Chapter Five - "Hordak's Doom"
Everything became a chaotic blur. She-Ra and the Army of Etheria came rushing into a sea of Horde Troopers. Lasers blared, armor rolled along the ground, and the people yelled and roared loudly as the Fright Zone was invaded.
Before she knew it, She-Ra and Swift-Wind were standing at the base of Doom Tower. Beams came flying at them at all directions. Swift-Wind was either able to dodge them or She-Ra deflected them away. Small explosions blasted all around them.
The Army of Etheria spread itself out hard, crashing and smashing heavily into various legions of Horde Troopers. Outside the walls, the Monstroids continued to destroy the reinforcements. The battle was turning, though briefly, in the favor of the Army of Etheria. Laser fire heated the air as the hazy sun continued to arch overhead until it would sank beneath the horizon in the hours to come.
She-Ra lifted the Shield of the Great Rebellion. It was time. Immediately, Flutterina, Mermista, Netossa, Bow, Sorrowful, Spinnerella, Glimmer, Castaspella, Frosta, Perfuma, Sweet-Bee, Madame Razz, Broom, Kowl, and Queen Angella came over to her, the ash-colored stairs of Doom Tower standing behind them. King Randor, King Micah, Admiral SeaHawk, He-Man, Skeletor, King Hiss, and Battle-Cat joined them.
"Remember the plan," She-Ra told them.
"Right," SeaHawk replied.
"Keep fighting until our breath is gone," Angella commanded, wings pulled in suddenly to avoid a stray blast.
"Freedom," Micah stated.
Angella and Micah kissed. Sunder smiled and SeaHawk hugged She-Ra.
"GO!" shouted She-Ra.
The Princess of Power spun around and kicked open the doors to Doom Tower. He-Man, Randor, and the Great Rebellion all came crashing in. Sunder, SeaHawk, and Micah moved away and joined the army outside.
The chamber was filled to the brim of Horde Troopers, all of which were firing hotly at the in-coming warriors. He-Man stood with Randor, deflecting the beams and doing his best to protect the king and keep and eye on King Hiss and Skeletor all at the same time.
Magic came barreling from Skeletor, Castaspella, King Hiss, Madame Razz, Glimmer, and Queen Angella, immediately destroying and defending against Horde Troopers that began their assault. Ice and water came blasting from Mermista and Frosta. Butterflies under Flutterina's influence broke down Horde Troopers at her command. Arrows shot from Bow, ripping right through the enemies. Vines at Perfuma's order wrapped and squeezed the robot warriors.
Swift Wind, Battle-Cat, Sweet-Bee, and Sorrowful engaged the Horde Troopers with brute physical force. In a matter of minutes, the chamber was empty. The sound of heavy boots told them all that it wouldn't be for long.
"This way! Hurry!" She-Ra shouted, leading them to the massive staircase in the center of the chamber. Laser beams from entering Troopers sizzled past, but the Great Rebellion and their allies were able to take them out before any major damage could be done.
They ran up the staircase, all nineteen of them.
Sssqueeze's long arms reached and his hands tore off the dome-heads of two offending Horde Troopers. The two went down. At his side, Tung Lashor wrapped his tongue around the waist of one Trooper and squeezed. The Trooper was toppled. Snake-Face turned a small group of robotic warriors to stone.
As Kobra Kahn blasted another couple of Troopers with an acid cloud, Webstor came swinging over.
"Good to be fighting alongside you again," Webstor snarled, snaring three Troopers together.
"I have my own loyalties, Webstor," Kahn returned.
"What happened to the loyalty to us? To Skeletor?"
Kobra Kahn showed his fangs.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled Evil-Lynn. "Save your fighting with each other for when we're through with this!"
She then turned on her heel and let loose a powerful bolt at a nearby tower. The tower exploded and crumbled, taking out a dozen Horde Troopers on the ground along with it.
At that moment, Tri-Klops, Trap-Jaw, Karg, Saurod, laid down cover fire for Beast-Man, Clawful, Jitsu, Two-Bad, Whiplash, Ninjor, and Blade to move in. The Horde Troopers were rallying near the fallen tower, but the Evil Warriors and Snake-Men were in motion, tearing into the opposition.
The Heroic Warriors were not far away, battling through four units of Horde Troopers. Man-At-Arms and Teela lead the forces into the seas of domed robots, beating them down at every step. Rio-Blast laid out missiles and lasers, with Clamp Champ at his side, smashing Horde Troopers with his clamp.
Ram-Man smashed into the Horde Troopers, turning them into so much scrape. Fisto, Rokkon, and Stonedar bashed through the lines, one Trooper at a time. Sy-Klone and Rotar used their wind powers to slam Horde Troopers into each other. Man-E-Faces used a combination of monster ferocity and robotic scanning to take down his adversaries. Roboto fired heavily, weapons continuously re-loading.
Branches flew out from Moss Man, sending Horde Troopers into pieces. Mekaneck nailed the Horde Troopers right in their weakest points thanks to his vision. Orko used his magic best he could to blow apart a few Troopers. Extendar and Snout Spout were on the hunt . . .
The strategy was quite simple, really. The Eternians were to head to the north side of the Fright Zone and take out the command center there. They would be flanked by Peacekeepers. The Army of Etheria would handle the south side, since it was a much larger area.
The three forces came together – the Snake-Men, the Evil Warriors, and the Heroic Warriors rode forward, ever towards the command center, a circular complex that branched out from Doom Tower. No one spoke a word as, for the last time, they worked together towards the same goal.
Between laser blasts and brute force, the Horde Troopers crumbled. Monstroids rolled in, but were quickly dispatched thanks for the cannon-totting Peacekeepers.
They reached the massive doors, which were barred and locked. One man could not handle to alone . . . but Ram-Man, Whiplash, Stonedar, and Rokkon attacked with a strong ferocity. The doors were broken down and the group moved in, fending off scores of Horde Troopers. Magic flew from Orko and Evil-Lynn's hands. Lasers carried out from Man-At-Arms, Teela, Tri-Klops, Roboto, Trap-Jaw, Karg, Rio-Blast, and Saurod.
Horde Troopers began to line the ground in huge, broken heaps. The group of heroes and villains rushed down to the main corridor to the central command area. Once more, they barged right through the door, taking down as many Troopers as they could.
The central command area was a huge, round room filled completely with computers that displayed streams of information coming from all over the Fright Zone. From what Man-At-Arms could tell, it also handled security and defenses.
Weapons fired and powers were used as the uneasy allies entered and fought hard against the Horde Troopers that stood within. Modulock, who was apparently in charge, went running towards them in a fury of feet.
He was immediately blasted across the room in an intense spray of water. Snout Spout and Extendar went running towards the bizarre commander. Modulock immediately began to separate himself, trying to become two bodies. Extendar's hand went sailing out and struck Modu in the head. His elongated foot went after lock and rammed him in the chest.
"Squirm all you want," Extendar snarled, landing right in front of the struggling pair. "Your own devices will take you down."
But they were too fast. All ready, Modulock had shifted back into one, unified form. He ducked away from Extendar and made for higher ground. However, Snout Spout's trunk slammed him back towards Extendar. Extendar's fingers snaked out and wrapped around Modulock's body.
"You won't kill me . . ." Modulock told them mockingly.
"Won't we?" asked Snout Spout.
He pulled out a gun and fired.
Modulock's body went stiff and Extendar let him drop to the ground.
"We'd like to," Extendar replied.
"But this statis field will have to due for now," Snout Spout added and put the field projector back into his holster.
Not far away, Man-At-Arms, Roboto, Karg, Man-E-Faces, Tri-Klops, Trap-Jaw, and Mekaneck made for the computers. They went to work at them, shutting the external and internal defenses.
"He-Man, She-Ra – this is Man-At-Arms. The northern command center is secure."
"This way!" shouted She-Ra as she led the others down a long corridor. They were now halfway through Doom Tower.
Suddenly, as they neared a large chamber, several energy beams were fired. The Great Rebellions and their allies struggled as the volley came upon them.
"Going somewhere?" asked Scorpia, who stood before the Horde Elite. With her were Octavia, Entrapa, Dylamug, Leech, Multi-Bot, Vultak, and Mantenna.
Immediately, the Great Rebellion was in motion. Flutterina, Mermista, Netossa, Sorrowful, Spinnerella, Frosta, Sweet-Bee, and Perfuma moved forward, powers at the ready.
"Go on ahead!" shouted Frosta, sending snow/ice balls at Multi-Bot.
"We'll handle these morons!" followed Netossa, going towards Entrapa.
She-Ra nodded. "Right. Let's move."
The remainder of the group made for the stairs, only fourteen now. Behind, the Great Rebellion engaged the Horde Elite in their greatest battle yet.
Flutterina went sailing towards Scorpia, wings flapping quickly as she descended. She carefully avoided being struck by Scorpia's tail. She spun in mid-air and very quickly slammed her boot into Scorpia's stomach. Scorpia gasped and crumbled back a little.
Her tail swung around, then, and knocked the feet right out from under Flutterina. The butterfly woman went right to the ground. The tail posed upwards and went right to strike. Flutterina's body lit up brilliantly before hand and she was transformed into a small white butterfly.
"You think I still can't catch you?" hissed Scorpia, her pincer catching Flutterina's wing.
Before Scorpia could make another move, a fleet of butterflies appeared and covered her face. Scorpia's stumbled and let go of Flutterina. The butterflies bought Flutterina enough time to transform back into her human form.
"There's one power I think you forgot about," she told the enemy.
Before Scorpia had time to reply, the butterflies were gone and Flutterina's fist slammed right into Scorpia's face. She fell to the ground, defeated.
Not far away, Mermista did battle with Octavia. Mermista did her best to dodge the tentacles of Octavia, but found it increasingly difficult. Octavia was quite fast and Mermista's powers were quite limited outside of the water.
"I hear your father is dead," snarled Octavia, one of her four tentacles nearly catching Mermista's foot.
"I would shut up about that if I were you," grunted Mermista.
"Don't get distracted," laughed Octavia.
Three tentacles came flying out and wrapped around Mermista's waist. She was then hoisted over Octavia's body.
"I'm going to tear you in two," she threatened, one tentacle wrapping around her wrists, another around her ankles. "And when you're dead, I'll conquer your little kingdom and see that it is in ruins on the seafloor. I'll then feed your father's corpse to the sea-sharks. I'm sure they'll - "
In her boiling rage, something snapped in Mermista's mind. Among her abilities was telepathy with the creatures of the sea. It had no effect on those on the surface world . . . but Octavia was not limited to the surface world, was she?
A red-hot spike of telepathic anger shoved into Octavia's mind. Octavia gasped, eyes going wide as her brain flashed with attack.. She went rearing back, hissing as pain throbbed. Mermista instantly transformed her legs into a tail and smacked it into Octavia's face.
Octavia went to the ground, unconscious.
Across the room, Entrapa's long hair strands made for Netossa. However, Netossa was prepared. She pulled out a short-sword and swiped at any that came near her.
"Tell me you got something else going for you," Netossa mocked.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Entrapa replied, smiling. Three orbs came barreling out of Entrapa's pocket, each one producing small fits of electricity. "Something new."
"I see that," Netossa answered. "And I'll raise that."
Instantly, three small rubber nets went sailing from her hand, striking and covering the orbs. The orbs halted in place. Netossa was about to give a witty reply when suddenly, her entire upper body was covered in the fully unfurled fury of Entrapa's hair.
"Hair is a strong thing, missy," Entrapa told her, anger in every word. "Especially when its at my command. Any last words?"
"Yeah," Netossa choked out. "Did you really think I was prepared to face you?"
Netossa pressed a small button on her belt. What could only be described as a huge hairnet came flying out and landed among the mass of hair that was choking her. The hairnet began to pulse and grow, collecting the hair right into it. It was pulled off of Netossa, finally giving her a chance to breathe.
After a few seconds, the hair was contained into hairnet right on top of her head.
"That'll take of you," Netossa said.
Entrapa pulled out a laser then and fired it. Before she could move, Netossa was incased in a block of ice.
"And now for the kill," Entrapa stated with satisfaction.
Before she could, though, a column of fire blocked her completely. Out of the fire came Sorrowful the Dragon, his mouth smoldering.
"Stay away from my friend!"
Just as Entrapa was going to act, Dylamug appeared and blasted Sorrowful into the wall. Entrapa smiled and stepped towards what should have been Netossa's frozen body. It was, however, quite unfrozen. Sorrowful's dragon flame had melted it away - the reason for the column of fire.
A net came flying out, wrapped around Entrapa, and held her tight.
"Now it's over."
At that instant, Dylamug clattered to the ground, his body charred and off-line. Sorrowful bounded over, smiling.
"Good job."
Meanwhile, Spinnerella was doing her best to fend off Leech. Her scarves were keeping him at bay, slapping him back when she spun. But Leech was getting frustrated. At last, he gave up and jumped. A scarf hit him, but he had momentum on his side. He landed and before she could act, her face was covered his hand.
Instantaneously, everything went dark. Her body felt weak and limp. Her knees gave out. Spinnerela's strength was gone and all her ears could hear as she began to lose consciousness was a long, loud 'slurping' sound.
"You chumps are gonna pay!" Leech roared. "Comin' in here, tryin' to stop what's inevitable! You're idiots! I'm gonna drain all your broads!"
"That's not a nice word, chuckles," came the voice of Frosta.
With that, Leech was frozen solid in a huge, tall column of ice.
"Flutterina, get Spinnerella to safety!" Frosta then commanded.
"Get yourself to safety," said Multi-Bot, rushing over, lasers firing.
Frosta fired a stream of ice at Multi-Bot, but the robot split in two so it missed hitting him completely. Before she could follow up, both Multi and Bot were on her. She was thrown against the wall, but managed to get off a quick pair of ice spikes. They rammed right into both creatures, sending them back.
Frosta then finished up by incasing them in ice.
"Whew."
Overhead, Sweet-Bee and Vultak battled. The red-haired bee-girl zoomed from end of the high chamber to the other, avoiding Vultak at every chance. She was relying on instinct the entire time. To her people, flight patterns meant a lot. Carefully calculated strike patterns were a part of her nature.
But Vultak . . . he was no regular attacker. He was a hunter. He was a zookeeper. And most of all, he made sure to learn the nature and instincts of his animals. To him . . . Sweet-Bee was just another animal.
At the precise moment he predicted, Vultak changed course and slammed right into Sweet-Bee. His long, clawed hand tore at her wings. She screamed as her left wing was ripped in two. She fell to the ground, bleeding.
Vultak went for the kill, but his body was suddenly intercepted by Mantenna's. The pair were smashed and together and fell into a great heap on the ground. Netossa finished the job by placing them in a net.
"Nice job, Perfuma," Frosta stated.
"Really, there was no other way to deal with that guy," Perfuma replied, the tree that had tossed Mantenna into the air suddenly regressing back into a seed.
"Take a look at Sweet-Bee," Mermista commanded. "Netossa and Frosta, get these people secure. Prepare to seal the room. As soon as we take care of that, let's get moving. Flutterina, Sorrowful, you'll both need to get Spinnerella and Sweet-Bee back to our triage units."
"The rest us will secure Doom Tower?" asked Frosta.
"Destroy all robots."
The Fright Zone burned into the evening sky. The weight of the world was on the shoulders of an army that was scattered across a monstrous alien fortress. In its southern half, a battle waged onward. Sunder, SeaHawk, and Micah led the forces of Etheria ever unto war, seeking an end to nightmare that has plagued this planet for far too long.
While the Heroic Warriors, Evil Warriors, and Snake-Men had been sent with the mission to take down the northern half, the army had to deal with the southern half.
The weapon in Mark's hand was getting hot as he continued to fire it. Horde Troopers left and right were going down, but Mark himself was getting tired. His senses felt dull, but he kept on fighting. A few of his men from Greenthatch fought alongside of him, laser rifles firing endlessly.
"Not exactly a vacation spot," grunted Darius of Delvan, his own militia soldiers fighting with Marks.
Mark didn't laugh. He just kept fighting. They were crossing underneath a bridge, laser fire raining down on them heavily. Someone fell, but Mark didn't have time to see who it was. His damn hot laser rifle held all of his attention.
The two units took position between two buildings, safe for the relative moment. Mark turned to see who was missing . . . and spotted Darius' body in the middle of the road.
"Damn it. Give me some cover fire."
"Mark . . ."
"JUST DO IT, DAMN IT!"
The two militia groups fired at the bridge, allowing Mark to run out into the road and pull Darius' body to the relative safety of the alley. Darius was gasping heavily.
"I'm dying."
"I . . . I know . . ."
Darius reached for the inside of his shirt and pulled out a locket. He forced it into Mark's hand. "Give this to my daughter . . . Kristala and my . . . wife . . ." His eyes closed and he gasped hard. "It was such a nice . . ."
Gone.
"Damn . . . damn damn damn . . ."
Just then, dozens of laser beams came screaming towards them. The militia now completely under Mark's command acted quickly, but didn't have to. The groups from Northland, Elberon, and Northland took down the offending Horde Troopers.
The group in Doom Tower marched down a long corridor that would lead to the staircase to the throne room at the top of the tower. As they passed a dark room, the wall adjacent to the door exploded. The team turned and saw Shadow Weaver, Grizzlor, and Catra waiting for them.
"You'll go no further!" screeched Shadow Weaver, heading right towards them.
A flash of light flared from Castaspella's hands. Shadow Weaver was only slightly deterred.
"Go," Casta told them.
"We'll handle them," Bow added, pulling out an arrow.
"Good luck, mother," Glimmer stated quietly and kissed Angella on the cheek. She then went into the dark room. Madame Razz and Broom also lingered.
From there, the seven left went up the stairs.
Castaspella, as soon as she was in the room, went sailing across it thanks to the Shadow Weaver. She was killed by impacting the wall, but threw a force field around herself at the last minute. The walls exploded as she collided with it and then rolled into the next room. Shadow Weaver followed.
Grizzlor ran right at Bow, fangs glistening in the dark. He roared loudly, eyes wide with aggression. Bow fired three arrows before Grizzlor could move. Smoke stung Grizzlor's eyes and pepper tickled his nose, irritating him to no end.
Catra fired a beam from her laser cannon, but Glimmer missed and returned fire with a beam of magic. The beam struck Catra square in the chest and pushed her back. Catra hissed and pulled down her mask. Her body was transformed into that of a panther . . . that of Clawdeen. She prepared to pounce. Glimmer readied herself, but her concentration was suddenly ripped away by Grizzlor's terrible roar.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! YOU BASTARD!" shouted the wild Grizzlor, bounding at Bow with a sped she had never seen him accomplish.
Bow readied his bow and arrow, but they were ripped from his hands. Grizzlor then sent his others hand across the left side of Bow's face, blood and flesh being tore from the archer's body.
"NO!" shouted Glimmer, emotion and instinct filling her entire body.
She spun to face Clawdeen, magic pouring from her hands. Clawdeen leapt and Glimmer fired right at the face. The mask that transformed Catra was not blasted off. It was shattered. An explosion of power and a loud 'popping' sound filled the room. Catra collapsed in shock.
Glimmer then turned and unleashed her most powerful bolt at Grizzlor, saving Bow's life. Grizzlor against the wall, near the hole into the next room.
Glimmer bent down and propped Bow's head up. A long cut ran from right above his eye, over his eye, and down his cheek. She placed her hand on it and healed it just enough to stop the bleeding and to put him to sleep.
"Oh Bow . . ." she whimpered.
Meanwhile, Shadow Weaver walked into the next room. Her eyes darted along the shadows, searching for Castaspella.
"Where are you?" she asked aloud.
"Right before your very eyes," Castaspella replied.
She appeared in a burst of silver light and let loose a rainbow colored spell on Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver lifted her claw-like hands and deflected it with what appeared to be brown smoke.
"You knew that wouldn't work on me."
"End this," Castaspella argued. "We were friends once."
"The temptation of power ended that. Sacrifices needed to be made. Your friendship was merely the first. Your life won't be the last!"
Power poured from Shadow Weaver's hands. Castaspella threw her hands up and the power curled around a yellow-tinted orb shaped force field that protected her. As the attacked weakened, Castaspella lifted her right hand. Blue streams of energy sired out, arching into the air and striking Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver hissed and slithered back.
But she wasn't done. Green light pulsed from her fingers. Castaspella, at the same time, unleashed a red orb. The two interacted and an explosion of magic blasted from where they both collided. Castaspella went sailing back and smacked against a pillar.
"It is over now . . ."
"Not on life, deary!"
Shadow Weaver spun around - only to get the bottom of a broom in her face. But not just any broom - the Broom.
Madame Razz ran over to Castaspella and tossed some sand on her. Castaspella was awake instantly.
"Madame!"
"We need to work together, deary. My knowledge and your skill . . . we may just be able to undo her power!"
"Okay."
The two stood up just as Broom was tossed to the ground. They held hands and linked their minds telepathically. Shadow Weaver sneered and raised her hands.
"The spell of death . . . I have never used it, but now seems like the best time," Shadow Weaver told them, red energy beginning to form between her fingers.
"I don't think so," Castaspella stated. "You've gone too far."
"Life conquers death!" both Razz and Casta said at the same time.
As soon as those words were said, a white light formed around them. It then shimmered and began to expand. They both held out their hands, palms flat facing Shadow Weaver. The white light filled the entire room. Shadow Weaver's death spell vanished and screeched as the white light overcame here.
After a few seconds, the light faded away. Shadow Weaver laid out on the ground, defeated for now.
About two miles south, near the control center, the bulk of the fighting was taking place. Elves, Sea-Elves, Mer-Folk, Trolls, Twiggets, Magicats, Bibbets, Snow-People, and the Selkies fought tirelessly against the robotic Horde Troopers. With them were the many kingdoms of men: Erelandia, Blue Mountain, Argo, the Jungle, Sand Valley, Island Green Kingdoms, Mystacore, and Brightmoon.
Leading the charge were King Gruff, King Ahgo, King Duplis, King Sprite, Prince Highcliff, King Varn, King Akion, Chord, Jamilla, Tahndi, Prince Orwall, Baron Condor, King Arbor, Bibbet Elder, and King Selkia.
Along with them were the Red Knight, Loni, Catillus, Fritz, Wizard, Ariel, Norwyn, Arden, and Romeo. While Loni, the Red Knight, and Romeo used their fighting techniques against the Horde Troopers, magic was in heavy use by all of the others. Spells were cast upon spells, each one tearing through Horde Troopers.
Commanding all of them was General Sunder, King Micah, Prince Zed, and Admiral SeaHawk.
The army itself came upon the command center and it was there that the foursome leading this portion of the campaign saw their targets. Standing at the window in the highest level of the command center were Captain Slime Pig, Admiral Scurvy, False Face, and Dragstor.
"We need to get up there," stated Micah, preparing himself.
"Teleportation," suggested Zed.
"There are magic fields at work that prevent that," Sunder replied. However . . . combined magic may just do the trick."
At their command, Catillus, Fritz Ariel, Norwyn, Arden, and the Wizard were encircled around them. The Red Knight, Loni, and Romeo joined the four as they prepared to teleport. Blue light swirled around their bodies, breaking through the magical fields established to stop such an action from taking place.
Instantaneously, the seven appeared in the command center. Loni, Red Knight, and Romeo were in action at once, blasting away at Horde Troopers throughout the room. SeaHawk put his laser pistol at Scurvy's forehead.
"Your fleet days are over."
"I won't stand for this," snorted Slime-Pig. "TRAITORS!"
Sunder kicked Slime-Pig in the face and sent the small, ugly thing rolling across the floor. However, Dragstor punched Sunder right in the back of the head. Sunder went down. Before Dragstor could move, the Red Knight slammed axe right into the engine on his back.
Loni and Romeo went to work on the defensive weapons for the command center, aiming them at the Horde Troopers below. Scurvy, Dragstor, False Face, and Slime Pig were secured. Sunder came back to consciousness.
"She-Ra, this is King Micah. The southern command center is ours."
They came to it at last. He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor, King Hiss, King Randor, Queen Angella, Swift-Wind, Battle-Cat, and Kowl were at the top floor of Doom Tower. They encountered numerous Horde Troopers on their way towards Hordak's throne room, but they were easily dealt with.
"Here it is," She-Ra stated.
"Let justice be done," Angella said, readying herself.
"Indeed," Hiss agreed.
He-Man and She-Ra slammed their fists on the doors. They shattered and the group walked right in. It was empty save for Hordak at the top. The lights were dimmed. He was lost in shadow.
"It is over, Hordak," She-Ra told him, leading them all in. "Your Horde Troopers are being destroyed as we speak. Your Fright Zone command centers have been conquered. The Great Rebellion is locking down Doom Tower."
"The lands you once commanded have been freed," Angella continued. "End the fighting now."
Hordak snorted. "I've conquered scores of planets and yet . . . the denizens of Eternia and Etheria have annoyed me the most," he said in a very dismissive manner. "I love that you all gathered here. Skeletor and Hiss . . . my ultimate betrayer and my greatest rival. He-Man and She-Ra, of course, the champions of the two worlds I have attempted to conquer. Reminders of failure, you two are. Queen Angella, representing this fine world. Randor . . . the man seeking revenge for the daughter I stole. Such an assemblage. But let's dispose of the pets, shall we?"
Mantisaur suddenly appeared and went right at Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind. The pair leapt at the horrible creature, but it was much stronger than they expected. They all tumbled into the corridor and battled there.
Immediately after this, Imp appeared and slammed into Kowl. The two rolled out onto the balcony, fighting it out.
"And now . . . for the rest of you."
A pulse of power unlike any they ever felt came roaring from Hordak. Skeletor, King Hiss, King Randor, She-Ra, He-Man, and Angella went flying back, stunned. Hordak stood up from his throne and climbed down the stairs, lights clicking on as he did.
"YOU DARED TO OPPOSE ME!" he shouted. "I AM POWER! I AM MASTER HERE!"
"Only the master of death!" screamed Angella gathering her strength to stand again.
"Oh, and that is true. Funny you should mention that, too. I found just how you discovered my plans. Poor, dear Double Trouble. Be assured she didn't scream . . . until the very end . . ."
"BUTCHER!" roared Angella. Her wings spread out wide and she fired forward, Sword Uriel pointed outward.
Hordak jumped high into the air as she went right to him. Obviously she missed, but she was a master of flight. Hordak landed and she fired a beam of white light right at him. It struck him, but had a diminished effect. He, instead, blasted her. The energy hit her in the abdomen, but traveled along her body until it reached her wings. They burned with the energy.
Hordak then slid forward and pushed her. Angella went sailing into the stairs before his throne, her body weak. She lifted the Sword of Uriel, but Hordak struck it. The blade, which had been a magical weapon for 14 generations, shattered. He grabbed her neck.
"You once told me that you would rather die on feet then live on your knees. So be it."
Before he could act, though, Hordak was pulled back. Angella fell to the ground, weak. Two large arms held Hordak up.
"This trick only really works once, Randor."
Hordak floated up, taking King Randor with him. He then slammed his elbow in Randor's stomach and the king landed. Hordak landed before him, transformed his arms into lasers and fired. Randor's shield blocked them. But before he could lower it, he was telekinetically thrown into the on-coming Skeletor and King Hiss.
A fist ran right up against Hordak's face. He-Man pounded Hordak, fists of fury smashing and bashing the ruthless leader. Since the battle began, Hordak now faced his first serious opposition. He-Man was strong and fast, and was probably among the best warriors Hordak had ever faced.
But Hordak knew how to play dirty. He slammed two energized fists into He-Man's stomach. He-Man was pushed back, but his Sword of Power was out. He slid across Hordak's armor, slicing it open. All it did was expose flesh, but there was a rhyme to the reason.
As He-Man fell back, Skeletor unleashed a volley of energy at Hordak. The Chaos Staff was at full capacity as it struck Hordak. Hordak was now in danger. As Skeletor continued to strike, King Hiss closed in from behind. Snake's wrapped around Hordak as Skeletor's power beam pulsed on. Fangs dug deep into the exposed flesh, releasing their toxins.
"This ends . . ." Hordak snarled. He lifted his hands and small bolts of energy spiraled out and shocked King Hiss. He then turned and tossed King Hiss right into Skeletor. The pair were in a heap on the floor and Hordak reached down and snapped off the top of the staff. The ram's head clattered to the ground.
Hordak then used his alchemy skills to transform the staff. It was black now with a Horde symbol on the top. He then waved King Hiss' wound. The venom vanished from his system immediately. He then looked up to his final enemy.
"I knew you would be last," Hordak declared.
"Your reign, Hordak, it must be stopped," She-Ra responded, braced for battle.
"Never. My legacy shall live on, She-Ra. You can not stop me."
"We have you beaten!"
"As long as I live, I shall never be defeated. And if you kill me, then you will break a sacred vow. And I will have beaten you that way."
Much to Hordak's surprise, She-Ra smiled. "I don't have to kill you, Hordak. I just have to destroy you."
Hordak snarled. He pushed his greatest telekinetic push on her. She didn't budge. He let lose a volley of shots from his arm cannons. The Shield of the Great Rebellion halted them. A stream of energy went firing from his hand. The Sword of Protection merely absorbed and dissipated it.
Hordak rushed forward, new staff at the ready. She-Ra blocked it. Again and again and again. She then began to strike it herself until it was sliced in two. Hordak, then, achieved the higher ground. He unleashed a strike of power that caused the bands on her shield to dissolve. The Shield of the Great Rebellion fell to the floor.
He then fired a beam of pure red energy at her. She-Ra took the brunt of it and was tossed back. She stood up, though, and went to punch Hordak. Hordak grabbed her fist in mid-swing and pulled it down. She-Ra lost her balance and Hordak kneed her in the gut.
She then stood up and swung the Sword of Protection at him. With power flowing around his hand, he smacked her wrist hard enough for the blade to go flying across the room. She-Ra kicked him hard, but if it had effect, she didn't see.
Hordak reached out and grabbed her by the neck. He held her up just as he had Angella. Red energy fumed from his other hands.
"You have been a pest for too long," Hordak told her. "Time to die. Any last words?"
She-Ra looked at Hordak with new eyes. For years, though she fought to deny it, she saw two men in Hordak. The man that practically raised her as his own and the man that was trying to conquer the world. But now she saw only one man . . . a creature of pure, unspeakable evil.
The lifetime of spells, lies, and deceptions came flooding into her mind. Her eyes caught the ones that Hordak kept missing from her life - Randor and He-Man, her father and brother. Kept away so that she could be better than Skeletor, the man standing up with the others.
"Last words?" she managed as tight fingers squeezed her neck. "F you, asshole."
Both feet slammed between Hordak's legs. He yelled out and dropped She-Ra. Fury unbridled came roaring out of She-Ra. Her fists slammed against Hordak in the same manner as He-Man's hand, but these were stronger and the emotion behind them was far greater.
Hordak shoved her off him, but this only gave She-Ra the opportunity to shove Hordak against the stairs of his throne. She quickly lifted the Sword of Protection, pressed her boot against his chest. The Sword of Protection sat right against his neck.
"You can't do it," Hordak said with calm. "You won't do it."
"I . . ."
Two red beams fired out of Hordak's eyes and hit She-Ra. She-Ra stumbled back. Hordak stood up, body brimming with power.
"NONE OF YOU CAN! YOU WON'T KILL ME! I AM A PART OF YOUR LIFE AND YOU ALL NEED ME!" Power and energy blared around Hordak. He faced them all. "But I can kill you . . ."
"You will take no more lives, Hordak!" shouted Queen Angella, unleashing all of her power on Hordak.
"You will pay for what you have done to this world and all those on it!" She-Ra added, power blasting out of the jewel of the Sword of Protection.
Hordak struggled against both beams of power, but he found himself ready to strike . . . when suddenly He-Man and King Randor attacked.
"The crimes you've committed on Eternia and Etheria will be rectified!" He-Man declared, energy now firing out from the top of the Sword of Power.
"Your victims have long memories, Hordak," Randor added, firing a laser pistol.
Skeletor lifted up the top of Chaos Staff and channeled his power through it, striking Hordak. He struggled now as the attack continued to increase.
"You had this coming," Skeletor assured him.
"For centuries," King Hiss continued, blasting Hordak as well.
"No . . . NO! NOOOOO!" Hordak roared and cried out.
It was all churning around him. The power of Grayskull, the power of Angella, Hiss, and Skeletor. The power of Dark-Hope. His own power. All of it. It exploded, fumed, swirled, and roared around Hordak's body, building within and outside of his body.
And then . . . it all reached critical mass.
The explosion was purely magical. Nothing physical was destroyed. Doom Tower shook though, much to the attention of the Great Rebellion. And the pure display was something to be witnessed. The top of the Doom Tower filled with elaborate colors and patterns. Energy and light flashed out the windows.
It was all over then.
Hordak sat on his knees, powers burned out. Around him stood the people his life had touched the most.
"His power is gone," Skeletor remarked.
"Let usss kill him then," King Hiss said.
He-Man, Randor, and Angella blocked their way. "No," He-Man commanded.
"We are better than him."
Skeletor scoffed. "You may be."
"Surrender, Hordak," She-Ra ordered.
"Never . . ." he coughed. A spit of a wad of blood and stood up, trying to walk to his throne. She-Ra's eyes narrowed. She grabbed Hordak's shoulder, turned him around, and punched him across the face. Hordak fell unconscious on the stairs.
"Everyone out," She-Ra commanded.
"What!" Hiss balked.
"You heard me. Out."
"She-Ra . . .?" Angella questioned.
She-Ra remained stern. "He's the only one that can shut down the Horde Troopers. We need that to happen immediately."
Randor stepped over to her. "What makes you think you make him do that?"
"Trust me."
"Yes," He-Man stated. "Trust her. Come on."
They all filed out, joining Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind, who had effectively defeated Mantisaur in the corridor. He-Man took a look at She-Ra before he replaced the doors.
Two minutes later, Hordak awoke. He felt worse than he had ever imagined it would. His power was sapped. Every part of his body was sore. He turned to face his attackers, though, but was surprised to find that only one person stood before and she was not among those that battled him.
"You . . ."
"Force Captain Adora, sir," said the blonde that he helped raise. "Reporting for duty."
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
LOOK FOR "LIBERTY AND VALOR - BOOK FOUR: AFTERMATH" COMING SOON!