Art by ShadowReader29

As you know, I am not against pursuing power in and of itself; it is a morally neutral aspect of one's identity. A tool, if you will.

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Micah sat with Angella in her office; his fianceé paced the room nervously. "I don't like this," she said, her voice carrying an agitated note. "Shadow Weaver may not be able to find the power herself, but if the Horde was able to use those tunnels...they could transport anywhere in Bright Moon. Perhaps even to the borders, to attack our allies." She sighed. "Was Shadow Weaver able to navigate the Whispering Woods?"

Micah nodded. "I thought they were enchanted – Horde squadrons have trouble making it through."

"That's one legend," Angella said, sitting down. "But the First Ones took that secret with them. Did Light Spinner tell you about their stories?"

Micah shook his head, racking his brain for anything his teacher had said about the First Ones. "She had a mural of the She-Ra in her classroom, and I asked her about it. She scoffed – said it was a myth."

"Interesting," Angella said, her wings shimmering. Her brow furrowed. "The First Ones were said to have access to deep magic within Etheria. They had the power of sorcerers, except they could use it for indefinite periods of time. The Pull didn't exist till they left."

The Pull – the force that siphoned magic to Etheria's core, the reason for magic strain – had a beginning? "Do you think Shadow Weaver's trying to reach the deep magic?" Micah asked.

Angella paused. "I don't know. There's a chance." Almost to herself, she murmured, "And why would the grass die around her feet? It doesn't make sense – I've never seen a dark sorcerer accomplish such things."

They may as well have been stumbling in the dark. Normally, Micah would get his enemy to talk. That tactic revealed much more than simple sparring, even if they didn't outright state their exact plans. But how did one coax a mute into displaying her true goal, when they couldn't communicate?

The other question remained. Why is a mute person leading the Horde's army?

"We need to send a spy," Micah said suddenly. Angella frowned, but he continued. "It's our best bet. If she's going to keep showing up in the Woods, we need to know why."

"Who could we send?" Angella said. "We're already fairly low on soldiers, and we need someone whose face won't be recognized. We can't send our resources into a slaughterhouse."

Micah nodded. "That's fair. But maybe we could find someone who won't be recognized. Someone whose face isn't familiar to Shadow Weaver, or anyone."

"And where would we..." Angella trailed off as Zeka appeared in the doorway, holding a cream-pop and taking a long sip of the fizzy drink.

When she noticed them, she smiled, her tanned face flawless and model-pretty. "Oh, my dears!" she said, leaning against the doorway. "Are we discussing your wedding, perchance? You two are simply adorable!"

Micah and Angella exchanged a knowing look. Then Micah turned to the shifter. "Actually, Zeka...we could use your help with an important mission."

✧✧✧

Shadow Weaver staggered into the Fright Zone that evening. She'd drained all her magic in her fight with Micah, and she'd had to walk miles before she found a mirror close enough to take her home.

Her body shook as she walked along the halls of the Fright Zone's main complex, and faint chills had begun to set in. The dichotomy of the Spell of Obtainment was real – if madness didn't kill you, withdrawals would. Shadow Weaver wasn't certain which death she preferred yet.

She entered the Black Garnet chamber, walking up and pressing her hands to the stone. As the red electricity crackled along Shadow Weaver's arms – a power that the most advanced technicians were only beginning to realize – she let out a soft sound of pleasure. Something about the flow of magic into her body was deeply wonderful, filling her with a gentle, warm feeling.

Carmen left just before Shadow Weaver arrived, waving as she went to secure the Fright Zone for the evening. As soon as Shadow Weaver entered the room, she rushed over to her daughter's crib and swooped her baby up in her arms.

"Oh, Adora..." Shadow Weaver cried. Her baby, now two months old, opened enormous blue eyes. Adora had been little more than a newborn when Hordak found her in a field of long blue grass just outside the desert. He'd told her he'd wanted to go out to collect data on his experiments, but he found the sweet infant instead.

Now, Shadow Weaver had a bundle of pure joy in her life. She was a mother at long last.

Adora cooed, giving a wet smile as spittle ran down her chubby chin, and Shadow Weaver wiped the baby's face with a napkin. Tonight she would relax with her child on one of the few days she could; she never saw Adora enough nowadays.

Shadow Weaver curled up in her bed, holding her child softly. Comparing her to one of her students seemed shallow – except, perhaps, Micah. Adora's power pulsed beneath her mother's hand; Shadow Weaver wondered if she had been a princess in the previous kingdom she'd lived in, wherever that was.

She and Hordak had postulated long ago that Adora was some sort of alien, seeing as how there was no race with her skin tone and hair type on Etheria. But even Hordak was unsure he had ever seen a human like her in all his travels among the stars.

Adora was a miracle child, that much was clear – so special, so unique. And someday, Shadow Weaver's baby would walk and talk; she wondered what Adora's personality would be like. Would she be graceful, delicate, wise? Would she be rough-and-tumble, a great warrior for the Horde? Gazing at the pudgy creature in her arms, Shadow Weaver couldn't guess. But she was excited to find out.

"This is why I'm away, my love," she whispered to her daughter. "To care for you. To keep you safe." But she couldn't deny her true intentions, not anymore.

She had to ensure Adora succeeded. For if her daughter failed to meet Hordak's standards one day, the child wasn't the only one who would pay the price.

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Did you know...

- I commend my beta readers raylen-loves-to-read and LunaTiel for helping me with this scene. If you're familiar with the source material, you'll know how hard it is to write Shadow Weaver's relationship with Adora, especially from her own perspective.

- Adora is also known as She-Ra, the titular character of the source material.

Tell me what you think...

- How will Shadow Weaver's relationship with Adora unfold throughout the story?

- Do you think it's a good idea to send Zeka to observe Shadow Weaver? Why or why not?