Chapter 14

"Not a hero, then what would I be?" Adam paced around his room, Cringer sitting on his bed watching him curiously.

It had been several minutes since he and Adora had returned back to the palace. Several more after they had their fight back at the village. It still took Adam a bit to realize that despite being the heroic She-Ra, his sister apparently didn't like the role at all. For his supposed twin, they sure did live quite different lives. Then again, what did he expect, she was raised on a different planet, in an entirely different lifestyle. For while he lived in the lap of luxury on the palace, she grew up as part of a planet conquering army. That definitely affected someone.

Still, he couldn't but feel nervous. If He-Man's power vanished then what would he be. The useless prince that did nothing. The one that always disappointed his parents. Oh sure that would be quite a life.

When he first realized that he was going to be He-Man, when Man at Arms brought him to Castle Grayskull, Adam would admit he didn't want it. It was a scary idea. For back then, he didn't want the responsibility. He just wanted to be lazy, lounge around, maybe show off, play pranks, and games. But to be this mythical hero, defender of an entire planet. It was a responsibility that he wouldn't wish on anyone. But then, then he became it...and he loved it. Not for phrases, not even for glory, but for the knowledge that he was doing good. That his actions were helping others and he was contributing to the overall happiness of the planet.

It actually made him feel like he was being useful. Doing something that would make his mother and father actually proud of him. For despite his lazy attitude and carefree nature, all he really wanted to do was make his parents happy. Sure they could be strict at times, what parents weren't, especially ones who were King and Queen, but they were still kind, always there to be by his side,

Cringer moaned a little, continuing to look worried. He was someone else who alway stood by his side.

Adam turned to face him and sighed patting his head, "Sorry Cringe? Just got a lot on my mind right now, that's all"

"Wanna talk about it"

Adam looked to see his mother standing by the door "Mom" he stood up, "Um...Hi"

Marlena entered the room having Adm sit back down by the bed.

"I know that look" Marlena sighed patting his leg, "Your father gave to me many times throughout our time together"

"About that…'' Adam took a deep breath, "Why didn't you ever tell me? I mean come on...A Sister...A sister! I mean, sure when I was little I can get not saying anything but, I've been...Technically...older...for a while. I like to think I would have understood"

Marlena sighed and nodded, "I know, your father and I talked a lot about the day, we even planned to do it sooner, but then of course Skeletor returned, and He-Man, and Hiss, all of it...I guess we had a lot of on our mind...We…" She took a deep breath.

"You didn't forget" Adam took her and hadn't seen his mothers hand and holding it tight, "I know...I know a lot has been going on here for a while now".

A lot had been happening to him and his family for a while now, with Skeletor and then Hiss and all the evil that seemed to be growing on Eternia. Adam thought about Adora though, her entire life was dominated by a war. Least he got to enjoy some semblance of peace and normalcy for a good chunk of his life. In fact, perhaps he enjoyed too much of it, made him lazy, made him laid back. Ever since he became He-Man more and more he realized the privilege that all was and now that it might be taken away from him due to the decline of magic.

"Adam" Marlena put a hand on his knee, "Know that me and your father are always proud of you no matter what?"

Adam gave a sad smile, "Really? Even though I didn't win any wars or become a heroic super warrior" that last part was a lie per say but she didn't need to know that...Yet.

"Of course Adam" Marlena smiled at him, holding his hand, "We are always proud of you, you've been a fine prince and one day you'll be a fine king should you desire"

"Should I desire?" Adam blinked, "What dad thinking about being immortal? Cuz I don't think Adora wants the job?"

Marlena shrugged, "We hope you choose Eternia, but this land was ruled by others before Randor became King? We only want is your happiness"

"Oh...Mom…." Adam seemed a bit taken aback, "I-I don't know what to say, but I will hopefully succeed dad and make you proud...Though hopefully not for a long time obviously".

"I know…" Marlena took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

For a brief moment mother and son looked upon one another. Adam could see, really see it for the first time. Pride. Perhaps his parents were proud of him. Although it would be nice to hear it from his father, at least for a brief moment he could feel it. That maybe he wasn't a complete screw up, that maybe, just maybe he did have his parents pride, if not respect.

At that moment Adam thought perhaps he could reveal the truth, finally showing her that he was He-Man.

"Your father is proud of you too, I know it, he just...just has trouble saying it" Marlena took a deep sigh, "I wish we had told you about your sister sooner, but ever since that day with Keldor…

"Wait Keldor, Skeletor's actual name..." Adam went to his pocket to pull out the photo from fathers office.

"Yes…" Marlena bit her lip, "Adam, you see…"

"Your highness" Man at Arms entered the room, "I need Prince Adam for a moment...We have a situation?"

"What kind of situation?"

Man at Arms led Adam and Marlena to the throne room. Waiting for them was Randor, Teela , Adora, Glimmer and Bow. They all seemed concerned. Adora looked practically in a panic. Adam could tell. There was a stinfess in her body movement that indicated that she was in a panic but didn't want to make a scene. Something was wrong. Perhaps it had something to do with their missing friend.

"Dunkan what happened?" Marlena asked.

Man at Arms pulled out a familiar looking wrecked machine, "We found one of Skeletor drones outside the Castle, as well as image...Apparently...Skeletor has taken the missing Etherians"

"Why!" Adora said, looking worried, "Ugh, what if...What if Catra tried to take him out just to get us home faster. Oh, that would totally be like her wouldn't it"

"Now hold on Adora, Catra's brass but not stupid" Glimmer said defensively, "She's not going to storm Skeletor's lair without a plan...that's more of a you thing"

Adora glared back at Glimmer before sighing.

"Heh, I don't know" Adam shrugged, "From what I've seen she got anger issues"

Adora now glared at Adam.

"I'm just saying"

"Well...We need to go and save her no matter what" Adora pounded her first in determination

"You can't just attack Snake Mountain" Man at Arms argued, "That place is a fortress crawling with Skeletor's forces and who knows what".

"Oh heck I can" Adora raised her hand, "FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL" she transformed into She-R and looked as if she was about to jump.

Adam took her hand instantly, "Woah there giant sis, you can't just go barging into Snake Mountain"

Adora slapped his hand, she looked furious, "I'm going to go there, take out anyone who gets in my way and get Catra and the others back!"

"And face Skeletor and his forces alone" Randor looked horrified, "You'd get hurt"

"I've taken it worse!"

"I agree with the king on this one" Glimmer interjected, "Adora our rescue missions always go south, you barely got me out of the Fright Zone when I got captured, and that was only because Catra let us go"

Adora glared at Glimmer though it was a sad expression, Adam wondered if that brought up a bad memory.

"And we almost….Lost Catra...when we rescued her from Horde Prime's ship" Glimmer continued.

"Well then that just means we gotta hurry" Adora argued, "I think Skeletor is less of a threat than Prime, and I have way more experience now and powers to deal with him".

"Skeletor may not be as big and bad as this Horde Prime guy" Adam interjected causing everyone to look at him oddly, "But that doesn't mean he isn't a threat, he's tricky, and wily and …

"How would you even know, you barely have fought him" Teela interrupted.

"That's not the point…

"Adam is right" Randor interjected, stepping up to Adora, "Take it from someone who has known Skeletor much more than anyone here apart from Dunkan and Marlena, he is not someone to easily go against. He will trick you...He will try to hurt you"

Adora's face turned dark, "I can take on anyone who tries to hurt Catra".

With that she huffed off but stopped and said.

"Maybe Catra was right, maybe you were all just weak and should have taken him out sooner"

"Adora!" Glimmer called out.

"Adora!" Bow yelled.

Randor sighed as he began to to think more to himself, "Keldor...What are you up too"

Adam sighed, he had a feeling of what she might do and decided to sneak off while everyone was talking he found Cringer outside the door to the throne room and tapped him on the back.

"Come on buddy, follow me"

Continuing to sneak out, Adam followed Adora all the way to the outskirts of the Castle. She just stood there, her body stiff. With an expression that screamed determination. Despite all the warning he could tell that his twin was determined to go rescue her friends and especially Catra no matter what. Despite not knowing how to deal with Skeletor or the Evil Warriors.

Adam wondered what about Catra was so special, but he did not want to question it, so he approached her and said, surprising her, "I can't stop you can I"

"Huh ...Wha?" Adora turned around shocked "Adam...Um...I…

"We're going to Snake Mountain to save Catra and the others," Adam snickered.

Adora was about to lie but gave up, "Yes" her expression stiffened, "I have too"

"I know" Adam sighed, shaking his head, "I might as well help you"

"How?"

Adam smirked, "By getting us some help"

This was it, the moment of truth, even if the magic was fading that didn't mean he couldn't use it. He took a deep breath and raised his sword, and with all his might he shouted, "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL" Lighting struck the sword as he could feel the energies began to surge within him. The power of the elders flowing through his veins. His strength is growing. His muscles are expanding. His energy now was off the charts.

No longer was he Adam prince of Eternia.

Now...He was He-Man once more.

"I HAVE THE POWER!"

Pointing his sword at Cringer he transformed into the fearsome battle cat

"Need a lift" He-Man said to She-Ra

"Do you have to be so loud" She-Ra rubbed her ear.

He-Man sighed, "Sorry...But come on, you want to help your friends right"

"Yes!"

"Well hope on!"

She-Ra got on the back of the battle cat, "Gee I'm used to riding a flying talking Horse, not used to riding a …."

Too late, He-Man gave Battle Cat a little kick as the lion began to ride off. She-Ra letting out a loud scream as she held on. Apparently she wasn't used to speed on land. However that didn't stop them from going miles a minute, for they would have to cover a lot of ground if they were going to Snake Mountain. Despite everything in his body telling him that just going all out and attacking head on was a bad idea, he was determined to help her. For despite there many differences, it was still the right thing to do at the end of the day.

The journey was quiet but tense, just like the return home. Though after a while they arrived, going through the horrid lands of the Dark Hemisphere . He-Man could see She-Ra looking at the look of shock and horror as they stood before the giant Snake Shaped Rock that was the home of the great evils of Eternia.

He-Man had looked around to see if there were any Skeletor minion about but so far it was empty.

"So how do we sneak in"

He-Man jumped as he saw standing a few feet behind him now, Glimmer, Bow, Kadroh, Emily, Imp and Perfuma.

"What ...How did you-" He-Man asked confused.

"We teleported" Glimmer replied matter of factly, "We've been following you to make sure you didn't do anything foolish"

She-Ra frowned, "Glimmer!"

"It was quite the tingling sensation" Kadroh added.

"Wait...So…" He-Man pointed to all of them, "Do you know?"

"That you are Prince Adam, yes" Perfuma gave a polite not, "But Glimmer told us it's a secret so we'll keep it but I must say it is a honor to meet this legendary He-Man"

"Um? Thanks" He-Man said, giving a blushed smile.

Glimmer snickered, "Oh yeah, I can definitely see you are Adora's brother through and through"

"What's that supposed to mean" She-Ra scowled.

"Oh nothing"

She-Ra rolled her eyes, "Well whatever, come on, Catra and the others might be in there"

"Oh Scorpia" Perfuma sighed, "This place just has such negative energy to it, I would hate to be captive here myself"

"Well Snake Mountain isn't known as a vacation spot" He-Man muttered, "Come on, I'll lead the way, I know this place at least"

She-Ra nodded, "Lead the way He-Man"

"Okay, stay here battle cat, keep a lookout"

The large cat nodded as they headed inside.

So he did, inside through the lower entrance of Snake Mountain. They had to be careful, for all they knew this place could be crawling with who knows what, and who knows what was always something bad. At least in He-Man's mind. Skeletor never left the place completely under guard. There was always something or someone here waiting for them. Though today, it seemed eerily quiet.

"This place is way emptier than last time I had to infiltrate it" He-Man grunted, "Of course all of Skeletor and his cronies were home that day"

"Wouldn't they have troops or cameras or something?" Bow asked, looking around for any sign of danger.

He-Man shrugged, "Skeletor doesn't have that big of an army, just his evil warriors? Wasn't the Horde the same"

"No!" She-Ra blurted out, "We were a tough fighting machine, training every day at eight in the morning till eleven at night, mixed in with studies of mathematics, sciences, and occasionally history"

"Probably a lot of it is wrong history, '' Glimmer muttered.

"And from what Scorpia showed me, kinda offensive towards Princesses" Perfuma added trying to not sound incensed.

"So, your friend Scorpia was in the Horde too?" He-Man asked.

Scorpia nodded, "Yep? Before she defected, the Fright Zone was her families home. I'm so glad she defected when she did, meeting was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me. She was so nice and kind...still hard to believe she was a Force Captain".

"People surprise you I guess" He-Man said.

Perfuma nodded, "Or change for the better"

"Like Catra" Adora said.

As they went on, Adam began to wonder what perhaps Adora had suffered in her journey of being a hero. For heroism was not without challenge, that much he knew from experience. But Adora must have had a hard and complicated hero's journey. Obviously by the fact that she constantly said that she and her girlfriend Catra were enemies and that the one called Hordak who apparently might have been the equivalent of Skeletor to him, was now their friend. Although from what he saw Hordak did not seem as much of a megalomaniac compared to his own enemy. Plus there was this Horde Prime character who he still didn't understand.

While in thought, Adam again tried to see things from Adora's point of view again. Adora had to fight someone she now loved. That must not have been easy. For him, fighting Skeletor was never easy physically, but emotionally it was. Skeletor was evil, his minions were evil and he was good. It was very black and white for him. Life tended to be very black and white for him.

The Masters were good

The Evil Warriors, well, it was in the name.

Black and white had been in Adam's life since he began his conflict with Skeletor and the others. He had never really seen any reason to think that the forces of evil did what they did because of that, they were evil. Evil was to be opposed, it just made sense. That's something his mother and father had taught him several times throughout his life.

However as he continued to think about what Adora had told him, and what she was willing to do, her life was not as black and white and perhaps, perhaps that is what he should respect. That it was not just simply good vs evil, but friend against friend, love against love. Those who did evil had a reason beyond just evil. Even if they had to be stopped, that one in some cases could take pity on them and perhaps a hope they could change.

Could Skeletor change? Doubtful, however...Adam did wonder? Why was he Evil? Everyone had a reason to do the bad things they did. Be it Keldor, King Hiss, Marzo. Sometimes it was because of power but other times maybe it was more.

"Adora?" Bow asked, "You didn't mean what you said about taking out Skeletor"

"Maybe" She-Ra muttered.

"You can't mean that...I mean we're the good guys, we just don't take people out"

He-Man turned around to see Glimmer eyes darted down, "Yeah...learned that lesson the hard way"

"You don't seem like that kind of person," He-Man added.

She-Ra groaned, "Please don't pretend to know me"

"I'm not...I'm just making a guess" He-Man said, not trying to be defensive, "But if you were someone who wanted to just use their power to defeat a enemy I have a feeling you wouldn't be here today"

"Yeah trust me Adora thinking that way doesn't help" Glimmer added, "Remember how I was before Prime showed up" she took a deep sigh, "I was so stupid, I mean come on, it's because of me Prime came to Etheria"

She-Ra groaned, "I know Glim, I know...But this is different,"

"How is it different?'

"Well for one thing Skeletor is evil, pure and simple"

Glimmer frowned, "Are you only saying that because he captured Catra"

"I can attest to that" He-Man interjected.

"No one, is just purely good or evil...Except maybe Horde Prime, but even then I do wonder..." Glimmer said, everyone was looking at her a bit shocked, "I know...Strange coming from me, but trust me, thinking in those black in white terms has gotten me in trouble before"

"Prime was pretty terrible though" Perfuma added, "He had lots of negative aura surrounding him"

"Well I'm sure something made him like that" Glimmer pointed out, "As something made Catra do the bad things she did as well. I mean...I know my own hubris and determination made me do some of the bad stuff I did during the war"

She-Ra frowned, "Yeah well, you didn't capture anyone or be forced to be a hero"

"Forced to be?" He-Man asked.

"Yeah, try finding out that She-Ra was nothing more than just a old First One's weapon at first" She-Ra voice turned bitter, "That all the good you did was just because you were someone's weapon and not for yourself and because of it, you spend years losing the love of your life"

Bow took Adora's hand, "Adora...We know...we know"

"Sorry" She-Ra muttered, pressing forward, "Worse still, I know Catra did a lot of the bad things, because I made her feel second best"

Adam took a moment and sighed, perhaps he was more like her than he thought. In many ways he too wanted to be He-Man not just because he enjoyed being a hero but the pride he felt, not just in doing good but of being the most powerful man in the universe. Or at least that was what he thought. Perhaps they were both blinded at times by pride.

Not thinking too much longer about it, He-Man nodded as they pressed on.

Adam began to wonder what perhaps Adora had suffered in her journey of being a hero. For heroism was not without challenge, that much he knew from experience. But Adora must have had a hard and complicated hero's journey. Obviously by the fact that she constantly said that she and her girlfriend Catra were enemies and that the one called Hordak who apparently might have been the equivalent of Skeletor to him, was now their friend. Although from what he saw Hordak did not seem as much of a megalomaniac compared to his own enemy. Plus there was this Horde Prime character who he still didn't understand.

While in thought, Adam again tried to see things from Adora's point of view again. Adora had to fight someone she now loved. That must not have been easy. For him, fighting Skeletor was never easy physically, but emotionally it was. Skeletor was evil, his minions were evil and he was good. It was very black and white for him. Life tended to be very black and white for him.

The Masters were good

The Evil Warriors, well, it was in the name.

However as he continued to think about what Adora had told him, and what she was willing to do, her life was not as black and white and perhaps, perhaps that is what he should respect. That it was not just simply good vs evil, but friend against friend, love against love. Those who did evil had a reason beyond just evil. Even if they had to be stopped, that one in some cases could take pity on them and perhaps a hope they could change.

Could Skeletor change? Doubtful, however...Adam did wonder? Why was he Evil? Everyone had a reason to do the bad things they did. Be it Keldor, King Hiss, Marzo. Sometimes it was because of power but other times maybe it was more.

"Guess I know that feeling a bit" He-Man sighed, "Skeletor's had some weird hate of my father for years, never known why, been even trying to figure it out lately"

"So...You didn't choose to be He-Man then?"

"Not at first, but eventually when Skeletor attacked I realized what i needed to do, and honestly...It was one of the best decisions I ever made" He-Man gave a bit of nostalgic smile, "I got to stop being just a lazy prince and actually help people"

She-Ra smiled, "Yeah...helping people was nice, I liked that part" she took a deep sigh, "Doing good, being good...Knowing that I was making a difference with fighting the Horde"

"But?"

"But…" She-Ra stopped.

"You had to fight Catra in the process right?"

"Yeah" She-Ra sighed, "Though like I said I guess some of that was my fault, or I guess Catra would say Shadow Weavers because of how messed up she made us. Honestly sometimes wonder if we didn't have her and we were just loyal soldiers if we just have stayed and nothing would have happened"

"A lot of bad had to happen to get to the good didn't it?" He-Man frowned.

"It did"

"No one should have to go through it though"

"Yeah? No one"

As they entered the lower chambers of Snake Mountain, He-Man tried to remember where the dungeon was. The place was vast and cavernous. Lots of dust and cobwebs were everywhere. One wondered just how Skeletor managed to find himself at such a place. Though one could see why? It was a mighty fortress and if King Hiss was not around, why not take it for one's own.

"So was your old home as scary as this?" He-Man asked, trying to soak up conversation.

She-Ra groaned, "No, The Fright Zone was more...Mechanical, though I guess as a kid you can think it's scary. Although I do sometimes miss the sounds"

"Sounds?"

"The factories churning out weapons, or just the pipes leaking, honestly when I first arrived in Brightmoon the absolute silence at times was creepy"

He-Man nodded.

With every little bit of information Adam found about his sister, Adora it was more and more evident that she really did have a strange life. Adam liked the quiet, it allowed him to think, and better, allowed him to sleep. A nice long nap that could go on for hours.

"Hey what's in here" She-Ra opened a door that was bolted to the side of the rock.

"Adora wait!" He-Man stopped her only to pause

Slowly they entered to find themselves in a small room. Dark and gloomy, it was filled with shelves with potions, books and weapons of all sorts of nature. At the end of the room was a large bed of bones and sheets .Carefully both He-Man and She-Ra walked inside, trying to get a vantage point to see who this belonged to.

"Someone does not dust" Glimmer said wiping some dust from her hand, "Seriously they need a maid or something"

Going over to the bookshelf He-Man took out a few books, wondering if they were perhaps ancient spells of ruins of a sort. However as he looked a bit closer he realized , these were journals. Private journals.

Skeletor journals...Back when he was Keldor.

Today another day of benign showed up by Randor. Honestly, his technique lacks focus, it is not as ruthless as it should be. How does he expect to thwart his enemies if he is not willing to go down to their level. Of course when I do it I get scorned by my superiors. Well, perhaps one day they will see the error of their ways. Until then I suppose. Someone has to have Randors back in battle I guess. On the other hand during one of many escapades into the more dangerous realms of Eternia I met a young woman named Evil Lyn. Strange name, but I found her quite charming, perhaps she'd make a useful ally.

He-Man blinked, Skeletor, or he supposed Keldor back then was talking about his father King Randor when they must have been younger. The way he talked about him too, it was not as an enemy, but as a potential ally. Maybe even a friend.

Another entry, this one from early.

Randor and I did a bit of training today, he's still a bit of a weakling, nothing compared to me. I am a master swordsman. Though maybe under my tutelage he could be something worthwhile. Wish everyone else would see it though. However Randor is young and impressionable, at least by a year. So he still looks up to me and my skills. He would make a ruthless warrior one day. Sadly though, he gets along with the other defenders. Perhaps I could train more along with that young sorceresses girl Evil-Lyn, maybe even find some others more to my liking. They could be their own group warriors. To bad my elders do not see my bravery and gallant efforts. I mean I take most patrols on my own without anyone.

"Gee were you never an egotist" He-Man muttered, "Still...He was looking for the Evil-Warriors for a long time"

One more

Betrayal! Randor gets to be captain and I do not. I am the smartest, most powerful and the best! How dare he. I thought we were close. Together we would defeat its enemies of Eternia, be the greatest warriors of all time. Though alas, I suppose not. Not even my allies like The Beast Man, or Tri-Klops who know the loneliness and the scorn that my life has been like will find a home in the new order when Randor takes the lead. He is too engulfed by the elders. Perhaps the order of Eternua is truly unjust. Perhaps new leadership, a new order should rise. I am Keldor the great! And the world shall tremble before me!

He-Man closed the book, he did not read anymore. So it was true, Randor and Keldor were close. Though how it was still unclear. But then a thought came to him. Perhaps something only Adora could figure out.

"Adora" He-Man asked.

She-Ra turned around, "Yeah"

"Um…" He-Man bit his lip before breathing, "W-why did...Why did you and Catra fall out so quickly"

She-Ra bodied stiffened, "I told you, I became She-Ra and left, that hurt Catra deeply"

"Yes, I guess but it hurt enough for you to be enemies"

She-Ra remained silent for a few moments before taking a deep breath, "Growing up...Our caretaker Shadow Weaver, she...She made Catra feel lesser than me. I was made to feel like the perfect one, the one who was going to be a Force Captain, lead the Horde to victory while Catra...while Catra stood on the sidelines and didn't get in the way. For a long time I think despite what she didn't say, she was building up a lot of resentment towards me"

"And when you left...It all came out"

"Not at first" She-Ra sighed, "But when i was gone from the Horde, she realized, or she thought that maybe me leaving was a good thing...and honestly...maybe it was...she gotta live her own life...without me" she took a deep breath, "Sometimes I wonder how good her life would be without me if Shadow Weaver had never...Never got to feel the way she -"

"Adora-" He-Man took her hands, "Sorry...I shouldn't have asked, I was curious because"

"Because of what was in that book?" She-Ra looked at the still open book.

"Yes…." He-Man nodded, "See...I think, I think my father and Skeletor...I don't know, I think they knew each other...Maybe, maybe they were friends like you and Catra were too and then...they had some sort of falling out"

She-Ra eyes widened, "So, the Skeleton guy …

"Skeletor"

"Skeletor, right...Maybe" She-Ra took a moment to think, "Maybe he's misunderstood"

"Well, that or probably bitter"

"Bitterness doesn't come from nowhere" She-Ra countered, "It can come from years of neglect and abuse"

He-Man nodded, "Well...Skeletor's past is a story for another day, we still have friends to look for"

She-Ra agreed and began to head out

He-Man was about to follow however he wanted to see one more entry in the journal. Maybe there was a clue, a reason for why Skeletor had turned evil. It was bizzare to him though that after all these years of fighting he never once asked himself why? Why was he fighting this particular war that went all the way back to his father and Keldor. Perhaps he too was just a weapon for someone else? He was the elders champion. But why?

Looking through the book he didn't see anything until finally he found something that shocked him.

So it is destiny that I play the role of the Villain. I do enjoy it though. The void of evil must be filled if those who I once called friend will fill the void of good. Thus I will take my spot as Evil's Overlord here on Eternia. Along with my 'Evil' Warriors. Oh and on another note. Randor and Marlena are having a brat...They may make a fine Evil Warrior perhaps ...the finest. For a child that brings such joy, could bring much...Despair.

Eyes widening He-Man thought of himself and then of Adora, a dark thought came to him.

"Ada- I mean He-Man!" She-Ra called out, "Come on, we need to get moving"

"R-Right S-She-Ra" He-Man followed but his mind still thought it.

Did Keldor try to take him or Adora when they were born.

-000-

King Hiss was an ancient benign, perhaps the most ancient person on all of Eternia.

For centuries he had commanded the Snake Men, ruling over a civilization, an empire that once had controlled the entire planet with an iron first. Many had come to challenge that claim and all had failed. Even when they thought they had defeated him, he and the others had survived, crawling into the dark shadows to fight another day. Just like today, he had been reduced to the undercities of Eternia. The caves and dark places once again. Though that is not what worried his thoughts.

A few days ago King Hiss came across something that he had never expected to see in centuries. A clone. Not of himself, or of any of his Snake Men, but a Clone of a ancient enemy that had lone since vanished from Eternia.

Horde Prime.

Long ago Horde Prime had come to Eternia trying to claim the planet that King Hiss had declared his own domain. Descending down from the heavens, with malevolent weapons that he had never seen before in his lifetime nor ever since. The Snake Men fought tooth and nail against Prime and his army of apparently Clones. Which in itself was a strange idea. An army of self. Though it didn't matter then. For eventually Prime and his army left, leaving Hiss to once again enjoy the sole destiny of conquering and ruling over Eternia.

Until the Elders ruined that for the next thousand or so years.

Now though, with first Skeletor and then the Masters he had never expected to see one of those Clones back on Eternia.

King Hiss would not allow fear of a return of an old enemy and rival for his conquest of the planet to get in his way. Though if what Kobra Khan said was true, then perhaps his rival was no longer a problem. Instead a new foe had emerged. A female warrior named She-Ra. Some sort of counterpart to He-Man perhaps.

None of that mattered though. He was denied revenge against a rival, and while he would have been partially thankful to the idea of no longer fearing another challenge to his conquest of Eternia. Skeletor was already bad enough, taking his fortress from him. He wanted to take down the one who destroyed Horde Prime, and perhaps, just maybe devour that clone.

For he would devour all who stood in his path no matter what.

"What is the King doing" Kobra Khan hissed.

"Silence" General Ratlor sneered, both of them just standing there as they watched King Hiss.

King Hiss tried ignoring them. He was in a trance right now. For while he no longer lorded over it, he was still very much connected to Snake Mountain able to see within its hollow walls. As he searched though there was no sign of the accursed Skeletor or his other Evil Warriors.

A consolation prize perhaps for not taking down Prime, it was time that the Snake Men returned to their ancient home.

For too long they had been exiled from their rightful place. Now it was time to take back what was theirs once and for all

"I see" King Hiss turns to Khan and Ratlor, "Gather the forces, we march on Snake Mountain"

Ratlor seemed surprised, "W-we're taking back our home"

"FINALLY!" Kobra Khan declared, "The Snake Men will again"

"Silence!" General Ratlor sneered at him, "Wait until the King gives us his plan" he turns back to Hiss, "But, but are we?"

"Yessss" King Hiss smirked, "I will have my vengeance"

-000-

The more Adora continued to follow Adam, no, He-Man through Snake Mountain the more impatient she was feeling. They needed to find Catra and the others somewhere in this absurd fortress. The caves had hallways, they even ran into a few traps. It was like a maze. At least she was able to get through the halls of the Fright Zone. Of course then they had to avoid Bots, Horde Troopers, Imp and even Catra herself back in the day.

He-Man continued to just stay quiet from time to time. Whatever they found in Skeletor's private chambers must have been something interesting. His demeanor was a bit shaken. However right now Adora didn't really care. Only the mission mattered. Though the times he did try to ask about her past, it seemed a bit more ...open to her viewpoints and life.

Still the walking was getting frustrating.

"Ugh, I thought you've been here before! Where's the freaking dungeon!" Glimmer groaned.

"I mean, maybe a flower or two could make this place nicer," Perfuma suggested.

"Flowers...I like flowers...but how about a few vines"

He-Man turned around as suddenly sickly green vines began to surround them, thorns growing from their roots. From the shadows glowing red eyes approached them as a plant-like beast emerged, a wide evil grin plastered on their face as they approached.

"Evil Seed!" He-Man scowled, "What are you doing here"

"Skeletor wanted me to guard Snake Mountain until his return"

"Wanna fill us in?" She-Ra muttered to He-Man

He-Man stepped back as he and the group formed a circle, "Evil Seed is well...Long story short a evil plant monster"

"Evil plants" Perfuma seemed taken aback, "But nature is beautiful, how can it be evil?"

"Well...Evil Seed is, it's even in the name"

"Oh I agree with that one" Evil Seed cackled, "Here, let me show you the beauty of NATURE"

Without a moment's notice he summoned several vines and seeds and attacked. Everyone dodged and jolted forward to avoid the attacks. She-Ra and He-Man used their swords to slice the vines before they got to close.

Glimmer blasted her magic while Bow his arrows.

"Um, Perfuma, we could really use a plant person right now" She-Ra asked.

Perfuma seemed nervous, "Oh well, I've sorta never really dealt with these sorts of plants before"

"Oh come on, you've done with vines in the Crimson Waist" She-Ra yelled.

"You can do this Perfuma" Bow assured her.

Perfuma looked unsure as the Vines continued. Taking a deep breath Adora saw her concentrate as suddenly the vines began to stop. Evil Seed looked taken aback. He tried to push the vines again towards the others. What looked like a battle of wills was taking place now. Two beings who control nature fighting against one another, trying to control what little magic and nature they had in front of them.

"Come on Perfuma!" Bow cheered.

Perufma continued to struggled, "I can do this"

"Come on...Do it for Scorpia"

"Scorpia" Perfuma whispered, and with that Adora could see her doubling her strength for the person she loved.

"What is happening!"

Perfuma was starting to overpower Evil Seed sending his vines back at him.

"Woo hoo! Go Perfuma!" Glimmer cheered.

"Great" She-Ra breathed, "Maybe now we can…"

Before she could finish that sentence a large purple panther jumped behind them and attacked. He-Man landed on the ground with a loud thud but was able to avoid it's massive claws. She-Ra jumped back brandishing her sword at it. They turned to face her with glowing green eyes, sharp teeth scowling at her.

"What is that?" She-Ra shouted as her sword turned into a shield managing to deflect it's attack.

"Panthor" He-Man said grabbing the cat by the stomach and trying to pull them back, "Wish I kept Battle Cat here"

"Same but…

She-Ra stopped mid sentence as something leaped through the air, lashing at panther and getting them off He-Man.

Looking further She-Ra gasped and smiled. It was Melog, they now had Panthor compared. The two cats are going at it tooth and claw. Both jumping and trying to slash at one another. But Melog was magic, and thus was able to become larger and more fierce as they defended themselves off from the evil purple cat eventually causing them to run off in retreat. Perfuma had rid them of Evil Seed a well

"Melog!" Adora ran up to them hugging them tight, getting some friendly licks, "Melog! Where is Catra"

"And Scropia" Perfuma added.

Melog frowned but nodded there head.

"Lead the way"

She-Ra and He-Man followed Melog quickly through more hallways and caverns within snake mountain. They seemed to be heading upwards until they came across a much large cavern where underneath a large caged hole was bolted to the floor. Looking down Adora could see two familiar faces dangling from chains.

"Entrapta! Scorpia!" She-Ra called out.

"Adora!" Scorpia beamed, "Oh man am I glad to see you"

"Scorpia!" Perfuma shouted.

"Perfuma!" Scorpia shouted sounding thrilled, "I'm here...Well...Somewhere, I'm not sure were"

He-Man nodded and with his strength managed to rip the cage that trapped her friends before releasing them both.

"Scorpia!" Perfuma rushed to hug her, "Oh Scorpia i was so worried!"

"Ah geez I'm fine" Scorpia blushed.

"Hello friends!" Entrapta waved to the others.

"Glad you're okay Entrapta" Bow nodded.

Entrpata nodded, "Thank you"

Scorpia looked to He-Man now, "Oh wow, new guy, um...Thanks…"

"He-Man" He said.

"Oh yeah, you're that hero guy of Eternia...Cool" Scorpia said.

Entrpata raised a eyebrow, "Scorpia you know him, that's Prince Adam"

Adora seemed taken aback, not only did Entrpata guess right but she was actually able to remember Adam's name. She hardly ever remembered names, except for a select few and normally it was people who she spent a lot of time with.

"W-What? No h-ha-ha, I'm He-Man" he seemed nervous.

"Nope, your Prince Adam, same hair style and color plus the same eyes, the only difference is your muscle dexterity," Entrapta took out a data pad and showed it to him, "I can make a data chart about it"

She-Ra leaned to He-Man smirking, "Gig is up...Adam"

"Fine" He-Man sighed, "Your correct, I"m Prince Adam"

"What really! Woah! Adora your brother is a magical hero person too" Scorpia beamed in shock.

"Yeah, but you can't tell anyone okay" He-Man said a bit more seriously now.

"Oh right...Your secret is safe with us" Scorpia nodded.

She-Ra interjected now, "Okay, great, secrets out, but where is Catra...Is she in another cell, Melog is here but…

"Oh, Catra back on Etheria" Entrpata said matter of factly, "Along with…" Her expression frowned, "Hordak"

"WHAT!"

Scorpia nodded, frowning "Yeah, Skeletor wants her and Hordak there for...I'm not really sure why? Catra tried to take him out, but...she kinda...well...failed"

"Guess taking Skeletor out unilaterally isn't always the best course of action then" He-Man said, almost smugly, but Adora ignored him, she didn't have time to deal with it.

"How is Skeletor on Etheria!" She-Ra asked, "Darla is still with us right"

"He's using something called um…" Scorpia tried to remember.

"The Cosmic Key!" Entrapta replied, "It's fascinating really, it's like the portal me and Hordak made except way more stable and less….universe destroying…"

"Skeletor is on Etheria...We need to warm the princesses" She-Ra declared, "Come on He-Man, we need to get out of here before….."

BOOM

The ground beneath them began to shake as loud screeching sounds began to emanate from afar.

"What was that?" She-Ra asked.

"Snake Men" He-Man scowled.

"Here!"

"Well this is Snake Mountain, King Hiss might be taking advantage of the vacancy"

"Great!" She-Ra sighed.

"Come on, let's get back to battle cat!"

With friends on hand She-Ra and the others headed back outside. But her mind was still concerned by the fact that Catra was back on Eternia as Skeletor captive still. Afraid of what horrors the skeleton might inflict on her.

Nearing the cave that had been their entrance they were soon ambushed by Snake Men. All of them jumping from the shadows to attack them.

"Don't worry I got this" Scorpai charges in, giving Snake Man a good punch and another sting of her tail, "Sorry" she looked guilty.

"Come on, we gotta get to battle cat!" He-Man said slashing his way through Snake Men knocking them unconscious.

She-Ra joined him as the two piled through. More and more of these serpent hordes continued to pile there way into Snake Mountain.

As Adora watched He-Man fight, she began to wonder. Adam had told her he liked being the hero. That being this warrior meant something to him beyond being a lazy prince. While she might not always understand it, she did know the feeling of helping others and doing good. It was something she herself did enjoy back on Etheria, just not without all the stress of war and hurting the person she loved most in the world.

Despite their argument and despite Adora not being able to help get the magic of Grayskull to work Adam was still helping her.

Finally the made it outside to see Battle Cat holding his own against a few Snake Men however it looked like the main horde was still waiting for them. Adora looked out to see a bunch of them in the distance, sticks and spears at the ready, as if about to lay siege to the mountain fortress.

"Boy that's a lot of them" Scorpia gulped.

"We just have to run, we don't have to fight" He-Man assured them.

"HE-MAN! AND SSSSSSSHE RA!"

Both looked up now as standing atop one of the perch, King Hiss emerged, gazing upon them with those glowing snake eyes.

"Hiss!" He-Man sneered, "What do you want! Snake Mountain? You can have it?"

"No" King Hiss sneered, "I want the devour the one who took on Horde Prime"

She-Ra eyes widened, "What? Me?"

"Yessss" King Hiss snickered, "Prime was an enemy of mine, and for that I should thank you for ridding me and the universe of a rival to my throne. On the other hand, I too wished to be the one to be his downfall...and I don't take kindly to those who take my prey from me".

"So...I defeat someone you like, and you want to eat me?" She-Ra asked.

Hiss chuckled, "Basically"

With that Hiss transformed from his humanoid form to his snake form, his arms turning into Snake heads and his main head looking more reptaillian. He and the other Snake Men began to gather closer now. Adora is ready to take all of them but before she could even go at a swing He-Man and Battle Cat begin to charge without a second notice.

"Hope on!" He-Man said trying to make a path through the Snake Men, "I'll clear a path"

"Stop them!" King HIss declared, "I want my devour my prize"

"That sounds gross" Scorpia shuttered

"Here, here" Adora agreed

Entrapta seemed intrigued, "I wonder how he can eat an entire person though?"

"Well I don't wanna find out!"

Battle Cat charged at the Snake Men. Throwing many of them in the air and out of the way. He-Man slashing his sword to get them out of his way. Adora is doing just as much. Wave after wave of reptile continued to try and block their path away from the mountain. Though they would not deter them.

"Tonguelasher!" Hiss bellowed, "Take them"

"Hey, I know that name" Scorpia looked only to see a muscle bound Snake unleash his massive tongue at them, "BUT THIS GUY IS WORSE!"

Tonguelasher tongue grabbed Battle Cat legs trapping it, but the massive feline was too large to be dragged back.

"Grab the warrior not the cat!" Hiss shouted.

She-Ra grabbed his sword to stab the snake tongue causing it to retract.

"Fools!" Extending his mouth Hiss once again struck his venom aiming it right at Adora, but before it could hit, He-Man magically summoned his own shield and was able to deflect it.

Adora remained quiet and stunned.

"Should have done that the first time" He-Man said, "Maybe then we wouldn't have been in this mess"

"Argh!" Hiss screamed, "Forget them, Snake Mountain is empty, we will seize it back"

Battle Cat continued to roar off passing several more Snake Men along the way. The further away they got the more Adora felt a sense of calm return as she, Entprata and Scorpia began to make their escape from that horrible place.

"Looks like Skeletor has a problem when he gets home" He-Man snickered.

She-Ra sighed, "Not unless he found a new home…"

They had to get back to Etheria, and quickly, Catra still needed them.