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It was late into the evening when Finn had slipped out from under the edge of the tent and went running towards where the skiffs were taking off from as they held the small backpack they’d grabbed on their way out. Inside of it was a water bottle, their stuffed whale, and an apple. They knew their moms would be worried but they knew they were doing the right thing. The whole situation revolved around them and they knew they could make it right.
Finn came up to the landing area and waved at a guy strapping down the last of some bags to a skiff. Onboard already were his husband and their two children. The guy waved back as Finn came up to him in the dark and said, “Hey, kid. Whatcha need?”
“Are you going to the Fright Zone?” Finn said. “My family is there, they called and said for me to come. I need to get to them.”
“Naw, kid, we’re not going there. Closest we’re getting is a little farm on the border of the Zone to refuel before heading up into the Kingdom of Snows,” the guy replied.
“Can I go with you to the farm? It’s at least closer. Please?” Finn said, putting on their most pleading face.
“Where’s your family in the Fright Zone?” the guy’s husband said.
“They live by Horror Hall,” Finn said.
“Teak, let the kid on and let’s take them all the way to the edge of the actual Zone. That’s pretty close to where they need to go,” the guy’s husband said. “It’s not that far out of our way. Besides, this kid’s family said for them to come out there. How bad can it be?”
Teak sighed and said, “Alright, kid, get on. What’s your name?”
“Eel,” Finn said as they scrambled up with Teak climbing on behind them.
“Well you know I’m Teak, that’s my husband Willow, and our two kids, Ceph and Mara,” Teak said as he settled down at the controls. He started up the engines and they started to lift off as Finn sat down against a bag and pulled their knees in tight. They were still dressed in the shorts and t-shirt they’d been wearing earlier in the day and it was chilly as they climbed into the air.
Willow started digging through a bag and said, “Eel, here, take these pants and jacket. They should fit you.”
“No, that’s ok,” Finn said.
“Stop, it’s no problem. I insist,” Willow said. “Mara has already grown out of them, we just packed them in a hurry on accident when we were leaving instead of leaving them for the community.”
Finn took the clothes from him as they said, “Thank you.”
They put the and jacket on over their clothes they were wearing and felt a bit warmer as they flew. Willow and the children, who were a few years older than Finn, chatted with them as they flew. Finn did their best to make small talk but as they got closer they got more and more nervous. When they saw the spires of the Fright Zone sticking up with the aircraft warning lights on them, their stomach clenched into a tight ball.
Teak brought them in for a landing near the road leading into the Fright Zone. Finn said goodbye to everyone and then climbed down. Teak got down with them and once on the ground said, “Eel, you sure you need to be here? For someone going to see their family, you’ve started looking awful scared as we got closer.”
Finn forced a smile and said, “Yeah, I’m good. Just all the fear from today catching up.”
Teak nodded, not entirely convinced but not really sure what else to do, and said, “Do you want me to walk you to the house?”
Finn thought about what could happen to Teak if he did walk with them to where they were going and shook their head. “No, it’s not too far from here. I’ll be fine. Thanks though.”
Teak gripped Finn’s shoulder and said, “Take care. When you and your family come back to Plumeria, look us up, Ok?”
“I will,” Finn said.
Teak sighed, gave Finn’s shoulder one last squeeze, and then got back on board and flew off with his family. Finn watched them go, turned, and began walking towards Horror Hall.
Back in Scorpia and Perfuma's tent it was chaos. They'd searched the immediate area around the tent and the oldest kids, a couple of almost grown teenagers, had run around the village trying to find Finn. Adora sat on the ground as she tried to call Glimmer over and over and each time received no answer. All the kids were up and scared all over again and the adults did their best to console them.
"Adora, please, for the love of Mara, stop," Catra said. "Give it ten minutes."
"We might not have that! We gotta figure this out now!" Adora said, as she held a little three-year old girl and rocked her a little.
"And we're wasting time on that. She's not available, we plan around it, ok?" Catra said.
Adora sighed and sat the data pad down. One of the kids who'd gone looking had already stuck their head in to say they hadn't found Finn yet and then gone back out to try again. The next kid walked in five minutes after, their face pale.
"What is it, Rose?" Perfuma said.
"I talked with someone over at the landing field. They saw Finn getting on a skiff with Teak and Willow's family right before they flew off," Rose said. Then he swallowed hard and said, "The guy said it looked like they were headed for the Fright Zone."
"We need a skiff right now!" Catra said.
"Rose, stay here with your Mom and siblings, please," Perfuma said.
Rose nodded and started talking with the other kids as the three adults stepped outside. They were about to talk when Scorpia came out.
"Wow, just going to leave me out?" she said.
“Lovebug, you’ve had a bad enough day,” Perfuma said. “I just thought that, you know, you could rest.”
“I’ll rest when all of my children are back safe,” Scorpia said as a little red spark ran down an arm to pop off the end of her claw.
“Listen, I have an idea,” Catra said. “It may not work but Finn’s forced our hand. We gotta act.”
Adora nodded and said, “What is it?”
“We need to get a skiff. Adora and I are headed for the Fright Zone. Scorpia, stay here,” Catra said and then held her hand up as Scorpia started to protest. “I’m not sidelining you. From what I heard when we were talking earlier, you fought off a couple of those monsters she uses and did it for a long time. It’s best that you stay here in case she tries something of the same.”
Scorpia sighed and nodded her head as she said, “Alright, I’ll do it. What about Perfuma?”
“Perfuma, you stay with her so you can back her up if necessary,” Catra said.
“No,” Perfuma said flatly. “I’m going with you two.”
“I think it'll be best if you…,” Catra started to say and then stepped back as Perfuma slowly started raising off the ground, supported by slowly growing vines.
“Don’t tell me what you think will be best for me, Catra,” Perfuma said in a low voice as thorny bushes and poisonous flowers grew around her and wrapped her body. “She took my children, she attacked my wife, I’m going to be there. If she manages to escape again, she’ll learn to fear every plant, every tree, every blade of grass she walks across until I have had my full vengeance.”
Catra looked up at Perfuma leaning over her and then turned back to the other two and said, “Scorpia, you’ll have to manage without backup.”
Scorpia looked up with a loving smile at Perfuma as she said, “I can do that.”
“Alright, then let’s get going,” Catra said.
Perfuma lowered back to the ground and gave Scorpia a tight hug and a kiss.
“I’ll be back soon,” Perfuma said.
“You can’t know that,” Scorpia said in a whisper.
“Nothing will stop me coming back to you,” Perfuma whispered to her.
“I love you,” Scorpia said.
“I love you too,” Perfuma said as identical flower crowns of delphinium, nightshade, and foxglove woven through oleander branches settled on their heads.
Soon the three were running towards the landing field and as they arrived they saw it was almost empty except for one skiff with two people chatting beside it by the light of a lantern. They ran up to them as Catra said, “Hey, we gotta borrow your skiff right now. Whatta you need for us to do that?”
The big red haired woman leaning against the skiff turned to Catra and said, “You’re not taking my skiff. There’s nothing you can offer me alright?”
Adora stepped forward and said, “Please, we’re trying to stop all this madness that’s going on. We’ll give you whatever you want. Name your price!”
“Listen, it’s not happening,” the woman replied. “Go try someone else.”
“There is no one else!” Catra said, waving her arms around at the empty field.
“That’s a you problem, not a me problem,” the woman said and then she saw Perfuma start to step forward into the lantern light. “And don’t try and tell me you're my sovereign or whatever. It’s mine.”
The light underlit Perfuma’s face, throwing her eyes into shadow so it seemed to be two dark holes looking back as she stared at the woman and said nothing for a long minute. The other woman that had been there began to slowly back away.
“Hey, listen, I get you gotta get somewhere but really, it’s just… you know, I don’t want to… could you stop staring at me like that please?” the first woman said.
Perfuma said nothing.
“Hey, come on now, you’re really creeping me out,” the first woman said as the other woman made it to the front of the skiff and then took off running into the night.
Perfuma took a step forward and said quietly, “Why? I’m just waiting for another skiff to come along. This seemed as good a place as any to wait. If that creeps you out, well, that's a you problem.”
The woman shoved her hand in her pocket, dug around a moment, and then tossed the key at Perfuma. It hit her in the chest and fell to the ground.
“There, just take it. Alright? I’m sorry,” the woman said.
“No. That would be wrong,” Perfuma said in the same low voice. “I believe Adora said to name your price.”
The woman blinked once in bewilderment and then named a fair price.
“Sold!” Catra said as she snatched the key off the ground and stepped forward to yank open the engine panel. “Go to Bright Moon and tell them I sent you. They’ll pay you. Make sure they give you enough to cover your travel as well.”
The last part was shouted from inside the engine panel as Catra stuck herself into it and started fiddling with something. The woman nodded and ran off as Adora stepped up and said, “What are you doing!? We gotta go!”
“And we’ll go faster now that I took the engine limiter off,” Catra replied as she came back out of the hatch and tossed an engine part on the ground. “Engine won’t be worth a dang by the time we get there but that’s fine. We might even overtake the skiff Finn is on before they get there if we’re lucky.”
They all scrambled on board and Catra fired the engine up and took off from the field. It was a mad rush through the night as they flew, the skiff making ominous noises as Catra brought it to the very edge of its operating envelope, and Catra shouted her plan at them over the noise of the wind screaming past.
“After you drop me off by the old supply depot, take the skiff, stay low, and land behind that tower just to the southeast of Horror Hall’s entrance,” Catra said. “Once you land, give it five minutes and then move in like we discussed. Understand?”
They all nodded as the spires of the Fright Zone came into view.
While Catra, Adora, and Perfuma were still on their way, Finn walked across the shattered landscape of the Fright Zone. It was lush and green but it was obvious to see that the ground was still broken. Lights were on here and there on old structures that rose up around the road that Finn walked along but they gave little light and many shadows. Finn hugged themself tighter as they walked along because they could see that some of those shadows were moving and beginning to follow them as they got closer and closer to Horror Hall. They stopped for a moment in a pool of light and pulled out their water bottle from their pack.
“I know, Mx. Whale, I am too,” they said to their stuffed whale inside their pack. “But we can’t let her hurt Artho and Oak. We have to protect our moms too.”
They took a swallow of water and looked at the shifting shadows behind them and shuddered before putting the bottle back in their pack and zipping it closed again and continuing on. Not long after, they stood at the bottom of the wide steps leading up to the cavernous entrance to Horror Hall. The bulk of the Fright Zone structure soared overhead, ominous and looming. Finn had never felt so small or scared, even when they had been a street kid living behind boxes in a filthy alley in Seaworthy by themself before their moms had found them. They almost ran at that point, even took a step backwards, but knew that they had to go on. They squared their shoulders, pulled the straps on their backpack just a bit tighter, and began the walk up the steps.
As they neared the top, they could dimly see the murals along the wall of Scorpia’s ancestors and Finn shivered at the looming figures in the dark hall. When they reached the top and stepped into the entrance they saw Shadow Weaver, reclining on the throne at the back of the room. Finn came to a stop and did their best to stand upright and not let their legs shake.
“Hello, Finn,” Shadow Weaver said. “I’m a bit surprised to see you so soon but I assume your parents decided that it was best not to test me any further and do the right thing. Come over to me please. We have much to do, you and I.”
Finn stood unmoving, thinking back on all the stories they’d heard from the princesses over the years and the books they’d read, and knew what they had to say.
“I am Finn of Bright Moon and my moms did not send me. I am here of my own free will and I face you to save my friends you’ve taken and protect my family,” Finn said.
Shadow Weaver looked at Finn for a moment and then threw her head back and laughed.
“ You!? You think you’re going to be able to do anything against me!?” she said as she continued to laugh.
“How’s the leg doing?” Finn said.
Her laughter stopped immediately.
“Growing up around princesses has obviously given you delusions of grandeur,” Shadow Weaver said as she stood up. “That’s alright. When I’m raising you, you’ll learn better and when you’ve come into your full potential because of me, you’ll have no delusions, you’ll simply have grandeur.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you because you still haven’t kept your word,” Finn said. “You said if I came to Horror Hall and my moms didn’t come anywhere near it, you’d let Artho and Oak go. I don’t see them.”
Shadow Weaver stepped down off the throne as she gestured at them and said, “Well, you still aren’t really in Horror Hall now, are you?”
Finn took a step forward over the threshold and said, “There. Done. Let them go right now.”
Shadow Weaver smiled and said, “Really? Technicalities? Very well, it’s not like you’re going to be leaving here without me.”
She waved her hand and from an alcove Artho and Oak came scrambling out, trails of red and black smoke dissipating off of them.
Finn took another step forward towards them and said, “Are you alright!?”
Oak nodded as she said, “Why are you here!?”
Artho couldn’t speak because she had tape wrapped around her mouth and she glared at Shadow Weaver and her tail and stinger strained towards her as she glared at her.
“Don’t worry,” Finn said. “It’s going to work out.”
Oak gave a grin as she said, “Brave. I like it.”
Finn, knowing how much she loved the old stories of bravery and aspired towards the same, just gave her a weak smile.
“You two insufferable brats get out right now,” Shadow Weaver said, then pointed at Artho. “And if that one takes the tape off before she’s out of my earshot I’ll make sure she doesn’t speak again.”
Artho made a rude gesture at Shadow Weaver that Finn couldn’t quite see as Oak grabbed her and started dragging her towards the entrance. Finn watched the two go past them as Oak looked at Finn.
“I can stay with you,” she said.
“Run. Get to safety,” Finn said quietly back to her. "I'll be right behind you."
Oak paused before nodding and leaving with Artho. Finn heard Shadow Weaver say, "There. Word kept. Now come over here child, we have much to discuss."
Finn nodded and began to walk towards her.
Elsewhere, Adora piloted the skiff to a landing behind the tower. As it settled to the ground and she shut down the engine it gave a loud whine followed by clanking and rattling noises. Then, with a little shudder, it went to silence as smoke began to seep out of the engine hatch. She put her hand on it for a moment and said a silent thank you to it for holding on until the last moment. Then she looked at the clock on the instrument panel. She thought the plan was too slapdash to work but they were out of options.
"Starting the count," Adora said, taking deep breathes to keep herself from running immediately. Perfuma stood in meditative stillness waiting. After an agony of time had passed, Adora jumped off the skiff and started moving with Perfuma right beside her.
As they rounded the tower, they saw the entrance to Horror Hall in the distance and then Perfuma muffled a cry as she saw Artho and Oak running in the distance. Adora spotted them as well and nodded at Perfuma, who took off after them. Adora slipped along the ground, moving from one piece of old, busted machinery to the next, and as she came close to the entrance she stopped and waited, listening, at the bottom of the stairs. Perfuma was supposed to be on the other side to help but Adora knew getting her children was more important.
As she listened, Adora could indistinctly hear Shadow Weaver's smug voice and then she had to hold her hand over her mouth when she heard Finn's voice answer her. She began creeping up the steps, straining to hear what was being said, hoping Catra would be in place, and that this wasn't all for nothing. When she reached the top, she carefully peeked over the edge, trying to see anything. The room was dark but she could just make out Shadow Weaver sitting on the throne and Finn standing directly in front of her. She fought down the impulse to charge right in and took a deep breath, waiting for her chance.
Inside, unaware of Adora so close, Finn said, "So you think, even though I'm not her biological child, that I have some connection to She-Ra and can become just as powerful?"
"Not just as powerful, Finn. More powerful. Think of all that you could do! This is what I'll train you to do. You'll learn magic, you'll become powerful, and when the time is right, you'll shoulder the mantel of She-Ra, and ascend to power beyond what you could possibly imagine," Shadow Weaver said, her eyes gleaming.
Finn stood there, mere feet from her, as they fought the fear gripping them and said, "I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. At all."
"I've studied this for years," Shadow Weaver said. "I know exactly what I'm talking about. And for a child who was cowering in their towel closet only a few days ago you sure seem to be very brave all of a sudden."
"I'm still scared but I'm not going to keep letting you hurt people," Finn said as they hugged themself.
"And I won't, now that you're here. You made the right decision to come to me. Now come along, it's time to leave," Shadow Weaver said as she stood.
"No," Finn said as they felt themself begin to shake harder.
"Finn, you're used to how it was with Catra and Adora but now that you are with me you will obey me without question. Now come to my side. We're leaving," Shadow Weaver said.
"I said no. I'm not going with you. Just leave everyone alone. I don't want any of what you said and you can't make me. Just go away," Finn said, their voice quivering but their face was firm. Adora, watching the exchange, tensed as she tried to will Finn to move just a little to either side.
"Finn, this is the last time I'll ask politely and I believe that you'll quickly find out that, yes, I certainly can make you," Shadow Weaver said.
Finn tensed up, felt tears in their eyes, and said, "No!"
Shadow Weaver shrugged and said, "So be it. Then you'll learn."
The red electricity leapt from her hand and Adora would remember Finn's frightened scream forever. She launched over the threshold, transforming, to be suddenly met with a seething group of shadowy figures. Her sword swung but as soon as one fell, two more seemed to take its place.
"I figured you'd make a feeble attempt, Adora," Shadow Weaver said looking up at her. "Looks like you're all alone though. Guess your little spat didn't go so well. Who would have thought that Catra would be the smart one?" Shadow Weaver said.
Adora screamed as she fought, wanting to just let loose, obliterate all the creatures, but she was handicapped because she couldn't go full force or she could endanger Finn. Shadow Weaver watched for a moment with a smile, barely able to make out Adora's form in the mass of creatures. She looked back down at Finn, figuring they'd had enough time to process the brief shock. What she hadn't expected was Finn sitting up with a surprised look on their face, unharmed.
"How do you keep doing that!?" Shadow Weaver shouted.
"I don't know!" Finn screamed back and then ran right at her.
She didn't hesitate and blasted Finn with more electricity and it flowed around them like water around a stone in a river as a faint looming angelic figure seemed to form behind them. Finn didn't hesitate and was almost able to grab her when she backhanded them and they went tumbling as the figure disappeared. A split second later, she was slammed back into the wall, held in place by thick, gnarled vines.
"You!" Perfuma screamed from the entrance. " Suffer!"
Shadow Weaver groaned out in pain before the vines were suddenly slashed by a flowing darkness and more electricity flew from her hand blasting Perfuma back down the steps. Shadow Weaver hit the ground and stepped forward to grab Finn.
"We're leaving!" she screamed as she grabbed them by the shoulder and started to drag them towards a hallway by the throne.
Finn struggled as she dragged them along and then finally got their feet under them. They reached up, grabbed her wrist, remembered to grip just right, and then threw her, just like Catra had shown them. Shadow Weaver hit the ground and was staggering to her feet, eyes blazing in fury when Catra came running out of the hallway with a laser cannon on her shoulder. Shadow Weaver had just enough time for her eyes to widen as Catra slid to a halt and spoke, only feet away from Shadow Weaver.
"Thank you," Catra said, looking her right in the eye. Then she pulled the trigger.
An hour later, the three sat on the stairs in front of Horror Hall, looking out over the Fright Zone. Finn sat between the two as they held their stuffed whale in their arms and Catra and Adora held them in their arms.
After Shadow Weaver fell, the things attacking Adora had fled with high pitched wailing noises as Adora had staggered forward a little and then looked back and forth with wide eyes. Then she spotted Catra aiming the laser cannon at the crumpled figure of Shadow Weaver while Finn hid their face in her shoulder. Adora ran to them, going back to herself, and embraced them tightly as well as the cannon slid off Catra's shoulder and she carefully set it on the ground.
Finn was shaking so hard Adora didn't know how they were still standing. They kept trying to say something but it wouldn't come out. Catra stroked the back of their head as Adora held their hand and said, "It's ok. You don't have to speak. It's ok."
"Perfuma!" Finn finally said and pointed towards the outside. Adora caught on immediately and went running. Catra carefully led Finn outside. They saw Perfuma, at the bottom of the steps, sitting up and shaking her head as Adora ran towards her. Adora helped her up as Artho and Oak came running out of a hiding place. Finn saw them all, moving and none the worse for wear, and sighed a little as they took their pack off and lay down on the stairs with their head in Catra's lap. Catra gently stroked their fur between their ears as they watched Adora coming back up.
"Are you mad at me?" Finn said in a small voice.
"No, kiddo. I love you and I just hope that's the stupidest thing you ever do. Although that'll be hard to top," Catra said. Finn started shaking and crying and Catra got them into her lap and rocked them as she sang to them quietly of being strong and brave.
Glimmer jumped in shortly afterwards with Bow, both looking battered and tired. They'd gone into Horror Hall for a minute before coming back out to sit down beside all of them. Perfuma had already made her short visit in, returning without her crown of poisonous flora, and they all sat in silence for a little bit before Glimmer briefly told them the attacks had ceased and she'd spent a few minutes jumping around to find them. She kept rubbing the burned stubble on one side of her head as she spoke. As she wrapped up the brief catch-up she saw Finn holding their stuffed whale.
"Is that Mx. Whale?" Glimmer said. Finn nodded. "May I see them please?"
Finn handed the whale to her. She held it for a moment and looked at it with a sad smile.
"Mom made this for me when I was little. I got scared a lot because Dad was gone. She gave it to me and said that as long as I had them with me that I'd always be protected. The day you came home I remember grabbing some of my old toys for you and bringing them over. You took right to them. I'm glad to see you both came through," she said and then sighed. "I miss her."
She handed the stuffed whale back to Finn and soon she took Perfuma and the kids home. When she returned she jumped everyone else to Catra and Adora's house. Finn curled up on the couch, exhausted, as Glimmer pulled Catra and Adora to the side as Bow sat with Finn. She quietly told them that her and Bow would take care of Shadow Weaver.
"Take her back to that cottage. Bury her there," Adora had said. Glimmer agreed and her and Bow were soon gone after a few tearful hugs goodbye. Finn sat up from the couch as Adora came over and hugged them.
"Do you need to sleep with us tonight, sweetheart?" Adora said.
Catra stood beside her and said, "It's not a problem, kiddo."
Finn shook their head and stood up with their stuffed whale.
"I think I'll be ok in my own room. I'm ready to sleep for hours," Finn said with a yawn.
So they went to bed, Adora and Catra tucking them in before reluctantly leaving the room. They fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully, all through the night.