A forest that was not there yesterday

[unprophesied_of_ages]

The Lord Ruler is in his palace, when he sees a sight he hasn't seen in centuries. Trees, sunlight...is he hallucinating? The fact that there's a forest in his living room isn't the surprising part. The fact that there's a forest on his planet is. As soon as he walks through the door to where his living room isn't, it's definitely not a hallucination.

His stores of Allomantic metals abruptly disappear. They're still physically there, but the power is completely gone. He immediately turns to go back, only to see more forest.

At least his Feruchemy still works—he can tell because he's still alive—but that won't last him forever. He only has so much stored youth, and without both sets of abilities he can't replenish it. He hasn't been in so much danger since the beheading that one time. Returning to Scadrial is the highest and currently only priority. If spontaneous forests are a thing, he needs to find someone who can explain them and more importantly how to get back.

The next few hours are spent walking in an essentially randomly chosen direction, with the sun to his right. He's quite certain that suns are supposed to be moving across the sky, but that's not a pressing emergency. He already knew he wasn't on his own planet when he saw proper trees and plants instead of ash-covered monstrosities. Whenever he calls out, nobody responds. If it's an empty spontaneous forest, he's probably doomed.

After some time, he hears his stomach growl. He hasn't seen much that looks edible, but possibly that's just because he's not used to real plants. Berries. Berries used to exist. Those berries look tasty, and if they're poisonous it's not like he needs to worry about it. As always, he has a truly ridiculous amount of stored health in his gold jewelry. Tapping gold just in case, he eats a handful.

Comments

[nemoconsequentiae]

No

As it happens, nobody except Promise could have. Any vibrations out of Yellow's mouth are being scrambled except between the two fairies.

[imeanforever]

Well, there is no one else there, so that's academic.

"Do you by any other means know what he said?"

[nemoconsequentiae]

No.

[imeanforever]

Okay, good.

"Can you arrange that you do not hear the next single word I say, while letting Yellow hear it, and without fail resume listening to me afterwards?"

[nemoconsequentiae]

Yes.

[imeanforever]

"...And will that have any side effects?"

(Yellow is highly confused.)

[nemoconsequentiae]

I will transform a piece of stone into a transparent barrier around the two of you, and it will disappear after your next single word.

[imeanforever]

"...And this will suffice to prevent you from hearing me?" Ruin seems a little too everywhere to be balked by transparent stone, but it should know.

[nemoconsequentiae]

The plan I'm thinking of, the one with that side effect, will prevent me from hearing you.

[imeanforever]

"Describe the plan you are thinking of."

[nemoconsequentiae]

There is a statue, created by the Astalsi fourteen hundred years ago, currently buried near us. I turn it into a pile of undifferentiated glass, then make the barrier out of that.
Then I decide not to hear anything on the inside.

[imeanforever]

"So you thought of this plan because you want to wreck a statue but that doesn't actually help accomplish my goal."

[nemoconsequentiae]

I would end up not hearing you.

[imeanforever]

"Do not suggest extraneous steps that do not help me when I am asking you how you might go about doing things," says Promise.

[nemoconsequentiae]

It doesn't answer.

[imeanforever]

"If you are very obliging I may find something I want to let you destroy," Promise says.

[nemoconsequentiae]

I'd rather destroy things you don't want me to destroy, Ruin doesn't say. I'll stop listening without doing anything else, it does.

[imeanforever]

"When I snap my fingers, for one word, do that," says Promise. "Yellow, tell the truth - are you under any orders that would inconvenience me?"

"No."

Promise snaps her fingers.

And then she puts her mouth to Yellow's ear and cups her hands around it and murmurs, "Alisyrrabel."

And then she stands back. "Rescind all my orders," she tells Yellow.

"I rescind all your orders," Yellow says.

"Ruin, what condition is the other fairy in right now?"

[nemoconsequentiae]

Ruin checks.
It lives. Currently flying in no particular direction, trying to find somewhere colder.

[imeanforever]

"Tell that fairy, 'Promise has things locally under control', and then, in the same way you transported me, gently, bring her here."

[nemoconsequentiae]

Ruin does this. In the process, it annihilates a few hundred thousand cubic feet of air.

[imeanforever]

How nice for it.

Spellwhip is less confused than Yellow, but not by much. Promise explains the situation to her.

And then Promise asks Ruin, "What will happen if I bring you with me to Fairyland?"

[nemoconsequentiae]

I will be in Fairyland. I will become unable to affect this world. Hemalurgic spikes will become possible to create there instead of here. Anyone with half a brain will try to steal me from you.

[imeanforever]

"If you know your original name, don't say it, but tell me whether you do."

[nemoconsequentiae]

I do.