Disclaimer: I don't own She-Ra!

Title: Fate

Summary: Glimmer, eyes closed, wrinkled her nose. "I don't believe in fate. You're here because you realized you were on the wrong side and wanted to change that. Chalking it up to fate just seems like a way to avoid giving you credit." She drew herself up and pecked Adora on the cheek. "Whatever. I'm just glad you're here."

Setting: Right after Flowers for She-ra's battle

...

It feels like it takes longer to get to Bright Moon than it does to get Plumeria- which, in hindsight, makes some kind of sense, Adora supposes. They'd been in a rush to get supplies to Plumeria, worried that they'd lose land to the Horde, and she'd been She-Ra. But now the dust has settled, and the dirt road is just boring old dirt and not adventure, and it turns out that zapping poisons from a land leave a person extremely tired.

Thankfully, Perfuma has lent them a cart and pony to use. Apparently, the creature knows the way home, much like the homing pigeons Adora had learned about in her history class (though, seeing how misinformed she's realizing she is, maybe they weren't real. Maybe they were fake too) and she would be lying if she said she'd heard much past her squealing as she crouched to pet the tiny horse- because, well, it's a tiny horse. Who wouldn't squeal at a tiny horse?

They take shifts on the way back, passing the reins along when someone wants to stretch. As far as transportation goes, it's remarkably barbaric, even for the less technologically inclined rebels. But Adora gets to sleep, so she's not going to complain.

Adora wakes late into the night. She waits for her eyes to adjust before scanning the darkness. Unfamiliar sounds plague her, tensing her shoulders. A small part of her longs for Shadow Weaver, who could snap her fingers and nullify any potential threats. A much larger part of her wants Catra by her side, purring and laughing and keeping her mind busy. Instead she gets Bow, humming a gentle tune from the front, and Glimmer sleeping with an arm draped across her waist.

Adora stares at Glimmer, marveling in most everything about her. There's something innately charming about her, from her attitude to her ever-so-bright outfits. She reaches out and smooths the cape across her back. If this was Catra, she would have plopped her jacket on her, but she's not, and it seems wrong to put the uniform of the army that murdered the girl's father anywhere near her.

Something screeches. Adora tenses and reaches out for her sword, only to stop when Glimmer's fingers encircle her wrist. She lifts her head with a halfhearted glare, glittery hair disheveled.

"It's just an owl," she whispered. "It won't hurt us."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure it's an owl, or sure it won't hurt us?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Adora's shoulders loosen slightly. Glimmer knows far more about the Whispering Woods than she does. If she says it's safe, it's probably safe.

Glimmer slowly sits up. She leans on Adora's side this time, chuckling a little. "You've never heard an owl before?"

She shook her head. "What's an owl?"

"It's a bird. You've seen birds before, haven't you?"

Adora purses her lips, considering. She's seen them, just never up close. Flying high above the Fright Zone, avoiding the city of fumes, or dead and in the pot for dinner. "Sort of?"

"That's crazy. How can you have never seen a bird before?"

"Have you seen a possum before?"

"A what?"

"They're nocturnal scavengers. We got them a lot in the trash compactors." Adora wondered if there were any close by, watching them. "I imagine, in a place so big and full of holes to hide in, they're harder to come by."

Glimmer shakes her head. "There's a lot we gotta teach you."

"Yeah, probably."

"Does that... intimidate you? It would me."

"Re-learning everything I ever once knew?" Adora forced herself to laugh. "It's not easy. But I'm getting the hang of it, I think."

"I think you're doing great!" Bow called back, smiling ear to ear.

Adora hesitantly reached out to touch Glimmer's hair. It never ceased to amaze her how soft it was, even as she was carding her fingers through it. Glimmer leaned into the touch, too exhausted to make a fuss. "If being raised a Horde soldier means fate would lead me here, I would do it all over again."

Glimmer, eyes closed, wrinkled her nose. "I don't believe in fate. You're here because you realized you were on the wrong side and wanted to change that. Chalking it up to fate just seems like a way to avoid giving you credit." She drew herself up and pecked Adora on the cheek. "Whatever. I'm just glad you're here."

Adora blinked at her, puzzled. "Perfuma did that earlier. What is it?"

"It's a kiss."

"What does 'kiss' mean?"

"They can mean a lot of things. Perfuma kissed you because she was super grateful and she decided to show you like that. I kissed you because you're my friend and I wanted to show I care. Some people kiss because they love each other." She paused. "Tell me you know what love is."

"Of course I do!" Adora blushed from neck to the tips of her ears and tried to not think of Catra. As a child, she'd always feared Shadow Weaver could hear her thoughts, and had learned not to think too much about things she didn't like around her- things like love and Catra and especially about love and Catra. The habit was still going strong years later. "It was... I mean, it wasn't not allowed, I guess. You just weren't supposed to talk about it in front of other people."

"Dude, your life sucked." Bow shook his head bemusedly. "Remind me to give you all the friend kisses when my shift is up."

She summoned what was left of her strength and a little courage to kiss Glimmer on the cheek. Glimmer's eyes were dancing as she pulled back, and it crossed her mind that if she could ever love someone as much as she loved Catra, it would probably be her, only in a different way. The same different way she loved Bow, only different-er than that. "Thanks, guys. For everything."

"Anytime," Glimmer promised.

Author's Note: I wanted to write more She-Ra fluff, so here I am! This episode was rlly cute.

-Mandaree1