Ashton

Cloudy laughed "Did the fact none of us are ponies give it away?" He asked "Iggy is a kirin, jasper is a dragon" he explained as he switched to flying and coasted alongside her "we're all kinda misfits so we gravitated to each other I suppose" when they got there, he tossed his bags down on the shore and waded into the shallows "oh yeah, its deep enough to try... put your bags down and come on in" he said, more than a little excited.

Cloudy laughed awkwardly "Well I've never met either of them, so I'm not sure" he admitted "but iggy knows lots and lots of spells... even if many are rather... specialized..." when she asked about the second part he just grinned, over-exaggerating it in Hope's she could see "common, I'll show you" he leapt into the air to get a better view of the area, eliciting a lot of quiet gasps and other sounds of surprise from the ponies who had not noticed them before, he then landed "this way, I saw the lake" he said, heading off in that direction slowly so his new friend could tell where he w as going

Roleplay Type: world of Equestria Name: Azure "iggy" Ignine Sex: female Age: young adult Species: Kirin Eye colour: orange Coat: yellow Mane/Tail: fiery orange with electric-blue streaks Physique: average Residence: Ponyville Occupation: Researcher Cutie Mark: NA Unique Traits: -Like all kirin, Iggy bursts into flame when she gets mad, but she has learned to mostly controle this, including focusing her anger to further empower herself when in danger, but not lose herself to rage. -While none of her spells are specially strong (possibly from a lack of practice more than raw ability), Iggy slowly pushes herself to learn as many as possible... often with comically disastrous results (such as accidentally changing Jasper's smoke into steam permanently) thanks to most pony magic requiring subtle modifications to be usable by a Kirin History: Having grown up during the 'plague of silence' (as iggy liked to call it), There wasn't much for a foal to do except read and study, which she did with a passion. Having no voice made her even more introverted than normal, driving her deeper into her studies to the point when the cure was made available it took her several days to even realize it. Afterwards, her regained voice did not help her win any friends as she spent her time questioning anypony who would listen about what she had learned, eventually being sent out into wider equestria to satisfy her thirst for knowledge (which if anything made it worse) During her travels, she met her best friend Cloudy Skies and her 'little brother' Jasper, before finally deciding that the most appropriate place to settle was Ponyville, given both the fact it was near the Everfree, which brimmed with wild magic and secrets, as well as being something of a nexus of strange magical phenomenon - something she planned to discover the reason behind! Character Personality: Friendly, while a bit awkward Iggy is always ready to lend a hoof (especially if there's a chance of learning something new!) While she spends most of her time studying, researching, or performing experiments, she enjoys helping those around her as well. (Just dont try talking to her first thing in the morning or you'll be reminded kirin are part dragon... provided she even gets up...) Character Summary: Always eager to learn and help her friends, Iggy is a kirin out to solve mysteries and make everypony's day a little brighter (as long as she doesn't botch up another spell....)

Cloudy rubbed his beak in thought "yanno...." he began "I have an idea... my friend Iggy is amazing with magic, I've never met a pony who knew more spells..." he paused "...oh wait, they're probably still unpacking... never a good idea to disturb iggy during organizing... I've never seen a creature so obsessed with everything being organized and lined up so perfectly..." he sighed "Hey, that gives me another idea... do you like swimming?" he asked "I heard somepony around here mention a lake, maybe you could see better as a seapony" he smiled, placing a reassuring claw on her soldier, since he realized she probably couldn't see his beak well enough to know that he was smiling at her. ((also just fyi, kinda killing time here - Iggy really is a real character, but hasn't been approved yet... so I'm kinda hoping that before this thread is done they can go talk to iggy, but given how slow apps are moving right now.... >.<))

He sighed, but smiled "trust me, I know what it means to have to admit weakness" he said "clearly you can at least make out shapes... you thought I was a pony, didn't you?" he asked "Well, it should have been obvious I wasn't... except I'm small, which makes me faster and more agile, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm not a big Hyppogryph like my dad is" he paused "but... you know what, I just had an idea... why dont we help each other - I literally just got into town like 10 minutes ago, so i dont know my way around, but I bet you do. And maybe you cant see small things as well, but I can, so why dont we work together? I just need to get some foods for my friends, and I can help you find what your looking for too. Sound good?"

He paused, looking at her oddly for a moment, even though he only stared at her for less than a second, it could seem like an eternity if she realized he was scrutaning her, clearly aware that something was wrong but not sure what it was, then he came to the realization "...you... you cant see, can you?" he asked, a little taken back "thats why you didn't know how low the sun was... and...thats why you approached a strange creature like me..."

((Dangit! I was rooting for the "really expensive apartments" that taco suggested XD (j/k). Well, now you have a reason to be more consistent )) Cloudy was surprised when the pony spoke to him, but smiled, then he realized a small problem "uh..." he looked around, hoping to see a clock somewhere nearby but realized there wasn't one "Well... I dont know exactly, I dont usually carry a clock in case I want to take a swim, but between the sun, how long I was on the road today, and the fact its not started cooling down, I'd say it's probably late afternoon, so probably like three or so" he explained "Is everything alright?" he asked, a little concerned because the pony's judgement of time was so far off, though not terribly - he assumed they probably just overslept so their whole day was thrown off; something he was all too familiar with.

Cloudy Skies It was a beautiful day in equestria, the sun was bright, the heat was moderate, though a little on the warm side and there wasn't a cloud in the sky... ok there was one cloud, but it was so small it probably was forgotten when the pegasai cleared all the rest out! Overall, it was a great day for a new beginning! the long trip had been a chore for the 'griff, as much as he enjoyed assisting his best friend in her research, there was a limit on how many times he could hear the words "Wild Magic" and "Paranormal Nexus" before he went crazy... and Jasper's continual commentary on the bumpy ride and the harness of the wagon didn't help any --- especially when Cloudy had already told him that if he didn't like it, he could just fly --- which was exactly the method that Cloudy had employed for large portions of the trip. Much as he hated to agree with Jasper, the pesky dragon had been right, the wagon was uncomfortable and bumpy... Not that jasper would have noticed it if he had taken a turn helping pull the wagon... But that was behind them, while Jasper and Iggy found their way to the trio's new home, Cloudy had been tasked with finding them all a nice meal to celebrate... so he needed some fish for himself, gemstones for jasper, and enough salad to split between himself and Iggy. Cloudy found himself after a bit of a search looking around the small but surprisingly well-stocked ponyville market. Though he noticed while he was eyeing the wares of the pony merchants, there were quite a few eyeing him as well. Was it really that odd to see a hippogryph here? He thought that in the time since the Storm King's defeat, his kind had spread around enough that every pony would have seen at least a couple before now... maybe Iggy had been wrong about Ponyville being a magnet for weird phenomenon! he chuckled to himself at the idea, making sure to smile at the ponies -mostly foals- who were eyeing him as he began slowing browsing the stalls, looking for the components for his and his friends inaugural dinner in their new home!

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria Name: Jasper Sex: Male Age: Young adult Species: Dragon Eye colour: Silver Coat: pale blue Mane/Tail: NA - White Horns, Darker blue spines Physique: small for a dragon Residence: ponyville (living with Azure Ignine) Occupation: layabout, occasional fire starter. Cutie Mark: NA Unique Traits: due to a botched spell of azure's, the smoke that precedes Jasper's flame looks like translucent wisps of steam, leading some to believe he is an ice dragon (his breath weapon is, of course, fire) History: Jasper was the runt of the litter, which was quite large, so while he still revived the required nourishment, he never really learned a lot about dragon culture. Other dragons would often exclude him from their groups and events because of his size, ribbing him but not outright bullying the blue dragon (though he proved he could more than hold his own in lava surfing - which only contributed to his ostricization) when the molt came, it hit jasper hard, making him push away from what little semblance of belonging he had. Of course, dragon culture being what it was, they weren't exactly trying to make him feel any better. Finding that the cool deep ocean waters helped ease his condition, Jasper unfortunately got caught up in a tsunami. his survival was little less than a miracle, but it swept him far out to sea, eventually landing him on the coast of an alien land. Because he was still undergoing the molt, he hid himself away, making the ponies who had never seen a dragon before, even more curious what the strange creature they only caught glimpses of really was! This was what lured in the kirin that would change jasper's life forever - Azure Ignine. Azure indeed sought out the illusive creature, using her magic to her advantage and finally tracking him down (and upon finding him, using her magic to help soothe his condition). But unlike the other ponies or dragons, she was friendly to him - not treating him as a curiosity, but as a friend. This left a mark on Jasper, finally giving him a place to belong, and once he finished molting, the two left the coast and have been near-inseparable ever since. . . even if he'd rather not share her with Cloudy. . . Character Personality: Like most dragons, Jasper has a sharp, serrated tongue, which drives away most ponies when they disturb him. While he has managed to learn to be less abrasive than most dragons, thanks to the combined efforts of Azure and Cloudy, he has very few friends, even among dragons. While some might hear tales of a certain other dragon living among ponies, and assume Jasper is similar, they'd be sorely mistaken. Jasper is a lazy dragon, preferring to spend his time napping, listening to heavy metal, reading adventure novels (when alone - he doesn't like admitting he enjoys reading, or even can read at all) or even all three. If asked to do some menial task by Azure, his response (if he gave one) would be along the lines of "do it yourself!" But this does not mean he doesn't have a soft spot in his heart for his friends. If Azure or even cloudy was in true danger, not even the gates of Tarterus would stop him from protecting them. While Jasper prefers not to fight, if forced he will start with mostly-harmless judo-esque throws and sweeps, if this does not serve to deter his opponent he switches to a style that would best be described as an "amateur" version of Drunken Monkey. He does not use weapons outside of his claws/fire and his spiked jewelry (see below). Unless there is no other option, he will always attempt non-harmful take-downs of his opponents, preferring if they just give up out of frustration instead of injury. Character Summary: "Big, Strong, Tough, Dumb" are all words Jasper would use to describe himself, even it he isn't any of those things. While his tongue can be razor-sharp, he never forgets a debt or a friend, and woe be unto any who get in the way of either of those... after his nap, at least. Physical Description:Slightly more muscle definition than most dragons (more like Ember than spike/smolder) roughly the same height as the average pony. His eyes are outlined in the same dark blue shade as his spines and very angular like a curved downward pointing triangle (no its not natural though he will claim it is). His spikes are styled in a more 'sawtooth' shape, curving upwards ending in a mohawk. His horns are mostly straight coming from the side of his head and curved to point upwards Being a metalhead/punk rocker, he wears a spiked collar as well as spiked bracelets/anklets along with a spiked band around the end of his tail along with a dark blue septum ring and a tshirt (with sleeves torn off jaggedly) showing a band logo.

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria Name: Cloudy Skies Sex: Male Age: Young Adult Species: Hippogryph Eye colour: Yellow Coat: White Mane/Tail: Brown and red Physique: slim, slightly smaller than average Residence: Ponyville Occupation: Research Assistant / Storyteller Cutie Mark: NA Unique Traits: -As with all hippogryphs, had a shard of the Pearl that allows him to transform into a hippocampus. -claims his slender frame was "built for speed and agility" (though really he's just smaller than average) -Above average intelligence, below average common sense. History: Having been born and raised in Seaquestria, Cloudy had only the vaguest idea what his name even meant. He spent a lot of his early life learning about his race's history and any scraps of knowledge he could gather. However, as he got older this got him teased quite a bit and as with most young creatures, made him turn on his attackers. Cloudy was often being disciplined for getting into fights, however this had the net-positive effect of slowing and eventually ending the teasing (and stocking his ego considerably) After the storm king's defeat, Cloudy took his chance to see the world, making many new friends... and more than a couple enemies... though one friend really stood out in his mind, a kirin named Azure Ignine. The two became very close, being strange creatures in a strange land, but despite what many think, they are more like siblings than lovers. It was Azure's desire to study the "wild magic of the everfree" that lead Cloudy to settling down in ponyville to be with his friend. . . even if he'd rather not have to deal with Jasper. . . Unfortunately, with the ponies of equestria knowing so little about hippogryphs, Cloudy found himself explaining (and embellishing) both his race's history and heroism as well as his own. Often 'reenacting' events that were supposed 'legends' with extensive bravado... whether he had taken inspiration from another over-enthusiastic egocentric ponyville resident was something a lot of the town's populous often wonder... Character Personality: Young and full of energy (as well as being full of himself), Cloudy can come off as a bit aloof and sometimes even an airhead, but he's a good creature who cares about his friends and those around him, never mad at having to stop an exciting tale he was acting out in order to help others (much to the frustration of any listening). Character Summary: Despite being a little smaller than average, cloudy is full of heart and the desire to help his friends and any in need... though if he can brag about his or his race's 'history' in the process, he will gladly take that opportunity. (Apologies for the low-quality image edit... not many hippogryph vectors available so I had to edit a JPEG... x_x )

"That is simply mahvelous!" said Rarity "I just need you to sign here" she floated a quill and ink over and indicated the large X on the bottom "and then either later this afternoon or tomorrow - you know how paperwork goes - I'll be back 'round to show you to your new workshop, find out exactly what tools and materials you need - if you can start a short list that would be fabulous! - and I'll also introduce you to the ponies you'll be working with and show you some of the concepts they're working on. If everything goes well, You'll be officially starting in just a few days" she explained "Any other questions before I head back to finalize everything?"

Rarity smiled and nodded her head politely to both of them "Its a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances" she then turned back to the stallion "You are quite close, dahling. Twilight is seeking local ponies in the top of their field to work on government projects. While I cant go into specifics without all the paperwork filled out, you would be working on creating and improving Magitech throughout the government" she explained "and while some of it will be as simple as suggesting new materials or replacing a power gem with a larger one, there will be opportunists to truly make your own talent shine like a shooting star and design new projects from scratch that the entire world may see!" she made a grand sweeping gesture with her hoof, sounding a little excited herself. after holding the pose for a moment she turned back to the Rabbi "Now, I fully understand if you need some time to think this over, it is, after all, a rather big decision, but if you dont mind, could you tell me if you are interested in the offer?"

Rarity At this point the quiet was broken by the sound of the door. When the door opened, a white unicorn with perfectly coiffed mane and tail at the door, she smiled pleasantly, taking care to close the door behind her and walked up to the counter "Hello there, dahling, I'm looking for a Mister Rabi Dequo" she said, glancing down at a sheet of parchment she was holding "I presume a fine stallion such as yourself must be the pony in question" she floated a sealed envelope out of her saddlebags and over to him. It had his name on one side and on the reverse was the royal crest of equestria. "if you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you about an offer from her Majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle" she smiled again, even though internally she was fighting the urge to comment about the 'dreadful!' state of the shop with the lack of proper seasonal curtains, no fresh flours to cover the smell of the chemicals... she really should see if the stallion would mind at least a little advice on the state of this shop! ((Bet you forgot I had her, didn't ya? ))

Dash's jaw was slack when the longma said she basically had hired harle Dunes chuckled, looking like he might burst out laughing "I see where this miscommunication happened now" he said "yes, I indented to use the filly to get Rainbow's help - you saw the catalog of artifacts I was showing her; my plan was to get her so excited that she would convince Dash to assist me, we all know the power of an over-excited filly on their family" he explained, relaxing a tiny bit now that he had contrived an air-tight alibi and knowing that nopony would take the word of a known pirate over his own. Dash snorted "That was a dirty trick, Dunes" she said, but didn't seem to have any more intense malice towards the archaeologist, mistakenly believing him completely. "As for not explaining myself, I believe I did say that the expedition was on a tight time-table and I couldn't wait for miss Niridanna to get authorization and her gear shipped in - that's why I chose to seek out Rainbow's assistance instead" commented the earth pony "as I mentioned earlier, I have other commitments to my students and university, so I dont have long to organize and execute this expedition unless I wanted to wait for events to line up once more for me to have the required time. its nothing so devious, nor anything personal against Ms niridanna, I simply am working around my busy schedule" Dash wasn't so calm, though, even when Ice mentioned her forces were in pursuit -and had found harle- she looked Ice in the eye, those fires still burning "Scootaloo better not get hurt in this fight..." she said, leaving the rest of the silent threat unspoken... ---------- Meanwhile ---------- As the gunships approached, they would hear a series of explosions going off, what might sound like an attack, but none would come... When they reached the cave, they would find the ship docked in a sparse base, clearly Harle had build this place up at least partially, they might notice there were no less than a dozen other cave entrances attached to this one, no doubt part of some network of caverns... and that the explosions had been harle and her crew sealing all these caves off as all exits except for the massive one the airship could enter through, were now filled with rubble. Standing on the main desk of the ship was a lone figure - Harle herself. None of her crew was there, neither was scootaloo. Harle had a dangerous look in her eye as she spoke in her trademark accent "Avast ye skallewags! Y' might 'ave found me, but y' wont get any loot or captives from this fight!" she said "m' crew has already evacuated, but th' Cap'n always goes down with 'er ship!" she leapt into the air and drew her sword "as they say in prance... engarde!" yes the look in her eyes was clear now, she had come to peace with this being the end, she had made sure her crew and guest were safely escaping, and she was ready to make a last stand to keep them safe. It was the look of a mamma bear protecting her cubs, and harle was ready to die to keep the others safe... if they tried to fight her, the fight would only end when she was dead. Desperation and dedication, even against impossible odds. A loyalty that would have made even Rainbow Dash herself proud.

Dunes did seem to take note of the immense magical power around him, becoming only the slightest bit nervous... at least outwardly... inwardly he was unsure how he was going to get out of this, as much skill has he had with manipulation it was at best going to be extremely hard to manipulate this mare... and that necklace... there was something about it... it seemed familiar yet totally alien... clearly he wasn't the only one who was modifying ancient relics of great power, but he didn't yet know exactly what it was.... which only made him more nervous... Dash on the other paw, didn't seem to notice the immense power, likely due to having spent so much time around Twilight and Starlight - to her this was perfectly normal... though with every passing minute the rainbow mare WAS getting more nervous because she didn't know where scootaloo was... When she donned her armor Dash was more than a little surprised she quietly said, more to herself than those present "your... your part of the lunar military...?" Dunes sighed, but nodded, recounting what happened once again But as soon as he finished, much like Ice had predicted, Dash's hoof slammed down on the table, threatening to crack it "WHAT?!" she shouted, hearing that Scootaloo has been abducted "Harle Blackclaw was here and kidnapped Scootaloo?! Why are we all sitting around talking! There's no telling what that pirate is doing to the poor filly!" "That is exactly what I've been saying!" snapped Dunes "Griffons are brutal monsters, the filly may be about to be eaten or worse by that savage-" "Dont you say such things!" snapped dash "I dont have any use for Harle - I've heard what she's done, but dont you EVER say that ALL griffons are monsters! my best friend growing up was a griffon, hell, she's still a good friend of mine! One of my best students is a griffon and he's the most chill creature you'd ever meet, not to mention Scoots and her friends have a griffon pal who's almost sickeningly sweet and over-enthusiastic about helping others! Dont you DARE lump all griffons in with Harle!" Dunes blinked loudly at that, having never expected to hear Dash defending griffons like that Dash's eyes were will filled with fire though, but not a fire of rage, a fire of loyalty, and a willingness to do anything, no matter how dangerous, stupid, or both, that she could to get scootaloo back safely.... it was more than a little scary...

Twilight smiled "I'll let spike know your sorry too, I'm sure he's fine with it though, its not like that's the craziest thing I've ever done" she laughed a little awkwardly "I'll take a Neapolitan sundae with hot chocolate and rainbow sprinkles" she said, pulling out enough bits to cover her own icecrem as well as Rex's... and a bit more too as a silent apology for how she acted.... ((sorry, not a lot to really comment on now that twiley's stopped being so twiley))

Dunes nodded, returning his id to his bags "I dont understand why it seems unusual for me to be researching artifacts, I am an archaeologist, and any expedition will need funding well beyond what I can provide on my own even with help from the college, I assumed with the good reputation this establishment has that I would be able to find backers and perhaps assistants for the expedition" he explained "I dont mind helping in whatever capacity I can, though I do have obligations to my university, so I hope this can be resolved quickly" Dash looked a bit nervous "Ok, sure, but I gotta let my commander know about this, just a sec" without even waiting for permission, which was really just par for the course with dash, she sped out and down the hall to where spitfire was, keeping in line-of sight, she explained the situation... though if anyone was paying attention and could hear the conversation well enough, they would notice something vaguely suspicious, instead of a salute or even a 'talk to you later', Dash ended by saying "Magenta Bravo" to spitfire. Though it was possibly just some bizarre wonderbolt sign-off, it did seem a bit out of place. Spitfire didn't seem to react unusually to any of this simply repeating the phrase as they split up again. Dash returned quickly "Sorry, I'm sure you know how important protocol is to the wonderbolts" she explained, not going any further in depth about it. Though it was quite clear she was nervous, and rightly so given Ice's comments and the fact that the pony dash had left in charge of her 'little sister' had just been carried off unconscious, though she was trying to remain as calm and processional as possible...

Dunes looked shocked "How can you say such things? There must be some mistake, I am a humble college professor - I spend my time teaching my students, improving the lives of young mares and stallions, I assure you, I would never do such an underhoofed thing!" clearly playing up his reputation for the guards present. when the owner came in, Dunes turned his attention to her, as he pulled out his college ID badge, he politely took of his hat "I am professor dunes, resident archaeology professor at phoenix university" he explained "and I myself am unsure what happened, I invited one of the wonderbolts and his young friend to my room to show them some pictures of recent artifacts that I had been investigating" he motioned to an open photo album showing many old (non magical) artifacts, the pictures all take in an obvious laboratory, presumably at his college (with none of the images in the album being from the temples themselves) "When all of a sudden the door is kicked in by that brute pirate, she caught my guest off-guard and knocked him out quickly. I fought her as best I could, but being a simple archaeologist, I was greatly outmatched, she then took the filly hostage and escaped as soon as the guards arrived" by now the smoke had almost completely dissipated and faded away, clearly meant only for a quick getaway and not long-term incapacitation. It took a few minutes for the other two wonderbolts to be located. As they arrived, Dash sent a split-second glare at dunes but said nothing Spitfire took responsibility for Streak, carrying him off to receive medical attention, as she left she left Dash to deal with the situation, telling her "Handle this like I would" "oh so I'm supposed to yell at them at the top of my voice? I can do that" she smirked Spitfire gave dash a faint smile but also a glare. No doubt rainbow would hear about this later, but the wolderbotls commander had more important things to deal with than a little snark. She politely, if a little harshly, excused herself and took Streak to get medical attention. "So let me guess..." she said with a sigh "Scootaloo blindsided you and she escaped through the window?" she asked, her hoof on her face, clearly embarrassed about what happened "just send me the bill for whatever she breaks... I'll deal with her as soon as I catch her..." By the time the other airships had taken to the skies, harle's ship was nowhere to be found. Clearly she had some tricks up her sleeve and had already somehow stashed her ship somewhere it wouldn't be found......

((woah woah woah.... "Alarm system"? I think in equestria that's a security guard. Remember this world doesn't even have radios, much less TVs...)) By the time they got there, this had already gotten quite physical... the door had been kicked in, lightning streak was on the floor out cold. Scootaloo was bound and gaged... But the apparent situation was not what anyone expected to see... Dunes was backed against the wall, looking like he had been burned several times, not to mention looked a little bloody and beat up... the window had been kicked out and the griffon was holding scootaloo under one arm. Dunes turned to the guards "thank celestia your here! Harle Blackclaw, the dreaded sky pirate, assaulted a wonderbolt, kidnapped a filly, and attempted to mug me!" The griffon seeing how the deck was stacked against her, drew out a flare gun, and shot a flare into the sky, then leapt out the window, muttering something to scootaloo as she took the filly with her. It was only a minute or so more and the whole town was being hit with Harle's massive signature blue smoke bombs from the airship's cannons, completely covering her and her crew's escape to... wherever she was taking scootaloo... Back in the hotel, Dunes was being the perfect gentleman and hero, pulling streak from the room as the smoke from harle's escape began to fill the room thanks to the broken window despite hit own wounds, though there was a good chance they were more superficial than dangerous. "We need to find them! That was Harle Blackclaw, there's no telling what horrible plan she has for that filly, She might be going to ransom her, Sell her as a slave down south, or even..." he shuddered "Eat her!" he looked at Nina "While this changes nothing between us, I suggest we put aside our petty differences and work together to try and save this innocent filly before she meets a dreadful fate!"

The griffon rolled her eyes, clearly insulted that this mare wanted to hire her for roughing up a pony. Dunes meanwhile, approached streak and Scootaloo, but he did not make any effort to grab her, instead he was speaking, quietly this time, to ensure nopony was eves dropping, even leaning in close to whisper something to the pair. Scootaloo started getting excited, shifting back and forth on her legs, looking up at streak with a grin and a silent "pleeeeeeaaaaaaaase?" Streak laughed and rubbed the fillie's head "I suppose a quick look wouldn't hurt" he said Dunes then began leading the pair towards the stairs... Now the griffon set down her mug, tossing a few coins on the bar and began following them... suspicious herself of what was going to happen, and having standards that Dunes had just dropped below...

Dunes smiled a sarcastic smile "Of it wont be any trouble at all" he said "I'm leaving int he morning, and I'm sure I can find somepony else to accompany me that doesn't need a two-week lead-time" he explained "There are plenty of thrill-seakers and daredevils in los pegasus, that's one of the reasons I'm here. Some of them are even competent" as his eyes landed on Streak and Scootaloo "...and I think I know exactly how to acquire the services of one of them...." he paused only a moment as he spoke again "If we have nothing else to discuss, it was a pleasure making your acquaintance, miss Niradanna longma, and I bid you good night" he took off his hat again politely, then replaced it and started to follow after streak and scootaloo....

Dunes raised a brow "perhaps something was lost in translation. I was saying that if I were indeed planning to horde it for myself and not tell anyone, then I might as well not seek it out." he explained "of course I have use for it, otherwise I would be researching some other relic" he explained, a little bit of the tone he had used with Dash coming through now. He was not a very amicable pony under the facade it seemed, though he kept it up well enough to make others think he was. "If you are interested in accompanying me, then I will make arrangements, I wish to keep this group as small as possible to prevent any... accidents... befalling larger parties" he explained ((yanno... i thought dunes was more of a hero, but the more I play him, the more I realize he's at *best* an antihero and probably closer to an antivillian....))

Dunes raised a brow as she started speaking then smirked "It seems I underestimated you, I promise not to do that again" he said "I was not lieing though, I am upset at the portrayal int he books, from an academic standpoint... but fine, lets be frank, there are plenty of old dig sites to examine that dont have ancient relics of great power inside them" he admitted "and if it makes you sleep better, no, i do not intend to auction it off to the highest bidder, nor do I plan to keep it hidden away in secret - I'd just leave it int he temple where it is" clearly he had some plan for this artifact, and hopefully not just petty revenge "You see, the Talisman of Tonatiuh compels any touch it to speak only the truth, it is invaluable in the right hooves!" Now the griffon's head turned slightly towards them... this had piqued her interest, though she was trying to be very subtle about it... which also gave away the fact that she was FAR from drunk, despite how she was acting not so long ago....

Dunes sighed "I hate to bore you with my past, but if you would like to know... That mare, Rainbow Dash, is a very... vocal... fan of a series of adventure books which portray archaeology in a very poor light. They also display archaeologists themselves as conniving, thieving, reckless adventurers, who more often than not care only about finding and stealing some ancient relic than about preserving the temples they are housed in for study... she has harassed me for years about whether my work was anything like what she read about and how many artifacts I had in my private collection. Fortunately now that she has grown up and has a real job she doesn't bother me as much" he explained, though he smiled again "It is a pleasure to make your aquintence, Miss Niradanna" he said properly, only now returning his hat to his head, having completed introductions. He seemed to be very aware of social expectations, which was quite a change from most ponies.

Dash laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck nervously "wh-why would you ever think that would happen?" thinking that the other mare had heard streak calling her 'Crash' and that the longma might have assumed she was accident-prone... which wasn't 100% wrong, though she wasn't nearly as bad as she used to be... If was at this point that the stallion made his way over "well, well, well, if it isn't the president of the daring do press club" Dash's eyes narrowed "Dunes...." "I suppose I should congratulate you on maturing enough to get a real job instead of spending so much time fantasizing" he said "Dont start with that, you know-" "I know what?" asked dunes, his eyes glancing over at the longma and back at dash Dash gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn't say anything about Daring Do being real in public like this "Cat got your tongue? a pity, cats deserve better" snarked Dunes Dash looked ready to blow her top, and this time there wouldn't be another wonderbolt to stop her... of course considering their fierce rivalry, this may have been dune's plan all alone - to get Dash to make a scene that this time wouldn't be cooled down Once again though, word quickly spread and the familiar uniformed pegasus rose intot he air directly in Dash's line of sight... Dash snorted "This isn't over, dunes..." she said as she stormed out of the room. Dunes smirked "Dont let the door slam on your tail on the way out" he commended. He then turned to the Longma "My apologies, I dont believe we've been properly introduced, My name is Dunes, Professor of Archaeology at Phoenix University, a local college" he removed his hat and bowed his head politely "May I inquire your name, esteemed visitor from afar?" the change in his attitude and manner was almost jarring, having been so harsh to Rainbow, but now behaving as a perfect gentlepony