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

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

Pale Moonlight frowned for a fraction of a second, but didn't break her act. "I was hopng for some company from you too, but... since you're running on schedule, seems I'll be all by myself here again. Like I said, the preparations will take some time, so I guess you may return to your duties till I am ready to dissolve the foul magic that emanates from this dagger. When I contact you, return here as quickly as possible - the supplies I'll have to gather won't last forever." She glanced at the strange pot in her gazebo. "For now, you and your sister are safe. I'll need a couple of days to dispel the magic and, since the dagger took hold on both of you, then it's best you stay as my guests to make sure you won't be harmed by it. The countess will be needed too - I don't want to come in contact with the dagger myself, and you and princess Celeste will be in no state to aid me..."

 

She returned her gaze on the sitting mares. "Before you leave, maybe you'd like to eat something? Or you're in such a hurry it's too much to ask?"

 

Crystal looked ar Clarissa with some apprehension. She saw the other mare was just as weirded out as herself., and her grey coat did little to hide the mad blush.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

"Well...I am quite hungry" she says as she hears her stomach rumble, "But as much as I'd like to take you up on the offer, I've kept my sister from meeting her possible fiance for too long now" she says with a soft sigh and looks to the mare "Perhaps another time? When...things aren't so dire?" she suggests as she stands up and smiles "I will be sure that you are compensated for your time and efforts" she says as she offers a hand up to Crystal "Countess, I do believe we have a little sister to attend to" she says and bows slightly to Pale and waves goodbye.

 

The moment they arrive at the chariot, they found Celeste awake "Where were you two?" she asks sleepily

 

"We had to make a detour" Clare says as she helps Crystal in and then gets in herself "I don't know how attached you were to that dagger you got, but we had to get rid of it, it would have caused you to commit treason"

 

Celeste blinks "Dagger? Wha..ooh that blasted thing! I wanted to get rid of it myself, but everytime I got near it, I couldn't find the strength to, so..thank you"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

The wizard's smile seemed to widen as Clare nearly accepted the offer, but, then turned into a slight frown as the princess decided to end the visit. "...Very well... Maybe when you come back to take care of that dagger." Mentioning rsompensation make er chuckle. "Heh, if you say so. Just don't send money, I have more than enough."

 

Crystal got up and linked hands with Clarissa, and they walked back towards the door, with their host walking behind them. Somehow it was all the more unsettling. The mares bid farewell to the unicorn and made haste to the chariot.

 

Once they were back in the rolling chariot, Crystal Clear asked her fiance, her ears drooped. "Why I have a feeling your wizard friend led us to a hungry preying mantis of a mare? The way she looked at us..." She shuddered slightly. "And even worse, we have to come back there!"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

"I know sweetie, I always got the feeling that she was trying to seduce us" she says with a shudder "I'd never cheat on you though, you mean too much to me" she says as she hugs her fiance and her sister close to her. She kisses her sister's nose "Well I'm glad you're not upset, and I understand sweetie" she says to Celeste and hugs her close "Father was really worried about you, which is why he approached me about it"

 

Celeste nods and nuzzles into her sister's embrace

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

Crystal Clear giggled at the group hug. "Oh don't be silly! I knew you wouldn't fall for her. But those magic types are just so weird, I was more concerned with her putting a spell on us to be honest." She nuzzled her finace and continued. "Now let's put this business aside and concentrate on the good part, shall we? Who's excited to meet a certain colt?!"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Celeste giggles and claps her hands "I am! I am!" she says excitedly then nuzzles into Crystal's chest lovingly, as she had always found snuggling with Crystal to be very calming and comfortable. She greatly appreciated how her sister and Crystal would always let her come along when she was little, as she didn't have any friends at the time. "L-love you soon to be big sister in law" she says softly, closing her eyes as Clare smiles and rubs her ears gently.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks,

 

The red mare had a giggling fit as Celeste snuggled to her. "Definetly a family trait in here haha!" She looked at Clare with a knowing wink, and leaned back to make it more comfortable for the younger princess. "Love you too, hopefully very soon to be little sister in-law. Damn, I'm going to miss your shenaningas when you move out to live with your husband..."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

"Y-you will visit us w-won't you big sis?" she asks, looking up at Crystal with tears in her eyes "I-I don't want to lose you again" she says, quickly wrapping her arms around the red mare's waist and hugging her close,. Celeste may have been 16 years old, but when it came to possibly losing her sister and best friend, she was terrified like a little filly would be.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

Crystal looked down on the young pegasus and smiled warmly, then ruffled her mane and tugged at her ears playfully. "Hey, nopony is going to lose anything alright? I'll visit as often as you want to, me and Clare both.  Besides, you're not going to be alone remember? Marriage is a good thing, after all. Nothing quite like spending the rest of your life with the pony you love the most, right Clare?

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles and nods "Crys is right Celeste, you'll have your hands full with being with Dusty, helping him look after Rose, and I'm sure your soon to be in laws will be more than happy to teach you the family trade" she says as she hugs her sister close to her, smoothing out some ruffled feathers in her wings "and of course we will visit, as often as we can" she says and closes her eyes just as they pull into the small cove.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

"Eexactly!" The crystal mare nodded. "You'll be really busy having your own fun and your own family. Trust me, it's going to be great." She noticed they were close to their destination, but sadly too late to see if the ship was gone...

 

Crystal patted Celeste on the back. "Alright, get up little sis. We need to get you all pretty before we reach the Cove so you can steal the colt's heart by just being there. Clare, could you look at her wings? I'll fix her mane."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clare smiles and nods as she begins to help Celeste sort out her wings "Got to be nice and clean sweetie, as beautiful as you are, you want to look proper as well" she says and finishes with her sister's wings, they weren't too bad, just a little unkempt from her nap. She smiles as she then places the necklace around her neck "a little 'engagement' gift" she says with a chuckle

 

Celeste looks at it in awe "It's beautiful big sister, thank you" she says softly

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

Crystal got up and fixed Celeste's mane with her fingers. Messing it a moment ago wasn't the best idea... "That's more like it..." She straightened the young mare's clothes too, and gave her an appraising look. "You look stunning, and just in time too - welcome to Flounder Cove, or what's left of it..."

 

The crystal mare looked through the window and sighed. It'll take a week minimum before her workers will arrive, and the villagers didn't have the funds and materials to replace the broken doors and other damage. The grassland before the Cove didn't look inviting either, although the blood dried up and the pile of burned corpses disappeared, apparently disposed of by the locals. Their ride pulled over in front of the inn, and Crys jumped off first, holding her saber with a free hand, then turned to help the other mares out.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Celeste nods and hugs them before she looks out the window and hops out of the chariot "Oh my, w-what happened here? Poor ponies" she says softly, holding tightly onto Clare's hand as she looks around.

 

Clare sighs "Minotaur and pony raiders" she says then shakes her head "Try not to think about it" she says as she then kisses Crystal's cheek "I'll go tell them that we are here" she says softly and walks through the doors of the inn..

 

"H-hello?" she asks softly

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

The red mare held a hand to help Celeste out if the chariot - Clare was a big mare and didn't need help. The kiss was a pleasant distraction from her thoughts, and Crystal offered a warm smile in return. "Sure thing, I'll stay with our little sis." She put a hand on Celeste's shoulder. "We made arrangements to fix the damage, so don't worry about that, okay? It's supposed to ha a happy day, so let's keep it that way.'

 

She couldn't help but feel that the villagers weren't exactly thrilled to see her again...

 

 

A loud screech of haphazardly affixed door announced that somepony entered the empty inn. The innkeep looked over his shoulder as he tried to even out a table - it had new legs made if raw pine and ricketed when pushed with even minimal force. His eyes widened as he recognised the guest. "Oh it's you, your Highness! How may I serve you?" A large bruise on his neck was visible under a makeshift scarf.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clare looks around with a sigh but then smiles "Well first of all, I'd like to tell you that I've spoken to my father about the lack of care your current Lord has given to this cove, and he has agreed that he has to deal with him, so hopefully you will have a better governor soon." she says and then looks to the doors "and secondly, the Countess and I have brought my sister Princess Celeste to meet your son Dustyhooves. From what I've heard, she has seen him from time to time whenever you took him to the capital and she is already smitten" she says with a giggle, she then sees a raised eyebrow "and lastly, I want to assure you, despite her being a princess, she isn't going to turn your son into a prissy no good noble colt..In fact, she's quite the opposite, she'd more than likely want to learn the family trade" she says with a soft smile.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

The stallion corrected his scarf instinctively. "I don't know really... You think it's a good idea? I won't stand in the way of love, but, life as an innkeeper isn't exactly light. Especially for young mares..." He shrugged and approached the princess, then politely led her outdide. "My colt should be somewhere in the village.  Stallions gotta fish and mares need somepony strong to fix all the damage from yesterday, so he volunteered.  We're more or less done with fixing our things, at least what we can do on our own... Who would have thought that a couple thugs could vandalise the whole settlement." He shook his head sadly.

 

Crystal Clear was busy with checking her blade when the loud screech of Inn doors caught her attention. She asked her fiance aloud. "He's not here, right? Well, maybe we can wait and, dunno, help around with something?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

"She's more resilient and tough than most would think, in fact she takes a lot after me. Never one to want to sit idly by in court looking pretty, we both wanted to get out and do something. Plus she absolutely adores to cook" she says with a small smile but then frowns a little "He's a good stallion sir, oh and it should take a week at the least for our organized materials and help to arrive, but the townsponies have done a good job regardless" she says then nods to Crystal "He's volunteered to help fix things up"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

The innkeeper's face brightened a bit. "You... really want to help us? I'm just... surprised, I guess. Never heard of a noble who would do so much for common ponies who weren't theirs... The Lord didn't even bother sending anypony, despite the thick smoke that was seen from miles."

 

Crystal cut into the conversation - "You better get comfortable with expecting the unexpected from this one, sir. Even I am caught off guard every now and then, and I know her all my life haha!" The crystal mare laughed genuinely at the stallions confusion.

 

The innkeeper scratched his head as he looked at each of the three mares in turn. "I guess you're right, ma'am... If somepony told me two days ago that a princess would consider my colt for husband,  I wouldn't sell them any more drinks for the rest of my life... It's a bit much to wrap one's head around that's all."

 

Crystal's ears perked up and a sly grin appeared in her snout. She bumped Celeste playfully with her hips and said. "Hear that? Somepony's hammering nails out there in the village. And by the sound of it, they sure have some strength. And that means,  that you're going to have a really nice view on a certain stablecolt at work. Probably shirtless too..." She paused to gauge the young mare's reaction, then waved at Clare: "C'mon love, you don't wanna miss it!"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare smiles "Sir, I am princess of the realm, meaning I am a Princess of the entire country, the Lords answer to me and ultimately to my father" she says with a soft wave of her hand to clear the hair from her face "It is my sworn duty to protect and serve the citizens of the country, and that means helping those in need" she says then giggles at Celest'es expression.

 

Celeste was all but drooling "Dusty...shirtless...strong..." she says then shakes her head "No, those are nice, but it's his personality that will matter in the end, I wasn't raised to be superficial" she says and climbs out of the chariot, "Come on big sis, lets go find him!" she giggles and takes Clare's hand, dragging her to the town center "where is he? where's my future husb..." she soon spots Dusty banging some nails into a wall to keep a house together "...and.. catch me Clare, I'm about to faint" she says and faints into Clare's arms, making her giggle

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

Crys was barely holding on from bursting in laughter.  Celeste was just priceless. She nodded at the innkeeper with a smile.  "May I ask for a meal for our quirky trio sometime later? I don't want to miss the spectacle right now but we're a bit starving."

 

The stallion smiled at Celeste and said. "Why of course! I'll light the stove then.  Excuse me ma'ams." He came back inside with a spring in his step.  Seems like this day just got much better for him.

 

Crys looked around but her companions already disappeared. "Aww, I'll miss the fun!" She ran towards the hammer sounds.

 

The crystal mare caught up just in time - Clare was holding Celeste in her arms, and Dusty was just some 30 metres away. She walked over to her fiance and looked at the other mare.  "I'll be damned... She lost it already? Seems like you had an excellent idea Clare." She nuzzled her fiance lovingly and rubbed their little sister behind the ear. "Come on, you can't faint every time you see him silly!"

 

She looked at the colt and whistled in admiration. "Okay, on second thought, I don't blame you..."

 

The sun was shining on the stallion 's powerful frame, making his goat glimmer slightly. He was indeed wearing just a pair of dark brown pants, leaving his sculpted upper body free for admiration. The way he worked projected strength and confidence.

 

"Think we could borrow him every once in a while? " She said to Clare, apparently without thinking.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne, 

 

Clare giggles "Mm what? you're thinking of making him our surrogate?" she asks with a big blush as she did admire the stallion's strength and confidence, she then shakes her head and gently rubs her sister's other ear. "Wakey wakey Celestia Silvermane" she gigglles

 

Celeste groans "Aaaw I was dreaming such a wonderful dream, I was in a small cove town and I saw this really hands..." she opens her eyes and realizes she wasn't dreaming "I w-wasn't dreaming?" she asks, brushing herself off.

 

"Nope, that's one strong and handsome, well built future husband you have there" Clare says then winks at Crystal before putting two fingers in her mouth and whistling at Dusty "Heeey there handsome~"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

Crys shook her head to clear off her mind. "Oww, that's better... My head stopped working and I kind of said stuff without thinking. S-sorry." She lowered her ears apologetically and tore her eyes from the stallion, albeit either some effort. "Just... forget what I said, okay?"

 

The crystal mare was still collecting her thoughts when Celeste came around and Clarissa whistled at Dusty. The loud noise made her wince as she did her best not to think of what Clare accidentally suggested. 

 

The stallion glanced in the direction of the whistle and finished driving the nail with one powerful hammer blow. He checked if the structure was holding on and approached the mares, leaving the tool behind and wiping the sweat from his brow with an arm. Somehow it accentuated his muscular torso even more. 

 

"Yer Highnesses! Came to check on how we're holding up?" He glanced curiously at the mare in Clare's arms. "Are you okay, Princess? Sun's shinin' hard today."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,571]

@@Raven Rawne,

 

Clare blushes a bit but then smiles "Well yes and no, we've come to deliver on our promise, Celeste this is Dustyhooves, Dusty this is my baby sister Celeste" she says, "Go on sweetie, say hello to the stallion who seems to have captured your heart"

 

Celeste looks at him and blushes "P-pleasure to handsome...meet..meet you, not handsome.. I mean you are handsome...but uh..." she blushes very deeply

 

"Aaaw young love" Clare giggles 

 

Celeste glares at her and manages to gather some semblance of sanity and smiles at him and with a small curtsy she says "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person Dustyhooves, my sister and cousin have told me a fair bit about you, and I must say, they didn't lie"

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

@@Orange Sparks

 

The stallion seemed embarrassed with how the mares were acting, which took a serious chip off his confidence. Crys made a poor job of keeping her face straight, but at least she didn't have to worry about her massive blush showing from under her red coat.

 

Dusty bowed a bit awkwardly and stammered "P-pleasure to meet ye Princess Celeste... Ah, yer even more beautiful than ah thought..."

 

Crystal leaned to Clare "Did we look the same? Because that's just adorable!"