QUEST FOR DRAGSTOR

BY

AIDAN CROSS

7/22/99

PART 2

Back on Eternia, Man-At-Arms and Teela sat together at a table outside Man-At-Arms’ lab, the twin moons shining down from the evening sky above them, the towers of Eternos glinting brightly. They were eating a barbecued meal together. Beside Teela was an empty seat, with an untouched third dinner on the table above it.
"You cooked these ribs well, Teela." said Man-At-Arms to Teela, as he finished chewing on the barbecued rib. "These are the best I’ve had in a long while."
"Thanks." said Teela. "And to think Adam had the nerve to say I was a bad cook! Speaking of Adam, where’s he got to? He hasn’t even touched his meal."
"He said he was just going for a few minutes, but he’s been gone….. ten minutes. I wonder what he’s up to? Wait, I can see him up there, on that balcony. He’s got a pair of binoculars."
"What’s he doing up there?" said Teela. "His meal’s gone cold! Come on, Father, let’s join him and see what he’s up to."
Man-At-Arms and Teela went into the palace and took the lift up to the next floor, then stepped out onto the balcony, where Adam stood gazing through his binoculars into the distance, over the streets of Eternos, the shining towers and the starry evening sky.
Teela clamped her hand down on Adam’s shoulder. "What are you doing, Adam?"
Adam jumped and cried out, turning round rapidly and almost dropping his binoculars. "Teela!" he shouted, gasping for breath. "You scared me!"
"I always scare you." joked Teela. "I’m just wondering why on Eternia you’re messing around up here when you should have been eating the meal I cooked for you! It’s gone cold, you know."
"Yeah, well, I forgot about it." Adam said. "You see, I’m a little worried about something."
"What’s that, Adam?"
"It’s Extendar." replied Adam lowly. "I know the Sorceress told me earlier that he left Grayskull after talking to her, but….. it’s not like him to be out this late without contacting us. He should at least have contacted us. I’m just worried that something’s happened to him."
"Come on, Adam, stop worrying so much!" said Teela. "The Sorceress said he’d sought her help, then left Grayskull- so he probably just went out for a stroll and has chosen to stay out late. And even if he has got into trouble, he’s able to take care of himself! Stop worrying!"
"I’m not so sure." said Adam. "I can’t help but feel he’s in serious danger. Maybe we should go out and look for him."
"There’s no need to!" said Teela. "I betcha, he’ll be back any minute now!"
"No, I think Adam’s right." said Man-At-Arms. "It definitely isn’t like Extendar to be out this late without contacting us. Maybe he is alright, but we’d better make sure- especially since you never know what new schemes Skeletor might have come up with."
"I know that Buzz-Off was patrolling round Snake Mountain today." said Adam. "Let’s see if we can contact him over your computer, Duncan."
"Good idea, Adam." said Man-At-Arms. "Come on."
As Adam and Man-At-Arms turned and headed for Man-At-Arms’ lab, Teela said "Okay, you can go contact Buzz-Off. I’ll clear up Adam’s wasted dinner….. oh well, call me if you need me."

Adam and Man-At-Arms reached the laboratory and went over to the computer. Man-At-Arms tapped several keys, called "Come in, Buzz-Off." and within seconds, the large computer screen flickered on, showing the face of the winged spy, with his bee-like eyes and yellow skin.
"Yes, Duncan?" called Buzz-Off.
"You’ve been flying over Snake Mountain today, haven’t you?"
"I sure have." the spy replied.
"You haven’t seen anything suspicious, have you?"
"Absolutely nothing." said Buzz-Off. "Skeletor and his crew seem to be pretty quiet today."
"Then have you seen any sign of Extendar?"
"Extendar? No, sorry, no sign of him. I’ll let you know if I do see him, though."
"Thanks very much, Buzz-Off." said Man-At-Arms. "Over and out."
"Well, it doesn’t look like Skeletor’s got him." said Adam, as the screen went blank again. "Maybe he is safe….."
All of a sudden he heard the voice of the Sorceress in his head. "Adam….. you are needed on Etheria urgently! She-Ra has contacted me….. she says she’s seen Extendar, imprisoned in one of Hordak’s dungeons! You must come quickly, as He-Man….. your friend is in serious danger!"
"By the Elders!" exclaimed Adam. "He sure is in danger! I’ll be over right away."
"What was that?" asked Man-At-Arms.
"The Sorceress told me where Extendar is." said Adam. "I’ve gotta get to Grayskull right away, he’s in far worse danger than we ever dreamed of!"
"Why? What’s happened?"
"She says he’s imprisoned in Hordak’s dungeon!"
"HORDAK?!!" exclaimed Man-At-Arms. "So he’s on Etheria?! But how….. how did he get there?"
"I’ve no idea." said Adam. "But I’ve gotta get over there- as He-Man!"
He pulled out the sword of power from the sheath on his back, held it aloft, and shouted:

"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL…..
I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!"

In an instant, there was a huge flash of light, which transformed him into the mighty form of He-Man.
"I’ll take a Jet Sled to Grayskull straight away!" He-Man told Duncan. "If I need help when I’m on Etheria, I’ll call!"
"Good luck, He-Man!" said Man-At-Arms, and He-Man ran to the vehicle bay, leaped upon a Jet Sled, and blasted off for Castle Grayskull.

When He-Man reached Grayskull, he instantly went to the Sorceress’ chamber.
"I’m glad you came, He-Man." she said. "Extendar could be in terrible danger. It seems that somehow, without me noticing, he has ventures into the portal to Etheria, to rescue Dragstor himself!"
"By the Elders….. I must save him!"
"My magic tells me that She-Ra is also imprisoned in the same dungeon!" said the Sorceress. "She must have been struggling to contact me! Etheria could be in great danger if Hordak has captured She-Ra."
"Then if both my friend and my sister need my help, I’ll give it." said He-Man. "Lead me to the portal, Sorceress!"
She led him to the portal corridor, and the time gate to Etheria burst open.
"I will use my magic to set the portal so it transports you to a spot close to the Fright Zone." said the Sorceress. "Good luck, He-Man!"
"Thank you, Sorceress!" said He-Man, and boldly stepped inside the portal to Etheria.
He emerged on a barren landscape, and in the distance saw the black Fright Zone city. Nearby was the huge valley that was once Slave Valley- the most feared place on Etheria- before He-Man had destroyed the workings there and freed the slaves.
He looked ahead to the red neon light atop Doom Tower- which was in the shape of the Horde bat symbol. He could not waste time- he had to get inside and rescue Extendar and She-Ra.
Bravely, he made his way towards Doom Tower.

As He-Man approached Doom Tower, he wasted no time in looking for a way to get inside. He knew that if he took the main entrance, he’d be seen by a Trooper- but he wanted to make his way inside silently, so it would be easier for him to rescue Extendar and She-Ra. He walked past what looked like a Horde Training Ground- a large open space in which six Horde Troopers were practising firing. Suddenly He-Man noticed that they were practising on what appeared to be two paralysed human beings! He-Man edged closer, slowly, to see who they were. And he was shocked as he recognised them- there was no mistaking their identities. One was a young woman with wild, back-combed hair dyed bright pink, wearing a purple bodysuit and blue tights, and the other was a tall, thin man in his early thirties with jet black hair, high cheekbones and a smart executive suit. They were She-Ra’s main sidekicks, Carlos and Glimmer.
And He-Man could not allow them to serve as mere target practices for the Horde Troopers. He drew his sword, and dived in the way of the Troopers’ lasers, deflecting them with his sword.
"He-Man!" exclaimed one of the Troopers, in its robotic voice.
"I’m flattered that you metal rustbuckets know who I am!" joked He-Man, as two of the Troopers rushed towards him to fight him. He seized the first one by the arms and flung him over his head. Then he quickly disarmed the next one by swinging his powerful sword at him, slashing him through the chest. The Trooper hissed and crumbled to the ground. Another four kept their distance, but began to fire at him- so He-Man used his sword to deflect their bolts back at them, before throwing one mighty blast from the sword itself, reducing them all to scrap metal at once. Now that all the Troopers had been dealt with, He-Man rushed over to Glimmer and Carlos and used his sword to free them from the effects of the paralysis ray.
"Whew, thank goodness you came." said Carlos. "I’ve usually been pretty good at escaping the Horde in the past, but that one occasion was extraordinarily tough!"
"Thanks very much, He-Man!" said Glimmer, smiling in admiration. "I’m so glad you’re here!"
"Yep, I knew you’d be coming here soon." said Carlos. "I just knew."
"Yeah, you would do, Jovelth!" joked Glimmer.
"It’s my pleasure to have freed you." said He-Man. "But we must get inside Doom Tower at once. I came here to….."
"Yep, you came here to rescue Extendar and She-Ra." said Carlos.
"What?" said He-Man, astonished. "How did you know that?"
Carlos simply smiled and replied "It’s a wonder, the effects that science can have on the human mind. You should try out some Lemorite yourself some time. I know She-Ra is now in Hordak’s torture chamber- so I say we get in there and rescue her!"
"Torture Chamber?!" exclaimed He-Man. "We must get there at once!"
"Right you are!" said Carlos, and the three of them began running hastily towards Doom Tower, breaking past the guard on their way to rescue their friends.

I sure hope Extendar’s alright, thought She-Ra, as she faced the terror of Hordak’s torture chamber. Because whatever danger Extendar was in right now, it couldn’t be any worse than the danger that she was facing at this moment. This wasn’t the same torture chamber that Hordak used for simple captives and slaves, in which Horde Troopers simply flogged the captives with whips all day long, but a larger chamber for more heated enemies of the Horde. And the torture….. at this moment, anyway….. was bolts of electricity, being fired from the walls and ceiling….. seemingly coming from nowhere.
She-Ra had handled it alright, so far. Even though she’d been weakened slightly by Mosquitor draining her blood, she was still fast and agile, and had so far managed to dodge out of the way of nearly every bolt, and deflect others with her sword.
But it sure was exhausting. She wasn’t sure just how much longer she could keep it up. Even someone as powerful as her could not last all that long dodging lightning blasts. And she was becoming more and more exhausted by the second.
And eventually, a lightning blast did hit her. And it blew her off her feet, to the other side of the chamber, dropping her sword. She reached out for the sword, but she was hit by another blast and blown several feet by it! She could not last much longer…..
Then a further blast of lightning came through the chamber….. but strangely, it was not aimed at her. She-Ra looked up to see the cause of the blast….. and it was Carlos, with his lightning striker! "Carlos!" she called out. "Thank the ancients you came to my aid!"
"There’s more than just me, She-Ra!" he replied, and Glimmer burst into the chamber, followed by….. He-Man!
"He-Man!" exclaimed She-Ra. "Thank Grayskull! You received my call!"
"And I had to come to give you help!" said He-Man as he deflected a bolt of lightning with his sword.
Just then, there came a heavy, deep and loud laugh, which echoed throughout the chamber. The warriors looked up to see the terrifying figure of Hordak standing above them, his red eyes shining onto the ground.
"So, He-Man, you come to help your friends, and only end up in my torture chamber! Well, this shall be the place where you perish. I won’t bother confiscating your sword… because as with She-Ra, it’s best that you fight your way to exhaustion. I’ve called off the lightning effects….. they are the most harmless feature of my chamber. Instead you shall face….. the Monstroid!"
He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer looked up in shock as the gigantic robot beast crashed through a side wall into the chamber, snapping its mighty claws, blocking their way and rampaging towards them!
"Let’s see how you fare against this….. as well as the spike of death!"
As he said this, a huge metal spike came crashing down from the ceiling. The warriors dodged aside, but the spike came down again….. in another spot. It was coming down in random spots- there was no way they could predict where it would appear next!
"You’ll stand no chance against the spike," shouted Hordak, "especially with the Monstroid coming at you at the same time! Here you will all perish….. while your friend, Extendar, is turned into a Horde assassin!"
He-Man’s mind was filled with shock as he remembered Extendar. No, it can’t be!, he thought. Hordak couldn’t turn Extendar evil!
"Extendar!" He-Man cried, leaping into the air and crashing his sword against the Monstroid. But it was no use. The blows from the sword were not heavy enough to destroy the metal monster. He-Man and his allies were almost trapped….. and they would never be able to save Extendar in time.

Extendar struggled to get free from the brainwashing machine. It felt like extreme torture. As he struggled, random images of war, death and destruction began pouring into his mind. He tried his best to combat them, by thinking of how he’d helped maintain peace on Eternia so many times- but it was no use. He could feel a thirst for blood in his mind, and before long his mind would be full of all kinds of sadistic thoughts.
Although he’d been put inside the brainwashing machine in just the same way as when he’d originally been changed into Extendar, these sadistic thoughts had not poured into his mind that time. He’d simply been rendered unconscious after a while of being trapped there, and had awoken with his memory drained and his body made robotic. So obviously, the brainwashing had not worked on him first time because his anger had overcome it- but this machine was more powerful. Now he realised how dreadful it must have been for Doodon, when he was brainwashed! And soon the machine would drain his memory, and he’d be drained of all recollection of his life as Theydon, or even his life as a Heroic Warrior…..
NO! He could not let it happen! He could not become as evil as Dragstor had become! He writhed and punched at the sides of the machine, desperately trying to free himself. But it was no use- despite his incredible strength, the machine was too strong for him to break free. But he could not let himself succumb to its power!
Dragstor stepped in front of him, casting his evil, penetrating glare upon Extendar. "You can not break free!" he said. "This machine is far too powerful! Before long, you’ll be part of the Horde!"
"No!" Extendar shouted. He could not let himself become as evil as the Horde! He had to try to persuade Dragstor to listen to him and recall his past. "Dragstor!" he shouted. "You gotta listen! We used to be friends! You were once a normal guy, until you were put through just the same brainwashing as I am now! We were both human! You must remember- we knew each other since we were kids!"
"I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR NONSENSE!" shouted Dragstor, deafeningly. "You’re only trying to get me to free you- which I will not! So I will leave you. I’m now going to the Torture Chamber, where She-Ra should be meeting her demise. And no matter how hard you try to escape, it will be in vain!"
Dragstor turned to leave. "Dragstor!" called Extendar, as his former friend made his way out. "Please! Just listen to me….."
But Dragstor simply ignored him, and called to Multi-Bot. "Keep close guard of Extendar." he instructed the robot. "Make sure he doesn’t escape- not that he’ll be able to."
"I obey your command, Dragstor." replied the robot, and inched over to the brainwashing machine, on his six electronic legs.
Multi-Bot stood guard, in front of the machine, as more and more evil thoughts continued to flood Extendar’s mind. He was feeling guilty about the sadistic thoughts he was having. He was imagining himself killing and dismembering people who had wronged him….. not just Hordak, but people who had done him bad all through his life….. his violent neighbour from childhood, who had beaten him up simply because he’d accidentally knocked a box off his wagon when playing in the road….. his disturbed childhood acquaintance who’d turned all his friends against him by telling them lies about him….. the bigoted captain of the athletics club, who had refused him entry into the major races out of sheer dislike….. although Extendar had always disliked these people for what they’d done, he was now picturing them in his mind, with their eyeholes reduced to nothing but hollows filled with blood as their eyes dangled out on their stalks, their teeth and gums crushed by electronic drills, their limbs severed and ripped to pieces, their chests torn and mutilated. And he was getting a feel of excitement and thrill from these thoughts. His delight in it still sickened him, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before he found sheer pleasure in thoughts like these…..
He could not let it happen. Even though he knew it wouldn’t be his fault if the experiment succeeded, he still felt that he’d be betraying the Masters of the Universe if he joined the Horde. He must try his best to escape!Multi-Bot was guarding him now- the robot was simply standing still in front of the machine, but his two heads would spin from time to time as he scanned the area around him for intruders. Could Extendar possibly trick Multi-Bot into setting him free? It might be possible- after all, Multi-Bot was not a living creature, but a machine programmed to serve and fight for the Horde. Perhaps Multi-Bot would obey Extendar, now that his mind was turning evil?
Extendar could not be sure, but he decided to give it a go and attempt to trick Multi-Bot. "Multi-Bot!" he called. The robot’s heads swerved towards him. "You can release me now." said Extendar. "I am a Horde minion. I am prepared to fight for the Horde. It is safe to let me free!"
Multi-Bot’s circuits whirred as he processed Extendar’s commands in his electronic mind. "Opposition Warrior….. Not Horde member….. Will not obey."
Damn, thought Extendar. Multi-Bot could not be tricked like this. He was only programmed to obey fully-fledged Horde Members, and he could detect who was a true Horde member.
Could there be some other way to trick him?, thought Extendar. If only He-Man was here….. he knows how to play mind games with robots. Maybe if he attempted (or rather pretended) to attack Multi-Bot, he would succeed.
"I’m coming right for you, Multi-Bot!" Extendar shouted, and kicked his metal legs in front of him, as if to attack Multi-Bot. "You stand no chance against me! Prepare to fight with Extendar, tower of power!" he punched his fists against the sides of the brainwashing machine, in anger. He found that now that his mind was partially evil, he seemed to want to fight, and cause as much destruction as possible.
"Come and try me if you dare!" Extendar shouted. "I’ll pull you apart within seconds!"
Multi-Bot turned towards Extendar, raised his four metal arms, and they began to whirr. Within moments, all four of his arms had converted to laser pistols. Good, thought Extendar. Multi-Bot’s computer brain had been tricked into thinking Extendar really was attacking him. "I will fight you." said Multi-Bot. "Feel the power of Multi-Bot!"
"Alright then!" said Extendar, triumphantly. He tensed up his electronic muscles as Multi-Bot fired all his lasers at him- just in case he were to be hurt by the blasts. The laser beams blasted into the machine, hitting the tight electric belts, and exploding them instantaneously! Extendar shot up from the seat. At last he could move! But the sparks of electricity remained around him, encircling his body. It was this electricity field that was the cause of the brainwashing, with its hidden power. Extendar tried to step through it, but as he did so he felt a bolt of electricity surge through his body, and he jerked back in shock. Gasping for breath, he realised how lucky he was that he was no ordinary human, or he’d have been electrocuted in no time. He had to find some other way of breaking through the electricity field! So he lured Multi-Bot closer to him. "You come and get me, you walking piece of scrap metal!" he shouted. "You’re no match for my power!"
Multi-Bot began to advance closer to him, saying "I will destroy you!" He moved closer….. and closer….. and walked right into the electricity field! The electricity began to react with Multi-Bot’s robot body, which started to shake and smoulder with sparks. Quickly, Extendar gripped hold of Multi-Bot’s upper arms, there was a huge burst of sparks, and Multi-Bot exploded into a thousand pieces, which hurled and scattered all over the laboratory! Extendar clung to Multi-Bot’s arms, and found himself flinging out of the machine and across the lab, landing with a heavy thud in one corner.
Slowly, Extendar picked himself up, and looked out over the laboratory. He had momentarily passed through the electricity field as he’d been flung out of the machine, but since he’d only passed through it for a split second, he felt only a minor surge of electricity through his body. It did him no harm. Multi-Bot had been less powerful, so he’d been destroyed by the electricity field. All over the laboratory were pieces of Multi-Bot’s body parts and working components, sizzling and smouldering into useless junk.
Extendar edged his way over to the machine. The electricity field was still passing through the space where he’d been trapped, but the metal belts were totally destroyed. Extendar walked over to the control panel for the machine. There was a lever with "ELECTRICITY FIELD- ON/OFF" written below it. He flicked the lever to ‘OFF’, and the electricity field dissolved.
Now he was alone and safe in the lab. He could work now on finding some way to use the machine to change Dragstor back to his human self. He could still feel the thoughts of sadism in his mind, and the thirst for blood, war and destruction. Extendar’s mind was now partially evil, but his heart was still good. Using the machine, he should be able to find a way to return Dragstor to normal, and also wipe all the evil from his own mind.
Without hesitation, he set to work with the machine.

Dragstor had made his way down to the torture chamber. He found Hordak there, watching He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer fight a destructive battle with Hordak’s Monstroid machine, as the giant metal spike came down repeatedly from the ceiling, in random places.
"Dragstor!" exclaimed Hordak, as he saw his minion approaching. "Extendar hasn’t escaped, has he?"
"No, master." replied Dragstor. "The traitor is still in the brainwashing machine."
"Very good." said Hordak. "Soon he’ll be on our side. He-Man, She-Ra and Glimmer have been injured several times, and before long will be completely destroyed- actually, maybe once the brainwashing of Extendar is complete, I will let their former friend destroy them….."
"Yes!" exclaimed Dragstor, his eyes opening wide. "We must destroy these fools together! Extendar and I shall torture them once he’s been brainwashed!"
"Precisely." said Hordak. "That is one of the reasons why I didn’t inflict anything more serious than the Monstroid and the spike upon them- because I knew I could test Extendar on them once he’s been converted to our side. They’re dealing with the Monstroid reasonably well….. but they’ll be too weak to deal with much more."
Hordak and Dragstor looked down at the warriors fighting the Monstroid in the large, black torture chamber. Carlos seemed to be the hero of the battle so far. While He-Man, She-Ra and Glimmer had cuts and bruises on their bodies, and were struggling to fight the Monstroid and dodge the spike at the same time, Carlos was taking out all kinds of unusual devices from the inner pockets of his jacket, using lots of strange bolts to counter the Monstroid’s blows and causing it to drop the other warriors whenever it lifted them. And he hadn’t been hit by the spike once.
"Keep fighting, so-called warriors!" shouted Hordak. "You cannot last long against the Monstroid….. and the spike will help destroy you all!"
"You’re gonna have to find a better method than this." said Carlos, firing a lightning bolt from his Lightning Striker at the Monstroid. He moved to one side, and the spike came crashing down a few seconds later, exactly where he had been standing. "That spike’s no match for me." he said. "I know where it’s going to come down every time, so I don’t need to fear it. I can just prepare myself and move away."
Hordak snarled at the scientist, his eyes glowing bright red. "I’ll never be able to understand how you automatically seem to know so much! If only you were on the Horde’s side….. but still, even you will be destroyed before long. Once I’ve unleashed Extendar upon you!"
"Yep, right." said Carlos, sarcastically, as he continued to fire at the Monstroid.
"He’ll see before long….." growled Hordak, turning towards Dragstor. "You and Extendar will make short work of him. Once Extendar’s been brainwashed, and drained of all past memory, he and you will finally become the mighty duo I created you to be."
"Great! At last!" hissed Dragstor. "He’s continued to tell me his lies about us once being human friends." said Dragstor. "But I’m curious….. why does he do this, master?"
"He does it simply because he wants you to join his side." lied Hordak. "When he was created, he expected that you were going to be a traitor like him, and since he was angry that you weren’t, he made up that ridiculous story in the hope of converting you to his side. You shouldn’t believe a word he says."
"I don’t." said Dragstor.
Hordak looked down on his minion. When he’d turned him into Dragstor, he’d programmed him so that he would never be able to suspect that he’d ever been human, even if anyone tried to tell him. Although Dragstor himself didn’t know it, he was not capable of thinking by free will. All his thoughts were the results of Hordak’s brainwashing- he had a totally artificial mind. He was incapable of thinking deeply, or feeling any emotions- all he ever felt was a desire for war and destruction. So Dragstor would never be able to remember a single moment of his human life, or even suspect it may ever have happened. Hordak was not worried that Extendar might ever be able to restore Dragstor’s human mind. It was totally impossible. And it would definitely be impossible, now that Extendar himself was being brainwashed.
"Did you leave Extendar alone in the lab?" Hordak asked Dragstor.
"No." replied Dragstor. "I left Multi-Bot to guard him."
"Excellent." said Hordak. "Go back there now, for the brainwashing process should be complete fairly soon. Then I’ll set you and Extendar upon these fools- as a test of Extendar’s power….. and the destruction of my hated enemies."
"Right on, master." said Dragstor, and he skidded down to the ground, and propelled himself on his wheel, towards the lab.

Extendar puzzled over the control panel of the brainwashing machine. As he did so, he did not quite feel himself. His body was shaky after coming out of the machine, and his mind was in a mess, having been turned partially evil. He could feel a desperate thirst for blood in his mind, and was trying his best to keep it under control as he studied the control panel.
He could not seem to find anything that would enable him to reverse the brainwashing process. It was probably hidden, in case any heroic warrior found the machinery.
Or was it even possible to reverse the process? Extendar flashed his mind back to the original machinery, that Hordak had used on he and Dragstor. He remembered that after he’d reached the Royal Palace, after Buzz-Off rescued him from Dragstor, and told the Heroic Warriors his story, he’d gone back to the Fright Zone with He-Man, to recover the machinery and return Dragstor to his human form. But when they’d reached the Fright Zone, despite a struggle with Hordak and his henchmen, they had seen no sign of the machinery or Dragstor. He-Man had used his sword to trace the location of the machinery, and the sword had led him to the Ocean. He had formed an air bubble with his sword, and he and Extendar had gone undersea in it to find where Hordak had hidden the machinery. They found a great glass dome, in which the machinery was hidden, with Dragstor guarding it. Hordak had hidden the machinery there, with Dragstor to guard it because he knew the heroic warriors would not risk smashing the dome open and harming Dragstor. But Merman had spied what was going on, and realising that He-Man must want the machinery, had sent a swarm of sea creatures to smash the dome open. They had done so, but He-Man had saved Dragstor by pulling him inside the bubble, and escorting them back onto land. He-Man had told Dragstor that he would go back to retrieve the machinery, so he could change him back- but Dragstor, although he did not remember being human, had revealed that the machinery had no way of undoing the jobs it had done. He-Man had therefore decided to destroy it instead, and had swam back underwater to destroy the equipment. But Merman had seen him approaching, and Merman had done the job himself and destroyed the equipment, thinking that He-Man was after it because he wanted to use it. Merman had escaped thinking he had beaten He-Man, and back on land, He-Man had explained to Extendar that there was no way they could have used the machinery to change Dragstor back, but he would do his best to find a way.
Extendar slammed his fist down on the control panel. If the original machine had no way of returning Dragstor to his human form, surely this one wouldn’t either, since it was little more than an improved replica of the original? Blast it, he thought. Was there any way of changing Dragstor back? Was there perhaps some other machine, somewhere else in the Fright Zone, that was capable of doing this? Extendar knew he would have to do his best to find the way to change Dragstor back!!! But how?! If there was no way of turning him back….. he knew the only alternative would be to kill Dragstor. And since his mind was now partially evil, and less disgusted by the thought of taking another life, he would be quite capable of killing Dragstor. Still, he’d rather he could be changed back…. but how could he do it???
"Dammit!" he shouted angrily, extending his arm and smashing it heavily on the ground. "How on Eternia am I gonna be able to change Dragstor back?! HOW???"
"Change me back?….." came a hissing, electronic voice. Extendar spun round, just in time to see Dragstor himself zoom into the lab. The moment Dragstor noticed that Extendar had escaped, and the smouldering remains of Multi-Bot scattered around the lab, he hissed "So, you’ve escaped! Well, there’s only one thing left to do now. YOU WILL DIE!!!!!" and he zoomed along the ground on his wheel, straight towards Extendar, knocking him off his feet!
Extendar fell back, but picked himself straight up and took a leap back, looking down at his former friend. And he felt something he’d never thought he would feel in his life….. a desire to FIGHT Dragstor. To hurt him. The increased evil in his mind had given him a determination to fight anyone who dared attack him, even Dragstor. And he was no longer disturbed by the thought of it. He still wanted to return Dragstor to his human form….. but he was prepared to inflict damage upon him- maybe if he damaged Dragstor’s cyborg body, it could fall away and reveal his true form below?
"I’ll make short work of you!" growled Dragstor. "Especially since you never fight back!"
"Oh do I not?" said Extendar- and he shot out his mighty arms, seized Dragstor by the shoulders, and flung him across the room.

Dragstor picked himself up and raised his body to face Extendar….. this couldn’t be….. he had just been attacked by the enemy who betrayed Hordak and had never, ever dared fight him….. now Extendar had actually flung him across the lab….. Dragstor could not explain the sudden change but he knew he had to fight back….. he glared at Extendar with bloodthirst, skidded to the ground and propelled himself towards Extendar on his wheel…..

Extendar watched as Dragstor came zooming towards him. No doubt Dragstor would have been taken by surprise at Extendar’s sudden attack. Extendar had never dreamed of hurting Dragstor before….. but now that his mind was more evil than before, he was perfectly ready to hurt him- especially if it would help to change him back to his human form. As Dragstor shot towards him, Extendar reached out his fist and smashed Dragstor’s head heavily, causing his former friend to drop down, out of action.
"Taken by surprise, Dragstor?" asked Extendar, looking down on his opponent.
Dragstor looked up at Extendar, squinting his eyes in spite. "What has come over you? Why are you fighting back? Before now, you’ve always been too afraid to fight back to me!"
"Perhaps I’ve simply changed a little….." replied Extendar.
"Nevertheless….." said Dragstor, getting to his feet, "you’ll still pay for betraying H-" he stopped suddenly, and looked into Extendar’s eyes. Extendar stared back, into Dragstor’s evil, demonic eyes.
"You….. you look different….." said Dragstor. "Your eyes….. they look more….. war-like."
"Well, I did spend some time stuck in that brainwashing machine." said Extendar. "It had to have had some effect."
Dragstor’s eyes opened wide in amazement. "Then join the Horde!" he said. "You’d make a fine minion for Hordak. Become one of us, as you were always meant to be!"
"No- how about you leave the Horde behind and rejoin me- as we were always friends, and always should have been!"
"Damn it! More of your lies!" shouted Dragstor. "I won’t listen to you a moment longer. DIE, Traitor!!!"
He leaped right towards Extendar, seizing hold of his neck and digging his wheel into Extendar’s chest, spurting a cloud of steam into Extendar’s face. But Extendar found that he loved fighting more than ever before….. so he began to grow to full size and gripped hold of Dragstor’s sides. The man-vehicle’s eyes opened wide in shock as Extendar grew, lifting him higher and higher above the ground. Once he’d reached full height, he dropped Dragstor right down to the ground! But Dragstor was ready, and before he hit the ground, he activated his chest wheel once again, flipped over to his front as he landed, and zoomed along the ground, right between Extendar’s legs.
Extendar slowly turned his huge body round, to face Dragstor. Dragstor raised his arm and shot out a blast from his wrist-lasers- but Extendar quickly shrunk back to his normal size. The lasers missed him and burned a hole in the ceiling.
"You fight well….." hissed Dragstor, "but unless you realise that you’re a born Horde member like myself, you will perish!"
"And you’re gonna sound a total fool until you realise that you weren’t born a Horde member, but born Doodon, my closest friend!"
"Why do you come out with such lies?!!!" growled Dragstor, and came zooming right towards Extendar, leaping up to seize his neck when he reached him! But Extendar just managed to seize hold of Dragstor’s sides, and flung him over his head.
"You cannot beat me!" screamed Dragstor as turned on his chest wheel to face Extendar. "I am Dragstor, master of speed!" And he zoomed round in a circle, too fast for Extendar’s eye to catch, before suddenly raising his arm and firing a bolt of energy at him, hitting him in the chest! Extendar leaped backwards in anger- normally he’d have been sickened by the thought of his former friend inflicting pain upon him, but now that he’d been half-brainwashed, he could not care- he simply ran towards Dragstor, shouting "I’m gonna make you human again- or die trying!"
"Then die you shall!" shouted Dragstor, zooming over the ground, through Extendar’s legs, then spinning around and blasting Extendar from behind, causing him to fall forward heavily. Extendar quickly picked himself up, grew to half his full size, and reached out his right arm, seizing hold of Dragstor and punching him heavily in the face with his left fist. He stared into Dragstor’s evil eyes, and he mocked "So, fastest evil warrior in the universe, hey? Well, your powers are impressive, but you’re still no match for the tallest warrior in the universe!" He stared into his former friend’s hideously changed eyes, with their devilish glare. And for the first time, ever since Hordak’s experiment upon them, Extendar sensed a trace of FRIENDSHIP in Dragstor. As he’d been turned partially evil by the machinery, Extendar could see some of himself in Dragstor’s eyes. Dragstor was staring back at him, and his eyes lit up as if he felt the same. It was almost as if they were fighting as friends, having a friendly bout with one another, rather than fighting as enemies.
"You know, I’m kind of enjoying this fight." Extendar said. "You make a damn great opponent!"
"So do you!" said Dragstor. "Just as much as you did when you didn’t fight back!" Extendar looked deeper into his evil eyes. He laughed as he sensed Dragstor’s bloodthirst, and Dragstor laughed back. "I wanna rip Hordak to shreds!" laughed Extendar. "I wanna pull that metal head of his off and let myself bathe in his scarlet blood!"
"That’s just how I’ve always felt about He-Man!" said Dragstor. "See, you’re more like us now, Extendar. I can see it in your eyes! Join the Horde, Extendar, and you and I shall fight together as sidekicks, like we always should have been! The two of us belong together!"
"Yes, we do!" replied Extendar. "As friends! Like we always were in our human forms! Don’t you remember, Dragstor?"
"We could be….. I guess you could call it friends." replied Dragstor. "I can see your thirst for blood, and it’s equal to my own. Yes, we can be sidekicks and slaughter the Rebellion together!"
"Not a chance Dragstor….. you weren’t always a Horde assassin, remember? You and I were close friends, and we were totally normal guys? Living in that village in Eternia….."
"Stop your lies, Extendar!" shouted Dragstor. "It’s all no use. Forget about trying to turn me to your side. Instead, you join the Horde and become one of our most powerful members!"
Extendar was about to respond in the negative….. but suddenly another idea struck him. If he pretended he was going to change sides and join the Horde, Dragstor would then see him as a friend….. and maybe that could help him recall his past life?
So he said "Yes. I will join the Horde. I will leave the heroic warriors for good. Now, Dragstor, you and I will fight to destroy the Rebellion….. and then take over Eternia!"
"At last!" exclaimed Dragstor. "You and I are now the sidekicks we were created to be! Just wait until I tell Hordak that you’ve finally become part of the Horde. He will be most welcoming towards our new, powerful member!"
"Yes, he will." replied Extendar. "And you and I can be the friends we were always meant to be, Doodon." At Extendar’s mention of his name, Dragstor’s eyes opened wide, and he stared at Extendar as if recalling a long forgotten memory. "Th….. Theydon?" he stammered, his voice now sounding closer to how it had been in his human form.
"YES!!!!!" exclaimed Extendar in ecstatic triumph, and quickly shrunk to normal size, and let go of Dragstor on the ground. "So….. you remember me, Doodon? We were always friends, remember? Until Hordak captured us?"
Dragstor gripped tight hold of his head with both hands, shaking wildly. "I….. I thought I remembered….. no, it can’t be! I’m loyal to Hordak! I could never have been friends with you?!!" and he slid to the ground and reared up towards Extendar on his wheel, knocking him back against the wall. But then he ran to the other side of the lab and clutched his head again. Clearly, some of his old memories must finally be coming back to him, but since he’d been programmed to think he was a born Horde member, his artificial mind was having difficulty believing them.
"Fight Hordak’s curse, Doodon!" shouted Extendar. "You know you’re my friend. Fight against Hordak’s evil brainwashing, and let your memories flood back!" he ran across the room to Dragstor, and laid his hand on Dragstor’s shoulder. "Come on, you must remember!" he said. "Fight against Hordak’s mind spell….. you’ve gotta remember!"
"I’ve….. I have to fight you!" Dragstor shouted. "I must fight in the name of Hordak!" and he thrust his left wrist-blaster into Extendar’s face, and blasted him, sending him flying back.

Carlos, Glimmer, He-Man and She-Ra continued to battle with all their strength against the Monstroid and the giant metal spike. Hordak watched down over them. They were doing pretty well, he had to admit. They were definitely lasting longer than he’d expected. Carlos was warning the other warriors whenever the spike was about to drop down on them, so they were able to dodge it quickly. The Monstroid currently held He-Man in its right claw, as Carlos continued to fire his Lightning Bolts at it. He-Man flexed his mighty muscles, and with one huge burst of strength, broke free of the Monstroid’s clutches, smashing the metal claw into pieces, which flew all around the chamber as He-Man leaped to the ground. Hordak watched in horror as his creation’s claw was destroyed.
"Great work, He-Man!" said Glimmer. "We’re gonna wear that Monstroid out before long!"
"You’re no match for the power of my creations!" shouted Hordak.
"Think again." said Carlos as he fired a Lightning Bolt at the Monstroid’s face. The metal monster was beginning to lose control of its circuits as it attempted a clumsy dodge to the left….. so Carlos fired bolt after bolt at the robot, until part of its gigantic metal body started to melt.
"Excellent work!" shouted She-Ra. "Now we must destroy the other claw!"
"Leave that to me." said He-Man, and leaped up towards the Monstroid’s body.
"She-Ra! The spike’s about to come down on you!" shouted Carlos. She-Ra dodged aside quickly, as the metal spike crashed through the ceiling to the spot where she had been standing.
"Thanks for warning me, Carlos. Now go for it, He-Man!"
The Monstroid, its head streaming with melted metal, seized He-Man in its left claw and squeezed him tight. But He-Man once again broke free from the claw with a mighty flex of his muscles, sending it shattering across the chamber.
He-Man leaped back to the ground, and said to the others "Quickly, if we all fire at the metal monster at once now that it’s confused, we could be able to put a stop to its rampage!"
He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer all leaped into a spot just a metre away from the Monstroid. He-Man and She-Ra brandished their swords, Carlos held out his Lightning Striker. Then He-Man shouted "NOW!" and the four warriors all fired at the Monstroid- He-Man and She-Ra fired bolts from their swords, Carlos fired a Lightning Bolt, and Glimmer fired energy beams from the palms of her hands. The projectiles all hit the Monstroid at once, and its metal chest began to crackle and hiss as a cavity opened in its center. Electric wires seeped out, as the metal body began to melt and crumble to the ground.
"Now- let’s make our way out!" shouted He-Man. Together, he and the others ran as fast as they could out of the torture chamber, away from the metal spike.
"No- you cannot escape yet!" shouted Hordak, watching in horror as the Monstroid crumbled to the ground. He converted his arm to cannon mode, but it was no use- He-Man threw one mighty punch into Hordak’s metal face, which was swiftly followed by a blast from She-Ra’s sword, knocking him aside.
He-Man and the others ran swiftly away from the Torture Chamber, heading towards Hordak’s lab. "We must save Extendar." said He-Man. "He’s probably turned evil by now!"
"No he hasn’t." said Carlos. "Or not that much, anyway. I can sense it- he’s been turned a bit evil by that machine, but he’s broken free and is now battling with Dragstor."
"That’s great!" said He-Man. "Well, not great that he’s fighting, but great that he hasn’t been turned fully evil. We’ve gotta rescue him and restore his mind to normal- and hopefully Dragstor’s too!"
Suddenly, as they ran through a narrow corridor, lit only by a deep red light, a dark, sinister figure stepped in front of them. There was no mistaking it, with its huge, red insectoid head, and the large black metal body.
"Mosquitor!" exclaimed She-Ra.
And from behind them came the voice of Hordak. "You cannot survive long, rebels." he said. "Mosquitor- take them!"
The evil energy-draining insectoid made his way slowly towards them, his head ready to suck up blood…..

Extendar rushed towards Dragstor, gripped his wrists tightly, and held him close.
"Come on, Doodon, you must remember!" he said. "You’ve been brainwashed by Hordak. You’ve lived for three years without being able to think for yourself. Hordak’s curse has made you think you were made to be loyal to him!"
"But….. I was made to be loyal to him!" shouted Dragstor. "Hordak is my master! I can never betray him! You and I were made on the same day….. but you turned good and betrayed Hordak!"
"And why do you think I betrayed Hordak, Doodon? Because I’d retained my human memory! We were captured by Hordak and made into what we are now- we weren’t always like this! Remember, we were running in a race just before, when Modulok captured us, and then we were taken to Hordak’s laboratory….."

Extendar’s words sank into Dragstor’s brainwashed mind. A vision suddenly crept into his psychotic mind- It was a vision of him and another man being dragged by troopers into Hordak’s laboratory. He shouted "I will never serve your evil army, Hordak! Never!"
"I feel you will behave differently once I have finished with you….." Hordak replied, "My machines can be very persuasive!"
Dragstor went hysterical with shock as the vision became more vivid in his head. Could this thing actually have happened? Was what Extendar was saying true, all this time? "No! It can’t be!!!" he screamed as he shook his body frenetically in Extendar’s clutches.
"It is, Doodon!" said Extendar. "Fight the curse! Restore your mind! You must remember!"
Dragstor felt the memory become more vivid in his head….. he started to see childhood images, of him and a young boy called Theydon playing together as kids….. but it couldn’t be true!!! Hordak was his master- why would Hordak lie to him?! No, it was all lies- Extendar must have some secret power that he was using to possess him. These images were simply being transmitted by Extendar into his mind, to convince him that they were real.
"It can’t be true!" he shouted. "If it was….. what did Hordak say as we were dragged into the laboratory?"
"He said….. ‘My machines can be very persuasive.’"
"NO!!!!!" screamed Dragstor, as Extendar spoke the exact words he’d seen in the vision. "I’m getting these visions in my head….. that’s what he said in the vision….."
"Then you’re remembering your true past!" said Extendar. "Concentrate and break the curse- then we can return to our true friendship!"
"No! I don’t believe it! It’s all lies! You’re transmitting these images into my head so I’ll think they really happened! It’s not true!!!!!"
"It is, Dragstor, just concentrate….."
"IT’S NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!" Dragstor screamed, and writhed free from Extendar’s grasp, then punched him violently on the chest, and converted to vehicle mode, zooming away, and using his lasers to blast a hole through to another part of the lab as he did so.

Back down in the corridor, He-Man was struggling under the grip of Mosquitor, who had thrust his huge insectoid head into his neck and was slowly drinking up his blood, sapping his strength….. Carlos, She-Ra and Glimmer attempted to save him, but just then, Batros swooped down from the ceiling, wrapping his huge wings right round She-Ra and Glimmer, and Modulok suddenly appeared all over the floor, his many body parts scattering around rapidly, confusing Carlos as leg after arm after leg after arm appeared in his way, holding him back…..
Mosquitor sucked on He-Man’s blood, as Hordak watched in triumph. "This is my day of victory!" he laughed. "The day I finally brainwash Extendar is the day He-Man is destroyed! What perfection!"
His eyes blazed bright red as a deafening metallic laugh emitted from his wide open, metal jaws…..

Extendar rushed after Dragstor, about to dive through the hole in the wall to the concealed part of Hordak’s lab.
"Dragstor- I’m here to help you, right?!"
He saw a large metal block on the other side crash into the hole in the wall. Then he heard Dragstor’s voice, now closer to that of Doodon, except hoarser and more striking, say "You aren’t coming in, Extendar. I will listen to no more of your lies."
But Extendar knew that inside, Dragstor was suffering from a terrible conflict within his mind, as his human memories were flooding back, but Hordak’s programming was refusing to let him believe them. Extendar pounded on the metal wall with his mighty fist. "Let me in, Dragstor!"
"Get out of here, you son of a….."
"I’M COMING IN!!!!!" He pounded on the wall even harder. There was a loud clang and the metal wall shook violently, but it did not give way.
"Damn, if this wall needs incredible strength to break it down….. that’s what it’s gonna get!" Extendar grew to full height, in which he was stronger- and he thrust out both his fists, smashed them heavily against the wall, and there came a deafening clanging sound, which shook the whole lab- and the wall fell down heavily, clattering to the ground with intensity.
"You bastard….. hissed Dragstor, "I’ll finish you…"
"No, Doodon. Just relax- concentrate and let your memories flood-" he stopped as he looked up, and saw the huge, metal machine in front of them, with its massive fan behind a metal grate.
"What in the world is that?!" he cried.
"It’s Hordak’s Tornado Generator….." hissed Dragstor, his voice even hoarser than usual, "… he created it to cause the downfall of Etheria, and you will not damage it!" He zoomed towards Extendar, gripping his metal neck and slamming his head to the ground.
"Dammit, if you think you can defeat me like that, you’re badly mistaken!" shouted Extendar, and flipped Dragstor over, holding him down with his mighty arms. Deep inside he felt guilty for hurting his friend- but Hordak’s mind control had made him partially evil, and the anger he felt over Dragstor’s attack, and just how long the whole, tormented relationship between the two of them had gone on, was driving him insane.
"PLEASE SOMETHING JUST LET THIS ALL END!!!!!" he screamed. "YOU’RE MY FRIEND, DRAGSTOR YOU’VE GOTTA LET GO OF HORDAK’S CURSE!!!!!!!!!! JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!"
Dragstor’s eyes began to bulge as if they were about to explode. For a split second Extendar thought he caught the faint glimpse of a tear in the corner of the evil eyes.
"I….. can’t….." wheezed Dragstor, "It….. can’t….. be true…… Theydon!!!"
"That’s it! I AM Theydon! You remember me!!!"
"No….. Theydon never existed…… neither did….. Doodon….. DAMMIT IT’S ALL A TRICK!" He shouted deafeningly, flexing his metal muscles and flinging Extendar’s huge body away from him, smashing into the Tornado Generator….. and activating it. The giant fan spun around rapidly until it was merely a blur, and the whole laboratory was engulfed by a huge, hurricane-like wind, blowing Extendar and Dragstor off their feet, and across the lab, which seemed to explode into thousands of fragments as their bodies hit the machinery, which collapsed, crackled, sizzled and hissed as it was all blown apart, ending up as a pile of rubble on the ground….. with the bodies of Extendar and Dragstor lying beneath.

As He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer battled in the corridor with Mosquitor, Batros and Modulok, the whole place was shaken by what sounded like a massive explosion from above. Startled, Mosquitor loosened his grip on He-Man, Modulok formed into one body, and Batros spread out his wings, releasing Glimmer and She-Ra.
"What was that?!" cried Modulok.
"It sounds like it came from my lab!" shouted Hordak. "We must get up there- quickly!"
Modulok and Hordak instantly went running up to the lab. She-Ra, He-Man, Glimmer and Carlos looked at one another.
"Do you think we should follow them?" asked Glimmer.
"Yep, we should." replied Carlos. "I think I know what it was, but we must go up and see for sure."
"If it came from the lab, Extendar’s in there." said He-Man. "We must see if he’s alright!"
They turned and were about to run- but then they heard footsteps behind them- Mosquitor and Batros were following them.
"Damn! We’re never gonna shake them off!" cried Glimmer.
"Don’t worry- we are." said Carlos, and pulled out a strange device from his pocket, zapped it at Mosquitor and Batros, and they were instantly surrounded by a force shield that prevented them from moving any further.
"That device isn’t perfect, so it won’t last for long." said Carlos, "But let’s get up there!"

Modulok and Hordak burst into Hordak’s lab. A huge gust of wind blew right into their faces, and they were swept back. Their eyes opened wide in shock when they saw the Tornado Generator on full blast, all the machinery sizzling and crackling with electricity on the ground, and Multi-Bot’s components scattered in smouldering pieces throughout the room.
"The Tornado Generator!" cried Hordak. "We must turn it off!"
"Hang on there." said Modulok, removing his right arm, which crawled along the ground to the Tornado Generator, flicking the switch to turn it off. The huge wind instantly died down, and they entered the lab.
"What In the name of Horde Prime has happened here?!" cried Hordak. "Who activated the Tornado Generator?"
"At least we can see that it works as we intended." said Modulok, replacing his arm. "But look what it’s done!"
"My machinery is in pieces!" exclaimed Hordak. "I’ll have to reconstruct it all- and Multi-Bot has been destroyed!" he pointed to the smouldering chest component of Multi-Bot beneath them.
"I will repair Multi-Bot!" said Modulok. "And these machines….."
"I must work on reconstructing them all!" said Hordak. "At least I still have plenty in stock." he knelt to the ground, cleared aside some of the rubble….. and saw the arm of Extendar, and the leg of Dragstor, poking out from the rubble.
"So….." he hissed, "I assume it was one of these who activated the Tornado Generator. So we have lost Dragstor, one of our most powerful warriors… but the heroic warriors have lost Extendar, who was even more powerful. We’ll leave their cadavers here for now."
Modulok scattered his body parts around the room, and assembled the working components of Multi-Bot. "When I’ve restored Multi-Bot I will give him extra power so he can withstand heavy forces. I must get to my lab at once!"
"I’ll come with you." said Hordak. I need somewhere to work on reconstructing my machines. We may have lost many important machines now….. but at least we know that the Tornado Generator is powerful enough to destroy Bright Moon! I cannot wait to use it. Come, Modulok."
Hordak and Modulok went over to the lift, stepped inside, and went up, to Modulok’s lab.

Shortly after they had gone, He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer burst into the room.
"By the Elders!" exclaimed He-Man. "What’s happened in here?"
"What’s that machine?" cried Glimmer, pointing to the Tornado Generator.
"Oh no! Look!" cried She-Ra, pointing to the bodies of Extendar and Dragstor, beneath the rubble. In shock, the warriors went over to the huge pile of rubble, knelt down, and cleared away the rubble over Extendar.
"Is he….." began Glimmer.
"I don’t know." replied He-Man. "I think I sense a faint trace of life, but…"
Carlos then removed the rubble over Dragstor. "Look at this." he said.
The warriors gazed upon the body of Dragstor- and they were amazed at what they saw. The force of the explosion had destroyed most of his metal body. His legs were partially burnt- but the metal on his upper torso and his face had almost completely fallen away. The wheel in his chest was firmly intact, and above the wheel his body was now a naked human torso, covered only by the occasional scrap of metal. The right side of his face was still held within the metal encasing, and there was a thin strip of metal along that side, but the left side of his face now looked totally human. He-Man brushed away the metal on the right side, which fell away easily- revealing the face of a handsome young man in his mid-twenties, with thick, black hair over his head.
"He’s….. he’s human again." said She-Ra.
"I think he’s dead." said He-Man, lowly. "Well… Extendar had tried hard to restore Dragstor to his human self….. but in doing so, he only killed both himself and his friend. But the ordeal is over… they may rest in peace."
Just then, Carlos noticed Extendar’s arm move faintly, and his eyes opened. "Look!" Carlos shouted, "Extendar’s still alive!"
The warriors spun round, and saw the badly beaten cyborg warrior slowly raising his body. They went up to him, and helped Extendar to his feet. "Wh… what happened?" he asked.
"You had an accident with some kind of explosion." said He-Man. "You’d been fighting with Dragstor, when-"
"Oh yes…" interrupted Extendar, "…Dragstor, i- is he safe?"
He-Man hung his head speechlessly, and turned Extendar to face the body of his friend. And Extendar saw, for the first time in three years, the face of his childhood friend, Doodon. His heart was filled with a great sadness as he saw his friend, lying still on the ground. He fell to his knees before the body.
"Doodon….. I’m sorry it had to end like this….." a tear trickled down his face, "at least….. at least you got to remember some of your human life before you died….." He laid his metal hand on his friend’s chest….. and Doodon’s eyes slowly flickered open, and he looked up at Extendar.
"Doodon?! You’re alive!" cried Extendar.
"Th… Theydon?" stammered Doodon. "Wh….. what happened? Where am I? Did you win the race? No, wait a minute, I lost didn’t I? Are you okay, after that quicksand fall?"
Extendar smiled and shook his fists in triumph. "Yes!!!" he shouted. "Your memory has returned, Doodon! Now you can come back to Eternia with me and-"
"Hold it, erm….. where am I? Why do I have this….. wheel in my chest? And Theydon….. why you looking so strange, you’re like some kind of… cyborg?"
"I am a cyborg." said Extendar. "I’m best known as Extendar now. After you rescued me from the quicksand, we were captured by the Horde, and-"
"Oh yes….. the Horde! Did you escape? What…"
"They turned me into this." he said. "I fight for Eternia now. And you were turned into a cyborg too….. but you turned evil….. and you served Hordak."
"I….. served Hordak? But I couldn’t…"
"You were brainwashed, Doodon. You couldn’t shake off the spell. You were called Dragstor."
"Dragstor? What sort of a name’s that? I….. I can’t remember ever being in the Horde….. and how have I come back…..?"
"Well….. it’s a long story." smiled Extendar. "Best get you back to Eternia and I’ll tell you the whole thing."
"You mean I’m not on Eternia?! But…"
He-Man stepped towards Doodon. "You’ve been saved by your brave friend, Doodon!" he said. "He’s struggled for three years to return you to your true form!"
"Three years?! Then….."
"Don’t worry that you don’t remember anything- it’s probably a good thing. Now let’s get you back to Eternia, so you can recover!"
Together, He-Man, She-Ra, Extendar, Carlos and Glimmer lifted the body of Doodon. He looked too weak to walk, so they carried him out of the Fright Zone grounds, and onto a small plain nearby. There, He-Man used his sword to summon the Sorceress, and before long a portal to Eternia had opened before them.
"Well, nice seeing you again, She-Ra." said He-Man.
"You too, brother." smiled She-Ra. "And you, Extendar- I’m really glad you got your friend back to normal, I’m just sorry it was so hard!"
"Never mind." smiled Extendar. "It’s been worth the three years’ hard work! Nice seeing you, She-Ra- hope we can see you again soon!"
The Etherians bade good journey to the Eternians, and He-Man and Extendar carried the body of Doodon through the portal to Castle Grayskull.

They were greeted at the other end by the Sorceress.
"Welcome back, He-Man and Extendar!" she said. Then she looked down and saw the man they were carrying.
"Well, hello….." said Doodon, "whoever you are….."
"I am the Sorceress of Grayskull." she smiled. Then she looked up at Extendar. "I see you have finally accomplished your task, Extendar. Well done!"
"Oh, thanks- you mean you’re not mad at me for going to Etheria even though you’d told me not to?"
"Of course not, Extendar." she replied. "I appreciate that the love you felt for your friend was so strong that you would risk your life to return him to his human form. And you have succeeded in your quest- so I must congratulate you! You are a true hero!"
"Thanks!" Extendar said. "I couldn’t be more happy. Thank you, Sorceress, for all that you’ve done for me….. and to you He-Man, for helping me out so often these past three years!"
"You’re welcome! Are you gonna stay fighting for us?" asked He-Man.
"Why, of course!" said Extendar. "All the effects Hordak’s brainwashing had on me have gone now… and I’ll love kicking Hordak’s butt now I’ve finally reversed his scheme after so long!"
"You’re a valuable warrior, Extendar!" said He-Man. "I’m glad you’re staying!"
"Hey, um….. not to be rude, but can you get me home?" asked Doodon. "I need a rest….. and an explanation!"
"No problem, Doodon." smiled He-Man. "Let’s get back to the palace, and Man-At-Arms can treat you!"
They boarded a Wind Raider in the vehicle bay, and blasted off, with Doodon lying in the back, for the Royal city. Extendar felt his soul rise with happiness as they drifted through the beautiful skies of the break of dawn, his three-year quest finally at an end.

At the Royal city, Doodon was instantly taken to a comfortable bed in the Royal medical center, where Man-At-Arms treated him and examined his injuries.
"Well, Doodon’s in pretty good health." Man-At-Arms concluded. "He’ll live alright, but he’ll have to remain in treatment for a while until he fully recovers. But he’s going to have to remain a cyborg- I couldn’t remove the wheel in his chest without killing him, and it’s only his inner electric units that have kept him alive."
"That’s no problem." said Doodon. "I don’t really understand it, but I’m glad to be back….. wherever I’ve been."
"Maybe with your cyborg attachments, we could make a few modifications and you could join the heroic warriors." said He-Man. "We need all the help we can get- but it’s your choice."
"Maybe….." said Doodon, "but I’m just glad to be back….. with Theydon, or Extendar as he’s known now!"
"I think we’d better leave you two alone for a while." said He-Man.
"Okay, sure thing." said Doodon.
He-Man and Man-At-Arms departed, leaving Extendar alone with his closest friend Doodon, finally human again after all this time.
"So….. Hordak’s had me in his control for….. three years?" asked Doodon.
"I’d better explain!" said Extendar. He told Doodon the whole story, right from the moment they were captured by the Horde to the moment Doodon had been returned to normal.
"Wow….." said Doodon, "I don’t remember a thing! Dragstor?! That name sounds totally unfamiliar, but whatever happened, I’m glad it’s over!"
"So am I." said Extendar. "And it’s good that you don’t remember anything- we can put that whole ordeal behind us. I feel just now like I’ve woken up from a long nightmare. It’s good to have you back." He hugged Doodon in friendship. "Now that you’re human again, we just need to get Skeletor and Hordak out of the way….. then we can be friends like we always were! Cyborgs of course, but at least we can still run the occasional race together!"
"That’s right!" replied Doodon. "Man, I loved those races. Hey, can we go out on the balcony? I’m sure I can make it….."
"Sure thing." said Extendar, and lifted him out of bed, then helped him across to the bench on the balcony. They looked over onto the elegant, gleaming towers of Eternos city.
"Whew, Eternos….." said Doodon, "You know, It’s nice to be home again."
"We had some great times here." said Extendar.
"We sure did… Hey Theydon, you remember that time when we entered that racing contest,….."

Back

Mosquitor’s Fan Fiction