Chapter Two - "Alternate"
The rain poured from the darkened sky, soaking their cloaks as He-Man, She-Ra, Battle-Cat, and Swift-Wind traveled northwest. For two days, they have been traveling. Each day, they have grown weaker. And they have seen no one but Snake-Men. Huddled beneath a crummy lean-to, He-Man and She-Ra watched as the drops that leaked in sizzle in their small fire.
"No one but Snake-Men," She-Ra said. "I think it's obvious as to what has happened, He-Man. Kobra Kahn traveled back in time and assassinated He-Ro."
"Before his time. Yeah. And with our powers growing ever weaker and weaker, we have to assume that Castle Grayskull no longer stands."
She-Ra nodded. "Maybe. We need to hope."
At dawn, the rain pulled away and the foursome traveled northwest once more. Their trek into the Evergreen Forest was not an easy one. Avoiding the roads was one thing, but every town they passed held a population of Snake-Men. Snake-Men they would much rather avoid.
They came to, then, an area they both recognized - the edge of the forest where the plains that surrounded Castle Grayskull began. As they cleared it, both them halted. Across the craggy ground were the heaped remains of Castle Grayskull, smashed and broken for what looked like centuries. Plants had overrun it and who knows how many animals had taken refuge in its shattered frame?
"What do you want to do?" asked He-Man.
"I think we should check it. Being there may just help our powers."
"Agreed. Let's go."
With He-Man riding Battle-Cat and She-Ra riding Swift-Wind, the four of them rode over the abyss. The drawbridge, though many sections looked shattered and it was riddled with holes, was down.
They crossed the bridge and came to where once - probably a thousand years ago - the foyer once stood. Now it nothing more than a pile of stones.
"This is awful," She-Ra as they began to make their way into the shattered hulk of the castle. "I can't even imagine how this could have happened."
"Do you feel any different? Energized in some way?" He-Man asked.
"No. Not at all."
"Me neither. This was a wasted trip."
They stood there, the four of them, for the longest of hours. With a strange sense of hope, they numbly walked along the ruins, occasionally lifting huge sections of wall to reveal even more rubble underneath. Nothing was found. Not one single artifact - no amulets, books, or sigils. All of Castle Grayskull had been raided before its destruction.
It seemed as if even the ghosts would not even linger here.
Twilight came and all four decided it would be best to just hunker down in the ruins of the castle. No one would see them and no one would probably come. They bedded down in the center of what was once Castle Grayskull and they all slept.
The sleep did not last long.
There was a burst of light and noise, followed by a guttural roar.
"WAKE UP!"
Battle-Cat.
He-Man pulled himself out of slumber as She-Ra stood up, shield out and blocking energy beams. He-Man was by her side in a second, with Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind behind them.
"Who is it?" asked He-Man, now blocking the energy beams with his shield with her.
"Men, but I can't tell just how many or - "
"BASTARDS!" came a shout of tremendous fury. "DAMN RACE TRAITORS! DEFILERS!"
A form leapt through the night sky and came down right in front of He-Man. Before the man could do any more, He-Man punched him right in the face. The man went down in a second. With the Sword of Power at the man's neck, He-Man shouted out to his firing companions.
"Come out now or this one dies!"
A lie, of course, but a convenient one.
"I MEAN IT!"
The man at the edge of He-Man's sword squinted, but cast no reply.
Very soon, three Men appeared in the moonlight. As they approached He-Man glanced down at his prisoner to garner a closer look - and did a double take.
"Duncan!?" He-Man choked.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"It's a long story," He-Man mustered.
"Start speaking, then," said one of Duncan's companions. He-Man recognized him too - Ram-Man, although he looked perfectly normal. No hydraulic legs. Here, he was probably only known as Sam. By Sam's side was Jonas - Rio-Blast to He-Man - and Matthew, who would have been Fisto.
"We're visitors from another world," She-Ra said then.
"A Cosmic Enforcer?" asked Duncan. "Don't tell me Zodac's message finally got through."
"Zodac?" asked She-Ra. "What do you mean?"
"Forget them, Duncan," Sam barked. "Four against two. We can take them."
"Not with me at the end of a sword!" Duncan spat.
"And don't forget about us," growled Battle-Cat as he and Swift-Wind joined She-Ra and He-Man's sides.
"I am not going hurt you. My sister and I are here to investigate the Snake-Men."
All four of them spat a wad of salvia on the ground.
"Don't you be saying that name on this sacred ground, alien. And if you are an alien, how come you look like us?" asked Matthew.
"We come from Earth. It's a world far from here," He-Man lied.
"Earth," Jonas said. "Yar, I think we've all heard of that planet."
"Why is that?" asked She-Ra.
"That's the planet the Horde conquered before finding that wormhole that the brought them here," Jonas explained.
"We haven't been to Earth in a long time," He-Man told them. "How about we all sit here and talk about what's going on?"
He-Man lifted his sword from Duncan's neck and was suddenly reminded as to just how weak he was. The power of Grayskull was fading from their forms. A quick check of his companions confirmed the same. How long would be until the power left them forever?
Duncan regarded these newcomers with curiosity, then nodded. "I don't know what it is about you four, but I trust you. We've come here, deep into enemy territory, to offer our prayers to Castle Grayskull that was. If you'll please stand aside and permit us to do that, we'll explain everything you want to know."
"Duncan, we made not have the time . . ." started Sam.
"Quiet, Sam. I've been coming here for more times than I can count. We'll be safe. We'll have time. Now get over here."
He-Man, She-Ra, Battle-Cat, and Swift-Wind moved aside as Sam, Jonas, Duncan, and Matthew took out a oval shaped stone and placed it in the ground.
"O, Sorceress who is the heir to the Goddess - guide our hearts. O, He-Ro champion of Grayskull - guide our strength. O, King Gray fallen king who was - guide our minds. Tomorrow we do battle and let your honor be our honor. All things to the Creator, mightiest beyond all mighty."
The four of them spoke in unison before going silent. After a long minute, they stood and walked side-by-side with the others across the drawbridge. Once away from the ruins, all eight sat down and faced each other. He-Man now saw that Duncan was staring at him with a sudden clarity.
"Those swords . . ." he muttered. "I know of them."
"Do you?" asked She-Ra, speaking carefully.
"They are of the long-lost set that sat here in Castle Grayskull. I didn't realize it until just now, but you're . . . you're really not from around here, are you?"
"No. We're not."
Sam grunted. "Duncan, I don't think - "
"Silence!" Duncan snapped. "Tell me - who are you?"
"My name is He-Man. This is She-Ra. We are the guardians of the secrets of Castle Grayskull," He-Man spoke. "These are our steeds Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind. We're from . . . another time."
"Indeed you are!" Duncan exclaimed and was smiling. Jonas was smiling too, but both Sam and Matthew were not.
"Can you tell us what happened to Eternia?" asked She-Ra. "From the era of He-Ro until now."
"Of course, of course," Duncan started. "The Snake-Men, they killed He-Ro right in front of the Great Towers. After he died, they moved right into the Central Tower and took command of it. The Elders were all executed. After that . . . all of the Kingdoms of Men fell . . ." Duncan paused and spat on the ground. The others did as well. "King Hiss then started making deals. Non-aggression treaties. After he raided Castle Grayskull, his life was extended and he could fulfill all of his plans. As non-aggression treaties were placed, Hiss build-up armies over centuries. When the treaties finally gave out after 100 years, he'd wipe them out. The Cats, the Bears, the Bats, and the Avions were snuffed out.
"A century ago, the Horde arrived after conquering a planet named Earth. Leading the charge was a wizard named Morgoth. He's been here for one hundred years and has claimed the Mystic Mountains and the Ice Mountains as his own. The Horde is working with us to defeat the Snake-Men."
"It's a costly war. Ever has been, He-Man," continued Jonas. "1,000 years of bloodshed. Death camps, He-Man, for anyone that's not a Snake-Men or doesn't have Snake-Men blood. The Horde . . . they are our saviors. And now, you four are here to help us. You'll help us rid the Snake-Men once and for all."
He-Man and She-Ra looked at each other with uncertainty.
"With Castle Grayskull destroyed, we are weakened," She-Ra stated. "Has King Hiss gained access to Grayskull Tower?"
"He - "
"No!" interrupted Sam and he pulled out a pair of laser pistols and pointed them straight at He-Man and She-Ra. "THEY'RE LIARS!"
He-Man and She-Ra were on their feet in a flash, swords in the air. Power exploded from their forms. Battle-Cat roared. Swift-Wind whinnied.
"WE ARE THE HIERS OF HE-RO'S POWER!" thundered He-Man, energy rippling from his body.
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF CASTLE GRAYSKULL - IN THIS TIME AND ALL OTHERS!" She-Ra cried out, power surging from her.
Duncan, Jonas, and Matthew were cowering; Sam sat dumbstruck, lasers dropped from his now limp hands.
"Believe or not," He-Man proclaimed as the power now vanished, "we are here to help you."
"F-Forgive me," muttered Samuel, son of Dooku who would be known to them as Ram-Man.
"We do, but we need to know if Grayskull Tower has been breached," She-Ra responded.
"It is has not," Duncan said. "King Hiss has long since stopped trying."
"Excellent," She-Ra said, sheathing her sword. "Up for a fight, He-Man?"
"Through an army of Snake-Men, a barricade, and to the last hope of Good on this dark version of home? Certainly."
There was a sudden screeching noise from the ruins of Castle Grayskull. It followed immediately by the movement of rubble - as if a small tremor had struck it. When it all ended, a beam of blue light shot out from the center of the remains.
"You woke Grayskull . . ." Duncan gasped.
"Looks like our little display did more than set them in line," She-Ra whispered.
"Forgive us, but a beacon like that will soon bring the attention of the Snake-Men. And we do not want that," Matthew told them.
"Of course. Be on your way then. And tell the others to hold to hope."
"We shall! Good battle!" Apparently, 'Good battle' had replaced 'Good journey' as the farewell.
"To you as well, friends," He-Man returned.
As the four began to leave, He-Man, She-Ra, Swift-Wind, and Battle-Cat headed towards the ruins of Castle Grayskull. As soon as they came within two feet of the remains, a terrible chill came over them all. For the briefest of instances, they all reverted back to Adam, Adora, Spirit, and Cringer. As soon as that happened, the beacon faded away.
"NO!" Adam shouted, willing the power to return.
It did so and they were suddenly back to He-Man and so on. The beacon now returned as well. They all rushed across the bridge, power fading from them fast. They leapt over the rubble and soon came to the place where the beacon shot up from.
It was a circle surrounding a simple door. The door was attached to nothing - yet all were certain it would still open. It was wooden, with an iron doorknob. A quarter of the way down from the top was a simple, golden plate that said in bold, black letters: "GRAYSKULL TOWER." They were written in the words of the Ancients, but all understood it.
He-Man was just started to reach for the doorknob when the power faded once more. The door began to become transparent.
"GRAB IT!" shouted She-Ra/Adora.
He-Man/Adam reached forward. A part of him - the part that was He-Man - grabbed the doorknob, turned and threw open the door.
They all tumbled in . . .
. . . and landed in darkness upon in a dank room. The door behind them slammed shut and dust filled the darkened air. The group was suddenly re-energized. Not completely, but far more than before.
"We're in Grayskull Tower!" exclaimed Battle-Cat.
"Shhhh!" hushed He-Man as he made for the only source of light - a dirty and dusty window. He reached it and rubbed his finger across to view. They are the top of the Tower and that would mean that this was one of a whole series of window. Probably the only one not boarded up.
Peering down, He-Man could see an army of amazing size training in the shadow of the horrendous statue.
"I sense something . . ." She-Ra whispered.
He-Man wasn't quite sure what she meant, but nodded just the same. "Okay."
"Down two levels."
"Alright. Everyone, just be quiet and stay away from the windows."
He-Man, who commanded this building in the real timeline, led them to the door to the staircase. The door, which had not been touched in 1,000 years, opened smoothly. Magic was still here and that was good. As they walked along the stairs, dust filled their lungs. Still, they kept on their route.
At last, they came down to the proper level. He-Man recognized this as the one with the vaults. They could talk easily in here. As soon as they reached the vault they wanted, it opened automatically. He-Man tapped his sister on the shoulder.
"Go ahead and show us what you found."
She-Ra smiled and lifted the Sword of Protection. "Sword to flame!" she exclaimed quietly. The Sword of Protection glowed with a heated fire. She pointed at what was in the appropriate vault. He-Man's eyes widened.
"The Wheel of Infinity," he said and stepped towards it.
"What is the Wheel of Infinity?" asked Swift-Wind.
He-Man placed his hands upon it. "A time traveling device created by the Elders. This must have been where they stored it."
"No," She-Ra replied. "I don't think so. I think they knew something was wrong. I think they knew that somehow, time had changed. Maybe they sensed that Kobra Kahn had time traveled back and changed things. But what I do know is that they placed it here when they realized something was. They placed it here . . . for us."
He-Man stepped up and examined it closer. "You're right. I can sense it too. Come on, let's get a move on."
"We're going back in time?" asked Battle-Cat.
"Yep. Everyone - concentrate on the past. Concentrate on the era of He-Ro and the Snake-Men Wars. Concentrate of Eternos of yore and the old days of the Second Age."
He-Man put one hand on Battle-Cat's back, then took She-Ra's, who put her hand on Swift-Wind's neck. They all closed their eyes and the thought of Eternia 1,000 years in the past came to them. Before Kobra Kahn's arrival. When all of Eternia fought against the Snake-Men . . . when the Great Towers were new . . . when the Second Age rolled on . . .
The Wheel of Infinity began to spin rapidly, the infinity symbols that lined it turning the color of sunlight. As it began to turn faster and faster, the group started to fade away. Then . . . in a burst of light . . . they were gone.