Night fell on the kingdom of Brightmoon as a First One's ship landed near the castle. It's door opened with Adora, Catra, Glimmer and Bow coming out carrying a variety of different objects. Most of them looked thousands of years old. "Did we really have to bring all this stuff?" Glimmer asked with a tone that showed she was exhausted.
"My parents asked me to bring as many First One artifacts as we could find," Bow replied.
As they carried the artifacts into the castle, Adora dropped something that appeared to be a first one's chip. "What is it?" Catra asked.
"It looks like a first one's chip," glimmer replied.
"We should probably destroy this then," Adora said as she prepared to break it apart. However, Entrapta quickly took it out of her hand. "Entrapta!" Adora exclaimed in frustration.
"What are you doing here?" Glimmer asked.
"You four were coming back today," Entrapta answered, "so I came here to see if you brought back any presents."
"We mostly brought back a bunch of junk," Catra said with a deadpan expression on her face.
"Then can I have that chip? It could contain some valuable information."
"Did you not forget what one of these things did?!" Adora asked with an angry tone.
"Of course not. But there's a chance it's not infected with a virus."
"Just let her have it," Bow said to Adora.
"Fine," she said, not wanting to get into an argument now that she just got home. "But you've gotta help us move this stuff in exchange for that."
"Fair enough," Entrapta said.
She helped carry the artifacts and other pieces of tech into the throne room of the castle. When they finished, Entrapta rummaged through them to find anything that could be useful to her. "I see my daughter and her friends returned from their adventure in space," a voice said from behind the five of them.
Glimmer turned around to see it came from her father, Micah. "Hey dad," she said.
"How was your trip, kiddo?" Micah asked her daughter.
"It was fine," she answered, "it wasn't as crazy as the last time I went to space."
"We mostly found planets that were uninhabited," Adora added.
"We didn't visit one planet that had other people on it," Catra complained.
"On the plus side, you found all this great stuff I can study," Entrapta said with glee, "most of it belonged to the First ones. Perhaps we can learn more about them through this."
Adora wasn't exactly thrilled about that idea. After the Heart of Etheria scenario, she had mixed feelings about the First ones. However, learning about her people's history was something a part of her wanted to know ever since she discovered she was one.
A guard walked into the throne room as she seemed exhausted. "Your majesties Castaspella is here!" The guard exclaimed in a hurry.
"What's my sister doing here?" Michah wondered.
"Did she come over to welcome us back?" Glimmer asked.
"No," the guard answered, "and there's more.
The six of them quickly ran to the entrance of the castle and saw half of Mystacor's inhabitants, including Castaspella, in front of them. "Aunt Casta!" Glimmer exclaimed as she, Adora, Bow, Catra, Micah, and Entrapta ran towards her.
Worried about his sister, Micah asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Castaspella answered.
"What happened?" Catra asked.
"Mystacor… was attacked."
They all gasped in horror after hearing this news. "But I thought The Horde was disbanded?" Adora said as she was confused.
"It wasn't the horde…"
In what remained of Mystacor, thousands of insectoids guarded the kingdom as Steppenwolf stood in front of the large piece of metal with the box embedded into it. "Desaad. Desaad!" He yelled out. "Call upon thee."
The slab of metal then began to take the shape of a tall figure in a robe that concealed his face. "Steppenwolf, have you begun the conquest?" The figure named Desaad asked.
"This world is in ruins," Steppenwolf said to him, "the people are too focused on rebuilding it that they are left vulnerable. Their free will must be ripped from them, like the other worlds. Given absolution in one glorious belief: to serve him."
"The Mother Boxes?"
"I found one of the three. The one that woke and called to me. The other two still sleep, but the Parademons feel their presence. They fly, they search, they capture prisoners who carry their scent while I build a stronghold from one of this planet's kingdom's I conquered in the name of his glory."
"Yes… mighty Steppenwolf. Who might have sat here by the side of the great one. But undone by his self pride."
"Desaad… I fall before you." Steppenwolf said as he fell to his knees. "Let me make a plea to him. That I may come home after I talk this world in his name."
"You betrayed him!" Desaad yelled as he pointed to him in shame. "Your own family. Your own nephew."
"I saw my mistake! I slaughtered those who sought his throne! I tried to destroy The horde!"
"You still owe the great one fifty thousand more worlds. He will hear your plea… after you pay your debt."
Steppenwolf rose up and said, "the mother boxes will be found and be united. No protectors here. No Eternians. No Horde Prime. It will fall, like all the others."
"For Darkseid," Desaad said as the metal forming him returned to its original shape.
"For Darkseid…"