Skeletor stood impatiently, leaning slightly on his havoc staff. “I have the distinct feeling you’re stalling, Singer. I want that stone, so I suggest you find it and do it quickly. Your friends are counting on you.”

Celise stopped singing, and turned to face the Lord of Destruction. “I know that, monster! You don’t have to keep reminding me of it every five minutes!” Her eyes smoldered with anger.

“Just a little motivation for you, Celise. And a reminder of who holds the power here.” Skeletor straightened, and aimed his staff at her. “A friendly warning, my dear; anger me any further, and you might not be around long enough to save those miserable wretches back at the cave.” The head on the staff started to glow.

“I don’t fear you, Skeletor,” she said defiantly. “But I won’t let you hurt my people. I’ll find your blasted stone, but it’s going to take time. So either leave me alone or blast me now!” She folded her arms in front of her.

Skeletor held the staff for a long moment, his bony face hard to read. He then lowered the staff, and glowered at her. “Finish the job, Singer. But remember that my patience has its limits. I’d advise you not to push them any further.”

Celise glared at him, and then began to sing once again. Beast Man and Evil Lynn were once again finding their senses dulled by the song, but Ninjor was still able to resist its lulling effects, as was his master. He skulked behind the other villains, bringing up the rear as was his habit. He preferred to never turn his back on his fellow rogues, especially Evil Lynn. Thus, he was the first one to hear the engines over the wind. Turning and bracing for an attack in one fluid move, he spotted the attack trak and battle ram as they burst from the trees. “Master, the heroes have arrived,” he shouted, no surprise in his tone.

Skeletor turned, still keeping Celise in his peripheral vision, and saw the oncoming warriors. He motioned to Evil Lynn and Beast Man to join the ninja, and raised his staff once more. A blast of magical energy burst from the ram’s head and struck the attack trak a glancing blow; the machine shuddered, but did not stop.

“Looks like skullface’s aim is a little off today,” Weldon said as he grabbed the controls for the trak’s top guns.

Beside him, Greystar punched the stabilizer controls to keep the trak steady. “His magic’s going downhill like everyone else’s.”

“Here’s hoping the lasers still work,” Extendar said from the rear of the trak.

“They wouldn’t dare not,” Weldon replied. “Me and Mr. Hammer had a good talk with them before.”

“Who’s Mr. Hammer?” Ram Man asked, scratching his helmet.

“Open Mr. Toolbox and introduce yourself,” Weldon said as he tried to get a feel for the weapon controls.

“Oh, okay, I get it,” Ram Man said, nodding slowly. “I think.”

Weldon rolled his eyes and pressed the firing button on the handheld mechanism. The lasers came to life and fired a volley of blasts at Skeletor. He held his ground for the first few, erecting a shield in front of him. One of the shots pierced it, however, and he quickly began moving to one side, away from Celise.

Weldon grinned, and aimed again. He fired, and slumped in his seat as nothing happened.

Ram Man looked up at the roof of the trak where the guns were situated. “Looks like they didn’t listen to you or Mr. Hammer.”

“No kidding,” Weldon moaned. “I thought we’d at least get a few more shots out of them.”

“Okay, before they regroup, I’ll slow down. Extendar, you and Ram Man make a fast exit and try to keep them busy. Mekaneck may be able to squeeze off a few shots from the ram to cover you.” Greystar hit the brake and the trak slowed noticeably. “Go!”

The two warriors opened the rear door; Ram Man bounded out airborne, and Extendar leapt out behind him, stretching out his legs, and allowing them to pull back to absorb the impact as he hit the ground. He turned and extended his body fully, taking huge strides as he charged the evil warriors. Mekaneck saw what his fellow heroes were doing, and quickly fired off a series of shots from the front gun of the ram at the villains, narrowly missing a startled Beast Man. Kittrina jumped from the ram and hit the ground running on all fours, heading straight for Evil Lynn.

Inside the trak, Greystar saw Skeletor head back toward Celise. “Weldon, any way to get another shot?”

“The only thing we can fire off now is an insult,” Weldon grunted, flat on his back, rummaging through the wiring under the console.

“Alright, hang on!” Greystar warned as he pressed the controls forward and floored the accelerator pedal. The trak shot forward, picking up speed as the stranger aimed the vehicle at Skeletor.

“Skytree save my poor broken body!” Weldon shouted as he braced himself against the bottom of the seat.

Skeletor saw the trak approaching, and for a moment couldn’t believe the speed the vehicle was picking up. He saw the stranger at the controls, and wondered just how insane this madman might be. He raised his staff again, and fired off another blast; it was weaker, but strong enough to do some damage. At this range, it could hardly miss its target, regardless of the breakdown. He saw Greystar close his eyes tightly. The magical beam struck the windshield dead center, and bounced off harmlessly. Skeletor stood dumbfounded, but only for a second as he realized that the trak was not going to stop, and he was still directly in its path. He dove aside just in time, as the vehicle barreled past him, sending a blinding spray of dirt and sand over the dark lord. He heard the trak groan and creak as the brakes were applied, and felt a sudden rush of air just above him. When the dust cleared enough for him to see, he spotted Stratos and Buzz Off swooping down toward Celise. He quickly glanced over at his minions, and saw them engaged in battle with the heroes. “Stop those flying fools, you dolts!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Evil Lynn looked back, and saw the two airborne warriors, ducking as Ram Man hurtled over her. She raised her wand and prepared to fire a magical blast of her own when two furry hands closed over her eyes. Kittrina wrapped her legs around the witch’s waist, and shifted her weight back, throwing Evil Lynn off balance. The witch glowed for a moment, her body becoming red hot. Kittrina yelped as her hands and legs were burned, and she leapt up, flipping in mid-air, finally landing on her feet. Evil Lynn turned back for a second try, but the flying duo was already scooping Celise up in their arms and carrying her into the sky. She had no time to adjust her aim as Ram Man slammed into her from the side full force. The witch went sprawling, her wand flying from her hand. Kittrina pounced into the air, catching it easily, and hurled it away with all her strength.

Ninjor and Beast Man were occupied by Extendar; the heroic warrior was proving a tough target for both, as his body and limbs extended and retracted with amazing speed, making it nearly impossible for the villains to get a bead on him. Every time they attempted to strike, that particular part of his body was suddenly somewhere else. Ninjor finally landed a blow to his midsection, more by luck than skill, but it had little effect on the cyborg. Ninjor snorted in exasperation, knowing Extendar had the advantage; the villains had to get past him, and all he had to do was slow them down long enough for Celise to get to safety.

The attack trak had skidded to a stop, and Greystar and Weldon had disembarked, heading for the still grounded Skeletor. His havoc staff was just out of his reach, but he was scrambling to his feet. Celise and her flying rescuers had not yet made it to the tree line, and Skeletor was not about to let them escape. He grabbed for the staff, still half kneeling, but was bowled over by a flying tackle courtesy of the stranger. They grappled for a moment, rolling over each other, until Skeletor squirmed out of Greystar’s grasp. The two rose simultaneously, facing each other. Skeletor made another attempt for his staff, letting loose a quick energy blast from his fingertip. Greystar ducked and rolled, coming up on his feet again in one flowing motion, then rammed the dark lord with his shoulder. He instantly regretted the move, as pain lanced through his upper body; his injuries from the temple had hardly had time to heal, and the pain was enough to momentarily stun him. Skeletor took quick advantage, realizing his foe’s distress, and sent another short blast at Greystar’s shoulder. Greystar couldn’t avoid it, and yelped as the energy seared his already tender flesh. He stumbled back, but did not fall, still positioning himself between Skeletor and his airborne allies.

“Blast you, you muscle-bound meddler!” the Lord of Destruction snarled as he saw that Celise and her rescuers were nearly to the trees. He charged forward, slamming his hand against Greystar’s shoulder. The stranger grimaced, but caught Skeletor’s harness as he bolted past. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he yanked hard on the harness, catching Skeletor in mid-stride. The dark lord cursed under his breath as he felt himself lurch backwards just as his flying quarry disappeared into the trees. He let loose a guttural roar as he turned to face Greystar again. The stranger glowered at him, but there was a faint smile on his lips.

“Loose something, skullface?” he quipped in a weak voice.

“Less than you’re about to lose!” Skeletor growled, raising both hands to fire again. He was distracted by Montork’s voice inside his head before he released another volley, though.

“Greystar! I’ve got it!” the Trollan said telepathically. Skeletor realized he must have picked up on what was supposed to be a private thought transmission to his foe. So the breakdown does have its advantages, he thought. He turned to see Montork floating back towards the battle ram, a glowing stone hovering beside him. A few feet behind the Trollan was a sizable hole in the ground, presumably where the stone had secreted itself.

“No!!!” the villain screamed as he bolted after the fleeing wizard. He tried to create a capture field around the Trollan, but it flickered and pulsed, never quite forming a solid shape. Montork easily eluded it. Skeletor roared again, and fired a tremendous blast from both hands. It nearly exhausted all his energy, but the huge bolt found its target, and Montork was sent flying out of control by the impact, loosing his magical grip on the stone in the process. Skeletor cackled as he bolted forward, catching the stone before it hit the ground. Almost immediately, he dropped it, his hands scorched from the glowing orb. He quickly ripped off his hood and wrapped it around the stone; it was still hot, but he could hold it long enough to escape.

“Bonehead has the stone! Grey, stop him!” Weldon cried, running to check on Montork. The Trollan was just coming to, rubbing a sore back, but otherwise appeared unharmed.

Greystar rose and charged Skeletor once again. The evil warrior swung his fist back, catching the stranger’s jaw. Greystar went tumbling to the ground, shaking his head. Cackling anew, Skeletor shouted to his minions, “We have what we came for. Evil Lynn, open a portal to the Collector!”

“But, Skeletor, the portals…” she stammered.

“No excuses! Open one now, and stabilize it!” he bellowed, sprinting toward his henchmen.

Kittrina pounced on Evil Lynn for the second time, but was quickly thrown off by Beast Man, who with Ninjor had abandoned their battle with Extendar. The cyborg, however, was in close pursuit, and Ram Man was also bounding their way, with Mekaneck in the battle ram following close behind. Ninjor reached into his tunic and pulled out several small capsules. He threw them up in the air, drew his sword, and sliced them open as they fell. The air was filled with a noxious smoke as Beast Man hurled a hacking Kittrina into Ram Man’s path. The two collided and fell to the ground. Skeletor reached his lackeys just as Evil Lynn opened the portal. It wavered as it formed, obviously unstable. Skeletor stretched out his hand, and focused his remaining power on the gate as he ran. It quivered and shook, but then finally seemed to settle down. Beast Man jumped through followed by Evil Lynn and Skeletor, Ninjor once again taking the last position.

Weldon cursed loudly in Thenurian, and then ran over to Greystar’s side as the stranger slowly got to his feet. “We blew it again.”

Extendar tried to wave away the fetid smokescreen. “You mean he blew it!” His eyes bored into Greystar.

“I didn’t see you stopping anybody, longlegs!” Weldon shot back.

“It doesn’t matter who blew it,” Mekaneck said, his tone grim. “The point is Skeletor got the stone.”

Extendar walked over to Mekaneck, and lowered his voice. “No, the point is Greystar was going toe to toe with Skeletor a few minutes ago, and holding his own. Then, once he has the stone, Skeletor takes him out with one backhand punch?”

“What are you getting at?” Mekaneck asked quietly.

“What I’m saying,” Extendar answered in low, measured tones, “ is this was no foul-up.” He paused for a moment, weighing his words. “Greystar let him get away.”

“Are we interrupting something, She-Ra?” Catra purred, her lips curled into a sadistic smile.

“You do have a habit of showing up where you’re not wanted. But then, in your case, that’s just about everywhere, isn’t it?” She-Ra said. Scorpia snickered behind Catra, but stopped as the feline force captain gave her a quick, hard look over her shoulder. She-Ra rose as Catra, Scorpia, Shadow Weaver, and Grizzlor approached. She tried to move away from the site Dree-Elle had identified as the stone’s location, but Shadow Weaver was already staring at the spot.

“So what exactly are all you rebels doing here, poking around this wreck of a village?” Catra involuntarily looked at Shadow Weaver as the mage floated around beside her. The sorceress had been less than forthcoming about what was going on, but Catra was sure anything that attracted both Weaver’s and the rebellion’s interest was something she definitely wanted to know more about.

“Nosey, isn’t she?” Swift Wind said, coming up beside She-Ra.

She-Ra looked behind Catra; the Horde soldiers had the rest of the rebel group surrounded, blasters at the ready. Glimmer turned slightly, and blinked her eyes so She-Ra could see; the action seemed no more than a nervous tick. She turned back to her comrades, and She-Ra presumed that she repeated the action for them. She-Ra allowed herself a small grin, and closed her eyes when she saw Glimmer clench her fists.

Before Catra could ask why her eyes were suddenly shut, a brilliant burst of light flashed behind her. She whirled about to see the rebels charging her Hordesmen, who were busily rubbing their eyes. Temporarily blinded by Glimmer’s burst of energy, the troops were quickly taken down and disarmed.

“Blast you rebels!” Catra howled as she pulled her mask sown over her eyes. Her body shimmered and began to twist and change, taking the form of a large purple panther. “Attack, you fools!” she shouted as she lunged at She-Ra. “Before these rebel scum get away!”

She-Ra readied herself for Catra’s attack, but the furry Hordeswoman never reached her. A huge metal-clad hand grabbed herby the scruff of the neck in mid-leap, and sent her careening off to the side. “Cute signal,” Fisto said queitly.

“Wasn’t sure if you’d pick up on it, but I couldn’t warn you without warning them,” she apologized softly. “Fortunately, it’s a little too subtle for the Horde.” She cut the conversation short as Grizzlor and Scorpia came bounding toward them.

Scorpia’s tail came around quickly, and caught Fisto’s ankle, throwing him off balance. He recovered before he could fall, and, crouched slightly, threw his giant fist straight out. It caught Scorpia in the midsection, and the force threw her back several feet as she gasped for air. “Not very gentlemanly,” She-Ra commented with a wry grin.

“Not feeling particularly polite right now,” Fisto answered through grit teeth. Scorpia was on her feet again, but still winded. She ducked and dodged his right fist as he swung again, grabbing his left hand in her claw. She clamped down hard, and saw Fisto’s face contort from the pain. He grunted, and threw back his left arm with all his strength. Scorpia hadn’t expected such power, and could not release her grip before she was pulled off her feet. He whipped around 180 degrees; Scorpia finally let go, and found herself hurtling through the air, landing hard a few dozen yards away. She shook her head to clear it, but the world kept spinning around her.

Grizzlor had attempted to grab She-Ra with his mammoth paws, but she nimbly jumped up and over him, somersaulting above his head. She landed facing him, and planted the heel of her boot at the small of his back. She flexed her leg, and sent him tottering forward, his arms flailing wildly. Unable to regain his equilibrium, he finally fell with a hollow thud, face down. He tried to rise, spitting dirt from his mouth, but felt She-Ra’s hand close around the back of his chest harness. She yanked him up and in seconds had him over her head, spinning him around like a toy. When he had built up sufficient speed, she released him, and he flew off into the nearby trees, still rotating.

Catra had shaken off her less than graceful landing, and was running back towards Fisto and She-Ra. Unfortunately for the force captain, the other rebels were joining their friends, and she found herself quite outnumbered. Both she and the rebels were surprised a few seconds later when the ground began to tremble violently. Fisto looked at She-Ra, puzzled. “Did we start something here?”

“You certainly did, rebel!” a cold, raspy voice replied. Shadow Weaver’s arms were raised, her hands glowing with a greenish energy. “You aren’t the only ones who can set Etheria quaking!”

“We had to give her the idea,” She-Ra sighed as she tried to steady herself. Shadow Weaver raised her arms higher, and chanted something indecipherable. The earth beneath them shook even harder.

“Hey, we’re here, too, ya know!” Grizzlor grunted at Weaver as he staggered back toward the battle. He was wobbling badly, and the tremor was threatening to topple him at any moment.

“Enough, Weaver!” Catra hissed, having reverted to her human form. “You’re taking us down, too!”

Weaver didn’t answer, and the ground continued to move. Catra realized the mage had no intention of stopping the quake, and seemed quite happy keeping both Hordesmen and rebels at bay. Whatever was here, the witch wanted it for herself.

“Casta, can you steady things a bit?” She-Ra called out to the rebel magic maker.

“Dree-Elle, I may need a little help,” Castaspella waved Dree-Elle over to her; the small Trollan floated off Swift Wind’s saddle and joined her. Clasping the rebel’s hand, Dree-Elle closed her eyes, and focused her power through Casta, who stretched out her free hand and furrowed her brow. The quake subsided slightly, but the ground still trembled furiously. Casta glanced over at Weaver, and noticed that the witch herself seemed to be having trouble; her gnarled fingers were tensed, and she was chanting constantly.

“She-Ra, I think Weaver is losing control of the quake!” Casta shouted. “The magics are too unpredictable now!” The tremors started increasing in strength again, and Casta shook her head in defeat. She ran over to She-Ra, not an easy task with the ground roiling beneath her feet with every step. “Even with Dree-Elle’s power added to mine, I can’t quell this. She started something I don’t think either of us can stop.”

Weaver lowered her hands, and looked around her, and had to admit to herself that the Queen of Mysticor was right. The rebel’s earthquakes had been produced through physical force, and had ended when they stopped hammering at the ground. Weaver’s magical tremors weren’t so easily stopped, apparently. The witch turned her attention to Casta, and her eyes narrowed. Her plans to retrieve the power here, whatever form it might be in, had been stymied; even if she found it now, chances were it would wind up in Hordak’s hands rather than her own, all thanks to the cursed rebels. And Weaver was more than happy to place the bulk of the blame on her old rival, Castaspella. She raised her misshapen hand once more, and aimed at Casta, who was, at the moment, barely keeping her balance. Weaver was sure there was no way she could dodge a magical attack in time. “Looks like this will be our last moment together, ‘old friend’,” she snarled.

The magical blast never came; before she could summon the energy, Weaver found herself encased in a large block of ice. She fell to the ground and rolled over on her back. Looking up, she could just make out a smiling face and flowing blue hair.

“Guess she forgot about us,” Frosta said to Glimmer as the two stared down at the frozen magician. They had made their way over behind Weaver, cautiously, though, as they, too, were finding it difficult to stand or walk without toppling over.

“That won’t hold her for long,” Glimmer warned. “Let’s get back with the others and see what we can do to fend her off once she breaks loose.”

As Glimmer and Frosta teetered back, She-Ra looked over at Fisto. “I have an idea, but I’ll need a hand. Your right one, to be exact.”

Fisto nodded. “What’s the plan?”

“Destructive interference,” she answered. “If we can set up a counter vibration, we may be able to quiet this quake.”

“I hope the planet doesn’t take all this pounding personally,” he said as he raised his mighty fist.

“When I tell you, follow my pattern, so we can set up the right rhythm,” She-Ra brought her fists down hard once, then again, trying to time the strikes with the bucking of the ground beneath her. She sped up somewhat, and nodded. “Alright, I think I have it. Join in any time.”

The two hammered away in unison; at first, the quakes intensified, but as the vibrations began canceling each other out, the earth started to calm, the tremors growing less violent. “I think it’s working,” Fisto said, being careful not to break his tempo.

As the pair pounded away, the rebels circled them. Catra and Grizzlor were close, with Scorpia meandering in their general direction, listing from side to side as she came. A loud crack signaled Shadow Weaver’s escape from her ice prison. Her fists were clenched tightly, and her eyes flared with rage. She didn’t take humiliation well, and she was staring daggers at Frosta.

“I don’t think someone is too fond of you right now,” Bow said.

“And the feeling is more than mutual,” Frosta replied, meeting Weaver’s glare with her own.

“Just keep everyone back until She-Ra and Fisto finish,” Glimmer said, planting herself directly in Catra’s path. Her hands were crackling with white-hot light energy, and her eyes were set like steel.

Catra slowed as she saw Glimmer; when the rebellion had started, she had considered the pink haired young woman a minor annoyance at worst. Over the years, though, Glimmer had grown up, and had learned to use her considerable powers quite well. Still, with all the problems that had plagued science and magic recently, it was likely her light based abilities weren’t at their strongest. Emboldened by the thought, Catra picked up her pace, and then stopped dead as a bolt of light energy seared the ground black barely an inch in front of her. Catra looked down, and then back at Glimmer. The Princess of Brightmoon had one arm outstretched, braced underneath by the other, and the expression on her face left no doubt the next burst would be aimed directly at Catra. The force captain realized even a weakened Glimmer was evidently capable of inflicting a good bit of damage; perhaps a face-to-face battle wasn’t such a good idea. After all, the tottering pile of Horde fur beside her would be of little assistance, as Grizzlor was devoting all of his resources to simply walking.

Weaver had no such hesitation as she floated toward Frosta. The Snow Queen stood, arms folded across her chest and hip cocked to one side, seemingly not the slightest bit intimidated by the Horde witch. This infuriated Weaver even more. “Sorry about the cold reception back there, Weaver,” Frosta taunted.

Shadow Weaver roared, a guttural, almost inhuman sound, and fired a flaming burst of magic at Frosta. It came within a few feet of the blue haired beauty, and then exploded in a cascade of harmless fireworks. From behind Frosta floated Dree-Elle, her hands planted firmly on what Weaver assumed to be her hips.

“Looks like somebody’s magic isn’t working too well today,” the Trollan gloated.

“You little troll!” Weaver shouted. She crossed her arms in front of her to cast another spell. Frosta dropped to one knee, and her hands shot out. A hail of ice shot forth, and Weaver found herself battered by a precisely aimed blizzard. Frosta smiled at Dree-Elle; the Trollan was bolstering and stabilizing the Snow Queen’s ice powers with her own magic, which was still only being mildly affected by the breakdown.

She-Ra nodded to Fisto, and they stopped their pounding. As she turned, she noticed that the Horde soldiers had begun to gather themselves by the edge of the shattered village. “Spinerella, the soldiers!” she barked.

Spinerella glanced over at the troops, and grinned. She stepped away from her friends, and began to whirl. Her winds blew straight at the Hordesmen, and as she twirled faster, the soldiers were pushed back. Within moments, they were plucked up in the maelstrom, and were scattered into the upper branches of the surrounding trees. They made no attempt to extricate themselves; none seemed to have the energy or any real desire to climb down any time soon.

Catra looked around nervously. Bow had an arrow in hand. Glimmer’s hands glowed even brighter than before, and She-Ra and Fisto were flanking her on either side. To their side stood Frosta, who was still keeping Weaver at bay, Castaspella, and Dree-Elle. And though Spinerella had stopped her dance, she was eyeing Catra with a mischievous grin on her face. The force captain decided that the odds were too firmly stacked against her. “These rebels aren’t worth our time! Back to the base!”

“Coward!” Weaver screamed, still trying to collect herself. Under normal circumstances, she would have had trouble focusing her magic under such a physical assault, but could have found a way, she was sure. But the blasted minuscule alien was right; whatever was causing the troubles on Etheria was affecting her magic more than she had wanted to admit. She could still feel the unknown power nearby, but without her full powers at her disposal, she doubted she could take on all of the rebels by herself in order to retrieve it. Retreat was the only option. “You’re going to pay most dearly for this, She-Ra! All of you will feel my wrath, if I have to hunt you across the universe!” She focused on Fisto and then Dree-Elle to emphasize the last point.

“Are we supposed to be scared?” Frosta said.

“Only if she threatens to take off her hood,” Bow answered with a smirk.

Weaver snorted, and floated off after the fleeing Horde troops.

“Well, that was fun,” She-Ra quipped.

“I think Glimmer scared Catra out of at least two lives,” Spinerella grinned.

“Anything for the cause,” Glimmer returned the smile. “The fact that it was so enjoyable didn’t hurt, though.”

“Not to put a damper on things, but we’ve still got a stone to dredge up,” Fisto interrupted.

“Right,” She-Ra agreed. “Let’s dig it up and get it back to Eternia.”

Fisto looked up into the sky; the clouds were thicker than ever, and real lightning, brighter than what Glimmer had provided earlier, flashed with increasing regularity.

She-Ra followed his gaze. “We still have time, don’t we?”

“I hope so, She-Ra,” he said, his voice barely a whisper…