Crown and Key: Chapter 18
by Kerythand Ginafae
Crown and Key
By Sandra and William Johnson
Chapter Eighteen
Skeletor observed the house through the windows, leering as he received Shadoweaver’s message. “Finally…A chance to do something without the interference of that pesky He-Man or She-Ra.” Beastman nodded his orange furred head, “Yes, Skeletor,” he grunted.
Skeletor looked to his right, “You, Beastman, when I tell you, break down that door and dispatch the people inside. Katra, you will grab the girl, so we can be done with this charade and get down to our real business on this pitiful world.”
Katra smiled, tossing her head so her long black hair fell luxuriously down her back, “Rrwar, yes, Skeletor. This should prove fun” her voice was soft and sultry and she almost purred as she spoke.
“Fun. Yes, this should prove to be a lot of fun.” And then Skeletor threw back his head and cackled wickedly; he looked over at Beastman, “Now”
Beastman looked at Skeletor, confusion on his beastial face, “The door you lug brained imbecile!” Skeletor shouted.
“Oh, the door. Sorry Skeletor” Beastman mumbled.
“Quit the apologies and get the door down you moronic furball.”
Beastman nodded and advanced on the door. He lumbered up the stairs, his paws slamming into the wood and shattering it completely.
At the crash, Buffy looked up from where she had just carefully placed the unconscious She-Ra on the couch. Xander, holding an ice pack to Lara’s forehead also looked up. “Oh great, what are you? An escapee from the ASPCA?” Buffy quipped.
Beastman grumbled, “Guess again” and lunged at Buffy. The Slayer leaped to the side as Lara, still weak and on the floor, raised one of her pistols and fired at Beastman. Even groggy, the Tomb Raider’s shot hit him, barely. Beastman roared in pain, then turned his head and slapped a mahogany end table across the room. Xander grabbed Lara and rolled away, but not in time. The table’s corner clipped Lara in the head and knocked her unconscious again. At that moment, Dawn entered the room, “Buffy? I made your crush as comfortable as I could…” and then with a screech, she fell back through the kitchen door.
Beastman saw Dawn’s entrance and lumbered towards the kitchen, Buffy leaped after him, aiming a kick to his back. “We’re not done yet, furrball.” She exclaimed.
Beastman turned around, Buffy’s foot impacting with his face and sending him sprawling, right into Giles, who was rushing in from the kitchen after Dawn’s screeching fall. The Watcher’s head hit the floor and he too, was rendered unconscious. Beastman quickly regained his feet and faced off against Buffy.
“Well, this certainly is unexpected.” Buffy thought to herself mid hitch-kick. Her foot connected solidly with the hairy jaw of the huge, orange, hulking mass of a thing she was fighting.
“Buffy!!!” Dawn screamed as the woman with the long dark hair grabbed her around the waist.
“No sweat, I can handle her.” Xander commented as he charged, head first, towards the woman’s midsection. She smiled and let out a dissatisfied Meow as she lowered the red cat-eyed mask to her face. A high pitched whine was heard as she bent at the waist. Suddenly, where the woman had stood there was a large black panther wearing a red mask. Katra swiped at Xander with one paw, sending him sprawling across the room. With the other, she swept Dawn up onto her back, a red saddle securing Dawn’s waist to Katra’s back. With a leap, Katra bounded off.
“NO!!” Buffy shouted as she turned towards the advancing feline. Beastman grabbed her by the hair and snarled, placing one hand on Buffy’s throat. He held her at arms length, so she was unable to punch or kick. He began to squeeze, laughing at the distress he could see in her eyes.
Until he was knocked to the ground from the side. As Buffy was released from his crushing grip, she saw Oz, in half wolf form, pushing the felled Beastman to the side of the room. Xander grabbed him by the fur collar and held on tight. Beastman roared as he tried in vain to shake the young man off his back.
Buffy took off at full pace after the panther. She followed it out the door to her front lawn where she stopped short.
Standing on her lawn was a creature from a nightmare. The flesh had completely rotted away from his face, leaving only the yellowed bone behind. A sickly grin sat where his lips should be. His eye sockets, devoid of eyes, seemed to only hold malice.
“What’s this? She-Ra’s little sister?” he sneered in a voice that grated highly on Buffy’s nerves.
“No, but you have mine.” Buffy replied, her wit matching his.
“Pity she’s so young. I never liked hurting children. But if that’s what Glorificus wants, that’s what she’ll get.”
The blood drained from Buffy’s face at the mention of that name. “Glory is dead.” She replied.
‘That’s what you thought. Don’t you realize how much it takes to kill a god?” he asked.
“Enough talk, Bonehead. Give me my sister or I’ll—“
“You’ll what?” He asked as he stroked the cat behind its ears. “You can’t stop Glorificus, you can’t stop the Shadoweaver, and you certainly can’t stop me! Horde Prime will conquer this world, and I, his loyal servant Skeletor, will rule it in his name!” Buffy lunged, ready to take this annoying pest down. Skeletor’s smile grew as he aimed his skull topped staff in her direction. A beam of light shot from it and hit Buffy square in the chest. She froze mid-lunge. Her mind was fully functional, but she was unable to move her body. All she could do was watch as Skeletor walked inside, and shot Xander with the same beam. Oz leapt at him, fully wolfed now. Skeletor raised his right hand and Oz froze in mid air. He laughed as he walked calmly out of the house. Beastman picked Dawn up off of Katra’s back as she removed her mask and transformed back into her svelte self. All Buffy could do was watch as Skeletor, Katra and Beastman calmly walked out of her house with her sister in their possession.
“Dawn…”Buffy thought, a split second before the roar was heard. Overhead, a giant bluish metal Ship, the front shaped like a leering skull, hovered. Three beams of light shot down and engulfed Skeletor and the others. In a flash they were gone.
Including Dawn.

***
“There is no discussion!” Buffy yelled, an hour later when everyone had recovered from their various injuries and spell effects. “Glory is back, and she has Dawn. We need to fight and we need to fight now.”
“Just wait a second, Buffy. You’re not thinking clearly.” Xander spoke up. Buffy whirled around, her eyes flashing an icy blue as she took in her friend.
“Of all people, Xander, I never expected you to disagree with me on this one. Do you remember what happened the last time we came up against Glory and her minions?” Xander remained silent, his eyes cast downward. “I died Xander. Not really looking forward to that one again.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Xander began.
“Then what did you mean? It didn’t matter? If Buffy dies, hey, we’ll just resurrect her again. Is that it?” Willow shot at him. “Well, I hate to break it to you, Xander, but those magicks won’t work anymore. If they did, do you think Tara wouldn’t be here right now!?” Willow’s eyes filled with tears. “God, I can’t even cover a pimple without getting dark roots and you want me to try—“
“ENOUGH!” Giles shouted, the Englishman showing his rarely lost temper. “The problem here isn’t that Glory has Dawn. “
“I beg to differ, Rupert.” Lara interjected as she entered the room. The adventuress was obviously already set for battle. Her hip hugging shorts had replaced the pants she wore earlier, her twin pistols were in their holsters on her thighs and she was wearing the black trench coat Whistler sent her. In her right hand, still sheathed, was the katana which came with the armored coat. “Dawn is quite powerful, and if this Glory person is as hard to defeat as everyone says, that can’t be a good thing. Dawn told me a bit about your encounters with Glory before.”
“Of course it isn’t good.” Giles began, rubbing his forehead on frustration. “I meant to add, that the crown is also missing. It is logical to assume that while we were busy fighting Dawn’s strange abductors,--“
“Skeletor and Beastman,” Adam interjected.
“And Katra. Must not forget her” Adora added.
Giles continued. “While we were fighting Skeletor, Beastman, and Katra, that someone else working for them took the crown. Someone we know quite well.”
“What makes you say that?” Willow asked.
“This lovely little note I found on the kitchen table. It’s from an old friend of mine. Ethan Rayne.
“Him again?” Xander groaned.
Lara looked over at Giles, “Rayne? As in the new head of the Illuminati? Well, head of it after I eliminated their previous leader.”
“Who are the Illuminati?” Adora asked.
“The group who murdered my father. Power seeking practitioners of dark arts seeking to rule the world. Puppetmasters.” Lara replied
“Sounds a lot like Skeletor’s kind of people, “Adam added.
“Which means Glory and they should all get along quite well” Buffy quipped.
Xander held his head in his hands, “I think I’m getting a headache with all these big bads running around at once. Can’t we just go back to the good old days of evil Faith, immortal Mayors that become giant snakes, and Angel’s mood swings?”
“That is neither here nor there,” Giles said, attempting to bring the conversation back full circle. “Chances are, both Ethan and Skeletor are working with Glory. And chances are that if they have Dawn, they have the crown.”
“And if the Ruby of Eternia and the Key of the Dimensions come together…”Adam began.
“Then we’re all in trouble, “ Adora added
“And all Hell breaks lose.” Oz finished up.
“One thing I neglected to mention before is that the power of the crown can only be activated when worn by a woman with the potential to be the next Slayer.”
“So then we just make sure Buffy doesn’t touch the crown,” Xander said.
“No. Glory has Dawn. Dawn is not only The Key, or the Key to the Dimensions as our otherworldly friends here call her” he waved his hand indicating Adam and Adora. “Her name is on the Watcher’s List. Someone has already been assigned to her should she be called.”
“Great, so not only does Dawn open this evil portal to Hell and mutate parts of our world into that of other dimensions, but now she can also destroy another world without even being there?” Xander said sardonically.
Lara looked at Xander, “No. The crown only closes portals.”
“Good news for you Buff. No need to swan dive into the evil Hell Portal this time.” Xander quipped.
Buffy tossed a pillow at him, “Thanks so much. Can we keep on track here?”
“Captain Obvious here. If Glory died, why is she back?” Oz interjected.
“Oh no…I brought her back when I brought Buffy back, didn’t I?” Willow said, all color draining from her face.
Lara placed a comforting hand on Willow’s shoulder, “If that was true she would have attacked long ago. I think the blame for this falls on my shoulder. When Dawn and I were out on our tour, she told me a lot about herself, and all of you. Some of which I think shouldn’t have been shared outside the family, “ she smiled at that, “and some of it covered your…adventures, Buffy, and how you gave yourself to stop Glory. For some reason, Dawn’s description of Glory intrigued me. And now, I know why. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me when Dawn described her, perhaps it has something to do with the attacking ghost and skeletons that showed up soon after. Anyhow, I’ve met Glory before. Either that, or she’s at least the twin of the woman I encountered in the cavern.”
Xander looked over at Lara confused, “That means that Morgan Le Fay or Morganna the Misbegotten, take your pick, is also Glory?”
Adam stood up, sword in hand, “I think it’s time we contacted the Sorceress on this one.” Then he looked over at Adora, “Sis?”
Adora nodded and stood up, unsheathing her sword and crossing it with her brothers. The others stood back, watching.
“Sorceress, can you hear me?” Adam said, eyes closing.
“We need your help.” Adora added.
The pearl in Adora’s sword swirled with a rainbow light and a translucent figure appeared before everyone. The Sorceress smiled and bowed to those assembled. “Greetings, Buffy Summers, Slayer of the Vampires. Greetings, Rupert Giles, of the Watchers Councils. And greetings to you as well, Lady Lara Croft, Chosen of the Ancients, Protector of the Great Triangle, and she who found The Box that Should Never Be Opened.” The three all seemed to blush under the formal address and respect the Sorceress gave them
“Hey, what about us” Xander whispered to Willow. In response, Willow’s elbow made contact with his kidneys.
“I have not forgotten the rest of you either, Xander Harris. You, perhaps, have the greatest gifts of all. The courage and loyalty of the Common Man. And, there is great power in each and every one of you. The young man to your left,” and the Sorceress’ shimmering image nodded at Oz, “carries the legacy of the Van Helsing clan. You, Willow Rosenberg, bear power that rivals that of my old, dear friend, Gandalf.”
Giles looked at the Sorceress’ image, “Gandalf? I assume you do not mean the character in ‘Lord of the Rings’”
The Sorceress chuckled, “You are correct, though he was in fact based on my beloved. The wizard I called Gandalf is better known on Earth as Merlin.”
“So then, the whole King Arthur thing is true.” Buffy said.
“In part, yes. And they all play a part in the events which have brought all of you to this time and place. As a young girl of sixteen, I was trained in the magical arts by Merlin. He found me to be quite gifted in spells, protection spells particularly. Over time, we fell in love. And like all tragic love stories, there was a downfall. My powers became bound to the place where our love was born. I became a virtual prisoner, unable to even float a pencil beyond the grounds of our onsummation. Merlin created the crown to allow me to move from dimension to dimension and still possess my full powers. The Pearl of Earthly magic is endowed with several different properties, such as healing, increased strength, and the ability to speak with animals. These were my strongest powers, and Merlin was able to transfer them to the pearl, which originally sat mounted directly under the Ruby of Eternia, in the crown. The ruby, at first, was an empty spell crystal, designed for me to add more of my powers to it as they grew.
The crown, however was taken by a rival of mine, a rival for both Merlin’s affections and power; Morganna the Misbegotten. She attempted to use the crown to open a portal to a Hell dimension, where she had ruled for quite some time as a God, directly into the Hall of the Round Table in Camelot. My beloved Merlin and I intercepted her diabolical plan in time to banish an aspect of her into the crown, directly into the nearest empty spell crystal, the Ruby of Eternia. The rest of her, the aspect if you will, was separated into two beings. One was banished to the cavern where the crown was buried, and the other was banished into a prison by the Knights of Athenia. Those you call the Knights of the Round Table. They banished her into the body of a newborn baby boy.
The Pearl Of Earthly Magic was removed from the crown and set into an artifact of Earth. One of two twin blades taken from the tombs of two of the great heroes of the ancient world. Your sword, Adora. That is why as She-Ra you possess so many other powers that Adam, as He-Man does not. Only when the two stones were reunited could the aspect of Glorificus regain some of her powers. That is why they were sent to different worlds.
The spell was foolproof, or so we thought. We were unaware at the time that Glorificus had also gotten her hands on the Key to the Dimensions, which Merlin also had created for me to travel. I was forced to send the key to a group of monks who remembered the glory that I and Merlin helped Arthur Pendragon create. They kept it safe for many centuries. I had no way of forseeing that they would ever harness it into human form, for much to my dismay, I was forced to close the portal to Earth when the banishment had been completed. I never saw my beloved Merlin again. All that remains of him now is the castle he built for me to harness my magic.”
Adam looked at The Sorceress, “You mean Castle Greyskull?”
The Sorceress nodded, “Yes. And that is why I can not leave Greyskull for long. Because my magic, my very essence, is linked to it.”
Buffy looked at the Sorceress, “This is all very nice and all, but what does this have to do with my sister?”
The Sorceress smiled. “As you well know, Glorificus desires to return to her home dimension. To do so, she needs a key. The Key to the Dimensions. Your sister, Dawn. However, she also needs the power bound into the crown, to reclaim her godly throne upon her return. The crown holds most of the power she had as a goddess. Without it, she is no stronger than she was the last time you confronted her.”
Xander cleared his throat, “Uhm, excuse me, but, the last time Buffy fought Glory, she died.”
Lara smiled, “Yes, but the last time, she only had you guys, not Hercules and the blonde Xena there, and especially not me. And, you didn’t have this either.” And with that, Lara handed the sword she had been holding to Xander. “A good friend of mine sent me this. Supposedly, it’s an ancient blade, once carried by a great Scots warrior. What a Scotsman was doing with a Japanese blade, I don’t know. However, my friend has added a few things to it. It’s just made for slicing vampires in a hurry.”
Xander grinned, “A gift, for me? I didn’t know you cared.”
Lara smiled playfully, “After last night you still doubt me?”
Xander blushed and Willow giggled.
Giles, pushing his glasses up his nose, interjected, “Well, if we are done with the love fets now. Perhaps we can speak with our otherworldly friend here and find out what help she can lend to the fight”
The sorceress bowed her head, “As I said, my magic is tied to Castle Greyskull. However, I can find where Glorificus is located and guide you to her through Adora’s sword. Other than that, I can do little else besides wish you luck.”
Adam looked at his sister, “Guess it’s time for us to do our thing.” Adora nodded and the two raised their blades high in the air and chanted their respective activation phrases. The room glowed with the conjured magic and the two soon changed into He-Man and She-Ra.
Buffy looked at The Sorceress. “Now that that is over with. Let’s get down to business. Like Lara said, Glory’s got more help than last time.”
“He-Man smiled, “Don’t worry about Skeletor, I’ve dealt with him before.”
“And Katra and Beastman are mine.” She-Ra added.
“Great. Fine. Thanks. What about the rest though?”
“Don’t worry Buffy. I’ll be right next to you. “ Lara stated, resting a hand on her new friend’s shoulder
“Thanks Lara, that means a lot.”
Giles looked at the Sorceress again, “Can you tell us anything about where Glory is?”
“Not without some help. Willow Rosenberg?”
Willow looked over, dreading what was to come. Oz stood beside her, lending her his strength. “Yes?” she said, a gulp quickly following it
“I am going to need your help in this.”
”I…don’t know if I can. Every time I use the magic, I go all evilly like”
“Do not fear your magic child. It is not something to be feared. It will overwhelm you only if you allow it to. Harness it’s power, and you will triumph. I will help you even as you help me”
Buffy looked at her friend. Willow looked back and nodded. “Dawnny needs our help and the only way we can help is with me helping you” she nodded at the Sorceress, “So, let’s do this”



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