On
a stormy night, Candy Southern is driving Dolly Donahue and Sassafras the dog
to safety from Moondragon’s assault on Defenders Mansion in the Rockies. She
phones Beast to tell him to get the other Defenders back as quickly as
possible, citing Valkyrie’s warning. Hank advises her to call in the army so
Candy has Dolly break out the military weapons….
At
the Aerie, Moondragon is possessed by Dragon of the Moon and he gloats over her
newfound power and ruthlessness while MD pleads with him out of guilt at having
killed her friend Val. Dragon oppresses her until she surrenders to him,
rejoicing in their power….
Hiding
in the mountains, Gargoyle finds his hand returning to normal but Angel is
blind from Moondragon’s attack and he is bitter and hopeless….
Beast
is flying Cloud and Iceman back in their jet, berating himself for not having
devised a better communications system than the telephone. Then Aragorn flies
past the jet and breaks the windshield; Bobby fills the gap with a shield of
ice and ice-lassos the wild winged horse, leaping on its back and calming it
down to land at the airport with the jet, realizing the horse alone suggests
that Valkyrie is dead. But shortly after Cloud and Beast leave the plane,
lightning strikes it, destroying the ship…
…as
Moondragon stands atop a mountain, reveling in her power as Dragon of the Moon
encourages her arrogance. He lays out several glowing paths before her through
the air and she walks one, witnessed by Gargoyle a short distance away. But
something arises in front of Moondragon on the shining path and it materializes
as Valkyrie’s giant head, calling to her to stop and promising to stop her. The
colossal Valkyrie battles the Dragon-empowered Moondragon, with the latter
ripping the planet’s molten core out to surround her giant foe….
Candy
arrives at the Army base where she is admitted by standing order of General
Argyle Fist who has known her since she was a child. She tells General Fist to
send troops up to Defenders Mansion but he balks. Then he gets reports of
pillars of fire shooting into space and drawing Earth’s atmosphere away from
the planet, threatening life on Earth….
Valkyrie
is now fighting Dragon of the Moon directly, unleashing ancient powers. Beast,
Cloud, and Iceman join up with Gargoyle and the blinded Angel; Angel insists on
Cloud taking him to fight the monster. Val summons her sisters, the full complement
of the Valkyries and they deliver stunning attacks against the Dragon. Angel
fights but is soon cast out while Cloud, bitter at having been betrayed by
Moondragon, attacks her with lightning that pierces her heart—and then it is
over….
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