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

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles and wipes her tears away "That was priceless Crys" she says as she munches on her remaining cheese and bread and puts it aside "My ankle is better, so when you're ready, I can fly up and see if I can spot the rendezvous camp" she says as she stretches her legs and twists her hooves around a little. She then smiles at her once more and flexes her wings after taking off her leather armor and starts to preen them. "if this was indeed a trap by that lunkhead, I'll be sure to teach him a lesson after we get back to the academy" she says with an almost evil chuckle

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

The mare adjsted the straps of her cloak and set it "just right", with the wolf head on her left shouder. "Thanks, so I can be your court Jester too? On second thought, nevermind. I don't want to run the whole court on my own." Crys laughed at the last sentence while she picked her shield and helmet and placed them closer to the fire, so she could sit on the bulky piece or reinforced wood. She also decided to eat quater of her remaining food,so she cut the bread and cheede with a dagger and began to eat. "I need to take the recipe from their cook, I'm going to miss the academy food..." The sarcasm was quite evident.

 

Since Clare felt better, Crys decided that as soon as the other mare preens herself they could get going. She replied once she finished her poor excuse of a meal. "I guess I'm ready when you are, and as for the trap, I'd talk to the instructors first if they know anything about such surprises in the academy grounds. See, we can always bash this guy's helmet till his spikes go inside out, but if it's really one of the cadets, then taking it up the chain could cause them more trouble than a few bruises."

 

She looked at Clarissa, who was busy with her wings, and asked with a smile. "Need some help with these, dear?

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles and nods "that is true, he'd be put on night patrol every night for the rest of the year with nothing but his bare minimums" she giggles and nods once more "that'd be much appreciated love, I'm only half way through with this one, but if you could help with my other wing, that'd be great. I could fly up sooner and find the camp" she says as she starts to shine her armor, which was something of a habit for her. she smiles at Crystal "Crys, I just want you to know, I'm glad it was you that I got stuck in this here forest with"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crys nodded with satisfaction. "yeah, that would be nice, but I guess he'd have a trauma from not wearing spikes all the time haha! Really, what kind of ridiculous idea is that?" She shook her head as she got up and spproached the other mare to help her preen. She flexed her fingers and got to work. "Me too, Clare. Me too..." The mare hugged her friend from behind and nuzzled her neck lovingly, but only for a moment. They'll have plenty of time for that later. So she reluctantly let go and started preening the pegasi wings "Tell me if I do something wrong, okay? You're the only pegasus I ever preened, and still only occasionally... I sometimes wonder how it feels to have wings, you know. To actually be able to fly on your own and all that. I guess it must be amazing, am I right?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles "It make you feel free" she says and nuzzles her before she looks at a feather she had preened and smiles at it "I sometimes wish I had a prettier coat, I mean I'm just a plain grey" she says with a giggle and looks into the skies "Clear skies at the least, that'd make it easier to find the camp and get there" she says as she then looks to her armor "Shall we continue our heavy armor or get down to our medium armor?" she asks and looks around, "seriously, what was the academy thinking though, letting that thick headed beast get in"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

The crystal pony nodded at the other mare's words. "Yeah... feeling free must be amazing.... Oh and don't worry, grey goes with nearly anything, after all! just imagine me in a green dress and you'll know what I mean. I guess I'm lucky that my heraldry consists of red, blue, black and white - I would look ridiculous in green haha!"

 

Once Clare asked about her plans about armor, Crystal replied: "As much as I'd like to lighten the load, I'd have to carry it all in my hands, so heavy it is, I guess. That, and the instructors would talk our ears off how "unprepared" we were in case of ambush and whatnot. So once we get you preened and you'l finish the aerial reconnesance, I'm afraid we'll continue in full plate."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare nods "Heavy it is" she says as she finishes her wing and flexes it a bit "Ah much better, you nearly done there love?" she asks as she grabs her flying goggles and smiles at her oldest and closest friend "also, when we get back to the castle, I'm going to treat you to a massive feast" she giggles and then as soon as Crys finishes preening her wing, she flexes it "Perfect dear, now I'll be right back" she says, slipping on her goggles and flying into the sky.

 

It didn't take her too long to find the camp "Off to the northwest dear" she shouts as she lands back down and starts packing her things and putting on her armor.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

"just a second more. You really trashed that feather... aaaand done! You're ready to fly."

 

She laughedat the mention of a feast. "Yeah, right, you just want to make me fat so I won't be as fast as you with the blade! Slim chances Clare, I'm not growing out of this suit anytime soon!"

 

Once the pegasus was off, Crystal decided to douse the fire so they would get going sooner. She kicked the soil that she removed on the previous evening inside the circle to kill the flames, like her father taught her to do when they were hunting together. Simple and effective, soon only a thin trail of smoke marked the place where they had a fire.

 

It didn't take long before Clare was back on the ground, having found the camp from the sky. Northwest? Crys would go West if dhe had to make the call, so it's probably best she didn't have to. Soon, the mares were walking in their full gear.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare chuckles at the thought of Crystal being chubby "I was going to say that you'd be more snugglier" she giggles and kisses her cheek, strapping her shield to her back and looking around "Right, we need to head that way" she says as she picks up the rest of her things and starts to walk in the direction, "It'd seem some of our more friendly fellow recruits got there and are questioning the drill sergeant on our whereabouts"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crystal snorted. "Snugglier? Really, Clare? We're not some housewive body pillows for Heart's sake! We're here to become the knights of the realm, and we need to stay fit."

 

As they started walking, the other mare mentioned what she saw from the air, and the crystal pony found it rather hilarious. She bumped into her friend's shoulder and said with a sly grin. "Oh I bet they are, everypony would notice the absence of a hot heir to the throne and the shiniest flank in the kingdom." She giggled a bit, then continued. "Seriously though, I was expecting they would look for us soon. They try to make it tough, give us a taste of the life at war and all that, but leaving nobles in the woods for too long is just risky."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare giggles "aaw but when you sleep you are so adorable" she says "I could hear you call my name in your sleep" she says and nods "I do agree though, we do need to stay fit and tough" she says and looks around, sniffing the air "I do have to say this one thing, the forest air smells a lot fresher and crisper then that back of town, (Going by Fable layout, you know the whole industrial thing), I can see how some would prefer the wilderness to civilization, plus there's little chance of prying eyes and wagging tongues" she says and nods "And once again you are right, I think that might be what they were trying to organize, It also seemed that great lummox wasn't there either."

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crystal Clear lowered her helm's visor to hide the blush. "P-leeease, you're such a tease..." She didn't dare open her helm just yet, but she knew the sentiment very well. "Agreed, that's why I like it back home. The nearest town is a few miles off our keep, so the air is rather fresh, and really it's just a nice and quiet place most of the time. Not like the Royal Palace - in the middle of the city, with legions of visitors every day..." The mare stayed silent for a moment, recalling the images of home. Mentioning the absence of the pony they suspected of setting the trap brought her back to the present, however. "I sure hope he's not trying anything stupid, like waiting for us somewhere with that axe of his... Who was he anyway? I don't recall which family he was from."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare thinks for a moment "Honestly, I don't know, it's like he sort of just got in by pure luck" he says "Or it could be a diplomatic thing, he looks like a Minotaur and I heard things between our kingdoms and their villages have been rough lately, so allowing one of theirs to become a knight for our kingdom could be a truce thing...as unlikely as that is"  she says "And you're right, the air back at the palace is rarely clean or fresh" she says as she makes sure to look where she is walking this time and to keep an eye out for any more traps. "Not all were there, so there could be an ambush up ahead"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@,

 

Crys looked straight up and whined loudly. "Ughhhh, not a Minotaur... These guys are tough as nails and cut a pony in half with one swing! Why you never have a ballista at hand when you need it..."

 

She noticed something in the distance and decided to pull up her visor to het a better look. "Is this...some kind of a ruin up there? I can't see well through the trees but, looks like stone wall to me. See? Up ahead, some hundred steps or so." She looked at the other mare, slightly worried. "Should we circle around it?"

Edited November 8, 2016 by Raven Rawne

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare raises her own visor and takes a look "They sure do look like ruins, I heard that there might be ruins in here but.." she taps her foot in thought "We best be careful, if there is indeed an ambush planned for us, then that's a likely spot for them to go from, it gives them plenty of shelter and a vantage point over us" she says as she lowers her visor again and her hand quickly goes to her sword, "be on your guard Crys"

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@

 

The crystal pony nodded as she lowered her visor and drew her saber, then smacked it against her shield for emphasis. "Let's do this then. We'll approach slowly, hugging the trees and with our shields ready in case they have crossbows. Once we get closer, we'll see if there's some threat against us..."

 

The mares slowly approached the ruins to take a better look.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare nods "If we're the first to see it though, it could be rich of artifacts and possibly even treasures, we'd surely earn our tuition at the Academy if we find something of significance" she says as she lifts up her visor again and tries to fly up to take a look, but didn't get very far "blasted heavy armor" she says, taking off her chest plate and feeling lighter she flies up and looks around "All clear, looks like it hasn't been disturbed in eons" she says as she lands back down and straps her chestplate back on.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

Crys chuckled from behind her visor. "So we're stuck in the middle of nowhere, we may have a minotaur on our backs and you think about treasure hunting? Only you, Clare, only you..."

 

Seeing as Clarissa decided to take a pegasus view of the place, Crystal Clear moved to cover her from any bolts and arrows, should they start flying when she was removing the heavy plate. "Just don't get yourself shot off the sky, alright?" She said looking back as the pegasus took flight while she held her shield in a defensive stance. Once Clare was in her full attire again, Crys lowered her shield and seemed a bit relaxed with the news. "Alright, so let's take a look, but, pleeeeease be careful, okay? Even if we're in the clear, the ruin itself may pose some danger." She raised her visor for a moment to take a better look at it. "I can't see the entrance from here, but it looks a little bit like some old manor house? Maybe even a fortified one? Well, tell me what you saw up there, cause frankly, I'm just guessing from down here."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles "You know me darling, careful is my middle name" she says with a laugh that meant she was unsure of herself but she tried not to show it. She raises her visor as they get closer to the ruins "From what I could see, it was a small castle, probably built by a hermit warlock or a smaller lord to get away from the politics of being a lord all those years ago" she says as they near the entrance "It was all stone mostly, but there's bound to be wood floors" 

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

Crystal chuckled once she heard that line. "Yeah, right, so why they wouldn't let you join without somepony to keep an eye on you, eh? Don't worry, we're in this together."

 

She listened to the ruin's description as they carefully approached it. Clarissa's observations seemed correct - there was a tall keep in the far right corner of the square structure, it had high walls and all the telltale signs of a fortified manor, even a moat, though now it was just a fraction of it's original depth. The front of this ruin looked like servant chambers and the like, three stories high with small windows and roofed with tile, partially collapsed where a large tree fell on it. In the middle of it was a gate, apparently closed, to which led a rotten drawbridge - it seemd to break free from the rusted chains that once kept it upright. Everything was sovered with a layer of moss and vines.

 

The mares stood in front of the bridge, considering their options.

 

"Home sweet home... I say we try to walk to the gate, one at the time, then try to push it open. Maybe it's not barred from the inside. What do you think?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare nods "I could try flying around, seeing if there is a way inside so I can open the gate for you?" she suggests and nods "I know Crys, I know, but I am glad you did come with me, I'm not sure I'd be able to be the only mare in the Academy, and to be away from you for so long" she states as she once again begins to unstrap and take off her heavy armor, "Be back in a bit" she says as she flies up and around the perimeters looking for a way in, she soon spots a collapsed part of the roof and flies back down to Crystal "I see an opening, it looks close enough to the entrance, so I'll open the gate for you" she says, kissing the other mare before going to the opening, and squeezing through, she lets out a loud sneeze from all the dust "Mmpf stupid dust" she mumbles as she looks around to find the bar that would have held the door in place.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Orange Sparks

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

"Hmm, sounds like a plan to me! I'll guard your stuff while you're up there." Crystal decided that it actually was a good idea, rather than try to break down the gate with harsh language.

 

She ceased scanning the windows for movement and looked at her companion, raising her visor. "Thanks. I guess I wouldn't even dare joining on my own anyway, and I'd quit ceveral times already if you weren't here. The food is awful, we sleep just a couple hours a day, andmost of the time with our shields for pilows... Not how I imagined it to be, really..." As the pegasus zipped off towards the ruin, the mare shouted to her. "Just be careful up there you hear me!?"

 

It took a couple of minutes before Crys heard a rumble from behing the gate, and a faint sound of curses. It seemed Clare found a way in and was persuading the bar to come off. Soon enough there was a loud thump and the gate opened with even louder protest, revealing the other mare. Cryatal decided to wait where she was till Clarissa gathered her stuff, then they walked inside.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare coughs and sneezes from the dust before she goes to collect her gear "The place looked abandoned from the inside, no squaters, no animals, no bandits..like nothing has even found this for centuries" she says as she puts her plate armor on again and smiles "Ripe the pickings, like there's got to be something of worth here, maybe even a old sword from legend?" she says as she leads her friend and marefriend into the ruins.

[Raven Rawne 1,374]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

"Crystal looked at the other mare as she approached. "I can see from your clothes that the dust must've been in pristine condition... You don't think it's haunted, or protected with some kind of magic do you? Cau'se we're a bit short on magically talented unicorns for that kind of stuff."

 

She waited till Clare was ready to go, but had to coment her observation about the potential findings inside. "You really want to ransack this place? Even if we'll find something interesting, how we'll get it back home? The instructors will be mad we went dungeon crawling anyway..."

 

Despite her objections, she went inside the ruin with her best friend and entered a small courtyard. To the right - stables, or whar's left of them. Behind them, wht looked like the staff house and generally a utility building. There was a simple forge by the wall, now rusted beyond belief. On th left was some kind of building, but it looked neater thean the other one - a guest house? In the far right corner stood the tower keep, like many other dotting the landscape in these parts. A long flight of stairs ler up to the entrance on the second level. Last but not least, there was a well in the migddle ofthe courtyard.

 

The mares took in the view, and Crystal asked quietly. "Soo, where to first?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clare giggles "Only a dungeon crawl if it goes underground" she states and looks around the courtyard "I'd say we start with the more stable looking places, like the guest house and possibly see if we can find some sort of map, maybe to a treasury, guardhouse or armory" she says as she flicks her tail and makes her way towards the guesthouse to look around in it.