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With the war against the Horde over and done with, there was a lot of rebuilding that needed to be done all over Etheria. Houses to be rebuilt, communities to be restored. The Princess Alliance, firmly committed to the restoration of their homeworld, put themselves forward to help wherever they could, especially Adora.
She had felt a deep responsibility for Etheria's current state, oftentimes wondering if she could have done things differently. Maybe she could have seen through Light Hope's lies sooner and stopped the planet from being pulled out of Despondos. Maybe she could have convinced Catra to join the rebellion years ago, leading to the Horde being defeated sooner.
But Adora couldn't change the past and if she was honest, she didn't want to. The past hurt, sometimes too much. The best thing for everyone was to move on and rebuild their world for a brighter future.
For the past few days, Adora had been in the Fright Zone ruins helping Scorpia, Perfuma and her old friends from the Horde rebuild the fortress into a new city that Scorpia would make the capital of her new kingdom. She knew they'd need an extra pair of muscles and she'd be more than capable of disarming any defences that were still active.
However, the work had been long and Adora had ended up spending the night in one of the old force captain's quarters. She... hadn't minded it, despite her trauma from her childhood, she found herself thinking of the nights she laid on her bunk as a child, Catra curled up at the end of the bed, purring softly. That relaxed her somewhat... but only made her miss Catra even more, and Glimmer too.
She'd promised her girlfriends she wasn't going to do this, but after spending so long lifting and carrying rubble and supplies, even when she used her She-Ra form, Adora had become exhausted. She'd sent a quick message via her tracker pad to Glimmer and Catra, who were more than okay with her coming back the next morning but... well, she hated being apart from them.
They'd only been a triad for a few months now and Adora didn't want to let either of the women she loved down. Sure, Glimmer had Bow to cuddle up with and Catra had Melog... but Adora pined for the moment when she could sandwich herself between the two most wonderful women in the universe for some well-deserved snuggles.
The next morning, Adora awoke bright and early and made her way back to Brightmoon on the back of Swift Wind, but not before saying her farewells to Scorpia and the others. As she flew across the skies of Etheria, Adora hoped to be back home soon.
"Couldn't we have stayed for breakfast first?"Swift Wind wondered as they flew. "You know I don't like flying on an empty stomach."
"As much as I love old ration bars, Swifty," Adora replied. "I much prefer the food back in Brightmoon. Besides, once we land, I'll grab you a big bucket of apples."
"Heh, can't really say no to that," the pegasus accepted.
The air was clean. Crisp. Despite it being months since the way had ended, the air in the Fright Zone was still quite polluted. It wasn't as bad as it was when Adora was a kid, not by a long shot. But it was still... not the best. Getting away from it cleared Adora's head for a bit.
It wasn't too long after they took flight that Adora slumped down and clung onto Swiftwind. The previous day's efforts still had an effect on her. She was, for lack of a better word, completely wiped out. She wanted nothing more than to collapse into her bed back at Brightmoon and have her two girls cuddle her to sleep. Catra spooned up behind her and Glimmer being in front of her so she could squeeze her Queen. The thought alone made Adora smile.
"Thinking about them again?" Swiftwind asked while wearing a knowing grin.
"Hm? Oh... oh yeah I... that obvious?"
"Adora. You always smile that way when you think about them. So yeah. That obvious."
Adora rolled her eyes fondly. Soon after, she could see the outline of Brightmoon castle and immediately perked up. She was almost home. Home to her bed. Home to her girls. Her own paradise.
The pair landed near the stables where Swiftwind slept.
As Swift Wind dropped down, Adora climbed off his back. "Well, better go and see where everyone is. I wonder if anyone is even up at this hour."
"Eh, probably Bow might be up," Swift Wind stated. "But remember Adora, apples."
The blonde laughed. "Don't worry buddy, you'll get those apples."
"Just making sure," Swift Wind stated. "You know I need one of them a day to stay healthy."
"Is that... Is that even a thing for horses?"
"Maybe? I don't know but I need my apples is what I'm saying."
"And I will make sure of that," Adora promised. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go find those girlfriends of mine."
Heading into the castle, Adora stretched her arms, her limbs aching slightly. She was glad that Scorpia had assured her she could handle things over with the reconstruction, giving Adora some much needed time to rest. As she walked through the halls of the castle, the early morning sun filling the interior with a warm soothing glow, she sighed peacefully.
Before now, Brightmoon had just been a base for her, never truly a home. Being raised during a war, she'd never really known much of peacetime. Glimmer and Bow had done their best to teach her to relax, but it was only now, with the fighting over, that Adora felt that this castle truly was her home. A home she shared with the most wonderful people in her life.
Turning down one hallway, Adora saw Glimmer standing outside of her study, wearing her nightgown. She grinned and ran down the hall, delighted to see her. Glimmer turned and lit up as well, Adora pulling her lover into her arms. The two of them shared a loving kiss, Glimmer giggling a little as she clung on to her much taller girlfriend.
"Well, good morning to you too," the queen replied softly.
"I missed you so much!" Adora whined. "God, I am not staying out like that ever again."
"Shhhh!" Glimmer suddenly shushed her.
"Uhhh... what's wrong?" Adora wondered, before looking into the open office and seeing why. "Ohhhhh."
Inside Glimmer's office, slumped over the Queen's desk, was Catra. She was fast asleep, her head laying down on her hands and Glimmer's sparkly blue cape draped over her as a blanket. It was a rather adorable sight, watching Catra purr softly as she slept. Adora melted and walked inside, leaning down to stroke Catra's ear softly, the felid barely reacting to the touch.
Adora then noticed Melog in the corner of the room wake up from her own nap and crawl over to her, nuzzling her hand. Adora then scritched behind her head.
"Hey Melog, missed you too," Adora whispered, before looking at Catra. "So uhhh... what happened with Catra?"
"She was helping me with some stuff last night," Glimmer explained. "After we got your text, I had some work to do, writing a speech for that charity benefit thing for the Salineas refugees. Catra offered to help and well... she kinda pulled an all-nighter. I didn't want her to but... well she's even more stubborn than you sometimes."
"And she calls me a dummy," Adora remarked.
Adora started to walk over to Catra but... stopped. Maybe it was the fact that she had been away from Catra for a bit. Or the way the sunlight was breaking through the window. But... Catra looked beautiful sleeping like that. Adora almost didn't want to get any closer. She just wanted to stay there. Admiring the woman that she had been madly in love with all her life.
Glimmer started hugging her from behind and Adora gently stroked Glimmer's arm.
"I know how you feel, Adora. I was admiring her for about 10 minutes before you showed up. But... that desk can't be too comfy for her."
"I know Glim. It's just..."
"Yeah. I know."
The Queen peeked out from behind Adora and wore a soft smile. She was blushing slightly too. Because... it was Catra. Their Catra. The two of them were never going to get enough of their beloved catgirl.
After a few minutes, Adora knelt down beside Catra. She petted her lover's mane and she stirred slightly, making a little 'mrrp' sound. It didn't deter Adora one bit. After a few strokes, Catra opened her eyes to see... her Adora.
"...Adora?" Catra murmured sleepily. "That you?"
"Yeah. It's me."
Catra smiled warmly and scooted her face closer to Adora so she could get more pets. It didn't take them more than a moment before they shared a warm, soft kiss.
"We... should really get you to bed babe."
"But the desk is so comfyyyy... and I don't wanna move away from you..."
Adora's heart melted upon hearing that. She couldn't help but let out a soft "awwww" when she heard that. But... she knew her girl needed a more ideal place to rest. So, Adora scooped Catra up and carried her down the hall, Glimmer skipping behind her.
When they reached the bedroom, Adora gently carried Catra over to the bed. Catra clung onto her for dear life and refused to let her go, especially when they got settled into the bed. Glimmer crawled into bed too, spooning Adora from behind. She didn't have anything else to do that way.
It wasn't the way Adora thought it'd be but she was not complaining in the slightest. She was sandwiched between her two favourite girls. No... her two favourite people in the whole world. There wasn't a worry in her mind.
And the three drifted off to sleep quickly. The rest of Etheria could wait. For now, it was just them. That's all they would need.