The sorcerer interacts with the lunar fabric in the air. This, and the moondust within a person, communicate with one another. A sorcerer will draw in the air with moondust they have absorbed – then Tesseract will recognize the message and manipulate the fifth dimension accordingly. This method is used to cast all manners of spells.

❂❂❂

Having placed Princess Glimmer in her crib, Nell spotted Micah's form entering the nursery. The look in his friend's eye was clear: we need to talk.

Nell bit his tongue; he'd heard that Micah ran into Alura at the ball. Sickness wove through his stomach as he followed the young king into Angella's office, which rested a short ways away.

Finally, Micah spoke. "Angella went to bed."

"She needs the rest. Is there a more serious matter to discuss?"

"There was no attack at the Snows. She was just...there."

"Why didn't they chase her out?"

Micah lowered his eyes, shaking his head. "My guess is the queen didn't want to cause a stir. That, or...this Alliance really is on the brink of collapse."

"We have helped her," Nell said. "The bulk of Alwyn's supplies go to the Snows. Micah, there's something more you're not telling me." The words were ridiculous – Nell kept his share of secrets from the king – but he couldn't tell him what was on his mind. The cost was too high...

You know Micah won't do that to you. You're making excuses. He ignored the whisper as his friend sat at Angella's desk. Though Micah was only twenty-five, the youth in his system had been drained prematurely, leaving behind a worried husk.

Finally, Micah spoke. "I miss her." Nell pulled a chair over near Micah's as the younger man continued. "She's awful, Nell. So cruel...but I miss her. But what right do I have to care? It was my fault she ended up that way."

Nell sighed, his own conflicted feelings causing friction. On the one hand, he wanted to see Shadow Weaver stuck in a prison for a long, long time. But on the other, speaking to her was his last chance to apologize. How could Nell express this to Micah, when he still hadn't come to terms with his own desire for redemption?

Finally, he decided on a consolation. "It's okay to care about her," he said softly. "She doesn't stop being a person just because of her mistakes. Believe me...I know."

Micah cast his eyes toward Nell. "You keep making comments like that. What do you mean? I don't know anything about your life before the Rebellion."

Nell's chest tightened. Try. You have to try.

"My father tried to kill me."

Micah's eyes widened. "What?"

"He didn't know that he was close," Nell said, his body alight with phantom pain. "There was something wrong with his brain. A Delvalian hit my dad on the head with a brick, and he almost died."

Micah's eyes were alight with concern as Nell continued, the confession gushing from his mouth. "He beat me. Beat me until I was bleeding. I still have the scars on my back. I would have died if not for her – she saved me –"

"Her?" Micah asked, tilting his head.

Nell shook. His heart pounded. Moons...what would become of him now?

"Alura. You called her Light Spinner – we – we –" He swallowed. "We were going to get married." Nell's cheeks grew hot. How could he express the love, the connection between himself and Alura? "I...I was a fool," he said. "I left her two weeks before for my career. It's my greatest regret."

Micah stayed there, his eyes still shocked. "Nell, I'm – I had no idea she –" he bit his lip. "I thought she just didn't want to get married."

"So she never told you," Nell murmured, shaking his head. "You never knew what a coward I was..."

"A coward? Nell, I'm glad you said something. I thought I was the only one who understood her, but now someone else...they get what I'm struggling with!"

Nell tilted his head. "You're...not mad?"

"Everyone makes mistakes – like when I left her at the cauldron." He sighed, smiling ruefully. "Hence why we're in this mess to begin with."

Nell frowned. "Micah...I know you likely already know this, but you can't blame yourself for what happened there. She made her choice –"

"And I was the one who sealed it in stone." This was not a matter Micah cared to debate. "But it doesn't matter. We have to stop her somehow."

"Agreed," Nell said. He'd done it. He might be about to wet his pants, but in the end, Nell found the courage.

And everything turned out okay.

✧✧✧

Shadow Weaver bowed before Hordak. "My lord," she said, adopting a form of grace. "I have extracted information regarding the Fractal Flake."

"Good," Hordak said from the shadows. "You have a comprehensive map of its location?"

"Yes. There is but one problem."

"Which is?"

Shadow Weaver inhaled. "The Palace is hewn of ice. I fear to create a distraction large enough to attack, we'll need a tank to cause its collapse."

"That will not be necessary, with your unique abilities."

"On the contrary," Shadow Weaver said, "I fear my unique abilities are easily countered by the Dellaneve. Not only is their king a sorcerer, but their soldiers were specifically trained to fight sorcerers. The Snows have never been friendly with Mystacor."

"Hmph. I knew we would require a full-scale attack, but..." Hordak trailed off. "I have a solution."

"Speak, my lord."

"You will end both the king and queen of the Snows. The infant princess you will take back to the Fright Zone – by the time she is grown, you will long since have obtained the runestone."

Shadow Weaver swallowed. One sorcerer was dangerous enough, particularly since she couldn't wear iridulium without impeding her own abilities. But the queen? With the most powerful runestone on Etheria – capable of freezing the entire northern kingdom year-round?

"I will...require training to accomplish this task," Shadow Weaver said slowly.

"I figured as such," Hordak said, his voice quiet. "In the training facility, you will find one of my inventions, which is able to cast ice. You will train in this manner until we attack."

"Understood, my lord." Shadow Weaver felt numb as she exited his sanctum. If she was to kill both royalty – particularly at once – she would need an extra edge.

Her mind drifted back to the Seraphite tunnel. The First Ones and Seraphites had built those passages for a reason. A labyrinth, to hide a relic of great power.

She had to get there. Otherwise, she feared she wouldn't be able to accomplish her task.

❂❂❂

Did you know...

- In the initial draft, I ended up accidentally insinuating that Shadow Weaver fancied Hordak. Autism, yay! While I don't think they ever were in love, I do think Hordak was always drawn to her in a weird way because of how rebellious she was - which is my explanation for how he kept her around for upwards of twenty years in the show.

- Originally, Nell wasn't going to tell Micah about Alura until almost the end of Part 3. But that's not really how it shook out. He's an impulsive and unpredictable character in a lot of ways.

Tell me what you think...

- What might be the dangers of going into the Seraphite tunnel for Shadow Weaver?