Adora's Search for Honor Part 2: Chapter 40

So I really tried to have this new chapter posted over the weekend, but it took much longer to write than I thought. I hope you all enjoy it!

Previously: Adam/He-Man returned to Eternia to find that things were not as they seemed. His father was struggling to stay alive. His girlfriend broke up with him. And he had to figure out just how he was going to stop Skeletor from his latest round of misdeeds... Adora/She-Ra dealt with her past actions as a member of the Horde and realized that though she had a past, she could still work towards making Etheria safe by ridding the world of the Horde once and for all... In keeping with her plans to tear down Etheria, Catra went from prisoner to the great Rebellion, all the way to renegade madwoman as she fought against Hordak. Driving her sword through his chest, Catra felt highly successful. Let's see if it worked...

And now...

 

Adora's Search for Honor

Part 2

Chapter 40

"She is dead Hordak." Busy with work, a much younger Hordak looks up at his chancellor entering a large spacious room. "Did my sister suffer?" Hordak hopes the answer is no. The chancellor pauses before answering and calmly states, "If there was any suffering, she did not know of it. The techno virus had fully infiltrated her mind, she had no idea of anything."

Hordak sits there in silence. "I want to see her." The chancellor does not like that idea, "You cannot mighty Hordak. Her body has been taken to the incinerary. With more and more of the people getting infected with the virus, we didn't want to run any risks of further contamination."

The thought of his sister burning to nothing goes through him. Hordak quickly rushes past the chancellor and through the sprawling Horde Fortress. The skies are red and the stench of death is everywhere, but Hordak does not care. He will leave the comforts of the inner fortress for this, the final viewing of his sister.

He is too late though, and only briefly catches a glimpse of her legs on a sliding rack, slowly rolling into a chamber of fire. Clenching his fists and utterly furious, Hordak realizes he is now alone. He has no family, barring one other person.

The chancellor races and stops behind Hordak, "Mighty Hordak, I wish you had not seen that." Hordak turns, his red eyes gleaming hot, "Where is he? Horde Prime is responsible for this." The chancellor explains the current location of the supreme ruler of the Horde. That is enough for Hordak.

Taking off yet again, Hordak travels to a section of the Horde Fortress that is usually off limits. "He is in here?" Hordak looks back as the chancellor nods. With a sneer, Hordak throws the heavy steel doors open. He is ready to destroy Horde Prime, only Horde Prime is nowhere to be found. Instead, Hordak is greeted by a strange fog and the lines of a hulking machine. "HORDE PRIME! Show yourself."

A strange voice echoes throughout the room as certain panels light up across the machine, "I am here Hordak." The chancellor stands next to Hordak and marvels at the construct before them. Hordak demands answers from Horde Prime. "Ever since I was exposed with the techno-organic virus from the Space Mutants, I have been helping to create a supreme containing unit. In order to survive and hold off the effects of the virus, I must live in here. Until we can find a cure of course."

Breathing in some of the strange fog, Hordak begins to snort. Focusing on his anger, the true leader of the Horde spits out, "Where was this machine when my sister was alive?" Horde Prime continues to speak in motion with the light panels, "The virus was far to gone by the time the machine was built Hordak. There was nothing left for her to do but see the virus out."

Hordak storms towards the machine, "You bastard! The moment she joined you in union was the moment her life ended." Horde Prime reaches out with a large robotic harm, the fingers sharp as blades, "Don't test me Hordak! Your sister chose me. We joined together for the better good of the Horde. I cannot help that you were the youngest. It was her choice."

Shaking his head, Hordak sneers, "She only wanted to maintain her rule over the Horde. Horde Law has forever stated that a femalian of true Horde blood can never rule unless she is joined with a malian. She didn't want to hand the title over to me, so she picked you. An awful choice." Horde Prime sighs, "But a choice she made nonetheless. And since I am still alive, you will answer to me."

Snorting again, Hordak grins, "For now. Just look at the world around us. People are getting infected every day. Our once great scientific world has devolved into sick people fighting each other. Soon they will tear the walls to this Fortress down, and no one will rule."

Horde Prime slams his new robotic fist to the floor, "Nonsense! The Horde will continue to rule. Just not on this planet. We don't need the boundaries of this world to limit what the Horde can be truly capable of. I have bigger plans for us Hordak. This machine I am in is hardly the only thing I have been working on." Looking over at the chancellor, Hordak realizes that many things have been going on behind his back. "What are you talking about?"

The lights and machine make strange noises, "I am talking about leaving this place. If the Horde is going to survive we are going to have to think beyond the skies. Let the sick kill each other. We should start our own empire, in space." Hordak snorts out a laugh, "Space? What a joke. This is all a pathetic joke."

"But it isn't Hordak. A large chunk of the fortress has already been outfitted for space travel. We are going to shoot it off into space and create a whole new world for our selves, and those who are still well. Only the best of course." Hordak crosses his arms, "What will we do in space?"

Horde Prime laughs. The electronic sounds for his speech sound off and strange when he laughs, "We build the Horde even better than before. Besides, I will require new magical energy from worlds throughout the universe to power the machine I am in. And since we have taken as much as we can from this planet, it only makes sense to leave. I will need your help Hordak." Looking on in shock, Hordak snorts, "My help?! You want me to join you on this deranged plan?"

"Yes Hordak. I do. Your sister would have wanted this too. I am only the supreme ruler because I joined with your sister. But you Hordak, you have real Horde blood in you. We can't lose that. Now, will you join me as we take over the universe?" Hordak holds his head high. He wants to say no, but he realizes there is nothing for him on this planet. His parents have been long gone and he just lost his sister. He snorts, "Agreed. I will leave with you."

Horde Prime lights up. His plan is going to work. "Congratulations. You just maintained the future of the Horde. Prepare yourself Hordak, we will be living for a very long time." All Hordak can do is wish for a short life, either Horde Prime's or his...

***

Catra kneels over Hordak's body, her hands twisting the handle of her sword in his chest. She can hear the sound of the blade scraping the tile floor through Hordak's chest. His usual red eyes are an empty black. She looks down at him lying motionless and let's out a laugh, "I did it. I killed that bastard." Catra spits on him, "That is for what you did to me. And to Huntara." Catra looks back at Castespella's body. The enchantress is still slumped over by her throne.

Smirking, Catra looks around her, "Now let's see about taking destroying the magical Mystacor." The jealous beauty stretches and rolls her head around. Her neck makes a popping sound. Taking hold of her sword, Catra prepares to remove it from Hordak's body. Out of the corner of her eye though, she catches his eyes flicker from an empty void into a bright burning red. Hordak reaches out with his arms and grabs Catra, "You disappoint me." He snorts and flips her over his head.

Landing hard on the tile, Catra scrambles to get up and looks on in horror as Hordak slides the sword out of his chest. Tossing it across the floor, Hordak stands up, "I haven't lived this long without getting stabbed once or twice. You will have to do better than that Catra. In fact, why don't you just give up?"

Catra prepares to fight him. Hordak grins as his left arm transforms into a giant piston. It pumps towards Catra and knocks her across the room. She slams into a stone wall. Hordak slowly approaches her, "I don't know what you think I ever did to you, but you have made the biggest mistake!" Grabbing her by the hair, Hordak lifts Catra up to him, "I knew you were trouble. Always popping off at me. You are trouble Catra." He knees her in the stomach and she falls to the floor, "The sad thing is, you had such promise, because you wanted it so badly. You wanted the power that came with being in the Horde. You thrived on it. What a shame." He tries to slam his foot on her head, but Catra dodges and rolls up.

Kicking him in the knee, thigh and side, Catra watches him double over. "You are just like the Rebellion. Always thinking you know what is right and just. Well I am just, and I will win. Etheria is going to be mine!" Lunging towards Hordak, Catra does just about everything she can to stop him. Having had enough, Hordak grabs hold and slams her to the ground. The pain is almost too much, Catra is not sure she can move anymore. Hordak grins as his arm transforms into a blaster, "Farewell Catra."

As Hordak is about to fire a blast at her, Catra looks up in defeat. She wants to believe that she could stop him, but she can't. There is no hope. Hordak triumphantly grins, but before he can shoot Catra, a large beam of electrical fire smashes into Hordak. The pure force throws him across the room and through a stone wall into another room.

Catra looks up at her help. Castaspella stands up straight. Feeling slightly dizzy, Castaspella slowly walks towards Catra. Offering a hand, Castaspella is lightly pushed away by Catra. "I don't need your help!"

Ignoring the snap, Castaspella steps back, "Fine. But it is alright Catra. He would have killed you." Catra purrs, "Then maybe that would have been an improvement." Catra dusts herself off and prepares to walk away. Castaspella reaches out, grabbing her arm, "Catra. Stop. I'm truly sorry. I know you are my sister's daughter." Turning to look at the enchantress, Catra purrs, "And what makes you say that?" Castaspella has tears in her eyes. She thinks about her sister and that sibling loss. And now, standing before Casta is her niece; the one person that Casta would never want to be related to. Could she ever change? Castaspella smiles thinking back to the memories of her sister Incantatia, "Catra, it is your eyes. You have my sister's eyes; that dazzling green. How did this ever happen?"

Standing there in complete shock at the open exchange, Catra shakes her head and sneers, "You don't need to worry about such things Castaspella. We owe each other nothing!" With that, Catra lowers her mask and transforms into her panther form. Racing out of the room, Catra is gone. Castaspella looks around and feels so alone. "Where are my Mages in all this?" She races out of the room before Hordak can come back. She wants to find out what else is happening on Mystacor.

Outside the floating rock of Mystacor, a few members of the Great Rebellion are making their presence known. Sea Hawk is flying his ship while his crew fires canons towards the small Horde ships that are releasing Horde Troopers across the great Mystacor. She-Ra is aboard and looks at her friends Mermista, Perfuma, Frosta, and Bow. "We have to hurry! Castaspella and the Mages are in trouble." On another part of the ship, Peekablue is using her abilities to see what else is happening on the inside. She gives the details to Netossa who then let's the rest of the Rebels in on the current situation. Spinnerella and Glimmer prepare to jump from the ship.

She-Ra calls out for everyone to be safe and stick together. "Hordak is in there and he is going to stop at nothing to get what he wants." Glimmer looks back before jumping ship, "I'll be looking for the Lunar Stone!" The Rebels take off one by one. Peekablue stays behind to help Sea Hawk in the skies. Netossa uses one of her nets to make a breezy landing. Frosta utilizes her abilities over ice to create a slide onto Mystacor. Mermista creates a flurry of bubbles that she and Perfuma both use to hop and jump to the floating rock. Flutterina simply flies. Glimmer and Bow both make a safe landing, while Spinnerella shows them all up with a graceful spin. She-Ra lands on her feet and raises an eyebrow as a large group of Horde Troopers charge towards the Rebels. She-Ra shouts, "Fight Rebels!" An all new battle begins...

***

On Eternia, He-Man and a few of the Masters of the Universe are busy enacting their plan to get the Eternos Palace back. It is pretty simple. "Alright, since Skeletor will be busy trying to get into Grayskull, this is now or never. We have got to regain control of the Palace, and rescue the rest of the Masters who are prisoner." He-Man says this matter-of-factly while looking at Man-At-Arms, Clamp Champ, Stratos, and Teela. When his gaze falls upon Teela, he can't help but sink inward. It is difficult to look at her. The feeling is mutual, because Teela can only turn away, "Alright. We know what to do, let's save our friends." They all nod and break apart through the palace.

Teela hopes the other Masters are doing well against Skeletor and his minions at Grayskull. She wants to hurry this whole ambush along. "They're on to us!" Teela shouts towards Stratos and Clamp Champ. She draws her sword and brings it down upon a ghoulish soldier. Clamp Champ uses his power clamp to wrangle two soldiers together, "Only Skeletor would try to raises these foul beasts from the ground!" The power clamp snaps the soldiers into pieces, their bones crumbling to the ground, "They don't seem to be that strong either." Stratos flies past making sure the area ahead is clear. Man-At-Arms and He-Man bypass another area of the palace, heading to the throne room.

As they are walking, they both meet a large group of ghoulish soldiers. Man-At-Arms quickly opens up his arm canon, "I've got this, get to the throne room!" He-Man nods and barrels his way through. Turning back briefly, He-Man pauses to make sure Man-At-Arms is handling his own.

Feeling confident that everything will work well, He-Man continues on, slicing through a random ghoulish creature here and there. Approaching the throne room, He-Man tries to ignore the damage and destruction around him from Skeletor. He knows that they can repair the damage and markings from the Evil Warriors, the most important thing is to take the riff-raff out.

Striding in confidently, He-Man looks around. "The coast seems clear." As the words are spoken, He-Man hears the crack of a whip that quickly winds itself around his wrist. Turning at his assailant, He-Man smiles, "Beast Man. How have you been?" He-Man tries to yank the whip towards him, but Beast Man won't budge. "I've got you this time, He-Man."

Beast Man raises his free arm up and calls for three ghoulish soldiers. They each strike towards He-Man. While struggling to free himself from the whip, He-Man also fights with his power sword. He catches the blade in between the ribcage of a soldier and quite forcibly hurls the fiend at Beast Man. The soldier falls apart. He-Man looks on, stupefied, "Wow, I go away for just a little while..." Beast Mean tightens the whip while also doing his best to bring He-Man down. Having had enough, He-Man pulls back with all his might, whipping Beast Man towards him. Throwing back a booming punch, He-Man knocks Beast Man back to the ground.

In another section of the palace, Teela and Clamp Champ take care of some ghoulish guards before approaching the prison cells. Stratos quickly zooms in, "We've got everything taken care of." Teela nods and they enter the room. Clamp Champ hurries to a control panel and works at opening the cells. One by one the imprisoned Masters step out, relieved to finally be free. Buzz Off grins, "What took you so long?" Extendar chimes in, "The food was terrible." Teela smiles and raises an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't really eat?" There are some needed laughs. Man-E-Faces and Rio Blast are to the side, very pleased to be free. Man-E-Faces changes one of his faces into an Evil Warrior, "So who do we go after first?"

Clamp Champ smiles, "Well we take this Palace back. Some of you need to stay here and get rid of Skeletor's soldiers. But we will also need some help at Grayskull. Skeletor is working hard to break through the magic field." Rio Blast tips his hat, "I'm ready ya'll." The Masters all nod, and spread out to gather the supplies they need to take back Eternia.

***

Back at Mystacor, a few things are happening outside of the magical kingdom. Sea Hawk is piloting the ship as the crew continues to take out as many Horde Troopers that they can. Peekablue rushes up to the pirate, "Sea Hawk! There is smoke!" Sea Hawk turns to see a steady stream of smoke coming out from the bottom of his airship. He groans, "Aww shit! This is not good. My ship never got fully repaired from the last attack. We have to make a quick landing." Peekablue worries, "What about the others?" Sea Hawk looks back as he flies them away from Mystacor, "They will have to be on their own."

On the grounds below, four woman approach one of the four Chains of Magic connecting the floating Mystacor to Etheria. Entrapta is looking through a pair of binoculars at the battle above. Scorpia and Octavia stand behind Entrapta while Vampra is slightly off to the side. Scorpia sighs, "What are we doing here? I still don't understand what the plan is." Entrapta turns, slightly annoyed, "Hush. Catra has a plan, and I am just waiting on a sign. We've been over this. You knew what you were getting into when you joined our secret group." Vampra looks at the sun going down, "I hope this will happen when it is darker. I am still far too weak." Octavia grins, "And old looking." Vampra bares her sharp rows of teeth, "I'll look much younger soon, and hungrier too." Octavia turns as her tentacles each hold onto a knife, if only to be safe. Entrapta shakes her head at the group before her, "Get along girls. Once we start this it will all go in our favor."

Inside Mystacor, Castaspella is panicking in a large room used for special festivals and games. There are countless Mages and citizens of Mystacor standing in a deep sleep, though their eyes are all wide open. "Oh what am I going to do?" The enchantress tries to speak a spell or two to awaken everyone. Finally a spell works and one of the Mages is released from the sleep, "Castaspella? What is going on?"

Castaspella hurries, "We are under attack. Someone placed a spell on the people of Mystacor, you have all been motionless. I need you help, go up to as many Mages as possible. I can't conjure a spell to wake everyone. Hurry." Castaspella rushes to another person, whispering the same spell.

Down the hall, Mermista and Perfuma taunt a few Horde Troopers before dismantling them. Bow is racing around outside firing bolt arrows trying to stop the enemies. Netossa and Spinnerella combine forces to spin large nets at a menacing group of Horde Troopers and Leech. Flutterina helps carry unconscious Troopers to the edge and simply drops them off of Mystacor.

Frosta is trying to help Glimmer but finds herself alone, with Grizzlor. "Oh. It's you. Again." Frosta crosses her arms at the ferocious villain, she always seems to run into Grizzlor in the most dire of situations. Grizzlor glares, "You don't scare me." Frosta holds her head high, "Didn't I tell you that I'd make you into a fur coat? It sure is getting cold out." Grizzlor wastes no time. He throws a few knives at her. Frosta misses the attacks and creates an ice slick on the floor. Sliding towards Grizzlor, Frosta unleashes a blanket of ice towards the Horde member. Grizzlor recoils at the cold and curses as he feels the ice get into his fur.

Taking a swing, he punches Frosta. Slamming against the wall, Frosta shoots an icy glare, "That was a tremendous mistake darling!" With fists covered in thick ice, Frosta wails on Grizzlor. He tries to fight back, but Frosta takes a big swipe, grabbing a fistful of his hair from his back. Howling in pain, Grizzlor reaches back to feel a piece of raw skin bleeding freely. Frosta looks down at the clumps of fur in her hand, "This won't even make a sleeve!"

He growls and slams into her. They fall to the floor as his leathery hands try to strangle her. "Keep those disgusting things off of me!" Radiating coldness from her body, Frosta grins as Grizzlor scrambles to stay way. "What Grizzlor? That fur of yours can't keep you warm?" He growls again taking hold of his machete. Frosta rolls her eyes dodging another attack. Grizzlor misses and instead finds himself on the receiving end of an icy punch by Frosta. Out cold on the floor, Grizzlor just lays there. Frosta walks over him, "When will you learn darling?" Wiping her hands of any leftover fur, Frosta continues on her way.

Castaspella is still busy working on breaking the spells over the Mages. She is pleased when She-Ra arrives. "Oh She-Ra! I am so glad you are here!" She-Ra looks at all the people standing still with their eyes open, "Casta, my friend, what is going on?" Castaspella stops in the middle of a spell, "Oh I don't know. Someone cast a spell on everyone and I am trying to wake them." She-Ra looks around, "What can I do?" The hypnotizing enchantress looks around at all the people, "I don't know that there is much. I'm just trying to get these spells to work. Just make sure we are safe. How bad is it out there?" The princess of power lowers her eyes, "Do not worry. The Rebellion is here. Hordak won't stand a chance." Castaspella shakes her head, "But it's not just Hordak. Catra is here too."

She-Ra is confused, "What does that mean?" Castaspella shakes her head, "Catra has her own agenda. I'll explain." She-Ra listens as Castaspella shares her experience with Catra and their familial relation, not to mention her deadly intentions towards Hordak. She-Ra sighs, "This is all too much." They continue to work together when all of a sudden the air gets chilly. Casta looks around, "Is Frosta here?" She-Ra feels a sense of dread grow in the pit of her stomach. "Yes, but I don't think that is Frosta."

There is a door that opens from the other end of the room. She-Ra shakes her head, "Castaspella, hurry. Wake them up." She motions to the people under a spell. Somehow, the zombie Double Trouble is in the room with them. Castaspella is curious, "She-Ra, that woman looks like you..." Nodding, She-Ra draws her sword and small axe, "Yes. That is Double Trouble." Castaspella loses color in her face, "But she died..." Both women scream in horror as the undead Double Trouble stumbles towards a Mage caught in a spell. The fearsome woman claws and tears into the Mage's neck. Still in a spell, the Mage simply stands there. She-Ra runs.

Double Trouble has flesh in her mouth and gurgles up some blood. She sets her dead blank eyes on She-Ra and staggers towards the most powerful woman in the universe. They prepare to fight. She-Ra is careful not to knock anyone over, while also distracting her old friend from eating anyone. Castaspella works harder and soon there are enough Mages awake to truly start making a difference. She-Ra looks sad as she tries to inflict harm on a woman that was once so full of life. Double Trouble let's out a loud wail and piercing scream. Filled with hunger, Double Trouble takes hold of She-Ra's arms. Going in for a bite, She-Ra recoils and tries to attack the undead beauty.

Suddenly a swoosh rushes by and Double Trouble arches her back in pain. Bow is standing behind with another arrow ready to fire. Double Trouble gurgles and hisses a loud scream. Rushing for Bow, Double Trouble reaches out to grab him. Bow dodges the attack and She-Ra swings in with a kick to her back. "Bow! We need to get her out of here!" Bow nods and they work together to stop Double Trouble from doing any more damage.

Slinking her way through Mystacor, Catra bypasses most of the action that is occurring. She has her eyes set on a most special target. Sliding behind an unassuming slight wooden door, Catra grins at the sight of a glowing ornate panel of gnarled wood perched in the center of the bare room. The light around it shines all the way to the ceiling while tiny specs of light seem to glow in their intensity in the wood. "The heart of Mystacor." Catra purrs.

The jealous beauty approaches the piece of wood and reaches out to touch it. Her hand weaves through the ornate design of the wood, searching for what, she is not sure. However an idea so brilliant sparks in her mind. Grinning from ear to ear, Catra channels her magical energy right to her fingertips. Grabbing hold of the magical wooden piece, Catra begins to shatter it. Sparks of light and magical dust go every which way. Catra tosses her head back, laughing in ecstasy. A slight rumble shakes the room as well as a brief explosion. Catra looks up at the ceiling falling away exposing the night sky. Light and magic dust pour out. "Perfect." Grinning some more, Catra quickly slinks away.

Outside Mystacor on the grounds, Entrapta focuses her sights. She spots something interesting, "There! She did it." Entrapta can see some sort of energy leaving a section of Mystacor. Turning back to her devious friends, Entrapta glints, "Alright girls. It is time." They all nod and quickly spread out. Before they are all out of earshot, Entrapta shouts, "They should be weakening as we speak, tear them apart with all your might." Each one is racing towards one of the Four Chains of Magic. Scorpia reaches the first chain and immediately uses her powerful pincers to tear into the chains. Octavia grabs hold of a chain from its base on Etheria. With her tentacles ready, she begins taking the chain apart. The magical seal on the chains that allow Mystacor to hover over Etheria are being dismantled. Vampra uses her strength to bend the links, "Ugh! This is going to take too long!" She hisses in annoyance, until she spots a fallen Horde Trooper from above. Smiling to herself, Vampra saunters over to find any potential weapons. The final chain is rattled by Entrapta. The tricky golden beauty produces a small device with a golden spinning blade. She gets to work.

Mystacor is in turmoil. Freshly woken Mages race around trying to help the Great Rebellion. There is much going on and for Glimmer, her only goal is to find the Lunar Stone. She knows exactly where it is thanks to what her mother said. But the biggest problem facing the rebel princess is that she may be too late. "Drop it Hordak! That isn't yours!" Glimmer shouts catching Hordak in the act of stealing the Lunar Stone.

Lifting his head up, Hordak snorts, "Don't mess with me Glimmer. I am already in a foul mood, and I will think nothing of taking it out on you!" He turns quickly firing a blast towards Glimmer. She dodges the attack and tosses a burst of light at him. Blinking back, Hordak screams, "You annoying half-wit!" He takes aim, but instead of hitting her, Hordak blows a big chunk into the floor beneath Glimmer's feet. Losing her balance, Glimmer shouts as she falls into a Hordak-made pit.

Laughing to himself, Hordak looks down at Glimmer, "Stupid girl." He takes aim yet again and is about to demolish Glimmer. She looks up at him with eyes wide, for a brief moment she is expecting her life to end. But before anything can happen, Glimmer notices three sharp icicles fly through Hordak's chest. Jumping back in pain, Hordak snorts, "Blasted Frosta!" He shoots at the icy empress. Frosta freezes the blast, "Hordak, darling, you have long expired."

Glaring at the rebels, Hordak rattles his feet as they transform into rocket jets. He flies off out of the room with the Lunar Stone. Frosta turns to help Glimmer, but Glimmer shakes her head, "Go! Chase after Hordak! Don't worry about me." Frosta shakes her head, "But you are trapped." Glimmer exasperates, "He has the Lunar Stone! Go after him now!" Realizing that something needs to be done, Frosta creates an ice slide and quickly goes after Hordak.

In another section of Mystacor, Mermista, Perfuma, and Flutterina meet up with She-Ra and Bow. Zombie Double Trouble is gone, so they are all helping Castaspella with the Mages. "Where is everyone else?" She-Ra asks. Mermista looks around, "I don't know, Glimmer went looking for the Lunar Stone." Perfuma looks concerned after she feels a slight rumble, "Did you just feel that?" Castaspella lifts her head up, "Oh no, something..." Before she can finish her sentence, Mystacor dips violently to one side as Scorpia finally breaks through a chain from below.

The rebels lose their balance and fall to the floor. "Hold onto something!" Castaspella shouts. Mermista looks around, "The others." Trying to balance herself, Mermista gets up. "Mermista! Where are you going?" Perfuma asks in fear. Mermista is shaking, "Our friends are spread out! I'm going to help." Mermista slowly makes her way out of the room. Perfuma and Flutterina are helping with some Mages. She-Ra turns to Castaspella, "What is happening?" Hanging her head in total sadness, Castaspella shakes, "The Four Chains of Magic that keep Mystacor above Etheria, I can feel them, they are being unchained."

Outside, Entrapta hangs her head high as her chain comes undone. Mystacor is only held by two more chains that are diagonal from each other. The two remaining chains are becoming weaker while Mystacor starts to sway back and forth. The heavy mass of Mystacor is trembling. Entrapta hurries to see how everyone else is doing.

Above, Mermista races through, bracing against walls while also dodging moving pieces of furniture. She screams in joy at finding Netossa and Spinnerella. Netossa is concerned, "The floor is moving!" Mermista explains and the three women work to find Glimmer and Frosta.

Down below, Catra joins Entrapta, "What of the other two chains?" Entrapta produces her binoculars, "They are very close to coming down." Smirking, Catra purrs, "Let's go help."

Inside Mystacor, Frosta is hot on Hordak's trail. Racing on the ice, Frosta is unaware of Mystacor being shaken up. Her only goal is to stop Hordak. Focusing on his next steps, Frosta quickly creates a thick wall of ice that disrupts Hordak's path. Crashing through the ice, Hordak spins out of control and tumbles to the floor. Frosta jumps off the ice and lands on a wobbly floor.

The hallway they are in is becoming topsy-turvy. Hordak shouts and fires a blast at Frosta. The way the place is moving, Frosta is able to dodge the blast, but for a second she isn't sure she can miss it. Trying to take down Hordak and maintain her balance is difficult. Hordak snorts, and slips to the floor. Neither knows what is happening.

Back inside the Hordak-made pit, Glimmer begins shaking. She can feel Mystacor moving, "I've never felt this before..."

On the ground, Catra and Entrapta help Vampra take down a chain. "What of the last one?" Vampra asks. Catra shrugs, "They'll get it. Let's hurry!" They don't have much time. With the chains moments away from snapping, Catra believes one of two things will happen: either Mystacor will float away off of Etheria with everyone she hates, or it will come crashing down. As they rush off, Catra looks back. The chains are gone and Mystacor is trembling, but still hovering.

Inside, Castaspella is channeling her energies with the Mages. She-Ra looks at Bow, "Can you feel it? The ground isn't moving that much. I think Castaspella is doing something." Bow nods and stands with She-Ra. For some reason his heart can't stop beating, is this because of the danger or is it She-Ra? His heart only feels this way around one other person...

Castaspella is struggling. Her magical powers are straining her. Trying to hold Mystacor up is not going to work. Feeling her skin grow really cold, Castaspella shudders and falls to the floor. As she hits the ground, they all feel the place fall. Mystacor slowly descends into Etheria.

She-Ra tries to help, while Bow smacks items and pieces of furniture from hitting people. Perfuma stops to help Flutterina as the winged woman gets pinned under rubble. Outside the room, Mermista, Netossa, and Spinnerella are knocked around as Mystacor makes impact on ground. Glimmer screams as parts of Mystacor fall around her, covering her in the pit. In the hallway with Hordak, Frosta falls into Hordak and they both scream as the walls crumble around them. Other Mages and members of the Horde all try to find a safe place as Mystacor falls apart.

The massive destruction of Mystacor causes the entire planet to tremble. There is destruction and chaos everywhere. A large floating rock is no more, and Catra looks on in glee.

***

Else where, Corporal Romeo is busy giving orders in a large Horde Ship. Stepping to a screen, he calls out to a Horde Trooper, "We will be landing soon. Make sure we arrive near the source of power." The Horde Trooper nods. Romeo stands tall. After much space travel from Horde World, the next phase for Horde Prime is just getting started.

***

On Eternia, Skeletor is atop Panthor driving home his powers across the magical field over Grayskull. He is not giving up and along with his Evil Warriors, Skeletor can feel the magical force field weakening, "We can finish this! Grayskull will be mine!" He grins with pure evil. After such a long time, Skeletor feels pleased at what he will be looking forward to.

Suddenly though things quickly change. Spikor calls out to Skeletor, "He is here!" Skeletor turns and groans, "He-Man." Pulling back on the reigns, Skeletor motions for Panthor to turn. He-Man races on Battle Cat towards Skeletor. The two shout and clash together. Skeletor wields two swords and tries to destroy He-Man. "I wish I could say I have missed you, but I would have liked you to stay away!" Skeletor shouts trying to attack He-Man. "Skeletor, you can't win. I won't let you get inside Castle Grayskull." The two continue to fight. Skeletor snaps, "You muscle bound fool! I'll only give up once I've taken everything I can from Grayskull!"

The battle rages on between He-Man and Skeletor. Their justice for different things brings them into each other's orbit every time. As they are fighting, neither are aware of what is happening around them. The present assortment of Evil Warriors and Masters of the Universe stop their own fighting and look at the skies.

Soon Skeletor and He-Man realize they can only hear themselves fighting. This fighting soon ebbs as a large shadow covers the ground. He-Man looks up at a huge ship in the sky slowly approaching Castle Grayskull. Skeletor curses out loud, "They're here." He-Man turns to stare at Skeletor, "Who is here?" Skeletor's eyes grow red, "The Horde, courtesy of Horde Prime."

***

The damage around Mystacor is massive. Towers and buildings are no more. There are some remnants of the old Mystacor, but not much is standing. The new Mystacor sits in a giant crater on Etheria. Members of the Great Rebellion search for each other. Mermista and Netossa have some cuts and scrapes. Spinnerella tries to help other people. Glimmer is rescued from the pit by a few Mages and She-Ra. Terrified at being trapped, Glimmer is even more distraught at the damage around them.

Sea Hawk and Peekablue join in the damage and help the Rebels. Flutterina's wings are alright, but Castaspella is injured. She is very frail and weak from the magical power she went through. Frosta stumbles around to the group and explains that Hordak is gone.

Bow looks over at She-Ra arrive with Glimmer. He is glad to see them. Rushing up to them, Bow helps Glimmer sit down. A quick headcount is made, and Mermista shakes, "What do we do now?" Everyone is worn and injured. The world is a different place. Glimmer has tears in her eyes, "Mystacor was always a free place on Etheria... I can't believe it has fallen." Flutterina sits on the ground with her head lowered. Perfuma looks at Peekablue and notices her face going gray, "Peekablue? You don't look so good." Peekablue looks around with her feathers folded out, "It's happening..."

There is a silence in the air. Every now and then sounds can be heard of rocks tumbling or footsteps made by people looking for safety. Suddenly She-Ra hears something strange. Something in the air, "Do any of you hear that?" Sea Hawk looks at her, "No. What do you hear?" She-Ra shakes her head, but soon they all begin to hear the distinct sound of something.

Trouble shoots across the night sky in the form of a very large ship, only made out by the bright moonlight. The rebels all look up in shock. She-Ra instantly communicates with Swiftwind telepathically. Mermista looks shocked, "Is that the Horde?" Bow nods. Frosta is lost, "I've never seen that ship before, have any of you?" Glimmer is worried, "It is a huge ship! What is it doing here?"

She-Ra turns as Swiftwind flies to the ground. The Horde ship flies over the ruined Mystacor. They all look above worried that something disastrous is about to happen. Instead the ship continues to fly overhead passing the destruction. She-Ra hurries to hop on Swiftwind, "I'm going to find out what is going on."

The ship flies across Etheria and She-Ra is close behind. Eventually the ship makes it to a dreary part of Etheria: the Fright Zone. She-Ra motions for Swiftwind to fly a bit behind. "Alright Swifty, this does not look good." The ship hovers over the Fright Zone and doesn't appear to be going anywhere else. She-Ra flies back to the others with a heavy heart. "Why do I feel like the worst is just around the corner?" The princess of power tries to think how the rest of the Rebellion will handle an all new threat from the Horde...

Up next!

Why are there two big Horde ships on Eternia and Etheria?
Will two worlds come together?
Or will they fall apart?