~~~~Catra~~~~
I crawled along the tree branches near this strange temple after finding Adora in the Whispering Woods. Turns out you can trust a piece of junk given to you by a geeky princess.
Mira floated to my right and gently sat herself on the branch as we watched Adora walk up to the temple.
She stopped in front of the temple and this strange panel lit up, lowering into a ramp and down into the ground. Adora didn't hesitate to go down.
Mira and I jumped down from the branch and quickly followed before the entrance closed. I watchdd carefully as Adora walked dowm the dimly lit halls.
"What is going on?" I muttered to myself.
"This place...." Mira said softly, drawing my attention towards her.
Her eyes were wide, flickering to a brighter green, the normal green, and then her natural eye color before repeating the pattern. She was still, frozen as if she was a block of ice, staring down the hall Adora was walking down.
"Mira, are you okay?" I asked, gripping her shoulder. Mira didn't flinch, but her eyes settled on the normal green color from before.
"That does not matter. We must finish this mission quickly. Shadow Weaver will be most upset if we do not return soon." She said, her voice stern and emotionless. Something that chilled me to the bone. I'd have to finish this quickly.
~~~~Adora~~~~
I walked down the halls of the empty temple, hoping to find any kind of answers, especially for healing. Not just for Glimmer, but for Mira as well.
I couldn't help but feel terrfied for her, since the last time I saw her, she was taken over by Shadow Weaver's darkness and transformed into her. I just wanted her back.
The entire room lit up and I constantly looked around as I walked further inside. Everything was made of different crystals that shone in different colors. I walled up a small ramp that led to a strange alter surrounded by crystal pillars.
"Hello?" I asked, my voice echoing off the walls and bouncing all around the room.
I took the sword off my back and held out for anyone to see.
"I carry the sword of She-Ra, and I've come here for help. Is anyone there?" I asked.
All of a sudden, a voice spoke from behind me.
"Greetings, administrator. What is your query?" The voice asked. I jumped in surprise and turned around to see the strange hologram we all met a while back.
"Oh." I said stumbling out of my surprise, "I need your help to heal my friend and daughter. My friend has been cursed and my daughter is tainted with dark magic. I don't know how to save either of them. The legends say that She-Ra could heal people using this sword. How do I do that?"
It was silent for a moment before I got an answer.
"What is your query?" The hologram asked.
"Not this again." I scoffed in annoyance. Just as I was about to walk around and find my own answers, I noticed the stone on the sword was beginning to glow. That gave me an idea.
I held the sword high into the air and called out, "For the honor of Grayskull!" I was quickly transformed, and turned back towards the hologram.
"How about now?" I asked.
"Administrator detected. Welcome, She-Ra." The hologram greeted.
I sighed in relief and held the sword back up at the hologram.
"One more time. What can you tell me about this sword?" I asked again.
"Subject: Sword of Protection. Classification: portable Runestone keyed exclusively to administrator She-Ra, Princess of Power. Included information: Paired with---"
The hologram flickered for a second before returning to normal, never finishing that second sentence. I shook off that last part and focused on the task at hand.
"How can I use the sword to heal my friend and daughter?" I asked.
"Query not recognized."
I groaned loudly, running my hand across my face in my annoyance. I sighed and walked closer to the hologram.
"Legends say that the sword has healing powers. Is that true?" I asked.
"One of the Sword of Protection's many intended functions is to heal, restore balance and dispel darkness when paired with--" she flickered again for a second before returning to normal.
"But how do I do that?" I asked, gritting my teeth.
"Query not recognizd."
"How can I use the sword to heal people?" I asked, slower as if I was talking to a small child.
The hologram repeated the last answer, but I was beyond annoyed at this point. I groaned again, deciding to give up on this hologram.
"Okay, is there someone else I can talk to?" I asked.
"Query not recognized." Was my answer.
I grunted, not knowing what to do, when all of a sudden, images ran through my mind.
A sky full of stars.
Etheria floating in empty space.
A woman with purple skin dressed in purple hood and covered in First Ones code and markings.
And someone else I couldn't recognize. Someone in white. Their face was hidden from me, but it looked like they were reaching towards me. As if they were calling to me.
But there was one thing that stood out in my mind. A name.
I turned back to the hologram, "Let me talk to Light Hope." I said.
"Light Hope." The hologram repeated.
"Light Hope. That's her name, isn't it?" I asked, "The woman Mira and I saw when I touched the seord for the first time. Where is she?"
"Yes, Light Hope is here. She has been waiting for you and the child."
"Can I talk to her?" I asked.
"You will meet her soon enough. First, you must let go."
I was confused, "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"You and the child are not ready yet. You must let go and the child must be purified once again."
"Let go of what? And what do you mean by 'the child must purified?' Do you mean Mira?" I asked. I never got my answer when I heard something shout behind me.
Out of instinct, I pointed my sword towards the direction the sound was coming from and shot a laser in said direction. My attack blew up a piece of the temple, but as the smoke and light cleared, I saw two familiar figures.
Catra, and Mira, but in Shadow Weaver form.
"Hey! Watch it. You could've hit Mira!" Catra shouted. My eyes widened at the sight of my former friend and daughter.
"Catra? Mira? What are you two doing here?" I asked, lowering my sword.
"Unauthorized presence detected." The hologram said. I turned around and saw that she had turned a threatening shade of red.
"Security protocol activated."
The hologram disappeared and the entire room turned red.
"Not again." I said in a panic.
"What just happened?" Catra asked.
"Obviously you foolishly activated the security measures, Force Captain." Mira said, her voice sounding harsher than it should. Then again, she was taken over by darkness at the moment.
"This isn't good." I turned back towards Catra and Mira, "You're not supposed to be in here. Especially not with Mira the way she is."
The doors all around us began to seal shut. I had no choice in the matter. I ran to Catra and grabbed her arm, Mira following close by.
I led Catra and Mira to one of the open doors, but then something stopped us. There were several red lights illuminating the hall in front of us, and the sound of horrible screeching filled our ears.
We stopped in our tracks as massive spiders ran out of the hall.
"What are those?" Catra asked in terror.
"Also not good." I answered. We ran again to one of the other doors, but by the time we got to the last door, it had already shut tight.
Mira suddenly jumped into action. She held her hands out towards the spiders and summoned shadows from her sleeves. The shadows lashed out at the spiders, tying them down to the ground and immobilizing them for the time being.
"If you are to do something helpful, now would be a good time, Princess." Mira said with venom in her words.
I snapped out of it and turned back to the door. I crouched down and lifted the door open enough for all of us to get theough.
"Come on! We need to run." I shouted to Catra and Mira. The two quickly heard the plan and ran through the door, just in time for the shadows to vanish ans release the spiders. But we didn't pay attention to that.
We ran down the red colored walls to one of the intersections going left or right. Suddenly from our right, the lights began to shut off, and even more of those spiders came out from the shadows.
Catra scooped Mira up in her arms and we ran the opposite direction.
"What's going on? Why are those things trying to kill us?" Catra asked.
"And why are you holding me! I demand you let me go, Force Captain!" Mira shouted, struggling in Catra's hold.
"They're trying to kill you." I answered, "This place sees you as an invader. Ans since Mira is tainted with darkness at the moment, she's a target, too."
"Well, can't you tell them to stop?" Catra asked.
"No, I can't tell them to stop. Clearly, nothing in here is listening to me!" I shouted back. We quickly turned the corner, but only to be caught with a dead end. Mira jumped out of Catra's arms and was about to use her power, when she froze.
Her eyes were wide with an unclear emotion, something neither me, nor Catra could ever understand. Was it fear? Anger? Shock?
"Mira? What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't answer. We didn't have time for an answer as the spider rounded the corner and got closer to us.
Catra picked Mira up again and held her close.
"Adora?" Catra said as the spider got closer ans closer.
I looked back at the dead end wall and swung my sword at it and the ceiling above us, causing the stone to begin to crumble.
"What are you doing?" Catra asked as the stone began to collapse. I pulled her and Mira closer to me before turning my sword into a shield to protect us from the falling rubble.
It ended so quickly and for some miracle, the three of us were unharmed. I transformed back to normal, Mira now underneath me and coughing like Cstra was from the dust of the rubble.
"Mira, are you okay?" I asked, but she didn't answer, only staring off into space with the same look as before.
I cradled her in my arms and looked over at Catra.
"You shouldn't be here, Catra." I said, "Those things aren't gonna stop until they get you, and as long as I'm protecting you and Mira, they'll see me as a threat, too."
Catra looked at me annoyed, "Uh, good thing I didn't ask you to protect me or Mira." She said.
"Wait, you know, what-- Okay. Why are you here anyway? I mean, how did you even find this place? And what made you think it was a good idea to bring Mira here in the first place."
"It sent up a beam of light a mile high. It wasn't hard." She answered standing back up with her back towards me, "As for Mira, she followed me here of her own free will. Not that she has very much of it left. You might want to let her go before she goes ballistic."
I stood up holding Mira, "Does Shadow Weaver know you two are here?" I asked.
"I'd say Shadow Weaver's got bigger problems right now." Catra said. I smirked as she turned around.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked then pointed her finger at me, "Wait. No. I know what this is about. Ugh, I knew you'd be weird about me letting you escape. I told you, it's not because I like you."
"I mean, I didn't-- I didn't say anything." I replied smugly.
"Anyway, what are you doing out here? Where are your new best friends? I though you did everything together." She said. My anger peaked.
"Oh, my friends? The ones you kidnapped along with Mira and held for ransom? The ones you let Shadow Weaver imprison and curse?" I said sarcastically, getting straight into her face.
"Yeah, obviously. What other friends would I be talking about?" She replied casually.
Just then, Mira groaned, her eyes finally coming back into focus. I saw a flicker of purple before they went back to the bright green color. She gasped and pushed me away, landing on her feet on the floor.
"How dare you touch me, Princess?!" She screamed at me, shocking me to the core. She spoke so, viciously.
"Mira, what are you--"
"How dare you call me by that pathetic name?" She cut me off, "My name is Miracle. I shall be called by nothing else."
Catra and I stared in shock at the little girl we once knew, now turned into this darker form.
~~~~Mira~~~~
As soon as I stepped into the temple, I sensed something strange build within me. Something unusual, warm and somehow.... familiar.
Everything stopped as soon as I laid eyes on that dead end wall. It all went dark. The next thing I knew, my eyes opened again, only to be faced by darkness.
I looked around, nothing to be seen in this pit of black. Where was this place? What was this place? How did I get here? All of these questions swirled in my mind like whirlpool of confusion.
"Hello, little one." A voice said to me. I turned around to see who was speaking to me, but no ome was in sight.
"Who are you? Show yourself at once!" I demanded.
"I am afraid I cannot honor your request. I have waited a very long time to see you, Miracle. However, I do wish it was under different circumstances."
My heart beat faster and faster, not knowing what to do. I had never felt so helpless in my life. And for once, I was sloghtly afraid.
"Why not? Why not show yourself to me? If you have been waiting for me, why not allow yourself to be revealed?" I asked.
"I am not able to reveal myself, for you have been tainted. We shall see each other face to face when the light has been returned to your heart, young Miracle."
"What light? I have never had light inside of my heart. And who are you to tell me otherwise?"
All a sudden, I felt a hand on my shoulder from behind. I quickly turned around and saw someone.
They were my height, covered in white. Even their face was covered in a white veil, hiding their identity from me. I was hesitant to reach out to the veil just to see who was hiding. But when I did, all I saw was a white mask, a strange symbol carved into it. It almost resembled a flower. A familiar flower.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice soft and quiet.
Their hand went from my shoulder to my hand, where the stranger took it gently in theirs. I was suddenly filled with a strange warmth. It was so strange and familiar. But why?
And why did it hurt?
I pulled away from this stranger as the warmth began to burn in my chest. I collapsed onto my knees, clutching my chest to ease the pain.
"Dear child, I am so sorry for the pain this must be causing you. I am so sorry for not being their to protect you from the darkness that invaded your heart. But please, be patient, the darkness that has tainted you shall be purified and this pain will cease. No longer will you have to fear the dark. Then, I shall finally be revealed to you, and you shall see the true light."
I looked up at this stranger, but all I saw was the darkness again. Soon, the pain became too much for me to handle, and my eyes slowly fluttered closed again.
"Yeah, obviously. What other friends would I be talking about?" A voice cut through the darkness once again.
I groaned, my eyes fluttering open once again and seeing a strange face. Blonde hair. Tanned skin. A weird hair poof on her head. And blue eyes. I recognized this girl. The runaway Force Captain Adora. The Princess She-Ra.
I gasped and pushed her away, landing on my feet on the floor.
"How dare you touch me, Princess?!" I screamed at her. Both Force Captain Catra and the princess seemed to be shocked as their eyes were wide with said emotion.
"Mira, what are you--"
"How dare you call me by that pathetic name?" I cut the princess off "My name is Miracle. I shall be called by nothing else."
They stared at me for a moment longer, before I heard strange scratching sounds from the other side of tur rubble wall.
"Shall we be going? Surely those creatures will be back, won't they, Princess?" I spat out the word as if it were poison on my tongue. It was disgusting how I had to be so close to the enemy like this.
The princesd shook her shock away and took a deep breath in.
"She's right. Those things will be back any minute, so let's find a way out of here." The princsss said, then began to walk down the only available way.
"Well, we don't need to go together." Force Captain Catra said, "You do your weird little magic quest thing, Mira and I will find our own way out."
I growled when I heard that pathetic name again.
"My name is Miracle, Force Captain Catra." I said in my anger, "And if you were smart enough to take a look around, you would clearly see that there is only one exit for the time being."
Catra looked around, seeing that I was correct. The three of us, to all of our dismay, traveled the same path. We traveled down the lit halls, seeing several First Ones' writing carved into the metal walls. All of which were readable to me.
But I had never seen this writing before.... So how could I read it?
Every step we took, slowly my head began to hurt. The more we walked, the more the pain increased and stranger I felt. This place.... what was it exactly...?
"Another dead end." Catra groaned. I looked up from my thoughts and saw that there was a wall with writing on it in our way.
"No, it's not." The princess said. She walked up to the wall and placed her hand on it.
"Eterina." She said. My eyes widened when the door lit up and opened, but it wasn't just the door opening that shocked me. It was the word the princess had spoken.
Eternia... where had I heard that name before?
"Eh, long story." The princess said after Catra looked at her sttangely. The three of us walked through the door, only to be found in darkness. The princess held out her sword, the stone embedded into it illuminating the darkness that surrounded us.
"Cool, you found the Infinite Darkness Room." Catra said, "Have fun, Miracle and I are gonna find another way around."
As Catra walked away, she stopped, "Uh... Where did the door go?"
The princess and I turned around and saw that the door had vanished.
"Wait, I think I see something." The princess said, walking towards a red glowing light in the distance.
"Hello? Light Hope?" She called out. We all walked closer to the red light. When we got close to it, we only saw that it was a small light, no one else was there.
"What's-" Catra began, only to shout from a sudden flash of light. We covered our eyss as to not be blinded, but when we uncovered them, I was alone.
The princess and Catra were nowhere near me, but I found that I was in a different place all together.
No longer was I in the strange halls of the temple. But instead, I was in a forest. The Whispering Woods to be exact.
The strange trees and lighf shining through the leaves in the canopies. The soft grass underneath my bare feet was comforting, and the soft breeze was relaxing.
It made me feel.... uneasy.
Suddenly, the area began to flicker. I realized at that moment that I was indeed not in the actually Whispering Woods, but still within the walls of the temple.
"What a fascinating trick." I said to myself, "But I do not have time for games."
I began to walk around, trying to find some way to escape this illusion. Just then, I heard something nearby. A small bit of laughter.
I stopped in my tracks, mesmerized by the soft laughter. I didn't understand why, but I began to walk towards the soft laughter.
I pushed through the trees, their forms flockering as they were holograms and not actual trees. Slowly but surely the laughter became louder and louder.
"Why are you so fussy?" A voice cut through the laughter. The voice was soft, but was sweet and kind. I kept going, following the laughter.
Finally, I reached a place surrounded by white flowers. But I was not alone.
In the center of the white flower field, where three figures, but I couldn't see who they were as their figures were covered in a white light.
Two of the figures were tall and thin, but one seemed a little more muscular than the other. In one of the figures' arms was a very small figure, their arms reaching up to grab their holder's face.
"Come now, you know you can't take that, my dear. You're not ready for it yet." The holder said, chuckling at whatever they were holding.
"Come on, why not let her take it for a moment? What harm can a baby do by holding the stone for a moment?" The second figure asked jokingly.
"She can't handle it just yet. She can't take it until she's older, you must understand that my love."
The second figure sighed and took the smaller third figure from the first figure.
"Do you really believe that day will come?" The second figure asked, their voice sounding sad and scared, "I mean, things are changing so much. What if something happens to either of us? What if-"
"What if your 'what ifs' were never answered?" The first figure asked, "My love, you worry far too much. It will be passed onto her and she will grow into someone who will fight for the greater good. The lights will shine from her power, and those lights shall grow even brigther the stronger her light becomes as she grows. She will truly be the best keeper of the stone."
The second figure sighed and walked over to the first figure, "I supposed you're right. Perhaps the exhasution has finally gotten to me. The poor thing senses so much darkness in Etheria, that she cannot sleep peacefully through the night."
I couldn't see their faces, but I could tell that they were sad. My heart clenched when I felt their sadness run through me.
"If that's the case, then we should prepare ourselves for the worst." The first figure said, "If it is true that Etheria is prone to future danger, then we must be ready. I hate to place all of our responsibilities on our child, but we may not have a choice."
The second figure reached to their chest and gripped something. Curious, I walked closer to the three figures. I came close enough to see whaybthe second figure was holding.
A simple white ribbon.
The second figure held it in their hand, staring at the smaller figure, whose arms were reaching again towards the first figure's face to grab something.
I reached out towards the three figures, my cloak slowly disappearing and the pain in my head fading just as quickly.
But why? Why was I seeing these people?
~~~~????~~~~
I smiled, seeing the child slowly return to her normal state. But the darkness still resides in her heart.
One can never truly vanquish darkness from their heart, but with enough light, the dark will never win over the purity of the light.
And I will do whatever I can to make sure that once her light has returned, that it remains pure.
However, it is her friends and family that purify this light before I am able to reveal myself and awaken her completely.
I can only hope that his promise remains true, and that the darkness remains out of her heart long enough for her mother to understand her healing abilities.
I sighed and knelt down in my circle of white flowers, the only place where I can freely watch as Miracle grows without the darkness trying to taint me.
Suddenly, I felt a terrible pain in my chest. I gasped from the pain and clutched my chest.
I looked down at my hands and began to panic.
My hands were beginning to turn black....
My hands went back to my chest and grasped what was attached to it....
The stone he entrusted us all those years ago....
The first and last gift Miracle had ever received from him....
It was stained black