A/N: Wow, thanks for the reviews, guys! I love your feedback. Again, I'm totally new at writing so here's my first larger-scale fight scene and I hope it's not...blehh. LOL The location of the initial battle and some of the elements found here are borrowed directly from the MYP 200x episode, "The Beginning, Part 2. I changed most of it and added my own details. Apologies again for the longer chapter (it's not as large as the last one) but there was a lot going on in this update. I have new off days at work so my usual Thursday updates should now happen Tuesdays (I tried to write another chap for my usual dual-update but work got crazy and I got too busy...sorry about that). As always, thanks again for your support. All mistakes are mine. :)

Chapter 29

Angry wisps of smoke coupled with violent explosions were seen from miles away as the forces of good and evil clashed underneath the verdant tree tops of the Evergreen forest.

Man-E-Faces' body slammed against the trunk of a nearby oak, thrown by one quick snap of Whiplash's powerful tail. Wounded and coughing up blood, he crumpled to the ground.

With a shark-like grin, Whiplash drew back for a finishing blow when his vision exploded into a ball of white heat. Dazed, he staggered and found himself flat on his back; the wind knocked out of him courtesy of the Prince's beloved. She had spotted Man-E-Faces in trouble and, sprinting toward the attacker, she pole-vaulted off of her staff and forcefully snapped her boot heel against his temple. She quickly followed it up by hooking the staff between his legs and flipping him onto his back.

Meanwhile, Tri-Klops and Mekenek squared off near the river. The villain threateningly flipped the cold blade over his head, caught it behind his back and in one fluid movement, swept his sword across his body at an angle slicing at the Master with deadly speed. Mekenek jerked left, then right, barely missing the deadly blade and quickly jumped high into the air to evade a slash intended for his knees. Airborne and twirling his staff over his head, he brought it down for an axe move slamming it square onto Tri-Klops' left shoulder. Crying out in pain, his opponent fell to one knee.

Man-At-Arms generated rapid-fire laser cannons launching them at Trap-Jaw, throwing him 30 feet off the ground and into the path of an oncoming gryphon controlled by Beast-Man, the two colliding at high speed.

The ground shook as Ram-Man, with rhino-like force, charged head-on into Clawful's chest sending him swiftly to the ground. Evil-Lyn moved in front of her downed comrade and slung volts of energy at Rammy, painfully electrifying him into momentary paralysis.

Teela struggled with Mer-Man when Stratos swooped low and snatched him away into the air only to drop him into a nearby mud swamp. She whirled around to find Rammy immobilized by the witch. Somersaulting behind Evil-Lyn, she twirled her staff around her waist, over her head, and connected the end of it at the base of the witch's neck. The volt of energy was broken as the evil sorceress pitched forward and hit the ground hard.

Teela did a quick scan and located Randor approximately 100 feet away fighting with an unknown assailant.

"There!" she pointed getting Stratos' attention amidst the melee.

After plummeting to the ground, Trap-Jaw recovered and traded punches with Rammy as Evil-Lyn stirred, still on the ground, fighting to regain consciousness.

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The hooded master and the King of Eternos faced off in a nearby clearing, the villain snarling in anger and exertion. They disengaged and reassessed each other; circling slowly, swords unsheathed.

"Who are you?" Randor angrily demanded. "And how dare you attack Eternos!"

"Never you mind, Randor," he replied coolly. "I've got important business with the Elders. You will tell me where they are," he hissed.

The King furrowed his brow. "I know that voice," he mused. Eyes promptly widening in recognition, he muttered, "Keldor?"

"That fool is dead," he cackled as he slowly removed his hood to reveal a hideous bony visage.

"My name is Skeletor, Ruler of Snake Mountain, Lord of the Dark Hemisphere, and soon to be ruler of all Eternia," he threatened boastfully.

Ignoring the prideful words, Randor gasped. "My Ancients, Keldor," he repeated, shocked. "What happened to you?"

"I told you he is DEAD!" Skeletor growled. "You will not mention that name in my presence again!"

"It is the name of your true self—"

"Silence!"

He charged Randor sword upraised and they resumed their bitter swordplay, Skeletor somehow gaining the upper hand and shoving Randor roughly to the ground. Holding the tip of his blade dangerously close to the King's chin, he demanded again. "Again I ask you for the last time, where are the Elders?"

"Why don't you ask me, Handsome?" a deep voice taunted from behind.

Startled, Skeletor whirled around to find a tall, heavily muscled silhouette standing menacingly in the shadows. As the silhouette calmly approached the clearing, he noticed it belonged to a young man. His sword sheathed behind his back, he wore fur trimmed boots, a loin cloth, and a harness over his chest ornamented with a large red cross.

"Who are you?" Skeletor demanded, unnerved at sensing the amount of power emanating from the stranger.

"Not important. Let him go," he snapped.

"And why should I?" the villain taunted.

"If you want to see tomorrow, back up," he stated carefully, keeping his rising anger in check.

"And if I don't?" he asked arrogantly.

The man shook his head and reached behind his back. Slowly unsheathing his sword, he gripped the hilt one-handed and stood, watching silently.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, boy," Skeletor threatened.

"Neither do you, Shin Bone," came the reply.

"That's Skeletor, you muscle bound buffoon!" he angrily corrected.

He gave a lopsided grin and a shrug. "Sticks and stones," he quipped.

Successfully distracting and luring him away from the wounded King, He-Man slowly approached. They sized each other up, circling one another as sounds of fighting echoed in the distance.

The blonde warrior wore an unreadable expression as his mind quickly calculated distance and reaction time between them.

They stopped and stared at one another, both gripping swords. Because Skeletor did not possess facial features from which to discern emotional state, He-Man decided on another tactic to bait him: he smiled and winked at him.

Enraged, Skeletor came at the young warrior with a downward thrust of his sword. He-Man quickly blocked it; the ground giving a powerful quake at the initial contact between ultimate good and despicable evil. Above them, hundreds of birds at once escaped the tree tops screeching in fear.

Again and again the self-proclaimed Lord of the Dark Hemisphere furiously slashed and sliced at the mysterious warrior, the younger man expertly blocking every blow. With each stroke, He-Man mentally recorded Skeletor's attack patterns, memorizing the flow of the encounter and filing it away for retrieval when useful. In defense mode, the warrior skillfully protected his own fighting style not once giving away his own attack strategy.

They clashed over and over until, turning the tables in one sweeping move with his sword, He-Man slung Skeletor's sword onto the ground, rendering him momentarily defenseless.

Obviously shocked at the skill level in one so young, the villain quickly called his havoc staff to himself and shot a powerful bolt of energy at his opponent.

Dodging the beam, the young man did a double back flip onto a nearby boulder. Skeletor promptly shot the boulder into pieces barely missing He-Man as he jumped away. But rock fragments struck him in the back causing him to fall to one knee. Cackling, the evil one released another bolt as the agile warrior suddenly shot to his feet and moved his sword over his heart, blocking the beam and ricocheting it back at the villain.

Skeletor was thrown 50 feet by his own magic colliding with Trap-Jaw who by now was approaching to offer assistance. The two toppled over one another, landing in a pitiful heap.

He-Man took a kokutzu-dachi fighting position, gripping his sword over his head, palm extended, back knee bent, and front leg straight. He quickly scanned the area for other bogies.

The King sat frozen on the ground, propped onto one elbow, slack-jawed as he watched the scene unfold.

Recovering, Skeletor climbed to his feet and signaled a retreat as his minions quickly followed.

"Next time, Muscle Boy!" his gravelly insult was partially lost on the wind as they surged back toward the shadows.

The warrior straightened and stared after the villain, standing still, unmoving. He then carefully sheathed the power sword and approached his father.

"You alright?" the mystery man asked the elder, reaching down and offering a hand in assistance.

Randor swallowed roughly. "Why, yes, thank you," he stuttered getting to his feet. He stared in wonderment, feeling a slight pull at his heart as he studied him.

"Do I know you?" he knit his brow. There was something familiar about this man.

He blinked. "No, I don't believe we've met," he reached out and clasped arms with the King.

"What is your name, boy?" Randor inquired.

He winced inwardly. He could not believe he was acting as if he'd never met his own father!

Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to reply when suddenly Teela, the Masters and members of the guard quickly approached the clearing. Night began to fall and Commander Trevian's men had advanced on the eastern perimeter succeeding in pushing the evil forces south, back toward the Dark Hemisphere.

Amazed, the Eternian fighters all began talking at once, curious as to the identity of this stranger who seemed to be fighting on their side.

Teela immediately locked gazes with the warrior and her eyes went round as she inhaled sharply; her heart quivering, her stomach somersaulting in shocked reaction. Despite the initial shock, she managed to remember to curtsey to the King in his presence. The rest of the party bowed, following suit.

"Who is this fine warrior and can we call him Friend?" Mekenek pondered aloud.

The man gave a small smile.

"I was just asking for his name before you all arrived," Randor explained. "Young man, your name please?"

The young man eyed the King for a moment then replied, "My name is He-Man."

In response, his name quickly travelled through the group of warriors, each passing it on excitedly, all completely puzzled at the meaning.

"And who are you?" the King asked eagerly.

Holding the King's gaze, he respectfully answered, "I am the Guardian of Greyskull's secrets and Eternia's defender," He-Man felt silly giving that unbelievably goofy answer but kept a straight face.

"Greyskull?" Randor barked. "As in, Castle Greyskull?"

He nodded.

"I had no idea it was inhabited," he mused. "Do you dwell there?"

He shook his head no.

"Then where do you reside?" Randor pressed.

"No place," came the guarded reply.

"I don't understand," the King furrowed his brow.

"I come when I am…summoned. When I am needed," he added carefully.

"Are you a ghost?" Rammy asked.

He-Man snapped his head toward him and gave a lopsided smile. "No, my friend. I'm flesh and blood," he stole a glance at Teela.

Teela continued to stare at him as he quickly glanced away. She stepped close to him and held out her hand. "My name is Teela," she offered. "Thank you for your help today."

He-Man gazed down at her and slowly took her hand. When they touched, she immediately felt goose bumps rise upon her skin and gave an involuntary shiver.

He sent her a confused look. "Are you alright, Miss Teela?" he asked out of concern.

"That there is Lady Teela," Rammy corrected. "She's the Crown Prince's girlfriend," he inadvertently blurted out. This resulted in more curious outbursts from the guard members and Masters.

By now, Man-At-Arms had just arrived and caught Ram-Man's remark. He stopped and stared at He-Man as they eyed each other. Duncan's eyes glistened with tears as he blinked them away.

"Yes, speaking of which, where is Prince Adam?" Stratos asked.

"He's helping to clean up at the Palace," Duncan broke in hoping to get ahead of any suspicion as to his whereabouts.

"I must go," He-Man stated abruptly and turned his back to everyone. "Cat!"

A monstrous green and gold striped tiger wearing a partial muzzle pounced from the brush seemingly out of nowhere and let out a ferocious, blood curdling roar. As a result, some of the guard began to scatter in absolute fear.

"It's okay. He won't bite…much," He-man quipped as he agilely hopped atop the gigantic feline and waved a friendly goodbye before quickly galloping away.

Teela, still stunned and unsure of how to interpret her visceral reaction blinked and turned to Man-At-Arms.

"Father, who was that? Do you know him?"

"Yes," Duncan replied as honestly as Greyskull would allow, "He is…a friend."

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Once they cleared the eastern perimeter, He-Man and Battlecat slowed to a light gait and made their way to a more hidden area of the forest. A natural cave carrying fresh water stood nearby. He-Man hopped down and quietly approached the mouth of the cave as Battlecat followed.

"Here Cringe—, I mean Cat,"he corrected nervously. "Holy Ancients, I need to watch that," he stated quietly.

Battlecat snorted in laughter as He-Man slid him a look and led him into the cave for water. They both drank from the natural spring and settled onto the ground, both fatigued by today's events. After about ten minutes of rest, He-Man glanced at his partner.

"You ready to turn back?"

"Yes, He-Man. This saddle's a bit demeaning and chafes me something awful," Cat complained.

The young man chuckled. "But add to that prancing around in a loin cloth and attempting to keep your dignity," he snorted. "That's the real challenge."

He again checked outside the cave to ensure they were alone and returned. He stood motionless for a few seconds, as if receiving instruction then nodded as the words once again came to him. Raising the sword over his head, he stated calmly, "Let the power return."

In a flash of blinding white light, Prince Adam and Cringer now stood in their places.

Suddenly, the power sword slid out of Adam's hand as he collapsed to the ground.

The last thing the Prince heard was Cringer frantically calling his name as he finally lost consciousness.