Universal Collisions
And a Child Shall Lead Them
part 1
By: orkoad
Disclaimer: Based on characters and situations owned and created by Mattel Toys, Marvel Comics, Walt Disney Pictures, Sunbow Entertainment, Rhino Home Video, Hallmark Entertainment. Johnny Springs and Cidney Portman copyrighted by orkoad.
basically the only characters i own are John and Cid, so please enjoy and send feedback, and I apologize for any spelling and grammar problems... my PC doesn't have a spell check, believe it or not.
The sun rose and started the cold September day in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but it made little difference to Johnny Springs. He lay in his bed in his small two-room apartment trying to get some sleep. He had spent the previous night pondering the fictional questions of the universe. He was awakened by the sound of the television in the next room blasting to life. Johnny sat up sluggishly, wrapped the bathrobe around his body, covering his chest and blue jeans from the night before and walked into the room. There on the television played an episode of He-man and the Masters of the Universe, the original series of course. An episode he had never seen before. It showed the young hero, He-man, fighting the evil Skelator. He-man sent Skelator to the ground of the Evergreen Forest, but as He-man approached the fallen villain, he threw a green powder at He-man from the pouch on his belt and He-man disappeared, then the screen went black, and the words "To be continued..." appeared on the screen, the show then cut to commercial. Johnny rubbed his eyes and touched the off button as he walked up the computer and went online.
"What's up buddy?" the words on the screen asked.
"Hey Al, the weirdest thing happened. I just saw the tail end of this He-man episode, but I never heard anything about it and I surely never saw it myself before. Have you ever heard of Skelator using a kind of green powder?" Johnny typed onto the computer.
"Was it a crystal He-man grinded into dust?" The words on the screen asked.
"No."
"Then you were imagining things."
"Damn it Alexandra! I know what I saw, but there was something else, I could swear I turned the T.V. off last night, but when I woke up, it was playing that episode."
"Well, when you see that Marvel vs DC animated movie you always say you would like to see made, let me know."
Johnny growled to himself as he switched the computer off and walked into the bathroom, after a few minutes he flushed the toilet and walked out. That's when he saw the clock and jumped in shock.
"Damn, I'm late for work!"
------------------------------------------------------
Johnny raced through the busy streets of downtown Minneapolis, the morning rain had drenched his gray trench coat and t-shirt and blue jeans underneath. He gasped for breath as he whirled around and entered the comic shop. He shook off the cold water off his coat as he made his way into the back room. As he opened the door to the back room, he saw a Masters of the Universe comic on the stand with a fifty-cent sticker on the cover. Johnny furiously grabbed the comic and headed for the back room. Within the back room, a man sat in a chair, his feet propped up against a table, and a half empty beer in his hand.
"You're late again, Springs," the man said as he gulped down the alcohol.
"Matt, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Johnny asked angrily, shaking the comic.
"What? I'm doing my job," Matt said as he finished his beer and threw it in the trash can.
"I told you yesterday I was going to buy this comic today. Now you ruined the cover by putting this sticker on it."
"What some cheese with that whine?" Matt asked as he slipped on his jacket on and walked out the door. Johnny scowled at him silently as he pulled the beer can out of the garbage and dropped it into the recycling bin. Johnny took a last breath of frustration and flung the comic into his locker, hoping to be able to carefully pull off the sticker later. Johnny hung up his long gray trench coat and walked out into the main room. There behind the main desk stood the most beautiful woman Johnny had ever seen; her name was Cidney. He had met her several times in his working at the comic shop. She was from a suburb of Minneapolis. She waited on a customer looking like a vision from heaven. No matter how many times he saw her, Johnny had to take a breath, finding not one flaw in her long, waist length fiery red hair, blue jeans and tall leather boots. Even the Spiderman t-shirt he had bought her for her birthday last May fit her like a glove two sizes too small (which was never Johnny's intention; he was just never given her shirt size). Johnny had to calm himself down before walking behind the counter and joined her in the job.
"Hey Johnny, how's life?" Cidney asked.
"The same; vengeful and unrelenting," Johnny joked as he clipped on his name tag, another little bit in life he found as punishment for living. Johnny looked around underneath the desk, but didn't find what he was searching for.
"Where are the doughnuts?" Johnny asked.
"Matt ate the last of them. He wanted to leave a piece of dog poo on it too, but I told him Mr. Barns would have a means to fire him if he did," Cidney replied. Johnny groaned.
"Same old vulture, Dark Horse should give him a comic, Crapman." Cidney gave a short snicker. "Ya know, something weird happened earlier today. You know how I'm such a He-man fanatic, right?"
"Yeah, you talk about him so much I feel like I know as much about the show as you do."
"Well, I woke up this morning and the T.V. was on, and I could have sworn I had turned it off the night before, but there was this scene I've never seen before; Skelator sprinkled some dust on He-man and he disappeared. Before work I looked over the net and never found any mention of it."
"That is weird. Well, someone needs to go on a snack run."
"I'll go, but only if you go out with me this Saturday." Cidney smiled.
"No."
"Well, I'm off anyway. Want anything special?"
"Yeah, some weight loss pills." Johnny smiled.
"Like you need them; I'm getting you some spam." Johnny joked as he walked out of the store and headed for the supermarket across the street.
--------------------------------------
As Johnny walked through the canned foods aisle on his way to the checkout counter, he noticed the lonely can of spam on the shelf. Johnny smiled for a moment, then picked up the can and threw it into the little basket he held next to a box of doughnuts and a twelve pack of Dr. Pepper. He checked out as quickly as he could, then headed for the door. Just then, another man walked straight into him, knocking the contents of the grocery bag onto the floor.
"Aww...damn it!" Johnny said as he bent down to pick up the groceries. The man who Johnny bumped into bent down to help him.
"Oh I'm sorry, let me help you," he said as he helped Johnny gather the groceries. Johnny was about to join him, until he saw the man who was already picking it up, at least who he looked like, his mouth fell open. The man looked up and saw his puzzled look. "Are you alright?" He asked.
"You...um, I'm Johnny. What's your name?" Johnny asked, hoping he wasn't sounding like he was implying anything.
"Adam, Adam Eternos." Johnny rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"You...your He-, no very funny pal, you're not going to get me again, I don't care if Orko flies out of your , He-man's fiction and I won't let you use him to tease me any more." Johnny said as he grabbed his groceries and stormed off. Adam raced after him, shaken for a moment at the self-opening doors, but he quickly reminded himself of the problem at hand.
"Hey wait, I need your help." Adam begged.
"Bull&$# pal, this kind of &$ should end with you guys in high school. Grow up." Johnny said angrily as he set his groceries in the front trunk of his Volkswagen beetle, then slipped into his car and struggled to get the engine to start.
"Wait, I need to get home." Adam said as Johnny finally got the engine to start.
"Call a cab; it should only cost a couple billion to get to Eternia." Johnny said as he turned on the radio.
"Welcome to Minnesota!" Johnny said angrily as he sped off. Adam quickly tapped the car with his fingertip as it sped away. He then looked at the small screen on his wristband, which showed Johnny's location on a moving map. Adam then looked up at the car which was now no more than a dot in his field of vision.
"Minnesota, huh." Adam said as he started walking.
------------------------------------
Johnny walked into the comic shop with a picture of rage on his face as he angrily slammed the door to the back room. Cidney wanted to go and see why Johnny was so angry, but it had to wait until he came out of the back room; she was the only one on a register and it was very bad for business to leave the store unattended. Luckily Johnny quickly exited the back room with a box of glazed doughnuts and two Dr. Pepper cans; the fire in his face had cooled a little.
"You okay?" she asked as he tossed her a can from the other side of the register.
"Yeah, just ran into anjerk at the store earlier." Johnny said as he cracked open his can of Dr. Pepper and took a long sip.
"Well, I got more bad news for you. Old man Burns said this isn't your home address so you can't have things mailed here anymore." Johnny nearly choked on the pop.
"What are you talking about?" Johnny asked. Cidney handed Johnny a factory wrapped comic book. Johnny gave it a good look over. The cover read, Universal Chronicles. It was a first edition with a familiar castle in the background. "Greyskull?" Johnny said in disbelief. "But, I never sent away for this, I would have thought had I seen it in any ad." Johnny said as he was about to tear open the wrapping, just then Johnny saw a teenager, (younger than him anyway,) slipping a pack of X-men trading cards into his jeans pocket. Johnny, instantly forgetting about the comic and remembering his job, rolled up the comic and stuffed it into his back pocket.
"Hey kids, could you two step into the back room for a minute?" Johnny asked the shoplifter and his friend as he led them into the back room.
------------------------------------
Johnny yawned as he walked into the back room and slipped on his coat. After an & at a grocery store, two shoplifters and a stern warning from the boss, all Johnny wanted to do was go home. He stretched as he walked out of the store, locked it, and walked over to his car. His keys in one hand and the remaining eight Dr. Pepper cans in the open case in the other, he struggled to unlock his old car. He then noticed the autobot symbol on the hood of his car, it made him think of the guy he met at the grocery store, and for a brief, BRIEF instant, believed him. Then he shooed the thought aside and slipped into his car and drove off. Three seconds later, the man who called himself Adam walked up to the closed comic shop and looked down at the small scanner in his hand.
"Blast." he said as he noticed the small blip on his radar started moving away from the position. He yawned and decided to find a good spot to sleep for the night rather than find the blip.
--------------------------------------
The light blinded Johnny for a moment as he flicked the switch on. He gave a belch as he threw the fifth empty can in his small blue bin next to the garbage can and walked over to the fridge and set the remaining cans into the fridge; he then folded the box up and threw it into the garbage. He then closed the fridge and walked into his living room. The T.V. was on again, but he didn't remember leaving it on. The same He-man episode was playing again; where He-man disappeared at the hand of Skelator. Johnny picked up the toy Star Wars blaster he had left on the coffee table in the center of the room and held the toy in his hand as he watched the T.V. This time, however, the episode didn't cut to a commercial. Instead, it faded to Skelator sitting on the throne of Castle Greyskull, a goblet of blood in his hand and a blood stained smile on his bony face, then it faded to black. The words to be concluded were all that remained of the terrifying reminder of the scary site. Then the screen went blank, as if someone had turned it off.
"It is what will happen if you fail," a voice said from behind him. Johnny turned and saw an old man sitting in Johnny's arm chair, with a puffy white beard and a long dark trench coat.
"Who are you and what the & are you doing in my apartment?" Johnny asked. The man stood up and looked around.
"What do you have here, a small hole in a tiny building. A collection of trinkets and records of fictional characters. Is this all you want out of life, my boy?" the man asked. Johnny lifted his blaster and aimed it at the man, hoping the guy wouldn't realize it was just a toy. "Come now my boy, you and I both know that is simply a piece of plastic. Now answer my question or you will never know the truth." The truth, Johnny thought. He decided to give the crack pot a chance to prove himself.
"Talk. You have one minute."
"How gracious. What if I told you that all these things weren't based on fiction, that the creators of these...objects had not actually created them, that they instead had accidentally tapped into some kind of secret brainwave. That your wildest dream is true..." The man stepped closer to Johnny, his mouth an inch away from his ear. "It's all real, He-man, the transformers, even some silly ones like Care Bears and Winny the Pooh; it's all real." He then stepped back to his original position.
"And who are you again?" Johnny asked.
"I have many names, but you may call me...Zodack." Johnny snickered.
"Any relation to the He-man one?" the old man nodded.
"No, you're not Zodack. You're delusional. Now, prove it or get out." Zodack snickered. "Point your toy out your window and pull the trigger." Johnny smiled, hoping to once and for all put an end to this nonsense. He pointed and pulled the trigger as requested, and was shocked to hear the whisk-like sound of a lazer bolt fly from the toy blaster's barrel, melt threw the glass like it was butter, and send a small T.V. antenna falling to the street below. Johnny turned to see this, and then back to Zodack. The old man merely smiled.
"When you are ready, call my name and I will hear and be ready."
"I'm ready now."
"No, you have more to do here before you may go. Take precautions and alike, and two more are willing to go." Zodack said as he disappeared. Johnny blinked, then looked at his gun, then he fired it again at the empty window. The blast whizzed by a passing helicopter, forcing it to land early. Johnny quickly hid the gun under a throw pillow on his couch, then walked into his room and dropped to the bed. For some reason, he had never felt so tired before.
----------------------------
The next day, Johnny raced out the door with a duffel bag full of clothes and personal items, all the money he had ever saved, and his keys and blaster, now attached to his belt with the toy strap it had been sold with. He raced to his car and sped off to the local grocery store. Johnny groaned, hoping to find the guy from the day before, but it couldn't be helped. He bought three cases of Dr. Pepper and one of Pepsi, along with two loaves of bread, three pounds of sliced ham and some other food for the coming journey. He paid for the food quickly and raced it to his car. But as he sat down he felt something in his back pocket, it was the comic. Not sure where he should go next, he decided to open the comic. It was only a few pages long, the first page showed a building he recognized, but not from any comic or T.V. show. "My god!" Johnny said aloud to himself. He instantly flung the comic on the passenger side seat and floored the gas pedal. He was lucky not to pass any police cars because it wouldn't have been enough to make him stop. He pulled over in front of the comic shop and raced in and found Cidney behind the register. She had a sad look on her face as she saw Johnny walk in.
"Johnny your late...Mr. Burns fired you when the store opened." Johnny's shocked look didn't waver at the news.
"Cid, look at this," Johnny said as he showed her the first page of the comic.
"What am I looking at?"
"That's St. Michael's; the orphanage I grew up in. How could someone know I lived there? It burned down fifteen years ago."
"Look what it says," She said as she was already reading from the comic," Once upon a time there lived a man, unlike most, who's childhood started here."
"You don't think it's talking about me, do you?" Johnny asked as he turned the page. "That's my apartment," he continued as he started to read. "Until recently he resided here, at one of the many buildings in the state of Minnesota, on the planet Earth."
"Until recently?" Cidney asked as Johnny continued to read.
"One day he and his friend stumbled upon a strange thing near the fields just outside of the town where he lived."
"The next page is blank."
"I'll drive," Johnny said as he raced out the door." Cidney stood there for a moment, then looked at the empty comic shop lobby.
"Screw it." She said as she raced off after him. As Johnny raced towards the car, he spotted the man he met the day before at the grocery store.
"Please listen to me." the man begged.
"Shut up and get in!" Johnny ordered as he opened the door to his car and jumped into his drivers side door. Cidney raced into the passenger side door, then jumped when she saw the new friend in the car as Johnny sped off towards the old abandoned fields outside of Minneapolis. "Cid, meet Prince Adam," Johnny said as he peered out at the road, trying to stay on the road and see through the now heavily raining weather.
"Cidney Diana Portman," she said as she shook Adam's hand. She then realized what Johnny had said.
"Wait, Adam...as in He-man?"
"Thats right...we have a winner, Bob. Tell her what she's won." Johnny joked.
"Who's Bob?" Adam asked as Johnny pulled the comic from his pants pocket and handed it to Cidney.
"Check that comic again, I want to know what to look for. "Johnny said as Cidney opened to strange comic.
"Okay." Cidney said as she started to read aloud. " As they drove towards the fields, they disappeared, and became lost, possibly forever." Johnny looked up from the road to look at Cidney, the two friends shared the same shocked expression.
"Look out!" Adam cried as Johnny looked up at the road, to see a massive orange gate open in the center of the road. Johnny was unable to stop in time and the vortex swallowed the three friends, Volkswagen and all.
The car swerved left and right as it crossed through the vortex and found itself in the middle of a lush forest of evergreens. Johnny slammed on the brakes and forced the Volkswagen to a halt. Johnny shook his head as he looked over the inside of the small car.
"Everyone okay?" Johnny asked as he looked in the back and saw Adam look around.
"I think so," Adam replied. Johnny then noticed Cidney, who was lying in the seat motionless; she was knocked out. Johnny pressed his fingers to her neck to check her pulse and found that she was still alive, just out cold. Johnny then seemed to notice her for the first time-she was a vision of beauty-but Johnny quickly shook the thought aside and looked back at Adam.
"So, where are we heading?" Johnny asked.
"That way, down the path." Adam said as he pointed to the half walked over path leading out of the forest. As Johnny drove, he found himself full of questions.
"Adam, how did you get on Earth?" Johnny asked.
"Skelator ambushed me on the other side of the forest when I was He-man. When I found myself on your planet, I changed to Adam and started wandering."
"Weird. Any special reason why Skelator attacked you?" Johnny asked as he struggled to keep control of the wheel.
"No, I think he was just trying to get rid of He-man," Adam said with a smile as he looked up to see where they were going. "Stop now!" Adam yelled, forcing Johnny to stop inches before the ravine ahead of them.
"Thanks I...aye aye aye!" Johnny said as he looked up past the ravine to see a massive castle beyond it, a moldy lime green stone castle with the massive carving of a darkened skull in the castle's entrance. "Castle Greyskull!" Johnny quickly shook Cidney awake. "Cid, you have to see this!" Johnny said as she was shaken awake.
"Ow, what? And who taught you how to drive you...you &ing saint," she said as she gazed up at the forboding castle. "My god..." She said as she felt her skin crawl.
"Let's find that Jaw Bridge," Johnny said as he backed up the car and started circling the castle, looking for the entrance.
"How do you know so much about me and Greyskull?" Adam asked.
"Well that's kind of hard to explain," Johnny said, quickly trying to make sense of things.
"On Earth, you, Skelator and everything on Eternia and Etheria are stories of fiction. But I think there's more to it than that. You see, I think that the creators of the program you are all on were some how able to tap into your world like a communication or something and..."
"What's Etheria?" Adam asked. Johnny cursed as he wondered if those ideas about a communication had anything to do with time differences.
"Something I heard mentioned once. Um... is that the entrance?" Johnny asked, already knowing the awnser.
"Um, yeah. We'll have to get out for a mo..." Suddenly the Jaw Bridge opened on its own. "Uh huh...guess we need to go in," Adam said, half surprised as Johnny slowly drove the small car into the legendary castle.
"Johnny, I'm scared," Cidney said in a trembling tone.
"Why? You know as much about this castle as I do; there's nothing to be afraid of," Johnny said as he parked the car in the main hall of the castle. When the three of them collected in front of the car, Johnny felt Cidney clutch onto his arm. He couldn't help but feel even more excited than he had ever been; not only for being in the castle that surrounded his imagination for over fifteen years, but by the beautiful woman at his side.
"Sorceress, did you summon me?" Adam asked the woman at the top of the stairs. Johnny was in awe as he saw the old woman, though she looked young enough to be a super model.
"Yes, Prince of Eternia. But who, may I ask, are your friends?" she inquired.
"I...I..." was all Johnny could say.
"I am Cidney Portman and this speechless young man is Johnny Spri..."
"Johnithan Springs?" The sorceress said in shock.
"You've heard of me?" Johnny asked in hope that he had finally found some kind of purpose in his life. The sorceress stood there in shock for a moment, then regained her calm posture once more.
"I'm afraid not, just a name that sounded like an old friend's. Please Adam, come with me. And please, ask your friends to join us," The sorceress said as she walked down a hallway on the left side of the hall. Johnny would put money down on the fact that she was hiding something, but he wasn't going to rock the boat just yet. Adam looked over to Johnny and Cidney and Johnny smiled.
"I am so in, buddy, but I don't know about Cidney," Johnny said as he looked over to Cidney, who actually didn't want to go. The idea of going on an adventure scared her, as if being in another world wasn't enough, but the joy in Johnny's eyes overpowered her fears.
"I'm in," she said as she and Adam raced into the hall. Johnny ran back to the car and drove after them, making sure not to go too fast or bump into the close walls.
---------------------
Johnny was having trouble breathing, it was like he was in heaven; he was still waiting for all of this to be some kind of prank. But the very walls were just reinforcing the fact that this was all real. Johnny stopped the car, hopped out and joined Adam and Cidney at the end of the hall. The sorceress stood at a tall stone door, which stood open, and a shimmering gate, just like the one that brought the three of them to Eternia, stood within the doorframe.
"Well, if it's a gate, where does it go?"Adam asked.
"Well, I cannot say. This door has never opened before."
"And you want us to pass through it and find someone in the world it leads to?" Adam said in a half question.
"I would go myself, but as you know..." Johnny interrupted.
"You have no power outside this castle."
"How did you know this?" the sorceress asked.
"Ask me again some other time," Johnny replied as he took a step closer to the gate. "Unbelievable."
"But you can't tell us who this person is, huh?" Adam asked.
"Could it be..." Cidney was about to say, but Johnny raced over to her and clasped a hand over her mouth.
"No, it's not ...him," Johnny said to all of them, giving Cidney a wink. Cidney nodded, out of the view of Adam and the Sorceress and Johnny removed his hand.
"Hold out your hand," the sorceress said to Adam as she wiggled her fingers. As Adam held out his hands at arms length, a sword flashed into them. At first glance, Johnny thought it was Adam's sword. As the jewel came into view when the light faded, he kicked himself in his mind as he remembered where this was going, having seen the story well over fifty times. "This sword will lead you to the one you seek."
"Why, except for this jewel, this sword looks exactly like mine."
"And like yours, it is meant for someone with a very special destiny."
"But how will I..." Adam was interrupted. Johnny expected the interrupter to be the Sorceress, but it was Cidney who spoke.
"Adam, listen. she clearly can't say anything. At least until the three of us find this person," she said as she looked over to Johnny with a smile. Johnny was suprised, but couldn't help but smile back.
"The very fate of the universe may depend on your success." Johnny chuckled.
"Nothing like a little pressure," Johnny joked, but the Sorceress ignored the joke.
"I have brought an old friend to accompany you and your friend," the Sorceress said as a massive green and orange striped tiger sluggishly trotted over to Adam, but he seemed to tremble at the sight of Johnny and Cidney.
"Adam, do we really have to go?" Adam smiled.
"Ready for an adventure, Cringe?" Adam asked as he looked down at his old friend.
"An adventure? I haven't even had lunch yet," Cringer whimpered.
"Enter the gate now my friends, and good luck to you all." Johnny waved his friends into the Volkswagen and together they entered the vortex, and began their first adventure together.
-------------------------------------
Meanwhile...deep in the abandoned temple of the evil (and dead) witch Shakoti, a man hidden in the shadows sat on a cold stone throne as he peered down at the pool of molten concrete which had sealed the fate of the lost sorceress of evil. An image swirled above the stone pool to reveal the cold outsides of Castle Greyskull. His magic was much more powerful than before, and now was the perfect time to attack the castle. But when the image changed to a smudged image of the four friends in the yellow contraption, floating between dimensions, he howled in rage and smashed the stone arm of his throne as one of his hired troops stepped into the room, walking into the image, forcing it to evaporate into mist.
"My lord, we are ready for our march to Castle Greyskull," the humble, thin creature said.
"Forget it...the son of Greyskull has arrived at last," the thin man shuttered.
"But my master...what.."
"Silence. Send Marko to the Fertile Plains. He is to wait there until I send further orders."
"Is that what you wish for me to tell him?" the thin creature asked in a shiver.
"Yes," the man said as his teeth gave a small shimmer, showing the outline of his smile. This was a day long in coming and the man was ready for it. He thought as he watched the thin man stumble out of the room, and wondered why he was unable to find the boy before. Was he aware of his magical heritage? No, he couldn't have, otherwise he would have found him by now. Things would progress slowly, but they would progress. He couldn't wait to give the boy such...grief.
-----------------------------------
When the car drove through the gate, Johnny was sure to keep his foot almost totally off the gas petal, and he was right to do so because he found the forest in front of them rather close. Johnny stopped the car and the four friends piled out again.
"So, what do we do now?" Cidney asked as she watched Johnny walk over to the trunk in the front of his car and tossed her a can of Dr. Pepper. He did the same to Adam, then pulled an old, dusty dog bowl out, wiped it off with a clean towel, and filled it with Dr. Pepper for Cringer. Adam watched Cidney open the can and take a sip, then he did the same. When he took a sip, he spit it back out in shock.
"What on Eternia is this stuff?" Adam asked.
"The wine of the gods, or more commonly known as Dr. Pepper." Adam gave a small snicker and looked at the can.
"Strong stuff," he said as he took another sip.
"I think it's great," Cringer said as he licked away at the bowl of soda with a passion.
"So anyway, where do we go from here?" Cidney asked.
"Adam and Cringer will head north and you and I should head towards the mountain range; there's something
I've always wanted to do," Johnny said with real determination in his voice.
-------------------------------------
"There's something you've always wanted to do?" Cidney asked with heavy sarcasm.
"Yeah. I've seen this movie...we're going to free Queen Angela." Cidney was suprised as they drove the Volkswagen across the dead fields that lie beyond the Whispering Woods.
"Look...if memory serves, she is on top of Talon Mountain, and we have no means of...LOOK OUT!" Cidney said as Johnny looked out to see a person in the road. Johnny stomped on the brakes and swerved away from the man who stood in their path. When the car finally came to a halt, Johnny stepped out of the car, his blaster in hand. When he got a good look at the man who stood in the center of the dead field, he wanted to scream.
"What the hell are you doing? I'm pretty sure that a car hitting a man would kill," Johnny said as he walked up to Zodack.
"I have come to aide you." Johnny smiled.
"I thought creatures like yourself couldn't get directly involved."
"There is a fine line between aiding a friend, and giving someone the smallest effort when he has no hope." Johnny was quickly growing angry as Cidney walked over.
"Friend of yours?" she asked.
"Acquaintance is more like it," Johnny replied as he walked a few feet towards the mountains a few miles away.
"This world knows me as Zodack," Zodack said as he took her hand and kissed it.
"And why are you here?"
"Why, to aid you in your quest to save the helpless queen," Zodack said as he snapped his fingers. Nothing happened.
"What did you do?" She asked as she looked around.
"You'll find out," he replied as she turned to face him again, but he was gone.
"Cid, let's go!" Johnny yelled from the car.
"Where did he go?" Cidney asked as she opened the door and fell into the passengers seat.
"Don't know and don't care. Would he have something to do with the new button on the dashboard?" Johnny asked as he pointed to the little red button that now sat on the dashboard.
"He may. Should we try it?" Cidney asked as her finger closed in on the button.
"Cid, wait...NO!" But it was too late. A long gold colored wing grew on either side of the bug and Johnny and Cidney were pushed back by the sudden burst of new afterburners which now protruded out of the back of the car. Johnny struggled to control the car as it was speeding towards the sharp-looking mountains that came to meet them. Johnny struggled and pulled up on the wheel, and at the last possible minute, the car made a ninety degree turn, into the sky. Johnny gritted his teeth as he turned the wheel and turned the car away from the mountains, then was able to steady themselves. Johnny gave a deep breath, and Cidney almost laughed as she gave the same breath.
"That was fun," she said with a nervous smile. Johnny looked up at her with anger on his mind, but when he saw her, he couldn't help but smile.
"Glad we found it now instead of when we were at the mountains. Now we don't have to worry about getting up the mountain. Our problem now is getting the queen." Cidney gave a smile.
"Well, I had an idea about that."
"I'm all ears," Johnny said as he piloted the flying car towards the foreboding mountain.
----------------------------------------
Johnny landed the car on a large cliff near the top of the highest mountain. Johnny groaned as he hopped out of the car.
"If this doesn't work, you owe me a date," Johnny said as he pulled the old oily rags from the trunk of his car which he used to check oil and other dirty projects and draped them over his body.
"We'll see," Cidney replied as she knocked on the twenty foot tall door that lay stretched across the wall of rock on the mountain. Johnny wanted to jump with a quick rush of joy--that was the closest thing to a 'yes' he had ever gotten from Cidney--but he suppressed it for the acting job at hand. The doors opened slowly with the scream of gears, revealing a dark chamber. Cidney slowly walked in first, while Johnny acted like a limp and waddled in after her. "I'm here to deal with Halga, the harpy queen," Cidney yelled to the wide open hallways.
"Speak pinkling," a voice said from above them. Johnny and Cidney looked up to watch a winged, furry, gargoyle-like creature fly down to land in front of Cidney. Cidney was taken back for a moment, this being the first monstrous creature they had ever seen. Johnny wanted to yell out in fear himself, but had to remember that there was more than one harpy in the room and had to play things through. He thought of all this as he limped over to Cidney.
"Hallll...your offer, me'lady," Johnny said in a voice he hoped resembled Beast Man's.
"What? Oh yes. Halga of the Harpies, I have a proposition for you. Warriors of another world will come soon for your secret prize."
"Of what do you speak?" Halga asked, pretending not to know what Cidney was talking about.
"Angela, of course, but all is not lost," Cidney said.
"It isn't?" Halga asked.
"No. I offer you the power of the universe, and all I want is to take possession of your imprisoned queen."
"And what could you ever offer me that would equal up to an imprisoned queen?"
"Why this," Cidney said as she held out of all things... a penny. This was the moment Johnny had been waiting for.
"No, my mistress! Not the copper of Minnesota! It is our country's most prized possession." Cidney was surprised, but was ready to play into it.
"Silence fool!" Cidney replied as she turned and slapped Johnny in the face.
"How do I know this is genuine?" Halga asked as Cidney handed the haggard woman the coin.
"There are rules as to use it, but if your not interested we can simply take our leave," Cidney said as she took the coin back, turned and headed for the door.
"WAIT!" Halga yelled, stopping Johnny and Cidney.
"What does it do?" the winged creature asked.
"When used in the following of the rules, it will create a boundless amount of food and riches." Halgas eyes widened as she snatched the coin from Cidney.
"Very well, bring the woman!" Halga ordered as two more harpies carried a bruised and beaten woman into the room, with broken feathery wings and shackles around her wrists. The two harpies dropped the woman at Cidney's feet. Cidney was about to bent down to check the woman's wounds when Johnny limped over to her and whispered something into Cidney's ear. Cidney then found something on the woman's neck...a thin line, like a long hair. Cidney looked closer, then touched the hair and ripped the tear, pulling the costume away from the hapry that hid in the shell of Queen Angela.
"Is this some kind of joke? I WANT THE REAL ANGELA OR YOU WILL NEVER LEARN HOW TO WORK THE COPPER!" Cidney said in the most demanding voice Johnny had ever heard come from her mouth. Halga groaned in rage, but then snapped her fingers and two more harpies carried out another woman, just as before...same appearance, except this woman wore a glowing ring around her neck.
"There, this one is real. Inspect her again and then tell me how it works." Cidney looked her over again, and when she was satisfied, stood up.
"Me'lady, I ask one more time, for the good of our people...not the copper." Johnny said, trying to remove any doubt from Halga's mind of the copper's gentility.
"Shut up, slave," Cidney said as she slapped Johnny again, this time sending him to the ground. Cidney then straightened her long hair and spoke. "First soak the copper in the juice of a manticore stomach for four hours, then chant the words CLATU, BARATA, NICTOW, then throw it where you want the fruits of your labors to reside."
--------------------------------------------
"You enjoyed that way too much," Johnny said as he rubbed the red side of his face. It was a difficult task to get Angela into his car, but once she was in, Johnny and Cidney hopped into the car and flew off at top speed.
"You had it coming, and I'm sorry to say my plan worked," Cidney said with a big smile on her face. Johnny groaned as he looked into his rear view mirror for the battered and bruised woman laying in the back seat. Her wings looked broken, probably done to keep her from leaving the mountain.
"How are you feeling?" Johnny asked. There was no answer, but Johnny could see her breathing, and her eyes were opened. "It's okay, we won't hurt you. We're going to find some friends, but we need you to guide us to Whispering Woods," Johnny added. The woman stirred and pointed to the glowing collar on her neck, which made Johnny groan. "Okay, we'll find a place to land and try to get that sucker off," Johnny said as he looked out the side window for a place to land. He found a long stretch of field and slowly guided the car down. He pulled a pair pliers out of his trunk and struggled, with all his might, to force the collar off. With a final groan, the glowing yellow ring fell to the ground. "There you are ma'am, hope you feel better now."
"Thank you, my crafty friend." Johnny snickered.
"Not a problem ma'am."
"It was that collar that prevented me from using my magic, but now that it is gone." She rose her hands and a blinding yellow light washed over her and when it faded, her wing was healed, her bruises were gone, and her raged and stained clothing were now in perfect condition.
"Good Lord?" Cidney said in shock.
"Holy Hanna!" Johnny added. "My queen, we need to hide you for a while, until we can safely return you to your daughter. Is there a place in the village of Theymore we can take you?" Johnny asked.
"Yes, but I thought you wanted to go to Whispering Woods."
"Well yeah, we just need directions there, but first I need to check on a friend. Is there..."
"Say no more," Angela said as she held out her hand and a vision appeared in her hand. The image showed a man in a barbarian's garb, with a metallic harness on his chest and long blond hair, struggling to stay awake within his glass booth prison.
"Oh CRAP" Johnny said.
"What is it?" Cidney asked.
"Angela, make up that map and give it to Cidney. Cid once you get that map, get to the woods immediately. Tell them we're friends of both Adam and He-man, but tell them nothing about Angela.
"What about you?" Cidney asked.
"After I get a set of directions from Angela, I'm going to the Fright Zone."
----------------------------------
The Fright Zone, Cidney thought, TheDAMN Fright Zone. She wasn't a She-ra expert but she knew enough about her to know that the Fright Zone was not the best place to be. Why did Johnny have to take the damn car? The Whispering Woods were confusing enough without the car. Her thoughts were shaken out when there was a rustling in the bushes. She turned nothing there. Did she imagine it, no she couldn't have. She kept walking and was spooked to hear them again, but this time she turned quick enough to see where the noise came from, but when she went to investigate, she found a small crossbow pointed at her face. She smiled at the pointer nervously, a small little creature dressed all in green.
"Um, hi...I'm looking for um..." What was his name again, "Bow."
------------------------------------------------
Johnny felt bad leaving Cidney alone in this new world, but it had to be done, things were going faster than he expected, and it couldn't be helped. He had the beetle's wings retracted now and was driving cross a small town near the Fright Zone. He slowed to thirty as he passed the townspeople who gave him odd looks as the car stopped by a local tavern. As he got out of the car he noticed a line of men working hard on digging a trench at the edge of the town. The men were bruised, bleeding, the majority with bearded faces and half shredded clothes. It was obvious where these injuries came from when seeing the trooper standing over the diggers with some kind of electric whip. Other troopers were in view but the one with the whip seemed to be giving the orders Johnny was going to enter the bar but suddenly lost his appetite as he pulled his blaster from the glove compartment and walked over to the trooper's who held the whip.
"Excuse me?" Johnny said from the other side of the trench.
"What do you want citizen, to join the slaves that question Hordak's leadership?" Johnny smiled.
"Hordak, is that old goat still running things here? Well, tell him he's got a new enemy," Johnny said as he pointed his blaster at the chains that held the diggers to one another, they cheered as they raced for freedom and to avoid the coming battle. "I call myself the Traveler. And it's a name The Hord and other tyrants of the universe will be hearing very often in the future." Johnny said as he shot the whip wielding trooper. He fell backwards, and tumbled into the ditch. Three more troopers came running, but Johnny was already in the Volkswagen and flying off towards the Fright Zone.
----------------------------------------
This was it, Johnny thought, it was Johnny's time to shine, and he wondered if he could do it. He stood in the woods that stood at the edge of the Fright Zone, his car stood motionless at his side, engine silent but running, blaster in his hand. Johnny knew that He-man was in pain, that he was probably dying, then why wasn't he moving.
"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice asked behind him. Johnny turned to see a young woman, younger than him, walking up to meet him threw the brush.
"Who the hell are you?" Johnny asked.
"Your scared, aren't you? I was too the first time. But some one gave me some good advice once. You have power, the power to know how or when something's going to happen, and with any great power comes great responsibility."
"Amazing fantasys 15, 1962." Johnny replied.
"If you say so." She said as she walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "Just remember that if you're scared, just look into this and remember that thing about power," she said, as she walked back into the forest.
"Wait...who are you...what's your name?"
"Mystic." She yelled back.
Johnny wanted to know where she had come from, she obviously knew a trademark phrase from a comic that will go nameless right now, but He-man was more important than that. Johnny looked down at his palm and saw the jewel that the girl...Mystic, had given him. It reminded Johnny of the jewel that was given to Courtney Cox in the He-man movie, but it seemed almost simpler. It was just a blue jewel with some metallic bars surrounding it. Johnny peered down at the center of the jewel, and it seemed to warm him, almost fueling him. He slipped the jewel into his jean pocket and walked over to his car, revved the engine and drove off towards the tall tower of the Fright Zone.
----------------------------------------
Johnny hid the beetle in a field a few miles away from the tall castle like tower that made up the Fright Zone. From there Johnny had walked to the Fright Zone and slipped into the building. It was difficult, but he made it half way with out being seen when he realized he wasn't going to get any farther on his own this way.
"I'm getting no where fast this way, I need to take the Star Wars page and steal a storm trooper suit." Johnny said, as he waited for the nest set of troopers to walk by. After waiting for five minutes, two troopers walked by the corridor Johnny hid in. Johnny lunged, shot one trooper in the foot, sending him to the ground, and takling the second. "Earth says hi." Johnny said as he was about to punch the trooper threw the helmet when the trooper held up his hands, stopping Johnny.
"Wait, wait, wait!" The trooper said. "We're from Earth." Johnny was surprised and let the trooper up. The trooper removed his helmet and blew his nose with a Kleenex. "Danial Jakson, SG-1"
"You guys are from Earth, huh?" Johnny asked.
"Yep, and we were here on a survey mission when we were separated from the Stargate." Danial said as he and Johnny helped his friend up.
"We'll sorry buddy, but your impersonating the local tyrants, trust me, when you get to this Stargate, go back to Earth and then come back in 7 years and look for the woman called She-ra and form an alliance with her."
"That's a little long to wait." The second man said.
"Yeah, but the wait will be worth it, you won't be able to get to her till then. I'm," Johnny desided not to use his real name, incase someone wanted to come after him later. "The Traveler."
"Oh I'm sorry, traveler this is Jack O'neill. Jack, this is the um...Traveler."
"Mother give you that name?" Jack asked.
"Nope, made my own. I gotta go, I'll need one of your outfits though, don't worry about being found, in about twenty minutes, they won't notice two earth guys looking for a Stargate." Johnny said as Danial started handing Johnny his trooper outfit.
--------------------------------------------
It was mid-day when Johnny found Hordack's plunder room. He-man stood on one knee in the glass booth in the middle of the room. Johnny took a quick look around the room and then raced across it to open the booth and opened it. He-man fell into his lap, gasping for breath. Johnny struggled to pin him up against the wall of the room and then went to the other edge of the room to grab the sword of power when the double doors on the other side of the room swung open, and there stood Hordak, Grizzlor, Shadow Weaver and twenty troopers all at his side.
"Welcome to the Fright Zone rebel." Johnny for some reason wasn't afraid anymore.
"Hi little piggy, hungry are we?" Johnny joked. Hordak scowled in rage as Shadow Weaver waved her fingers, and a green mist floated towards Johnny. Johnny held his breath and he dove away from the fog. He then pulled out his blaster, took aim and fired at the mob, hitting three of the troopers, but Grizzlor charged him and sent him to the ground, then entrapped him in a massive bear hug. As Johnny struggled helplessly, Hordak walked over to Johnny's blaster, picked it up and fired it at the ground, but nothing happened.
"Weaver, the magnabeam?"
"He-man was not finished when he was removed from the chamber, it will not work if he is returned to the energizer." Hordak screamed, then walked over to Johnny, still in Grizzlor's grip.
"Then we must simply use another, I hope your will power is stronger than your physical power." Hordak said with a cackle.
"Splendid." Johnny said to himself.
"Not exactly what I had in mind."
---------------------------------------
Johnny pressed his hand against the glass of the magnabeam energizer, and groaned as he waited for the inevitable.
"Do you know what kind of way in which you are going to die?" Hordak asked.
"Boy you love to hear yourself talk dont you bat lips." Hordak growled and pressed the activation button, sending a bolt of pure pain wrenching threw his body. Johnny wanted to, and later he knew he would, but for the moment, he wouldn't let himself cry out. Hordack walked up to the booth, almost aroused.
"Why what's wrong my boy, why don't you cry out, why don't you beg for mercy like all the others?" Hordak asked.
"Like He-man did? No thanks, you'd enjoy that a little to much." Hordak nearly growled again.
"Why then are there no quick come-backs, no clever one liners?"
"K, you want one, your mother wears army boots." Johnny said as he fell to one knee, but bit his lip to keep from crying out. He hoped Hordak would leave soon, if he didn't, and Johnny wouldn't cry our, he would pass out, and that would mean he had givin' in, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself them.
--------------------------------
Hours had past, and Johnny's mind grew weaker, he struggled to keep his mind in one place and not to let it wander. It was working so far, but the hours were stretching longer and he didn't think he could last another hour. He was just about to pass out when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Through the now blurred vision of fatigue he saw the outline of a woman, admiring first the booth he struggled to breathe in, then the two swords and Johnny's blaster. Johnny was struggling to make out the figure when he saw a light from the sword with the jewel imbedded in the center of the sword.
"Adora!" Johnny said to the open air. Then he felt himself become light headed, like the last ounce of hope was ripped from his body, and darkness fell.
----------------------------------
When the Sorceress had told Adora who He-man was, and who the Traveler in the magnabeam energizer was, she didn't know how to feel, but when she saw Johnny fall and the glow around the booth fade to nothing, the memory of what she had seen while secretly watching the troopers in the village near the Fright Zone, she knew one thing, this man didn't deserve to die, not like this. If the magnabeam would be energized with this person, he would die. Without even thinking, she grabbed the sword with the jewel, held it high to the sky for the first time, and called out a sentence that she had never heard before, (Except for the discussion she just had with the Sorceress moments ago.)
"FOR THE HONOR OF GREYSKULL..." A bolt of lightning snaked from the ceiling to her sword, charging it with an unknown power, illuminating her in an endless bright light. The cascade of light made the room tremble for a moment. "I AM SHE-RA!" a voice said from within the blinding haze. As the light faded, Adora was no longer within it. A new woman was now in her place, taller that Adora, with a white and gold gown that graciously complemented her features along with a red miniskirt and matching, flowing red cape that fluttered in the dark gentle breeze, and a humble crown that gently wrapped around her face, held in place by her long flowing golden hair that now hung down to her waist. The new woman wasted no time, racing to the magnabeam energizer and ripping it from the concert it was welded into. Then, before he could fall, she caught Johnny and helped his lifeless body to sit up.
"Traveler, are you all right?" She asked. as she looked around for something that could help them.
"Who...what's going on?" Johnny asked between heavy breaths.
"There's no time, we have to get out of here, that guards will be here any second." The new woman replied.
"Forget me, He-man, he can help, go." Johnny said with a final breath as he collapse in her arms. The new woman started to weep as she rested Johnny's cold head against her's, then sat him up against one of the wall's and leaving the room, in search of her brother. The room stood there almost frozen in time. Then suddenly, Johnny opened an eye, slowly at first, then when there was no movement in the room, he stood up as if nothing had happened.
"Whew, I love when people have super powers and they don't even know they use them." Johnny said as he stretched his arms and legs. The woman who called herself She-ra had the ability to heal the sick or wounded, but having just acquired these powers, she wasn't aware of them yet. Luckily, the time he visited Etheria was the same time where his favorite movie happened to coincide in reality, and he knew every aspect of it, inside and out. Johnny looked around and noticed that She-ra had forgotten to take He-man's sword with her before she left. Johnny cursed as he walked over to it, found it's holster hidden behind the display it stood on, then strapped on the holster and slipped away the sword. He then grabbed his gun and started out the window. The ledge outside was very narrow, and Johnny had a fear of highest, he wasn't going out that way. He was about to head for the door when it began to rumble a few feet ahead of him.
"What is going on here?" A voice said from beyond the door. Hordak was here. Johnny aimed his blaster at the door at thirty feet away and waited for Hordak to break threw.
-------------------------------------
She-ra raced threw the halls of the Fright Zone at top speed, searching frantically for the man called He-man. Knowing the lay out of the building better that most, she found him quite quickly, leaning against one wall of the cold cell. She wasted no time ripping the cell door from the stone wall, surprising He-man.
"Who are you?" He-man asked wearily.
"A friend, who wants to help you and your friend, but he...dies in the chamber." He-man rose, then stumbled again.
"The sword...of power, My SWORD!" He-man begged. She-ra thought for a moment, then cursed as she realized that she had left the sword back in the plunder room. She took a deep breath, then picked up He-man and, with the strongest man in the universe draped in her arms, raced back to the plunder room.
-----------------------------
"Ah HA." Hordak said as he used his transformed cannon arm to finally destroy the door between he and the traveler.
"Hiya oinkster, miss me?" Johnny asked.
"Hardly, you seem to enjoy our little visits." Hordak replied.
"Ah just like you Hordak, scum like you seemed to stick around no matter how many times you flush." Hordak was about to order Johnny's destruction, but then noticed the monitor on the side of the room.
"The magnabeam, it is fully charged, I don't know how you're still at full strength, but you're to late." Hordak then turned to his set of three troopers. "Guards, take this boy at your leisure, I'm going up stairs to activate the magnabeam."
"OH SNAP" Johnny thought, the magnabeam, at full power, would be able to transport the entire woodland surrounding the Fright Zone to a place called the Valley of the Lost. Johnny wouldn't allow that. His thoughts were cut off as the troopers attacked. Johnny jumped back and forth avoiding the unfriendly fire. Johnny finally aimed in mid-leap and fired, sending the center trooper stumbling backwards." Johnny snickered as he dove behind a crate. Suddenly, the lazer fire stopped. Johnny looked up to see She-ra walk in, with He-man in her arms and the troopers on the ground. Johnny stood up and fired a hole into the roof. Then he taused She-ra He-man's sword.
"Take He-man and get out of here. Warn the rebels, and give me a boost." Johnny said as he raced over to She-ra. He jumped and She-ra caught his foot in her hands, then she-flung him through the hole in the ceiling and landed beside it, to face Hordak, who now stood at the magnabeams controls.
"Pretty good rebel, but not good enough, this will take care of Whispering Woods." Hordak said with a sinister cackle. Johnny watched helplessly as the massive beam of light streaked towards Whispering Woods. Johnny looked around to find some way to stop it, then noticed a big rock made by the hole he made earlier. He picked it up and set it on the balcony, then set the barrel of his gun behind it.
"I hope it's true what they say about the importance of size." Johnny said as he pulled the trigger, launching the rock at the light, after waiting few seconds, the white light exploded in the air, just few yards away from the windy treetops. "Now to disappoint the tyrant." Johnny said as he turned and aimed his blaster at Hordak, after hesitating for a moment, he pivoted slightly and shot the magnabeam controls, releasing a massive flow of energy. In the few seconds all this happened, troopers had surrounded Johnny.
"Well rebel, you destroyed my magnabeam and saved your worthless friends."
"You have a gift of pointing out the obvious, besides, I value all life, even yours, as sad as that is." Hordak growled.
"I'm going to freeze you solid with freeze rays, and drop you into the Valley of the Lost myself." Johnny ignored Hordak, finding a winged horse with two riders, flying threw the air. Johnny held his breath, jammed his blaster in his pocket and dove off the balcony. Hordak watched in joy as he flew towards the ground, then screamed in a rage as he saw the winged horse catch him in the air.
"OH, OH He's getting away!"
--------------------------------------------
"That was some rescue guys, I owe you one." Johnny said as he sat on the hood of his beetle in a small clearing within the woods.
"You and I at least are even, She-ra told me what you did for me." He-man said.
"And I owe you double after saving those slaves back at the village, and for rescuing my brother." She-ra added.
"That's right, I don't understand this, you say you're my sister, but I never had a sister."
"I know what you mean, I never knew I had a brother, but when the woman in the sword told me so, I just knew it was true." He-man thought for a moment.
"You think maybe..." Johnny began.
"Yes you're right, that had to be the Sorceress, let me see your sword." He-man asked. She-ra handed him the sword.
"Sorceress, can you hear me?"
"Greetings He-man, Johnny, and to you too She-ra, I see you have finished your task gentlemen." The image of the sorceress said as the sword rose from his hand and hovered above them.
"Yes, but there is still so mush we don't know." Johnny smiled, and as mush as he wanted to watch this, he felt this was a private moment.
"Um, look, I'll meet you guys back in Whispering Woods, as Adam and Adora I trust?" Johnny asked.
"We'll wait for you there." She-ra said.
"Hey, take your time, I have one more little job to do." Johnny said as he took a Dr. Pepper from his front trunk and hopped into the car, then drove off towards the small town at the floor of Castle Bright Moon.
-----------------------------------------
Johnny had to get Angela now, or else things might get out of hand, he had already screwed up how things were supposed to happen to much, and is he didn't get her to Whispering Woods before Adam and Adora got there, there would be hell to pay. He stopped the car a a small pub near the edge of town and walked into it. This is where he had told Cidney to take the weary queen, but would she still be here. He stopped the car, and speed into the pub. He burst into the building to find it deserted. He cursed as he kicked a discarded chair.
"Damn, IScrewed up again." Johnny said as he sat down in the corner. After sitting there for a few minutes, he heard a noise. He drew his blaster, and waited for something to come out from behind the bar that stood at one end of the almost empty building. A shadow rose in the corner behind the bar. "Come out, I won't hurt you." Johnny said as he pointed his blaster.
"I know." The voice said. Johnny let his arm go down.
"Thank God." He thought as he made out the angle-like wings.
part two in progress, hope you liked, please let me know what you thought