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Chapter Text

Get the data. Save the universe. That’s what Entrapta told herself as she jumped over a tree and landed in the outskirts of one of Horde Prime’s spires. She wiped everything else from her mind, every aspect of what she missed was ignored in an effort to succeed. She can’t fail the princesses. They need her. If she doesn’t get this data, she can’t create the virus, and without the virus her friends will still be chipped. 

She can’t fail the world. 

Her datapad beeps. “Yes! I got it!” Entrapta squealed as she cracked the code. Then all of a sudden a shadow loomed over her. She looked up from her tablet. “Uh oh…” 

The clone grabbed her wrist, forcing her back against the rock behind her. She ignored the pain that shot up her back. 

He growled. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Entrapta’s eyes widened. She knew this voice. The other clones she heard didn’t have this cadence, this smooth tone that she could listen to for hours, though he always said very little. She watched his eyes widen as well and confusion painted his face. “Why do I know your face?”

“Hordak?” 

The clone pulled back, releasing her arm. He turned her back to her. “No, do not say that name to me. I have no name.” A part of Entrapta screamed to run, to get away from this statistically dangerous situation. He was still controlled by Horde Prime, at any instant he could overpower her and capture her. Then the princesses would be doomed. Yet her heart forced her feet to stay planted. The clone’s ears turned down again, she could tell he was grappling with something . Then he turned back around, holding something in his hand. “What have you done to me?” As he got closer to her, Entrapta noticed what he was holding. She had thought that it would be lost forever, after she realized it wasn’t in her pocket when they escaped Horde Prime’s ship. But there it was, in Hordak’s hand. 

Her crystal. 

He held his hand out, and she took it. “You do remember me. I knew you would.”

The pair looked at each other, she smiled at him softly. Hordak’s green sclera was off-putting to her, his bright outfit not helping either. He had changed so much since the last time she saw him. And it pained her to realize that maybe, had she gotten away from Catra fast enough, they would still be in the Fright Zone together. Happy. With Emily and Imp. Designing weapons one only did for the pursuit of science for a planet the other didn’t really wish to conquer anymore. 

They heard a neigh causing them both to gasp and back away from each other. Entrapta noticed how tightly Hordak’s hand tightened around the crystal. “Get away from her!” Swift Wind got between him, his horn pointed at Hordak. Then, he bit down on Entrapta’s coverall straps. “Entrapta let’s go.” She looked at him, his ears turned down, eyes wide as he watched her get dragged away. She couldn’t read emotion well, but she knew Hordak’s. His mind seemed to be going a mile a minute, not quite sure how to feel. 

Internally, he was fighting Prime, fighting the reconditioning he had gone through. But staring into her eyes, his memories flooded his senses. Entrapta saw that, she saw his hurt, even if he didn’t fully understand it just yet. 

“Stop!” She screamed and pushed Swift Wind away from her with her hair, causing him to release her. She ran back to Hordak and stopped right in front of him. “Hordak, it’s me. Please.” 

“En…trapta.”

“Yes. Yes, it’s me.” 

Something in Hordak snapped. Not a chip, but rather a fuse. The fuse binding him to Horde Prime’s Hive Mind. 

He looked at Entrapta again. Then, he enveloped her in a hug. “Entrapta.”

She stilled momentarily, the tinge of fear she had previously about being captured resurfaced as his strong arms wrapped around her. But then she softened, arms and hair reached to cover him, wrapping around every single appendage he had. He lifted her up, holding her close to his chest as she wrapped her legs around his torso. “I’m here. I’m here.” If there were tears coming from Entrapta’s eyes, she paid them no mind, merely hugging Hordak closer. The emotion was a lot, and would be draining, but for Hordak it was worth it. 

Stars, she missed him.

Swift Wind watched, confused and conflicted. Entrapta didn’t seem to be in danger, but there were clones surrounding them, they could be discovered at any moment. 

“Entrapta. We need to go.” Entrapta moved her head up to look at Hordak. 

“Come with us.”

Swift Wind stammered. “Um, what? No. Entrapta this is a bad guy .”

“No, he’s not. It’s Hordak.”

“Hordak? As in, the Hordak?”

“Yes. And he’s coming with us.”

 —

“And here we are!” Entrapta exclaimed at the entrance to The Rebellion hideout.

“This is where The Rebellion hid?”

“Yep! Shadow Weaver and Glimmer’s aunt, I don’t know her name, they’ve been using magic to keep it undetectable.”

Hordak was silent. His memories were still inconsistent and he didn’t entirely understand the words being spoken to him, but he held onto each one, praying the wasn’t some sick trick brought on by Him. he remembered Entrapta, her safety and security, and he leaned into that as the world remained confusing for the time being. Entrapta took the moment to wrap a tendril around his hand and urge him forward. As they approached, two guards at the door immediately put up their weapons, 

“Stay back!”

“It’s alright. I know this one.”

“All clones are dangerous.”

“It’s okay, guys. He’s Hordak. He’s with us now.” Entrapta turned to look at Swift Wind. She made a mental note to thank the bird horse later for helping her out. 

The guards lowered their weapons in confusion. “Hordak?” 

“Yep! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get his tracking chip out of him so Prime doesn’t find us!” Entrapta dragged Hordak through the leafy curtains that served as the door for their woody hideout. Honestly, it was a surprise that they managed to make this operation work at all, and as Hordak looked around, he saw faces he remembered but could not quite place. Eventually, he found himself in a tent at the edge of the cave that was littered with tech and scraps. 

“This is my temporary lab!” Entrapta happily bounded over to the table, using her hair to throw the scraps carelessly onto the floor. Then, she patted the surface. “Lay down please!”

“What are you going to do?”

“I need to get the tracking device you have out. Plus, I want to make sure there’s no way for Prime to manipulate you again.”

“Prime is the directive. I cannot disobey.” Hordak began backing towards the entrance of the tent. “This was a mistake. I need to return. I need to be punished for this…imperfection.”

Entrapta slowly approached Hordak, speaking softly. She used her observations of Perfuma with animals to attempt to calm him. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. Your imperfections are beautiful.”

The clone froze. More memories came back to him. Imperfections are beautiful . All of those days…spent in his sanctum.

With her. 

“You, you’re beautiful.”

Entrapta’s blush was not lost on Hordak. “Thank you. Now, lay down and tell me where your chip is!”

Just as Hordak was about to approach the desk and sit, he was hit with a glitter bomb. He roared in surprise and fell to the floor, giving Entrapta a clear view of Glimmer, Adora, Bow, and Shadow Weaver. “Entrapta! Are you alright?”

Instead of responding to Adora, Entrapta ran towards Hordak. “Hordak? Hordak can you hear me?”

“Hordak?” Glimmer exclaimed, her anger clear. “What is Hordak doing here?”

“I found him! I brought him here!”

“You brought a member of Horde Prime’s army here?”

“He’s not a threat! He remembers me! He’s starting to remember everything!”

“So he remembers ruining Etheria? He remembers destroying our kingdoms?”

Hordak let out a groan, causing Entrapta’s focus to shift back to him. She helped him sit up. “I–I cannot say I regret my actions. In fact, most of them are still hazy. Horde Prime was all I’d known, all I’d lived for. I didn’t care who I hurt, who I killed. All that mattered was proving myself worthy to Him. But I am not worthy of His light. I see that now. But I can help.”

“He can! He knows what Prime is planning and can help us stop him!”

“How do we know he won’t just call Prime?”

“We could put him under a truth spell.” Shadow Weaver walked closer to Hordak, looking down on him with an expression he could not discern. Memories of her came back to him, however, and he growled in annoyance. 

“Do it.”

—

Hordak sat in an enclosed circle, enforced with magic so that he could not escape, not that he was planning to. Entrapta had insisted on remaining by his side, so she stood in the circle behind him, putting her hair on his shoulders. The weight was comforting, and it reminded Hordak that he would be okay.

The truth would set him free.

“Glimmer, would you like to do it?” Shadow Weaver hissed.

Hordak waited for pain as Shadow Weaver took a step back and the Queen of Bright Moon approached. Yet, pain did not come, not like it did when Prime peered into his memories. Instead, it felt like a knock at the door of his brain, which was opened before he could answer. He gasped as he felt himself become an open book.

“What is your name?” Shadow Weaver started.

“I do not have a real name, my designation is HG-0817, but I call myself Hordak.”

She nodded and looked to the princesses. “He’s ready.”

One by one, they took turns asking him questions, to which he could not lie in response. 

“Are you loyal to Prime?”

This question gave him pause. “He is my creator. Yet he betrayed me, lied to me, cast me aside. I cannot say my loyalties willingly lie with him anymore.” Hordak looked at Entrapta, who smiled at him encouragingly. He turned back to the princesses. “I would say my loyalties lie elsewhere now.” He heard Bow’s ‘awww’ and Glimmer’s gag. 

“Do you know how to stop Horde Prime?” Adora questioned.

“Not directly. I have some ideas, but we would need to move quickly.”

“Why?”

“Because Prime is preparing to wipe this planet. He has incinerators, destructors, drilling into the core. He will explode it from the inside out with Etherians and clones alike still on it once he obtains the power of the Heart of Etheria.” 

“How do you know?”

“Before my exile, I was Horde Prime’s first general. I worked at His side, carried out His bidding. Destroying planets was one of my primary directives. He is following the standard protocol I helped design.”

Gasps were heard from all corners of the room, even from rebels who had no ranking to be listening to this interrogation. 

“Can we stop them?”

“The chances are slim, but there is a way.”

“Tell us.”

“In every clone there exists a fuse. A neuron in which Horde Prime directly controls. Blow the fuse, the clones will be free. Free them from His grasp…”

“And Horde Prime won’t have an army!”

Hordak smiled at Entrapta’s brilliance. “Exactly.” 

“And you know how?”

“I believe Entrapta and I can design a virus that will sever the neuron. Almost like taking a scalpel to the neuron itself, only it will affect every single clone at the exact same time.”

“Speaking of this neuron, how do we know you aren’t transmitting this whole thing to Prime right now?”

“My connection was severed a different way.” Hordak was getting uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

“How?”

“A virus, physical removal, and strong emotional connection are the three ways a clone’s neuron can be severed. Entrapta saved me.”

“Does Entrapta really mean that much to you?”

Damn it , Hordak hated this. He hated having to spill his guts out in front of the very people he had at one point attempted to destroy. But he didn’t have much of a choice, so, without thinking, he spilled. “Entrapta is the very air I breathe. Without her, and the memories I had of her, my mind was empty, bleak. She is the color my life needs, the reason for which my heart beats. I would go to the ends of the planet for her. One could say I…” don’t do it… “love her.” Entrapta’s hair retreated from his shoulders. He thought she left, and he wouldn’t be surprised. Why would she ever love him back? Just then, however, she collided with him in a hug that would rival the one they shared just a couple hours ago. Once again he heard ‘awww’s and gags alike, but this time he chose to ignore them and hugged her back. 

Entrapta moved to whisper in his ear. “You really mean that?”

“They placed me under a truth spell, didn’t they? And even if they didn’t, I would never lie to you, Entrapta.”

“Oh, Hordak, I love you too.” They stayed in their hug until they heard someone clearing their throat. They looked up to find Glimmer right in front of them. 

“Hordak, ex-leader of the Etherian Horde, we hereby find you safe, for now, and place you under the protection and care of Princess Entrapta. With the condition that you will aide us in destroying Horde Prime.”

“I accept these terms.” Hordak held Entrapta closer as the shield was removed. Then, he stood up and used one hand to shake the Queen’s.

“Welcome to The Rebellion.”

Chapter Text

“Hold still.” Entrapta held a scalpel as Hordak laid on the table, she had already removed his tracking chip in his arm, but the neuron would be more difficult. Glimmer had decided it had been a long, painful day for everyone, and suggested they begin planning in the morning. Hordak, more aware than he was the first time he came through here, noticed that there was a significantly limited number of people in this camp, and he only counted about half of the Princess Alliance. 

He may not have been on the battlefield much in his Horde’s final years, but he did his research. He also noticed Catra was not with them. He wondered if she had died, but decided not to press the issue; the less he had to look at the cat-hybrid, the better. 

“Clone Experiment Log 5. Hordak is back with me! To keep him here and Horde Prime out I must commence removal of his inhibitor neuron and tracking chip.”

Entrapta began making the first incision at the back of his neck. “This pain will be minimal compared to everything else.”

“I forgot to ask!! Are you okay? Does your body hurt anywhere?”

“Under Prime it was constantly dull, but now I do feel it surging. It will likely get worse once the tracker and neuron are removed as well.”

Still working, Entrapta replied. “I’m sorry. I can build you new armor though! You have the crystal and I have a few extra pieces of First Ones Tech lying around!”

Hordak smiled. “That sounds great, Starlight.”

Her hands stilled. “Starlight?”

Hordak sighed. He hadn’t meant for his nickname for her to slip out. “Your eyes. They remind me of a star in a constellation I saw long ago.”

“What was it called?”

“Star Crystal. Named after a warrior from a far-off planet named Star. The legends say she traversed the galaxy, searching for light crystals to illuminate the sky. They say she was placed there along with each crystal she found, but the biggest star in the constellation, Starlight, shines magenta.”

“Wow. I wish I could see it.”

Hordak reached back with his untouched arm for a tendril of her hair. When he found some he brought it to his lips. “One day, I will take you there.”

“Ooooo I can’t wait!”

Hordak chuckled. The pair stayed silent for the rest of the procedure, only Entrapta’s occasional log updates drew away total silence. It was a sound Hordak could listen to for centuries.  

He heard a clank next to him of Entrapta putting her tools away. “Alright! All done!” Hordak slowly sat up, wishing his bones felt better than they did. His joints groaned with a regained stiffness. When he tried to stand, he swayed, and immediately found himself surrounded by Entrapta’s hair. When he felt himself steady and his vision clear, he nodded her direction. 

“I need to get started on your new armor, ASAP!” 

“I-I’m alright, Entrapta. The lightheadedness is fleeting.”

“But the pain in your joints isn’t.”

Hordak’s head snapped up in shock. “How did you know?”

Entrapta sighed and took her mask off of her head, placing it on the table with a tendril of hair. “I spent the better part of a year with you, Hordak. Of course I learned your mannerisms and your quirks. I noticed how your ears tilted twelve degrees when you sat up, and I know that means you’re in pain.”

Hordak stared at her, dumbfounded. Then, he began to laugh. He laughed uncontrollably, against his will. His laugh shook his ribcage, causing him to double over as he cackled. Entrapta stared at him, slightly concerned but mostly curious. 

“Hordak..? What’s happening?”

The clone continued to laugh, slowly turning it into a wheeze, before panting from overexerting himself. “It’s-it’s just…I never thought you noticed me that much. And my ears of all things.”

Entrapta used her hair to cup the sides of his face, forcing him to look up at her. He was still breathing heavily, but his residual laughing had stopped. “Did you not hear what I said? I love you, Hordak.” She reached into the pocket of his robes and took the crystal, holding it in her palm. “I’ve been meaning to ask: how did you lose this? I would’ve thought if Horde Prime had taken it it would’ve been on His ship, but it wasn’t.”

“I…fought Catra. After I learned she had sent you to Beast Island, I was enraged. I was sure that after the better part of a year you were dead. There was no point to any of it without you. I thought you had defected originally, but I should have known better than to trust Catra’s silver tongue.”

“It’s okay, Hordak. I forgave you a long time ago, especially once Scropia told me you didn’t know. Do you know what the inscription says?”

Hordak took his eyes away from her beautiful face to stare down at the crystal. Truth be told, he assumed it was some kind of power sigil that showed the crystal what it was supposed to do. He recongized the writing as the First Ones’, he knew it powered his old armor, but he never questioned it, because it had been given to him by her . 

He looked back up at her. “My memory fails me. If you ever told me, I cannot recall.”

Entrapta’s eyes soften. “I didn’t tell you. It’s First Ones, it spells ‘L-U-V-D’.” Entrapta chuckled sheepishly, her hair wriggling. “I couldn’t get the whole word to fit, but I was worried you wouldn’t reciprocate if I told you, so I carved it into the crystal. That way at least you’d have a piece of my love wherever you went.”

Hordak stared down at the crystal once more. He couldn’t believe it. “Since then?”

“Yep! The data I had been collecting on you indicated that my feelings were romantic, but they were inconclusive regarding yours.” Entrapta turned away from him, mildly embarrassed. 

Hordak mulled it over for a moment. On the one hand, though his memories were few and far between as of now, he knew that his state in the Fright Zone would not have been reciprocal of such emotion, though he undoubtedly felt the same, since that time he saved her from their portal blowing up. 

A clawed hand reached for Entrapta’s cheek and very gently turned her face to look at him again. Without her mask, she felt incredibly vulnerable, but Hordak’s touch felt safe. She found herself subconsciously press her face further into his hand. 

“I will admit, though I do not remember all the details, had you told me a year ago, I would not have taken kindly to it. I would’ve denied, pushed you away. I tried to keep you at arm’s length, Prime’s teachings said that there was no room for feelings, and I wanted to be a pure as possible so that I may win His favor and return to The Light.” Hordak sighed. “Now though? He dares to threaten the planet my beloved lives on.

And that simply will not do.”

Chapter Text

“How long has it been?”

“10 months, 8 days, 3 hours, annndd 18 minutes.”

Hordak laid back in the cot in the connecting tent next to Entrapta’s “lab”. He was surprised the princesses had given her separate areas. He supposed they were compensating for all they had put her through. His memories began to come back, especially now that the neuron was severed and removed. It was coming back to him in pieces, scattered and nonlinear, but things started making sense the more he thought. The most prominent memories, however, were ones concerning Entrapta. He recalled their experiments, testing the armor she lovingly crafted for him, protecting her from the portal explosion, learning she betrayed him, then learning she in fact did not betray him, and instead Catra lied. 

He was shocked all over again that he didn’t kill the cat. 

Still holding a tendril of Entrapta’s hair, caressing the strands through his long fingers, he sighed. “It felt like an eternity. Prime’s influences shuts off a clone’s sense of time, and everything else.” Hordak’s head thunked against the rock they called a pillow. The tent they were in was clearly from his Horde’s supply, for it was far less comfortable than anything he imagined the classier queendoms could produce, especially based on what Entrapta had told him of Brightmoon. 

“Whenever you’re ready, I wanna hear everything about Prime.” Hordak did not miss the way Entrapta’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, something he had grown accustomed to any time his scouts had brought her a new piece of First One’s tech. 

He smiled. Though it was painful, he would tell her. “What do you want to know?” 

Entrapta gasped. “Are you sure, Hordak? I can wait until you’re ready.” 

Her jumping up and down on her hair indicated to him that she could not, in fact, wait until he was ready. Or, he wouldn’t let her down, anyways. 

“I am.”

Entrapta shot up into the sky in celebration, only to plop herself down on the edge of the cot. She had her datapad in hand, and her recorder. 

“Invasion Log: 58. Hordak has agreed to tell me about the Galactic Horde sooner than anticipated. We will start with simple questions, then see what happens.” Hordak knew, no question about Horde Prime is “simple”. But for her, he would endure. 

She blasted off into a Q&A, but for every one answer Hordak gave, Entrapta followed up with a minimum of four more equally as dense questions. All the while, she began work on his new life support. 

For the most part, the questions she asked were easy enough to answer: all including some kind of “how were you made”. It wasn’t until she asked “What does the Hive Mind feel like” that he froze.

Hordak’s heart rate rose as he thought about it, he looked away from Entrapta, up at the beige ceiling. “I had never known it from a lesser clone’s position, my position as General put me in a commanding role, I was able to control the Mind with Prime. But then…you are never alone. There is always this kind of buzzing in your ear. Assignments are given through there, criticisms are doled out. It is a never ending stream of thought. And yet you cannot think. There is no singular thought other than Prime’s, only His objective for you, and your understanding of the task at hand. Every door in your mind is shut, any physical pain is numbed to produce an increase in productivity.” Hordak began to sweat and panic. “In seconds, He has the power to paralyze you with one button in his control room. There is no escaping His orders. He is the ultimate power, the ultimate mind. 

He is the vision.” Hordak didn’t even notice he was crying until his vision cleared and he noticed Entrapta’s face looking down at him worried painting her face, her gloved hands wiping at his eyes. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” A tendril of hair pulled up her recorder. “Log end, to be continued.” She ended the recording and threw the recorder to the other side of the room. Then, she wrapped Hordak in her hair. This was different to when Wrong Hordak cried; she felt responsible for him, but not an emotional connection like the one she had for Hordak. Her intuition was instinct, she longed to comfort him. He began to cry harder, hazy visions of Horde Prime’s punishments sloshed in his brain like pig slop, messy and dense, yet critically present. He recalled Catra watching him as he got into the Pool of Clarity, watching as he screamed and his mind and body were wiped. He rose anew, in the glory of Prime, and all memories end there until he found the crystal on the Velvet Glove. That moment, he was not happy to be the “purest among them”, he simply was. And that troubling thought he could not possess back then was horrifying now. 

After a few moments, his crying subsided. Entrapta continued to hold him, whispering assurances in his ear and rubbing his chest. 

“I am sorry” he choked out. “I am so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Horde Prime is a horrible excuse for a person, and if I ever get in a room with him I’ll-”

“You will not be going anywhere near him if I have anything to say about it. He is much too strong for you.”

“I can handle myself, Hordak. And if he gets to hurt the ones I love, he better count his days.”

Hordak let out a wet chuckle, too emotional to fully express his concern. “I admire your enthusiasm, Starlight.”  

Their eyes met and they held each other’s gaze. Entrapta was practically sprawled atop him, with her hair wrapped around each of his appendages. Her weight was comfortable, and her hair felt soothing. Unlike Prime’s imprisonments, he felt freer than he had been since his decantation day. His hand moved gently, trying not to pull Entrapta’s hair, but it moved with him, until his hand came to rest on her cheek. 

Then, like a primal urge, he kissed her. 

At first, he thought he had made the wrong decision, as her lips stiffened against his. He made to move back and apologize profusely, potentially run back to the woods and bury himself in a hole to be asphyxiated by the soil that would slowly consume his flesh…

Until she started kissing him back. 

His thoughts silenced, differently from when Prime took his memories, his thoughts. If he had stars in his brain they would surely be imploding with the weight of this kiss’ gravity. Her arms wrapped around his neck, bringing him closer and her hair squeezed every part of him. Her kiss was intoxicating already, but when he felt her tongue slide against his teeth, he involuntarily growled.

When he saw her mere hours ago near the spire, the one actively digging into the ground, he hadn’t had these urges. There was a gnawing feeling in his skull, one that rattled and confused the brainwashed version of him, but he couldn’t find meaning behind it. Not until she had brought him back. 

His savior. 

Eventually, they broke off their kissing, but Entrapta wasn’t done with him. She laid her forehead gently onto his, her breath intoxicating to his nose cavity. 

“Hordak.”

“Entrapta.”

“Stay. Please. With me. I have no idea if we’ll make it through the war, I’m sure we will but–”

Hordak silenced her with one of his long fingers. “I won’t let anything happen to you. To the people of this planet, however hostile they may be towards me. But as long as you are safe, I am content.” He dragged her back down with him, she comfortably tucked her small body atop of Hordak’s large torso, his arms enveloped her in a blanket of warmth their actual blanket had no way of granting her. 

They fell asleep almost immediately. 

Chapter Text

Hordak awoke slowly. The first thing he noticed was how much his back hurt, followed by a pressure to his teeth. Then he noticed the distinct lack of weight on his chest. In his sleep-deprived state, he would have screamed, but then his ears flicked and he heard the sound of humming. He let out a sigh of relief, which the source of the humming heard. She dropped her tools and practically skipped over to the cot. 

“Good morning!” 

Hordak gave her a soft smile. “Good morning, Starlight.” As if by instinct rather than conscious thought, Entrapta extended a tendril of hair to Hordak, which he took without thinking, twirling it around between his talons. In hindsight, it was almost startling how domestic they became and how quickly they fell back into their old routines. Hordak always enjoyed feeling Entrapta’s hair. In the Fright Zone, she often extended a strand of it to him to do as he pleased as they worked out the portal. He tore his gaze away from her, memories consuming him, and looked at the chaotic mess behind. “What are you doing?”

“Oh! Right! Well, I wanted to stay close to you for when you woke up, so I went to my lab tent and grabbed the stuff I needed for your armor! It’s almost done!” 

“I can’t wait to see it, I’m sure it will be brilliant.” He kissed the hair in his hand and moved to sit up. A dagger of pain shot up through his spine and he growled at the inconvenience. 

“Hey, now. No need to get into a tizzy.” A new memory for Hordak. One about his armor glitching and things not working. Until it’s perfect . Stars, did that Hordak imagine this whole thing going very differently. “Wait a minute! Your teeth! They’re orange! Look!” Entrapta scrambled to grab a piece of metal scrap and hold it up for Hordak to use as a mirror. He bared his teeth, and noticed that they were, in fact, orange. He dropped back on the cot with a sigh.

“When I landed here, thirty-two years ago, the first thing to change was my teeth. My eyes followed soon after, then my hair.”

“ Fascinating . Do you know why it changes?” Entrapta went back to her scraps, working on the armor, but her attention was equally as focused on it as it was on Hordak. 

“I suspect it has something to do with a disconnect between my body and Horde Prime’s and my defect. I would not be surprised if all of the clones experienced a similar transformation once they’re freed from the Hive. Mine is likely sped up as a result of my…afflictions.” 

“Oh, right! That reminds me,” Entrapta began, still not looking up from her work, “I saw Adora outside when I was moving things. She said that Glimmer wants to see us for lunch so we can formulate a plan. I should have your armor done by then and…”

Hordak tried to sit back up to look at her. Her mask was down, though she was just welding. “What is it?”

“I have one of your old tabards.”

“How?”

“The Princess Alliance went to the Fright Zone when Prime arrived. They went looking for Glimmer and I…I went looking for you. Your sanctum was pretty much destroyed, but your closet was intact. I wanted…I wanted to remember you. That’s how I found the crystal, too.” 

“I-I am so sorry, Entrapta. For all of it.”

Entrapta flipped her mask up and gave Hordak a sweet smile. “I’m just glad that wasn’t the last time we saw each other.”

Hordak squeezed the tendril of hair still in his hand. “Me too.”

– 

Lunchtime rapidly approached, and Entrapta finished Hordak’s new armor just in time. He knew she was done when he was assaulted by a dozen tendrils of lavender hair, stripping him down, then redressing him. 

“This time, I went for more of a brace for everyday wear. You could hide it under an outfit if you wanted, but I wouldn’t do that…” Her eyebrows waggled, and Hordak blushed, understanding the connotation. “However!” Hordak snapped back to attention at her voice. “I did make some armor, just in case. Things could get messy.” 

Hordak looked at the suit sprawled against the desk across the room. He stood up, noticing how much better his back and neck already felt, and walked over to get a better look. The armor was constructed of the same alloy as his previous armor, though it was less supportive and more protective, with a chest plate and leg guards. He used the armor to take a look at how he looked in his new support system. Entrapta had designed mostly a system of power tubes that connected to his back and side ports. His old tabard had been refitted to support these new points, and the symbol on the front had been changed to a combination of the Dryl and Horde logos: red Horde wings encased a pink gear, and a black sword shot through the middle of it. What’s more, he was now wearing less restrictive arm gloves that also had tubes at the bicep that connected to each other. He flexed his arms, smiling at the strength he felt. 

“I have to ask, though, do you not need the crystal anymore?”

“I imbued the alloy with First One’s tech, so each tube runs on its own power source! Meaning: you can’t be incapacitated as easily!”

“Where is it, then?”

Entrapta laughed sheepishly. “Well…I turned it into this.” She held her hand out and revealed the crystal hanging from a piece of string, secured with an intricate design of wire. Hordak took it and put it on his neck, smiling internally when he found it rested exactly where it had when it had been a part of his armor. 

“How do you feel? Is your back okay?”

Unlike how he had reacted the first time she made him armor, he grabbed her face and pulled her in for a kiss, savoring the way she squealed when he caught her off guard. When he pulled back, he whispered against her lips, “It’s perfect.”

“Well, it won’t be perfect , this is just a prototype. It will probably take a few weeks to tinker with it before it reaches maximum capabilities…” She continued to blab on about the different modifications that would need to be implemented over time, but Hordak didn’t hear any of it. Instead, his eyes honed in on her . Her lips, her flushed face, her dazzling eyes. He was about to kiss her again when he heard someone clear their throat at the door of the tent. 

“Yes?” Entrapta replied and approached closer to the door. 

“Lunch is ready,” Adora yelled, a little louder than she needed to, and Hordak’s ears rang, too sensitive for such shocking noise. Entrapta also did not appreciate the noise, as noted by how she covered her ears. Hordak offered her his hand, which she instantly took, and together they walked out of the tent. 

Adora looked at Hordak’s new getup. “Wow. Looking good, Lo-Hordak. What’s with your teeth?”

“Thank you, Adora. They are reverting to red, a transitional period.”

“Gotcha. It’s a nice color.”

Hordak nodded his thanks. “Lead the way!” Entrapta exclaimed, datapad in-hair prepared to share her plan. She and Hordak discussed it briefly while she was working on his tech. They had a mock-up of a virus that could technically work, but Hordak adamantly informed her that there was no way to remotely deploy it. 

It would have to be done on-site.

Adora led them to a back corner of the cave. The other people looked up when they continued their approach, stopping their conversations to stare. Hordak felt Entrapta’s hair come up to wrap around his arm, squeezing it thoroughly. He knew she wanted to put her mask over her face, to hide behind a wall, but he also knew how the princesses would look at her in regard. His memories of her talking about them in the Fright Zone were few and far between, but there was enough for him to know that they did not share his sentiments regarding Entrapta’s stimming. Glimmer, Bow, Netossa, Frosta, Perfuma, Castaspella, Sea Hawk, and Swift Wind sat on the floor and storage boxes. Hordak noticed there was a clone finishing serving plates of food from a campfire stove. 

He leaned down to whisper in Entrapta’s ear. “There’s another clone here?”

“Brother!” Everyone turned to look at the clone, immediately breaking the silence of the group by coming over to look at Hordak. His appearance hadn’t changed, he noted, something that he would have to examine more thoroughly at another date. 

“Oh, right! You guys haven’t officially met yet! Hordak, meet Wrong Hordak! I rescued him from Prime’s ship. I…I thought he was you.” Hordak’s heart panged at her admission. 

She was looking for me .

Hordak couldn’t help but chuckle. “The name is ironic.” Then, <What is your designation?> came out in a series of chirps and guttural noises. The Etherians in the “room” gasped, including Entrapta. 

“Whaaaaat?!”

<I am HS-940205>

<HG-0817. It is nice to see another familiar face here.>

<Agreed, Brother Hordak! 0817? You were one of the first, correct?> 

<Yes, but we can discuss that at a later date.> Then, Wrong Hordak enveloped Hordak in a hug. He stiffened at the contact, uncomfortable with anyone who wasn’t Entrapta. 

“What is going on here?” Glimmer interrupted. 

“I want to know everything !”

Hordak backed out of the hug of death and placed a hand on Entrapta’s shoulder; he could feel the curiosity and joy radiating off of her. “It is Hordian, a language developed by Prime that only clones know and can properly speak,” Wrong Hordak briefly explained.

“It is meant to keep it so that our programs would be untraceable and we could freely communicate without enemy parties knowing. It started as a spoken form only, then evolved into a written form as well.”

“Oooh! Is that why I couldn’t read some of your documents in the Sanctum?” Hordak nodded. “ Fascinating .”

“Anyone else think this is incredibly sketchy? Couldn’t Wrong Hordak and Hordak, wow that name’s confusing now, just…plan an uprising against us right now?” Queen Glimmer. Hordak understood her frustration. They all had a right not to trust him, regardless of what the truth spell told them the day before.

Hordak sighed, but before he could speak, Wrong Hordak beat him to it. “We do not want to return to Prime. At least I do not.” Wrong Hordak looked to Hordak, winking at him, causing the clone to scrunch his nose in distaste. It was clear to him that Wrong Hordak was removed before his time, no doubt causing some…underlying issues. He seemed to be decently acclimated, however, so Hordak did not decide to approach the subject just yet. 

“For those who were not present yesterday, I apologize for everything I did. I built the Horde to return to Prime’s side. To be worthy of His Light once more. The destruction I plotted as a result, I understand, hurt all of you, but Selineas foremost. However, all due respect, Your Majesty, I have no intention of starting another Horde, nor do I have any inclination to attempt to harm any Etherian again. I am content where I am.”

Hordak felt Entrapta squeeze his hand, and looking down at her, she winked at him and smiled brightly. He then realized where Wrong Hordak must have gotten it. He smiled back, squeezing her hand, then turned back to Glimmer. “Entrapta and I have a plan, and we need all of you to pull it off.”

The princesses (and others) nodded. Wrong Hordak went back to the stove and produced two more plates of food, setting them down in front of Entrapta and Hordak, who took seats on the floor. Would Hordak be able to get up? Time would tell.

“So the plan is simple: Hordak and I will work on a virus. I started working on it when I found Hordak. We don’t have all of the details yet, but we should be able to make something that can sever Prime’s connection to every single clone at once!”

“It would be almost like a sickness that would disrupt the clones’ code. As well as freeing your friends from their chips. Now, I would like to suggest we keep out of sight of Prime until we are ready with the virus. We don’t want to aggravate Him by attacking on a whim. Our efforts are much more easily utilized with the element of surprise. He has seen your powers, He knows somewhat of your capabilities, but with some training, we may be able to prepare some attacks He won’t see coming.” Hordak looked around the room, at the royals and their friends, all so incapable of the task at hand, especially the child. 

“It will be a bigger fight than anything my Horde has ever given you. Clones are strong, fast, and ruthless, made with one goal in mind: whatever Prime orders. If we do this effectively, no lives will be lost.” He sighed. “I know I am the last person worthy of your trust. I truly regret all that I have done. None of it would have happened had I not wanted to return to Prime.” He stroked the crystal at his neck, his other hand squeezing Entrapta’s. “There was a time I did not, but we are here because of a series of events that are in the past. The best thing that we can do for the survival of this world is to stop Prime.”

He watched the group mull over his words. He had dreaded this moment; being judged, picked apart for his plan that was the only way to ensure survival. He assumed they would shoot his idea down, go on luck and magic, as they had against his Horde. Prime may hate magic, but going in guns blazing without a plan would lead to the destruction of the planet; he knew it, he had been the one tasked with the destruction of planets as General, after all. 

“Where do we start?” Glimmer looked at him with determination. Not the reaction I expected . 

“Immediately."

Chapter Text

The princesses decided that “immediately” was much too soon, so Hordak agreed to wait until the lightmoon sets; they would be able to spread out in the woods under the cover of darkness anyways. 

In the meantime, him and Entrapta went back to her tents and while she thought about the virus, he got to work on the second most important thing they would be needing: weapons. 

“Princesses have powers, but I would feel more comfortable if those who wish to fight had some way of protecting themselves. Other than their fists.” Hordak agreed with Queen Glimmer: they would be vastly outnumbered until him and Entrapta were able to implement the virus. They would need as many able hands as possible to survive. 

Hordak assessed the materials Entrapta had. Scrap metal, various wires, poles, string, conductors, and other various materials. 

“Starlight?” He called and watched as her head perked up slightly, though she did not look up from her datapad. “Do you have electricity capacitors?”

“Yep!” A tendril of hair shot out and rummaged through a couple of boxes. Hordak heard a “AH-AH” from Entrapta as her hair picked up a box and dropped it onto the workstation. 

“Thank you, Starlight.” Entrapta’s hair wrapped around his arm, giving it a squeeze, then her full attention went back to her pad. Hordak grabbed the rest of the necessary materials and sat down to begin prototyping. He had work to do. 

Entrapta and him had always worked in companionable silence. She had a tendency to hum and talk to herself, and Hordak found her noises comforting. Too long he spent conducting experiments, making his original armor, creating his portal, in the silence of his sanctum. When she crashed into his life, started working in his space, he found her quirks annoying, distracting. But eventually he had grown to enjoy them, hope for them.

“There was even a time you wished I would not come for you.” The clone shook his head, dispelling Prime from his thoughts. Though He was on everyone’s mind, a looming presence and reminder of their impending doom, why were his thoughts any less valid? Perhaps it had something to do with his insecurities, in his asking to be cleansed. Looking back, he had only confessed his memories to Prime when he began remembering lilac and magenta. Consciously, his thoughts were weaknesses, but now he knew that he had asked Prime to rid him of his memories to keep her safe.

Attachment was dangerous. 

Hordak took one last look at Entrapta, mumbling to herself as she figured out how to make the virus work. He smiled, then returned to his own work. 

–

Hordak was interrupted about an hour later by Hordian.

<Can we talk, Brother?> He set down the wires he was working with and slid his chair away from the work bench. He looked to Entrapta, who smiled at him.

“I am going to speak to…Wrong Hordak, is that alright?”

“Hordak, you’re free to do whatever you want! I’ll be here when you get back.” She smiled so brightly, he thought he may pass away from the beauty of it. He stood and walked with Wrong Hordak to outside the tent.

<How can I help you, Brother?>

<How did you betray the Light of Horde Prime?>

<I–it is hard to explain.>

<But you did so…willingly, yes?>

<That is correct.>

<Are you the General that led the attack and occupation on Krytis? It took me a moment, but I recognize your designation.>

<Yes, I am.> Hordak regretted revealing that, because the second he did, he found Wrong Hordak on his knees bowing to him. <What are you doing? Get up.>

“You are the clone that Prime built his empire with! One of the originals. Yet you still defied him.” Wrong Hordak responded in Etherian.

“Yes,” Hordak hissed, “I was defective. He cast me out decades ago. I did not receive the same title when I returned to his Horde like I had hoped. And…I found other loyalties.”

Wrong Hordak paused his revering. “You mean Miss Entrapta?”

<Yes. She means more to me than Prime ever did.>

<I understand that, Brother. Entrapta is a being unlike any I have ever met.>

Hordak ignored the jealousy that panged in his chest. <She was the first being you met, I take it?>

<Yes.> His ears tilted down, tears began to leak from his eyes.

<It is alright,> Hordak began in Hordian. “We will free this planet, free our brothers, and then you may do as you wish.”

<Are you sure this is the best course of action?>

“It is the only way to ensure Entrapta’s safety.” <And that is worth every risk to me.>

–

Hordak left Wrong Hordak after their conversation to continue his work. He walked back in the room and Entrapta’s hair gave him a little wave. Within an hour or so, the clone finished his prototype, much faster than he anticipated. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do for the sake of demonstration. He snuck a peek outside and found that they still had several hours before moonset, so he decided to join Entrapta on the virus problem.

“Need any help, Starlight?” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. 

“Yes, actually! I can’t quite figure out how this variable will work…” Hordak looked over her shoulder, smiling softly at how her hair curled around his limbs. Together, they worked out the kinks in Entrapta’s already near-functional code. They fell into their old habits of bouncing ideas off one another, immediately having an idea before the other fully asked their question. Hordak taught her how the neurons function, and how they could use their program on both the genetically disposed and the allies that have been chipped. 

When they had figured out the basics of it, aside from how they were going to actually deploy it, Entrapta looked up at him. “Can you decode your files for me?”

“Certainly. Which ones?”

“Anything regarding how the clones and the Imperial Horde work.”

“I could just give you that information. That is less invasive than before.” Hordak moved to sit on a crate of supplies next to her, realizing his legs were stiff from standing behind her for so long. “What do you want to know?”

“How long has Prime existed for?”

Hordak sighed. “I am unsure exactly how long he has been alive, but I know he has gone through many bodies.”

“So does he exist in code? How is he able to transfer bodies?”

“He has a machine that extracts His memories, His being, from the previous body and deposits it into the next. In my 153 Etherian years as General, I personally transferred him to a new body once myself.” 

“153 years …so how old are you?”

“Mentally, I am almost 185 but…” Hordak sighed, “He has only ever done the transfer for one other clone before, and…it did not prove fruitful.” Entrapta looked up from her work and saw Hordak’s dismayed face.

“It was…you?”

Hordak nodded. “I was struck in combat, and while most clones could be replaced, Horde Prime needed me, for I knew things the rest of the Horde did not, and that made me valuable.”

“Why did he cast you aside then?”

“He did not spend enough time making a new body. We were hit, badly, and He pulled the first viable clone He could and transferred me in, unaware of the defect that would present itself 3 years later. By then, probably due to my near-death, He had a battalion of generals and had no need for me. I was disposable.”

“Oh, Hordak. I’m so sorry.”

“Do not apologize, my dear. It was a long time ago, and I realize now that I am worth more than He ever made me feel.”

Entrapta’s hair took her datapad so she could cup his cheeks with her gloved hands. “So much more.” She kissed him. Never in his life did he feel more alive than when he was with Entrapta. He loved her, she was his north star, his new goddess. He would rebuild the Horde if she wished it. 

Stars , he thought, I am doomed . 

They were interrupted by a tap on the ground outside the tent. “Are you two decent?” Hordak heard a child, Frosta, he presumed. His ears and cheeks burned at the assumption, and Entrapta looked at him and chuckled. 

“Yes, Frosta.”

“Good. It’s dark out now, the others are ready.” 

“We will be right there.” Hordak croaked out. Entrapta giggled at him. 

They straightened themselves up, Hordak changed back into his Galactic Horde garb, grabbed his prototype and wished he had a Horde-issued canon, it would be nice to give The Rebellion a taste of what they would be battling, but it couldn’t be helped. 

They stepped outside of the tent hand-in-hand, startling Frosta by their sudden appearance. 

“Took you long enough,” Frosta deflected, her nervousness evident in her voice. Out of all of the princesses, he understood Frosta the least. Moreover, perhaps, he didn’t understand why the princesses were so okay with her fighting; she couldn’t be more than twelve. He would undoubtedly ask about it in the future. 

Together, the trio awkwardly walked through the camp and outside. They found about twenty Etherians gathered, including the princesses and their friends. Hordak heard the trees above him rustle, and saw the glow of mismatched blue and yellow eyes. He almost growled, but Catra saw him looking at her so he settled for a death glare. 

Their relationship would be complicated from now on, he knew, but he also understood her the more he thought about it. He still did not and would not ever agree with her for sending Entrapta to Beast Island, but he understood why she did it. Like him, she craved acceptance and perfection for her master. 

That was the survival they were both taught. 

He turned his attention back to the rest of the willing volunteers. It was less than he had hoped for, but this only made him more motivated to prepare them; they couldn’t afford to lose the few numbers they have. Looking around, he noticed a few faces from his Horde. He sighed in relief, at least some of these people would already know the fighting style he was about to teach, at least to an extent.

The queen of Bright Moon approached him. “These are the people who are willing to work with you. More may join with time but…I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

“This is…less than I expected. But we will endure. Thank you, Queen Glimmer.” Glimmer nodded back to him and he turned to address the group. “Now, those of you from the Fright Zone may already know some of what I am about to teach, but it is imperative you listen.” He looked to Wrong Hordak who immediately understood his meaning and came up to him. 

“There are two weak spots on every clone: the forearms and the back ports.” Wrong Hordak moved to show the group where these parts were as Hordak continued to explain, also pointing on his own body. “The fabric that forms the diamond shapes on their arms are extremely thin, easily tearable. Under the diamonds there are holes in a clone’s arm; these are extremely sensitive. A single hit won’t cause any damage, however…” Hordak pulled his weapon out from behind his back and flipped the switch. Both ends of the long electrostaff crackled on and fizzed with a purple electricity. “A shock to that area will cause a clone’s nervous system to erupt, being extremely painful and disorienting. Entrapta?”  

Entrapta was at his side in a second. He turned off the staff and handed it to her. Her eyes glimmered with both curiosity and concern. Hordak’s eyes softened at her. “As long as you don’t turn it on, I will be okay,” he turned to the rest of the group, “as to not actually harm me, we will keep the electrostaff off.” Looking back at her one more time, they nodded, and Entrapta moved back, testing the weight of the staff in her hand. “Oh, and no using your hair,” Hordak winked at her. Then, her eyes narrowed, and she ran at Hordak.

In the Fright Zone, Hordak had learned she had no physical training whatsoever, she merely relied on her superhuman hair to defend herself. He protested this information, and during downtimes in the lab, he had taken to teaching her basic combat. She learned his weaknesses and knew where on his body he was most vulnerable. Though these days, his heart was the most vulnerable, painted on his sleeve, screaming “Entrapta” every second he was away from her.

She ran at him and he bared his talons. They twisted around each other, almost like a waltz. Entrapta effortlessly moved the staff in her hands, much shorter than she would have liked to be in combat due to her being unable to use her hair, but Hordak had given her a rule: who was she to disobey? It was good variable data. Besides, it would make it all that much sweeter when she finally struck him. 

And eventually, she did, the staff coming to perfectly slot between the bones of his forearm, tearing through the fabric of the Horde garb he was hoping to rid himself of in any case. They stopped, panting together. 

“Gotcha,” Entrapta smirked.

“That you did, Starlight.” The look he gave her in return was filled with admiration. He wanted to kiss her, but unfortunately, the nagging feeling of being watched made him remember where he was. Instead, he straightened to his full height, removing the electrostaff from between his bones, and turned to the rest of the group. Most of them stared at him in awe, some in disgust, but that was nothing he wasn’t used to. “Eventually, each of you will be equipped with one of these, but because this is just the prototype, we will be working with sticks.” Emily popped out of the bushes, trailing behind her a wagon full of long wooden sticks. Hordak watched as the Etherians picked their stick of choice and returned to their places. He looked at Wrong Hordak, who spoke to him in their tongue. 

<Are you sure about this, Brother?>

<We do not have a choice,> Hordak hissed out. 

They had work to do.

Chapter Text

Throughout the next week, Hordak trained The Rebellion. As people grew more comfortable with him, they joined, and soon almost every single able-bodied person in the camp had taken up training by night, except for Catra, who, contrary to the countless opinions of the princesses and her allies, opted to remain in the trees during training. At least , Hordak mused, she received proper training . When she was ready, she would be on the same level as the rest of the soldiers he was building.

There was a night when he specifically called forth only the princesses. He gathered with Entrapta, Adora, Glimmer, Netossa, Perfuma, Frosta, and a looming Catra in the background. Bow had also chosen to come, arguing that he would like to see how he could use his arrows more effectively. Hordak had to hand it to him; his genius seemed to fall only below Entrapta's and his own. 

“Thank you all for being here. I wanted to take a moment to train you and your powers specifically. Horde Prime fears magic and its inability to be tamed, and while there is a chance He will deploy a device that will make all magic on the planet moot, I still want to ensure you are properly equipped to use your skills against the clones.”

“I’m so ready!” Frosta created ice-fists and crashed them together to emphasize her words. Hordak glared at her, then at Queen Glimmer.

“I cannot fathom how you are all so okay with this.”

“With what?” 

“A literal child going to battle.”

“Isn’t that exactly what the Horde did?”

“The-”

“Actually,” Adora appeared between them, clearing her throat, “the Horde trained us young, but we weren’t allowed to be in the field until we turned sixteen. And even then, we signed a contract and were limited.” She looked over at a stunned Hordak and winked. 

“Really? The Horde had contracts ?” Perfuma chimed in.

“Yes. Many. I would rather rip my own hair out than send a child into battle. Which brings me back to my point-” Hordak turned to look at Frosta again.

“I fought you! And the Horde! I think I can handle anything Prime throws!” 

Hordak snorted, a noise that made everyone, including Entrapta, look at him. “You are a fool if you think you can ‘handle Prime’. Especially alone. The clones are trained to push forward until their threat is neutralized; they know no other form of battle. They will keep coming, keep attacking, no matter how long or how many you take down. And, if He manages to turn off or harness the magic of this backwater planet…you will all be very doomed. I would not wish that upon my worst enemy’s child.”

Hordak watched as his allies thought. He could see their cogs turn, likely pondering if they should trust him at all. He looked to Entrapta, who smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up with her hair. He recalled them discussing this same situation in the Fright Zone, laughing about how they perhaps needed a child to fight their battles. Now, though, he wanted nothing to do with it.

“I’ll prove it to you!” His head snapped, and he saw Frosta running towards him, a block of ice forming in her hand. Effortlessly, he stepped to the side just in time, and she ran into the tree behind her, her hands bracing herself as she fell, freezing the tree in the process. “Wha–”

“To beat a clone, you must think like a clone.” He sighed and walked over to Frosta, holding out his hand to her. “I cannot stop you from fighting, Princess. But I can at least make sure you survive.” When she was up, he turned to the magic wielders behind him. 

“All of you.” 

–

He worked with them one at a time, teaching them how to use their powers against a clone. He was shocked by their untapped power and strength, something he knew they would need if they were going to make it out of this alive. They had, of course, worked with the electrostaffs with the rest of the camp, so they knew the basic movements of a clone. But he taught Glimmer, Perfuma, Netossa, Spinnerella, Bow, and even Frosta how to use their elements to contain, disorient, and defeat clones in the quickest way possible. 

Entrapta watched him work with them atop Emily, recounting the times before he began to train her, when she would observe him in the arena from the rafters. He always had the hardest setting set, and he always defeated the bots sent to destroy him. The way he spun and practically pranced through the drones of bots, taking each and every one out with only his talons, she couldn’t deny that these moments had a hand in strengthening her attraction towards him. 

There were a couple of hours left before moonrise, and he had only Adora left. Catra remained in the trees, though he noticed her breathing evened out, indicating she had fallen asleep. He sent Entrapta to bed hours ago, as she wouldn’t need much from him. The kiss she had given him before she left still lingered on his lips.  

“Your heart rate is elevated.”

“H-how did you know that, sir?”

“My ears are more sensitive than those of any Etherian. I can detect even the slightest change in heart rate, blood pressure, and footsteps. So can any clone. Also, there is no ‘sir’ anymore. My title is gone with my relinquishment of the Fright Zone.”

“Wow.”

Hordak arched a browbone. “What troubles you, Adora?”

She sighed. “I..I can’t feel She-Ra anymore.”

This gave the clone pause. “How long?”

“Since we returned to Etheria. I can’t connect with her anymore. I don’t know where she went.” Adora looked down at her chest, at the failsafe that rested there.” She appeared when I got the failsafe, but she’s been glitching ever since. I’m worried I lost her.”

Hordak looked at his hand, flexing it. He meant to tell her at some point, but he hoped it could wait until this was over. Apparently, he was wrong. “You are not from this planet.”

“I know. Light Hope told me.”

“You are from the planet my first portal opened to. When it collapsed, I was on the other side of Etheria with you in my arms. I suspected this would make you special, but I did not know how much until I learned you were She-Ra. She is an old myth among the Galactic Horde; one Prime fought many times. She-Ra was a warrior on a planet called Eternia. Her powers were inherited, passed down. There was a time when Prime discovered this and ordered an attack on the planet. I, still as his General at that time, began the attack. It took weeks to stabilize and conquer. I fell sicker and sicker. My body…I showed signs of weakness, and Prime could not have that. He sent me to the battlefield outside the palace, and I was pulled through a different portal and stranded here. I believe I recreated that portal frequency, and it resulted in your appearance."

“Did I-did I have a family?”

“I believe so. If you are, in fact, who I think you are, you were royalty.”

Adora’s eyes moved back and forth, her mind searching for something, anything, that would catch Hordak in a lie. But he wasn’t lying, and that was a realization that left Adora with more questions than answers. 

“What happened to them? Are they okay? Where are they?”

“I do not know. They were younger, spared when I was cast out, but it has been thirty-two years, Adora. Knowing Prime, I doubt there is anything left. It is a marvel you exist at all.”

“How did Mara’s ship get here? Who is Mara?”

“That I am also unsure about. From what I know of your family, of the royalty of Eternia, this Mara does not exist. However, I think she was likely related to you and passed down the power of She-Ra to you. Why she is not in the archives or why her things are here is beyond me.”

“I wish we could ask Light Hope. But she was destroyed when the Heart was activated.”

“I wish I could give you the answers you seek. From what I remember of the She-Ra legend, she is not a physical person, but rather a mind, a soul. She lives in tandem with the host.” Adora looked up to meet Hordak’s eyes. 

“Harness yourself, your emotions, and you may get her back yet.”

“Why? Why did you save me? Keep me? Give me to Shadow Weaver?”

Hordak sighed. “It…was not an entirely conscious choice. You came from my portal. I had no idea what to do with you, but I knew I could not leave you. An infant would not bode well alone, so I gave you to Shadow Weaver to put with the rest of the young Horde.” 

Hordak stilled slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Adora. “Thank you. For not abandoning me. Even if I was just another soldier.”

“Shadow Weaver and I both knew you were more than that, Adora. We did not know you would become She-Ra, but you were different. I suppose that is why she took a liking to you.”

“She…was there. But I guess you didn’t have another choice, did you?”

“Even if I had been more rational, less angry back then, I do not know the first thing about raising younglings. You were better off with the rest of the Horde than me specifically.”

“Regardless, thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

–

During the day, Hordak kept working on the electrostaffs, fine-tuning them and making sure they would be strong enough to defeat a clone. He knew the level of electricity it took to short-circuit a clone’s nervous system; it was the same amount Horde Prime used in is cleansing pool to wipe the minds of clones who had strayed. Though the memory of that disgusted him, he had to admit it benefited him now, as it would play a major role in his God’s destruction. 

On top of his own work, he also helped Entrapta work on the virus. Her determination never ceased to surprise him, especially as she succeeded in her work by week’s end.

“AH-HA! YES!” Entrapta screamed, startling Hordak from his work in rewiring a staff.

“Everything alright, Starlight?”

“Is everything alright?? ALRIGHT?? It’s GREAT! I did it!”

“Oh?” Hordak stood and approached Entrapta and her screens, and indeed, the virus file was functional, complete, and upon checking her work, found that she had indeed cracked the code. He turned to Entrapta, meeting her dazzling eyes with his own, back to red in color along with his teeth, and stroked her cheek with his hand. “Absolutely astonishing, my love.”

“Thank you. I can’t wait to see the look on Prime’s face when we deploy this.”

That gave Hordak pause, and he stood straight behind her. “You will not be seeing him ever. I do not even want you in the same room as him.”

Entrapta stood herself and backed away from Hordak. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“I do when it is to ensure your safety.” He did not want to have this argument with her, but if she did not see how unsafe her wish was, he would make her.

“I am a grown woman, Hordak! You can’t control me.”

“I do not wish you to control you, Entrapta, but he is dangerous!”

Entrapta put her mask down, screaming from behind it. If either of them cared, they would have noticed that they were in a tent, a very flimsy, very exposed tent. Everyone in the camp heard them argue, but they were too caught up to care. “You think I don’t know that?! You think I’m so naive that I would what? Fall into his arms and strike up conversation with him?”

“He will kill you!” 

“No! I want to make him pay!” Entrapta’s stiff shoulders fell, and Hordak stilled. Then, softer, Entrapta spoke. “I want to kill him for what he did to you.” 

Hordak fell to his knees and stretched out his arms. “Oh, my darling. Come here.” Entrapta lifted her mask with a tendril of hair and, sniffling with tears trickling down her cheeks, she approached Hordak and fell into his arms, sobbing louder. “Shhh. It is okay, Starlight. I have you. I am sorry.”

Entrapta slowed her tears, reducing them to sniffles, and looked up at him. “Why are you sorry?”

“I caused you to get worked up. It is my fault you feel such an urge to put yourself in harm's way. I am not worth it.”

“Yes, you are. You are worth everything .”

“Not your life. Trust me in this, Entrapta: I do not discount your strength or your power, but all I ask is that you understand. Prime is capable of destroying planets, causing supernovas. He will not hesitate to strike you down.”

“I understand. I love you, Hordak.”

Hordak pushed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes, feeling her hair wrap around his body and squeeze him closer to her.

“I love you, too.”

–

After Entrapta calmed down, the pair called for a meeting to share the news and iron out the final stages of the plan. Hordak was almost complete with the training of the Etherians, and he hypothesized that they would be ready to move within the next week. 

The princesses and their colleagues gathered for dinner as Hordak and Entrapta told them of the great news.

“We did it!”

“Did what?” 

“We cracked the code!” Entrapta cackled with joy, and Hordak’s face softened as he looked at her, absorbing her glee. 

He never wanted to forget again. 

Hordak caught Queen Glimmer and Adora looking at him from his peripheral vision, and quickly turned to them, his face burning with an embarrassment he shouldn’t have: they already knew of his affections, so why did it matter? “Entrapta has finished the virus. It is ready to deploy.”

“And you’re sure it’ll work?”

“96.8 percent sure!” Entrapta exclaimed with joy. Though they never saw it, the pair spent countless sleepless nights on this, and with that and training, neither got very much sleep in the last few days. They needed this to work and to be perfect; in that they both agreed.  

Glimmer sighed. “Alright then. When can we take the fight to Prime?”

“I would advise we wait a few more days. I have not had the chance to conclude training, and from what I recall about being His general, Horde Prime will not deploy any massive, planet-altering mechanisms for another four days. Right now, He is trying to scan the planet and extract any valuable resources before He destroys the rest.” Hordak looked at the faces around him. They were tight with fear and uncomfortable. He supposed such thoughts of a tragic demise would make one shiver, and the more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. 

If this does not work, we will all be dead. Entrapta will be dead. Hordak could not stomach the thought. 

“How do we know he will not act sooner?” Hordak stirred out of his thoughts by the cold voice of Shadow Weaver. He growled at the sorceress as she appeared, and everyone followed suit. Nice to know they trusted her as much as he did: not one bit. Only the queen seemed to take an interest in her words. Hordak strode closer to Shadow Weaver and loomed over her, his red teeth bared. 

“Etheria, backwater as it is, possesses organic resources the rest of the galaxy does not. He will take the time to harvest and learn about their properties before laying waste to their home planet. He always wants the Heart, since someone informed him of its power.” 

“Alright!” Adora appeared between them, separating what may at one point have turned into a full-blown argument, though now Hordak knew better. He felt a tendril of Entrapta’s hair wrap around his arm, grounding him, and he sighed before backing away. Adora continued: “We don’t need to think about the destruction of the planet or our impending doom more than we do already! Hordak, Entrapta, thank you for creating this virus and…everything else you’ve done.” Hordak noticed how Adora’s voice softened, and he looked directly at him. It was a…strange sensation, one he didn’t fully understand. He didn’t have too long to dwell on it, however, because she kept talking.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen. We just don’t. But , we’ve been getting prepared and, together with the power of friendship, we’ll get our friends back and save Etheria!” The claps and cheers that resounded throughout the camp startled Hordak’s sensitive ears, and he felt Entrapta’s hair tighten around his arm, indicating her discomfort as well. They held it out, together, and when it was done, Hordak cleared his throat. 

“I want everyone outdoors tonight, ready to train. We will set our timeline for four days.”

Chapter Text

After Hordak and Entrapta’s little announcement, they went back to their tent to grab some stuff, knowing that they would have approximately ten minutes and 39 seconds before everyone was assembled. They sat down together on the cot, Entrapta placing herself square on his lap, and looked at her data one more time, because they genuinely could not believe they had successfully done it. 

“Yep! It’s good.” Entrapta sighed and leaned into Hordak’s torso; his hold on her waist tightened. She tilted her head to look up at him, but didn’t quite reach his eyes. “This, this is going to work, right?”

Hordak sighed. “I have no idea.”

“And if it doesn’t…?”

“Prime will learn of our plans and He will kill the planet. We do not get another chance.”

“I’m all for imperfection, but,” Entrapta pulled her mask over her face, “this has to be perfect.”

Hordak suddenly picked Entrapta up and flipped her around. She squeaked in surprise. He respected her mask but let his hand run through her hair comfortingly. “If I have to rip Prime’s soul out of his body, I will do it myself. I have no intention of losing you. Not again.” They were silent for a beat, then Entrapta slowly removed her mask. Hordak saw the tear streaks down her cheeks, and his heart tightened at the sight. “Oh, my love.” He wiped her tears, and she sniffled. “The tests we’ve run show it will work. We’ve accounted for every variable. It. Will. Work.”

“I can’t lose you either, Hordak.”

“You could not. When…when I was back with Prime, He could not expel the thoughts of you; he tried. He tried so many times. But every time, something brought me back.”

“How many times?”

“Nineteen.”

“Nineteen times in two weeks?”

Hordak nodded. “ Nothing is going to pull me away from you.”

“I believe you.” Entrapta wrapped her arms around Hordak’s neck and hugged him tightly. He gripped her hair tighter and pushed her infinitely closer to his chest. 

It will work . It has to .

–

“In your teams, you will practice keeping each other protected. The clones work separately, but they all know where each one is at every moment. They know when one is overpowered and will move to assist. The best thing to do is to work together, as a unit, use your strengths to collectively take out numbers. Practice.” 

As the groups worked together, Hordak watched them. He was proud of what he had accomplished in such a short period of time: taking a group of less-than-ideal people and turning them into soldiers to defeat his ex-god. The people he had waged war against, plus a few of his old Horde soldiers, were allowing him to train them to defeat the entity he had been so obsessed with getting back to for years.

It was all rather poetic.

“Whatcha thinking about?” In his earlier days, Hordak would have shouted in surprise, but he had grown so used to Entrapta’s random appearances and constant intrusion that he hadn’t even flinched. Stars, he missed those kinds of moments when he was trapped with Prime.

“Just the irony of it all.”

Entrapta joined his looking, observing the rebellion he had built in a matter of weeks. Where he saw strength, improvement, however, she saw a lovely experiment. “I know! I’ve been tracking the trajectory of your training on the rebels and they’ve been improving at an exponential rate! See?” Hordak found himself face-to-face with Entrapta’s datapad showing charts. He smiled at them; since she didn’t need the training herself, he knew she was observing when she wasn’t working on the virus. But this? This was something he never thought anyone would do. Hordak realized that in his two weeks of being part of The Rebellion, he had been more seen than he ever had, even when he ran his own empire. He was respected here, at least enough for them to listen to him. And he realized that wasn’t a result of fear of him, but rather trust that had built over time. His old Horde soldiers respected him and were loyal to him, regardless of how many times he yelled or lashed out at them. But for some reason, this felt different; though he wouldn’t admit it, it felt better to be respected for his abilities to lead rather than feared. 

Though he knew it was only temporary. After Horde Prime was defeated, the princesses would surely demand retribution for the harm he caused them and their parents. He was just hoping he would be the target of their fury and not Entrapta.

If they so much as laid a finger on his Starlight, Hordak would gladly restart the war, and this time, he would make sure he won. 

No, that thought gave him pause. In the weeks he worked with them, though he did not like nor fully trust any of them, he had to admit there was a feeling of guilt over thinking about their demise. They didn’t kill him outright when he showed up, as he thought they might, and they hadn’t done so yet. He looked at Adora, leading one of the teams in a series of formations she picked up quickly, having recognized them from his Horde. He hadn’t put her in a group because of her inability to connect with She-Ra; he needed her to focus on herself. His gaze dropped to her chest, and the First Ones’ heart it held. 

“For-Adora.” She turned to him immediately, almost dropping her staff in an attempt to salute, but thought better of it. “Come.” She approached him, nervous, concerned. 

“Is everything alright, sir?”

He did not address her formality, resolving that it would probably be a part of her instinct for a long time yet. “I wanted to ask about this,” he pointed to the heart. “What do you know of it?”

Adora’s hand hovered over it, her face turned down. “Not…much. Just that it’s a failsafe for the Heart of Etheria, supposed to destroy it or something.”

“But not without destroying you too, if I am not mistaken.”

She looked up at him. “How-how do you know that?”

“In my early days on Etheria, I explored one of the temples built by your First Ones. It took days to decipher the language, but engraved on the walls it told of a way to ‘fix the world’. I can only assume that is what it meant.”

“You went to a First One’s temple? Can you take me there?”

Hordak sighed. “Unfortunately, I deployed its security measures and barely escaped with my life. The structure was so unsteady it crumbled.”

“Oh.” Hordak noticed her dejection and placed a strong, taloned hand on her shoulder. 

“I apologize. I wish I had not been so careless back then.” 

“It’s alright. But yes, I need to deploy it. I don’t care what happens to me, Horde Prime can’t get it.”

“I agree. But while Adora may not be strong enough…”

“She-Ra might be!” Adora’s thrill died with her realization. “I still can’t feel her.”

“Go to your tent. Concentrate. From what I remember from Prime’s memories of She-Ra, she is constantly adapting and shifting. She is still in you, the sword was a catalyst, not her. Awaken her again.” Adora nodded firmly and walked off. Hordak sighed and turned back to look at Entrapta, observing. She had her recorder out and was speaking into it, undoubtedly taking notes on the efficiency of the troops. He smiled softly. 

Then, his ear flicked as something approached from the trees.

“Hey, Hordak.” He suppressed a growl.

“Catra.” When he turned to look at her, he realized he hadn’t truly looked at her since their battle in the Fright Zone. Her hair was cropped short, and she seemed unsure, less confident than the aura she fronted while in the Horde. 

“I-” she sighed. “I wanted to apologize. For taking your crystal, for lying about Entrapta, for everything that I did.”

That was not how he thought this conversation was going to go. “For reasons I cannot explain, Entrapta told me she forgave you. But she has not forgotten. Your arrogance and self-preservation was something I applauded in the Horde. Now? There were times I wished you dead.”

“I know. And I know there’s nothing I could say or do to make up for what I did. To you and Entrapta. But, I am sorry.”

“I will take your apology, but understand that the resentment I have towards you is not healed, nor is Entrapta’s.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

“Know I am doing it for her.” Hordak turned to look at Entrapta again as she hung from a tree, focused on her work. “I assume you are a part of The Rebellion now, of the Princess Alliance, and they are her...friends. As long as she is okay with them and remains in good company, I will not fight it. But remember this, former Force Captain: the second you do anything to hurt her, I will come for you personally.”

The way Catra shrank back was not lost on him, try as she might to hide it. Her heart rate was elevated, and she was sweating. He knew he delivered that harshly, but his emotions took the helm, and his truth was spilled. She backed away and nodded softly, then disappeared back into the trees. Hordak sat, leaning his frame against a tree, and continued to survey his troops. They would be ready; they had to be.

–

Hordak woke up on day four with a physical and emotional weight around his chest area. The physical weight was the Etherian he loved so deeply, sprawled across his entire chest, limbs wrapped in her purple hair, snoring away. The emotional weight was the realization that today was the day. 

Either the first day of the rest of his life on Etheria, or the end of this backwater world. He spent hours each night training the Etherians, working them so hard that most of them slept throughout the day just to tolerate the nights, but last night they finished early so that they could be properly refreshed; a tired army would do him no good, especially one as outnumbered as they were. Failure in this case was intolerable, for it meant death. Prime would not take well to an uprising, especially one run by His most trusted General, once upon a time. Screw it, Hordak thought, I am already a defect. Prime would never take me back. The being on his chest snorted, and it chased him back to reality. He looked at her as she smacked her lips and opened her sleepy eyes. Eyes, swirling with galaxies, Hordak could get lost in. She smiled brightly at his stare.

“Good morning, lab partner.”

“Good morning, Starlight. Did you sleep well?”

“Mmhm. You make for a very comfortable pillow.”

Hordak let out a chuckle that rumbled in his chest. “I am glad you find this arrangement satisfactory. I would hate to disrupt your need for rest.”

“Honestly, these last couple of weeks have been some of the best nights of sleep I’ve ever had. Aside from the ones where we didn’t sleep at all!”

“I am glad.” Hordak fell back on the pillow as Entrapta crawled closer to his face. 

“You’re thinking again.”

“Oh? Am I?”

“Your brow ridges are tense. Are you worried about today?”

“Of course I am, Entrapta. Perhaps I should go over the plan again.” Hordak made to get up, but strong hair pushed him back down.

“I’m 94.7 percent sure if you assembled everybody to go over the plan again, they would get into a tizzy.” Entrapta giggled, her laugh infectious. Hordak could only join, and soon the pair of them were laughing together; their last moment of peace before Etheria as they knew it would change forever.

Chapter Text

Eventually, Hordak and Entrapta rose and got ready for the day ahead. Something heavy lingered over them, like a cloud of impending doom. They both knew the gravity of this day, and for Entrapta, she could not shake her feeling of dread. She knew Hordak would be front and center on the battlefield; she knew he was capable, but she could not help but fear for him. For all her cheer and general excitement to deploy this virus that she was now 99.98 percent sure would work, there were so many variables, so many uncertainties. Her mind was racing with the possibilities. 

“--arlight?”

If the virus doesn’t work, the clones will keep coming, Prime will be infuriated, the planet will get blown up, Hordak will die…

She was thrown out of her spiral when a hand touched her shoulder. She flinched.

“Now who is the one thinking?” When she didn’t respond, Hordak’s concern grew. “Entrapta?”

She spun around, mask flipped down. “I don’t want you to die!” Certainly, she had meant that to be softer, but she was shaking, tears threatening the spill, her emotions on the verge of overloading. She had cried so much recently, she was tired. Watching Hordak train, slowly built her fears more. 

Hordak knelt down in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I cannot give you the assurance you wish I could. I wish I could tell you I would not die, but that is not something I can guarantee. What I know for certain, however, is that I will fight tooth and nail, move the stars and the galaxies they exist in, before I perish. You will not know life without me, Entrapta. Not unless that is what you wish. That I can be sure of.”

Entrapta’s sniffles had become a full-on mental breakdown. She was shaking, hyperventilating, the room was spinning in the blue of her insectoid mask. Hordak realized what was going on and that she was not, in fact, okay, and immediately went to embrace her. There was a time in the Fright Zone where they encountered a similar experience, and as much as his primal instinct told him to go to her, he merely shooed her off. After that, he read about what this emotion was and how to handle it, so that if it ever happened again, he would be prepared.

And this was the again.

Immediately, he scooped her up and brought her to the cot. He shook his vocal cords in such a way that he started to produce a rumbling sound in his chest. He held her, moving back and forth softly, whispering words of endearment and love into her ear. He kept the mask over her face, knowing that was her way to cope, and waited. 

Eventually, she started calming down, and her sobbing went back to sniffles. 

“There you are.” Hordak loosened his grip on her so Entrapta could pull her head back. He took a hand to her mask. “May I?” With a nod, he proceeded to gently lift her mask up and off her head, discarding it to the floor. Then, he looked at her: puffy, red eyes, snotty nose, limp hair. He felt his heart pang at the sight, guilt seeping in, knowing that at least a part of this was his fault. 

“I am so sorry, Entrapta.”

She sniffed. “For what?”

“Everything. This situation. Had I not wanted to go back to Prime I–none of this would have happened.”

“Hordak, we’ve talked about this. This is not your fault. You were driven to believe that Prime was your savior. I never believed in religion, only science, but I’ve studied its appeal, the idea of believing something has control over your life. I’ve always thought it was dumb.”

“Well, I was controlled by Prime. Through the Hive Mind.”

“Right! And that’s what makes this even more different from religion. You hadn’t lived without Prime, trying to go back to him was your directive. And for that, I hate him.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Entrapta, but, if I am being honest, his directive slipped at times.”

“Fascinating!” In regular Entrapta fashion, her previous emotions forgotten, she reached out with a tendril of hair to grab her recorder from across the room. “Tell me everything!”

Still having issues conveying his emotions fully, Hordak prepared to steel himself, dismiss this conversation with a flick of his hand, but…“How am I to deny you, Starlight? It was moments when we worked together that made me question everything I knew. You made me question. And then you brought me back. Even when I was the purest among them. I owe it all to you, my love.”

“I love you too!” Entrapta’s hair ended the recording, and she immediately went to kiss him square on the lips. His surprise died instantly, and he found himself kissing back with fervor. Hordak knew he couldn’t promise this forever, and even with the training he’d supplied, The Rebellion was still massively outnumbered and overpowered, but, if there was anything he learned while fighting The Rebellion, it was that they were capable of miracles he could only dream of. 

He had to hope that would be enough. For the planet, for Entrapta. 

If it wasn’t, he would lose his own life along with hers, and that was unacceptable. 

–

Unfortunately for the princesses, Hordak ignored Entrapta’s data and summoned everyone to the tent turned war room to discuss the plan one last time. As Entrapta predicted, however, they were not happy about it. 

“Do we really need to be here again?” Bow put his quiver on the floor and was organizing his arrows in order of importance. 

“I think the last 50 times we went over this was enough.”

“All due respect, Queen Glimmer, one thing my Horde was always better at was planning. That is how we gained so much land over you.”

“Alright, Hordak. If you think we need it.”

“Thank you, Adora. Now. You have your teams. First step is to save your fellow princesses. We can use their powers. Perfuma’s team will be on Forc-Scorpia. Your powers cancel each other out. Spinnerella and Netossa, your teams are on…”

“Mermista. We know.” Hordak learned quickly that Spinnerella and Netossa were a tag-team and work better together than they do apart. He also learned that, as kind as they were, they were no-nonsense.

He liked that.

“Very well. Seahawk, against my better judgement, will be with you…”

“To free my beautiful Mermista!”

Hordak almost let out a sigh so large it would knock Frosta over. Instead, he cracked his neck and chose to move on. “Bow, your team is on the clones. Neutralize as many as you can and give the other teams time to free the afflicted from Prime. Once our allies are freed, you all will move to the clones until Entrapta successfully implements the virus. Queen Glimmer…” Hordak and Glimmer looked at each other, Hordak with uncertainty, Glimmer with defiance. 

They had had this conversation many times over.

“I can handle it.”

“Your emotions are too volatile. Your head will be elsewhere. Your father will not stop. He is the enemy until neutralized.”

“And I’m telling you, I’ve got this. Just because he’s my dad doesn’t mean I’m going to go any less hard on him.”

This time, Hordak did sigh. He knew there was no hope in trying to stop this; she would fight to save King Micah, whether or not that was part of the plan. “Fine. I will assist as needed. Once your friends are saved and the clones are neutralized, Prime will have no choice but to surrender. And with any luck,” Hordak looked over at Adora. She appeared ready, like a soldier, but he could tell she was trembling, “The failsafe will be implemented.” 

“I’ll go with her.”

Everyone spun around to see Catra enter the tent. Hordak had known she was there for some time, listening in. Technically speaking, she was a member of the primary alliance now, so she was allowed in these proceedings. And technically, Hordak hadn’t given her a position, not sure how much of his command she would take. He silently thanked the stars that she had chosen that path, as there was a chance she would be fighting alongside him, and he couldn’t help but picture her getting her just desserts courtesy of a clone. 

But alas, the rest of the alliance, for whatever reason, welcomed her, so he had to refrain. 

“Very well. We have our plan. We will move out in twenty minutes.” He noticed how the princesses and their compatriots nodded at him and then dispersed, leaving him and Entrapta in the room alone. “Your equipment is ready?”

Entrapta weaved her way through to the opposite side of the room from where she was behind Hordak. “You know it is.” She placed a tendril of hair on his shoulder, and he could not stop the tremble that fell out of his body. “You’re…scared?”

“I’m terrified!” Hordak’s outburst scared Entrapta, only slightly, but she understood him, his emotions. They were the exact ones she had been feeling all this time. “If I lose you, Entrapta, I do not know what I would do!”

“I’m scared too, Hordak. And I’m not good with…feelings. They’re confusing. But what I do know is that we have a plan, it’s already in motion, and the data indicates that we’re going to make it out of this!”

“I-I have witnessed Prime consume hundreds of planets, of galaxies, how am I supposed to believe this one is different?”

“In your memories, did you ever encounter Krytis?”

Hordak paused at the name. “How do you know about that planet?”

“When we were escaping from Prime’s ship, after we saved Glimmer, we stopped there. We found the ruins, and the cat-thing that follows Catra like a lost puppy; they have a bond or something I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to study it. But! We found…magic and Horde technology. Combined. It was fascinating. That’s how we learned about Prime’s weakness! We have a plan, a plan that combines tech and magic, it will work.”

Hordak let out a dry chuckle. One day, he would tell her what he told Wrong Hordak a couple of weeks ago about Krytis, how he knew the planet very well, but for now, he would expel that truth from his already busy mind. “Your hope never ceases to amaze me, Starlight.” He took his hand and placed it on her cheek. She leaned into the touch, and then he kissed her once more. Both of their emotions had taken over today, and they weren’t even in battle yet. But they knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, no matter what:

They have each other. And that will be enough.

Chapter Text

Armor hissed. The clone flexed his arm, testing its durability. Of course, they had done countless tests and tweaked the armor countless times. He was sure there would always be at least an ounce of distrust in him, regarding so many things. 

The armor created by his love, however, was not one of them. He trusted her work more than he trusted himself and his plan. 

At their darkest hour, a lousy, defective clone stepped up and would be their key to success. This, however, made his distrust evermore certain: how could a lousy, defective clone be a key to success? He was worthless, nothing. No, he shook that idea out of his head as he looked to the being to his left.

Keyboards clacked. The Etherian typed viciously, as if she were fighting a battle with the letters. Of course, they had done countless tests and tweaked the code for the virus countless times. They were 99.8 percent sure this would work. She was sure there would always be at least an ounce of fear in her, regarding so many things.

This virus, created by the two of them, however, was not one of them. She trusted their work more than she trusted herself and her ability to implement it properly. The code was written; that was the easy part, but to deploy the virus, Entrapta would need to connect with a spire and hack into Horde Prime’s network. 

Easier said than done, even when you have connection codes from two clones. 

At their darkest hour, when it came down to it, a weird “Geek Princess” stepped up and would be their key to success. This, however, made her fear evermore certain: how could a weird, “Geek Princess” be a key to success? She was annoying, nothing. No, she shook that idea out of her head as she looked to find the being to her right already gazing in he direction. 

She gave him a smile, and his lip quirked upwards in response. And all at once, both of their insecurities faded. 

They got this. 

Together, they walked out of their tent and into final preparations. Entrapta had her case of tech in a corner, ready to be moved by the power of her hair. Hordak saw his soldiers grabbing their supplies and getting ready for battle. They looked at each other again and, hand-in-hand, walked to the front of the camp. Hordak cleared his throat, and preparations stopped immediately. He began: “In my days as Horde Prime’s General, such a speech would be few and far between, mixed in internally within the Hive Mind. However, there is no Hive Mind here, but I hope I have given you all substantial training in combat. You are as ready as we have time for, and I believe if we follow our plan to the letter,” the groan coming from a thirteen-year-old in the back of the room was not lost on him, “we will make it out of this alive. Luck is not something either Horde had ever taught, but I would like to wish it to you all today. Good luck.” Hordak had not given a wartime speech since his early days building his Horde, and it showed. But the resounding applause that echoed through the hallowed cave made Hordak remember why he was Horde Prime’s top general. 

And to be honest, it felt bloody good.

–

They moved, marched through the Whispering Woods, to the largest spire Prime had drilled into Etheria. Adora split from them some time ago, moving to the Heart of Etheria. Catra and her…cat thing from Krytis followed her, and Hordak was all the more grateful for it. Catra was a distraction he didn’t need in this, especially when Entrapta’s life was at stake.

He had hated the idea of her being the one to deploy the virus, but he had to admit she would be the only one who could work through Prime’s network and deploy it. Except for himself, of course, but he was needed as a soldier and general now; it would do The Rebellion no good to be reduced to their strategy of “pantsing” through this battle. 

“You’re spiraling again.” Entrapta swung down from a tree and landed right next to Hordak. 

“There are so many variables…”

“And you planned for all of them. Extensively. At all hours of the day.”

His head tilted down, looking at the floor, and his ears did the same. She placed a tendril of hair on his shoulder comfortingly. 

He sighed. “As always, Starlight, you are correct.” He lifted and turned his head slightly to look at her, and found her giving him a bright smile, but not the kind of bright that you would normally get from her. It was a smile hiding pain, fear. For all the sunshine and brightness that was his Starlight, he knew she wasn’t just that. 

She was a mastermind, brilliant, radiant, and completely sentient. He was the only one who truly understood her emotions, her quirks. He welcomed them, even. 

“Being without you in the Fright Zone, it was like you had ripped out my heart and taken it with you, though I did not know it at the time. I do not want to feel like that again.”

He heard the creek of her mask as she lowered it, then turned to look at the ground like he had. “There's no guarantee this will go as planned. It’s not a perfect plan. You know I believe in imperfection. But…” 

“If this fails, we are doomed.”

“It’s gonna get violent tonight, that I’m 100 percent sure of, tell me you’re gonna be alright. Please. Even if it’s a lie, Hordak. I don’t want Etheria to turn without you.” 

Hordak hated that they were moving, but at least they were in the front, leading the able Etherians to what could potentially be their doom. They had time before this, however, and he turned, his steps not missing a beat, and spoke in a lower tone. “Did you ever hear the story of Achilles and Patroclus?”

“Oooh! Is this one of your stories from across the galaxy?”

“It is indeed. From a planet not anywhere near Etheria, that I am sure of. Achilles was a demigod, a son of a god of lightning. Patroclus was…just a man. Achilles was blessed with an impenetrable body, except for his heel. As far as I know, they became friends. But then war broke out. Achilles was a warrior; just his mere presence would scare off an army. Patroclus parades around as Achilles, hoping to scare the opposing side. He kills a son of a god, and the prince of the land kills him. This sends Achilles into a grief like no other, and the legends say the battle to follow was full of blood and carnage. He did not want to live after his…friend had perished. So he fought. But he lived. And promised that when he died, he would be buried next to Patroclus for eternity. Anyhow, no one truly knows if the men were lovers, but many philosophers believed they were.

And…” Hordak brought his hand to Entrapta’s cheek, “if that were to happen to you, I fear I would do much worse than destroy an army. No one would be left when I was done. But you will make it through. We will communicate every step of the way, and I will be at your side on a moment’s notice should you need it.”

The next thing to touch Hordak’s lips was not words, but rather another set of lips in a chaste kiss. “We’ll survive. We got this.” 

Hordak could only hope it was true.

–

They arrived at the outskirts of the spire shortly after, surveying the scene. 

“As soon as they spot us, Prime will transport his armies. Your…friends will come, and you will take care of them first. The sooner you do that, the easier it will be to beat the clones. The goal is to wait them out. Do not be a hero, do not take unnecessary risks. Are we ready?” 

The nods that came from the faces around him were full of mixed emotions. Most of the Etherians he had were past soldiers, but some were new and had never seen battle. It was instinct to be nervous, and instinct a clone would never possess. However, he also saw dedication and hope. 

He chose to focus on that instead. Then, he turned to Entrapta. “I will get you to the spire. Keep your comm on. Move!” He barked the order, and they raced out of the woods and into the ravine. Almost immediately, the clones in the vicinity took notice and ran to meet them. They were neutralized easily. Once Hordak knew Prime had received this information from the Hive Mind, he began to weave with Entrapta through the enemy, his brothers. 

No, they are brainwashed. It is not their fault, but they will not stop, Hordak told himself these things to keep him moving. Every clone he clawed down was a Brother he was destroying. But it was worth it.

For her life. 

When they made it to the spire, Entrapta put her tech on the floor and booted up her enhanced datapads. “We’re on!” 

“Let me know when the virus is deployed, I am needed in the ravine.”

“Okay! And Hordak?”

The clone turned around. “Yes?”

“Be careful. Please. I love you.”

“I love you too, Starlight.”

–

Hordak walked out of the spire, refusing to turn back, because he knew if he took one more look at Entrapta, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to leave her side. 

Upon crossing the threshold, however, his instincts took over. He surveyed the grounds that served as a battlefield: the number of clones had doubled, as he knew it would, but the Etherians seemed to be doing all right. Except for the blonde ex-Horde soldier, that one was out cold. 

The clone laid eyes on one of his brothers. He watched his eyes momentarily gain bright white pupils, then disappear. 

Good, he is watching. Hordak ran at the clone, growling and easily tore through his clothing. Then he reached for the back of the neck and severed his connections at his internal ports, promptly frying the clone’s nervous system and sending him straight to the floor. Three more ran at him, and he dealt the same devastating blow, one after another. The thing Hordak possessed that the clones did not was extensive military training as a result of being designed to be a warlord. 

And here, in the biggest battle of his life, he was thankful for it. 

<Brother, why do you fight us> one of them croaked.

<Prime is wrong in this case, Brother. He has always been wrong.>

<No.> He took out another clone as this one took his place. <Horde Prime is all-seeing. All-knowing. He is a benevolent leader.>

<We are a means to an end for Him. It took me a very long time to see that, but it is true. Search your memory banks, you know it to be true.>

<Never. To fight for Horde Prime, to die for Him, that is the greatest gift one could have.>

<Very well.> He severed that clone’s system with one flick of his talon. He knew, as he took each clone down, one by one, that this wasn’t their choice. They believed in the Light of Prime, and nothing else. There was a time when he was the same. 

Etheria, Entrapta changed that for him. 

Hordak took out the clones in his vicinity and took the chance to look at his army. Mermista was neutralized, as was Scorpia. There was a bubble of black magic to his left; he guessed Glimmer was fighting King Micah. He began to walk over, defeating clone after clone that tried to come for him. 

“Hordak? Hordak are you there?” Her nasal voice cracked in his ear, and he reached up to his comm and responded. 

“Yes, Starlight. Everything is going as planned. How are you doing with the virus?”

“I have successfully hacked into Prime’s network, gearing up the deployment now.”

“Good.” Hordak grunted as he shoved a clone off of him, knocking him to the floor. “Let me know when you deploy it, though I suspect we will see the change immediately.”

“You should! The clones’ neurons should all go down at once!”

Hordak found himself smiling. “Very good, my dear. I will see you on the other side.”

She disconnected, and he kept walking over to the commotion of the battle. Glimmer was indeed fighting with Micah, and he could tell she was losing. A ball of her sparkly magic enclosed her as her father’s attacks grew more violent. Her team was useless in this fight, given none of them knew magic. He looked at her and found her looking back. They stared at each other for a moment, neither one saying anything as she strained against her father’s attacks. 

Then, she exploded. 

Magic burst out of her, blinding everyone in the vicinity, including Hordak. Then she rapidly popped in and out of existence around her father, finally falling to his neck, where she pounded the chip to pieces. When it was done, she looked back at him again, and he nodded, then went back to fight more of his brothers. 

That is, until he saw a green ray come down right over the spire. 

“Hordak! I did it!”

“Entrapta, you need to get out of there right now!” He barked as the beam got closer and closer. Time seemed to slow, and before she could hit the button to deploy the virus, Hordak watched her be consumed by the beam and teleported.

Chapter Text

“Entrapta! Entrapta are you there!?”

“Little Brother? My, isn’t this a surprise. I had felt you had defected, but I did not expect it was to join this paltry rebellion.”

Hordak growled in frustration. He made a beeline for the spire, knocking out any clones who stood in his way. He severed the connection to Entrapta’s comm and yelled at Bow as he passed him. 

“What do you need?”

“Prime has taken Entrapta. You’re the only one here with any knowledge of technology so you need to finish what she started.” 

“What?” Bow's voice cracked as he shot a clone with an electric arrow. “I don’t know how to deploy it! Why can’t you do it?”

“Because I need to get her back!” Hordak raged. This was a factor that years of planning wouldn’t have foreseen. He didn’t think of what would happen if Entrapta were taken. He failed her. Failed to protect her. A sore oversight on his part. But now, now he was going to destroy Prime. Calmer, he finished as they made it to the spire. “All you need to do is finish putting in the code and deploy it. It should work.”

“Should?? What do you mean should??”

“We were 99.8 percent sure it would work. But it should. Good luck.”

Hordak left Bow; he trusted the kid, as foolish as he was. He made up for it when it counted. 

He turned his comm back on. 

“Prime.”

“Oh, Little Brother. You are back.”

“Let her go. It is me you want.”

Prime’s chuckle made Hordak sick. “That may be true, but then again, maybe I underestimated her. She has the brain to rival even yours, Brother.”

“Don’t you dare hurt her.”

“You are right. It is foolish to hurt a mind such as hers.

Without you to watch.”

In an instant, the same green beam that consumed Entrapta quickly consumed Hordak. Then he was placed in the same room he had spent countless years in, plotting for Prime. Trying not to make it obvious, he scanned the room for Entrapta. The screens behind Prime dazzled with eyes back on the planet. Showing his clones fighting the Etherians. 

“Where is she?”

Prime snapped His fingers, and a clone brought out Entrapta, carrying her by her hair as she struggled helplessly. “Your little scientist here is quite a wonder. She will make a fine start to my new Etherian soldiers.” 

“What use do you have for her? You have everything you could ever want. You do not need this planet.”

“Perhaps not. But why leave now after all the resources I have put into it? This little…rebellion could not hold a candle to the might of the Galatic Horde. They will be disposed of. Whoever remains shall join my army.”

Hordak almost laughed. “You have not done that in decades. What makes you think you could do so now?”

“Silence! I will give you one last chance to be welcomed by The Light, Brother. Or, you may be the first to share the fate of this backwater planet.”

Hordak thought. He knew Prime, knew his tactics better than any clone ever did. What can I do? Then, he bowed his head and knelt.

“Good. You shall be reborn once more, and everything will be as it was.” He listened for the sounds of the clones at his side coming to restrain him. When one got close enough, his eyes snapped open, and he quickly incapacitated him. Then, he grabbed the canon from his arm and fired directly at Prime. He crashed back behind his screens, shattering them upon impact. He quickly fired again at the clone next to him, then the clone holding Entrapta. 

The next thing he knew, he was in front of Prime. “You thought you could have me back, the only clone you ever successfully bred to lead your armies efficiently. But do you know why I can lead?” Hordak crouched to Prime. “Because you gave me the one thing you never gave any of the other clones: free will. And that always comes back. You made me to one day be you, but I am more than that. I am Hordak, and I defy your will.” Shooting him would not be enough; Prime’s essence could easily slip into another clone on the battlefield, and the cycle would continue. So instead, Hordak dropped the canon, cracked his knuckles, and tore through Prime’s flesh. He pulled out his ports, severed his fingers, then smashed his skull between his bare hands. When that was done, he rose and panted his eyes wide. 

“You did it!” Entrapta smiled widely with Hordak’s back to her. “Hordak?”

Hordak snapped out of his daze, realizing what he had just done. He did not turn around. “Come, we need to destroy his memory banks so that he cannot complete a transfer. We have only moments.”

“Okay, and where are these banks?”

“Come with me, we must hurry.”

“Hordak..are you okay?”

“No! I am not okay!” The clone snapped. “I just killed a god, Entrapta! Do you know what that feels like?”

“I can’t say I do, Hordak. But what I do know is that Horde Prime was so much worse than a god. He was a man who hated to lose. And he lost. We won. And we’re gonna make sure he doesn’t come back.”

“Can you even look at me the same way, now that you know what I’ve done? What I am capable of?”  

He felt the familiar sensation of a tendril of lilac hair on his shoulder, staining the threads with green. He hadn’t even heard her approach. “I’ve known what you were capable of for years. Why do you think I made the armor the way I did? I covered everything to keep you safe and upright but kept your thighs exposed and open so you could move freely…and they’re aesthetically pleasing. But! In any case, I know you , Hordak. And to be honest, I love you all the more for it. Now, let’s go destroy some memory banks of a god!” 

There was a moment when Prime was asking him if he wanted to rejoin the Light, where he almost said yes. He was a monster, a defect, not worthy of Etheria, of her. Stars, he had failed to properly protect her while she was deploying the virus. At least, that was what he thought, but he took one look at her in danger, struggling against the clone, and he realized that even if she rejected him, he would always fight to protect her. 

Hordak finally turned to meet her eyes. His face was covered in a green amniotic fluid; Prime’s blood. He thought she would flinch, back away, but instead, she grabbed his clawed hands with her gloved ones and on her legs of hair she pushed herself up and kissed him. He found himself almost relieved, a shocking revelation considering he had mentally prepared himself for her rejection. Relief was not an emotion a clone was made to feel, even one designed like Hordak. Yet, he felt it nonetheless and released her hold on one of his hands to grip her waist, ruining the coveralls in the process. When she backed away from the kiss, breathless, he touched her forehead to his. 

“Let us go kill a god, once and for all.” 

–

Hand-in-hand, they sprinted through the winding corridors of the Velvet Glove, dodging and fighting clones along the way. Hordak watched as Entrapta used her hair, her strongest physical aspect, to throw and disorient the clones. It was truly a sight to behold. He had taught her how to hone it and use it to her advantage back in the Fright Zone; he hadn’t seen the marvel since. His head began to throb, the sign of a headache coming on, he guessed. Oh well, they would soon be done with this war, and then maybe he would get some rest. They ran until Hordak came to a stop in front of a very large, very locked door.

“This is the one.” Hordak approached the terminal. “I should still have the code, Prime never changes the codes, merely gives them to the next appropriate clone; there is no successor alive to maintain the codes.”

“Except for you!”

Hordak found himself smiling. “Except for me, indeed. Though, I doubt it will work anymore.” Quickly, he used his hand to unlock the terminal and quickly input his code. To Hordak's surprise, it unlocked. “Surprising, considering that I was the only one to have ever held this position. I would have thought Prime would have erased my code.”

“Oh really? Fascinating . You have to tell me more sometime!!”

“Of course, Starlight. But right now we need to blow up everything in this room. Not only will it sever the Hive Mind as we know it, but it will also prevent Horde Prime from being able to return.” This plan was a thought originally when Hordak was going through viable options for destroying Prime, but when comparing the risks of leading an army into the labyrinth that is the Velvet Glove, the idea was out of the question. 

Entrapta pulled some cylindrical items from her pockets. “Will these do?”

“Explosives?”

“I made them just in case. You never know when you may need to blow something up!”

“You always manage to surprise me.” Hordak held out his hand. “Shall we?” 

And Entrapta put her hand in his. 

–

Meanwhile, on the surface of Etheria, Bow was sweating. Completing the code input was harder than he thought it would be. Though it was technically “done”, he needed to download and deploy Entrapta’s very, very complex code. 

“Come on, Bow…you can do it!” His brow was covered in sweat, knowing the consequences should he mess up.

–

They walked out of the rigged room, hand-in-hand. It was almost poetic, the way this was coming to an end: the god he had known all his life was about to be completely, utterly destroyed, and he didn’t even feel the slightest bit guilty about it. It could have been the adrenaline, but it was likely because, though Hordak would never admit it, the clone had finally found something good to live for, a new Light. Only this one was because he wanted to. And what’s more, he was wanted in return. 

That felt better than any ounce of false praise Prime had ever given him. 

Of course, Entrapta had asked to download some of Prime’s databanks, mostly those concerning stories of the universe and cloning history. Hordak had the rest of the information in his own mind; perks of being the ex-right-hand man. 

They walked to the farthest room with a teleportation module possible, the clones seemingly nowhere to be found. The pair did find it a little odd, but did not ponder it long. When they got close enough to the teleportation room, Entrapta pulled up the trigger on her datapad. “Would you like to do the honors?”

“You are sure you have everything you need?”

Entrapta sighed. “Yes, Hordak. I got everything worth keeping, and trust me, I am dying to go over it! But we need to end this first. So?”

Hordak paused his movements. This brought unfelt feelings to the surface. They were really about to destroy it all; every single bit of Prime, of his creator, was about to be obliterated. Everything aside from what existed in his own mind, that of the clones, and what Entrapta had downloaded, was all about to be gone. “He will finally be destroyed forever.” It was almost as if a massive weight had been lifted off his chest. All of his existence revolved around Prime. There were times he wished He would not come for him, it was true, but at the end of the day, Prime was everything he had known. 

Now, however, he had alternate loyalties.   

“Do it, Entrapta.” The princess pushed the detonation button on her datapad. The part of the ship containing the banks exploded in a red cacophony of smoke and flames; they could hear the destruction from where they were on the other side of the Velvet Glove. 

“Now. Should we head back to Etheria? See how everyone is fairing?”

“Indeed.” Hordak input the coordinates for the battleground into the computer and then went to stand in the center of the device, hand-in-hand with Entrapta. She smiled at him brightly, and he would have smiled back if not for the tug in his mind, consuming him in this moment. 

–

Impossible. I no longer have the neuron. 

Oh, Little Brother. It is as you said: I made you for me. You and I are always connected, no matter what neurons you think you’ve destroyed. 

Hordak’s eyes remained red, but when Entrapta went to congratulate him on a successful mission, she noticed the white pupils in his sclera. 

“Hordak…?” She squeaked and backed up. 

“Oh, little rebel. The mind you call ‘Hordak’ is no longer here.”

“No! No, no, no. Hordak! I know you can hear me.”

Entrapta…

“Silence!” Hearing Prime with Hordak’s voice felt wrong. Before Entrapta could do anything, she felt familiar hands grab at her pigtails, but with a force much stronger than they would ever inflict. 

Fight, Starlight. Hordak was fighting his own battle, a battle of the mind. He was conscious, but his body was out of reach. It felt much different than being controlled by Prime whilst in the Hive Mind, which felt voluntary but violating, like an itch you could not quite shake. This felt like Hordak was being locked out of his being, forced to give up his very essence. Prime had total control over his body; he could not even attempt to move a toe, but he could see and communicate with Prime. His mind was cohabitating with Prime’s, only he was the dog sent to the outhouse. 

With Entrapta’s hair trapped in the clone’s tight grasp, Prime moved to the highest peak, overseeing the battlefield; however, there was no battle. The clones stood in confusion, and The Rebellion hugged and cheered. 

Bow did it. You do not have your army anymore, Prime.

Prime growled. There are always more.

Not this time. You have no Hive. You are finished.

On the contrary, I can still get to the Heart.

The realization hit Hordak like a ton of bricks. He knew Prime knew about the Heart of Etheria, knew he was drilling into the center of the planet trying to find it. 

He never suspected he had actually succeeded. Now he just had to hope Adora got to it first. 

“Rejoice, Etheria! For your day of reckoning has come!”

Hordak saw Queen Glimmer gasp. He could hear the whispers of The Rebellion. They thought that it was Hordak who had betrayed them, but when they saw the way his talons clawed at Entrapta's hair, his red scelera tainted with white, they knew it couldn't be. Though they knew Prime’s army was destroyed, they also knew He was more powerful than they could ever imagine. 

Just as he was preparing for the only real course of action, the death of his own body to expel Prime’s mind, a blinding light appeared from in front of the spire, enough to shock his body’s senses and send it to the floor. He dropped Entrapta in the process, and she moved to get away from him, though she did not entirely want to. When Prime opened his eyes, they were face-to-face with a form of She-Ra Hordak had only seen through the Hive Mind. Prime moved his eyes around, and Hordak saw green and magic flitting around him. 

She did it. Prime struggled against her hands and she placed them on the sides of his face, then she closed her eyes and Hordak felt a rush of magic through him. 

No. This is not the end of Horde Prime.

Yes, it is. A new voice, Adora’s, rang out, and Prime’s essence was expelled from Hordak’s body. He yelled in a slight bit of pain as something shot out of his back, hearing a rip in his tabard behind him. When he opened his eyes, he gasped, both in relief and shock. 

“Whoa.” Adora looked to the side of him, and Hordak did the same. What he saw was a pair of navy blue and red wings, akin to those of a bat. They were bloody, weak, but they were there. Huge and marvelous, draping around his body like a cape. His body also felt stronger, more so than it had with Entrapta's armor. “Wel-welcome back, Hordak,” Adora shook herself out of her daze, equally as shocked as to what happened. 

“Adora,” he breathed. She-Ra stood, and the next second, Hordak found himself thrown fully to the ground by a barreling flash of lilac. 

“Hordak!” The being straddled him, making him fall to the floor off-balance, and cupped his face with her gloved hands, similarly to how Adora did, but with a much more comforting, familiar touch. Hordak’s ears tipped down with affection. 

“Entrapta.”

“You’re okay! You’re you! You have wings .”

He found himself releasing a chuckle. “That I do. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I mean my lab partner did get possessed but…”

“I am sorry. For pulling your hair.”

“It’s alright! I knew it wasn’t you. How did that happen anyway?” Entrapta asked as she got off of Hordak and helped him to stand. He was slightly dizzy and very worn out, but his body hurt less than he thought it would. They would need to study that later. 

“It is because of the connection I shared with Prime. Being His top general, we had a special connection, apparently one that went beyond any inhibitor neuron.”

“Fascinating. I wonder how he did that. Maybe it’s in the notes I got! And these,” she reached out with a tendril of hair to point at his wings, “are these normal for your species?”

“I–I have no idea. I know we came from somewhere, long ago, but that information was never exactly doled out by Prime.” Hordak pointed to her datapad, containing everything they had extracted from the Velvet Glove. “Those notes are the only surviving knowledge of Prime’s empire, save for what the clones and I are aware of.”

“I know ! Isn’t it exciting?! I wonder if they say anything about…all this.”

Hordak could only smile at her, happy to have this all back. He didn’t know what the princesses would do to him, what his fate held knowing all he did, but he could only enjoy this moment, now, with the one being he loved.

As he looked around, he realized that all of his brothers were free now, and that this was only the beginning of a very long road. 

Chapter Text

“Well, we can’t exactly let him off scot-free.”

“Nobody’s saying that, but, he did kind of save the universe.”

A groan. “Damnit, Adora. Why are you siding with him?”

“I-I think he’s changed. For the better. Listen, I looked into his mind. While I was destroying Prime. He has no intention of doing anything villainous. He just wants to be happy. Find peace. Even you have to admit he wasn’t as malicious as he appeared, Glimmer.”

“What about all the atrocities he commited? He activated a portal that almost wiped us out of existence!”

“Heh, actually that was me. And the invasion on Selineas. And Entrapta ending up on Beast Island.”

“Ok, but he started the war.”

“To get back to his god!” Adora sighed, taking a breather. “Any way you swing this, there’s an explanation. I’m not saying excuse him entirely, but, I think he deserves a chance to change. Like Catra.”

The room was silent for a moment, then the queen spoke. “Community service. We could send him to rebuild Sealineas. And maybe clean up Beast Island?”

The people in the room nodded, then the cat spoke up. “I-I want to fix what I did, too. Send me to the Fright Zone. With Scorpia. I’ll rebuild her kingdom.”

“My…my kingdom?”

“Well, yeah. The Fright Zone was your family’s before Hordak arrived.”
The scorpion-hybrid looked back in shock. “I get to lead?”

Glimmer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s yours if you want it.”

Scorpia thought for a moment. “I do.”

“Then it’s settled! Hordak will repair Selineas, then Beast Island.”

“What about the elephant in the room?” Some sighed, some groaned. “They’re kinda a packaged deal now.”

“We’re going to need Entrapta if we’re going to go explore the universe, though,” Bow started. “There’s only so much I can do, she knows more about Mara’s ship than I do.”

“We’ll start small. Start in the neighboring planets. I can’t be gone long anyway, we have queendoms to run, and my dad doesn’t have the same authority as he did.” 

“Will she agree to that though?”

“As much as I hate to say it, she did have a hand in the war. She built the bots we were fighting. I think this can be her retribution.”

“Is that fair though? Splitting them up after they’ve only just found each other? After they tried to save the world?” Adora found herself looking at Catra, the two of them sharing the same look.

“Knowing them, they’ll design some type of communication so they can stay in touch.”

Adora sighed. “Alright. Are we all in agreement?” The room nodded again. “Let’s go tell them, then.”

–

“This is…much more bright than I am used to.”

Entrapta plopped down on the plush bed, swinging her legs. “When I was here the first time, I thought the same thing. It is called Bright Moon, after all.”

Hordak looked back at her. “I wonder what they will decide to do with me. Imprisonment or killing me entirely?”

Entrapta gasped. “They won’t do that. They can’t. Not after all you did.”

“That is exactly it. What I did was start a war, kill hundreds, bring Prime and his armies to wipe out the planet. I brought destruction. It is only fair that they destory me in return.”

He felt a tendril of hair on his shoulder. “I won’t let them hurt you. I’m a princess too, I have a say.”

“You are not entirely innocent in their eyes either, my dear. There is a reason you are not in that room right now.”

“In any case. The data doesn’t show that they’re that malicious. Look-” a datapad was thrust in his face, showing charts and graphs.

“If I have to die to make sure they did not hurt you, I would do so in an instant.”

Before Entrapta had the opportunity to respond, the door to the room opened to reveal Queen Glimmer, Adora, Bow, and Catra. “We’ve reached an agreement.”

“Very well.” Together, Entrapta and Hordak walked out of the room, shocked to find that there were no guards accompanying them. Though he supposed that the “Best Friend Squad” would be secure enough.

They were brought to the war room, where the princesses had gathered to discuss their punishment. Entrapta took her seat at her chair, and Hordak sat opposite Glimmer in a new, basic chair. They didn’t tie him up or stop him from maneuvering his new wings around the back of the chair. He also noticed a distinct lack of a certain cat.

The queen cleared her throat. “Ex-Lord Hordak of the Fright Zone and the Etherian Horde. The Princess Allaince thanks you for the effort you put forth to stop the Galatic Horde. We understand that this was a…hard decision for you to make, and we appreciate your efforts. We understand that you are a changed man, but we cannot excuse your crimes against Etheria for the past 32 years. We have to decided…”

Time seemed to slow for Hordak. Prime would have ordered an execution; all of this would be over in a matter of seconds if anyone waged war against the might of the Galactic Horde. Death was all he’d known as punishment, either that or experimentation. Prison was also an option, but Hordak did not believe he deserved anything less than death; just because he helped them did not mean he was worthy. 

“...you will be tasked with rebuilding Selineas. After which, you will be sent to Beast Island to clean it up. Your home will be Dryl, under the care of Princess Entrapta.” His ears buzzed. He heard Entrapta squeal, and the princesses gazed at him as the words were not loading properly in his mind.

I am not going to die?

“Now, we will give you a week in Dryl before beginning your work. You will be with your soldiers, rebuilding the Sea Gate and the surrounding towns that were destroyed during the war. Do you agree to these condtions?”

“I-I. Yes.” Glimmer flicked her hand, and a contract appeared. "Sign on the dotted line, please. This is a treaty between you and the Princess Alliance. It relinquishes your title of Lord of the Fright Zone and any claims to the territory, placing them in the care of Princess Scorpia. It also states the terms we just discussed.”

“After I complete these…tasks, what happens then?”

Glimmer looked at him with an expression he could not quite place. It wasn’t pity, but it wasn’t stern either. “Whatever you want. You will be free.”

Free. The foreign word lingered in Hordak’s mind as he signed the contract. 

“Now. Princess Entrapta. Your actions, your deflection from the Princess Allaince is not forgotten. However, because you are a princess, the only thing we ask of you is that you aid in our mission to restore peace to the galaxy. You will be our Chief Engineer aboard the First Ones’ ship.”

“I get to go to space? Sign me up!” Entrapta’s glee died as quickly as it appeared. “But then…what about Hordak?”

This was the moment Glimmer and the rest of the princesses dreaded. Adora softened her gaze and looked at Entrapta, speaking to both of them gently. “You will be separated. But only for short periods of time. We won’t be gone for long periods of time, just long enough to visit the nearby planets as much as we can. We need you, Enrapta. No one knows this ship like you do. Then, when we’re done, you can do whatever you want.” 

Entrapta didn’t have the strength to argue; she was just happy Hordak wasn’t going to die. Her data didn’t indicate he would, but there was a moment of dread that coursed through her while Glimmer was speaking. But now, they could make it work. “Alright. I’ll go with you.” Entrapta turned to look at Hordak longingly. Both of their faces were coated with mixed emotions. “Can we go to Dryl tonight?”

“Yes. We will take you there.”

–

Within the next hour, Hordak and Entrapta packed up their stuff. Not that they had much in Bright Moon, but Entrapta’s tech from the spire and some of her materials that were recovered from the hideout were given back to her. 

Hordak was stacking her things when a jolt of something not quite electric shot through one of the tubes on his arms. He let out a yelp and his wings flared, hitting a painting on the wall. Entrapta immediately rushed over to him: “What happened?”

“Glitch in my right arm port.”

Her hair reached into her still-open tool kit and produced the best equipment she had on her. “I won’t be able to fully repair your armor or your support; it was damaged too much during the fight, but I can fix it so you at least have fewer of these flares.”

“I would appreciate that,” Hordak looked behind him, as his wings slowly came back down. “I still cannot figure out how this happened.”

“Well, we still haven’t been able to go through the information I extracted from Horde Prime’s ship, but I suspect it’s some type of gene from your species’ original DNA. it may have been suppressed until She-Ra healed some of your body.”

Indeed, Hordak felt stronger, though still not as he had before his def-no, imperfection originally made itself known. They suspected that when She-Ra purged Prime from his mind, wiping his essence from existence, that she had done something to heal his body in the process. Entrapta had seen her bring Catra back from almost death, so it wasn’t too far of a stretch to assume that she had done something to change his body.

Hence, wings.

They had proven quite troublesome in the beginning, getting in the way because they were too weak for Hordak to control originally. In the three days they had stayed in the Whispering Woods, the Alliance had been figuring out what to do, and he had done exercises that Entrapta had looked up that were said to help bats learn to fly. They supposed, perhaps, in a few months' time, he too would be able to fly, or at least glide, but they would experiment with that in the Crypto Castle with Entrapta’s proper tools. 

In the meantime, he let the wings drape around his body like a cloak. They were surprisingly warm and durable. In the nights they spent here, he had used them like a blanket, draping over him and Entrapta as they slept peacefully and together for the first time in probably a year.

It felt different. When they were in the Fright Zone, such an arrangement didn’t even cross their minds. Hordak had no idea what his emotions were screaming at him, and Entrapta didn’t want to scare him off, so she instead was around him every moment she got, touching him with her hair. It was enough, back then. During the war with Prime, when they shared this same small cot in the center of the Etherian base, Hordak was at peace. He was vigilant as he still did not fully trust that the Rebellion would not strike him down as he slept, but the clone only needed two hours of rest; the majority of the night was spent holding Entrapta, something he thought he would never do. He was still doing that now, but his wings provided an extra bit of comfort and security he didn’t know he needed. 

Now, they were free to love openly and without consequence. The entirety of the planet knew they were in a relationship, and they were free to express that relationship. Though they weren’t quite free yet, for the first time, Hordak felt like he had control over his life. 

“They let me live.”

“Of course they did, silly. I told you they wouldn’t kill you. And I wouldn’t have let them.” Hordak cursed internally, not expecting to say that out loud, but the comforting tendril of hair that stroked his cheek made him happy he didn’t die. He had thought it was the most sound course of action because of his time with Horde Prime, but now he thanked the stars that he hadn’t, because now he had the rest of his life to spend with his Starlight.

Quicker than he registered, he approached Entrapta and pulled her face into a kiss. She reciprocated instantly, drawing her hands to his neck and pulling herself up with her hair, so he could straighten out; of course, she knew such a position would hurt his back, his clever, beautiful Entrapta.

And she was his. 

He wanted to deepen the kiss, but a knock at the door interrupted them. The door opened, revealing Adora.

“Are you two ready?”

“Yes!! Oh we get to go to Dryl! I can’t wait to show you all the traps I have!” The way Entrapta looked at him, so genuinely excited to share her home with him, his heart could have failed right then and there. 

Instead, he nodded. “Let us go.”

–

Adora took them to the courtyard where they parked Mara’s ship.

“Darla! I missed you.” Entrapta ran to the ship, giving the side of the docking ramp the second biggest hug she had ever given, aside from the many she had given Hordak. Bright Moon personnel and Entrapta’s hair started loading their things onto the ship. He stared at her longingly, happy that she was happy, but at the same time letting the feeling of guilt seep into his veins. He hadn’t been the first one to take her to space, to show her the stars. She had only been there in the first place out of necessity to save Queen Glimmer from a being he summoned. 

“Hordak! Are you coming? I want to introduce you to Darla!”

Adora looked at him softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to fight anymore. Be the you I saw. The peace you desire. It’s right there.”

Hordak looked at her, then at Entrapta, and back to her. “Thank you, Adora. For saving my life. And hers. I am forever in your debt.”

She snorted. “Let it be payment for you giving me all that information on She-Ra. Maybe now I can find out what really happened.”

“I will scan the databanks Entrapta downloaded off of Horde Prime’s ship. See what he knew.”

“I-I would appreciate that. Go, enjoy your life.”

He bowed his head, then moved to Entrapta, who met him halfway, grabbed his taloned hand, and practically dragged him onto the ship. Adora stood back, watching them, and smiled brightly.  

“What are we lookin’ at?” Catra appeared behind her with Melog, looking at a now empty entrance to the ship.

“Hordak…he’s changed so much.”

Catra looked at the ground, her guilt as prevalent as it had been since she apologized to Entrapta. She rubbed her arm, stroking against her fur to help calm her. “He was happier with Entrapta. I-in the Fright Zone. He didn’t yell as much. And she…she saved my life, once. I hated their relationship. How she infiltrated his life so easily yet I had to prove myself time and time again. But, I get it now. He was lonely, like I was. He was angry at a problem he tried so hard to solve for decades. He’ll never forgive me for what I did….”

Adora wrapped her arm around her girlfriend. “But you can at least show him that you’re working on being better. You’ve already shown us. She gave him something he thought he couldn’t have. And now, it’s something he can’t bare to lose.”

“In other words, he’s whipped.” Adora chuckled. “What? She has him wrapped around her gloved finger. He told me himself ‘the second you do anything to hurt her, I will come for you personally,’” Catra did her best impersonation of Hordak, making Adora laugh harder. 

“You know he would, too. Come on, let’s get them out of our hair for now.” Catra almost didn’t come on this trip. To be honest, she still feared Hordak and his wrath. Heck, he has wings now, just when she thought he couldn’t look more imposing. She walked on to the ship, Adora’s arm still wrapped around her shoulders. It grounded her, kept her sane. When they made it to the cockpit of the ship, she almost cowered, staring at Hordak’s back. 

Then, she saw him smile. She had seen him look at Entrapta with the most goo-goo looking expression she had ever seen, but he hadn’t seen him full-on smile before. Like that, he looked almost harmless. 

Until he opened his eyes and snapped his head to look at the source of the footsteps he had heard. Catra rubbed her neck, not meeting his gaze.

For Hordak’s part, from the time he spoke with Catra until now, he pondered her apology. He stood by what he said, that she would not live another day if anything happened to Entrapta, but after coming to understand Adora’s childhood, he started to understand Catra’s, too. Her desperation to prove herself constantly, to rise to the occasion. He admired her gall, it reminded him of himself, striving to please Prime his entire life. Unlike Prime, he allowed himself to give her too much power, to the point that she made brash, shattering decisions. She was not old enough or knowledgeable enough to make the calls she made, especially when plotting the attack on Selineas, which had been the most reckless plan, and he agreed to it without a second thought. It wasn’t that he cared about the war anymore, anyway, so consumed by Entrapta’s “betrayal” that had clouded his judgment. He hated himself for allowing her to deceive him, and therefore could never truly forgive her for sending his love to die. Though he could understand her, and when he looked at her tail fluff up with fear just from him looking at her, he realized that she finally understood that she hurt him.

That would have to be enough for now. 

The takeoff was…awkward to say the least. Hordak took the captain’s seat, effortlessly navigating the system and initiating the thrusters.

“Um…how do you know the ship so well?” Adora watched him skeptically. She had manifested her sword, thinking she needed it to activate the ship. 

“I have piloted hundreds of ships from countless galaxies, the mechanisms are similar enough, archaic as this machine is. There is an override code that disables the need for She-Ra.”

“Facsincating. You have to explain them to me!”

He smiled again, “Of course, Starlight.” Catra almost dropped her jaw in shock. She knew they were a thing; there wasn’t a single Etherian who didn’t, but nicknames? 

She really wished she had paid more attention while they were at the Rebellion base. 

Contrary to popular belief, Dryl was the closest queendom to Bright Moon. It was on the same continent and was walkable if you had a week. That made this flight exceptionally short, especially given Darla’s advanced engine system. Hordak was truthfully intrigued by the ship. He had only seen it flying through the Hive Mind, but flying it made him realize that it was the perfect combination of tech and magic.

No wonder Entrapta was so eager to tear it apart and study it. 

He had quickly overridden the necessity for a designated pilot, as he had done so many times before when he was a boots-on-the-ground general for Horde Prime. It was over a century since he had conducted battle for the Lord in such a capacity, but this was something that had been wired into his brain; he was bred for it.

They landed in front of the Crypto Castle in an hour, touching down in the smoothest landing the ship had seen. 

“Wow. You really know your stuff.”

“I spent over a century leading a galactic army, Adora. I believe I should ‘know my stuff’.”

Catra made a sound between a shocked gasp and a squeal. “You’re how old?”

Hordak sighed. He would have glared at Catra and said it was none of her business, but in all honesty, he knew this was a conversation he was going to continue to have for probably the rest of his life. “By my count, almost 200 Etherian years old.”

Adora responded, seeing that Catra was far more shocked than she was. She suspected he was older, due to his military prowess, and it was a common rumor in the Fright Zone that he wasn’t entirely Etherian. “Entrapta, did you know that?”

“Oh yeah! He told me while we were preparing to fight Prime! His current body’s only about 35 though!”

“His current…you know what? I don’t care. Go and do your…science stuff together.” Adora’s face burned red with this new information. Catra just stood in the corner, flabbergasted. It made sense, the more they pondered, but honestly, both of them were too in shock to do much about it. They would go back to Bright Moon and tell Bow and Glimmer about their…discovery, and probably talk about it all night during their sleepover tonight. 

“I’ll program my bots to come to the ship and help us unload!” Entrapta broke the uncomfortable silence, typed something on her datapad, and then bounced on her hair over to Hordak. “Let’s go!” She wrapped a tendril of her hair around his waist and pulled him up from the captain’s seat, dragging him off the ship. “Give my bots a few minutes to arrive, then they’ll take care of unloading! Thanks for dropping us off, Adora!” Entrapta waved at them on her way out, Hordak still in tow. He bowed slightly to Adora and let Entrapta’s hair drag him along. 

Adora and Catra looked at each other. 

“What…what just happened?”

“I dunno. But I’m gonna go wait on the ship; this is way too weird for me.” Catra turned around and walked back up the ramp. Adora looked out and, in the distance, saw Entrapta’s bots approaching. She turned around and followed Catra, hoping they would offload everything quickly and they could fly themselves back to Bright Moon.

–

“Eager, aren’t we?”

“Of course! I can’t wait to show you everything! The portraits, the kitchen, the super intricate traps, most of which are probably not deadly. And of course: my lab!”

Hordak’s ears tipped down affectionately, and his eyelids drooped as he looked at Entrapta with all the love he had for her. “I, too, cannot wait.”

“Then let’s go!” Entrapta’s pace would have been faster than any Etherian could keep up with, but Hordak thanked his long legs as they carried him farther than the general person. He had never personally been to Dryl, but he had heard, seen, and researched it extensively, and there wasn’t much about the mountain queendom. It was mostly forgotten, left to exist on its own without any input from the others. Only when the Princess Rebellion needed to be reformed had Dryl seen its first visitors in years. 

Now, however, it would be home to the freed clones of Horde Prime.

That decision had been an easy one for the Alliance. After working with Wrong Hordak, now Kadroh, for weeks, they realized that the clones would share a similar type of panic that he had when he was disconnected from the Hive Mind prematurely. They also realized that while Hordak had accountability for his actions in the decades he built his own Horde, the clones didn’t. Therefore, they were innocent, and resources would go towards individualizing and helping them acclimate to the world they found themselves in. 

Dryl was the perfect place to put them; it was mostly uninhabited, it was secluded, and Hordak and Entrapta knew the most about the clones. It was the best place to help them before they fully embraced Etheria. It would be a long journey, but they would make it work.

They always did.

Entrapta took him into the castle. It was spacious, a maze essentially. He took some time internally mapping the place in his mind as she led him through the rooms. 

The princess herself hasn’t set foot in her own palace in over a year. The beauty of Dryl was that it was self-sustaining. It could exist and function without her. Most of her inhabitants knew how to govern themselves, with a committee making most of the poultry decisions for her. Since her parents perished before she was of ruling age, the kingdom elected a sort of senate designed to help her rule, and because she never really showed interest in governing, they stayed. It was because of that and the overarching autonomy of her queendom that allowed the scientist to spend her years in her palace with her machines. 

She showed Hordak all the relevant rooms: her lab, her old lab, her childhood lab, her teenage lab, her bedroom, and the kitchens, promising him an exploration of the mines at a later date. She was surprised to find her kitchen staff back, resetting the kitchen. She saw them at the rebel camp, and they had joined the fight. They weren’t surprised to see Hordak with her; everyone knew they had gotten close since she rescued him. However, seeing him look so…domestic in the palace they had known their whole lives was strange. They shrugged it off quickly, having known many stranger things since cooking for Entrapta. 

“Well! That’s it!” Entrapta stopped them in front of her bedroom door, clapping her gloved hands. Hordak took stock of the rooms he had seen; he knew that Entrapta was different, and she told him how she redesigned the palace to suit her better, but still, there was a question nagging at the back of his skull. 

“Where is your throne?”

Entrapta paused her glee, her hair depositing her on her feet. She stared up at Hordak in confusion. “I have one, but I don’t really see the need to use it. I haven’t made decisions for Dryl in…oh, five years? My committee usually takes care of all that. And nobody comes to visit, and even if they do, I’m not one for formalities.”

“If you would not mind, I would like to see it.”

“Okay, if you want.” She took his hand in a tendril of hair and led him down the wavering hallways until they came upon a grand room. The ceilings were high and the room was vast. There was a purple and pink long carpet beneath their feet, and Hordak tracked it up to a large metallic throne, but entirely unlike the one he had in the Fright Zone. On the walls, he noticed portraits with vastly different techniques used in each of them, tracing back centuries. “Those are my ancestors,” Entrapta interrupted his musings. He stared at her, and she explained. “They used this room more than I do, but the hair genetics span across all of them. They all had a passion for science, but studied it differently, given the times, of course.” She sighed, reaching up to stroke a particular portrait, one of the newer ones. “These were my parents. They died 15 years ago, on an expedition to Beast Island. A part of me hoped to see them when I was there, but…I didn’t.” Tears began to prick Entrapta’s eyes, and she wiped them away with some hair. She felt the presence of someone behind her.

“May I touch you?” At her nod, Hordak moved to place her chin a taloned hand, moving her face gently to took into her eyes. “I am so sorry your parents perished. And I am so sorry you almost shared their fate. Their deaths are not in vain, and they did not leave this world without making their mark. They would be so proud of you, Entrapta. That I know.” Hordak’s eyes comforted Entrapta more than she would ever admit, and in a moment, she tackled him in a hug, wrapping her hair around every limb she could come into contact with. She snuggled deeper into his chest; any more, she would have fused with him entirely. Her eyes didn’t leak, but she shuddered with emotion, her eyes unfocused. Hordak held her close and stood carefully, then retraced his steps to her bedroom. 

Opening the bedroom door effortlessly, Hordak strode in. “May I place you on your bed?” Entrapta nodded against his chest, and he moved to set her down with a lightness that would rival a feather. He gently pulled her mask off, setting it on the nightstand to her side. “I should remove your boots,” he moved to do so, and Entrapta, still in her disassociated daze, shimmed out of her coveralls and shoulder top, leaving her in her underwear and tube top. Hordak tried not to stare, but his ears drooped as he placed her soft comforter over her. He hadn’t even really taken in the room, too absorbed in helping her. He placed a kiss on her forehead and straightened, making to leave. He felt a tendril of hair wrap around his hand, it was weak, he could easily remove himself from it if he wanted, but he looked back.

He was met with Entrapta’s gorgeous eyes that gazed at him. “Stay. Please.” The weakness in her voice and her obvious desperation made Hordak’s heart squeeze, and he made quick work of removing his assistive devices before climbing into bed with her. Immediately, she nestled into his side, wrapping everything she could around him as if he was going to suddenly disappear. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Starlight.” He listened to her breathing even out, and soon he joined her. The path would be long, so much was planned for them, but at least they had each other’s souls. Nothing could ever rip them apart, nor would they allow it.