Tales From the Cave-Beauty & the Superbeast

A Less-Than-Ideal Reunion

M'gann clung tightly to the horse's mane as it traveled back up the path where he had led Geppetto. He was frightened, she could sense it, but she kept him calm with mental words of comfort, all while instructing him and asking him questions. As they galloped through the trees, M'gann couldn't help but feel as if she knew this place. Something about it was so familiar, she just couldn't figure out what it was.

Finally, she saw the horse leading her to a gate up ahead. He slowed down to carry her through, and only then did M'gann realize the snow falling from above, piling on her shoulders. The gates opened all on their own, which startled her for a moment. As the gates closed behind them, the horse gently trotted to the very center of the grounds, and that's when M'gann recognized it.

She was back. Back at Mount Justice. She knew that it was the same Mount Justice, despite the fact that it had changed a lot since she had been gone. The Cave no longer possessed the happy, wondrous vibe that it used to. The whole place now seemed dark and dreary, and the beautiful lush greenery that had decorated the mountainside were dead and wilted, covered in a blanket of thick white snow. But despite the significant change, M'gann would recognize it anywhere.

She leapt off the horse and hurried towards the entrance. She was surprised to see that the Zeta tubes had become broken-down and rusted, like they hadn't been used in years. Of course, that did allow M'gann easy entrance into the Cave. Even though everything looked the same, it still felt as gloomy on the inside as it looked on the outside. Taking a deep breath, M'gann gathered all of her courage and stepped inside.
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"Its all your fault!", Robin whined, hopping up and down in frustration. "What?! My fault?!", Wally shouted, waving his lit candle hands all around himself. "How is it my fault?!" Just then, he felt a tickle of feathers on his side. He didn't need to guess who it was.

Artemis put her winged arms on her hips, where a bundle of fluffy white feathers grew. Like most of her friends, she, too, had been transformed. The curse had left her in the body of a feather duster, with a decorative bird for the handle. "Need I remind you, Wally, it was your idea to welcome that man into the castle. Now the poor guy's stuck rotting in a cell for the rest of his life!"

Before Wally could utter another word of protest, he was silenced by the sound of footsteps echoing through the Cave. Kaldur stiffened. "What's this? Another one?" They all stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for something. What it was, they weren't sure. Until, finally, a voice called out. A voice they knew all too well, and thought they's never hear again.

"Hello? Is anybody here? Hello?" Artemis gasped, words not being able to describe what she was feeling inside. "Its...its...its M'gann!" They all hurried to the stairs to see if it was true, or if it were their ears deceiving them. They hid behind the banister and leaned out to get a better look. Sure enough, their old friend was there, standing in the center of the training, looking frightened but determined at the same time.

"I can't believe it!", Zatanna whispered fiercely, her painted eyes wide with disbelief. "I didn't think we'd ever see her again! What is she doing here?" Wally grinned from ear to ear—at least he would have if he still had ears. "I just thought of something! What if she's the one? The one who'll break the spell?" "Oh, this again!", Kaldur scoffed. "I have told you over and over again, we cannot get our hopes up!"

Wally's grin stayed in tact. "Say whatever you want, Kal! But this isn't a coincidence! This is fate! Fate brought M'gann back to the Cave, so she and Conner can fall in love all over again and break the curse, and we can all become human again!" He snuck through the bars. "I'm gonna go follow her!" Kaldur shook his head sadly. "Oh, Wallace. You shouldn't count your chickens before they are hatched."