Chapter Text
The next morning, the Best Friend Squad wakes up earlier than they would like; however, they are excited to finally be going to the Spirit World. Korra, Asami, Jinora, and Opal are going with them. They pack up for the day and head out before sunrise.
They enter the Spirit World through the Republic City Portal. The warm and bright light from the spirit portal fills everyone’s senses as they pass through the barrier between the physical and spirit worlds. When they exit the Spirit World, they are in the field of flowers that Korra and Asami saw the first time that they came to the Spirit World together. Asami and Korra smile at each other, happy that the field is restored.
“Oh. Oh wow.” Glimmer gasps. Glimmer shivers, briefly, as she enters the Spirit World. She feels energy that is so similar to what she felt on Krystis. That shouldn’t be possible though. This world doesn’t have magic, as far as she can tell. Bending has taken the place of magic. Glimmer pushes these thoughts down, dismissing them as being nervous being in a whole new world.
The rest of the Best Friend Squad is in silent awe. Even Entrapta is silent as she takes in the sights of the Spirit World. It's bright colors, shifting landscapes, moving skies, and energy pulsing everywhere that feels gentle and complete. Adora’s eyes flash bright blue without thinking. Something about this place feels familiar to Adora. Adora remembers when she handed Korra her sword that pulled them into the other place, a deep, spiritual place. Adora shakes her head, pulling herself back into the Spirit World, where her hand is entwined with Catra’s to keep her grounded.
Opal is also in quiet awe. She has spent the past three years meditating and learning about the Spirit World. Opal knew she would come to the Spirit World, someday, and now that she is here, she realizes that this – this is what the Air Nation is protecting. Opal knew the Spirit World was beautiful and awesome, but now, standing in the Spirit World, she fathoms the Spirit World’s sacredness.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jinora says quietly to Opal. Opal smiles at Jinora, nodding in agreement.
The group stays near the portal for quite some time. Korra, Jinora, and Asami are giving their friends time to adjust to their surroundings.
“Where – where should we go first?” Opal finally says quietly.
“We can go wherever you want,” Korra replies, “We can walk or bend space and time to go anywhere in the Spirit World.”
“Or we can fly.” Asami interrupts, pointing up. Two golden dragon bird spirits are flying to the group. Entrapta shrieks with glee. The spirits land lightly and the group walks towards the spirits. Korra leads Asami, Adora, and Catra to one of the spirits, helping them get onto the dragon bird. Jinora and Opal help Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta onto the second dragon bird. Once everyone is situated, the dragon birds take off. The colors and landscapes shift from purple and green rolling hills to blue and gray mountains to teal and bright blue lakes and rivers. The dragon birds land at a lake, swimming with their human passengers still riding on them. Entrapta yelps in excitement when a yellow-green, bunny-shaped spirit jumps out of the water and onto the dragon bird.
“Who are you?” The spirit inquires.
“I’m Entrapta. Who are you?”
“I’m Yoe. You’re not from our world, are you? I don’t recognize your energy. You’ve been around magic. Magic hasn’t existed in our world."
“Oh, I don’t have magic, but my friends do.”
Glimmer waves at Yoe from her place behind Bow. Yoe smiles at Glimmer and turns back to Entrapta.
“That’s ok. I like you! Come swim with me!” Yoe says happily. Entrapta nods, kicking off her boots and swims after Yoe, laughing. Glimmer and Bow laugh at the sight, taken aback by how peaceful and serene the Spirit World is.
“I’m so used to hearing about how spirits are dangerous and possessed. They’re always scary and bad. This place – it’s so unexpected.” Glimmer says to Opal and Jinora.
“The spirits are misunderstood, even in our world,” Jinora replies, “People fear them because they don’t understand them. The spirits are as much a part of the world as we are. They should be respected. Most spirits are neutral and want to live in peace. They become Dark Spirits when they are manipulated by outside forces, usually by humans.”
While Jinora is talking, the dragon birds have made it to the edge of the water. The group has dismounted and settled into a loose circle on the lakeshore, listening to Jinora speak. When Jinora finishes, everyone is quiet for a few moments, watching Entrapta swim in the lake with Yoe.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Catra responds, breaking the silence, “In the Horde, we were manipulated into thinking that magic was evil and used to destroy Etheria. It was Hordak’s mission to eliminate the princesses and free Etheria from their magic. We didn’t know that the whole planet is magic. It’s easy to instill fear and hate when it’s something you don’t understand. People don’t want to spend the time trying to understand something different from them. The spirits are very different, which is scary. I’ve had to push past those barriers and manipulations to learn the truth.”
“The people of Republic City had to do what you did, Catra, once the spirit vines took over the city and the spirits started living there. Once we found a way to rebuild the city, to cooperate with humans and spirits, that helped soothe the tensions between humans and spirits. They started to become friends with each other.” Asami says, smiling lightly at Catra.
“Asami was a huge help during the rebuilding process in Republic City,” Opal chimes in, “She knew how to reason with both people and spirits. It got to the point where the Air Nation could focus on the rest of the world, instead of just in Republic City.”
“I didn’t know that!” Korra says accusingly to Asami.
“I mentioned my work in my letters to you.” Asami teases. Korra blushes slightly as she mumbles an apology.
“It’s ok, Korra,” Asami says softly, “You were still recovering. I’ve forgiven you for being gone. You needed that time to heal and rest; however, you did inspire your friends to keep doing the work that you had started. You don’t have to do it all.”
“Try telling that to Adora.” Glimmer interrupts, smirking over at Adora.
“Hey – well, yeah, that’s accurate. It’s easy to do it all when you can turn into an eight-foot-tall warrior with unlimited magic.”
“You have magic?! Can I see it?” A spirit materializes in front of Adora, making her fall back into Catra. Everyone laughs as Adora gets up to face the spirit.
“Oh! Of course. Hang on.” Adora recovers quickly, standing up.
She raises her arm to call on the Sword of Protection. It appears instantly and Adora shouts, “For the Honor of Grayskull!” Bright light fills the air as Adora transforms into She-Ra. When she is transformed, more spirits have appeared. Even the dragon birds, Yoe, and Entrapta are back to see She-Ra.
“You really do have magic!” Yoe gasps excitedly, “This is amazing!! I’ve heard myths of magic existing, a long time ago, even before the Lion Turtle Cities. No one knows why the magic left our world. It must’ve been before the humans lived on the Lion Turtles for protection.”
“Not even the ancient ones knew much about magic.” Another spirit says slowly. The spirit approaches She-Ra. He looks old, almost human, and part cat.
“Who are you? Do you know anything about magic in our world?” Jinora asks.
“I am Tsung. I was a human back when we lived on the Lion Turtles. I was overtaken by a spirit one day when I was hunting. It turned me into this. When I died, I came to the Spirit World and have been here ever since. I learned the ways of the spirits and communed with many ancient spirits. I had heard whispers of magic for a long time. It was believed to be a myth. Who are you and where are you from?” Tsung turns to She-Ra.
“I’m She-Ra. We are from a distant planet called Etheria,” She-Ra replies, “We traveled to this world to find allies to help bring balance back to the universe. We never imagined finding the world we did, so connected to nature and spirits. It’s an honor to meet you, all of you.”
“You have come to the right place,” Tsung bows to She-Ra and then turns to Korra, “Avatar, you should take them to the Tree of Time. It’d be curious to see what connections are made there.”
“That’s a wonderful idea! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”
“What’s the Tree of Time?” Bow inquires.
“It’s a tree with roots that bind the spirit and physical worlds together. If you meditate under the tree, you can connect with the cosmic energy of the universe. I’m sure the dragon bird would take us there.”
“Good luck, all. I hope to see you all again soon.” Tsung smiles at the group. Everyone waves at Tsung, Yoe, and all of the other spirits as the dragon birds soar into the air, above the lake, and deeper into the Spirit World.
They arrive at the Tree of Time quickly, passing the rest of the Spirit World in a rush of colors and changing scenery. When the dragon birds land and the group dismounts, everyone is quiet, taking in their surroundings from the gnarled and tall Tree of Time to the bright and shining Northern and Southern Spirit portals.
“Where do those portals go?” Entrapta asks.
“One goes to the North Pole, home to the Northern Water Tribe. The other goes to the South Pole, home to the Southern Water Tribe, where I am from,” Korra explains.
“So, what do we do now?” Glimmer asks.
“Anyone who wants to can meditate inside the Tree of Time. You should be able to see your memories. I’ve only meditated here twice, once during Harmonic Convergence and again when I was trying to heal from being poisoned.”
“I’ve always wanted to meditate inside the Tree of Time,” Jinora sighs. Opal nudges Jinora towards the Tree of Time.
“Oh! No, our guests can go first.”
“Actually, we’d rather see someone else go first. The Spirit World is still all new to us,” Bow smiles at Jinora encouragingly. Jinora takes a deep breath and starts walking over to the Tree of Time. She has read so much about the Tree of Time, had heard Korra talk about when she meditated inside the Tree of Time during Harmonic Convergence. To be here now, steps away from such an ancient and sacred place was immensely humbling for Jinora. Jinora gently walks inside the Tree of Time, breathing deeply.
Jinora’s memories immediately fill the roots inside the Tree. She sees her Dad learning that Jinora is an Airbender for the first time. Jinora can feel her Dad’s excitement and joy. The memory shifts as she sees herself flying for the first time. Jinora feels the wind tickling her face and the joy of freedom as she soared through the skies. The memory shifts again and Jinora sees herself talking with Gran-Gran as she learns about the Avatar and how important the Avatar is to the world, and finally, how her grandfather was the Avatar, and also the only Airbender until her Dad was born.
Once more, the memory shifts, and Jinora sees herself in the library on Air Temple Island as she reads book after book about the Avatar, about the 100 Year War, about the genocide of the Air Nation, about how the world was thrown out of balance for so long and how her grandfather, Aang, and his friends, saved the world. Jinora is struck by the weight of her family, of the legacy they left on the world, and how Jinora would be responsible for helping the new Avatar, whenever they made their way to Air Temple Island. Inside the library, Jinora had fallen into a fitful sleep, filled with overwhelming emotions and burdens. This is where Gran-Gran finds her.
“Oh Jinora, what’s wrong?”
“Gran-Gran, it’s all too much. I can’t carry this weight. I’m just a child,” Jinora cries to Katara. Katara wraps Jinora into a hug and lets her granddaughter cry.
“Jinora, your grandfather wasn’t alone. My friends and I made sure of that. We helped him build a new home for himself, for our family, and for his people. It’ll take time to rebuild the Air Nation. I know that you’re more than up to the task. You’re a true Airbending Master and leader. You’ve helped the world in so many ways.”
“What? I’m not a master in this memory.”
“No, not when I found you in the library so many years ago, but you are now,” Katara pulls away from Jinora and Jinora realizes that she has been meditating this entire time, that she has connected with her spiritual self, and somehow, Katara is with her.
“Jinora, you have proven yourself to be a force to reckoned with. I’m so proud of you, Jinora, and I know Aang is proud of you, too. You’ve found friends and allies because of who you are, not because of who your family is. You are an incredible young woman, who will lead our people into this new age.”
“Thank you, Gran-Gran. How are you here?”
“You called me here. Now, it’s time for me to go,” Katara smiles at Jinora. Jinora hugs Katara one more time as she begins to fade back to her physical body. When Jinora pulls out from her meditative state, she is crying. Her memories are still inside the Tree, and Kai is at the forefront, smiling at Jinora.
“You got this, Jinora,” Kai says. Jinora laughs weakly and gets up to leave the Tree, feeling more at peace than she has for a long time.
As Jinora is meditating inside the Tree of Time, everyone else is meandering around, waiting and observing the new area. It’s not as lively as other parts of the Spirit World, something that Bow and Entrapta notice.
“Why do you think it’s not as bright and colorful as other parts of the Spirit World?” Entrapta asks Bow.
“I’m not sure. I wonder if it has to do with being so close to the physical world? Or maybe the Tree of Time?” Bow replies uncertainty.
“We could see if there are answers inside the Tree!”
“Maybe. We shouldn’t try to do anything to the Tree, Entrapta. It’s sacred.”
“Oh, I won’t touch the Tree or anything like that. I just want to observe it! Maybe, we can go next!” Entrapta says impatiently. Bow looks towards the Tree of Time as Jinora is exiting the Tree. Bow glances over to Glimmer who’s standing nearby.
“I think Entrapta wants to go look inside the Tree. Someone should go with her,” Bow says to Glimmer. Glimmer nods and motions for Bow to follow Entrapta, who is already halfway to the Tree. Bow sighs and runs after Entrapta.
Entrapta reaches the Tree of Time as Bow catches up with her. They are both quiet as they walk into the Tree. Nothing shows up inside the Tree and Entrapta looks disappointed as she walks around inside the Tree.
“This is it? It’s a bunch of roots and a carved-out hole inside a tree. How’s this tree even still alive?”
“It’s spiritual, Entrapta. I don’t know if science can fully explain how the Tree of Time.”
“Hm, you’re probably right. I’m going to look around outside, see if I notice anything. Don’t worry, I won’t touch anything,” Entrapta says quickly as she bounds out of the Tree, leaving Bow alone. Suddenly, his memories fill the Tree’s roots. Bow stumbles back, falling onto the ground. Bow re-positions himself to sit on the floor as he stares at his memories.
Bow sees himself befriending Glimmer during a festival in Bright Moon, long before he joined the Rebellion. They became fast friends, causing all sorts of havoc inside the palace, especially once Glimmer learns how to teleport. The memory shifts to when Bow starts to learn archery, realizing he is really good at it, and how is inspired to join the Rebellion the more time he spends in Bright Moon with Glimmer and Queen Angella. Bow feels his sense of purpose flood his being, that he was always meant to help defend and protect Etheria.
The memory changes once more, to when he and Entrapta are repairing Darla to go rescue Glimmer from Horde Prime. Entrapta and Bow work well together. Entrapta has incredible ideas, and Bow helps keep Entrapta focused on the task at hand, while contributing his own ideas. His purpose has shifted from defending Etheria to rebuilding and forging alliances. As much as his friends teased him for his readiness to find allies, he is so relieved that they found friends, people that they could build trust with, and maybe help Etheria rebuild the universe from Horde Prime. It’s everything Bow has hoped for, a bright future, with Glimmer at his side every step of the way. The memories start to fade as Bow pulls himself out of his meditation.
“Whoa,” Bow says quietly to himself. He gets up slowly, feeling assured in his purpose and being. Bow stops to take one last look at the Tree of Time and he sees Glimmer in his memories, throughout his life, smiling at him widely. Bow grins and walks out of the Tree. Bow walks swiftly over to Glimmer, who isn’t waiting too far away from the Tree of Time. He pulls her into a hug and a kiss.
“What’s that for?” Glimmer asks, confused and delighted by Bow’s affections.
“’ Cause I love you, that’s why,” Bow beams down at Glimmer.
“I love you, too. Is it my turn now?” Glimmer inquires. Bow nods, stepping back so Glimmer can approach the Tree of Time. Glimmer takes a deep breath and walks with purpose into the Tree of Time.
The first memory Glimmer sees is her Mom, smiling widely at Glimmer. Her Dad appears next, in a different memory, when Glimmer first saw him – alive – while she was on Horde Prime’s ship. The memories start pouring in rapidly, from when she first met Bow at the festival in Bright Moon to finding Adora in the Whispering Woods to getting captured by Catra and Shadow Weaver to losing her powers and then reuniting the princesses at the Battle of Bright Moon to interrogating Shadow Weaver and learning more about her connection to magic, magic outside of the Moon Stone.
Magic outside of the Moon Stone.
Magic exists inside Glimmer. She felt it on Krytis. She feels something similar, energy so much like magic as she sits inside the Tree of Time. Something bigger than the spirits, than the Avatar and She-Ra, something waiting to be tapped into and explored by Glimmer.
Glimmer closes her eyes and she is standing right next to the Republic City Spirit portal. Energy and spirits are pulsing everywhere, all around here. It doesn’t feel threatening, but rather alive, and ready for Glimmer. Glimmer draws the rune that makes illusions appear and casts it. Suddenly, trees are erupting all around her, forming a circle around Glimmer. It’s unlike anything she has cast before. It’s connected to the spirits as the dance and run through the trees. They smile and coo at Glimmer for her magic. Glimmer opens her eyes and she is back at the Tree of Time. She draws the rune to make illusions appear once more and small vines appear in front of her and all around. She can cast runes in the Spirit World. Now more than ever, Glimmer is convinced that this new world, and especially the Spirit World, is a key player in restoring life – and magic – to the universe. Glimmer sighs loudly as she gets up from the ground. So much is happening, and it’s all so exciting to discover magic in the Spirit World. There’s much to discuss and plan, and also so much to appreciate, like her Dad, Bow, and her friends.
When Glimmer leaves the Tree of Time, she noticed some tension between Adora and Catra. Glimmer shares a look with Catra, who shrugs. Catra turns back to Adora, continuing their conversation.
“Glimmer is done. I think you should go in there,” Catra says softly to Adora. Adora shakes her head furiously.
“Why not?” Catra demands. Adora holds her head in her hands, shaking it more. Catra looks around and sees that Korra is approaching them. As Korra reaches the couple, Adora starts talking.
“Because all of this spirit-y stuff, it doesn’t make any sense to me. I’m better at fighting and planning out quests and missions. Not anything like this,” Adora says defensively.
“I was the same way. It takes a lot of practice and patience to be still and listen – listen to yourself and to those around you. Adora, I think going into the Tree if Time would be good for you,” Korra says encouragingly. Catra nods in agreement as she gently pulls Adora to her feet. Adora smiles lightly at Catra and sighs.
“Ok, fine, I’ll go into the Tree.”
At first, when Adora enters the Tree of Time, her memories don’t appear. Adora sits down and tries to focus on her breathing and clearing her head, just like Perfuma taught her. It’s a challenge because Adora’s never been one to stay still for long. She loves to move and take action, not sit and reflect. It’s been the hardest part of recovering and rebuilding from the war.
The war.
The war that tore her and Catra apart, but also the war that wound up bringing them back together.
The war that pulled Etheria out of Despondos and into the wider universe, that lead them to here.
Adora’s eyes snap open and she is flooded with memories, of her time in the Horde; when she met Catra as a child; when she trained endlessly with the Horde and then laughed and whispered with Catra all-night long. The memories play on a loop with Adora training, training to become the best Horde soldier; however, never really knowing why they were in a war. Adora felt herself lose her purpose as she continued to excel in training. Adora sees when she was finally promoted, only to leave that fateful night and never come back once she found the Sword of Protection. The memories keep coming as Adora grappled with her destiny as She-Ra more times than she cared to remember, even as she was hanging onto her life as the Heart of Etheria was activated – first by Glimmer and then by Horde Prime – and how easily Adora accepted her fate.
“What do you want, Adora?” Catra’s voice echoes in Adora’s head.
“You’re worth more than what you give to other people, Adora,” Mara says solemnly to Adora, so quiet in Adora’s head and heart.
What Adora is sure of now, that she wasn’t sure of before, is that fate and destiny can be changed, and it clearly has changed. She didn’t expect to find allies and friends so readily, people who care and help others the same way that she has always tried to help everyone.
The memory of her and Korra’s first fight, and all the ones after, come into sharper focus. They move easily and precisely around each other, matching each other blow-for-blow, in ways that Adora has never moved before, not even against Catra – or even as She-Ra. Korra is a true equal to Adora and She-Ra. Korra is an intensely driven and compassionate person who could work with Adora to restore balance to the universe.
Adora’s eyes snap open and she is on that bridge again, with Korra. Adora reacts immediately and leaps through the bridge, falling back to her body. Adora gasps loudly as she pulls out of her meditation. It had all felt so real with Catra, Mara, and Korra. Everything was so sharp and clear. For once, though, Adora was more curious than anxious about the meeting place for her spirit; however, Adora doesn’t want to go into it alone. She needs to find a time to come back to the Tree of Time with Korra, to forge their connection together.
Sighing, Adora gets up and walks out of the Tree of Time. Almost everyone is waiting, now, for Adora to exit the Tree.
“What?” Adora asks, concerned, “Was I in there too long?”
“I don’t think so! We were betting if you had transformed or not. Turns out not,” Entrapta says. Adora laughs as she looks around for Catra. She sees that Catra is standing with Asami, talking. Korra approaches Adora, smiling.
“How’d it go?”
“It – it was interesting, that’s for sure. What happened to everyone else?” Adora deflects, turning to Glimmer and Bow.
“I – I cast a rune inside the Tree of Time,” Glimmer says eagerly.
“What? Glimmer, that’s incredible!” Adora exclaims. Bow nods in agreement.
“I definitely think this world, both its physical and spirit world, can help us restore and bring balance to the universe,” Glimmer says confidently.
“I think we can help, and I would like help. Now that we know there are other worlds out there, I think we should learn everything we can, and help wherever we can, too,” Jinora replies, smiling broadly.
“We’ll definitely discuss all of this during the world leader summit. Speaking of which, we should start heading back to Republic City,” Korra says as she looks up to see that the dragon birds returning. They seem to know just when the group will need a ride back to the portal.
“I can’t believe how amazing the Spirit World is,” Bow sighs as they start flying back to the Republic City Spirit portal.
“It truly is a beautiful and magical place,” Opal agrees.
All too soon, they are dismounting from the dragon birds a final time and walking back through the spirit portal into Republic City, where preparations and meetings are being planned in earnest for the world leader summit that starts the next morning in Republic City.