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Deep in the whispering woods near Brightmoon, on another sunny afternoon, Mara, daughter of Adora and Catra, was wandering, searching for something. Her beady blue eyes were fixed on her surroundings, knowing that the person she was looking for could literally be anywhere or anything. But Mara liked a challenge, knowing that she'd find her prey sooner or later, like any good kitten would.
"I'll find you!" She called out confidently. "I'm a master of hide and seek!"
She sniffed around a bush. No, nothing there. but she knew she'd pick up the scent eventually with her enhanced sense of smell. She crawled up one of the tall trees with ease, seeing a bird perched on a nearby branch. It made for a tempting target but no, the scent she was looking for was not there. However, when she looked at the other branch, seeing one of the green-furred three eyed squirrels that populated the woods, her nose was filled with the scent.
The squirrel blinked and leapt to the next tree. Mara quickly gave chase and leapt to the branch. From treetop to treetop, she chased the little squirrel, until finally, she cornered it on a tree with only one long branch... and no way to go but down. Mara pounced and grabbed the little squirrel, pulling them into her arms. She giggled with glee, happy to have finally caught her prize.
"Found you!"
The squirrel made a very human-sounding sigh, its pink eyes blinking as they changed colour to a reptilian green. "You're becoming quite the tracker, kiddo. I didn't think you'd find me that easily," the creature spoke, in a rather campy effeminate voice.
"I've been practicing!" Mara chirped.
"So I see, now if you don't mind, we should probably get down," the squirrel replied.
Mara climbed down the tree with the squirrel on her back. As they got to the forest floor, the tiny creature jumped from her back and its body shifted with a green and black aura, growing in size and transforming back into the form of Mara's favourite auncle, Double Trouble. However, before the two of them could do anything else, the ground stomped nearby. Both of them turned, seeing one of the native creatures, a large creature that resembled a rhino with more insect-like features called a Saidosoid roared at them.
Double Trouble gulped. "Oh dear, uh... nice big forest creature!" The creature stomped towards him. While it was likely a herbivore, it was obviously a rather territorial animal... and Double Trouble and Mara had just disturbed it. Double Trouble tried desperately to calm the creature, but it kept approaching them. "Oh, how does your Mom do this, kiddo? She makes calming animals like this look so easy!"
"Got any ideas?" Mara wondered.
"Yeah... run!" Double Trouble quickly shapeshifted into Scorpia and yanked Finn into their now much larger arms with ease as they sprinted away, the creature letting out another roar and giving chase.
Fortunately for Double Trouble and Mara, the former had been using the woods as a hideout for years and thus, they knew every nook and cranny like the back of their hand. As the beast kept chasing them, Double Trouble shifted into Catra's form, giving them a much smaller size to slip into a crack in some rocks, sliding down a smooth tunnel to a small clearing on the other side of the woods.
"Heh, that was a close one!" Mara remarked.
Shifting back to their regular form, Double Trouble breathed a sigh of relief. "A little close for comfort for my taste."
Adora and Catra were dealing with some visiting alien ambassadors in Brightmoon, so they asked Double Trouble to take Mara out for a few hours so she wouldn't get bored waiting for them in the couple's suite. So far Mara had been having a lot of fun, but Double Trouble could tell something's bothering her. Sure, Mara was enjoying herself... but being the expert actor they were, Double Trouble could easily tell when someone was burying something deep down. They noticed it especially in Mara's mother Catra when Double Trouble had joined the Horde, how Catra was playing at the role of being a villain, when in reality, all she ever wanted was Adora back.
As Double Trouble and Mara sat beside a small pond, the shapeshifter saw their favourite neice staring at herself intently in the water before her, as if she were trying to see if there was something wrong with how she currently looked. And that was something of note. Double Trouble had always known Mara having a much longer, wilder mane of hair, much like how Catra had as a child, but she'd had it cut much shorter, now resembling Catra's hair when she'd gotten together with Adora.
"You okay, Mara?" Double Trouble wondered. "Your new hair looks... a lot different. Why the change?"
"Just... didn't like it being that long," Mara answered. "It felt... weird." The young magicat looked at Double Trouble curiously. "Auncle Trouble um... can I ask you something?"
"Sure, considering we aren't being chased anymore," their Auncle replied.
Mara gulped, carefully considering her question. She looked into the water at herself, focusing on the reflection before her. “Uh… You’re nonbinary right? Like you aren’t a boy or a girl? Well… when did you figure that out?”
Double Trouble chuckled. It had been a while since they'd told anyone that particular story. “Oh boy… now that was a long time ago.” They smiled. “Well I suppose it was back when I was about your age, kiddo.”
“Could you… Shapeshift back then?”
“Not quite. See, I grew up in a quiet part of the desert on the eastern continent. All my people can shapeshift and we’re pretty damn good at it. But when I was a kid… Well, I was the last person in my family to figure it out. Oh, I was so jealous of my siblings being able to shapeshift better than I did. I kept trying every single day to finally change shape but alas. However, while they were changing into other people, I was thinking about myself, how I was different from others. I kept thinking about what I wanted to turn into and what I looked like. Some of my kind preferred feminine forms, others more masculine ones and me… well, I didn’t think either of them truly fit me.”
Those words hit Mara deeply. The idea that one's form didn't fit who they were inside, and the usual binary choices most people thought of didn't fit them either. "What... Did you do?"
“Well one day, it suddenly hit me. I had a realisation of the person I wanted to be… and then suddenly, I changed for the first time into the amazing and fabulous creature I am today! I couldn’t believe it and my family were all so very proud of me. But that time it took me to figure it out… I became more than just someone who could change their shape. I became… well myself.” The lizard then looked at Mara. “Why did you ask, Kiddo? I mean, I don’t mind telling my story of course but this just seemed a bit… well out of the blue."
Well, not that out of the blue if the hunch Double Trouble had on their mind turned out to be true.
Mara panicked a little, retreating and hugging themselves. "I... I don't know, I'm sorry, just forget I asked."
Double Trouble sighed and knelt down and hugged Mara from behind. “No, kiddo, do not be sorry to me, about anything. There’s something on your mind and I think I know what it is. Just say it, you will feel so much better.
“It’s just… everyone keeps saying I’m a girl and my moms see me as their daughter... but I don’t like being a girl, I don't like having long hair, I don't like wearing skirts, I don't... I don't.. and I don’t really wanna be a boy!" Mara panted, this level of distress in the young girl making her hyperventilate. Eventually, she purred a little to calm herself down. "I’m sorry, it’s just been confusing to me and you’re the-”
Suddenly, Double Trouble pulled the kitten into a hug and sighed. “Oh you precious little thing. You don’t have to explain anything else, I know… you’re nonbinary, aren’t you?”
Blinking, Mara looked right at their Auncle. “Is that okay?”
“More than okay!" Double Trouble declared. "I’m standing right here, aren’t I?”
“Yeah,” Mara admitted. “I just… I worry it might be a shock to my moms. I don't know how to word any of this to them. I know they'll probably understand but.. I'm still scared. I don't wanna freak them out with such a big change."
"Mara, your mothers are two of the most accepting people on the whole planet," Double Trouble reminded her. "They even accepted me as a friend, even after what I did to Catra back when we were in the Horde. They'll accept you... because they love you."
Turning to face Double Trouble, Mara hugged them tightly, burying herself into their auncle and purring with genuine happiness. "Thank you Double Trouble."
"Anything for you, my little nibling," They replied, ruffling Mara's hair. "Now, if you really want to give your mothers a big surprise... I might have a few ideas." They finished that sentence with one of their mischievous smirks.
Sometime later, Adora and Catra were back in their room, having spent a long afternoon dealing with alien dignitaries. It was exhausting, but such was the life being the hero of Etheria and second-in-command to Queen Glimmer. However, they'd been done with their work for the day for over an hour and still there was no sign of their daughter. Adora in particular was starting to get worried.
"Oh, where are they?" she muttered to herself.
"Relax Adora," Catra reassured her. "Knowing my old friend Double Trouble, they've probably gotten both themselves and Finn into a heap of trouble, as usual."
"That's not exactly comforting," Adora pointed out.
"That's because Double Trouble knows how to get themselves out of a tight spot," Catra replied. "So don't worry, they'll be home soon enough and Mara will be safe and sound."
And sure enough, a moment later, Double Trouble pranced through the door. "Sorry I'm late, darlings, but everything's okay now!"
"Thank the stars!" Adora exhaled, looking around. "Where's Mara?"
"Ah, well, there's something I need to tell you about," Double Trouble stated. And then, walking out next to Double Trouble, was a little magicat, with dyed blonde hair the same shade as Adora's, now in a very punk-looking undercut.
The Magicat shyly waved at their moms. "Uh... hi moms!"
Adora and Catra blinked in shock. "M-Mara?"
"Actually, um... I don't wanna be called Mara anymore," Mara stated. "Um... can I be called Finn? Also um... I'm nonbinary."
"Your little one wanted to make a few changes," Double Trouble explained. "They hoped it would be alright with you."
The kitten's mothers rushed over to them and hugged them tightly, both squeezing them with all of their love. "Of course it's alright!" Adora exclaimed. "I'm just glad you told us... Finn is a really good name."
"R-Really?" Finn blinked, still amazed this was going so well. "Auncle Double Trouble helped me pick it."
"Yeah, it's a cute name!" Catra reassured Finn. "If you want to be an adorably little enby kitten named Finn, who are we to judge? Honestly, we're more surprised by the hair than anything."
Finn blushed. "Well, Auncle said I should have a new look to define the new me. They said I should change my hair and I asked to have blonde hair like Mom's. Her hair always looks so pretty."
Adora melted at that. "Awww... that's... so cute!" She nuzzled Finn's hair, the kitten purring loudly. "You are my favourite little kitten."
Double Trouble smugly folded their arms, very pleased with themselves. Catra then walked over to Double Trouble, giving them a peck on the cheek, making Double Trouble blush as well.
"You did good today, DT," Catra told them lovingly.
"T-Thanks Kitten," Double Trouble responded, flushing a darker shade of green.
A lightbulb went on in Adora's head. "Hey, I've got an idea.. why don't we hold a coming out part for Finn? It'll be like a second birthday for them. I can even get Glimmer to make them a cake!"
"Yay! I want coming out cake!" Finn squealed.
"Then let's go tell your aunt Glimmer the good news," Adora replied, leading Finn out of the room, with Catra and Double Trouble in tow.
For Finn, this would be remembered as one of the happiest days of their lives and it was all thanks to their auncle's advice and encouragement that they would be happily confident in being their true self and their moms couldn't be happier for them.