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.