Magic of Etheria

Chapter 1 | The First Morning of Peace

(A/N: This chapter was entirely rewritten and republished on 12th April 2021)

Three years. Or thereabouts. That's how long it had been since I last woke up to find Catra in my bed. Those three years away from her had filled me with a loneliness I could never hope to describe in any kind of meaningful way, even though Glimmer and Bow were there to support me through it all. They had even gone to the length of sleeping in my room with me for the first few nights while I adjusted to not sleeping in a barracks surrounded by the other cadets. I will always be incredibly thankful for everything they did to help me feel at home in Bright Moon.

However, even though three whole years separated the last time I was in a bed with Catra (I still wasn't really sure if sharing the cot with her that time on Darla counted) this was the first time I had woken up to the sound of her purring softly against my collarbone. A warmth spread through me as the realisation hit that this was, in fact, real. Catra really was here, in my bed with me, with an arm draped over my waist. I dared not move for fear of waking her, for fear of shattering the dream of a moment I had woken up to. I couldn't think of a better way to wake up on Etheria's first morning of true peace.

Daylight streamed in through the open balcony doors and a light breeze gently nudged the curtains into a fleeting impromptu dance. The rest of the room bathed in the golden light, soaking it up and beaming it back out, giving the impression that the room itself was glowing.

I closed my eyes and relaxed back into the bed, just listening to the sound of Catra's purr, revelling in the feeling of the vibrations stirring in her chest against me. For the first time that morning, I let my mind wander beyond the walls of my bedroom. Yesterday had actually happened. I still couldn't quite believe it. We defeated Horde Prime, saved Etheria, and Catra...

Catra confessed to me, and I to her.

I could feel my face flushing bright red as that moment flashed though my mind once again; the Heart of Etheria glowing fiercely behind Catra, framing her face in a golden-green glow. Then, she leant down and kissed me, and everything clicked. I had always danced around these feelings, never quite being able to put a name to them until yesterday, but I realised when the temple showed me all of Catra at different moments in her- in our life, that I loved her. That I had always loved her, and always will. That kiss, that overwhelming feeling of love, had been enough for She-Ra to appear, if involuntarily on my part. I remembered parting from the kiss and putting Catra back down on the ground, staring down at her with a stupid grin on my face. "Wow." I had said. "Don't ruin it." She replied.

After arriving back in Bright Moon yesterday we found that the majority of the city's residents had already returned, having seen Bow's message and joined the fight against the Galactic Horde, leaving the safety of their hidden camps and returning home once all the clones disappeared. The spired remained, but no-one seemed to care just yet, they were a problem for a different day. The city threw a huge impromptu celebration upon our return to Bright Moon, welcoming us home as heroes and celebrating our collective victory over the Horde. All of us danced, sang, ate, drank, and laughed the night away, just enjoying the feeling of complete freedom at long last. Once the festivities started slowing down, well into the night, everyone began turning in one by one, or two by two in some cases.

I absentmindedly began tracing the stripes on Catra's arm, still draped over my waist, with my free hand. My other arm still firmly trapped at my side underneath her. Catra had followed me when I left the party to turn in for the night but seemed to get quite defensive and standoffish when I suggested staying with me. She had turned around, blurted out "see you in the morning," before bounding away down the hallway with Melog in hot pursuit. After hearing her say that, I had not expected to find her in my room in the morning, much less wake up with her half-draped over me – but here she was. She must have come back at some point during the night once I had managed to still my worry enough to fall asleep, getting changed into just her grey top and shorts that I had grabbed for her from my bag of clothes on Darla.