Raven Rawne

@@Orange Sparks, Crys burst in genuine laughter. "Now you're just rubbing the idea in me aren't you? Okay, one thing at a time? We have a wedding ahead of us I am not mistaken." She raised her palm, showing the ring. "By the way, it's not fair you don't have one. Guess we'll have to do something about it." The crystal mare strapped their oxen, still smiling to herself, and urged the animal to start walking. "So, you're going to take a nap again or something? We've got quite a trek to Opal, but I guess we should make it before midnight, and that's a pessimistic scenario." She walked for a few minutes in silence, then started asking questions. "So what do you think, a crystal ring would be pretty interesting, and fitting too! Sure, I'd have to import it from the continent but that would really be something..."

@@Nightmare Season, The mare decided to pick some more berries, and this time supplement with some of the preserved foods from the safe room. There was a lot of it in there anyway. So she quickly filled a bowl with fresh picked berries and loaded on some dried hay, clovers, dandelion flowers, and a small wheel of cheese. Crystal Clear walked into the kitchen trying to keep balance of her stack. She laid it all on the table, since Nightmare was already there and waiting, and presented her picks in a joking manner. "Ta-da! Today, chef recommends dried foods and fresh berries, since she's a lazy and awful cook!" The mare puffed her chest with pride and, after a moment, broke down in laughter. "Sorry... sorry... it's just my sense of humour... Come on, help yourself to any of those rare delicacies." Crystal grabbed a nearby plate and loaded herself a big portion of, well, everything. She was eating with some semblance of politeness when the stallion shared his thoughts.. She swallowed and rested her head on her foreleg and pondered over it. "Well... there are natural crystals in Equestria, of that I'm sure. Even saw a few decoration of Equestrian make, like a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling in a Manehattan bank. Thing is... for them, crystal is just one of the many materials in their disposal. it has no special significance over other pretty things and if not for the Equestrian Games and subsequesnt fashion for all things Crystal Empire, it would stay like that. Equestria has a slew of materials at their disposal - timber, stone, metals... We had ice, snow, stone and crystal. So we learned the subtle nouances between different types, which are hard and fit for tools and which are soft and best for other uses, that kind of thing. Some of us even grow crystals like plants. But in the end, it all comes down to the costs, and crystal products are made in small workshops by hoof, not mass produced in factories. Tradition of our kind gives me plenty of work for now, but I fear in time even crystal ponies will start thinking with their coin purses..." She sighed deeply. "So, yeah, I can add new crystals but I will still be more expensive and less available than cheap Equestrian goods laying on store shelves by the dozens." She groaned and facedesked. "I can't count how many mights I couldn't sleep because of this. No matter what I come up with, they always beat me."

@@Orange Sparks, Crys smiled reassuringly to the mailmare. The scenery was far from idyllic and her unease was completely understandable. She rolled her eyes at her marefriend's shenaningas and once the, now also embarassed, mailmare, flied back to the capital, she turned her attention back to Clare. "I almost got jealous, you're on an adoption spree and I am not included..." She pouted for emphasis while the sea behind her made her eyes look even more brilliant, thanks to her translucent state. The crystal mare shrugged and went for their oxen, while unconciously spinning the ring on her finger.

@@Orange Sparks, The crystal mare stared for a moment at her pegasus companion, as if trying to make her talk, but to na avail. She bit her lower lip and shugged. "Let's just hope it was a once in a lifetime kind of thing - I have no wish for an encore..." Crystal Clear noticed the impaled dagger and pried it loose when Clarissa was thinking aloud about they joys of settling down and having kids. Ater some persuasion it finally let go and she sheathed it by her belt, alongsode the hand and a half saber. Just because she wore only normal clothes didn't mean she couldn't strap iron to her belt. Since the shining was fuelled by good mood, and Crys loved it when she shined, she indulged in her future wife's daydream. "Yeah... After we have a little knightly honeymoon we could pool our piggy banks and buy some settlement and raise a modest manor, where we could just live together as a family. Sure, we would have to decide whether we adopt some foals or have our own, but that's just details really." She smiled widely at the thought. "Damn, I'm already starting to think how our house would look like. I am so sold on this idea..." Crystal Clear noticed the mailmare approaching them somewhat unsurely. She was doing her best to avoid the red pools and look away from the still burning pile of corpses. She was so out of her element... Crys nudged Clare in her shoulder pad. "Wake up, seems you wanted to leave without saying goodbye. At least pen a note for miss Hooves to deliver. With a post scriptum that I want a warm bath a cool wine at my guest chamber."

@@Nightmare Season Crystal Clear stopped mid-step and looked at Nightmare, then nodded. "Excellent idea! I've never really been an outdoorsy type so I guess that's one reason I haven't thought about it..." She brought a hoof to her chin, as she always did, and stared nowhere in particular as she mused over the idea. "Hmm... I can't recall finding anything like it..." She stomped with the raised hoof and exclaimed: "I know!" The mare winced at the sudden cacophony of echoes. "Ouch, sorry. We can use an empty barrel from that storage room as outer shell. Sure, most were busted but maybe one will be more or less okay. Then we can try and fit a smaller container inside and stuff the in-between with rags and whatnot. And if course nail it down to the sleigh, preferably by the rear. I reckoned I'll pull and you'll push, since the harness is too small for you. And we don't want our supplies to catch fire from your tail..." She smiled reassuringly with her last sentence. "Now, back in my workshop I would make a small cistern in no time but I left my tools at home... Guess I'll have to try my hoof at carpentry then. I saw some basic carpentry tools in the safe room but my main concern is making it hold the water." Crystal paced the room for a bit to figure out something. "I guess I could nail down slats onto the junctions between individual boards and soak it all in the hot spring. That way the wood would expand and hopefully seal the holes." She nodded reassuringly to Nightmare. "Okay, I can do that. And break down some pebbles for that slingshot too. So that's on my to-do list. I'd like to ask you to bring the best barrel from the storage room, those are rather heavy and with magic you should have it easier. I'll go grab the carpentry tools and any easily accessible wood, maybe pry out some nails too... Alright, let's get going then. See you here in a few minutes." The mare turned to leave when the stallion proposed another project. She looked over her shoulder and replied: "I'm not sure I can make spear shafts but I can try. Thing is, those spears are metal, so I don't know if we can affix new shafts just like that." She trotted out of the room to bring her supplies. Finding the tools was easy and she brought them in just a few minutes. Nightmare was still off looking for the perfect barrel so the mare ventured back to look for wood. She went to the dorm, remembering the beds Nightmare cannibalised. They had some nice, long, straight boards. Crystal had some problems with disassembly, but she quickly noticed that a good buck would do the trick. Some ten minutes later or so, she broken down three beds and had enough wood for her little project. Or at least she thought so. Carrying the supplies proved harder than it should be so after delivering the first haul, she asked Nightmare to levitate the boards to them, then started working. The barrel had just one puncture on the lid, so it was pretty much perfect. The mare measured the inside diameters with hooves and available items, chose the boards for the inner cistern and started cutting them to length with the saw she found. Later on she assembled the construction with nails she found in the safe room and a few ones pulled out off the boards. An hour later, she wiped her brow and announced: "I hate carpentry... but this thing is ready. Nightmare, could you dump it into the hot spring to soak? I need a moment, then I'll get to work on slingshot ammo." She licked her lips. "All that work on the cistern made me thirsty... Not in THAT sense, mind you, water would suffice. Buuut it's all outside, waiting to be melted. If you could spare a moment, it would be nice to acquire some. I'll be by the collapsed wall you blew up to chip some pebbles if you need me." She pulled out her crystal pickaxe from her saddlebags and went to the impromptu quarry, using now nicely charged up necklace for light. Nightmare's flames seemed to work better than direct sunlight. The mare was chipping a stone slab into rubble when she saw familiar orange reflexes on the walls and turned to face the stallion. "Nearly finished here, I have a whole bag of ammo. Speaking of which, I should've brought one with me to pack the stones inside... Oh, you brought water, thanks." She took the cup from his magical grasp and tried the temperature. Still warm, but not too hot. She drank it all in a few gulps. "Once again, thanks. I'll finish shortly and we'll eat something. Well, I will for sure, you can either join me or wait for your treat till I catch some z's." She smiled somewhat and resumed her work. "Oh and throw a bag or empty sack at me so I can pack it up." Some twenty minutes later or so, she carried a flour sack of stones back to the sleigh. "Okay, time to eat."

@@Orange Sparks Crys returned the nuzzle and said apologetically. "It was my fault...I got so confused between you and my father that I talked nonsense. I'm sorry for that." Clare laid out her plan and climbed the wagon. Meanwhile Crys looked at the ring on her finger from different angles. It looked beautiful. She rose to her hooves and dusted off her clothes, then tied the lace of her shirt, lest it would show too much. The mare turned to face the pegasus, who was still in her plates, and looked at her quizzically. "Different... how? Once I finished venting I felt like I had no will to live, and got so weak that I couldn't get up but... I have no idea what it was." She turned around to show off her shiny translucent self. "Isn't this enough of a cue that I feel great? Feels like you saved my life just now!" She suddenly remembered something. "You did say goodbye to the villagers, right? And I reckon we leave the ship to the guards to sort out?"

@@Orange Sparks Crystal stared at the ring on her finger like it was the most important thing in the world. Well, it was in hers at least. Whether she understood what Clare was talking to her was anypony's guess though. She didn't react in any way until the pegasus got up and brought the crystal pendant. It still shined that blue white light but once Clare picked it up it was only a bit warm to the touch. The sitting mare tried to back away from the piece of jewelry, but all she managed was to lean heavier on the wheel behind her. Tears came to her eyes as Clare tied it back on her neck and she started to protest, but a kiss silenced her. She seemed to realise something and grabbed the crystal heart with the same hand Clare put a ring on, and held close to her chest. Once Clare was holding her in her arms, she looked at her, then at her ringed hand, and said. "I love you Clare... Always was and always will." Then she closed her eyes and added. "And I accept my ancestry." Even though her hand was tightly clenched around the tiny crystal heart, brilliant light emanated from within and temporary blinded both mares. Crystal Clear felt as a wave of warmth and... life, emanated from the bauble and reached to every part of her body. She felt her strength again. A lightness in her chest made her feel again. And clear head made her think straight again. She opened her eyes and smiled at the pegasus. "Hello sweetie, or should I say, dearest wife? I'll have to come up with new pet names." She was back in business, nice and shiny. Literally, since she crystallised in her wife's arms.

@@Orange Sparks Crystal Clear didn't know how much time passed since she freed herself from the looming shadow of her ancestry when Clarissa got back to her. The greyed out mare looked up at her marefriend with slight surprise and said in a dull monotone. "You... came back? I told it to go fuck itself. That I want none of it and won't waste my life on old mares tales. I'll never hurt you because of it..." It seemed she tried to kick something but her hoof didn't hit anything, just weakly cut through the air. Crystal Clear trailed Clarissa with her dull eyes as she reached for something, but had no strength, or will, to get up, so she propped herself into a sitting position and rested her back on the wheel of their cart and talked nonsense. "I did it Clare, I did it for you. I freed myself from it's shadow and can be my own mare, not a breeding oven for its cause..." She saw Clarissa come back into view and smiled weakly. "You came back..." It seemed she had only rudimentary grasp on what was going on. She heard the other mare propose to her and mustered a reply, weak as it was. "I... y-yes." As soon as Crys said those words, a nearby pool of mud and blood erupted in blue flame, sizzling and drying out. After just a few seconds the ground in a elbows radius became dry as in the worst drought, revealing the mare's pendant, now glowing blue-white like it was incredibly hot. It spooked the crystal mare who tried to get away from it, but her legs failed to carry her. She began shouting to the pendant as it was a living creature. "No, I told you I am no longer yours! Leave me and Clare alone!" She brought her legs to her chest in a fetal position and her eyes darted fearfully between her love and the pendant.

@@Orange Sparks Crystal Clear chuckled as Nightmare Season levitated the root away. "Suit yourself." She rested her head on her hoof as she listened to his reply, then summed up his plan. "I see... so it's farewell once we get back to the Empire then." She saw her get up and exit the pool, and reluctantly followed suit in a single leap, then shook herself off the excess moisture. "Sure thing Nightmare, just give me a moment to adress this... mane problem." She pointed a foreleg at her hairstyle and laughed as the stallion disappeared in the corridor. Crystal looked at herself in the mirror and rolled her eyes. "All the effort went to the trash." She shrugged and just combed her mane back, grabbed her things and put on the glow-crystal, then trotted towards the stacked supplies. Her approach heralded by a clip clop of hooves on stone, the mare emerged in the main hall where Nightmare was already waiting by the sleigh and some supplies, their stuff from the dorm included. She walked in and showed off her mane. "How do you like my new manestyle? I'd call it "I fell into a lake". Okay jokes aside, what do we have here..." She took inventory of what they had in disposal and began sorting what she'd like to take. "Food, lots of it... three bedrolls... that axe and sling for sure... one lamp and some oil and spare wicks... a set of warm clothes for Evie... those spear points too... you have the herbs and medical supplies in your bag..." She started pacing around the room, thinking what else to pack. "Any Ideas on what I missed? We've got some room still."

@@Orange Sparks At first Crystal Clear didn't pick on the distress her love was in. Only when she heard a sniff and Clare grabbed a blade and run did the sheer magnitude of her folley dawn upon her like a blood moon rising. The mare turned and extended get arm, but caught only air. She shouted with trembling voice. "Clare! I'm.. I'm..." she never finished that sentence as tears rushed to her eyes and her throat clenched shut. Crystal leaned on the cart and cried. At some point, she saw through the tears that she was still holding the dagger. And that it rested unconsciously on her wrist. She tried to make that cut, but her hand didn't move. A wave of anger rose through the sea of sorrow as she howled and impaled the dagger in the car's side, with enough force to break the wooden board. She then tore the pendant from her neck in one swing, breaking the golden chain, and tossed it into the nearby pool of mud and blood. That's when she lost it and began yelling to the piece of jewelry as if it was the actual Crystal Heart. "Look what you've done! She ran from me, all because if you! A mythical relic from old mare's tales! You demand us to sacrifice everything for you, and we don't even know if you're real! Ponies die in ice and snow, ponies die inside in arranged marriages to add more fodder to your cause, I have to choose between you and the pony I love more than anything in this world and for what?! A delusion of lost grandeur!?" She paused, out of breath and blind from tears. Crystal Clear stood for some time, sobbing, and finally adressed the heart one last time, this time quietly, with apathy and resignation. "If that's what you demand, then I renounce you. I won't let you hurt her through me ever again." The crystal mare felt weak, her coat became dull and greyed, mane fell flat and her bright sapphire eyes looked dead. She leaned on the cart and slid on the ground, then curled up and remained motionless, as if waiting to die.

@@Orange Sparks "Yaay!" The filly was overflowing with joy at the prospect. "I'll go tell brother, he won't believe me!" She ran to find Dusty and, quite probably, talk his ear off. Crystal Clear already finished her meal and engaged in playing with her knife, pulling some tricks. She twirled it around for a downward stab when Clarissa adressed her. "She's taken, sorry. But I bet there are other good fillies and colts who could use a loving mother." The crystal mare braved herself into tossing the blade up and changing hands when Clare asked another question. She missed it and the dagger impaled the ground between her hooves, finally free from the heavy hoofboots. She looked at Clare who apparently didn't notice and picked it up. She knew that trick, so why it didn't... "Oh." She exclaimed to herself, then followed. "I mean... your father approved it. Mine just wrote a letter while yours was breathing down his neck. It will take some time before he settles with my choice, if he ever really does. That "little talk" he mentioned will be, basically, dragging me through the guilt traps of forsaking my kin, because to him, all that matters is this." She took her crystal heart pendant in her fingers and brought closer to the other mare. "One day it will be found, and our expeditions are creeping closer every year. And once it does, how many will return to our ancestors home? It bugs me Clare, I love you so much I don't have the words for it, but I cannot discard my kin." She stares at the crystal pendant, twirling it to let the sun dance on its facets. She continued, sad, seemingly on the verge of tearing up. "I don't have the answer to your question. Not yet."

@@Orange Sparks The mare with a crystal pendant smirked and narrowed her eyes. "Oh I bet you wouldn't..." The filly seemed to be deep at thought over what the pegasus told her. Finally she beamed and nodded. "Yes! I'd like that! " Meanwhile, Crystal Clear ate her rations and frequently paused to watch the sun shine on her dagger 's blade, pondering over something.

@@Orange Sparks The cause for this interruption became apparent very fast, as Crystal saw the adopted daughter of the innkeepers nearby. She nodded that she'll behave and had the hand removed. As per usual when foals are concerned, Crys let Clare take the lead. The crystal mare resumed eating and just watched the interaction until Clarissa talked to her once more. She shrugged and her crystal heart pendant swung with the motion. "If I didn't know you better I would think you're in the mood for one of your own, if you catch my drift. Either you're permanently like that or just like foals." ------------------------------------- Rose Petal looked at the princess as she kneeled beside her."I told brother, so it's okay." She shrieked in joy as the grey pegasus picked her up and started asking about her stuffed companion. "Her name is Purrie, because she purrs a lot. We've been friends since forever! "

@@Orange Sparks She looked at the laden mare with a dose of surprise. "I thought we were supposed to stay away from their stockpiles. They didn't look like coin eating types..." Still, she shrugged and accepted the food and cut a slice of fish with her dagger. She nearly spat out at the memory, but managed to swallow and only then burst in laughter. "Oooh come on! How could I forget? We could die there and I shined the whole time! Now that I think of it we made some serious research on my crystal form... Who would have thought that you could see... mmph?" She looked questioninly at Clare who was holding her hand over her mouth. A pretty obvious cue to shut up.

@@Orange Sparks Crystal Clear grinned like mad when Clarissa bought her idea. She nudged her and said. "Nice save huh?" The mare was less pleased once she was holding her ration. She made a pretty funny face as she mocked disgust. "I swear if I never eat that stuff again it will be too soon..." Seeing Clare leaving to find the mailmare, the crystal pony laid her meal and took off her dirty armor, till she was dressed just in a pair of charcosl breeches and a white shirt, with her crystal heart necklace proudly on display. 'Ah, much better." She combed her mane in shape with her fingers and retired her ponytail, and only then did she start eating.

@@Orange Sparks Crystal blushed profundly at the sudden kiss, and replied in a sheepish manner. "I uhh, just wanted to take your mind off the worries, and... kinda overdid it, maybe?" Thankfully Clare changed the topic and the mare listened, nodding, but another rhetoric jab required some kind of riposte. Once their lips parted, Crys pouted and replied, somewhat hurt. "You missed the point! Fighting back to back is rather special, but think of the after party!" She made a wide gesture with her free hand, as if showing her the world. 'Once we dump the bodies overboard, it's just you and me on a boat under a million stars. Maybe we could even spend the rest of the night there..." She winked knowingly as they approached the village. "Okay, let's get rid of that plate and raid our wagon for chow. No point thinning their supplies, right? You write the letters and we take a nap before the raid." She looked at her blood smeared armor. "Guhh, I wish I had the time to clean it properly..."

@@Orange Sparks Crystal rolled her eyes and sighed, still hugging her love. "I'm asking you out on a battle date and you extend the invitation to a guard detatchment?" She poured and continued. "Fine, we'll go back to the inn and you'll write a letter for miss Hooves to deliver. Pegasus guards should arrive before sunrise so you could lead the raid. I'll just... stand on shore and cheer for you, or something." She let go of the other mare and walked her back to the inn. "Come on, let's not waste any more of the mailmare's time. I saw her around somewhere."

@@Orange Sparks Crystal and Dusty walked outside the village and saw Clarissa staring at the funeral pyre of their enemies. Ponies erected another one for their loved ones, but placed the deceased respectfully. A few families were standing nearby, and Crys keenly noticed that there weren't many bodies in there. Most probably the fact that stallions were at sea saved them from getting slaughtered before the mares arrived. A small consolation seeing all those tears. She walked towards Clare but the stablecolt reached her first. Truth be told, she got jealous that he got to comfort her but, well, she wouldn't separate them just to stroke her ego. The crystal mare nodded at Dusty when he mentioned her, but her mind was occupied with other matters. That ship would fetch good coin, and maybe further Intel... She paced back and forth, stroking her chin and pondering how to seize it. Keeping herself occupied was her best coping mechanism, aside from drinking that is, and getting hammered like an old anvil was out of the question. She gave her love all the time she needed to recuperate, and once she let the stallion go, Crys waved at her. "We need to talk, come with me." She led her marefriend on a short walk outside the village. "There's one more matter we need to take care of, and I think you'll like it. They found the ship our would-be captors arrived. It's anchored nearby and crewed by ponies, maybe a privateer or simple pirate but it's a pony vessel. Confiscating it will give a huge financial boon to the rebuilding effort, you'll have the opportunity to vent on a few more traitors and maybe they will have some more Intel. So, what do you say? We get them at nightfall?" She nudged her marefriend playfully with her hip, trying to pick her mind out of the doom and gloom she dragged herself into, but seeing it didn't work, she just hugged her tight and said nothing.

@@Orange Sparks Crys looked at him inquisitive, trying to notice any hint of a lie. She found none. "Thanks. Truth be told I need to step up my game or Clare and her ancient minotaur knife will save the day on their own. Almost got a huge war mace to the head back there..." The mare batted her ears and coked her head in surprise. "So, if we were clad in pretty dresses and didn't know how to hold the iron you would fight and die in our stead?" She shook her head. "Heroes get fancy graves Dusty, if none would live to tell the tale, then we would be in trouble. Don't underestimate the value of your lives. In such scenarios information is more important than impaling a raider or two. Just my two bits darling." She smiled at him to soften the blow to his honorable mindset. A stallion ran into the stables, fisherpony by the look of him. He took a moment to catch his breath and said in an agitated voice. "Countess, we found the ship! It's a cog, no longer than three our boats. We saw it in a small bay West from here, in the direction from Opal. It was anchored and we saw ponies on board, but didn't dare come closer to take a headcount." The mare rose to her hooves, approached the stallion and patted him on the shoulder while congratulating. "Good job, I'll think of a way to seize it. Now go to your family, I'm sure they were worried by your absence." The pony nodded and left, and Clare waved at Dusty to follow him. "Come, let's see how your sister-in-law plays with fire. And remind me to take a look at your arm." The pair left the stables and walked in the direction of a collumn of smoke.

@@Orange Sparks Crystal Clear held the sobbing mare close. She was on the verge of tearing up herself, but she had to be strong for Clare. "I know, I know..." She said patting her head and caressing her mane. "You are a great princess and you know why? Because you care. Any other noble would loot the corpses and be on their way but not you. But you have to see that you can't overdo it, or you post a garrison by every hut you visit. This wasn't your fault you hear me?" They stood like that for a small eternity, at last Clare regained some composure and went to burn the corpses. "That's it girl, erase them with the flames." She said as her love turned to go. That's when she saw Dustyhoof , but his presence made no difference. Crystal Clear leaned on a wooden pillar and slid down on it into a sitting position, like she didn't have the strength to stand. "This is just beyond me... I know I need to keep it cool for Clare, but I just feel the accusation in the villagers eyes. They blame us for what happened. You blame us. Yet we didn't know there was another attempt at Clarissa... I just want to lock myself in the wine cellar and never come out, you know? I want to run from responsibility, dump it on somepony else's lap and run." She gesticulated in exaggerated fashion, leary distressed by the whole affair. "But there's nopony to clean up thus mess so I have to mare up and just do it... How's your arm and your family? Anypony else hurt?"

@@Orange Sparks Crystal Clear looked at her marefriend with concern. She never saw her so... She didn't have the words for that, but she didn't like it. The mare just stood and watched as Clarissa handed the coin and made some more promises. This was getting our of control. Crystal Clear walked over to the mare, grabbed her by the hand and unceremoniously led into the stables. Well, what was left of it. How could a small crew wreck a village like that? Once they were out of sight she put her hands on Clare's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. With a deep sigh she started. "Look, I know you feel guilty and all but before the sun is down you'll erect a fortress here and award land and titles to every villager. Snap out of it Clare, we didn't know we were followed and you couldn't prevent it. Now look at me. LOOK. AT. ME. Get something flammable and burn the corpses. Piss on them of you feel so inclined but get them out of the way. Don't give me that stare, I'm doing it for your own good. Go there and cool down I say. Chop the carcasses with your sword, get drunk, bang somepony, whatever works. If you want me I can take it from here but stop promising them more and more, this is going nowhere. We will do our best to rebuild and recompensate their loss you hear me? But in a proper manner. Finish that list and then burn the traitors, and once you can think straight again, come back and we will continue our work here." She hugged the other mare and kissed her, then said. "I love you and you know I do this for you. So don't be a stubborn mule and let me help you okay? Now go finish that list." Crystal let go of Clare and watched her next moves.

@@Nightmare Season, Crystal Clear sat comfortably while Nightmare Season told her the story. Well, what was known of it, at least. Holding the strange root in her extended hoof, the mare took a good look at it, sniffed even, but wouldn't dare taste. As last she spoke. "Alright, take it back to your saddlebags, wouldn't want to make it wet." She sighed and rubbed her mesy mane in thought. "I can't add anything to that, but I do have an idea, however. You said those trees grow in some select places, right? And one is in the, uhh... Everfree Forest, as they call it. I think I recall correctly, the Equestrian ponies warned us about that place. Since the Empire is expecting your return to see the Princess, you could present your case to her and ask for aid in, say, converting your kind into daymares." She waved a hoof at him and chuckled. "I know, sounds far fetched, but believe me, stranger things have happenned. Maybe the Crystal Princess will lend her assistance, or at least grat you access to the library. We used to have the largest library in the known world, so maybe... I can back you up as a respcted citizen, that should make it easier." The mare shifted her position underwater and asked with a raised eyebrow. "So what do you think? Worth a shot, I dareay."