Chapter 47: The Horde Leader Part 1

Shadow Weaver entered the warehouse with as much arrogance as before. Or even more. The others might not realise it, what with the mask covering the witch's face, but Seacat knew her well enough to tell from the way Shadow Weaver held herself as she glided over the floor.

"Adora." A brief nod. "Princess Glimmer. Princess Mermista. Princess Entrapta."

So, she had decided to be a little more diplomatic? Seacat snorted, which caused the witch to briefly tilt her head towards her. Seacat grinned in return. As before, the show of greeting the princesses wouldn't fool anyone who knew her. And both Adora and Seacat did.

"Shadow Weaver." Adora's answering nod was barely noticeable.

"I trust you've finished your 'scouting' efforts," the witch said. "At least I assume the bot rampage was an attempt to obfuscate what you did."

Seacat clenched her teeth. Yes, arrogant even though she wanted their help.

And Glimmer was bristling. "We did get good intel about Hordak."

"Oh, yes! Fascinating insight into his technology!" Entrapta nodded several times.

"We know that he's building pretty much all of the Horde technology," Brain Boy added. "And that he has tech armour."

Seacat didn't quite roll her eyes, but she wanted to. 'Tech armour' was Brain Boy's invention. The word, not the armour.

"Tech armour?" Shadow Weaver scoffed. "It's what's keeping him alive."

"Oh?" Entrapta perked up. "It has healing properties? It keeps him alive when wounded? He must have found a way to harness magic for that!"

"No. It's not healing him - it's keeping him alive despite his crippling wounds," the witch corrected the princess. "The state of his health is so bad, he cannot live without his armour. I assume he can barely move without his armour. Destroy it, and he's doomed."

"Yeah." Adora frowned. "But how good can he fight and move with his armour?"

Shadow Weaver inclined her head, just as she had done whenever Adora had asked a good question as a cadet. "Formidably. He's a terrifying opponent. At least he was when he still took the field - but I doubt he has let the capabilities of his armour atrophy. However, I am certain he cannot stand up to you all - provided you face him together."

"And take casualties doing so." Mermista scoffed.

"This is war - the final battle of the war. Hordak must die. If you shy away from doing what needs to be done because you fear the price it may cost you, you will pay a much higher price later. You and your lands."

"Our people," Glimmer corrected the witch.

"I'm She-Ra; I can take him," Adora said.

Seacat wanted to kick her shin. No, this wasn't her fight. Not just her fight, at least. They were all in this together.

"You might be able to - but your power might not be enough to defeat Hordak before he can rally his guards and other reinforcements. Your friends would be in danger either way - but the outcome you need, Hordak's death, would be much less secure." Shadow Weaver shook her head. "No matter the risk, all of you need to attack him - and overwhelm him quickly."

"Some of us are more suited to other tasks than fighting," Brain Boy pointed out. "Especially in a research lab."

"And an assembly line!" Entrapta added.

"You're a master archer," Shadow Weaver said. "And your trick arrows offer ways to severely hamper Hordak. What do you think you could accomplish in his laboratory that would compare to that?"

"You might not be aware of it, seeing as you never fought at the side of friends, but if you try to attack one man with too many people, they'll only get into each other's way," Seacat told her.

"That might be - but in the end, the goal is achieved. Hordak will be dead."

Yeah, that was just how the Horde worked. Drown your enemy in blood as long as it works.

"We're not the Horde," Adora said. "We'll fight Hordak, but we'll do on our terms. But we could use your help to get to him - it would make things easier."

Seacat wanted to protest, but her friend was right. Probably. They would have a much easier time entering Hordak's personal laboratory if Shadow Weaver opened the doors. "Not that we need your help," she said anyway, sneering at the witch.

Shadow Weaver sniffed, then turned to Adora. "As you wish. But I hope you will remember my counsel before it is too late - all our lives are in danger, after all."

"Yes." Adora nodded with a firm expression.

"We know what we're doing," Glimmer added. "We've been fighting the Horde for years."

"Fighting and defeating them," Mermista added.

"And yet, for all your bravado, it's all coming down to a covert strike against Hordak himself." Shadow Weaver scoffed. "A strike that would've failed already if not for me covering up your entrance. Please try to remember this before you ruin everything for your pride."

Seacat really wanted to hurt the witch.

"This isn't about pride," Glimmer protested.

"It isn't? What about power? We both know that if your group defeats Hordak without my help, it will boost your reputation and influence amongst the Alliance much more than if you needed my support. A group of princesses bravely attacking the enemy leader is much more appealing than winning through treachery, isn't it?"

"That doesn't matter to us!" The princess shook her head. "All that counts is defeating Hordak!"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem for you at all to accept my help."

"There's the matter of trust," Seacat cut in. "Mainly our lack of trust in you."

"If I wanted to lure you into a trap, I could have done so easily already," the witch replied.

"You need us - until Hordak is dead," Adora pointed out.

"And what would I gain by betraying you afterwards? Control of the Horde? It would collapse without Hordak's technology. He took care to ensure that he was irreplaceable." Shadow Weaver shook her head.

"If he hadn't, you'd have made a move against him long ago," Seacat spat.

The witch tilted her head at her, and Seacat could see the condescension in her eyes. "You would think so, of course. But I was well-aware of my means and my chances to succeed him."

"But even without Hordak, you'd have his bombs and the airship!" Glimmer narrowed her eyes. "Even if you would run out of them and lose the airship to maintenance, you could do a lot of harm before that happens."

"You're planning to destroy the airship, aren't you?"

"Yes. That still leaves the bombs," Glimmer said.

"And they don't need much maintenance, at least not for the next several months," Entrapta added.

"But they require an army to use. The Horde is already teetering on the brink of disaster. If Hordak falls - and the airship is destroyed - morale will plummet. Horde soldiers will desert in droves - doubly so since the heartlands of the Fright Zone were attacked. You are aware of just how fragile the Horde is at the moment, aren't you?"

"The Horde's drilled to obey. As long as you can step in and give orders, most of them will continue the war," Seacat pointed out.

"I will be too busy restoring my failing health," the witch replied. "What would I gain if I kept the Horde running but died in the process?"

"You, too weak to do both?" Seacat scoffed. This was the witch's plan: Have them kill Hordak and then kill them before taking over the Horde to lead them against the Alliance, which would be reeling from the losses.

"You are too ignorant and naive to understand." The witch turned her head. "Adora. Do you believe the Horde would survive the loss of Hordak?"

Adora took a deep breath - she didn't look like she wanted to be put on the spot like this. "If the chain of command is still intact, then… I believe it's possible to keep the Horde running."

"Even without the airship? Project Omega, which was touted as the Horde's ultimate weapon?" Shadow Weaver shook her head. "You overestimate your enemy."

"That's called being cautious," Mermista snapped.

"If you overestimate your enemy, you'll risk losing a war to a beaten foe because you are too afraid to fight."

"We're here, in the heart of the Fright Zone. We can see how hard everyone's working," Glimmer said.

"As long as Hordak is alive. My own standing isn't high enough to engineer the same kind of loyalty."

"Well, then we need to dispose of the bombs and the airship!" Entrapta said. "Without either, the Horde can't fight on. Well, not with a significant chance of winning the war."

"Or we use the bombs to destroy the airship," Seacat said. And a big part of the Fright Zone.

"That would be possible, but…" Entrapta bit her lower lip. "We would have to get the bombs into the yard."

"The more people you divert to this, the lower your chance to kill Hordak becomes," Shadow Weaver said.

Seacat scoffed again. The witch was showing her cards.

"We can take both. All three," Adora said, nodding firmly - and meeting Shadow Weaver's eyes with a stern expression. Unwavering.

Seacat sighed softly at the sight.

The witch held Adora's gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "So be it. I hope you're right, Adora. For all our sakes."

"So do we," Brain Boy added.

The witch seemed to ignore him. "I can slip in Hordak's sanctum tomorrow evening - I will ask for an audience with him. As long as you follow me without being seen, you'll be able to attack him by surprise and overwhelm him."

"We need the route in advance, so we won't get lost if we lose sight of you," Adora said.

"I'll mark it on your… map." The witch nodded at their sketch on the crate serving as a table. "But smuggling a bomb out of the laboratory and into the hangar… I can't help you there."

"You don't need to," Entrapta told her. "We can handle it!"

"And can you avoid Hordak's spies on your own?" the witch asked.

"His spies?" Adora frowned.

Shadow Weaver cocked her head. "He has spies in the Fright Zone. I have managed to avoid them to meet with you thanks to my long experience, but I dare say that trying to steal an enhanced bomb would run afoul of them - Hordak is aware that such a bomb represents a grave threat to him."

Of course the witch would say this to keep them following her plan! On the other hand, it made a lot of sense that Hordak wouldn't leave such bombs unguarded. "I assume you will tell us to get the bombs after we kill Hordak, right?" Seacat said.

Shadow Weaver glanced at her. "That would be the obvious solution. Once Hordak's dead, his spies will be useless. They might find other masters, but since they have exclusively reported to Hordak, Horde officers wouldn't trust them. Hordak's death would provide you with a window of opportunity to further wreck the Horde."

"And you with an opportunity to betray us!" Glimmer retorted.

"I will be busy saving my life," the witch replied. "I've explained that before. I would not risk my life for the dubious privilege of controlling a doomed army."

"Unless you think you could save them," Adora said, hands on her hips.

"Even if I thought so, do you honestly think I would take such a risk? You should know me better than that, Adora."

Seacat gritted her teeth. The witch was manipulating Adora. "We know that you're a liar," she spat.

Adora nodded.

"I've lied before, yes. But I'm not lying now." Shadow Weaver tilted her head again. "All I want is to cure the curse on me. What happens to the Horde afterwards is of no concern to me any more."

"Was it ever a concern?" Adora asked. "Or was the Horde just a means to an end?"

"It was a means to save my life," the witch replied after a moment. "That doesn't mean every member of the Horde was merely a means to an end." She looked at Adora.

Seacat scoffed. "We know you! You treat everyone as a tool!"

"Not everyone. I've cared for Adora since she was a baby."

And she hadn't cared for Catra. "And you've tried to murder me," Seacat spat.

"A mistake, in hindsight."

Seacat wanted to hurt the witch. Kill her. She could just pounce on her. Shred her with her claws before she could react. At this distance, she wouldn't be able to use her magic. And if she truly was dying, she might be weakened enough to…

Seacat drew a deep breath. No. She couldn't kill Shadow Weaver. Not now, when they were so close to defeating the Horde.

"Enough!" Mermista spoke up. "We don't trust you. Tell us how those spies operate, and we'll find a way to deal with them. Get us to Hordak, and we'll kill him. But if you try to betray us, you'll regret it."

Shadow Weaver looked at the princess, then nodded. "Very well."

Seacat didn't relax or sheathed her claws until the witch had left the warehouse. "She's... "

Adora put her hand on her shoulder, then pulled her in for a hug. "I know."

She didn't know, though. But she tried her best. Seacat closed her eyes and hugged her lover.

"So…" Entrapta held up the speaking tubes again. "Planning session?"

Hordak's laboratory wasn't visible from the roof of the warehouse - a wall of big furnaces blocked the view - but Seacat still looked towards it. Today was the day. Today Hordak would die. And the war would end.

And Shadow Weaver would betray them. Seacat was certain. The witch was too focused on them killing Hordak and ignoring everything else. She had to have a plan to stab them in the back as soon as Hordak fell.

Well, they had a plan for that as well. They weren't as naive as the witch thought.

She bared her teeth. Oh, yes - Shadow Weaver would rue this day!

"Don't stab her before we kill Hordak."

Seacat turned. Adora had climbed up on the roof as well. "If you tried to surprise me, then you failed. I heard you on the ladder."

"I wasn't trying to surprise you!" Adora protested as she walked up to Seacat. "I just wanted to…"

"I'm fine," Seacat said at once.

Adora didn't say anything, just watched her.

"I don't like waiting," Seacat said.

Adora still didn't say anything.

Seacat sighed. "I'm not going to stab her. Not until she betrays us."

"You think she will betray us."

Seacat tilted her head at her. "You think she won't?"

"I don't know," Adora said. "I don't know what she's planning. She says she doesn't want the Horde, and…"

"You believe her?" Seacat snapped.

"I do believe her that she doesn't want the Horde just to rule the Horde. She's not the type. But she wants something, and if commanding the Horde will help her get it, she'll try to take over the Horde."

Seacat nodded. "And she'll betray us for it."

"If we get into her way. Or she thinks we'll stop her," Adora said.

Seacat looked at her with a frown. "Whatever she's planning, it can't be good."

Her lover sighed. "I know. But… part of me hopes that she is telling the truth and only wants to cure herself." She looked down at the ground - well, the roof. "We'll be hard-pressed enough with Hordak and then the Horde."

Seacat waited a moment, then spoke up: "I hope she tries to betray us." She clenched her fists. "I want to kill her." The witch had tried to kill her. Had wiped out an entire village and her own troops for it. And she was trying to manipulate Adora. "She's fixated on you. Even if we let her go, she'll return and try something."

"I know!" Adora replied. "But we made a deal. Breaking it…" Seacat could see her jaw muscles moving as Adora clenched her teeth. "It wouldn't be right."

Adora would be worried about that, Seacat knew. She'd been a stickler for rules and regulations. Not that there was anything wrong with having a code - as long as it was flexible enough.

"If I, if we break our word and stab her in the back - what does that mean for us? How can people trust us if we do that?" Adora asked.

Seacat pressed her lips together. The Captain had taught her that a sailor's reputation was, well, their livelihood, if not their life. Even pirates knew that if they had a reputation for breaking their word, they would have to fight harder to capture a ship since no one would surrender. And she wasn't a pirate.

And the enemies and rivals of Seacat's friends would use this against them. Mermista would have more trouble with the admirals. And her relationship with the Captain would be more difficult - Seacat knew the officers would blame him for this. The other princesses would probably be affected as well. Glimmer had the queen to cover for her, but Entrapta? She scoffed. "I hate it."

"I know."

Seacat closed her eyes and leaned against her. "The moment she turns against us, I'll finish her."

"We'll finish her."

The message arrived while they were eating dinner. Horde rations, so it wasn't a big loss - Seacat tossed hers as soon as the shadows in the corner started to move and formed letters. A word.

Come

She took a deep breath and stood. This was it. Shadow Weaver would be waiting at the side entrance to let them in and guide them to Hordak.

"Alright! Does everyone know the plan?" Adora asked.

"Yes." Mermista rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" Entrapta nodded several times.

"Yes." Glimmer looked ready and determined.

"Yes." Brain Boy nodded.

"Huzzah!"

Seacat grinned. It was finally time. "Let's go!"

They left the warehouse. It was dark outside already - Seacat wasn't sure if that was a good thing. It meant fewer Horde scum on the roads to stumble into them or ask questions about their orders, but it also meant it would be easier for Horde troops to hide or move unseen, if this was a trap. Of course, if this was a trap, the warehouse would've been surrounded already, but…

She shook her head and focused on watching their surroundings as they marched, disguised as a troop of guards, towards Hordak's laboratory.

They passed a patrol of regular bots without issue - other than Entrapta looking a little too long at the slight limp one bot had developed, but Seacat didn't have to drag her with them - and reached the side entrance in question.

It was supposed to open automatically if you approached and were expected, so they kept going. Seacat held her breath. If this was a trap, then this would be the perfect moment to attack them - caught in the open, with a massive wall blocking their path.

But no troops rushed in to surround them, and when the entrance slid open, Shadow Weaver stood there.

And the witch wasn't happy. "Hordak's not in his laboratory," she announced before anyone could say anything. "He's in the airship yard."

Seacat hissed. That… complicated things.

"Are you still meeting him?" Adora asked.

"Yes. But you'll have to find your own way in," the witch said. "And quickly. Before he grows suspicious - and notices that his spies have been dealt with already."

Great. "What about the laboratory's guards?" Seacat asked.

"What about them?"

"We need to sabotage the bombs," Seacat explained. That was the agreed-upon plan!

"Disabling the security to the bomb storage would alert Hordak. We can't risk that until we have faced him," Shadow Weaver replied.

Seacat clenched her teeth. She hated it, but the witch was right. But…

"Then we'll sneak in without alerting the guards!" Sea Hawk announced. "Well, some of us."

"That's too dangerous!" Shadow Weaver hissed.

"It's a risk we have to take," Adora spoke. "We trust our friends."

"Huzzah!"

That meant Adora, Seacat, Glimmer, Mermista and Sea Hawk would attack Hordak, with Brain Boy and Entrapta going after the bombs. More or less like they planned to split up anyway - but they wouldn't be close enough to support and reinforce each other now.

And Shadow Weaver was angry. "I won't take responsibility if this leads to a disaster."

As if the witch ever did! Seacat snorted as she bared her fangs to her.

"Alright. This doesn't really change much," Adora said. "We talked about this before, so we'll stick with our plan."

"But…" Entrapta started to protest.

Adra shook her head. "We stick to our plan. I trust you."

The princess nodded, though reluctantly. "Alright then. I guess."

Adora turned to Shadow Weaver. "Go. We'll sneak into the yard ourselves and get to his office."

"Or wherever he's at the moment," Glimmer added. "As long as we can see him, we can reach him."

Seacat nodded. This was why Glimmer hadn't been using any magic so far during the mission. She could get them into the airship yard and into Hordak's office without trouble.

"I see." Shadow Weaver nodded, then turned and started to leave. "Don't start until I'm inside," she said over her shoulder.

Seacat bit her lower lip to keep from snapping at the witch. Shadow Weaver wasn't in command.

"Alright," Adora said as soon as they were alone. "Bow, Entrapta - go and get the bombs and do your thing."

Seacat snorted again - Adora had such a way with words sometimes.

"Everyone else - come!"

Seacat smiled at Entrapta, then followed Adora.

"Alright." Adora walked quickly. "Glimmer can teleport us inside past the guards - once she catches a glimpse of the inside."

"The air ducts up on top; if she drops us there, we'll be fine," Seacat said. She made a quick mental calculation. "But that might be a little hard to spot - unless you're at the gate."

"Then I do two teleports," Glimmer said. "One into the air, then on the duct. Then I can fetch the rest of you."

That would be an additional two teleports. Nothing too difficult, but… "If the gate's open when we arrive. We might have to wait for a delivery," Seacat said. "Can't do anything about that," she added. "We could take out the guards easily, but that wouldn't let us open the gate."

"Let's hope that there's a delivery," Adora said. "Soon."

Seacat nodded. She hated depending on others like this. First Shadow Weaver, and now they had to hope some Horde supply sergeant was going to do their job when they arrived.

She suppressed a sigh. Perhaps they should've asked Shadow Weaver to take them with them… No. Hordak would've been suspicious if he saw them arrive together. They'd have to improvise if needed.

She grinned. Hell, if everything failed, Adora could probably cut a hole in the gate. Or push them open.

They reached the shipyard. Airship yard, Seacat reminded herself. And wasn't that something? How long until ships would be replaced by airships? Or would airships be too costly to produce in large numbers and remain limited to the military?

She scoffed silently at herself and focused on the building ahead of them. This wasn't the time to wonder about the future. They had a Horde leader to kill.

Two of them.

The gate was closed, and the guards were alert - much more alert than before, she noted. So, it was true that Hordak was in the yard. But there was no wagon approaching with supplies.

And no sign of Shadow Weaver.

"So, how do we do this? Tell them we're expected by Shadow Weaver?" Mermista asked.

"Charge the gate and blow it up?" Sea Hawk suggested. "We would be inside before they could recover and gather enough troops to stop us."

"But we would alert them before we strike at Hordak, who might use the opportunity to escape," Seacat pointed out.

"Do we have an alternative?" Adora asked. "Glimmer can't teleport if she can't see the destination."

"Welll…"

Seacat looked at the princess. That wasn't the face of someone agreeing with Adora.

"Glimmer?"

"I can teleport without knowing or seeing the destination," she said. "But it's taking more out of me. And… I can miss."

"Miss?" Adora asked.

"I could land somewhere else."

"Like next to a guard? Or in another building?"

"Yes."

"Let's shelf that for now," Adora said.

Seacat agreed.

"The water pipes!" Mermista broke the sudden silence. "We can enter through them!"

"The pipes?" Adora asked.

"They've got cooling lines. We can enter through them - and then we cut the line and break out. Cause a disruption and distraction," Mermista explained. "I can feel the pipes from here."

Seacat bit her lower lip. That sounded good. Dangerous but doable.

And they wouldn't have to depend on anyone else.

"But we need to cut the pipes, right? To get into them," Adora asked.

"I like that," Glimmer said. "I don't fancy drowning."

"The valves are inside the building - or farther away," Mermista said. "It would delay us if we headed there, and we might have to deal with guards."

"And we might trigger an alert. Which would screw up the whole plan." Adora sighed.

"And we would have to hold our breath while we get pushed through a pipe full of water, hoping that we don't miss our exit - which we will have to make by cutting our way out anyway," Glimmer said. "I can't believe anyone would suggest that."

Adora pouted, "I was just trying to find a way to preserve our surprise."

"Well, it doesn't seem like it would work - but if we cut the pipes, it might serve as a distraction," Seacat said. "Cause the area to flood."

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk smiled. "The sea shall be our ally even this far inland!"

"You mean the river water they are using," Mermista said.

"Which shall create a new sea here. Small, and not very deep, but… it's the thought that counts. Huzzah!"

"Whatever. Let's go!"

They hurried over to the back of the building, where the cooling pipes entered. And where the ground was flat - and hid the giant trapdoor underneath through which the airship would fly out. If Seacat hadn't known the underground layout, she wouldn't have suspected a thing, but now… It did look suspicious to have such a vast area without anything built on it. And while the Horde was apparently using it for drills, it was too far from the actual infantry and cadet barracks to be practical.

Someone had been sloppy, she thought. A new barrack nearby would have helped - and allowed the Horde to train the ship's crew as well. Then again, that might have attracted attention as well.

"Alright! Everyone ready?" Adora's question interrupted Seacat's thoughts. Her lover was standing at the biggest pipe, sword ready.

"Yes."

Seacat hurried to Mermista. "Yes."

Adora took a deep breath, raised her sword with both hands and struck. The magic blade cut through the metal with ease, and the whole pipe came apart, water shooting out of the gap - and curving away from Adora.

"Thanks, Mermista!" Adora smiled over her shoulder at the princess.

"Let's hurry - this is a lot of pressure."

Seacat dashed forward and jumped into the pipe, her bare feet landing in a puddle on the bottom. The whole pipe smelt like the river, too - not the cleanest water. But not as muddy as the river proper.

"Onward!"

The rest climbed into the pipe, Sea Hawk carrying Mermista despite her protests, and they hurried towards the yard.

Seacat could already hear alarmed shouts outside. She hoped that the Horde scum wouldn't hear them running inside the pipe - the water at the bottom did dampen the sound of their steps a little, but to Seacat's ears, it still rang rather loud.

She took the lead then glanced over her shoulder - they were still outside the building. She kept running. A few more yards, and they were inside the building. "Almost," Adora said next to her.

Then they reached the part of the pipe that went straight down - to the actual slip on which the airship was being built. Seacat stared down. About ten yards, maybe a bit more. Too much to jump - there was no water left below. In fact, steam was rising through the pipe.

Right, this pipe was used to transport cooling water. Without water, things would get hot. But to descend into that…

"Alright!" Adora said and raised her sword again.

"What are you…" Seacat started to say, but her lover drove the sword into the wall ahead of them, then leaned into it - and jumped.

Seacat stared as Adora slid down the pipe, cutting it open lengthwise, until she landed on the bottom. "Jump! I'll catch you!"

Seacat snorted, then grinned and jumped herself, descending with a series of quick jumps from one side to the other until she reached the bottom.

Adora frowned at her, then grinned herself. Had she expected anything else from Seacat?

Sea Hawk jumped as well, landing harder than Seacat but not too hard. Mermista slid down on a pillar of water - which caused more steam to rise - and Glimmer actually let herself be caught by Adora.

But the metal under Seacat's feet was growing hotter by the second. And the air was turning to steam. "We need to get out!" she snapped.

"Yes!" Adora swung her sword - and cut the pipe wide open. As the slab of metal fell down, Seacat looked into the huge hall, at the airship under construction - and at the window across the hall.

Hordak's office.

"Glimmer!" she snapped, pointing at it.

Glimmer whipped her head around and stared at the window, narrowing her eyes. "Got it!" She grabbed Adora's and Seacat's hands as the first shouts of alarm rang through the hall - the Horde scum had seen them.

Then everything went sparkly for a moment, and they appeared in a large room with a desk and lots of weird devices. And Hordak. Glaring at them.

"Get the others!" Adora yelled, already charging the Horde leader.

Seacat dashed to the side, jumping over a chair. If she flanked Hordak…

"You dare!" Hordak raised his right arm, and something launched from it, hitting Adora and blasting her back. Seacat gasped as her lover hit the window, then fell down, leaving cracks in the thick glass.

"You dare to attack me in my home?"

For a moment, Seacat was frozen. If Adora was… But her lover groaned and got up. Seacat hissed and charged the scum who had hurt her. As soon as he turned to face her, she dived to the side, and his next blast wave thing missed her and wrecked the chair behind her.

She jumped on his desk while he was still turning to shoot at her again, then lashed out with her foot in a spinning kick.

He blocked it with his armoured bracer, and her eyes widened as she felt her claws slide off. What kind of armour did he have?

She quickly flipped back, off the table, avoiding the next blast, but mistimed the landing and rolled over her shoulder, coming up in a crouch and staring down the cannon mounted on Hordak's bracer. That was…

"No!" Adora slammed into the Horde leader, and his shot went wide, blowing a hole into the ceiling as she rammed him into the wall behind him. Seacat moved to help, but before she could reach them, Hordak managed to swing his arm around, and Adora was blown back again, but this time, she managed to keep standing. Mostly.

Seacat ducked behind the desk when the Horde leader turned. Where was Shadow Weaver? And where was Glimmer?

Sirens started blaring. Something moved at the back of the wall, stepping out of the shadows - Shadow Weaver! The witch raised her hand, and lighting leapt towards Hordak, crackling all over his armour.

"Traitor!" he turned and fired at her. Her magical shield stopped the blast, but she was pushed back anyway. "This is how you repay me for saving your worthless life?"

"You betrayed me!" the witch snarled. She sent more lighting towards the Horde leader, but it didn't seem to affect him.

"Rah!" Adora jumped and brought her sword down on Hordak with both hands. The Horde leader dodged to the side, though - moving far faster than he had any right to! - and the sword carved a deep gap into the floor.

Hordak turned and fired at Adora. She took the blast on her sword, deflecting it into the ceiling. Splinters flew, and dust and smoke covered Adora as Hordak fired again - and Seacat pounced, coming at him from behind. Her blade struck his chest plate - and slid off. She let go of it and jumped on his back, claws scrambling for purchase, as she reached for his uncovered head. Close quarters were her strength. He whirled, almost throwing her off, and instead of tearing his throat out, she tore half an ear off.

He screamed, and she bit his neck, raising one arm to slice his throat…

...and her whole body went stiff with pain as lightning ran over her.

"Stupid child!" she heard Shadow Weaver curse before Hordak rammed his back - and Seacat - into the wall behind him.

The impact drove the breath out of her chest, and she fell down, head reeling from the blow.

"You pest!"

Hordak turned. He would shoot her. She had to move! But her body wasn't responding. Her legs were shaking and twitching, not pushing. This was…

"Leave her alone!"

Hordak screamed. And something hit Seacat. Liquid. Warm liquid. Blood, her nose told her.

She blinked.

Hordak's blood.

He was screaming still, wildly firing at Adora, who was driven back, as more lighting leapt over his armour without doing anything.

And he was bleeding from his side. Adora's magic sword could cut through his armour - at least the weaker parts.

Unfair, Seacat thought as she got up, still on trembling legs. But if her claws didn't work… She grabbed part of the wrecked desk and struck at the Horde leader's legs from behind.

He fell to the ground, unbalanced by the blow. "You!"

Seacat was already moving, running towards the other side of the room, dodging behind the wrecked desk. A blast missed her - and hit the window in front, shattering it and blowing the pieces out, to fall down to main hall of the yard. She jumped and rolled - clumsily, she almost stepped on her own tail - over the floor, keeping low. More screaming filled her ears. And more sirens. Familiar sirens.

Adora was attacking again, swinging her blade, though Hordak somehow managed to fend her off, using his bracers to parry. He kept firing as well, but Adora struck his hand away before he could line up a shot.

Seacat grinned and started towards the fighting, still keeping low. The wild blasts struck the ceiling and walls, filling the room with smoke and dust.

Lots of smoke.

Seacat was about to flank Hordak again - at least the stupid witch had stopped throwing lightning around, though whatever she was doing wasn't doing anything to Hordak either - when she realised why the sirens sounded so familiar.

"Fire!" she spat. That was the fire alarm of the Horde. She glanced to the hall and saw it was filling with smoke as well.

The yard was burning.

"You stupid useless creature!" Shadow Weaver spat. "Did you set fire to the entire building?"

"No!" Seacat blinked. "The cooling pipes!" They had cut the cooling water - the plants would be overheating. And if no one turned them off…

And Shadow Weaver was gone. Glimmer hadn't returned - something must have happened. That left…

Adora flew back, crashing into the wall with a grunt of pain, then slid down, crumpled.

"Hah!" Hordak stepped out of the smoke cloud. Grinning. He swayed, still bleeding - but his arm cannon rose.

Seacat rushed him. Hordak snarled, and his arm swung around.

Seacat dropped to the floor and felt the heat of the shot was over her as the scum fired a moment later. The wall behind her exploded, but she didn't care - she hit Hordak's legs, sending him sprawling, then grabbed his cannon arm, biting and clawing at the softer parts of his armour. She had to disarm him. No matter how.

Before he…

Something hit her head, and she saw stars.