Chapter 4
He-man felt hands gently lifting him off the ground. He couldn't feel the heat of the desert, or even the sand beneath his feet, instead the ground was cool and smooth. He-man slowly opened his eyes and realized where he was. He was on Primus inside the council chambers.
"Its OK we've got you." He-man heard the voice of Hydron say.
Slowly as his mind began to clear his thoughts turned back to the present day.
"B-Brakk?" asked He-man when he could finally speak.
"He bolted as soon as him comrades were defeated," said Hydron. "We would have gone after him but the council needed our help more."
"How are they?" asked He-man remembering Brakk's attack on them.
"They'll be fine in a few hours," said Tartarrus as he stepped from the main hall. "They're suffering from the same thing Flipshot is suffering from."
"The Jewel of Amara," hissed He-man. "How on Eternia did Skeletor manage to bring that cursed thing here?"
Brakk was in a foul mood as his mutants returned from their failed mission on Primus. He looked down at the Jewel of Amara in his hands and began cursing Skeletor's name.
"Skeletor you said this thing would give control over Primus!" snarled Brakk as he charged in to Skeletor's chambers. "All it did was lead us to another defeat!!"
"The Jewel of Amara is not the cause of your defeat," said Skeletor as he stepped out of the shadows. Brakk saw that Skeletor was dressed in his Disks of Doom battle armor. "The key to your failure as always lay at you incompetent feet and those you command as well."
"I command you as well!" snapped Brakk. "You had best remember that!"
Skeletor smiled to himself allowing himself to enjoy watching Brakk bark his orders.
"Of cause I remember," said Skeletor deciding to allow Brakk his command. "But you have over looked one fact."
"And what is that?" asked Brakk.
"The council will still be surfering from the effects of the Jewel of Amara," said Skeletor. "The key to the power of Primus is weak now is the perfect time to conquer that planet."
Brakk smiled as he realized what Skeletor was saying.
"Of cause!" cried Brakk. "How could I have been so blind. I shall organize another attack. And with He-man suffering from the jewels power the Galactic Guardians will be unable to stand in our way."
Triumphant Brakk turned and left Skeletor's chambers to begin the attack on Primus. After the doors had closed Skeletor spotted the Jewel of Amara sat on a nearby table. Skeletor walked over to the table and picked up the jewel.
'Brakk you fool,' Skeletor thought. 'Go conquer Primus and then I shall have a surprise for your return!'
Then Skeletor's eyes began to glow as brightly as the jewel he held in his hands.
He-man woke to find himself in a hospital bed. With the other beds around him being occupied by the various members of the Primus council he guessed that he was in the high security ward of Capital City's main hospital. Slowly He-man sat up, he was still a little dizzy after Brakk's attack with the Jewel of Amara.
"You need to take it easy," said one of the doctors as she came over to his bed. "Your body is still weak from the attack."
"You should listen to her my friend," said Darius who was sat at the next bed. He-man looked over to see that Flipshot was in the bed. "Flipshot still hasn't fully recovered. It looks like whatever hit Flipshot and the council members didn't have the same effect on you."
"I've been through it before," said He-man. "And I almost didn't survive then."
"But you did survive," replied Darius. "Tell us so that we can try the same thing with the others."
Before He-man could speak the Sorceress appeared from a bright light.
"It was I that helped He-man through his first taste of the power of the Jewel of Amara," said the Sorceress answering Darius's question. "Along with the power of Castle Grayskull."
"So you can cure them?" asked Darius.
"I can only cure the effects that the Jewel of Amara has," replied the Sorceress. "It is then up to the individual to battle the emotional scars of what they were forced to witness. And then I could only do so inside the walls of Castle Grayskull."
Darius felt his hope suddenly vanish at the mention of the legendary fortress of good that was back on the planet Eternia.
"There must be some way of helping them?" said Darius. "Without the council Primus will fall in to panic an chaos. Especially if there's no He-man to help and protect it."
"There is one possible way," said He-man from his bed. Everyone turned to await for more. "The Star Ship Eternia hosts the power of Grayskull. Would that work just as well as the castle?"
"I believe that will work perfectly," said the Sorceress. "Only we have to get everyone to the Eternia."
"I'll organize some transport for the council." said Tartarrus.
"In the meantime I will use my magic to transport He-man and Flipshot to the Eternia." said the Sorceress.
The Sorceress then held her hands up and she along with He-man and Flipshot vanished in a flash of light.
***
Man-At-Arms entered into the Throne Room, Randor's gaze falling onto his trusted advisor immediately. "Duncan, what is it?"
"Skeletor somehow uncovered the lost Jewel of Amara, but Hordak arrived and stole it before - sire?"
Randor's eyes had grown huge, his mouth agape. "Did you say the 'Jewel of Amara?'"
"Yes, sir."
The King sighed heavily and rubbed his brow. Marlena looked over to her husband, concern heavy on her face. "Randor? Is everything alright?"
"No. Duncan, what other news is there?"
"None good. Hordak has taken Adora captive."
"And he has the Jewel of Amara, too? Damn. Damn!"
Randor slammed his fist onto the arm of his chair, a noise thundering throughout the room. Marlena, startled by this, looked quickly to Man-At-Arms. He had the same expression a she did - deep, deep concern.
"Sire, we're ready to send in a retrieval team to help recover the Princess and the Jewel."
"Send as many forces as you can. Then, send word to my brother Stephan and sister Johanna. Inform them of the situation. Have Stratos and Buzz-Off remain here. I want King Paw here as well. This is a big problem. Bigger than you can imagine."
Man-At-Arms reluctantly shook his head. "Yes, of course, sire."
As he turned around and started out the door, Marlena turned to Randor. "Randor, what is it? What is going on?"
"I . . . I can not speak of it. Not right now. I need to go."
"Go? Go where?"
"Castle Grayskull. I must speak with the Sorceress. Immediately."
For the seventh consecutive hour, Adora struggled against the chains that held her against the bed. "I will not yield! Not again!"
Hordak frowned as the Shadow Weaver tried to recast the mental clouding spell onto Adora. He shook his head, and waved the magical mistress to his side. Adora heaved, finally able to rest for a moment. Shadow Weaver walked over to the Hordak and shook her head.
"She's grown too strong, Hordak. I can not break through her mental barriers. Re-implementing the mind-control spell is nearly impossible."
"Damnation," muttered Hordak, clenching his fists. "Mantenna?"
"No word on the Great Rebellion. There are rumors of an attack, but we haven't seen any indication of a move against us."
"Keep your eyes out, will you?" Hordak ordered, Mantenna shooting his eyes out. "Ha ha ha - snort!"
In the heart of the Whispering Woods, the newly arrived rescue team met with Queen Angella, Glimmer, Fluterina, and Bow. The team consisted of Ram Man, Teela, Moss Man, Clamp Champ, and Sy-Klone.
"We appreciate your help with this, He-Man. It's great the King has sent you to help us," Angella said with a welcoming smile.
"Yes. Wish he would do it more often," Glimmer whispered.
"What's that?" snapped Teela.
"It's just that we have been fighting this war for years with no help. But when his daughter is kidnapped, he sends his greatest warriors."
"Glimmer, that's enough!" Angella snapped at her daughter. "We all know He-Man and the king are both busy with their own problems. King Hiss, Skeletor. Both are just as strong as Hordak."
"It's alright, Angella," He-Man admitted. "She's right. We could stand to help a little more here on Etheria. Maybe that will change after this is all over."
That was when Bow smiled and stepped up. "I'm just trying to figure out where She-Ra went to. We could use her help."
"We do have her sword, Bow," Fluterina said, pulling out the Sword of Protection. "I spotted it after Adora was taken by the Horde Troopers."
He-Man took it from her. "We have to assume they injured She-Ra, forcing into hiding. We can't worry about her at the moment. Adora is our priority."
"I've been thinking about that," Queen Angella stated. "They're already set for us, so the chance for a surprise attack is futile. I suggest a hit and run."
He-Man grinned and looked back to his men. "Queen Angella," he said with a smile, "I couldn't have put it better myself."
A few hours later, as night fell upon Etheria, the Horde Troopers watched from the Doom Tower, armed to the teeth. The entire base was on high alert - trouble was expected at any moment.
"What do your processors say?" asked one Trooper to another.
"All quiet on the western front, unit 375. Boredom is corrupting my circuit boards."
As soon as unit 375 was about reply, an object smashed into them. Metal pieces joined with discarded armor and computer systems as Ram Man landed on them. The next turret spun and faced where Ram Man was, but a gust of wind threw the Horde Troopers off.
That was when Queen Angella flew in, holding her daughter. Glimmer started to unleash teleportation beams at the Horde Troopers. They were teleported immediately to the Growling Sea. It was hard for her to do this - and it put a lot of strain on her body, but she was willing.
As more Horde Trooper began to pour out Doom Tower, huge vines snaked from the long-dead ground, ensnaring them. Moss Man emerged from the dirt and began to expand the amount of vines coming up from the floor. They were starting to enclose the entire door . . . until Leech got to him.
Leech drained the energy from Moss Man, sending the heroic warrior to the floor. But just as he was about finish him off, the green-scaled Horde Elite member received a punch in the back of the head. He spun around and found that He-Man himself was assaulting him.
He-Man punched Leech in the stomach, then followed through with an uppercut. Just then, there was an explosion to his left. Exploding arrows were launching against Grizzlor. Bow strung another one and let it lose, sending the villain into retreat.
"I'll get Adora," He-Man announced, sending himself towards one of the windows.
Just as He-Man left, the heroes regrouped. Horde Troopers were pouring in, lasers armed and firing away. But they fought on - they fought an entire army. For a friend, they risked their lives. For a friend, they fought vile creatures. For a friend, they reassured themselves that she would do just that for them.
Then something strange happened. A portal had opened not far away, depositing Skeletor, Evil Lynn, Beast-Man, Clawful, and Whiplash.
"I want that Jewel!" shouted Skeletor. He lifted his staff, searching for its location. Then, he shot off towards the same window He-Man had entered into. "Take care of the rest!" he shouted as soon as he entered.
It had suddenly become a three-way war.
He-Man barreled through doors, smashed through guards, and came close to destroying the entire fortress as he searched for his sister. After a few minutes of frantic searching, he found her.
"Adora!" he yelled.
"He-Man? Is that you?"
"Yes," He-Man returned, looking around as he snapped her bounds. The room was empty, save the Jewel of Amara. He ignored it and handed the Sword of Protection to his twin sister. "Here. You might need this."
"Thank you, brother. FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL . . ." she chanted, the transformation over-coming her. ". . . I AM SHE-RA!"
She-Ra stood strong where Adora was stood weak. Just as she was about to reach for the Jewel of Amara, an energy beam from the doorway knocked her back. Hordak appeared and he grasped the Jewel of Amara.
"Where's the Princess?!" he demanded.
"She's safe - away from you!" He-Man replied strongly.
"No matter! I have the Jewel of Amara and that's good enough for me!" Hordak shot back. He held it up, preparing to fire a beam at He-Man . . . when a blast from Skeletor stopped him from unleashing its power.
"Put it down, Hordak!" Skeletor demanded.
"Never, fool!" Hordak hissed. He swiftly spun toward Skeletor, a beam of energy slicing out from the Jewel of Amara. It struck Skeletor in the chest and the great villain released a silent shriek as his body fell and started to convulse.
"What did you do to him?!" He-Man thundered, stepping forward.
"The same thing I'll be doing to you, silly barbarian!"
Once more, an energy beam shot from the Jewel of Amara. He-Man gasped, unable to catch his breath. He fell to the floor, seizing and shuddering.
Hordak smiled and looked up at She-Ra - who promptly kicked in him face. The leader of the Horde stumbled backwards, allowing She-Ra time to smash the wall. Debris crumbled and shattering, cutting the room into two. She turned herself back into Adora, pulled out a communicator.
"Is there anyone still out there?"
"Adora!?" wondered Glimmer. "Thank goodness you're still alive! What's happened?"
"No time for that. We need to get to Eternia immediately. Prepare for one patient - " she started, looking to He-Man, "- and one prisoner," she then finished, eyes falling to Skeletor.