//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Into the Forest // Story: Eternal Night // by Lucaro //------------------------------// Mother simply wouldn’t wake. They had all taken turns shaking her, yelling into her ears, but she didn’t even respond. They had pricked her with needles, dunked her head in ice water, shocked her with an electrical current, and had even simulated suffocation, but still she slept. Was this some kind of effect of the detox? As the hours passed, Persei grew more uncertain. Was she in some kind of coma? They had all given up, sleepy and exhausted from the day’s trials and tribulations. They would try again in the morning. Persei had considered sneaking off into the forest to find Mother’s pills, but what if Mother’s coma wasn’t related to the drugs at all? Mother worked with all sorts of medications, maybe she had ingested some potent drug by accident. Persei sighed, knowing she was just flat out guessing now. Is this my fault? Persei thought. What if Mother never wakes up? Persei looked around to distract herself. These thoughts would kill her. The outside world had darkened into a black void, and the four ponies huddled inside the small hovel. Cepheus rested, his burns iced and bandaged. He groaned in pain every now and then, and Candle kissed him softly and held him in her hooves. Persei looked away every time she showed him affection. Apparently Cepheus had shielded her with his body. She caught Candle looking at him with that soft glow in her brown eyes. It was the look of absolute adoration. Persei looked away. She hated to admit it, but she was feeling jealous of the intimate bond forged between the two ponies. They had helped each other survive a traumatic event, and they would always share a special connection now. Persei would have snorted if she weren’t feeling so bad. Her eyes caught the strange mare as she surveyed her surroundings. The pony who called herself “Ultra Violet” lay next to the window, staring out into the darkness warily every now and then. Persei was very uncomfortable about having her here. Violet was obviously a very powerful unicorn to manage the spell that had resulted in her crash landing. Another thing that Persei noticed was that she was very physically fit for a unicorn. Such a level of fitness was very uncommon for unicorns, since they relied more on their intellect and magic for their lifestyle. And her mane was so odd. It was gently swaying, as if it were an actual flame. Or was moving in accordance to some unseen breeze. The same questions haunted Persei again. Who was she? Why was she here? She had asked Violet those questions, but she said she would talk after she had rested. Violet insisted that she needed sleep, but wasn’t doing so at all. She just kept looking out the window, expecting someone to show up at any moment. Persei didn’t trust her. She was a new variable in her life, and was claiming that the Night Guard was coming to destroy their village. What if they were actually after her? Maybe it’s her that they’re hunting? Well, now she had led them to their village. That is, if Persei could even believe if the Night Guard was actually coming. Persei stared at the lilac maned unicorn. She could be a criminal, and they were giving her shelter. She was trouble. It was her fault that Cepheus was burned. She had to go. She stood up, and Violet looked at her. They held each other’s eyes. Violet had sensed that Persei didn’t want her here, but she couldn’t leave in her injured state. Candle sensed the tension between the two mares and left Cepheus’ side. Persei approached the mare, and Violet rose up nervously. As Persei trotted, her hoof hit something. There was a clattering sound, and she realized that they were Mother’s pills. Candle gasped. “Are those the pills your mother is addicted to?” she asked. Persei stared at her incredulously. “How did you know that?” Candle sighed. “Cepheus told me. He said that she almost killed your brother over them.” “Yeah,” Persei sighed. “She’s been on them for a long time. It’s how she deals with the pain.” Candle looked at the bottle on the floor. “Cepheus never said, but exactly what kind of drugs are those? Anti-depressants like Valium? Or maybe pain killers like Oxycodone?” Persei looked at her confused, and Candle sighed. “My father was a drug addict too. He cycled through all of those until he became hooked to the hard stuff.” “I honestly don’t know,” Persei answered with a tone of defeat in her voice. “She makes the pills herself, so I have no way of knowing.” It was sad that Persei didn’t know what her mother was addicted to. Mother groaned in pain, and began to thrash again. Persei moved to restrain her. “It doesn’t matter anymore, she’s detoxing.” “What?” A voice whispered softly. Cepheus had awoken and was looking at Persei. “What do you mean she’s detoxing?” he said in a rough voice, his eyes clouded with pain. Persei lowered her eyes. So much had been happening that she had forgotten to tell him. “When Mother and Sirius were fighting, I replaced her pill bottle with a placebo.” Cepheus seemed hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you had given up.” Persei felt bad for not telling him. He had every right to know. “Wait,” Candle said. Brother and sister stared at her. “I’m sorry, but where are the original pills?” Ultra Violet had moved closer to Mother and was examining her. Persei shrugged. “I got rid of them.” Candle’s eyes went wide. “No wonder she isn’t waking up. You’re supposed to wean her off the pills, not make her go cold turkey. No wonder the withdrawal symptoms are so intense. Believe me, I made the same mistake with my father. I almost killed him.” Cepheus glared at Persei, and suddenly she felt like such a fool. She should have consulted with her brother before taking action on her own. Ultra Violet gasped, and everyone looked at her. She was using her hornlight to examine Mother’s eyes, and Persei moved closer to look. Her pupils were flicking back and forth constantly. The lilac maned mare sighed, “She’s in REM sleep. She’s dreaming. Ponies suffering the shock from withdrawal don’t enter REM sleep.” Ultra Violet looked up at Persei, her eyes dead serious. “I need to know what those pills were.” Persei shook her head. “I don’t know.” “What did they look like?” she asked. “They were red, and…” “Cylindrical?” Violet cut in. With a purple stripe?” Persei stared at her. “Yes, just like that.” Ultra Violet was suddenly frightened. “That is a drug called Nightlock. Completely non-addictive, it’s only purpose is to prevent a pony from dreaming.” Violet gestured to the wine rack mounted on the wall. “You know what else prevents a pony from dreaming? Alcohol.” “What does this mean then?” Candle asked. “Maybe she had nightmares.” Ultra Violet shook her head. “Pack your things up. Your mother wasn’t an alcoholic or a drug addict. She was taking precautions.” “Precautions against what?” Cepheus asked. Mother groaned, and began to bleed from all her orifices. She thrashed around fiercely, screaming in pain. Ultra Violet looked terrified. “Against the Night Terrors! You’re only vulnerable to their influence when you’re dreaming! They’ve gotten her!” Persei was frozen with fear. “How?! How did they find her?!” Ultra Violet had grabbed a bag and was emptying their food cabinets into it. The unicorn shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m assuming your Mother has a history with Nightmare Moon, and was hiding out here. She doesn’t have a chance if we don’t find some way to wake her up.” Mother began choking on her own blood, and was writhing in anguish. “Please stop…” she muttered. “Sirius, please.” The last part had been barely audible, but had she said Sirius? Persei thought. She flared with anger. Had Sirius ratted them out? Persei shook her head. No, he wouldn’t do that. He may be dumb, but he’s not cruel. Violet shook her, and Persei was shocked. “We have to get out of here!” she said. “You can explain to me what your mother did to piss off Nightmare Moon so badly on our way out!” Violet shook her head. “The Night Guard will tear this village apart looking for her, and will probably kill or detain anyone associated with her.” Candle leapt forward. “My family! I can’t leave without them!” “There’s no time,” Violet said. “We have to put as much distance between us and the Night Guard as possible. They’ve probably got pegasi with them, so we’ll have to set out into the forest so we can have cover. I come from a camp across the mountains, we’ll head back there.” Cepheus groaned. “Mountains? What mountains?” “It’s unchartered territory, outside of Nightmare Moon’s domain. The camp is about a ten day walk, a two day flight. We’re badly outmatched when it comes to speed.” Candle was panicking, and Persei couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What kind of camp? Why do you even trust us?” “Hey,” Violet said, looking at her. “An enemy of Nightmare Moon is a friend of mine.” Violet slung the bag over her barrel. “The camp is my home, and is the safest place in Equestria for political refugees like your Mother. She’ll fit right in.” Violet gestured at Mother. “She must be a high value asset for Nightmare Moon to send both the Night Guard and the Night Terrors after her. She has my full respect for that.” Persei shook her head. “How do you even know that they’re coming after her? The fringe colonies are full of fugitives she could be looking for!” Violet sighed in frustration. “Just trust me. I’ve been monitoring Nightmare Moon’s operations in this region, and now I realize that her forces are going to converge on this village. We have to get out of here, and take your Mother back to camp. I know somepony there who may be able to help your mother wake up.” Persei was reluctant, but she was willing to take any risk to make Mother better again. She nodded. “Alright, but how are we going to carry both Cepheus and Mother there?” “Don’t worry about me,” Cepheus said, his hooves trembling as he stood up. He groaned in pain, and Candle moved to help him. He put his wing around her for support. “I can still trot.” Violet used her magic to levitate Mother, spots of blood dripping down from her bleeds. “All right, we head into the forest. We go west until we hit the mountains.” She went outside, and Persei followed. Candle spoke out when they got outside. “We can’t go just yet! We have to warn the townspeople of the Night Guard raid!” Candle whispered in desperation. “I have to get my family.” “There’s no time,” Violet persisted. “Our first priority is to get this mare away from here. We cannot engage the Night Guard. We have to get out of here.” Candle shook her head, and ground her hooves in the dirt. “It may be nothing to you, but this is our home!” Cepheus nodded, barely conscious. “I’m not going to desert my friends and family, we have to at least warn them.” “Then you will have to warn them alone,” Violet dismissed her. “Good luck.” Violet lit her hornlight, illuminating a spot of visibility in the darkness around them. She turned around and trotted towards the brush. Persei stared at Candle, she looked devastated. “Give Cepheus here, I’ll carry him.” There were tears in her eyes, but she helped him over. Cepheus grunted in pain, and managed to stand on his own. “Go without me,” he groaned to Persei. “I’ll just slow you down.” He trotted unsteadily over to Candle, standing at her side. “I’m staying with Candle.” Candle looked at him, and got that glowing look in her eyes again. Persei couldn’t leave her brother behind. “Cepheus, please be rational. You could die if you stay here!” Cepheus shook his head. “That’s a chance I’ll have to take. Candle and I will warn the villagers of the Night Guard, and evacuate. Hopefully we’ll all be able to meet you at the mountains.” Cepheus lowered his gaze, almost leering at her. “You go with Violet. You have to get Mother to safety. I’ll be fine, because you know that Nightmare Moon prefers fillies over colts.” Persei blinked. “Cepheus, this is no time to play hero! Come with us, please.” “Nightmare Moon prefers fillies over colts, now go!” What did that even mean!? Persei had tears in her eyes, but she knew her brother would not budge. “Alright, Cepheus. You have to survive. I might have lost Mother, and I can’t lose you too! We’ll be looking for all of you at the mountains.” Cepheus nodded. “Farewell, sister. Be safe, and protect Mother.” Violet whinnied, impatient. “Come, Persei! Into the forest we go!” Persei turned away, and galloped away. She looked back one last time, seeing Cepheus and Candle standing together in front of the hovel. This could possibly be the last time she saw her home and her brother. “You may be fine,” Persei whispered to herself as she caught up with Violet. “You may be fine without me, but I need you. You’re the only one in this world that I trust.” “You heroic idiot,” she whispered. “I’m going to be very cross with you if you die.” Please be safe, Cepheus. Persei parted the brush, stepping into the foliage. Violet’s hornlight glimmered up ahead, a soft magical aura that bathed the surrounding forest with purple light. What had Cepheus meant when he said that Nightmare Moon likes fillies? Persei thought it over as they drew deeper into the forest. Her mind wandered, wondering what her future held. Little did Persei know, that by following Violet into the forest, she had unwittingly become part of a much bigger chain of events that would change the fate of Equestria forever.