Previously . . .

Note: This is a sequeal to "Masters of the Universe: The Crossroads of Destiny" and "Masters of the Universe: Prophecy & Change - Book One: Abyss". For better understanding, it is best if you read it before continuing this. If you did not, here is a run down of what has happened.

"The Crossroads of Destiny"

(Book One: Honor) After return of Princess of Adora and her transformation into She-Ra, Skeletor set out to defeat both She-Ra and their mutual enemy Hordak by releasing the long-imprisoned King Hiss. King Hiss, along with his Snake Men warriors, formed an alliance with Skeletor. Not long after their release, King Hiss and Skeletor restored the legendary Great Towers of Eternia. In a valiant struggle between the Heroic Warriors, the Great Rebellion, the Evil Horde, the Evil Warriors, and the Snake Men, new allies were found and old enemies were rediscovered. In the end, the forces of good took control of the Great Towers, but at a cost. One of their own - Teela, Captain of the Royal Guard - had fallen in battle.

(Book Two: War) In the aftermath of the incident at the Great Towers, King Hiss and Hordak went to war. By seizing kingdoms on both Eternia and Etheria, the pair was hell-bent on defeating the other. Eternos fell, Skeletor and his warriors were kicked out of Snake Mountain, and the Snake Men Army was released. Meanwhile, a comatose Teela experienced visions of her fate and destiny and fought of Death itself and returned to He-Man's side. Skeletor, realizing that Hiss must be stopped, aides Hordak in reclaiming the power of the Elders. Serving as one of the Elders 1,000 years ago, Hordak re-evoked their power at Castle Grayskull. Hordak was successful at defeating Snake Men and sent all but a small few back to their prison. But the borrowing of Grayskull's power had allowed for the Castle Grayskull's Great Eye to open in a matter of hours. It was then, when all of Eternos and the Heroic Warriors were at their weakest, Skeletor struck.

(Book Three: Beyond) Using a stolen device called the Cosmic Key, Skeletor took control of Grayskull and awaited the opening of the Great Eye of the Universe. With Tri-Klops commanding Eternos, the Heroic Warriors were captured. He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms and an inventor named Gwildor ended up on the planet Earth and searched for a way to return to Eternia and stop Skeletor. As they did, Orko defended the Great Towers from the weakened Snake Men, rallied the forces of Avion and Insectia, and went to Etheria to gather the Great Rebellion. As the Great Eye opened and Skeletor claimed the power of Castle Grayskull, the occupation force crumbled under the mighty strength of good. He-Man defeated Skeletor and the Great Eye closed, only to reopen three days later. This was known to the being called the Dark Cloud and it made for Eternia immediately.

(Book Four: Restoration) As it arrived in the Eternia solar system, the Dark Cloud took out the Horde mothership of Horde Prime. Granamyr called for a massive alliance of races and kingdoms on Eternia to guard Castle Grayskull. Prince Adam and Teela went in search, then, of the only thing that could stop the Dark Cloud - the Sword of the Ancients. As they went about their quest, Teela confessed false feelings she had for Adam and kissed him. They found the Sword of the Ancients and returned to Castle Grayskull, shocked to find that the battle with the Dark Cloud now including the Horde, Snake Men, and Evil Warriors on the side of graces. The battle came down to, though, Randor and his siblings Stephan and Johanna; Skeletor, Hordak, and King Hiss; Teela, Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress; Zodak; He-Man and She-Ra. Teela, using the Sword of the Ancients, struck at the Dark Cloud, striking harshly at its core, leaving He-Man and She-Ra to finish it off. The alliance ended and all retreated back to their homes. It was then that Teela confessed that it wasn't Adam she had feelings for, but He-Man instead. He-Man, hurt as Adam, told Teela that it was best for them to remain friends simply because he was worried that he would endanger her.

"Prophecy & Change"

(Book One: Abyss) Nearly a year after "Crossroads of Destiny," Prince Adam took control of the Great Tower for his father. After some startling and mysterious events began to occur all over Eternia, those at Eternos joined with Malik the wizard from Stone Mountain. It was then discovered that the wizard Locus had summoned the Spirit of Evil and that the Spirit of Evil sought to kill the Ancient known as Procrustus. Procrustus was the titan Ancient, who lived in the center of world and held the two halves - the Light Hemisphere and the Dark Hemisphere - together. It was the Spirit of Evil's plan to kill Procrustus, take his place at the center of Eternia and transform the Light Hemisphere into a second Dark one. He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Mekaneck, Snout Spout, and Ram-Man sought to stop him and went through the long-abandoned Mines of Alluray to reach them. As they neared the entrance, though, Skeletor and King Hiss' warriors stopped them. He-Man and Teela reached Procrustus and the Spirit of Evil. But the Spirit of Evil managed to steal the Sword of the Ancients and used it to kill Procrustus. The Heroic Warriors failed and the Light Hemisphere instantly became the second Dark Hemisphere.

Chapter One

"Falling Sun"

There wasn't much to go on at first.

At first, of course. But that was simply because she didn't notice anything different. The ground trembled and shook for a while. An hour, maybe a little more. Her husband sent out scouts to see if there was any damage. There wasn't - not anything worth noting, anyways. No one died. The forces of darkness didn't come sweeping over the land.

But it was after a day or two that Queen Marlena did find something . . . just not right about Eternia since the Light Hemisphere became a second Dark. And the more she took notice, the more other things became apparent to her. Randor wasn't acting quite right. There could be heard arguments all across Eternos. Animals seemed aggressive and angry - even Cringer. The sky was darker and thick, uglier clouds hung heavily above their heads. Even the plants seemed twisted and evil.

As she stood upon at the city gates and awaited the others to return, she felt fear for this place she has taken as her new home. More and more, though, Marlena was feeling much more like an alien than the queen. Marlena wondered about her son. He was still supposedly on a scouting mission, but that was odd because no one but Man-At-Arms was able to confirm that.

Marlena pulled herself away from these thoughts as He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Ram-Man, Snout Spout, and Mekaneck made for the gates.

"Open those doors, damn it!" snapped Man-At-Arms.

Marlena could immediately see a change within them all. Teela and He-Man kept shooting each other looks that could kill. Ram-Man was arguing with Mekaneck and Snout Spout over something. There was definitely a change.

"Duncan!" shouted Marlena, rushing to her old friend. "I was wondering if you could tell me Prince Adam's radio frequency - "

"Queen Marlena!" Man-At-Arms replied, voice filled with anger. "Let me remind you that I am NOT Duncan when I am on duty and it is your duty to address me as Man-At-Arms. Am I clear?"

Marlena stood in shock. ". . . Yes."

"Secondly! I will not give you any classified information - especially here in the middle of the city!"

Marlena snarled and was about to reply, when He-Man stepped in.

"Oh leave her alone, Duncan!" groaned He-Man. "She didn't mean anything by it! She's just concerned for her son. Like you won't be the same way if your precious little Teela went off on some stupid mission!"

"Leave me out of this, you ass!" growled Teela.

"Mind your own business, He-Man," warned Man-At-Arms.

He-Man balled his hands into fists. "This is my business, you stupid old fool."

"No, no!" Marlena cried. "It's okay! Listen, the last thing we need is a fight. We received word of the mission's failure - "

"At Teela and He-Man's hands!" pointed out Ram-Man.

"Why you . . . . !" grunted Teela.

"SILENCE!" commanded Marlena. "I will have no more of this bickering! Man-At-Arms and He-Man - you will escort the others into the Royal Palace! Upon our arrival, Man-At-Arms, you will give me the frequency of Adam's transmitter! Do I make myself clear!?"

"Crystal . . . your HIGHness," Man-At-Arms spoke for the others.

"Good. Then come with me."

Marlena turned her back to them and lead them all into the palace. In the silence, she could feel the eyes on her back, trying to boar holes into her. She just ignored it and kept walking. This was not good. Not good at all.

As soon as they entered the Royal Palace, a call went out for Marlena and the others. They were to report to King Randor immediately.

"There is a crisis developing at the Great Towers," Randor told them as soon as they entered. "A large energy fluctuation, and then we lost all contact. He-Man, Man-At-Arms - go there immediately and send for whatever back-up is needed. Take - "

"Excuse me!" snapped He-Man, stepping forward. "Since when am I do to exactly as I'm told by you! You're no king to me, Randor, and it's about time you realize that I have a no oath to you nor anyone else. I go and fight where I see fit!"

Randor stood to his feet. Marlena's eyes bugged out. "How dare you question me, He-Man? I have tolerated you long enough!"

"Quiet! Both of you!" shouted Man-At-Arms, lifting his club into the air. "Quiet! King Randor, He-Man owes nothing to anyone and that's his business! But, He-Man, you have sworn an oath to protect those of good from those of evil and this may heed that oath!"

"Understood," He-Man snarled. "I'll meet you there, Man-At-Arms."

Marlena couldn't believe her eyes, nor her ears. This was an amazing thing to watch, this drama to unfold right before her. She had never seen anything like it here on Eternia. Marlena stepped back and left the throne room, keeping her thoughts to herself.

***

King Hiss was surprised.

The plan had worked. The Spirit of Evil had managed to kill Procrustus and transform the Light Hemisphere into a second Dark Hemisphere. The effect was spreading across the world like wildfire. Part of it was here, where King Hiss seized an opportunity he had been waiting for for 1,000 years. The Great Towers of Eternia were his.

Nearly.

The doors of Grayskull Tower had slammed shut as soon as Spirit of Evil took control of Eternia's core. The Viper Towers opened and King Hiss and his Snake Men had rushed out, moving to take all Royal Soldiers prisoner and forcing the Heroic Warriors to retreat. That was four hours ago. And now, it was nearly his. Nearly.

"He-Man!" spotted Snake-Face from the top of the Central Tower. King Hiss saw him in the distance, riding on that accursed tiger Battle-Cat.

"This place belongs to us now," King Hiss said, skin ripping off to reveal his true, viper-form. "It's time he knows that!"

King Hiss could feel himself tapping into the power of the Great Towers. It was plentiful and mighty, moving through him like flood through a valley.

"Should we prepare our ground forces?"

"No. Let him come to me."

And he did. He-Man came to a stop near those Heroic Warriors that were stationed at the Great Towers. Man-E-Faces, Sy-Klone, Gwildor, Fisto, Extendar, and Roboto all stood grouped together. He-Man shook his head in dismay. "I can't believe this. I can't believe this!"

"What is it?" asked Roboto.

"You're just standing here! Why aren't you fighting?!" He-Man cried.

"They beat us back! We had to retreat," Fisto explained, angry.

"We thought it would be best to regroup when you got here," Man-E-Faces continued.

He-Man grunted, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just jumped onto Battle-Cat's back and moved forward. "Get ready to move out on my command," He-Man ordered. "We won't lose the Great Towers! Not to King Hiss - not to anybody!"

King Hiss stood from above and watched He-Man and his Heroic Warriors charged forward, ready for battle. King Hiss began to mutter a spell, and suddenly, a shield appeared all around the Great Towers. He-Man and his allies continued forward, and King Hiss spoke another spell. Gigantic ghost-like snakes wrapped and slithered all around the towers, their false fangs revealed.

King Hiss then pointed at He-Man and the band of Heroic Warriors. The snakes snapped into action and smashed right into them. They swooped and moved and snapped, taking down the Heroic Warriors. Some of the snakes broke into smaller snakes and struck that way, while others combined and wrapped around.

"Retreat!" He-Man yelled. "Pull back! Head back to Eternos!"

King Hiss smiled as the Great Towers were now completely his.

***

Hours later, back at Eternos, Prince Adam walked down the corridor in a foul mood. Marlena stood up as soon as she saw him. "Adam!" she cried out to her son. "Adam!"

He spun around gruffly. "What?!"

"I was worried about you," she told him. "Come here."

"No!" snapped Adam. "I need to see my father. I'm sure he'll have something to say about the loss of the Great Towers."

"Yes, most likely."

"It wasn't my fault, although he'll surely blame it on me. I was on a secret scouting mission."

"I know, son, but - "

Adam shook his head. "No. Not buts. I'm going to tell him off, I am. I'm tired of him treating me like this."

Adam turned back around and threw open the doors to the throne room. Before him was his father, sitting on the throne.

"We lost the Great Towers," said Randor.

"Yes, father, and I - "

"Don't worry about it, son," Randor said, raising his hand. "We'll get them back. After we complete our next task, we'll have enough power to retake the Great Towers."

"And what is our next task?" questioned Marlena, coming up from behind Adam.

"Why, we're going to take Castle Grayskull."

Shock once more filled Marlena, something she should be used to by now. She eyed Adam, who seemed to be wrestling with some sort of inner decision. But finally, he nodded.

"Okay, father. Let's do it. Let's take Castle Grayskull in the name of Eternos. Once and for all."