Learning Lernaean [Open Invt] (Everfree Forest)

[Aisede]

It was time.

 

Weeks of preparation had led to this moment, the epic sendoff such an occasion warranted. In anticipation of just such a voyage, the alchemist had brought along a veritable smorgasbord of bottles, flasks, and vials brimming with magi-chemical potential. She couldn't possibly ferry so many materials on her person- not within the limited physical space of her saddlebags, at least- and so had... Packed for the trip, as if were.

 

It was fortunate she found an ally in Scarlet, and thus had the option of transporting herself and her miniature lab worth of goods safely. A potion for speed, endurance, stamina, physical prowess and limited regeneration. She had a few more for specific circumstances- contengencies- but she wouldn't name those off before it's time.

 

She waited patiently by a checkpoint of sorts, a patch of open land that Scarlet and her crew could safely land on... Was it really a good idea to try and fly anything over that forest, though? Sure she was looking for something she suspected was grounded, but there were probably winged monsters too. 

 

Probably nothing to be too worried about.

 

[IceStorm]

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

 

Aloe still want entirely sure what she would be able to provide on this expedition, but if nothing what it was a chance to get out of the spa. Plus at this point in their relationship, there was no way that Aloe was going to let Rose come into this place without her. She knew the Everfree Forest was dangerous on its own without even considering what Rose was after. 

 

Once she had her saddle bags packed, mostly with old and bittering agents that she could use to deter creatures that thought they could be tasty, she made her was towards the meeting point. Hopefully they would work well and using the socks that Rose made for her would help make them stronger. She still want entirely sure what the magic was doing, but it had to be helping right? 

 

It didn't take long for her to reach the meeting point, and it didn't surprise her that she was the first one to show up. After all, the two of them did live together and Rose left not too long before she did. In fact it looks like Rose was just now going over her check list. She smiled as she approached. "Got everything? I can make a trip back real quick if you forgot something," she told her love with a smile.

[PyroBlaze]

It didn’t take much longer for an airship to show up in the sky, with a large-winged mare at the prow. It came to a stop above Rose and Aloe, Scarlett soon flying down to meet them both. She gave a wave to Rose with one of her claws, landing in front of the two mares. 
 

“Did I keep you two waiting? I’m hoping I’m not the last one here, we’ll probably need more than just you two to augment the crew for this.” She hummed, looking Aloe over a bit. 
 

——————

 

The next to arrive was Tiger, strolling in with his typical outfit and spear. He gave a low whistle at the sight of the airship, impressed by it. He hadn’t seen many airships, let alone set hoof on one, so that was exciting. It also seemed the whole party was mares so far, at least the ones on the ground. 
 

“Yo, name’s Tiger Blood, nice to meet you both.” He said, nodding to Aloe and Scarlett. 

[KaityKat]

Compass Rose yawned. She silently cursed herself for her lack of forethought. She knew today was going to be the trek with Rose and Aloe. She groaned she wasn't sure she'd have been able to sleep if she'd tried. At least this way, she'd have more of the forest mapped before they ventured in. She stumbled a little as she walked. She looked up at the sky and immediately regretted it, pulling her sun hat down over her face with a whimper. "Oh, why'd it have to be morning?" she complained. On her back, she carried her customary cartography supplies, plenty of extra parchment,  pencils, quills and ink just in case they explored regions of the Everfree she had yet to map.

 

She walked along the border of the forest from where he home sat to where she'd been told to meet Rose and her crew. If she hadn't had her wide sun hat on, looking at the ground like a lightweight having a hangover, she might've noticed the airship sooner. But when the airship's shadow covered her, it was kind of difficult to miss. She looked up at the craft, looming over the area "Just what kind of 'crew' does this pony have?" she whispered to herself before she started to jog, realizing she was probably late.

 

"Sorry I'm—" she began to call as she approached the others, but she was interrupted when she tripped and face-planted several feet short of Rose. Her parchments and sealed ink wells scattering on the ground, her sun hat flopping over on its head. It was all she could do to keep from just leaving from the embarrassment. As she picked up her things she started speaking at a mile a minute "I-I'm sorry, everypony. I swear I'm not usually this clumsy. I'm just really tired. Spent last night mapping as much of the forest as I could reach. I wanted to be prepared for today. Didn't think about sleep until it was too late. But i did get at least a few minutes of rest. I just figured Rose might have some kind of potion to help. She's a wizard with that sort of thing afterall." she laughed nervously scratching the back of her head. "I-I uh... brought maps. Of the uh... the parts of the forest I've explored." she produced some detailed expertly hoof-drawn maps of portions of the forest, followed by some less-detailed ones of other parts "and these ones are from my various fly-overs. I-It's not like" she chuckled nervously " 'Mighty Helm' levels or anything, but I've done my best. A-and I'll be here to answer any questions. If I've seen it, I'll remember it." She put her hat back on, then added in slightly more serious tone "But um... if we're really going in there, I'd still advise a lot of caution. Not only are the creatures dangerous, but... there's a chance my maps could be wrong. Not because I remembered wrong, but because the forest changes. I noticed it last night when I was re-mapping some portions... I marked the changes in red. It's not drastic but it gives me pause. This forest really is no joke...." 

[Aisede]

Rose gently nuzzled her msrefriend and, with a reassuring smile, reassured her that, no, she didn't need to go back for anything. "I think I may have over packed, in fact." She chuckled, gesturing towards the mobile lab she'd brought with her.

 

Soon enough, Scarlett and her crew arrived on that marvel of machinery of hers, a low whistle eminating from the mare as she took it all in. 

 

This was happening.

 

"Hey, Tiger ~" She tossed a wink Tiger Blood's way when he arrived, making sure to add the appropriate level of suave to her greeting. "Glad you could make it. We could use some extra muscle onboard."

 

And then there was her titular counterpart... She reached out to help her when she tripped, but the poor, anxious thing was quicker to the punch, rambling on about things that weren't her fault. As Compass came to a close, Rose couldn't help but give her a warm, somewhat humored smile.

 

Filching a non-descript flask from her pile of supplies, she approached the nocturnal mare and gave her a big, warm hug, and a pat on the back.

 

Leaning back, she floated the flask to the mare's lips, popping the quark. Her horn flashed next, and then the light was suddenly much less harsh on Compass's eyes. "We'll be sure to take all of that into account. And yes, I brought plenty of potions for just about every occasion. This one will restore your vigor for a time, and help keep you alert. The spell I cast is an inverted Nightvision spell, it'll help mitigate the sun's intensity."

[StrongCopper]

The 'expedition' into the Everfree had been more then enough to fuel the rumor mill of Ponyville for a while now. Exactly what the goal of the expedition itself was was a matter of debate that was not often agreed upon, but the solid cores of fact that had managed to survive the grinding of the rumor mill was that the trip was being organized by an alchemist called Rose Compass to head into the Everfree Forest and that she had managed to get her hooves on an airship in order to aid in her efforts.

 

Ponyville had grown as a town over the last few years, but it was still small enough that Strong Copper had been able to catch wind of what was going on. For a time he had been content just to stay out of it; After all, he hadn't been sort out to assist in whatever the expedition was about and thus it really wasn't his business. However, when one of the rumors going around suggested that Rose was bringing along her spa pony marefriend as a member of the crew quickly proved to be true, Strong Copper had to reconsider his stance on the matter. If he didn't at least go and offer his expertise and services, there was a very real chance that this Rose Compass was going to get herself and everyone who she had brought along for her fools errand killed.

 

Finding Rose Compass proved harder, but the Canterlot born unicorn fell back on a tired and true method of catching up with her before she could disappear into the Everfree; He watched the skies for an airship and followed it to where it was landing. While he had galloped over to the landing site in order to avoid missing the expedition completely, he had taken an educated guess about where the airship could have landed to begin with and thus, didn't have all that much distance to cover. Still with plenty of breath to work with as the unicorn arrived and glanced around, he called out "Excuse me, who here is 'Rose Compass'?"

[IceStorm]

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe was a bit relieved that she wouldn't have to go back to their home to retrieve anything that had been forgotten. In fact, Rose had told her that she might have actually over packed for the expedition. Aloe shook her head. "With what we're going in here after, it would be best to be over prepared than under. I'm still not entirely sure what the weak point of a hydra is or how we are going to be able to pierce it's scales to get even a drop of it's blood... buuuut without seeing it, I guess it would be hard to determine. I did bring a few of the oils that I would normally mix into my antiseptic baths at the spa, so I'll be able to tread some minor lacerations with it and the like. I also brought that special shampoo that I made from the mint, and tea tree. Except I double the concentration in them. IF we can get a couple good hits with them, theoretically, it should over-load the hydra's senses. But I don't know exactly how their senses work so that's a complete shot in the dark based on our... experimentation," she told her before the others started to arrive.

 

First was the airship captian that Rose had mentioned to her before. That would make the navigating part easier. They could just go over the forest rather than through it. Of course, after living here in Ponyville for as long as she had she knew that the forest had a mind of it's own. If it wanted them to go through the forest, it would find a way to make that happen. Then Compass Rose came along and she let out another smile. She was glad that she decided to come after all. Having a pony that knows the land as well as she does would prove very useful in this delve. It appeared though that Compass's thoughts were moving a little bit faster than her body. Or at least.... her upper body was moving faster than her hooves. Rose went over to help their friend up and Aloe did the same. She then went over the fact that while she had mapped out the region already, the maps could still be off because how the forest changes so often. She already had to make some slight alterations this morning. "Right, but what you have should give us a general idea of where we need to go," she replied as she watched Rose cast a spell and explain what she did.

 

Then about this time Aloe spotted another unicorn that was approaching. She hadn't recognized him, but in truth she only really recognized Rose and Compass in the group that they had. She wasn't entirely surprised that she would see another pony that she didn't know join in. This pony was almost like a combination of a light tan to a n orangy color and his mane and tail reminded her of copper. He also had a magnifying glass and a paw print of some sort as a cutie mark. He must one of those creature hunter ponies! That would certainly come in handy. When he asked which pony was Rose Compass, Aloe smiled and pointed to the seagreen unicorn next to her.

[PyroBlaze]

Scarlett shrugged to herself, sitting back as more of the group showed up. She held back a small laugh at the mare that tripped, watching as Rose helped her back up. Seemed like an interesting group so far, though a bit weird that only the two stallions looked like they’d be any help when it came to combat. She wasn’t sure how good Rose was, but the other two definitely didn’t look like they could do more than basic self-defense. Oh well, they needed other skill sets too, ones that hopefully were being filled. 
 

—————

 

“Hey yourself, Rose.” Tiger chuckled, returning the wink as he stopped nearby the group. He would’ve helped the bat up, but Rose beat him to it. When the other stallion approached and asked his question, Tiger gestured to Rose. 

[StrongCopper]

With the leading mare herself pointed out by two other members of her expedition, Strong Copper decided that time was a factor to consider as he turned to face Miss Compass herself before she had a proper chance to introduce herself. "My name is Strong Copper. I know we haven't met face to face before but I've heard rumors around town that you're leading an expedition into the Everfree and... well, from what I've heard, it sounds like you haven't recruited anyone with knowledge of the flora and fauna of the forest or how to properly deal with them." He shrugged his shoulders as he quickly admitted "I'm kind of concerned for the well being of yourself and those you are leading because of it. I know you likely don't want to just hire some random expert who showed up at the last moment but... if you tell me what your looking for in the Everfree maybe I could give you some free advice here and now on what to expect and how to deal with it."

[KaityKat]

// omg guys I'm so sorry! I meant to reply sooner, but I forgot! I'm so sorry! //

 

Compass smiled when the first thing she saw clearly without the glare of the sun was Rose's face. She blushed ever so slightly as she regained her composure. "Th-thanks, Rose." she turned to Aloe who was right there with her, and smiled "Do either of you have anything for my wings? I don't know if I should fly in this direct sunlight." she took a breath. She could feel her head getting clearer and her energy returning as the potion took effect.

 

That was about when the unicorn stallion spoke to Rose. Compass smiled when she recognized who he was. "Mr. Copper!" she said aloud "I remember you from the recent campaign for Ponyville Mayor! It's a pity you didn't win. I was really rooting for you. Your policies on the Everfree were exactly what we needed. You had my vote.... for what little that's worth." she frowned.

 

// edit: Also StrongCopper, sorry, but if you could keep rp order that helps me a lot. I get really stressed out with rps with this many people as it is. Thank you. //

[Aisede]

Happy that she could be of help, she added 'moisturizer' to the long list of products she intended on creating. "It's my pleasure ~"

 

She then turned her attention to their newest arrival, raising a brow at her friend's familiar response. So this was the other candidate? Looking him over, she wasn't very impressed by his physique. Hearing that he evidently intended on addressing the issues of the Everfree, however, raised her opinion of him slightly.

 

But did nobody tell him? If she'd have brought along Zecora, it'd have been more obvious, but as it was she settled for an easy smile and simply approached him, laying a hoof on his shoulder and trying not to look patronizing. "I appreciate your concern, but they could not be in more capable hooves. You see, I'm something of a botanist myself- an alchemist, rather, and the local apothecary. I've been harvesting regeants from the Everfree since my arrival, and have brought along a mare with a lay of the land as well. You needn't worry, Mr. Copper."

 

She gave his shoulder a pat then stepped back, sizing him up. He seemed like a fine enough lad, although she wasn't sure what he'd be able to accomplish in a conflict with local fauna. "As for what we're after, I must admit that I'm surprised those details were not passed along as well." Gesturing at the crew as a whole, and pointing out her miniature mountain of potion supplies, she turned back to him with a small smile. "I've staged the harvest of hydra blood, an invaluable resource that will no doubt enhance my understanding of regenerative effects. 

[StrongCopper]

Feeling the urge to defend himself slightly from his ignorance of the purpose of the expedition, even as Rose placed a hoof on his shoulder he explained after she explained what she was "In my defense, I only heard about this expedition through rumor and gossip. Things tend to get distorted when its put through the rumor mill and I felt it was just quicker and safer if I just outright asked you what the truth was."

 

Then she told him what the goal of the expedition was... and for a few seconds he waited for her to announce that she was joking before his face started to go ashen as she proved to be completely serious. The mixture of emotions that followed was a cocktail of concern, fear... and anger as he took a few deep breaths to properly collect himself in a professional manner. "...So please let me get this straight. You are taking a crew into the Everfree Forest in order to hunt down and kill a Hydra in order to collect its blood to study its alchemical properties. An adult hydra mind you, because before they get old enough to be able to spit and breath their highly toxic venom, all that poisonous stuff mixes with the blood as an evolutionary trait to discourage predators trying to get a meal before they grow big enough to defend themselves."

 

There was a deep breath before he continued "I'm sorry Miss Compass, but I must decline assisting your efforts on moral grounds. If this was a case of a hydra being a threat to Ponyville or other nearby settlements things might be different, but I cannot justify going into the territory of a creature that's far from any harm to sentient life and hunting it for science and profit."

[IceStorm]

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the unicorn that came to join them and presumed that they were actually planning on killing something like that. He proceeded to berate them like children and Aloe was going to have none of that. "Excuse me Sir Copper," she started stepping up to him. "But I would like to point out the many flaws in your argument here. First off, We have no intentions of killing said Hydra. Doing so would create a finite amount of resources while the possibility of working out some sort or arrangements with it would create and indefinite supply of what we're looking for so as long as the Hydra remains alive. Getting our hooves on the venom as well might prove useful in making an antivenom for anypony that might need it or get afflicted from it. Not to mention, any skilled alchemist can separate the good qualities from the bad qualities of an ingredient, or find ways of application that make them inert. A common one being rhubarb, another being gold or any mineral. There's a balance that lets you bring out the good without the bad. Rhubarb can kill you, but we put it in pies all the time. It's about the preparation," she started.

 

When she heard him talk about the moral standings of it she rolled her eyes. "So what I'm hearing from you is, the pot calling the kettle black. You're what, an archeologist? A creature hunter? Wildlife researcher? You go into places all the time and disrupt entire ecosystems trying to hunt what you're looking for. Be it deforesting an area to find lost remains or a distant past, or relocating 'dangerous' animals so that ponies can safely inhabit the area. If that doesn't fit the bill for science and profit I don't know what does. One thing I do know. Harvesting a bit of blood and leaving the hydra alive; one, helps ponies advance not only potions but possibly medicine as well, and two leaves the ecosystem in check. I fail to see where morality comes into play at all. I'm not going to say it's not dangerous, but the possible rewards and advancements outweigh those risks. If you don't want to come, then that's fine, but you of all ponies don't get to claim morality as a reason," Aloe told him with a firm snort.

[PyroBlaze]

Tiger watched Aloe go off on Strong Copper, giving a low whistle as she finished. 
 

“I can see why you like her, Rose. Looks like a good choice of marefriend to me.” He whispered to Rose, nudging her slightly. 
 

————————

 

Scarlett simply stood there, scrutinizing the group with her one eye. Her wings ruffled a bit as Aloe spoke, seemed the mare had some fight in her after all, that was good. After a moment, she shrugged to herself before digging into her coat and pulling out a device that should’ve been somewhat familiar to Rose. 
 

“Here. I’m gonna go make sure everything is ready up there, so call us when you’re ready to board.” She said, giving the device to Rose before taking off and flying back up to the ship. 

[KaityKat]

Compass waved smiling timidly when Rose mentioned the 'mare with a lay of the land'. 

 

It was when Rose mentioned the Hydra blood that Compass' smile faded again, she'd forgotten she was going to ask about that. But before she could speak, Mr. Copper had started his response. Compass watched his movements carefully and listened closely to what he had to say. She couldn't help but nod just a little at some of it. She could see where he was coming from. She took just a little too long to speak yet again because Aloe was next to speak. She decided she'd listen carefully to her, too. Her uncomfortable look faded a little as Aloe spoke, and she seemed to sigh with relief in her body language. Once Aloe had calmed down enough to finish talking, Compass sort of raised a hoof in an 'I'd like to talk if that's okay' type manner before she began to speak "A-actually, I was kind of worried about that, too...." she started. She turned to Rose "You remember I told you before I would have to think it over. part of it was I was worried about my safety, but also.... I don't want to be hurting any creature who isn't a danger. Can you promise me that won't happen?" she looked at Rose expectantly. She believed that Rose would understand. If she didn't believe it, she wouldn't be here. but she just wanted to get some confirmation before she committed to this.

[Aisede]

Rose was about to respond when her msrefriend beat her two it, and what a tongue lashing it was. To be frank, she hadn't though the sweet spa pony had it in her to give a pony such a verbal thrashing, but there she was, defending Rose and reinforcing just why she loved that pony so much. She doesn't give her enough credit. She just doesn't.

 

"Hehe... Yes, she is a very fine mare indeed," she said in response to Tiger's coaxing.

 

When Scarlet have her what looked like a... Some sort of communications device, she simply nodded with a short 'will do, captain', and then turned to face the aftermath of Aloe's tirade.

 

It turned out there wasn't much she needed to answer for on that front, but she did owe Compass, at least, some level of comfort.

Putting on a small smile, she faced her proverbial counterpart, standing straight and resolute. "Neigh, Compass dear. The goal is only to harvest blood. As large a creature as a hydra is, it should be little trouble for the creature. This," she gestured towards the collected ensemble, and the large sky-sailing vessel, "is a contingency, incase things go awry. While I'm confident in my own ability to prevent any of you from being seriously harmed, I would prefer for violence to be a last resort."

 

"I also collected you ponies, specifically, because of the opportunities I feel it opens up for you. Treat this as a field research team while we're not engaged in conflict, for there is much knowledge to be gained of our environment while we are immersed in these enchanted woods, with safety in numbers and mobility with Scarlett's aerie ship."

 

[StrongCopper]

Strong Copper easily allowed Aloe's tirade to go on, clearly not bending or buckling despite the sharpness of her words against him as a pony, but the message she was giving off in relation to the goals of the expedition seemed to make him relax somewhat. "Miss, my job is to make sure that where magical creatures and settlements meet that there is as little carnage, bloodshed and cruelty for all involved as possible. Pony, griffon or in this case hydra, doesn't matter. Trust me, you would be horrified if I told you how many times I've been approached by ponies who've either wanted me to kill something or help them do so out of sport, greed or paranoia."

 

Letting out a soft sigh, he turned to Rose as he explained "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Between the air ship and the fact you're after its blood, I admit my mind jumped to the worst case scenario. There aren't a lot of ponies with the know how, let alone the desire, to subdue a hydra in a manner that leaves it unharmed. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is it you intend to do?" After all, there wasn't any harm in asking exactly what the mare had planned.

[IceStorm]

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

The unicorn didn't seem to give much of a retort other than to make sure there was as little carnage as possible when magical creatures and settlements meet. To her, all he did was confirm what she had said. He would displace an entire ecosystem if it meant ponies could inhabitize the region. He was at least right about one thing, she would be horrified about the number of times he'd been approached by ponies wanting to kill something out of sport, greed, or paranoia. Compass appeared to be worried that they were going to try to harm the creature as well and wanted to be assured that the hydra would be unharmed. "Mostly unharmed. We are going to have to at least make a laceration of some sort in order to harvest the blood, but nothing that shouldn't heal within a few moments for something as large as it is," She responded as the unicorn asked how they were planning on subduing it to begin with.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what Rosie's got in her bag, but I know she never comes for anything unprepared. I have a few vials that are filled with hyper-concentrated capsaicin, mint extract and Tea Tree Oils to maximize it's stimulating effects. After working with trial amounts of it before for... other purposes, I thought if I used the pure extract instead of a diluted oil, I could make a balm that once it hits the hydra it would over stimulate it, and render in unconscious for a few moments to allow us to collect a sample and be gone before it awakens. I just don't know how much it would actually take to effect the hydra or how long we'd have once it's out," she told the unicorn. 

[Aisede]

"That probably won't be neccesary, but good thinking nonetheless," Rose said in response to Aloe's statement. Then, she turned to the most hesitant applicant to their group- or would it be better to just call him a bystander that took an interest in their activities. "To answer your question, Mr. Copper, I do intend to render it unconcious, or otherwise non-lethally subdue it, but not through the exclusive use of alchemy."

 

Her horn glowed, and a faint wave of fatigue fell over the stallion. It was gone before he could even blink, but the effect was undoubtable. "I happen to be proficient in a myriad of spells that affect the mind and body, naturally. One of these is a spell that inflicts fatigue, and another one that simply induces sleep. I intend on imbibing a potion that enhances my magic potential to grant me the power to effect a creature the size of a large reptile like the hydra, after which we may conduct our business discreetly and, hopefully, without interruption."

[StrongCopper]

As the wave of fatigue washed over him like a brief but strong tide before fading without trace, Strong Copper stumbled for a moment... before with a shake of his head he was able to refocus on the mare herself. For a time he was silent in thought... before reluctantly nodding his head. "Alright... you have a plan and enough supporting plans to go with it that even if things go wrong, you're not all just going to just die. Which... honestly puts you ahead of most idiots I've met who've wanted to hunt down a big, dangerous creature for whatever reason."

 

However, it was clear that Copper wasn't heading towards the airship. "I wish you luck. However, I believe I can serve the interests of the Everfree and Ponyville best by setting up some lures to get the attention of and distract a hydra before it gets too close to Ponyville. Because an angry hydra chasing you all home doesn't end well for anyone involved." He quickly raised a hoof to cut off protest as he explained "This is just a fail safe I want to set up in case things don't go to plan on your end. All I ask is that if a hydra is chasing after or following you and it suddenly stops so the heads can bicker among themselves, just keep going and don't give the heads arguing to continue the chase fuel by doing something foolish."

[Aisede]

Nodding, Rose shot him a wan smile. It was disappointing news, but it wasn't like she lost any of her intended crew. "I understand. Hopefully such a thing will not be neccesary, but I thank you for your consideration."

 

Pulling out the comms device, she pressed the big, obvious button and spoke into it, feeling more than a little silly. After all, she'd only seen something like this one other time. Technology from her region is much less developed. "Alright, cardinal. We should be ready to go now."

 

With that said, she raised her muzzle to the air, projecting her voice across the field for all to hear. "Alright, crew, it's time to head out. Get your personal affects and meet me on-deck, and we will further discuss the plan of action there!"

[IceStorm]

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

 

Aloe listened as Rose told everyone what hey plan was and it involved pulling the Hydra to sleep. Similar to her meeting but perhaps more likely to work because it was magic, and it definitely did a number to Copper. The unicorn was then able to correct himself before acknowledging that they at least had plans and contingencies. Apparently that was more than most ponies embark on these kinds of adventures with. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. Surely they had some sorry of plan as to what they were after. Maybe not a feasible plan, but a plan never the less.

 

The unicorn then mentioned staying behind and seeing up a failsafe. That an angry hydra rampaging into Ponyville wouldn't end well for anypony. She could agree on that. Aloe felt her eyes shrink though when she then heard Rose projecting at the rest of the crew to get in the ship and meet her in the deck. Aloe had to use her hoof to rub the inside of her ear to get it to stop ringing. It was hardly the loudest either of them had been, but Aloe was at least prepared those times. She made herself into the deck so that they could get started and awaited further instructions.

[PyroBlaze]

Scarlett wasn’t really sure why Rose had called her ‘cardinal’, but after receiving the message she got her crew into action on the lift, bringing up the ponies that couldn’t fly up themselves. Once that was done, they went back to their general tasks while Scarlet looked over the group again. 
 

“If you know your way around a ship, feel free to help out up here. Otherwise, try to stay out of the way. Anyone helping with navigation should set up in there.” She said once Rose had finished going over the plan again, pointing towards a door underneath where the wheel was. 
 

——————

 

Tiger nodded to Rose’s announcement, riding the lift up and listening as Rose and Scarlet talked. 

[Aisede]

//So so so sorry, guys. This thread has been gathering dust for awhile, and I feel that the need to push it forward again has risen. Kaity, if/when you're available again, you can pick up from any point. Just give us some forewarning.//

 

 

Tiger, Rose, Scarlet, Aloe, Compass, and whatever crew was on deck all gathered around as the alchemist extrapolated on her plan of action, complete with hoofgestures and appropriately dramatic expressions. "Alright, are all in attendance?" She looked around, although she didn't need to since she could sense everypony there already, as well as their unique signatures. "Good. I will give a brief summary of our plan of action first, then I would like for any of you with questions to please approach me. Teamwork here is vital. If we fail to execute any of these steps, we threaten to put the whole crew in jeopardy."

 

"Now," she raised a hoof, then pointed it to a large 3D map of the Everfree that she conjured, large enough to give everyone a decent view. She tapped a place on the border, and it lit up bright blue. "We are here. Our target-" her hoof moved, and the map scrolled and expanded. She tapped another spot somewhere several miles in, a ring expanding around a red dot. "-Is here. It is a Lernaean Hydra, and highly aggressive, although it should be asleep around this time of day, either out in a clearing or huddled within a cave."

 

"The objective is clear: harvest a blood sample. The way we shall be doing this, as suggested by Mr. Copper, will be non-lethal, and non-intrusive." She made sure to emphasize the latter part, eyeing Tiger and Scarlet specifically. "Amongst my tools, I have a means of tranquilizing the beast. If that somehow fails, we will find other means of subduing it with minimal danger to the crew. This," lighting up her horn, six sets of sarynges float over to the mare. "Is your means of collecting a blood sample."

 

They were the biggest needles any of the ponies- and other creatures- had ever seen, more akin to a weapon than a medical device in sheer size. Needless to say, if a pony got poked with one, they'd be thuroughly exsanguinated. "It's enchanted to penetrate the thick hide of monsters, and you'll find a hoofgrip on the back that will allow you to draw blood. Handle them with care, and try not to get them dirty."

 

With that said, each of the sarynges floated over to a designated pony- or other.

 

[IceStorm]

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe watched as Rose made the three dimentional map for them to see. It was quite something to see really, and it really did a lot to help where they would need to get to. The only problem would be the fact that the forest was constantly shifting. Or was it actually...? Now that she actually thought about it, she wondered if it was less the forest shifting and paths getting over grown. Froggy Bottom bog was in the same spot it's always been. As well as the castle of the two sisters, and the tree of harmony, and Zecora's hut... Honestly she was starting to think that the forest didn't shift as often as ponies said it did. She knew very much that it was a magical forest, and that it was the tree of harmony that kept it from becoming wild. If it wasn't for that the forest probably would be shifting constantly.

 

She further listened as Rose explained what the mission was and how she planned on tranquilizing the beast. She further said that if that failed, then they would have to find an alternative means. Aloe would chime in at this. "I have actually prepared a mint-capsaicin bomb for it as well. It works best if we can get it to eat it, but even if it breaths in the vapors or the salve comes in contact with it's body it should over stimulate it enough to incapacitate it, hopefully for long enough for us to get what we need and be gone. Outside of that, should we need a plan C, that will have to be up to somepony else," Aloe said before she heard a yell from the distance and another pegasus would land on the deck of the ship.

 

 

 

How could she have let this happen! Venture Heart knew that she shouldn't have had that second hay-bacon omelet from the cafe in town, but they were so good! Way better than the berries and survival food she normally ate. However, in her desire to splurge a bit on herself she was now fashionably late for the very reason she was here in Ponyville to begin with! She had gotten word that a pony was leading an expedition into the Everfree Forest in search of a dangerous hydra. While she wasn't an expert on the Everfree Forest, or Hydras for that matter, she was an expert at navigation, exploration, and being prepared. She flapped her wings as hard as she could to try try to catch up to the airship before it started taking off. "Good, I'm not too late!" she said to herself excitedly as she saw the ship still not yet moving.

 

As she got closer, Venture could see that the ponies looked to be gathered on the decks and one of them seemed to be addressing the others, no doubt giving them the basic idea of the plan that she had. "Dang it, now I'm going to be that pony that's going to make them go over everything again when I get there," she said to herself. With any luck she'd be able to pull the leader of this shindig off to the side and figure out the basic idea from there. Sure, Venture knew that they were going after a Hydra, but she didn't know why, or what the plan was for dealing with it. As she started to get within shouting range she let her voice bellow into the sky. "WAIT FOR MEEE!!!" she yelled before diving down and landing on the deck with a skid before careening into a banister, getting her head stuck in one of those life-saver thingies and then tumbling the last bit before landing in front of the group. Her eyes were spinning a bit before she shook her head a bit.

 

"I'm Fine! Sorry! Sorry!" She said before noticing the stuck ring. Using all four of her hooves she managed to pop the life ring off of her neck and it went flying overboard, making her rub the back of her head a bit. "Oops... Sorry about that too. I guess I was going a bit too fast for landing. I would have been here much sooner but... I was really hungry... Anyway, The name's Venture Heart. If there's a dangerous adventure to be had, I'm there. Somepony said something about going after a Hydra in this flier?" she said looking around before her eyes settled on the one that she saw talking before.