All Is Found

Four months.

Four months is a long time for many things. In four months, wars can end. Kingdoms can be at their greatest times of flourish, others can become broken down shadows of what they used to be. People can change for the better or for the worse, and some things never change. Four months is a long time, and four months is a very long time to go without hearing from someone.

For Glimmer, the wait has been even longer waiting to hear from Adora.

They said that they would take care of each other. They made promises that no matter what the world threw their way, they would have each other's backs. They weren't just parts of the Princess Alliance or the Best Friend Squad, they were also best friends. They shared intimate secrets they'd never shared with anyone before about their hopes, their fears, and their insecurities. They made each other laugh when all they wanted to do was cry, and when they couldn't do that, they were always the first to offer shoulders to cry on.

For a while, they didn't worry about ever losing this. When they weren't sure about anything else going on in Etheria or even the grander scale of life, they were at least happy knowing Adora had Glimmer and that Glimmer had Adora. Then the Horde got stronger. Shadow Weaver crept her way into Brightmoon. Angella made her ultimate sacrifice.

Things just weren't the same after that. Both Princesses became obsessed with wanting to defeat the Horde, and it took them both down divergent, dark paths.

For a while, even when she had to stay Horde Prime's prisoner, even when it seemed all hope was lost, Glimmer held on to the idea that when the dust settled and the final bells rang, she'd somehow be able to forgive Adora for everything. She dreamed even more of being able to earn Adora's forgiveness.

Everyone knows how the story ends. Horde Prime is defeated. Catra is redeemed. Everyone is supposed to live happily ever after in a bright, colorful Etheria with an even more wondrous universe now waiting to be discovered in the stars.

And yet… four months have gone by without Adora.

After the Horde's defeat, Adora and Glimmer spoke a little. They were able to connect here and there, making small talk and pretending everything was okay. They made small attempts to directly address mistakes of the past, but nothing fruitful ever came from it. Then one day Adora said she needed to leave again, that she needed to find answers. In a way, it felt like she never even said goodbye. It was so sudden and unexpected.

That left Glimmer alone with a loud cast of haunting memories and angered guilt to reign over. And not only did Adora leave, but it felt like everyone else began drifting away too. Bow stuck around, of course he did. He was her rock he could depend on, though she was often too stubborn to talk to him about these things. She didn't feel like she deserved it, even when he insisted she did. Still, he never pressed on it. Even when he knew what she was feeling and why.

The others were much harder to cling to. She made efforts to try and be more appreciative of Frosta, but there still seemed to be some invisible barrier that kept them from ever getting any closer. She liked having Scorpia around, but she just couldn't bring her the level of maturity in conversations that she needed sometimes. Not that it was her fault, she just was new to a lot of this. Ironically enough, she managed to do a lot better at being friends with certain people anyway. Entrapta, Huntara, even the underrated hero of the war in Catra. People Glimmer wished she could reach out to. But one thing always held her back. Adora…

Why did she hate her? What did she ever do to make her want to leave her behind? Was being there as a shoulder to cry on not enough? What about trying to make her laugh, or sticking up for her when everyone from the royal guard's freshest knights to supposed good friends spoke unkindly of her behind her back? For whatever reason, Adora overlooked this. And that made Glimmer angry. It made it easy to pretend she was gone too.

At the same time, it broke her heart.

She cried in the morning and she'd cry at night, all while wondering if she'd ever hear from her former best friend again. Would she ever try to call on the communication relay? Would she ever send a letter? Hell, she didn't even know where she was to send letters from. Some people heard she'd gone to the Frozen Forest, others wondered if she just left it all behind to start over. Glimmer didn't know and part of her didn't even care if it meant that Adora would just come home.

Tonight is one of those nights as Glimmer stays awake late in the war room all by herself, drinking a special elixir that Entrapta brewed for her to help with energy. She insisted on giving her the coco kind, but those suck, so Glimmer asked for the one with twenty three different flavors. It was exponentially better and everyone in Brightmoon knew it. Even that contrarian Catra.

Even in the worst of times Glimmer tried to maintain a sense of humor, even when those times meant having to go without hours of much needed sleep to instead work on very important… tax returns. Because apparently the queen of Brightmoon and the leader of the rebellion is designated to make sure people get their taxes done now. She does it though, going through file after file while drowning her sorrows in twenty three flavors of not coco and darkness.

Until she gets an alarming… alarm.

She perks up a little to shake herself of the drowsiness, hoping that she didn't mess up a Mister Tye Dye's forms as she checks the comm relay to see who could possibly be paging her this late at night. In a way that's both unexpected but not surprising, it's Bow.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asks him as she still tries to wake up a little.

He seems to be trying to calm himself down more than anything as he begins to speak. "Glimmer, you've got to come to the throne room right now. You're not going to believe this!"

Oh lord… What did Entrapta do now? "Bow…" she dejectedly begins, but before she can even try to explain how important it is that these documents get filed two months before they're even due, he cuts her off with a statement that nearly paralyzes her.

"Glimmer, it's Adora."

The next few minutes are a blur for her as she almost aimlessly wanders to the throne room. Her eyes are watery from exhaustion. Her head feels light while her heart feels heavy, her gut stirs as if someone has literally shaken her. As if this is some sort of dream, Adora has suddenly come back. What's changed? Why now of all times? Hundreds of questions flood her mind, but she hardly has time to reflect on any of them as she steps foot inside the castle's most sacred quarters.

Sure enough, there she is. Adora.

Four months removed, and she seems to be exactly the same somehow. Her hair is coiffed in its signature ponytail with the little hair poof. She has on her standard Horde cadet's jacket. Her face is a little tired, but aside from that, this is the exact same girl she knew and loved.

If only she could say the same about the look in her eyes. She doesn't smile the way she would have before the war. She doesn't get excited or mirthful, in fact, she looks to Glimmer with more fear than she's ever displayed in front of a war machine or a mysterious monster. Glimmer isn't able to offer much else either as she looks back, almost frozen at the sight of her old friend.

It takes her a moment to even realize that other people are also in the room. Generals, guards, Bow, and even Swift Wind… who Glimmer kind of got over having negative feelings for this last season. He's actually kind of funny sometimes.

Even so, her eyes go back to Adora. And Adora's eyes don't wander anywhere else except for her once queen, her once friend.

Being queen has taught Glimmer to be brave in times that no one else can, even when it's the most difficult thing to do. This is one of those times as she sucks in the deepest breath she can muster, mentally preparing and composing the things she wants to say. But before she can clear the air, she needs to clear the room.

"Can we have a few minutes?" she asks her friends and subjects.

They all exchange similar concerned looks, but eventually concede and begin filing out of the room one by one, finishing with Bow. He first looks to Adora with a soft, weak grin; one that shows he's happy to see her, if a bit worried. Then he looks to Glimmer. In his eyes, she can see the compassion he feels for both of his best friends. She can see just how desperate he is for this to go well for everyone, but even more desperate for Glimmer to know that he loves her and will support her no matter what. It's a feeling she hopes he knows is very much mutual with the way she powerfully stares back to him, not even trying to put a veil of bravery over this vulnerability she exposes. It's a look that lasts more than long enough, and yet, she finds herself kind of hoping he won't leave as he turns to walk out.

Leaving just the two princesses. Glimmer and Adora. Four months later, and it's just Glimmer and Adora.

It's a strange feeling to have the time pass by so slowly and yet have it feel as if things are just a fever dream. That's how it feels though as the two women look to one another, then to their own little comfort spots on the floor to take one last minute to collect their feelings and thoughts. It's Glimmer who finds the gumption to look back to Adora first, but it's the other girl who's first to break the silence.

"Hey."

For such a simple word, it almost robs Glimmer of all her breath to hear it. Finally, after four months away and even longer waiting, they're finally going to talk. She doesn't know if it will be good or bad, or how she'll react to some of the things said, but she knows she's ready. She knows she needs this more than anything else.

"It's- It's really you…" she says, nearly choking. She takes but one step forward to alleviate some of distance and tension, but not too close. Just enough.

Seeing that she's not angry, Adora continues her timid approach. "Yeah. I'm ho- I'm back."

They're quiet again for a few seconds after those words, quiet enough that Glimmer can think about what she really wants to say. Sure, Adora opened the gate, but this is her castle. This is her home. And truth be told, this was always her moment to ask questions. Not the other way around.

"What are you doing here?" she begins, feeling her heart race more with every word. It's all she can think to say out loud for now. She doesn't want to become too excitable and create regrets. She doesn't want to spew everything out at once. Not Where have you been? or Why did you leave us? Not Why did you leave me?... just What are you doing here?

Adora carefully considers how she wants to answer, and she makes it clear just how cautious she really feels. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?" she asks almost jokingly before conveying a little more seriousness, and just enough anxiety. "Sorry if this is bad timing."

With enough practice thinking over this sort of scenario, it's actually not a difficult pill for Glimmer to swallow. So she cuts the crap too. "I mean, I guess there's always time for this sort of thing. Good or bad."

Seeing that they don't have to pussyfoot around too many eggshells, Adora allows herself a little confidence. Not the kind that shows arrogance, but rather modesty. "I missed you. I really did. I can't tell you how much I missed you."

No amount of practice or conditioning makes that an easy thing to hear. It takes Glimmer several seconds of thinking to realize she actually has nothing to say to that, and instead she just looks to the floor with a pained expression on her face. It hurts Adora to see it, but she doesn't give up all hope. No, she's got time now, and she'll use every second Glimmer will kindly offer her to make the most of it.

"So, I did a lot of soul searching in my travels. I did a lot of research. I found out a lot about myself and who I really am," she tells her, doing a good job acting for once. She's terrified to have this discussion, but she feigns enough strength to keep from getting hysterical. It's commendable, Glimmer thinks. But she gives no quarter. This talk needs to happen and she needs answers.

"Where were you?"

Belatedly, Adora responds, "It's a long story. And I'll be sure to explain it all later. I… I figure it's probably better to get the more important stuff out of the way first, though."

Glimmer winces where half a smile could encroach. "You were always cryptic with these sorts of things."

"Yeah, and it's never done me any favors. You always said yourself I'm a terrible actress," Adora says, and the two princesses actually find themselves laughing just a tiny bit because of it. It's very weak, very awkward laughter. But it's laughter nonetheless.

The queen only takes a second to relax before deciding to get to the heavy hitters though. She's waited long enough for this night, and she won't waste anymore time. "What happened Adora?"

Adora has to close her eyes. She feels the weight of that question dip down on her shoulders like anvils, heavier than the steel she's carried as She-Ra. She digs deep to find every bit of strength that she has, and once she's found it, she faces Glimmer again and takes a step forward.

"I messed up. I messed a lot of things up. I don't like to make excuses so I won't. I'll just give you the honesty you deserve," she begins. "I was afraid. I was afraid to try and work things out with you. I was afraid of getting hurt again, I was afraid of hurting you. I guess I just thought it would be easier for us to just try and forget about each other." As much power as there is in these things, and as much as they resonate deeply with Glimmer, none of them affect her the way her next words do. "You must hate me…"

Part of her wants to be angry. Part of her wants to focus on every hateful, vengeful thing she's thought to herself and direct them to Adora without shame. But the more she sees this girl, the easier it is to forget all about those things and cling to the feelings she's harbored most all along.

"I- Of course I don't hate you. I missed you too," she confesses, almost ready to start crying. She doesn't though. She keeps herself from getting too worked up, deciding that there's much more that needs to be said before a single tear, of joy or pain, is allowed to fall. "But, since we're being honest with each other… I was angry. I felt like you betrayed me. You said things that made me think you didn't want to be my friend anymore. And that really hurt, ya know? After everything we'd been through, I thought I deserved better," she also admits, trying to sound more pragmatic than angry, but still feeling remorse in voicing these thoughts aloud.

For a few seconds, she lets herself decompress, giving Adora the opportunity to do the same. She can tell this a lot for her to take in as well, she can see it in the graying blues of her eyes. And yet… she feels good saying these things. She doesn't feel like she's making mistakes. In a strange sort of way, she feels something akin to the righteousness she felt while joining Adora's side all those months ago when she first became She-Ra.

She takes a deep breath, then picks back up. "I guess I can't really blame you though. I'm a real piece of work. And even I'll admit that there were times I thought the same way about things. Like, maybe it would be better if we just never talked again."

Adora doesn't wait to see if she's finished or not. She feels the emotions swelling to the point of bursting in her chest, and she lets them dictate her words without fear. "I don't want that, though. I've realized that," she starts, making an effort to look to her friend all the while, taking a few steps closer to where they could almost reach one another. "And you're right, you do deserve so much better than the way I've treated you before. I've messed a lot of things up. I've been really terrible at this whole 'being friends' thing for a while now…"

She could have screamed. She could have yelled. She could have blamed, she could have even turned her away. Instead, Glimmer smiles a little, and she makes one more step forward herself.

"We kind of belong together in that regard."

Crazily enough, after weeks of crying and feeling the darkest shades of blue, these two girls are able to smile at one another now, able to forge a connection that they had almost given up hope of ever being able to feel again. It's fragile, it's loosely threaded… but it's there. It's there after what seems like the first time in forever.

"I never meant to hurt you. Ever. I hope you know that," Adora says, her smile waning. For all the good, there's still some pain. And it takes time to heal every wound. "I'm so sorry that I did. I don't blame you if you don't want to go back to the way things were."

This is it. The moment of truth. If there's going to be an actual effort in mending a nearly fractured friendship, then there can't be any holding back. Glimmer knows it, and in Adora's eyes, she can see that she knows it too. She's ready to accept it.

So she sighs, and she does what she knows has to be done.

"You know, I don't think things can ever go back to the way they used to be," she tells Adora.

It hurts her to hear it, but she also half expected it. There's still disappointment, but there's maturity and understanding. Just as she begins to let her guard down though, Glimmer adds one more thing.

"That doesn't mean they can't be better though," she starts again, making the other girl perk up a little. Just when she was ready to throw in the towel, she sees the way Glimmer smiles, almost like the way she used to do. It brings her warmth, it brings her hope. "I want you to come back. I want you to stay home here. I want to stay up all night making fun of Sea Hawk's pirate one piece and eating salmon and making Shadow Weaver impressions and all that stuff!"

Finally, she takes her by the hand, all while looking into her eyes.

"I want to make things right."

Hearing those words breaks Adora. Finally, tears begin to well from her eyes. "I want that more than anything."

For some reason, Glimmer isn't able to cry. There's this whelming of numbness that keeps her from tearing up, and at the same time, it's fused with this warm sensation she hasn't felt in… a very long time. She's more than ready to embrace it and let go of darknesses of the past, though. And she wants to be able to share it with one of the people she loves most.

"Prove it. Come here and give me a hug."

With a childlike laugh and wide grin, Adora throws herself around her best friend the way they used to. Glimmer welcomes her embrace with just as much love and appreciation, squeezing tightly like she never wants to let go. It feels so good to finally have this, and while she knows more work will need done to make things perfect, this is definitely, definitely a great start.

It gets even better when she hears Adora laugh again. "You're so short," she tells her, earning a laugh in return.

"Your hair is poofy," Glimmer rebuts, and they laugh again with just how much joy they feel.

They create some space between them as they disengage from the hug, but their hands stay joined as they look to each other's eyes again. There's a little pain left in both pairs, but more than anything, there's relief. There's happiness. The hope that was once lost is now found.

And while she's just a little afraid to say it, Glimmer has enough hope to tell Adora three words she's wanted to tell her again since before she even left. Because a queen needs to be brave, and a friend needs to be strong.

"I love you."

Adora just smiles, sighing a breath of relief knowing that things are going to finally be okay.

"I love you too Glimmer. It's good to be back."

This was just a little one shot I came up with as a way of saying thanks to a friend. I guess there's not much else to say about it other than thank the rest of you for reading too, and hopefully we'll see each other again down the line sooner than later. Take care true believers, Glimmadora 4 life.