//------------------------------// // Casual Conversations // Story: Counselor In The Forest // by RedBlack //------------------------------// "So, if you had magic, what would be the first thing you do?" I asked Remedy whilst connecting two wooden boards together. "Probably learn how to use it." He said with a slight smirk and connected a triangle looking thing under a platform to the giant tree. "Well duh, but I mean like, what would your reaction be? How would you use it? Would you even bother to use it?" I rolled my fetlocks a bit to get rid of the cramp. "Eh, I'm too old to care about that kind of stuff. It'll be convenient, sure, but I won't bother too much with it." He replied with a shrug and nailed the platform to the triangle things. How does he know where to hit it though? "Seriously? You unlock, a literal, realm of possibilities, and the most you'd do is acknowledge it?" I ask, a bit flabbergasted at his answer. "Also, does this look right?" I quickly asked and held up the continuation of the platform. "Yeah, that'll do, we can fill in the blanks later. And yeah, I really wouldn't care about surprises in my life. Got enough of it already." He finished his answer with a tone of emptiness. I took a peek at him, out of both a small worry and curiosity. He had a bit of a hollow look as he stared off somewhere. I slightly purse my lips as I stare at him. The last few days, I've noticed those weird little habits of him. He doesn't seem to notice it himself, but if I'm not actively conversing with him, he tends to get lost in his thoughts. And, I don't think he sleeps much during the night. Though he makes up for it during the day. Somewhat. "Alright then, what about wings?" I asked while acting chipper to change the topic. He flinched as he heard my question and continued his work. Staying silent, I thought I'd triggered another memory or something as he didn't answer for a while. Fuck. What else can I ask him about? I don't know him that well, and we've been talking for hours now. We've went through pretty much every topic I can think of. "I'd fly." He finally answered, making me flinch as I looked at him again. He had a small smile on his face as he had a reminiscing look. Soon enough, that drops as he focuses back on his work. I let out a silent breath as I continue my own part. 'Not an interesting story' my ass! It'll probably be a best seller if he published it as a book. As I resume putting wooden boards together for a more durable floor, or at least, that's what he said. I don't know, I'm just following whatever the guy said. Considering that he told me he's just been improvising everything here, it's the best to just do what he says since I don't know anything about it. Hours pass as we continue our little project in the company of each others' questions and small talks. Without it, I'd probably be losing my mind over the boredom. During that, I learned a few things about him. Most obvious is that he is incredibly blunt. He won't go out of his way to tell you your mane looks bad or something, but he will call it horrendous if you ask him. I wonder if Celestia would get me some shampoo, it has been a while since I've washed my mane. I'll at least rinse it tonight. *Thud* He jumps down from the platform and looks up at it with a slight smile. Yeah, that's pretty damn impressive since he built it in one and a half days. "Alright, let's end it for today." He tells me and walks toward that camp. "Sure." I answer and drop the things I was holding and follow behind him. The walk back was uneventful as I just go without minding much. Though, a few thoughts were still swirling in my mind as I calmly passed by familiar trees. Things like, what the fuck is this part of the forest? Or can it just be credited to the usual instability of the Everfree? Then, who is Natural Remedy? What makes him so important? I take a seat on a random log in front of the campfire and start putting twigs and such in it, then make a little tent like structure with bigger logs. Then hang a pot of water on the metal hook thing you put over campfires. Finally, I grab the matches from one of the tens of bags that are piled in the camp, and try to start a fire. Lighting the gathered twigs on fire, I spread the sleeping bag and lay on it. I sigh in content as I feel my body relax. I calmly watch on as the fire slowly starts to spread, rising higher and higher. "Wait, how are we gonna start a fire if we live in a treehouse?" I curiously ask Remedy after remembering what we were building. His hoof that was reaching a pot of fish stops as his face blanks upon the question. I still don't understand how he managed to catch so many. Wait a damn second. Didn't he say something about making an axe without knowing what to do with it before? "You, forget to think these things through, don't you?" I ask him with intrigue. "Shut it." He tells me, losing the usual confidence in his voice. I lose control and burst out in laughter at his embarrassed look. "Wow. I might've just killed an entire ecosystem with that." I mutter to myself as I stare at the river water that quickly turned gray as soon as I started to wash my mane. Turns out, all the moon dust was carried over, somehow. Eh, should be fine since it's a river. If it isn't, then it's no longer my problem. Humming a little tune, I trot back to the camp. Feeling slightly happier from being free from my dirty mane. "Oh." I let out a surprised sound as I feel rain starting to come in. Hmmm, might be a pretty heavy one. "Oh shit." I exclaim and start running towards the camp as it suddenly gets heavier. As I think it couldn't get worse, it gradually gets heavy enough to feel like tiny pebbles were being dropped on me. Why the fuck does rain just decide to get worse sometimes. "Moon!" I heard Remedy yell my name. Turning towards the direction his sound came from, I stumble through some shrubbery and end up at the giant tree. "Oh, there you are. Get under here!" I followed his advice and took cover under the previously built platform. Letting out a breath of relief, I slump down and lay against the tree. "Good thing we built the floor before this happened huh?" I commented. Eesh. It's cold. "Yeah, good thing we were diligent." Remedy replied casually and pulled out a slightly torn bag. I was starting to shiver from the chill. "Hey, think we can start a fire?" I ask and turn to Remedy. "Yes." He said and pulled out a gem from his bag. "A blessed emerald? Where'd you get it?" I asked him curiously. "You know this thing?" He asked curiously. "Yeah, it's a thing only Zebras can do with their own magic." I explain to him. "Huh. Didn't know that." He just mumbled and buried it in the ground. With a hooffull of flame powder, he slammed it down and lit a fire. I inched closer to the fire and started to warm myself. "Here." He handed me a metal container. "I was making some tea when the rain fell. So I just poured it all into these bottles." "Heh, you did good, and, thank you." I told him and opened up the bottle, allowing steam to escape. He flashed a calm smile and sat down at the fire, looking out into the forest. I take small sips of the tea, finding it much better than the ones I tried brewing. Eh, different body, different taste buds. A comfortable constant stream of sounds surround us as I just revel in the ambience. Rain like this really makes one sleepy. I turned towards Remedy, thinking of bringing up a random topic to talk about, but stop as I look at him. He had a desperate look on his face as he kept on staring towards the heavy rain. Sitting in complete silence, his body was tense as he stared forward. I took a peek at where he was looking, and found nothing out of the ordinary. Great, he's thinking about something again. What is it though? There shouldn't have been anything too crazy happening during those thousand years. At least, none that I know of. "Wanna talk about it?" I asked him, earning a flinch from him. He turned to me with an empty look, staring straight at me. Felt like he was staring through my soul. "I don't like heavy rain." He answered with a steady voice and looked forward again. "It reminds of me of snow." He added in. I took a few moments to process what he said, and to figure out how rain could remind him of snow. Well, that one is understandable, I guess, sort of. *BOOM* I jumped from surprise as thunder struck through the skies. As I was shaking, in anticipation, yeah. Nothing else. I heard Remedy laughing his ass off. "Shaddap!" I turned to him with a frown. "Su-ghrk, sure." He responded while trying to suppress his chortles. I kept watching him try and fail to contain his laughter, my frown slowly loosening to annoyed acceptance. In the end, I gave a small smile as I saw him keep on laughing. Good, I finally succeeded in stopping him from being consumed by his own mind. "Ok, that's enough." I just state as he finally stops laughing after five minutes. "Yeah, yeah, sorry." He just shrugged his shoulders and laid against the tree. "And, thanks, for that." He finished with a calmer tone. I stared at him for a few moments, not really thinking much. "No problem, it's just annoying to have you out of reality all the time." I gave a simple response and took a sip from the warm tea. He gave a few chuckles and started drinking his own tea. The ambience enveloped us once again, but was slightly awkward this time. "So, I thought thunders were kind of your thing." Remedy suddenly spoke up, breaking the ice. "Nah, that was Luna's, my thing is more, mystical, I suppose? I lean more towards my Nocturnal side." I gave a simple response. "I see, any reason you're scared of thunders?" He asked softly, trying to keep the conversation going. I thought of my next words as I thought of the reasons. Well, just one reason. "When it rained in Nocturnus, for the first time, it really, really, rained." I was a bit nervous as I remembered how it happened. "For the first time?" He confusedly asked. "Well, you wouldn't know since it happened more than a millennia ago. Or maybe you would." I muttered the last part to myself. "Like a hundred more actually." I explained. "Oh? What happened?" "I, don't really wanna talk about that part." I answered slightly colder than I intended to. He turned to me with a worried expression, and gave a simple nod. I was distracted when more thunders suddenly rang out. Being concerned over my safety, I stared to the sky with my view being blocked by our shelter. Being broken out of my trance, I felt something covering me. Looking behind me, I saw the sole sleeping bag being used as a blanket. Then suddenly, I was pulled sideways and felt myself leaning against something both soft and hard. A reassuring wall of fur, backed by a wall of muscles. With the feeling of being protected, my body slowly loses its tension and I feel myself getting weaker. "Good night." I heard him say in a hushed tone. "Thanks, you, too." I muttered as my vision faded to black.