Author's Note:

99 of the characters presented in this story are the property of Mattel and Filmation and do not belong to me in anyway. This is a Fanfiction, written solely for the entertainment of its readers and myself. I make zero cash off of this.

This is a re-write of the original "The Final Adventure." It is the beginning of much longer fanfic that will now be in tune with the fanfics written since then. It is therefore in the same continuity as "Preludes and Beginnings," "He-Man: Year One," "The Day That Nothing Happened," "The Elfsong of Eternia," "The Crossroads of Destiny," "Prophecy & Change," "Just Another Day," "Liberty and Valor," "Manifest Destiny," "Roots," "Deus Ex Machina," "My Blue Reflection," and "The Last Battle." It will fit around "A Winter's Heart" and "The Shroud of the Horde," though both may be edited to fit with slight changes in the continuity.

Previously:

Prince Adam/He-Man has returned home after five years on the distant world of Primus. However, what he found on Eternia was not what he expected. Eternia has been conquered by the Horde, Eternos is in shambles, and Etheria has been shrouded in a darkness of suspended animation. He-Man, rallying the forces of good, managed to free the Heroic Warriors and recovered She-Ra, Glimmer, Bow, and a few remaining members of the Great Rebellion. Together, they overthrew Hordak. However, during the battle with the Horde, the true identities of He-Man and She-Ra were revealed to the public.

Now, with Queen Marlena and King Randor exiled on the planet Earth, Adam and Adora have vowed to restore the kingdom as King and Queen, while still protecting the planet as He-Man and She-Ra.

It is mere moments after this vow has been made.

Chapter One – "Homeward Bound"

Dusk.

Mere hours after the amazing speech from Adam and Adora went out from Central Tower, the comm-lines started to fill. Messages from across Eternia were streaming in – all of them from the Light Hemisphere. They were all from the villages that had once had Horde Troopers standing within, keeping watch over them. Horde Troopers that were no more.

Adam and Adora's promise that help would arrive at sun-up remained. In the hours between speech and sundown, Man-At-Arms had gained access to the Horde database.

Seven prison camps sat in the Eternos Kingdom. According to messages received, they were in good enough shape to make it to dawn. Three of these camps were for the Royal Soldiers. Two were for citizens of Eternos City itself. The other two were in for the remaining peoples in the Southlands. Man-At-Arms had also found four storage facilities, one close to Eternos City, one near North Eternos, another by West Eternos, and the final one within ten miles of the Great Towers. In addition to all this were three Horde Trooper processing plants.

As the sun drifted close to the horizon, Clamp Champ led a team to the storage facility close to the Great Towers. It was a huge building. What was found inside was quite the shock – the entire air and ground fleets of Eternos. Each one was still powered, according to Man-E-Faces' sensors.

In addition to all this, Adam and Adora had discovered with the vaults of Central Tower, the vast valuables of the Eternos Palace, all in fine condition.

"Best we can assume," Adora had said after reading some of Hordak's dossiers, "is that he planned on trading these materials after he had made contact with passing alien travelers. Objects like these can sell for pretty high in interstellar markets."

"So I've heard," Adam replied, having this same knowledge from his time on Primus.

A while after that, Adam and Adora devised their strategy for the next day.

At dawn, the Heroic Warriors (after a good night's rest), would ride out to the villages and town taken under control of the Horde. From there, the Heroic Warriors would remain until order otherwise. Meanwhile, Adam and Adora would lead half of the Royal Soldiers to Eternos, as well as those in the cavern back to the homes. The citizens held in prison camps were to be released and escorted to Eternos by the Avions and Insectoids.

The next day, after arriving at Eternos, Adam and Adora would begin to plan the reconstruction of their kingdom.

And so it was, the sun sank beneath the horizon with unspectacular splendor. The Hordesmen were all in their cells in the dungeons of Central Tower. All were accounted for – save for Shadow Weaver.

"She is powerless," Castaspella explained shortly after they discovered she was missing. "Her power was stripped during our final battle at Doom Tower years ago. All the power she had was coming from Hordak and with him now powerless again, so is she. I sensed as much."

"We should still keep a close eye out for her," Adam had advised.

As plans were solidified for the next day and the many great warriors took to resting, Adam did everything in his power to keep himself away from Teela. He had learned she had managed to bring Addison to Central Tower, but where they were was unknown. Adam wasn't ready for explanations yet and figured that he needed to give her time to digest what had happened.

Dawn.

The newly discovered Talon Fighters blasted into the skies. As the golden rays of first fell upon the Light Hemisphere, the Heroic Warriors made for Ruckstown, Cathenay, Shandor, Drisdos, North Eternos, West Eternos, Sweetsville, Olesker Town, Steffan Village, and Scheimer Village.

At 8 Bells, at Eternos City, a portal generated by the Cosmic Key opened up. Five hundred Royal Soldiers marched out, following Adam and Adora. Behind them were those that had settled into the cavern, looking to return home.

The citizens had not seen their city since they were forced to evacuate it four years ago.

Man-At-Arms, who was only a few steps behind Adam and Adora, shook his head at the sight the once majestic city. Eternos stood now upon its plateau, a shattered hulk of its former glory.

"It shall be restored, Duncan," Adora said to him, though she too was seeing it for the first time in such a terrible state. "The glory that was Eternos shall shine once again. The waves will fly, the walls will be rebuilt, and the thrones shall have my parents sat upon them."

Duncan smiled and squeezed Adora's shoulder. Adam smiled a little too, but then looked over and saw Teela walking along with them, holding Addison. Her eyes were harsh, demanding. Adam walked a little faster.

After a few hours of the people finding the remains of their homes and the Royal Soldiers establishing a parameter around the city, Adam and Adora made contact with the Avions and Insectoids at the prison camps. One group was being led by Stratos and the other by Buzz-Off.

"They should both be here within the next hour or two."

"Great. Then they can see what kind of a mess they have to come home to," Teela grumbled.

Duncan shot her a look that told her to knock off whatever she was doing, but Teela didn't respond to it.

"Is there anything else?" she then asked.

"No, nothing," Adam answered, sheepishly.

"Understood."

She walked out from the throne room, where the group had assembled. Adora turned to Adam. "What are you going to do about her?"

"I'll deal with it soon," Adam said then. "But in the meantime, Adora, you and I have to talk about what needs to happen from here on out."

"Right."

Adam turned to Duncan. "I need you to do some things for me, Duncan."

"Of course," Duncan responded.

"We need to find out what's in those storage facilities. Can you have a few Royal Soldiers head on out and explore what they are? According to Mekaneck, they were too heavily guarded to serve as targets."

"Of course. Twenty soldiers per facility?"

"Sounds good."

"What else?"

"Once the rest of the citizenry gets here, I want you to contact me when Garta, Melaktha, Hovar, Justin, and Stanlin are available. They're perhaps among the most valuable people we need in the restoration of Eternos."

"Of course," Duncan replied.

"Other than that, I want no one in or out of this room unless otherwise notified. Adora and I have a lot of work to do."

Duncan nodded. "Yes sire," he said with an amused smile.

With that, Duncan walked out of the throne room. Adam and Adora turned to the empty thrones, covered in dirt, yet still shining the late morning sunlight that came through the massive hole in the wall.

"First things first," Adora sat, lifting an overturned table and setting upright in the center of the throne room.

Adam picked up two fallen chairs and set them on either side. He then pulled out a map of Eternia, Eternos, and all of the things they knew had and were now happening.

"You knew?!"

Duncan sighed heavily and continued his inventory. "Yes."

Teela slumped her shoulders and harshly brushed hair out her face. "For how long?"

"Since the beginning. Since before the beginning."

"What does that even mean?"

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "I knew that Adam would one day be a champion of Grayskull since he was one."

"I . . . I can't believe this!" Teela exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I couldn't. The Sorceress didn't permit it. I still can't tell you the exact reason why."

Teela rolled her eyes. "Don't even bother. This is just . . . why in the world didn't he tell me? Why did everyone have to keep it a secret?"

"I just told you, sweetie, the reasons I can't divulge just yet."

Teela looked away from her father and out through the hole in the wall. The courtyard was now filled with weeds and overgrowth, not to mention debris. Orko was playing with Addison.

"I don't think I can ever trust him again," she said, but there was far more underneath the surface that she didn't want to share with her father. Her emotions were a literal spinning – a different one each couple of minutes, it seemed. She was angry – furious, at times – that Adam and/or He-Man would keep such a huge secret. She was ashamed, of making such a fool of herself for all those times she called him a coward. She was feeling guilty for rejecting Adam in favor of He-Man.

And all those feelings for Adam and He-Man . . . what were they?

"I don't know what to do."

Duncan closed up a box that had been spared the attack, the raid, and the weather. "I have an idea, Teela. Why don't you talk to him about it? Because as much as you've been going through, just imagine just how much he's gone through over the years? He's had to lie to you, to his parents, to his friends and family for years. I don't even know what he did on Primus. Maybe he had to lie to everyone there, too?"

The afternoon sped along fast. Adam and Adora worked long and hard, coordinating with various Heroic Warriors in the field. They met with Melaktha, Hovar, Stanlin, Justin, and Garn. They met with Orko and Songster. They talked with Gwildor, Castaspella, Mermista, and Flutterina. Long communications were held with Snout Spout, Ram-Man, Man-E-Faces, Moss Man and Rio-Blast.

At nearly 5 Bells in the Evening, a comm-line came through from North Eternos. Fisto was broadcasting it through.

"Aunt Johanna!" shouted Adam. "Are you all right? How are Edwina and Jeremy?"

"We are all worse for wear, Adam, but alive and safe and sound. Fisto briefed us on everything – including your dual identities."

"Ah, yeah," Adora then said, a little uncertain how to reply.

"I think once we get things back on the road, we'll have to have a long talk," Johanna said then. "What is your status?"

"Eternos City and the Royal Palace have both been decimated, but we're working on repairing them. We're still receiving reports from Royal Soldiers in the field and the citizens of the city are returning, though to smashed homes only. The Heroic Warriors are currently in the various villages, helping out how they can."

"We've had no contact with any of the villages. What do you know?" Johanna asked.

"From what we can discern, they've been allowed to operate under strict Horde supervision. But anything that can be made into a weapon – no matter how crude - has been destroyed and most likely, melted down to create new Horde Troopers," Adora answered. "Farms are suffering and from what we can gather, only enough has been grown to feed the villages in limited quantities."

"I was able to retrieve the Gem of Life from the vaults of Central Tower. Hopefully, along with Moss Man, we can start restoring some of the farmlands," Adam added.

"We're still in planning mode," Adora said. "We are looking at having a substantial plan on how to restore the kingdom by 9 Bells."

Johanna smiled proudly. "If you will contact me before hand, I would be more than happy to help."

"Of course, Aunt."

"North Eternos out."

As the evening hours pressed on, neighbors, families, and friends were all reunited throughout Eternos. Stratos and Buzz-Off had since left the city for the Mines of Alluray, where they hoped to begin planning their peoples return to Avion and Insectia.

Moss Man, Snout Spout, Castaspella, Ram-Man, Rio-Blast, Man-E-Faces, Gwildor, Flutterina, Mermista, and Mekaneck were recalled to Eternos. At least one Heroic Warrior was ordered to remain at the villages, towns, and cities throughout the night.

Meetings were then held; communications made to North and West Eternos, talking extensively with Queen Johanna and King Stephan; and at 9 Bells, the time for an announcement had come.

The returned citizens of Eternos assembled at the pavilion beneath the Palace. The holosphere was then activated, though now only limited to Eternos.

"People of Eternos, the time has come for restoration. As we speak, the plans for the renewal of our fair kingdom are in motion," Adora began. "The days of darkness have ended and the light of hope now shines upon us."

"Our plan is multi-part," explained Adam. "The first phase of this plan is to all leading officials of each respected town, village, and city to make an inventory of what is needed to bring the home to the status it was at before the Horde attacked. This list is then to be given to the Heroic Warrior assigned to your place of living. He will bring the list to me and we will do everything in our power to aid you."

"But to do that, we must also aid each other," Adora continued on. "Seamstresses, farmers, blacksmiths, and chefs are now in high demand. Food, clothing and tools are now needed. We have asked some of our blacksmiths to go to the Horde Trooper Processing Plants and begin to melt down whatever deactivated Horde Troopers may still be there. But that is only the beginning. We must all work together as one large community of friends and neighbors to begin to heal what the Horde has wrought upon our people."

Adam nodded and continued. "Unfortunately, from what we have learned, Eternos City and the Royal Palace has taken the brunt of the attack. We are working to fix that damage by bringing back the walls and restoring the many homes and buildings that we once here." Adam then cleared his throat a little. "In seven weeks, we will celebrate the Harvest Festival. I issue this decree. The Harvest Festival shall go on as it did before the Horde came here. Behind the walls of Eternos and across the kingdom, we shall embrace this holiday as we ever had in the past. But we can only do this with the help of all us, working together."

"The time of Eternos' restoration is at hand, my friends," Adora said with a smile.

The message then ended. Adam and Adora walked back into the throne room. Below, the City of Eternos was abuzz with excitement. Supplies from the cavern and the prison camp had been laid out, making camps in the roads.

Within the broken throne room stood those Heroic Warriors and Great Rebellion members that had been called back to Eternos, along with Orko, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Melaktha, Hovar, Garta, Stanlin, and Justin.

"Now, for the next part of the plan," Adam said, greeting them all.

"And just what is that?"

"The rebuilding of the city," Adora answered. "Adam, it's all yours."

"Right." Adam turned first to Moss Man. "Moss Man, we need the plants and weeds to be cleaned up. Is it possible to have them transplant themselves somewhere else?"

Moss Man nodded. "Oh yes. Weeds are nasty, invasive creatures. Getting rid of them should not be a problem. The rest of the growth will be easy to handle. Give me two or three days and the plant growth will be back to normal."

"Good, good!" Adam exclaimed. "Perfect. Now, Flutterina . . ."

"As She-Ra, I can communicate with the animals and ask them to inhabit a Horde Processing Plant or something," Adora told her ally. "But the insects are a different matter. Would it be possible to have the butterflies drive them out?"

Flutterina thought on it for a minute or two, then nodded. "I think so. It would take a few days, like Moss Man, but I believe it is possible."

"Perfect. Thank you." Adora turned to Mermista, Castaspella, and Snout Spout. "Mermista, we need some of this Eternian water charmed into becoming a strong cleaner. The city is filthy, the homes unsanitary, and the kitchens and eateries need to be completely cleaned. Between the three of you, is that a possibility?"

Mermista, Castaspella, and Snout Spout all turned to each other and began to nod and shrug. "Shouldn't be a problem," Snout Spout said for all of them. He was in high spirits. Just earlier this morning, he had been reunited with his wife and children.

"Melaktha, Hovar, Stanlin, and Justin, we need your help in the wall reconstruction. I want historical accuracy preserved in all ways, shapes, and forms," Adam then went on. "And no one knows more about rocks and stones more than Ram-Man. Have him help with dating and types."

"We'll need research material," said Melaktha.

"The library was taken out and placed in a vault at Central Tower. You can go ahead and make arrangements to head on over," Adam answered. "Man-E-Faces, you're in charge of the overall Eternos reconstruction project. With your Monster Strength, Robotic processing, and human passion, you're right the right man for the job."

"Or three men in one!" Man-E-Faces joked. "Thank you, sire. It is an honor."

Adam smiled and turned to Garta. "No one knows these fields like you. Over in North and South Eternos, King Stephan and Queen Johanna's own Royal Farmer's are starting work. I want three of you to coordinate what you need. The farms are the most important thing right now. They can provide both food and material for clothing."

"I'm on it, sire," Garta replied.

"Man-At-Arms has some good news, from what I've heard," Adam said then.

"Yes, sire," Man-At-Arms answered with a smile. "It turns out that Hordak filled two storage facilities with all of the items found in the city. He wanted them to serve as false targets for the resistance, to lure them into a false sense of security while really doing nothing more than blowing up people's belongings. However, because the resistance never really a chance, this didn't happen. So . . . all of those people out there should still have at least of their personal items intact and in storage."

"That's going to be great!" yelped Orko. "But I do have a question. Where are they all going to sleep?"

"For tonight, they're all camping out in the city. But tomorrow, they're all going to be staying here in the Palace," Adora responded. "The plan is to have them stay the night here and then help us repair it. After that, we'll be moving down a level in terms of repairs. The hope is that it will fill them all with a sense of unity and community."

"Sounds like a good plan," Teela muttered.

"We still have to announce this plan to the people, but we obviously wanted to make sure it was all possible," Adam said.

"Do you really think we'll have Eternos back up and in shape by the Harvest Festival?" asked Gwildor.

Adam smiled broadly. "Yes sir. I do."

Later.

Duncan, exhausted, fell asleep in one of the few clean rooms in the Palace. It was the Guest Lounge, filled with various couches and chairs. Addison, his first day at the Palace and loving it, also made his bed in the Guest Lounge. Teela had of course made sure it was animal free.

Teela herself was feeling restless, however. Her emotions were still a mess and she had lost all ability to keep them from bubbling over the surface. Shortly after 11 Bells at Night, she left the Palace and wandered out of the City. The Guards has spread themselves out across the fields below, so she was perfectly safe.

She kept running it through her head.

He-Man is Adam. Adam is He-Man.

Unbelievable.

As she continued through her emotional mess, she found herself approaching a familiar place. A small pond where Adam and Cringer used to spend their days fishing and napping. It looked relatively the same as it did before the Horde attack. It was funny that small places like this remained untouched while the vastness of Eternos itself was in shambles.

She sat down upon a small, three-foot cliff. Years ago, on just some random day when there were no attacks and no adventures, Adam and Teela had gone fishing together. Adam, of course, had dozed off. Teela played a small trick on him that then led to an all out water war. This water war had then taken them into a very embarrassing pose in front of the king and queen.

"Innocent days," she mused and tossed a small stone in the pond.

The reflection of the moons and stars rippled at its impact.

Her eyes began to bud with tears. Not the first time today and not the last.

"Teela."

She looked back and saw Prince Adam himself standing underneath the tree. His expression was sullen and fallen, filled with guilt and sadness.

"Adam."

Adam walked over to her. "I think it's time we talked about all this."