ATTENTION! Important announcement! Please be sure to read the End Notes section of this chapter for a major update. Side note: just want to remind everyone that when I started this fic, the series was only up to Season 2, so at the time, I assumed that Scorpia's people were still alive and lived in the Crimson Waste like in the 80s cartoon. With that said, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is produced by Dreamworks Animation Television, and both She-Ra and He-Man are owned by Mattel. Enjoy.
Chapter 24: News from Home
It had taken the better part of two hours, but Adora's first birthday party had been prematurely shut down. Naturally, all the guests had been sorely disappointed, especially the Princess' VIP guests, but after being made to understand the gravity of the situation they all agreed to call it a day and perhaps pick up where they left off some other time.
But regardless, with the guests gone and the throne room in the process of being restored to its regal splendor, the time had finally come to see if Orko's little discovery lived up to all the hype.
It was sometime in the early evening and Adora and her family, along with Bow, Orko and Shadow Weaver, had gathered in the old Astronomy Tower to test out this miraculous mirror.
"Oh my gosh…" Bow said in absolute astonishment as he looked around the Court Magician's rather spacious living quarters. "This place is amazing."
"Aw shucks. Thanks, Bow." The Trollan Mage replied blushingly; not that anyone could see it. "It takes a lot of work to keep this place clean, but I like it."
"Alright, enough socializing." The King said in a calm but serious tone. "This is a historic event, people. Our first real contact with our Sister Planet in over a thousand years. The first step on a long road to restoring balance to the universe."
"Believe me, Your Majesty. We all understand the gravity of the situation." Shadow Weaver said humbly as she proceeded to prostrate herself before the mighty monarch. "And you have my word that I shall personally see to it that nothing spoils this momentous occasion."
"Glad to hear it, now be off with you."
"I… I beg your pardon?"
"Please do not misunderstand me. You have done a tremendous service to Eternia and the Royal Family. For which I am eternally grateful. But as you said yourself, this is a momentous occasion. And although we requested an audience with Queen Angela, there is a chance Lady Castaspella will be there as well. And given your complicated history with her, well… the last thing we want to do is cause a scene."
"But Sire, I…" the shadow witch began, only for a stern look from Randor to make her hold her tongue. "I understand, My Liege. I shall return to Castle Grayskull and await your next command."
"Very good. Orko, please escort your friend here back to the Castle."
"Oh, that's not necessary, Your Highness."
"Nonsense. We wouldn't want you getting lost and wandering into someplace you shouldn't, would we?"
Shadow Weaver seemed to understand what the King was implying and opted to leave without another word.
With the two spellcasters gone, Randor rejoined his family and their new houseguest at the mirror to await the all-important call.
Since this was a challenge for the new generation and since they were far more familiar with the ways of Etheria than he was, Adora, Adam and Bow were taking the lead on this one, while His and Her Majesties stood close behind them to act in a more supportive role. The appointed time was nearly upon them, when Randor noticed that his daughter was fidgeting nervously.
"Something the matter, Sweetheart?" he asked concernedly.
"W-What? Oh, no, Dad. I'm good." She replied, obviously lying, before back peddling just a bit. "Okay, maybe I'm not so good. It's just… sigh… I don't know. I'm supposed to be the protector of Etheria, but I've been gone for so long. What if things are worse over there than when I left? What if while I was over here having fun, billions of people were killed or enslaved? What if…"
"What if you stop asking 'what if' before you give yourself a heart attack?" the King cut her off compassionately. "Adora, one of the hardest parts of being a warrior or a ruler is learning that there are some things out of your control. You can't be everywhere at once and sometimes you can't save everybody. All you can do is try your best and hope that fate is in your favor. But I don't have to hope this time, because I've seen you work miracles before and I know you can do it again."
The warrior princess smiled warmly at her father and returned his sentiment with a tight but welcome hug.
Just then, the little gem at the top of the mirror started to beep.
The time had finally come.
So, with newfound confidence and the support of her friends and family, Adora pushed the flashing jewel to begin the call.
Fwrrrrt
Seconds later, a familiar figure appeared on the screen; the unmistakable visage of Her Royal Highness, Queen Angela of Brightmoon.
"Adora! Bow!" the angelic queen said with a mix of exhilaration and great relief. "Thank goodness. For a second I thought this whole thing might just be a cruel joke at my expense. I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you both."
"We're glad to see you too, Your Majesty." Adora replied, taking the lead. "So, I take it you've been brought up to speed on everything?"
"Yes, Perfuma's been filling in everyone as best she can, but to be honest the story is a little hard to digest. So much of it contradicts everything I've been brought up to believe."
"I understand, Your Highness, believe me I do, but I promise it's all true. I don't have any evidence I can show you right now, but you have my word."
"And after all this time, I've learned to trust it." Angela replied warmly. "Besides, your brother's presence adds a bit of credibility to your tale, and after all, seeing is believing."
"Well said, Your Eminence." Adam chimed in, pouring on his usual charm. "Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Adam, Prince of Eternia. Guardian of the Secrets of Castle Grayskull. Brother to the Mighty She-Ra. Etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera. Always a pleasure to make the acquaintance of a fellow member of royalty; especially one as lovely and elegant as yourself.'
'Oh brother.' The Warrior Princess thought annoyedly as she rolled her eyes.
"Oh my~ Well aren't you a polite young man." The ethereal queen said with a bit of a blush. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Noble Prince."
'Oh brother!' Adora reiterated.
"Yes, but enough with the flowery formalities. Let's get down to brass tacks." Adam replied, his tone suddenly all business. "What has this vile Horde been up to since my Sister saw them last."
"Well, it's something of a good news / bad news situation, I'm afraid." Angela explained. "The good news is that since She-Ra's disappearance, the Horde has made no attempt to expand their borders. There have been dozens of minor skirmishes with their supply caravans, and several failed attempts to liberate conquered villages, but for the most part, the situation has downgraded into a cold war."
From Adora's perspective, this was a great relief. Granted, things weren't ideal, but at least nothing spectacularly horrible had happened while she was away.
"And the bad news?" asked Adam, bringing his sister back to reality.
"Yes… that." Angela said uneasily. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm afraid I'll have to be blunt. You remember that First Ones Tower? The one that sent you all away in the first place? Well, since you activated it, Hordak's had his scientists working on it night and day. He's even built a fortress around it to keep out intruders; complete with motion sensors, auto-guns and walls over half a mile high. And if that weren't enough, he's allocated about a third of his entire army to guard it, along with three companies of Scorpioni Warriors and over two thousands mercenaries led by a woman named Huntara."
"Good Lord." Muttered Adora, speaking for pretty much everyone in the room.
"Yes, quite. Clearly Hordak is putting all his eggs in one basket on this one, so he's leaving nothing to chance. I'm afraid we can't rely on the Tower to bring you back."
Naturally, this bit of news was quite destressing to the Warrior Princess, but luckily her levelheaded brother was there to reassure her.
"Using the Tower on Etheria was never really an option to begin with. That's why we've had experts trying to tackle the problem from our side." Adam said calmly, to both Adora and the Queen. "But still, this information could prove most useful to us in the long run, and for that you have my deepest gratitude, Your Excellency."
"Well, in that case you are most welcome, My Young Prince." Queen Angela replied, blushing again. "However, as long as the channels of communication are open, Adora, there are some people here who would like to have a word with you."
And before she could even try to react to that statement, the image in the mirror shifted and three familiar faces greeted her warmly.
"Adora!" the trio shouted excitedly.
"Perfuma! Mermista! Frosta! Oh my gosh! It's so great to see you guys!"
"How do you think we feel? We all thought you were dead." Mermista joked; perhaps inappropriately.
"Don't say that!" Perfuma interjected. "She's kidding, Adora. We never lost faith in you."
"I did."
"Shush!"
"Hey, Adora! What's it like over there?" asked Frosta with the kind of curiosity found only in smaller children. "Are there really dragons? What do the stars look like? Is there a boy version of me or are you the only one who gets one?"
"Ugh…."
"I'll take this one, Sister Dear." Said Adam, before gently nudging her aside so he could take center stage. "Ladies, please permit me to introduce myself. I am Adam. Prince of Eternia, Guardian of the Secrets of Castle Grayskull, and a humble admirer of beautiful women, such as yourselves. And I would consider it a great honor to answer any questions you might have about our fair planet."
Surprisingly, this revolting display of cheese resulting in all three princesses developing a deep blush, which of course resulted in another silent 'Oh Brother' from Adora.
"Oh my~" said Perfuma, the first to regain her composure. "Well, Your Majesty, as Princess of Plumeria, I would consider it a great honor to-WHOAAAH!"
"Hey, Cutie~" Mermista purred sensually, having just shoved Perfuma to the floor. "I'm Mermista, Princess of Salineas. That's Frosta and Perfuma, but it's cool if you forget their names. Anyway, I've only got one question. Are you single?"
"Very much so." Adam replied, with a lustful glint in his eyes to match Mermista's. "And I must say, I admire a woman who knows what she wants. Especially when she's as lovely as you, my little Sea Raven."
Upon hearing this, Mermista's blush intensified and she let out an uncharacteristically girlish giggle. Contrarywise, both Bow and Adora had to physically force themselves not to vomit.
"MERMISTA!" shouted Perfuma in a rare display of fury as she picked herself up off the floor. "I was talking to him first!"
"So what? He obviously prefers talking to me."
"Well what about Sea Hawk?"
"What about him?"
"You've already got a man! Let me have this one!"
"Oh, sit down, Hippie Princess."
"Sea Cow!"
"Stick Eater!"
Then, before you could blink, the two Princesses were on the floor trying to rip each other's hair out.
"Well…. I don't suppose there's anything you'd like to ask, my dear?" Adam said to Frosta.
"I…I-I-I-I…" the young princess stammered nervously as her entire face began to resemble a tomato. "I… Izafafah…"
And then she fainted on the spot.
"Well, that certainly brought back a lot of memories." Bow said annoyedly before turning to the Prince. "I hope you're happy. You just caused an international incident."
"Heh-Heh-Heh. I dare say I could get to like this Etheria place." Adam said to himself, apparently ignoring the Archer's comment. "Oh Sister Dear, I have a proposition for you. What do you say we switch planets for a little bit? You can stay here and keep an eye on Eternia, and I'll move to Etheria and take care of the Horde."
"I'm not switching planets just so you can hit on my friends." Adora replied in frustration. "And Bow, lighten up. It's not like this is the first time those two have been at each other's throats."
"True, but it is a sign that perhaps we should be wrapping this up." Said Queen Angela, having shifted the image back on herself. "I had hoped to able to speak to my daughter in this meeting, but perhaps it's best that…."
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Back up a minute." The Noble Archer interjected. "What do you mean by 'speak to your daughter'? Why can't you speak to Glimmer?"
"Well, I'd assumed that since she'd been separated from the Moonstone for so long that she must be resting somewhere. That is why she's not with you, isn't it?"
"Wait, are you saying Glimmer isn't with you on Etheria?"
"Good Heavens, are you saying Glimmer isn't with you on Eternia?"
"So if she's not with you, and she's not with us, then…"
"WHERE IS SHE?" roared a familiar voice from somewhere on the Etheria side; instantly derailing the conversation.
Moments later, the scene in the mirror shifted again, this time to a pair of princesses Adora knew all too well; the fair and radiant Spinnerella and her 'live-in girlfriend' Netossa. The latter of whom looked suspiciously like a rabid animal.
"YOU!" Netossa bellowed as she pointed an accusatory finger straight at Adora. "You tramp! You homewrecker! You perverted little sneak!"
"Darling, please, calm down." Spinnerella pleaded.
"I am calm!"
"Uh… someone mind telling me what's going on?" Adora asked confusedly.
"What's going on? Oh, I'll tell you what's going on. Your secret's out, you backstabbing little pervert! I know you've been plotting to steal Spinny from me since day one! I know that all this time, while you've been pretending to be our friend, you were really fantasizing about my wife's butt!"
"What? I don't… What?"
"Don't try to deny it! That little guy in the hat told me everything. Even about that secret holo-program you have of my wife in a slave girl outfit!"
"Actually, it's a belly dancer… wait, you two are married?"
"Don't play dumb!"
"I'm not playing, I swear!"
"Whatever. Now you listen to me and you listen good. You might be the 'Sacred Protector of Etheria' and all that junk, but don't think for a second that gives you the right to fool around with someone else's wife, even if it is just a hologram. So the second, and I mean the exact second, that we get all this Horde and different dimensions stuff straightened out, you and me are gonna throw down."
"But Netossa, please, I can explain…"
"I said, THROW DOWN!"
And just like that, the image cut out; leaving the room on the Eternian side in an awkward silence.
After a few minutes of this, Adora turned to her brother, looking pale as a ghost and said,
"Hey, Adam, were you serious about switching planets?"
End Notes:
Okay, from your perspective, this is a Good News / Bad News situation.
The Bad News is that I'm putting this story on hiatus again. I know I said I wouldn't so that until I finished Act 2, but I've hit a wall. I know how I want this Act to end, I just don't know how to get to there from where we are now in a realistic way. So for the time being I'm shelving Yin-Yang. I'm sorry if this upsets any of you, but I have to do what is best for my art and for myself.
The Good News is that I'm finally gonna tackle a project I've been fiddling with in my head on and off since before I joined this site. I won't spoil anything for you, but I will say it's another crossover fic and it involves two fandoms I love but have never written a story before until now. I can't wait to get started and I hope you all enjoy it.
Anyway, thank you all so much for the support and I hope to hear from you in all my future projects and in future installments of this story.
Peace.
