"Keep it moving, cadets!" cried Scorpia. "You're doing great, trust me!"

The simulation wasn't perfect, but it was more than enough for the moment. The cadets took to enjoying what little rest and relaxation they could get, which in this case meant kicking around a ball in a field of bluish grass. Scorpia stood at the sidelines, preferring to spectate over deflating yet another air-filled ball with her claws. It was a peaceful hour. The cadets were having a good time, and Catra was nowhere to be seen.

Except... Socrpia tried to keep her mind off the fact that [i]Lonnie[/i] of all people was sitting this one out.

She'd been like that all day, and slowly it got on Scorpia's nerves. Before the catastrophe that had nearly killed them all, Lonnie was the first to take part in tests of physical strength and vigor, yet today she had been sitting under a tree with dying bluish-brown leaves.

"The heck's gotten into her?" uttered Scorpia.

Feigning boredom, she popped a squat under the tree next to Lonnie.

"So, uh... feel like joining the next round?" ask Scorpia.

"I don't think so." Lonnie kept watching the game, her knees pressed up against her chin.

Scorpia let out an awkward faux-gut laugh. "C'mon, you know you want to!"

Lonnie's nose scrunched up. "You haven't talked to Catra much since Entrapta got sent away, have you." She blinked and looked at Scorpia with almost a sympathetic eye. "When [i]was[/i] the last time you talked to her?"

"When I didn't have to? Um..." Scorpia realized she had to think about something. "Must've been... wait... no, that's not it—"

"You don't like her so much anymore," said Lonnie. "Figured."

"I still like her!" she cried defensively. "She's still Catra, after all! She's just—" She sighed. "She's not herself right now. I thought punishing Entrapta would make everything better, at least for her, but I can't remember the last time she said anything nice to me." She tapped her chin. "Was I just imagining all the good times we had together? Because I [i]feel[/i] like they happened, but..."

Lonnie's gaze lowered from the playing field to her own feet. "Thinking about Adora so much must've made her crazy."

"Oh, the A-word!" Scorpia's ears seemed to perk up. "That must be it! Catra's gotten so caught up in wanting to beat Adora that she let it get to her! I mean, I don't blame her, the Rebellion's a mean bunch."

"No." Lonnie's eyes appeared as if they'd be watery, if the simulation had been programmed to show such a thing. "I don't think she cares too much about what the Rebellion does, if they end up winning this war or not. And if I'm being honest, [i]I[/i] don't care too much either at this point."

"But—" Scorpia couldn't help but guffaw at that. "But the Rebellion are a bunch of treacherous goons! We have to crush them, and... all that stuff." She sounded unsure of herself.

Lonnie looked up, and her mournful gaze met Scorpia's. "Adora was my friend too."

"I mean, yeah." She scratched her head. "But you're at least handling it better than Catra, right?"

"I guess," Lonnie replied. "I think about Adora a lot too, which doesn't make me and Catra so different. I was always there when Adora doubted herself, which was actually more times than I can count. For pretty much our whole lives we were like the best of teammates. Sisters in arms and all that. But I don't think she's ever thought of me, since she became She-Ra. I don't know if I exist to her anymore."

A strange wave of emotion ran through Scorpia's body, and she got the instinctual feeling that she knew what Lonnie meant. "Sounds pretty bad, to lose a friend like that."

"It feels so [i]wrong[/i]," said Lonnie. "Part of me wants to win the war, but I just wanna see Adora again. But even if I were to betray the Horde, I don't think she would talk to me like I was anything other than Horde scum." She clenched her fists, as if wanting to hurt herself. "It's not fair."

"No," said Scorpia. "I guess it isn't." She gave Lonnie a sad look. "You gonna be okay?"

"Sure," said Lonnie. "I'll get over it." She kept watching the game, her mind in a different place.

Scorpia left Lonnie by herself and made her way back to the frolicking cadets.

"All right, next round!" she yelled.