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''Did they really not find anyone else to clean this stupid place out?'' Catra grumbled as they entered Shadow Weaver's former garden
Adora sighed ''All the castle staff is too nervous to touch this place with a ten foot pole and King Micah's spending quality time with Glimmer and Bow, we've got no choice''
Catra groaned as she used her sharp nails to rip overgrowing weeds out of the empty basin in the middle of the room ''I just- I'd be fine cleaning any other place but here''
Adora placed a hand on her shoulder ''I know, it's not the nicest place to be'' Her eyes hovered on the dead plants oozing strange purple fume ''But we'll do it together, just like everything else, and when we're done, there won't be a trace of dark magic here''
Catra placed her hand on Adora's, sighing ''Okay, where do we start?''
Adora smirked ''I bet She-Ra's sword can cut through those giant roots in a second'' She materialized her sword ''Do you think it can burn them too?''
Catra giggled ''Lets find out''
They spent a good three hours together, ripping roots out of the garden, gathering them together and then finally burning them. They lined the flowerbeds with some soil Perfuma had given them so new life could flourish in the garden. All the while they laughed and joked, simply enjoying each other's company as they carried out the task. Adora loved hearing her laugh, it was so rare these days that they got the chance to just relax and talk like this, to not have to deal with crazy serious matters
Catra wiped the sweat off her face as she pulled out the last weed from the bed, she beckoned Adora over to line the last part with soil so they'd be done ''Is that it?'' Adora exhaled
''Nope'' Catra answered, surveying the list Glimmer had given them ''Says here we gotta clean out the potion closet before leaving'' Adora peered over her shoulder to read the task ''Package everything super securely so it can be sent to Mystacor tomorrow''
Adora sighed as they reached the giant pastel closet on the other side of the room. The fine gold handles hiding what could be the most dark and illegal magic they'd ever see ''You wanna do the honors?'' She asked Catra, pointing to it
Catra clenched her jaw, her face concentrated as she tried not to let her fear get the better of her. She nodded and Adora stepped back as she gripped the handles, shoving the two massive doors open
The two were hit with a wave of dust flying out of the cupboard. Both closed their eyes, coughing as it dispersed. Catra sharply inhaled as she saw the large assortment of bottles, in all shapes and sizes. Different colors swirling within them, some even vibrated as if they were meant to blow up if they were touched. Adora peered closer into the musty closet, looking at how far back it stretched
''This is gonna take forever'' Catra muttered, grabbing the closest box
''We gotta be careful with them'' Adora said as she picked one up to examine it ''There's no telling what these are for and what's happened to them since we've been gone''
Carefully, they lifted each bottle into the boxes, keeping them at an even distance from each other and making sure to seal everything securely before piling them onto each other. Gradually, most of the shelves began to empty, with only the bottles further back remaining
Adora giggled as she saw Catra jumping up in order to reach the bottles on the top shelf
''Gimme a break'' she huffed ''YOU'RE the eight foot tall warrior lady, you can just grab it yourself!''
Adora lay back ''I think I'm gonna watch you try for awhile, there's no rush'' She snickered as Catra's face reddened
Catra grumbled as she saw her laughing ''Ugh, anyone told you you're such an insufferable dummy?''
Adora laughed even more ''Try and reach it without my help then, I dare you ''
She positioned her feet on one of the lower shelves, launching herself up to grab onto the ledge of the higher one. She paused as she saw Adora giving her that same, challenging grin ''I'll show you'' she murmured. She reached her other hand up in order to grab one of the bottles, clinging onto the old wood of the cupboard with her nails as she did so
All of a sudden, she felt the splintered wood crack, it's fibers breaking as she closed her hand around the neck of the bottle. Catra's eyes widened as she lost her footing, the wood breaking from where she'd gripped it and sending her flying back. She yelped
Adora's demeanor completely shifted ''CATRA'' she yelled as she dove to catch her. The potion previously in Catra's hand fell and shattered right next to her, bright pink fumes spraying from it and obscuring her vision, she heard a dull thud from where Catra had likely crashed on the ground. Adora coughed as she inhaled the fumes now dispersing all over the room, this thing must've been really old. She fanned it away with her hand, waiting for her vision to clear
''Catra! Are you okay?'' she tried calling her. There was no response Adora shut her eyes, the smoke was quickly dispersing
''Adora?'' A weak, high-pitched voice called out
Adora's eyes flew open ''Catra? Hey! I'm over here!''
''I can't see you!'' The tiny voice yelled, Adora wondered if the potion had done something to her voice
The smoke finally began to clear and her eyes darted around the room, she felt her boots crunch the shattered bits of glass left by the broken potion. She was just about to call for Catra again before she feels a small tug on her jacket
''Adora! Adora! Where are we!? Where's Shadow Weaver!? Why are you so Tall?!?!?''
Adora's eyes widened to see a tiny Catra pulling at her shirt, incessantly asking questions. Her hair had gone back to the massive fluffy mess it was when they were kids and her yellow and blue eyes sparkled with that same excitement she knew so well. Her tail fluffed up as she pulled at her, jumping up and down ''ADORA! What's Going On!?!?''
''Oh no'' Adora said to herself in shock, staring at the tiny Catra as she pulled at her harder ''Catra, you're- um''
She took a deep breath, holding Catra's hand ''Catra, I'll explain everything but you have to calm down first''
''Did we get captured by Princesses?'' The tiny Catra asked in fear, stepping away from her. Her foot landed right on a shard of glass and she yelped, jumping back
''AHHH!'' She cried as she saw the fresh cut the glass left in her foot
''CATRA!'' Adora panicked as she ran out of the room, leaving small red blotches on the floor
Adora dashed out after her ''CATRA! WAIT! COME BACK!''
Adora chased her across the entire castle, but she was too fast, soon enough, Catra was out of sight
''Catra!'' she called ''Catra! Please come out!'' She was panting from running across the entire place, Catra must be so confused. She groaned as she entered a hallway filled with different doors to the many large rooms of Bright Moon's palace
What the hell happened back there? One moment, they were joking around and the next, Catra had turned into a smaller version of herself, with probably no memories of the past few years. She made a mental note to bring her to Glimmer and King Micah once she found her, they could probably reverse this easily. She stared blankly as she looked at the many rooms Catra could be hiding in
Where in Bright Moon would a tiny Catra go if she felt scared or alone?
An idea popped up in her head, Catra would go somewhere small, shadowy, secluded, safe, like she did in the Fright Zone when they were kids. If there was one place Catra would think to hide out in, it'd be one of the storage closets
With that thought, Adora searched every small closet she knew of in the palace, calling for Catra in each of them, hoping she was there
Sure enough, in the fifth room she opened, she could hear some sniffling behind one of the crates
''Catra?'' she asked softly, trying not to startle her
The small Catra stopped within a second, baring her teeth at the sight of her ''G-get away from me!''
''Catra, it's me, Adora'' she tried ''I know I look different but I promise, It's me''
Catra recoiled a little, but stayed defensive, not looking her in the eye
Adora moved closer ''Can I take a look at your foot?'' she asked, pointing at the foot that had previously been cut by the glass
Catra growled ''No! I'm not gonna go see Shadow Weaver for it!''
Adora knew what she was remembering, often when they were younger, she'd take Catra to see Shadow Weaver if she got hurt. Insisting that Shadow Weaver could make her feel better. The sorceress would always usher her out of the room before 'healing' Catra, and when Catra would leave, she wouldn't talk to her for an hour straight before they started playing like normal. To this day, she was still afraid to ask what happened in there, knowing what Shadow Weaver could've said and done at that time was enough for her to understand
''I won't take you anywhere near Shadow Weaver'' she pushed ''Just let me see if I can fix it''
Catra's demeanor changed, her voice becoming more soft and innocent ''You promise?''
''I promise'' Adora replied
Catra slowly inched her foot forward, sniffling as Adora looked down at the cut
''Does it hurt?'' She asked as she saw an excess of dried blood all over there
''Y-yes'' Catra whimpered, still afraid of what this strange new Adora was going to do
Adora sighed ''Okay, I don't want you to freak out'' She tried to keep Catra as calm as possible.
Her hand began to glow a powerful yellow. Catra nearly flew back as she saw it, yelping. She backed right into the wall, shivering in fear, her pupils were pinpricks. Adora knew she'd panic at seeing magic but she hoped it wouldn't be this bad
''Hey, hey, It's okay, Catra, It's okay'' She tried to calm her ''I promise, this won't hurt a bit''
She reached out to Catra, who tried to remain still, ever so carefully, she healed her foot to be as good at new
Once it was done, Catra looked down at her foot in wonder ''Woah! How'd you do that?'' She jumped up, cautiously stepping here and there to see if her foot was really fine
''See? I told you it wouldn't hurt'' Adora smiled ''Now, do you wanna go back outside?''
She stared around for a few seconds ''Okay, but where are we?''
Adora scratched the back of her head, wondering how she'd explain where they were ''We- we're on a....special trip, outside the Fright Zone, we're gonna be in this castle for awhile-''
''A castle? With PRINCESSES?!'' Catra looked shocked at the idea
Adora tried not to panic ''They're not that bad! We'll just be with them for awhile and then we can go back home. Plus, there's some super cool stuff here and amazing places to play''
''B-but what if they hurt us?'' Catra was still afraid of the idea
Adora reached her hand out ''They won't, and if you're still scared, I won't let anything happen to you''
The tiny Catra slowly took her hand, coming closer to Adora and hugging her. Adora returned the hug before lifting her up ''We're gonna go talk to some people, okay?''
Catra quietly nodded, gripping onto Adora's shirt as she walked out of the storage closet
''So...dad'' Glimmer smiled, not really knowing how to talk to him ''What'd I miss during the invasion?''
Micah raised an eyebrow ''Not too much, just alot of fighting and destruction, you should've seen us when we evacuated the castle''
Glimmer nodded, wanting to hear more, Bow looked at her awkwardly, he had no idea how to break the news to Micah that he and Glimmer were a couple now, he could barely keep a straight face
Micah scratched the back of his head ''Well it was around two days after the guild made fortifications and everyone regrouped. First Frosta started yelling that there were ships swarming, and everyone ran out of their bedrooms, grabbing what they could before the bots showed up. Bow and I loaded everyone onto Darla while Adora tried to fight them off with the other Princesses. She ended up getting a nasty scratch on her arm and I used magic to levitate a few falling rocks so we could get her out, and then we flew away to make camp'' He concluded his story, not really knowing what else to say
''Wait, levitation? I don't think I've heard of that one'' Glimmer seemed intrigued
Micah became less tense ''Really? I thought Light Spi-Shadow Weaver would've taught it to you''
Glimmer became a little more awkward ''She...taught me more specific stuff, we never even did illusions and it's not like we had ti-''
''Illusions?'' Micah stood up ''I'm great at those! I could teach you everything I know!''
Glimmer gave a soft smile ''Really, dad?''
''Yes! We can set up a traini-''
Adora burst into the room ''Guys, we might need some help''
''AHHH, A PRINCESS!'' On her arm was a tiny Catra, now frantically clawing at her
''Catra, Catra, It's okay, she's gonna help us'' Adora calmed the kitten who resorted to clinging onto her
Bow's eyes widened ''Woah, what happened to her?''
Adora sighed ''She got hit with some potion from the closet and now she's like 5 again''
Glimmer stifled a laugh ''Wow, she's...actually kinda cute''
''Stay away from me!'' Catra hissed as Glimmer approached
''She...also hates Princesses'' Adora grinned sheepishly as Catra bared her teeth and threatened Glimmer with her tiny claws ''Can you guys reverse it?''
Micah thought for a second ''I think so, we'll need a sample of the potion, and more ingredients for a reversal elixir, but it might take some time, alot of time. You guys should watch over her in the garden'' He paused ''Glimmer, do you wanna help me with making the antidote, I could use an extra pair of hands''
Glimmer's eyes lit up ''Really? I'd love to!''
Adora smiled before turning to Catra ''How about we find a fun place to play while the Princess does her work?''
Catra stared around in excitement for a second before switching to fear again ''But isn't it time for training? What if Shadow Weaver finds us?''
Everyone in the room's blood ran cold. They knew well enough to never ask about how exactly Catra and Adora had been raised and Micah knew better than anyone what Shadow Weaver would've been like. None of them had ever heard Catra refer to her so openly and they were afraid of what they would learn before Catra went back to normal
''She won't'' Adora answered firmly ''I'll make sure she doesn't''
''I'll go with you guys'' Bow smiled ''I don't wanna get in the way of Glimmer and Micah's potion stuff''
Adora raised an eyebrow ''You mean you don't wanna tell him you're dating?'' she grinned as he got flustered
''Adoraaa, can we go play now?'' Catra complained
Adora chuckled ''Of course we can, come on, I know a great place''
They made their way to the outer balcony Garden, several small animals as well as strange items and toys were left here. It acted as a small storage area during their cleanup of the castle so there was much to do there, she knew Catra would love it. She placed Catra down ''You go have fun for awhile, I'm gonna be here if you need me'' She felt an overwhelming amount of joy when the tiny Catra's eyes lit up
Catra had never seen flowers, or grass, or animals (other than rats), or even real toys. She gazed around in amazement as she set out to explore every nook and cranny of this strange new place. She was so full of excitement, she could hardly contain herself
Adora and Bow sat on a stone bench near the door, watching as she scurried across the garden
''So, you doing okay?'' Bow asked quietly as they looked on
Adora shrugged ''Yeah, I'm doing fine, aside from the whole 'my best friend is a kid again' thing''
Bow smiled as she pounced at a speck of yellow light, giggling as she fell into the grass ''She's really different from the usual grumbly Catra, makes you wonder what-'' He stopped short, he often forgot about Adora's whole life in the Fright Zone before she met them. He knew to be careful around Catra, at least for now, but he'd often speak his mind when he was around Adora
She sighed ''Shadow Weaver didn't really let us have a normal childhood, as we got older, she did alot of things that made things the way they are, and I...didn't understand back then'' She tried to keep the explanation short
''Adora! Adora! look what I found!'' Catra leapt over handed Adora a small gemstone, smiling as it shined in the light
''It's beautiful, Catra'' She tried to seem as excited as possible
''Can we keep it?'' the tiny Catra asked in wonder
Adora chucked ''Of course we can, we'll hide it so no one'll find it at home''
Bow's eyebrows furrowed at the word 'home' He waited until Catra ran off again and Adora pocketed the gem to ask ''What do you mean 'home?' ''
Adora sighed ''She was panicking and wanted to go back to the Fright Zone, so I told her we'd only be here for awhile and then head back
Bow looked back at her, now pouncing into the plants that Shadow Weaver had grown here almost a year ago. The sight was almost chilling, seeing little Catra over there, looking like she had the time of her life, it made him see into a world before the war, a world where Catra was always happy and never burdened by her past, a world he'd never gotten to know
''I never understood'' Adora said quietly
Bow stared at her again, Adora seemed so sad and hurt
''She-She was my best friend, and I never took the time to see what she was going through, I took her to see Shadow Weaver when she didn't want to, I never stood up to her when I should've, I always told her to just stay calm and listen and she wouldn't get hurt'' Guilt had washed over her
The archer placed a hand on her shoulder ''But you understand now, don't you?''
Adora stared back at him ''Is it enough? I can't do it all over, I can't go back and yell at myself to just listen for once, I-''
''You can give her this'' Bow interrupted, gesturing to the garden ''Look at her, she finally has the chance to be a regular kid for a day, I know she probably won't remember it but it'll make you feel better, won't it? That for one day, she doesn't have to worry about training, or Shadow Weaver, or her past, she can just be her. I think that's pretty good''
Adora was a little surprised at the idea, she looked at the tiny Catra again, now trying to climb a tree ''Yeah, yeah I guess it is''
''We seem to have a problem'' Micah walked in, interrupting them
Catra squeaked as she jumped out of the bushes, scurrying over to Adora to cling to her again. Adora welcomed her, laughing softly ''What's up?''
''Glimmer's working with the spell circle and I'm on potion making, but we need an Azphadel leaf from Plumeria and I think Li- Shadow Weaver used them all. Normally she'd teleport, but I don't wanna exhaust her since she's keeping the spell going'' He explained
Adora thought for a moment ''Plumeria isn't that far off, I think She-Ra can make a run there, Perfuma's sure to have some, how long do I have?''
''Two hours, then we need to add the leaf'' Micah added
Bow awkwardly looked between them ''I-I'm gonna go help Glimmer'' He scampered off as if he was afraid of something
Micah looked in his direction inquisitively ''What happened to him?''
Adora shrugged ''I'll take Catra to Plumeria with me, get the leaf, and come back, you guys make sure everything's good here''
Micah nodded, heading back inside
''Hey Catra?'' She set the kitten down as Micah left
Catra's ears drooped ''Do we have to go home?''
Adora's eyes widened a little before she shook her head ''No, no, we're going to another super special place''
Catra's tail began moving around in excitement ''Where?''
''It's a place called Plumeria, we need to meet some super nice ladies there and then come back here, you wanna come with me?'' Adora bent down to Catra's level
''Yes! yesyesyesyes yes!'' Catra smiled, jumping up and down
Adora smiled standing and picking up the sword again ''For the honor of Grayskull!''
Catra's mouth fell open as Adora grew like three feet in size, a blinding glow emanating from her as her hair majestically flowed in the wind. Piercing blue eyes ere now where the gray ones she'd spent her whole small life with used to be. A white and gold warriors uniform with a blue gem resting on her chest was formed, Catra looked up in shock as she saw...a tiara
''AHHHHHH A PRINCESS!''
The gigantic figure immediately became far less intimidating as she fumbled for Catra to stop yelling
''Catra! wait! it's m-'' She bent down again, oh stars, she forgot to tell Catra about She-Ra, how could she forget that!
''NO! GET AWAY! GET AWAY! PRINCESSES ARE BAD!'' She scampered backward
She sighed ''Catra, I'm not gonna hurt y-''
''NO! YOU'RE EVIL! I KNOW ABOUT YOU! YOU DRAG SOLDIERS OUT OF THEIR BEDS! AND PUT THEM IN YOUR LAIR! AND-'' She listed the stories Adora had heard so many times
''Catra, those are just little stories from the Horde, none of those are true!'' She tried, Catra was backed against the wall, her pupils shaking as she whirled around for a way out, She-Ra's giant figure didn't leave many nooks and crannies for her to escape through
''NO! ADORA HELP ME! ADORA!'' The kitten was tearing up at this point
Adora's heart ached at the way the kitten called for her ''Catra, really, it's me, it's Adora! I'm just gonna take you to-''
''NO! I'M GOING WITH ADORA! I WANT ADORA!'' She whined, frantically clawing at the gold cuffs on She-Ra's wrists
''Catra'' she tried again, softly ''Please, it's really me, I'm here'' She placed her giant hand on Catra's shoulder, she flinched in fear
''I WANT ADORA!'' The kitted yelled, tears in the corners of her eyes as she bared her teeth
Adora sighed as she relinquished her powers, transforming back. She placed a soft palm on Catra's cheek. The kitten's eyes scrunched shut as she cowered in fear. ''Catra? Catra, hey I'm here''
Catra's whimpering stopped, she slowly withdrew herself to see the Adora she knew again
The kitten immediately latched onto her, tiny claws gripping the frayed red jacket. Adora took her into her arms, comforting her as she explained what happened ''Th-there was a big scary Princess, and she tried to take me away- she had a tiara- she- she was gonna take me to her lair-''
Adora tried to calm her down ''Hey, shhh, it's okay, it's okay, that Princess won't hurt you''
Catra ceased in talking ''b-but she's giant and scary, and Shadow Weaver said-''
Adora smiled warmly ''Shadow Weaver was wrong, those are all just silly stories from the Horde, no princess is gonna take you to her lair if I can help it''
''B-but you're just like me, how're you gonna fight them?'' Catra asked in fear
''Catra, I'm the big scary warrior lady, I tried to tell you before but you were crying too much, it's just me'' She tried
Catra's eyes widened even more ''You? YOU'RE A PRINCESS?!''
Adora nodded sheepishly ''S-sorta'' she scratched the back of her head ''But I'm not a bad Princess, I don't go around killing soldiers, I'm just me''
Catra was scared, but tried to be trusting since it was Adora ''B-but the other ones-''
''You think the big scary warrior lady's gonna let anything happen to you?'' Adora tried
''What if you can't control her? What if she takes me to her lair and-'' Catra was still terrified
''That won't happen'' The blonde interrupted
''How do you know?'' Catra was still gripping onto her jacket
There were a million things she could say. because I literally am her, because I've been her for years, because I know what I'm doing but none of those would satisfy Catra ''Because if she does, I'll come out and I'll beat her up!'' She made a punching gesture
The idea caused Catra to laugh out loud
''I promise, she's just me, I'm just a little taller, and glowy, and with longer hair, and with a new outfit, and a tiara, but really, it's me. And I'll make sure you're gonna be okay'' she said with finality. Little Catra finally relaxed. ''Now, what do you say you get to know She-Ra? Without getting scared this time?''
Catra stepped back, nodding. She stomped her foot and huffed ''Okay, I'm not gonna be scared''
''Good'' Adora stood up again, swiftly summoning her sword
''For the honor of Grayskull!''
''FASTER ADORA! FASTER!'' Catra pointed as she gripped onto She-Ra's tiara, legs swung over her shoulder guards. Adora was sprinting across the wheat fields through the path to Plumeria, running with all the strength she could muster
Surprisingly, She-Ra had managed to win Catra over pretty easily. One quick game of hide and seek (the giant She-Ra being the one to hide so it was easy for Catra) and then a ride on her shoulders and Catra seemed to grasp that it was her. Running made Catra super happy, the moment Adora had first done it made her laugh out loud as she grabbed onto the Princess, she'd never seen little Catra have so much fun, even when they were kids
So here she was, sprinting to Plumeria with Catra on her shoulders, the wind flowing across her hair and the kitten's mane. She had about an hour to get home and it was a ten minute run, giving them plenty of time to meet with Scorpia and Perfuma. Adora could only hope Catra would take as kindly to them as she had to She-Ra
They stopped right at the entrance to the Heart Blossom village. Passing the ruined Horde base as fast as possible so Catra wouldn't get a proper look at it. Adora gently lifted her off her shoulders and transformed back
''So, is She-Ra still a big, scary Princess?'' She smirked
Catra jumped up and down ''Nu-uh! She's fun and amazing! When can I see her again?''
''You can only meet her when I'm transformed, are you really gonna trade me for her?'' Adora pouted slightly
Catra thought for a moment ''Hmmm, I guess not, you're my best friend! And you'll always look out for me too!''
Adora picked her up again ''Glad to hear, I'm pretty sure they have a playground here too, maybe Scorpia can take you there''
''Whose Scorpia?'' Catra asked as she looked around the town
''She's a very nice lady, we're gonna see her in a second'' Adora smiled, nearing the door to Scorpia and Perfuma's hut, they were planning on expanding it when they could but insisted on getting Plumeria up and running completely before doing anything for themselves. The war had still left them in shambles
Adora knocked on the door, which was pretty quickly answered by Scorpia
''Oh! Hi Adora! I wasn't expecting ya, what's up? Hey Perfuma! Adora's here!'' the overly energetic woman smiled as she let them in
''Hey, Scorpia'' Adora grinned sheepishly as the tiny Catra in her arms came into view
Scorpia gasped ''Woah! Is-is that? She almost looks like''
''It's Catra'' Adora managed between giggles at Scorpia's amazement ''She got turned into a kid thanks to a potion and we need some ingredient to fix it'' She turned to the kitten ''Catra, this is Scorpia. Scorpia...well you've already met her but-''
''Woah! How strong are your pincers?'' Catra wondered
Scorpia chuckled before Perfuma walked in ''Sorry I kept you waiting, did you say- Adora! I could sense your positive energy here! Wait, is that-''
''Perfuma, look! It's Catra, but like, a kid!'' Scorpia told her as Catra sniffed the giant claw pointing at her
''Long story short, she got potion-ed and we need an Azadele leaf to fix her'' Adora tried to keep things short
''You mean an Azphadel leaf?'' Perfuma asked ''I have some in the yard! You should sit down for tea, I was just getting some ready for Scorpia and I, does Catra like tea?''
Catra cocked her head ''What's 'tea'?''
Scorpia slapped Adora on the back ''Nah, she hasn't had anything other than ration bars yet, we all grew up on those! right Adora?''
Adora grinned sheepishly, ''yeah...right''
Perfuma was shocked for a moment but quickly recovered ''Well, I'm sure she'll be pleased to try it, Scorpia here loved it when I first made it for her, you three stay here, I'll get the leaves too'' she left for the kitchen on the other end of the small hut
''Man, look at us, a couple of Horde kids sitting together having tea'' Scorpia contemplated ''We've really gotten pretty far, haven't we''
''You're from the Horde too?'' Catra asked
Scorpia grinned ''Sure I am! Grew up there just like you-''
''Heyyy, Catra! How about you go play on the carpet a little'' Adora cleared her throat as Catra steadily left her lap, taking in her surroundings ''She thinks we're only on a mission, she doesn't know about everything that happened after...just play along, okay?''
''Ohhhh, Gotcha'' Scorpia nodded ''So...what's it like? having her back like this, I mean, I didn't know her when I was little but it must be different for you, right?''
Adora sniffed a little ''It's...alot, It's like I just got hit with a million memories at once...kinda makes me think about the stuff that happened after''
''And how does that make you feel?'' Scorpia asked
''It's- wait you're starting to sound alot like Perfuma now'' Adora elbowed her
Scorpia sputtered ''I can't help it! She said asking others how they feel is pretty important so I'm trying that. Am I doing good?''
''You're doing great'' Adora smiled ''to tell you the truth, I'm the one whose not feeling great. She's just so innocent and small, and the way everyone ruined her, the way I ruined her, it's all coming back'' She gulped in an effort to quell her tears ''I'm trying so hard to make this day great for her, to make sure she's taken care of and happy, and loved but, it just shows that I wasn't a good friend before''
''You were a kid then, you can't expect yourself to be perfect'' Scorpia argued
''I should've been, at least for her...she deserved it'' Adora sniffled
Scorpia tried calming her ''I'm sure she did...but you deserved alot too! You couldn't give that to her as a kid, and you're giving it to her now! That's progress!'' She fumbled, Perfuma hadn't prepared her for something this deep ''And- and I'm sure she doesn't want you to be sad, Right Catra? You don't want Adora to be sad, do you?''
Catra jumped up as she heard it, and then she saw Adora desperately trying to wipe away her tears ''Adora? What's wrong? Why are you crying? You never cry...'' She jumped onto Adora's lap again and Adora hugged her tightly
''It's-It's nothing, Catra, I was just thinking about some bad stuff in the Horde'' She tried to explain
Catra nodded ''Sometimes it makes me cry too, but you're always there! So I'm gonna be there for you. We look out for each other, right?'' She smiled innocently
''Yeah, yeah we do'' Adora smiled back, this kitten was too precious ''I think I feel better now''
''Yay!'' Catra laughed before playing on the carpet again
''I brought tea and snacks!'' Perfuma said in a singsong voice as she entered the room ''Here's a pouch of leaves, right from the garden'' She passed it over to Adora after setting the tea down on the table
''Woah! What's that?'' Catra asked in wonder as she saw the steaming hot tea and cookies
Perfuma smiled ''Those are cookies, sweetie, would you like to try one?''
Catra nodded as Perfuma passed one to her. She took a bite out of it and was immediately amazed ''Adora! Adora! You need to try this!'' She jumped up and down incessantly and she gave Adora a cookie
Adora obliged ''Mhmmm, wow, it's really nice, Catra'' She gave a thumbs up
''It's even better then the gray kind, right?'' Catra's eyes sparkled with excitement
''it sure is'' Adora smiled
''Would you like to take some home?'' Perfuma was already preparing another bag
Catra was about to say yes before she looked to Adora ''D'you think Shadow Weaver will let us have any?''
Scorpia and Perfuma went silent, Perfuma looked to her in concern, Catra brought up the topic a few times during their sessions, but to see her refer to her so openly brought a chill down everyone's spines
''She doesn't have to know, we won't let her find out'' Adora quickly cleared her throat
''Hey Catra, how about I show you my favorite spot in the garden!'' Scorpia said as she stood up
''Ummm, Okay'' Catra looked to Adora for approval before following her
''It's nice to see her this way, isn't it? Her positive aura is greatly improving'' Perfuma took another sip of her tea
Adora nodded ''Do-do you think she's gonna be okay when she goes back to normal? I mean when she comes back she's gonna have all these painful memories and baggage thrown onto her again''
Perfuma thought for a moment ''Her aura will definitely shift, but she is getting better, you're a very positive influence on her''
Adora looked up ''I am?''
''She talks about you all the time! Well, most of the time it's ranting, but sometimes she opens up about how happy you make her'' Perfuma smiled
Adora seemed to only hear the negative bit ''Ranting?''
''Not a terrible kind of ranting, she just says it hurts when you overwork yourself, or get sick, and refuse to let anyone take care of you. She also hates how you always blame yourself for things that aren't your fault. She wants to make you as happy as you make her'' Perfuma explained
''She does make me happy!'' Adora said indignantly ''She has no idea how I'd feel without her here''
Perfuma smiled ''She just wants to make sure you're alright, she cares for y-''
There was a shrill scream from the backyard
''Scorpia!''
''CATRA!''
The two rushed over to see what happened
Catra was curled up in a corner, sniffling to herself. Scorpia was on her knees, trying to calm her down ''I-I'm sorry, wildcat, I-I didn't know''
Adora immediately fell to her knees by her side, Catra fled into her arms the moment she could, still crying ''what happened?'' she asked as Perfuma tried to calm Scorpia down
''I-I don't know, one minute, I used my magic, and the next, she's screaming'' Scorpia tried to explain
''You used your powers on her?!'' Adora panicked as she checked Catra for injuries, the kitten was shaking in her arms, curling into herself to make herself as small as possible
''No! No I didn't- I was just showing what I could do with my pincers and-'' she stopped as Catra finally spoke
''Sh-Shadow Weaver! It's Shadow Weaver!'' Catra cried as Adora's eyes widened
Scorpia raised an eyebrow ''Wh-what do you mean 'Shadow Weaver'?''
And then it clicked in Adora's head ''Scorpia, you're using Black Garnet magic''
Perfuma's eyes widened as both she and Scorpia looked to each other. Perfuma was aware of Catra's history with Black Garnet magic, but it was always tied more to Shadow Weaver than it was to the stone
''Adora- Adora she found us! She's- she's gonna-'' Catra panicked
''No, no she didn't'' Adora pet her hair ''I told you I wouldn't let her''
''B-but she was using her powers, she was gonna-'' Catra sniffled as she saw Scorpia's worried expression again
Scorpia inched forward ''Wildcat I-I'm so sorry, I won't do it again, promise''
Perfuma tried to diffuse the situation ''I think it's time you head home, anyway, Glimmer might need the ingredients now''
Adora nodded ''Scorpia, it's gonna be fine, you didn't mean to'' she reassured the panicking Scorpion before getting up with Catra in tow
Scorpia nodded ''Just make sure she's doin' alright, okay?''
Adora grabbed the two bags and opened the door, ''I will'' she said goodbye and left
Not long after they were at the entrance to Plumeria, a shivering Catra still in her arms
''Catra, it's okay, I promise you're okay'' Adora pet her hair before putting her down
''B-but Shadow Weaver'' Catra sniffled
''Shadow Weaver isn't getting anywhere near you if I can help it'' She asserted ''I wasn't strong before but I am now, I won't let anything happen to you''
''You promise?'' Catra asked quietly
''I promise'' Adora smiled ''Now, you wanna run back to the castle with She-Ra again?'' she summoned her sword
Catra's eyes lit up again
One quick run to Brightmoon later, Adora had passed the leaves to Bow, who was standing outside the castle. Glimmer and Micah added the leaves and a second later the potion was done! Adora walked into the old garden to see it a mess with all kinds of ingredients strewn around the floor, with a giant spell circle in the middle just below the mixing pot
Micah handed her a small phyle of a strange purple liquid
''She'll go back to normal a little while after drinking this, four hours at most'' He looked back at his daughter ''Glimmer here was a great help, I think we might remodel this place into a training ground for sorcery''
Adora nodded ''Hey Catra? It's getting dark, you wanna go to my room?''
Catra cocked her head ''You have a room?''
She rolled her eyes ''Yeah I do, come on, it's got a bunch of fun places to play too''
Catra yawned as she and Adora entered the room. Adora placed her on the bed before handing her the tiny bottle ''We'll play in a second, but first you have to drink this''
Catra obliged, finishing the bottle in one gulp ''Blegh, tastes like medicine''
Adora smiled empathetically ''So I've got games, cookies, we can jump up on those platforms if you want, or I could tell you a story, anything you want, Catra''
''Really?''
''Really''
They ended up playing for hours on end, jumping here and there, play-fighting, nearly breaking the ceiling lights, eating cookies, playing some of Brightmoon's weirder games, building forts out of pillows, trying on clothes that were too big for Catra, and at the end, Adora even told her stories from their missions in the past
Catra purred softly before she yawned again
''You should sleep, Catra, we'll probably have alot of stuff to do tomorrow'' Adora smiled as she picked her up again
Catra's ears drooped ''Adora?''
''Hm?'' Adora lay her down on the bed before bringing the blanket
''Can-can we not go home tomorrow? I like it here, I-I don't wanna go to the Horde again'' She was tearing up slightly
Adora's heart swelled and broke at the same time ''We don't have to go home again if you don't want to, we can stay here instead if you'd like''
Catra's eyes lit up ''Really?''
Adora nodded ''Of course! There are so many more fun things to do here, and Hordak can't get us!'' She pulled the blanket over, tucking Catra in ''But first you need to go to sleep, okay? You still have a bedtime''
''Okay'' Catra snuggled into the blanket, closing her eyes ''Goodnight, Adora'' and she fell asleep with the most peaceful smile on her face
''Goodnight, Catra'' she pet her hair a little before walking to her desk and flicking on the lamp light. Might as well get some paperwork done. She could hear Catra's soft snores from behind her as she worked
Around two hours later, Catra began glowing and transformed back into her usual self
Adora darted over to her as she groaned ''Hey, how're you feeling?''
''Ughhh, what happened?'' She pressed her palm against her head as she rolled over to face Adora
''You fell off the potion closet and got hit in the face'' Adora ruffled her spiky, short hair
''I think my body is betraying me like you said'' Catra complained
''Nothing a good sleep can't fix, I'll tell you all about what happened tomorrow'' Adora smiled as she pulled the blanket back over her
Catra slowly blinked her eyes open and saw the desk behind Adora, the lamp was lit and paperwork was strewn all over ''Hey, is that-? Have you been working late again?''
Adora grinned sheepishly ''I didn't wanna sleep until I was sure you were okay''
Catra flicked her nose ''Dummy'' she said sleepily
''Hey Catra?'' Adora said quietly
''Yeah?'' Catra was already starting to fall asleep again
''I love you'' She planted a kiss on her forehead
''Love you too'' Catra purred groggily ''Don't stay up too late...I'll deal with you tomorrow''
Adora nodded before going back to her desk to work