Scene #3364: Even Villains Need a Home

Owner	Pose
Bramble Patch	"Ugh. I'm glad no sane pony has to wear one of these anymore," Bramble Patch muttered as she lifted one of the empty armors and leaned on it to shove it back into place. Unlike the simple body plate and helmets the modern Royal Guard wore these ancient armors were entire suits of iron that covered the pony from head to hoof. "Considering how often they fall over I have no idea how even a strong stallion could of lugged one around all day!" Though the main reasons she was bothering to pick it up in the first place was to unblock one of the old castle doors. "I'm pretty sure this room is unused, or this wouldn't of been lying around in front of the door." Simple but pretty effective logic.
Ebon Ribbon	"Unused by ponies, perhaps. There could be any manner of pest inside." Ebon Ribbon says as she watches Bramble work without lifting a hoof or a magical ribbon to help. Once the armor is moved, she finally steps forward to open the door. "And perhaps the ponies of the past were more...robust than you." she adds as she steps through the door, a slight smirk on her face. Once inside, Ebon stops a few feet in to take a look around. "How long have you and that Minx character been living here, and you have not cleaned up this castle? It could be quite marvelous if you merely took care of it."
Bramble Patch	Bramble Patch wipes her brow off with a forelimb after letting go of the armor, and follows Ebon into the long unused room. "Oh, with all the creepy crawly things that live in Everfree Forest you'll be -lucky- if you just have spiders or ants to deal with." Clearly she's enjoying the moment of taunting the unicorn with that little tidbit. "Her name is Jinxel." Bramble props up a table, and finding it uneven due to one of the legs busting off from decay, just shoves a chunk of stone from the wall underneath it with her back hoof. The smug moment doesn't end though. "Oh, we don't live in the castle. I already had a cabin in the woods, and Jinxel stays with me." Pause. "Well technically she has her own house, but it's right next to mine and they -are- connected."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon frowns lightly as Bramble points out that things much worse than spiders live in the Everfree Forest, then looks into the corners of the room a bit fearfully. "Well..surely they respect the borders of the castle grounds." Ebon says as she walks about the room slowly. She blinks as she hears that Bramble and Jinxel have adjoined houses. "You two connected your houses? Are you that afraid of being alone?" she asks seemingly offhandedly as she pokes at shelves and catalogs spider webs.
Bramble Patch	"-No-" Bramble Patch retorts with a bit more sharpness than one might expect. "I mean, Jinxel is the.. well, not so much afraid as she insists on it being convenient that way." Or something like that. She hmmphs as she turns the other way, actiong as if she did so just to open the closet and check inside. "Not like you're one to talk about being alone."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon grins as Bramble responds so strongly. She checks an old dresser as Bramble checks the closet. "Me? I was alone most of my life. I do not need anyone other than myself and my Ebon Streamers." she says, extending one to sweep the drawers for pests. A neon purple ribbon of magic that seems to glow with blackness extends into each drawer. "So, I believe I am one to talk about being alone." She starts closing the drawers, but the uppermost one seems to squeak on its own, and a moment later, Ebon lets out an ear-piercing shriek. "Eeewww! A rat! Bramble! Have your little rat chase this one away!" Ebon says as she leaps up on the table that Bramble just 'fixed'. "Hurry hurry! Rats love to ruin beautiful manes!" There is no actual precedent for that, but they do call a terrible mane a rat's nest.
Bramble Patch	Bramble Patch glances over at the shriek, at Ebon climbing into the table, and then at the rat climbing out of the dresser. "... Seriously? That's nothing. You should see the rats in Hoofington's sewers. And Cupule isn't a rat, he's a squirrel... which may be related to other rodents, but it's hardly the same thi--" Bramble pauses, turning her head the other way to peer behind her. "--Where is he, anyways?" He'd be walking up to the table, and pretending to look the other way as he kicks the rock out from the shorter leg. He probably didn't like that rat comment.
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon hmphs. "I would never enter a sewer. I would not need to! I suppose you had to use such distasteful hiding spots when you were-" THUD! The rock is kicked out and Ebon is immediately sent tumbling. The table lands askewed thanks to missing a leg, sending her rolling across the hard stone flooring of the room and into a book shelf. Which of course causes dusty old books and decorations to fall on her, getting Ebon dusty. "Eeek! Noo!" she leaps up and quickly dusts herself off with her ribbons, then huffs. "This place may have once been an amazing castle, but it has certainly fallen into disrepair." She looks around, then sighs. "It will take me quite a while to clean it all up." She then holds out a hoof toward Bramble. "Did you bring the large duster I asked you to bring?"
Bramble Patch	"Aaahahaha! Are all unicorns this prissy about getting dirty? Hahaha--aaawk!" Bramble must of leaned on the closet doors a little too hard while laughing, because one falls partway off it's rusty hinges and she topples over backwards into it. The rat runs off at all the noise.. But not before scurrying past Cupule and giving the squirrel a high pawslap. "Yeah yeah, it's in my bag." Bramble pushes the other door open with a hoof and leans out. "But who cares? There's a hidden passage in the back of the closet. Bet ya could sneak all over the castle with these."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon gives her mane a toss after dusting herself off, then looks toward the closet. "Only those who are as beautiful as I." she says, then blinks before getting sparkly eyes. "Oooh! Hidden passages! The hallmark of the truly grand castles!" This seems to cheer the unicorn up quite a bit. "I am sure Nightmare Moon will not mind me tidying up a bit." She extends a ribbon and gets a rather large duster. The kind that is specially designed to capture dust rather than simply sweeping it into the air. "Have you and Jinxel spent much time in this castle?" Ebon asks amicably as she starts dusting.
Bramble Patch	"Eh. I'm more an outdoors pony. I did clean the overgrowth out of the gardens so they could start regrowing." Bramble trots over to a window and looks outside. "Sort of." A bird glides down over the castle grounds... Only for a giant flytrap-like plant to pounce out of the bushes and snatch it up. "Hah!" Bramble points her hoof out the window. "That's for pooping on the statues all the time!"
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon glances out the window at the snapping sound, then giggles. "Prey should be more wary of the dangerous around them." she says, a sly smirk on her muzzle. And perhaps a bit of a lingering gaze on Bramble. She licks her lips, then giggles a bit. "But, if they were, predators would not be able to eat I suppose." she adds as she resumes dusting. "So...what exactly do we do as minions of Nightmare Moon?" Ebon asks as she slowly makes her way around the room, leaving the decor sparkling in her wake.
Bramble Patch	"Harass Celestia's little good four-shoes. Help out the Confeds with stuff when they need it." Bramble shrugs her shoulders a little as she turns away from the window. "Last year I helped some of 'em try to steal Christmas! .. that's what the humans call Hearthswarming. I had to hang three hoof-stockings to hold the extra coal because of that!" She sounds way too proud about actually getting coal for doing something 'bad'.
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon smirks lightly as she listens. "Steal Hearthswarming? How would one even accomplish such a feat?" she asks, seeming a bit impressed. "And how did you know to hang more stockings after one was full?" She dusts a bit more, then hmms. "I suppose once I have restored this castle that you and Jinx would be welcome to live here. It would still be my castle, of course, but you both would be welcome. Even your rat. So long as none of you caused trouble for me."
Bramble Patch	"The point was trying." Bramble rears up, thrusting out one hoof dramatically. "A proper villain always challenges the conventions and convictions of the society they see as oppressing them!... And I didn't. That was how many it took to clean up the pile in the morning." Bramble shrugs, coming down off that brief outburst again and settles to the floor. Then raises an eyebrow. Mostly at the unspoken 'my castle' she's pretty sure she heard in there. "Yeah, well, don't mess with the royal chamber. The Boss prefers her moodiness. Don't try and fix the gold throne, either. It's broken for a reason."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon giggles as Bramble gets a bit dramatic. "Well, despite your...quaint appearance, it seems we may get along." the taller pony says. "As long as you do not get dirt on me." she adds after a moment. She seems surprised to hear the additions about the royal chamber and the gold throne. "She does not wish her royal chamber or her throne repaired?" she asks, seeming skeptical. "A ruler should have the very best. Such a tarnished and forsaken castle is hardly worthy of me or Nightmare Moon."
Bramble Patch	Bramble Patch pppfffts. "That's not her throne, her throne is fine. That was -Celestia's- throne." Bramble leans closer to the other pony with a whisper. "She still has issues over the whole banishment thing, naturally."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon blinks as Bramble leans in, and she naturally leans in as well, one ear perked toward the whisper. "Ahh." she nods at Bramble's whisper, then hmms. "But, she hates Celestia, does she not? Why does she not do away with the broken throne? Or, better yet, let me have it so I may put it in here?" She giggles in delight at the thought of having a golden throne, then dusts of an old globe before spinning it. "After what those so-called 'good' ponies have done to us, it would serve them right to feel a bit of what they have done to us." She stomps a hoof down on Equestria as it comes around on the globe.
Bramble Patch	"Probably because it reminds her of how she wants to see it's former owner some day. Broken and forgotten. Or something." Bramble gives it a dismissive way. "I try to stay out of -that- kind of villainous obsessions. I'll stick to obsessing towards practical things like proving how capable I am as a bad guy." And obsessing over not losing Jinxel to be reformed but she's not going to bring that up.
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon hees. "Vengeance is not villainous enough for you?" she says, then grins. "And as for how capable you are as a bad guy, I am sure you are capable enough. Not as capable as myself, of course, but still. Your skills with plants seem to be quite impressive. I read about your sporatic exploits in the local papers. My own exploits are not limited to Ponyville. I encountered an off-worlder the other day, and brought her to her knees if I do say so myself."
Bramble Patch	Bramble Patch rolls her eyes. "You're off to a wonderful start then." Hard to tell if she's talking about that event or the way Ebon is already stroking her own ego. Then with a huff she stepped past the unicorn and picked up a few of the books to put them on the shelf. By this point her pet squirrel has crawled up to his usual spot of curling up in her curly and probably entangled mess of a mane.
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon giggles. "I am, yes." she says, apparently taking it as a compliment. As Bramble steps passed her, Ebon blinks, then extends a ribbon to give Bramble's mane a little fluffing. "You know, dear, if you took a bit of care I am sure you would be quite the fetching mare. Just in case some dashing dark stallion ever catches your eye." She extends a few more of her magical ribbons and starts attempting to clean up Bramble's mane and tail. "Or, are such things not on the agenda of a capable bad guy?"
Bramble Patch	And Cupule squeals and bolts out of Bramble's mane, taking shelter on one of the higher shelves. "Huh, wonder what got into him..." Then tilts her head a bit as she notices the ribbons messing with her mane. "Hey, hey! Easy on the locks there, prissy. My mane is -suppose- to look like coiled clusters of my namesake."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon tsks at that. "Nonsense. Even thistles can be lovely if presented in the right light." Ebon says as she continues fluffing and pulling and removing twigs and leaves and the like from Bramble's mane and tail. She sticks her tongue out at Cupule as he bolts. "I would not harm you, regardless of how dirty you likely are." she says to him before humming as she works on Bramble. Her ribbons reach into the bag they brought and pull out a couple of brushes. "Honestly, it is as though you have never taken proper care of your mane." the fussy unicorn says as she starts brushing.
Bramble Patch	"Aaaah ow ow ow!" By the way Bramble yelps at the brushing and squirms in the other direction, Ebon might not be far off. "Why would I?! No colt in their right mind would bother with an earth pony that can only make weeds and intrusive plants grow!"
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon just follows after Bramble as she squirms away. "Of course no colt would when your mane looks like this! And your powers are no excuse! I am a vampiric pony, and I still keep myself perfectly groomed. Style is also important to villainy, my little pony! And, why does it matter that you can only make certain plants grow? You can make those plants grow to extraordinary sizes! Those ponies who do not appreciate your gift do not deserve your consideration. You should keep yourself groomed for when you meet that one special somepony who respects your abilities."
Bramble Patch	Bramble Patch grunts as trying to squirm away doesn't work, and she finally just pushes Ebon aside. "And who says I -want- some 'special somepony'? I have my forest and my purpose, what more do I need?" She hmphs as she turns away and sits down on the floor skulking, forelegs crossed. "I ain't changing just to get some dimwitted stallion to gawk at me."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon oofs as she is pushed, and her ribbons hover around her like serpents ready to strike. As Bramble starts skulking, Ebon just rolls her eyes. She puts the brushes away and her ribbons disappear. "I did not say change. I said present yourself more effectively." Ebon argues as she picks up the duster again and resumes cleaning. She pauses, then looks at her duster before sighing. "Ug. It is already full. How long has this castle been abandoned?" She tosses the duster back into the bag, then...pulls out another and continues, her ribbon holding the duster and working along the shelves and other furniture pieces.
Bramble Patch	"I can present myself just fine," Bramble snaps back, unmoving from her spot. The ribbons don't really seem to daunt her much, but that may just be because she does the same thing with vines when she's mad. I mean really mad. Not just grumpy like she is right now. "Pff. Who knows? I ain't no historian."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon just smirks at Bramble's grumpy grousing. "It was a rhetorical question, Bramble." she says as she continues cleaning. She seems quite determined to clean the entire room, and possibly the entire castle, tonight. "Are you able to grow roses?" she asks after a few moments. "A few roses or rose bushes would be quite lovely in here."
Bramble Patch	Bramble Patch rolls her eyes at the 'lovely' remark but relents. "With some effort. Just don't ask for the dethorned kind, cuz then you won't get anything..... Though the grounds could use a bit more sprucing up, I'll give you that much."
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon nods at that. "Of course with thorns. Roses without thorns are simply unnatural." she says, then looks over at Bramble. "Are you going to sulk all night simply because I tries to brush your mane?" she asks teasingly. Then, she looks around the room. "I will have a proper bed placed in here, then with just some sweeping and a bit more dusting it will be...livable." she says. She walks over to Bramble. "Until then, you will allow me to sleep in your home. If not, I am sure Jinx will allow me to sleep in her home."
Bramble Patch	"Yeah yeah, whatever." Bramble Shakes it off as she gets back to her hooves. "Just stay out of the basement. That's where I grow the really nasty stuff that don't like day light. Rose bushes? Piece of cake in comparison." She's porbably just going to get a sleeping bag on the sofa or something, but what more do you expect?... Probably a lot, but Bramble's not the sort of pony for that sort of thing.
Ebon Ribbon	Ebon Ribbon nods at that, then sets the duster down on a shelf. "Then, let us depart. I must get my sleep if I wish to maintain this beauty." She gives her own main a fluff with a forehoof. "And you could probably use some of that yourself." Sleeping arrangements will probably be another little argument once they reach the Jinxel-Patch manor.