Raven Rawne

@@Nightmare Season Reinstalling the Senate proved to be a bit difficult, but the royal puke believed it would be very beneficial in the long run. After the nation settles on some transparent way of choosing the delegates, since the first draw seemed to include the already established political figures, mainly clan leaders and other high level leaders. Still, it was a step in the right direction and helped establish a form of power structure when the royals were away, so the City wouldn't grind to a halt. The crystal nightmare has just finished the base of her grand statue when bad news reached the Palace - Poisoned Oasis, after months and months of lobbying, decided to return to the Sands, so they could pick up their business, and old way of life again. Clan pride prevailed over the attempts to point them towards a new specialisation, and Crystal was rather upset of what she took as personal failure. The trade, now more frequent, livened up the Kingdom's domestic market, and injected the much needed coin and ideas, although it still seemed that luxury items were having most demand. At least the Queen had her expensive machines set up and running in the lumber mill. It sped up things and reduced work load, but timber didn't prove to be a huge hit for export. It seemed that ponies up North wanted novelty items, not building materials, however unique their timber was. Replicating the steam tech would also need to wait, possibly till the books on the subject are aquired and translated. But it was a step towards technological progress nonetheless. Some four months after coming back home, Nightmare proposed a family visit to the Empire. Hus wife was all for it, and after the crystal royals were notified, the whole family made use of the Sultan 's teleportation magic. Crystal's parents were all too eager to see their grandfoals, and the mare was just so happy seeing her folks play with the little ones. They stayed for a couple days, partially to let Nightmare Season rest after casting the spell, and partially so the mare could do some more shopping and spend time with her folks. A year has passed since the triplets were born, and Crystal was sure glad that they let go of her milk, for the most part at least. Feeding was fun until you had to schedule royal duties according to your foals eating habits... At least daddy and his mom didn't object to having it all for themselves. Despite a couple near hits, they managed to steer away from making Crystal pregnant again, so she could chip away at her grand statue. It took longer than anticipated, but after year and a half, she could proudly pull off the veils that covered it from prying eyes. It depicted her husband in a triumphant pose, with wings outstretched. The crystal monument was tall, but not necessarily colossal since it wasn't higher than the Palace or taller structures. Still, standing in front of it, a pony felt rather tiny. There was a small plaque on the base - "To the best husband, from his loving wife." It wasn't meant as a symbol of power, but that of love. A huge thank you made in crystal. By the end of the second year, the seemingly inevitable happened. Saddle Arabians, for reasons known only to them, crossed the mountain pass and invaded the Wandering Sands. The garrison managed to send a bird with a message before being overrun, and the Jungle Kingdom heard the horns of war for the first time. It was a tough campaign, and it costed dearly the nightmares who stayed in the Sands, since they were first to respond and held off till reinforcements arrived. Weeks turned to months as the war seemed only to get worse, until the new nation took the upper hoof. Crystal decided that, after the decisive battle that sent the enemy in disarray and allowed the nightmares to regain control if the valley, closing large contingents of Saddle Arabian forces on the nightmare side, she had a bargaining chip to start peace talks. It wasn't easy, and there was at least one attempt at the royal couple during them, but the other side wanted to pull back their brethren from inevitable death, and finally agreed on some basic treaty. The countries would establish diplomatic relations and exchange prisoners, and let the scattered armies return home from the desert, as a sign of good will on the nightmares part. For the first time, it seemed that nightmare ponies didn't have enemies. Once the seemingly impossible was achieved, there came a time of true peace, and growing prosperity. The royal couple couldn't hold off any longer and had another batch of foals as soon as they got back home from war and peace talks. Crystal finally got knocked up on a pike of gold. The triplets were three years old then. For reasons beyond easy explanation, they took a pace of putting buns in the oven every 3-6 years. The Palace was full of foals and nannies as their firstborn finall walked into adulthood. Crystal Flame married Sparks, and Crimson Aurora, after many romances, married a jungle pony stallion from their nobility. Each was given a large house and a hefty dowry, since they were all too eager to start on their own. Crystal was the happiest mare I'm the world, even if sometimes it was hard to even count how many offspring they had... The Royal Couple ruled the Jungle Kingdom for centuries, and raised other, smaller cities of stone in their domain. Established contacts with other cultures, explored and expanded. Ponies coined a saying, that things change but the two flames never die out.

@@Mentis Soliloquy,@@Moon Dancer., Crystal was a bit surprised at how quickly M packed up to leave, and managed to toss a quick "I'll be availible from three PM, I need to work earlier okay?". She then looked at the remaining mare with a sigh. "What a curious case, that one. Now I would advise against messing with the guards, buuut I thik I won't persuade you out of it. Just keep in mind they have those things called jails, and they're not fun places to be so don't go overboard, okay? Wouldn't want to wake up to a bored guard knocking at my doors asking me to buy you out..."(@@Pripyat Pony, ) She looked around for a waitress to pay the bill. "Huh, could've sworn she was somewhere around... You paid for yours? Think Ill look for her rather than wait, unless you don't feel like taking your gambit just yet."

@@Moon Dancer.,@@P-Jay, Natural nodded as she walked. "Good call Prentice, but... I tend to avoid logging sites, and for a few good reasons acttually. But if we do stumble on one, we could buy some leftovers, yeah. In my experince, even cut off branches have a price if you but ask for them... I was thinking of cutting or salvaging some younger tree by the road, and strapping longer portions of the trunk to the wagon's sides with rope. One tree should be enough." After a moment, she continued. "oh and about the ravine, it's not actually deep, but, when ponies started making roads around here, it proved to be a good shortbut through some steep hills and dense forests, and ponies started to use it. They called it Moonlight Path because with no timber around, they had no lights aside from the Moon by night. Nowadays there's a comfortable road by one cliff side, and the water collects in the middle, slightly below. I'd say it's as deep as... second storey at it's deepest points? And usually wide enough for ten wagons or so, but the road proper is way narrower - no point levelling the whole thing when all you need is for two wagons to pass each other, right? Sometimes stuff falls off the cliff, like old trees or rocks, and the road gets blocked. There are also some natural nooksthat were widened to spend the night in, like the spot I think of. bu for now, look for a youg tree, two hooves in diameter max so I can cut it and still have the strength to pull the wagon."

@@Mentis Soliloquy,@@Moon Dancer., She took the map into er hooves and folded the way she wouldsee only theSouth east quarter of the city, and pointed the spot. It already had a printed marker there, since the Legend offered info on most important landmarks anyway. "So here's the Great Library, and the "Golden Scroll" is the next building to the left, when you face the library from the street. If you don't mind self important scholary types, yeah, it should be fine for a short stay. Three Stars, but well kept from what I gathered when I paid a visit there." She flipped the map to the North East quarter and pointed to another spot, this time at the outskirts. "Aaand this is my shop here, "Sapphire Rose". Let's just say that when you find an offer for a house to buy, it's better to have somepony who knows these things at hoof, unless you want to toss a coin and wish you won't buy a money sink." Crystal Clear glanced at the clock on the wall. "Hmm, seems I should be going soon, got work to do today..." She adresed both mares. "So what do you think, wanna see my place tomorrow?"

@@C. Thunder Dash The mare closed her eyes instinctively as done sort of light beamed from the hovering thing. She heard it flutter in front of her and lower it's altitude, and opened Obe eye to see what was going on. Somehow, she could see Nitro and hear his voice. With some uncertainty, she nodded. "Well... yeah. I'm good to go, but if you need more time, I can wait, no problem. Oh and bring that sleeping bag, I cleared up some space inside for both of us. Hope you don't mind sleeping on the wooden floor... but it has great insulation."

@@P-Jay, @@Moon Dancer. She had a funny look on her face as she glanced at the, suddenly clean, stallion, then on her wet legs. With a shrug, and overhearing that Prentice said something from inside the wagon, Natural took a deep breath and replied: "Alright guys, let's get rolling. The Moonlight Path starts a tad ways further, and we need to pick some firewood before we enter the ravine. The road is inside of it, so there are no trees to be found." She rocked the wagon forward and started walking while keeping an eye out on something good to burn. Not that they would have a problem with that in a forest but she didn't want to spend the whole day picking branches. Maybe some young tree fell by the road?

@@Nightmare Season, @@Dark Horse, The crystal mare wasn't sure what the unicorn was going on with that flower on her back, She perked her ears in hope at the news of an antidote, only to let them droop as the options were presented. So they had three days to sotr things until it may be too late... if Peony won't prove to be too... unhinged to help. Was she "listening" to that thing? She ,ust have a really confused expression as she looked at Peony, Saffron, and "the flower", in turn, waiting for the plant to somehow speak up. "Uhhh, I'm afraid it... doesn't talk to strangers? Didn't hear a thing, sorry." She sure had doubts, but then, maybe? As a crystal pony, she had seen her fair share of seemingly impossible things that were taken for granted by modern ponies. She stayed silent, but tried to look supportive, as the mare continued. "If I may, I would propose to start the questioning, yes. Maybe you recall somepony from staff who was tasked with buying gardening supplies? Soil, maybe? Somepony who could actually see the rose, and, maybe oblivious to it's effect, talk about it as a normal rose of unusual hue? I would propose starting with staff who venture into the garden, for various reeasons, or do errands around the city. It increases the chance of spreading the information of your garden, and it's... contents."

@@C. Thunder Dash, Natural Order nodded and turned back to her cleanup. Only after a moment did she perk her ears and hastily peek out of the wagon to catch Nitro. "What a... drone?" She couldn't see him around. With a shrug, the mare got back to the task at hoof. She cleaned up the spilld mint, restacked the shelves, cleared up some floor space for the second sleeping bag by stacking the crates in a corner and strapping them up with some rope. Then, she took out her crossbow and placed it in the place of honor in front of the wgon, along with some bolts in a quiver. Natural Order looked her mobile home over, and noted with satisfaction that nothing was broken or anything. She then ent back for a cup of water from a barrel and to grab her pipe. Sitting on the doorstep, puffing the pipe and fixing the black feather in her hat, the mare waited for the stallio to show up. Eventually, she recalled the drone thing and looked around to find it. Something black was hovering above ground nearby, so maybe that was it. She walked under the strange thing and looked up to inspect it. She didn't recall ever seeing something like that...

@@C. Thunder Dash Natural Order was looking around the small interior. She checked the straps on the crates and barrels in the corners, and picked up several wooden containers with some plant ingredients that fell off the shelves. One was broken and it's contents - dried mint leaves - were all over the place. The wagon had a strong scent of the herb. The mare heard a voice behind her and looked back, brushing a barrel with her tail. "Told you it's not built for such speeds... I'll clean it up in a minute and we should be good. Wanna check on that secret garage while I prep for heading out?"

@@C. Thunder Dash "Alright." She opened the doors and hopped off the truck, surprising the urge to kiss the ground. Natural waited till Nitro released her mobile home, and once it was in the clear, went inside. "Hooollly..." - she could be heard from the enclosed space as she brought back order inside.

@@P-Jay, @@Moon Dancer. Natural smiled at the mare as she took her offer. It faded when she felt extra weight on the wagon, but she should be able to manage just fine... The mare had enough momentum to plow through the muddy riverbank and reach the riverbed. Carefully noting not to hit any large stones, she plotted the course of her mobile home, and picked up the pace on the last leg so she won't get stuck on her way out. Thankfully years of experience paid off, and soon after, the mare was safely on the other side. Stopping the wagon on even ground, away from mud, Natural looked back at her company but the wagon obscured her view. "You guys made it alright? We should go if we want to reach the good camping site before night fall."

@@C. Thunder Dash The mare glanced at the wing, frowning slightly. "Some kind of accident? No need to tell, I'm not nosey." She changed the topic: "So can we get my wagon off the truck now? I need to rearrange things to make more sleeping room. You do have a sleeping bag at hoof, right?"

@@C. Thunder Dash Natural order thought for a moment, then noticed the truck stopped, so she let go of the handle and unclasped the safety belts. "Hmm, normally I avoid large cities but, why not? So after we get the wagon off the truck, would you like to accompany me for two days? So we have enough time to reach Baltimare."

@@Mentis Soliloquy, @@Moon Dancer., Crystal listened to them both as she thought about a place that would meet the criteria. She concurred with the blacksmith. "Yeah, our hotel rules are the same as down South alright. I think I know a place you could rest your head until you find a house to buy. By the way, I can help you with renovating it. So there's a cheaper hotel by the Library, nowadays usually used by scholars who want to study our ancient tomes. It's called "the Golden Scroll". You have a map so I can show you?" Crystal sipped the last of her tea before it went cold.

@@Mentis Soliloquy,@@Once In A Blue Moon, Th mare waved a hand dismissively at the idea of having her implant checked. "It's fine, really. Nothing wrong's happenning when I don't use zoom or thermal and besides, I had it checked by several butchers already, and they keep saying the same - that it's working fine and I just mess the controls..." She obviosuly was upset by such a display in front of her captain, and as soon as she was left alone in the office, she took out a small mirror and checked her left eye, grumbling. "You make me look like an idiot again, and I'll pry you out with a rusty screwdriver, got it? I still have that eyepatch somethere..." When the ship arrived at the meeting point, the crystal mare had to come back to her station, even though it was her break shift. She yawned slightly and drummed her fingers on the console, waiting for anything to happen really. The other yellow shirts seemed to be rather tense as she panned her eyes around the Main Engineering in a mixture of apprehension and boredom. The Luna was drifting in position for a minute or so, with no other vessels in sight. Finally, they got a reading. Directly behind them... A D'deridex Class dropped it's cloak some 500 meters behind the Federation vessel, It didn't raise it's shields however, opting for a scan pulse instead. It's weapon systems seemed to be powered down and inactive as it sent a hailing message: "Romulan Fleet Ship Genorex to unidentified vessel - turn off your defense systems and state your business. We mean you no harm."

@@Mentis Soliloquy,@@Moon Dancer., Crystal shook her head off whatever she was thinking about and glanced at both her companions. She recalled the question as the blacksmith told M about the place she stays in. The crystal mare nodded, and chipped in. "Northern Star is on the pricier end, yes, but if I recall correctly, they do have some three star rooms too. The whole hotel business exploded because of the Games, and with a steady flow of guests and visitors, they seem to be doing fine. I mean, mostly the higher end ones, since we seem to be becoming a sort of season attraction for the rich ponies who don't like winter. Or love winter, depends on the current season. Now you can meet the former." She looked up at M, trying to assess her budget but drawing a blank. "Now I don't know what price range we're looking at, so it would help of you told me what you're looking for in a hotel. And as far as houses go, you should check in the Palace. The new laws make it that the State controls the exchange of real state and farm land, to avoid waking up with a huge Manehattan-Style tower where a modest house once stood. The ponies put their sale offers there too, so it's all in one place. That's how I bought mine."

@@C. Thunder Dash, The mint mare nodded at the stallion's offer. "Heh, thanks, but I need to spend a few days on hoof now. Kinda hard to spot herbs when speeding like you did, right? Besides, some places can't be reached in any other way." She waited gingerly for Nitro to park his machine, so she could get out... and asess the mess in her wagon. Natural thought for a moment, then added. "Maybe you could use some time off the wheel? Unless you have something on your mind to spend your time till you need to go someplace else that is. I could show you around. Some things are best to be appreciated slowly, you see."

@@P-Jay,@@Moon Dancer., Natural Order shook her head as she braced to pull the cart from it's resting spot, rocking it back and forth. "Oh Prentice, don't be silly! You're welcome to come with us for as long as you wish, it's the first rule of the Trail - don't leave a pony behind. Besides, you've got your own business to attend to, or you wouldn't be on the road, right? So of course I understand that we'll part ways at some point. Now if you... n-ghhhh! excuse me." She gritted her teeth at the last pull, as the wagon settled in the damp ground and didn't want to budge, but finally rolled forward. The mint mare took course on the ford, one step at a time, so the wagon won't gain speed on the gentle slope. She said to her companions as she carefully manouvered the heavy thing to zero on the optimal trail she picked earlier to cross the water. "If you don't want to get wet, I suppose you can get inside. Should have enough momentum to cross the river on my own. Just don't make me stop or it'll get stuck, okay?"

@@C. Thunder Dash, The mint earth pony nodded at his words, and sure was glad the hectic rude was about to end. She glanced at the driver and replied: "I think I'll make the last leg on my own, gotta find those herbs and all. A-anyway, thanks for the ride. Sure was... something..." Just because she was scared for her life the entire time doesn't mean she couldn't thank for the favour, right?

@@Mentis Soliloquy, @@Moon Dancer., Crystal shook her head at M's remark. "Not really, no. Crystals are raw materials from which I create finished products, like this table. Speaking if which, I need to make more shot glasses... I have only one." She rest her elbows on the table and thought about something, staring at her tea.

@@C. Thunder Dash, Natural Order saw another dune straight ahead, and gulped at the thought of taking into the air again. The inside of her wagon will be such a mess, she'll need a week just to clean it up! This time they didn't fly, but there was that weird feeling of weightlessness, like when you reach the top of the swings and stop before swinging back down. If only these things didn't made her adult self nauseus, the mare would hit every playground she saw, but somehow the same feeling in a roaring metal truck wasn't as nice as she remembered from being a filly, not remotely. She just hoped they won't crash or something...

@@C. Thunder Dash Natural Order was now pretty convinced she made a mistake. The truck was travelling at speeds she never expected to reach, and it rocked like a leaf in the river as the reckless pegasus seemed hellbent on driving as fast as possible, despite her plea to mind the wagon. She just held on for dear life as he issued a warning. She looked at him in surprise and yelled back: "I am already!" The mare let out something distinctively unladylike as she felt that the truck lost contact with the ground, and then landed heavily on the sandy ground. She needed to shake her head to look straight again, and was pretty sure she'll have a fkankache when thus us over...

@@Mentis Soliloquy, @@Moon Dancer. The crystal pony observed as the mood of their gathering suddenly improved. Although the offer from "the Mare" was rather... She looked down at her plates. Only tea was left, but Crystal got her fill for now. She adressed the blacksmith. "Normally that's what we would do, you know. But the order specified that the Royal Crest was the only allowed emblem on the train. But we couldn't just let it go without the makers stamp, it's a Guild law to sign ones work. So we kinda bent the rules..." She looked up at a clock on a wall and said, thinking. "I kinda like the meet up idea, but I'm a bit of a workaholic so... maybe pick some later hour than today? I guess we could crash at my place, but don't expect fancy quinine - I'm a terrible cook."