The Only Way || She-Ra

Prologue: Stars

Power.

Power coursed through every bone in She-Ra's body, filled the empty spaces in between her atoms, ingrained itself in every molecule.

Pure pain. Nerves on fire. Heart pounding, ready to burst like the heart of the planet. Everything Adora had left to give was channeled into keeping the sword to the ground. She couldn't fire the weapon. She couldn't.

"You will comply." Light Hope urged her to keep going, using Adora as she always had. The poor girl gripped onto the sword as every instinct in her body fought against itself. Fire it. Stop it. Fire it. Stop it.

Adora could feel the princesses weakening. They were connected after all. They were in pain, and to make matters worse, she could feel everything they could. Agonizingly, Adora fought to stay focused knowing if she succumbed to the misery for even a moment...it would all be over.

With every bit that she pushed the sword down, it just felt like it floated higher. The magic flowing through Adora couldn't be contained much longer. She knew better than most that she couldn't keep this up forever. On top of that, no one else was coming. This was a fight she'd have to face alone.

"This isn't my destiny," Adora spat the words out. "I am not your weapon." She managed a look at Light Hope to see the aged hologram faltering. Regardless, both knew there was no fighting her programming, just like there was no fighting Adora's.

"Mara knew you were more than this," Adora pleaded in a last ditch effort. If she could just get herself a little more time, get Light Hope to loosen for just one moment...

It was working. Light Hope was glitching, caught between two different selves. Adora could feel the conflict waging inside her as the sword lifted even more forcefully than before.

Light Hope seemed to make up her mind.

"Do it."

Oddly enough, this part didn't take as much effort as she thought, or maybe it just seemed that way. In the brief moment before the sword hit, Adora felt something she hadn't expected: clarity. This moment was the moment she knew had been coming from the start, the moment she'd dreaded, and yet, in that moment...everything fell into place.

Braced for the inevitable, Adora used what was left of her strength to plunge the sword downwards. Shattering, Adora sucked in a breath as the shrapnel lodged itself into her torso.

The Crystal Castle was reduced to rubble before her very eyes. Adora barely made out the image of Light Hope standing above her, thanking her, before the woman disappeared. The whole cavern seemed to erase itself from existence. As she was left standing there, she looked around. She was alone and bleeding in a void of nothing.

Coughing, Adora was lying on the floor now. She didn't remember getting there. She could feel the metal pushing against her insides with every breath. Biting her tongue, Adora pulled a larger chunk of metal out — the hilt —splattering even more blood onto the floor. Gasping in pain, she knew all too well she was only making the process go quicker. Thinking of her friends now, it seemed better to go quick instead of giving them hope. The thought of them blaming themselves when this went south? No, they'd be better off if they didn't try to save her. No more She-Ra meant no more pawn to be played. If there was any comfort to this, it came from the shock that was taking over, numbing the pain if only slightly.

•••••

Footsteps. Shouting. The figure lying on the ground didn't get up to see who it was. They didn't have to, as Bow came into eye shot moments later. He could barely see through the tears in his eyes but then again, maybe he didn't want to see this. Cursing, he scooped Adora up, stumbling to the exit and dodging debris.

"Did it work?" Adora asked.

Choking on his own tears Bow nodded. He could feel her getting weaker in his arms. "Yeah...it-it did."

Adora smiled. Bow couldn't believe it. How could she smile at a time like this? If this was the price they had to pay, it wasn't worth it.

They were outside. Bow ran but he didn't seem to know where to. Adora looked from him to the sky above her.

"Stars," Adora muttered. "I missed seeing...the stars..."

Bow looked down at her. Overwhelmed and hopeless, Bow stopped in his tracks. There was nowhere to go. The color had drained almost completely from Adora's skin and she could hardly keep her eyes open.

"No..." he whispered. "Not like this. Please."

Adora's pulse was getting fainter. By the looks of it, she didn't have any fight left in her. "It's ok." Her voice shook, maybe from the pain, maybe from the tragedy of it all. "It was the only way."

Bow dropped to his knees, holding her close one last time. He could feel the slow rise and fall of her chest grow fainter. In an almost cruel way he didn't want the moment to end, didn't want that slow rhythm to stop.

But it did. The body grew still. Adora was gone.