Chapter Fourteen: Unleashed


Catra dove in with her claws, her attack blocked by Mermista's trident. The princess hurled her aside, but she was caught by one of Sqalish's tentacles. He lifted them both out of the way of one of Frosta's ice blasts, with the resulting wall in turn broken by Carnelian. She was tangled by a cluster of vines extending from out of the water, which Catra soon freed her from.

The three princesses regrouped. "What do we do now?" asked Frosta. "Our skiff's trashed, we have no way to contact Glimmer, and these guys won't quit!"

"We just have to keep fighting!" answered Perfuma. "Someone's bound to give eventually. Charge!" The three of them went back into battle, hoping that the one to give wouldn't be one of them.

On the other side of things, the New Horde members were having many of the same thoughts. "So, do we keep fighting?" Sqalish asked. "Because I'm not sure we can last much longer against three princesses!"

"Just keep fighting!" Catra was fully engaged in the battle, almost acting like a fully feral cat. She slashed and clawed with ferocity normally reserved for when her life depended on it, putting the princesses on the defensive. Her teeth bared, she hurled herself toward Frosta when her back was turned.

Frosta turned around too late to summon an ice wall, but Mermista was able to react in time. "Look out!" She blasted Catra aside with a jet of water, before standing in front of the smaller princess defensively. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," said Frosta. "But what's up with Catra? I've never seen her this angry before. And why is she even here?"

Mermista looked away. "I-I don't know. Maybe Emerald kicked her out? That would explain both." She called up a series of waterspouts to separate their Horde opponents.

Sqalish jetted around through the water, keeping the princesses on their toes. They were careful not to let themselves be seized by his tentacles, but this caution left them open to Carnelian. She tossed her boomerang at Perfuma, who dodged at the last second. The weapon became embedded in a nearby tree.

"Come on, flower girl, you can do better than that!" said the Quartz, strolling towards her. "Gimme a good fight!"

Perfuma summoned several vines up from the water. "Be careful what you wish for!" These vines shot towards Carnelian, and though she did her best to dodge, several managed to catch her. She called her boomerang back to her, using it so slice through her binds.

While Mermista's guard was down, she was seized from behind by Sqalish, who dragged her down into the water. She fought him off, turning her legs into a tail to better face off against him. "I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!" she growled, armor hardening over his fists.

"Keep waiting!" Mermista shot forwards with her trident pointed. The attack simply glanced off Sqalish's carapace, but this move had been only a distraction. Mermista turned herself around, using her control over water to push herself faster and faster as she circled her foe. Soon enough, this created a whirlpool, dragging Sqalish down towards the lakebed.

Up above, Frosta had engaged Catra, using ice gauntlets to counter her claws. "What exactly are you doing here!?" she demanded, glaring up at the taller combatant. "You've got some sort of insidious plan going on, so spill it before things get ugly!"

"They already are ugly!" Catra hissed, her pupils having narrowed into slits. "Just once, I'd like things to go my way without you princesses screwing things up! With how insistent you all are on meddling in other peoples' business, it's no wonder it was so easy for Hordak to stir up an uprising against you! It's no wonder that Entrapta decided to jump ship!"

Frosta, propelled upwards by a blast of icy mist, managed to land an uppercut square into Catra's jaw. The blow was strong enough to throw her against a tree, cracking the bark as well. "Don't try and use Entrapta like that!" yelled Frosta. "She only joined the Horde because you tricked her! And she only stayed because of Hordak! Where is she now, huh? Still with you? Do you think she'll still stay on your team when she hears Hordak is with us?"

Catra wiped a stream of blood from her lip, having seemingly gone completely calm. Hackles raised, she hurled herself forward, extending her claws. Frosta charged as well, re-freezing her ice gauntlets as they both leapt into the air, preparing to strike…


With a resounding Clang!, Steven's sword collided with Jasper's helmet. The Gem was unfazed by the strike, pushing back and causing Steven to stumble. She followed up with a super-fast punch, only for Steven to catch her by the wrist. He spun around, hurling her behind him.

Jasper recovered, sliding to a stop once she landed. "I'll admit, you're getting better," she said, their fight giving her a rare smile. "But until you can destabilize me, you're not good enough!"

"Then I guess I'd better stop holding back!" said Steven, likewise enthralled by the battle, sporting an uncharacteristically bloodthirsty grin. His new legs propelled him high up into the air, rocketing back down sword-first. Jasper followed him up, and the two collided, sending out a powerful gale when their fists met.

The two traded blows as they fell to the ground, with Jasper using Steven to break her fall. "Give up yet?" she asked, holding him in a headlock. His sword had fallen a few yards away–he reached out to pull it back, only for Jasper to grab it before it got to him, embedding it in the stone floor behind her. "You're running out of options, kid!"

He knew he was, but he was unwilling to admit defeat. As he tried to pry Jasper's arm from around his neck, he heard something just beyond their courtyard. He threw back an elbow into her ribs before pushing her away. Without the distraction, he stood up to try and better determine the source of the sound.

Jasper quickly got to her feet, lunging at Steven and throwing another punch. Her fist stopped less than an inch from his back. "You're dead," she declared, but Steven didn't react, still entranced by whatever it was he had heard. She rounded around to his front. "Hey, you're dead! Ya hear me? You space out like this on the battlefield, no amount of strength is gonna save you!"

"Hang on," Steven said quietly, holding up a hand. "There's someone here." He closed his eyes, hoping to hear the rustling sound again.

While Jasper listened for a moment to humor him, she quickly dismissed his claim. "It's probably just a princess or something. Hey! We're busy training here!" she hollered. "If you've got something to say to Steven, you can wait until he's done! There, problem solved. Happy?"

But Steven's curiosity wasn't sated yet. He continued to listen for any sign that could indicate the intruder. His instincts would prove correct, as he caught a barely audible sound coming from behind him: a soft whistling as something sharp hurled towards his back. He spun around, grasping the projectile in his hand, which turned out to be an icicle. However, the moment he touched it, the ice began to spread over the rest of his arm.

"Well, well, well, you've certainly grown since the last time we saw you!" The source of the icicle flew out into the open, hovering above the two of them. "What was it you were called again? 'He-Man?' A bit on the nose, don't you think?"

Steven recognized the fusion both from secondhand accounts as well as her two gemstones. "Bluebird," he said, his brows furrowing. He shattered the icicle in his grip, before breaking off the rest of the ice by slamming his fist into the ground. "What are you doing here?"

She sneered. "What else would I be doing here, silly? I've come to get revenge on you! With a little help from my new friends, of course!" She snapped her fingers, summoning Karikon and Crita. The former leveled her enormous gun at the two, while the latter prepared her magic.

"You three are New Horde, I take it?" Jasper said. "A wizard, a scorpion brute, and a traitor." She glared at Bluebird, who glared right back.

"You're the traitor!" the fusion replied. "You used to be Homeworld's greatest warrior! Now you work alongside its greatest enemy, throwing your lot in with traitors, off-colors, and organics! There couldn't be a bigger fall from grace."

"Is that so?" said Steven. "Because last I checked, she's still working for the Diamonds. You, on the other hand, work for Emerald, who wants to overthrow them. Not to mention, fusion wasn't really high up on a list of Homeworld's values."

Bluebird swung her saber before he could continue, launching a blast of ice that froze his leg in place. "Be quiet!" she shouted. "You, the Diamonds, everyone else are the real traitors! The New Horde is going to right those wrongs, to return Homeworld back into what it should be, starting with you! Get them!"

Karikon opened fire, hitting Jasper with a massive shot of explosive plasma that launched her back. Steven once again broke free from the ice, racing towards the scorpion man. Instead, he was intercepted by a blast of purple flame, courtesy of Crita. His enormous form prevented much of the damage, but he was hindered just long enough for the sorceress to summon magical chains up from the ground, wrapping around him.

"You really think I can be held down that easily?" he asked, struggling against the chains.

"I sure hope so," Crita replied. "Otherwise, I'm gonna have a real angry muscle-man coming after me." The chains managed to hold Steven in place, but just barely, as it took all of her strength to keep him there.

Meanwhile, Jasper was going after Bluebird, chasing her down as the smaller Gem darted around through the air. "Where's all that talk now?" Jasper said. "Are you gonna sit still and fight me? Or are you gonna run away like the bug you are!?"

"I resent that 'bug' comparison!" said Karikon, once again opening fire. Jasper was privy to dodge the incoming shots this time, which exploded in the garden behind her. She prepared to get in close, only to feel a slash down her back while she was distracted. Trying to grab the source of the strike, Bluebird just darted out of her reach.

Steven held out his hand, pulling the Sword of Power to him. He used it to slash through the chains, chasing after Crita. She created a series of shields to block his strikes, but each swing of the weapon destroyed a barrier. "Karikon! I could use some help over here!"

The scorpionkin turned his blaster towards Steven, who managed to block the shot with his sword. He fired again and again, only for Steven to deflect each shot. "Now I could use some help!" he shouted as Steven grew closer and closer.

Upon reaching him, Steven grabbed hold of his weapon, yanking it out of his claws. Another swing of the sword, but Karikon managed to latch onto the blade, disarming him as well. The two continued to trade blows, though it was clear who was winning. "Do you even know who I am!?" Steven bellowed boisterously. "I'm the one who took on the Diamonds head-on! I brought Homeworld to its knees! What chance do you have!?"

While Karikon narrowly avoided being pounded into the ground, Jasper continued trying to chase Bluebird down. Although she was unable to do any lasting damage to the Quartz, her saber allowed her to limit her movement, while using her own speed to keep herself out of reach. It stayed this way for a while, but soon something happened to break the stalemate.

"He's over here!" Alerted by the commotion, Connie led Bow and the Gems out into the courtyard where they witnessed the fighting. "Steven!" Drawing her sword, she hurried out into the fray with the others.

"A little late to the party, aren't you?" said Jasper, breaking free from Bluebird's ice.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets, standing beside her. "Less talking, more fighting!" The pair tried to corral Bluebird to prevent her from flying away. She did, of course, try to escape upwards, only to be forced to dodge Amethyst's whip.

Crita and Connie began fighting, though the former found the latter's sword much less threatening than Steven's. "What's that thing made of, plastic?" she asked, preparing to shoot a spell at her. An arrow from Bow hit her hand, causing her to misfire.

"Stand still and find out!" said Connie, lunging and smacking her with the flat side of it. Momentarily stunned, Crita was unprepared for Bow to pin her to the wall with a net arrow. The two fist-bumped, but their celebration was short-lived as they noticed Steven's situation.

He was handily winning his fight against Karikon, having him on the ropes. Pearl had gone over to help, but it didn't seem like he needed it. If anything, it was his enemy that needed to be helped! "Steven, what are you doing?" she asked, concerned at seeing him act this brutally.

"What does it look like?" he asked, turning away from Karikon for a moment. "I'm winning!" The scorpionkin took this moment to wrap his arms around Steven, repeatedly jabbing him with his tail. Pearl and the others cried out, concerned at how this would turn out, but their worry was unfounded; Steven angrily grabbed hold of the stinger, yanking it out, taking most of the tail with it. While Karikon cried out and reeled in pain, Steven lifted him over his head and hurled him towards the castle.

With nobody watching her, Crita used her magic to escape the net by turning herself intangible. She hurried over to help Karikon, only to be intercepted by Pearl. "Outta the way, Gem. This fight won't turn out in your favor."

"Is that so?" Pearl's gemstone began to glow, producing numerous copies of herself that surrounded the sorceress. "Then I should even the odds!" The holo-Pearls set upon Crita all at once, potentially overwhelming her as she struggled to fight them all off.

Garnet fired her rocket fists up at Bluebird, who continued to dodge. This did fill the air with explosions, though, giving her less room to move. "She's too quick," she said.

"Well then, we need to be quicker!" Amethyst said.

She suddenly found herself grabbed by Jasper. "In that case, think fast!" Jasper hurled Amethyst into the air, a move that Bluebird wasn't expecting. She spun as she sailed towards her target, colliding with her and forcing her into a crash-landing.

Now that she was grounded, Jasper moved in for the kill, poofing Bluebird with a stomp. Garnet leapt into the air to catch Amethyst, landing beside her. "Never thought we'd make a good team!" Amethyst said.

Jasper scoffed. "I wouldn't exactly call us a team," she said, grabbing hold of Aquamarine's inert form. "Now, where's that other one?"

Having managed to fight her way through all of Pearl's clones, an exhausted Crita now faced the genuine article. "Okay, maybe I'm not as out of your league as I thought," she panted. "But there's only one of you left!"

"And that's more than enough!" Both of them charged the other, with Pearl firing blasts from her spear. Crita leapt over the shots, throwing magical discs at Pearl, who deflected them by spinning her spear. She landed, preparing to unleash a powerful blast of magic, only to be stunned as electricity coursed through her body. She fell to the ground, revealing Bow had shot her with a shock arrow.

"You looked like you could use some help," he said. Pearl grinned, offering a look of silent thanks.

As this all happened, Steven made his way over to the fallen Karikon. "I'm…I'm not down yet," he slurred, trying to stand up. "Jus' give me a few minutes–" Steven brought both of his fists down hard, denying his request.

Connie hurried over as he continued to brutalize his opponent. "Steven! Stop! This isn't you!" But he refused to listen, overtaken by his newfound bloodlust. Karikon's helmet cracked open under the repeated strikes, revealing his bruised, bloodied, nearly unconscious face. "Please, listen!"

"I am listening!" he yelled. "And you know what? This is me! A newer, stronger, better me! Steven was weak–but I'm He-Man now!" He pulled his sword into his hand, raising it above his head in preparation to finish Karikon off.

"No! Don't!" Connie ran towards him, but she wouldn't be fast enough to prevent him from taking a life. In desperation, she cried out the only thing she could think: "Aren't you Rose's son!?"

The Sword of Power stopped moments before it impaled Karikon. Steven's vicious smile had vanished, replaced by an expression of pure dread. As he got back up, his hands shook, enough that he almost dropped the sword. He fell to his knees, his He-Man form dissipating. "C-Connie?" he said, turning to face her.

She knelt down beside him, wrapping him in her arms. "It's okay, Steven. It's okay now."

"...Is it?" he asked quietly.

With the battle over, everyone stood around Steven, looking at him with concern–or, in Jasper's case, irritation. In their worry for him, nobody noticed another figure sneaking from behind, brandishing a knife. Though when she shouted out a war cry, it was hard not to notice her.

"Die, Steven!" yelled Eyeball, raising her weapon as she prepared to impale the object of her hatred. Moments before she could, a pink blade cut through her form, and the surprised Ruby disappeared in a puff of smoke. Connie, wielding her sword, stood over her gem.

Everyone was shocked silent for a moment. Eventually, Amethyst spoke, picking up Eyeball's gemstone. "So…what now?" she asked, looking around at their fallen enemies.

"Um…get them inside, said Bow. "Make sure they're secured. Once they wake up, we'll see if we can get any information out of them. I'm sure Glimmer will have plenty of questions when she gets back."

"For the Honor of Grayskull!" There was a flash of light from around the corner, and Adora as She-Ra sprinted onto the battlefield, sword raised. "I'm here! I'm ready to…fight the guys that…you already took care of…" She stood there awkwardly, realizing she was late. "Um…sorry."

Jasper lifted Karikon over her shoulder. "Great, now we're safe. Not that we needed you, but you coulda been here earlier, you know." She walked past Adora, glaring at her as she went.

As everyone secured the prisoners, Bow went over to her. "So, I don't agree with Jasper's rudeness, but…she has a bit of a point. Where were you? Usually She-Ra's the first one on the scene whenever there's trouble."

Adora looked around awkwardly, before de-transforming. "I maaay have gotten a bit distracted looking for some things," she admitted.

Bow looked disappointed. "Adora, I told you not to go looking through Glimmer's private things. It's bad enough you did that, but ignoring your friends when they're in danger? I really think you're letting this Hordak thing get to you."

"I didn't ignore you!" Adora said. "I just didn't notice that you were all in trouble! …That's not much better, is it?" Bow shook his head. "Okay, but at least nobody got hurt, right?"

They looked over as Connie helped Steven to his feet. He looked almost despondent, staring at the place Karikon had been laying until she pulled him away. "Not on the outside, at least," said Bow.


Carnelian had Mermista on the ropes, having forced her onto dry land. She threw her boomerang again and again, further pushing her back as she evaded the projectile. "I'd give up now if I were you!" she said, intent on keeping her away from the source of her power.

"Giving up isn't something I do! Unless I'm bored!" Mermista decided that if she couldn't get to the water, she would bring it to her, summoning a waterspout towards her. This floating stream circled around her like a torrential ribbon, before she shot it at Carnelian.

The serpentine water formation chased after its target, who was surprisingly agile for her size. Eventually, though, it was able to bind her, holding her in place while Mermista lunged with her trident. But Carnelian wasn't the type to give up without a fight. "Not so fast!"

She fell backwards just as the trident shot forward, sending her leg up in a kick that knocked the weapon out of Mermista's hand. The princess tumbled to the ground, with Catra eagerly moving in to finish her off. She was stopped at the last minute as a thick wall of vines separated her from her prey.

"Quick, do something!" said Perfuma. "I can't hold her for long! Her claws are way sharper than they used to be!"

Frosta appeared beside Mermista. "I think this calls for a tag-team move!" she said eagerly.

"I couldn't agree more!" Carnelian threw her boomerang to distract them, but Frosta was able to deflect it with an ice shield on her arm. Meanwhile, Mermista drew the water back to her, reshaping it into a long stream that she hurled at the Gem once more.

As it sped towards its target, Frosta held her hand up to it as it passed by. The water froze as it flew, turning it into a trident of ice. "Subzero Piercer!" she proclaimed. Expecting to just be able to endure the torrent, Carnelian was unprepared for this sharp-pointed projectile hurling right at her. Impaled by its three prongs, she was thrown back, soon after disappearing into her gemstone.

Mermista and Frosta shared a fist bump, but their victory was short lived as Catra made her reappearance. "You're gonna pay for that!" she hissed, lunging with her claws out. Perfuma tried to grab her with some vines, but she sliced through these as well. This did give Frosta enough time to grab Carnelian's gem, however.

"Hey!" she yelled, getting both Catra's and Sqalish's attention. "Stand down, or I'll break this thing into a thousand pieces!" She covered one of her fists in ice to show she was serious.

Catra couldn't care less, running at her. But just as Frosta had turned her frozen gauntlet into a shield, she realized Catra had been halted by a tentacle around her waist. "We need to go!" yelled Sqalish.

"No we don't!" Catra replied. "We don't need Carnelian to beat them!"

"We can't take on three princesses by ourselves! I'm sorry, commander!" With that, Sqalish leapt into the water, dragging Catra behind him. Mermista and Perfuma rushed forward to stop them, but he was too agile. The former leapt into the water, only to emerge a moment later, empty-handed.

She shook her head. "No sign of 'em. That mer-man must be a really good swimmer to get away that fast. I doubt Glimmer's gonna be happy about this…"

Frosta held the scarlet gemstone over her head. "She won't be too upset, seeing as we took a prisoner! We can get her to tell us what Catra has planned!"

"Excellent! We've managed to salvage the situation after all!" said Perfuma. "Although…how exactly are we going to get back?" She looked over at their wrecked skiff.

"I guess we could walk," said Frosta. "Might take a while, though. We'd have to stop somewhere first.

Mermista considered the situation. "Lemme try something." Manipulating the water, she was able to right their damaged skiff, which was just intact enough to serve as a platform floating on the marsh. She stepped on, waiting for the other two to do the same. "This should get us close enough to Salineas to find another ride.

The princesses aboard. "Smart thinking, Mermista! I knew we could count on you!"

"Yup, you sure can," she said, looking away uncertainly. She directed the makeshift boat down the stream. "I'm tired of this place. Let's go home." As they floated along, she wondered if they would judge her for knowing Catra had returned beforehand.