"Get back, Teela," He-Man commanded. He caught sight of Skeletor distracting Evil-Lyn, and fervently hoped the duo wouldn't team back up to get into Grayskull.
"No!" She wasn't leaving him, and this time, she wouldn't let him make her.
"Teela, please!" Only the Champions of Grayskull may be able to protect her. What if that warning didn't have anything to do with happened in the Fright Zone? What if this is what Light Hope was talking about? He-Man pushed the thought aside and focused on the enemies in front of him.
"No! You can't handle them all yourself!"
He-Man's jaw clenched; he knew he couldn't handle eight of them even with Teela's and Battle Cat's help, but there wasn't time to argue with her.
"Need a hand, old enemy?" cackled a familiar voice, suddenly next to him.
"Skeletor!" He-Man exclaimed in surprise as he blocked a swing from one Syriak and grabbed hold of another's wrist.
"And I am here as well," came Castaspella's voice.
As the Syriaks divided up to face these new foes, He-Man took the one whose wrist he had and swung it around, momentarily beating back the four still surrounding him. He released it back over the ice wall. A few seconds later, a massive explosion sounded. With perfect timing, Bow's arrows had destroyed several tanks just as the Syriak hit one of them, though Bow was the only one to witness it. He and the Twiggets also saw the three tanks take out several dozen troopers and two other tanks around them.
"That evened it up a little," muttered Bow. But there were still about thirty tanks and over a hundred troopers left. He wondered how the army at the palace was doing, because they sure could use some reinforcements here.
"Well," He-Man said in satisfaction, "I think we're on more even ground now, don't you?" He smirked at the Syriaks facing him. With one each for Skeletor, Castaspella, Battle Cat, and Teela, he was down to three. It was the best odds he'd had against these things yet.
"Absolutely," the leader hissed back at him, and threw his serrated sword at the ice wall Frosta had created. It shattered, and troopers swarmed over it. Castaspella threw up a shield, but while Glimmer had only been defending against freeze rays, this one had to hold back the army itself. It took all of Casta's concentration to make it strong and large enough to do so. Frosta stood alongside the other defenders in Castaspella's place, clearly worn out from her efforts.
"I must be crazy, risking my hide out here," Skeletor muttered as he threw stun blasts at the Syriaks. They avoided them easily. Teela flipped one alien over her shoulder and tried to go for its leg, hoping to incapacitate it, but it jumped up immediately and went after her with its bare claws. She scrambled backwards.
Then, as if by a pre-arranged signal, the Syriaks suddenly stopped and turned on He-Man. They had planned it perfectly, spreading out in a way that as the Syriaks now turned on him, they completely surrounded him. Evil-Lyn suddenly re-appeared between the Syriaks and He-Man's friends, laughing triumphantly as she directed magical stun rays at the heroes. Two Syriaks also placed themselves between the main group and He-Man's allies to prevent any assistance.
Their claws were outstretched, swiping at him. He-Man knocked away their hands with his sword, but one claw caught him on the back, and as he whipped around to face that attack, another got his shoulder. Then two grabbed his arms from behind, jerking him backward to the ground. They pinned him there, their claws digging into his arms, through the flesh all the way to the bone.
He tried to bring up his legs to kick off the Syriaks, but two more grabbed his legs and held them down. He-Man ground his teeth together as he strained against them. He could feel a claw grating against a bone in his arm, and the sensation sent shudders through him. The Syriak leader raised its sword in the air to deliver the killing blow. He-Man struggled with everything he had, but he couldn't break free. He suddenly went slack, hoping to twist away at the last second.
Love and fear lending speed to her tired legs, Teela dodged around a Syriak as she ran forward. She felt the tip of the blade graze her side as she rushed past, but she didn't take her eyes off of the Syriak who was already starting to bring down his sword. She drove the Sword of Truth deep its back. She didn't stop to think about the fact that she was taking a life. She only knew she had to save He-Man.
Skeletor was suddenly inspired by the abyss. Now that he had stationary targets, he quickly stunned the two Syriaks pinning down He-Man's legs. Then, with a wave of his havoc staff, he almost lazily dropped them into the abyss.
"Have a nice fall!" he cackled gleefully.
"You'll pay for that, Skeletor," Evil-Lyn promised him, turning away from Battle Cat and Frosta to focus on her former master. "Horde Prime is very fond of his mercenaries." The two of them began battling with magic again.
Battle Cat jumped on the back of another Syriak that was holding He-Man down. Its clawed hands reached back to try to pry him off, but only scratched uselessly at the big cat's armored head. Frosta froze the remaining three just to give He-Man a chance to break free; then she collapsed from exhaustion before she could tell the others that the ice wouldn't hold them.
The Syriak Teela had killed fell forward onto He-Man. Teela pulled at it, intent on getting to He-Man. He-Man was able to bring up one hand and help push the creature off of him. He yanked upward on the arm of the one still pinning his left arm to the ground, breaking free of the frozen creature.
Battle Cat was thrown off of the Syriak just as a stray bolt of magic hit the creature. It disappeared.
"Good riddance!" Skeletor laughed, facing Evil-Lyn again. She took a few steps back, ready to run.
"Where'd you send it?" Teela asked, gasping for breath as she turned back to He-Man.
Skeletor cackled. "The Valley of Echoes." Teela shuddered. It was not a pleasant place. She froze as she saw He-Man on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. Blood poured from the wounds in his arms and legs.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
He nodded. He had to swallow before he could answer. "Yeah," he said, his voice sounding breathy. Teela frowned. He looked shaken, and one of the cuts on his arm was gushing blood like a small underground spring. That thing must have cut an artery, she realized. Before she could say anything else, though, the three remaining Syriaks broke free of the ice. Teela swore and He-Man surged to his feet, sword in hand.
A wave of magic suddenly blew out of Grayskull like an explosion. Teela felt magic surround her, probe at her, then pull back. She watched in amazement as the Syriaks, dead and alive, wounded and whole, disappeared.
"What happened?" Evil-Lyn demanded, her eyes wide.
"I'm afraid the Sorceress and her assistant just sent your friends home," She-Ra informed her calmly as Swift Wind landed. It hadn't been easy, either. The Sorceress had been concerned about making it specific to the Syriaks; she didn't want to accidentally send their allies home.
Evil-Lyn looked around and smirked.
"Well, I see we've worn you out with our little party," she commented nastily. "Now I think I'll go join the main event!" She turned herself into a fireball and flew off in the direction of the palace.
"Blast that woman," Skeletor muttered.
Teela saw He-Man swaying on his feet. She grabbed his arm in an attempt to help him remain standing. "He-Man! She-Ra, do something!"
Teela's voice sounded far away. He-Man shook his head slightly to try to rid himself of the light-headedness, but that only made it worse. He pulled away from Teela and stumbled away from his sister, not realizing she was about to aid him. He headed for a group of rocks he knew would provide cover. He leaned heavily on one, squeezed his eyes shut, and raised his sword.
"By the power of Grayskull," he called. "I have the power!" She-Ra stood before him, watching in concern. He-Man grinned at her as the pain and dizziness faded.
"Glad to see you're in one piece, sis," he said.
She didn't return his smile. "We still have about a third of the original force to deal with. Can you handle it?"
He-Man looked her straight in the eye. "Absolutely."
She-Ra frowned. "You lost a lot of blood. Even more than I did."
"Are you all right?" He-Man asked immediately, concern lining his face.
His sister couldn't help but smile. "Yes, He-Man, I'm fine. But Casta can't hold that shield forever. Are you sure you're up to more fighting?"
"I'm sure I'm up to getting the Horde off my planet," He-Man answered, determination tightening his jaw. "Let's go."
Glimmer, Frosta, and Orko recovered enough to assist them. Castaspella let the shield drop, and the group ripped through the remaining Horde troopers and tanks, stunning the human troops and battering the robots. The five tanks they didn't get to retreated with less than thirty foot soldiers.
Upon learning of the loss of seventeen of the twenty-four Royal Guard snipers, He-Man felt a keen sense of failure. Technically, they had been under his command here. They were his responsibility. But there was no time for him to brood about it. He called in to the palace.
"We're holding them off, He-Man, but they keep bringing in more and more troops," Duncan replied. "They started the day with five thousand, and I think they're up to about ten thousand, in spite of those we've taken down. We've lost a lot of soldiers. We could use some help if you can spare it."
He-Man frowned as he assured Man-at-Arms that they would assist and he signed off. Duncan's words simply confirmed his thoughts that Horde Prime wasn't after Grayskull. Eternia, then? Or was the battle at the palace another distraction, so that He-Man and the others, confident they had defeated the attack on Grayskull, went to assist at the palace, leaving the castle open to attack? Or perhaps Horde Prime really had been that confident in the Syriak's abilities. He-Man couldn't figure it out. The others waited patiently for his decision.
Evil-Lyn seemed pleased that she had worn us down. Could that have been their only purpose? Wear down Eternia's champions? It fits with what Hordak talked about before, trying to break the spirit of the people. Wear down He-Man and She-Ra enough, and you're bound to defeat even them. Which would make the people lose hope. That could be it.
"Serena, I would like for you to come to the palace with us," He-Man finally said. "That way, if there is another attack on Grayskull, you can get us back here quickly. She-Ra, Teela, Sea Hawk, Skeletor, Castaspella and I will head back with Swift Wind and Battle Cat to see what we can do to help. I want the rest of you to stay here to protect Grayskull."
The Royal Guard snipers saluted him, as did the Twiggets, Madam Razz, and Orko. But Glimmer, Frosta and Bow all frowned at being left out of the main action. She-Ra paused as she took in their expressions.
"I know you'd rather be fighting the main army," she said to them quietly. "But Grayskull is more important than any kingdom. We can't leave it defenseless. If Grayskull falls to evil, then that evil gains untold power. The Horde would spread across the universe like never before. No planet would stand against it."
Glimmer gulped. "Then why was there such a small group of us defending it?"
She-Ra smiled. "It wasn't an easy balance. There were squadrons between here and the palace, hidden in the woods. They were waiting to see where the bulk of the Horde forces were attacking. They had to go back to the palace. If that falls, so does the rest of Eternia, and Grayskull won't be far behind."
"By the grace of Eternia," He-Man murmured, his heart breaking at the scene before him. Bodies lay everywhere; whether they were stunned, injured, or dead, he couldn't tell.
"Oh Ancients," Teela whispered next to him, horror filling her. They exchanged looks and she reached for his hand, which he clasped for a moment. Those weren't nameless, faceless soldiers down there. They were classmates, friends, and for Teela, men and women she had been training for years.
He-Man wordlessly squeezed her hand and looked for a place to land. Behind them, Castaspella frowned at the physical contact between the two, thinking of Adam. Where is he, anyway? she suddenly wondered, peering down at the battle below.
"The right flank," Teela said suddenly. "The Horde's swinging around to attack." He-Man nodded and pushed the engines to full throttle, coming in low and fast over the royal army.
"Take the controls and land this thing, Teela," he said grimly.
"What are you-" Teela broke of as he jumped out. "I hate it when he does that," she grumbled. Her frown deepened as Castaspella followed him, using her magic to ease her own landing.
"Need a hand, Mekaneck?" He-Man asked as he landed next to his friend. To his chagrin he didn't land quite as easily as normal; his legs gave way and he touched the ground with both hands. It took him a few seconds to steady himself before he could stand.
"He-Man! Am I glad to see you!" Mekaneck called. He glanced over, then froze for a second. "Who's your friend?"
He-Man smothered a grin as he followed Mekaneck's gaze. "Mek, meet Castaspella, a friend of She-Ra's. Casta, this is Mekaneck."
Castaspella raised her hands and blasted a few robots right behind Mekaneck. "Nice to meet you," she purred.
"You too," he replied, turning back to his work. Now he remembered her from the twins' birthday party a couple of years ago. He'd heard about this one being after Adam. He shook his head and gave He-Man a sideways glance. Teela and Castaspella? The man had all the luck with the women.
Teela, Battle Cat, and Sea Hawk joined them a short time later. Grace flew overhead, offering advice from her vantage point and assisting She-Ra and Swift Wind as they swept through the skies, helping the Eternians on sky sleds with the Batmecks.
The fighting went on for another hour, and what struck them all the most was the lack of leaders. They fought wave after wave of robots, but nothing else. He-Man grew more and more uneasy. Horde Prime was wearing them down with the robots, but where were his best fighters? Was he saving them for after the Eternians were exhausted?
He-Man eyed the flagship in the distance. Defeat Horde Prime, and the rest of this list won't matter, his father's voice rang in his memory. He-Man realized that to win this war, he was going to have to get to that ship.
"Battle Cat!" he yelled, knowing the cat was nearby.
Then, without warning, the Horde robots froze. The flyers retreated back to where Horde Prime's flagship floated, and the robots followed. He-Man straightened up as Swift Wind landed next to him. Battle Cat came up on his right.
"What do you think is going on?" he asked She-Ra. It was too much to hope Horde Prime had ordered a retreat.
"I don't know," she answered, her eyes narrowing.
A transportation beam lit the area in front of the army, revealing Hordak, Shadow Weaver, and Evil Lyn. He-Man and She-Ra exchanged glances and began making their way towards them, riding their respective mounts. Teela and Sea Hawk were sharp on their heels.
"Surrender, Eternian fools," Hordak cried out, his voice magnified by magic. "You can't possibly win this fight. Submit quietly, and Horde Prime will allow you to keep your homes and your families."
A few of the soldiers shifted uneasily, obviously wondering if they should do as he said.
"But you won't have your freedom!" She-Ra shouted against him as Swift Wind pushed between soldiers. "Do not give in to him, my good people. I have seen the evil he and his kind have done to a planet. Defend your families and your homes! Do not submit to his evil rule!"
A cry rose up from the soldiers; their weapons came up and trained on the small group of leaders.
"You will regret that, She-Ra," Hordak said in a falsetto voice. "Now, you two!"
The two witches focused their magic on a crystal between them. A soft blue light began emanating from it, coming towards the Eternian army. Grayskull's champions watched helplessly; it was moving too fast to get the soldiers out of the way. As it reached the army, men and women and even the masters cried out and fell to the ground, many of them curling into a fetal position.
The blue light touched He-Man, but he felt nothing. Under him, Battle Cat let out a distressed growl. He-Man felt a tremor go through the great cat, then Battle Cat laid down as if he were Cringer again, trying to hide his eyes and trembling violently.
"Battle Cat!" He-Man slipped off of the tiger's back and looked around in confusion as even She-Ra collapsed, holding her head and closing her eyes. Teela, Sea Hawk, Mekaneck, and Castaspella went down as well. Unnatural sounds came from them, soft cries, harsh sobs, gasps of distress.
He was the only one still standing.
"So you think you can stand against the fear, He-Man?" Hordak sneered. "Not for long!"
Evil-Lyn and Shadow Weaver focused their power, and the light from the crystal became a solid ray. It slammed He-Man in the chest, literally pushing him back. He-Man strained against it. As he did so, he had a brief thought that in his exhausted state, it might prove too strong for him. That idea took root suddenly, and fear grew in his heart and mind, making it hard to even breathe. His wound began to grow more painful, his head swimming with images of death and pain. He saw Teela and his parents destroyed again in his mind. Hordak's laughter rang in his ears.
Be not afraid, my son.
The voice cut through the chaos, dispersing the unreasonable fear. He-Man gradually became conscious of the fact that he was still standing against the ray. Taking courage from a voice and a presence he had sensed before during the hours when he needed it most, He-Man pushed the fear away completely, and began to move his sword up.
Alarm widened Evil-Lyn's eyes. "Stop!" she ordered.
Before He-Man could get his sword up to deflect the ray, it dispersed into the soft, spread-out blue light again, but there was still a greater concentration of it around him as they sought to bring him down. Hordak turned his arm into a laser cannon and fired. He-Man blocked it easily, sending it back at Hordak, who barely leaped out of the way in time.
"Shadow Weaver! Why isn't it working?" Hordak snorted angrily as he continued to fire at He-Man.
He-Man stood as steady as a rock against the blue light. "It's your own fault, Hordak," he said, his voice relaxed.
"What are you talking about?" Hordak sputtered at He-Man, still firing. He nearly jumped up and down in anger as several stray beams caught his troopers.
He-Man couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. "What do I have left to be afraid of?"
Hordak smoldered with anger. "How about an entire army, flesh face?" Before he could give the order, He-Man tackled him to the ground.
"I miss my sister when she's not around. So I really think you should spend as much time with your brother as you can," He-Man grunted, as he grabbed Hordak by the arms and swung him around. As he finished speaking, he let go, sending Hordak sailing towards Horde Prime's flagship. Evil-Lyn and Shadow Weaver began to argue with each other.
"We must stop and deal with him," Shadow Weaver hissed. He-Man strode over to She-Ra, still listening.
"Wait! If one of us stops, the crystal will drain the other one completely!" Evil-Lyn snapped. "We must stop at the same time!"
He-Man bent down and grasped his sister by the shoulders.
Adora looked around. She had failed. Hordak had won and enslaved both Etheria and Eternia. He had also regained control of her, and she had killed all these people. She hadn't tried to stop. She had been helpless, only able to do as she was told.
"She-Ra, listen to me. Listen to my voice. This is a spell. What you are seeing is not real." He-Man stared deep into her fearful eyes. "Push aside the fear, She-Ra. It's not real."
"You are no longer a member of this family," Randor said firmly, appearing at her side.
"I can't believe my own sister would do this," Adam said, his voice harsh. "You had a responsibility to protect these people." He, Randor, and Marlena turned their backs on her.
"She-Ra, fight it!" He-Man ordered her, glancing warily over his shoulder at the two arguing witches.
She-Ra blinked at him slowly. "He-Man?" she asked weakly.
"Yes. Focus on me. Everything else is in your mind." He pushed her sword into her hand and looked back again. Evil-Lyn and Shadow Weaver were still focusing their power on the crystal, but they were pulling backwards, towards the flagship. And apparently Horde Prime had ordered his robots forward. They would be in range in a minute or two. "Call on Grayskull's protection, She-Ra."
"For the honor of Grayskull," she whispered. The sword grew warm in her hand and her gaze cleared. "By the First Ones, that was awful," she added with a shudder.
"Come on, sis," He-Man said, giving her a hand up. "We need to figure out what to do. Evil-Lyn and Shadow Weaver are using some sort of crystal to cast this spell. The two of them are retreating behind the army."
She-Ra looked around at the terrified people around her, and the thousands of troopers still before them. "We can't fight our way through all of those troopers to get to the flagship," she finally said. She glanced at Swift Wind, who was shaking in fear.
The swords of Grayskull, Grace said, circling above the spell's range.
"If we call on the swords' power, that would free Battle Cat and Swift Wind…" She-Ra thought aloud, then hesitated, sensing they were missing something. Her eyes met He-Man's and she saw the knowledge come to him at the same time it hit her.
"The Sword of Truth!" He-Man exclaimed aloud. He heard the robots moving behind him, getting closer every step.
"Of course!" She-Ra agreed. "This is all a deception!"
Teela had been at his side when the spell hit; He-Man was kneeling beside her in seconds. As he had done with She-Ra, he grasped her shoulders and began speaking to her.
"Adam, your father, and your mother were all killed," Randor informed her soberly. "If only you had realized sooner that Skeletor would betray us, you would have been able to save them, Teela."
"Teela, whatever you're seeing, it isn't real," He-Man found himself repeating. She-Ra stood in front of them, ready to defend them if necessary. "Teela, listen to me. Focus on my voice. You're under a spell. It's not real. You need to fight it."
Teela's sobs wracked her body. Unlike the other times she had thought Adam might be dead, it was true this time. He-Man's broken body lay before her, his vacant eyes staring up into nothing.
And Skeletor had claimed Grayskull. She could hear his cackling laugh and Serena's screams as he took over.
"Teela, listen to me," He-Man said again. "Fight the spell."
"I'm hearing things. He-Man's dead," Teela murmured, her eyes unfocused.
"I'm not dead, Teela. I'm right here, right beside you." He tightened his grip on her shoulders. The troopers were starting to fire, but the rays were dissipating before they reached them. "Teela, we don't have time for this. Snap out of it!"
Her eyes focused on his face. "He-Man?"
Her reaction was so similar to She-Ra's he almost wanted to laugh. "Yes. Come on, Teela, we need you, now." He pulled her to her feet.
"I feel so odd," she murmured, swaying.
He-Man frowned and looked around, spotting the Sword of Truth a few feet away. A freeze ray soared through the air as he bent down; it barely missed him.
"Sword to shield!" She-Ra cried out frantically, still standing in front of Teela. He-Man ducked behind her and pressed the Sword of Truth into Teela's hand.
Simply grasping the sword cleared Teela's head. Her chin came up. "I'm okay now," she assured He-Man, her voice strong again.
He-Man glanced around, but there wasn't much cover. "We'll have to do this fast before we get hit," he said grimly. "Teela, hold up the Sword of Truth."
She did so, and She-Ra quickly changed the shield back to the sword. Simultaneously, she and He-Man touched their swords to Teela's.
"By the power of Grayskull!" He-Man commanded.
"For the honor of Grayskull!" She-Ra cried.
Teela felt the power flow from their swords into hers. "Let the truth be revealed," she called.
A blistering white light blasted outwards from her sword, immersing everyone and everything in its warmth. Adam and Adora found themselves staring at each other in horror as they reverted back to their true selves. Around them, soldiers began climbing to their feet, their fears dispersed by the light.
The white light reached the crystal as well as the flagship. There was a bright glow, a sudden silence, then an explosion rocked Eternia, throwing everyone to the ground once more.
Adam pushed himself up onto one elbow and looked up to find Horde Prime's ship headed down—right towards him and everyone around him. Teela was on the ground, seemingly unconscious, as were several soldiers. Figuring his secret was now dust, Adam stood, held up his sword and transformed. Adora struggled to her feet and did the same. Some of the soldiers managed to scramble out of the way of the oncoming ship, but others were staring at He-Man and She-Ra, stunned at the transformation they had just witnessed.
"Ready to play catch, sis?" He-Man asked her, not taking his eyes off the ship.
"I'm a little tired of playing today, He-Man, but if we must, we must," She-Ra answered with a weary grin.
Muscles straining, the two of them caught the ship, nearly going to their knees as they did so. It had been a long day, and neither of them was at their best. Still, the twins managed to hold onto the ship and ease it to the ground. Randor's recommendation to defeat Horde Prime once and for all rang strongly in He-Man's mind amid the cheers from the soldiers.
The twins looked around. Evil-Lyn lay on the ground; He-Man had no idea if she was dead or alive, nor did he particularly care at the moment. He straightened up and strode towards the ship, She-Ra following him. The soldiers were forced back into battle with the robots, which had begun firing again.
"Let's pay a call on our visitors," He-Man said, his voice almost cheerful.
"I'm not really in the mood to visit today," She-Ra teased. "How about we just send them back where they came from?"
"Well, it wouldn't be polite to do that," He-Man countered. "I think Horde Prime's chamber was around this area, right?"
She-Ra nodded. "That seems about right."
He-Man ripped a hole in the hull with a thunderous punch and stepped inside, sword in hand.