//------------------------------// // A Nightly Visit // Story: Counselor In The Forest // by RedBlack //------------------------------// "Ok, so, you'll sleep in the bag, I'll take the pillow though." Natural Remedy told Moonshine as they prepared to sleep for the night. "You sure? Nights can get pretty cold, you know?" She asked back. "I am. You, on the other hoof, have a severely weakened body. Therefore, this matter is non-negotiable." He firmly told her. "Fine, but don't blame me if you get sick." "I won't." He replied casually and added a bit more wood to the fire. Moonshine took notice as she seemed to remember something. "Wait, why would you add fuel to the fire? Wouldn't it just make it easier for animals to spot us?" She asked with a small frown. "Normally, yes. But seeing that no beasts have attacked after blood was spilt here plenty of times, we can assume that the barrier hides those traces." He explained as he poked at the fire with a stick before throwing it in. "Ok? But aren't you going to sleep soon?" She asked, not bothering to think of a counterargument. Not like she'd die anyway. "I will, soon." He replied with an impassive face. Moonshine squinted her eyes in slight suspicion, wondering what it was about, but eventually shrugged and unrolled a sleeping bag that Remedy had given her. "Good night." Remedy said with a cold voice that slightly surprised her. "The fuck is wrong with him?" Moonshine thought to herself before climbing in the bag. "Good night." She said and went to sleep. Slowly, the minutes ticked by as the moon went ever higher to the sky. A deafening silence, only broken by the crackling fire and snoring mare filled the area. Natural Remedy grabbed a piece of wood and retrieved a small knife from a bag. Having already forgotten about grabbing the pillow for himself from Moonshine, he deeply stared at the fire with a still face. "I'm sure I missed it." He muttered to himself as he dug into the wood with the knife. In the ambience, the sound of a knife softly carving wood was added. Remedy roughly cut off parts, slowly taking away mass from the wood. His ears suddenly flicked as he heard the skittering of some random insects. Some losing control to approach the fire, others staying away for their life. The fire continued to crackle at a steady pace as fuel was constantly added to it. Remedy continued to softly dig into the wood, at a much slower pace as he added started to shape the wood. Hours ticked on as the camp continued in the comfortable ambience. The winds picked up speed as the air grew colder. Remedy saw vapors coming out from his nose as he felt the heat from the fire cover his body, fighting against the chilly air of the night. He was fully concentrated again as he stared blankly at the wooden piece, slowly taking the shape of a quadruped. The knife dug onto the upper part, shaving away pieces in an arc as the figure slowly looked more equine. "Mmhmm" He was suddenly broken out of his stupor as he realized he no longer heard the snores of Moonshine. Glancing at her, he proved his theory correct as she squirmed inside the bag, starting to mutter some incoherent words filled with anger and sadness. Remedy wiped his carving, getting rid of some dust like particles as he put it down on the ground. Moonshine soon lost her anger as fear came with her whispering as her voice slowly gained volume. Remedy got up slowly as he approached the mare. She was shivering as sweat seemed to pour down her face, panting for air as she kept flailing around. "PLEASE!" She shouted with desperation laced in her voice and anxiety filled her expression as she shot up. "Calm, nothing's gonna happen to you." He told her with a soft voice as he gave her a simple hug. Moonshine continued to pant for air as her eyes looked around with her blurry vision, moist with fresh tears. "What? What're you? What happened?" She asked with clear confusion masking her other emotions. "You had a nightmare." Remedy simply told her as he took a step back. "What?" She asked again with furrowed brows. "A nightmare." He replied back. "No, no, I can't have a nightmare. I shouldn't-," she tried to explain, but was stopped by Remedy placing a hoof on her muzzle. "Stop, go back to sleep for now. We can figure this out after breakfast." He calmly told her as he pushed her down with a hoof. "No, it's not tha-," she tried to say her point as she started to get out of the sleeping bag. "Shut." He told her with a firm tone and pushed her back inside. "Now, go back to sleep. There isn't a single thing you have to worry about during the night." He finished and dragged her a bit closer to the fire. "I, bu-but, what about-," she continued to try, bit was silenced by Remedy glaring at her with a firm gaze. "I, Ok? I guess." She hesitantly accepted and laid back down, feeling much warmer from the fire. As she closed her eyes, Remedy sat back on his spot near the fire and continued carving into the wooden figure. Minutes passed by in silence as Moonshine began to sleep once again. With the situation handled, Remedy silently went about his wood carving as he felt himself getting tired. "I'll finish this first." He muttered and continued his activity. As the fire crackling began to die down, Remedy was about finished with his project. The piece of wood had turned into a doll of sorts. With rough edges and no finish to smoothen it, the product seemed amateurish. Two fangs protruding from an opened jaw, armor like carvings engraved the limbs. Then lay a wooden cape, covering almost everything below the neck as the mane flew to the sky. "Done." He muttered as he shaved off one last piece as a crown sat snuggly on the doll's head. Unbeknownst to him however, a figure with a cloak silently treaded through the forest. Stepping through the fallen leaves, the figure followed a smoky trail that only they themselves could notice. "This must be where she's hiding." The figure spoke in a hollow voice with a feminine tone. She calmly stepped forward, noting the barrier giving her a slight tingle. "What?" She confusedly muttered to herself as a light that wasn't there before suddenly appeared. Carefully treading through the dense trees, she hides herself with a spell and approached cautiously. Though, what she saw, almost made her lose control of it. "I knew it." She muttered with clear hatred in her eyes as her pace got a bit faster. In her hurry, she had forgotten to scan her surroundings as her mind focused on her next action. *Thunk* She was broken out of her stupor as she stared at her reflection on a blade. She could see a bit of her own fur falling down slowly, separated from the rest of her by the knife that was stuck in the tree next to her. Her eyes were clearly visible in the reflection as her mind raced to catch up with reality, having a hard time to understand the fact that she almost died. Swallowing the saliva pooling in her mouth, she turned towards where the knife had come from, expecting to see some mind-controlled pony or a mercenary of sorts. Remedy, just blew at his finished product, fully admiring his work for a few seconds before throwing it into the fire. "I gave my warning, Princess. If you're looking for a fight, you're in the wrong place." He told her coldly without looking back. "WHO ART THOU!? THOU ART MAKING A FOOLISH MISTAKE!" She yelled angrily as she glared at Remedy. "Did Celestia not tell you?" He asked with the same emotionless voice. "Doesn't matter. The fact is that you are not welcome here with those eyes" "Huh?" She let out a confused sound as his response sank in. "Tia, had known?" She muttered weakly as she felt betrayed. A sickening feeling filled her as she could not believe that her own sister would hide this from her. "HOW ARE WE TO KNOW THOU HAD NOT LIED?!" She asked, rage filling her voice. "How about you go and ask her yourself?." He coldly replied as he still refused to look at her. "THOU SHOULD REALIZE, WHO THOU ART PROTECTING!" "Yeah, half of Nightmare Moon. I kinda moved on from that." He told her with an annoyed voice. Luna had been fully shocked at that small revelation, not understanding how such a thing could be. A small thought occurred to her, wondering if she could also receive such forgiveness. Then that thought was instantly broken as he finally turned to her. His eyes shone a mystical green as a frown adorned his face. She felt a massive source of magic emanating from his eyes, making her wonder if she should take action. "I believe I've made myself clear. Leave. Now." He coldly told her as he gave an icy glare filled with wariness. "Thou understand that the mare is but Nightmare Moon herself, what is thine reason for her protection?" She asked, lowering her voice as she warily glanced back. Remedy stayed silent as he held his glare. Luna silently gulped, realizing that she wouldn't get an answer, and sighed in her mind before turning to move. Slightly sulking, she was about to leave the camp, but Remedy stopped him. "It's because she was peaceful." He spoke slightly louder than normal. "What?" Luna perked up and turned towards him. "She," he pointed at Moonshine with a hoof before dropping it. "Bore no intentions to continue fighting. That's why I protect her." He said with a slightly warmer voice. Luna only stared in shock as his words rang through her mind. "Come back after you've calmed down. Only then, I'll allow you in this camp." He said with a cold voice once more, and faced the fire again. Luna wanted to reply, to tell him that he was being tricked. She was absolutely sure that this was the case, or atleast, that's what she told herself. Yet, she replied in silence and left the camp. The calm ambience returned once more as Remedy poured water over the fire and glanced at Moonshine. Random thoughts ran through his mind as he closed his eyes with a pained expression. He vividly remembered the details of that day. The rising smoke. The burning buildings. The smell of ashes. "THE OFFSPRINGS SHALL BE MADE TO SERVANTS ONCE THE SUN HAS FALLEN!" The only things left as he combed through mountains of corpses with his brother to find familiar faces. Was he doing the right thing, by protecting her? *Sigh* "Forget it. I'm too old to care about such things anyway." He muttered to himself as he glanced at Moonshine once more. "Sleeps heavier than a rock." He commented with a chuckle before heading to sleep. Moonshine slowly opened her eyes as she raised her upper body. Letting out a large yawn, she stretched her back and stoos up slowly. Silently sitting while waking herself up, she shoots up suddenly as she remembers something. "WAIT. FUCK. REMEDY!" She yells as she tries to stand up and trips down. "Easy, Moon. Luna came and went already." Remedy said with a casual tone as he sipped from a bowl. "A bit more salt." He said and reached for a bag. "Uhh, what?" She responded with a confused expression. Remedy gave a few chuckles and tended to the boiling pot over the fire. "Why don't you take care of business first? Then, we can talk about some things after breakfast." He said with a calm smile and stirred the pot after adding a small amount of salt. "I. What. No. What?" Moonshine failed to fully form a sentence as she failed to understand why her co-prisoner was so calm about the situation. Deciding that he was always too confusing for her, she went ahead and tried to ignore the issue. "Wait, what kind of soup are you making?" Moonshine asked curiously as she approached the delightful smelling pot. "Fish soup." He said with a blank face and poured a bit into a bowl and took a sip. "Mhm. Just right." A few seconds pass as Moonshine finally wakes up, and promptly decides that she no longer cares and starts heading to the woods for her morning routine. "Brush your teeth!" Remedy yells and throws a bag at her. "Got it!" She yelled back and reached to grab the bag. And promptly gets smacked in the face by said bag.