Glimmer is pacing. Bow looks at the other Princesses around the war table, opens his mouth to say something… and shuts it again. Mermista shrugs at him. Frosta is fidgeting, growing little shards of ice from her fingertips absentmindedly.

"We could try a morning ritual while we wait?" Perfuma suggests. "Breathe in and-"

"Not right now, Perfuma." says Glimmer, shortly. "Where is Adora?"

"She's coming, she's coming! I'm sure of it!" Swift-wind whinnies. "She said she was coming! And she's not in distress..."

"Is she asleep?" Glimmer raises her eyebrows.

"She's never late," Bow bites his lip. "Maybe, I should go check on -"

"No. We don't have time." Glimmer snaps. "Let's just get on with it. You can fill Adora in later. What's the latest report... Mermista?"

Mermista sighs. "So, the Horde is like… exactly the same as always. More bots... more explosions…"

"Ok, not helping," says Glimmer.

"Yesterday we took out a whole unit!" Frosta cuts in. "And I'd do it again!"

"But then all the bots regenerated," Bow frowns. "We can't go on like this. We're taking too many hits."

"Yes…" Glimmer muses, "But at least using She-ra as a decoy has given us some opportunities to strike back."

"I don't know, Glimmer… We're strongest when we're all together," says Bow.

"But this way we can cover more ground!" Glimmer counters. "We lost Salineas… And if we're not careful, we're going to lose the Heart-Blossom. We have to give it everything we have!"

"Yes! Let's get them!" Frosta punches the air, fists hardening into ice.

"Well I'm with you, obviously," says Mermista.

"Let's do it!" Perfuma cries.

Glimmer beams, "Ok! Spinnerella and Netossa, you take She-ra and try to draw the Horde's forces as far from the tree as possible. We'll take the rest."

"We're on it," says Netossa. Spinnerella smiles and gives a thumbs up.

"Ok," says Bow. "But just give me a minute to check on Adora - we should at least ask if she's happy to keep being a decoy."

"She was fine with it last time."

"Yes, but-"

"And if she wanted to question my orders, she should be here on time!"

"Glimmer-"

"Whatever, fine. Fine! Check with Adora. Meet me back here in ten."

Glimmer disappears.

"Adora?" Bow knocks on the door. "Are you in here?"

He hears a faint, "uh-huh?" and pushes the door open. Adora is dressed but lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Did you oversleep?" asks Bow.

"Huh? What time is it?"

"It's already 8.30. You missed the meeting. Is everything ok?"

"What? I missed the meeting?" Adora jumps out of bed. "I've never missed a meeting! Is Glimmer mad? Ah, Glimmer's going to be so mad!"

She makes a dash for the door and tries to retrieve her jacket at the same time, crashing into a chair. "Wait, where's my sword? I put it right here…"

"Adora, slow down!" says Bow. "You're wearing your sword."

"Oh yeah!" Adora touches her bracelet. "Of course."

"Are you ok? You seem a little... distracted."

"I'm fine!" Adora laughs a little wildly. "Got my sword, right here! I'm nearly dressed… and ready to go! Where are we going?"

Bow smiles at her, "Adora…" He pulls her away from her jacket, which she is trying to pull onto her leg like trousers. "Let's just take a minute," he says. "We're not in a rush."

He sits her down and hands her the jacket again. She hugs it to herself then sighs, puts her hands through the sleeves and tightens the belt.

"Are you sure you're not too tired for this today?" Bow asks.

Adora sighs, "No. I'm not tired. I don't have time to be tired! I can't believe it - I really missed the meeting?"

Bow squeezes her shoulder. "Hey look, it has been a lot recently. Yesterday was tough. Catra wasn't pulling any punches. And those new bots… Even She-ra needs time to recuperate sometimes. Maybe you should take the day off."

Adora laughs, "Good one, Bow."

"I'm serious, Adora," Bow insists. "You don't want to burn out!"

"I am not going to burn out. This is a war, you can't just take days off. You can't just miss meetings. You can't just have a holiday the minute things start going wrong. And Glimmer is right, everything has been going wrong ever since I got here. We're hanging on by a thread, Bow."

There are tears in Adora's eyes. But her voice is firm. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to fix it."

Bow shakes his head. "You've already fixed plenty."

"Well, it's not enough… not yet. What's the plan for today?"

Bow frowns at Adora but she stares him out.

Finally, he sighs and looks away. "Glimmer thinks you should take Spinnerella and Netossa to distract the Horde, drawing them away from the Heart-Blossom. Then she will lead the rest of us, attacking from the tree itself and strengthening the defences."

"She doesn't want to work with me."

"Er- she didn't say that..."

"She shouldn't even be in battle, she's the Queen. It's too much trying to fight and protect her at the same time. Angella never-"

"I know, Adora. I know. But I think we've got to let her figure it out. She's just not hearing it right now."

"But if we lose her-"

"I know. But she has always been a fighter. She's got this. We've just got to trust her."

Adora shrugs. "I guess. I'll ask Swift-wind to help you guys… I'd just feel better about it."

"Good idea! Thanks, Adora," Bow smiles at her and finally, Adora smiles back.

"We've got this!" says Bow, striding out of the door. "Best Friend Squad fighting the Horde. Just like always."

Adora follows him. "I can't believe I missed a meeting," she cringes.

"It's not a big deal!" says Bow. "Glimmer used to skip meetings all the time!"

"I did not skip this on purpose!"

Adora draws a diagram in the soil with her sword. Netossa is crouched beside her, while Spinnerella scans the cliffs on either side of them. They're in the mouth of the valley; a perfect spot to draw the bots into their trap.

"Ok, so the plan…" Adora murmurs. "We've got to be as destructive as possible to draw them away from the tree."

"No problem." Netossa declares. "I've got 14 to beat."

Spinnerella smiles. "I'm afraid it's 17 now, my darling."

"17!" Netossa raises her eyebrows, then grins. "No problem. 17 bots with my name on them!"

There's a crash to their right; all three of them jump. Bots are pouring over the rocky outcrop. Those scaling the cliff face have triggered a mini rock-slide.

Adora sighs. "Here they come!" She stands tall, raises her arm and yells, "For the Honour of Greyskull!"

For a moment she's framed; one small human in front of a tide of machines. And then…

Nothing happens. Adora peers at her sword. "Well… that's embarrassing," she mutters.

"Bots incoming," warns Netossa.

Adora frowns and then, sword aloft, dashes straight towards the onslaught, a bobbing dot of red before a writhing mass of metallic grey.

"Wait, are you not going to be She-ra?" Netossa shouts after her. "I feel like we need more backup if you're not going to be She-ra!"

"I am going to be She-ra!" Adora yells back. "Just give me a minute to warm up!"

She plunges her sword into a bot and then dives out of the way as it explodes.

"Warm enough for you?" yells Netossa.

Adora laughs, swinging her sword as she jumps, cutting the legs from beneath another bot. Spinnerella whirls it into the air and slams it into another three. But before she has time to smirk, Netossa has thrown a brilliant blue-white net and trapped another five. She jerks her arms, tightening the net and the bots are crushed beneath its force.

"Nice one!" yells Spinnerella.

"Oh, I'm just getting started!" says Netossa.

Adora stares at her reflection in her blade. "Come on," she urges. But she doesn't have time to wait; bots are still pouring into the valley. And now, lumbering over the cliff-top is the largest tank she has ever seen. They're surrounded on all sides.

"All going to plan," Adora mutters. She leaps up, swinging herself round and slicing one bot clean in half. "Yes!" she cheers, landing heavily on her feet. But before she has time for a second hit, the bot is healing itself.

"I hate it when they do that," she sighs. She stalks towards it, ready to strike again. She's so focused that she doesn't hear anything else, not until another bot is right behind her.

There is a whistling noise of metal; its arm, a cruel spike, thrusts straight towards her heart. Adora flinches away, just in time.

"Nice try," she scoffs and cuts through the arm. She then throws it at the newly healed bot and manages to strike right in the red glow of its only eye. Both bots creak to a halt.

"That was close, Adora!" calls Spinnerella.

"I know, I know," she mutters.

"I'd be more comfortable if you could turn into She-Ra now!" adds Netossa, as another unit of bots surges towards them.

Adora nods. She looks at the bots, crashing and grasping their way forwards. Then she closes her eyes, focusing on the Heart-Blossom and Perfuma and the people she needs to protect. She thinks of Salineas. She thinks of Glimmer and Bow. And she becomes still. Once more she lifts her sword to the sky.

"For the Honour of Greyskull!"

This time, she has no trouble transforming. Her hair shimmers, her muscles are taut. She feels tall; she feels strong; she is invincible. She walks without fear among the bots and strikes them down, one after another.

"See?" she yells to Netossa. "Not a problem."

But even as she says this, something smashes into her: she is flung forwards and hits the ground, hard. She looks up to see the tank, powering up for another shot. The air has been knocked out of her.

"Uh oh," she breathes. "Idiot."

"Are you ok?" Netossa yells. "Time-out!" She immediately produces a protective net around She-Ra, Spinnerella and herself. The tank and the bots press in, but Netossa is strong.

"I'm good, all good, just a stupid mistake!" She-ra spits out a tooth.

"You're bleeding!"

"It'll heal in a minute. Look - the bots are heading to the Heart-Blossom!"

One or two bots are pressing against the net, but the majority have already turned away.

"We've got to keep them here!" She-ra scrambles to her feet.

"We have to stay in the net," Netossa is firm. "There are just too many of them!"

"No, I can do this. You stay, I'm the decoy!"

She-ra strides forward. Netossa sighs and exchanges a frustrated look with Spinnerella.

"Let's get them, darling," Spinnerella says encouragingly. Netossa nods,"OK."

The net disappears as soon as She-Ra reaches it. She breaks into a sprint; Netossa and Spinnerella are right behind her. The bots fall in droves.

Catra is watching She-Ra on the video feed. Her tail is flicking with irritation. She switches channels.

"Report - how's it going, Octavia?"

"We're engaging Glimmer and the Princesses. No sign of She-Ra at this stage."

"Keep going," says Catra. "We have visual on She-Ra elsewhere - she's trying to draw you away from the tree, but we're not going to bite. We'll just keep sending her bots. You focus on the Princesses."

"No problem," Octavia salutes. "This is child's play. Sometimes I swear it's like they want to lose."

Catra laughs and switches back to She-Ra's channel.

"Abandoned by your friends?" she asks. "Used as a decoy? How do you like it? Not so quick on your feet today, are you? What's the matter? Feeling the heat?"

She chuckles. The bots and tanks are firing relentlessly. She-ra is taking a lot of hits.

"Your defence is all over the place," Catra tuts. "The Princesses have made you soft."

She frowns, her eyes glued to the screen. She watches as She-ra is hit in the arm and drops her sword. For a moment, the scene is frozen as She-Ra flickers and becomes Adora standing motionless, staring down the barrel of the tank.

The tank fires and Catra gasps in spite of herself. Adora is down and does not move.

"Get up," Catra scoffs. "You've had worse."

But Adora doesn't move. The battle rages around her. Catra is nose to the screen. The audio crackles and she jumps back.

"We need help!" Netossa yells and Spinnerella nods, but both of them have their hands full. Netossa tries to throw a net over Adora's body but is thrown back by another blast.

Catra exits calmly, but as she reaches the corridor, breaks into a run.

Swift-wind rears, eyes panicked. He whinnies, but can't speak. Bow is first to notice his distress.

"What is it, Swift-Wind?"

Swift-wind rears again and kicks.

"Hey," soothes Bow, leading him away from the fighting. "Hey, I'm here. What do you need?"

Swift-wind takes a breath and finally looks at Bow. "It's She-ra! She's… we have to go! Now!" Bow nods.

"Glimmer!" he yells. But she's too far away. She laughs and gives Bow a thumbs up as she beats down a horde soldier.

"Glimmer, it's Adora!" Bow shouts. "She's in trouble!" Glimmer looks uncertain for a moment, then disappears. She reappears with Perfuma, who looks confused.

"Perfuma - you're doing great," Glimmer instructs her. "But we need to go help She-ra. You're in charge here."

Perfuma nods, "Understood!" She doubles her efforts, pinning several soldiers beneath enormous, thorny vines.

Glimmer joins Bow on Swift-wind's back. She holds on tight to his waist as Swift-Wind flies them high above the battlefield.

She-ra sits up, dazed.

"What happened?" she groans. "My ears… they're ringing. Netossa? Spinnerella?"

The bots are ploughing past, but for some reason, they are taking no notice of her. Netossa and Spinerella are fighting desperately, but they're being pushed back away from her.

She-Ra looks around in confusion and sees Adora's body on the ground. "Wait- what?" she laughs. "Oh man, I must have one bad concussion."

She feels her head with her hand, then shakes it cautiously from side to side. Overhead, lights are flashing against the sky as shots are fired again and again. She tries lying back down then sitting up again, but Adora is still motionless beside her. She-Ra hesitates, then tries to poke Adora, but her hand goes right through her arm.

"No…" says She-Ra. "Wait, am I like… a ghost? Is she the ghost? What just happened?"

She closes her eyes. "Wake up, Adora!" she demands. "Wake up! For the honour of Greyskull!" She opens her eyes, but nothing has changed. She tries to shake Adora, but once again fails to touch her.

"I don't like this," she says. "Enough already! Where's the sword?"

She notices it has fallen a little way from Adora's body. She is about to reach for it when something catches her eye: Catra is driving a skiff.

"Catra! Where did you come from?" She-Ra wonders. Catra is heading straight for her. Instinctively, She-ra jumps to her feet, but she misjudges. She is lighter than she was before. Instead of standing her ground, she finds herself hovering a little above it.

"Well, this is… different," she muses. "Can I fly now?" She wobbles and then softly sinks back down. She tries jumping and finds she can stay in the air for a surprisingly long time.

"Ok... this is pretty cool," she snorts. "But a little weird, even for me."

She looks up and realises that Catra's skiff is going to fly straight into her. She dives out of the way. Catra spots Adora's body and jerks the skiff to one side. It screeches horribly as it crashes into several broken bots.

"Watch it, Catra!" yells She-ra. Catra shows no sign she heard her. She jumps from the skiff and looks round to make sure no-one is watching. Netossa and Spinnerella are far away: there's no one in sight. She kneels by Adora's side.

"Don't be dead, don't be dead," Catra whispers.

She-Ra roars with laughter. "Ha! I knew you liked me! Well, it's too late now, Catra!" She grins, but then her face falls as she realises what she just said. With some effort, she makes her way forwards to Catra.

"What are you doing?" Catra yells at Adora. "Where are your pathetic Princesses now?"

"Woah, careful," She-Ra warns as Catra shakes Adora violently. "I might have an injury, we don't know what's going on here." She tries to restrain Catra, but her hands pass right through her.

Catra is oblivious to her presence. "Where's your magic sword?" she shouts.

"Catra, calm down!" She-Ra begs, but Catra can't hear her. Finally, she stops shaking Adora and leans forward to listen for her breath.

"You're still breathing," she says, finally. "You'll be fine. Idiot."

She-Ra bends to look. "I don't know…" she says. "I don't look so good."

"Don't give up," Catra snarls at Adora and She-ra jumps. "Here's your sword." She drags it from where it fell and places it in Adora's hand, but she is too limp. Catra glances round to make sure no-one is creeping up on her, then tries to close Adora's hand around the handle, holding both her own hands around Adora's.

"Here, let me," She-ra tries to take the sword from Catra, but her hand goes straight through the hilt. "Well, that's not good, " She-ra whistles.

Adora sounds like she is choking. Catra lifts her head up a little. Adora's breath is erratic and very faint.

"No," says Catra, crossly. "Not like this. Wake up."

Adora doesn't move.

"It's no good," says She-Ra. "I think I'm done. I'm sorry, Catra."

Catra is staring at Adora.

She-ra sighs. "I'm just so tired, Catra. I'm really sorry. I just can't do it anymore. You deserve better than this. I hope you realise one day that there's more for you than the Horde. There could be so much more."

She looks to the sky and starts to rise a little into the air, in a way that would be almost ethereal, if it wasn't so clumsy. As she looks up at the clouds, she sees Swift-Wind approaching at full speed.

Catra also sees them. She swears, then laughs a little raggedly. "It's ok, Adora. Your rainbow donkey is here. And Arrow Boy and Sparkles. They must have some kind of pink, glittery healing."

She places Adora down carefully, taking off her jacket and putting it under Adora's head.

"Stay, Catra," She-ra begs. "Don't go back there."

Catra runs to hide behind a rock, leaving Adora and the sword. She watches as Swift-Wind, Bow and Glimmer reach Adora.

Swift-Wind is distraught. He presses his horn to Adora's forehead and then to her sword, but nothing changes.

"She's gone," he says. "She's not here. They're broken."

He shakes his head and stamps, running forwards and backwards a little. She-ra tries to soothe him but he can't see or hear her.

Bow examines Adora as Glimmer keeps watch, her face pale.

"She's alive," says Bow finally. "But barely. We've got to get her to Bright Moon. I don't know if it's safe to move her, but we can't stay here. Where are Spinnerella and Netossa?"

"Where's She-ra?" asks Swift-Wind. "I think she's here somewhere, but she's not here, here."

Bow and Glimmer look at each other. Neither understand the question.

"I'm here, Swifty," says She-ra, hovering just beside him and trying to embrace him. "I'm here."

Glimmer materialises high in the sky. "I can see one of Netossa's nets, it looks like they've been cornered."

"We'll get them," says Bow. "You take Adora."

Glimmer nods and lifts her carefully.

"Something is wrong," says Swift-Wind. "I can't… She's not…" He rears, panicked.

"Hey... hey," says Bow. "We'll figure this out, ok? Adora is really sick, but we're going to take care of her."

Behind the rock, Catra nods. She waits until she sees Glimmer disappear with Adora and then turns away.

She-ra is trying to stroke Swift-Wind's mane. "It's ok, see? I've been taken back to Bright Moon and everything's going to be just fine. I probably just need some sleep!"

"Let's go, Swifty," says Bow. We'll get Spinnerella and Netossa, check in on Perfuma and then head to Bright Moon as soon as we can."

Swift Wind hesitates and then nods.

"Errr-" says She-Ra, as Bow pulls himself onto Swift-Wind's back. "What should I do?"

Bow and Swift-Wind break into a run and launch into the sky.

"I guess I'll see you in Bright Moon!" She-ra calls after them.

She sighs. "But I don't want to go to Bright Moon. I want to go..."

She jumps as Catra once more stumbles out from behind the rock.

"You didn't even check for enemies!" Catra cries, shaking her fist at Bow's back. "My skiff was right there! How are you that incompetant? You had better not mess up her healing."

She pauses, then mutters to herself, "And you better fix her good, because then I'm going to take her down."

She sighs as she looks at the skiff. It is looking battered. She tries to turn on the engine but it is only half-heartedly purring. She frowns and gets to work jump-starting it.

She-Ra watches Catra fiddle with the cables in silence. But her mind is racing. Why is she stuck like this? Is it permanent? How is she going to find a way to wake up as Adora again? She wants to pace, but it's harder when your feet don't quite touch the ground.

To all appearances, this is a terrible situation. She has obviously been very badly hurt and, for some reason, this has resulted in her splitting separately into Adora and She-Ra, something she had no idea was possible.

But, strangely, she is finding it hard to worry. She can't shake the feeling that this is a little holiday. She'll be fine! She is safe in Bright Moon; Bow and Glimmer will look after her. She feels a twinge of guilt: Swift-wind was so worried. And the war… well, the war will be waiting for her when she wakes up. But right now, it seems very far away.

She can't rule out the possibility that this is one wild hallucination: she did hit her head pretty hard. Several times. And then get shot by a tank. But whatever it is, she's determined to make the most of it. She hardly ever gets to enjoy her magic just for herself. And she can fly now? This needs to be explored!

By the time Catra has got the skiff's engine going again, She-ra has decided. She's not going back to Bright Moon. Not yet. She jumps into the air and, finding her balance, begins to climb the sky.

She revels in the golden hour sunlight which softens even the hardest battleground. The late afternoon air is warm on her skin, like a bath. She watches Catra fly back in the direction of the Horde and, feeling like a little child playing chase, she dives back down, swooping and rolling through cooler wisps of cloud, following the skiff from afar.

As Catra speeds away, She-Ra swerves back up again, as high as she dares, and drinks in the whole landscape. The skiff disappears, out of sight. The forest is shimmering below her. Beyond that she can see oceans and mountains.

"This is fun," she laughs. Where should she go next?