Tales from the Cave-Sleeping Beauty

Breaking Free

It was as dark as night without the moon to stars. Superboy couldn't see anything past the thick black shroud that surrounded him. All he could think about was M'gann, deep within her magical slumber. I couldn't save her...I can't even save myself. At that moment, he didn't want Superman's acceptance, or Vandal Savage's downfall. All he wanted was to be at her side one more time.

All of the sudden, he heard strange noises from beyond the darkness. There was ripping and battle cries. Moments later, a great white light ripped through the pitch black, momentarily blinding him. When his vision cleared, he saw the stoic but friendly face of Aqualad staring back at him. "Kaldur...what's going on?" Aqualad pulled him out of the pod. "Superboy, Red Arrow led us to your location. We have come to free you so that you could free Miss Martian."

Fully awake, Conner stared at him and the rest of the Team. "Me? Free M'gann?" Red Arrow landed next to him. "I overheard that Martian sorceress talking to Savage. In order for the curse to be broken, M'gann has to receive the kiss of true love!" "What's this gotta do with me?" "Superboy, YOU are M'gann's true love.", Kaldur said. "It is YOUR kiss and YOUR kiss alone that can awaken M'gann."

Conner's eyebrows shot up. "Wh-What?! Me and M'gann? True love?" He looked at the others, who were nodding in agreement. "C'mon! You guys are so obvious!", Robin said. "Why do you think I stopped flirting with you months ago?", Artemis asked sarcastically. "Yeah, Supey! Miss M has the hots for you!", Wally said, wiggling his eyebrows. Conner pumped both fists in the air. "YES!" Then he remembered he wasn't alone. "I mean...cool."

Red Arrow nodded. "C'mon! We gotta get you back to Mount Justice!" The Team ran towards the exit, only to be cut off by a great explosion. Standing right in front of the Team were Klaricon the Witch Boy, Gorilla Grodd, Blockbuster, Mammoth, Shimmer, and the Riddler, all being led by Sportsmaster, spinning his flail around in a circular motion. "Sorry, kids. You're not going anywhere." Aqualad got out his water bearers. "Team, GO!"

Robin covered Zatanna while she went head-to-head with Klaricon in a magic duel. Artemis fought with her father, with Wally at her side. Kaldur and Raquel took care of Gorilla Grodd. Conner went all out to beat Mammoth and Blockbuster to a pulp. While the two monstrosities were trying to catch their breath, Red Arrow shot them with an arrow, covering them in fast-drying foam.

"Superboy! Make your escape NOW!" Superboy nodded in understanding before bonding out the door. "Don't let him get away!", Klaricon screamed. He tried to run after him, but was blasted with Zatanna's blue mystic energy three feet from the exit. He groaned as he sat up and held a hand to his ear. "Witch Boy to Savage! The Weapon is escaping to awaken the Martian! I repeat! The Weapon is going to wake the Martian!"
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Conner leapt through the air, soaring over buildings, towards Happy Harbor. He could see Mount Justice in the distance. Don't worry, M'gann! I'm coming for you! Just the thought of her made him leap higher and further.

When he was only a mile or two away, something happened. The sand parted as giant black trees sprouted from the ground. They curled around the mountain and grew thorns, thorns that were sharp enough to impale a person. Before Conner knew what was happening, Mount Justice was surrounded by a great thicket of black, hard briar plants.

This is Helle's work! She's trying to keep me from reaching M'gann! He clenched his fists and charged into the forest of black trees, ripping the prickly branches apart with his bare hands to create a path to the entrance. Thorns poked and skidded across his skin, but failed to leave a mark, only succeeding in tearing his white solar suit. By the time he ripped of the last in his way, the torso of his suit was completely gone, leaving his chest exposed.

He grinned as he saw the opening to the Zeta tubes only a few feet from where he stood, without so much as a single tiny thorn blocking it. He had barely taken a step closer when the ground suddenly shook and rumbled with a great ferocity that had never been experienced. Dark clouds rolled in the sky above, accompanied by the most terrible sounding thunder.

With a flash of black lightining, there she was. Helle, in her sickly white skin and her thick black robe, a sphere of pitch black floating just above her head, her red eyes narrowed at Conner. "You are much more courageous than I gave you credit for.", she said. "But if you think that I am going to allow you to awaken the princess and let my revenge run down the drain, you are sorely mistaken!"

She raised her arms over her head, a cloud of thick black smog swirling around her.  "Now, young hero, you shall have to deal with ME, and all of the powers of HELL!"  As she was enveloped in black smoke, lightning and thunder struck.  The cloud grew bigger and bigger, reaching to twenty feet above the mountain peak.  When it all cleared, Helle had transformed into the most hideous beast, a dragon with scales of coal black and slime green.  Her jaws were lined with all sorts of pointed teeth, like dozens of white knives, sharp enough to bite a tree clean in half.  Her eyes were bigger and even redder than before, and gray smoke steamed from her nostrils as a loud growl rumbled from her mouth.

Helle dove in and snapped her jaws at Conner like a hungry piranha.  He jumped out of the way and rolled on his back in the opposite direction.  She let out a giant breath of black-and-green fire.  He dodged it by leaping behind a bush of thorns.  What am I going to do?, he thought in a panic.  Even with my powers, I don't stand a chance against a fire-breathing dragon!

Suddenly, a small ball of golden light appeared out of thin air and floated towards him. He shielded his eyes from going blind as it spoke to him in a clear, feminine, almost-musical voice. "I am Lucena, Martian Sorceress of Light. I have been watching you, Conner Kent, and I have seen that you are truly the one destined to awaken the princess. And so, to assist you in your quest, I bestow upon you, this gift."

Conner looked at his right hand as a beam of golden light formed over it. As the light faded, Conner found he was holding a great sword of steel, with a red handle. "The Sword of Truth.", Lucena told him. "Arm thyself with these, and triumph over the evil that is the Sorceress of Darkness."

Gripping the sword in his hand, Conner leapt out of the bush and towards the dragon Helle. She dove her head towards him, but he dodged her right in time, before bringing the sword down on her snout. She knocked him aside, sending him flying over the sand, landing right by the part of the beach where the tide met the shore

She cackled wickedly as she cornered him, her mouth smoking like a chimney as she prepared to strike the final fiery blow. Conner looked at his sword, which was now sparkling with gold magic dust. As he held it tight, he thought about M'gann—her beautiful smile, her bubbly laughter, her eyes that seemed to see past his hard armor, the way she always did her best to understand him, how she went out of her way to make him feel special and loved. He thought of her, lying still in her bed, deep under her spell.

Mustering up every last ounce of courage and bravery he had in his heart, he charged towards the dragon Helle, reared his arm back, and hurdled the Sword of Truth at her. It landed dead center in her chest, piercing her right in the heart. She let out a high-pitched scream of agony that rattled all over the coast. Conner ran away as fast as he could as Helle fell over into the vast ocean waves, emitting the biggest splash ever seen or made by a living creature.

When the water cleared away, all that remained was the Sword of Truth, stuck in three feet of seawater, surrounded by a puddle of purple Martian blood. Helle, the all-powerful Martian Sorceress of Darkness, was no more.