open Faster Than Light (Check OOC before joining)

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

OOC Thread: https://mlpforums.com/topic/192214-anyone-want-to-rp/page/4/#comments

 

It started out as a rather ordinary night. The sun had just set and Princess Luna was out preparing the night sky for another beautiful starscape. The full moon was just a few nights away, and she wanted the sky to be just perfect when it happened.

It was then that she noticed a star out of place in the sky. It hadn't been there the previous night she was sure of it. As she looked closer she could swear she saw it... moving?

Quickly she retrieved her telescope to examine the strange star, which she discovered was far closer than she thought. It was not a star, but some sort of object, too angular to be an asteroid, but moving too fast and with too much heat to see it well enough to tell. What she could tell was that it was falling rather quickly, too fast to be fully deflected, and too curious to want to do so regardless. With a few careful nudges she changed it's course to fall in the San Palomino desert, just past Dodge Junction, where it would hopefully not hit anyone or anything.

That done, she sent a quick letter to the new captain of the guard, instructing them to investigate the crashed object ASAP.

 

In Dodge Junction, the CMC were laid over on a trip to visit Braeburn in Appaloosa. They were, of course, restless from the journey, and as such noticed immediately when the space object passed overhead. "What was that?"

"It looked like a big ball of fire."

"You think it was a dragon?"

"There aren't any dragons around here. Maybe it was a meteor?"

"Like a space rock?"

"Yeah! What if we got our cutie marks in meteor finding?"

They briefly argued the pros and cons of leaving immediately to find the meteor, but decided to leave early in the morning so they could still catch the afternoon train to Appaloosa, presumably with their newly acquired meteorologist marks.

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@Illiad Easle

Upon receiving the letter the captain, Afterglow looked at it with narrowed eyes. Some sweat rolled down his face upon reading the letter. He stood up with the letter in his hooves as he read it over making sure those words actually were on the paper as if in disbelief. He had always wanted something like this to happen. If it was a downed meteor or not he wanted to investigate it. Quickly forming a plan in his head, he proceeded to order the staff into the room for a conference to decide the outcome. As a member of the Lunar guard, they were all dressed in proper gear.

They would discuss the details of how to proceed, after a bit of discussion Afterglow would conclude several things. First, there would be three carriages. One for Afterglow himself, and the non-pegasi guards. The next one was to carry equipment needed for a possible excavation of a crashed meteor as well as hazmat suits and other such things in case such a crash site proved dangerous, and the other would contain scientific equipment and various other such things if needed. 

With that concluded, Afterglow told the guards to prepare the carriages. He would get ready and get himself all prim and proper. He'd take a few last glances around his personal office and quarters before appointing a unicorn mare to hold his position while he was away. After a few minutes, he would walk out and see the other guards preparing to go, and getting the carriages ready. There were two solar guard mares assigned to this mission, and they looked and felt massively out of place. The cargo carriages had four stallions assigned to each, while Afterglow assigned the two mares to his carriage. They loaded up, and upon everyone being ready they would set off towards the crash site.

It would probably take a while until they get there. Upon arriving, Afterglow instructed the guards to follow a circular pattern of flight high over the crash site so they could view the site from above to get a good view of it before landing.

==================

Upon early in the morning, Sweetie Belle would be wide awake and ready to go with some lunchboxes and such packed for her two friends. "Applebloom Scootaloo! You ready to go?" she'd ask in a rather sing song, excited manner. Despite their answer, she'd run to the door with full intention of leading them to wherever the supposed meteor had crash landed. 

Edited May 9, 2021 by Starforce Glimmer

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Once the site entered visual range it became clear that they weren't dealing with the typical meteorite. The object had carved a deep trench into the ground where it initially crashed down, which made finding it trivially easy. The object itself was large, angular, and all around made of metal. It was obviously artificial, and clearly alien in design. There were a few obvious holes in the exterior, as well as a few areas that were actively on fire, but there was no indication at the moment of any activity or movement, though the sunrise would make it difficult to tell for sure on one side.

The sand dunes would also go a long way to conceal anything that had left the object. Some parts of the ship had fallen out or been scrapped off in the fall and were visible in the trench it had carved.

The pegasi pulling the carts would ask the captain where they should set down.

 

(CMC)

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were surprised to find Sweetie Belle had beat them awake, being Rarity's sister she was usually the last of them to get up. "You're really excited for this one aint'cha?"

"Let's get going! We've got to be the first ones there!"

They were able to leave town without any incident, and thanks to the trench it was easy enough for them to make their way over to where the object had crashed. They would also notice the guard carriages circling above, though with the guards focused on the object it would be reasonable that they would escape notice so far. Stopping in the shadow of a sand dune not far from the object they decided to regroup, "There's a lot of guards over there, do ya think it might be dangerous?"

"I say we go for it! Maybe there's alien ponies in there! We could get Alien cutie marks!"

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

All of the guards were quite surprised at what had been found, most especially Afterglow "By Celestia, I knew all along we weren't alone!" he'd say excitedly before taking upon his more professional character. As the guards circled above the object, Afterglow began to formulate a plan and did some hoof signals to the other carriages. The other carriages flew closer so they could all converse easily. Afterglow was going to converse with them about the plan as to how to deal with this strange occurrence

"First things first, we must secure the area. You 4, when we land make sure to secure the area. Nopony gets in or out of this area unless I say so. Is that clear?" he'd ask those 4 guards of one of the carriages that, and they would nod. "Next, we need to wear our masks and scan the area for radiation or any unwanted fumes. This...object might be toxic or dangerous and we want to take all precautions we can just in case of anything dangerous." they would all agree with that statement.

"Preston Star, Stern Steel, Fly Heart! You will be with me. Be on your guard, stay alert and aware at all times. This could be anything, friendly, foe or otherwise. If this proves to contain hostile beings we will not hesitate to use force. If not, we will try to communicate. But first things first, secure the perimeter, and we will examine the safety of this situation. If all is fine, we will attempt to look for entry into this object. If there are non-hostile beings that are injured, we will attempt to heal them if they are injured." Afterglow spoke, and after a brief conversation the guard carriages stepped down. With a bit of hesitation, the guards agreed. 

The 3 carriages touched down a close distance away from the object on the opposite side from where the CMC were, so they wouldn't catch view of them yet. Afterglow, Preston Star, and Fly Heart among the two solar guard ponies got their full hazmat suits on as well as breathing masks on. The other guards did so just to be safe upon Afterglow's orders. After they were all suited up, they would put their armour on.

Afterglow and his group of guards would begin to inspect the object and scanning it with the various devices they had on hand to assess the safety, while the remaining guards moved away from the object and began to set up whatever equipment they needed and began to guard over the area and made sure nothing, or nobody would get access to the area without being noticed.

==================

Sweetie looked to her two friends cautiously but also excitedly. "It looks like those guards have landed, we should be small enough to avoid being spotted over the distances around this strange object. Its obviously not a meteor! We could get alien cutie marks! Wouldn't that be something? I say we go for it and check it out!" she would agree and made sure no guards were within close distances of where the CMC were. 

Sweetie Belle had noticed that none of the guards were likely going to spot them. At least, not yet. She would run up to the object, eyes wide in amazement upon this being an alien craft. 

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Starforce Glimmer

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

The CMC, having been so focused on the object, didn't notice that they were being followed by a desert chimera until it was already on top of them. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were able to dodge away just barely quick enough, screaming of course, leaving Sweetie Belle to get struck by the snake end, poisoned she would instantly feel weak, then collapse. She'd be able to keep conscious long enough to witness what happened next.

The chimera would turn it's attention to the other two foals, torn between running for their lives and not wanting to leave Sweetie belle behind. They only hoped their screams had alerted the guards to their plight.

While the guards would definitely have heard the scream, so too did another creature, which ran towards the sound at full speed. It crested the sand dune from the direction of the object, looking like a massive praying mantis, it spit a large glob of a viscous green substance at the chimera, on contact it was clearly some sort of acid as the chimera turned it's attention towards the attacker. The mantis descended the sand with remarkable speed, its sharp limbs swinging almost invisibly fast to stab and slice the chimera until it lay dead in the sand.

The mantis only paused a moment before it turned it's attention to the collapsed Sweetie Belle, it clicked sympathetically as it caressed her with the surprisingly soft inside edge of the same limbs that eviscerated the chimera.

The other CMCs tried to stop the mantis as it gingerly lifted Sweetie onto it's back. It revealed itself to be intelligent as it pantomimed going to the object, and some sort of action, then indicated that Sweetie Belle would be okay.

Sweetie Belle would lose consciousness as the mantis sped across the sand back to the object, the other two CMC following as close behind as they could.

 

The guards would not have much time to reach to the screams before they would spot the giant mantis creature, covered in blood and carrying a filly on it's back, running towards the object.

If any guard tried to intercept the mantis before it got beck inside the ship, they'd be met by what looked like magic bolts fired from the ship in front of them, either they were poor shots, or were warnings. In all likelihood, the guards would not be able to catch up before the ponies and mantis close enough to the ship, and the shield came online, separating the two groups. The mantis didn't stop until they were all inside, the doors closing behind them.

 

(Sweetie Belle will regain consciousness in my next post. Here's the inciting action that gives conflict to the motivations)

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

(Sounds good to me)

Upon hearing the screams, the guard's ears would have instantly perked up. Afterglow and the ones by him would freeze up. It sounded like the scream of fillies yet they had not spotted anyone else out here. Two of Afterglow's other guards that were on the other side had seen the huge Mantis like figure carrying a filly on its back. Those guards instantly shouted over to the others. "Over here, over here! Come quick!" a guard hollered at the top of her lungs. All of the guards had ran over to the scene, including Afterglow.

By the time they had gone over to the area where they had seen the creature, it had been too late. However, one of the guards had attempted to intercept, hollering at the creature to let the filly go. Upon the bolts being fired, the guards would dodge and move back. Afterglow would arrive on the scene, sweat dripping down his forehead. He would quickly ask the other guards about what they had seen and they revealed what they had heard. They heard filly screaming, and a mantis like creature carrying a filly on its back, which was covered in blood.

Preston Star would point out something. The freshly killed carcass of a chimera, and from the looks of it the chimera would have easily killed a filly without much problem. Fly Heart checked out the scene closely. "Recently killed. Dead. Was sprayed on by some kind of acid. Looks to be of a biological nature. Whatever that thing was, that chimera was attacked by the alien creature." she said with a stern tone.

Afterglow deeply sighed. This was not how he wanted this to go. "Alright, remain calm everyone! We will get through this. Whatever that thing was that took that filly away we have to rescue the filly. We cannot let anyone die today." he'd say, and the various guards would nod. They would further converse about how to plan ahead here. It was agreed upon they would examine the forcefield and proceed based on the results. 

The guards would examine the forcefield around the ship with their equipment to see if it was something that they could get through using magical means, or if it was dangerous to touch or interact with. It was safe, they would begin planning a way to bore through it using spells and their equipment. If it wasn't safe, they would merely trot around the shield and examine the ship from the exterior. 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

-Inside-

Sweetie Belle would, groggily, wake up laying on her side on some sort of medical table. Were it not for the large, bipedal, green glowing faceless creature standing over her. It produced a humming sound that was oddly melodic, clearly some sort of vocalization.

If Sweetie looked around, she'd find that she was wearing some sort of coat-tight suit that reached from the base of her neck to just below the first joints of her legs. She also was wearing something on her forehoof, some sort of bracelet. The room looked like a fire had been through recently, though it didn't smell like it. Most apparent, likely, would be the fact that her friends were nowhere to be seen.

The green creature reached gently out and adjusted her bracelet, it tingled when he touched her. He turned the bracelet and it started glowing with a faint blue light.

"There, can you understand me now? [Vrmmmm] did their best learning your language, it might not have all the words, so I'll try to speak simply. Are you alright?"

 

-Outside-

Investigating the shield they'd find that they couldn't push through it, and most all magical attacks would be deflected or absorbed by it. If they struck it hard enough they'd find it would dim slightly, but a few seconds later it would return to full brightness.

After some time, if they were adventurous enough, they'd find that while they couldn't teleport other objects inside the shield, they could teleport themselves past the shield (So a unicorn could jump past it, bout couldn't carry much with them or bring someone else along).

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

No doubt that the bracelet and the suit on Sweetie had been some sort of translator, but it is not like Sweetie would know that. At least, right away. She froze there in fear and began to back up away from the creature in fright. She'd look at the room and despite what she would expect from what she observes there was no such smell.

She backed up even more like a caged animal, she was afraid that this creature was going to end up hurting her. "P-please don't hurt me! D-don't hurt my friends I mean no harm...we were just checking out what we thought was a meteor crash and then I was attacked by something...please don't hurt me! I didn't do anything wrong..." Sweetie would shout, the green creature could tell that she was afraid. 

Sweetie Belle was too focused on her own fear she didn't really seem to pay attention, or notice the bracelet. The suit had also went largely un-noticed. She could feel it around her, but she was far too focused on the green creature here. As a young filly, she was terrified of something so different from herself. At least dragons, and other creatures from Equestria she had heard of. What she was seeing here was nothing like them at all.

-Outside-

After some time, Preston Star managed to teleport inside of the barrier. There was some quick conversation about this. Guards without horns could not teleport so they had no way of getting inside of the barrier. It was agreed upon that 4 of the Unicorn guards, as well as Preston Star would proceed with the investigation of the vessel. Looking for an entrance, or where the fillies were. 

The other guards would stay beyond the barrier and inspect the ship from the outside of the barrier as well as guarding over the area to ward off any other ponies or unwanted creatures within the area. They were all doing something very important, distractions were unwarranted. 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

The creature put it's hands up and backed away, "Apologies. I'm not going to hurt you. Your friends, the other two like you, are safe. I will have them brought here."

The creature spoke into a bracelet it wore that looked like the one Sweetie had. "Bring the other two to the [vMMvMM] bay." (Any words that Equestrian wouldn't feasibly include, or that Sweetie wouldn't know the meaning of, are replaced with brackets until she comes up with a word to represent them. In a sense she gets to name things.)

A few minutes later one of the doors opened, revealing the mantis from earlier followed by the two other CMC who rapidly approached once they saw Sweetie.

"Thank Celestia you're all right!"

"That chimera was going to eat us all. Bit you real bad... We thought you were going to die."

"You look healthier than ever though. They must have some real powerful healing magics."

The mantis spoke softly to the green creature, "Should we tell them?"

The green one shook its head, "They wouldn't understand."

The mantis continued, "What about the corpse?"

 

Outside

Once inside the shield they'd be able to examine the ship closer. The ship had clearly been painted at one point, some parts still visible, though most of it had been removed, likely from the heat of entering the atmosphere. A pair of small robotic creatures were walking along the exterior of the ship, closing up holes in the hull. The doors were all sealed shut, and they couldn't get a good view to try and teleport inside.

One of them got the feeling they were being watched, like something slimy was probing their mind. 

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@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

Sweetie had thought she was in a medical bay, or some sort of operation room. She waited for the others in a scared panicked state. As the minutes passed, she seemed to realize she was not going to be hurt or at least she had so hoped. When the door opened and the other CMC entered, Sweetie rapidly ran up to them and hugged them tightly. "I-I had no idea any of that even happened! B-but I am glad you two are here!" Sweetie exclaimed as she turned to creature and the mantis.

"S-so you save me then? I-I guess I should say thank you for that..." she looked to the floor if guiltfully. "We saw whatever it was...we are in crash in the desert nearby where we were and we had ran out to take a look. What we thought was a...meteor is something completely different and then thats where it went black. W-who are you?" is all Sweetie managed to say, for now. She was still scared but her curiosity within her was beginning to grow. 

-Outside-

Some of the guards would take positions around the robotic creatures and noticed they were apparently fixing up the ship. One of the guards called out to get their attention, and all of the guards were on rather high alert. Preston Star would watch over them while one of the solar guards (named Solar Spark) felt something probing their mind. Depending on what capability whatever was probing their mind, they could tell the guard was on high alert with a clear directive - find out what is going on her, find out what this crash is, and where those fillies went. If they could look deeper though, the guard was internally quite scared of what was going on but was hiding that from the others in order to not appear weak.

However, that guard had told the others about the feeling. They recommended that the guard step back from the ship. Solar Spark was spooked and did as the others had told. The others were even more alert. Solar Spark would say something ominously, out loud. "You won't be getting what you want out of me." she spoke, as if referencing whatever was probing her mind. 

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

The mantis and the green creature shared a look before returning their attention back to the fillies, the green one spoke, "Maybe it would be better if we let the captain do the introductions." The two aliens led the way into the next room, which was a bit larger than the room they were in given it had less furniture. "The captain will be here shortly. Maybe he can finally explain to the rest of us what we're doing here too."

"We crashed didn't we? You survived to see it." The mantis turned to look at the fillies, abruptly asking "What do your kind do with dead bodies?"

 

Outside

Solar Spark would find their fear amplified the longer they spent in the area, the slimy feeling would lessen, but they'd still feel a bit unclean.

Another of the group would find their mind prodded in a similar manner, their fear, if any existed, being ramped up by whatever was prodding before moving on, eventually getting to everyone inside the shield before moving on to those outside the shield, though to a lesser extent. Apparently the strength of the prodding reduced as the distance grew.

Something on the ship was telepathic, and it wanted them to stay away.

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

Sweetie would seem to grimace at the question. She wasn't sure if the captain would be a completely different creature than they were, as they were already two types of creatures here. The mantis, and the green man. It was strange but Sweetie gulped at the question, "We bury the bodies...and mark their graves with a tombstone. Like a date when they were born and the date of their death...why? Did some others on this...vessel die in the crash?" she'd ask as if that question would offend them. 

"Why did you crash? Did you...hit a meteor or were you attacked? Where do you come from? I have so many questions..." she proceeded to ask, her filly eyes starting to light up with benevolent curiosity. 

-Outside- 

As the strange feeling washed over everyone's minds they all had a brief conversation. It was agreed upon that they would teleport back out of the barrier. If they were able to do so, the unicorns would teleport outside of the barrier. They would inform Afterglow and his other guards about what had occurred. "I would like for us to back off, for now. We do not know what we are dealing with so it is best we just observe from a distance for now." he commanded to the guards and they backed off a bit to re-group a bit.

The guards held various conversations about this, they were not sure what was causing it. Could it be some sort of technology they had on the ship? Or highly telepathic creatures? None of the guards knew, but Fly Heart came up with an idea. "Hey, do any of you have telepathy?" she'd ask suddenly, Preston Star quirked an eyebrow. "Well I suppose I do, but it is only a basic telepathy. I'd only be able to convey a single word. Not concepts or thoughts like we were having. Why do you ask?" she'd question. Fly Heart grinned nervously. "Convery something to them. See what happens." she said, and stepped forward.

Preston Star's horn glowed and washed out a sense of telepathy. Whether or not it would reach anyone, or anything in the craft was unknown. She conveyed one word: Unknown. 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

On 2021-05-13 at 9:16 PM, Starforce Glimmer said:

"We bury the bodies...and mark their graves with a tombstone. Like a date when they were born and the date of their death...why? Did some others on this...vessel die in the crash?"

The mantis replied almost nonchalantly, "Oh yeah, most of us died in the crash, but we have our own customs about that." She turned to leave when another creature, looking something like a mostly hairless minotaur, only far less buff in the upper body, entered the room (A human), the mantis and the tan creature shared what looked like an affectionate nuzzle before the mantis left the room. The tan creature waved to the fillies before crouching down to be closer to their level. "Hello small ones, you certainly look curious."

On 2021-05-13 at 9:16 PM, Starforce Glimmer said:

"Why did you crash? Did you...hit a meteor or were you attacked? Where do you come from? I have so many questions..."

The human chuckled, "Those are some questions. We were attacked yes, very far away from here. It caused us to go here and crash. We need to get back to where we came from, very far from here, but you don't need to worry about that. Please, ask your questions."

 

Outside

Once the guards had exited the shield one of the doors opened and the mantis exited the ship carrying a bag. It looked around for a moment before moving a short distance away from the ship and digging in the sand, intending to bury the bag.

If the guards entered the shield again the mantis would drop the bag and run back into the ship.

If the guards investigated the bag, either by recovering it after it had been dropped, or digging it back up, they'd find the dead body of Sweetie Belle bearing a few different surgical marks.

 

On 2021-05-13 at 9:16 PM, Starforce Glimmer said:

Not concepts or thoughts like we were having.

(Unfortunately the only thing that transcends a language barrier)

Preston Star got back the idea of confusion, indicating that the one on the other side was confused. It then pressed a feeling of danger/confusion, likely asking if the guards posed a danger, though if the guards rad recovered the body, it may have also been construed as 'Do you know you're in danger?'

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@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

Quote

The mantis replied almost nonchalantly, "Oh yeah, most of us died in the crash, but we have our own customs about that." She turned to leave when another creature, looking something like a mostly hairless minotaur, only far less buff in the upper body, entered the room (A human), the mantis and the tan creature shared what looked like an affectionate nuzzle before the mantis left the room. The tan creature waved to the fillies before crouching down to be closer to their level. "Hello small ones, you certainly look curious."

Sweetie would look at the hairless minotaur and observed how the mantis and tan creature seemed to share some sort of affection. Sweetie would move back a bit from the minotaur and look up at them. "S-so most of you dying doesn't...phase you somehow?" she'd ask with a great deal of nervousness in those words as if afraid of offending them.

 

Quote

The human chuckled, "Those are some questions. We were attacked yes, very far away from here. It caused us to go here and crash. We need to get back to where we came from, very far from here, but you don't need to worry about that. Please, ask your questions."

"W-well no doubt others have seen this crash site...we saw guards circling ahead over the crash site. W-we call our planet Equis (I'd say its named Equis since Equestria is a country). I hope you aren't here to h-harm us, you know? The guards are the...enforcers of law across the land and work under the rule of the two sisters." Sweetie would say innocently. Since she was young, she didn't know how to explain a lot more at this moment.

-Outside-  

The guards were outside of the shield conversing when they had seen the mantis like creature bury a bag nearby to the ship. Afterglow would look to two unicorns. "Gem Shield, and Ember Stone, go check that out." Afterglow spoke quickly. Gem Shield was a unicorn stallion, while Ember Stone was a mare. They had teleported in the shield to go check out the bag, and observed as the mantis ran back into the ship.

Gem Shield and Ember Stone teleported within the shield, and ran up to the bag. Upon unzipping it, Ember Stone let out a slight yelp upon seeing the dead body of a filly within it. Gem shield would look with grimace, and they ran back and teleported out.

"That mantis threw a bag with a dead filly inside of it! They must have killed that filly!" Amber Stone said in distress, while the guards would have been trained, she was still in shock. The other guards including Afterglow grimaced.

"Must have been the screams we heard earlier." Gem Shield said, restraining himself from getting emotional at what had been seen. They all looked to Afterglow for how they would proceed.

"We are dealing with something hostile here. That much is clear. We need to gather reinforcements and inform the others as to what happened. The guard may have to fully mobilize and deal with the threat if it gets to that extent. You two there, fly off and inform the others about this! We are going to need reinforcements. I want at least three fully armoured carriages here and weapons. Have them land nearby, and we will prepare to engage if needed. Make haste, immediately!" he barked. The two solar guards that were ordered to, would flare their wings and fly off, and fly as fast as they could back to Canterlot to inform the others about what they had found.

Due to these events, Preston Star immediately broke connection and then would inform the other guards about what had spoke. It was interpreted as, the guards themselves being in danger. That was especially interpreted in that manner since they had just recovered a bag with a dead filly in it. 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

3 hours ago, Starforce Glimmer said:

"S-so most of you dying doesn't...phase you somehow?"

The human looked a bit confused for a moment then nodded, "Ah, yes. We've mostly gotten used to it by now. Each of us have died at least a few times. The [-] bay and backup DNA banks have proven to be an invaluable investment."

The missing word from the translator had the same tone as when the green guy had talked about a bay, indicating that it was the same room. 

3 hours ago, Starforce Glimmer said:

"W-well no doubt others have seen this crash site...we saw guards circling ahead over the crash site. W-we call our planet Equis (I'd say its named Equis since Equestria is a country). I hope you aren't here to h-harm us, you know? The guards are the...enforcers of law across the land and work under the rule of the two sisters."

The human and the green man listened as Sweetie Belle explained things, "Interesting, I didn't catch the name of the planet, the translator is fairly rudimentary at the moment, which reminds me, there might be some words we say or have said that didn't get translated for you. Do speak up when that happens and we'll try to explain what it is so you can associate a word with it. To answer your questions, we're not here to harm you, we wouldn't have saved your life if we were. We weren't even supposed to be here, we crashed here by accident."

About then a giant slug like creature scooted into the room, "Sir, the creatures outside are panicked, they seem to have hostile intentions."

The human nodded as he stood up, "[--] get to shields, [+] get on scanners." The first blank was towards the green man, the second was to the slug, He spoke into his wrist, "[++] get on the guns. [-+], [+-] the hull better be solid."

He started to walk away, but turned back to the fillies, "Come with me, you three might be able to help."

He'd lead them through the ship, passing the mantis from before as well as a grey creature that looked like it was made of shiny clay as well as a creature that appeared to be made of several sharp metal plates.

They went up some stairs to a room, the human pressed a button and some screens came to life, showing a view like windows to the area around them. He'd point at the images of the guards, "Those are the guards you mentioned right? Do you know why they might be mad?"

 

Outside

From a chute on the side of the ship a ball rolled out until it met the shield, then it started to roll along the perimeter of the shield. Once it completed a lap of the shield it paused, with a pulse the shield gained a slight green hue, the unicorns would find that they could no longer teleport through the shield. Attacking the shield could remove the green layer easily enough, but it would come back every time the ball completed a lap, and get stronger each time it completed without it having been removed. 

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@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

Sweetie Belle was quite confused at what was going on. They have died each a few times? But they are fine, so what are they talking about? She didn't really seem to respond. Perhaps she was too confused at what was going on. She saw the slug like creature among other creatures here, and they seemed to be working together perfectly. Sweetie just didn't really understand.

Upon the question of the translator coming up, she would raise an eyebrow. "Well I've heard...a few things I just don't understand. I can't really point it out since I don't know what it...means but it happens occasionally." she'd say with a strange look to her face, as if knowing her words were likely not that much help. "All of this is just...I don't understand it. All these different...creatures in here together, crash landing here...where are you from? What happened?" she asked referring to the crash.

Upon ending up in the room where the human showed the screens, and there was another strange grey creature with what seemed to be metal plates on it. She looked at the guards at the screens there that were talking and making gestures to each other. They seemed to be serious, yet also panicked as well as on edge. "T-those are the guards...the Lunar Guard. They um, protect Princess Luna and keep peace across the land...I don't know why they are mad though..." she seemed to plea to them a bit, not wanting there to be a violent situation here.

They would note that the guards were all wearing bright yellow hazmat suits and full breathing masks, as if they were afraid of breathing in the area around the ship. 

-Outside-  

Gem Shield and Amber Stone would have teleported into the shield before the ball came, after Afterglow ordered them to retrieve the bag with the dead filly in it. When they were in they observed the ball.

Gem Shield grabs the bag and shouted, "Whats that? We have to get out of here, move, move!" him and Amber Stone moved to the edge of the shield and tried teleporting out but they couldn't. Then they fired lasers from their horns and broke the green hue easily enough and teleported through it. If those inside viewing the exterior could see, they would see the two ponies carrying the bag with the dead filly teleporting through the shield.

Upon regrouping the guards looked to the bag with various degrees of horror, shock, and disgust. They all would mutter to themselves and Afterglow ordered them to begin moving off from the object but they would still keep guard over the area, and were also still on the screens in the interior. There, they would be waiting until the other reinforcements arrived. 
 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

The human watched as the two guards broke through the shield and left with the bag, then turned his attention back to Sweetie Belle and her questions,

21 hours ago, Starforce Glimmer said:

"All of this is just...I don't understand it. All these different...creatures in here together, crash landing here...where are you from? What happened?"

He sighed, "I'll do my best to explain, but I'm sure a number of the words and concepts will go over your head, and thus evade the translator..."

He looked like an idea struck him, speaking into his wrist, "[+], you can't see through the shield anyway, can you come up and help translate?"

A few moments later the slug from before entered the room, or rather stood in the stairway with the door open given the number of creatures already in the room. "I'll do my best." It turned to face the fillies, "You may feel something... strange, in your head. That's me trying to find equivalent words in your language to update the translator. Let me know if it gets to be too much and I'll stop."

The captain nodded and then began, "We are from the [-+=]"

The slug signaled that the translator had failed and the captain paused, the fillies felt something in their minds, like a wet sponge being gently rubbed on their face, "Like a group of countries bound by a defensive agreement."

The captain continued, "If you give a word back, then the translator will use that word in the future. That's how it handles names anyway since they can't really be translated. You give each of us a name, and we hear our own names on the other side. Anyway, we were tasked with eliminating some [+=]"

"Those who oppose the government, often violent"

"Who had recently tried to destroy the [group of countries]. Soon after we started our mission our [+++--]"

"A... well, tool, that guides the ship when traveling faster than light"

"Was [xX-]"

"made to work improperly"

"So we couldn't stop the ship until we ran into your [The air that surrounds the planet] and by then it was too late to avoid a crash. I was the only one who survived the crash, as this room is [armored], the rest of the crew are here thanks to the [the process by which an exact duplicate of a creature is made, complete with their memories and abilities] bay, which also saved your life when [the mantis] found you."

21 hours ago, Starforce Glimmer said:

"T-those are the guards...the Lunar Guard. They um, protect Princess Luna and keep peace across the land...I don't know why they are mad though..."

He turned his gaze back outward, "We did our best to avoid the [town], maybe we accidentally hit some[pony?] on the way down?"

 

Outside

The repair bots having finished their job sealing up the hull would simply turn off and fall off the ship rather than re-enter it. With a loud hum the ship seemed to come move alive, lights turning on all around the ship.

If they were watching for radiation they'd see a spike when the ship came on, a new repair bot exited the ship to make repairs to the cylinder at the back of the ship, which reduced the radiation as it worked until the radiation was back to normal levels. 

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

Sweetie stood there and listened to what they were all saying. She felt the strange feeling when the translator had failed. From what Sweetie understood, the rivals of these creatures had sabotaged their warp core, although Sweetie did not think of it in terms of a warp core but rather, some kind of engine. "First things first...I can feel something strange, much like a sponge or something? On my face? I guess that's what your talking about?" she'd say and rub her head in confusion for a moment.

"But as for what you say, at least from my understanding...you were fighting against violent people who opposed your...countries and they sabotaged your engine and before you know it, you entered the atmosphere and then crashed...then everyone died more or less and you used your gear to get...your bodies back?" she would ask, trying to piece together what was being told here. It was hard for her small mind to wrap her head around.

Applebloom would pipe up. "Well, thats the nearby town of Appleoosa, we were staying there with our family and snuck out to see the crash site out in the yonder. It ain't what we were expectin'. I reckon them guards had seen the crash and got curious." Applebloom would say with her stereotypical accent. She didn't seem as nervous as Sweetie was, though. Applebloom paused, "Ya think you should go out and talk to them? Tell them whats goin' on?" 

-Outside-  

"Hey, I see some things falling off the ship there!" Preston Star would say to the guards.

"We should take them. Study them. We have to." Stern Steel spoke up, surprising the other guards since he did not speak that much. He had a gruff manner to himself and seemed to right himself up a bit upon looking to the others.

"Alright fine. I'll send Amber Stone and Gem Shield back on in. Recover those objects fast and we'll be waiting! Make haste, as it seems they are powering up to leave, or powering up to attack. Be careful, be quick." Afterglow ordered Amber Stone and Gem Shield to do so, and they both would salute him.

"Wait! I am reading that the radiation has spiked a bit!" Fly Heart shouted and they stopped in their tracks.

"We'll be quick! Thank you for letting us know!" Amber Stone replied, and as they ran towards the shield they raised their own shields. Amber Stone's was of a deep orange color while Gem Shield had a bright pink shield. They lasered back through the shield and quickly made haste in attempted recovery of the repair bots that fell off the ship. If they were successful, they would bring the fallen bots out of the shield and to the others. 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

On 2021-05-16 at 8:36 PM, Starforce Glimmer said:

"First things first...I can feel something strange, much like a sponge or something? On my face? I guess that's what your talking about?"

The slug nodded, "That's me, I hope it isn't too unpleasant?"

On 2021-05-16 at 8:36 PM, Starforce Glimmer said:

"But as for what you say, at least from my understanding...you were fighting against violent people who opposed your...countries and they sabotaged your engine and before you know it, you entered the atmosphere and then crashed...then everyone died more or less and you used your gear to get...your bodies back?" she would ask, trying to piece together what was being told here. It was hard for her small mind to wrap her head around.

The human nodded, "That's a good summary or it at least."

On 2021-05-16 at 8:36 PM, Starforce Glimmer said:

"Ya think you should go out and talk to them? Tell them whats goin' on?" 

The human sighed, "Well, I'm the [captain] of this ship. I should be the one to go out there. But talking to them will be nearly impossible. You three can only understand because we gave you those translators. I don't think they'd be willing to put on a translator themselves..."

He though for a few minutes, watching as the two unicorns ran in to collect the disabled repair drones, "Maybe we could give them a written message?" He looked over at the slug, who shrugged,

"Couldn't hurt, but that would take someone going out there to write it, and enough time to figure out their written language. If these [fillies?] are cooperative maybe not so long to learn how to write words."

 

Outside

They were able to recover the drones without incident. They looked almost like very large metal viruses, with spindly legs and a central cylinder that housed most of the components. A very simple design all things considered, which was likely why they had allowed them to be taken.

A letter arrived for Afterglow, sealed with the lunar emblem: We see that thou has summoned more guards. We trust that this task is not beyond thy ability to complete, else we may need send the Solar Captain to assist thee.

 

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

"W-well the feeling of a sponge on my face isn't too bad at the very least. I don't think I mind it...at least for now." Sweetie would say to the Slug and then turned to the human. "Well if we can't talk to those guards out there...then how do we let them know we aren't a threat?" Sweetie asked, thinking. Although given her demeanour and age, she did not really think that much. "I suppose you all just...fix up this ship and then let us out, and then go back to what you were doing previously?" Sweetie asked. "B-but what you have seems to be useful, it would help a lot of us here...you know like coming back from the dead, having screens...and all that, I think its things a lot of ponies would like to have..." she muttered somewhat at that, but they'd definitely hear that.

-Outside-

The guards had examined the drones and had carried them into one of the carriages. They were talking about whatever that was could be studied, perhaps it would provide information of value. Some of the guards had taken photos of the ship, while Afterglow instructed Preston Star to take rather detailed notes of what was going on. She also recorded the reactions of the guards, and any information of value as this was a historical event. It had to be recorded as much as possible.

Afterglow would receive the letter and read it. He would write the following on another piece of letter paper, "We have came across a downed alien space craft. There was a dead filly on the scene that had been tossed out by the occupants of the craft. This is an extremely serious situation and this will be a moment never before seen in ponykind's history. I would request as much assistance as possible with this as we do not know what we are dealing with. Incase this situation should turn violent, we will be prepared to defend. We do not want a violent outcome, but should there be violence on this day, we will be prepared. Expect more information soon." Afterglow would sign the letter and stamp it so Princess Luna would know it was official. 

With that, he'd send the letter off with a spell from one of the unicorns.

(That is of course if that is in the realm of possibility, if not, disregard the letter)

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

The human looked thoughtful as Sweetie Belle spoke, but before he could respond Scootaloo interjected, "Hold up, why do we have to wait for them to fix the ship before we can leave? In fact, why can't we talk to the guards? They can understand us just fine, and we can understand you well enough, we could be the translators for you!"

The human looked like he wanted to object, but found reasons lacking. The slug however did have a reason, "We've no reason to believe that they wouldn't attack the moment you three aren't on board."

The human sighed, "That's true. Plus, we can't get back into [a circle around the planet] by ourselves. This ship wasn't built to leave [the air that surrounds the planet]. It was built in space, and meant to always be in space. So we need either some way to lift this ship back into space, or a [---] crystal to establish communication, maybe."

The slug was stumped on how to translate that last word, but eventually settled on, "It's a type of crystal that resonates at the right frequency to allow communications to travel faster than light. Ours was lost, most likely destroyed, in the crash."

The captain nodded, "I'm sure your nation is as kind as you believe it to be, but we need every weight on our side we can get if we're going to guarantee the help we need."

 

Outside

A response letter arrived soon after the one he had sent: These accusations are severely grave. We trust thou hast proof that these creatures are to blame for the filly's death? Wert thou able to identify the body? The filly's kin ought to know the circumstances of her untimely demise. we hath dispatched more guards to assist thee.

The new guards, (as many as you think prudent) would arrive in a few hours.

(Aside)

Princess Luna was struck with strong guilt at the news of the filly's death. She had brought the object down instead of pushing it away or destroying it, and now a citizen, one of her little ponies, was dead. In her mind, she bore some if not all of the responsibility for the filly's death. 

[Props Valroa 26,043]

@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

"Well, I'm not sure what your really talking about but maybe there are similar crystals here that we can find and replace yours with? Or if you know what kind of crystal it is you can build a new one? Its hard to really understand what your saying it sounds like really complicated rocketry stuff. But if your ship is meant to be in space and cannot fly anywhere but in space its either the crystal or we somehow lift the ship into space? I know unicorns here are powerful, with magic, anything can be done!" Sweetie would say with an optimistic gesture as her innocent eyes blinked as she looked up into the human's eyes.

"Well, I reckon that maybe we just build giant wings of wood on this craft with big fans, and maybe that will get us high enough to where the ship would work?" Applebloom would state. "My family has built entire barns before, whats so hard about building wooden wings?" Applebloom would interject, but her plan didn't really seem all that sound but coming from someone like her, that may have been expected.

-Outside-

Afterglow sighed at the note's contents before writing his reply. In his reply he described the filly. Because he did not know who the filly was, he couldn't supply a name. He also described the creature that was encountered and various other details they had unconvered.

Afterglow would also order the more scientifically inclined guards to scan the barriers surrounding the space craft, as well as to see if they can scan the materials the craft itself was made of with the equipment they had. Whether or not this would work would be a different story. The guards would converse about the situation, sometimes idle chatter about their home lives but the tone of the guards was noticeably more sombre with the recovery of a dead filly. 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

The human looked to the slug for explanation when Sweetie said magic. The sponge feeling increased in intensity for a moment before it stopped, and the slug shrugged, "They don't know too much about it either. It's like an energy that can be shaped to purposes. not wholly unlike the [green guy's species]."

The human nodded, "That could be a possibility. Still, nothing will get done sitting here, they're waiting for something, likely more troops to try and break in. We should try and communicate before they get strong enough to pose a real threat."

21 hours ago, Starforce Glimmer said:

"Well, I reckon that maybe we just build giant wings of wood on this craft with big fans, and maybe that will get us high enough to where the ship would work?" Applebloom would state. "My family has built entire barns before, whats so hard about building wooden wings?"

The human looked confused at Apple Bloom's idea, then chuckled, "You know, you'd probably like [the shiny clay one] and [the sharp metal one], they are in charge of fixing the ship and keeping things running. Why don't you go with them, maybe you'll learn something."

With that he stood up, "Alright, [Scootaloo?] and I will go out there and try to resolve this situation amicably. [Sweetie?] and [the slug] you two stay here and keep watch. [Apple Bloom?] I'll take you to engineering on our way outside."

(Aside, you can respond to this if you like)

At the base of the stairs there was a door that opened to a large room with a number of complicated machines, the sharp metal creature and the shiny clay creature were working on the machines. The human spoke up, "This is [Apple Bloom], she'll be watching you guys for a bit while I try and resolve this issue."

The two creatures nodded as the human turned to leave, leaving Apple Bloom to remain with the creatures. Both of them looked at Apple Bloom for a moment before shifting their forms to be similar to hers, although bigger. The clay one waved, "Greetings. You understand machinery?" It spoke almost haltingly, like each word were separate from the rest.

 

Outside

There was motion from the ship as the doors at the very front of the object opened, allowing the human and Scootaloo to exit before closing behind them. The human held his hands up, showing that he wasn't holding anything. (Italics can only be understood by the CMC) "Tell them we want to talk, and they should keep their distance."

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@Illiad Easle

-Inside-

Sweetie would rub her head a bit in slight discomfort of the sponge feeling as it increased. If the slug was fairly observant, he would probably know why but Sweetie did not speak up about it for whatever reason. "Well uhm, whatever the case me be I feel like you should do that. The guards don't play around. They fight in wars, defend the Princesses and...that sort of stuff. But they are also the ones who...might be able to help. At least I think?" she'd say in a slightly confused manner as if conjuring up her reasoning on the spot. She truly did not know if that would be the case. 

Apple Bloom's ears perked up a bit at the comment. "Eh, alright. Can't hurt, I suppose." she'd say in a slight dismissive manner and would go along with the human. While Scootaloo quietly, and nervously nodded. Sweetie watched her friends walked off, while she did not object she did not like the idea of the three of them being separated much at all. It seemed she was not the type to speak up about her issues. 

Meanwhile, Applebloom had followed the human into the other area with the creatures. She couldn't really comprehend the machines she had seen here, it was unlike anything she had seen before in the least. She had no words and her only reaction was one of bewilderment, as well as curiosity. To the creatures, she backed up a bit at their appearance before they assumed different, pony like forms. She moved back at the way they spoke as if she didn't trust them, or if she was afraid.

"I-I do at least I think..." Applebloom was truly at a loss for words here, almost stunned.  She'd watch as the human walked off and left the room. She was left with these strange creatures, at the least they didn't hurt her or seemed like they wanted to.

-Outside-

Scootaloo had nervously followed with the human. Her little wings retracted quite tight against her body. She'd look out at the guards who were standing outside looking at the ship. They stepped back a bit upon seeing Scootaloo who looked out at them. The guards at the very least were surprised, utterly astonished. Before they could do anything Scootaloo would speak up shakily. "I-I...the creatures on this ship want to talk with you and they want to keep y-your distance..." she said nothing, the guards were more intimidating than the creatures on board were.

Meanwhile the guards all looked to each other and they all silently exchanged glances. Afterglow spoke up. "They could have talked, but we have one thing on our minds and one thing only. Why did they kill the filly, and why are they wanting only to talk just now?" he'd ask with a angry, disturbed sigh.

Scootaloo relayed what was said to the human.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Starforce Glimmer

Inside

(I always pegged Apple Bloom as mechanically inclined, she has built some rather impressive things for her age in the show after all.)

The clay one motioned for her to come closer as it removed a panel to reveal the inner workings of the machine, "Look, see this." It reached in to adjust a part that was misaligned, "This gives power to ship, powers everything on the ship."

It would go on to teach Apple Bloom about all the things in the room at a basic level as well as how to do some basic repairs and operate the basic repair tools, so longs as Apple Bloom was willing and interested.

 

Outside

The human looked slightly confused and slightly irritated at the accusation. "Tell them we don't know anything about any dead filly."

A new letter would arrive from the Princess: "We pray that thou art mistaken in thy description, for it matches that of the sister of one of the Elements of Harmony. The fact that she would have been in the area further complicates matters."

 

(Aside)

Princess Luna was distraught, not only was she responsible for the death of an innocent filly, it were a rather important filly whose family would no doubt demand the heads of whoever was responsible. If it were between her and these aliens, the aliens were a far better option.