Catra returned to Castle Brightmoon in the middle of the night, helped by the pitch darkness of the new moon. She avoided the guard completely and climbed up through her bedroom window. Adora was already asleep when she arrived. Catra gingerly lay down beside her, careful not to wake her. Her mind buzzed with thoughts, and her throat choked up to remember the events of the day. She didn't get much rest at all.

By the time Adora awoke, Catra was not in bed, but her recent presence was obvious. She could hear the shower running, so she guessed Catra was in there. Suddenly, Adora's tablet lit up, and it showed Glimmer, sitting behind her desk.

"Greetings, people of Etheria. I am Queen Glimmer of Brightmoon, with a message on all frequencies for all of you to hear."

"Yesterday afternoon, in Angellia, an innocent man died. His name was Agnid Green, and he ran a small grocery. He died because he intervened in the arrest of his child, who was in possession of a newspaper."

"Mayor Lonnie had ordered the confiscation of this particular newspaper for a reason. We have read it, and learned that it publishes threats directed at the princesses. Princess Scorpia and myself were the first targets of this, but make no mistake that they will stop there. We have received intelligence reports, indicating that these threats are not empty but serious."

"Perhaps these people's memories don't go back any further than five years, and the evil nature of their words does not occur to them. On the other hand, they may really have hatred for us in their hearts. Both of these are probably partially true: the deceitful ones lead, and the unwitting ones follow. Agnid's child, Trentam Green, did not intend for their father to die; but they were misled by people who have no qualms about killing."

"If not for the newspaper, this man would be alive today. Do not forget this."

"Greetings, people of Etheria. I am Qu—"

Adora's eyes went wide. She rushed to don her clothes and ran out of the room, all the way to Glimmer's office.

Glimmer was behind her desk, filling out paperwork. Bow was in a big plush chair, off to the side of the desk, reading the Brightmoon Observer. The headline read, "Horde Sympathies Among Angellians?".

Adora opened the door, stormed right in, slammed her hands down on the desk, and Glimmer was completely unfazed as she looked up at her.

"Good morning, Adora. It's a bit unlike you to leave your room without doing up your hair, isn't it?"

"Glimmer, what the fuck?!"

Glimmer put down her pen and leaned back in her chair.

"That... is also a bit unlike you."

"Don't patronize me, Glimmer! I saw your little broadcast just five minutes ago. I can't believe you. How could you be so callous about somebody's life? And, Catra— didn't she warn you about this at our last meeting?"

"First of all, Adora, if I'd been callous about Mr. Green's life, that broadcast would have been a lot shorter. I regret his death as much as you do, but you need to look at the bigger picture. Yes, Catra pointed out that the people of Angellia would be suspicious of the police. I never doubted she was right. Regardless, the Angellians will have to learn to live with this. It's not about whether they like it or not. It's about whether the princesses—that includes myself, and you too, Adora—are safe."

"Do our lives matter more than theirs?"

"That's a question for philosophers to answer. Our jobs matter more than theirs. If even one of us dies, the resulting chaos will kill so many more."

Adora turned to Bow, pleading with her eyes. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm with Glimmer on this one. The Ascendants can't be dealt with lightly."

Bow handed her the newspaper. She skimmed over the front-page article.

"Mayor Lonnie is obviously bending to Brightmoon pressure by putting these pigs on our streets to harass civilians," said an Angellian hovertram driver, whose name has been withheld for privacy. "In the days of the Horde, I can assure you, cruelty at this level was not tolerated. Soldiers actually had some rights! If we can't expect anything better from the Princess Alliance, how can we have any respect for it?" The mood on the streets of Angellia since the police-involved death of Agnis Green is more tense than ever, and there are few friendly words for the police or for the princesses.

"Adora, you have to trust Glimmer on this. I'm terrified that there could be another Horde War if this goes on, if people are saying things like this."

"Things like what?"

"Like, that the Horde didn't tolerate this cruelty? These people really don't have long memories. Don't you remember why you left?"

"Bow, I don't think you understand what these people are saying. Do you even know how the Horde formed here on Etheria in the first place?"

Glimmer leaned forward. She looked a bit puzzled.

"I... I don't understand what you mean, Adora. The Horde didn't form on Etheria, it formed off-planet and invaded Etheria."

"No. The Horde under command of Prime formed off-planet. Hordak, however, did not have anyone under his command at all when he arrived here. He formed it out of Etherians."

"Orphans, like you?"

"Some were orphans. It's not like Etheria had some kind of robust foster-care system back then."

"And the rest?"

"Volunteers. In fact, mostly volunteers. Regular people, coming from the various realms, were drawn to the Horde because it promised them something the Princesses hadn't given them."

"What's that?"

"From what I heard tell? Three meals a day. Stability. There was even opportunity to rise in the ranks, something that common people in Etheria still don't have. After all, Princesses are born, not made."

"This all sounds like Horde propaganda."

"Sure, but the older soldiers I knew seemed to confirm it, and apparently Brightmoon records don't carry any of this stuff at all! Do you know what the Brightmoon records said? They said the Horde was made of nothing but former bandits and criminals, lured by the promise of loot. Does that not also sound like propaganda?"

Glimmer stood up from her seat, walked around the desk, and stood face to face with Adora. Even looking up at the taller woman, she had an intimidating look to her.

"Adora, why are you so intent on defending the Horde? You left them for good reason. Are you turning back on Brightmoon now?"

"I left the Horde because I saw that its actions didn't line up with what I was taught was right. Still, I was taught what was right by the Horde. I was taught honor, discipline, and fairness. I want to support Brightmoon because of those principles, not in spite of them."

Glimmer's expression was unreadable as she almost began to reply. Bow stood up from his chair and put his hand on Glimmer's shoulder. "You need to watch what you say, Adora. I think we're all too much on edge. There's no point in going on until somebody says something they'll regret." Glimmer sighed, and went back to her chair behind the desk.

"At the very least, Glimmer, I want you to handle this situation delicately. You're not going to win the trust of the Angellians by force. I mean you no offense."

"I didn't mean any offense either. I'll... consider your point, Adora. You are dismissed."

Adora straightened her posture and nodded. She turned around, walked out of the office, and back to her bedroom to check on Catra.

"Glimmer, dear?"

"Yeah, Bow?"

"We can't lose our friendship with Adora."

Glimmer said nothing. She put her face in her hands and groaned.

"I mean it, Glimmer. Without her, the Alliance won't stand a chance in a crisis."

"And that's supposed to mean what? I'm not strong enough to handle this without her saving me?"

"She isn't strong enough by herself either. None of us are. That's why the Alliance exists in the first place."

"Then... then you're right. We can't lose her." Glimmer sighed.

Bow walked around the desk and put both hands on Glimmer's shoulders.

"We can't lose you, especially. You're the leader. Adora trusts you more than you'd guess."

"You're sure about that?"

"Yes. I can't guarantee she'll trust you completely, though."

"Catra?"

Nothing.

"Hey, uh, Catra?"

No-one in the shower, or in the bedroom.

"...the first targets of this, but make no mistake that they will stop there. We have received intelligence..."

On the unmade bed, the tablet continued playing Glimmer's message on loop. The window was wide open, and the breeze floated through the room. The closet was open. None of Catra's clothes were in it. The drawers were all open. None of Catra's things were in them. Adora began to get an inkling of what happened. She stuck her head out of the window.

"Catra!"

Nothing. No-one at all. Adora started to feel the panic set in.

"Okay, maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe she's just somewhere else in the castle. Oh, First Ones, she can't be gone, I know she's not gone..."

Glimmer's message was still on. "...they may really have hatred for us in their hearts. Both of these are probably partially true..." Adora scoffed as she picked up the tablet to switch it off. On the back of the tablet, she felt a piece of paper. She flipped the tablet over to find a note.

MEET ROOFTOP

HURRY PLS

At the bottom of the note was a doodle, crude but unmistakable: Catra and Adora, just as they'd once drawn themselves on their barrack wall when they were kids. Adora breathed a huge sigh of relief. There was only one rooftop Catra could have meant.

[AN: hey discord peeps, send yer ol' pal jules a review, why dontcha? ;) ]