The return of the queen

Captain Moonshadow knew she should be pleased. The loot looted from the monastery guaranteed not only the reimbursement of the cost of the expedition, but also a huge profit. Gold alone, not even counting its potential artistic value, was worth a real fortune. In addition, there was also a monastery. They didn't even have to fear the wrath of the gods, because this place was desecrated by the Horde Prime, and they buried the dead inhabitants. Nevertheless, she gave tithes to Besmara , goddess of pirates, just in case, which was supposed to guarantee safety from the vengeance of competing deities. And most importantly, they got it somehow by the way, before they got there, to her lost home... Which, if you believe the Star Siblings, was not as terrible a place as they feared ... For a moment she considered imprisoning them in her Gardens of Long Death, but she thought that would be just mean. The morale among her crew rose to an impressive level. The old whining and snorting has gone into oblivion. She was again their beloved and a great captain who would give them glory and wealth. Some even suggested staying here for a year or two and, taking advantage of the chaos and ignorance of the locals, suspend the war with the Empire for a while and start the Great Hunt. With the wealth gained here, they will finally be able to field a real war fleet and become not a thorn in the side of the empire, but a knife stuck in the ribs of the Aeon Throne. She had to seriously consider that possibility, but first she had to exact her revenge. Punish traitors and slay the invaders.

She made a deal with Bina that they would land in a more desolate part of Icarus, where there were few cities and the central authority was not strong enough. No one here will trouble her crew if they don't look for trouble themselves. Her subordinates were disciplined enough that she didn't have to worry about that. She was accompanied by Gozamund, who was the chief engineer aboard the Merciless. He was Nuar, a massive bull-like a humanoid whose race was famous for its love of technology and labyrinths. She had met him back on Jadehell at the labor camp, where he was a technician who repaired the air filters for the guards and other staff, which gave him the best protective gear, kept his lungs in good shape and didn't have to wear an assisted breathing apparatus. Aside from Tonada, who was almost in love with her, he was the most loyal of the crew, who had fought the Star Empire long before he came to camp and had never cared for wealth. Together they wandered the streets of Clytemestra arousing moderate interest. Although passers-by were probably deterred by the sight of the stern eyes visible above the mask. She was looking for… She wasn't sure what. She could rest in her cabin or train, but she came here because she had a strange feeling that there was something valuable here. Something she was looking for, though she didn't know it herself.

The city was very old, which meant nothing to her or any of her crew, and very poor, which made her heart ache. Already from orbit they could see that the area near the city was gray and barren, as if after using a powerful weapon of mass destruction. The food at the stalls was expensive, even considering that it had an unknown currency here. She saw the emaciated faces of children, though no one starved to death in the streets here. The local inhabitants gave the impression of being kind and willing to help their neighbours . That's why she stopped at the bakery and bought as much goods as she was able to carry, and she and Gozamund began to distribute them to the children. It was nothing to her, and these kids would finally be fed for one night. They tried to quickly separate the flat dark breads because a storm was approaching.

"Do you know that this is a drop in the ocean of needs?" said the bullman in Azlant, so that the kids would not understand what they were saying.

"But it's a drop that hollows out a rock," she replied to Nuar, although she had the impression that it was just an empty and meaningless phrase. The children were not afraid of her. It always amazed her. Although she aroused terror in the hearts of enemies, she easily won the sympathy of the people, especially children. "But you're not just about handing out food."

"I've been fighting this fight for twenty years. Not because the Anti killed someone important to me or ravaged my village. I do it because I have to. But what did we do? We haven't even scratched the armor that protects the core of the Empire." said Gozamund in a tired voice. She smiled under the mask.

"Look around. Horde Prime has oppressed the entire Zone for centuries. He held her in an iron grip so strong that the power of the Aeon Throne was like the touch of a velvet glove. It was a monster that destroyed entire civilizations on a whim. And he was annihilated in one day. By the inhabitants of this whole Etheria, by that She- Ra'a . "Etheria... My planet. Did I know you She- Ra? Did I expect rescue from you?" she thought as she handed out bread to the children, when suddenly a boy ran up to them and started whispering to the orange-haired girl. After a moment's hesitation, she left. A message passed between the children, and more and more of them ran off happily excited. The last boy practically snatched the loaf from her hand and ran away from her.

"Where are you going?" she asked in an amused tone. The kid stopped and cried out in a voice full of pure delight.

"There's Adora, you know, She-Ra from Etheri." and they would disappear into the crowd, and she stood paralyzed.

Adora... The one who betrayed her, abandoned her to the void. She took her sword and everything she loved. She was She- Ra ... She should have known that. But it didn't change anything, absolutely nothing.

"Did something happen?" asked Gozamund in a frightened voice. She clenched her fists and grunted.

"Summon Tonada , Gydwa and Kaert . Let them appear. Immediately. And have Meriless summoned." she said in a voice that sounded like death itself.

She tried hard not to stare at Eti's hand, at the brightly glowing symbols. "This is" she saw only on the hand sticking out from under the sleeve. She tried hard not to stare that way, but she was never very good at hiding what she was doing.

"You're looking for the last opportunity before the wedding?". The green-haired Saihe growled at her.

"Last opportunity?" she asked, not understanding what was going on.

"To experience an nice time in the arms of a beautiful girl accidentally met far from home". she explained venomously. She felt herself turn beet red. Saihe must have taken this as confirmation of her words, because she snorted contemptuously, but Eti said without interrupting the conversation with Rosie in sign language.

"Itel is terribly jealous of me, I don't know why, but I see you looking at my hand." She paused for a moment, and now it was itel who blushed. "That's good, because it's a awesome hand!" Eti turned to her so suddenly that Rosie got scared and put her hand under her nose. "Look how cool it is."

"Ugh Yes, it's interesting ... Especially the writing ..." she groaned. "Have you heard of a race of First Ones? I know this is going to sound weird, but I can see the writing on your hand and I can read the them. Do you know about them?" she asked carefully. The three girls looked at her surprised.

"It's a startongue. The Language of the Starlings . Eti explained. "I thought only I could see them." And I'm sure that no one can read them - said the masked girl, and the green-haired girl looked at her as if she wanted to say something, but changed her mind.

"Starlings?" she asked confused.

"Lilka, show your drawings!" called Eti a red-haired girl who was at their side in three steps and began to take out sheets of paper until she pulled out a large sheet with a drawing of a smiling star, the rays of which ended with the same metal hands as Eti's.

"You know, Starlings... The First Ones... look a bit different." she said carefully. Scorpia, around whose neck Tosh snoring deliciously wrapped, and Wrong Hordak approached them.

"How!" Lilka shouted indignantly, and Eti added.

"These drawings are supported by the scientific consensus achieved by many years of research."

Rosie rolled her eyes.

"Nobody knows what the First Ones looked like. They were said to be machines. We know that they built cities on Abbalon and created the race of Anacites. The Anacites worship them as gods!" Rose said.

She felt sweat running down her back. "Please not that."

Scorpia smiled happily and rested her hand on Adora's shoulder.

"Our Adora is the Last of the First Ones." said the Scorpion princess, and Adora stifled a groan with difficulty. Rosie stared at her with her mouth open, and Lilka looked from her drawing to her a few times and shook her head.

"You're not like them at all."

Eti turned her head to the side and asked.

"So you're a living oxymoron, with emphasis on a moron ?

Scorpius leaned over her so that their noses were almost touching.

"You remind me so much of Adora's fiancée." she said, but Eti snapped back.

"You invade my personal space, I'll bite you!"

"Jeez, you really are so similar!

Then the vehicle stopped and Eti jumped away from Scorpia and activated the cloaking field. She really does look like Catra , she thought as she walked outside.

She sighed heavily as she saw the crowd gathering around her. "It's starting again. It's good that Eti and her friends don't care much about who I am." she thought sadly. She saw the Wrong Hordak suddenly wave to someone, and the others faded. A woman with burgundy hair was walking towards them, her face red with rage. One guard tried to stop her, but she pushed him away.

"What the fuck did I tell you? How long did it take you guys to piss warm urine on my orders?!" she screamed at the top of her throat. Hearing the curses, she and Scorpia blushed.

"It's probably my fault..." Wrong Hordak began, but the woman didn't let him finish.

"A little bit, but mostly Itel. Not only did you put everyone in danger for who the fuck knows what, but you got Mr. Wrongdak and Rosie involved. Have you no shame?!"

"They had nothing to fear from us. "she tried to explain, but then the burgundy haired girl turned to her.

"And you don't fucking meddle in things that don't belong to you!" She roared at her until she backed away from her.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" one of the guards said to her, but the woman turned to him.

"Do you know what do I care who this blonde is." she growled, and the guard cringed as she looked at him with eyes full of fury .

"But nothing big happened, no need to shout like that..." Scorpia said in a friendly and conciliatory tone, but then the burgundy-haired woman jumped up to her.

"Do you have children? NO? So don't meddle in other people's upbringing!" she drawled and seemed to overwhelm the mighty Scorpion princess with her personality. It is said that the quarrels between Queen Angela and Glimmer were legendary, and sometimes the whole palace shook from them. She hadn't had a chance to experience them, but they probably looked similar.

Then a woman emerged from the confused crowd.

"Hi, I'm Lady Cala Grayskull of Carurystal" She said in a beautiful sonorous voice extending her hand towards her.

The guards looked at her in surprise. The burgundy haired girl said softly "We'll talk later" and started to watch them. Lady Cala was…extraordinary. She was taller than Perfume and nearly as tall as Scorpia. She moved gracefully, as if every step she took was an invitation to dance. She was beautiful, absolutely perfect... And that hair, how did she make it so fluffy and shiny?

She noticed him staring at her, so she shook the outstretched hand. The woman also squeezed her hand. She was surprisingly strong despite her delicate build.

"Ughh. I'm Adora, you know, She-Ra, Princess of Power and all." she said, feeling oddly shy around the woman. She had the impression that she was spreading an aura of majesty around her, overwhelming like the glare of the sun, from which the stars faded.

"Oh! We heard about you from Star Siblings. They say you're the greatest hero in the galaxy, the one who defeated Horde Prime alone!" she said with delight in her voice, which made her blush.

"Well, definitely not alone. I wouldn't have done much without the help of my friends. Meet Princesses Scorpia and Perfume " She pointed to her companions. Scorpia looked smitten, but Lady Plumeria eyed Lady Cala uncertainly.

"Oh, we've heard a lot about you too!" said the thunder princess. Lady Cala laughed sonorously.

"I'm sure Rosie and her friends have told you about me, though Eti probably isn't very nice. Sometimes I have the impression that she is a little jealous, unnecessarily, because she is a great girl!" said the beautiful woman. She noticed Eti, who suddenly appeared behind Lady Cala and made a very insulting gesture, and then disappeared again.

"Yes, great ..." she muttered under her breath and asked. "So you came here to the empire... To Horde Prime's Former Empire because..." she asked, not knowing how to direct the conversation to the topic she was interested in.

"Because I'm looking for Etheria, the planet where the founder of my family - Mara - came from." Lady Cala smiled softly.

So it's true, she's talking to Mara's descendant now! They weren't exactly alike, but after all, a thousand years or more had passed... So many generations...

"But it turned out that Etheria found me herself... Did you know that you have a Starstone at your place?"

She blinked several times not understanding what the woman was talking about.

"Starstone?" she asked Lady Cala , and the beautiful woman was about to answer them when there was a hard scream

"ADORA!"

Everyone turned to where the voice came from. She saw a tall woman wearing purple robes. She had a mechanical prosthetic arm instead of a right arm, and she wore a mask of some blue crystal over the lower half of her face. For a moment she wondered how she knew her, and then she spread translucent wings reinforced with a metal frame and took off her mask. Then tears came to her eyes.

"Do you remember me!" said Queen Angela in a voice sharper than the Sword of Protection.

"Of course I remember you!" she called. Now tears were streaming down her cheeks. "You're alive… you're really alive," she thought, feeling joy singing in her heart. She never fully accepted that the queen had sacrificed herself for her, had given her life for her. Catra was always haunted by the fact that she had taken her friend's mother away. But now everything will change! No more mourning and remorse! The queen is back! Mikah ... oh Mikah, how happy he will be!

Then several people appeared next to Queen Angela. The first was a small creature with blue fur on its body, wearing a pirate hat fur on its head. He would have been cute if it weren't for the six pirate sabers he was holding in his hands. He stood in front of Angela and glared at her menacingly. To the queen's right stood a great lizard similar to Rogelio , but much more massive. He had one eye and held a huge hammer in his hands, the surface of which was electrified. On the left appeared a large bullman , in whose hands suddenly appeared claws. Behind them stood Saihe in dark glasses, who was holding a blaster in his hand .

"It's would be strange that you don't remember someone you left to die." Angela growled and coughed, then pulled the mask back over her face.

"But Angela… Queen. - she said. She could said that the queen herself had decided to stay on the other side, but what did it matter? It was because of her, because she failed, because she wasn't strong enough, that all of this happened. She didn't want to defend herself . Yes, she abandoned her… To a fate worse than death. She felt her legs buckle under her. Thunder struck and the first drops of rain began to fall from the sky among which her tears were lost Angela looked at her surprised.

"Angela…so that's what my name used to be." she said thoughtfully and shook her head. "Never mind… I am Captain Moonshadow, sword on Azlanti, captain of the terrible Meriless. My enemies speak my name in horror. You will too. Let's make this arrangement. You come aboard my ship and tell me where you keep the sword, and no one will be harmed. Hardly anyone." she said with a threat worthy of the most feared predator. Among the blue storm clouds appeared a great black ship that had apparently just shed its cloaking field. The crowd began to retreat, and the guards closed their ranks uncertainly looking at the woman completely unknown to them.

"I will go with you. she said sobbing." Perfuma and Scorpia tried to talk to her, but she didn't listen. "I can't give you the sword... It was destroyed... I broke it... I had to."

Desperation flashed in the Captain's eyes, then she shook her head and screamed in uncontrollable fury.

"You're lying, but after some days in the Gardens of the Long Death, you'll tell the whole truth, I assure you!" And she raised her hand. The tattoos that covered her glowed, and a gray-blue flare appeared in her left hand. She took aim at it, unwilling to defend herself, feeling her body go numb. Then Lady Cala stood beside her, sword drawn, and screamed.

"Enough of this Moonshadow. Give up!"

Angela looked at her irritably.

"So you're breaking our agreement, noble lady?" She growled and hurled a energetic projectile from her hand at her. Lady Cala ducked and the shot hit one of the guards, who screamed in pain. The warriors accompanying Moonshadow rushed into the fight, Screams, gunshots and the clash of weapons snapped her out of her stupor. She stood and looked up. She saw the ship take a firing position.

"Surrender, Adora , or this city will burn." Glimmer's mother threatened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. S

"For the honor of Grayskull!" she screamed, and felt magic flowing through her, pure power. She thought of Catra, her beloved and her friends, Glimmer, Bow or Skorpia and Perfume standing nearby. This allowed her to transform, to become She- Ra . When the flash of rainbow light passed, she opened her eyes and looked at the shocked Angela .

"You come with me. To daughter and husband…" She said in a gentle but firm voice.

"You're lying! They are dead! Fire!" the queen shouted and wanted to shoot at her, but she effortlessly blocked the projectile with her sword, and then Lady Cala attacked.

?I'll take care of her. You stop the ship." said the woman. Her hair blew in the wind despite the rain, as did She- Ra 's . She nodded to her and jumped towards the black ship, hovering against a dark sky criss-crossed with lightning. Just then, the ship's hull-mounted gun began to load, and she directed her flight to intercept the shot. Then the ship fired, spitting out a huge ball of plasma capable of burning an entire district of the city. She transformed her sword into a shield and took a hit on it. Flames as hot as the sun itself surrounded her, but the shield absorbed all the energy easily, though most beings would evaporate. She smiled, hoping the shooter could see her. Then she aimed her sword at the ship and sent a beam of light at it.

Eti blinked a few times. She was glad she was wearing tinted goggles or the flash of rainbow light would blind her. Then she saw Blonde who became BLONDE. She was almost two and a half meters tall, and her hair blew in the wind as if it were made of light itself. When Stinka stood next to her, she looked pathetic, as if she was trying to imitate an unattainable pattern… But Stinka was always pathetic. And she had a sword, big and sharp, not some stupid needle.

And then the blonde jumped towards the cruiser...

"What do they put in these crisps" Eti asked

"Is she going to fight with a pirate ship?| Alatar asked in surprise.

"Yeah , and we don't have much like so ... Where the fuck is Eti?." Bina asked, but she wasn't listening. She wanted ran after Stinka ... This mean bitch will do harm to the captain of the Wingy . She liked the Wingy. Maybe not as much as Grimmy, but she was so cool! The mean woman was attacking the pirate with surprising for someone in the rain, avoiding the pirate's shots. At that time, Skittermander rushed at Vegi , and Veska and Nuar Nanocyte were attacking Stinger. Vegi wrapped Skitermander in vines, but then she had to dodge because the drow elf shot her with a pistol. Stinger grabbed the handle of the hammer.

"You know, I'm friends with a lizard like you, but he's not big as you..." said the scorpion woman.

"Because the Veska women are bigger." The other snarled, and then lightning bolts struck from Stinger's pincers, knocking Hammerhead back and hitting the cobblestones. Despite the fact that smoke was rising from her, she tried to get up. The scorpion woman was attacked by the bullman with his nanomachine claws, but Alatar cast a spell that made the bullman forget how to use the weapon. Skittermander slashed the vines and lunged at Vegi, shouting "For Captain Moonshadow", but then Lilka charged at him. Itel gracefully started attacking Veska , who was already on her feet. Bina shot at the drow - elf, only Sparkle Hand stared at the BLONDE as if she was going to jump into the sky after her. Her eyes were strangely cloudy

Then the ship fired and hit BLONDE... who instead of evaporating turned her sword into a shield and blocked the attack. Sparkle Hand curled up, covering his eyes. And then BLONDE changed her shield back to a sword and fired a beam of light at the ship, almost destroying his shields.

"Retreat! We're retreating to the ship!" Captain Moonshadow called, barely defending herself against Stinka's attacks. At that time, Piącha came running and struck right next to Hammer. The Pirates didn't need to repeat the order, they started to withdraw. They didn't pursue them, except for Stinka, who chased after Captain Moonshadow. She decided to check what this bitch was up to and find out what was actually going on here.

At the very beginning of her life, she could run on all four limbs. But then her left arm was maimed and her right arm was lost. She couldn't touch anything with the fingertips of her left hand, and the right hand was too slippery. If it weren't for the falcon boots, she wouldn't be running across the rooftops after a pirate and an aristocrat. She ran through the rain, avoiding being seen. There was a dogged chase under a sky streaked with lightning. With a smile on her face, Stinka dodged the shots with unprecedented grace, carrying out her attacks. The captain's robes were in tatters, and redblood leaked from between the armor plates. Suddenly, the two women reached the building, a four-story building with a flat roof. There was no escape from here. The aristocrat was facing the captain, who was breathing heavily, smiling like a cat at a mouse. She was preparing to deliver the final stab to the heart. Eti, without thinking, put the telescope to her eye and fired, hitting Stinka in the knee. Then Captain Moonshadow shot her straight in the face, then wrapped her wings around herself and disappeared. What happened next, she did not see. She preferred to run away before Stinka noticed her. Even though she was absolutely perfect, awesome and unique, she wouldn't stand a chance against her.

She landed on bent legs. She couldn't chase the ship, not at this level of power, and she didn't want to draw more. It could damage the ship, and for Glimmer's mother's sake, she preferred to avoid it. She looked around, she was alone in the street drowning in the pouring rain. Suddenly she saw something between the buildings, like a shadow watching her. Her heart froze for a moment as she thought of one person who had been dead for five years. But then the shadow disappeared as if it had never been there... Then Lady Cala emerged from the rain. In her arms she carried a child whose body was horribly shattered.

"It was Captain Moonshadow who did it." the woman said in a pained voice. "Or asyou call her, Queen Angela."