Library in the Forest
Bow looked at the message translation over and over, trying to figure out what was the meaning behind it. He needed to know what it was and what it meant for their search for the mysteries of the First Ones. He sat on one of the chairs in Entrapta's improvised lab, that she was forced to share with him while she was away in her own castle. He carried his own recorder in his hand as he tried to make sense of what was shown in his datapad. To most people, it was nothing more than lines and dots being connected like a circuit board. But to Izuku, and any other surviving First Ones, it was a language that had survived in ruins and the disappearance of its creators. It amazed and terrified him that even at such a level of decay and corrosion of time, the remnants of that civilization could still hold so much power and control over the world. If his dad ever heard what he'd…
Bow shook his head. He didn't want to think about his dad at that moment. He needed to focus.
"Okay Future Bow, this is important and maybe saying what I'm thinking out loud will make things make sense." Bow spoke into the recorder. "I've been going over the message over and over again, but it still makes no sense. The message states that Mara, the former She-Ra before Catra, was headed towards Serenia's Belt. I've looked over several maps and none of them even come close to having Serenia or belt in the name. I did find the Belt Mountain Pass to the West, but there's no signs of First One's Ruins or tech in that direction. Could it be a location of ruins that have yet to be discovered? Or perhaps it is code for something else? Maybe Mara's last name is Serenia?" Bow sighed.
He wasn't getting anywhere and his questions seemed to only show his doubts even more. The way that the message was only partially translated wasn't helping either. That part may hold the key to where they should start looking. The change in tactics wasn't helping him much but it did help him to start thinking of where he could look or what parts of the First Ones he could explore. But it seemed that for every step forward he took, he had to walk three more. It also didn't help that the only being that could answer their questions was actively working to destroy them and turn Izuku and Adora into the new leaders of the re-emerging First Ones.
"Maybe Adora could make sense of the message? Maybe it was meant to be read by two people? No, no, that makes no sense," Bow said. "I'm sorry Future Bow, but I've got so many questions that I just don't know where to start. Maybe Izuku and Catra got lucky and found something regarding Serenia's Belt. At least, I hope that's the case." Bow turned off his recorder, letting out a tired sigh.
Just as he leaned against his chair, an alarm went off on his datapad. Bow almost fell off from his chair before he picked it up. His eyes widened at the sight of what it was. It was an alarm and he knew what that alarm meant more than anything.
"Wait, no, no, no, no! Not now!" Bow tapped at his datapad, making sure that it wasn't a glitch or something wrong. "Is it really today?! Oh man! No, no, no! This can't be happening right now?!" Bow smacked his head on the table with a groan.
He was not in the mood for this. He had so much work to do deciphering the works of the First Ones… His mood stopped as his mind registered what he had just said. He looked up and was shocked that he hadn't thought of it before. Of course the answer was right in front of him. He smiled, knowing that he now had a way to clear up his questions. And it was standing in front of him from the very beginning.
"I should really kick myself for not thinking about this sooner." Bow rushed out of the lab, needing to run some errands before he left on his secret mission.
Izuku and Catra were up and training in the castle gym, sparring and working on their hand-to-hand combat skills. Izuku jumped in with a roundhouse kick towards Catra, forcing her to jump over his kick. She spun in the air, throwing a punch at his face. He caught the punch in his hand, using her momentum to fling her over his shoulder. However, Catra's tail wrapped around his arm, pulling him with her. She landed on her feet with Izuku coming at her with her tail's pull. He used One For All to supercharge a flick of his fingers, sending a blast of air at Catra, knocking her back.
"That's cheating!" Catra pouted.
"You can use your sword if you want!" Izuku smirked as he prepared another shot. "You did say you wanted me to go all out, Catra!"
"I swear, one of these days we'll have sex with me as She-Ra." Catra smirked, getting ready to pounce. "And don't tell me you haven't thought of that."
Izuku blushed as Catra ran towards him on all fours. He fired his compressed air shots at her, only for her to jump out of the way at the last second. Catra jumped on top of his hand before landing a back-flipping kick to his face. Izuku spun in the air, letting the blow pass before he charged. The power of One For All crackled through him as all his muscles gained superhuman strength and power. He zipped towards her in the blink of an eye. Catra was so astounded by his speed that she stayed put like a deer looking at headlights. He tackled Catra to the ground, trying to grab hold of her. But she was being way more slippery than the last time they'd been this close. He settled for sending her flying up into the air before getting back to his feet. Catra couldn't help but smirk at how good they were getting and how her head was filling up with ideas to have fun with Izuku. Despite how much they'd gone through and all the friends, enemies and lovers they'd met along the way, they would always find their way back to each other.
"Gotta say, Izuku, you're keeping up very well with your mastery." Catra landed on her feet. "I bet soon enough, you'll be stronger than dad or that messed up He-Man form."
Whatever high spirits Izuku had at that moment, were dusted away when he was reminded of that transformation. He allowed the power of One For All to wash over his body as he looked at his hands in contemplation. The power that he felt that time was so primal, so strong and so suffocating, almost like he was being drowned by it. It felt like One For All in so many ways, but it wasn't. While one felt like his body was being filled with power and charged with lightning coursing through his veins, the other felt like he was being submerged in a thick burning substance, drowning in it like quicksand. Like some dark primal part of him took over and wanted nothing more than to rage and fight for nothing more than a sense of conquest. It wasn't something that he looked forward to feeling any time soon in his life.
Catra noticed the change in her lover's mood. He was always sensitive about his ancestry and the kind of future some had wanted him to forge. She rushed to his side, holding his hands.
"Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up again." Catra looked into Izuku's eyes, thinking about wanting nothing more than to hug him.
"It's alright. I just want to forget that ever happened. But it seems now we're more interested in going after First Ones than ever." Izuku pressed his forehead on Catra's. "I can't help but wonder if that's what Lighthope wants."
"Hey, we're doing this because the Horde is looking for their old junk and to make sure what Lighthope did to you and Adora cannot be done to anyone ever again." Catra looked away, remembering their friend. "Have you been thinking about her? We haven't seen her in months. You don't think-"
"No, I hope that Lonnie and the others got her out of there. But, part of me wants to find her before Modulock or Shadow Weaver get their hands on her." Izuku held Catra's hands tightly, almost as if he was afraid to let go. "Have you been thinking of her?"
"Yeah, part of me wants to smack her until she develops common sense, another part wants to make sure she's safe," Catra said. "And then there's another part of me that wants to see how she can bounce on your lap~."
Izuku blushed at the words of his lover and longest friend.
"C-C-Catra!" Izuku looked at her in surprise.
"Come on, you know I get turned on when we spar~." Catra kissed Izuku, nuzzling against his chest. "You bring out the wild side in me."
Before Izuku could fall to temptation and make love to Catra once more, a bright flash of glimmering light appeared between them.
"Izuku, Catra! We have a problem!" Glimmer appeared before them, making them jump back.
"Sparkles, what the hell!" Catra snapped. "You know better than to appear out of nowhere when we spar!"
"Didn't you hear me?! We have a problem! A big problem!" Glimmer shook Catra, making her a little dizzy.
"Glimmer, what's wrong? Is Brightmoon under attack?" Izuku asked, stopping Glimmer's shaking.
"It's Bow! He's missing!" Glimmer held up a scroll for Izuku and Catra to see.
Izuku, Catra and Glimmer took off on top of Melog, chasing after Bow's scent. They had taken off without even so much as telling the queen they were leaving in search of their friend. Incidentally, the way they were going was leading them deeper into the Whispering Woods, to an area most people called Hermit's Grove. It was an area where a few people had settled in and lived a simple life. Most of them were ironically scholars and ex-soldiers that didn't want anything to do with the war. And yet, it seemed like conflict was not far behind them.
"Come on, can't Melog go any faster?" Glimmer asked.
"Hey, what did I say about back seat driving my battle cat?" Catra snapped, looking back at Glimmer. "Besides, Melog just caught something to give us a lead to finding our archer friend." Melog sniffed around in search of the other source of the scent.
"Glimmer, are you sure that Bow is in danger?" Izuku asked, getting off of Melog with the scroll in hand. "The scroll says that he is fine and not to look for him. Although the last part is a little bit concerning."
"Maybe he just needs his time off. He has been working hard." Catra joined Izuku with Glimmer in tow. "Maybe he just went out for a picnic or to go check up on his girlfriend or boyfriend or… What does Bow do in his spare time anyway?"
"Well, he's either working on his gadgets, trick arrows, or… Um…" Glimmer tried to think of anything else that Bow liked, but seemingly came back empty handed.
"You don't know?" Catra chuckled. "How come you know more about what me and Izuku like in bed than what your friend does in his spare time?"
"Hey, Bow is very secretive about his past! And I have given him his space. It's probably something painful that he holds close to his chest." Glimmer defended herself.
"We could always just ask him when we find him." Izuku pointed to the footprints of Bow's shoes. "Bow should really get some new shoes. The ones he has are way too obvious."
Melog sniffed around the bushes next to the tracks, revealing Bow's bow, arrows and quiver. She gave out a small mewl, getting everyone's attention before lifting the leaves that hid the gear.
Glimmer gave a gasp of shock. She'd never seen Bow's gear out of his sight or off his person ever since she'd known him. It was like seeing her mom without her wings or the Horde without their armor or tanks. It just didn't happen. She quickly picked up the gear, holding it tightly against her. Now she was certain that something was wrong and she needed to save her friend.
"Now do you believe me that something's wrong?" Glimmer asked. "Bow would never just hide his gear! Something must've forced him to."
"Okay, that is concerning. But it doesn't look like there was a struggle or that Bow was being chased. Something here isn't right," Izuku said. "Why would Bow just leave his stuff out here?"
"Maybe we could look for answers there?" Catra pointed to a building. "It looks like Bow was heading this way and that looks like the only other place around. Maybe that's where they're holding him captive, whoever 'they' might be."
Not far from where Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Melog stood, there was a large building hidden from the view from the road. The building looked like it had been there for a while judging from all the vegetation growing on it and around it. It was built between the trees, giving it greater structure and a natural camouflage from the outside. The building itself resembled an old library like the one in Mystacor, it was three stories tall, painted bright pink with a bright door at the front. The entrance was held up by six columns that resembled spears carved out of crystals and smaller crystals encrusted on the tips that held up the arches. The third story resembled a dome with an almost pale pink that barely peaked through the trees. This place seemed to be untouched by man for many years, yet, it felt like someone was living there.
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Melog quietly made their way to the building, keeping an eye open for anything that could stand as a security system. Thanks to Melog's invisibility they didn't have to worry about being spotted by any guards or cameras but they still moved slowly and kept an eye out for anything that might look suspicious. However, they found that the building didn't even have a small alarm. There was nothing keeping them from reaching the building. They quietly made their way up to the roof in search of an entrance. They didn't know what to expect from the place or why Bow had been brought there. The possibility of guards keeping watch was a strong one but they were ready for a fight and ready to kick ass. They quietly opened up a skylight on the rooftop, before dropping down to the floor below.
"Now, remember we don't know what we're up against, so stay quiet." Izuku studied his surroundings in search of any dangers.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about us, darling." Catra pulled out her sword as Melog growled.
"Worry about anyone that's trying to hurt our friend." Glimmer summoned her staff as she placed the quiver and bow on her back. "Now, where are we?"
"Well, it… looks like a library." Izuku raised an eyebrow as he realized that they were surrounded by books and tomes along with a few other pieces. "This can't be an evil base of operations."
"Nope, it looks like a very clean and well kept library." Catra traced a finger on a nearby book. "No dust, so at least we know someone is living here."
"But why would they take Bow?" Glimmer asked.
A door opened up, making them all turn around. They expected it to be some kind of dangerous wizard or hermit that wanted to attack any and all trespassers. However, what they saw was not a dangerous wizard, hermit or armed guard, not even a cleaning lady with a mop or broom. No, what they saw was their friend Bow walking into the room carrying a stack of books and papers.
"Man, George really went all out on the-" Bow looked up to see his friends all armed and ready for a fight. "AH! What are you guys doing here?" He whispered.
"Bow!" Glimmer hugged Bow, making him drop his stack of books. "I was so worried! What happened? Why are you here?"
"You guys need to leave, right now!" Bow whispered.
"Bow, are you-Are you wearing a normal shirt?" Izuku asked, pointing to Bow's new threads.
"What have they done to you?!" Glimmer gasped in shock.
"Yeah, you're usually a lot more expressive with your choice of clothes." Catra pointed out. "I mean, do you even own shirts other than the ones that expose your midriff? And what's going on here? Glimmer has been going nuts about you probably being kidnapped by cultists or Horde spies or garden gnomes for all we knew."
"Guys, please, I'll explain everything, I swear. But you've got to go, now!" Bow whispered.
"Bow, is something wrong?"
Bow nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of that voice. In a split second, he took Catra's sword, Glimmer's staff, his bow and quiver and hid them in separate parts of the room. He had the sword inside a large empty vase, the staff behind a bookshelf, and his own stuff underneath a couch. He then ran towards Melog and covered her with a large blanket, much to the confusion of the group and of Melog herself. He finished his impressive display of speed by picking up the fallen stack of books and pieces of papers that he'd dropped. His friends were left stunned even more when he placed them all back on the shelves where they had been taken from.
"Alright, just follow my lead." Bow whispered.
The lights turned on, making the friends wince before they could even so much as ask what was going on. They looked ahead and were surprised to see two men standing by the entrance to the room. The first one looked like a more stricter man with a short mustache and some gray hairs on the sides of his head, he had dark eyes and tanned skin a shade darker than Bow's. He wore a similar outfit that Bow usually wore, a long sleeved white shirt with a yellow stomach, a red heart on his chest and red shoulders, brown pants and brown shoes. The second man looked more free-spirited with long dark braided hair, a five o'clock shadow and small glasses on his face. He wore what could be considered a robe with golden outlines on the base, end of his sleeves and front of it, a white shirt underneath it, a red sash around his waist, loose white pants and brown sandals.
"What's going on? Who are you people?" The first man demanded.
"Um, these are Izuku, Catra and Glimmer, my friends from the academy," Bow introduced. "Izuku, Catra and Glimmer, these are my dads, George and Lance."
Izuku, Catra and Glimmer all looked at Bow with confusion. They for a second thought that they had heard their friend wrong. But they didn't have time to argue or even be given a chance. Bow's introduction seemed to have taken away all the confusion and hostility that the two men had towards the new arrivals.
"Oh, Izuku, Catra and Glimmer, nice to meet you at last." George smiled.
"We're so happy to finally meet you." Lance and George grabbed the four young adults in a bear hug, lifting them up.
As they were lifted in the air, Izuku, Catra and Glimmer all looked at Bow for an explanation. Sadly, all the young archer could do was smile sheepishly.
Soon enough, the four friends sat on a couch drinking tea with a fireplace right next to them. They faced George as he too sampled the tea that had been served, with only a coffee table standing between them. Izuku, Catra and Glimmer all smiled awkwardly as Bow sipped some of the tea. They couldn't help but feel like the world was shaping this to be some kind of awkward prank. It felt like they had been dropped in a completely different setting than what they had expected. Like arming yourself for a fight… only to arrive at a picnic… for little girls.
"You want anything, you just tell me, and I'll get it." Lance rushed in, almost making George cough up the tea. "You want snacks? I'll get you snacks." He rushed out to grab the snacks.
"Um, that-that's not really necessary," Izuku said, but Lance was long gone.
"So energetic," George said before turning to the young adults. "You three must love attending the Academy of Historic Enterprises with Bow."
"Um, yeah." Izuku sipped some tea.
"Oh yeah, we're all for history." Glimmer added.
"Yeah, I'm a fan of the history of the guy who has to explain stuff." Catra nudged Bow with an elbow. "Like taking off in a very mysterious fashion." She chuckled.
Bow didn't reply, he just chugged the cup of tea like it was about to evaporate in the cup.
"Oh, I bet you're here to see our collection of First Ones artifacts." Lance returned with a smile on his face. "We got some new pottery shards. I- Oh, what was I doing?" He showed off the shards before remembering that he was doing something else.
"Snacks," George said.
Lance rushed out after the snacks, leaving George with the kids once more.
"The pottery shards are really something. We believe that this was made during the early times of the First Ones' rule. The depiction of their art is incredible." George explained before sipping some tea. "Though it isn't anything like their portraits of their legendary warriors like He-Man."
Izuku choked on the tea as he heard that.
"You-You know about He-Man and other heroes of the First Ones?" Glimmer asked as Catra helped Izuku.
"Oh yes, we've made discoveries about the remnants of the First Ones and their myths for years." Lance returned with a tray filled with cookies. "And it is our hope that Bow will be a historian just like us when he graduates and takes over the library. Right, Bow?"
Bow felt like he'd been caught mid-breath as all eyes turned on him.
"Don't bother, Lance. It looks like he's not very cha-tea today." George laughed at his own pun while Lance shrugged.
"Well, um, thank you for the tea but I was hoping to give my friends-" Bow got up.
"A tour of the library sounds like a great idea!" Lance jumped in. "Wait till we show you the oldest part of our collection."
"It's not Bow's baby pictures, right?" Catra asked.
"Nope. It is a shard from an ancient, defunct runestone." Lance points dramatically.
"If the shard wasn't of historical value, it would be long gone." George put down his tea cup, looking away in a somber mood. "No need to keep a reminder of the war the princesses are waging."
"But it is a war the Horde started. The princesses are just defending Etheria as best as they can." Izuku countered, making Bow wince.
"Yeah, since when is that wrong?" Catra asked.
"If you wanna blame someone, the Horde are the ones that started it." Glimmer added.
"I respect that you're standing up for what you believe, kids. But you three are too young to remember the first failed Princess Alliance. I'm not." George walked to the fireplace. "I enlisted, fought for what was right, or so I thought. But when I came home, all I knew was gone. My village burnt to the ground. From that day, I vowed that no one in my family would get involved in the war or with the Princesses." George looked to his side as Lance held him.
The two husbands looked at each other with understanding. They both wanted a peaceful life and wanted to forget the scars of their past with their life together. Lance kissed his husband's hand, reminding him that he would always be by his side.
"We're sorry for your loss, sir." Izuku offered his condolences to the older man.
"It was a long time ago, but thank you," George said.
"Now, let's switch things up to lighten the mood." Lance stepped up. "Who would like to see some baby pictures of Bow's first bubble bath?"
Faced with the prospect of having his friends seeing his baby pictures, Bow shot back to his feet.
"I'm going to show Izuku, Catra and Glimmer my room!" Bow exclaimed with wide eyes and a fake smile.
"Can't we have some of the cookies first?" Catra asked in a teasing tone.
"Now." Bow said through gritted teeth as he pulled his three friends out of the library.
George shrugged, feeling that it was probably a good idea to skip the baby pictures. Not everyone liked to watch their friend naked taking a bubble bath when he was little. He reached out to grab some of the snacks, only to see the plate empty. He looked over the coffee table, making sure that he wasn't seeing things.
"Where are the snacks?" George asked.
"You probably ate them, hon. Don't worry, I'll get more." Lance walked to the kitchen. "And please, be sure to leave some for the guests."
"I only ate two." George argued, with both husbands not noticing Melog eating the rest of the snacks behind the couch with crumbs on her invisible whiskers.
Meanwhile, Bow had managed to pull Izuku, Catra and Glimmer out of the library. He closed the door behind him before laying against it with a tired sigh. He'd never expected things to get so out of hand so quickly.
"Um, Bow, is everything okay?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, we're way past asking that kind of question, Izuku." Catra looked at Bow, expecting him to explain things. "Well, Bow?"
"I guess I do have to explain things." Bow chuckled.
"Way past. What is going on, Bow?" Glimmer asked.
"My dads don't know I'm a Rebellion fighter," Bow answered. "They think I've been studying abroad and I'm supposed to be on break right now." He rubbed his face with a sigh.
"How do you hide being part of one of the biggest movements in Etherian history? Especially from your dads. Haven't they heard the news about the Battle for Brightmoon? Or the rise of the new Alliance?" Izuku asked.
"You saw how George is, Izuku." Bow sighed. "Anything related to princesses and the Rebellion is ignored."
"So, this is why you never talked about your past?" Glimmer asked, unsure of what to think. "I always thought that it was painful or even tragic and you kept up a happy-go-lucky attitude as a mask. But your dads seem so nice and normal."
"Yeah, they're easily at the number two spot of cool dads on my list." Catra pointed out. "I mean, we've only ever met a few dads, and we gotta give our dad the number one spot, but that still says a lot."
"Bow, are you embarrassed by them?" Izuku asked.
"What? NO. I love my dads, but ever since I was little they've always decided everything for me. They decided that I'd take over the library when they retired without asking me, just assuming." Bow opened the door just a smidge to see his parents just lounging about, with George reaching for another snack only for Lance to give him a dirty look. "But I wanted to travel, fight. So, I did the only thing I could think of." Bow closed the door.
"You secretly learned archery, and pretended to go to a made-up academy?" Catra asked with a raised eyebrow. "Gotta say, out of all the plans you could've come up with, this is by far the most overly complex."
"Steal my thunder why don't ya. But yeah," Bow replied. "You saw what they're like. They think they know what I want and don't listen to me. And if Lance knew that I didn't want to be a historian… or worse if George found out I was in the Rebellion fighting alongside princesses and warriors… They'd blow a gasket! If not kill them."
"So, you'll just lie to them forever?" Glimmer asked, clearly not approving the choices her friend made.
"Not forever, just the foreseeable future. Kinda like how you haven't told your mom about you, Izuku and Catra and the other princesses." Bow pointed out.
Glimmer blushed, picturing her mom strangling Izuku and Catra.
"There's a clear difference between stakes, Bow." Izuku chided in.
"It's worked so far. Please? For me?" Bow gave his friends the puppy dog eyes.
The three friends tried to resist the force of those eyes, but it was no use. Bow had found a way to put on the most adorable front on them. With a tired groan, Izuku, Catra and Glimmer all relented to his request. They could play along his charade for a little while longer.
"Plus, my dads have the biggest collection of First Ones artifacts and writings in all of Etheria. We could search for answers about Serenia here, better than in any ruins." Bow argued. "For all we know, the answers about She-Ra, He-Man, and Mara's message could be in one of those pieces of historical significance." Izuku perked up at his words.
He didn't like remembering what Lighthope had done to him, but the best way to find out more about Mara and what she did to the First Ones was by studying what they left behind. The secret could be within reach and all they had to do was reach out. The possibility was too great to not at least try.
"Yeah, that could be the case. We just have to look around for answers." Izuku agreed.
"Well, we could use the eyes of some experts." Catra wrapped her arms around Izuku and Glimmer. "What do you say, Sparkles?"
"This is gonna be a disaster." Glimmer groaned.
"Maybe with that attitude." Bow turned to open the door before remembering something important. "By the way, I may have sent them a few letters telling them about you guys."
"What letters?" Glimmer sensed more elaboration to the lie.
"I may have told them that Glimmer is a physics major, Catra is an arts major, Izuku is a science major, no one is a princess or has magical powers or crazy powers and we all met Freshman year. Okay? Good, let's go." Bow admitted before pushing the three friends back into the library.
The three lovers looked at each other wondering what exactly they were going to do. Not only did they have to lie to the nicest parents they'd ever met, but now they were supposed to know about different subject matters from a school that only existed in the imagination of Bow's dads. They had no idea what to say or do when asked about those subjects. Their best course of action would be to wing it however they could and hope they would find something worth all the trouble, and not kill Bow.
The tour of the library began with some of the shards that Bow's dads had gotten ahold of and the stories that they had deciphered. They then moved on to the documents that were found in a few of the ruins and how they depicted the usual life of a First One's young man in the early times. But each piece they went through showed off the kind of life that the First Ones had, a life rich in culture, strict understandings of the hierarchy within the empire and a few legends that ruled the daily lives of the people. It was a reminder that despite the dangerous robots, virus filled disks and machiavellian puppeteering AIs, they were still a culture with people that were oblivious to what the people on top were doing. But it seemed that for every piece of First Ones records and pieces of broken culinary instruments they saw, they had to see some less interesting pieces.
"And this is where Bow played pretend when he was little." Lance revealed a small den filled with toys and drawings.
"Oh, playing pirate?" Catra asked.
"No, no, no, Bow hates pirates. Playing historian." Lance revealed with pride.
"Really?" Glimmer asked. "That's a bit odd for a little kid."
"Um, Mr. Lance, as First Ones historians you must've run across many legends and artifacts related to She-Ra and other mythical heroes like He-Man, right?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, any dirty little secrets you've found out?" Catra asked. "Powers, weapons, rebellious streaks?" Catra added, causing Lance to pause and think.
"Well we have run into several mentions of her and other such figures, though we believe that she was actually called He-Ra," Lance said.
"Um, that doesn't sound right." Izuku muttered.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's She-Ra." Catra wrapped her arm around Izuku.
"She fought for the power of Grayskull, a mighty realm of great power where legends tell that the power of the universe itself flowed through." Lance recounted the findings. "Some of the legends claim that the seat of power and She-Ra's legend are forever tied to He-Man's. One as the founding king that led the First Ones to glory and the other one that protected them with the powers of the universe flowing through them. Almost like Masters of the Universe!" Lance looked at the horizon with stars in his eyes.
"Okay, apart from the power thing, I do like where this is going." Catra grew very intrigued by the idea of such powers.
"And she rode a dragon." Lance showed off a vase with a previous She-Ra riding a dragon into battle.
"What?!" Catra rushed to the vase, picking it up like it was nothing, much to the fright of Lance. "How did she get a dragon?! I want a dragon!"
Melog lifted her head and mewled in shock.
"What was that?" George asked, looking for the source of the mewl. "Did you hear that? Is there a cat running around the house? Um, no offense Catra."
"Oh, um, none taken, sir." Catra put down the vase.
"Um, is there anything else you know about this relationship between She-Ra and He-Man. It sounds like they were a team." Izuku asked, feeling curious.
"Well, some legends claim that He-Man, the king of Grayskull, was actually the father or an ancestor of She-Ra, being the one that helped start the First Ones and their empire," George explained, shrugging off the feeling of there being a cat in the library. "Others claim that they were siblings and only the bloodline of She-Ra survived. Which is why not many know about He-Man. You know, princess nonsense and stuff like that, really. You two are very into history, I thought you were Art and Science majors?"
Izuku and Catra froze for a second. They had to come up with an excuse that sounded believable.
"Well, we are taking a history minor and our focus is on First Ones mythic heroes and legends," Izuku said. ''And we kinda need your help." Izuku and Catra smiled, making sure that Bow's parents didn't suspect anything.
"Oh, but we're just about to reach the final piece de resistance of our collection." Lance ran to the curtain covered stand. "Behold, the shard of what we believe to be the last remains of a prototype of an early runestone!" Lance unveiled the stand, revealing a bright pink shard that resembled a combination of the Dark Garnet of the Frightzone and the Moonstone of Brightmoon.
But unlike the two runestones, this one held no power nor a connection to the magic of Etheria. However, there wasn't anything else but a representation of the First Ones and their power.
Izuku and Catra looked at the piece like they could see the smirk and distant alienation that Lighthope would often look at them. It took them Bow pulling them back before they could punch the shard in front of his dads.
Glimmer could only see the situation happening before her, wondering how they hadn't been discovered yet.
"Glimmer, if I may, I am glad to finally meet you and your friends," George said. "For some time I thought that Bow had made you guys up." He watched Bow juggle Izuku and Catra as they bombarded his husband with questions.
"Why would you think that?" Glimmer asked, feeling like he was talking about someone completely different.
"Well, you know how Bow is, shy, soft spoken, not many friends. But now it looks like he's really come out of his shell thanks to you guys." George explained.
Glimmer looked at the scene and then back at George. His words were meant to describe Bow, her oldest friend, but they seemed to be describing someone else, someone she didn't know. All this made her wonder who was the real Bow. Was the real Bow a shy bookworm that was getting ready to be a historian and would never fight for the Rebellion? Or was the real Bow the archer and inventor that fought side-by-side with her and their friends to reform the Alliance and that had helped save Brightmoon when Lighthope attacked it? If someone had asked her that question the week before, she would've laughed and chosen the latter without thinking twice. But now, she wasn't sure.
"Wow, it is amazing," Bow said. "But, the thing is, we were given an assignment for the break, solve a riddle and we're having trouble with the last bit. Have you ever come across Serenia?"
Lance and George gathered all the information the first floor had on Serenia and placed it onto the coffee table for the kids to read. The information was composed of scrolls, parchments, books, and some crystals that had been found in ruins across Etheria. They weren't anything like the pieces of tech or information that were found in the most inhospitable places of Etheria, much to Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Bow's relief.
"Serenia was the name of a First Ones mythological hero. There are mentions of her in legends and representations of her in several murals and pieces of First Ones' artifacts." George explained before looking at his husband with a raised eyebrow. "Although, some of us believe that she was a real person that lived during the same time as the King of Grayskull, on another planet."
"And some of us believe that the Elberon vase dates back to only one millennia." Lance retorted.
"Long debate?" Catra asked.
"Yes," The two husbands replied.
"This is a lot. Is this everything?" Glimmer asked.
"Oh, no, there's more on the second floor, but this is a good place to start." Lance perked up.
"This is going to take forever." Glimmer groaned.
"Oh yes, hours, days, weeks, even whole life times," Lance hugged and spun George in a circle. "But that's if you're lucky."
"You're so corny." George blushed.
"Well, we better get started." Bow picked up a scroll before going through it slowly.
"What about this one?" Catra asked Izuku as he read the parchment.
"This one is actually about aqueducts. Must be mislabeled." Izuku put the parchment away, only to get the attention of Bow's parents.
"You can read First Ones writing?!" They asked in shock.
"Um, yeah, um, kind of." Izuku held up his hands in defense of his actions.
"He also studies languages, or linguistics and junk like that," Catra explained. "He's a jack of all trades to be honest. Girls love him for that."
George didn't respond to that, he instead rolled up his sleeve and showed Izuku a tattoo on his arm, a tattoo written in First Ones language.
"Tell me, what does it say?" George asked.
Izuku looked at the tattoo and raised his eyebrow. He blinked, making sure that he had read the tattoo correctly.
"Um, why do you have the word 'lunch' on your arm, sir?" Izuku asked, getting Catra and Lance to struggle to hold back a laughing fit.
"Oh no. I thought it said 'love'." George went pale at the realization.
He thought that it would've been romantic to have a tattoo in First Ones writing. A gesture not just for his husband but as a way to flex his knowledge of the First Ones in the historical community of Etheria. But now, he wished he'd gotten the heart with his husband's name on it instead.
"Where did you get it said 'love'? Are you sure you didn't find someone's grocery list?" Catra laughed, hugging Izuku.
"You thought it said-? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Lance laughed, holding his sides in slight pain from all the laughing. "I like these two! Oh, George, maybe Izuku could help us with our little problem."
"Um, he's taken and doesn't play for that team." Catra held Izuku close to her.
"He definitely does not." Glimmer whispered with a blush.
"Oh no, no, no, nothing like that. We've got a piece that we can't figure out and we have found some writing on it and we need someone that could read it for us." George explained.
"I could give it a look, but I need to stay here and help my friends with our assignment and-" Izuku began only for Lance to shoot him with what could only be described as the look of the one that taught Bow the puppy dog eyes. "I guess a quick look wouldn't hurt."
Izuku was carried off by Bow's parents to the chorus of Lance calling themselves the 'Best Research Squad'. Catra and Glimmer couldn't help but see a lot of Bow in his dads, they clearly had a big influence on him.
"Well, I'm gonna make sure your dads don't have Izuku relabeling the whole library." Catra flipped after them. "Be back in a sec. Have fun, guys."
This left Glimmer and Bow to start researching the different tomes and books that were on the coffee table. Something that wasn't easy given that the only person that could read through the research material was gone and their only other friend that could sort of read it was now gone too. Time seemed to speed up and feel sluggish at the same time, with each paragraph they read and went over, they could only find riddles and vague descriptions of the legend of Serenia. But nothing about what Serenia's Belt was or what was its connection with Mara and the rest of the First Ones. And all the time, the two friends couldn't help but stay in silence, letting their tension grow without a single syllable being exchanged.
"Nothing, again. What does a mythological, possibly real, hero of the First Ones have to do with Mara?" Bow asked. "Was she alive when Mara was She-Ra? Maybe it's the name of a ship and that's where Mara was headed? What do you think, Glimmer? Glimmer?" He turned to his friend who was buried in her own research.
"Huh? Sorry, Bow, I was just a little distracted," Glimmer said with a sigh. "Why didn't you tell me, us, about any of this?"
"About what?" Bow asked, confused, though he had a good idea of what she meant.
"The whole secret family thing, that you're supposed to be a historian, that apparently you hate pirates. I know that I'm in no position to ask or say anything, but I thought I knew you. Now, I don't even know who the real you is. The archer and rebellion fighter or the historian?" Glimmer asked only for Bow to hold her shoulders.
"Glimmer, you know the real me. The guy that became your friend is the real me," Bow explained. "I put up an act here to keep my dads safe. Because the truth would hurt them."
"But you're making yourself miserable to do that. If I've learned anything about relationships, as weird as mine is with Izuku and Catra, it is that you need to be honest." Glimmer raised her hand, stopping Bow from countering her argument. "Your dads will love you no matter what. And before you say anything about my mom learning the truth, need I remind you that she could sentence them to death if I and the rest of the princesses don't make a good argument."
"You're probably right. I'll talk to them after we've found out about what the message meant, I promise," Bow said. "Are we still friends?"
"Of course, Bow. Best Friend Squad?" Glimmer held up her fist.
"Best Friend Squad." Bow fistbumped with Glimmer.
Meanwhile, Izuku and Catra stood before a large strange looking gray orb that looked like it was more at home taking down houses with a swing.
"So, you think this is a First Ones relic and not a wrecking ball?" Catra asked. "I mean, that's what it looks like. Either that or a really big bowling ball."
"It does have some First Ones writing on it. Maybe it's part of a machine or a temple." Izuku inspected the orb before him.
"That's sort of what we were hoping you'd help us with," George admitted. "I believe that this was what the First Ones used as the foundations of their temples. Lance believes that it was used for agricultural purposes. All we know for sure is that the scripture it has must be some kind of marker or a clue as to what it means. All we've been able to decipher is "Speak" and "Pass"."
"Unfortunately, the rest of the writing is a bit too deteriorated. It was found in the same sight as the runestone shard, but that's all we've got to go by." Lance added, narrowed his eyes at the scripture.
Izuku looked at the orb with great focus. He could see that this piece was far too sturdy to be anything that didn't involve great force. It could've easily have been what Catra, George and Lance said it was. But at the same time, the words were a bit odd. And he couldn't shake the feeling that something about the orb was wrong and foreboding about it.
"Catra, what do you think?" Izuku whispered.
"Well, it could be a reject or a prototype of something the First Ones were working on if it was next to the shard." Catra tapped the orb, noting how hard it was. "Maybe it's a storage pod for someone's junk."
"Ooh! Like a piñata of treasures?" Lance asked with stars in his eyes.
"Or junk they didn't know where to put it," Catra said.
"You think you can read it, Izuku?" George asked.
"It looks pretty bad. But I think it's asking for a password," Izuku stepped back.
"Does it say what it might be? Like a hint?" Lance examined the orb looking for any kind of mark that could be the password. "There must be something."
"Wouldn't it be funny if all the First Ones used the same password?" Catra whispered to Izuku.
"It would be kinda silly but we have seen it work before. Maybe it's the name of their goddess or some other deity?" Izuku asked.
"What name?" George asked.
"Eternia," Izuku replied without thinking.
As soon as he spoke, the orb began to glow and shake before their eyes. Izuku and Catra tensed up, cursing the First Ones for their one password for all things mentality. Meanwhile, George and Lance watched with awe at the sight. The orb started to open up and transform before their eyes.
"Its… Its… Its…" Lance slowly lost his excitement as the orb fully manifested itself.
The orb had transformed into an Elemental. It now resembled a large monster with a serpentine lower body, six glowing red bug eyes, an insect mouth with sharp teeth, a spike on top of its head and four long bug-like legs. It roared at them like a guard dog, forcing them to run away from it.
"A monster!" George cried out as he ran.
"Because of course it would be a monster!" Catra growled.
"Catra, get your sword, I'll handle the Elemental!" Izuku turned around with One For All crackling through his body.
"What? What's going on?!" George asked.
"No time!" Catra pulled Bow's dads away from the monster as Izuku punched it across the face.
The Elemental was forced to back away by the strength of the blow, but it didn't stop its rampage. Curling itself into a ball, it charged at Izuku. The wielder of One For All dug his heels on the ground and caught the rolling beast, using his strength to try to stop it. But the ground beneath his feet was far too weak, and his shoes could not get any good traction. He felt the burn in his face, arms and legs as the Elemental rolled in place, slowly pushing him over to the railing and then through it. The elemental used this chance to uncurl and slap Izuku away with its tail. Izuku spun in the air as the robot lunged at him with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Izuku backflipped, landing an uppercut kick to the beast's face. Using the momentum, he jumped in for another attack, landing a powerful kick to the Elemental's stomach, sending it back with his super strength.
"What is happening?!" Lance cried out.
"Not much, this is just one of the reasons why the First Ones are assholes." Catra pulled out her sword. "Sorry Bow, but my man needs me. For the Honor of GRAYSKULL!" Catra transformed before George and Lance's eyes.
"Um, simple explanation: Catra's also majoring on She-Ra…?" Bow chuckled.
The Elemental crashed against the bookshelf, causing Glimmer's staff to come out flying and into her hand.
"Bow, get your parents to safety, we'll handle this!" Glimmer spun her staff before summoning a glyph from her hand.
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Bow pulled his dad's to safety as Izuku, Catra and Glimmer charged at the large beast.
The Elemental shot out of the bookshelf, rolling towards Izuku, Catra and Glimmer with a vengeance. The large beast of the First Ones crushed everything in its path until it clashed with Izuku's strong hold and Catra's magical shield. They kept it in place as it rolled up, picking up speed against the two heroes pushing them back. But then, Glimmer teleported herself above the Elemental, slamming her staff on top of it. She unleashed a spell on top of it, making it cry out with a blast of sparkly electricity. The Elemental uncurled itself, knocking Glimmer off of it, but left itself open to Izuku and Catra. They punched the mechanical beast in the chest, sending it back once more before it rolled up towards them once more.
"We gotta stop it from rolling!" Izuku and Catra jumped out of the way of the rolling beast. "It has to pull its legs in before rolling."
"Any ideas on how it even knows where to go?" Catra transformed her shield into a whip, cracking it. "Hey, bitch! Over here!"
The Elemental turned around and charged at them once more. But Catra instead had another idea. She cracked her whip at Izuku before swinging him towards the metallic death ball. Izuku reeled back his legs, aiming for a kick to the Elemental's rolling surface, however, he didn't aimed at the top. He slid down, landing kick at the bottom of the Eementals's body, shooting it upwards.
"I got it!" Glimmer swung her staff, casting another spell on the large metallic beast.
The Elemental was enveloped by a pink aura, slowing its descent. The machine beast uncurled itself, frightened and struggling to get ahold of something to regain its footing. But it didn't get a chance to do so. Izuku and Catra pounced on it, bringing it down to the ground, wrestling it into submission.
Meanwhile with Bow and his dads, the situation was not good.
"Bow, are you friends with princesses and whatever Izuku is?!" Lance asked.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, young man!" George demanded.
"We don't have time for that, we have to stop that Elemental before it wrecks the library and us with it!" Bow argued as Izuku, Catra and Glimmer were tossed around by the Elemental.
"You know what that thing is?!" George asked, not believing that his son would get even close to something so dangerous.
"We've run into them in our travels through Etheria. Mostly they're guards or attack dogs left over from the First Ones in their temples." Bow explained as Catra slashed at the Elemental before Glimmer blasted it in the face. "They usually act like this when they got something to protect. What could it be protecting?"
"You've run into them before?! Who are you?!" George stood up as the Elemental body slammed into Izuku.
Lance pulled George down as the dust cloud came at them.
"We found it in the ruins next to the runestone shard. Could it be protecting that?" Lance asked.
"Dad, you're a genius!" Bow exclaimed, hopping over the flipped table. "I promise to explain everything!"
George and Lance watched their son run off to do something they didn't understand. And all they could do was call for him to come back to them before he got hurt. Sadly, all that did was call the Elemental towards them. Lance screamed in terror as the Elemental rolled towards them. But it didn't get near them. As Melog pounced onto the rolling beast, digging its claws and teeth into the Elementa's thick hide. The metal beast uncurled, roaring in pain as it tried to shake Melog off of it. Melog jumped off of the Elemental, landing before Bow's dads.
"Is that a giant magic battlecat?!" Lance asked in shock.
"I knew I heard a cat!" George snapped. "You ate the snacks, didn't you?!"
Melog only hissed at George, making him flinch.
"Which is fine." George and Lance smiled, more scared of the large cat than the First Ones beast.
Glimmer used this chance to teleport Bow's dads away from the fight and to the second floor.
"So sorry about her, I promise she's house broken. They both are," Glimmer apologized. "You have a beautiful home. And it's been nice meeting you." She teleported back into the fight.
Izuku and Catra grabbed hold of the Elemental's legs, pulling them to keep it in place. Catra whistled to Melog, making her jump from her spot with a mighty roar. She pounced on the Elemental's belly, pinning it down and thrashing in place.
"Bow, whatever you're doing, do it quickly!" Izuku called, pulling at the Elemental's legs.
"Just a second!" Bow rushed to where he'd hidden his bow and quiver.
Bow reached for it, only for his shirt to get caught on the edge of the wardrobe, keeping him a mere inch away from his signature weapon. He grunted as he reached out for it. But his shirt was not letting him. The roar of the Elemental fighting his friends made Bow pull back. He ripped his shirt open, freeing his belly from any restraints it had.
"BOW!" Lance and George screamed, in shock at the sight.
Bow reached out and pulled his bow and quiver out. He fired a grappling hook arrow at the case containing the crystal shard. His arrow opened up into a small claw before it broke through the glass. It grabbed hold of the shard just as Bow pulled on the rope. He quickly caught the shard, turning to the Elemental as it wrestled to free itself.
"Hey, this is what you want?" Bow held the shard towards the Elemental, causing it to roar inching towards it. "Then come get it!"
Izuku, Catra and Melog jumped back, allowing the Elemental to go after Bow.
George and Lance watched in worry and horror as the metallic beast got ever closer to Bow. But before the beast could even so much as lay a tooth on Bow, it stopped.
The Elemental observed the shard before slowly grabbing it with its mandibles. With its target recovered and in safe keeping, the large monster that had wrecked the library curled up back into its ball form with a bright light.
Bow couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief that his plan worked.
"That's our Bow!" Glimmer teleported next to Bow, hugging him.
"Nice save there, bud." Catra smacked Bow in the back with Melog mewling in agreement.
"Great quick thinking, Bow," Izuku congratulated Bow.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
The group turned to see both of Bow's parents looking at them with impatience for answers and worry.
Bow looked down in shame before walking towards his dads.
"Bow, please, tell us what's going on! You're an archer, you've seen those monsters before," Lance ranted in worry. "You're friends with princesses, you know a cat version of She-Ra and He-Man's Battle Cat, and I don't even know where to start with Izuku!"
"I… I lied to you," Bow replied. "There is no Academy of Historical Enterprises. I've been living at Brightmoon, fighting in the Rebellion side-by-side with Princess Glimmer, Catra, Izuku and Melog, to an extent."
Bow's dads looked at each other with concern and confusion.
"But, why?" Lance asked.
"I didn't want to be a historian. I've never wanted to be a historian," Bow replied. "I make things. I'm a soldier. Not a shy bookworm or a genius like you two. This is who I am. And I can't lie about it anymore, even if… even though I'm breaking your hearts." Bow looked away, expecting the worst.
However, all he got, was a hug.
Bow opened his eyes and saw his dad, George, hugging him.
"What's breaking our hearts is that you thought that you had to lie to us," George said, holding back his tears.
"But, I'm a fighter and you hate fighters." Bow looked at his father.
"I could never hate you. Never." George looked at his son with pride. "If you believe that the Rebellion is where you need to be, then it is lucky to have you, son." George was joined by Lance.
"Bow, why didn't you tell us the truth?" Lance asked.
"I tried but you never listened. You only heard what you wanted to hear," Bow replied, causing his dads to look at each other at the revelation.
"We only wanted to encourage you to follow your dreams. We thought we were being good parents, but we were being bad parents." Lance cried as George wiped away a tear.
"We love you the way you are, Bow. And we're proud of you no matter what, no matter what path in life you choose." George, Lance and Bow hugged in a family hug.
Izuku, Catra, Glimmer and Melog watched the whole exchange with tears in their eyes. It was a sweet moment that could be felt throughout the room.
"This is a family hug, princesses, and Izuku and mystic cat. You're Bow's family too." George called.
They all joined in the hug.
It was a heartwarming moment that had been shared by the group.
After the hug was finished, Bow told his parents the truth, the whole truth. Which included the reason why they were at the library in the first place.
"The last part of the message is too deteriorated and we can't seem to understand what it means." Bow showed the message to his parents. "We hoped to know what Serenia's Belt was in order to figure out the rest."
"Hm, out of all the legends about Serenia, none of them speak of a belt or a belt that belonged to her." Lance pointed out. "You sure you can't make out what it says?"
"I've tried, but no luck." Izuku replied.
"Wait, look at these patterns. Don't they look like?" George pointed to the screen.
"You're right," Lance gasped in shock. "It makes so much sense. Bow, look at this."
"What is it?" Bow asked.
"Take a good look at it, Bow. Really look at it." George gestured to his son. "What do you see?"
"...They don't look like words. Or like normal First Ones writing," Bow answered.
"The First Ones were led by a belief in a greater power in the universe. They often saw the stars as marks of that belief." George explained as he and Lance pulled out a projector. "Their world was very different from ours. Language, climate, traditions, even the sky was different."
They prepared the projector, turning off the lights from the library before they turned on the projector. The ceiling was filled with lights and dots that were meant to represent the stars of the night sky.
"The First Ones didn't just use them as a basis of their written language, but they were also used to navigate through the world by making constellations." Everyone looked up at the sky, then at one particular constellation. "These constellations were often named by mythical heroes like Serenia. And one of the parts of that constellation was known as Serenia's Belt, but that part of the constellation was only visible during the summer in one location." George pressed a button on the projector, showing off a red desert.
"The Crimson Waste." Izuku said. "That is where Mara was headed."
"Looks like we're going home, Izuku." Catra pointed out, her head now filled with the thought of going back home.