Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“I can’t do it without you.”

The admission does not come without trepidation, shame and an uncurrent of guilt. Adora thinks she should be able to do this herself, but she can no longer deny the glaring alarms and bells that have been going off in her head since this all began. She can’t do it without Catra or the rest of her friends. She loses She-Ra, she loses herself if she tries and maybe it’s worth risking a little bit of vulnerability to avoid that outcome. 

Catra doesn’t seem to be angry with her anymore, if the way she wraps herself around Adora tightly is any indication. She’s pretty sure she must be missing something here, could even swear she feels tears dripping onto her back, and she’s about to pull away and ask Catra if she’s alright when Catra whispers back to her, “You don’t have to.”

Adora exhales slowly, releasing a breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding in. She feels tears form in her own eyes at the reassurance, feeling perhaps the most okay that she’s felt since they’ve returned to Etheria. 

Surrounded by ash and soot, Adora can’t help but feel amazed by her girlfriend. Catra broke Angella’s chip. Adora opens her eyes to see Angella and Micah embracing tearfully as she processes the thought. 

She did it all by herself. Micah was right; no matter what happens or what odds are against her, Catra always finds a way to persevere. Adora tightens her hold on Catra, feeling pride, relief, everything -

“Woah, woah, woah,” Catra’s voice snaps Adora out of her train of thought, “This again?”

Confused, Adora blinks down at her, but it’s a little hard to see with the warm, orange and golden glow between them. It’s that same effusive energy that she’s felt before: after the Portal, after the first time Catra told her she loved her and, less pleasantly, on Prime’s ship. The radiance dissipates and Adora blinks again, but Catra is further away from her now. Stunned, Adora looks down and sees that she’s transformed back into She-Ra.

Huh.

She isn’t sure why she looks up to Catra for an answer, all she sees is the same awestruck look on her face, while Glimmer stands behind her looking smug. 

“Guess we got She-Ra back just in time,” Glimmer grins, “And, would you look at that! Catra has her magic back too. Not that I’m sure she ever really lost it!”

Adora looks back down at Catra, expecting some sort of reaction at the insinuation. But Catra just closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and calls in a put-upon calm voice, “Melog.”

It’s more of a command, really. Melog jumps into action, tackling Glimmer to the ground as she shrieks with laughter. 

“What, no comeback so you sic them on me instead ?” Glimmer laughs as Melog nudges their face to hers. 

“Why argue and give you a chance to out-stupid yourself?” Catra retorts with her back to Glimmer, but Adora catches the smile on her face.

“You’re the stupid one!” Glimmer fires back immediately, determined to continue their banter before Bow intervenes.

“This feels like a conversation we can have at a later time,” His voice is strained, conveying sky-high stress levels. “You know when the fate of the world isn’t at stake.”

Right. It’s not that Adora had forgotten but it was nice to have a brief distraction. Adora feels her shoulders droop, a movement that doesn’t evade Catra’s careful eye.

At least they have Angella back and Catra isn’t somewhere out of reach. And they only have Angella back because of Catra. Adora does her best to send her girlfriend a convincing smile, “Now that everyone’s back, your idea might work. About the princess connection, and-and we may not even need it. You know, because of-She-Ra.”

It’s safer now, now that everyone is unchipped and She-Ra is back. She hopes it’s enough to show Catra that it isn’t the worst plan.

Catra just sighs, “You can save the speech, Adora. I know no matter what I say you’re going to take the failsafe anyway.” Adora’s face falls at that, not liking the resignation in Catra’s tone. Melog walks over to them and sits at Adora’s side. “But if you’re going to do something stupid, the least you can let me do is supervise.”

“Really?” Adora asks, not bothering to keep the brightness from her eyes or the hope out of her voice. She reaches for Catra’s hand, “You’ll stay?”

“Yeah,” Catra is clearly less than enthused, but she doesn’t pull away from Adora. “I’m sticking with you.”

Adora is a bit floored by her response, wanting to ask her if she means it but knowing better than to question her. Still, she can’t stop the anxious tumble of words that fall from her mouth, “I-you know, this isn’t me trying to pick the universe over you or anything like that! I just have to... stop Prime to make sure everyone is safe. Including you.”

“Okay well, ‘everyone’ includes you too, princess,” Catra rebuffs without any heat. Adora flushes as she says, “And obviously someone has to keep reminding you that.”

She seems like she’s okay with it, genuinely. 

But Adora still needs to make sure that Catra understands this much though, “I meant what I said, Catra. I don’t-I don’t think I can do this without you.”

She squeezes her hand lightly, and Catra returns the gesture with a small smile, “Well, I do remember you promising to kick this ‘hideous bastard’s’ ass for me. So…”

“Language,” Angella’s voice breaks through their conversation. Catra and Adora both snap their heads in her direction and Adora feels a bit guilty for pulling Catra’s focus away from their reunion. But Catra just rolls her eyes and laces her fingers through Adora’s. “Although I am all in favor of putting a stop to Horde Prime’s conquest.”

The Queen doesn’t look very well. She looks much like Catra did after they broke the chip on Prime’s ship. With faint eyes and ash across her face, Angella does her best to make it look like Micah isn’t supporting all of her weight as she stands before them. 

“Shadow Weaver says there’s a failsafe that can stop Prime from using the Heart and set free all of the magic in Etheria,” Micah tells her in a gentle voice. Catra bristles at the mention of Shadow Weaver, clutching Adora’s hand a little bit tighter.

Angella may be thoroughly worn-out, but has enough strength left to scoff, “Oh, but of course. I can’t possibly imagine what that shrew has set to gain by unleashing all of Etheria’s magic.”

“‘That shrew? Didn’t seem like you were that opposed to her when you invited her into the Rebellion,” Catra rebukes. It’s a dramatic retelling of the events, but Catra doesn’t know how Micah stood up for her after she left, so Adora figures she has reason to still be upset. 

“What?” Angella blinks in confusion, looking between Catra and Micah.

“She’s referring to the fact that we allowed Shadow Weaver to seek refuge in our camp in exchange for her helping us find the girls,” Micah explains. 

Angella’s face lights up with recognition at once, “Oh Catra, dear. It wasn’t like that-”

“Whatever. Doesn’t matter,” Catra turns away from Adora’s hold. 

“It does matter, Catra,” Micah refutes. “I understand why you’re upset-” 

“We don’t have time for this.” Catra interrupts again, frowning and face red. “Whatever crappy explanation you have can wait. Right now we need to get to the failsafe--which, of course Shadow Weaver was wrong about. It isn’t in Mystacor.”

Micah and Angella drop their argument in favor of looking at Catra in confusion at her charge. 

“What?” Adora asks, rising to meet Catra as she stands up, “What do you mean it’s not in Mystacor?”

“Come on,” Catra rolls her eyes as if it’s obvious, “Ancient failsafe for an equally ancient weapon? Hidden away somewhere so old it isn’t on any map? It’s not going to be in Mystacor, I can tell you that much.”

“Then where...is it?” Glimmer questions.

“Right over there,” Catra gestures over to the small pond in the center of the Ivy Runes, it is obscured by the outcropping of rocks and boulders. Still a bit of a drop down from where they’re currently standing. 

But the lights are still there--the lights of the kindred spirits. Adora smiles to herself, grateful that much hasn’t changed. And the blue light that emanents throughout the runes is brightest in the center of the pond.

“It’s just a cipher,” Catra plays it off  as they look at the lights with wonder. But Adora is looking firmly at Catra herself, amazed again at how she’s managed to figure this out. “If you rearrange the letters in Uvinery, they spell out Ivy Rune. So…”

“Of course,” Bow agrees, voice in awe.

“How did you figure it out?” Glimmer asks.

“Have you ever even been to the Bright Moon library?” Catra retorts, “When Micah had me reading all of those old books on magic or whatever, most of the names that the First One’s used to describe places were just...variations of what we call places now. It wasn’t that hard.” 

Micah and Angella give her an impressed look, but she just shrugs them off, turning her gaze away.

“Anyway. You gonna teleport us down there or what?” Catra demands, turning to Glimmer, “Or did you want to wait for Prime to turn this planet into a superweapon first?”

“Oh that’s it,” Glimmer takes the challenge and grabs hold of Bow and Catra, who in turn grabs Adora. “Like you’re one to talk about withholding magic!”

“I wasn’t withholding anything! It just-didn’t work before,” Catra attempts to argue. Adora is inclined to believe it’s the truth, mainly because Catra is normally much better at arguing than this.

“We’ll stay up here,” Micah says, holding onto Angella, “And keep a look out. But be careful, alright?”

“We always are,” Glimmer beams up at him, looking nothing if not giddy now that their plan is finally coming together. 

“Keep her safe,” Catra tells him before they go, giving Angella a cautious glance. He looks at her in surprise, her voice commanding. “I’m serious. Don’t let anything happen to her while we’re gone.” 

“Of course,” Micah nods solemnly, “But Catra-”

“We’ll be right back,” Adora promises her instead, intervening before another argument can take place. Catra is not hiding the fact that she cares or that she is worried, but seems intent on keeping both of them at a distance. 

Catra doesn’t look angry though, she just looks sad. Melog must pick up on it, because they bound over to Angella and seat themselves at her feet, looking poised to protect and sending Catra a meaningful look.

Glimmer teleports them down to the center of the Runes, a few feet away from the pond. Catra and Adora haven’t been down here themselves, the incline had been too steep to traverse when they had already been trapped underground for several hours. They’ve only seen the lights from a distance, but Adora can admit they’re much more magnificent up close.

“Hey, remember when you used your magic to light up the cave?” Adora asks Catra, giving her a good-natured shoulder check.

Catra lowers her voice to a whisper, “Can you keep your voice down? That show was for you and I exclusively.” Her face is red as she nods toward Glimmer and Bow, who are equally enchanted with the lights around them.

“Sure, yeah, of course,” Adora agrees, stepping closer to the pond. It’s much larger up close, and she looks back to the group curiously, “How are we supposed to...you know. Get to it? Do we have to swim?”

“Oh absolutely not, I draw the line at swimming,” Catra refuses, stepping up to Adora’s side.

As she does, there is a slight tremor that fills the cavern around them. Surprised, Catra shrieks as Adora grabs hold of her, looking curiously at the pond as larger stones shake and rise through the water, creating a pathway to the center. At the middle of the pond, a singular column rises and carries an illuminated, glowing blue crystal

“Okay, great. Guess the super old citadel is taking requests now too,” Catra grouses.

“That has to be the failsafe,” Adora says, eyes wide with wonder. She takes a step onto the first stone, before looking back at the group.

There isn’t enough room on the path for all four of them to go together. Very suddenly she feels nerves sweep through her because...this is it--the very key to their plan. And it’ll either stop Prime once and for all and everyone will be alright, or she’ll lose She-Ra again and have to hope the princess connection will allow for the magic of the heart to equally disperse among them.

She has to keep a hold of She-Ra. If she doesn’t, this whole thing might fall apart and all of the suffering they’ve been through will have been for nothing. When Catra notices the change in Adora’s expression, she hops onto the stone next to her.

Catra doesn’t say anything as she joins Adora, grabbing her hand again and smiling at her in understanding. 

“Really? I-are you sure?” Adora questions. Catra hates water. Hates it even more after Prime, but she seems certain of herself.

“Told you I’m going to supervise, right?” Catra returns airily, “Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t do something stupid.”

Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other. 

“Right,” Adora sighs, rolling her shoulders back and looking down at her hands. She is still She-Ra, and she has to keep it that way. “It’ll be okay. We have She-Ra now.”

“Hey, none of that,” Catra shakes her head, “Etheria needs Adora too, remember? Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. If you glitch again, we’ll figure something out.”

No matter who you are or what you do, I love you. Always.

Maybe Catra’s right. She’s been right before. And with or without She-Ra, Adora knows she won’t be losing Catra.

She nods in response, silent but grateful as they make their way down the path. 

Catra has been right about a lot of things. She was right about the Heart and the Failsafe. She found Angella. Saved Glimmer from Prime, saved all of them from the Portal. 

When they approach the column they find the crystal is just at hip-level. There is an instinctual, calm voice that tells her to reach forward and grab it.

But she can’t stop herself from looking at Catra. Catra--the former Horde officer who was thrown onto Beast Island with nothing but the clothes on her back and yet managed to transform her entire life. She’s saved Micah more than once and now, Angella too. She almost burnt a hole in Prime’s ship, and Adora saw the true depth of her power when she was trapped in the heart of the signal. Melog had even chosen her to imprint on.

There’s something about her. Something brilliant and resilient. Micah wasn’t joking when he said that Catra has survived every horror thrown her way. Not only has Hordak tried to have her killed multiple times by now, but her resolve is even so strong that Prime had to... condition her three times over

“Well...what are you waiting for?” Catra prompts, looking between Adora and the crystal. 

But Adora is piecing something together, the gears turning in her head.

Prime must know there’s something special to her. More than just the title of Bright Moon’s second-ever Princess and more than the magic she possesses. He signaled her out, Adora realizes. He must’ve known all about her after connecting Hordak to the hive mind. That’s why he promised her a place in his empire before Glimmer. That’s why he’s been so insistent on getting her back. It’s more than just a means of taunting Adora.

Catra’s power is a threat to Prime so long as she opposes him. She’s survived what many so many haven’t. 

Maybe... she’s the key. 

“Come on,” Catra is trying to joke, but Adora can sense her anxiety, “Seriously. I can’t take it for you.”

“You can’t,” Adora shakes her head, looking back to the crystal and then to Catra again, “But maybe...we can take it together.”

Catra’s jaw just about hits the floor. “I-what? What are you talking about?”

“I mean, yeah,” Adora nods, “If...if I do this, if I take the failsafe and we use the connection to unleash the magic, you still get pushed out. And then, we’re still divided aren’t we? Because your-”

“-power doesn’t come from a dumb fucking rock.” They say in unison.

“I think you might be right,” Catra admits. She looks a bit taken aback at the recognition, which Adora doesn’t really fault her for. Catra hails from a lifetime of being overlooked. “You...you’re serious though?”

“Only if you want to,” Adora assures her in sincerity, “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced to do anything. I just...thought that if we’re going to go this together...we should do it together.”

Catra’s face softens as she processes Adora’s words. “Together.” Her eyes are watering like Adora has just given her the world a thousand times over. “I just...You really love me, don’t you?”

The question, the disbelief catches Adora off guard. Almost like it’s the first time she’s allowing herself to truly believe it.

Adora holds her hand, “I do.”

“I love you too,” Catra smiles and there’s that familiar energy between the two of them. It’s magic, for sure,  and normally preceded by Adora transforming into She-Ra. But she already is She-Ra. 

The glow, the warmth between the two of them. Maybe there isn’t a label or logical explanation. Maybe it’s just them.

“Alright. Let’s do this. You ready?” Adora asks, voice just a whisper even though it’s only the two of them here.

“Always.”

With their hands still connected between them, they use their remaining hand and grab hold of the crystal at the same time. 

Magic, sparkling and cackling and electric flows through them as they each accept half of the failsafe.

What happens next really boils down to an issue of memory. The problem with being separated from her family for so long is that Catra’s insecurities have ran largely unimpeded. Spending so much time on Prime’s ship or under his control, she’s nearly forgotten what it was like to have parents.

“I’m sorry. You did what ?” Micah’s voice is incredulous as he looks at the two of them in shock.

Catra crosses her arms, giving him an unimpressed stare. It’s much easier to put on a blase act right now. 

Besides, it’s fairly obvious what they’ve done. The dim, blue light that radiates from her chest is evidence enough. 

Taking the failsafe, even just half of it, feels strange. There’s a magnetic, almost burning, energy beneath her skin. 

“We split the failsafe, so that way even if the princess connection craps out or She-Ra decides to make a quick exit, Adora won’t be stuck channeling all of that energy on her own.” Catra explains for the second time. She’s doing her best to sound bored in an attempt to hurry this along and get this whole ordeal over with. She can work out the damages with Micah later. 

“So you’ll be channeling it with her?” He questions. He’s appalled, but at least he’s capable of speaking. Angella, however, has been looking at them slack-jawed.

Glimmer and Bow thought it made sense, and Catra foolishly hoped that everyone else would share the sentiment. Adora was right, with the  original failsafe plan, everyone was included except for her. Again. 

Catra had sort of made her peace with that much but had to admit it felt eerily similar to their original situation with the Heart. 

“Yup,” She responds, popping the letter for emphasis. She really just wants this to be over with. “So if you and Shadow Weaver had any plans to push me out of this, then tough luck.”

Melog stops sniffing her leg curiously, freezing at the implication while Adora fidgets nervously at her side. 

Micah pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales in frustration. “You did this...because you think we’re working with Shadow Weaver? To what—push you away?”

The one thing that Catra hasn’t forgotten is that Shadow Weaver hates her. Always has. She’s power hungry too. Working with Rebellion in whatever attempts they made to bring her and Glimmer back was just phase one of her long con. Clearly, she’s just trying to help so she can weasel her way back into Angella and Micah’s good graces.And once she gets enough freedom and power back, Catra knows she has something planned. Some form of revenge or a vague idea of how to ruin Catra’s life.  

But that’s not why she took the failsafe.

“No. I did this so I don’t have to watch my girlfriend and everyone else I love risk their lives while I’m stuck on the sidelines!” Catra refutes. She feels like she’s close to crying. Looking at Micah and Angella, who are clearly in disapproval of this plan, feels like a kick to the stomach. “Look, I get it. After everything with Prime—if you would rather listen to Shadow Weaver and not have me around, then fine. I’ll go after this is over. But I’m not letting anything happen to Adora and I’m not letting Prime hurt anyone else.”

Catra didn’t think it was possible for Micah to look more shocked than before. But he manages it somehow, while Angella rivals his surprise with her own, intertwined with exhaustion.

“Adora,” Micah turns his attention to her, “Can we have a moment alone?”

Catra’s stomach twists at that, but she releases Adora’s hand and tells her its okay. Adora looks reticent but compiles, joining Bow and Glimmer a few yards away. Melog walks around Catra, growing to their larger form before taking a seat at her side. 

It’s funny, almost. Adora used to be the one who Catra had difficulty accepting while Micah held her hand and helped her create a life for herself. But now after everything her and Adora have been through together, she feels like she just doesn’t know how to be around Micah or Angella anymore.

Much less the unconditional love and care that never seems to be in short supply with Micah and Angella. It’s hard for her brain to accept they're still there, after everything. And far more difficult to accept their unconditional love and care. She feels like it can’t be true anymore.

“Catra…” Micah begins to say, voice stern and unyielding. She flinches at the sound, fearing for the way this sentence will end. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed by Micah, who drops the hand that was reaching out for her immediately. “I-I don’t. We don’t…”

He’s never not known what to say to her. Catra’s heart sinks at the confirmation of her worst fears being true.

Micah looks to Angella a bit helplessly. She nods at him before walking over to Catra, slow and purposefully. She is far more confident than Micah when she says, “I know what Prime did to you."

Catra feels her face flare red with shame, guilt.

“I know how he hurt you, what he made you do,” Angella grabs her hands and holds them gently. “I...when I was chipped, I could feel some of your memories. Your fears.”

The thought makes Catra’s stomach churn. She fights the urge to pull her hands away and settles for turning her head to the side. 

Angella gives her a soft smile, eyes brimming with tears, “He may have tried to convince you that there is something wrong with you or that we don’t love you or want you here, but that is simply not true.”

Under the failsafe, Catra feels her heart burn.

“I am sorry I wasn’t here when you returned,” Angella tells her with great remorse, “and I’m sorry you had to encounter Shadow Weaver. Part of the agreement was that she would be removed from camp if she made you uncomfortable.”

Catra’s ears twitch at that. She looks back over to the two of them and finds nothing but blazing sincerity in their expressions.  Micah had mentioned something about making good on Angella’s threats back at the camp.

“I should have warned you, Catra. Truthfully, between everything that’s happened, I got distracted,” Micah explains, “I mean, between losing you and Glimmer and then—Angella and the rest of the Rebellion, it was hard to keep  track of everyone. But I didn’t keep it from you intentionally, and we are certainly not working with Shadow Weaver to hurt you. I’ll have her removed from camp before we even return.”

“Your safety comes first,” Angella reminds her, “and…that’s why we were so desperate that we considered her offer for help. We had to know if you were okay.”

Catra breaks their stares yet again. It makes sense. She knows it does, she knows them. But she had also forgotten them, too. Prime stripped them from her entirely and even if it was brief, she’s realizes that she buried the memories of them incidentally. Memories of how much they care, of how much she matters to them. To spare herself the pain that would surely follow finding out they no longer cared for her.

And so gently, Angella cups Catra’s face.  “You are not a problem, do you understand me? There is nothing wrong with you. Quite the opposite, actually. ” Angella looks at her very seriously, “You are special. Smart and courageous and good.”

Good.

Catra isn’t sure that word have ever been used to describe her before. Tears are streaming down her face when she lets Angella pull her into a hug, “And so very strong. We’re so proud of you.”

“She’s right, kid,” Micah joins in, smiling when Catra looks up at him from over Angella’s shoulder. “You’ve given us every reason to be proud of you.”

“But then, why are you so upset about the failsafe?” Catra frowns, teary eyed as Angella pulls back with worry on her face, “You know I can’t let Adora do this on her own.”

“We’re upset because we love you and don’t want to see you get hurt,” Micah reminds her, seemingly having picked up on the root of the issue between them.

“That’s not fair. Glimmer is part of the princess connection. You are too,” she gives Angella a pointed stare. 

“Because we’re connected to the Moonstone, dear,” Angella tells her, “It’s a clear and reliable power source.”

Catra rolls her eyes, “Ugh, not the stupid rocks again. Why does it even matter? You said magic wasn’t a finite resource.” She turns to Micah this time.

“It isn’t. But your magic is less stable, more at-will. It means you might be able to conjure more power at a moment's notice, but it’s less reliable,” Micah frowns. “If you take the failsafe to the Heart and aren’t able to access the right amount of magic…”

Oh. Oh, shit. Catra understands now. 

If Adora wouldn’t be able to survive the failsafe on her own, then she certainly doesn’t stand a chance. 

She glances back to Adora, who is staring at her nervously. It’s almost like she can sense something is off.

“Oh god,” Catra makes certain she is fully facing her parents before she winces again, “I—okay. I get it. Maybe it isn’t the perfect plan. But would the failsafe have accepted me if I couldn’t do it? And I mean—even if I couldn’t, even if it doesn’t work, I still have to try. Adora finally isn’t going to just run head first into sacrificing herself and I have to be there for her. I can’t watch her...I can’t let anything happen to her.”

There is only a moment of silence before a strange look passes across Angella’s face. It’s the same look she had when Catra accidentally agreed to joining the Alliance. She is planning something, clearly.

“I might have just the solution for this.”

Angella’s solution involves Bright Moon, somehow. Glimmer teleports them to right outside of the chamber room at the Queen’s request.

It’s eerily silent now. And with everyone evacuated, the whole palace feels desolate. The emptiness weighs heavily on Catra’s consciousness. 

“What are we doing here?” Adora asks, hyper aware of the time crunch they’re currently under.

“Catra was correct about the failsafe,” Angella says, “Once it’s brought to the Heart, The Alliance must harness the joint power of the runestones to ensure everyone returns unscathed.”

“Dividing the failsafe also mitigates the risk,” Micah confirms, looking the two of them over, “But because Catra’s magic is independent of the runestones, the outcome might be a bit unpredictable.”

He couldn’t have phrased it more gently, but Catra watches as realization dawns on her girlfriends face at their collective error. Adora freezes, the color draining from her face as the panic sets in. There is a small flicker and Catra can see her start to lose She-Ra again, which is something that they absolutely can’t have right now.

“Hey,” Catra steps in front of her, reaching up to take Adora’s face between her hands. “It’s alright. We didn’t know. We didn’t even think about that.”

“I--but that’s the problem. We- I should have known. I’m such an idiot,” Adora spirals right before her, “I thought it was the right thing. I thought I was protecting you by making sure you were part of this--but this, this is what Prime wanted all along. Isn’t it? He doesn’t need to do anything to hurt you when I can do that all by myself, apparently.”

She finishes off a bit hysterical, Catra tightens her grip on Adora’s face. “No. Listen to me, that’s not true Adora. There’s a good chance that everything could turn out fine-”

“A chance? I can’t take that chance,” Adora looks at her, set to pull away when Angella speaks again.

“Adora,  if what George and Lance say is true, making sure everyone is united is the key,” Angella tells her, “Horde Prime is fearful of Catra’s power, that much I know. So allowing her to carry the failsafe with you was tactical. All we have to do now is take an extra step to ensure no one gets hurt.”

Adora looks marginally comforted, but still nervous. She looks between Catra and Angella fearfully.

“I choose to do this with you. Remember?” Catra moves her hands down to brace her shoulders. “We’re doing this. Together.”

Adora is still She-Ra, if a bit rattled. “Okay. Then what-what are we doing?”

“Follow me,” Angella says before turning and walking outside until they’re a few feet away from where the Moonstone towers above them. 

Angella takes a brief moment to whisper something to Micah and Glimmer-something that elicits a devious whoop of joy from the latter. Catra instantly finds herself ten times more weary.

Micah, Glimmer and Angella stand in front of the Moonstone, while Bow, Adora and Catra have hung back for a moment. 

“Catra, come here.” The queen requests.

With a final reassuring squeeze, Catra complies, reveling in the small smile Adora gives her. Catra isn’t sure why, but she feels a bit nervous, even as Angella extends her hand in invitation. Melog trails at her feet, eager to follow along.

Catra accepts it, surprised when she finds there is something placed in the palm of her hand. Brows furrowed, she turns their hands over and finds the necklace Adora had given her. Salvaged from a shard of her broken headpiece, Catra rarely ever took it off. It’s the best gift anyone has ever given her. 

She thanks the stars that she hadn’t been wearing it on the day after the Heart. She remembers feeling upset with Adora, running late for the Rebellion meeting and forgetting to put it on. It’s just as well because Prime would’ve likely taken it from her anyway.

“I--how do you have this?” Catra asks, looking up to Angella. 

Angella smiles at her sadly. “After you and Glimmer had been taken, it was the only thing we had left of you. I took it with me when we evacuated because I...I didn’t know what might happen to Bright Moon in our absence. I just knew you would want this back.”

“Oh,” Catra responds, touched that Angella had thought of her and remembered how much the necklace meant to her, “But-why…? What does this have to do with anything?”

“We each have a piece of the Moonstone with us,” Angella explains. Catra glances at Micah’s necklace and the similarly shaped gems on Angella and Glimmer’s foreheads. “A token of our bond, it allows us to draw power from it.”

“And...that has to do with me...because?” Catra wonders, eyes shifting between her parents. 

“When Micah and I wed, his connection to the runestone became simply symbolic, as he has his own magical abilities. And when Glimmer was born, the Moonstone’s powers balanced out between the two of us. But, I had previously never considered how we might go about bonding you to the Moonstone,” Angella says, “That is, of course, until you kept remind us of how you cannot stand the ‘stupid rock’, as it were.”

Despite her well-intentioned jab, Catra stares at her appalled. She looks for a sign that this whole thing might just be a joke, but Glimmer and Micah are just looking at her with stupidly fond smiles. 

“I...but, that’s not possible,” Catra frowns, her brain absolutely short circuiting. She falls back to the same arguments she’s always fed herself, “I’m not...you know. It was-those papers were just, a formality, right? You were just being nice.”

“You think I’m nice to you?” Glimmer scoffs.

“They were only a formality because you were part of our family long before you signed them,” Micah reminds her.

Catra is still in disbelief that this is something they’re even offering. Like Angella, she never considered it a possibility. She had been a bit jealous at times, that much Glimmer picked up on. But she never let herself want it, thinking it was simply impossible. “You...you guys are serious?”

“Of course we are,” Angella confirms. “Bonding to the Moonstone would secure your connection to the Heart. As long as this is something you want to do, we can do this.”

“I...but, how would it work?” Catra questions, “I mean-I...kind of like my power. And Glimmer has the whole teleport-sparkles thing covered anyway.”

“My powers didn’t change after connecting to the Moonstone,” Micah informs her, “They were just anchored.”

“What about Melog?” Catra looks down to them, “I’m...bonded to them, too. Would this be okay for them?”

This will not hurt me so long as it doesn’t hurt you. I will be fine. They tell her, appearing grateful to be considered.

“Despite the fact you never so much as asked for permission,” Angella chides, but her heart isn’t truly in it and she can’t conceal her smile, “But Melog is part of our family as well now. They will likely be bonded to the Moonstone through you.”

There is a moment of silence where Catra looks down. They are patient as she considers, before looking back up at them.

“What do you say, kid?” Micah asks.

“Yes,” Catra nods, voice a bit shaky but she is confident in this choice, “I want to do this.”

“Very well,” Angella smiles, approvingly. 

She places her hand over Catra’s, closing the necklace in her grasp. Glimmer lays her hand over Angella’s, and Micah places his on top. A purple glow shines from their clasped hands and Catra looks up to see the Moonstone glowing brighter than she’s ever seen it. Once she realizes everyone has closed their eyes, she follows suit and feels the warmth of the necklace in her palm.

After a few deep breaths, she opens her eyes. She doesn’t feel any different. But as everyone withdraws their hands, Catra slowly uncurls hers and lets out a small gasp at what she sees.

The necklace is largely still the same. The distinct red of her headpiece is still there, but now it has been combined with the opal white of the Moonstone, creating a marbled effect throughout the shard. 

It’s kind of beautiful.

She doesn’t need to ask if it’s worked, she can just feel that it has. 

“Well, now look who’s not only a Princess but also connected to a ‘stupid fucking rock’!” Glimmer gloats, effectively ruining the moment.

“Bow,” Catra calls out, “Get over here before I kill your girlfriend!”

Angella looks to her daughter, horror-stricken at the explicative, “Glimmer! What did you just say?”

As they rush over, Adora asks, “What? What happened?”

“What happened is…” Catra dangles the necklace in front of Adora, “We’re good to go.”

Adora marvels at it, reaching out to touch it gingerly. “You--you’re connected? You’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” Catra confirms with a small smile, rolling her eyes when Adora looks up to Angella and Micah for additional confirmation. 

“She is bonded to the Moonstone now,” Angella informs her.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m bonded to the Moonstone and it’s great,” Catra says, feeling her face heat from the attention, “But if it’s alright with everyone else, I’d like to go kick Prime’s ass now.”

Adora takes the hint and turns to put the necklace on Catra with a smile, “Together?”

“Together.”

Epilogue

“I could have lived the rest of my life without knowing that,” Catra states, mouth agape in shock.

Taking the Failsafe to the Heart and defeating Prime was no walk in the park. With Catra at her side, Adora was able to retain She-Ra but even so, the princess connection worked as well as Catra predicted it would.

What she didn’t predict, however, was just how draining it would be. 

They’re resting now. Suffice to say that just about everyone is exhausted from the toll of the last few weeks, but Adora and Catra seem to have gotten the worst of it by carrying the failsafe.

But Catra isn’t complaining. Not when she has the warm, comforting weight of her girlfriend pressed into her side, sitting upright as their backs are supported by the ample supply of pillows on Adora’s bed. Their bed really--no point in denying it any longer.

Well, she isn’t complaining about that at least. 

“Seriously? That is so embarrassing. ” Catra whines, face flushing red as she glares at Micah.

Angella is making very poor attempts to conceal her laughter as she sits next to him on the couch they’ve pulled over from the side of the room.

“I—come on! It’s not that bad, I did what I had to do!” Micah refutes, clearly flustered.

Catra can feel Adora laugh from where she’s rested her head on Catra’s shoulder, the absolute traitor.  Melog is on top of the comforter resting across Catra’s feet, and even they look vaguely amused at the situation.

“It is the worst thing you’ve ever done by a mile,” Catra deadpans, her dramatics only making matters worse for herself as everyone around her struggles to keep a semblance of composure.

Bow isn’t even trying. He’s fully laughing, especially because Glimmer is almost as horrified as Catra. She elbows him from where they sit next to each other on a mound of pillows on the floor.

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?” Micah tries to plead his case.

“No. She’s right,” Glimmer pipes in with her own mortification. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“If Glimmer is agreeing with me you have to know it’s bad!” Catra gestures with her arms, face still red as she turns her glare at her mother. She’s enjoying this far too much and she’s the one who even brought it up in the first place.

"The clones were surrounding us and we were running out of time!” Micah attempts to justify.

“And what, your only option was to dress up as my girlfriend to distract the clones long enough for the ship to take off?” Catra asks.

"It was an illusion spell!”

“Not much better!”

“You have to admit, it is kind of funny,” Adora says, looking up at Catra with a smile. Her eyes are tired, but she looks content overall.

“Okay, seeing as you were almost asleep until my mom had to bring this up I don’t think you’re able to weigh in on the situation,” Catra huffs.

It is a little funny. But mostly embarrassing. There is no part of Catra’s brain that can reconcile the image of her dad masquerading as She-Ra in front of the entire Rebellion

“Oh my god,” Bow has stopped laughing completely. Catra looks up to him in alarm, noticing that Angella has quieted down her mirth as well. 

“What?” Catra hisses, looking back down to Adora. What she said wasn’t even mean. But Adora is looking up at her, just as shocked as everyone else.

“Did you just call her mom? For the first time ever?” Bow asks, voice nearing a squeal as he beams at her.

Catra hadn’t even noticed the slip. Her eyes dart over to Angella who’s giving her another one of those ridiculously fond smiles. 

“I—uh, well,” Catra stammers, but it’s all the confirmation Bow and Glimmer need to coo at her.

It isn’t the first time. Although, now that Catra thinks about it, she doesn’t think she’s ever really called either of them mom or dad outside of life threatening situations. 

Angella doesn’t correct Bow, apparently too swept up in sentiment to bother.

“Awh,” Adora joins in, looking so genuinely proud that it makes Catra’s heart skip a beat.

“Not you too,” Catra groans tilting her head up to the ceiling, “Can’t we go back to making fun of Micah?”

“It comes and goes, so enjoy it while you can,” Micah warns his wife with a grin.

You’re flustered, Melog tells her, tilting their head to the side in curiosity. 

“I am not! ” Catra refutes, snapping her head back up, “It’s not a big deal!”

“Oh it’s a big deal,” Glimmer says mercilessly.

“Ugh, no! Labeling people is not that hard!” It isn’t a matter of labeling, Catra is well aware.

It’s a matter of feeling close enough to call them that.

“Don’t believe me? Fine. I’ll prove it. This is my girlfriend who is lame enough to still turn red at the title,” Catra points to Adora,who only proves her point with an indignant squawk. Then she points to Micah, “Dad. Most embarrassing person in all of Etheria.”

He doesn’t even try to argue, he just smiles at her and revels in the title.

She is most determinedly not embarrassed when she says, “Mom. Second most embarrassing person in all of Etheria.” 

“I’ll take it,” Angella says happily, like she’s just won something.

“Melog. AKA, the only one who ever has my back,” Catra gestures to them, everyone snorts out a laugh at how untrue it is.

Turning to Glimmer, she begrudgingly says, “Alright, listen very carefully because I’m only ever going to say this once, got it?” 

Glimmer nods eagerly, practically bursting with excitement. “After being so obnoxious about it for literal months, I guess you can be the big sister. Even though I’m still pretty sure I’m older than you!”

“Yes!” Glimmer cheers, “Finally.”

“Whatever,” Catra rolls her eyes in spite of her own amusement. “And you?”

Bow looks up to her, just as excited as his girlfriend.

And, well, Catra is still Catra. Old habits die hard and there are some opportunities that are too good to pass up.

“…Arrow Boy.” 

His face falls dramatically, “Oh come on! ”

Laughter breaks out at that, Catra can’t help but cackle. It is beyond funny how disappointed he is. When Glimmer tells him as much, arguing breaks out shortly thereafter.

Once her own laughter dies down and the conversation focus has shifted elsewhere, Catra feels herself relax against the pillows. Adora presses into her side a bit more, content to let Catra wrap an arm around her and smiling as she closes her eyes. 

Catra’s heart flutters just a bit at the sight. She leans down to press a kiss to Adora’s forehead, smiling to herself when Adora pulls in closer at the affection.

She isn’t sure what comes next. Apparently, Prime has stripped a lot of worlds of their magic. And she knows her girlfriend well enough to know that she won’t be able to sit around for long and do nothing this information.

But that’s something they can plan later. 

Catra looks to Micah and Angella, as they watch Glimmer go on some rant with amusement in their eyes. After a moment or two, they catch her stare and smile warmly back at her.

For once, Catra just allows it. Allows herself to have this moment, knowing that no matter what comes next, she’ll always have her family by her side.