In no time at all, they had arrived at Salineas and were greeted by Mermista, a seventeen-year-old dark-skinned woman. She wore a teal suit with a gold collar, dark scales, golden bracelets, and gold-teal high-top shoes, her dark blue-green hair blowing in the wind, rolling in from the nearby sea. Sea Hawk was nowhere to be seen, likely in a nearby bar playing craps, arm wrestling, or other games, with other seafaring folks. This disappointed Bow, because he had a soft spot for eighteen-year-old Sea Hawk, two years older than him, in his heart, and had looked forward to seeing him there. But he knew that Mermista wasn't a fan, finding Sea Hawk annoying and obnoxious, as both had a rocky relationship in the past.

While Mermista knew Bow, Glimmer, and Adora very well, she only vaguely recalled Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet, when the Gems had "accidentally" come to Bright Moon a few days before, barging in on the war council meeting. She had no idea who Amazonite and Stevonnie were. As such, she turned to them, inquiring about their identities.

"So, who are you two supposed to be?...I mean, like, I never saw you before. You should explain yourselves this instant!"

Stevonnie explained that she was a Gem fusion of two beings, Steven and Connie. Amazonite echoed that sentiment, noting that Lapis and Peridot had fused together, creating the Gem fusion. This didn't help abate Mermista's confusion. Before she could say more, a short girl, not even age 12, with black eyes, a three-pointed ice crown, a light blue jacket, a dark slate blue belt, fur-lined boots, and pale khaki pants popped out from behind a corner. This was Frosta, whose short cobalt blue hair shined in front of the Salineas castle walls. Akin to how Perfuma had acted when they met her in Plumeria, she greeted them gladly while Mermista grumbled about her "finding" the visitors. She wasn't used to Frosta in her immediate presence, although they were becoming chummier with each other.

Being logical, emotionally cool, and disliking small talk, she tried to lighten up the situation, away from Mermista's confusion, with one of her classic puns. While Bow, Glimmer, and Adora shook their heads, knowing what was coming, she decided to blurt out one anyway. She hoped to coax them into explaining why they had come to the kingdom in the first place.

Glimmer explained that they had come to specifically ask for Mermista's help in a final effort to defeat the Horde. She told them that even though the Princess Alliance had been clearly effective, the Gems would give them a new advantage over the Horde. The planting on listening devices on Catra, after the skirmish near the ruins of the Crystal Castle, made it even more possible to engage in a surprise attack.

Similar to Mermista, Frosta barely remembered the Gems and had also never seen Stevonnie or Amazonite. This made her confused since fusion didn't exist on Etheria. Sure, the princesses had magical powers which emanated from their runestones but they could not fuse together into more powerful beings. In that way they shared nothing with the Gems, even though there were still commonalities between them.

Since they were puzzled, Steven and Connie un-fused so they could explain who they were, formally introducing themselves to Mermista and Frosta. This was helpful because neither of these princesses had overheard what Garnet had told Netossa and Spinnerella about fusion on Bright Moon. Now, they understood fusion better and how it worked. Even so, they didn't know who or what Amazonite was, as they had never seen her before. Just as Steven and Connie were about re-fuse, everyone was astonished by the unexpected un-fusing of Amazonite, revealing Lapis and Peri in a tender embrace. Their cheeks turned light green, in the case of Peri, and dark blue, in the case of Lapis. They did not mean to come apart in front of everyone with their lips touching each other in a seductive French kiss. Steven loved witnessing such moments of true dedication and love between two people, especially among his friends.

Peri stumbled a little, hemming and hawing over what to say, with lots of "uhs" and "ums," so Lapis spoke on their behalf, attempting to explain their relationship. She framed it in such a way that they would all understand. Lapis hoped that since all the people they had met, besides Catra, in the same age cohort as Adora and age 15, were loving and caring of each other, that any doubt of their connection would be washed away.

"Peri is my close friend and we complement each other, from the TV shows we enjoy to meep morps, farming, and much more. She's always there for me. We admire each other...what's wrong with that?"

None of the Gems, although they were astounded by this affection, could counter Lapis's sound logic. Steven whispered to Frosta and Mermista, explaining to them what "meep morps" were, telling them it was what they called art, even though the reason why came up with such a term couldn't be determined. Mermista, tired of all this small talk, wanted some action. She wanted to see what this fusion could do.

"Fine, you can be together, whatever. Like, what can your fusion do? I mean, I know you, water wing lady, can control water, and you, greenish kid with a triangular-shaped head, can control metal objects, but...what can you do together?"

She challenged them to a contest to demonstrate how each of them could control the elements. As part of the rules, neither person would harm the other one in any way, shape or form. As Steven and Connie silently fused back together, no one noticing but their fellow Gems, in full view of everyone, unafraid of what others thought, Lapis and Peri came together in a close embrace, intensely kissing each other. With their connection re-ignited, with a flash of light they fused into Amazonite. With that, the contest began between these two beings.

Mermista, as an elemental princess, used her power, emanating from the small white pearl within her kingdom, to manipulate and control the water around Salineas. She created a huge tidal wave which came in and hit the Salineas Sea-Gate. It had no effect on this powerful magical barrier and barely touched them with water. It was Amazonite's turn, who flapped her turquoise water wings in excitement.

She could levitate and control metallic or water-composed beings, whether completely or partly composed of water, project her memories on mirrored surfaces, and change water's state of matter. Amazonite then focused her energy on the body of water around Salineas, turning some water into steam and then into a rain cloud. She then turned the rain cloud into a mini-thunderstorm which erupted over Salineas, with lightning strikes hitting everywhere. Jokingly, she declared to Mermista, impressed by this show of skills, who couldn't engage in such a feat:

"Feel the wrath of Amazonite...the conjurer of water, lightning, and thunder!"

While Frosta watched in amazement, she challenged Amazonite, feeling she could best this Gem fusion. She had the power to manipulate, shape and create ice thanks to her connection to the Fractal Flake, making her one of the many elemental princesses on Etheria. Coming into the personal space of Amazonite, only inches from her face, she continued her brazen remarks.

"What an impressive display, but it's no match for my ability to create ice weapons and armor! I'll show you!"

Using her powers, she proceeded to freeze the nearby bay, turning it into a big ice rink, navigating across the slippery surface with self-created ice snowshoes. They were a bit cold, but not as cold as the suit of armor she made for herself in a previous battle.

Amazonite would have none of this, conjuring a mini-thunderstorm. The electricity from the storm electrified the ice, just as electricity moves through a conductive state of matter like water. She also made ice clones of Frosta, showing that her ability to manipulate water included creating copies of other beings. Jumping back from the frozen bay, Frosta barely avoided being electrocuted. If she had been, then Amazonite's attempt to connect with new friends would have been a tragic failure. To destroy the ice copies, Stevonnie produced a resonance from their shield making them dissipate into nothing, similar to what Steven had done with Lapis, after stealing part of the Atlantic Ocean in a vain effort to reach Homeworld, attempted to kill his friends. At the same time, the electricity from Amazonite's thunderstorm produced heat which began melting the ice, even though the bay remained charged with electric current.

Luckily for everyone, Mermista had a solution. She summoned a huge tidal wave into the bay so that the electric charge could be dissipated, turning the bay from an electrically charged death trap into a safely navigable one. At the end of this display, with her dark blue-green hair blowing in the breeze, she smirked and snarkily addressed Frosta and Amazonite.

"That was so much work...to clean up that mess you both created...But I handled it, urrrgh! It's just...annoying."



None of them wanted to overstay their welcome, especially not Adora, Bow, or Glimmer. Even with the situation becoming emotionally charged, Mermista knew they wouldn't leave anytime soon. She remembered what Glimmer had told her about a near-death experience in the small civilian town of Thaymor, near the Whispering Woods: Adora loved horses. That gave her an idea, although it would be a bit inconvenient to execute since she would have to transform herself into a mermaid in order to effectively navigate through the ocean.

Trying to be cool and casual, she turned to Adora. After all, she was princess of the oceans, who had dubbed herself "Sea-Ra," and could use a trident in the heat of battle. She hoped that her gesture would make Adora, at least age 16, feel better.

"Adora, I heard you adore horses. I could show you seahorses if you want. If not, whatever."

Her eyes filled with wonder. It was just like what had happened when she met "horsey", whom she accidentally transformed into Swift Wind with her magical sword. She was excited to meet these new "horses," as Mermista described them.

"SEA HORSES! Mermista, I would love to see them! Can you show me?"

Mermista rolled her eyes. She told her that these horses were under the water and since Adora had no gills, it would be tough to get there. She agreed to show her these beings because she respected her as a fighter and as one of the friendliest princesses on the planet. Glimmer and Bow grumbled, asking each other in hushed tones if Adora would be disappointed when she found out that sea horses weren't horses. Bow laughed at the prospect of that happening.

Stevonnie could go underwater with a bubble while Amazonite also could, thanks to her fusion with Lapis, and Garnet, a very good swimmer, could somehow also spend a long time beneath water. However, it seemed unlikely that Pearl, Frosta, Adora, Bow, or Glimmer could be underwater for a long period of time. Just as Mermista readied herself to jump into the water, changing her legs into a mermaid tail, Bow uncovered something unusual: a metal covering of some kind. Using her whip, Amethyst opened it. A light shined on the extraordinary discovery: a see-through underwater passageway. Mermista didn't need to travel underwater. But, since the sea horses were far out in the ocean, living among a beautiful coral reef, she would rather swim than walk the whole way.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this before? What other secrets have been hidden from me? Like, I'm not walking all the way down that tunnel to get to the sea horses. I'll follow from the outside while you go down the creepy tunnel...I'll lead you there, ugh."

Everyone else, but Amazonite and Mermista, got into the tunnel, which continued along the ocean floor. Adora feasted her eyes on sights around them, while the rest of the group were also impressed, but not as much. After an hour or so, they reached the sea horse breeding ground around the coral reef in the ocean's temperate waters. Mermista pointed up at the sea horses and held one in her hand. Adora stared at it lovingly through the clear tunnel, with her puppy dog eyes. She became more entranced when she saw hundreds more swimming around the tunnel itself! She hugged Pearl and pointed up at them: "Aren't those pretty?" Pearl smiled, uttering, "Yes, they are" and hugged Adora back in a warm embrace.

As they walked back, through the tunnel, to the shore of Salineas, Frosta saw a big red button on the tunnel wall. Due to her impulsiveness, recklessness, and curiosity, she decided to press it, not caring what would happen to anyone else. Suddenly, a hole appeared in the bottom of the tunnel, sucking everyone into dark passageway, speeding down like they were all a very slippery slide or a fast rollercoaster. Some, such as Stevonnie, enjoyed this a lot more than others. Mermista and Amazonite watched in horror. They had no idea where anyone had gone. Although she was concerned, Mermista decided to swim back to shore because she wanted no part in "this," due to the effort involved. Amazonite, on the other hand, would not give up, and continued to search through the ocean in hopes of finding them some way or another.

Frosta, Garnet, Pearl, Adora, Stevonnie, Amethyst, Bow, and Glimmer were thrown out of the tunnel into a huge underwater chamber. At first, it seemed to be an abandoned First One ruin. This perception quickly dissipated since Gem technology was embedded, piquing the interest of Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, and Stevonnie. One thing was clear: to find the true meaning of this place, the Gems and princesses needed to combine their powers. While Glimmer offered her help, Bow recommended she save her strength since they were far from Bright Moon where she could recharge, using the Moonstone. That left only two people, Adora and Pearl, since Frosta didn't have a personal connection with any of the Gems. Two slots could be seen: one for the Sword of Protection and another for any gem weapon, such as the pearlescent spear that Pearl carried. Each put their weapons into the designated slots. A static hologram began playing, with Rose and Maura speaking in unison, alarming everyone:

"Hello. If you have come here searching for answers, then you have come to the right place. This is the underwater Salineas archive. It was hidden for thousands of years because we didn't want the people of Etheria to know a deep, dark secret: Earth and Etheria are interconnected. The energy flow from one planet created a passageway to the other, allowing a connection between our distant worlds. With that, we wish you the best of luck on your quest for knowledge."

The recording came to an end. Suddenly, glowing records and control panels revealed themselves, while the tunnel, they had traveled through, closed above their heads. They were stuck in this place, giving them the perfect opportunity to find out about the past. Adora walked to an open keyboard, typing in "ADORA," and pressed enter. No results came up. Frustrated, she proceeded to type in "SHE-RA." A picture appeared and videos began playing on other screens which covered the walls of this underwater cavern. A mechanical voice rang out, comparable to Light Hope's voice. This voice constituted a manifestation of the M.A.R.A. system that Bow's dads had discussed with Samurai Jack, Bow, and Glimmer, although Adora didn't know that was the case.

"She-Ra is the defender of Etheria. The sword of protection was created with an engraved runestone, specifically for a designated person of Eternia, to be used to protect Etheria, restoring balance and order."

Frustrated, she let others give it a try. Pearl walked over to the keyboard, then typed the words "LIGHT HOPE." Again, a mechanical voice blared, noting something fascinating: Light Hope served as only one manifestation of a larger computer system. This intrigued Adora as it could mean that Light Hope could be regenerated, even though the Crystal Castle has collapsed. She continued typing, inputting the words "PINK DIAMOND." What came up astounded all of them, especially Pearl. A video began playing on all the screens and a holographic projection, demonstrating the features of Gem colony on the planet, resembling the horrifying plans for an Earth colony that Peri showed the Crystal Gems on the Moon Base, appeared.

"As Pink Diamond, I see tremendous potential in this planet as a colony. Blue and Yellow will be so impressed when they see this place. Surely they will respect me even more..."

The recording cut off. Clearly, someone had taped over it. A new message began playing. In some ways, it seemed that Maura, clearly tired, worn out, and determined, who voiced the message was standing before them. What she declared shocked everyone.

"I have discovered that my friend, Pink, otherwise known as Rose, wanted to destroy this planet, turning it into her own personal colony...to impress the Diamonds. I have no choice but to move this planet into another dimension so the energy link with Earth can be broken. I have reason to believe that the Horde is working with the Diamonds to subjugate this planet. I cannot let that happen...if you are hearing this message I succeeded and Etheria is safe."



The message made Pearl speechless. She had no idea that Pink wanted to turn Etheria into a colony to "impress the Diamonds," as Pink had never expressed that sentiment to her what she could remember. Adora was fuming, readying her sword to become She-Ra. As she was about to charge, Pearl calmed her down, with Amethyst, Garnet, and Stevonnie helping, reminding her that Pink had changed since then. Not only did Pink permanently change her form to Rose Quartz, leading a war against herself, but she inspired many to fight alongside her. Amethyst then said that Maura must have been "deranged" to move the whole solar system, especially since the Horde hadn't left Etheria, meaning the planet had not become "safe." Adora heard their pleas and softly told them, "yeah, you are right. I can't change the past but I can change the future...by defeating the Horde!"

Their time in the underwater archive seemed to be at an end. Adora retrieved her sword out of the slot, as did Pearl with her spear. However, due to the fact they didn't take them out at the same time, it caused an internal error. A cold automated voice could be heard reverberating across the room. This message echoed what Adora had heard in the Crystal Castle, or what Bow, Glimmer, and Adora had heard in the Crimson Waste along with Samurai Jack.

"Unauthorized access detected. Beginning self-destruct sequence. Opening all hatches and doors. Have a nice day!"



While no one felt that they would have a "nice day," Stevonnie chuckled at this humor, although no one guessed the pop culture reference, a movie which had brought together Rose and Greg even closer together. As the floor gave way, everyone fell toward rushing river below. Almost as if she could see into the future, knowing they were going to fall, all of them landed on Amazonite's back, who began to fly them out through the pipes. She had explored them in an attempt to find where they were. She would have broken into the underwater archive had they not unintentionally triggered a process which would destroy this valuable repository of knowledge.

To lessen the burden on Amazonite, Amethyst turned herself into an eagle, carrying Stevonnie, Pearl, and Adora. The rest of them rode on the back of Amazonite. The disappearance of this archive deeply concerned Stevonnie. They were sad to see such knowledge disappear in the blink of an eye and hoped that the information was available in another place. Little did they know, but Bow, thinking ahead, had saved copies of the archival recordings, database, and records, on a flash drive, while also copying it to his tracker pad. No one really noticed his actions because they were so focused on what the computer system was telling them.

Zooming out of the tunnel, they escaped just in time to the shore of Salineas and were greeted by Mermista. They could see a huge explosion in the distance, obviously the underwater archive. The resulting tidal wave moving quickly toward Salineas. Rolling her eyes at the fact she had to deal with yet another "annoyance," Mermista reversed the wave's direction, moving it away from the beach where they were recovering from a harrowing journey.

Bow's tracker pad began to hum with static, almost like an act of magic. This puzzled everyone but Bow, and Peri, still fused with Lapis. They knew what this meant. While there wasn't reception under the ocean, on land, recordings from Catra in the Fright Zone could easily come in. Due to the fact they had been under the ocean for a prolonged period, the messages were stored up, coming in one by one. Everyone raised their ears at one recording in particular:

"Hordak doesn't respect me anymore, he just cares about that techy princess, Entrapta, and building that portal. It's time for a change in leadership. I need to be the leader of the Horde, not Hordak. Then I can rule Etheria once and for all. Adora will pay for what she did to me...they all will pay!"

In later messages, Catra talked about the Horde amassing its armies around the Fright Zone in preparation for a massive offensive. While she hoped to head this effort, she admitted this wouldn't occur because Hordak didn't trust her.

What Catra had in store gave Adora an idea. They would instigate an attack on the Fright Zone with...its own troops! Amethyst would shapeshift into Catra, leading a coup d'etat against Hordak. This could only happen if the real Catra could be captured, knocked out and detained. While such an idea seemed far-fetched, it could work if all they all worked together!

In order for this plan to work, they needed to recruit Netossa and Spinnerella in Bright Moon and Perfuma in her gorgeous kingdom, Plumeria. A success of this bold move would show that the light of the world could triumph over the ever-encroaching darkness.

Without much delay, Amethyst transformed herself into a helicopter, carrying Adora, Pearl, Stevonnie, Glimmer, and Bow to Bright Moon. The others rode on the back of Amazonite, who could handle the extra weight thanks to her fusion. Stevonnie tried to ask about the underwater archive, but since the helicopter sped forward at an extreme speed, no one else heard them. They resolved to mention it later, since the information in that underwater archive could be vital to the people of Earth and Etheria.

Soon, they arrived at the Bright Moon castle. Angella must have not heard them because she was enthralled with reading books and manuscripts within her private library. Instead, they were greeted by Spinnerella and Netossa. Adora cheerfully asked them a question of genuine importance.

"Will you join us on our quest to defeat Hordak, that 50-year-old bag of bones, restoring balance to this planet?"

Enthusiastically, Spinnerella and Netossa accepted. Amethyst turned herself back into a helicopter, a tiring fusion to hold for such a long time, and Amazonite carried the rest of them. Thanks to her ability to control wind and air, coupled with the ability to create cyclones while spinning, Netossa and Spinnerella were able to move themselves forward without the help of the Gems or other princesses. To join in the fun, Stevonnie twirled around the cyclone with both of them, joined by Mermista, who continued to have nonchalant attitude toward everything.

Their final stop was Plumeria. They unintentionally startled Perfuma, only age 17 and in the same age cohort as Glimmer, Bow, and Adora. She didn't expect them to come, meaning she had nothing prepared for them. Stepping out of the helicopter, Adora approached Perfuma, imploring her to join them in an effort to strike a decisive blow against the Horde. She chirped and excitedly told Adora she would help.