Crimson Blood

Chapter 33

Glimmer's POV:

After being with Catra for a few weeks, I realized that she actually wasn't that bad. I know the whole villain complex and stuff but she was really easy to open up around strangely enough because in a way she reminds me of... of myself.

"Are you done sulking?" Catra's voice rang out in my years in the cell, I turned around to look at her with a scowl.

"Seriously? That's all you can think of right now? We're literally in the middle of nowhere with this big emperor cult guide and that's your biggest thought?!" I snapped as she flinched back.

"Look, it's not my fault we're stuck here, I wasn't the one stupid enough to try and connect Scorpia with the Black Garnet!" she snapped back. 

I snarled at her, "At least I didn't kill my mom and trap her between portal dimensions! I didn't try to kill millions of people and somehow be mean enough to drive Scorpia away!"

Before she could respond, another clone approached our cell with one platter in his hand instead of two.

"Um you know there are two of us right?" I asked as the clone stepped back. It's eyes rolled back into his head, turning white before being replaced by a shining green light.

"I wish to see Catra, alone," the clone ordered in Horde Prime's voice before falling back and returning to it's original state.

"Eh, whatever probably another negotiation," Catra said as she got up and headed towards the clone but before she could get there I wrapped my hands around her wrist.

"You're not even gonna question this? What if something bad happens or-?" I got cut off by Catra who looked back at me with a confused look.

"Weren't you just screaming at me like two seconds ago?" she asked before snatching her hand out of my wrist and leaving. 

"Wait-" I called out weakly before realizing she had already left. I sunk back against the wall and sighed.

Catra's POV:

I was escorted into a room with a huge white table. I've been here before. 

As soon as I entered the room I could see Horde Prime's green eyes staring right at me as I looked back up at him, keeping my face as stony as possible.

"What am I doing here?" I finally asked to break the deafening silence. He turned around with his fingers loosely against each other, the stars gleaming from the other side of the window. 

Without answering my question he opened his mouth and asked his own, "Do you like seeing the stars?" he asked.

"Um, yeah I think they're pretty," I put in, trying to figure out what he wanted but his face showed no sign of expression or emotion.

"I think so too. If you look closely, you can still see the burning sparks of Etheria in the distance, is it not fascinating?" he looked at me for an answer as I tried to analyze my choices.

"It's amazing to see Etheria in a galaxy full of stars after our isolation in Despondos," I stated plainly as I watched the sparks fly up before disappearing from my sight in space.

He nodded his head slowly before dragging my attention to a projection with a dot moving in a blank space.

"Your friends are on the way to save you and the princess," he told me before his voice dropped threateningly low but still had the same unsteady welcoming tone, "Were you aware of this?"

"No," I stated firmly, actually telling the truth before he looked at me.

"Are they your friends?" he asked, signaling towards the projection.

"Of course not, they're my enemies I want them gone," I said, trying to keep my tone as steady as I could but I felt his eyes narrowing in suspicion without even looking directly at him.

"I see, and Shera, I've studied about her. You know her as Adora. After scanning through your memories, I've noticed that you two seemed quite close," he said and if he ever did show any emotion, he'd most definitely have a smug smirk plastered on his face. How the heck did he manage to go through my memories?

I kept my thoughts on the question before deciding that it was probably something in the food Glimmer and I ate.

"I know a lot about you Catra, your talks with Adora on that tiny rooftop you two would discus on, your close bond, the rejection you felt when Adora left you, and the lasting pain. I could mention more but I'm sure you already know considering this is you," he smiled before squeezing my shoulder lightly.

My face tensed up as he touched me but I tried my best not to flinch back. 

"What is Adora to you?" he asked, curling his finger around my chin and looking me dead in the eyes. 

"A friend? An enemy? An ex? Tell me Catra, what do you think, it is your relationship after all," Horde Prime interrogated me as his grip on my chin became tighter. Tight enough to feel discomfort but not enough to feel pain.

"She's my enemy, we're on opposite sides, I'm over her," I said firmly but now I'm now sure I believe it.

"I see, will you help me sabotage Adora's feeble rescue plan?" he asked, though it was more of an order than a question as I could see that he wouldn't take no as an answer.

"Or what?" I challenged.

"Or..." he brought out one of his clones and took their hand, leading them to a room as he beckoned me to follow.

He snapped as a pool of green acid rose up and I could see the clone heading straight for it. He looked at me, giving me an indirect smirk before the clone stepped into the pool. Their screams shrilled out in terror as the room filled up with an ear splitting screech, all I could do was watch in horror.

"All beings must suffer to become pure, all beings must suffer to become pure, all beings must suffer to become pure..." the clones on the sidelines I just noticed started chanting as I continued to look in horror at the whiteness in the clone's eyes.

Horde Prime offered his hand to the clone as they graciously took it, smiling blankly while stepping out.

"Behold the purest of them all!" Horde Prime proclaimed as I stepped back, stumbling before I caught myself and managed to keep a steady expression.

The clones let out an unidentifiable chant as they raised their arms in unison.

"So are you willing to give me my information?"