Chapter Five: The Shadow of Death
"He...he's here," Bow said quietly.
Skeletor was indeed here, and had discovered the group. He slowly lowered from his position in the air towards them.
"But how is he here?" asked Glimmer. "How did he find us?"
The abomination touched down on the grass not ten feet away from them. Everyone took several steps back. "Planet Etheria," he said, his voice raspy and deep. "So this is where my people sought refuge from their oppressors. In truth, I was expecting something far more worthy of my time. Instead, I found a cesspool of war and decadence. The perfect place to truly begin my crusade."
Raising his staff into the air, Skeletor then brought it down against the dirt. Magical energy split the air in a shockwave, sending everyone who was nearby flying backwards.
"Once I have finished with you…" Skeletor raised his staff, pointing the end at the heroes. "...you will wish you had remained on Denebria to die."
Steven pulled himself off of the ground, summoning his shield. "We aren't going to let you get away with this! Right, guys?" He turned around, expecting to see everyone else rallying behind him. Instead, Gems and princesses alike hung back, wearing expressions of apprehension. The Horde trio was nowhere to be seen.
"Steven, let's think about this," said Connie. "We barely survived last time, I don't think we should fight him again."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Steven said. "Run away?"
Steven was then grabbed by his shirt and lifted into Skeletor's face. "Yes," he said. "If you can." Steven recoiled, not just because of his rotten skull and corpse-like breath, but because of his eyes as well. Staring into the tiny purple pinpricks of light in the seas of darkness that were his eye sockets filled Steven with a dread he could hardly understand. The weight of death seemed to weigh upon him, his place in this sheer, cold reality.
Fortunately, his being grabbed by the undead menace spurred the Gems into action. Skeletor was struck in the shoulder by Pearl's spear, causing him to drop the boy. The weapon didn't pierce through him, although it should have by all means; it merely knocked Steven out of his grip, who scurried to join the others.
"We've got an advantage this time," said Adora. "He's on our turf this time! For the honor of Grayskull!"
A blinding light transformed her into She-Ra. Wielding the Sword of Protection, she stood beside the Crystal Gems.
"Not sure if you remembered, but we're still out of magic!" said Mermista. "What are we supposed to do against that!?"
"Uh, just stay back, I guess," Bow said. "We'll handle this!"
"Will you?" said Glimmer. "You saw what he did to us last time, how are we supposed to win?"
"He caught us by surprise last time, is all," Bismuth said. Her arms shapeshifted into hammers. "He won't be so lucky this time!"
"How quaint!" Skeletor said, amused. "The band of misfits believe themselves to be greater than I!" Wind swept past them all as Skeletor began to glow. "I believe I shall show them their place."
It was Adora who made the first move, charging at the sorcerer. Without even needing to access his wellspring of energy, Skeletor buffeted the warrior aside with his hand. She stood at least three feet taller than him, and yet he threw her aside like it was nothing.
"Adora!" cried Glimmer. She tried, desperately, to draw up some magic from inside her, but nothing came. Without recharging, there was nothing the princess could do.
The Crystal Gems were not doing much better. Garnet and Pearl were able to land a few hits on him, but Skeletor did not so much as flinch. Amethyst tried to pull the staff out of his hands, but was yanked off of the ground and hurled into Bismuth for her troubles.
"Alright, that's it!" said Frosta. "Powers or not, I'm not gonna sit around here while skull-face over there pushes everyone around! It's time to get serious!" With no weapons of her own, Frosta instead picked up two rocks, hurling one at the skeletal aberration.
More confused than distracted, he turned his head towards her. "Yeah? You like that, bonehead? There's more where that came from! Come on! You're not worth my time!"
"Frosta, what are you doing!?" yelled Perfuma.
"I'm taking him down a peg, what's it look like?" the young princess replied, unaware that Skeletor had approached from behind her. She turned back only to be startled by his sudden appearance.
"Do that again," he said.
Afraid, but still intent on fighting, Frosta pushed aside her doubt. "Y-you want more? Okay, I've got more!" She threw another stone, which collided with Skeletor's chest, to no effect.
Skeletor's gravelly laughter filled the air. "Poor child," he said. "So young and full of spunk. What a shame that your life must be cut so short."
Suddenly, a terrible aura extended from Skeletor's body. It filled the nearby area in a manner of seconds, gripping all of them with an all-consuming, paralyzing terror. It was though their fight or flight instinct had been triggered, though their bodies refused to do either.
Every last drop of Frosta's bravery had been drained. She trembled weakly as Skeletor slowly approached her, each footstep seeming to shake the very ground beneath them.
"Frosta! Run!" yelled Adora. But just as she was too scared to do so, so too was anyone too afraid to intervene. It wasn't just that they were scared: it was a sense of dread the likes of which they had never experienced before. All they could do was watch helplessly as Skeletor placed his staff against Frosta's chest, the crystal began to glow.
Just moments before anything could become of this, someone collided suddenly with the fiend, knocking everyone else free of his magical grasp, if only for just a moment.
"Huh?" Frosta looked up at her rescuer. "Scorpia?"
The scorpion woman stood, quickly scooping up the young princess and quickly getting her away from Skeletor. "Yeah, it's me. What's going on?"
Skeletor fired a blast of energy at the two of them, hitting Scorpia in the shoulder. The blast wasn't strong enough to pierce her exoskeleton, but it did send them both tumbling to the ground.
"You still persist," said Skeletor. "After all of this, you still have not given up." There was a clear barely-hidden anger beneath his voice. "You should know by now that you are nothing in the face of death. And if you do not know…" Both his staff and his eyes lit up. "...then I will teach you."
A pulse emanated from his staff, its sheer power sending everyone to their knees. But it was not sending energy to them-it was taking it. The grass surrounding Skeletor immediately wilted, its life force being taken to fuel his dark power. It wasn't just organics that were affected, as the Gems' forms began to flicker and distort as they grew weaker.
Connie struggled to get to her feet, this power sapping her strength. Looking down at her arm, she was greeted by the unwelcome sight of her arm becoming thin and emaciated. Startled, she felt her face, feeling that it was becoming likewise. "S-Ste…" She tried to shout, but her very voice was being sapped. And it looked like everyone else was following suit. Everyone except Adora.
The blonde warrior had managed to resist Skeletor's magic, if only just. Using the Sword of Protection to steady herself, she made her way over to him, intent on doing something, anything, to stop this.
It seemed that her enemy had not noticed her approach. Adora raised her sword above her head, and brought it down with every last bit of strength she had left. But it stopped in its tracks; Skeletor had lifted his arm, the blade striking harmlessly against his forearm as if it was made of metal.
"There is always one," he said. He reached out his hand, grabbing Adora by the throat and lifting her closer to his face. Her sword fell to the ground as She-Ra reverted back to her original form. "There is always one who refuses to succumb to despair. One who stands stalwart in the face of overwhelming odds...only to inevitably be cut down with the rest of them. You may bear the sword, but you are not She-Ra. You are simply a lost little girl, lost and hopeless."
Skeletor extended his arm, lifting Adora further off the ground. "You are strong, but your strength is nothing in the face of the end. None but the very Diamonds themselves could hope to stand against me. Death itself submits to my power. I am nothingness made flesh. I am eternal. I was there when Castle Grayskull fell to the Gems' advance. I was there when Etheria was sealed away by Mara. And I will still be here, long after you have died, your bodies have gone to the worms. Long after the universe has gone silent by my hand."
Adora could say nothing. Skeletor's claws dug into her neck. He continued to drain the life from everyone and everything.
All would have been lost, had the others not intervened.
It started with a simple breeze. Skeletor's powers had indeed kicked up a cutting wind, but this gale was far more gentle, and brought with it the scent of life. It grew stronger and stronger, before a powerful tornado rammed into Skeletor, causing him to release his hold on Adora, whom the wind swept away to safety.
Glimmer slowly got to her feet, Skeletor's power no longer having a hold over her. "Is that…?"
Skeletor growled, firing a beam at Adora. Before it could hit, a white barrier assembled itself around her, blocking the attack.
Bow looked to the side. A trio of women stood nearby, defending them from Skeletor's attack. "It's Netossa and Spinnerella! And Queen Angella!"
These three were also joined by Brightmoon soldiers, who though lacking in magical ability, were still prepared to defend the heroes.
Skeletor looked up to the sky where Angella hovered. "An angel?" he said. "I believed them to be extinct. Perhaps we should make it so…" Skeletor fired a beam at her, but Angella countered with her own. The pink and purple lasers met, each struggling to force past the other. While Skeletor seemed to have the upper hand at first, a blast of magic from another source distracted him just enough for Angella's beam to win out, striking him and pushing him back slightly.
"ENOUGH!" Skeletor shouted, sounding truly angry for the first time. Angella, Castaspella, and the rest stood ready to face him. "I will not sit here and suffer this humiliation!" A portal opened up behind him. "You can delay your timely demise, but the reaper comes to collect everyone. I will not forget this. I will grow even more powerful, and reduce everyone on this entire planet to ash." Skeletor stepped through the portal and was gone.
Glimmer looked around. The others seemed to be recovering from Skeletor's attack. "What happened?" she asked. When suddenly…
"Glimmer!" The princess was completely blindsided as a flying object collided with her and scooped her up in a hug. That object was her mother. "Glimmer, you're back! I was so worried! Where were you?" Tears of joy and relief fell from Queen Angella's eyes.
"Mom! I missed you, too!" Glimmer's words were muffled by virtue of her mother's cheek squishing against hers in their hug.
Steven stood up, checking his body to make sure none of him had wilted. "We're alive...we're alive!" he said. He looked around at their rescuers. "So, are these friends of yours?"
"Oh, definitely," said Adora. But she was only half-listening; her focus was drawn to something different. Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta stood on a nearby hilltop, unnoticed by the newcomers from Brightmoon. She locked eyes with Catra for a brief moment before the tree of them were gone.
"And what is with this 'Skeletor' person?" Castaspella asked of Glimmer, who was still being carried by her mother.
"You know, it's...it's kind of a long story," she said. "Can I fill you in on the way back to Brightmoon? It's been a tough few days for us…"