Chapter Two
"Falsehoods"
Marlena smiled at her daughter and patted her tummy gently. "You just had what my people call 'Braxton-Hicks' contractions. False labor."
She-Ra squinted at her mother, not completely understanding. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, sweetie, you're not in labor. Not yet. Not according to these scanners you're not." Marlena pointed to a few devices that sat next to She-Ra in her tent. "You had a few contractions, but that doesn't mean you're having the baby."
"Oh," She-Ra replied, with both disappointment and surprise.
"Aw, sweetie," Marlena cooed, rubbing her womb. "Why don't you get some rest, huh? You may have a few more of these."
She-Ra nodded and Marlena left the tent. Outside, standing in the early afternoon light, was Teela, SeaHawk, Battle-Cat, and Swift-Wind.
"What's going on?" asked SeaHawk. Teela noted that the kind of concern in his voice was more than just friendliness.
"She's fine. She's not having the baby. Just a few false labor contractions. She's getting some rest," Marlena answered. "But in the meantime, we need to figure out a few things. Like what we're going do when she actually gives birth."
"You've got medical equipment, don't you?"
Marlena nodded. "Yes, but I'm still a little worried about this. I don't have a lot of medical experience other than the basics."
Teela sighed. "I don't know, your highness. I guess we'll just have to make due."
At that, SeaHawk grunted. "No pun intended."
***
As the late spring afternoon went ever on, smoke rose from the battlefield around Eternos. The city itself was at a complete stand still, with the blue force field surrounding it splashing and flickering with light ever few minutes.
Below, on the ground, General Tartaran watched as Negator and Sssqueeze used the device given to them by Hordak. He watched the displays shift and change, searching for ways to destroy it. They were close, as King Hiss had reported. Very close.
Tartaran spat and walked away from this group. He spotted Evil Lynn sitting by herself, gazing at Eternos. The gray clouds above broke a bit and a beam of sunlight shined upon her. As if she sensed it, she lifted her wand and the clouds covered the sunlight.
"Evil Lynn," said Tartaran, making himself known.
She turned to him and perked an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"We must speak. Of King Hiss."
Evil Lynn glanced around and immediately noticed that no one was standing close enough to hear them. "Speak it."
"I do not trust him. This deception and his alliance with King Pythos violates certain levels of trust. I have spoken to some of the others, and there's definitely a similar feeling here. No one wants Hiss in command."
"There are also those loyal to him," Evil Lynn reminded. "Very loyal. What do you have planned?"
"We turn the tide against King Hiss," Tartaran said in a low voice. "If enough of us stand against him, the others will fall in line."
Evil Lynn nodded. "I'm interested. I can not even imagine what's happening to Skeletor in clutches of Hordak."
"Oh?" Tartaran wondered, his curiosity piqued. "Just how concerned are you, Evil Lynn?"
She gave him a harsh look. "That's none of your concern. I will be ready, Tartaran. And so will the Evil Warriors."
Tartaran grunted and walked off. Evil Lynn watched him and then began to plot out just how she would betray him when the time came to it. Tartaran was a fool. There weren't many here that were much powerful than she was. She was the superior one. Tartaran would take down Hiss, for certain, with her help.
But she would be the one to take down Tartaran and take this army for her own. She didn't care about Eternos. She did care about Castle Grayskull, though, and that was her target.
***
The Wind-Raider ended its blaze across the arctic wastelands and came to a landed right in front of a huge ice mountain. He-Man held out the Sword of the Ancients, which glowed white as he neared his destination. There was s door, a regular wooden door with a brass doorknob, right at the mountainside.
He stepped to and turned the knob. It was such a strange thing, but He-Man didn't have time to dwell on it. He had a mission and he didn't have a lot of time left. He caught a few comm-line on the Wind-Raider's communicator and heard about the force field at Eternos. It wouldn't be long until it fell - this he knew.
The door opened before him and He-Man stepped into the white expanse beyond the door. It definitely didn't lead into the mountain. This was a blankness. It was strange. It didn't look like the Crossroads of All Universes that he had visited the last time he was here. But perhaps it had changed somehow.
"No, no, He-Man," came the voice of someone with whom He-Man was well-aware of despite never having meeting him. "You were in a different section of this place."
A man, wearing a black jump with glowing green lines and circles all over it, appeared. "Don't tell me," He-Man said. "You must be Intrepid."
"That I am," Intrepid replied. "I suppose you want me to come with you?"
"That would be nice."
Intrepid grinned. "I don't run this place, you know."
"What?"
"That's what you were thinking. The Crossroads of All Universes connects all sorts of different locales. Different universes. I only clean-up here. Like a janitor."
"Oh. Uh, okay."
Intrepid walked over to He-Man. "I was waiting for you. I can only be brought from this place, I can not leave on my own."
"Why?"
"Because that's the nature of my power. I can't explain. Father will. Shall we go then?"
He-Man, though a little confused, held out the Sword of the Ancients. "Yes."
"One more thing. When I jump into sigil, there will be a door that appears over there." He pointed to He-Man's immediate left. "Go through it. It will take you to my brother, Forge. He left Eternia, you know?"
"I didn't know that, no."
Intrepid's grin was gone now. "Now you do."
Intrepid became a swirling of green lines and circles and they all struck his rune. He-Man gazed at the Sword of the Ancients, then looked up to his immediate left. A new door appeared, the same as the one he walked right through. He stepped forward and opened the door.
***
"All is prepared, Hiss," reported Negator. "The weapon is on-line."
King Hiss smiled in delight. "All ranks advance forward!" he ordered.
The command was then echoed out to all the commanders, and then to all the troops. The massive army stood up, weapons out and armed. They formed lines once more and started forward, King Hiss throwing his fist into the air and charging them on.
"FIRE THE WEAPON!"
The Horde weapon came completely on-line and unleashed a beam of pure white energy. The energy struck the force field and hard. A sound like thunder roared from the force field. It stream blue energy and then - it was gone.
"NOW! NOW! SHADOW WING! BATS! TO THE AIR!"
Batros took to the air, followed by his Bat legions. Shadow Wing, the evil great dragon, soared towards the Second Gate of Eternos, wings thundering. The Bats flanked him on all sides and when Shadow Wing reached the Second Gate, and the Guards began opening fire, they fought for him.
And it was at the Second Gate that a huge flame was belched from deep within the dragon's belly. It spat out, this ball of fire, this flame and struck the Gate. Its great irons began to white hot and parts melted, revealing huge stones behind it.
It would take more of this, Shadow Wing did know, and so he went at it once more.
In the meantime, spears and arrows and missiles were fired upon Eternos itself. Buildings fell and towers crumbled. King Hiss threw his head back and laughed as the great force of Eternos began to topple under his might.
***
The first thing that He-Man noticed was the intense heat. And then the smell. It was a hot, sweaty, humid smell. He began sweating as soon as he stepped onto the ashy ground. Huge mounds all around him, he now saw, were blasting out huge flames they reached high towards the orange clouds.
He-Man, though, continued to walk forward.
"Forge!" He-Man shouted. "Ancients of the Weapons! I am He-Man! Wielder of the Sword of Power, champion of Castle Grayskull and protector of Eternia! You are needed! I summon you!"
A huge form appeared from one of the mounds. A very muscular man wearing only a pair of ripped up pants and wielding a hammer now stood in front of He-Man.
"Quiet it down there, boy! I'm busy!"
"I - "
A light and gentle hand reached out and touched He-Man's shoulder. He was shocked to see LifeDeath (as her usual entrance) standing behind him.
"Let me talk to him," she told He-Man. He-Man nodded.
"Forge, we need to have a chat."
"Been a while, LifeDeath," Forge replied. "Kinda surprised to see you in active status these days. Thought you were just fine livin' in that valley o' yours."
She smiled a little. "Eternia needs your help."
Forge snorted. "What the hell are you talking about? There's a whole lot of you on Eternia! You don't need my help. Why don't you go bug Procrustus?"
LifeDeath took a breath. "He's dead, Forge."
He-Man was shocked to see Forge's reaction. Forge stepped back, eyes wide. "What? Are you joking?"
"No. Of course not."
Forge glanced at He-Man. He-Man said nothing.
"Oh damn . . . DAMN!" Forge roared. He turned around and in a bout of anger, threw his hammer into the air. He-Man couldn't tell where it landed.
"There is a plan in the works," LifeDeath told him. "It involves the other champion of Grayskull. She's serving as a surrogate mother."
"Who did it?" Forge asked, eyes clamped shut.
"The Spirit of Evil."
"Who else is involved?"
"Everyone is on board, save for you, Mother, Father, Good, and Evil. Are you in?"
Forge glanced again at He-Man. "I will join you, then, sister. This can not afford to go on any longer."
Forge's rune on the Sword of the Ancients turned red and Forge became like a burst sparks when he struck it. He-Man looked at LifeDeath as the pair walked through the door back to the Crossroads of All Universes.
"What was all that about?" asked He-Man.
"Forge is the youngest and most emotional of all the Ancients, He-Man. If you had told him about Procrustus, he would have killed you," LifeDeath answered honestly.
"Nice."
"Yeah."
"Why didn't he know?"
They reached the door He-Man had originally come through. They emerged into the snow and ice. The Wind-Raider sat waiting.
"As you know, some of the Ancients left Eternia. He was one of them and he cut himself out of the loop. That was the only way to find him. He-Man, you need to be ready for whatever happens here. The Ancients have all been around for a very long time, and we usually know how these things work out. But this time, no one knows. The Spirit of Evil is even more powerful than ever."
He-Man was a little rattled by this. "I'll . . . I'll do what I can."
"I know you will. Go to Skytree now. You're almost done."
And with that, she was gone.
***
"King Miro! The Second Gate has collapsed!"
Miro ran to the balcony and watched Shadow Wing delivered the final blow. The doors broke down. The debris beyond was proving to be a bit of trouble for the Ilkorts and the Torks who now attempted to charge in.
Weapons fire from all around the door picked off some of the intruders, but it was getting hopeless.
"Launch all air vehicles! Seal off the first level! Fall back and reconsolidate all forces! We need to re-group! I repeat: we need to re-group!" Miro commanded.
Explosions roared through the city. Troops and soldiers shouted and roared.
Above, Talon Fighters, Wind Raiders, and Air Chariots launched and opened fire on the lines beyond the walls of Eternos. They met up with their own resistance from Bats and Shadow Wing, but they still pressed onward.
Miro shook his head and hung it as the battle turned unnecessarily bloody. At long last, the lines between good and evil had been blurred forever.
"They're taking the First Level, but we've got a secure boarder around the city," Man-E-Faces reported.
"It helps that they can only get through the gates," followed-up Mekaneck. "They can only get so many troops through at a time."
"That it why the city was designed the way it was," Miro snapped. "Assemble all of the Heroic Warriors and have them prepared to battle off the enemy. Rokkon and Stonedar are to remain here, simply because I am aware that some of you don't quite trust them yet. We can't have that affecting what is to happen."
"Good fortune, King Miro," Man-E-Faces replied. He and Mekaneck walked out of the room, then, leaving King Miro alone.
Ever so alone.
