Chapter Seventeen: Ups and Downs

Queen Angella awoke with only one thought on her mind: Glimmer. Was she okay? Had she and the others escaped from Skeletor? Where were they now? Actually, where was she now? She opened her eyes to find herself resting underneath the Moonstone, its calm, cool light washing over her. The next thing she found was that she was very, very sore.

Angella struggled to her feet. Her body ached, but the worst of it was her wing. She remembered what had happened: during her fight with Skeletor and Hordak, she had let her guard down. The former had shot her out of the air, and everything past that was a blank.

"Are you alright, Queen Angella?" The Queen only just then noticed that Spinnerella was present in the Moonstone chamber with her. "You took a pretty big fall back there."

"Yes, I'm fine," said Angella. This was half true. She was sore, yes, but not in any real pain. "Is everyone else alright? Glimmer, Adora, Bow?"

"Everyone's okay," said Spinnerella. "We were able to fend off Skeletor after he...anyway, they all headed on to Mizar to search."

Angella sighed, content just to know they were safe. "That's good to hear. Hopefully they will be able to find what they're looking for, and this whole nightmare will be behind us."

"Hey, you doing alright up here, your majesty?" Bismuth entered. "Thought I heard voices. How's the wing? Holding up alright?"

"Fine, actually," said Angella, examining her wing. "After the hit I took, I never would have expected it to heal so quickly."

"It was that boy, Steven," Spinnerella explained. "He healed you with some of his magic."

"That's Steven for ya," said Bismuth. "Inherited that from his mother."

Angella made her way out of the chamber, heading towards the throne room. "Queen Angella, where are you going?" asked Spinnerella. "Are you sure you're better?"

"I feel well enough," she said. "I may not be flying for a while, but I still have a kingdom to oversee.

"Heh, keepin' on even when you're broken down!" said Bismuth. "Now that I can admire. Y'know, me and Rose Quartz may have been at odds over some things, but that was one of the things I looked up to her for. You remind me of her, in a good way."

"Good to hear," said Angella. "From the little I have heard of this Rose Quartz, she seems to be a strong leader. I hope I can live up to her in this regard." The queen continued into the castle proper, where she was greeted by a royal guard. The guard seemed agitated as she hurried over to the queen.

"Your majesty, I-oh, are you alright? How is your wing?" asked the guard.

"My wing will heal in time," Angella said. "Now, you look like you have urgent news."

"Yes, urgent indeed! Skeletor's forces have been sighted all across the valley. They all seem to be heading in the direction of Mizar."

"Oh, no," said Spinnerella, worried by this new development. "So Skeletor knows what we're planning."

"Have we mobilized the soldiers yet?" asked Angella.

"We're doing the best we can, but our forces are stretched thin as it is," said the guard. "At this rate, we won't have anyone available to launch a counteroffensive."

"Troubling," said Angella, her face darkening. "Have you contacted the other members of the Princess Alliance yet?"

"We haven't had a chance to," the guard said. "With all this Skeletor business, we've been too busy defending our own territories."

"Hey, uh, Angella? Miss? Queen?" said Bismuth. "If you guys are busy, why don't we go and take care of things?"

"I agree," said Spinnerella. "If Skeletor's entire undead army is marching on Mizar, it's likely he intends this to be his final stand. We should unite the princesses to defend it."

Angella nodded. "Yes, it likely is. I will do what I can from here. The two of you will go to Mizar to assist in protecting it."

"Will do, your highness!" said Bismuth, bowing awkwardly. "You can count on us!"

Meanwhile, in Mizar, Netossa was prepared to negotiate with the Horde regarding their occupation of her kingdom. Decided upon the previous night, she would meet with the Force Captain in charge to discuss what to do next. The princess was accompanied not only by several of her royal guards, but by Adora, Garnet, and Flutterina. Adora had requested to come along, while Steven had suggested Garnet join them due to her future-vision. Flutterina, meanwhile, snuck along, much to the irritation of the others.

"Look, kid, you can't just come along whenever or wherever you want," Netossa had told her. "It could be dangerous. We don't know what the Horde's planning."

"Isn't it obvious?" said Flutterina. "They're looking for the same relic that we are! I know about all the Surgeon's secret passages and hideouts and stuff, so I can let you know if they're getting close." Eventually, reluctantly, Flutterina was allowed to join them.

As they approached the designated meeting spot, several Horde soldiers stood waiting for them. Despite the face-obscuring visors they wore, their scowls could be felt. Netossa stepped forwards. "Alright, I'm here. Now where's this Force Captain who wanted to see me?"

The soldiers parted, revealing the large frame of Scorpia. "Hey, glad you could make it!" she said cheerfully. Catra was there as well, glaring at Adora.

"What? You?" said Netossa. "Aren't you that weird one who works with that purple-haired princess? The one that wanted a truce?"

"Yeah, Entrapta," Scorpia said. "She's not here right now, unfortunately. Hordak wanted her to hang back at the Fright Zone. But, you'll be happy to know that I'm ready to work with you. Oh, and Catra's here, too."

"Hey, Adora," said Catra, though she looked less than amused. Adora nodded at her.

"What's the Horde even doing here anyway?" asked Netossa.

"Oh, simple," said Scorpia. "We're looking for that First Ones doodad, same as you."

"So Hordak can use it against us?" said Netossa. "If we weren't dealing with Skeletor right now, I'd have you all thrown out of-"

"Woah now, easy, easy!" said Scorpia. "Skeletor's the whole reason we're here! We have a mutual enemy here!"

"She's right," said Adora. "Skeletor's the bigger threat here. We'll both have to work together if we want to beat him."

"And I know just where to find it!" said Flutterina.

"You do?" said Scorpia. "We've been looking for it all day! Why didn't you say something?"

"Uh, because I'm with these guys," said Flutterina. "But if we're working together, I can show you all the way. What do you think, She-Ra?"

"I say we go for it," said Adora. "And you're sure you can get us there without us being caught?"

"Of course," said Flutterina. "I've worked for the Surgeon for years now. I know just how to sneak in and out of his little hidey-holes. We'll be in and out before he even knows we're there!"

"Sounds great!" said Scorpia. "So, who is this 'Surgeon' guy, anyway?"

"The most notorious crime boss Mizar's ever seen," Netossa explained. "He runs the entire criminal underground, even though nobody's ever seen his face."

"She probably has," said Garnet, gesturing to Flutterina. "She worked for him, after all.

"Actually," said Flutterina, "he's really secretive about stuff like that. He likes to keep hidden in the shadows. I've never seen his real face before, but I do know him fairly well. As for this artifact of his, I think I've got a pretty good idea of where he's hidden it."

"Great!" said Scorpia. "Lead the way!"

Flutterina led the group to an abandoned storehouse out in the slums. After checking to make sure nobody was around, they entered. Flutterina then pulled a few wooden floorboards out of the way, revealing a hole leading to an underground tunnel. "Tunnels like these are how the Surgeon conducts his business," she explained. "If we're careful, we should be able to get in and out without anyone noticing."

"Hang on, wouldn't it be easier to go in guns blazing?" asked Netossa. "Now that we know where he's hiding, I can send down my soldiers to flush out him and his cronies."

"No!" said Flutterina, almost a little too quickly. "Er, if you do that, you'll be left unguarded for when Skeletor shows up!"

"Unfortunately, she's right," said Garnet. "It is extremely likely that Skeletor means to attack Mizar soon. The city needs all the protection it can get. Besides, if only the three of us go, there's less of a chance we'll be spotted."

"Four of us," said Catra, stepping forward. "What, you think I'm letting you go down there alone? If you're going after that artifact, then I'm coming, too."

"You sure, Wildcat?" asked Scorpia.

"Of course I'm sure," Catra said. "You stay here in case anything happens. Make sure those princesses don't try anything funny." She quickly jumped down the hole into the darkness. "Well? You coming, or what?"

"We'll be back with that artifact in no time," Adora said to Netossa. She, Garnet, and Flutterina all descended down after Catra into the tunnels below.

"So…" Scorpia said once they were gone. "What should we do now?"

"I don't know about you," said Netossa, "but I'm going to get ready. Flutters is right: Skeletor's going to show up eventually. And I, for one, am not gonna let him destroy my kingdom. Not without a fight."