“ Oh , am I supposed to just magically get along with your ‘pretty princess pals’ ? The only reason they took you in is because of that stupid sword and you know that , I don’t have anything to offer them ! Even if I did leave I don’t have anywhere to go . Nowhere they couldn’t find me . ” Knuckles, discolored from bruising and littered with light scarring brushed against her eyes . She still didn’t — couldn’t understand what had become so different to Adora in the few hours she was gone . The change was too sudden , it lacked any build up that she would have at least gotten to see and understand . The suddenness of it hurt more than anything Shadow Weaver did to her .
Everything she’d done to make herself strong gained her rank she thought impossible for years , at least without Adora by her side . But now she had it , she had everything they were supposed to work hard for together . And it tasted like bile on her tongue .
“ Come on , Adora . The world is nicer out there to you . The world never did anything for me except take you away from me , where’s the kindness in that ? I had to deal with Shadow Weaver all by myself . Even after you left us , all she cared about was you . Always . You . ”
Why did she care ? Shadow Weaver wasn’t their mom , she was barely a teacher . She was a monster . But … it still would have been nice if —
“ But she’s gone now . She tried to kill me you know ? She went crazy on us after we let a certain someone mess with her crystal . If you come back to the horde you wont even have to worry about her , Hordak had her locked away . We’d be safe .”
❝ you - —— you took down shadow weaver ?! ❞ it’s a break in her anger, a crack that forms from hints of compassion for a wish fulfilled in her absence . body shifts backwards, eyes widening & brows raising to form an expression equal parts surprised & relieved . there’s some happiness to put out this fire, but not nearly enough . at least, with that evil witch gone catra would no longer suffer so unjustly within the horde / has a reason to stay at their side despite her life in their ranks .
& yet ——- ❝ NO . ❞ though adora does see it more clearly now, does understand just why fate turned cruel, it does not excuse anything ; perhaps nothing ever will, & she stands firm in her convictions, her allegiance to the opposite side . ❝ you’re still not getting it . shadow weaver or no, the horde will continue to ruin the lives of innocent people while telling you & everyone of its soldiers that you’re doing GOOD . hordak will turn eternia into the same nightmare WE grew up in, is that what you want ? ❞ lips tremble with her words, as she imagines if the answer were ‘ yes ‘ .
❝ please, catra, just give it a chance . i promise you the world outside the fright zone is everything we’ve ever dreamed about it, everything we weren’t allowed to imagine but did anyway . ❞
