Author's Note:

Most of the characters presented in this story are the property of Mattel and Filmation and do not belong to me in anyway. This is a Fanfiction, written solely for the entertainment of its readers and myself. I make zero cash off of this.

This is a re-write of the original "The Final Adventure." It is the beginning of much longer fanfic that will now be in tune with the fanfics written since then. It is therefore in the same continuity as "Preludes and Beginnings," "He-Man: Year One," "The Day That Nothing Happened," "The Elfsong of Eternia," "The Crossroads of Destiny," "Prophecy & Change," "Just Another Day," "Liberty and Valor," "Manifest Destiny," "Roots," "Deus Ex Machina," "My Blue Reflection," and "The Last Battle." It will fit around "A Winter's Heart" and "The Shroud of the Horde," though both may be edited to fit with slight changes in the continuity.

Previously:

Prince Adam/He-Man has returned home after five years on the distant world of Primus. However, what he found on Eternia was not what he expected. Eternia has been conquered by the Horde, Eternos is in shambles, and Etheria has been shrouded in a darkness of suspended animation. He-Man, rallying the forces of good, managed to free the Heroic Warriors and recovered She-Ra, Glimmer, Bow, and a few remaining members of the Great Rebellion. Together, they overthrew Hordak. However, during the battle with the Horde, the true identities of He-Man and She-Ra were revealed to the public.

With Queen Marlena and King Randor exiled on the planet Earth, Adam and Adora have vowed to restore the kingdom as King and Queen, while still protecting the planet as He-Man and She-Ra. Part of their new leadership was to rebuild Eternos and to make contact with the various remaining kingdoms of Eternia. With a long diplomatic mission complete and Eternos back to its former glory – and then some – He-Man and She-Ra have set their sights on their enemies to determine what to do next.

Chapter One – "The Home of My Enemy"
The wind blew down from Rose Mountain. It was cold and rattled the okra-colored leaves that clung to the nearly branches. Beyond, the Mystic Mountains were getting colder and colder. In the shadow of Rose Mountain stood a village. During the Horde occupation, their people were enslaved and were forced to construct a massive statue of Hordak. They were ordered to worship this statue, as Hordak began to see himself as a god.

Many died resisting this.

A small sect of priests remained alive, their faith in the Goddess continual.

The highest of these priests left the village at dawn, braving the fierce winds. He walked up the road to Rose Mountain, which he climbed. He was far from a young man and his body wasn't in the best shape. He had nearly starved to death when the Horde cut off his food supply during his protests.

At the peak of Rose Mountain, he fell to his knees in a fit of exhaustion.

"Veena, Goddess of Grayskull and Rose Goddess!" he then cried out. "I know part of you still lingers here! Eternia needs you!"

He expected to hear nothing. What he did not expect was to see Veena appear before him.

"Such faith!" she gasped. "You're practically dead!"

"Oh masterful mistress!"

Veena shook her head. "I am no deity, high priest. I may have great power, but I am not worthy of such praise and worship. I am only slightly more powerful than the First Ones and the Ancients."

The high priest didn't quite know what to do or how to respond. "I'm afraid I do not understand . . ." he tried.

"You said Eternia was in danger?"

"Yes! The ground rumbles! The monster may awaken once more!"

"That is not my responsibility."

"But . . . the world needs you."

Veena smiled. "I am but a ghost. Part of me was left with Vipera and part of me was left here. Though both parts have now joined, I am nothing. My power rests with the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. She has champions, heirs to my husband's own power. They will deal with the monster that you speak of."

The high priest nodded a little. "Will they be able to stop it?"

"Perhaps." Veena then lifted her head a little. "In fact, I believe they are dealing with the situation as we speak."

Sitting atop Battle-Cat, He-Man arrived at Morigor. Behind him were Pelicor, Glimmer, Stratos, and Ram-Man. According to Teela, this was the very edge of the territory that King Hiss and Evil-Lynn claimed as their own. It was also the home of King Morigor. Traditionally, the King's took the name of the Kingdom when they took the throne. Morigor was ancient kingdom and had long since lost its power after many centuries of sitting in the Dark Hemisphere.

They group of seven journeyed across the empty village around the massive castle. The doors swung open and much to He-Man's surprise, Drak and his grandfather Alec stood there.

"Drak! Alec!" shouted He-Man. "I'm surprised to find you here!"

"We didn't have much of a choice," Alec said after a handshake. "It is good to have you back on Eternia."

"Oh yes!" Drak agreed.

"Thank you, thank you," He-Man replied. "Where is King Morigor? I'm heading to Snake Mountain and I was hoping for some more information before we get there."

"I'm right here, He-Man," Morigor said, entering the room.

Glimmer immediately took in the sight of Morigor. He was rather unkempt and looked like he hadn't been in the sun in a long time. There was also an aura of magic around him. Something foul.

"King Morigor!" He-Man proclaimed. "It is good to see you again."

"The same, He-Man," Morigor returned, though keeping his distance. "I'm afraid if you wanted information of Snake Mountain, you came to the wrong place."

Glimmer stepped forward. "There's something wrong, isn't there?"

"I . . . yes," Morigor answered.

Glimmer walked up to him. "There's a curse hanging around you. I know magic. Maybe I can help you."

She placed her hands on his bare arm.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Glimmer felt a terrible magic pulse run through her arms. Suddenly, they rippled and transformed. In their place were two dozen tentacles on each side.

"What?!" she gasped. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry!" cried Morigor. "I tried to warn you!"

The tentacles that had replaced Glimmer's arms moved at her command, like four dozen strange arms. They curled and waved with her thoughts.

"This is so strange . . ."

"What is this curse?" asked Stratos.

"Evil-Lynn did this!" yelled Morigor. "She and her Evil Warriors have been coming out to their territory and been taunting us! Anyone I touch turns ugly and deformed!"

"Beast-Man and Whiplash destroyed our home," Drak then added. "It's like they've just gotten bored."

He-Man took in a deep breath. "Okay. Pelicor? Why don't you take Glimmer back to Eternos? Maybe Castaspella can help her. If she can, then have Casta come back here to help Morigor."

Pelicor nodded. "Of course. My lady?"

Glimmer wrapped her many tentacles around Pelicor's body. His wings then spread from his back and he and Glimmer lifted up into the sky.

He-Man sighed. "So they've spent the past four years basically torturing you people? That doesn't help a whole lot, but I can do what I can."

A few hours later . . .

Great lava pools flowed across the dark and battered ground. Ever-loomed clouds waved over the land. A strange howl seemed ever present. But He-Man continued on forward, his ride on Battle-Cat unceasing.

"There it is, Battle-Cat," He-Man said, stopping finally.

Before them was none other than Snake Mountain itself. For some odd reason, it seemed higher and more fortified than it had ever been. Even still, He-Man felt a strange and eerie darkness and hatred towards the fortress of evil. The clouds high above it seemed thicker.

"I don't like this, He-Man," said Battle-Cat.

"It's alright. Don't worry."

Suddenly, there was a crack of lighting. Dropping down from the mouth of the great serpent that strangled the mountain came five figures - armed to the teeth and more than ready for a fight.

Tri-Klops. "Come on, He-Man. Make a move."

Clawful. "We're ready to cut you down to size!"

Mer-Man. "Make you fish food!"

Whip-Lash. "Let's just rush him and get it over with."

Trap Jaw. "We've been itching for a fight for five years, ya yutz. Let's get this show on the road!"

He-Man raised his hand, but kept his other one on the hilt of his sword. "I'm not here for a battle. I'm here to talk to the master of Snake Mountain."

"Ha!" laughed Tri-Klops. "No deal, He-Man."

"Yeah, he's right," agreed Mer-Man.

"After five years, you just show up and demand to talk to Evil-Lynn. Ha! Like that's going to happen!" Trap Jaw exclaimed.

"Gentlemen," said Evil-Lynn from above. "He-Man has come here not wanting anything but to talk. I suggest we give Adam that opportunity."

He-Man shuddered when she called him that. He suddenly remembered another reason why he kept the truth hidden for so long.

Evil-Lynn made her way down to him.

"It's He-Man in this form, Evil-Lynn. I've come to talk to you and no one else. Call off your goons."

"Call off yours," she said, pointing to a ridge about a mile away.

He pressed a button on his communicator. "Ram-Man, you and Stratos fall back. I'm not going to be needing you."

"But He-Man - "

"Please. Trust me."

"Yes sir."

He-Man waved his arms as a gesture of acceptance. Evil-Lynn snapped her fingers and the five warriors reluctantly made their way back into Snake Mountain.

"So," she began, pulling her cape around her. She started to walk towards the Blood River.

He-Man leapt off Battle-Cat and followed her. "So."

"If this is no formal declaration of war, then what have you come for?" she asked.

"A formal declaration of peace," he offered.

"Well, this sounds interesting."

"It should. We have you outnumbered, Evil-Lynn. And it's obvious to me that everybody's been in that mountain of yours for quite some time, ready and rearin' to go. Except for torturing the residents of your lands."

Evil-Lynn smiled a little. "You spoke with Morigor? We get bored, He-Man. Even you can appreciate the need to have fun."

He-Man bit his tongue. Would a lecture really change her mind? Besides, she continued on.

"He-Man, Skeletor abandoned us. All because of you, you know. Simply because you were leaving, he left us too. For months, we had nothing else to do but argue. Did you know that for a time, flowers actually grew here?"

He-Man scanned the area. There was nothing here. It was quite a surprising thing to hear. "I see. Without Skeletor's evil to . . ."

"No," she interrupted. "Without Skeletor's leadership, the power of Snake Mountain began to dwindle. However, King Hiss and his Snake-Men joined us. With King Hiss and his allies, we planned an assault on Eternos, Grayskull and the Great Towers."

"But Hordak beat you to it."

"Exactly," she scoffed. "Not that we didn't try. But after one great defeat, our forces were diminished. So, when Hordak offered us the non-aggression pact, we signed it. We both knew, however, that war would erupt between the two of us eventually, but it was something neither were looking to do any time soon."

"What happened to King Hiss?"

"He found a sealed cavern beneath Snake Mountain. He had been curious about it for years. It seemed it was older than the mountain itself."

"Really?" He-Man asked.

"Yes. He and his Snake-Men disappeared into the cavern just hours after you overthew Hordak."

"I was curious about all of this," He-Man confessed. "He was once the master of Snake Mountain. Did he know what was in that cavern?"

"I would be surprised if he didn't"

"What would make him go now instead of when the Horde was here? Hordak is as much Hiss' enemy as I am. Do you know what's in there?"

"No. And neither will you find out."

"Evil-Lynn," He-Man started, "tell me something, won't you? You've followed Skeletor for years, haven't you?"

"Yes, of course."

"But not necessarily blindly, haven't you? You've had your reservations."

Evil-Lynn paused. "Just what are you getting at?"

"Skeletor was always after me. After Eternos. After Grayskull. He was obsessed. Look, he even gave up his army to chase after me! And you know what happened? He ended up in exile. Skeletor took the path of war and destruction to accomplish his goals. He was single-minded," He-Man attempted. "It was faulty, this way of war. But now that Skeletor is gone, you have a choice. You either follow in your former master's footsteps. Or you could make your own."

Evil-Lynn looked at him, deep in thought. For a moment, he felt a strange connection being made. She spun around. "I'm . . . not sure."

He-Man watched her as she mulled over what he had said. For some reason, though, He-Man felt an urge to find out what King Hiss was after. Caverns beneath Snake Mountain - some that might even be older than the mountain itself - seemed to be a potential threat. Plus, He-Man also knew of King Hiss' reputation for using old powers for new reasons. After everything they had experienced with him involved the Horde/Snake-Men War and then with Vipera . . .

"I'll make you a deal then," He-Man said. "If you allow me and four or five others into those caverns, we will send no one here to attack you. Anything I see in Snake Mountain - as long as it involves no death or destruction, mind you - will be ignored. In fact, you can blindfold us as soon as we enter. All you have to do is make sure we get down to that cavern and promise not to attack Eternos, the Towers, or Castle Grayskull."

She looked him over, then out-stretched her hand. He took it.

"Agreed."

"Excellent. Then I'll see you in five days."

"We will be ready."

He-Man seated himself back onto Battle-Cat. "I have your word, Evil-Lynn?"

"Of course, He-Man, of course."

"Good."

He-Man rode off towards the horizon. Evil-Lynn watched in fascination. As she did, Karg appeared by her side.

"Mistress Evil-Lynn, I couldn't help but overhear - "

"The word is eavesdropping, Karg."

"Whatever the case may be, we aren't really going to let him into the caverns, are we?"

"Of course we will," Evil-Lynn answered. "I don't trust King Hiss no more than Skeletor ever did. In fact, I'm thinking I trust him less than Skeletor did. If I can get He-Man to take care of King Hiss for us, then that's one less enemy waiting for us."