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“CATRA!” Glimmer yelled in pure agony, her entire form drenched. She couldn’t believe she’d fallen for this prank yet again, but at least the bucket hadn’t hit her in the head this time, and had instead fallen in front of her. “Again with this nonsense?!”
“Careful there Marshmallow,” Catra snickered. “If you get too heated the water can melt you~” Honestly she’d put more effort into thinking up the joke than she’d care to admit, but it was well worth it. Glimmer stormed out of the cafeteria towards her locker in a huff. It was hilarious to Catra. Well...aside from the disapproving frown Adora was giving her from across their lunch table.
“I seriously don’t get why you feel the need to do this,” Adora chided.
“Aww c’mon babe,” Catra replied, “It’s just fun. I haven’t seriously hurt her.”
“But I don’t see why you do this at all.” Adora shot back, “You might not have hurt her physically, but you definitely hurt her feelings. What did she ever do to you? Why are you so mean to her specifically?”
The question made Catra freeze momentarily. Deep down, she knew her pranks were unnecessary, that she’d been tormenting Glimmer needlessly. She could never admit that though, never tell Adora the truth. She loved Adora to death, but she could never let her know why she did what she did. Instead, she shrugged. “She’s just fun to mess with, I guess. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Adora glared at her skeptically but sighed and dropped it. Arguing with Catra was meaningless. “Whatever, I still don’t like it. Can you at least tone it down?”
“Anything for you Adora” Catra replied with a wink.
“I’m so sick of her Bow,” Glimmer lamented to her best friend. After leaving the cafeteria, Glimmer had returned home, exasperated. Bow had come to visit her once school let out to make sure she was okay. He always worried about his best friend, and today had definitely been especially taxing for her. It had been a few hours now, and yet Glimmer’s hair was still sopping wet, causing it to lose its’ normal funky appearance, which Bow knew was maintained with the help of a ludicrous amount of hairspray, and was instead dangling at her shoulders like an incredibly sloppy bob cut. The look certainly didn’t suit her.
“I’m sorry Glimmer. She’s so horribly mean to you.” Bow replied with a frown. Truly, he didn’t understand why Catra did what she did, he could only speculate. There wasn’t very much to guess with though, other than blind cruelty.
“I don’t even know what I DID to her? How does Adora put up with her ridiculous antics?!” Glimmer continued, pacing back and forth in her bedroom. “I just don’t get it…”
“Remind me why your mom doesn’t do anything to stop her?” Bow asked gently, hoping it might be that easy.
“Because ‘Principal Angella’ can’t do anything without firm proof it was her, and nobody ever sees her setting up her pranks. That girl is as sneaky as… well, a cat.” Glimmer explained, lying down on the bed next to Bow in a huff. Bow was at a loss for ideas. He simply sighed, wishing he could be of more assistance.
“You know what Bow?” Glimmer muttered after a long pause, “I’m done with this. I think it’s time I retaliate.” She got up in a huff and went to grab a spellbook. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was planning, but she was filled with a newfound hope that magic could solve her problems. She flipped to a random page and just kept scrolling, until after a while, she found something of interest.
“Umm… Glimmer are you sure about this? You know how dangerous some of those spells can be…” Bow pleaded, but Glimmer was already too focused on what she had found.
She stared down at the page she had discovered, entranced. A fairly cryptic spell; simply titled “Spell of Banish Trauma.” It might not have been the first thing that came to mind for her, she had been hoping for something to retaliate with, or perhaps some way to get rid of Catra entirely...No, that was too drastic, even for Catra. This would most certainly do, Glimmer thought, as she began casting the spell.
“Glimmer! Please! Think about this more before you-” Bow begged, but it was already too late. Glimmer was already casting the spell.
Glimmer felt the power emanate from the spellbook and carry up her arms, flowing straight to her head. She felt a mild pinch, almost as if she’d been zapped by a very small electric current, and then it all went black.
Bow watched as his best friend’s eyes’ slid closed and she began falling. Moving quickly, he caught her before she hurt herself, but it was no use. She was unconscious in his arms.
“Glimmer! Come on, talk to me! Glimmer!!”
It had been a few weeks by now since anyone had seen Glimmer. Adora had been terrified, and for a while she blamed Catra enough she wouldn’t speak to her for days. Bow did his best to survive without his best friend there with him, but he was filled with a renewed sense of hope when Principal Angella had contacted his fathers to request his presence at Glimmer’s hospital bedside.
Glimmer had finally awoken, much to everyone’s relief, however something was strangely off. Bow went to hug her instantly, but his own best friend wouldn’t return the gesture.
“Glimmer, what’s wrong?” Bow asked, concerned for his best friend.
“...Who are you?” Glimmer asked, confused as to who this strange boy was and why he was hugging her. Everyone immediately knew what was wrong.
Over the course of the next week, Bow made it his personal mission to try to jog Glimmer’s memory, but quickly found it impossible. Her memories were gone. Not one to give up, Bow refocused his efforts, trying instead to help Glimmer create new memories, which proved to be a far more effective idea. Angella was able to make accommodations so that Bow could devote more time to helping Glimmer without hurting his studies, and strangely it seemed as if Glimmer retained all of her knowledge gained from her classes. It was only her memory of individuals and events that had been altered. An extremely excessive method as far as Bow was concerned, but the spell had clearly done what it promised.
By the end of the week, Glimmer made the decision herself to return to school, despite her mother’s bickering that more bedrest might be of use to her.
“But Mom, I’ll be fine! I’m fine! Besides, I’ll have Bow with me!” She argued, and Angella repented. Glimmer was a hard one to deter once she had a goal in mind. She returned to school that day, albeit a little late since it was a last minute decision.
Bow and Glimmer entered homeroom together. Heads were quick to turn and a fair amount of whispering could be heard. Glimmer tried her best not to let it bother her. Adora sighed in relief from the back of the room, relieved to see the girl again. Catra, on the other hand, was hasty to resume her shenanigans.
“Took you long enough, Marshmallow!” The raucous feline jeered. Glimmer merely tilted her head in confusion, unsure what the comment was even supposed to mean. Who was this girl? She was kinda cute, but Glimmer had no recollection of her whatsoever.
The lack of a scowl on Glimmer’s face confused Catra. She paused, dumbstruck. Why wasn’t Glimmer yelling at her? Where had she even been anyway?
As Bow and Glimmer took their seats, Adora leaned in to ask Bow exactly what Catra had been wondering.
“Oh, Glimmer has amnesia. She barely remembers anyone, she didn’t even remember me when she first woke up.” Bow replied in a quiet, somber tone. It was meant to be a whisper, but everyone knew Bow was horrible at being quiet. Catra heard what he had said full well, and it filled her with a mixture of emotions she couldn’t identify. She looked back over towards Glimmer, a strange warmth filling her. What was this feeling? The only time she could ever recall feeling like this was...No, that was impossible, Catra thought.
Catra wasn’t sure how she had gotten roped into this, but now here she was. Adora had offered Glimmer to help her remember where all of her classes were and just to be a friendly face. Catra was quietly tagging along, unsure of how to feel. Adora had yelled at her to leave Glimmer alone after homeroom had ended, and to be honest, she didn’t even feel any desire to pull pranks. In all honesty she just felt guilty. Glimmer didn’t remember anything, but she could never forget what she’d done. This girl, this strong, adorable girl, and Catra had ruined her life. She’d been so bad to her that this had happened. How could she ever move past that? How could she ever forgive herself?
Catra tried her best not to let her guilt be noticed, but Adora knew how to read her like a book. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything. They toured the halls, showing Glimmer the school, and while Glimmer admittedly already remembered a lot of it, she appreciated the two girls tour-guiding for her. It was nice to have someone other than Bow speak to her, since she didn’t remember anyone. Adora told her that they had been friends in the past, but the way Catra had been acting, she wasn’t sure if this was the case. Were there unspoken feelings? Did Glimmer perhaps have bad history with the feline? She hoped not, she couldn’t understand why she would have ever done anything to hurt the quiet girl standing before her, but there was that outburst this morning…
Glimmer pushed away her fears in favor of creating new memories with her “new” friends. The two girls clearly enjoyed her company, Catra finally starting to come out of her shell and talk a bit more, although Adora was still beating her out by a lot. Catra was getting more used to Glimmer’s presence in such a peaceful context, albeit slowly. Weeks passed as they rekindled a friendship, and after awhile it extended past school hours. They had sleepovers together, watching silly movies and playing board games. Glimmer let Catra study off of her notes, seeing as Catra couldn’t focus enough to avoid simply doodling in her books. They were friends, but something still felt wrong to Catra.
No matter how she tried, she couldn’t free herself of the guilt. Every time she looked at Glimmer she was grateful for the girl, but she felt guilty, warm, like there was a knot in her stomach. It confused her and made her sweat, which doesn’t even make sense since she’s a cat but she was doing it anyway. Glimmer tried her best to pretend she didn’t notice, but she was sure something was wrong.
Adora was suspicious as well. No matter how many times she questioned Catra privately about her behavior, Catra dodged the question. She felt as if Catra was slowly drifting away from her, and that prospect scared her. Glimmer was there to comfort her, but once Catra realized how much Adora was relying on Glimmer the situation only got worse. As Catra’s wrath slowly returned, she realized what she’d truly been harboring this whole time–jealousy.
It was a Thursday afternoon, about to be lunch time. Adora and Glimmer had been chatting, Catra mostly just standing with them awkwardly. She didn’t know what to add. She didn’t know what to do. She felt as if her whole world was crumbling around her, and she had nobody to turn to. She was sad, but she couldn’t let them know that.
“Oh my god Glimmer, that’s hilarious! You’re adorable!” Adora giggled. Catra hadn’t even realized she’d zoned out, but that line snapped her right back to reality. Had she misheard? No, she was sure she’d heard it correctly. It filled her with jealousy, fear, anxiety, but most of all… anger. She lost herself to it.
“Catra, where are you going? The cafeteria is this way.” Adora called, having noticed her girlfriend beginning to walk away.
“Just leave me alone. What do you need me for? You have her.” Catra practically spat the last bit at the duo behind her. It was all she could manage before she ran away in tears.
Glimmer and Adora stared at each other, dumbfounded. There was a long pause before either of them spoke.
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault…” Glimmer lamented, but Adora quickly cut her off.
“No, this isn’t your fault Glimmer. Neither of us could have seen this coming. But now that it’s out in the open, I think we need to talk about it.”
“Right,” Glimmer agreed with a nod. “Let’s just give her a little space first.”
Catra had found an empty classroom and immediately started bawling into her backpack. She was filled with such a mixture of emotions; from jealousy to hatred to a feeling of immense self-doubt. How could she have done this? Why was she so cruel? So demanding? She felt numb. She wanted Adora back, wanted her girl to hold her and tell her it was alright, but she also wanted Glimmer here. She had finally realized that, but she feared it was too late. She had shoved Glimmer away, and given a completely fresh slate she did it again because she couldn’t figure out her own feelings. She felt awful about it.
“Catra?” Adora called, prompting Catra to freeze, and then slowly turn to face her girlfriend. Her throat was sore and her eyes puffy, she couldn’t speak. It didn’t matter though, Adora got the message loud and clear, sitting down next to Catra and hugging her tightly. “It’s okay kitten, it’s okay~” She cooed in an attempt to soothe Catra. It was only slightly effective.
“I’m sorry, Adora…” Catra began, her voice shaky and unsure. “Glimmer probably hates me now, doesn’t she?” She was vulnerable, she knew, but it was the only thing that mattered to her right now.
“Catra, no, why do you even think that? She just wanted to get to know you. She just wanted to be nice to you.”
“Yeah, and then I shoved her away, yelled, distanced myself. I can’t even be genuine with her. No matter what I can never forget what I did to her, What I’ve done and said, and she doesn’t even know. I can never apologize to her because she doesn’t even know what I did!”
“Catra…” Glimmer began, walking in and sitting down in a chair facing Catra, “Adora told me. I don’t know everything, nor did I experience it myself, but I know. I know you feel horrible, and I forgive you for it. All of it. Besides, I was a fool to play into it.”
Catra looked up at Glimmer, amazed. Was she truly forgiving her for everything she’d done? It was unbelievable, but Catra couldn’t help being hopeful. “Oh Glimmer I’m so sorry…”
“I know, Catra. But now I have to ask. What did you mean by what you said in the hallway?” Glimmer cut her off. She had to get to the bottom of this.
Catra clammed up, pausing for a long moment. Adora was still hugging her tightly, and fresh tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Finally, she looked back up at Glimmer, every ounce of her being longing to hug her, but fearing what would happen if she tried.
“I’m scared, Glimmer.” Catra started, wiping the tears away with a palm, “All this time, all these cruel tricks and pranks. I’ve been scared…” Catra paused again, turning to look at Adora. “I was scared Adora would leave me for you…”
Adora paused and looked up at Catra, shocked. “Wait, what? THAT’S what this was all about?” Catra nodded, embarrassed. Glimmer was wonderstruck. Adora paused for a long moment, struggling to process this. “Catra, I wouldn’t just leave you. I love you so much. All you had to do was ask and I would have told you as much.”
“Yeah… I realize that now…” Catra conceded, “By the time I was able to talk some sense into myself, it felt like it was too late. I’m sorry Glimmer. You deserve better in a friend than me.” Glimmer was still at a loss for words. She was embarrassed, and for now she held her tongue. “These last few weeks though,” Catra continued, “I’ve seen you in a new light. You’re sweet, and kind, and funny… You’d do anything for your friends. I admire you, Glimmer.”
“I do have to agree with Catra there,” Adora cut in. “You’re amazing Glimmer. You’re really important to the both of us, and Catra, I say that still loving you as much as I ever have. I hope you know that now.”
“I do. I love you Adora, but now...I think I kinda have feelings for Glimmer too…”
“It’s not just you baby.” Adora assured her girlfriend, hugging her more tightly. “Glimmer, I’m sorry we involved you in this. You’ve been awful quiet.”
“Well…” Glimmer finally spoke up, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love both of you dearly as well. You’ve both been so kind to me showing me around, and I appreciate that. Catra, your jokes are a breath of fresh air that never fails to make me laugh, you’re devoted and you never give up. It’s so admirable.” Catra glowered a little hearing that. “Adora, you’re the most committed person I’ve met, and you care so deeply about protecting your friends. Also you’re like, really buff. It’s a little intimidating but really cute.”
The three of them giggled a bit, mutually agreeing on what had been said, washing away any self doubts they each had in that moment. It was blissful, calm, and loving.
“Wild idea,” Adora started with a giggle. “Who says we can’t like, all date each other? I really love both of you. So long as like, everyone’s in agreement on this.”
Catra and Glimmer turned to look at each other. They stared into each other’s eyes, both having moved past their differences completely. They each felt nothing but happiness looking at each other, and a desire for something more. This could work. They were willing to try.
“I’m in.” Catra and Glimmer replied in unison. Adora couldn’t help but laugh. The three got up from the uncomfortable desks and immediately went for a group hug.
“I love you girls” Adora muttered with a contented sigh. Her statement was met by whispers of agreement.
They picked up their things quickly and showed up to lunch, albeit a few minutes late. Bow was sitting alone, waiting for Glimmer to show up. He looked up to see all three of them entering and sitting down at the table, Adora next to Bow, Glimmer and Catra sitting on the opposite side of the table. Bow was admittedly confused.
“I heard you were talking to them, are they your friends now Glimmer?” He asked excitedly. It was amazing to him that Glimmer was making friends again after her incident. He was proud of her.
“You could say that.” Catra teased, Adora laughing at the comment with a snort. Glimmer giggled a little too, and bow raised an eyebrow.
“Wow, you all have inside jokes already?” Bow replied in an upbeat tone, his look still suggesting suspicion. Catra and Glimmer looked at each other, before moving their arms up to reveal that they were holding hands. Had they been doing that the whole time and Bow just hadn’t noticed? Were they glued to each other?
“Was there a mishap in art class? I’m confused,” Bow replied. “Unless… wait. No, that’s not… what?”
“Bow, she’s my girlfriend you dork.” Glimmer replied, leaning her head on Catra’s shoulder. She hesitantly looked over at Adora, who simply smiled and nodded at her. Catra was to be shared, no strings attached. She was thankful for such loving girlfriends. “So is Adora.” Adora simply winked in response.
Bow looked at Glimmer, shocked. He wasn’t sure how to respond. Regardless, he was happy for Glimmer. “Glimmer, if you’re happy, I’m happy.” He said with a smile, “Good for you.”
Adora leaned over to Bow, “Don’t worry, they’re good now. I’m gonna take care of them. I want to see her happy too,” She assured him, which relieved any remaining doubts Bow had. He was content, they were happy, and everyone could coexist happily, at long last. Bow watched as Catra leaned over and kissed Glimmer on the cheek, turning her a deep shade of red. Adora giggled watching the adorable display. Bow couldn’t help but laugh as well. His best friend was happy, and that filled him with great joy.