Meanwhile, Druid was just finishing up his job, and left in a hurry. “That all? Okay! Gotta go!” Just when he was headed out the door and away from Commander Wind’s presence, he saw Moon Dancer trotting down the hall, spotting him immediately. “Oh, no… I’m too late.” He could've retreated to the room he was just in, but instead, knew better than to delay the inevitable.

Moon Dancer stopped the second she saw him. Normally, if she was disciplining someone, she would act calm and clear headed; loud, and angry when needed. However, seeing how these weren’t normal circumstances, she wasn’t in the mood and didn’t give a damn at the moment.

“You,” she shouted scoldingly, pointing a hoof at him that shook with anger. “What the hell did you think you were playing at?!”

“M-Moon, please, let me explain!”

“That’s Flight Lieutenant to you, Cadet Shield!” she hissed, her fangs bared and gritted as she stormed towards him like a wolf leader homing in on its prey.

“This isn’t what it seems! I mean, I got distracted. No! Err… What I’m trying to say… is...” His hoof rose in a defensive nature upon her coming to arm’s reach.

Moon’s eyes went wide with anger before she suddenly exploded with rage, “Distracted?! You left your goddamn post because you were distracted?! I could have died out there, you stupid, insubordinate moron! If it wasn’t for Cadet Blacky Berry passing by, I still be out there, maybe even frozen solid! What in all that is holy with this night did you think you were doing whilst I was stuck out in a blizzard?! What ‘distracted’ you so?!”

By now, she had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and was inches away from his nose. At that point, he knew Commander Wind was listening beyond the door right beside them. With a glance towards it, Druid saw his peering face, curious if Druid was going to rat him out. This would surely mean a demotion, or even a reprimand on the commander’s part if Luna ever found out, so with the boldest of actions, Druid took one for the team.

“I got hungry,” he merely said, now emotionless in the face. “So, I headed off to get something to eat. I didn’t think I’d be this long, though, and I am sorry, Lieutenant.”

Moon just stared at him with a blank and emotionless face as well, something that sent a shiver down the cadet’s very spine. She would have understood if he had nipped off to the loo or something similar, despite how much it would have been wrong for him to leave his post. Though, to get something to eat? That was just unexpected, not to mention plain irresponsible.

“You… were hungry…?” she asked slowly.

“Yes, I was,” he said as clearly as possible, ready for whatever was to come his way.

She let go of him haltingly, looking down slightly, just enough to cover her eye from view. By now, a couple guards had shown up, curious about the shouting, and were seemingly giving Druid a look of ‘you dun goofed’ while some silently prayed for the stallion’s well being.

Now, Moon was a somewhat responsible mare. She followed the rules when she could, and as best she could for that matter. She respected her peers. Even liked to think she treated her underlings with the proper respect and equality someone in her rank would do since her promotion. All of that went out the window, though, for all she could think about was why he had left his post. In her perspective, she would have died… over a guard wanting a bit of chow.

She looked up at Druid, her pupils dilating, and the lower lid of her eye twitching like crazy as her body began to visibly shake. Suddenly, she snarled his way, grabbed him with both her hooves and began to choke the stallion whilst shaking him violently.

“You left me to freeze to death while you went to get something to EAT! I was out there for over two hours you dunderhead! When I’m fucking done with you, I will make you choke on your unexcusable excuse!”

“Wai-” Druid tried to say, but was cut short by her physical attack, and was then hurled through the small crowd to the wall. She’d let go of him for just one second, enough for him to cough while holding his throat, and to say, “I’m s-sorry!”

“SORRY?!” she spluttered, still seething with rage as she started to further advance on him, her torso low as though she were getting ready to pounce. The other guards took a few steps back, no one really wanting to get involved but most enjoying the show.

Unbeknownst to anyone present, a particular individual had furtively arrived after being informed of a heated argument going on in the barracks, and had witnessed the entire argument from the start.

“Y-yes, it’ll never happen again! I swear!”

“You left me to freeze! To die! You told me I could trust you, that you had my fucking back! Do you remember? DO YOU?!”

“Yes! I do, and I meant it!”

Moon continued with her spite, eyes watering, but still, she fought back her salty tears. “Obviously, you didn’t, because you left your post because you were HUNGRY! How can any of us trust you again if you’re happy to just sod off whenever your tummy rumbles? ANSWER ME!”

The stallion noticed that in the corner of her eyes, small tears had escaped her, and before Druid could say another word, Moon suddenly swung at him landing a blow across the face with her hoof, dropping him to the floor with a loud thud.

Had there been no intervenience, who knows how far Moon Dancer would’ve gone. After all, she was standing right above him, her hoof rising to beat him down to a pulp, but alas, this had gone on long enough. With all the windows around everypony bursting open, and distanced sheets of snow whistling in through the air, Moon stopped as Druid looked down the hall with blurred vision. Through the mismatched lines of hooves, he saw a pair unlike the others, just a few steps away from everypony else’s.

“Enough!” Luna demanded to her squabbling guards. “I’ve seen quite enough…”

“L-Luna… Oh, shit,” Druid Shield mumbled to himself while holding his blackened cheek, a squiggly line of blood dripping to the floor from his bottom lip.

Moon’s eyes went wide with her rage quickly subsiding for the time being. She backed up a little, and swallowed a lump in her throat, and then saluted, “Y-Your Highness!”

“I’ve watched the whole thing… Moon Dancer, Druid Shield. Stay.” She spoke like a master to a pack of wild huskies. “Everyone else, leave us this instant.” Obediently, the lot took the command without hesitation, and left the three alone, all except Commander Wind who still watched behind the cracked door.

“Good,” Moon exclaimed softly to herself. “Then you know good and well how irresponsible this filth acted upon!”

“Now, Moon,” Luna said in the most calming voice she could possibly muster, but Moon just wasn’t having it.

“Princess, I could have died!” She continued, “I was freezing to death waiting for him to do his job, and… and, he couldn’t even do that! And to even think that having something to eat is ever a justifiable reason is just… just...”

Moon struggled to finish the sentence, her anger returning, and this time, boiling up too much to let her think properly. She just let out a cry of frustration, and then flared her nostrils as her breathing got heavy. Luna raised a hoof and gently placed it on the mare’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. She then looked over to Druid, who still laid on the floor. “Rise.”

“Yes, Y-Your Highness…”

After he got to his hooves, Luna offered to him, “Why don’t you let her know what really happened?”

Moon’s ears flickered a little as she looked from the princess to Druid, a look of confusion on her face. “What do you mean, Your Highness? You know what happened!”

“More than you know, Lieutenant.” She looked back at Druid, and then to the door next to everypony. “Come out, Commander.” Boldly walking, Mourning approached from the room he was just in, a serious look on his face. He didn’t say a word, but instead, allowed Druid to do the talking. Though, even he didn’t wish to speak. That is, until Luna finally commanded it so. “Talk!”

“Alright!” Druid huffed with his head averting to look at the ground, his own teary eyes hidden by his hair. Upon looking back up to the commander, though, he began speaking the truth. “I… lied, to cover up the commander.”

Moon’s eyes squinted a little as she stared at Druid, then to the commander, “You, Commander? You told him to leave his post?”

Luna looked down to Druid, her face still calm. “Druid, who gave you the orders to remain at the door and to stay there until Moon had returned?”

“You did, Princess.”

Luna nodded. “Commander, do you have the authority to overrule my orders?”

“No, I do not,” he said before taking a deep breath. “Admittedly, I needed his reports for who had gone through the entryway for task briefing. I didn’t think Moon Dancer would’ve been back, not for another hour at best. To answer your question bluntly, I broke the rules with little doubt, Your Highness.”

The alicorn looked at the commander, her face still remaining neutral, and voiced, “Indeed… and, tell me something. Did it not cross your mind to wait till the end of the night shift to ask Druid of this task? Or, better yet, to simply have somepony else take over for him while you had Druid Shield do this task for you?”

“Unfortunately, I hadn’t been thinking about the great importance of protocol, and was too focused on my own devices to worry about Moon Dancer. To her, I apologize and expect no forgiveness.”

“One final question,” Luna said, her face at last becoming animated. “Were you going to just… allow Druid Shield to be yelled at, beaten, or worse for your negligence?”

Like that of a stone ever unchanging, the commander simply said, “Yes.”

Luna closed her eyes, and with disappointment in the tone of voice, said, “I’ve heard enough.”

Moon Dancer, who had remained quiet throughout, stared at the commander with a blank face, mouth agape. Very slowly, her face starting to contort into a look of rage.

“Commander…” she said softly.

“Moon Dancer,” Luna said sternly, seemingly reading the mare’s mind and intentions, keeping her hoof on Moon’s right shoulder to stop her from moving any closer. “Stand down. He shall receive his own form of punishment, as will all of you.”

Moon fought back against her desire to beat seven bells out of the commander. Reluctantly, though, she started to back away, but not before giving the commander a threatening look as she turned her attention back to the Princess.

“Wait,” Druid Shield said. “All of us?”

“We each deserve it,” Moon replied, looking up at Druid. “You, for following an order you knew was not permitted… Not to mention, covering up for the commander, and lying... The Commander for breaking all protocol and for possibly leaving me for dead…” She looked away as she paused, far too ashamed to properly look Druid in the face before finishing. “And me for assaulting a fellow member of the Lunar Guard…”

Luna nodded sadly before she took it upon herself to guide each one to their designations. “Commander, you shall wait in your private quarters for me to handle these two. I’d say a reprimand is fitting, but unfortunately, it’s not enough this time. This isn’t the first instance I’ve seen you do this very same act, by the way. You thought I wouldn’t have known, but I did, and was just waiting for something like this to occur.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I’ll need to think about you. As for you two…” She looked down at Moon and Druid, only to merely instruct them to follow her. “Commander Wind, you’re dismissed until further notice.”

When Luna turned around to walk off, Commander Wind gave a hideous glare to Druid, making the stallion swallow a lump in his throat. As the commander left, the two followed after Luna in silence, both wondering and dreading what the princess had in store for them.

The walk to Luna’s private grounds in the back of the barracks was a long one, and was filled with nothing but the sounds of their hooves echoing from wall to wall. When they arrived, Luna indicated the two to stand in the center, snow falling from the absence of a roof above head. Moss grew on the old, purposefully designed pillars, some still standing, some laying down in crumbles. To the far ending section of this room held one opening with no door, where stairs could be seen ascending to the top.

“What punishment would be suitable?” Luna stood in undeterminable thought, the crystal flakes gliding in front of her, and disappearing where the light dared not shine. “Moon Dancer, you claim you almost died in the cold, but would one of my sturdy knights have really fallen so easily?”

Moon sensed Druid’s sight upon her, but didn’t look back at him. “Maybe not… but, then again, I was out there for at least an hour or so, Your Highness. I couldn’t feel or move my wings, so I didn’t have any real means to get down to the lower levels. I admit… I may have exaggerated the truth a little, for which I do apologize.”

Luna then faced the two. “Exaggerated… Yes, and even now, the truth is still just that. Moon, believe it or not, you were only out there for fifteen minutes. Isn’t that right, Druid Shield?”

Druid gulped, but nodded. “That’s, uh… Yes, that’s how long it must’ve taken to relay those reports.”

Moon blinked at the princess and swallowed before repeating what Luna had just told her. “F-fifteen…?”

Luna raised a hoof, silencing her guard with just that motion alone. “Perhaps I might be harsh on you two, but this will be a test as well, to determine how hardy your winter coats are towards the more cold weather. This is one of the first winters I’ve experienced in a thousand years, and I have yet to determine what sort of resilience your species of pony can handle. Based on Moon Dancer’s reaction, though, it doesn’t look good.”

Druid again looked at the exit found just behind Luna, a cold feeling washing over him. “You mean…?”

“Yes, Druid. This is more of a mission than a punishment.” She explained, “Your mission is to remain in the western tower on night watch duty. You will be provided with basic rations such as refreshments and food.” Moon remained silent, trying not to fidget on the spot out of anxiety, something that Druid noticed out of the corner of his eye.

“That’s it?” Druid asked, making Luna raise a hoof to signal she wasn’t done.

“I will be checking up on you two every hour or so, and I don’t want to see any slacking from either of you.” Luna continued, giving the pair a stern look, and in return, received a silent nod of confirmation. “Good. You may wait here while I have Blacky Berry gather some gear for you, such as some scarfs, a tent to sleep in, and anything else I believe you might need. All that and the rations, too, will be brought up by the cadet himself, and then you may begin your mission as a team.”

Moon’s ears twitched slightly at the mention of his name. “Princess… could you please pass a message onto the cadet for me? I want him to know as soon as possible, that I know I was only out there for fifteen minutes… but, Your Highness, it did feel like over an hour, or maybe even more. I genuinely thought the young cadet had saved my life. I just want him to know that his actions were greatly appreciated, given how he’s still in the beginning stages.”

“I think I can do that,” Luna replied, and then with the extensions of her wings to knock some frost off her feathers, she passed them by, and then closed the door to the castle behind her.

Druid wandered off afterwards to the stairs to inspect the path upwards only to get a chill from the winds blowing into the clearing. He was about to say something, but decided it best to keep quiet. By Moon’s moody appearance and her recent impression on him, she probably didn’t want to talk to him at all. So, he sat by a pillar to watch some snow breeze down to the cemented block floor.

Moon remained where she was, running her mind over what had just occurred. “Was I... really only out there for fifteen minutes?” It bothered her that she’d let it get to her again, after how she had vowed not to let that memory effect her military career, nor show the weakness she thought she had gotten rid of because of it. Turns out, it’s still there. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that Druid had begun talking to her.

“The Commander just needed very basic intel.”

“Hmm, what?” Moon replied as she came out of her thoughts. She stood across the dense ray of light that illuminated the white bits that fell.

“You… asked if you were only out there for such a long time, and I was… just confirming it again.”

“Right… but, Druid, it doesn’t forgive what he did, though. The commander should have known better.”

Druid nodded, but looked down. “So should I… Moon, I want to say sorry for what I did. Lying, leaving you out there, and misleading your trust. But, uh…” He looked up to see Moon’s pained facial expression, and made an attempt to change the subject. “W-what do you think will happen to Commander Wind?”

Moon hesitated for a moment before she snorted, and then looked away. “Personally, I think a demotion is too good for the bastard… had you taken more than fifteen minutes and had Blacky Berry not arrived. Well, things could have turned out a lot worse.”

He nodded solemnly. “Sorry… Y’know, he sorta… shot me a look before we headed down the halls. You don’t think—?”

Moon raised a hoof to stop him mid-sentence, while at the same time, saying, “He won’t try anything. I won’t let him do that, and neither will Princess Luna. So, don’t worry about him, okay? Besides, if he does do anything, you report it to me straight away. I’ll handle it from there. Okay?

“Okay,” Druid said, raising his hoof to rub his now somewhat swollen cheek. “Hell of a punch, by the way.”

Moon smiled softly, a very light blush forming on her cheeks. “Thanks… Also, I’m sorry about that, Druid…”

“Mmh, it’s alright. Still hurts. Say, how’s it look?” He stood, coming into the light.

She inspected his cheek, and winced at the sight. Seeing the slight swelling, her ears splayed back a little. “Sheesh… it’s gonna look bad in the morning, I think… I’m really sorry, Druid.”

She made a movement to feel the wound she had inflicted, but he backed away not because her touch hurt, but from residual fear, and she could see this in his worried eyes. Along with the lowering of his frame, the way his ears gradually kept going down, it was all signs that she’d caused him great trauma, just from spite alone.

Moon bit her lower lip as she backed up herself, which in turn made Druid posture himself normally again. Without warning, the mare rushed him. Druid shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for a beating he wasn’t sure was to come or not. He yelped when he felt himself being squeezed slightly, but soon opened his eyes to find Moon tugging at him, forcing a hug for some reason.

“I mean it… I’m sorry, Druid…” Moon whispered softly.

He just stood there, three of his hooves in the light snow, and the front left hoof raised, him thinking about what to say or do. Hesitantly, he returned the hug, feeling a little unsure as to what was going on. Though the stallion heard Moon sniffle softly while she continued to gently squeeze him, he still waited to speak, unable to find the right words. He felt his nervousness melt away in the embrace after a time, feeling a sense of sincerity behind it, and closed his eyes as the two continued to hold onto one another in the snow.

After a few moments of relishing in the moment, Druid coughed lightly, and the two let go of one another. “We should, uh… probably head up now, and wait for the Princess.”

“Y-yeah… might be a good idea,” Moon replied.

The two stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments more, neither one looking directly at the other. Druid idly rubbed the back his his head whilst Moon poked at the ground with her hoof.

“Should I go up first?” they both asked in unison. “No, you first.”

The two stopped talking as another round of silence hung over them before Moon silently headed for the stairwell to the western tower, Druid close behind her. However, just before making it to the first step, they were stopped by a recognizable, childish voice. “You’ll need this if you two are going up there so soon!” Blacky Berry called, smirking shyly.

Druid, being the closest came over to him, and Moon followed closely behind. As they were given the supplies, Blacky informed the two, “You’ve got canned fruit, water, slipped you guys some apple cider just in case you feel like you could use some extra warmth…”

Moon smiled at Berry before nodding with gratitude. “Thank you, Cadet. We appreciate it.”

Berry smiled as he handed over the supplies, splitting it between the two evenly. “So… is everything okay between you two now? I heard it was a pretty nasty fight, am I right?” Moon lowered her ears a little, as did Druid, neither pony looking at each other as Berry looked at them, one after the other. He’d seen Druid’s bruise, but hadn’t said anything until now. “That bad, huh? Well, Luna’s expecting you two to cooperate. Don’t tell her I told you this, but that’s all part of the ‘mission’, is to be a team.”

Druid looked back up. “Yeah, figured. Anyways, I suppose we should be on our way.”

The mare quietly walked towards the stairs with her set of provisions, her ears a little flat against her head as she ventured into the oncoming, chilly winds hesitantly. Druid bid farewell to Blacky, and followed suit timidly, noticing that she was looking more nervous now than ever before. Despite his better judgement, he decided to not say anything, and just walked up the stairs with her. It took a minute of climbing in the dark for them to reach the very top, but when they did, it was hardly a sight to behold. Little could be said for the temperature, too.

Author's Note

Coauthored with Mr101.