Blood followed.

Impulse managed to blast two rebels, even though he was reluctant. He always was in... this part of the job.

He did manage to hold the perimeter though, that was good.

The battle lasted painfully long.

Until Princess Glimmer arrived with another rebel soldier and...

"Adora?" Impulse said half to himself.

Adora was the star cadet from Tango-A and a role model for some of the cadets. She was in uniform...ish... but wore a flower in her hair, was taking off a sparkly blue cloak and was walking side by side with a princess.

She was running into the heat of battle until a tank rolled over the rubble of what used to be a well to block her way; out stepping another Tango-A cadet, Catra, Adora's infamous partner in crime.

They were just out of Imp's earshot, but he could see them pretty well. At least he could see Adora's back pretty well.

They looked like they were greeting eachother. Catra point at the flower and Adora hastily took and dropped it.

A sentence or two later, Adora gestured to the smoking remains of the insurgent village. When he saw her face, it was pleading... what did she want, though?

Catra laughed... probably.

Adora continued.

Bdubs 'got' another rebel, but Impy hardly took notice.

Catra paused before pulling an 'obviously' gesture complete with a mean grin.

Adora recoiled as Catra continued.

Adora cut her off, spoke and took Catra's hands in hers.

Something about it made Impulse... feel something. He didn't know what but it was sort of confusing, yet freeing at the same time.

Catra looked hurt, speaking for a while this time.

Adora tried to respond but Catra zapped her with a baton before she could finish.

Adora rose, coughing, and the two back and forthed a while longer, body language seeping hostility.

Conversation was broken by the arrival of the soldier and Glimmer from earlier, Glimmer using some weird princess magic to teleport Adora to who knows where.

"Dude, are you ok?" Bdubs said out of the blue, shooting another rebel, "You've just been staring over there a couple minutes now."

Impy snapped out of it, "Oh? Oh yeah, I'm good, I'm good."

Bdubs sighed, "Good, cuz I thought you dozed off bac-"

A flash of light from beside them cut him off.

A no joke GLOWING warrior princess walked, just walked, out from the cover of the Whispering Woods, sword in hand. She looked suspiciously like Adora. 

She walked into the centre of the Horde's circle, too close to Imp and B, and thrust her sword into the ground.

Golden lightning cracked the rubble dusted rock beneath them, throwing half the Horde forces off balance.

People tried to fight her, but she crushed them as if swatting away flies. Soldier, robot, skiff, tank, nothing.

It was terrifying.

Bdubs was the one who ordered the retreat. A cadet was in no position to do that, but then and there, that was the least of their problems.

As Impulse boarded the skiff, he risked a glance back. 

Adora, holding that petrifying sword, her hair down like the warrior princess'.

Adora was the warrior princess.

Adora had fought against the Horde. 

That was the feeling Impulse had gotten earlier:

Rebellion.