"Catra?" Adora could not believe it. That voice was unmistakably Catra's. Where was she? Was she also in space? How? Why? Catra interrupted her thoughts:

"I have someone here who I'm sending to your quadrant. I'm sending co-ordinates through to you now. Please be there to catch her." Adora could hear the shakiness in Catra's voice. Was she injured?

"Catra, what's going on? Who are you sending to us? Are you okay-" Catra interrupted her again:

"Adora! Just listen! I don't know who she is but I know she saved my life and that she does not like Horde Prime. I'm sure you two will get along just fine!" It was at this point that one of the doors in the teleportation chamber was finally forced open and Adora heard a number of clones rush in. She then heard a beep as Catra successfully sent her friend on her way before suddenly exclaiming:

"I don't know who you are either Adora - but I know you are someone really special to me! Please do not come here! Horde Prime is ready for you! He will destroy you!" With that, the clones finally made it to Catra and easily subdued her. She was too weak to fight. The line went dead and Adora began yelling:

"No! No no no no no no no! Catra! Come back!"

As soon as they had received the co-ordinates, Entrapta had sent Mara's ship (who she had now named Darla) speeding towards them. They made it just in time and were ready and waiting for the last person they ever thought Catra would save – Glimmer.

After Adora and Bow pulled her into the now-sealed airlock, Glimmer embraced them both with tears in her eyes. Adora was so happy to see her friend that she did not hesitate to hug her back. Bow, however, was a little slower to do so. He had not dared to hope Catra was sending Glimmer to them, and, while he was relieved she was alright, he now realized he was not actually ready to see her. He gave her a small hug and smile before immediately hurrying back to the flight deck. Glimmer watched sadly as he left. Adora then went and asked:

"What happened back there? What did Catra mean when she said she didn't know who you and I were?" Glimmer lowered her eyes.

"Horde Prime did something to her. She's forgotten everything. It's possible he was going to do that to me-" Glimmer started to cry. The stress of everything that had happened mixed with the joy of being rescued was just too much for her. Adora held her close and did not ask anything else.

When Catra came to, the first thing she noticed was the stinging pain in the back of her neck. She then realized that she was back in her cell from before Horde Prime had purified her. Wait, how did she know that? Why did she no longer hear Horde Prime in her head? Catra sat up and felt the back of her neck. The metal device was no longer there. She then realized with a shock that she was back in her old Horde uniform – the one she had worn when she first arrived on Horde Prime's ship.

Catra began to wonder if maybe it had all been a dream and she had never left the cell, but her short hair told her otherwise. Catra's memories were slowly returning. She now remembered who Adora and Glimmer were, as well as why Horde Prime had almost drowned her. She remembered saving Glimmer and talking to Adora. She cringed as she remembered telling Adora she was special to her. How could she have said that? Her thoughts were interrupted by two clones entering her cell.

"Horde Prime wants to see you."

Glimmer had been an emotional wreck since her rescue, with Adora having to carry her from the airlock to her designated room. Adora had then awkwardly excused herself as she had never been good at handling situations like this. Bow was, however. Unfortunately, Bow was avoiding Glimmer. Several hours had passed since her rescue and he had not gone to check on her once.

Glimmer had eventually left her room and entered the flight deck. She had seen Adora and Bow by one of the control panels and had gone over to them. When Bow saw her approaching, however, he had quickly turned around and walked away. Adora sighed loudly from her current position in the pilot's seat on the flight deck. That had all happened an hour ago. She really hoped things would not stay like this. She needed her two best friends to get along. She needed some semblance of familiarity after everything that had happened.

Her thoughts were dominated by Catra and what she had said. Adora would not admit it yet but, despite everything she had done, Catra was special to her too. She had been ever since they first met all those years ago. Adora still remembered when Shadow Weaver led Catra into their squad's locker-room for the first time.

Adora had been about three years old and had been changing into her uniform before a training session. She had been the only one there and, when Shadow Weaver arrived with the completely adorable (and insanely fluffy) kitten, she had immediately rushed over to say hello. Shadow Weaver had stopped her from getting close, however, and had told Adora to keep an eye on Catra, and to be careful around her. Once Shadow Weaver had left, however, Adora had wasted no time in ignoring her warning and giving the kitten a giant hug. Catra had resisted a little at first, but it was not long before she had started to purr in Adora's arms. The pair of them soon became inseparable, and any ideas Shadow Weaver had had about getting rid of Catra were completely shot down.

Adora was woken from her reverie by Entrapta, who had some news to share. Once they were all on the flight deck, Entrapta informed them that Darla was running low on fuel. They needed to land on a nearby planet to get more. Adora smiled hopefully. Maybe this was the distraction she needed. Maybe this mission would bring the Best Friend Squad back together.

Catra focused on her steps as she was led to Horde Prime's throne. She would not fall. She would not show weakness. Horde Prime sat in his throne and studied her pensively with his four incredibly creepy eyes. The two clones forced Catra into a kneeling position before letting go and stepping back. She glared at Horde Prime defiantly. She did not care what he did to her. All that mattered was that Glimmer was safe and, more importantly, that Adora was alright. What felt like hours passed before Horde Prime finally broke the silence:

"What am I going to do with you, Catra?" Catra raised her eyebrow. Horde Prime continued:

"You were beloved in my sight and this is how you repay me? I give you the chance to rule the planet you've been trying to conquer for years, and you betray me. I give your mind the peace it so desperately sought, and you betray me once again. Explain yourself! Were these not things you wanted?" Catra barely restrained herself from laughing. How could this monster even hope to know what she wanted when she herself had no idea?

"Do you find this amusing, little sister?" Horde Prime growled. Catra finally let out the laugh she had been holding in and exclaimed:

"Well, what did you expect? After all, us Etherians are so very emotional! It doesn't matter what you do to me! Glimmer is gone and you'll never get your hands on Adora!" Horde Prime's scowl turned into an incredibly ominous grin. He reached out his hand and cupped Catra's chin.

"Oh my child, you are wrong. You will be of use to me yet." Horde Prime removed his hand from Catra's chin and walked over to his control panel. What looked like a live feed of Adora's space ship came onto the screen above it. Horde Prime zoomed the camera in to show Adora, Bow and Glimmer on the flight deck with what looked like Entrapta.

Catra's eyes went wide. She had assumed Entrapta had died on Beast Island. She was not exactly a trained fighter – how had she survived? Adora must have saved her after Scorpia left and presumably told them about her. Scorpia - now that was someone she had not thought about in a while. Catra looked down at the ground. She had a lot of regrets and she had never apologized for any of them. Horde Prime interrupted her thoughts once again:

"Using the co-ordinates you sent the queen to, I was finally able to locate the elusive ship carrying the rebels from Etheria. I have not lost track of it since." Catra's expression grew increasingly despondent with every word. Horde Prime moved back to his throne.

"While trying to hinder my plans, you instead performed a great service for me." Horde Prime snapped his fingers and the screen turned off. He then leaned forward menacingly.

"Now then, little sister, do you know what a missile is?" Catra shrugged her shoulders, trying to play it cool. She was terrified. Horde Prime leaned back and smirked once more.

"It's a projectile. Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to fire several giant projectiles at your friends' ship until both they, and it, are nothing more than space debris." Catra almost threw up when she imagined Adora's lifeless body floating around in the cold void of space. She turned her face away from Horde Prime, only to feel his hand grab her chin once more and direct it back towards him. His face was now dangerously close to hers. He whispered ominously:

"But what if I told you it does not have to be this way?" He released her chin and laid back in his seat. Catra breathed heavily before asking:

"What do you want from me?" Horde Prime smiled evilly.

"Simple. I want you to lead my army in its conquest for Etheria. Fulfil the destiny that was always yours and rule Etheria by my side." Catra raised her eyebrow and scoffed:

"Why would you want me to do that? You just said I'm untrustworthy. I've let you down multiple times. Wouldn't it be more efficient to just get rid of me?" She was hoping to distract Horde Prime long enough to get his mind off Adora and her friends. Maybe if she annoyed him enough he would forget all about them and focus on planning weird and wonderful ways to kill her instead. Unfortunately Horde Prime did not take the bait.

"I want you because you are a great leader and an even greater fighter. You made the Horde the success it became and you ended it just as effectively. You defeated the two other leaders of the Horde at the height of their power, while also being successful in resisting mine. You are incredibly strong and talented. I would be a fool not to want you at the head of my army." Catra stared at Horde Prime in disbelief. She had never been praised this much in her life - not even by Adora. Horde Prime continued:

"It's really quite simple, Catra. Either be responsible for the death of your friends or rule Etheria with me. The choice is yours and the clock is ticking." Catra looked at the screen in horror as a 60 second countdown appeared on it. She assumed it was for the projectiles. She quickly assessed her options. Let Adora die or return to her life as an evil Horde commander. The choice was obvious.

"I accept your offer. Just don't hurt Adora." The countdown had not even reached 50 seconds yet. Horde Prime smiled as he turned it off.

"A deal is a deal, General Catra."

Adora had been right about the little refueling trip being just what was needed to get the Best Friend Squad back together. If anything Bow and Glimmer were now even closer than they had been before. It was a little weird, honestly. They were now frequently hanging out alone together, and Adora had noticed there was this odd tension in the air whenever she was near them. On top of that, she was convinced she had caught them about to kiss the other day. Then again, she was clueless about this kind of thing and was just happy her friends were happy.

Adora loved them both so much and was endlessly grateful for them. They had both agreed to go back and rescue Catra at Adora's request. She knew it made no sense, especially after everything Catra had done to them, but Adora could not just leave her. She could now openly admit that Catra was special to her too.

Lonnie, Rogelio and Kyle had been wandering aimlessly around the Whispering Woods for days now. They had just about managed to avoid Horde Prime's forces while feeding themselves with the fresh fruits and semi-edible plants around them. Needless to say, they could not keep this up.

None of them had had a good night's sleep in days and Hordak's pet was honestly looking very ill. Lonnie thought it was the food, Rogelio thought it was the cold, and Kyle thought it was homesickness. Either way, they were all very relieved when they stumbled upon the rebellion's camp in the center of the Whispering Woods. They were welcomed, despite their uniforms, and were almost immediately wrapped in a bear hug by Scorpia. They were given food and shelter and

Scorpia invited them to stay. Lonnie decided it was their best option. Rogelio agreed with her and Kyle agreed with Rogelio. Amazingly, they were allowed to keep the little imp too.

Octavia had had a rough few weeks. She had followed Catra's orders to the letter and was now in the Crimson Waste managing the few hundred remaining Horde soldiers. It had been relatively quiet for the first few days, but then hundreds of residents of the Crimson Waste had arrived and asked to join them in order to be protected from Horde Prime. The Horde's numbers had grown significantly as a result, which had caused their supplies to run out faster than expected. Octavia had tried to fix this by organizing daily patrols whose only goal was to get more food and supplies. This had worked until Horde Prime's forces had found them and trapped them inside their own outpost.

Horde Prime had broadcast a message saying he wanted them to work for him and that no one would come to harm provided they agreed to do so. While the other Force Captains had thought this was a good idea, Octavia remembered Catra's warning. She had refused and the Horde had been under siege ever since. As the food situation became increasingly desperate, it was only a matter of time before one of the Force Captains tried something.