The Insane Crossover Story Chapter Nine
with technical assistance from Spike, Clever Clover, Friendly, James, and Merry Treat


Having wandered off on a quest, Tabby and Merry Treat have found themselves lost and now only care about finding their way back home. They have gained several companions along the way that are traveling with them. Since the previous chapter, He-Man disappeared during the night and Prince Adam came on the scene that morning on instructions from his "friend". Merry Treat and Tabby have caught on to the fact that He-Man and Prince Adam are one and the same, but refrain from saying anything about it as the troupe continues onward...

"Jem!"

It was midday when the group finally stopped due to this exclamation emitted from Prince Adam. The muscular blond man had stopped in his tracks upon catching sight of a large billboard alongside a road they were crossing.

"Huh?" Tabby glanced up at the boldly-painted snazzy sign, the main feature being a girl with pink hair.

"Jem? And the Holograms? All right!" Orko, the red floating t-shirt, cheered.

"The Telegrams?" Max queried.

"What's it say about them?" Orko continued.

"They're performing live in the next town-- tonight!" Adam said excitedly.

"But who are they?" Merry Treat prodded, never wanting to be left out of anything.

"Jem is only the greatest rock star of all time," Adam raved. "I have all her albums!"

"I much prefer the Misfits," Sam spoke-up matter-of-factly.

"Don't forget about Kimber and Aja and Shana," Orko reminded. "Kimber's the prettiest, but no one notices her playing on the keyboard." He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"But Jem is the whole brains of the operation!" Adam argued. "And that voice of hers!" He stood back and smiled happily.

"Prince Adam never struck me as the type to be into female rock groups," Tess, the petite Meowth, commented.

"Nothing surprises me about this guy anymore," Tarquin said.

He has strange interests, Spearow agreed.

"So, guys, are we just going to stand here all day or what?" Tabby looked expectantly over at the two, twirling a strand of her red mane around her hoof. "Prince Adam? Orko?"

"But look at the way Jem applies her makeup," Orko was chattering. "Kimber does a much better job. Not so gaudy."

"Hello-o-o-o-o..." Merry Treat said impatiently, stomping her hoof sharply.

Tabby began tapping her hoof on the ground. "You two! Just shut up and let's get moving, or I'll see to it personally that this Jem girl is out of her job for good!"

"She's right, Orko. We had better start moving," Adam agreed readily.

Tabby looked proud of herself. "Good. Now, let's just cut through this field here and get over to that forest across the way."

"We'll have more covering in our travels," Merry Treat added.

"No, I was thinking we'd just follow this road here into town," Adam declared, stepping forward.

Merry Treat frowned. "Why? I'm pretty sure it doesn't lead to where we want to get."

"It does too!" Orko piped-up. "I, for one, want to see Kimber performing live tonight."

"That was my plan exactly, Orko," Adam nodded. "We have to get to the ticket office before they're sold out for the concert tonight."

"Oh, brother," Tarquin sighed.

"Tarquin," Tess said sharply, "just because Adam has different interests than we do doesn't mean he's a lunatic."

"Yes, it does," Max said immediately.

"Um, excuse me, but we didn't exactly have a Jem concert in our schedule," Merry Treat interjected quickly.

"But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Adam said passionately. "Teela would never allow Mom and Dad to give me any time off at the castle to see Jem before."

"And besides," Sam interjected, "I'm sure this side-track on our journey can only lead to certain mayhem and high property damage."

"But, Adam, won't our grouping look strange if we just head into town looking like we do?" Merry Treat argued. "I mean, I'm assuming this is a human-occupied city..."

"Aw, Merry Treat, it's a rock concert," Tabby dismissed the thought. "Nobody'll give us a second glance."
"I don't know..." Merry Treat said skeptically.

"Please! I've just gotta see Kimber!" Orko said pleadingly.

"Let's go with them, gang. It'll be fun," Tess urged.

Tabby paused in thought. "As long as Prince Adam pays our way."

"Yeah, I don't want to spend any more jangles on weird concerts than I have to," Merry Treat agreed.
"I'll do anything for Jem! Now, hurry up! We've got to get those tickets!" And so, on his whim of seeing Jem, Adam pushed the group onwards; and everyone else just shrugged and followed along.

* * *

"This is so exciting. I'm going to get signatures from all the Holograms," Orko bubbled over excitedly. Prince Adam had been successful in purchasing tickets for the whole group; and now that twilight had descended upon the city, they all stood in line awaiting their entrance into the large open-air auditorium. "Do you think they'd write on my magic book? That would be... outrageous!"

"Truly outrageous," Adam agreed, and the two began laughing.

Tabby rolled her eyes and glanced around at her surroundings, trying to pass time. The amphitheater was built on the outside stretches of the city; and loads of obsessive fans were crowed around, screaming from excitement and waiting impatiently to be let in.

Merry Treat was currently concentrating on staring up into the sky. The temperatures were still of a mild spring day, making it a pleasant evening to be out. She had to admit that Tabby had been right; nobody seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary with the two ponies, the strange white bunny, his suited companion, the Pokèmon, the flying t-shirt, or the man with a large sword strung over his back.

Tarquin and Tess didn't seem too interested at all in the concert; and with their trainers' consent, had ran off to get a bite to eat at a corner cafe somewhere. Spearow was content to perch on Merry Treat's back, being exhausted from all the events of that day.

Finally, the line started to move as people began being admitted. Adam and Orko impatiently inched their way ahead. They were only moments away from seeing their favorite performers!

However, as Adam passed by the entrance into the auditorium, a young security guard grabbed him roughly and pulled him back. "Hey, no weapons allowed," he said, reaching for Adam's sword.

"You can't take that!" Adam protested, keeping a grip on the sword.

"Then you'll have to leave." Knowing the responsibilities of his job, the guard began pushing him out of the line.

"Wait!" Adam exclaimed. "I'll... I'll..." He looked down at his sword, and then switched his gaze to the auditorium door, carefully weighing his decision in his mind. "Okay, okay, anything to see Jem," he finally said, slowly pulling the sword out of its sheath and handing it over.

"Alright, go on in," the black-haired guard said gruffly, taking the weapon.

"But without that, you won't be able to become He-Man!" Max commented as the group continued on in.

"I'm sure nothing will come up during the concert-- I mean, hah-hah, very funny," Adam laughed heartily, throwing back his head.

The rest of the gang had better luck in getting admitted. The guard, who wore a nametag identifying him as James, smiled warmly at Merry Treat as she flashed her ticket by him. Merry Treat smiled shyly in return, and nodded quickly before entering the auditorium.

"I'm glad they didn't notice our guns, Sam," Max commented as he brandished his luger.

"You're right, little buddy; you never know when you may need to commence with our own brand of justice," Sam agreed.

Anyway, they were finally all settled in their grouping of six seats (Spearow stayed with Merry Treat, not requiring a chair of his own), comfortably seated in about the middle of the arrangement. However, there was still another wait until Jem and the Holograms would make their appearance on the stage.

Fans began cheering wildly, and Prince Adam was among the most vocal. "Jem! Jem! Jem!" he chanted.

"Kimber! Go, Kimber!" Orko yelled.

Tabby only yawned and looked over at Merry Treat. "I hate waiting."

"I wonder what their music is like," Merry Treat pondered.

Tabby's gaze swerved down to the front row, where a handsome white Porshe car was parked near the stage. A boombox was attractively placed on its dashboard. "Say, what's that doing in here?"

"I bet they're giving that away after the concert," Adam theorized. "Great car. I hope I'll get to buy some chances for it."

"Makes me miss the DeSoto," Sam said.

"Why, Sam? That thing is nothing but a pile of rust," Max pointed out.

"Yes, but it's got sentimental value," Sam commented.

It was at that moment that the curtain over the stage was lifted. Amid lots of flashing lights, the famous group, Jem and the Holograms, was revealed!

The cheering increased to even higher levels as Jem fanatics caught their first glimpse of the band. Orko and Adam only added to the chorus of shouting. Tabby winced at the noise and sunk down in her seat.

Revealed on the stage were the four young women who made up the Holograms: Jem, Kimber, Aja, and Shana. All were dressed in shimmery classy dresses, each being a different pastel hue. Their exotic-colored hair accented their clothing, making them look "truly outrageous". The stage was set up with various elaborate sets, one being a giant raygun apparently for producing the laser light effects.

"Ahh! Their sense of style is even worse than Adam's!" Sam gasped. "I knew I should have brought my sunglasses!"

"I brought mine!" Max exclaimed, as he held a pair aloft.

"Where do you keep those things, little buddy?" Sam asked.

"None of your business, Sam."

The pink-haired girl in the glorious aqua dress stepped up to the microphone; and as she began singing, the din of the crowd began to die down. The other three band members picked up their instruments and started to play along.

Tabby was immediately entranced with the catchy lyrics and beat of the music. Merry Treat also listened with interest, and even Adam and Orko quieted down a bit in order to hear the song.

"Hey babe, I got my eye on you

And I'm watchin' your every move

Hey babe, I got my eye on you

Tell me what are you tryin' to prove?

You think you're hot, and your star is due

You think you've got somethin' different and new

Well babe, I got my eye on you

I would really like to make you mine

‘Cause ever since you came in view

I just can't take my eyes off you

Hey babe, I got my eye on you

I got my eye on you...

I got my eye on you..."

As this first song came to a close, everyone burst out cheering again. By this point, Spearow had woken himself up and was also getting into the concert. Adam and Orko were held spellbound as the girls tuned their instruments in again and started up a new song, complimented with Jem's beautiful voice.

"There's music in the mountains tonight...

Up above a crescent moon is gleamin' bright...

Can't recall ever feeling so right--"

"Man, this song really stinks," Max intoned.

"Yeah, it doesn't have that... feeling that Jem usually puts into her work," Adam agreed.

"Not that any of her music has any feeling," Sam added. "Or that I have any feelings in my extremities after listening to it."

"Be quiet!" Merry Treat hushed them.

"Row-row!" Spearow chirped in annoyance, agreeing with Merry Treat.

It soon became apparent to everyone, however, that something really was wrong with the music. It seemed as if the volume of the song had fallen drastically, and a warbly background echo accompanied it making it sound as if the music was coming through filters.

"Hey, what's going on?" Adam said in concern. "I can't hear Jem!"

"Or Kimber!" Orko said in dismay. "Something bad must have happened!"

A great wave of murmuring swept through the crowd as everyone wondered what had happened to the speakers. None of the Holograms seemed to notice that anything was wrong as of yet, and kept on playing.

Adam appeared even more concerned than the rest. "I've gotta go," he said abruptly, standing up from his seat and running up the aisle. He received quick nods in return. Fearing that something serious had gone wrong with the concert and that Jem was in terrible danger, Adam realized he had to regain his sword-- without it, he wouldn't be able to transform into He-Man and save the day!

Dashing back to the main entrance and hoping the particular guard who had taken his sword was still on duty there, Adam stepped up to the desk. He gasped as he saw the guard-- James, it appeared his name was-- seated behind the desk and toying with his precious sword.

"Hey, it's you again," James said sternly, looking up from the sword. "What do you want?"

"I need my sword," Adam said urgently. "It's an emergency."

"That's not a good enough excuse for me." James pointed towards the door, beginning to show signs of irritation. "Just go back to your seat and listen to the concert."

"I'm serious!" Adam persisted. "I need it!"

"No exceptions," James said, his voice starting to rise. "Run along now."

Adam knew that something had to be done quickly. Reaching over the desk, he swiftly grabbed his sword with immense strength from the unsuspecting guard and took off running.

"Hey!" James cried, jumping up from his seat. "Get back here, you fiend!"

Adam snuck into a discreet, shadowy corner and hoped James would pass him by. He held his sword high. "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" he shouted. Bolts of lightning suddenly illuminated the hallway; and after the bright light had diminished, in the place of Prince Adam stood He-Man! Lavender pants and pink shirt were gone; in their place was a pair of furry underpants and a gray vest.

"Sir, have you seen anyone pass this way?" James suddenly came around the corner. "Particularly someone with a sword."

"Uh... well..." He-Man deftly hid his weapon behind him. "I think he went... that way." He pointed to the door leading outside.

"Thanks. I'll have to check all the exits." James was swiftly off again, unsuspecting of He-Man's masquerade; and the musclebound oaf ran back into the auditorium.

He-Man knew that something had to be seriously wrong, and he had but one thought on his mind. "Jem!" he cried, rushing forward towards the stage. "I'll save you!"

The band was still singing away. "Everybody wears a mask..." Jem was crooning into her microphone.

He-Man made a daring jump over the car in the front row and easily shoved his way through the wild crowd of fans in front of the stage. Muscling his way through the ring of security guards surrounding the stage, He-Man was soon where he wanted to be. The four musicians were engrossed in their instruments. He-Man dashed towards the pink-haired one and grabbed her around the waist. He then ran backstage to get her to safety.

"Wait!" Jem cried out to her "rescuer". "Put me down! Put me down!"

"Never mind that now," He-Man assured her. "You must be taken to safety from whatever evil has befallen this concert."

Some of the audience thought that He-Man's stunt was just part of the show, but others thought there was a real crisis. Cries of "Jem's been kidnaped!" and "Catch the lunatic!" ripped through the air. Tabby and Merry Treat exchanged glances. It looked as if they'd have to do something to prevent He-Man from doing any lasting harm. But what?

"I think he's overreacting over broken speakers," Merry Treat said in a low tone.

"Tell me about it," Tabby nodded.

"He's gone nuts!" Max exclaimed. "Does this mean we get to put him down, Sam?"

" ‘Fraid not, Max," Sam replied. "We'll leave that to trained animal control officers."

"Spear-row!" Spearow chirped, circling in the air. "Row! Row!"

"Tarquin and Tess?" Merry Treat said excitedly, the pitch of her voice rising. "They're here? Now?"
"What?" Tabby asked.

"Follow Spearow!" Merry Treat declared, jumping out of her seat. Spearow took off flying, and the remaining members of their group followed him on the ground, finding their way through the maze of aisles.

Spearow finally let out another triumphant squawk as he flew in for a landing by one of the side doors. Sure enough, the two Meowths, Tarquin and Tess, were waiting there!

"Tarkie, what are you doing here? Do you know anything about what He-Man's up to?" Tabby asked briskly.

Tarquin was currently concerning himself with holding the heavy door to prevent it from closing. "Well," he huffed, "we've been watching, and..."

"After He-Man ran off with Jem, the guards posted here went off through this door. They went backstage to find them," Tess filled in.

"And I managed to catch the door before it shut so we'll still be able to get through," Tarquin finished up. "I figured we'd need to stop He-Man."

"Sounds good to me! Let's go!" Merry Treat rallied the rest. Getting their approval, they filed on through the door and had soon left the murmurs of discontent from the crowd behind them as they emerged backstage.

"I hope Kimber wasn't hurt," Orko fretted, floating through the air. "Kimber! Kimber!"

Tabby was completely silent as she attempted to find her bearings. Peering around a corner, she spotted what she was looking for. "There he is," she said grimly.

"You'll be safe in here," He-Man was saying as he shoved Jem into a closet. "Wait until I get back." Jamming a handy crowbar between the wall and the closet door, He-Man turned around to face the rest.

"Ah! I can't see!" Max cried out.

Bonking him on the head, Sam said, "Try taking your sunglasses off."

"He-Man, He-Man! What about Kimber? Is she safe?" Orko said worriedly, floating forward.

"I'm sure she's fine. But now we must figure out what's causing all the trouble here," He-Man said wisely.

All of a sudden, they realized that they had just been cornered by a group of guards. "I bet he's that madman!" one cried, pointing at He-Man.

"It's him! He's changed clothes!" Another stepped forward, and he was immediately identified as James. "You may be wearing fuzzy briefs instead of lavender pants now, but I'd recognize that stupid haircut anywhere!"

"We must not judge each other by our looks," He-Man stated seriously. "Perhaps my styles are not up to your standards, but I fight for the side of good, as you do."

"You go find Jem," James instructed his fellow guards. "I'll take care of this guy." With that, he jumped forward and tackled He-Man. The two struggled on the floor for a spell, but James could not hope to defeat the most powerful man in the universe.

Meanwhile, Merry Treat, Tabby, and the rest had some more people to deal with as the remaining three of the group ran up to them. "Hey! Do any of you know what's going on?" the red-haired girl cried. "Is Jem okay?"

"It's the Monograms!" Max suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think He-Man just stuffed her in that closet there." Tabby pointed in the general direction of the alcove where Jem was held captive.

"You can bet this is the work of Eric Raymond," the blue-haired one said crossly. "Let's get her out." Avoiding the two men fighting in the area, the three stepped over to the locker and struggled with the crowbar that had wedged it shut.

"He-Man was just getting Jem out of danger," Orko assured the girls while they worked. "She's fine. And me and my friends are gonna fix this concert, just wait and see-- Kimber, Kimber, it's really you!" he suddenly cried, floating to the red-haired one as if realizing her presence for the first time. "You can't imagine how much I've wanted to see you!"

"Really?" Kimber blushed. "Well... uh..."

"Kimber, we've got to worry about saving the concert now," the fourth of the group, with lavender hair, interjected as she looked up from her task. "You can talk to your fan later."

"Yeah... you're right, Shana," Kimber sighed, giving the crowbar another tug.

All at once, the congregation was aware that one of the stage props was behaving very strangely. A mysterious voice suddenly began emanating from the giant raygun. "Return Jem to the concert!" it informed them sharply. "I must have the music to convert into energon."

"That... that... I didn't know we'd bought such elaborate props," Kimber said in shock, taking a step backwards.

"What?" Tabby said in confusion.

"Hmm, interesting," Tarquin said, obviously not too concerned yet.

"It's been possessed by an evil spirit!" He-Man cried.

"You're behind this, aren't you?" James accused, pointing at He-Man. "I bet your buddy is hiding out in that prop."

"No!" Orko said in defense. "We're only here to save Jem!"

"Please, let's not argue!" Merry Treat pleaded.

While this was transpiring, the raygun prop began to unfold itself... and before their eyes suddenly stood a humongous robot! The hulking monster was purple in color with silver highlights, and had one glowing eye. Pointed ear-like pieces projected off the sides of its head. "I had calculated less than a point zero five percent chance that I would need to reveal myself," it commented. "There is no precedent for a stupid muscle-bound neanderthal interfering with the plan."

"Who do you think you are, crashing our concert like this?" Shana stepped forward with her hands on her hips and confronted the robot.

The machine only stood there. "I am Shockwave, Decepticon military commander. By hiding myself among the stage props, I was planning to absorb the sonic vibrations from your music to convert into energon to further the goal of Decepticon conquest!"

"Not on my watch!" James suddenly cried out, jumping up from his brawl with He-Man and running for the robot. "You won't get away with this while I'm around!"

"James, let us make amends and join our forces against this common foe," He-Man urged, taking a step forward.

"Troublesome fleshlings." Swiftly extending his left arm (which was shaped like a cannon), Shockwave shot explosive blasts at the two.

Both James and He-Man were blown away by this blast and stumbled over. He-Man got up again quickly, gama-rays having no lasting effect on him. However, James remained hunched over, writhing in agony.

"James!" Merry Treat cried, running over to the security guard she remembered from earlier. "Are you okay?"

James looked up into her face, his eyes glowing an unearthly green. "Ahh! He's gonna blow!" Max exclaimed before Merry Treat had time to react.

He-Man, meanwhile, stood facing the giant robot called Shockwave. He grabbed onto one of Shockwave's huge feet; and, amid grunts of exertion, began to lift the leg up into the air.

All of a sudden, the white car which everyone recognized from earlier in the concert rolled in on the scene, pushing some of the confused guards aside. In a matter of moments, however, it was apparent that this machine was more than met the eye-- it went through a similar transformation process as Shockwave's. The boombox followed suit, and two more robots stood before them. They were the two Autobots, Jazz and Blaster!

"Yee-haw!" Max exclaimed. "More giant robots! Now things'll get busted-up real good."

"Only if we're lucky," Sam replied.

"Get out of the way; we'll take care of this," the red one instructed (who had formerly been a boombox), pushing the spectators aside and aiming his electro-scrambler at Shockwave.

"Can't have you messing with our tunes," the white one added, leveling his rocket launcher at their opponent.

Meanwhile, Merry Treat still knelt, concerned, by James. He finally began to right himself and stood up on his feet. His eyes were still glowing. "I feel... power... surging through my body," he said. "I'm... more powerful than I was before. In fact, I'm more powerful than He-Man--"

James' speech, however, was cut short as He-Man came flying through the air towards him, being thrown back with a kick from Shockwave. The force managed to hit James onto the ground as He-Man landed.

The Holograms and Tabby, however, were still struggling to get Jem out of the closet she was locked in. Tarquin and Tess stood by, looking on with curiosity. Finally, with a sharp kick from Jem inside the locker, the crowbar whirled through the air and the door crashed open.

"Oh, Jem, are you okay?" Everyone gathered around anxiously.

"I'm fine, but..." The girl looked around quickly. "What's happening?"

Kimber was quick to explain. "That big raygun prop was actually a giant robot who was sucking in the sound of our music to convert into energy! And then He-Man and James ganged up on him, and two more robots just showed up to help, and--"

"I think I get the picture," Jem said quickly, glancing over the battle scene. "This is bad news for the concert."

"But good news for us. I was just about to die from boredom," Sam said.

The gama-rays James had been blasted with apparently had given him new powers. He was much stronger than before, and was able to put up a good fight against Shockwave along with He-Man and the Autobots.

Blaster shot his electro-scrambler at Shockwave, which sent the hulking robot stumbling across the floor as he desperately tried not to lose his balance. The scaffolding backstage broke his fall, though, and he leaned up against the structure as he tried to regain his thoughts.

"Hmm," Jem continued after a moment of thought, witnessing Shockwave's latest predicament. "I have an idea."

"What's that, Jem?" Aja asked.

Reaching a hand up, Jem touched one of her earrings. "Synergy, we need your help," she said in a low tone. "Project something to challenge this robot!"

Suddenly, what appeared to be another robot appeared backstage. This one was silver with black highlights, and a large cannon was mounted on his right arm. It was Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. "You've failed me for the last time, Shockwave," it said in a menacing voice.

Shockwave looked over at the hologram of his leader, projected by Jem's ultra-technological computer Synergy, in surprise. But, still confused by the electro-scrambler, he was unable to realize that this was simply a mirage. "But there's less then a five percent chance that I will lose this confrontation!" he protested to his leader.

Seeing that the moment was right, Jazz took the opportunity to fire one of his rockets at his opponent. Taken off guard, Shockwave didn't have time to block the hit. The rocket smashed into him, and he was sent stumbling into the ground. Megatron's hologram faded away into thin air.

He-Man realized that it was his turn. He ran over to Shockwave, and gripped onto one of the giant's legs. James assisted He-Man for a moment, but He-Man soon got a grip on the entire situation and needed no help once Shockwave had been lifted into the air. James stepped aside, and He-Man began twirling Shockwave around in circles with mighty heaves. "This is impossible. There is no probability that a human could possibly possess such strength," Shockwave said in his electronic monotone.

He-Man saw that enough speed had been gained for his purpose; and when the time was right, aimed Shockwave upwards and let go. The monstrous robot went flying up into the air with tremendous push. He-Man had aimed well, and a satisfying splash sounded not long afterwards as Shockwave plunged into the nearby bay.

"It looks like Shockwave is blasting off again!" Max exclaimed.

"I love it when so much property damage is caused in so short a period of time," Sam agreed.

"I think he learned his lesson today," He-Man said contentedly, wiping his hands. "It's not nice to bully people around like he did."

At that declaration, everyone backstage crowed around He-Man, sharing congratulations. The two Autobots took this as their cue to leave. Swiftly transforming back into their car and boombox shapes, they drove off discreetly and melted in with the cheering crowd in the auditorium.

"Totally outrageous, He-Man!" Kimber bubbled over excitedly. "I don't know what we would have done without you."

"He-Man can never resist helping anyone in need," Orko said proudly.

James look grudgingly over at He-Man. "Yeah, I guess he did help."

"Something tells me the Misfits weren't behind this stunt," Shana commented. "They aren't clever enough to do something this elaborate."

"Just as long as you're safe, Jem, my goal has been fulfilled here tonight," He-Man declared, bowing low to the singer.

Jem blushed. "Thanks, He-Man. I'm really honored to have had you here."

"Maybe we should have just stayed at the cafe, Tarquin, instead of coming back," Tess said thoughtfully.

"It would have avoided a lot of trouble," Tarquin agreed.

"Row-row!" Spearow chirped, circling in the sky above the audience, swept away with the rejoicing.

"I think we've done enough damage here," Tabby commented. "Maybe we'd better move on and inflict havoc elsewhere."

"Ooh, ooh! There's still a few buildings standing over there!" Max said excitedly.

"But we did make new friends," Merry Treat pointed out.

"And that's what really matters!" Aja agreed.

The three instrument players of the band departed from the gathering then, and went back out on stage to calm the cheering crowd. Jem remained behind, however, to say her farewells to the traveling group. "I really hate to see you all go. You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, not really," Tabby said, cocking her head.

"On behalf of my manager, Jerrica Benton, I'd like to invite you to stay at her home, Starlight Mansion, for tonight at least," Jem offered.

"A mansion?" Merry Treat's eyes lit up. "Well, that would be really nice of her--"

"If it will make you happy, Jem, of course we'll accept your invitation," He-Man said graciously.

"That's great!" Jem said. "You can start out fresh tomorrow after this adventure tonight. And James," she added, motioning to the security guard, "I'd like to thank you as well for your assistance in the matter."

"Just doin' my job," James said offhandedly.

"Hey, James," Merry Treat said with sudden inspiration. "How would you like to come along with us on our travels? I'm sure you'd enjoy it, and we could use some extra protection."

"Well..." James began, the idea appealing to him. "I would enjoy that..."

"Then you'll come?" Merry Treat prodded.

"I just feel guilty walking out on the show like this," James admitted. "The Holograms are on tour right now, and I'm hired to go along with them. And after what happened tonight, it just proves that unexpected and unsavory things can come up without a moment's notice. But with these newfound superpowers of mine, I'd be better prepared in case of any more emergencies like what happened tonight!" He looked regretfully at Merry Treat. "I guess I'd better stay on."

"I understand," Merry Treat nodded. "It was nice meeting you, though."

"After we're finished here, I'll have the limo drive you out to Starlight Mansion," Jem was explaining. "I'm sure you'll feel at home there."

He-Man turned towards the camera at that point. "Today we learned about bullies--"

"Yeah, they make a lot of noise when they fall down!" Max interjected.

"And don't forget the property damage, little buddy," Sam agreed.

"No, no, you're missing the point," He-Man argued.

"I think you're missing the wholesome value of a good fight," Sam went on.

"Yeah, you're just a wimp in furry underwear!" Max exclaimed.

"With a girly-boy haircut," Sam added simply.

"I am not!" He-Man retorted.

"Are to!"

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Am not!"

And so, with another escapade finished and a decent place to rest for the night, the group continued onwards.

"Are to!"

To be continued...


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