Earth

A "car" turned out to be some kind of small metal transport, just large enough for a couple of people. It was a good thing she'd asked Bow to take her because even if she'd been able to figure out how to work this thing or where she was going, she'd never have been able to drive it the way her hands were shaking.

Her mother was here. She'd be seeing her in less than an hour. But she wasn't ready. This mission was supposed to only be a test, the real meeting with her mother later when she'd had time to prepare. But with how badly she'd almost blown it before with Bow, with how hostile this world was to magic, this was probably her only chance. But what could she possibly say?

Glimmer tried to calm herself by watching the scenery go by outside the window, but the scale of this world left her breathless. She'd thought the streets outside their tiny living space were intimidating enough. The acrid stink of the transports clogging the roads, flashing lights, barking horns and screaming sirens. The steady flow of people pushing and shoving on the walking paths that lined the streets, weird people without wings or antlers. Scavenger birds fighting each other over crumbs from a greasy food stand. Buildings towering over them like Prime's spires.

There was just so much of it, so many structures and beings. There were more crammed into the short walk they'd taken to Bow's car than some entire towns back On Etheria. She kept reaching for her magic instinctively, panic rising anew every time she realized it was gone. She was no stranger to crowds, even seedy ones. They'd gone undercover dozens of times for rebellion missions over the years. But this was different. The danger felt more real than in Seaworthy, or even the Crimson Waste.

The only thing that kept her from freaking out entirely was Bow's casual stroll, like they were out for a walk in the woods. If this place was normal to him, then she'd have to pretend it was normal to her, too. She swallowed her fear and followed, wishing she could grab his hand. When they'd finally driven out of that cramped kingdom and the roads opened up, it was like she could finally breathe again.

Except, in some ways, this was worse. The transport moved fast, and they rode through other towns, smaller than the bustling one they'd left, but still so much larger than the villages she was used to. They'd passed several of what must be farms, rigid lines of crops and trees, nothing like the tangled sprawl of plants of Alwyn or Plumeria. And, between that, fields stretching as far as the eye could see, framed by the shadows of distant mountains, dotted by yet more houses.

It had never hit her before just how small Etheria was. In comparison, this place was massive, with so many more people than she could fathom. It made her feel insignificant.

And terrified of what would happen if she had to navigate it alone.

She glanced over at Bow. He'd trained his eyes on the road ahead, but the tension in his brow told her she'd almost caught him staring again. It had seemed simple enough at first to have Bow take her to see her mother but now that she'd seen how big and dangerous this world was, how completely helpless she'd be here without his help, she realized too late what a gamble she'd taken. If he figured out she was an impostor, the one responsible for taking his Glimmer, he'd never help her find her mom.

Or worse, he'd leave her stranded and she might never make it back home. She hadn't planned on being this far away from the pullback. For all she knew, it wouldn't even work at this range. If she didn't get back to that bedroom by tonight, she might end up stuck here. Forever.

She needed him. Not just to get to her mother, but to get back home. And while she was certain her Bow would do anything for her, she wasn't sure the same held true for this one.

The other Bow exhaled, rubbing his forehead with his free hand like he was pushing away whatever thought was there. His other hand gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles paled. She was dying to talk to him, to ask him what was on his mind, but it seemed like every time she opened her mouth, she made it worse.

"Glimmer…" Oh shit, here we go. He knew. Or at least suspected. He had to, right? Her Bow knew her better than anyone in the world. Why would this one be any different? "I don't want to pry and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to but…"

I know you're a fake from another dimension who has kidnapped my Glimmer with magic and now I have to throw you out on the side of this road. That's what he was going to say, and she was going to have to fight him, with no magic, and it's not that she couldn't take Bow in a fight even without magic if she had to, just the thought of having to fight him at all, to hurt him on purpose and probably kick him in the—

"Are you OK?" Bow asked, interrupting her panic spiral. "You seem really off today. I'm worried about you."

Oh. Well, that was not what she was expecting, but maybe it should have been. She considered lying and saying everything was fine, but she was pretty sure he'd see right through that. She took a sip of the travel mug of coffee he'd brought her without her even having asked and tried to figure out how to answer.

"I'm… not really OK, no. I'm overwhelmed and scared and not really sure what the fuck I'm doing, to be honest." She wiped coffee off the edge of the lid with her finger, not wanting to look at him. "What about you? Are you going to get in trouble for not going to work?"

His eyes flicked to her for a moment before settling back on the road. There had been a lot of other transports when they first left, but now it was open ahead, as if this world stretched on forever with no end in sight. "Hopefully not. Britt won't be happy, but I'm pretty sure she won't fire me. She'll probably get her revenge by making me work a school tour or do some weekend events something."

He gave a short laugh and a quick smile, but she knew instantly it was fake. He was worried about losing the job and it had something to do with her. There was some kind of money thing going on between them. One of those burdens Bow decided he needed to bear in secret, as was his infuriating habit. What she couldn't fathom was why the other her was letting him get away with it.

"I really appreciate this," she began. "I know I'm acting weird and not making any sense, and I wish I could explain it, but I just can't. Not in any way that you'd understand."

"Try me." He glanced over at her, his eyes warm and worried.

"Bow, please, I—" She'd thought about it dozens of times over the course of the ride but she couldn't think of a single way to explain any of this to someone who lived in a world as completely devoid of magic as this one. She'd never get him to understand, and she couldn't risk him turning on her. Bow opened his mouth to protest, and she didn't give him the chance. "Just, trust me, OK? I have to do this. And I can't do it without you. So… thank you. For doing this for me."

"I would do anything for you." He reached over and took her hand. She got a smile, a real one this time, and she felt morally weird about the fact that it made her stomach do the happy butterflies thing that it did when her Bow did it. What the fuck was wrong with the her of this dimension that she was sleeping on this absolute catch? "Though I am a bit confused about why we're dropping everything to go see your mom now when you spent weeks avoiding her and ignoring her calls."

"I know. It doesn't make sense." She inhaled and tried to think about how she was going to even begin to explain this. "Because she's here all the time in this world and she could— I could see her whenever I wanted but… if my mom wasn't… well, if she wasn't around anymore, I—"

She stopped, her voice getting choked by emotion. She blinked furiously, trying to keep herself from crying and making him think she was completely out of her mind.

Bow squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry. That question was out of line. It's none of my business why you want to see her. She's your mom."

Stars, he really was the best in any dimension, wasn't he? But he brought up a good question, one she hadn't really considered before now. Why was the other Glimmer avoiding her mother? That was definitely something she should know about before she saw her, wasn't it? Except she couldn't figure out how to ask about it without revealing that she didn't belong.

Bow put his hand back on the steering wheel. She stared at her lap and fiddled with the tiny tracker— wait, no. What had Bow called it? The phone.

She'd figured out how to unlock it with her finger by watching him, but exploring it had left her with more questions than answers. She's spent most of the first hour going through the pictures and videos, trying to get a sense of this world. Bow had said Mermista was with Perfuma, but apparently she was with Sea Hawk too, though she couldn't understand how the mustache was somehow worse in this universe. Scorpia had some kind of robotic arm instead of her usual claws and Entrapta's hair was cropped short, sticking out in all directions like she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket (which, knowing Entrapta, was entirely possible).

The craziest things were the stuff she had no context for. The photo of her and Frosta holding matching mugs that read, "Cousin Squad." Adora and Catra at some kind of show with a performer who was almost certainly Double Trouble under those ten pounds of make-up and wig. A waiter scowling in the background of Scorpia and Entrapta's wedding portrait who was so clearly Hordak, someone she'd been told didn't exist. Her as a child in a frilly red and green dress, barely tolerating a double kiss from a couple of teenagers that were obviously Spinnerella and Netossa.

Then there was her family. Her Aunt Casta in a gold-lined silk tunic in front of a display cabinet full of crystals. Her dad, looking normal enough in the photos of him at home, but then there were more… formal portraits?… where he was wearing an outfit that defied explanation. All flouncy laced sleeves, too tight glittery pants and a shirt that shined like woven gemstones.

And her mother, looking so different with dark hair, still just as regal in beaded gowns and loose shirts, her skin a golden brown instead of the pale pearl it had been back home. But her eyes. Her eyes somehow still exactly the same, as if they were looking straight through the screen all the way from her past.

They were the people from her world but different, altered in ways that left them recognizable, but just barely.

Or maybe they were more similar than she was giving them credit for.

All this time she'd been wondering why she and Bow weren't together here. A whole different world but he was still the sweet, considerate, funny and hot as fuck Bow she knew. There was no way the other her hadn't noticed. Was it possible that they didn't feel the same about each other here?

But then she looked through the pictures on the phone. Lots of Bow. More of Bow than anyone else, dating all the way back to when they were kids, which made her wildly curious about how they'd even met with no rebellion or war to throw them together. Him smiling at the other her behind the camera or making goofy faces. Lots of candids where she suspected he didn't know she'd been photographing him at all, his eyes on something in the distance or doing perfectly mundane things like reading or watching TV. Pictures you take of someone when you're completely head over heels in love with them.

But did he feel the same?

She considered this Bow as he drove. She'd made him change out of his work clothes before they left and he'd put on jeans and a loose-fitting shirt, cropped above his abs. No bow and arrows— she'd asked, but apparently it wasn't socially acceptable to carry them around all the time in this world— but, otherwise, he looked a bit more like himself now.

"You look really good."

He turned to her, surprised. "Oh, uh.. Thank you. You look… that dress is… I like it."

She grinned. "You mentioned that before."

"Well, it's… it's nice." He cleared his throat and turned back to the road.

Well, there was her answer. In her world, it had taken her a very long time to realize Bow was in love with her. But now that she had, she recognized that a million little things over the years she'd thought were Bow being sweet, friendly Bow were actually him being in love with her. And she felt uniquely qualified right now to say that this Bow had it just as bad as hers had. Which was probably the only reason he was still helping her, despite how many times she'd blown it.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Her and Bow, they'd missed their moment here. No alien overlord to force them to confess their feelings, no war to make them grow and change. This Glimmer didn't have magic, power or the might of a kingdom under her command. Everything that had tipped her childish blend of bravado and insecurities into tempered confidence in herself and her abilities had never happened here. And that's why they were a mess.

The realization hurt. Like she'd needed the war, losing her mother, the mistakes, and all that suffering to get her happy ending? That without the pain and loss, she'd be that deflated version of herself she'd seen on the phone?

No. Fuck that. She refused to believe it. And she refused to accept that this was the only alternative, that a version of her and Bow were out here miserable apart instead of being happy together like they were supposed to be. That if her mom hadn't died, she and her would have perpetually been at each other's throats until it finally drove a rift between them too big to repair. It was unacceptable.

Before she went home, she had to fix it. All of it.

Starting with her mother.

"I was wondering," she began, turning the mug in her hands to keep them steady. "Before we get there, I'd really like your perspective on the whole… thing with my mom."

Bow lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Because the last time we tried to talk about it, you kind of exploded at me."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry about that. I'm a bitch sometimes, you know that."

"No, you aren't! You have strong opinions. And you're passionate about stuff even when you're... maybe not at right as you could be," Bow said loyally.

"Bow. I'm a bitch." She gave him a look over her mug and he shrugged as if half conceding the point. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. You know how my mom gets me worked up. But you're really perceptive about stuff and I'll bet if you could explain the whole thing from the beginning... you know from your perspective... it would help."

She sipped her coffee in what she hoped was a casual way. Please, please fall for it. This would be so much easier if she knew what she was dealing with going in.

He exhaled. "I don't really know where to begin. And I'm not sure how objective I can be. I like your mom. She's always been really sweet to me, since we were kids."

"She adores you." It wasn't a question. She was certain her mom would, in any dimension.

Bow looked sheepish. "Probably not as much these days. But when it comes to how she treats you... Don't get me wrong, neither of you handled things well and it escalated this far because you're both really stubborn and kept doubling down. And, sure, your mom had some points along the way but when it comes down to it…"

"You're Team Glimmer on this."

"I'm always Team Glimmer."

How did she ever mistake that look of his for anything other than open adoration?

"I love you," she said automatically, and he froze. "Uh, I mean, for being supportive and stuff. As a friend."

"Oh." Fuck, she was still completely blowing this. The little disappointed look on his face hurt like a physical pain, but he shook it off and continued, "Anyway, I don't blame you at all for leaving that job. Your mom was all hyped up on the fact that she and H. P. had gone to school together, but she didn't really know him beyond that fellow rich person connection… no offense."

She nodded, too busy trying to figure out what H. P. stood for. Surely it wasn't who she thought it was…

"It doesn't make it right, obviously, but I think Angella didn't want to hear about how H. P. was a bigot and treated you like crap because she took the whole thing as an attack on her judgment. And then, of course, there was the Catra thing."

"Mmm, yes. The Catra thing." How was it every time she got answers it only led to more questions?

"The thing is, it wasn't your fault. Honestly, the whole thing was this perfect storm of sexism, racism and homophobia."

"Right." She nodded in what she hoped was a way that didn't show she had absolutely no idea what any of those worlds meant. Etheria didn't have any of this stuff! "So my mom and I fought about the… those things you said?"

"Well, yeah. And honestly, it's 50/50 whether it was because she was the client's daughter or because it was on the conference room table with the line on speaker but, either way."

"Either way," she agreed, getting more confused by the moment.

"And then it all spiraled from there. And maybe you could have salvaged things at that point, but you were mad, I get it. You quit, your mom flipped out, you flipped out and there was A LOT of screaming. No one was listening. Because she was still hung up on you working at Bright Moon someday and worried about you having stability and a normal job, but it wasn't what you wanted to do. And when you consider how that worked out with my dads and I, maybe she was right. Maybe you ultimately would have had to give up on your dreams, face reality, come crawling back." He stared ahead for a minute, looking half ready to cry before he shook it off and continued. "But I'd do it again because her throwing you out, freezing you out of everything. It was too much. And I know you blame yourself for this situation, but we have to be realistic. Start-ups are crazy and unpredictable, even without Entrapta involved. Besides, I don't mind! I'm honestly glad I could help. I wish you'd wouldn't worry about me. I'm the one who worries about you, remember?"

She blinked at him. Fuck, this was the money thing again, wasn't it? She understood money in a general "we get this much in exports to Salineas" kind of way, but had no real concept of how it worked for normal people in her own world, let alone this one.

"So…" She tried to look like she was following when she was actually so lost right now her brain hurt trying to figure it out. "The Catra thing is part of the tech stuff you and Entrapta want to do?"

Another goof-up. He'd brought the transport to a stop next to a tall building and turned fully to look at her. And maybe it was her imagination, but he looked almost… angry? "Are you kidding me? Are you really going to play dumb about that?"

Oh, Bow, I wish I was playing. She took a sip of coffee to give her time to think, but Bow seemed to take that as a response.

"Look. I know Adora thinks it's funny because she never would have even met Catra if you two hadn't hate… hooked up or whatever you want to call it but I'm not—"

"We… what?" She coughed, choking on her coffee. "Are you saying I hooked up with Catra? Like, had sex with her?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Are you joking?"

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "No."

"Holy shit. What the fuck is wrong with me in this universe? Why would I fuck Catra and not you?"

Oh crap. Now she'd really fucking done it. Bow's eyebrows raised, and his mouth fell open, his expression was halfway between annoyance and bewilderment. Probably because she'd finally made a blunder so big he'd realized she was a fake. She needed to say something to fix this, and fast.

"Bow—" But before she could get a single word out, she heard the voice of a ghost that drove every other thought of her head.

"Glimmer?"

It was her mother.