Author Note

Friends, all signs post to FFnet being on it's last legs. I am not longer uploading new fics to this site, though I will continue to update my existing fics for as long as I can. In the meantime, all my fics (as well as a few I never posted over here) are all on AO3, many with fanart I couldn't post here so I hope you'll be so kind as to join me there going forward (same username)!

-TippenFunkaport

Now that they were almost at Bright Moon, everyone had lapsed into somber silence. Glimmer couldn't remember a time when they'd been all together like this and it had been so terribly quiet. The only sound was the low rumble of the stolen skiff and Perfuma's soft sobbing. Even Bow had given up on trying to convince the others to stay.

The loss of Entrapta weighed heavily on everyone. Perfuma grieved openly while Adora was leaning over her knees, silent tears falling onto the floor of the skiff, while she mumbled angrily to herself. From where she was piloting, Mermista kept attacking her face with her sleeve, occasionally making a noise of disgust like her feelings were some irritating inconvenience. Prince Sea Hawk was curled around the captain's feet, his head against her leg, tears flowing freely down his face. That Mermista hadn't pushed him away yet was miracle enough, but then she kept reaching down and brushing her fingers against the back of his head in a gesture that looked downright affectionate.

The wind whipped at them as they tore through the woods. Glimmer shivered and pressed a little closer into Bow's side. It was a chilly night and there was not much left of her dress. He tightened his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against his chest. Normally she wouldn't let herself have this, not with other people watching, but she was too drained to care what anyone thought right now.

She should be sadder, right? Like the others? Crying or angry or… something? But she felt nothing but numb and hollowed out.

It was probably a good thing that the last few hours felt unreal. Her emotions were an abyss. If she got too close to the edge right now, she'd fall in and wasn't sure she'd be able to get out again. She'd almost died back there, almost lost Bow forever, and if they hadn't… she pushed the thoughts back. No point in drowning herself in what ifs. What had actually happened was bad enough.

Entrapta was gone. Bow's powers were broken. Months of work convincing the princesses to work together, traveling and rebuilding the Princess Alliance. All for nothing.

And it was her fault.

Bow jerked his arm away, shifting, so they weren't touching. She turned to see him grimace, bearing down as another glitch hit. That was the fifth one, third since they'd left the Fright Zone. He'd said nothing to the others, not wanting them to worry, but she was worried enough for all of them and then some.

When the glitch passed, she grabbed his hand, squeezing it, and he gave her a tired smile. Every time it happened it was like reliving the sight of him in Shadow Weaver's bonds, that horrible look of agony on his face that she would never forget. They'd gotten away! They should be safe now! But somehow that bitch was still torturing him, still hurting him, and the knowledge that she couldn't do a single thing about it was tearing her apart.

At least they were home now. Queen Angella would know what to do.

Mermista pulled the skiff as close to the main entrance as she could and Glimmer only barely got off without falling flat on her face. Now that she wasn't powered by adrenaline, she could barely stay upright. Everything ached.

Bow's mom accosted him the moment they landed. Adora had said Queen Angella had been out of her mind with worry, had been ready to sacrifice herself to the Horde to secure their safety. Glimmer had to turn away from their reunion. Watching Bow's mom fuss over him while her own dads didn't even know she'd even been in trouble gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. If she'd died back there in the Fright Zone, how would her family even know? How long would it take without a letter before they'd realize—

"Glimmer?" Perfuma's voice brought her back.

The flower princess' skirts billowed out as she jumped down off the skiff, a perfectly graceful dismount compared to Glimmer's awkward near-flop. It felt like an entire lifetime ago they'd danced together at the ball. Even with her eyes rimmed red from crying and fresh from the fight, Perfuma looked beautiful, her smile open and warm like… well, like Bow's.

Maybe that was something they taught you when you were a royal. Or maybe the prince and the princess were better suited for each other and she had just gotten in the way.

Perfuma touched her arm, guiding her away from the skiff. "I found this when we were sneaking into the Fright Zone."

It took a moment to register what the object in the center of Perfuma's hand was. Bow's gemstone, the one she'd been wearing at the ball and had lost during the fight. The delicate silver chain had snapped and the gem itself was a little scuffed up, but it still shone where it caught the light.

The sight of it made her eyes prick at the edges, even though she hadn't shed a single tear for Entrapta yet. It took her a moment to clear her voice enough to speak. "That's, uh, actually not mine. It's Bow's"

Perfuma smiled at her, a fond, sisterly smile. She closed her hand over Glimmer's and slipped the gemstone into her palm, warm from her touch. She held the contact for a moment, holding her gaze. "It's yours."

She didn't know what to say except a mumbled thanks as she watched Perfuma hop back up onto the skiff and what remained of the former Princess Alliance sailed out of sight. The gem in her hand was a relic of a world that felt like it didn't even exist anymore. She stared at it for a long moment and then tucked it into her pocket, where it clunked against her makeshift weapons, still stained with blood. Its weight against her side was impossible to ignore as she moved across the courtyard.

Adora had disappeared, probably gone somewhere to continue beating herself up about Entrapta. Something had happened between her and Catra while the rest of them had been trying to get out, something that had left her friend shaken but meant they had She-Ra's sword back. Glimmer thought about going to find her, but she was afraid to leave Bow. She moved awkwardly past to the trio of guards hovering around prince and queen and stood to the side, not wanting to intrude on the family moment.

"OK, Mom, well, Glimmer's here now and we really need to—" Bow was trying to struggle out of his mother's hug which was the first sign something was wrong. Bow LOVED hugs.

"Glimmer! My goodness, look at you, too." Queen Angella pulled Glimmer into their hug and she was too surprised to even protest. She startled when she felt something brush against her back and realized it was the feathered edge of one of the queen's wings wrapping around her. "I've been beside myself with worry."

The queen examined her at arms' length, and Glimmer tried not to squirm under her appraising glare. There were teardrop pearls woven into the queen's crown of purple braids, making her even taller than usual. His mom's skin had a pearlessence to it that Bow's didn't, likely part of her angelic nature. It made her breathtakingly beautiful but no less intimidating. No matter how old Glimmer got, there was something about the way Queen Angella looked at her that always made her feel like a little kid in trouble.

"Well, I'm OK." As an afterthought, she added a little bob. "Uh, your majesty."

"Don't be ridiculous! Your head is bleeding! You're both covered in injuries. You've clearly been in a fight." Queen Angella looked between the two of them. "I am sorry. I received word of Entrapta's loss. But apparently the entire mission was all for naught anyway because by the time the alliance found you, you'd already escaped?"

Glimmer exchanged a glance with Bow. Under the full light of the morning, he looked pretty terrible, bruised and cut, dark circle under his eyes. Though she probably didn't look much better. She touched the part of her hair the force field had charred off self-consciously.

"Yeah," she said at last when it seemed like no one else was going to say anything. "We got out."

And if they'd have been a little faster about it, maybe Entrapta wouldn't have died. If only she hadn't let her temper get the better of her, hadn't let Catra goad her. She'd bound the claw wound with the material she'd ripped from her dress, but it still hurt, a sting of pain every time she moved her arm like a physical reminder of her stupid mistake. She was bone tired but the thought of the catgirl's smug face filled her with fire and she clenched her fists at her side.

"That's it? 'We got out.' You were being held by the Horde! I've been going mad! Telling myself awful stories about what could've happened to the two of you."

"Mom, leave Glimmer alone. She's been through a lot." Bow spoke through gritted teeth, which meant he was trying to hold himself back from glitching again. Glimmer dreaded it like she was the one about to be bearing down in pain.

"And clearly so have you, but you won't tell me two words about it. You're keeping something from me and I will not tolerate it." Queen Angella set her jaw. A look Glimmer had been on the receiving end of many times, but one she couldn't remember the queen ever using on her own son before. "Glimmer, my normally chatty son has not been forthcoming with details of your imprisonment. Perhaps you could illuminate me on what exactly happened during your stay in the Fight Zone?"

"Uh…" Glimmer glanced at Bow out of the corner of her eye. She could understand if he didn't want to give his mom every single detail, but he'd told her about the glitching, right? And she was going to fix it?

"Just leave it, mom! We're fine!" Bow came to her side, his face guarded. "Stop bothering my friend! Just… give us a minute." He touched Glimmer's shoulder like he normally would to teleport them before he remembered he couldn't with a frustrated exhale. He gestured instead. "Come on."

Queen Angella stepped in front of them, looming. "You normally teleport back to your room. What is going on?"

"Nothing!" Bow snapped and Glimmer spun to look at him. No matter how frustrated he got with his mother, he'd never outright yelled at her like that before. "I just need to recharge."

"Of course, Guards, carry my son to the—" His mother froze as Bow glitched, his edges sparking purple and uncontrolled. He doubled over in pain, clutching his head. "Stop! Make it stop! Bow, what's happening to you?!"

"Don't yell at him!" Glimmer shouted, jumping between them. The queen stared at her open-mouthed and the guards shifted their spears, awaiting orders, but she didn't care. She grabbed Bow as he came out of the glitch, taking his weight as he nearly collapsed.

Shit. Every time that happened, it scared her more. She couldn't stand to see him hurting like this. He was breathing heavily, his hands shaking, but he gave her a small nod and forced himself to stand on his own. Was he really trying to pretend everything was alright right now? If they didn't do something, this was going to kill him!

"What was that? What aren't you telling me?" Queen Angella's voice had gone shrill with panic.

"It's nothing, OK? Just… forget it." Bow was unsteady on his feet but trying to play it off. He looked about half a second from toppling over.

"Shadow Weaver tortured him! She did something to his powers!" Glimmer blurted.

"She WHAT?" Queen Angella's face was pure fury, her wings flinging outward to their full span. She had a look on her face, like she was half a second from flying back to the Fright Zone and punching Shadow Weaver herself, which, as far as Glimmer was concerned, was the appropriate reaction.

"Glimmer, what are you—" Bow hissed, but she ignored him.

"He can't teleport and he's glitching and it's hurting him and I don't know what to do!" She hated that she was crying, but she was so worried about him she could throw up and he was being an idiot about this. It was a magic problem! His mom was magic! Not telling her made no sense at all.

"Mom, it's not that—" Bow began.

"Oh, yes, it is!" Glimmer shouted over him but Queen Angella silenced them both with a sweep of her hand.

"That's it. Both of you, my office, right now." The queen's tone left no room for disagreement. She turned with a sweep of her wings back through the main doorway and there was nothing they could do but meekly follow.

As soon as his mom turned her back, Bow rounded on her, keeping his voice low. "Whose side are you on?"

"The side of you not dying!" Glimmer whispered back. Two attendants passing in the opposite direction exchanged concerned looks.

"I had it under control!"

"No, you fucking did not?"

"For all we know, I just need to rest or recharge or something and it'll go away on its own. Or Adora could probably fix me like she did the Sea Gate!"

"You're not a machine, idiot. And I love Adora but you know as well as I do she has no idea what the hell she's doing!"

"Yeah, well, we would have figured it out. There was no reason to get my mom all worked up about it. After what Shadow Weaver did to my dad and now me, my mom has enough to worry about without…" He shook his head. "I'm so annoyed at you right now."

"Fine!" She hated that angry look on his face, but she wasn't sorry she did it, not even a little. "I'd rather you be mad at me than DEAD."

"Fine!"

There were getting a little loud, and the guards posted outside Queen Angella's study exchanged a glance as they passed. They probably made quite a sight, beaten and bedraggled as they were, half dead with exhaustion, bickering quietly in the tattered remains of their formal wear. She was having a hard time caring, though.

Queen Angella loomed inside the doorway, her face set. Glimmer tried to exchange a look with Bow, but he wouldn't look at her. Well, whatever, that was his problem.

The queen closed the door behind them and gestured to the two chairs in front of her polished wooden desk. Bow slumped into the farthest one, slouching like maybe his mom wouldn't notice him if he physically became one with the furniture. He seemed determined to look literally anywhere but at Glimmer.

Fine, be an asshole.

Upset as she was, the queen's study was still completely intimidating. Glimmer took her seat carefully, trying to sit as much at attention as she could. She smoothed her hair and straighten what was left of her dress, but it was hopeless.

"Now." Queen Angella looked between the two of them with almost the exact same look she'd worn when they were eight and had almost burned down the kitchen trying to make cookies together. "You are going to tell me exactly what happened."

She looked at Bow expectantly, but he was pretending to be very interested in the potted plant in the corner. After a moment, Queen Angella exhaled and turned to her.

"Commander Glimmer?"

"Shadow Weaver tortured Bow." She ignored Bow's growl next to her. "She had him hooked up to this… device? It was siphoning magic from the Black Garnet somehow and it was messing with his powers and hurting him."

Her voice was shaking just thinking about it, tears sliding down her face faster than she could scrub them away. Queen Angella passed her a tissue box. She took a moment to compose herself before continuing, aware the entire time of Bow's eyes on her, but refusing to look his way.

"I found him like that and I—" She hesitated, not exactly sure she wanted Queen Angella to know exactly what had happened to her in that chamber. She finally risked a glance at Bow, only to see him turn away as soon as she looked over. She set her shoulders. Fine! Let him be a butt about it. "Anyway, he managed to teleport himself of it out and knock out Shadow Weaver but it did something to his magic and he's been glitching like that ever since."

"I see. Thank you, Commander." Queen Angella nodded and Glimmer hugged her arms around herself, feeling sick and disloyal. "And this glitching, Bow, it's painful?"

"N… not really."

"Oh, you're completely full of shhhh— crud." Glimmer quickly amended, remembering his mom was right there.

"Yeah?" Bow turned to look at her finally, an unfamiliar, angry look in his eyes. "How about you? I noticed you left out how you tried to take on a dozen Horde soldiers by yourself on that landing pad half drunk on scorpion venom."

"Uh, you did the same thing?"

"Because I didn't want them to separate us!"

"And what do you think I was doing?"

"You should have just gone quietly and waited for rescue. Instead, you got pummeled and almost fried yourself hacking out of prison, then nearly killed a guy—"

"Nobody would tell me where you were! You wanted me to just sit around while they could have been doing anything to you?"

"I'm not done!" He was sparking pink at the edges, like sometimes happened when he got really emotional. "You're reckless! You took on all those prison guards and even Catra with nothing but a couple of hairpins and your bra and I told you—"

"I was trying to rescue you, you ass!" She was so angry now she was shaking.

"Yeah, and what happened? I almost lost you, Glimmer! When Shadow Weaver… all I could do was watch as you… the way she had you surrounded with that…" His voice broke. "I notice you left that out of your story too!"

"Because your mom doesn't care what happened to me! And do you really want to talk about THAT, Bow? About who almost lost who? Do you REALLY want your mom to know about your stupid bargain? Talk about reckless! You almost gave up fucking everything for—"

"What would you have preferred I do? Let you die?"

"Compared to Bright Moon? The moonstone, the rebellion? The entire fucking planet? Compared YOU? I'm not that important!"

"Yeah, well, you are to me!" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from her like they were still seven years old and fighting over the pink crayon.

"Then I… shouldn't be." She dug her fingers into the armrest and stared down at the pattern of golden moons on the carpet. Her heart raced, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to punch something or crawl into a hole and die. She finally grabbed a tissue, wishing she just could be mad without all these fucking tears.

Queen Angella cleared her throat. Glimmer's face burned as she remembered they had an audience.

"I see." The queen's tone was neutral, but when Glimmer looked up, she could have sworn the woman was smiling behind her steepled fingers. "Thank you, commander, for your report. A terrible situation that I wish neither of you had to go through, but I think it was perhaps fortunate that you had each other or things would have gone a great deal worse. But now, I think it is best that you head to the infirmary and have someone look at your injuries, just to be safe."

The queen rose from her chair and opened the study door. Glimmer hesitated and looked over to Bow, but he still wouldn't meet her eyes. There was some small solace in the fact that he also seemed to be crying, doing a terrible job of hiding it behind an indignant sniff.

"Um, yeah. OK." Glimmer stepped out of the study, resisting the urge to look back at Bow again before she did. The door closed behind her and she only took a single step down the hallway before she heard Queen Angella dismiss the guards. She turned, surprised to find her and the queen alone in the corridor.

"Your majesty?" She couldn't ever remember being completely alone with Bow's mom before, at least not since she was a kid, full of fire and self-taught archery skills, demanding to join the rebellion.

"Glimmer." Queen Angella put a hand on her shoulder, her tone soft. "I know it wasn't easy, but I appreciate you telling me the truth about what happened. I have already sent for a healer from Mystcor to look at him right away. We will fix this."

"Yeah, but he's really mad at me." What if he never spoke to her again? She fiddled with the frayed edge of her torn dress.

"Something tells me he will get over it fairly quickly. He always seems to, when it's you." Queen Angella smiled outright then. "Anyone can see you both care about each other a great deal. It would take far more than this to change that."

Glimmer had the strangest urge to bury herself in the queen's arms and sob outright. She was almost certain the woman would allow it, would wrap her arms and wings around her like she did her own child, but it seemed wrong. Gods, she missed her dads right now. "Well, tell him I hope he feels… that I'm really… I don't know."

"I will." Queen Angella nodded, and Glimmer started down the hallway again, feeling empty. "Just a moment, Commander Glimmer. There is something else I would like to say before you go."

Glimmer turned back, surprised. "Uh, yes, your majesty?"

"Thank you. For being such a good friend to my son. He is very lucky to have you, not only because of this. As is the rebellion." Queen Angella looked at her with the same fond look she gave Bow sometimes, and Glimmer couldn't explain why it made her feel warm and sad at the same time. "I know you and I have not always seen eye to eye over the years, but you are brave and strong and you care, deeply, about Etheria. I am grateful, today as every day, that you are here. We need you."

For a moment Glimmer wasn't sure if she meant the rebellion or something else.

"Thank you." It seemed a pathetically small reply to all that, but she wasn't sure what else to say.

"And I also wanted to make sure you knew how incredibly proud I am of you and the astonishing young woman you have become. I don't think I could be prouder if you were my own daughter." The queen gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Now go on and get your injuries tended to."

The queen gave her a small nod and went back into her study. The door closed behind her and Glimmer was alone in the silent corridor with a million thoughts and eyes brimming with tears.