Chapter Four – "At the Doors of the Fight Zone"
The advance Horde Troopers and the Army of Etheria came into heavy combat just as the sun rose. Laser fire slammed down Horde Troopers as the Army went forward. Hordak's advance forces were not prepared for Zed's Peacekeepers and therefore, the battle was going rather well for the Army of Etheria.
She-Ra rode Swift-Wind alongside King Randor on a Sky Sled and Queen Angella. The occasional laser beam brushed them, but they were easy enough to dodge. Spread out before them was an army of considerable size, but there was strong feeling of victory here. Randor pressed into comm-link.
"All Air Units, aim for the fuel tanks on the Horde Troop Deployer!" Randor ordered, referring to a tall Horde vessel where Horde Troopers were pouring out from.
"Affirmative," stated the Air Commander.
Missiles and lasers flew out from their right as a wave of Harpies and other soldiers using aireal attacks flew in front of them. The Horde Trooper Deployer exploded and crashed, destroying all the Horde Troopers within and then many more around it.
"Good job," Randor stated.
"He-Man, what's your status?" asked She-Ra.
"Still moving toward the target, She-Ra," He-Man replied.
Below, He-Man led a unit of Peacekeepers forward. All around them, weapons fire blared in high-pitched whines. The air was filled with energy discharges. Dust from the hardpan was kicked up from explosions and attacks. A group of Horde Troopers held out in front of some of the other units.
As the Peacekeepers laid into the Horde Troopers, He-Man did his own damage. His Sword of Power rendered the Horde Troopers into pieces.
In the near distance, under the dawning sun, stood a tall, rounded tower. It was the last outpost before reaching the fortress. Doom Tower and the Fright Zone itself stood off even further in the distance. He-Man focused much of his anger on it, then charged forward.
"Glimmer! I need some cover fire over here!" He-Man shouted as sudden Horde Trooper fire took down a pair of Peacekeepers.
"Understood," came the reply.
Glimmer, riding a beautiful unicorn, went galloping forward. Behind her were two units of Brightmoon soldiers, who used a combination of arrows and lasers to bring down the Horde Troopers that had He-Man pinned down.
"Thanks," He-Man told her as she passed him. "Battle-Cat!"
His faithful companion appeared and He-Man jumped into his saddle. He then waved his Power Sword forward and the unit followed him. A flash of fire in the air caught He-Man's eye and he saw watched as a few Harpies were killed. He grimaced.
King Randor suddenly hovered next to him.
"I'm moving back towards the assembly area," Randor replied, referring to the bulk of the army, which was still a few miles back. "Man-At-Arms orders."
"Don't worry, sire, you'll get your action."
King Randor smiled and lifted off, turning back towards the back lines.
Nearby, She-Ra came to the ground and joined Frosta and Clamp Champ with their unit of Snow-People. "The forward lines are crumbling," She-Ra said as she slowed down. "But there's heavy artillery behind them. I want you to handle the Tanks."
"Gotcha," Frosta said and she and her people unleashed ice beams at an in-coming Horde Tank.
She-Ra drove away and watched as laser beams increased as both sides moved closer. Horde Troopers along with various other assault crafts were moving forward, taking the place of their fallen comrades.
Troll and Elven units rushed to the front, joining the Peacekeepers, Brightmoon and Ice-People soldiers. He-Man, Glimmer, Frosta, Clamp Champ, Queen Angella, Stratos, and Sunder moved quickly to engage their various units with Horde forces.
A massive Horde Destroyer – used to wiping out villages and town – started to lift off. With a panic, She-Ra was in the air, issuing orders. These were hardly used, and she was still surprised that they hadn't been used during the riots. But they were armed to the teeth.
"Units 9-15, fire on the Destroyer! Units 9-15!" she yelled out through the comm-line.
She swung down and watched as the units under the commander of Castaspella, Mekaneck, Loni, SeaHawk, Baron Condor, and Marcus opened fire. Missiles went sailing through the dusty air and rammed right into the Destroyer. One of the plus things about the Destroyers is its excessive firepower. Though heavily armored, once set off, it was gone.
An explosion that shook the ground emanated from the Destroyer. What remained of it crashed in huge burning heaps of debris.
From the air came a number of Brightmoon's flying vehicles. One such called the Butterflyer landed to release a number of Brightmoon soldiers. However, just as it landed, a Monstroid from the other let lose a series of missiles, completely destroying them.
Queen Angella grimaced and swooped down above the units behind the ones leading the charge. She waved her sword in the air, rallying them. Horns blew. Angella lead them onward.
Explosions ripped through a dozen Monstroids. Butterflyers and Enchantras swept along with Queen Angella, Stratos, Pelicor, Buzz-Off, Flutterina, Sweet-Bee, and a vast number of Harpies. They blasted through what was reforming to become the forward lines.
He-Man and the other units held their positions, finishing off the Horde Troopers that were still on coming. Queen Angella flew over, She-Ra now joining her. They went for the tower, all weapons ready.
"All ariel units, fire at the tower!" Angella commanded.
Lasers mixed with missiles, enchanted spears, and magic beams. They struck the lower half of the tower with intensity. Explosions flared out, crumbling up and down along the tower. The outpost was blasted asunder, and collapsed completely. Huge groups of Horde Troopers were wiped out.
The air filled with intense dust and the ground shook heavily. Explosions roared and He-Man pushed the units belonging to Glimmer, Sunder, Marcus, Fisto, Netossa, and Bow into the dust cloud. Lights danced and splashed before them as the fighting increased became chaotic.
Queen Angella joined them, pushing the Horde Troopers and what was left of the vehicles back. Horde Troopers began to crumble and blow apart from the intense firepower from the Etherian army.
"THEY'RE PULLING BACK!" shouted Mekaneck.
"Affirmative," Roboto reported as he joined He-Man's side. "I am intercepting multiple transmissions, indicating that Hordak has issued a full retreat. All Horde Troopers are to report back the Fright Zone."
He-Man smiled and looked Queen Angella as landed next to him.
"This was only the beginning," she stated. "He-Man, I want you to push the units towards the ravine located about a mile west of here. Hold your position until I can get some replacements. After that, I want you back at the assembly area. We're going to rest, regroup, and then move right to the Fright Zone."
"Understood. Sunder! Marcus! Fisto! Forward!"
An hour passed. The chaos of battle subsided. The Army of Etheria gathered in the battle zone, reorganized and regrouped. The leadership tent was set-up one last time before the final confrontation at the Fright Zone.
"We have about two hours march until we reach the walls of the Fright Zone," reported Angella. "We've been through the plan, we all agree on it. What do we know about the Fright Zone right now? What is its current status?"
"Hordak has packed in every Horde Trooper available. That's a lot of firepower in there," stated Prince Highcliff.
"With the proper techniques, we may just be able to disable as many as possible," King Varn offered. "But we're still talking about a high count of casualties."
"Agreed, but we've come this far, right?" questioned Chord.
"This is all Etheria has. We throw ourselves into this and we may just win out," added the Bibbet Elder.
"Let's do this then."
A few minutes later, the tent went down. The Army of Etheria was lined up behind its leaders, the Great Rebellion in the front on their Unicorns. She-Ra rode out in front of them, Sword of Protection in one hand and the Shield of the Great Rebellion in the other.
"Time for a great speech, sis," He-Man whispered to her. She smiled.
She popped a small berry in her mouth that would allow her voice to be heard all across the army. She-Ra spoke.
"My friends, my allies! We have gathered together to destroy our great enemy! An invader from another world that has pillaged our world, killed our friends and families, and stabbed us in the back! We have gathered to defeat him! To overthrow his cohorts and to bring about justice to our fine world! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY . . . AND VALOR!"
There was tremendous roar from the crowd. She-Ra was almost bowled over by it's overwhelming sound. She whirled her sword around and pointed to the Fright Zone.
"TO VICTORY! TO VICTORY!"
The entire Horde gathered before Hordak, ready for their orders. So far, the Fright Zone was locked down. Horde Troopers were on every corner, weapons fully charged. Every defense was on-line. Was it just the waiting game? What did they need to do in the meantime?
"They will be upon us in two hours," Admiral Scurvy reminded him.
"What are your orders, Lord Hordak?" asked Shadow Weaver.
"Fight to your last breath."
As the noon hour came, so did the Army of Etheria. Dark clouds began to gather above the Fright Zone as they all marched ever onward, divided into units decided by kingdoms, races, and villages. Tanks and other vehicles rode along with them, as did the two war machines that crawled along in the back.
The time came at last. They entered into the dismal shadows of the Fright Zone, the complex fortress of dark tower and bridges, all centered around a dark tower in middle, where Hordak sat, preparing for battle. Thunder rolled in the distance.
An eerie, tense silence filled the air as they came to a halt at the black wall that surrounded the Fright Zone. She-Ra turned to Queen Angella.
"Are you ready?" she asked Angella.
"Yes. And you?"
She-Ra nodded. After popping another berry in her mouth, Swift-Wind rode her up into the air. She was now staring right at the top of Doom Tower. She-Ra could see Hordak standing there, his cape blowing in the wind, the Horde Elite flanking him.
"HORDAK! HORDE! BY THE AUTHORITY PLACED IN ME BY THE PEOPLE OF ETHERIA, I HEREBY DEMAND THAT YOU WITHDRAW YOUR FORCES, RESTORE ALL ECONOMIC PROPERITY, FREE ALL SLAVES AND PRISONERS, AND SURRENDER YOURSELF TO THIS ARMY FOR FAIR JUDGEMENT!"
A voice that She-Ra grew up hearing thundered back. "YOUR DEMANDS ARE MEANINGLESS! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DEATH!"
She-Ra nodded. "So be it."
She and Swift-Wind zoomed back down to the ground. Horns blared into air, drums pounded. She-Ra heard the shouts from Bow. Archers from Brightmoon, the Jungle, and Elfworld lifted up their bows. Lasers cannons were aimed and catapults were loaded.
"FIRE!" shouted She-Ra.
The air came alive with arrows. The arrows arched over the wall and struck Horde Troopers on the other side. Laser cannons fired as well, energy beams sliced into Horde Troopers all over the wall. Catapults launched, sending enchanted rocks into the towers of the Fright Zone.
The retaliation came fast. Laser beams rained upon them, striking many down dead, injuring several others. The laser cannons fired back, but missile launchers soon took care of that. Some of the were reduced to rubble instantly.
Ice from the Selkies and Snow-People were unleashed, freezing weapons in the Fright Zone. But there was retaliation in return. Huge explosions thundered out as units were cut in two.
"Castaspella!" shouted She-Ra. "We need your spells! NOW!"
"Understood!"
Castaspella raised her hands. Madame Razz, Fritz, Catillus, Wizard, Ariel, Norwyn, Arden, and a large number of Magicats joined in. A force field of incredible magnitude appeared, deflecting the laser blasts. Still, it was under heavy fire and while it was up, they could not return it.
"Manchines!" yelled She-Ra, guiding Cutter, Zipper, Bunter, Stringer, Slicer, and Hotwire over to the door. He-Man and Battle-Cat joined them.
"All right, guys, let's get to work!" yelped Cutter.
The group pulled off the huge lock panel to reveal a complex set of wires, clanks, circuits and switches. "You guys can handle this?" asked He-Man.
"Give us a little bit of time and I think we can," Cutter answered.
At that moment, there was horrendous noise. A beam of pure dark magic came slicing through the air and struck the force field. There was a burst of green light and it was ripped in two.
"Hordak . . ." whispered He-Man.
"That power . . . it belonged to Dark-Hope. It's the same signature. He-Man, how was Hordak able to do that?"
"I don't know, but I - "
Before He-Man could say another word there was a tremendous explosion just to the south. All eyes turned to it. Their left flank was suddenly attacked. But by who? It only took a second to realize what had happened.
Standing on a hill about two miles from the left flank was a massive army of Horde Troopers. Roboto rushed over.
"How many of them?" asked He-Man.
"My sensors are currently counting. One moment. Ah yes. He-Man, She-Ra, the number of Horde Troopers gathered their is 945,673."
Battle-Cat muttered two words that defined the moment.
"Holy shit."
He-Man turned to She-Ra, whose jaw was dropped.
"She-Ra . . ."
"I don't know what to do or . . . Cutter! Manchines! Get moving on that door!"
The Horde Troopers – the reinforcements Hordak had called for – started to close in, weapons blazing. The sun seemed to stay in one place as a haze came over the Fright Zone. It was hot as the killing began.
"Yes!" shouted Hordak, slamming his fist on banister. "I told you recalling them here would be a good idea!"
"I never doubted you, sir," replied Manteena.
"Increase the artillery on the army," Hordak ordered. "I want this finished by sundown."
"Yes, sir, I . . . what?"
Hordak perked an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Lord Hordak, I'm detecting . . . something . . ." Manteena replied, pressing a number of keys on the computer in front of him.
"What is 'something?'"
"Somethings would be more appropriate, I think. We may just have a new problem . . ."
And that was when the tide changed. The last holdout came in. The Monstroids flew in, a whole fleet of them, lead by Number One. Immediately, their weapons fired on Hordak's reinforcements. Many of them landed on the Horde Troopers. Some of them their crushing piston fists into the crowd. Others still sliced up the metal warriors. Lasers were fired, blasting the Horde Troopers into rubble.
"How . . . how did that happen?" shouted Angella, staring in wide-eyed disbelief at He-Man and She-Ra.
Number One then spoke to them over their comm-line. "The variable shifted in your direction."
He-Man perked an eyebrow. "What variables?"
"Us."
He-Man and She-Ra spun around watched as Skeletor, King Hiss, and the full battalion of Evil Warriors, Snake-Men, and even the Meteorbs.
"Well . . . doesn't war make for strange bedfellows?" King Hiss asked with a smile.
"Are you sure you're with us, then?" asked He-Man.
Skeletor stepped forward. "You are forgetting, He-Man, that Hordak is our enemy too."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. How very cliched," She-Ra answered.
"Got it!" shouted Zipper.
The locks came undone. He-Man and She-Ra prepared themselves. The Army of Etheria prepared themselves. The doors came open, the Fright Zone was revealed.