private "All that Shines" (1x1 RP between Platinum Gear and Raven Rawne)

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

OOC: https://mlpforums.com/topic/159274-all-that-shines-1x1-rp-between-platinum-gear-and-raven-rawne/

 

@

 

It was late evening in the Emerald Isles. The Sun has already retreated from the skies, and the crescent Moon stood watch over the land, along with it's loyal army of stars. Somewhere on the Throne Island,  seated at the heart of this curious archipelago, two mares huddled by a small fire next to their wagon. They were on the road to the capital of Opal Hill, and started their journey at the far end of the island, at the Dagger Peninsula - home to the famous Knight Academy where young nobles of this fine land learned to protect it, and it's inhabitants. And those mares were the newest graduates...

 

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Crystal Clear made herself comfortable again after tossing another branch into the fire. The night was rather warm, at least to her, but she always liked the colder weather. Still, she cuddled with the other mare for warmth and comfort, safe from the prying eyes of judgmental ponies. A rare luxury for a noble of their rank... She gazed into the stars as the other mare wrapped her arms around her.

 

"Who would have thought that our time in the Academy would be so... fruitful? Don't you think, Clare? If somepony would tell me that we'll be together like this a year ago, I would bash them with the back of my saber. Yet here we are, two mares in a lover's embrace... Do you remember how we got on this path? Back in the very first month of training? I missed the rally point and we got ourselves in deep trouble back then.  No support, no supplies,  just us in our flashy armors in the middle of nowhere..."

 

The mare looked into the stars, recalling the turbulent time from ten months ago when the pair got lost... and found at the same time.

Edited November 6, 2016 by Raven Rawne

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clarissa Sommerlander, the other mare, would normally be adorned in her full plate armor, but as it was night time and she just wanted to relax, she was in her leather and chainmail, with her kite shield that adorned the royal coat of arms on it's front nearby. She held the other mare close and nods "That was some time ago, ten months I believe old friend" she says as she nuzzles her friend, "and it was my fault you missed the rally point, I got stuck and you stopped to help me," she says as she too stared up at the stars "I mean you're the only reason father let me go to the academy" she says and slowly begins to close her eyes "To be honest Crys, I've always had feelings for you, and I believe father knew, with how I'd always spend time with you rather than doing my court duties and how I always rejected possible suitors" she chuckles softly/

Edited November 6, 2016 by Platinum Gear

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

Crystal Clear felt the nuzzle and responded in kind, by kissing the other mare in the cheek. "Same here, Clare. I just never thought that you'd accept my confession. .. Remember how upset he was when you said you wanted to go? It took days to finally convince him that I'll keep an eye on the heir of his throne. Or so he made us believe, for I think my father spoke on our behalf.  He's too preoccupied with "keeping the crystal blood clean" to even notice though. I guess it's a matter if time before he arranges a marriage with some colt from the continent..." She sighed at the thought. "Let's just hope I won't throw him from the tower."

 

Crystal Clear looked away from the bejeweled night sky and reached for her cloak hanging from the wagon. It was blood red, same as her padded arming coat, and bore her coat of arms and a small crystal Heart below it. The top was stitched together with a wolf pelt, for looks, warmth and an ounce of protection from overhead blows. The mare covered them both with it like a blanket.

 

"There, I know I'm more resistant to cold so I reckoned it might be a bit chilly for you." When they got comfortable again, she began the tale from ten months ago. "So we were on field exercises if I recall correctly. They sent us in pairs, fully dressed up, to get to the rally point we saw only on the map once.  Said it's meant to teach us orientation in unfamiliar terrain. Some lesson it was..."

 

-------- Dagger Peninsula, 10 months earlier ----------

 

They were on some kind of forest. Both in full plate armor and armed to the teeth. Crystal wore the same padded longcoat that reached to her ankles, but now she also wore black plate on her legs,  arms and torso, the wolf cloak on her back and a helmet with a raised visor.  Her breastplate bore her coat of arms. She lugged a tower shield and her trusty one hand saber, along with a war hammer and a dagger strapped to her belt. It was still early afternoon but it mattered little. They were lost anyway with no clue where the rally point could be.

 

"That's ridiculous! What kind of exercise is that?! How to survive when you get lost? Well for Heart's sake we are!" The crystal pony looked around, getting angry at her impotence against the cold facts.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clare shivered a little before the blanket was wrapped around her and she nuzzles once more and nods "Something like that" she says "Father's going to be the same I bet, there's very few things that'd make him change his mind about us" she says softly and snuggles up to her marefirend.

 

----

 

Clare emitted a low growl "How in the buck are we supposed to get to where we are supposed to go when we were only shown the map once and only very briefly too" she mutters and looks around her surroundings "And in all this gear? I thought this was all just for show and heavy battle, not for survival" she growls once again and begins to follow her friend's lead. 

 

The sun was beginning to set and due to the heaviness and thickness of her armor, Clarissa was being slowed down quite a bit, and she then accidentally steps in a hole and gets stuck "BUCK! Go! Go on a head of me Crys!" she yells, waving at her to go. "No sense in both of us missing the rendezvous"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

Crystal heard her lifelong friend yell behind her, and she turned around, sabre in hand and shield ready to block. Seeing no mortal danger, she lowered her weapons and approached her friend with a worried look. "I won't leave you even if I'll have to bring you to the academy on my own back, got it!? Now let me take a look so I can help you." She took off her helmet and laid it on the grass, revealing her ice blue mane, now in pretty bad shape. After quick inspection she let go of her shield too and said: "looks like you got stuck for real. You think it's a trap made by the instructors? Aaanyway, sit down. We need to dig your hoof out it seems..." The crystal mare grabbed her helmet and began unscrewing the visor to use it as a makeshift shovel, and took the opportunity to release some tension inside with a snarky comment. "Other explanation is that you put up some weight on the academy quisine, Your Highness. That bread and cheese really is divine, I tell you..."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare mocks disgust "Cheese and bread, euch, and you know better than to call me that" she says as she thinks about the options "Possibly, but it could also be a trap from one of the colts, you know how they've been disdained since we joined the academy" she says and looks to her friend "You truly are the true definition of best friend Crys" she says with a warm smile, trying to wriggle her hoof free, 

 

The moment, they get her hoof free, she curses as the sun finally sinks and the moon is raised "buck sake!" she curses and then adds a few choice phrases in her native language and sighs "Looks like we've missed the rendezvous for now" she says as she rubs her now sprained ankle then takes off her own helmet and curses in her tongue again then sighs "I ain't going nowhere with this until it stops hurting, guess we better set up camp" she says and sighs "Think you could gather some firewood?" 

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

Once Clarissa let her know her displeasure from that sour comment, Crystal just laughed. She just loved their banter,  even in the middle of nowhere.

 

Mentioning colts made her grimace. Some other cadets were insufferable, and the mare was anxious to bash their heads in during these exercises, but one stood head and shoulders above all others...

 

"I bet that if it is a trap,  it's been made by the order of that ox in spiky armor. You know the one, tall like the tree, broad like the sea, swinging a giant battle axe cause he couldn't master anything more complicated. He's the "commander" of the other team. Guess we'll get to him next time."

 

Hearing the kind words from her friend made her smile. "You can make me the Master of your bedchamber and not a single gossip will circulate the castle. You can count on me."

 

The mare hit something hard with her visor and Clarissa grimaced in pain. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, but I had to break these twigs... guess it was a trap after all... Dad taught me how to make these, but they were bigger and gad spikes st the bottom. Looks like it's just a warning... I'll help you get out on three."

 

It took some persuasion but they got the hoof free, but it looked like the princess sprained her ankle. Bad news to end the day as the last rays of sunlight faded.

 

"Snow and Ice,  we're in trouble. I'll make us a fire, don't go anywhere!" Crystal was about to look for fallen branches when she turned back to her friend and removed her cloak. "Here, it'll get cold soon. Just stay awake and answer my calls so I can get back to you in this dark." Since she couldn't do much more,  she went to forage for wood.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare raises an eyebrow "Master of my bedchamber eh?" she asks with a light hearted tone then shakes her head "It's okay Crys,  I know you didn't mean to hurt me" she says as she then takes the cloak and wraps it around her and watches her friend go off. She could smell Crystal's warm scent on the cloak and she smiles softly to herself "If only you knew" she says softly as she reaches into her packs and decides to go about sharpening her saber and sighed softly.  

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

It was hard to see in the encroaching dark, and gathering firewood was slow. Crystal Clear began forming a plan on how to get her friend back to safety, and it eased her mind somewhat. Having something to do was best stress relief she knew. And she needed to keep her head clear - that joke was too risky.  What if Clarissa asked why she got that idea? Crystal was never a good liar, not to her best friend. It's a miracle she haven't slipped even once for all these years, but she felt it for her. She knew it was wrong, that her father wouldn't allow it. Not to mention the Crown Prince!  This would be a political disaster,  after all.  So she bit her lip and stayed quiet. Hopefully she will have enough willpower to hold the secret...

 

She finally got enough wood to start the fire. Clare would be freezing if it took any longer... A sudden thought of cuddling under her cloak crossed her mind, and she shook her head furiously. This wasn't meant to be! Unable to locate her friend, Crystal yelled her name and waited for a response before she could go back to her.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

 

Clarissa could hear her friend calling her from a distance, which seemed to snap her out of her thoughts about her. "Crys! I'm over here!" she calls out and waits for her to arrive back. She shuffles from under the cloak and sighs softly, This cold is getting to me if I'm thinking about my true feelings for Crystal she thinks to herself then smiles as Crystal comes back "A-about time, as lovely and warm this cloak is, I was beginning to think funny thoughts because of all of this blasted cold." she says with a sigh "Honestly though, I don't know why you've stuck by me so long, I keep holding you back"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

The mare heard her friend call out in the distance, and walked to her as fast as she reasonably could. After a few minutes and nearly walking into a large tree, she got back to the other mare and started arranging the fireplace.

 

"No worries, I'll never leave you. You are my best friend,  remember? That, and I promised your farther to keep an eye on you. So I guess you won't get me off your back anytime soon." She smiled as she looked up at her friend, having almost finished preparing the ground to lay the wood on. "Good thing I keep a fire starting kit sewn into my arming coat. I'll make it warm in here real soon..." Not realising how it sounds, she asked Clare: "So what kind if funny thoughts you had? I need something to cheer up a bit."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

"T-thoughts t-that'd..probably have father disown me and.." she looks to her friend and smiles "Thoughts unfitting of mares of our statures"  she says then shakes her head and rubs her hands together "Were you able to find any food or are we to go with the meager rations that we were given?" she asks then sighs "A who am I kidding, you're the only one I can trust to keep a secret, and the only one I'm unable to keep secrets from" she says and looks at her with nothing but pure unadulterated love in her eyes "I was thinking of you"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

"O-oh. I see..." Crys felt her cheeks getting hot as she blushed immensely.  Only the dark allowed her to keep it hidden, until she lit the fire that is. She was always very shy about, well, these things, so she picked up her pace in stacking the firewood and avoided looking at the other mare.  When she asked about food, Crystal shook her head. "Unfortunately I found nothing. Well, I almost walked into a tree but I guess that doesn't count. Bread and cheese it is then." Finally satisfied with the stack, the crystal pony took off her armoured gloves and reached under the padded coat to fetch the fire kit, then put the dried birch bark in place and was about to strike the flint and steel when Clare spoke again. As the realisation struck the kneeling mare, she did the same with her fire starter. The bark caught flame with the first spark, same as her heart.

 

She was blushing so hard she wanted to put on her helmet, backwards. Eyes wide and ears on attention, she stammered: "Y-you d-did? I mean, what about your father? You said he'd disown you and..." Since the other mare seemed unfazed by all this, hiving her the same look, Crys took a deep breath and confessed. "I guess you're not the only one... I'm thinking about you too. A lot."

 

Meanwhile,  the bark caught fire and it spread,  slowly, onto the rest of the stack, illuminating the area and two speechless mares.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clarissa sighs and looks at her "You know me, I don't take buck from anypony, and that includes my over protective father" she says with a slight grin on her face, "He can go to Tartarus for all I care, I've l..I've had feelings for you for well..since we were in grade school together...you being there made those 'lady lessons' bearable...stand up straight, walk this way, sit this way, set the table like this, walk around with damned heavy books on your head..." he mimics their instructor and laughs a little "By the Isles, those lessons were a bore and totally useless to mares like us" she chuckles, "also my feelings and thoughts for you have also been the only things that kept me from crying from loneliness every night, well you, my pets and my plushies" she says with a shy giggle.

 

She then goes to grab some of the cheese and bread "Some sauce would help this a long way" she remarks.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

Crystal Clear laughed nervously as Clarissa continued speaking, about her father and the grade school. She didn't know what to do really. With no plan to execute, she felt vulnerable and unprepared, but... she also felt great relief. Telling the truth after all those years, her heart was released from a heavy burden. I'm order to get herself busy, the mare lugged her tower shield to sit on and began reassembling her helmet.

 

"You never told me of the lonely nights... I guess we'll be able to fix that, occasionally." The statement felt so... bold... But she didn't want her friend to be lonely ever again.  Not after they confessed to each other.

 

She smirked as the remark about source and replied. "For now you'll have to make do with just sass." Since she fixed her headgear, it was her turn to eat her own rations. "I guess I already told you,  but this cheese is not very Gouda. I'll file a complaint after graduation."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clarissa nods and takes off her heavy armor and lays down on her back "All those nights when you were at your home and not at the castle, I missed you greatly, I couldn't do anything but think of and about you all night and sometimes I did cry, because I missed you that much" she smiles warmly at her with her hands underneath her head, supporting it "Not your fault though, if I had my way, I'd have you at the castle all the time" she says with a giggle. 

 

She then munches a bit on her cheese and bread, looking at her friend and smiles "and in all honesty, I could care less if my father finds out, Cryssi, I love you and to me, that is all that matters" she says with a faint smile on her face.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

Crys listened to Clare as she ate her food, nodding or laughing occasionally. Since there was no telling how long they would be here, she stashed half for later. Her friend was right, there was no point in being afraid of others finding out. They weren't doing anything wrong, after all...

 

She had that look on her face, the one when she's thinking really hard but draws blanks. But one thing she knew. So she said without a hint of doubt. "I love you too. And by the Heart, my love would melt the ice of the distant North." As she spoke, Crystal laid her hand on her chest, where, underneath her armor, was a necklace resembling the Crystal Heart, the most precious and long lost relic of her strange kind. It wasn't just a casual ramble, but a solemn promise.

 

The mare decided to keep her armour on. Who knew what lived in these woods, and putting stuff on in a hurry was pretty much impossible. So she gathered her things and walked up to her friend and asked with a devious smile:  "Say, so you think there's room for one more under that cloak? "

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clare nods as she knew that routine and she knew what was underneath her armor, she lifts up the cloak and smiles at her "Well it's your cloak so you tell me" she giggles and then looks to her "But then..who knows, maybe our fathers will actually approve" she says optimistically, "I wouldn't be surprised if they've picked up on our feelings for each other" she says and as Crys sits next to her, she rests her head on her shoulder and sighs softly. "I wouldn't care if I got disowned and lost my chance at the throne, all that matters is to be with you" she says softly.

 

She then leans over and gently kisses her on the cheek

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crystal laid down her stuff and took a thoughtful pose. "I don't know really, I've never tried to fit two ponies underneath it. Oh well, guess we'll have to experiment. For Science." She nodded assuringly as she took a spot next to the other mare, and moved her shield so it would serve as a head rest once she lied down. Then, Crys took one side of her cloak and pulled over her like a blanket, but moving the stuffed wolf head away from her face. "Another day, another Victory eh?"

 

She considered her friend's imput. "You know, I guess they could figure it out, but it doesn't change anything in their schemes, I'm afraid. Just imagine the scandal if the news spread out... Best we can hope for is that they'll turn a blind eye untill a good marriage opportunity arises."

 

The crystal mare had to admit, sitting nex to to her best friend and her love, with her head resting on her shoulder like that while they sit by the fire, huddling under one piece of fabric... It wasn't that bad, actually. So she hugged the other mare, mindful of her armour.

 

"Thanks, but I would never demand anything like that from you. Even if we get some stupid husbands and... "extend our lineage"" - the mere thought made her grimace. - "It doesn't have to change that much between us, right? Nopony  will forbid us from meeting as often as we want, and if our husbands will have something against it, well, accidents happen..."

 

The kiss took her by surprise, but maybe that's why she reacted the way she did - by kissing her friend back, long and with fiery passion that would melt the Northern Ice.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

She nods "You're probably right there hun, i mean it was a miracle they let us go to the academy in the first place, I highly doubt they'd let us be together as a couple" she says and sighs as she snuggles close to her and rests her head on her chest softly "and yeah, accidents happen, but who knows, maybe our future husbands will actually be understanding and allow it. I sure hope so" she says as she closes her eyes, wrapping her arms around her and snuggling her to keep warm.

 

"So quiet and peaceful..it's almost..too quiet" she says as she pats the side next to her and sighs in relief as she finds her sword then gets her sharpening stone "Here, may as well use this up and sharpen your sword as well, and I don't mean your tongue, that's sharp enough as it is" she giggles

Edited November 7, 2016 by Platinum Gear

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crystal shrugged, but her armour made the gesture impossible. "The academy was a surprise, yes. I thought our families will never let us join. So maybe our foture... husbands... accept the inevitable reality, yes. But if you'll ever need to get rid of him, just come to my father's keep and show him the Snake Straits from the lookout tower. We don't call it the "widow's tower" for nothing heheh." She laughed as she recalled how her family called that tower, in memory of just such accidents happening quite a few times there. Still, the view it offered on the narrow body of water that led to the heart of the archipelago was unparalled, and the whole keep was built there to guard this passage from invasion. Ehh, she liked that old pile of rocks, the Raven's Nest, as it was known.

 

They sat like that in silence for a moment, until Clare decided to work on her sword's sharpness.

 

Crys laughed at her friend's observation. "Oh right, it's my deadliest weapon of all! If I wasn't a noble, I bet I would be an expert in brawls..." She took her saber and unsheathed it, then inspected the blade under the dancing light of the fire. "Nah, you know I'm a blade freak. Always sharpening my blades till they cut loose hair. No wonder I find table knives so irritating." She continued to play with her blade, watching as the light reflects from the sharp edge. "So what's the plan, Clare? We sleep in here but then? We could try to tie your leg to some branch so it wouldn't move and hurt that much, and get going. You can lean on me if it'll still hurt, but honestly, I have no idea where to go."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles and nods as she nuzzles into her marefriend's chest a little more "Hopefully the sprain will have gone away by morning, if so, I can fly up and see if I can spot the rendezvous or academy from the sky." she says as she looks into the fire and flicks a twig into it "The Snake Straits..hopefully it won't have to come to that" she says and slowly closes her eyes.

 

As she slowly begins to fall asleep from the warmth of the fire, the shared body warmth of her body and Crystal's, she  mumbles something in her half asleep state and then closes her eyes, snuggling more and more into Crystal, She then also begun to snore rather cutely.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crystal nodded as the other mare snuggled her rather intensely. She sheather her blade and put it within arm's reach, then reached to her belt and hid the war hammer under the shield, somehow managing with a snuggle fiend clutching to her chest. "Good plan, aerial reconnesance wil surely improve our chances, and the rally point camp will be smoking like a burning village in the morning." She considered Clare's reaction to the "husband disposal offer", and sighed. "Honestly? I sure hope that we won't have to resort to that, but... well... it's an... option." Truth be told, she probably didn't have what it takes to do it anyway.

 

Noticing her marefriend was about to fall asleep, they lied down and snuggled to keep warm through the night. Clare seemed really into it, despite the fact the the other mare was in her plates. Maybe that's how she usually fell asleep with her plushies? Not that the crystal mare minded. She could get used to it, and rather quick. Truth be told, it was really nice...

 

Seeing that Clare drifted off to sleep, Crys closed her eyes and followed suit soon after.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,516]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

The sun begun to rise in the early hours of the morning and Clare could feel the warmth of the sun's rays hitting her face and she could also hear the chirping of the birds in the early morning hours. She yawns and stretches, finding that her sprained ankle was now better and wasn't sore anymore. She smiles as she goes about making a small fire to keep warm and waited for Crystal to wake up. 

 

It didn't take long for her mind to wander on her love for Crystal and visa versa, it would be difficult to hide it from others but still doable, they'd just have to be very careful. Picking up a stick, she started doing love hearts in the dirt and sighs softly.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crystal Clear stirred up from her sleep, stretched a bit, and wiped her eyes. Once she opened them, she yelled and threw the coak off her, rolled to the side, picking up her blade where she left it and ketting up one one nee, ready to impale the beast she just saw right in front of her face. Panting a bit, she realised that it was, in fact, the stuffed wolf head from her own cloak. Majestic while she wore it, now it didn't seem like a good idea anymore. Realising she just made herself look like an idiot, she lowered her second favourite toy and looked around to find Clare. And there she was, sitting by the fire and trying not to laugh at the top of her lungs.

 

"Stupid wolf pelt..." She muttered as she got up, linked her saber back to her belt and picked the damn cloak off the ground to pin it to her armour again. "I'd get rid of it if it wouldn't make me look so good."