“Hurry up, you miserable reptile!” Skeletor screamed at Hiss as the villains chased after the heroes.

Hiss was far too concerned with the return of his ancient enemy to care about Skeletor’s barbs. He-Ro’s reappearance was the last thing he had expected, and the initial shock was just now wearing off. He had heard of something known as Murphy’ Law during his visits to Earth, a tongue in cheek acknowledgement of the inevitability of bad luck and bad timing. He was beginning to take the idea a bit more seriously at the moment. If anything could complicate his life more than He-Ro, he couldn’t imagine it right now. The more he dwelled on the thought, the more his surprise turned to anger. Once before, the blasted do-gooder had foiled this particular plan, and now, out of nowhere, he came again to thwart the snake king’s destiny. Hiss’s face grew dark as he charged after Skeletor, and he decided that no one, not He-Ro, the bone faced fool ahead of him, or anyone else was going to frustrate his plans this time. He silently vowed that, somehow, this day would still be his.

Skeletor was no less shocked at the unexpected revelation, but his rage was still, as always, centered on He-Man. The stranger could be the father of all the ancients of Eternia for all he cared; all he wanted was the power, and the final end of Grayskull’s present-day champion. And no living relic from Pre-Eternian times was going to stop him.

As the rest of the heroes scrambled out of the throne room, Duncan, already in the antechamber, whirled at a sound from behind him. He raised his battle mace, then relaxed his stance as he saw Teela running up the corridor. He tensed again seconds later as he spotted Beast Man and Spikor right behind her.

“It’s okay, father; their with us for now,” she said as Man-E emerged behind the henchmen.

“It’s getting hard to keep track of who’s on who’s side,” Man-at-Arms groaned.

“You don’t know the half of it father,” she said with a sigh.

Duncan lowered his voice. “I don’t think they’ll be on our side long. He-Man, She-Ra, and He-Ro just took the stones, and we have to keep their boss at bay until they can complete the spell.”

Teela pulled back, her brow furrowed. “He-Ro!?!” she said, then a look of comprehension flashed across her face. “Greystar is He-Ro?”

“Yes,” he confirmed.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t seem very surprised. You knew, didn’t you? That’s why you kept saying to trust him.”

“I figured it out,” he said absently, eyeing Beast Man and Spikor.

“How come you could figure it out and I didn’t?” Teela wondered aloud.

“Because,” he said with a smug grin, “I was paying attention, daughter.”

She glared at him. “So was I. At least I thought so. What was it…?”

He held his hand up. “Later. Things are about to get complicated, I’m afraid.” He looked at Skeletor’s henchmen again, and then over at the doorway to the throne room, as the last two heroes, Ror and Fisto, raced toward it.

As Ror shot through, Fisto turned around and saw the villains gaining. Ror slowed slightly, looking back over his shoulder. “Fisto, move it! We’ve got to re-group out here and get ready. We have to keep those two from getting to He-Man and the others!”

Fisto met Ror’s eyes with a wistful look. “Not we, Ror. Me.” He glanced up, and pulled his gargantuan fist back and down.

Ror’s eyes went wide as he realized what Fisto was planning. “Fisto, for the love of the Ancients, don’t!” he yelled, bolting back toward the door. But it was too late; even with his enhanced reflexes, Ror couldn’t reach his friend before his iron-clad hand slammed into the doorway, sending shock waves throughout the structure. The doorway collapsed, bringing huge chunks of the ceiling down with it. In seconds, the exit from the throne room was completely blocked by a wall of rubble. “Fisto!” Ror cried out as he came upon the mound of stone and started digging through it.

“Ror, stop!” Duncan shouted, charging over. He grabbed Ror’s shoulder and pulled him back.

“Duncan, Fisto may be buried under there!” Ror protested, yanking away from the older warrior.

“And if he isn’t already, then you’ll bury him for sure,” Duncan said, pointing upward. “That pile of rock is the only thing holding up what’s left of the ceiling. You start disturbing it, and the whole thing could collapse. If Fisto managed to get clear on the other side, you’ll bring the rest down on him.”

Ror looked at the wall of stone, then closed his eyes. “And if he is under there?”

Duncan’s voice cracked slightly. “Then we have to wait until we can dig him out safely. All we could do right now is make things worse.”

Ror cursed under his breath. “He was still blaming himself for all of this, you know. That’s why he did it.”

“Probably,” Duncan agreed. “But he did slow them up, Ror. Whatever it may have just cost him, he bought us time.”

“You think this will hold those two for more than a few minutes?! They’ll find a way out!” Ror said angrily.

“A few minutes could make all the difference right now, lad. All the difference in three worlds.” The wizened warrior turned and headed back toward the others. “But it won’t mean anything if the re-enforcements coming get through. We’ve still got a lot to do. And the faster we finish it, the faster we can try a rescue.”

Ror made no reply; he hesitated for a second, looking at the pile of rubble with a mixture of sadness and rage, then followed Duncan.

"Where's Skeletor?" Beast Man demanded. He glanced around and saw no sign of his master. His eyes settled on the collapsed doorway, and his teeth bared. "What's that?" he grunted, pointing to the rubble.

"It's called a 'cave-in'," Teela answered condescendingly.

"It better not have caved in on Skeletor," the hairy henchman growled.

"Your bony master's on the other side," Ror answered, deliberately not mentioning Fisto. Beast Man and Spikor had been hovering just at the entrance to the antechamber, and didn't have a clear view of the doorway collapsing. Ror wasn't sure if they had heard any of what he said to Duncan, but in case they hadn't, he didn't want to give Skeletor's lackeys any more information than he had to, nor would he give them the satisfaction of knowing they'd inadvertently scored a victory with Fisto's sacrifice.

"Then we're getting him out now," Beast Man said as he started forward, with Spikor right behind him. Teela and Ror quickly blocked him, with Duncan falling in behind them.

“Skeletor’s fine right where he is, furball,” Teela said.

Beast Man backed up a few steps. His eyes darted to the side for an instant, then he lunged back, reaching behind one of the stalagmites just inside the chamber. He emerged a second later with Andrea firmly in his grasp. “Thought you were so clever, didn’t you, Teela?” he snarled, a savage gleam in his eye. “Your little friend here has been following us ever since we started; I caught her scent right away. I thought she might come in handy before long.”

“Wonderful; all these years as an imbecile, and his brain cells pick now to start firing,” Duncan said.

“Let her go, fuz face!” Man-E growled, stepping toward the villain.

Beast Man pulled her closer, and flashed his claws. “Don’t even think about it, hero. Now start digging Skeletor out of there, or your lady friend is going to be very sorry she ever heard of Eternia.”

“So, ancient one, what is your answer?” Ninjor said, his sword in one hand and nun-chucks in the other.

He-Man spoke up, talking to He-Ro but never moving his eyes off of Ninjor. “Technology isn’t working, and he just admitted he doesn’t know much about magic. He has no way off Eternia if it’s destroyed.” He turned his full attention to the villain. “If this planet goes, you go with it.”

“The man’s got a point, ninja,” He-Ro said. “It may have sounded like a good bluff when you thought of it, but that’s all it is: a bluff.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to get any power, friend. And if you don’t turn around and let us do what we have to, you’re not going to get any older, either. None of us will.”

The ninja stood for a moment, unmoving; there was barely a sign he was even breathing. Then he raised his sword above his head. The heroes tensed, then relaxed as the villain returned his sword to the sheath on his back. He said nothing, giving only a slight nod as a response, and silently slid back into his beloved shadows.

He-Ro shook his head. “We talked one of Skeletor’s flunkies out of a fight? I’m shocked.”

“Pure self-preservation on his part. Still, it’s nice to know you can reason with at least one of them.” He-Man sheathed his sword.

“Is he really gone, though? He could still be lurking out there,” She-Ra pointed out.

“He’s gone,” He-Ro assured her. “Didn’t have a fix on him when he snuck up on us, but I’ve got one now. He went right through the east wall; must be another one of Skeletor’s famous secret passages over there.” He nodded to He-Man. “You’ll need to pull that sword back out. You too, She-Ra.”

“So we’re ready to start?” He-Man asked, doing as the wizard requested.

“As ready as we can be, as long as we don’t get any other uninvited guests up here.” He stared in the direction of the east wall, and held up his hand. Though the darkness hid the wall from view, the trio could hear rock and stone grinding against each other.

“Scratch one secret passage, I assume?” She-Ra said.

“By the time we’re done, Skeletor’s going to need some major work done on this place,” He-Man joked.

“You don’t know the half of it, my friend,” He-Ro said with a wry grin.

“It’s beginning to separate, my lord,” Pythona said with a wide smile.

“Indeed it is,” Hiss replied, a touch of his trademark smile returning. The crack in the wall was parting slowly as Hiss and Skeletor bombarded it with their remaining powers. Skeletor was beginning to feel the strain, as he sensed his recently renewed powers weakening with the constant effort; he was feeling the breakdown’s effects once more. Hiss was in even worse shape; what power he had managed to reserve for his final attempt to regain the stones was all but exhausted. He had no desire to show weakness in front of Skeletor, but he was certain the dark lord could sense his waning energies. He was holding back a small portion of his energy for what was sure to be a major battle with the heroes once the villains emerged from the throne room, but he resigned himself to the idea he would have to rely mostly on his innate strength in the fight ahead. It was not that he had no skills in that area; he was a seasoned warrior with physical might few humans could match. He simply preferred the more dignified approach of magic and guile to raw fisticuffs, as he felt the latter was beneath a king. To regain the stones, however, he would be more than willing to demean himself with lowly brawling.

“You’re little groupie is far too easily pleased, Hiss. This is taking too long. How much time do we have left?” Skeletor asked impatiently.

Hiss grimaced. “Not long. He-Ro will have to start as soon as possible, or the worlds will be too far gone.”

Skeletor’s bony brow furrowed. “I can’t feel the stones right now; I’d assume that means they haven’t started yet.”

“It means nothing,” Hiss spat. “At this point in the breakdown, your magical perceptions would be even more useless than usual.”

Skeletor glared at Hiss, and lowered his arms, ending his assault on the wall. “This isn’t working. By the time we carve our way through here, those blasted do-gooders will have succeeded. Perhaps you had the right idea to begin with…”

“Caution to the wind?” Hiss asked with a touch of sarcasm. “I thought you were worried about your ever so sturdy ceiling?”

Skeletor grunted loudly. “It’s worth the risk right now. Or are you too afraid to try, snake man?”

Hiss spoke through tightly clenched teeth. “Save your barbs, Skeletor. There’s better use for your energy.” The villains raised their hands before them.

“Now are you going to start digging, or…” Beast Man snarled as he flashed his claws in front of Andrea.

Behind Beast Man, Ram Man emerged from behind a small alcove, where he had remained hidden since he and Andrea had snuck in. He stood quietly, no real plan forming; his instincts told him to wait and see what happened next before acting, and he always tried to listen to those.

“You better not hurt her, you fleabag!” Orko said, raising his hands. “Unless you want to be a furry orange frog.”

“Easy, Orko,” Duncan cautioned. “Let’s not go tossing magic around under these conditions.” He turned to Beast Man. “He-Man and the others are trying to save this world and three others, Beast Man. If they fail, we all die, you included.”

“Not if Skeletor gets the power,” Beast Man snapped.

“Are you sure of that, fuzz face?” Teela said.

Beast Man hesitated; usually, he followed Skeletor without question, but now, for the first time he could remember, he had doubts.

Andrea felt the monster’s grip loosen slightly, and took advantage. She shifted her weight, grabbing his arm and, sliding to the side, flipped him around. He was caught completely off guard by the move, and before he could react, he found himself flat on his back on the floor. He reached out to grab her leg, but she sidestepped him easily. Growling, he rolled into a crouching position, ready to spring after her.

“Andrea, duck!” Ram Man shouted as he launched himself at Skeletor’s hairy henchman. She dove aside just in time as he hurtled past. Beast Man tried to lunge out of the way, but Ram Man caught him in the shoulder with enough force to send the furry villain spinning into the wall. His hunched shoulders slumped even further as he tottered on his feet, dazed and dizzy.

Spikor glanced at Beast Man, then narrowed his eyes as he focused on Andrea. “Spikor show you!” the spiny villain vowed as he ambled forward, but she was already moving to join the other heroes. She stopped beside Man-E, and turned around to face her pursuer.

“Show her what? How to be a witless idiot?” the actor taunted. Spikor waved his spiked club over his head, and then yelped in pain as it was knocked from his grasp by Duncan’s airborne battle mace. He stopped short, and glanced over at Beast Man, who was shaking his head vigorously. Deciding against continuing his frontal assault, he trudged over to his fuzzy compatriot, gingerly holding his injured hand.

“Nice shot, Duncan,” Andrea said to the elder warrior.

“When technology fails, you go back to the basics,” he answered as he retrieved his weapon.

“I hope you’ve got some extras,” Ror said.

“Why?” Duncan asked.

“Because it sounds like more company is heading our way,” Ror replied, gesturing down the corridor.

“The forces outside!” Teela blurted.

“I don’t think they’re outside any more,” Kittrina growled. “I hear a bunch of them, too.”

“Alright, everyone ready yourselves. No matter what, they can’t get past us until our friends are through upstairs,” Duncan said in a steady tone. He tried to project a calm, confident air to the others, despite his own misgivings. He knew only one thing for certain: this battle would decide the fate of three planets. “Rammy, I need you to do something…”


“This way! The throne room is this way, you stupid snakes!” Two Bad shouted as some of the reptons started splitting off from the main group, poking down a side corridor. The pathways through Snake Mountain wound and twisted like some architect’s nightmare, a design that made the sanctum hard to navigate for anyone unfamiliar with the layout. It was exactly what Skeletor had originally hoped when constructing his fortress: it was a veritable maze. Two Bad had wondered at times how the heroes of Eternia always seemed to navigate the corridors so well when they stole into the mountain. Even he got lost on occasion in some of the lesser-used areas.

“Watch your tongue, lackey,” one of the reptons hissed. “We only follow you because our lord told us to. You’re our guide, not our master.”

“Just shut up and follow us. The chamber outside the throne room is just up there,” Webstor said, pointing furiously as he bounded down the passageway alongside Two-Bad. “The heroes ought to be there from what Hiss and Skeletor ‘told’ us, if they didn’t get it wrong.”

“Our lord sent his mind out to touch our unworthy thoughts,” the reptons snapped indignantly. “He would never have done so unless he was sure.”

“Sensitive little serpents, aren’t they?” Webstor said softly so only Two Bad heard.

“We’ll make some nice leather belts out of them when Skeletor takes care of Hiss,” the right head assured him.

“If he takes care of Hiss,” the insectoid noted.

“You’re just mad you got taken down by a big cat and an archeologist,” the left head sneered.

“Stick a boot in both of your mouths,” Webstor grumbled as the villains closed in on their destination.




“Here they come,” Duncan said. “Now, Rammy!”

Ram Man launched himself at the ceiling as Duncan and the others moved back. The older warrior had pointed to a precise spot he wanted struck full force, and though Ram Man didn’t quite understand everything he’d said, the parts about hitting that spot and bouncing out of the way before the roof came down came through quite clearly. His helmet hit the mark, and the ceiling immediately began to crumble and give way. Ram Man barely touched the ground before hurtling himself back into the antechamber, narrowly escaping the fresh cave-in.

“Good job, Rammy!” Duncan exclaimed. It had taken the scientist a moment to figure out exactly where the stress and fractures on the ceiling made an optimum impact point; it would have been a simple matter at any other time, but the breakdown added a degree of uncertainty he wasn’t used to. His mathematical compensations for that fact were evidently correct, as the corridor filled with rubble exactly as he had planned.

“That’ll slow them down, Duncan, but it isn’t going to keep them out for long,” Man-E pointed out.

“Slowing them down is all it has to do,” Duncan said, turning to Spikor and Beast Man, who were apparently recovering from their previous setback. “ And you two had better think twice before trying anything again. You’re outnumbered…”

The wall to the throne room blew outward, interrupting Man-at-Arms. Hiss and Skeletor leapt through the opening even as that section of the ceiling started to give out.

“We’re outnumbered, Man-at-Arms, but you, my friend, are now outgunned,” Hiss said, flashing his wicked smile once more as he raised a glowing fist before him.

He-Ro raised his staff, and nodded to He-Man and She-Ra to do the same with their swords. “Okay, all together now.” He took a deep breath, and placed his hand over his heart. In turn, each champion spoke his or her words of power.

“Magic and Strength, tempered by heart!”

“By the Power of Grayskull!”

“For the Honor of Grayskull!”

Staff and swords alike began to shimmer with energy as the hovering stones pulsated and glowed brighter. Energy swirled around them, moving about like living things as the ancient artifacts quivered.

“Brace yourselves!” He-Ro shouted above the rising din of magics. “This is where it starts getting rough!”

Hiss let loose a blast of energy as Skeletor aimed his havoc staff to do likewise. Duncan ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding the magical assault. He crouched, ready to move again, and saw Hiss take aim at Teela as Skeletor fired a volley in Man-E’s direction. “Teela, Man-E, watch out!”

Fortunately, both heroes were already moving to avoid the attacks, but the close quarters and debris lying about made it difficult to dodge without providing much cover. The few alcoves formed by stalagmites that might serve as protection near the walls, and the heroic warriors dared not retreat and leave the path to the stones open. They had to stand their ground for Eternia to survive.

Hiss and Skeletor had other ideas. Hiss pointed toward the twisting hallway that led to Snake Mountain’s peak, and the evil duo concentrated their fire on the heroes blocking the way up to the snake’s head, trying to clear the way as they moved in that direction. Pythona and Snake face crawled out from the throne room, eyeing the ceiling above with trepidation as they did; chunks of stone and mortar were still falling in the aftermath of their master’s escape. They quickly joined their leader, and the four villains pressed forward.

“Okay, how about you folks just back up a bit, huh? Our friends don’t need any help from you jokers,” Weldon said as he planted himself in front of Snake Face, his sword, almost as tall as he was, held firmly before him. He took care not to make eye contact with the reptile.

“Little fool,” the snake man laughed. He stepped forward, and reached down quickly to grab the Thenurian. Weldon slipped under his grasp, planted his sword in the floor, placed both hands on the hilt, and swung his entire body up. He let go and slammed into Snake Face feet first. The villain was taken completely off guard, and flailed helplessly as he toppled backwards into Pythona.

Weldon landed nimbly, and glared at the floundering reptiles. Ror came up beside him, shaking his head as he joined the diminutive warrior. “Nice one.”

“Idiots forgot the first rule of battle,” Weldon noted.

“Which is?” Ror asked.

“Never underestimate the short guy,” the Thenurian replied with a wide smile.

“Very funny, you annoying little troll,” Skeletor snarled. “See how humorous you find this!” He leveled his staff at Weldon, but had to duck quickly as Ror’s clamp hurtled past him, just barely missing his head. Ror and Weldon both took the opportunity to charge the dark lord, but he recovered too quickly. A low, hollow pounding eminated from the havoc staff, and the heroes were knocked back by a concussive blast of air. Skeletor turned and heard the rising din from the snakes head, realizing whatever He-Man and his cohorts were up to had started. If he was to have any chance of claiming victory, he had to make his move now, as the heroic warriors were already getting to their feet. His havoc staff glowed, and he summoned the last of his waning powers into a second blast of air as he sprang forward.

The dark lord had taken only a few steps when the pile of rubble that had once been the entrance to his throne room erupted, scattering stone and dust in all directions. He turned just in time to see a huge, metal clad fist hurtling toward him.

Hiss arched an eyebrow at the scene before him; he had to admit he was surprised, a sensation he had felt far too many times today. He watched with no small amount of satisfaction as Skeletor tumbled back, his havoc staff flying from his hand as the result of a devastating blow.

A blow delivered by Fisto.

The bearded warrior had burst forth from the rubble the villains had assumed had buried him for good, and he had caught Skeletor off guard. He was bruised and battered, his chest armor and glove dented, but he was very much alive, and still very much a force to be reckoned with.

“Fisto!” Teela cried out.

“By the Sorceress, we thought we’d lost you, lad,” Duncan said, scrambling to his feet.

Fisto took a deep breath. “That’d take more than this skull-faced goon has,” he said, his voice shaky but strong.

“Such a touching reunion,” Hiss snarled. “But I have business elsewhere, so I’ll leave you to this nauseating schmaltz.” He closed his eyes and tapped his own final reserves, managing to unleash his true snake form one last time. The effort cost him his last ounce of magic, but it was his best chance of getting past the heroes. Writhing and hissing, the snake king charged toward the corridor to the snake’s head.

The power of the stones shot forth, bathing the three heroes of Grayskull in shimmering energy. The snake’s head began to tremble as the stones glowed blindingly. In the far rear of the chamber, Frosta, Spinerella, and Swift Wind had to avert their gaze to protect their eyes.

“Is that supposed to be happening?” Spinerella asked with a worried tone.

“I suppose so,” Frosta responded. “Greystar or He-Ro or whoever he is didn’t seem surprised.”

“I just hope this place holds up under the strain,” Swift Wind said, glancing up at the roof. “How good an architect do you think Skeletor is?”

Frosta shrugged, and tried to answer, but here words were drowned out by the increased pulsing of the stones. She attempted to look over at the threesome casting the spell, but had to squint her eyes shut before she could catch a glimpse of them. The room shook even more.