Alysanne

In all her time at Helovia, all the time she had considered this place her home, she had never visited here. She had been meaning to, the fact that there was somewhere else she had yet to discover had always tickled the back of her mind. The Veins! Where they could come pay respect to the Gods of this land.

Or, at least, that was her intention. Before she had left she had heard rumours of the new island over the Veins but it wasn’t until now that she had seen it with her own eyes and oh, it was beautiful. It was completely on impulse that her wings spread – as though that new land was calling to her, pulling her in. And surely, there was an intense amount of curiosity about it.

She had missed so much!

But she couldn’t get sidetracked now, she had a mission. Perhaps she should have visited the Veins sooner, should have made more of an effort to learn about the gods and pay her respects. Because she did respect them, after all, and admired them. And even, perhaps, there was a little bit of fear mingled in with that respect as well. Would they be more like demons or angels? Or were they something entirely new? With the memories of her demon attack still fresh in her mind she was not willing to get herself in a similar situation again.

So when she landed upon the grassy banks of the river she felt cautious beneath the light of the setting sun. Evening would be here soon and the moon would rise.

She had been intending to leave the gift she bore for the Moon Goddess on her altar and she was quite uncertain what to do with it now. The bright yellow flower was held carefully by Hemlock in his beak as he perched between her ears. The pair found a quiet spot – she was wishing she had thought to talk to Kahlua first. Maybe her dear friend would have some pointers on how to summon the Goddess.

Well, she was just going to have to make it up as she went along.

Without needing any encouragement, Hemlock lifted off her head and gently placed the evening primrose he had been carrying on a bed of soft clover. The flower that she had brought back from her visit with her son had been specially selected – it was one of those rare, lovely little blooms that opened for the moon, not the sun. Even the picked bud would transform tonight. But like with so many plants, there was so much more to the plant. It had healing properties; it could help someone who was in pain.

And that was precisely what Alysanne wanted to be able to do as well. The nerves were settling in – words were never particularly hard to come by for the painted pegasus but as Hemlock returned to his perch – jingling the glass headband here – she just wasn’t sure how to go about this. She had no idea what to say.

It was still just an idea, what she wanted to seek from the Moon, but perhaps she might be able to help make it a reality. Emerald eyes closed as she sought them – the thoughts and words to send out. Finally, as the sun slipped below the horizon of Helovia below, her gentle voice entered the crisp, evening air. “Beautiful Mother Moon, if you have a moment to spare – I would like to request your help.”

Respect and admiration were key components of the mortal population, if you asked the Moon Goddess. Of course, she was a particularly cruel mare, thriving on manipulation, so if you were to ask her, she would probably list fear as a necessity as well. What good were the mortals if they tried to defy her every will, after all? How were they to be useful if they weren't forced to face consequences for their stupidity? Fear - it kept them in their place, provided an incentive for following the gods' wishes.

What she missed the most was a good offering. So many mortals showed up these days just expecting her to grant their every request - but what ever happened to being adored? To being worshiped? For goodness' sake, she was a goddess. When had she last been treated as one - not for the sake of getting a reward, but simply because she held all the power over the mortals' insignificant little lives?

And here was another one. The Moon harrumphed from her position in the sky, glaring down at the two-toned mare below. She considered, briefly, showing the mortal exactly what she thought of being called for help over and over again; but this was Alysanne, one of her own, her Moon Doctor. By definition, the mare was bound to serve the goddess, and so with a sigh, the Lady of the Moon descended from on high, appearing in a brisk gust of wind, accompanied by a swirl of fog.

"Alysanne, darling," she snapped by way of greeting. "What kind of help do you seek? Things seem to have been going fabulously for you mortals."

speech

Alysanne

At the Goddess’ arrival, a delighted gasp of surprise escaped Alysanne before she could quite cover it up. Somehow, she hadn’t really expected a materialization quite like that, with the wind suddenly picking up and the dancing mist surrounding the purple form. She bowed gracefully in acknowledgement, in thanks for even appearing. Whatever happened next, she knew, she felt blessed just being able to say she had met this legendary figure.

Another surprise came when her name hadn’t even needed to be asked for, it was already known to the gorgeous – as if such a simple word could contain the beauty before her, the beauty of the night – Goddess. That hadn’t been expected but then, she hadn’t known what to expect! It was quickly becoming apparent that this wasn’t some shadow elemental manifesting before her. This was something entirely knew and beyond wonderful.

Though not particularly fond of using sarcasm herself, Alysanne picked up on the emphasis used by the Goddess and a small frown creased her face. Was something happening in Helovia? Or did she just mean in general, the usual clash of herds and personalities. There always seemed to be one group bent on the elimination of another, after all. “Are they, your grace?” Alysanne wasn’t entirely certain on what the proper way to address a Goddess was but she used the words with respect.

“I need your help so that I can in turn help others. I want to be able to take the pain from someone while they are hurting and transfer it to my body so they can be at peace while they are healed.” It was the first time she had spoken the desire out loud and she fretted that it was asking too much. But the memory of the pain those she had loved had been through held her resolve fast. If she could take that on for them for at least a little while, it would surely help them heal faster – whether by her magic or with herbs or by the assistance of another.

The ire that brought her here was soothed by the well mannered mare before her. Even a twist of a smile flicked onto the moon's muzzle as violet eyes watched over the humbled Doctor. Though an offering of some kind would have made this encounter more pleasant, the awed features of the mortal, so easily carved into her face, and the gracious words were enough to satiate the mistress of darkness and keeper of wind. Gently she tipped a toe to the ground, waiting for the inevitable request that was to come her way.

The goddess of the Moon always had a casual grace when presiding over her denizens, particularly ones as easily enraptured as this one. Patiently, a lavender ear tilted forward, but it took only a few words to be digested before it snapped back. "What," the Moon hissed between her teeth, starlight flashing in her pale eyes as she moved forward. Her steps were an effortless whisper over the terrain, creeping like the night did every time the sun slumbered - silent, but encompassing.

In an instant the Moon was upon Alysanne, large wings painted with the night sky towering above them both. She was terrible in her anger, a cold wind picking up with a mournful howl all around them, beating in tempo with the pulse that hummed inside the mortal. The sharp and direct steps she took had jarred her mane, causing it flounder along the slope of her delicate neck. For all her building wrath however, she was no less beautiful. "Why would you want something so utterly pointless as that?" she snapped, recovered from her initial shock, and soon thereafter, her slip of emotion.

The Goddess of the Moon stepped back from Alysanne, wings tucking neatly back along her side, mane settling back where it belonged with a single toss of her head; the wind quieted down. She was a woman composed once more, but like a concealed dagger her rage spun underneath her skin, silver and venomous in her veins. It was a cold displeasure, nothing like her brother's obvious and scorching emotions. In fact, she glanced away from her Doctor, critical eyes scouring the horizon instead, seeming almost indifferent. More than anything, she was annoyed at the lack of forethought that this mare displayed. Why were they all so daft?

"What benefit is there if you take on their pain?" she began after a bout of silence. Gently her sterling stare drifted back to the painted girl, her body soon following suit. "Pain is a natural occurrence with injury and healing, it exists to teach and to remind those who otherwise would not learn, or forget." A violet wing slipped out towards Alysanne, to gently stroke her as the Moon slipped around her like the fog of their lands. She crooned softly her next words to her denzien's ears, a teacher, a mother, imparting her wisdom to a child gone astray, "would you really want to take that from them?" the Moon clucked her tongue, disappointed. "Surely not. Especially to bring it upon yourself? You'd be too crippled with agony to properly tend to them, don't you think?"

The Moon paused, proffering another faint smile in attempts to soothe and encourage her Doctor. "I know you want to protect the ones you love Alysanne, but what about protecting yourself? What about giving them the strength to defend themselves? Why not simply remove injury and threats all together... a magic which can affect your enemies, bring pain to them instead?" Her eyes flashed wickedly in the light of the fog that had begun to creep around their hooves.

[Your magic is fine, Moon God is just being Moon God :P ]

Alysanne

It took more strength in her than she had to not take a step back when faced with the fury of the Goddess – so she did just that but managed to stop herself from turning tail and running beyond that. The rage was a hurricane she had not been expecting; catching her off guard and making her head spin. But this was a cause she believed in and she would not run at the sign of opposition.

There was real fear that she would be abandoned here.

But the Goddess stayed. Showed her scorn and looked away from the pegasus that could never again be described as beautiful now that she had been in the presence of the violet Night Queen. This was beauty, power, strength, and intensity standing before her.

She needed to try to explain. It wasn’t that the Goddess didn’t bring up valid points but Alysanne had thought about this. She had agonized and she had debated and she believed this was truly a thing she could use to help others. “Not all of it, just some. Just enough to...” How could she explain this? She gathered her thoughts again and continued – hoping that her nerves did not show too severely. “With the magic that you allow me to have as a Moon Doctor I can summon mists to heal but what if they are in so much pain they cannot tell me where to focus my attentions? If I were to take just enough away so that they could regain consciousness or be calm enough to speak it would be so helpful. The less energy I spend healing one, the more I have for when I have more than one patient to attend.”

She searched her mind for the reasons she had come that had compelled her to stand here today, to bring forth a white flower for the Goddess that now lay trampled – forgotten or ignored – beneath their feet. She took strength from the whispered words in her ear, from the soft touch of purple feathers against her monochromatic skin. From those small smiles. It was easy to believe they were genuine. “What if I could help one of the Edge warriors while defending our home, temporarily take away the pain from the injuries they are receiving so they can continue to fight? I may be trying to learn how to defend my home with my body but there’s a world of difference between myself and Archibald or Kaj.” She does not know how effective her argument is and she is beginning to feel a little flustered. “I know pain is important, you’re right about that of course. This would be temporary, a little bit of help I can offer up. Maybe I would take too much and be unable to help but that little bit of time could enable another healer to come and take over. Protecting myself has never been the top priority. I take care of myself so that I can be there for my friends and family. Seeing them happy and healthy? That’s all I need for myself.” She remembered vividly how useless she had been when Kahlua’s heart was aching too much to see clearly that she had not been in the wrong. Go further back and she remembered how Sasha had driven himself unconscious trying to heal her. What better way to repay that act of kindness than to do everything she could. Even learning to manage more pain.

The idea of using any magic to inflict harm was so beyond Alysanne’s comprehension, utter confusion took over her expression. “I do not have enemies, your Grace. There may be those that seek to harm those I love but I would not possibly wish the same upon them. Usually they’re just doing what they think is right – they have a home and a family too. There are other ways.” Defense instead of offense. She realized once it was out that this argument might not be the best way to win over the Moon Goddess but it was the honest one and she couldn’t even think of lying.

This was a hopeless cause. The Goddess of the Moon could tell that much before she'd even laid her feathers on the painted girl, but she had hoped her silver tongue would prove persuasive to the malleable heart. Turns out Alysanne's roots went deep, holding her firm in the grounds of her beliefs. Pity.

With that knowledge in mind the Moon stepped a pace or two away from Alysanne, keeping her back to her while she thought. An ear flicked back towards the mare to show she was still listening though, and a sterling eye peeked just over her left shoulder as further evidence that she was not forsaken. The Moon was one that would teach her followers, however lost they were, so long as they were loyal she would tend to their strength as any shepherd does its flock - only the well cared for produce anything of worth. Unfortunately some lessons were harder than others, and for Alysanne it would be an arduous thing she'd teach indeed.

Little lamb lost in the woods...


speech"If you are sure then..." she began, soft, curious, leaving room before she spoke again for Alysanne's mind to change, her wishes to turn. When they did not, she pressed further, turning to face her little lamb. "I would have you learn more of pain in it's various forms before you commit yourself to wearing it in the services of my name." Her features were not unkind as she watched Alysanne, but there was a new light in her eyes - these were not difficult tasks for her to employ. "You must refuse to heal someone in need, to let pain teach them as it was intended. You must inflict pain on someone you love, so that you may understand my offer which you turned down, and you must endure pain unto you, without the aid of healing, so that you may experience your request in full force." The Moon Goddess smiled warmly, stepping again towards Alysanne, her wings extending like slender hands to hug the girl and give her the courage to complete her work. "If you come to your senses part way through, perhaps we can cut a different deal, after all I want you to learn from all of this."

As the spoke she began to fade, ebbing away into the wind that began to gently roll across the land. She broke apart into fragments of darkness, tossed into the shadows the world would always cast.

---

Alysanne must, in no particular order:
-- Refuse to heal someone in need. This includes both magical healing and non-magical (herbs etc.).
-- Purposefully injure someone she cares about - remember pain can come in more than one form.
-- Receive injuries without receiving any healing, magical or otherwise.

Please keep in mind bruises and paper cuts would not qualify!

Alysanne

The gravity of what she has asked for and what the Goddess has asked her to do in order to gain that magic settled on her like a lead blanket as she heard the terms of her quest. Fear has started to grow, fear of failure. How could she possibly hurt someone she cared about? Or refuse healing? That went against everything that she believed in, went against her position as a Moon Doctor. But this was what she had chosen to ask for and though the strength in her beliefs was now wavering, she thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Alysanne could find a way to do what was asked of her and not lose herself in the process, surely.

She felt soothed by the Goddess’s presence, by the now-soft voice explaining what she needed to do, and by the embrace that she had been given. The violet shadow before her gave her strength. The anger that had flashed like wildfire just moments ago forgotten but the warnings stayed. There was a little bit of worry now that she would be unsuccessful but a little nip from Hemlock where he stood between her ears was enough to bring her back to her former frame of mind. She would have to remember her goal – forgetting that would result in failure or worse.

“Thank you, I will do my best.” She does not promise to not fail as the once solid form before her began to break apart into wisps of shadow – how could she? Alysanne hoped not to fail, of course, but her certainty had been much greater before her meeting with the Goddess than it was now.

Heavy hearted but determined, Alysanne and Hemlock turned from this spot and left to contemplate exactly where to start this quest.