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The New Mer-Mysteries, Book 2: Curiosity Killed the Catra
A She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Fan Fiction
By Starlight Wanderer
"It'll be fun, stop worrying so much!"
Catra had good reason to be worried. It wasn't that long ago that she had been fighting against Adora and her friends. Honestly, she still only preferred Adora herself. Glimmer was an obnoxious brat with only small moments of intelligence. Bow was insufferably positive, the kind of guy who would stub his toe and apologize to the furniture. Catra couldn't be bothered to remember the rest of their names.
"I'm not worried," she fired back at Adora. "Everything will be fine as long as they keep their distance."
"Don't cut yourself on all that edge," Adora teased.
"I'll cut you if you don't knock it off!" Catra hissed.
"Hey! I'm serious, if we're gonna be a thing then you need to get along with my friends."
"How is that at all fair?" Catra threw her arms up, "I was your friend first!"
Adora crossed her arms and gave a smug look. "Do we need to talk about the portal again?"
"That was… "
"Or Flutterina?"
"Ok, that wasn't… "
"Or how you tried to kill us numerous—"
"I get it!" Catra shouted, turning her back to Adora; her ears flittered nervously.
She felt Adora's touch, and before she knew it she was spun around to face her; a warm kiss was planted on her lips.
"And I still love you," Adora smiled tenderly, "so just try and get along with everyone tonight, okay?"
Catra averted her eyes in a huff. "Fine… but you owe me."
"Snuggles?"
"That's a good start, we'll work on that."
"Um… what are you two talking about?"
Catra and Adora both spun around startled; Glimmer was standing in the threshold of Bright Moon Castle with the front door open.
"How long have you been standing there?" Catra asked angrily.
"Something about portals?" Glimmer shrugged.
"Anyway," Adora scratched her head, cheeks flushing. "Are we early? I feel like we're early."
"You're actually the last ones to show up," Glimmer replied. "Scorpia and Perfuma arrived yesterday… for some reason. Mermista and Seahawk came about an hour ago. Frosta and Entrapta beat you by a few minutes."
"Is Bow not coming?" Adora asked.
"Bow lives here," Glimmer laughed. "The only ones who didn't R.S.V.P. were Spinnerella and Netossa. I think it's their anniversary or something."
"Good," Catra huffed to herself. "Two less people to deal with."
"So glad to see you, Catra," Glimmer said, her voice taking a more formal tone. "I'm glad you finally decided to join us, for once."
"Don't flatter yourself," Catra shot back. "I'm just on girlfriend duty. Now are you gonna let us in or not?"
Glimmer rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, how inconsiderate of me… " She ushered both of them through the door and into the castle. Closing the door behind them, Catra and Adora were escorted from the entrance down a small hallway and towards the main hall. As they walked, they passed by an ordinary looking door that happened to have two guards stationed outside.
"Oh!" Glimmer stopped momentarily, "Real quick, shouldn't be an issue, but this room is off limits for tonight."
"Remodeling going slow?" Adora asked.
Glimmer let out a disgusted groan. "Don't get me started. Never taking referrals from Bow' dads again."
They continued on until they came upon the central room of the castle. Adora had told Catra of how this room had been used as a strategy room for the Rebellion's fight against the Horde, but in its current state she couldn't imagine any of that. A long table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by high backed chairs; it was full of all manner of sweets, snacks and treats. Around the room's edges were numerous colored mats and pillows laid out neatly, some with extra items sat on top, while others were bare.
The room was alive with chatter, but that all halted as Catra walked into the room; every pair of eyes turned to her.
"Everyone's here!" Glimmer shouted gleefully. "Let the Best Friends Squad sleepover commence!"
For the next hour, Catra was merely an observer. She sat in her chair, with Adora to her right, fingering at the snacks that had been left out along the table. All around her, conversations of long time friends filled with spontaneous laughter and obscure references carried on while she sat listening.
Frosta insisted she had grown a full twelve inches since last they all had met, but none in the room believed her. Scorpia had been perfecting her singing confidence, which only embolden Seahawk to break out into song, which Mermista quickly put a stop to. Entrapta was dissatisfied by the size of the food present.
"Isn't that right, Catra?"
"Huh?" Catra snapped out of her daze to find the entire room staring at her intently. She sunk a little into her chair. "I mean… sure. Why not?"
The room erupted in a mix of laughter and disbelief. "Wow, Catra," Adora couldn't contain her giggling. "And I thought I knew you!"
Catra sunk further; what had she just agreed to?
The conversation then effortlessly moved on to a multitude of other topics. Catra occasionally made an effort to jump in, react or speak, but was always passed on without a word from the others. Even Adora seemed to be completely engrossed in the entire affair; Catra wondered if she'd even notice if she slipped away.
Catra quietly excused herself and made a quick exit from the main room into a side hall. She found a large oval window cut into the wall and leapt up to it, making herself comfortable.
Outside the sun had nearly set on Etheria, but foreboding clouds were rolling in from the east. Catra could see small sparks of lightning amongst the sheet of rain coming their way.
She liked storms, they kept people away.
A pair of footsteps crept up behind her; Catra sighed. "This was a mistake. I don't fit in with these people. I know they're your friends, but you've always been friends with everyone. I'm not that girl, Adora. I'll never be that girl."
"Uhh… Adora's, like, with the others."
Catra whipped around, her fur standing on end, to find Mermista staring up at her.
"What are you… go away!" she hissed. A stream of water hit her face, making her even more agitated.
"Bad kitty," Mermista grinned. "Are you gonna keep, like, sulking and junk? We're playing party games… or whatever."
Catra jumped down from her perch. "Fine, fine! I just wanted some fresh air." She marched angrily back to the room. As she entered, everyone seemed to turn to her again.
"There you are," Adora smiled, "Come on, we need one more for our team!"
"Team for what?" Catra asked, annoyedly.
"Confession or Challenge!" Frosta shouted, standing up on her chair. "The ultimate party game of secrets and skill!"
"Wait," Bow interrupted, "Where's Mermista?"
Catra looked back and realized she had come alone. She shrugged. "Dunno, she told me you guys were playing some dumb game, so I figured I'd come back to laugh."
"She probably needed to use the little girl's room," Seahawk added.
"Is that where the little food is?" Entrapta asked.
"Let's just start already!" Frosta cried.
"Yeah, Glimmer said. "I'm sure she'll be back in a moment, she won't miss much."
The rules of Confession or Challenge made Catra's head spin. All present were divided into two teams: Team 1 was Adora, Catra, Scorpia and Perfuma, while Team 2 was Bow, Glimmer, Seahawk and Mermista, when she returned. Frosta and Entrapta would serve as game judges. Each round, a random person on each team would be required to choose a Challenge or a Confession, decided on by the other team. Completed challenges were worth 2 points, Confessions were worth 1.
"Is everyone ready?" Frosta asked excitedly.
"Get on with it!" Catra growled.
The first round consisted of Bow and Adora facing off. Bow challenged Adora to fit 5 cupcakes in her mouth, and Catra watched in horror as the girl nearly detached her jaw to perform the beat. Bow, in turn, confessed that he did, indeed, sleep with his quiver of arrows.
Next, Scorpia revealed her deep seeded fear of sharp objects, while Seahawk attempted to perform a series of one-handed pushups, failing to even do one. Perfuma chugged an entire glass of chocolate milk, and the game paused momentarily as she dealt with the ensuing brainfreeze, while Glimmer teleported to Spinnerella and Netossa's home to prank them for not attending, but returned with a look a fright upon her face and refused to speak of what she saw.
"Alright," Frosta announced, "Next round is Catra and… wait… Mermista is still not back yet!"
"We've been playing for a while," Perfuma added, "Perhaps we should go looking for her?"
"People often get lost in my caste," Entrapta said, "Maybe she's wandering around trying to find us?"
"Your castle is a maze," Bow corrected, "Bright Moon is pretty easy to find your way around, plus Mermista has been here many times before."
"That settles it!" Scorpia stood up. "Best Friends Search and Rescue. Who's with me?"
"Oh!" Perfuma raised her hand, "I'm coming too!"
"Mermista!" Seahawk cried, "We're coming for you, sweetie!"
Catra felt a nudge from Adora. "Why don't you go, too?"
"How many people do you need to find one missing Princess?" Catra replied.
"You saw her last," Adora said. "Just go, we'll be here when you get back.
"Don't forget, Catra!" Frosta added, "You're next, so hurry back!"
The halls of Bright Moon Castle were sparingly lit; the storm Catra had seen earlier was now upon them and the deluge of rain echoed through the roof. Bright flashes of lightning illuminated the entire hall for brief moments, before plunging them back to near darkness.
"Isn't this fun?" Scorpia poked Catra repeatedly with her pincers. "Just like old times, huh?"
"I'm trying to forget the old times," Catra shrugged the larger woman off.
"We all make mistakes," Perfuma said softly. "When I first met Adora, I was too afraid to even defend my own people. Sometimes I wonder how much pain and suffering I could've prevented, had I only been stronger."
"Hey," Scorpia cooed. "Party foul! Positive vibes only!"
"You're right!" Perfuma replied. "I am not my past mistakes!"
"Redemption!" Seahawk cried.
"That goes for you as well, Catra"
Catra stopped in her tracks, before turning to Perfuma. "I don't remember asking you," she said.
"Can I… " Perfuma looked to the others, "Can I have a moment with Catra? We'll catch up."
Scorpia nodded and shoved Seahawk down an adjacent corridor to continue their search. Catra was now alone with the flowery Princess.
"Well," Catra folded her arms. "What do you want?"
"I'm so proud of you," Perfuma replied, beaming at her. "Scorpia wasn't sure you'd come tonight, but I knew you would. You've grown so much since we..."
"Since we fought… " Catra finished the uncomfortable thought. "I try not to think about it too much."
"We can't change who we are," Perfuma took Catra's hands. "But you are not defined by your past, either."
Catra thought about yanking her hands away, but Perfuma's sincere smile captivated her. Her words swirled in Catra's mind; was change really that easy?
"You go on," she took her hands back. "I'm gonna head back. Mermista's probably found her way back too."
"I'll go get the others," Perfuma nodded, before heading off down the adjacent hall.
When Catra made it back to the sleepover room, she saw the game had been abandoned, and the remaining partygoers were playing some sort of card game instead.
"There's one of them," Glimmer acknowledged as she sat back down at the table. "Seriously, how hard is it to find your way around this place?"
Catra slumped onto the tablet, resting on her arms. "They're adults," she sighed, "when they want to come back, they will."
"What I wanna know," Frosta spoke up, "Is why Catra's the only one who's come back."
"Because I'm not dumb enough to lose my way in a giant open castle?" Catra rolled her eyes.
"You know something!" Frosta stood up on her chair again, pointing at Catra. "Mermista went looking for you, and she's vanished. Now Perfuma, Scorpia and that annoying guy are gone! Yet you're still here."
Catra sat up in her chair cackling. "Ah, you've caught me! I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling Princesses." She could hardly contain her laughter, much to Frosta's chagrin.
"I'm serious!" Frosta shouted.
"Frosta! " Adora spoke up. "Catra's our friend. If anything nefarious is going on, she wouldn't be behind it."
"Exactly," Glimmer smiled. "There's gotta be a rational explanation for this. Jumping to conclusions won't help anything."
"Still," Bow added, "We shouldn't stop searching for them. There's definitely something weird going on here."
"I'll go," Adora stood up from the table.
"Want some help?" Catra asked, stroking Adora's hand.
Adora shook her head. "I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll do a quick check of the castle and be right back."
"You better… " Catra let go of Adora's hand. The thought of her going missing too sent a shiver down Catra's spine.
It was getting late, so the group decided to fix up their beds in preparation for the sleeping part of the sleepover. Glimmer had provided everything they would need, and Catra made sure to set up Adora's bed right next to hers.
During their time in the Fright Zone, Catra had always slept at the foot of Adora's bed, unless Shadow Weaver had been in a particularly bad mood that night. Sleeping next to Adora was something Catra was still getting used to, but waking up in her arms would never get old.
Catra paused for a moment, sensing the presence of someone standing behind her. She turned to find the diminutive Princess Frosta looking solemnly at the floor.
"Can I help you?" Catra asked.
Frosta looked up and their eyes met; she immediately returned her gaze to the beds below. "I'm sorry I thought you were being evil."
Catra was a bit taken aback by the apology. She looked across the room to Glimmer who was giving an obnoxious double thumbs-up. That was all she needed to know about this random act.
Kneeling down, Catra ruffled the girl's hair. "Thanks, kiddo."
"I'm not a kid!" Frosta jerked away, retreating to the other side of the room where Bow and Entrapta were busy doing some tinkering.
Before she could get back to her preparations, Glimmer had made her way over.
"It was better than nothing," she laughed.
Catra shrugged. "She's a kid, not like she knows much about good and evil anyway." She felt Glimmer's hand clamp down on her shoulder.
"You're not evil," she said firmly.
Catra sighed, "I'm still working through things."
"I'm sure having Adora helps," Glimmer smiled.
"Adora is… " Catra fumbled her words. This was always the hardest part. "Sometimes I wonder if I really deserve her."
A bright pink cloud appeared in front of Catra as Glimmer teleported to her front, her hands grasping Catra's shoulders. "Don't you dare!" she said firmly. "Adora needs you just as much as you need her. You get to be happy too, you know?"
Catra couldn't help the smirk creeping onto her face. She brought the Queen close for a hug. "Thanks, Sparkles," she purred.
"Catra! Glimmer!"
Adora had returned, but her voice was panicked. Catra let go of Glimmer and ran to her. "What's wrong?"
"Oh no!" Glimmer cried. "Where did they go?"
Catra whirled around to find the sleepover room was now empty. She, Adora and Glimmer were the only ones who remained. Before she could utter another word, Catra heard an immense thunderclap outside, followed by the entire Castle going completely dark.
"Great!" Adora cried. "Now the power's out."
"Doesn't this place run on, like, magic or something?" Catra asked.
"The storm must be interfering with the Moonstone," Glimmer concluded.
"Well that's just great!" Catra threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Everyone's vanished, and now we're stuck here in the dark."
"Just, give me a second," Adora said, before crying out. "For the honor of Grayskull!"
Even in the darkness, Catra could sense the presence of She-Ra. She had a different scent to her.
A speck of light appeared in the darkness, which slowly began to grow until it illuminated a small area around them. Adora stood tall in her white and gold armor, holding out a magical lamp that glowed a cool blue.
"Much better," Adora smiled.
"Quick thinking," Catra gave a playful punch to the shoulder.
"Is there anything your sword can't transform into?" Glimmer asked in amazement.
"You should see what she does with it at my place," Catra snickered.
"Catra!" Adora blushed furiously.
"Too much information!" Glimmer shouted. "We need a game plan; do we sit here and wait for everyone to come back, or do we keep looking?"
"Staying put is our best bet," Adora replied.
"But what if they're really in danger?" Glimmer asked.
"If we go looking for them, and they come back, who's to say they won't try and go looking for us?"
"I'm with Glimmer on this one," Catra said. "We shouldn't wait around."
"Really?" Adora looked to Catra. "I figured you prefer to play it safe."
"Yeah, well," Catra folded her arms, "You're not wrong… but I'm trying to do things differently."
"Catra… " Adora's face softened. Even when she towered over Catra, Adora still had her cute moments.
"All right!" Glimmer took up the point. "I'll lead the way. Catra, you keep an eye and ear out for anything unusual."
"I guess I'll just hold the lamp… " Adora grumbled as they exited the room.
The halls of Bright Moon Castle had been dark before, even with the small amount of illumination they had. Now, in pitch darkness, it was nearly impossible to see. Every few seconds a flash of lightning would light the way, but conversely it kept Catra's more acute feline senses from settling in.
It didn't make any sense; were the others really missing? Were they hiding? Doubt began to fill Catra's mind as she considered the possibilities. Maybe they had chosen to leave because of her?
After doing two full loops of the castle's main floor, they ascended to an upper level and peeked around, calling out for the others one at a time. They investigated all the bedrooms, the kitchen, the throne room, and even the pathway out to the Moonstone. Glimmer quickly teleported out to the giant gem, but returned with no news.
"This is hopeless," Adora slammed her fist into the wall as they returned to the outside of the war room. The extra strength of She-Ra sent vibrations through every surface.
"I don't understand," Glimmer sounded defeated as well. "We've been all over and there's no trace."
Catra's fists clenched up. "COME OUT ALREADY!" she screamed. Her cry echoed through the halls of the castle, but earned no reply.
"Let's head back," Glimmer said. "My communicator is on the table, maybe we can contact them that way."
The group retraced their steps back to the main room, but even in the scant light of Adora's lamp Catra noticed something different.
"Hey, Glimmer," she asked. "Weren't there guards here earlier?" They were standing in front of the room they had passed on their way in, only this time the two castle guards had disappeared as well.
"They probably just retired for the night," Adora said.
"No," Glimmer corrected, "This room was supposed to be guarded around the clock!"
"Well we haven't checked in there!" Catra said.
"It's just a spare bedroom I was remodeling," Glimmer explained. "You don't think… "
As she got closer to the door, Catra's sharp ears could pick up the sound of voices on the other side. It was the unmistakable sound of laughter and cheer.
Catra's borrow furrowed as she clenched her fists aggressively. This entire time they had been looking for them, they had been having another party in secret? She had spent the night searching all over! She had been worried...
"Oh you… " she snarled, her hair standing on end as she thrust the door open, "you motherf—"
"SURPRISE!"
Catra was deafened by the roar of multiple voices all screaming at once, blinded by the light of the room she had walked headfirst into. As her eyes adjusted, her heart skipped a beat.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CATRA read the banner hung across the length of the room; underneath it stood the entire group of missing people, all giddy with excitement. Even Spinnerella and Netossa had somehow managed to join the group, all staring at Catra as if awaiting her response. A small table had been set up and crammed with boxes wrapped in colorful paper; a large cake was the centerpiece of it all.
"I… " she was awestruck, her face felt warm and fuzzy. All of them, Mermista, Frosta, Scorpia, Perfuma… they were all there.
"Happy Birthday you big dumb kitty!" Adora tackled Catra, showering her with kisses and cheek snuggles.
"I can't believe we fooled you!" Glimmer joined in the hug. "I wasn't sure we'd be able to keep it a secret this long."
"You did this… all for me?" Catra still couldn't take her eyes off the display.
"It's, like, your first b-day with us," Mermista explained. "So we kinda went overboard… "
"Glimmer and Adora were the masterminds behind it all!" Bow grinned.
Everyone fell silent, awaiting a reply from Catra. Her heart rate was finally slowing, but other emotions were welling up inside her. Her initial reaction was anger; how could they put her through all of this?
"You mean to tell me everything tonight was just some stupid plot to surprise me?"
However, as she looked around the room at all the smiling faces, she felt her heart begin to soften. These people were never in any danger, but she had worried because she cared about them. They were her friends now, and they had spent their night preparing all of this.
For the first time in her life, it was Catra's moment.
A few expressions change from giddy excitement to tenderness; Catra realized a stream of tears had begun running down her cheek.
"I don't know what to say… " Catra wiped her eyes.
"Everyone, group hug!" Perfuma shouted.
"Wait, no!" It was too late, Perfuma had caused a small stampede as the entire room came together to surround Catra. Within seconds she was practically buried in the arms of her new friends.
She looked back and managed to catch sight of Adora, admiring the pileup from afar. A wink and a kissing gesture made Catra purr with delight. She hoped nobody could see how much she was crying now underneath all the hugs.
It was cramped in the room where Catra's surprise had been hidden, so the group collectively moved everything to the main room to continue the night's celebration. Despite what Catra had thought, all hostility towards her had completely vanished, and she was the center of attention, for better or worse.
Glimmer had elected to explain her master plan to all, now that it had been completed. The sleepover had been used as a decoy to lure Catra in, and then one-by-one the group had snuck off to the forbidden room to prepare. Everyone had taken careful preparations to make sure they got away without Catra noticing.
Apparently, being somewhat cruel to her was also part of the surprise party. Catra didn't quite understand it, but Adora assured her that it somehow made the surprise all the better.
The lights had returned to Bright Moon, a simple magic spell that Glimmer had used to stall for time. All the while everyone continued to laugh about how they weren't sure if the plan would work, if Catra's reaction would be good, or if something would go wrong.
Catra then found herself swarmed with gifts, one from every member present. She remembered when Adora used to sneak her a small something on her birthday back in the Fright Zone, but she had never imagined a stack of presents taller than her.
From Netossa and Spinnerella, she got a set of shampoos and soaps which smelled a bit strong for Catra's taste. Adora couldn't get enough of them, however, so Catra figured she would try them at least once. Mermista had originally made a ship in a bottle souvenir for Catra, but Seahawk had somehow managed to set it on fire. As a last minute replacement, Mermista had purchased vouchers for a top of the line spa in Salineas.
Perfuma had, predictably, given Catra a decorative flower arrangement, while Scorpia had found a leather jacket, similar to the ones they had worn in the Crimson Waste. Bow and his dads had chipped in a small collection of fiction books. Catra insisted she had never read before, but Adora promised she would read them with her. Frosta's gift of an ice statuette of Catra's likeness had, to hilarious effect, partially melted into a comical representation. Entrapta had also somewhat missed the mark with a contraption designed to clean Catra's fur that also doubled as a flamethrower.
Glimmer, however, managed to upstage everyone. The room that had been used as the surprise hiding spot was gifted to Catra as her official room in Bright Moon Castle. No longer would she need to stay in the nearby village; Glimmer had made a royal edict that Catra was to be cleared of all past offenses against the kingdom, and recognized for her role in the defeat of Horde Prime.
The sleepover continued as planned for the remainder of the night, but as the early morning hours rolled around, one by one the various partygoers fell victim to sleep. Catra, unable to sleep, but not wanting to wake anyone, had retired to her new room. It was more spacious than anything she had ever seen in the Fright Zone; the bed alone looked big enough to fit 10 people. There was a fountain, a vanity mirror that seemed to stretch to the ceiling high above, and giant pillows scattered all around.
"Hey, Catra," Adora had entered the room, dressed in her pajamas.
"That's my line, you dork." Catra smiled.
"How're you liking the new room?" Adora sat down on the edge of Catra's bed.
"It's… so much."
"You get used to it."
"It's nicer than most places I've slept, that's for sure."
"That life is over," Adora said softly. "But you should really get some rest, it's been a long night."
"Yeah," Catra joked, "I'm so exhausted from all those presents." She came over and sat next to Adora on the bed, leaning her head on Adora's shoulder. "You know, I don't remember getting a birthday gift from you. Some girlfriend you are."
"Why do you think I'm here now?" Adora asked, leaning in for the first of many kisses.
END