This issue of Amethyst features an extended flashback where we learn all about Prince Garnet’s past and his connection to Fire Jade. The cover shows Amethyst standing by Citrina’s bedside looking worried. Garnet and Emerald open a box. Ominous looking smoke rises from the box. Prince Topaz and Lady Turquoise are riding in a carriage in the air pulled by flying tigers. The text on the cover says “Ghost Story!” The title of the issue is “Shadows of the Past”.
On Earth Mr and Mrs Winston are making breakfast. Mr Winston asks Taffy if the girls are up. Mrs Winston comments that it sounds like he’s expecting the dog to answer him. Mr Winston commands Taffy to tell his wife what is on the top of the house, and Taffy says “Roof”. Ha ha. Mrs Winston wonders if the barking will wake the children, and he says that they will be unable to sleep anyway due to the smell of his cinnamon apple pancakes.
Emmy appears, rubbing her eyes. Mrs Winston asks if Amy’s up, and then shakes Emmy’s shoulders saying “She’s gone again, isn’t she!!” Mrs Winston races towards Amy’s room, not listening to Emmy’s explanations about the situation in the Gemworld.
Amethyst and Prince Garnet are traveling on her flying unicorn. Amethyst asks him to explain what he meant by saying that Citrina’s fate and the horrible storms are linked. Prince Garnet says that the storms weakened Citrina, allowing more evil magic to infest the Gemworld. Amethyst wonders why a single woman could have such an effect on the whole world. Amethyst and Prince Garnet enter a patch of sky that has been drained of magic. Amethyst’s unicorn starts to fall, and Amethyst and Prince Garnet tumble after him. Prince Garnet tries to slow them down with some fancy cloak parachuting techniques, but they fall out of the no magic zone and are able to catch a ride on the unicorn again.
Suddenly they are faced with the disembodied head of Fire Jade! Scary!
Amethyst wants more answers from Prince Garnet. He says that he’s regretted that his father couldn’t know he was alive, and he’ll be able to explain everything once they reach the Emerald Domain.
On Earth, everyone is arguing about Amy again. Emmy attempts to reassure the Winstons by saying that Amy really wants to stay on Earth as much as she can, and she’s so powerful as Amethyst that she won’t be harmed on the Gemworld. The doorbell rings, it is Tom and Rita. The Winstons attempt to lie about the Amy situation, but Mrs Winston changes her mind and says that Tom and Rita might as well know what is going on. She invites them in the house.
Somewhere else on the Gemworld, Prince Topaz and Lady Turquoise are traveling via flying tiger chariot. Prince Topaz is feeling uneasy about Fire Jade. There’s an eruption below which spooks the tigers. They fly wildly into the sky and Topaz and Turquoise make a startling discovery when they spot a gleaming city in the clouds.
Topaz is really stuck-up about his home, isn’t he?
It is flashback time! Amethyst and Prince Garnet are sitting around a table at the Emerald domain along with Princess Emerald. Prince Garnet says “Here is was that all of it began so many years ago…and here is where the menace will assert itself again!” He continues on with a mysterious comment about how she was unwilling to make the place a focus of her attack as long as a fraction of her humanity survived but nothing exists to restrain her now. Amethyst asks who Prince Garnet is talking about.
Prince Garnet remembers a time many years ago when the world seemed younger and more innocent, “as innocent perhaps as the love that I felt for your mother, Princess Emerald!”
It is nice how the flashback panel borders switch to a more rounded look here.
The nobles are gathered at the Emerald Domain for the investiture of the new Lord Emerald. A teenage Prince Garnet attends the party with his father. A young prince Opal is at the party, as are Lord and Lady Aquamarine and Lord and Lady Amethyst. Princess Emerald teases Prince Garnet about his lack of manners as he reaches for a piece of fruit. Prince Opal interrupts them, claiming Princess Emerald for a dance. She looks uneasy about dancing with the dark lord. Lord Emerald cuts in to rescue his daughter.
Lord Emerald reassures the young princess, saying that Lady Amethyst is keeping an eye on Prince Opal because of his obvious lust for power. Princess Emerald is distracted by a jeweled box. Lord Emerald says it must be a gift. He opens the box as Citrina yells “No!” Wraiths come out of the box, capturing Lord Emerald and pulling him inside. Prince Garnet yells at the princess to close the box. She’s frozen in fear so he attempts to close the box himself. The lid won’t budge. Lady Amethyst tells Citrina to help the children. Citrina says that might not be possible. Citrina casts a spell that encases the wraiths and box in a bubble. She says that only Lord Emerald can close the lid and he’s trapped in the nameless realm where the wraiths live and has to be retrieved. Lord Aquamarine suggests sending in the children to fetch Lord Emerald. Lord Garnet is immediately suspicious, and points out Aquamarine’s ulterior motives to Lady Amethyst. She says even so, sending the children might be the only way.
Prince Garnet and Princess Emerald volunteer to have Citrina send them into the box. When they reach the nameless realm they turn into wraiths. Prince Garnet keeps both of them focused as they encounter the strangeness of the new world.
They spot Prince Ruby and a Diamond Priest all tied up and menaced by bats. Prince Garnet seems to adjust well to the nameless realm. It responds to his will as long as he remains calm and doesn’t give into fear. He frees the Diamond Priest, who tells him that Lord Emerald is being held captive by the master of the nameless realm.
The four young nobles travel towards a shadowy castle in the distance. It writhes and as they get closer they see that the structure is made of wraiths. The wraiths recapture Prince Ruby and the Diamond Priest. Prince Garnet is unable to free them again, so the priest encourages them to move on and rescue Lord Emerald. Prince Garnet and Princess Emerald run into the castle.
Lord and Lady Amethyst fight the wraiths on the Gemworld. Lord Garnet defends Lord Ruby, but the wraith turns its attention to him.
Prince Garnet and Princess Emerald see a strange creature sitting on a throne. It is Fire Jade’s pet! The creature says that it is the master of the nameless realm, and it plans to capture all magic from the Gemworld and turn the world of the living into the world of the dead. Princess Emerald says that they’ll get her father back and defeat him. The creature laughs at her and displays the wraith-like form of Lord Emerald.
Lord Garnet suddenly appears, saying “Emerald and I were friends in youth, and I shall not forsake him even on the threshold of death!” Lord Garnet explains that he was sent into the nameless realm by a spirit that usurped his place on the Gemworld, and followed he the train of Princess Emerald’s dress to the wraith-castle. Princess Emerald is still connected to the Gemworld, and she touches her father to see if she can restore him. It works! They start to journey back after freeing Prince Ruby and the Diamond Priest again. If they keep fear out of their minds the nameless realm won’t harm them. Princess Emerald sees the doorway back to the Gemworld.
The creature lands on her face, saying “You are the one who has undone me! But the fear in you is strong…and I will thrive on your despair!” Princess Emerald freaks out, and Lord Garnet and Prince Garnet remove the creature. The Garnets encourage the other nobles to escape. As Princess Emerald climbs out of the box she sees Citrina holding the hem of her dress and stretching it magically, providing everyone with an escape path. Citrina says that she’s weakened and Lord Emerald must close the box immediately. He protests because the Garnets are still inside, but he shuts the lid. Lord Garnet is restored to the Gemworld when the lid shuts.
Prince Garnet is still missing! Lord Garnet is furious at Lord Aquamarine for suggesting that his son go on the rescue mission. Garnet says “He has no heir to lose, and so he sends mine to his death! Thus does the sea king rid himself of one more obstacle that might stand in the way of his ambition.” Lady Amethyst tells him to stop, and Lord Garnet says prophetically “May you never see a child of your own snatched from your bosom! But he will pay the price in the fullness of time.”
Prince Garnet says that the creature from the nameless realm is the cause of the storms and draining of the Gemworld’s magic. Fire Jade is its ally. Amethyst is surprised because she thought that Fire Jade was dead. Prince Garnet says that Fire Jade was already dead when Amethyst fought her the first time. Fire Jade’s unnatural state alerted the Ancient Ones. While the Ancient Ones thought Amethyst could defeat Fire Jade, Prince Garnet was worried and he traveled back to the Gemworld to help Amethyst with his special “knowledge of my dearest friend — now called Fire Jade — But known in days gone by as Princess, then Lady Emerald!”
Fire Jade is in the nameless realm with the scary green creature. She comments that she “won’t be dead!” The creature says that she’s died twice and will return and destroy the Gemworld for a chance to live. Emerald puts on her mask, happy to live again as Fire Jade!