Season 3 dropped yesterday and… yeah, a lot happened. Just to reiterate, this story is an AU beginning from the end of Season 2. I know we learned about the lore of this series during the last few episodes but I will not be incorporating everything. Somethings meshed well with my ideas. Other things didn't but were too good not to use, so some adjustments were made. Everything else will be disregarded. Also, I'd like to make it clear that the Eternia in this story is not one from any preexisting media, but rather one I have designed to mesh with the Netflix She-Ra mythos. Granted it is heavily based on the 2002 version, since that is the one I know best, but I also drew influence from the 1980s version and the comics. I've also added my own personal touches to keep things interesting. With that said, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is produced by Dreamworks Animation Television, and both She-Ra and He-Man are owned by Mattel.

Chapter 2: Sun and Moon

(Eternia: Three Days Later)

The Viper's Nest.

A massive canyon roughly 2.7 miles northwest of the Evergreen Forest.

With a length of 279 miles, a width of 20 miles, and a depth of approximately 7000 feet, it is only slightly larger than the Grand Canyon of Earth.

However, unlike the previously mentioned national landmark, this particular giant hole in the ground was not on any experienced traveler's 'must see before I die' list. This is partly due to an ancient superstition regarding its origin, but mostly it's because the interior of the canyon is perpetually shrouded by an all but impenetrable ocean of fog; obscuring any sights that might be worth seeing.

But I digress.

At the exact center of the canyon, and about 2/3rds of the way down, there sat a massive stone bridge; constructed eons ago by a civilization long since forgotten by all but the most dedicated historians. And marching along this ancient overpass was a macabre parade of the some of the most terrifying creatures ever to walk the face of Eternia.

Spartoi.

Skeleton Warriors grown from dragon's teeth and possessed by an insatiable urge to kill.

Most sorcerers wouldn't dare to create even one of these monstrosities; let alone 2000 of them.

But then, most sorcerers weren't like Skeletor.

At the head of this strange procession, preceded only by a couple of ensigns to bear his standard, the dark lord of the Outcasts sat atop a magnificent palanquin; looking very much like the king he always wanted to be.

Strolling along beside him, somehow keeping pace with the four hulking brutes carrying her master, was the black sorceress, Evil-Lyn; looking as lovely as ever, if not a bit annoyed.

"Is all this really necessary?" she asked, her tone somehow both respectful and annoyed. "I mean, the palanquin, the standards. With all due respect, Lord Skeletor, don't you think this is all a little much? Especially for what is supposed to be a simple raid on the palace?"

"Nonsense, Evil-Lyn." The dark lord said dismissively. "There's nothing wrong with a little showmanship. It helps throw your enemies off balance. And besides, you know what they say. Appearance is everything."

"Says the man without a face."

"What was that?" Skeletor asked, a bit of hellish red leaking out of his empty eye sockets.

"Uh… I-I said, I'm… in awe of this place. I never knew there was a bridge down here."

This was obviously a lie, but for some reason, Skeletor didn't feel like calling her on it.

"Few people do." He said casually as the red in his 'eyes' started to fade. "It's part of an old smugglers route. There are roads like this one all over the area. Most of them are underground, of course. But they all originate from the same place. Eternos."

"Smugglers in Eternos?" Evil-Lyn asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "That's hard to imagine"

"Sorry, I keep forgetting how young you are." Skeletor replied, sounding mildly amused by her ignorance. "Before Randor took the throne and made it his capital, Eternos was just a simple merchant town. There was a lot less security in those days, so you could get away a lot more."

"The voice of experience?"

"Well, a young man's got to have his hobbies." The dark lord said with a hint of nostalgia before continuing. "Anyway, before that, the city belonged to the Snake Men."

"Ah, so they built this bridge." Evil-Lyn reasoned.

"No, but they made good use of it back when I was a boy. These roads were instrumental to their infamous Night Raids. Many unfortunate souls were hauled across this very bridge to satisfy their dark appetites."

"Okay, then who did build it?"

"That I don't know. But it was probably built sometime before the Great Separation, and if I'm being honest, that era never held much interest to me. Your father would probably know. Why don't you ask him?"

The young sorceress said nothing, but she scowled maliciously at her master. Clearly that little jab had been revenge for her comment about his face.

"Oh, that's right. You two don't talk anymore, do you. So sorry to rub salt in your wounds." Skeletor said with mock sympathy. "Let's change the subject. How are the others fairing with their little chores?"

Despite her bitterness, Evil-Lyn knew better than to press her luck. So instead of arguing, she waved her free hand over the crystal ball on top of her staff and gazed deeply into it.

"Hmm… Let me see…" she said as she attempted to focus her mystic senses. "Beast Man, Two Bad and Whiplash are facing off against Ram Man and Man-E-Faces in the Vine Jungle. While Clawful and Mer-Man are keeping Stratos, Buzz-Off and Sy-Klone busy at the power plant. Stinkor seems to be holding his own against Teela, Mekaneck and Roboto in the Sands of Time. And Trap Jaw appears to be in a pub somewhere drinking peach flavored grog."

"Remind me to horsewhip him later." Skeletor said annoyedly before quickly regaining his composure. "Oh well, one goldbrick aside, everything seems to be going exactly as planned. With the bulk of the Masters distracted, all that stands between us and the Royal Palace is Man-At-Arms and…"

"I HAVE THE POWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

The familiar battle cry echoed off the canyon walls; startling the Spartoi Warriors into making a full stop.

Skeletor, however, was in no way surprised by this development. In fact, were is possible, he probably would've smiled.

"Heh. Heh. He never misses a cue."

XXX

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the bridge, astride his mighty steed, Battle Cat, the heroic warrior He-Man, also known as Adam, Prince of Eternia, rode into battle.

By his side, riding his signature Battle Tank, was Man-At Arms; Leader of the Masters of the Universe, Advisor to King Randor, Captain of the Royal Guard, Hero of the Great Unrest and 9 Time Recipient of the Eternian Coolest Sounding Resume Award.

That last one's not a real thing, but you get the idea.

Anyway…

"So… It's Skeletor, and he's leading an army of skeletons?" asked the blonde barbarian in a tone that seemed too casual for their current situation. "I gotta hand it to him. It took an uncharacteristic amount of restraint for him to not try this sooner."

"Don't get cocky." Man-At-Arms replied, his tone pure business. "Skeletor may act like a child at times, but he's no fool. If he's willing to risk his own life by summoning an army of Spartoi, then he must know something we don't."

"What do you mean 'risk his own life'?"

"Spartoi Warriors are grown from Dragon's Teeth and are imbued with a Dragon's ferocity. No spell, no matter how powerful can keep them under control for long. Sooner or later they always turn on their masters. So for Skeletor to create this many, he's either found a way around this flaw or he's become desperate. Neither scenario is ideal for Eternia."

"I don't know. Desperation sounds like a good sign to me. Maybe he'll panic and finally give up."

"This isn't a joke, Adam." The elder Master said sternly. "You might think battling the forces of evil is all fun and games, but that's only because you haven't seen Skeletor at his worst. You have no idea what he's really capable of."

Adam was about to ask what he'd meant by that, when they came upon the first wave of Spartoi. So, setting said question aside for later, the golden-haired gladiator tightened his grip on his beloved Sword of Power and leapt from the saddle of his magnificent war beast.

Literally jumping headfirst into battle.

XXX

(Six to Eleven Minutes Later)

While the two heroes continued to cut their way through the skeletal horde, the orchestrators of the attack watched with morbid amusement as their forces were being decimated.

"My, My. Aren't they a couple of eager beavers." Skeletor said jokingly as he relaxed into his palanquin. "How many have they taken out so far, Evil-Lyn?"

"Hmm… let me see." The sorceress replied as she once again consulted her crystal ball. "As of now, they've each destroyed approximately 100 Spartoi. So that means we've got slightly more than 1800 left."

"Heh-Heh. More than enough." The dark lord said with wicked glee as he finally stood up from his mobile throne. "Order the troops to fallback. It's time for the real show to begin."

XXX

(Back with the Heroes)

SLASH!

"97!"

SLASH!

"98!"

SLASH!

"99!"

SLASH!

"100!" the young prince declared triumphantly as he felled his 100th Spartoi. A hollow victory, considering how many of the undead horrors still remained, but it was a victory nonetheless. "Not bad for a day's word, eh Battle Cat?"

To which the emerald tiger replied with a loud by good-natured roar.

"Yeah, I knew you'd like that."

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

Before Adam even knew what had happened, four more Spartoi fell to the ground behind him in a brittle heap. When he turned around he found Man-At-Arms standing there; the barrel of his arm cannon still smoking and his expression stern and irritated.

"Nice shootin', partner." The young prince said jokingly, though his mentor was clearly not amused. "Sign. What'd I do now?"

"You got distracted and left yourself open." He answered sternly. "For the sixth time, I might point out."

"You were counting? Wow, someone's a little obsessive compulsive."

"Notice that I am not laughing. Notice that we are still in the middle of battle."

"Notice that you are no fun at all." Adam replied childishly. "Besides, it's not like they could've actually hurt me. My skin's invulnerable. Remember?"

"Your skin is extra durable, not invulnerable. We've been over this a thousand times."

"Blah. Blah. Blah. Semantics. Look, all I know is that I've been doing this hero thing for over eight months now and I haven't been hurt once."

"That's only because so far you've been extraordinarily lucky. Which I promise you won't last forever. You need to start taking this seriously."

"I do take this seriously!" Adam spat back defensively before shifting to a less aggressive tone. "I just… I just don't see why I can't have a little fun with it. I mean, come on. You and the other Masters joke around all the time."

"Yes, but not in the heat of battle. Not when there are lives on the line. Especially our own."

"Oh please, these Skeleton Warriors are nowhere near as dangerous as you said they were. They go down after just one hit."

"I know, and that's what has me concerned." Man-At-Arms said grimly before he elaborated. "Spartoi Warriors are supposed to be able to reform indefinitely. But these just crumble to dust. Something's not right here."

"Maybe Skullface tampered with the spell or something. Sacrificing their immortality for obedience."

"Hmm… maybe." The old soldier said, sounding unconvinced. "But that still doesn't explain…"

"HE-MAN!" a familiar voice bellowed, instantly gaining everyone's attention. "Come and face me! One on one! Unless you're a coward!"

Unsurprisingly, they saw Skeletor standing about 50 yards away; his twin swords drawn and ready for combat.

Never being one to shy away from a fight, Adam tightened the grip on his sword and silently signaled for Battle Cat to follow him.

"Adam, what are you doing?" Man-At-Arms asked exasperatedly. "This is obviously a trap."

"Of course it is." The young prince replied. "It always is. But I'm not gonna let that faceless freak get away with calling me a coward."

"Adam…"

"Don't 'Adam' me. Look, I know I'm not the great King Randor, but I can still mop the floor with that cackling hasbin any day of the week!"

"Is that was this is about?" the old soldier said as realization started to slip into his voice. "Adam, I know what happened this morning was humiliating, but Teela didn't mean…"

"Whatever!" the young prince spat back before mounting his trusty steed. "Let's move, Cat."

And with that, he rode off to face his hated foe.

Man-At-Arms was about to go after him, when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a severed arm from one of the slain Spartoi. Or to be more precise, what was etched into its hand. Ever the suspicious type, the old soldier picked up the discarded limb to get a better look and to his great surprise he saw an image of the sun imprinted on its boney palm.

'A sun? That's strange.' He thought to himself as he began to sift through his vast military memory. 'Now where have I seen this before?'

Suddenly, a rush of horrible memories came flooding back.

Memories from the Great Unrest.

Oh yes, he had seen this foul symbol many times during those dark days.

And it was always accompanied by…

"Adam!" he exclaimed as he rushed forward to warn his young ward. "Adam, come back! The Spartoi! They're… OOOF!"

So focused was Man-At-Arms on the prince's potential demise that he failed to notice the large energy barrier that had appeared out of nowhere; at least until he'd already run face first into it.

"What the hell?" he asked himself confusedly, before beating his fists frantically against the presumably enchanted wall. "Adam! Adam, get out of there! It's a trap!"

XXX

With his eyes on his enemy and his heart full of rage, Adam rode towards the waiting Skeletor.

Were he in the right frame of mind, he might have noticed the enormous green bubble encasing the area.

He might also have found it strange that the Spartoi were clearing a path for him without showing even the slightest bit of resistance.

But of course, the young prince wasn't in the right frame of mind. In fact, his mind wasn't even in the present anymore. It was stuck in the past. Earlier this morning to be precise.

'Stupid Teela.' He thought bitterly as he continued to ignore the world around him. 'So, I'm just a fad am I? Just a flash in the pan? Just a pale imitation of a 'real hero'? Well I'll show her. I'll show everyone. I am the He-Man. The first in over a millennium. I am a real hero. And I'm gonna prove it by doing the one thing my Father could never do.'

And on that lovely thought, the blonde barbarian arrived at his destination.

Skeletor stood before him; armed and ready for battle. The Spartoi had given their master a wide berth; forming a makeshift ring in which to fight. Which suited Adam just fine.

"Hey, Skelly. It's been a while." The young prince said jocularly as he dismounted his emerald tiger. "How's the collar bone?"

"Oh, it's feeling much better, He-Man. Now it only hurts when it rains." The dark lord replied casually as the blood red seeped back into his eye sockets. "And whenever I think of you!"

"Yeah, yeah, very scary. Look, I think we're both thinking the same thing here. You and me. On an ancient bridge shrouded by an impenetrable fog. With an unholy legion of the undead. This scene has Final Battle written all over it."

"My thoughts exactly." Skeletor replied sinisterly. "So what do you say, boy? Shall we make this one for keeps?"

"No running away when you start to lose?"

"Not this time. We just keep going until one of us dies."

"Sounds good to me."

"Very well then. Have at thee!"

And with that, the two warriors lunged towards each other; swords at the ready.

Now, again, had he been in the right frame of mind, Adam would've noticed that there was something seriously off about this scenario. Specifically, how strangely agreeable Skeletor was behaving. But of course, he wasn't so he didn't. Not until the dark lord passed right through him like an intangible phantom.

"What the heck?" he asked aloud as his brain attempted to compute this unprecedented turn of events.

Skeletor, or rather the pixelated phantasm that resembled him, quickly reformed itself and burst into a fit of menacing yet jovial laughter.

Confused but still curious, Adam approached the hooded figure to investigate, and, as expected, his hand passed right through it.

"A hologram?"

"AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! That's right!" the skull-faced man said amusedly. "Looks like the joke's on you, He-Man. I'm not really here. None of us are!"

Just then, Adam heard a strange flickering sound coming from behind. He quickly spun around to see what it was and, to his great alarm, he saw the sorceress Evil-Lyn and a large ornate palanquin suddenly vanish out of existence. And in their place were a pair of small, roundish, vaguely bird shaped robotic drones.

Doom Seekers.

"Yes… now you understand; don't you, boy. The divide and conquer tactics. The army of Spartoi. It was all just a clever ruse to bring you right here." Skeletor gloated in true Saturday morning cartoon villain fashion. "Oh, but you've been such a good sport about all this. You really should be commended. Boys, give Prince Muscles a hand!"

Suddenly, the Spartoi all dropped their weapons and raised their hands to display their palms.

The right ones all bore the image of a Blazing Sun.

And the left ones bore a Crescent Moon.

Adam's blood quickly turned cold. He knew these symbols well. They'd been drilled into his head by his history tutor. They were a relic leftover from the Great Unrest.

For the first time since acquiring his Sword of Power, the young prince feared for his life as a dark realization dawned on him.

The Spartoi were never meant to be soldiers.

They were Suicide Bombers.

Over a thousand of them.

Adam took a single step in a feeble attempt to escape, but before he could take another, the Skeletal Warriors had already clapped their hands together.

And then…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

XXX

(Meanwhile, in the Dark Hemisphere)

Deep within the imposing and fortified stronghold known as Snake Mountain, the dark lord of the Outcasts and his loyal Second in Command were cackling over their latest triumph. Although you'd never know it was them by looking. For instead of their usual attire, the two dark magic users were dressed in light green, skintight, full body suits covered in little white balls.

"AH-HA-HA-HA-HA! Did you see the look on his face? Priceless!" Skeletor gloated in a manner reminiscent of an excited child. "What did you think of that last line, Evil-Lyn? You know, the 'Give him a hand' thing. Was it too much? It felt right in the moment, but now I'm not so sure."

"Honestly Master, it seemed a little forced."

"Really? Hmmm. Oh, maybe I should've said 'Bomb Voyage' instead?"

"No, that would've been worse."

"Hmm… Ah, who cares? All that matters is that He-Man is dead. And it's all thanks to the three of us!" the faceless fiend said exuberantly before shifting his gaze towards his faithful technician; who up until that point had been silently working from a terminal in the corner. "Tri-Klops, these motion capture suits were a stroke of genius."

"Thank you, Master." The cyborg replied humbly before shifting his mechanical visor towards Evil-Lyn. "And you said pillaging that animation studio was a waste of time."

"Yes, yes, I was wrong and you were right." The dark sorceress replied begrudgingly, before quickly adding. "For the first time in your life."

"Now, now, none of that, you two." Skeletor stepped in paternally. "Your lord and master does not wish to see such ugly behavior. This was a team effort, after all. Tri-Klops provided the holographic technology to create our convincing simulacra. Evil-Lyn provided the kamikaze, Spartoi and shield spells. And I devised the perfect scenario to lure He-Man to his doom. Teamwork makes the dream work~ AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

"While I hate to spoil your good mood, Lord Skeletor. I must point out that it's a little early to be celebrating." Evil-Lyn explained in as respectful a tone as she could muster. "An explosion of that magnitude might be enough to kill an ordinary warrior, but He-Man possesses the ancient power of the Elders. His body is far more resilient than any normal human. If the Prince managed to stay conscious during the explosion, and the fall, and the rapids down below, there's a chance, albeit a slim one, that he's still alive."

"Sigh. As always, your council is wise, Evil-Lyn. Very well, before we celebrate, we will confirm whether He-Man is truly dead."

"I can equip our remaining Doom Seekers with bio-scanners." Tri-Klops suggested. "It should only take an hour."

"That won't be necessary." Skeletor replied with casual bluntness. "No, a job like this requires… expertise. Tell me, the river beneath the Viper's Nest, where does it lead?"

"I believe it flows directly into the heart of the Evergreen Forest."

"I see… Doesn't the Spider Guild have a base somewhere in that area?"

"I think so, Sir. I fact I'm almost certain they do."

"Excellent. Evil-Lyn, contact Webstor and tell him I'm offering a reward."

"A reward, Master?"

"Yes. 10,000 gold pieces to the man who brings me incontestable evidence of He-Man's demise. And 100,000 if they bring me his head on a plate."

"At once, my lord."

"Now hold on a second." Tri-Klops interjected. "Lord Skeletor, I don't mean to question your wisdom, but… 100,000 gold pieces? That's kind of a lot, don't you think?"

"The Spiders are driven by their unrelenting avarice. The more money we offer, the more motivated they will be." Skeletor explained as the blood red returned to his empty sockets. "And besides, if this works out, it will be worth every penny."

End Notes:

Just to clarify a few things.

1) Prince Adam's identity as He-Man is not a secret in this universe. I figured if Adora's not pulling the secret identity cliché why should her brother?

2) In this version, Skeletor's forces are called the Outcasts. Why? Because Evil Warriors sounds too generic and it just seemed appropriate given the ragtag nature of the group.

With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.

Peace.