SWORDS v. MAGIC

SORCERESS:

"In our previous adventure tale..."

Galtar and his allies had last been traversing the realm of Bandisar in one final push to confront and ultimately stop the evil Tormack. Then, there came the cataclysm worse than any Gumata Storm. Galtar found himself without the aid of Princess Goleeta, her brother, Zorn, or his noble steed, Thork, and abandoned in a new world. He suspected the black magic of Tormack's sniveling sorcerer, Krym, except that he found himself face to face with a savage swordsman with a glowing energy blade. No; Tormack would never abandon Galtar to the premise of someone else ending him. Something deeper was going on here for Galtar to investigate before he should return home. In the meantime, he sensed a fight on his hands and he still thankfully had his Golden Lance...

Thundarr's allies were gone; taken by the sorcerer, Gemini. He had pursued the captor across Earth 3094 for a time and had been in heated conflict with the cruel wizard's expendable robot knights. Then, just as suddenly, Thundarr was...elsewhere; no robot knights to stand in his way; no gloating Gemini; and no allies in the forms of Ariel or Ookla either. Before the barbarian could get the bearings of his new place, however, he did spy a wisp of a swordsman across from him. The lad was alien to him; but so was THIS world, and evil certainly wasn't restrained to the wizards. As far as Thundarr knew, THIS whelp could be HOLDING his friends. The barbarian drew his fabulous Sun Sword and prepared to meet the man-child with the dual weapons...

***************************

Battle Cat carried He-Man as quickly as he could toward the Sands of Time. Swift Wind, in the meantime, proved a far faster mode of transportation for his own companion, She-Ra.

"Hurry, He-Man!" Battle Cat roared. "I smell the whiff of confusion and trouble ahead!"

"ME; hurry?" He-Man chided the mighty tiger with a chuckle. "You, great cat, are the mode of transportation here!"

"Shall Swifty and I slow down for you, brother?" She-Ra teased.

"No, no." He-man chuckled. "Right now, sis, you have the far better vantage point on any trouble..."

Just then, He-Man sensed something behind him. Battle Cat had sensed the same and pivoted with such force as to nearly toss Orko for a loop. However, the tiny Trollan held fast to the mighty mount's saddle and He-Man came face to face with a red headed young swordsman; a man he had met many times before; but, this time, would they be allies or adversaries...

"Ho, He-Man!" the swordsman bellowed.

Battle Cat unleashed a bellowing growl until Lion-O of the Thundercats visbily put the Sword of Omens away once more.

"...and hello, friend Lion-O." He-Man responded in relief. "What brings you and the Thundercats here to Eternia?"

"Eternia! Then this is your home!" Lion-O declared. "And I know not what has swept me here; without the other Thundercats nobles. I was staging an assault on Mumm-Ra's pyramid when...well...we both were swept here."

"Mummra! On Eternia...?" He-Man asked. "I don't like the sound of..."

"...Excuse me." came a mighty bellow.

A powerful whinny added to the interjection and Swift Wind landed to deposit She-Ra, her Sword of Protection still drawn, into the conversation.

"Hello!" Lion-O visibly gushed as he sized up the Princess of Power.

"Is this sir friend or foe, He-Man?" She-Ra demanded.

"Today, he seems to be a friend; albeit lost in these parts and hopelessly confused as to how to get home." He-Man answered. "She-Ra, this is Lion-O, the Lord of the Thundercats of Third Earth. Lion-O, my closest ally, She-Ra."

"Wow!" Lion-O gushed. "She's..."

"...very formidable." She-Ra interjected.

"...and like a sister to me." He-Man added.

"Understood." Lion-O promptly answered. "Then what say that we...

"...Look!" Orko piped up as Battle Cat stared off in the other direction and unleashed a warning growl.

The trio of champions could hear the sounds of battle as energy met energy and a third sword was added to the fray.

"I think we found our confused heroes." He-Man declared, mounting Battle Cat once more as She-Ra saddled Swift Wind again.

"Heroes; causing this much conflict?" Lion-O demanded.

"They are as hopelessly lost as you are; and wouldn't recognize a friendly face." He-Man explained; then glancing casually to Orko: "Magic displaced them here."

Orko shrugged in response.

"Three heroes with their bearings could be needed to break up three champions at odds before any real harm can be done." He-Man added. "Lion-O, mount Battle Cat with me. This struggle is in the Sands of Time just beyond the next rise. She-Ra..."

"...Swift Wind and I are way ahead of you!" She-Ra reassured him as the noble unicorn took to the air once more. Battle Cat, He-Man, Lion-O, and Orko had little choice but to follow once more...

*****************************

John Blackstar, formerly of Earth and fostered to Sagar, had found himself on quite a different world altogether. Nevertheless, before he could collect his bearings, he had discovered two swordsmen at odds. He didn't recognize this world, and he didn't sense any ill will in either swordsman. Nonetheless, even if this challenge had been started in hopeless confusion, it now needed stopped.

Blackstar should have recognized what would happen when he and his Star Sword attempted to step in between the one barbaric stranger with a glowing blade and a younger fighter with two swords in hand. Blackstar was soon mistaken for an extra instigator and the conflict continued helplessly.

"You; taste the burn of my Sunsword, boy!" Thundarr bellowed, swinging the weapon. "AHHHHH-HEE!"

"...or you, the fury of my Golden Lance, savage!" Galtar added, unclinching the pair of swords and firing a pair of bolts.

"Enough, the both of you!" Blackstar declared, swinging his Star Sword in defense anyway. "I sense that we're all on the same side here; can the two of you not detect the same?"

"Nothing else is familiar here; least of all you!" Thundarr insisted, ignoring Galtar and swinging for Blackstar instead.

Suddenly, another unfamiliar blade flew in and struck the Sunsword free of Thundarr's hand as Blackstar cowered back.

"What???" Thundarr bellowed, pivoting to face He-Man, She-Ra, Lion-O, and their animal allies.

"Hello, gentlemen!" He-Man bellowed. "Welcome to Eternia. Now, the six of us are on one side."

Thundarr glared as He-Man and She-Ra still held their swords in defense. Meanwhile, whilst Thundarr was finally distracted and unarmed, Galtar aimed the halves of the Golden Lance once more.

"Sword to Rope!" She-Ra shouted.

Her Sword of Protection responded and she restrained Galtar at the wrists.

"Now," He-Man bellowed, "if we could listen to reason..."

Blackstar finally nodded quietly and sheathed his Star Sword.

"Thank you." he sighed in relief. "I am called He-Man; this is my friend, She-Ra, and our ally, Lion-O..."

"...Lord of the Thundercats!" Lion-O added.

Thundarr glared directly at Battle Cat.

"Do these cats that you lord over thunder so loudly?" the barbarian demanded.

Battle Cat roared in response.

"No; Battle Cat is He-Man's." Lion-O insisted. "My Thundercats are of Third Earth and I am stranded here myself; as is the evil Mumm-Ra, an ancient sorcerer mummy god."

"A wizard!" Thundarr bellowed. "Lion Brother, I am a stranger here myself; and I pursued my own wizard of evil."

"Right; I'm lost here too." Galtar declared. "I chased a warlord who..."

"...GALTAR!" a new voice bellowed.

All eyes glanced up as a pair of warlords led some clunky looking robots.

"Tormack!" Galtar declared. "She-Ra, was it; unbind me."

She-Ra's sword promptly changed back to its original state.

"Overlord!" Blackstar bellowed, taking his weapon up once more.

"Well, well; Blackstar!" Overlord chuckled. "I see that you are misplaced here, too!"

"...with my least favorite familiar face." Blackstar added, prepping his blade as Overlord did the same.

"Robot Knights, attack them!" Overlord shouted.

"While we take Palace Eternia!" Tormack added.

The robot knights soared forward. Thundarr, in turn, clutched to his sword.

"This Eternian Palace; is it a place of good or evil?" he demanded.

"...Tormack, a force of pure evil, seeks its conquest." Galtar answered for him.

"...and Overlord is no kinder of a soul." Blackstar insisted. "It has to be a place of goodness."

"It is." He-Man reassured them. "Lion-O, stand together with Blackstar, Thundarr, and Galtar here. She-Ra and I know what is really happening here and know where we are needed."

"Yes." Lion-O conceded, stretching out his hand. "Sword of Omens, come to my hand!"

Thundarr watched in shock as the iron sword obediently flew back to its master's hand.

"Good luck, friend He-Man!" Lion-O boomed; then, as three Robot Knights buzzed directly at the swordsman: "HO-OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A crimson bolt promptly dissolved the evil robots. Thundarr sliced down several others. Galtar and Blackstar were free to contend with their respective enemies.

"They'll be fine here." She-Ra insisted. "Where to now, brother; Castle Grayskull to safeguard it?"

"To Snake Mountain," He-Man insisted, "to stop the spell altogether. Battle Cat, forward!"

"Fly, Swift Wind!" She-Ra called.

The respective animal companions responded in kind...

*****************************

Skeletor, Evil Lyn, Shadow Weaver, Gemini, and Mumm-Ra had each clasped hands and clasped their powers together. The Lord of Destruction hadn't felt such great power since the Cosmic Comet incident; and THIS time, he would succeed. The evil wizards and sorceresses could sense their energy dome descending upon Grayskull's mystic barriers and smashing into them.

"This castle that you seek so will fall in short order!" Mumm-Ra boomed.

"A brilliant scheme!" Gemini added. "And when this Grayskull falls, so falls goodness on Eternia?"

"In due time once I control Grayskull's secrets!" Skeletor insisted. "Continue to concentrate our powers and talents on..."

Instantly, there came a crushing punch against the wall of Snake Mountain. Evil Lyn was deposited over backwards and Shadow Weaver was forced into unhanding her and breaking that much more of the bond. Skeletor was clumsily deposited forward against his Council Table.

"Whaaaat?" Skeletor whined.

There came the sound of revolving machinery and Gemini exposed his far angrier visage.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

At that instant, He-Man and She-Ra entered the council chamber with Orko right behind them.

"Sorry about the noise, Skeletor; but we heard that you were throwing a little party in here." He-Man declared.

"We simply figured on inviting ourselves." She-Ra added.

"She-Ra!" Shadow Weaver hissed, vanishing back into the throne room's shadows.

Skeletor managed to get back up and collect his Havoc Staff.

"He-Man!" he shouted. "You wrecked my spell and are postponing my TRIUMPH!"

Then, to Gemini and Mumm-Ra...

"GET MY ENEMY!"

Gemini fired an eye-beam that She-Ra reflected with her Sword of Protection's Shield state. As the blast struck Gemini once more, the magic keeping him on Eternia broke and whisked him back to Earth 3094. Mumm-Ra watched Gemini beaten and raised his arms.

"Ancient Spirits of Evil..." he bellowed as an ill-wind swept through Snake Mountain

"...Return this decayed form back to Third Earth and the rest of my Black Pyramid."

"Why, you...!" Skeletor shouted.

"This battle was always yours, Skeletor." Mumm-Ra's displaced voice reminded him.

Skeletor and Evil-Lyn now stood face-to-face with He-Man and She-Ra.

"Running low on friends, Skeletor?" He-Man demanded.

"The two of us can handle two enemies in my house, Muscle-Man!" Skeletor answered.

"...and what about four, Bonehead?" demanded another voice from the shadows.

"...or five, my new friend?" added Tormack's voice.

Skeletor pivoted just in time to see a grinning, metallic, white face in the shadows.

"You!" Skeletor shouted.

She-Ra gasped at the revelation in turn.

A cannon blast disrupted whatever Skeletor would have to say next...

*************************************

THUNDARR:

"Today we found ourselves in conflict with one another."

GALTAR:

"We would come to find out that we each represented the same side."

HE-MAN:

"Misunderstandings can happen to anyone; from strangers to even the closest of friends. When this happens, it is usually best to talk it out rather than turn to immediate blows over what could be a misunderstanding. Until next time..."

Thanks for reading Part 3 of this Fan-Fiction project (Honestly, I had every intention of this being part of Part 2; but Part 2 itself became such a beast that I felt the need to split it up. Obviously, if this epic were real, it would have involved no fewer than FOUR animation studios, and their respective voice actors and writers, to work TOGETHER under one umbrella ("Filmation" for He-Man, She-Ra, and Blackstar [Overlord; Blackstar], "Hanna-Barbera's" Galtar and the Golden Lance [Tormack; Galtar], "Ruby-Spears's" Thundarr [Gemini; Thundarr], and Lorimar's "Thundercats" [Mumm-ra; Lion-O]).

Alas, such a project could have only come from a fan's fevered imagination...