Chapter Five

"The Day of Fates"

Eternos burned in dragon fire.

While its citizens hunkered down in the vaults and the securest locations, soldiers went scrambling with both weapons and water. The black clouds above offered no rain, but only thunder and lightning. The war here would be talked about for years to come.

The dragons lost only two of their kin and the others were occupied with the battle with the evil army below. In this black hour of combat, alliances were gone among those under the influence of the Spirit of Evil.

The elite Snake-Men stood ever-by King Hiss, protecting their great leader against the any that wished to kill him. The Evil Warriors were trying with some difficulty to stay near each other, but their amassing adversaries and the truest chaotic nature of this battle kept forcing them away.

Behind the wall of Eternos, the Heroic Warriors held strongly against the tides of Orges and Goblins that continued to try and take the city. None of these sworn defenders made any sort of effort to help those may have been trapped by the burning houses. The Spirit of Evil's power does indeed grow stronger by the hour, as was evidenced with that simply and terrible fact.

The dragons under the command of Granamyr were divided between the army below and the taking of Eternos. There were few breaches of the actual Palace, but all knew it was only a matter of time. Granamyr himself was busy handling Shadow Wing; the two were unleashing the flames and magics upon the other with little to no effect.

King Randor, King Stephan, Queen Johanna, and Man-At-Arms were still sedated and locked down in the dungeon, blissfully unaware of the battle above.

King Miro, however, was about ready to accept this as the fabled 'End of Men.' He stood upon the balcony, still no crown on his brow, but wielded the sword of his family.

"We are spent," he said with much exhaustion. "Be this the end of Eternos?"

"No yet," Rokkon attempted to assure the king. "Zodac is coming. We must trust to that."

Stonedar said nothing, but gazed to the north. There was something there that caught his attention. "Rokkon," he addressed his mentor. "Do you see anything to the north?"

Rokkon joined his apprentice. "Yes. Figures. And . . ."

"What? What is it?"

Rokkon smiled and turned to King Miro. "The Great Rebellion."

Indeed. Queen Angela (her wing fully healed) stood with the others in the Great Rebellion as they prepared to bring light to the darkness. Even Bow was there, most of his injuries healed over. They were all there – Sweet Bee, Flutterina, Mermista, Netossa, Perfuma, Castaspella, Bow, Sorrowful, Spinnerella, Glimmer, Sunder, Queen Angella, Frosta, Madame Razz & Broom, and Kowl.

"Prepare to strike them hard, my friends," Angella announced. "If Eternos falls, so shall Eternia. And should Eternia fall, so shall Etheria."

Sorrowful the dragon looked up from Queen of Brightmoon and then looked at the dragons that laid down their flames against the city and the army. He gulped, and then looked back at Angella.

"You must protect the city, Sorrowful," Angella told him. "You must find your strength within and do it."

"Okay," was all that Sorrowful could produce.

"THEN LET US MAKE WAR AGAINST EVIL!" roared Angella, and charged forward on her beautiful white wings.

Behind her, the Great Rebellion followed, ready for combat. They collided with their enemies and the battle pulled them in like a great beast devouring a meal. The battle roared on, the Great Rebellion unleashing the full breadth of their power upon the enemy forces. The weariness that held them back from entering the confrontation earlier fled them like darkness in light and they unleashed themselves against their foes.

But while the others were having a fair amount of success, Sorrowful, however, was not. He tried to muster enough strength to take down his foes, but it was more than a little difficult for the young and under-confident dragon. Very little fire burst from his mouth, and his tail seemed the only capable of striking anyone.

Two dragons from Darksmoke smiled at each other and dove for Sorrowful. They grabbed by the arms, each one handling an arm.

"Little boy, little boy, you shouldn't be here," taunted one named Raven.

"Yeah!" snorted the other, whose name was Krueger. "This is no place for one such as you, child-thing!"

"In fact, the two of us are convince you're not even a dragon," laughed Raven.

"Yes! Not a dragon at all! A fat lizard with friends that will be toast in mere moments!" Krueger snickered.

"I am too a dragon!" replied Sorrowful as the two dragons that held him rushed further up.

"Then prove it, you stupid lizard!"

Something changed inside of Sorrowful then, and a great fury burned within. His arms were suddenly free from the grip of the dragons. He swung around, one fist slamming into Raven's head; his tail striking against Krueger's belly. The two were tossed from Sorrowful and the young dragon dove down. As he did, he turned towards them.

His mouth open, and an inferno of flames came roaring out. It slammed right into Raven and Krueger, the pair of dragons spinning out of control, their mighty scales burnt by the terrible flames.

Sorrowful, a new and very great confidence within him, made for Eternos to serve in its defense. And it would need all the help it could get.

***

A portal appeared just beyond the house and both Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind took up defensive position in front of the door. When He-Man came through alone and the portal closed, they relaxed somewhat.

"I have them all," he told his friends.

"Good."

"Where's She-Ra?"

"Inside," replied Swift-Wind. "She's in labor."

He-Man's eyes grew a little wide, and then he sprinted inside. Right passed the door, She-Ra was laying on a cot, holding hands with SeaHawk. Marlena was tending to her and Teela was looking uncomfortable as she boiled water. He-Man wasn't very surprised to see Malik and Karin rejoin the group. The pair were currently flipping through two or three books.

"He-Man!" gasped Teela. "The Ancients . . . ?"

"They've all agreed," He-Man replied. "How far is she?"

Marlena checked a small computer set-up next to the cot. "Mid-way through, I'd say. We need to get to Grayskull."

He-Man nodded. "Agreed. The Sorceress can - "

"No," said LifeDeath all of a sudden, stepping through the door. "Procrustus must be born in his chamber so that he can be binded to it. I'm sorry, She-Ra, but it's the only way."

She-Ra grunted, not really saying anything.

"She's right, He-Man," Malik agreed. "I'll begin casting a portal open that take right outside the core of Eternia."

LifeDeath nodded. "As long as he is brought to his chains in the immediate minutes after his birth, then it can be done. I will see you in a few minutes."

With that, LifeDeath vanished into the Sword of the Ancients. He-Man took a deep a breath. "Okay, let's get packing. We need a plan. Karin, SeaHawk, Queen Marlena – you three need to tend to She-Ra as she's giving birth. Malik will be the carrier. As soon as Procrustus is born, Malik, you will bring the baby to LifeDeath or me. Teela, you and I will aid the Ancients in any way we can. Even if that means standing by in case they're all killed. Battle-Cat, Swift-Wind – you two need to protect She-Ra from the Spirit of Evil or anything else that maybe lurking down there."

Teela looked at He-Man then. "What do you mean if the Ancients are all killed?"

He-Man shook his head. "I'm not going to lie to you. They don't know the outcome of this battle. That can not see past the fates here. But we must keep to hope. It is all we have now."

A few minutes later, as the clouds continued to darken, they gathered together outside the house. Malik made the final preparations for a portal.

"How come we weren't able to use this earlier?" asked He-Man. "When we went into the Mines of Alluray?"

"We didn't even know there was an exterior chamber until yesterday when we did a recon down there," Karin answered.

Malik completed the portal. Marlena sat with She-Ra on Swift-Wind's saddle, and held her close as She-Ra sweated hard. Battle-Cat carried four packs of supplies on his back. He-Man, with the Sword of Power, Sword Protection, and the Sword of the Ancients, also carried the cot with SeaHawk. Both Teela and Karin had knapsacks on their backs, which held the weapons of the Ancients (the Book of Spells, the Masks of Power). Malik stood before them and waved his staff.

A blue portal opened and they all walked in, one-by-one . . .

. . . On the other side was a place that He-Man and Teela immediately recognized. It wasn't the exact chamber they had come to before, but it was similar. There was a gigantic chain leading into a massive door. That door put them right into the center of all Eternia.

He-Man put the cot down, and Marlena and SeaHawk helped She-Ra onto it. The supplies were all unpacked, from blankets and towels to heated water and ice. Marlena and Karin immediately began to check on the status of the baby within She-Ra womb. SeaHawk sat next to her, holding her hand as another contraction came and went (and how his hand hurt afterwards!).

He-Man stood at the edge of the door and he laid his eyes upon their truest enemy. The Spirit of Evil stood in the middle of the chamber, four huge chains bound to his two large arms. His form was nothing but darkness burning in flame that gave him the horrible form of a man. His eyes were the only features He-Man could find that didn't seem to be shaped in shadow and flame. They were purely blood red, and gave He-Man a horrid understanding of just how evil and how powerful the Spirit of Evil had become.

He-Man turned to the others, who seemed to be looking to him for guidance. "He's powerful," He-Man told them. Much to his surprise, he smiled. "He's influencing every mind on Eternia, changed half the planet within minutes, fueling near a dozen wars, and threatens the entire universe. But . . . I think we can take him."

The others smiled too and Teela went over to join He-Man, the pack on her back holding the collected weapons of the Ancients. As soon as she neared him, though, She-Ra grabbed her hand.

"Teela," She-Ra told her.

"What is it?"

"Take the Sword of Protection. Use it."

"What?"

She-Ra nodded. "You can not use its full range of powers, Teela, but it is better in your hands than mine."

Teela smiled and a friendship formed in that moment. He-Man handed Teela the Sword of Protection, then turned to She-Ra.

"Good luck," he whispered into his sister's ear.

"You too."

He kissed her sweaty and strained brow, and then turned to the door with Teela at his side. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah. Let's go."

He-Man grabbed hold of her and leapt down through the door. They fell to the ground, He-Man landing squarely on his feet. The Spirit of Evil took no notice of him until He-Man stepped towards the great and evil wraith.

"SPIRIT OF EVIL! I AM HE-MAN, DEFENDER OF ETERNIA AND GUARDIAN OF THE SECRETS OF CASTLE GRAYSKULL! I ORDER YOU TO RELINQUISH YOUR CONTROL!"

A loud, smoky, and grim voice was heard then. "Ha ha ha . . . Your plan failed . . . ? Where are your Ancients . . . ? Ha ha ha . . ."

"THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"

"The Ancients . . . they did not come . . . they have abandoned you . . . ? Not surprising . . ." the horrible voice of the Spirit of Evil rasped. "You are . . . alone . . ."

He-Man defiantly shook his head. "No. Never alone. Especially not now." He raised the Sword of the Ancients. It glowed pure white and the runes were changing from red to blue up and down the blade. "I SUMMON THE ANCIENTS! Ground! Wind! Water! Fire! Strength! Thought! Heart! Population! Animals! Peoples! Ancients! Before! Phoenix! Science! Sorcery! Unity! Good! Evil! Time! Space! Intrepid! Forge! Master!"

As He-Man spoke, the Ancients flashed into existence behind. The Sword of the Ancients glowing white, He-Man smiled as he saw something that looked very much like fear in the Spirit of Evil's blood red eyes.

***

King Miro gasped.

Until Granamyr arrived, Shadow Wing had been one of their biggest concerns. But now, as Granamyr dealt the evil dragon a horrific blow that sent him into the broken sections of Eternos. When Shadow Wing fell, a strange and brief silence filled the air. Thunder then cracked, lightning struck and rain all of a sudden poured down.

Bloodlust filled everyone save the Great Rebellion, King Miro, Rokkon and Stonedar. The rain acted as a sort of rejuvenator for those in the battle under the Spirit of Evil's influence. Blood was spilled upon the mud of the fields before Eternos. Never before had any seen anything like this before.

Granamyr landed at the base of Eternos and roared, his scales dripping with the tremendous water that fell upon him. All of the other dragons roared with him, and Granamyr's great wings unfolded, lifting his huge form into the air. The dragons formed around him, and they faced the Palace.

King Hiss spun around at the sight, snake eyes growing huge. "No . . ." he muttered.

General Tartaran slashed another Rock-Solider and gazed at the event in horrid shock. At his side was Evil Lynn, who knew the implications as well. "This will be the end of Eternos and the reign of dragons will begin."

Queen Angella paused, her wings and clothes soaked in the trenching rain. "They're going to destroy the Palace!"

Behind the walls of Eternos, Mekaneck grabbed hold of Sy-Klone's shoulder. "We need to get back to the Palace!" he shouted.

"No! Forget the Palace! I'm tired of defending this place!" yelled back the blue-faced master of wind.

"Forget the Palace is right, Sy-Klone," agreed Ram-Man. "Let's save our own asses!"

The other Heroic Warriors did not move. A wave of hopelessness filled all of those at the battlefield and they fought as if to kill themselves. Death was certain . . . so certain . . .

Expect . . . one man resisted this all . . .

As Granamyr lead the other dragons towards the Palace, and all of their mouth began to produce streams of smoke . . . King Miro stood on the balcony facing them. He raised his family sword and pointed the blade right in between Granamyr's eyes.

"COME AND TAKE ME, THEN! AND I SHALL TAKE YOU WITH ME! THE KINGDOM OF MEN SHALL NOT DIE HERE!"

Granamyr charged, roaring, his mouth full of dragon flame. King Miro roared as well, voice full of defiance, sword still pointed outward. All of Eternos seemed to hold its breath as the dragons pushed through rain and the air towards the Palace and –

"HALT!"

It was a voice that King Miro had never heard before. But Granamyr had. And when blue streaks of energy came down from the heavens and struck him, the master of Darksmoke let out a mighty yelp and fell.

The other dragons scrambled. Krueger and Raven grabbed hold of Granamyr, saving him from Shadow Wing's fate. Everyone suddenly stopped fighting and watched with shock as a figure emerged from the black clouds.

Zodac.

"THIS WAR HAS ENDED! THE BALANCE MUST BE RESTORED!"

The rain suddenly stopped, and with one final belch of thunder . . . 1,000 figures appeared behind Zodac. They were dressed in the same manner as he was – although some were different colors, genders, and apparently different races. Each one wore the same kind of helmet and the same kind of armor.

"THE COSMIC ENFORCERS SHALL NO LONGER ALLOW THIS TO GO ON!"

The army of Cosmic Enforcers swept through the sky, blue beams slicing through the lines. Soldiers were separated from within Eternos all the way to the back of the army. And the Cosmic Enforcers grouped themselves around Zodac and began to turn.

A blue light shined from their spinning forms. New beams of blue light appeared and EVERYONE (from all the evil races that made war here, the Evil and Heroic Warriors, the Snake Men – all expect for those not effected by the Spirit of Evil) was pulled into the air.

Then, once all of the soldiers and all of the warriors were sorted out according to affiliation, they were placed together on the ground in huge force fields. Any injured or dead were also joined inside these force fields with the living in the hopes of getting proper burial rites and medical attention.

King Miro staggered backward, relief sweeping his body. Granamyr and his dragons were incased in a force field off the western wall. The battle here was over . . . but Eternia's fate this day was not yet sealed

***

"Strike!" shouted Master. "Strike at him!"

The elemental Ancients were first. "Eternia rejects you, wraith!" cried Ground.

Four forces struck at the Spirit of Evil. From above, Ground brought forth a full stream of dirt, mud and rock. From the left, Wind unleashed 200-mph gales. From the right, Fire unleashed a beam of flame and fire. From below, Water blasted the Spirit of Evil with wave after wave of pure water.

The Spirit of Evil struck back a bit by this, but held his ground and was able to shrug off the attack. He-Man looked at Teela, who was entranced by all this taking place before her.

Nearby, and hidden, She-Ra screamed hard. The pain was horrible. The contractions were coming closer and closer and the baby was completely effaced. It was time. SeaHawk, despite the fact that this woman could crush mountains with her pinky finger, continued to hold her hand through this as she began to push.

"You're doing fine, sweetie!" encouraged Marlena.

The Spirit of Evil released a wave of pure power. By reaching into the core of Eternia, an incredible power flared. Ground, Water, Fire, and Wind were halted in their attacks and were thrown backwards.

Unity turned to her husband, the Master. It was she who now held the Sword of the Ancients. He-Man noted some concern on her face. Four more Ancients came, then. It was Strength, Thought, Heart, and Population.

Strength was first. He leapt into the air, and when the Spirit of Evil fired power beams at him, Strength shrugged them off. Strength rammed right into the Spirit of Evil, his huge fists punching against the Spirit of Evil.

The Spirit of Evil snarled and prepared to end that Ancient right there, when Thought fired a massive psi-bolt into his mind. The Spirit of Evil wavered, mind under assault by this incredible telepath. His thoughts became a jumble.

When Heart attacked at the Spirit of Evil's black emotions, his feelings were a jumble. For a moment, a brief pang of guilt touched at him. This pang of guilt began to grow . . . into doubt. Could the Ancients actually gain the upper hand here? They were powerful, yes. Very powerful.

But then the Spirit of Evil felt a strange care in his dark heart for those that now served under his influenced. They were a great many people . . . and now, he realized he was under attack by Population.

These four, whose faces were covered, pushed on with their attack.

Once more, She-Ra screamed. Marlena was checking the monitors (everything was still okay), while Karin checked on the baby's progress. "Okay," Marlena told She-Ra, rubbing ice on the blonde's brow. "Get ready to push, but not too hard or you'll send the baby out too fast."

She-Ra pushed, baring down properly and with just enough force. It hurt. It hurt so badly, but it was worth it . . . it had to be worth it.

"ENOUGH!" growled the Spirit of Evil. He threw up his chained arms and a great amount of energy beams sliced through the air, striking at the Ancients attacking him. He was about to attack the others and kill them all, but he was attacked first.

Magic stream spells fired from Sorcery's fingertips. They crisscrossed against the Spirit of Evil's body, sending him into spasms. The Spirit of Evil fired at Sorcery, but it was blocked by a force field. As the Spirit of Evil attacked, so did Science.

Science unleashed a barrage of static electricity streaks and laser blasts. They collided in combination with Sorcery's magic. The Spirit of Evil groaned in anger and pain. He waved his hands about, causing the ground to shake. Science and Sorcery fell and were struck by a flaming blast from the Spirit of Evil.

It was then, as the others prepared their assault, that He-Man noticed something. After each attack, the Spirit of Evil not only seemed weaker, but also thinner and shorter. It was almost as if the Ancients were diluting him.

The next Ancients came against the Spirit of Evil.

Tears were pouring from She-Ra's beautiful blue eyes, and her face was red with strain. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! Okay, sweetie, stop pushing!"

She-Ra let out a terrible sigh as the baby stopped moving temporarily. SeaHawk kissed her cheek and ran his fingers against her matted, sweat-drenched hair. "You're doing fine, She-Ra. You're doing fine."

"It hurts," she uttered with pain in her voice.

Back in the battle, the Ancients representing the Life forms of Eternia confronted the Spirit of Evil. "All of Eternia stands against you, wraith of darkness!" shouted Peoples.

"You will not survive this day!" followed-up Before.

"You have corrupted this world far too much!" continued Ancient.

"And it ends now!" concluded Animals.

The four of them outstretched their arms and light came from their bodies. He-Man and Teela stood in wonder at what happened. Pouring from forms, were ghost-like visages stampeding towards in a silent and swift march against the Spirit of Evil.

From Animals came tigers, eagles, worms, sea creatures and countless and endless beasts that were too numerous to name here.

From Ancients came nothing but a pure white beam, and that surprised He-Man most of all.

From Before came a plethora of races that none had seen in an age. Among them were dinosaurs, Snake-Men, and Dwarfs.

From Peoples came Men, Avions, Insectoids, Dragons, Cats, Bears, Widgets, Aqua-People, Elves, Ogres, Belats, Torks, Bats, Kobloids, Ilkorts, Rock-People, Orcs, Goblins, Mer-People, and even some that He-Man wasn't aware of.

They struck at the Spirit of Evil and he began to writhe in pain. His body lost some of its consistency and power and all could see that this was the attack that would weaken him the most. The chamber shook as the chain attached at his arms waved up and down.

"I will not fall to this!" cried the Spirit of Evil.

She-Ra pushed once more, and Marlena smiled and gripped her hand as that contraction came to an end. "It's almost over! He's crowning! Procrustus is crowning! It's almost over!"

"My baby . . ." whispered She-Ra. "You can see the head?"

"Yes, now get ready honey! The next one is coming!"

"Get ready to push once more, She-Ra! This will be it!" Karin said from where she could see the baby's head.

She-Ra nodded and prepared herself for what was about to come.

The Spirit of Evil send another one of his waves outward and all four of the Ancients that commenced their attack were down, their ghost-like manifestations that they represented gone. But the Ancients saw this and knew how it would end.

The Spirit of Evil suddenly felt very disoriented and very much displaced. Despite that he was still in the same place, a strange feeling of . . . him not belonging occurred to him. He looked and saw Time and Space working their powers on him.

"Good work, old man," Space told Time.

"Quite the same to you," Time replied, checking his pocket watch.

The Spirit of Evil lurched forward, but as portals appeared all around him, he stopped – he was trapped. Intrepid stood behind Time and Space, grinning as he held the portals in place.

"Foolishness . . ."

"Is it?" asked Forge then. He leapt up and slammed his huge hammer against the Spirit of Evil.

And then came Good and Evil. The pair put on the Masks of Power and grew to become adults. They reached out towards the Spirit of Evil, fingers pointing in opposite directions. A sudden tearing and pulling came to the Spirit of Evil and he groaned in tremendous agony.

And then . . . Master stood against him, the Book of Spells open in his hands. "NOW!" he shouted.

The Ancients came against the Spirit of Evil then – at last and all of them save Unity and LifeDeath.

His physical body came under attack from Forge, Strength, Water, Wind, Fire, Ground, Science and Sorcery. Ancients, Before, Peoples, Animals, Thought, Population, and Heart struck his mind. Good, Evil, Time, Space, and Intrepid assaulted his very essence. And Master blasted all three of these things.

She-Ra heaved and pushed one last time, and the baby came out. She gasped and sighed, her head falling back onto the pillows. The baby Procrustus began to cry as he entered the world and She-Ra cried as well.

"Let me see it," She-Ra told them, laughing and crying as the four-armed baby was held up.

"Hold on," Marlena replied. "We need to cut the cord."

"Here," Unity said, stepping forward, the Sword of the Ancients in her hand. She swiped the great blade across the cord. "We need him."

She-Ra lower lip jutted and she began to weep. "But . . ."

LifeDeath, who was at Unity's side, frowned. "I'm sorry. But this is the way it is."

She-Ra cried as LifeDeath and Unity walked through the door and floated down to the battle. "I hated doing that," muttered Unity, the Sword of the Ancients on her back, and Procrustus in her arms.

"I know."

They landed next to He-Man and Teela, who held onto the Swords of Power and Protection, respectively. Unity looked to them both.

"Is she . . . ?"

"She-Ra's okay," LifeDeath replied. Unity handed her the baby. "The Spirit of Evil is weakened, but not dead yet. There is still one blow that must be dealt and none of the Ancients gave it."

"What's that?"

"The opposite of evil is good. The opposite of hate is love," Unity said-sang.

"You two must plunge into the heart of the Spirit of Evil, wielding the Swords of Grayskull. Your purity and goodness will be enough to blast him apart."

He-Man and Teela looked at each other, and nodded. "Let's go."

The two ran forward, the Spirit of Evil thrashing about under the weight of all the Ancients. He-Man and Teela ran towards the great enemy, each one holding a sword of Grayskull. As they passed the Ancients, each one stopped their attack. One-by-one, as He-Man and Teela ran by, stopped their power from channeling outward.

He-Man and Teela then leapt, one hand on their swords, their other hands holding the other, interlocked fingers. Together, they entered into the Spirit of Evil. And within . . .

And within, they were confronted with the heart of evil and despair. It thundered around them, a blaze of fires and shadows, a death stank of hatred and blackness. But as He-Man and Teela were suddenly brightened against it. For they had love in their hearts. Love . . . for each other.

The Swords of Power and Protection flared in strength against the Spirit of Evil. The darkness was ripped away and all the evil diminished.

As great power was thrown against like waves, all was stripped away. Teela saw within He-Man, the force that drove. She saw Prince Adam and He-Man at once and in the same person. They kissed and the love exploded from their bodies.

Neither would ever remember this moment.

They passed outside of the Spirit of Evil, then . . .

They passed outside of the Spirit of Evil, then landed on the ground. They were still holding hands, as well as the swords. They fell gently to the ground, and fell asleep holding hands.

Above, the Spirit of Evil roared in the terrible throes of death and destruction. His chest was breaking apart and his whole body seemed to shatter. LifeDeath ran forward, holding Procrustus in her arms.

"I am the representative of life and death on Eternia . . ." she exclaimed.

From above, She-Ra, Malik, Karin, Marlena, Battle-Cat, Swift-Wind, and SeaHawk watched as she charged towards the dying Spirit of Evil. The Ancients were chanting, using their powers against the Spirit of Evil as he entered into the final stage of his dark life.

LifeDeath was a sight to see. She was glowing white, but was also leaving behind a trail of smoke and cloud. She leapt up, still holding the baby, and struck right into the Spirit of Evil. She-Ra gasped.

Everything went silent. The Spirit of Evil went stock-still.

Then . . . the Spirit of Evil let out a tremendous roar. All of the flames and shadow that composed of his body swirled and imploded . . . and then exploded! In an incredible flash of power and light, the Spirit of Evil was blown away in every direction.

The cold flames moved outward, then faded. The shadows vanished, dashed away.

In his place was LifeDeath. She smiled.

All around her, then, was a light of incredible power. It moved and shaped itself above them all. There was a burst of energy and took a form of a giant made of rock. Four giant arms were locked into the chains. Eternia was secured in the chained grasp of Procrustus.

A brilliant light fumed and filled the entire chamber . . .

***

She-Ra, Malik, Karin, Battle-Cat, Swift-Wind, Marlena, SeaHawk, He-Man and Teela all suddenly appeared at the docks they had met at when the quest first began.

"What's going on?" asked Teela. "The last thing I remember was leaping into the Spirit of Evil."

"He was defeated," Marlena told both Teela and He-Man.

"LOOK!" cried SeaHawk, pointing up. "LOOK AT THAT!"

A visage of the Ancients stood high into the air, passed the black clouds that overcame the former Light Hemisphere. They stood along the longitude of the planet where the separation line of the Dark and Light Hemispheres once was. They stood as ghost-like giants, each one large so that they circled the planet.

Each Ancient stood back-to-back with another visage of themselves, as if they had their backs to a mirror. One visage was facing the Dark Hemisphere, the other facing the former Light Hemisphere.

There were very few on Eternia who didn't see this. It would be talked about for ages to come.

And then, standing stock-still, the Ancients (both visages) pointed forward. The ones facing east pointed east, the ones facing west pointed west. A sudden rush of light flashed from the ground between the mirrored visages and went upward. Then, as the Ancients continued to point, the black clouds rolled back. The afternoon sun shined down.

Dark and evil thoughts that had occupied the citizens of Eternia were dashed away. The second Dark Hemisphere was transformed then and became, once more, the Light Hemisphere.

The Ancients then faded away.

"We did it," He-Man said then, and turned to the others. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT! YES! YES!"

The others smiled – even She-Ra, who was still crying.

"I can't believe we did this!" shouted Teela.

There was smiling and laughing. "We did it!" SeaHawk laughed.

"WE WON!" He-Man shouted with his tremendous lungs.

He-Man turned around, surprised to find the Wind-Raider that he had left behind sitting with them. With it was the Air Chariot.

Marlena gave She-Ra a hug, then stood up and faced He-Man. "Okay," she said, calming their moods. "Okay. We need to get home."