//------------------------------// // Have To Get Used To It // Story: Counselor In The Forest // by RedBlack //------------------------------// *Natural Remedy POV* The soft humming of the morning breeze governed the camp. The rushed travels of the river added to the serenity. The sun shone down from the sky, giving warmth to the otherwise chilling air. *Snore* And there was the black alicorn, sleeping away with barely a care in the world as she let out loud sounds. Well, I probably wasn't too different before I woke up. I take a peek at the axe placed next to a random log as I remember last night. I knew she'd been weakened, but I hadn't realized just how much strength she's lost. After reviving one more time last night, she woke up enraged as she kept yelling at me. Though, her vocabulary was, not too diverse to say the least. I don't think she knows that many cusses. Repeatedly yelling 'fuck' doesn't really intimidate much. A few punches here and there, but they were way too weak. Even if a foal were to hit me, I would feel something, but her hits were extremely weak. That means that all that power came from Princess Luna herself. That ties to another problem. She herself is not Nightmare Moon, and so is Princess Luna. It's impossible for me to blame somepony for what she's done then. I just don't know how well I would treat this in the long run. I'll have to watch myself. Though, the problem still lies in their fusion in the first place. If Luna already wanted to fuse together with Moonshine, then she would've wanted something. Something that could be aligned with whatever Moonshine wanted. Ascending the throne, it would be quite useful for pretty much any ambition you have in life. So, that was her objective. Moonshine needed the power of the Crown to achieve her goals, but that may or may not be just the 'Eternal Night' Nightmare Moon sought after. An ambition big enough that needed political power. That realization almost hit me like a carriage. Moonshine's goal was something so damn grand that it needed a monumentally huge strength in politics to achieve it. But what does that leave the younger Princess with? What could she possibly gain from being a tyrant. That title alone would deter any other creature from cooperating with her, leading to the isolation of Equestria. Not only are the countries that border Equestria are wild, the residents aren't those who would fear war, such as the dragons, or the griffins. Then trade becomes impossible. So is that it? Did she simply want to become the sole ruler? So much so that she ignored all political ramifications and potential wars because of her emotions? Going so far that she would kill her own family? Of course, these are all speculations. Theories at best. I'll have to talk with Moonshine to get a bigger picture. Though, she might not speak. The mention of Princess Luna seemed to anger her. So, a betrayal, but how well did she take it? Is she only resentful? Or did she take a hit much deeper? Thoughts upon thoughts swirled in my mind as I blankly stared at the cold campfire. *Yawn* "G'morning" she greeted casually as she struggled to wake up. Good to know she doesn't hate me or something. Definitely distrust though. Just a little. She rubbed her eyes while yawning, and came over with a slow gait. "Start a fire or something, it's so cold." She complained as her wings wrapped around herself. I raised an eyebrow as I thought of something. "Well, as much as I want to, we're out of firewood." I lie through my teeth. Her face had visible confusion as she looked around, reconfirming that she was indeed, still trapped in a forest. "Fuck are you talking about?" She said with a small frown. "Why don't you try cutting a few logs? I already brought the tree down, so you just need to split it into usable parts." I told her with a small smile as she glared at me. "Why can't you do it?" She asked with a frown. "Because I'll be making breakfast" "Alright." She said with an unamused tone. "I'm a carnivore" "Then I'll just catch some fish" "Do you even know how to cook it?" "I'm confident it won't be raw at least." I finished that conversation with a small grin as she took a contemplating face, weighing her options. "Fine." She said with a sigh. I simply nodded and lightly threw the axe at her. Which she caught, but fell down due to the weight. I let out a few snorts, trying to hold back my laughter as she struggled to hold the axe. "Shut up!" She yelled in an embarrassed tone as her face took a reddish hue. The axe stayed still on the ground as I finally let out a few chuckles. "Alright, alright, since you're obviously still weakened right now, I'll have to do everything." I casually told her as I grabbed the axe. She seemed annoyed at what just happened. "Get me the matches from that bag." I told her as I split a long into 8 parts. "Yeah, yeah." She grumbled but complied anyway. As I take a small piece of wood and chop it into even smaller parts for fuel, I hum a little tune in boredom. I still have questions to ask her, but those can wait until after breakfast. "Should be enough." I mutter to myself as I hold the small piece of tree bark. "Where are the matches, Moonshine?!" I yelled slightly loudly as I turned around, then froze at the scene. How should I explain this? Moonshine, who currently held a box of matches in her mouth, stood nervously as her eyes kept glancing from different spots as she stood in front of a very, surprised?, Center Piece. No, that looks more like undying fury. "YOU! HOW ARE YOU HERE?!" Center asked, no yelled that question as her voice blew away the nearby leaves and shook the tree. What the fuck? Moonshine took a step back in fear as the matches fell to the ground. "Wait, wait now, we can talk this out. Center, let me explain." I said with a nervous smile as I got between the two of them. Center looked like she was absolutely ready to kill Moonshine. "What? Did Luna forget to tell you about our fusion?" Moonshine asked in a mocking voice as she regained her courage. "Not, the fucking time." I try to dispel the argument. "YOU'LL KEEP HER NAME, OUT OF YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!" My ears flattened at the volume as I started to hear a high pitched sound. "BITCH PLEASE, WE SHARED THE SAME BODY, SO MINE IS AS FILTHY AS HERS!" Moonshine argued back with a sneer. "OH WHY YOU STUCK UP BI-!" "SHUT IT!" I yelled as I slammed both of their heads from high up as the ringing sound in my ears continued to get louder. Moonshine almost fell to the ground as she stumbled to stand straight. Center took it better as she only grimaced and rubbed the place I had hit her. I rubbed my head in annoyance as a headache started to form. "Look, I don't know what the fuck happened between you two, but you're not going to have a yelling competition before breakfast. Got that?" I asked with a frown. "Tch, fine." Moonshine clicked her tongue and walked towards the campfire. Center had a heavy grimace on her face as she glared at Moonshine, shortly before sitting down at the campfire on the opposite side. I let out a tired sigh as I grabbed the fallen matches. This will be a long day. The atmosphere was, awkward to say the least. Moonshine seemed to have lost all fear, and was glaring straight at Center with anger in her eyes. Center replied in kind with her own glare, but hers was somehow colder, and had a judging feel to it. And here I was, stuck between the two as I try to get a fire going. "So." I started as a piece of tree bark finally started to burn. "Let's introduce ourselves first, yes?" I said with a nervous smile. "I believe I know plenty about her." Center started with venom laced in her voice. "Do you really? Because I'm pretty sure that the most you know is that I'm not Luna." Moonshine responded with an equally threatening voice. For fuck's sake, how am I supposed to go about this? And these two seem to know each other for entirely different reasons then I do. Wait, Luna? Right, of course she's back, since Moonshine is also here. And Center knows her personally? Small crackles sounded as I piled the firewood in a cone shape. "Okay, girls. How about names first?" I suggested. "Biased bitch is what I wanna call her." Moonshine started. "Oh, don't act like you don't have a preference." Center retorted. "What the fuck would you know about me?!" "More than enough!" "BEST YOU KNOW IS I'M NOT A PONY!" "BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY THING ABOUT YOU THAT ISN'T NEGATIVE!" "WILL YOU TWO TALK IT OUT LIKE ADULTS!" I cut them off as I incredulously stared at them. These two definitely know each other on a personal level. "Oh, screw it. This was bound to happen anyway." Center suddenly said as she stood up. "What the fuck are you-?" My question was cut short as her skin peeled off like paper as she grew in size. My eyes widened as I stared at her. Her mane gained colors as it started to blow in a nonexistent breeze. Her fur turned pure white as the sun replaced her cutie mark. "Fucking, WHAT!" I just yelled in shock as Princess Celestia stood there. "What the fuck were you thinking with that little trick, Celestia?" Moonshine asked with a sneer. "Remedy, you need to listen. This pony is Nightmare Moon, and I need to make sure she doesn't cause any more mayhem." Center, no, Princess Celestia said as she completely ignored Moonshine. "What? No, wait. I don't understand-" "Oh you can just try me Celestia. Kill or seal me, I'll always be back." Moonshine told her. "Can you not-" "How about I just deal with you right now then?" Princess Celestia stated as her horn started to glow. Moonshine let out a small shriek as she jumped from her spot and held me in front of her. "You, Remedy was it? Pay me back for killing me thrice." She said in a slightly shivering voice. "What the fu-NO! Can you just-" "Remedy! Move, away from her, else you'll be in the blast radius." Princess Celestia said in a warning voice as her horn continues to brighten. "WILL YOU TWO MORONS JUST CALM DOWN!" I yelled, sobering up from the shock of the Princess's reveal. "Remedy, please, I need you to-" "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" I continued to yell as I pulled myself away from Moonshine. "YOU, NEED TO CALM YOUR ROYAL ASS DOWN, AND YOU NEED TO STOP ANTAGONIZING HER! DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?" Princess Celestia seemed baffled, but shut her spell down as she glared at Moonshine. Moonshine returned the glare, but there was still a hint of fear in her eyes. I rubbed my head in annoyance as the migraine continued to get stronger. "Since you two assholes can't talk for a minute without a fight, you'll just sit here, silently, whilst I prepare some morning tea, alright?" I talked with an annoyed voice. Receiving two small nods, I let out a sigh as I grab a pot and move to the river. And to think this day started out, so good. Walking to the river, my thoughts started to emerge again. Princess Celestia knows about Moonshine, but either Princess Luna forgot some details or she lied. I hope for the former, but evidence points to the latter. Or did Princess Celestia already know back when the war started, if so, why didn't she tell us? I scooped up enough water to fill about eighty percent of the pot. If she didn't know, then that points to Princess Luna intentionally leaving out details for her own sake. Either way, somepony messed up. And there's still the issue of just what Moonshine wanted. I returned to the camp and placed the pot on the fire and added some tea leaves. The two sat exactly where I had left them, still glaring at each other with cold gazes. "Alright, after hearing your argument, I have reason to believe that there are issues that could be solved with just a simple explanation, or at the very least give us an insight to how we could deal with it better." I calmly told them as I took a seat. Moonshine only rolled her eyes. Princess Celestia gazed at me with a questioning look, but let it go with a short sigh. "First, Princess," she flinched ever so slightly at that, but still maintained her stone cold gaze. "Her name is, Moonshine." She gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "Alright, now, the issue of Nightmare Moon itself." I presented. "There is not much to talk about. She corrupted my sister, and took advantage of her emotions to incite a rebellion for her own sake." Princess Celestia calmly stated. "Fucking framed!" Moonshine shot back. "I can't do mind control alone, and for the record, there has to be emotion already there for me take advantage of. Everything else, that was all according to our deal, so I'm not the only one to blame." She defended herself. "Oh, so the massacre of Cremo Village was just a part of the deal?" I shut my eyes tight, remembering the place a bit before opening them back up. "Blame that one on, Luna. She's the one who was controlling the body at that time" "And you expect me to just believe that?" "Yes, of course." She said in a sarcastic voice. "Why wouldn't I believe that you would trust the creature that you already have a bias against, over your own, sister, whom you neglected so much that she ended up hating you for it." She finished with a mocking tone. "THAT!" She started, but backed down. "May be true, but I don't believe for a second, that Luna would destroy an entire village like that." She finished with conviction, and a hint of uncertainty. I raised an eyebrow as I saw her mask slipping slightly. "Believe what you want, I only care that you, the apparently ever loving Princess of The Sun, doomed an entire species because of one bad apple." Moonshine said as her face took a fanatic look. What? This is new info. Does she mean bat ponies? Or something else. "That one bad apple that you mentioned, blew up half of the previous capital of Equestria!" Princess Celestia raised her voice. Previous capital? It was something different before? "Yeah, because self centered, jerk of a ponies like you, held him in a cell for Nocturne knows how long!" Moonshine pointed an accusatory hoof at her. That, seems to be more of a personal vendetta. "HE WAS A THREAT!" "HE BUMPED INTO A FUCKING HIGH NOSED, SNOB OF NOBLE!" "Alright, alright, calm it. We're getting off track here." I intervened. "Moonshine, you mentioned a deal with Princess Luna, how about you expand on that?" I asked, hoping dispel some of the tension. It's good that they're speaking with no lies, but too much and a fight will break out. "It's pretty simple. She gets to access my powers and get stronger by using her own negative emotions as fuel, which I, by her own request, enhanced to be more volatile." Princess Celestia frowned at the explanation, but stayed silent. "My cut of the deal, was that she would make sure that the moon stayed around for an hour or so longer everyday, letting my citizens to prosper once again." She finished with a strained smile. "What about the whole 'Eternal Night' thing." Princess Celestia asked. "That stuff is all Luna. As I said, I only needed about an hour of natural cosmic shade, not forever. So small, yet such a significant time you know? Or do you not? Because you grew up all sheltered?" She finished as her smile turned annoyed at best. "How am I supposed to believe that?" Princess Celestia spoke up. "Fucking don't then, I could not care less about your damn opinion." Moonshine dropped her smile as she ended with a frown. I give a silent sigh as I processed all the information that just dropped on me like a bomb. The main issue has been solved, sort of. Moonshine no longer has a reason to do, anything really, since her citizens are no longer around. I guess she was also royalty. That means that Nightmare Moon returning just would not happen. But that still leaves other issues. Moonshine can't be condemned for the actions of Nightmare Moon, it would definitely fall onto Princess Luna, but she herself had no control over emotions. Even if the blame is left alone, what about redemption for Moonshine's species? It can't be called right to just forget about them. That also leaves Princess Luna herself. It's not fair to Moonshine to just sweep this under the rug and let her take all the blame whilst Princess Luna only acts as the victim of all this. Morality issues. That's the problem that hasn't been solved yet. Also, that thing with the bumping into a noble. How the fuck did Princess Celestia end up perceiving him as a threat. And even then, nobles are prideful, but there shouldn't be too many that would call for imprisonment like that. Well, what would I know about nobles really. Looking down while sorting my thoughts, I slowly get annoyed as I keep thinking about the situation. It's an old ass problem, and it's practically guaranteed to never pop up again. So, those involved can just ignore each other and continue to live life. At least that's what I did. Whether you wallow in sadness or seethe in anger, you shouldn't let your emotions create more problems. Doing so would just mean that you learned nothing from this. Finishing my inner thoughts with a sigh, I finally remember the tea. "Ah, fuck." I muttered as I started at the empty pot with burnt leaves at the bottom. At least the two didn't continue to fight. Mostly. They're just sat there, glaring at each other with distrust and anger flashing in their eyes. Seems Moonshine finally realized that she won't die from Princess Celestia. Or maybe she just doesn't care anymore. Either way, I wanted this meeting to be over. So, I let out a sigh as I put the pot on the ground. "Look, there are a lot, of things that are missing, and it won't be solved until all those involved talk about it. But you gotta realize that you're trying to solve something that is no longer a problem." I calmly explained. Moonshine seems to longer have any desire to talk more about this, so she just rolled her eyes and stared at the fire. Princess Celestia motioned for me to continue after staring for a few seconds. "Nightmare Moon, is a fusion between two ponies. And we've already established that it was an agreement with full consent from both parties, so that part is already covered. The blame itself, will fall on the two that initiated a dangerous spell in the first place. Simple as that." I said with a simple smile. Moonshine gave a small glare, only to accept it with a sigh and shut her eyes. Princess Celestia had a reluctant look on her face as she fully contemplated the issue. "And, as far as crimes go, criminals with mental issues practically get away scot free. It's even worse when you think about how two different personalities, both with their own moralities and motives, can fuse together and clash with each other. It's practically a worse version of psychopathy." I finished with a hopeful smile. If I can get Princess Celestia to go past this issue, then the only remaining problem would be the relationship between Princess Luna and Moonshine. They don't even have to get along or something, just be alright enough not to kill each other. Princess Celestia took a long time to think this through. No matter how easy it is thinking logically, she would have to think about her sister. And it was quite commonly known that she was quite overprotective of Princess Luna. Seconds slowly ticked by, eventually turning to minutes as the atmosphere turned tense once again. The course of where all of this will go depends on whether or not Princess Celestia accepts that the issue is over. Eventually, my patience was about to run out, having been tired from dealing with all of this all the way from last night. I was about to lose it. That is, until Princess Celestia finally reached a verdict. "I will, pardon her crimes on account of it being a cold case." She said with a small sigh as I finally let my body relax. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but decided against it. Moonshine was shocked as her mouth stayed slightly open for a while. "Finally." I said to nopony in particular as Princess Celestia let out a small chuckle at my attitude. "I thank you Remedy, for being a reasonable middle voice in this." She said with a small smile. "Is fine, I said you can talk to me about your problems anyway." I casually replied. Moonshine seemed to sense that she longer cared about the conversation and left. "Anyways, what should I call you?" I asked calmly. "I don't think I can comfortably call you either Princess, or Center after all the yelling, and what was basically treason." I said with a shrug. "You can just call me by name, I prefer it like that anyway." She answered with a calm smile. I give a nod in response. "Sure thing, Celestia" She gave a content grin as her eyes shone a soft gaze. "Well, it seems that this visit has been, uh, quite eventful, so I'll keep it short. I have to fulfill my duties anyway." She calmly explained as she set down two bags, both half my size from nowhere. "Makes sense, and thanks." I told her as I ignored her reality breaking prowess. "No problems. Oh, and do try to sleep a bit earlier tonight. Luna wants to continue her role as the guardian of dreams as soon as possible, so I ask that you grant this small favor of mine" "Sure, sounds easy enough." "Well then. Until next time Remedy." She gave a simple smile with the goodbye. "Understood" I gave her a simple hoofbump as she turned to leave. "Oh, and by the way?" I asked before she left. "Hmm?" She turned to me. "Tell Princess Luna, that as long as she is looking for a fight, she is not welcome here." I told her firmly. She stared for a few seconds. Then she nodded and left. I stared as she slowly left. "Is she gone?" Moonshine asked as she walked back to the camp. "Yep. Your in charge of making tea now." I calmly told her as I grabbed the pot off the ground and threw it at her. "What! Why?" She asked as she barely caught it. "Punishment for making that much harder than it should have been." I said with a strained smile. She growled as she frowned at me, only to release it with a sigh and walked towards the river without saying anything. As I sat at the fire, my eyes twitched a bit as I realized something. "I fucking forgot to ask for a towel." I facehooved.