At Snake Mountain, Skeletor performs a ceremony to stop his hated enemy, Hordak, from ever returning to Eternia. While the spell works, Skeletor is concerned that Hordak is growing stronger, and only one power can hold him at bay now; the secrets of Castle Grayskull. Skeletor laments that he has been unable to take Grayskull so far, but now he has a new weapon, the Terror Claws of Allocca.
Meanwhile, at Castle Grayskull, The Sorceress of Grayskull fears a momentous event is about to occur, and feels the need to warn He-Man. She transforms into the Falcon, Zoar, and flies from the castle to find He-Man.
At the Royal Palace, Man-At-Arms, Orko and Cringer look on as Prince Adam and Teela spar on a pair of Jet Sleds. Teela quickly bests Adam in the duel, but knocks him from the Jet Sled. Orko uses his magic to create something "nice" for Adam to fall onto, but the spell goes wrong and instead creates a bucket full of "ice", which Adam crashes into. Adam spots Zoar nearby, and transforms into He-Man, before making his way to Grayskull.
Hordak makes a dramatic return.
He-Man and Battle Cat arrive at Castle Grayskull and find Skeletor using his new Terror Claws to dig a tunnel inside. He-Man stops him, but Skeletor uses his magic to ensnare Zoar. Skeletor warns He-Man to stay away, lest he interfere and cause the release of Hordak. Before He-Man can stop him, Orko, wanting to free Zoar, uses a spell to conjure someone who can defeat Skeletor. Zoar is freed, but Orko's spell causes the magic which kept Hordak at bay to weaken, and Hordak suddenly appears before them alongside his henchmen; Grizzlor, Mantenna, Leech and Modulok.
Hordak dismisses the idea that Orko's magic aided in his release, and mocks Skeletor, saying that his old student has not changed. Hordak sends Grizzlor to attack Skeletor, but Skeletor quickly dispatches him, telling Hordak his powers have grown since last they met. Skeletor is then attacked by Leech, who begins to drain his powers. After quickly besting Mantenna and Modulok, He-Man intervenes to save Skeletor's life.
Leech attacks Skeletor.
After being freed from Leech's grasp, Skeletor challenges Hordak one-on-one. Hordak accepts, but wants no interference, so he casts a spell which sends He-Man, Orko, Battle Cat and the rest of the Horde to the Fright Zone dungeon. He-Man breaks free of the dungeon, and he and Orko battle a huge serpent and a living tree, before they figure out they are not on Eternia any more, but in Hordak's dimension. Orko casts a spell which returns them to Eternia, just as Hordak is gaining the upper hand in his battle with Skeletor.
Teela and Man-At-Arms arrive at the sight of Skeletor and Hordak's colossal battle, and meet up with He-Man. Man-At-Arms intervenes in the battle, firing a blast of energy from his Jet Sled directly at Hordak. With Hordak distracted, He-Man immobilizes him with a blast from his sword, and Hordak retreats, swearing revenge. Skeletor is furious, saying he would rather have been defeated by Hordak than accept help from He-Man. He leaves, swearing he will destroy them all, though He-Man does not regret his decision to aid his enemy.
Orko is attacked by the Fright Zone tree, a feature of the playset.
This comic tells the story of how Hordak escaped from the dimension in which he was trapped, and reveals that Skeletor has been carrying out multiple ceremonies to ensure he stays trapped there, until he is powerful enough to defeat him once and for all.
This comic highlights the Terror Claws Skeletor figure. Skeletor refers to them as the "Terror Claws of Allocca", though they appear to be only gloves which he uses to dig through rocks.
The Royal Palace seen in this issue resembles the Palace from the Filmation cartoon, but Snake Mountain is clearly based on the toy design.
This issue gives a lot of focus to the Fright Zone playset; spotlighting the large serpent puppet, the moving tree feature and the dungeon gate as He-Man and Orko make their escape.
