Chapter 2: Getting Started
“Heh, oh dear, how long has this been going on?” Astra asked innocently.
“One hour. It’s surprising how fast one unicorn can mess up my sleep, considering you have only been sleeping for, one hour!” Shimmer yelled.
Astra felt guilty for accidentally levitating her sister and having the books fly off the shelves to pelt her. “Listen, I really am sorry, just, I was having an unusual dream, I was some sort of bat-alicorn.” She apologized.
“Bat alicorn?” Shimmer demanded. “Well, before you went all sleep crazy, I took another sneak-peek at the book Princess Twilight lent us, and well, just listen to this passage.” Shimmer said.
As her sister spoke, Astra leaned.
“The power is so amazing that it can give Earth and Unicorn ponies, wings, though these wings are different, these wings belong to those of a bat. They are fragile, but are faster than your normal pegasus and heal quicker than feathered wings too.” Shimmer read from the book aloud.
Astra jumped from the bed and donned a cloak after fetching it from the bed-post. “Sister, we need to find that power, and now.” She growled.
Shimmer stared at her wide-eyed. “Astra, don’t you think you are going to fast, and taking this dream a little bit seriously? Besides, that seems like a horrible spontaneous decision.” She said while getting up from the bed too. “I mean, I could have been speaking aloud without knowing it, and that could have processed into your dream.”
Astra hesitated, then admitted, “The book did yell at me in your voice.” She lowered her ears and bit her tongue. “When the book appeared next to me, it yelled at me to wake up in your voice.”
Shimmer walked closer to her sister and gently took off her cloak. “See Astra?” She asked, putting the cloak back on the bed-post. “It was just me all along, on accident. Go back to bed. If you still want to talk about this in the morning, we can, but right now? I am exhausted, and so are you, which is why you are being so rash.”
Astra sighed and relaxed. “You are right, sis.” She yawned to prove her point. “Lets go back to sleep.”
They both got comfortable on the old bed once more, and soon both were fast asleep.
Astra awoke to find her sister missing from the bed. With a groan she forced the rest of herself awake, though he mind was still fairly groggy. Snippets of last night came back to her and she blushed lightly, how stupid she was acting! You don’t simply storm into Everfree Forest in the middle of the night without a plan!
She slowly got up and made her way down-stairs, all the while wondering how her sister was doing and how she would react to the fact that yes, Astra still wished to talk about it. Exiting the last step of the stairs she walked to the back-yard/garden area where they attempted to grow a few tomato seeds they managed to swap and the water pump was.
She activated the pump by hoof and watched happily as water came out of it. She thrusted her hooves under it and washed her face with the freezing water, effectively getting the rest of the grogginess out of her system. Cupping her hooves she drank her fill of water and shut off the pump. Refreshed and rehydrated she went back inside to find her sister at the kitchen table.
The table, like everything except for the young ponies in this house, was old and over-used. It was wobbly and dull, its once pristine white paint chipped and greyed with age. She sat down at an equally rough looking chair.
“Morning Astra, you seemed refresh despite last nights magic tantrum.” Shimmer grinned.
“It wasn’t a tantrum and you know it.” Astra snorted. “Now, what is for breakfast?”
“Nothing.” Shimmer said coldly. “We have no food, again.”
“I-I thought you got some though!” Astra said. “You told me yourself, you would get something by today!”
“I know.” Shimmer said, looking down in shame.
Astra peered closely at her sister and noticed a few spilled tears. Shimmer was barely holding back tears of rage and shame.
Shimmer went on to speak, “I know, I promised I would get us some food, and I didn’t! I failed us, again! I can never get food! All I can do is beat up things!” She exploded.
“No, Shimmer, you have other talents! You can be so strong when things look so down.” Astra soothed. “Now come on, lets just turn this morning around. Please, lets not cry!” She pleaded. Astra had gotten up to stand near her sister.
Shimmer still had managed to hold back tears, despite a few leaking out and the rest threatening to follow. “Ye-yeah.” She said. “So um, that book. Lets, lets talk about that.”
Astra sat down. “So, considering we have nothing here,” She didn’t mention food, “Why don’t we go look for it? We are barely scraping by, and by the time we are 16? Well, I admit, even then the future doesn’t seem to bright. We have no job skills, all we were taught was basic survival. Basic survival does not mean counting change and delivering food that we would want to eat.”
Shimmer didn’t ponder it for long, she was too afraid of becoming sad again. “Ok, you are right, but how will we even get there, and will it be dangerous? Can you summon the book so we can find out?” She asked.
Astra looked a bit offended. “Summoning things is easy! I only had trouble with that as a filly.” Her horn glowed pinkish-red as the book magically floated downstairs and into her hooves. “So, now what?”
“Look at the table of contents, it tells us how to get there, and where to start. It doesn’t tell us everything, like the trails we will have to pass, but it does hint at them.”
“How do you know about the trials, and aren’t those things usually dangerous? You wanted to know if the trip will be hard.” Astra looked at her hard.
“I told you, late night reading until you decided to hit me with books.” Shimmer shrugged. “And as for it being dangerous, I simply want to know the danger level. I think we can handle some danger on our own, but if a manticore comes charging at us, well, it probably won’t be pretty.”
“Ok, so lets read.” Astra suggested, opening it to the told page.
To begin the quest to the Cave of the Night Gems you must enter the forest at a certain point, and in a certain way. Magick to light the way, and a wing of wind to clear it. Go along the path until you meet a boulder in which you will need the strength of the earth to move it. When you move it beware the cry of a wolf’s howl.
Follow the path until you meet a fork in the road. Only those with an adventurous heart can choose correctly. After th-
The page smeared for a few lines, much to their annoyance.
You know you are near the cave after all five challenges are complete and the trees have thinned. A shimmering cave will greet you, and so will the knowing rock.
“Knowing rock? And how will we even find the entrance point!” Astra demanded.
“It doesn’t say much about this rock, but if you read on it will tell you, though I can’t make heads or tails of it.” Shimmer huffed. “Annoying riddle.”
Skipping a paragraph they couldn’t read due to blurred lines, faded text, and more smearing, they read on.
To begin your quest you will need magick, feathers, and earth blood. When you begin the quest, you will have already completed the first trial.
That was all the page said. How annoying.
“Magick, feathers, and earth blood. What is earth blood?” Shimmer demanded, stomping her hoof on the table.
Astra clicked it together quite easily. “Dear sister, earth blood is the blood that belongs to an Earth pony. We lack that though, and therefore can not begin our quest without it.”
“What!” Shimmer growled and stood up, her silvery white coat flashing in the mornings light. “Well we can’t exactly ask from some Earth pony’s blood! That would be awkward and creepy.”
Astra snorted. “We don’t really need their blood, or at least I don’t think we do… Anyway, read back, magick to light the way, a wing to clear it, and some strength that could only belong to an earth pony to move it. Perhaps those two are connected?” She suggested.
“Pegasi are strong too! The element of loyalty is as strong as any Earth pony!” Shimmer claimed.
“Point, but Earth ponies are just naturally stronger so they can till the land, Pegasi are usually faster, though they are naturally the second strongest. While Unicorns like me, have magick.” Astra grinned at the last sentence.
“And are naturally the weakest.” Shimmer finished, then continued. “Now, lets go hire an Earth pony to help us on this.”
“Wha?!” Astra was now standing too. “This was supposed to be an, us, thing!” She gestured her hooves frantically between her and her sister.
“We never talked about it, and besides. You said it yourself, we will need an Earth pony.” Shimmer reminded her.
Astra made a sour face. “Fine, we can get another pony in on this.”
The two sisters had washed up and donned their best clothing for this. They now wore clean t-shirts without holes in them and blue jeans. On their backs were backpacks that held bottles of water and sleeping bags in case they were forced to spend the night out in the Everfree forest.
Astra had come up with the idea on how to attract a pony.
“Step on up my little ponies!” Her clear crystal voice rang out. “Who dares an adventure into the Everfree Forest, on the search for hidden treasure and knowledge.”
She stepped back, and that was Shimmers que to say her lines. “We know the way, but need one more pony to get there. Come on up, and join us in the epic quest for Gems and new knowledge!”
They were advertising this in Ponyville, the closest town that was always getting newcomers by the second, because Twilight lived there.
They continued to advertise for a while longer until a guard took one of them backstage.
“Sorry… Uh.”
“Astra.”
“Astra, sorry, ponies can advertise things for free in town, but they have time limits. You and your sister-”
“Shimmer”
He went on like she didn’t interrupt. “Have reached it. You need to take this elsewhere, and wrap it up right now.” He said, scratching an ear.
She nodded and sighed. “Ok, ok. I will tell my sister.” She stood up and trotted to Shimmer, who was taking a tiny break.
“What’s up sis?” Shimmer asked.
“We gotta stop it now, guard says we only have one hour of free advertising in public.”
“Aw, that is ridiculous!” She protested.
Astra shrugged in disagreement. “Actually, it isn’t. The town needs money some way, after all it does get damaged every now and then. Plus, money helps pay for roads, schools, par-”
“I get it.” Shimmer snapped. “No money in the town means no stuff for the town. Ok, I can wrap it up, meet me at the park, and get ready to question a lot of ponies.”
Astra nodded. “Time to choose the Earth pony who will help us complete this quest.”
Astra set up the little tent quickly. She and her sister had spent the rest of their bits on the thing, and the backpacks. They were investing what little money they had into the quest, in hopes they could get rich from the cave that may or may not exist.
She noticed her sister marching up five minutes later with a nice sized group of ponies, each type in the group. They had avoided saying they needed an Earth pony exclusively in case somepony called them racist. Lucky for them, this was still mainly an Earth pony town, and the other two types were outmatched in the group following Shimmer.
“Oh sister!” Shimmer called out.
“Over here.” Astra called out and waved a hoof.
Shimmer trotted to her sister and both gazed at the ponies before them. Many of them were older than 15, which was how old the twins were. While there were a few who were around their age, they looked like they would be hard to work with, or wouldn’t fit the bill.
Astra finally cleared her throat. “Please make two equal lines and stay in them. We are looking for a certain type of pony for this adventure. Trustworthy, brave, and not looking to get paid if this adventure does fail, though it probably won’t!”
With that two thirds of the ponies left and the twins winced mentally. A good chunk of those who stayed looked about as ragged as them.
Beginning the questioning both sisters entered the tent that had a thick blanket down the middle and began the questioning.
Astra looked at the nervous Pegasus and her heart tugged with guilt. Oh well.
“So, your name?”
“Triple Boom.” He spoke.
“Any special moves that gave you such a name?”
He nodded. “Used to just be Boom, but I have a talent for making three lighting strikes in a row, and the thunder that follows is the loudest thing you will ever hear!” He padded his cutie mark that showed a rain cloud and three lighting strikes.
“Ah…”
“So, as you know, I am Shimmer, and my sister and I need a real special pony for this. Do you think you have what it takes?” She demanded, narrowing her eyes.
The Earth pony gave her a look that suggested, back off before I make you. “It’s just a stupid walk into the forest, and yeah, I do. I have money enough to even make this thing comfortable if we have to camp.” He smirked.
“Yeah, it’s easy to see your aren’t taking this seriously. NEXT PONY!”
“And you are doing this again why..?”
“To prove to Daring Do that I am a worthy side-kick!” The Unicorn declared, jumping up and striking a ridiculous pose.
She wore a hat just like the famous character, and put a picture of a compass over her cutie mark. She did a horrible coat-job and dyed her originally purple coat a brownish-orange color that looked more like puked up mud. A crazy glint danced around in her blue eyes as she smiled horrifically wide.
“Miss, may I see your true cutie mark?” Astra asked.
That made her cross and she slapped her cutie mark, or rather the picture over it. “That is my true cutie mark!” She insisted.
The slap however was just enough force to make the tape on her fur give way and reveal her true mark. It was a camera taking a picture of a rabbit, yet there was writing underneath it that did not belong to it originally.
“May, I uh, get a better look at it so I can uh, admire it better?” Astra asked.
The mare shook her head enthusiastically. “Of course!”
Astra looked at the tattoo print and read,
Medical patient: River. Return to nearest hospital if found.
Shimmer sighed as her sister gently escorted the patient to a hospital and left her to question the rest of the ponies. It would take longer, and be an extremely boring afternoon. Not only that, she wasn’t like her sister, who was sweet, graceful, and able to tell ponies in a gentle manner that they would not be accepted and head into the Everfree Forest with them to find treasure.
Shimmer was a rough gal, who flew at dangerous speeds for the joy of it and adrenaline. She liked to wrestle with ponies, and get into fights. She enjoyed her own blunt ways, and not dancing around with fancy words, yet that was what those Unicorns and Pegasi needed. A soft hoof to tell them that they didn’t make it.
She sighed and nibbled on her tongue as the last Earth pony there came in.
She was a gentle looking Mare, with looked like a red circle for a cutie mark on her dark blue coat. She had a slightly lighter blue mane that hung on the sides of her neck and curtained her face from Shimmers bored gaze. When Shimmer was able to see the ponies face, she saw the pony has silver eyes and a shy look on her.
“Hey, I’m Shimmer as you know, who are you?”
“Eclipse” The mare murmured and swished her short tail. “I got my cutie mark for studying them too, well, them and everything about the night. I am a follower of Luna instead of Celestia.”
Shimmer glanced at it closer and saw the craters on a moon that was red, just like some areas in the night sky during a lunar eclipse.
“Interesting, that could actually be useful. See, the treasure my sister and I seek it in a very precise location, and we don’t want to get lost. If we travel during the night, you could guide us by the stars, I bet!” She said excitedly.
“Don’t you have a map?” The mare asked curiously.
Shimmer shook her head sadly. “No, the map that belonged to the book that told us about the treasure is missing. It gave us some written directions, but a lot of it is smudged out with various stains.”
“Oh.” She said. “Well, do you need to know anything else?”
“Are you willing to walk away from this empty-hoofed if we can’t find this treasure, and can you stand being in the forest during the night time?” Shimmer asked.
“Yes, and…” She gulped in fear, “Yes.”
“Ok, last thing, why do you want to search for this treasure?”
Eclipse took a deep breath and spoke. “I have always wanted to do something brave, but never had the chance, and when the chance did arrive… I couldn’t do it. I sat in the crowd with everypony and watched someone else be brave, cool, and simply amazing. I want to be brave too though, and I have a feeling in my gut telling me that, if I don’t take this opportunity now, I will never be brave.
“Impressive, I can respect that. Well, that’s it, thank you for putting up with the long line. Come back here tomorrow at 8:00AM sharp. Bring a backpack full of camping things, because you might just be the pony for the job.” Shimmer grinned, and shook her hoof.
Astra got back in time to interview the last five ponies, and as she was interviewing the last one she was unsure if he was creepy, or she was tired and hungry from the days work.
The tan colored stallion had an odd look in his bronze colored eyes. They looked over Astra hungrily, but she had never seen the type of hunger in his eyes before. He wasn’t starved of food, but instead something else. His body was fit, or at least fit for a pony who didn’t appear to be into extreme weight lifting, and he had a cutie mark that pictured a looming shadow over a teddy bear.
“Hello, Astra.” The stallion grinned slyly. “My name is Marcus, how old are you?”
Astra looked at him oddly. “I am the one who is supposed to be asking the questions, but I am 15.” She informed him.
He nodded and laughed an easy laid back chuckle. “Of course, of course. Please, continue.”
She cleared her throat and put on a professional face, suddenly feeling young in front of him, despite all the struggles she had gone through with being an orphan. “Ok, I already know your name, so how did you get your cutie mark?” She asked the Earth pony.
“I hunt treasure from story books for a living!” He grinned. “The shadow is me hunting, and the bear represents the first treasure I ever found.”
“How interesting.” She feigned a smile, her gut screaming at her not to believe him. “Then you will probably come in handy if you are picked. Next question, why do you want to find this treasure?”
“Why, I live for finding treasure, as my cutie mark tells you.” He said, scratching his dark grey mane.
“Thanks, well that is it. Marcus, I am sorry, but I have meet a lot of ponies like you today.” She lied. “Claiming that their cutie marks represented treasure hunting, when it was plain to see, they didn’t. You won’t be coming on this trip. Sorry.”
He looked down in disappointment. “Oh well, I can find other treasures to chase.” He said and left.
After leaving she cleaned up the tent which had some wrappers in it, and called over Shimmer to help her pack it.
“So, anypony interest you out of the last five?” Shimmer asked.
“No, and that last one, Marcus, just gave me the creeps.” Astra shivered.
“What type of creeps?”
“Filly fondler.”
“No one touches my sister!” Shimmer growled.
“Don’t worry, he won’t, I am already going through all the protection spells I have learned.” Astra assured her sister. “Besides, we live way out of town, he won’t find us.” She grinned.
“Point, point. So, anyone you had your eye on to help us?” Shimmer asked.
“No, but I told a few Pegasi and Unicorns to show up anyway, so we don’t appear racist.” Astra replied as she finished packing up the tent. “You?”
“One. Her name is Eclipse, and she studies the night sky. I figured that if we bring some paper she can map the night sky and help us get our bearings.” She said proudly.
Grinning Astra nuzzled her cheek. “And you said you weren’t smart! That is a brilliant plan, oh sister of mine! Now lets get home, darkness is going to fall soon and I wanna scrounge up some food from the everfree. Ponyville has managed to tame a part of it so ponies can hike.”
“Ok, you have your plants memorized?”
Astra nodded. “Of course. We don’t need a repeat with that poison joke.”
“Here here!”
The twins set off as the sun inched down the sky like a sun-starved lizard. With light backpacks on their backs they entered the hiking trails and veered a bit off the path, though not much. While they walked they had the sense of being watched.
The part of the forest near town was much unlike the rest of the forest. It had thinned trees and friendly animals like squirrels and bunnies and the odd beaver thrown in. The trees were light oak trees and coniferous pines. Evergreen shrubs littered the ground, mixing in with poison joke, blackberry bushes, and beautiful flowers such as sunflowers and others. Set paths of dirt and stone suggested you hike on them, instead of simply venturing into the forest and possibly getting lost.
Astra looked on the ground for mushrooms and berries, while her sister looked in the trees for apples, which were more common in this area of the everfree forest thanks to the Apple Family. Shimmer fluttered above the ground, also acting as lookout that evening as she couldn’t shake that creepy feeling. When she turned her head she swore she saw a pair of bronze eyes looking right at her.
Landing after 15 more minutes of twitching around in the treetops and making small talk, she had gathered five apples she placed them in her backpack.
“These were the only non-wormy ones.” Shimmer explained. “Also, I think we should go. I think something is planning on hunting us. I saw bronze eyes in those bushes.” She shuddered, remembering the hungry eyes.
“If you want to.” Astra said, putting the squashable berries carefully in Shimmer’s pack too. “I do have the vague feeling of being stalk- wait did you say bronze eyes?” She demanded.
“Uh yeah, why?”
“Because that pony who looked like a filly fondler had bronze eyes!” She whispered in a hiss, glancing around nervously.
“Oh geez, lets bounce!”
Nodding stiffly. astra lead the way out of the forest, taking a dirt and gravel path. As the two mares walked they glanced around suspiciously, looking for any sign of a possible enemy who was most likely Marcus. They were safe throughout the walk through town, but 10 minutes into their walk home from the town they heard a curious rustling in the bush.
“Double speed!” Astra muttered under her breath to Shimmer, who wordlessly nodded back to her.
They power walked for a good five minutes before having to slow down a bit, their hungry bodies unable to handle any overexertion. Their bodies could, but the mares didn’t want to push it in case they were being followed by the evil pony.
15 minutes passed and their house was coming into view, but they still had the feeling of being watched, and Shimmer knew they could not give their home location away, not to their stalker.
“Walk slower.” She said as they walked on the dirt road. “We need to figure out how to stop the stalker, he is too persistent for our own safety and privacy.”
“Indeed, and I have an idea.” She smirked and “accidentally” tripped her sister. “Oh geez! Sorry Shims!” Under her breath she added. “Look around while I pretend to look you over.” Louder, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yeah! I scraped my front right leg!” She snapped, holding up her leg. It indeed had a scratch and Astra felt guilty.
“Sorry, but you are no actor.” She informed her sister as she examined the scratch. “See our target anywhere?”
“In the juniper bush to our right.”
“Thanks, I will get to your booboo later.”
“Don’t call it a booboo! I am not a filly!” Shimmer blushed in embarrassment.
Astra didn’t hear as she suddenly spun her head at the juniper bush and saw the bronze eyes that could only belong to Marcus. Marcus had not seemed to notice her though, as he concentrated on her hurt sister, which only confirmed her suspicions of his motives for following them.
“FILLY FONDLER!” She screeched and used her magick to levitate him. “Why are you following us?” She panted as she worked her magick. Levitating light books was one things, but full grown stallions was another!
Marcus was truly surprised as he let out a yelp of fear. “I am no filly fondler, now release me you mare!”
Shimmer jumped right up, taking over the talking for her sister as she struggled to keep him in her magickal grasp. “Yeah right! Finding out our ages, stalking us in the forest and to our homes, and your extremely unusual cutie mark! Seriously, that cutie mark is obviously you going after kids, and we know it!” She snorted. “Now tell us why my sister shouldn’t slam you into the ground!”
“Because this is a misunderstanding!” Marcus yelled. “Please, don’t make me give out the real explanation.” He whined, bronze eyes begging as he slowly rotated in the magick bubble of Astra’s rose pink colored magic.
“Oh, but this isn’t a misunderstanding. Astra, slam this sicko into the ground before he preys on us and others!” Shimmer ordered.
With a grunt Astra began to float him higher, and when he reached the peak she released him from her magick, though she still had it ready to grip him again in case he did something. To their surprise though, a green fiery flash happened and a flying changeling was in the place of a falling stallion. Quicker than the changeling changing, it was back in Astra’s strained grip.
“Bug!” Both sisters gasped.
“Oh come on.” It complained, returning to its slow rotation in her magick bubble.
“What are you doing, bug!” Shimmer screeched, her yellow eyes furious and casting an eerie glow, or so it appeared to the bug, who froze the best he could, but the bubble still making him rotate.
“St-st-stop that gaze!” The changeling coward the best he could, though floating.
“No!” Shimmer yelled and stomped on the ground, leaving a dirty imprint on it. “Now tell us, why were you stalking us! Why were your stalking us!” She screeched.
“Shimmer, calm down! I can’t concentrate with that yelling!” Astra yelled.
Shimmer growled as her wings flapped in fury, but she kept her anger, and voice, in check. “Answer us, bug, or we will squash you like one.” She threatened.
The changeling gulped and began. “So, like your pony food, love also has different flavors, or more like, energy. Sisterly love is one of the strongest, and you guys being twins makes it stronger, but despite both those factors, it is still unusually strong. I stalked you both to feed and find out why your love is so strong, but I think I can put two and two together now. You guys are hobos.”
Shimmer calmed down a bit at this reasonable explanation. “Rude way of putting it, I prefer orphans who weren’t accepted into a foster home, though.” She paused, then asked. “Why that cutie mark though? That cutie mark was simply scary.”
It made an offended noise. “Unlike some of my brethren and sisters, I find morphing to be an art, and cutie marks help me express my true form. The shadow is me hunting for love, and the worn out teddy bear is a much loved object! Right, you ponies love teddies?”
“Only as foals!” Shimmer protested, cheeks burning slightly.
The changeling chuckled at her reaction. “Suuuure. I have seen plenty of adults sleep with stuffed toys, mainly teddy bears.”
“So we aren’t your first victims of feeding huh?”
“Nope.” The changeling went to say more but he suddenly fell on his face as Astra’s magick gave out.
“Oh gosh, sorry!” She squeaked. “I just couldn’t hold you anymore, mister bug!”
The changeling sat up, rubbing his nose.”Just because I changed forms it does not mean my name has changed. I am still Marcus, and bug is an offensive slang when used by you ponies.”
“Sorry!” She gasped, rubbing sweat from her forehead.
“Hey, don’t act high and mighty! You are the one stalking us, and feeding from us!”
“Well feeding from you guys isn’t a bad thing, so don’t act so offended! I need to feed and I wasn’t harming you guys!” The changeling snarled back.
Shimmer snorted and dug her hoof into the ground as warning, an ancient sign that told that a pony wanted to charge. The changeling copied, taking her shape and confusing Astra.
“Hey, get out of that shape!” Astra yowled and charged the fake Shimmer, her horn down.
Green fire flared and Marcus jumped over Astra, his wings flapping. “Ok, ok, but tell her to calm down! Survival says to take your enemies shape when battling.” He landed a ways away.
Astra swung her head to her sister. “C’mon Shims, lets leave this bug.” She glared at him. “He isn’t worth the energy and I want to eat some berries.”
He growled. “Yeah, yeah, kill me over the stupid misunderstanding.” He growled and floated off.
Enemy defeated, or at least discovered, the sisters were satisfied as they set off for home once more and gladly entered it just as the settled and Luna’s moon took over the starry sky. That night they feasted on all the berries, knowing they would not survive the night without proper storing, and they lacked that.