[Moth] Gypsy's Song - 2.1

>"We'll vote on it."
>Actias, Acteus, and Bell had all sat silently at the crossroads for a short while, deliberating which path they should take.
"Yes, that seems agreeable."
>"I vote for Los Pegasus!"
>"White Tail Woods. We'll get dropped off in Ponyville. Shouldn't be any distractions there, so we won't waste much time."
"I agree. Ponyville does seem to be the best choice."
>"Oh, come on! It'll take us two days to get there, and only one to get to Los Pegasus! We could waste an entire day there and come out even!"
"You have a point..."
>"I'd rather not risk you getting lost in the city, Acteus. You remember our way out here, when we were in Canterlot? You're lucky we left Dust Valley a week early."
>"Ugh, fine!"
"So, Ponyville?"
>"Ponyville."
>Acteus grumbled as they turned the cart to the left, into the shady woods.
>Actias looked up through the tops of the trees, finding that the sun hung almost directly above them.
"How long will it take to get through this forest?"
>"Well, if we don't have to stop, we'll be there shortly after sun down. We can set up camp near the foot of the mountains, then follow the train tracks to Ponyville in the morning."
>Bell turned to Acteus.
>"Sound good?"
>"Yup! If we get up early and get to Ponyville before noon, we'll have time to look around before we go to sleep."
"What if we do have to stop, though?"
>"Well, if it's only for a short amount of time, it should affect much. So long as it's only a few short stops. Anything longer than a couple of minutes, and we might not make it out of the forest."
>Bell glanced to his left, then his right.
>"Not quite sure I'd want to be in a forest at night. Especially on a trade route."
"This is a trade route?"
>"Used to be. Most of the caravans prefer to go from Ponyville to Los Pegasus, and up to Treble Town."
"Why?"
>"Well, aside from it being more profitable, it's a lot safer. You aren't stuck sleeping outside."

>"Yeah! You know, moth-ponies aren't the most durable. We could be attacked by lions, or tigers, or bears. Or chimeras."
>"Acteus."
>"What?"
>Actias giggled softly at her brother, neither surprised nor disappointed that he kept his silly demeanor.
"Well, let us refrain from stopping, lest we be set upon by some kind of lion-tiger-bear chimera. Or bandits."
>Bell and Acteus tensed up at she finished what she was saying.
>She hadn't noticed, but she had noticed the nervous glance that was cast between one another.
"Is there something wrong?"
>"No."
>"Nothing!"
"There is something you are keeping from me. What is it?"
>"We aren't keeping anything from you."
>Actias looked from Bell to Acteus.
"What are you hiding from me, Acteus?"
>"N-nothing."
"What is it?"
>"It's nothing!"
>Actias pursed her lips and furrowed her brow.
>Bell rolled his eyes as Acteus started to breathe a little quicker, a nervous drip of sweat cascading down his forehead.
>"There are bandits, but they don't come out until night time."
"What!? Turn around! We will go through Los Pegasus!"
>"Too late for that. We're already a good ways into the forest."
"Why would you not mention something like this before we voted?!"
>"Adventure!"
>Acteus shouted at the top of his lungs and threw his head back.
"What am I going to do with you? You two had better get us out of this forest before the sun goes down!"
>"That'll be a tough one. No stops, and we can't slow down. Might have to speed up a bit."
>"Aw! What about breakfast? We haven't eaten yet."
"You should have thought about that before we voted!"
>Her stomach growled not long after those words left her lips.
>Bell and Acteus looked back at her, Bell a bit disgruntled and Acteus trying to stifle a fit of snickers.
"Unlike the two of you, I am able to eat where I am. You two have to keep moving if we are going to reach our destination in a timely manner."

>"Yeah, I'm stopping the cart."
>"Wait! I have an idea!"
>"Oh boy."
>Acteus looked up in thought as his companions stared at him curiously.
>"Okay. You can take one of the jars, wrap it up with rope, and tie the rope around our heads so the jar's positioned over our noses, right?"
>Bell groaned and lowered his head.
>"Seriously? That's... We can't come out of this with our dignity, at least?"
"It is a good idea, if the two of you are to keep moving."
>"I'm not doing it. I'd rather starve."
>"More for me!"
>Actias popped a jar open and tied a length of rope around it, fashioning it onto a feed-jar.
>She leaned over the front of the cart and secured it around Acteus's head.
>He tipped his head back and started drinking the nectar from it.
>Bell just stared at him, horrified and disgusted.
>"There is something deeply wrong with you. And you, back there, for encouraging him."
>They fell silent, save the slurping noises coming from Acteus, and tinkering noises coming from the cart.
>"What are you doing back there?"
>Just as Bell turned his head, his nose bumped a jar.
>He rolled his eyes and looked back to the road as Actias started trying to tie the jar around his head.
>"I said I didn't want one."
"You are hungry. You will take this, and you will like it. Besides, you are in non-judgmental company. There is no one else around."
>"I said no!"
>Bell took a part of the rope between his teeth and jerked the jar from Actias, throwing it and smashing it into a tree.
>The silence returned and lingered for a very long while.
>The shadows of the forest crawled toward the east as the sun began its descent.
>The sky's beautiful, clear blues started to shift to gorgeous oranges and purples.
>And before they knew it, the forest was dark.
"Are we almost out?"
>Acteus looked back at Actias, then at Bell.
>"Are you going to answer her? You know this path better than I do."
>Bell snarled as they continued to walk.
>"I'll take that as a maybe."

"Can we maybe hurry a little? It is... a bit unsettling being here."
>Actias could feel a dozen or so pairs of eyes boring into her.
>Acteus and Bell started to walk a little faster, but found themselves set upon by the owners of those eyes.
>Six or so raccoons leapt from the trees and bushes around the path, onto the cart.
>Acteus started to laugh as he looked back at Actias, who had several raccoons scampering over her.
"Stop laughing and help me!"
>She swatted at the pests as they dodged and weaved around her, grabbing jars of nuts and throwing them to one another.
>The raccoons leapt off of her and sat on the edges of the cart, staring up at Actias.
>She scrunched her nose up at them before one of them, which carried a small sack, dropped a few bundles of leaves, flowers, and fruits into the cart.
>They dispersed from the cart, just as Bell and Acteus broke through the end of the forest.
>Actias picked up one of them bundles and examined it curiously.
"They dropped some things."
>"Yeah. We bring nuts through here, they give us fruits and other stuff they think is valuable. Check the leaves, make sure they're conical and spiny."
>Actias unfolded one of the packages and checked the leaves.
"They are."
>"Good. Don't need those little bandits ripping us off."
"Those were the bandits?"
>Bell glanced at Acteus, who looked away and whistled.
>"Sure. Guess we're lucky we didn't run into any of the deerfolk. That would've been a mess."
"The deerfolk? But they are peaceful, are they not? I have seen deerfolk in Treble Town before."
>"Yeah, they're peaceful, but uh... In case you haven't noticed, at least one of us isn't quite liked by them."
"I would not know that, given that I have not seen either of you interact with them."

>"Actias. Bell's a gypsie. Deerfolk don't like gypsies, 'cause their attunement to nature isn't as... natural as the deerfolk."
>"Eh... It's more or less that they just don't like gypsies, because while we are attuned to nature, as all ponies are, we don't quite appreciate it as much. Or... We appreciate it in different ways."
"Ah, of course. They have no problem with the caravans, because they have homes to return to, while the gypsies just wander and camp everywhere, correct?"
>"Yeah."
"Well, how can they tell a gypsie from a regular caravaneer?"
>"Our bandanas and jewelry. You don't get out much, do you?"
"I do, it is simply that I am unfamiliar with the caravans nowadays. I was always under the assumption that the caravaneers with bandanas were more experienced."
>"Oh, you've got that right. This is really all we do. Among the caravans, we're pretty much celebrities, though there are plenty of non-gypsies that are just as experienced."
>"Gypsies are extremely fun to be around, Actias. Except Bell. He's -"
>"This is a good place to stop."
>Actias looked up from the two moth-ponies to find a wide open field.
>With the moon starting its rise into the sky, the grass looked like a dark blue sea.
>The mountains in the distance resembled enormous pirate ships that seemed like they would invade Equestria at any time.
"This scenery is gorgeous. An excellent place to stop, indeed."
>She smiled as she hopped out of the cart.
>Acteus unhitched himself and trotted to the back of the cart, grabbed a set of metal sticks and heavy clothes, and began setting a tent up.
>Actias hopped out of the cart and trotted beside Bell as he gathered sticks and twigs to start a fire.
>"Sleeping situation's gonna be a bit weird. We only got two tents."
"I can share with my brother."
>"He snores. Loud."
"He cannot be louder than an orchestra."
>"You'd think. We slept near a set of tracks one night. Swear he was louder than the train that passed."
"Oh, wow."

>"I'll sleep outside. You can get your own tent."
"Are you sure?"
>"I like sleeping in the open more, anyway."
"That is quite considerate of you. I am very sorry about earlier."
>"It's fine. I've had worse."
>"I got the tent set up!"
>"Good, do the other one."
>"Okay!"
>"Has he always been like that?"
"Yes. Always eager to please, always happy. I wish I could be more like him."
>"I do too. Probably why I chose to travel with him."
>Actias nodded solemnly as she and Bell finished gathering wood.
>They trotted over to the tent and dropped the wood a few feet from the first tent.
>"I'm gonna go grab some rocks so we don't burn the field down."
>"Okay! Actias, can you get the bed rolls out of the cart?"
"Mhm!"
>She walked over to the cart and untied a couple of bed rolls from the side.
>She trotted around to the other side to see if there was a third, but found nothing.
"Hmph. Well, Bell did say he preferred to sleep beneath the stars."
>Walking back to the other side of the cart, she picked the bed rolls up and carried them to the tent.
>Acteus took them from her and unrolled them into the tents before climbing into one to go to sleep.
>"Night, guys!"
"Good night."
>Actias turned to her own tent, but glanced over to where Bell sat beside the wood and newly collected rocks.
>As he struck two rocks together to start the fire, she thought if she should go talk to him, or go to sleep.