A/N: Thanks so much again for your reviews and your kind words for me to get some much needed rest! So true. Chugging along so I can wrap this up. I had to fix a typo in the last sentence of the previous chapter for continuity. I included a location and a partial phrase from Star Wars: A New Hope in this update...maybe you can guess them?
And to those of you who observed that Adam is wound tightly and is going to eventually pop? Yes, very true. And he sort of goes off in this chapter.
Warning: You must be at least 16 years of age to read this update as it contains strong language (by guess who?).
Chapter 36
-An Hour Later -
After being saddled with the unfortunate task of talking his father into retrieving Evil-Lyn from Scinteria, thoroughly pissed, Adam stood with his arms folded as the Sorceress hovered over the Granite Throne, slipping into a trance. Adora approached him.
"After this is over, I hope your life settles down, Brother. I hope that you live a long, healthy life filled with happiness."
He looked at her. "Thanks Sis. I ask the same for you, and that you'll come to terms with what Hordak and Weaver did to you and eventually make peace with it."
Pressing her lips together, knowing deep down she needed to resolve her hurt feelings she nodded before reaching for him, the two embracing. They pulled apart, her brother eyeing her. "There's a reason for your suffering."
Adora's eyes went round. "What did you say?"
Confused, Adam blinked. "What?"
"What you just said!"
He frowned. "I said I hope you make peace with what those bastards did to you."
"No, what you said after that."
"What did I say?"
Her mouth fell open, her sapphire gaze shooting up to the ceiling before searching the Throne Room for answers. "It's just…I…I've heard that before…in a voice."
Still confused, folding his arms Adam examined her features.
They were interrupted by an explosion and a bright light in the center of the Seal, the Redhead's palm guiding it, her eyes still closed.
Five mutants tumbled out of the dimensional gate; Beastman, Trap-Jaw, Tri-Klops, Mer-Man, and Clawful, all clumsily rolling about, getting their bearings after months of exile in alternate limbo.
As the others lay on the mosaic tile fighting massive headaches, Beastman shook his head, his bloodshot gaze locking directly on the Prince.
"You!" he growled.
Adam rolled his eyes, Adora blinking confused.
With a thundering roar, the wild mutant lunged at the Blond who simply glared at him unmoved, arms still folded over his chest. The monster one step away from her brother Adora reached for the hilt of her Sword, Adam unsheathing his in one smooth stroke and aiming it at the mutant's throat stopping him in his tracks, his bloodshot eyes now fearful staring at the gleaming razor sharp point.
"Try it."
"You bastard! You took everything from me!"
"No I didn't. What happened to you was a direct result of your father's bad decisions, Phineas."
Adora quirked a brow. "Phineas?"
"Just look at what you made me become—!"
"You're a hairy beast because you decided to ally yourself with my deranged Uncle," he casually added, sheathing the Power Sword behind his back, the Weapon dematerializing, "Another stupid choice."
Beastman became enraged. "Who you callin' stoopid?"
"You."
"Boys—" Teela tried.
The mutant swung a powerful right hook, the Prince ducking, arms folded. He swung a left, Adam stepping back in a dodge – the seven-foot beast now exasperated lunging to grab him, Adam bending over and launching him over his back, Phineas flipping headlong feet in the air and crashing into the stone wall, Adora biting her lip attempting to maintain her composure at the silly sight—
Furious, the Prince broke into a boxer's stance, Beastman scrambling to his feet ready to charge—
"Boys!"
The two stopped, their heads whipping up to the Sorceress.
"You're not a ten-year-old!" she shouted at Adam who simply glared at her, straightening and glancing away duly chastised.
"And you're not thirteen!" Beastman scowled in response, his furious gaze shifting back to Adam—
"—and this is not the Crown Prince's Ball so you two can just cut the shit!"
"Is that how far back the beef goes?" the Princess muttered, thoroughly amused.
Annoyed, Adam squinted at his twin.
Regaining her composure, the Sorceress cleared her throat. "Now—" vanishing from the Throne she reappeared with a thunderclap by the Prince's side, Beastman flinching at the noise, his eyes suddenly widening with recognition at the two side by side.
"You're…you're Man-At-Arms' daughter?"
More glaring from Adam as if to mutely say, Touch her…you DIE.
"Yes. Now, follow me to the dungeons for debriefing. There's been a change in plans," Teela stated levitating toward the halls.
Adam and Phineas glared at one another, the other four mutants discombobulated and, at Greyskull's urging, slowly limping following her through the east hall, Beastman's furious gaze lingering as he grudgingly turned and followed.
Adora turned to him. "Picking a fight, Brother?"
"He started it."
x
Arriving below they passed Keldor's cell, the dark prince pacing and doing a double-take, Beastman mirroring it.
"Master?" he stated, shocked. "How…how did they get you?"
"I willingly turned myself in," he quipped dismissingly.
"Sure," Adam said.
His uncle glowered at him.
The bars opening, the five mutants each entered their separate cells across from the former Lord of the Dark Hemisphere, the doors slamming shut.
"Why do we gotta be down here?" Trap-Jaw's gravelly baritone voice lamented.
"Because once you recover from your spatial displacement sickness, you may try to escape and that is not happening on my watch," the Sorceress explained.
"Hey," Tri-Klop's nasally voice reached Keldor's ears, "You left us!"
"Duhh, yeah! You split and left us all alone in that dimension with no way to uhh…get back!" Clawful added clumsily.
Keldor folded his arms and lied. "No I didn't—"
"Yes you did," Beastman blinked in realization. "We were building your castle and…and you disappeared!"
"Enough!" the Redhead demanded, all falling silent. "Do you want Greyskull to restore you, or do you want to remain mutants for the rest of your life?"
The twins watched them.
"Umm…I wanna go home," the Mer-Man complained.
The others seemed to nod in agreement albeit grudgingly.
"If you help us, you'll be restored to your former selves. I cannot speak for pardons however," she warned, "That's up to the King. All of you have committed evil acts and it won't go unpunished."
More drooping nods.
"I got a question," the hard-shell crab raised a claw.
"Yes?" she replied.
"Duhh, where are we?"
"Castle Greyskull."
All of them gasped, eyes wide and filled with trepidation.
"I thought this was Snake Mountain?"
Frowning, Tri-Klops whipped his head to Beastman. "You idiot."
"This looks nothing like Snake Mountain, dumb-ass!" Trap-Jaw chimed.
"Weren't you there? Don't you remember the explosion—?"
"Silence!" the Redhead shouted, "Or I place a muzzle spell on all of you. Now sit!"
The Five quickly did as they were told.
Highly amused and thoroughly impressed, Adam gave a small, lopsided smile.
To their credit, the residents of Eternos in an orderly fashion gathered their essentials and led by Randor's troops, followed in caravans to the bunkers outside of the city.
Although frightened, Eternians from around the world did the same, citizens of each Realm dutifully following orders having been warned for months of an imminent attack. Included were Ivin, Lulinda, and Rua, residents of Livinia and close friends of The Crown as they ensured the people of their tiny provincial estate were safe.
With Frosta off-world, her parents couldn't help but worry, Queen Marlena assuring them she was safe on Etheria in the Kingdom Of The Snows and prepping her subjects as reported by Greyskull.
x
As she and Yabruvna accounted for the children under her care, Mrs. Stoley helped load the little ones onto the Royal Carriages specifically assigned to them by The King, her humble orphanage made internationally famous for having unwittingly housed the Crown Prince himself during the years of his disappearance.
As the carriages rumbled on, worried about their future she gazed out the window wanting to hold her foster son just one last time…
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," Gada replied via communicator from T'Allarma, a little down. "You?"
"Fine. A bit anxious," Didimus replied. "This attack…and we've only been dating for what, a month?"
With a sad smile she nodded a shrug. "Sounds about right."
"When are you deployed?"
"Tomorrow at 0600 hours," she gave a sigh. "We're air patrol and defense. As soon as it goes down, my regiment will be smack in the middle of it."
She heard him give a sad breathy sigh on the other end. "I need you. Tonight, before…," he paused. "You and I have never been intimate…," he trailed off.
"No, we haven't. You're on leave?"
"Yes," Hall replied, "Commander Duncan gave me the night off. Tomorrow, my regiments will be in full swing."
She bit her lip. "How soon can you be here?"
At her response, Hall suddenly perked up; it definitely wasn't a no. "Within the hour, no more than ninety minutes. Docking Bay 94."
"Move your ass, Major," she said before hanging up.
He gave a relieved smile. "Yes, Sergeant."
-Whispering Woods, Etheria -
"It's…it's over, Mother."
Queen Angella eyed her somber daughter, her heart breaking. "You've made the right decision, Daughter. I'm proud of you."
"So why does it suck so badly?" Glimmer quipped acerbically.
"Because placing your subjects above all things, above your own desires, can feel absolutely dreadful, my little one. But it benefits in the long run."
At the realization, Princess Glimmer's eyes jerked up to meet her mother's.
"The answer is yes, I too have had to make the same choice."
Furrowing her brow, the younger woman tilted her head in confusion.
"Before your father, dear."
Shocked, the Commander's lips parted.
"Now," Angella rose gracefully from her desk and reached out, the two embracing, her mother kissing her forehead. "You are not doomed to a life without love," she moved them to the tent flap, her hand pulling back the fabric.
Lieutenant Hawk had taken a break from his exertions and was sitting on a log bench gulping a bottled water; the frigid air seemingly unnoticed as he'd spent half the morning lifting and loading machinery. He swiped at his brow.
"Do not forget; this one loves you beyond what you can possibly imagine."
Glimmer flinched and pulled away from her mother. "How do you know? How can I be certain his love is real and that it'll last?"
"When it comes to love, no one ever knows the outcome, my darling. That is the definition of trust: build a strong foundation based on your mutual love and respect and the trust developed will drive away thoughts of doubt."
Glimmer mulled over those words.
"You've been the commander of this outfit for so long you are accustomed to control, to debriefings, to being obeyed," she chuckled. "This is not a mission, and he is not your prisoner subject to your intense interrogations, Daughter. This is a journey of love with its peaks and valleys. Trust the journey."
Pressing her lips together, Glimmer glanced back at her former love. "I see."
-Prime's Safehouse Coordinates -
Hordak's arm-cannon rebuilt, the enormous fleet ramped up for their surprise attack, the robotic regiments – hundreds of thousands – calibrated to Hordak's commands with an emergency override installed for Prime himself.
The smaller regiment of human soldiers fell under Malek's command now that Catra had been eliminated, the ex-patriate smirking at the heady feeling of imperial power.
x
After relaying orders to the troops, the company dispersed leaving the hangar and picking up their weapons and supplies headed for Barge 2 and boarding. With a devious smile, Malek wrung his hands.
When I return to Eternia, I'll show that so-called Crown Prince who's in control, his mind reveled. You think you can steal my fiancée and take the life I deserved from me? And He-Man…that tall, blond, muscle-bound gorilla— shaken from his reverie, his eyes went round in realization, a memory unlocking and shaking loose from his musings:
Engagement party…
Prince Adam takes an aggressive step forward…
He-Man steps forward…
You and I…WILL HAVE WORDS—
His jaw went slack. "He-Man and The Prince are one and the same!" he shouted to no one in particular.
Hordak and Shadow Weaver in the corner in deep discussion, having been ordered by Horde Prime to surveil Malek's every move whipped their heads to him.
"We know that, you blubbering idiot!" Prime's Second In Command complained, "Where have you been this whole time?"
"His memory was wiped clean, by the Sorceress," Weaver hissed, her glowing gaze scrutinizing the portly wizard.
The Eternian snapped his head to him. "What…erased by whom?"
"The Sorceress of Castle Greyskull of Eternia!" Hordak repeated exasperated.
Malek Endoar narrowed his gaze.
"It's payback time."
-Greyskull -
"We appreciate all of you meeting with us today," the Sorceress stated. "We know it's crucial you return to your perspective lands to watch over your people. We won't take up much of your time."
The Masters stared at her; Stratos, Buzz-Off, Sy-Klone, Ram-Man, Moss-Man, and Mekanek, all wide-eyed. The Avion cleared his throat.
"I thought I saw Evil-Lyn and Skeletor posing as you and that me eyes were deceivin' me, lassie," he reminisced, "I dinna know yew…that the real yew, were the Sorceress."
"Yeah, me too," Rammy added confused.
"It's nice to have friends in high places," Mek snickered. "You, a former Master. Now we can boast that the Sorceress of Greyskull is a close friend of ours," he snorted.
Buzz-Off frowned, his arms folded. "Name Dropper."
Sy-Klone gave her a side long glance. "What happened to the other woman…the Sorceress with the wings?"
Teela's gaze shifted to the mosaic tile. "She's…gone."
Watching her Adam pressed his lips together, Adora hugging herself, her features wan.
"Gone?" Moss-Man asked worriedly. "How gone?"
"She was…my mother. And…she…died, inadvertently killed by Skeletor—," she cut herself off, her voice tremulous.
The men broke into horrified gasps and chatter.
"Your mother—?" Sy-Klone began.
"Skeletor? That sorcerous bastard—" Stratos interjected.
"Skeletor and Malek, according to Orko," she added, her features sagging.
"Malek? Malek Endoar? Your snobby overweight ex-fiancé with the Mallomar gut? He killed your mother?"
"Buzz-Off…," Adam drew out, "A little tact, please?"
"Well I hope He-Man comforted you in your time of sorrow, Miss Teela," Ram-Man added. "If you were sad, he'd be sad. I could always tell he kinda liked ya. He'd be crazy not ta."
The chamber went silent as everyone processed the oh-too-personal comment.
"Rammy," Mek drew out, his tone exasperated.
"Old news, Rammy. We all knew he had the hots for you, Teela—"
"Buzz-Off!" Stratos cut him off.
"Oh, he had it bad for you—"
"BUZZ-OFF!" the Avion shouted.
"What? I speak only of truth," the Apoidean shot back, raising his chin and folding his arms.
Her gaze darting to the Prince across the room and locking gazes with him, Teela promptly blushed a rich crimson, Adam completely mortified running a hand over his face while Adora tried and failed to suppress a grin, the gossip amongst the men just as bad as women…if not worse.
Always a keen yet silent observer, Sy-Klone's silver gaze darted between the three. "Hey, what's going on here?"
The rest of the room picking it up, they stared in silence at the two.
"No fucking way," Mekanek said, his tone one of awe.
"What?" Rammy asked, his eyes glancing about.
"Yar jokin'?" Stratos added.
"Land sakes," Moss-Man said.
"What?" Rammy demanded.
Nodding, Buzz-Off's wings buzzed then froze. "For such an important meeting as this, I was wondering why He-Man wasn't here. And now I know why he's not needed," he smirked.
Rammy got angry. "Of course we need He-Man! He's Field Command!"
Incredulous, Buzz-Off slowly turned to the hulking oaf. "You're pretty dense, aren't you?" his eyes traveled upward, "Maybe it's time for a new helmet."
"Buzz-Off!" the Prince warned.
The Apoedian whipped his head to him. "And He-Man always came to Rammy's defense, like, the two of you had a special bond or something." He paused for dramatic effect. "Aaand here we are," he gave a tah-dah spread of his arms. Adam rolled his eyes.
"Soo…Greyskull's Warrior and The Crown Prince of Eternia…are the same person?" the Gar Samurai deduced, his tone more like a statement.
"Huh?" Ram-Man snorted, thoroughly confused now.
"He-Man and Adam are one and the same, Rammy," Moss-Man clarified.
"What does that mean?"
"it means that he," Buzz-Off pointed at a sulking Adam, "Is HE-MAN."
Silence as everyone absorbed the revelation, Teela biting her lip. "I guess Greyskull wanted you all to know that or else it wouldn't have dropped the magical veil and allowed you all to figure it out," she explained, clearing her throat.
"Well, not all of us figured it out."
"Buzz-Off, yar being annoying as usual," Stratos demanded. "Knock-it-off, will yew?"
The wings retorted with a sharp buzzing sound.
"Wow. You're…him?"
Adam glared at Rammy then nodded in resignation.
"So that means—" Sy-Klone began, all eyes shooting to the Princess "–you're She-Ra, The Etherian?"
Adora gave a similar nod.
"Holy Ancients," Mek breathed.
"Ani-thing else we need tah know?"
"Skeletor is the King's brother, Shadow Weaver is Penumbra, Queen Castaspella's former apprentice, Beastman is Phineas Quinton son of the late Lord Quinton, and Prime is a robot from an alternate universe beyond the Black Hole," the Sorceress rambled to everyone's frozen stares. "These last revelations were the reason I gathered you here today."
Silence.
"Then who are the rest of the mutants?" Moss-Man asked.
"I don't know; you may want to ask Skeletor himself. Greyskull has him downstairs."
Incredulous shouts and chatter burst forth.
The Sorceress' emerald gaze went distant before raising a palm and waving it before her, a portal ripping open over Greyskull's Seal, an angry Lady Zieg-Powers stepping out of the churning dimensional doorway stopping to fold her arms.
More angry outbursts from the men.
With a far-off look, during the shouting she nodded, the Sorceress waving the other palm, Prince Keldor materializing before them, the former Skeletor and Evil-Lyn of Snake Mountain face to face, Keldor's features reading complete surprise, his ebony gaze subsequently scrutinizing the whole room.
Furious, several of The Masters began shouting accusations and obscenities at the warlock and witch, the former couple smirking, seemingly unbothered, the clamor rising in decibels.
"Hold it!" the Prince roared stepping forward, everyone going silent.
"We don't fuckin' have time for this shit! We got one more day before The Horde arrives. Like it or not, we gotta work with these two fuckers," he gestured to Keldor and Evelyn, "And the assholes below if we stand any chance at beating these Horde motherfuckers. Prime can open black holes – probably because he comes from one— so we need to form a temporary alliance to defend and protect Eternia and Etheria or face complete annihilation. Got it?" he snapped.
Eyes wide, everyone nodded.
"Just as fierce and commanding as He-Man," Stratos surmised aloud, stunned. "How in the heavenly skies did we ever not see it?"