NOTE: Know who Grune the Destroyer is? Remember how his ravaging 3rd Earth became legend? Ever wonder how 3rd Earth survived? Now, for the first time ever in this fan fictional crossover, it is revealed that Grune got his ass kicked by none other than… He-Man! Master of the Universe! Wielder of the Sword of Grayskull! Champion of justice! Role model for boys! Sex object for women! Scourge of interior decorators! And most importantly of all, the guy who paved the way for Thundercats! (C'mon, admit it, you know he did! What, you never noticed the similarities between these 2 shows?) Who else could have kicked Grune's ass but He-Man? Just remember, this is a fan fictional story, He-Man and all his Master of the Universe friends are trademarks of Mattel toys, Filmation, and someone else, Hallmark I think, I forget. The Thundercats and all related characters are trademarks of Ted Wolf, Rankin Bass entertainment, Lorimar, and someone else. I'm not real good at this stuff. Just remember, these characters weren't my idea and these events took place centuries before Lion-O and company showed up.

Grune, ex-Thundercat turned tyrant, was merrily ravaging a village that belonged to the Wollos, who had long abandoned their home when they heard of his arrival. After his defeat at the hands of Jaga on Thundera, Grune had been banished and landed on a ridiculous planet called 3rd Earth. Grune found he had easy pickings here, no one to stand in his way and his path for power.

"I will be supreme!" Grune shouted to no one in particular. "3rd Earth will crumble before the might of Grune the Destroyer!" Grune only wished 3rd Earth could produce a champion who could stand up to him and to die at his hands in battle. So far, the only residents who had tried to stand in his way were some pesky forest dwelling women who called themselves Warrior Maidens, lead by a fiery-eyed queen named Lynne, and even they had turned to retreat, their weapons and numbers no match for Grune.

All there was for him to do was ignore this emptiness and continue ravaging, which he did so well. Long ago he had turned his back on the Code of Thundera; Justice, Truth, Honor, Loyalty, and pursed the real path of life, the path of power. And now he pursued so much that he did not even notice the falling star in the morning sun.
 
 

While Grune was busy destroying whatever caught his eye, young Lynne led what was left of her Warrior Maidens and assorted 3rd Earth neighbors through the deserts of 3rd Earth. Lynne and her people had been evicted from their forest home only a few years ago by Grune the Destroyer, a fierce, saber tooth cat like giant who was possessed by a thirst for destruction. Naturally, the Warrior Maidens did not give up their homes without a fight, but they were no match for Grune. They fought valiantly, but in the end, Grune decimated their ranks and destroyed whoever did not retreat. Of the 456 Warrior Maidens who had been living peacefully in the forest, only 107 of them had escaped and now delayed what some were beginning to think was inevitable destruction. 50 of the surviving maidens were children.

But at least the Warrior Maidens were not alone in this crisis. The diminuitive Wollos, sheep like Bolkins, and mechanical bear Berbils had also been driven from their homes by this madman who called himself Grune.

"Lynne," Sharon, Lynne's sister called, "what do you plan on doing from here?"

"I don't know, Sharon. This Grune is unlike any beast we've ever encountered. We'll just have to keep moving, put as much distance between us and that monster as we possibly can."

"But we can't just run away forever," Sharon observed. "Sooner or later, he will catch up to us, and we will either fight him or die."

"That's true," Lynne agreed grimly. "But we have no time to think about that now. We have to keep moving."

"Excuse me, Lynne," a young Bolkin came from aside to look up at the young queen, though only 5'7" seemed a giant to the Bolkin and the other survivors. "Where do you plan on stopping? This walk has gone on for days without rest."

"We'll stop when we get to the edge of the desert," Lynne replied. "There's some kind of pit up ahead, where fire rock is brewed."

"A fire rock pit?"

"With times as hard as they are now, it may be the safest place." Lynne looked up ahead, trying not to think of Grune and just to think on walking, to keep looking ahead. These long marches had become increasingly common over the years. Everyone banding together to take what they could and move on in vain attempts to stay one step ahead of Grune the Destroyer.  They're right, she thought. We can't run forever. Either we make our stand and die on our feet, or we run like scared children and eventually die later on. For years, Lynne had tried to concoct a plan to defeat Grune, and all her plans had failed. Grune was a creature that seemed invincible, like something from the stories her grandmother had told her as a child. A beast of unspeakable evil that no mere mortal could defeat, that only some strong and pure of heart hero could over come. So far, no strong and pure of heart heroes had come along to deliver them from evil.
 
 

Hours dragged on like days, the days had gone on like years, but finally, the edge of the desert came into sight, marked by the pit of fire rock. Only about a mile away it was, but till now unnoticed by the bruised, the battered, the bleeding, and the dying.

"Lynne, look up there! Some kind of vehicle!" Lynne looked to where Sharon pointed her finger, and saw that there was a ship of some kind. Not the one that had brought Grune the Destroyer, but of a similar, advanced technology that they knew nothing of.

"Do you think that someone's there?" a Wollo asked.

"I don't know."

"I hope whoever's there is friendly."

"I know what you mean, Wollo," Lynne said, not knowing his name. "That would be a nice change of pace after what we've been through with Grune."

The legion of survivors marched onward, not knowing what lay up ahead, not knowing what fate awaited them.

When they finally reached the ship, there was a strange looking tiger out front, green with yellow stripes. When the cat took notice of them, his reaction seemed a cross of fear and courage, standing to defend his territory and at the same time, retreating, slumping back.

"Easy," Lynne said, approaching slowly, extending her hand out for the cat to sniff. "We mean you no you no harm." Lynne let the strange looking cat sniff her hand for a few seconds, and finally, the cat began to relax, and actually purred to her. "Good boy," Lynne cooed, "good boy."

"Who are you?" Lynne heard a male voice call. Lynne looked up and saw a young man standing a few feet away from her.

"It's okay, Adam," the cat spoke. "I don't think they mean to harm us."

"Is that so, Cringer?"

Lynne leapt back, caught off guard by the sound of the cat speaking. "Did- did that cat just- speak?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," the cat answered.

"Looks as though this girl has not heard of talking cats, Cringer."

"I am not a girl!" Lynne protested defensively. "I am Lynne, Queen of the Warrior Maidens!"

The young man whom the cat called Adam looked out at the legion of women who stood with bows, arrows, spears and knives at the ready. Among them were also people who resembled sheep dressed like monks, mechanical teddy bears and some people who could not identify.

"The Warrior Maidens, I presume."

"The women are," Lynne answered. "The bears are Berbils, the sheep are Bolkins, and those are the Wollos. Who are you, stranger? What are you doing here?"

"I am Adam, Prince of Eternia." This Prince Adam was a very unusual looking man, Lynne thought. He had blonde hair, which none of them had ever seen, blue eyes, and had the most unusual looking clothes. He wasn't very big, only about 5'11", stocky at best. "If my presence here is disturbing, believe me, I'm sorry. My ship was shot down by the mutants of Plun-Darr."

"Eternia? Plun-Darr? Where and what are these places?"

"Planets. I am Prince from the royal family of the planet Eternia. I was on my way back there from the planet Thundera, when my ship was attacked and forced to land here."

"Who attacked you?"

"Mutants from the planet Plun-Darr."

"Why?"

"I was sent to negotiate a treaty with the Thunderians for a possible alliance against the mutants of Plun-Darr, who seek to destroy Thundera and those who live there. The Mutants don't want that to happen."

"I don't understand," Lynne said, confused. What was this man talking about? Thunderians? Mutants?

"You don't have too," Adam replied. "What brings you all here?"

"Oh nothing. Just on the brink of extinction."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. For the last few years, we've been running from a monster called Grune."

"Grune? Is this a cat like man by any chance with saber teeth?"

"Yes. But how could you know about that?"

"I heard about a warrior named Grune when I was on Thundera. He was once a soldier there, but he turned to the ways of evil and was banished."

"I guess this is where they sent him, not thinking of how the locals would be affected by his presence."

"Is there anyway I can help?"

"Unless you have an army of warriors who are pure of heart and stronger than savage animals, I don't think so."

"I think I know someone who could help," Adam said.

Before Lynne could inquire as to what Adam meant, a familiar, maniacal laugh was heard. Grune the Destroyer was coming.

"Lynne, its him!" Sharon shouted. "It's Grune!"

"Oh no!" shouted a Wollo. "We're trapped with nowhere to go!"

"Oh my goodness," said a Berbil, with no real expression of fear except for the fear in his circuits.

"It can't end this way!" cried out one Bolkon who was not ready for death.

"Warrior Maidens, prepare for battle!" shouted Lynne at the top of her lungs. With no hesitation, the Warrior Maidens took their stances, aiming their bows and arrows, preparing to either throw their spears or charge with their spears and knives into battle. Lynne pushed her way to the front, tying her long black hair back and joining the archery women. The Wollos, Bolkons and Berbils retreated to hide around Adam's ship, trying vainly to pull Adam with them.

"Fire!" she shouted. Arrow after arrow was fired through the air. Some of the arrows penetrated Grune's skin, while others just bounced off his armor. Grune charged forward and began decimating the ranks, mauling and slaying women with his spiked battle club and unaware of their vain attempts to harm him by stabbing him with their knives and spears.

"Pathetic! All these years of running from me, and this all you have to give! I'm disappointed!" The Warrior Maidens were forced to break up and break away. In the midst of this, Lynne was knocked down and Grune noticed. Lynne tried to reach for a fallen spear, but Grune stepped on her arm, pinning her to the ground. "So now it ends!"

"Pick on someone your own size, tyrant!" Instead of just mauling Lynne's head in, Grune looked over his shoulder and saw a diminuitive figure with a green cat.

"And who's going to make me? You? Pretty boy?"

"I'd like to introduce you to someone. Someone who'd like to have a word with you." Adam reached back behind his head, reached down into his shirt and pulled out the Sword of Grayskull. "By the power of Grayskull!" he shouted, holding the sword in the air. Before Grune could laugh, a bright light exploded from the sword, engulfing Adam, and seemingly reforming him in its light. "I have the power!"

When the light faded away, Adam was gone and a new figure stood in his place. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 6'6", 240 lbs of muscle, his name was He-Man, a warrior pure of heart and strong as Hell. His companion cat, Cringer, was also gone, covered in red armor, Battle Cat.

"Who the Hell are you?" Grune demanded.

"He-Man, Master of the Universe," replied the barbarian.

"I'm not impressed by your light show, He-Man."

"You're no work of art either, kitty. I challenge you to a dual, or are you scared!"

"Scared? I'll make you eat those words, fool!"

Grune charged He-Man and brought his club down on him. He-Man easily blocked with his sword and struck back at Grune's face, knocking off his tooth.

"ARGH! Damn you! You're really gonna get it now!"

The Warrior Maidens rushed to the side of their queen as Grune and He-Man clashed. "Are you alright, Lynne?" asked Sharon.

"I'm fine," said Lynne. "But one of those two won't be at the rate they're going."

He-Man struck at Grune with a strength Grune had not found in any opponent since Jaga. Grune still had a few inches on He-Man, but it had been years since he had fought a warrior of this caliber. None-the-less, he would not give in. Nothing would stand in his way of power now.

"Was there ever a battle such as this?" asked one Warrior Maiden as He-Man began driving Grune back towards the pit of fire rock. The Sword of Grayskull struck against the battle club with a vengeance, shattering ear drums and echoing across the land. Grune swung at He-Man's head with his club, but He-Man ducked and threw out his leg, kicking Grune in the stomach and causing him bend. He-Man then brought down his sword to crack Grune's head open, but Grune brought his club up just in time to block it. He-Man and Grune were locked for a single moment, two titans locked in what seemed to be eternal, mortal combat, till Grune punched He-Man in the stomach and knocked him over.

"You've been a most worthy opponent! Now you die like all who oppose me!" Grune shouted, preparing the crush He-Man's skull. Battle Cat saw his master in trouble and charged in, jumping on Grune's back, scratching and clawing him. "Get off!" Grune turned away to try and knock Battle Cat off. When he turned back around to finish off He-Man, he felt the swipe of a sword cut across his chest. His blood sprayed out, and he felt that the sword had nicked his heart.

Despite this, Grune pressed forward, striking at He-Man. It looked as though Grune had He-Man on the defensive, but in actuality, He-Man was leading Grune back towards the pit of whatever it was, hoping to knock him in. Grune lunged forward and He-Man stepped aside, slicing through the flesh between Grune's lung and hip and then bringing his sword back around the chop down into Grune's shoulder.

Grune staggered forward, towards the edge of the pit that lead to the fire rock. When Grune turned around, he saw his opponent He-Man lifting a boulder. Before Grune could throw his club, He-Man threw the boulder at Grune, knocking him over the edge and sending him falling into the pit of fire rock below. Grune did not yell on the way down, the only sound that was heard was the sound of his splashing into the liquid fire rock. He-Man walked over to the edge to watch him sink in.

"You did it, He-Man!" Battle Cat roared. "You got him!"

"Yes, but if it hadn't been for you Battle Cat, he would have crushed my skull like a peanut. You're a true friend."

"What happened?" Lynne shouted as she came running forward with her Warrior Maidens to survey the battle. "Where's Grune?"

"Down there, in the inferno of that- whatever it is."

"Fire rock. That's what we call it. It used to be used for fuel, but it's been forbidden to mine it for centuries. It's too dangerous and unpredictable."

"But this time, it came in handy," He-Man observed.

"Hey, down there!" shouted a maiden. "He's crawling out!"

He-Man and Lynne looked down and saw that Grune was indeed at the edge of the pool of the pit and was trying to crawl out. Wasting no words, they all ran down to see if he needed more killing, but that was not required. When they got there, Grune was lying dead on the ground. The fire rock had killed him.
 
 

He-Man took Grune's body and buried it deep within a tomb, trapping him under a pile of his own broken weapons and putting a star symbol on the door to keep him from escaping and to ward off anything evil that might want to break him out. A few days later, He-Man, or rather, Prince Adam, and his pet Cringer were picked up by rescue teams from Eternia and left 3rd Earth and was never heard from again. 3rd Earth residents would be eternally grateful for what he did.

Lynne and her Warrior Maidens went to work rebuilding what Grune had destroyed over the years so that everyone could resume their lives. It took many years and Lynne never saw it through. Lynne's daughter and her daughter's daughters would continue until all had been restored.

In case you were wondering: Lynne, the queen of the Warrior Maidens in this story, is supposed to be the great, great, great grandmother of Willa and Nayda, the queen and her sister we met in the episode The Trouble With Time. Just think of Willa with shorter hair and a not so shaky voice. I named the character after voice actress Lynne Lipton, who voiced Cheetara, Willa, Nayda, Wilykit, Luna, Mandora, and most of the other females on this show. Thanks for reading.