Chapter Text
Chapter VIII: Something Inside This Heart Has Died
“Shadow Weaver.” Hordak begins, approaching the barrier of her cell. “Tell me, was a runestone worth betraying me for?” He watches the woman walk towards him, eyeing him silently for a moment. She's not been in here long, a few days at maximum, but she doesn't look good. They'd managed to stop the bleeding after the boy cut off her hand, but that had been the extent of their tending to her injury.
“I did what I had to do, Lord Hordak.” She starts. “Surely, you of all people understand that the ends justify the means.”
This irritates the Horde leader. “Me, of all people, Weaver? I was informed of your little scheme to acquire its power and usurp me. There will be no new Horde leader yet.” He growls. “Especially not one who betrays its very values. You were told to acquire tactical information, not the location of yet another useless runestone! Magic is useless in the face of progress!” He sighs. “Do not forget what happened last time you went hunting for such a thing.” He turns away from her in disgust. “This insubordination will be your undoing. I hereby strip you of your title as Force Commander.”
“Wait. No. Lord Hordak-” Shadow Weaver pleads. Hordak revels a little in how desperate she already is. Perhaps this punishment does suit her crimes after all. “Who will be my replacement? Who will handle all of my duties? You can't leave me here, Hordak! I'm too valuable!” She is a sickening sight for Hordak to witness: a once terrifying woman reduced to a husk at the thought of losing even a shred of power.
“The girl. You have trained Glimmer well. She has proven a suitable replacement.” Hordak doesn't care to listen to the pleas of the woman any longer as he steps away from the cell.
[---]
A commotion has started in the main area of the prison wing, but Catra will be damned if she can see what's happening. It sounds like a fight has broken out, with all the pounding and sounds of broken glass. She doesn't have time to linger on it, as not long after, the barrier opens once again as Glimmer comes back through.
She looks extremely conflicted, which means that she did exactly what Catra told her she should. The girl walks over to her, looking up at the taller woman with eyes that are almost misty. Catra watches as she looks around the room, before doing something unthinkable. The Force Captain steps to the side of the door. “Just go. Get out of here.”
“Why?” Catra can't help but ask. Glimmer glares at her angrily.
“Just fucking get out of here! I'm letting you go! Your friends are already here! They'll be here any moment to save you anyway!”
Catra eyes Glimmer suspiciously as she starts for the door. She reaches the edge of the cell before looking back at her captor. “You can always come with me.”
Glimmer cackles coldly. “No, I can't. Get out of here before Shadow Weaver sees us.” Catra nods in understanding. Glimmer isn't doing this for anyone but herself, to spite the witch that's brought both of them too much pain to bear. “Wait-” The pink haired girl says as Catra begins to walk away. “You'll need these.” The magicat is delighted to see that Glimmer has brought her their weapons. She slides her claws back on, having felt naked without them for so long, and takes a sword in each hand.
“Glimmer.” She says, earning a glare from the Force Captain. “Thank you.”
The cadet clenches her fist and lets out a deep, defeated sigh. “One more thing. What- what information did Shadow Weaver torture you for?”
Catra blinks in surprise. It's a forward question, if not a little blunt and insensitive. As long as she's vague, it should be fine. “The location of Mystacor.”
Glimmer's face twists into pure rage. “She fucking wasted all this time on that?!” The girl groans and waves her hand at Catra. “Just get out of here before I change my mind.”
A loud crash signals its time for the magicat to go, and she swiftly runs out of the cell and into the main atrium. Above her sits the moving control tower, a billowing plume of smoke rising above it. Further sounds of a struggle ring out and Catra's magicat hearing can distinctly pick out the voices but not their words: Mermista and Entrapta. She has to help them. Without hesitation she climbs the lengthy staircase towards the frozen tower, adrenaline not letting her slow down.
***
Catra’s heart beats a thousand times per second as she wakes. Soft, morning sunlight streams in through her windows. She’s home, she’s safe, but she can’t help but wonder when everything will melt away back to that cell. She has to fight the urge to scream, to kick everything apart. The sound of Entrapta’s voice haunts her to her core, the way she had run to join the rest of the group lingering in her mind like a gruesome reminder of Catra's failures. The magicat stands, shaking off the memory as she gets ready for the day ahead.
She opens the door to her wardrobe, pulling out a black suit jacket and purple dress shirt, with an accompanying pair of dress pants. This would be a somber princess prom coming on the heels of Entrapta's death, she thinks, but Frosta had insisted it still be held. She slides on the dress shirt, buttoning it up neatly over the dress pants. She smooths it all out, ensuring it's properly fitted before she slides on the jacket. Though it does still fit well, she wonders if she’s gained a bit of muscle, as the shirt and jacket seem to show a slightly more toned figure than she remembers. She reaches back and ties her hair into a neat ponytail, save for some stray strands of hair framing her face. She looks good, she thinks. At least, she hopes she does.
With that, she goes to find Adam. She hasn’t seen much of him since the funeral. He’d been pretty distraught himself, especially after Mermista had torn into him in those final moments before they marched home. He hasn't said a peep to her, though, and she wonders what having friends who actually talk about their feelings is like. After a moment of walking she comes to his room, knocking firmly four times on the door to no response.
“Adam! Are you awake? We need to get going soon. It’s a pretty long boat ride to the Kingdom of Snows.” She hears nothing, concerningly so. “Adam? I’m coming in, you better be decent!” When she opens the door she sees those piercing red eyes staring into the mirror beside his wardrobe. So strange, she thinks, that of all the changes from the chip to linger, that his eye color has remained. She can’t help but think it suits him, though. “Adam?”
He jumps, looking over at her like he's seen a ghost. “What? Where am I?”
“You’re in your bedroom.” Catra says, tilting her head. She steps towards him slowly. “Are you ok?”
“I- I don’t know. I keep looking at myself and- and not recognizing who I am. Like someone else should be staring back at me.” He waves a hand dismissively, a mirthless chuckle escaping him. “It’s probably nothing. What do you think?” He’s in a maroon dress shirt tucked into a pair of black pants not unlike her own and layered beneath a matching vest. His hair is combed and tucked behind his ears. He looks nice, Catra thinks, but he doesn’t seem particularly satisfied, as he keeps readjusting and straightening the shirt.
“Hey. You ok?” Catra says softly, watching him uncomfortably adjust and readjust his clothes. He waves a hand, making a dismissive sound as he fiddles with it. Eventually, he groans, sitting down on the bed beside her and placing his face in his hands.
“I just feel like we could have done more. She told me she didn't want to come. She was afraid, I set that precedent by not trusting her.” He scoffs. “And even then I didn't realize I'd hurt her so badly until it was too late.”
“Why couldn't you trust her?” Catra remembers how Adam looked at Entrapta in Dryl, that sense of unease he projected.
“I- Do you remember when I found the Crystal Castle?” Crimson eyes meet Catra's own. The princess nods affirmatively. “The First Ones had this painting on the wall. The She-Ra versus a thousand robots and at the center of it all was Entrapta, flanked by Scorpia and Glimmer. They could see the future, Catra.”
“They couldn't though.” Catra says thoughtfully, earning a raised eyebrow from the blonde. “If they could, they'd have known Entrapta would die. Unless it's a different person, it can't be correct.”
“I guess you're right. But-” He hesitates. “I can't help but wonder if I let it happen because I was afraid.”
“Yeah. Goodie two-shoes blondie is gonna deliberately send someone to their death. I doubt it.” Catra rolls her eyes and nudges his arm. “Entrapta made her choice, even if you had to convince her. You should have seen the way she looked, fighting in that prison. She was exhilarated. She made sure her sacrifice counted.” Catra says. The blonde’s breathing slows as he seems to accept this answer. She pats him on the back. “Let's get going. Princess Prom's going to be a good distraction for all of us.”
Adam nods, standing again and fixing his clothes one more time. Before long they're on the boat to the Northern Reach, a long day sitting ahead of them.
[---]
Entrapta's readings from the Black Garnet are off the charts. If she were to obtain even a piece of it for the Alliance they'd have an unthinkable source of power for her robots! She can't wait for them to come back for her so she can share all the data she's gathered. This could be a plethora of developments for the Resistance! Unfortunately for Entrapta, she doesn't hear that the door has opened until it slams shut behind her, causing her to jump three feet in the air.
“What are you doing in here?!” Glimmer's angry tone comes as she marches over to her. As she approaches, Entrapta sees that the girl seems to recognize her, her gaze growing even more fiery. “How did you get in here? Who sent you?!” Entrapta attempts to jump back up into the vent, but is stopped by a quick and sharp electrical shock from the pink haired Horde commander.
“I was just studying it and I'll be on my way!” Entrapta says, struggling to find her senses after the zap. Glimmer eyes her suspiciously, unhitching a small walkie-talkie from her belt.
“Scorpia, we have an intruder in the Garnet chamber. Get down here ASAP and bring some rope.” Entrapta tries to move, to get away, to do anything, but Glimmer is standing on her hair and every sudden jerk is painful. She tries to wrap a pigtail around the girl's leg, but doesn't get the chance to knock her off her feet when Scorpia appears.
“Grab her.” Glimmer says, pulling Entrapta up by the arm and holding her hands behind her back. “Make sure to get the hair too, it's basically like extra limbs.”
Before long they're marching her to a small storage room nearby that seems to double as an interrogation room. They use clasps bolted into the wall to hold her against it, using a tighter pair to hold down her hair. After the pair is done restraining her, Entrapta comes face to face with her captors.
“Answer my question from before, nerd princess.” The nickname Glimmer uses sends a bite of irritation through Entrapta's body. She hates being called that. “Why are you here? Where's the rest of the Resistance?”
Entrapta hesitates, unsure whether the truth is the best path forward here. She weighs her options for a moment: if she lies and says she came alone, she's protecting everyone in the Alliance. But then again, they're safe back in Bright Moon anyway. If she reveals why she's here still, they may go easy on her.
“I got trapped in the maintenance shaft when it purged. Only barely got into the vents before the whole thing was on fire. They had no time during the rescue to save me.” It's the truth, even if it stings. She watches Glimmer scan her face as if trying to detect a lie before bursting into laughter.
“You're serious?! The Alliance just left you here to die?!” She notices Entrapta's downtrodden look and suddenly her expression grows grim. “You- you're serious.”
“I've been waiting for them to come back for me. They will eventually, I don't doubt it.” Truthfully Entrapta did doubt it, because if she were them she'd not bother either. What was she but dead weight to the rest of them? Sure she had had a few moments here and there but ultimately she's probably going to get somebody hurt or worse. Glimmer seems to eye Scorpia for a moment before looking back at the purple haired princess.
“Entrapta, right?” She says evenly. Entrapta nods. “Entrapta. They're- they're not coming back for you. You've been here, what, a week and a half? We had Catra for three days before they stormed in. Rescue isn't coming.”
Entrapta's heart feels like it's stopped beating in her chest. That- that was the truth wasn't it? It couldn't be, but- they'd been so quick to go for Catra after everything, and yet here she was with no end in sight. Adam's face flashes in her mind, the cautious way he approached her in the courtyard, the outburst in Dryl, they were all the truth of how the Resistance must see her. That bite of irritation carves a hole a thousand miles deep in her chest. This is what happens when she gives other people a chance, this is what happens when she allows herself to believe things can get better. She never should have left Dryl.
Angry tears burst forward from her, as she finds Glimmer's gaze once more. “Just let me go home. I don't care about any of this anymore. I won't bother with this stupid war ever again.”
“You should care. They manipulated you. Used you. And then, when you gave them your trust, they abandoned you. Why should you give up and go home now when you have a perfect chance to exact some lasting damage for everything they've done?” Glimmer smirks. “You could study the Black Garnet all you want, and maybe more. Shadow Weaver got the location of a second runestone, after all. Help us, and it's yours.”
Entrapta mulls it over for a moment. The thought of betraying the Alliance pains her, but every time she feels bad about it she sees Adam's angry face in her mind. Rage streaks across her heart and suddenly she realizes what she's wanted so badly for so long: revenge. A feeling buried deep below the surface bursts forward like a volcanic eruption. She wants to make Adam pay for not trusting her. She wants to hurt the Resistance for not coming back. No, not wants, needs. She looks back up at Glimmer with a vengeful and maniacal look crossed over her face.
“I'll do it.”
***
“I call it Operation Icefall.” Entrapta says as she looks between her new comrades. She’d been hard at work, not getting nearly enough sleep as she designed a weapons system that would take full advantage of the vulnerability of the Kingdom of Snows during the Princess Prom event. “The Northern Reach is a perfect strategic vantage point, when you think about it. Not only are its waters connected in some way to many of the other kingdoms on Etheria, my own included, but the environment provides a perfect natural barrier to full-scale assault.”
“Then why are we planning to do just that?” Glimmer tilts her head, a strange bemusement crossing her face.
“The only thing you’ll be doing is distracting the Alliance at Princess Prom itself. Keep them on edge, use Scorpia’s princess status as leverage to be there and don’t do anything until you get the signal. Once you have it-” Entrapta chuckles. “Well, rain hell down. The robots your boss designs- I’ve repurposed serve as foot soldiers for the harsh conditions of the Northern Reach, but they’re not perfect. A large, heavily armored ground team is going to take Castle Evernight, and if you keep the Resistance busy inside, they won’t be able to split their resources between a two-pronged attack.”
“A two pronged attack?”
Entrapta grins. “Precisely. Not long after the robots start attacking, the Horde fleet will begin a second assault from the waters just past the castle. Bright Moon doesn't have an army, and they won't be able to split their resources between the bots, navy, and you.”
“So basically, make it seem like we're just there to cause trouble and wait until the ground assault begins to really do any damage.” Scorpia says with a surprising amount of tact. Glimmer raises an eyebrow at her and the woman puts her pincers up in defense. “Hey now, I can strategize once in a while!” The white haired woman laughs.
“Precisely, Force Captain.” Entrapta says. “We have an opportunity to strike a major, if not lethal, blow to the Alliance should this work. And if it doesn't, we'll still walk away having done some major damage and capturing a key strategic point for our cause.” The engineer grins, her heart twisting with a dark justice at the thought of dealing a blow to Adam's precious Resistance.
“Then what next, Force Engineer Entrapta?” Glimmer's smile is sharp, signaling an eagerness for the coming battle.
“I'll need some schematics. Get me everything you have on the current generation of bots so I can modify them and-” Entrapta searches her mind for a moment, remembering the cliff will be a problem for the boats. “Get me the designs for your missiles.”
[---]
The festivities begin in less than an hour, and for some reason Adam is way too nervous about this. He's standing by the food table in the massive ballroom by himself, tapping his foot anxiously as he watches the Princesses and their guests trickle in one by one. He doesn't realize he's staring until Bow snaps him out of it by tapping his shoulder.
“Hey.” Bow says, smiling. “How are you holding up?”
Adam chuckles. “I've seen better days. Feels like I haven't even had enough time to even process what happened in the Fright Zone.” The blonde shakes his head and stares into the glass of punch in his hand. “Still, can't help but feel like a lot of this is my fault to begin with.”
Bow sighs. “I'm sorry about what I said before. Perfuma was right, you couldn't have known and you were just doing what you thought was right.” Speaking of Perfuma, the pair eye her and Mermista holding hands as they enter the ballroom. The water princess herself looks pained, like she's going through an intense whirlwind of emotions. Adam can't say he blames her.
“Who'd you decide to come with?” Adam asks, looking back at Bow. The boy flushes red and looks away.
“Nobody. I was going to ask Perfuma but-” Bow chuckles nervously. “Well, I don't think Mermista would like that very much.” Adam nods, seeing a familiar form approach him from the side.
Catra huffs, tapping her foot nervously. “I don't think we're going to convince Frosta to join the alliance any time soon.”
“Why not?” Adam says, raising an eyebrow. Before Catra gets to answer, the ballroom quiets, and the ice princess steps into the center of the room.
“My kingdom has been fighting this war for longer than I have been alive. Our battle has been fierce since the beginning, but we needed no arbitrary Alliance to do our duty..” Frosta begins. Adam can't help but wonder if this girl is fifteen or fifty, seeming tired beyond her years. “And after today, I hope our dear friends will see that we remain strong without them. The Horde wants us to be afraid, so defy them by celebrating who we are!” She raises a glass. “To Etheria!” The crowd toasts with her before dispersing to all parts of the ballroom.
Adam watches lonelily as Catra and Bow begin to mingle with the prom-goers. He's not a people person, he's learned, feeling most of the time that he can't live up to their standards. It's just safer for him to stay on his own.
“Hey.” A woman's voice says beside him. He looks over to see a blonde who could very well be his sister standing beside him. “What's up with you?” Her eyes are a piercing red, same as Adam's now. She stares intensely out at the crowd, her expression not hinting at any particular emotion.
Adam scoffs. “Not really one for parties.”
She chuckles softly. “Yeah, me neither. Guess we have that in common.” Adam follows her gaze, seeing that she's watching Catra enthusiastically converse with a tall reptilian. “But they're enjoying it. Why can't you?”
“What if I can't protect them?” Adam finds himself muttering. Why is he saying all this to a stranger? “What if I fail them like I failed Entrapta?”
The blonde woman smiles sadly. “Sometimes you just gotta trust that they can protect themselves.” Adam nods, looking back at Catra. He wants to be around her, to enjoy his time with her, but he finds that he just feels wrong.
“Adam!” Bow's voice approaches. “Who're you talking to?”
“Oh, just-” When Adam turns back to the woman, she's gone. He shakes his head. “N- no one. How's the party?”
“They're gonna be starting dances soon. You look really worn out. Are you ok?” The archer grimaces.
“I'm fine. Just not in a party mood I guess.” At this, Bow nudges him in the shoulder.
“Come on, Adam! Relax a little. Have fun!” Bow's pleading face is hard to say no to, and before he knows it Adam is out in the ballroom talking to Catra and the tall reptilian.
“Oh darling, it's simply magnificent. I really should introduce you to Peekablue sometime.” The reptilian is dressed in a long, fancy dress that covers them to their neck. Its sleeves cover their arms but not their shoulders.
“Truly, I’d love to meet him.” Catra says with a grin. A pang of jealousy stabs at Adam's gut. He finds that the conversation is a bit out of his wheelhouse, and delegates himself to the sidelines. Eventually, the reptilian breaks away, leaving Adam and Catra together.
“You alright, blondie? You seem tense.” Catra says, giving Adam a small punch in the arm. She fakes a gasp. “Don't tell me you haven't danced with anyone yet!”
“Wait, Catra, I-” Adam doesn't get a chance to fight her on it as she yanks him by the arm to the dance floor. The band is playing an upbeat song, one that Catra quickly takes the lead in. Before Adam knows it, she's spinning him around. He nearly falls when she dips him to the ground, but he manages to keep his balance as the song ends.
“You should have seen your face! I thought for sure you were gonna eat shit!” She laughs. Adam snickers along, trying his best to forget his woes for a bit and enjoy the party. For a moment, he almost thinks he might, until he sees a patch of familiar pink hair flash in the crowd and panics. The blonde begins to run, but Catra catches his arm as he does so. “Where are you going?! I wanna keep dancing, Adam!”
“I think the Horde is here!” Adam says frantically. Catra grimaces at him.
“Adam. You're being paranoid. Stop worrying for a bit and-” Catra groans when Adam pulls away, breaking into a sprint. He's seen that flash of pink twice now. He runs, wading through the crowd as much as he can until a pincer grabs him.
“Thought you might slip past us huh?” Scorpia grins.
“What are you doing here?” Adam breathes heavily, watching Scorpia's eyes dart away for a moment to an approaching person. Glimmer grins at the pair as she walks up, two drinks in hand.
“Well, well. Looks like we finally have our little reunion, best friend.” She says, the venom in her voice being enough to kill. “Thought you'd been avoiding me, especially after you beat the hell out of Lonnie and didn't even bother to say hello.” She chuckles coldly. “Though, I gotta say, I didn't expect you to cut off Shadow Weaver's arm. That was cool.”
“Glimmer. You know full well why I left the-”
“I don't care. I'm here to have fun. We were invited after all.” Glimmer waves her hand at Scorpia, who removes a piece of paper from her dress and unfolds it for Adam to see. She's right, the Kingdom of Snows had formally sent an invitation to Scorpia by virtue of technically being the Fright Zone's princess.
Adam pulls his hand free from Scorpia's grip. “Enjoy it while it lasts.” He mutters and storms away. He spots Frosta sitting in her throne and decides to warn her about the danger of having Scorpia and Glimmer here. The ice princess eyes him warily as he approaches, seeming fed up already with him for one day.
“You invited the Horde?!” Adam says, loudly enough that a few people turn to look at him. He didn’t mean to be that blunt, but he doesn't care at the moment. Frosta pinches the bridge of her nose and heaves a heavy sigh.
“Yes. I did. Scorpia is still a princess and there is still precedent.” She huffs. “Plus, everyone here can keep a much closer eye on them. They are Horde leadership, after all. I had planned that from the start.”
“I thought you didn't want to be a member of the Alliance?” Adam says. The girl scoffs at him, looking away and out over the ballroom.
“Just because I don't want to join the Princess Alliance doesn't mean I don't want to protect our home.” Frosta eyes him. “Those aren't exclusive. I have a duty just like you to keep this place safe. To keep our planet safe.” She looks up at Adam. “I doubt you know how long the Snows have been fighting them. It's longer than anyone else on the planet. I was born into this war, there was no precious stalemate like what Bright Moon got for a few years. They've attacked our kingdom non-stop for nearly thirty years.”
“Why avoid the Alliance then?” Adam says, watching the people in the ballroom dance.
“Honestly? Besides the fact that they failed us already, it's you I don't like. You're a bad omen, Adam. Everywhere you go destruction seems to follow. I mean, think about it. Exploding ships, robot armies, pollution machines, it all seems to center around She-Ra.” Frosta huffs. “I don't want to send any more of my people to die, and the way I see it, if death lingers around you, at least they're safe.”
Frosta's words are like a gut punch. Adam hasn't had things put into perspective like that until now, and he can't help but agree with her about it ultimately. Who is he to force her to fight a war she doesn't want? One that she's been fighting longer than anybody and that she just wants to stay away from? If being She-Ra means dark forces focus on Adam and not the innocent, he thinks he can live with that.
[---]
The bright lights and loud music are almost too much for Mermista. She's trying to stay calm, to seem cool in the face of everything, but it's getting out of control. Perfuma stepped away to chat with some of the other partygoers and it's giving the water princess too much time to overthink. She wanders for a bit before finding a quiet corner out of the way and leaning against the wall.
“Trouble in paradise, princess?” Sea Hawk quips as he leans beside her. Mermista can't help but groan. He's the last person she wants to see her like this.
“What do you want, Sea Hawk?” She mutters, barely looking at him. The sailor's gaze softens as he seems to take in her mood.
“Just to make sure my friend is ok.” He says. “You've seemed more distant than usual with me lately.”
He's right, unfortunately. Mermista had been keeping him at arms length after her relationship with Perfuma began, but since the Fright Zone, she'd been basically avoiding both of them. The water princess hadn't wanted to even think about those last moments with Entrapta, and had kept herself holed up in Salineas for days.
“I'm fine. Don't worry about me.* She lies, hoping that he will drop it.
“Mermista, you shouldn't blame yourself for it. Entrapta-”
“Don't you fucking dare say her name.” Mermista snaps finally, her heart racing. She blinks tears out of her eyes as she whirls towards Sea Hawk. “You didn't get to see it fucking happen. The scared way she looked as that cable wrapped around her leg. Every night for a week I saw that in my head when I closed my eyes! Every night for a week I wonder if I could have done something differently!” She screams. The people passing by have gone quiet, silently staring at her as she has her mental breakdown.
“Mermista-” Sea Hawk starts, looking visibly startled.
The water princess sinks to the ground, grasping at her head. Her hands clutch at her hair, pulling on it. She doesn't even bother to care as tears pour out of her, her lungs heaving a gut-wrenching sob. Perfuma approaches Mermista from the side. She doesn't even bother to acknowledge her.
“What the hell happened?” Perfuma asks frantically. She kneels down and wraps her arms around Mermista gently.
“I don't- we were just talking and she- she just snapped!” Sea Hawk’s voice shakes. “I didn't mean- I had no idea she was-”
“Sea Hawk. Shut up.” Perfuma growls. “You're going to make it worse at this rate.” Something about this sets Mermista off. Perfuma is acting like she's the water princess’s mother, which only serves to get on her nerves. Her anguish is quickly replaced by irritation as she glares up at her girlfriend.
“I’m not a child, ‘Fuma. Don't- don't fucking act like I am. I don't need to be coddled.” Mermista sees the flower princess quickly become dejected, a sight that stabs at her.
“We're just worried about you.” Perfuma says, her voice small. “You haven't been talking to us.”
“Maybe I don't want to. Maybe I saw some fucked up shit in the Fright Zone that I don't want to think about! Maybe-”
“You think you're the only one who's seen fucked up shit?!” Perfuma growls in a way that immediately disarms Mermista. “We all have. What you and Entrapta went through down there I can't even imagine, but you aren't the only one with demons! The Horde's taken a lot from all of us!”
Mermista scoffs, and like usual, she leaves. Walking to wherever is safest, wherever she can be alone without the prom patrol breathing down her neck. She feels bad for running away, but at this point it's the only thing she's good at. Running from her problems is how she best deals with them.
[---]
Adam spots Glimmer dropping something into a trash can. He begins to march over to it, a pang of anger building in his stomach, but as he does a furry gloved hand grabs his sleeve. Seems like he's being pulled every which way today. He turns to Catra, who looks absolutely livid with him.
“What the fuck, man?” Catra growls. “You're freaking out! I just watched you sprint after Scorpia and Glimmer and then you go and tattle on them to Frosta? We need her in the Alliance, Adam! She's an important piece of the puzzle! You're making us look desperate!”
“Have you considered she doesn't want to be?” Adam grumbles back. “She wants to keep her people safe, and she doesn't see how she can if she joins us. Plus, she invited the Horde specifically so we could keep an eye on them. I'm keeping an eye on them.” He marches over and digs through the trash can only to find a note inside that is written in the pink haired girl's signature scrawl. It reads: ‘Hi Adam.’ Beside it is a crudely drawn picture of Glimmer's face sticking out her tongue.
He hears Catra let out a prickly laugh beside him. “Dude, they're messing with you.”
“I'm not going to let them get the jump on me again. Not like Dryl.” Adam says, looking over at the magicat irritably. “Go have fun, I'll be fine.” His words are put to the test when Scorpia taps Catra on the shoulder.
“Care to dance, wildcat?” She grins jovially. The sight sends a surge of frustration through the blonde. Who do Scorpia and Glimmer think they are? Catra would never dance with a member of the-
“Sure.” The magicat eyes Adam sadly before leading Scorpia away to the dance floor. Horror builds in his guts as he watches them begin to slow dance to the music. Catra’s slipping away from him, and he's letting her. Yet another example of his Grade A social skills.
“You're losing her, princess.” The woman from before, the blonde, seems to appear beside him. Her statement irritates him. Does she think he doesn't know that?
“Seems to be my specialty.” He mutters, glancing at her from the side.
The woman snickers and earns a glare from the boy. “You and me, both. Just hold on tight to her for me, yeah?” She smiles sadly, a weariness Adam hadn't seen earlier hiding beneath it. “Unfortunately, you've got a more pressing issue, it seems.” The woman points to a balcony nearby that overlooks the cliff face.
Adam rushes over to it and peers into the dark below. A dozen Horde ships are flooding into the lagoon. He spots from the corner of his eye a light that begins to approach from one of the boats and his heart nearly stops. “Everybody get down!” The blonde screams into the ballroom. The last thing he remembers is being thrown from the cliff as a deafening explosion surrounds him.
[---]
Catra's ears ring and her head spins as she climbs to her feet. Another missile rocks the center of the kingdom, shaking the entire cliff the castle sits atop. Part of it has collapsed into the sea, leaving behind a gaping abyss. When she looks below, she's horrified to see Adam’s limp body falling towards the water. Catra doesn't have enough time, hoping deep down that She-Ra is resilient enough for him to survive a fall from this height. Her heart wrenches in her chest as she fights every instinct to jump after him, instead turning to the crumbling ballroom behind her and assessing the damage.
“Catra!” She hears her name through the smoke. It’s Perfuma, calling her over to help move a piece of rubble off of Bow’s leg. She heaves it off of the boy, who groans in pain. It doesn’t look broken, but it definitely isn’t gonna feel great for a few days. She looks up at Perfuma.
“Where is Mermista?” Her voice barely hides her fear.
“I don’t know! We-” She hesitates. “We got into an argument! She was having some kind of panic attack and I- I said some things I shouldn’t have and-”
“When did you see her last?” Bow says, climbing to his feet with a wince.
“We were by the stage.” Perfuma points towards where the band had been standing just minutes before.
Catra nods, but a hand grabs her own before she runs over. When she looks back, she sees a despondent Frosta looking up at her. “Catra.”
“We don’t have time, Frosta!” Catra tries to pull away but the ice princess’ grip tightens instead. The magicat looks back to see Frosta is in tears.
“Please. My people are tired of fighting. We can't lose our kingdom after all this.”
Catra nods. “Then help me find Mermista.” A tsk tsk sound comes from the magicat’s right. Glimmer sneers at the pair as she steps around them, Scorpia holding an unconscious Mermista tightly with one pincer.
“Still trying to be the best hero you can be, dear sister?” Glimmer cackles. “What a joke.” She materializes her staff in her hand.
“You say that as if the Horde doesn't destroy everything in its path.” Catra growls. In an instant she extends the claws on her gloves and readies her stance.
“Destroy? No, no, I'd say repurpose is a better word for it.” Glimmer swings her staff, narrowly missing Catra as she ducks around it. With a quick upward slash the magicat scratches at Glimmer's arm, forcing her to drop the weapon. “You've gotten better since Salineas.” The girl laughs.
“I picked up a trick or two.” Catra’s chuckle is cut short by the Force Captain punching her squarely in the jaw. She groans, only having a moment to come to her senses before Glimmer tries for a second blow. Catra manages to dodge it and grab her arm instead. A sharp twist earns a yelp of pain from the pink haired Horde leader.
The others have stayed still for now, seemingly worried that if any of them attack Scorpia it will devolve into a full blown brawl. After a moment of dueling between Catra and Glimmer, Frosta finally gets fed up and throws a sharp ice punch at the scorpion woman's face. The blow knocks Mermista free, and the pair of them use their abilities together to freeze the scorpion woman in place.
Another missile rocks the castle, sending part of it crumbling down the cliff below. Glimmer and Catra continue to dodge and land little punches, with neither seeming to gain the upper hand over the other in the fight. They're equal now in combat ability, meaning that Catra will have to fight extra hard to stay a step ahead.
[---]
Entrapta watches in glee as the screens show the full scale invasion of the Kingdom of Snows. She hadn't accounted for the cliff partially collapsing and demolishing parts of the castle, but so far destruction has been fairly minimal. By the morning the Horde would hold Castle Evernight.
A sting of anguish washes over her for a moment, one that she chooses immediately to blot out with the anger in her heart. He chose this when he treated her the way he did. Adam would pay for the things he had done to her. She would make him.
[---]
Adora pulls herself free from the water, her leg stinging in absolute pain. Where is she? What had happened? She remembers a loud explosion and then falling. She shivers, realizing her clothes are soaked to their core from the freezing ocean. Across the small lagoon, Castle Evernight sits aflame, a dozen boats between her and it.
She looks down at herself, a wave of disgust at her body washing over her. How could she live like this? Or rather, how could Adam? She shakes her head, leaning on one of her blades for support. She certainly can't cross the lagoon, and to walk around with her leg like this would be impossible. She turns around, eyeing the thick, icy darkness closely before a light blinks dimly in the distance. A Horde outpost, likely just beyond the Kingdom of Snows jurisdiction.
Her leg screams in pain as she begins to walk, limping along towards it. That would be her only hope of setting this thing and getting back into the fight. She has to do this, for the Alliance.
For Catra.