commanding. “We’re finding a way through that gate!”
You couldn’t help but let out a low whistle, thoroughly impressed. “Nice captain yell,” you said with a smirk, nudging her, and Scorpia nodded in agreement.
Catra smirked, putting a firm hand on your shoulder, and leaned in. “No, it was the best captain yell,” she replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
~~~
The solution ended up being… a cannon. A giant, laser beam-shooting cannon. Scorpia was loading it up as the boat came closer to the gate. Catra grinned, and Scorpia sent a blast at the Sea Gate. A large, red hole formed, going through the barrier like a cavity. A glowing, red cavity.
As you watched Scorpia load up another shot, Catra paused. She took out her telescope, looking at a section of the gate, as if she had spotted something important. She turned to you and Scorpia, looking determined for some reason.
“Keep us going full speed, I’ve got something more important to do.” She grinned, before running off and hopping out of the ship towards the sea gate.
“Huh. Wonder what that’s all about.” You mused, and Scorpia looked at the gate carefully, trying to spot what Catra was so interested in.
“Ohh! There’s a princess at the gate!” Scorpia explained, pointing towards a tall figure in front of the gate, crackling with electrical energy from the blast.
“...Adora.” You mumbled under your breath, watching as the tall princess pointed her fancy sword at the gate and sent magic flowing through. You then spotted two others hop off the platform she was on, as one headed to the side and the other, presumably the Princess of Salineas, dived into the water with a newly-formed mermaid tail.
As the ship got closer, the same guy who was on the horse from the battle in Thaymor used an arrow to get onto the ship, tearing the sail while doing so. You stayed close to Scorpia, expecting the others to handle him.
“We have an intruder…” You muttered, and Scorpia looked back, only to see an arrow puncture the cannon, melting it with some sort of arrow.
“Oh come on!” Scorpia groaned, stumbling backwards in surprise. The ship shook a little from a large wave as you joined in the fight with the Rebellion guy. Watching as Kyle and Lonnie were thrown off the ship with a pulse of water.
“Rude much?” You growled, leaping towards the guy and landing a punch, causing him to stumble back into Scorpia, who picked him up with ease.
“Oh, you’re big…” He chuckled weakly, and Scorpia simply threw him off the ship like it was nothing.
“See ya!” She grinned as he fell, and you gave Scorpia a high five… well, as good as a high five with someone with pincers could be.
“Damnnn, that was clean!” You chuckled, and she flushed at the praise, before looking back at the cannon. She sighed, poking at the acidic substance.
“Ow…! Don’t, uh… touch that.” She mumbled, and your grin became a facepalm. Kyle and Lonnie ran to the cannon.
“What are you waiting for? Load it up!” Lonnie groaned, grabbing Kyle as they both pulled the trigger to the cannon, shooting more red holes into the magic gate.
As Scorpia managed them, you looked up and saw Catra attacking Adora at the platform. You contemplated joining…
“Y/N! Mind helping?” Kyle yelled, and you groaned, going over to him and shoving him aside, allowing you and Lonnie to pull the cannon instead, shooting more and more blasts at the gate.
But before any of you could celebrate, a damn flaming ship, literally flaming, came towards yours, and all of you went to the front to stare at it in pure confusion. “What the heck?!” Lonnie shouted in disbelief, and all of you jumped off the ship as it exploded while colliding into the one on fire, landing into the water.
“Good damn thing I can swim…” You muttered, grabbing a piece of wood and giving it to Scorpia, turning to the others. “C’mon guys… let’s go… and Scorpia, go get Catra…”
Scorpia nodded and paddled off to catch the feline from the water as you swam away. You turned back a little, seeing Adora laughing and celebrating with the princesses. Good for her…
Chapter 3: Chapter Three - Princess Prom
Chapter Text
(A/N: Before I continue, know that this whole chapter is a combination of two episodes because each section is short. Catra and Y/N don’t get much time in “No Princess left Behind”, so it will be added to this section..)
—--
You watched as Catra paced up and down, looking more smug than usual. Hopping down from the top bunk, you sat on the floor. “What’s up with you? You’re acting plottier than usual.” You chuckled, and she paused, turning to you.
“Shadow Weaver is hilarious! She’s pretty much given up on getting us to capture Adora, and then she goes and gets herself
exploded! Hah!” Catra laughed, pulling you up, “But don’t you see? She’s been doing it all wrong! She’s been ambushing Adora everytime they expect problems! We need to find a time when everyone’s guard is down.”
“Seriously? You know Adora has never relaxed in her life.” You smirked, pushing Catra away playfully. “Good luck finding a time like that.”
Catra’s smirk fell, before her mood seemed to change. “I- Ugh. Look, I’m tired of this. Shadow Weaver’s attempts of failure will get her in trouble with Lord Hordak, and then she’ll bring us down with her. She’s obsessed! We need to think of the big picture. Someone new to be in charge… me.”
You scoffed, before turning to Scorpia, who was sitting on Catra’s bed. “You hearing this, Scorps?”
“I’m hanging out in your room!” Scorpia squealed, not focusing at all. She seemed super excited to just be in you and Catra’s room. Catra sighed.
“Well… you’re one of the few I can trust around here.” She mumbled, walking to the side as Scorpia grinned, turning to her.
“Because we’re best friends.” She insisted, and you chuckled at Catra’s annoyance. She huffed, walking back to you and Scorpia.
“Stop being so… you… and help me think!” She huffed, stopping her pacing. “I have the beginning of a plan, but it’s not enough. I need to capture Adora so Shadow Weaver doesn’t demote you.”
“You’re getting Adora to avoid demotion?” You teased, nudging her, “Admit it, you like Adora.”
Catra hissed, shoving you away with a grunt, “No I don’t! I just… need to impress Hordak and become the new Shadow Weaver!”
“Ew. That’s gross.” You mock groaned, sticking up your tongue at her. “Becoming Shadow Weaver is a dark and evil path you wouldn't want to cross.” You continued with a roll of your eyes.
“Ugh. The point is, I need to get to the top!” Catra changed the topic quickly, still trying to think of a plan. Scorpia looked at you both, before suddenly picking up a scroll from the side.
“Why don’t you try something at the All-Princess Ball? Every princess is gonna be there, so Adora probably will be too! Ooh… this year’s theme is Winter Wonderland.” She offered, which both you and Catra turned to in shock.
“Wait, where did you get that?” You asked, going over and taking the scroll from her hands, reading a bunch of rules from a bunch of princessy handwriting. Catra snatched the scroll from you, looking over with slight disgust.
“They sent it to me. I’m a princess.” Scorpia shrugged, and both you and Catra stared at her in shock. “YOU’RE a princess?!” Catra yelled in surprise, and you just stared. Scorpia chuckled awkwardly, and you nabbed the invite to look it over.
“Yeah, you know… the Horde crash-landed in my family’s kingdom?”
Silence.
“We let them stay. My family gave Hordak our Runestone, the Black Garnet?”
More silence.
“You’re a princess.” You scoffed, facepalming as you threw Catra the invite. How did you not know this? It did explain Scorpia’s over-the-top hugs…
“Oh, man, I thought everyone knew! I mean it’s covered in Force Captain Orientation.” Scorpia admitted sheepishly, which Catra sighed, putting the scroll at her lap. “I’m starting to think I shouldn't have skipped that…” She mused, handing the scroll back to Scorpia. “Okay, you’re a princess, and you’re going to a Princess Ball…”
“Oh, no, I’m not going. No.” Scorpia interjected, looking uncomfortable, “No one liked my family, even before we joined the Horde. I… never really fit it with the other princesses.”
She sighed, looking away dejectedly. “I made them uncomfortable and… yeah, they don't like that… They don’t like me.” She muttered, and your face hardened with barely disguised disgust. You gave Catra a knowing look, and she nodded, both of you turning to Scorpia with determined looks.
“And that’s exactly why you have to go.” Catra grinned, and you put a hand on her shoulder, smiling too.
“Those princesses aren't any better than you. If anything, you’re much more likely to be better than them! They can't ostracise you for being different.” You encouraged sincerely, giving Scorpia a large grin.
“They can’t just come in and ruin everything! How dare they abandon people that don't fit in with their perfect little lives!” Catra continued, standing up as Scorpia’s smile started to regain itself again.
“Yeah…” She nodded in agreement.
“And how dare they take best friends, make them into giant sword ladies and make them run off with people that clearly
don't stand a chance against someone like you!” You stood up too, taking Catra’s hand and joining her in the… speech. Of sorts.
“You’re explaining my whole life in your words.” Scorpia leaned forward, clearly listening to you two intently. Catra took advantage of this, and hopped forward, bringing you with her. “Well, it’s time to show those princesses a thing or two. You’re going, we’re coming as your plus ones, and we are going to make this a night no one will ever forget!”
“Super Pal Trio is going to prom!” Scorpia grinned excitedly, and Catra shoved you forward to take the brunt of Scorpia’s massive hug. Catra giggled as Scorpia squashed you with her large pincers.
“Yay…” You muttered weakly, wriggling out of her grip and stepping back. “Also… don’t do that.”
—-
After a long hour of… dress code checking… you three were finally in your outfits. Scorpia was in a gorgeous, slick dress (after many attempts at frilly), Catra was in a suit (Where did she get that from?!), and you were also in a suit that Catra had provided.
“Seriously, where did you get these?” You asked as you three were entering the ball. Catra giggled, not bothering to answer the question. “Secret.”
You three entered the ice castle, arms interlocked in your outfits. It felt weird being at a ball. So many people you couldn't fight, so much weird, non-bar-shaped food, etc etc. You three approached the hostess (a kid?!?! What is with the rebellion and their weird troops?), and bowed according to the scroll’s etiquette rules, only for Adora and her princess friend to run over.
“Revered Hostess! You can’t let them in, they’re from the Horde.” Adora objected, and Catra grinned, elbowing you subtly.
“Revered Hostess… Princess Scorpia was invited by you, as per the rules of this Ball, which we all have utmost respect for, and I believe this place is neutral ground, isn't it? Adora?” You gave Adora a smirk and glare combo, which Adora responded with a glare of her on. “You do not-!”
“Princess Adora. The rules state clearly that all Princesses and their chosen guests are welcome.” Princess Frosta said firmly, and all three of you turned to Adora with cocky smirks. Adora glared at you, turning to Frosta.
“They’re up to something, I can feel it! You have to-”
“That’s enough!” Frosta interrupted. “You look at me and see a child, but I have worked too hard to gain respect- only to throw it away because you feel they’re up to something.”
You felt like laughing right then and there. The perfect Adora being told off by a child! You cleared your throat, and Catra leaned on you to prevent her own laughing as Frosta continued.
“The newcomer is right, this ball is neutral ground, and has been for centuries, a legacy not to be dishonoured. Scorpia is a princess, Princesses get plus ones. They. Stay.”
Adora glared at the three of you, before “hmmphing” and being thrown off the platform by a few guards with her sparkly friend. “Teenagers…” The young princess muttered and waved you, Catra and Scorpia off. The three of you went down, approaching them as Catra stood in front, more smug than the time Shadow Weaver had to give her that Force Captain badge.
“Really, Adora… I’m shocked. We’re not breaking any rules, didn’t you read the invite?” Catra said, her hands in her pockets. Adora narrowed her eyes, giving Catra a suspicious look.
“I know you’re plotting something. From now to the second the ball ends, I’ll be watching.” She smirked, though it was obvious that she was still really angry. “Wherever the three of you go, I go.”
“...suit yourself.” Catra shrugged, before glancing back at you and Scorpia, which resulted in the three of you completely splitting up.
“Good luck following us!” You added as the three of you went in completely different directions in the room.
“Ughhh… Glimmer, you get Scorpia, I’ll deal with Catra and Y/N…” Adora grumbled, and her sparkly friend teleported away as she went for Catra first.
You were at the side, eating some kelp (which was surprisingly decent), watching as Catra taunted Adora with fake sabotages. Adora groaned again and looked at you, but stared in confusion as you downed more kelp.
She shook her head, and suddenly, you were gone.
“W-where did they-” She started, looking around, seeing Catra mess around and tease her more, and she growled, deciding to go find you instead, not wanting to give Catra the satisfaction of seeing her annoyed.
She looked around, seeing you approach Entrapta, the long pigtailed, non-formally dressed Princess of Dryl. Her instincts kicked in as she ran over to go catch you in whatever act you might do.
She ran up, seeing Entrapta leaning over the edge as you approached, reaching out…
“Don’t touch her!” Adora yelled, causing Entrapta to fumble and fall over… until you caught her and pulled her back up.
“Oh, you’re right, this is a much better vantage point for my observations!” She grinned, hopping off the ledge as she addressed Adora with nothing more than a cute wave. “Hi Adora! Have you met my new assistant? She brought snacks.”
Adora turned to you, dumbfounded. You shrugged, putting an arm around Entrapta’s shoulder. “Pigtails here stole my food then asked me to spy on people with her. Is this what love feels like?” You asked, grinning as Adora rolled her eyes in sheer disbelief.
Adora pulled Entrapta away as she waved goodbye to you, and whispered to her a conversation you were too bored to listen to, so you walked away to go find Catra or Scorpia.
As you walked along, you discreetly planted heat bombs behind pillars and on walls, looking around as you spotted Catra on the dance floor. Approaching her, you elbowed her gently.
“Hey, did you know one of the princesses here only likes tiny food?”
“Sounds weird. What kind of person only eats tiny food?” Catra chuckled, before looking to the side. “Looks like Adora’s found us.”
“Oh what a tragedy indeed.” You mumbled, and both of you laughed as the lights dimmed. The princess announced a dance, and the both of you gave each other knowing looks, before separating as Adora was shoved into the dance floor.
You danced with Adora’s sparkly friend, who was crying a little (not that you cared, in fact, she didn't seem to notice she was dancing with a Horde soldier), as you watched Catra dance with Adora at the side. “I don’t know about you but I am having a blast…” Catra mused, and Adora just gave her a playful glare.
“Whatever it is you’re planning, it won’t work.” Adora insisted, and Catra raised an eyebrow.
“You sure?” She chuckled, before separating and grabbed you instead. The sparkle princess then moved to Adora as you and Catra did a playful twirl.
“Man, even in a ball, Adora cannot let it go.” You sighed, and Catra just huffed in annoyance.
“It’s Adora, what do you expect? Oh, by the way… did you manage to plant the seeds?” Catra asked, giving you a small smirk, and you nodded, before you moved towards Adora, and she pulled you backwards.
“Maybe the plan won’t work…” You chuckled, before pulling away, “But then again…” you continued, pushing Adora towards Catra as she caught her and pulled Adora into a dip.
“Maybe it already has…” Catra finished as you moved closer. Catra pulled Adora out and pushed her towards you again. You caught her by the arm.
“Say, any chance you saw your friend? Bow?” You teased, and Adora immediately had a look of realisation, pulling away and clenching her fist tightly. Within a second, she grabbed you and shoved you into a large ice sculpture, causing it to shatter into pieces as your back hit it roughly. That shove was both unsurprising and painful.
“What did you do to him?!” Adora demanded as the music stopped and the crowd stared. You coughed a little, before grinning again.
“Nothing too permanent.” You said mockingly, and Catra walked over casually as Adora lifted you by the collar.
“Tell me what you did with him right-” Adora started, before a large ice pillar shoved the two of you apart, Catra catching you from behind as Adora was simply shoved to the floor.
“Ouch. That shove was cold.” She joked, and you rolled your eyes with a cocky smile.
“You should’ve been shoved too, dork…” You muttered as you dusted yourself off. The both of you watched as Princess Frosta approached Adora in clear disbelief, the crowd watching in anticipation.
“Revered Hostess! She’s got-”
“The Princess Ball is a ceremony of unity. Violence is strictly forbidden.” Frosta cut her off firmly, and Adora shook her head. “You don’t understand!” She tried, sticking her head out of the tiny ice prison she was in.
“No. I understand perfectly.” Frosta insisted, turning to the crowd. “As hostess, in accordance with the rules set down over the centuries, I hereby revoke your invitation!”
You and Catra gasped in mock disbelief as Frosta continued her angry announcement. “You are to leave my kingdom and never, ever-”
Before she could finish, the castle shook, and all the bombs you, Catra and Scorpia had placed went off, causing the red mist to explode everywhere. Frosta immediately went into action to try calm the distressed crowd. “Remain calm! Stop!” She yelled as the guards led her away from the destruction.
You and Catra both smirked, and you ended up walking away to go find Scorpia as Catra stayed with a very pissed Adora. You watched the sparkle princess teleport away and chuckled to yourself. “Too easy…”
You ran to the entrance, spotting said sparkle princess kick Lonnie in the face and shoving Kyle to check on her unconscious friend. You then watched as Scorpia simply stung her too, causing her to collapse.
“Nice one, Scorps.” You chuckled, walking over, “Man, I wish I had more action…” you sighed, and Scorpia patted your back a little.
“I’m sure you had tons of action! Now c’mon, help me get these guys on the return flight.” Scorpia said with a huge smile, lifting the sparkle princess up as you and Lonnie took the boy in the crop top, Kyle following behind while rubbing his head in pain.
“Is this your flying ship?!” You marvelled at the large, scorpion themed ship as all of you went inside.
“Pretty much. It was my moms’, actually…” Scorpia paused, before taking the wheel as you took Adora’s fancy sword from Kyle.
Catra, who ended up falling off a ledge, was caught by you, and the ship flew up to see Adora holding on to the cliff by her hairpin. She gasped, seeing her friends unconscious in the ship. Catra smirked, pulling them towards her as she laughed. “See ya later, Princess!” She taunted, and the ship flew away, leaving Adora dangling there, alone.
The mission was successful.
—--
“Can you believe this?!”
Nearly successful.
“Shadow Weaver gets all the credit! All of it! For our mission, can you believe that?!” Catra groaned as you raised an eyebrow at her rant.
“Why are you even surprised? With the golden child gone, Shadow Weaver lost all excuse to share any sort of glory.” You mumbled, fixing your hair a little as you covered your left eye with it again.
“Well- yes but- ughhh! It’s so annoying! When I get my chance, I’m going to claw of her smug face and-”
Catra paused, giving you a small guilty look, before clearing her throat. “- claw off her mask, I meant. Her face is probably so ugly she’ll never survive without it.”
Your small and nervous look turned into laughter as you wiped a small tear from your eye. “Hah! Good one…”
Before you could say anything else, red lights started to flash around the area, and you stood up. “Oh yay, emergency.” You muttered, and Catra grabbed you to the Black Garnet Chamber.
“C’mon, let’s go check what Shadow Weaver messed up this time…”
—--
“Andddd she’s revoking my Force Captain role.” Catra muttered in annoyance as she stood outside of the chamber, and you winced as she clenched her fist. “Why does she always do this?!” She screamed, punching the wall beside her and denting it slightly. “Adora comes back and then everything I’ve done is worthless!”
You looked around, before putting a hand on Catra’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. Remember what happened last time? Hordak clearly wants you as a Force Captain! Don’t worry about it.”
Catra looked up at you, before pushing your hand away and huffed, not even looking at you. You sighed, leaving to go find something else to do. You paused, before turning back, seeing Catra keep her eyes on the Black Garnet Chamber.
You paused, before finally walking off, holding your left eye.
—-
Chapter 4: Chapter Four - Octavia's Identical
Chapter Text
“Plot twist number two- Shadow Weaver got punished!” Scorpia explained as you, her and Catra walked along a corridor. Scorpia and Catra had just gotten back from a Force Captain meeting, and Scorpia was thrilled to tell you all about it.
“You should have seen the look on her face- it was priceless!” Catra chuckled, leaning her arm on your shoulder playfully. She was certainly excited to know Shadow Weaver was in trouble, reasonably enough.
“Yes! Well, I mean… probably? It’s kinda hard to tell with the mask and all…” Scorpia added nervously, before the three of you heard robotic squeaking noises. You all turned to see a small Horde Robot following you, and you shuddered. You all resumed walking as Catra kept gloating.
“If she wants to take credit for my plans, she can take the blame too.” She muttered confidently, before pausing and looking back.
“What’s up?” You turned, and Catra shushed you, walking back and sniffing around. Both you and Scorpia gave confused looks, and Scorpia muttered to herself. “Yeah… yeah that’s- that’s concrete…”
You followed Catra in confusion, watching as she tore off a vent cover, revealing the same purple princess from the ball… Entrapta.
“Oof! Oh…” Entrapta yelped as she rolled out, before turning to Catra. “...uh… hi?”
—
Catra opened the door to Entrapta’s new cell, you and Scorpia following behind as she held up her blaster. “Prisoner…” She said condescendingly, and Scorpia perked up.
“That’s Entrapta.” She muttered, and you snickered as Catra groaned. “I know her name! I was just- ugh… never mind.”
Catra got closer to Entrapta, trying to look as intimidating as possible. “Lord Hordak himself tasked me with your interrogation. So there’s no use resisting.”
You watched as Entrapta meddled with her locks, but said nothing, only gesturing to Catra about it, and she scoffed and rolled her eyes, blasting a laser right next to Entrapta, going right in her face. “I don’t care what it takes.” She growled, shoving the blaster at Entrapta’s neck as Entrapta let out a small whimper. Whether it was fear or curiosity, it would become obvious soon enough.
“I’m going to drag the Rebellion’s plans out of you.” Catra continued, before being shoved away by Entrapta’s hair tentacles and losing her blaster. Entrapta grinned, holding onto it with her hair. “Wh- hey!” Catra yelled, and you held back a laugh
“Ooh! What’s that?” Entrapta asked, pressing the trigger, sending a blast at the ceiling and sending rocks falling down, which Scorpia shielded you and Catra from.
“Fascinating!” Entrapta giggled, and you grabbed it back with a sigh. “No, you can steal food, but not this.” You muttered, tossing it back to Catra, who groaned, knowing this was going to be a longggg process.
“Stop that! We’re interrogating you!” Catra narrowed her eyes at Entrapta, who just shrugged. “Okay then, what do ya wanna know?”
You paused, and all three of you gave each other confused looks, before you turned to Entrapta. “Why were you in the vents of the Fright Zone?”
“Oh! I was waiting for my friends to get back. They had trouble finding me before, so I thought it would be best to just stay put to make it easier for them.” Entrapta explained calmly and casually. Catra blinked, before stepping forward.
“They left you.” She concluded, and Entrapta chuckled, disagreeing. “No! No, they’re my friends, they’ll be back.” She insisted, before slipping out of her cuffs and going towards Scorpia.
“Say, your tail secretes some kind of paralysing agent, right?” She asked, pulling her mask down, “Do you think I could have a sample? To study?” She continued, grabbing Scorpia’s tail a little, to which Scorpia pulled it away in annoyance.
“Hey! You can’t touch another woman’s tail without asking!” She huffed, and Entrapta shrugged, going to you.
“And you! Are you some sort of goat-human hybrid? And what’s with the hair?” She questioned, and you stepped back, putting your hands up to your shoulders. “You’re asking again… I said no…”
Catra paused, before stroking Entrapta’s hair with her claws gently. “Some friends… they left you, and they’re not coming back.”
Entrapta turned to Catra, listening quietly. “Just like Adora… she left us behind too… like we were nothing…”
You stood next to Scorpia, silently shushing her as Catra kept talking, twirling her claw on Entrapta’s hair strand. “Adora got her precious Bow and Glimmer back… all these princesses care about is people who are just like them.” She drawled, giving Entrapta a knowing look. “But you’re not like them, are you?”
Entrapta took back her hair tendril, clutching it to her chest as her other pigtail lifted a small recorder. “Fright Zone log, hour forty-five. Is that right? I don’t know if that’s right, it’s hard to tell in the walls.”
You looked up, tilting your head as Entrapta recorded her voice onto the device. “Hour forty-five, that’s…” Entrapta paused, hee voice showing a little realisation, “...that’s too many hours. This angry feline person seems to be correct… they’re not coming back for me.”
Entrapta teared up a little, and you stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You could stay with us? Pretending to be something you’re not is not needed here.” You offered, wiping the tear from her eyes gently. Catra grinned a little, stepping back.
“Imagine what you could accomplish here! What we could accomplish together.” You continued with a small smile, patting her shoulder as both Catra and Scorpia nodded in agreement.
Entrapta looked at the three of you. “I’ve.. made more progress on my work in secret here than I did in a whole non-secret life out there!” She admitted, her mood changing instantly. “They should see- Horde technology gives me so much to work with.”
She grinned, turning to the three of you excitedly as she placed her hands on your shoulders. “Emily’s the most advanced bot I’ve ever built!”
“Who what now?” You questioned, stepping back from her grip a little, and she chuckled.
“Oh! How rude of me! Allow me to introduce you.” She grinned, before clapping twice. A large spark of light came from the wall and Scorpia pulled Catra down as you stood behind Entrapta. A large hole was then blasted into the wall and a Horde Bot came in, it’s sensor pink instead of red now as Entrapta pet it.
Catra looked back at the wall and sighed. “Those princesses have no idea who they left behind…
—-
“Sorry again… about the wall.” Entrapta apologised from her cuffs, and Catra just sighed while she paced. “Don’t worry about it…” She muttered, and Entrapta looked confused. You walked up from helping Scorpia fix the wall Entrapta had blasted, standing beside Entrapta and watching her pace.
“You’re not mad? People usually get mad.” Entrapta admitted with a tiny, sad look. Catra scoffed, looking up at the princess with a smile.
“Are you kidding? I’m impressed! You re-built that robot- I mean Emily- all on your own? While living in the vents?” Catra said in clear excited disbelief. It was clear that she didn't know even living in the vents was a thing as well.
“Sure did! Not only that, but she’s better than ever.” Entrapta explained, hopping out of her cuffs casually, “Stronger, increased weapon capabilities, and affectionate too!”
Entrapta gave the robot light pats and it ended up rubbing against her leg like an actual cat. She sighed, rubbing her arm nervously while patting Emily with her large pigtails. “Who knows how much more powerful she could be if I just had access to a little First Ones Tech…” She muttered, slipping back into the cuffs. “You don’t have any here, do you?”
“First Ones what?” You questioned, now standing next to Catra as Entrapta explained, jazzed up.
“You know, First Ones Tech! Advanced technology left behind by a lost civilization? Makes our modern innovations look like children’s toys?” Entrapta tilted her head, expecting you all to already know what it was.
“I’ve been attempting to integrate First Ones Tech into my experiments for years, but my understanding of their code is still… rudimentary.” She shrugged, now in thought. “If I could just find the key to their language, there’s NO TELLING what I could build! Such a find could yield almost unlimited power!”
She burst into a sort of excited, manic laughter as she grasped your shoulders with her pigtails, making you flinch. You stepped back, joining Scorpia to fix the wall, leaving everything else to Catra. Catra paused, before getting an idea. “And… where would one find this tech?”
“It’s buried all over the planet. It gives off a signal that can be traced!” Entrapta explained, while you had to catch bricks falling out of the wall and give them to Scorpia for her to fix. You turned to Catra and Entrapta, still listening in curiously.
“Lately, I’ve been tracking the strongest signal I’ve ever seen. It must be a massive stash!” Entrapta said, rubbing her… pigtails like palms in clear excitement. Catra immediately joined her in said excitement. “WHERE?”
“Y/N! Help-” Scorpia suddenly yelled, and you turned to see the entire brick wall collapse. You sheepishly chuckled. “Oops.. sorry.”
“...uh… I mean… uh… where?” Catra asked again, less yelling and more curiosity this time. Entrapta paused, before continuing.
“I’ve triangulated the signal to somewhere in the Whispering Woods. The whole shifting landscape thing makes for a complicated variable, but I’ve created a map that’s accurate within two quadrants.”
“And where can I get this… map?” Catra asked, which Entrapta just pulled out from her pocket.
“Like any good scientist, I carry everything I need on my person.” She replied, tossing it to Catra, who grunted and tried to work it. She pressed a few buttons, shook it, and eventually, Entrapta pressed the button for her with her pigtails, activating what looked like a radar.
Catra smiled, before walking over to you and Scorpia, pulling you both away from Entrapta’s general direction. “I’m not sure if we can trust her yet, but if she’s telling the truth, this could give us a huge advantage over the Rebellion.” Catra grinned, before turning to the device. “Hordak will finally see how much more valuable I am than Shadow Weaver.”
“With luck, you'll get a promotion. Again.” You rolled your eyes with a slight smile, and Scorpia started thinking again. “Ah… what comes after Force Captain…? It’s like- Commander? Head Captain?”
Catra sighed in slight exasperation, turning back to Scorpia. “Keep an eye on Entrapta while I go see if this pans out with Y/N.” She instructed, and you had a silent “yes” to yourself, before seeing Entrapta’s tendril pigtails tap Catra’s shoulder.
“I hope it does, I wanna build something big!” She whispered, almost crazily, behind all three of you, out of her cuffs.
You all stared at her, and both you and Catra indicated the cuffs to her, and she chuckled. “Oh, sorry, my bad…”
She walked back over to the cuffs, pointing at all of them slowly. “Uh… which hair part was in… which thingy?”
You facepalmed, and Scorpia held back laughter.
—--
You entered your dormitory to go grab something Catra left behind, (the map, for some reason), and sat on her bed, grabbing it from under some messed up sheets. Sighing, you turned it on, wanting to figure it out yourself. You pressed a few buttons, before feeling a presence behind you, a familiar one.
“Shadow Weaver..” You sighed, keeping the map in your pocket as you didn't bother looking at her while standing up. “What do you want?”
“I suppose you’re following Catra in her escapade?” the woman drawled, and you scoffed.
“I’m joining her. Not just following. I’m not her follower.” You insisted, fixing Catra’s sheets and pausing, before turning around to face Shadow Weaver. “Why do you care… anyway?” You were stunned at how horrible Shadow Weaver looked. More tired and less confident than usual.
“...do not attempt pity. The wretched cat tried that already.” She scoffed, before looking back at you. “Speaking of which, mind telling me where you’re going?”
You blinked, before scoffing, “Do not attempt that. You already got the credit and the blame for the earlier plan.” You shrugged, shifting your hair again and walking past Shadow Weaver, who narrowed her eyes through her mask.
“I still do not understand why you even stick with that feline child.” Shadow Weaver smirked, looking at you, “She has hurt you in many ways, you know one stuck with you for years, at least.”
You paused, before looking back at Shadow Weaver, “Well, you’ve done the same, yet I still listen to you.” You raised a brow, and she just scoffed.
“That was to train you. I do it to everyone and you know it.” Shadow Weaver protested, and you said nothing, walking out and ignoring her.
—--
You and Catra walked around the Whispering Woods, you trying to navigate the map as Catra just followed you. She groaned, grabbing the map and shaking it. “This- thing is useless!” She groaned, and you snatched it back.
“Not as useless as you in this. Why don't you try using this thing?” You scoffed, still trying to decipher the signals. Catra rolled her eyes, looking like she wanted to throw the map against a tree or something.
“I should’ve known better than to trust a Princess…” She muttered, and you smirked.
“What about Scorpia?” You asked, and she ignored that question too.
“Scorpia is… a special case.”
—--
After a while (which included Catra throwing the map against a tree and breaking it), you both eventually ran from some eerie noises in the forest and made it to a clearing.
“Yippee! Haunted forest.” You muttered, pulling Catra out of a bush. She pulled the leaves off, annoyed. “We’re never going to find this magical tech! If it even existed in the first place!”
She sighed, before looking up, and spotting someone. “...Y/N. Look.”
You looked up as well, seeing the back of a familiar face in the distance. You tilted your head, peering into the distance snd hearing Catra muttering to herself beside you.. “...hey Adora.”
—--
You both watched from a branch as Adora walked up to an entrance on the floor. It opened and she walked in. You both looked at each other, before Catra hopped off the branch and you slid down from the trunk.
“Fancy floor.” You muttered as you both approached the door cautiously. Before Catra could say anything in response the door started closing. She grabbed your wrist and pulled you both in, and you both managed to slide in before the door closed… almost.
“Catra! Pull me out!” You groaned as she tugged on your wrist. Your leg had gotten stuck mid-slide, and she managed to yank you out after a few failed attempts.
“Be more careful, dork…” Catra muttered, leading you in. You both hid behind pillars as Adora asked questions to a hologram in the middle. She was trying to figure out how to heal people with her sword, and was failing. Catra snickered, and motioned for you to follow her from behind. You both snuck around, trying to find First Ones Tech as Adora kept questioning the hologram with weird questions.
Catra finally spotted a piece of removable tech, and you watched as she casually took it out of its socket. Immediately, the socket turned red, and Adora heard the beeping. She turned, blasting it with her sword and both you and Catra barely managed to dodge.
“Hey! Watch it!” Catra shrieked, keeping the tech and Adora stared at the both of you in confusion.
“Wh- guys? What are you doing here?!” She questioned in obvious disbelief, but the hologram started beeping before you or Catra could respond.
“Unauthorised presence detected. Security Protocol Activated.”
The whole room started turning red, and you went closer to Catra. “What the heck is happening?!” You asked, and Adora groaned.
“This isn't good! You’re not supposed to be in here!” She explained, the doors starting to shut. She grabbed onto Catra, who grabbed onto you, and led the two of you away, but you were all intercepted by… spiders
“What… are those?!” Catra screeched.
“Also not good!” Adora replied, and went to a closed doorway, shoving it open. “Come on! We need to run!”
Both you and Catra ran in, and you all found yourselves in a hallway. The lights all slowly started to turn off, and a giant spider appeared behind you in the dark, chasing you all.
“Why the heck are there giant monsters trying to kill us?!” You yelled while running, and Adora groaned. “The place sees you guys as invaders, they’re trying to kill you!”
“Well, can’t you tell them to stop?!” Catra demanded, and Adora scoffed, “No, I can’t tell them to stop! Clearly nothing in here is listening to me!”
You all kept running, reaching a doorway, which was closed. “Adora?” Catra winced, and Adora raised her sword, slicing through the ceiling, sending rocks crumbling down and falling.
“The heck?!” You looked around, and Adora grabbed you and Catra, holding you both close as she summoned a shield on top of you both. The rocks crushed the spider, leaving you all coughing in a mess of rocks and dust.
“Ugh… you both shouldn’t be here!” Adora coughed, transforming back into her regular form, “These things aren't going to stop until they get you, and as long as I’m protecting you, they’re going to want to get me too.”
“Good thing we didn't ask?” Catra scoffed as you rolled your eyes, punching Catra in the shoulder. “Ow! What?”
“Wh- you know wha- okay. Why are you guys here anyway?” Adora asked, “I mean how did you even find this place?”
“It sent up a beam a mile high, it wasn't hard.” You scoffed, standing up and pulling Catra up too by her tail. She hissed, pushing you away and walking off to the side. Adora stood up as well. “Does… Shadow Weaver know about this?”
“I’d say the old woman has got bigger problems right now.” Fatra smirked, before turning back to Adora. “Why are you looking at me like that? Wait, no. I know what this is about. Ugh… I knew you’d be weird about me letting you escape! I told you it's not because I like you.” She groaned, and you gave Catra a confused look, but decided to brush it off since it was- well- Catra.
“I mean I didn't- I didn’t say anything.” Adora muttered, and Catra rolled her eyes.
“Anyways, what are you doing here? Where are your new best friends? I thought you guys did everything together.” Catra asked, and Adora’s look hardened.
“Oh, my friends? The ones you kidnapped and held for ransom?” Adora asked, approaching you and Catra in anger. “The ones you let Shadow Weaver imprison and curse?”
“Yeah, what other friends?” You scoffed, and Adora took a breath.
“Come on, those things will be back any minute, we need to get out of here” Adora sighed, and Catra scoffed, shoving past you and looking towards Adora.
“We don't need to go together! You do your weird little magic quest thing, we’ll find our own way out.” She scoffed, grabbing your shoulder. Adora raised a brow, looking down the only single hallway, and Catra sighed, reluctantly following her as you trailed behind.
You all eventually reached another door.
“Great… another dead end!" Catra sassed. You hummed, looking to the wall. "It's not a dead end," Adora put a hand to the door," Eternia!"
The door slid open at her command, and you stared at her in confusion. "You… read that?" You asked, tilting your head. "It’s a long story," she muttered in response.
Adora lead the three of you into the room. It was completely pitch black, with a single red blimp in the centre.
"Cool, you found the infinite darkness room, have fun, Me and Y/N are gonna find another way around," She went for your hand again, turning around. You rolled your eyes. Catra stopped.
"...uh… wasn't there a door here?” She asked, and Adora pulled out her sword, the runestone glowing and giving light ahead.
"Wait, I think I see something," Adora mentioned the red blip," Hello? Light Hope?"
Who the hell is Light Hope? The three of you walked over to the dot, Adora kneeled down next to the dot, examining it.
You, deciding to play along, walked over to the other side of Adora, and moved your hand about over the dot. It wasn't suspended by anything, so you checked underneath. It was just floating in mid air.
"Whats-" Catra started. The dot exploded sending you back to her. Adora stood up and covered her eyes.
The dot sent off a bright light that seemingly scanned you. It sent off two noises and turned off.
You uncovered your eyes and you were suddenly back in the Fright Zone. Catra froze, her eyes wide like dinner plates. You looked around, confused. Adora glared at you and suddenly she had Catra pinned to the wall.
"What kind of game are you playing?!" Adora yelled.
"Hey! Adora, what are you doing?!" You shouted frantically.
"Woah, woah!" Catra put her arms up in defense," I have no idea what's going on! There's no way we could actually be back at the Fright Zone!"
Adora said nothing, she just glared and pushed harder against Catra's chest.
"So what is this? Another Shadow Weaver mind trick?!"
"C'mon, Adora, let go, you're going a bit overboard." You tried to reason. She ignored you, waiting for Catra to respond.
"I doubt it, now let go of me!" Catra pushed Adora hands off of her and walked away looking for anyone. The walls flickered which made you stand back.
Catra turned a corner and saw a guard in uniform. "Hey! Guard!" She yelled, flicking her fingers," Uh hello?"
She pointed her finger to the mask of the guard, and her hand went straight through. Catra shot back in surprise, laughing.
"Hey, guys! this isnt real!" She laughed, beckoning you over, but you were gone. "Y/N?" She scratched her head," Adora?"
—--
You were walking around the area, looking around the “Fright Zone”. It didn't take you long to realise it was an illusion. You entered a few hallways, before seeing your… young self. An illusion. You were standing next to an illusion of Octavia, both your eyes out and one of Octavia’s hidden under an eye patch.
“Little brats…” The illusion Octavia muttered, before looking down at you. “What do ya want, squirt?”
“...to apologise. For Catra.” You squeaked, your accent stupidly strong. Where you got that accent from, you never knew, but it had faded by the time you were 13. You remembered that day. It was an… interesting one.
“...apologise? For that crazy kid? Sure.” Octavia scoffed in disbelief, and you huffed, flushing a little. “I’m serious! What Catra did was bad, and I’m sorry you were hurt!”
Octavia looked back down at you, before scoffing. “Why do you even hang out with that kid anyway? You’re clearly too wimpy to be with someone like that.”
You rolled your eyes, twiddling your thumbs. “Opposites… attract?”
Octavia sighed, looking as if she was about to crack a small smile, before you saw an illusion of young Catra and young Adora stand next to you from where the real you was. You sighed, remembering what had happened, and turned away from your younger self.
“Hi Y/N! And hey Octavia! You’re a dumb face!” the young Adora yelled, before grabbing Catra’s hand, and they both dashed off. Octavia growled, before pausing and leaning back, glancing at the younger you.
“Opposites really do attract if you’re friends with those two.” She scoffed, roughly patting your head before waving you off. The young you sighed, before climbing up the stairs and running to the young Catra and Adora.
“Wait for me! Guys!” The young you yelled, the illusion running through you as you chased it.
In a blip of a light, you were now chasing the real Catra and Adora, and the hallways returned back to normal. They stopped laughing, and Catra tugged her arm away. She turned to look at you, frowning before looking back at Adora. “What was that?”
“It must've been some sort of simulation… It’s tapping into our memories. I have no idea why…” Adora muttered, and you sighed, pulling back down your hair again.
“This place gives me the creeps…” You mumbled, looking around again, “how do you deal with all this magic shgig?”
“I’m only dealing with it to heal my friend Glimmer after someone got her cursed!” Adora retaliated.
“And no apologies are being given today.” You scoffed, grabbing Catra’s arm as you both walked away, Adora following behind.
“Hey… Catra, can I ask you something?” Adora asked from behind, and Catra sighed. “Can I stop you?” She groaned.
You put your arm out to stop Catra from walking forward. In front of you was a seemingly endless pit. A flimsy bridge made of the same thing as the walls was the only way across.
"Why did you help me escape after you captured us?"
Catra groaned walking to the bridge taking you with her.
"Not this again..." she sighed.
"It's the one thing I can't figure out!"
Catra jumped up onto the bridge, the rest of you following suit. “Yeah- you never told me either.” You added, and Catra ignored your comment.
"You didn't have to do that, you could have just left," all of you got the the end of the bridge," You could've gotten caught! Why risk it? WoahawoahWOAH!"
Adora fell back, her arm extended.
Catra swiftly pressed her arm forward and grabbed it tightly.
"Did you really think we were just gonna let Shadow Weaver erase your memory like that?"
"I don't know, probably."
"Yeah, you never did have much faith in me" Catra said, crossing her arms as she pulled Adora up.
"Can you blame me?" Adora snickered, causing her to furrow her eyebrows.
"Whatever, let's just go," Everyone made their way through the room, walking into another hallway.
"It wasn't all bad growing up in the Fright Zone was it?" Catra asked nonchalantly," You still have some good memories, right?"
"Of course I do, but that doesn't change the fact that the Horde's evil!" Adora sighed, nervous" I had no choice."
"I couldn't go back," She continued. You looked away, crossing your arms. You felt tears coming out, but you pushed them back in as soon as you noticed.
"Hey, Y/n," Adora turned to you now, rubbing your arm.
"What?" You grumbled.
"I missed you too,"
"Huh? I didn't..." She lifted an eyebrow," W-well, maybe a little bit..."
Adora laughed.
"Well, I certainly didn't miss you!" Catra added.
"Oh, please, you missed me the most!" Adora retorted.
"Get over yourself!" Catra kicked Adora away playfully, causing you to giggle.
"Not until you admit, you like me!" Adora grabbed Catra and wrestled her hair. You walked between them, pulling them apart and holding them both by their shoulders.
"I don't like you!" Catra shouted.
"Hah! C'mon, you guys, split it up," You pushed Adora back and she snorted, "We all know everyone likes me the best. I mean, I'm great at everything and everybody falls for me, I get all the lads and all the fame!"
"Getting jealous are we?" Adora sassed, flicking your nose.
"What? No! You wish!" You rubbed your nose with a smirk, letting go of Catra, who 'ooh'ed, "I for one don't like you at all."
You stuck your tongue out at her.
"Don't worry, guys! There's enough of me to go around!" Adora pulled the two of you together and wrapped her arms around your necks.
"Pshhh!" Catra unwrapped herself from Adora and you did the same, punching Adora playfully.
She just laughed leaning against a pillar. Instead of the pillar holding her weight, she phased right through it and landed in the testing area of the Fright Zone.
"Oh come on!" Catra shouted.
A teenage Catra with a staff ran through her, and attacked a younger Adora.
Their staff's met with a clink and Adora swung forward just barely missing Catra's head. Catra swung again but missed, causing Adora to swing forward. Catra leapt back blocking her attack.
Adora hummed, causing Catra to yell and run forward, giving it her all and trying to whack Adora, who blocked her with her staff. They were at the same skill level, so this wasn't an uncommon sight, the two of them sparring, yet never landing a hit.
Catra swung and Adora dodged.
Catra placed a finger against Adora's forehead, confusing her. She squinted her eyes, and Catra let go giggling. Adora smiled and swung her staff, missing, and Catra jumped up on top of the staff, using her own to try and hit Adora over the head. Adora just laughed and grabbed the staff, lifting up and throwing Catra over head.
"Ooooowww!!" Catra yelled out, holding her knee.
Adora stopped immediately, running over to see if she was okay. She knelt down and checked Catra's head. Catra smirked and grabbed her staff, knocking Adora off her feet, and backwards onto the floor. Adora quickly held up the pink staff and blocked Catra who had swung down. Catra smiled while Adora struggled, seeing a teenaged Y/N finish your fight with Lonnie. You hit her in the chest with the staff, causing her to be out.
You rushed over to Catra and swung down, but Catra was too fast and turned around blocking the attack. You giggled and pushed harder down, watching Catra struggle. She smirked and let go causing you to fall onto their feet. You laughed and used their staff to hop up before Catra could hit you.
You tackled Catra, swinging forward but Catra moved out of the way just in time. Running forward, Catra jumped over you, knocking you down with her staff. You gasped and turned around, but as Catra swung down you blocked with your staff, launching Catra up into the air, and you attempted to out Catra but missed when Catra pushed your staff back and outing you, still in mid air.
"What! That's cheating!" You yelled.
"Nah, you're just mad I got you," Catra laughed.
"Ugh whatever," You walked away and met a younger Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio.
Adora saw her chance and ran up to Catra swinging down and catching Catra off guard. She knocked Catra's staff out of her hands, and hit her in the chest, outing her .
"And there's our winner," Adora smirked helping Catra up off of the floor. Catra rolled her eyes, and walked away meeting Y/n.
"What was that?!" Catra yelled, looking up at them, "Way to gang up on me!"
"You were fighting dirty, besides does it matter? You still got me," You said putting your hands on your hips, "I was making it fair." Catra glared and crossed her arms.
"Ugh, alright, I'm sorry!" You put your arms up in defence.
"You better be," Catra said jokingly, pointing a finger to their chest.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" You giggled. Adora met up with the three of them.
"You were awesome!" Adora praised Catra," I didn't hurt you did I?"
"No, I'm fine! You're just lucky Y/N distracted me!" Catra mocked. You frowned, looking down at your feet, thinking.
"Riiight," Adora put her hands on her hips.
"She has a point, if it weren't for me you would have lost, so be grateful you blonde baby," You flicked Adora's hair poof, snickering.
"Besides, If I came first, people might actually expect me to start doing stuff around here," Catra crossed her arms, "Trust me, Second place suits me just fine,"
Adora rolled her eyes.
"You sure?" You asked.
"Uh, Yeah!" Catra remarked, "What? You think I care? C'mon, me?"
"Alright," Adora shrugged her shoulders, " C'mon, let's cool down,"
Adora grabbed your hand, going for Catra's, but she retracted her arm away.
"In a minute, I'll meet you there," Catra told.
"Ok, see you later Catra," You waved, giggling, blowing a kiss, before laughing it off.
"Psshh," She waved it off.
"C'mon, Y/N! Let's meet the others," Adora put her hand over yours and winked causing you to blush.
"Well… okay, If I have to," You laughed and walked over to the rest of the crew. Adora let go immediately and put her hands behind her back.
"Hahah!" She laughed.
"Sorry for outing you Lonnie," You apologised, putting your head down.
"Nah it's cool, I should've tried harder," Lonnie waved you off. You looked to Rogelio who's arm was around Kyle's shoulder.
"That was awesome!"
"No way, Adora won! I got third place, You should be praising her," You smiled.
Adora elbowed you, and you noticed she was listening in.
"Just take the compliment, Y/N, really, it's fine, " She whispered.
"Oh okay fine," You pushed her away, " Thanks guys, you're not hurt are you?" You asked Rogelio, thinking back when you got him out, who just roared in response, which Lonnie translated.
"No I'm alright,"
You looked back noticing Catra was gone.
"AGHH!"
"What was that?" You asked. Adora shrugged.
You were back to being older again. Adora shrugged and then you remembered.
"Catra!" You shouted and ran over to the locker rooms, Adora not far behind.
The door swung open and inside Catra was wrapped up in green goo, one of those monsters was back and had gotten her.
"Catra!" Adora yelled, she ran up to her.
"Adora! Y/n!" Catra shouted, her voice muffled.
You pushed past Adora and grabbed Catra's hand, tightly. You grunted, pulling her back with all your might. Adora was holding onto you to make sure you didn't go in with her. Using both hands, you wrapped them around Catra's, pulling her back in. She was almost there!
"Grrrr!" You struggled, holding Catra tighter until!
Adora accidentally let go of her grip and you were sent flying through the mirror.
"Adora!" The monster dragged both of you through a red hallway. Looking back, you saw Adora pressed up against the mirror.
"Y/n! Adora!" You heard her muffled voice call.
—--
After Adora had stabbed the spider in the head, You hopped down from the ceiling behind Adora as she checked on Catra.
“-sure you did.” Adora was saying, and Catra looked annoyed. You tilted your head, walking forward. Adora sighed, turning away from Catra to you.
“Alright, we need to make sure we stay together from now on.” Adora sighed, but Catra interrupted her. “Will you stop telling me what to do?” She growled, grabbing you and turning away from Adora.
“I’m sick of this stupid place. Let’s just get outta here.” She muttered, and you stared at the two of them, confused. Clearly you had missed something, but you didn't bother to ask.
You leapt up from platform to platform, making your way to Catra who was near the exit already.
"What's your problem? I was trying to save you!" Adora shouted.
Catra stood up, "For the last time, I don't need you to save me! I... We've been doing just fine on our own!"
"No thanks to you," You mumbled walking forward.
"Catra wait!" She grabbed Catra's arm, using it to help herself up onto the platform.
"I'm sorry for leaving! I couldn't stay, not after finding out what the Horde was really doing!"
You scoffed and grabbed Catra's other hand.
"C'mon Catra let's just go-"
"I never wanted to leave you..." Adora finished, "Both of you could come with me! You could join the rebellion! I know you're not bad people,"
She gave Catra's arm a squeeze.
"You don't belong with the Horde!"
They were back in the Fright Zone. The familiar background was pleasing to see, especially with all the tension.
Catra pushed you and Adora away making her way through the hall.
"Let's just get this over with."
—--
A young Catra swung from the wiring on the ceiling, Adora following behind as a young you ran from underneath.
“Guys! I can’t swing!” the young you complained, and the young Catra scoffed.
“Oh yeah? You need to practice more to be as good as me! Right Adora?” She grinned, landing on a box as you followed behind, panting.
“Guys! Wait up!”
The young Adora swung from behind, struggling more as she crashed into a crate, Both you and Catra grinned, and took each other’s hand, running along as you all stopped in front of the door to the Black Garnet Chamber.
“Woah… It’s open.” Catra gasped, and you whimpered, stepping behind Adora, who looked on curiously. “We’re definitely not allowed there…”
The two paused, before the young Adora ran in, followed by the young Catra. The young you squeaked, staying behind.
“W-wait! Guys! We can’t just go in!” You winced, before sighing, stepping towards the door and stood guard instead of going in. After a while, Shadow Weaver started to approach, and you yelped, running in with Catra and Adora.
Shadow Weaver stumbled inside the chamber. She kept mumbling and moaning to herself. She floated over to the black garnet and placed her hands onto it.
Her hands glowed and static flowed into her.
Breathing heavily, Shadow Weaver went to the goblet. She moved a hand up to her face and took off the red mask, placing it down on the side of the bowl.
Adora gasped as she saw her disfigured face.
Shadow Weaver covered half of her face with her hand, but you could still see how horribly disfigured it was.
There was scarring all over, you wondered how that could have happened; her eyes were a dull green, they pierced through your soul. Shadow Weaver's skin was dark grey in colour, like the colour of a dusty tabletop. She noticed us behind the garnet and she gasped.
"GET OUTTT!"
The three of you were horrified, you all ran, making your way to the exit.
That horrible aura surrounded the three of you. Your heart beat faster the longer you were in that room. You were right. You never should have gone in.
Shadows covered the exit, blocking you from leaving.
You looked back to see Catra, frozen in fear.
"Catra, you stay...What do you think you’re doing here?"
She used her magic to turn the cat girl around. You clenched your chest and curled up on the floor. You stood up on your feet and made your way over to her.
"S-shadow Weaver, it wasn't her fault, we were just playing-"
"Insolent child, I thought I taught you better than to encourage such disgraceful behaviour. I will have a word with you later, now LEAVE." Swallowing your pride, you walked back, glaring at the floor.
"Catra, I have come to expect such appalling behaviour from you, but I will not allow the two of you to drag Adora down as well!" She screeched.
"Shadow Weaver!" Adora shouted, "It wasn't their fault it was my idea too!"
"You have never been anything more than a nuisance to me!” Shadow Weaver continued in front of Catra, glaring at you too. “I’ve kept you both around for this long because Adora was fond of you! But if you EVER do ANYTHING to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself! Do you understand?"
"Please stop!" Adora ran in front of Catra and put out her arms. This stopped Shadow Weaver because she stepped back and allowed her magic to let them go. She still kept a firm grip on Catra, however.
"Adora, you must do a better job of keeping her under control," She let go of Catra and you ran straight to her, holding her close as she fell over. Shadow Weaver put on a sweet tone and put back a stray strand of hair behind Adora's ear, "Do not let something like this happen again."
She patted Adora on the head.
"Catra, you okay?" You asked, and Catra whimpered a little, shaking her head as she clung to you. You sighed, pulling her up as you waited for Adora.
—--
Adora held Catra tightly by the shoulder, as they walked to the barracks. They turned a corner and they were all older again. Catra grunted knocking off Adora's arm.
"You always need to play the hero, don't you?!"
"I was only trying to protect you!" Adora reasoned.
"You never protected me! Not in anyway that would put on Shadow Weaver's bad side!" Catra yelled pointing at Adora.
“Uh… guys…”
"Admit it!" Catra cried out in her younger self, "You love being her favourite!"
"That's not true!" Young Adora pleaded.
"Oh yeah!"
The normal Catra was back.
"When you left! Who do you think took the fall for you? Where were you to protect me then, huh?!" Catra mocked.
"You don't have to let Shadow Weaver treat you like that anymore! You can leave!" Adora offered.
"Just like I did!" Young Adora pointed to herself.
"Oh, because I need to follow you wherever you go?" Catra retorted pulling at her floofy hair.
“Uh…. guys!”
"I didn't mean it that way!"
"I don't want to leave! What don't you understand about that? I'm not afraid of Shadow Weaver anymore and I'm a better force captain than you would've ever been!" Catra shouted.
"You always said you didn't care about stuff like that,"
"Well I was lying! Obviously!" Catra cried out, tears falling out of her eyes. She turned into her older self, wiping her tears, she ran away.
"Catra, just wait!" Adora yelled touching Catra's shoulder.
"Why'd you think I gave you the sword back in the Fright Zone?! I didn’t want you to come back, Adora!"
You froze, your attempts to stop them paused as you turned to Catra with a wince. She huffed and stormed away, glitching out as she blended in with the illusion. You squeaked and followed behind her, trying to find her.
You walked around, in a whole different area.
Your room.
You entered, seeing a new scene of the young you watching the young Catra pace around. Catra was furious.
No.
“Why does Shadow Weaver love Adora so much?! It’s like we’re nothing but pests to her! We’re in her ward too!” The young Catra screeched, and the young you winced, stepping back, fumbling with your fingers.
As you shuffled back, you tried to find the right words, your voice a hesitant murmur. “Maybe… maybe it’s not about us, Catra. Maybe she just thinks Adora can do… more.”
Catra’s ears flattened, and her eyes narrowed. “More? More? Like we’re not good enough just because we’re not her perfect little soldier?!” She clenched her fists, her whole body vibrating with anger.
You could feel the tension thickening, but you reached out, trying to calm her down. “Catra, that’s not what I meant. We’re strong too. We’re just different, and maybe Shadow Weaver-”
“Shadow Weaver thinks we’re nothing! You don’t get it!” She cut you off, voice shaking with fury. “She doesn’t see us. She doesn’t see me.” She took a furious step forward, her movements sharp.
“I’m trying to help!” you stammered, but your words were drowned out by the rage simmering in Catra’s eyes.
“Ugh!” She growled, narrowing her eyes. “You never get it. You’re only focused on impressing Shadow Weaver to get on her good side, but nothing you do works!”
As Catra’s words cut deep, you felt a sting of frustration bubble up inside you, matching her anger with a surge of your own. “I get it, Catra! But we’re all stuck here with Shadow Weaver, and it’s not like we have a choice! We have to try and survive!”
“Survive?” She scoffed, bitterness in her voice as she paced closer, her sharp eyes narrowing. “Surviving means obeying everything she says, doesn’t it? You’re just as scared of her as everyone else!”
“That’s not fair!” you protested, trying to steady your voice, but it came out shaky. “I’m just trying to make things better for both of us—”
“Better?” Her laugh was harsh, a flash of something wounded behind her anger. “You don’t know what it’s like to be ignored, overlooked for someone else! All you care about is keeping peace while I get pushed aside.”
“Catra, that’s not—”
“Enough!” She snarled, stepping closer, her hands curling into claws as her emotions overwhelmed her. “You think you know everything, don’t you? But you don’t know anything about how I feel!”
You held up your hands defensively, trying to reach her. “Catra, please, just listen!”
But she was too far gone, her rage spilling over. She took one last, furious swipe, her claws extended without thought. And before either of you could react, you felt a sharp, stinging pain across your eye. Catra froze, eyes wide as she saw the blood dripping down your face, the realisation dawning on her.
Her breath hitched, and the anger in her eyes faded into shock and guilt as she took a small step back. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean…” she whispered, her voice small and unsteady.
You grasped at your eye, clutching it. It stung so badly… it had stung so damn badly… you looked up with your right eye, tears starting to form as you stepped back.
“...Y/N- I-” Catra tried, stepping forward, and you immediately bumped yourself against the wall behind you, pressing yourself, trying to avoid her.
“No! Stay away from me!” You sobbed in fear, and the simulation glitched out. You found yourself lying on the floor, and scrambled up, pulling down your hair again. You looked around, before sighing.
“...ugh.”
You narrowed your eye, before looking down at the floor, stained with a little simulated blood. You snarled in disgust, before exiting the void, going to look for Catra. Whatever she was up to, it better had not been stupid.
—--
“And what were you doing while I was with… Adora?” Catra questioned as you both approached the door to where Entrapta was. You paused, before scoffing.
“Just… looking back on… old memories.” You shrugged, holding onto your left eye again. Catra narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. She then put a hand on your shoulder, but you shrugged it off. She grumbled a little, before opening the lab door, seeing Scorpia and Entrapta conversing as Entrapta worked on Emily.
Scorpia spotted Catra and you, before immediately going towards you guys. “What happened to you? You’re filthy! Are you okay? Do you need first aid? Do you need to be nursed tenderly back to health?”
You sighed, gently pushing Scorpia away from Catra. “Scorps… personal space?” You chuckled, stepping back a little, and Scorpia winced sheepishly. “Oops… sorry… ten-foot radius, right.”
“How’d it go? Did you find it?!” Entrapta asked excitedly from behind Catra and she blinked.
“Uh… why is the princess loose?” She asked, and Entrapta paused in realisation. “Ohhh right.”
She slid back into her cuffs, grinning. “Seriously though, did you find it?
Catra smirked, tossing Entrapta the crystal as she gazed at it lovingly, analysing it and hopping out of her cuffs again. “An intact data crystal? I’ve never seen one so perfectly preserved! This could be a game changer- who knows what secrets it could contain?” She gasped, before grabbing Scorpia as they did a little dance.
“Aw- man! I knew they could do it! It’s like I was telling you. They are the best friends ever!” Scorpia cheered, and you smiled from the side as Catra was leaving the room.
“Just… keep it down. I’m going to bed.” She muttered, the door closing behind her.
You looked back, before narrowing your eyes and going back to Scorpia. “Hey, Scorps… do you know where to find Octavia, by chance?”
“Force Captain Octavia? Oh yeah, she’s in the west area.” Entrapta answered for Scorpia, and you both turned to look at her. Entrapta giggled. “Being in the vents has its perks.”
—--
“Octavia? Force Captain Octavia?” You called out, and spotted Octavia at her usual patrol area. She looked up with her eye patch, the Horde Symbol on it.
“Oh. It’s you.” She smirked, watching as you hopped down and stood before her. She ruffled your hair, before looking at you curiously. “What do ya need now, kid?”
“Uh… I was wondering… do you have any spare eyepatches?”
Chapter 5: Chapter Five - Battle of Brightmoon
Chapter Text
“Okay, I- what is going on here?”
Catra walked into Scorpia observing Emily in a room, and in a flash, Entrapta burst out of the vents, waving with her giant pigtail tendrils. Surprisingly for Catra, Entrapta dragged you out of the vents too, and you looked hella pissed.
“Catra! You got my note!” Entrapta grinned, putting you down as you dusted yourself off. Catra sighed, lifting up a sheet of paper with less than okay handwriting.
“The one that dropped on my head from the air vent that says, ‘come to my lab’?” She asked, and Entrapta nodded in response while looking through some parts of the room with wiring and a computer. “Yes! That’s the one.”
“Alright… and why was Y/N in the vents with you?” Catra tilting her head, turning to you for an explanation. You scoffed, fixing your now normal, less-emo coded bangs.
“Entrapta wanted to drop me a note too, but found me in the hallway through the vents.” You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. Catra had no chance to ask you about your new eyepatch before Entrapta interrupted with her usual daily discovery.
“I’ve made great strides in analysing the data from the First Ones data crystal you brought me!” Entrapta explained, connecting a large computer screen to a bunch of wires. “Look!”
“Where… how- did you just get these from all over the Fright Zone?” You asked in complete disbelief at the giant computer casually in the room with no explanation.
“Oh yeah, I got them from here and there… y’know… rooms.” Entrapta shrugged, connecting more wires and more plugs.
“Were there people in these rooms?” Catra asked, playing with a bit of Entrapta’s ridiculously long hair, and Entrapta put down her crystal. “Well… not when I went back to take the stuff.”
Catta chuckled, continuing to run her claws through Entrapta’s pigtails gently. “You definitely belong here with us…”
Entrapta spared Catra, you and Scorpia a glance, before showing a small smile and turning her attention back to the crystal. “So. The data…” She squealed, her eyes sparkling with delight as she looked at the data crystal. She placed it onto the large computer, activating it as the screen showed a bunch of data that probably only Entrapta could decipher. Being smart was hard.
“Ha! Wow-! Woah…” Scorpia laughed, impressed as she looked at the screen. She pulled out a notebook and started scribbling stars knows what on it. Entrapta sat back in her chair.
“Look at these readings! It’s incredible. This seems to confirm my theories about the TECHNO-ORGANIC nature of First Ones machinery, resulting in THAUMATURLOGICAL COMPATABILITY between magic and science!” She said excitedly, approaching the screen slowly before laughing like a mad scientist. Which she was. You and Catra looked at each other in confusion.
“You understand any of this?”
“Sorry Cat, no clue.”
Catra sighed, walking up to Entrapta and putting her hand on the screen. “I’m going to need you to try again, but this time, talk like a normal person.” She muttered, tapping Entrapta’s nose.
“Scorpia seems like she understands.” Entrapta gestured to Scorpia, who was still scribbling in her notebook with a huge amount of focus.
“Sorry ‘traps… Scorpia is doodling stick figures holding hands.” You shrugged, and Catra nodded. You looked over at Scorpia’s notebook, and she pulled it away.
“Hold on- I’m not done with the… final… details! Done!” Scorpia grinned, showing you the notebook. It was a drawing of the four of you… well… holding hands. “I call it the Super Pal Quadro!”
“Super Pal Quartet.” You muttered, and Scorpia decided to ignore that. She pointed out the characters in her sketch, which were decently drawn.
“This is me, this is Catra, this is Y/N… and I think it’s clear who this is…” Scorpia pointed at Entrapta last, “Come on, I’m a bit of an artist.” She smiled proudly. You sighed, facepalming as Catra shook her head in annoyance.
Entrapta turned back to the crystal. “I looked at the rock, which is a… ‘kris-tell’, and used math- wait, do I have to explain Math to you?” She asked, trying to explain the whole thing to Catra. She groaned in disbelief, before walking around Entrapta to her other side.
“Yes or no, did that crystal give you enough data to upgrade our weapons?” She asked again, and you watched as Scorpia tried to sketch Catra’s frantic movements.
“Weapons? Ha! This is SO much BIGGER than any weapon! This could change everything…” Entrapta grinned excitedly, pointing at the screen. “Etheria isn’t just a planet. Whatever the First Ones did to it, it went deep…”
“And… What exactly does that mean?” You asked, subtly taking Scorpia’s notebook from her and closing it, causing Scorpia to let out a tiny disappointed “aw.”
“You’re asking me about my theories…? I’ve waited YEARS for someone to ask me about my theories!!!” Entrapta yelled, her hair poofing up. She immediately grabbed you and Scorpia in one of her pigtails, and Catra in the other.
“Hang on! I made a model!” She insisted, dragging you sll to another room as you tried to not wince while shoved against Scorpia’s tough exoskeleton.
She led you three to a large model of Etheria, shown by a large metal sphere and a bunch of bulbs connected to wires. “Behold, Etheria.”
She walked around the model, her hair stroking the metal. “The First Ones didn’t just settle on the surface of Etheria, their technology runs throughout the planet’s core!” She said, and Catra’s eyes widened in surprise. You walked over, throwing Scorpia’s notebook back to her.
“This whole planet… it’s all First Ones Tech! It’s all connected!” Entrapta concluded, and Catra pointed at the glowing bulbs.
“What are these supposed to be?” She asked.
“Runestones. From the data I’ve managed to extract, they regulate the planet through the princesses. They’re directly connected to each other and to the planet’s power grid in a delicate balance.” Entrapta explained, hand gesturing frantically around.
“...and so…?” You asked, tilting your head in confusion.
“So… they’re our best access point… to hacking… the PLANET.” Entrapta finalised, turning to you all with a large, toothy grin.
“Hacking the planet?!” Catra parroted in shock, and Entrapta simply shrugged. “Hypothetically, but it’s not so simple…”
She walked towards Emily and pat the robot gently. “There’s only a handful of Runestones in the whole world.”
“Runestone? Wh- you mean like the Black Garnet?” Scorpia asked, chuckling a little, “Cause’... hehe… we have the Black Garnet.”
Entrapta’s facial expression immediately changed. “The Black Garnet? You have a Runestone? The FRIGHT ZONE has a RUNESTONE?!” She grinned, her excitement palpable.
“Uh, duh. It was my family’s. But when the Horde landed we gave it to Hordak, who then gave it to Shadow Weaver, who- you tell a friend, he tells a friend- it’s kinda- it’s one of those things.” She explained, contemplating her choice of words, only to be grabbed on the shoulders by a very excited and screaming Entrapta.
“Where is it?! Can I see it- CAN I TOUCH IT?!” She squealed, getting all up in Scorpia’s face. Both you and Catra yanked her off and you kept her in your grasp.
“Cool it, ‘Traps. You first need to explain what you even want to do with the Black Garnet.” You sighed, letting her go and stepping back cautiously, as if she was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode with science.
“If we hack the Runestone grid, we could boost the Garnet’s power and use it for- well… anything!” She grinned, this time grabbing Catra’s shoulders. “As a power source, as-”
“A weapon?” Catra added.
“Potentially!” Entrapta nodded, letting go of Catra, “But if it’s like my other experiments, the results will be explosive.”
“Yeah… I don’t think Shadow Weaver will like that.” Scorpia commented, and you sighed, knowing what was going to happen next.
“Scorpia’s right, Shadow Weaver won’t like it… so, I will absolutely get you to the Black Garnet. Leave it all to me.” Catra smirked, and you facepalmed as you all made your way to the exit of the room.
As they all left, you paused, looking up to the corner and seeing Imp, who was looking down at all of you condescendingly. It stared at you, and you shrugged, watching it scurry off as you ran to catch up with the others.
—--
“Say, Y/N… what’s with the eyepatch?” Scorpia asked as you attached a screen to the Black Garnet, Entrapta welding something on the other side. You looked back at Scorpia, before deciding to completely ignore the question.
“I mean- it looks good! It’s really cool on you- and I don't mean to say it doesn't fit you- if you think that- or maybe-”
“Scorpia, it’s fine.” You interrupted, before turning back to the screen. “Think of it as… a secret. The Mystery to the Eyepatch.” You joked, wanting to just entertain Scorpia for that moment.
Scorpia oohed, before Catra walked over. “Alright, hurry it up, these machines aren't going to hook up themselves.” She ordered.
“They won't be hooked up at all.” Shadow Weaver suddenly said from behind the door, entering with a steely gaze. You glanced at Catra, and she gave you a knowing look.
“S-Shadow Weaver! We just- uh-” Scorpia tried, but her attempt to explain was cut off by a loud “Silence!” from Shadow Weaver.
“Do you really think you could invade my inner sanctum without me noticing?” She growled, slowly making her way to Catra. Scorpia hid behind the Black Garnet, Entrapta stayed by Emily’s side, and you… you went into the vents.
“I never thought you were so bold as to openly rebel, but it will be my pleasure to put you back in your place!”
Catra narrowed her eyes, Scorpia winced and Entrapta covered Emily’s front camera. You continued to climb through the vents, getting to an opening at the front.
“Oh Shadow Weaver… I can do whatever I want with this hunk of rock.” Catra grinned, her tone changing.
“Hah! Absurd… by whose authority?” Shadow Weaver challenged, only for a voice to ring out through the room. A familiar voice.
“By mine.” Hordak’s unpleasant face appeared on every screen in the room, his scowl obvious. The rest bowed to him, and you stayed in the vents, listening.
“Lord Hordak- I don't understand.” Shadow Weaver stuttered.
“Catra and Entrapta have been working on a way to meld this strange First Ones tech with our machines. To weaponize it.” Hordak explained, his voice a tinge of disappointment. “I found out, and was intrigued.”
He stroked the chin of Imp, who was now on his shoulder. Of course Imp had reported back to him. Imp always did that, which was honestly kinda creepy. Then again- the Fright Zone was always creepy.
“I gave Force Captain Catra and her team my blessing to go ahead, so understand, Shadow Weaver. I am displeased with your interruption.”
You giggled from inside the vents, as Catra had a giant grin on her face. Seeing Shadow Weaver bested was a rare, but amazingly funny occurrence.
“My Lord, you’re really going to let this… this PRINCESS tinker with my Runestone?” Shadow Weaver demanded, grasping at strings here.
“Her tinkering has boosted the firepower of every weapon she’s touched, so yes. She gets to tinker with whatever she wants- including the Black Garnet, which is mine to give or take as I see fit.” Hordak huffed, his tone more and more annoyed.
“You can’t- you can’t do this! I alone have learned how to draw power from it, a feat no sorceress has done before!” Shadow Weaver yelled, her voice showing a tinge of fear, but radiating rage. “I have unlocked its potential!”
“And you wasted it on parlour tricks.” Hordak interjected, narrowing his eyes. “Force Captain Catra, proceed. The Garnet is yours.”
“Yes, Lord Hordak.”
“NO!”
Shadow Weaver went wild, her shadows expanding everywhere as blasts of electric tendrils were zapped at Catra’s direction. Catra immediately dodged all of them, her shock showing all over her face, but not her body language. Glass shattered as the screens broke, glass falling as Scorpia protected herself with her claws.
“Stop her! Don’t let her-!”
“You will not take what is MINE!”
Shadow Weaver grabbed the large stone, drawing energy from it. Stumbling back, she let out a scream of anguish as her shadows were flying everywhere, freezing Entrapta and Scorpia in their place with painful magic, leaving only Catra and you. You stayed in the vents as Catra hopped around, dodging Shadow Weaver’s attacks with great speed.
“That’s right! Run away! It’s the only thing you’ve ever been good at!” Shadow Weaver taunted, sending more shadow blasts at the poor cat. “You’ve always been a disappointment, you’ve learned NOTHING from me!”
Catra kept dodging, landing on her floor with a loud thud. “Oh, no… I’ve learned everything from you.” She insisted, dodging another blast. “How to predict when you’ll strike… how to dodge… how to resist!”
She climbed up the Black Garnet. “You thought you were punishing me all these years?! Wrong!”
“You were training me for this day!”
She leaped down as you jumped out the vents, restraining Shadow Weaver as Catra clawed through her mask, the jewel attached to it shattering into pieces.
“NOOOOOOOOO!”
Scorpia and Entrapta unfroze, and the shadows seemed to disappear. Shadow Weaver desperately yanked her arms out of your grip and grasped at the pieces of the gem. “Come back… come back to me… come back to me…”
You sighed, grabbing her again and lifting her up by her shoulders. Catra walked over. “Scorpia. Help Y/N restrain the sorceress… we won’t have to worry about her any longer.”
You gave the woman to Scorpia, before picking up the pieces of her jewel and keeping it in your pocket. Scorpia dragged her away, and Catra walked over to Entrapta. “Entrapta. If you would…”
Entrapta squealed, running over to the computers Catra indicated and tapped a few buttons. “Alright everyone… let’s get weird.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and the Black Garnet started to pulse with magic and electricity.
“Look!” Scorpia gasped, Shadow Weaver already gone as she pointed to the shadows, which were all starting to leave their hosts and gather at the Garnet.
The lights in the room exploded, and the ceiling gave way to a massive blast of energy from the Garnet. You all gasped as it pulsed through the clouds and caused large blasts of lightning through the sky.
“....oh dangggg.” You muttered.
“Amazing! The Garnet is syphoning energy at a near exponential rate… yet the output is still building.” Entrapta mumbled to herself as she checked the screens.
“What does that mean?” Catra asked, a little intimidated by the GIANT BLAST OF SHADOWS into the dang sky.
“It means… things are getting interesting.”
Catra grabbed you and motioned for Scorpia to follow along. She led you both outside, leaving Entrapta to work on the machines. You were all greeted with the sounds and flashes of thunder and lightning in the sky, tainted red and looking out of place.
“What is the Garnet doing…?” You asked no one in particular, and Catra looked up into the distance.
“I dunno… but I can work with this.”
Lightning flashed as Catra finished her sentence.
“...how did you do that?!”
—--
“Tidal waves… fire storms… earthquakes…” Scorpia muttered, reading off a screen as Catra approached you and her.
“Etheria is taking this really hard, huh…” You muttered, turning to Catra. “Like… great for us… but… damn.”
“The experiment has been more effective than I could ever have dreamed!” Entrapta was recording on her little device while spinning on a rolly chair with her pigtails flailing about. “This proves my hypothesis correct! With the Black Garnet functioning at two hundred percent power, the precarious equilibrium that governs all of Etheria’s natural functions has been thrown into complete chaos! No doubt as a result of the other elemental Runestones-”
Catra stopped her chair spinning and snatched away her device. Entrapta let out a sound of annoyance as Catra lifted the recorder to her mouth. “Translate.”
Entrapta rolled her eyes and leaned on the chair in a bored manner, using her hair to point at her model of Etheria. “By making the Black Garnet more powerful, we’ve sapped power from the other Princesses’ Runestones, upsetting the balance and making the planet go screw-y. It’s all in my notes if you’d like to-”
“Sorry, rewind, what was that you just said about making the other princesses less powerful?” You interrupted, walking over and snatching the notes.
“Well, the other elemental princesses, that is. You don't have to worry about me and Scorpia. I don't have a Runestone, and Scorpia doesn't appear to have any connection to the Black Garnet anymore- if she ever did.” Entrapta explained.
“Huh? Did someone say my name?”
“And how would we make an effect like that… permanent?” Catra asked, turning to the model of Etheria and tapping on one of the bulbs.
“Well, I’d have to run more tests to know for sure, but…”
Catra interrupted Entrapta by breaking a bulb. In response, all the electricity in the model went to the model of the Black Garnet.
“...yeah, that should work too.” Entrapta mused, looking up in wonder. Catra smirked.
“Get a strike team together. We’re going to Brightmoon.” Catra instructed, walking away and going towards a large screen in the room.
“Brightmoon? Why?” Scorpia asked, confused. Catra’s smirk got larger. “Because we’re going to take out Brightmoon’s Runestone. And with the Whispering Woods frozen over… there’s nothing stopping us.”
—--
The tanks, troops and skiffs were sent in. You were on one of the skiffs, leading at the front as you sent them past She-ra, blasting at the base in an attempt to crumble it down.
However, a pulse of energy sent the skiffs stumbling back, and you looked up to see the Queen managing the Runestone.
“Keep going! I’ll deal with the Queen.” You ordered, grabbing a Horde Bot from the back of the skiff and standing on top of it. It immediately left the skiff and you and the robot both made your way to the top of the tower where the Moonstone was.
The other soldiers in the skiffs kept blasting, some aiming for She-ra as others dealt with other Horde Bots and tanks. Catra stood in front of her, on a tank. You watched from a distance as they had their usual fight, and noticed a large net covering Scorpia’s section. Catra and Adora went to a separate section, continuing their fight.
You turned back to the bot, tapping it to make it go faster. It started to speed up, blasting through obstacles as other bots blasted through the force field at the Moonstone. The Queen looked back and noticed you, but continued to support the stone. Scorpia was dealing with the commander (the sparkly girl, Glimmer) at the staircase.
You and the bot blasted through a platform barrier and you entered the area where the Moonstone and the Queen was.
“Hey.” You grinned, and the queen let out a sound of frustration, sending a blast of magic at the bot. The bot was sent back a little as you jumped off. The queen opened up a shield around her as you used your blaster to tear through it. When it went down, you immediately tackled the queen, and she grunted as you restrained her at the side.
“Let go of me- Horde- scum!”
“Learning from your daughter, eh?”
You pulled her back, holding her down as you leaned against the wall. “I can't wait to watch Brightmoon fall when their Queen is captured. Defeated.”
She growled, expanding her wings in an attempt to push you off, but you only grabbed them too. Catra had made sure you would end up facing the queen, wanting to make sure every corner of protection was dealt with.
You looked up, and saw the bot charging up its laser, aiming it at the queen as you kept holding onto her tightly. You paused. Wasn't the plan to take over Brightmoon? Catra hadn't told you that killing the queen was a part of it…
You realised something was wrong. You'd been prepared to capture the Queen of Brightmoon, to help Catra secure Brightmoon's downfall. But this? This wasn't what you'd agreed to.
The bot's laser whirred, powering up as it locked onto the Queen, its glowing charge intensifying with each second. You tightened your grip on the Queen, feeling her wings tremble under your hands as she struggled against you.
Your eyes darted between the Queen's determined gaze and the bot, still powering up. You couldn't shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at you. Defeating the Queen was one thing, but killing her? Catra hadn't said a word about that.
Just then, the bot emitted a high-pitched beep, signalling the final phase of its charge. It was aiming directly at the Queen, and in that moment, you realised that the plan hadn't gone how you had envisioned it.
"Wait-" you muttered under your breath, feeling a sudden urge to let go, to stop this somehow. This wasn't supposed to happen.
You were supposed to detain her, keep her out of the way... But as the hum of the bot's weapon grew louder, you realised there was no time to hesitate.
The Queen must have sensed your faltering grip because she surged against you with renewed strength, almost breaking free.
You tightened your hold on her wings instinctively, more out of reflex than loyalty to Catra's orders.
"Let me go!" the Queen demanded, voice filled with a mixture of fear and anger, but it was too late. In a flash, the bot's laser fired, a sharp beam slicing through the air and striking the Queen.
You had hopped out of the way, and stared at the Queen’s limp body. For once, you hoped that she wasn't actually dead.
You were too soft for this.
In a split second, the sparkly Princess and a flying horse came in, the flying horse shoving the robot off the tower as the Princess ran towards the Queen. “Mom!”
You stared from the side, dodging one of the horse’s kicks. Why did killing someone in the field feel so… wrong now? You had been trained for this… maybe it was the shock of the moment.
You growled, glancing back at the Queen for a moment.
“I’m sorry.”
The Princess, Glimmer, barely had time to turn to you before you intentionally jumped out of the tower, the wind rushing through your side as you looked for Scorpia.
—--
From that moment, more princesses decided to show up last minute, with ice and water and plants and whatnot. It was really annoying. The Moonstone ended up being fine. In a blast of magic and the power of anime logic, more Horde tanks were destroyed, put to flames or just generally abandoned.
To no one's surprise, the fight ended with a damn rainbow, and the entire Horde was forced to retreat. The Queen wasn't dead (whether you were glad or disappointed was now unclear), and now you all had to face Hordak.
“Force Captain… it seems your experiment has failed.”
“On the contrary! The experiment was a huge success! I know more about First Ones Tech than ever! This is just the beginning!” Entrapta interrupted Hordak, and you and Scorpia stared at her from the side in disbelief.
“I got us closer to conquering Brightmoon than anyone ever has.” Catra commented, “Not to mention the Whispering Woods is still in ruins. Etheria is ours for the taking.”
Hordak stood, standing in front of Catra menacingly. “...very well, Force Captain Catra. You will have other chances to prove your worth to me… as my second in command.
Chapter 6: Chapter Six - Work Comes First
Summary:
If you're reading this before September, there's a chance that the next few chapters make no sense. Will be updated soon!
Chapter Text
You watched as the bots in the Princess simulation blasted at Lonnie, who was lifted by Rogelio. Lonnie then slammed her staff into two bots, demolishing them. From behind came the largest bot, the one that supposedly represented She-ra. It blasted at Kyle, making him lose immediately.
“Ow! Ow! Oh no-”
You, Lonnie and Rogelio watched from behind a deactivated bot, sighing at Kyle's incompetence. The larger bot deactivated, and the lights in the room turned back on, revealing Catra sitting on a fake tree branch.
“Who can tell me what Kyle said wrong?” She asked, swinging her leg casually.
“Where do you start?” Lonnie scoffed, and Rogelio nodded in agreement.
“She-ra is too strong to defeat with force alone, but she’s slow and easily manipulated.” Catra explained, standing up and glancing at you, before snapping her fingers, turning back off the lights and re-starting the simulation.
In an instant, you ran out from behind the bot and went for the large bot, using your staff to hit its leg, before pushing yourself up with it and climbing onto its head. You then held onto its side and punched open the front sensor, ripping out its core processor.
The bot deactivated, and Catra walked over to you, taking the machine’s heart from your hand. She tossed it to the other three.
“Fix it, then you three go again. Y/N, follow me.”
Lonnie huffed in annoyance, but also amusement. She gave you a playful glare, before you took off your training gear and went to follow Catra, while at the same time bandaging your bleeding knuckles.
“I think at this point, we should just use Kyle as bait for the Rebellion…” You suggested, and Catra smirked, holding back a laugh as you both walked past two guards, who made way for her.
Catra’s smirk only got wider, before you both entered Entrapta’s “room”, seeing it filled with boxes and random stuff. Scorpia was seen at the side pressing some buttons while Entrapta was at the monitor, checking data.
“Uh… why is there so much stuff in here?” You asked, picking up a robot dog, which you put on top of a box and watched it fall to the ground.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Entrapta grinned, turning to you and Catra, “The stuff from my castle just arrived!”
She held up a picture of a cute cat, and you snorted, giving Catra a smug look, before she growled and elbowed you in the shoulder. “Yeah, wonderful- what’s the report from the woods?”
“Oh! I just received a transmission from one of my bots.” She announced, and Catra stood behind the couch in front of the monitor as you sat next to Entrapta, who also sat next to Scorpia. Scorpia held out a tray of tiny cupcakes, and you declined as Entrapta ate one.
The monitor showed a princess using vines to destroy a few bots in a flurry of fire and electricity. “Oh-ho-ho!” Scorpia watched in excitement.
“Ouch!” You winced, seeing one of the bots get completely demolished by a vine covered in… flowers. “Wow, it fell apart with one hit there, didn’t it...” Entrapta sighed, observing it intently, “I could definitely make some improvements.”
“Oh- yeah. Game over.” Scorpia commented, leaning against the couch as she dropped the tray of tiny cupcakes.
“It doesn't matter. We’ll just send more bots- and more after that.” Catra scoffed, walking away, “They’ll be so busy defending their precious trees, we’ll conquer the entire planet before they know what’s happened.”
“I have an even better idea!” Entrapta suddenly started, taking out a First Ones Tech crystal from the side, and you facepalmed, knowing it would either be genius, or a disaster.
—--
“With the woods frozen, princesses distracted by the bots, we’ve been able to gain significant new ground.” Catra said to Hordak, as you stood beside her and Scorpia held up a map of marked territory. Why you were there, you had no idea. Catra had just asked you to follow her.
“You have no disappointed me, Force Captain.” Hordak muttered, “Clearly, I was wise to promote you.”
Catra smirked, but her smile was wiped off her face the moment she spotted Entrapta at the back messing stuff up. She was muttering to herself and you forced yourself not to just rush up and usher her out.
“Uh- yes… we’ve kept the Princesses distracted, but we could be doing more.” Catra cleared her throat, trying to keep talking without distractions. “We should be working to take them out, once and for all. Isn’t that right Entrapta? Entrapta!”
Entrapta stopped hopping around in the back. “Oh! Right.”
She used her hair tendrils to clap twice, and soon, a giant unit of a robot entered the room, its claws were sharp, its sensors were high, and it kinda looked like a spinny top with legs.
“May I introduce Emily’s Kid Sister, EKS for short. With First Ones Tech at its core.” Entrapta announced as the EKS stood behind Entrapta silently. “This little beauty has enough power to rival a princess.”
She demonstrated by lifting up a blaster and shooting at the bots claw. After a bit of bleeping and blooping, the claw regenerated itself, something new to the Horde Bot programming.
Hordak walked towards the bot. “Impressive indeed… and you can make more of these?”
“Yes! I mean- no. I mean- I could… but I only had enough First Ones Tech to make four.” She explained, looking at the bot with pity.
“But we know where we can get more.” You offered, glancing at Catra, who smirked, knowing where this was going.
—--
On the couch again, Catra was sitting on the left as You were forced to squish beside Entrapta, who used her hair tendril to wrap around you in order to give Catra more space. Scorpia sat on the far right.
“That place has enough First Ones Tech inside to power a whole armada of robots forever.” Catra said confidently as the monitor showed the First Ones tower that you and her had gone to a while ago to get the first bit of tech for Entrapta.
“Ahhhh- I want that!” Entrapta yelled, using her pigtails to lift herself up, squashing you even more. You groaned in annoyance.
The monitor kept showing the bots going towards the tower, before the ground suddenly froze and the camera and the bot slipped. Catra gasped, and the bots seemed to keep slipping. They shoved their claws into the ice, but chaos soon began.
The bots wefe being hit by the sides, cameras being pierced, limbs being torn out, and one bot was even destroyed.
“One bot down, but three to go!”
“Fight, EKS’s!”
“Entrapta! I still need space!”
Catra ignored you and the other’s yells, her claws scraping the arms of the couch she was on. She was definitely pissed.
Soon, another bot was held down and destroyed, the camera going dead. “Oooh, he is not recovering from that.” Scorpia winced, leaning forward on her seat.
“I- I can’t look! Tell me what’s happening- no, don’t!” Entrapta groaned, covering her eyes with her tendrils as you shifted out, settling with sitting on the floor, cross legged.
“Currently, a bot is being pummelled by She-ra and a rope.” You muttered, deadpan while actually saying what’s happening as another bot started to lose power.
“Hey Catra.”
She-ra then smashed the camera and the bot went down. Catra growled, standing up as Scorpia perked up. “It’s okay! We still have two left!”
Catra grunted, going to the front and pressed the self-destruct button on the bots’ control pad.
“Ngh… do you have to?” Entrapta whined, disappointed that she was losing her precious EKS’s so soon.
“Whatever. We’ll find more tech.” Catra muttered, walking off as the bot on the camera self-destructed. You sat back down on the couch, patting Entrapta’s tendrils comfortingly.
“It’s okay… the EKS’s were a really good attempt, right Scorpia?” You offered, and Scorpia nodded in agreement.
“Exactly! Besides, Catra’s right. I’m sure more of that fancy tech can be found. You said it yourself, there’s more all over the planet!” Scorpia grinned, and Entrapta smiled, reaching over for her small monitor.
—--
“The city’s forces have all fled, Dryl is ours.”
Catra’s smug voice sounded pretty confident from Scorpia’s monitor. You walked next to Scorpia while feeling the walls of the damn castle. It was like a maze.
“All right! I mean- I guess it kind of already was ours since- well, their princess is on our side and all… but the banners really make it feel official!” Scorpia commented while turning to you. “Any luck?”
“Nope. Only metal and concrete.” You sighed, fixing your dishevelled hair. You walked over to Scorpia, looking at Catra through the monitor.
“Where are you?” She asked, confused.
“That’s a great question. However, the solution to the question is… I have no idea. This place is a damn labyrinth.” You answered, looking around as you found an opening to the cliff of death.
“Ugh…” Catra groaned, before Scorpia’s device blooped, showing Catra’s location. “There, that’s me. Follow it out when you’re done, and hurry up, we’ve got work to do.”
You sighed in relief, stopping your attempts at navigation as Catra ended the call. “Finally! A map that’s useful…” You muttered, turning to the map.
“Wo-ho-hoah! Catra is the smartest!” Scorpia grinned, turning to you. “Don’t ya think?”
“Well- smarter than most.” You admitted, grabbing the map and trying to navigate it too. “...smarter than me at least, if she can navigate this place.”
—--
You walked beside Catra as she yawned, turning to you. “I can't believe we didn't take over Dryl beforehand. This place is technology gold! Plus- all the people here are cowards anyway.”
“Speak for yourself. This place is also confusion and navigation error gold, if you know what I mean.” You replied snarkily, looking around the place filled with boxes and banners and sparkles- wait, sparkles?
You looked to a corner. You thought you had seen something. Probably just… a reflection of light or something. You turned back to Catra as she got a call.
“Uh- hello, hello! Please tell me you’re on your way back!” Kyle pleaded from the monitor as sounds of destruction were audible from the background of the call. “I need back up! Entrapta’s new invention has lost it!”
“Bot number 437 seems to be having some sort of existential crisis right now! Down boy! Down!” Entrapta screamed from the background, and you sighed.
“Kyle, just- shoot a blaster or something!” You yelled into the screen. Catra sighed. “Pull it together Kyle, you’re fine.”
“Stop it! Please! Why are you doing this to me?!” Entrapta continued screaming in the background. The sounds of destruction were almost amusing.
“Like I said, blaster, Kyle!” You repeated, before a jet of sparkles was sent in your face. You groaned as you stumbled back. Glimmer was then kicked in the stomach by Catra, and skidded back, sending more blasts at Catra. Scorpia ran around the corner, running towards Glimmer and trying to slam her claws into her. You ran over to Catra, as she ran towards the arrow boy from before. Where had these people come from?!
The arrow boy was pinned against the ground by Catra, but as you approached, he shoved a sand bomb in Catra’s face, and she stumbled back, slamming into you.
“Ugh- get them!” Catra yelled, and you glanced at Scorpia, who was stuck to the floor by slime. You sighed, picking Catra up and you both gave chase to the two rebellion people. She hopped platform to platform and you simply ran, but the two just vanished in a cloud of sparkles.
“The main hall, quickly!” Catra instructed, and you both went to the direction of the main hall, you going to the left and Catra to the right, spotting the two soldiers in the hall, looking annoyed.
“I see the rebels sent their finest.” Catra huffed, lunging at the sparkly one, and you went for the arrow boy. Glimmer immediately shot more sparkles at Catra, and ran towards you and the arrow boy as you almost managed to grab him from behind.
“Bow!”
Catra lunged forward, but as all four of you collided, a flurry of sparkles took over, and you found yourself falling to the ground.
“Glimmer! Wake up!” Bow yelled as you were grabbing into Bow’s bag and Catra was clinging onto Glimmer’s sparkly cape. “What did you just do to me!” Catra demanded, before being kicked off. You huffed, pushing yourself away from Bow and grabbing onto Catra as the four of you landed on the ground with a thump.
“Get back!” Bow yelled as Catra lunged for them, and an arrow with a net hit Catra, who fell back and landed onto you. The net covered both of you, and you both smashed into the ground, a net now around you. Catra hissed, and you just groaned in sheer exasperation.
—--
You sat next to Catra, both of you tied up together with vines. She yawned, using her foot to scratch her head.
“Ew! That’s so gross!” You huffed, trying to pull away from her. She snickered, shoving her foot in your face as retaliation.
“Says the one who eats paper!” She scoffed, putting her foot down. She yawned, spitting into the grass as you watched the other two arguing.
“What do ya think they are arguing about?” You asked, and Catra just shrugged, stretching her legs a little.
“Probably something petty, like what colour their friendship bracelets should be.” Catra muttered, sniffing her foot as you gagged in response. Catra was a smart person, but she was also a cat, and her behaviour was… really disgusting sometimes.
“We’re taking you to Brightmoon.” Glimmer suddenly announced, walking towards you and Catra. “If your people want you back, they have to give us Entrapta.”
“Entrapta? Pfft, who’s that?” Catra scoffed, and Glimmer grabbed her shoulders angrily.
“We know you have her! Where is she?! What are you doing to her?!” She demanded, and Bow tore her away from Catra- and indirectly- you.
“Ohh, Entrapta! You mean the princess you left behind to die? Ha! Don’t worry. We’re taking good care of her.” Catra chuckled, smirking condescendingly. You took a breath, knowing where this was going, and you also knew it would be fun to play along.
“On your feet, Horde Scum!” Glimmer huffed, but Catra and you just laid down on the rock you were on.
“Whoops. Guess we can’t walk unless you untie us.” You grinned, turning back to face the rebellion soldiers.
“I can just teleport you there.” Glimmer smirked, but Bow pulled her away.
“Wanna annoy the hell outta them?” Catra asked, and you sighed.
“Why not?”
—--
You walked along with Glimmer, who grabbed your shoulder in a tight grip. Catra was with Bow, and you knew there was at least an eighty percent chance she’d do something stupid.
“So, princess, what’s with the glitter? Making arts and crafts with your mommy?” You teased, and she growled, glancing back at you.
“It’s none of your business, Horde Scum.” She huffed, before pausing. She smirked, tightening her grip on your shoulder. “What’s with the eyepatch? Dressing up as a pirate?”
You snarled, this time kicking her away. “Like you’d know.” You scoffed, before sighing, “I suck at comebacks…”
Glimmer hummed, grabbing your shoulder again, “With all seriousness, why the eyepatch? Is it to look edgy? Like Catra with her… head- crown thing?”
“Not all accessories are for fun, Princess. Not like you’d know.” You rolled your eyes, before hearing a smack and screaming from behind, seeing Catra shoved Bow off the cliff.
“Bow!” Glimmer yelled, grabbing you roughly and teleporting to Bow, and you all were falling again.
“Oh, hey Princess!” Catra chuckled, in a cat postion while on Bow. Glimmer groaned. “How are you such a nightmare?!”
“Hah! Years of practice!”
"Can you please discuss this when we're NOT hurdling to our deaths?!" Bow screamed, staring at Glimmer in desperation.
"You know what, I'm ready to see if cats really do land on their feet!" Glimmer retorted, crossing her arms in the air.
“Catra is not a CAT!” You screamed, still grabbing onto Glimmer’s cape.
"Please don't do that!" Bow squealed, "She is attached to me!!"
Glimmer squinted her eyes, firm with her gaze.
"GLIMMER!"
"UGH! OKAY!" She used her free arm to teleport the four of you safely to the rushunt water below. You surfaced and coughed up water, somehow managing to grab onto a log where Bow was. Catra was wrapped around Glimmer as they swam up to you both.
"Okay! Ready to be rescued from this when you are!" Bow screamed.
"Just- need a minute to rest!" Glimmer panted, out of breath.
"What could you do with ten seconds?” You rolled your eyes, motioning to the giant waterfall behind you.
"Seriously?! You guys are terrible at this!" Catra cackled.
"Ugh!" Glimmer wrapped her arms around everyone and teleported them all onto the ground next to the waterfall.
Everyone gasped for air, but Catra just laughed.
"At least we're all in one piece, huh?" Catra giggled, "Can't say the same for Entrapta!"
Glimmer yelled and ran forward to attack Catra but fell to the floor weakly, she seemed to have run out of magic.
"Glimmer! Are you okay?!" Bow asked, running over and checking on her.
"Aw, what’s wrong? Sweepy after all that magic?" Catra cooed, giving the two a mocking look, before shaking her hair around, splattering water all over the rest of you.
“Catra! That water’s filled with disgusting stuff!” You laughed, grinning.
"I'm fine!" Glimmer yelled standing up and grabbing Catra, "You're not worth my time!"
You stood up and followed them as they dragged Catra off. Catra was already enough of a problem for both of them, and probably anyone else in existence too. This was further proven when she licked Glimmer’s arm.
"Catra! That is so gross!” You groaned, before bursting into laughter. Catra fell back over on to you and you just kept laughing with her. You two were just cackling on the floor.
"Put more ropes on them!" Glimmer groaned, stomping off
Catra giggled and pressed her badge, causing it to glow red and send Scorpia signals to her destination.
—--
“I don’t know about you guys but I am beat!” Catra giggled while being dragged on the floor by a very annoyed Glimmer, you and Bow following behind. At this point, Glimmer had taken your ropes and shoved them onto Catra, leaving you virtually free.
“Getting held hostage is so much work!” Catra yawned, “Almost as exhausting of torturing Entrapta every day!”
“...yeah, your annoyance factor isn't reaching just the rebels.” You muttered, crossing your arms, “We’re lucky they haven't left us to drown in the river.”
Catra hummed, before effortlessly hopping up, causing Glimmer to stumble backwards, and you stepped aside to let Bow handle Catra. “You’re looking pretty tired too, princess.” Catra drawled, lying in Bow’s arms. She fell again, forcing Bow to catch her. “Running out of Glitter?”
“Ugh- Bow! Can’t you keep her mouth SHUT?!” Glimmer yelled angrily.
“I tried! But she bites!” Bow protested, showing off scratches on his arm. You sighed, shaking your head as Catra winked playfully.
Glimmer let out a yell of frustration. “How did Adora take years of this?! She didn’t run away from the Horde, she ran away from you!” Glimmer stomped off, and Catra growled, going over to her.
“And where is she now, huh? Off being She-ra? Get used to it. You think she’s not going to leave you behind too, Sparkles?”
Glimmer and Catra faced each other, you and Bow watching in anticipation and fear respectively.
“Don’t move!”
Scorpia ran over from the trees, Lonnie and Rogelio in tow. Bow pointed his arrows at them as Glimmer grabbed you and got in front of the tied-up Catra. Scorpia clenched her pincers as Rogelio and Lonnie stood menacingly in the background.
“Catra! Y/N! Oh, are you guys okay? Did they hurt you?! I will crush them!” Scorpia yelled worriedly, Glimmer scoffed and pulled the both of you forward.
“They’re both fine. We want to make a trade.” She proposed, “We’ll release them if you release Entrapta.”
“I have a better trade.” Catra interjected, turning to Glimmer. “You release us right now, or we finish Entrapta off, once and for all.”
“What?” You and Bow both said in unison. Bow in shock and you in confusion. And also maybe shock.
“She’s bluffing.” Glimmer insisted, and Catra just turned to Scorpia, stern.
“Scorpia. Get Kyle on the comm.”
Scorpia paused, before raising the comm pad, getting Kyle on the line. Entrapta’s panicked voice rang from the screen. “Force Captain! I knew you’d call me back! What should I do?” Kyle asked desperately from the communicator.
“If you don’t hear from us in thirty seconds, take. Entrapta. Out.” Catra hissed, as more sounds of destruction came from the background.
“Catra! Are you serious?” You suddenly shouted out, Catra turning to you in surprise. If you said anything wrong, it would completely ruin the ruse she was going for.
“Why would I be joking, Y/N?” She grumbled, giving you a glare to stop your protest. You winced. Entrapta’s safety was never guaranteed. Even if she was on your side, the Horde never joked around.
“Two can play at that game!” Glimmer yelled, slamming Catra against a tree, while you didn't bother going back to Scorpia, despite having every opportunity. This caught Bow’s attention, but he said nothing.
“Catra! Oh- you touch her again…” Scorpia hissed, getting into a fighting stance as Bow turned and pointed his arrow again. This time, you walked past him and went to Scorpia, nervousness showing on your face.
“Easy there, big gal. She’s not gonna try anything. They’re noble rebels after all, they play by the rules.” Catra said confidently. Glimmer shoved her up the tree even further, pulling down one hand and generating a ball of magic.
“Glimmer! Stop!” Bow protested, looking back in surprise.
Glimmer paused, looking down. “This isn’t fair! After everything they’ve done! After what they did to us! We’re supposed to just- let them go?!”
Glimmer stopped her words, before turning back to Bow, “How do we know they’d really get rid of Entrapta, Bow? They need her!”
“...we can’t take that chance! We’re not them!”
Glimmer froze, before eventually putting Catra down. Catra huffed, walking towards you and Scorpia, letting Scorpia cut her binds away. “Oh my gosh- I’m just so glad this nightmare is over!” Scorpia sighed in relief.
Catra laughed, turning back to Glimmer and Bow. “Wow… I didn't think you’d actually buy that!”
You gave Catra a glare. It was evident that you had bought it too. Somehow.
“We held up our end of the bargain. Now show us that Entrapta is alive.”
You looked up at Scorpia, taking the comm pad from her as Catra grinned at the two. “You and Adora are perfect for eachother, I’ll give ya that. Earnest, naive, ridiculously easy to manipulate. It’s adorable… and it’s why you’re never going to win.”
Catra glanced at you, and you sighed, reluctantly turning the comm device on. “Kyle, if you actually took Catra seriously, call it off.”
“Kyle isn’t available at the moment, but I’ve got it under control.” Entrapta’s nasally voice was heard through the comm pad. She was alive. Why did that relieve you? “Don’t worry, this was just the prototype. The next model will be much, MUCH bigger.” Entrapta continued after deactivating her bot.
“Entrapta? What’s going on?” Bow asked in confusion, his worry starting to fade a little. You looked up, before turning the screen to face them.
“Oh, hi Bow! What are you doing there?” Entrapta asked on the screen, oblivious.
“Just hang on Entrapta, we’re going to rescue you!” Glimmer said confidently. You cringed, preparing yourself for the moment of realisation they would have.
“Oh good!”
…
“Rescue me from what?”
There it was.
“From the Horde!” Glimmer blinked, confused as well.
“Oh! Well, that’s nice of you… but all my stuff is here now, so I’ll probably just stay. Thanks anyway though.”
“Entrapta… are you… on the Horde’s side now?” Bow asked, and you passed the screen to Catra, who was smirking the smirkiest smirk she had ever smirked.
“I’m on the side of Science! But… I am living in the Fright Zone now and the Horde is supplying me with tools and materials for my work… so… yes? I guess?” Entrapta answered sheepishly.
“Yeah… manipulation at it’s finest.” You mumbled under your breath, not surprised at the baffled looks on Bow and Glimmer’s faces.
“Did I forget to mention that? Ha! Oops.” Catra chuckled.
“But don’t worry about me! I love it here! I’ve made unbelievable progress in my research… and the Horde has been so supportive.”
You listened to Entrapta’s reasoning with slight skepticism, while Glimmer turned away to wipe away tears. “I’m getting closer to unraveling the mysteries of Etheria…” Entrapta continued, “Hacking the Black Garnet was just the first step!”
“That was you?”
“Aw. So much for the power of friendship.” Catra giggled, turning off the comm device. You sighed, rubbung your temples. This whole thing gained you an extra hour of needed sleep.
“C’mon Glimmer, let’s go.” Bow muttered, turning to the Princess, but paused. “Glimmer?”
In a rush, Glimmer shoved past Bow and aimed a furious punch at Catra. Catra easily kept dodging, and Scorpia used her tail to slam Glimmer aside, Lonnie and Rogelio aiming for her, as Bow used his arrow to kick Rogelio away. Catra growled, grabbing onto Bow from behind. “Forget the Princess, she’s got no power! Get him!”
Scorpia readied her stance as you walked over cautiously. Glimmer, from behind, looked up from her position on the floor. “I’m not as naive as you think.”
In a turn of events, Glimmer teleported to Bow, holding onto him. “Turns out, I saved a little magic, just for you!”
Catra growled, but as Scorpia launched her stinger at Glimmer and Bow, you yanked Catra away, but the two rebels teleported away, and the stinger simply swung in an arc and slammed into the both of you. Luckily, both of you weren't stung, just... slapped.
"Ugh! No!" Catra hissed, shoving herself up, before immediately doubling down in pain. Scorpia's tail was really hard, and it had probably cracked a rib or something. You sat up, rubbing your back from the impact on the floor.
"Ah! Geez, sorry, sorry!" Scorpia winced, pulling you up and dusting you off. "I'm just... so glad you two are okay."
"I guess... Catra, y'good?"
Catra stood up straight, holding her stomach. "Ugh... Scorpia, watch where you swing thay stupid tail of yours!"
Ouch.
Chapter 7: Chapter Six and a Half - Slight problem (A/N)
Chapter Text
This is an edited note from the author, hi!
As of 21 August, the storyline has been changed and I'll edit this note when I finish reworking the next few chapters to match.
I'm probably going to have to skip a few episodes, which I will do for future chapters as well... sorry! Maybe just... Roll with It?
Yeah, I'll walk myself out
Best regards,
The damn author
Chapter 8: Iridium and Sea-Ra
Summary:
This chapter is mostly a filler, but reading it has some value :) Also, it's a combination of two chapters, so yay
Chapter Text
"Are you sure you wanna... work here?" You asked Entrapta carefully, walking past the mess in her new tinkering room. "I mean, this room specifically. It hasn't been renovated or upgraded for years now."
"It'll be fine, my main focus isn't decoration, it's experimentation, innovation and... bots!" Entrapta giggled, spreading out all her materials on a shaky table. "In fact, why don't you stick around? I would love a lab partner!"
You tilted your head, before chuckling lightly. "I'm not good when it comes to tech, I'm more of a... uh..."
You paused, considering this for a moment. Now that you thought about it, you weren't really good at anything, really. Nothing unique, at least. You were good at fighting, but so was everyone. You were decent at friendship stuffs, but Scorpia was way better.
"Uh... I'm kinda... hm." You sighed, rubbing the back of your neck. "I guess I'm not good at anything, really."
"Oh well, that's too bad. It's okay though, Emily can be my assistant instead." Entrapta concluded, and Emily stumbled past you, rubbing against Entrapta, as if searching for some affection.
"How... did you make Emily sentient, anyway? All of the Horde's bots are only programmed to shoot and kill." You asked curiously, leaning against the wall.
"Well, Horde technology is decently advanced, and I just integrated aome of my custom code into her central processor." Entrapta shrugged, petting Emily gently, "Plus, she can store information, and learn how to process feelings! It makes her so much more fun to work with!"
Emily stumbled off, shoving some things in place in an attempt to reorganise the room. "Right..." You raised a brow, "But- and no offence to Emily- would've it be easier to make more friends and have them as assistants too? You don't have to integrate emotions in non-robots. Emotions come natrually."
"I couldd... but robots don't lose energy as fast as living beings, they process orders faster and calculate things for me in record speeds!" Entrapta listed carefully, before suddenly pulling out something from your pocket.
"Hey, why do you still have this?"
"Wh-"
You stared at the shards of red crystal in her hair tendrils, before sighing. "Dunno. Shadow Weaver cared about it so much, so I thought it could be something important or powerful or something," you admitted, "but Catra doesn't want to have anything of Shadow Weaver left behind, so... I've just been keeping it to myself."
"Oohhh... can I keep this?"
"Um... I think I'd rather have it on me." You shook your head, holding out your hand. Entrapta frowned, reluctantly handing you back the shards.
"Sure, sure, but integrating magic and technology is part of my research. I've only been able to work with tech so far, with the exception of the Black Garnet, and I'd love to work with magic more." She explained, "I understand though, the shards have some sort of uh... sentimental value to you... so I'll let you keep it."
You stared at her as she turned back to her shaky table, before sighing, keeping the shards in your pocket and leaving the room. "Thanks, I'll get to Catra and Scorpia. Nice talking, call me if you need me."
Closing the door behind you, you checked your tracker pad for Catra's location. The Fright Zone was, annoyingly enough, too big to just search around for anyone without help.
---
"Third Battalion is closest. If they move on Erelandia, the Rebellion will have to answer."
Maybe you should've stayed with Entrapta after all.
Her ramblings were way less dull than whatever Catra and Scorpia were doing. Catra was busy checking a map and coming up with a plan to take over another town, while Scorpia was messily going through Shadow Weaver's old files.
"Y-yeah, small problem? Um... the Third Battalion is refusing to fight." Scorpia stuttered, dropping a ton of papers that you scrambled to pick up. "Apparently they don't have armor and put in... uh... where is it..."
"Six requests for a resupply." You finished for her, pushing back a few papers into the files she was still dropping, "Didn't you check those?"
"I've been busy, okay? Y'know, almost toppling Bright Moon and coming closer than anyone to conquering the planet for the Horde?" Catra snapped, nearly ripping through the map, "Not that anyone seems to care..."
"Yeah, well... we care." Scorpia reassured her, using her tail to pull you into a sorta side hug.
"...fine, give them the armor." Catra sighed, looking away.
"Alright no problem. I'll get the armory to-"
"No, no, that won't work." You interjected, holding up another file she had dropped, "Apparently, the armory is outta armor."
"So? Get them to make more." Catra shrugged.
"Scorpia? The file?" You asked, turning to Scorpia who was still trying to find the right file in the stack that never seemed to stop slipping through her pincers.
"Uh... okay... just gotta find that file and uh..." She chuckled weakly, dropping even more files somehow. "It's just... they're so slippery and slidey and..."
"I got that." You huffed, taking all the files from Scorpia and picking some up from the floor, carefully organising them and stacking them on the desk. "Huh, maybe I'm good at organisation..." You mused.
"How do I defeat the Rebellion when all I do is this stupid busy work?" Catra groaned, leaning on the desk in clear exasperation, "I bet Shadow Weaver didn't have to deal with any of this..."
"These are her files, Cat."
Catra looked up at you, and sighed, pushing her hair back. "Whatever. I can't afford any distractions right now and-"
"Ahagha- oof!"
Scorpia flinched, and the three of you turned to see a disheveled looking Entrapta fall out of a tube from the ceiling. "Hi!"
"Entrapta! I said call if you need me." You snickered a little, going forward to help her up. She shook off some dust from her hair, shrugging.
"Entrapta, you're not a prisoner anymore." Catra reminded her in annoyance, "You don't have to sneak around."
"These ducts are faster and I don't have time to waste." She said quickly, pushing past you and searching through the room, "I need a six-sided hex driver right now."
"I'm the one who doesn't have time to waste." Catra sighed, "Aren't you some kind of genius? Make do with what you have."
"Ughh... Of course I could- but it's the principle- always use the proper tool for the job." She huffed, sliding under a table and checking more boxes.
"I don't think the file room will have screwdrivers, 'Traps." You held the files down in case Entrapta knocked them over, "The only place that could have stuff like that is Hordak's room-"
"No, Y/N don't give her ideas!" Catra hissed, immediately going up to Entrapta.
"Oh, okay then I can just search there and- woah."
Catra had yanked Entrapta down by the collar of her shirt, and pulled her from the vents harshly. "Listen, I know you're new to the Fright Zone, and possibly to being around people in general," Catra said quietly but sternly, "but Hordak isn't somebody to mess with. Under no circumstances will you go anywhere near Hordak's Sanctum!"
"Ohhh he calls it a Sanctum? That is so classy..." Entrapta giggled as Catra let her go.
"My bad, Entrapta, Catra's right. Forget about Hordak's Sanctum, I'm sure there's other places you can find a six-hexed side driver or... whatever you needed." You added quickly, failing to notice Scorpia searching through the files and messing them up again. "Please, promise us you won't go there."
"...what if it's urgent? Like I really need something from in there and-"
"Promise!" Catra hissed, narrowing her eyes. You pulled her back.
"Dude, chill."
"Okay, okay, I promise." Entrapta finally agreed.
"Guys! I found it! Okay, so... the armory can't make more armor because they're out of Irid-do... Iridoium? Irideli..."
"Iridium." You corrected her, snatching the file away in slight annoyance that the files were now messy again after you had organised it. "So they just need more of that, then."
"Okay, where do we get more?" Catra turned back, crossing her arms.
"Uh... I don't have a file for that." Scorpia winced, and you sighed, sitting down on the floor and checking through the files again.
"You probably just missed it. Here, let me do it instead." You huffed, picking up a random file and starting to read through it.
Catra took a deep breath and picked up another file. "Scorpia, why don't you go handle Entrapta? Make sure she doesn't go anywhere near Hordak. Got it?"
"Got it boss, I won't let her outta my sight!" Scorpia saluted, dropping more files and standing up in determination. "...You wouldn't have happened to see where she went, right?"
"Check the vents." You shrugged, flipping a page.
"Oh-kay!"
The door shut behind her, leaving you and Catra to deal with the files yourselves.
"Ugh, I hate this. I swear, Shadow Weaver probably just gave this nonsense to other people." Catra muttered.
---
You entered the code to Shadow Weaver's prison cell, entering it and looking down at her. She looked tired, fragile even.
"...Y/N. Do what do I owe the pleasure?" She drawled, glancing up at you in a sickly sweet tone, just to get under your skin.
You tensed, before sighing. "Catra sent me here. Apparently, there's a missing file and she thinks you're sabotaging her... or something. It's about the armory."
You rubbed the back of your neck nervously. Conversing with Shadow Weaver was always awkward. "Do you know where to find Iridium?"
"...the material you seek can be found right here in the foundry."
You blinked, before nodding. "Right, okay. Thanks." You huffed, looking away.
"...how did you, y'know, get to run things? Catra's been doing nothing but pointless busywork in your shoes." You asked curiously, "I mean, she's trying her best."
"Lord Hordak clearly doesn't trust that mangy cat as much as she would like." Shadow Weaver hummed, "And he never trusted me either. I was only kept around because I was the only one who could use magic. Of course, now that I'm here, he has none. Not while the Black Garnet isn't accesible."
"Hey, Catra isn't a Mangy Cat. She's an amazing person who just wants to do her best. That's all." You narrowed your eyes, walking out of her cell. "Thanks for the information."
You closed the electrical field and immediately went to find Catra, wanting to relay the information, but you found Scorpia instead.
"Y/N! Hey! Okay, so I took another look and found the file in the Black Garnet Chamber." She explained, "And guess what?"
"Iridium is made in the Foundry?"
"...brilliant." She grinned.
"Oh, there you are." Catra suddenly appeared behind you two, "Did you get the information."
"Yeah, we just need to get more material from the foundry." You shrugged, "It's that simple."
Catra nodded, before pausing, and turning to Scorpia. "Aren't you supposed to be watching Entrapta? Where is she?!"
"I um... she's uh.... I do not know." Scorpia admitted quietly, "But you know what? I will find her! Because that's- that's just the sort of friend I am."
Catra groaned loudly, and grabbed Scorpia, dragging her out. "We gotta go, now. Y/N, get to the foundry and arrange a material drop off to the armory."
You watched them leave, before sighing, picking up some papers Scorpia dropped before turning back to Shadow Weaver's cell, considering something.
"...screw this." You sighed, entering the code again and going into her cell. Again.
"One more question." You cleared your throat as she looked up at you in slight confusion.
"Your gem. It's in pieces. Does it... still work?"
"...no." She looked away. "It's a piece of the Black Garnet. It was the smallest shard of the giant gemstone that could still harness magic. Now that's it's in smaller pieces, it simply won't work."
"... Oh." You pulled the shards out of your pocket, "Can they be uh... glued back?"
She turned to you, giving you a look that was screaming "are you serious".
"Right." You sighed, before tossing them back to her. "You can have them back, then. I have no use for them."
She didn't bother catching them. Without their magic, the shards were more useless to her than anything. You left the cell, feeling as if the last bit of Shadow Weaver you had was now gone- in a way. It was a strange feeling you couldn't understand, so you just left, putting your hands in your pockets and hoping that Shadow Weaver wasn't lying about them being useless.
---
"Move thise big weapony things! Flap those banners!"
You crossed your arms, watching as Scorpia ordered around a bunch of random Horde Soldiers from the overpass. Apparently, Entrapta had been allowed to work with Hordak freely, leading to Catra's ego being a bit bruised, so she sent Scorpia out with you so she could have some alone time to process and get work done. She had put Scorpia in charge of the overpass shift, a large building that the Horde had seized recently and was apparently important.
Lonnie, Rogelio and Kyle stepped next to you, also watching Scorpia bark random orders and instructions in an attempt to look like she was in control of everything.
"Keep doing whatever it is you're doing, guy I'm pointing at! Now do a different thing! And look sharp, Force Captain's orders!"
You sighed, putting a hand on Scorpia's shoulder. "Hey, Scorps, maybe just- calm down a bit, alright? Don't waste your breath- plus, half your orders make no sense." You suggested, snd she laughed nervously.
"Oops, sorry, got carried away there- I just can't believe Catra left me in charge! Me! Can you guys believe it?" She squealed, turning to face the others while pulling you into another one of her bone-crushing side hugs.
"Uh... no, I really can't." Lonnie muttered, and you gave her a sharp glare. Luckily, Scorpia completely missed her negative undertone.
"Ah, me neither!" Scorpia sighed, letting go of you, "she must really trust me. I can't let her down."
"Or she needs space from your overwhelming positive energy." You mumbled under your breath, smiling in slight endearment at Scorpia's obliviousness to the whole situation.
Scorpia cleared her throat, before pointing at Kyle. "Kyle! Man the parapets!"
"I... don't know what those are."
"Then find out!"
Kyle ran past all of you, looking out for whatever the parapets were.
"...awh, Scorpia, you're in charge of the fortress, she said. Even you can't mess this up, she said. Even me! She's thinking about me!" Scorpia gushed, leaning against the walls of the bridge you were all standing on.
"You're doing that weird blushy thing again." You pointed out, but she ignored you.
"Ah, should I get her a thank you gift? What's her favourite colour? Kyle-!"
"Scorpia! You're raving." You sighed, smacking the back of her head. "Just calm down, and focus on the job, alright? Catra will be happier with a successful shift rather than a... thank you gift."
"Doh, I know, I know, but I still want to show my appreciation! I've never been trusted with things before, unless you count overseeing Catra when Shadow Weaver was still in charge." She rubbed the back of her head, before humming. "You know Catra well. What d'you think she'd like for a gift? It needs to be something thay says 'thank you' but also 'we are soulmates tied together by the threads of fate'."
"...Lonnie, help me out here." You grumbled, turning to the other woman, who was shaking her head in disapproval. She walked up to the both of you, putting a hand on Scorpia's shoulder.
"Y/N is right, Scorpia. We need to stop talking about Catra and focus on manning the defenses." She reminded, but Scorpia just stared at her.
"...the thing we were sent to do!"
"Oh! Hah! Okay, okay... you don't need to remind me." Scorpia chuckled, playfully smacking Lonnie's back (and launching her to the side of the bridge with immense accidental force), walking over to her. "My wildcat is counting on me, and I won't let her down!" She added, slamming her claws into the stone wall, causing it to crack slightly.
"In the name of Catra, I will defend this pass with my very life!"
She pointed into the distance, and you cleared your throat. "Wrong pass..."
Scorpia paused, before walking to the other side of the bridge, pointing at the pass again. "Yes, this is the pass I will defend with my very life!"
You turned to Lonnie and Rogelio, who both facepalmed.
---
"Okay. I finally found the red markers, and now she's just making a thank you card and- what're you doing?"
You walked up to Lonnie and Rogelio, who were both checking a tracker pad. "Princess problem. Rebellion tents were spotted nearby. They're probably trying to take back the pass." Lonnie explained, showing you the screen.
"Seriously? Today was supposed to be a peaceful day..." You sighed, pulling out a spy bot from your satchel. "Well, no better time to use Lyem than now."
"...Lyem?"
"Entrapta names her bots sometimes." You muttered, pulling out the controller and activating the bot. "We should be able to figure out their plans by sending this little guy in."
"Hey, Y/N, have you seen the felt- gasp! Who's this little guy?"
You turned to see Scorpia snatch Lyem from your hands and look it over. "Aww, it's so cute! Who's a little bot, who's a little bot? Is it you?"
"Scorps. Lyem isn't sentient." You sighed, taking back the bot and placing it on the floor. "There's been princess activity spotted nearby and we need a way to hear in in their plans."
"Ohhh, I get it. As the Force Captain in charge, I suppose I should be the one to steer the bot." She announced, and you reluctantly handed the controller to her.
She stared at the tiny buttons for a moment, before attempting to use her gianr claws to press them. She immediately let it slip, and it nearly fell, with her struggling to catch it.
"...do you want me to steer the bot?"
"Yes please..."
You sighed, taking back the controller and pressing the buttons properly, leading the bot to quickly scurry away.
"Awhh! It's so cute when it's scurrying away like that!" Scorpia cooed.
---
"Alright, turning on the audio now, we have a visual." You muttered, activating the audio after finding a visual in one of the Rebellion tents.
"My army of plant golems will take down the tower instantly!"
"Frostbite uses Snowstrike to encase the tower and then break it apart. Kapow!"
"You mean Sea-ra will use the Trident if Power to blow it up."
"You don't have a trident of power!"
"Ugh, Bow, make me a trident of power..."
"I just don't wanna die again..."
"I can't believe it..." Scorpia shook her head, walking away from the four of you, and Lonnie scoffed.
"Me neither."
"Hah... they're gonna give us frostbite, then attack us with plant golems, and a woman named Sea-ra, and Bow's got a trident of power?! Who knows what that does?! Oh- we're doomed!"
"Scorpia! Don't be so dramatic- and get off of the floor!" You groaned, watching her lay on the floor in a dramatic position, "They're clearly just coming up with ideas- horrible ones at that."
"We can't risk it!" Scorpia looked up, scrambling to her feet and teaching for the controller from behind you. "Get in closer!"
"Scorpia! Careful!" You groaned, the weight if her giant, exoskeleton-covered self taking a toll on your back as you tried in vain to hold the controller away. Unfortunately, as she was reaching for it, your fingers slipped on the controller, causing the bot to go haywire.
By the time she had finally gotten the controller, something went wrong and the screen deactivated.
"Noo! Kyle, go grab another one of those spy bots you packed!" Scorpia ordered, but Kyle only nodded nervously.
"Mhm, mhm... was that my job?"
"...really Kyle? I don't know how you haven't been fired yet!"
"Look, I think our main focus is preparing to defend the pass, whatever is coming our way." You sighed, keeping the controller in your bag, "So we need to get more bots out, and more turrets."
"And how do you expect that to handle plant golems and a trident of power?"
"Scorpia, we can't waste resources on things that are clearly made-up." Lonnie rubbed her temples, already more than done with Scorpia's antics. "Rogelio, set up the turrets. I'll get more bots."
---
"Okay, so overall, we've added more bots to the tower's weak points, Rogelio is commanding the extra turrets, Kyle is... hiding somewhere, and Lonnie is looking for Kyle to drag him out." You listed off, pointing up at the bots around the area.
"And if there are plant monsters or warriors in ice armor- or Sea-ra?" Scorpia asked worriedly, holding you in a side-hug for reassurance. You scoffed, patting her back.
"All that stuff isn't real, and besides, even if they somehow were, we'll overcome them. Together. Plus, you can prove to Catra that somehow, you got something right." You chuckled, gently pushing her away in favour of your spine.
"Alright, okay, good! Thanks Y/N." Scorpia smiled a little, before leaning to whisper in your ear again. "Oh, yeah, who's Rogelio?"
"...the lizard guy."
"Ohhh... I always wondered what his deal was."
Before you could make any other comment, a loud, ear-splitting roar erupted from behind the pass. Both you and Scorpia turned, and saw two massive, bright green, flowery hands slam down onto the giant walls, cracking them while simultaneously covering them with even more flowery vines.
"...seriously?! They're actually real?!" You groaned as a large head popped into view, along with the flower princess, Perfuma, standing atop the massive creatue.
"For the She-ra!" She giggled, and the giant monster roared again.
"F-Fire!"
The turrets started to fire rounds of lasers at the golem upon Scorpia's stuttered order, but they were stopped almost immediately as a short, familiar ice princess in ridiculous ice armor froze them shut. Frosta.
"Oh hey, it's the kid party host." You mused as her tiny self managed to knock aside and destroy multiple bots.
It didn't take long for the expected Sea-ra to arrive, though it was really just the Princess of Salineas in a ridiculous She-ra inspired costume.
Despite the nonsensical set-up that the Rebellion had, it was evident that their methods were working, because bots were exploding, soldiers were fleeing and turrets were malfunctioning.
"This is both terrifying and incredibly hard to take seriously." You commented, and Scorpia picked you up almost comically and carried you to the safety of inside.
"Alright, I'll wait for the main attack at the top, you find Lonnie, Kyle and Lizard guy. Prepare escape skiffs just incase we all nearly die." She instructed and sent you off to go find the others.
It didn't take long to realise that you guys were losing in this case, and you called in a bunch of emergency skiffs back out into an escape area, sending multiple platoons back to base before eventually dragging a very wet Lonnie out of a shallow pond of water that Mermista had annoyingly conjured up.
You then watched as Kyle got shot down by a net that arrow boy (Bow) had summoned and had to drag him out too. Thank goodness Rogelio was dropped into the skiff area, because you were not going to be able to drag that giant lizard all the way down to the corner of the giant pass.
Already waiting at the last skiff, the four of you watched as Scorpia plummeted down from the pass, landing in the river in front.
"That was anti-climactic." Lonnie muttered as Scorpia climbed onto the skiff, dripping wet.
"So? What happened up there?" You asked, raising a brow, "Anything that can impress your Catra?"
"Uh... well... I got close to defeating both She-ra and the Princess of Brightmoon! Uh... there were just too many princesses after." She admitted, and you sighed in slight disappointment.
"Let's just get out of here." Kyle said quickly, and you nodded, activating the skiff and driving all of you away, watching as the Princesses reclaimed the pass.
"...all in favour of blaming this on Kyle?"
"Yep."
"Yeah, that's unanimous."
"Mhm."
"What?! Aw man..."
Chapter 9: (UNFINISHED)
Summary:
(WIP)
Chapter Text
(UNFINISHED)
Chapter 10: (UNIFINISHED)
Notes:
(UNFINISHED, DO NOT READ)
Chapter Text
“Y/N? Any chance you’re good at cheering Catra up? Like… tricks or anything?”
You were lying around in Glimmer’s room again. Scavenging for information was harder than it looked. Guards everywhere, Glimmer teleporting to you every five seconds, Adora’s pretty much constant gaze. You had a few minutes to be alone, due to Adora and Glimmer going looking for Bow for… whatever reason. Glimmer insisted on more babysitters (sure, you were younger than both of them, but the age difference between you and Catra was like- probably a few months)... and you had no idea why they didn't just bring you along.
“Why ask me that? You really called me to ask for encouraging advice when I might die soon.” You muttered, fixing your hair. “Catra’s… hard to crack at that, Whether it’s a good or bad day, she keeps to her… feelings. If you know what I mean.”
“I guess…” Scorpia mused, “anyway, I’ve probably gotta tell you this… but… Shadow Weaver escaped.”
“...what now?”
“...Shadow Weaver escaped.”
You sat up from the stupidly cushiony beanbag in shock. “Shadow Weaver escaped?! How?? When?!”
“Catra told me… she has no idea how it happened, but she’s freaking out and in danger.” Scorpia explained, worried, “Hordak’s gonna flip if he finds out about it. Any chance you’ve seen her around?”
“Any chance I’ve- obviously not! I’ve barely seen anything else other than flowers and nonsense papers!” You growled, holding up a scroll you had snagged. “Look at this- ‘solving the problem on uneven bed sheets’? This place is wack.”
“Then… maybe you can come back? Come back and find a way to help us out of this mess!” Scorpia asked hopefully, and you sighed. You had no idea how to leave. Hopping out the window certainly wasn't an option. You didn't have good reflexes, you were the baseline to average.
“Like I could. This place is crawling with guards, guards that are surprisingly incompetent… but even then, they’re all amazing snitches.” You rolled your eyes, before hearing more footsteps from behind the door. “Ugh… I’ll call you back, my… ‘babysitters’ are arriving.”
You turned off the device, before hiding it under Glimmer’s bed and lying back down on the beanbag. The door opened, revealing two familiar faces: Spinerella and Netossa.
“Hi salad princess.” You muttered, glancing at Spinerella. Spinerella just waved a little, and Netossa spared you a glare.
Spinerella stepped into the room with her usual calm demeanor, giving you a polite smile that contrasted sharply with Netossa’s brooding glare. “Come on, Netossa, let’s try to make this a productive visit,” Spinerella said gently, brushing past her wife and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Productive? What exactly are we producing here?” Netossa asked, her tone sarcastic as she crossed her arms. “It’s not like they’re going anywhere.”
“Hey now, don’t be like that.” You stretched out on the beanbag with an exaggerated yawn. “I’m delightful company, aren’t I? Aren’t I, Spinerella?”
Spinerella chuckled softly, but Netossa was less amused. “Delightful? More like a deadass nightmare!”
You bit your lip, trying to suppress a laugh. Their dynamic was starting to entertain you more than it probably should.
“Netossa,” Spinerella said, her voice firm but kind, “we talked about this. They’re not our enemy right now. We’re supposed to keep an eye on them, yes, but also…” She hesitated, searching for the right word. “…try to get to know them.”
Netossa blinked, her expression incredulous. “Get to know them? What’s next, a tea party?”
You snorted. “A tea party doesn’t sound half bad, actually. You bring the food, I eat, sounds great.”
Netossa shot you a look, but before she could respond, Spinerella stepped in. “It’s not about tea parties, Netossa. It’s about trust—or at least, building some semblance of understanding. Don’t you think this constant back-and-forth gets exhausting?”
“Oh, trust me, I’m plenty exhausted just by being here,” Netossa muttered, though her posture softened just a fraction. “Fine. Let’s bond. What do you want to talk about, Y/N? Favorite color? Dreams? Aspirations?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but the effort was there.
You sat up, smirking. “Wow, this is progress. Okay, let’s see… favorite color? Probably anything that isn’t this pastel decor. Dreams? Getting out of here without a Netossa-shaped hole in my side. Aspirations? Surviving this conversation.”
Spinerella let out a light laugh, and even Netossa’s lips twitched like she was fighting a smile. “You’re impossible,” Netossa muttered.
“And you’re predictable,” you shot back playfully.
Spinerella leaned forward, her tone gentle but teasing. “See? This isn’t so bad. You’re already chatting.”
Netossa groaned, running a hand over her face. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
You grinned, leaning back on the beanbag. “Don’t worry, Netossa. You’re doing great. This might even go down as one of my top ten most awkward forced bonding sessions.”
—--
The mood in the room shifted as you stretched out dramatically on the beanbag, feigning exasperation. “Look, I get it, you’ve got orders to watch me or whatever. But seriously, I don’t need babysitters hovering over me all day. You’re killing my vibe.”
Netossa arched an eyebrow. “Your vibe? Is that what you call plotting in the corner?”
You sighed heavily, throwing a hand over your forehead like you were some tragic hero in an overly dramatic play. “Yes, my vibe! Plotting? Please. What am I supposed to plot with—beanbags and bad lighting? I’m just trying to survive this snooze fest, and honestly, having two pairs of eyes glaring at me isn’t helping.”
Spinerella glanced at Netossa, her expression softening. “Maybe we could give them some space? It’s not like they’re going anywhere, right?”
Netossa shot her wife a skeptical look. “Seriously? You’re going to fall for this?”
“Fall for what?” you interjected, sitting up and gesturing around the room. “This isn’t exactly the escape room of the century. I’m in a locked room, surrounded by guards. Where am I gonna go? The beanbag doesn’t double as a rocket ship, sadly.”
Spinerella looked thoughtful. “They do have a point. And… maybe they really do just want some time alone.”
“Exactly!” you said, pointing at her as if she’d just solved world peace. “See? Spinerella gets it. Alone time. To reflect. To think about my life choices. Maybe even nap.”
Netossa narrowed her eyes at you. “If this is some kind of trick-”
“Oh, come on,” you said, cutting her off with a wave of your hand. “Do I look like I could pull off some kind of grand escape? Be real.”
Netossa glanced at Spinerella again, clearly torn, but her wife’s reassuring nod seemed to sway her. “Fine,” Netossa said finally, though her tone made it clear she wasn’t happy about it. “But we’re just outside the door. Don’t get any ideas.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” you said with a grin..
The two left, and the door clicked shut behind them. You waited a beat, listening to their footsteps retreat down the hall, only for you to shoot up from the beanbag, darting to the hidden device under Glimmer’s bed.
“Time to put this ‘baseline to average’ reflexes thing to the test,” you muttered, slipping the device into your pocket and heading for the window. It wasn’t the most graceful escape- climbing out with all the finesse of a Kyle- but you managed to hit the ground and take off down the forest, your heart pounding.
You were almost clear when you heard a voice behind you.
“Hey! Is that-”
You glanced back to see Spinerella and Netossa rounding the corner of the building, their eyes widening as they caught sight of you sprinting away.
“They tricked us?!” Netossa yelled, already giving chase.
“Y/N, stop!” Spinerella called, her voice laced with equal parts concern and exasperation.
“Sorry!” you shouted over your shoulder, the adrenaline kicking in as you bolted faster. “Gotta run- literally!”
Netossa groaned as she picked up speed. “I knew we shouldn’t have trusted them!”
“Maybe we can bond later!” you called back, grinning despite yourself. Netossa growled, sending a bunch of nets at you, only hitting trees. Spinerella used her tornadoes and bolted above the trees, trying to land on top of you and tackle you. You easily dodged, grabbing a few rocks and throwing them at them.
Netossa ran up to Spinerella, and looked back up, realising you were already gone. “Ugh! Stupid- shifting- TREES!” She yelled, kicking one. Her nearly broken toes proved it as a bad idea.
—--
The woods sucked. Everything was shifting, moving and generally… horrible. Luckily for you, EXTREMELY luckily, the woods seemed to be on your side, because you somehow managed to find the Fright Zone in a concerningly short amount of time. (Like, two days but considering that it was the Whispering Woods, it was better than being stuck forever.)
Stepping forward, you turned on your communicator, trying to contact Catra, but getting nothing. You then tried to call Scorpia, but got nothing again. Which left…
“...Entrapta.”
You muttered to yourself, calling the little tech geek, only to find her in the vents as she answered your call. “Hey Y/N! That’s an increase of trees in your background.”
“I… ugh… I left Brightmoon. The few weeks I've been there were useless. I’m sure Hordak’s gonna have my head when he realises- well… if he ever does realise. Why’re you in the vents?” You asked. You were used to her being with Hordak or something. She was rarely alone in the vents unless she was traveling, but she didn't seem to be moving.
“Hordak’s having a temper tantrum. He’s refusing to listen about Catra’s usefulness to rebuilding his portal.” Entrapta huffed, lying on her stomach and kicking her legs around. “Catra’s in trouble. Big trouble.”
“Catra’s… in trouble? Don't tell me it’s about the Shadow Weaver thing…” You groaned, slipping into the Fright Zone and entering a hallway. You looked around for Scorpia’s room.
“It probably is. There’s a 80% chance that Catra’s either going to be dead in the next few hours, and a 20% chance she’ll be sent to Beast Island-”
“No! No probabilities please.” You interrupted, finally finding Scorpia’s room and standing in front of the door. “I’ll find you later. Don’t get your hair stuck in a tizzy.”
Ending the call (you should really work on your call timings more often… and your one liners), you went into Scorpia’s room, not really expecting much, but then saw an exhausted Scorpia, in a mess on the floor. How someone with short hair could have such messy locks was beyond you.
“Uh… Scorps?”
“Y/N…? Y/N!!!” Scorpia looked up, immediately consuming you in a bone-crushing hug. You prayed the popping noises in your back was fluid bubbles being popped, and not your bones.
“I’m back, I’m back… I heard about what happened. Vaguely. Mind explaining?” You asked, gently pushing her away, then forcefully pushing her away because damn was she strong.
“Catra- Catra’s doomed! Hordak’s called an assembly to witness her punishment! What do we do?!” Scorpia screeched, shaking you roughly. “Catra’s gonna die! Or gonna be sent to Beast Island! Or worse… be sent to the barracks for eternity!!!”
“Calm down! Calm down…” You sighed, stepping away from her claws and dusting off any fragments of exoskeleton from her violent shaking. “How long have you been lying here?”
“About a few hours. Is my hair messy?” She asked, now starting to fix her hair. You sighed and kicked off your shoes, climbed onto her bed, stood up to match her height and fixed her hair for her.
“It’s messier than I expected.” You mused, hopping off of her bed and wearing your shoes back. “You think Entrapta could whip up something to help plead her case?”
“I’m pretty sure she tried already, and even if she didn't, she’d be too excited about SCIENCE to really bother.” Scorpia admitted, her tone hinting at slight disappointment, “Her assembly’s too soon, I doubt Hordak would change his mind in such a short amount of time.”
“Couldn't you have tried to… I dunno- break Catra out? It’s not like you wouldn't have wanted to.” You suggested, starting to look hopeful, but the disappointment on Scorpia’s face said otherwise.
“She didn't want to let me help. She said she didn't need me getting into trouble too.”
“Wow. Quick character development.” You laughed to yourself, before awkwardly clearing your throat. “Let’s pray Catra isn't sent to the barracks. Maybe she’ll be exiled… that would be the best punishment for her, but judging by what Shadow Weaver did… I think exile is out of the question.”
—-
The atmosphere was tense as Catra stepped into Hordak’s throne room, two guards following behind her. You, Scorpia, and Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio were watching at the side amongst a bunch of other soldiers. You, in particular, were standing next to Scorpia to avoid Hordak’s steely gaze. (Hopefully he completely forgot about your mission, but to be honest, you weren't ever remembered by important people anyway. At least not more than the times Kyle succeeded in anything.)
Catra stepped forward, her tail lashing behind her. Hordak looked down, his red, glowing eyes borderline to insanity. “I want you all to watch and learn,” he said, standing up and making his way down the stairs. “There is nothing I do not know. Nothing I am not willing to do to punish those who betray my trust.”
As he approached Catra, he snarled. “Your former Force Captain has proven to be compromised, ineffective…” he leaned down to her gaze, “and worthless.”
You could practically feel Scorpia shaking beside you, terrified of what fate awaited Catra, and a part of you wanted to escape to the vents and find solace with Entrapta, but you dared not move an inch. As Hordak walked past her, he turned his attention to the rest of you. “To the rest of you, take a lesson from this. This is what happens to failures.”
…
“You’re the failure.”
Catra’s voice cut you all out of your regular routine of stillness, the entire room gasping in shock as Hordak turned to Catra incredulously. Calling Hordak a failure was a death sentence, to most people’s eyes, and you were one of those people. You facepalmed, but Catra didn't stop at the manic giggles that proceeded after her claim, turning to the furious man behind her. “You need me, just like you needed Shadow Weaver, because you have no idea how to run this place. All you know how to do is hide in your lab.”
“Maybe that’s why you can't defeat a group of teenagers.”
You grimaced as Hordak’s face turned into an ugly mess, his anger radiating an energy like you’d never seen before. A measly ex-force captain defying him? This was a joke, right?
“Oh… Catra…” Scorpia mumbled under her breath, realising at this point, Catra’s fate would have already been sealed.
Hordak looked about to explode… but then he calmed down, as if having a great idea. “Save your little speech. There has been a change of plan.” He grinned, stepping closer to Catra.
“Hi Catra!!” Entrapta’s familiar nasally voice filled your sensitive eardrums as she wrapped her hair around Catra’s shoulder cheerfully, a stark contrast to the atmosphere of the room. “I saved your life!! You're welcome!!” She chuckled, patting Catra’s head and moving beside Entrapta. The situation seemed… rather anticlimactic, and both you and Scorpia sighed in relief.
“I… don’t understand.” Catra stuttered, confused.
“Entrapta has interceded on your behalf, you should be thanking her.” Hordak said calmly, “Instead of the many punishments I intended for you, you are being sent to retrieve First One’s Tech for us… in the Crimson Waste.”
“The Crimson Waste?! That’s a total deadzone, nothing survives out there!” Catra protested, but Hordak only smirked.
“Exactly.”
—-
“So… we’re totally following her right?” You asked, walking with Scorpia to Catra’s containment cell again. Catra would leave for the Crimson Waste in a day, and you and Scorpia were either following her or crying, and following her was a much better alternative than wet eyepatches.
“Oh yeah, without a doubt. If my wildcat is being sent off, I'll follow!”
“We’ll... we'll both follow, you mean.”
“Of course.” Scorpia chuckled nervously, “I just… y’know.”
“The fat crush you have on Catra that’s bigger than your hugs?” You prompted with a mischievous grin, and Scorpia had no retort, just blushing furiously.
“I can see it in your eyes, the way you always present yourself as this amazing, big person when around her, your soft side really takes a new perspective.” You muttered, unsure if you were saying it right, “You’re trying to impress the tiara tabby.”
“Tiara tabby?” Scorpia scoffed, “That’s a new one.”
“I like my nicknames, I pride myself in them… not that Catra or Adora really liked hearing them.” You huffed, crossing your arms proudly. Scorpia chuckled. “Do I have a nickname too?”
“Scorps is the easiest, but… sometimes I call you Pincer Princess.” You muttered under your breath, and Scorpia snorted, unable to hold back her laughter. Even while going to visit someone in jail, it felt rather calm.
“Pincer Princess? Wow. I’ll need to recheck that after this.” Scorpia sighed with a smile, before you both reached Catra’s cell.
Catra seemed to be half-dead emotionally, lying on the floor on her stomach and groaning, similar to how Scorpia was earlier. Her green chains were deactivated, and she was free to move around her cell with less restraint, but she chose to do it on the dirty ground, how amazing.
“You look… depressed.” You muttered, and Catra’s ears twitched. She turned to lie on her back, sitting up. You hadn't talked to her face to face since the Glimmer and Bow incident.
“And you look… glittery. Is that-”
“Nope.” You stopped her there, shaking your head to remove some glitter that had miraculously stayed in your hair after so long, before looking back at her. “Anyway, me and Scorps here are following along.”
“To the Crimson Waste? I knew you were stupid, but not brain dead.” Catra scoffed, and Scorpia shook her own head with a disappointed expression. You facepalmed.
“Listen, we’re doing it for you, whether you like it or not, so appreciate it.” You hissed, wanting to bash her on the head, “I think insulting us is the worst way to do that.”
“Fine, fine, but still. You might wanna rethink that decision. I’ve read up about the Waste before-”
“You read?”
“Unimportant!” Catra glared at you, “The point is, I know how stupidly dangerous it is. I’m not letting anyone follow me to my grave, least of all you.”
“Awww... you care!” Scorpia swooned, and you elbowed Scorpia a little, ignoring her little yelp of surprise.
“If we follow you to your grave, maybe we can dig you out, okay? Just… trust us, you’ll want to go with people you can trust.”
“...whatever. It’s not like it matters.” Catra muttered stubbornly, turning away from you both. You and Scorpia gave each other knowing looks, and you turned back to the cat woman.
“...is it… cold in there?” You asked curiously. Catra raised a brow from her position. That was the most out-of-subject question she could think of at the time. She gave you a look of disbelief, but paused as you unlocked the cell door (you had heard the password from an exiled guard, somehow the password hadn’t changed) and threw in a blue coat made from a few blankets.
“Octavia made it for me, and said- and I quote: ‘It’ll keep you warm, but you’d better not give it to the cat.’ I’m guessing you’re the cat, but oh well.” You commented, smirking at Catra’s obvious disgust from the blanket. It was nice, but it was made by Dumbface Octavia.
“You’re lucky it is cold, otherwise I’d have already ripped this to shreds.”
Chapter 11: Chapter Nine - The Crimson Waste
Chapter Text
The Crimson Waste. Possibly the deadest accessible area in existence. Orange sand and a bunch of weird plants everywhere. Not exactly the best place for living, which is why apparently no one lived there, according to the books.
Birds flew over in the sky, as Catra dramatically looked into the distance with the coat you had given her still draped around her shoulders. You watched as Scorpia managed to chase after you, panting as she put a claw on your shoulder for support. “Hoo… aw man, you guys…you are just as fast on sand as everywhere else… Now… What are we looking at?” She asked, trying to copy Catra’s distance observation.
“I’m looking at the Crimson Waste.” Catra snarled in annoyance, “The place Hordak sent me to die.”
She turned to the both of you, “I don’t know what idotic braincells you both have in your head, because I specifically told you to leave me alone.”
“It was so noble of you…” Scorpia smiled in a daze, “You pushed us away in order to keep us safe! And guess what? It brought us closer together!” She proceeded to grab you in a side hug, and you reluctantly stayed silent.
“Admit it, Catra, you like that we’re here to keep you company.” You chuckled a bit after pushing Scorpia off, your ears twitching in slight annoyance yourself.
“You know what? Like I said before, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore.” Catra groaned, taking a step forward into the empty sand. “You know what I see here? I see all my hardwork ignored because of one mistake.”
She turned to the both of you. “My dreams… turning into dust right in front of my eyes!” She huffed, but her attention was soon drawn to something at the side. “...but mainly, I’m looking at that?”
She pushed between you and Scorpia to get a closer look, and both of you turned to see… a giant skeleton covered in cloth. You blinked. “The hell? What happened to 'completely deserted’?” You asked, more confused and more annoyed thanks to the heat.
“Must be abandoned.” Scorpia mused as you all approached the entrance of the covered area, “According to Force Captain Orientation, the Crimson Waste is completely deserted.”
“Honestly? It better be. I’m not exactly ready to deal with-” You were cut off as you bumped into Catra’s outstretched arm holding up the curtain. You, Scorpia and Catra looked into the tent, now realising it was a tavern of sorts. There were angry faces of many random people in the room. “...people...just great. Scorpia, you should've skipped your orientation too.”
“Heh… I guess the info is all wrong…”
“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh-”
—-
Once Catra was done groaning, she stepped into the room, you and Scorpia trailing along behind. Scorpia looked nervous, and you just looked annoyed. You and heat did not go well together. “Obviously, Hordak had to be wrong. He’s always wrong!” You scoffed, in a pissed off mood. Catra raised a brow, wondering why you even bothered to follow if you were going to be complaining so much.
“He’s a shut-in who lives in his lab and doesn't know how to do anything! Why would anyone be surprised?” Catra growled, glancing at the side, and suddenly pulling a random person off of their chair, the lizard lady landing on the floor in a heap. “Move it. I’m tired.”
“What the f-” You facepalmed. “Yay. Let’s just get ourselves in trouble the first thing we enter a room.”
The lizard lady pushed herself up, loudly hissing at Catra, but Catra just roared back, and the lady backed off instantly. Catra sat down on the stool, giving an annoyed glare at a random person. Scorpia immediately rushed forward, blocking said person from Catra’s view in concern. “Hey, y’know… Catra, not to question you or anything… but maybe we shouldn't pick on the heavily armed crowd?”
You rolled your eyes, walking away and towards the lizard lady’s area, sitting down next to a goat person who was with the lizard lady. Your ears perked up, hearing something.
“Good riddance to that She-ra girl.”
You narrowed your eyes. More mention of Adora? You glanced back at Catra and Scorpia, who were busy having a small conversation on what to do in an armed crowd (aka, either fight them or just blend in, and Catra was mentioning fighting a lot), and you decided to listen in to the goat lady, who’s ears looked a lot like yours. Your tail shifted.
“If I ever see that boy or his sparkly friend… or that angry blonde one again, I swear I’ll… ugh!” She slammed her drink on the table. You recoiled a bit, before smiling easily. You shifted towards them more.
“So uh… which way did they go?”
The goat lady turned to you, snarling in annoyance. (Everyone seemed rather annoyed today, wow.) Looking you up and down, she leaned against the table. “Who are you?” She demanded with a suspicious gaze.
“Nevermind me. You mentioned a sparkly girl, a boy and a blonde? Which way did they go?” You asked, trying to keep calm in this… very armed crowd.
“Psh. Scram, outsider.” The lady rolled her eyes, gesturing for you to leave. You raised a brow, surprised at the hostility of this randomer… you had tried to be nice.
“Um… excuse me? What part of my question did you not understand, undercut-mcqueer?” You retorted in clear offence, “Just tell me where they went and we’re done.”
Catra and Scorpia finally noticed you, and went over. “What’s up with you?” Catra asked, confused.
You turned back, shoving your chair back and pulling both Scorpia and Catra in for a huddle. “Adora and her friends have been here. We should follow them.”
“Uh… Y/N? Last I checked, Hordak sent us here to get First One’s Tech, not pursue Adora. Why would we need to follow them?” Scorpia commented, but Catra laughed instead, shaking her head.
“Adora and her damn friends are always after the same thing we are, and now they’re in the middle of nowhere? Maybe you actually found a good lead.” She grinned, elbowing you and turning to face the goat lady, and you grimaced, bracing yourself for a painful conversation.
“Spit it out already! Where are they going?!” Catra demanded, grabbing the sleeve of the goat lady’s singlet. She only shoved Catra off, standing up to her full height, which was relatively tall.
“Listen up, kitty. The Crimson Waste has rules, and only the strong make the rules.” She snarled, looking down on you all. You narrowed your eyes, but Catra only started to laugh.
She laughed, manically and loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Scorpia winced as you stepped back, rubbing your temples in preparation for a Catra speech.
“So, here's the thing, I've done this, the 'threatening people bit' the intimidation," She put up hand quotations, "I've been there and I just don't care anymore." Catra turned her back to them, taking off her cape and throwing it at you carelessly. You huffed, putting it on yourself with slight disappointment. You watched her walk past you, slamming her hand on the bar counter, scraping it with her claws, allowing a shrill, screeching sound to emit from the surface, making your sensitive ears fold back.
"Some people have a bad day, I've had a bad life," She neared another lizard woman and she held up a knife as a threat to get her to stay back. Catra furrowed her brows and swiped it out of her hands, and used her feet to knock her off of the stool while she was distracted. She picked up the dagger off of the floor and leaped up onto the counter, walking past you, "When I want something, it's taken from me. If I win a fight, I lose the war."
“Threats only work on someone who has something to lose," Her hair swayed in your face as she leaned over the goat and lizard lady, her face shadowed from the light in a sinister way. She waved the dagger threateningly in their faces, "But me?"
She pointed the dagger near the goat lady’s eyes, smirking when she trembled in fear.
"I've already lost it all!" She swiped the dagger across her neck, not close enough to cut skin of course, but close enough to scare the woman, "And you can't be any good at this… because you just let yourself get distracted."
The goat lady turned back, seeing Scorpia sting the lizard lady, causing her to collapse in a paralysed heap. Giggling innocently, Scorpia stood back up as you moved behind the goat lady, humming. “You should've listened before Catra got involved.”
“So.” Catra smirked, squatting on the surface of the bar counter, “What’ll it be?”
The goat lady looked around, seeing herself surrounded as the other people went back to their own stuff, losing interest after Catra ended her… show. The goat lady gulped, “Hey- heh… y’know, we don't see you as an outsider at all… you are okay with us.”
“Can it, undercut.” You hissed, your annoyance at the heat still encouraging your pissed-off tone, “You better not be just okay with us.”
Scorpia put a calming pincer on your shoulder, and you took a deep breath, wiping away a bead of sweat. The goat lady tensed. “We’ll take you anywhere you wanna go, boss.”
Catra’s eyes sparkled, and she lowered the newly acquired dagger, throwing it to you again, which you caught with some difficulty. Were you just her storage now? Catra then turned to look back at the lady she had stolen the dagger from, an idea forming mischievously in her head.
“Good.”
—-
“Oh, boy! You really had them going! I’ve never seen a room of murderous toughs look so freaked out before! It was truly an honor to witness…” Scorpia laughed as you both stood next to Catra, you putting your hands in your pockets, much calmer than before after having stolen a few drinks from the tavern. The goat and lizard ladies were in front, leading you three to Adora, apparently.
“What, those washed-up hacks?” Catra scoffed, looking at you both. “They needed to be taught what happens when they mess with me.”
“I never got my thanks for overhearing the Adora thing…” You muttered, crossing your arms with a huff. Catra chuckled, rolling her eyes. Scorpia turned to you with a sigh.
“Right, thanks, Y/N. I guess we owe that to you, now we actually know where we’re going!” She said confidently, shoving her pincer forward and shoving the lizard lady in front, causing her to land in a tangled thorn bush… and freezing into a stone-like material, making a strangled sound of fear.
“Oh… oops! Sorry… can you carry her again?” Scorpia asked the goat lady, but Catra raised a brow, “Scorpia, you don't have to ask…” She mused, before turning to the goat lady. “Carry her, idiot. Move!”
You watched as the goat lady scrambled off to get the lizard lady out of the bush, and sighed as Scorpia and Catra walked in front of you, laughing together. You stayed behind, deciding to go over to the goat lady, shoving her aside and pulling the lizard lady out with little effort, then throwing her frozen body to the goat lady. “Geez… here.”
As you all kept walking, Scorpia and Catra in their own conversation about the Crimson Waste, you turned to the goat lady in curiosity. “I never got your name, right?”
“Uh… oh. I’m-”
“Hey! Give me your dart gun!” Catra suddenly interrupted, and the goat lady took out her dart gun, reluctantly passing it to the magicat. You groaned, slumping forward at your conversation being so rudely stopped. Scorpia only clapped, and Catra hummed. “I’m going to call you Kyle.”
“Um… what?” The goat lady protested, and Catra shoved her face near her. “Shut up and keep walking, Kyle.” She hissed, and the goat lady muttered a quick “okay”, and Catra went back to laughing with Scorpia.
You stared, deadpan, before turning back to the goat lady. “Anyway, back to what I was asking?”
The goat lady turned back to you in surprise, and cleared her throat. “Right… my name’s actually Flora… but I guess Kyle works too.”
“Mm… nah, Flora suits you better.” You grimaced, “Actually, no, I think undercut mcqueer is way better for you.” You teased, smiling slightly. Flora rolled her eyes, muttering “outsider” under her breath. You all stopped for a bit as Catra was trying to stop Scorpia from being sappy, and you stared up at the Flora with a sigh. “You’d make a better soldier than Kyle, at least you have a backbone.”
“Sure, but… who’s Kyle?”
“Some guy in my group. He’s useless.”
Flora rolled her eyes again, dropping the lizard lady as you all turned a corner, and dragging her instead of carrying her. You hummed, before deciding to regroup with Catra and Scorpia, not wanting to miss out on anything.
You all walked into a deep chasm, where giant bones were visible from the rocky walls. “Wo-ho-hoah! This is crazy!” Scorpia looked around in wonder, “Are there really animals this big? Come on…”
“Clearly not anymore.” You shrugged, poking at one of the walls, before pausing, hearing a quiet shriek sound from somewhere. Your ears shifted, and you glanced over to Catra, who also stopped in her tracks, tiny rocks falling in front of her. She raised a hand, stopping Scorpia and Flora too.
“Huh?”
She growled, before shoving past you again and grabbing Flora’s singlet angrily. “What are you trying to pull?!”
“N-nothing! What are you talking about?”
“Guys? What’s going on?” Scorpia stepped forward in confusion as you stood next to her, your ears continually moving and searching for any sound.
“I’ll tell you what, Kyle here wasn't paying attention and led us right into an ambush.” Catra snarled, and immediately, the laughter and commotion of a ton of people came from higher ground. You looked up, and saw hundreds of lizard people hiding up on floating rocks and giant bones.
“Thanks, Flora…” You muttered, narrowing your eyes as a particularly big lizard in the centre of them all growled, looking down at the five of you menacingly as you all circled together.
“Oh no… it’s Tung Lashor!” Flora exclaimed worriedly, and you failed to hold back a snort of laughter. “Sorry- what?” Catra stuttered, laughing herself. Tung Lashor wasn't a flattering name.
“Tung Lashor leads the number two gang in the Crimson Waste.” Flora explained, “He’s been itching to push Huntara out for years and become number one. With her gone, they’d run this place.”
“And it looks like today is our lucky, lucky day.” Tung Lashor grinned, his eyes glowing in the shadows. He leaped down, landing in a cloud of dust with minimal effort as the lizards around cheered for him. Flora visibly tensed, stepping back. “I never thought you’d be dumb enough to step foot out here without Huntara, but here you are.” He continued, stalking towards you all smugly. “And now, I’m gonna leave your bones as a warning to all who cross Tung Lashor… strongest in the Crimson Wasteland!”
He raised his whip and slammed it down with a loud crack, which you raised your brow at. His overconfidence clearly stemmed from the support of his gang, considering he looked puny compared to some others.
She couldn't help it, Catra started laughing out loud as you sighed, smiling to yourself in amusement. She laughed and laughed, only stopping to wipe a tear from her eye. “It sounds even stupider the second time… seriously? Tung Lashor? Pfft…” She mocked.
“Right? Which one of you came up with that?” You added, snickering to yourself, and seeing you both have fun, Scorpia joined in on the teasing.
“It’s like, what, did you lose a bet?” She pointed, and Flora only stared in shock at your boldness. Even one of Tung Lashor’s goons laughed, and he was shoved off his station to stop him from being a fool. TL was not happy.
“You done, outsider?”
Catra only continued to laugh, “Are you kidding?! We’re just getting started.”
“That whole… leaving your bones talk… a little too much.” You pointed out, crossing your arms.
“But I’m sure around here, you’re considered vewy scawy.” Catra added, getting into a mocking posture, and you held back another laugh. This whole situation was ridiculous. “Plus… they’re not with Huntara anymore, they’re with me.”
Catra, self proclaimed leader, you supposed.
“And lastly… I like that whip, I think I’ll be taking it.” She said, pointing at his whip with confidence. TL scoffed. “Is that so? Big talk for such a little-”
“Hey, do you even know how to use a whip?” Scorpia interrupted, stepping behind him obliviously.
“Eh… can’t be that hard if this guy figured it out.” Catra shrugged.
“Uh- I said-”
“I think it’s all in the wrist.” Scorpia interrupted again, making whipping motions while walking past him, “Y’know like- wa-pow! Crack Whip!”
“You don't have wrists, Scorps.” You chuckled, “And no one says whip while they use a whip.”
“Maybe you could say a catchphrase! Like- uh… whip!”
“Scorpia, I’m not going to say whip while using a whip-” Catra huffed.
“Or maybe something cooler… I dunno…” you started, but TL had had enough. He roared in anger.
“ENOUGH! I’m gonna wipe that smirk off your face, outsider!”
He yanked his sleeveless jacket off and raised his arms. “Who’s the strongest in the Crimson Waste?!”
The chants of his name (which honestly sounded hilarious) rang around the entire area, blasting your eardrums with the ridiculous name.
“And don’t you forget it.”
He immediately lashed out at Catra, snapping his whip at her furiously, yelling “Whip!” As he did so. You and Scorpia rushed forward, but arrows and daggers landed on the floor in front of you instead, blocking your path.
You looked up, seeing Catra’s fight with Lashor going downhill. He kept whipping, and she kept running. She eventually got pulled back by her ankle and the whip, losing her bone dagger as TL held her up by the ankle. She struggled to get out, and he grinned. “Where’s all that big talk now, kitty?” He teased.
“Catra!” Scorpia yelled out worriedly, but you held her back. “Calm down, she’s got this.”
TL only laughed, laughing long and hard, before awkwardly stopping when it got too long. “...ehehgehgehehee-” Catra laughed mockingly back, and threw sand into his eyes, causing him to recoil in pain. She immediately kicked him in the chin, causing him to let go of her and fall backwards.
“Agh! You cheating little- AGH!” He screeched, whipping even more furiously at her, starting to get a bit too close, but also a hit too reckless. Catra dodged easily, landing on a platform above a puddle of quicksand. Without thinking, he lunged at her, and she leaped away, only for TL to fall into the quicksand pathetically.
“Oh- oh no-” He struggled, and Catra turned back.
“Oh, hold on.” She offered a hand, and he threw one end of his whip to her, expecting her to pull him to safety… only for her to yank the whip away from him, curling it in her hand. “Great. Thanks for the whip.” She hummed, walking back to you and Scorpia with an easy smile, ignoring Tung Lashor’s cries for help.
“That was too easy… now…” She looked up at the flabbergasted lizards, “Who’s the strongest in the Crimson Waste?!”
“...Catra… Catra…” Scorpia began, and you smiled, joining in with the crowd. Soon, everyone was chanting Catra’s name.
“CATRA! CATRA! CATRA!”
Catra smirked. “And don’t you forget it.”
She picked up Tung Lashor’s old jacket and tossed it to Scorpia. She caught it with a smitten smile, and you rolled your eyes, snuggling up in the cape she had given back to you prior.
—-
“Who’s there?! Come out and face Huntara!”
The claps in the room of the ship ceased, and two darts shot out, hitting Glimmer and Bow in the necks, causing them to collapse. The last dart aimed for Adora, but Huntara blocked it with her spear.
Flora and the Lizard Lady (Who I now headcanon as Jade) stepped out of the shadows, startling all of them as more lizard people stepped out into the light. “You two joined Tung Lashor?!” Huntara scoffed, turning to Flora and Jade.
“They haven't joined him.”
Adora’s eyes widened. She’d recognise that voice anywhere…
“They joined me.”
Catra stepped out into the light, brandishing her new whip and jacket, you and Scorpia following behind.
“Hey Adora.” Catra grinned, snapping her fingers. Jade and Flora shot more darts at Adora… but Huntara intercepted them both, collapsing in pain as Adora made a run for her sword.
“For the honor of-”
Her sword was snatched out of her hand by the whip, and Catra took the sword gleefully as Scorpia grabbed Adora from behind, restraining her. “This may be the quickest I’ve ever won a fight. Always so dramatic with you, isn't it, Adora?”
She passed the sword to you, which you held easily. You raised a brow, Huntara somehow managing to stand up. “Huntara! Get them out!”
Immediately, the huge woman grabbed the unconscious teens and rammed out of the room. “Stop her!” Catra growled, just as Scorpia stinged her from behind, causing Adora to go limp.
“...woah, that really was fast.” You mused, leaning against the sword on the floor.
—-
“A toast to driving Huntara out of the Waste!”
The lizard goons had started a “party”, whatever that was, and were drinking and celebrating as they robbed the area of its tech and its weapons lying around.
“And a toast to finding all this new loot, huh?!” Flora continued, raising her mug of beer as the others all cheered. Catra lounged on the large crystal chair in the centre of the room, and you sat on the top of it, trying to figure out Adora’s sword absentmindedly, Scorpia leaning on the back of the chair as well.
“And a toast to Boss Catra- best leader we’ve ever had!” Flora finalised as the whole crowd yelled hoots of agreement and excitement. You sighed, looking down at Catra. “Hey, where’s me and Scorpia’s acknowledgement?” You asked playfully, passing her the sword back.
“Oh fine… ahem… A toast to Scorpia and Y/N!” She yelled, and the crowd continued cheering. You smiled in satisfaction as Scorpia mumbled out a bunch of startled thanks.
Catra laughed, grabbing Scorpia’s pincer. “Hey, Y/N, help me boss around the crowd, would you?”
You waved her off and she dragged Scorpia to another room, laughing happily. This was the most happy you had seen her in… well… years. You smiled to yourself, looking out at the crowd as Flora approached you again.
“Hey, big night- eh? The Waste is gonna be so much better with you guys around.” She grinned, holding up her cup of beer. You sighed, taking one too and knocking your cups against each other.
“Oh… Catra’s probably gonna force us all back to the Horde, but hey, now that you guys will probably join us, it’ll be much more entertaining.” You mused, drinking some beer with a content smile, “You’d be good for the Horde, like I said before.”
She shrugged, chugging her beer, before sighing, running a hand through her hair. “Maybe, but this whole Horde business sounds wack. If anything, maybe it’s you guys who could be good for the Crimson Waste.”
“Y/N!!!” Scorpia’s excitement was palpable in her voice as she approached you, pushing Flora aside. “Guess what? Actually, don't guess, I wanna tell you now! I’ve been talking to Catra, and y’know- she said we might stay here!”
“She… she said that?” You asked, glancing at Flora before looking back at the tall scorpion in front of you. The energy radiating off of her was honestly ridiculous.
“Well- she blushed and kinda refused to look me in the eye, but she didn't say no!”
“I knew it.” You rolled your eyes playfully, passing Scorpia your mug of beer. “Take it, I don't drink.”
Scorpia looked down at it, tasting it a little, before immediately putting it down on a table. “I’ll leave Kyle to drink that…”
“Actually, her name’s Flora.” You pointed out, and Scorpia nodded, smiling a bit more. “Phew! I thought I’d get mixed up with the Kyles.”
You raised a brow, but said nothing more. Scorpia’s oblivious and eccentric personality was the only thing keeping you from combusting at the moment. Maybe she was right, maybe you all were meant to stay in the Crimson Waste. Scorpia had Catra, you had Flora (maybe), and-
“Y/N.”
You turned to see a rather angry looking cat behind you, grabbing your arm tightly and pulling you out of the room. It was a stark contrast to how cheerfully she had interacted with Scorpia earlier. A pang of jealousy came and went as you both went to a secluded area.
“Why didn't you tell me?!”
She pushed you against a wall, not in a playful way, more in an aggressive way. The glare she gave you made you both terrified and horribly confused. “What? Tell you about what?”
“About Brightmoon! Shadow Weaver is at freaking Brightmoon! Of all the information you could have left out, it had to be the most crucial one?! Why didn't you tell me?!”
You stared at Catra in disbelief. “What are you talking about? Shadow Weaver isn't at Brightmoon-”
Then it hit you. Not only had you completely missed Shadow Weaver at Brightmoon by leaving earlier, you were going to be in a shit ton of trouble when you got back. Hopefully no officials would know.
“I- I didn't know. She… she must have gone there after I left-” You stuttered, pulling Catra’s claws off of you, your eyes filled with pure, unadulterated fear.
Catra let out a frustrated growl, her tail lashing violently behind her. “Oh, great. Just great!” she snapped, throwing her arms in the air before turning back to you with an accusatory glare. “You expect me to believe that? That you just happened to leave right before Shadow Weaver showed up? That you didn’t know?”
You weren’t lying- at least, not intentionally- but the way she looked at you, eyes full of betrayal and anger, made you feel like you had completely failed her.
“I didn’t know!” you insisted, stepping forward, but Catra immediately shoved you back against the wall again. Not as roughly this time, but enough to make you stop in your tracks.
She scoffed. “Yeah, sure. That’s really convenient, isn’t it? You leave, she shows up, and you just so happen to have no idea.” Her ears flattened against her head, and her claws curled into fists at her sides. “Do you even get what you’ve done? You let her waltz right in there, and now she’s going to-”
Catra cut herself off, her breath sharp and uneven.
You hesitated. “I… I know this is bad, but I swear I-”
“You don’t know anything!” she shouted, stepping back and digging her claws into her own arms. Her tail twitched wildly, and for a moment, she just stood there, seething. Then she turned her back to you, her shoulders stiff.
“I should’ve known better,” she muttered. “I should’ve expected this.”
“Catra-”
“Forget it,” she snapped, voice raw with frustration. “You’re useless.”
And with that, she spun on her heel and stormed off, her footsteps heavy with anger. You watched her go, your chest tight, knowing there was nothing you could say to make her stay.
After a while, Scorpia came in, looking disappointed. “Pack up… Catra wants us to go back to Brightmoon.”
You didn't do it, but it still felt like you somehow ruined everything.
Chapter 12: Chapter Ten - Portal
Chapter Text
The doors to Hordak’s sanctum… lab… whatever… slid open as Catra waltzed right in, sword in her hand and Adora in her arms. Scorpia and you stood beside her, and Flora and Jade tailed behind. Entrapta and Hordak stared in wonder and disbelief respectively as the magicat shoved Adora onto the floor roughly, the sword glowing a little as she did so.
You winced, but remained neutral for the most part. The chambers around bubbled in the tension of the room, the sword’s presence causing the technology around to spark and malfunction with green energy. Catra looked around, before shrugging and throwing the sword to the floor, next to Adora.
Entrapta looked at it in curiosity, and Hordak looked furious. Satisfied, but furious at the same time, but maybe it was just his resting biatch face.
“What? Didn't expect to see me again?” Catra smirked, her hand on her hip.
“Ohhh- you have a whip now?”
“Focus!” Catra said quickly, snatching her whip away from Entrapta’s poking hair tendrils to prevent any weapon theft. “I got what you needed- this sword is the key to the whole planet.”
Entrapta picked up the sword with her hair, analysing it as Adora struggled on the ground, thrashing in an attempt to release herself from her bonds. You made a mental note to have a conversation with Catra about better tranquilisers than Scorpia’s tail because it was almost disturbing to see her like that.
“I suppose it makes sense, She-ra’s sword is First One’s Tech, maybe the most powerful I’ve ever seen!” Entrapta hummed, lifting the gleaming blade up, “All this time, this was the key that we needed.”
She paused, glancing over to Hordak with an almost disappointed look on her face, before looking back down. “I- I guess I should… figure out how it works.” She muttered hesitantly, but Catra disregarded her feelings, snapping her fingers.
“I brought you everything you need to open a portal, and finish the Princesses off for good. What are we waiting for?”
Hordak and Entrapta gave each other knowing looks, and nodded as they walked away, Adora’s muffled protests getting louder. You cringed, your eyes on the gleaming sword as you tried to turn your attention back to Scorpia, but even she was still upset about the whole leaving-the-crimson-waste situation.
—-
You watched in slight disdain as Jade ripped through a horde jacket with her second pair of arms. “So much for that jacket return…” You muttered, your plans of returning that rental jacket back foiled. So long to that pouch of money you had “donated” to the storage room.
Scorpia winced and tried tugging the jacket off of her, but only ripped out a few pieces, flushing in embarrassment as Flora laughed at her predicament. “Not bad… you look good in a uniform.” She mused, staring at Jade in an almost loving way. (Yes, I ship Jade and Flora SUE ME-)
The locker you were checking suddenly slammed shut as Catra’s new whip closed it in a smash. She walked into the room confidently, looking much happier than before as Scorpia went over to her. “Catra- Catra! There you are, oh… I have been looking everywhere for you!”
“Yeah, well, i’ve kinda had my hands full.” Catra hummed, coiling her whip back absentmindedly, “Any minute now, Hordak’s going to open a portal, and I’ll be the reason the Horde defeats the princesses.”
She considered that for a moment, before putting a calming hand on Scorpia’s large shoulder spikes, “but hey, I couldn't have done any of it without you- thanks.”
Scorpia smiled a bit, before a laughing Flora intercepted the conversation, and Scorpia had to shove her aside, you catching her in your arms and pushing her back to Jade with an almost envious snarl. Of course, Catra was going to give all credit to Scorpia and none to you because of your damn mistake. How familiar.
“I’m… going to go check on Entrapta and Adora.” You muttered, walking out the room as Scorpia looked at you in slight concern. It had been her that had given you the idea to leave Brightmoon earlier…
As you walked down the hallway, taking deep breaths, you eventually made it to your dorm, entering the room and climbing up your old bunk bed, looking for something.
You pulled out your spare eyepatch (you had stolen a heck ton of stuff from Octavia, lol) and took off your ridiculously dusty one, throwing it into the trash as you jumped down from the bunk. Looking at the new patch, you put it on, feeling the nice sensation of a clean, new covering on your face.
Then, going past a few more rooms, you found Entrapta riding her robot, Emily, leaving Hordak’s lab, and sighed, looking into the room and seeing Adora tied up. You blinked, and reasonably decided to follow Entrapta instead to avoid making any more mistakes.
“Hey ‘traps…” You smiled a little, and Entrapta waved a bit, picking you up with a large tendril and planting you on Emily right behind her, keeping her hair around your waist to make sure you didn't fall off of the bumpy ride. “Hey Y/N! Have you seen Scorpia anywhere? I think I need to run some simulations that will require a few hands of help.”
“Oh. I last saw her in the locker room…” You shrugged, pushing your hair back at Entrapta’s quirky tone. Something about the tech princess had always made you want to fall off a bridge, but not in a die die way, but more in a “I’d die for you” way.
Entrapta nodded, patting the top of Emily and the bot sped up a bit, going towards the direction of the locker room to go pick up the pincer princess. "Ooh, while we're on the way, you wanna hear about my stun blaster upgrades?" She grinned, pulling out three separate blasters at your face. "One's normal, I tinkered with the second one, the last one is capable of actually sending out a voltage SO BIG IT CAN-"
You carefully pushed away the three blasters, doing your best to zone out the Entrapta ramble- because boy did you not need a reminder of what her tinkering was capable of.
(A/N: YES i know technically Entrapta and Hordak are tgt canonically but this is a fanfic and Hordak is kinda old for Entrapta anyway so agahgaha)
—-
“Ah, boy… I really appreciate you letting me assist you, I miss hanging out.” Scorpia admitted, picking up a fallen piece of metal and handing it to Entrapta with her pincers as the pink princess placed it in a machine, listening to Scorpia but mainly focused on the screen in front of her. “Yeah, you've been so busy with Hordak lately, and Catra… well, she has her new friends.”
Scorpia glanced at you, who was sitting next to her looking more emo than usual. Her gaze softened a little bit, “Y’know… Y/N… I’m not mad about the Shadow Weaver thing… or about the Crimson Waste.”
You looked back up, before sighing, “Maybe not… I just… everything I do here feels useless or meaningless. Go undercover? Nothing. Report about Shadow Weaver? I missed it. Heck- even our fights feel like the world would be the same- or even better off- without me.” You vented, covering your face pathetically. “Even when I was a kid…”
Scorpia’s smile faded, and she pulled you into a small side hug, trying to give you some little comfort. “Well… I think you’re pretty useful. You’re a great friend.”
You took a deep breath, forcing a smile at Scorpia’s kind words. As you wiped any start of a tear away, Entrapta’s nasally voice caught your attention.
“Guys! I think you need to look at this. I’ve been running diagnostics on the portal… watch.”
You and Scorpia were pulled to the screen, where you both proceeded to watch a simulation of Etheria being ripped apart into shreds and exploding in a blind of light, the noises of doom and destruction filling your ears.
“Oh… wow. Yeah- that’s not good.” You blinked, in disbelief at the sight of the crumbles of what once was Etheria.
“Is that going to happen? I mean- to the actual planet?” Scorpia asked, her tone slightly shaky with fear.
“This is just an illustration- what will actually happen will be much worse.” Entrapta revealed, turning to you both hesitantly, before looking back at the skull on the screen, “If my numbers are right, and they are… if we open a portal, the anomalies will be catastrophic… it’ll alter time and space, creating a warped reality that will collapse in on itself… erasing us from existence!”
Her eyes widened in realisation, turning back to you and Scorpia, looking even more worried than she had ever been. Her whole concept of the experiment had become more dangerous than what she initially expected. “I never thought I’d say this, but we can't go through with it!
You nodded in agreement, your eyes still on the screen, but then the door opened, and Catra entered looking rather… miffed. Disheveled even, with a concerned Flora trailing being her.
“Catra!” Scorpia smiled, but it was literally slapped off of her face as she was shoved aside, Catra grabbing Entrapta’s arms aggressively. You stepped back, not wanting Scorpia’s tail to hit you while turning to Entrapta with worry.
“Why aren't you in Hordak’s lab?!” She demanded, and Entrapta hummed in thought, probably having forgotten. Catra growled, shoving her face into Entrapta’s personal space as Entrapta flinched backwards nervously. “Ugh! There’s no time! We need to fire up the portal machine.”
“We can’t!” Entrapta insisted, pushing over Catra and moving behind her, her eyes struck with genuine fear, and you were unsure if it was because of the portal, or because of Catra’s angered growls. “Opening a portal right now will be disastrous! It’s going to collapse and take us all with it- Adora was right!”
“Adora is right…”
Catra froze, before starting to laugh again, her laughter forced and almost broken at this point. You noticed a small bit of dark magic trailing in her shadow, and you knew that somehow, sometime, Shadow Weaver had done something. Maybe it had something to do with Adora being captured, since SW always had an obsession of following the blonde and torturing the cat.
“Adora gets everything she wants!”
Catra took deep breaths, pushing back a tuft of loose hair as she tried to keep her cool, but ultimately failing. “Not this time. This time, I am going to win. I don’t care what it takes, WE ARE OPENING A PORTAL, NOW.”
“NO! I won’t!” Entrapta yelled, her hair poofing in stress as she turned for the door. “I need to tell Hordak! He’ll understand-”
The scream. The shrill scream coming from Entrapta’s throat made your eye widen, covering your ears and stepping back behind Scorpia. Green light sparked through Entrapta as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious as an aftermath of the large stun blaster incapacitating her- ironically, one of the blasters Entrapta had "tinkered with". Catra’s hand, the one holding the weapon, shook, her own body trembling, as if she had no idea what she had done to her friend… no… her pawn.
“...get her out of here!” She screamed, waving her hand while glaring at Flora harshly.
“W-what do you want me to do with her?”
“I don’t care, just get rid of her!” Catra paused, before her eyes sparked with desperation, a horrible idea forming under her tiara. “Put her on the transport to Beast Island.”
“Beast Island?! You can’t!!” Scorpia protested, taking her claws away from her mouth and stepping forward. Soon enough, the taser was aimed at her face.
“You wanna be next?”
Catra’s voice deepened, and Scorpia’s gaze was met with only cold indifference. Her eyes widened, then looked away. You stared at Catra, unable to comprehend what had just happened. You dared not say a word, she was already upset with you enough.
Entrapta’s body was carried out the room, Catra following Flora out as you picked up the taser she had left behind, looking at Entrapta’s trailing pigtails with slight longing. Scorpia fell to her knees, looking devastated.
Entrapta was gone. Discarded just like that. You immediately ran behind Catra, but went a different direction in an attempt to intercept her before she could get to Hordak.
“You!”
You immediately saw Bow, giving you a look of betrayal, and Shadow Weaver holding hands with Glimmer.
“You.” You mumbled, shaking your head, “Nevermind- there’s no time! Catra-”
“You left us! We tried to welcome you in, and you betrayed us!” Glimmer hissed, her mind going off track at the sight of you. “I swear, when I’m done with you-”
“OH SHUT UP! We can argue about this later, right now, we have a crisis! Catra’s with Hordak, the portal’s about to open!”
Glimmer froze, but narrowed her eyes, “And why would you be concerned? Aren't you on their side?”
“Not if the consequences involve the whole planet being destroyed!”
You shoved past them, notably pushing Shadow Weaver away the harshest, and slammed your hand on the keypad, opening the door for them. “C’mon!”
They looked at each other, before following behind you, entering Hordak’s lab. The tall man had his hand on the lever, looking angrier than ever, Catra next to him. By reading the situation, Catra had definitely spit out some bullshit about Entrapta. The green light in the room intensified, and you ducked as Shadow Weaver threw a bolt of magic at Catra’s face, causing her to fall backwards and land on the floor.
“Catra!” You yelled, stumbling forward as Bow hurriedly shot arrows, which Hordak managed to catch and crush under his hand. He roared, grabbing a pillar and wrenching it from the floor, throwing it at Glimmer and Shadow Weaver, who used their combined magic to throw it aside. As you reached Catra, bursts of electricity caused poles and rubble to fall, one catching your tail and making you crash to the ground under a large pile of rock. You grunted, managing to push yourself out, but exhausted from the exertion. Catra stared at you, before glancing at a blocked-off Hordak at the side, then the lever.
She immediately stood up, her hand reaching out for the switch.
“CATRA! Please, don't!” Adora cried out desperately.
You looked up at Adora, before lying on the floor pathetically. Useless, again…
Catra’s eyes twitched, and she smirked, before pulling the lever.
“NO!”
The portal frame was pulled up by bolts of electrical energy, and the sword was fixed in place with magic. A blinding flash of light consumed the room-
Then-
Nothing.
—-
“WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!”
Adora sat up with a scream, sweating. She looked up, seeing the cheeky faces of you and Catra. She immediately pushed you both back, and you laughed, falling backwards. “Oh- you should’ve seen your face!” You giggled, sitting back up, pushing your hair back.
Adora, however, just looked around. “Where am I? How did I get here?”
“Uh… you’re in your room? What are you talking about?” Catra raised a brow, and your laughter paused.
“I… I’m fine. I was just having a weird dream.”
A dream. She looked at Catra’s healthy, lively face, then your happy, two-eyed smile. She blinked, something felt off…
“...there was something I needed to fix.” She mumbled, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.”
“Of course you were dreaming about work…” You sighed, face palming.
“There’s nothing to fix, Adora, everything’s perfect.” Catra added, smiling brightly.
“Yeah…” She looked back up, her eyes mostly trained on your left eye, then she looked back down. “It was just a dream.”
“Come on, get up!”
She was pulled off her bed, and slipped on her jacket, looking at herself in the mirror momentarily-
This isn’t right.
“Adora!”
-before following you and Catra out of the room.
—-
The three of you walked down the corridor, every officer stepping aside to salute. Their whispers followed as you passed, and someone even called your name. You smiled, still not used to the attention. After all, Adora led the invasion of Thaymor- you just helped.
Thaymor…
A flash of burning buildings and screaming civilians flickered in your mind. A strange pang of emotion hit you—pity? That didn’t match the memory you had. You frowned, shaking the thought away.
Adora saluted back awkwardly while Catra smirked, eyes forward. She grinned with pride, while Adora kept trying to understand what was going on, clearly confused. “What are they looking at?”
“You!” Catra grinned. “The invasion at Thaymor went perfectly! You’re the hero of the hour!”
Adora hesitated, then lit up, somewhat remembering the events of earlier. “Oh yeah! I defeated the rebel insurgents at Thaymor! Yeah! I did that!” She saluted a nearby officer, and you rolled your eyes.
Catra grabbed you both. “Please, you couldn’t have done it without us.”
You snorted. “You would’ve totally died if I didn’t drive that tank over those soldiers.”
Adora knocked you back playfully, and you laughed- until you bumped into someone. A tall officer sneered. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, twerp.”
“Woah! Sorry.”
Adora and Catra flanked you, hands on your shoulders.
“Don’t apologize, Y/N.”
The officer’s eyes widened. She stumbled back, bowing. “Force Captain! I’m so sorry-”
Adora snapped, “You’d better be. Dismissed!”
The officer scurried away. You snorted, and Catra smirked and mocked her in a high-pitched voice. “Oh no! Force Captain! Don’t hurt me!”
Adora struck a dramatic pose. “Ah!”
You wiped away tears of laughter, then bowed theatrically. “My hero! Thank you for saving me from that treacherous nightmare…”
Adora pecked your hand, voice deep. “Anything for you, your highness.”
Catra cackled, and you grinned, shaking your head playfully. “Where are we going again?”
“To the locker rooms. There’s something we wanna show you.” Catra winked.
“Oh yeah!” You turned, walking backward. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it!”
You passed the side door.
“Let’s take the shortcut-” Adora stopped. The door was gone. You hesitated. Hadn’t it been there a second ago? Then shook your head, you were probably imagining things, and Catra seemed to agree. “What? It’s always been this way.”
You cleared your throat. “Right. That’s my bad.”
Catra checked Adora’s head. “Are you sure you’re okay? You don't have a concussion, do you?” She asked, turning Adora’s head around as you chuckled.
“Adora’s incapable of head injury, silly, she’s got so much head padding.”
Adora elbowed you. Catra caught you, laughing. You yanked Adora’s ponytail. She gasped, shoving you into Catra, who elbowed you back.
“Surprise!”
Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle stood before you, holding a grey block of a cake. Adora’s eyes widened. Lonnie spread her arms dramatically, and Rogelio made a snarl of excitement.
“Surprise!” Kyle called late, voice cracking. Adora inspected the cake, noting the weird drawing of her face on top of it in Catra’s artstyle. “Are those ration bars?”
“Courtesy of Kyle.” You snickered, elbowing Kyle lightly so as to make sure he didn't drop the cake
Lonnie grinned. “We wouldn’t have defeated the rebels without you!”
You nodded. “Plus, you were the one who convinced Shadow Weaver to let us go!”
Kyle beamed. “I’m hungry, but celebrating your victory was worth it!”
Adora blushed and hugged everyone tightly. “Aww, you guys! And you even got the grey kind! That’s so much better than the brown kind.” She grinned, letting you all go with a grateful smile.
You smirked. “And it was all Catra’s idea.”
Catra crossed her arms from behind, rolling her eyes. “Eh, it’s whatever. Y/N was the one who insisted on the drawing.”
You twiddled your thumbs. “Pfft! What?”
Adora grinned. “Wow! You guys actually like me! That’s so embarrassing for you!”
She grabbed you, tousling your hair. “OW! Catra! Help me!” You laughed, trying to push her away.
Catra smirked. “Did I just hear something? Probably the wind…”
You finally wriggled free and lunged at her, tugging her ears playfully “Y/n!” She laughed, knocking you off.
“Just getting rid of Adora’s germs!”
Catra tackled you, pinning you to the floor. You stared up at her, unable to stop laughing. Her hair fell over her face, framing her sharp eyes. Kyle walked over—just as Catra punched the tray from his hands.
“Nonononono!”
The cake splattered everywhere. Silence.
“Seriously, Kyle?!” Lonnie sighed, before hurling a piece at Rogelio. Kyle ducked. Catra wiped the cake from your forehead and threw it at you. You gasped, retaliating.
Adora stood clean, staring at the mess—at the one part of the cake that remained intact. Her own caricature. Catra smirked, stepping closer. “Hang on, you got something riiight… here!” She slapped cake onto Adora’s face, and she blinked, wiping off the grey mush. You rolled your eyes, shoving more cake into her face. “Take this!”
“Y/N. Adora.”
Shadow Weaver stepped into the room in a wisp of… shadows… as you all stood at attention. You winced as Adora nervously wiped off the cake from her face.
“Adora, you are the Force Captain who sacked Thaymor, and Y/N… I thought we talked about your abysmal behaviour.”
You looked down as Adora apologised briefly, Catra standing up behind you both as well with cake on her face. Shadow Weaver glanced at you, putting a hand on your head for a second, as if analysing you, before eventually taking her hand off. “I have high expectations for you now, you are no longer a child anymore. Please, do act like it.” She said, her tone neutral, but not unkind.
She then turned to Catra, wiping off the grey mass off of her cheeks. “Look at you… you’re a mess. Go get yourself cleaned up as well. When I say you’re not a child, I mean all of you. Don’t give me a reason to lose my trust in you all.” She mused, patting Catra’s head as well, before stepping back.
“Do not waste your time on such foolish games.” She added, turning away.
“Yes, ma’am.” You muttered, smiling to yourself as Adora looked at the both of you rather oddly.
“Adora, come with me.” Shadow Weaver finalised, and Adora quickly went to follow her. You blinked, before picking up more cake and throwing it at Kyle’s face. Lonnie smirked, and soon, all the cake was smeared all over Kyle.
“Aww- guys!” He whined.
—-
“Y/N?”
You looked up, seeing Catra looking down at you. You looked around, having been lying on your bed for most of the day. You sighed while sitting up. “Hey cat… what’s up?” You asked, pushing your hair back.
“It’s about Adora. Don't you think she’s been acting weird all day?” She asked, sitting next to you, her tail waving around in the air. You hummed, nodding in agreement after a while of contemplation.
“I guess you’re right. Why though?”
Catra’s ears twitched slightly as she let out a small huff. “I don’t know. She’s just been off. She keeps looking around like something’s wrong, but when I ask her, she just brushes me off.”
You frowned. Now that you thought about it, Adora had been acting strange. At first, you figured she was just stressed, but it was more than that- she looked worried. Almost like she was expecting something terrible to happen at any second.
“I’ve been having weird flashes all day too,” you admitted, rubbing your temples. “Like, I’ll remember things one way, but then… something else pops up in my head. I don’t know if they’re dreams or something I just forgot, but they feel real.”
Catra’s tail flicked behind her, her expression growing more serious. “Same. I keep thinking about Thaymor, but it’s wrong. It wasn’t like that, was it?”
You hesitated. “No… I don’t think so.”
The two of you sat in silence for a moment. The weight of the conversation settled over you like a thick fog, making the air feel heavier.
Then Catra groaned, flopping backward onto your bed. “Ugh, whatever. I say we stop thinking about it. Maybe Adora’s just being weird- she does that sometimes.”
You let out a small laugh, but it quickly faded. “Yeah… but I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like a normal kind of weird.”
Catra turned her head to look at you. “Okay, so what? You think something’s actually wrong?”
You chewed your lip. “I don’t know. But I feel like- like we’re missing something.”
Catra rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. “Alright, look. If something is going on, we’ll deal with it later. Right now, let’s just try to have a normal day, alright?”
You exhaled sharply, nodding. “Yeah. This whole thing is creeping me out.”
The two of you left the room, but the uneasy feeling still lingered as you stepped into the dimly lit hallway. As you walked, you couldn’t help but notice something was off. The walls seemed taller, the corridors slightly stretched. Like the entire ship was… warping.
You shook your head, pushing the thought away. Just your imagination.
Right?
—-
You and Catra were talking with a few random cadets, when suddenly, Adora appeared, grabbing your arms and pulling you both into a spare room.
“Wh- hey!”
“What the heck-?”
As both of you were pushed into the room, Catra pushed her back. “Hey, you’ve officially lost it, haven't you?” She hissed, annoyed as you stepped back as well, raising a brow.
“Listen, we have to go, now!” Adora insisted, “Scorpia, Lonnie, Kyle, Rogelio, they’re all gone.”
“What are you talking about? Who’s gone?” Catra asked, dumbfounded, and Adora turned back to both of you.
“They’re gone- there’s nothing left! And we’ll be next if we don't get out of here right now!”
You glanced at Catra, her annoyed face making you pause…
“Catra, please, just listen!”
…
“I didn’t… I didn’t mean...Y/N- I-”
“No! Stay away from me!”
You subconsciously felt your left eye, frowning, and shaking your head. “Adora, you’re talking nonsense. Everything’s fine.” You cleared your throat, standing up properly from your position against the wall. “Everything’s-”
“Don’t say it’s perfect. I know it’s not perfect, and I know both of you think so too!” Adora interrupted.
Catra glared at her, looking away as a flash of a memory appeared in her head. You looked back at her, and Catra looked back up as well. “You’ve gone crazy! We’re not going anywhere!”
Adora groaned, before glancing down at a box of… tasers. She instantly grabbed one, and before Catra could protest, she had already collapsed to the floor in an electrified heap. Your eyes widened, looking at the taser in Adora’s hand.
“I need to tell Hordak! He’ll understand-”
…
“...get her out of here!”
You raised your hands to your shoulders as Adora picked Catra up, shoving the taser in your hands and pulling you along as you all ran out the room, and you only now felt the shaking and vibrations of the warped area.
“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!” You screeched as Adora dropped Catra on a skiff, you followed behind. Adora grabbed the steering lever, and the skiff flew off.
“No time to explain-” She paused, before seeing movement on the ground. Glancing down, she saw sharp claws reaching out for the taser by her feet
Adora immediately grabbed Catra, pulling her back as you shakily took over the wheel, the ride becoming noticeably more bumpy with you steering.
You watched out of the corner of your eye as they began to fight. The scrabble and distractions combined made your control over the skiff waver, the ride becoming comparable to a roller coaster as you tried your best to stay focused despite the sounds of punching and scratching behind you
"Catra! NO!" Adora yelled, and you flinched, hearing the sounds of electrical energy buzzing close to the back of your head. Catra lunged forward, taser in hand, and you ducked, accidentally turning the steering mechanic to the side. Catra screeched as the skiff veered to the side, and you quickly fixed your mistake, having to steer away from a few oncoming trees before regaining your composure. “Have you lost your damn mind?!”
"You kidnapped me!" Catra retorted, swinging her fist at you angrily as you managed to dodge her hits, but you quickly lost control. The skiff swerved in the way of a tree. You threw up your arms in shock, "Brace yourselves!"
And before you knew it, the three of you came hurling out of the vehicle and toppling to the ground.
You covered your face and fell from the skiff, landing on your face on the hard floor. Groaning, you managed to push yourself up, noticing Adora and Catra a few metres away. Grabbing the taser from the grass, you pointed it at Catra, who scowled and pounced on you immediately, she tugged onto your sensitive ears while she was on your back, tilting your head to the side and forcing you to lose balance and fall on your front. Her foot slammed into your back as she desperately reached for the taser, but you arched yourself upwards, causing her to fall backwards with Adora restraining her from behind, grabbing the hand that was still clawing at you.
"Catra! You can't! We need to get as far from the Fright Zone as possible or we'll be completely erased along with everything else!"
Catra struggled in Adora's grip, "You think you can convince me by kidnapping me? What is wrong with you?!" She ducked down and used Adora's weight against her, to throw her over her head like a sumo wrestler.
Adora kicked away the taser as Catra moved forward, and you stood up, pulling Catra back and holding her still, ignoring the aching in your head from your poor ears. She yelped and struggled, scratching you and wiggling to get out of your grip.
"I won't leave you behind again!" Adora argued. You stopped in your tracks at her words. What about you?
Catra noticed your distracted state and quickly dived down and swept out your feet from below, knocking you back to the floor with a grunt. She got back up, yelling.
"Why can't you just stay?" Catra answered, frustrated as she held her arms out forward, "We have everything we ever wanted!"
"It's not real, Catra! As much as I wish things could be simple the way they used to be, there's no going back."
You managed to push yourself up a bit, shaking your head as their voices started to muffle. Your head hurt, your ears hurt like damn hell. You stayed silent, watching Catra run away, Adora behind her. She tackled her to the ground, yelling, but it was all white noise. You eventually caught up to them, your inclusion nonexistent but hoped for.
Adora crashed into you, and you were all sent rolling down a hill.
“Why did you do it, Catra?!” Adora demanded.
Catra seethed, "I don't know what any of you are talking about!"
The three of you turned to see the edge of the forest, disappearing into nothingness. The white void had returned to erase everything in its way. Light seeped through the gaps in the trees, yet you refused to move a muscle.
They had their moment. They talked. Adora spewed her regular stuff.
"I promise, everything will be okay, if we just stay together."
You turn towards Adora, then Catra. “C’mon, let’s just get this over with! No one’s winning or losing if you’re stubbornly trying to be the villain here!”
Catra scoffed, "You too? Ugh, what happened to you?!"
"I'm not going to stand here and argue with you! There's literally no time!" You sneered, "Just, help me fix this, please."
"Listen to reason, "Adora added, "This can't be what you wanted!"
"DON'T YOU GET IT?!" Catra snapped, turning around, "I am NEVER going to go with you!"
Catra felt her body shake, uncontrollable laughter escaping her mouth. She pointed a finger accusingly, "You always have to come and ruin it, don't you?"
"You knew this whole time?!" You yelled, frustrated, clutching your fists. Before you knew it, a heavyweight pressed down onto your chest and your whole body fell to the floor, Catra leapt forward, cackling. You yelled, narrowly avoiding Catra's claws as they came slashing down to the ground.
As Catra lifted herself up, you rolled out the way, dodging another attack. You stood up, motioning for Adora to help.
As you did, Catra's fist was shoved into your face, but you somehow managed to evade it, sidestepping quickly as you grabbed her hand, pulling it down as Adora rushed to your side to defend you, "Catra! Look what's happening! You're going to destroy everything!"
Catra wrenched her hand away from your grasp, looking the worst she had ever looked in years "I don't care!" She screamed, her claws waving around in an almost crazy manner, "I WON'T let you win! I'D RATHER SEE THE WHOLE WORLD END THEN LET THAT HAPPEN!"
The three of you screamed, the floor cracking and crumbling underneath your feet.
Light shone from in-between the cracks, and suddenly, they shifted, separating you from Catra and Adora. You fell back, grabbing onto some crumbling ground. While trying to pull yourself up, Catra stumbled back and fell in too. You grabbed her hand in the split-second moment, trying to pull both of you out of the endless expanse of abyss beneath you. “Damn it- Catra-“ you choked out, managing to slam your hand onto the surface.
She looked down, then back up at Adora, before grabbing the back of your shirt and managing to get you to loosen your hold on the grass, effectively dragging you down with her.
Everything went white.
(A/N: I managed to rewrite it. Apologies for posting before editing!)
Chapter 13: New Recruit
Chapter Text
(A/N: I HAVE NOT POSTED IN SO LONG I DEEPLY APOLOGISE. I've been revamping some parts of the plot and have more time now that my exams are over)
The next thing you remembered, you were back under the pillar of debris. Frantically reaching up to your ears, you found them unharmed, the tear wounds gone, and your eye… gone too. So much for a shift in your perspective. Glancing up at Catra, the look on her face implied that you had missed something big again- either that, or Catra dragging you down into the abyss was such a traumatic experience for her that she forgot you were involved somehow.
Catra rubbed her face, looking back at the portal as the tall figure of She-ra stepped out, and despite her pleading look of protest, Adora raised her sword and smashed it into the metal frame, causing the whole room to crumble. You cried out in pain as more rocks landed on your head, and watched as Catra pulled Hordak’s arm, causing him to escape the debris with her. Catra looked back at Adora, and despite everything, she didn't look back at you.
Something had definitely gone down.
You winced, wrenching your tail from under the debris, causing it to rip off, but the adrenaline caused the pain to feel unimportant as you ran away from the chaos, running past Catra and ignoring the look of shock she gave you. Eventually, she too retreated into the shadows as Adora reunited with her Rebellion friends.
What had you missed?
~~~
Catra had smoothed her hair down, as she instructed you to get Scorpia and clean out Entrapta’s room. You didn't argue.
Entering the messy room filled with boxes and tech, Scorpia waved with a small, awkward smile. “Hey… Y/N…”
You waved back, stepping over a robo dog by the entrance and looking around. Remnants of Entrapta, her memory, lingered in the air. Was she really gone? Unrecoverable?
“So…”
You looked up, and Scorpia sighed. “...so.”
“You um… you holding up okay?”
Scorpia shrugged, using her claws to crush up some metal and place it into the boxes, saving some space. “Pretty much. It’s just… it’s hard to believe that… Entrapta…”
She sighed, pushing her hair back a bit. “I can't believe Catra just… sent her away like that. It’s immoral, it’s wrong! Entrapta was trying to save us, and look at what happened…” Scorpia trailed off, before looking down at your bandaged back. You had to wear a crop top in order to make sure your uniform didn't push out the bandages, or whatever nonsense. To you, it was bullshit, but you had no idea how to apply first aid, so you wore one just in case.
“So… your tail. Does it… hurt?”
“Like hell.” You nodded, stepping forward to pick up some scrap metal. “It’s whatever, though, at least no one can trip over it anymore.”
Losing your tail was the least of your worries. Sure, it was unimaginably painful, but knowing that Catra didn't even care about you, and was able to just drag you into the void in the centre of Etheria was… emotionally damaging, to say the least.
The silence continued. You felt awkward. There wasn't much to say at the moment, and Scorpua kept picking up nuts and bolts. “Emily says hi… by the way.”
“Emily? I thought Hordak wanted all traces of Entrapta gone.” You tilted your head.
Scorpia chuckled nervously, “Don't tell anyone… Emily’s the only thing we have of Entrapta that’s still… functional.”
“What are you both doing?”
You both turned your heads to see Catra enter the room impatiently. “This junk needs to be disposed of as soon as possible! How are you both not done…”
She picked up the robo dog by the door, and Scorpia stepped forward nervously, with you stepping back to give Scorpia talking space, continuing to pick up more bolts from the floor.
“Hey so… I know you made a… heat-of-the-moment decision which I totally get…” She started, barely holding back any nervous stutters, “...but- um… you didn't really want Entrapta to stay on Beast Island forever. Anyway, I was thinking we could… go back and get her? I mean, she is our friend…”
Catra glared at Scorpia coldly, slowly increasing her grip on the tiny robo dog she had in her hand, before it exploded into pieces of scrap metal. “Entrapta betrayed us.” She insisted, throwing aside the metal, “And got what she deserved.”
“Catra, we all know she didn't… betray… us.” You moved beside Scorpia with a frown, “She wanted to save us from that disaster that came after the portal. Plus- she was right!”
You dropped the bolts into the bowl Scorpia held, and moved towards Catra with a newfound sense of determination. “If Adora hadn't destroyed the portal…”
“SHUT UP!”
The mere mention of Adora had Catra grab you by the collar and slam you against the wall, pinning you to the rough concrete, and causing your stump of a tail to explode in an agonising pain. You grit your teeth, holding back any noises as Catra sunk her claws beside your face, into the concrete. “Entrapta betrayed Hordak. As for the portal… it left the Rebellion in shambles, and that means it worked.”
She dragged her claws down, the familiar screeching sound of nails against stone filled your sensitive ears. “Got it?”
“Catra- you uh… you need to calm down…” Scorpia interjected quietly as you stared into Catra’s eyes, too shocked to even reply. Catra whipped her head around to face the scorpion woman, but did eventually relent, removing her claw from the wall and getting out of your personal space.
“Get this place cleared.” She hissed, walking out with a dangerous aura, the doors closing shut behind her as you sank down to the floor, in disbelief.
“...that- wow. She’s- really into the Shadow Weaver role, huh?” Scorpia chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “...you uh… you okay?”
“I’m… fine.” You sighed, sitting properly. “What’re you collecting the bolts for anyhow?
Scorpia’s smile returned properly, and she sat next to you, knocking on the wall behind. Soon enough, familiar bleeps and blorps sounded from behind you, and Emily came out. “...oh.”
~~~~
New mission, new surprise of the day. It seemed that Catra’s priority of the day wasn't apologising to you for slamming you into a wall, it was to acquire a new look. A new sleeve, a new outfit, and a new sense of bitchiness was what she had gained from the whole portal situation. You shook your head in exasperation. At least she wasn't miserable, seemingly.
“Careful, we need this junk intact.” She ordered as multiple soldiers brought out a heck ton of tech and metal from the abandoned First One’s ship you all had taken over. Just as she said that, Scorpia dropped her box.
“Oh- I am so sorry about that… geez… Y/N- help-”
You helped arrange the metal, and as Scorpia walked off, you picked up another box, only to see the tall woman come back in a split second. Catra’s ears twitched, and she looked up. “That was fast.” She mused, turning to face Scorpia in slight confusion.
“What, did you miss me already?”
“Just… don't drop anything else.” Catra sighed, turning to face her as you walked over, tilting your head at how confident Scorpia suddenly seemed.
“Nah, these guys look like they’ve got it covered.” She chuckled, indicating the other soldiers. “I’d rather hang out here with you.”
You raised a brow, and Catra narrowed her eyes, before grabbing “Scorpia” and shoving her into the wall. “What is going on?!”
“Again, I am just so sorry about- wah!”
You turned and saw Scorpia walk in. You turned back to “Scorpia”, then back to Scorpia. You sighed, shaking your head again. “I’m about to lose it if more nonsense happens.” You muttered, more annoyed.
Scorpia opened her mouth to say something, heard what you said, and closed it again. “Okay. Quiet I shall be.”
You nodded in thanks, knowing that she probably would have said… nonsense… in classic Scorpia fashion. She always did, didn’t she?
“Who are you, and what exactly are you trying to pull?” Catra hissed, her anger directed to the “Scorpia” she had pinned. It was unsettling to look at, but relieving to know that Scorpia didn't have a sudden personality change midway through the day.
The “Scorpia” smirked, before a black, greenish substance replaced all her cells, and she shifted, getting shorter, growing cat ears- and shifting into Catra.
Catra shrieked, stumbling back in surprise as both you and Scorpia gaped at the sight.
“The name’s Double Trouble,” the “Catra” said in an almost drunk tone, stepping forward, “and I’m about to become your new best friend.”
“Oh yeah?” Catra took a step forward as well. “I’m DONE with best friends.”
You flinched at that notion, but had no time to process when the “Catra” let out a scoff of indignation as shackles were wrapped around her wrist.
“Enough games.” Catra hissed, shoving her doppelgänger into a metal crate, the other “Catra” sitting down with a look of offence on her face. “What do you want from me?”
“It’s not what I want from you… it’s what you want from me.”
“What I want is for you to stop being me!”
The other Catra huffed, shifting again, and now, they were you. You grimaced, looking at yourself. “Not what she meant.” You facepalmed, “Also, you got the tail wrong. I don't have one.”
The doppelgänger looked you up and down, before tilting their head. “I could’ve sworn your species had tails. No matter.”
“AHEM! Would you be so kind as to stop being Y/N and show your true form? It’s been a few minutes and I’m already sick of this whole… shapeshifting stuff.” Catra interjected, shoving past you and glaring at the doppelgänger.
“Oh sorry, I plain forgot.” The doppelgänger giggled, tilting their head and blinking sideways, “Sometimes I just get so lost in my character…”
You shuddered, stepping back, closer to Scorpia, Catra stumbled back. Seeing horizontally blinking eyelids wasn’t exactly on her bucket list. The doppelgänger did a little performative twirl and the black muck surrounded them one more time, revealing a tall, lanky lizard person with blonde hair and green skin. “Tadaaaa! A thank you, thank you.” They bowed, acting more like a play actor than a manipulator. 10/10 recommendation!
Scorpia gasped, before sitting down on a crate and holding her head. “I gotta sit down.”
Catra sighed, looking the lizard- Double Trouble- up and down before resting a hand on her hip judgmentally. “This is what you really look like?” She asked, her tone less aggressive and a little more annoyed.
“More or less.” DT shrugged, sitting down on a crate themself. “Of course, we all wear costumes, I just happen to wear other people as costumes… for a price.”
“Huh. So it’s money you’re after?” You asked, stepping up and wanting to be a part of the conversation again. DT just chuckled, “Aren’t we all, darling?
“But if you don’t require someone with my gifts, I’ll just take my business to the other side.” They concluded, looking down to the side, already planning their next move. They seemed so confident in themself, which was valid. Being able to shape change into any face or any size was too overpowered- or as the junior cadets said it- too OP.
“How exactly are you planning on doing that?” Catra smirked, crossing her arms confidently- as if Horde shackles were the strongest restraints in existence. You had managed to break one before when you were a junior and you knew those things were just for show.
“I have a knack for getting out of… tight spots.”
In less than a second, they had slipped out of their chains and was spinning the metal cuffs on their fingers teasingly. Scorpia flinched, and you just stared. Yeah, they didn’t break it, they simply slipped out like it was nothing. It then occurred to you that they did have the power to make their wrists tiny, so…
“And you can change into anyone? Anytime?” Catra asked, intrigued. Another person to exploit, you assumed.
“Ugh, change?” DT scoffed, almost disgusted, “What I do is so much more than changing. I prefer ‘transform’!”
They stepped onto the crate and struck a dramatic pose, which made both you and Catra cringe, and Scorpia clapped a little as DT continued their monologue. “My real gift is commuting to my roles.” They looked up proudly, “sure, I can physically replicate anyone, but that doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t be them emotionally! It’s an art.”
As they finished their short speech, a guard entered the area urgently. “Rebels, in the valley.” They warned, pointing outside, seemingly ignoring DT’s existence. You groaned, too tired for anymore bs.
Catra thought for a moment, before humming and smirking, having an oh-so-bright idea. “I think it’s time for an audition, Double Trouble.”
~~~~
The lizard hopped back onto the skiff as it flew up, and they took a little bow. “Did you really like my audition?”
You had just watched them transform into Catra, done a little bit of chasing, and pretty much get captured, but the were pretty good at it- you almost forgot that you were watchung a clone.
“It was… almost convincing.” You chuckled, shaking your head, “‘Careful with the goods’? The tone was a little off, buddy.”
In all honesty, the performance was top-notch, but a part of you didn't exactly want to be impressed. If DT was used as a weapon, that meant more competition for Catra’s attention. Sure, it was selfish, but Catra’s attention was about as rare as First One’s Tech (without Entrapta’s help) was. You weren't even sure why you wanted her attention, if you really thought about it.
“Well- I could've used more time to prepare. Really get into her skin.” DT shrugged, wiping away the blue blood leaking from their cheek. Catra paused, before smirking.
“I grew up with Adora, and you fooled her.” She announced, getting a gasp of excitement from DT. She stepped forward into the front of the skiff dramatically. “I think we’re going to achieve great things together.”
You sighed at the dramatics as DT leaned his chin on your head in an almost mocking way. “Well, of course. Again, for a price.” They mused, playing with your ears, and you just sat there and took it. What fun this was going to be…
Chapter 14: Usefulness
Summary:
Y/N isn’t useful, so they end up demoted :d
Chapter Text
“This time, I am going to win. I don’t care what it takes, WE ARE OPENING A PORTAL, NOW.”
“NO! I won’t!”
She’s turning for the door. STOP HER.
“I need to tell Hordak! He’ll understand-”
Taze her. Taze her now. The atmosphere turns red.
“...get her out of here!”
Look up. Why is she standing.
“What did you do to me?”
Step back. Step back now.
Adora appears. The portal opens.
“Why did you do it?!”
Get away. Escape. They can't touch you.
Y/N is on the floor. They’re bleeding everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
“Stop hurting us!”
Get away.
The void.
The void is going to swallow-
“GAH!”
Catra sat up, holding her head as sweat ran down her brow. It was all just a nightmare. Nothing else. What even was that hell?! A beeping noise came from beside her and she flinched, seeing Emily blooping and making robotic noises.
In a panic, she swiped her claws at the metal. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”
The robot stumbled back, scurrying away.
You’re a monster.
(Flutterina episode skipped. Y/N canonically gets shoved down to Lonnie and Kyle ranks for that day and will continue to be in the future.)
You waited impatiently at the top of the cave entrance for someone. Stupid Catra and her stupid field missions in the stupid forest… all this for some ambushes and a new recruit. You sighed to yourself. DT was way more efficient undercover. They weren't surveillanced all the time like you were since they were in disguise as… Flutterina. You swore that the pinky colour scheme was just a way to annoy you. There was no way the rebels were into hot pink. A pastel pink was much more fitting.
Why had Catra sent you instead of anyone else in existence? Because one: you were quote-one-quote “expendable” and two, she didn't trust to be with the lizard alone.
You looked down, spotting the pink hair in the distance and slid down, landing in front of Flutterina with a sigh, almost startling them.
“You know, Catra cannot stop raving over how… pinky… you look, ‘Flutterina’.” You huffed, leaning against a rock with a raised eyebrow. ‘Flutterina’ shrugged, taking off ‘her’ cloak and twirling it for more dramatic effect (DE count: 3), and they were now back to their regular, lizardy form as DT.
“I know, right? The rebellions are a sparkly bunch. I just thought to myself- what kind of cute, adorable character would they trust? And hence, Flutterina was born!” They giggled, striking a pose. You had a feeling this was going to be a very non-serious meeting.
“Right…” You blinked, “Any news?”
You pushed aside the leaves covering the cave entrance and the lanky reptile followed along smugly. “Your team did quite a number on the Rebels. They came limping back in, so despondent, such emotion!” They sighed, sounding almost giddy with excitement about the rebels’ suffering. “Oh! It was breathtaking…”
“They still got away, even with your intel.” You sighed, mostly ignoring their dramatics. They frowned, putting their hands behind their back.
“Espionage is a long game, Lambchop.” They hummed as they lay down on a transportation machine, “The rebels are tired, demoralised..”
They laughed to themself, standing back up. “Oh, you should have seen Glimmer’s face when she realised she’d been outsmarted again!”
They slid beside you, now suddenly in Glimmer’s form, mocking her voice.
“HoW iS the HoRde ALwaYs Two sTeps AheaD?” They groaned in their best Glimmer voice, “Angry sparkle! Growl growl!”
You held back a laugh, allowing yourself to smile. Yeah, maybe a not-so-serious meeting was really what you needed. “Hardy har har. Any intel on the rebels? Actually, any intel on She-ra?” You asked, tapping your touchpad.
“Hm. You’re a lot less serious than the kitten.” They mused, grinning, “This is fun!”
You rolled your eyes. “Uh. We’re at war. I don't think she wants it to be fun.”
“No reason it can’t be both. Anyway, She-ra’s putting together a team to track down Hordak’s new weapon.” They shrugged, playing around with some hairstyles while looking into the reflection of a machine window. “Not that they’re gonna find anything, of course.”
“Well… they’ll see the weapon. When the time comes.” You hummed, walking to the side. “You can go back now, by the way.”
“Foreshadowing… love this!” They hummed, transforming back to Flutterina and leaving. You watched them go. They may have been only there because they were paid, but working with them was much more entertaining than Catra-
“Any intel?”
You looked back down at your screen, seeing the face of an angry Force Captain staring back at you.
“Not much… just that Adora plans to track down the new weapon. DT’s taking care of it.” You paused, before sighing, thinking about her new stance against you. “Hey, so… after this whole thing is… over… and I come back. Do you wanna… talk?”
“Talk about what? If it’s nothing useful, I don't care.” She hissed, annoyed already. You took a deep breath, adjusting your hair. “It’s just… Why can't I tell Scorpia about any of it? Y’know- about the plan… she’s been left out a lot and I’m worried-”
“Scorpia doesn't matter!” Catra cut you off, “What matters is that we have the upper hand, and I don't need that bumbling idiot to mess things up again!”
She narrowed her eyes, before ending the call. You blinked, before groaning in annoyance. Oh how you wished DT was back to mock Catra with their priceless impressions…
~~~~
You watched in boredom as a bunch of guards shoved around the boxes. Besides the Catra drama and the constant Double Trouble theatre dramatics, you were undeniably bored. Sure, having authority over some people was nice for once, but there was only so much you could do besides telling them to stop playing tick-trap-throw every five seconds while they were on duty.
Finally, you get a call from DT’s comms pad, and you turn it on to see- Bow?
“Y/N! I knew you were behind this!”
You blinked, narrowing your eyes. “Arrow boy?”
“Oh no! The weapon! It’S fiRiNg!”
Nevermind, it was DT.
“Agahaghaga, it got me in the ABS!” They mocked Bow, doing a series of poses that you knew were a little too over the top. “The most vulnerable part of the body that I refuse to cover because I don’t own real shirts!” They continued, before collapsing to the floor in mock-exhaustion.
“DT, the hell?” You smirked, before watching as they continued their little charade.
“Oh if ONLY I was there to SpArKle At iT!” They cried as Glimmer, “Oh Bowww!”
“Glimmahhh!”
“She-ra!”
They popped into the camera as Adora, making a ridiculous face that made you burst into tears of laughter. “Woah- wait- do Glimmer again!”
“HoW can I LIVE WiThOut my GLitTer! I need it for the tea parties this afternoon! Such TrAgeDy!”
You covered your face, failing to hide your snickers. The impressions were completely flawless. You’d kill to see it again, but you knew there was work to be done.
“Ah. There it is.” DT hummed, back to their regular form.
“There what is?”
“The thrill of seeding destruction and chaos!” DT giggled, hugging themself, “You never really were the destructive type, were you?”
“Well- maybe not, but… Catra is. And I’m sure she’d be thrilled to know if the Pulsebot actually blew Bow up.” You rolled your eyes.
“Well, too bad for her, because the rebels healed him with some glowy princess magic. Really dramatic stuff.” They huffed, looking rather disappointed at Bow’s survival.
“Dramatic? You calling that- dramatic? I hate to see what Shafespear play went on during that.” You groaned, tapping your screen again. “On the side note, could you send coordinates for the rebels’ position? I know for a fact that Adora’s gonna avenge her archer boy.”
“Spot on, Lambchop.” They hummed, sending over the numbers, “Typical heroic princess plans. Too bad you’ll be gone by the time they get there… right?” They raised a brow, almost expecting you to disagree.
“Well… Catra said to do whatever it takes to take down She-ra…” You mumbled in annoyance. Oh how you wanted to go back home and hang out with Lonnie or something, this whole thing was way above your paygrade. “We’re gonna have to delay.”
“I knew there was a reason I liked the kitten.” They grinned, “And I’m sure you’re having fun too, right?”
“...I wish.”
~~~~
You kept a clipboard, before hearing the leaves covering the entrance rustle. Turning, you see two glitter beams smashing into the guards beside you. “Oh for the LOVE OF-”
You jumped to avoid the beams, “How did you find this place?!” You hissed, climbing on some boxes and leaping over them to dodge more glitter lasers from the queen. Sure, Glimmer was kinda in the right but oh god was it ANNOYING.
“I had a little help.” She grinned, blasting a large blast of magic at you. You immediately evaded it, swinging onto a railing and standing on the second floor of the area. Her magic blast had torn open one of the crates, revealing more Pulsebots.
“Did anyone ever teach you to put away your toys?” She smirked, charging up more beams, “Otherwise, someone might come and break them!”
“You think we don't have more?” You rolled your eyes, keeping yourself unseen on the upper floor by crawling.
“I think most of the bots are busy with She-ra, leaving you vulnerable.”
You hissed, before standing up and jumping down from the railing, landing on Glimmer’s back and yanking her hair. “Using Adora as bait! That’s odd coming from you!”
“Hey- OW!” She grunted, slamming her glittery fists in your face, blasting you backwards and into the air. You covered your face, using the whip you had snagged from Catra in the Crimson Waste and wrapping it around a pipe on the ceiling, swinging you back and landing you on the floor roughly. You were not used to that kinda weapon.
Rushing past Glimmer, who chased after you, you managed to get to the control panel. You swung the whip at the queen, wrapping it around her leg and using momentum to “pull” her away from the control panel as you pressed a button on the control desk. “Sure, most of the bots are out there, but we’ve been saving one for a special occasion.” You grunted, and a massive unit of a Pulsebot was revealed from a crate in the middle, drilling itself into the stone floor and beeping. “Wouldn't be the first time I was forced to hurt a queen, right?”
Glimmer gaped at the giant bot towering over her, before hopping backwards as a bunch of the second floor collapsed in on itself. The cave was falling apart. You jumped over the fallen debris and ran behind her. “Hey! You’re gonna bring the whole place down!” She yelled back at you.
“I don't plan to stick around.” You grinned, turning to face her from afar, “So you’d better get to picking who to capture, because that bot can release a pulse strong enough to level half of the forest. Good luck!”
You gave her an unneeded wink, turning back and dashing for the exit- only for a part of the upper structure to crumble and completely fall on top of you, trapping you within the railings. How embarrassing.
Glimmer blinked, before teleporting in front of you with a glare. “Looks like I don't have to choose, right?”
You flushed in humiliation. So much for a powerful and dramatic exit. DT was better at that sort of stuff, and you were forced to listen to the Pulsebot being teleported out of the cave while trapped under the heavy metal. “No no no-” You groaned, trying to shove it off of you. You needed an extra hand before the whole place crushed you-
“Word around Brightmoon was that the Queen had disappeared on a mission.”
You looked up, seeing DT standing in front of you smugly, “I thought I’d come and check on you.” They grinned.
“Double Trouble- thank the stars! Get me out!”
They pulled the metal off and helped you up, dragging you out of the cave as boulders covered the entrance for good. You looked back, before sighing and looking down. “Catra is going to be so pissed…” You muttered nervously as you both got onto a skiff to leave. Mission failed. Again.
~~~~
“You failed.” Catra hissed, poking a claw into your chest, “Can’t say I didn't expect that from you.”
You shoved her finger away, “You don't think I’m pissed enough as it is? I didn’t expect Glimmer to burst in with enough glitter to out-shine the sun!” You retorted in annoyance, before crossing your arms. “Besides, it’s not like you were doing anything important either.”
“Oh shut up!” Catra growled, turning away from you, “Honestly, I can't trust you anymore with these things. It’s like you WANT to be demoted!” She paused, before turning back. “Wait. Glimmer showed up? Alone?”
You paused, before nodding.
“...She uses Adora as bait… then shows up alone.” Catra mused, “Sounds like the friendship might have a few cracks.”
She turned to DT, who had taken both your money and your credit for anything good. “Would be a shame if someone were to take advantage of that.”
DT grinned. You sighed.
More attention for the lizard. Yay.
~~~~
“Hey, being stuck with us isn't that bad- woah!”
Since DT was about a thousand times more efficient than you, Catra had carelessly shoved you back with Lonnia, Rogelio and Kyle. You were now a side character. You had been assigned with the three to get some protective plates or whatever and transfer them back to base through the whispering woods.
“It’s not bad- persay- it’s just… embarrassing.” You rolled your eyes, sitting on a crate in the giant transport machine that you all were in. The journey was far from smooth, and while Rogelio and Lonnie got comfortable chairs in the front, you sat on a crate while Kyle rolled around in the back.
“Woah- woah! Agh!”
A lot of crates fell, and you grabbed Kyle, shoving him and holding him down next to you. “Stop messing around, Kyle!” You hissed, already thinking of tying him to a wall or something. The crates were now a mess and you knew you were the one that was probably gonna clean it up.
“We’re almost out of these creepy woods…” Lonnie huffed, squinting at the trees in front of her. The truck swerved and turned sharply through the mess of trees and branches, and you sat on the crate in annoyance while holding down a flailing Kyle.
“I’m gonna let go if you keep flailing around like a piece of paper.” You warned him, and he immediately stiffened up.
“Catra better appreciate us going behind enemy lines to get this armor plating stuff for her…” Lonnie muttered in a tone of irritation, turning through a few more trees- before the truck suddenly stopped, causing you and Kyle to fly to the front. You managed to catch yourself on a crate while Kyle face planted into the window between the driver seats and the storage area. “Uh… guys? Are we home?” He asked nervously as the lights in the truck turned red.
You glared at him, before shoving him aside and looking through the truck window to get a glance at the windshield. “Looks like we need to repair the damn shuttle.” You mused.
“What! No way, I’m gonna get zapped for sure!” Kyle interjected, and Lonnie simply shook her head. Rogelio was still staring at the random light thingies falling from the sky outside.
You blinked, before turning to Rogelio. “Well Roges, I guess you're coming with me.”
He grunted and made some lizard noises in protest, clearly not wanting to be the one to fix the shuttle.
“Well I know nothing about mechanics, and I’m sure Kyle can’t do anything.” You raised a brow. Rogelio pointed at Lonnie, as if asking why she wasn't being dragged out.
“Because she’s Lonnie, now c’mon!” You shrugged, picking up a toolbox and signaling for Rogelio to follow you out. The lizard man looked around in confusion, before rolling his eyes and following you, but not without grabbing both Lonnie and Kyle out with him anyway.
“Hey!”
“I said I didn't wanna- watch the shirt!”
You were already outside opening the engine, finding no faults so far and now currently banging on some of the processing stuff. “There’s nothing wrong. Maybe check the pipes?”
Rogelio grunted and went to check while Lonnie just stood at the side, watching Kyle make a fool of himself- as always.
“I knew we shouldn't have come through the Whispering Woods- it’s not safe!” He whimpered, swinging around a metal pipe defensively through the air.
“Obviously, Catra felt it was worth risking us to get the cargo back sooner.” Lonnie groaned, before shaking her head as Kyle stepped back into some branches, screaming and flailing at nothing.
“Would you quit it! I’m trying to focus here!” You glared at him, before checking more parts of the seemingly untouched engine. There was nothing wrong- so why was the shuttle broken down? “I think there’s something affecting the external parts of the machine.”
“Speaking of which… what is this stuff?” Lonnie turned to the outer shell, looking down at the glowy, hot pieces of sparky light that was landing on the shuttle and sizzling through. Rogelio shrugged.
Kyle lay down on the floor- tripped, technically- and looked up at the little sparks of light. “It’s- actually kinda pretty- like snow.”
You rolled your eyes, taking a closer look at the sparks. “...oh- no- this is-”
“AHH! IT HURS-”
You turned, seeing Kyle slam into Lonnie with a burning spark on his tongue. “Would you quit it Kyle- ow!” Lonnie shoved him away, before getting burned on her arm by one of the sparks. Rogelio grunted as one landed on his scales, and you immediately closed the engine cover. “It’s a fluke spore cloud! Get inside, now!”
The wind blew more spores in your direction, and you all ran back inside the shuttle to take cover from the fire-like substance pieces. Rogelio slammed the button to close the door, and you sighed as you all were safe from the burning sparks.
“It- it’s a spore cloud.” You sighed, “I managed to read up on it when I was stuck on Brightmoon. Highly corrosive, and really really painful.” You grimaced, covering a few tiny burns on your arms. “It’s no longer safe outside.”
Rogelio made a few noises of disbelief, pointing outside. You and Kyle turned to Lonnie for a translation.
“Rogelio’s right,” she huffed, “someone needs to go out there and fix the transport.”
“But- uh- out there hurts!” Kyle protested, and you nodded in agreement. “Outside doesn’t just hurt. It’s deadly. Staying too long out there would reduce a regular person to bones in minutes.”
“Then we’ll just have to stay in here and wait out… whatever’s happening.” Lonnie concluded, leaning on a crate. She was clearly pissed. If you all didn’t reach the Horde base in time, Catra was for sure going to be pissed.
“What? We’ll be trapped here?” Kyle’s eyes widened, “Maybe for hours or days? With only each other for company, an- and we won’t be able to get back to the Fright Zone?!”
He paused, before his eyes lit up. “This is great!” He exclaimed, lifting his arms up in what seemed to be celebration.
You all groaned in annoyance, but Kyle continued, pacing around. “Seriously. The Fright Zone’s been so stressful lately. Out here, we don’t have to worry about Catra showing up and yelling at-”
“WHERE ARE YOU?!”
Kyle shrieked as Catra’s face appeared on a giant screen behind him. She looked hella pissed. “You were all supposed to be back an hour ago!” She yelled, narrowing her eyes. Her damn voice was already pissing all of you off. So much for not worrying. You were all forced to stand at attention while Kyle hid behind Rogelio.
“Uhm… uh… well- the woods are attacking us with very painful snow!” He stuttered.
“…why is he talking?” Catra rolled her eyes in disgust.
“There’s some… spore cloud, as Y/N suggests, that’s causing an acid storm outside, but we’re assessing the situation.” Lonnie steps forward and explains as calmly as she can.
“Assess faster!” Catra demanded, “Hordak needs that armor plating from the rebel mine now. The plan can’t fall behind schedule.”
“Maybe if you told us what this big plan is, we could help you-“
“I doubt that, seeing as you failed to do the one thing I asked.” Catra cut Lonnie off rudely, and you stepped forward.
“Catra, it’s not our fault! The transport broke down, and it’s too dangerous to go out there!” You protested, standing in front of Lonnie defensively, “You can’t expect us to-”
“I don’t care! I gave you an order!” Catra screamed into the camera, her hair messed up and falling over her face in her anger, “Pick someone, send them outside and fix it. Now!” She took a deep breath, pushing the hair behind her tiara, “Understand?”
Your eyes widened at her hostility. Looking down, you turned to Lonnie and the others, and they all said nothing, just staring at the screen in disbelief. “Well?” Catra pushed, annoyed.
“…Yes, Force Captain.” You finally answered and the screen went black, causing you to cover your face in sheer exasperation at Catra’s attitude.
“Yeesh. I bet working with her directly sucks.” Lonnie jabbed your shoulder.
“Not it!”
You all turned to Kyle, and he just laughed nervously.
~~~~
“Okay, here’s the situation.” Lonnie said calmly, after a little bit of discussion, “One of us has to brave this… spore cloud… go out there, and fix the transport. So, we’re gonna choose who goes outside fair and square… with a game of bot-shield-laser!”
Rogelio grunted in agreement, and you shrugged, but Kyle raised his hand in confusion. “Wait, why do you get to decide what game we play?” Kyle asked, tilting his head. You paused, and Rogelio put down his hand, grumbling. Lonnie rolled her eyes. “Because I’m clearly the leader!”
Rogelio growled, making some unintelligible lizard sounds and pointing to himself. Lonnie smirked, “See? Rogelio agrees!” By the look on Rogelio’s face, something told you he absolutely did not agree.
“Wait, shouldn’t I be the leader?” You protested, “I’m the… quote-on-quote ‘closest’ to Catra, after all.” You raised a brow, liking the idea of being in charge.
“You got demoted. I don’t think that counts for anything.” Lonnie shrugged, before elbowing you. “C’mon, let’s just get this over with. We go on three.”
You all put your fists up, waiting for Lonnie’s count. “One… two… three.”
You all put out shields (you did spot Kyle changing his bot into a shield, but you couldn’t care too much) and Lonnie groaned in annoyance, “Let’s try that again. One… two… three.”
They all put shields again, but you put a handy dandy laser. “Hah! Suck it, losers!”
They all grumbled, and you calmly walked off, basking in your victory. “I’ll count down for you guys. One… two… three!”
They all put out their respective hands, and Kyle grinned. “Ahah! Shield beats bot… uh… but Lonnie, your laser beats shield… so… so you win?” He said more questioningly than confidently. Lonnie laughed in victory, but Kyle paused, trying to make sense of the results. “Except Rogelio’s bot beat laser… okay so I beat Rogelio, but you beat me… and Rogelio beat you… that means… we’re all winners!” He concluded.
“That means this isn’t working!” Lonnie groaned, “We need a new game.”
Rogelio grunted and pulled out a wooden toy with a small handle and cup, with a ball attached by a string. He demonstrated himself catching the ball in the air with the cup a few times, and Kyle got an idea,
“Oooh, I have an idea!” He exclaimed, snatching the ball mid-air and tearing it off of Rogelio’s toy, causing the giant lizard to roar in disappointment, looking down at the broken toy sadly. You facepalmed.
~~~~
Kyle aimed the ball, and threw it against the wall, making the sphere bounce off multiple crates, hitting the walls a few times, before perfectly landing in the armor helmet stationed on a box in the corner. “Hah-ha! Perfect score!” He grinned, making finger guns, “Eh? Eh? Try to beat that!”
“Now hold on just a moment there-“ you paused, holding your head in disbelief, “When Rogelio bounced it off of the helmet, you said it was minus five points.”
“Mm-hm… mm-hm… that’s because he forgot the magic password.” Kyle shrugged, “And you, Y/N also lost five points.”
“For what?!”
“Because you’re standing in the loser zone.” He announced, before turning to Lonnie, “And Lonnie, you’re not wearing the hat so another five-point deduction for you.”
“What? These rules don’t even make any sense.” She hissed, reluctantly puttin on the cardboard hat Kyle had made earlier, to which you pulled off of her and put it aside, shaking your head.
“You’re just a sore loser,” he chuckled, picking up the ball. “Now, watch the master!”
He threw the ball again, and it ricocheted off of the walls and crates much faster this time.
“Wh- hey!” Lonnie yelled, all of you trying to dodge the ball, and unfortunately, the ball bounced off of a particular crate and slammed right into your face, causing you to fall backwards, clutching your nose.
“Owwww- what the hell, Kyle!” You yelled in pain, sitting up and glaring at the boy. Kyle flinched, but just stood there confidently. “Uhh… well… since you were hit by the ball, that’s a ten-point deduction.”
“What- ow!” You groaned, covering your now-bleeding nose. Rogelio winced and passed you a few tissues as Lonnie turned to Kyle.
“Wait, Kyle. Did you… just lose… the game… that you made up?”
“Well…” Kyle cleared his throat, “Hah… no! No, that’s a different move and I get all the points and I win.” He said confidently, and you just threw the ball at him, He yelped, rubbing the bruise forming on his forehead.
“Getting points for attacking me? Think twice, buster.” You growled, almost as pissed as Catra as Rogelio pushed you away from Kyle carefully, making calm and slow grunts.
“Yeah… no that’s not happening.” Lonnie huffed, before the ceiling of the shuttle suddenly creaked. The spores were starting to burn into the ceiling.
“Oh for the love of-“ You hissed, standing up with a tissue plugging your bloody nose, “Now?”
Walking over to the window, you realised the spore storm was getting stronger. Kyle stepped beside you. “You think anyone's gonna come and save us?”
“Nobody is coming, we gotta save ourselves,” Lonnie huffed, digging into the storage cupboards in the shuttle, “And we’d better pick someone to fix the transport soon or Catra is gonna kill us!”
After a short while, she punched the cupboards in frustration, “Ugh! I don’t even know why we bother! She doesn’t trust us, she’s obsessed with this big plan! It’s the only thing that matters to her!” She looked down at her fist, tired. In a way, she was kind of right, but a part of you refused to accept it.
“Don’t say that!” Kyle interjected, “Look, she may be mean, but we’ve always had each other’s backs- even when we were kids! She probably sent us on this mission for team building! Or something.”
“You guys are my only family- even Catra. Remember when she used my ration bars to make that cake for Adora?”
“That never happened,” Lonnie raised a brow. “That was in the weird fake portal reality.”
“Wait- what?”
You stepped forward, “Lonnie- in a way- Kyle’s right, I don’t think all the years we had with Catra can be disregarded after a few months of hostility.” You agreed quietly, “She’s just… going through a phase. Everything aside, we’re a unit, aren’t we?”
(A/N: To those that think “Y/N is about to become a Kyle and take his place in his selfless act later”, yes, yes because Y/N seriously needs more action- and their plot line actually needs it. Kyle’s character is just a punchbag tbh… sorry for the Kyle lovers out there)
Lonnie narrowed her eyes, before she laughed. A forced laugh. “You wanna know what we really are?” She asked, going towards you and Kyle, before poking a finger in your chest. “We are expendable! Catra doesn’t care about us- Adora left us- everything they taught us about loyalty in the Horde is meaningless! It’s everyone for themselves.”
She stepped back, facing away from you. You paused, before sighing and pushing your hair back. “Whatever.”
Kyle looked at the two of you, before putting a hand on your shoulder, “Look, maybe we could-“
“Forget it. If nothing matters, I’ll fix the stupid transport so we can get back faster.” You rolled your eyes, pushing his hand away and picking up the helmet from the corner. Lonnie stared at you in disbelief. “Wait! But- it’s dangerous!” Kyle protested, pushing himself in front of you, “You yourself said so.”
“Exactly! Just knock it off, Y/N.” Lonnie shook her head, not taking you seriously. You huffed silently, pushing past Kyle and shoving on the helmet, opening the door to outside with a welding hammer.
“Hey! Stop! Guys- help me out here!” Kyle winced, turning to the others. Rogelio grunted and groaned, before pointing at Lonnie, who raised her hands defensively.
“Me? This isn’t my fault! Rogelio!”
The door shut, and they stared at the closed door in disbelief, and Kyle bit his lip, “… oh no.”
Lonnie quickly pulled out a comms device, connecting it to your helmet as the outside camera showed you hastily searching around the shuttle for the damaged part. “Look- you made your point, Y/N! Now turn around! That’s an or-”
You turned off the comms, focusing on finding the damaged part. The stupid helmet was barely doing any help, it was mostly just protecting your head, but the rest of your body wasn’t covered. You really should have used the whole armor set.
Finally, you found the damaged part. It was a large piece that was sticking out of the ship, the spores had burnt through the inner wiring. You grunted, using the welding tool and managing to reattach the wire. The spores kept landing on you, burning through your sleeves and the helmet, so you quickly took off one of your gloves and wrapped it around the pieces, wanting to give the wire some extra protection.
“No no no no-“ You winced, more spores landing on you and burning your back. This was bad, very- very bad. Another gust of wind blew them at you and-
~~~~
“This is embarrassing.”
You were sitting on a small shelf/makeshift bed as you wrapped some bandages around your burnt areas. According to Lonnie, you had somehow passed out (from burns? Probably the pain) and they had to drag you back in, the good news- the ship was fixed. You sighed, before glancing at Lonnie and Rogelio. (Kyle was currently driving the shuttle).
“Thanks… I guess….” You mumbled as Lonnie took the bandage roll from you, “but Catra’s going to be livid when she finds out you damaged an armor plating.”
“It was worth it.” Lonnie insisted, before looking away, “and… you were right. We’re supposed to stick together, as ridiculous as it is. Sorry for letting you go out there alone.”
You blinked, before smiling slightly, “It’s whatever. Getting burned is way better than being stuck with Catra anyhow.”
She held back a laugh, and Rogelio placed a hand on your shoulder, letting out a long series of grunts and roars. You watched him awkwardly, not understanding a thing he was saying.
“Uh… you too. Probably.” You muttered, lying back down, “Thanks guys.”
In all honesty- you weren’t lying. Getting burnt by acid rain was way better than facing Catra- at least now.
Chapter 15: Recordings
Chapter Text
“Ughhh…”
You sat up from your bed in the main quarters, yawning in exhaustion. You had stuff to do, but Lonnie had told you to take a day's break because- well, you knew why. You jumped off the top bunk, going to the bathroom to get yourself ready for the day.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, you pushed your hair back, staring at your blind eye. Looking back, you realised that Shadow Weaver’s “threat” of telling Catra about it being blind was just a childish fear. Catra had caused it, she deserved to know- just, not at the moment. You couldn’t understand why you were so scared of what would happen if she knew back then, it seemed pointless to worry.
Strapping on your eyepatch, you tied your hair back up and exited the bathroom with a sigh. Things around just weren’t the same. Catra was a brat, Adora was gone, Entrapta was… also gone… but there was one person you could rely on, one person you knew was still sane.
You slowly opened a door in the Force Captains’ dormitories, seeing the giant scorpion lady interacting with Emily. Scorpia. Scorpia was still as kind-hearted as ever, and nothing was going to stop you and her from staying friends.
“I know, I know, Catra said we’re not friends anymore…” Scorpia was saying while putting down the jacket she had gotten from the Crimson Waste, “but she didn’t mean it! And maybe I misheard her, there was a lot going on. There was a cannon.”
You smiled slightly, before slipping in and sneaking behind her, sitting down on a bleeping Emily and watching her move in front of the mirror.
“Push down doubts and insecurities. Check…”
“And get snuck up on.”
“WAGH-“
She abruptly turned, seeing you sitting on top of Emily and waving calmly. “Check. What’s up, Scorps?”
“Oh! Y/N! You scared me there… hah… how do you do that?” She stuttered as you hopped down. “You gotta teach me how to sneak up on people… everyone always does it to me and I need some revenge, to be honest.”
“Ehm…” you slowly looked her up and down, grimacing at the sheer size of her. She was huge, like a tank, tall and buff. “I think sneaking won’t be your… best attribute, bud. Settle for hugs.”
“Awh… well, I can’t complain.” Scorpia immediately went up to squeeze you in a giant hug, causing you to squeak in slight pain. The burns hadn’t completely healed yet, which was a shame because Scorpia’s hugs were usually the best.
“Oh. Right, yeah. Sorry.” She quickly put you down, and you brushed yourself off, slightly annoyed. You were just tired, but Scorpia could “sense” your mood, and she backed off. “Personal space, got it.”
You sighed, shrugging. “No, no, it’s cool, just tired.” You mumbled, “So… what are you up to?”
You were now watching her searching through her cabinet. “Tea bags. I’m thinking of making some tea for Catra.”
“For… Catra?”
“Yeah. My famous soothing tea- old family recipe. If anyone could use a pick-me-up, it’s Catra. Y’know- she’s been so down lately, and… do you think she’ll like tiny mugs?”
You looked down, seeing her hold one of Entrapta’s tiny mugs. “Uh… I don't think Entrapta’s tiny mugs will… appease her.”
“Oh.” She paused, before searching for a normal cup instead. “Hey, you want some tea too? I mean- not that you’ve really drank tea that much…”
“No- no, tea sounds great.” You smiled slightly, leaning over her to check her cupboards, “It’s been a while since I had some.”
You paused, thinking about Brightmoon, and maybe a little about Perfuma’s tea too. In a way- you kinda missed that place. It was so much more calm than the intensity of the Horde. Then again, Scorpia’s room was calm enough for you too.
Within minutes, Scorpia had already whipped out some tea, and passed you a cup before taking another. “I’m gonna find Catra. Could you… stay here and make sure Emily doesn't run off?”
“Uh… yeah, sure.” You shrugged, watched her zoom off with the tea. Looking down at the boiling water, you silently offered some to Emily, who shook her head and turned to the door longingly for Scorpia to come back.
Looking down at the tea, you sniffed it, taking a sip. “Huh. Tastes almost exactly like Perfuma’s.”
~~~~
“Emilyyy, stoppp-”
You were leaning against the door, trying to stop Emily from breaking out. Scorpia had made it clear that Emily being loose around the Fright Zone was… destructive. At least for her. Catra would dismantle her if she got the chance, but now, the robot was using its “hand” thingies to push against you, trying to get through and find Scorpia.
“Oh c’mon! Do you really like Scorpia more than me?” You huffed, patting the robot’s head awkwardly. She bleeped and blooped incoherently, but enough time with her had made you fluent in “bot”. (And yet somehow only Lonnie was good at “Rogelio”). “Well- okay, fair, but she’s keeping you in here to make sure you’re safe and I don't wanna let her down. She’s the only sane person here and I don't want her to be disappointed in me!”
Emily paused, before pressing against a spot you where you had a burn with her robot arm, shoving past you as you landed on the floor in pain. “Oh- come on- Emily!”
You sighed, pushing your hair back. Okay, you weren't so close with the robot, but it didn't have to be violent!
Standing up, you immediately went to find the stupid robot.
~~~~
Unfortunately for you, you found Catra instead.
“Just find the stupid recordings. It can't be that hard.” She rolled her eyes, absentmindedly checking some data, “Look in the vents- or whatever. Scorpia’s on it too, but I doubt she can find anything with her stupid pincers in the way.”
You raised a brow, before sighing. “Did you at least tell her why? Anything? About the plan and all…”
“Why do you care so much whether or not she knows?!”
Talk about a quick temper tantrum. Catra’s sudden calmness to an outburst surprised you, and your ears folded a little. “I- I just-”
“Be glad you even know anything, and don't you dare share a word of info with her.” She hissed, before sighing and neatening her hair. “Understand?”
“Whatever.” You huffed, “I don't understand why you have to get so worked up about it.”
You paused as she turned away, and eventually decided to just go along with it. Find Entrapta’s recordings. And try not to dismantle Emily.
As you walked, you were thinking things over. You knew Emily did have backups of all of Entrapta’s recordings, both audio and video, but again- handing over Emily to Catra was a one way trip to the scrap dump. Wait, did Scorpia know about Emily’s pre-recordings? If she did, her loyalty would screw her over and force her to give Emily up… but she wouldn't- would she?
You immediately made your way to the Black Garnet chamber. If you were thinking things right, Entrapta would potentially have left her recordings there- the other other recordings. Emily wasn't the only backup she had. At least- you thought so.
“Bots. Mmm… Hordak.”
Your ears perked up, and you paused, looking into Entrapta’s old lab room- and seeing Scorpia upside down, hanging from the ceiling with her pincers to her head. She then fell to the ground with a small oof. “Tiny food…”
You stared for a good moment, before slowly back away. She was probably having an Entrapta brainstorm. Or a brain glitch.
Eventually, you found the vent port to the Black Garnet Chamber. Usually, you’d go normally through the front door, but after the Shadow Weaver incident, the room was locked with a passcode only the Force Captains knew. Crawling through the vents was… an interesting experience, for sure. A lot of nuts and bolts were left scattered around due to Entrapta’s history.
Entrapta…
You crawled into the Black Garnet Chamber’s vent system from the ceiling- only to hear the door open.
Glancing down through the tiny holes, you spotted Scorpia.
“Ugh… yeah, this place also gives me the creeps… but some of Entrapta’s stuff was still in the room, so the recordings might be, too.”
Scorpia and Emily walked further inside. Scorpia chuckled a little as she rummaged through a pile of wires and scraps.
“Wow. So many good times in here, huh?” she said happily. “That time Entrapta hacked the Black Garnet… That time Shadow Weaver tried to kill us… And… before that…” She chuckled slightly and looked up at the Black Garnet. A faint whooshing sound stirred the air, layered whispers flickering just below hearing, as the Garnet gave off a low, shimmering glow.
“You’re not going to believe this, Emily, but I’m actually a princess.”
Emily whirred and spun around, letting out surprised beeps.
“I know, right?” Scorpia laughed. “That’s what they all say! It’s ridiculous, I know, but… it’s true. The whole Fright Zone used to be my family’s kingdom, but then Hordak showed up and… well… you know. The rest is history.” Her voice grew somber. “It’s not like the Black Garnet ever worked for me anyway…”
Again, the whooshing whispers returned as Scorpia reached toward the Garnet—but they stopped the moment she pulled her hand away. As you watched from above, you contemplated going down and checking out the Black Garnet for yourself, but it wasn't your priority. Your priority was to make sure Scorpia doesn't take apart Emily. And to find Entrapta’s recordings, probably.
“Ah, it’s for the best,” she muttered. “I mean, can you imagine? Me, a princess?” She sighed, then quickly added, “I just need to find those recordings and then-”
Emily beeped and bumped her shoulder softly. Scorpia turned—and Emily began to whir and project a recording. Scorpia gasped.
“Entrapta?”
A flickering hologram of Entrapta appeared, her voice bright and energetic.
“Commencing experiment number 703. Ready, Emily?”
Scorpia stared in amazement as the recording continued.
“Success!” Entrapta laughed loudly. “In addition to uploading back-ups of my logs into Emily’s hard drive, I’ve upgraded her to record visual data.” She trilled with excitement. “Hiiii! Now when an experiment blows up and I lose all memory of that day, I’ll still have record of the research.”
Her prehensile hair suddenly grabbed Catra and Scorpia, pulling them into view as they both grunted.
“Everyone, smile!”
Catra shoved herself free, scowling. “I told you to be ready to leave. Have you even started packing?”
“I’m a scientist,” Entrapta replied cheerfully. “The only thing I’ll need in the Northern Reach is my miiind! …Also my giant drill. …Also… everything in this room.”
“Super Pal Quartet-minus-one-so-it’s-a-trio field trip!” Recording-Scorpia beamed. “Ah, I can’t wait! We can watch the snow fall, drink hot cocoa…”
“Ooh, can the hot cocoas be tiny?” Entrapta asked excitedly.
“We’re there to dig up First Ones tech,” Catra groaned, “we’re not making cocoa.”
“Oh, that’s my Wildcat, always on goal.” Scorpia chuckled slightly. “…What do you think is buried out there, anyway?”
“Ohhh, something biiig!” Entrapta said, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Who cares? Pack your stuff and let’s go already,” Catra snapped.
“I’ll bring the cocoa if you bring the tiny mugs…?” Scorpia offered.
“Oh, it’s a date!” Entrapta chirped in a higher pitch, giggling as she high-fived Scorpia with her hair.
“Yeah!” Scorpia laughed.
The recording ended with a beep, the projection glitching away. Emily let out a whir. You stared down. So that was what they were up to on the snow day! Made sense, most of it, especially Catra blowing them both off… oh wait. Scorpia knew. Emily held the recordings and Scorpia knew. Oh no.
“I… I miss her,” Scorpia said softly. Then her face lit up with sudden realization. “Wait, Entrapta’s recordings… she stored them inside you?!” She scooped Emily up in her arms, beaming. “We did it, you beautiful bot, we found them! Oh, we’ve gotta go tell Catra that—”
Emily beeped.
“Well, can’t you just take them out?”
Another beep. Scorpia’s face fell.
“Not possible?!” she repeated.
Emily beeped again. Her processor lights blinked.
“They’re deeply ingrained in your core processor and can’t be accessed without dismantling you completely?!”
Emily confirmed with another quiet beep. Scorpia sat her down with a frustrated thud.
“But Catra needs these recordings, and I wanna be there for her!” Scorpia said, her voice rising. “I’m loyal,” she chuckled slightly, then hesitated, “that’s my whole thing.”
Emily whirred nervously and darted behind some debris.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Scorpia said, though her voice wasn’t confident. “She wouldn’t hurt you. She wouldn’t… even though the recordings are… inside you and… she’s kind of said the words ‘scrap metal’ and ‘Emily’ together a lot.”
She glanced nervously around.
“Come on, I know a great place to hide- I… I mean, think, not hide. We’re not hiding, we’re… thinking. That’s it.”
She walked off, Emily whirring and following close behind. The Black Garnet pulsed softly with another low shimmer as the whispering sound returned—then faded into silence once more.
You stared at the door a little longer, before sighing in clear relief and hopping down into the chamber, climbing down the garnet to the floor. Scorpia hadn't actually looked through the room properly, so the recordings… were probably there. They always were.
Checking some corners and pipes, you weren't sure if Entrapta actually left any backups in the room, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Besides, your priority was to find the recordings. For Catra.
…for Scorpia?
Definitely for Catra. Scorpia was doing it for Catra… so were you competing with her? Helping her?
“Maybe if I give Scorpia the recordings and the credit… Catra will find her useful again, and she’ll be back in our plans.” You muttered to yourself with a small smile, going back to the giant gem in the middle and checking the boxes inside. A bunch of metal… tools…. and…
“Bingo.”
You pulled out an old, dusty recorder. It was one of Entrapta’s older recording devices. It could only store so much data, so you hoped that the data on it was useful at all, otherwise it would make Scorpia just look bad.
“...it couldn't help to check.” You hummed, sitting down against the garnet and pressing a few buttons on the machine.
“Day 001 of the First One’s Tech initiative! Uh… First One’s Tech experimentals? Testing? Nevermind.”
You blinked. Maybe these recordings were too old… but it did have information on First One’s Tech… so you kept listening.
“I have discovered a few little pieces of what seems to be ancient tech from the First Ones… and I’ve attached and integrated them into my little bots! Although…. results so far have been… explosive.”
You chuckled, before slowly tapping the fast forward button to see if you could find more useful information.
“Log, day 034. The integration process has been a profound success! Most of my bots have seen an increase in speed, efficiency, and allows for more complex coding in each central processor I make!”
“Log, day 097, I have found a new artifact, number 58. It is much bigger than the others I have found, and it’s not able to process the information I send it in programming… but the signals it sends out get vague returns…”
“Log, day 103. 104? No. Definitely 103… First One’s artifact number 58 has yielded a treasure trove of intact code! If I can successfully translate it, it could hold the secrets of the First Ones…”
“Edit to log… I am now going to run.”
You blinked, tapping the button again, but there were no further recordings from then. It seemed that all the recordings she had made afterwards were on another device… or in Emily, but it was more than likely to be enough for Catra.
You smiled, keeping the device in your pocket, before pausing, pulling out the tiny mug Scorpia had given you earlier. Staring down at it, you wondered if you had missed any more hot cocoa sessions with her while you were in Brightmoon. Sure, it was a short period of time… and a useless one… but a lot can happen in that time.
“Maybe there’ll be more tea later?” You huffed, putting down the cup and standing up. You sounded too hopeful. Hopeful like Scorpia, and look where she was now. Hiding away a robot. Away from Catra.
You sighed, looking around, before climbing back up to the vents to see if you could find Scorpia anywhere.
You sighed, looking around, the dim hum of machinery and distant footsteps echoing through the vents. Looking down into the rooms…. still no sign of her. With a frustrated breath, you kept your ears tuned for any familiar sounds—Scorpia’s laugh, her heavy footsteps, the occasional crash when she knocked something over without meaning to.
But there was nothing. You checked the lab. You checked the old storage rooms. You even peeked near the Black Garnet chamber again, but the room was silent now, empty except for that faint, unsettling shimmer in the stone.
“Scorpia…” you whispered to yourself. Where had she gone?
You sat still for a moment in the narrow passage, your legs tucked underneath you, heart sinking a little. She deserved this moment—she was the one who pushed for this, who believed there was still something good to recover. She was the one you trusted…
You clenched your fists slightly, resolve settling in and adjusting your course in the vents, headed toward the command deck. Towards Catra.
You knew this wasn't exactly right. You had found those recordings, protected Emily, and remembered Entrapta when so many others had tried to forget her, but you knew Scorpia needed some sort of win. Something to get Catra back on her good side.
So you kept moving, metal panels creaking softly beneath your knees, heart pounding faster with every turn. Time to speak up. Time to make sure Catra knew the truth—Scorpia was the reason they had a chance to hear Entrapta again. And no matter what happened next, you’d make sure she knew that.
~~~~
“Catra? Hey?”
You stepped into one of the Force Captain data rooms, looking around, and spotted Catra tapping some buttons on her commander device or whatever. She looked… oddly pleased.
“What? I’m busy.”
She didn't turn to you at all. She was completely focused on whatever she was doing, but she wasn't snapping at you, which was something.
“Well… about the recordings-”
“Don't bother.”
What? You looked up, discreetly putting the recordings back in your pocket. “...what?”
“I know what happened to the recordings. You don't need to apologise for Scorpia. I’m done with her.” She hissed, pressing buttons more vigorously now. “And it doesn't matter anymore, the recordings are useless now.”
You blinked, before slowly stepping forward. “Uh… well… I only saw Scorpia… crying. Earlier.” You cleared your throat, lying straight through your teeth… but you needed to know what happened. “Did something happen?”
“Crying? She was actually crying? Wow…” Catra scoffed, slamming down the tablet, “She really is more sensitive than I thought.” She smirked, stepping towards you.
“Just spit it out. What do you want? To try to help Scorpia make up for it? To convince me Scorpia needs more intel on the plan?”
“...what did you do to her?”
Your priorities immediately shifted. Yes, Catra was dead right about what you wanted,, but you were more concerned at the fact that Catra seemed perfectly okay to the knowledge that Scorpia could've been crying… as if she was expecting it, as if she had done something to her that could warrant Scorpia, the embodiment of sunshine itself, cry.
“What do you mean?”
“What did you say to Scorpia?”
You stepped forward, a sudden wave of protectiveness rising in you for the giant scorpion woman. You’d never stood up to Catra like this before- not over something like this- but this time felt different. The hurt, the frustration, the quiet resentment over how Scorpia had been treated… it had all been simmering beneath the surface, and now it was boiling over.
“Scorpia is the sweetest, most positive person I’ve ever gotten to know, and you think making her cry is okay?” You continued, narrowing your eye, “...and she believed in you. Even when you snapped at her. Even when you ignored her. She kept showing up- for you. And this is how you repay her? What is wrong with you?!”
“What is wrong with you?” Catra retorted, clearly a little confused by your sudden reaction, “Scorpia is a tool. A waste of time.” She added, almost sounding as if she was convincing herself too, but you were too upset to notice.
“She is not just a tool! She is a person with emotions and needs and you’ve been completely ignoring them! You’ve been leaving her out and I wanna know why!”
Catra sighed, covering her face a little, before laughing. Again. That stupid laugh you once loved to hear was now nothing but a sound you knew meant nothing good.
“Scorpia means nothing to the plan. Scorpia is a liability. Scorpia never does ANYTHING right, and keeping her out of this shouldn't be of any concern to a common soldier like you.” She finally said, all in one breath, and poking a claw into your chest. It was unclear whether or not she was even angry, she just seemed… amused. “If you have a problem with that, go cry with her.”
“Just a year ago you were making plans and talking about bowling together.” You sighed, calming yourself down a little, “What happened to that? Was your big mission really worth it all?”
“Of course it was.” Catra scoffed, turning away and picking her tablet back up, “The plan is already ready- in fact, why are you even here right now? Go get the others and call back the skeleton crews. The boats need to be ready by tonight.”
You blinked, clenching your fists. Having a conversation when she was locked in on a mission was never easy, even before the portal disaster.
“You don't even regret it, do you? You say it’s all worth it when really you’re getting some sick thrill in seeing her suffer.”
“I am NOT!”
She whipped herself around, slamming the tablet to the floor, but paused as the screen shattered. After a moment, she put a hand on her tiara, before pushing back her hair, visibly taking deep breaths. “The boats, Y/N, I’m not repeating myself.”
You paused, before turning away. “God.. you’re becoming just like Shadow Weaver..”
Catra visibly flinched at that, but said nothing as you left. She heard the door shut, and she picked up the tablet, checking the screen again. “I am nothing like her.”
“Nothing.”
~~~
"Scorpia? Scorpia!"
You ran into her bedroom, hoping that maybe she was there. You really needed to know the clear story of what happened from someone sane-
But all you saw was an empty bed, a badge, a jacket and a note. Your eyes widened in realisation.
"...no."
You went over and picked up the note, opening it carefully.
"I'm sorry, but to whoever is reading this, I uh have no clue what to say. If it's a random soldier reading this, DO NOT READ PLEASE :)"
You blinked. A smiley face on an important note? Very Scorpia.
"If it's Catra reading this, skip forward i think? Or you can read the rest too. If it's Y/N, you can read the whole thing :)"
"More smiley faces? C'mon..." You mumbled, smiling a little. Despite the implications, you couldn't stop finding it funny how her serious note was a little goofy.
"I lied to Catra about the chip. I told her I extracted it from Emily, but I didn't. I gave her scrap metal and she got mad. It took my this long to realise that maybe... I'm not needed here. Not needed as much as I thought I was. I left. Not just because I feel this way, but because I knew that I was needed elsewhere. I was needed to go and save Entrapta."
"I'm sorry I was so useless,
"Scorps."
You paused, rereading the note again. So she had actually left? You stared at the jacket, folded neatly on the bed. "You left. You actually left..."
You stared at the note. The piece of paper. Tears slowly started forming in your eye.
"You actually left."
You slowly folded up the note and kept it in your pocket, and you picked up the badge, wiping it clean.
"You'd better save Entrapta, you nutjob."
Chapter 16: It's all your fault.
Chapter Text
(A/N: This is mostly a filler chapter.)
You stared at the badge from your room, unsure of what to do with it. No one knew Scorpia was actually gone, no one but you, which was evident by all the message transmissions you received from it, messages you didn't bother respond.
"Force Captain Scorpia, waiting for broken radio silence."
The seventh transmission that hour. It was honestly getting annoying, but you wanted to make sure Scorpia's absence was kept on the down low for now, especially in case someone goes after her.
It's not that you weren't upset. If anything, you were furious. You knew she wanted the best, but she had left you alone with... the maniac that was Catra and the Horde. She could've asked you to come along.
She had left just like Adora.
But unlike Adora, you now had no one left.
Well, maybe except Catra, but she wasn't even counted anymore-
"Force Captain Scorpia, come in?"
Speak of the devil. You sighed, putting on the badge to listen to the transmission.
"Aw, man, even when he's winning, Hordak is annoying. Now- he suddenly loves fighting and I'm getting stuck with whatever he dEeMs nEsSeCarY. Ugh... I never thought I'd miss shut-in Hordak."
You narrowed your eyes. She was suddenly all casual? Did she forget what she said to Scorpia? What she had done?
"Meet me at the Sea Gate, I wanna take a break anyway."
You blinked as the transmission cut off. "Is she even serious?" You scoffed. Maybe she was just so used to Scorpia being so forgiving and nice that she didn't realise her actions had resulted in Scorpia leaving.
She never thought about the consequences of her actions. Just because she was in a good mood doesn't mean she can forget everything she did when she was pissy.
"Can't believe this..."
You debated over what to do. Scorpia not showing up was a dead giveaway that she was missing, which meant you either had to leave it, or go to the sea gate and break the news yourself on what happened to her.
Now that you thought about it, it was rather disappointing that Catra hadn't called you over instead of Scorpia, but it was evident that- despite Scorpia's clumsiness- she sure did appreciate Scorpia more than you.
You convinced yourself you were overthinking.
~~~
You were already on the water. Through the badge's verification, you had managed to snag a skiff (like how Adora taught you before she left) and were now carefully driving the floating machine towards Salineas, but not without another message from Catra through your new Force Captain radio.
"Hey, Scorpia, where are you? It's not like you to be late."
You sighed, but didn't respond. You were already reaching your destination soon, and Catra would see soon enough just where Scorpia is.
Catra POV (First Change)
You looked around warily. You had been waiting for a few hours for Scorpia to arrive at the Sea Gate. It had been long enough- you'd spent too much time on the Salineas take over, and it hadn't felt worth it at all.
Despite all the troops you had saved, the power you had acquired, the times you had bested Hordak... you still felt...
Empty.
And yet... you had pushed everyone away. Adora, Scorpia, Y/N... Entrapta...
You sighed, looking down at your badge, which was still buzzing with no response from Scorpia, the one person you knew was willing to forgive you after everything. Even after Y/N had told you Scorpia had cried for the first time in ages, you didn't believe it. They were just exaggerating, you told yourself, Scorpia was fine. She had walked away stoically from the conversation and was just in a mood.
"Listen..." You started, speaking into the radio quietly, "I'll kill you if you tell anyone this, but..."
You brought your knees down from your chest, letting your legs dangle in the air from your high spot at the sea gate. "I thought winning would be... different. Or at least more... I dunno... fun?"
You looked down, still radio static. Was she seriously not saying anything still? This wasn't the first time you had acted this way towards her, why was she so sensituve about it now?
"C'mon! You're not still mad about before, are ya?"
...
"Stop being so sensitive, get over it and talk to me, Scorpia!"
...
"Scorpia?"
Still nothing. A sense of dread slowly started to fill your chest. Something wasn't right.
"Scorpia-!"
"Scorpia-!"
You froze. Scorpia's badge, the other end of the radio, was behind you. Your face immediately lit up with hope, and you turned to see...
Y/N.
"...what are you doing here? Where is-"
"Scorpia?"
Their voice was cold, maybe colder than when you had last confronted them.
"Why do you have her badge?" You asked cautiously, narrowing your eyes, "Where is she?"
They said nothing. They just stared at you for a moment, before they sighed. "She's... gone. She's gone, Catra."
You paused, clenching your fists tightly. Gone? What did that even mean?"
"...gone? What do you mean... gone?"
"She's gone. She left. She left the Horde."
Y/N looked disappointed, but wether or not it was at Scorpia or it was at you... you didn't know. "What? Why? I-"
"What do you mean why?! It's obviously because of- I dunno- YOU?!"
You flinched backwards just a little. Y/N was having another outburst. You rarely every saw them this upset, but these past few werks had been rough on all of you.
"I didn't tell her to leave! It's not like I wanted her to just go!" You protested, stepping forward, "And do not yell at me like that! I'm your superior! You're supposed to listen to me!"
"Listening to you is insufferable!" They scoffed, not stepping back. If anything, they were shoving you back. "Troops need rest, I need rest, and I'm sure you do too! But that's not the point- Scorpia left, despite how long she'd tolerated your bullcrap, and despite her giant heart, she got tired of you."
They took a deep breath, giving you a moment to process.
Scorpia got tired of you? It was possible... but you never imagined it would actually happen. The mission... it didn't feel worth it. All of it didn't feel-
No- No! You were in charge. You were supposed to shape this yourself. The mission was worth it! Scorpia leaving was... was an opportunity. An opportunity for better management to replace her clumsy self.
"You need yo stop pushing everyone-"
"You're the new Force Captain now."
You cut Y/N off mid-sentence, and they seemed visibly belwidered. "What?"
"She left, so what? It's just one troop gone. So you're her replacement. Done."
You hopped off the giant platform, annoyed. You couldn't afford getting distracted now. Even if Y/N wasn't the... best candidate, they were the fastest to deal with. And likely easy to control, if you dealt with them properly. All of Etheria was almost yours, almost the Horde's. It was all...
Worth it.
"So- you're just replacing her? Just like that?!"
You ignored Y/N, going down to check on more troops, leaving them behind.
Chapter 17: A/N!
Chapter Text
So… it’s been two months… I’be been hit with new hyper fixations (K-pop demon hunter, etc), but the fic is still in progress. After finishing the next chapter, I may have to rewrite a few past chapters due to plot holes and inconsistencies. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give up on this yet.
Chapter 18: Close The Timeline
Chapter Text
Being Force Captain- well, at least a Force Captain with lots of work backlog- sucked. And also, with a lot more authority, the full extent of what Catra was doing was much clearer. Not just to Etheria, or to Scorpia or yourself, but to the Horde.
Soldiers working triple-shifts, sections being abandoned altogether, deficiencies of important materials and rations. Catra was clearly putting everything into her work without any consideration for the people she was using to accomplish it. You were forced to sign off on overtime, and it had gone so far as to selling or repurposing materials from the dorms for the stupid war. This was getting out of hand.
So for your next shift, you told Catra you’d be at the loading bay. Checking cameras in the observation room and looking out for suspicious activity. Catra, unsurprisingly, told you to keep an eye out for Scorpia. Even after replacing her, she still wanted her back.
Because Scorpia was just so much better and your status was only temporary to keep herself looking as if she had everything under control.
Ahem ahem, just like someone else you knew. (Shadow Weaver and Adora… ahem ahem.)
And you had been doing so, all you could tell was that all the soldiers were overworked, and that there was no sign of Scorpia anywhere, which was both a relief and a disappointment. Relief because she wouldn't be caught, and disappointment because damn you wanted her back. The amount of rational thinking and sanity in the area was just… diminishing.
It was already late at night, past the fourth shift in the frontlines. Most of the screens in the observation room were destroyed, probably because of cat-related tantrums. You were stuck with the main screen, clicking through cameras and looking for suspicious activity. And Scorpia.
Then the doors opened.
You turned, looking out the room’s window and seeing a whole group of soldiers stumbling in, all exhausted and on the brink of passing out. Lonnie was at the front, followed by Rogelio carrying Kyle on his back.
You looked to the side at a clipboard, showing all the soldier history. Catra had instructed you to give their group a fifth shift- which was absolutely absurd.
“Ugh… nope.”
You stepped out of the room, and Lonnie’s face immediately fell as she saw the clipboard in your hand. “I swear… if we have to work a fifth shift…” She huffed, her voice strained and almost like a wheeze. She caught her breath, before standing up properly, “Let me guess, you’re going to assign us another job?”
You paused, before sighing and flipping the papers shut. “Legally… yes, but no. You guys are dismissed.”
Lonnie paused, blinking in confusion. “You… Can you do that?”
“Technically, yeah. On paper, I have authority over your group, so I can assign you whatever I want if Catra’s orders aren’t on paper...” You mused, checking your clipboard again, “I think… but anyway, you guys have been at it long enough- props to Kyle for still being alive.”
Lonnie turned, and Kyle gave you a shaky thumbs up, before immediately dropping his hand. She turned back to you, smiling a little. “Thank Hordak… if we worked another hour, we’d already be dead.” She sighed, motioning for the others to follow her in, and as she walked past you, she patted your shoulder weakly, before leaving, with the other soldiers walking past you too. One of them even hugged you, and as the door closed behind them, you felt a new wave of anger. Catra had them working quadruple shifts, to the point where resting was already unheard of for them.
You rubbed your shoulder, before sighing and going back to the observation room, checking the cameras again.
Catra needed to stop.
~~~~
(A/N: We’re doing a time jump. Catra controlled most of the storyline from earlier, and we’re fast forwarding to Destiny, Part 1, to where Y/N’s destiny is ready to be shaped :] ) (Aka being dead) (Kinda) (My excuse is that Scorpia can completely disappear for episodes, and Y/N is on the same character level as her so ha)
You looked down at your clipboard in confusion. All of a sudden, all of the called-back troops (excluding Lonnie’s team, you had loopholed them out of the field due to the crazy amount of shifts they had already completed) were being sent to Brightmoon. There was already a large amount of overtime and extra shifts assigned in advance, meaning that this was a full on attack, but no one had actually informed you about it prior.
Maybe it was time to warn Catra about the dangers of unethical work practices, or better, get her to stop overusing the Horde’s troops. You yourself were assigned enough work to avoid sleep for a considerable amount of time, which really sucked.
You found yourself back in the observation room, finding Catra inside checking on the status of multiple groups of soldiers, looking oddly smug. you had watched her for the past few days, taking note of her eye bags, her lack of any rest, basically, she was working herself to death, not just the soldiers, which was her excuse to force others to continue working.
”What now, Y/N?” She mumbled, switching between cameras and pressing different buttons. It seemed she had gotten the screens fixed, which was good, at least she didn’t have to worry about the lack of technological access, which couldn’t be said the same for her sanity.
”I just… what is going on with the troops?” You huffed, checking your clipboard. Through weeks of experience, you realised too late that snapping at her or getting mad at her would get you absolutely nowhere. “Like- quintuple shifts? Really? And besides that, why are all the recently returned troops being sent to Brightmoon? They need rest.”
”They’re fine.” She insisted, sounding indifferent, “After we take down the Rebellion, they can have all the rest they want, but not now. I cannot afford to have any troops slacking or goofing off, not when everything is about to be completed, when everything I’ve worked for is almost finished.”
She paused, before turning to you. “Speaking of which, don’t think I haven’t noticed your lenient schedules. Every soldier you call back for ‘rest’ is another opportunity wasted.” She added, narrowing her eyes a little, now back to being stern, “Got that?’
You looked down at the clipboard again, before groaning. “Our troops are getting weaker and weaker by the day! Getting them to work constantly isn’t very sustainable in the long term. They’ll fall apart the moment they’re burnt out!”
”No they won’t.” Catra insisted, almost as if she was convincing herself again, “And send the rest of the troops to Brightmoon, now. We just need a few more to seal our victory.”
”I won’t.”
She blinked. “Uh, yes you will, like every time you-“
”I won’t.” You repeated firmly.“I’ve been on the Horde’s side my whole life, I mean- as much as I try to be, but… I’m done taking orders from a psycho like you.”
“...what… did you just call me?”
She turned to face you, a dangerous look on her face overshadowing her smugness prior. “Listen to me, and listen to me good. We are this close, this close to finally conquering Etheria. Brightmoon is defenseless, and we’re going to tear it down.” She slowly walked over to you, “I will not have you ruining my plan. Not now, not ever.”
You took a breath. “Catra, look at yourself. You haven’t rested in days. You’re not thinking straight-”
“Don’t psychoanalyze me!” she barked, turning from the screens. Her voice cracked slightly with exhaustion, but her claws were flexed. “This is exactly what I don’t need- you, second-guessing me now? After everything?”
You held her glare. “I’m not second-guessing you. I’m just not following your orders anymore.”
Something in her twitched. The kind of twitch right before someone snaps.
“…Then you’re a traitor.”
You flinched. “That’s not fair.”
“You think I care about fair?” she snarled, and suddenly, she lunged forward and ripped the clipboard from your hands, sending papers flying.
You instinctively shoved her back. She stumbled into the console, slamming a few buttons in the process- alarms started blaring.
“Great, real smart,” you snapped.
“SHUT UP!” Catra roared and threw the clipboard at you, barely missing. “You want to act like the enemy? Fine! I’ll treat you like one!”
Then she tackled you.
The two of you went crashing into the side panel. Sparks flew. You barely ducked her claws and managed to twist away, stumbling toward the door.
“Get back here!” she shrieked, charging after you.
You didn’t even think- you bolted out of the observation room, heart pounding, the hallway flashing red with emergency lights. Catra was fast. You knew that. She was right behind you. Maybe you should’ve decided to take action before she went insane.
You took a sharp turn into the training wing, where you could grab something- anything to defend yourself. “Catra, this is insane! You’re not even listening-!”
She lunged again, this time slamming both of you into a rack of training poles, sending them clattering.
“SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!”
You yelled in agony, your head slamming into the rack and causing some blood to drip down, but Catra wasn't done.
You ducked another swipe, sliding under the armory door just before it slammed. Your breathing was sharp and uneven—Catra had lost it, and you weren’t sure if you could still reason with her.
Catra stalked through the opposite door, hair frizzed with static, panting. “You’re seriously running from me now?”
“You tried to claw my face off!” you shouted.
“And you tried to sabotage everything I’ve built!” she roared back, throwing a small training knife across the floor. “You think I don’t see it? The way you pity me? Like I’m broken or some kind of charity case—”
“I cared about you!” you snapped, louder than you meant to. The echo filled the space between you. “That’s why I said something! That’s why I didn’t just walk away! You’ve changed so much since we were kids- just a few years ago you were crying and tearing through your pillows every time you remembered how much you hurt us, hurt me, and now…”
She froze for a heartbeat- then, hastily, she drew one of the Horde’s standard-issue electric blasters from a box of weapons that were at the corner.. It buzzed faintly in her hand.
You stepped back, heart racing. “Catra. Don’t.”
“It’s just a stun,” she said coldly, lifting it. “You’ll wake up with a headache. At least I won't have to deal with you while I’m so close to finally winning. Just like Entrapta.”
But she didn’t notice the faint purple glow pulse through the side of the barrel- the telltale signature of Entrapta’s upgrades. You had seen it somewhere before. Catra had used one on Entrapta herself during the day the portal was activated, but this one… this one had a different label.
A dark red label.
She fired, you didn't get to protest.
The shot cracked through the air like lightning. It wasn’t a stun blast—it was a blinding flash of electricity, too bright, too sharp. The pure intensity of the blast sent her arm flying up.. You screamed as it hit, the energy slamming into just above your chest and knocking you backwards like a ragdoll. You crashed into the lockers, convulsing. Everything hurt, everything was burning, everything was-
Everything went black.
Notes:
So, updates had been slow, but that's for a few reasons. I have exams, I have other stuff to do, and the storyline so far is clunky and makes not a lot of sense, so I need more time to arrange everything that happens after Y/N dies :) Yes, there's more. I'm pulling a Marcy.
In the meantime, I may update the unmade TOH fic I've been concepting.