THWACK!
At the end of his latest axe-swing, Logan leaned back and shouted through his helmet. "Timberrr!"
"Stand back, everypony!" Flynn exclaimed, situated in the center of the glass plate as he gathered his enchanted materials.
In the meantime, no less than four cleaved stalks fell over—thrashing wildly the entire way. They landed in a wet splash, further staining the glass plane where the Herald were assembled.
"Eughhh—huu—huu—huu!" Rarity shivered all over. The hairs on the back of her ghostly neck raised noticeably as she huddled behind Applejack's figure. "Must this sort of an exercise be so... grotesquely moist?"
"It's the only way they can clear enough room to plant them magic rocks, Rarity," Applejack said. "If you dun like it so much, you can just look away—y'know."
"It's so difficult not to watch." Rarity swallowed her nonexistent lunch down. "It is like a carriage crash in slow motion! With a putrid abundance of tomato sauce!"
"Come to think of it..." Pinkie Pie drooled slightly as she watched the tendrils thrashing about after being lopped clean. "...it is starting to resemble a large glass plate of spaghetti."
"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Honestly!"
"Would itttttttt..." Pinkie squinted. "...would it count as meat-eating just to have a tiny little bite?"
"Reckon t'ain't our problem to worry about," Applejack said. She fidgeted slightly, then looked over at their anchor. "Well... almost."
"Some plants in Equestria are known to metabolize on living insects," Twilight Sparkle said. "Eating them still wouldn't count as being carniverous... even if they are carnivores."
"You hearing all of this, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie looked over, smiling. "Maybe it's a possible way to put din-din on the table!"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Say..." She spoke without taking her eyes off the stalks wriggling in their own juices. "...Keps."
Kepler was busy fumbling with a satchel of chemical compounds.
Rainbow's eyes darted his way. "Yoohoo. Dark Side to Kepler."
"Hmmmm?" He looked up swiftly—having to straighten his rattled glasses. "Yes, Rrainbow One?"
"These thingies..." Rainbow pointed. "...you suppose they're edible?"
"Y'know, she makes a fine point," Logan said, wiping his axe clean and preparing for the next swing at the waving forest. "Seems like an awful waste, otherwise. Plus—who knows how many more of these damned things we're going to run into."
"Well, I am cerrtainly not against the idea of taking samples!" Kepler said enthusiastically. "Although—until I perrforrm a close examination—the jurry's still out on whetherr orr not we can considerr these things plants orr animals."
"So what?" Flynn shrugged, sorting through his ingredients. "If we can digest them—we can digest them."
"A prractical attitude, no doubt, brrotherr... but it is not you whom I am chiefly concerrned forr."
Rainbow Dash sighed. "I don't want to put us through any more stress as it is..."
"Nonsense!" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "It would be my pleasure to study these crreaturres up close! Cerrtainly—if nothing else—it shall give me something to do durring the long rride in Flynn's Hoverrplank! Ha-hah!"
"That's Hover Plank Five Thousand," Flynn grumbled.
"Whatever, baldy." Logan looked across the glass plane. "How's it lookin', girl?"
Ariel pointed. "The things stopped wriggling!"
"What's the time?"
"I counted two minutes. Round about." Ariel nodded. "Seems to be the average time it takes."
"Good." Logan turned around and approached the line of living stalks with his axe. "Let's settle on 'two minutes' and get a system started. Clear the area!"
At his prompt, Ariel and Wildcard flew over to the dormant, severed vines. They bundled them together, grabbed opposite ends, and flapped their wings harder as they carried the organic detritus towards a slowly growing pile at the base of the mountain overlooking the living forest.
Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. "I should be lending them a hoof..."
"Naaaaaah..." Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "Take five for once, Dashie!"
"Yes! I agree with Pinkie Pie!" Rarity floated closer. "Besides... you've stained your hoof on your fair share of gruesome things. It's more than fitting that you take a vacation, as t'were."
"I'd rather we just get it all over with," Rainbow said. She glanced at Logan as he readied his axe. "The longer we stay here, the more Fluttershy has to suffer."
"Oh, but I'm not suffering, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.
Rainbow gave her a double-take.
"You're not?" Twilight Sparkle remarked.
"Mmm-mmm." Fluttershy shook her head. "In fact, I'm more than fine."
"But..." Applejack squinted, pointing at the organic fluids drying along the translucent plane's glossy surface. "...them livin' snake-plant-thingies are bein' executed left and right."
"Don't tell us that's not sending your flutter soul into flutter turmoil!" Pinkie Pie stammered.
"It's not," Fluttershy said. She then gulped. "And... that worries me."
"Why's that?" Rainbow Dash asked, staring directly at her.
"Well..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "Ever since Red Barge, I've been able to sense when animals and ponies and griffons pass away. But here? It's... it's not happening. Not with these..." She gestured at the waving forest wall. "...things."
"Don't you feel bad for them, at least?" Pinkie asked.
"Pinkie, don't push it," Rarity said.
"No, it's okay," Fluttershy said gently. "I... can't explain it. But I feel a numbness about us..."
"A 'numbness?'" Twilight Sparkle repeated.
Fluttershy nodded. "Almost like we're being... suffocated by something. Submerged, even. It's... it's making it next to impossible to sense these creatures... or plants... or whatever they would be classified as."
"Do you still sense the Herald and Seraphimus up on the mountain?" Twilight asked.
"Oh! Definitely!" Fluttershy nodded again. "Clear as day!"
"Just not these weird varmints," Applejack droned.
"I'm afraid not. No."
"Come to think of it..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin in thought. "...that red floaty farty light isn't coming out of them."
"Huh?"
"Y'know..." Pinkie Pie blinked widedly at the others. "...the lights we saw coming out of Axan and the changeling down in Darkreach? None of that is being released by the demon death weed here. Soooooooooo... how come?"
Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed upon contemplating that. She took a deep breath. "Fluttershy, do me a favor and... I dunno... meditate on all this. Tell me the first moment you actually sense something."
"Absolutely, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "You can count on me."
THWACK!
"Timberrrr!"
"Dammit, Big Show." Flynn looked up with a frown. "Do you have to shout that every time you—?!"
Spluttt! The dead cluster of vines landed very close to the stallion, bathing half his face in red juices. His mechanical lens rotated in and out as he sat wet and deadpan.
"Ahem..." Logan leaned on his axe and waited for the latest batch of vines to stop squirming. He smirked at Flynn. "You were saying...?"
Of all ponies, I'd expect Flynn to know that Timber is a warning, not just something yelled for shits and giggles.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
Demon weeds have no souls. They're like gingers.
death spaghetti
Also, I see what you did there with the chapter title.
Well, these things lack a soul, but why?
First off, please pray for Skirts and all those in his area. Now, onto horse words
I don't know, must you use that word?
The Jury's out on a lot of things, indefinitely(though not on whether I'll keep using this joke)
I'm getting Yuuzhan Vong vibes here.
You did ask.
Hmmm, something is damping Fluttershys powers specifically it seems, interesting. Now I have to kind of wonder was the whole thing about them being edible because of my comment or was that planned before I said that? Given that character names come from the comments I'm going to assume it was because of my comment simply because it makes me feel more important
Here's a fun exercise: how many of those plants do you think are in existence in that particular cluster on the Darkside?
8412102
Probably more than two.
Hmm... I wonder if the death grass isn't actually alive in the technical sense? Like maybe the whole mass is a biological construct, artificially created and planted there to act as some kind of barrier or defense? That'd explain why they lack an obvious ecology, if they weren't ever naturally evolved and don't so much eat things for sustenance but rather just as a function of their role as a barrier against letting other things pass by.
I wonder what other soulless fauna/flora will be encountered before they hit the Armory...
Tentacles, splashing juices and moisture jokes.
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Wriggling demonic tentacle things....if I didn't know any better, I'd think I was delving into some of the weirdest Japanese porn ever made
8412209
Or, what if they are all part of one huge living organism, and that's why they're not "dying". Hairs on ones head don't have souls.
Oh crud, you live in Florida right?
Please don't die.
8412102
Thousands? Probably thousands. Why wouldn't it be thousands? This is the Dark Side after all
8412508
Depending on how wide the canyon is and how long the canyon is, possibly millions. Like if there is one plant per square meter, and the plants are 50 m deep and 20 km wide, that would be 1 million plants.
If it isn't "alive" in the normal sense, then it must be artificial. Maybe that's why Fluttershy can't sense them. The question is: if they are artificial, how do they work, and who placed them here?
At least theres one good thing, so far, these hairs can be cut, unlike Southern Continent trees, which need Direct Action by Dragons.
Hey Flynn. Look on the bright side. at least you didnt find out the hard way these Alien stalks have acid fluid.
You know what they say about Irma. Better Turtle down.
Does what it says on the tin.
Devoid of souls - as much is unsurprising to plants. But there's more to it: they're devoid of Harmony. It's no surprise Fluttershy wouldn't be able to sense them at all, it being a native of the Dark Site. They'd feel very, very wrong to a being used to equate the presence of Harmonious energy with being alive in the first place.
8412102 i.ytimg.com/vi/DZ7D2g9SUkU/maxresdefault.jpg
8412430
Individuality in plants is confusing in fiction. Like, you give a flower to a plant empath and they act like you killed the plant, not taken a part of it that will grow again.
I think the vines are either part of one giant organism or they are themselves colonies of microscopic individuals.
Bet this has something to do with the harmonic magic on the curved side, or the fact that they are plants of a sort, or maybe even that these Flora/fauna are one giant entity so technically you would have to kill a lot to kill them all.
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The deathweed doesn't have souls, so that's probably why Flutters can't sense it dying. Good to knkw, at least.
8412738
Spice up your pegasus sex crater.
Curious as always. What are theses things?
It's a single organism. And it's getting a little upset.
8412068
YES! Another Star Wars Legends fan!!
In addition to the possibility of the death grass being an artificial construct, there's another, far more terrifying possibility: Flutters is incapable of sensing them because they evolved in a chaos environment (which is the cause of the 'muting' effect), as opposed to the Herald, who grew up on the light side of the plane.
And if Dashie and co don't figure it out, they could walk blindly into an ambush, trusting Flutters to sense their enemies beforehand, unaware that the environmental conditions during the ambushers' upbringing has rendered them essentially immune to being sensed by Flutters. At which point, everything will go to Tartarus in a handbasket.
Wonder who's gonna be the first to try eating one?
Huh. If they're not glowing, unlike pretty much anything that they've seen bleed on the dark side so far, then they're probably just regular plants and not animals.
Dig in, Dashie.
8413062
You too? I had no idea whatsoever.
8413427
Indeed. Disney produces some good stuff, but Legends is the caliber by which Star Wars will live for me. It supremely irritates me that no further development of Legends is projected to ever exist. In a half century, only a few folks like me and you will remember the full glory of Legends, and the youngsters will get only the vaguest fragments of its splendor and magnificence.
8412439
Oh my goodness, "I.R.M.A." Leave it to Skirts to work a hurricane joke into his chapter title.
8413552
Ohhh.
I didn't get the relation.
Derp
Thanks!
8413580
Well, Thrawn's back. All I need is a good backstory for Han(please be good, movie), and a reborn Rogue/Wraith squadron(with Corran Horn) and I'll be happy. I never read past Vong, and always hated the Darth Krayt-verse comics being canon.
8413664
Well, i embrace Legends wholeheartedly, but you're free to your opinions, as well. The many intricate ways in which Legends interweaves itself is part of the appeal for me; it makes it seem more real and alive.
8410252
I'm not sure that they are plants in the technical sense.
8413062
Fuck yes SW Legends <3
If they don't have souls, it is strong evidence that they are plants! Eat up Dashie, feast upon the murder vines and grow strong!
8414904
My name shall carry on the legacy of Legends forever. Centerpoint Station will always be the real OG.
8423731
The Celestials have to be one of my favorite points of Legends. Therefore, Disney will never use them.
The name of this chapter is like a Gfycat URL shortcode.
I should have seen what was coming once I got to this point.
10/24/2017
23:16 UTC
I feel like they're just a tad too casual about getting splattered with alien demon weed blood. Who knows what's in that stuff? Shouldn't we be concerned it's gonna make someone sick? I doubt they have the water to spare on a shower.
....OK, well. That's mildly concerning.
I just had a bad thought. What if all we're cutting off it like....the hair or antennas of something very very big?....