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It was roughly a week after the end of the war and for Adora, she was trying to relax after the ordeal she'd been through in saving not just Etheria, but the universe itself. As she spent the last few days enjoying her life, especially now that she had Catra in it as her girlfriend, she also had been remembering her early days as She-Ra, when she'd first picked up her sword over two years ago. She had certainly come a long way since then.
Meeting Glimmer and Bow, then Madam Razz, then Perfuma, Mermista and Entrapta, Princess Prom, finding Catra in the Crystal Castle and the two of them battling at the battle of Brightmoon... okay those last couple of memories weren't AS pleasant as the others, but still, it was hard to believe it was that long ago now. The memories still felt fresh in her mind, especially her first transformation into She-Ra.
And as she looked from her balcony to the towns beyond the Whispering Woods, one place in particular came to Adora's mind. Thaymor. That was where this whole adventure had all begun. Where Adora had first transformed into She-Ra to fight against the Horde… and where she and Catra had the fateful encounter that would lead to them becoming bitter enemies. If Adora could go back in time and tell her younger self from that day what would happen after that, how she would eventually see Catra again and they'd save the world together and fall in love... she wouldn't lie, younger Adora probably wouldn't believe her.
And future Adora wouldn't have blamed her. A part of her felt guilty for not doing more to try to get Catra to come with her that day, the pains from that encounter still raw in her heart. As Adora was lost in her memories, she felt Catra's arms wrap around her waist. Adora smiled and blushed fondly, feeling safe in Catra's embrace, her new girlfriend bringing her mind back from its wander.
"Something on your mind, Princess?" Catra whispered, as she spun Adora around. Adora wrapped her arms around Catra's shoulders, feeling Catra press her forehead against her own, hearing her purring. Adora softly hummed in tune to Catra's purrs.
"Well, you're on my mind now," Adora teased with a dorky little laugh. "But I was just... remembering."
"Remember what?"
Adora then paused and an idea then popped into her head. "Hey, you wanna go visit Thaymor again? It might be good to go back there now that the war is over."
Catra blinked. "Thaymor? Where we had our first fight? You're serious?"
"Okay, it's a stupid idea isn't it," Adora admitted. "I just... got thinking about when I first became She-Ra and got weirdly kinda nostalgic for those early days. But if you don't wanna come, I understand, I don't wanna bring back any bad memories."
"I mean, I don't mind going," Catra corrected Adora. "Just... I did kinda lead the attack that trashed that place. If someone recognises me, even with the new hair... I just don't wanna cause trouble."
"To be fair," Adora said. "I don't think you have too much to worry about. If I remember right, there wasn't anyone around who saw our fight other than Bow and Glimmer. I think everyone else had already run away, since... you know, the Horde WAS attacking."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Catra acknowledged, before smiling at Adora. "As always."
Adora chuckled, before a sharp gust of wind blew past them, accompanied also by the sound of flapping wings and the voice of a familiar flying horse.
"Did somebody say Swift Wind?!" Adora’s loyal steed wondered, landing on the balcony.
"No one said Swift Wind!" Catra barked, before Adora laughed. "What are you laughing at?"
"Oh just... I was wondering when you'd finally get to say that," Adora giggled.
"I... freaking love you," Catra groaned in exasperation, Adora now laughing with her usual snort.
"So I couldn't help but overhear you guys talkin' about Thaymor!" Swift Wind chimed in. "Well, technically I didn't overhear, I kinda sensed Adora thinking about Thaymor, because you know... sacred bond and all. And I was wondering if I could give you ladies a ride! Been meaning to visit the old stomping grounds for a bit myself!"
"Wait, you're from there?" Catra asked.
"Oh yeah! See, I was just a regular ol' horse from Thaymor when Adora met me and... well, I think I'm the reason she's a big horse girl now. So anyway, I followed her, Bow and Glimmer to Brightmoon and while she's trying to use that sword of hers, I get blasted with magic and was transformed into the majestic pegasus of awesomeness I am today! And that is the secret origin of Swift Wind, She-Ra's faithful sidekick!"
Catra groaned and facepalmed. "... you know just a yes would have been fine."
Adora petted Swift Wind's head. "Of course you can come, Swifty. I'd love to meet your horse friends there!”
"Me too! I hope my friends remember me... then again, I have been through a few, uh, changes since then!" He gently flapped his wings again.
And so, a little while later, Swift Wind was flying over the Whispering Woods towards Thaymor, singing as he always did.
"Swift Wind and friends, returning to Thaymor~!" He bellowed out "Who knows what adventures are in store~!"
"Does he always sing like this?!" Catra exclaimed, covering her ears.
"Yes, and they're amazing!" Adora insisted.
As they flew over Thaymor, Adora looked down below. Thaymor it seemed was in a bit of a slightly destroyed state, clearly having been the victim of Horde Prime's forces. But, it appeared that the people of the town were slowly rebuilding, even having roped some Horde Clones in to help out. It made Adora proud to see all of Etheria united in the common goal of rebuilding their world to its former glory.
As Swift Wind landed on a small clearing in the woods near the town, Adora and Catra disembarked. Catra seemed a little nervous, but as soon as she held Adora's hand, she nodded, saying she was ready. The two of them then walked hand-in-hand towards Thaymor, Swift Wind happily trotting behind them. As they arrived, Adora looked around, more of the memories came flooding back, all reminding her of the day she realised the outside world was a lot better than the Horde had ever made it sound.
Just then, however, Adora and Catra heard a loud grunting. Looking to their left, Adora and Catra saw a blonde girl trying to lift a large heavy beam that had caused the roof of one of the houses to cave in. She couldn't have been more than sixteen, though Adora and Catra were surprised how muscular she seemed to be for a girl her age. Then again, the two of them were already that buff by the time they'd completed their cadet training in the Horde.
Approaching the girl, Adora waved to her. "Do you need a hand with that?"
"No, I'll be fine!" the girl remarked. "I've lifted heavier stuff than this! Trust me, I work on a farm, I'm used to it!"
Adora raised her eyebrow. It was clear the girl was still straining and if Adora was honest, even the strongest of Etherians would probably struggle to lift a wooden beam that big... well, maybe Scorpia would be able to handle it. "Are you sure? I don't mind helping out!"
The blonde girl sighed as she finally gave up. "Really? Okay, because I don't think this thing is budging and I promised the owner I'd have this roof cleared out before the party later."
"It's no trouble at all!" Adora insisted, before she leapt forward and her body glowed with golden light, transforming into She-Ra in an instant. With her gigantic muscles, she was easily able to grab the beam and yank it out of the house. The younger girl blinked in shock as she looked up and down at She-Ra's magnificent frame. Catra rolled her eyes. Of course Adora had to go and show off.
"S-She-Ra!" The girl exclaimed in surprise. "Y-You're She-Ra, oh my gosh!"
Adora laughed, transforming back to her regular self. "I actually prefer Adora, but yeah, that's me!"
"I... I had no idea it was you, I'm sorry!" The girl spluttered, barely able to compose herself. She grabbed Adora's hand and shook it heavily. "My name is Leena! I've... been a fan of yours for years now! I was here in town when you first showed up and saved everyone! You're my biggest hero!"
"What do you know, Adora, you have a fan here?" Catra snarked.
"I always wanted to join the rebellion, but my parents forbade me and wanted me to keep working on their farm," Leena explained. "But you were still an inspiration to me. Heck, I started working out just to get muscles like yours!"
Adora blushed, feeling a little humbled that someone was gushing about her like this and that she'd been such an inspiration to this girl. "Oh wow, that's... wow, you really got buff because of me? I don't think anyone's ever told me that before."
Her new fan looked away shyly. "Sorry, I'm probably making a fool of myself."
"Kid, you're fine," Catra chimed in. "Trust me, Adora makes a fool of herself literally every single day."
"I don't!"
"Last night you tried to eat a bar of soap!"
"I thought it was some candy from the kitchen!" Adora blushed furiously. "Catra, please don't embarrass me in front of my fan here."
"I'm your girlfriend, it's my job," Catra teased.
Leena blinked again. "G-Girlfriend? She-Ra has a girlfriend?!"
Adora composed herself. "Oh yeah, this is Catra! And that's my horse Swift Wind!" She looked and saw Swift Wind was already engorging himself on a barrel of apples. "He's actually from here, believe it or not."
"Oh stars, I've missed these apples!" Swift Wind moaned in delight. "The apples in Brightmoon never taste this good!"
"Oh my gosh, She-Ra has a girlfriend just like mine!" Leena exclaimed. "Pawlyne's gonna freak out!"
Catra's eyes widened. "Pawlyne?"
"Oh yeah, she moved here with her family not long after the Horde attack. We've taken in a lot of refugees from other villages here." Leena stated. "She's a Magicat like you!"
Another buff blonde girl with a Magicat girlfriend. What were the odds of there being TWO couples like that on Etheria? While Catra was feeling surprised at that revelation, she then noticed something about Leena that caused her mood to drop. It hadn't clicked ntil that moment but... Leena only had one arm. Her other arm was a silvery, robot prosthetic, one that looked pretty advanced by average Etherian standards.
Gulping, Catra wondered if it was right to ask the question that was currently on her mind, but she knew the guilt would probably haunt her if she didn't know the truth. "Hey um Leena... I can't help but notice your arm there."
Leena held her silver appendage up. "Oh this? Yeah... I get a lot of questions about that."
"Would it be alright if I asked how you um... got it?"
"No, it's fine," Leena replied. "I um... When the Horde attack happened, the wall of the building I was in came down on top of me and my arm was pinned under the rubble. It was... pretty badly hurt by the time I got pulled free when the battle was over. It's hard sometimes adjusting to having an arm that technically isn't my own but, honestly, I know if She-Ra hadn't saved us, I'd have probably lost a lot more than just my arm."
"I'm... so sorry," Catra apologised.
"I told you, it's fine, really," Leena insisted. "Honestly, talking about it helps and like... these things just happen in war from what I've heard."
"No Leena, you don't get it," Catra stated, sighing. She looked at Adora who gave her a reassuring nod. "You see um... I was the Horde commander of the attack on Thaymor two years ago. It was my first assignment. Adora used to be in the Horde and I was dispatched to bring her back and complete the mission to take over the town. I'm... the reason you lost your arm in the first place."
Leena stepped back in shock and Catra feared the worst. She probably could have kept things to herself, kept the fact she was formerly in the Horde a secret from this girl... but she knew lying would only make things worse. She was prepared to run away, never to show herself in this girl's life again. If Leena wanted to curse her name for what Catra had done to her for the rest of her life, Catra wouldn't blame the younger girl.
But then, Leena reached out and took Catra's hand with her prosthetic one, smiling at her. "I forgive you. I mean... you're She-Ra's girlfriend, you obviously can't be that bad."
"You... really forgive me?"
The girl nodded. "We've actually had a few former Horde soldiers come here to help fix up the town recently. Two days ago, a bunch of Horde Clones passed through here on their way to Dryl and they really helped with the rebuilding. Oh, and there was this woman with her who even offered to fix my arm!"
"Fix your arm?"
"Yeah, she was looking for any discarded tech from the invasion. She seemed to be REALLY into tech. I offered to help since we fought off some bots recently and figured she'd make much better use out of their junk that we could. She also really wanted to have some tiny snacks too, which was a bit weird, but we weren't complaining. She was really grateful for our help and took a look at my arm. My... old one used to glitch out a lot. It really used to mess me up really bad. So to thank me, the woman went and grabbed a bunch of the parts from the Horde bots and built me this shiny brand new arm! just like that It feels so much better to use. Like, it honestly feels better than my real arm ever felt if you can believe it!"
Catra looked at the surface of the prosthetic and noticed a familiar purple crystal, a signature of the woman who had designed and built it. Yeah, that sounded like Entrapta alright. She must have passed through Thaymor while she and Hordak were taking the Horde Clones to Dryl after the battle with Horde Prime.
"I'm glad," Catra stated. "In fact... I think that girl you're talking about was a friend of mine."
"Oh really? Well, next time you see her, tell her I said thanks again."
Grinning, Catra nodded. "Oh you bet I will!"
“Oh and just so you know, you’ve got nothing to worry about visiting here. We welcome basically everyone here!”
“That’s… really sweet of you,” Catra admitted, blushing softly.
Adora then looked around and saw some villages putting up some bunting on the nearby houses. "Hey, Leena, didn't you say something about a party?"
"Oh yeah, we're holding our festival to celebrate the war being over and Etheria being free!" Leena stated. "We'd have probably done it a day or two ago but... well the town was still pretty trashed. You two can come if you want... oh, hey, you were at the last party we had here weren't you!"
It was then that a thought came into Adora's mind. "Yeah... I was!" She looked at Catra.
"Why are you looking at me?" Catra inquired.
Looking back to Leena, Adora nodded. "Oh we'll happily come to the party. We just need to take care of one or two things first!"
"Yweah!" Swift Wind suddenly poked his head over Adora's shoulder with a mouthful of apples. "Wike fwind mwore ahwpples!"
Leena laughed. "Oh he's got quite an appetite, doesn't he?"
"You have nooooo idea," Adora teased.
"Come this way, Swift Wind, I'll take you to the buffet table!" Leena insisted. "Lots more apples there!"
"You had me at apples!" Swift Wind declared, before he chased after the younger girl.
Adora then smugly smirked at Catra again, who was still confused. "Okay, I know that look, just what do you have in mind anyway?"
A few moments later, Glimmer and Bow suddenly teleported to where Adora and Catra were. Adora still hadn't told Catra what her idea was, but it somehow involved those two.
"We came as soon as we could, Adora!" Glimmer chirped as she headed over to her two friends. "What's up?"
"Yeah, why'd you bring us all the way out to Thaymor?" Bow inquired.
Adora grinned. "Well, it just so happens that the people of Thaymor are having a little festival today to honour us for saving Etheria and all... and I was wondering, since the day I first met you we also went to a party here and had a really fun time and-"
"You wanna remake that first day we had but with Catra!" Glimmer squealed.
"Awww, that's so cute!" Bow cooed, his eyes sparkling. "I'm down!"
"Wait, what are you talking about?!" Catra barked.
Taking Catra's hands, Adora looked into her girlfriend's eyes. "Catra, that first day I had here... was one of the best of my life. But anytime I think back to it, I'm always going to feel hurt that it ended with you leaving and us becoming enemies... So since you're my girlfriend now, why don't we start all of this over, the right way?"
Sighing, Catra nodded. "Okay, if that's what my dork of a girlfriend wants.”
"Great, now let's take care of your makeover!" Bow cheered. "Gotta look just right for your first day with the Best Friend Squad!"
"I know just what she needs!" Glimmer added. "Be right back!" She then quickly disappeared in a flash of sparkling light.
"What do you-" Before Catra could finish, Bow had grabbed a pink flower from a nearby bush and tucked it behind her ear.
And then, before Catra could comment on that, Glimmer teleported back, holding one of her old capes. She then draped it over Catra's front, grinning with pride. "Now you look perfect!"
Catra fumed, grabbing at the sparkly garment covering her torso. "Okay, can someone please explain!"
"Oh, that's how I looked when I went to the party in Thaymor!" Adora added. "Glimmer and Bow said I had to cover up that I was a Horde Soldier."
"I... don't like this!" Catra complained.
"Awww, that's what Adora said too," Bow commented.
“How nostalgic,” Glimmer fawned over her friend.
"Adora, please, I look ridiculous!" Catra begged.
"Nope, you look wonderful!" Glimmer insisted.
Adora laughed. "It's true!"
"I hate all of you," Catra groaned in exasperation.
Catra giggled as she watched Adora stuffing her face as the whole village cheered and danced around them. She had never seen Adora eat so fast, but then again, with her appetite, why was she surprised? As Adora kept devouring basically everything on the buffet table, Catra looked around at Thaymor. She still felt it was surreal to come back here, the very place where she and Adora had found themselves on opposite sides two years ago, and yet she couldn't have been given a warmer welcome, since everyone here considered her as much a hero as Adora was. It was such a warm feeling, being genuinely celebrated.
So many people had already asked to say hi to them, to thank them, hug them and cheer for them as the saviours of the whole universe. Leena wasn't the only big She-Ra fan in this town, that was for sure.
Adora then attempted to say something, but her mouth was so full, any noise she made sounded garbled mumbling. "Mmmmfph!"
"Swallow, you dummy!" Catra reminded her girlfriend, laughing.
The blonde then gulped and swallowed. "BURP! Sorry!" She covered her mouth. "There's just so much food here... honestly, more food than they had here the last time."
"Well with the war over, all the trade routes are opening up again," Catra surmised. "Everyone's getting more food, more supplies, more everything."
"Mhm, that's probably right," Adora acknowledged, before she grabbed another bowl of food and began to scoff it down.
Catra quickly yanked Adora back and grabbed the bowl from her hands. "Take it easy will you. You'll make yourself sick again and I am not cleaning it up." Within minutes of getting to the buffet table, Adora had already eaten so much she had indeed thrown up.
"I can't help it!" Adora then blushed shyly.
For Adora's attempts at recreating her first day in Thamyor, she'd certainly succeeded. She was even wearing a pink flower in her own hair too and while Catra would say otherwise, she still looked precious in Glimmer's cape. She didn't remember what the festival was in honour of the last time she was here, but this time, it was all in hers and Catra's honour. They even had a giant She-Ra cake too, just like the one from Elberon.
Grumbling as she fiddled with her cape, Catra looked at Adora. "Think sparkles will mind if I take this off?"
"Yes."
"But I hate wearing this thing! You know I hate sparkly stuff!"
"But it's part of the 'First Day In Thaymor' look!"
Rolling her eyes, Catra knew it would probably disappoint Adora and the others if she did take the cape off completely. So a compromise was in order. Catra yanked the cape off and then threw it over her shoulder, fastening it in place. "How's that look?"
Looking at Catra, Adora stared in awe at how... handsome Catra looked with the cape over her shoulder. Her mind flashed back to her vision of her perfect future, when Catra's future self wore a similar cape over her shoulder. Her eyes went wide with sparkles. Did this mean that her vision would eventually come true? Eventually, Adora realised she'd probably gone far too long without replying to Catra's question. "Um... it looks really good on you!"
"Heh, it does... though I think red would be a better colour."
"What about um... white and gold?"
"Hmmmm... maybe. It does look good on you after all." Catra shot Adora a wink.
Adora flushed an even more deeper adorable shade of red.
"Hey, Adora, Catra!" A familiar voice then called to them.
Adora looked over, seeing Leena running over to the two of them, holding the hand of a beautiful Magicat woman with black fur and hair and golden eyes. As they arrived, Leena grinned at the Magicat. "This is my girlfriend, Pawlyne!"
"Hi, nice to meet you!" Adora greeted her.
"And you!" Pawlyne said shyly. "I couldn't believe it when Leena told me that the famous She-Ra and her girlfriend were coming to the festival. Are you enjoying yourselves?"
"Well, I think you're gonna need to be bringing out some more food here if Adora keeps up at the pace she's going," Catra snarked.
Leena laughed. "I'll let the others know that."
Pawlyne walked over to Catra and bowed before her. "It is an honour to meet one of our world’s saviours. You have done your people a great pride, Catra."
"I have?" Catra wondered. "I've never really... thought about my people all that much."
"There are quite a few of us here," Pawlyne stated. "If you want, I could introduce you."
"Perhaps later, but thanks for the offer," Catra acknowledged.
"Well, we'll see you girls around for the big dance later!" Leena chirped, taking her girlfriend's hand and leading her away. "See you around!"
Catra smiled fondly as she watched Leena and Pawlyne leave. She felt genuinely touched that someone of her own kind spoke so fondly of her. Meanwhile, Adora had gone back to the bowl of food Catra had taken from her earlier and was scoffing its contents down again.
As she finished eating, Adora gazed at a group of townsfolk who were dancing nearby. Glimmer and Bow were dancing with them. Adora was glad that this time, Glimmer was letting herself be free and enjoy the party. She also saw Swift Wind with a group of horses in the nearby stables, trying his best to strike up conversation with his old friends... though it seemed he wasn't having much luck, as the other horses seemed more interested in grazing on their hay.
Yeah, it looked like Adora's idea of recreating her first day was going off without a hitch.
Just then, Catra took Adora's hand. "You know... it's no wonder you realised how bad the Horde was after you hung out in a place like this." She admitted. "It's all so... happy and fun and peaceful."
"I knew you'd love this," Adora told her.
A deep sigh came from Catra. "Maybe... if I had gone with you that night instead of covering for you, found the sword with you, met Sparkles and Arrow boy with you... maybe I'd have defected with you and joined the Rebellion, maybe the sting of knowing you'd left me wouldn't have hurt me." She looked away and hugged herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just ignore me being stupid and stuff... don't let me ruin your party."
Adora cupped Catra's cheek. "Hey you aren't ruining anything, it's okay."
"Are you sure? Because... it's not like I didn't know the Horde was bad. Heck, there were times when I wanted to ask you to leave with me... but you wanted to stay and I wanted to be where you were... but that doesn't matter now, does it?"
"Catra... even if we were apart for two years, we're making up for all of that now," Adora reassured her. "I'm just glad I get to do this with you."
Catra leaned in and kissed Adora. "Me too... I love you Adora."
Adora kissed her back. "I love you more, Catra."
"Heh, impossible."
"It's totally possible! I saved the universe as She-Ra!" Adora smugly looked at Catra. "I can do anything!"
"Yeah, right," Catra snarked, taking a sip of her drink.
"Hey girls, the pinata is ready!" Glimmer called to the two of them.
"Oh! Oh, Catra you're gonna love this!" Adora insisted, grabbing Catra's hand and leading her away.
"The heck is Pinata?" Catra asked, as Adora brought them to the town square.
In front of them, was a tall tree with a large blue-purple fruit hanging from one of its branches on a rope. A group of children were swinging at the fruit with small sticks, trying to break it open.
"Basically, you need to hit the fruit until it breaks and you win!" Adora chirped. "I don't... I don't know why they do it, but it's fun!" She summoned her sword, ready to transform into She-Ra. "Hey kids, I'm here! You wanna see She-Ra kick this Pinatas butt?"
"Yeah!" One of them cried.
"She-Ra smash!" Another added.
Catra yanked Adora back. "Woah, woah, hang on, Princess, isn't using She-Ra on that thing a bit overdoing it?"
"Whaaaaat? No, it's fine!" Adora scoffed. "Trust me, the kids will love it!"
"Uh huh and are those kids still going to love it when you bring that whole tree down on their heads?"
Adora held up her finger for a moment and paused. "... Okay, you have a good point." A lightbulb went on in her head. "Hey! You wanna take a crack at it?"
"Now you're speaking my language!" Catra declared, grabbing a stick from the ground. "Okay kids, you wanna see a real pro take a swing at this weird fruit of yours? Watch this!"
Glimmer and Bow joined Adora. "Oh this is going to be fun," Glimmer remarked.
Catra stood before the hanging fruit, her stick clenched firmly in her hand. It was just like the old training dummies they had in the Horde. This would be a piece of cake. She twirled her stick around dramatically, wanting to show off to the kids. Then she took a flying leap at the Pinata, striking it from the side with her stick. Then she twirled around and struck it from the other side, before delivering a powerful slash from above to finish the job. The fruit broke apart with ease and Catra was drenched in the juices. The kids cheered and all ran around her, cheering her name.
"CATRA! CATRA! CATRA!"
Catra laughed in delight as she looked at Adora, genuinely happy.
Adora fondly gazed at Catra back. She hoped that she would eventually get to do all of her adventures over again with Catra in her life, as it was always meant to be.