Encyclopedia of Eternia: History

[Mosquitor]

After three years in the making, it's finally here- I'm happy to present to the MOTU community my biggest work of fanfiction ever- The Encylopedia of Eternia. Here I present my own vision of the entire MOTU saga from beginning to end, starting with the history and to be followed by character and universe profiles. Thanks to everyone who has supported me in my time writing this, and to General Stingrad, whose own work was a strong influence on mine. Read on, and feel free to post feedback...

Encyclopedia of Eternia

SECTION 1: HISTORY

Chapter 1: The First Civilizations of Eternia

The battle between good and evil is almost as old as the universe itself. As soon as the prime consciousness of the universe created matter, the presence of matter evoked the essence of otherness. Out of otherness was born fear, and out of fear was born the battle for domination. Out of the battle for domination was born the notions of right and wrong. And thus began the timeless conflict between good and evil.

As evolution spread throughout the planet that would come to be known as Eternia, intelligent life developed, and human civilization was born. In the early days of humanity, Eternia was populated by tribes. Numerous groups of different peoples and races were established throughout Eternia, each carrying their own myths, fables and legends, each worshipping their own Gods and Goddesses. Many of the tribes were nomadic, and traveled from area to area, spreading over the whole planet. Other tribes chose to settle permanently in single areas, and the first villages and settlements were built.

The oldest Eternian legend of the battles between Good and Evil is that of The Goddess, and her enemy, the great God Serpos. The Goddess was a beautiful, green-skinned woman, her torso covered by red cobra armor, carrying a staff in the shape of a cobra. She represented tranquility between humanity and nature, the balance between the humans, the animals, and the environment. She was the ultimate symbol of peace and unity. Her enemy, Serpos, manifested in the form of a demonic, three-headed snake, his sharp fangs dripping with blood. Serpos represented everything that was vile and savage about the spirit. He was the essence of hatred, destruction, greed and debauchery, the mindless savagery that struggled to overcome the sanctity of nature. Although Serpos possessed incredible power, and was easily capable of seducing ordinary humans into his evil ways, the Goddess had the greater power, for she had the forces of love and harmony within her being. Thus, no matter how severe the evil acts of Serpos, the love of the Goddess would always overcome him. While many Gods and Goddesses were worshipped by the tribes of Prehistoric Eternia, The Goddess herself was the definitive deity, the most powerful and most highly worshipped of all deities of the universe.

After several centuries of evolution, a group of traveling thinkers from a multitude of different tribes congregated together with the intention of developing a full and clear understanding of the world around them and beyond. By eliminating the essence of otherness from their perception, and viewing the universe as a single entity, they believed they could eradicate altogether the temptation of fear, and thus the desire for war and conflict, enabling the universe to live in ultimate harmony. Such an understanding of Nature and the Gods would enable them to stabilize a permanent balance within their world, and possibly even spread this balance throughout the entire universe.

Together, within their base, a small wooden hut atop a rocky precipice, they established themselves as The Council of the Wise, and began their great metaphysical exploration of their world, which they named Eternia, meaning ‘world that will last for eternity’. The Council of the Wise was comprised of many great magicians, sorceresses, philosophers, scientists and astronomers, who had all spent many years practising their arts in order to enhance their understanding of nature. The magicians, sorcerers and sorceresses developed the skills of magic to control the forces of nature for its own good, and to see into realms beyond their immediate surroundings. The scientists, meanwhile, focused their studies on the material world, to develop a full understanding of the essence of matter. The astronomers fixed their focus on the skies above, and studied the stars to understand that which lay beyond the world they inhabited. The philosophers took into account the discoveries of all the others, and developed great wisdom about the workings of the universe, through their analysis of the Council’s findings. The studies of the Council led them to conclude that magic and science should work in harmony to ensure the balance of nature, and the sanctity of all living creatures.

Following their discoveries, the humble dwelling of the Council’s wooden hut was to become the center of all great knowledge and power within Eternia. The Council embarked on a mission to spread the word of their findings throughout the whole of the planet. Individual members of the Council would travel throughout Eternia, utilizing their incredible power, and spreading their philosophy of peace and the workings of nature throughout all the many tribes that populated the planet. The wise Elders soon became the most respected people on the planet, but insisted that despite their power and knowledge they must be regarded as ordinary people like the rest- superiority was a mere illusion, and the essence of nature lay in equality and harmony between all living beings- no matter how weak or powerful they may initially seem, all beings were equally blessed with the power of universal divinity.

Eternia soon became a world of great peace and harmony. Men and women, different races, magic and science, humans and animals, all lived in balance. Amongst the majority of the tribes, there was no such thing as prejudice or discrimination. Everybody respected one another, and wars and conflict were infrequent.

However, there were threats to the balance of nature, and these threats eventually began to grow in severity. There were some tribes and sorcerers on Eternia who refused to accept the philosophy of the Council of the Wise, and refuted the notion that all living beings were created equally. In their mind, living in the material world necessitated the need for hierarchy in order to ensure the survival of the fittest in the struggle for power. These groups dedicated their worship to the Gods and Goddesses of darkness, those who advocated brute force in the quest for survival. Together, the dark tribes of Eternia gathered into a single traveling community dedicated to overcoming the widespread beliefs of The Council of the Wise. As they relished the night as their time of action, and took shelter during the daylight hours, they became known as The Nocturnals.

The leader of the Nocturnals was a strange being known as Lord Masque. His origins were unknown, but he seemed to be more of a dark shadow than a man, his metaphysical form concentrated within a shell of armor, his conscience concentrated into physical form by the metal mask which covered the cowl serving as his head. Legend has it that Lord Masque was himself a spirit of evil, banished from the physical realms by the Goddess centuries ago, who had somehow managed to achieve a return to the physical realm by concentrating his power into this mysterious mask. Lord Masque worshipped the Goddess Shokoti, to whom he referred as his ‘Mistress’. Shokoti was the Goddess of Destruction, her semi-reptilian form leading some tribes to believe she was an offspring of the God Serpos. Lord Masque’s exact connection to Shokoti was unknown, but his referral to her as ‘Mistress’ evoked the belief in many that he was a former servant or possibly apprentice of the great Shokoti.

On the deepest reaches of the Sands of Time, Eternia’s widest stretch of desert, Lord Masque erected a huge, solid stone temple as a monument to Shokoti. The temple was constructed with the desire to bring forth the goddess Shokoti to the physical realm of Eternia to bring about the destruction of the system of harmony, and The Council of the Wise themselves.

A great ritual was held on the Sands of Time to call forth Shokoti. The Nocturnals gathered together, utilizing their magic to summon forth the great Goddess of Destruction. Within the temple, Shokoti finally manifested, in her traditional form of a blue-skinned, half-reptilian woman with long, flowing black hair. With Lord Masque as her prime messenger, Shokoti set about making her presence known throughout Eternia, by working her evil magic across the planet, spreading darkness and fear throughout the world. By utilizing the power of fear, she evoked numerous tribes across Eternia to succumb to her will and pledge their loyalty. She thus became known as The Living Darkness.

As more and more of Eternia’s peaceful tribes were consumed by Shokoti’s corruption and hierarchy, the Council of the Wise, concerned by this increasing threat to Eternia’s sanctity, elected their strongest warrior, the philosopher Zodac, to restore the balance of Eternia. Zodac was a man of incredible strength and power, and he used his great abilities to traverse across Eternia, defending tribes and settlements from the onslaught of Shokoti, Lord Masque and The Nocturnals. He quickly realized through his battles that the power of Shokoti was the power of fear. The tribes of Eternia were succumbing to Shokoti because of one major element- they feared her, and were thus led into following her regardless of whether or not they agreed with what she stood for. Zodac, therefore, encouraged the tribes of Eternia to act in spite of their fear, and rebel against Shokoti’s evil regardless of the possible consequences. The tribes began to follow Zodac’s orders, confronting their fears and rising up against Shokoti and the Nocturnals, with their magic and strength. They were able to disarm Shokoti and her forces by showing no fear, and as more and more tribes rebelled against her, Zodac and the Council were able to use their powers to seal Shokoti within her temple permanently. The temple was then sunk into the ground, and Lord Masque was also overpowered by the Council’s magic, imprisoned in a hidden cell on the Sands of Time.

Following the defeat of Shokoti, many ordinary Eternians increased their faith in the Council of the Wise, and began to flock to their wooden hut to pledge their loyalty, confess their crimes and achieve redemption. Zodac was hailed throughout Eternia as a great being of divinity. For several decades, the evil forces of Eternia caused no major harm to the planet’s tranquility. The war with Shokoti had positively expanded the consciousness of the Eternians to a large extent- for they now understood the power of fear, and how it was necessary to travel through the dark side to fully embrace the light.

But although Shokoti and Lord Masque had been defeated, The Nocturnals as a group were still very much intact, and escaped justice at the hands of the Council, fleeing to a remote, uninhabited continent on Eternia’s Western side. Concentrating their powers of darkness together, they called forth the spirits of darkness to congregate on this single continent, forming a mass of black clouds which completely blocked out the sun. The barren continent was plunged into eternal darkness, and became known as the Black Continent.

Through their contact with the spirits of evil, The Nocturnals were provided with the ability to travel beyond the world of Eternia, through the emergence of a gateway to another galaxy- a galaxy which revolved around a small sun with the dimmest light. The worlds of this galaxy were dark, cold and deadly. On one of these worlds, populated by ferocious demons and repulsive deadly species, members of The Nocturnals began to develop a civilization of their own. In unison with the spirits of evil, they spread their magic across the planet and turned this world into an exact polar opposite of Eternia, where peace and tranquility were nonexistent, and fear and destruction reigned supreme. They named this planet Infinita. The power that The Nocturnals gained from Infinita proved a strong advantage for them- for they were now able to concentrate their energy towards unleashing the most dreaded demonic entity of all. This entity was none other than the legendary God Serpos.

COMING NEXT: THE WAR OF SERPOS.

[BlueLobster1979]

Wow, there's a lot here to digest... and it looks awesome from just skimming through it... I'll have some more detailed feedback after I've had a chance to read it all straight through...

[Mosquitor]

Wow, there's a lot here to digest... and it looks awesome from just skimming through it... I'll have some more detailed feedback after I've had a chance to read it all straight through...

Thanks There might be a lot to digest in this (121 pages!) so I'll leave it as it is a few more days before posting some more, let me know any thoughts

[mhs16]

What a great concept. I can't wait for the She-ra sections. Any chance you'll be offering a word doc or pdf of the completed work?

[Mosquitor]

What a great concept. I can't wait for the She-ra sections. Any chance you'll be offering a word doc or pdf of the completed work?

Sure, I'll definitely do that, and will make sure the whole thing gets put online once it's all been serialized on here!

[Mosquitor]

Chapter 2: The War Of Serpos

Approximately a year after the defeat of Shokoti, one member of the Council of the Wise sensed a ripple in Eternia’s dimensional barrier, and traced it to the Black Continent. Zodac led the astronomers of the council into the stars, to traverse the galaxies and locate the source of the dimensional rift. They tracked it down to the newly established world of Infinita, and from above, observed the actions of the Nocturnals who had inhabited this planet.

They brought back tales to the Council of how this galaxy was festering with dark energy, and Infinita, located on the edge of this dark and cold solar system, was populated by thousands of evil beings whose way of life totally contrasted with that of the Eternians. The planet was ruled by monstrous demons which infiltrated the entire world with war, poverty and destruction. Every day on Infinita was a struggle to survive- and given the constant wars which engulfed the planet, this was an incredibly difficult task. Zodac sensed that the great evil within the whole of Infinita’s galaxy was in some way centered around a great force of darkness present on an extremely large planet in the center of the galaxy. But this great power, whatever it was, was blocking even his own powers from exploring the planet.

Eventually, in an enormous, epic fusion of the Nocturnals’ power of darkness, a dimensional portal opened in the skies above the Black Continent, and out flew Serpos, the dreaded Snake God. The legendary deity of corruption, hatred and destruction was now present on Eternia, carrying with it an enormous threat to the planet’s tranquility.

With his gigantic and terrifying form, Serpos proved a far more intimidating and deadly threat to Eternia than Shokoti ever had. He was so powerful that even Zodac could not hope to defeat him alone. The Council of the Wise worked together on combining their power and wisdom into one strong force of peace and harmony to counter Serpos’ evil and destruction.

For the first time in history, full-scale war raged across Eternia. While several tribes succumbed to the influence of Serpos, lured by the power of fear, other peaceful races were forced to enter war in order to save themselves from the fate of destruction or corruption. The Nocturnals were a strong force and wreaked havoc all over Eternia, hoping to merge the planet with Infinita. Numerous races of fearsome demons from around Eternia joined the war, and the evil of Serpos allowed evil to breed across the planet. More and more fierce demonic races began to evolve across Eternia.

The Council of the Wise sent a call across Eternia, for all the most powerful magicians of the planet to join them in their fight against Serpos. Their call was answered by many great sorcerers and sorceresses from all round Eternia. Together, they utilized their powers in battle against Serpos and the Nocturnals, but the powers of Serpos were extreme, and destruction continued to rage across Eternia. So the Council of the Wise held a sacred ritual in their hut together with the sorcerers, combining their powers, concentrating on unifying the forces of light to counter Serpos’ evil. As they unified their magic powers, a great field of rainbow-colored light formed in the air above them. A voice emitted from this field of light, and explained that it was a metaphysical entity representing the essence of light, which served to evoke hope in the minds of the living. It was therefore known as Light Hope.

Light Hope told the Council that in order to fully counter the evil of Serpos, they must summon The Goddess, the great deity who had kept Serpos at bay according to legend. The key to summoning The Goddess, he explained, was to utilize the powers of a magical forest on one of Eternia’s neighbouring planets. This planet, said Light Hope, was a peaceful world populated, like Eternia, by tribes. Although its natives had not yet gained the power and knowledge of the Eternians, their world was a tranquil place covered mostly by grassland and vegetation, in which humans lived in perfect balance with animals and plant life. The essence of harmony with nature was concentrated at its strongest in a forest known as the Whispering Woods, so called because the trees there were said to hold the great knowledge of nature, which was spread in their whispers amidst the breeze. The essence of harmony within the Whispering Woods was so strong that no evil force could penetrate its barriers. Since The Goddess was an embodiment of harmony between humans, animals and nature, her presence was prevalent throughout the Whispering Woods, and the powers of this place would enable the Council to summon her.

Following Light Hope’s orders, Zodac led the Council of the Wise to this neighboring planet, as yet unnamed. Reaching the Whispering Woods, they harnessed its powers of natural tranquility to bring forth the almighty deity worshipped for centuries by the tribes of Eternia- The Goddess. The Goddess appeared just as the legends described her, as a green-skinned woman with red cobra armor and a staff in the shape of a cobra. The Goddess joined the Council upon their return to Eternia, to do battle with her old enemy, Serpos.

The Goddess and Zodac led the Council of the Wise, and the accompanying magicians, into battle with Serpos and his minions. After a long and hard struggle, the forces of good were able to use their combined powers to overcome Serpos as they engaged in battle on the Black Continent. Serpos was stunned and rendered helpless by their radiant forces of light and justice. As Serpos hung paralyzed in mid-air, The Goddess, the Council, and the sorcerers used their powers to imprison him in a solid mountain structure in the center of the Black Continent. Serpos was trapped, and unable to escape. The forces of good now stood before the army of the Nocturnals, with Light Hope shining above them. Together with the tribes of Eternia, now free from the influence of Serpos, they rushed towards them in battle. The Nocturnals panicked, realizing they stood no chance of victory, and were immediately scattered by the forces of good. Many of them were taken prisoner in the battle; others fled, some to Infinita, some to other dimensions, and some to other areas of Eternia, weak and drained of power. Others chose the option of suicide as their escape from the forces of light, while others were redeemed and defected from the side of darkness. Finally, the group of evildoers that was the Nocturnals was no more. The power of good shone throughout the whole of Eternia.

With Serpos imprisoned, and the Nocturnals finally defeated, peace reigned over Eternia once more. Through their countless centuries of studying the universe, practising their magic and science and fighting for peace, the Council of the Wise had become the most powerful beings in the universe. They had all the secrets, power and knowledge to become Masters of the Universe. But they knew that this power was in safe hands, and while they possessed it, it would never be abused. The Goddess stated that the time had come for the Council to spread their wisdom throughout the universe in order to keep the forces of balance and harmony universally intact. Most members of the Council were now more or less immortal- almost more like Gods than regular humans. So the Council of the Wise became the Cosmic Enforcers, and together, they all left Eternia to travel throughout the universe, watching over the entire cosmos to sustain its balance. As he had been Eternia’s prime savior in its years of battle, Zodac was given the role of watching over Eternia.

As the Cosmic Enforcers left for the stars, the remaining sorcerers and sorceresses who had worked with them stayed on Eternia, and became the Council of Elders. The Goddess told them that with their incredible knowledge and power, they should use their magic to form a larger and more complex base than the simple wooden hut they had occupied for many years. A base that would house the secrets and power of the universe, and stand as a monument to justice, harmony, peace, and most importantly, wisdom. In the spot where the hut stood, the Elders and the Goddess used their magic to form the Hall of Wisdom, a magnificent and magical complex, the rare metals from which it was constructed shining with immense radiance, symbolizing hope and goodness to all. The entire history of Eternia, and all the wisdom of the universe, was contained within its walls. Many of the corridors were lined with Space Portals, which enabled transportation to any other planet in the universe.

To further stabilize the harmony of Eternia and protect the planet from another rise of evil, the Elders chose to install a system of monarchy which would rule over all Eternia, abiding by the wisdom of the Council. Kingdoms were formed all over Eternia, and as technology expanded, civilization began to grow. The first cities of the planet began to develop.

After the formation of the Hall of Wisdom, several of the Elders traveled to the neighboring world where the Whispering Woods lay, and adopted it as a sister planet to Eternia. The whole planet, radiant with incredible harmony among nature, the spirit of goodness present within the air, had a truly ethereal feel, so the Elders named this world Etheria, meaning ‘world of the ethereal’. They began to travel across this incredibly beautiful planet, exploring its material and magical resources and spreading their philosophy and wisdom to its natives. They also used their power to form a fortress that would act as Etheria’s equivalent of the Hall of Wisdom, as a sanctuary for truth, justice and peace. Made from resplendent crystal, they named it the Crystal Castle, and Light Hope agreed to act as its guardian. The Crystal Castle would serve as a symbol of healing and justice if evil forces ever threatened Etheria, and would be invisible to all but the Elders, its sentiments of peace radiated out towards the minds of the Etherians. The Elders established culture and global wisdom on Etheria, and became known throughout the planet’s history as ‘The First Ones’.

Back on Eternia, peace reigned across the planet, and under the new system of monarchy, the world began to flourish. But although Eternia was peaceful once again, the evil forces were still concentrated in desolate regions. The former leader of the Nocturnals, Zendar the Unholy, had fled to the Desert of Desolation, where together with his wife and several of his followers, he set up a Temple for them to continue their dark practices. Their aim was to concentrate and expand their dark magic, and pass it down through the generations, to form an ultimate being of darkness and destruction who would be born of the family bloodstream in centuries to come. A prophecy, written by Zendar on the walls of the temple, reads:

“When the forces of light and darkness clash
in the ultimate battle for the universe,
the darkness will spawn a being
to epitomize its very essence.
He will walk upon the light side,
He will walk upon the dark.
But no matter where he may tread,
He will always leave his mark.
Destruction shall engulf his walked path,
For he shall be the Lord of Destruction.”

COMING NEXT: THE OPHIDIAN WAR AND THE REGIME OF KING HISS.

[Necrono]

I love this. There is a lot taken into account. Well mixed.

[Mosquitor]

Chapter 29: The Princess of Power Returns

In the decade that had passed on Etheria since the forces of good’s great victory, Adora had lived a serene and peaceful life, on the seas of Etheria with her husband, Sea Hawk. Sea Hawk’s ship was their home, and they followed a nomadic lifestyle, sailing over the seas, raising their young daughter and son. Although the Sword of Protection was still in her possession, Adora had not become She-Ra ever since the great war was won. Back in her fighting days, the guise of She-Ra had been a form of escape for Adora, a disguise to shield herself from her guilt over the crimes she had committed as Adora during her youth. But she had long since accepted herself for who she was, and the people of Etheria had likewise long since forgiven her after she had saved their world and the universe. She no longer needed that disguise, and was eager to leave behind the many years of war which had dominated her youth.

Sea Hawk, likewise, had mellowed with age and had left behind his pirate days. Although he was still a powerful warrior, he had not engaged in combat for a long time and had become a peaceful and respectable sailor. Although he and Adora spent much of their time in solitude, together with their children, they still took plenty of time to visit their friends on the land and help out with the rejuvenation of Etheria after its many years of turmoil under the Horde. Etheria was slowly beginning to flourish once again, as the state of poverty declined, more people were led to open their eyes to the light after years of loyalty to the Horde, and Queen Glimmer did everything in her capability to restore peace to the planet.

But throughout the decade of peace that had passed since the Horde’s banishment, Adora had always felt a faint sense of unease at the fact that the Horde still existed, and were still out there, wreaking havoc across the universe, her servitude under Hordak still legendary among them. At times she had felt guilty at her lack of action in putting a total stop to their evil. Sea Hawk had always reassured her that the Horde was no longer a concern of hers, and she had no reason to feel guilty about their continued reign of terror throughout the cosmos. But having been raised and bred among the Horde, and still feeling a deep-rooted anger over the way they had brought her up to follow their ways, Adora wanted nothing more deep down than to see the Horde come to an utmost end –and knew she would be more than happy to finish them off herself.

Therefore, when she received the unexpected call from across the universe, it came to Adora as both a relief and a burden. It was a burden in that it meant she had to return to a lifestyle of war and combat, but at the same time it was a relief in that she finally had the reasoning to set out into the cosmos and act upon her chance to put an end to the Horde’s evil once and for all.

She received the communication from Deltara via the means of Light Hope and the Crystal Castle. Deltara had sought to contact Adora by sinking into deep meditation in her chamber, in the Renegades’ base, the Temple of Redemption. Merging her conscious mind with her highest awareness, Deltara had channeled her energy across the cosmos until she had attained communication with Light Hope. She had spoken telepathically to Light Hope through meditation, and informed him of the state of the war on Horde World, and the ferocious battle that currently raged between Prime, Prahvus and Skeletor. Light Hope assured her that the heroine she needed would be with her in due time. For the first time in over a decade, the jewel in Adora’s Sword of Protection shimmered with immense light as Light Hope spoke to Adora through the sword.

After Light Hope had told Adora all the details of the call he had received from Deltara, Adora knew there was no time to waste. She would happily relinquish her peaceful life on Etheria for the sake of the universe, especially if it meant eliminating Horde Prime for good. She already knew that her brother was out there in the cosmos after he had been called out to stop the resurrected Skeletor from taking over the universe once more. She was more than happy to join him amongst the stars in the ultimate battle for the universe.

Accompanied by Sea Hawk and their two children, Adora journeyed to the Crystal Castle, a place she had not been in a long time, which in recent years had figured in her life only as a place which she entertained her children with fantastic tales of. She stood before the essence of divinity that was Light Hope, who warmly welcomed her back to his home and told her of the plan of action for Adora’s quest to save the universe from Prime.

After the plan had been explained, Adora said goodbye to her husband and children, and entered one of the many dimensional portals within the Crystal Castle. The portal led not to a particular planet, but to a secret Renegade spacecraft. On board this craft, Adora met Deltara and the Renegade warriors… and also He-Man and a team of Galactic Guardians, whom Light Hope had contacted to inform about the situation.

The battle on board the Velvet Glove was disrupted by the sudden presence of both He-Man and She-Ra. As Prime and his forces had been weakened from the fight, he was unprepared for their intervention. The combined power of the two heroes of Grayskull, together with the force of both the Galactic Guardians and the Renegades, eventually drove both Skeletor and Pahvus from the ship. Prime was no match for the heroic power he faced, so he summoned all his energy, and with the aid of his forces, caused an immense explosion of electrical power, to which the Horde forces were immune. The heroes had no choice but to flee the ship, and escaped back to the Renegades’ headquarters on Horde World.

COMING NEXT:
EXTERMINATION OF THE HEROES.

[Mosquitor]

Chapter 30: Extermination of the Heroes

Prime had evaded capture this time, but now that She-Ra was present on Horde World, his rule would be greatly threatened. She-Ra and He-Man held a speech in the Temple of Redemption in front of all the Renegades and their allies, vowing to strive to free this world- and the surrounding galaxy- from the influence of Horde Prime. He-Man then went back to Primus, but She-Ra was given the position of leader of the Renegades, and the forces were fully mobilized to provide the biggest opposition to Prime’s reign throughout history.

Prime immediately realized the severity of this threat. Now that the power of Grayskull was present on Horde World, he knew he must work as hard as possible to destroy She-Ra before his millennia-old empire could crumble. As the battles raged between the Renegades and the Horde day by day, more opposition to Prime was generated and the Renegades’ forces swelled continuously. While He-Man now had only one true form, She-Ra continued to re-assume the identity of Adora whilst on Horde World in order to hide from her adversaries.

But She-Ra was not the only threat that Prime faced, as it soon transpired that Prahvus was doing business on Horde World as well. As the presence of She-Ra and the Renegades convinced more people to abandon their loyalty to Prime, Prahvus, working undercover, managed to convince some of them to join his forces rather than those of She-Ra. The war was rapidly reaching a state of destructive chaos.

Over in the Triax Star System, Skeletor’s attempts to gain hold of the Trithuseum Generator were constantly being thwarted by He-Man. The forces of destruction were getting nowhere fast. Prime decided the time had come to take serious action against the power of Grayskull. It had gotten in the way of the forces of evil too many times. Prime called a meeting with Skeletor and Prahvus, in the chamber of the Velvet Glove, and proposed a temporary alliance between the three warlords. They should join forces, he suggested, until they had brought about one thing… the deaths of He-Man and She-Ra. Once these two heroes were no more, the three warlords could fight between themselves to obtain the power of Grayskull.

Skeletor and Prahvus agreed to the alliance. Back on Denebria, Skeletor explained to the Mutant army that their sole goal at this point in time must be the death of He-Man. Before they could continue with their aim of conquering Primus, they must bring about the death of this one man. Brakk, meanwhile, by assuming the guise of an ordinary scientist, had managed to steal a portion of Trithuseum Crystals from Primus. Skeletor was able to use the Trithuseum to power the Mutants’ weaponry and machinery. All they needed to do now was spring a surprise attack on He-Man alone when he least expected it, and take his life.

Skeletor ordered the Mutant spies to keep watch over He-Man’s movements. Optikk soon reported that he had seen He-Man piloting an Astrosub towards Horde World, presumably to help She-Ra and the Renegades. Skeletor decided to seize his chance- this could give him the opportunity to kill both He-Man and She-Ra at once. He reported this observation to both Prahvus and Horde Prime, and the three of them mounted an attack on the Renegades’ base.

With the Mutants’ power boosted by the Trithuseum energy, the Renegade forces were scattered –but it soon became clear that the whole of the evil armies were only after He-Man and She-Ra. She-Ra knew what she must do. Remembering King Grayskull’s victory over Prime centuries ago, she concentrated on the energy from the Trithuseum crystal within the Sword of Protection. A beam from her sword powered the Renegades’ machinery, enabling them to fire an enormous, magic-fuelled blast of energy towards the evil forces. The evil forces found their machinery disabled by the blast, and had no choice but to retreat. But they had achieved a victory of sorts… for while He-Man and She-Ra were still alive, the Renegades’ base was destroyed entirely. With no place to work from on Horde World, their forces would be overcome by the Horde in no time. He-Man and She-Ra led the Renegades to the Astrosub, and they blasted off for Primus, which the Renegades would have to make their new home.

They arrived on Primus, where Darius immediately called an urgent meeting of the Galactic Council. He welcomed She-Ra, Deltara and the Renegades to the ranks of the Galactic Guardians, but explained that the opposition they faced was now greater than ever. Now that Horde Prime no longer faced any opposition on Horde World, himself and the other evil leaders were bound to set their sights solely on Primus, and their first goal was to be the deaths of He-Man and She-Ra. The situation they faced was drastic- Skeletor, Horde Prime and Prahvus would clearly do everything they could to bring about the deaths of these two heroes, and yet Primus depended on them both to save their world. If the deaths of their defenders was the sole goal of the evil forces, they may just succeed.

But He-Man and She-Ra knew it could never be easy to kill anyone who possessed the power of Grayskull. He-Man contacted his wife, Queen Teela, back on Eternia. As Sorceress of Grayskull, Teela granted both He-Man and She-Ra an extra portion of power from the Eternian Elders, and also sent along a team of backup warriors from both Eternia and Etheria to aid the heroic forces of Primus. Among them were several of He-Man’s old allies from the ranks of the Masters, and Adora’s own husband Sea Hawk also journeyed to Primus to help them, having left their children on Etheria in the care of Queen Glimmer. To protect themselves, He-Man and She-Ra resumed the identities of Adam and Adora. While He-Man’s two forms had merged together shortly after he became King of Eternia, he now had the power to revert to the form of an ordinary mortal. Although the evil forces had become aware of the heroes’ secret identities in the later stages of the great Eternian war, with age and time they now appeared different enough physically so as not to be recognized.

The re-assumption of their secret identities was enough to confuse the Mutants upon their next attack on Primus, for an attempt to locate He-Man and She-Ra via brainwave patterns failed and the Mutants were left perplexed as to the whereabouts of the heroes. Although Brakk suggested they may have left Primus to find help from elsewhere in the universe, Skeletor was not convinced- he knew the power of Grayskull well enough by now to know it could easily protect or conceal the heroes. He ordered for an attack to be launched upon Galactic City, for He-Man and She-Ra would surely emerge from hiding to defend their friends.

As the battle sprang into action, Adam and Adora were confident enough that they could help the Galactic Guardians win the battle without having to transform or show themselves. The power of Grayskull had by now formed a protective field around the Trithuseum Generator, which would make it harder for the evil forces to attack. Adam and Adora hid from the battle in an underground bunker from where they could spring out a surprise attack if they were needed. The Mutants closed in on the Galactic Council’s headquarters and were ready to blow up the council chamber. At this point, Adam and Adora transformed into He-Man and She-Ra, and were ready to spring out and thwart the attack. But before they could do so, Krytta picked up the brainwave patterns of He-Man and She-Ra on her device, and the Mutants immediately changed targets and marched towards the bunker. Breaking underground, Skeletor and the Mutants fired an immense blast of energy towards the two heroes, and a huge explosion engulfed the bunker. Once the explosion had died down, there was only a pile of rubble and ash within the bunker. He-Man and She-Ra were no more.

The evil forces erupted into celebration. Skeletor had finally achieved his goal, and killed his most hated enemies. They quickly marched upon the Trithuseum Generator, and managed to weaken the strength of the force field around it. Skeletor usurped more of the power… and laughed in evil ecstasy as he felt himself grow more powerful than he had been in a long time. The Mutants left Primus victorious, knowing they could easily conquer the planet upon their next assault.

COMING NEXT:
THE DENEBRIAN ARREST.

[Mosquitor]

Chapter 31: The Denebrian Arrest

Shortly afterwards, on Denebria, Skeletor was laughing maniacally as he and Krytta watched the events on Primus from their viewscreen. The Galactic Council were holding a memorial following the demise of their defenders, and were praying to the stars for help against the Mutants. Queen Teela, devastated at the death of her husband, had temporarily left behind her duties as Guardian of Grayskull to aid the Primands herself, promising that she would grant them greater portions of Grayskull’s power to defend themselves from the next Mutant attack.

Skeletor then set about using the power of the Trithuseum crystals that he had gathered to harness the essence of the universe and remould it to his own desires. Chaos ensued slowly throughout the cosmos as he did so. Once he had the entire Trithuseum Generator for himself, he would once again become Master of the Universe… and this time, it would be for good.

Although all the Mutants were overjoyed at how close to victory they were coming, Brakk knew their victory would be in vain if Skeletor got the power of the Primands himself. He knew that Skeletor would destroy him and take Denebria for his own once he had won. Unsure of what to do, he spoke to Prahvus. Prahvus agreed that they could not allow Skeletor to obtain his desires, and decided there was only one thing they could do at this moment. Now that He-Man and She-Ra were no more, they were free to break the alliance with Horde Prime. So now was the time for them to make their final assault on Prime, destroy him and take over the Horde for themselves.

Brakk managed to sneak away from the Mutant base with a sample of Trithuseum crystals, unnoticed by Skeletor. This could fuel their power upon their assault on Prime. Together, with a team of Mutant warriors and members of Prahvus’ forces, they piloted a shuttle to Horde World, ready to challenge Prime for the last time.

Prime found himself attacked in his base in the name of the Morior. The attack was sudden and violent, and the immense power obtained by Prahvus and Brakk was severe enough to overcome most of Prime’s warriors. Prahvus used the Trithuseum crystals to paralyze Prime’s energy, concentrating it into the crystals to be fully absorbed. For a second it looked as though they were finally ready to take Prime prisoner… when the crystals, abruptly, stopped working.

Brakk and Prahvus were perplexed. Why was this? However hard they tried, they could not produce any further energy from the crystals, and Prime began to escape. He began, slowly, to regain his power.

Realizing they could be quickly overcome if they remained in Prime’s base, Brakk and Prahvus quickly fled, and stopped in the desert outside to work out what was happening. They had barely stopped for more than a moment, when they were faced with none other than He-Man and She-Ra, standing in front of them, alive and appearing more powerful than ever.

The power of Grayskull had been so strong that even Grayskull’s own guardians had underestimated it. They had survived the explosion on Primus with the help of Zodac, who had sensed the instability in the cosmic balance of the universe, and thus intervened to put it right. Zodac had found He-Man and She-Ra refuge in an underground hideout on Horde World, providing them with the means to channel the power of Grayskull from Eternia to Horde World, thus weakening the power of the evil forces on the planet. It had been this which had affected the magic being used by Brakk and Prahvus.

He-Man and She-Ra arrested the two evil creatures in the name of Grayskull. Prahvus had enough magic power within him to narrowly escape their grasp, and vanished into thin air. But Brakk, possessing no magic power of his own, found himself taken prisoner by the two heroes, and escorted to their underground hideout.

Back on Denebria, Skeletor soon received a visit from Prime, having heard the news of Skeletor’s victory on Primus and the apparent deaths of He-Man and She-Ra. He stated that the time had come for the final assault on Primus. Skeletor agreed to let Prime aid him, and that once they had easy access to the Trithuseum Generator, it would be between the two of them in the battle for the universe. Given that he had already succeded part way in remoulding the essence of the universe to his desires, Skeletor was thoroughly confident of victory over Prime.

The attack was launched, and the Primands, still believing He-Man and She-Ra to be dead, were helpless against the evil forces, even with Queen Teela and the Masters on their side. Before long, the protective field around the Trithuseum Generator was dissolved entirely, and they stormed upon the generator.

At that exact moment, over on Horde World, He-Man and She-Ra had succeeded in transferring a sufficient amount of Grayskull’s energy to the evil planet. Using their swords, they concentrated the energy strongly, forming it into a large, shimmering golden tower, slightly resembling the Crystal Castle. Light Hope appeared above them, congratulating them on this achievement. Although there would still be a long way to go before Horde World could be fully liberated, now that a monument of goodness stood upon the planet the evil upon this world could be countered firmly. Light Hope would act as the temporary guardian of the golden tower and would draw as many people as possible into the fortress for redemption. Zodac also congratulated He-Man and She-Ra on their victory. Now their sole mission was to save Primus. Stealing a Horde shuttle pod, the heroes blasted off for Primus.

COMING NEXT:
THE FINAL FIGHT OF HORDE PRIME.

[Mosquitor]

Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter, have been pretty busy for a while. To anyone who's still reading, hope you enjoy this!

Chapter 32: The Final Fight of Horde Prime

On Primus, Skeletor and Prime had both succeeded in reaching the Trithuseum Generator. The fight was on between the two deities of evil to determine which of them would gain its power. At the point that the alliance between the two was broken, a fleet of Horde ships burst out from the skylines to attack Skeletor, having been positioned secretly above Primus by their master, awaiting his command. Skeletor was stunned slightly by the attack, and Prime took the opportunity to seize a large portion of Grayskull-powered Trithuseum into his own hands. Realizing the power that Prime was about to gain, a team of Galactic Guardians led by Flipshot sprang out to attack the God of evil. At the same time, Skeletor shot a beam of power at his adversary, and Prime retreated from the battle by dissolving his form into a cloud of black mist, which seeped underground ready to harness the rest of the Trithuseum’s power in time to sprin back out…

But not before he encountered none other than She-Ra and He-Man, having just landed in a secret underground station to save Primus. Horde Prime was unprepared for the sudden presence of his most hated foes, and a battle sprung out between himself and She-Ra. As She-Ra faced Prime for the last time, He-Man knew his mission lay above ground… for Skeletor had almost gained the entire Trithuseum Generator for himself.

Above ground, the Primands could only watch in horror as the form of Skeletor gre to gigantic size, crackling with immense electrical energy as he absorbed the power of the Trithuseum Crystals. More and more of Grayskull’s power seeped through the Trithuseum and into his form as he towered above the Primands, his eyes blazing with a red electric flare, laughing with deafening insanity. His appearance became more terrifying than ever; a decayed skull juxtaposed horribly atop a mechanical, cybernetic body pulsating with electrical power.

This was it. This was the real power he had been waiting for. The combined power of magic and technology made him feel much stronger and more powerful than ever… even more than the purely magical power he had initially gained from Grayskull a decade ago. The resources of the technical universe at his command, he could now remould reality to his will.

And as he did so, his force was felt throughout the entire universe. Over on Eternia, the nightmare of Skeletor’s previous conquest, a decade previous, was repeated as chaos and destruction engulfed the land, a black whirlwind of evil energy whooshing above Grayskull as its power was usurped by the greatest deity of evil, light years away. Skeletor’s deafening, maniacal laugh echoed throughout the entire universe. This time, surely no other being could even potentially stop him.

In the hidden technical chambers beneath Galactic City, the battle between She-Ra and Prime raged intensely. Both were being weakened at once by the power of Skeletor… but She-Ra possessed the immense power of the Sword of Protection, its Trithuseum Crystal firmly fixed in the center. The face of Prime’s ancient adversary, King Grayskull, floated in the jewel. He was channeling his wisdom and power through to his powerful female successor.

Prime realized the opposition that he faced. He was sure to be defeated if he stayed around now. He chose to retreat from the scene of the battle to the place where he was at his most powerful… Horde World. Skeletor could be challenged at a later date. He cast a quick spell, and retreated to his home planet… but She-Ra was quick enough to follow him. Within moments, they both found themselves face to face in Prime’s stronghold on Horde World, and the battle sprung into action once again. Prime was now thoroughly confident of victory, with the power of his homeland on his side.

She-Ra knew what she had to do. Using the power of the crystal within her sword to drain the energy of Prime’s machinery around her, she flung it back at Prime in one major burst of energy, draining the power of the Trithuseum that he posessed. Prime reacted quickly, and sent an array of flying lazer devices coursing through the air towards She-Ra. The Sword of Protection was knocked from She-Ra’s grasp, and fell to the ground. Prime sent a blast of energy towards She-Ra, and a surge of deadly electrical energy ran through her body. Burn marks seared over her flesh. The next few moments could be her last.

She-Ra writhed in pain against Prime’s attack. Was this the end? But as she struggled against the vast energy of Prime, she saw the face of King Grayskull float within the jewel of her sword, and heard his voice speak to her.

“She-Ra… the power of technology is no match for the power of light. Remember, the essence of the universe is light energy… and the light is within yourself. You must call upon it within you!”

She-Ra understood his words, and concentrated as hard as she good to fight against the physical pain she was feeling. Throughout the years she had defended the side of good, she had used her powers to work many miracles and heal many injured and sick people. Did she really have the power to heal herself amidst all this pain?

As Horde Prime laughed in mockery at the weakenin form of his foe, She-Ra summoned up all the light energy within her, and spoke the words:

“For the Honor of Grayskull… let the magic within prevail!”

She felt an immense burst of magical energy emit from within her form. All at once, her pain vanished, and she seized hold of the Sword of Protection, leaped into the air, and came forward towards Prime with a flying whirlwind kick. Stunned at the sudden recovery of the Princess of Power, Prime quickly activated the Trithuseum Crystals to send his automatic weaponry towards her… but it had no effect. She-Ra had touched upon the true essence of magic within herself, and the effect of the Trithuseum on technology was now useless. Summoning up all the power of Grayskull, combined with the light energy within herself, She-Ra fired an almighty blast from her sword at Prime… and a cry of immense evil pain was heard as the misty form of Prime began to vaporize into the air above. The glowing red eyes of Prime began to fade, then they closed… forever.Prime had relied too strongly on the dominance of technology over magic, a feat that was never truly possible given the composure of the universe… and this mistake had led to his demise.


Exhausted from the battle, She-Ra just managed to summon enough energy to ascend to the top of the building. Prime’s influence gone, the bleak, grey-brown clouds of the skies of Horde World finally began to dissipate, allowing for the first glimmer of sunlight the planet had ever seen. The golden tower could be seen in the distance.
She-Ra had done it. She had saved Horde World despite having been weakened. But she had the worrying instinct that her victory was in vain… for in the distance, echoing throughout the universe, she could hear the maniacal laugh of Skeletor.

COMING NEXT:
THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE.