It had been nearly a year since the war against Horde Prime ended. Etheria and it's citizens were still healing interplanetary relationships were being born everyday.
Adora princess of Power wanted to be at the forefront of these changes and healings.
But she and Catra had much healing to do themselves.
Not that anyone would dare complain to the two child soldiers as they lounged around the whispering woods Brightmoon or nearly everywhere for that matter.
Catra did most of the lounging on top of Melog, meanwhile Adora kept her sword and her skills sharp in Brightmoon's training arena. After all peaceful times were fragile, especially with those who still preached the word of Prime.
She stopped for a moment glancing at her girlfriend staring at her with half lidded eyes.
"Enjoying the show?" She teased putting a hand on her hip.
"You know it." Catra chuckled. "Why are you so tense today anyway? You ruined my morning." She complained crossing her arms.
"Oh I'm sorry kitten." Adora mockingly cooed "if you didn't drape yourself over my face all the time it might be easier to enjoy you're beauty sleep."
"Bold of you to assume I need sleep to be this beautiful." Scathingly shot back the magicat, her tail lazily swishing back and forth.
"Besides you got a nice face I'm allowed to smother it."
Giggling Adora kneeled in front of Catra lovingly cupping her face.
"Right back at you sweetheart." Replied Adora trying to sound seductive.
Catra let out a high pitched laugh, "you are so cheesy it's painful."
"Aww but that's my most endearing quality." Fake whined the princess face planting across her love. Startled the alien feline underneath them ran off letting the two lovers to fall down in a giggling heap of limbs."
The two instantly stopped as in a shower of sparkles Queen Glimmer appeared next to Adora, the princess of power too busy analyzing the situation to be startled.
"War room." She said before teleporting back towards who knows where.
Adora and Catra ran for the war room, when they got there Glimmer was already teleporting the members of the alliance to their respective chairs.
Scorpia vividly shook her head before giving the couple a friendly wave. Catra smiled and waved back.
"What's going on?" Anxiously demanded Perfume from Scorpia's side.
"So you didn't see the giant fire ball in the sky last week?" Sarcastically piped up Mermista.
"Please no bickering we need to focus." Urged Adora pressing her hands down around the edge of the table.
"Anyone has any idea what we're looking at?"
"Entrapta probably does, she apparently called for the meeting." Happily piped up Scorpia.
The last princess appeared into the room her nose still in her data pad. Muttering to herself unintelligibly.
"Entrapta." Groaned Mermista "can you get on the same timeline as us? What's going on?"
The tech princess nearly lept out of her skin. Looking around as if she hadn't noticed she just got teleported.
"Oh hey guys, yeah it's a first one ship."
Everyone in the room blinked at the princess who went right back to her device after casually dropping the year's bombshell.
"A first one ship." Adora replied looking and sounding flabbergasted.
"How, I thought they went extinct!" Demanded Bow.
"Apparently not, it took a while to analyze given I only had a few frames before it was shot down, but it's undeniable and it puts Darla to shame." Eagerly stated Entrapta.
"And who exactly shot down this ship?" Wondered Netossa.
"Oh Hordak forgot about an old outpost meant explicitly to destroy first one technology. Weirdly enough it's not manned anymore so he's trying to figure out who did it."
"Isn't it obvious." Scoffed Catra "it's these cultist. They're the only one's who'd know how to operate something so old."
"Do you have any idea where that ship is now?" Gently asked Adora her voice small.
"If my calculations are correct and they usually are. The ship most likely crashed somewhere in the Crimson Waste."
"Well, I'm off." Announced Adora hurriedly walking towards the door.
Only for Glimmer to appear in front of her.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to go get answers what does it look like!" Exclaimed Adora in confusion.
"They might not be friend Adora." Quietly jumped in Bow "After all—"
"They had weapons made to hurt you." Butted in Catra "who knows they could be here to end the job."
"And what exactly are they going to do with a wrecked ship?"
"What if it was a scout." Pointed out Catra "we could be looking at a full scale invasion, Darla can turn invisible what's telling us there's not a whole fleet staring down at us right now?"
Adora had to concede her friends made only good points.
"And what if it's not!?" She rebuted "I could finally have some answers, for all we know a tourist is what hot shot down, we gotta be sure."
Catra sighed knowing full well she couldn't change Adora's mind.
"So we split up, searching the desert for signs of the ship!" Eagerly exclaimed Frosta.
"Sorry leapy." Catra replied "we can't just spread thin the entire alliance that's basically an invitation to get shot. I've scoured the desert before I know a guy or two. So I'll go Adora of course the rest of you can fight to figure out who comes, go." Dismissively said Catra looking from left to right smirking.
"Come on Catra you can't goad us like children." Sighed Perfuma just in time to be tackled by Frosta. Making Catra laugh until her ribs ached.
"Kid's crazy but she's a riot." Managed Catra through her giggles.
"Enough." Snapped Glimmer trying to regain a semblance of order. "Me Adora Bow and Catra will go, the rest of you make sure we don't get a counter attack from the Orphans of the Horde."
Frosta lept to her feet giving Glimmer a dutiful salute.
"Oh man a new best friend's squad adventure." Nearly Squealed Bow "ooh I'll need to call my dad, a real first one in the flesh they'll go crazy!"
"Yes especially if said flesh is burnt to a crisp because of the crash." Shot back Catra unimpressed.
"Why are you always so negative?" Complained the archer only earning a shrug from Catra.
In a shower of light the friend group found themselves in the harrid desert.
"Too bad Swift wind is on the other side of the planet." Commented Bow as the group began their long treck.
"Yeah who thought he'd be leading any actual horse revolution." Snickered the magicat.
Hours of march later the best friend squad saw smoke peaking above the dunes. Adora began running ignoring the schorching heat.
Of course vandals and pillagers were already there dragging random chunks of metal and tech.
The ship was broken in half on its side, it's tall wing casting a cool shadow over the criminals.
One look of Adora's sword and of her furious expression was enough to deters them. The pillagers fled back into the desert discarding their newly found treasures.
"Hello!" Adora called loudly "the vandals are gone you can come out"
Glimmer teleported closer to the wreckage while Bow shot foam arrows at the still blazing metal.
Turning into the powerful She-Ra, Adora began wildly rummaging through the remains of the ship. It was quite smaller than Darla, but it's remains were far more sleek and clean while keeping a similar design.
While the other three began to somewhat panic Catra meticulously studied her surroundings. Finding a set of footprints that went near a large pile of debris.
She crouched in front of it, finding tiny strands of fabric stuck in the metal and flat sand right in front of it.
Whom ever was in that ship they were long gone, dragged out by the looks of it. Catra followed the line and sound it suddenly stopped.
"Seems they took the pilot on skiffs in that direction." Stated Catra pointing at the horizon, the opposite direction her friends were looking in.
Adora ran to her side narrowing her eyes at the horizon "Do we know what's in that direction?"
Bow came next to the two with his Datapad. "There's a city about 5 klicks away. Not really friendly people."
"Glimmer?"
"I can get us close enough." Replied the Queen.
"Well then let's go."
Catra softly wrapped her hand around Adora's, her fingers barely going around all the way.
"Adora, I know how much this means to you, but please don't throw yourself into this."
"What do you mean, all my answers are right there!" Vehemently argued Adora gesturing at the horizon with her free hand.
"And if their not? The First ones were conquerors too remember. What do you think you'll find here?" Genuinely asked the Magicat.
Adora sighed her shoulders sagging she detransformed at the same time, her hand now small enough to properly grip.
"I know my family is here, my home it's Etheria."
"But." Carefully prompted Glimmer.
"But I feel like I'm only half of myself. I need to know whatever the answer is I can finally move on from my mysterious past. Heck we might finally figure out who or what Grayskull is."
"My dad's think it's a god." Thoughtfully mumbled Bow.
"You're dads also thought She-Ra was pronounced He-Ra." Giggled the Queen.
"Hey they're still the best historians in Etheria." Huffed Bow with a smile.
Adora kept her eyes on the slowly setting sun.
"Whatever it is ahead of me, I know it'll be fine." Whispered the princess of power.
"Yeah yeah you have us and all that sappy stuff." Catra replied rolling her eyes.
"Don't act like you don't love it." She laughed pressing her forehead to hers.
The pairs began walking once more. Not at all ready for what was about to come.