Kittrina turned up her nose as she rounded the corner into another darkened corridor. “Yuck! Doesn’t Skeletor ever clean up around here?”

Ror took a quick whiff. “I recognize part of that smell. It’s Skeletor’s brand of knock-out gas. But it’s weak, almost like it’s been diluted.”

“Enough so we won’t both take a quick nap?” she asked.

“Yeah, but it may make you groggy.”

“Me? What about you?” she said, a note of offense in her voice.

“My hyped up metabolism. It should filter out the gas too fast for it to have much of an effect,” he explained.

“Lucky you.” She scratched the back of her ear. “Why would Skeletor have this diluted stuff floating around in the air?”

“Might have used it recently to take someone down, but I doubt it. It’s to strong to be residue.” He paused for a moment, and closed his eyes. “You here that sound? Kind of a pulsing?”

She perked both ears. “Yeah! What is it?”

“A pump,” he said. “Skeletor’s pumping it into the corridor.”

“How’s he getting a pump to work? I thought most of the machines were kaput by now.”

Ror shook his head. “The rhythm’s irregular. Could be manually operated.”

“So we find the man operating it.” Kittrina tried to home in on the sound. “It’s coming from the end of the hall, I think.”

“You’re right on the mark,” he confirmed. “And I just realized what the other part of the smell is. Or rather, who. Wait until you hear the pump stop, then follow. And hold your breath when you do.”

“Hold my breath? Because of the gas?”

“No,” he said. “Because of the other part of the smell.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s Stinkor.”

Teela and Evil Lynn stood side by side, their allies behind them, all obviously ready for battle. The sight of the two women united against him was almost enough to make Hiss laugh; that things had come to the point where such bitter enemies were now joining forces was proof that reality was ready to give way. Facing the four heroes and the minions of Skeletor all blocking his way with only a few of his loyal serpents, however, was no laughing matter. Still, he had the one bit of knowledge that would likely turn the tide again in his favor. He strode forward, confident and almost regal in his bearing, followed by Tung Lashor, Rattlor, and two of his minor lackeys, faithful but dull witted lieutenants who had never done well enough in battle to earn the privilege of individual names. They were almost indistinguishable from the repton soldiers, save for a darker coloring and more ornate armor. Still, they were true snake men, so the small blizzard Frosta had created had not forced them into hibernation as it had the repton troops.

Teela clutched her staff tightly, her muscles taught, her adrenaline already peaking. Beside her, Evil Lynn had thrown her long black cape back over her shoulders, and held her wand in both hands. “We outnumber them nicely,” the witch said.

“Don’t get over-confident,” Teela warned. “Hiss and his men are in a lot better shape than we are right now. When they attack, don’t let your guard down.”

“I don’t need battle lessons from you, Teela. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself,” Evil Lynn snarled.

Teela bit back a response; she had neither the time nor the energy to argue. Instead, she turned her head slightly, talking to those behind her, but never taking her eyes off Hiss. “Stay ready, and watch your footing; the rain’s made the ground soft and slippery around here.”

“We’re used to the terrain, woman,” Clawful said sharply. “If you’re not, that’s too bad.”

Teela sighed; Skeletor would have to retrieve the walking crab. He and Triklops had evidently returned when Skeletor had sent Blast Atak after the heroes. Trap Jaw and Blade were still imprisoned thanks to Mekaneck and Kittrina, and apparently no one had run into Icer, Stinkor, or Strongarm since the crisis began. The rest of Skeletor’s goons were accounted for here, the majority of them behind her, a thought that gave her no comfort whatsoever.

Hiss raised his snake shaped staff, and he and his four snake men charged forward, Hiss making a direct line for Evil Lynn. Teela stepped forward to intercept him, but the witch put out her arm, blocking the warrior. “Hiss is mine,” she sneered.

“Suit yourself,” Teela said, turning to the fast approaching Rattlor, her staff raised.

Ror and Kittrina skulked down the hallway, the cat woman holding a piece of damp cloth she had ripped from her tunic over her nose. There was water seeping everywhere from the constant rain outside, so wetting the cloth to help filter the gas floating about them was a simple task. Ror was unaffected by the vapors, as he had predicted, his body counteracting the gas as soon as he inhaled it. His clamp was in hand; though now useless as anything other than a blunt instrument, it was still an imposing looking weapon, and there was a chance their quarry wouldn’t realize the breakdown had rendered it inoperative if Ror needed to hold him at bay. As they passed the barred doors to one of Skeletor’s many holding areas, they heard a small moan from one of the cells. Two pairs of inhumanly sharp eyes picked out movement from the cell; a few quiet steps closer, and they were able to make out a couple of very familiar forms: Malaktha and Fisto. Both were barely conscious, kept groggy by the gas filling the whole area, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Ror crept forward, now able to hear a distinct heartbeat and heavy breathing from around the next corner. He scrunched his face as a foul scent assaulted his sensitive olfactory nerves. There was no doubt it was Stinkor up ahead.

He stopped just short the corner, and motioned for Kittrina to join him. She crouched low beside him, and peered carefully around the corner. Stinkor stood before a strange contraption, something apparently pieced together from whatever was handy and still functional. Bellows and tubes combined with a large handle and a tank of gas, with several other objects thrown in for indecipherable reasons. Stinkor was busily cranking the handle, huffing at the effort, grumbling unintelligibly.

She looked up at Ror, and mouthed the word, “Now?”

He nodded, and the two burst around the corner, Kittrina launching herself at the smelly villain. She coughed as she smashed into him, regretting that she had abandoned the makeshift gas mask to make her attack; the stench this close was almost overpowering. “Get off, you mangy fleabag!” he growled as her claws found purchase in his chest armor.

Ror slammed his clamp into Stinkor’s abdomen, cutting the monster’s complaints off as the air exploded from his body. He gasped as he struggled with the writhing cat woman, who kept squirming from his grasp. Her tail whipped around, covering his eyes. He reached up, only to feel another sharp blow to his side. He lashed out blindly, missing Ror by inches as the hero dodged easily. He stumbled back a few steps, then reached up again. Kittrina tried to dodge, but her movements were becoming jerky and slow. This time, he managed to grab a handful of her hair. She yelped as he yanked hard, pulling her off his back and throwing her against the wall.

Ror noticed her eyes were glazed before she hit, and knew the gas had started affecting her. He sprang forward, went into a roll, and came back up between Kittrina and Stinkor.

“First I’m de-clawing the furball, then I’m taking care of you and your toy!” Stinkor barked.

Ror started forward, but was caught by a full blast of Stinkor’s most powerful pheromones. Even his respiratory system was momentarily overwhelmed, and he hacked and stumbled, missing his target. His head was swimming, and his usually razor sharp vision was blurred. Stinkor’s face twisted into an evil grin, and he started toward Ror. He had barely taken two steps when a pair of furry feet rammed into the back of his knees. His legs gave out and he toppled forward, falling just in front of Ror. The Guard’s second in command brought his clamp down on the back of the monster’s neck, knocking him cold.

“Thanks for the save,” Ror said, his eyes finally focusing again. He saw Kittrina wobbling before him. He reached out and steadied her.

“No…problem,” she sputtered, her legs almost collapsing. “Guess the gas worked quicker than I thought.”

“Told you to hold your breath,” he chided.

“Hard to do when you’ve got a skunk swatting at you,” she retorted. “I think my head’s clearing a little.”

“Without the pump going, the gas is dissipating,” he said. “Should be pretty well cleared in a couple of minutes.”

“Hope I can say the same,” she joked weakly. She pushed away from him and leaned against the wall. “Seriously, my strength is coming back. You better check on Malaktha and Fisto.”

“Okay, but if this fuzzy sump heap moves, yell,” he said, pointing to Stinkor.

“More like cough loud.” She managed a grin as Ror trotted back down the corridor.

Frosta and Spinerella jumped down from Swift Wind’s back as the flying steed landed just inside the huge stone serpent’s mouth atop Snake Mountain. She-Ra dismounted a few seconds later, patting the unicorn gently. “Good flying, Swifty.”

“Not something I’d want to make a habit of with this weather,” he replied.

She-Ra smiled. “I know it’s not the best conditions. We…” Her voice suddenly cut off, and she held her forehead.

“Are you alright?” Frosta asked.

The Princess of Power shook her head, then massaged her temples. “A telepathic message from Greystar. He wants me to join them downstairs. He needs to work on his mental delivery, though; it was like someone shouting inside my head.”

“We’d better get down there, if he’s yelling for us,” Spinerella said.

“No, he said he only needed me. He wants you two and Swifty to guard this entrance. ‘Make sure no snakes slither in’, to quote him.”

Frosta turned back and looked out the giant snake’s maw. “Not likely, but we’ll make sure you don’t get any surprises from above.”

“Good. I’ll head down and see what they need. Good luck,” She-Ra turned and ran down the corridor.

“I’m hoping we don’t need it, but I have a hunch we will,” Frosta sighed.

The snake men were making no progress against the four heroes and Skeltor’s minions; entering Snake Mountain seemed an impossibility. Hiss was carefully circling Evil Lynn, but had yet to attack. “An interesting situation, wouldn’t you say, Evil Lynn?” he said, his wicked smile once again spreading across his face.

“Interesting how you fools think you’ll actually find a way past us, you mean?” she snorted.

“Well, my dear, it’s already a bit crowded in there, but I think there’s room. It’s a big mountain.” He shrugged.

Evil Lynn’s eyes narrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Then you really don’t know? Tell me, witch, where are He-Man and the rest of his cronies? Where did She-Ra come from, and where did she disappear to so quickly?”

“She flew into the serpent’s mouth up there,” she replied. “But she won’t get to the throne room from there. Skeletor has some surprises ready for anyone who tries to break in.”

“Really? Then you’d be surprised to hear she originally came out of the snake’s mouth, as well?” Evil Lynn’s eyes widened, and Hiss continued. “The reason we have seen only these four heroic fools is that the rest of their motley bunch is already inside your stronghold!”

Evil Lynn kept her eyes fixed on Hiss, but thought for a moment. Teela’s sudden appearance would be easily explained if she came from within Snake Mountain. And the defenses, those that still operated, were intended to prevent someone from breaking into the fortress from the outside; most could be deactivated if you started out inside the mountain. “How could they get in past all of us?”

“A dimensional portal? A forgotten entranceway? I don’t know, but if anyone could find a way, it would be those selfless buffoons. And we still have little idea what this new ally of theirs is capable of. How they got in isn’t the issue, Evil Lynn. What you are going to do about it is.”

The witch eyed him suspiciously, and kept circling him. “You sound like someone with an idea.”

His smile widened. “Indeed. Turn our forces loose inside the mountain where the true threat lies. Help me revive my reptons soldiers, and together we will overrun the heroes.”

She laughed. “And let you in to claim the stones for yourself?”

“If I have the chance, of course. But think about this, my dear: if the heroes grab the stones while we battle out here, any chance of you gaining even a portion of their power is gone. In the melee that will doubtless ensue when we enter, you will still have that chance. If Skeletor succeeds, you will have served him by keeping the heroes busy long enough for him to finish the spell and absorb the energy. If I prevail, I will be indebted to you, and I am far more generous to those who serve me well than he is, I assure you. Think about it, Evil Lynn. Think about the power just within your reach.” His smile grew.

Evil Lyn considered Hiss’ words; from what Skeletor had said, even a portion of the power from the stones would be more than she ever dreamed possible. And if both Skeletor and Hiss came to blows over the orbs, there might just be an opportunity for an enterprising magic maker to seize the moment and the powers of a god. Either way, she stood to gain far more from joining forces with Hiss than opposing him. “What are you proposing?”

Hiss leaned closer. “ We act as though we are still at odds; follow my lead, and be prepared to fire off a heat blast at my mechanical pet back there.”

“Alright, but I will be watching every move you make. If I even suspect a double cross, you’ll be a painfully skinned serpent.” She stepped forward and the two locked in mock combat.

A short distance away, Man-E noticed the encounter. “Looks like Hiss and Evil Lynn decided to dance after all,” he said to Teela. “I thought they were going to try to talk each other into submission.”

Teela glanced over at the pair as she took a swipe at Rattlor with her battle staff. “I don’t like them getting so talkative; keep an eye on them, Man-E.”

The actor nodded and headed over toward Andrea, who was dodging Tung Lashor’s prehensile tongue. Two Bad came up along side of her, and grabbed the slimy appendage, ending up in a tug-of-war with the reptile. Man-E came up on the opposite side. “How are you doing?” he asked.

Andrea groaned. “Snakes are bad enough, but snakes with forty foot tongues are way over the top.” She smiled at him. “I’m making it, though. Facing your demons and all.”

“I knew you could handle it,” he said, clasping her shoulder. “Teela thinks Evil Lynn and Hiss may be up to something, so don’t turn your back on them.”

“I thought Skeletor’s goons were on our side,” she said.

“Evil Lynn’s on nobody’s side but her own. Just watch out for them.” Man-E spotted one of the un-named snake men making a break past Clawful, heading for the mountain. “I’ll be back; snake trying to slip by.” He dashed after the reptile.

“At least there’s no alligators,” she mumbled. Then she glanced off to the side and saw a large green reptilian creature, apparently one of Skeletor’s monsters, whipping his tail at the second nameless snake man. She sighed and shook her head. “Somebody up there really has it in for me today…”

Skeletor chanted slowly, carefully, forming every word with precision. He would not make the mistake that bungler Hiss had; the spell would be perfect this time. The stones would be ‘switched off,” their absorption of the magics of three worlds halted. He was fairly certain he would not be interrupted at this stage of the game, as both the heroes and Hiss knew all to well the consequences of interrupting this portion of the incantation. He-Man would never risk the fates of innocent billions, and Hiss, even if he was unaware that he could not re-cast the spell, the snake would at least realize there was no time to retrieve the stones again before the worlds started literally coming apart. And once this portion of the ritual was complete, he would be able to tap enough of the ambient energy in the stones to return himself to full power, perhaps more. Even if his foes tried to take the orbs in the interim before the second part of the rite was begun, he would be more than a match for all of them. As long as this segment of the spell went as planned, he was all but assured victory.

Before him, the three mystical artifacts glowed as they hung in empty space. He hadn’t needed to erect any type of magnetic field; tapping the overflow of energy from the magically gorged stones was enough to keep them in place. They pulsed slightly as he spoke, matching his inflections in an almost amusing way. The Lord of Destruction felt a definite satisfaction in that, as a sign he and the stones were becoming one, that their power was now responding to his voice. And soon, three worlds would follow suit; his words would be godly edicts, to be followed without thought or question. And he would see He-Man bow in defeat before him, stripped of Grayskull’s power. Hordak and Hiss would be destroyed with little ceremony, as they deserved nothing more. But he-Man’s fate would take time to plan. He would wait until the power was his to make a final choice as to his foes punishment. After all, a god could certainly devise a more delicious torture than a mere mortal, even if that mortal was Skeletor.

Skeletor felt his mind drifting, and focused himself. Dreams and plans were best left for later. For now, all his attention was needed here. All that mattered at this moment was the spell and the stones that would give him three worlds and eventually the universe…

Outside the throne room,. Duncan finished disconnecting the latest of the makeshift traps Skeletor had set around the chamber. “Not a particularly effective one here. Swings up from the floor, but unless you’re on top of it, it wouldn’t be hard to dodge.”

“He can’t rely on his regular security systems, and magical ones wouldn’t do much better now,” He-Man said. “I guess he had to settle for whatever he could throw together without Trap Jaw around.”

“Even so, we could be in trouble if one of these things catches us off guard, so watch your step,” Greystar cautioned. Skeletor’s voice echoed through the hallway, and Greystar paused a moment. “He’s getting close to the end; it won’t be long before we have to go in.”

“And face him at better than full power, right?” He-Man asked.

“Most likely,” the stranger replied.

“And won’t that be fun!” Weldon said, rolling his eyes.

Before Greystar could respond, he saw She-Ra coming up the corridor behind them. “You got my message,” he said.

She-Ra glared at him. “I certainly did. Perhaps you could tone it down a bit next time. My head’s still ringing.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, had to really push it to get through at all. I’ll try to lower the volume in the future.”

“It’d be appreciated,” she said with a smile. “I still hear Skeletor’s melodious voice.”

“He’s getting there fast,” the stranger said. “For right now, we just need to make sure nothing interrupts him.”

“Babysitting Skeletor. Just what we all wanted to do today,” He-Man sighed.

Hiss and Evil Lynn continued their faux battle, while around them the snake men were being held at bay with little trouble. “When I grab your arm, fire at the Tyrantisaurus. I’ll help you aim for the weak spot,” he whispered.

“So it has a weak spot? I thought your vaunted dinosaur was almost indestructible,” she sneered.

Hiss’ lip curled slightly. “Usually, it is. But the metal on its underbelly is no longer diffusing heat the way it should. The fuel tank is just below the chest. Normally, it would take nothing short of molten lava to even raise its temperature, but now…”

“Now everything is falling apart,” she said. “So we’re simply blowing up your precious robot?”

“When the fuel ignites, it should burn quite hot. Hot enough at that close range to revive my reptons brothers.”

“If it ignites,” she pointed out.

His frowned. “A point I’ve considered. There’s no way to know for certain until we try.” He reached forward and clasped his hand around her forearm. “I’ll add my magic to yours as you fire away.”

She glanced over at the metal behemoth as Hiss guided her wand, feigning an attempt to wrest it from her. “Just a moment to line up the target,” he said softly. He moved her arm slightly, and then held it steady. “Now.”

A blast of energy shot forth from the wand. Evil Lynn grimaced at the power level; it was a weak beam, even with Hiss’ added energy. It struck the Tyrantisaurus at exactly the point the snake king had described, and she had to admit his aim was quite good. The metal glowed red and groaned, but there was no explosion. “It’s not enough,” she snapped.

“One more blast,” he urged. “Turn with me, and we’ll try again.” The two tugged at the wand, turning in a full circle, Hiss again aiming at his creation. “Now, focus all you have into it.”

A second blast burst from the wand, this one brighter than the last. It hit slightly to the left of the first strike, but was close enough. The metal ruptured, and seconds later, the robot burst into flames. It tottered for a moment, then exploded in a shower of metal and plastics. The remains scattered, most still burning. Around the shattered dinosaur, the reptons began to stir as the heat from the blast and the smoldering remnants shook them from their forced hibernation.

“It seems it worked,” Evil Lynn noted, pulling her wand back from Hiss’ grasp.

“Indeed. With my soldiers back in the fray, the odds are a little more even. The heroes and your fellow flunkies should be busy enough for us to slip into the mountain.” Hiss wicked smile returned.

“After you, snake man,” she said, gesturing for him to proceed.

“Afraid to turn your back on me, my dear?” he asked.

“Always keep a snake where you can see him,” she replied as they moved toward the mountain.

Teela watched as the second volley of energy from Evil Lynn’s wand struck Hiss’ mechanical mount. She brought her arm in front of her face on reflex as it detonated, and then glanced quickly over at the witch and the snake king. They had stopped grappling, and appeared to be heading for the entrance she and her friends had used to sneak out of the mountain. She turned to follow, and found Man-E falling into step beside her. “That looked a little suspicious,” he commented.

“Two ‘stray shots’ that just happened to hit Hiss’ dinosaur? That’s not suspicious, that’s a plan.”

“You were right; they were getting too chummy over there,” he said.

She looked over at the reptons, now rising slowly as they revived. “Hiss’ troops are back in action. Looks like things are going to get interesting.” She spotted Two-Bad a short distance away, and called to him. “Evil Lynn just took Hiss and headed inside. I think they’re up to something. You and the rest have to hold off the snake men; we’ll go after them.”

Two-Bad glared at her with both sets of eyes; he’d seen Evil Lynn head off alongside Hiss, and had wondered what she was up to. He trusted the witch no more than he trusted the snake she was with, but he also had some serious reservations about letting Teela loose in Snake Mountain. “And what makes you think I’m just going to let you charge in there?” the left head said.

“You want Hiss gallivanting around in there while your boss is casting his spell? Skeletor will love that,” she said, not breaking stride. “You can either stay here and hold off these snakes, or come with us and face the big serpent.”

Two-Bad’s heads looked at each other. “Have fun,” the right head said as the villain trotted off toward the reptons.

“Good riddance,” she snorted, almost to the entrance. “I’d rather not have one of Skeletor’s lackeys at my back right now.”

“Too bad, Teela,” a guttural voice growled. “Because you’ve got one right now.”

Teela turned, and came face to face with Beast Man and Spikor. “Looks like Evil Lynn had a good idea, checking the entrances to the mountain. You weren’t running out on us, now, were you?” the furry villain said.

Teela tried to sidestep the pair, but they quickly blocked her way. “Evil Lynn is taking Hiss on a guided tour of your mountain, furbag. So unless you want that snake dropping in unexpectedly on your boss, you’d better let us get after them.”

“Spikor doesn’t believe you. Spikor thinks it’s a trick to get in and stop Skeletor.”

“We can’t stop Skeletor now, fuzzball,” Man-E injected. “He’s started the spell already, and if Hiss causes him to blow it, we’re back where we started.”

“Spikor still doesn’t believe you.”

Beast Man snarled. “Spikor needs to shut up and let me think!”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Teela jeered.

The furry henchman bared his teeth at her, and then bent down, his nose twitching. “She’s right. I smell Hiss; he went this way. Evil Lynn was right beside him.” He rose, and eyed the heroes. “And you were going to stop them and help Skeletor?” he said suspiciously.

“Stop them yes,” Man-E answered. “Unfortunately, you’re right, it helps old bonehead, but we’ve got no choice right now. The spell can’t be interrupted again.”

Beast Man glanced up at the mountain, then his head snapped back around. “How do you know Skeletor started the spell?”

Great timing, Teela thought. One perceptive moment in his whole life, and it has to be now. “The spell has to start at moonrise,” she said, skirting the truth once again. She was a terrible liar, so she hoped this was enough to satisfy the hairy villain. “Look we don’t have time for this. If we don’t get in there now, we may not be able to stop them.” She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ram Man and Andrea had worked their way over from the battle, and were just within earshot. She didn’t acknowledge their presence as they ducked down behind a nearby outcropping, and Beast Man and Spikor seemed completely oblivious.

“Spikor confused. Evil Lynn is on our side,” the spiny creature said, pointing back and forth between Beast Man and himself.

“Evil Lynn’s on her own side,” Man-E said.

Beast Man glared at him, but didn’t disagree. “Alright, we find out what they’re up to. All of us.” He stepped aside. “Ladies first,” he said, sweeping his arms before Teela.

“Aren’t you going to lead the way, furface?” she asked.

“And turn my back on you two? I don’t think so,” he said with a savage smile.

“I don’t have time to argue. Man-E, you take up the rear, and watch these two,” she said, keeping her eyes on Beast Man. “I’m not fond of turning my back on you, either, hairball.” She turned and ran through the entrance. She snuck a quick look behind her, and saw Andrea poke her head out and give a quick nod. Teela gave her a quick wink, and kept moving, followed by the two villains and Man-E.

As soon as they were inside, Andrea crept around the rock formation and motioned for Ram Man to follow. “What are we doin’?” he asked.

“Giving them some back-up. Teela saw us, but it didn’t look like Skeletor’s flunkies noticed us. We can follow them at a distance, keep quiet, and be ready in case those two double cross Teela and Man-E,” she whispered.

“Hey, good plan!” he said, lowering his voice to match hers. “Now who are we followin’, again?”

Andrea rolled her eyes and grabbed his helmet, dragging him after her.