Day 3: Goddess of Savages (The Treants - Part 1)

The creatures of the forests, made of wood and blight. One thing beware, beware of the night.

"Vi dee vai den!" a voice said, making Twilight mumble. The bright light made it very irritating for her eyes. Slowly opening them, green blobs were in her vision. What seemed to look like a head was close to her. Soft breath grazed her face, making Twilight's face slightly annoyed.

The voice hushed, where silence was filling up the air. Twilight blinked a few times and shielded her eyes with her right hand. Her left arm went in her lap, feeling some sort of strange fabric.

“Huh, what’s this?” Twilight asked herself, bringing the blue blanket up close to her eyes.

It was something she never felt before. It was like silk, but stretched like polyurethane. Twilight rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and found herself to be in some kind of hut. The hut’s interior walls were seeming to be covered in some kind of coating, leaving a trace of sparkles in them. The floor was an amber soil, explaining the clay smell that was in the hut.

Twilight yawned and stretched, liking the plushy bed she was in. It was gigantic. The width of the bed was longer than she was and the length was monstrous.

“I wonder where I am…” Twilight thought, edging out of the bed. She was about to get up when she heard a small cough from her side. A group of about five green figures stood next to Twilight, staring at her. They were covered in scale-like armor, and the creature that coughed covered its mouth. Two out of his four arms sprang up, feeling the looks from his buddies nearby. With four large fingers, the creature that coughed used his other two arms to give a protective gesture. They all had uniquely shaped ends on their wide shoulders, seeming to have crests on them. The things that were present in the room had three eyes, one on each side and one on the front. The one that coughed looked fearful of Twilight and got down on its knees. The others looked scared, but did not say a word.

“Veedo do naka shin, dell la noo, Kee-sheen!” the creature said, bowing low before Twilight.

The four others got on their knees and bowed their heads. What followed soon after was an awkward silence. Twilight gasped at the new intelligent form of life and slowly got off of the bed. The five creatures were motionless, not even budging from their position. However, when one of Twilight’s hooves met the ground, they all grimaced and started to shake and shiver.

“Shh, it’s alright…” Twilight said softly, walking to the group.

However, that didn’t make them calm down. It made them even more nervous. They all kept their mouths shut and waited, waiting for her to do something. Twilight was very confused about what was happening. Walking closer to them, she noticed that they had snake-like scales covering their bodies. Approaching the one that coughed, that one being the one currently bowing, Twilight used her hand to slowly lift its chin up. The serpentine light green eyes stared into Twilight’s purple ones, which seemed to calm down it.

“Kal le, ma, vide Kee-sheen,” the serpent thing said, forcing itself to look down to the ground.

Twilight gestured, using her fingers on the creature to look at her.

“C’mon, you can stand up,” Twilight said, lifting her hand up to force him to stand. The creature did, jolting to its feet. More than ten feet tall in height, Twilight herself felt intimidated by the sheer size of this new race. However, it cowered and got down to the ground, making the hut shake around.

“I won’t hurt you,” Twilight said very softly, almost like a whisper. The creature looked up, staring at Twilight’s kind and smiling face. Reluctantly, it got up and looked nervous. Scratching its head with one of its four hands, Twilight walked over to the creature next to her.

“Hey, c’mon, it’s okay,” she said, touching the top right arm of the serpent-man. “Do not be afraid o-”

“Dem bala!!” a voice exploded at the entrance of the hut, “De fel sa, hakim, dee shen!!”

“Hello?” Twilight called out, walking towards the entrance, “Anyone?”

Walking out of the hut cautiously, she was met by a crowd of giant treants. Their green eyes coming out of their wooden bodies, as the mass of them fell silent. They looked almost identical with the ones before, making Twilight stop in her tracks with fear. The treants before her were fully armored in wood and had those eyes that weren’t like mindless drones. The treant that was yelling had a wound on an eye and had a hunched back. The dark color and scars marked age on the treant. The voice was deep and croaky and then it looked at Twilight.

“Mi Kee-sheen…” the hunched treant whispered, getting lower than it could.

The entire crowd then bowed before her and uttered the same word in unison with a soft voice.

“Kee-sheen?” Twilight whispered, realizing that it was directed towards her. Twilight slowly took a step back, looking at the sheer number of the Treants bowing down before her.

Spike groaned and rolled over, where his head suddenly hit a blunt object.

*BONK*

“Mmmphh!!” Spike said with a muffled voice. “Hmm?” he said, looking around him.

The dragon saw what looked like to be a gigantic green cage around him. Spike tried to move his arms, but he looked down to see his entire body tied up by thick ropes. The ropes were thicker than a small trunk of a tree. Spike’s covered mouth by a cloth made him squirm in an attempt to escape. However, a small clatter behind him made him twist and turn. His eyes met a feminine looking treant that was staring at him. She was taller than the 10-foot tall cage, but had eyes that were young. Green eyes from the giantress looked at Spike with great curiosity. Spike looked at the treant’s body and determined that it was a female. Wide hips along with a curved form, the wood looked to be flat and smooth.

Spike shuddered, remembering the times with the summoned treants not long ago. As he did, the female treant’s large hand touched Spike’s forehead. Her eyes blinked a few times and she began to scratch. Her sharp fingertips made a small mark on his hard scales. With that, she walked around the cage. The drake tried to grumble a few words out, but a solid touch on his side made him stop. The treant’s hand went up Spike’s side as if she was looking for something.

“Hmmph!” Spike said, making the treant stop. The treant walked over with long strides to Spike’s side and got on her knees. She seemed to be about 12-feet tall, her head about in the middle with the cage.

“De le de no beastas, fe de?” the female treant asked with a soothing voice. She gently rubbed Spike’s cheek, which made him shudder.

The treant craned her head to the side and her expression lightened up. She smiled warmly and scratched Spike behind the ears. As she did, a treant busted in with a furious tone.

“Ghey!! Venus!!” the male treant snapped with rage, storming towards the female treant, “De kee-shen dimola fooshu lee kish!!”

The female treant, seemed to be named Venus, stood much taller than the male, where the height of the male reached up to her breasts. Worry was written all over her face as she put a hand over her mouth.

“De la ahn!!” the male treant said, pointing to a wooden bowl across the hut, “Kee-sheen de lee no hissu!”

Venus sprinted to the bowl and grabbed it with her wooden fingers with extreme speed. As she did, she rocketed out, leaving the male treant alone with Spike, who was struggling to get out.

The male treant was about to step out, but the noises Spike made caught his attention. The green eyes looked over to the dragon that was tossing and turning. The treant leaned closer and raised an eyebrow as if it was disapproving something.

“De len de es monstro?” he asked himself with disappointment. He sighed and shook his head. With that said, he slowly walked out.

Spike managed to undo the slack of the blue gag around his mouth and unraveled his serpentine tongue. The forked end of the tip of his tongue peaked a bit, making Spike jiggle back and forth.

“Cmmm nnn!!” Spike said, his forked tongue now more out of the gag.

Twilight took another step back as the crowd was still bowing before her. The hunched treant still had his head low and was in complete silence. The unicorn smiled awkwardly and looked around. Some of the treants had a smooth wooden texture while the others had rough ones. Suddenly, noise bustled on the side. Twilight looked over to see a female treant with a wooden bowl in her hands. She ran quickly towards Twilight and got down on her knees, matching up to Twilight’s height.

“De mi koolshigama, Kee-sheen,” the treant said with the bowl in her hands. She offered it up to Twilight and bowed her head.

“Uh…” Twilight said, looking at the bright neon green stuff. It swirled like liquid in the cup, making Twilight reluctantly accept it. The smooth wooden bowl was about the size of a large dictionary, however it looked small to the treant. Along with the liquid, it added more weight.

Twilight felt the weight as she accepted it, almost tumbling to the ground. Keeping her posture, the unicorn managed to hold it.

”Okay, now what do I do?” she asked herself, feeling the need to drop the bowl.

The female treant looked up and made a gesture with her hands. As if the bowls were in her hands, the treant made a sipping motion. Twilight then understood that she needed to drink it. The treant immediately bowed back down, leaving Twilight with a choice. She looked anxious and stared down at the thick soup. Twilight shuddered silently and placed her lips on the surface of the green liquid. Slowly but surely, her lips met a very sweet taste. A mixture of things she never tasted before. A nutty touch was followed after a sugary rush of sweetness. Soon the only sounds that were heard were Twilight’s slurping. Her throat was flowing with the liquid. After a few seconds, Twilight drank her fill. Gasping for air a bit, the female treant looked up and had her hands out. Twilight looked over and gently placed it in them. As she did, the hunched treant looked up and walked over to Twilight.

“Voice of the trees, messenger from above…” the croaky voice said from the treant, “The legends have come true!” he said with charisma. The hunched treant looked over to the crowd and began to yell in a powerful voice. “The goddess is here!! This is the sign for us to pour our hearts to a ceremony!!”

The crowd remained silent, making the hunched treant ask a question to Twilight.

“Permission to speak, your majesty,” he requested with a straight face.

“Y-Yes…” Twilight said weakly, but that didn’t seem to arouse suspicion.

Twilight was stunned as the old treant raised his hands up at the crowd. At the moment he did, a loud cheer filled with energy and applause exploded. Hands were clapping at the goddess’ arrival. Twilight looked uneasy and took a small step back. She looked around, trying to look for Spike.

“Where is he?” she thought, seeing the green eyes full of joy. Twilight gasped as she felt getting swept into a seat. The unicorn felt herself get holstered up high and slam back onto a wooden chair. Twilight hit her head hard at the back of the seat and saw a few stairs before shaking it off. Cheers was roaring on along with the loud claps of wooden hands. Twilight gulped and felt her stomach churn, understanding each and every word the treants were speaking.

“You have finally arrived, supreme goddess!” a voice yelled out of the crowd.

“The signs were true!”

“Glory to the highest!!”

Twilight looked uneasy, feeling beads of sweat form at her forehead. Her hands began to get sweaty from all the cheers. A few seconds later, she felt the caravan she sat at slow down. When it lowered to the ground, it immediately became silent. The vibrant and energy filled cheer was now no more. The wooden chair beneath her rump creaked, breaking the eerie silence. Shallow breaths exited out her nostrils and walked forward. The hunched treant was waiting with his head bowed and a cane in hand.

Twilight looked around and saw all the treants doing the same thing. On their knees and bowing, the hunched treant asked a question.

“Permission to speak, holy one,” the treant requested.

“P-Permission to speak,” Twilight replied, trying to keep composure.

The moment she said those words, the treant brought his cane down right to the ground. It made a loud cracking sound, catching all the attention of the treants, including Twilight.

“Brothers!!” he yelled with pure energy and volume. He took another step forwards with his cane and brought it to the ground, “Sisters!! The time has finally come for the goddess of beauty and nature, to descend upon us!!”

The crowd roared in splendid cheer. Many treants clapped and hooted, stomping their feet onto the earthy ground. With a hand up, the treants immediately became silent. The old treant spoke again.

“The goddess has come down to save all of us from the clutches of the monster that roams our home!!” he said with his hand on his heart, “ We shall serve her until our last breath and glorify her! We, the Arbor-Fortisva clan will fight for honor and pay with our lives for living this very life!!”

The treants responded with a nationalistic cheer, almost popping out Twilight’s ear drums. However, she didn’t care about that. What she cared was what the old treant was preaching on about.

“We are warriors! We live to fight!!” the treant boomed. “ And we live to die!!”

What seemed to be like all the voices replied back with war cries and many yelps. Many of the treant warriors grabbed spears and raised it high above their heads. Some of them got on their knees and let out cries. Mixture of noises filled the air with extreme volume soon filled the skies and trees. Twilight almost felt herself buckle under pressure, but stood strong. Many thoughts raced her mind as the crowd was cheering.

But one thought stood out from the rest.

She was not safe.

Spike continued to struggle, hearing the loud cheers outside. His mouth was still gagged, only a small grunt was able to escape his mouth. The dragon tried using his strength to break out, but that didn’t work out for the past half-hour. He relaxed and was breathing heavily through his nostrils. Sweat droplets slid down his strained face, obviously tired from what he was doing. He sighed and closed his eyes.

All he could was wait.

Long ago, the trees were alive and moving, but not in the ways you seem. You see, they did not move like we are right now. But the trees were alive indeed. It was when a goddess looked down on them, her heart was filled with sorrow. She could hear the trees' cries and agony! The desire to be freed! With a breath of holy life, she gave life to ancients, our ancestors. We are created in the image of nature itself, with beauty a few. Goddess Bellura has blessed us dearly. We were protected by the goddess' grace and flourished in these very beautiful forests. However, her evil sister by the name of Turpisa was very angry at this. She could not create and did not have any beauty. With a deal with the dark one, he sent a terrifying beast of green envy and purple madness. Many of us fell, but with the goddess on our side, we won the battle. However, that was short lived. The beast was powerful as a god, the strength to move mountains and conjure storms. Nothing could stop the monster.

We couldn't stop it. But Goddess Bellura could. And she did. She sacrificed! She gave up her immortality to walk this very forest! She walked this forest and broke our chains of bondage! She sent the terrifying beast into the abyss, but she knew it would come back. She has been watching all of us ever since.

"But now," the treants's croaky voice said. He turned away from a large stone tablet that reached the skies. It had inscribed treant figures fighting a large purple and green demon. Many of them were on the ground, seeming to have fallen from the fight. A purple figure above was emphasis with powders and markings. The goddess Bellura had shining white eyes and did not even look like a tree.

“Where’s Spike?” she thought with worry. She wondered where the dragon was at. She looked around, hoping he was safe.

“Goddess Bellura,” the old treant asked with full respect. He kept his head low to wait for permission.

“Permission to speak,” Twilight replied instinctively.

“What are your orders?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Orders?”

The old treant nodded.

“Uh, prepare the ceremony!” Twilight said aloud, “Take much time as you need to prepare it!”

The moment her sentence ended, the entire village moved in organized chaos. The treants bustled through, leaving not a second wasted in preparation of the ceremony. Twilight stood there awkwardly until the old treant spoke.

“Your majesty,” he said, pausing for a few seconds.

“Permission to speak.” Twilight replied.

“With all due respect, supreme one, but what about the beast? You have not slain it yet.”

“Ah, yes, about that,” Twilight said, looking at the image of the beast, “When the time comes, I shall do so.”

The treant nodded in agreement. “And I have a few other things to say, your majesty.” he said.

“Yes, what is it?”

“When we had found you last night, we had seen that you had laid with the beast,” the old treant said, “However, I fear that if you don’t lay with the beast again, he shall enrage and break out.”

“Show me!!” Twilight exploded, shocking the elder treant.

“The trees hold voices, I have noices. Coices, moices…” a male treant in the hut where Spike was contained swept the dirt floor with a broom. He muttered a few rhymes and glanced over at the green beast. The scaled creature was snarling and trying to bite its way out.

The male treant sighed.

“You’re not really the beast, are you?” he asked, walking over to the cage.

What he was replied with was gargling snarls and unpleasant noises. The male treanut gave an uneasy look and walked closer. Saliva dribbled down the soaked gag and the wood that restrained him seemed to be wearing out.

“Uh, Venus, I know this may seem like a stupid question, but, is this actually the beast?” the male treanut asked, clutching the broom close to himself.

A very large female treant was sitting at a table, seeming to scribble down on a sheet of bark. Her soft green eyes gently peered up and stared at the much smaller male treant that asked a question.

“I don’t think he’s the beast, little brother,” Venus replied, getting up from her seat. She walked over and patted her brother’s shoulder. “Look? See? He’s harmless.”

The beast inside the cage sighed.

“Mickle mackle schangle!” it bellowed.

“Yeah… harmless.”

“Peer into his eyes, Thornwood. What do you see?” Venus asked, lightly motioning him towards the caged animal.

Thornwood leaned a bit and saw himself look straight into the eyes of the disgusting monster. Green reptilian eyes stared back, with eyes holding rage and tiredness. In all, it was a pitiful sight. However, looking closer, glare in the eyes made the young male treant come to a conclusion.

“I see death, death and more death,” Thornwood answered, “Did I mention death?”

“Oh, don’t be like that Thornwood,” Venus replied, sticking her finger in the cage, “See?”

Her long wooden finger stroked the beast’s back, making him shudder and curl up.

“Yeah, I see it,” the young treant replied, “But don’t you think he’s just the weak and pathetic Kravick race?”

“I wouldn’t call them pathetic, but no. I know that this thing isn’t one of the Kravick race.”

“Why is that, sister?” Thornwood asked.

“He doesn’t have four arms,” Venus explained, “Also, he doesn’t have anything on his shoulders that mark his crest and birth.”

“His shoulders are,” Thornwood said, inspecting closer onto the beast, “Wimpy.”

“But he’s cute, isn’t he?” Venus said, leaning even closer to the cage. Her eyes met the emerald ones, patting the creatures back once again. The beast shuddered and nudged away from Venus.

“I don’t think he likes us,” Thornwood said, grabbing him broom. He began to sweep again before looking up. “Sister?”

“Yes?” Venus asked, walking back to the table.

“The goddess, should I be afraid of her?” Thornwood asked, clutching the broom close to his chest, “I never knew that the prophecy would actually be fulfilled.”

“All you have to do is respect her and follow her orders,” Venus replied, “No need to fear.”

A voice outside spoke suddenly.

“We have the beast contained in our sacred grove,” an old voice said out of the hut, “There is no way for it to escape.”

“T-That’s good,” a voice replied.

The old treant and Twilight entered the hut, obtaining both Venus and Thornwood’s attention. Venus bowed respectfully, while Thornwood did it out of fear. Twilight looked at them for a moment before her eyes gazed up upon the cage.

“Spike!” she exclaimed.

The dragon made a muffled sound, trying to raise his head behind the bars of the cage.

“Mmph!!” Spike managed to say, squirming around with a burst of energy.

“Spike?!” Thornwood said with a raised eyebrow. His head was hit suddenly by the old treant, who hushed him.

“Quiet, the goddess is going to subdue the beast."

Thornwood rubbed his head and wiped away the dirt away from his grains. He shook his head. "This isn't how I imagined it," he thought.

"Spike?" Twilight whispered, getting closer to the cage.

The dragon drew close to the bars and chuckled. Through his gag, a smile was seen. He nudged himself closer to the bars where Twilight's hands grasped Spike's head.

"Are you fine, Spike?" Twilight whispered, holding the dragon's head gently in her hands. She leaned in closer and bent over. Twilight slowly untied the gag from Spike’s mouth. The dragon gasped the air, breathing in the sweet oxygen.

"I'm okay, I guess," Spike replied. He looked over to the treants and then back to Twilight. "So, are they letting us go?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not even close to that," she said.

"I see," Spike sighed.

"Not to worry, Spike," Twilight said, her face lighting up brightly, "I'll find a way!”

The dragon smiled. Then he asked a question. “What did you exactly do to not get caged like me?” he asked.

“They just think I’m a goddess, and I hope to keep it that way,” Twilight replied.

“Goddess Bellura,” the old treant asked, “Forgive me on intruding, but how long will this take?”

“It’ll take some time,” Twilight replied, looking back at the three treants staring intently at her, “This chant takes time.”

“Chant?” Thornwood asked, “Looks like you’re having a conversation with “Spike”,“ he said with emphasis.

In return, the elder treant smacked Thornwood upside the head. "Quiet!"

“A thousand apologies, Goddess Bellura!” Venus replied, bowing low to the ground. The old treant did the same as well. Twilight then looked towards Thornwood. He gulped, watching the intense eyes from the purple goddess bore into him. With a step of a hoof, he flinched. With a couple of steps, he realized that she was walking towards him. Thornwood had an uneasy look with complete fear in his green orb-like eyes.

Twilight stood a little taller over the young treant. Her gaze locked in Thornwood's feet. All he could do was look up and stare back. The goddess then lifted her hand up, making Thornwood shut his eyes. What he then felt next was a warm hand on top of his head.

Twilight giggled. "You're quite young, aren't you?" she asked, patting the treant's head.

Thornwood looked up at Twilight and what he saw were the warmest alien eyes he had ever seen. He was taken aback from this and was lost for words. The violet eyes held mystery and power.

Twilight then looked over to the elder treant and Venus. "I would like to have all of you leave this room," she ordered.

The two treants immediately left. However, Thornwood was still planted at his feet, still in shock. Venus' giant hand suddenly came into view and grabbed to pull him out. Thornwood skidded to the ground far away from the hut’s entrance. Outside the hut, the old treant began to scold Thornwood.

"Why do you even dare to speak against the goddess like that?!" he asked angrily.

Thornwood did not answer back. The old treant sighed and put a hand on Thornwood. "Please, child. Do not question the goddess or say idiotic things.”

Thornwood remained silent.

“You are like a thorn,” the old treant said with a smile, “You are a small prick in all of our lives.”

This was when Thornwood spoke up. “Gee, thanks father.”

The old treant patted Thornwood’s leg. With a nod, he looked up and said, “Just don’t piss off the goddess. That’s all I ask.”

Thornwood gave a slight disgruntled look before his giant sister placed a hand on his head. “C’mon you little prick,” Venus teased, “You want to help me with the preparation?”

Thornwood smiled, which turned into a hearty chuckle. “Yes, let’s do that!”

Back in the hut, Twilight sighed and placed her hands on her knees. She took a deep breath and wiped sweat away from her brow. “T-That was close,” she said, putting a hand on her chest.

“What was close?” Spike asked from inside the cage.

“Just that little guy believed I was talking to you.”

“But you were talking to me,” Spike replied.

“Yeah, but I don’t want them to know you’re my friend.”

“But, we are.”

"Spike," Twilight said, peering into his cage, "This is the plan."

"Alright."

"Act like a nasty beast and try to scare away any treants that stray too near," she said, "But when I approach you, I'm going to say a few words, and then you'll be under my "trance"," she said, air quoting "trance".

"But won't it be easier if you let me out and be "under your trance"?" Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry Spike, but these treants will likely notice something if we do that."

"Easier for you to say," Spike said with a small groan, "These things are annoying me," he said, looking down at the thick wooden braces around his arms.

"I'll get you out soon, Spike," Twilight replied firmly, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Spike gave a small smile and chuckled. "You always find a way, Twilight."

Twilight blushed at the compliment. "I, always do, huh?"

Spike nodded.

The unicorn stood up and brushed the dirt from her coat and looked around the room. Her eyes caught a large cauldron full of blue liquid. As if her mind clicked, she ran over to it. The dirty pot towered over Twilight, leaving her tiny to the tool used by the treants. She could see a blue color fizzing up to the surface.

The dragon was confused and gave a snort. With the puzzled look, he wondered what Twilight was doing. Not wanting to ask any more questions, he sat silent.

Twilight scooped up a nearby bowl and tried to dip it at the top of the cauldron. She held to the rim of it and barely got any of the blue liquid. The thick blue substance oozed into the wooden bowl. Satisfied with the amount, she ran towards Spike. The dragon was dumbfounded when the bowl was pushed to his face.

“Have a sip,” Twilight said.

Spike looked a bit anxious, but before he could say anything, the wooden bowl was shoved in his face. He gulped down what was little in the bowl and coughed slightly afterwards. He made a cringing look on his face when Twilight stood up. She leaned close and whispered to him.

“Spike, whatever you do, don’t let them know that you’re not a monster,” Twilight said with a stern tone of order, “You’ll be able to understand them and me, but don’t talk. Just make noises.”

Before he could question anything, he felt Twilight’s soft hand hold his cheek. She smiled and turned around to walk out of the hut. Spike was left alone, thinking about the current situation at hand. He closed his eyes and let out a happy sigh.

“Nothing can go wrong now.”

A slim figure stood at a base of what looked like a shrine. The place was shrouded in darkness where no light was shed. The figure looked like to be a treant, but with a dark hood and a mossy body. Dark green eyes under the hood stared at the demonic markings on the bark of the wood. With a whisper, the treant flung powder in front of him and brought his hands together. His voice hushed like the shadows, bringing a gust of wind that caught the powder.

“Dear ancestors, please bring me a vision of the future!” the dark and raspy voice bellowed from the treant. As the powder made a funnel, the treant got on his knee and brought his hand to the ground. There was a circle around the treant, making a pattern of loops and grains. Sending a shockwave of light in a radius, a gigantic tree manifested in front of the treant.

The spirit was pure light, leaving a bright yellow hue to its body. A pair of glowing eyes and enormous branches that reached the heavens stood towering over the little treant.

“Have you summoned us?” a spiritual voice asked with raw power.

“Yes, I have,” the cloaked treant replied, “My dear ancestors, what lies in the future?”

“Little Dead-wood, in the future, there is a false prophet that will poison your people,” the voice echoed, “You must do whatever you can to stop them!”

“How can we stop them, dear ancestors?”

“Your life force will tell you who is false or not” the spirit replied, “If you fail, consider our mighty race dead.”

“I shall not dishonor us, dear ancestors!” the treant named Dead-wood said, “It is done!”

With that said, a loud clap exploded, diminishing the spiritual treant into the darkness. Dead-wood stood up as a door behind him creaked. A small treant peered inside.

“Shaman Dead-wood?” a small voice asked.

“Yes, what is it?”

“You should come into the village! The goddess is here!!” the voice exclaimed.

No words came out of Dead-wood. He looked around the dim room and picked up a wooden slab tablet.

"How can this be?" he said to himself, "The gods are not to arrive until a few more million years!" He sighed and brought back his hood. The dark green eyes were lifeless, lighting only faintly. Dazzling paint streaked across his faces, resembling teeth. Dead-wood brought the tablet up, studying a flurry of patterns marked on it.

He gave a scowl.

"What is this? Were my calculations wrong?" he asked aloud.

"Ah, Dead-wood," a voice said amidst the darkness, "Why aren't you going out there to meet the goddess?"

The shaman turned around to see the hunched back old treant walk towards him. Dead-wood placed the tablet on the ground and greeted him.

"Elder Puraligno,” he said a bit sourly, “What brings you here to my hut?”

Elder Puraligno chuckled.

“To check on you, of course,” he said, “After all, you were the one that foresees, yes?” he asked.

Dead-wood gave a malicious glare, but his expression relaxed as he put his hood on.

“Yes, I had foresaw, but I am not perfect like the gods are,” Dead-wood said, putting his hands together, “Now, it is time for me to put the ceremony in place.”

“The goddess has ordered us to ready the ceremony, Dead-wood,” the old treant replied.

“Oh, she has?” Dead-wood asked, a little bit surprised.

“Yes.”

“Well then,” Dead-wood said, smiling deviously, “Time to prepare the sacrifices to please her!”

“Goddess Bellura, this is your temple,” a treant said, bowing low as Twilight was led into a hut. Inside, comfortable furniture was set up along with a high throne across the enormous room. Drapes of blue came down from the ceilings, decorated beautifully with expert craftsmanship.

She looked around in awe, taking a step into the place. The hut was deep and hollow, shielding all the noise from outside. It looked different from what the other huts looked like. Twilight looked around her once again. The building she was in was more alien than the primitive huts outside. Moist and blue earthy soil beneath her feet didn’t crumble. It sponged up and left a pleasant feeling to her hooves.

“Is there anything you need Goddess Bellura?” the treant asked politely, snapping Twilight back into reality.

“I just need new clothes,” Twilight said quickly, taking a look at her attire. Her cheap leaf bra seemed to be decaying away. One strap was breaking down already, brown with mud and grime.

“C-Clothes?” the treant asked as if it never knew what it was.

“Yes, clothes.”

The treant sputtered, afraid to question the goddess. Twilight didn’t seem to notice this and looked around her yet again. The treant looked to be in complete fear and began to waddle towards the holy deity. The treant, who was much bigger than Twilight, cowered down on his knees.

“Forgive me Goddess Bellura, but I must ask a question,” the treant said.

“Please, ask away,” Twilight replied.

“These clothes,” the treant asked, pointing towards Twilight’s garments, “Are those it?”

“Yes, yes it is,” she said. Twilight paused for a moment. “What is your name?”

“I have no name, Goddess Bellura,” the treant said nonchalantly, “I was captured by the Arbor-Fortisva to serve the gods until the end of my days.”

“Arbor-Fortisva?”

The treant nodded, sitting straight up, “You had created us, yes? You had saved all treants from the terrible beast many eons ago. But one tribe you very valued was the Arbor-Fortisva. The one I’m serving now.”

“Are you glad that you’re serving them?” Twilight asked, a bit horrified.

“This is the world you set into motion, Goddess Bellura,” the treant replied, “My people had been wiped by this clan. And what it wills is done so by your divine will.”

Twilight took a gulp, but the treant was bowing his head and did not notice.

“As your servant until the day I die, dear goddess,” the treant said, “Please use me in everything you will. I exist only to serve.”

Twilight felt her heart broken hearing such words from the treant. Her eyes held pity and sorrow. She wanted to sympathize the wooden creature, but knew she couldn’t. Twilight shook off her feelings and held her chin high.

“Very well then,” she said, “Mend me new clothes.”

“As you wish, dear goddess,” the treant servant said.

In a blink of an eye, the treant was gone. Twilight gave a sigh and looked up at the bright blue ceiling.

“When are we going to get out?” she asked softly to herself.

Dead-Wood shuffled through the village, walking quickly through the busy treants. He received many respectful greetings, but did not bother to returning them.

“It’s around here somewhere,” Dead-Wood muttered under his breath. He looked around, seeing his people hard at work. He saw a few already finishing the spark lanterns and the grain balloons.

He scoffed.

“None of these items will please her other than mine!” he said to himself.

The shaman priest soon reached a large wooden barrack and smiled. “I wonder if Commander Ninava would run a few errands for me.”

With a chuckle, he stepped into the large hut and was met with the chest of a large and muscular treant. “Oof!!” Dead-Wood grunted, knocking the hood onto the top of his head. He fell to the ground with a smash and groaned.

“Shaman Dead-Wood, I apologize for not looking where I was going!” the large and muscular soldier said.

“It’s quite fine, old friend,” Dead-Wood replied, taking his hood off, “You’re bigger than the most of the huts here!

The gigantic treant chuckled deeply, who stood three times taller than Dead-wood. His broad shoulders itself showed his sheer strength along with his size.

“I believe you would need to talk, Dead-Wood?” the soldier asked.

“Indeed,” Dead-Wood said.

“Please, follow me,” the treant warrior said, stepping to the side for Dead-Wood. Inside the hut, barren wood held only soldiers with their spears and cheap bunks. A group of them laughed and chuckled, conversing with one another. Dead-Wood struggled to keep up with the soldier’s steps, but at last, he slowed his pace.

The enormous treant soon approached a door and opened it. “Inside, please,” he said.

Dead-Wood sighed with relief softly and stepped inside.

“Commander Ninava, Shaman Dead-Wood is here for a few requests,” the buff soldier said.

“Zark, how many times have I told you that you don’t have to escort him?” a female voice replied.

“Sorry Commander,” the large soldier named Zark replied.

Commander Ninava smiled. She stood up from behind a desk proud and tall. “There’s no need to apologize.”

The female treant stood a head taller than Dead-Wood, but was dwarfed by Zark.

“Yes, Commander,” Zark said, “I’ll return to my duties.” In a flash, Zark stepped out of the room, leaving Ninava and Dead-Wood alone.

“What is it that you need, Shaman Dead-Wood?” the commander asked.

“Just a few small things that your best soldiers can do quite easily, commander,” the high priest replied, “After all, the goddess has arrived.”

“Why yes.” Commander Ninava simply said. She paused for a moment before asking a question. “Which ones do you actually need?”

“Oh, the best of the best, commander!!” Dead-Wood exclaimed, “Surely, the goddess needs more than the best!”

“Agreed.”

She paused for a moment.

“How about the Kravicks?” she asked.

“You have already captured a group of Kravick soldiers, Commander,” Dead-Wood replied, “In fact, I think that Goddess Bellura is being brought to them.”

Five serpentine soldiers in shackles and chains were poked out of the bedroom by the sharp spears. With four great arms and crests bearing proudly on their shoulders, they trudged on by the end of a spear.

“Who knew their goddess would arrive?” one of them said with a bit of disappointment. The moment he said that, he felt a jab of a spear violently to his back. The sharp weapon penetrated the thick skin of the reptile-like creature, oozing dark blood out of his hide. The Kravick’s three eyes grimaced at the jab, but quickly shook it off.

“Quiet!!” a treant soldier said, withdrawing his weapon out of the Kravick.

“You shouldn’t talk so loud, Doe,” a nearby buddy of his whispered.

“Shut it, Rei,” Doe replied, “I can talk loud as I want!” he exclaimed.

This made the treant soldier pierce his back yet again. Doe’s shoulders crests held a spiral, and on it, it looked like a leg sprinting. His shoulders crooked in such a way that it looked aerodynamic if he ran.

“Suit yourself,” Rei said, looking forward.

Rei’s was a pattern of lines parallel of each other with a large “bolt” striking through the middle. His expression lightened when Doe cursed under his breath. Both of their attention was suddenly on their fellow soldiers in front of them, Mi and Fa.

“She touched me,” Mi said dreamily, “Her touch was soft as silk.”

The other one scoffed.

“A touch can’t be soft as silk,” Fa said, “And no need to talk like that, it discomforts me.”

“Talk like what?”

“When you say your own name.”

“I said ‘me’ as in ‘me’, myself.” Mi replied.

“You did it again!”

Mi’s shoulder crests represented wind, showing a few gusts. The torrents made a “wave”, inscribing his shoulders beautifully.

Fa sighed and placed one of his hands on his face.

“I wonder why we even decided to come near the Arbor-Fortisvas,” he said.

The crests the one named Fa beared a circling orb that represented light.

“They attacked us, remember?” a dark and low voice said in front of them. A Kravick at the front looked back, showing one of his scarred eyes. “We tried our best to defend our village.”

All the Kravicks were silent, not even uttering a word. Only the clinks of their chains and the chatter of the treants were heard.

“Captain Sow,” Rei said, breaking the silence, “What happens next?”

The Kravick Captain stood quiet for a moment before speaking.

“We are going to die.”

“Goddess Bellura,” a treant servant said nervously, “We tried all what we can do to make you clothes.”

In his gigantic hand laid bundled blue fabric that was identical with the drapes above.

“Thank you,” Twilight replied, gently picking up the clothes from the trembling hand. She picked up a piece that looked like a bra and stretched it out, wanting to know which way was which. Using her hands, she searched for difference on each side. Her sense of touch picked up and laid one side up. The “bra” was just a simple line of cloth with two indents that could poke out from any side.

Twilight proceeded to take her top off, but realized that the treant was still there. She paused in her tracks before the treant spoke.

“Goddess Bellura, I ask for your permission to speak.”

“Permission granted.”

“Before you, um, put on these clothes, would you like to take a bath?” the treant suggested, with a very weak smile, “I, uh, the look on your face is saying that, supreme one.”

Twilight looked down at herself and saw the grime of mud and dirt in her furry coat. She gave a disgusted look, but the treant did not notice it. The few seconds of silence made the treant nervous, who had begun to shake.

“Yes, a bath!” Twilight said, perking the treant servant’s head up, “Yes, that!”

“As you will, Goddess Bellura!” the servant said, sprinting out to fulfill her orders.

“Wait!” Twilight said suddenly, making the running treant slip and fall. The servant got up quickly and bowed before her.

“What is it that you need, Goddess Bellura?”

“Bring me the beast in here!”

Spike snorted, his snout pressing against the bars of the cage. He snored on, making a loud and obnoxious noise in the hut. A nice long sticky drop of drool moved up and down with each successive snore. He suddenly jerked, but the tough wooden locks held him in place. With the momentum, he smashed his head on the bar above. Making a head-splitting crack, he hit his head yet again on the side bars. Spike groaned in pain and did not notice the block he was in made way for a little crack.

“By Celesia’s royal balls, that fucking hurt!!” he said to himself. His arms were still firmly encased in the wooden cuffs while his body was still entombed. He sighed a few times before resting his head on between the space of the bars.

“What am I doing?” he said, looking up at the cage he was inside in. Spike gave a look as if his own question blew his mind. He looked dumbfounded and stared into space for a moment. He blinked and shook his head.

“No,” he said, trying to relax,”I just have to breathe…”

Spike took in a deep breath and slowly let it out in three counts. A goofy smile formed on his face before doing so again.

1…

Spike took in a breath of air.

2…

He then reached his breath peak.

3…

And let the air out.

“Again,” Spike thought, closing his eyes.

1…

CRASH!!

Spike roared furiously at the noise and felt his blood rush around his body. An dark and evil roar announced from his lungs before he looked behind him to see the source of the noise. A trembling treant soldier had his spear pointed at the cage, looking very nervous and tensed. Spike remembered what Twilight had said and began to act like a dumb and bumbling beast.

Spike hissed and let his saliva dribble on the floor. In which doing so, he bared his sharp teeth.

“I need help in here!” the soldier said towards the outside of the hut. Spike heard a bunch of footsteps reach the entrance and saw several heads appear at the door.

The first treant still had his weapon out while the others looked horrified.

“Why didn’t Goddess Bellura kill that ugly thing?!” one of them exclaimed.

“Fool! Are you thinking against her?!” one of the treants said boldly, “Perhaps she did this for a reason!!”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, ask her yourself!”

Spike opened his mouth and displayed his array of teeth. Sharp as knives with a menacing glare. The treants slowly filled into the room, with their spears pointed at the green and fugly beast. However, upon getting closer, the treants realized that the beast was much smaller than them.

The first treant sighed upon discovering this and lowered his weapon. He gave a groan and rubbed his face with a hand.

“You still need help, Lil’ Wood?” one of the treants asked. This erupted all the other treants into laughter with all the eyes on the one named “Lil’ Wood”. Spike tried to best to conceal his laughter.

“Guys, stop it!” Lil’ Wood said, looking around to his fellow soldiers.

“What is the problem here?” a deep voice asked. The face of Zark peered inside the door, silencing every single treant.

“Lil’ Wood just needs help to transfer the beast to the goddess, Captain Zark!” one treant said.

Zark made a face.

“Help?” he asked, looking towards the cage.

Spike slobbered all over the floor below the cage. Zark made a face and looked towards Lil’ Wood. Zark simply grabbed a blanket and threw it at the cage.

“There we go,” Zark said, “Now, step to it Lil’ Wood!” he said, earning a few chuckles from the treant soldiers.

Lil’ Wood grabbed the draped cage and made post-haste towards the temple. His stick-like arms heaved the cage across the ground. All the other treants were preoccupied and did not notice the soldier. Passing by many huts and temples, he felt disturbed with the noise going on inside of the cage. He made a face, but carried on. Soon, the soldier was in a section of the village absent of huts. With the great green forest beside him, a large blue temple stood strong and proud. The Temple of Goddess Bellura.

The soldier sighed and placed the cage on the ground. He looked uneasy, hearing a few growls underneath the blanket over the beast.

“Why didn’t Goddess Bellura kill this thing?” the soldier asked himself, “Why would she want it in the temple?”

He looked around for a moment before picking up the cage again.

“Whatever. Orders are orders,” he mumbled to himself.

Lil’ Wood entered the massive blue temple and placed the cage down near the entrance. He stood up tall and looked around, seeing no one. Seconds later, he heard the feet of a treant servant sprinting towards him.. The servant looked frail and tiny compared to the soldier.

“Is this it?” the servant asked, clearly out of breath.

The soldier simply nodded, directing the servant to take the cage deeper into the temple. Lil’ Wood loosened his spear on his back and sighed. Without a word, he turned around and exited out the temple.

Twilight closed her eyes and felt the heat of the warm body encase her. She heavenly sighed and went deeper in the bathtub she was in. The large tub emitted steam into the air, making the room filled up with a heavy white mist. The moisture locked onto Twilight’s fur as she went deeper in the water. The water right below her muzzle, she slowly breathed in and out. The warm water took away the stress of her body and washed away the dirt on her body. She then slowly let herself float up and felt her body be taken to the surface. A hoof out of the water, she looked at it keenly and dropped it back in the water.

“This feels so good!” she said before diving in. Holding her breath, the sensation of the heat was felt from her hooves to her horn. She smiled with her eyes closed, feeling her body succumb to the water. With her hooves on the bottom, she gently pushed herself up to the surface and got a good mouthful of air. As she resurfaced, the treant servant dragged the cage inside the bathe-room.

“Your majesty,” the treant said quietly, “What you have ordered is here.”

Twilight looked over to see the cage Spike was in and felt her face brightened.

“Yes, just drag the cage over here!”

The treant did what he was told.

“You can just go and relax,” Twilight ordered, “Please do not disturb me.”

The treant bowed before leaving the room very quickly. Twilight listened for the footsteps to disappear before she undid the blanket on the cage. Underneath, she saw Spike drooling and making a nasty face. However, that all changed when he saw Twilight.

“Oh, Twilight,” Spike said, wiping the saliva away from his face with his arm, “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Spike looked up and around the bathe-room. “Wow, looks like a fancy castle,” he said.

“It’s actually a temple,” Twilight replied, “My temple,” she added with a smile.

Spike squirmed a bit in his wooden clamps before relaxing in the thick white mist. He closed his eyes and placed his face in the puddle of drool he made earlier. He did not notice this as Twilight made a disgusted face. A moment of silence passed before Spike looked up at Twilight.

“Can I join you in there?” he asked.

Twilight was hesitant, before realizing that she gave the order not to be disturbed. She nodded. Spike’s face was in glee before he noticed that he was enchained. He was in deep disappointment. Twilight looked over at the ‘lock’ of the cage and saw that it was a very primitive lock. With a simple flip and a turn, Twilight opened the door of the cage.

“I just need help undoing this,” Spike said, looking down at the wooden bindings around him.

Twilight leaned into the cage, trying to find a safety spot to undo the wood. With the front of her body out, her bare breasts were right in Spike’s face. His eyes looked at the nipples and wondrous cleavage. He bit his bottom lip and stared. The dragon’s face grew red as a cherry before Twilight heard a small click.

“Hey, I found it!!” she said. Twilight withdrew back into the water, leaving Spike open the wooden casing and climb out of the cage. Twilight’s face perked.

“Spike, are you alright?” she asked, “You looked flustered.”

“Oh, no! Not at all!” Spike replied quickly, “It’s just, uh, warm in here, that’s all,” he said, looking away.

“Understandable,” Twilight said as Spike gently placed himself into the tub.

Upon going inside, he sighed and made a noise. Scales on his hide were wiped squeaky clean by the hot water. Spike stood up and cupped water in his claws and splashed it on his face. Afterwards, he washed his shoulder and arms. In the midst of cleaning, Twilight noticed an article of clothing float up from below Spike.

“Hmm?” she said, looking closely into the water.

The cheap leaf loincloth from Spike erupted from the water, right into her face.

“Ahhh!!” she screamed, splashing the water everywhere with her hands. Incidentally, she pushed Spike into the water. The dragon submerged quickly and then suddenly gasped towards the surface within seconds. Breathing heavily, Spike gave a devious smile and wiped the excess water from his eyes.

“You think splashing water into Spikey-Wikey is fun, Twilight?” Spike asked, “Huh?”

“What? No!” Twilight exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her in a defensive manner, “Nothing like that, Spike!”

Spike pattered the water with his hands with a wide grin on his face.

“Oh?” he said.

“Elder Puraligno!” the treant servant said, bowing low, “The goddess has asked to not be disturbed!!”

“She has?” the old treant asked, “I see,” he said, stroking his chin, “Please alert me when-”

“Aiiieeee!! Ah-ha-ha-ha!!” Twilight’s voice hollered in laughter.

“The goddess!” the servant gasped, making post-haste to the bathing room. Elder Puraligno followed after him to the door. The servant stopped at the entrance of the bathe-room and looked nervous. The old treant did not have a look of worry as he listened to Twilight’s laughter.

“Ah-hee!! Ha-ha!!” she giggled.

“What is happening, Elder Puraligno?” the treant servant asked as a splash of water was heard inside. The two treants poked their heads into the door to see a green and purple creature between the legs of the goddess. Underneath the veil of white mist from the bath water, they could barely see two figures.

“The goddess has ordered for the beast to be in here, yes?” the old treant asked.

“Y-Yes,” the servant replied.

“Ah, she is laying with the beast,” Elder Puraligno said nonchalantly, “She is mating with him so that he is under the influence of her control.”

“Mating?” the servant asked.

“It is something we treants cannot do,” the elder replied as Twilight gave a loud cry, “Maybe this is why she does not want to be disturbed,” he said as the servant nodded in agreement.

Author's Note

Ooh lord.
It is finally here. Sadly, my editor couldn't get to this due to my work and all that jazz jazz. On a brighter note, I'll continue this story fairly soon. Hopefully in a few days since this story here will progress heavily.
Stay sexy my friends.