Journey with a Batpony

by Gulheru

Chapter XCV – We Who Are

It spoke. The Lesy spoke.

Twilight knew that they could converse, she had been told as much. But doing so in Equestrian, as if the being had spent its entire life, or rather existence, back in her home country? For some reason that shook her to the core even more than the monster’s countenance. To hear such a coherent and clear voice, albeit comprised of manifold sounds of nature, coming out of a mouth like that was unsettling on many levels.

The creature was still gazing straight at her with intent, the four, flickering lights continuing to lure her gaze. They persisted, a source of pure, falsely beautiful illumination hiding behind untold darkness, causing Twilight to stand perfectly still.

The rest of the gathered also didn’t know how to react to the monster’s attention being solely focused on her. The creature’s very aura was discouraging any actions, as one could not precisely tell what was its intent. Other than the fact that it had almost killed somepony by making the transport crash. There were wounded ponies on the ground still. And yet the Lesy didn’t proceed, simply gazing at Twilight with these burning eyes, as if simply… curious.

She glanced at Midnight briefly, as he was still standing before her, screening her from the monster. His eyes were focused and piercing, filled with determination, even if his body was shaking. He was at the ready to pounce at the earliest sign of renewed aggression, though he must have realized that he had no chance in a fight against a being like this.

Inspired by his courage in the face of the entity, Twilight swallowed, then took a deep breath. If this monster was interested in her, it would be wiser to answer this curiosity. Though only a touch ‘wiser’ than foolish, truth be told.

“I… I see you,” she managed to find her voice and tell the Lesy, as it was the only way of replying to his previous call and presence.

The being tilted its head a little, as if a curious wolf pup, baring its jutting teeth. The smile persisted, pushing into Twilight’s mind, but the response to her words was, thankfully, far less overbearing.

“We… are, stand, form. Yet do I… frighten?” came the quite unexpected question, asked with the sound of wind caressing the tips of conifers.

“You… definitely do look dangerous. And... And you almost caused the death of us, stopping our flight like this! ”

Twilight couldn’t believe that she was attempting an actual conversation with an entity like this, let alone by letting it know that it bore responsibility for the crash. Even to her it seemed foolhardy to remind it of its actions, but her sentences didn’t want to form smoothly in her mouth. She could feel her jaw shivering on its own and her brain scrambling for her vocabulary.

The Lesy didn’t seem to mind her words. Or, rather, didn’t seem to care for her admonishment nor her missed eloquence. “We… know, taste, sniff. I… wished to see, so sought scent. I… wanted to witness a sight unseen here. Now I… see,” crows and ravens answered, as the being’s back sprouted a couple of black feathers that soon fell off and decomposed. “We… know your tongue. I… hungered, having not tasted it yet. Its tang is of propinquity, amenity, expediency. No flesh, no sinew. Its fruit, cultivated, not gathered. You, far away, down there, pushed back, you moved away. I… laugh at such persistence. But I… want to taste more…”

Twilight could almost hear Midnight’s teeth clenching and muscles tensing up. The rest of the batponies also lowered their stances a little, ready to defend her. It was a praiseworthy stance from them all. But it also signified that she had managed to look past the choice of words when they hadn’t done so.

The Lesy witnessed the reaction without bother, perhaps even counted on it. It took a while, motionless and still like a totem in the wild, despite the constant shifting of its form.

It then let out a gurgling laugh of a perishing deer. His claws slowly dug into the ground, like roots of a rapidly growing tree. And manifold thorny bushes began sprouting from the ground in various places, steadily creating obstacles and threats for everypony present. Was it a line of defense, or a set of obvious traps, it was hard to tell.

Still, almost at the same time, Twilight felt this… this emotion. This sudden urge, as if her natural instinct flared, beyond her conscious thought. It wanted her to approach, when the creature’s eyes shone and flickered stronger. The rustling of many leaves filled her ears, speaking of the comfort of resting between the branches of the forest, and her nostrils filled with a sweet, musky scent.

One of the Crescent warriors that she still managed to spot despite this distraction, swayed on his legs a second after that. He took a shaky, confused step closer to one of the dangerous bushes, as if following the urge to sprint and jump right into it. He was thankfully stopped by one of his comrades reaching out to halt him, to the Lesy’s amusement, which was akin to that of a spider luring a fly into its web. A small movement of the creature’s head, another flicker of its eyes, and the warrior attempted it once more, his eyes bulging and froth beginning to gather at the corners of his mouth.

Twilight was about to step in, but the Lesy seemed satisfied with the outcome, as if having taught a valuable lesson. It growled deeply and the hold it had on that stallion was gone, alongside the pony’s courage, as he fell down to the ground, shaking and closing its eyes, to the further horror of the companion who had just tried to stop him.

Twilight focused on that strange influence the beast had, on the sensation it caused. She could withstand it, thankfully, as her thoughts and reasoning had caught up with the initial impulse, but she was now much more intrigued about its nature. This wasn’t magic, like mentalism, the ley lines around her didn’t even twitch. Although they seemed a little reluctant, almost apprehensive, to gather around the monster. But it was apparent that the Lesy wasn’t utilizing arcane means, at least not in the conventional sense.

Still, she had to react to its actions somehow. “What… What do you think you’re doing?”

Again, it was not the right thing to say, most likely. The Lesy wasn’t showing chagrin at her words, at least, as if her protests were somehow insignificant.

“We… mind not. Life comes, goes, changes. I… enjoy the sight of change, abrupt, pained. Wrong instinct, failed escape. I… mind not the blood, for it nourishes. Thorns draw from a fox and a ferret and a fool…”

Twilight was more and more curious about how the creature was speaking. It was like there was always a clear distinction between itself and, what she imagined, some sort of a collective…?

Though she also realized that focusing on the manner of Lesy’s speech distracted her from what it had just said! Was it really unfeeling and uncaring? Its tone, as wind passing through a dale, didn’t carry with itself joy, cruelty or anything else. It was just stating a fact, a rule of nature.

This was a very dangerous situation, that much was certain. They were all dealing with not only a monster of immense power, but also alien reasoning. At least, alien from their perspective.

Twilight spotted that Rowan Berry was shaking all over, looking at the Lesy in borderline panic. Fear held the healer firmly, but Twilight could also spot that the mare was eager to try and aid the wounded warriors. She was simply mortified about the monster taking notice.

What was there to do? Well, if the being wished to familiarize itself with Twilight…

“You wanted to see. See me, yes?”

“Yes,” was the reply, coming from the back of the Lesy’s throat and making her coat stand on end once again. “We… grasp your form, your origin, your place. I… didn’t expect an appearance. Here, now. Your eyes glint with borrowed time, borrowed strength…”

Was the creature asking itself for an explanation? Nevertheless, she kept its attention, so perhaps she could make room for everypony else to breathe a little easier. “You are… curious about me. What… What about the rest, then?”

The Lesy’s eyes flickered once again, as if shifting and taking in the batponies around. “We… hear all of their songs, still harmonious, still dissonant. I… pity them, listening to themselves, over and over. I… mind not the blood,” the creature repeated itself, then paused, as if considering. “I… feel no thirst, even if soil calls, feasts on bone. Maggot’s sadness.”

That was the most that Twilight could get out of the creature, she felt, and she believed it enough of a confirmation that the Lesy didn’t particularly care. At least she hoped that she read its words right. With a little, delicate gesture, she signified Rowan Berry to move towards those in need.

The lupule still needed a second to gather herself. Among the shaking and the shivering she took a breath, squinted her eyes briefly, then took a little step to the side.

Yet that still spawned the Lesy’s attention immediately, his head darting towards the mare with the noise of a neck snapping, breaking against the ground. The echo made Twilight’s stomach turn.

“We… see you,” was the monster’s comment, as it bore into Rowan Berry with its fourfold stare.

The lupule petrified, her own eyes wide and panicked. She withstood the creature’s gaze, remaining as still as her shuddering body allowed. Three seconds of terrible tension passed, and then a new sound made itself audible. It was coming from the being, but also from all around, from the swaying distant grasses, from the rustling trees, from the ripening grapes. An enchanting melody, that of a lullaby, sang by the lovely voice of a caring mare…

“Wenae, maliya acine… Asklutae… Wenae… Semnae…”

The disembodied chant persisted, promising safety and respite, though Rowan Berry reacted very much unlike a foal being put to bed. She was immediately grasped with utter, all-encompassing terror, her knees buckling under her, as her coral eyes bulged, meeting the Lesy’s own gaze with dread.

“To bide… to bide tu!” she shouted, and the very tone of her voice spoke about some deep-seated trauma. There was no other melody quite like it, and yet it flawlessly weaved itself with the beast’s beguiling call.

The Lesy opened its mouth, and the music died abruptly when the abyss inside was revealed. His expression betrayed simultaneous elation and protest.

“Ia… nye bide. Uai… bidi.”

Twilight watched in great worry, while also considering the words that had just come out of the entity’s mouth. If she understood correctly – Rowan Berry had recognized the melody from somewhere. She had then asked whether the Lesy before them had been… him? Perhaps an encounter she had endured before? Hadn’t she been rather fearful when talking about Those of the Forest? But then the being claimed that it hadn’t been him. That it was them.

Whatever that meant, it terrified the healer to no end. She whimpered a little, reduced to a state that Twilight hadn’t ever witnessed from her, then stumbled over her hooves escaping from the Lesy and in the direction of the wounded. The beast simply watched her, in strange recognition and simultaneous confusion.

It then turned its head back to Twilight, as if already putting the situation behind, completely missing the significance it held for the lupule. The healer wasn’t his quarry, after all.

Twilight furrowed her brow. One way that she could help Rowan Berry now was keeping the creature’s attention on her instead. “So… What do you wish from me?”

The beast nodded, or gave something that could work as a nod, though the grating sound of twigs and branches scraping against each other wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. “We… know of your kind. We… see you, long ago. I… did not. I… am curious to know, so here this is. Eyes meeting, heartbeats racing. Different sort of hunt, pleasant for me. Famished stomach growling less.”

“Is that so? And for the sake of meeting me you terrorize those nearby, you nearly kill somepony?”

Twilight realized that her instinct got the better of her again, and that she admonished the being once more. She spotted it tilting her head the other way, this time something definitely antagonistic glinting in its eyes at her defiant stance. And she could feel another surge of this force, this presence, trying to take hold, to influence her. What was its purpose, however?

“H-hwalba knaze!”

… she suddenly recognized that voice, and her jaw dropped at how clear it was in her ears. The Lesy, that misbegotten creature, had just imitated Lord Dusk Harvest perfectly, which truly sowed fear into her heart.

“Honored Princess, look!”

That time it was Midnight’s voice, a definitely real one. She recognized that he looked at her, briefly allowing his eyes to leave the beast, and he managed to get her to stare up exactly to where he was pointing.

Of all the things that could happen, help seemed to have come right that moment. And a significant one, actually.

The Lord of the Dusk Family was arriving, with a couple of sentinels in tow, as well a cadre of local fruittenders. They were flying in at significant speed, though their approach took a turn when they witnessed the form of a Lesy, who was looking up at the new audience with almost childlike fascination. And recognition, expressed in amazement, though it was hard to tell how genuine.

“We… know him. I… almost met him recently. His tongue chatters more than teeth, the venturesome vole. Water douses the vermin.”

Twilight’s attention was now switching between the haspadr and the beast, though the latter seemed content enough to just watch the events unfolding, just like a staunch forest judging its lesser surroundings.

Of all the ponies in Noctraliya, the stalwart defender and steward of the Valleys, however plagued by his problems, was a sight for sore eyes. He landed right next to the carriage stumbling just a little as he kept his gaze on the beast. He quickly regained composure, however, doing his best to appear steady and stoic when addressing Twilight.

“H-H-Honored P-Princess, a-are you a-alright? W-we’ve seen the t-t-transport go d-down and r-rushed here!”

“Yes, hwalbu haspadr, I’m fine. There are some Family Crescent warriors that might need help, however, we were forced to the ground by...”

She didn’t finish, and she hadn’t to. Everypony present, even if in great number right now, were giving the Lesy a wide berth. It stood where it was, looking at everypony with child-like curiosity which was nevertheless invoking an animalistic dread in others.

Twilight took a shaky breath. “Were... Were you nearby? Could you see the attack, Honored Lord?”

“F-finishing r-r-rounds before y-your a-a-arrival,” the haspadr explained, trying his best to remain calm even when the Lesy’s flickering gaze found him. He took it with surprising gallantry. “I-I was n-notified that a m-m-mark was f-found this e-e-evening, n-nearby. W-we were d-discussing its s-s-significance and ch-checking for m-more.”

“A mark?” Twilight parroted, and it wasn’t the stallion who answered her.

“We... are, live. We... exist with life, for life, through life. I... mark, for I exist, here and now, and gladly,” came the Lesy’s explanation, cryptic enough to cause Twilight to focus on the being, instead of the noble stallion right nearby.

“So... when you and others appear nearby, you mark your territory in such a way? Or is it simply an outcome of your presence?” she asked, her academic side getting the better of her.

She expected a direct answer, or at least the creature referencing her questions, but it just shifted about. Its head was twisting in a sickening way that no neck had a right or chance to actually mimic, as if the Lesy was looking for somepony. He finally asked her back. “Does she see? Does she witness body and branch? Leaf next to leaf, needle next to needle? Eyes break.”

“I... see you,” Twilight told it in confusion.

“Yes. I... am. Here, looking, speaking, feeling, tasting. No others.”

“I... didn’t mean that I saw another one of you, it was a general question regarding your behavior,” she attempted to explain clearly, however strange it still was to hold a conversation with a wild monster, in the middle of a stand-off with the local warriors nonetheless.

“I... am. No other one of me, but me.”

“That’s not...” Twilight tried to reason with such a response, but then realized that reason was not really an asset in an encounter like this. This was a being of nature, of instinct and... and existence. And the way it was talking must have meant something else, something crucial.

Dusk Harvest became very worried when she didn’t finish the sentence, reaching for something inside of his gown and speaking up. “H-Honored Princess?”

“I’m fine, Honored Lord,” she responded right away, understanding that allowing oneself to be distracted with a Lesy nearby was giving a very troubling impression to the other gathered. “Just trying to figure things out. This being, it’s interested in me, and I want to know why exactly. It claims that it wanted to witness me itself...” she explained, giving the monster a very curious look back. “Actually... What is your name?” she asked aloud, for everypony to hear.

The Lesy arched his back a little, as if a lynx stretching after a long nap. A patch of fur manifested on him, but soon lost its luster and perished in between the sinews and leaves constantly shifting and moving.

“We... recall the question, simple, honest. I... don’t ever remember being asked,” it pointed out, and the chasm-like grin manifested in its entirety. “I... knew the hunt would prove itself worthwhile. It tastes new, sweet, first berry, fresh, red marrow, a succulent bite. A wolf’s exultation!”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she wasn’t mortified by the Lesy’s expressions of joy, but at least it looked, for the first time, as if ready not to strike at everypony present. Perhaps it was a false assumption, or just a momentary change, but it wasn’t insignificant. Of course, all of the gathered were expecting the worst from the entity – from the Lord and his sentinels, who had formed a perimeter around him and Twilight, to the fruittenders that circled the scene and observed, and to Midnight, prepared for anything, up to mortal combat. Yet maybe there was a chance of finishing this encounter without bloodshed.

Or further one, for Twilight could not tell just how wounded those warriors who had flown the carriage were.

The creature looked rather ecstatic about its choice of having stopped the transport by any means necessary, not to mention the current exchange. A new freshness came to the form it had chosen, as a wreath of meadow flowers appeared around its head in a disturbingly carefree way, though the petals wilted a moment after, falling past its flickering eyes. Twilight, following this particular manifestation, met the creature’s gaze directly again, and this time felt heat spreading through her, as if she was sitting underneath the warm, summer sun. It felt like life was stirring within her, prompting her to enjoy the language of her body, the natural instinct…

She had to shake her head to clear it of the intoxicating feeling, just in time for the Lesy to speak again, with the sound of birds beginning their morning trills. “I... bear the name of tongue old, of times forgotten. Of dances and songs, of celebrations, flesh with flesh, spirit with spirit. We… know sharing names. Words shared, like pollen, like parasite, like spore and sprout.”

When the Lesy opened its mouth after a pause, Twilight could tell that something was happening, though she didn’t realize what until it was already occurring.

“Bho’Rhu’Tah.”

Twilight had planned on mouthing the name to herself to try and remember it, but the creature invoking it was enough to cause her a shudder and imprint the words onto her brain. The monster’s voice erupted around her, around everypony, in manifold calls and cries, as if hauntingly coming from deep inside a forest, from a dark and forbidden place. These sensations whispered things that weren’t meant to be, uttered promises of safety that were meant to be broken, suggested encouragements that lead one into traps and the embrace of swamps. No coherent words were audible, but the notion, the idea, the instinct was there, inside everypony, brought forth and conveyed through the strength of the being’s name being said aloud.

This was a new experience for Twilight, definitely, yet the concept of one’s appellation causing a reaction from the world around was not something that she was entirely unfamiliar with. Certain books and theories which she had encountered during her studies had taken note of instances when words had carried power, without an addition of arcane means to them. Names which connected to the fabric of reality and existence, to the very thought behind creation, if there even was one. Of course, those had been theories among countless others, but Twilight could now confirm them with an audible proof.

The creature’s name spoke of one, simple fact. This Lesy, or Lesyi in general, were old. Ancient. A name which had been bestowed or chosen and survived for long enough to be woven into the substance of the world, it spoke of incredible power of its bearer. This was the point when and where reality itself recognized the intent hidden in and behind the epithet.

‘Bho’Rhu’Tah’. Even thinking about it made Twilight shiver from her ears and horn to her hooves and dock. As the voices around her continued, she had to fight the urge to call back, to seek out those ephemeral whispers and promises. For they were inviting her to follow, telling her that they could guide her into untold wilderness, never to be seen again. Freed from civilization, freed from morality, freed from thought, freed from life. And she ever so briefly wanted to do just that, to join the unseen paths and deep marshes, to merge herself with the wood and branch, with soil and succulent.

Thankfully, she had enough will to withstand this terrible clarion call, but she could tell that some of the batponies around were looking about in confusion, some had taken steps in differing directions, not understanding why, especially since those thorny plants were still sharply awaiting unfortunate souls…

There were now two, notable exceptions from the strong charm. Midnight Wind, who remained vigilant and prepared, though he had to turn his glassy eyes towards Twilight to find his anchor. There was also Lord Dusk Harvest, who shook his head, bit his lower lip, and then turned to her as well.

Duty was his own line of defense. “H-Honored P-Princess, the D-Dalli never h-housed one of the L-Lesyi. The p-presence of one is u-u-u—” He got himself stuck, but then looked at the being and shouted the word out. “Unprecedented!”

“We… know these dales well,” the Lesy decided to reply to that statement. “We… walk them. We… smell the bonfires, dance and swirl in exultation of life.”

That information shocked and confused the stallion to no end, though Twilight believed that she was beginning to discern what the creature was exactly talking about.

“I think that he is always referencing his kind as if present, constant, Honored Lord,” she explained, hoping that she was beginning to see a pattern after all. “Only when it speaks of itself does it express time at all…”

“W-what does that m-mean, h-h-however?” the haspadr inquired, though Twilight didn’t hold an answer to that yet.

Perhaps there would be a chance to learn. “You have given me your name,” she spoke to the creature. “Mine is Twilight Sparkle.”

The Lesy grinned with jutting teeth and the abyss. “We… know. I… am glad to learn. Twilight, time of transition, of change, of hopes dashed, of hopes gained, rest, prepare, dream, plot… Sparkle, but like a firefly at dusk, dancing, fleeing, or like a fire’s spark, lured by wind on embers?” Twilight wasn’t sure how to answer that, but the Lesy wasn’t looking for an actual explanation. It breathed in, and the gust seemed to move only her own mane, without touching anything else. “Your scent is of both, mingled, ready. But there’s... There’s more.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she was happy about a Lesy giving her insights into her own character, but it was better than fighting an entity like this. Still, its continued interest was making some ponies rather nervous. Notably Midnight Wind, who took a step closer in her direction, his steel-clad hooves digging into the ground a little more.

“Hwalba knaze,” he uttered, his eyes back on the being and keen once again, as he had managed to shake the charm off of himself, “it would be better for you to leave with the hwalbu haspadr. This thing isn’t planning anything noble concerning you...”

Twilight didn’t feel like contesting that claim, not entirely. But there was somepony... or ‘something’ that did.

The Lesy’s gaze focused on the warrior, with the full strength of its glinting eyes, the bright diamonds.

Twilight blinked. Or… were those stars?

“We... know you,” the creature claimed, taking in Midnight’s silhouette. “I... see you now. What says your body? What does it sing? Bear, boar, bat? Or raven, or fox?”

Midnight wasn’t keen on replying, standing his ground even when the monster’s attention was on him. But something glinted in the stallions eyes, something strange and primal, and he let out a prolonged hiss. At first Twilight thought that he wanted to threaten the monster, which seemed like the worst possible idea, but then she realized that it was a sound of pain.

To her horror, the bandages around his wounded wing began to turn crimson in a few, frantic heartbeats.

The creature tilted its head, as if perplexed. “Wound, wounded, on the body. Heat in mind, heat in blood. Scent of two, three, explains the pain. Jerks and spasms.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if it was a statement of fact or a command, for Midnight howled through clenched teeth as his whole body began convulsing out of control, irritating every single of his nearly healed injuries.

That she couldn’t take. “Leave him alone!” she demanded of the creature, immediately trotting closer to the stallion, though fearful to touch him. Not out of the cultural taboo, but genuine worry about hurting him more as he was in the Lesy’s strange power.

The being’s eyes didn’t budge, locked on Midnight still, its strange power causing him this suffering. “Shards of thorns speak, little, so little, but there. They sing of valor, of pure instinct when strength fades. An injured wolf, yes, a wily fox, but a bat without wings is no bat.”

So did the entity claim, causing the stallion’s body to spasm again, in a way that made his eyes bulge and the veins on his temple poke out even through his thicker, gray coat. Midnight’s gaze, maddened with pain, found Twilight’s, turning to her for some form of salvation.

And that was more than enough.

She would recognize what she was doing only after doing it. Witnessing the stallion, this stallion, in these terrible throes made her focus in but a heartbeat, caring for nothing else but freeing him from whatever power had him in its grasp. She minded not the onlookers, not the monster, nothing. Just like during the bloody verlupte in the Mountain of Fang, there was nothing else in the world but the two of them. Only they mattered, and so Twilight made sure to do what needed to be done.

A beam of pure, arcane energy surged forth. Powered by rage, however unreasonable, powered by feelings perhaps even more so. The spell flew through the air like furious, raspberry lightning and like a piercing bolt of searing, silver vengeance alike and struck the Lesy. It connected with the side of its head, boring through the form with surprising ease, engulfing two eyes, one of the horns and much of its back. It was a display of magical might that nopony from the gathered had ever witnessed, surely, and one that the monster took the brunt of.

The crack of magic was followed by dead silence. Silence of shock which took even the murmurings of wind with itself. Silence of relief, as Midnight’s body calmed in an instant, leaving him splayed on the ground for the moment, before he would try to scramble to get up. Silence of fear, as Twilight came to her senses and realized what choice she had just made, witnessing the damage she had done to the Lesy’s form.

And there was one more silence. But stoic, majestic and enduring. That of nature itself, which remained where it was, even if struck and wounded. The creature’s form lost some of its coherence, as pieces of foliage flew down from it as if blown off the trees on an autumn day. Their fall was accompanied by the quiet vigil of sticking shards of bone, broken twigs and singed flesh.

Two of the lights of the spirit remained, looking forward in strange stillness, as if the surge of arcane power petrified the being.

Yet the two, missing flickers soon re-emerged, just where they had previously been. They didn’t form anything around themselves, however, just floated in their old place, only slightly tilting to focus on Twilight this time.

She achieved her goal, that of assuring Midnight’s momentary safety from the creature’s influence. And she had also made the Lesy’s appearance that much more otherworldly and monstrous, as it was clear that it had no need for maintaining a physical form. Seemingly crippled, burned through by the surge of magic, it nevertheless still stood, gazing at her with cold intent even if a portion of it had just been vaporized in an instant.

And it spoke, opening its jaw, now hanging only by one side, abyss spilling from it like morning fog and dispersing just as quickly. “We… feel that. Might, potency of what is unseen, but there. Floating, moving, cascading sometimes like water in a fall. We… ask, can you burn every blade of grass? Slay every being big and small, the wolf, the elk, the beetle, the mite? Can you deaden the wind between the peaks, turn rivers and lakes into ash? Conflagration, drought, are those in your power? Can you strip life of meaning? Spark, sparkle, time of twilight?”

Those questions were speaking to some primal part of Twilight’s core, indeed, and there was only one possible answer to those.

The Lesy knew very well what it was, and continued. Although this time, there was no movement, just… a voice. “We… understand, nonetheless. An old understanding, older than the idea of time, older than the concept of reason… Power that is. We… are. It is, too.” The longer the creature spoke, the more convinced Twilight was that it was now talking to her, only to her. She didn’t as much hear those words as felt them thrumming right in her head, it just took her a moment to realize that. “A might hidden in instinct, in the unobstructed urge, in the sway of the hips…”

“H-Honored Princess?” Twilight heard, this time for real, Midnight’s question, as to the onlookers it must have looked like she was having a staring contest with the monster.

Perhaps it was true. And she couldn’t look away, as she could now witness the form of the creature relinquishing its previous incarnation, much to the shock of everypony present.

Twigs broke, twisted, bent inwards with mighty creaks. Bones snapped into place with sickening crunches, vines snaked their way in. Leaves remained, but merely as added decorations, as a proper coat began forming over sinews and muscles. Eyelids covered the flickers, lips guarded the abyss, which had just before sprouted a tongue. The being’s size shrunk to the point of resembling merely a grown pony…

In but a few moments, the Lesy’s monstrous form changed into something that caused Twilight’s mouth to let out a silent gasp, as her knees shook in excitement and her muzzle felt flushed. She knew, she subconsciously knew that she was dealing with a monster of the natural world, an ancient being of untold power and alien reasoning, but the sight, the sheer physical manifestation could not be any more mouth-watering.

A pony of incredible shape stood where the disgusting entity had previously persisted. Their coat was the hue of leaves on a summer evening, but had the sheen of morning dew. Its mane, black but revealing jade-colored strands in the moonlight fell down as if the supple branches of a willow. Muscles underneath its skin were toned, appealing, shapely, indicative of both a stallion’s strength and a mare’s grace. The proportions were as if formed from completing the most difficult of hunts, but enjoying the most noble of diets, creating a specimen that could be a picture of pony health and endurance. And when the Lesy opened its eyes, a regular set of two, they were actually there. Their color was of poppies and roses, of stoic majesty and a hidden promise.

This beauty, this vision, still reminded the onlooker of its nature, though one had to tear their eyes away from its otherworldly charm. The proper countenance of the Lesy was hidden behind a mask of bone, allowing only the shapely lower jaw to be fully visible. The irides of the being shone slightly, with the light of the spirit’s gaze coming from inside. The pair of horns, now fully formed like branches of a mighty tree, were displayed with conviction and pride.

“We… assume this form as a sign of old bond. I… am even more intrigued by you now, Twilight Sparkle! What a chance, what a stance, what a dance!” the creature claimed, as each and every word was transforming the sounds of nature into a proper pony’s voice more and more. Its melody was strong, both fitting for a mighty stallion and a beautiful mare. “What joy, to talk with this flesh, to look with those eyes. Old opportunity made new! Come caterpillar, come butterfly!”

Twilight had to remind herself that she was still in the presence of a monster. And that she wasn’t alone with just it, actually. But the form’s allure had held her in its clutches for a good few moments before she found her tongue again. “Are you… Who are you?” came the quite unnecessary question, but one that actually caused the Lesy to giggle.

A monster… giggling with grace and amusement, like a playful pony.

“I… am still me. I… carry the name without fault. Bho’Rhu’Tah.”

The epithet was repeated, and the cacophony of voices erupting from all over confirmed that no magical swap occurred. It was still the entity, the dangerous creature, simply donning a different guise. A more pony-like. A more amazing-like. One which was causing everypony to stare, as Twilight managed to register. Some of the batponies were trying to escape with their gazes upwards, as if asking the Immaculate Moon to protect them from the charm of the Lesy’s countenance.

The being was well aware of the effect it was having on everypony around. “Cheer! Cheer, companions! Have your chance, once again! Ogle!”

Its encouraging tone felt even more scary than what everypony had to endure for the last minutes.

The Lesy finally decided to trot, too, and its movements were unnaturally graceful, leaving behind undisturbed earth and grass, as if the weight wasn’t even there. The creature’s aura and supernatural look was making the whole circle of ponies around shift to maintain distance, though hooves and eyes were reluctant to do so. It was like some strange, choreographed dance of enchantment and repulsion alike, and it was hard to tell what was winning, exactly.

The being was more than elated with that, swaying its neck and swishing its tail in a most lascivious way, flaunting its guise to its full extent. This wasn’t its goal, at least it didn’t feel like it, but the strange satisfaction with making everypony uncomfortable... or too comfortable, was definitely there for the Lesy. With another, melodious giggle caressing everypony’s ears, it lowered its muzzle, craning its neck and back. The entity touched one of the broken grapevines, crushed by the transport’s passing.

With a surge coming from within, the plant sprouted back to life. It repaired itself, it grew and spread in a matter of a few seconds, achieving a healthy size and bountiful fruitage. Twilight spotted fascination in Lord Dusk Harvest’s gaze, but it was only a first impression, soon dispersing behind apprehension towards the Lesy, anticipating a vile trick hidden behind this display.

The monster was almost certainly aware of the haspadr’s opinion. It took a freshly grown fruit from the grapevine and tossed it into its mouth with agility. It savored its taste, letting out a throaty exhale, one not unlike those practiced by the noctrali. Satisfaction and yearning for more added a blatantly seductive tone to it.

The Lesy then turned to Twilight once again, bearing a sweet smile. She was planning on speaking up already, actually, but she was delayed by having to tear her focus away from the otherworldly display of treacherous grace.

“Twilight Sparkle…” the monster invoked her name, and she had to fight the urge to coo lovingly at its sound in those luscious lips. “I.. find you most intriguing, worthy of time, though time means so little. Do indulge me more! Trill, thrush, thrill!”

“Y—Why should I?” Twilight managed to ask, though her initial instinct was to agree to whatever the being required of her.

The Lesy tiled their head with a loving expression. “You are interesting. A sensation new, untasted before, and yet… A reminder of ancient times, when joy was free, without a voice to guide it, without craning necks and escaping eyes. Something that I… long for. That we… experience, but I… wish these experiences renewed. I... want to witness, feel...”

To say that Twilight was confused would be an understatement, though part of it was coming from having to fight this strange longing which manifested in her soul for no reason. As if remembering good, simpler times that she had never lived through in the first place.

The creature trotted back to where it initially was. It had a nearby orange plantation behind it and focused its piercing gaze on it. It lips moved, as if uttering something, conversing with the trees, with roots, barks and foliage. The Lesy smiled soon after, then met Twilight’s gaze again, with the same longing as it had just invoked.

It extended its leg in an invitation.

“Come, little sparkle... Listen... Come... Sleep... Join me… ”

Twilight’s heart thumped in her chest, its strings touched by the soft voice of the creature. Thankfully, she was anticipating something like this, and after what had happened in the Mountain of Crescent, she was not going to fall victim to trickery of any sort. Or so she hoped, for she had to fight her legs, wishing to follow the Lesy anywhere.

“You… you’ve endangered me, and the ponies helping me. You caused pain to Midnight Wind,” she stated, in a strong voice that sounded most harsh and disgusting when compared to the melodic calls of the monster, but held strong. “Why would I—”

“Twilight… Sparkle,” she heard a stallion’s voice. Midnight’s voice. And she realized that he had almost shortened her name for some reason.

She looked at him, taking her eyes off the being, and realizing that he had gotten up, but had been shifting slightly all this time, as if checking something. She simply couldn’t have focused on his actions, having the Lesy before her, drawing her in. But she could now witness that the stallion had undone the bandages around his injured wing and was... moving it. Freely.

It was perfectly fine.

“What…?” Twilight mumbled to herself, spotting that the membrane which had been pierced and torn so viciously and was still slowly healing, the exact wound which was prohibiting him from flying and could possibly do so in the future... had completely healed.

Midnight was no less shocked, examining his appendage slowly and meticulously, checking its movement range, stretching and shifting it, and seemingly finding nothing wrong with it. Twilight could see his lips shuddering, fighting a smile, but he was clearly reminding himself that there was nothing natural about what had just occurred.

What was the Lesy’s agenda? This couldn’t have been simply a gesture of good will. Not even Twilight was keen on Friendship and Harmony enough to believe that.

She turned her gaze towards the entity, still standing where it was, its hoof extended in her direction. The look in those red irides made her cheeks burn a little and forced gratefulness out of her.

“Th... Thank you, but... why would you do it? Do you want to persuade me to follow you with this gesture?” she managed to ask, wondering if she would even be given an explanation.

First came a laugh, one that made the trees behind shiver and shift, and ponies in front step back in fear of its haunting melody. “Why not?” the being admitted with a venomous smile. “I... don’t mind the blood,” it repeated itself, and his eyes fell on Midnight again.

Twilight followed with her gaze, seeing that the warrior’s own stare was escaping upwards, likely to thank the Immaculate Moon for this turn of events, however anomalous. No sooner had Midnight’s lips moved than he was forced to yelp. The gash reappeared with a splash of blood, sending the stallion reeling, all of his muscles spasming once again. But it was only for a blink of an eye. The wound was again gone in a flash, though the fresh splatter of crimson tainted the grass next to where Midnight remained, panting and shuddering.

So it was coercion that the Lesy was about?

“We... heal, hurt, guide, make lost, grow, wither, bring life and kill, more, more, more, all! But I... hold no preference. You struck, I... do not have to, for I… understand the instinct, the drive,” the creature stated, with something of a poisonous satisfaction expressed with a wide smile from just beneath the bone mask. “I... still can, make no mistake. But I... can still talk, learn, experience you. Much preferred. Water from the stream.”

Despite those words, the Lesy didn’t wait for her immediate response, as if convinced of her choice already. It turned its back towards everypony, demonstratively, yet not one of the warriors dared to use this opportunity against it. There were simply too many supernatural occurrences for anypony to gather courage to strike. And the monster knew, trotting with seductive confidence to the edge of the plantation.

When it turned in place again, as if an ancient ruler ready to lead its folk, the trees acceded to its majesty and turned with the creature.

Branches creaked, leaves cheered, bark flexed and roared. Oranges grew, expanded and multiplied, but malformed, malnourished, touched by blight. The established rows and pathways bent and twisted, roots cutting through the passages. The place was soon hidden in almost utter blackness, as the foliage of the crowns expanded and thickened, forbidding moonlight from shining through.

A wayward bird which had decided to rest on one of the boughs shrieked at the rapidly changing environment. It tried to fly away in an instant, but its wings didn’t carry it far, nor quickly enough. An offshoot reached out for it like a bolt, grasped it and smothered it in but a short, final heartbeat, causing Twilight’s heart to sink.

All the while the Lesy stood, proud, confident and unmoved. As if an extension of its own, majestic horns, an archway of branches formed around and above him. It appeared through the creature’s will, marking an entrance and left passable very much on purpose. A twisted symbol manifested itself right near the tip of this wooden portal, as if a terrifying crest, fashioned of wood, vines... as well as tiny bones and feathers, too recently acquired.

A totem, a mark, an insignia most disturbing, of intricate, knotty design that no pair of hooves could fashion and even magic would be confused to weave. A singular glyph, letting everypony know that from now on, this part of the Valleys belonged to nopony else but Those of the Forest.

The monster smiled a wide grin at its work, opening its mouth to speak soon after, and the voice was perfectly audible still, despite the greater distance. It wasn’t louder, but was reaching all ears that dreaded to listen.

“We... remain. I... remain too, right here, as long it takes,” it pointed out. “Come no closer, companions, interlopers, lest you desire your life joined with the forest! Fear not such fate, feed the ground, feed the fir and the fern and the foxglove… but cross me not...” the being warned with the sweetest of tones, like the juice of a poisonous berry.

It then stood on its back legs, giving Twilight a reminder of that terrifying sight she had withstood on her way to the Mountain of Fang. Its front hooves conjoined in an elaborate way, as if in prayer to whatever force a being like this would respect. Or it was simply a gesture of focusing and centering, for Twilight could recognize motions like that. The Lesy’s parts, having made this ostentatious motion, seemed to become one, weaving themselves together an incomprehensible way, then forming a shape not unlike a nest, including wooden twigs sticking in all directions, twitching and entwining.

Soon after the creature spread its forelegs again, the hooves having returned to their shape... and a bird flew out from between them. It had the same coloration as the one that perished, and was grasped by no lesser horror.

Was it...? Was it the same one...?

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat in utter dread and strange, unthinkable amazement. Just what sort of mastery did those creatures have over life itself...?

Regardless of her astonishment at this small miracle of restoration, the Lesy spoke again, having watched the animal fly away with a serene smile. Its piercing eyes, the flickers in those even more pronounced now despite the pony guise, found Twilight’s wide stare.

“We... see you coming. I... shall be waiting...” the entity promised in a cacophonous singsong, gifting her with another joyous expression which stoked a strange fire and wistfulness right in her soul.

The ephemeral silhouette of the being then ventured into the shades of this twisted copse it had just weaved out of an orderly plantation. As if to deter anypony from interfering, a delicate cloud of mist seeped from between the tree trunks, veiling the thicket in utter secrecy and foreboding, and the Lesy’s form dispersed in the same vapor.

Twilight exhaled. And she wasn’t alone, as the entire congregation of batponies seemed to let out a sigh of relief as the monster was gone from their sight. It was now time to properly assess the damage, help those in need and plan what was to be done.

Midnight, who had scrambled back up with his wing again made intact, cursed under his breath and wiped his forehead of sweat. “Kirwe... I’d rather have the gash then feel like I owe something to a creature like this... Seeing one of them is already seeing too many...”

Twilight didn’t say anything at first, trying to even out her breathing. Her heart was still racing. She knew that she would remember this encounter for the rest of her life. That was a certainty, though whether it was the only one she would have with a Lesy was… unlikely.

She backed away a little, creating whatever space possible from the dreadful aura left behind by the being. And she gritted her teeth in helpless irritation. Her curiosity had been and was piqued, gnawing at her in an impossible way, but its bite was much different now than what she would usually experience.

It had jutting teeth, and a chasm was hiding behind them.

Lord Dusk Harvest, watching her intently, put his hoof in his robe for a brief moment, as if squishing something in it, then looked about. He ordered, with motions only, for his sentinels to help out the rest of the gathered, especially those trying to get the transport upright and check on the wounded. He then focused solely on Twilight, his eyes trying to discern everything about her and her state.

“H-hwalba k-knaze... This m-must have b-b-been t-terrible for you…”

That was a statement, definitely. She wasn’t sure how she would actually describe what had just occurred. Enough said, she could tell that her knees were still shaking, even more so when turning her gaze to the strange, wild, foreboding thicket which persisted in the middle of the organizational marvel of the Valleys.

And she had just escaped from one, terrible scenario. Another was calling already? It was almost vexing.

“This… Yes, this was… moving,” she admitted, feeling like rubbing her eyes and temple, the unseen but very real tension latching onto her head. “Has this… I mean, have you ever seen anything like this, Honored Lord? Heard of the Lesyi being so… direct?!” she asked in an inadvertent shout, pointing at the carriage.

“N-no,” the Lord admitted, grasping her upset reaction, but still biting his lower lip a little, trying to contain both his nervousness and his affliction. “I d-don’t ever r-recall a L-Lesy appearing so d-directly and o-o-openly.” His eyes escaped towards the overtaken plantation too, and genuine pain manifested in them. Pain and a professional’s worry. “A-a-and in the D-Dalli? This is d-d-disastrous. D-despite what this th-thing did for y-you, nocferratan,” the Lord added in Midnight’s direction, but only as a small remark, his attention completely somewhere else. “D-Disastrous…”

He claimed as such again, and it was easy to agree. Twilight imagined that a malicious spirit let loose in these parts of the country was nothing short of a national emergency. The urgency of work from the fruittenders around them to remove the carriage, and to save whatever grapes remained after the crash, was enough of an indicator. Every problem manifesting in the Valleys, the breadbasket of the country, was magnified to incredible amounts due to stockpile circumstances.

This was much more than a mere ‘problem’, however. Twilight was all the more aware of that.

“Honored Lord, I’m thankful for your arrival,” she told the noblestallion, bowing her head a little. First things first. “Your presence was of great help to me, facing such a danger.”

“Th-think nothing o-of it, H-Honored P-P-Princess,” Lord Dusk Harvest replied, showing his humble, self-deprecating attitude once more. “I-I’m glad to s-see you s-safe after the c-crash. I f-feared the worst. I-I was certain that i-it was a krogleet at f-first, but the f-f-ferocity of the attack…”

“I think I can confirm with quite the certainty that the Lesyi are masters of many forms…” Twilight admitted, checking once again whether she really was fine. There was no damage on her, just her ensemble had suffered some tearing. But that was utterly insignificant. “I was somehow expecting strangeness, from what I had been told about them, but… it looks like these spirits are capable of causing both fear and awe, with ease. I recall somepony mentioning that they can terrorize or beguile. This one decided to do both with… quite the proficiency,” she judged, finding solace in attempting to sound collected, even if she was anything but.

“T-true, H-Honored Princess,” the haspadr confirmed it, looking at the copse once more. “One p-pony’s fear is a-a-another one’s l-lure. And those th-that fall f-for the t-t-trap have th-themselves to b-blame…”

It was quite a strong statement from the stallion, and Twilight caught herself wondering where it was coming from. Especially since she could have sworn that, while looking over the extent of the Lesy’s influence over the plantation, the Lord mouthed something to himself. Maybe it was adrenaline still in Twilight’s ears, sharpening her hearing, but she could have sworn that she could hear the faintest of whispers.

“She is still more b-beautiful than… it.”

That was something to remember. For later, Twilight decided.

Because the problem was not gone, not at all. If she had understood the Lesy’s motivation, it wanted to ‘learn’ of her more. And considering its last choice, it wanted her to trot right into the copse, to have a more private meeting with her. The very idea made Twilight’s instinct scream danger, and she didn’t have to ponder on that for even a breath. This was one of the most terrible choices to consider making – venturing right into the lair of such a wicked, mighty being?

Lord Dusk Harvest spoke up again after a while, having examined the extent of devastation to the place. “I-I don’t believe this c-can be d-d-dealt with naturally. The s-speed, the i-intent of this g-g-growth…? I w-worry that if I-I tell my o-owocellatani to t-try and contain it, they w-will only g-get themselves h-h-hurt,” he deemed, in the voice of a responsible and serious overseer.

“I think it’s prudent thinking, Honored Lord. This is a deliberate infestation of… of wilderness,” she replied, trying to find the right words to match the sight she was witnessing, of gnarled boughs and malformed oranges. “The Demon of the Forest came and brought the forest with it, in its twisted and misshapen form. But there’s… there’s this strange majesty in it,” she added, unable to contain that comment.

The haspadr agreed with her, of all things. “W-without a d-doubt. It’s l-l-like looking at a l-lawine heading d-down the slope,” he described, shaking his head. “N-no less d-dangerous even w-when but o-observed, but somehow… th-thrilling.” The pause he made seemed deliberate, as if he was forcing himself to touch upon something. And then he did, indeed. “I-I don’t s-s-suppose your strange m-might could d-d-deal with this, h-hwalba knaze?”

Twilight gave him a quizzical look, not sure what he was asking about, but then remembered what she had decided to do to save Midnight Wind from the Lesy’s influence. Her eyes instinctively gazed at the tip of her horn, then back at the Lord.

“I… am afraid, hwalbu haspadr, that even my magic won’t help here. You see that the Lesy changed its approach, but didn’t seem perturbed when I struck through it. Of course, I could try and contest the spreading of this thicket, if the being would decide to expand, but…” She took a moment to assess the situation. She felt rather comfortable, returning to considering her magical prowess when dealing with the challenges in Noctraliya, but there was no answer laying there for this, particular scenario. “I doubt I could make as much as a dent in this copse. Or, should I say, a path. I know some spells pertaining to the natural, but the Lesy seems far more in unity with it… I can conjure flames in great volume, or straight force to knock down trees, push away obstacles. But witnessing how fast this thing grew? I’m worried it would restore itself before I would finish whatever spell.”

She could try. Or course she could try. But more about the outcome and pride in her abilities, she was concerned about a possible retribution from the creature. Exacted not only on Midnight and his wing, if that was still a possible outcome, but on the entirety of the Valleys. Two plantations had already been struck by the monster’s acts, one turned into utter wilds in a matter of a few moments. And she imagined the Lesy would not have an scruples about expanding its reach.

Dusk Harvest read not only into her words, but pensive mood as well. “I-I understand,” he responded, though didn’t seem despondent about Twilight’s stance. If anything, his eyes were somewhat fascinated about the very topic. “I-I have never witnessed the a-abilities of a u-unicorn. And y-y-you wield more than j-just those, as I-I understand…”

“Yes, but… I would not call myself omnipotent,” Twilight explained, though it didn’t look like Dusk Harvest had ever expected her to be that, even with her Divine Aspect.

And he held a particular view on that, which he decided to share. “One d-does not h-have to be a-almighty to make the w-w-world better,” he told her with a nervous smile.

He reached down and straightened up one of the smallest vines nearby, putting it back on its frame from the dust it had been pushed into. In comparison to the Lesy’s miraculous deeds, it seemed almost a pathetic gesture, but equally vital for that, particular plant.

“S-sometimes we just h-have exactly that l-l-little strength th-that is required.” He paused once more, looking about. “I p-put trust in my m-meager abilities, the g-grit of out o-owocellatani and the B-B-Bogine. W-we will f-f-figure something out,” he said, as if encouraging mostly himself with this declaration.

Twilight nodded, as there was not much else to say. She turned her gaze to everything happening around, with batponies scrambling to help and organize. Her eyes met Midnight’s and received nothing but unconditional support, whatever was to come. It was encouraging, so she locked herself in thought over what was the next course of action.

Some would say that this wasn’t her business, the possible threat to the Dalli. And that she could even use this opportunity to help her own cause, witnessing a threat to Noctraliya’s stability, seeking in this a repayment for what she had had to endure from the batponies. But she wasn’t like that, and she wasn’t going to be like that. Obviously she felt the desire to help out.

But, worst of all, she knew what she could do. The worst scenario could as well be the best one. Lord Dusk Harvest had framed it as one pony’s fright being another one’s lure. Well, one pony’s plight could bring profit to another in a much less self-serving way.

The Lesy was here for her. She doubted that it had picked this particular location at random. If anything understood the plight of sustenance and growth, it was a being like this. And it must have known that Twilight would not stand idle and watch an issue like this spread. Spread literally. It only spoke of the monster’s malicious intelligence and reasoning.

But… its or the whole kind’s? For the way that the Lesy had been distinguishing the two was perplexing.

One thing Dusk Harvest had said resonated with her most. Yes, he had meant her arcane abilities when using the term, but… wasn’t she possessing another ‘strange might’ in her that she could rely on?

She sighed gently, not to alarm anypony, then turned to the haspadr. “With your permission, Honored Lord, I want to check on lupule Rowan Berry. She’s helping the wounded wampiri from Mountain of Crescent.”

“O-of course,” Dusk Harvest responded, nodding in her direction then heading out to supervise the work of the fruittenders.

Twilight trotted through the damaged plantation with a heavy heart, dreading the perceived outcome of their crash. And realizing that it could have been much, much worse, if it wasn’t for—

“Thank you, Twilight,” she heard Midnight utter when they weren’t close enough to anypony. “You’ve come to my aid twice tonight. I can only be grateful,” he told her, and his voice combined a serious, thankful tone with that little touch of personal warmth.

“Please, Midnight,” she replied, giving the stallion just a small smile, one that wouldn’t be too obvious to any onlookers, “I couldn’t see you in such pain. And we all would have been in a terrible situation with the carriage striking the ground at full force.”

“The fact that you were saving yourself as well doesn’t lessen what you have done for me, and for Rowan Berry,” he riposted. “Whatever happens and… and whatever you decide, I’m with you.”

“You speak as if you know exactly where my mind is heading...”

“Yes. And a chill settles in my gut at the very thought,” the batpony admitted, though retaining a warrior’s tone. “It’s dangerous, it’s unreasonable, it’s sacrificial and almost suicidal… And yet, I cannot help but see it as a possible solution…” He took a deep breath. “I owe you that much support and more in your plans. Not sure how much that means when dealing with a Lesy, but… you have me.”

She nodded, accepting this declaration and understanding its importance. Midnight had felt the brunt of the creature’s abilities, but was still willing to take a risk for her sake. “Is your wing really healed?”

“As far as I can tell… Though I imagine that this thing could rip it up again, if it wills it? I don’t like this, not at all…” the stallion complained, and it was a most justified worry. “When it was making me thrash all over, it was like my muscles were guided, as if I were a puppet. Terrifying. Insulting,” he added, letting a sliver of his prideful exasperation out.

“Was it… What was that feeling, actually? Was it like something in your head, or…?” Twilight asked, intrigued by the phenomenon.

“No. I was aware of what was happening, I wasn’t choosing to do it, willfully or through coercion in my head. I just… I couldn’t stop it,” Midnight explained, righteously dismayed by the occurrence. “Ever had a cramp in your leg? This was like that. Although…” He paused, considering something. “I thought that I did smell something. It was… musty, sour? Clawing through my nose…”

That was an interesting insight, definitely. Twilight was, first and foremost, happy that the Lesy hadn’t caused him some additional harm. It still could, Midnight was more than aware of that, and that was a major problem for both of them. And the problem had to be dealt with.

Twilight needed more insight into this being. She figured out she could actually get it, and do her duty as a Princess of Friendship at the same time.

It quickly turned out, to everypony’s relief, that the Lesy’s attack hadn’t resulted in any fatalities. However, as far as Twilight could tell from other healers that had arrived, with Midnight’s help at translating, there were some serious injuries among the ponies that were flying the carriage. Three broken legs, bruised chests and backs, cracked ribs, wings damaged in a way that could hamper flight, a branch through a foreleg…

Not to even mention the lesser wounds, which were no less problematic. One of the warriors, a quite young stallion, lost a fair amount of coat and some skin from his muzzle, for example. Rowan Berry was currently with him, carefully making sure that he wouldn’t get an infection from all of the soil which had lodged itself in his face and which she was still gently removing.

Twilight wasn’t going to interrupt that, not outright. It was inspiring to see the lupule work, as she was administering delicate but professional care, using all of the paraphernalia at her disposal. Despite her role as an occultane, she was showing her true calling while soaking cloth in according medicine and tending to the abrasions with utmost heed. For his part, the warrior was remaining calm, though it was obvious that he was taking his specific injury hard, especially considering his age. Rowan Berry was aware of that, calmly explaining something to him as she continued to work.

Midnight whispered to Twilight, also not keen on breaking the lupule’s concentration. “She’s letting him know that none of those should be permanent, that the skin should restore itself and regain coat. And… that he’ll be back to having mares swoon over him in no time,” he translated, almost causing Twilight to giggle.

Despite what she had endured lately, she knew that sometimes that was exactly what somepony needed to hear, and Rowan Berry was also more than aware of that.

She was likewise aware that somepony had come around, but she took her time to finish up the check-up before getting back on her hooves and approaching Twilight, leaving the stallion in the hooves of the other healers for a moment.

“Hwalba knaze,” came the greeting from the mare, but almost as if ashamed.

“How’s the situation, Rowan Berry?” Twilight asked, preferring to start with the professional side of things, to ease the mare into further conversation.

“Much better than it could have been. I’m glad that Lord Dusk Harvest came by when he did, as there were another two lupuli doing the rounds with him,” the healer commented, mentioning those other ponies who had been checking on the injured. “I was afraid that somepony wouldn’t make it, but we didn’t hit the ground directly. And,” she lowered her voice, “I know that you are to thank as well. I felt the power conjured through your horn, cushioning the fall at the last moment. I feel myself in your debt, Honored Princess…”

“As I have already told Midnight Wind, think nothing of it. I’m just glad I could be of aid…” Twilight assured the mare with a kind smile, receiving a small one in return. However, things would have to get a little less comfortable in a second. “Rowan Berry… I do need you to aid me as well.”

“Yes? Were you hurt, hwalba knaze?” the lupule immediately asked, ready to provide help as her gaze sharpened.

“No, no. I’m alright. My dress suffered, but that’s nothing, less than nothing. Well… One of my friends would disagree, but she’s not here,” Twilight admitted, imagining Rarity’s shock at the sight. Still, even the fashionista had her priorities straight. “No, I mean… I will require your aid when it comes to the Lesy, Rowan Berry.”

That sentence was enough to have a shudder pass through the healer, and that was something that Twilight recognized. And had to endure. She didn’t mean to cause distress, but some things needed to be touched upon.

“Rowan Berry… You exchanged words with it. Did you… recognize that particular one? Have you ever had an encounter like this?”

The mare hissed ever so slightly. However, it was an old wound causing that, rather than annoyance, Twilight grasped that much with ease. Still, the operative looked like she was actually going to trot away, as she turned in place, her coral eyes betraying inner perturbation.

She looked about before opening her mouth again. “I…” She paused, uncertain, then met both Twilight and Midnight’s gazes, taking a deep breath. “What I’m about to say, I… I don’t want repeated. To anypony.”

“You have my word,” Twilight made the without hesitation promise, and so did the stallion.

“Iau tez. Dictae bez timyit…”

The healer at least believed them, though that didn’t eradicate any apprehension she had about sharing that particular tale.

“I… I did meet one of them. When I was little, just a filly…” she finally uttered. Her gaze was avoiding anypony else, just focused forward while she concentrated on summoning the old memories. Ones that, perhaps, had been repressed until this fateful encounter, considering the droplet of sweat running down the mare’s temple, and the tightening of her jaw. “I’m… I’m not sure how old I was, exactly. Our corner of Noctraliya doesn’t have too many forests and glades, but I was living with my parents close to one of them, at Nerispotnek. Cloudsrest, I think that would be the translation…”

Twilight listened attentively, and Midnight was paying attention too, though also while making sure that nopony would be too interested in eavesdropping.

Rowan Berry continued sharing, taking quite deep breaths to calm herself down enough to do so. “I used to play on a little meadow, to the east of the peak. My father was a shepherd, tending to the flocks nearby. And… And there was this one night. I-I was picking flowers and berries, those that my mother had told me were safe. She was very meticulous about that…” the mare added, with a nostalgic smile which quickly died on her lips. “I… I do recall hearing branches snapping at first, from the thicket. I thought it was an animal, so I looked up, ready to move away if necessary, and… and I saw it…”

There was a horror-ridden pause, which lasted until Rowan Berry worked through the renewed vision in her head. And, in many ways, it reminded Twilight of her very own struggles with that chasm-like smile she had seen. Only the healer witnessed the being in all its power and potency, and that clearly was even more traumatic.

“I… wasn’t sure what it was a Lesy at first, it… It didn’t look monstrous. Not outright. Otherworldly, yes, but not repulsive,” she explained, rubbing one of her forelegs with another, motivating herself to keep talking. “It… It just looked like a pony, only wild. I thought of the horns as just ornaments. It had this strange, bone mask.”

Twilight nodded, as those details were accurate. She wasn’t sure if Rowan Berry had paid attention when the being had transformed before everypony. Twilight doubted it, considering the distance. But it was now clear that this sort of form was most likely one reserved by these monster for… less monstrous approaches. And Bho’Rhu’Tah—

Whispers. Whispers conjured themselves right in her ear at the very thought of that name. She shuddered right alongside Rowan Berry, who looked at her with confusion.

“Did… Did I say something, hwalba knaze?”

“No, Rowan Berry. The thought of those beings, well, it causes great anxiety. We have new, more recent memories to work through,” Twilight told her back. This wasn’t a lie, not quite, but it was easier to respond with that than trying to explain that the Lesy was holding enough power in its very name to cause strange manifestations. “Continue, please.”

“Very well…” the mare acquiesced, though with some difficulty. “I was apprehensive, I remember. Meeting a stranger as a foal is one thing, but meeting one that comes out of the forest, looking like that? I recall asking who they were and stepping back just to be safe… and then… then came the music. The same one…” she uttered as a shiver run its course through her once more, making her teeth chatter a little. “The very same that this Lesy sang, Honored Princess. It was like a lullaby, a song that… that caught me. I don’t know how, I just… I always recalled something, like the taste of something sweet on my tongue, but the smell of something sour,” Rowan Berry tried to explain, though even she found it hard to believe. “To this night I have no idea what caused that… But I know that my vision swam, like I was losing consciousness over and over… Then… it’s a blur, it’s just fragments. Memories I can reach for show me the forest getting thicker, the light of the Sign of the Bogine growing fainter and fainter…”

Twilight, witnessing what this story was doing to the lupule, felt the urge to approach her. The mare was going great lengths to invoke that terrifying moment of her life, and it was a sacrifice worthy of honoring. Midnight looked equally concerned for Rowan Berry, actually, becoming a picture of genuine and kind worry despite the very convoluted history the two of them shared.

The healer didn’t stop, though everything about her body was telling that she wanted nothing but to go away, to forget it all once again.

“What I do remember is… is the voices. The whispers. I don’t know the words they were uttering, I couldn’t grasp them. But I know what they were saying. To listen, to come… to sleep… But, thank Neskaza Lunee… I heard something, somepony, telling me that if I were to give in to these sweet suggestions then I… I would never wake up again from that slumber,” Rowan Berry explained, one of her fangs almost digging into her lower lip in anxiety. “I refused. I know that I somehow refused the call. And the next thing I know is this thing, this monster, looming over me. It’s rancid breath enveloping me, and that jaw, that horrid jaw of jutting teeth over me, the darkness calling from the inside…

“It was just like that one,” Rowan Berry admitted with yet another shudder, having the latest encounter in mind. “I ran. I ran, screaming, crying, stumbling over my own, little hooves… And it didn’t follow,” she added, as if shocked by that revelation. “I have no idea how I found my way back to the meadow, but… I… I’ve never told my parents about it, ever. My father was upset that I had gone into the woods, but… I had no courage to tell him why. I preferred to just take the punishment. He would… He would blame himself too much, for letting me wander off too far and meeting the monster...”

Twilight had been trying to gather as much information from this as she could, but she couldn’t help but admire Rowan Berry’s character. Maybe falsely, for quite likely it hadn’t been the right choice, keeping such an encounter a secret. A Lesy appearing so close to a pasture was a threat to everypony after all. Maybe the healer should have told everything to the closest ponies to her. But this choice showed that she had already had the sort of empathetic thinking which could definitely serve a lupule.

Rowan Berry concluded her tale with a most worrying thought, as it soon turned out, one that caused her eyes to grow glassy and wet. “What gnaws at me is that… that I know that I don’t remember it all. It feels like I was running a fever at the time. And things just… slipped my mind,” she admitted, as if in shame about not being stronger. “I’m… I’m trying not to think about what I cannot recall anymore. To me, it all felt like minutes, but much more time passed and…” Her lower lip shook. “And seeing this creature, right here, it made me… It made me again spin those terrible scenarios in my mind. The ones I will never learn about, never find out whether they are true…”

Twilight felt like consoling the mare then and there. She was ready to stay by her for a while, let her cry, even offer a supporting embrace. She found herself stopped not only by the traditional, batpony reluctance when it came to such matters, but also Rowan Berry stepping away briefly, to gather herself.

It took the healer a few second to face the two again, having fought her tears. And when she did so, Midnight was the one who decided to speak first.

“Yazembe Acine… We are very grateful. This was not easy for you, we recognize that. Your very body told a story, it’s bravery to even recall such misfortune…” he stated, looking at Twilight for support and receiving it aplenty. “This gesture is appreciated and won’t be forgotten.”

“Iae grate tu, Maednoc Wentr,” Rowan Berry replied, looking at the stallion and again having to combat tears welling up in her coral eyes.

Fear brought those forth, fear of what had happened behind the veil of oblivion in her mind. And Twilight recognized the sort of worry, one that she could empathize with. One that felt very familiar to her for… for more reasons than the recent, obvious ones?

She didn’t know why, exactly.

Midnight spoke up again, shaking his head a little. “I had no idea you went through something like this…”

The healer shrugged, but it was to encourage herself and regain composure. “I… I kept this to myself, because it… It felt like a dream, like a nightmare. It still does, yet I know it was real. Whatever happened. Whatever more happened. I just—” She wanted to continue, but froze up in mid-sentence. Her coral eyes widened, and it was almost possible to see in them the reflection of what caused her this shock. The state of Midnight’s wing. “Wait, what… what is this? Where are your bandages, why…?” The mare trotted closer, without caring for anything or anypony, and examined with a healer’s expertise the appendage which the stallion diligently straightened. “… not even a scar? Is this—? No, that’s the correct wing. But… you are healed? How…? Bogine, how is this possible?”

“Lesy,” the stallion replied, directly and shortly. And he wasn’t showing much happiness about it. “I don’t understand it either. All I know is that it had put it together, then ripped it open again, and then restored it back.”

“Impossible,” Rowan Berry uttered, as the scenario was clearly escaping her knowledge, and everypony’s.

“Exactly. And yet here we are,” Midnight told her, before pointing out the overtaken plantation behind them. “And the thing is also still about, right there.”

“Yes. And we’re heading in there.”

Twilight surprised herself with how swift and firm her declaration was. Aside from how dangerous, stupid, risky and much more the very choice was.

And yet, after hearing Rowan Berry’s tale on top of what had transpired, it was even more evident that this was something that simply had to be done. Leaving a dangerous, mighty creature roaming around the Valleys was out of the question. And it had expressed as transparently as possible, despite its convoluted, illogical nature, that it wanted to talk with Twilight more, learn of her. Whether it was a part of a greater design or simply whimsy of that one Lesy, that was irrelevant. There was one possible course of action.

It… It wasn’t like Twilight had never faced impossible odds before. She had emerged victorious in the end, every time.

Why… Why would this time be different?

That question was nothing short of tempting fate, she was well aware of that.

Midnight folded his wing, took a deep breath and sighed. He then let out a small chuckle of a pony accepting their grim fate. “I’ll check my gear,” he declared, trying to sound confident.

Twilight felt it prudent to ask anyway. “Are you really sure about following me into this?”

“Are you really doubting that I would?” he answered her question with one of his own. “I’m with you, through everything. And I’m not stupid, I recognize a hard choice when I see one. So I’m definitely not going to let you take it on your own,” he assured, nodding sharply.

“… this is madness,” Rowan Berry uttered at witnessing such a stance, her eyes darting between the strange copse, Twilight and the stallion. “I… Hwalba knaze, there surely is another way.”

“Any other way is letting the Lesy persist, and the longer it’s here the higher the chance that things will take a turn for the worse,” Twilight replied, trying to sound entirely unflinching, despite the fear clawing at her heart. “This thing is here because it sought me. It will remain here as long as it’s necessary to get what it wants, that I’m sure of. I have the opportunity to do something about it, so… I’m going to.”

It wasn’t that the lupule didn’t understand such motivation, but it was blatant that there was a limit to her support in this endeavor. And Twilight was very keenly aware of why it was so.

“Hwalba knaze, iae…” Rowan Berry mumbled, looking past Twilight at the tangle of boughs, branches, leaves and foreboding. “I… I just…” The mare closed her eyes, shuddering and shaking her head. “I don’t… I don’t want to.”

“I’m not requiring you to follow,” Twilight told her, trying to sound genuine and calm. “I didn’t ask you to do so. I understand how serious you take your duty, but I won’t force anypony to join me on this endeavor…”

There was genuine thankfulness coming from the lupule, but hidden very far behind great shame. “I… Forgive me, Honored Princess, I… I just can’t, it’s... Forgive me, please,” she tried to express herself more, but it was ultimately unnecessary.

“Don’t ask for forgiveness when there is no reason for it,” Twilight spoke, bringing forth a smile on her lips. “Stay here, tend to the wounded. We’ll deal with this,” she added, glancing at Midnight who checked the straps on his hoofshoes and symbolically moved the claws about into a position of readiness.

It didn’t encourage the healer, however. “… this is unreasonable. This is putting yourself at such a great risk, both of you!”

The stallion grinned a little in response, showing his fangs. “Oh, it most definitely is. And I can’t believe I’m agreeing to it, but… I have my orders, and my duty. The official sort and the less so, too.”

Twilight recognized what he meant, giving him a warmer glance. “This definitely goes a little above the call of duty, Midnight.”

“Not to me,” he additionally confirmed his conviction.

Rowan Berry hissed under her breath. “What if… What if something happens? Something terrible? What then…? What should I...?”

“We’ll manage,” Twilight assured her, assuring herself as well. “If it wants to talk, we’ll indulge it. Then we... request that he leaves. These beings are powerful, without question, but not bent on utter destruction and chaos, I feel…”

The healer relented, knowing that she wouldn’t change Twilight’s mind, though her coral eyes were filled to the brim with worry. “Well, may… may Bogine watch over both of you, hwalba knaze, Maednoc Wentr…”

“Thank you, Rowan Berry,” Midnight told her with a tone of somepony ready for anything. He then turned to Twilight again. “Ready to fulfill my mission, Honored Princess. Shall we inform Honored Lord Dusk Harvest of this completely terrible idea?”

“That would be prudent,” Twilight admitted, trying to remain serious, though the hysterical hilarity was somewhat helpful.

She nodded in Rowan Berry’s direction, then trotted away with Midnight, having the overtaken plantation well within her sight. Her gaze then sought the stallion’s again, receiving silent and warm support from his keen, saffron stare.

She had been missing those glances, despite everything. And, if anything could see them through this seemingly impossible task, it was what had brought them together in the first place.

They had something to restore, both of them. It was high time to get to it, among all adversities.

Together.

Comments

[redmar]

The Lesy is absolutely terrifying! It's manipulation of nature shows just how dangerous it/they can be and it's very obvious that they have an alien mindset. The fact that Midnight Wind is willing to accompany Twilight shows his dedication to her. Rowan Berry's encounter with the Leysi as a foal was clearly terrifying for her and something she prefers not to think about.

[Gargon94]

I wonder what it is the Lesy sees in Twilight here. I am both afraid for her and interested in what she learns from the Lesy.

[Gulheru]

11877043

There are some things that just stay with a person, whether we like it or not.

11877053

That remains to be seen and told.

[Piemaster128]

That thing is terrifying and likely more powerful than anything twilight fought in cannon. I have a bad feeling about this, but I am also curious to see if this might be what twilight and midnight need to reforge their damaged bond. I also wonder if midnight might show twilight his dagger during their trip into the new forest, maybe as a way to help twilight snap out of a spell.

[Gulheru]

11877076

Ah, a very nice theory there, I enjoy it.

[Nightsclaw]

This is one of those moment that no film could ever get right. The strange power and majesty of the lesy, the horror and the grace all at once. No medium other than words can craft a moment like that without cheapening it and you wielded your words expertly to get it just right.

The only question is what happens next? Good point to end the chapter and have us wanting more. :)

[Gulheru]

11877078

My friend, you are too kind. I was just trying to make it unnaturally believable, that's all.

[Frazikar]

Lezy is very primal (instinctual, very much nature in the raw) but still beatable. Requires quite a bit of knowledge about space-time boundaries ...

Ah, pheromones, nothing like a gas attack to leave one unsettled (and possibly excited) ...

Now Twi on her own could repair some of the damage (from AJ), with Harmony (outside aid), even undo (or would that be redo) the orchards. With Harmony AND Discord, box Bho’Rhu’Tah into a smaller corner (he'll just take longer to break out again).

[Gulheru]

11877166

That sounds like... a plan?

[Frazikar]

11877169
Could be, Bho’Rhu’Tah is a force of nature that can be contained but not (totally) beaten (kinda like Discord in that way) ...

[MathBrony173]

It was clear that the Lesy was terrifying but wasn't expecting it to display an ability to be alluring, too. His manner of speaking was hard to follow at times but that was clearly by design with its 'alien' thinking and reasoning. It was also interesting how it continued to address itself as both We and then separately I. This reminded me of the Holy Trinity, where each of the three (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) are separate Persons yet collectively one singular God. I'm curious just how ancient the Lesyi are but also wonder why they haven't seemed to appear outside of Noctraliya (as far as we/they know anyway).

I was initially unsure why the Lesy seemed so certain that Twilight would follow it so they could converse more in private. Given that it infected the plantation with wilderness and posed a potential danger to innocent lives, it's not surprising that Twilight saw facing him again as the only course of action. He must have known she would make that choice from her earlier action to save Midnight from enduring pain.

Not sure if this has been asked already or maybe mentioned and I simply forgot: Do either Luna or Celestia (or both) know of the Lesyi (by that name or their name Bho’Rhu’Tah)?

Looking forward to seeing this interaction. I'm sure both Twilight and the Lesy will be learning from each other.

[Gargon94]

11877069
Ok

[Gulheru]

11877241

Nobody asked them, that's for sure, though perhaps they would have some insight to share. For now, however, it is about crossing the border between the realms and witnessing for oneself...

[Astorius]

If Shining Armor and Cadance can push all changelings out of Canterlot,
Twilight and Midnight can surely do something about that Lesy...

[Gulheru]

11877262

Hah, with the same sort of a "trick"? Well, who knows?

[RangerOfRhudaur]

Translations of the Noctraliyar:

“ Wenae, maliya acine… Asklutae… Wenae… Semnae… ”

"Come, little berry... Listen... Come... Sleep..."

“ To bide… to bide tu ! ” she shouted, and the very tone of her voice spoke about some deep-seated trauma. There was no other melody quite like it, and yet it flawlessly weaved itself with the beast’s beguiling call.

"That was... that was you!"

“ Ia… nye bide. Uai … bidi. ”

"I... was not. We... are." [Potential correction: If intention was for "We... were," should be Uai bidei.]

“ Iau tez. Dictae bez timyit… ”

"Mine as well. You may speak without fear."

“ Iae grate tu, Maednoc Wentr, ” Rowan Berry replied, looking at the stallion and again having to combat tears welling up in her coral eyes.

"I thank you, Midnight Wind."

---

In terms of the Lesyar, first there's the elephant in the room, the Lesy's (speak not his name) alternation between We and I. I actually think there's a fairly simple explanation for this; whenever he says "We," he means the Lesyi as a collective, whenever he says "I" he means only himself. For example:

“We… mind not. Life comes, goes, changes. I… enjoy the sight of change, abrupt, pained. Wrong instinct, failed escape. I… mind not the blood, for it nourishes. Thorns draw from a fox and a ferret and a fool…”

Here, he's saying that the Lesyi as a whole do not mind causing suffering to other living beings, for life naturally comes, goes, and changes, making what they do less an unanticipated action and more a simple speeding-up of life's time table. This Lesy then says that he himself enjoys the sight of painful change, of an incorrect instinct leading a creature to fail to escape from death. He hunts for sport, not food, for while he enjoys the sight of change, he only "minds not" the blood that feeds him.

The Lesy’s eyes flickered once again, as if shifting and taking in the batponies around. “We… hear all of their songs, still harmonious, still dissonant. I… pity them, listening to themselves, over and over. I… mind not the blood,” the creature repeated itself, then paused, as if considering. “I… feel no thirst, even if soil calls, feasts on bone. Maggot’s sadness.”

With his emphasis on the excitement of Twilight being something new and the familiarity and contempt he feels for the noctrali, my guess is that "maggot's sadness" means recognition of the low quality of one's food, an understanding that one is only being allowed to feed on what all others have disdained. However, there are two very interesting points here; first, the way he describes the noctrali as "listening to themselves, over and over," raising the question of how much of the Immaculate Moon's message was real and how much was Pharisaical invention by Noctraliya itself. Is Noctraliya, like Borogravia in Terry Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment," listening to the dictates of a collective hatred that masquerades as divine? The second interesting thing is his mention of soil calling, implying that the soil is separate from him. Perhaps the Lesyi are less elemental forces like Discord and more spirits meant to serve those forces, like angels of the forest.

However, with his references to hunting, charming, and (though this is going to sound really weird) the similarity between Rowan Berry's foalhood encounter with the Lesy and the Dungeons and Dragons ability "Dark Delirium," I'm going to have to say that the best match for the Lesyi appears to be the fey. The alien (though not illogical, Twilight, it's just operating on different principles than you) mentality, the haughty disregard for mortals, the affinity for the hunt and the wilderness, the Lesy this chapter behaves almost exactly like you would expect a fey prince to, which ironically helps tie this plot thread back to the main plot: leaving aside their physical forms, what difference is there between this Lesy and Azure Mist? Doesn't Azure Mist show the same reckless disregard for those she considers beneath her, the same affection for her methods of catching prey and her homeland? And does this Lesy's attempts at seduction remind you of anyone from the Mountain Twilight just left? And, of course, the fey can also be called, as Terry Pratchett pointed out, Lords and Ladies, or as we're more used to, Haspadri i Haspadrei.

[Gulheru]

11877369

Thank you, great work. Though the correction is unnecessary. They are.

Very nice observations so far too, love them. I will feed well on all of those.

[RBDoucette]

“Shall we inform Honored Lord Dusk Harvest of this completely terrible idea?”

Makes me think of a shirt I recently bought that says:
That is a horrible idea.
What time?

Loved this chapter and looking forward to the next one. Keep up the great work! 😁

[Gulheru]

11877424

I'm planning on it.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

And he held a particular view on that, which he decided to share. “One d-does not h-have to be a-almighty to make the w-w-world better,” he told her with a nervous smile.

He reached down and straightened up one of the smallest vines nearby, putting it back on its frame from the dust it had been pushed into. In comparison to the Lesy’s miraculous deeds, it seemed almost a pathetic gesture, but equally vital for that, particular plant.

“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

This is an absolutely vital lesson for all of us to take away and carry with us forever. Most of us, the majority of us, don't have the strength or the opportunity to work mighty deeds. Most of us don't have the willpower to stare a tank down, or the opportunity to negotiate the end to a devastating war. When we enter the dragon's lair, ninety-nine out of a hundred of us will probably either die or flee. Heroic ability is rare; that's why it's noteworthy. As an example, Twilight's ability to levitate objects would make her incredibly powerful in our world, but in Equestria, where such a talent is commonplace, it's barely noted.

But there's another kind of heroism, the kind Dusk Harvest urges us to inculcate, the heroism that looks at one's talents and doesn't compare them with others but instead looks for what good those talents can be used to do. One of the best examples of this heroic spirit is Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings; a simple gardener, he lacks the strength of arms or dazzling intellect to perform deeds worthy of song, but his dogged loyalty to Frodo drives him to try anyway. He uses his talents, meager though he may think them, to do whatever he can to help his master complete his mission. Unlike heroic ability, this heroic spirit is available to all of us, if we wish to tap into it. All of us can be heroes, if not as flashy ones as Superman or Batman.

I know that reading that just made your teeth rot from how saccharine it was, but it taps into another important aspect of this kind of heroism, the humility it requires. While most people probably know that Sam was tempted by the Ring but resisted it, what they may not know is one of the reasons he was able to resist it; he knew that he wouldn't be a match for Sauron, even with the Ring's power. On a similar note, if Dusk Harvest tried to be an action hero like Twilight this chapter, the Lesy would have torn him to shreds; his spirit, though respectable, would have lacked the body, the power, to back it up. But he didn't, just like Sam didn't accept the Ring's promise of power, because both of them knew their limits. Pride brought down Satan, Denethor, and is pretty clearly shaping up to bring down Azure Mist, but it failed to defeat a humble gardener and an overpromoted farmworker. The distorted view that pride presents us with is cleared up by humility, by rightly understanding the world and our place in it, allowing those who possess humility to slay a dragon that has brought down those with abilities far beyond them.

Of course, that still leaves the dragon that pride was trying to goad them to fight, but there's another thing about this heroic spirit, something really interesting; it has a tendency to snowball. All the little acts which it drives us to do end up combining together into something strong enough to shake the world. Sam sparing Gollum on the slopes of Mount Doom in imitation of his master ends up destroying the Ring, Dusk Harvest's skillful tending of the Valleys potentially helped hold off war until Twilight came (or, potentially, was sent) to help defuse it, and Twilight giving up her magic to Tirek in exchange for her friends turned a stalemate into a one-sided curbstomp. Just like friendship, the heroic spirit acts as a force multiplier that compounds, and if you know anything about math you know that that means it gets very silly, very fast. Twilight's experience in Noctraliya serves as a great example of this; she entered with one friend (and yes, I do believe he was her friend, just one whose relationship was very complicated due to his duties as an Occultan) and two Eyes on her and found the country preparing for war, but now, by bearing her message of friendship, she's managed to make the Eyes watching her blink, persuading one if not both of them into her corner, and she's managed to make great progress to prevent the war from happening. She's all-but conquering Noctraliya for Friendship, and not by using her magic or her position but by being friendly and doing the good she can. The weak have shamed the strong, and the meek cast down the proud.

What could we do if, instead of insisting that we're not heroes because we lack heroic ability, we simply did whatever good we could using the abilities we have? What would the world be like if we trained ourselves in humility, giving us the tools to fight the dragon that has scourged us for so long, Pride? What if, instead of writing this pretentious wall of text, I actually used my time to do something good and useful, just like all of you? Let's be like Dusk Harvest, like Twilight, like Sam, and find out.

[IceHawk]

Wonderfully written!

Now, the real question's nobody asked... I wonder how good that fruit the Lesy touched would be... could make a nice wine with those grapes!

Eagerly waiting for more.

[bkam]

It spoke. The Lesy spoke.

Starting where we left off, nice.

“We… are, stand, form. Yet do I… frighten?” came the quite unexpected question, asked with the sound of wind caressing the tips of conifers.

i.imgflip.com/2hwufo.jpg

Twilight was about to step in, but the Lesy seemed satisfied with the outcome, as if having taught a valuable lesson. It growled deeply and the hold it had on that stallion was gone, alongside the pony’s courage, as he fell down to the ground, shaking and closing its eyes, to the further horror of the companion who had just tried to stop him.

Okay then...

Twilight watched in great worry, while also considering the words that had just come out of the entity’s mouth. If she understood correctly – Rowan Berry had recognized the melody from somewhere. She had then asked whether the Lesy before them had been… him? Perhaps an encounter she had endured before? Hadn’t she been rather fearful when talking about Those of the Forest? But then the being claimed that it hadn’t been him. That it was them.

I'm concerned, deeply concerned.

“Hwalba knaze,” he uttered, his eyes back on the being and keen once again, as he had managed to shake the charm off of himself, “it would be better for you to leave with the hwalbu haspadr. This thing isn’t planning anything noble concerning you...”

Twilight didn’t feel like contesting that claim, not entirely. But there was somepony... or ‘something’ that did.

Uh oh

A beam of pure, arcane energy surged forth. Powered by rage, however unreasonable, powered by feelings perhaps even more so. The spell flew through the air like furious, raspberry lightning and like a piercing bolt of searing, silver vengeance alike and struck the Lesy. It connected with the side of its head, boring through the form with surprising ease, engulfing two eyes, one of the horns and much of its back. It was a display of magical might that nopony from the gathered had ever witnessed, surely, and one that the monster took the brunt of.

Jeez, don't fk with Twilight.

“We… assume this form as a sign of old bond. I… am even more intrigued by you now, Twilight Sparkle! What a chance, what a stance, what a dance!” the creature claimed, as each and every word was transforming the sounds of nature into a proper pony’s voice more and more. Its melody was strong, both fitting for a mighty stallion and a beautiful mare. “What joy, to talk with this flesh, to look with those eyes. Old opportunity made new! Come caterpillar, come butterfly!”

Well then, that was unexpected.

Twilight had to remind herself that she was still in the presence of a monster. And that she wasn’t alone with just it, actually. But the form’s allure had held her in its clutches for a good few moments before she found her tongue again. “Are you… Who are you?” came the quite unnecessary question, but one that actually caused the Lesy to giggle.

A monster… giggling with grace and amusement, like a playful pony.

I am very confused.

The being was well aware of the effect it was having on everypony around. “Cheer! Cheer, companions! Have your chance, once again! Ogle!”

She looked at him, taking her eyes off the being, and realizing that he had gotten up, but had been shifting slightly all this time, as if checking something. She simply couldn’t have focused on his actions, having the Lesy before her, drawing her in. But she could now witness that the stallion had undone the bandages around his injured wing and was... moving it. Freely.

It was perfectly fine.

...Well then...

Because the problem was not gone, not at all. If she had understood the Lesy’s motivation, it wanted to ‘learn’ of her more. And considering its last choice, it wanted her to trot right into the copse, to have a more private meeting with her. The very idea made Twilight’s instinct scream danger, and she didn’t have to ponder on that for even a breath. This was one of the most terrible choices to consider making – venturing right into the lair of such a wicked, mighty being?

I honestly kinda want to see her have this more private meeting with the Lesy.

And he held a particular view on that, which he decided to share. “One d-does not h-have to be a-almighty to make the w-w-world better,” he told her with a nervous smile.

A very true statement, if you ask me.

“The fact that you were saving yourself as well doesn’t lessen what you have done for me, and for Rowan Berry,” he riposted. “Whatever happens and… and whatever you decide, I’m with you.”

“You speak as if you know exactly where my mind is heading...”

“Yes. And a chill settles in my gut at the very thought,” the batpony admitted, though retaining a warrior’s tone. “It’s dangerous, it’s unreasonable, it’s sacrificial and almost suicidal… And yet, I cannot help but see it as a possible solution…” He took a deep breath. “I owe you that much support and more in your plans. Not sure how much that means when dealing with a Lesy, but… you have me.”

“Yes. And we’re heading in there.”

Hell yes!

It… It wasn’t like Twilight had never faced impossible odds before. She had emerged victorious in the end, every time.

Why… Why would this time be different?

It didn’t encourage the healer, however. “… this is unreasonable. This is putting yourself at such a great risk, both of you!”

The stallion grinned a little in response, showing his fangs. “Oh, it most definitely is. And I can’t believe I’m agreeing to it, but… I have my orders, and my duty. The official sort and the less so, too.”

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Midnight?

---

This chapter was at times scary, confusing, amusing, and hilarious. I look forward to the next installment, Gulheru.

[Gulheru]

11877576

That was definitely not pretentious, mind you. It made my morning brighter, too.

11877601

"Spirit of the Forest" is a type of rectified spirit in my neck of the woods, so... you know.

11877639

Looks like I managed to offer the whole package. That makes me very glad.

[Bregon]

Oh-no, why do I have a strong feeling that Bho'Rhu'Tah will not leave peacefully?

[Noobblue]

Aside from more complex comments about the nature of fantasy beasts, now that we've given the chance to learn about the Forest, I can say that Lesy are resoundingly cool.

[Gulheru]

11877893

Depends on what you understand by "peacefully".

11877900

Happy to hear I've managed to make them so.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11877601
Personally, given the way the oranges in the grove it generated were described as "malformed," my guess is it wouldn't be a good idea to eat them, even leaving aside the fact that eating the food of the fey is generally considered dangerous.

Ironically, the release of this chapter actually linked it with something that I think ties together the alien mentality and world-warping effects of the Lesyi; The Feast of Hemlock Vale, a campaign for the Arkham Horror Living Card Game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "The Colour out of Space." Perhaps the Lesyi's relationship with nature is more nuanced than their reputation as Spirits of the Wild suggests.

[Numinos]

Well, this was a chapter... Oof! *shudders*. Well, hello there, alien immortal hivemind being, looking forward to never seeing you again after this arc. It's terrifying on existential level. Great job you've done with them : )

[Gulheru]

11878253

Oh, please, you cannot write off an entity like this.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[Astral Empyrean]

I get excited every time I see this story update. It's still got me hook, line, and sinker. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The story is fantastic. And I cannot wait to see it's completion.

[Gulheru]

11878691

Thank you ever so kindly! I do hope to weave it until all is said and done. I think I'm progressing at a good pace right now.

[Thyrrnatf]

“We... see you coming. I... shall be waiting...” the entity promised in a cacophonous singsong, gifting her with another joyous expression which stoked a strange fire and wistfulness right in her soul.

Well well..... This sounds interesting 😂😂
Just imagine the off-spring from this union 😂😂

[Gulheru]

11878849

How about no?

[Thyrrnatf]

11878851
im sure Discord would love to babysit once it is born, the amount of chaos a being born of two so powerfull entities

[Leafeon4T]

Bho’Rhu’Tah...
Well then.
They seem nice.

[Gulheru]

11879143

I'd say they are.

[Revel Montaro]

My hat is off to you because that thing sounds absolutely creepy on every level. The way it moves, it sounds, it speaks. So alien. I have a hard time even imagining such a thing. Probably a failing on my part as an amateur writer. Still, what a twist to the story as a whole. Especially it's command over life and death.

It was nice to see Midnight regaining some of his iron and swagger there at the end.

It kind of reminded of a great line from the game, Halo Wars. "Understood. Recalling our troops so we can all die together."

[Gulheru]

11879516

My gracious thanks, I'm glad I managed to invoke the image so vividly.

[GCU Poke It With A Stick]

Apologies for bringing this quote up again, but:

Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.

Elves are bad.

GodDAMN Mr. Pratchett is good at describing fey creatures. Didn't realize how well this would describe the Lesy when it first showed up so many chapters ago.

And it spoke, opening its jaw, now hanging only by one side, abyss spilling from it like morning fog and dispersing just as quickly. “We… feel that. Might, potency of what is unseen, but there. Floating, moving, cascading sometimes like water in a fall. We… ask, can you burn every blade of grass? Slay every being big and small, the wolf, the elk, the beetle, the mite? Can you deaden the wind between the peaks, turn rivers and lakes into ash? Conflagration, drought, are those in your power? Can you strip life of meaning? Spark, sparkle, time of twilight?”

You know for all the alien thought patterns the Lesy is engaging in, it's still Noctraliyan through and through. Yes, Twilight is fully capable of such things given the correct push, she is Equestrian. A species who's evolutionary path has given it control of magic, weather, celestial bodies, even time itself so they may never be prey to creatures like the Lesy ever again. Civilization is coming to the lands of the Lesy.

Bho’Rhu’Tah should really think about who's predator and who's prey here.

“I… am afraid, hwalbu haspadr, that even my magic won’t help here. You see that the Lesy changed its approach, but didn’t seem perturbed when I struck through it. Of course, I could try and contest the spreading of this thicket, if the being would decide to expand, but…” She took a moment to assess the situation. She felt rather comfortable, returning to considering her magical prowess when dealing with the challenges in Noctraliya, but there was no answer laying there for this, particular scenario. “I doubt I could make as much as a dent in this copse. Or, should I say, a path. I know some spells pertaining to the natural, but the Lesy seems far more in unity with it… I can conjure flames in great volume, or straight force to knock down trees, push away obstacles. But witnessing how fast this thing grew? I’m worried it would restore itself before I would finish whatever spell.”

This is when you get countermeasures that emphasize less the personal touch and more to whom it may concern:

“I think it’s prudent thinking, Honored Lord. This is a deliberate infestation of… of wilderness,” she replied,

That is not wilderness. It's as artificial as a Terminator that had some leaves and twigs glued on that everyone calls beautiful because of its glamour. Granted, infestation is an apt description. A concept that the Discworld series ran with their fey is how they are dimensional parasites that feed off reality and bring misery to the "normal" world in the same way an infection does.

On a much better note: dangit Dusk Harvest stop being so amazing! Nearly 10 years running and I still believe he's the best pony with leather for wings.

[Gulheru]

11879720

How very progressive of you to think you can out-muscle a creature like that with the march of civilization.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11879720
Eh, the quote's good, no need to apologize for bringing it up again. I have a few things that I quote a lot, too.

You know for all the alien thought patterns the Lesy is engaging in, it's still Noctraliyan through and through. Yes, Twilight is fully capable of such things given the correct push, she is Equestrian. A species who's evolutionary path has given it control of magic, weather, celestial bodies, even time itself so they may never be prey to creatures like the Lesy ever again. Civilization is coming to the lands of the Lesy.

Bho’Rhu’Tah should really think about who's predator and who's prey here.

Personally, I'm not so sure; when I read Bho'Rhu'Tah's statement, I took it to mean "Do you have it in you to drop the bomb, to glass all creation?" Your point about Discworld's fey feeding off of reality is actually a neat fit with this; the Lesyi appear to use materials from the world around to incarnate themselves, Frankensteining themselves into physicality. This includes not just plant matter but, as the poor bird this chapter demonstrated, animals as well. If Twilight wanted to get rid of the Lesyi, she would need to leave them nothing to inhabit, no organic material to possess, offering one potential explanation for the wasteland Twilight and Starlight encountered in S5E26; perhaps that was a world where the Lesyi needed to be stopped, whatever the consequences.

Of course, the Lesyi still need to take care around Twilight; yes, she might not have an immediately obvious logical way to deal with them, but she draws her power partially from her friendship with Pinkie Pie, meaning that if worst comes to worst she may force logic, including the laws of physics, to take a back seat.

That is not wilderness. It's as artificial as a Terminator that had some leaves and twigs glued on that everyone calls beautiful because of its glamour. Granted, infestation is an apt description. A concept that the Discworld series ran with their fey is how they are dimensional parasites that feed off reality and bring misery to the "normal" world in the same way an infection does.

Personally, given their apparently spiritual nature and their malice towards the noctrali, I'd take "infestation" not in the medical sense but in the theological, demons infesting somewhere to, as you said, bring misery. Alternatively, maybe the Lesyi aren't spirits of wilderness so much as nature run wild, turned up to eleven. This-

“We... remain. I... remain too, right here, as long it takes,” it pointed out. “Come no closer, companions, interlopers, lest you desire your life joined with the forest! Fear not such fate, feed the ground, feed the fir and the fern and the foxglove… but cross me not...” the being warned with the sweetest of tones, like the juice of a poisonous berry.

-is, technically, an accurate description of life in the wild, but dramatized and stripped of nuance, reducing the complex web of interactions that make up the natural world to a simple story of "the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." Bho'Rhu'Tah speaks like a true "noble savage," a foreigner of a different culture who dedicates himself to the hunt and the fight, domination and subjugation. His Nature is a hypertrophy of sovereignty and charisma, the only things that matter strength and the people who possess that strength. He serves as a dark mirror for several of the Mountains to see their worst selves in; the Fangs are forced to reckon with what their love of the hunt and wildness says about the contents of their hearts, the Crescents are shown what happens when someone truly believes that they are above the law, the Midnights see the inhumanity that superiority, real or imagined, can instill. Bho'Rhu'Tah is their worst fears and their deepest dreams realized, the monster they hate and the being they most desire to be.

And, as the malformed oranges in the grove show, oftentimes it's the subjects that the haspadri i haspdrei claim kinship with that most suffer their depredations. They claim that they're working for the good of their people, righting ancient wrongs, breaking ancient chains, but the fruits of that expansion, literal for the fey and metaphorical for the noctrali, are blighted, poisoned. The warrior-heroes live only for the hunt, the feast, and the battle, every success only serving as a staging ground for the next great campaign. Who cares about administering the lands they just conquered, there's honor to be won, and the lily-livered cowards who administer the lands are trying to stop them from winning it, saying things like "We need more people tending the land" and "We don't have the resources to conquer this place." Who cares about resources, we have our training, our might, and our destiny, our natural superiority over those who oppose us, Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles...

The haspadri i haspadrei, both fey and noctrali, have trained their elites as warrior-heroes, leaning more towards the former for the fey and the latter for the noctrali; Bho'Rhu'Tah is a hunter, though also possessing personal charisma, and Azure Mist, though more of a political operative, is still fully capable of using force to enforce her will. They have made competition their end, desiring victory over their competitors over all other goods. Though Rainbow Dash shows how a competitive nature can be good, driving self-improvement, it has to have another end in order to do so; wanting to get better simply to get better is running in a hamster wheel, an exercise in futility. The haspadri i haspadrei generally lack that end, lack any goal other than "Win." Some, like Dusk Harvest or Blessed Fang, do have other ends at which they aim, but by and large this system produces leaders who only care about competing with and defeating other leaders. And, with competition itself as their end, the only thing that will signal the haspadri i haspadrei to stop is a competitor strong enough to defeat them decisively and knock them out of the game.

Competition for competition's sake, fighting for fighting's sake... Growth for growth's sake.

Oranges grew, expanded and multiplied, but malformed, malnourished, touched by blight, cancerous.

[GCU Poke It With A Stick]

11879740
Just paying attention to what Equestria has been doing throughout the show: expanding. And the distinct lack of anything like the lesy in their territory. The closest analog in the form of Discord would (in their eyes) have been tamed and chained by civilization, now that he cares about things like Fluttershy and friendship (mainly Fluttershy). The Fae have been written as these terrifying and powerful creatures commanding all they survey, but throughout the fiction and myths, civilization has been forcing them back, driving them deeper into holes to be forgotten about because they've been replaced with far more horrifying things to haunt our nightmares with. The lesy will have to embrace one of the most important parts of nature they claim to champion and adapt or die.

11880100

Personally, I'm not so sure; when I read Bho'Rhu'Tah's statement, I took it to mean "Do you have it in you to drop the bomb, to glass all creation?"

Even taken like that, I'd still go with yes. Everyone has that ability, given the right push. To believe otherwise gives people severe blind spots with themselves in the form of "I could never something like that". Cults actually take advantage of mentalities like that to seduce new recruits who have convinced themselves they couldn't possibly become deranged cultists so this group they joined that's building a compound and yammering about the end of days obviously isn't one.

Personally, given their apparently spiritual nature and their malice towards the noctrali, I'd take "infestation" not in the medical sense but in the theological, demons infesting somewhere to, as you said, bring misery.

Theological or medical, there is a cure that is quite effective on both:

i.pinimg.com/originals/cd/db/fa/cddbfaaed1f17221ddba6daf43306f3b.gif

Bho'Rhu'Tah speaks like a true "noble savage," a foreigner of a different culture who dedicates himself to the hunt and the fight, domination and subjugation. His Nature is a hypertrophy of sovereignty and charisma, the only things that matter strength and the people who possess that strength.

Who cares about resources, we have our training, our might, and our destiny, our natural superiority over those who oppose us, Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles...

Sounds familiar
i.ytimg.com/vi/-avJIDU_I1Y/maxresdefault.jpg
Just replace Deutchland uber alles with Manifest Destiny and control of the natural world with memes and you've got it.

On a semi-unrelated note, have 20 bucks on the Lesy being behind the future crop failures.

[Gulheru]

11880723

No, I don't think they die. I think they are just waiting.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11880723

Even taken like that, I'd still go with yes. Everyone has that ability, given the right push. To believe otherwise gives people severe blind spots with themselves in the form of "I could never something like that". Cults actually take advantage of mentalities like that to seduce new recruits who have convinced themselves they couldn't possibly become deranged cultists so this group they joined that's building a compound and yammering about the end of days obviously isn't one.

I'm not talking about willpower, I'm talking about logistics. If I'm right (and that's a big if), then in order to get rid of the Lesyi, the entire world would need to be scoured of organic matter - including the creatures that inhabit it. At that point, would there be any triumph? Would it be worth it to defeat the Lesyi if it meant Armageddon?

Sounds familiar

That's the thing; for all the fantastically skin-crawling aesthetics and mysterious powers, the Lesyi are the same enemies Twilight has been fighting for the whole book. If Bho'Rhu'Tah was a noctral, especially a haspadr, we wouldn't bat an eye at his statements; they would be perfectly in character for Noctraliya's leadership, even if a bit extreme. Bho'Rhu'Tah is Azure Mist without the mask, her silky politics and "cunning" (in the heaviest of quotation marks) schemes replaced with sheer eldritch power. Why bother trying to assassinate someone quietly when you're immune to whatever resistance they might offer? Why bother with spoonwood when you can become the darkness between the stars? Why bother caring about those lower than you (everyone) when you are as far beyond them as they are beyond an ant? Why pray when you yourself are as a god?

The problem with this hubristic worldview is that, as it was so memorably put in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, "There's always a bigger fish." There is always something bigger than us, beyond us, until you reach the Creator Who is vast enough to contain all things, and Bho'Rhu'Tah's desire to talk with Twilight, to learn about her (i.e., take in information that he does not currently contain), disqualifies him as the First Cause, making him fair game for the rest of us to contend with. "All who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52); the use of power will raise up rivals who will gather enough power to overthrow the first user. Like I said earlier, it's unclear if I'm right that defeating the Lesyi will require the eradication of all life, and by turning themselves into monsters the Lesyi are making it ever more likely that Equestria and Noctraliya will decide to find out. The Lesyi might be able to win, for a day, a week, a moon, an Age, but as fallible beings there is always the chance that they will lose, and as the number of times they're tested approaches infinity, as the universality of ambition dictates it will, that chance becomes a statistical certainty. "All who take the sword will perish by the sword."

The only thing that can break this cycle, that can stay the sword, is Love, expressed in Equestria as Harmony or Friendship. The Lesyi's use of power drives the noctrali away from them, but Twilight's use of power in the service of Friendship draws all towards her; Azure Mist, who has spent countless moons persuading, threatening, and cajoling the rest of the Covenant into going along with her (absurd) plan is forced to watch as Twilight convinces them to go against it by kneeling and washing their hooves. Twilight knows that she is great, but instead of turning inward to stare narcissistically at her greatness she turns outward to see how she can help others become great. Unlike the haspadri i haspadrei, her ego is not her highest goal; if it ever had been, that was wiped away at the Castle of the Two Sisters, the light of the Elements dazzling her as Saul was dazzled on the road to Damascus. She knows, as few others know, the power and the importance of Friendship, and her soul burns with the desire to share that truth. She has come to Noctraliya to share that truth, to serve as "a light for the nations" (Isaiah 42:6), and "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). The days of the haspadri i haspadrei are numbered; Friendship is coming, and power alone, all that they have sold their souls for, will not be enough to stop it. For Friendship is power, the power of many brought together as one, and as Tirek showed, against the power of true Friendship nothing, not even the stolen power of an entire nation, can stand.

[Honey Lavender]

11881523
Oh, good, I was afraid I'd completely bombed that particular attempt. It was... not easy, considering the lexicon didn't contain translations for half the words I wanted to use in about a dozen previous attempts, and I found myself constantly second-guessing myself as to the sentence structure

[Gulheru]

11881545

Hah, I get you. Admittedly, there would be a need for a lot more words were this to be a developed language.

[Backlash91]

Good good that was awesome. Great chapter.

10/10 warbles.

[Gulheru]

11882593

Good warble to you, as well.

[AceFurryTrash]

I admire the commitment of writing for 10 years. The first story is so good and Scribbler's audio production makes it work well.

I also like that you stuck to the fruit bat vampire thing.

[Gulheru]

11885870

Thank you very much, I appreciate it. Feel free to browse.