TRIAL OF A HERO

by

AIDAN CROSS

5/22/99

PART 1

The sun sank lower and lower, beneath the mountains. The clouds which skimmed the beautiful skies of Eternia darkened into a deep blue shade, as they blended into the evening sky above. With each passing hour, Faker watched as the sun continued to sink, and the clouds and skies continued to darken….. into blackness.
Faker rose to his feet. He drew his sword, and held it in front of his blue torso. The blade of his sword was stained with blood. This blood had come from thousands of innocent people, whom Faker had murdered within the last three years. He had killed so many people he had lost count, and never once had he been found. But the killings he had committed meant nothing more to him that to prepare for the final killing of his greatest enemy ever: He-Man, hero of Eternia.
Faker felt his blood pump intensely through his body. It was the main thing that kept him alive- his great thirst for revenge upon the man who had defeated him three times before. Faker's defeats ran through his evil mind….. the time he was knocked down the abyss of Castle Grayskull, the time he emerged, only to be turned blue by the Sorceress after one more battle with He-Man, and then the time He-Man cast him adrift at sea in a wooden boat off the shore of the fishing village, Marxall. The boat had eventually been washed up on the other side of Eternia….. and through the past three years, Faker had slowly and cautiously made his way back to the side of the planet where his enemy lived. Walking the planet alone, killing anyone who dared cross his path, while He-Man no doubt assumed he was dead. Whenever Faker had heard a story about some great battle that He-Man had won, it only fuelled his desire for revenge even more. For he would be the man who would finally defeat He-Man and bring evil to the throne of Eternia.
Now he was approaching the city of Eternos. He-Man was often seen defending this city. Faker had walked a long way, over three years, and he would not let it come to no good. He would challenge He-Man one last time, and this time he would finish him once and for all. He had trained supremely hard, and surely must be able to beat his enemy by now.
The thing Faker wished for, more than anything else, was to regain his old power of being able to impersonate He-Man. When he was created, by Skeletor, the lord of destruction, he had looked exactly like He-Man. He could have fooled anyone into thinking he was He-Man….. but then the Sorceress went and turned him blue, and shortly afterwards the magic turned his hair from blond to bright red….. so that no-one could possibly mistake him for He-Man. It would be a whole lot easier for him if he could impersonate He-Man once again….. but what was done was done, and he would not waste time trying to do something he couldn't. He would challenge He-Man to one final fight, and he would win.
He walked on, his bag slung over his muscular, blue shoulder. After walking several miles, he saw gleaming towers in the distance. He had reached Eternos City. And towering above all the other buildings, was a gigantically tall tower, covered in shimmering lights, its top emanating a red beam which circled above it. Faker realised at once what this building must be. It was the new Eternos Arcology, which would be home to thousands of people, with many special features inside. No-one lived there as yet, but the building was to be opened at a special ceremony tomorrow. He-Man would no doubt be at the ceremony. Faker would use that chance to strike. He would lure He-Man away, and challenge him to fight. This would be the best time to seize his chance to strike. Faker made his way to a small spot outside the main gates of the city. It was bustling with all the night energy of its citizens, excited about the ceremony tomorrow. Faker sat down in a hidden spot between a clump of trees, and pulled out some sticks from his bag, and lit a fire to keep him warm through the night. The fire burned away slowly, and through its flame, Faker stared at the shimmering lights of the city. It may be happy at the moment….. but tomorrow, once he had challenged He-Man….. the city would be in its worst state ever. He-Man would fall….. and Faker would make himself ruler of Eternia. His reign of terror would begin soon.

As the sun rose over Eternos City, Tri-Clops made his way briskly along the grassy area which surrounded the great city. Looking upwards, he focused his front eye on the newest tower to grace the city….. the Eternos Arcology. The building glimmered in the sunlight with immense radiance. It sure was a beautiful sight….. but wouldn't it make a brilliant base for the evil warriors to work from?
Tri-Clops knew that there was going to be a special ceremony held in Eternos City square today. The Arcology was right in the centre of the square, and it was going to be opened by some important official in Eternos. No doubt there would be preparations going on in the square just now. Eternos was going to be a happy place this afternoon.
Tri-Clops was sickened by the thought of those blasted citizens of Eternos, celebrating so happily. Skeletor's army had been trying for SIX DAMN YEARS to overtake Eternia, and had met with nothing but failure. Many times had Tri-Clops wanted to jack in his job as spy, but had kept it just for the money. He was at most times a loner, simply wandering Eternia trying to pick up chances to commit crime, and looking out for anything that could be of interest to Skeletor. He knew Skeletor had been hoping for a chance to invade the ceremony this afternoon, and do something to make it hell for the heroic warriors, even if it didn't result in him taking over the city. Hopefully, Tri-Clops would be able to find something that he could report back to Skeletor, and make the chance to strike.
He knew it would be risky to enter the city alone, since by now his image had been splattered all over the streets of Eternos on posters, to tell the citizens that he was a criminal and should be avoided. So instead, he decided to find a small, secluded spot where he could watch the city in secret, and hopefully pick something up. He looked over at a small clump of trees not far from the city gates. He would go and sit there, to watch the city privately.
Trudging his way along the grass, he made his way over to the clump of trees. But then, he stopped and hesitated as he saw the faint flicker of a dying flame between the tree trunks. There was a small fire, burning slowly and dying away in the midst of the trees. Tri-Clops knew he must not jump towards it, as chances were there may be a heroic warrior there, on patrol. So he backed off several feet, then he switched his helmet to his X-Ray eye. The X-Ray vision enabled him to see right through the tree.
And Tri-Clops couldn't have been more astonished at what he saw. Lying asleep on the grass, by the fire, was a huge, muscular form which looked EXACTLY like He-Man. Other than its blue skin and bright red hair, it was a complete replica of Eternia's champion. And Tri-Clops realised at once who this being must be. It could not be anyone but Faker, the evil version of He-Man created by Skeletor, many years ago. Faker had been defeated by He-Man and fallen down the abyss of Grayskull, but had apparently emerged a few years later. Tri-Clops remembered accompanying Skeletor to the village of Marxall, when Faker had struck there- in the hope that Skeletor could get Faker back in the evil army. But Faker had refused to rejoin forces with Skeletor- his ambition was to defeat He-Man and take over Eternia all himself, with absolutely no help. He had been defeated once again by He-Man, and cast out to sea in a wooden boat….. and he had been presumed dead ever since. How could a living being survive at sea, in just one small boat? But nevertheless, Tri-Clops' helmet eyes were not deceiving him- this was unmistakably Faker. The spy made his way closer to Faker's sleeping form.
Once he was about three inches from Faker, the blue version of He-Man suddenly shot up, startling Tri-Clops and causing him to suddenly draw his blade and step back at once.
Faker got to his feet, his red eyes blazing in fury. "Who dares attempt to attack Faker?" he growled.
Tri-Clops slowly inched closer, ready to fight. But then, he realised there was no point in fighting. Skeletor would no doubt want Faker back in his army. He would be a great advantage, being almost as strong as He-Man! If Tri-Clops could persuade Faker to rejoin Skeletor, at least that would be an excuse not to fight someone who was so much stronger.
"Stop!" called Tri-Clops, "I don't want to fight you. I was just curious. My name is Tri-Clops, and I'm one of Skeletor's spies. You're Faker, aren't you? You used to be in our army….."
"I WAS once in your army, but no longer!" hissed Faker, obviously completely insane. "I was the killer of thousands of people throughout the past few years. And I shall be the killer of He-Man." he swished his blade through the air. "I need no help in defeating my enemy! And you, therefore, shall perish at my hands." He advanced towards Tri-Clops, his blade held to Tri-Clops' chest, ready to stab him.
Tri-Clops threw a quick kick at Faker, before hurling himself backwards. Then he dropped his blade, and held his arms out to stop the fight. "Please!" he shouted. "Just listen to me. I have to talk to you!"
"Okay, weakling." said Faker. "I'll give you three minutes to say what you want, then it's curtains for you."
"Alright- I've just gotta say that no matter how much we hate one another, we shouldn't be enemies. If you wanna take over Eternia for yourself, then that's fine by me. But you really would be a great recruit for Skeletor's army. Not just because Skeletor created you- because you're also nearly as strong as the real He-Man and could help us cause the downfall of Eternia."
"I don't want to help anyone cause the downfall of Eternia!" hissed Faker angrily.
"Okay then- Skeletor will help you. If you just work together with Skeletor for a while, then you might have a better chance of beating He-Man! Then once you've destroyed He-Man, it's between you and Skeletor. You're stronger than him, so you'd beat him and take over Eternia yourself. That's gonna be the best choice, Faker. King Hiss is working with Skeletor, because even though he wants to rule Eternia himself, he knows it would be best to work with Skeletor until He-Man is defeated. You should do that, Faker. If you try and fight He-Man all alone you'll only lose."
"He-Man is mine to defeat!" said Faker. "I shall challenge him myself, and I need no help!"
"Maybe- but listen, you gotta understand that you'll only lose again with the way you're going now. Think about the other times you challenged He-Man- admit it, you got beaten pretty quickly, didn't you? And it's only gonna be the same if you simply challenge him again. And even if you did beat He-Man, there's still the whole heroic army, the palace guards and the magic of Grayskull to get past before you can take over Eternia. The odds of you winning would still be one in a million. Face the facts, Faker- you're never gonna make it on your own. Come on, just rejoin Skeletor's army. You don't have to like him or anything- you just need to work with an army before you can defeat He-Man."
Faker lowered his sword, and began to ponder. After a few moments of silence, he said "Yes. You do have a point. But what if Skeletor tries to deceive me in some way?"
"You can defeat him." said Tri-Clops, relieved that Faker had seen the point of what he was saying. "Don't worry about anything."
Faker fell silent again for several moments. Eventually he said "Alright. I will rejoin your army. But I must make it clear to Skeletor that I'm not going to work as some kind of servant to him, and once we have won, it is between us. Lead me to your base."
"Great stuff, Faker!" said Tri-Clops. "Just follow me!"
Faker and Tri-Clops set off into the distance, past the city and along the dusty path that led to Snake Mountain. The green-suited spy and the muscular blue-skinned warrior walked off into the horizon, side by side. Behind them, the city of Eternos remained happy….. unaware of the great evil which was about to be bestowed upon it.

PART 2

Skeletor stood atop Snake Mountain, the sunken, red eyes in his fleshless skull blazing out and glaring down at the vehicle bay below. Two Bad and Trap Jaw were making improvements to one of the Fright Fighters. Although he had still not taken over Eternia in six years, Skeletor could feel that the strength of his army was increasing, with the recruitment of several new, powerful and efficient warriors, along with more advanced machinery and vehicles. Hopefully, the day he finally defeated He-Man would not be far off.
King Hiss came up to join Skeletor on the roof. He had been thinking of possible plans to destroy He-Man.
"We must admit," Hiss said, "He-Man continues to defeat us regardless of how heavily our army outnumbers his. I'm beginning to think we're never going to win if we just carry on using the usual magic schemes, battle challenges and all that. If only there was some way we could banish He-Man, once and for good!"
"We will come up with something very soon!" said Skeletor. "What we need most importantly is to eliminate He-Man permanently from this planet! Without him, the heroic army would be defeated in no time!"
"Maybe if there was some way we could turn them against He-Man….." considered Hiss, "but how could we do that?"
"I will think of something….." suddenly Skeletor's wrist-radio began to beep. He heard the voice of his technician, Comtech, over the radio.
"Lord Skeletor." came the technician's low, monotonous voice. "I have received a message from Tri-Clops. He wishes to speak to you urgently."
"I'll be down at once. Over and out."
Skeletor and King Hiss made their way down to Comtech's lab. It was a complex room full to the brim with machinery, all sorts of electronic devices and computers used by the technician to perform his experiments. Much of the equipment had first been developed by Modulok in his brief time working as Skeletor's scientist, but Comtech had improved much of it since his recruitment into the evil army.
Comtech sat at his main computer controls, a control panel raised high and opposite a giant screen onto which commands were transmitted. Comtech was a tall man, wearing a tight black suit. His skin was pale and his head was completely shaved, and he always wore a pair of large black headphones. Skeletor ascended the steps to the platform on which Comtech's control unit stood, and bent down to the radio system.
"Come in, Tri-Clops." he said.
"Master- I'm on my way to Snake Mountain at this very moment. Outside the Royal City, I found none other than Faker, the evil version of He-Man!"
"Faker?! But he was killed several years back, wasn't he? Cast out to sea by He-Man?"
"Maybe he was cast out to sea, but he wasn't killed. I have him here with me now, alive and well. Says he's been making his way all through Eternia for three years, to challenge He-Man again. And he's gonna rejoin our army!"
"Are you serious, Tri-Clops? The last time I saw Faker….."
"Yeah, I know, but I sure am serious. I'll arrive at Snake Mountain soon. You'll see him for sure then!"
"I await your return eagerly. Over and out."
The radio line went dead, and Skeletor stepped down from Comtech's platform to rejoin King Hiss. "This is better than I could have hoped for." he said.
"Tell me more about this." said King Hiss. "Who exactly is this Faker?"
"He hasn't been seen on Eternia for three years. The last time he was seen was at the fishing village of Marxall, where he was defeated by He-Man and cast out to sea. This was just before I unleashed you from the timeless dimension! Faker was an evil version of He-Man, who I created so he could impersonate him….. but he was turned blue by the Sorceress, which prevented him from being able to impersonate him again. Faker always had the potential to be my finest warrior….. I never dreamed I'd see the day when Faker would agree to return to my army. I will provide him with a warm welcome!!!!! Come, King Hiss. To my chamber."
King Hiss and Skeletor made their way up to Skeletor's chamber, and Skeletor sat down on his bone throne. After waiting about half an hour, they heard a knock on the stone door.
"Enter." said Skeletor.
The door swung open, and Tri-Clops stepped in. "Here is Faker." the spy said. And just behind him, in walked the large figure of a blue He-Man, with bright red hair, carrying a gleaming sword identical to He-Man's sword of power apart from the many smeared crimson bloodstains which decorated the blade.
Skeletor feasted his evil eyes upon the figure. It was indeed Faker, his own creation, still alive and well.
"By all evil….." exclaimed King Hiss, "He looks almost exactly like He-Man! He could be our greatest warrior!"
"Faker always had that potential." said Skeletor. "But he chose to be a sole villain rather than work alongside myself. But now, Faker, you finally return. State your business here."
Faker stepped forward, towards Skeletor on his bone throne. But unlike most visitors to Skeletor's chamber, the blue He-Man did not bow or kneel.
"I have made the decision to rejoin your army." Faker said. "Tri-Clops has convinced me that I stand no chance against He-Man with the way I have been going. Therefore, I wish to rejoin forces with you, so together we can cause the downfall of Eternia."
"And you shall never betray the great Skeletor again?"
"Until we win, I shall not betray you. But you must understand that I am only working with you to defeat He-Man. Once he is down, it is between me and you- for I wish to rule Eternia myself."
"It is between you, Skeletor and ME." interrupted King Hiss. "I too desire to rule Eternia, just as I did thousands of years ago."
"Then I shall accept your alliance, Faker." said Skeletor. "Your strength will truly be a supreme help in my quest to defeat He-Man."
"But He-Man is mine to defeat." said Faker. "I have wanted to destroy this man since the very moment you created me. You must let me have him! I intend to challenge him very soon….. and once he is down, we will work together to destroy the heroic warriors and take Grayskull and Eternia for our own!"
"So you intend to challenge He-Man." said Skeletor, lowly.
"I do!" hissed Faker. "I want nothing more than to kill that man! I shall challenge him to a fight- and this time I will win!"
Skeletor glanced at Faker for a few seconds, and then threw his skull back in demonic laughter.
Faker lunged towards the warlord. "What provokes such amusement?!" he screamed. "What brings you to laugh at the great Faker? You will be sorry….."
"I will not!" snapped Skeletor, thrusting the havoc staff in front of Faker's face. "I laugh at what you say because if you believe you can defeat He-Man simply by challenging him to a fight, you are a fool. I learned that I cannot win a simple fight with He-Man after I had only just met him! For much as I hate to admit it, He-Man is physically stronger than me. In a simple, fair fight, I would stand no chance. And neither would you."
"What do you mean? I was nearly as strong as He-Man when you created me. With the amount of training I have done within the past three years, surely I must be stronger than him by now!"
"I think not." laughed Skeletor. "Strong you may be, but has it not occurred to you that He-Man, too, grows stronger? Each time he battles, his strength increases! And no matter how much you have trained- He-Man will still be stronger. In a fair fight, He-Man would have you down as quickly as he did all those other times you fought!"
"But I must destroy him! There is no way I can ever give in to He-Man!"
"You don't have to." said Skeletor. "You just need some other kind of scheme. A fair fight is not the way to do it. But together, we shall think of a scheme that will enable you and I to defeat He-Man."
"But what should we do? Damn, if only I could still impersonate He-Man….."
"That's it!" said Skeletor, suddenly jumping to his feet. "When I created you, physically you were an exact replica of He-Man! If you could once again be like that, just think of the many wonderful schemes we could enact!"
"It surely would be an advantage." said King Hiss. "Even his voice is similar to He-Man's."
"But how can I become like that again?"
"Our magic should be able to do it." said Skeletor. "We need Evil-Lyn!"
"You called, Skeletor?" said Evil-Lyn, his beautiful but sinister sorceress, entering the room. Setting her eyes upon Faker, she said "So he has returned! I knew your finest creation would return to us someday."
"Evil-Lyn-" began Skeletor, "our magic has become stronger throughout the many years we have worked together, and with King Hiss on our side, that makes us even more powerful. We must use our magic to make Faker once again an exact replica of He-Man!"
"We can do exactly that." said Evil-Lyn. "If we just crowd in a circle round Faker….."
Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, and King Hiss all stood in a circle around Faker. Then Evil-Lyn ordered "Now- concentrate hard! Shoot all your magic from your fingertips- and we shall have Faker once again the way he was when we created him."
The three evil warriors spread their arms out, and shot magic beams from their fingertips towards Faker. His blue form was quickly surrounded by soaring beams of evil magic. The beams whirled around his muscular body, as the three evil masters of magic continued to concentrate hard, summoning all their magic powers and beaming them towards Faker.
As the beams swirled all over Faker's body, the blue pigment of his skin began to fade. It faded and faded….. until his skin was completely white. At the same time, his hair began to turn lighter, the red fading and being replaced by blond. His skin then slowly began to turn darker….. becoming a sharp, heavy tanned colour. As Skeletor, Evil-Lyn and King Hiss concentrated, Faker became an exact replica of his extreme enemy. He was once again identical, in every aspect, to He-Man.
As the spell was complete, the evil warriors lowered their arms and the beams of magic faded into thin air. Faker took a glance down at his body. "I'm He-Man again!" he shouted. "You've done it! I look exactly like him! I can impersonate my enemy once again!"
"And just to avoid confusion, I've made it so you can change back to your blue form if ever you wish." said Evil-Lyn. "Just so the warriors here don't think He-Man's in the building all the time."
"Thank you." said Faker. "You have returned to me the power I have coveted the most for four years- ever since the Sorceress turned me blue. Now I can defeat He-Man!"
"We must enact some scheme quickly." said King Hiss. "With an evil replica of He-Man, we can perform schemes that will pull the heroic warriors apart."
"But what shall we do?" asked Evil-Lyn.
The evil warriors were silent for a few seconds as they considered ideas. Then suddenly, Faker threw his arms into the air and screamed "I HAVE IT!!!!!!!!"
"What, Faker?" said Skeletor. "What scheme has come to mind?"
"IF THIS DOESN'T DEFEAT HE-MAN, NOTHING WILL!!!!!!!!" bellowed Faker. "WE HAVE DONE IT THIS TIME!!!!!!!! THIS IS TRULY THE GREATEST SCHEME EVER!!!!!!!!!"
"I cannot wait to hear it." said Skeletor. "Now, Faker! Tell me your scheme right now!"

PART 3

The square of Eternos City was full of citizens gathering around the newly built Arcology, ready for the ceremony in the afternoon. The sun gleamed down on the beautiful, shimmering structure which towered high above the rest of Eternos City. The people of Eternos gazed up in wonder. It truly was a masterpiece.
And the people raised their gazes even higher, and erupted into a massive cheer as Stratos and the birdmen suddenly jetted into the bright sky, zooming over the top of the Arcology, each holding a huge banner with the words 'ETERNOS ARCOLOGY- OPENING CEREMONY TODAY'. They attached the banner to the top of the tall tower, then slowly spread out their wings and drifted with grace to the ground.
"Bravo, Stratos!" called King Randor, entering the square, with Queen Marlena, Teela and Extendar following behind. "This is a wonderful start to the day!"
Stratos made his way slowly towards the Royal Family. "I'm most proud to be able to help, your majesty!" he said.
"Are you ready for the air show you're putting on today?" asked Queen Marlena.
"I sure am!" replied Stratos, his long, blue wings blowing in the gentle summer wind. "We're gonna get Buzz-Off and the Bee People to come over and help us out. They should arrive soon. And Sy-Klone the aerial ace says he'll help us too, so I think our show's gonna be our best yet!"
"It's an honour to know we have friends in such amazing people as yourself, Stratos." said Randor. "Good luck with the show!"
"Thank you, your Majesty! And good luck with the ceremony!" Stratos flew swiftly back to his birdpeople, flapping his wings in the breeze.
King Randor turned to Extendar. "Are you going to do anything for us at the ceremony?" he asked. "You can extend to almost the height of the Arcology- the people will love you!"
"I might do something if enough people ask!" laughed Extendar. "Hey, have you any idea if the Sorceress is gonna come?"
"I'd doubt it." said Marlena. "She would be too busy guarding Grayskull. But you never know. It definitely seems like thousands of people all over Eternia are coming today. Fisto's even bringing along some of his friends from his old dojo!"
"I do find it a shame that Adam can't attend." said Randor, lowly. "The Prince of Eternia really should attend occasions like this. I fear for what his absence will do for his reputation."
"Hey, it won't harm him at all!" said Extendar. "You know, I was pretty surprised to find out about just how many female admirers he has in this city. They go mental when he goes past sometimes. And anyway, what he's doing now should be good for him!"
"It should be, dear." Marlena said to Randor. "He's off on a break, travelling all round Eternia. He'll learn a lot more about our world. He's probably on the other side of Eternia at the moment….. but he'll be loving it, and it'll be a good experience for him."
"Yes, I guess so." said Randor, lightening up a bit. "It will be good for his independence too. It's just a shame that he had to choose his vacation at a time like this, but still I wish the best for him."
At that moment, a young man approached the King and Queen, holding a video camera. "Greetings, your majesty, my name's Mendoc, and I film special events. You don't mind if I film the whole ceremony, do you?" he said. "Just so I can broadcast the highlights on all the viewscreens across Eternia, so people who couldn't come can know what it was like?"
"Of course not!" said Randor. "Film whatever you like. I would most appreciate a recording of this occasion!"
"Thank you very much, your Majesty." said Mendoc. "I'll start right away!" he went and joined the crowd, with his camera.
Just then, out from one of the windows of the Arcology came Man-At-Arms, descending on a rope. When he reached the ground, Teela and Extendar ran over to him.
"What were you doing in there, Father?" asked Teela.
"I was just making sure all the machinery worked properly. I must admit, I'd love to live in that building myself. Besides all the individual homes in there, there's all sorts of activities, shops, leisure facilities, machinery….. it's like a city within a city. I'll envy the people who move in there. And the metal it's made from is entirely immune to all forms of lasers, bullets and shot beams….. meaning it'll be safe from attack by Skeletor."
"That sounds great." said Extendar. "I might find myself a place within there sometime!"
Man-At-Arms took a glance at Teela. She looked strangely glum for such a special occasion. "What's wrong, Teela?" he asked. "You don't seem as bright as usual today."
"It's nothing." she replied lowly. "Well, it's nothing too serious, anyway. I'm just wondering why He-Man isn't coming. It would be so much better with him here."
"Well, you never know." said Man-At-Arms. "He-Man can be a bit unpredictable at times. He might show up as a surprise at some point."
"I don't know." said Teela. "I haven't admitted this yet….. but I find it pretty boring that Lord Marlach is opening this building. I mean, I've nothing against him, I know he's important here and all that, but….. he just doesn't seem very special. He's hardly an idolised celebrity or anything. It would be so much better if He-Man could open it….. and we'd get loads more people here, too."
"I think that would be a little risky, Teela." said Man-At-Arms. "If it was definite that He-Man was going to be here, we'd have so many people coming that even this square wouldn't be able to handle it!"
"Guess so." said Teela. "But I'd still prefer if He-Man did it, no matter what the risks may be."
"You still don't know." said Extendar. "He might show up at some point." The mighty cyborg warrior whispered quietly to Man-At-Arms "Do you think he will come, Duncan? Adam's on the other side of the planet, most likely."
"I'd say it's unlikely that he'll show up….. he was pretty tired and stressed after all the latest battles. That's why he had to take this break, but perhaps he'll just make a surprise appearance."
"I hope he's okay, wherever he is." said Extendar. "I was a little worried about him. He was very worn out and seemed like he could suffer some kind of breakdown at any moment. After all, it must be stressful for him- living a double life and having to conceal his secret identity, battle against evil and get enough rest. I feel sorry for him."
"I should think his break will do him good." said Man-At-Arms. "It's what he needs, and we still have enough warriors to defend the city in the meantime."

Just then, they heard King Randor shout "Lord Marlach! Welcome to the celebrations!"

They looked round to see Lord Marlach, a richly and elegantly dressed man of about forty, step into the square. He went over to King Randor, and shook his hand. "I'm honoured to be able to open this Arcology!" he said to Randor.
"Likewise, it is an honour to have you open it for us. Now that you are here, we may begin the ceremony! I'm sure that most people have arrived, and even if some haven't, it lasts until midnight. There's plenty of time for them to arrive!"
"No problem then, your majesty." said Marlach. "Let's get going!"

The city was filled with the sounds of joy. But not a soul in the city knew just what was lurking in their midst. Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, King Hiss and Faker had positioned the Fright Fighter in a small spot between two tall buildings. No-one had seen them yet. The ceremony was several yards away, and each of them fixed their eyes sharply upon the distant celebration.
Other than Faker. His eyes were down, concentrating only on his sword as he wiped the many blood stains away with a damp cloth.
"This scheme is truly perfect." hissed Skeletor. "We may not be able to destroy He-Man directly….. but we can still have him destroyed. And this scheme will ruin him….. even if he does not die, he will be reduced to being one of the most wretched beings on Eternia!" the red eyes in Skeletor's skull gleamed with a terrifying blaze. Evil-Lyn's crimson lips formed into a sinister, scheming smile, and King Hiss wringed his hands, awaiting impatiently the chance to strike. Each of them was sure that they were about to cause the true downfall of He-Man.
"Tri-Clops reported no sign of He-Man in the city." said Evil-Lyn. "It should be safe to carry out our scheme….. any moment now."
Faker finally looked up, setting his eyes on the crowds in the square. "I'm ready now….." he hissed. "But we must bide our time. We must strike at the perfect moment….." He tensed his muscles tightly. He was nervous, fearing that he would do something to mess up the TRULY MAGNIFICENT scheme he had come up with. But he knew the consequences could be a dream come true. This would be the final defeat of He-Man. It truly would…..

A fanfare erupted in Eternos City square as the ceremony began. King Randor stepped in front of the crowds, Marlena at his side.
"People of Eternia!" he began. "It gives me great pleasure to be able to introduce you all to our opening ceremony for the magnificent new Arcology in our city. We have all of Eternia's finest architects, builders and engineers to thank for this marvellous structure, which will house thousands of people upon its opening. The endless features within the tower make it almost a world of its own, which one could spend days exploring. It is an honour to have it in our city! And we must also give our special thanks to Duncan, the Royal Man-At-Arms, who has done his best to ensure that all the machinery in the tower works at its best. So do not let me keep you waiting- let us open this wonderful building! And to open it, we have none other than Lord Marlach, one of the most respected noblemen in all Eternia! Please give him a round of applause!"
The crowd burst into applause, cheering loudly as Lord Marlach walked up to the main doors of the tower, which had a light paper chain across them.
"I am delighted to open this building for you all." said Lord Marlach. "I'm sure it will make a luxurious home for all who come to live within it. So here goes!" he pulled out a large pair of scissors, and cut the chain open. "I declare the Eternos Arcology….. open!"
The crowd erupted into a cheer. "Thank you, Lord Marlach!" said King Randor. "And let the Royal Ceremony begin!"
Randor shook Lord Marlach's hand. Then Marlena did the same. Then the King and Queen joined the rest of the crowd as they began to join the games, music and special attractions, while others went in to explore the Arcology. It was the happiest day Eternos had seen in a long time.
Teela's mood was relieved with the nature of the crowd. The absence of He-Man began to mean less to her as she joined in the celebrations. But then, she reached a peak of excitement as she saw, approaching the square, none other than the mighty form of He-Man himself, looking handsome as ever, with his powerful muscles and dignified stride. He was holding the gleaming power sword in one hand!
"Extendar!" she said, nudging Extendar's metal torso in excitement, and pointing at He-Man. "He's here! He-Man's coming! Look over there!"
"Wha….. oh, yeah!£ said Extendar, turning round. "Welcome, He-Man! I never expected to see you here!"
More and more people in the crowd noticed He-Man, and turned to watch him. But surprisingly, He-Man didn't respond at all. He just made his way towards the Arcology, as if oblivious to their reaction. What was wrong? Could he be about to protest against the opening of the Arcology?
The crowd stared at him curiously, as he walked right up to the Arcology's entrance, where Lord Marlach was standing. He looked as though he was about to speak out.
But he didn't. The crowd watched in horror, struck dumb with shock, as He-Man thrust his power sword towards Lord Marlach. Marlach stepped back in shock. "He-Man? What's wrong with you?"
He-Man still said nothing. The heart of each person in the square almost stopped at the most unbelievable sight they had ever seen. He-Man was raising his sword high….. then he plunged it down, into Lord Marlach's chest. Marlach screamed in pain as blood gushed out from his chest. Then He-Man stabbed him again. And again. And again, brutally and remorselessly. Lord Marlach fell to the ground, too weak to scream anymore. The shocked crowd of onlookers watched, unable to believe what they were seeing. All of them were too shocked to even speak or make a move- even the heroic warriors. Although Marlach lay on the ground helpless, He-Man continued to stab him repeatedly, in the chest, in the neck….. all over the man's body, until Lord Marlach lay on the ground, motionless. He was dead. He-Man had killed him. He-Man turned his back to the crowd, and walked off, without a word or a single sign of remorse or feeling in his now blank and terrifying eyes. He was soon lost from view.
And the crowd was left standing still, unable to speak, or even move. Each of them prayed to the gods that they had imagined this. The sight they had just seen had left them too shocked to do anything. They could not accept that it had been real.
He-Man had just killed a man, with full intention, before their very eyes.

In a hidden spot in the city, He-Man was greeted by the gruesome, black-caped figure of Skeletor, beaming down from the Fright Fighter. He-Man crossed his sword along his body, and his skin turned blue as he resumed the form of Faker.
"I have done it, Skeletor." he said.
"Excellent work, Faker!" said Skeletor triumphantly. "Now we have won! We have finally destroyed He-Man! NOW HE WILL BE SEEN AS NOTHING BUT A COLD-BLOODED MURDERER!!!!!! AT LONG LAST, WE STAND TRIUMPHANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

PART 4

Eternos City Square, although almost full with thousands of people, was entirely silent. No-one could overcome the shock that had just befallen them. How could the hero of Eternia have simply entered the square, stabbed Lord Marlach to death, and then left? What could be wrong?
Eventually, one man screamed out in fury. "He-Man is a killer!" he bellowed. "He murdered Lord Marlach! He has blackened this wonderful ceremony!"
Another man answered, his fist raised into the air, and shaking. "Hunt down He-Man! He shall pay for this crime!"
Within seconds, the Square was in an uproar over the terrible crime it had just seen, committed by none other than Eternia's champion.
"Be calm, people!" called King Randor, stepping in front of the crowd. "You must be calm about this situation!"
"Calm?" screamed a man at the front of the crowd. "When our 'hero' has just committed a murder?!"
"As terrible as the case may be, you must take it as easily as possible! We do not want you to endanger yourselves! I don't know what has come over He-Man to make him kill someone….. but we must deal with it quietly!"
Quickly, Teela and Extendar rushed over to the bloody corpse of Lord Marlach, lying sprawled on the ground in front of the tower's doors. Looking up at Teela's beautiful eyes, Extendar saw a faint tear trickle down her face. The warrior woman was actually weeping.
"He can't have done it." she sobbed. "He-Man wouldn't kill anyone! I can't have seen this!"
"I don't believe it myself." Extendar said, gasping for breath. "No, it wasn't true. He-Man has been one of the best friends I've ever had. It can't have been him!"
"Well unless I'm blind, that sure enough was He-Man." said Mendoc, walking over to them with his video camera. "I've got the whole thing on film."
"Quick- Stratos!" called Randor. "You and the birdpeople calm down the crowd! I fear they could riot!"
Stratos made his way towards the huge crowd. Slowly, and shakily, with a look of shock and fear on his face.
"I cannot believe it." he said, shaking his head. "I wanted to stop him- but I couldn't make myself move. I never dreamed I'd see anything like that. Please someone tell me this is just a bad nightmare! I haven't woken up yet!"
Queen Marlena joined them, her head hung lowly as she brushed away a tear. "I….. understand you." she sobbed. "How could he have done this? This can't be true! It can't be!"
"I must deal with the crowd." said Stratos. "They're all as shocked as I."
He and the rest of the birdpeople made their way towards the angry crowd, to calm them down from their fury.

As the body collectors covered up the bloody corpse of Lord Marlach, and laid it out on a stretcher, carrying it away, Randor and Marlena gazed at one another, shocked and unsure of what to do.
"This whole ceremony has been ruined." said Randor. "But why? What could cause He-Man to stab a man to death? I don't understand!"
Marlena shook her head, and in a moment of great pain and sadness, leaned forward and hugged her husband. "I don't know what to do." she sobbed. "How could this happen? How could he….. damn, please tell me this isn't happening!" she slowly let go of Randor, and collapsed to her knees, her face buried deep in her hands.
Several heroic warriors entered the square, unaware of what had just happened.
"What's wrong here?" asked Fisto, who had a group of strong-looking men around him, all old friends who had trained at his dojo. "What's this commotion about?"
"He-Man just….. killed Lord Marlach." said Randor. "I know, it sounds unbelievable, but….. he just came into the Square, stabbed Marlach to death, and left."
"But it can't be!" said Ram Man. "He-Man wouldn't kill anyone! This can't be true!"
"I'm afraid it is." said Randor. "For proof, the young man over there-" he pointed to Mendoc, "has the killing filmed. But I don't understand….."
Fisto and Ram Man looked at one another in shock. Were they actually hearing this? Man-At-Arms just sat alone by the tower, staring at the ground. "No….." he could be heard muttering to himself, "It can't have been He-Man….."
Extendar and Teela walked up to the King and the grieving Queen. "What can we do now?" Extendar asked, lowly. "That can't really have happened, surely something….."
"I'm afraid we have no choice." said Randor. "We must accept that He-Man just came into the Square and killed Marlach. So therefore, we must treat this as a crime. He-Man must be found straight away."
After helping Marlena to her feet, and laying his hand upon her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, Randor turned to the crowd and cleared his throat. The angry members of the crowd, held in control by Stratos and the birdpeople, turned to listen to their king.
"I am sorry," began King Randor, "that such a special occasion had to be ruined in this way. I understand that all of you are shocked by what He-Man has just done, as are we all. But I beg that you do not cause further havoc by rioting or rebelling. I promise that we shall sort this situation out at once. So please all disband and return to your homes. We will deal with the murder of Lord Marlach as quickly as we can."
The crowd slowly began to dissolve, split apart and leave the square. The birdpeople kept them under control. Each member was thoroughly upset by the terrible crime that had just taken place- and even more bewildered by who had committed it.
Several lawmen stepped into the square, wearing their bright, shiny metal armoured suits. "Fear not, your Majesty." one of them said. "It is clear that for an as yet unknown reason, He-Man has turned against us and become a murderer. But we'll hunt him down at once. We'll see to it that he doesn't get away with this crime."
"Thank you….." replied Randor, "but I just cannot believe it….. He-Man has always been so dignified….."
Extendar and Teela went over to where Man-At-Arms sat in shock.
"That can't have been He-Man." Man-At-Arms said flatly. "He wouldn't do that. He just wouldn't."
Extendar, too, was suspicious of whether or not the killer had truly been He-Man. After all, Prince Adam was on the other side of the planet….. surely nothing could have driven him to madness, and caused him to return to Eternos to kill someone? "I don't think that was He-Man at all." he said. "He would never do anything like that."
"And his eyes….." said Teela in fear, "they looked so….. evil and remorseless. That was not the He-Man I know. I don't know what's happened."
"Well whatever has happened….." said Man-At-Arms, "we really must find out. As this is truly the day Eternia stood still."

PART 5

Prince Adam walked briskly up the steep slope. He watched the ground carefully, cautious not to trip over any small rocks on the path. The hill got steeper as Adam got higher, but he continued to stride with all his strength, never once stopping or stumbling. Then he reached the top of the hill, and looked up.
And he saw, straight ahead of him, the lustrous red sun of Eternia bathing the village below in its beautiful radiance, the distant mountains contoured against the blue skies. The view from this hill was breathtaking. Adam had never seen such a beautiful sight in ages. The exquisite beauty of the view filled his entire body with a great sense of peace, until in a moment of ecstasy, Adam leaped into the waterfall which rushed gently down the hillside. Suffusing his entire body with the cooling liquid, Adam let it sweep him right down the hill, until it curved into the land, where Adam sprung out, his arms outstretched in extreme joy. He waded back onto the grass, and spun with happiness, at one with Eternia.
It was wonderful for Adam to get a break from constantly fighting against the evil of Skeletor and his minions. Up until his break, things had been getting seriously tense back in Eternos. Skeletor just wouldn't give up with his schemes, especially since he was always getting more and more Snake Men joining his forces. And as He-Man, Adam had been having to fight more than ever before, and the strain it had on him was taking its toll. What was even worse was the way that even though Adam was worn out from all his good deeds as He-Man, his father, King Randor, was constantly moaning at him about how he never did anything to help Eternia. And while his mind was consumed in true love for the beautiful Teela, she was only interested in He-Man, and now and then even she would rant at him for not doing anything. He knew that she loved him a bit as Adam too, but the frustration of not being able to tell her his secret, along with the constant strain of the battles against Skeletor, had almost caused Adam to reach breakdown. In a depressed mental state, he had actually slashed his wrists a few weeks ago, and realising just how bad his life as He-Man was making him feel, The Sorceress had advised him to take a break before he suffered any kind of breakdown, mentally or physically. She had told him not to worry about defence of the palace or Grayskull- there were still enough warriors to see to it most of the time, especially since She-Ra tended to visit Eternia more often, having weakened the Horde's rule on Etheria.
The Sorceress had always been so good to him, solving all his deepest problems. Now he was taking a break from everything- from his life as He-Man, from Skeletor, from his parents, from Teela. And he wasn't missing a moment of it- not even Teela. Although he loved her with all his heart, it was so tedious not being able to tell her that he was He-Man. And now he was travelling Eternia, learning about what a peaceful world it would be if Skeletor was driven away. His depression had been entirely relieved by his break. He was so much happier now than he had been in ages. Until now, he hadn't had a whole week of peace ever since becoming He-Man for the first time! He knew that back at home, King Randor had been holding a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Eternos Arcology. It had been held two days ago, and he knew that Randor would be disappointed that he couldn't attend. But it didn't matter that much to him. He had badly needed a break for ages, so he hadn't seen the point of calling it off, even to attend a Royal Ceremony.
He had not called home once during his break. He just wanted to escape from all the pressures of everyday life. But he knew he would have to call sometime to see how the ceremony had gone. He hadn't visited any news stations to find out, so he knew virtually nothing about it.
Adam gazed over at the village ahead. It looked a nice place- so he decided he would go and have a drink there. Slowly, he made his way over to the distant village.
But as he neared the village, he heard a cry from not far off.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Adam spun round, to see a group of men from the village atop a hill by an overturned cart. One of the men had fallen out of the cart and into the stream, and was being washed away violently, at risk of drowning.
Adam wanted to save the man himself, but the current looked incredibly strong- not one that he could manage to fight. But if he was to save this man's life, there was only one choice. He had to become He-Man!
Adam quickly ran, unseen, over to another hill. He looked around him to ensure that he was completely out of sight, then he took out the mighty power sword, held it above his head, and shouted:

"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL…..
I HAVE THE POWER!"

The flash of light that he had seen all too many times emerged from the sword and began its all-too-familiar routine of pouring down on his body and transforming him, with a flash, to He-Man, mightiest man in the universe.
He-Man ran towards the stream, where the villager was drowning. "Don't worry!" he called. "I'm coming!"
He leaped towards the stream, ready to dive into the water and save the man. But to his surprise, the man only began to scream even more as He-Man drew near.
"NO!!!" the man screamed. "Keep away from me!!!!!"
"But….. I'm here to save you!" said He-Man.
"Keep away from him, you evil maniac!" called one of the men from the top of the hill. The men ran down the hill intensely, and brandished spears once they reached He-Man.
"What….. what's wrong? I want to save him….."
Several of the men held their spears directly towards He-Man, blocking his every path. "Alright, we've got the bastard trapped, now!" said one. Then he turned to another man. "Dirk- you try and save Voldar!"
The man saluted, then dived into the stream, and after a long struggle, splashing madly against the raging current, finally managed to drag the drowning man out from the water.
"Get him away from me!" screamed the man, pointing towards He-Man.
"Don't worry- he can't escape now!" said one of the men with the spears. "We'll keep this guy in place- Dirk, you go and get the nearest lawmen!"
"Right away!" replied Dirk, and ran back to the village with his friend, dripping wet from the stream.
"I don't understand." said He-Man solemnly, looking around the group of men, with their spears. "I am He-Man, leader of the masters of the universe. I came here to save that man- I didn't want to hurt him."
"You lying bastard." said one man. "We've heard all about what you've done."
He-Man was seriously confused by now. "But what HAVE I done?"
"Ah, look at him now." said the man sarcastically. "Trying to act the innocent. Well he can't fool us. We'll have him where he belongs pretty soon!"
A few moments later, the high-pitched sound of a siren filled the skies. He-Man looked to the skies to see a Law aircraft hovering above. Now this was ridiculous. What on Eternia could cause these men to call the Law about him? Surely they couldn't have mistaken him for an evil warrior?
A Lawman descended on a rope, then took out his gun, threw a stun beam at He-Man, and then dragged him up onto the aircraft. "Thanks for alerting us to his whereabouts." The Lawman said. "We'll sort this bastard out before too long!" Then the rope was pulled up, and the stunned He-Man was lifted onto the aircraft.
Once on board the craft, He-Man was lumbered into a seat, and an electronic belt appeared from nowhere, holding him in place, unable to struggle. Then the Lawmen took off.
Eventually, He-Man regained movement. He could not understand what was happening. These Lawmen were actually ARRESTING him! But why?
"Why are you arresting me?" He-Man asked. "What exactly have I done?"
The Lawman scoffed in mockery. "You bloody well know." he said, shaking his head.
The aircraft moved on and on, until it hovered above the gleaming towers of Eternos City. He-Man kept on trying to make attempts at asking the Lawmen exactly why they were arresting him, but it was no use. They just ignored him.
He-Man could see the Arcology, towering above the other buildings. The aircraft hovered past the tall tower, and towards Law HQ. The craft zoomed through a window in the top floor, into a large, empty room, where it landed slowly. Then the door slid open with a whoosh, and the two Lawmen got out from the cockpit. Drawing towards He-Man, one of them flicked a switch on a small control box, and the electronic belt vanished. Then both Lawmen dragged He-Man out from the craft, and through several corridors and hallways, up to one of the questioning rooms.
"We've got him." one of them said, to an older man sitting in the room, who was dressed in a shiny, metal suit, except his was blue, unlike their silver suits.
"Thank you." the older man said. "Hopefully I can question him quietly."
The iron door slid shut, and He-Man was left alone in the room with the older man. He was entirely confused. After a week away from everywhere and everyone familiar to him, he had suddenly been arrested, out of the blue, and taken for questioning at Eternos Law HQ. This didn't make sense.
"Excuse me asking," said He-Man, politely, "but what exactly have I been brought here for?"
"There's no use trying to hide." said the man, shaking his head. "You have been arrested for the stabbing and murder of Lord Marlach of Eternos, outside the Eternos Arcology, two days ago."
He-Man's eyes opened wide in shock. This could not be possible. MURDER?!!!!!