We're right beside you...
Author's Note
Okay, this one.... well, I don't actually have a lot to talk about with this one. So, basically, I was reading an Angella adopts Catra fic -which I can provide upon request- and it sorta spiraled out of control from there I guess...
We're right beside you...
Twilight found herself wandering, it had happened before. When the nights were just right, or just wrong depending on how you saw it, and she found herself feeling restless. She knew she should find it easier to sleep, running an entire kingdom was exhausting. How did Celestia and Luna do it?
Even after a couple of years of doing this, coming up on fifteen years in just a matter of a few weeks, she still wondered. She still doubted herself. How could she possibly compare to two sisters who’d ruled for thousands of years? How could she? After all, they practically founded the modern-day Equestria as everyone knew it.
It gripped her tight like a vice, the worry, and the nervousness. Some days she was able to push it down, suppress it. Today was not one of those days. So, she wandered and hoped sleep would eventually claim her. It usually did, after a short gazing up at the stars and with a relaxing cup of tea. Celestia’s personal blend, recommended to her by the mare herself years and years ago back when she was just a simple student in her school for Gifted Unicorns.
Twilight chuckled, how times had changed. How times had changed indeed. Her younger self could never have possibly have guessed what fate had in store for her. That she would go on to become the Princess of Friendship, Queen of all that is, and one of the most famous mages ever to walk the face of the planet.
How times had changed indeed.
Twilight found herself wandering not to any nearby balcony, but to the kitchens fancying herself a snack. She chuckled to herself. Well, there was this joke about how if midnight snacks were supposed to be forbidden, why was the fridge left open? Why indeed?
Twilight paused, her ears twitching as she heard a voice. A small scratchy little voice, practically growling out: “Come on… why isn’t there any real food in here?”
Another voice soon joined it. “Come on Catra, we should leave! This place, it’s like Bright Moon. It reminds me of what Shadow Weaver told us about it, full of magic! And where there’s magic, there’s…” a short pause, one of fear. “...Princesses.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. Bright Moon? Other Princesses? Okay, this was strange. Twilight had to investigate, but not in such a way that would scare these two off. Concentrating, she pulled a move right out of -quite literally- Luna’s spellbooks and her spirit left her body. Astral projection, tricky to learn but quite useful to use! Her eyes widened in shock as she saw two human girls scrounging around in the pantries and cupboards. Well, not quite human. As far as Twilight knew, no normal human girls had cat’s ears or practically glowed with First One’s magic.
Quickly returning to her body, she stepped inside and with her horn, a small purple glow lit up the kitchen. Something scampered just out of sight, with a whisper of “Catra!” and two mixed-matched eyes peered just out of the darkness.
“Well, I don’t know about Princesses, but I do know a fair thing or two about Queens,” Twilight said in a friendly, warm way. Years of spending time around the former Princess Celestia had made her pick up a few things. “Hello there, no need to be alarmed. I won’t hurt you…”
Another girl, with blond hair and dirty clothes, stepped out of the darkness with silverware in hand as a makeshift knife. “Who are you?”
“Adora!” Catra hissed out from the darkness. “Get back over here, you don’t know if she’ll hurt you!”
Adora flinched, suddenly realizing just how large Twilight was compared to her. She also realized something else.
“You’re a horse,” Adora said blankly.
“I’m a pony,” Twilight corrected.
“No, pretty sure you’re large enough to be considered a horse,” Adora said. “So the Princesses use talking horses now?”
“Technically all of the Princesses here are talking horses or ponies. Including myself, though I guess I’m a Queen now which is a few steps higher than a Princess and oh dear Celestia I’m rambling,” Twilight remarked and she noticed Adora flinching, before an arm that she presumed belonged to Catra pulled her back into safety. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt either of you.”
“That’s what the Horde said you’d say,” Catra growled and slashed at Twilight’s face with the lightning quickness of a whip.
“Catra!” Adora said.
“No, it’s okay,” Twilight said kindly.
“You’re not going to teleport us into a lava pit?” Adora asked nervously. “But… but that’s what the Horde said a Princess would do if we ever offended… Oh gosh, please tell me we didn’t offend you, Your Highness!”
“...I don’t know who this Horde is, but I promise you I would never even consider teleporting children into pools of lava!” Twilight said, the light from her horn illuminating the two worryingly terrified children. “Otherwise I would be a very bad ruler indeed! Now tell me young ones, how did you get here?”
“I… I don’t know, we were… running, the Horde they… well, some of their guards chased us out of the Fright Zone,” Catra said nervously, before sniffling. “Our only home…”
“Go on…” Twilight said, running a hoof through Catra’s scraggly black mane in an attempt to comfort the now close to crying child. “Shh, shh, it’s alright… Nobody’s going to hurt you, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“We ran into these woods, the Whispering Woods, alright?” Catra continued. “Then we heard a laugh, and the snap of someone’s fingers and then…?”
“You found yourselves here?” Twilight asked and received two little nods in response even as she took this information in. Discord, it sounded like. But who was this Horde? And the Whispering Woods? She’d never even heard of such a place! Then again, she’d never seen a girl with cat ears or someone who might have been a First One either so it was a night full of surprises! Whatever the case might have been, this Horde sounded like it needed her personal attention. If it was willing to do this to mere children…
“Are you going to chase us out now?” Adora asked.
“Never!” Twilight said, noticing how starved both children looked. “First, we’re going to get some food into both of you! Whoever’s been feeding you, I should like to have words with them very much!”
“I’d… I’d like that,” Adora said. “The food part, not the… having words. If you were thinking about threatening Shadow Weaver… Please don’t, she’s too powerful!”
Twilight took in Adora and now Catra’s equally scared reactions. Her eyes widened, suddenly a lot of things began to make a sickening amount of sense.
“I should very much like to threaten this Shadow Weaver!” Twilight thought to herself, a flaming hot rage filling her. She quickly managed to quell it, but not before thinking: “Such a pony sounds like an abomination!”
“Also, if you were thinking about taking me on?” Twilight said, picking up the silverware. “A spoon makes a very poor substitute for a knife!”
Adora had the decency to blush and Catra actually giggled.
“Well… Well, I heard Force Captain Octavia said she’d carve someone’s heart out with a spoon once…” Adora admitted, her voice barely above a mumble. Twilight started, her heart skipping a beat before she took a few breaths to calm herself. No, it wasn’t her Octavia that she was talking about. It was a different one, possibly worlds away!
“I honestly thought she was exaggerating…” Catra put in even as Twilight led the two to a massive dining table just off the kitchen. Both children’s jaws dropped at the huge room, moonlight filtering in through large windows along with the long table which seemed to be made of the finest of woods.
“Wow…” Adora breathed, even as glowing plates illuminated by magic and each with food on them floated into the room, and onto the table. Twilight turned to them.
“Would you prefer a chair or sets of pillows?” Twilight asked, before with a slight giggle she continued with: “Or maybe a pillow on a chair?”
“Why are you…” Catra asked, searching for the right phrase while Adora looked at the food nervously. She probably suspected it was poisoned. Twilight fought back a growl at this thought, no child should be afraid of their own food! What kind of ponies were even in this Horde!?!
“...so nice?” Twilight answered, with a gesture of her hoof urging both Catra and Adora to eat up. “It’s kinda what I do. I am the Princess of Friendship after all!”
Catra and Adora had altogether different responses.
“You can have that sort of title?” asked Adora.
“...so wait, are you a Princess or a Queen?” asked Catra.
“I’m kinda maybe sorta both?” Twilight giggled nervously. “I’m the Princess of Friendship, but the Queen of Equestria. That make sense?”
“No, not really…” both Catra and Adora answered shaking their heads in a small ‘no’. Twilight smiled as finally, their hunger won out over their fear and both dove into their food. Catra fancied a plate of fish, while Adora found a tomato salad very interesting.
“Hey Twilight?” another mare’s voice said and both Catra and Adora looked up to see this very intimidating mare covered in scars, armor, and with a broken horn step into the room. “You’re still up?”
“Yes, I am Fizzlepop,” Twilight replied to her. “Just one of those nights I guess…”
“I… see…” Fizzlepop trailed off looking at the two children staring at her with wide fearful eyes. She blinked back. “...right, it’s way too early in the morning for this shit.”
She promptly turned tail and left the room.
“Who was…?” Catra asked curiously, somewhat worriedly.
“That was Fizzlepop, head of my personal guard,” Twilight reassured. “And my wife. Relax, she won’t hurt you. Now eat your food.”
Twilight chuckled. Now she was beginning to sound like her mother!
“Hey, Adora…?” Catra asked.
“Yeah?” Adora replied, her face messy from her food. Twilight dabbed away at it with a napkin.
“...are you sure this isn’t a dream?” Catra asked.
“Well, if it is? It’s a very good dream,” Adora admitted. “This has to be the best day of my life!”
“Yes, well, I can’t imagine either of you have had particularly good days that often,” Twilight said wrapping her wings around them both. Catra and Adora both flinched from her touch, and Twilight retracted them mentally chastising herself. Right, stupid! If they’d had the kind of childhood she deeply suspected that they had, well! Okay, now she really wanted to ‘talk’ to this Shadow Weaver pony.
If this was how she treated her ‘children’, she shuddered to think about what she did to the rest of the Horde she worked with. And with a name like that, she had to be some form of an evil sorceress. Clearly, whatever world both Adora and Catra came from, it had to be suffering under the Horde’s oppression. Because clearly, with an evil sorceress on their side, what else would you do? Go out and grow a garden? She would have to talk with Discord for more information.
Part of her was tempted to let him loose on this Horde, and especially Shadow Weaver but two things stopped her. Whenever Discord was given free reign over anything, he tended to go a bit far. Secondly, there was this part of Twilight that wanted to do some damage herself! And if she just unleashed Discord, there would be nothing left for her!
Adora snorted. “...No, we haven’t.”
Twilight gave her a look of sympathy, but Catra wasn’t having it.
“...I don’t want your pity,” she grumbled before letting out a cute little yawn with Adora soon to follow.
“Let’s get you two to bed, hmm?” Twilight said levitating them both up onto her back. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”
Both were already asleep by the time Twilight tucked them into a bed in a guest room. Adorably, Catra pulled her friend close, snuggling her for protection.
“May Luna bless you both…” Twilight thought, before sitting at the foot of their bed and shutting off the lights.
Twilight wasn’t honestly surprised when her new charges slept through the sunrise, and then the afternoon and probably would have slept in longer had she not deemed it necessary to finally wake them.
“Sleep well?” she asked kindly, nuzzling them awake. Catra groaned, tugging the covers back up over herself. It seems she wanted to live up to the ‘cat’ part in catnap. Twilight giggled at her own admittedly lame pun.
“Mhmmm, just five more minutes…” Adora grumbled still not quite having realized Catra was cuddling her. Neither had Catra, it seemed, for that matter. It was then she realized the sunlight peeking in through her curtains and shot awake with a start, saluting. “I’m sorry Force Captain, I promise I’ll show up for duty! Please just don’t report me to Shadow Weaver or Lord Hordak!”
Twilight filed the other name away for later. So there was a ‘Lord’ involved in this? Well, the Equestrian state didn’t recognize his claim to royalty! Then Twilight realized just how scared Adora sounded.
“Hey, shhh… Now how can I report you to Shadow Weaver if I’ve never met her in my life?” Twilight asked before angrily thinking: “Though I would very much like to by this point!”
“Oh my god!” Adora suddenly shouted as both she and Catra realized how muddy the bedsheets were. “I promise, I’ll take these out and wash them, I didn’t mean to ruin them! N-Not that I’m implying I ruined them, I’ll just give them a cleaning!”
Twilight smiled, and then to Adora and Catra’s amazement both the sheets and their clothes for that matter were now clean as a whistle. “No need, a simple cleaning spell fixes all that. You don’t have to worry, I’m not going to punish you.”
“Even if we deserve it…?” Catra asked in wide-eyed terror, and Twilight’s heart went out to her. She really wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what Catra’s definition of ‘deserving it’ meant.
“Deserve what? Punishment?” Twilight asked. “Now yes, while you’re in my care we’ll set up some ground rules but-”
“In your care?” Adora asked fearfully. “No no no, you don’t understand! We have to get back to the Horde! Oh, Shadow Weaver’s gonna kill us!”
“She most certainly will not, not while I’m around!” Twilight thought while wrapping her wings around Adora and Catra in an attempt to soothe them. “Hmm, I may have to give Sunset a ring. These two… yeah, they’re in need of her help.”
Again, she had to wonder who exactly would do this to their kids! Abuse cases did happen in Equestria, certainly so, but Twilight would never pretend to understand why. Just why somepony would just do that to their kids. Children were the next generation! Oh, if someone ever laid a hoof on Luster… Okay, deep breathes Twilight, she told herself. No need to scare these two. They’d already been through enough.
Catra sobbed, just a little and it was muffled by Twilight’s wing but it was still an audible little cry. Twilight had to wonder if she’d ever been given the chance to ever properly cry in her life. She doubted it.
“Gods, you must think I’m so weak…” Catra said.
“No, it’s okay. We all need a good cry from time to time,” Twilight disagreed with a shake of her head. “I’ve done it. A good way to let out some of your emotions.”
“But in the Horde…” Catra started before Twilight put a hoof to her lips.
“But we’re not in the Horde, are we?” she asked and Catra sniffled.
“N-No…” she admitted.
“Good, now that we’ve established that,” Twilight said. “I’ll have some of the staff get breakfast, or rather a very late lunch prepared. You’re still both really much too thin!”
“Will that Fizzlepop mare be there?” Adora had to ask.
“Maybe, but you don’t need to worry about her. She’s really just a big softie at heart,” Twilight said with a wink as she turned to leave. “Dining hall’s just down the hall, fifth door to your right. Oh, and if you see my student, Luster? Tell her she’s been neglecting her studies on runic sigils, and that she has a report due to me on Monday.”
Adora and Catra shared a look, and said in unison: “Student?”
“...Oh, didn’t I mention?” Twilight laughed nervously. “I have a student, Luster Dawn.”
“You ponies really like the ‘time of day’ themed names don’t you?” Catra deadpanned in a moment of boldness, some of her old fire returning.
“And you’re a half-cat named Catra and your best friend is named Adora,” Twilight remarked in a droll tone before teasing: “I think we all have no room to talk about on the nose names don’t you think?”
“Point!” Catra agreed as Adora snickered into her pillow. As Twilight left, Catra turned back to her best friend. She took a deep sigh. “So…”
“Sooooo…” Adora replied.
“So, I mean, what do we do now?” Catra said. “What, do we just stay here?”
“I kinda like the idea,” Adora admitted. “Everyone… well, everypony I guess here is so nice!”
“Yeah, too nice…” Catra grumbled.
“You’re expecting them to turn on us?” Adora questioned.
“Of course I’m expecting them to turn on us, nobody’s ever this nice without a catch!” Catra shouted. “Plus, you heard Twilight, she’s a Princess! A Princess Adora! What part of that don’t you understand? She’s probably waiting for a chance for us to drop our guard and then use her freaky magic mojo on us, you understand?”
“Wait, did you seriously just say freaky magic mojo?” Adora snorted. “Anyways. Well, I for one am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Who knows, maybe they’re not all bad. Plus, let’s face it, this is the nicest anyone has ever treated us…”
“Whatever,” Catra said. “All I’m saying is the only one you can rely on here, Adora? It’s me.”
Catra walked, and she walked. There was a different energy about this place, undeniably far removed from the oppressive vice-like grip of the Horde and the dark mechanicalness of it all. The corridors were wide, open, sun-drenched. It was… honestly kind of beautiful, with the pastels and the royal whites. It felt warm and friendly, with the obvious touch of regality.
For all of her life, Catra’s known the story. She’d shown up on the Horde’s front doorstep in a box, nobody knowing nor actually caring where she came from. And then as soon as she was old enough to properly hold a weapon, she was trained with it. Catra fancied herself quite the little demon with the shock baton!
This place was… different. Despite how Catra wanted to run away and never looked back, there was something in the back of her mind stopping her. Was it because everyone was so nice? Well, everypony but still, same diff. Why? What did they get out of it?
And so she wondered. Wondered what would have happened to her if these ponies had taken her in. Maybe… maybe she would have been actually happy.
Maybe she would have grown up without the pain.
NO! What was she saying? She was happy! She was being trained to bring peace to Etheria! Her and Adora! Yeah, that’s right! Adora, that’s all she needed. Not some frilly frou-frou pony Princess! Or any princess for that matter! Gods, they were probably already inside her head, working their magic mojo on her!
She had to get out of here.
She had to grab Adora, and then somehow find a way back to the Horde. Maybe Lord Hordak and Shadow Weaver would be lenient on them.
...pfft, yeah, not likely. But all the same, she had to get back. Shadow Weaver loved Adora, and she loved her. Despite how cruel she was to both of them, the sorceress was the only mother they ever knew.
But at the back of her mind, she thought about whatever humiliations Shadow Weaver reaped upon her.
Failure, useless, disgrace!
And of course Adora always escaped the worst of these punishments. Catra choked back a sob. Because like she was soooooooo special!
She remembered Shadow Weaver’s words even now. “Oh Adora, you really must keep Catra in line! Don’t you know, she’ll get into trouble without you around… I’ll have to punish her then, and well, we wouldn’t want THAT now would we?”
Adora always did as she was told, the good little girl. Not that she was ever able to stop Shadow Weaver, Catra would honestly be amazed if there was anyone who ever could. A brief flash of a mare, with golden adornments and a long lance-like horn entered her mind. Catra quickly pushed it aside. Catra hated Adora for her selflessness. Thinking she couldn’t protect herself. That she couldn’t take care of herself. Of course she could!
She had to get out of here, this place? It was making her think way too much.
But then again, where would she go? She doubted she was even on Etheria anymore, -Etheria certainly didn’t have those bright twinkly things in the sky- and chances are she didn’t know how to fly a spaceship. “So… now what? Do I just stay here and become all soft and sparkly? Do Adora and I just stay here?”
Again, Catra found herself wandering out to a balcony, sun shining down on her wild black mane. Catra had always liked the sun, the rare moments when the clouds in the Fright Zone parted and she could curl up under it and be lazy. This never lasted. “Back to work, cadet! If you don’t work, it’s off to Beast Island with you!”
A brief moment of fear overtook Catra, what if this was Beast Island? What if the stories they told them were wrong, and it was really an island that somehow got inside your head. It made an illusion that lulled you into serenity before it struck?
...no, that was dumb. The Horde was nowhere near that creative. Beast Island was full of razor-sharp trees and razor-sharp animals. Lots of razor sharpness.
“You skipped lunch you know,” said Adora from behind her, a sandwich in hand.
“Sorry, I got… lost in thought, I guess? Besides, I’m a cat, we don’t conform to a schedule, we don’t follow orders!” Catra teased, perched atop the balcony, her tail flicking about playfully. A dark nasty thought overtook her. “Even though you seem to follow orders pretty well in the Horde!”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Adora mused. “So, I assume you still hate this place?”
“Well, considering it’s not even been an hour since I thought about it last, I’d probably say yes,” Catra replied. “But… I’m not sure we’re ever getting out of here. We’re definitely not in Etheria anymore…”
“You… you think this is it? Eternia?” Adora asked and Catra looked at her friend in confusion. “Sorry, it’s just a name I heard once, Shadow Weaver mentioned it. Not sure what it meant, all I knew was that it sounded like a place.”
“A very dumb sounding place,” Catra muttered. “Sounds like a funeral home or a graveyard.”
“That’s morbid,” Adora remarked, offering what was left of her sandwich to Catra. The magicat hungrily took it, nibbling away at it. “Wow, you are hungry aren’t you? Not very lady-like is it?”
“Well, neither of us are ladies are we?” Catra said through her chewing, and Adora laughed. Catra then spat out her sandwich in disgust. “Ugh, what is this stuff? It’s all green! What is this, a leaf?”
“It’s cabbage,” Adora said. “One of the servants recommended it. Said it was good for me!”
“So what, you’re a vegetarian now? Ewwww, give me a fish any day of the week,” Catra’s nose wrinkled at the thought of it. “Seems you’re taking to this place pretty well!”
“Well, you said it yourself, we’re not on Etheria anymore. And as I doubt we’ll ever be leaving…”
“You figured it out as well, huh?” Catra remarked and Adora nodded. “...yeah, we’re stuck here. So long Horde I guess!”
A dark part of her mind thought that to be a good thing, personally.
“So what do we now?” Adora said. “I doubt Twilight would want us to go back to the Horde even if we could…”
“I guess, we stick together. You and me Adora, us against the world. How does that sound?” Catra asked, and Adora laced her fingers with Catra’s.
“I think… I like the sound of that.”
From her spot hiding behind a pillar, Twilight smiled a little tear in her eye. She quickly wiped it away with a hoof. Well, they were slowly beginning to trust her. Or at least, slowly beginning to accept this place.
The day slowly dragged on by, Adora and Catra suddenly finding themselves in need of some classic mischief.
“Okay okay, I heard this guest was coming,” Adora said. “Guards have been all a-chatter about it!”
“Did you seriously just say ‘all a-chatter’?” Catra raised an eyebrow.
“Did you seriously say freaky magic mojo?” Adora deadpanned in that way only a teenager could.
“Point!” Catra admitted. “So what’s your devious plot?”
Catra found herself grinning when Adora brought out a map of the castle, ooooh how devious. How tactical. So they were ambushing them then? Giving them a bit of a scare? Her grin faded when she saw the bucket.
“...how unoriginal,” Catra drawled. “The old bucket of water on the head bit?”
“Hey, it’s a classic,” Adora grinned. “Those never go out of style!”
“Fine fine,” Catra grumbled as she waved her off dismissively. “Let’s do this then…”
And so they watched and they waited and heard the sound of hoofsteps. Catra and Adora shared a devious grin when a wooden door creaked open and down came the bucket as a mare let out a shriek. Adora and Catra couldn’t help themselves, and they fell over laughing.
“Why, I never!” the mare grumbled looking at her now soaked fur coat. “My mane is ruined!”
“Oh, just like old times!” Catra cackled as she wiped a tear. “That never gets old!”
Rarity sighed as she looked at the two laughing children and fixed them with a glare. “...so you must be Catra and Adora…” she muttered. “Oh well, it's nothing worse than what Sweetie used to do, unladylike as it was. And as for my mane, nothing a simple blow-drying spell can’t cure…”
“Oh lighten up Rarity!” another mare’s voice joined in, close to breaking down in laughter. “You gotta admit, it was pretty funny!”
Rarity harrumphed to herself as in strode Sunset Shimmer.
“Your hair looks like bacon,” was the first thing out of Adora’s mouth.
“Yes, I’ve heard it all before,” said Sunset. “Hasn’t gotten old like the first few hundred times I’ve heard it.”
“So, you’re, uh, Princesses too I guess?” Adora guessed. “Princess of Fashion and Princess of…?”
“Oh, neither of us are Princesses!” Sunset corrected though Rarity was swift to jump in with a comment of her own.
“The wings and horn on you say otherwise, dearie,” Rarity said gesturing to Sunset’s truly magnificent wings and horn. While she was nowhere near as large as Twilight, she was no less regal. “Though I do admit I would like to be considered a Princess…”
“Trust me, it’s too much work,” Sunset said with a drawl. “There’s a reason I stick to the human world.”
“H-Human world?” Adora stammered out. “Like Etheria?”
“No, it’s called Earth,” Sunset said. “It’s a bit simple, a bit basic, but it works right?”
“So if you’re a Princess, why are you on another world?” Catra asked. “Oh, did you run away from your responsibilities? Or are you some sort of ambassador?”
“I was never officially crowned,” Sunset explained even as Rarity began measuring both Adora and Catra for some reason. “Trust me, surprised me even more than anyone else when I just strode back to Equestria one day on a whim, and poof I suddenly had wings! The paperwork that day was a nightmare…”
“Uh, so uh, what are you doing here?” Catra asked dumbly.
“Well, Rarity here is to measure you for some new outfits. Me?” Sunset asked. “I’m here to lend a hand, or hoof I guess now that I’m back in Equestria. I’m a friend of Twilight’s. She thought you might need help from a therapist.”
Well, Catra wouldn’t deny her mind was a mess.
“W-What, no!” Adora stammered out. “We’re perfectly fine! We don’t need a-”
“Twilight begs to differ,” Sunset said firmly.
“...of course she does…” Catra grumbled. “She’s the Queen, and so therefore what she says goes!”
Sunset observed their reactions. “There’s no shame in admitting you need help. Here, come along you two. Walk with me. I promise, I won’t bite! Maybe I’ll even let you pet me!”
Adora’s eyes were immediately drawn to the golden mare’s incredibly soft-looking fur.
“I’d think I’d like that…” Adora admitted.
“Good, now come! We’re burning daylight, and trust me you two are far from the only patients on my appointment schedule,” Sunset said with a gesture for them to follow. And so they did. “So you grew up in an evil overlord’s army, well Twilight does have a track record of finding people or ponies like you…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Two of her students, including yours truly? We both went a wee bit nutty and tried to take over the world,” Sunset said. “Few friendship lasers later, and we sorta turned our lives around. I’m a therapist, and Starlight’s a school headmaster. Far cry from what we used to be, namely a madmare who wanted to take over the world and somepony who wanted everyone to conform. And then there’s Fizzlepop.”
“The captain of Twilight’s guard?” Adora asked. “What’d she do?”
Honestly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Oh, nothing too major by Twilight’s standards. Just enlisted in an evil king’s army when she lost her friends due to losing her horn. Tried to take over Equestria and turn Twilight to stone and suck out all of her magic to give said king ‘unlimited power’.” Sunset said casually.
“...wait, seriously?” Adora asked. “And she has her as her Captain of the Guard?”
“Well, put no talent to waste right?” Sunset asked. “After all, if you nearly got your ass kicked by this mare, you’d want her protecting you right? After all, if she can beat the Princess of Friendship without proper magic, imagine what she could do to anyone else right?”
“There’s a certain form of tactical logic there…” Adora admitted.
“Right, former soldier to be so, of course, that’s how you’d think,” Sunset said, still unbelievably casual.
“What’s wrong with that?” Adora asked.
“Nothing wrong with it, but let me ask you this. What do you think the Horde had planned for your home, this Etheria?” Sunset questioned.
“It… we… they wanted to bring order to it!” Adora stated. Sunset raised an eyebrow, that sounded barely believable to her.
“A lot of people say that, a lot of groups. I did as well, you know,” Sunset said and noticed the confused looks Catra and Adora exchanged. “Oh right, well I wanted to bring order to Equestria at one point, least that’s what I kept telling myself. In reality, all I wanted was to be recognized. By my teacher, by my friends, by anyone really.”
“You’re saying that’s what the Horde wants?” Adora asked. “Because I dunno, they seem pretty recognizable to me. All of Etheria knows their name!”
“No, I’m saying it’s what you two want,” Sunset said, her eyes seemingly gazing into the two girls’ souls. “I’ve seen your type before, maybe the background’s a bit different but I see two very lonely girls who just want someone to love and to care for them. Is that right?”
Both Adora and Catra exchanged a look before Adora sighed. “There’s this woman, Shadow Weaver, okay? She… took us in and, yeah she’s horrible, but she’s the closest thing we have to a mom y’know?”
“If you say so…” Catra grumbled.
“Catra…” Adora said.
“Don’t you ‘Catra’ me!” the magicat snapped, years of resentment finally bubbling over and coming to a boil. “You know what Shadow Weaver’s like! You always get all the praise, and what do I get? ‘Do better Catra!’ and ‘Adora’s leagues ahead of you, Catra.’ You know how much that hurts? You’re Shadow Weaver’s golden girl, the star of the Horde! I’m just the freak…”
“Catra…” Adora said bringing in her best friend. “I never knew, how could I? You never told me.”
“I can’t keep doing this, being second best to you!” Catra nearly sobbed, feeling the sting of tears threatening to break.
“That’s the thing, you never were,” Adora said. “You were always better at certain things compared to me, like stealth. Haven’t you met me? I’m only able to solve a problem with my fists! You… you plot and you plan and… I’m actually kinda jealous. I’m just the jock. Honestly Catra? I’ve never thought of you but anything as less than amazing.”
“You… you’re jealous of me?” Catra asked eyes wide, her face as white as a ghost. “How could you be jealous of me, mom always said that…”
“Moms don’t hurt their children, physically or otherwise,” came Twilight’s voice as she stepped out from behind a pillar. “I don’t know what excuses she made for it, but she’s no mother of yours.”
“How… how long have you been listening in?” Adora asked, her eyes sharp with betrayal.
“Long enough,” said Twilight before sending a grateful look towards Sunset. “Thank you Sunset, but I think I can take it from here.”
“It’s what I’m here for, good luck Twilight!” Sunset smiled before flying out a window. Catra glared harshly at Twilight, though the mare looked unfazed. She had seen much more fearsome glares in her lifetime after all. A glare from a kid was nothing compared to the ones given to her by the Master of Darkness, Tirek, or the ex-queen of the Changelings.
“You’re doing it again!” Catra hissed out.
“Doing what?” Twilight asked confusedly.
“Working your freaky mind magic on us!” Catra snapped.
“I assure you, I’m doing no such thing,” Twilight said. “I abhor that type of magic on principle.”
“Then why…?” Catra asked.
“Why do you want to trust me?” Twilight finished for her. “Well, I am the Princess of Friendship.”
“See, that doesn’t help reassure us at all,” Adora said dryly. “Not really.”
“Now, while you’ve been here, have I in any way raised my hoof or horn against either of you?” Twilight asked sitting down beside the two girls. Adora shook her head. “No, I didn’t think so. I don’t know what this Shadow Weaver did to either of you, even though I will find out. But what I do know, whatever it was, it was no proper way to treat one’s child.”
“Shadow Weaver loved us!” Catra shouted, but Adora looked her in the eye.
“Catra, she tried to kill you! Just for going into her sanctum!” she said.
“But… but she raised me from when I was a baby, you as well!” Catra argued.
“Maybe, but I’ve been having doubts about her. What if… what if she stole us from our true families? We’ve always wondered where we came from, what if she was involved?” Adora asked.
Catra was struck silent, having never even considered this. Yes, what if indeed...
“I’ve never known my family, all I knew was that you found me on the Horde’s doorstep in a box…”
“So, Shadow Weaver has some freaky mind magic powers right?” Adora reasoned. “What if she found your true family and ‘convinced’ them to give you up? One more body for the Horde right?”
“...I… yeah, I can see it,” Catra admitted with a grumble. “A way for them to flaunt their superiority. To say, ‘look, we can get anyone, anywhere! Make them a part of us!’ I guess.”
“That’s what probably happened with Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio, now that I think about it,” Adora mused, and Twilight’s eyes widened.
“Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio? Who are they?” she asked, though she had a sickening feeling that she already knew the answer to that.
“Fellow cadets, friends I guess?” Adora shrugged. “I don’t know what they are to me.”
“Well, they’re just fellow cadets to me…” Catra said before Adora smacked her around the head. “Okay, fine fine. I guess they’re kinda friends. But Twilight, if you’re thinking about going after them, you’re crazier than I thought! Rescuing us was one thing, but breaking into the Fright Zone? That’s another matter entirely!”
“I didn’t rescue you,” Twilight admitted and both Catra and Adora stared at her in wide-eyed shock. “But I know who did, and I shall forever thank him for that.”
“Why Twiggles, I didn’t even know you cared…” said a voice, slightly sarcastic and with a sneer in it. Adora shrieked as the nearby rug came to life, and twisted into a chimera-like being.
“Gods, is there no privacy in this place at all?” Catra shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Discord, must you always be so dramatic?” Twilight asked with an exhausted sigh.
“Hello, Spirit of Chaos? It’s on my card,” Discord said, showing Twilight his business card. “But I can guess what you want of me, right? A little trip to and fro to Etheria, right? Well, I do admit I want to give my personal protege Double Trouble a visit anyways. Lizard after my own heart, they are!”
“Discord…” Twilight growled.
“Relax, I won’t get in your way! This is one of those personal deals, I get you,” Discord said. “I’m just going to sit back with the popcorn, honestly…”
Twilight turned and looked at her two charges. “Don’t worry kids, I’ll be back.”
And with a snap of Discord’s paw, she was gone.
“S-Stay safe, Twilight…” Adora whispered, suddenly feeling very sorry for Shadow Weaver.
Shadow Weaver was not happy. First, those guards manage to lose both Adora and Catra, and then when they bring back actual First Ones tech -possibly the most powerful on record- it refuses to work for her. HER! Shadow Weaver, the greatest of all sorceresses! Lord Hordak expected results, and if he didn’t get them… the dark magician shuddered, knowing the consequences.
Then, with a loud explosion and a flash of purple energy, her inner sanctum was breached. The doors flew off their hinges, and melted away into ash, Shadow Weaver turned to face the intruder, and her eyes widened as she felt the sheer power rolling off of her in angry waves.
“Why, hello there,” she said, putting on her best friendly voice.
“So, I’m guessing you’re Shadow Weaver?” the mare -how unexpected, did horses talk now?- asked in a tone that could only be described as tranquil fury.
“Yes, who wants to know?” asked the sorceress. She was promptly blasted into a wall.
“Twilight Sparkle, Queen of Equestria, and-”
“Oh, so they have Queens now do they?” Shadow Weaver asked, readying herself as the room grew ever darker. Her hands glowed with venomous power, the Black Garnet crackling with red lightning. “Tell me, do you know Angie? Is she a friend of yours?”
“If she’s an enemy of yours, she must be,” Twilight said, stepping forwards as her horn crackled. “That first blast? That was from Adora by the way. She says hello. This second one, this one’s from Catra!”
Shadow Weaver just barely dodged the bolt of energy, before waving her hands and lightning arced towards Twilight, who barely threw up a shield in the nick of time. Out of the corner of her eye, Shadow Weaver noticed the sword in its case rattling, almost as if it was reacting to the mare’s presence. Oh, how queer.
“So Adora and Catra run away as ever, they run from me? Their protector? Their guardian?” Shadow Weaver asked, shadows wrapping themselves around Twilight before they were blown away by a shockwave of magical energy. “I fed them, bathed them, kept them safe on the darkest of nights! And this is how they treat me? Send an assassin after me?”
Twilight laughed before she flew towards Shadow Weaver with her lance-like horn aimed at her heart. “Our definitions of protection must differ because last I checked abusing your children hardly counts as such!”
Shadow Weaver reacted, and fast as she turned to Shadow and reformed somewhere above Twilight, blasting her through a wall.
“They’re ungrateful little brats! They’re weak!” Shadow Weaver snarled, blocking a magic blast with runic sigils. “Had I not vouched for them, and raised them, Lord Hordak would have left them out to rot!”
“I shall have words with him as well, I promise you that. But first, I’m going to deal with you!” Twilight decreed before she slammed into Shadow Weaver, a magic aura coating her. Shadow Weaver turned to shadow, and then reformed above Twilight, sending an arc of red lightning towards her. With a scream, Twilight slammed into the floor.
“Haha, deal with me?” Shadow Weaver asked with a laugh. “You can barely keep pace!”
Twilight’s eyes darted towards the corner of the room, noticing the sword. It reeked of First Ones' magic, seemingly calling out to her. Grayskull, it whispered. Twilight’s eyes widened, Grayskull as in the famous Castle Grayskull of Eternia? Interesting. Unless… oh, no way. It couldn’t be. Could it? Right, time for investigations later. Defeat Shadow Weaver right now!
Twilight blasted Shadow Weaver through a wall, sending her flying as the battle progressed outside the twisted mangled monstrosity that was the Fright Zone’s Horde headquarters. Twilight, in a series of purple flashes, teleported towards Shadow Weaver, and then above her.
But again, Shadow Weaver reacted, and fired a magic blast at her, sending Twilight spiraling down towards the pits of bubbling acid far below…
Hordak, for his part, had finally taken notice of this battle and together with Lonnie and the other cadets watched what was going on.
“What is the meaning of this!” he roared, as he watched the purple mare emerge from the acid coated in magic.
“I dunno, but it’s kinda cool,” Lonnie said before Hordak stared at her. “What, Shadow Weaver’s a jerk!”
Hordak, privately, wasn’t all that inclined to disagree.
“I hope the mare wins.”
“Shut up Kyle.”
The battle continued, with mighty sword and flame as Twilight surged forwards only for Shadow Weaver to teleport behind her. But this time Twilight was ready, and circled back around and blocked her blast with a shield.
“Imagine, if this mare can defeat Shadow Weaver, what a valuable asset she would be to the Horde,” thought Hordak before with added horror, he mused: “Or, our greatest enemy. It would be wise not to anger her again.”
And then Twilight summoned the Sword, and she immediately knew what to say. It came to her like lightning. “For the Honor of Grayskull!”
Her mane turned bright burning gold, and she was covered in golden adornments. Both Shadow Weaver and Hordak’s eyes widened, for they both knew who was now in their presence.
“The Legend of She-Ra… it’s true. All of it! Yes, best not to anger her again!” thought Hordak.
As for Shadow Weaver, she barely had time to register the sword coming towards her before all went black.
Twilight watched the body slump off her now bloodied sword, and into the acid with nary a thought of “Good riddance.”
She flew down to the terrified cadets, and looking like some avenging angel she extended her hoof saying: “Come with me, I’ll take you away from this horrible place.”
“No! The Fright Zone’s our home!” shouted Lonnie.
“I… I think we can trust her…” Kyle said, extending his hand.
“You shall not be taking them anywhere!” growled out Hordak.
“Oh, after I just defeated your top sorceress?” Twilight asked striding towards Hordak, her mane still ablaze with power. She implanted the Sword of Protection in the earth as an intimidation display. “I ask you this, would it be wise to anger me any further?”
Hordak sighed, sizing up the situation and realizing it was not in his favor at all. “Very well, do with them as you will. But consider yourself an enemy of the Horde. Be warned this day, you have pricked the side of a mighty beast and entirely failed to run when it was far wiser to do so!”
“Yes, I’m quite sure,” Twilight deadpanned before she called out: “Discord!”
And then she and the cadets were gone.
The first thing Twilight did when she returned home was to have her servants take care of Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio. The second thing she did was shove the Sword away where it would be kept safe. It was not for her, she knew. It was too dangerous for her to wield, or even be tempted by. Best not to think of it.
Besides, she had more important matters to think of now, Twilight thought with a smile as she watched Adora run up to embrace Lonnie. What of the Horde? What indeed? Well, with their most powerful sorcerer dead by her hooves, chances are they’d be weakened. Would they be defeated practically overnight? Probably not. But Twilight knew she just struck a great blow for freedom.
Maybe one day Adora would want to return to her homeworld, save Etheria from the Horde’s clutches. But not today. Now she had to recover and learn to be a kid again. Twilight wanted to watch her grow, from a teenager to even a magnificent adult. Twilight wondered what Adora, and for that matter, Catra would have turned out to be like had she not been able to step in. Personally, she really didn’t want to know the answer. A wise pony had once said to her: “The universe is big, it's vast and complicated and... ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles.”
Twilight liked to think Adora and Catra stumbling into her castle that long and very lonely night was their miracle.
Twilight smiled again as she watched Lonnie laugh from a joke Catra had just told her. Yeah, she could do this.
“Oh, uh, Queen Twilight!” Catra said, saluting in spite of herself before flushing in embarrassment as she remembered she wasn’t in the Horde any longer.
“It’s just Twilight, please,” said the mare. “If I can, I’d like to talk to you and Adora alone?”
Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio very quickly took that as their cue to leave, giving Adora and Catra their privacy.
“So, um… wow, you defeated Shadow Weaver,” Adora said. “I’m guessing it wasn’t a pretty fight.”
“Death is always a tragedy,” Twilight said. “I weep not for the woman she was, but the woman she could have been.”
“Pfft, you’re a better mare than I am, then,” Catra grumbled. “Woman was a monster. So is it that you want with us? You’re here to throw us out right?”
Her voice was tinged with fear, and Twilight shook her head.
“After all I’ve done for you, do you think I would do that?” she replied. Twilight wanted to hug Catra, and hold her and tell her it was going to be alright. And it was, with Shadow Weaver dead and the two now in her care along with those other three cadets from the Horde. There were probably more, but Discord could only transfer so many across the dimensions. Powerful as he was, even the Spirit of Chaos had his limits.
“But you’re a Queen!” Adora piped in. “Don’t you have better things to do than worry about us?”
“I worry about all my subjects, and you are amongst them,” Twilight said. “In fact, I come to you and Adora with a question. If you’ll have me, I can be a…”
“A what?” Adora asked, dare she hope what she was hoping Twilight was about to ask of her?
“A mother,” Twilight said and Catra let out a gasp.
“No way,” she said, and Twilight smiled at her.
“Yes way,” the mare replied. “You both are in solid need of some good parental care, that much is obvious. Plus, you trust me, or at least… you don’t dislike me.”
“Dislike you?” Catra blinked. “After how you killed Shadow Weaver? Why, or how could we dislike you?”
Kill, killed. No child should know those words. Yet another reminder of how fast these two were forced to grow up Twilight thought sadly.
“Of course we want you!” Adora shouted, hugging Twilight tightly. Catra was soon to follow, purring up a storm. Twilight felt tears of joy leaking from her eyes as she wrapped her wings around the two. “Thank you mom, for being there when we needed you…”
“I’ll be here for you,” Twilight said to them as Catra sobbed into her fur. “Always. Never forget that. Never.”
“I love you… mom.”
The End.
