History NightmareFuel / SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower

* Shadow Weaver being perfectly happy to risk Adora's life for what she thinks is the best way to defeat Horde Prime. Worst still is the fact that she only tells Adora about the risk of the Failsafe when she's forced to. Its just so cold and uncaring. When Adora asks what will happen if She-Ra isn't strong enough to take the power of centuries of built up magic, Shadow Weaver's is just concerned with telling Adora that it will be a worthy sacrifice almost unconcerned that the girl she raised almost from birth will die.

** His intent is also terrifying. Catra's chip was easy to damage and remove, indicating it's not something done often to his subjects. His response to Catras rescuse isn't to chip the Etherians, but to use an improved chip thats harder to remove and more efficient in bonding with their nervous system. The whole thing was a special "Screw You!" to Adora and the Rebellion.

* Catra is in Horde Prime's spaceship, looking out a window at Etheria below. Etheria's landscape is dotted with explosions, suggesting that Horde Prime's forces are inflicting massive damage.

* Scorpia implied in season 1 that her family joined the Horde willingly. A flashback here, however, implies that this might not have actually been the case...

* The last shot of season 2 is Adora fast asleep with Shadow Weaver looming over her.

* When Horde Prime receives Hordak's transmission through the portal, an old file on Hordak appears on Horde Prime's screen, complete with a [[https://66.media.tumblr.com/76f558cf3e6099f40b14f910706f3281/tumblr_pwq6eaY2bH1r3qwqao1_500.png picture]] of the clone with a monochromatic color scheme and uncharacteristic blank expression. Viewers learn in season 4 that this is exactly what the drone-clones look like. The picture is of Hordak before he became "Hordak", before his free will kicked in, when he was just another mindless drone in Horde Prime's army.

* Horde Prime proves to be ''much'' worse than his 80's incarnation ever was. Within minutes of his first on-screen appearance, he ruthlessly dismisses Hordak's attempts to conquer Etheria as a "waste of time" despite the latter having spent ''decades'' building up his army and empire from the ground up, gives him a brutal TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, and then casually orders Hordak sent for "reconditioning". And the season ends with both Glimmer and Catra at his mercy.

* Hordak reveals his plan is constructing portals. Entrapta is in awe with the possibility of moving armies across Etheria in an instant but he dismisses this as thinking too small, alluding to opening up to far-off planets and galaxies. Just what is his end goal? Bringing in even vaster armies? Summoning [[WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower Horde Prime]]? Returning Etheria to the Universe?
* The reveal of how Shadow Weaver "found" Adora: Shortly after joining the Horde, she saw two Horde soldiers with baby Adora, having found her while they were out doing what they do. Then Hordak, not really interested in the crying baby, tells them to just leave it in the infirmary with "the ''others''". So apparently the Horde just go around abducting the kids of people they kill.

* Catra defeats Hordak by knocking out the lights in his sanctum, pouncing on him, and ripping out the First Ones crystal powering his cybernetic exoskeleton before he can react. Doing so shorts out the life support functions of his exoskeleton. Hordak falls to his hands and knees, barely able to move and struggling to breathe. Catra's move was not only physically sadistic but emotionally sadistic, since the crystal was a gift to Hordak from [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Entrapta]] and Catra had recently lied to Hordak about Entrapta's supposed betrayal.
* In the "Protocol" episode, Kyle, Lonnie and Rogelio fall under a "spore storm", which is akin to an acid rain or a chemical attack. Even with its tame rating, the show doesn't shy away from the horrifying effects - a single spore landing on bare skin causes agony (and poor Kyle catches one ''on his tongue''), they slowly melt through armor, and after the trio are forced to go out into the thick of it, they're all covered in nasty burns. Seeing this happen to ''children'', after the previous episodes mostly dealt in AmusingInjuries, is unsettling to say the least.
* We finally find out why Mara turned against the First Ones and abandoned the mantle of She-Ra. Because the First Ones were actually ''{{Omnicidal Maniac}}s'' who transformed Etheria into a living weapon for the sole purpose of eradicating all life in the galaxy, because they saw all other life aside from themselves as "impure". Adora is so horrified by this that she willingly destroys the Sword in direct defiance of Light Hope.

*** And even then, Light Hope still manages to be sympathetic. Why? Because its ''then'' revealed that when Mara rebelled, Light Hope was actually genuinely considering her plea to give non-Etherian life a chance. How did the First Ones respond? ''By kidnapping Light Hope and [[BrainWashedAndCrazy forcibly reprogramming her]] into a mindless, emotionless tool'' with the sole directive of finding a new She-Ra to activate the Heart and begin the galaxy's cleansing.

* Horde Prime proves to be ''much'' worse than his 80's incarnation ever was. Within minutes of his first onscreen appearance, he ruthlessly dismisses Hordak's attempts to conquer Etheria as a "waste of time" despite the latter having spent ''decades'' building up his army and empire from the ground up, gives him a brutal TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, and then casually orders Hordak sent for "reconditioning". And the season ends with both Glimmer and Catra at his mercy.

** To be a clone in Horde Prime's army means your thoughts are monitored and signs of independence (including giving yourself a name) can get you mind wiped and reset like a malfunctioning machine.

* Horde Prime's clones look like Hordak with green eyes, white hair, and colorless clothing. They're silent and obedient to Horde Prime, and may be [[EmptyShell drones]]. "Reconditioning" might involve turning Hordak into one of them, if Horde Prime's mind-wipe has not done so already.

* Double Trouble's dissection of Catra's personality comes off as brutal and somewhat even horrifying. They first confront her using the appearance of Adora, just to rile her up, and laughs as Catra reacts with fear and anger. Then, they take it up a notch, transforming into Catra herself and telling her she doesn't really want to rule the Horde and that it's never been a real goal. They start getting really cruel by repeatedly shifting into people Catra has in someway cared about, mentioning all the things people have done to her. Then, they transform into Scorpia to tell her it's all her fault that people leave. It's utterly heartbreaking to watch Catra slowly become more and more despondent, and it's easy to tell that the affectionate body language Double Trouble uses as Adora really gets to her. However, Double Trouble goes even further, and explains that they have betrayed her and everything Catra has ever worked for will be torn down, making it clear that they themselves never cared for her either. Double Trouble finishes off with a cheerful smile, leaving Catra despondent and alone.
** It's fairly unnerving to see Double Trouble come right out and emotionally break Catra after she had appeared to look up to them. The cruelty they display in one scene can only be surpassed by that of Horde Prime, which is fairly high bar. Even Shadow Weaver's abuse doesn't quite reach that level, as Double Trouble reveals the truth in the most brutal way possible and then leaves Catra completely alone with no one. When Glimmer shows up, Catra outright tells her to just do ''[[MercyKill it]]''.

* At the end of the season, dozens of ships from Horde Prime's fleet have appeared in Etheria's skies. Given the vast technological gap between the intergalactic Horde and Etheria, the implications of what those ships could do is disheartening.

* Hordak is subjected to a ''second'' mind wipe in the form of baptism in a pool of green liquid, later implied to be clone life force. Horde Prime looks on and the other clones chant as Hordak walks into the liquid and is engulfed in green gas, screaming. Afterwards, his eyes are white, and Horde Prime proclaims that he is "pure". It's telling that Catra, despite her sordid history with Hordak, is utterly ''horrified'' by the entire ritual.

* When rejuvenating his body and overseeing the attack on the Heart of Etheria, Horde Prime has long tubes full of green liquid attached to the base of his skull. [[HumanResources The green liquid is life force that he harvests from his clones,]] and is implied to be the same liquid that viewers saw in the baptismal pool. His expression is furious during the latter.

* While exploring a First Ones ruin on another planet, the Best Friends Squad are told by Entrapta to go down a neverending hallway, her voice sounding a little strange during this command. Not long after, they speak to Entrapta again, who reveals that ''she hadn't talked to them since they were on a different floor.'' Then the princess of Dryl says she's picking up a fourth life sign in the ruin. Our heroes and the camera slowly turns to reveal this human-shaped mass of ethereal fire and matter. Thankfully, said being turns out to be the entirely benevolent Melog.

* Horde Prime has no qualms with using mind control chips to turn people into drones similar to his clones, and turn them against their friends. Even worse, the chips bond with the subject's nervous system over time, getting harder and harder to remove, and if the green eyes and disturbing behavior of those chipped wasn't bad ''enough'', this increased bond is represented by bright green TaintedVeins.

** Watching Mermista, Scorpia, and Spinnerella beat the crap out of and even try to kill their friends and loved ones. It's also made clear everyone should be grateful these good hearted women are the ones who ended up with lethal abilities. In the wrong hands, their powers could be used to kill hundreds if not thousands.
** The two most nightmarish are likely Micah and Scorpia. Chipped Scorpia never says a word and loses her goofy qualities, leaving her with a crushing amount of power and a disconcerting focus. Micah similarly drops his dorky side, but adds dark magic to his already formidable power. He's also still chipped when he and Glimmer are 'reunited' and he just tells her she's a failure.

* The spell Shadow Weaver uses in her backstory to gain power manifests as a shadowy ball of reaching hands reminiscent of [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse the Cluster]], not to mention how it later swallows up the head of the sorcerers' council. [[FridgeHorror Are all those hands people the spell's already devoured?]]

* Hordak is subjected to a ''second'' mind wipe in the form of baptism in a pool of green liquid, later implied to be clone life force. Horde Prime looks on and the other clones chant as Hordak walks into the liquid and is engulfed in green gas, screaming. Afterwards, his eyes are white, and Horde Prime proclaims that he is "pure".

* When rejuvenating his body and when overseeing the attack on the Heart of Etheria, Horde Prime has long tubes full of green liquid attached to the base of his skull. [[HumanResources The green liquid is life force that he harvests from his clones,]] and is implied to be the same liquid that viewers saw in the baptismal pool. His expression is furious during the latter.
--> ''Put an end to this MOCKERY! DESTROY THEM '''ALL!!'''

* While exploring a First Ones ruin on another planet, the Best Friends Squad are told by Entrapta to go down a neverending hallway, her voice sounding a little strange during this command. Not long after, they speak to Entrapta again, who reveals that she ''she hadn't talked to them since they were on a different floor.'' Then the tiny princess says she's picking up a fourth life sign in the ruin. Our heroes and the camera slowly turns to reveal this human shaped mass of ethereal fire and matter. It is a very startling moment.

* Shadow Weaver in general, but her treatment of Adora and Catra especially. Their relationship is reminiscent of a narcissist whom has a favorite child (Adora) and a scapegoat child (Catra).

* Scorpia implied in season 1 that her family joined the Horde willingly. A flashback here, however, implies that this might not have actually been the case....

* In the "Protocol" episode, Kyle, Lonnie and Rogelio fall under a "spore storm", which is akin to an acid rain or a chemical attack. Even with its tame rating, the show doesn't shy away from the horrifying effects - a single spore landning on bare skin causes agony (and poor Kyle catches one ''on his tounge''), they slowly melt through armor, and after the trio are forced to go out into the thick of it, they're all covered in nasty burns. Seing this happen to ''children'', after the previous episodes mostly dealt in AmusingInjuries, is unsettling to say the least.

** Horde Prime's [[FauxAffablyEvil demeanor]] is ''incredibly'' offputting. He only raises his voice once, when he reprimands Hordak before mindwiping him. At all other times, he speaks in a soft, affable and sophisticated voice and treats Glimmer and Catra with the utmost kindness and courtesy, even when he nonchalantly threatens to murder the former and her entire planet to cover up Hordak's "failure" and later states his intention to harness the Heart of Etheria's power for his own use.

* The Galatic Horde quickly shows how much, ''much'' more powerful it is than Hordak's Horde. By the time the season starts, Horde Prime has already conquered Bright Moon and forced the Rebellion on the run. The sleek white robots that serve as his basic foot soldiers are much more numerous than Hordak's own forces and are almost impossible to kill with traditional weaponry.

** Prime can also pull a VillainOverride on one of his clones or a chipped person at any time... At one point, one of the clones that he takes over contorts in a ''very'' unsettling manner when it happens.

** The scene where he reveals his ability to take over Hordak is also terrifying, as it shatters one heck of a HopeSpot. Hordak has refused to kill Entrapta, and turned on Prime, blasting him from a high ledge in an awesome moment. Entrapta is just beginning to cheer and congratulate Hordak when suddenly he stills...and then mocks her and Hordak for thinking it could be so easy, Prime now in control. He proceeds to seize Entrapta by the hair and teleport them both down to Etheria to exact his vengeance, Entrapta looking utterly broken and terrified the entire time.

** Prime can also pull a VillainOverride on one of his clones or a chipped person at any time...

-->CAST OUT THE SHADOWS! CAST OUT THE SHADOWS!
-->ALL BEINGS MUST SUFFER TO BECOME PURE! ALL BEINGS MUST SUFFER TO BECOME PURE!

** Watching Mermista, Scorpia, and Spinnerella beat the crap out of and even try to kill their friends and loved ones. It's also made clear that everyone should be grateful that these good hearted women are the ones who ended up with lethal abilities. In the wrong hands, their powers could be used to kill hundreds if not thousands.

--> ''DESTROY THEM '''ALL!!'''

* The Galatic Horde quickly shows how much, ''much'' more powerful it is than Hordak's Horde. By the time the season starts, Horde Prime has already conquered Bright Moon and forced the Rebellion on the run. The sleek white robots that serve as his basic footsoldiers are much more numerous than Hordak's own forces and are almost impossible to kill with traditional weaponry.
* In the season 5 trailer, Catra is in Horde Prime's spaceship, looking out a window at Etheria below. Etheria's landscape is dotted with explosions, suggesting that Horde Prime's forces are inflicting massive damage.
* Hordak is subjected to a ''second'' mind wipe in the form of baptism in a pool of green liquid, later implied to be clone life force. Horde Prime looks on and the other clones chant as Hordak walks into the liquid and is engulfed in green gas. Afterwards, his eyes are white, and Horde Prime proclaims that he is "pure".

* Another scene in the season 5 trailer shows a clone soldier standing in a pool of green liquid. A moment later, he's engulfed in a cloud of green gas. What the liquid and gas do is unknown, but the visual alone is disturbing.
* The trailer also features a shot of Horde Prime with long tubes full of green liquid attached to the base of his skull. His expression is furious.

* When one of Horde Prime's clones have been captured, he demonstrates that all clones are practically unhinged fanatics of the emperor at such disturbing levels.

** Watching Mermista, Scorpia, and Spinnerella beat the crap out of and even try to kill their friends and loved ones. It's also made clear that everyone should be grateful for three people as good hearted as these three are the ones who ended up with lethal abilities. In the wrong hands, their powers could be used to killed hundreds if not thousands.

* Horde Prime has no qualms with using mind control chips to turn people into drones similar to his clones, and turn them against their friends.