Have you ever noticed the world becoming less colorful? It’s like all the things that make places and people unique are slowly blending into one big blur. I’ve felt this too, this creeping sameness, but I couldn’t quite figure out why. It was as though a shadow was slowly dimming the bright, individual spots around us.
Then, one day, out of nowhere, Luna spoke. “There’s something you need to know,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm.
Hi there. I’m Gemma, and as you can imagine, my husband (Goodwin) and I were stunned. But not as much as you might expect. Luna always had this look in her eyes, like she just got the joke and was waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
Luna clarified a few things right off the bat: she’s not my familiar (which, honestly, was a bit of a letdown), and she certainly can’t shapeshift into a human. Interestingly, she finds the idea of transforming into a human quite amusing—an irony, considering she’s a talking cat.
She then revealed our mission. Sametron, the overlord of Drabland, is all about wiping out what makes everyone and every place unique. He thinks that peace and order can only be achieved through complete uniformity. His big plan? To make a universe where everything and everyone is the same. Drabland, his own place, is exactly as boring as it sounds.
But Sametron’s reach didn’t stop with our world; it was threatening others too. That’s why all over, in different corners of the universe, whispers of resistance started to bubble up. They formed what they call the ‘Rainbow Rebellions,’ a group of unlikely heroes—yep, that includes us—ready to stand up and fight back.
Luna explained that we have always had magic within us, but it was only when paired with her that our latent magical powers began to reveal themselves. As she spoke, a weird zap of energy hit me. Suddenly, I was only one foot tall, holding a ruby wand, and Goodwin? He got huge, like he could lift a car. We looked at each other, totally shocked.
We had powers. Real magic.
Twelve-year-old me—the one playing with My Little Ponies in my backyard—would have been thrilled. Of course, like all kids, I loved making up magical worlds and being the hero. So, to be riding on the back of my big black cat, darting through universes and casting spells, has become a dream come true—a dream I never even knew I had.
Still, our days begin as usual—with breakfast and chasing sunbeams through the curtains. They are, however, also filled with magic classes and adventures, and more often than not, end in a chaotic, yet satisfying collapse into bed.
Just last week, Luna led a mission to the mystical Realm of Varied Hues, under siege by Sametron. There, we met some incredible creatures—a fuchsia parakeet standing three feet tall, and an opera-singing hybrid of a rhinoceros and a bunny, among others. The sky was amazing! It danced like the Northern Lights, but with the vibrant hues of the rainbow, all day long.
To save it, we cast a protective spell to ensure that Sametron couldn’t dull this beautiful, magical place. As the spell took hold, casting a shimmering shield over the realm, it reminded us just how much we had yet to learn about the depths of our own abilities.
Luna can’t explain everything, like how she opens portals to other worlds with just a swish of her tail and a sprinkle of pink dust, but she’s demonstrated it countless times. And even though we don’t know why our magic works, we have slowly started to understand.
Luna learned it first. Before finding her home with us, Luna was fostered by others who wanted her to be a different type of cat. Her powers became weak, and she lost the ability to speak until she was able to embrace her differences.
I feel like the same thing was happening to us, and with her help, we figured it out too.
I remember it like it happened just yesterday.
That day, when I finally accepted what makes me different, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Everything looked brighter, and it felt like anything was possible. Luna was there, purring, her eyes sparkling as if she understood everything. It was as though she was saying, ‘You see? Being yourself is pretty magical.’
Have you ever noticed the world getting duller? I sure did before Luna came along. But now, we’re doing something about it. We’re fighting back with magic and a strong belief in the value of our own unique traits.
In a world that often tries to make us all the same, standing out is even more important. You don’t need magic to fight against the likes of Sametron. Just by being yourself and valuing others’ uniqueness, you’re already making a difference.
