Chapter 151: The Lost Dimension Part 5
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Chapter 151: The Lost Dimension Part 5
Unknown Location, February 4th, 2000 (Earth Time)
"We're at the reactor room. Going in," Samantha Carter heard the General's voice through her communicator as she studied the lock on said door.
"We're at the throne room. Engaged with Apophis." Catra's voice sounded far tenser than Sam had expected.
She also heard some crushing and grunting noises, followed by some booming boasting and mocking laughter. Things apparently weren't going well for the other group.
"They'll be fine!" Entrapta said. She sounded honest, but Sam had her doubts. The real Apophis would not last long against one, much less two She-Ra's. That meant they had to adjust their estimates of this Apophis's power upwards. Far upwards.
"What's the holdup, Major?" the General asked.
"The lock is more difficult to crack than expected, sir," she replied with a frown. None of the usual approaches were working - she hadn't even found the lock's power supply yet. She would have assumed that it was entirely mechanical if not for the fact that she hadn't found any couplings or other ways to move a bar. It was like the lock was… "...a magic lock," she whispered, her eyes widening.
"Oh! That would explain the data we got!" Entrapta beamed. "How interesting!"
"Magitech?" the General asked.
"No, sir. Magic. I doubt there is any technology in this lock," Sam corrected him.
"Well, technically, magic is still technology," Entrapta said. "Although magic in this dimension might not fit the scientific definition, seeing as the laws of nature are so flexible here. On the other hand, we simply might not yet have discovered the underlying physics of this dimension."
"Magic or magictech - can you crack it?" The General sounded impatient. He would be tense with half their group fighting a battle that sounded more and more desperate the longer Sam heard it play out over the comm.
"Not unless you mean it literally," Entrapta replied, saving Sam from having to admit her failure. "Glimmer? Can you use your magic?"
Glimmer took a look at the lock and shook her head. "I am not as good a sorceress as Dad. Or my Aunt. And this is a completely different dimension, with magic made up by people who have no idea how it should work. I can't control such an enchantment."
"Then I guess we need the universal door opener mark IV," the General said.
"Oh?" Entrapta blinked. Then she saw him pull out a pack of C4. "Oh! That's what you meant!"
Sam was already moving back - the General was an expert on demolitions, but she expected him to err on the side of more blasting power in this situation. "Take cover!" she said, then snagged a tendril of Entrapta's hair to gently pull her friend with her.
Glimmer and the others were already behind the closest corner. Sam had barely hunkered down - keeping a hand on Entrapta to prevent her friend from moving out of cover to take a look - when the General dashed around the corner and crouched down. "Cover your ears!" he said, raising a detonator.
Sam quickly slapped her hands over her ears and opened her mouth. A second passed. Then another.
"Entrapta!"
"Sorry!"
Then, a loud explosion made her ears ring for a moment, followed by a shockwave that, even blunted by the distance and the hallway's corner, felt like a blow to her chest.
The General was already moving forward, straight into the cloud of dust and smoke that filled the area ahead of them, and Sam caught a glance of Teal'c's form even further ahead before the smoke hid both men from view.
She pulled her goggles down over her eyes and ran after them. The cloud was already thinning when she reached it, but she still almost ran into the remains of the door after half a dozen steps.
Stumbling and cursing herself for it, she made it past the bent and twisted metal into the reactor room - and stopped at once, blinking.
"That's… not a Goa'uld reactor," she said. Nor was it an Ancient model. Or a Horde core.
"Looks very snakey to me. All that gold and hieroglyphs," the General commented. with a wave. "Just their style. Too much bling even for the worst gangsta rapper."
"Yes, sir. But that's purely aesthetics. The whole design doesn't conform to standard Goa'uld reactor technology," Sam said, taking a few steps closer. And that was a mature technology. This was… something else. Impressive, certainly, and it fit the aesthetics perfectly, though…
Her eyes widened. "Where are the powerlines?" she muttered. The huge, vaguely cylindrical construction was a monstrosity of gold and inlays, and she could see sparks and lightning flash through small gaps in the ornaments, but she couldn't see any lines connected to the thing.
"Oh! The power generated is immense! That's better than our own designs!" Entrapta gushed. "But what's the source? It can't be an antimatter plant, there's no fluctuation - the power is far too steady for that, and yet where is it coming from? It has to be…"
Sam pressed her lips together. Outdone by the Goa'uld? Worse, by an imaginary Goa'uld, thought up by his faithful to… She gasped again.
"Magic!" she breathed together with Entrapta.
"Magic?" the General repeated.
"It's a magic reactor - it runs on magic," she explained. Or divinity, maybe.
Well, what else should she have expected if a group of people deliberately kept ignorant of technology of any kind were imagining a spaceship for their god? They had no idea how things should work in their universe and assumed it was magic controlled by their god's whim. The whole ship was just a facade. An illusion. Unburdened by knowledge, science and the limits and demands of known technology.
"The whole ship must be running on make-believe," she said.
And in a dimension shaped by one's belief…
She winced. This Apophis was an even greater threat than she had imagined.
As if someone had read her mind, another scream cut through the communicator.
"ADORA!"
"ADORA!" Catra screamed and rushed towards her love.
"I'm OK!"
Adora was lying, Catra knew - her love was struggling to get up from the ground after she had left a hole in the throne room's wall and a crater in the Ha'tak's hull.
Catra dropped on all fours and dug her claws into the steel to stop before she rammed into Adora. "Don't…"
"TREMBLE BEFORE YOUR GOD!" Apophis appeared in the hole in the wall, floating a foot above the ground, power crackling around his hands. "I WILL…"
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
So, the other She-Ra wasn't dead yet. Catra helped Adora up while her lover's braindead copy charged at Apophis from the side.
Apophis snarled and turned to face her, hands raised, and a gleaming force field appeared in front of him a moment before the local idiot crashed into it.
"We need to attack together!" Adora blurted out, but before she could get moving, the other She-Ra was sent flying by a burst of power from Aphophis and crashed into the wall on the other side. Like the last half a dozen times she had attacked him.
"She isn't listening," Catra spat and tried to drag Adora to the side, out of Apophis's field of view. "We need to find another way to beat him ourselves." At least the idiot didn't seem to stay down no matter how often she was hit by Apophis.
Unlike Adora, Catra added silently. Her love was battered and bruised from that single blow.
"But… Watch out!"
Before Catra could react, Adora pulled her to the side and raised her sword, turning it into a shield to catch a bolt of lightning Apophis sent at them. The energy crackled as it hit the shield, and Catra felt her fur starting to rise, but Adora stood her ground, baring her teeth at the snake.
"YOU DARE TO DEFY ME?"
"Took you that long to notice?" Catra muttered, quickly glancing around. If the copy managed to distract Apophis again, and Adora could handle another few attacks, Catra might be able to use the wall and one of the holes to get at the snake's back.
"You'll never win!" Adora spat, taking a step toward Apophis, shield held high.
Another lightning bolt flew towards her, and the shield stopped it again. Adora wasn't even pushed back, Catra noted. And yet the same attack had thrown her through a wall just a moment before…
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
Apophis didn't even bother to turn around - he simply flicked his wrist, and the copy was sent flying again.
"If we keep this up, we'll wreck the Ha'tak," Catra whispered. She moved a few steps to the side, closer to the wall. Almost there… She caught Apophis's eyes turning towards her and dived to the side.
The floor where she had been standing exploded before she hit the ground, lightning sending shards of metal flying. Catra ducked her head and covered it with her arms as they hit her. Most were stopped by her uniform, but one left a cut on her arm, and she hissed with pain when another pierced her tail.
"Catra!" And Adora the idiot rushed towards her, changing her shield into a sword to send a bolt of magic at Apophis that fizzled on his shield.
Apophis didn't waste the opportunity and hurled another lightning bolt at Adora. It caught her right before she reached Catra, sending her flying again - into the wall next to the lift shaft.
Catra gasped and scrambled up. Adora was… Apophis was… she jumped, dodging another attack, and twisted in the air so she landed on all fours on the rubble left behind by one of the lightning bolts. Her claws dug into the metal and propelled her forward moments before the next attack struck, and a quick dash avoided another, but she couldn't keep this up forever.
"RAHHH!"
She didn't have to - the idiot copy's next attack was as ineffective as the ones before, but while Apophis was blasting her into the other wall, Adora had managed to get up and back into the fight.
"I'm your enemy!" she yelled, advancing toward the snake. "Fight me!"
"YOU ARE A BUG I SHALL CRUSH!" Apophis spat back, followed by two more lightning bolts.
Again, Adora wasn't moved by the blows she caught on her shield. She wasn't even slowed down - she kept advancing even though her legs must be hurting.
Catra was missing something. This made no sense. The copy was getting up from blows that should have shattered her, and Adora either shrugged off the attacks or was sent flying by them. The shield alone couldn't be the reason…
"INSOLENT VERMIN! DIE!"
Apophis unleashed a veritable lightning storm - and Adora stood her ground even as electricity crackled around her body and made her hair stand up - and Catra's nose smelled an overpowering ozone stench.
The shield couldn't do this… Catra's eyes widened. This was a different dimension. Different laws of physics. And magic. "Keep the shield up! He can't hurt you as long as you have it!"
That was it! They couldn't fight this as they would fight back home - they had to fight it according to this world! A world created by Angella and a bunch of former slaves.
Catra snorted. All they had to do was think like… Her eyes widened when she saw Apophis turn towards her with a deep scowl and lightning crackling around both hands. She had to dodge! Had to run! Had to get aw…
"DIE!"
She screamed when the lightning storm hit her, pain filling her, and she smelt burning hair before everything went dark.
"CATRA!"
Jack O'Neill winced at Adora's scream coming through the radio - communicator. Things were not going well at all. "Adora? Adora?" he asked.
No answer.
"We've lost contact with them, sir," Carter announced.
That was even worse news. "We need to get up there," he said, turning to look at Carter. "Can you do anything with the reactor here?"
She pressed her lips together, a scowl appearing on her face for a moment - annoyed at herself, no doubt, even if it wasn't her fault at all that they were in some magic spaceship. "No, sir, I…"
The entire ship shook, sending everyone stumbling. "It seems their inertial compensators aren't as good as Darla's," Entrapta, caught by her own hair, commented in the sudden silence.
The ship hadn't stopped shaking. It felt like a weaker earthquake - but it wasn't stopping. Jack quickly checked that everyone present was OK - no one seemed hurt, even those who had fallen - and then looked at Carter again.
She had gone pale staring at her tool, and Jack felt his stomach drop. "What's going on?" Was someone else attacking the ship? Or was it sabotage? A malfunction?
"There's a massive discharge of energy at the top of the Ha'tak!" Carter blurted out. "A sustained one!"
"Oh…!" Entrapta cut in, her hair tentacle holding out her own tool to Carter. "Look at this! It's out of sync!"
The ship was still shaking. Jack wasn't a tech, but he knew enough about planes to know that this wasn't a good thing. Magical ship or not, that kind of stress tended to literally shake things apart.
"It's Adora," Glimmer said in a struck tone, looking at the ceiling. "Apophis must have… hurt Catra. Like Horde Prime did."
"Oh." Entrapta sounded scared.
And that scared Jack.
Something cracked behind him - in the huge magical reactor.
That scared him even more.
"Change of plan!" he snapped. "We rig the reactor to blow and return to our ship!"
"But Adora needs our help!" Glimmer said.
"She-Ra will save us all!" the local Glimmer said. She didn't sound worried at all.
Angella, on the other hand, didn't seem nearly as confident. She looked like she wanted to say something but stayed silent, staring at the ceiling.
"Teleport the others back to the ship!" Jack said, looking at both Glimmers as he pulled out packs of C-4 from his pockets. "Hurry!"
Glimmer nodded, but her copy scowled and looked at Angella.
This time, the queen did react. "Do it, dear. There's nothing we can do here."
And Jack turned to look at the reactor, wondering where to put the explosives. And whether or not the reactor would explode before he finished.
"DIE!"
With her magic forming a blaze around her, Adora barely noticed the lightning bolt fizzling out against her shield. Catra was hurt! Again! Adora cradled her limp body with her free arm, staring at her love. She was breathing, but barely. And her fur was singed - burnt - in many spots. This was Adora's fault. If she had taken out Apophis right away, if she had been stronger, quicker, better…
She shook her head, sending tears flying, and pulled Catra close to her chest. "Not again!" she whispered and willed her power to heal her love.
"YOU CANNOT STAND AGAINST A GOD!"
A hail of lightning bolts hit her shield, but she didn't pay attention. She was watching while Catra healed in moments, fur regrowing, twitching muscles relaxing, chest rising smoothly - Adora could feel Catra's heart beat steadily.
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
"STOP PESTERING ME!"
A white blur flew past her and hit the wall in the back. Adora didn't care. Catra was safe. Unconscious but safe. Alive and healthy.
And Adora would make sure that she stayed that way. She slowly raised her head and stared at Apophis over the edge of her shield.
"DIE! CRUMBLE BEFORE MY MIGHT!"
Another lightning bolt hit her shield. She didn't even feel the impact. Apophis couldn't hurt her as long as she had her shield.
Adora took a step forward.
"DIE!"
And yet another lightning bolt uselessly struck her shield.
Adora took another step forward. And one more. She saw Apophis scowl turn into a snarl, exposing his teeth.
He threw a lightning storm at her. She kept walking. Through it. The energy tore up the ground - and sent her counterpart flying again - but didn't touch her.
"I AM YOUR GOD! DIE!"
His eyes flicked to the side for a moment. Just a hint of fear before she sneered at her.
"You are no god," she told him, narrowing her eyes.
"I AM YOUR GOD!"
More lightning lashed out.
"You are just a figment. A fantasy." She shook her head. "You're not real."
"I AM YOUR GOD! BOW TO MY MIGHT!"
"You're a false god!" She glared at him. Just a bit closer…
He started to float back, and she scoffed. "A real god wouldn't flee!"
He froze for a moment. "I AM NOT FLEEING!"
He flew at her, lightning crackling around both fists, eyes glowing with power, as he lashed out.
"DIE!"
She caught his attack on her shield. This time, she felt the impact, felt the pressure, felt his power trying to push her back, trying to overwhelm her.
But she was She-Ra, Princess of Power. Protector of Etheria. She wouldn't falter. Wouldn't fail. She would save her friends and everyone else.
Clenching her teeth, she pushed back. Her boots left dents on the metal floor.
"YOU WILL FAIL! NO ONE CAN STAND UP TO A GOD!"
"I. Will. Not. Fail!" she spat through clenched teeth. She met his eyes and pushed.
His force field broke, and she saw his eyes widen a fraction of a second before her shield smashed into his face and sent him flying back - and to the ground.
He slid over the floor, rolling twice before he was stopped by a piece of the torn gates embedded in the metal, and stared at her as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
"This is impossible! You cannot defeat me! I am a god!"
"You are a fake god!" she repeated herself as she advanced on him.
"NO! I AM…"
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
What? Adora glanced to the side, just in time to see her counterpart charge in again, sword held in both hands. "Wait!"
"DIE!"
Another lightning storm erupted around Apophis, and the other She-Ra charged straight into it, screaming about Grayskull.
Adora hunkered down behind her shield, pressing Catra to her body to protect her as electricity raged around her. This was…
The storm vanished. After a moment, Adora peered over her shield.
The other She-Ra was on the ground, smoke rising from her twitching body. But Apophis was on his back, She-Ra's sword sticking out of his chest - piercing where the symbiont was located, or would have been located back in Adora's dimension. A pool of blood was spreading beneath him. His mouth was moving, trying to form words, but only blood came out.
His eyes met hers, and before Adora could think of what to say, they glazed over, and he grew still.
The reactor was damaged - malfunctioning. Or should be. The cracking sounds coming from it couldn't be indicating anything good. Or shouldn't. Samantha Carter couldn't tell.
She was really sick of dealing with make-believe technology. She should be able to assist the General in placing the charges so they were most effective, but all her knowledge was useless here - the reactor didn't work according to any physics, any principle she knew. Not even magic, at least not as far as she could tell. Magic had rules.
Glimmer - the real Glimmer - appeared next to her and yelled: "Hold on!"
Sam barely managed to grab the woman's hand when everything disappeared in a cloud of sparkles, and she reappeared in the middle of Darla's bridge. No, in the middle of the bridge of a ship that looked like Darla but was also just a figment of imagination.
Glimmer, panting, disappeared again to fetch the General.
Sam turned to look at her friends. The only ones missing were the General. And, of course, Adora and Catra.
"The enemy ship is turning on its axis!" the other Bow announced.
Sam gasped and checked her tools. And cursed - the Ha'tak was listing to the side, the angle steadily growing. The engines must be struggling.
Through the bridge windows, she saw debris left from their violent entrance, as well as Jaffa corpses, starting to slide down the hallway in front of the ship. The artificial gravity of the Ha'tak was failing, then.
And yet, the artificial gravity and the inertial compensators in this Darla were working so well, Sam hadn't noticed any change inside.
Glimmer reappeared with the General and bent over, chest heaving from exhaustion.
Sam checked her readings. The listing had increased even more - but it was still manageable. At least in theory. This was a spaceship, not a naval vessel.
"Adora! Catra! Where are you?" Bow spoke into his communicator. "We need to leave!"
Sam didn't hear any reply. The others must have lost their communicators. Or their lives… No! That was…
"The enemy is still firing on Bright Moon," the other Bow reported.
"The shield is starting to fall," the other Entrapta added. "It cannot resist much longer."
"Trigger the charges!" Angella told the General.
"The others are still missing!" Glimmer protested.
"They're She-Ra," Angella retorted. "They'll be fine."
She sounded so confident, Sam couldn't help worrying that she was delusional. Not that she hadn't doubted the woman's sanity before.
"Adora! Catra! Where are you?" Glimmer all but screamed into her communicator.
"They're still firing."
"Detonate the charges!"
"We don't know if blowing the reactor will stop the guns!" Sam blurted out.
"But it will do something," Entrapta said. "Probably."
Sam looked at the General. He was clenching his teeth - she could tell from the twitching of his jaw muscles - but slowly nodded. Then he raised the detonator. "Get us out of here!"
The other Bow moved his hands over the console, and the ship took off - Sam could only tell from the way her viewing angle of the area outside changed.
"Full speed reverse!"
And they shot out backwards.
"Here we go!" the General snapped.
Sam heard a dim explosion. Then her tool beeped an alert - and a series of explosions went off.
"Secondary explosions! The reactor is going!" Entrapta announced.
"The Ha'tak's starting to fall!"
A screeching noise filled the ship - Bow hadn't been able to compensate for the movement from the Ha'tak and keep them steady, so they were now flying backwards through walls and decks, leaving a trail of debris in their wake that was clearly visible through the bridge windows.
Sam held her breath. It was insane! They should be dead, their ship crushed! Physics didn't work that way! Darla's shields shouldn't be able to hold out!
And yet, they did. Suddenly, they were outside the Ha'tak. Sam caught a glimpse of two Darla-sized holes close to each other in the hull before Bow turned the ship around.
And the Ha'tak was descending while venting smoke from several gaps in its hull and listing to the side.
"Adora! Where are you?" Glimmer sounded desperate.
"Adora! Come in!" Even the other Glimmer sounded concerned.
And Angella had grown tense, Sam noted - staring at the top of the Ha'tak, which was starting to fall now.
"Adora…" Glimmer whispered as the Ha'tak dropped below them.
"Look!" Bow - their Bow - suddenly yelled, pointing ahead.
Sam squinted - and saw a bright light appear a bit below the top of the enemy ship. Was that…?
The light turned into a beam, widening, then vanished, leaving a smoking hole in the hull. Was that movement?
The wind ripped the smoke away, revealing a glowing figure in the hole. Sam used her binocs.
"Adora!" Glimmer yelled.
It was her! And she was carrying Catra and the other She-Ra!
And she was standing on a crashing capital ship.
"Get them!" Angella snapped.
"Glimmer!" Bow blurted out - but both Glimmers had already disappeared, leaving two clouds of sparkles.
And reappeared below, next to Adora. Sam saw them move, reach out - and then the Ha'tak hit the ground and everyone disappeared in smoke and fire.
Sam held her breath. Were they…?
But then the bridge sparkled, and five people appeared. Adora, holding the unconscious forms of Catra, with Glimmer. And the other Glimmer with their She-Ra, also unconscious.
"I did…" Glimmer collapsed.
Adora caught her before she hit the ground.
"Glimmer!" Bow rushed to her side.
"Adora!" The other Glimmer was holding on to their She-Ra.
And in front of them, a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rose from the Ha'tak's crash site.
When Catra came to, the first thing she saw was Adora's face. Although from an angle - she was in Adora's arms. Bridal-style. And Adora wasn't looking at her but at someone else.
"...and we should… Catra's awake!"
That was Glimmer's voice.
"Catra!" Now, Adora was staring at her. Smiling. And trying to crush her ribcage.
"Hey, Adora… bit tight," Catra told her in a whisper.
"Oh!"
The arms holding her relaxed - slightly. They still held her tightly. She smiled at Adora, then noticed that her love had tears in her eyes and reached up to brush them away.
Someone made gagging noises next to them, and Catra scowled. Who was… Ah. Glimmer's copy. Catra should have known. They were on Darla's bridge, she realised a little belatedly, with the others.
Acting as if she hadn't noticed Glimmer's copy, she moved her hand from Adora's cheek to her neck and pulled her love in for a kiss.
"I can't believe it!" Glimmer's copy complained.
"That's… how can you do that?" That was Adora's copy. She sounded shocked. "That's Catra!"
Catra sensed Adora tensing up - probably about to tell the others off - and squeezed her neck slightly, preventing her from breaking off the kiss.
"Gah!"
She smirked when she finally drew back and saw the outraged expressions on the copies' faces - and the mix of embarrassment and amusement on her friends' before she looked at Adora again. "So, you got the snake?"
"Yes."
"I killed Apophis!" Adora's copy cut in.
"After I already defeated him," Adora retorted. She narrowed her eyes at the other. "He always beat you away before I struck him."
Adora's copy scowled at her. "You didn't even use your sword!"
"Exactly!"
"Ah… the main thing is that Apophis is dead, right?" Bow asked with a weak smile. "And his ship is destroyed."
"Yep." Jack nodded.
"And Bright Moon is safe." That was Bow's copy.
So, the smoke in front of the ship was not the kingdom burning but the Ha'tak. That was good news - not that Catra had doubted that Adora would defeat Apophis. But it also meant that Angella didn't have to worry about the snake any more. And that probably wasn't good news.
Catra sighed and wriggled out of Adora's arms. "So, what happened to the former slaves who created Apophis?"
"We don't know their status," Jack said. "If they were on the ship…" He shrugged.
Catra took a closer look at the screens showing the crashed Ha'tak in more detail. The ship had been ripped apart, either from the crash or internal explosions. Several larger parts remained somewhat intact, but between the impact and the fire, anyone who had been inside them was probably dead anyway.
"I've sent troops to their former camp. And we'll search the wreck as soon as it's safe. We have to be sure that they are dead," Angella said.
"What?" Adora turned to gape at the queen. "They're victims brainwashed by Apophis! If they're alive, they need our help!"
"They created this!" Angella snapped, gesturing at the burning wreck before them. "They are responsible for the destruction of Plumeria, and it's only thanks to She-Ra that Bright Moon still stands! They are too dangerous to be left alive!"
Thanks to She-Ra indeed, Catra thought as she saw the copy nod. My Adora.
"We can't let them summon their god again!" Glimmer's copy said with a scowl that matched Angella's.
'Summon their god again'? That was an odd way to word it. Did she think that this Aophis had been the real one, summoned and now returned to his home dimension? Was she aware that they were in a dimension where you created everything, even gods, with your imagination? Was she aware that she was such a creation?
Catra narrowed her eyes as she looked at the copies.
"You can't kill them! This wasn't their fault - they were sent here against their will! Once we take them home, they won't be able to create their god any more!" Adora said.
"They are a danger! And traitors - we took them in, helped them, gave them a home, and they tried to destroy us all!" Glimmer's copy protested.
"It's not their fault - they were raised from birth to worship Apophis!" Glimmer cut in. "You can't expect them to change without telling them the truth about the Goa'uld!"
"The first thing their god did when he appeared was to attack us and destroy Plumeria. Since he was their creation, they would have known that would happen," Angella said - with a frown aimed at Glimmer.
The copies nodded again. Did they know they were created as Apophis was? Or did they think they were real? Could they influence this world as the former slaves and Angella - and Catra's friends - could? If so, did they know that? Or were they just ignoring everything that would make them question themselves?
Catra couldn't tell. But she was sure they had to find out. This was the key to sorting out this whole mess. If the copies were just figments, the only people who mattered - the only real people - in this dimension were Angella and the former slaves, if they were still alive. But if the copies were people…
That would be an even bigger mess. Especially if they depended on Angella's imagination to exist.
Jack O'Neill really wanted to leave this dimension. Ideally before someone else summoned another crazy god. Or something worse. Or the weirdness started to affect himself.
And he very much wanted to leave before they started a fight with the locals. That was never a good idea, no matter whether you were on a black ops mission in another country or on a rescue mission in another dimension.
Doubly so if the fight was about saving a bunch of people who had tried to kill you and your friends pretty damn hard for quite some time. Jack couldn't really fault the queen for her attitude - if those former slaves had summoned Aphopis and his magical Ha'tak to Earth and might try again, he would want to put a few rounds into each of them himself - brainwashed former slaves or not.
Of course, other opinions differed.
"They were raised to obey their god blindly!" Glimmer protested. "Of course, they would pray to him. That this dimension reacted to their prayers and created Apophis wasn't their fault!"
"This dimension gave them exactly what they asked for. They are responsible for the destruction caused by their god!" The queen glared at Glimmer.
In fact, the two queens were facing each other rather closely. Not very queenly at all. It looked more like a family spat than a diplomatic disagreement.
"They were raised like this from birth! Indoctrinated! Under pain of death! Did you expect them to abandon their religion?" Glimmer spat. "Just like that? That's not how it works!"
"It is true that many of the False Gods' slaves, both human and Jaffa, blindly follow what they were taught from birth," Teal'c spoke up. "However, their minds are not held in thrall. Only their own choices prevent them from questioning their false gods dogma."
Jack nodded. Like Teal'c had done. And Bra'tac.
"That's not entirely fair," Daniel spoke up. "It takes a lot of strength to abandon the society you were a part of since birth. Even more so if it involves cutting ties with your family and friends. And, of course, risking death by doing so - or, if you are religious, your very soul."
"They were not at risk here!" Angella retorted. "They were safe from their god. They chose to bring their evil god here!"
"That's because that was all they knew!" Glimmer put her hands on her hips. "Did you even talk with them? Explain that their god was fake and evil? Try to help them change?"
"Why would I? I had no idea that their god was like this!" Angella scoffed. "They told us that the goddess Taweret sent them here to die but that their god would save them."
"Well, it doesn't look like that worked out for them," Jack commented, glancing at the smoking remains of the crashed Ha'tak.
"We don't know that they were on board! They could have stayed at their camp!" Glimmer snapped.
"Then they are likely dead - killed by the guns of their own god." Angella sniffed. "In either case, they must face the consequences of their actions."
"They need help! We need to deprogram them! Show them that their god was a lie!" Adora shook her head. "Like the Horde - either Horde - they didn't know any better!"
Catra coughed. "Most of us in the Horde knew that what we were doing was wrong," she said in a low voice. "You were kind of the exception."
That earned her a glare from Adora. "We were taken in as babies and raised as soldiers!"
"And you defected as soon as you had the opportunity," Catra told her.
"Because I met Glimmer and Bow and found the Sword of Protection." Adora shook her head.
"And because, well, you're Adora," Glimmer added. "We can't expect everyone to be like you."
"When we had the opportunity, after meeting you, we rebelled against Ra," Sha're said, looking at Daniel.
"Well, yes, but those were special circumstances. Would you have rebelled without our arrival?" Daniel smiled. "Those people never had that chance."
"We welcomed them," Angella said. "We cared for them. We provided them with food, shelter and any help they needed to start a new life. And yet, they chose to summon their evil god and attack us."
"Can't argue that," Jack said.
"That doesn't mean they cannot change!" Adora retorted. "We need to talk to them, explain things, and give them a chance!"
"We need to find out if they are still alive first," Catra said. "If they are all dead…" She shrugged. "No point arguing in that case."
"Yes!" Adora nodded firmly. "Let's check the crash site. And their former camp. And no killing them!" she added with a frown at Angella.
"We cannot risk them repeating their deed," Angella protested. "I cannot put Etheria at risk."
She had a point there as well. But Jack knew Adora. She wouldn't agree. "Then let's hurry," he said. "We shouldn't waste time." They had already wasted enough time.
Jack wanted to leave this dimension yesterday.
This was all wrong! You shouldn't kill people just for being a threat - and without even talking to them! Adora couldn't believe this Angella wanted this - it went against everything the Alliance stood for. Either Alliance. Adora shook her head as Darla closed in on the burning wreckage of the Ha'tak.
At least the queen had agreed to order her soldiers to check for surviving former slaves and capture them instead of having them killed. That was something. For a moment, it had looked as if they would come to blows - or worse - over that. Glimmer had been spitting mad - Adora's friend was still fuming, actually, and keeping her distance from this Angella as much as possible without leaving the bridge.
And this Angella was ignoring her. And everyone else, it seemed - even her Glimmer and Adora. Angella was just staring at the wreck or at the soldiers surrounding it.
"Oh! Mermista is here - look at the fire she just put out!" Entrapta piped up. "She must have transported the water all the way from the lake!"
"Or created it on the spot," Catra muttered next to Adora.
Adora frowned at the reminder that this wasn't an alternate Etheria. They weren't in a parallel universe but a different dimension with, as Sam had put it, 'completely different laws of nature'. Reality wasn't real here - or only as real as you wanted. And that included the people.
She glanced at the other Adora, who was standing next to Angella. She looked like Adora had, years ago. But she didn't act like Adora would have, now or back then. She was far too… brutal. And… stubborn wasn't the right word. Single-minded? Even at her worst, Adora hadn't been like that. Not at all.
Maybe that was because the other Adora didn't have Catra. This dimension's Catra was dead. Killed by the Alliance. Maybe even by this Adora. Personally.
Adora shuddered at the thought. If she had killed Catra… She didn't want to imagine what that would have done to her. To kill your love… Could there be anything worse you could do?
She wrapped an arm around Catra and pulled her close. Catra made a surprised noise, squirmed a moment, but then settled. Good. Adora wouldn't let go of her. Not ever.
The bridge was silent on the final approach to the wreck. Even Entrapta didn't say anything as she and Sam were fiddling with the sensor they were setting up. That was actually a bit weird, wasn't it? Adora considered checking up on them, but that would have meant releasing Catra.
Then the ship touched down - far smoother than their own Darla would - right in front of the largest piece left of the Ha'tak - the remains of the top. Where they had fought Apophis.
"We'll need to stop the fires before we can search the wreckage," Angella said. "Mermista is working hard, but that will take some time. I'm not going to risk my soldiers' lives."
"You won't have to," Adora told her. "We can check ourselves - with our scanners." This Darla might fly much more smoothly than hers, but her friends had the better sensors. As far as they could tell, at least, with how easily things could change here.
She looked at Entrapta and Sam. "Can you detect any survivors?"
"Ah…" Entrapta trailed off and looked at Sam, biting her lips. That was a bad sign.
And Sam looked like she had just been told she would have to eat Horde rations for a week. The brown ones. But she nodded anyway. "We had to recalibrate our scanner. The way we detected dimensionally displaced people before, looking for the changes they cause in the environment, was not a viable way to find them since the entire wreck is such a change."
"Yes." Entrapta nodded. "So, we had to find another way to find them. Something that set them apart from this dimension's native people." Adora felt Catra tense up and hugged her more tightly as Entrapta went on. "We picked constants that differ between parallel universes - we had data about that from Beta's earlier experiments, before the war with the Horde Prime. So… we found a constant that seems unique to our dimension by cross-checking with the readings from us and what data we had from the Quantum Mirror."
And she trailed off again.
"Carter?" Jack sounded concerned. He must have picked up as well that something was wrong.
"We only detected one such constant outside our own team in the vicinity, sir," Sam replied.
"One survivor?" Jack frowned.
Adora frowned as well. If all the others had died, they must have been very lucky to survive.
"In a manner of speaking, sir." Sam sounded tense. And she was… glancing at Angella?
"Shit!" Catra whispered next to her.
Oh.
Adora blinked. Then she got it. And stared at Angella. She was…?
"NO!" Glimmer yelled. "She can't be my mom! Mom would never do what she has done!"
Oh, no!
Unknown Location, February 4th, 2000 (Earth Time)
"We're at the reactor room. Going in," Samantha Carter heard the General's voice through her communicator as she studied the lock on said door.
"We're at the throne room. Engaged with Apophis." Catra's voice sounded far tenser than Sam had expected.
She also heard some crushing and grunting noises, followed by some booming boasting and mocking laughter. Things apparently weren't going well for the other group.
"They'll be fine!" Entrapta said. She sounded honest, but Sam had her doubts. The real Apophis would not last long against one, much less two She-Ra's. That meant they had to adjust their estimates of this Apophis's power upwards. Far upwards.
"What's the holdup, Major?" the General asked.
"The lock is more difficult to crack than expected, sir," she replied with a frown. None of the usual approaches were working - she hadn't even found the lock's power supply yet. She would have assumed that it was entirely mechanical if not for the fact that she hadn't found any couplings or other ways to move a bar. It was like the lock was… "...a magic lock," she whispered, her eyes widening.
"Oh! That would explain the data we got!" Entrapta beamed. "How interesting!"
"Magitech?" the General asked.
"No, sir. Magic. I doubt there is any technology in this lock," Sam corrected him.
"Well, technically, magic is still technology," Entrapta said. "Although magic in this dimension might not fit the scientific definition, seeing as the laws of nature are so flexible here. On the other hand, we simply might not yet have discovered the underlying physics of this dimension."
"Magic or magictech - can you crack it?" The General sounded impatient. He would be tense with half their group fighting a battle that sounded more and more desperate the longer Sam heard it play out over the comm.
"Not unless you mean it literally," Entrapta replied, saving Sam from having to admit her failure. "Glimmer? Can you use your magic?"
Glimmer took a look at the lock and shook her head. "I am not as good a sorceress as Dad. Or my Aunt. And this is a completely different dimension, with magic made up by people who have no idea how it should work. I can't control such an enchantment."
"Then I guess we need the universal door opener mark IV," the General said.
"Oh?" Entrapta blinked. Then she saw him pull out a pack of C4. "Oh! That's what you meant!"
Sam was already moving back - the General was an expert on demolitions, but she expected him to err on the side of more blasting power in this situation. "Take cover!" she said, then snagged a tendril of Entrapta's hair to gently pull her friend with her.
Glimmer and the others were already behind the closest corner. Sam had barely hunkered down - keeping a hand on Entrapta to prevent her friend from moving out of cover to take a look - when the General dashed around the corner and crouched down. "Cover your ears!" he said, raising a detonator.
Sam quickly slapped her hands over her ears and opened her mouth. A second passed. Then another.
"Entrapta!"
"Sorry!"
Then, a loud explosion made her ears ring for a moment, followed by a shockwave that, even blunted by the distance and the hallway's corner, felt like a blow to her chest.
The General was already moving forward, straight into the cloud of dust and smoke that filled the area ahead of them, and Sam caught a glance of Teal'c's form even further ahead before the smoke hid both men from view.
She pulled her goggles down over her eyes and ran after them. The cloud was already thinning when she reached it, but she still almost ran into the remains of the door after half a dozen steps.
Stumbling and cursing herself for it, she made it past the bent and twisted metal into the reactor room - and stopped at once, blinking.
"That's… not a Goa'uld reactor," she said. Nor was it an Ancient model. Or a Horde core.
"Looks very snakey to me. All that gold and hieroglyphs," the General commented. with a wave. "Just their style. Too much bling even for the worst gangsta rapper."
"Yes, sir. But that's purely aesthetics. The whole design doesn't conform to standard Goa'uld reactor technology," Sam said, taking a few steps closer. And that was a mature technology. This was… something else. Impressive, certainly, and it fit the aesthetics perfectly, though…
Her eyes widened. "Where are the powerlines?" she muttered. The huge, vaguely cylindrical construction was a monstrosity of gold and inlays, and she could see sparks and lightning flash through small gaps in the ornaments, but she couldn't see any lines connected to the thing.
"Oh! The power generated is immense! That's better than our own designs!" Entrapta gushed. "But what's the source? It can't be an antimatter plant, there's no fluctuation - the power is far too steady for that, and yet where is it coming from? It has to be…"
Sam pressed her lips together. Outdone by the Goa'uld? Worse, by an imaginary Goa'uld, thought up by his faithful to… She gasped again.
"Magic!" she breathed together with Entrapta.
"Magic?" the General repeated.
"It's a magic reactor - it runs on magic," she explained. Or divinity, maybe.
Well, what else should she have expected if a group of people deliberately kept ignorant of technology of any kind were imagining a spaceship for their god? They had no idea how things should work in their universe and assumed it was magic controlled by their god's whim. The whole ship was just a facade. An illusion. Unburdened by knowledge, science and the limits and demands of known technology.
"The whole ship must be running on make-believe," she said.
And in a dimension shaped by one's belief…
She winced. This Apophis was an even greater threat than she had imagined.
As if someone had read her mind, another scream cut through the communicator.
"ADORA!"
*****
"ADORA!" Catra screamed and rushed towards her love.
"I'm OK!"
Adora was lying, Catra knew - her love was struggling to get up from the ground after she had left a hole in the throne room's wall and a crater in the Ha'tak's hull.
Catra dropped on all fours and dug her claws into the steel to stop before she rammed into Adora. "Don't…"
"TREMBLE BEFORE YOUR GOD!" Apophis appeared in the hole in the wall, floating a foot above the ground, power crackling around his hands. "I WILL…"
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
So, the other She-Ra wasn't dead yet. Catra helped Adora up while her lover's braindead copy charged at Apophis from the side.
Apophis snarled and turned to face her, hands raised, and a gleaming force field appeared in front of him a moment before the local idiot crashed into it.
"We need to attack together!" Adora blurted out, but before she could get moving, the other She-Ra was sent flying by a burst of power from Aphophis and crashed into the wall on the other side. Like the last half a dozen times she had attacked him.
"She isn't listening," Catra spat and tried to drag Adora to the side, out of Apophis's field of view. "We need to find another way to beat him ourselves." At least the idiot didn't seem to stay down no matter how often she was hit by Apophis.
Unlike Adora, Catra added silently. Her love was battered and bruised from that single blow.
"But… Watch out!"
Before Catra could react, Adora pulled her to the side and raised her sword, turning it into a shield to catch a bolt of lightning Apophis sent at them. The energy crackled as it hit the shield, and Catra felt her fur starting to rise, but Adora stood her ground, baring her teeth at the snake.
"YOU DARE TO DEFY ME?"
"Took you that long to notice?" Catra muttered, quickly glancing around. If the copy managed to distract Apophis again, and Adora could handle another few attacks, Catra might be able to use the wall and one of the holes to get at the snake's back.
"You'll never win!" Adora spat, taking a step toward Apophis, shield held high.
Another lightning bolt flew towards her, and the shield stopped it again. Adora wasn't even pushed back, Catra noted. And yet the same attack had thrown her through a wall just a moment before…
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
Apophis didn't even bother to turn around - he simply flicked his wrist, and the copy was sent flying again.
"If we keep this up, we'll wreck the Ha'tak," Catra whispered. She moved a few steps to the side, closer to the wall. Almost there… She caught Apophis's eyes turning towards her and dived to the side.
The floor where she had been standing exploded before she hit the ground, lightning sending shards of metal flying. Catra ducked her head and covered it with her arms as they hit her. Most were stopped by her uniform, but one left a cut on her arm, and she hissed with pain when another pierced her tail.
"Catra!" And Adora the idiot rushed towards her, changing her shield into a sword to send a bolt of magic at Apophis that fizzled on his shield.
Apophis didn't waste the opportunity and hurled another lightning bolt at Adora. It caught her right before she reached Catra, sending her flying again - into the wall next to the lift shaft.
Catra gasped and scrambled up. Adora was… Apophis was… she jumped, dodging another attack, and twisted in the air so she landed on all fours on the rubble left behind by one of the lightning bolts. Her claws dug into the metal and propelled her forward moments before the next attack struck, and a quick dash avoided another, but she couldn't keep this up forever.
"RAHHH!"
She didn't have to - the idiot copy's next attack was as ineffective as the ones before, but while Apophis was blasting her into the other wall, Adora had managed to get up and back into the fight.
"I'm your enemy!" she yelled, advancing toward the snake. "Fight me!"
"YOU ARE A BUG I SHALL CRUSH!" Apophis spat back, followed by two more lightning bolts.
Again, Adora wasn't moved by the blows she caught on her shield. She wasn't even slowed down - she kept advancing even though her legs must be hurting.
Catra was missing something. This made no sense. The copy was getting up from blows that should have shattered her, and Adora either shrugged off the attacks or was sent flying by them. The shield alone couldn't be the reason…
"INSOLENT VERMIN! DIE!"
Apophis unleashed a veritable lightning storm - and Adora stood her ground even as electricity crackled around her body and made her hair stand up - and Catra's nose smelled an overpowering ozone stench.
The shield couldn't do this… Catra's eyes widened. This was a different dimension. Different laws of physics. And magic. "Keep the shield up! He can't hurt you as long as you have it!"
That was it! They couldn't fight this as they would fight back home - they had to fight it according to this world! A world created by Angella and a bunch of former slaves.
Catra snorted. All they had to do was think like… Her eyes widened when she saw Apophis turn towards her with a deep scowl and lightning crackling around both hands. She had to dodge! Had to run! Had to get aw…
"DIE!"
She screamed when the lightning storm hit her, pain filling her, and she smelt burning hair before everything went dark.
*****
"CATRA!"
Jack O'Neill winced at Adora's scream coming through the radio - communicator. Things were not going well at all. "Adora? Adora?" he asked.
No answer.
"We've lost contact with them, sir," Carter announced.
That was even worse news. "We need to get up there," he said, turning to look at Carter. "Can you do anything with the reactor here?"
She pressed her lips together, a scowl appearing on her face for a moment - annoyed at herself, no doubt, even if it wasn't her fault at all that they were in some magic spaceship. "No, sir, I…"
The entire ship shook, sending everyone stumbling. "It seems their inertial compensators aren't as good as Darla's," Entrapta, caught by her own hair, commented in the sudden silence.
The ship hadn't stopped shaking. It felt like a weaker earthquake - but it wasn't stopping. Jack quickly checked that everyone present was OK - no one seemed hurt, even those who had fallen - and then looked at Carter again.
She had gone pale staring at her tool, and Jack felt his stomach drop. "What's going on?" Was someone else attacking the ship? Or was it sabotage? A malfunction?
"There's a massive discharge of energy at the top of the Ha'tak!" Carter blurted out. "A sustained one!"
"Oh…!" Entrapta cut in, her hair tentacle holding out her own tool to Carter. "Look at this! It's out of sync!"
The ship was still shaking. Jack wasn't a tech, but he knew enough about planes to know that this wasn't a good thing. Magical ship or not, that kind of stress tended to literally shake things apart.
"It's Adora," Glimmer said in a struck tone, looking at the ceiling. "Apophis must have… hurt Catra. Like Horde Prime did."
"Oh." Entrapta sounded scared.
And that scared Jack.
Something cracked behind him - in the huge magical reactor.
That scared him even more.
"Change of plan!" he snapped. "We rig the reactor to blow and return to our ship!"
"But Adora needs our help!" Glimmer said.
"She-Ra will save us all!" the local Glimmer said. She didn't sound worried at all.
Angella, on the other hand, didn't seem nearly as confident. She looked like she wanted to say something but stayed silent, staring at the ceiling.
"Teleport the others back to the ship!" Jack said, looking at both Glimmers as he pulled out packs of C-4 from his pockets. "Hurry!"
Glimmer nodded, but her copy scowled and looked at Angella.
This time, the queen did react. "Do it, dear. There's nothing we can do here."
And Jack turned to look at the reactor, wondering where to put the explosives. And whether or not the reactor would explode before he finished.
*****
"DIE!"
With her magic forming a blaze around her, Adora barely noticed the lightning bolt fizzling out against her shield. Catra was hurt! Again! Adora cradled her limp body with her free arm, staring at her love. She was breathing, but barely. And her fur was singed - burnt - in many spots. This was Adora's fault. If she had taken out Apophis right away, if she had been stronger, quicker, better…
She shook her head, sending tears flying, and pulled Catra close to her chest. "Not again!" she whispered and willed her power to heal her love.
"YOU CANNOT STAND AGAINST A GOD!"
A hail of lightning bolts hit her shield, but she didn't pay attention. She was watching while Catra healed in moments, fur regrowing, twitching muscles relaxing, chest rising smoothly - Adora could feel Catra's heart beat steadily.
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
"STOP PESTERING ME!"
A white blur flew past her and hit the wall in the back. Adora didn't care. Catra was safe. Unconscious but safe. Alive and healthy.
And Adora would make sure that she stayed that way. She slowly raised her head and stared at Apophis over the edge of her shield.
"DIE! CRUMBLE BEFORE MY MIGHT!"
Another lightning bolt hit her shield. She didn't even feel the impact. Apophis couldn't hurt her as long as she had her shield.
Adora took a step forward.
"DIE!"
And yet another lightning bolt uselessly struck her shield.
Adora took another step forward. And one more. She saw Apophis scowl turn into a snarl, exposing his teeth.
He threw a lightning storm at her. She kept walking. Through it. The energy tore up the ground - and sent her counterpart flying again - but didn't touch her.
"I AM YOUR GOD! DIE!"
His eyes flicked to the side for a moment. Just a hint of fear before she sneered at her.
"You are no god," she told him, narrowing her eyes.
"I AM YOUR GOD!"
More lightning lashed out.
"You are just a figment. A fantasy." She shook her head. "You're not real."
"I AM YOUR GOD! BOW TO MY MIGHT!"
"You're a false god!" She glared at him. Just a bit closer…
He started to float back, and she scoffed. "A real god wouldn't flee!"
He froze for a moment. "I AM NOT FLEEING!"
He flew at her, lightning crackling around both fists, eyes glowing with power, as he lashed out.
"DIE!"
She caught his attack on her shield. This time, she felt the impact, felt the pressure, felt his power trying to push her back, trying to overwhelm her.
But she was She-Ra, Princess of Power. Protector of Etheria. She wouldn't falter. Wouldn't fail. She would save her friends and everyone else.
Clenching her teeth, she pushed back. Her boots left dents on the metal floor.
"YOU WILL FAIL! NO ONE CAN STAND UP TO A GOD!"
"I. Will. Not. Fail!" she spat through clenched teeth. She met his eyes and pushed.
His force field broke, and she saw his eyes widen a fraction of a second before her shield smashed into his face and sent him flying back - and to the ground.
He slid over the floor, rolling twice before he was stopped by a piece of the torn gates embedded in the metal, and stared at her as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
"This is impossible! You cannot defeat me! I am a god!"
"You are a fake god!" she repeated herself as she advanced on him.
"NO! I AM…"
"FOR THE GLORY OF GRAYSKULL!"
What? Adora glanced to the side, just in time to see her counterpart charge in again, sword held in both hands. "Wait!"
"DIE!"
Another lightning storm erupted around Apophis, and the other She-Ra charged straight into it, screaming about Grayskull.
Adora hunkered down behind her shield, pressing Catra to her body to protect her as electricity raged around her. This was…
The storm vanished. After a moment, Adora peered over her shield.
The other She-Ra was on the ground, smoke rising from her twitching body. But Apophis was on his back, She-Ra's sword sticking out of his chest - piercing where the symbiont was located, or would have been located back in Adora's dimension. A pool of blood was spreading beneath him. His mouth was moving, trying to form words, but only blood came out.
His eyes met hers, and before Adora could think of what to say, they glazed over, and he grew still.
*****
The reactor was damaged - malfunctioning. Or should be. The cracking sounds coming from it couldn't be indicating anything good. Or shouldn't. Samantha Carter couldn't tell.
She was really sick of dealing with make-believe technology. She should be able to assist the General in placing the charges so they were most effective, but all her knowledge was useless here - the reactor didn't work according to any physics, any principle she knew. Not even magic, at least not as far as she could tell. Magic had rules.
Glimmer - the real Glimmer - appeared next to her and yelled: "Hold on!"
Sam barely managed to grab the woman's hand when everything disappeared in a cloud of sparkles, and she reappeared in the middle of Darla's bridge. No, in the middle of the bridge of a ship that looked like Darla but was also just a figment of imagination.
Glimmer, panting, disappeared again to fetch the General.
Sam turned to look at her friends. The only ones missing were the General. And, of course, Adora and Catra.
"The enemy ship is turning on its axis!" the other Bow announced.
Sam gasped and checked her tools. And cursed - the Ha'tak was listing to the side, the angle steadily growing. The engines must be struggling.
Through the bridge windows, she saw debris left from their violent entrance, as well as Jaffa corpses, starting to slide down the hallway in front of the ship. The artificial gravity of the Ha'tak was failing, then.
And yet, the artificial gravity and the inertial compensators in this Darla were working so well, Sam hadn't noticed any change inside.
Glimmer reappeared with the General and bent over, chest heaving from exhaustion.
Sam checked her readings. The listing had increased even more - but it was still manageable. At least in theory. This was a spaceship, not a naval vessel.
"Adora! Catra! Where are you?" Bow spoke into his communicator. "We need to leave!"
Sam didn't hear any reply. The others must have lost their communicators. Or their lives… No! That was…
"The enemy is still firing on Bright Moon," the other Bow reported.
"The shield is starting to fall," the other Entrapta added. "It cannot resist much longer."
"Trigger the charges!" Angella told the General.
"The others are still missing!" Glimmer protested.
"They're She-Ra," Angella retorted. "They'll be fine."
She sounded so confident, Sam couldn't help worrying that she was delusional. Not that she hadn't doubted the woman's sanity before.
"Adora! Catra! Where are you?" Glimmer all but screamed into her communicator.
"They're still firing."
"Detonate the charges!"
"We don't know if blowing the reactor will stop the guns!" Sam blurted out.
"But it will do something," Entrapta said. "Probably."
Sam looked at the General. He was clenching his teeth - she could tell from the twitching of his jaw muscles - but slowly nodded. Then he raised the detonator. "Get us out of here!"
The other Bow moved his hands over the console, and the ship took off - Sam could only tell from the way her viewing angle of the area outside changed.
"Full speed reverse!"
And they shot out backwards.
"Here we go!" the General snapped.
Sam heard a dim explosion. Then her tool beeped an alert - and a series of explosions went off.
"Secondary explosions! The reactor is going!" Entrapta announced.
"The Ha'tak's starting to fall!"
A screeching noise filled the ship - Bow hadn't been able to compensate for the movement from the Ha'tak and keep them steady, so they were now flying backwards through walls and decks, leaving a trail of debris in their wake that was clearly visible through the bridge windows.
Sam held her breath. It was insane! They should be dead, their ship crushed! Physics didn't work that way! Darla's shields shouldn't be able to hold out!
And yet, they did. Suddenly, they were outside the Ha'tak. Sam caught a glimpse of two Darla-sized holes close to each other in the hull before Bow turned the ship around.
And the Ha'tak was descending while venting smoke from several gaps in its hull and listing to the side.
"Adora! Where are you?" Glimmer sounded desperate.
"Adora! Come in!" Even the other Glimmer sounded concerned.
And Angella had grown tense, Sam noted - staring at the top of the Ha'tak, which was starting to fall now.
"Adora…" Glimmer whispered as the Ha'tak dropped below them.
"Look!" Bow - their Bow - suddenly yelled, pointing ahead.
Sam squinted - and saw a bright light appear a bit below the top of the enemy ship. Was that…?
The light turned into a beam, widening, then vanished, leaving a smoking hole in the hull. Was that movement?
The wind ripped the smoke away, revealing a glowing figure in the hole. Sam used her binocs.
"Adora!" Glimmer yelled.
It was her! And she was carrying Catra and the other She-Ra!
And she was standing on a crashing capital ship.
"Get them!" Angella snapped.
"Glimmer!" Bow blurted out - but both Glimmers had already disappeared, leaving two clouds of sparkles.
And reappeared below, next to Adora. Sam saw them move, reach out - and then the Ha'tak hit the ground and everyone disappeared in smoke and fire.
Sam held her breath. Were they…?
But then the bridge sparkled, and five people appeared. Adora, holding the unconscious forms of Catra, with Glimmer. And the other Glimmer with their She-Ra, also unconscious.
"I did…" Glimmer collapsed.
Adora caught her before she hit the ground.
"Glimmer!" Bow rushed to her side.
"Adora!" The other Glimmer was holding on to their She-Ra.
And in front of them, a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rose from the Ha'tak's crash site.
*****
When Catra came to, the first thing she saw was Adora's face. Although from an angle - she was in Adora's arms. Bridal-style. And Adora wasn't looking at her but at someone else.
"...and we should… Catra's awake!"
That was Glimmer's voice.
"Catra!" Now, Adora was staring at her. Smiling. And trying to crush her ribcage.
"Hey, Adora… bit tight," Catra told her in a whisper.
"Oh!"
The arms holding her relaxed - slightly. They still held her tightly. She smiled at Adora, then noticed that her love had tears in her eyes and reached up to brush them away.
Someone made gagging noises next to them, and Catra scowled. Who was… Ah. Glimmer's copy. Catra should have known. They were on Darla's bridge, she realised a little belatedly, with the others.
Acting as if she hadn't noticed Glimmer's copy, she moved her hand from Adora's cheek to her neck and pulled her love in for a kiss.
"I can't believe it!" Glimmer's copy complained.
"That's… how can you do that?" That was Adora's copy. She sounded shocked. "That's Catra!"
Catra sensed Adora tensing up - probably about to tell the others off - and squeezed her neck slightly, preventing her from breaking off the kiss.
"Gah!"
She smirked when she finally drew back and saw the outraged expressions on the copies' faces - and the mix of embarrassment and amusement on her friends' before she looked at Adora again. "So, you got the snake?"
"Yes."
"I killed Apophis!" Adora's copy cut in.
"After I already defeated him," Adora retorted. She narrowed her eyes at the other. "He always beat you away before I struck him."
Adora's copy scowled at her. "You didn't even use your sword!"
"Exactly!"
"Ah… the main thing is that Apophis is dead, right?" Bow asked with a weak smile. "And his ship is destroyed."
"Yep." Jack nodded.
"And Bright Moon is safe." That was Bow's copy.
So, the smoke in front of the ship was not the kingdom burning but the Ha'tak. That was good news - not that Catra had doubted that Adora would defeat Apophis. But it also meant that Angella didn't have to worry about the snake any more. And that probably wasn't good news.
Catra sighed and wriggled out of Adora's arms. "So, what happened to the former slaves who created Apophis?"
"We don't know their status," Jack said. "If they were on the ship…" He shrugged.
Catra took a closer look at the screens showing the crashed Ha'tak in more detail. The ship had been ripped apart, either from the crash or internal explosions. Several larger parts remained somewhat intact, but between the impact and the fire, anyone who had been inside them was probably dead anyway.
"I've sent troops to their former camp. And we'll search the wreck as soon as it's safe. We have to be sure that they are dead," Angella said.
"What?" Adora turned to gape at the queen. "They're victims brainwashed by Apophis! If they're alive, they need our help!"
"They created this!" Angella snapped, gesturing at the burning wreck before them. "They are responsible for the destruction of Plumeria, and it's only thanks to She-Ra that Bright Moon still stands! They are too dangerous to be left alive!"
Thanks to She-Ra indeed, Catra thought as she saw the copy nod. My Adora.
"We can't let them summon their god again!" Glimmer's copy said with a scowl that matched Angella's.
'Summon their god again'? That was an odd way to word it. Did she think that this Aophis had been the real one, summoned and now returned to his home dimension? Was she aware that they were in a dimension where you created everything, even gods, with your imagination? Was she aware that she was such a creation?
Catra narrowed her eyes as she looked at the copies.
"You can't kill them! This wasn't their fault - they were sent here against their will! Once we take them home, they won't be able to create their god any more!" Adora said.
"They are a danger! And traitors - we took them in, helped them, gave them a home, and they tried to destroy us all!" Glimmer's copy protested.
"It's not their fault - they were raised from birth to worship Apophis!" Glimmer cut in. "You can't expect them to change without telling them the truth about the Goa'uld!"
"The first thing their god did when he appeared was to attack us and destroy Plumeria. Since he was their creation, they would have known that would happen," Angella said - with a frown aimed at Glimmer.
The copies nodded again. Did they know they were created as Apophis was? Or did they think they were real? Could they influence this world as the former slaves and Angella - and Catra's friends - could? If so, did they know that? Or were they just ignoring everything that would make them question themselves?
Catra couldn't tell. But she was sure they had to find out. This was the key to sorting out this whole mess. If the copies were just figments, the only people who mattered - the only real people - in this dimension were Angella and the former slaves, if they were still alive. But if the copies were people…
That would be an even bigger mess. Especially if they depended on Angella's imagination to exist.
*****
Jack O'Neill really wanted to leave this dimension. Ideally before someone else summoned another crazy god. Or something worse. Or the weirdness started to affect himself.
And he very much wanted to leave before they started a fight with the locals. That was never a good idea, no matter whether you were on a black ops mission in another country or on a rescue mission in another dimension.
Doubly so if the fight was about saving a bunch of people who had tried to kill you and your friends pretty damn hard for quite some time. Jack couldn't really fault the queen for her attitude - if those former slaves had summoned Aphopis and his magical Ha'tak to Earth and might try again, he would want to put a few rounds into each of them himself - brainwashed former slaves or not.
Of course, other opinions differed.
"They were raised to obey their god blindly!" Glimmer protested. "Of course, they would pray to him. That this dimension reacted to their prayers and created Apophis wasn't their fault!"
"This dimension gave them exactly what they asked for. They are responsible for the destruction caused by their god!" The queen glared at Glimmer.
In fact, the two queens were facing each other rather closely. Not very queenly at all. It looked more like a family spat than a diplomatic disagreement.
"They were raised like this from birth! Indoctrinated! Under pain of death! Did you expect them to abandon their religion?" Glimmer spat. "Just like that? That's not how it works!"
"It is true that many of the False Gods' slaves, both human and Jaffa, blindly follow what they were taught from birth," Teal'c spoke up. "However, their minds are not held in thrall. Only their own choices prevent them from questioning their false gods dogma."
Jack nodded. Like Teal'c had done. And Bra'tac.
"That's not entirely fair," Daniel spoke up. "It takes a lot of strength to abandon the society you were a part of since birth. Even more so if it involves cutting ties with your family and friends. And, of course, risking death by doing so - or, if you are religious, your very soul."
"They were not at risk here!" Angella retorted. "They were safe from their god. They chose to bring their evil god here!"
"That's because that was all they knew!" Glimmer put her hands on her hips. "Did you even talk with them? Explain that their god was fake and evil? Try to help them change?"
"Why would I? I had no idea that their god was like this!" Angella scoffed. "They told us that the goddess Taweret sent them here to die but that their god would save them."
"Well, it doesn't look like that worked out for them," Jack commented, glancing at the smoking remains of the crashed Ha'tak.
"We don't know that they were on board! They could have stayed at their camp!" Glimmer snapped.
"Then they are likely dead - killed by the guns of their own god." Angella sniffed. "In either case, they must face the consequences of their actions."
"They need help! We need to deprogram them! Show them that their god was a lie!" Adora shook her head. "Like the Horde - either Horde - they didn't know any better!"
Catra coughed. "Most of us in the Horde knew that what we were doing was wrong," she said in a low voice. "You were kind of the exception."
That earned her a glare from Adora. "We were taken in as babies and raised as soldiers!"
"And you defected as soon as you had the opportunity," Catra told her.
"Because I met Glimmer and Bow and found the Sword of Protection." Adora shook her head.
"And because, well, you're Adora," Glimmer added. "We can't expect everyone to be like you."
"When we had the opportunity, after meeting you, we rebelled against Ra," Sha're said, looking at Daniel.
"Well, yes, but those were special circumstances. Would you have rebelled without our arrival?" Daniel smiled. "Those people never had that chance."
"We welcomed them," Angella said. "We cared for them. We provided them with food, shelter and any help they needed to start a new life. And yet, they chose to summon their evil god and attack us."
"Can't argue that," Jack said.
"That doesn't mean they cannot change!" Adora retorted. "We need to talk to them, explain things, and give them a chance!"
"We need to find out if they are still alive first," Catra said. "If they are all dead…" She shrugged. "No point arguing in that case."
"Yes!" Adora nodded firmly. "Let's check the crash site. And their former camp. And no killing them!" she added with a frown at Angella.
"We cannot risk them repeating their deed," Angella protested. "I cannot put Etheria at risk."
She had a point there as well. But Jack knew Adora. She wouldn't agree. "Then let's hurry," he said. "We shouldn't waste time." They had already wasted enough time.
Jack wanted to leave this dimension yesterday.
*****
This was all wrong! You shouldn't kill people just for being a threat - and without even talking to them! Adora couldn't believe this Angella wanted this - it went against everything the Alliance stood for. Either Alliance. Adora shook her head as Darla closed in on the burning wreckage of the Ha'tak.
At least the queen had agreed to order her soldiers to check for surviving former slaves and capture them instead of having them killed. That was something. For a moment, it had looked as if they would come to blows - or worse - over that. Glimmer had been spitting mad - Adora's friend was still fuming, actually, and keeping her distance from this Angella as much as possible without leaving the bridge.
And this Angella was ignoring her. And everyone else, it seemed - even her Glimmer and Adora. Angella was just staring at the wreck or at the soldiers surrounding it.
"Oh! Mermista is here - look at the fire she just put out!" Entrapta piped up. "She must have transported the water all the way from the lake!"
"Or created it on the spot," Catra muttered next to Adora.
Adora frowned at the reminder that this wasn't an alternate Etheria. They weren't in a parallel universe but a different dimension with, as Sam had put it, 'completely different laws of nature'. Reality wasn't real here - or only as real as you wanted. And that included the people.
She glanced at the other Adora, who was standing next to Angella. She looked like Adora had, years ago. But she didn't act like Adora would have, now or back then. She was far too… brutal. And… stubborn wasn't the right word. Single-minded? Even at her worst, Adora hadn't been like that. Not at all.
Maybe that was because the other Adora didn't have Catra. This dimension's Catra was dead. Killed by the Alliance. Maybe even by this Adora. Personally.
Adora shuddered at the thought. If she had killed Catra… She didn't want to imagine what that would have done to her. To kill your love… Could there be anything worse you could do?
She wrapped an arm around Catra and pulled her close. Catra made a surprised noise, squirmed a moment, but then settled. Good. Adora wouldn't let go of her. Not ever.
The bridge was silent on the final approach to the wreck. Even Entrapta didn't say anything as she and Sam were fiddling with the sensor they were setting up. That was actually a bit weird, wasn't it? Adora considered checking up on them, but that would have meant releasing Catra.
Then the ship touched down - far smoother than their own Darla would - right in front of the largest piece left of the Ha'tak - the remains of the top. Where they had fought Apophis.
"We'll need to stop the fires before we can search the wreckage," Angella said. "Mermista is working hard, but that will take some time. I'm not going to risk my soldiers' lives."
"You won't have to," Adora told her. "We can check ourselves - with our scanners." This Darla might fly much more smoothly than hers, but her friends had the better sensors. As far as they could tell, at least, with how easily things could change here.
She looked at Entrapta and Sam. "Can you detect any survivors?"
"Ah…" Entrapta trailed off and looked at Sam, biting her lips. That was a bad sign.
And Sam looked like she had just been told she would have to eat Horde rations for a week. The brown ones. But she nodded anyway. "We had to recalibrate our scanner. The way we detected dimensionally displaced people before, looking for the changes they cause in the environment, was not a viable way to find them since the entire wreck is such a change."
"Yes." Entrapta nodded. "So, we had to find another way to find them. Something that set them apart from this dimension's native people." Adora felt Catra tense up and hugged her more tightly as Entrapta went on. "We picked constants that differ between parallel universes - we had data about that from Beta's earlier experiments, before the war with the Horde Prime. So… we found a constant that seems unique to our dimension by cross-checking with the readings from us and what data we had from the Quantum Mirror."
And she trailed off again.
"Carter?" Jack sounded concerned. He must have picked up as well that something was wrong.
"We only detected one such constant outside our own team in the vicinity, sir," Sam replied.
"One survivor?" Jack frowned.
Adora frowned as well. If all the others had died, they must have been very lucky to survive.
"In a manner of speaking, sir." Sam sounded tense. And she was… glancing at Angella?
"Shit!" Catra whispered next to her.
Oh.
Adora blinked. Then she got it. And stared at Angella. She was…?
"NO!" Glimmer yelled. "She can't be my mom! Mom would never do what she has done!"
Oh, no!
*****