Raven Rawne

I don't think Crystal is even advanced enough to pull off something like that (sorry gal, but that's how it looks for now), so nope, not us.

@@Orange Sparks, The innkeeper nodded. "Alright, give me a moment." - He then went into the kitchen to procure her order. The crystal mare shrugged innocently after returning the kiss.. "Just stating the obvious - he is rather atractive. For a stallion that is." The pegasus kept looking at her, so she pressed on to get out of the hole she got herself in. "What? I guess mares would be all over him in an instant, but I don't really do stallions, so I'm not really bothered. It's like... I dunno, admiring a painting. It looks good, but you don't want to hang it over your bed to stare at it as you fall asleep. You're the only one I want anyway." The minotaurs winced at the screams echoing inside a small abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere. One was more short-tempered than the others and snarled at the bound mare. "We know exactly who you are and that's the only reason you're still alive, pony. Now keep it shut!" The mare still had the magic choker closed on her neck, which made her limbs paralyzed, but the minotaurs still bound her wrists and ankles for some reason. They placed her in a corner, sitting propped against a wall.

@@Nightmare Season, The mare thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't have any better ideas how to tell him what happenned, so I guess I'll roll with that... And of course I won't mentions you, since you don't want to. Although all that secrecy is a bit... weird." She rubbed her chin and cocked her head to one side, then the other. "I see why you would expect these particular questions, yeah... Let's just say that more current events have turned my taatention elsewhere. So, what about that scroll? Is the Daymare even real, or achieveable for him? It would be cruel if he pursued a myth all this time..." she made a circular motion in the air with her hoof - "Oh, and I uh... thought this "son" thing is just some kind of a metaphor. A bit like royals refer to their subjects as their children. ...Unless there's something more to it." Crystal held her hoof in the air, peering at the alicorn as her unasked question loomed in the air.

@@Orange Sparks, The stallion shrugged. "Ah could use some rest alright, ah feel like a sack of grain, but she needs me. Some light training shouldn't hurt..." Crystal gave him a look over and thought it would, and quite a lot, but if he insisted... Dusty smiled a bit uneasily at the praise. "Ah'll go get dressed in something sturdier and take that ax. Ah'll meet you in a moment." He escused the mares and went to the kitchen - apparently the family lived above it and used a separate staircase. The innkeeper's wife folloed her colt to take a look at his injuries, while the innkeeper remained at his post. "I reckon you ladies won't be finishing that meal? It's stone cold by now anyway." He asked them before he clened up the plates. Crystal nodded. "Well... I guess you're right, at least as far as I'm concerned. I ate most of it anyway." She walked to their table and brought her plate to the bar. "How about you Clare? Maybe you want something else? Guess we have like, ten minutes before Dusty comes back." She added quietly. "At least he'll have a shirt on, it'll make it easier to focus around him."

Since I'm supposed to play the Romulan, and Crystal asked about him, I'll give a quick rundown here. Name: Korak i-ch'Rihan Rul (Korak born in the capital of Romulus of House Rul) Age: Dunno, old as dirt, but still going at full speed Known facts: Born on Romulus in the planetary capital, member of House Rul - a family of aspiring nobility with eyes on a seat in Senate. So far they failed but Korak was the closest, since he had a chance but lost to another candidate. A career soldier turned politician, he is well versed in Romulan military doctrines and saw his share of combat. While he claims to be a man of honour, it's no secret that he won't shy away from dirty tricks to win. He lost the election to the senate because he was caught cheating... I figured the Feredation would have scarce intel on him, but if you guys think we should know more, then sure, I'll add to his description.

Crystal Clear was sitting next to the councillor, since it was the nearest free seat when she walked into the briefing room. That, and it was within safe distance from the doctor. She listened to the briefing and prompltly nodded to the captain when he laid out her task during the mission. (@@Mentis Soliloquy, ) "Aye sir, my department will keep the ship at full combat readiness." She scratched her chin in thought and waited till the briefing was over to ask something. Once the captain asked about questions, she raised a hand. "Sir, do we have any intel on the Romulans? I've only read about them but they seem a sneaky bunch, with those ship cloaking devices and all... We wouldn't know if they parked a whole fleet right before our ship. I guess I'm trying to ask what we know about this..." - she closed her good eye and zoomed with the implant - "Korak i-ch'Rihan Rul... weird name... do we know anything about him, or his past actions? He doesn't seem a nice type by the look of him." @Miss ReaperThe Romulan in question, as portrayed on at the display screen, was an old chap. Time has made it's mark on his face, but his posture was flawless and, as far as Crystal clould tell, he wasn't a grandpa type. Rather an old wolf looking for his last glorious hunt. That made her a bit worried.

@@Nightmare Season, The mare listened to the alicorn's reply. It seemed far fetched, but it very well may be true, so she decidedd to accept Hearts-Dream's story. Crystal watched as the other mare approached the chalice once more, still talking. She followed her to the strange silver goblet and peered inside. Nightmare was still fighting, but he seemed to bo doing okay. It put her a bit at ease. Although the part about the mission always laying in front of her seemed like nonesense. The alicorn ceased the projection of her friend and asked her to say the name of the one they ventured to rescue. She breathed in and said aloud, trying not to get emotional. "Evening Song. Her name's Evening Song." She then peered into the chalice, anxious what it will show. There she was, all by herself in a slave pen. The sight alone was enough to pierce the heart of a crystal pony who knew how it felt to be there. Knew all too well... Crystal Clear sighed deeply and lowered her head. She didn't want to look, it was too hard to bear. Heart-Dreams spoke but Crystal barely acknowledged her words. She nodded automatically and didn't move until she felt a pat on her back. At that moment the mare realised she was crying. Another deep sigh, a sniff and wiping the tears with a hoof later, Crystal turned around to see Heart-Dreams back on her throne. She breathed in to regain her composure and approached the throne again. "Nightmare lost his cards... are they hard to come by? He needs another deck..." - she inquired as the first thing that came to her mind. "I-I don't know what to ask really, there's... so much going on in my mind now... What will i say to him once he comes back and sees me all healed up? Or how do I free my friend without getting killed in the process... I just..." She put a hoof to her temple, as if trying to concentrate. "I don't know! There's just so much I don't know..." She lowered her head, then asked in a sad voice. "So what did you expect I'd ask for?"

@@Orange Sparks, Dustyhooves considereh his options for a moment, then made his decision. "Ah'll help find Celeste. Ah couldn't forgive myself if something happenned to her." Crystal Clear nodded. "Just as I thought." She got up and put down her drinking kit, then approached the stallion. Up close he was quite a sight, if you didn't mind bending your neck back to look at him that is. Even with the bruises and bandages. "So, Sir Dusty, you have any weapon? Sturdy clothes for the road? We may try to ask a certain unicorn magician to make some for you, but no promises. She's a pain in the flank that one..." He scratched his head in thought. "Well... we have a wood splitting axe that could do, and some good clothes too, but nothing else really..." The red mare nodded and smiled. "It's okay, axes are good for the job. I guess you could rest some and pack up for the road sometime later today. I don't expect the ship to arrive any sooner than just before nightfall, or even tomorrow, so we have some time. We could also show you a thing or two about swinging that axe." She patted has shoulder. "Chin up, it'll be alright." She then turned to her fiance. "What do you think Clare? Anything I forgot about?"

@@Nightmare Season The mare looked at the alicorn questioningly, but shrugged abd followed her. They walked into a small castle. She didn't recognise the style it was built in, despite spending midnight hours on Equestrian Architecture and art styles guides. The chalice at it's center didn't look like anything familiar either. Crystal followed the blind mare to the chalice and peered inside as instructed. Her eyes went wide and her knees felt weak. "How the hay did it... I need to go back and help him!" She looked around, as if frantically searching for some doorway to the waking world. The alicorn's calm voice gave her pause and Crystal looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then slowly nodded as the other mare walked to her throne. "Okaaayyyy... You seem pretty confident in him." Crystal Clear walked to the throne and stopped before the first step. She was in the throne room once, at the Palace. The graduation day when she got her Master title, over a thousand years ago... "Come to think of it, yes, I do have questions... Who are you? They told us that dreams are the domain of Princess Luna, and I've never heard of any other alicorns than the Royal Four." She unloaded her questions as they came to her mind. "Besides, why you called me here and didn't just talk to Nightmare? You're putting some delicate mission in hooves of a tradespony who didn't know about Nightmare Ponies a week earlier. So my question is, what do you want from me, of all the ponies?" Maybe she was being too straightforward, but chit chatting when Nightmare was holding against the beast didn't do well for her temper.

@@Orange Sparks Crystal joined into the conversation. "Exactly! Four minotaur warriors are too much even for me! You need to face the facts and pick yourself up to fight another day." The stallion nodded but said nothing. He seemed puzzled at the sudden request but kneeled regardless. He seemed shocked with the knighting and for a moment didn't rise, but when he did, he stood a head taller than the pegasus right in front of him. He smiled a bit and replied. "Ah dunno what to say... thank you?" He stood for a moment, unsure what to do next. Crystal saw everything from her bench and poured herself another. She smirked at her fiancé - "Now tell me you didn't practice this by the mirror for hours." She then raised her cup to the stallion in a toast. "Congratulations Sir Dystyhooves, you're the first to come from under that blade alive heheh. Don't just stand there, give your sister in-law a hug! Or you need a demonstration on how to hug a mare?" She couldn't help it - he was just so so strangely cute when he felt awkward. Like a bear cub. The stallion regained his wits and smiled back at the joker mare: "Ah'll be fine, thanks." He then gave Clarissa a powerful hug. Meanwhile the innkeepers were smiling behind the bar at the sudden good news, just when all hope for this day seemed gone.

@@Orange Sparks, She shrugged and replied as she got up. "Why not, I like preening you. It puts my mind at ease. And I sure could use some peace of mind now." The red mare followed the pegasus, but her spirits weren't very high and it showed. She just nodded when Clarissa mentioned the modus operandi for interacting with Dustyhooves and opened the inn door with a good ol' shoulder bash. The interior felt more like a tomb bather than an inn, to be honest. It was so quiet and empty, save for Dusty and his parents who patched him up and exchanged worried looks as the mares came in. Crystal walked over to the table they occupied, their nearly finished meals cold and undisturbed. She sighed and took the bottle along with their cups and walked over to her fiance. She gave her the cup and poured them both, then sat on a nearby bench to listen. The stablecolt looked up reluctantly at the pegasus. "Ah... failed her. On the first day. And now she's... gone..." The innkeepers were fighting the urge to chip in while Dusty tried to collect his thoughts. "Ah wanted to show her the view from a nearby cliff. A nice place, you can see for miles... We didn't go far from tha Cove when they got us outta nowhere. Minotaurs, four of'em! Ah tried to save her but they were too strong. Beat me up, said they won't dull their blades on me. Put some choker on her and she fell limp, then took her away. Saw a rawboat in the distance, fleeing to the other island, or farther West, dunno. Ah couldn't stand up for some time, then ah limped back here." He looked at the princess with pleading eyes. "Ah'm... sorry." Crystal emptied her cup in one swing and sighed deeply.

@@Orange Sparks, Crystal considered the option. "Well... maybe not declare war, since Griffonstone is on the other side of Equestria, but I sure can see some... advisors helping those meat heads. That would explain the change of tactics, but it also makes me worried for Celeste even more. Who knows why they wanted you and her alive?" The mare shuddered at how casual Clarissa thought about rooting out the minotaur kind. Deep down. maybe she knew it was the only way to stop the raids and wars but... A sudden kiss and a change of topic came at her rescue. She smiled, despite the uneasy feeling from moment ago, and nodded. "Sure, you're just as good at actually instructing your trainees on what to do, and you don't act like yelling at everything with a heartbeat is the biggest joy of your life." She looked at the sky - still plenty of time to kill. "C'mon back inside, there's a bottle of cider all alone, calling us... We could check on Dusty too, maybe he regained conciousness."

@@Nightmare Season, Nopony answered her call, so Crystal Clear decided to take a better look at her surroundings. So, the ground was made of strange white fog, and it was thick around her and just a hint of vapour all around. She looked at the bright stars - there was something... strange about them. Like they shimmered in different colours, and changed them too. The mare decided to check the nearest one and got up on her hooves. Well, tried. The moment she lifted her chest off the ground, a flash of pain made her dizzy and she laid down again. Crystal needed a moment to settle and take several calming breaths before the pain subsided to something more bearable. "Oh buck. *huff* I'm actually here, not dreaming... What am I gonna do now? This was stupid..." Unablee to move, she did what she could - observe her environment. There wasn't much to look at save for the strange stars, so she concentrated on them. The mare was puzzled with what she saw. "Those are... dreams? Of real ponies? And I'm ouside them? That doesn't make any sense..." - she told herself quietly. A voice from behind startled her. "Huh?" It souded familliar though. Crystal tried to turn around, slowly, but it didn't make any difference. The moment she had to bend her spine another flach of pain made her see the stars behind closed eyelids. "G-ahh! Bucking broken ribs! Arrrgh!" Crystal slammed her good hoof in into the mist in futile anger. She felt so useless. A broken tool. When she opened her eyes, still breathing hard from the pain, she saw the mysterious blind alicorn. "It's... Y-you? *cough* Actually, it was... my... idea. And my fault." The strange alicorn pointed her horn at the crystal mare and tendrils of magic wrapped themselves around the injured pony. She had to close her eyes - the light was too bright. The magic made her feel good and in peace, and she felt the terrible pain slowly becoming more tolerable, and at some point, it dissapeared completely. Waaay better than the spa. Or the hot spring... - she thought to herself but was reminded of her company before she could really saviour the experience. Crystal opened her eyes and looked at her barrel - still wrapped with bandages like Heart's Warming gift, but it didn't hurt. She gently clenched the muscles and felt no pain. with a smile, she tried other, more daring moves and soon knew she was fine again. Noticing the alicorn was patiently waiting for her answer, she dropped her ears slightly and replied. "S-sorry, that's my first with healing magic... My name is Crystal Clear. I live in the Crysatl Empire and met your... son... on one of my so-called adventures." It was rather strange how she called Nightmare Season her son. He had a mother, and she couldn't be the same mare. Crystal rubbed her forehead and tried to put her mane into shape with a hoof, but with unsatisfying results. She did look terrible alright. "I uhhh, thank you for patching me up. We'd be stuck for days if I were to heal on my own. You... wanted to see me, right? I'm sorry I didn't wait until after we finished the trip but Nightmare Season found a golden root of his own and got really curious of it. So I kind of ate it from under his nose when he was away." She suddenly recalled something. "Wait, if I'm physically here, it means I'm not in the cave, and when he comes back he'll be looking for me! Crystal you idiot..." She facehoofed at her own short sighted thinking.

@@Nightmare Season "Ssszzzzwhaaa?" - The mare woke up to a sudden noise and looked around with eyes still shut. She rubbed them open and noticed it was dark everywhere. That meant Nightmare wasn't here. Crystal fished out her glowing necklace and it's pale light illuminated the cave. She was indeed, alone. She rubbed her forehead trying to guess what's going on when she saw something shimmering right by her cloud. The mare shifted slowly to the side and peeked under her floating bed. The golden root. "Okay, totally not suspicious..." she said to herself quietly. A thought came to her mind. If she ate the root now, she'd visit the dream world and maybe heal up faster. Maybe the alicorn will help. Plus, the threat of her friend eating it himself will cease to exist. After all, there was another root if he needed it. Crystal Clear shot a glance at the cave entrance - no sign of the orange glow. She scooped up the root in her hoof and ate it. Nightmare was right, they tasted terrible. She tucked away her glow-crystal as it was and laid back to sleep, fighting the urge to throw up from the bitterness. After a few minutes, she was back asleep. Crystal Clear knew she was in a dream, although how, she couldn't tell. Normally she needed to interact with Nightmare Season to notice. She was standing on a thick layer of mist amongst the stars - a strange place her imagination couldn't come up with on its own. "Hello?" She called out and looked around. "Anypony here?"

@@Nightmare Season, Oops, you're right! I'm not sure if she would manage to reach the saddlebags, and besides, she'd suspect Nightmare to be upset if his discovery suddenly dissapeared... Since Crystal is effectively grounded, we can as well time skip a few days till she can walk on her own again. What do you think?

@@Nightmare Season, Crystal smirked. "Yeah, mauls are awful. Remind me to never pick one as a weapon again..." She carefully pulled the blanket over her body, mindful not to bend her midsection - that tend to hurt - and put her head to rest on the smoky surface. All in all, it somehow proved to be great insulation from the cold. "Nah, black is okay too. Way better than stone floor in my book..." She gathered the black smoke with her forelegs into something akin to a pillow and laid worh ner head again, then yawned. "Ever tried to cook them? Or add spices? Sure worth a try when you have more than enough to experiment..." She avoided the topic of the golden root, hoping he'll forget about it eventually. They could hear the pines gently creaking under the late evening breeze. A soothing sound, actually. "Alright, that's my lullaby. Goodnight Nightmare. see you in the morning..." She pilled the smoke pillow closer and let out a relages sigh. Soon she fell asleep.

@@Orange Sparks "If the Isles declared war first, we would know beforehand, or at least hear news of drafts and the like. This whole decapitation strike at the entire Royal family places it squarely at the minotaurs laps. You even found orders from their leaders commanding to ponynap you." She sighed. "When the minotaur tribes start rubbing each other the wrong way, war is the natural way to keep them together. The minotaur kings knew thus for generations, but what bothers me us that they act differently now. Instead of landing on our shores without a word, they try and ponynap the princesses and poison the prince? That's a bit too sophisticated for them..." Crystal rubbed her forehead in thought. Now that she said it, it was pretty disturbing.

Crystal Clear looked intently at her console for any signs of problems during the tests. She noticed the impulse power increase to 70% and it got her worried a bit, but the starboard thruster bank didn't overheat. That was a relief. The whistle startled her for a moment and she blonked several times while looking around. The mare recalled the captain's words and said aloud: "Hmm, seems like we didn't blow up just yet. Good job team." She opened the coms channel to Alpha Team. "Hey guys, since you did such terrific job with those vents, I have a little something for you - starboard thruster bank is overheating and I want it to stop, so grab some suits and stay put till we enter warp. Then we'll slap it back in shape. Crystal out" The mare turned towards her assistant - "Take over from here, I need to hurry for that meeting. I bet I'll be the last through the door..." Since the Engineering was located in the aft, and on low deck too, she had to get through the whole ship en route to the Bridge. Crystal hurried out of the main Engineering and towards the meeting room.

@@Nightmare Season, The mare snickered - "Then I still have a flu ahead of me! Sorry, dark humor, I know..." She drooped her ears slightly at her misbehaviour as Nightmare pondered aloud the possibility of restocking in the forest. The part about healing in the dream world gave her pause, and she tapped her snout in thought. Technically, there was a way... Crystal put her hoof down as she noticed Nightmare was about to turn around and face her. She wouldn't risk messing the alicorn's plan just to heal faster. At least not yet. Crystal welcomed the nuzzle - she's always been a cuddlebug really. "It's easy for you bcause you've done it so many times, but it's my first, so I guess it's normal to worry in my situation. But I'll try too keep my spirits in decent condition. I know I'm in good hooves." She pooled quizically at the stallion who began scribbling something on the cave wall. "Grafitti? I didn't suspect you're the type who scribbles "Nightmare Season was here" in remote locations..." She rubbed her forehead as he explained what he was doing. "Uh huh, that makes sense. Not many ponies wander in these parts, so food would be scarce at best. It also helps when the scenery changes, like with seasons. Smart." She nodded with approval and surpressed a yawn. "Who would've thought that doing nothing for the whole day would be so tiring... Anything to do today, doctor, or can I go to a place where I don't feel like a guard training dummy after spear drill?" She asked with a smile and awaited the reply.

@@Nightmare Season, Crystal Clear decided to trust the stallion's judgement. "Fine, we'll take shelter here then. By which I mean you will, while I look like wolf bait." She couldn't let go of the issue of her immobilisation. She smirked at his reassurance. "yeah, i;m single use. And kinda already used... Okay let's get our stuff in here." The mare tried not to show it for Nightmare's sake, but, as a tradespony by education and temperament, laying idle when somepony else toled for her, and without any gratification too, simply rubbed her the wrong way. All this situation was just one huge nightmare. No pun intended. The sun was settlind down when Nightmare Season put her inside the cave and hoised their supplies up into their sanctuary. The mare lied on the cloud bed, eyes closed and thoroughtly bored. Somehow doing nothing was just as tiring as toiling all day, and she sure knew what the latter meant. Something told her that once she finally puts her hooves on solid ground, she won'r have any strength left in her. At some point, the sounds of stacking crates ceased and she opened her eyes to see what's going on. Nightmare used some of their supplies to stack some kind of a barrier between them and the world outside - clever. It blocked some of the wind, when it blew straight inside, and obscured them from sight from outside. The stallion was dismantling the foul nest and used it for kindling. She allowed herself a small smile - once it was burned entirely, maybe the air inside would be better... Crystal smiled pleasantly at the stallion when he asked her what she wanted to eat. "I don't suppose you have anything that will mend my ribs, no?" She waved a hoof at him. "Just kidding, I'll be fine with anything really, as long as I don't need both hooves to eat. I suggest you make something simple, since you've had more than enough work for today. Although if it's not too much of a trouble, maybe you could show me something more about prepping food to make it taste better. Cause you know, I've got all left hooves in this area." Nightmare opted for a thick stew, and Crystal agreed with his choice - it was rather easy to make, and she could eat it with ease. Besides, she needed more water to heal those nasty bruises faster. They ate in peace, occasionally throwing something into the fire. it started to be actually warm inside, and Crystal dug out from under her covers. She also asked for her glow-crystal and hung it from her neck, just to have a light source at hoof. Once the meal was over, she gave herself a look over. "I always thought my coat looks good with white, but... not really with white bandages. I'll need a dayjustto get my coat in order too... All the more reason for avoiding reckless decisions, I guess." She rolled over on her back and tried to touch her injured side with her good hoof. "Ouch, still hurts when I touch it... But somehow it almost doesn't when I lay still and breathe shallowly. Seems your medicine is working, so that's good, right? Only those ribs bother me, you know. Sounds serious for a pony who never had a broken bone, or even a doslocated joint even. I just hope they heal up fast..." She sighed and winced slightly, then asked the stallion - "How are our medical sticks holding up? We're going to use most of them on me, correct?"

@@Orange Sparks The crystal mare unsheathed her own hand and a half saber and gave it a few good looking swings. "Alright then! Let's have some fun!" Truth be told, she wasn't in the mood for jokes, considering the dire circumstances, but reckoned Clarissa could use some distraction from all of this. They began from showing some basis stances and attacks, trying to accommodate the needs of their audience and their varied equipment. Then, the mares had a quick sparring to show how it all looks like in motion. Later on, each took half of the students and trained with them - assigning pairs, showing what they did wrong and generally trying to make the best use of their limited time. They took some short breaks every now and then when the mares just talked, but after around three hours their students were tired and their minds drifted to unattended chores rather than some abstract need to defend their homes. Seeing the tiredness and distraction, Clare had no choice but to end the session and free the ponies back to their duties. The mares sat on a bench by the inn, and Crystal wrapped an arm around her fiance's shoulders. "Good job love, ever thought of becoming an instructor at the Academy?" She rested her head on the pegasi shoulder. "I reckon our gear won't be here in another two hours or so, and we could try to visit the horny mare before nightfall, just to put it behind us. I'm not sure when the reinforcements will arrive though." She nuzzled her marefriend's neck. "Any plans for now?"

The crystal mare was busy fine tuning the power output as the whole ship started munching on the juice. Every minute brought more stations and systems online and she needed to increase the amount of matter in the warp core a few times, even if the increase was measured in single percents. She saw when all phaser banks came online and couldn't help but bite her lip and shift anxiously as they fired on low power. Thankfully, nothing malfunctioned and the heat dissipation was stellar -"this vessel was designed with long firefights in mind, and excess heat sinks and cooling redundancies made it possible without care for overheating. Crystal touched the wine bottle under her console with her boot, and frowned. It shouldn't be here at the best of times, and especially during code red which would be in effect in a few minutes... She picked it up and handed to her assistant. "Stash it in our tool shed, in the locker with the power cells. Just close it afterwards. I'll register it with Security later and we'll have something for celebrations." The Assistant Chief Engineer seemed less than thrilled with this task, but took the bottle and hurried out of the Main Engineering. @@Mentis Soliloquy A buzz in her ear. Crystal listened to the captains request and replied on her favourite professional tone: "Copy that Bridge, shields and phaser banks are operating at full capacity. Impulse engines stable, the starboard bank has cooled down to acceptable level and the other two are working as intended. I'll inform if the starboard bank starts overheating again. Allocating power reserve to battle systems. Engineering out." She smiled when her assistant showed up on camera just as the captain announced red alert. The mare opened the heavy armoured door and let him in. "Just in time! I trust the booze is secured, aye? Good, now we can concentrate on keeping this ship from falling apart." Crystal opened the commlink to Alpha Team. "Hey there hammerheads, how are you doing with those vents? Sensor malfunctions and posters covering the air vents? Boooring! Wrap up this job and get back to the Clubhouse, we're at red alert and I need you on standby in case somepony fries something... Alright alright, I'll give you a beer cap medal if you hurry up in ten, is that enough gratification? Then you're out of luck pal, should've picked an office job! Crystal out." The mare smirked and said to herself. "What a colorful bunch of loonies..."

@@Nightmare Season, The red mare tried to move her left shoulder, only to discover that nothing changed in it's condition. She sighed and nodded, "Then it's settled..." The thought of the monstrous creature from yesterday made her visibly nervous - if it came back, she was as good as dead! Nightmare's reassurance somehow didn't extinguish her doubts entirely, but chipped off a large portion of them. She didn't like that Nightmare was thinning his supplies for the sake of sustaining some silly cloud, but Crystal knew better than whine openly about it. She just laid her head down and exhaled deeply in resignation. Nightmare picked the cue and pushed the topic, so she waved her good hoof at him. "Okay, okay, you know best what your limits are. I just don't like leeching off other ponies that's all." She hated her current situation, but also was grateful for Nightmare's help. She chuckled at the "doctor's orders", and winced in pain. "Bucking ribs... Alright you win, I can't do a thing on my own and I reckon it's easier to carry me around on that cloud than on some crude stretchers or whatever." They scouted the cliff face for a few hours, and were ready to give up and go back for dinner, when the mare saw something. "Is that...? Huh, check that out, looks like a cave entrance to you?" She pointed at a hole in the cliff face, a bit above the ground level. One would have to climb a bit to reach it, but on the other hoof, no regular predator would reach them there. "Sure, hoist me up. It's safer and faster that way." - She nodded and Nightmare lifted the cloud up to the level of the entrance. "I can't see much... too dark inside, but the entrance is spacious. Could fit our sleigh even, if we unpacked it that is. Toss a firebolt inside, okay? I'll see more with some light." The stallion agreed and shot a spike of flame at the ceiling, and for a moment Crystal could see the inside. "Yep, jackpot by the look of it! It sure is big inside. Wanna climb up and see yor yourself?" Nightmare reached the entrance in just a couple jumps - thankfully the way up was easy for a pony his size. Now that there was a reliable light source - Crystal left her glow-crystal in her jacket - the ponies could take a better look at their find. First thing she noticed were deep claw marks in and around the entrance. The size matched the yeti they fought yesterday, but she was no expert. The mare instinctively curled and hid her head, only to ge a flash of pain and a curious look from her companion. She hissed in pain and said in a low voice. "The c-claw marks, made me think of the beast that wrecked me. You think it's it's home? I can't tell if these are old or new, not from up here anyway... But the size match. W-we go inside?" Nightmare seemed to be willing to investigate, and she had no other way than let herself be carried along. She keenly noticed that there seemed to be just one room in the cavern, so that was good. What wasn't so good was that it was obviously dug out to be bigger. That would explain the slight incline right underneath the entrance. The cavern was empty save for what looked like a nest of sorts, or a bedding. Enormous by pony standards, made of pine branches, twigs and whatever one can find around to insulate from the cold rock. The mare also noticed that it was most ptobably the cource of an umpleasant stench that permeated in this cave. Crystal Clear looke at Nightmare Season expectantly. "So... we claim this place? It's surely better than our small den, but I'm afraid it's occupant still lives."