Part 3:

The Rise of Skeletor

It would take several more weeks before the last traces of any real resistance had been eliminated, and no more real threat of any larger scale was still intact. A great wash of celebrations and overjoy swept across the universe as it was announced that the Great Rebellion had succeeded and that all warlords and tyrants had been finally, and utterly, destroyed.

A great banquette was held in honor of the greatest heroes of the rebellion, in the astounding and magnificent Crystal Castle, located on Skydancer Mountain. A castle of gold, silver, gems and emeralds, it now in victory served as a sign for the days to come; a bright future of hope, justice and liberty. In its main grand-hall, the feast was unlike anything ever seen, with delicacies brought from all over the Seven Galaxies to please the hundreds of guests who represented dozens and dozens of cultures.

He-Man, Grand Master of the Templars, Lord of Grayskull, watched the festivities unfold, holding a goblet of wine in his hands. The wars were over, at least, the vast wars that span entire galaxies or engulfed galactic arms. Local and regional leaders could now take over, continue the fight, and uphold the dream of freedom and righteousness. Some had said that the days of the Templars had come to an end, but He-Man knew all too well that freedom had a terrible prize; eternal vigilance. He knew that constant vigil was required to keep what had been gained. And he sighed with regret due to the fact. So many would look to the Templars to lead them and to guide them. So many would bow to his decisions, trust his council and yield to his wishes. It was already being whispered in the halls of power, that now, with the Great Rebellion finally over, that He-Man was the most powerful man in the universe. The thought gave the Grand Master of the Templars no joy, nor any comfort.

"Why so grim?"

He-Man turned as General Bow approached together with a man appearing quite the buccaneer and swashbuckler. He-Man knew the man all too well as the mercenary pirate Hawk; though his service demanded tribute, Hawk and his fleet of pirates had played no small part in defeating Hordaks armada, allowing for the final assault on Etheria itself.

"Not at all" He-Man smiled and offered his goblet in a toast, and both Bow and Hawk met it with goblets of their own.

"This is what I call a party" Hawk grinned and took a look around. "I've never seen so many vulgarly rich women in one place at the same time. A man is bound to do some profit by nights end."

"How chivalrous" He-Man said, chuckled and shook his head before sipping some more wine.

"Well, can you blame me?" Hawk said with a wink, ever keeping his grin wide.

"Unfortunately, Hawk" General Bow cut in, "I fear Lord He-Man, as well as myself, have more important matters to consider. Despite a party of this caliber."

Hawk simply shook his head. "Whats the point of victory, if one can not enjoy the fruits."

"We toil, good captain, so that others may play" He-Man replied. "We keep watch, so that others may rest."

Hawk just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, fine with me. You toil away, and I'll make it worthwhile by chasing women from one end of the galaxy to the other" he said grinned with a chuckle before swallowing a mouthful of wine.

"If you excuse us, captain" General Bow then said. "I would like a word in private with the Grand Master."

"Of course" Hawk said and backed away, "Please, do toil away all you want." Amused by his own words, the mercenary rogue then turned and headed out into the crowded hall that housed the festivities.

Bow sighed as he watched Hawk disappear in the joyous mob. "Soon there will be no more need to keep such brigands around. I can hardly wait."

"His loyalties are dubious at best, I agree" He-Man nodded, "But he should not be forgotten or cast aside. It could easily turn him and his allies against us, and we need stability now more than ever."

"Which is why I needed to talk to you, Lord Grayskull" the general admitted. "The Guar of Anwat Gar have issue with the Repton Kingdom and King Pythos. If it evolves into a full-scale conflict, which is what the Guar are threatening with, it could destabilize the entire region."

"I will look into it" He-Man assured the general. "If I can I will go there myself, heading out first thing in the morning if possible."

"It would certainly boost the peace-process" General Bow said. "Speaking of which" he then continued and placed his eyes on a specific point in the great hall, on a specific person to be more precise. "Do you truly believe that someone who once had Hordaks confidence can be trusted with upholding peace and justice?"

He-Man knew instantly whom the general referred to, and spotting the person in question was not a problem. Skeletor was standing somewhat to the side, speaking quietly with some of the more untrustworthy allies within the Great Rebellion.

"He has kept his word so far" He-Man said, studying the warlock. "Without him, we would still have Hordak under siege, and he has guided us to many hidden bases where the remnants of Hordaks troops hid. Despite his past, he appears sincere in aiding us. If someone like Skeletor can turn from enforcing tyranny to upholding liberty, then it gives me hope that the Seven Galaxies might actually be able to do the same, given time."

"I don't know" Bow said, a gut-feeling he was unable to shake told him to not allow himself to trust the former ally of Hordak. "Skeletor was one of Hordaks most favored officers and a sinister warlock. I cant shake the feeling that he is bad news."

The party continued well into the night. Captain Hawk did his best to chat up Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon. General Bow was talking with Glimmers mother, Queen Angela, whom had been freed from Hordaks dungeons, together with She-Ra and Queen Frosta of the Kingdom of Chill and Snow. Everyones spirit was high, wine flowed and food was enjoyed. It was a celebration proper.

The Lord of Grayskull however, though pleased the wars were over, could not truly get swept away by the spirit of the evening. Watching everyone else celebrating the final victory over evil, he could only think of the struggles to come; the eternal fight to maintain peace and ensure that justice was upheld all across the Seven Galaxies. He sighed, placed his goblet to the side, and headed for a balcony to get some fresh air and to also get some time away from the extravagant festivities. One who took note of He-Mans departure, was Skeletor.

He-Man stood leaning against the railing of the balcony, looking out over the grand mountains surrounding the Crystal Castle. The winds pulled on his cloak and twirled his hair without end. It was dark, not a cloud in the sky and the stars of the galaxy covered the heavens. For some reason, he remembered his childhood and it made him smile, if only barely. He was pulled back to the present as he heard the pulsing roar of engines approaching, and looking up he spotted three battle-barges soon becoming visible in the dark, their bellies lit up by the lights of Crystal Castle, leaving heat and glow in their slipstream as they came closer by the second. A sound took his attention away from the approaching vessels, and he turned to find Skeletor having stepped out onto the balcony, the crystal-doors sliding shut behind him.

"Lord Grayskull" Skeletor said and bowed his head before walking over towards He-Man, his ram-skull tipped staff sending an echo with every other step the former associate of Hordak took.

"Skeletor" the Templar Grand Master acknowledged. He was distracted however as the four barges closed in to begin to surround the Crystal Castle.

"A grand evening" Skeletor said and tossed a glance at the approaching ships and then gazed across the sky before returning his attention to He-Man. "May I take the opportunity to congratulate you on your conquest of the Seven Galaxies. Some have even called you Master of the Universe."

"I am lord of Grayskull" He-Man said. "Nothing more."

"So modest" Skeletor said, almost mockingly, as he moved up next to He-Man and joined the muscular warrior by the railing of balcony. Looking out over the mountains for a short second, Skeletor then turned to face He-Man. "Not indulging in the power you have obtained?"

"Not the slightest" He-Man replied. "If it is one thing I have learned from history, it is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The wars are over, and therefor my part as warrior has come to an end. It is now an age for diplomacy and politics. Such an age does not belong to the Templars of Grayskull. We shall withdraw until we are needed again."

Around them, the barges settled to hover in midair surrounding the beautiful and extraordinary castle. Skeletor offered the vessels a brief moment of attention before focusing on He-Man once more.

"Ah yes" Skeletor said. "Castle Grayskull. As a mystic and master of the occult arts, I must confess I am intrigued by the mysterious powers said to be kept in Castle Grayskull. Vast powers I am told."

He-Man eyed the notorious sorcerer with some distrust. "Mysteries only the righteous are privy to" he then said.

"Such as yourself, Lord Grayskull" Skeletor concluded rhetorically.

The subject seemed to touch a sensitive nerve with the Grand Master, as his mood shifted in mere seconds. "Those secrets are none of your business, warlock" He-Man stated commandingly, eyes hard as rock. "And try to unlock them, and you will make an enemy of me."

Skeletor bowed his head submissively, "Forgive my curiosity. Though I must confess" he added as he straightened his back once more, "the rumors surrounding Castle Grayskull does attract my interest. Especially the rumors concerning the Orb of Power."

"How did you..." though highly surprised by the fact that a warlock like Skeletor had heard of the mystical item hidden deep in the bowels of Castle Grayskull, a well-kept secret amongst the Templars, He-Mas was cut short by the all too familiar echoes of gunfire and the screams of the panicking coming from various parts of the Crystal Castles interior. "What is going on?!" He-Man growled as he listened to what sounded like combat taking place at various places inside the Crystal Castle.

"Tell me, He-Man" Skeletor continued, apparently unaffected by the noise of battle, something the Grand Master of the Templars did take notice of as he turned around to face the warlock. "What is the secret location of Castle Grayskull?"

"You did this?!" He-Man said through grinding teeth, stating the obvious more than asking a real question.

Skeletor chuckled at the statement, just in time as the battle-barges opened fire with its turrets at various parts of the Crystal Castle, even gunning down smaller shuttles trying to escape. The entire structure shook and trembled as giant explosions rocked the castle.

"I have all significant leaders and the bravest heroes of the Great Rebellion neatly gathered at one single vulnerable position" the sinister sorcerer cackled diabolically. "And thanks to your rebellion, and your Templars, all armies powerful enough to stop me have been dismantled or vanquished, or are severely crippled. The Seven Galaxies have suffered war and conflict, all defenses have seen bombardment, all legions have suffered casualties... never has the universe been more ripe for conquest."

"Treacherous scum!"

He-Man reached back over his shoulder to grab his power-sword, but Skeletor was quick to launch a blast of magical energies from his open palm, the force of impact flinging He-Man backwards. As the Grand Master struck the floor of the balcony, he tumbled, rolled and eventually ended up kneeling, smoke wrapping his majestic torso. His face twisted with rage as he finally unsheathed his weapon and went on the offensive. Skeletor parried each mighty strike with his staff, risking loosing his footing with every blow aimed his way, the strength of Lord Grayskull was overwhelming to say the least. With just a few attacks, Skeletors strength was worn down by the relentless assault by the Grand Master and he was brought to a knee.

He-Man watched the kneeling warlock and then glanced about him, watching the relentless attack by the battle-barges upon the Crystal Castle; spires crumbled, walls collapsed and entire superstructures stood ablaze. Shuttles and transports were gunned down mercilessly as they desperately tried to escape. As He-Man turned his attention back to the sorcerer that had betrayed him, he could barely contain his desire for vengeance as he aimed the tip of his sword at Skeletor.

"Call off the assault! Now!"

Taking a moment to catch his breath and gather his wits, Skeletor leaned against his staff to finally look up at the powerful Templar. "Arrogant swine!" the warlock snarled behind his golden mask. "You think You can defeat Me?!"

And with those words, Skeletor struck the lower end of his staff with force against the floor, blinding He-Man with a brilliant flash that turned into a sudden eruption of thick smoke. Blinking a few times to rid his vision of dancing lights, He-Man then watched as the smoke dispersed in the winds, revealing Skeletor to have vanished. He-Man spun around, searching almost desperately for any sign of the treacherous sorcerer. Then there was a noise. He-Man turned quickly, but the moment he spotted Skeletor standing merely four yards behind him, the warlock unleashed a blast of magical energies form the rams skull on his staff. He-Man was lunged backwards as the blast struck him across the torso. Lord Grayskull tumbled and rolled along the floor, but as soon as he regained control of his body he immediately went to retrieve his sword, but was stopped by another blast from Skeletors staff.

The second hit was significantly more powerful and left He-Man on his back in severe cramp as his entire body ached with pain. As Skeletor began to laugh confidently, the warlock slowly began to move closer towards the Grand Master of the Templars, while He-Man desperately tried to reach the hilt of his sword, his fingers just inches from touching the weapon.

"Now, He-Man, I will crush your insignificant little rebellion, and hunt your pathetic Templar friends to the edge of the universe. In time, the Seven Galaxies will bow before me, and call me... Master."

He-Man cared little with what Skeletor was telling him, all his focus was instead on reaching his sword, now less than an inch away from his desperate fingers.

Skeletor leveled his staff and took aim at He-Man. "It is unavoidable" the warlock continued, certain of his ultimate victory. "I will be Master of the Universe."

Before Skeletor managed to unleash the powers of his staff upon the helpless He-Man, his attention was drawn to the shattering of the crystal doors leading out to the balcony. She-Ra was entangled with a huge anthropomorphic crab-like creature, desperately trying to keep its massive claw from crushing her head, bending the claw apart with her bare hands. With effort, she managed to toss the bestial creature to the side, sending it tumbling along the floor of the balcony. Getting up on her feet, She-Ra unsheathed her sword and took up a battle-stance. A large humanoid snake-man jumped through the shattered doorway, armed with a vicious spear, hissing fiercely at the female Templar. The crab-like humanoid got back on its feet and suddenly, She-Ra found herself outnumbered and surrounded.

Skeletor could not hold back the evil cackle that bubbled out of his throat. He began to slowly circle the crippled Grand Master of the Templars, the cackle gaining fuel with each step he took. She-Ra tried to reposition herself to better hold off the two-pronged threat she faced. He-Man was rapidly loosing strength, trying desperately to reach his weapon that was just beyond his reach. All around, the Crystal Castle was bombarded, blasted to pieces. Fires ran wild, structures toppled and roofs caved in. The noise of weapons firing, women screaming and men dying filled the corridors of the once magnificent and spectacular castle. In a way, it all summed up the impact Skeletor would have on the universe should he succeed; what was beautiful, awe-inspiring and incredible would be turned to ruin and waste while happiness, joy and hope would be replaced with misery, terror and tyranny.

"Arrogant" Skeletor then said with loathing and placed his boot upon He-Mans throat, pressing it down to choke the Templar; gasping for air, He-Man struggled to free himself, but was too weak to get anywhere. He was firmly lodged under Skeletors heal, slowly feeling his life being crushed out of him.

She-Ra saw what was happening, saw He-Man writhing under Skeletors boot, saw her brother slowly dying. "He-Man!" she called out and made an attempt to run on over to save him.

The snake-man, known as Whiplash, spun around, lashing out with his tail low across the ground, catching She-Ra over the chins of her legs. She-Ra fell, rolled expertly over her shoulder to regain her footing instantly. Almost immediately, Whiplash was on top of her, attacking with his spear, forcing She-Ra to abandon her rush for Skeletor and instead get into fierce close-combat with the humanoid serpent. However, it all did distract Skeletor, making him remove his boot from He-Mans throat as he turned to watch the fight.

"Clawful!" Skeletor called out to the anthropomorphic crab-like beast. "Kill her!"

As He-Man filled his lungs with air, Clawful charged to join the fight against She-Ra as commanded. But just before Clawful was about to reach the fight, his giant crab-like claw ready to snap at She-Ras head from behind, the crab-beast was hit hard by a charging Wun-Dar who slammed into the monster shield first. The Templar was covered with a dozen wounds, all bleeding freely, and his body and face was covered with smeared sot; a telltale sign that the battle inside was fierce and unforgiving. She-Ra continued her swordplay with Whiplash, parrying the spear and dodging the dangerous whip-like attacks from the tail. Wun-Dar and Clawful exchanged devastating blows and attacks with claw and axe, relying on shield and thick exo-skeleton to protect them from harm.

Skeletor noticed quickly enough that both his henchmen were slowly ending up on the defensive, that the Templars were too powerful, too skilled, for them to handle one on one. The warlock charged up his staff, the rams skull emitting a faint bluish haze, an aura of powerful energies; Skeletor took aim at She-Ra who had her back towards him as he filled his staff with even more magical energies. By now, the blast would cripple the Templar, possibly even kill her outright.

But Skeletors blast missed, the staff pushed to the side at the last moment by He-Man himself; the energies shattering a large section of the castles wall where it struck. Skeletor and He-Man were now locked in a wrestling-match trying to gain control of the warlocks staff. They pushed back and forth, trying to overpower the other; despite being severely weakened by Skeletors magic, He-Man was still slowly gaining the advantage. Skeletor noticed he was beginning to loose, but letting go of the staff was not an option; struggling for control over the staff was the only thing keeping He-Man at arms length at the moment.

She-Ra was forcing her opponent back with each attack, her superior fighting-skills all but overwhelming Whiplash and the snake-mans spear. Seeing an opening, She-Ra dealt out a jaw-crushing uppercut that sent the humanoid snake crashing hard into the wall of the castle, sending cracks in all directions as he struck. Turning around, she felt a wash of relief sweeping over her as she saw He-Man on his legs and taking the fight to Skeletor, and even winning as it seemed. Looking over to Wun-Dar, she saw how Clawful grabbed hold of the shield with his giant claw and ripped it free from Wun-Dars grip, tossing the shield like a discus out into the night.

Wun-Dar tried to take advantage and delivered a two-handed blow with his mighty battle-axe, but found it halted halfway to its intended target; Clawfuls head. The shaft of the axe now locked in Clawfuls giant claw. The monstrous creature grinned and delivered a skull-cracking headbutt, sending Wun-Dar reeling. She-Ra charged in, striking the bipedal crustaceans massive claw to the side with her sword, drawing his aggravation to her rather than the vulnerable Wun-Dar.

He-Man pressed Skeletor up against the railing of the balcony, leaning in over the sorcerer in his attempt to push the treacherous warlock over the edge to fall towards a certain death. Skeletor was growing desperate, he was losing and he was close to being utterly overpowered by the immense strength of the Grand Master of the Templars.

"Wait!" Skeletor managed, his staff being pressed closer and closer to his throat, his back against the rails, slowly being forced over the edge. "Wait! I... I surrender... He-Man... I surrender!"

He-Man gasped and arched his back, letting go of Skeletor. As the Grand Master took a few stumbling steps away from the warlock, Skeletor noticed Whiplashs spear lodged in He-Mans back, Whiplash himself having thrown his weapon across the balcony. As Wun-Dar struck his axe deep into Clawfuls neck, lashing out with a kick to free his weapon from the now dead beast, She-Ra stood in bewilderment as she saw her brother stumble and fall to his knees, blood running along the spear that extended out of his back. She was unable to comprehend what she witnessed as everything appeared to move in slow-motion. Skeletor unleashing the destructive magical powers of his staff point-blank into He-Mans chest, the blast itself shattering the spear to splinters. Wun-Dar charging past her, urging her to follow him in his attack. He-Man sliding like a ragdoll across the floor from the force of the blast that hit him. The snake-man leaping to intercept Wun-Dar, lashing out with his tail to cause Wun-Dar to stagger.

She-Ra ran over to the body of He-Man, fell to her knees and took his torso and head in her arms. There was no mistaking her desperation seeing her brother in such a condition. His limp arms, his unconscious features, his gentle, barely visible breaths. She-Ra moved some locks of hair from her brothers face, struggling to hold back her tears.

Wun-Dar lost his grip on the axe as the snake-man struck it out of his hands with the use of the creatures tail. But Wun-Dar wasted no time, stepping up and gripped the beast by the throat, struck it with his free fist over the jaw and then hoisted the entire thing up over his head with both arms and proceeded with tossing the screaming Whiplash off the balcony, the humanoid snake falling towards a certain death. Wun-Dar had little time to reflect on matters however, as he realized he was now standing face to face with non other than Skeletor himself, the notorious warlock whom had once been one of Hordaks most trusted officers and advisors.

"She-Ra!" Wun-Dar called over his shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. "Get the Grand Master out of here... now!" She-Ra did nothing at first. "Now!" Wun-Dar roared to get his point across.

As She-Ra took hold of her unconscious, and all but dead, brother and began dragging him to safety, Wun-Dar turned his focus back to Skeletor; the sorcerer dabbling in dark magic stood confidently with his staff and merely watched.

"For the honor of Grayskull!" Wun-Dar cried out and charged forth.

In response, Skeletor charged his staff with magic, sending electrical energies dancing up and down the staff in a myriad of colors.

XXX

She-Ra dragged her brother through the castle, past rubble and dead bodies, the signs of battle and slaughter evident everywhere. The fantastical castle reduced to nightmarish ruins of its former self. Reaching the hangarbays, people were running everywhere trying to find a shuttle able to launch, or one that still had room. She-Ra headed straight for the Templars own vessel, a medium combat-transport of the Swift Wind class, christened "Spirit". Once aboard, she hooked her brother up to the medical facilities and then hurried to the cock-pit.

The Swift Wing vessel took off and shot out of the hangar, instantly coming under fire from two of the battle-barges. The ship shook violently as its shields struggled to ward off the powerful blasts from the enemy turrets. She-Ra ignored fancy flying, shutting down her weapon-systems and diverted the extra power to her engines, pushing them to the limit as she tried to brake through the siege. All of a sudden, the incoming fire seized and all went dead quiet, save for the background noise of the roaring engines blasting the vessel to safety. She-Ra would not let it calm her into feeling secure quite yet however as she took aim for the upper atmosphere and the cold empty vacuum of space. Leaving the planet behind her, taking "Spirit" out of orbit and engaging the hyperdrive, exploding into flight beyond the speed of light, She-Ra finally allowed herself to relax and take a moment to breathe.

Entering the medical-ward of the Swift Wind, She-Ra felt a lump in her gut as she watched her brother lying on one of the med-beds. She moved over to his side and sat down, trying not to cause too much noise as if not wanting to disturb him, almost as if he was asleep rather than mortally wounded.

"Don't worry, He-Man" she said softly, trying to comfort her brother. "We are going home."

XXX

Skeletor stepped over some rubble and a couple of dead and bloody bodies. The great hall that had a few hours before housed the spectacular banquette was now in shambles, magnificent curtains were burning, chandeliers had fallen down and lay crashed and broken, having split tables under the weight. The guests, powerful politicians and brilliant officers, all dressed in garments of splendor, lay dead and twisted. The stench of burned flesh lay thick in the air. Sporadic echoes of gunfire reached the hall from the vast corridors and hallways of the castle, the odd explosion sent tremors through the structure. Skeletor was alone.

He moved over to the chair, more throne in appearance, that had during the festivities been reserved for non other than He-Man himself. The warlock made his way past debris and casualties, calmly sitting down in the seat belonging to the guest of honor at the celebrations, and leaned back to rest, looking out over the devastation he had brought to this previously happy and joyous place.

As he saw the crippled and blood-covered body of General Bow on the floor, Skeletor knew he had done it. In one bold move, he had destroyed the leadership of the Great Rebellion. He had killed the most influential politicians, the most dangerous commanders, the bravest of heroes; the people that held the Seven Galaxies together, they were now all dead. As were the Templars. Scattered and impotent. The galaxies were open for invasion. No resistance would be strong enough to withstand him. Nothing could stop Skeletor now.