Serenia portal Mara.
Maybe Mara's last name is Serenia,
or the portal is a Serenia?
[sighs]
I'll be honest with you, future Bow, I'm getting nowhere.
[tracker pad beeping]
No. Was that today?
This can't be happening, not now.
No, no, no.
-Adora, get up. -[shouts]
-What's going on? What is it? -It's Bow. He's in trouble.
♪ We're on the edge of greatness ♪
♪ Turning darkness to light ♪
♪ We're right beside you ♪
♪ Ready to fight ♪
♪ We're gonna win in the end ♪
♪ We must be strong ♪ ♪ And we must be brave ♪
♪ We must be brave ♪
♪ We gotta find every bit of strength That we have and never let it go ♪
♪ We must be strong ♪
Bow's tracker pad and arrows are gone.
He must have left after he shot that note through my window.
The note that says, "I'm fine. Don't follow me"?
He's not fine. We have to follow him.
If he was, he would've told us he was leaving.
After finding out the signal is about Mara--
Okay, okay, Glimmer, just calm down. I agree, okay?
So, where does Bow go when he's not at Bright Moon?
Uh...
Seriously? How long have you been friends?
Look, Bow really values his privacy.
He's never talked about his past or where he came from. Never.
And you know how talkative and open Bow is.
Something's wrong. What if he's in trouble?
Bow definitely came this way, judging from the broken twigs, the sap
and his distinct footprints.
[gasps] There's no way Bow would ever leave his trick arrows behind.
I told you, he's in trouble.
What is that place?
We have to find Bow, and get him out of this, uh...
library?
Have you ever heard of a library in the Whispering Woods?
[both gasping]
[sighs]
[shouts]
-Bow, I'm so glad we found you. -We're here to break you out,
or fight your kidnappers. We're not sure what we're-- Uh...
[gasps] What have they done to you? [groans]
-We got your arrows. Who are we fighting? -No one. You shouldn't be here.
You need to leave now, before--
[shouting]
[George] Who's there? Who are these people?
Play along. This is Adora and Glimmer, my friends from the academy.
Adora, Glimmer, meet my dads.
Adora, Glimmer.
Oh, we're so happy to finally meet Bow's school friends.
[all grunting]
I need you to beef up security.
Bring all reports directly to me. No one else.
I want patrols doubled. Above all--
[shouts]
[clearing throat] Uh...
You were saying?
Yes, and report anything suspicious directly to me.
You mean like the fact that Shadow Weaver's cell is empty?
[growls] I threw the prisoner into solitary last night.
Not that I need to explain myself to underlings.
-Catra, Lonnie was trying to answer your-- -[Catra] You have your orders.
Next person who questions me gets to see Shadow Weaver's cell up close. Move.
I said, move.
Catra--
[both chuckling nervously]
You want anything, you just tell me, and I'll get it.
Snacks? I'll get you snacks.
Yes, so energetic. Heh.
You girls must love attending the Academy of Historic Enterprises with Bow.
Yes. Absolutely. Yup. Wouldn't change a thing. [chuckles]
At the academy, that we all go to.
Oh, I bet you're here to see our collection of First Ones artifacts.
We got some new pottery shards. I--
-Oh, what was I doing? -Snacks.
Oh, yes, yes, yes. Snacks.
The pottery is something. Bow's older brother sent it.
[coughing]
-Brother? -Oh, Bow has an older brother? How nice.
Youngest of 13, all historians just like us.
And just like Bow when he graduates and takes over the library.
Right, Bow?
Don't bother, Lance. It looks like he's not very cha-tea today.
-[laughing] -[groans]
Okay, thanks for the tea and the snacks, but I think my friends would really like--
A tour of the library.
Of course, our Bow would find people who share his zest for history.
Wait till we show you the oldest part of our collection.
A shard from an ancient, defunct rune stone.
If it wasn't of historical value, that would be gone.
No need to keep a reminder of the Princesses and their war.
Uh... But the Horde started the war.
The Princesses are fighting to save Etheria.
You're too young to remember the first failed Princess Alliance. I'm not.
I enlisted, fought for what I thought was right.
-Dad, can we not--? -When I came home,
there was nothing left of my village but ash.
I vowed that my family would never get mixed up in fighting
or the Princesses again.
Well, I know what will lighten the mood, baby pictures.
I've got some great ones from Bow's first bubble bath.
I'm gonna show Adora and Glimmer my room now.
-I wanna see the bubble baths. -Now.
[groans]
Bow, what is going on?
[groans]
My dads don't know I'm a Rebellion fighter.
They think I'm at boarding school. I'm supposed to be on break.
So, this is why you never talked about your past?
I thought it was because it was dark and painful,
but your dads seem so nice and normal.
Look, I love my dads, okay?
I never mentioned them,
because they decided when I was a kid that I was gonna stay home,
take over the library when they retire. But I wanted to travel, to fight.
So, I did the only thing I could.
I taught myself archery, ran away,
and pretended I was at a made-up boarding school.
That seems really elaborate, Bow.
You saw what they're like. They don't listen.
They assume they know what I want.
And if Lance knew I didn't want to be a historian...
Worse, if George knew that I'm a Rebellion soldier
fighting alongside Princesses, it'd kill them.
-So, you're gonna lie to them forever? -Not forever.
Just for the foreseeable future.
It's worked so far. Please.
For me?
[groans]
Besides, my dads have the biggest collection
of First Ones artifacts and writings in Etheria.
This is the perfect place to look for answers about She-Ra,
the Mara message, Serenia, everything.
Sure, why not.
We can be scholars.
How hard can it be?
[groans] This is gonna be a disaster.
Well, maybe with that attitude it will be.
By the way, I may have said in my letters that Glimmer is a physics major,
Adora's an art major, nobody is a Princess or has magical powers,
and we all met freshmen year. Okay? Let's go.
[groans]
Hey, Catra.
Listen, I've been looking for anything suspicious like you said,
but this is the Fright Zone, so, that's pretty much everything. [chuckles]
I was hoping you could tell me what I'm supposed to be looking for?
If you spent more time following orders and less time questioning them,
you wouldn't need me to. Now get out. Go.
Okay, wildcat. I really didn't wanna have to do this,
-but you leave me no choice. -What are you doing?
[shouts]
Just let all your cares go.
-You're safe. You're safe here. -Stop it. Stop.
-You're safe here, okay? -Let go of me. Are you crazy?
-There's nothing we can't handle. -I lost Shadow Weaver.
-How are we supposed to handle that? -What?
Shadow Weaver escaped.
I have to find her before Hordak learns the truth.
Well, you don't have to do this alone. I'm here.
-I bet Entrapta can whip up a locator. -No.
Entrapta spends time with Hordak and is bad with secrets.
The minute we tell Entrapta, she tells him, then it's over for me.
Then we make sure that doesn't happen.
We'll find Shadow Weaver, the two of us, and not a word of it will leave this room.
[giggles]
This is the 1000-year-old Colonia pitcher.
And this tablet dates back over two millennia.
And this is where Bow played pretend as a little boy.
[groans]
-Let me guess, playing pirates? -Oh, no. Bow doesn't like pirates.
Playing historian, getting ready to take over the library even then.
-Right, Bow? -Right.
Mr. Bow's Dad, sir, as First Ones historians,
do you know anything about the lore of She-Ra?
Ah... Great question.
Accurate translations are hard to come by,
but we think the name was actually, Her-Ra.
-[chuckles] Well, that's not right. -But you don't know that for sure, Adora.
She'd fight for the power of Grayskull.
-It's "For the Honor of Grayskull." -And rode on a dragon.
[gasps]
Wait, she got a dragon? I wish I had a--
[grumbling]
[laughing]
Anyway, uh, where was I?
Princess nonsense.
The rune stone shard.
It's the oldest First Ones object in our collection.
But enough about us.
Tell us about your studies, Adora and Glimmer.
Uh, you know, the physics are good.
The history is also good.
Uh... I thought you were an art major?
-Uh, she's a double major. -Uh, yes.
History, art, art history, that's three. I'm a triple major.
I also teach, unless that's not a thing students do.
-Is it hot here? I mean... -It's great to finally meet you, Glimmer.
-We thought Bow was making you up. -Really?
You know how Bow is, shy, quiet, not so many friends.
From his letters, it sounds like you brought him out of his shell.
Yeah. I guess I did.
So, for school, heh, we got this First Ones puzzle to solve.
The last word is giving us trouble.
-Have you ever heard of Serenia? -Ooh!
Serenia was the name of a mythical First Ones hero.
Although some of us think she was a real person.
Mm-hm.
Some of us also think the Elberon vase dates back only one millennia.
-Is this everything you have on Serenia? -Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Ha, ha.
Everything from the first floor. There's more on the second.
-This is gonna take hours. -Hours, days, maybe weeks.
And if you're really lucky, it might take you a whole lifetime.
Oh. You're so corny.
Well, this one's just about aqueducts, so, it's mislabeled.
-Wait, you can read First Ones writing? -Uh, I also study linguistics.
It's a fifth major or fourth major. I'm losing count.
-What does this say? -Uh, it says, "lunch."
-Oh, no. I thought it said love. -[laughing] You thought it said...?
I like this girl!
Actually, there's one more debate you can settle for us, Adora.
I don't know. Maybe I should help with the, uh, school project.
But I guess it couldn't hurt.
Great. Onward, best research squad.
[sighs] We're still getting nowhere.
What does a mythological First Ones hero have to do with Mara?
Hey, Glimmer, what's up?
What's up with you?
You have a secret family, and you're supposed to be a historian,
and you apparently hate pirates, and you never told me about any of this.
I feel like I don't know you at all.
Glimmer, you know everything about me, the real me.
I act like someone I'm not with my family because the truth would hurt them.
And it's making you miserable.
Bow, your dads love you. I'm sure they'll love the real you, too.
You don't know that. They've had a plan since I was a baby.
But the truth is, I'm nothing like the rest of my family.
I've tried to tell them, but they don't want to hear it.
So, I pretend.
[Lance] This was found in the same dig site as the rune stone shard.
Thing is, we can't agree on what it is.
So, what's it say?
Oh, this one's easy.
This is a password to open it.
-It says, "Eternia." -[all grunt]
Ooh, ooh. It's working! It's--
-It's-- It's... -A monster.
[roaring]
[all shouting]
It's an Elemental. This'll be a piece of cake.
Adora, wait.
For the Honor of Grayskull!
[both shouting]
Adora is a sixth major in She-Ra?
Don't worry, I got this. Ha, ha.
[shouting]
Hey, leave her alone.
[shouting]
Hold on, Glimmer. I'm coming.
They really get into their studies. [chuckles]
Bow, are your friends Princesses?
You'll tell us what is happening, young man, or--
We have to act before the Elemental turns on us.
-You know what that is? -We've run into them before.
They only attack when they're trying to protect something.
-What is it trying to protect? -You've run into them? Who are you?
It was found alongside the shard. Could it be that?
Dad, you're a genius.
I'll explain everything, but right now you have to trust me.
Bow? Bow!
[grunts]
Bow, you get back here.
[both grunting]
Never mind. Stay away!
-Glimmer. -Got it.
[both shouting]
It's been really nice meeting you.
[groaning]
Can't reach.
Bow!
Got it.
Huh?
Whoa!
Bow.
[Elemental roaring]
Huh?
That's my Bow.
-[grunts, then laughs] -[George] What is going on?
I... I lied to you.
There is no Academy of Historic Enterprises.
I've been living at Bright Moon, fighting in the Rebellion
alongside Adora and Princess Glimmer.
But why?
I don't wanna be a historian.
I've never wanted to be a historian.
I'm not a shy bookworm. I'm not a genius like you two.
I make things. I'm a soldier.
This is who I am. And I can't lie about it anymore,
even though I'm breaking your hearts.
What's breaking our hearts is the fact that you thought you had to lie
-about who you are. -You're not mad?
But I'm a fighter, and you hate fighters.
I could never hate you. Never.
If you feel like you belong in the Rebellion,
that's where you belong.
Oh, Bow, why didn't you just tell us?
I tried, but you didn't listen.
You only listened to me if I said what you wanted to hear.
We had no idea you felt that way.
We were just trying to encourage you to pursue your dreams.
We thought we were being supportive when really we were being terrible.
We love you the way you are. We're proud of you,
no matter what path you take in life.
[sobbing]
This is a family hug, Princesses. You're Bow's family, too.
On our mission, we received a message from an unknown source.
If we knew what Serenia meant, we could figure out the rest. "Serenia portal Mara." Okay. But what are these other words?
I don't know. It's too degraded to read.
Wait. Lance, what does this pattern look like?
-[gasps] Oh, I think you're right. -What is it?
Look at it, Bow. Really look at it. What do you see?
-These aren't words at all, are they? -Oh, now you've got it.
George, get the projector.
[George] The world of the First Ones was different from ours. Climate, language,
even the sky was different,
filled with cosmic formations they called...
Stars.
[Lance] The First Ones used them to navigate and named constellations
after mythical heroes, including Serenia.
The Constellation Serenia would only appear in summer
and only over one place.
-The Crimson Waste. -That's where we have to go.
[Lance] What? You can't go into the Crimson Waste.
It's a no-man's-land, a giant lifeless desert.
No one's ever made it that far and come back alive.
Promise me, you kids will stay away.
-You wanted to speak with me, Lord Hordak? -Yes, Force Captain.
I wished to touch base, as you put it.
-See how my orders are being carried out. -Everything is running smoothly.
Does this mean Shadow Weaver has been transferred to Beast Island,
per my orders?
Yes. I sent her yesterday, just like you ordered.
Believe me, we're never going to see--
[Catra on recording] I lost Shadow Weaver!
Shadow Weaver escaped.
I have to find her before Hordak learns the truth.
[giggles]
You lied to me.
Wait.
[machine powering up]
[gasping]
[Hordak] I know your lax security allowed Shadow Weaver to escape.
I know you've been covering it up, lying about her whereabouts.
But worst of all, I gave you the chance to come clean,
to prove your worth to me, to the Horde.
This was a test.