The shadows mingled and twisted, once more cascading through the Deep Forest in a secretive dance that only the ones who dwelled in darkness could know. Honey-brown orbs soaked all of this in from his spot upon the ground, neck twisted slightly so that his head was tucked inwards, nestled fondly against his folded forelegs… Yet his eyes, keen and observatory since coming to Helovia, roved across the dancing shadows. And that was when Apollo heard it.

Laughter.

The black and white stallion’s head snapped up and to attention, his nostrils flaring widely and sucking in the air around where he lay. Nothing in the air seemed off… There were also no new scents in the air. What was that? Surely there couldn’t be someone lost…? Heaving himself to his feet, Apollo looked around, swallowing thickly. The laughter echoed into silence, but not ten seconds later did it return, echoing just as malevolently as the first time through the archaic trees.

“Hello?” The stallion called, tipping his head slightly and stepping towards where he imagined the sound was coming from. It was difficult, as the childish giggles seemed to encompass all of the forest, and not just derive from one settled location. “Is someone out there? Hello?” As his eyes searched for what could be making the joyous, yet creepy, sounds, Apollo couldn’t help but note that the forest seemed strangely darker than usual. Since joining the Grey and calling the Deep Forest his home, the unicorn had grown somewhat accustomed to the shadows that made up his home… Yet these seemed different. Darker. Malicious, almost…

Or, it might have been his mind playing tricks on him. Giving a rough snort, Apollo continued on his way, searching for what was making that terrible laughter. There shouldn’t be any children about, not this far into the forest and this late at night, frolicking without their parents… Yet it didn’t take him long at all to come across what was making the laughter, and it wasn’t foals playing in the depth of the forest.

A flower. A simple, unassuming flower…

Except that it wasn’t unassuming, because flowers don’t laugh. Apollo refrained from getting much closer to it, instead snorting and staring at its black and red-tipped petals with a look of revulsion and barely concealed fear. What the heck was it? He took a step back, head swaying slightly. Maybe he should just leave…

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."