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 21: Tangled Webs

Deep within the imposing stronghold known as Snake Mountain, several of Skeletor's loyal Outcasts were seated at a table in the breakroom trading stories.

"There weren't a lot of jobs available for Stinkor after the plant closed down." Said Stinkor, who was present via hologram, for obvious reasons. "Stinkor only has a GED, and being mutated into a toxic gas spewing monster looks terrible on a resume. So it was either this or join the circus."

"I hear ya, man. Life's unfair all over." Said Whiplash, casually forcing himself into the spotlight. "I myself was once the King of all Subternia, until my lousy second-in-command staged a freakin' coup against me."

"Oh Lord, not this story again." Tuvar muttered annoyedly while Baddrah silently wished he was somewhere else.

"I told him, 'Ceratus, baby, I'm not inflexible. I can cut back on the war profiteering. I'll even give some of the peasants their wives back.' But some people you just can't reason with."

"What about you, Clawful?" asked Baddrah, desperate to change the subject. "How'd you end up an Outcast?"

"You guys bought me at a slave auction when I was twelve." The crustacean-man answered bluntly.

"Oh yeah… Good times."

And with that, the merry band of reprobates had themselves a good laugh. To them it was just another ordinary day in Snake Mountain. That is until a familiar figure walked into the room.

"Well now, I see things are just as lively as ever around here." Said a tall, thin arachnoid in a jet black suit. "What a relief. Things have been so quiet lately, I was beginning to worry."

"Hey, Webhead's here!" Whiplash said joyfully at the sight of his former teammate. "How you doin', buddy? It's been a dog's age."

"Oh, you know. A bit of this, a smidge of that. Anything to keep myself busy." Webstor replied casually. "But thankfully my new job keeps me just that. Which reminds me, where is your fearless leader? I need to have a word with him."

"He's in the throne room watching a movie." Answered Tuvar directly. "But isn't it a bit risky coming here in person? You know, given your ahem situation. Someone might see you."

"It's fine. I'm here on official Guild business and I have the documents to prove it." The man-spider replied casually before allowing a touch of malevolence to enter his voice. "And besides, my 'situation' is that anyone who could blow the whistle on me is either in my pocket or too scared to breathe."

XXX

It is a well-known fact among interstellar travelers that radio and television signals move through the void of space and can even be intercepted, with the right equipment, decades or even centuries after their original broadcast. And with its position at the center of the universe, Eternia was frequently bombarded with cartoons, old movies and trashy daytime talk shows from days long past. There was even a dedicated group of hobbyists who made a comfortable living recording these signals and selling copies to people all over the world.

And Skeletor was one of their best customers.

"The next one is the very Devil. Very bizarre, this little chap. There's a certain resemblance to me, don't you think. Or do I flatter myself? I took a great deal of pains with him." Said the delightfully mad Dr. Pretorius as he displayed his charming little homunculi to the terrified Dr. Frankenstein. "Sometimes I have wondered whether life wouldn't be much more amusing if we were all devils. And no nonsense about angels and being good."

"Words to live by, Herr Doctor. Words to live by." The Dark Lord muttered to himself amusedly as he and his faithful pet Panthor continued to watch the film from the comfort of his skeletal throne.

'Bride of Frankenstein' was one of Skeletor's all-time favorite movies; second only to 'The Invisible Man'. What miraculous things these primitive Earthlings could create with just makeup and practical effects. Somehow their crude little black and white productions seemed so much more real than Eternia's own big budget CGI 'blockbusters'. Many times he'd wondered whether or not progress was overrated and that maybe certain mediums were better off stagnating rather than slowly deteriorating into garbage.

Just then, the lights came back on, and Skeletor was shaken out of his internal musings.

"Huh, what the hell?" he said confusedly before his 'eyes' readjusted and he saw his loyal second-in-command standing over by the light switch. "Dammit, Evil-Lyn! I was just getting to the good part!"

"A thousand apologies, Master. But Webstor has just arrived and he wishes to discuss the details of our little… proposal."

"Oh, well I suppose that is more important. Send him in." the Dark Lord replied before hastily pausing his movie.

Moments later, the purple clad witch returned, with a familiar man-spider following close behind.

"Ah, Webstor. What a pleasant surprise." Skeletor said pleasantly. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"I know, Your Excellency, and I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but given the rather… bizarre nature of your proposal, some of my fellow councilmen thought it would be best to move up our appointment."

"Suits me just fine." The Dark Lord said casually. "So, what did your colleagues have to say about my little scheme?"

"Well, it's certainly interesting, and there's definitely money to be made, which was enough to convince most of them." Webstor replied in a businesslike tone. "But not all of them. Councilman Trapper thinks it's too risky and Councilman Wolfe doesn't think we should waste our time and resources on, and these are his words not mine, 'the delusional rantings of an unhinged, undead circus freak'. And as you already know, the Council can't move forward on a project this big unless the final vote is unanimous. So if we're gonna make this happen, I'm gonna need some hard evidence that this machine of yours exists and can do what you say it can."

"Evidence? What a fun idea." Skeletor said jovially as he stood up from his throne and walked over to an adjacent wall. "Check this out."

And with that, the Dark Lord aimed his signature Havoc Staff at a particular spot and started channeling his evil energy into it.

"Give it a minute. This only reacts to a specific kind of energy and I need to get the frequency just right."

Suddenly, the wall lit up in an intricate, almost circuit board like pattern, before changing from solid rock to a more crystalline finish. Then the wall slid open, revealing a long, dark hallway.

"After you."

XXX

Webstor couldn't believe what he was seeing. After being led down the long hallway by his 'former' employer, the dapper man-spider found himself in what appeared to be a massive crystal cavern at the very heart of the mountain. Everywhere he looked he saw some strange new piece of alien technology seemingly carved from solid sapphire. Most of it was inactive, but several spots were glowing and sparking with some kind of bluish white lightning. And at the center of it all was the Outcasts' resident mad scientist, Tri-Klops, fiddling with what appeared to be some sort of complex control panel.

"By the Elders…" he muttered in quiet awe.

"I know, it's really something, isn't it." Skeletor said amusedly. "I don't think even King Hiss knew about all this."

"But… how? Where did all this even come from?"

"Oh, it's always been here. Since before the Great Separation. Buried under rock and slag for millennia. Just waiting for someone to find it."

"But how did you find it?"

"That, I owe all to you, my old friend."

"Me? What did I do?"

"First you gave Trap Jaw that advance copy of the new slave auction catalog. Then when you took Chula's place on the Council, you very generously sent me the one I'd picked out, free of charge. And it's because of her that we were able to unearth this magnificent discovery." The Dark Lord explained, before getting distracted by something just behind Webstor. "Ah, speak of the devil. Come in, Dimmer, my sweet little princess."

Moments later, a short human female in a black and white Gothic Lolita dress with matching boots and large black hairbow came into view. Her skin was ashy grey and hair was a mix of muted pink and purple. But by far the most striking thing about her was her eyes; red as blood and totally empty.

"Hello, Master." The girl said in a voice completely devoid of any emotion. "I have completed my nap and am ready to resume my primary function."

"Of course you are, Precious." Skeletor told her while affectionately pinching her cheek; which of course got no reaction from her whatsoever. "But first, why don't you say hello to our guest. You do remember Webstor, don't you?"

"Yes, I remember Webstor." Dimmer answered dully, before shifting her focus onto the man-spider. "You act as Lord Skeletor's eyes and ears on the Spider Guild High Council. You serve an important function. You will not be sent away."

"Isn't she adorable?" the Dark Lord said, practically fawning over his new minion.

"Yeah… that's one word for it." Webstor replied, doing his best to hide how creeped out he really was. Which was quite difficult, because of just how freaking creepy the little bitch was. Even the slavers who'd captured her out in the Badlands were grateful to be rid of her; they didn't even try to haggle over a price, they just took the first offer and split. Honestly, he couldn't understand why Skeletor was so fond of her. Not that he ever really understood why his Master did most of the things he did. "But anyway, Lord Skeletor, about that evidence."

"Oh yes, of course. Dimmer, go assist Tri-Klops with his research."

"As you command, Master." The creepy monotone girl replied before finally leaving the two of them alone.

"Heh-Heh-Heh. Such a remarkable girl." The Dark Lord said proudly. "The energy she emits reacts with this place. That's how we've been able to restore it as much as we have. And her insight, although limited, has been most helpful. What were we talking about again?"

"Evidence."

"Right, right, sorry, my mind's all drifty today. Anyway, just get with Tri-Klops and he'll give you copies of all the technical schematics. And feel free to take some pictures too. Do whatever you have to, just get the other Councilmen onboard. I can't do this without the Guild's support."

"I understand that, Sir. Believe me, I want this to work out as much as you do. I mean, this has the potential to be the biggest land rush in Eternian history. A whole new world, rich in magic and natural resources; destabilized by war and ripe for the plucking."

"And I'm gonna carve it up and sell it off to every short-fused costumed psychopath in the hemisphere; piece by piece." Skeletor said excitedly, before adopting a more serious tone. "But I can't do it alone. Which is why I need you lot to go in with me on this as partners."

"Don't worry. The schematics and a few photos should be enough to convince those two naysayers." Webstor replied confidently. "And even if it's not, there are other ways. Wolfe is an opinionated blowhard, but he'd gladly sellout his own beliefs for a good meal or a new suit. And as for Trapper, well, I'm sure that little wimp has done plenty of things he wouldn't want his wife to know about. And even if he hasn't, we'll just make something up. I'll make this work somehow. You can count on me."

"Good man." The Dark Lord said, sounding quite pleased. "I knew there was a reason I made you my first second-in-command."

"For which I am eternally grateful." The sleazy spider said sycophantically. "By the way, where's Beast Man? I was hoping to see him before I left."

"Oh, that's right. You two were really close back in the day." Skeletor said with a sort of dry amusement. "But I'm afraid Beast Man is no longer with us. So sorry."

"What? 'No longer with us'. What does that mean? Did you fire him?"

"Not… exactly."

"Oh my Lord, you didn't… kill him, did you?"

"Maybe~" the Dark Lord said teasingly. "Actually, I have no idea. I mean, it's possible he's still alive, wherever he is, but he's probably not having any fun."

"What? I'm sorry, Master, but you're not making any sense."

"It is very simple." Said a familiar monotoned voice from directly behind him. He quickly spun around and, sure enough, there was Dimmer; just as creepy as ever. "Beast Man served no function. So I sent him away."

"S-Sent him away? To where?"

"To the bad place." The creepy girl answered bluntly. "Please excuse me, I must go to the bathroom now."

And with that, she left them alone again.

"Like I said. Adorable." Skeletor said cheekily.

"Uh… Master, you know I wouldn't normally second-guess your decisions, but maybe keeping that… thing around isn't the best idea."

"Bite your tongue, Webstor. Dimmer is a valued member of this organization. And besides, she's perfectly harmless, as long as you keep being useful. Get the message?"

"Yes, Sir. I understand completely." Webstor replied nervously. "I won't let you down."

"Yes, well just see that you don't. Or I'll have Dimmer send you to the bad place as well."

End Notes:

The italic quotes from Scene 2 were taken directly from "The Bride of Frankenstein", 1935, directed by James Whale, owned by Universal Pictures.