(The following is a nonprofit work of fanfiction and is outside of the original canon. All names, characters, businesses, places, events, time periods, and/or incidents of any kind depicted within this story are being used for entertainment purposes only.)
(The Loud House and all related characters were created by Chris Savino and all rights belong to Nickelodeon.)
Hello, my favorite people! Did you miss me? 'Cause I sure missed you! ^_^
As you can see, I am back from my short hiatus, as well as from my family vacation, feeling rejuvenated and ready to get back to work. I gotta tell ya guys, it feels really good to be on the saddle again.
But before we begin, I want to announce something. You see, I've made a really interesting discovery. And what discovery is that you ask? Lincoln's birthdate, of course. According to the episode Get Out of Dodgeball from the live-action spin off series The Really Loud House, it's revealed that Lincoln's birthday is March 26th, and not June 2nd, which I wrote to be a reference to the release date of his birthday episode Present Danger.
Well, it sure took them long enough to do so. And on top of that, I've also found out from the exact same episode from the live-action series that Pop-Pop's official last name is Reynolds. That's right, we finally learn of Rita's maiden name. Although, I guess that one is not too much of a bummer since I can still go back and put it in there. But Lincoln's birthday chapter? Still would have been better if it was revealed a lot earlier in the original show when it came out back in 2016.
Now that those are out of the way, just sit back, relax, and don't forget to do one very important thing; enjoy the new chapter. ;)
- Chapter Nineteen -
By the Power of Grayskull!
Fear and anger started to overwhelm me as I held my sword close to my side, gripping its handle very tightly around my coiling fingers. The sun blazed across the blue sky with nary a cloud in sight. A small gust of wind blew in my direction, brushing against my boot-covered feet. I steadily remained where I was, trapped against a tall stone cliff wall by our mortal enemies, the ever-iconic evil warriors of Skeletor; Beast Man, Tri-Klops, Trap Jaw, and Mer-Man, who blocked our only exit. Each of them was armed with their trademark weapons, ready to strike at any given moment.
They had us cornered, leaving us with no means of escape. I muttered a curse under my breath.
"Got any ideas for how we're going to get out of this, Lincoln?" a woman's familiar voice asked me. I drifted my gaze over to face the owner of the voice, which belonged to Teela, whom I knew very easily as the Captain of the Royal Guard and was also secretly the adopted daughter of Man-At-Arms. I sucked in my bottom lip as our approaching enemies drew closer, leaving no further room for us to escape, not a single thought coming to mind. Finally, I gave in and told her the bad news.
"To be very honest, Teela. I'm pretty much all out of options at this point." I openly admitted, the feeling of defeat plain and clear in my voice. Beast Man chuckled sadistically at our dilemma; a fang-ridden smile plastered on his orange fur-covered face.
"So much for the so-called 'Man with the Plan'!" he mocked, tightening his iconic bullwhip in his hands.
"You should have known better than to take us on by yourselves!" Tri-Klops added with a slimy grin, his single mechanical eye blinking. I glared disdainfully at our gang of foes, keeping my sword out in front of me, the flat end of the blade shimmering reflectively off the light of the burning sun above. We were then met with a menacing and victorious-sounding cackle that echoed around us. A cackle that I knew of all too well.
Emerging from behind the evil warriors was none other than Skeletor himself, wielding his Havoc Staff, his purple hood worn over his yellowish white skull head. Standing closely next to him was the witch known infamously as Evil-Lyn, who peered down at us with a curling, red-lipped smirk, holding her glass-orbed scepter in one hand. Skeletor let out another cackle that seemed to echo across the badlands. Even though he didn't have any lips whatsoever, I could easily tell he was smiling.
"You were fools to think that you could try and stop me by yourselves!" he taunted darkly, his bottom jaw flapping at each word that came pouring out from his skinless mouth. I looked over at the skull-faced dark lord with a piercing glare, my long, lion's mane-like white hair flowing against the sudden warm breeze.
"You won't get away with this, Skeletor!" I shouted.
"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, you white-haired whelp!" he rebuffed arrogantly. "For I already have! With you, the 'Man with the Plan', out of the way, I will finally discover the secrets of Castle Grayskull, defeat that loathsome He-Man, and then all of Eternia as well as the entire universe will be mine to rule! Nothing will stand in the way between me and my victory!" And with that, Skeletor let out another laugh before pointing his Havoc Staff straight at us with utmost authority.
"Now! Destroy them!" he commanded. Beast Man, Tri-Klops, Trap Jaw, and Mer-Man further closed in on us, more than ready to take us out.
"Where's your precious He-Man now?" Mer-Man taunted, wielding his trident in both his yellow-gloved hands.
"This will be a day long remembered through history!" Trap Jaw proclaimed; his cybernetic hook hand poised at the ready.
This is not looking so good right now, I thought to myself, sweat forming around my strong brow. I glanced over and noticed Teela clenching her sword and shield tightly in each hand, readying herself for an attack of her own. I did the same as well, preparing to go down swinging and hoping to take a couple of Skeletor's minions with us. At least we would go down as the brave warriors that we were. As we were about to pounce against our approaching foes, we quickly noticed that the sky had suddenly gone dark, clouds forming and then blotting out the sun, small cracks of thunder rolling along the sky.
"Uh, w-what's going on?" Beast Man grunted in confusion, noticing the change in atmosphere.
"Why did the sky get so dark all of a sudden?" Tri-Klop questioned.
"By the power of Grayskull!" a heroic-sounding voice boomed through the air. A voice that instantly filled me with an increasing feeling of hope and excitement.
Skeletor and Evil-Lyn jolted their heads up and then froze like statues, their faces twisting into surprise. Teela and I turned around and gaze far up at the top of the edge of the cliffside just in time to witness a single but giant bolt of lightning shoot down from the darkened heavens above, striking down upon a human figure wielding a large sword that glowed brightly like it was the sun itself. This could only mean one thing, and it brought a huge jovial smile upon my face.
"I... have... the POWEEERR!" Soon enough, the lightning disappeared faster than it had come. The human figure, revealed to be a muscle-bound warrior with an ever-so recognizable head of golden blond hair, maneuvered further closely towards the edge of the cliff, revealing himself to actually be mounted upon the leather saddle of a giant, armor-clad, and easily recognizable, green-furred tiger, whose roar echoed through the badlands like the sound of a mighty earthquake.
"No! Not here! Not now!" Skeletor shouted despairingly.
"He-Man!" I exclaimed happily. Yes, it was none other than He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe and defender of Castle Grayskull himself, having come to our rescue just in the nick of time, with his feline companion Battle Cat, righteously wielding his mighty Power Sword. With skillful ease, the two of them gracefully leapt straight down from the cliff, landing perfectly on the ground in front of us with no complication, blocking our enemies from reaching us any further.
He-Man turned his head around to face both Teela and I with a charming smile.
"Need a hand?" he asked. Teela smiled back at him.
"You have no idea!" she replied, before steeling herself for the coming battle.
He-Man drifted back to face his arch-nemesis, Skeletor, and he pointed his Power Sword directly at the nasty skull-headed villain, who still couldn't believe his non-existent eyes.
"You will not lay a single finger on my friends, Skeletor!" he declared with open authority, as he also drew his rounded shield from his back. To help make it a point, Battle Cat warningly swiped his sharp claws out at the evil warriors, keeping them at bay as he snarled deeply with anger and bared his huge glistening, tusk-like fangs. Tri-Klops pulled out his laser pistol and tried to take a cheap shot at He-Man. But He-Man was far too fast, using his shield to block the laser blast.
"Big mistake!" He-Man said, before lunging off from Battle Cat's saddle and knocking Tri-Klops on his butt with but a single kick straight to the chest. Beast Man tried to use his bullwhip to attack, but I jumped in front of him at the last second, grabbing the coiling end of his whip. I yanked on it as hard as I could, pulling Beast Man towards my location. This allowed me the opportunity to punch the hairy man-beast square in the fanged jaw, causing him to fall to the hard ground like a cut down tree. I looked over and saw just in time as Mer-Man was about to attack with his trident.
Before I could make a move to stop him, Battle Cat speedily pounced on top of him. Mer-Man loosened his grip in surprise and his trident flew from his hands. Just like that, the aquatic villain was pinned against the ground with Battle Cat snarling at his terrified face. You can always count on He-Man's feline companion to have your back. I looked over at Teela, watching her make a break towards Evil-Lyn, who charged at her as well. With her shield, Teela knocked the evil witch's scepter out of her hands and knocked her with one kick to the stomach back over to Skeletor.
"No...! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Skeletor bellowed angerly, stomping his foot like a child throwing a tantrum. "This is not happening! None of this is happening!"
"Oh, it's happening, bonehead!" I retorted. Seeing now that Skeletor's evil henchman realized how terribly outclassed they were, we moved away and allowed them to stand. Battle Cat backed off from Mer-Man and the aquatic villain scurried to his feet and fearfully scampered off for his life, not even bothering to retrieve his trident. Trap Jaw and Beast Man did the same, as did Evil-Lyn, and they all ran past Skeletor, leaving him behind to watch and grow angrier.
"You rotten cowards!" he yelled in frustration. "Come back here and fight for your master! I command you!" Smiling, I used Beast Man's bullwhip, swiftly lassoing it around Skeletor over his arms and torso. I forcibly yanked him down to his knees, which caused him to loosen his grip and drop his Havoc Staff. He growled as he tried to wrestle his way out of his bonds, but it was no use. Teela, He-Man, Battle Cat, and I stood in front of the defeated boneheaded baddie.
"It's over, Skeletor!" He-Man declared, pointing the sharp tip of his Power Sword at his arch-nemesis' throat. "You have lost—again!"
"Curse you, He-Man!" Skeletor grunted scornfully. "Curse you and your pathetic friends to oblivion!"
"When are you going to get it through your thick skull?" I questioned, still holding Beast Man's bullwhip. "No matter how hard you try, no matter what terrible scheme you create as a means to take over all of Eternia, the forces of good will always prevail over evil."
"Any last words before we decide to banish you to another dimension?" Teela asked, keeping the tip of her own sword trained at Skeletor's neck. At first, Skeletor remained silent, saying nary a word, only bowing his head until we couldn't see his skinless face. Unexpectedly, and I mean really unexpectedly, he led out a low wheezing chuckle, almost like he had just realized something that we didn't. We looked at him very confused. I was having none of it.
"What's so funny?" I questioned him, tugging the bullwhip forcefully as a means to make him talk.
I immediately regretted asking him, because when Skeletor looked back up, he turned and stared directly at me, his empty eye sockets seeming to pierce deeply into my very soul, causing a sudden cold shiver to run straight down my spine. And then, he finally opened his lower jaw to speak. But what I heard was not the sinister and nasally iconic voice of Skeletor. Instead, what I heard from out his throat was the deep and familiarly demonic voice of...
"One, two, Freddy's coming for you..." Instantly, my blood turned ice cold throughout my trembling body, my eyes bulging in terror. Within seconds, the sky became dark, black clouds quickly blotting out the sun and any form of light, thunder and lightning crackling from a distance. I stood there, now frozen in indescribable terror, as my whole world quickly unraveled before my eyes. I glanced to see He-Man, Teela, and Battle Cat struggling to fight as black wispy shadows covered around them, and the three of them were pulled down through the ground like quicksand, leaving behind no trace of their existence.
I turned back to look at Skeletor, who started to laugh like a raving lunatic until from out of the blue, his entire body burst into flames like a giant lit match. He stood back up to his feet, and then he destroyed Beast Man's bullwhip very easily like it was nothing at all. My legs fearfully shook like Jell-O, and yet I was unable to fall to my knees. It was like I was being forced to remain standing as I was forced to watch Skeletor continue to laugh like a complete madman while his skin burned into nothing but ashes from the fire. At last, the evil Skeletor was no more.
And standing in his place was the torturous subject of my worst nightmares. Freddy Krueger laughed into the air like a maniac, thunder cracking in the background. He peered down at me while grinning widely from ear to ear, flashing his rotten-looking teeth, his eyes blazing with hellfire like that of a demon's. Ever-so slowly, the slasher villain raised his bladed gloved hand up above his head with a sadistic chuckle, now poised to strike.
"Heeere's Freddy!" he declared with an echoing bellow.
Realizing my end, I let out a blood-curdling scream, putting my hands out in front of me as Freddy swiped down without a shred of mercy...
Saturday, July 18th...
I woke up with a resounding yelp, shooting upwards and nearly throwing my blanket to the side in an act of fight or flight. Realizing that it was just another dream turned nightmare—again, I flopped my head back down against my pillow with a frustrated groan. It was just great. I couldn't even dream about fighting alongside He-Man and his friends and protect Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor without Freddy popping up out of nowhere and ruining it all for me.
Somebody, please just put me out of my pathetic misery, I mentally grumbled, massaging my tired eyes. You are such an idiot, Lincoln. You just had to stay up that one stupid night and watch that one stupid movie because you didn't believe or listen to your parents. My eyes then peered over to face my alarm clock. After seeing that it was eight thirty-five in the morning, I turned and stared straight up at the ceiling for about a minute before finally choosing to get out of bed.
Maybe some good ol' Saturday morning cartoons ought to cheer me up, I thought as I threw aside my blanket—consciously this time. Hopefully, Mom, Dad, or the girls aren't already hogging the TV by now. But first, I need a quick shower and some breakfast. Before I hopped out of my bed, I spotted my Magic 8 Ball lying on the floor next to one of the wooden legs of my nightstand. Thinking it over for a sec, I decided, "Eh, why not?" and I grabbed the ball, holding it close to my face.
"Will Sam and I get married one day?" I whispered, before gently shaking the ball and waited for a response until it surfaced above the blue liquid.
"Reply hazy. Try again." I furrowed my brows, becoming just a little bit annoyed.
"Will Sam and I get married one day?" I repeated, shaking the ball one more time.
But the next answer was a lot less than what I was hoping for, because what I got instead was a big fat, "Signs point to no."
"I am really starting to hate you right now." I grumbled with an irritated sneer, setting the ball down on my bed.
I most definitely wasn't going to throw it, that was for ding dang sure. First the terrible watching of Jaws: The Revenge the other day, then Freddy messing up my dream, and now my Magic 8 Ball refusing to give me the answer I wanted. It just wasn't my weekend, I guess. Grabbing my towel and loofah, I made my way across the hallway over to the bathroom and took my ten-minute shower. I mentally thanked the Lord above that there was still enough hot water left.
After I was finished and dried myself afterwards, I went back to my bedroom to change into that day's choice of clothes, which consisted of an orange button-up cargo shirt, a red sleeveless shirt, and a pair of blue jeans, and then I came back out again and headed down the stairs. Just as I was about to round the corner into the dining room, I heard the ever-so recognizable sound of some kind of machine going off outside in the front yard.
Must be Dad's turn to mow the lawn today, I mentally concluded.
Once a week on late Saturday mornings, Mom and Dad would take turns mowing the grass, all the way from the front yard to the back. I certainly did enjoy the smell of a freshly cut lawn. Really nice when going outside to play or enjoying the warm weather. Returning to my task at hand, I rounded the corner to the dining room, coming across my mother standing closely next to the doorway, speaking into the family's cream-colored housephone that was out of bounds from the kitchen wall.
The stretched out spiral handset cord thankfully kept her from leaving out of bounds than she already was. I wasn't exactly paying attention to what she was saying as I started to walk past her. But when I heard her say the name "Leslie" into the transmitter, I knew right away that she was talking to Mrs. Pingrey, Conner and Carol's mother. At least she wasn't using the TV just yet, which I was very thankful for.
It would be very inconsiderate to just starve a kid of his or her time of watching a long and healthy dose favorite Saturday morning cartoons, which I wasn't planning on missing, no matter what. A sudden thought came to me for a split second, and I realized that my sisters didn't appear to be around. So, I concluded that they were all back in their own bedrooms upstairs either doing their own thing or getting ready for whatever they had already planned for Saturday.
Once after I made it to the kitchen, I walked over and opened the refrigerator door, allowing the chilled air to blow against my face. It always felt so nice to do that, especially when going through a particularly hot summer day. I searched through the shelves until I spotted an untouched breakfast burrito carefully sealed in plastic wrap resting on a clear brown glass plate. On top of it was a note that had my name on it written in fancy cursive. I smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Dad," I said under my breath, grabbing my burrito, unwrapping it and placing it in the microwave for about fifteen seconds. With a loud "DING!", I drew out my now hot breakfast and after making myself a cold glass of Tropicana orange juice, I made my way over to the living room couch. Carefully setting my food on the coffee table, I swiped the remote control and turned on the old Zenith. Carefully flipping through the TV with the press of a button, I finally found my desired channel.
And wouldn't you know it, a rerun episode of The Transformers had just started playing, which made me really happy. And after that came more nostalgically beloved 80's shows like G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, ThunderCats, SilverHawks, and then Rambo: The Forces of Freedom—Yes, they actually did make a children's cartoon of Rambo, believe it or not. And then at last, the next show to grace itself on the TV screen before my very eyes was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
It was always very exciting to me whenever Prince Adam held aloft his magic sword and recanted those famous five words right before transforming into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe himself, and I would chant along with him. Sadly, my moment of excitement was broken when I suddenly heard Lisa's voice call my name. I drifted over at the stairs to see my five-year-old scientific genius for a little sister trotting down to the living room carrying Lily in her arms as she did so.
"Would you mind keeping a close watch on our youngest sibling while I do some crucial experimentation within the guarded confines of my laboratory upstairs?" she nerdly lisped after approaching me. "She has become very distracting as of late, and I very much wish to not be disturbed while I concentrate on my work at hand. I hope this will not become too much trouble for you, will it?"
"No, it's fine, Lisa. I'll watch her." I replied, shrugging my shoulders after giving it a quick thought. "I could use a bit of company anyway."
Lisa plainly smiled at my decision.
"Excellent!" she declared, before dropping Lily upon my lap, and heading back upstairs to her bedroom/laboratory.
"Try not to create a giant mess this time, okay?!" Mom called after her, after having finished up on the housephone.
Took her long enough. I commented in my head. Another minute longer and we'd have a much bigger phone bill. Lily cooed in my lap, sucking her little thumb in her mouth. I moved her to my side until she sat closely next to me, and I offered her a bite of whatever was left of my breakfast burrito, which she gladly took without hesitation, stuffing the whole thing inside her mouth until it made her cheeks swell up like a pufferfish. After gulping it down in one go, Lily sighed in satisfaction.
"Chew your food next time, you little animal." I told her, half amused and half worried. "The last thing we want is you choking to death."
My baby sister giggled impishly, and she obediently nodded, her little lavender bow bouncing on top of her blond-haired head at each nod. Glancing back to face the old Zenith, the two of us began to relax on the couch, staring at the TV screen and watching He-Man go on one of his previous adventures with his friends. I couldn't help but look to the side and saw the look on Lily's face as she stared in awe, totally wide-eyed at what she was witnessing.
It wouldn't exactly be the first time she's watched this righteous show, I thought to myself. Close to the end of the episode, when He-Man and Skeletor began duking it out like they always did, Lily began throwing her little fists out in excitement, hitting nothing but air. I couldn't help but smile amusingly at what I was seeing. Admittedly, I thought it was pretty adorable how she was getting so invested in a cartoon show that was aimed specifically at young boys like yours truly.
At least she's not into She-Ra, I mentally commented. Well... at least not yet anyway. I sure hope it doesn't come to that later. When the episode was finally over, after having showcased another of its usual PSA's right before the end credits, an idea suddenly appeared in my head, making me smile really big. Getting up from the couch, I picked Lily up in my hands, making her face me directly.
"You wanna do something fun, little sis?" I asked her. She nodded very quickly. With that, I turned off the TV and we made our way up to my room. Setting her little butt down on the floor, I told her to wait for just one moment and then I crawled underneath. Once I found what I was looking for at the upper left side corner beneath my bed, I pulled out a small cardboard box containing a small collection of my He-Man action figures as well as my Castle Grayskull playset.
The playset itself was just barely two feet tall, and the molded plastic was all a pale green color with some dark black that shadowed the gaping eyes and nose hole of the scary-looking skull face, which acted as the front entrance where the "Jaw Bridge" was located. Atop the left-side tower was a futuristic-looking laser cannon, a strong reminder of the franchise's perfect blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy. On the opposite tower was a little flag with a pair of crossed swords on each side.
The castle itself also had the ability to fold open, revealing the interior where anyone could place around the added accessories. When one folds the castle open, it was like being shown the gateway to a magical world that you never even knew existed. Each side had two inner platforms with a latter that connected to one of them, and placed around the walls were different little cardboard pieces with displayed pictures of a multi-screened computer, a suit of armor, and a rack of weapons.
If you're an 80's kid like me, then you'll no doubt remember that this playset was one of the most popular—if not THE must-have toy for almost every pre-adolescent boy on the nearest block across America. Even to this very day, I can still very fondly recall begging Mom and Dad for months after seeing the commercial for it on TV back in 1982 when I was only seven years old. You cannot imagine how ecstatic I was when I finally got the playset later that year on Christmas morning. I swear, I thought I was going to shoot straight through the roof like a rocket ship.
I nearly went ballistic when I had gotten some of the He-Man action figures as well, those being Skeletor, Beast Man, Mer-Man, Man-At-Arms, Stratos, Teela, and He-Man himself—even Battle Cat. It took every fiber of my being to keep myself from screaming like a little girl. That was honestly one of the best Christmas mornings I've ever experienced in my life. Over the next few years afterwards, I had spent some time collecting even more figures such as Evil-Lyn, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, Ram Man, Orko, and Prince Adam—He-Man's alter ego.
It wasn't until later in the early months of 1987 that I managed to get a hold of the Sorceress, the Guardian of Castle Grayskull. After setting everything up, I glanced over to Lily, who sat on the floor with a look of curious wander in her big bug eyes. Countless times, my baby sister used to sit on my scrawny lap and watch the cartoon show along with me. But I don't think I've ever once shown her my collection of figures before up until this point in time, and she definitely seemed pretty old enough to understand. This gave me another idea and I decided right there that I would put her knowledge to the test.
"Do you know what this is, Lily?" I asked her, sitting cross-legged on the floor while gesturing to my playset.
"Dats Casoo Gwayskuw!" she said in her little baby voice. Not gonna lie, I was a little bit taken aback at how well she was able to easily remember that.
"That's right. It's Castle Grayskull, home of the Sorceress," I informed her, drawing out my figure of said character. Lily looked at both the playset and the Sorceress, her large eyes gleaming with that same level of awe and wander. "And not only does she live in the castle, she's also its guardian, sworn to protect its hidden secrets that rest within." In dramatic fashion, I drew from behind my back another figure, one which had a familiar skull for a face.
I could easily tell Lily immediately knew who this character was because when she saw it, her face curled into a sour look.
"You know who this bonehead is?" I asked smiling.
"Skewetow!" my two-year-old sister hissed before sticking her little tongue out and blowing a raspberry.
"Yep. Skeletor. And what's his goal in life?"
"To take ovuh Etewnia!" Lily proclaimed without hesitation.
"Exactly," I confirmed, nodding my head at her answer. "And in order to do that, he would need to acquire the secrets of Castle Grayskull. The Sorceress knows that if he does get ahold of them, not only will he be able to take over Eternia, but the entire universe as well. And so, the Sorceress places her faith in the might of this guy right here; this is Adam, the young Prince of Eternia." Again, I drew out another figure, which had a familiar head of golden blond hair, and a pink-colored vest.
"She bestows upon him the legendary Power Sword, a weapon that allows him to magically transform into..."
"He-Man!" Lily cheered excitedly, clapping her little hands together. I giggled at this display of cuteness while becoming further astounded at her level of knowledge.
"That's correct, Lily." I continued, switching out Prince Adam for the aforementioned hero "He transforms into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. And all he has to do is simply point the sword up in the air and say the magic words..." I paused for a moment and looked at Lily, who seemed like she knew very well what I was about to say next. I smiled pretty big, feeling her uncontainable excitement. It was like I had been transported back to that Christmas morning in 1982.
"By the power of Grayskull! I have the poweeerr!" the both of us chanted mightily in unison, after I had twisted He-Man's sword-wielding arm up above his head. Lily giggled happily and clapped her hands some more. Seeing her become so invested in the same interests as me, it made me feel so proud as an older brother. So proud that I became extremely close to shedding a single tear. After quickly gathering myself and having cleared my throat, I went further on without a hitch.
"And so, with the help of the Sorceress and his friends, He-Man makes it his sworn duty to not only protect Castle Grayskull, but also his home planet of Eternia from Skeletor and his band of evil warriors." Setting the figures aside for a moment, a moved my playset in front of Lily. Dramatically, I folded open the castle to its capacity, revealing all of its fantastic contents inside for her to see. With a profound gasp, my toddler for a sister stared in complete amazement by what she was seeing, her eyes bulging even wider than they could be, her mouth hanging agape.
Now, there's an expression I know all too well, I thought, smiling proudly. Trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet, little sister.
"You ready to go on a pretty tubular adventure through Eternia with He-Man and his friends?" I asked her, hyping her up as best I could.
"Yay! By de powuh of Gwayskuw!" she replied, shooting her pudgy arms up in the air in sheer joy.
"Hehehe! I'll take that as a yes." And with that, the two of us went on our epic adventure with the power of our imagination, saving Eternia and protecting the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.
He-Man! the song's iconic jingle played in my head...