2132/Get Well Blues

Get Well Blues
Date of Scene:	04 December 2024
Location:	Mitakihara General Hospital
Synopsis:	In the aftermath of the attempt to rescue the Moonstone from Obsidian, Bow recruits Mamoru and Usagi to help heal Catra and Glimmer.
Cast of Characters:	Bow, Mamoru Chiba, Usagi Tsukino, Catra, Glimmer Brightmoon

---

Bow has posed:
Bow had been expecting that he woiuld arrive at the hospital first to meet Mamoru. Then he got distracted. The florist knew a sucker the minute that Bow arrived and spilled his guts about his hurt BEST friend, and the guilt he felt and that he was looking for things to cheer her up and make her feel better and that her favorite color was purple and that sometimes she's a bit lazy and and...

A 30 minute conversation and two weeks pay later...

Bow arrives at the visitor's entrance of the hospital and he is absolutely loaded down. Potted plant of Achimenes, the Grape Wine version with it's bright purple flowers. A large stuffed sloth that reads 'Hang in There!' Helium Get Well Soon Balloons, a box of apology chocolates and he is just barely able to see over it all as he notices both Usagi and Mamoru were already there.

"Oh. You're already here. I totally didn't know you were going to teleport here." There's no smile, just concern and worry on his face.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"...oh, Bow," Mamoru says when he sees him, affectionate and mildly awkward at the same time. "I mean, I'm hoping to be able to heal them" (he lets Usagi explain the 'them' part) "and if I can do it, we'll be carrying all that back out of the hospital too..." He laughs a little. "And yeah, sorry, I didn't want you to feel rushed."

Once they're all set-- and have redistributed things to carry-- they go inside, and follow the directions the hospital staff give them, and it's really not long at all (maybe five minutes) before they're way back down the ER halls where Glimmer and Catra have been temporarily dropped.

"Hey," Mamoru calls out uncertainly, "anyone awake?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
And explain the them part Usagi does, mentioning that Adora had contacted her, that she wanted someone to check in on Catra too, and she does liberate a couple of Get Well Soon balloons, to redistribute.

"Even if they're feeling better as soon as possible, it's nice to know someone was thinking about you?"

And then, they're in the area where Glimmer and Catra are temporarily waiting, and Usagi stands a little back, but not too far back, and if anyone's awake, she'll offer a little wave, leaning to Mamoru's side because otherwise she's completely invisible behind those two beefcakes.

Catra has posed:
Catra has, as it happens. passed out. Running on a few hours of sleep spread out over a week will do that to you. And as Glimmer might now be able to confirm, she does not snore when she sleeps, she's... very quiet. But she does groan qith some frequency, probably from being in pain.

So as Usagi, Mamoru, and Bow are arriving, her eyes flutter open, and she rubs them with her knuckles. "...Wha? ...Where am I...?" She tilts her head to look around, and after a moment of groginess, slowly pieces things together. She is in. The hospital.

THE HOSPITAL.

"...I can't be here!" she declares, and immediately bounces to her feet, which she immediately regrets, and just about falls over, opting instead to fall right back where she was, which has rather predictable results.

"I can't be here," she repeats, gasping. "They'll figure out... not human... No idea what they'll do... I gotta get outta here."

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon was asleep. Was hurt, but was also asleep. She had some burns on her, and no sparkle. While they'd always seen her with sparkle... she had none. Not even her hair. Or her clothes. She just had... sleep. She barely even looked like she was breathing.

But she did NOT look peaceful in her sleep.

Bow has posed:
As Mamoru makes his statement on the sheer amount of items he has, Bow looks down towards the grouns. "I was only going to get the flower at first, but the kindly old lady at the florist was so nice and empathetic and said she knew what I needed and the next thing you know, it's just..." He sighs.

"I... I know. Just letting Glimmer know... that... you know... that I care... and things are awkward and now they're worse and I just... I want her to know." Bow says as he surrenders some of the gifts but holds tightly to the potted flowers. He is not surrendering them. As far as what he wants Glimmer to know? He doesn't know how to put that into words yet. A small smile is offered to Usagi at her words and a mouthed thanks.

And then they teleport in. As he arrives, Bow is startled by Catra trying to escape, but then she falls back on the bed, and Bow's face scrunches in brief anger. "Stay put, Mamoru's here to heal you and then you can go out the window all you want." he grumbles, before turning his attention to Glimmer. Crap, she looks even worse than when Scorpia took her away. Setting the plant down on the table, he kneels down for a moment and brushes his fingers across her forehead. "Help's here. Wake up when you're ready." And then he gets out of the way.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Yeah, I got you, don't worry," says Endymion, who's just henshined into his prince armor, cape drifting behind him to swish around his ankles as he turns to walk toward Catra, flopped back on the bed. "Usa, can you bar the doors in here so nobody walks in on us all?"

And then he's holding his hand out to Catra, but looking back at Bow, and he says quietly but firmly, "Since she's asleep I'm getting Catra first."

He looks back to Catra and says, hand still out, "I'm a healer and I have an awful lot of energy. I hear you have a jar to fill. Let me help with that too. But-- for now, just take my hand and I'll get your burns, and anything else you picked up tonight. You're moving like you've got a broken rib."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Catra-san," Usagi calls, quiet, and she's already turning to protectively block off the entrance, "No one's going to do anything to you, because if they do I'll stand in their way, okay? Mamochan is going to heal you, and then if you still want to leave and take care of your business, we'll stay out of your way."

Her words carry all the weight of a promise, though of course, Catra's had trouble with promises before.

"I've got the door. Bow-kun, you keep an eye on Glimmer - she's still asleep, but just in case she wakes up, you know?"

Catra has posed:
Catra looks mostly like she'd prefer to just... shrink into the back of the bed, rather than have anything to do with Usagi and Mamoru or Bow. her eyes have gone all wide; her hair is poofed up, ears flat, and Bow might recognize her as being in a state where fear will shift to rage on a heartbeat.

But, today, it doesn't. She just looks back and forth between Mamoru's eyes and hand; then to Usagi, then Bow, then Glimmer, and back to Mamoru.

"Fine," she mutters, trying to force disgruntlement into her ascent, but really just sounding tired and worn out. She reaches out and places her hand in Mamoru's waiting palm, and her touch confirms just how tired she is; she's so exhausted her arm is trembling just from that much exertion.

"My jar is still at the tower," she mumbles. "It got left behind when Glimmer..." she hovers on the word 'teleported' but that doesn't really seem to be it. "When Glimmer moved us." And she saw things. And people.

Bow has posed:
"Okay." Bow says as he moves to sit near Glimmer to watch her. His hands settle in his lap, but when Catra speaks up, those hands clench hard together. "You mean when you decided to interfere." he corrects Catra, a barely held anger in his voice. "Why did you do it?" It's the only question he could think to ask. He doesn't know about a jar or extra energy. He's just angry. And scared.

"You know what? Nevermind. I don't want to know, because it's probably some Catra excuse of I'm Catra, it's what I'm best at." he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Then text me when you have it," Endymion says matter-of-factly, brief and businesslike but not unkind. "I'll give you my number. I'm Riventon's brother Mamoru, you can check with him to make sure I won't screw you over."

Then there's this warm glow in Catra's hand, an energy like both sunshine in a meadow and banked fire in a winter hearth. It holds a feeling of connection, of a welcome to participate in this planet, a feeling of offered comfort and respite. It's quiet and calm, like still pools of deep water in caves. It's strong, strong like bedrock and waterfalls, strong like mountains and like the persistence of life in adversity--

And when the contact is established, the pain goes away.

"You can be salty, but please don't fight until we're out of the hospital."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Thanks, Catra-san," Usagi sighs in relief, when Catra decides to stick around, when she lets Endymion get a hand on her, and she keeps an eye out, but luckily and unluckily the hospital is busy, and no one is hurrying over to take care of these two. She can hold back, though she looks at Bow with concern, because she seems so angry - no, not just angry, devastated, in a way.

"Hey, Bow-kun... Adora-chan didn't really say what happened, except that things went wrong?"

Talking about it might not help, but it also probably won't hurt, and maybe sharing with someone will give him something to do besides be frustrated by Catra's (admittedly frustrating, apparently) existence.

Catra has posed:
Catra tenses up as her hand touches Endymion's, but... it turns out to be just, strangely peaceful. Something Catra has never really known; and it leaves her feeling... strange. Empty, somehow, by the end of it, but at least the pain is gone. She explores her ribs with her fingertips, just to be sure; eventually pressing harder to test it, and finding that she is, indeed, good as new. Maybe now she'll be able to get some sleep.

"I..." she pauses, looking back and forth between Usagi and Endymion. "...Thanks," she mumbles, before looking away, out the window. Probably her prefered escape route, unless there's any duskporting doors inside the building.

"It wasn't that," she mumbles, without turning to face Bow. "I thought she was leaving. I thought she was leaving, and leaving me behind, just like Adora did when she ran off with you two. And I just... didn't want to be alone."

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon chose that time to wake up, because of COURSE! She was exhausted and... "Bow?" she asked, before starting to sit up. And urked, dropping back down. "Ow... nevermind... ow... ugh. I need to rec--"

Annnnnnd brain fog lifted. And memories hit. "H-Horde Prime. He's here. H-Horde Prime is here and he's with the Moonstone and oh no no no no no no..." she whispered, the panic clear in her voice. She tried to sit up again, but her body was NOT having it.

She whimpered and laid there. "B-bow? I need... I need you. I need you to... find Catra... she... she has Riventon's number... he needs to k-keep the Moonstone... safe. If..."

Then trailed off when her gaze turned to the side and... "Ummmm... hi... there. Catra? You... you didn't leave me to die? Awwww! You *do* like me! I knew it, you're-- no no no! No distractions. Horde... Horde Prime is here. We need... B-Bow... help me up. I-I need... I need to g-get to the M-Moonstone. I-I need to get back to... O-Obsidian Tower."

There was a little pink spark off her, arcing off her like electricity and sending little burns across her arm when it did so, causing her to hiss in pain.

"C-Catra, you should... should s-stay here, where it's safe. If Horde Prime... if he knows w-who you are, he's going to come s-straight for you. Oh no. No no no. I left Melog there. Melog is there and if Melog... he'll kill Melog, he already killed the *rest* of Melog's planet, what's one more?!"

Ah. Well, she was awake... and panicking. So... that was... kind of an improvement?

Bow has posed:
There's a non-commital grunt from Bow at Mamoru's comment about being salty, and he blows out s breath, a hand reaching over to brush Glimmer's too dark purple hair. No sparkle remains. She's so still, so uncomfortable. And then Usagi goes further to distract him, and he rises to the bait.

"We had figured a plan out to get the Moonstone out of Obsidian. We had spent weeks working on finding the tightest connection of leylines in the area. With Adora and Scorpia, we tried to use their runestones to attract Glimmer's runestone. And... it was working until..." He sighs and glances down for a moment.

Catra's words strike a chord, more for the honesty of them than the content. "Glimmer would never do that. Once you are her friend, you are forever her friend. I should know, I've been there since the day we met. So... I'm still angry... but I forgive you for that." he starts to say more when suddenly Glimmer is speaking up.

His hand finds hers immediatelt to hold onto it to lend his support. "Welcome back, Your Majesty." is offered before she starts to panic. "Horde Prime? That looked like an even more pale Hordak last night. I don't know a Horde Prime."

She realizes that Catra is already here, so he doesn't have to comment on that... and then she hissed in pain. He glances at the wound. "Just... you're not getting up yet. Endyimon is here, and he's a magical healer and is going to treat your injuries..." Gritting his teeth, Bow squeezes Glimmer's hand one more time before letting go. "While he's treating you, tell us about this Horde Prime. And we need to figure out how to keep you close to the Moonstone... and if Queen Angella is still in there."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Oh! Or yeah, you can just ask Riventon for my number," Endymion tells Catra almost cheerfully. Doctor-cheerful. "Or I'll text him and ask him to give you it--" He's just glossing right over the personal things, he's emergency personnel, not-- not part of this.

But at that point, Glimmer's waking panic is reaching a peak, and Bow's got her, but she hurts, and he steps swiftly across the space to reach for her hand. Her gloved hand. Her fingerless-gloved hand! He touches her fingertips with his own.

There! The pain's gone! But "Don't wiggle or anything, stay still," says the prince, mildly, and if Glimmer looks she can actually see the burns healing. The feelings, the calm and peace, the strength and warmth, they're there for Glimmer too -- and she might be able to tell, even, that the sense of connection he's offering seems to be based on something very like her connection with her Moonstone. A long history, an ancient power, an environmental attachment...

He says quietly to Bow, "You're going to also have to explain what you mean by her being in the moonstone. You mentioned something about it, but there were other worried at the time..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
With Glimmer awake and panicking, Usagi decides discretion is actually the lesser part of valor, and slips across the room to Catra.

She doesn't reach for her this time, not when there's no pressing need to carry her in spite of the risk her claws pose, and instead she offers her the Get Well Soon balloons with a lopsided smile.

"Here," she says, and all this time she hasn't even thought twice about being Usagi Tsukino rather than Sailor Moon, still hasn't thought twice about it. Catra might be concerned about it though. "I know you're probably feeling all better now, but maybe it's the thought that counts? Adora-chan had to go pass out, but she wanted to make sure you had someone here in your corner, just in case."

Thankfully, it doesn't sound like Glimmer is nearly as mad as Bow is, so maybe that fear wasn't warranted... but also maybe Catra will like knowing someone was thinking of her, and here for her?

Catra has posed:
Everyone is focusing on Glimmer now; and that's honestly fine, because it means the attention is off of Catra. She pulls out her phone and fires off some texts, all directed to Riventon, including ont asking of this Mamoru guy is as trustworthy as he claims to be. Her eyes watch everyon and what they're up to, but for the time being she just listens.

The cat rolls onto her side, facing away from everyone. She considers pulling out her earbuds and putting on music, but that seems like a little bit much right now, even for her. So she just lays on her side, chewing over everyone's words without comment, for a long moment, just spent staring out the window. She could just get up and go, at any moment, but for whatever reason, she doesn't.

"I saw Queen Angella," she mumbles.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon blinked a few times, staring up at Bow and... "O-oh..." she whispered. Her cheeks going red. Oh. Wow. He. Uhhhh. He was close. He was... so...

Wait. No. No no. HORDE PRIME! Wait. "Your Majesty?" she asked, before sighing. "Just... call me Glimmer, Bow. Like. We're friends, you know? Oh. Oh... you don't... know who... Horde Prime is then..."

And all the wind was out of her sales. And she just... dropped. And chuckled. "Oh. Well..."

"Fuck." She managed to say it, with that smile. That haunted 'oh, we are all so going to die' smile.

"You... came from... after Beast Island, right. Well... ugh..." she said, glancing away. Shame on her face. "... There's no more time to... play it safe... is there? I've got to tell you... everything... don't I?" she sighed and then glanced to Catra.

But before she could get further... Mamoru. And the warmth. And... She closed her eyes.

Catra saw her mother. And this healing was like She-ra...

"Catra... If Horde Prime is here... You *can't* go back to Obsidian Tower unless you know what's waiting for you. Because *you* were pivotal in destroying him. It took *everything we had* to stop him, to kill him. And he is a vicious monster with no remorse, no compassion. He has destroyed entire *planets*, wiped out entire *worlds* for *toys*. Because they didn't give him a stupid rock. He took jewelry and toys as prizes for worlds he wiped out because he could. Anything that opposed him, that hurt him, he would kill without a second glance. And you were with us in his downfall. At best? He'll kill you for that. At worst? He'll chip you or torture you and She-ra isn't going to be able to bring you back! She-ra... She-ra isn't even fully She-ra now. Her sword is still... the first one's. Oh we're so going to die and this is all my fault. Horde Prime can't be here, we..." And then, she closed her eyes. Set herself. Grounded herself.

"... Catra. I won't force you to listen. But... Bow, Catra, I need you both to understand this. What I'm going to tell you? If you're going to face Horde Prime? You need to know it. Because if you don't?"

"You're going to get all of us killed. Horde Prime knows what we're all capable of. And he's ready for us. His goal is going to be She-ra, first. Her sword, especially. Because he knows how to hack it. And Catra, I know... I know you pretend you hate us... but..."

"... If you face Horde Prime now, without hearing what you need to know? Adora is going to die. So am I, probably. So... I need you to make a choice. Will you listen, or are you going to run and hide?"

And then, with her other hand, she held it out to Bow. "And... Bow..."

"... I know... I don't... I... I need you to... explain this to Adora, too. I know... I know what's going on... I know it's going to seem... weird... and not make much sense. And... I know you should be mad at me, and you're not, but... please. I... I need you to know... I'm... sorry for so much. I screwed up so much, and I... I thought I could fix it... I thought... but then it all got better... b-but now we're stuck here and... and... we failed. I need to keep him away from the runestone... And I *need* you to make Adora and Entrapta and everyone understand just what is coming."

Tears were trickling down her face.

"Or we're all going to die."

Bow has posed:
When Endyimon asks about the Moonstone, Bow glances towards Glimmer for silent permission and draws in a breath as she goes off on preparing them for what's to come. "...angry with you? Why would I be? Hordak kidnapped you." Still scrambled, Bow's not remembering things as they should be yet. "Whatever happens... we have so much more support now. Not just Princesses, but ninjas and puellas and Pretty Cures and Sailor Senshi... we have so many friends that have gone through so much... I need you to believe in them like I believe in you." he responds to Glimmer, his hand offered to her again. "We keep it up, we're going to be more the Best Friends Squadron instead of Squad."

Now, back to the question. "My working theory on the Moonstone is that the reason it cannout shrink down like Scorpia's Garnet did is because back when Catra nearly destroyed Etheria by activating Hordak's beacon... portal... it was Queen Angella, Glimmer's mother, sacrified herself to save all of Etheria. So she ended up trapped in the Moonstone, and as an immortal being... she's still there. And seeing her last night only strengthened that theory."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"...ah," says Mamoru softly, having let go of his henshin and Glimmer's hand. The warm comfort stops gradually first, so it's not a cold parting, but Glimmer can feel, now, how he needs to leave, is hitting the limit of... something. Maybe it's just exhaustion.

He looks at Usagi and his expression changes a couple of times as they have a silent conversation, and then he says, "I have to go." There's true apology in his voice, but also rue; he finishes, "That transformation takes it out of me and I did it a few times today."

He walks for the door.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A silent conversation occurs, the sort that old married couples, lifelong friends, and soulmates are prone too, and Usagi's lips quirk in a faint smile as she nods.

She'll take notes, make sure they understand what's coming, and he'll get home safe to recover and also feed their cats. It's domestic, it's comfortable, it's....

Everything that Glimmer is not experiencing right now, given that she's panicking over a new-to-Earth old-to-her enemy that Usagi... actually recognizes.

Oldora had mentioned that guy - and that she'd actually defeated him -

But now he's back?

"If you defeated him once, we'll defeat him again... as soon as you tell us everything you can."

And she's staying close to Catra, keeping an eye on her and if she's going to bail anyway.

Catra has posed:
Catra remains laying on her side, staring at the window. but she hears everything Glimmer says. her eyes close, and she curls herself up into a ball, but for her tail that drapes over the edge of the bed.

"I can't not go back," she declares, as she rolls over to lay stretched out on her back and stare at the ceiling. "I have... I have to finish what I have to finish." Mamoru is leaving, and she glances his direction, before her eyes return to the ceiling. "I have to finish it, or Rashmi will get hurt and it'll be my fault, and I just... don't want that. Not this time. So I'm going back, but I'll be careful. Horde Prime won't... he won't do whatever."

The feline clasps her hands behind her head, and grits her teeth. "But I can't stay here either, I'm not human, and if these people figure it out they'll try to cut me up into little bite-size pieces so they can see how different I am, and I'm not gonna allow *that*, even if I have to fight my way out of them. But I'd rather not. So As soon as we're done talking, I'm going out the window. ...But if you think I'm super important about fighting Horde Prime, maybe you should tell me *why*."

She pauses, and finally glances Bow's direction. "Maybe it won't shrink 'cause Angella's in it, and maybe -- just maybe -- what happened isn't my fault and you shouldn't be so fast at blaming me." She turns her head again, looking back to the window. Bailing remains an option, even if it isn't being taken right now.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon blinked a few times and glanced off to the side. Yes. There... was an out. How did her mom get in the Runestone? Well...

Yup. Just gonna go with that.

She then glanced to Usagi. Well... the girl... was in it now. "So... right. Catra's from the lever. In the weird dimension space, I don't know what happened. All I know is... afterwards, my mom was gone. She was... left behind..."

"I was a terrible queen," Glimmer mumbled. "I... didn't know what I was doing. I knew how to fight, but they didn't need a fighter. They needed a leader. Someone to... help us. Every day, the Horde took more and more territory. Cities fell, Mermista's... home... everything was being taken. Then... we found out that Light Hope was lying to us. We found out about the Heart of Etheria. A weapon made by the first one's. A weapon created to *trap* our magic, deep in the center of the world. To siphon it off, turn it into a weapon to *wipe the universe clean* of *all life*. Every planet, every moon, every star. All gone, in the blink of an eye. Using *our* magic. The key to it... was Adora's sword. Was She-ra. A weapon made by the First One's to trap the power of She-ra, to bind it to their whims."

"... We thought we could use the power there, to fight back the horde. To supercharge the princesses, our runestones. To take back our world. We were desperate. I... was desperate. Every day more and more of my people... suffered. We captured a Horde Spy. Double Trouble. And... and I made her tell me why the Horde was so... aggressive."

"... I tried to tell you and Adora, Bow. But you left. You went to Beast Island to save Entrapta. You left... and I made the wrong choice. I thought I could get Light Hope to help us. Convince her to help us siphon the power off, our power, back. To help us fight back against the Horde. And... it worked... We defeated the Horde in a day. Heh... eh..."

"... A shame it meant nothing," she said, her eyes glancing away. "Light Hope had played us. She tried to force open the Heart of Etheria. I don't know how, but... but Adora broke the sword. Ending the Heart of Etheria. Breaking its key. And when we used that power? We showed Horde Prime *exactly* where we were. We couldn't hold off the Horde. And Horde Prime? He was so, so, so much worse. The Horde was the dregs. The fragments. The left overs that had come with Hordak. Horde Prime? He was the real one... He destroyed the First Ones. He took me and Catra..."

Then she glanced to Catra. "And he held us captive. Catra... saved my life. When he was going to... kill me... she told him who I was. That he needed me for the Heart of Etheria. And he made me his prisoner. Tried to break me. And laid a trap for She-ra. Catra... Catra knew that if Adora came, she'd die. Because you all were coming, on Mara's ship. And so Catra... saved me. She sacrificed herself to get me out of there, because she didn't think that Adora would come for her."

"... So, we came for her, because duh. And Adora re-awoke the power of She-ra. Because it's who she *is*. It's not the sword. The sword she had was a thing that First Ones made in order to control She-ra's power. But that power was hers, and hers alone. We saved Catra, and ummmm... Catra... kind of helped us get back to Etheria through Horde Prime's blockade. So, uhhhh. You know that... big... cat? Melog? They're not mine. They're yours, Catra. You kind of... bonded to them. And... can do magic through them? Or could? I don't think you're bonded to them now, but... I figure if we get your memories back, you will be."

"... But things were so bad... By the time we landed, Horde Prime had taken everyone. Even... my father. Only a few of us were left. We tried to rescue more, but... the only way we defeated him..."

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
"He enslaved our whole world in a few days. There was a failsafe, a way to unleash all of the power that the First ones had trapped. To free it. But Horde Prime knows how to *hack into* first one's tech. In a way beyond even Entrapta. He almost took it over. Adora nearly had to sacrifice herself to release the failsafe. We all fought to buy her time. Catra... helped Adora in the end. And so they both lived. I don't... know all the details of how, she never fully shared that. But..."

"The only weakness Horde Prime has is magic. The only thing that he fears is magic. But Adora's sword is *first one's tech*. If he gets a hold of it? If he faces She-ra? He already knows how to possess her. He could take the sword. Worse... the magic here? It's strange. Even my magic feels... it felt off."

"If he *gains* access to that magic, if he learns how to harness it? He'll lose his only weakness. The only tool we have to stop him... and it'll be gone..."

"... Now? Now that monster is in Obsidian tower. My magic isn't working. I can't feel the Runestone. My mother is trapped inside it. If he... if he gets a hold of it, if he figures out how to harness the Runestone? He won't just be able to control its power. He'll likely be able to hack *me*. The Moonstone isn't first one's tech, thankfully, but I have no way of knowing how much knowledge he has about that. He knows how to control First One's tech, and the First One's bound She-ra's runestone. If he can figure out how to do the same to my Moonstone?"

She reached up a hand to the back of her neck. "I have to get back to Obsidian Tower. I need to... I need to slow him down. Bow... I need you to get Adora and everyone else ready. I need you to help She-ra unlock her sword. Her REAL sword. Not the ones the First One's made. I'll buy what time I can... But everything is depending on you and She-ra."

And then she glanced to Catra... "Sorry, Catra. I was hoping... I could.... reveal everything to you a bit slower. Let you kind of... ease into it. But Horde Prime's here and... there's no... more time for games..."

"... I don't... know if what Catra did... changed things. I didn't get to see my mom. I could... only barely get both of us out of there. It was only thanks to She-ra and Scorpia we were even able to get back. Maybe... maybe if we can get She-ra back, if we can get her real sword back, we can get it out of there. Or maybe if we had another runestone. Maybe... if we can find out whoever that fire runestone is looking for. The only etherians who are here, though, who don't have a runestone are you two and Double Trouble, and I doubt any of you have connections to that runestone. It might be looking for someone else compatible, though... from this world."

Bow has posed:
"And maybe, it wasn't my fault either, as you were so quick to blame last night, Catra." Bow retorts flatly, rolling his eyes in her direction. "You're so very quick to lay blame and not own up when you're wrong. And you're really wrong about destroying Etheria, even if you came close." But he quiets down as Glimmer starts to speak. Some of this he knows. He remembers.

But then Glimmer dips into things he doesn't undertand. "Her true sword? What do you mean? How did that happen?" Bow frowns heavily in thought. "I don't like you going to Obsidian... I can't... Glimmer... please be careful. I know I already caused this to you... but if you're right and he comes after you. I... I... don't know what I would do."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Um... Catra-san... not to like, speak on a lived experience I don't have, or anything but... I don't think most people would want to cut you up, or anything. It's true that we don't have actual cat girls on our planet... but we do have a lot of people who really like the idea of nekomimi, so you'd probably be... really popular, or people would be asking you about your realistic costume."

It's not that she wants to tell Catra to be careless, because it's definitely possible that some people would be cruel or callous or want to experiment on her but...

She thinks it's pretty safe to say that plenty of people would just think she was... well...

But then Glimmer is sharing more of her story, and it's a bad time - something that makes her wonder... because it sounds like what Sailor Saturn is capable of doing, but in the form of a planet instead of a single girl.

On the one hand, that was probably a lot less heart-breaking to keep inactive... on the other hand...

"So you have to go back to keep yourself and your mother safe... because your Metallia is here and with them?" She's summarizing, and grimacing, because this is sounding like it's going to end with a lot more... fighting on both sides.

Catra has posed:
That's all rather a lot to process. Catra just lays there... processing it, for the time being, and processes it without really giving off much reaction. Or, maybe it's just taking a really long time to process. Because it sounds like she did the one thing sho's absolutely known, deep down in her bones, that she'd never, ever be able to do, no matter what happened. The one thing she'd rather die than do.

She switched sides.

"Yeah well you'll need a different Etherian, because neither Double Trouble nor I are princess material," she assers.

Oh, there it is. Double Trouble. And by the sounds of Glimmer's explaination, they...

No. Don't even bother thinking about it. It's a waste of time, nobody's on Etheria anyway. Slowly, Catra sits up, rolls, and swings her legs over the side of the bed.

"It was your plan Arrow-Boy," she snaps, as some of that safe, comforting fire returns to her. She throws anger about herself like a protective cloak, pushing away every hand that might hurt her along with those that might help. "Maybe if you'd told me what was going on and I didn't walk in and not have any idea, it might've been different. But you didn't. So here we are now."

The feline stands and stretches, before walking over to the window. "I've got work to do. I need to finish collecting enough dark energy. Which means I'm going back to Obsidian Tower, at least until that's done with." She stops, and looks over her shoulder; and whatever else she might've been planning to sayh just... dies unsaid, as she turns and jumps out the window, using her claws to carry her down safely to the ground.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon looked up at Bow.

I love you Bow, I've always loved you. I love you. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

In the final fight, I told you all of my feelings, we kissed. We fell in love. We never got a chance to be together, but it's true. I. Love. You.

But she didn't care say it. Not now. Not when so much depended on them.

"I don't know. I don't know what makes She-ra's real sword come. I think... I think it was something to do with Catra? It was when we were in danger that she was able to bring it back. But it was only after she broke the fake sword. So... I don't know. I need you to figure it out, I'm counting on you, Bow," she said before getting, slowly, to her feet. She winced... but she was better. "And... thanks. To your ummm... friend. He's... nice. He felt nice. Kind of like She-ra's healing..."

"But... I'm sorry. I thought... I was hoping after today... all I'd have to worry about in Obsidian was Catra. But things have gotten so, so much worse..."

She then hugged Bow, tight. Tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. But I have to go. I can't let him get his hands on the Moonstone. And... there's no telling what's going to happen with Obsidian now. They might start... I'm sorry..." she whispered. "If you have to hurt me, if you have to attack me... do it. That's an order, from your queen." Then, slowly, she pulled back.

"And... once we figure all this out? We'll be the best friend's squad again. Okay?" she said, forcing a smile, wiping a tear from her eyes. Then glanced to Usagi. "Is... Metallia that... lady in Paris? The one we beat up? I... wish. If he was just one, giant, angry person we could stab it would be so much easier. But he's a horde. Countless worlds conquered. Countless bodies he can move into, if he dies. An armada that can conquer galaxys. And now? He's here."

She glanced towards where Catra had been and sighed. "Catra... Catra will be back. She... always does this. Runs off when it gets scary. But... she always comes back when we need her. I... hope this time won't be any different."

She then looked towards Usagi. "Please help them. I... can't... now. But please. Now, more than ever, we need to be united. So long as... so long as he doesn't get a foot hold here? We can stop him. Possibly. Those... the chip that was on Bow's neck? Those were his designs. That's how he conquers people who he can't just destroy. So... keep an eye out for those. Entrapta can remove them... or... could... she can figure out how."

She looked to Bow... and gave him one more hug. "I'll miss you," she whispered.

And then she left. Like. Walking. Not teleporting. Walking. Not letting all those tears going down her cheeks stop her from doing what she had to do...

And really hoping she'd be able to see him again, one day... on the same side.

... And then about two minutes later she came running back, grabbed the plant, hugged it, stood on her tippy toes... and kissed Bow on the cheek. "Not forgetting this. Thanks Bow! You're the best!" Before she ran off.

Yes, she did in fact give up her dramatic exit for a cheek kiss and a flower. Bite her.

Bow has posed:
He's being abandoned again. Like he has been ever since arriving on Earth. The Etherians go in their different directions. And Bow? He's left alone. When Glimmer presses into him, his arms hold the Queen tight. So tight. He doesn't want to let go. But... she said it, she may not be her Bow. She may not be his Glimmer. So when she pulls away, he doesn't stop her. He doesn't even snap off a remark at the retreating Catra.

Instead, he stiffens, bows slightly. "I'll let Adora know." he says formally, before he watches her leave.

And the plant was sitting there.

But then Glimmer came running back in, taking the flower and kissing his cheek.

His hand reaches out to her retreating back. 'I love you.' would be so simple. But she's the Queen of Brightmoon. And he's just an archer. His hand moves to hold his cheek, and he turns to Usagi. "Thanks for coming. You and Mamoru. I owe you one."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You don't owe me anything, Bow," Usagi says with a little sigh, watching as Glimmer leaves, watching as Bow reaches out but doesn't connect. She doesn't think he'd like to hear 'you deserve better', even if she's thinking. He does. Adora does too. Maybe there's a reason bot the girls they definitely seem to like are in Obsidian right now...

She shakes her head a little, disconnecting that thought, and sweeps in to give Bow a quick, tight hug.

"We're glad to help. We're your friends, and we're here for you. No matter what's going on, or with who, and hey, forget about what Catra said, okay? She's kind of high-strung and mean, and even great plans can be goofed up by lunatics from space and sad nekomimis. Don't beat yourself up over this, okay?"

Bow has posed:
"Okay." Bow agrees. At least on the surface, he does. But it's deep in his craw. And now he's doubting all of his plans. "There's got to be a way to do it better, right?" he asks Usagi before returning the hug and grabs the balloons and stuffed sloth. "I'll drop these off at the nurses' station and head back to the school. You good for getting home?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"There's definitely a way to get it done, but I don't know if there was a way to do it better, you know?"

Better makes it sound like he missed something, like he did something wrong. It's been like, six months though - it's no wonder they decided to try something.

"I'm good for getting home! I'm heading back towards the school too, if you want to walk together. In fact, let's walk together. I'll buy us treats, and you'll at least have something in your stomach before you go to bed and start worrying again."

Ah, she's gotten to know Bow pretty well. She can tell there's no way he's actually okay, right now, but she can at least be there for him.

Someone's got to be, right?