Sally can't help herself. She grins.
"Okay, pumpkin. Come on." she says, picking up Epsilon and heading to the hidden trapdoor once more.
"So… I need a little help, Daniel. Help me figure out what caused this cavern with no entrances or exits besides what I have made." she murmurs.
Epsilon clings to their mother, staring down at the cavern with confusion.
They sighed, shifting into unconscious form and slinking through the shadows along the cold, stone walls.
"Bad…." They hiss eerily, stumbling backwards.
Sally grabs her child, despite him being mostly incorporeal at that point in time.
"Hold on baby… just hold on…" she says. Now that she's paying attention, the vast cavern smells of…
"Demons." she hisses.
Epsilon growls into the darkness, hearing an answer not too much long after.
They shift back, burying their face in Sally's shoulder. "Mama…"
"It's okay, Ep… they can't hurt you here…" Sally says, listening to the otherwordly screams that threaten to split the world like an overripe tomato.
"Stay up here pumpkin, no matter what. I'm going to cleanse this place." she says, drawing a silver sword from the air in front of her.
Epsilon leapt down from her grasp, holding their hands out in defense of the creatures.
"Mama, no! They're like me!" They protested, tears in their eyes as they looked down at the wails of the pained. "They're just scared, Mama…"
Sally sighs and puts away the sword. The room darkens back to its normal firelit light.
"Okay, Ep. But we need to get them somewhere else. I won't be able to sleep with so many of them here." she says, picking Epsilon up once more.
Epsilon looked up, obviously worried. They saw themself in these creatures.
"But where? Where will they go?" They whined
Sally grins. "The forest, of course. Turn them into tree and nature spirits, while keeping their natures the same."
Epsilon looked down, shifting slightly as they thought.
"Don't they have Mamas too?"
Sally considers this. "I don't believe they do anymore, Ep. We were a special case."
Epsilon looked down, saddened by the weight of the statement.
"That's so… sad."
"I know, pumpkin. But hey, at least we have each other!"
Her face has a sort of… false brightness to it.
Epsilon didn't like the way she looked. She didn't look like Mama. SHe didn't act like Mama…
They ran down the stairs, hurriedly going to the other beings
(Ooh, plot twisty?)
Sally sighs, and her form ripples a little. What is wrong with me?
(oooooh…)
Epsilon was suddenly stopped by someone who looked about their age, a child with bright red hair and a devious expression.
"Well well well, what do we have here?" They said with a grin. A few others emerged from the shadows, staring at Epsilon curiously
Sally goes into her room and locks the door. Only for a little bit.
Her form ripples and shifts, then suddenly, she isn't even human. Or corporeal. She's a Shade. Again.
The redhead tilted their head. "You're… like us." He said suddenly, stepping back. "Who are you??"
Epsilon folded their arms. "My real name is Daniel, but I'm called Epsilon."
The redhead pointed to himself. "I'm… Alpha."
Shade temporarily rends the room apart, the force of her long pent-up rage and grief finally exploding out of her. Half an hour later, the house is a smoking ruin, and she is pure Fae. Left with all of the memories of everything in her life. She gets up, restores the house, then goes down to Epsilon and sees Alpha. She grins.
"Long time, no see Alpha."
Alpha stumbled backwards, grabbing Epsilon's arm. "Its… her"
Epsilon looked up. "…Mama?"
Sally laughs. "Oh, I'm not who you remember me being. That was Wild Hunt Sally. This is me like I normally am. Well, not normally. I'm a true Gentry Faerie now, but that doesn't really matter."
Epsilon glared. "Alpha is scared, Mama. What did you do to them? Why are they in here?"
Alpha lowers their head
Sally sighs. "They're scared because they remember who I was, not who I am. As to why they are here, I do not know. I did not make this place."
Alpha shifts and hisses, pulling Epsilon back
Epsilon resists, looking up at their mother. "What… what were you, Mama?" They said, voice breaking with fear
Sally looks at Alpha with… sadness. "I was a Shade. A blight upon the land. I know Alpha. I know what I did. And I have never stopped regretting it. I am sorry, child, for what I have done to you. And the rest of you…"
Alpha growled, then stuck out his tongue. "You are mean!! Meanie!!"
Epsilon looked to the boy, then to their mother. "mama? what did you do?"
Sally's voice cracks a little as she speaks. "I killed them."
Alpha shot out at Sally, growling with anger.
Epsilon tried to hold him back, but failed. "Alpha!! Stop!"
Sally catches Alpha in mid air. "Stop… just… stop. I have a way to fix all of this. Let me help. Let me make right my wrongs."
Alpha slowly calmed down, his shouts of anger eventually turning into quiet sobs. ''okay…''
