FINAL CHAPTER: THE LAST STAND

The Horde's ships had converged above the Fright Zone. Dozens of black shapes covered the sky, plunging the land into eternal darkness. But it wasn't something that would have stopped the people of Etheria from fighting back. The armies of every kingdom stood by the Whispering Woods' edge. Even Huntara stood with them, the people of the Crimson Waste right behind her, and the part of the Horde that had remained loyal to Catra stood with them too.

In the front lines, the princesses were discussing what strategy to use.

"I think we can like… scratch the 'surprise attack' option. They obviously know that we're here." Mermista said as she pointed her finger towards the black ships which were hovering above the Fright Zone.

All of the ships were pointing towards them, positioned in what looked like an attack formation.

"Would a frontal attack work? We won't stand a chance if they start bombing us like they did to you while you were in the woods." Netossa wondered, recalling what Glimmer had told her and the others once they came back from the forest.

"Again, I'm soooo sorry I wasn't there to help…" Scorpia apologized, blushing slightly as she recalled the reason she hadn't been there with the others at the moment.

"Y-yeah… me too…" Perfuma looked away in embarrassment, scratching her arm.

The princesses exchanged a look before starting to talk again.

"A frontal attack is our only hope. We won't be able to surprise them." Spinerella intervened.

"Honey, if their blast took out She-Ra, we won't stand a-" Netossa shook her head as she spoke, before someone stepped in and interrupted her.

"We do stand a chance." Castaspella spoke determinately. "I'll stay behind with all of Mystacor's mages and erect a barrier that'll cover us."

"You'll create a barrier to cover the entire Fright Zone? Aunt Casta, it's too dangerous! It could drain you and the other mages completely!" Glimmer exclaimed in a worried tone.

"Y-yeah! You could cover just the field between us and the Fright Zone, once in we'll have no need to-" Bow tried to talk the sorceress out of her idea, only for Micah to step in and interrupt him.

"Prime won't hesitate to obliterate his own soldiers to take us out… if he's anything like Hordak… he's that kind of leader. Creating such an imposing barrier will take a lot out of Mystacor's mages… that's why I'll stand with them." Micah declared.

"Dad…" Glimmer turned towards her father and grasped his hands, a worried look on her face.

"We'll hold the barrier up until the attack is over. It'll be hard… but knowing that I'll be protecting you… it'll give me so much strength. Believe me, baby girl." The old king said as he ran his fingers through the young queen's hair.

"Madame Razz said that the ship that took Adora was the first one to reach the Fright Zone, and that its teleport was activated right above it." Bow explained to the group.

"Mmmh… it might mean that our friend is being held captive in there!" Sea Hawk exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

"It's a risk we'll have to take. I'll teleport us into the Fright Zone, while our armies will take care of Prime's clones and the mages will protect everyone from his ships." Glimmer turned towards the Fright Zone's buildings, a determined look on her face. "We'll take our friend back, and we'll kick Prime off our planet."

"H-hey!"

Someone else joined the group.

"Ivy?" Frosta stepped towards the young cadet.

"What about Catra?! That old lady said she'd join us! We have to wait for her!"

Lonnie reached the girl's side, panting heavily.

"Damn it, Ivy! This is no place for a kid! You should have stayed in that old lady's house!" The ex-Horde's soldier scolded the kid before turning towards the princesses, "I'm sorry, I don't know how she managed to sneak past us."

"Hey! I have the right to be here! I'm a soldier! I can fight!" Ivy protested.

"You're a kid! You shouldn't go to a fricking war!" Glimmer spoke, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"Frosta's a kid too! Why is she here then?" The young cadet crossed her arms.

"Well… sheeeee's a… princess." Bow tried to explain.

"Ivy, what they mean is-" Frosta began to talk as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder only for it to be slapped away.

"What? That you've got powers so you can be actually useful?"

"No! These powers make me stronger than a normal etherian, it's safer for me to fight, and I can help a lot!"

"I don't care if I'm weaker than you! I want to fight for my home too!" Ivy shouted back.

Everyone remained silent for a moment, before Glimmer stepped towards the young girl. Ivy held her ground as the young queen stood before her. They both stared into each other's eyes until a smile appeared on Glimmer's face.

"You're stubborn… and brave. You want to fight for those you love, and for your home. You will. We'll all fight together against Prime." Glimmer declared, placing a hand on Ivy's shoulder.

The girl looked at her with an astonished expression before nodding. The young queen lifted her hand from the young cadet's shoulder and turned towards the armies that had gathered along the Whispering Woods' border.

What were the odds they could actually pull this off? Saving Adora… beating Horde Prime. He had ruled the known universe for hundreds of years… maybe even more… and who were they? Princesses, people who once she hated, bandits, soldiers who had no idea of what was expecting them… but… there was something more to them. Glimmer took a good look at all the faces that were staring at her. Suddenly, she understood.

They were there.

They had not run away.

They were standing one beside the other.

Glimmer took a deep breath and started to talk.

"People of Etheria! Today I don't see armies of different kingdoms. I don't see rebels, Horde soldiers or bandits, today I see the free people of a world that has been violated by a great evil. Prime stands between us and our long-awaited peace. He speaks of order and balance in the universe, but the only order that'll come if today he'll win… is oblivion, for us, and for everyone we love. There was once a day when we wouldn't even dare to think to stand side by side, when we were enemies. But today? Today I only see the people of a world whose desire is to be free! To hold their loved ones and live happily until the end of our days! So, let's fight for them! For the ones we love, for Etheria, for each other!"

A roar rose from the armies gathered in front of the queen, one of determination, courage and hope. The young queen turned towards the princesses.

"I'll teleport us inside the Fright Zone. We'll save Adora and stop Prime once and for all. His army will be too busy fighting ours to help him. Today, we free Etheria." Glimmer spoke without an inch of doubt or fear in her voice.

"But what about Catra?" Ivy asked again.

"Yeah… I mean… the old lady was pretty clear about the whole 'you'll need all the princesses to beat the evil that came from the stars and free Etheria' and yada, yada, yada." Mermista recalled the words of Madame Razz.

"I can't even imagine what kind of power the princesses will posses once they reunite. It must be something the universe has never seen before if it'll be great enough to beat Prime! Ohhh, this will be so exciting!" Entrapta giggled excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Whatever power Razz was talking about, we need to act now. Look," Glimmer intervened, pointing at the sky, "The ships are already moving towards us. They know we're here… he knows we came for Adora. If we don't act now…"

A dreadful silence fell upon the small group.

If Madame Razz was right, then they would have needed Catra in order to defeat Prime.

However… the feline was nowhere to be seen.

And if the ships had started moving towards them, it meant that Prime knew the free people of Etheria had arrived.

"We can't wait for Catra. Razz said that she would come, and I trust her… I trust Catra too. But we can't wait any longer." The young queen said.

"But she'll join us, right?" Ivy asked.

"Of course she will… I mean… she's Catra. Both the Rebellion and the Horde had never managed to beat her so… she'll join us." Frosta intervened, putting a hand on the young cadet's shoulder.

"Okay… but I'm coming with you!"

"What?! No way! We're not gonna face some random bandit! We're gonna fight Horde Prime!" Bow shrilled.

"Well, they're gonna face a few thousands of Hordaks, so? You'd prefer I stuck with them?" Ivy crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely not!" Frosta exclaimed.

Every princess turned towards her, Ivy did too. The ice princess blushed slightly and began to fidget with her fingers.

"I-I mean, it'll be safer if she's with us, we're princesses! And when Catra will reach us, s-she'll already be there!" She tried to explain herself.

Ivy snickered. The other princesses did too, except for Spinerella and Netossa, who simply cooed at the two young girls, making the Horde cadet blush too.

"S-shut up! It's as she said, just the most logical choice." Ivy stammered.

"Yeah, of course." Glimmer said, a knowing smirk plastered on her face, before she extended a hand towards the others. "Ready?"

The others nodded and placed their hands above the queen's, while Swift Wind placed his snout on top of theirs.

"Let's go save Adora!" The steed declared encouragingly.

"Onwards to our greatest adventure yet!" Sea Hawk yelled gleefully.

"For Etheria. For our friends. For Adora." Glimmer said, smiling at Bow.

The young archer nodded, smiling back, before the small group vanished into a cloud of sparkles.

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"They're coming for me… and it'll be the end for you."

A clawed hand slapped Adora, drawing blood from her bottom lip.

"Today, your pathetic little friends will meet their doom. And so will your so called 'Rebellion'." Horde Prime grinned viciously.

Adora threw her head backwards in a roaring laugh, almost hitting the lab table Horde Prime had strapped her to.

"Is the end of your loved ones so… entertaining to you?" Prime raised a brow.

"No… you are." Adora spat back.

Horde Prime expression turned from curious to enraged. He surged forward and took the blonde's face in his hand, tightening his grip around her cheeks.

"I am?" Prime growled.

"You're so little." Adora laughed again.

Horde Prime screamed in rage and smashed her head against the lab table.

"I'll posses a weapon so powerful that the entire Universe will bow to me." The tyrant closed his hand in front of the blonde's eyes.

"The sword is broken, it was the only link between She-Ra and the Heart of Etheria. You'll never manage to activate it." Adora replied.

"Oh, but my dear child. The sword is not broken any longer."

Those words… they sent chills running down Adora's spine. It was impossible. She did it herself. She took that damned sword, the sword the First Ones had created to control her, to control She-Ra, to make her a weapon… and smashed it into a million pieces. It was gone… it was-

And then she saw it.

A clone came into Hordak's old laboratory, his head bowed… and the sword of protection held between his hands.

Adora's eyes went wide in horror.

The sword's blade had lost its light blue color, and so did the gem embed in its hilt. Instead… both of them had turned green… a vibrant… somehow malevolent green. Horde Prime reached for it and took it from the clone's hands, before he walked up to Adora once more.

"No… it's a trick!" The blonde shouted in both anger and desperation as she started to pull on the straps that held her in place.

"I admit… for an old piece of Eternian tech it has proven to be quite complicated. But after a while, I understood its primitive mechanisms… and put it back together. Why don't you try it? So you'll see for yourself that it is far from a trick." Horde Prime grinned maliciously as he reached the blonde's side and took hold of her hand.

"No! You don't understand! The Heart is unstable! It'll destroy all of us if you activate it!" Adora screamed and trashed around, but to no vail.

Horde Prime simply cackled loudly.

"Despite the potential of their machine, once again the Eternians' work proved to be… sloppy. But do not worry… thanks to my modifications… the Heart will conjure just enough energy to destroy their little planet... and you, my dear little child, will be the executioner of your own family."

Adora's face turned white.

"N-no… no! I won't help you! Let me go!"

"You will… or maybe I should say that… she will." Prime laughed.

The tyrant pried open the blonde's hand and closed it around the sword's handle. He kept it closed as he leaned in and whispered a few… terrifying words in Adora's ear.

"For the honor of Horde Prime."

BOOM!

Suddenly, Hordak throne room's door burst open.

"Adora!" Glimmer cried.

"Adora! Where are you?!" Bow rushed inside, looking around frantically.

The other princesses quickly joined the archer and the queen, alongside Ivy, Sea Hawk and Swift Wind.

"Oh… she is right… here." Horde Prime cackled maliciously.

Everyone gasped as the tyrant emerged from the shadows of Hordak's lab, his hand resting on Adora's shoulder. But the one the princesses' gazes were fixed on wasn't Adora anymore. In her place, stood a distorted version of She-Ra. A tall, lean figure engulfed in a vibrant green glow, with its clawed hands closed around… the sword of protection.

"It can't be…" Glimmer muttered.

"B-but Adora destroyed the sword! I saw the fragments!" Bow shouted, pointing at the green blade.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have an old enemy to annihilate, and you… and old friend to fight. Goodbye, children." Horde Prime said, as he bowed mockingly to the small group.

A green beam came down from above Hordak's sanctum and broke its ceiling. Bow shoot an arrow in the tyrant's direction but it only hit the wall behind him. The green beam disappeared. Horde Prime had left them… left them with Adora.

She-Ra stood still, looking straight at the princesses in front of her, before releasing a powerful, distorted screech and jumping in the air towards them, sword held high above her head. Everyone dodged the powerful blow, gasping as She-Ra's sword sunk deep into the throne room's floor.

"Adora! It's us!" Glimmer shouted, but to no vail.

"Watch out!" Spinerella shouted as she pushed the young queen aside.

She-Ra's powerful kick sent the purple haired princess flying towards one of Hordak's clone chambers, smashing it. Spinerella fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Spinny!" Netossa cried, before conjuring a net and throwing it at the green, screeching figure.

The luminous net engulfed She-Ra, before starting to get smaller and smaller, preventing her from moving. Sadly, it only worked for a few moments, and before anyone could land a blow, the net shattered. The green figure surged forwards, Netossa conjured another net in front of her but She-Ra's clawed hand simply smashed through it, grabbing the princess by the hem of her jacket and throwing her against a wall at full force. Netossa let out a strangled yelp as she collided with the hard surface before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"We need to wake her up!" Bow yelled as he ducked under an energy wave sent by the green blade.

"I'll do it! Adora! I know you're in there! Listen to my chanty! Ohhhhh-" Sea Hawk began to sing.

Unfortunately, chanties didn't seem to work as She-Ra simply titled her head to the side before she rushed towards the pirate. Yelping, Sea Hawk raised his sword only to see it being cut in half by the green figure's sword. A clawed hand caught him by his neck and raised him in the air.

"Hey! Let him go!" Mermista shouted in anger as she raised her hands.

Hordak sanctum's pipes began to tremble and a moment after water began to erupt from them. Mermista rotated her arms in the air and formed a giant sphere of water. She threw it at She-Ra, who simply held her sword in front of her, a wall of green energy materializing between her and the mermaid princess' attack. The globe of water crashed against the barrier, and a moment after, the green figure dropped it and threw the pirate at the blue haired princess, making both of them crash to the ground.

That's when She-Ra grunted, stumbling slightly. She turned around only to be hit another time by a flying kick to the stomach. This time, the green figure didn't even move an inch. She-Ra's white eyes focused on the small girl that stood in front of her. Ivy had managed to catch her off guard. However, the small girl's confidence wavered as she saw the tall figure raise its sword above her.

"Ivy!" Frosta cried, jumping in front of her and raising a wall of ice between the two of them and She-ra.

When the green blade collided with the icy barrier, the latter shattered into a million pieces, one of them flying in the young princess' direction and slicing through her jacket. Frosta cried as she closed a hand around her bleeding shoulder, stumbling back.

"Frosta!" Ivy held her, trying to support the princess' weight as she leaned against her.

She-Ra raised her sword once again, ready to finish the two younglings, but before she could, a few seeds were thrown at her feet, and several thick vines grew in a matter of seconds around her, immobilizing her. A moment after, a surge of red, electric energy traveled through She-Ra's body. The green figure screeched loudly and trashed around.

"We need to do something! I can't hold her for much longer!" Perfuma cried, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she tried to tighten the vines around the green figure's body.

"Oh boy, I think we're just making her angrier!" Scorpia shouted over She-Ra's screams.

"M-maybe if I c-could get closer to her sword I-I could try to find a way to-" Entrapta blabbered before Swift Wind interrupted her.

"Don't worry! I'll use our bond to bring Adora back!" The steed announced before rushing towards the immobilized figure. "Adora! It's me! Swift Wind! Listen to me! Listen to our magical bond! Come back! Come-"

The steed fell silent as he realized that his and Adora's bond was still there… but it wasn't working as he expected. The green glow around She-Ra grew brighter and brighter, until the vines around her burst into flames.

"Ack! Retreat!" Swift Wind cried as he turned around.

But before he could run away, a clawed hand closed itself around his tail. Swift Wind yelped as he felt himself being lifted in the air.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding!" Scorpia shouted in exasperation as she saw She-Ra rotating the screaming horse above her head.

An instant later, the distorted, green figure threw the steed at the princesses, effectively knocking Scorpia, Perfuma and Entrapta to the ground. She-Ra turned towards the only two remaining opponents. Glimmer's fists were engulfed in a bright, purplish glow while Bow stood by her side, an arrow already nocked and ready to be shot.

"Adora, please! It's us! Bow and Glimmer! Please!" Bow shouted, raising his bow towards her.

"Please! You can't forget about us! The Adora we know is far too stubborn to do that!" Glimmer shouted, the ghost of smile appearing on her face as she spoke that last sentence.

And that's when the figure hesitated, bright blue eyes replacing soulless white mirrors for a single moment. She-Ra doubled over and cried loudly as she held her own head with a hand, while the other, still closed around the sword of protection's handle, trembled slightly. Glimmer and Bow looked at each other, hope appearing on their faces. She was still there, Adora was still there. They just had to continue, to keep reminding her of who she was, but… could they do that alone? She had already taken out all the others…

And as soon as that doubt crossed their minds… a powerful roar came from behind She-Ra.

The green figure turned around swiftly only to be pushed to the ground, her arms pinned to the floor by two massive paws. She-Ra screamed an tried to break free, but her efforts ceased immediately as her white eyes focused on the mismatched ones of the beast above her. Cedar brown mane… light orange pelt…

Familiar…

Familiar…

Familiar…

"Could… could that be?" Bow whispered to Glimmer, who simply stood by his side, observing the scene, mouth agape.

The beast let a low rumble escape its mouth as it slowly lift a paw to its face, raising a golden mask above its eyes. The creature began to shrink, its form growing littler… until…

"Adora…"

A hand cupped She-Ra's cheek and a pair of soft lips touched hers.

Catra…

And Adora came back. Her blue eyes replaced Horde Prime horrifying creation's ones and a stuttering breath came out from her lips.

"C-Catra…" She mumbled.

"Yeah… yeah, it's me…" Catra chuckled as she bent down and kissed her again.

She-Ra stood up, helping the feline stand up as well, and turned towards Glimmer and Bow. The other princesses, Ivy, Sea Hawk and Swift Wind reached them, limping and groaning slightly. They were a little roughed up, but all of them would have survived.

"Catra!" Ivy yelled before she broke into a full sprint.

The young girl threw herself at the feline, who caught her between her arms and hugged her tightly.

"I was so scared… when I woke up and you weren't there… for a moment I thought I had lost you…" Ivy mumbled.

"It's okay… I was scared too... but I had to get this." Catra said, pointing at her golden mask.

"Wow! What's that?" Ivy asked, eyes fixed on the shiny object.

"My mother's crown, basically I'm the new queen of the magicats."

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted loudly in disbelief.

"Madame Razz simply told us that you would have come carrying the power we needed to defeat Prime but… this… this is incredible!" Glimmer said, shocked.

"Oh wildcat! I always knew you were special!" Scorpia cried, engulfing the feline in a tight hug.

Catra simply chuckled and hugged the scorpion princess back before being put down.

"Y-you found your home?" Adora asked in a trembling voice.

Catra turned towards her and took her hands into her own.

"You're my home… but I found my parent's kingdom and… my dad…"

"Your dad is still alive?" Glimmer put a hand on the feline's shoulder before she smiled. "I'm so happy for you. My dad… my dad told us about your mom and… and mine. About how Bright Moon didn't believe Katrina and wasn't there when the magicats needed help. I'm sorry… if my dad and my mom had listened to her… maybe now…"

"It's not your fault Glimmer, and it's in the past now. I was still lucky enough to see my father again… and I got to see my mom too, in here." Catra pointed at the golden crown.

Glimmer and the other princesses shared a confused look but decided to remain silent.

"My dad guided the magicat army through the woods. The clones are done for. I saw it before I came here."

"M-my dad… is he…" The young queen's grasp tightened on Catra's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's fine. He and the mages managed to keep that barrier up until every ship was taken down. The clones were so many… but… you had the Horde's and the Crimson Waste's people on your side… the magicats too. Prime's done for."

"Uhm… he… he escaped. And there's another problem… Adora…" Bow chose to point at her instead of using his words.

Adora was still transformed, her appearance hadn't changed. She was still surrounded by that bright, green glow, only her eyes were different.

"Try to change back!" Entrapta encouraged her.

Adora closed her eyes and began to concentrate. She tried to shift back, a task that usually she could accomplish in mere seconds… but found out that she couldn't…

"I… I can't… I can't…" Adora breathed hard, falling to her knees.

"Adora!" Catra gasped, rushing to her side. "What's wrong?!"

"I can hear him… I can't… I can't control myself!"

Suddenly, Adora stood up, the green glow around her growing brighter. The other princesses began to glow too.

"No, no, no! Not again!" Glimmer cried as the familiar burning sensation she felt when the Heart was activated for the first time pervaded her body.

All the princesses cried out in pain as their glow became more intense.

"What do we do?!" Bow asked, trying to think of a plan.

"H-he wants me to destroy Eternia! It's my parents' planet! I-I can't stop it!" Adora shouted as she felt her arm lift the sword high above her head, pointed towards a planet far, far away, as if it had a mind of its own.

"Adora!" Catra surged forward and closed her hands around the one Adora used to hold her sword. "Don't do it! I know you can resist him! I know how strong you are!"

And the sword moved… just an inch to the right.

"A-Adora!" Glimmer muttered as she reached the princess of power.

The young queen lifted her hand and closed it around Catra's.

"I know you can break free! I never met someone as strong as you! As determined as you!"

"We believe in you Adora! Just keep fighting! For Etheria! For each other!" Bow placed his hand on top of Glimmer's.

"Come on! Prime can't beat you! Not if we're all with you!" Scorpia said, closing her pincer around the sword's blade, pushing it away from the spot in the sky Adora had originally pointed it too.

"Horde Prime can't win! He doesn't have what we have! Our friendship is stronger than his control over you!" Perfuma placed her hand above the scorpion princess' pincer.

The sword moved again.

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"Enjoy your last moments Eternia… for your end has come…" Prime muttered, crossing his fingers as he stared at the screens behind his throne.

Half of them displayed Etheria, giving him a perfect visual of the First One's mightiest weapon, the other half of the screens displayed a distant planet… one of the few that managed to fend off the intergalactic tyrant in the past. But against the Heart of Etheria? It wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Rejoice! For Prime's light will be the last thing-" The tyrant shouted, raising his arms in the air, before a clone dared to interrupt him.

"My Lord!"

"How dare you interrupt me?!" Prime turned towards the clone, however, his anger vanished as he noticed the terrified expression he wore on his face.

"M-my Lord… the targeting system of the sword is changing its objective!"

Horde Prime is speechless for a few moments, something that hadn't happened to him in hundreds of years.

"What… do… you… mean…"

"Eternia isn't the target anymore! W-we are!" The clone stuttered, terrified.

"It's impossible! The sword has been created to control She-Ra! I control her! I own her! Show me my little brother's sanctum!" Prime turned towards the screens.

One of them stopped displaying Etheria and began to show the tyrant the inside of Hordak's throne room… that's when Prime's eyes widened. Not only She-Ra wasn't fighting the princesses, she was resisting his orders, she was resisting his programming.

"No! It's impossible! How are they doing that?!"

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"He thinks he can just waltz in and take our home from us?! Show him who's the boss Adora!" Netossa spoke determinately as her hands joined the ones of the other princesses.

"Don't let him rob us of the ones we love Adora!" Spinerella shouted over the princess of power's screams, placing her hand above her wife's.

"Prime thinks he can beat us? Ha! Countless chanties will be sung about his idiocy!" Sea Hawk joined them too, alongside Mermista.

"Let's show him what Etherians can do!" The mermaid princess yelled encouragingly.

"Keep pushing! We can't give up now!" Frosta reached the group, hoisted up on Ivy's shoulders so that she could reach the height of She-Ra's sword handle.

"Come on guys! It would seem the odds are against us! But somehow I know we can do this!" Entrapta raised her pigtails and wrapped them around everyone's hands.

"Don't give up Adora! We're all here! We're all together!" Swift Wind pressed the side of his head against the conjoined hands and pushed alongside everyone else.

And indeed, they were all there.

They were all together.

In the end, Horde Prime made one fatal mistake.

He fought against people who had love in their lives, the most powerful magic of all.

The sword moved again, one last time and then…

A blinding light erupted from it.

The gargantuan beam of light traveled through the sky of Etheria, up and up until it reached its target.

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"It is going to destroy us!" The clone cried.

Prime slapped him, seething in anger.

"Move the ship! We have more than enough time!" The tyrant shouted.

The clone nodded, but before he could turn around, something hit him in the back of the neck. The clone fell to the ground, revealing another one standing behind him.

Prime recognized him immediately…

Hordak…

"Little brother… what… are… you… doing?" Prime hissed between his teeth, clenching his fists.

"What I should have done a long time ago… stopping you." Hordak replied.

"Stopping me?! You can't stop me! I'm your master! Your creator! You are the one that came back to me that night!"

A mocking grin appeared on Hordak's face, and Prime's blood turned to ice.

"Begging you to let me come back, showing you how eager I was to be at your side again, pretending that I would have left everything and everyone behind just to be your pawn again… I knew it would have blinded you. You're that pathetic."

"How dare you!" Prime lunged forward, trying to grab the clone, only for him to dodge his clawed hand.

"This will be your end. I disabled the engines. Nothing can save you." Hordak declared.

"You're a fool! You'll die too!" Prime screamed.

The tyrant turned towards the screens behind his throne. His eyes went wide as he saw his little brother's sanctum engulfed in a bright, white light, while the screens displaying Etheria showed a gigantic beam moving towards them.

"Damn you!" He shouted in pure anger and hatred as he lunged again at Hordak.

The clone dodged again, before jumping towards Prime.

His punch collided with the tyrant's face as the white light engulfed the giant space ship.

Hordak closed his eyes, his last thoughts going to Entrapta… and to the fact that he had managed to hit God.

The magic of Etheria pulverized the ship alongside everyone inside it… including a small, terrified cloud of black smoke, that in front of what only then it understood what true light was... could only evaporate into nothingness.

͠

"A-Adora?"

That voice… it was muffled, but it sounded so, so familiar.

"Adora?! Please, wake up!"

Catra…

Adora finally opened her eyes.

"Adora!" The feline cried happily, tears streaming down her cheeks as she bent down and embraced the blonde tightly.

"Catra…" Adora murmured, hugging her back.

Catra pulled back slightly only to cup the blonde's face and bring their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss.

"Ewwww!" Ivy mimicked a gag, while Frosta snickered and elbowed her side slightly.

"Did… did we do it?" Adora asked, pulling back slightly from the kiss.

"Yes dummy, look up in the sky." Catra answered, resting her head in the crook of the blonde's neck.

Adora raised her head and her eyes widened as she saw that Horde Prime's ship was gone.

"We… we really did it… he's gone." Adora couldn't believe her own eyes.

"We did it!" Glimmer exclaimed, launching herself towards the two.

"Yeah!" Bow followed her right after.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! W-we're all okay!" Scorpia laughed incredulously, before turning towards Perfuma and hugging her tightly.

Perfuma squealed joyfully as the scorpion princess raised her from the ground and began to twirl around.

"This war made lovers out of everyone didn't it?" Spinerella whispered to Netossa, who simply smiled brightly at her before dipping her and kissing her deeply.

"This victory requires a song! Ohhhh-" Sea Hawk began to sing, only to be silenced by Mermista, who groaned deeply before grabbing the hem of his jacket and pulling him into a kiss.

"Will that shut you up?" Mermista asked, pulling back.

Sea Hawk simply nodded.

"Yuck! I hope I won't have to see this every time they win!" Ivy said, crossing her arms.

"You probably will." Frosta snickered, before she gave the young cadet's cheek a quick peck.

Ivy turned towards the ice princess, eyes wide, cheeks red as a tomato.

"I-I… y-you… I m-mean… I-" Ivy stuttered, embarrassed beyond limit.

Frosta simply chuckled.

Glimmer and Bow helped Adora and Catra up, before their gazes fell upon the sword of protection. It laid on the ground in pieces, its green blade shattered.

"Good riddance." Adora muttered.

Suddenly, everyone's attention was caught by the sound of a familiar voice. The small group turned towards Entrapta, who was holding a small tablet, her hands slightly shaking.

"That voice…" Catra growled lowly.

"Hordak." Adora stated.

The group came in close, surrounding the scientist princess as they kept listening to Hordak's voice coming from the device.

"If you're seeing this… it means that I have perished. Only now I realize the pain that I have caused to this planet… to these people. There is no way that I can atone for my sins, but I can do one good thing. I am sorry. I am sorry if the last time we'll see each other we'll look at each other with only anger, hatred and disgust in our eyes, but only by doing that Prime won't suspect a thing. I will sabotage his ship… and when the time will come… I know that you'll do the right thing, and he won't be able to escape. The only regret I have is that I lived most of my life without knowing about the most precious thing of all. Thank you Entrapta… thank you for having made me learn what love is."

The tablet's screen turned black. The message was over. Entrapta simply stood still, tears streaming down her face, shoulders shaking. She turned her head to the side, surprised by a hand touching her shoulder.

"He… he was good… in the end he was good… we couldn't have done this without him." Catra smiled at Entrapta.

The scientist princess sniffed before hugging the feline. Catra was taken slightly aback, but quickly reciprocated. The other princesses joined them too, each and every one of them letting Entrapta know that they were there for her.

"We should go and meet the others… see how they're doing." Entrapta muttered.

"Okay." Adora smiled weakly.

The group left Hordak's Sanctum behind, walking through the Fright Zone's corridors one last time.

͠

Both clones and Etherians laid still on the ground. Glimmer covered her mouth, trying to muffle a sob. Bow took her between her arms, holding her tight.

"No such thing as a good war, huh…" Catra whispered, her ears low on her head.

The feline smiled weakly as she felt Adora put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"Catra!"

Suddenly, a voice called her from afar. A man in silver armor rushed towards the feline. Adora made a move to summon her sword, however, Catra stopped her. A moment later, the feline was engulfed in a bone crushing hug. Hesitantly, she hugged the man back. It was a little stiff, rigid, but Catra wanted to believe that now she had time to get to know her father… to bond with him… to know what it feels to have a loving parent.

"Are you hurt?" Mathias asked, out of breath as he removed his helmet, revealing his light blue eyes to the small group in front of him.

"No, I'm fine." Catra answered, smiling meekly at the man.

"Catra…" Adora called her, curiosity clear in her voice.

"Adora, guys, this is Mathias… my… my dad." The feline explained almost sheepishly.

Everyone gasped.

"Catra, you have a dad?!" Bow asked, his voice growing shrill.

"Since when?!" Glimmer threw her hands in the air in disbelief.

"It's a long story…" Catra shook her head, smiling a little more broadly.

"One that'll have to wait."

Suddenly, Micah appeared behind the man in silver armor.

"Dad!" Glimmer cried before launching herself at the old king.

"Glimmer…" Micah whispered, kissing the top of the young queen's head and holding her for a few moments.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Glimmer asked, noticing her father's worried look.

"A portion of our army stayed in Bright Moon to prevent any kind of surprise attack from the enemy…" The king hesitated for a moment before continuing, "They were fine before the battle, no clones had been spotted… but…"

"Now they're not responding anymore?" Adora asked.

"No…" Micah shook his head.

"What could have happened?" Glimmer asked, the joy from the victory slowly fading away, replaced by a crippling fear.

"Where's Shadow Weaver…"

Catra's question sounded more like a demand. The feline hadn't seen the red witch anywhere, not on the battlefield, not inside the Fright Zone. A terrifying doubt crossed her mind.

"She was nowhere to be found when we left for the battle." Micah answered, before his eyes widened in realization.

Everyone looked at each other.

"We have to get back, now." Adora said, her tone grave.

Glimmer nodded before conjuring a teleportation spell, 'the one Shadow Weaver had taught her' Glimmer realized with a grimace on her face, and the group disappeared into thin air.

͠

Everything looked… darker inside the castle. Not just as if someone had turned off the lights, but like if someone had poured… more shadows inside the already dark hallways of the now silent palace.

"What… happened here?" Adora asked in a low voice.

"I don't know… but I don't like it…" Catra muttered.

The blonde extended a hand and grasped Catra's into her own. The feline turned her head towards her and smiled weakly.

Nothing really bad can happen as long as we stick together.

"Is it me or… it's getting colder and darker?" Glimmer asked, rubbing her arms as she trembled slightly.

Bow immediately reached her and gently hugged her side.

"Thanks…" The young queen muttered, a light blush adorning her cheeks.

"You're not wrong, the closer we get to the exit… the colder it gets." Bow said, eyes darting around, trying to spot any danger.

"You okay?" Frosta asked, putting a hand on Ivy's shoulder.

"Y-yeah…" The young cadet answered.

"It's okay to be afraid you know? I'm a little nervous too." The ice princess explained, a kind smile on her face.

"Pfff… who says I'm scared?" Ivy pouted. A moment after, she spoke again. "But I wouldn't… completely disagree if you… held my hand… just, you know… for precaution."

Frosta snickered before taking the girl's hand into her own.

"Something wrong?" Scorpia asked, turning towards Perfuma.

"There's… a really negative energy vibrating through this whole place…" The flower princess explained, shivering.

"Whatever it is… I think it's coming from there…" Mermista said, pointing at the palace's exit.

"This is bad… I've never seen readings like these ones… there's an enormous amount of magical energy coming from nearby but… it's not similar to She-Ra's… it's more like… the opposite…" Entrapta muttered worryingly as she kept looking at her tablet.

"Whatever it is, we can take it. Together!" Sea Hawk said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Towards the big cluster of evil magic we go…" Swift Wind whispered, his voice shaky, as the group walked through the palace's exit.

That's when they saw it.

The moonstone…

"It's… it's…" Glimmer's eyes went wide in terror.

"It's completely black…" Catra growled.

The group broke into a sprint towards the magical stone. But as soon as they reached the bridge leading to it, the ground began to shake.

"What's happening?!" Spinerella cried as she leaned onto Netossa.

"I don't know! Hold on!" The net throwing princess replied.

"Welcome…"

The voice resonated through the air. Everyone recognized it immediately.

"Shadow Weaver…" Adora muttered in a grave tone of voice.

Slowly but steadily, shadows began to pour from the black stone.

"What is-" Glimmer began to ask, but as soon as she opened her mouth…

A loud scream resonated through the air, and an explosion of darkness erupted from the stone, obscuring everything around the group, turning everything black. When Catra opened her eyes, there was no one around her, everyone was gone except for Adora, who laid on the ground, her eyes closed.

"Adora!" Catra cried, kneeling down and taking Adora's head into her lap. "Adora? Adora wake up!"

"She won't…"

"Shut up! Show yourself! I'm not afraid!" The feline shouted back angrily.

"You should…"

And then she appeared. Shadow Weaver came out from the dark. Her bust emerged from the ground, as tall as the Moonstone's tower, the black stone now adorning the once empty slot on the red witch's mask.

"I must say… I thought that I would have encountered much more resistance from you all… I guess I have to thank Horde Prime for that…"

"He's dead, and you're gonna follow him." Catra spat angrily.

"Even in front of certain death you still are a disrespectful brat. You've always been the one who resisted me the most. I thought that getting rid of you would have been easier… but somehow you've managed to come out alive from each of my traps…"

"W-what… are you talking about?" The feline asked.

"Micah discovering about you did to his wife… the magic field that imprisoned you in Bright Moon suddenly disappearing… the voices inside your head… did you think that those things happened for no reason at all?"

Suddenly, Catra realized. It had always been Shadow Weaver.

"You wanted me to crumble under my own guilt… and when you saw that I was actually strong enough to overcome it… you hoped that Micah or Prime could do the job…" The feline talked through gritted teeth, as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Always so smart… and yet, here we are…"

"Yeah… here we are." Catra sniffed slightly, gazing into the white, glowing cracks of Shadow Weaver's mask.

"It is a pity, that Adora will have to die alongside you… but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to do in order to maintain this power."

"Of course you're willing to do it." Catra chuckled darkly. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"You're not going to beg for mercy?"

"You're voice is even more annoying than before, can you just make it quick? So that I'm not gonna have to listen to you anymore?" The feline smirked smugly, not even an ounce of fear on her face.

The slits on Shadow Weaver's mask grew thinner.

"I am going to enjoy smiting you."

The enormous black figure raised her hand above the couple.

"I think that even if we're together… this time it won't matter Adora." Catra whispered, tucking a strand of the blonde's hair behind her ear, smiling down at her before kissing her lips softly. "I love you."

The black hand came down.

Catra closed her eyes.

A loud bang resonated through the darkness surrounding them.

A distorted scream rang through the air.

The feline opened her eyes.

Shadow Weaver was holding her own hand, as white cracks began to form on its surface. Catra looked down and saw that both Adora and herself were glowing. A bright, golden aura had surrounded them. And then, just as the feline laid eyes on the blonde she was holding between her arms, Adora opened her eyes.

"Hey Catra…"

"Hey…" Catra answered with a teary chuckle.

The feline helped the blonde stand up, and as Shadow Weaver raised her hand again, the two simply held each other's hand, the golden glow around them growing brighter and brighter.

The black hand came down again, this time shattering completely as it came in contact with the pair. The old witch screamed in pain as she held her now mutilated limb.

"This is impossible! You can't be this strong! My power is far greater!"

"You're wrong!"

Glimmer's voice rang through the darkness, and suddenly, the young queen emerged at Adora and Catra's side, hand in hand with Bow.

"You can't defeat us, because you don't have what makes someone strong in the real way!" Scorpia joined the group, Perfuma's hand clutched around her pincer.

"Despite every odd we encounter, we always come out on top, because we have each other!" Sea Hawk appears from the shadows, holding hands with a slightly blushing Mermista.

"Because we're there for each other!" Entrapta yelled cheerfully as she reached the group on top of Swift Wind.

"Because we'll never leave each other alone!" Ivy shouted at the giant, shadowy figure, as she joined the others, hand in hand with Frosta.

"Because we love each other…" Netossa spoke, emerging from the darkness alongside Spinerella, gazing dreamily into her wife's eyes.

Each and every one of them stepped into the golden glow, making it grow bigger and brighter, until the Great Shadow couldn't hide anymore.

"No! No! It burns! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

The gargantuan black figure cried, her voice growing smaller and smaller as light began to pierce her veil of darkness, as colors came back to the world, as Bright Moon began to emerge from her darkness once again. Shadow Weaver grew smaller and smaller, her mask falling into pieces, the Moon Stone gaining its color back. In the end nothing but a semi transparent shadow remained in front of the group. It looked at each and every one of them with such fear in its eyes.

Then, a cloud that was obscuring the sun moved away.

A ray of light engulfed the shadow…

And the old witch vanished without a sound.

"It's… it's over?" Glimmer asked, her hand still holding Bow's as tight as she could.

"Yeah… she's gone…" Adora muttered, turning her head towards Catra.

"Good riddance…" Catra spoke in a hard tone of voice, before turning towards the blonde, her expression softening.

The two embraced each other for a few moments before pulling back. Adora cupped the feline's cheeks and brought her into a kiss, her cheeks becoming red as she heard whistles and joyful hollers all around them.

"I love you." Adora whispered against Catra's lips.

"I love you too, dummy." The feline answered.

The following days were spent celebrating. Even though Etheria would have needed a lot of work in order to be completely restored, the princesses felt like they have earned their rest. Even Adora managed to relax… after a lot of convincing.

An incredible party had been organized for the day after the Rebellion's victory, and during the festivity, Micah called Catra away from the dance room. The feline expected the old king to tell her that she shouldn't have gotten so comfortable, that some kind of trial was expecting her, but surprisingly enough, Micah simply wanted to thank her. If it hadn't been for her and Adora, he would have probably lost his daughter too. The past was in past, he said, and it was time to finally move forward.

Glimmer spent the next few weeks after the battle helping build new homes for the Horde members that had followed Catra, alongside Bow and Entrapta.

Mermista departed alongside Sea Hawk the day after the party, wanting to start immediately to rebuild her kingdom. Catra asked to join her. Mermista accepted. Adora went with her obviously.

Scorpia went back to the Fright Zone. Glimmer explained that before Hordak, that place had been the scorpion princess family's kingdom, and now the war was finally over, it should have gone back to its rightful ruler. Having zero experience in being a princess with a kingdom, Perfuma decided to follow Scorpia and help her.

Ivy didn't have a home, not anymore, Scorpia offered her to come back to the Fright Zone but the young girl said that she would have never gone back to that place. That is when Frosta shily offered one of the many rooms of her castle to her, saying that until she found another place, she could have stayed there. Ivy simply giggled, took the ice princess' hand and followed her. In the years to come, she would have never left the icy castle… or Frosta.

The few clones that had survived the war ran away. Without their guide they set a course through the infinity of space. No one ever saw them again, and slowly, in each and every part of the known universe, Horde Prime was finally forgotten.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Adora asks, leaning her head on Catra's shoulder, eyes exploring the multitude of stars above them.

"Yeah, but I prefer the one right next to me." The feline replies, kissing the top of the blonde's head.

They decided to watch the stars for a few more minutes. Another day of work was ahead of them. Selineas was far from rebuilt, but they would have managed to repair everything that had been broken, together.

And as the two of them kept watching the stars in the sky, unbeknown to them, on a distant planet, a young man with blonde hair was doing the same. The legend of She-Ra, and the tale of Horde Prime's fall had traveled far, far enough to reach him… and to make him realize that the sister he had lost long ago… could finally be found again.