//------------------------------// // Echo // Story: The Music of Ponyville // by GrassAndClouds2 //------------------------------// “Lyra?” Fluttershy asked. “Are you sure that’s safe?” Lyra looked down. She was standing upright on the very top of the kraken’s head, one hoof planted as high as she could, and holding a foreleg over her eyes like she was scanning the horizon. She looked, Octavia thought, like a pirate in a crow’s nest. “Yep!” she yelled. “Totally safe! Besides, somepony’s gotta watch for land!” Fluttershy shuffled her wings. She, and the others, were lower down on the kraken. Her hooves were only a few inches above the water. “It’s just, you’re high up and if you fall in the water...” “Hey, relax,” said Vinyl, giving Fluttershy a playful slap on the back. “Lyra’s a tough cookie.” Bluenote, who was taking advantage of the downtime by fixing a snack from the saddlebags, brightened at that. “Not a real cookie,” said Medley. “Aww.” “Let’s play a game,” said Vinyl, sitting with her back resting against the kraken. “Let’s play... ‘what will you do with your share of the reward money?’” “Reward money?” asked Bluenote. “Hay, we’re saving Equestria. There’s gotta be a reward, right?” asked Vinyl. “Isn’t that how the legends go, Lyra?” “You bet! Heroes and knights are always richly rewarded for their good deeds!” Lyra swept her other hoof high. “When the Knights Who Say Neigh bound Katrina, they asked for and received the Infinite Haystack! When the gorgon was defeaed, Piebaldseus received the golden mane-tail!” “Oh, I’d have fun with some treasure.” Vinyl spread her hooves wide. “I’d split the pot in half. Use the first half to buy some new supplies for my speakers.” She moved her hooves about, miming building something. “Some new sound gear, maybe some of those fireworks from Beijingle. Other half...” She grinned. “New shades, new outfit, and a week in Las Pegasus.” “What would you buy?” Bluenote asked Lyra. “And you can’t say Bonbon.” “Pah. Bonbon’s heart could never be won by money. She will only give it to her true soulmate.” Lyra nodded. “But as for the money... the perfect wedding." She smiled dreamily. "Cake that rises high to the sky. The finest musicians brought in from across the land. A chapel in the Temple of Love in Canterlot.” “The Temple of Love? I thought it was reserved three years in advance,” said Octavia. “Whoever heard of a knight or hero needing a reservation? I’ll get flowers from all over the nation!” She grinned. “Sweetmeats and pastries too! Only the very finest punch! And... and a makeover for my lyre.” She smiled sweetly. “I think it could really use some nice gold filigree, you know?” Bluenote grinned. “Wow. You two have such big ideas. I don’t even know what I’ll do with my money.” “Come on, you’ve gotta have some thoughts,” said Lyra. “What’s the one thing you want more than anything else in all the world?” Bluenote put a hoof to her chin and thought for several moments. “I could use a doughnut!” Octavia put her face in her hooves. Bluenote laughed gaily. “Actually, it might be fun -- if I had enough money -- to invest in a restaurant. I like to eat good food, and food goes well with music, so I could play there and entertain the diners when I wasn't teaching foals! And if I’m an investor, that means I could eat there whenever... I think.” “I couldn’t keep it,” said Fluttershy. “I’ll put any money I get up for veterinary clinics, or hospitals... or maybe the town improvement fund. Did you know that Ponyville only has a few thousand bits in its emergency fund? If the town is damaged--” “It was damaged,” said Medley. “A few hours ago. Alicorns damaged it. You were there.” Fluttershy nodded. “Then I’ll help contribute my share to the clean-up efforts.” She grinned. “We should all help out. Many hooves makes light work!" "Repairs for the shop," mused Medley. "Maybe some new tools for my own projects." “I think it is a little premature to be worrying about this,” said Octavia. “We have not actually saved the world yet." “Yeah, but we don’t have anything else to do,” said Vinyl. She yawned theatrically. “What’ll you do with your share, Tavi?” “I am not sure.” Octavia frowned. She had never had to worry about money; the House of Philharmonica had provided for her all her life. Even when she was in Canterlot, if she needed spending money, it was only a letter home away. "I suppose I would need to think about it--" "Hey, we all gave real answers," said Vinyl. Her tone was light and teasing. "Come on, Tavi. Cadance gives you a bucket of bits for helping save the world. What's the first thing you would spend it on?" Octavia thought. Her room, board, and other essentials were provided for. Her instrument was in perfect working order and needed no repairs. She had no desire to invest in a business like Bluenote, or go on a vacation like Vinyl, or purchase tools for another hobby like Medley. She wasn't getting married... Octavia smiled slightly. No, she was not getting married, but there were other sorts of celebrations. "Perhaps I would fund a small celebration for us all," she said. "To commemorate our victory over the tyrant alicorns." Bluenote grinned. "Great idea, Octy. That sounds like it would be really fun!" "With us there? Forget fun, it's be awesome!" Vinyl laughed. "Love it, Tavi. But -- none of this fancy frou-frou noble party stuff, 'kay? It's gotta have stereos, and bass, and that good cider from Sweet Apple Acres that I'm not allowed to buy anymore." Medley blinked. "Not allowed?" "You know how it is. You challenge the cider salespony to a drinking contest, and then it gets blurry, and the next thing you know, you and Big Macintosh are filling the Ponyville fountain with cider and jumping in." She shrugged. "Applejack says I'm a bad influence on her brother." Octavia smiled slightly as the group continued to banter. Yes. A celebration with them would be just the thing to do with the money. After all... they are my first friends. *** The forest on the other side of the lake was slightly more open than the one they had left, but it was just as dark and ominous. Octavia shuddered slightly as she climbed down from the kraken. Ironic that riding a large squid actually feels safer than going back into the woods... "What do we do now?" asked Bluenote. "We need to continue searching for the castle." Octavia pointed with a hoof into the woods. "Lyra, are we still going in the right direction?" "The legends say yes!" Lyra brandished her lyre and pointed it into the woods. "Onwards!" "Alright," said Vinyl. "Woods are a little more spread out now, so I think we can have three in front and three in back. Lyra, okay to join us up front? We shouldn't need to worry as much about something sneaking up from behind, and..." As she talked, Octavia looked up at the sky. She had been glancing at it as the kraken had taken them across the river, but she hadn't seen anything too suspicious. Now, though, it looked a little different. Like it was emptier than usual. "Is something wrong?" Octavia turned to see Bluenote. "I am not sure. I thought that some of the stars had disappeared, but then again, I know little of astronomy. I could just be unfamiliar with the sky in this area." "I'll check -- I love to look at the stars," said Bluenote, craning her neck up. "It's so peaceful, and relaxing, and... oh. Um. You're right." She frowned. "Some of the stars aren't there." Octavia looked up again and gulped. She felt cold. "...is there any way for that to happen normally?" "No," said Bluenote. Her voice was unusually quiet. "...the alicorns," said Octavia. "It must--" “Hey, come on!” called Vinyl. “You don’t want us to leave you behind, do you?” The forward group was already at the treeline. Octavia shook her head. The sky would be as it was; all they could do was hurry. That thought in mind, Octavia chased after the group. *** “Ever see these kind of plants before?” asked Bluenote, looking at a tall, purple-ish plant with hexagonal leaves. The trees had thinned out, leaving a clearing full of those plants. “It might be fun to try growing them back in Ponyville.” “I’m not sure we want this stuff getting out of the forest,” said Vinyl. She brushed it and stuck out her tongue. “Yuck. It feels all... crawley.” “I don’t think there’s that much more of it,” said Lyra. She gestured down the path. It was hard to see, even with both Vinyl and Lyra producing light from their horns, but the field of purple plants did seem to Octavia to get swallowed up by more trees. “Wish we had a map, though." She brightened. "Maybe we should come back some other time and map it!" “We have almost been eaten twice,” said Octavia, though she was distracted. It might have just been exhaustion, but she thought that the forest sounded even weirder than before It was almost amplified, like they had walked into some kind of speaker. She heard the wind rustling in trees, a few bird cries, a distant stream, and all strangely crisp and clear It was unnerving. “Once," corrected Lyra. "The kraken was just a misunderstanding.” Octavia nodded absently. “Be that as it may, I am quite confident that, if we save the world, I’ll be happy never to enter this forest a--” A creature burst out of the ground right in front of her. Octavia, distracted by her thoughts and the conversation, yelped and fell on her flank as she scrabbled to get away. “What is it?” asked Vinyl, her horn glowing a little redder. “Some new monster?” Octavia looked down, finding the creature in front of her. It was small, no bigger than her hoof, and furry. It was--” “A gopher!” said Fluttershy, flying over. “Oh, it’s so cute! But what’s he doing way out here?” Octavia blushed as Bluenote giggled. “I apologize.” “Come on,” grumbled Medley. “We don’t have all day.” Fluttershy helped Octavia get up. "Are you alright?" "Yes, I think so." “Great!” Vinyl nodded. “Let’s roll.” Octavia picked herself up and shook her head. The fall, at least, had cleared it a bit; the forest sounded more normal now. With a resolute step she hurried forwards. *** The field was swallowed up by trees, which eventually thinned out as the path rose up a short rocky slope. Octavia kept pace with the group, thankful that she had maintained her rigorous exercise regimen when she had joined Cadance’s classes. If not for that, she knew that she would have been tired by this point. Looking around, she noted that the group was mostly holding up as well as her. Medley and Fluttershy could fly, of course, and so were not overly inconvenienced by the rocky, uphill path. Vinyl and Lyra, for their parts, seemed to have impressive reserves of strength that Octavia wouldn’t have guessed. The only pony that was starting to struggle was Bluenote, but she was still pressing gamely on. “I wonder how far it is,” the tuba player asked at last. “Dunno.” Vinyl paused. “Hey, Flutters, Medley. Could one of you fly up and see if the castle’s in sight yet?” “I’ll do it,” said Medley, flying straight up to the top of the hill before coming back down. “Nope.” “Dang.” Vinyl frowned. “We keep going, we might need to camp--” “Camp here? With the scary monsters?” asked Fluttershy. “I hope not...” “We’ll push on, then!” said Lyra. “Onwards to GLORY!” Octavia took another few steps, but she felt uneasy. She realized, suddenly, that she had a sensation of deja vu. Looking around, she felt oddly like she had been there before. The cellist shook her head. There had been no other rocky hills on their journey; it had all been either along a forest floor or across a lake while riding a kraken. The stress and unfamiliar territory was getting to her. She resumed walking with the others. She couldn’t get psyched out now. Equestria needed her. *** The rocky path finally brought the ponies to the top of the hill, where a narrow ridge began to take them further north. “Nice view,” said Vinyl, looking down at the forest below them. “Am I right?” “I like it,” said Bluenote. “It’d be nice to have a house with a view like this. Wake up and just watch the sunrise over the trees...” Vinyl laughed. “Wake with the sunrise? Please? I’m up by dusk. Maybe.” Bluenote joined in the laughter. “One time, I was trying out for a brass quartet in Canterlot. I overslept a little, so when I woke up I only had an hour to get all the way across town to the audition! And I was in such a hurry, instead of my tuba polish I grabbed a bottle of jam!” Even Medley smiled at that. A few minutes later, Bluenote slowed down. "Hey," she said. “We’ve been walking a while. Anypony need a break?” “Do you?” called Medley, from where she flew high above the group. “No, I’m fine, but I figured somepony else might want one.” She smiled and opened her saddlebag. “I’ve got granola and trail mix, and two thermoses of lemonade that Fluttershy said I could take along." “I’ll take a cookie,” said Vinyl immediately. “Sure," said Medley. Octavia refused all offers of food, as she did not feel hungry, but she did take advantage of the opportunity to sit down on the ridge, lean against the rock wall, and recuperate from the climb. She let her eyes shut slowly and listened, going through a rest exercise that she used occasionally when practicing a strenuous piece. With each breath, she tried to focus on her ears a little more, listening in on Lyra’s bright chatter, Bluenote’s jokes, Fluttershy’s gentle unwrapping of her cookie, and so forth. Another few breaths, and she was able to hear the sounds of the forest around and below them. The wind blew through the trees, birds cried in the distance, and somewhere behind them, a creek bubbled... She paused. Wait. This seems really familiar... but it can’t be. We haven’t been here before. The path goes in a straight line... “Octavia! Sure you don’t want a cookie?” called Bluenote. “They’re delicious!" She smiled as she bit into one. "Perfect for a night like tonight." “I am fine,” murmured Octavia. She tried again to listen to the environment. Did it really make sense that the sounds she heard were there, up on the hill? Granted, there were nearby trees below them, a creek could be running just above or below them, but it just seemed so much like before... She paused, then turned to the others. “Does anything... sound unusual to you?” she asked. Lyra tilted her head. “Nope. Why?” “...maybe nothing...” Octavia shook her head. She could just be imagining it. She certainly didn’t know what it would mean if the sounds for the forest had frozen somehow. But it was something to focus on. Alright, she thought. I’ll follow the group and listen as hard as I can. If it keeps sounding like this, then something’s definitely wrong. *** It took fifteen minutes for the sounds to repeat themselves. “This is nice,” said Fluttershy, looking around. They had progressed into a rocky clearing up on the hillside, with boulders strewn everywhere. “I like that there's no monsters here.” “Always a good sign,” said Vinyl. Bluenote hummed merrily. “Could you please be quiet for a few moments?” asked Octavia. It was the third time she had asked since the ridge. “I need to listen.” Vinyl paused. “Listen for what? I mean, no offense, but it gets kind of weird if we’re all just walking along and nopony’s talking.” Lyra nodded, “I kind of agree with Vinyl. What’s going on?” Octavia frowned. “I would rather not risk... panicking... anypony before I am certain as to what is going on. Please indulge me...” She bowed her head again. Lyra said, after a few moments, “Alright.” “Keep it down, everypony,” said Vinyl. Octavia shut her eyes and focused on her ears. Again, she heard similar sounds -- the wind in trees, a creek or river somewhere nearby, distant birds. In fact, it was more than similar. It was identical. “We are walking in circles,” Octavia announced. She opened her eyes to see the others staring at her. “Um,” said Vinyl. “Are you okay? We’ve been going in a straight line for, like, two hours.” “Ever since we got off the kraken,” added Lyra. “I am certain. The view keeps changing, but it sounds identical to the ridge, and the ascent up the hill, and the field with those purple plants.” Octavia frowned, realizing something. “In fact, the terrain has been changing strangely quickly. Before the lake, it was all the same. But we’ve been through several visually distinct areas... like something is trying to make sure we think we are progressing.” Fluttershy was beginning to hyperventilate. “But what’ll we do then? Does that mean something is watching us? Are we trapped?” “Easy!” Medley flew up and protectively took a position next to Fluttershy. “Octavia, remember, you don't really know the Everfree. I think if we were lost one of us would know it. I’ve spent time in these woods, so has Fluttershy, and neither of us agree with you.” “Be that as it may, I am confident. We are trapped in some kind of loop. What we see is an illusion -- we are walking in circles.” “Okay, then, how did we go up?” the pegasus challenged. “Unless you think we just kept climbing and we’re on the moon by now?” “Do we know that we climbed upwards at all? That hill did not feel nearly as hard to climb as I would have expected,” said Octavia. “Hey,” said Bluenote. “Let’s not fight, everypony.” She smiled genially. “Vinyl, Lyra, can you see if there’s some kind of illusion here?” “Sure,” said Vinyl. Her horn flared a couple of times. “Don’t sense anything... honestly, Tavi, I gotta go with Medley on this one. You’re just disoriented from the woods.” Lyra’s horn flared too. “Nope. I don’t feel anything here,” she said. “Are you sure you’re okay?” “We could take a short rest,” suggested Bluenote. “Get energy back.” Lyra grinned. “Yeah! You’re doing really well, Octavia, no shame--” Octavia frowned. The tension was starting to get to her, but she knew that she had to stay calm and argue her case. "I do not need rest. I have trained my ears extensively. I know what I am talking about." “But--” began Lyra. Octavia pressed a hoof to her forehead. “Look... Vinyl, Lyra. Which of you knows more magical theory?” The two looked at each other, and then Vinyl raised her hoof. “I read everything I can get my hooves on. Most of my equipment’s magical; gotta keep abreast of any spell that could help.” “Okay. Suppose... there was some kind of illusion around us. Can you think of any weak point?” Medley sighed. “Do we really need to indulge this?” “It doesn’t hurt,” said Bluenote. “Be nice, Medley.” “No, I mean, she was fine for a while, and now she's acting all superior again. Why should we all kowtow to her?” Vinyl was thinking. “Well, whoever was casting it -- if she were still around -- would need to keep an eye on us to make sure nothing came up to break the illusion. Somewhere in the loop, there’d be a weak spot, a ‘peep hole’ to look in on.” “So we need to find that hole,” said Octavia. “Or we could get going," said Medley, her voice now noticeably strained. “This is ridiculous.” “Medley, please, I--” “No!” Medley flared her wings and flew in front of Octavia. “This is just like before the kelpies! You want to feel useful, so you convince yourself of some ridiculous threat that only you can understand. Everypony here knows more than you about this forest, about magic, about everything relevant -- but you don't care. You--" “Stop!” yelled Octavia, suddenly. “Please, just stop!” Medley paused. "... what now?" “I do care!” Octavia shut her eyes. “I want -- you are the only ponies who have ever befriended me. Except for you five... if I were eaten by some wild animal in these woods, I know of no others that would care save for my family. I do not want to lose you! I do not... I mean, I cannot... I...” She took a shuddering breath. “But I know what I hear. I cannot deny it. Even if it makes you all hate me." She was silent for a long moment, and a few tears fell from her eyes. “I know that I have hurt you all, but can you trust me now? Please? I do not want to have topick between you and everything I know to be true...” “Okay,” said Lyra. Octavia looked up at the bard. “If you’re that confident, I trust you,” said Lyra, simply. “I’m not great with detecting magic anyway.” Bluenote nodded. “I think everypony can contribute something,” she said. “Octavia’s had a different life than us... maybe we’re better at some things than her, but she’s better at other things than us.” “I hate to kill the party,” said Vinyl, “but we’re on the clock here. We can’t stay here all night looking for an illusion. The alicorns could show up at any time.” She frowned. “What’s the plan, Tavi?” “I know that there is a deadline. Just give me a few minutes, please,” said Octavia. She looked at Medley. “Please.” Medley looked at the others and finally, reluctantly, nodded. “Guess I’m outvoted. Fine.” She flew back and out of Octavia’s way. Octavia took a few breaths to clear her head. “We need to find the weak point, if one exists. Where would it make sense to put one...” Something occured to her. “What was the last animal we saw?” she asked the others. Fluttershy said, immediately, “That cute little gopher that startled you.” “Wouldn’t there normally be more between there and here?” Fluttershy nodded. “A few. I was just so grateful there weren’t any monsters I didn’t really pay attention, but...” She trailed off, blushing. “I would estimate that animals are harder to make illusions of than plants, since they have to move,” said Octavia. At Vinyl’s nod, she continued. “Therefore, that gopher was likely real..." "So that was the point where the illusion was weak," finished Vinyl. "Makes sense." Octavia added, "I remember that the woods sounded oddly clear there... the real sounds of the forest, probably, leaking through the fake sounds of the illusion. I will try to find that spot again." And she walked forwards, listening intently. For a few minutes, it all sounded the same, but then the trees, river, and birds all sounded clearer in her left ear. A few paces later and the sounds muted again, but when she backed up, the clarity was back. “Here. To my left.” “That’s a rock.” Octavia opened her eyes and frowned. “It is not real.” She pushed against it. “I think." She could feel the others watching her as she tried to get through the rock, but her body wouldn’t move through it. She even tried striking it, but she could not help but check her blow at the last minute. She couldn’t make herself hit the rock hard enough that it would hurt her if it was real. “Okay? Are we done?" asked Medley. “No, I do not understand!” Octavia glared at the rock. “This is not real! My ears do not lie!" “Octavia...” began Fluttershy. “I...” “It is not real!” She turned, eyes flashing. “I know how to prove it. Somepony -- throw me into this rock.” There was silence for a moment. “Are you insane?” asked Medley. “We could kill you!” “You will not. It is not real. I will go right through it.” The cellist nodded. "And, if I am propelled, I will not be able to check my motion. No matter how convincing the illusion, it will not matter." "Can't we just throw a stone at it or something?" asked Bluenote. "The result of that could be illusioned." Octavia shook her head. "If I pass through empty air, how could anything convince me I hit a rock? But anything else could be a magical trick." She bowed her head. "This is the only way." “Even if you're right, you have no idea what’s behind that rock,” pointed out Vinyl. “Could be a tree. Or, y’know, another rock.” “We have to try. And once I am out, maybe I can get the rest of you out,” said Octavia. She looked at the others. “I have hurt you. I acknowledge this. But this is what I truly believe. Help me." She bowed her head. "Please." There was silence for another minute. "So..." said Vinyl. "Who's punting Tavi?" *** Medley sighed as she stretched her hooves. “Octavia, get over here.” Octavia trotted over to her. “Just throw me right at the rock.” “I swear, if you get me to kill you just because you want to feel like you’re doing something, I am going to summon your ghost and yell at you for days,” said Medley. Octavia cracked a smile. “Of course.” Suddenly, she felt a warm embrace around her, and she realized that Fluttershy was hugging her. “I’ll be fine,” she told her. “Please be careful,” whispered Fluttershy. “I could get thrown if you want...” “No. I am the one who can hear through the illusions; you might not be able to get back to help get anypony else out,” said Octavia. “But thank you.” “If... if you’re hurt, I’ll do everything I can to heal you.” “I appreciate it.” Octavia smiled. “Good luck,” said Vinyl. She was frowning. “I gotta say, if this is really an illusion, whoever made it is a total jerk.” Bluenote nodded. “Not funny at all.” Medley stepped back a few paces. “You're kind of big to throw, but if I get under your barrel, I can kick you up and into it. Ready?" Octavia nodded. "I’m going to get you right in your barrel,” the pegasus continued. “You look like you’re in decent shape, so the muscle should cushion it, but it’s still going to hurt. You sure about this?” Octavia nodded once more and shut her eyes. She heard hoofsteps, then felt pressure in her barrel. There was the sensation of flight-- And then she was tumbling into a grassy field. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was in a very large, grassy clearing that she recognized as having passed through shortly after stepping off of the kraken. There was a thin, shimmering tube around the outer edge of the clearing, long enough that it would take about fifteen minutes to make one full circuit. Her exit point did seem a little thinner than the rest of it. “Woah,” she heard Vinyl saying. “She went right through the wall! Score one for the cellist.” Medley was gaping. “I don’t believe it.” “Told you she can be as awesome as the rest of us!” said Lyra. “Come on, everypony! Let’s get out of here!” "How?" "Now that we know it's an illusion, I'll bet it's got nothing on us. Let's go!" And then she was dragging Medley and Fluttershy through the wall, with Bluenote and Vinyl hurrying after her. Octavia groaned. Her back hurt; she had hit a few small rocks when she landed and could tell that she was injured. Nonetheless, before she could check her injuries, she was jumped by a huggy Lyra. “That was awesome! And if you ever do something so crazy again, I’m totally knocking you upside the head.” Lyra squeezed her tighter. “But it was still awesome! You’ve got amazing ears!” “I cannot... breathe...” gasped Octavia. Vinyl hurried over and helped pry Octavia free. “Seriously, awesome,” she said. She bowed slightly. “That was some mad sleuthing.” Octavia guessed that was a compliment. “Thank you. And... thank you. All of you. For trusting me.” “What are friends for?” said Vinyl, grinning. “Right?” Fluttershy nodded as she flew over to Octavia. “Let me see your barrel,” she ordered. “I brought some ointment.” “I am fine--” “Nonsense. You need a good salve as soon as we get out of this field,” she said. “I insist.” And she smiled. Octavia smiled in return and relented. Bluenote was chuckling. “You mind if I tell my foals that story when they’re asking why they have to train their ears?” “I’m not sure how applicable this sort of thing is to music lessons, but go ahead,” said Octavia. “See? Tavi’s cool, right, Medley?” asked Vinyl. The five ponies looked around, but Medley was gone. Octavia frowned. "Honestly, an apology would--” There were a few thumps, an anguished scream, and then Medley -- newly sporting a few cuts and a large bruise on one cheek -- was flying back from the treeline. Clutched in her hooves was what looked like a small vine-covered monkey. “I found the spellcaster,” she called. *** The monster (which Lyra called a 'leshy') seemed reluctant to cooperate, so Vinyl and Lyra began to argue with it. Meanwhile, Medley took Octavia aside. "Sorry." Octavia nodded. "I accept--" "No, wait." Medley sighed. "Whatever else I could say about you, you've had better music training than me. I should have trusted your ears." "Apology accepted," said Octavia, firmly. "Without reservation. I gave you ample cause to doubt me." Medley nodded slightly. "Alright... I accept your apology from before as well. Let's start fresh." Octavia smiled. "A wonderful plan--" "Hey!" called Vinyl. "Come on, you two. Once we get directions from this guy, we're moving out!" As the two rejoined the group, Octavia saw the monster squriming. “Lemme go!” growled the leshy. “You little brats! This is my woods! Was just protecting it!” “You were going to eat us," corrected Lyra. "I know how leshies eat. You let your prey get lost in the woods until they collapse of exhaustion, then eat them." "Wasn't going to--" Vinyl frowned at the leshy. “Look, we just need to know where the the castle is, greenie.” “Eh? What castle?” Medley stepped in front of it. "Ahen." The leshy -- which, Octavia noted, seemed to have several bruised vines -- paled. "Three miles due north!" it yelped. “Just three miles?” Bluenote smiled. “We’re getting close!” "Let's go!" added Vinyl. And so they went on, deeper and deeper into the forest.