Catra stared blankly at the empty desert surrounding her. It had been a long time since she had been in the Crimson Waste. Her first mission as general of Horde Prime's invasion force was to go and end the siege of the former Horde. She had been teleported to his outpost in the Valley of the Lost, and was now being driven to where she had ordered Octavia to go and hide all those weeks ago. How had Horde Prime found them? Catra assumed he must have accessed her memories while she had been under his control. She grimaced at the thought. She could still feel phantom pains in her neck.

Catra looked down at her uniform. It was the same one she had had when she first arrived on Horde Prime's ship. Miraculously, he had not got rid of it after he gave her the clone uniform. He had also had it mended after Hordak had ripped it during their fight. That being said, she did not have her head guard. She had not asked about it (she did not want to spend any longer in Horde Prime's presence than necessary) but truthfully she missed it as much, if not more, than her hair. It had been a gift from Adora, just like that stupid red jacket she always wore had been a gift from her. Still, Catra was used to not getting what she wanted.

As she approached the old Horde outpost, she was reminded of the last time she was here. She had been on a mission to salvage First One's tech (as was frequently the case in those days) and she had met and recruited Double Trouble. Catra rolled her eyes. That had been a mistake. The skiff stopped and Catra hopped onto the sand. The Horde's old outpost was underground and its entrance was surrounded by clusters of clones and robots. Catra slowly walked over to it. She had not thought of a plan and honestly did not care if she was shot on sight. She deserved it for working with a tyrant like Horde Prime. That being said, anything was better than a world without Adora.

Catra had meant what she had said to her. She could admit that now.

"You miscalculated." Adora fell to the ground as Horde Prime's words rang in her ears. She and her friends were on his ship, trying to rescue Catra. Only Catra did not seem to be there - Glimmer had only found an empty cell. Now Adora's ears rang from the forced severing of the comm-link she had had with her friends. She looked up and glared at Horde Prime with unbridled hatred. This was not working. They needed to abort the mission. Horde Prime distracted her from her thoughts:

"I see all. I know all. You have led your friends to destruction." Adora stood up and felt two clones grab her arms. She needed help. She needed She-Ra. This had not been a good plan. Horde Prime had called her bluff on the Heart of Etheria, had teased her about how much she cared for "her" Catra's safety, and had then proceeded to snap his fingers and nearly deafen her by destroying the comm-link. Adora's thoughts turned to her friends. Horde Prime was right - this was all her fault. This mission had been her idea. She hoped they were alright. Adora then used all her strength to send one of the clones flying while just managing to break free from the hold of the other. Maybe she could distract Horde Prime enough to give them a chance to escape.

Catra typed in her old passcode and was genuinely surprised when the door opened. The clones next to her tried to go in, but Catra stopped them.

"I'll go in alone. Wait for me here." Before the clones could protest, Catra walked in and closed the door behind her. There were no sentries, but she had expected that. She did not think she would be stopped before she had at least reached the weapons store. This outpost was much bigger than most and it needed more than a few hundred people to properly staff it.

As Catra walked down the metal stairs she wondered what she would say to Octavia. Would she say she was wrong about Horde Prime? Or would she tell the truth and hope they killed her then and there? Just because Octavia had obeyed her orders did not mean she liked her. Surely one mean comment about her missing eye would be enough to send her over the edge. Her thoughts were then interrupted by a loud yell:

"Halt!"

Since they had been discovered, Glimmer, Bow, Entrapta and their new clone friend had somehow not only managed to regroup, but had also destroyed the server room and outrun the dozens of clones chasing them. They were now watching with varying levels of shock as Darla crashed through the walls of the ship at Entrapta's command. As Darla stopped in front of them, and her ramp was lowered, Bow and Glimmer turned to each worriedly. Where was Adora? How would they find her? As the clones began to climb over the wreckage caused by Darla's arrival, Glimmer made a decision.

"Get on the ship and leave, Bow. I'll stay and find Adora." Bow stared at Glimmer in disbelief.

"No you are not! No one is getting left behind!" Some clones had now made it through the debris and were rushing up to them. Before Glimmer could protest, Bow grabbed her around the waist and ran onto the ship. He made his way to the flight deck and dumped Glimmer unceremoniously next to Entrapta. She was hovering over the main control panel, and was trying and failing to get Darla to fly away. Bow immediately ran to the pilot's seat and tapped every button he could find.

Something he touched made Darla upset and the ship went into lockdown. Glimmer ran to his side.

"Open the door, Bow! We can't leave Adora here!" For what felt like the first time in his life, Bow ignored Glimmer and continued pressing every button he could reach. He prayed something would happen. As if on cue, Darla's engines roared and the ship flew away.

Adora had fought valiantly. She had taken down more than ten clones by herself with no weapons.

Unfortunately, without She-Ra and her friends, she was unable to take down any more than that. She was now pinned down by five clones at the foot of Horde Prime's throne, and she cringed as she felt Horde Prime's hand stroke her cheek.

"You're mine now, Adora."

Glimmer sat on the floor of the flight deck and sobbed. Things could not be worse. The rescue mission had failed and Adora was now a prisoner of Horde Prime. While Bow had successfully regained control of the ship after it flew off, Entrapta had been unable to release the ship from lockdown, as well as failing in her efforts to fix all the damage sustained by Darla. Apparently Entrapta required the authorization of an "administrator" to do both of those things.

All three of them, and the newly named Wrong Hordak, were trapped in the flight deck, and it was only a matter of time before Horde Prime's ships found them. Entrapta had told Bow and Glimmer that she thought they should just head back to Etheria and not risk further damage to the ship. As much as it must have killed him to say it, Bow had agreed with her. Bow had not been able to look Glimmer in the eye since their escape - no doubt blaming himself for leaving Adora behind.

Glimmer was furious with Bow. She should have stayed behind. Together she and Adora might have had a chance. Then again, she understood why Bow had not let her do that. The two of them had gotten very close recently. If it had been Bow offering to stay, Glimmer knew she would have done the exact same thing.

As Catra was led to the control room of the old Horde outpost, she could feel everyone staring at her. She must have looked a sight with her short hair and missing head guard. She recognized two reptilian thugs who had briefly worked for her after she defeated their boss, Tung Lashor. It took them a second for them to recognize her, but when they did they gasped.

As she entered the control room, the heated discussion the three remaining Force Captains had been having stopped immediately. Catra recognized the large brown furry Etherian to the far right of the group: Grizzlor. He had been permanently posted just outside the Whispering Woods and had led the charge during the Second Battle of Brightmoon. There was no way he would be happy to see her. She did not recognize the giant lizard who stood next to him. He looked like Rogelio but with well-conditioned dark green wavy hair. Honestly, it suited him. Then there was Octavia to the far left. She looked pale and completely exhausted. She was the last one to turn and face Catra. When she did, her eye went wide.

"Catra? Is that you?" Catra did not miss the horror in her voice as she no doubt tried to recognize her without her hair and head guard.

"Yep. I got a haircut. You like it?" The lizard Force Captain gave an emphatic nod. Grizzlor, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and growled angrily:

"It looks terrible. What are you doing here?" Catra shifted uncomfortably. Out of all of them, Grizzlor was the most senior and therefore the one who no doubt felt the most entitled to lead the Horde in its current dilapidated state. If Catra had had any kind of working relationship with him she might well have asked him to take it over. She had not, however. Octavia then spoke up:

"Catra? Can you please answer Grizzlor's question?" Did Octavia really just say "please"? Catra could not help but smile. She took a deep breath before delivering her message:

"Horde Prime captured me right after I called you and he made me a deal I couldn't refuse. I am now the general of his army and have come to ask you to surrender and join us." She had said that with as little enthusiasm as possible, hoping that Octavia would get suspicious and refuse. She did not, however. Instead she asked:

"So, you were wrong about Horde Prime? He's not a bad guy?" This made Grizzlor roar in exasperation:

"Of course he isn't! I've been telling you this for days now! We are the Horde! We served Lord Hordak for years! Horde Prime is literally just another Hordak!" The lizard Force Captain then joined in:

"Octavia, we are running out of supplies. We will not last more than a few days at most. And now that our absolutely fabulous Force Commander has returned to tell us we have nothing to fear from Horde Prime, surely we should consider listening to her? What's the worst that could happen?" Catra winced. She knew the worst that could happen and she was not sure how she felt about her new haircut being described as "fabulous." Octavia then yelled:

"Shut up both of you!" She then turned to Catra.

"Okay, Catra, can you promise me that you were wrong about Horde Prime and that this is your honest opinion on what we should do?" Catra's eyes went wide. Octavia really had matured as a leader. She took a deep breath and thought about what to say.

Catra was faced with a choice. She could lie to Octavia's face or tell the truth. Both options entertained the very real possibility of Octavia trying to murder her. After a moment's hesitation, her decision was made.

Adora said nothing as she was dragged to a giant dark room with a green pool. She still said nothing as Horde Prime ranted about his great plan to bring peace to the universe using the Heart of Etheria. Lies. It was all lies. Adora looked around the room, half-hoping to see Catra looking down at her from one of the platforms surrounding the pool. Unfortunately there were just more clones, and, as soon as Horde Prime stopped talking, they started chanting:

"All beings must suffer to become pure! Prime casts out all shadows!" Before Adora could process what was going on, she was pushed into the water and felt a strong hand grip the back of her neck. She was then forcibly submerged in the green liquid. Her whole body screamed in pain as she felt electricity envelop her. The back of her mind wondered whether this had also happened to Catra. She was then reminded of how Shadow Weaver used to electrify Catra on an almost daily basis.

Adora's mind filled with images of Catra as her memories were slowly erased. She did not want to forget her – she refused to! She clung to the memories as if they were all she had left in the world – and technically they were. Despite everything Catra had done, Adora had never hated her. She was special to her, just like Catra had said Adora was special to her. They were meant to be together – not apart and fighting like they had been for the past two years.

Adora finally let out a scream of pain. The water tasted metallic in her mouth. Her mind was slowly emptied and, once it was completely blank, Adora was allowed to breathe again. She lifted her head from the water and stared in bewilderment as all the clones around her began to cheer. She then turned to Horde Prime who held out his hand:

"Rise, Despara."

Horde Prime chuckled to himself as he watched Adora get outfitted with special armour by his brothers. He had been impressed by his little brother's armour and had had it altered to fit Adora. He had great plans for her and thought it very fitting that he had renamed her Despara (after one of the most bloodthirsty tyrants ever to rule the First Ones' great galactic empire).

He knew that Adora was no longer She-Ra. He had realized it as soon as she had failed to transform when he captured her. He was not going to let that stop him, however. He had had a special sword made for her to replace her other one. This one was black and could shoot lasers, as well as enable him to have a little extra control over her. Of course he had also chipped her, but he had learned that those devices were not as reliable as he would have liked.

He had debated having Adora's hair cut, but he ultimately decided there was no point. After all, her head was going to be concealed in a helmet most of the time. He had learned from what had happened with Catra - as long as those who knew her did not recognize her, they would not attempt to save her. As soon as the last piece of armour was fitted, Horde Prime approached Adora and presented her with her new sword. Adora accepted it happily:

"Thank you, Horde Prime."

Catra left the old Horde outpost bursting with pride. She walked straight over to the skiff, jumped in, and ordered a clone nearby to drive her back to the Valley of the Lost. He obeyed without a word. Surprisingly, none of the clones outside the entrance of the outpost had tried to stop or question her. She gazed into the distance as she reflected on what had happened.

"Okay, you want the truth? Horde Prime is not 'just another Hordak'. He is far worse! As soon as he gets his hands on you, he will attach a metal chip to the back of your neck which will let him control you. He'll force you to do whatever he wants!" Octavia gasped, the lizard Force Captain went white, and Grizzlor raised a furry eyebrow. Catra continued:

"As for what I think you should do? Honestly? I think you should keep fighting. Don't accept my offer - stay here! I'll find a way to get in touch with the rebellion. They'll be able to help you! They're all magical princesses after all." With that, Grizzlor burst out laughing, the lizard Force Captain gasped in surprise and Octavia yelled:

"Us working with the rebellion? Are you serious?!" Catra shrugged. At least she had tried to present a solution. At least she had not lied. Grizzlor had then walked up to her and slapped her right across the face. Catra had almost fallen over from the force of it. He shouted so everyone outside could hear:

"How dare you suggest we form an alliance with those monsters? That we let them save us?! You used to be someone great – someone who brought glory to the Horde! But now I see everything I thought was true! You are a traitor! You reduced us to this and now you want to bring us down further!" He was about to hit Catra again when Octavia caught his hand and pulled him back to where he had been standing. Grizzlor jerked his hand away but made no further movements. Octavia then walked over to Catra who was rubbing her stinging cheek. She asked:

"Catra, is the rebellion really our best option? What makes you think they'll want to help us? Do you even know where they are?" Catra frowned and looked down. It was not so much that they were the best option – they were the only option. And no, she had no idea where they were or whether they would be willing to help. Catra looked back up at Octavia:

"It's the only chance you've got. It's either them or Prime." Grizzlor had then taken a step forward and growled:

"Get out." Octavia looked at Catra sadly before nodding in agreement. The two soldiers who had led her in then took Catra by her arms and escorted her back to the entrance.

As the skiff approached Horde Prime's base, Catra smiled to herself. Grizzlor was right, she was a traitor, and all she had gotten was a slap.

Scorpia shuffled nervously by the campfire. King Micah was telling everyone about what had happened that day at Elberon. Frosta, Swift Wind, Netossa, Spinerella and himself had been tricked into attending a party where they had been ambushed by Horde Prime. He had somehow managed to get all the party-goers under his control and they had barely made it out alive. King Micah explained that they owed their escape to Lonnie and Rogelio who, while initially refusing the invitation to tag along, had eventually done so anyway out of boredom.

Lonnie and Rogelio had arrived right as the group was about to be captured. Lonnie had instantly grabbed a chair and thrown it into the crowd. This caused many of them to disperse and turn around, at which point Rogelio had charged forward and knocked several of them over. When he was about to be subdued, Lonnie had heroically leapt into the air and landed on his back. She had helped fight them off, and together they had reached the group and got everyone out. King Micah finished his story by praising both Lonnie and Rogelio for their actions, and everyone else joined him.

Scorpia turned to face the squad. Lonnie was beaming from all the praise while Rogelio was blushing from all the attention. Kyle, who had stayed behind to look after Hordak's pet, leaned over and gave Rogelio a kiss on the cheek. He could not begin to express how proud he was.

Rogelio growled happily. Mermista interrupted the sweet moment:

"So, leaving out how the bad guys are good now, what does this mean? Like, can Horde Prime control anybody? And if so, how is he doing it?" Everyone looked at each other blankly. No one seemed to have any idea.