Catra stood in front of the grave for a long time. Hours passed until it was dark, though she hardly noticed. Hands at her sides, one clutched the unopened letter Glimmer gave her, the other stayed balled into a fist, nails digging into her palm.
The gray marble shined in the starlight, reflecting the heavens above. Entrapta has specially made it so the engravings would light up a cool blue in the darkness.
Adora. Savior of Etheria.
The dirt was still fresh.
Looking down at the letter, Catra couldn't open it. Her hands gripped the paper but did nothing more. With a shaky breath, Catra looked out into the forest which laid just beyond the gravesite.
"This isn't funny," Catra said softly. Upon the lack of response, she shouted, "You hear me? This isn't funny anymore, alright?"
Catra shook her head in frustration. "I know you want to get back at me but...but this is a messed up way to do it!" Staring into the black abyss of the trees, she almost expected an answer.
"Getting everyone in Brightmoon in on this was one thing," Catra continued to shout. "I almost bought it. But the games over, ok? Just, just come out already."
Nothing.
Catra screamed even though her throat was raw. "I'm serious Adora! If you don't I'll...I'll..." Catra's eyes landed on the letter crumpled in her hands. "I'll read your stupid thing!" Her voice cracked and her whole body shook. "I'll read it and then there's no going back. So you, you better do something or...or..."
Silence.
Catra's shoulders drooped. The forest was just...silent.
"F-Fine then," Catra ripped open the letter. "It's probably stupid anyways."
The paper was folded in three. A note attached to the top read: I will never send this. But it feels good to write it down.
Swallowing, Catra unfolded the paper to see Adora's neat handwriting filling the page.
Dear Catra,
You are my enemy now, and you always will be. I know that now.
Catra couldn't help but see the irony. If only Adora could see her now, staying in Brightmoon, fighting with the rebellion instead of against them. She'd never hear the end of it.
All this time, I had hope. Hope that you would see the light. Hope that you would realize that Etheria is a beautiful place that needs to be saved, and not destroyed.
It's not that Catra had made a total change of heart. She still didn't know why the rebellion insisted on fighting wars they couldn't win, and Catra was pretty certain she'd die helping them. It probably wasn't close enough to what Adora had in mind. But if Adora really had sacrificed everything for this useless planet, it had to mean something, right?
I have no more hope now, and that makes me sad. So sad.
She wished she hadn't opened the letter. It's not like Catra didn't know Adora hated her. It's not like Catra didn't know she'd screwed up and had lost the only person in her life who cared.
Because I miss you, Catra, and I will always miss you.
It's not like Catra didn't miss Adora too.
Breathing became ragged. Catra was having a hard time reading, vision blurring.
I miss your smile. I miss the gleam in your eye when you would beat me in a race during training. I miss laughing with you when we would play a prank on one of the other cadets in the barracks. I even miss you snoring in the bunk above me.
Catra sank to her knees, tears falling freely now. Her mind was a thousand places. Memories that she'd never get to relive were just as bad as the memories Catra would never get to make again.
Those are the things I remember when I think about you. I'm going to try to remember the good things about you, instead of the bad ones. Because those break my heart.
Catra let go of the paper, her hands instead making their way to her face to silence her sobs. This couldn't be real. These couldn't be the last words Catra would ever get from her.
The paper fluttered to the base of the gravestone, waiting patiently for her. Catra glanced at it, only to see her own reflection looking back at her from the polished stone. The word "Adora" shone over her heart.
Unsteadily, Catra took the note again. Her eyes were trained on the paper, but it took her a moment to remember how to register the words.
I'm sorry things ended up like this. I really am. But even if we could go back in time, I wouldn't do things any other way.
Love, Adora
There was nothing else. It ended, just like that. Catra's thumb brushed those last words. Love, Adora.
Catra stood up. Her pants were now caked with mud. The tears were still falling, but she was regaining her breath. Her heart wasn't feeling like it would burst anymore.
"So," Catra asked hoarsely, "This is real then?"
The abyss didn't answer back.
"You know, I dedicated everything to beating you, and now you're...it's not fair," Catra sniffed weakly. "It wasn't suppose to end like this. We were always suppose to figure things out, eventually."
Brokenly, Catra whispered, "I should've gone with you. I should've but I was angry and I...why didn't I go with you?" The frustration built up pressure in her chest and Catra just needed to scream again. "Why did we have to be the ones with the fucked up childhoods? Why couldn't we live our lives?"
Catra was holding onto herself but she wished she was holding someone else.
"Why did we waste so much time?"
Catra's frowned at her own words. It was a ridiculous thought, something that had merely fluttered through her mind haphazardly, but suddenly she couldn't get it out of her head.
Catra skimmed through the letter again. She read aloud, "But even if we could go back in time...I wouldn't do things any other way."
Of course, Catra thought. Maybe she was insane. Maybe she was desperate. Or, maybe, she was right.
Clutching the letter, Catra stared at the gravestone, not in sadness anymore but hope.
"Adora, you genius," Catra laughed through her tears. "You brilliant stupid genius." Leaning down, she placed a hand on the stone. "I'm going to make this right."
Catra walked away, then ran, then sprinted towards the castle. She had to tell the others everything.
They were going to save Adora.
•••••
Just as Catra expected, everyone was still gathered in the reception, sat down at the large table and chatting idly. Seeing her rush in, muddy and red-eyed, a lot of people were staring but she didn't care. Catra needed their attention anyways.
She walked right up to Glimmer who was sitting at the head of the table and slapped the note down in front of her.
"Catra? What's going on?" Glimmer looked concerned. Catra knew she looked insane and that the next thing she said would likely solidify that idea.
"We need to open another portal."
The room erupted in cries of outrage. Catra paid no attention. She knew they'd react this way but if she could get them to see what she knew was possible, everything would be ok. That, or she'd be locked up in Brightmoon's prison. Does Brightmoon have a prison?
Glimmer held up her hand, shouting at everyone to quiet down before addressing Catra. "Why would we do that?"
"The planet's balanced, right?" Catra explained. "We don't have to worry about the universe collapsing in on itself anymore."
"Just because we can, doesn't mean we should," Glimmer said quietly.
"You aren't getting it," Catra shook her head. "I'm trying to save Adora."
"Adora's dead," Bow said. "Opening a portal won't change that."
"But it can," Catra insisted. "Look, when I opened the first one-" Catra noted the dirty looks she got for that, "-there was this moment when I fell into the void, and I somehow...I don't know, merged with the portal's magic.
"Semi-apodictic cellular rewrittance," Entrapta said, causing everyone to turn to her. "It's a phenomenon that I had studied within the portal's reality. If I had to make a hypothesis, when Catra only partially fell out of existence, the dark matter holding together her body was pure energy supplied from the portal."
Catra smiled, surprised to have Entrapta on her side. She walked over to her, continuing her rant. "Yeah, whatever that is. I was able to use it to my advantage. Change where I was at."
"You were able to manipulate space-time," Entrapta nodded.
"Exactly!" Catra said, looking to everyone as if they should've figured it out by now. Groaning, she explained further. "It wasn't just space I was manipulating. It was time."
"Oh!" Entrapta stood up excitedly, "You think we can use a portal to open a point in time. But that's purely theoretical science-"
"I know it'll work," Catra said. "That portal has haunted me every night since it was opened. I can't forget what it felt like if I tried, and it felt like time was everywhere, happening all at once. What if we could control how we move through it?"
"It's too dangerous," Glimmer said. "Every time someone's opened a portal, bad things have happened."
"This is Adora's life we're talking about," Catra slammed her hand on the table. "We could stop all of this from ever happening."
"Well, that depends on whether our timeline is fixed or not," Entrapta pointed out. "This all boils down to if time can be changed."
"It can't."
Everyone looked to the new speaker. 6-32.
"How would you know?" Glimmer asked.
"I've seen it attempted before," The guard said. "People thinking they can change the future. It always fails. Fate can't be changed."
"Adora didn't believe that," Catra said shakily. She clenched her fists so tight that her nails drew blood. She didn't want to cry in front of everyone.
Looking around the table, Catra knew they were all skeptical. The only one she had on her side was Entrapta, and even she seemed doubtful.
Catra's hopes were slowly sinking. "I know what it sounds like. But if there's even a chance...don't you guys want to take it?"
Bow stood up and walked over to Catra. "I'm in."
Entrapta joined them next. "If you give me a month, maybe two, I think we could make a viable machine."
Scorpia stood up, along with Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle. "I trust Catra," Scorpia said, to which the others agreed.
One by one the princesses joined, until the only ones sitting were Glimmer and 6-32.
"Your highness?" Catra asked.
Glimmer felt a headache coming on. She didn't like portals. She didn't think this was a good idea. But if there was even a slight possibility that she could see Adora again, she knew she had to take it.
"I'm in," Glimmer said. She walked to Catra's side of the room, leaving only one left.
"Can we count on you to help us?" Catra asked. "Because if not, you're free to leave."
The guard sat there for a moment, expression unreadable behind the helmet. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "I stand by what I said. I don't think you can change anything." Getting up, he continued, "That doesn't mean I won't help. Anything you need, just let me know."
If someone had told Catra that the day would end with her beaming, she wouldn't of believed them. Looking around at the people standing beside her though, she couldn't help it.
"Let's get Adora back."