Episode One, Part Two

Part Two

Exhausted, Skeletor arrived with his Evil Warriors at their destination.  In the shadow of Castle Grayskull, the group stood, ready to attack and invade.  Skeletor looked over his minions, the two newest being Kobra Kahn and Webstor.  He trusted neither.  Kobra Kahn was little more than a slave to Skeletor; a weapon to him and nothing more.  Webstor was Kobra Kahn's keeper, since it was Webstor that brought Kobra Kahn to Skeletor as a gift.
"Are you all right, Skeletor?" asked Beast-Man, his most loyal of all warriors.
"Just fine!" Skeletor snapped. "Fine enough.  But the Diamond Ray of Disappearance needs time to recharge before we can use it on that accursed Sorceress."
"Do you want me to give it a try?" asked Evil-Lyn.
Skeletor's eyes turned red, which gave her her immediate answer.
"Prepare for the arrival of the Masters," Skeletor ordered.  "They will surely be here soon."

***

He-Man blinked, trying to get his head back on his shoulders.  Who was this girl?  Why did she seem so strangely familiar?  And was he really in Despondos?
"Once more, stranger," stated Force Captain Adora, "you will tell me just how and why you came by this place.  This is your final warning."
She was young; couldn't be any older than himself.  Still, though, she was a threat at the moment.  And since it seemed she was serving the Horde, then she was most definitely an enemy.  He-Man pulled out his Sword of Power.  The two domed-headed soldiers behind Adora aimed their weapons.
"Put the weapon away," Force Captain Adora ordered.
He-Man stood up.
"We will open fire," she added.
"Then what are you waiting for?" he snapped.
The Force Captain paused, as if unsure if this was the right course of action.  He-Man stood in place, wondering if perhaps she was just a student of the Horde.  If he truly was in Despondos, then it was entirely probable that an entire civilization had been created here in the time that they were banished to this place.
"Stand down, Force Captain," came a voice of firm command.  He-Man recognized it from his nightmares.
Hordak strode before Adora and her pair of Horde Troopers.  He was just as He-Man had always seen him in his nightmares and visions.  A terrible creature of a man, tall and muscular.  Blood red eyes that conveyed ancient evil and hatred.  A pale, hideous face that looked to be the horrible cross between a pig and bat.
"Report back to the Doom Tower," Hordak commanded, eyes never leaving He-Man.  As the blond and her soldiers left their master, Hordak stepped forward.
"Hordak, I presume," He-Man grunted, lifting his Sword of Power.
"I sense the power of King Grayskull in that blade of yours.  It flows through you.  Remarkable, I must say; I had no idea he was that powerful.  If he had exhibited that kind of skill and power when I first confronted him all those thousands of years ago, he may just defeated me and lived.  Instead . . . he forced my banishment and paid for it with his life."
"I will see to it that what he brought upon you remains," He-Man snarled, shocked to find himself filling with so much rage.  Something about this place made him angry and hate-filled.
"Just what do you call yourself?"
"They call me He-Man.  Why?"
"I was simply just curious as to it is that I will be killing today."
He-Man was in motion, Sword of Power raised.  Hordak snorted and prepared to meet the hero head on.  Power fuming from his hands, the two collided in pitched, heated battle.

***

The Masters of the Universe descended upon the Evil Warriors with ferocity.  In the light of a twilight sun, the two mighty forces came against each other in a fury of power and strength.  Weapons were drawn, powers were unleashed, and the battle raged on.  Their long shadows danced as the forces of light and darkness clashed.
As the Masters and the Evil Warriors warred around him, Skeletor walked forward, the Diamond Ray of Disappearance secured in his hand.  Amongst the sea of battle, he was an island of peace.  Energy beams from Man-At-Arms cannon blasted around him, but Skeletor ignored and moved ever closer to Castle Grayskull.  His Evil Warriors were hard at work, keeping the Masters at bay.
"Stop right there, Skeletor!" shouted Randor, sliding right in front of the overlord of evil.
Skeletor cackled a little. "Ready to join He-Man, Randor?" he returned and creaked the box open just a little, white light spilling out though the opening.
"NO!" shouted Man-At-Arms.  He pushed Randor out of the way and the pair went tumbling into the dirt, dusting flying as they rolled.
"My thanks, Duncan," Randor replied, and then had his head slammed against the ground by Panthor.
"Damn it," muttered Man-At-Arms as he and the King began to square off with Skeletor's slick, evil feline.

Meanwhile, Skeletor arrived at the edge of the abyss.  The door to Castle Grayskull remained closed.  But not for long.  Skeletor lifted the box and opened it, then plunged a portion of his power into it.  It was far easier and much less draining to use of the Diamond Ray on an inanimate object than something living.
The great jawbridge of Castle Grayskull vanished completely from their dimension, leaving Skeletor a long jump from the interior of Castle Grayskull.  Except for . . . the Sorceress.
"Withdraw yourself from here, Skeletor," she warned, eyes full of determination, as if those words would inspire him to retreat.
"I don't think so," he snapped.  A beam of light fired forth from his Chaos Staff.  The Sorceress blocked it.
"I will counter your every spell," the Sorceress told him, hands brimming with power.
"All save this," Skeletor responded, showing her the Diamond Ray of Disappearance.  "Only another moment and it'll be fully charged again to send you far from Eternia.  And then . . . I'm just one leap from the power I've sought for so long!"

***

He-Man's Sword of Power slammed harshly against Hordak's staff, and both weapons shook from the impact.  Hordak swooped his hand in and attempted to blast He-Man, but He-Man dodged it just at the right moment and spun back.  Hordak snorted and fired another blast from his hand, the energy striking He-Man's Power Sword.
His hand suddenly felt like it was on fire, the force of blast was so strong.  But he still trudged on.  He-Man pushed himself forward, Power Sword out before him, ready to engage Hordak with all of his might.  But as soon as he neared Hordak, the lord of the Horde unleashed a powerful barrage of pure power.  He-Man's whole body quaked as Hordak assaulted him.
He-Man suddenly knew, for a fact, that Hordak was far more powerful than any foe he had faced previously.  Here he was, working at full power and had barely done any damage to Hordak.  But Hordak . . . it seemed as though Hordak was merely toying with him.
And why should he pose such a threat to Hordak?  He-Man only had his current abilities for a year.  King Grayskull has them all his life and was barely a match for him.  This was trouble, true and true.  What He-Man needed was a distraction . . .
It came in the form of Castle Grayskull's jawbridge.  It slammed right between He-Man and Hordak just as Hordak prepared his next attack.  Hordak's energy streams bore against the enchanted wood and were deflected harmlessly against some nearby ruins.
"What is this?" questioned Hordak.
"It's my shield," He-Man said with a smile.  He grabbed hold of the door, tossed it up, and shoved right into Hordak's face.  Hordak went staggered back, black blood pouring from his piggy nose.
He-Man grabbed hold of the chains that lay loosely from the door and wrapped them around his forearms.  As Hordak wiped the blood away, He-Man swung the door around and smashed it right up against Hordak.  Hordak went flying right into the same ruins his energy beams has been deflected too.
Hordak's fingertips unleashed several more bolts of energy, to which He-Man was able to deflect with his new oversized shield.  It wasn't easy to do, but he figured it was better than being an easy target.

***

"Your time was come an end, Sorceress," Skeletor sneered.  Behind him, Man-At-Arms and Randor were too occupied with Tri-Klops and Trap-Jaw to stop him.
The Sorceress said nothing.
"What's this?  No witty retorted?  No threats?" questioned Skeletor.
Still she said nothing, her eyes glued to the box in his hand.  Little did Skeletor know that she was looking well beyond the box.  The Sorceress was looking deep into the Diamond Ray of Disappearance that laid within it.  She could sense its intricacy, its energized matrix, its glowing power.  She could also sense something else . . . something all diamonds had . . .
"It's over now," Skeletor announced, opening the box.
"No, it is not."
One finger lifted from her delicate hand.  A beam of blue light fired out and struck the Diamond Ray right in the middle.  The beam of blue light fired all throughout the diamond, criss-crossing and intersecting, causing it turn a surprising red in Skeletor's hand.
"What . . . what is this?" questioned Skeletor.
"While it is a powerful weapon, Skeletor, it is still a diamond.  And like all diamond, it has a flaw!"
The blue beam suddenly broke out from one point and shot straight up.  As soon as it did, the entire Diamond Ray of Disappearance exploded in Skeletor's hand!  Skeletor leapt back, the shards of the Diamond Ray spilling to the ground.  They glowed red and began to turn to dust.
There was a huge burst of light and He-Man and the jawbridge came crashing back onto Eternia.
"What - ?!" shouted He-Man.
Behind him, the battle came to a halt.
"It looks like your plan has failed once again, Skeletor," Randor yelled.
He-Man, though still not sure what was going on, agreed.  He stepped forward, exhausted, but still determined enough to fight Skeletor.  Skeletor flicked his head across the Evil Warriors and the Masters.  He then raised his hands and – in a burst of light that only those that had the power of Schneidor – they were all teleported away.
"He-Man, what happened to you?" asked Teela, stepping over with the rest of the Masters.
"I was . . . I was in Despondos."
King Randor's eyes went wide.  He stepped over to He-Man, almost shaking.
"Did you . . . was Hordak there?"
"Yes," He-Man answered, body heaving with exhaustion.  "I did battle with him."
"Did you?  Tell me, He-Man, was there anyone else there?"
Man-At-Arms put his hand on the King's shoulder in an attempt to stop his questioning. "Randor . . ."
"Yes, actually.  A woman," He-Man said, not really paying attention to Man-At-Arms.
His face was pale and he stepped even closer to He-Man. "What was her name?  He-Man, you must tell me."
"Your highness . . ."
"Adora, sire."
Randor's eyes filled with tears. "Adora . . . what did she . . . I mean, did she look well?  Healthy?"
"I . . ."
"King Randor."  It was the Sorceress who spoke now. "He-Man is exhausted from his travels and his battle with Hordak.  He must rest.  Your questioning must wait for another day."
Randor looked at her with great offense, but then his face softened and he nodded. "Of course.  Masters, let's head back to Eternos."
As King Randor gathered his warrior, the Sorceress cast a spell that caused the jawbridge to retake its place.  He-Man remained though, as did Man-At-Arms.
"What was that all about?" asked He-Man.
The Sorceress and Man-At-Arms glanced at each other, but said nothing.  Instead, they both walked off.  He-Man sighed deeply, his mind filled with questions he knew were going to be unanswered . . .

Epilogue

Once more, in a dark, secluded room far from the eyes of men stood two figures, a man and a woman.  In the faint light of a lone candle, they spoke in hushed tones - as though, even in their isolation, they could be heard.
"I was surprised," said the man.
The woman said nothing and merely nodded a little.
"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" the man pressed upon her.
"Yes.  Yes, I knew."
"Why?  How?"
"Hordak's release is inevitable.  I had to know if He-Man was ready . . ."
"Is he?"
The woman shook her head.
The man grunted.
"Foolishness."
The woman paused, then looked to him. "Shall we speak honestly?"
The man nodded, his face illuminated only by that same lone candle. "Yes, I think we should."
The candle seemed to become brighter and the man took in the features on the woman's face.  On the face of the Sorceress.  Her eyes stared into the glowing eyes of Zodak.
"I only suspected that He-Man would journey to Despondos," she explained.  "I was not completely sure, but I had a feeling.  The Diamond Ray of Disappearance . . . it is not the weapon Skeletor thought it was.  It sensed a connection He-Man had with Despondos and sent him there."
"What kind of connection?"
The Sorceress lips formed into the ghost of a smile. "There is a connection between twins, you know.  It's unexplainable, but there is a deep and powerful rapport twins feel.  It is why the Diamond Ray send him there, at Force Captain Adora's feet."
"And you knew that?  You knew that he would go there . . ."
"He was not ready to battle Hordak, but he has prepared himself now.  He knows what he is facing.  And more than that, he has done the same for his parents.  They are all too aware that Adora lives on and they will have to face her homecoming."
Zodak took a deep breath. "Then . . . Hordak is coming, then?  With the weight of the Horde behind him?"
The Sorceress said nothing.  She simply leaned in . . . and blew out the candle.