Chapter Four: "The Confrontation"

The sun was rising over the horizon. The dawning of a new day. But for He-Man, it was merely a continuing nightmare. He returned to Eternos briefly, only to inform the king of the happenings in the Sands of Fire. While there, Man-At-Arms checked the sensor readings for that area. Not only was the white hole still open, but there were many other energy signatures spiking up in the whole region.

"I can't really explain it," Man-At-Arms told He-Man as they rode to Castle Grayskull. Battle-Cat was seated behind them as the Wind-Raider continued on its course. She-Ra was also there, flying on Swift-Wind.

He-Man said nothing.

"I'm starting to think its Vipera herself, restoring her power. Between her and the white hole, the amount of energy being generated there is astounding."

Again, He-Man was silent. His blue eyes were locked on the horizon as the soared faster to the Castle Grayskull.

"There's still a chance, He-Man. She-Ra felt a pulse."

"I know."

The rest of the trip was silent.

A few minutes later and the Wind-Raider and Swift-Wind landed in the field that laid out before Caste Grayskull. The jawbridge clanked open, allowing the five of them in.

"I've been unable to contact anyone on Etheria," She-Ra told them. "I can't tell you how much that bothers me."

"That is Vipera's doing, She-Ra," the Sorceress announced as the entered the throne room. "All portals and means of communication from Eternia to anywhere else has been cut off."

"That explains the energy spikes, then."

"What about Kathryn?" He-Man asked, voice filled with anxiety.

The Sorceress took a deep breath. "She is alive."

He-Man's body went limp. "Oh, thank the Ancients . . ."

"However . . . there a problem. Her very life force was drained. She should have died. Now I have stabilized her and I have her in a statis chamber, but there is a great risk that her life force may fade away. I am still curious as to how it was she survived . . ."

"Where is she?"

"The northeastern tower."

He-Man rushed off to the staircase that he knew would take him up there. As soon as he was gone, She-Ra stepped forward.

"What about Teela?"

Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress exchanged expressions. They had been in motion every since the abduction. This was the first time they were finally able to face each other regarding the fate of their daughter.

"Vipera exchanged bodies with Teela. Teela's mind is lost somewhere out in the prison where once Vipera sat. The portal to that prison is now closed. I have been working on finding it, but there has been little time."

"What are the odds?" asked Man-At-Arms, his voice resonating with the concern of a father for his daughter.

"I do not know," answered the Sorceress, whose voice inflicted the same concern.

Vipera stood upon the top of her tomb, wearing Teela's body and hating it. The clothing was not ceremonial, the soft flesh was vulnerable, and the way the body carried itself was bulky. There was little grace to it. It was attractive enough for humans . . . but it was not befitting that of the Goddess of Venom.

"What is it you wish, my mistress?" asked King Hiss, bowing before her.

"I want my people returned to me. Where are they?"

"Wizards called the Elders, my mistress, locked most of the Snake-Men into the Void. They were freed once, but were lost to me."

Vipera nodded and lifted her fist. It was such an ungraceful body, but it knew just how to make a fist. Intriguing.

Power began to whip around Vipera's fist as she concentrated. Teela's body responded as it normally would to this kind of stress and concentration - furrowed brow, clenched jaw, tensed muscles, and squinted eyes. As soon as Vipera opened her fist, a pulse of energy went flying from it and the body relaxed.

The pulse of energy swept across the hardpan until it stopped nearly a mile away. The pulse then transformed, breaking the dimensional barriers. A portal flashed into existence and a portal into the Void opened.

The Snake-Men came pouring out, all of them. King Hiss stood up and watched as the massive army of 20,000 Snake-Men arrived on Eternia once more. Hiss turned to Vipera as she lifted her other fist. Such a familiar thing, Hiss thought, seeing that hand clenched in a fist. There was less concentration for Vipera this time though.

When her fist shot open, weapons and armor appeared all along the Snake-Men's bodies. Hiss stepped forward and cast a loudness spell on his voice.

"Minions! Welcome back to Eternia! The Goddess of Venom, the bitch-daughter of Serpos, the great Vipera has rescued you from your imprisonment!" shouted Hiss.

A thunderous roar spilled from their mouths. Stomping and hissing followed.

"BOW TO YOUR QUEEN!" yelled Vipera suddenly.

King Hiss' eyes widened, then watered. Queen?

The Snake-Men all went down on one knee.

"TOGETHER, MY PEOPLE, WE SHALL BURN THE KINGDOMS OF MAN AND THEIR HEATHEN ALLIES FROM ETERNIA! THIS . . . I SWEAR!"

He-Man stood in the chamber, staring down at the still form of Kathryn within the status capsule. She looked a little healthier than she had the last time he saw her. Her skin was smooth once more, but still far too pale for his liking. Her eyes were closed and he wondered awfully if they were still completely red. Kathryn's hair was still frayed, but it was pulled back. He watched as she took a breath. It was shallow, but at least it meant she was still alive.

"What happens now?"

The Sorceress, who stood as the door with Duncan and She-Ra, entered fully. "Her life force is still on the edge of failing. It must be completely restored."

He-Man nodded a little and rubbed his wrist where the Engagement Ribbon should have been. "What will it take?"

"I . . . I have done all I can."

He-Man spun around, mouth wide-open. "What?"

"My power is limited, He-Man. I have done all I can do. The only hope for her now are the Elves of Dellos and they - "

"The Elves owe us," He-Man stated matter-of-factly.

"He-Man . . ." Duncan breathed.

"I'm taking her there."

"You can't. We need you here."

"SHE needs me!" he shouted, pointing at the capsule.

"We all need you, brother," She-Ra replied. "Vipera is in Teela's body, gathering its former power. How much longer will it be until it has achieved its former strength?"

"Then you'll just have to handle her until I get back," He-Man responded.

"Now just hold on here!" shouted Duncan. "That is my daughter out there, not to mention your best friend! Right now, Vipera is holding her hostage!"

He-Man stepped closer to Duncan. "Neither she nor Kathryn would have been in this situation if it weren't for me. I need to rectify my mistakes."

"FINE! Take care of the one that is far more dangerous!" Duncan yelled, inching towards He-Man, face red.

"She-Ra is here to take care of Vipera, Duncan! Kathryn needs me!"

Duncan snapped. He was now face-to-face with He-Man. "TEELA NEEDS YOU!"

He-Man snarled. "I am SICK AND TIRED of taking orders from YOU! I am taking her to where she'll get help!"

"You selfish little brat! How dare you do this to me? How dare you do this to Teela?"

"How dare I? Damn it, Duncan, I'm a man now! I need to take care of the things that matter to me!"

"You're a man now! Well then ACT LIKE IT! What you are doing now is going against everything we've ever taught you! Eternia needs you now!"

Taking in a deep breath, He-Man contained the budding the anger. While it remained quiet, it still brimmed in his voice. "I have fought for Eternia for five years! I have battled countless enemies and not for my own sake but for Eternia's! And now, I will not let Kathryn lose her life in a war that she never asked to be a part of!"

"She knew what she was getting into!" Duncan yelled.

"SO DID TEELA!"

Duncan stepped back. "So that's it? You're choosing between the two of them, aren't you? WELL FINE! BE SELFISH! BE THE CHILD!"

"YOU DARE ACCUSE ME OF SUCH INSOLENCE?"

Duncan's nostrils flared. "I dare . . . your highness."

He-Man pushed his mentor out of his way, then lifted up the status capsule and carried it out of the room. She-Ra followed him, too stunned to talk.

"I can't believe he's doing this . . ." Duncan gasped, looking away from the woman who once carried his child.

The Sorceress put a hand on Duncan's shoulder. "His heart aches, my dear Duncan."

"So does mine!" Duncan replied and kicked over a table. It crashed to the ground. Duncan turned around and the Sorceress saw the tears in Duncan's eyes. "I want her back, Teelana. I want our little girl back."

Teelana stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Duncan. The two cried together as the sun moved out from the horizon.

"You think I'm making a mistake."

She-Ra sighed and just looked at the forest beyond the plain. "Yes, I do," she said simply.

He-Man shook his head and then finished locking the capsule into the backseat of the Wind-Raider. "I'm not surprised, really."

"It's just . . . I don't think you're putting enough thought into this . . ."

"I am," He-Man replied. "She needs me, She-Ra. I love her too much to let her die this way. What am I supposed to tell her father? He lost his wife to the Snake-Men during their war with the Horde. How's it going to feel to lose his daughter to them too?"

"You could wait until the danger has passed."

"I can't. I won't take that risk." He secured the status capsule, then checked all of the readings on the Wind-Raider.

"When will you be back?"

"As soon as I can. You'll have to take my place."

She-Ra perked an eyebrow. "You're putting this on my shoulders? I don't know King Hiss like you do. I don't know Eternia like you do."

"Here's your opportunity to get to know them better now."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, thanks."

He-Man put a hand on her shoulder. "If there's one person I can trust to take care of this, it's you, sis. You may have to do what I can't."

"What does that mean?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he reloaded the secondary power cell. They were both quiet for a few minutes.

"Just promise you'll come back soon," she said.

"I will. As soon as I know that Kathryn will be okay."

She-Ra nodded. "All right."

"Battle-Cat."

He-Man's faithful companion leapt into the seat to next to He-Man's.

"All set, He-Man?"

"Yep. She-Ra?"

The two twins hugged.

"Good journey, my brother."

"Good journey, sister."

A few moments later, the Wind-Raider was nothing but a speck blasting towards the west. She-Ra sighed and was about to head back to the Castle when Man-At-Arms came out.

"Is he gone?" he asked.

"Yes. He said he'll be back as soon as he can."

Man-At-Arms said nothing. After a long moment of awkward silence, Man-At-Arms' comm-unit began to beep. He pressed a button and a small hologram of Gwildor appeared.

"What is it?"

"Man-At-Arms! Man-At-Arms! We have a situation!"

"Where?"

"The Snake-Men! They have a whole army and they're attacking the Great Towers!"

"She-Ra and I will be there as soon as we can."

"I'll give you a lift," She-Ra said, hailing Swift-Wind to her. "Who else is there?"

"Pelicor, Gwildor, SeaHawk, and Orko. I asked your boyfriend to head there to help us out of a bind," Man-At-Arms replied, pulling himself onto the Pegacorn's saddle. She-Ra shifted in front of him.

"I'm sure he's appreciating that right now."

As one half of the army attacked the Great Towers, the other half made its way into the Valley of Storms. Led by Sssqueeze and Kobra Kahn, the army reached the shadow of Snake Mountain. What they found there, though, surprised both of them.

"No resistance," Sssqueeze stated as they entered into the main doors.

"This is very unlike Skeletor," Kobra Kahn replied.

"I'll have the soldiers search the entire fortress," Sssqueeze returned.

As soldiers poured into the mammoth mountain base, Kobra Kahn and his escort went to the main computer chamber. Kobra Kahn pressed his fingers against the keypad, but it looked as though the computer was locked out. This only meant one thing - Skeletor had known they were coming and fled.

"What is this abomination?"

King Hiss smiled as Vipera's question. They stood in the back of the vast army that quickly approached the Great Towers.

"It was established by the Elders to balance out the forces of good and evil on Eternia. Whoever holds the Central Towers control either the Viper Tower or the Grayskull Tower."

Vipera smiled Teela's smile. "I see."

"It holds many great secrets, including the object you seek."

"Excellent. Then let us take it."

"SSSSIRE! LOOK THERE!" yelled out Tung Lashor.

Hiss and Vipera both looked up and watched Swift-Wind landed on top of Grayskull Tower.

"So . . . help arrives," Hiss said, sighing a bit.

"The power of Grayskull is in that one too," Vipera observed. "But where is her barbarian companion and his pretty little cat?"

"I do not know, mistress."

"Take these Towers, King Hiss."

"Yes, my mistress."

King Hiss rose a horn to his lips and blew into it. The Snake-Men replied by roaring and stamping. They then strode forth, weapons at the ready, hissing, growling and roaring to battle.

"There sure are a lot of them," commented Orko as he watched from the top of Central Tower.

Pelicor clicked his beak. "Just more to aim at."

"Pelicor's right," Man-At-Arms replied. He pressed a small key on the side of his helmet, opening a comm-line to the rest of the Royal Soldiers. "This is Man-At-Arms. Units 1 and 2, take position Alpha-Four. Unit 3, 5, and 7, take position Epsilon 6. All other units, take positions Zeta 2."

At that moment, eight small attack cars moved across the monorail, taking positions to face the on-coming attackers. Meanwhile, Royal Soldiers took their place at the tops of Grayskull and Central Towers. The windows of Central Tower were lined with Soldiers.

"Pelicor, I want you in charge of the monorail units," Man-At-Arms ordered. "Orko, unleash as much chaos as you can on the center of the lines down there. The more mass destruction you do, the better off we'll be."

"Just how am I supposed to do that?" asked the Trollian.

"Just repeat your last performance," Man-At-Arms replied. "SeaHawk, you're my go between. Keep your eyes sharp as to what's going on. Anything that I don't notice, you tell me."

"What about me?" asked She-Ra.

"You handle Vipera."

She-Ra nodded a little and tried not to gulp.

"ALL UNITS, OPEN FIRE!"

Laser beams and missiles joined arrows as war rained upon the Snake-Men below. Scaly bodies fell lifeless to the ground, but the Snake-Men were quickly retaliating. Small bombs were suddenly launched up, smashing against windows.

"Unit 3 just took some damage," SeaHawk reported.

"Understood. Tell unit 8 to help them out."

SeaHawk did so, speaking into the comm-set. He didn't want to say it, but they were vastly outnumbered. The average unit had 15 people in it. While the Great Towers had 135 Royal Soldiers, the Snake-Men's army had 10,000 warriors.

"Orko . . . do what you need to do."

Orko gulped and floated closer to the edge of the wall. He then lifted his hands and let out huge blue streaks of lightning from his fingers. They shot down, striking the center of the Snake-Men's lines. Warriors shouted and hissed, moving out of the way of Orko's lightning.

"What is this?" questioned Hiss.

"Magic. Very simple, very stupid magic."

"They're trying to divide the lines," Hiss realized.

"They will not succeed. I believe it is time I take action."

Vipera flew out from her position and floated right into the path of a on-coming lightning bolt. Vipera lifted her hand and shot all of the lightning right back up. Orko went flying backwards as Vipera countered his attack.

Without a word, She-Ra and Swift-Wind were in motion. The Pegacorn was in the air, heading right towards Vipera in Teela's body.

"Who are you?" asked Vipera.

"I am She-Ra."

"No threat to me."

Vipera unleashed a massive bolt of green energy at She-Ra and Swift-Wind. Swift-Wind, for as fast as he was, was unable to dodge it. They pair took the brunt of the massive attack and they went flying to the ground.

At the last minute, Swift-Wind was able to get them stabilized. Weakened, the pair landed right in front of the entrance to Central Tower. Vipera landed in front of them, energy fuming from her hands. She-Ra still had trouble believing her eyes - that that wasn't really Teela standing before her.

"Get back to Man-At-Arms, Swift-Wind," She-Ra whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Go!"

Swift-Wind rushed off as her command. Vipera smiled and She-Ra squirmed because it was truly Teela's smile.

"Such love for the animal."

"One final warning, Vipera. Return to your prison and let Teela back into her body."

"No."

Vipera had just raised her hands when She-Ra struck. The Sword of Protection raised, a beam of silver light blasted out from the tip. It struck Vipera square in Teela's chest. Vipera staggered back, stunned a bit. But as soon as the beam dissolved, Vipera rushed forward.

She-Ra had no time to move. Pure destructive power smashed into her and sent her sailing right into the doors of Central Tower. The doors were suddenly smashed open and Vipera strode into Central Tower.

Royal Soldiers all around her opened fire. Though it pained many to fire at the one they had called Captain, it was their orders. However, the laser beams simply dissolved around Vipera. She struck back, a pulse of energy slicing through the air and killing all of them.

"NO!" screamed She-Ra, standing up from the small pile of debris that she had been covered in. She-Ra ran forward. Vipera fired a beam at her, but the Shield of the Great Rebellion deflected it. She-Ra then ducked and rolled behind the staircase.

"Vipera is inside Central Tower," SeaHawk reported. "And the Snake-Men have begun to enter."

"ALL UNITS, PULL BACK TO GRAYSKULL TOWER IMMEDIATELY!" Man-At-Arms shouted into the comm-set.

Man-At-Arms, Orko, Pelicor, and SeaHawk made for the stairs. "What kind of protection can Grayskull Tower offer us?" asked Pelicor.

"The Snake-Men won't be able to enter it. We'll regroup there, then open a portal with the Cosmic Key and get out of here."

Teela's body was suddenly smashed through a wall. She-Ra had hoped it wasn't damaged too bad, but her goal was to destroy Vipera. Whatever the cost. She-Ra made for Vipera, but was tossed backwards by a huge pulse of green light.

"Your age is over, mammal," Vipera stated, perfectly fine. "My power is stronger than yours."

"It may just be, but you I know that you have a weakness somewhere!" She-Ra replied.

"Try me!"

She-Ra knew as soon as Vipera had stood up from being tossed through a wall that physical power was not going to stop her. But the power of Grayskull had at least stunned her. With the evacuation call she had heard, She-Ra's best bet was to get out while she could.

"FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!" shouted She-Ra.

The Sword of Protection exploded with golden energy. It sprayed Vipera, driving her back, trying to ward off the energy. She-Ra had bought herself a few seconds, for the strain of maintaining such an attack was exhausting.

It was all she needed, though. As soon as her attack ended, Swift-Wind came running in. She-Ra leapt atop his back and the pair flew up the stairs.

"HURRY SWIFTY!"

Swift-Wind galloped to the right level and then rushed down the corridor that led to the open door to Grayskull Tower. Man-At-Arms stood there waiting for them.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" screamed Vipera, who was running right after them, handing still fuming with power.

Man-At-Arms looked stunned to see her, but as soon as Swift-Wind and She-Ra were safely inside, he slammed the door. The power of Grayskull welled up immediately, defending the door from the onslaught of power Vipera laid upon it.

"Get working, Gwildor. We don't have much time."

"What do you mean, Man-At-Arms?" questioned Pelicor.

"I thought you said Grayskull Tower was safe from evil," followed up SeaHawk.

"It is," he replied. "But the Great Towers won't be the end of their attack on Eternia. Their next target is going to be the capital of man - Eternos!"