[hr] [@thedman] Indeed, the little thing meant no harm to the Goliath, and could certainly be looked into later... though in the mean-time he was seriously pondering what to do now, the bugs were getting annihilated, but until they were 'dealt with' completely he couldn't really hope to investigate anything himself without potentially inviting retribution, he was impatient, but not stupid, though it could have been funny to make them attack eachother trying to hit him... it still left him with the dilemma of busying himself in the mean-time... Almost on cue the next wave of missiles were launched and another bundle of behemoths were left with missing pieces of splattered parts, bits of chitin scattered in such volume that most of the marines would likely have pieces bouncing harmlessly off of their armor... And like that, it hit him... not the literal chitin bits, the idea! [color=green]"Ah! Of course! I can help, duh! That should get them to let me pick one of these toys apart!"[/color] Granted, their defensive perimeter was quite effective it seemed, and that meant he could potentially get mistaken for one of the threats if he returned to the air... that just left one option! He pranced up to all fours once more before splaying his wings and... jeez, it almost looked like he was 'dancing' ontop of that mech, were it not for the distortion appearing around his wings and the thrust of air that followed his wing beats... it didn't really make much of a spectacle, but a discerning eye may catch on to the timing of his motions coinciding with one of the swarming creatures losing some control of their flight path and veering away from the cluster of marines. That aside though, they were being minced easily by the gauss weaponry, both the turrets and the marine's weapons... granted, the shots tended to pierce clean through with too much ease, causing somewhat lesser damage, and yet, these things couldn't even compare to 'zerglings' for durability. A Couple of the clean holes were often enough to leave them unable to functionally fly, and once ground-bound they were easy targets for a couple more shots. ... That said, once it became clear universally that there was in-fact a greater threat than the ship's guns, or rather, a physically smaller threat that was too low for said guns to cover effectively, it seemed as if the same idea swept through the masses of bug things, and almost as one their paths shifted to pour onto the marines... they were either sub-sapient, or maddened, as they seemed to hold no concern for the hail of bullets that now tended to go through one target and hit another... Whether or not the swarm could even 'harm' the marines even with a proper dog piling was up for guessing, and yet something seemed to decide to lend a hand anyway. With the swarm's attention diverted to the immediate and considerable threat of the smaller metal bipeds carrying strange rapidfire small cannons, the ship was free to drop it's shield and return what fire it could... in a literal sense, a variety of colors soared through the air, carefully aimed to go 'over' the marines in every case, and give quite a show, even if the aim was seemingly random at that distance. Colorful bolts of fiery energy decorated the air in waves of a dozen or so, helping to lower the flight level of the swarm, as while the gauss rounds would rip right through them, history dictated that being struct by arcane fire could prove deadly in it's own way, and would easily spread to other members of the swarm if they got too close... which they 'would' while burning alive and panicking. It seemed instinct forced the creatures lower, some to the ground, as they tried to charge these alien things. [hr] It might well have been an impressive feat to weather that assault at all, even more so to simply get back up and level one's weapon before even taking a moment to catch his breath... but what was truly impressive was, either through luck, skill, or timing, the effectiveness of that shot... With similar timing, the interloper had skittered himself away from the advancing queen, seemingly cowering against the wall for a moment, though his eyes had drifted to notice the strange biped leveling what he could only assume was a weapon at her, and with a quick little bit of planning he spat at her... something that made her snarl with rage and prepare to strike him. Only for him to whirl about and try to kick her with both hind-legs, something she easily reared up to avoid, just in-time for the shot to fire, and for a Twenty-Five millimeter shell to bust clean through the chitin of her side, only to find enough resistance form this particular creature to trigger it's detonation, 'clearing out' the other side of her and throwing what was left to the ground in a smear of it's own blood. For a moment that interloper stopped and stared in shock at the damage, and back at the weapon that had done it... hoo boy, if they had something that'd tear into a queen like that. A noise drew his attention back to the remains though, to spot them twitching suspicious, still trying to 'move'... given the damage that had been done, there was really only one thing to do, and he quickly leapt over to bite down on the neck with a sharp crunch, one that was immediately followed by it going still, a mercy kill most likely?... of course, it would conveniently conceal him draining the horded emotions that she contained, or other elements of the draining process. He quickly pulled off a few moments later and spat out a gob of mess and then... proceeded to sit down, and let things progress as they would for a bit... And of course giving a bit of time to better observe the 'helpers', which one might note were not full of holes as the one's who'd been attacking were. Speaking of which... [hr] Back outside the ship, the reaction was timed flawlessly with the specialist's shot, The swarm of creatures collectively keeled over, screeching and hissing and flailing as if something horrific had happened, some even taking to attacking eachother instead. *Boodeep!* "Sergeant. It appears that the creature that attacked the bridge fulfilled a roll similar to a Zerg Queen. I have confirmed that the swarm's sudden rabid madness coincides precisely with the moment that Specialist Lee struck the one in the bridge." *Beep* "Seismic disturbances have ceased, and psionic activity has vanished outside of the ship" *Bleep* "One Alien Psionic source remains on the bridge, however, it appears to have intervened in defense of the injured bridge-crew, and two similar creatures are covering their wounds." [hr] [h1][center][color=red]Captain Cloak's Crew[/color][/center][/h1] [hr] [@evanist] Something worth noting, was that they were just close enough to the mountain to hear the rapid pattering of weapon's fire, though what 'exactly' the source was, was unclear. They were smaller than expected, almost adorably little things, but only one of them cared about that and the other two either wouldn't, or couldn't, express such interest. Though they continued their steady pace towards said mountain, backwards, the big one spoke up. [color=a0410d]"Survivors?... Good... Have. not. seen. 'pods'. or. tiny. feather. creatures... We. search. too. Captain. Tall. Red. Can't. Miss. Follow. Combat. Sound.[/color] [hr] [@nevikr1] Given the lack of anything happening around him, The tall red figured assumed perhaps it was just a forest critter he'd heard, and picked up his pace to continue on towards the sounds of action in the distance. [hr] [h1][center][color=purple]The Responders[/color][/center][/h1] [hr] [@wanderingdragon][@rangingwolf] Amber was absolutely oblivious to the strange creatures musings, simply continuing to mercilessly cling to the boy's arm and flutter around wantonly, trying to gnaw another carrot out of his hand... At least, until said 'other carrot' was hovered infront of his muzzle... he couldn't actually see it at the moment due to his masking being askew from making room to bite the last one, but he could smell it, he could taaasssteeee iiiit!... He shot 'down' so quickly to snatch the second carrot that one might fear he's crash head-first into the ground and hurt himself, yet even in his current state at the last moment his wings snapped into a curve that pulled him up into a skidding slide, already sitting and eagerly chewing on the carrot, which slowly dissapeared into his mouth... like a timer... ticking down till the next demand for a snack... ... Of course, this also meant he'd released Escotto in mid-air, and seemed completely oblivious to the sudden return of gravity to his previous victim... Meanwhile, Ruby, with her boss moving off to join the Asari for... whatever it was going to be, considered the use of a little information about her oddly behaving companion, and quickly singe-doodled a few things... One was an arrow pointing towards the distracted Stallion, another was a picture of a quadruped surrounded by lightning, and the last was a caricature of his muzzle with spinny eyes to imply being loopy. [hr] [h1]Co-op with Ranging[/h1] [hider=hidered for convenience] From the looks of it the equinoids had accepted the proposition of a meld. This would be a first for Linass, not many could say that they initiated first contact with a species. Even fewer could say that they were the first to meld with unknown species. But for the sake of diplomacy they had no other options. As the leader of the quadruped aliens finished his drawing, Linass took a quick look at it. She was unsure what the extra additions made to Elijah's drawing were supposed to mean but she would likely find out within the next few minutes. Once the equinoid was in front of her, she took a steadying breath before she sat down [url=https://i.pinimg.com/236x/ae/e5/ec/aee5ec1bd358b65a0be0e052a73f624d--samara-mass-effect.jpg]Cross legged[/url] Linass met the alien's eyes. Once she had permission she started her meld. A quiet "Embrace Eternity" could be heard before her eyes turned [url=http://www.gamebanshee.com/masseffect2/squadmembers/images/morinth.jpg]Black[/url] as she touched her head to aliens. Said lead quadruped calmly moved closer, inside there was some tumultuous distrust, but he also trusted in his patron's ability to defend him were this to turn out to be a trap, so he leaned in when she seemed... prepared, however strange it was to see those eyes go black, something that was often a bad sign in Equestria. Perhaps unexpected to those viewing from with-out, they both slumped more than expected upon making the connection, slipping over eachother's shoulders for balance, likely more unconcious than they were supposed to be... though familiar qualities of the melding would still be seen. [hr] On their side though, the world had gone dark, slowly illuminating to form something akin to a night-scape, albeit barely visible, and nearby, between, was standing something that resembled this 'night-scape' in the shape of an equine much larger than 'he' was, bright enough compared to the rest of the area that it stood out, and nearly featurely save for it's darker eyes... Otherwise, it seems there was invisible solid ground to stand on, and both were present unscatched, though the equine was missing his armor and suit now, revealing him more clearly as a nearly white furred pegasus with a firey mane and tail, and bright ice blue eyes. She might not be familiar with quadrupedal species like his, but there was well trained muscle tone under that fur, something that in most species was a clear indicator of intense training. Of course, 'he' was looking at the thing to the side, and eventually spoke in a tone perhaps younger and less authoritative than one would expect of a leader. "Welp... that was what I was afraid of..." Once the meld had started, Linass found herself in a darkened landscape. Instead of her armor she defaulted to what she [url=https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/10/105264/4730401-aria_t_loak_.jpg]normally wore.[/url] In front of her stood the quadruped alien. Though unlike in the waking world where he was clothed. Here he wore nothing. Since the Asari are considered the masters of the mind she knew the feeling when a third party was there. For now though she would ignore the presence and continue on with first contact. Now that they had now become effectively one being she understood him clearly when he spoke. "I'm glad that the meld was successful and we can understand each other, let us ignore the third party for now. Let's instead focus on the sharing of our language." Said Equine seemed to be... 'mildly' startled by hearing her, or rather, by 'understanding' her so clearly, head snapping to the side to stare at her with some surprise at first, though it quickly mellowed out as things became more clear, and he quickly replied "Ignoring them is not a bad idea, but I should inform you that it is a dream guardian serving my patron, It protects us and informs her when something tries to tamper with our minds... It's lack of aggression is evidence enough that this 'Meld' is harmless, though it is also why we have been pulled into a dream-scape. of course, 'she' will likely be joining us soon." Linass nodded her head. "Ah so that is what the last part of the message meant. It was confusing to say the least." Pausing for a moment as she gathered her thought. "Honestly a lot of this is unknown to me. Normally during a meld its two people. Unless its a three way meld of course. But mind guardians? Unheard of from where we from." A smirk appeared on her face. "And as to why this is benign. Well it is how we reproduce among my species. But do not fret. I will not become with child to do so would involve a lot more work. This was just the fastest way for us to give you our language, well at least mine." Onyx nodded as well "Indeed, that's what it meant, it would've taken a little long to draw a proper depiction instead... and I suspect that protection is the source of this unknown portion." There was an inevitable blush though, when 'reproduction' had been mentioned, but he calmed down quickly when she clarified it away. "Ohhh, I see... I've never actually heard of something that bred through mental contact like that." Linass gave another smile. "You most likely have never heard of it since my race are the only ones that can do it. To skip the biology when we meld to reproduce we can choose what genes to give to our offspring." Waving her hand. "But lets skip all that, that is neither here nor there." He nodded softly to acknowledge the idea of moving on from the subject, interesting as it 'could' be, they had more important matters to discuss, both of them moving closer to sit a few feet from eachother, and with a smile he agreed. "indeed, bridging the language barrier will be vital before we part, at least to some degree. one of my greatest concerns so far has been the lack of effective communication leading to an eventually aggressive resolution." He stopped there before he got too rambly, and let her continue on uninterupted. Once she sat herself on the 'ground' she looked at the alien. "Does all of your species come in such colors?" She somewhat blurted out. "Apologies for that. For being almost six hundred years old I still act like a maiden at times. Let's start over. My name is Linass T'Kaana and I'm a Asari. My other three companions are Ghalo Sangeral, he the one with four eyes and he is a Batarian. The large one is Jorgal Valak and he is a Krogan. Then Finally the one that leads us is Elijah Messener, he's the one with the single glowing eye and he is a Human. The other human found our ship so I do not know who he is except that his name is Escotto. What about yourself?" Linass said turning the question to him with a serene smile. Her introductions of her companions was quick, and he attached names to each of the creatures he remembered seeing... a small snicker and a grin crossing his lip "Escotto... that must be the one that tried to give me a carrot and got Tackled by Amber in response... poor thing, Amber's 'voracious' after using a lot of energy, heheh... and yes, we come in 'all' the colors... all of them." He'd been taking the time mentioning that to process something else she had mentioned though. "Yes Escotto. From my understanding of Human biology. He is very young, not even a adult." She shook her head. "It is obvious the child has never thought that his actions do have consequences. Despite him not being a part of our group we offer our humblest apologies for his transgressions." A short bow of her head followed suite. He chuckled then and waved his hoof "it's alright, I know, the young will do foolish things... honestly, I'm older than I certainly look, for good reason, and I still do foolish things... heheh, if you never do 'anything' foolish, then life just feels too serious!... heheh, considering that our forest has been threatening to kill you, we can 'at least' let that go anyway, especially given the potential consequences of riling up the Everfree forest, hoo!... besides, it was funny seeing Amber buzzing around with him" A small smirk joined her then "And I don't know his language anyway, unless you're speaking 'human' at least. A small chuckle followed "Although i'm unsure of how well it will translate, we'll have to adapt to some degree, I don't think we have the proper biological structure to speak eachother's languages fluently, but it will still be a boon to understand eachother.. . plus, this offer an oppurtunity for me to clearly share some important information about out world, heheh, which you're clearly not from." Another laugh graced past her. " Yes the young will do such things. Luckily I'm three hundred years too old for such nonsense. And no we are not speaking the 'human' language. I speak a variant of the Asari language known simply as Illium standard. But several of our people speak it so you shan't be waning on conversation. Yes it will be very vital for you to at least understand 'one' of the many languages spoken by the crew of the Verrikan. " "as for language, it is going to be simple at least for us. We have a tool that is simply called an omni-tool they work as translators. Once we have your language we can program our omni-tools and probably make a few simple omni-tools for you to use. Though they will not be connected to the extra or have any combat functions they will at least allow you to communicate with us." She said bringing up a mental image of a [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/6/61/Omni-big.png/revision/latest?cb=20090923234517]omni-tool[/url] It was a fascinating piece of technology that she demonstrated, though as far as his eyes could guess it might as well be conjuration magic for all it's appearances... he certainly didn't know what an 'extranet' was, and he had no need of it's combat abilities. "That sounds incredibly useful! Though I imagine it's going to take a bit of time to... 'program' them. I'd be willing enough to supply my language for it, though it may require some additional examples, some ponies speak in different ways, or with unusual accents." Linass gave Onyx a look. "Young one, programing this omni-tool will be child's play. As for the accents it shouldn't be that difficult. The omni-tool is a very simple machine." She said with a smile, though paused for a moment. "Although, The potential consequences of riling up the Everfree forest? I believe our ship could handle it. Child, nothing short of a bullet traveling at almost the speed of light would hope to penetrate its armor." She said in a condescending tone. His knowing smirk hinted at something she was underestimating about the forest though, and he brought the subject back for a moment. "However, One of the greatest rules around here for centuries has been not to piss off 'or' underestimate the forest... there's... 'something' there, the princesses either don't know, or are keeping it hidden for good reason so the forest can protect 'other' secret, but it empowers the forest and it's creatures in strange ways... for instance, this." He waved a hoof to the side and an image appeared.. it seemed he knew a thing or two about dream imagery at least. "Is a cockatrice." it was a really goofy looking creature, like someone had fuzed a chicken with a lizard in a wholely unnatural way. "It can turn it's victims to stone, though I suppose it's possible that with your strange armor, it's inability to actually 'see' your body's may prevent this." He paused to tap his chin... then seemed to realize something "Oh, i'm rambling, and we may not have too long, my apologies!" He cleared his throat "To be more immediately relevent, what has been attacking you so far are called timber-wolves, quite literally 'made of timber', the big one is a bit more complicated, most just call it a king timberwolf, but magically speaking it's more like a 'forest vein', the crystal at it's core that allows it to manifest such size with stability is some kind of living thing from inside the forest... now, I say 'vein', because that is among the smaller sizes of them. It hasn't been seen in mine or a dozen generations, but my patron has shared imagery and memories from the last time a forest 'heart' was enraged..." There was a rush of color behind him, 'far' behind him, and something akin to an entirely forest come to life in the shape of a wolf appeared... this one was much larger than the ship. "Destroying the vein could likely have awoken something much worse... And I'm not sure if it needs to penetrate your armor in order to simply crush it, or if it endures, then burying it in the ground that will crumble around it from the force." A pleasant smile returned then "Luckily, the forest is neither mindless nor rabid, and it knows 'we' don't intend it harm as long as it stays in it's own territory, and likewise, the vein surviving and our presence makes it question if the threat it perceived in you may have been poorly assumed... at least, that's my guess, I've never interacted with it personally." He dispelled the titanic image then. When onyx brought the image of the cockatrice, she cocked her head at it. "How can one such creature turn a person to stone? That is not scientifically possible....Though if what you say is true when can just polarize our armor so they cannot see our faces." From what she could tell he seemed rushed for some reason. Perhaps it had something to do with his 'patron' showing up. "Magic? I don't want to sound condescending but magic is not real." She said at the mention of the king timberwolf. "Besides for the most part those beings were easy to kill. Though we will switch our ammunition to something different instead of incendiary." At the mention of the forest 'heart' waking and it crushing the ships armor, she gave a kind laugh. " I do not believe something other than another starship could destroy the ship. Though having it buried in the ground that would be somewhat of a challenge for us. Now that we have made our mark against this entity in the forest, do you believe it will attempt to make a move against us? Or have we quelled it for now?" She asked. Her next question brought him a little chuckle, and he shrugged "there is some contention for how, but there is some form of magic production behind their eyes that produces a stone transmutation curse of sorts. It doesn't spread to trees and plants or anyone but it's target, so it's theorized to bet a specific abnormality based about turning 'flesh' to stone." However, her disbelief in magic caused him to grin delightedly. "And yet, our whole world has lived magic for longer than history has been recorded, perhaps it could be something other than what you understand to be a 'magic that doesn't exist'... Alas, we used out wings to generate fire and lightning only minutes ago, though I understand it more thoroughly than that, it certainly happened. I have seen many examples, too many to list now, hmhm." A quizzical look passed her face. "Curses? Magic. I still do not believe it. I trust in science, no offense. But it isn't plausible. I mean even our biotics are easily explained." Disbelief lacing her voice. He followed with a shake of his head though "I don't think it will have the time to make a move against you, shortly before this 'meld' I spotted Princess Celestia approaching the gorge behind the ship, She will likely be present by the time we awaken and convincing it to back down. It doesn't mean something feral from the forest might not attack eventually, Hydra, Manticore, maybe a local Dragon... with all the disruption these crashes have caused, I just hope it hasn't woken an ursa." He grinned a little though "And timberwolves are easy to break, but the magic saturating them makes them reconstruct rapidly when not destroyed, and allows their pieces to be used to build a bigger one by a forest vein... And yet, all you need to run them off, is loud high-pitched noises... I can only assume those weapons of yours didn't do so because the forest emboldened them to deal with a perceived 'threat'." Shortly after he voiced those delayed thoughts "Although... humans... There's no confirmation of it not being merely half-baked crackpot theories, but there are quite ancient mentions of the word, extremely few mind you, but that is enough to fascinate those obsessed with 'maybes' and 'unknowns'... You should warn your leader then, about a minty green mare in the nearby town, she is... fanatical, about the idea of humans existing, and may potentially become... hrm... 'awkwardly interested' in him... and his hands... I don't quite understand it personally, but to each their own." At the mention of humans being in their mythos and nonexistent an eyebrow rose. "That is very odd that you do have mention of them in your mythos. Since my crew does not like Escotto we ask of you not to tell him when we wake. It would be fitting punishment." A laugh escaped her. After that he cleared his throat, straightening himself in an almost militaristically refined manner, though he maintained the smile, his tone came a bit more officially "I will keep in mind your companions, as for me, I go by Onyx Wing, for... Military reasons, I can't share my real name. I lead a team of Shadowbolts, which essentially operates as an unlisted high-tier threat management force serving the night Princess directly... She is the one who will likely be arriving soon, she keeps a close eye on external forces interacting with, or trying to, our minds, her sister will be arriving shortly to calm the forest as well. My Current companions go by Amber wing, the one currently gnawing on the human boy, and Ruby wing, the one who'd been singeing the images into the stone. The rest of my team spread out to other crash sites to try and get them under-control." He relaxed slightly then "That aside, it is a pleasure to meet you properly 'Linass T'Kaana', I hope this can all be concluded peacefully." The theoretical eyebrow rose once again. "Military eh? Makes sense. A lot of our crew were prior military. Let us get a formal introduction in then." Standing up she gave a elegant bow. "We are The White Company. We are a small band of mercenaries. From pirates to Warlords to slavers. No target is too difficult for us. " Sitting back down she continued on. " Am I correct in understanding that you guys are considered your planets special forces then?" "Although, You serve your Princesses? Why not the King and Queen?" She paused. "Nonetheless it seems we have a lot to learn about this planet. But once it again it is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances and we hope that this can all be concluded peacefully as well. As well, For these other beasts you mentioned do they have any special quirks such as the timberwolf? And am I to assume that it'll be fine to defend ourselves against these beasts?" Linass asked. He noted her 'formal' introduction and broadened his smile, his patron would likely approve of that "Actually, technically speaking, we are more like you in that respect, the Shadowbolts are 'officially' a mercenary organization that takes on less 'publically acceptable' jobs, or to read a bit more into that, carry out duties that either the leadership cannot be publically involved in, or are seen as too extreme for the standard guard or military forces." He raised a hoof to cough into with a playful smirk "our nation has not known war in centuries so... they're abit out of practice... we're the answer for things that are too far out of their current levels of experience." Then a small shake of his head "although, not this 'planet's' per se, but our nation's at least, and we're it's 'aerial' special forces, the less official ones, there are others for less airborne specialties. From a rogue Ursa to a disaster level hurricane, we're the ones to fix it, and our speed often sees us sent after most 'sudden' emergencies." "Ah so black ops then." She said with a knowing smile. Then turned to confusion at the mention of there being no war for centuries. "How is that possible, without war stagnation happens. And thats not a good thing." She paused letting him continue. "What do you mean other species? Like other sentients? Athames Azure! This planet is full of wonders." She said. Her greater disbelief at the idea of 'no war' brought a fresh chuckle "I guess you're from somewhere more heavy in conflict... though I should clarify, 'no war' doesn't mean there haven't been lesser skirmishes, threats on the loose, or violent encounters. There has just been no direct nation versus nation conflicts in many generations. There's still rogue monsters, heavens, the nearby town next to this forest is attacked 'weekly', like a bloody schedule. There's also the occasional 'ancient evil' that likes to come back... There was a reality warping mad-creature a few years back, then an invasion by bug creatures, an ancient tyrant escaped his prison, then a giant centaur thing that ate magic, and we don't even talk about when the 'smooze' returned... Heh, it's an exciting time we live in these days!" Then he perked up even more "And yes! other sapient species, though you'll likely find ours the most hospitable once they get to know you, and more skittish 'before' they do. There also Griffons, the minotaurs, the zebras, the crystal ponies, thestrals, changelings, dragons, centaurs, gargoyles, oh the list goes on." She gave a hearty chuckle. " I wouldn't say heavy conflict. We haven't had a true war in a good while. The last open conflict was the 'First Contact War' as the humans called it. Though it only lasted a few months. But our various governments constantly have military operations going against pirates, slavers and their like. Thats in the Council Space. From where we operate out of is called the Terminus Systems basically lawless lands that are owned by Warlords, Pirates, Slavers and their like. Though mind you some of the Warlords are decent. But its like choosing a lesser evil over a greater evil." As Onyx finished his list of the most recent 'conflicts' she once again shook her head in disbelief. " It almost sounds like some sort of fantasy book from what you are telling me. I almost don't want to believe it." Linass's eye almost 'popped' out one could say at all the sentients Onyx listed. "Athame's ass! Hold on, you're telling me your planet has ten different species of sentient life!? Our scientists would go crazy over this place." She laughed. Then suddenly his smile became quite mirthful "Oh yes, there are 'quite' a few, however 'the princesses' are actually a subject i'd hoped we'd get to soon, given their eminent arrival. I imagine like our neighboring nations and other species, your's may have different structures from our own, and for good reason. It could take ages to be 'thorough', but i'll lay out the basics, and I don't even need imagery, heheh, you'll likely meet both of them soon enough." "Princesses Celestia and Luna, are our highest Diarchs, they actually choose to use 'princess' instead of queen, or empress, or goddess, depending on how fanatical who you ask might be, as a show of being closer to their subjects... it seems silly to me that they would need do it such a way, but back then ponies were... simpler, superstitious, paranoid of power, and many other issues. To compact it into as few words as possible, though you may hear different versions or embellishments depending on the source, they are the immortal sisters, they united our species and founded the nation thousands of years ago, they guide the movement of the sun and moon around our world, and have lead the nation since it's inception. Celestia over-sees the day, the sun, and more often than not diplomacy and defense. While Luna over-sees the night and the moon, dreams, and usually military matters... The eclipse that rose in the sky shortly before this 'melding' is an ancient sign both of crisis, and to let the public know that they're personally seeing to it... Luna, by the way, is the shadowbolt's patron, and she will be joining us here before long." He returned to a calm smile then, and just incase she got worked up over his description of them, he elected to clarify "You don't need to worry about any 'superiority complexes' or potentially deadly offense at benign things.... immortality, I hear, is very lonely and boring, interacting casually is among their preferences outside of exceedingly formal settings, though Luna will certainly seem quite 'imperious'." He paused to whisper teasingly "She likes to look the part of a nightmare when prepared for combat." Then returned to normal. "She will appreciate casual interaction when you're not an enemy." That he felt the need to mention it at all, hinted that reactions or assumptions had happened enough in the past to warrant it. Linass decided not to comment on their form of government for she had no place to. She just nodded her head politely. " Good there are no royalty where we are from. Plus we are considered 'scum' from our home as well. So we only planned on acting casually. As for long age. Just ask any Asari or Krogan it gets quite tiresome after a thousand years. And how does one look like a nightmare anyway?" She asked. He'd seemed to have skipped right over her mention of being 'centuries' old, and the specific language she mentioned, and while one might wonder why, they wouldn't wonder long. "Like this?" That wasn't 'his' voice this time, it was something else, womanly, rich, powerful, one might very well associate it with a disney villain's tone of casual disdain for lesser beings, if it weren't for the slightly mirthful tone and playful inflection... of course, the source made itself known quickly, [url=https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/9/24/1257016__safe_artist-colon-equum_amici_artist-colon-sevireth_nightmare+moon_oc_oc-colon-nyx_absurd+file+size_absurd+gif+size_alicorn_alicorn+oc_animate.gif]fading[/url] into being , accompanied by the sensation of an exceedingly old and powerful mind slipping into the dream-scape, though it was up for guesses if it became involved with the melding or simply the scape that they were seeing in... It was also very tall, more than her krogan friend, if by a small margin. Remarkably [url=https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/5/18/1735934__safe_artist-colon-cannibalus_artist-colon-equum_amici_edit_nightmare+moon_alicorn_alternate+universe_animated_armor_bad+end_blood_castle_cinem.gif]darkly[/url] furred, armored, with a mane and tail that looked to be made of the galaxy itself, and eyes that glowed like stars... And a mouth full of fangs "It is pleasant to find at least 'one' potential crysis was already being resolved peacefully before I had to step in." She quieted for a moment to glance between them "I can only assume the calm interaction I see is confirmation that there is no threat here." Her tone lightened up considerably at least, but her presence remained somewhat over-bearing, even if it wasn't clear if this was purposeful or natural. Linass felt another being enter the meld, but she did not feel how ancient and powerful it was, since for the Asari once they entered a meld there was no differentiating of ones age or 'power'. The other being that entered the 'meld' was a tall equinoid of unknown phenotype. This one though had wings and a horn. How peculiar! This one was wearing what would be considered ancient armor among the species of the her world same with the weapon. Though they looked very well crafted. "Aye what crysis there was; was easily averted by the help of your 'mercenaries'" She said with a graceful laugh. "And yes there is no threat currently, I initiated a meld with Onyx here, with his permission mind you. So we could share our languages to better communicate in the waking world." She said with a smile. This alien's reaction to her... or, rather, the calmness and familiarity with which she addressed a complete stranger and in-fact alien, it was... unusual to her, but it brought a smile "Fascinating... With inference from the report I received, and the way you can remain so casual and open, you and your allies must be used to meeting new species... Though your dismissal of magic as imaginary is somewhat concerning, given that your ship was preserved by a mass wave of solar magic before you crashed." She shook her head slightly and her wings shrugged "Nevermind, that is irrelevant, if no threat is posed, then I shall relax." And like that the 'nightmare' melted away, leaving a noticeably [url=https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/5/1/1721780__safe_artist-colon-yakovlev-dash-vad_princess+luna_alicorn_blushing_clipboard_cute_equation_female_glasses_hit+list_looking+at+you_looking+back.png]smaller[/url] and more... 'adorable' mare standing there, barely taller than the stallion she initiated the meld with. The voice that came now was both refined, but younger and lighter in tone, if still very 'official'. "Now then, I can answer some of those questions I heard while observing, since I interupted them." After a short clearing of her throat. "There are actually 'dozens' of sapient species on this world, there are others living on my moon as well, and more still in the prison plane of Tartarus. Our's is among the most advanced however, and those that Onyx mentioned are the other with the greatest semblance of civilization on a 'nation' scale. Many others are single tribes, or large villages instead kingdoms... though there 'are' others farther beyond that few encounter due to distance." "As for those 'beasts'... Yes, you are free to defend yourselves as you like, it would be unfair to expect you to disarm in the face of a threat, though if they flee it will be best you don't pursue, it could just as easily be a lure for a trap. As for special qualities... Dragons are either massive and solitary, and thus extremely durable, or smaller and traveling in groups with a remarkable disdain for, hrm, 'lesser species' that they have yet to grow out of... Manticores are not too difficult alone, large flesh and blood, but their stinger's are highly poisonous and they often hunt in packs, they are also quite intelligent for an 'animal'... Hydra's are roughly the size of a barn, 'before' you factor in the necks that are longer than their bodies, Five heads, each capable independantly of spew acids or anything else they've consumed, and removing one head will not sufficiently hinder them... they 'are' however, quite stupid and prone to tying themselves up." [/hider] [hr] [@Lugia][@Rune_Alchemist][@ninja][@double] The pair of smaller quadrupeds had simply been following along behind the larger dark one as she addressed the other aliens that were present, as well as Astral... at least, until her captive suddenly burst into flames and scattered around her. She of course had been patiently listening to his explanation, and just about the time he finished her 'passenger' burst into flames. She jumped at this and quickly vanished from view in a puff of that familiar dark cloud, of course anticipating an attack, and quickly reformed a short distance away, quite ready to resume the fight... only to find an inert pile of ashes there and-not quite inert actually, there was a sense of... 'dreaming' coming from it, wonderful, so this wasn't even a normal 'dragon', it had to be hard to kill too. Alas, she still had some other things to deal with at the moment, so rather than interfering more immediately, she directed one of her observers to peek in on these 'dreams', while she took some time to light her horn and gather up the ashes in her magic, while similarly summoning a seemingly innocuous trash-bag to contain it all in... a fire-proof durability enchanted one of course, a common item to find when one lives with things that tend to spontaneously immolate or tear things. Once that was secured, for the moment, she returned her attention to Astral, for all the world looking unphased by bagging up a combusted criminal... she'd taken note of how he was quite respectful, talkative, and straight to the point, perhaps to a degree that she, like her sister, was quite familiar with and had long since perfected disinterest in the groveling portion... though she was pleased he seemed a bit less ready to plaster his face into the dirt at a moments notice. "Indeed it seems not... ours do not tend to affect the weather nor electrocute themselves to heal either. But I have this one under control, as for you..." She pondered her reaction to his information, quickly, logically... "This information will prove quite useful, and save us some trouble, as well your dedication to your craft is commendable, though the potential risk of a meteorite is considerable, you are either quite skilled, or somewhat foolish to rush off without assistance to ensure your safety... That said, your initiative may prove invaluable as well, I must assume that your continued health implies they lacked a hostile intent, and that you've had some success communicating if you're certain of the circle's use, even if only partial... It would be prudent to have you direct me to this vessel however, it is possible they may come for a fight if they think their companion is in danger, and I believe-" She went stone still suddenly, widening her eyes a bit and straightening up... something she would not admit publically about her position as immortal royalty, it had left her unused to casual contact outside of her family or close friends, the sudden sensation of something in her mane led her to turn her gaze back and find that rather voluminous mane subjected to the alien's touch, nuzzling it, rubbing it, brushing it... it sent a shiver into her scalp and down through her spine. It may or may not be a foreign experience for her, that mane flowed like water to the eye, and with a close inspection there appeared to be only that, it was like gazing into the blackness of space with no protection yet no harm... to the touch though, it was an anomaly, like hair floating in water it slid off instead of clinging, yet it somehow combined with the sensation of grasping at nothing, water flowing around her fingers, and something like a cloud wrapping around her contact... It was as if it existed in several states combined, or perhaps it was an illusion of the grandest quality... Either way, it was more common to her than a strange alien plastering their face into her mane, though it did not seem to be threatening so she... 'tolerated it'... if barely. "Why does this remind me of 'The Pink one'?" As if, and quite possibly literally, on cue "You called?!" A familiar high pitched eternally playful voice sounded out from... within her mane? To the ebon it may have almost sounded like carnival music... why? how? who the fuck knows, the pink one commeth, and reality trembles in her wake! All the more clear as she suddenly produced herself from within that nebulous mane, latching onto the Ebon's face and giggling madly "I knew there were new ponies out here! but you're not a pony are you? Even better! new not pony friends to make! Oh high mister no-fun!" Though other's may have made it sound like an insult, she sounded as innocently playful even saying that... Alas, she descended, as oft was the case, into unintelligable rambling for a few seconds before vanishing back into the ether within Luna's mane, pulling Shael partially back into it before contact vanished entirely as soon as she couldn't see her anymore, prompting the mare to turn back towards Astral with a low snort... "Shall we simply pretend that did not happen and progress to ensuring our... 'visitors' are not rallying for a rescue?" [hr] [@hellotraveler] The forest in this area was dead-silent, though vines and roots could be seen encroaching on the crash-site and the trench it left behind, a different distance plume of smoke could be seen, and the mountain in the distance had many flashes coming from it... Of course, more important was the thing before it. It was certainly quite a sight, a vessel of design so foreign no creature on this planet could ever have seen one, most could only guess at the functions of it various pieces. There was also a great deal of activity around it, it's crew obviously on high alert and skittering about the crash site to ensure it's safety and check the damages... It was a pot-luck whether or not they might notice the one watching them from afar, but there was always the option of approaching for a closer look...