Adora and Catra sleeping peacefully. Art by ND Stevenson
Don't Go
is a She-Ra and the Princesses of Power short story fan-fic by Annacharlier, detailing the emotional aftermath of two episodes from Season 5 of the series, Episode 5: Save the Cat and Episode 6: Taking Control.
Picking up where episode 5 left off, Adora tries to help Catra come to terms with what happened to her, assuring her that she is indeed safe and away from Horde Prime. Catra, in the meantime, is coming to grips with the fact that she is in the one place she never expected to be and doesn't believe she deserves to be: with Adora.
The story gained fame when She-Ra's very own showrunner, ND Stevenson, revealed he had written a fan-fic and posted it online. While he refused to name it, the hints he gave led fans to this story and many feel it lines up. It helps that this is Annacharlier's only fic, and that it matches with an artwork ND posted on Twitter.
Tropes Present Are:
- Adapted Out: Wrong Hordak isn't seen or mentioned at all, even in scenes he was a part of in canon such as when everyone was eating Glimmer's dinner at the end of Episode 6.
- All for Nothing: The realization that everything she had done for the past 4 seasons was for absolutely nothing and that she could have joined Adora at any point causes Catra to actually become physically sick.
- All Just a Dream: Still out of it from the fight and being healed, Catra at one point seems to think her rescue is just an illusion from Horde Prime and it takes Adora a bit to convince her it is in-fact all real.
- All There in the Manual: The fic adds extra information onto the ends of episode 5 and 6, mostly in how Adora helped Catra after rescuing her from Horde Prime, but also adds a few more mundane details.
- Bow and Glimmer have apparently started to become a romantic couple by Episode 5
- The clothes Catra wears in Episode 6 are Adora's spares.
- Catra's new outfit for the rest of Season 5 was made by Entrapta
- Anti-Climax: Played for Laughs as Adora is left rather annoyed at Catra's lack of response to eating real food as oppose to ration bars as she herself had when she first left the Horde. Catra replies that there was contraband food in the Fright Zone if you knew where to look and that Adora was the only one square enough not to even try.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Catra asks Adora why she came for her and Adora actually can't come up with much of an answer.Adora: Because... you're Catra.
- The Atoner: Entrapta reveals that she feels guilty over the damage her pursuit of science has caused Etheria but that she will use the second chance given to her to be better, and encourages Catra to do the same. At the end of the fic Catra vows to Adora that she will become a better person and make up for what she has done.
- Broken Tears: After realizing that everything bad that has happened to her over the last four seasons was her own doing, Catra breaks down into inconsolable sobs that are so hard she can't even make sounds.
- Call-Forward:
- After their Friendship Moment Entrapta declares that she will make Catra some new clothes and a spacesuit with cat ears, explaining where she got those outfits from in later episodes.
- After seeing how traumatized Catra is, Adora vows to kill Horde Prime and make it hurt. In the Grand Finale she does exactly that.
- Clothing Damage: Played for Drama; During her panic attack Catra practically cries when begging Adora to take off her Horde uniform, and unable to find a way to do it naturally Adora opts to just tear the garment off of Catra. It does come a bit back around to Fanservice as after a moment Adora sheepishly realizes that while lost in thought she was staring at a naked Catra.
- Compliment Backfire:
- When Adora happily remarks she's been waiting for Catra to join the Rebellion for years, Catra realizes that all the bloodshed and destruction she'd caused had been All for Nothing and that she could have been together with Adora right from the start.
- Adora tells Catra she likes her hair, forgetting or not realizing that it was forcibly cut by Horde Prime. She's pretty horrified when Catra makes a joke about Prime giving her a good haircut until Catra tells her that it's fine.
- Continuation: The story starts immediately were Episode 5 ended with Adora and Catra still hugging tightly. Halfway through it skips the events shown in Episode 6 with only a few words towards Catra's mindset, before beginning again exactly where Episode 6 ended with everyone gathered together eating the meal Glimmer and Wrong Hordak had prepared.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: After Adora offhandedly mentions that she has been waiting years for her to join the Rebellion, Catra realizes that all of the pain and misery she has inflicted on herself and others could have been avoided if she had just taken Adora's hand so long ago. The realization leaves her a broken, sobbing wreck, until Entrapta gives her some words of encouragement.
- Darker and Edgier: Adora and Catra both cuss a couple times; Catra draws blood on herself and Adora during a panic attack; and Adora catches herself admiring Catra's naked body after ripping off her Galactic Horde uniform.
- Deer in the Headlights: Adora is left with a wide-eyed look on her face after Catra offers to share her bed with her. It takes some lighthearted teasing from Catra for Adora to relax.
- Does Not Know Her Own Strength: After the initial rescue Catra has a hard time controlling herself and ends up sinking her claws into Adora's back as she clings to her. Adora's thoughts reveal that this was a problem when Catra was young and didn't realize how sharp her claws were.
- Healing Factor: Adora's thoughts reveal she has one, all her wounds no matter how grievous heal when she transforms, but she also mentions that she can still feel them and at times can feel worse then if the wounds had just stayed. It’s implied her Healing Hands have a similar effect and the only real cure is to get rest.
- Heel–Face Turn: Catra vows to Adora that she'll be a better person from now on, and that if Adora ever wants her to leave she will.
- Held Gaze: After inviting Adora to share her bed, she and Catra slowly inch closer and closer as they talk, both staring into each others eyes.
- Holding Hands: In order to comfort her Entrapta grabs Catra's hand during her You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech and looks her in the eyes. This shocks Catra especially since she can tell Entrapta is uncomfortable with prolonged physical contact but she appreciates it and it helps her feel better.
- Hurt/Comfort Fic: While the physical wounds have been healed, Catra is still badly hurt emotionally and psychologically. The story details how Adora helped Catra return to normal after a harrowing ordeal.
- I Am a Monster: Catra spends a chunk of the latter half of the story referring to herself as an animal only capable of hurting others, and can't understand why Adora is treating her with such kindness when she should be glaring at Catra as she locks her behind bars.
- Interrupted Intimacy: When looking for clothes for Catra, Adora catches Bow and Glimmer lying together in the same bed, and Glimmer jumps up and blushes. Later Adora half-jokingly uses averting the trope as a reason to spend the night in Catra's room.
- I've Come Too Far: Compounding the psychological trauma of having been chipped by Horde Prime, Catra feels that she doesn't deserve redemption after all the destruction and bloodshed she caused — particularly since she realizes that it was All for Nothing and that she could have been together with Adora all along had it not been for her stubbornness, pride, anger, and jealousy.
- Moment Killer: Played for Drama, Adora spends a lot of the story worried that she might do or say something and ruin the opportunity to be with Catra for good.
- My Instincts Are Showing: Catra does a slow blink — a feline expression of trust and love — at Adora, wondering if Adora remembers the significance of that gesture.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: As the title might infer the fic's base plot is about Adora and Catra not wanting the other to ever leave them again. While neither of them are able to directly articulate this point, except in their minds, the story does culminate in Catra silently asking Adora to spend the night with her.
- Self-Harm: Catra begins clawing at herself to try and get the Horde uniform off to the point that she draws blood. It's also mentioned that she may have done this to herself after Adora left the Horde.
- Ship Tease: Well the whole thing is this for Catra and Adora obviously, but there is also a bit for Bow and Glimmer sprinkled here and there. At one point when looking for clothes for Catra, Adora catches Bow and Glimmer lying together on a bed and Glimmer acts as if a very intimate moment was interrupted.
- Sleep Cute: The story ends with Catra and Adora falling asleep together on Catra's bed, reflected by ND's artwork.
- Something Only They Would Say: Adora inverts this in order to convince Catra that she isn't in a simulation created by Horde Prime by calling him a loser who never knows when to shut up which, being the massive narcissist he is, is something Prime would never say about himself. It's enough to convince Catra that she was really saved and gets her to laugh.
- Tranquil Fury: Adora keeps to herself just how angry she is at Horde Prime, vowing to actually kill him, while outwardly trying to be calm so as not to freak Catra out anymore then she already is.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Just the memory of Catra almost dying after Horde Prime forced her to fall off his throne platform fills Adora with rage, and when she sees how traumatized Catra is from his brainwashing she vows to kill him and enjoy it.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Adora attempts to convince Catra that she's not irredeemable, but this backfires and only drives her deeper into despair. Ultimately, Entrapta is the one who convinces Catra to let go of her self-hatred and give herself a chance to be one of the good guys.
