Back to Normal
>> Chapter One: Back To Normal
Glimmer sighed heavily from her perch overlooking Bright Moon, high atop one of the spires of the castle. This was her favorite spot, she had come to realize, mostly for the view. She gazed at the Moonstone and managed to bring a smile to her face, if only for a moment. Her thoughts were always of her mother when her eyes settled on Bright Moon’s crown jewel – her mother had spent so much time with her there, teaching her to control her emerging powers, telling her stories of Glimmer’s father until the young princess fell asleep. The stone was now brighter than ever with the Heart of Etheria released, the planet’s magic flourishing like never before in known history, unhindered and free. With Horde Prime defeated, the following months had been filled with reconstruction efforts between the kingdoms and, while the princess alliance had not been dissolved exactly, each of them had finally returned to their respective homes to rule. They all had kingdoms to manage again, reality setting in quickly as the need to rebuild was pressed upon all of them. Having been preoccupied for so long by simply fighting to save their homes, each of the princesses now found themselves in much different roles, some of whom were unaccustomed to such politics entirely.
And it had quickly turned into exactly that, Glimmer had noted: politics. Shifting resources, appearances by many of the heroes such as Adora and Glimmer herself to show support and improve morale. Requests for aid, too many requests, she lamented, than they were equipped to handle. She was happy to have her dad back for so many reasons, but she was especially glad to hand the reigns of the kingdom back over to him officially, even if it was a little bittersweet. Her time as queen and acting ruler of Bright Moon, and all Etheria at that, and as one of the primary leaders of the resistance, had certainly kept her hands full, to say the very least. After the rebellion’s victory she had been all too happy to relinquish those very same crushing responsibilities back over to her father, but those feelings had now been replaced by something Glimmer had not felt since her youth: restlessness.
And she hated this worst of all.
She found herself beginning to long for the early days, when the “Best Friend Squad,” as Bow had coined it, would stumble from adventure to adventure with reckless abandon, almost no time in between. Glimmer, Bow, and Adora had done much and seen much in the last few years, enough for a lifetime, Glimmer knew, but now she was bored. She chastised herself for the occasional thought that flittered across her mind, a secret wish that some sort of new crisis would suddenly bring everyone back together again. She knew she didn’t really want that; Etheria and its people had gone through enough already. They needed healing… they needed time to rest. Still, she thought to herself, it would be nice for something to happen. She sighed again, pulling her legs closer to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.
“Trouble in paradise?” The voice startled Glimmer as she gasped, spun around, lost her footing, and plummeted from the spire. A few seconds later she reappeared in her previous spot, hair windswept but none the worse for wear; nothing a little teleport couldn’t fix. She glowered at her surprise guest.
“You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that, Catra.” Glimmer sat back down on the edge of the spire the way she had before and looked back out over Bright Moon. Catra stepped across the precarious footing of the spire with a level of balance and grace only she was capable of, positioning herself on the edge near Glimmer. “Yeah, well… you looked like you were having so much fun up here.” Catra took a seat facing the same way, though Glimmer took notice that there was still a healthy bit of space between the two. Having been an enemy of the rebellion and most of their allies for so long, Catra had struggled to really trust many of her former adversaries and vice versa. To Catra’s credit, she had made a more consolidated effort to change ever since their final push to defeat Horde Prime and save Etheria. Catra had been integral in saving the world, and despite her lone wolf nature Glimmer knew deep down Catra was finally experiencing what she had always wanted: friendship. Belonging. Love. Even if she had trouble showing it. Catra’s relationship with Adora had really pushed her to open up and grow as a person too; Catra had come a long way from her earlier days as a Horde Force Captain. Where once there was a time where Glimmer would have attacked Catra on sight, she was happy to admit that now she could truly call her a friend… albeit an aloof one.
It wasn’t until Catra spoke up again that Glimmer realized just how long the silence had sat between them. “For someone who saved the world, you look pretty down, Sparkles. You wanna talk about it? That’s what you guys do, right? Feelings and stuff.” Catra had her right let bent up, her body leaned back and turned slightly to face Glimmer on the spire’s rooftop, a teasing smirk on the cat’s face. Her other leg hung loosely off the side, her tail flitting back and forth, suggesting she was more attentive than her nonchalant demeanor was letting on. She was trying, Glimmer knew that.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. We saved Etheria, we beat Horde Prime. Everyone is safe and everything is finally back to normal… I should be happy. It’s everything we fought and sacrificed so much for. So why aren’t I happy?” Catra shrugged and looked back out over the edge, taking in the view. “You’re bored.” Glimmer looked back at Catra, a frown finding its way onto the princess’s face. Of course, she knew that but she didn’t like Catra calling her out on it so effortlessly. “I’m not bored! There’s lots to do. Dad and I are busy with the reconstruction efforts all across the kingdom, I’m always busy.” Catra shot a sideways glance at Glimmer before tilting her head back and letting out a laugh, which only served to spur Glimmer on more. “I’m serious Catra!” Catra brought her head back down from laughing but a wide smile still remained. Her expression softened a bit, however, before she continued. “You and Adora are more similar than either of you will admit. You’re both so self-reliant and stubborn.” Glimmer shot a smirk back at Catra and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Oh, and you’re not stubborn?” Catra’s ears flattened as she quickly stood up and looked to the side. “Yeah well, we weren’t talking about me, we’re talking about you.” Catra looked back at Glimmer again before continuing. “And Adora. You both always rush off to play the hero without giving it a second thought. Throwing yourselves into danger without considering the consequences. You’ve had to fight for so long, you don’t know how to relax now that there is no one to fight. And look, you called it…” Catra grabbed her arm and looked down. “Neither can I.”
Catra sat back down and curled her knees up to her chin, looking out over Bright Moon again. In the distance she eyed the Horde spire, underneath which the final battle had taken place for Glimmer and those who had fought beside her on the surface. She-ra had turned it into a blossoming tree of life and magic but underneath it all, Catra remembered what it really looked like. A shiver moved through her as she felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up, but only briefly, as a warm reassuring hand rested on her arm. Catra turned to see Glimmer with a smirk on her face. “We’re really a mess, aren’t we Catra?” The cat’s ears raised up a bit as the two shared a laugh, their spirits brightened slightly by each other’s confession of their similar struggles. “It helps to know I’m not the only one feeling like this,” Glimmer continued. “How’s Adora handling everything? I feel like I’ve barely seen her since we won.” Catra’s ears flattened back once again, shifting her gaze. “You and me both. It’s… it’s hard to stay close when she’s never around.” Glimmer knew Adora had been busy with the restoration efforts, especially considering She-ra was such an integral part of it. Her ability to serve as a type of magical amplification conduit for other sorcerers was a unique tool they had discovered and put to good use recently, and because of this she was often called to some of the hardest hit areas of Etheria to restore them. Fixing an entire planet wasn’t easy.
Curious that Catra wasn’t with her now. “Has she asked you to go with her?” Catra fidgeted at the question, her tail curling anxiously around her ankle. “I mean… it’s complicated.” Glimmer narrowed her eyes at Catra as she reiterated her question, a more demanding tone creeping its way into her voice. “Catra. Has she asked you to go with her?” Catra let out an exasperated groan, stood up, and started pacing along the edge of the spire. Glimmer couldn’t help but marvel at the cat’s effortless balance and sure footing even while distracted, something the princess had always been a little bit jealous of. She herself… well, she got the clumsy genes somewhere along the royal family line. Thank goodness for teleporting, she mused to herself.
“Of course she’s asked me to go. She does it every time… but how am I supposed to go with her? How am I supposed to face them?” Glimmer was confused and she wasn’t able to hide it in her response. “Them?” Catra turned back around to face the princess, tears of distress welling up at the corners of her dichromatic eyes. “I did this to them, Glimmer! I’m the one that hurt everybody. It’s my fault.” Catra turned around again, her back to Glimmer, her head hanging, tail twitching anxiously. “It’s my fault,” she repeated as her voice cracked and dropped low, almost to a mumble. Glimmer heard it well enough. She wanted to say something then, some words of encouragement that would alleviate the guilt Catra was feeling, and yet… she couldn’t find them.
Seems like even magic couldn’t fix everything.
What made it so difficult for Glimmer to find the words was that to be honest… Catra wasn’t far off the mark. Those in the castle and close to Adora had seen the change in Catra, sure – and it was genuine – but it would be much more difficult to convince the rest of Etheria that the Force Captain who had brought so much destruction, so much devastation, could have experienced such a radical change of heart. Despite all that had happened, even Glimmer had grappled with mixed feelings about Catra’s new position in their inner circle. After all… she was directly responsible for her mother’s death, in a way, and even though Catra had done much to not only save Glimmer in her hour of need but Etheria as a whole… it was difficult to let that realization, and the pain associated with it, go. Had it not been for Glimmer’s deep friendship and trust for Adora, the Princess of Bright Moon couldn’t honestly say if she would have been as accepting as she had been. Catra’s turmoil over her past was valid and facing the consequences of her actions was a relatively new and uncomfortable experience for the cat. Even so, everyone deserved a chance at redemption, Glimmer believed. Shadow Weaver was a prime example of that, and as for Catra… well she had proven more than enough in recent months that she was worthy of it as well. Time for a pep talk.
“You’re right. It is.” Glimmer’s voice was strong and deliberate, mostly for Catra’s benefit and only ever so slightly for Glimmer’s as the princess carefully rose to her feet and steadied herself. She didn’t want to ruin the moment by tripping over her own feet again and Catra needed to hear this. Catra turned around, her ears flattened further than before, her eyes wide in shock. “W-what…?” She fumbled out as her tail curled down and around the length of her left leg. Glimmer crossed her arms and stood her ground.
Tough love was going to have to do what magic couldn’t today.
“You’re right. A lot of this is your fault. You attacked us, you burned our villages and destroyed our homes, you manipulated and hurt a lot of people all over Etheria. You were cruel, you were angry, and you used that to hurt everyone in your way. The Horde got the closest it ever came to beating us while you were in charge of it, and you were willing to end life itself just to get at Adora.” Catra shrank back further and further with every point on Glimmer’s list of her ‘accolades’, her eyes fixed on the ground. Her bottom lip began to tremble, but Glimmer wasn’t backing down. She steeled herself for what she knew would be the heaviest hit for both of them. “My mom died because of you, Catra.” Tears began to slowly stream down Catra’s cheeks but she stood still as Glimmer paused to let the last point sink in. She took a deep breath and continued. “But you want to know what else you did? You sacrificed yourself on Horde Prime’s ship to save me. You used Prime’s own hive mind against him to find his weakness and then you helped us exploit that weakness. You had every chance to walk away from us when it got hard, when you wanted to push everyone away the same way you always did. And you know what you did then, Catra?” Catra looked up at Glimmer but said nothing, eyes still soaked in tears. “You changed. You stopped running, you stopped hiding, and you stopped blaming other people for your mistakes. You came back for us, and you saved everyone. None of this would have worked if you hadn’t been there for us… for Adora… when it mattered. And for every single one of us who had every reason to hate you, most of all me, you kept showing me that I couldn’t anymore… because you weren’t the same Catra I had gotten so used to hating.” Catra sniffed and Glimmer dropped a bit of the tough façade, moving over and putting a hand on Catra’s shoulder, letting a slight smile reemerge on her face. “I forgive you Catra, and if I can do it, so can everyone else. But first, you have to forgive yourself.” Catra let a weak smile creep onto her face as she sniffed and wiped her nose. “I don’t deserve this.” Glimmer shook her head and smiled. “The old Catra didn’t, but you do. You talk about how Adora and I and Bow are always doing the hero thing and running off to save the day. Well I’ve got news for you Catra… you’re a hero too now. As much as any of us are. And sure… it may take a little more time for some people to come around, but they’ll see it, and you know how I know? Because we see it, and they will see that.” The two shared a long hug. “I’ve got your back now Catra. We all do, that’s what having friends is all about.” Catra pulled away sniffling but with a smile on her face. She didn’t have to say thank you, Glimmer knew she had reached her.
“Jeez Sparkles, I thought we were talking about you here.” Catra let out a weak laugh as she finished composing herself. Glimmer sighed as she turned back towards the view. “Yeah I know. I’m not sure what I need.” Catra’s eyes widened as an idea washed over her. “I think I do! Go get Bow and the three of us will go meet up with Adora! It’ll be like old times…” Catra trailed off thinking about the previous dynamic before adding “… plus one?” Glimmer giggled and nodded. “You know what Catra, I think you’re right. An adventure is just what I need. Let’s go get Bow!” Glimmer reached out and grabbed Catra’s shoulder, Catra realizing what was happening far too late. “No wait wait! I hate it when you -” Before Catra could finish the words they were gone in a puff of shimmering magic.
* * *
Bow sighed and looked up from the readings on the console in front of him. “I need to take a break,” he mumbled to himself, rubbing his tired eyes. He looked around the War Room – wait – the “Etherian Restoration Operations Center” as they’d come to call it, and listened to the low hum of machinery. After their victory against Horde Prime, Entrapta and Hordak had upgraded the War Room… no… E.R.O.C., with available tech salvaged from both Prime’s ships and bots, as well as from the Horde’s decommissioned bases across the Fright Zone. They now had a centralized command center to facilitate the various communication and operations of the Restoration effort and naturally King Micah put Bow in charge of it. It wasn’t that Bow hated his new responsibility… he understood he was the best fit for the role. Entrapta and Hordak had returned to Crypto Castle in Dryl and presumably returned to Entrapta’s research, though Bow couldn’t say for certain. Entrapta had provided plenty of cleanup drones and robotics support, the importance of which Bow couldn’t deny, but direct communication with Entrapta and Hordak had fallen off after just a few weeks. Bow made it a point to check in on them every so often but by now he knew Entrapta well enough to know that she was simply too focused on her science. He might have taken offense to that before, he thought, but after all they had been through together, he didn’t now. She would be there if the Restoration ever needed her, Bow knew that without a doubt. And Hordak too… maybe? Bow still didn’t know how he felt about that, but Entrapta had insisted – relentlessly – that Hordak was “better now” as she’d put it, before rambling about some data on Horde Prime’s neural link being destroyed or something or other… but it didn’t really matter to Bow. As long as she was happy, and Hordak didn’t cause any more trouble, then Entrapta deserved it for everything she had done for them. Bow trusted her.
Their absence however meant that Bow was the only one present in Bright Moon particularly qualified to manage the Operations Center, and so here he was… pouring over data day after day, coordinating restoration movements, and just… spending… every day in this room. He sighed again. This just wasn’t what he had in mind for his future after the Rebellion, and part of him felt bad for feeling that way. He knew how important his work was here for Bright Moon, for everyone really, but it was a far cry from the adventuring days that seemed so far away now.
“I’m gonna get some fresh air,” Bow called to one of his assistants who nodded her confirmation, never breaking eye contact with the monitor in front of her. Might as well be one of Entrapta’s robots, Bow thought to himself, and walked out onto the adjoining balcony to take a break from his work. The sun was setting now, the warm orange hues dancing across the water in the distance. Bow looked up at the Moon Stone, the waves of shifting light along its surface painted in the glow of the retreating day. He loved it here; Bright Moon would always feel like home for Bow. He just wasn’t sure if home is where he wanted to be right now.
“ – do that!” A sudden voice behind Bow broke him from his thoughts and he spun around. There was Glimmer, with the biggest smile Bow had seen in recent memory across her face, and Catra… down on one knee, a hand to her stomach, trying to regain her equilibrium. She had never really taken to teleporting with Glimmer. Before Bow could say a word, Glimmer’s arms were around him, her face buried in his shoulder. He returned the embrace and took a moment to appreciate this new form of relationship he and Glimmer had ventured out into… it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Glimmer could not contain her excitement for long, however, and she was back out in front of him and squirming with energy. “Bow! Hey Bow! I was sitting up on the castle, you know, like I usually do, and Catra came up and spooked me and I fell, but I teleported back and so we started talking and she was feeling kind of down and so was I so we talked about it and – ” Bow gently grabbed Glimmer by her shoulders to snap her out of her rambling. His warm, patient smile said what he didn’t have to. “Oh! Sorry. Bow! Grab your things, we’re going on an adventure!” The smile on Bow’s face faded slightly as it was replaced with confusion. “Wait… Glimmer, what?” Glimmer nodded furiously and bobbed up and down saying “Adventure!” over and over again; Catra thought the princess might explode. “Bow please say something before she hurts herself,” Catra grumbled as she got to her feet and smoothed her ruffled tail out. Despite her efforts it still flicked in quick, agitated circles. “Glimmer, what are you talking about? What adventure?” Glimmer raised her hand and rested in on Bow’s, still holding her shoulder. She calmed herself to explain.
“You know how we’ve all been working so hard to restore Etheria? We’ve been cooped up in this castle ever since we won… and Catra suggested we go meet up with Adora. Just the three of us. I think it sounds like just what we need. What do you say, Bow? Best friend squad?” Bow looked back up through the balcony door at the various monitors and bustling assistants in the Operations Center. Surely they could make do without him for just a few days… He looked back down at Glimmer and smiled, taking both her hands in his. “Best friend squad. Let me go find out where Adora is.” Bow started back for the door but before he even took a full step, Catra spoke up. “I know where she is. She’s with Scorpia in the Fright Zo… well, I’m not sure what we’re calling it now.” Bow turned back to look at Catra, then Glimmer, his face flat with the news of their destination. “The Fright Zone? Really?” Glimmer laughed nervously and shrugged. “Adventure…?”
>> End Chapter One