Chapter Twenty-One: Dead Set, Match

Massive storm clouds swirled around Mizar as the dead overtook the kingdom. Skeletor's legions rose all across Etheria. Plumeria, Salineas, Brightmoon-all of these and more had come under siege from the undead. The necro-spheres hung in the sky, sinister as Skeletor himself, as they brought in new zombies from beyond the sky as well as beneath the earth.

Steven struggled to his feet. Underneath the darkened skies, the city of Mizar was falling to Skeletor's advance. The warlock himself was visible standing atop the palace, lording over the city that would soon be his.

"Guys?" Steven called out. "Everyone? Anyone?" The other members of the heroes' alliance lay strewn about, alive, but not in good shape. Connie struggled to get up, bracing herself with her sword. Steven ran over to her. "Connie!"

"Steven!" she called back, limping closer. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said. "I think a better question would be if you're alright."

"I've felt better, but I'm not ready to give up just yet," she said. "Come on, we can't let Skeletor...let him…" Connie fell to the ground.

Steven caught her. "Connie, what's wrong?" he cried, worried.

"I...I don't know," she said. "I feel...I can't really describe it. It's like I'm...tired. Too tired."

"She's been cursed," said Pearl. The Gem struggled to her feet as well. "I think we all have." Everyone else slowly started to get up as well, weakened by this curse.

"What does that mean for you?" asked Steven.

"It means Skeletor sapped our strength with that last attack," she explained. "He's draining our power. We're going to get weaker and weaker, until...there's nothing left for him to drain.

Hurriedly, Steven licked his palm, placing the healing substance against Connie's shoulder. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to happen. "No, no, why isn't this working?" he said.

"Nngh...what happened?" said Adora, rubbing her head. She looked around, seeing the sorry state of everyone around her. "Oh no. What did Skeletor do?"

"Apparently, we've all been cursed," said Steven. "Only...you and me don't really seem to be affected. I wonder why?"

"No time for that now," said Bismuth. "We gotta beat this guy before he can do any more damage."

"If we can destroy Skeletor, it might just stop the curse," said Glimmer. "Magic like this usually goes away if there's nobody to cast the spell anymore."

"But without the Lock, what are we supposed to do?" asked Adora. "We don't have any First Ones artifacts strong enough to stand against him!"

Steven's gaze was drawn to the Sword of Protection. "Yes we do," he said. "Adora...we have to dance."

Adora stared at him for a moment, confused. "Uh, come again?"

"No, listen," said Steven. "Remember back with Angella? We were able to damage his staff when we worked together. We have what it takes to hurt him. We can destroy Skeletor, but only if we do it together." He held out his hand. "You and me, Adora. We have to fuse."

"Huh?" said Adora. "I thought only Gems could fuse."

"Technically," said Garnet. "But because Steven is partly human, he is able to fuse with organics. This is how Stevonnie is able to be."

"I don't know about this," said Adora. "It's not that I'm opposed to fusing, it's just that...what if we can't? What do we do then?"

"Adora, listen to me," said Garnet, walking over to her. "I've only known you for a short time, but in that time I've come to learn that you and Steven are so much alike. The two of you are kind and gentle, yet strong and stalwart. You would both do anything for your friends. You two are loving, compassionate, and far wiser than you know. So I know that, if you decide to fuse, you'll be able to do it just fine."

She thought about it for a moment. "Okay," she said. "Show me how." Adora took Steven's hand.

"Follow my lead," he said. He began to move, with Adora copying his movements.

"You need to be in sync to fuse," Garnet explained. "Once you're both on the same wavelength, your bodies and minds will become one. The stronger the bond, the more stable the union." Steven and Adora continued their dancing. It was a slow and awkward gait, but a sense of unity was nonetheless visible amongst the two of them. "Good, wonderful. Once you feel the time is right, take each other's hands."

The dance continued. Soon enough, both Steven and Adora could practically sense the other's pulse. They were as one, and it was time to become one. With one last twirl, the two grasped hands. A blinding light filled the air as they combined.

There she stood. She was about a head taller than She-Ra, and wore her gold armor, but with a star on the chest. Not as muscular as She-Ra, and not as chubby as Steven, but a mix of the two. Her midriff was exposed, revealing Steven's gemstone on her stomach. Long black hair with streaks of gold were tied in a giant braid that ran down to her waist. She spoke, her voice gentle yet deep. "Did...did it work?"

Garnet looked on in proud awe. "Better than I could have ever foreseen," she said.

The new fusion looked down at herself. She laughed, first in disbelief, then in happiness. "I can't believe this!" she said. "I-I mean, we fused! Or is it, they fused?"

"How do you feel?" asked Bow.

"I feel…" The fusion felt the power of both the Sword of Protection and Rose Quartz flowing through her. "I feel amazing!" she said, leaping into the air. "I feel like I could take on Skeletor and his entire army all by myself!"

"Even still, you won't have to," said Perfuma. "We may be cursed, but that doesn't mean we're ready to give up yet!"

"Are you sure?" she said. "You can stay here and rest if you want, I understand!"

"Fat chance!" said Amethyst, drawing her whip. "We're right behind you...um, do you have a name yet?"

The fusion pondered this. "Hmm, let's see...I think if it was Steven and Adora who fused, I'd be Stevora. But since Adora was in her She-Ra form, call me...She-ven!"

Garnet couldn't help but smile at this goofy moniker. "She-ven it is!" she announced.

She-ven walked over to Adora's sword, lifting it up in her right hand, while summoning Steven's shield onto her left. She gazed up at the top of the city where Skeletor resided. "So, who's ready to kick some zombie tailbone?"

To resounding cheers, She-ven led the charge up to the palace. The zombies in the city swarmed them, but She-ven cut through them in droves. The sheer power she wielded was almost overwhelming. Any lesser beings would have gotten a power high long ago, but so strong were Steven and Adora's devotion to protecting their friends, and innocent lives, that the only thing on She-ven's mind was saving the world. Everyone else did their best-even under their curse, the heroes fought with the strength of ten zombies-no, a hundred, each.

"Everyone! Protect the people!" said She-ven. "I'll handle Skeletor!" She ran ahead to where he stood.

At the palace, Netossa held Skeletor back as best she could. With a net held out in front of her, she blocked his attacks from reaching herself and Spinnerella. But there was only so much she could do, and even right below her Runestone, her powers were waning. His attack would soon prove too much for her to defend against.

"If there's anything I cannot stand, it's heroes who refuse to accept defeat," grumbled Skeletor, almost casually. "This would be so much easier for the both of us if you would just lie down and die."

"Not...gonna...happen!" said Netossa.

"So be it," Skeletor said. "All you're accomplishing is delaying the inevitable. You will be taken by the veil soon enough, just as all things must."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" shouted a voice from behind him. So brazen was this refusal of surrender that Skeletor had no choice but to turn around.

"And what makes you believe you have a say?" he said.

"You seem to think you're the avatar of death itself," said She-ven, "but I know better. I know your type: you're just another evil, power-hungry, dime-a-dozen evil sorcerer."

"Do not pretend to know me, child!" Skeletor said, firing a beam from his staff. She-ven blocked it with Steven's shield, before firing a beam of her own from Adora's sword. Skeletor actually seemed to be damaged by this, or at least knocked back. He growled in frustration. "This insolence will not go unpunished!"

A swarm of zombies stormed in from every direction. She-ven looked around at all of them as they ran closer. Just before they reached her, she created a pink bubble around herself, preventing them from getting to her. As they futilely clawed and banged on it, she jumped into the air, the bubble vanishing just as she did so. She pointed her sword downwards as she fell, slamming it into the ground and dispatching all of the undead at once. "Got any more?" she said, looking up at Skeletor.

"I have more than you can handle!" he said. Indeed, more and more zombies rushed in from all over.

She-ven turned to Netossa and Spinnerella. "You two go protect the citizens, I'll handle this joker!" She began cutting through the zombies as the princesses headed down the mountain. Her sword took on the forms of a spear, a whip, a hammer, and many more as she thinned out their numbers. She threw her shield like a discus, which ricocheted all throughout the undead before returning to her arm.

Once it became apparent that his zombies were not effective against this fusion, Skeletor entered the fray himself. "Hear me, abomination!" he bellowed. "Your efforts are futile! I will strip this planet clean of all life, and then do the same with other planets, as many times as it takes, until all is silent!" He sent forth a barrage of magical projectiles.

She-ven braced herself as her shield doubled in size, blocking the attack. "Okay, first of all, 'abomination?' Do I need to remind you that you're literally a walking corpse reanimated by dark magic? You can't get more unnatural than that!"

"My crusade is ordained by the natural order," Skeletor said. "I am extinction in human form. You, however, resist this natural occurrence. You have no place in this order, and so must be purged."

"Such a big ego for such a small man!" said She-ven, lunging with her sword. The blade collided with Skeletor several times, and though he recoiled from the blows, it refused to leave any visible marks. It was as though his body truly was indestructible. "Tell me," she continued, "did your parents not love you or something? Like, what's your story?"

She-ven noticed something as she got closer to Skeletor. He held his staff in such a way that covered up a small chip in the side of it, out of which flowed purple light. She didn't have time to ruminate on this, however, as he prepared his next attack.

"My only story is the legends that have been and will be told!" yelled Skeletor. He lifted up into the air once again, sending down a massive laser at She-ven. "Now, face oblivion!"

She-ven held up her shield again, but the beam pushed her back. She dug her heels into the dirt, but Skeletor proved too strong. Her defenses fell, and the dark energy washed over her, sapping her strength as she yelled. She fell to one knee once it ended, holding herself up with her sword.

Skeletor laughed-a booming, hollow sound. "Such bravado for such a small girl!" he said mockingly. "You truly thought yourself so much stronger than all the others I have faced, did you? And yet, here you are, about to die like all the others!"

Weakly, She-ven stood up. "Don't be so sure!" she said. "Neither Steven or Adora give up so easily, so there's no way I will!" She tried to hold her weapons aloft, but was struck down once more by another beam from Skeletor.

"As irritating as the determined heroes are, I must say, there is a certain satisfaction in crushing them," said Skeletor. "My brother was the same way. He absolutely refused to surrender the crown to me, insisting that his son was the rightful ruler. He was so sure he could win-but I sent him to oblivion, just like all the others. And you will follow."

Skeletor raised his staff above his head. Rather than another beam, the energy seemed to go elsewhere this time. She-ven soon found out where, much to her horror-the dead dragon that Sugilite had seemingly slain had risen once again, dark fire pouring from its wounded body. It landed just behind Skeletor, shaking the ground when it did so.

"You are not even worthy of me killing you myself, filth," he said. "Instead, you will face death by hellfire." He pointed his staff at She-ven, and the dragon prepared to let loose a jet of flame. "I will enjoy it immensely."

Mere moments before the dragon could immolate the fusion, a spark of light was suddenly flung from behind her, directly down the dragon's gullet. The resulting explosion destroyed much of the beast's already-decayed torso. This time, She-ven was prepared, bringing up her shield to block the purple flames. She looked behind her at the source of her salvation: a giant, four-armed woman stood among the other heroes, bow in hand-Opal.

"Impossible!" yelled Skeletor. "I've cursed you! How are you still able to fight!?"

"See, that's the thing about my friends, Keldor," said She-ven. "No matter what happens, no matter the hardships we go through, they'll always have my back. And I'll always have theirs. Both of us will. And no amount of dark magic can ever change that. It may sound cliche, but while you can curse our bodies, our spirits will always be there for each other!"

"RRRAAAGH!" bellowed Skeletor. "I'll tear your spirits from your lifeless husks!" He rose into midair, preparing to fire another beam. The dragon, or what was left of it, rushed at She-ven. She swung her sword, sending out a pink wave that cleaved through it, putting the monster down for good.

She-ven held her sword aloft. "I think I understand why you hate determined heroes so much." Back among the rest of the group, Glimmer began to glow pink, and red light shined from Garnet's gems. "You say it's because they annoy you, but that's not the real reason." Bow and Amethyst began to glow as well. "You know what I think?" Pearl and Perfuma started glowing. "It's because you're afraid of them." Bismuth and Mermista started glowing. "Because you feel threatened by them." Frosta, Netossa and Spinnerella, Peridot and Lapis. "Because you know they're the only ones who can beat you."

"GGRRRRAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" Skeletor screamed, firing a beam containing all of his power that remained. He didn't care what happened next; he just wanted to vaporize each and every one of these insolent whelps. Both Steven's gemstone and Adora's sword glowed as well-from out of the latter came a beam of her own. A massive rainbow laser shot forth from She-ven's blade, colliding with Skeletor's dark purple one. The air around them swirled and crackled as the two warriors fought for dominance. In the end, She-ven, the princesses, and the Gems won out. The rainbow beam cut through Skeletor's striking him and sending out a truly massive shockwave.

The stormy skies above Mizar were cleared instantly by this blast. The people below were unharmed, but all of Skeletor's legions were vaporized by the sheer power of it. The energy spread out for miles around, clearing out any of the death and decay Skeletor had brought with him. At long last, all was quiet.

Once the blast cleared away, Skeletor lay on his knees on the ground. He feebly gripped his staff, which sputtered feebly with the last remaining dregs of his magic. He looked up at She-ven. "You...actually beat me…" he said.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did," she said. "Impressed?"

"Unfortunately, I am," he said. "However...I can't let this stand." Skeletor jumped to his feet and sprinted towards She-ven for one last ditch attack.

She-ven threw herself into the air over him, as he prepared to swing his staff like a club. When she swung her sword, Skeletor held it in front of him in a reflexive maneuver. The Sword of Protection instantly cleaved his staff in two, as She-ven landed on the other side of him.

Skeletor looked down at his broken staff, energy crackling out of where it had been sliced. He said nothing, seemingly resigned to his fate. His arms went limp, dropping both halves to the ground. He fell to his knees.

He let out one final chuckle. "Against all odds…" he said. His body was beginning to dissolve. "I may have been killed, but remember this, child: death is but a doorway. I exist just beyond that barrier. I am death. Never forget this." With a final exhale, his body fell to the ground. All that remained was a skeleton in his robe.

"No," said She-ven. "What you are is dead, not death.

All across Etheria, and beyond, Skeletor's armies fell. Like a switch had been flipped, all of his countless undead soldiers fell to the dirt just as their master had, dead once more. The many necro-spheres faded into nothing, ending his reign for good. "Well, I'll be damned," said Hessonite, impressed. "That little green goofball actually pulled it off!"

Back at Mizar, She-ven walked over to her friends. "Guys, we...we did it!" she exclaimed. "Can you believe it?" However, they weren't nearly as ecstatic as she had imagined. "Guys? What's wrong?"

Connie showed her her arm: a purple corruption had spread across her flesh. "We're still cursed," she said.

"But...but we beat Skeletor!" exclaimed She-ven. "I thought you said that would take the curse away!"

"I guess not," said Glimmer. "Sometimes, if a sorcerer is powerful enough, a spell of theirs can last even after they're dead. But don't worry, I'm sure we can ask Aunt Casta for help. She'll think of something."

She-ven thought for a moment. "Hang on, I want to try something." She licked her palm, gripping the handle of her sword. Letting the compassion she felt for everyone around her flow through her, the sword started glowing. She held it into the air, as Steven's and She-Ra's healing powers swirled around them as one. Almost instantly, the purple corruption began to fade away.

Frosta looked down at herself. "Hey, no gross purple stuff!" she exclaimed. "It worked! She-ven, you did it!"

But She-ven had already defused. Steven and Adora braced themselves against each other, completely drained from the taxing battle. Everybody came over, crowding around the two heroes.

"Steven!" Connie said, throwing her arms around him. "That was amazing! You two were so good out there!"

Steven blushed. "Yeah, I guess so." He turned to Adora. "You were really good out there, too."

"Thanks, Steven," said Adora. "I couldn't have done it without you, though."

"Same here!" Steven said. "And neither of us could have done without all of you guys!"

"Aww, c'mere everyone! Group hug!" said Bismuth, scooping everyone up in a massive embrace.

Meanwhile, Catra stood some distance away, unseen by the group. Now that Skeletor was dead, their alliance no longer stood. And she had the perfect opportunity to capture the princess alliance and deliver them to Hordak. Her eyes locked on Adora, she lifted her stun baton slowly upward…

"Wildcat, we won!" shouted Scorpia. She scooped Catra up in a giant hug, seemingly unaware of her plans, causing her to drop the baton.

"Scorpia!" yelled Catra, annoyed. She struggled for a moment, before giving in. "Yeah, I guess we did win," she said. "I, ah, couldn't have done it without you. Scorpia beamed upon hearing this.

Both groups held their embrace for some time. Neither of them noticed for some time, but Skeletor's defeat seemed to have brought about some unexpected side effects. For example, a large, colorful rift now hung in the sky above Etheria. Where did it lead? Only time would tell.