Warnings: violence, war, captivity Themes: hope, battle, robots, war, family
Memory One You look up from where you're kneeling, in front of your father's unconscious form, to the sight of Bow, your friend, your boyfriend, standing tall in the hologram of Horde Prime's ship, and your heart swells at the sight of him being okay. He did it - he got the code, he undid Horde Prime's mind control chips.
"Hey everyone. I'm Bow." His voice is calm, collected, like he always is, and it rings across Etheria, echoed by the dozen other giant holograms where Prime's bases are set up. "Prime is probably trying to get his channel back right now, so I have to make this quick. Prime's controlled the universe for a long time. Right now, we're the only things standing in the way of him controlling it forever."
You stumble to your feet as he continues, as his voice slowly becomes more impassioned. "You might be feeling hopeless. You might be thinking 'we don't stand a chance', and maybe... we don't. Prime's too strong, his army's too powerful." The sound of a teleporter catches your ears - You, and the other princesses standing with you, turn away to look at the top of the cliffs surrounding you, at the dozens - hundreds - of Prime clones flickering into existence around the rim. But Bow's voice echoes over the top. "But that's not gonna stop us. We need to show Prime we're not afraid of him - because we have each other. And we have love."
In the corner of your eye, you see Netossa and Spinnerella step together to guard Mermista, and the wives smile at each other; and Frosta and Perfuma moving closer together, to stand protectively in front of your dad and Castaspella, your aunt kneeling and cradling your older brother's form. "We can't give up. And if we go down, we go down together. We need you. All of you."
"It's time to fight." You feel the magic in the air, as your fellow princesses pool their powers, summoning their elements to their sides; you feel the ground tremble beneath your feet from the force of Perfuma's vines bursting from the ground on your right; feel the edges of a powerful wind cool the sweat on your brow as Spinnerella summons a hurricane-force gale around you. Feel your own magic shine inside you, sparkle around your hands, and flow through you, as you pull on the very depths of your magic, making it lance around you in a flashing aura of energy that blasts away from you. Power, hope, and your boyfriend's triumphant words fill you with determination. "For She-Ra, for our homes, and for each other!"
You put your fists together, and start blasting.
Memory Two They finally did it. Adora and Catra got to the Heart of Etheria, they did it. They're all safe.
She-Ra came out, glowing in a way you've never seen her before, glowing like a star, grass blooming before her, and used her magic to make the world around them blossom. You had felt its sheer power, as it washed over you and the other Princesses and completely cleared your wounds, restored your energy.
You detache yourself from Bow, and he lets you, as you turn to move back towards your father and aunt, as Castaspella helps him up from the ground. You just watche for a moment; he's okay, after everything that Prime made him do. No more dark magic tainting his mind and rotting his skin - just the old scars he's earned, a tired groan as Castaspella grips his shoulders gently to ease him upright; and a true, blissful lightness in your heart that you havn't felt before in your life.
His voice is hoarse, but his eyes are clear when he lifts his head to look at you. "...Glimmer...?"
Tears swell in your eyes and you don't try and stop them. "Hi, Dad."
"I-- you..." Micah straightens, steps forward. He looks a bit confused, for a moment, until he straightens up and holds a hand out to shake. "Hello, I'm your dad!"
You ignore it, and go straight for the hug, gripping him tight and sobbing your relief into his chest. "Dad!"
Memory Three "Are you comfortable, your Majesty?"
Horde Prime moves down the length of the table with an easy confidence, in stark contrast to Glimmer's tight, anxious form. Even Catra, sitting halfway down the long table as Horde Prime takes his seat at the head, looks uncomfortable and concerned. Horde Prime gives her a patient look, and continues monologuing talking even as Glimmer exchanges a glance with Catra, who glares between her to Horde Prime. "I strive to treat my guests well. I believe we can learn a great deal from one another."
As one of Horde Prime's brothers places a dish in front of him, lifting the lid to let the steam escape in a quiet hiss, Glimmer and Catra look down at their plates. They have the same kind of gelatinous dish, with something dark in its core. Maybe a fruit, Glimmer can't say for sure. But she's a queen, so. Appearances need to be kept up. She picks up the spoon and takes a bite; though she's not sure if it's good or not, when everything is being filtered through her fear.
"Ahh." She looks up sharply when Horde Prime speaks again, but she keeps eating, because despite herself she is hungry. "Enjoyable, yes? It's a delicacy from a distant world, light years away from here. It was very much like Etheria."
The name of her home fills her with dread, and she pauses to watch Horde Prime. "This dish is incredibly rare, as that world no longer exists."
Glimmer looks down at her plate again, and her trembling hands drop the spoon as a sudden, enormous fear grips her heart, and she can't help a small gasp as she brings her hand to her mouth, leaning back in her chair and gripping herself as her heartbeat quickens, the hunger disappears into the crushing void of ice her stomach has turned into, and the world around her fades to static for a moment as she just. Reels. She looks up at Horde Prime, and he just sits there, smiling at her. "Seconds?"
It takes all her power to lower her hands and sit properly again, to keep her voice from shaking as she quietly says, "No. Thank you."
"Speaking of Etheria, you must miss it terribly. Would you like to see your homeworld now?"
Horde Prime snaps his fingers, and the huge peacock tail of a screen behind him bursts into life - with screaming, burning tents, running villagers, and Glimmer can't help another gasp, feels her eyes sting as tears fill her eyes. "No..." The other princesses, her friends, being swarmed by robots, Bow on his knees and in pain - she shoots to her feet, vaguely aware of Catra suddenly sitting upright in shock. "Why are you doing this?"
"Every rebellion forms around a leader, a beacon of hope," Horde Prime explains, his tone utterly luxurious, as he turns towards the screens - one changes, flickering with static. "That little note of discord."
And then it solidifies, taking over the whole display. "Ah, there she is, your beacon of hope. Adora." (Glimmer doesn't notice the sound of Catra's claws scraping against the table.) "She-Ra. A nuisance that must be purged in order to bring peace to Etheria."
Glimmer can only watch, as Adora tackles one of the robots, before another blasts her and sends her rolling, blasts the staff she's using away and surround her, as she covers her face and screams, "No!!"
"Stop!" Glimmer's voice is desperate, breaking, as she gasps. "Don't hurt her!" She hears more of his clones surround her, but she ignores them, trying to keep her voice even. "Y-you wanna use the weapon. Right? You need all the princesses, and-and that includes She-Ra! Without her, the Heart of Etheria is useless." She feels tears pour down her face, as she tries to glare at Horde Prime. "You can't hurt her."
Horde Prime just keeps staring at her with that smug little smile, until he finally speaks. "Very well.
"This has been most illuminating. Thank you, Glimmer. I do look forward to more of our conversations."She feels so hollow, so numb, and her legs give way as she stares blankly at the table, letting Horde Prime's praise wash over her and ignoring the clones setting more plates around her. It doesn't serve to make her feel less shaken and drained, or less anxious. Quite the opposite. She just stares at her food, not feeling hungry anymore.
Glimmer | Maniette
Themes: hope, battle, robots, war, family
Memory One You look up from where you're kneeling, in front of your father's unconscious form, to the sight of Bow, your friend, your boyfriend, standing tall in the hologram of Horde Prime's ship, and your heart swells at the sight of him being okay. He did it - he got the code, he undid Horde Prime's mind control chips.
"Hey everyone. I'm Bow." His voice is calm, collected, like he always is, and it rings across Etheria, echoed by the dozen other giant holograms where Prime's bases are set up. "Prime is probably trying to get his channel back right now, so I have to make this quick. Prime's controlled the universe for a long time. Right now, we're the only things standing in the way of him controlling it forever."
You stumble to your feet as he continues, as his voice slowly becomes more impassioned. "You might be feeling hopeless. You might be thinking 'we don't stand a chance', and maybe... we don't. Prime's too strong, his army's too powerful." The sound of a teleporter catches your ears - You, and the other princesses standing with you, turn away to look at the top of the cliffs surrounding you, at the dozens - hundreds - of Prime clones flickering into existence around the rim. But Bow's voice echoes over the top. "But that's not gonna stop us. We need to show Prime we're not afraid of him - because we have each other. And we have love."
In the corner of your eye, you see Netossa and Spinnerella step together to guard Mermista, and the wives smile at each other; and Frosta and Perfuma moving closer together, to stand protectively in front of your dad and Castaspella, your aunt kneeling and cradling your older brother's form. "We can't give up. And if we go down, we go down together. We need you. All of you."
"It's time to fight." You feel the magic in the air, as your fellow princesses pool their powers, summoning their elements to their sides; you feel the ground tremble beneath your feet from the force of Perfuma's vines bursting from the ground on your right; feel the edges of a powerful wind cool the sweat on your brow as Spinnerella summons a hurricane-force gale around you. Feel your own magic shine inside you, sparkle around your hands, and flow through you, as you pull on the very depths of your magic, making it lance around you in a flashing aura of energy that blasts away from you. Power, hope, and your boyfriend's triumphant words fill you with determination. "For She-Ra, for our homes, and for each other!"
You put your fists together, and start blasting.
Memory Two They finally did it. Adora and Catra got to the Heart of Etheria, they did it. They're all safe.
She-Ra came out, glowing in a way you've never seen her before, glowing like a star, grass blooming before her, and used her magic to make the world around them blossom. You had felt its sheer power, as it washed over you and the other Princesses and completely cleared your wounds, restored your energy.
You detache yourself from Bow, and he lets you, as you turn to move back towards your father and aunt, as Castaspella helps him up from the ground. You just watche for a moment; he's okay, after everything that Prime made him do. No more dark magic tainting his mind and rotting his skin - just the old scars he's earned, a tired groan as Castaspella grips his shoulders gently to ease him upright; and a true, blissful lightness in your heart that you havn't felt before in your life.
His voice is hoarse, but his eyes are clear when he lifts his head to look at you. "...Glimmer...?"
Tears swell in your eyes and you don't try and stop them. "Hi, Dad."
"I-- you..." Micah straightens, steps forward. He looks a bit confused, for a moment, until he straightens up and holds a hand out to shake. "Hello, I'm your dad!"
You ignore it, and go straight for the hug, gripping him tight and sobbing your relief into his chest. "Dad!"
Memory Three "Are you comfortable, your Majesty?"
Horde Prime moves down the length of the table with an easy confidence, in stark contrast to Glimmer's tight, anxious form. Even Catra, sitting halfway down the long table as Horde Prime takes his seat at the head, looks uncomfortable and concerned. Horde Prime gives her a patient look, and continues monologuing talking even as Glimmer exchanges a glance with Catra, who glares between her to Horde Prime. "I strive to treat my guests well. I believe we can learn a great deal from one another."
As one of Horde Prime's brothers places a dish in front of him, lifting the lid to let the steam escape in a quiet hiss, Glimmer and Catra look down at their plates. They have the same kind of gelatinous dish, with something dark in its core. Maybe a fruit, Glimmer can't say for sure. But she's a queen, so. Appearances need to be kept up. She picks up the spoon and takes a bite; though she's not sure if it's good or not, when everything is being filtered through her fear.
"Ahh." She looks up sharply when Horde Prime speaks again, but she keeps eating, because despite herself she is hungry. "Enjoyable, yes? It's a delicacy from a distant world, light years away from here. It was very much like Etheria."
The name of her home fills her with dread, and she pauses to watch Horde Prime. "This dish is incredibly rare, as that world no longer exists."
Glimmer looks down at her plate again, and her trembling hands drop the spoon as a sudden, enormous fear grips her heart, and she can't help a small gasp as she brings her hand to her mouth, leaning back in her chair and gripping herself as her heartbeat quickens, the hunger disappears into the crushing void of ice her stomach has turned into, and the world around her fades to static for a moment as she just. Reels. She looks up at Horde Prime, and he just sits there, smiling at her. "Seconds?"
It takes all her power to lower her hands and sit properly again, to keep her voice from shaking as she quietly says, "No. Thank you."
"Speaking of Etheria, you must miss it terribly. Would you like to see your homeworld now?"
Horde Prime snaps his fingers, and the huge peacock tail of a screen behind him bursts into life - with screaming, burning tents, running villagers, and Glimmer can't help another gasp, feels her eyes sting as tears fill her eyes. "No..." The other princesses, her friends, being swarmed by robots, Bow on his knees and in pain - she shoots to her feet, vaguely aware of Catra suddenly sitting upright in shock. "Why are you doing this?"
"Every rebellion forms around a leader, a beacon of hope," Horde Prime explains, his tone utterly luxurious, as he turns towards the screens - one changes, flickering with static. "That little note of discord."
And then it solidifies, taking over the whole display. "Ah, there she is, your beacon of hope. Adora." (Glimmer doesn't notice the sound of Catra's claws scraping against the table.) "She-Ra. A nuisance that must be purged in order to bring peace to Etheria."
Glimmer can only watch, as Adora tackles one of the robots, before another blasts her and sends her rolling, blasts the staff she's using away and surround her, as she covers her face and screams, "No!!"
"Stop!" Glimmer's voice is desperate, breaking, as she gasps. "Don't hurt her!" She hears more of his clones surround her, but she ignores them, trying to keep her voice even. "Y-you wanna use the weapon. Right? You need all the princesses, and-and that includes She-Ra! Without her, the Heart of Etheria is useless." She feels tears pour down her face, as she tries to glare at Horde Prime. "You can't hurt her."
Horde Prime just keeps staring at her with that smug little smile, until he finally speaks. "Very well.
"This has been most illuminating. Thank you, Glimmer. I do look forward to more of our conversations."She feels so hollow, so numb, and her legs give way as she stares blankly at the table, letting Horde Prime's praise wash over her and ignoring the clones setting more plates around her. It doesn't serve to make her feel less shaken and drained, or less anxious. Quite the opposite. She just stares at her food, not feeling hungry anymore.