Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mermista’s eyes cracked open, a groan escaping her as she sat up and rubbed her aching head. She gave a confused noise, looking around herself. She… had no idea where she was.

It was a field, flowers surrounding her and a lake expanding in front of her, massive and unforgiving- if she wasn’t Mermista.

“And I’m alone.” She whispered to herself, eyebrows furrowed as she stood up and started walking around the lake a bit, hoping to catch a glimpse of… someone.

Mermista was the only person for what seemed like miles.

A huff left her, hands going on her hips.

“Hello?!”

Mermista paused to listen, before chewing her lip.

“Okay Mermista. You’re alone, lost, and have no clue how you got here. Uh… Well… There’s water.” She glanced at the lake, before moving to wade into it. “So… I can just… Go this way?”

Mermista paused, before face palming. “Am I really already talking to myself?”

It didn’t take long, her swimming forward, hoping to hit land or something that showed where she should go, when the monotony of just swimming was finally lulling her off, she felt the entire world unfocus.

In its place-

Mermista exhaled quickly, jolting and looking around her wildly.

There was Glimmer, Adora, Bow, Frosta, Perfuma, Scorpia-

The princess alliance.

“Woah- Take it easy, Mermista, are you okay?” Glimmer asked,tilting her head.

“We were just playing cards.” Bow said, voice soft as he tried to calm her down.

Mermista was… confused, to say the least. She exhaled and shook her head.

“Uh… Sorry, I just…” She mumbled. “I… I need... “

“If you need a break, we will not hold it against you.” Perfuma smiled at the mermaid princess, but Mermista barely registered it.

Frosta leaned backwards. “Yeah, it’ll be great if you forfeit, easier for me to win!”

Adora said nothing, staring up at Mermista with an unreadable expression.

Mermista was slightly taken aback, but shook her head. “Uh… yeah…”

She slowly dragged herself to her feet, glancing at Adora before walking off to a very familiar room.

Mermista was in Bright Moon, heading back to the same bathtub she’d holed herself up in when Salineas was taken.

But she wasn’t sad, not really. She felt numb, actually.

This was… wrong. No, this didn’t feel right. Even when the warmth of the bath and the sensation of bubbles hit her skin, it didn’t feel… real.

It felt muted.

Mermista climbed into the bath, letting her tail out and trying to understand… what was going on.

She needed to figure this out. 

Especially the look Adora had given.

She didn’t know a week ago, Adora had had a small mental breakdown, and she didn’t know something was wrong.

Adora, however, had noticed the change in Mermista immediately.

“Hey… I’m gonna go too.” Adora said, standing and dropping her cards. 

Frosta cheered, something about having a sure win now.

She waved off any worry, heading down to…

A room that still didn’t feel like it should exist.

Entrapta was inside, doing something on the screen that Adora honestly couldn’t understand.

Hordak was wandering around, Wrong Hordak following him like a lost puppy.

“Hey, Entrapta.” Adora had greeted, looking over at the Hordaks.

Entrapta looked at Adora, before pushing her mask up and grinning. “There’s something here. In the castle!” She said, trying to be quiet.

Entrapta knew that what was going on had to stay between her and Adora, but she was so excited! She was going to figure out what was going on!

Adora nodded, crossing her arms and glancing over at the Hordaks.

Entrapta frowned, looking over too and giving a small o face. “Hordak! Wrong Hordak! Can you guys leave me and Adora alone for a minute!”

Hordak seemed like he was going to fight back against the request, but simply nodded after a moment of hesitation.

Adora watched the two leave, before yelping when Entrapta grabbed her by the shoulders.

“I think we can even track what it is! Adora, I think we can get out of here! We should tell the others, tell them about how the world is fake, and-”

Adora quickly put her hand on Entrapta’s mouth. “Entrapta! We can’t worry them, not until we know how to get out.”

Entrapta sighed, nodding, and stretching out her jaw a bit when Adora’s hand left her face.

“You have a strong grip.”

Adora ignored her, looking over to the door. “I think it’s Mermista.”

“Huh?”

“Uh… Well… You said something is here, and I think it’s Mermista. She was acting… weird, suddenly, while we were playing cards.”

Entrapta thought to herself for a moment. “Huh… But she wasn’t an anomaly yesterday. We checked everyone, they weren’t like us.”

Adora nodded. “I know, but… I think maybe, this isn’t… I…” She rubbed her head. “Maybe there’s multiple Mermista’s?”

Entrapta was quiet, before quickly moving to look back at the screen. “We’re missing people.”

“Yeah.”

“But Mermista has always been here… So… If she’s the other anomaly, she has to be a second Mermista.”

Adora looked over at the door, hesitating. “What if the others aren’t real, and there’s only one Mermista. What if we were like them?”

Entrapta shook her head. “No, they’re living breathing people, they’re just not aware like us.” 

Adora blinked a few times, before squeaking when Entrapta suddenly ran past her.

“Come on Adora, I got the tracker pad set up to follow it!”

Adora exhaled, wondering why Bow and Glimmer couldn’t have been aware too.

She followed Entrapta, giving nervous smiles to people the two passed.

“Entrapta!” She hissed, wishing the other would slow down so they stopped looking so suspicious. 

Entrapta didn’t listen, not until she stopped in front of a door. 

“Entrapta, we’re trying to be discreet!” Adora said, keeping her voice low. She opened the door, giving a noise and nodding.

Entrapta peaked in, giving a “Woah!” noise.

“You were right Adora!” She cried, as Mermista looked up at the two with an incredulous expression.

“Mermista is the anomalyyyyyy…”

“Anomaly?” Mermista asked, as Adora nodded and looked proud of herself.

“See, I have great intuition.”

“Can someone explain what is going on?” Mermista spoke up again, rubbing her face.

Entrapta scanned her, before her smile faded and she frowned. “Huh…”

Adora knelt by the tub. “Oh my god I’m so happy you’re here! Okay, so I think this might be like that weird uh time thing, when the portal was unleashed? And everything was perfect? Because things are really weird and it seems like Entrapta and I are the only ones who can tell- Hah! It actually was really close, because when Bow, Glimmer, and I went to see Entrapta during that, she also knew exactly what was going on! Uh… But this time, she doesn’t, and neither do I. We just know something is wrong, and everyone else is acting weird- like everything is perfect and- and you were weird, before you got up during the card game, and I knew something was right with you so I immediately went to Entrapta, and…”

Adora continued to ramble, obviously having a bit more of a freak out, as Entrapta looked unsure at the pad in front of her.

Mermista was only half listening to Adora, looking up at Entrapta.

Finally, she spoke up.

“What’s wrong, Geek Princess?”

Entrapta blinked a few times. “Well… something is… off about your readings. It’s different than mine and Adora’s, and different from everyone else’s…”

Adora finally went quiet, releasing Mermista’s hand she had, at some point, started holding.

The three stayed in some odd silence together.

“It looks like your readings are.. stronger than ours, maybe? Uh… Think the readings of Bow, Glimmer, and She-Ra!”

Mermista blinked in confusion when suddenly Entrapta had an odd, high tech whiteboard type screen, showing Bow, Glimmer, and She-Ra.

“While Bow is a good inventor, he has no elemental powers! His readings are way different than Glimmer’s, whose elemental powers change her own aura and composition. Bow has a low connection to the planet, while Glimmer’s is much larger. Now, take She-Ra! She has a wonderful, ;large aura of AMAZING, completely overpowered and commanding. A natural leader.”

Entrapta switched the next page to Perfuma, Adora, and Mermista.

“Now Perfuma, and… everyone else… Are the same low level as Bow, in these readings. They aren’t as separate from the fabric of space and time here. They’re contained in this… weird place. Adora and I have more of a disconnection. We understand something wrong is happening, and we have our auras breaking off from it.”

Entrapta looked over to confused Mermista, as Adora nodded. She already knew that part. It was Mermista she was confused about.

“But Mermista, she doesn’t have any connection  to this place. She’s a complete third part.” Entrapta pointed at Mermista.

“Where are you right now?”

“Huh-?”

Entrapta nodded, noticing the small recognition in Mermista’s eyes.

“You’re not here . You’re not connected to here. You’re visiting, in our Mermista’s body.”

Adora’s eyebrows furrowed. “Our Mermista’s?”

Entrapta shook her head. “... Yeah.”

Mermista blinked a few times, quickly looking between Adora and Entrapta.

“I… I’m in, uh… It’s an empty planet. I went into the lake to see if I could find somewhere with like, stuff to survive and…” Mermista fumbled.

Entrapta looked proud of herself, as Adora stared at Mermista’s hand. 

“Wait, Entrapta, what do you mean about Our Mermista?”

Entrapta shook her head. “I don’t think… I don’t have enough data to…”

Mermista exhaled. “Hey, okay. If I uh, help you guys, can you help me get back home?”

Entrapta smiled. “Okay! Please come to my lab when you’re ready!”

Entrapta was already off, Adora trying to come to terms with information she didn’t fully understand.

Before Adora could say anything more, she was being dragged out by Entrapta’s hair, a yelp escaping the blonde.

Mermista stared after them, before climbing out of the bath and getting re-dressed.

This was… messed up.

What was even going on?

When Mermista had finally calmed down enough, she headed off toward…

Uh…

A room she’d never seen before. 

When had Entrapta gotten an entire room added to the castle? And how did Mermista know where it was?

Mermista yelped when Hordak passed her, eyes wide as the alien stared back at her.

“Mermista? Are you okay?” He asked, and Mermista wasn’t sure what was going on.

Everyone was just okay with Hordak? Was he Mermista’s…. friend…?

Mermista shook her head, and sighed when Hordak opened the door for her.

This was so messed up.

Mermista walked into Entrapta’s lab, seeing Adora sitting with Entrapta.

“Okay. I’m-” Mermista suddenly felt a weird pain in her head, quickly grasping at her aching temple.

“Mermista-!” Adora cried, diving to catch the sea princess as her knees buckled.

Mermista squeezed her eyes shut, before opening them.

… And she was back on the empty planet.

It took a few long seconds of her blinking over and over, standing at the bank of the lake and staring up at a small cottage, before she stamped her foot and let out a long, loud “UGGGGHHH!!!”

“MERMISTA!”

Mermista jolted, looking up when she heard…

“S-Sea-?!”

The pirate was suddenly in Mermista’s arms, his own tight against her body.

Mermista inhaled sharply, not even caring as she hugged back just as tight. “You’re here? I thought... “

Well, maybe it made sense?

Sea Hawk hadn’t been in that weird… dream she had?

Was it a dream?

She exhaled. “Why are you here? Where are we?”

Sea Hawk opened his mouth to respond, before it shut as he struggled to remember.

“... well… I can’t remember at the moment, but I promise it will come to me.”

Mermista gave a long winded sigh, nodding. “... I’m glad you’re here.”

Sea Hawk’s eyes were full of love, staring up at Mermista.

She smiled slightly.

“... It’s getting dark, so… I guess we’re spending the night here?”

She gestured to the cottage.

Sea Hawk gave a hum. “Alright. Maybe if we talk about what we know, about how we got here, we can figure out what is going on.”

Mermista nodded, watching Sea Hawk rush into the cottage.

She slowly looked around them, hoping to find something she could explore tomorrow to see what was going on.

She sighed, rubbing her bleary eyes, before moving to follow Sea Hawk.

As Sea Hawk fixed up a bed that thankfully didn’t look disgusting, Mermista exhaled in exhaustion.

Do you think they’ll wake up?

I can’t believe Sea…

I can, you know he would do anything for her.

Worse than… Horde…

Thought… wanted She Ra….

Wonder why…

As Mermista dozed off, she could hear mumbling, murmuring, voices that she knew.

Her friends, but they weren’t here. Just dreams, voices as she fell into nothingness.

She’d figure out what was going on.

And then she’d get Sea Hawk, herself, Adora, and Entrapta out of this.

And then she’d never be the leader again, because this was already exhausting.

Chapter Text

Mermista woke to the smell of cooking food, slowly sitting up and rubbing her face. 

As the events of yesterday flooded back to her, she finally, well… realized this was real. 

Why had she nearly been okay with this yesterday?!

Mermista hadn't had her freak out, and honestly she was proud of herself for holding it off so long. 

Though, no one else was really freaking out, in her opinion. Except maybe Adora. 

Sea Hawk had accepted it nearly immediately… 

Sea Hawk-!

Mermista snapped to look over at the kitchen, Sea Hawk making the two of them breakfast. 

"Sea Hawk…?"

The pirate's eyes brightened, and he turned to look at her. "Mermista! You're awake!"

The princess eyed him carefully, getting up to stand by him. 

"This place has food."

Mermista watched as Sea Hawk tried to cook breakfast, before looking unsure. "Uh… let me do it?"

Sea Hawk pouted, but nodded. 

As Mermista sadly showed off that she did have cooking skills, she watched Sea Hawk. "So, what's the last thing you remember?"

Sea Hawk hummed. "Well, before ending up here, I remember we went on a journey to another planet. There was a distress signal, and I wanted to come along! You actually asked to tag along because of that…"

Sea Hawk blushed, and Mermista's own cheeks went a little heated. 

"Well someone has to keep you out of trouble…" She pondered the new information. 

"Uh! When we landed, we searched for the signal. But you… got separated…" Sea Hawk grunted, touching his head. He struggled to remember any more. 

Mermista didn't struggle to get flashes of memory suddenly, however. 

She remembered seeing herself. She remembered good about it. She remembered touching something. She remembered being here. 

"Is this working?" Sea Hawk asked sadly, but his smile returned when Mermista nodded. 

"Okay. We can’t just sit here and do nothing, so I guess we’re gonna… search for uh, something. Anything.” Mermista gave Sea Hawk food, sitting with her own.

“Maybe there’s a ruin or something.” She shrugged.

Sea Hawk climbed up onto the bed, pointing off to the side. “It’s an Adventure!”

“Yeah, sure Sea Hawk.” Mermista answered, glancing out the window.

Mermista continued to stare, spacing out finally.

“Mermista…?” She could hear Sea Hawk’s voice mumble, but-

Mermista blinked rapidly when she was back in Bright Moon.

She was also alone. Great.

Mermista sighed and started to head for Entrapta’s lab.

Entrapta was going over people who were missing, for Adora.

“Well, it took a lot of data mining and searching my own and your memory, but we’re missing Sea Hawk, Catra, uh…” Entrapta gave a nervous smile.

“People I have never seen before?”

“Oh!” Adora cut in. “Madame Razz wasn’t anywhere, and her home wasn’t either, so I don’t think she’s here. Sadly, since she helped last time…” Adora sighed. “Uh, Bow’s parents. I don’t think Double Trouble is here.”

Entrapta nodded. “The people we met when we got the fuel crystals aren’t here!”

Adora exhaled. “You know, other than Sea Hawk, Catra, and Double Trouble…” She hesitated.

Suddenly the door burst open.

“Adora!” Catra’s voice filled the lab, Mermista standing next to her and staring at her with a horrified expression.

Entrapta quickly moved to drag Mermista next to her, as Adora was tackled with a hug by the cat.

“Mermista?” Entrapta asked.

“Uh… I was coming into the room, and I heard you talking. Then like… when you talked about Catra she just, appeared next to me…?”

Entrapta’s eyes widened, and she hid part of her face behind a tracker pad she had been holding.

“I think I get it now…”

Mermista exhaled. “If you do, then please tell me.”

Entrapta glanced at Adora and Catra, before clearing her throat a bit.

Adora looked over, before blinking and nodding. “Okay,  Catra! Sorry, we’re a bit busy for now, but I’ll uh, come see you later?”

Catra blinked a few times. “Huh?"

She looked weirded out as she traveled out of the room. 

Adora gave a noise. “Huh, she listened really quickly for Catra. That was weird.”

Entrapta’s eyes brightened for only a moment, then darkened drastically. “Oh, I really get it now…”

Adora gave a noise. “Uh… Entrapta? What do you mean…?”

Mermista stared at Entrapta, who fidgeted wildly.

“I… Well… I think this is around Mermista.”

“Around me?” Mermista asked flatly.

Entrapta blinked a few times. “Haven’t you noticed I’m talking in ‘people terms’ all the time, and not-”

“Not geek speak.” Mermista cut Entrapta off, who nodded.

Adora opened and closed her mouth. “And Catra just immediately listened, Glimmer has toned down, and people you don’t know, don’t exist. But I know Madame Razz, and-”

“Uh, who?” Mermista tilted her head.

“Exactly! Mermista doesn’t know Madame Razz, but I do! So how…”

Entrapta held a hand up. “Remember how I said you and I are disconnected, unlike the others?”

Adora scratched her head. “Well, yeah.”

Entrapta beckoned the two to follow her into the garden, where Glimmer and Bow were.

Adora looked over at them, waving, and Mermista seemed unsure of herself.

Entrapta cleared her throat, getting ready for… something.

Glimmer raised a brow. “Uh-?”

“JEWELSTAR!” Entrapta suddenly yelled, causing Adora to flinch backwards in surprise.

“Huh-” Glimmer asked, eyes widening.

“TALLSTAR!” Entrapta yelled again, reading off of her tracker pad.

“Are these names?” Bow asked hesitantly.

“STARLA!!”

“I don’t remember these people…” Mermista whispered to herself, and Entrapta gave a grave nod.

“What is going on-” Bow asked, as Glimmer gave them a very, very confused expression.

“Thank you for participating in my experiment! Goodbye, Bow and Glimmer!” Entrapta quickly turned and ran back to her lab.

Adora was panicking, so Mermista grabbed her hand and quickly dragged her back to the lab.

“Wh-What- But they were WITH us when we met-” Adora choked.

“You and I are connected to outside… this place. But we…” Entrapta started as soon as the doors to her lab were closed.

“Aren’t real?” Adora asked.

Mermista’s eyes widened. “Oh- My god, I’m already going crazy.”

Entrapta shook her head quickly. “See, you aren’t connected to here at all, but your readings are way off what they’re supposed to be! I didn’t check the rest of you because I didn’t think it’d be different.”

“Uh- so can you just tell me what’s wrong with me?” Mermista’s voice was almost more freaked out than Adora’s.

“Somehow, you’ve been injected with way more power than you should have.” Entrapta frowned. “I still haven’t gotten through all the data, I still need time, but… But if I have to guess…”

Adora stared up at Mermista with wild, wide eyes.

Entrapta chewed her lip.

“Well- Guess!” Mermista’s voice cracked.

“I think… you created this world. I think you brought Adora and I to life.”

Mermista’s world seemed to freeze. “... uh… like… huh?”

“I think you know there’s something wrong and you can’t do it alone, so with this new power, you brought us to life because we can help you the most.”

Adora gave a small laugh. “I haven’t transformed into She Ra the entire time. I actually tried and couldn’t. So maybe Mermista was off on which person to make real or- or something.”

She sat down on the floor, exhaling shakily.

Entrapta looked over, before pointing at Mermista with her hair.

“You need to find out what’s wrong with where you are. We can’t do everything here. Maybe if you can find a way to bring things and information here, or back there, we can help you.”

Mermista looked over at Adora, then Entrapta.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Entrapta grinned. “Hey, me neither! That’s what makes it fuuuun!”

Mermista caught the crack and uncertainty in Entrapta’s voice, but ignored it.

Mermista cried out suddenly, the world immediately dropping and leaving her back on the empty planet.

Well-

Except-

“MERMISTA, YOU’RE BACK!” 

Sea Hawk’s arms wrapped tightly around Mermista, a sob escaping him.

“U-Uh- Sea Hawk…?”

“You… Your eyes got glowing, and then you didn’t respond to me at all. I followed you here.”

Mermista looked up at the temple she had uh… led Sea Hawk to?

Mermista didn’t know anything about what Sea Hawk was talking about, but she figured it made sense. At least it was proof that whatever was happening was definitely magical.

“I’m sorry, I was with…” Her eyebrows furrowed. “... Okay, let me try to explain everything I’ve got so far, and then we can uh… I guess see what this temple thing is about.”

Sea Hawk’s bottom lip trembled, but he nodded softly. “Alright, Mermista…”

Mermista sighed.

Now to untangle this confusing mess she was in for her himbo.

Well, she was thankful she had Sea Hawk, at least. She didn’t want to be alone here.

Chapter Text

Mermista could hear her breathing, soft and fragile, echoing on the walls. Somehow it was the only noise she could hear, even though she was straining to hear anything else.

Not even Sea Hawk's breathing was meeting her ears. Was he even there?

The inside of the temple was dark. Water was there though, she could feel it. Of course. 

Still water, untouched and unmoved for thousands of years. How did she know that?

Mermista reached out to try and move the water, almost without thinking. 

It stayed resolute for a moment too long, to the point she thought her powers were gone, but...

She could hear it finally. Tiny, nearly silent, moving upward. Up, up...

Light.

The water started to glow, like she'd stirred something alive.

"Mermista..." Sea Hawk mumbled, breaking the silence. 

Mermista was silent, watching the light spread in patterns, floating through the water.

Water was alive. Well, okay, maybe not water itself.

But Mermista always felt life in every drop, plankton maybe. Shrimp. Bacteria? Gross.

But it was alive. 

Mermista exhaled softly, letting her hand drop. The water continued to move without her. 

She... knew this.

Mermista stared in disbelief. Like she was watching a dream, something fuzzy and hard to see but...

Sea Hawk looked almost pained trying to stay quiet. He trusted Mermista, but this was freaking him out. And usually Mermista would notice, but she was completely focused on the patterns.

"I... know this." Mermista whispered. "I don't... know this. Wait."

Mermista fought the urge to run, reaching out again. 

Sea Hawk made little noises, covering his mouth, trying hard not to pull her away.

When her fingers almost, almost grazed the water... he couldn't hold back.

Sea Hawk grabbed her and pulled her away.

"Sea Hawk-!"

"Mermista, I trust you. But I have a bad feeling about this. You know I'd usually be up for any adventure! But..." Sea Hawk glanced at the patterns, a sinking feeling in his gut.

Mermista's annoyance went away, expression softening. "... okay. Look, I'll tell Entrapta and Adora about this. And... maybe they can help me figure this out before I go around touching anything. Okay?"

Sea Hawk sighed, and nodded. That did make him feel better...

"Well, how do you talk to them?"

Mermista hummed, glancing at the patterns before turning away to leave the room with the pirate. 

"I guess... whenever I get all... spacey?"

Sea Hawk thought for a moment. "Oh! I have an idea!"

Mermista gasped in surprise when Sea Hawk dragged her back to the cottage quickly, eyes wide.

Mermista watched in disbelief as Sea Hawk started drawing her a bath.

"Uhhh..."

"Mermista! When you are doing nothing, you start getting... glowy eyed. So wouldn't relaxing in a hot bath work?"

Mermista exhaled. "Ugghhh... yes, yeah, that makes sense. You're staying in the main room."

Sea Hawk jolted. "Ah-! Of course! I would never look upon you naked without your permission!"

Mermista grumbled. "Yeah... I know you wouldn't."

Mermista sighed as the bath was finished and Sea Hawk left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Mermista glanced back at the door for a moment, before disrobing and climbing into the water.

It was nice... warm, comforting...

Mermista melted into the heat, staring at nothing as she slowly relaxed.

After a few long blinks, she was in Bright Moon, in... well. A bath.

Mermista huffed as she got out of the bath, drying off quickly and getting dressed.

"Okay. New information for the people I... created? Ugh, this is way too much pressure."

Mermista traveled around the castle, watching these fake friends chattering. Passing by Bow and Glimmer, talking about nothing.

Perfuma and Scorpia...

Mermista watched them, noticing... oddities.

She didn't really know Scorpia. Whoever this was, was exactly what she DID know. Some flanderized version, laughing and stupid and strong and big.

Mermista shut her eyes before turning to rush to Entrapta's lab.

"Mermista! You're back." Entrapta hummed, spinning in her chair.

Adora was nowhere to be seen.

Mermista hugged herself, feeling discomfort in her gut. "Uh... where's...?"

"Adora? Ah, she's been with Catra. There's a lot different in this world, so she's been taking notes for me."

No she hasn't, Mermista thought. She wants a real Catra. Not some fake I made.

"Well, was there anything... new...?" Entrapta trailed off as the patterns from the temple were suddenly on her screen.

She looked back at Mermista, then back at the screen. "Okay... where did..."

"Some temple I walked to while in a trance I guess. It... wants me there. Sea Hawk doesn't think I should touch it so I wanted you to look into it. I'm not sure what you can do from here but..."

"Mermista." Entrapta's voice was clipped, which Mermista wasn't expecting.

Mermista's back straightened, feeling goosebumps on her arms. "Uh-?"

"Just because you created me doesn't mean I'm not real. You were overloaded with so much power that you created me and Adora. You gave me life. Don't... don't forget that I told you what's happening."

Mermista stared at Entrapta for a long moment, before she opened her mouth to speak. 

Thankfully, or regrettably, Adora came back to the lab just then.

Adora wasn't in a good mood. It was obvious. But she gave a relieved sigh seeing Mermista, and the princess felt another curdling in her gut.

"Thank goodness you're here. Catra is so weird... she's like... flipping through being kind of herself but then overly sweet and then overly mean..." Adora muttered, before shaking her head.

"Anyways. What's that?"

Adora moved to stand next to the screen, tilting her head.

"Alternate?"

"What?" Mermista muttered.

"You can read that?" Entrapta asked, looking back at the symbols. Her lips pursed. "That's not First One's."

Adora was silent for a moment, before looking at Mermista. "You can read it."

"Uh? No I can't??? That's why you had to read it!"

"No no, she's right!" Entrapta got up from her chair, moving toward Mermista.

Mermista flinched back.

"You created us with yourself! I'm not just Entrapta, I'm a piece of you."

Adora covered her mouth. "That's why I'm here. You know me as the person who can translate. You just won't let yourself realize you know this language."

Mermista grunted. "Well- but aren't you guys real?"

"Of course! Those aren't mutually exclusive." Entrapta waved a hand. "You became too big for your body. Pieces of you broke off, became your friends. But there's still your Entrapta. Your Adora. We're real. But..."

Adora glanced over at Mermista, like she was trying to figure something out. "... if you touch it, you'll activate the spell. It's a spell... to alternate something. I don't know what. You don't know what. But you know me. I just say passwords. I just do what the messages say. I'd figure it out by doing."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't." Mermista crossed her arms, unable to meet Adora's eyes.

"Exactly! That's why I'm here!"

Mermista looked back at Adora, expression a bit crestfallen. "So... what? I can't do it so I made you guys to do it for me?"

"Well, obviously I can't. But no... you knew you needed us to push you to do the right thing. Thats why I'm Adora. Also maybe the translating thing too, but. I'm Adora. And I might not be She-Ra. I might not be... your Adora. But I'm here to help."

Entrapta looked back at the screen. "... its time to alternate."

"But what does that even mean!" Mermista felt tears pricking at her eyes.

"I'm here to help you figure that out." Entrapta promised, voice more serious than Mermista had ever heard. 

They were so different from her friends, and yet they were definitely Entrapta and Adora.

Mermista took a shaky breath. "... what... do you think... right now, Entrapta?"

"So..." Entrapta mumbled. "Alternate means... to change between two contrasting conditions. To switch between things. Maybe..."

Mermista felt the hair on the back of her neck raise. "I can't leave Sea Hawk there."

Adora winced. "If you do the spell, it could mean that. It could mean you are here and connect to there. But it could also mean you bring us there. It could mean you go to a different plane there and it has nothing to do with us. You won't know until you do it."

"If there's even a chance I leave Sea Hawk behind-"

Entrapta looked back at Mermista, and the expression on her face made her go silent.

Mermista had never seen such a tense expression on that face...

"You won't leave Sea Hawk. You won't lose him. You know that. You're scared of something else."

"That's not-"

"You're scared of being important. You're scared and you want to go home. And the only way to go home is to move forward. You're not on Etheria anymore. You need to move forward."

Adora had said that, completing Entrapta's words. She wouldn't look at either of them, glaring down at the floor. Her expression softened, looking back up at Mermista now.

"You have us behind you every step of the way. You have Sea Hawk. You can do this."

Mermista felt pain throb through her head. "No wait- no I can't leave yet-"

"You know what to do, Mermista..." Entrapta's voice tapered off as the world around them disappeared from the Mermaid's view.

Mermista took ragged breaths, eyes wide. She was under water. If she wasn't Mermista, she would have drowned.

Mermista threw herself out of the bath, quickly covering up. 

Sea Hawk threw the door open, looking worried. "Mermista?!"

"I'm fine! I said not to come in!"

"You weren't responding, and then I heard-"

"Get out!!"

Mermista breathed raggedly as Sea Hawk promptly shut the door, staring at it.

Mermista fell to her knees.

She couldn't stop crying. 

But Adora was right. The only way home was forward.

Mermista had to move forward.

She could do this... right?