Sing Me To Sleep ( Pt. 1 )
[ synopsis - rewrite of 'Shot In The Dark' s5 ep 8. ]
you breathe. four seconds in, five seconds out. you breathe again.
the Sword of Protection is gone, but you feel her in your veins. you don't know who or what she is. you don't understand her or yourself. but you know she's important.
you know that it's important, vital, for She-Ra to return.
last time, it was by a stroke of luck. pure adrenaline and tapping into something other, you can't describe it quite accurately. but you crave that feeling again. even if it hurts. even if it burns you from the inside out and forces tears out of you.
Catra stands in the corner of the room, Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta talking with one another. there's a plan. you know there is. but you can't quite focus, not with her here.
part of you wants answers. answers you'll never find, because you'll never be satisfied. an impossible closure.
she stares, watching you, like she's waiting for your next move. maybe she is. you want her out of this. away from here. from you.
the new one, Horro, speaks low and meek. Krytis. he fidgets, trapped in his own mind still, and you can see the guilt gnawing at his organs. you see it, because you've felt it before.
suns and moons of questioning, of understanding, of questioning again until you vomit, pass out, or suffer some other terrible fate.
you know what it's like, don't you?
Entrapta talks, but you're not listening. you can't focus. why can't you focus? words are slipping away from you, no matter how far you stretch your hand. why can't you focus?
concentrate. concentrate.
in a blink, you're elsewhere. Krytis.
you and the others slip into suits, technological and fitted. you let your hair down, for the first time in a while.
it's not as freeing as it once was.
she's there, still, quiet and staring. still. you don't want her to come, to be near you, but she's too dangerous on her own.
Glimmer must have noticed you're not yourself. she takes charge, giving the rundown.
it was a simple enough task, on paper. Krytis held a powerful source of magic, one so powerful that Horde Prime couldn't destroy it or the planet connected to it. the only choice was to contain it. the objective was to seek it out and unlock it, access its core.
you feel something in your chest. it's warm. it spreads up, to the back of your throat, and it tingles.
"we don't have a lot of information," she stresses. you figured as much. nothing in this life has ever been with ease. "for all we know, this source could be a threat to us, too. so, if i say retreat, we retreat. understand?"
everyone nods. you nod, too.
but, for a reason you can't explain, you feel at ease. even with Catra's eyes at the back of your head.
the deeper you go into Krytis, the warmer the feeling becomes. but it doesn't burn. it doesn't hurt. the tingling in your throat comes with a taste, and it's... almost sweet.
Entrapta's leading the group, Horro at the far back. he's comfortable there, and you trust him. you don't know him, but you know he won't hurt anyone here. there's something gentle about him.
the magic seems to interfere with the tech. it leads them in the wrong direction, to the left, but you tell them to stop.
"it's not here," you say, certain. everyone looks at you before sharing looks. Entrapta fidgets about with her pad, muttering about signals. "are you sure?" Bow asks, though he didn't look to be asking out of uncertainty.
you haven't felt this 'sure' in a long time.
everyone decides you lead. it feels good, to make a choice that makes sense, that's so instinctive. you can concentrate.
deeper, deeper, deeper...
the chambers of the planet, separated like plates, until your heart is pounding in your veins, sweat on your brow, throat too warm, your eyes stinging, and you feel alive.
Catra comments on something, but you can't even hear her. you don't care. you feel alive.
there's doors. they stand out from the rocky, rough, natural terrain. metal, off-white and almost sleek, if not for the evidence of nature taking its course.
they're large, too large, but you know you can open it.
and you do. it doesn't burn to pull the metal open, to break it apart, and you revel in it.
you missed this so much. this strength. this feeling.
"where was that strength before?" Catra remarks, snide. you hear a thud and a yelp, followed by Entrapta snickering.
as the doors slide, scrape, against the ground, you look up.
