Azure's POV

I was getting really irritated, it was late, and no one was speaking to each other.  "I am taking a walk outside, clear my head, you know?" I mumbled and Bow nodded.

"Go ahead Azure."  I nodded curtly at him before looking down at Glimmer, trying to convey something to her without words.  Glimmer just nodded her head once, and turning on my heal, I left.

I made it out of the room without acting on the want to break something, wolf out, anything. I froze in the open library room, my fist's clenched as I heard all conversations overlapping. I heard Bow consoling Glimmer, Adora talking with Lance and George above me. I felt so alone.

"I am so alone." I whispered under my breath.  I sighed, looking ahead at the door.  "Adora, I am going to head back home." I called up to her, and she looked over the banister at me.

"What? Why?" She asked.

I looked down and clenched my fists.  "I just have to." I told her, and Lance looked over the edge as well.

"But it's dark out." He pointed out, and I nodded.

"All the better to think in." I said with a wave and turned towards the door.  I could feel Adora's eyes on me until I was halfway through the library to the door.  I reached for the door handle when a pale light flashed behind me. Casting my shadow up the wall. I whirled around, seeing Something crash through the banister. I stared in shock as a creature reared up and roared. It was so familiar, just like the ones in the Northern Reach.

"It's an Elemental. This will be a piece of cake." Adora said from the side.

"I was in one of those things mouth last time, I don't want to relive that again, Adora." I snapped, getting in a crouch.

"Adora wait!" Bow shouted as Adora pulled her sword out of the vase he had originally stuffed it into.

"For the Honor of Grey Skull!" Adora shouted, hoisting the sword in the air.Light flashed, and Adora morphed into her She-Ra body. George and Lance both turned to look at Bow between them.

"Adora is a sixth major in She-Ra?" Bow tried. The creature reared towards the three, and Adora stepped in front of it.

"Don't worry, I got this." Adora chuckled, holding her hands out to the creature.  Adora went flying into the second level, crashing though more of the banister.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Glimmer growled, teleporting onto the creature's head.  She peppered its face with light bombs, and punches.

"Bow get them back!" I called across the room to him.

"Azure!" He shouted.

I turned, seeing the creature flailing towards me. I felt power flow through my body, and I planted myself. I caught the tail that came flying for my middle and grunted in pain at the force. With all my strength I held onto the tail of the creature and shifted.

I sunk my teeth into the soft underside of its tail and twisted. The creature roared in pain and Glimmer clung on for dear life. The beast faced me, and I snarled, my gaping maw was ready to sink into its body at any moment.

"Hang on, Glimmer. I'm coming!" Adora assured us and changed her sword into a shield.  The golden shield flew, knocking the creature across its jaw. Glimmer fell, and I leapt of a desk, catching her on my back. I skidded to a halt, as Adora charged, her shield changing again.

"They really get into their studies." Bow chuckled nervously behind me, and I huffed, ears pressing forward on my head in an aggressive gesture.

Glimmer hopped off my back and I knocked a table over for a shield, snapping my jaws toward Bow. He got the message and pull Lance and George out of the way as a table went flying at them.

I charged the beast, lowering my head as Glimmer got me a clear shot. I pushed the power to my legs, lunging forward, jaws snapping, and connected with the best. It was knocked back a few feet, but the beast was shocked, though I could feel it twisting to rid itself of the power of its own nerves.

"Bow? Bow!"  I turned, seeing Bow running out from behind the table. The beast managed to regain control of itself and knocked Adora back.  "Bow, you get back here!" The beast turned in the direction of Lance and George.

"Never mind, stay away, stay away!" Lance waved towards the creature as it tucked into a ball and rolled towards them.

"Glimmer!" Bow called.

"Got it." She said before disappearing.  The screams stopped, just as the creature crashed into the wall. I shifted back to human, exhausted from being whacked around.

"Bow... The desk." I panted.  Bow seemed to know exactly what I meant, running over to the desk, and got to the floor, reaching under the desk to grab his quiver and bow.

I turned to the creature, acting as a distraction.  "Hey, Bug brain!" The creature turned to me and snarled. I turned and ran. I heard it coming after me, and I looked around.  "Why is this always my backup plan?" I groaned to myself.

I noted a few empty slots in the bookshelves, and a few desks still standing. I instinctively leapt onto one of the desks and hurled myself at the wall. I put my boot in one of the high slots, kicking upward, until I was clinging to the shelves at the top like a spider.

The creature ran into the base of the shelves, and they vibrated. Books and scrolls flew down, and I clung to the shelf, which wobbled precariously. There was an arrow fired. I turned seeing the creature angle itself towards Bow.

"Get out of there!" I screamed as the creature tucked into a ball and rolled towards him.  Bow turned his bow to a glass case, the one with the rune stone shard tucked inside.

It was all a blur, and then I lost sight of Bow behind the creature. Then a bright light burst out, and I shielded my eyes before the light dimmed. I slid down the shelves, losing my footing a few times before I landed on the ground. I saw bow, standing, looking very much normal. Glimmer appeared next to him and smiled.

"That's my Bow." She laughed and Adora punched his shoulder. He chuckled before...

"What is going on?" George was breathing heavily.  I stayed where I was, afraid to move. Adora changed back into... well, Adora.  I watched as Bow walked towards the angry adults and looked down at his boots.

"I-I lied to you. There is no Academy of Historic Enterprises. I've been living at Bright Moon, fighting in the Rebellion alongside Adora, Azure and princess Glimmer." Lance and George exchanged a surprised look.

"But why?" Lance asked.

"I don't want to be a historian. I have never wanted to be a historian. I am not a shy bookworm. I am not a genius like you two. I make things. I am a soldier. This is who I am, and I can't lie about it anymore... Even though I know I am breaking your hearts." Bow looked away, and I could feel all the regret and worry in his chest, tighter than any knot I know.

George walked towards Bow and he closed his eyes, perhaps waiting for from uncharacteristic, verbal assault.  George drew Bow into a hug and whispered.

"What's breaking our hearts is the fact you thought you had to lie about who you are." George stepped back and stared into Bow's eyes lovingly.

"You're not mad? But I am a fighter, and you hate fighters." George shook his head.

"I could never hate you. Never. If you feel like you belong in the Rebellion, then that's where you belong." George assured Bow as Lance camp up to them.

"Bow, why didn't you just tell us?" Lance asked sadly and Bow sighed.

"I tried, but you didn't listen. You only listened to me if I said what you wanted to hear." George and Lance exchanged worried, and guilty looks.

"We had no idea you felt that way. We were just trying to encourage you to pursue your dreams." Lance the hurt evident in his voice.  "We Thought we were being supportive when really we were being terrible." He whimpered;  George took over again.

"We love you the way you are. We are proud of you, no matter what path you take in life."  I watched teary eyed at the exchange and thought about my father. I touched my hand to my arm as I watched them hug. George turned to look from Glimmer and Adora to me.

"This is a family hug, Princesses. You're Bow's family, too." Adora and Glimmer rushed forward, while I hesitated, wondering if they really meant it.  George took my hand and pulled me into the hug.

... It was about half an hour later when we lined up in front of Lance and George.

"On our mission, we received a message from an unknown source. If we knew what Serenia meant, we could figure out the rest." Bow informed them as they looked Bow's Tracker Pad over.

"Serenia Portal Mara. Okay. But what are these other words?" Lance asked, looking up at Adora.

"I don't know, it's too degraded to read."

George's eyes widened in recognition.  "Wait. Lance, what does this pattern look like?" George asked and Lance squinted at the screen.

"Oh, I think you're right." He agreed.

"What is it?" I asked, and they handed the Tracker Pad to Bow.

"Look at it, Bow. Really look at it. What do you see?" Bow's eyes widened.

"These aren't words at all, are they?" Bow asked and Lance grinned.

"Oh, now you've got it. George, get the projector."  I helped Lance turn off all the lights while Bow and George set up the Projector.

"The world of the First Ones was different from ours. Climate, Language, even the sky was different, filled with cosmic formations they called..." The room lit up with a million hues of the sky, full of bright stars, it looked much more fascinating than our own dark sky.

"Stars..." Adora said in awe.

"The First Ones used them to navigate and named them constellations after mythical heroes, including Serenia." Lance said infatuated with the concept.  I stared at the constellation that appeared in the sky.  "The constellation Serenia would only appear in summer, and only over one place." I turned, seeing the vast red lands behind me. No trees, just endless red sand and dunes.

"The Crimson Waste." Glimmer breathed, and I stared nervously.

"That's where we have to go."

Lance gaped at us.  "What? You can't just go into the Crimson Waste. It is a no-man's-land, a giant lifeless desert. No one's ever made it that far and come back alive."

George nodded.  "Promise me you kids will stay away."  I looked back to the red mass of desert and breathed deeply. If that is where we needed to go, then I would go alone if need be. We needed to get to the bottom of this...