In the royal courtyard, Prince Adam was duelling with Teela, steel meshing with steel, both of them carrying on the awkward topic of conversation from earlier, each of them fixated on one-upping the other.
"Well Adam? Are you going to confirm or deny it?"
"You know me Teela, I give out so little you can't tell either way"
"A little? That would imply there's a lot more you're not telling me"
Teela's side of the duel intensified, feeling the need to pour her frustration out in a sporting fashion, but Adam was more than keen to meet her half-way, and valiantly defended himself, taking the fight right back to her
"He-Man's concerned about you"
That Adam was still concealing something from her, even in light of what she had told him, pushed Teela firmly back into the fight. She furiously lashed out with the sword, taking several mighty steps forward, making it harder for Adam to deflect her.
"I won't hear another one of your excuses Adam. That experience earlier today got me thinking a lot lately about what I want in life and the one thing I keep coming back to is the truth"
"The truth?"
Teela threw her sword down, her face displaying more emotion and vulnerability.
"About you, I've known for the longest time but I always suppressed it, almost on instinct"
"Maybe your instincts were trying to tell you something Teela..."
Teela suddenly smiled, she had successfully lulled Adam into a false sense of security, and her gambit would now pay off in jubilant, and juvenile, fashion. She swiftly tightened her grip on both of his hands and tossed him over her shoulders to the ground, placing one foot firmly on his chest.
"Not quite a He-Man where it counts are you?"
"Guess that means you won't pursue this any further..."
"Think again"
"But you saw how I was just there..."
Teela rolled her eyes, and offered her hand to lift Adam up, as he takes her hand in his and pulls himself to his feet, their eyes lock for just an instant, a lifetime of friendship and love connecting through their stares, they stared upwards, their spirits lifted and enriched by the constellation of stars above before turning to one another again.
"I was just teasing you Adam, I always teased you, even when we were kids"
"Yeah, I remember. It could really hurt my feelings sometimes"
"I never meant any real harm by it, I liked you, I just thought you needed a little more fire in your veins is all"
"I think I need a glass of water, I hear that always helps put a fire out"
Teela let out a laugh.
"Again with the 'weak and timid' act? Adam, I thought I trained you to be far better than that. Are you going to tell me all that skill and strength as He-Man comes from somewhere else? Do you even need me?"
A hint of dread washed over Teela as she contemplated the unthinkable.
"You...don't need me do you?"
Teela was now much tenser, wrapping her arms over her own shoulders, briefly shaking. He put both his hands on hers. This time, Teela made no sudden attempt to throw him to the floor again.
"Is that what you're afraid of Teela?"
"I-I don't know anymore Adam, everything I thought I was doesn't seem to make much sense realising what I do now about you"
"Teela, I don't know what to say about all this"
"Just say you're He-Man. You owe it to me, you owe it to yourself"
Duncan, Man-At-Arms, soon approached the two, flanked by the Eternian court jester, Orko.
"I hope we're not interrupting anything"
"Not at all father, just a little game of truth or dare is all, and in this case, even a little bit of daring would mean a lot. Goodnight Adam"
"Goodnight Teela"
As Adam watched her leave, he felt only a light touch of relief that he need not deal any further with the burden for at least a little while, but then his thoughts drifted to the rise of the morning star at the turn of tomorrow, and the dread of what to do upon that appointed hour filled him with doubt and one other feelings, a pull towards a notion he should not try to consider. The need to give Teela the clarity she desired.
"What am I going to do Cringer?"
Cringer, his instincts in perfectly aligned synergy, said what was far too evident on Adam's mind.
"Tell her the truth Adam"
"If I do, we'd have to tell her everything, how do we know she's even ready to handle everything at once? Is it time?"
"Consult the Sorceress, if anyone can tell what time it is, it's her" Orko suggested.
"You can do it in person, that is why I came to fetch He-Man, The Sorceress is in need of his audience back at the palace"
"The Sorceress is here? How? She can't leave Grayskull in her human form"
"Let the lady explain herself eh?"
"What about Teela?"
"If Teela is gradually realizing these things on her own, there's little we can do to change her mind"
"But we can, the Sorceress had a hand in altering what she knows about herself before, remember?" Adam reminded them.
Adam, we can't keep messing with her memories" Cringer replied "It's not the responsible thing to do, she could turn out to be a worse person through all these alterations, do you really want to lose parts of her that could help forge her into a friend for the future?"
"Your name may be Cringer, but you've always been brave enough to speak your mind on what ought to be done" Adam responded, giving Cringer a tight hug.
"I hope you won't reward me in the usual fashion; a little peace and quiet is all I'll ever ask for"
"They'll be time to settle down another day old buddy, we've got work to do"
"Oh there's that word that fills me with greater dread than Skeletor, 'work'"
***
Back at Snake Mountain, atop Viper Tower, Skeletor peered through a periscope, watching a plum of turgid smoke encircle the sky, ghostly disembodied spirits flying in and out of a swirling vortex high above him. Evil-Lyn expressed some concern.
"Skeletor, leaving the veil open goes against all conventional laws of magic on Eternia" Evil-Lyn protested.
"Cease your constant whining fool, otherwise you'll break my concentration"
"Concentration?"
"I must maintain the illusion for as long as necessary, until Scare Glow is ready to spring my trap"
"So, what we are seeing above-it isn't real?"
"Of course it isn't you boob, even I know of the dire consequences that can come from keeping the veil open beyond its natural cycle...but if I can make it look like it is in some kind of danger, it will attract He-Man's attention before too long"
"And what will happen when he arrives?"
"He shall know a new kind of fear" Skeletor teased.
Scare Glow appeared before the two.
"Evil-Lyn, you have your instructions"
"They will be carried out!" Evil-Lyn acknowledged.
***
At the palace, Teela was walking through the many long corridors en route to the throne room, having been summoned by Randor, the king.
She stopped half way along to reflect upon and admire a portrait of herself as a young girl, stoic, sword and shield in hand, an expression of grit and determination, but with room for a touch of the angelica with a bright smile. Next to her was another portrait of of her father, then a far more youthful and dashing man, and there was the family portrait, one of King Randor, Queen Marlena, with Adam and Cringer as a cub by their side.
Marlena was nearby, also on her way per a summons from her husband, and stood beside Teela.
"Reminiscing?"
"Oh, your majesty, I'm sorry, are you on your way to the royal chambers too? We shouldn't keep the King waiting"
"We have plenty of time Teela, no rush"
"You can say that again, I feel I've only now just learned to slow down"
"Tell me what troubles you"
"The truth, it's only now I've realised just how little there is of it in my life, and I feel like it will swallow someone I care about whole if they're not careful"
"Teela, people with secrets keep them to benefit those they do not wish to come to harm, to protect them"
"But is there such a need for this secret? So much of Eternia could benefit from greater knowledge"
"It depends on the sort of knowledge you crave...too much of it can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Skeletor is not the only source of evil you can find in Eternia...but I know you are of good heart and greater character, if anyone deserves to know more, it's you"
"I...feel like I should tell you, that some of that truth is known to me, has almost always been known to me, and now what I want is to know what my place is going forward, what it is in all of this"
Marlena put a hand on her shoulder.
"Your place is where you've always been, at Adam's side, at He-Man's side, protecting the rights of all those who live with liberty in Eternia"
"Then I should get right to work proving it" Teela replied.
"I'm sure you will. Come, Randor will be wondering what is holding us up"
Teela and Marleena entered the royal chambers to find He-Man, Man-At-Arms, King Randor, Orko, and The Sorceress.
"Teela, you made it" The Sorceress replied.
"Sorceress? This is a surprise, how can you be here in your regular form, away from Grayskull?"
"It's due to the presence of the three towers of Eternia, or so she tells us" He-Man explained.
"Correct He-Man, the three towers of Eternia, Viper and Grayskull combined create a dampening effect on the hold the great castle has over me, I can travel freely for as long as they are present, but it will only be for a short time, and time is most assuredly running out, for all of us"
"What's happened?"
"A great storm is brewing to the east of Snake Mountain, Skeletor has harnessed the evil contained within Viper Tower to open a bridge that will take his forces through the veil and towards other dimensions, which contain countless worlds" The Sorceress revealed.
"And because there is no present barrier across time and space, Skeletor's hand could potentially reach out and prevent any kind of historical or evolutionary advances those worlds have taken" Man-At-Arms added.
"Sounds like I'd best intercept Skeletor before he and his army can cross that bridge when they come to it" He-Man suggested.
"The best way to seal the veil is to move one of the towers from its foundations, even by an inch, but you will need help along the way"
"All of the Eternian guard is at your disposal He-Man, we'll hold off Skeletor's forces at the east while you make your way over to Viper Tower to carry out your task, Teela will accompany you" King Randor offered, "If only Adam could join you, where is that foolish boy?"
"Adam is no fool, there's a lot about him you'd be surprised to learn" Teela replied, visibly angered.
"Oh really? Pray tell, what exactly is it about him that I need to learn?" The King challenged.
There was a tense pause in the room. Marlena looked on at He-Man, anxiously reading the response on his face. He-Man was unflinching, almost a little more confident than he was earlier in the day. Having taken Duncan and Cringer's advice to heart, he was more than willing to put the ball fully in Teela's court.
Teela read the look on He-Man all too thoroughly, and as he silently nodded in acknowledgement of her choice, she gave her answer.
"That he has the courage and conviction to lead this mission with me"
"What say you He-Man?" Randor asked.
"I think this is just what Adam needs"
Teela's smiled warmed He-Man on the inside, and she headed off to make preparations.
"Very well He-Man, I trust you will be on call at the appointed hour?"
"You can count on me your highness" He-Man assured him.
"If you wish, I will rendezvous with the palace guard so they will have some back-up of their own" Battle Cat suggested.
He-Man waited until he and The Sorceress were alone, before the most powerful man sought clarity for his actions from Eternia's wisest woman.
"Sorceress, before you return to Grayskull, I must ask this of you, Teela is showing signs that she knows more about Prince Adam than he even imagined, am I right in letting her have these insights?"
"You have taken infant steps, but nothing ever takes off without a leap of faith, with both feet out of the nest, wings spread, ready to fly. Speak your truth, fly true, and your greatest fear will swiftly subside"
The alert was swiftly raised, voices across the loudspeakers in all areas of the palace called those in service to the King to take arms and prepare for the great battle ahead.
He-Man wished Battlecat the best of luck as he accompanied Roboto, Clamp Champ, and Fisto's party towards the east of the treacherous Snake Mountain, the champion of Grayskull then found a secluded corner of Man-At-Arms' workshop and returned to the form of Prince Adam. He caught up to Teela just as she was also preparing to depart.
"Adam, you've come as yourself"
"Well, I heard I got a glowing recommendation from the captain of the guard, how could I make her look the fool?"
"You've had an awful lot of practice in that regard"
Both of them laughed and climbed aboard a Wind Raider, which swiftly took flight and headed towards Viper tower.
Their arrival, however, was keenly anticipated by Scare Glow, who was keenly waiting on another arrival. Suddenly, Captain Teela appeared before him.
"Have you carried out my instructions?" Scare Glow asked.
'Teela' changed her form into that of Evil-Lyn.
"The Sorceress must be getting soft, my disguise was not detected. As per your instructions, I have ensured that Prince Adam is the one to accompany her en route to Viper Tower instead of He-Man"
"And there is little chance He-Man will ever be able to catch up before I'm through" Scare Glow assured her with levels of malevolent menace in his voice.
The Wind Raider landed close to the proximity of Snake Mountain, Adam and Teela disembarked and began making their way towards Viper Tower
Peering behind a couple of rocks, the two friends witnessed the commotion in the gloomy skies above as the tear in reality's fabric that represented the diminished veil begin to gradually shrink.
"If Skeletor's going to make his move, he'd best make it quick"
Adam quickly noticed something.
"Look, there, I think I see the dimensional bridge"
"I'll alert the others"
Teela contacted Fisto in the valleys, giving them their update, they turn gave their own.
"We see a growth in number alongside this perimeter too Captain Teela, requesting permission to commence assault" Fisto requested.
"Permission granted"
Fisto gave the signal, Battle Cat roared and the battle was joined with the Skelecons, some of whom were riding Rotons that clashed in the air with Gliders and Wind Raiders.
Some of the Skelecons without vehicles battle the brigade on foot, scoring critical hits with their knives and javelin spheres. Battlecat charged through them, with Roboto riding him, scooping several Skelecons into his mouth and spitting them out onto others, causing them to fall over into crumpled heaps. Roboto would then finish them off with carefully aimed precision laser blasts from his right arm.
"It appears we have the advance party on the rocks" Roboto joked.
"Stratos, what do you see up there?"
Stratos flew overhead, catching a glimpse of the Skelecon armada approaching the dimensional bridge, only to constant stop and take one or two steps back, and then forwards again.
"They appear to be indecisive, they take slow advances and then reverse course, it's almost as if they're lying in wait"
Something suddenly caught his eye, an errant flicker.
"By the Sorceress, the primary armada, they're illusions, even the bridge"
"A trap!" Battle Cat realised.
"We must alert Captain Teela at once" Stratos suggested.
Fisto again contacted Teela, letting her know of the situation. Teela understood and instructed the party to stand by and await a summons. She turned back to Adam, she drew her sword and instructed him to draw his. He did so.
"Seems Skeletor's been expecting our company after all...ready to do you? Teela joked.
"Ready for anything" Adam replied
"I meant the other you" Teela remarked.
Adam was again hesitant.
"I, Teela, it really would be for the best if you could brush past this fixation of thinking I'm anything like...him. I can be just as useful to you as I am"
"Adam, I appreciate you coming as yourself, but these are higher stakes, the situation has escalated, now is the time. It's your choice, me and Eternia, or your secrets"
Now Adam was even more visibly confused.
"But weren't you the one who-"
Adam suddenly found himself hoisted up from the scruff of the neck by someone from behind, he turned his head slightly but found his vision fairly blinded by an emerald and radiant green hue.
He was in the grasp of Scare Glow.
"Look at you, at the end of it all you're just a frightened little boy who can't answer a girl. How did I ever fear you?"
Scare Glow tossed Adam aside, gas pouring out of every vapour of his body and enveloping the young Prince
"And you, a place as captain of the guard, who doesn't truly know where she belongs any longer so long as no one is honest with her. Who are any of us truly without honour?"
Teela angrily drew her sword; Scare Glow formed a scythe from his hands and did battle with her. Adam drew his own sword, but something held him back, a nagging doubt, a hint of dread obstructing a hopeful finish.
Scare Glow backed Teela into a corner, his haunting visuals staring into it like a dagger, the face of not just fear, but possibly death itself.
She was now where he wished her to be, he raised his scythe high in the air, and from it poured out spiritual devils that danced all around Teela's body, taking shape and becoming something much closer to her. Loved ones all.
You've never believed in me Teela, only He-Man ever pushed me forward" said 'Adam'
"No-no..." Teela uttered.
'Man-At-Arms' was next.
"You are a reckless, hot-tempered risk to the royal guard and all those you've sworn to protect and cherished, how could I ever be proud of you?"
Scare Glow loomed over the pair of them.
"Give in to your fear, renounce your chosen paths, surrender to my will and you will be spared your weakness, find strength in the purest evil! My evil!"
Teela reached out to Adam, he himself was fraught with fear, trembling, struggling to even rise to his feet. His hands were visibly shaking; he found it difficult to maintain his grip on the sword of power.
"Adam, don't listen to him, these voices, all of it is doubt, we must resist them as we've always done, all of Eternia is counting on us!" Teela pleaded.
Adam looked at Teela, only to see, in his minds' eye, her face twist and reform into a jackal like figure, with sharp teeth and jagged glowing yellow eyes.
"I will betray you Adam, your distrust of me runs deep, you cannot respect our friendship, or my intellect, all I've ever done is reach out to you, but all you do is push me away..."
"Teela, that isn't true...you're my oldest, dearest friend..."
Mists formed around the projection of 'Teela', forming others that represented twisted variations of Adam's loved ones, each preying on his great fear.
"So weak and timid. A true son of mine has strength, conviction, and the courage to lead. What are you to me if nothing but deception and disappointment?"
"Father...no, you don't know how proud I make you every day, will any of them be enough?"
"Your secrets are your downfall Prince Adam. Try as you might, there is nowhere you can run to, so long as you carry your burden, there is no refuge, no hiding place"
Adam was barely able to breath as the fear grips and choked him, yet somehow he still found some inner strength, enabling him to resist even to a minimal degree.
"Never underestimate those who wield a power all their own" Adam said with defiance.
He looked on at Teela, and concentrated, he cut through the projection cast upon him by Scare Glow's mighty power and saw the gentle and fairer faced Teela of old, his friend, and the woman with which he knew he could rely on for everything.
"You, Teela, you have always had power, strength, cunning, I see all of you, I should never have pushed you away, my secrets have also been yours, and it's time I shared them"
"You can't risk it Adam, if this creature learns of them, we'll all be in danger"
"I already know his secret Captain Teela, and he shall never speak it again"
"Oh yes he will"
Teela, with a final burst of strength, and spurred on by Adam's defiance; Teela clutched her sword tight and made a dash for Scare Glow, feverishly slashing away at his Scythe as he raised it in defence. The weapons clashed, Scare Glow grabbed Teela's arm and violently tossed her across a cairn of rocks, she hit her head on one of them close to the ridge of a large canyon, with a moat beneath it.
Scare Glow made a running charge towards her, but Teela was able to lift one leg and caught him from underneath, catapulting him into the air and sending him over the edge, hurtling into the moat below. Powerful plumes of smoke rose from the moat as he impacted the water.
Teela saw him paddle frantically back to shore, she did not have long, she rushed over to Adam and helped him to his feet.
"Are you alright?" she asked
Adam was trembling, the fear still gripped him.
"There's only one way I can relinquish this grip of fear, and that is to face it"
"You have nothing to fear Adam, especially from me"
"Then now is the time. Thank you Teela"
Adam stared at his sword with focus and intent.
He took the deepest breath and let it release.
"...Both feet out of the nest..."
Adam raised his sacred sword of power high aloft, and, finding raw strength in his voice, invoked the noblest name in Eternia.
"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!"
Before Teela's startled eyes, sword ignited into a blaze of furious energy, thunder struck down from the heavens and enveloped Adam, awash with electricity, his form slowly transmogrified into that of the most powerful man in the universe
"I HAVE THE POWER!"
Teela's face turned from relief to pure ecstatic joy, years of secrets, decades of friendship, a lifetime of love, all meant something to her again. She at last knew her place, at the side of the boy she could always depend on to become a man, whether he possessed the sword of power or not.
From afar, to the east of them, the palace guard also bear witness to the event
"That power surge, can it be...?"
"Yes, He-Man has arrived, which means he'll need all the help we can get"
"Onward, to the tower!" Stratos commanded.