Episode summary and screen captures courtesy of Robert Labandeira.
Plot Summary: Adora wakes up and finds her in a section of the castle guarded by Light Hope, a First Ones AI hologram designed to assist She-Ra in her mission. Light Hope then reveals she has been observing Adora since she was an infant, but was unable to reach her all these years.
Back in Brightmoon, it is morning, and Glimmer and Bow are worried over Adora not returning. Swiftwind goes to see the two, now able to talk, and informs them Adora is in trouble due to his magical senses picking up her distress from far away. Angella gives the group her blessing in their next mission.
Meanwhile, in the Fright Zone, Entrapta’s experimentation with the First Ones tech is a breakthrough in her research, and validates a theory of hers. The data proves Etheria itself that was heavily altered deep from within by the First Ones. The planet is coursing with technology built by the civilization, leading to the conclusion that it can be hacked, but only if they can combine their inventions with a runestone. Scorpia then informs Entrapta the Horde has the Black Garnet.
Light Hope explains to Adora she is the first She-Ra in thousands of years. Light Hope also informs Adora that everything on Etheria is connected in multiple ways, and that the Crystal Castle is a central hub designed specifically for She-Ra, the chosen warrior the First Ones put forth to protect Etheria. Adora learns all the princesses are connected through their runestones, and only when all of them are back in contact with their power sources, Etheria will be back in balance. The Horde is destroying that balance, which is why defeating them is a matter of immense importance for She-Ra. As Adora realizes Glimmer’s connection to her runestone was disrupted thanks to Shadow Weaver, she starts to reflect on all of her past failures, including Entrapta’s supposed death. Light Hope tells Adora she must let go of her friends in order to fight a battle for the greater good instead. To back up her argument, Light Hope cites Mara, the last She-Ra before Adora. Light Hope tells Adora the story of how Mara let her emotions consume her, and nearly destroyed Etheria, sending it into Despondos, cut off from the rest of the universe.
Catra, Entrapta, and Scorpia begin assembling their new planet-hacking invention on the Black Garnet. Shadow Weaver walks in on their intrusion, and demands them to leave. To Shadow Weaver’s shock, Hordak appears on all monitors, and informs her that he has given Entrapta and her crew full permission to hack into the Black Garnet, citing her successes in upgrading the Horde’s fire power, and the dark sorceress’s recent tactical failures. Shadow Weaver rebels against the decision, but Catra subdues her, destroying the gem on her mask and cutting her off from her runestone. As Entrapta powers up her new device the Black Garnet starts to hack into Etheria, throwing the entire planet into chaos. Intense snowstorms occur throughout the Whispering Woods, freezing the entire forest.
Glimmer, Bow, and Swiftwind enter the temple and begin looking for Adora. Swiftwind finds Adora in the Crystal Castle, and reminds Adora that she has been an immense help to countless people as both Adora and She-Ra. Realizing her friends truly care for her, and that she can’t fix anything by hiding, Adora returns to the battle. She saves Glimmer and Bow from more spider monsters, and they leave. As all four of them see the Horde’s hacking of the planet, they rush back to Brightmoon.
