Once he reached the barren landscape of the Fright Zone, and saw the towering
skyscrapers of the city which was central to all evil on this war-torn world, Adam knew he
had to take precautions. Chances were that the Horde may have sent spies out to look out
for anyone who was approaching, in case He-Man were to return. The mere sighting of him in
the form of Adam by a hordesman would no doubt provoke chaos among the Horde, now that
Hordak knew Adam was after him too, so Adam decided he should look for a less obvious way
into the city. He carefully made his way around the
outskirts, watching out for any approaching hordesman. He knew he did not have to worry
about troopers, as they would usually fall apart after one punch, his real concern were
the recruits made from flesh. He wandered around the place, keeping
sharp-eyed and listening out for sounds of danger. Eventually, he heard the disturbing
sound of shouting, beating and the cry of innocent people in tremendous pain. As horrific
as the noise sounded, he knew he had to make his way towards it. He just might be able to
save lives. His tracking of the noise eventually
led him to a great valley, from which a tunnel led underground. The valley was full of the
most tremendously disturbing sights that Adam had seen in his entire life. It was filled
with slaves, being hurried along with their spinning, sawing et cetera, by the cruel Horde
Troopers. They were armed with whips, knives, spears and all sorts of weapons. Near to
each slave was a trooper armed with a weapon, giving the slaves no hope of escape.
Whenever any slave collapsed from overworking, or even looked up from his or her work, the
nearest trooper would fling its weapon into their face and force them to continue. The
people were gasping and panting for breath, exhausted from work, looking starved and
dilapidated. Their bodies looked shattered and broken, covered in dirt, their clothes worn
and ragged. And to culminate the entire scene was
the sight of a huge pile of corpses in the centre of it all, almost skeletal in
appearance. These were the corpses of people who had been driven to death by the amount of
work they were forced to do, with absolutely no food or shelter, no love or respect from
fellow humans. Cuts and bruises on some of the bodies suggested that they may have been
beaten to death by the troopers. Adam was shocked and angered by the
dismal scene. How could the Horde treat people like this? How could they have this little
respect for other people? Did it not occur to them that these people were all living
beings, and needed food and shelter? Or did the Horde just enjoy torturing these people to
such extremes? That must be it, Adam thought. Hordak and his minions were even more
sadistic than they first appeared- which was bad enough. And Adam knew he had to put a stop to
it. This was the last thing he wanted to happen. The Horde had accomplished just what Adam
had been trying to stop Skeletor from accomplishing back on Eternia for the last two
years. But before he took action, he pulled out the radio device that Carlos had given
him, and pressed the red button. Carlos’ voice instantly came through. "You’re through to me,
Adam, what do you want?" "By Grayskull, I haven’t
ever seen anything like this before. I don’t believe what I’m seeing. I’m
by this kind of….. valley, with people being treated like….. by the gods, I
can’t describe it. It sickens me." Carlos’ voice became stern and
serious. "Don’t tell me, my friend. You’re by slave valley, aren’t
you? The place where every decent citizen of Etheria fears ending up." "And I don’t blame them.
Conditions here are….. I can’t describe them, they’re that awful." "I’ve seen it myself. Most
people believe that more torture goes on here than anywhere else on the planet. If the
slaves stop working for a mere second, they are threatened by the troopers, and if they
beg for freedom or food, they are killed. When they’re killed, they’re thrown on
the scrap heap, and removed by the assassins, who are said to practise acts of necrophilia
and cannibalism with the bodies. There’s more cruelty here than anywhere else." Adam looked up in disgust at the
valley of torture. He wasn’t letting this torture go on for a single minute longer.
"Thanks, Carlos." he said. "I will try to put an end to this torture at
once." "Good man Adam. And remember to
call for me if you need help." "I will, Carlos. Thank you and
bye." He pressed the red switch to end the call. Then he looked up one more time at
the valley. Now to take action.
Adam leapt into the valley, as yet
unnoticed by the troopers. He kept crouched. He did not want to risk being seen, so he
ducked behind a large rock. He did not want to turn to He-Man, as he knew it would only
provoke chaos. Looking up, there was a trooper just inches from the rock. Adam leapt out
from behind the rock, and smashed the trooper in the back with his fist. The trooper spun
around, and cracked its whip at him. But Adam dodged out of the path of the whip, sent his
fist flying straight at the head of the trooper’s bat symbol, hit it hard, and the
trooper collapsed and fell apart at once. Adam looked around him. No other
trooper had noticed yet. So he quickly ran up to the trooper’s remains and kicked
them all behind the rock. The first stage of his plan had gone perfectly. Crouching back behind the rock, he
picked up the metal legs of the trooper, turned them upside down to empty them of their
circuits, then he sat down and carefully slid his legs inside them. They fitted in
perfectly. Then he reached behind his back, and removed the power sword from its sheath.
Then he fitted the trooper’s body armour over his torso, then he fitted the arms over
his own. Then finally, he got to his feet, picked up the trooper’s head, and placed
it over his own. Perfect. Now he was an exact replica of a Horde Trooper. No-one would be
able to tell that he was really Adam inside. He picked up the sword of power, and
carrying it, walked over to the crowd of troopers harassing the slaves. Since the sword
had just the appearance of any normal sword, no-one would recognise it as being
He-Man’s sword of power. He would not look suspicious at all as he patrolled the
valley. For now he appeared to be participating in the torture of the slaves. But not for
long. He would wait for his chance to strike.
Deep in the mine, Adora approached
Hordak, who was sitting and watching the slaves. She told him "Shadow Weaver has
almost completely recovered now. She has gone to study that sword in further detail."
"Good." replied Hordak.
"Soon we will unveil the secrets of the sword." "How about you? Have you decided
what you shall do to destroy He-Man?" "An idea has occurred to me. In
fact, I shall begin work on it straight away. You stay here and keep a close watch on the
slaves, and make sure the troopers are carrying out their tasks properly. So if they are
not torturing the slaves enough, you must smash them to pieces and torture them
yourself." Adora laughed evilly. "Thanks,
master." she said, smiling. "Sure thing!" Hordak left her in the mines, and
Adora drew her pistol. She loved torturing people. Now was her chance to slaughter slaves
to the death. There was nothing that she loved more than watching people suffer…..
just the knowledge that they were going through so much torture seemed like luxury to her.
She smiled with bloodthirst at the mere thought of it. She loved it. She was soon thrown a starving man by
a trooper, begging for mercy. "Mercy?" she mocked.
"That’s not something you get round here, fucker." She aimed her pistol at
his mouth…..
As Adam patrolled round slave
valley, he occasionally aimed his sword at the slaves, pretending to threaten them. He
felt guilty for making them more frightened, but he knew he had to do his best to keep
from seeming suspicious. When he heard a huge bang coming from deep down in the tunnel, he
knew another precious life had just been lost. He would ensure that it was the last. As he waited for his chance to
strike, he saw Catra and Scorpia approaching the valley. Catra, as beautiful as she was
evil, was armed with a whip, and Scorpia needed no weapons- she already had the sting in
her tail. He knew that in the form of Adam, he may succumb to the wrath of these powerful
warriors, alongside the Horde Troopers. He sneaked off behind the rock where the
trooper’s remains were, to become He-Man. No-one would see him change when wearing
the trooper uniform, but they would definitely become suspicious at the flash of light. He
crouched behind the rock, held up his sword and whispered: "By the power of
Grayskull…… I….. have the power!" The flash of light emerged from the
sword and down onto his metal-clad body. Within seconds, he still appeared to be another
of the Horde Troopers, but inside was the muscular body of He-Man, mightiest man in the
universe.
The sight of the slaves suffering
thrilled Catra and Scorpia’s evil hearts. But the thing they most wanted to see was
He-Man suffering alongside the slaves. The day before, they had suffered their worst
defeat ever from this muscular champion, and they were determined to pay him back for it. "It’s time we rounded the
slaves up." Catra hissed to Scorpia. "Make sure they’ve got nothing on them
that they could use for their advantage. Not that we expect them to, but just to make
sure….." "You’re right, Catra."
replied Scorpia. "Better issue a warning to the Troopers." "Cease the work!" Catra
shouted. "Time for slave inspection!" At the sound of Catra’s voice,
the troopers all stopped harassing the slaves, and stood up straight. Then each of them
hooked their arms roughly around the nearest slave, and dragged them into the middle of
the valley, where they were made to stand in single file. Catra and Scorpia leapt down into the
valley, towards the line of slaves. Catra gave orders to the troopers. "Hurry these slaves along. When
they pass between Scorpia and I, we will inspect them. If they are not found to have
anything on them, we let them go, but they must go straight back to work. Any slave who
refuses to conform to these rules is killed." Each trooper saluted Catra. Then they
all began cracking their whips, brandishing their swords and knives, or aiming their
pistols at the starved and exhausted line of slaves. The slaves moved along in line
without a word between them, looking down at the ground bleakly, their bodies bent
forward, their arms drooping down. As each slave passed between Catra
and Scorpia, the two warrior women inspected them closely for any possessions, then once
they had made sure they carried none, they let them go, and the slaves simply went back to
their hard, tiring work. This process carried on for around
ten minutes….. until one man was found to have something with him….. in his
pocket was a small and simple electronic device. Catra yanked it out violently, examined
it closely, and said "This is a radio communicator. This bastard is keeping radio
contact with someone!" Taking it from Catra’s grasp,
Scorpia said "You have no right to possess anything like this on Horde premises. All
our slaves must be kept devoid of all contact with humans in the outside world! By
sneaking this with you, you thought you were on your way to escape, didn’t you? But
you have only sealed your doom! Now you die!!!" Scorpia spun around, and thrust her
sharp, red tail at him. The man fell to his knees screaming, as the dreadful sting from
Scorpia’s tail coursed throughout his body! And while the man was in tremendous
pain from the sting, Catra bared her sharp finger tips, and crouched forward. Then her
body began to change shape. It began to sprout fur….. rough, black fur. Her hands
shrunk in size as her torso seemed to extend….. until her hands had become paws, her
teeth sharp, her entire form now that of a panther. And with a fierce growl, she leapt on
the man, ready to maul him to death. The man screamed in terror and pain as the other
slaves watched in horror, and Scorpia watched from above, laughing with evil glee. Blood
spurted from the man’s arms as Catra’s paws ripped through his flesh, then Catra
thrust her face into his neck, ready to bite out his throat….. the man called out for
help, screaming for dear life, while the other slaves covered their eyes in terror,
screaming for a hero to save the man’s tortured life….. Then something very unexpected
happened. One of the troopers, who was carrying a long, shining sword, suddenly leapt away
from the line of slaves and ran towards Catra. The slaves watched, puzzled. The trooper
advanced on Catra, then whisked his sword through the air, slicing through part of
Catra’s feline flesh! Her animal blood shot through the air, and she keeled back in
pain, away from the man’s face. Then the trooper slotted the sword under his arm, and
wringed his arms around the panther’s body….. lifting it away from the man, and
flinging her straight across the valley! Catra hit the side of the valley with
a massive thump, then her body slumped to the ground, and she began to transform back to
her human form. When the transformation was complete, she stared at the trooper in
amazement. "What has gone wrong?!" she
shouted. "I’ve no idea!"
replied Scorpia, equally as shocked. Had this trooper malfunctioned or something? Even if
it had, she never thought any trooper could be strong enough to lift a panther’s body
and fling it across the valley! But she was a warrior, and she must
face this renegade trooper. She advanced upon it, snapping her claws, ready to crack
through its armour. She gripped its metal arms with her right claw, but then the trooper
began to shake, and gripped its body armour with its right hand. Then it yanked the armour
off roughly, and the armour fell with a clang to the ground! Underneath it was a muscular,
tanned body, covered partially by a grey harness. Scorpia gasped in horror. This body
looked horribly familiar….. The trooper removed its helmet to
reveal….. He-Man! And he seemed even more powerful than the day before- a warrior
whom any evil fighter would think twice about opposing! The slaves erupted into a cheer,
as Catra watched open-mouthed from the other side of the valley. "Damn you-" growled
Scorpia, "You’ve had it man!" "I’m not so sure about
that!" said He-Man, and grabbed her by the tail, flinging her across the valley,
where she landed right by Catra! Scorpia was too dazed now to fight, but Catra
wasn’t- and she leapt up and advanced on He-Man shouting "I’ve got to
settle some scores with you, you bastard!" She threw a punch at him- but he
countered it with a blow from the sword of power, which stunned her- then he kneed her in
the face and sent her flying back again. Catra got to her feet- but she knew she could
never defeat a man who was this strong, and went fleeing up the side of the valley.
Scorpia threw one contemptuous glance at He-Man- then she, too, picked herself up and fled
from the place of doom. Now all He-Man had to deal with was
the troopers. They all assembled in front of him, weapons at the ready- but He-Man knew
just how easily these troopers fell apart. "You know, it’s beyond me
how you tin cans can look so confident!" He charged into the troopers, instantly
sending half of them flying, crashing on top of the mound of corpses, their crackling
circuits joining the heap of decaying bodies. Then He-Man shot a bolt from his power sword
at the rest of them, sending them scattering in all directions, some fleeing from the
valley, others simply collapsing to pieces on the ground. The slaves all raised their arms,
cheering He-Man. The man who had almost been killed by Catra rushed forward, and threw his
arms around him. "Thank you, mighty
warrior!" he panted. "You have saved my life! How may I repay you?!" "You owe me nothing, my friend.
I am only doing what must be done- saving your lives and destroying the Horde
dictatorship." The slaves cheered again, and He-Man
heard cries of "Down with the Horde!" and "Hail the new champion!" "Now you had better all run for
safety!" said He-Man. "Don’t worry about the Horde catching you- at the
present moment they’re only interested in catching ME- you won’t mean anything
to them. So run now, and leave me to fight the Horde!" "You’re a truly brave
champion." the man said to He-Man. "We will do just that!" And the slaves all ran as fast as
possible from the valley, relieved to be safe after the incredible torture through which
the Horde had put them. He-Man did not waste a single moment-
having emptied slave valley completely, he ran down into the tunnel, which led
underground. Soon he found himself face to face with more tortured slaves, down in the
mines, being beaten by the troopers. He went up to one trooper, raised his fist….. Then all of a sudden he felt a
tremendous, sharp pain in his back. Clutching his shoulder in agony, he turned round
slowly to see Force Captain Adora, aiming her pistol right in his face. "So, you return, I see. Well,
before you can cause any more damage….. I’d better call someone who’ll be
very pleased to see you." She lifted a walkie-talkie from her leather pocket, and
spoke into it, saying "Hordak- I have He-Man with me in the mine. I will hold him
here while you make your way." "Excellent, Adora!" came
the terrifying sound of Hordak’s deep, booming voice. "Our torture for him is
just about finished….. I will join you soon!" Adora shot He-Man again in the
chest….. and again….. and again, until he fell to the ground, almost
unconscious. "You haven’t long left, you
bastard. Even I don’t know what Hordak’s got planned for you….. but you can
bet it’s gonna be a fitting last few moments!" He-Man lay there for several minutes,
panting for breath, Adora keeping guard of him. Then a demonic laugh filled the mine as
the huge figure of Hordak cast his shadow over the place, his cape blowing in the
underground wind, his eyes blazing with evil delight. He ordered Adora, and Senador, who
had accompanied him, to drag He-Man to Doom Tower. Adora and Senador hooked their arms
around his, and dragged him with full brutal force to their dreaded base. And eventually they reached a room
where a pair of electro-bonds, pulsating with light, hung from a wall. "Imprison him!" ordered
Hordak. Adora and Senador dragged He-Man,
struggling furiously, over to the electro-bonds, and clamped them over his wrists,
chaining him to the wall. "Chains are no good for holding
me!" said He-Man, and wrenched at the bonds to break free. "These are no ordinary
chains." said Hordak. "With my supreme scientific skills, I have created these
bonds that can hold any person of any strength. The power in these bonds is enough to hold
even your strength!" A wide, sinister smile formed over
Adora’s crimson lips. "And that’s not all, is it Hordak?" "No, Adora- it is not all.
Senador- release the spiked wheels!" Senador flicked a switch on the wall,
a cavity in the ceiling opened, and out dropped several wheels, hung on electric wires.
The edges of each of the wheels was covered in spikes. And the wheels were spinning with
awesome rapidity. The wheels swung around the room violently on their wires. Then one hit He-Man directly in the
chest! Instantly, there came the violent sound of flesh and muscle ripping, and He-Man
cried out in pain. His chest was dripping with blood. Then another wheel sliced across his
head, and a patch of his blond hair was stained scarlet as blood seeped through his scalp.
"This is just what you
deserve." said Adora. "Precisely." added Hordak,
in tones of evil triumph. "We shall leave you now. We shall leave you to suffer your
deserved death." Adora, Hordak and Senador turned and
left the room, as another spiked wheel came zooming towards He-Man’s
neck………..
PART 13: THE TRUTH ABOUT ADORA
As Adora left He-Man to suffer his cruel fate, she realised just how much she hated
He-Man. He had trespassed on Hordak’s almighty empire, believing he could break it
all apart. He had kept coming back, no matter how much Hordak had proved his army’s
superiority. He had broken apart Hordak’s most feared trap, the spiked walls, and
used it to escape! Then, even worse, he had freed all the slaves from slave valley, and
tried to do the same in the mines….. she hated him. He had done nearly everything
that she had always felt no-one should do to the Horde. And she even had the idea that he
was trying to turn her from the Horde….. how could anyone try to do that! Adora loved
the Horde! She had been brought up by Hordak! She was evil and proud of it! The mere
thought of anyone trying to turn her from the luxurious life she led made her sick. And
He-Man had even sent a friend after her to try to carry out his sneaky tasks! Adora took the lift up to her room,
on the very highest floor of Doom Tower. She looked out over the city below. This was the
city she loved. Even as a kid, she had adored the thought of living amongst night-life in
the city. And she wouldn’t give anything for the many gorgeous nights she had spent
out there, getting drunk, killing, getting laid. She turned around and looked over her
room. The warm, soft bedding that Hordak had given her to ensure her room was as luxurious
and comfortable as possible. The electric fan in the ceiling. The air ducts in the
walls….. the attached shower room….. the built-in radio and viewscreen…..
not to mention the beautiful view from the window. This was just another example of how
good the Horde had been to her. And He-Man had tried to turn her from it. She hated him so much. She was
thrilled by the thought of him perishing below, being sliced to pieces by those electric
wheels. He deserved it! Every cut, every bruise. He deserved it all. She journeyed back down, deciding she
should watch He-Man suffering his last few moments. She had to be there to say good
riddance to him as his life flashed before his eyes. As she stepped out from the lift, she
was greeted by Shadow Weaver, who was holding the sword that He-Man had brought to
Etheria. "Shadow Weaver!" Adora
cried. "Have you found out anything about the sword?" "I do not like this sword at
all." replied the mistress of dark magic, her red eyes blazing out from the shadow of
her hood. "The amount of heroic energy it contains is sickening! It is not of this
world! I have tried to destroy it with my own magic, but there is something in the sword
that prevents me! It is just too strong. But I have not given up hope- I must try to
analyse its secrets. Knowing them might give me an advantage over this accursed
object." "He-Man has an almost identical
sword strapped to his back." Adora told her. "Do you want to study that one
too?" "I better had." said Shadow
Weaver. "Go and get it….. while He-Man suffers his last moments." Adora smiled, feeling the sensation
of knowing just how cruel He-Man’s fate was. "I will."
She stepped into the room where
He-Man was held by the electro-bonds, the wheels slicing past him violently. His chest was
shattered and broken, a huge gash of blood spread over it. His torso was covered with cuts
and bruises. His arms were a mere mess of crimson threads of blood. His head was hung low,
his long, blond hair drooping to the ground. And from his jaw, blots of blood came
dripping to the ground, forming a scarlet puddle on the floor. Adora ran up to him, and grabbed the
handle of his sword, then writhed it out from its sheath. The sound it made as she pulled
it out was so violent that it echoed throughout the room. Then she thrust the sword in front of
He-Man’s eyes. "This is the last fuckin’ time you see this damned
‘precious’ object!" she said aggressively. He-Man was too weak to respond. Adora left the room, and gave the
sword to Shadow Weaver. "Thank you." said the evil sorceress. "Soon I will
learn the secrets of these swords." Adora then went back into the room to
witness He-Man’s final moments. She pulled out a knife from her pocket- a knife
stained with the blood of millions of people who had perished at her hands, all mixed
together on the blade. And she thrust the knife straight into his neck. The knife pierced his neck straight
open, making a swift, squelching sound as it did so. "YOU BASTARD!!!" she
yelled, her voice echoing through the room. "What did you think you were doing?! You
have tried to turn me from the army I love- from the life of luxury I have been brought up
to! And I hate you! I really despise you!!!" She wrenched the knife out from the
slit in his neck, and sliced it across his throat. "I REALLY HATE YOU!!! I’ve
never hated anyone more-" She took out her pistol, and blasted
him in the chest. The bullet embedded itself in the huge gash of blood. He was gonna be
dead soon….. Then she advanced on him
again….. her hatred for this man had driven her to madness….. she grabbed hold
of one of the spiked wheels, and hit him in the face with it hard. And again! And again!!!
No fate could be cruel enough for this man. She had to be the cause of his death!!! She
hated him!!! She hated
him!!!!!!!!!!!!……………………….
On the planet Eternia, the
Sorceress had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. An icy chill ran through her
body, which shook with fear. She could sense that something was wrong….. terribly
wrong. She could not tell exactly what it was, but she knew it was serious. And she would
have to take action as quickly as possible. So with her magic, she contacted a trusted
friend of hers…….
Adora beat He-Man continuously,
smashing the spiked wheel repeatedly into his face. She wanted to make his death as brutal
as possible….. but she still had to be careful with the wheel, as she did not want to
pierce his eyes. He had to witness exactly who was the main cause of his final moments. He
was weak, bruised, cut, battered, panting violently for breath….. but it was hard, as
he was running out of breath. He was close to death. And Adora was loving every minute of
it. Every minute she loved, with her evil heart….. Just then, a voice from behind her
distracted her. "Adora." She spun around to see a man dressed
in red armour, with a red, metal mask covering all of his head but his mouth. The eyes on
his mask were large, round and black. "Who the fuck are you? What the
fuck you doing here?" "Please calm down, Adora. My
name is Zodac. I am the cosmic enforcer of the universe, and I keep the cosmic balance
between good and evil. And I am here to help you." "Then you’ve helped the
good, huh? You just get the fuck out of here man. You’ve probably helped this guy,
haven’t you?" she pointed her thumb behind her at He-Man. "You’re
probably his best mate, I guess, aren’t you? You’re just trying to help him
really, not me? So get the fuck out of here, this instant!" Zodac only moved closer to her.
"Listen Adora- you have been badly misled. You must listen to me, or the fate of your
planet-" "CAN YOU FUCKING HEAR
ME???!!!" Adora interrupted, ripping her pistol out from her pocket, and shooting him
in the chest. Zodac fell back, landing heavily on the ground. He lay there a few seconds, then
pulled himself to his feet again. "Listen Adora- my friend, the Sorceress of
Grayskull, sent me here, and bestowed on me some special powers to help you….." "And I don’t fucking want
you to help me!!! Don’t you fucking understand!!! Get out of here!!!" Zodac did not move. "No, you’re never gonna
fucking listen, are you, you fucking bastard!! So I might as well KILL you! That’s
the fucking easiest way to get rid of you!" She aimed her pistol directly at his
mouth, and shot at him. Just in time, Zodac swerved to avoid the bullet, dived to the
ground, and whisked his body along the floor, out of the room. Adora wanted to go after him to kill
him, but she decided to let him go for now. She wanted to concentrate on torturing He-Man.
She turned away from Zodac, and grabbed hold of another spiked wheel to smash him….. Zodac teleported himself inside
Shadow Weaver’s chamber. The evil sorceress was not looking- she had her back turned
to the swords. Zodac took advantage, and seized both of the swords, then teleported back
to the room where Adora was torturing He-Man. And he laid the swords both down by
Adora’s side. "This is the best I can do to help you." he said. Then he left the room abruptly,
praying to the gods that it would work. It was the first time he had ever prayed, being in
a God-like position himself. But it was the only thing he could do- the girl was just too
psychotically dangerous. Adora wasn’t completely sure
what the man in the red armour had been trying to do, but she was convinced he was trying
to help He-Man, not her. Why had he put the two swords by her? How had he managed to get
them off Shadow Weaver so quickly? But she couldn’t really care now. All she cared
about was torturing He-Man. The strong hero was one step away
from death. His head hung low, his face blank and expressionless. Blood dripped from
seemingly every corner of his body. Between his muscles flowed a river of blood. Adora needed only to do one thing to
finish him off. She needed a thoroughly powerful blow to kill this hero with. And she
seemed to sense the weapon she needed right at her feet….. She looked down, at the sword that
He-Man had brought with him- the jewel glimmering brightly in its centre. She knew that
she wasn’t meant to touch the sword, and that it seemed to have some bad effect on
her mind- but still, she had to use it. At first. She had loved it because it felt such a
good weapon. And what a good weapon it would be to kill He-Man with….. killed by the
sword he had brought to this world….. She gripped the sword by the handle,
and lifted it high. Then she thrust He-Man’s head back, and aimed the tip of the
sword at He-Man’s mouth. She drew it back with full force, then rammed it
forward….. But then, a soft, delicate voice
seemed to emerge from the sword. "Adora….." Adora stopped, and pulled the sword
back. Had that voice actually come from the sword? Did the sword speak now? But there was
something she liked about it….. the voice just seemed so comforting, and
soothing….. she looked into the jewel of the sword, and whispered…..
"D….. did someone….." The jewel shone brightly, and the
face of a beautiful woman appeared in the jewel. She wore a white, falcon head-dress,
elegant, pale lipstick, and her skin was smooth and delicate. "Adora….. please
listen to me….." This woman instantly felt like a long
lost friend to Adora….. someone who she had needed all her life….. and she had
thought Shadow Weaver’s presence was refreshing! Now, this woman strangely seemed
closer to her than Hordak or Shadow Weaver ever had….. "Of course I will listen
to you." "You have led an evil life,
Adora….. and you have loved it." "Yes….. I have loved every
minute of it. It’s just….. I am evil. It’s the way I am….. I’ve
just always liked it that way." "Yes, Adora- you have loved your
life, but it is not the way you are. You have never been told this, but your mind has been
tampered with….. very badly indeed." "Why? Who would tamper
with….." "Just watch….." the
woman in the jewel replied. Then her face faded from the jewel, and in its place appeared
a vision. A vision of a baby girl being grasped by a huge robotic hand. The hand was
holding some sort of wire….. and from the wire, it was squeezing a type of fluid into
the baby’s ears. Then the vision faded, and the face
of the beautiful woman reappeared. "What was that?" Adora
asked. "What was going on there?" "That was a vision of something
that happened twenty years ago. That baby girl….. was you." Adora gasped in amazement. "But what happened to me? Hordak
always told me that he adopted me after my parents were killed….. he never mentioned
anything like that!" "There are many things that
Hordak has not told you, Adora. And there are many lies he has told you too. The giant
hand you saw was that of Horde Prime, master of all evil." "Of course….. Hordak has
mentioned him to me….. but I have never seen him before! But….. what was Prime
doing?" "Horde Prime was inserting a
fluid into your brain….. which solidified to metal once it had settled. This metal
had a very bad effect on your mind. It was this metal that made you evil. From that day
onwards, that metal has been implanted in your brain, warping your mind day by day…..
it has made you what you are." "So if it wasn’t there,
I’d have been….. good?" "Yes, Adora. Your evil mind is
not your true mind. And now, after twenty years of searching, we have finally found you!
And please, Adora, help us cure you! It is time that you discovered who you really
are….. and the wonderful things you are destined for!" Adora recalled all the people she had
slaughtered and killed in the last few years. She had loved every minute of it….. and
she had been brought up by Hordak and Shadow Weaver….. she had loved them, they had
been so good to her….. and the life she led in the Fright Zone….. she loved it,
every minute…… she could not leave it behind! And yet this woman who was speaking
through the sword, her presence felt so much better than any presence she had felt before!
It was so comforting, so warming….. who should she side with? Hordak had been like a
father to her….. but now Adora knew he had lied to her, she had once been good and he
had kidnapped her and made her evil. Then she remembered how people must have
suffered….. how bad it must have been for them….. being evil was wrong! She felt
the first remorse she had ever felt in her evil life, her first ever urges to turn from
the side of the Horde….. But she could not leave them behind.
She was a psychopath, and she knew it….. she had to kill more people, she could never
leave the Horde….. But she had implants in her brain.
She wouldn’t be thinking this if they weren’t there……….
"NO!!!" she screamed, dropping the sword and falling to the ground, banging on
her head frantically in the hope of getting the implants out. Then her head drooped to the
ground, and she felt tears filling her eyes, spilling over her face, and dripping to the
ground, hitting the metal handle of the sword and echoing throughout the room. "No….." she
groaned….. "I can’t….. I can’t take it….. I’ve been
living under a brainwashing the whole of my life….. Oh God I can’t take
it….." "Fear not, Adora." came the
woman’s voice from the sword. "I will help you!" "Yes….. please help
me….." she looked up at the broken body of He-Man. He was still alive, but only
just. And she had inflicted most of that damage on him….. she had hated him with all
her heart….. but only because of these implants in her brain. Now she no longer hated
him. For he had journeyed all the way to this planet not just to turn her to his side, but
to help her. To help her break free from Horde Prime’s brainwashing….. yet she
had only beaten him helpless, then tried to kill him! She wept, tears of sadness for this
hero. Getting to her feet and lifting the sword, she said to the woman in the jewel
"Please tell him I’m sorry. But he’s going to die….. I never realised
he was trying to help me….." "Don’t worry, Adora. He
will not die. I will ensure that. But he will forgive you for trying to kill him- once we
have these implants removed, you will be a completely different person! And this man is
someone very special to you- he is someone you have needed all your life!" "But….. why….." "Your parents are not dead,
Adora. They are still alive and well, and have yearned for twenty years to know where you
are. They are from the planet that this man has come from- and they have brought him up
without ever telling him of you." Adora lowered the sword in amazement.
"My parents….. brought him up? Are you saying….." "Yes, Adora. He-Man is your
brother. Your twin brother."
PART 14: THE PRINCESS OF POWER IS BORN
Adora stared speechlessly at the broken body of this champion….. her brother. So
she had tried to kill her brother….. all because of Horde Prime’s brainwashing
spell! That meant that Prime….. and Hordak….. would have been responsible for
his death. She had thought herself to be Hordak’s beloved child….. instead, she
was just a killing machine used by him as a tool. That was how it had been all this time. "Help me!!!" she screamed,
into the jewel of the sword. "I am a complete psychopath….. help me before I
cause any more damage!!!" "Help is on its way." The
sword began to glow brightly. Brighter and brighter it glowed….. until several
elderly men, dressed in robes, emerged from out of the sword and stood before her. "Fear not." one of them
told her. "We are the spirits of the Elders of Eternia. We are here to help."
And they raised their arms, bringing down a shimmering light on Adora from their
fingertips….. Adora felt a burst of magical energy
flowing gently through her head….. her head began to feel light as the magic coursed
through….. images of the murders she committed in the past flowed through her
mind….. except now, she felt nothing but guilt and remorse. The feeling was
unpleasant….. but she knew it was all for the best as the silhouettes of the Elders
flashed before her eyes….. she was finally becoming the real Adora….. And as the spell neared completion,
she saw the face of the woman in the jewel staring up at her saying "Now
Adora….. for the honour of Grayskull….. you are She-Ra!" "For the honour…..
of….. Grayskull?" The silhouettes vanished, the jewel
in the sword was left blank, the spell was complete. And Adora knew just what to do. She
raised the sword high above her head, and shouted:
"FOR THE HONOUR OF GRAYSKULL!"
The sword began to pulsate with a glowing light. The light encircled the blade of the
sword, then it began to encircle Adora’s body. All of a sudden, a whole host of
bright colours emerged from the sword, until they completely blocked out the view around
her. Bright rays surrounded her whole body, as the coil spun around her, increasing her
height….. her strength….. her power! Her whole body had been changed, even her
clothes, and her figure was now almost goddess-like, her long, blazing hair a bright, deep
red colour, a golden tiara atop her head, a long, red cape flowing from her shoulders
down, and her clothing dazzling and elegant, covered in sparkling jewels! She was twice as
beautiful as she was as Adora….. and a million times as powerful. Lowering the sword
across her chest to complete the transformation, she cried:
"I AM SHE-RA!!!"
Then the light fizzled out, sucked back into her sword. She had spent twenty years as a
sadistic psychopath, killing all who opposed her. But now, she was a heroine of goodness-
and by the gods was she going to amend for her crimes! She gazed upon the battered body of
her brother. This man whom she had hated so much before, she now loved as her sibling.
Together, he and her would make a truly powerful duo! She swept her sword across his
electro-bonds, setting him free. His heavy, muscular body fell, and she caught him in her
arms. The almost dead man’s eyes
flickered….. and he just managed to wheeze "Who….. are….. you?" "I am She-Ra- and I am here to
help you." "Where is….. my…..
sword….." She-Ra instantly understood- he must
get his power from the other sword. She quickly swiped it up from the ground, and handed
it to him. He was clearly too weak to stand
alone, so She-Ra propped him up in her arms. Weakly raising the sword, He-Man stammered
"B….. by….. the power….. of….. Grayskull….." She-Ra shielded her eyes as a burst
of energy erupted from He-Man’s sword, surrounding his entire body. A triumphant,
powerful shout of "I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!" rang through the room, then the light
died down- and He-Man was no longer a man close to death. Now he was as powerful as he had
been before, his muscular body now completely devoid of cuts or bruises. "I’m not sure exactly who
you are….." said He-Man, "But you’ve rescued me just in time- I was
inches away from death!" "No problem." replied
She-Ra. "I….." Just then they were interrupted by
Hordak entering the room. "Who took the
swords….." he stopped and stared in horror when he saw He-Man’s unharmed
body, and the beautiful, red-haired heroine standing by him, looking almost like a female
version of He-Man. Then he saw the sword in her hand….. "So….. you took the sword!
You feeble bitch, I don’t know who you are, but….." "This is MY sword."
Interrupted She-Ra. "And hey, you can fight me for it, if you want it that
badly!" Hordak transformed his arm, into
cannon mode, and advanced on She-Ra, but she sent him flying backwards with one blast from
her sword. He-Man helped out and fired a bolt from his! And they fired bolt after bolt,
until Hordak fled. He-Man looked puzzled. "So is it
you who this sword is for?" "It is indeed." "Then where’s that
girl….. Adora? I thought that….." "I’ll explain all later. We
have a lot to talk about! But first of all, how about we go and free some slaves?" "Sure thing!" replied
He-Man. And he and She-Ra charged side by side through Doom Tower, smashing every trooper
in their way, bursting out into the streets. They were so powerful and bursting with
energy, that both of them felt completely invincible. "WARNING!" A voice issued
from the tower. "He-Man has regained his strength and is on the loose with a warrior
woman- all hordesmen must be on guard!" "Hey, some chance of them
beating us!" laughed She-Ra. They charged through the streets, looking so powerful
that most hordesmen ran from them in terror. When they reached the mine, they burst into
it, scattering troopers in all directions. Then there were only slaves left. "You are free!" shouted
He-Man. "Come with us and we will lead you to safety!" A huge cheer ran through the crowd of
slaves. Then they all kicked their work aside, and led by He-Man and She-Ra, ran from the
mines, through the abandoned slave valley, and out into freedom. When the Fright Zone had become a
mere blur in the distance, they finally slowed down, gasping for breath, all relieved to
be free at last. "For years….. Etheria has
waited for champions like you." One man said to He-Man and She-Ra. "It is our pleasure to help
you." said She-Ra. "Now you can leave the Horde behind- and be free again! And
soon, He-Man and She-Ra will put an end to the Horde’s rule!" The slaves once again cheered He-Man
and She-Ra, then they ran off, many of them smiling in ecstasy, running to freedom with
their arms in the air. At last they were free. And He-Man and She-Ra were left
alone. "So, She-Ra," said He-Man,
"we have a lot to talk about, it would seem." "We sure do, my brother." He-Man’s eyes opened wide in
shock. "Brother?" "Yes, He-Man. We really do have
a lot to talk about!"
He carefully made his way around the
outskirts, watching out for any approaching hordesman. He knew he did not have to worry
about troopers, as they would usually fall apart after one punch, his real concern were
the recruits made from flesh. 
