Holy email Batman! I promised it would not be a long wait and as always it is not. This is not the end yet either but I think I will let the words speak for themselves on the rest.
No ownership of characters or even the collector item Grayskull from the 80s...that was a cool toy wasn't it? ;) It might have been smashed by a complicated plot for Super Skeletor, kind of looked like me.
He-Man Era Year Three
The battle for Eternos has drawn first blood and revealed the alternate future to Duncan in his new role as Mystic Warrior. Zodac's sacrifice allowed She-Ra and Man-at-Arms to live passed the fight with Grizzlor. Now the two armies clash in the farmland around the palace.
Adam and Teela believed they were within the end of their journey, only to find that Adam's plan worked too well. Hordak now has them sighted and trapped demanding the location of He-Man at the Well of Darkness.
The two pathetic teenagers stared at Hordak in shock. His demand almost made Adam laugh from the absurdity of answering it. Here was the first time he had faced the warlord as Adam and he only lived because He-Man was not present. The river of lava leant all of them a reddish glow as the warlord quickly lost patience.
"I will not ask again whelp. Where is He-Man? I know you concocted this plan to keep me from Grayskull's power, oh you will be paying for that, but where is that infuriating hero now?" The smoking left arm gun now glowed with a building charge. Teela's emerald eyes glanced at Adam out of the corner of her right side. She saw the conflict in his head. Adam would happily reveal the location of He-Man if it saved her, but more likely she would be killed as he transformed.
I will just have to torture him for it, and I thought today would be all business. Hordak's sick grin spread over his pale face as the gun charged to full. Adam was about to reach for his sword as the weapon fired. Neither Teela or Adam could move in time, but one person did. Green and gold blurred as Cringer leapt in front of Teela and took the shot for her. His roar of defiance had no cowardice in it at all.
Blood sprayed the front of Teela as all three humanoids stood in shock. Hordak had seen the tiger cringe at his arrival, seemed even impotent to act. That roar echoed in his memory. He had heard it before he was certain. Confusion swam in his mind as he became aware of a magic on his mind. Something subtle woven over his senses. Thinking he was safe from the two children he allowed his concentration to focus on the magic.
Adam did not pause, only hastened his pulling forth of the sword. His blues eyes burned with the image of Cringer bleeding to death on the rock in front of Teela. Cringer, not Battle Cat this time, had once again saved someone from this monster's attack. The confusion was evident on Hordak's face and Adam knew the secret of the sword was buying him what he needed.
"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" the sword unlocked and the power surged into him. He barely felt the balance before ending the summoning and turning the sword on Cringer. Nothing happened. No power shot forth, no surge of energy surrounded his friend. The still form of the tiger chilled his heart and stole his breath. He-Man trembled as he knelt by his oldest friend next to only Teela herself.
Cringe...no...the thought would not settle in his mind. He felt for any sign of life but there was nothing. Teela's eyes glistened with tears at the heartbreak on He-Man's face. Anyone who saw him now would know his secret. All too true as Hordak's vision refocused with rage, then amusement.
"So the tiger really was that annoying pest from Snake Mountain. Lucky once child, but I will get you all in the end. I congratulate you on a well done deception. Grayskull played this very well against me, not knowing you are one and the same divided my attention and kept me busy looking for the one or the other all that time you fought me on Etheria." the snort of amusement cut short as steel blue flashed at the warlord. Gone was the gentle gaze and understanding heart of the pathetic hero. This gaze Hordak had seen before. For the first time a trickle of fear entered his heart, a doubt that perhaps he should not have killed someone.
Hordak was not the only one feeling fear. Teela felt a reflex to back away from He-Man. She knew Adam loved Cringer as much as he loved anyone. The tiger was family, and she felt the loss as keenly, but to Adam Cringer had always been there for him. No matter what anyone else was doing there had always been Cringer to play with, to talk to, and later to comfort him as his heavy burden weighed on him. Of all the beings to attack, this was the one Skeletor himself had known would be dangerous to succeed.
"He-Man, don't lose yourself now. Please, stay with me as my love, not your rage and grief." The words stopped He-Man cold. He was heaving heavily and grasping his sword so hard it was shaking violently. Hordak watched amazed at the play of emotions on the hero's face. The rage was trying to win over everything else, pushing He-Man to fulfill its deepest desire. It lost in the end because rage is not who Adam ever was.
"That is it hero? A few tiny words and all that you feel is changed?" now the snort of laughter was disbelief. The mighty warrior would not kill. It was pathetic, and it made this so much easier. "In that case I will waste no more time, DIE!" He-Man had no chance to dodge as sickly green energy shot forth from Hordak's right hand. Both Teela and He-Man recognized the power of the snakes.
Thinking to help, Teela extended her cobra staff and flung it hard at the warlord. He never even glanced at it as it bounced harmlessly off his shield. The staff itself shattered into pieces as it fell. Trained by Man-at-Arms to always be prepared, she reached for one of the electronic mines to distract him. She never got the chance to throw it as his left hand grasped her with his normal red energy. He laugh in amusement as neither Teela or He-Man could break free.
"I learn as I told you fool. I know that sword is the access to your power, so..." a single tendril pried the sword loose and threw it into the center of the Well by the altar. "Now, I have some time to kill. I think I will make you watch as I examine this fine specimen you seem so in love with." Hordak smiled wide as emerald energy flared around He-Man. The fool could pull on that power all he liked, Serpos was fine as he was and could not be affected by it. Teela floated closer to a now sickeningly hungry looking Hordak. Neither had any doubts about what he was going to do to her before she died.
It's not working! I need something, anything. Please... The plea reached deep into his mind. His power flared even more but still had no effect on the sickly green color of the magic binding him. The only thing that had ever really hurt that magic had been...Zodac! Flinging his head back, he saw the staff right where Cringer lay. Dropped after he transformed. His hope dimmed as he realized he could not move back anymore than he could move forward.
"So pretty, so soft." the words yanked He-Man back around to see the worst had not yet occurred. The claw tipped hands only held Teela by the chin but they were roving lower over her armor, seeking the releases simply to make it worse for them both. He had plenty of power to do this faster, the torture of both their minds was his goal. Teela kept her eyes open and burning in fury, but fear was there for He-Man to see. She could not keep it at bay forever.
Straining for all his strength had no effect at all on the binding Hordak had used. However he had taken that power from the mountain it was perfect. The power of that creature had nearly undone him once, so now it held him easily. Elders please, help Teela. The thought burned in his mind as he found he could not look away as the monster almost delicately removed the golden armor Teela wore in battle. Her cloth skirt and chest wrap were intact but the look on the warlord's face only reopened the rage in He-Man.
Zodac, why could you not be here to help me stop this? Not really expecting an answer, He-Man was stunned when he was hit from behind. The bindings snapped on him all at once and without thought he flung himself at Hordak. The warlord only felt the snap of his connection to Serpos as warning, then the world tilted in a blur. It stopped as he slammed into one of the stone fingers around the Well.
He-Man stood heaving with his right fist flung forward staring at the evil master of the Horde. He glanced with relief to see Teela standing strong and next to him. Only then did he glance behind him, shock shook him at the vision. White energy still sparked on the staff now buried in the ground right where he had been bound. Thank you Zodac, thank you. The hero had no time to think passed that thought as Hordak roared at him.
"Now what will you do hero? You are here where I made half the world in my image. What can you do against the might of my power?" most unfortunately Hordak had nailed the nerve on the head. While he was here, He-Man could not do what was needed. Fortunately He-Man was never without friends.
Frost blasts came from the left while two mini bombs descended from above. The warlord found the weaklings from the castle had caught up with him. Teela smiled wide as Frosta and Stratos went on the offensive and the Avion lord dropped her a spare staff from his own belt. She nodded to He-Man as she rushed to fight this monster that thought to 'examine' her. He-Man could almost pity Hordak, but not quite.
Losing no time he ran to the altar and left the sword where it was. It might come in handy but right now he had to focus on his own power, not Grayskull's. Emerald light blazed like the sun around the hero as he used all the skills the Sorceress had taught him in the use of magics to see what he could see. Immediately he saw the wounds Hordak, Two Bad, and even Evil-Lyn had created here. Eternia had been wounded here. By the Ancients this will take longer than I thought. Reaching as deep as he could, looking for the limit of his power he pulled all he could.
The battle with the warlord was by both sides standards pathetic. The three warriors, strong against so many opponents could not seem to actually hurt Hordak, only distract him. Equally the three targets were never still enough for Hordak to get the lethal hits he wished for. The fiery harridan would pay dearly for this, that he swore. Suddenly Hordak felt a strange twinge in his own power. As if something was trying to block it. He whirled to the Well and saw He-Man bathed in emerald light, light that was encircling the stone fingers and the sigils themselves!
"I don't think so hero." another sickly green flash flew from his right hand, only to hit a wall of sheer ice. The magic came right back at the warlord and sent him flying. Frosta smirked as she saw the result of her handiwork. It was never wise to underestimate the power of ice. All three glanced at He-Man as the ground trembled beneath them. A blast of red energy far off brought them back around. Hordak was far from finished.
The battle for Eternos was going badly. The new defense stations made by Man-at-Arms had proven themselves against the batmeks and drones. The mechanical part of the army was almost defeated, unfortunately that was the smallest part of the army. The Hordesmen and there monsters were far more coordinated and brutal than Skeletor had ever been. Grizzlor had reappeared after only an hour with a bandage on his right stub of an arm now. He did not let his rage make a mistake but carefully and successfully launched offensive after offensive.
Rather than commit the bulk to a single spot and give the defenders a solid target. He kept the auto guns busy with the batmeks and drones as they relentlessly assaulted the palace and the walls. The flesh and blood warriors divided evenly into regiments and with tanks launching fire well outside the range of the fixed guns devastated the first wall in less than three hours. Blood flowed like rivers outside the wall and on top of it.
As the mechanical side faltered and thinned Grizzlor gave them the order to crash or self destruct in the best place possible. Three batmeks destroyed the Council room and most of the upper palace. Four drones wiped out the center guard over the gates and the gates themselves. King Randor had been pulling back injured men and his own squad as he had foreseen that likely order. It was still faster than he had expected. The Eternians were giving their all but the Horde had bred for war for 20 years while Eternos had hoped for peace.
The massive numbers were also taking a toll, even though Randor estimated they had killed perhaps 2 Horde to one of his soldier, there were still fresh regiments moving forward yet to fight while he knew well only two walls remained and not nearly as many soldiers. He smiled however as the Masters came to the fore. The stampede of Hordesmen, without their machines to distract the more powerful fighters, suddenly found themselves facing whirlwinds, living plants, and a man who could become both monster and machine.
She-Ra had fully recovered from her fight with Grizzlor and waited until all the batmeks and drones were gone. Duncan had told her they needed those tanks gone and after the last failed attack he wanted to be sure they got the best shot at them. Even so both warriors found their patience waning. Good men and women were dying by the score and their defenses could not hold much longer. Finally the newly endowed Mystic Warrior and the Princess of Power surged above the fighting.
Grizzlor had expected it of course. Knowing who he fought made it much easier to predict her. He had trained Adora as much as any of the others and he knew how her mind worked. The side gunners and turrets tracked the two fliers and opened full barrage. Smoke and flames filled the sky as Grizzlor grinned at his obvious victory.
The surprise was complete as white energy blazed into the first tank and She-Ra dropped on the next slicing it in two. She grabbed both halves and tossed them to the far tanks, smashing them to pieces and causing all three to explode violently. Grizzlor was not done however. Drones rose from the ground behind the tanks and a new squad of batmeks lifted above the water fall by the palace. He grinned wider as he saw the conflict in the warriors. Keep fighting or watch the palace burn. The Masters had all they could handle with the army. She-Ra mounted Swift Wind and glared sapphire anger at the commander of the Horde. The drones opened fire with the tanks as Man-at-Arms kept his shield up until She-Ra was out of range.
"Well, let's see exactly what I can do." Duncan's mustache twitched as he found knowledge entering his mind to tell him exactly that. He also saw the price he would pay later, but first he had to live to see later. "For Eternia!" He dove onto the drones and tanks as they assaulted his shield. He could not hold it much longer and fight at the same time. Hopping from the chair he charged the shield with more power and set it loose among the drones. He ripped them apart but the tanks only dented.
"Looks like your batteries are running low old man." Grizzlor leered at the red and silver warrior. Seeing the exhaustion in his face and the heaving breath of his body. Whatever it had taken to heal him from the earlier lethal injuries had not left much to work with. Having fought many magical and powerful beings, Grizzlor knew well there were limits to what a body could endure. Duncan knew something else though.
"True enough, but it is not about how much you have, it is how you use it!" Sigils blazed on his face as a slice of power spread outward and hit all the tanks at once. Nothing happened and Grizzlor grinned at the impotence of this pathetic old man. The fool only grinned back up at him as he saw the creature give the order to kill him. As soon as all the guns whirled to face him the tanks began to shake and shimmy. Suddenly the top halves all separated from the bottom halves as the bolts holding them together had been severed. The mass was too much for the loose bolts to bear.
"He-Man was right, you do not know how to build things very well." He laughed as he mounted his chair and flew high up away from the enraged Grizzlor. The tanks were done but the army was still vast and now Duncan had to pay the price of his power. Just as Zodac could not go on forever, neither could he. Flying quickly he saw She-Ra was dispatching the last batmeks, but they still had shattered more of the palace and its defenses.
Hurry Adam, we are running out of time. Duncan barely landed in the hanger before stumbling from his chair. He found a quiet corner and without really thinking about it floated a good 2 feet off the ground and entered a meditative state. He found his center and focused what he had left on completing his healing and his rest. The war raged on.
"You think you pathetic creatures can harm me? I am Hordak! I am forever. There is no power you can bring against me now." Hordak's eyes blazed as he blasted Stratos with a stun shot and forced Frosta to catch him with her own power. The bird man lived, but only because it took less time for the stun shot then killing. Frosta knew she was done for as soon as she turned around. The rage in the warlord was without mercy. He flung the frost woman right into a rock wall breaking her ribs and left arm. She cried out with the pain.
Teela tried to keep out of his line of sight but she suddenly found him behind her. "I can move faster than you imagine harridan." He grasped her by the throat and flung her staff far away. She could breath but her struggles seemed to have no effect. He was carrying her back to the Well. She could imagine well why. No, He-Man needs to focus on Eternia, not me. The thought did not stop the advance of the evil warlord.
Hordak could feel something wrong inside himself. Whatever that fool was doing it was touching him, affecting him! It had to stop or he would lose what he had gained. He stood overlooking the hero, his eyes blazed emerald, focused entirely on the altar. "Now we shall see what he thinks of your screams." Hordak ripped aside the cloth covering Teela. Her skirt and boots remained but now all too vulnerable flesh to bleed and break was exposed.
He-Man did not even seem to notice. His power blinded him to everything. Hordak shrugged, and took aim with his gun arm. The only warning he got was a glint of movement to his left. Power slammed into Hordak like he had never felt before. It was trying to move him, smash him. He resisted, but could not hold on to Teela as well. He flung her from him, but only far enough to free his arm.
His eyes blazed red as something primal was attacking him. It was a solid green, green as grass power. This is not He-Man, what is this? The warlord could not see, but as Teela covered herself with the tatters of her bodice she saw in shock who had come to their aid...Evil-Lyn!
By the Elders she is using the Ram Stone! The shock wore off quickly as she saw that unlike He-Man or anyone else, Hordak could stand up to its power, but barely. His own magic made no progress, but the Stone could not move him either. Eventually the power of the Stone was not meant to be sustained forever. The witch stared as the stone grew silent and Hordak still stood. Her clothes were much the same as before but her headdress was gone and there was something odd about her.
"So you who would try to summon me so long ago now turns on me? I understood they had imprisoned you witchling. That power is impressive, I think I will take it right now." Evil-Lyn never moved, but a glow of lavender energy enveloped her. Hordak sneered at the pathetic defense. He smashed it aside only to suddenly have the world go black. Teela stood with her staff over the now unconscious warlord. So focused on the magical threat he ignored the half naked warrior he had discarded.
"Finally, by the Elders how did you get free?" Teela did not cover herself yet. The threat of an old enemy remained, yet Evil-Lyn held perfectly still. Her lavender eyes were odd, like they were not really seeing things. By the Elders she is not free! "Faceless One?" the witch's head nodded and then she vanished in a swirl of dust and power. How did he do that? By the Elders who cares, he may have one that battle.
Teela's elation was short lived as a clawed hand roughly enclosed her chest and red power shattered her staff in her hands. Splinters burned in her arms and hands but the vile feeling of his flesh on hers made fear rise. "You hit very well child, more than convincing to send that troublesome thrall away. Now I think you will learn what it is like to be at my mercy before I allow you to die. I think I may even allow you to bear me a son, but all I want is your screams."
Hordak smiled in amusement as she tried to slip away but he squeezed hard and unlike muscle this pain was hard to ignore or work through. The smile died as suddenly the world changed shades. He no longer felt the girl in his arms only a dullness he could not dismiss. He realized too late that He-Man had all the time he needed. Whirling he saw the emerald light blazing not just from He-Man but all the Well of Darkness. The sigils burned in emerald fire and the stone fingers did not stream fire, but light.
"I see you Hordak, I see the twisted thing you made yourself. I see what you have done to Eternia and it rejects you. It rejects all you wish for and all you hoped for. We end this now!" He-Man's eyes blazed emerald as his blonde hair suddenly flared in a wind that had nothing to do with nature. Hordak screamed in defiance and flung himself at the hero. Reaching for the hilt of the fool's sword he found the firm grip of He-Man already there. "By the Power of Grayskull." The hilt twisted open and both men felt the power blaze. He-Man felt his world become nothing but light as Hordak screamed in pain.
It takes so much power to heal this, but I will not let the darkness hurt them anymore. Feeling his own life fade He-Man reached all of his power and sent it flowing like a river into Eternia itself. He was Eternia. He felt the danger to his loved ones and his friends. He could not help them yet an answer came to him unexpectedly.
Call on us He-Man. Call on us one more time. For Eternia. Zodac's face smiled at the hero. Somehow understanding He-Man sent out a call to something he barely grasped but knew he would soon be a part of. The power blazed from the well like all the stars of the night.
King Randor stood by his dying men. He had seen Dorgan at some point with a sword and blaster using both effectively to save badly wounded men from being trampled or killed. The old physician had been amazing to watch and had inspired the younger men to fight harder. Now so many were dead and the Horde were still coming. She-Ra and the Masters were exhausted and all could see the final push on the last wall was their end.
Grizzlor was still smiling. He laughed at the futility of these idiots. The sheer numbers of the Horde were unbeatable and after this place fell they would be rulers of all Eternia. He gave the order and the army advanced over the bodies of the dead or just even the broken. Suddenly the sky turned emerald. Light blazed over head, but the Horde paid it no mind. They kept coming, death was not delayed by odd colors.
Tendrils of power blazed into the grounds of the palace and into many places around the Eternians. Thinking the Horde had held something back till the end, many soldier almost gave up, until Duncan returned. Strained but ok for the moment he was smiling. "It is all right, that is on our side." His own power was singing as She-Ra stared in awe at the sky. By the First Ones Adam it is you!
Randor stared as a columns of light blazed to the left and right of Marlena and himself. The light revealed a shock for both. Raon and Saul stood in full warrior garb by them. Both young men were completely made of light but smiling as only they could. Raon even winked at Randor. Both rulers felt a recognition of the two men they could not explain, even knowing both had died barely three weeks ago. A final column of light blazed in front of the Horde itself, finally causing it to stop.
What emerged from that light caused Grizzlor to fear. It had at first appeared to be He-Man, but the fur cape and larger dimensions told the beast his nightmare had come for him. The column also revealed a slim boy Grizzlor knew to fit a description of the one called Adam, unlike the others he appeared more solid but still entirely of light.
"Adam!, Marlena that is Adam by...who is that?" King Randor was shocked to see the look on his son's face. All made of emerald light he could still picture the blue eyes glaring like steel at the army before him. Both of them had the same sword in their hands, but where the He-Man similar man was entirely light, Adam's was solid steel. Adam raised his high, a move that seemed terribly familiar to Randor now.
"I HAVE THE POWER!" a roar of voice rose all around the Eternians as many of the emerald people swarmed from everywhere, even the battle field. By the Elders, the dead, the dead are answering his call! King Randor's mind suddenly made a connection it did not like at all, but awe filled him as the larger man nodded to Adam and ran forward into the ranks of the Horde. All the beings did. Where they entered it was like watching He-Man fight. They tossed soldiers and monsters alike as if they were playthings, killing none but leaving them unconscious behind them.
Grizzlor stared in shock as King Grayskull smashed through his forces as if they were sticks and not an army. He attempted to run, only to find a most unexpected form behind him. Catra stared with cold hatred but made no move towards him. She smiled wide as Grizzlor's confused expression turned to horror. His limbs began to feel like lead and his fur was quickly turning gray or just plain falling off.
"You lived too long flea bag. Hordak's power is broken. No more life for you or any of the others now." Grizzlor's last thought was Hordak could never die. They were going to rule forever. The Horde was invincible... The broken body of the beast turned to dust as Catra watched. She had only answered the call for this moment but still saw She-Ra stare at her. A genuine smile graced her feline face at the only person that had really cared for her.
As suddenly as they had arrived the army of light vanished save one. Adam stood looking haggard even as a being of energy but he was not done. He felt he could do a little more. He raised his sword in a shaking arm and cast out one more time. "LET THE POWER RETURN!" Emerald light wafted over the battle field and around the Eternians. Much of it vanished but some backed up in shock as friends and comrades that had just barely died suddenly sat up strong as ever.
She-Ra had only eyes for Adam. Like Randor she had put a connection together she did not like, but saw confirmation in her brother's eyes. He stumbled and vanished before she could reach him. Without pause she summoned Swiftie and flew to the now dimming connection to the only person that knew everything about her and accepted it all. Please Adam, live!
Duncan watched her go but could not follow. He had to meditate some more if he wanted to so much of anything useful, yet he smiled at the visions he could see. Somehow things would work out.
Teela did not know when she could see again but she felt better than she had since this morning. She found herself laying down by the center of the Well, still lacking much of a top! Flushing deep red she instinctively covered herself until her emerald eyes saw the two still form of Adam. Why is he not He-Man? Modesty forgotten she flew across the stone to her love. His body was still warm and the heart still beating, but it was slowing.
"No, Elders no. Please Adam don't leave me now, not after all this." A gasp made her whirl around, only to find she had no weapons. A burnt black face stared at her. The red eyes and ridged bones the only recognizable thing about Hordak. His body was withered and sickly and all his clothes seemed singed by something. Teela felt a revulsion just looking at him.
"Not...possible...I …...am...forev..." the voice ended as the light went out in the red eyes. Right before her it turned to dust and left only the hollow clothes and prosthetic limbs behind. Apparently not! The small satisfaction that Hordak was gone did not fill the hollow that Adam was dying. Teela nearly jumped when a quiet mewling began behind her.
"Cringer?" The coloring left no doubt but the tiger looked nothing like his former self. He looks like Battle Cat without the armor! Even so the eyes and the gentle nature revealed the long companion of Adam now also grieving his fading master. Understanding flashed through Teela that Adam would have given up anything to restore not only Eternia, but anyone hurt by Hordak and the war.
"You big goof!" Tears flowed as Teela had no heat to be angry. Grief was enclosing her heart as Stratos and Frosta came over the ridge. Frosta quickly took off her coat and draped Teela with it as all three stood solemn next to Adam. The war was over, and now that she looked Teela saw in amazement they were bathed in the sun. Sunlight blazed as far as she could see as the once ever present darkness was gone. "You did it Adam, you did it. Please Elders give him peace."
Stratos hugged the young woman and felt tears flow down his face. His Prince had done this for them all, as he had always done as He-Man. He blinked slightly as Cringer padded over and dragged back the power sword. It shone in the sunlight as bright as ever as the cat tenderly slid it into his master's unfeeling hands. The great cat nudged the shoulder of Adam and started purring as loud as he could and began mewling when nothing happened.
Teela looked into Cringer's eyes as she heard Frosta finally break down. The reality was setting in, but Cringer suddenly glared at her, then the sword and back at her. "Cringer I don't have...I mean I can't...I am not Adam Cringer" The reality was the power was only ever for Adam. She had never known how he could handle so much...BY THE ELDERS.
Teela wrenched down to Adam and making sure he gripped the hilt himself and that the heart still beat she thought of the phrase he had said so many times now. "Please Adam, listen to me my love, one more time. That is all I want, one more time." The beat had stopped, no time remained. "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" She expected nothing, the steel to remain silent and the reality to just be that Adam was gone.
Her heart soared as the hilt opened and the power surged into them both. As once before she felt more alive than ever before, but that was nothing compared to when those blue eyes opened in surprise and looked at Teela. Smiling wide her love said words that made her heart sing even more. "I HAVE THE POWER!"
Unlike every other time, He-Man did not stand before them, just Adam. An Adam who looked thrilled to be alive. He also wept with joy to hear Cringer roar and embraced his friend as Teela, Stratos, and Frosta buried both in a hug. The friends stayed that way under the sunlight as life returned to half the planet, basking in the moment of being alive before returning to learn the cost for victory.
The Sorceress breathed easy as Madam Raz helped her back up to throne room. Feeling Adam fade she had rushed to the orb of the Elders and waited. As soon as she felt Teela call for the power she had flung all she had at the orb to make it respond, oddly it was as if it too had been expecting the call. If not for Madam Raz she would have been killed herself. Both of the women sat quietly on the floor as they gathered themselves.
"Adam lives Madam, the power of Grayskull remains for him to call, but for now we can rest," the shakiness to her voice was obvious. A few more seconds and Adam would have been beyond even Grayskull's ability to heal. Teela once again proved she was the key to Adam. Smiling the Sorceress let sleep claim her as Madam began having a small fight to free herself from the hawk staff.
The story is not quite done, as I know people would have my head if I left a few of the balls still hanging in the air. One more chapter but a note on this one. I recommend that the part with my emerald army be read while listening to the Muse song Uprising...very inspiring.