The Unicorn King

 is the 36th episode of She-Ra: Princess of Power.

Plot Summary
Hordak and Mantenna are in a submarine exploring, trying to find some new area to take control of. Mantenna then spots an island though the periscope. Hordak tells him to activate the computer monitor so he can see the island. Then when both of them are looking a Unicorn flies into sight. Hordak then confirms the island they have discovered is indeed Unicorn Island. Meanwhile back in Wispering Woods, Adora and Spirit are alone because they have been let off duty of keeping watch. Just then Adora gets the idea to go flying around to see things. She then activates the Sword of Protection to transform them into She-Ra and Swift Wind. Just after the transfomation is done and Swift Wind starts to tell her that just as he changed into a unicorn he started to sense some danger. She-Ra then confirms they need to to see Light Hope and ask him if he knows what is happening.

Just as they arrive at the Crystal Castle, Light Hope tells She-Ra that Swift Wind's senses are correct because Hordak is threatening danger towards the unicorns on Unicorn Island. Light Hope then tells She-Ra that when she gets there, she must earn the trust of the Unicorn King because he does not trust humans. Back at Unicorn Island, Mantenna is flying a Horde Jet, using drones to capture the unicorns. Mantenna then radios Hordak, telling him that the plan is working perfectly and that nothing can go wrong. Then She-Ra shows up and says, "Don't count your Unicorns before they are captured!" Then when Mantenna notices her, Hordak tells him to stop She-Ra, So Mantenna tries to use his Freeze Ray eye-beams to stop She-Ra. She-Ra and Swift Wind are able to avoid the Freeze beams and they then fly down to start freeing the Unicorns. Then after the Unicorns are freed, they all start smashing Hordak's robots. One of the robots tries to attack She-Ra from the side, but she is able to take her bare fist and knock it out. Swift Wind then takes his rear legs and kicks another robot that was trying to attack from the rear. After She-Ra and Swift Wind Destroy all the robots and all that is left is Mantenna and his Jet Plane, Hordak radios him, telling him, "Bring what is left of my Capture Bots and get back here Immediently!"

Back down inside the Horde Sub, Hordak is chewing Mantenna's head off because there are only 3 capture robots left undestroyed by She-Ra. Mantenna tries to plead with Hordak that it was not his fault, but after Hordak tells him to stand there and be quiet, he then pushes a button that opens a trap door under Mantenna, causing him to fall to a lower deck on the submarine. Hordak then makes the comment, "I like this sub because it has all the comforts of the Fright Zone!"

Meanwhile, back on Unicorn Island, She-Ra and Swift Wind are on the beach. Swift Wind asks, "Where is everyone?" and She-Ra tells him, "They must be in the woods up there." Then the Unicorn King appoaches them and says, "Stay Where you are!" Swift Wind can tell this is the Unicorn King. She-Ra then asks if the Unicorns were all safe and the King responds, "Yes, now who are you?" When She-Ra introduces herself and Swift Wind, the Unicorn King then asks, "Why have you brought this human to our island, Swift Wind?" Swift Wind and She-Ra explain that they came to help and that the machines that were trying to harm the unicorns belong to Hordak, who is trying to enslave all who live on Etheria, not just the race of Unicorns. The Unicorn King just cannot believe them because he looks at Swift Wind and sees the Saddle on his back and thinks that Swift Wind is a slave to She-Ra. Swift Wind and She-Ra try to explain that they are friends with each other. Then the Unicorn King says, "Perhaps you should see one of my friends!" Then after the king gives a signal, another unicorn named Bright Wing walks out, clearly injured. The Unicorn King then says, "Bright Wing was the last Unicorn to trust a Human, and because of the magic the person who Bright Wing had trusted used on him, his wings are injured and we had to free him!" She-Ra tries to plead with the Unicorn King that if Hordak attacks them again that she wants to help, but the king says "If it is a choice between fighting or giving up our island to save ourselves, we will run to another place." She-Ra tries her best to offer her help involving protecting the unicorns but the king says, "I cannot trust any human!"

On the submarine, Hordak tells Mantenna he has a job for him and Mantenna asks, "What is it?" Hordak then tells Mantenna to take the Horde Fighter Jet and draw the attention of She-Ra and Swift Wind, and while they are chasing him, Hordak himself would put a force field around the island to block the unicorns from escaping. She-Ra and the Unicorn King are still talking and she questions the king, "If you will not stay and fight and your plan is to leave, how will Bright Wing be taken from the island if he cannot fly?" The King responds by saying that two of his friends would carry Bright Wing. She-Ra tries to offer that she could do something to help Bright Wing. She pleads to them to let her use her powers because she feels since it was magic that hurt Bright Wing, maybe her magic powers of healing can help. The Unicorn King then says, "Okay but I will be watching." Then as She-Ra approaches and touches Bright Wing, his injured wings are healed and he can fly again. Bright Wing then says, "I can fly!" Then when he lands and approaches She-Ra, he says, "Twice you have helped us. Is there anything we could give to you in return?" As the Unicorn King walks up toward them, She-Ra says, "I would like your trust." The king, by seeing how She-Ra healed his best friend and how she offered her services to fight Hordak, then agrees to help her in the fight to keep their home. Just then, Mantenna comes in range and starts shooting lasers at She-Ra. She-Ra then tells Swift Wind, "Maybe if we capture him, he can tell us what Hordak is up to." Just as She-Ra gets on Swift Wind and they start flying after Mantenna, Hordak is watching from the Submarine and sees it is time for himself to surface and go after the unicorns. The Unicorn King and Bright Wing both see Hordak's Submarine that also functions like a tank on the ground coming ashore and the King tells his friend to sound the alert. Then when She-Ra gets close enough to Mantenna's Jet, she has her sword change to a lasso and she ropes Mantenna. He then has no choice but to tell her that Hordak forced him to keep her busy while he put a force field up on the island. She-Ra then realizes she has to get back there to stop Hordak.

Hordak has launched his Force Field generator and starts giving an ultimatum to the unicorns. Just as She-Ra approaches the Island, Swift Wind says, "I think we are too late." Then Mantenna shows back up trying to attack She-Ra. She-Ra and Swift Wind decide to split up so while Swift Wind deals with Mantenna, She-Ra is going into the water to try to get under the force field. When she gets onto the ocean floor, She-Ra starts spinning around fast to where her sword is used like a drill, and she starts drilling her way under the force field to the island. Hordak thinks he has won already and boasts that he should leave his machine and see his new conquest. Just as Hordak is about to line up all the unicorns as slaves, She-Ra surfaces and starts to confront Hordak. Hordak is furious that she got in, so he changes his right arm into a freeze ray. She-Ra changes her sword into a shield and when the beam hits the shield it bounces back. She-Ra then comments "I think you need this freeze ray more than I do because you are so full of hot air!" Hordak then heads back to his machine that he then claims is called the Sea Fright. Bright Wing then asks, "Should we go after him?" She-Ra responds by saying "Not yet. We need to go after the force field generator first, but without Swift Wind, I cannot reach it." The Unicorn King then tells She-Ra that he will be willing to give her a ride up there if she will accept this honor. She-Ra then saysñ "The honor is mine. I will be willing to accept this ride." She-Ra then gets on the Unicorn King's back and they start to fly. Just as She-Ra and the Unicorn King get near the force field generator, Hordak activates the defense systems on the generator. The outer edges of the generator start spinning fast enough to produce a tornado and also starts firing some lasers. She-Ra asks the King if he can fly above it and he says he will try. Then when they do get above it, She-Ra jumps off the king's back and smashes through the generator. The Unicorn King then catches her on his back again just below the generator. Both of them see the generator explode and the King makes the comment "What made you so sure I could catch you after you broke that?" She-Ra says "Let's just say it was a matter of Trust". Then, just a few minutes later, Swift Wind drops Mantenna on top of the Sea Fright.

After Hordak lets him in, She-Ra does some damage to the Sea Fright with her sword and uses her super strength to throw it off the island and back into the water where it starts leaking. Hordak says "I have got to get out of here!" Mantenna says, "Wait for Me!" The two of them get into an escape pod that surfaces and floats like a life raft on the sea. At the same time, back on Unicorn Island, the Unicorn King and Bright Wing are thanking She-Ra and Swift Wind for their help. She-Ra tells them that she knows it will be a long time before Hordak tries to attack their island again. The Unicorn King then lets her know that if there is any time she needs their help, she can just come and ask. She-Ra then tells the king that if they want to visit where they live in the Whispering Woods, they will be welcome there. As She-Ra and Swift Wind leave the island, they fly right over the life raft that Hordak and Mantenna are floating in. Hordak tells Mantenna, "I am very unhappy. Do you know what that means?" Mantenna then says "Sure, but what can you do to me in this little boat?" Hordak then says, "This!" and he punches a button on a small remote control device opening a trap door to drop Mantenna out of the boat, but because Hordak did not think, he wound up sinking his own life boat. Then Hordak Shouts "Mantenna, this is all your fault!" Then Hordak gets into position to transform himself into a torpedo and starts chasing after Mantenna, who is swimming like crazy to try to outrun Hordak while heading back toward the Fright Zone.

Moral
Loo-Kee: "Hi! This is Loo-Kee. Did you find me today? Take a look now. Find me yet? I'm right here! Today's story was about cooperation. That means, helping each other get something done. Like when you help do things around the house. Many jobs can be made easier when we work together. When we cooperate with one another. Bye now! Hope you find me next time!"

Characters

 * Great Rebellion
 * Princess Adora
 * Loo-Kee (cameo)
 * She-Ra
 * Spirit
 * Swift Wind
 * Allies
 * Bright Wing
 * Light Hope
 * Unicorn King
 * Evil Horde
 * Capture Bots
 * Hordak
 * Mantenna

Objects

 * Vehicles
 * Sea Fright
 * Sky Fighter

Locations

 * Etheria
 * Fright Zone (mentioned)
 * Growling Sea - Unicorn Island
 * Skydancer Mountain - Crystal Castle
 * Whispering Woods

Cast

 * Melendy Britt as She-Ra/Princess Adora
 * George DiCenzo as Hordak and Unicorn King
 * Erika Scheimer as Loo-Kee
 * Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Swift Wind/Spirit, Light Hope, Mantenna and Bright Wing

Behind the Scenes

 * Script was approved February 15, 1985 and final script revision took place March 29, 1985.
 * The character model for the Unicorn King was designed by character artist character design supervisor Herb Hazelton.

Continuity

 * A great amount of animation is recycled in the episode Swifty's Baby, including footage of Hordak and Mantenna in the Sea Fright, Mantenna and the Capture Bots, the Force Field Generator and footage of the Unicorn King himself.
 * The Capture Bots were previously used as Attack Bats in the episode King Miro's Journey.
 * The sequence in which She-Ra transforms her sword into a shield was first seen in The Price of Freedom.

The He-Man and She-Ra Blog

 * Keith Tucker's Act One!
 * Swings fist at cam...
 * She-Ra leaps!
 * Settle hair down.
 * United in defeat #1
 * United in defeat #2
 * Mantenna silenced.