For the first time since Horde Prime had come to Etheria, Hordak found himself at the center of the planet's attention. He stood in his clone uniform on the edge of a Bright Moon balcony, ready to give a speech. Not only to his former army (which had collapsed into disarray and aligned with rebels in his absence), but also to the rebels. His former enemies. Never had Hordak thought he would come to Bright Moon under peaceful circumstances.

Civilians mingled in the crowd as well. The parties gathered watched him with a combination of fear and… something else. Something colder. Anger, perhaps?

No, not anger. Hatred. Hordak's time with the hive mind had rendered his grasp of individual emotions difficult. As always, these Etherians were so very emotional. Hordak had to watch how he addressed them with great care.

"...Hello, Etheria. You might remember me as Hordak, the man who sought to imitate Horde Prime's invasion tactics on your home planet. I led my own Horde Army through a concerted military campaign that caused decades of war."

Hatred intensifies. The crowd began to boo. Even some former Horde soldiers jeered.

This speech was off to a great start. Hordak looked behind him for support. Outside the crowd's view stood the so-called Princess Alliance. They had just concluded their post-war negotiations. The choice for Hordak to give the first public speech was deliberate. The people of Etheria deserved to know how they would live now that Horde Prime was gone.

To their credit, the alliance did offer the ex-warlord some encouragement. The archer boy, Bow, gave Hordak a thumbs up. A Horde clone convert had the gall to wink at Hordak from Entrapta's side. Entrapta herself waved, eyes still glittering from the joy of their reunion.

Hordak's fist closed around a small purple crystal. The sight of Entrapta gave Hordak the strength he needed to continue. His voice soared above the booing crowd to say what needed to be said. "Perhaps you would like to know why I committed the atrocities I did against your people." Hordak swallowed his pride, then forced himself to reveal what he had told only one person before. "I was… ah. I am a clone of Horde Prime, just like any of the others you met and fought. In the beginning, I was a part of the hive mind with no identity of my own. For a time, I believed that was the ideal way to live.

"When Horde Prime found out I had not been made to perfection, he cast me aside. He threw me into your shadow dimension so that no one from his domain could ever bear witness my failure. I was… broken. When I first arrived on Etheira, I believed that if I emulated Horde Prime's ways, if I brought his 'light' to a new, unconquered world, then Horde Prime would see me differently. I would be a failure no longer."

Hordak sighed. He hung his head. "Yet I am not Horde Prime. His ways could not be my ways as I set out to conquer your planet. I could not create clones, so I trained your own people to obey my ways. I could not use a hive mind for control, so I employed fear. The more I attempted to imitate Horde Prime, the clearer it became that I would never be him.

"Now, I do not ever want to be him. I am not Horde Prime, but Hordak. Despite all I have done, I have a life of my own. You Etherians have taught me how to live as myself, how to experience… true companionship." Hordak hung his head. "I was wrong to impose my ways on you. Your… rebellion's ways are the envy of the universe. All who discount your strength are utter fools!"

The crowd… it didn't cheer for him. But the tide of booing did subside. The crowd was listening in earnest now. Hordak maintained his image of contrition as he offered his surrender. "I renounce my claim to the area known as the Fright Zone. In exchange for peace, I shall live out the rest of my days in private. I promise to never again raise a conquest against Etheria. While the Horde Army has already disbanded in effect, I formally renounce my command of their forces. Instead, I offer the rule of my previous domain to ex-Force Captain Catra, my second in command."

Hordak's face scrunched up as he made his final offer. He knew what was coming next, but it still pained him to (in effect) reward the feline fatale who had betrayed him so severely. Who had hurt Entrapta so dearly.

Even now, only Entrapta's words prevented Hordak from resuming his crusade against Catra. "Oh, Catra's great now! I forgave her ages ago. Beast Island didn't hurt me. I learned so much about the planet while I was there." Her pink eyes softened. "The only bad part was I couldn't share my findings with… well, anyone. Not even my lab partner."

With repressed disgust, Hordak stepped away from Catra as she strutted into the crowd's view. She received a few boos herself, but the crowd didn't react as intensely as they had for Hordak. Catra leaned forward on the railing, eyes shining as she scanned the crowd. "Thank you, Lord Hordak. Now that I command the Horde Army and the Fright Zone, nothing can stop me from ruling the world! We ride at dawn, soldiers!"

With that, Catra surpassed Hordak in booing volume. Even the alliance behind them wasn't amused. The leaf princess spoke first. "Really, Catra? We can't have peace for one day?!"

"If you even think of invading Salineas again, little kitty, I. Will. Drown you. That is a promise."

Catra ignored the growing riot below and behind her, cackling in that uncanny way of hers. Hordak flinched at the sound. Her laugh had a way of soaring through a crowd, of cutting through the thickest tension. When Catra tried, her remarks cut sharper than any knife. "Calm down, I'm kidding. What, too soon?"

"YES!" Came the unanimous reply.

"Well, cool your jets. I'm not commanding another army any time soon. Someone's gotta watch out for Adora while she searches for magic in the rest of the universe, and it turns out I'm pretty good at saving She-Ra's life." Catra reminded the crowd of her recent achievements, as if to mock them for thinking she was still a conqueror at heart. She threw her arms back from the railing, swinging them in a 'what do you think of me now?' gesture.

Catra's command over a crowd was superior to Hordak's in every way. Hordak could not replicate it, but he recognized enough to admire it. "Look, I'm not actually taking over the Fright Zone. I... kinda made a mess of the place last time I had any power there. Instead, I want to return power to the princess who should have ruled it all along. I cede my claim of the land and its people to Princess Scorpia."

Even though she'd known this was coming, Scorpia still gave Catra a suffocating hug when she stepped forward. "Ohhhhh thank you, Catra! I promise I won't let you down." She put Catra down for the remainder of her address. "Hello Etheria! I, uh, accept rule over my grandfather's old kingdom. With a lot of rebuilding and the right reforms, the Fright Zone is going to turn its image around for the better. In a few years, we won't even be known as the Fright Zone anymore. I'm going to call us…" Scorpia threw her claws in the air, "the Fun Zone!"

The crowd cheered for the first time since the peace address started. Hordak wasn't too surprised; even back in the Horde, Scorpia had a reputation for her cheery demeanor and helpful attitude. She'd been a useful ally in keeping Horde soldiers in line, the unwitting carrot in a system built of sticks.

Scorpia continued to outline her vision for the Fright Zone's renovation. Hordak let her words wash over him, not paying much attention. Despite all the time Hordak had spent there, he had little love for the Fright Zone itself. His sanctum was broken beyond repair. A trio of ex-Horde soldiers had returned Imp to his care shortly after peace negotiations began. What else was there for Hordak at his former home?

No, living there would only remind Hordak of his prior aspirations. All of Etheria had heard him renounce his ways today. It was time for Hordak to find his own reason to live.

Lucky for Hordak, he already had an idea for how he would spend the remainder of his days. Entrapta came forward just then, ready to give the speech following Scorpia's. Her left ponytail waved to the crowd. "Hiiiiiiiiiii Etheria! It's me, Princess Entrapta. First thing's first, I'm super happy my device to disrupt the hive mind worked. Now that that test was a success, I can learn so much more about hive mind technology! It's a universe of discovery out there, and we've only scraped the surface of what's…"

"Ahem!" Bow coughed behind her, snapping Entrapta out of her ramblings.

"Right! But I promised the negotiating table I wouldn't install my own hive mind on Etheria. Or create another portal. Or do… a lot of things. Apparently some scientific discoveries are 'evil,' now?" She used air quotes for the last word, then shrugged. "Anyway, I promise to use my robots to help repair buildings, roads, and everything else the war destroyed. I also use my power as the princess of Dryl to, um… what's the word… oh, right! I used my power as princess to offer protection to all remaining Horde clones on the planet. If you find any, please don't kill them! Send them to me and Hordak and we'll teach them how to live on Etheria."

Entrapta's announcement came with mixed reception. Whispers and groans proliferated side by side with applause. Many in the crowd were familiar with Entrapta's work in some capacity, be it for the rebellion or the Horde. They knew her inventions were top notch. Her forces were invaluable to the rebuilding effort.

Entrapta's plan to adopt Horde clones was the point of concern here. Especially after her musings about installing another hive mind.

"Our brothers shall live with us once more?" asked the converted Horde clone from his place by the wall. It took Hordak a moment to realize the clone was addressing him.

He turned around to nod. Since Hordak wasn't addressing the crowd any longer, he kept his voice low. "Yes… brother. I have lived on Etheria for many years. Your life here will surpass your experience on Horde Prime's ship by a thousand fold."

Entrapta's attempts to assure the crowd only made the noise worse. "It's okay, Etheria. I've helped Horde clones through their existential crises before. Hordak and Wrong Hordak are both adapting beautifully to life on our planet. Together, we will turn the rest of their clone friends into proud citizens of Dryl!"

Hold it. Entrapta knew this converted clone by what name? Hordak sneered at his "brother," who wilted in the face of hostility. "What's wrong, brother?"

Hordak… wasn't sure. His hand tightened around Entrapta's crystal, nearly shattering it. He glanced down at the crystal, index finger tracing over the First Ones inscription. Four ancient letters marked the rune distinct: L, U, V, and D. An acronym of some sort, or so Hordak assumed. He could not decipher First Ones writing himself.

Bow stepped up to deliver the final piece of Entrapta's speech. Hordak didn't need to worry about missing anything. He leveled his tone before addressing the other clone, "you… will need another name, brother. There can only be one Hordak on this planet."

"I get a second name? How incredibly exciting!" This "other Hordak" practically jumped for joy. "What do you think it will be, brother?"

"Something suitable for your… eager nature. A name far less refined than my Hordak." If Hordak had been wearing a collar, he would have popped it. The clones' white hood didn't carry the same effect.

The rest of the speeches blurred together for Hordak. One after another, everyone from the negotiating table took turns describing the meaning of peace, the importance of forgiveness over revenge, and other such drivel. The last speech came from Adora, the She-Ra herself. She gave a long winded spiel about her imminent trip through the universe. Judging by the passion of the crowd, her words were well received.

Even the planet seemed to celebrate Adora. As her volume reached its peak, the sun parted through the clouds, bathing Adora in a warm golden light. Hordak glanced about for the caster of the magic, but found no one.

At least it was almost over. The speeches would end, Hordak would follow Entrapta back to Dryl, and the war would be over once and for all. Their lifetime of discoveries would begin. For reasons that eluded Hordak, the thought of experimenting with Entrapta gave him more pleasure than conquering Etheria ever had.

Was it because experiments could sometimes be successful? Conquering Etheria, on the other hand, had always failed. If Hordak became a successful scientist, he would no longer be a failure. He couldn't fail at conquest if he wasn't trying to conquer anyone.

...That could be part of it, but there was another piece to it. Hordak could sense its absence, but he didn't know what the other piece could be. Perhaps he would discover it later.

An endless stream of applause broke Hordak out of his reverie. Now that Bright Moon was coated in sunshine, its contradiction of destruction and hope were on display for everyone to see. And to think Bright Moon was the least damaged part of the planet.

Hordak stuck to Entrapta's side as the gathering broke up. With Emily, Imp, and the other clone in tow, the two began their journey to Entrapta's home. He brought up his point about names to her as they walked to their transport.

"Oh right! I guess Wrong Hordak should get a new name now that you're back with us." She rubbed her chin, giving the matter serious thought. "Do you think he'll like... Kadroh?"

"I would love to be known as Kadroh!" Kadroh leaned over Entrapta's shoulders, his fists pressed together in front of his chest. "I would be honored to accept a new name, Princess Entrapta."

Where did Entrapta get Kadroh? Wait. Hordak and Kadroh... Oh, very funny. Well, the clones' personalities were already mirror images of each other. Why not their names as well?

The feeling from before was back. The unknown aggression. Hordak shoved Kadroh away from Entrapta. "Show your new master more respect, brother."

"New master?" Entrapta's eyes widened. "I… guess I am these clones' new master. And so are you." She laughed. "Master Hordak!"

Hordak smiled without cause. "I haven't given away all my chances at power."

There were many things about this new order that confused Hordak. He had no idea how a world at peace was supposed to work. He didn't know what some of these feelings he had were. All he knew was that every mystery had Entrapta at its center. As long as he stayed by her, Hordak would find all the answers eventually.

He hoped the discovery took a lifetime.


A/N's: My girlfriend introduced me to She-Ra recently. I fucking loved it. My lesbian heart melted when Catra and Adora got their happy ending together.

So naturally, I'm writing for the background villain ship. Inspiration is a strange thing. Just an advance warning: I'm gearing up for smut in the final chapter. I have the rating at T right now, but it won't stay there. This chapter is just setting the premise for what's to come.

Hope you're enjoying so far! Thanks for stopping by to read.