Glimmer was horrified at the scene that unfolded as the ship's doors opened. Nothing but dead, desolate landscape greeted them. There wasn't a living creature in sight, only remnants of what must have once been a flourishing world. What looked to be trash and debris sat in clusters, with nothing more than dust and dirt filling in the voids. If they hadn't known better, the group would have assumed this planet had never been inhabited at all.
"I….oh my gods…". Glimmer could barely get the words out as she descended the ramp onto the planet's surface. "He…destroyed, no, obliterated this planet. And now…he's going to do the same to Etheria!". Tears ran down her face and her knees gave out, her entire body crumpling onto the ground. "And it's all my fault!"
Her sobs echoed out across the barren plain. Bow approached from behind but his face offered no sympathy. "Yeah," he said coldly, "because you activated the Heart.". She looked up at him, eyes full of regret and pain, and for a moment a wave of guilt washed over him as he saw how remorseful the young queen was. It is her fault, though, a voice in the back of his mind said, and he hardened once more.
"BOW!" Adora yelled at him as she made her way down the ramp, eyes piercing and scolding.
"What?" he asked incredulously, although deep down he knew he had gone too far.
"That's not the entire truth and you know it. You're not being fair. You know what Scorpia told us, and you need to tell Glimmer."
Bow rolled his eyes but was losing his resolve. Glimmer stayed kneeling on the ground, sniffling and looking miserable; it was getting harder to watch by the minute. She looked from Adora to him, trying to steady her breath but having a hard time. "What do you mean? What…what did Scorpia tell you?".
Although he had hoped Adora would answer the question, one quick glance at the daggers still coming out of her eyes made it apparent she wanted him to be the one to tell Glimmer. Bow sighed and didn't properly look at her, but begrudgingly said, "Horde Prime was already on his way to Etheria by the time you activated the heart."
"He…what?" Glimmer whipped her head back and forth between her two friends trying to process what Bow had just said. "What do you mean?"
"Prime knew about Etheria the moment Catra pulled us through the portal…activating the heart certainly accelerated things," he said pointedly, "but…he was already on his way regardless. Scorpia said they were expecting him any day, and her best guess is Etheria jumped to the top of his list when he realized how much power it had."
"So…then that means…" Glimmer tried to work through the revelation. "Everything that's happening…it isn't…entirely my fault?"
"You sure didn't help…" Bow said before getting a sharp Adora elbow to the ribs. "But technically speaking…no. It's not all your fault."
Glimmer broke down into proper sobs this time, letting out emotions that had been building up for months. Her tears dropped onto the dusty ground, leaving dark splotches in the dirt. "Th-thank you for telling me," she said between deep shaky breaths. "I've been…feeling so guilty…and I still do. But I thought, I really thought…" she couldn't even finish her sentence as sobs took over her again.
Bow hated to see her cry; even now he had to resist the urge to comfort her, if nothing else but out of spite. Deep down though, he was glad to see some of the weight fall off her shoulders.
