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“Huh, picking up a transponder signal on repeat,” Bow noted. “Could be a distress beacon. Let’s get a little closer?” The other three agreed, and soon Darla was zipping towards the signal.
“Galaxy’s Biggest Ball of Twine, Bear left, seven parsecs?” Adora translated/asked. “I mean, at least it’s a sign of civiliz- Catra, are you okay?” Something deep in Catra’s psyche seemed to have clicked, for she was staring into space, tail thrashing back and forth. “Ground control to Catra, can you hear me, Catra,” she teased, shaking her girlfriend by the shoulder.
“Mm? No, I’m fine. Just got a little..distracted.” Adora eyed her suspiciously but she was working on trusting Catra and respecting her boundaries, so she left it at that.
The coordinates indicated by the sign were easy enough to locate, and soon they had set Darla down and paired off to investigate. “Ground a little spongy but the atmosphere appears breathable,” Adora reported, and they took off their helmets.
Catra’s eyes went wide with realization, and she dove at the floor, starfishing her limbs out, grabbing a loose piece of what Adora had thought was a bedraggled plant but was actually–
“Oh no,” she breathed as the realization that had come to Catra through instinct reached Adora’s consciousness by slower pathways. “The ball of twine isn’t on the planet; it is the planet.” She knelt a respectful distance from Catra, chasing the loose length of yarn as long as she was tall, then looked back up at Bow. “You are recording this, right?” Her friend just grinned down at her, tracker pad’s camera function engaged. “I’ll, uh, I’ll just keep an eye on her, okay?”
“Good idea,” Glimmer agreed. “Bow and I,” (“So cute!” Bow interjected.) “will take a look around.”
Adora laid down, and waited for Catra’s state of bliss to run its course. “You okay?” she asked at last.
Catra rolled onto her back, breathed in deeply, and exhaled. “You know how you talk about She-Ra’s power? The magic of an entire planet channeled into you in a way that you never imagined before, but once it happened, it felt so natural, so right?” Adora nodded. “That’s how this feels. Like my destiny has been waiting for me to arrive at this very moment.” She purred quietly, and Adora took that as a sign to scoot a little closer and snug next to Catra. “If that’s how becoming She-Ra felt for you…I think I understand. And I think I actually forgive you.”
“Thanks,” Adora replied, staying serious as long as she could before asking: “Are you going to turn into an eight-foot-tall magic princess? Because, if you are, I’m here for it.”
Catra snorted. “Not likely.” She ran her claws through Adora’s hair, loose around her shoulders. “Come on, we’d better find the other two before they get into too much trouble without us.”