Honestly...

Swimmingly

TW: blood, stabbing

I've got this," Adora said, and she broke free of their fake ties, to grab Kyle's baton and attack the bot. Its long legs almost crushed her as she ran, and Glimmer gasped and teleported Adora back to safety. Adora sighed. "What?"

"You're not She-Ra!" Glimmer said. "Ugh, let's just teleport in!"

"Sure."

"What?"

"Get me in, and distract the bot. I've got it."

"But..." Glimmer paused. How could she explain how she wanted revenge on Catra? "Don't you need help?"

"No."

"Adora-Adora!"

Adora was trying the door, while Kyle shivered in the nearby corner. Glimmer sighed. "Seriously? I can't-"

The door opened, and Adora gestured for her to follow. Glimmer gaped. "We have to kill that bot."

"You've got this," she said, and she slipped inside, disappearing behind a closing door.

...

Catra watched the chaos numbly. There had been so much fighting today, and here they were for more, close to taking back the sword. She wanted to grab it, but thought better. No, Entrapta needed it for whatever she had planned, and Catra wasn't going to let them have it.

They seemed tired over the cameras. The bots legs were steep, and only Sparkles could get on top of it. She had just tried ramming her glitter up it, but it was stronger than it looked, and held steady.

Catra stood by the control panel, ready to denote another, when a thought occurred to her.

Where's Adora?

She changed the security footage to inside the fight zone, and bit back a gasp. She was coming. Catra quickly closed the lab door, and strode towards her. She grabbed a baton on her way out, ready to strike.

Adoras figure formed in the hallway, and Catra leaped and struck. Hee claws didn't make an indent, because midair, Catra was kicked in the stomach, and sent to the wall. She half expected Adora to pin her there, but instead she pointed a dagger at Catra's throat.

"You wouldn't."

Adora pressed deeper, drawing blood. Catra tried to stifle her surprise, but made a shocked sound involuntarily.

"Where's my sword, Catra? I haven't got all day."

She forced a smile. "What, you haven't figured it out yet? And here I thought you'd grown a brain cell, abandoning your friends like that."

Adora took a second to study Catra's mannerisms, but instead of engaging, she pushed Catra back, and stalked towards Hordacks office. In that one look, Adora's crystal blue eyes were dark, almost purple. It was unsettling.

Catra lunged at her from behind, but Adora had dodged without even turning.

Catra bared her claws, trying to strike, but Adora grabbed her wrists. She was about to attack further when her head turned.

Scorpia.

Catra breathed a sigh of relief. Scorpia paused for a moment, looking at Catra and Adora, then at the bloody sword, which she must have dropped when she'd grabbed Catra. Catra hadn't even noticed.

Scorpia growled. "What are you doing with Catra?"

"Take me to the sword, and she doesn't get hurt."

"I knew you were bad news!" Scorpia charged, her tail ready to stun her, but Adora leaned over, and picked up her dagger to strike. The dagger plunged into Scorpias shoulder, and Scorpia recoiled in shock. Adora punched her in the face, and ran towards the door.

"No, you don't." She grabbed Adora, throwing her to the wall. Adora stayed her for a second, rubbing her back. She began to get up, but Scorpia readied her tail. "One move, and you're toast."

Adora shrugged. "I'm by the door anyway." She pressed her hand to the buttons, and Scorpia laughed.

"You'll never guess it-"

The door opened, and Catra groaned. "She knows my favourite number."

Scorpia turned to enter, but Catra stopped her. "Fix your wound; I got this."

"But Catra-"

There was a crash.

Catra ran ahead, to find Adora holding the sword, the table Wntrapta had been working on was smashed, and Entrapta stood in a corner, confused. "My research! How could you?"

Adora caressed the blade, and raised it to the sky. "For the honour of Greyskull!" And she transformed into She-Ra.

She took one step towards the pho portal, and crushed it. With another swoop, she turned to some bots in development, and raised her sword.

"No-"

Smash.

Catra approached wearily. "What are you doing?"

Adora snapped her neck around. Instead of answering, she turned towards the control pad, and her sword moulded onto a hammer."

"No!" Entrapta squished herself between the panel and Adora. "If you do that, we'll lose all our electricity-our heat! It won't just destroy the bots, it'll hurt a bunch of people!"

Adora nodded, and left her arms drop. The hammer formed back into a sword, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she plunged it into the pad, electricity bolting up her arms. The light in the room went out instantly, but there was still screeching from where Adora dragged the sword down.

Catra jumped on her back, and she grunted, and knocked her to the floor. She tried to get up, to fight, but she Adora had moved, and she couldn't get out. In the back, she could faintly hear yelling as people assembled, wondering about the commotion.

Catra stood on shaky legs. "You can't just do that and leave, Adora. What did you do?" She paused. "I thought you cared about me."

"Ha," Adora said. "You only care about me when I'm convenient to you. Why would I think the same."

Catras fists formed. "Well, at least I didn't betray the only home I knew for some princess!! At least I never stabbed you-"

"You would have done this too, eventually," Adora said, but Catra couldn't pinpoint her exact location, and each time she tried to attack, she just found air. "You love destroying what I love. You're just like Mara."

"Who?"

There was no answer. Catra grunted, and threw something across the room. She heated the clink, and sighed.

"Can I move now?"

"Get the power working," Catra commanded. "I have to-"

She was grabbed and raised above someone's shoulders. She squirmed. "Scorpia! Not now-"

"Scorpia," Adora called, and Catra felt a chill down her spine. "Scorpia! I have something for you."

Scorpia must have bounded through the door-her walking wasn't that quiet. "Catra!? Where are you! I swear if that maniac-"

"I'm here," Adora said. "And I have her. And you're going to do whatever you can to help me, or you won't be the only one with a stab. Understand?"

"I'll-"

The sword glowed, and she slammed it on the ground, sending cracks of it onto the floor below.

Scorpia gulped. "Okay. Just...don't hurt her. Please."

"Good," Adora said. "Now, let go. We have a black garnet to bond to."