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[LordBucket]

Aurora

"I suppose I can volunteer."

"Wait, you don't have hands or a horn. Can you throw?"

Seeing the look on the zebra's face, she hastily continues "Oh, I mean...of course you can throw! Right. So, umm...just a second."

Aurora procures an apple, then telekinetically passes both the apple and the three coins rotating around her to Basayen, while simultaneously removing her saddlebag and placing it on the ground. Once they're in his hooves, she levitates three more coins from her bag and puts them into the same rotating pattern around her body that the previous three had been.

"Ok, so...I have three coins, and you have three coins plus an apple. I want you to throw the coins at me...and the apple anywhere you'd like. Try to hit me with the coins. The apple, you can throw at me, or in the air, or you can even just hold it if you'd like. You can throw things one at a time, or all at once, or coins then apple then coins...or any way you want."

The glow around Aurora's horn brightens as the three coins spinning around her body speed up.

"Whenever you're ready."

[Rolepgeek]

Basayen
Basayen looks at her for a second, considers, then nods. Then, he sets the apple behind his head, out of her direct line of sight, and throws all three coins in rapid succession. The first is directly towards her. The second bounces off the floor. The third ricochets off wall and ceiling. All head towards Aurora at about the same speed, from different angles.

The zebra does this by simple expedient of what would seem like kicking, if someone did it with less severity and gravity.

[LordBucket]

Aurora
Aurora raises an eyebrow at the apple behind Basayen's head, surprised at his trust in her. But she shrugs and waits, surrounded by the white glow engulfing the three coins orbiting around her.

The moment Basayen's leg puts the first coin into motion, Aurora starts moving forward towards him, directly into the path of his coin. But before it strikes her, in fact before her first hoofstep reaches the ground she disappears in a white burst of magic, appearing for a fraction of a second behind Basayen, then blinking again back several pony-lengths behind her starting point, just in time for Basayen's first coin to land at her front hooves as she continues to accelerate into her run.

When the second coin is thrown, it hits the ground and ricochets upwards towards her starting point, which she's now running into. Aurora catches it in her magic and adds it to the three coins rotating around her, still accelerating into her run.

When the third coin is at the wall to the side, Aurora again disappears in burst of magic and reappears at 90 degrees, by now having reached a full gallop. As the coin makes its second ricochet off the ceiling, Aurora pulls one of her rotating coins from its orbit and smacks Basayen's coin with it, knocking it back into the wall it first bounced off of, before being engulfed also in her magic and streaking it quickly behind Basayen and through the apple, spraying wet bits on the floor behind him.

Aurora then teleports one last time a few pony lengths from her starting position facing Basayen, and slides to a stop back where she started. Breathing lightly but audibly, she pulls Basayen's first and third coins from where they are and adds them both to her current four, for a total of six coins rotating around her, where they complete a few more orbits then return gently to her bag.

"You actually made that easier for me than you might have. It's a common misconception that a unicorn needs line of sight to levitate an object. If that were true, even lifting the coins out of my saddlebag on my back in the first place would have been impossible. Everything, both magical and physical objects alike, exert magical field forces into the space around them, and when a unicorn levitates an object it's really more like feeling where it is than seeing it. In fact, it's not uncommon for unicorns to close their eyes when doing magic in order to help concentrate on the fields without being distracted by all the visual information. By placing the apple behind your head, you didn't make it harder for me to feel for it, you just made it a stationary target." Quickly glancing at the other unicorn in the room she continues, "and before you say anything...yes, I cheated with that third coin. It's very difficult to throw an object into another object, because computing trajectories like a catapult might use is complicated. But simply enveloping two objects in your magic and pushing them into each other is no more difficult than bringing your hooves together."

"Honestly, as battlemages go, I'm actually fairly mediocre when it comes to telekinesis. I have to use cheats like that. I was trained for honor dueling, not real war. And while I'm very well-practiced at that, I kind of lack the raw natural power that some unicorns have. My special talent isn't magic, after all.  Plenty of unicorns can comfortably handle dozens of objects at a time, whereas I'm only really comfortable with about six or so. It's possible for me to control more of course because unicorn telekinesis isn't limited to handling discrete objects. For example, when levitating water you don't think of the water as a bunch of little objects and handle them individually. Instead you construct a single telekinetic force-shape in the air and then redirect the flow of water so that it flows along that shape. Kind of like how picking up a hooffull of coins isn't particularly more difficult than picking up a single coin. Levitating water is the same way: you lift it as a single thing. So while I can handle more than six actual objects just like you can pick up a whole hooffull of coins, if they all need to be manipulated individually, six is about my limit. Kind of like how it's easy to hold a banana bunch in your hoof and wave it around, but if you pull all the bananas off the bunch, it's not as easy to hold them all."

"As for weight, again...I'm kind of mediocre there too. Some truly powerful unicorns can lift dozens of tons from miles away. My instructor could move multi-ton boulders at a thousand yards. Me, I can only comfortably handle a couple hundred pounds total, and that rapidly drops off much past 100 feet. The magical grounding of leverage mechanics is complicated to explain, but it's an entirely separate spell you use to distribute the weight of a telekinetically lifted object into the ground around you to keep it from squishing you. The further and heavier it is, the wider and deeper you need to dig your magic into the ground, and the more energy it takes to overcome the leverage effect. It's a fairly common mistake for combat magic students to not extend their grounding enough, so they fall over and rip out a chunk of ground with them when trying to lift super heavy objects. That's actually part of the reason for the coin rotation. It's not an issue with lightweight things like coins, but when using heavier objects in a fight, holding them stationary off to one side imbalances the caster. Inducing rotation allows us to distribute the weight, even if there's only one object being rotated, much like a gyroscope. Fun fact: it's difficult to knock over a unicorn telekinesis-duelist because we maintain hundreds of pounds of gyroscopic grounding forces running at all times just to keep our attacks working, and you can instantly make it harder for us to fight simply by running away. Due to leverage effect of our grounding spell, our force multipliers increase linearly with distance. Even if I can still hit you with an object at twenty versus ten feet, it takes twice as much magical energy for me to hold it in the air at that distance. So something as simple as running that extra ten feet away, and you force me to choose between cutting my spellcasting endurance in half, or simply hurling objects and releasing them from my telekinetic field, like a catapult, and possibly missing. The closer I am to my opponent the easier it is for me to fight, and the further away I get, the faster I get tired. A crossbow is completely effective at 100 feet. Me? I'd get tired very quickly at that distance. Really, I don't like fighting much past 50 feet if I can avoid it. Fortunately, that's where teleporting comes in."

"Speaking of running away, for me personally, the most difficult part of my training wasn't the telekinesis or the teleporting at all. It was learning to run while manipulating objects. Doing that requires that I move the grounding spell with me rather than simply holding it in place. Every unicorn knows telekinesis. We're taught at an early age so we can help raise the sun every day. But ask your average unicorn to run while lifting something, even something they'd otherwise have no difficulty with, and quite a lot can't do that. That takes special training. That's also why unicorns generally can't fly. Plenty of us can lift our own body weight, but it's terribly difficult to ground our own weight when our weight is the thing we're lifting. "

Aurora looks up and notices the lack of interest among some of her listeners.

"...oh, I guess I'm lecturing. Sorry. Magic is something I enjoy a great deal and sometimes I get carried away explaining it. Anyway, telekinesis is a fascinating field of study, but where I really excel is teleporting. When you threw the coins you saw me in three different places over the course of only a few seconds, but from my point of view all I did was dash forward about ten feet in a straight line. In fact, its-

Aurora hears a yawn and glances around again.

"Well, we can talk about teleporting some other time."

[Rolepgeek]

Basayen
The zebra's eyebrows rose. What an outflow of information. These people really had no concept of subtlety, did they? And then there was the silly idea about unicorns lifting the sun every day. That was just plain wrong. The Sus Taiyong Za Torres did that, obviously. But let the girl believe that she was helping it rise, if she wished. "I had been expecting you to simply fire a coin at the apple. Not to... teleport instantly. I am not used to that, I will say. But, I would be interested to hear more about your style of magic at a....later time."

Basayen makes no motion to show off his own skills, preferring to wait patiently, doing a check of his pockets and folds to ensure all of his equipment is in order. Not that any of it can be seen while he does so.

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL WAITING ROOM

"Gee wilikers, professor, you sure are smart!" the griffon mocks as she walks towards the door. "Magic is alright, I guess. Talons are better. Multi-use tools. Gutting, grabbing, goring, slashing, smashing. Simple, but effective."

"I thought it was a pretty interesting display of skill. And a good understanding of the fundamentals. That will take you far, my friend," Autumn comments with a smile.

"Well, I think that--" Mead Mix begins before the door dominating the rooms north wall opens with a loud clack.

"The ring will see you now," a unicorn mare announces, standing to the side to let Sasha through.

"I also have pretty good hearing," she says before making her way down the hall. One after the other, the initiates follow suit, walking down a hallway dominated by paintings of great ponies from Equestria's history. Perhaps one day one your images will be immortalized among the other greats? With hope fresh in your minds, you enter the ring chamber.

Light pours into the stained glass windows, various heroes of the Tribes glowing in its wake. Banners of various origin hang on the walls, some simple, some embellished. The largest one hangs on the far wall depicting all races, pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns, working together in harmony. Below the tapestry, the illustrious Ring sits. Eight ponies, each one honoured with a special title and position, sit behind a great longtable, mostly bearing stern expressions. They are silent as the initiates file in. Each was told beforehand the proper etiquette when dealing with the ring. Stand a respectful distance away, keep proper posture, don't speak until you are addressed. Basic things when dealing with rulers, most would think. But some of these initiates are Farlanders, and needed reminding of their place. Still, none of them err from their position.

The scribe takes her place at the edge of the table, allowing the ring to focus their full attention on the initiates.

"Greetings, prospectives, I am Clover the Clever. The ring has called you here today to complete your initiation into the ranks of the pioneers. Half of you will pass, the other half will be denied. Do you accept the call?"
 

NUMBRA, LORD XAVUS' MANOR

Edjane nods, then she walks into the room. The four of you follow. Inside, you find a fine, if spartan, dining room. Well polished and tended, but bare. A single portrait dominates the east wall, depicting a pony that looks much like Xavus, but older, and with a greying mane. The lord himself stands, facing towards the large portrait, and his wives stand behind their seats. A posh looking mare with soft features but sharp eyes stand to the left of Xavus. She wears much powder makeup and fine jewels adorn her headdress. A condescending smile enforces her aura of dominance. Marrin stands right beside her, a bored expression on his face.

Right of Xavus stands the mare from before, the one in the clan hall. At the time the pioneers might have assumed she was an adviser, but she appears to be his wife as well. She wears a cold, neutral expression. Right of her stands Edjane, perhaps the only local pony you can really call an ally. She has removed her armour, but still wears protective barding.

Left of the posh mare stands an elderly mare. Very elderly. She has a satisfied look about her as she patiently waits for the festivities to begin. Several servants and guards stand quietly in the corners and to the sides, Luciona and Adjus among them. Fine cutlery is arranged on the table, but no plates nor food.

The silence goes on for a few awkward moments before someone closes the dining room door.

"The Great Lord Xavus has invited farlanders into his realm, and into his home. May this meal bolster relations and create new bonds where there was once uncertainty," a servant announces as if reading lines from a scroll. With that, Xavus turns around to face the farlanders. Without a word, he takes his seat. After him, the posh mare takes her seat, then Marrin, then the stoic mare, then Edjane, then the old mare.

"You may now be seated," Xavus says. Each one of the pioneers takes a seat, and the statue-like servants finally begin to move.

"Oh, isn't this fun! Let's start with a prayer, shall we?" the old mare begins. This attracts an annoyed glance from the posh mare.

"No, that is not proper. We will start with introductions, as law dictates."

"But we must thank the gods for blessing us with such bountiful harvest! Now, which god shall we thank, hm? Rhunekin, perhaps? But I do so adore the God of Plenty!" This elicits an annoyed sigh from the stoic mare, and a belittling laugh from the posh mare.

"Please, do ignore Helen. She is old, and her mind grows soft with age. Xavus, introduce yourself." Xavus shows the slightest twinge of annoyance, but starts his introduction.

"I am Lord Xavus of house Splitstake, Lord of Numbra and protector the Temple."

"I am Lady Esse of house Splitstake, maiden of Vaulta and the Heart of Xavus," the posh mare announces with great eloquence.

"I am Melesa, Mind of Xavus," the stoic mare says calmly.

"I am Edjane, Hoof of Xavus and Elite of the Elite."

"I am Helen the Black. A witch, a sorcerer, a practitioner of the old ways, and ever a reminder of Xavus' foolhardy youth!" the old mare announces with jubilance.

"I am Prince Marrin of house Splitstake, heir of Numbra," Marrin says with vigour.

The group then turns their attention to the pioneers.

[LordBucket]

"Greetings, prospectives, I am Clover the Clever. The ring has called you here today to complete your initiation
into the ranks of the pioneers. Half of you will pass, the other half will be denied. Do you accept the call?"

Aurora start bouncing back and forth and stomping her forelegs excitedly.

"Oh! Clover! Pick me!!! PICK MEEEEE!!!!!!"

"Clover, you know, I totally read that paper of yours you wrote on the fluctuating effects of geodesic leylines on n-dimensional thaumaturgic mana-matrices!

"It was so awesome!!! Although I kind of have to admit I think your views on abjurative structure work in general seem a bit overly formal. Constructing an entire 9-layered temenos circle simply for a stationary two point portal array? It's not like we have the ability to maintain transit corridors indefinitely, and with typically half a dozen unicorns on hand just to keep the energy flowing for travel over a relatively short distance it's not like anyone's going to get eaten by the extra-dimensional flora and fauna. I know that Tannhorser envisioned a day when ponies would be able to visit faraway countries by walking through permanent gates, but I really don't see that happening anytime soon."

"Anyway, it's such an honor to meet you!"


Fangirl Squeee!

[Patrick Hunt]

" I do. "

[Patrick Hunt]

(( Damnit it double posted. ))

[Rolepgeek]

Basayen is about to speak up when Aurora has her...outburst. He catalogued the information for inspection at a later time, and spoke again once she stopped. "...I do."

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the blah, blah, blah. Yeah, of course I accept the call," Sasha says, annoyed.

"I accept the call, and share Aurora's enthusiasm. It is good to meet you, Clover the Clever, as it is good to meet the rest of the ring face to face."

"I'm Mead Mix, and I'm happy to accept the call!"

Clover the Clever nods without acknowledging anyone in particular. "This is how the selection will be decided," she starts, neutral but authoritative. "Each one of you will have a chance to present your case to the ring. We already have the results of your trials and tests in mind. These trials enabled us to narrow down our search to the few prospectives that were truly worthy to join the ranks of the pioneers, but they did not reveal everything about you. We know your past, your skills, your weaknesses, and your faults. But these are merely pieces of the puzzle. Now I call upon you to show us that you are more than a score on a test, or a time on a trial. Tell us why one of us should sponsor you, why you deserve to be chosen, why we should trust you."

"The following person was chosen randomly to speak first. Sasha of the Tibe Mountains! You have been chosen as a prospective for your exceptional skill in combat, your keen senses, and your ability to assess danger and to command fearlessly. Your primary potential sponsors are Commander Hurricane and Judge Stalwart Mind. Begin now."

Sasha looks to the others and gives a look saying, 'What am I supposed to do, exactly?'. After a few seconds, she steps forward and begins to speak. "Alright, well, let me go over the facts. I've fought in several wars over the course of my life, and I've always ended up on the winning side--"

"But you switched sides during two of the wars. Once when you were on the losing side, and once when you were paid a hefty sum to betray your contract," the Judge points out calmly.

A look of surprise crosses the griffons face for but a second, but she quickly recovers. "Doesn't mean I didn't win in the end, yeah? Besides, that's two of eleven, and I betrayed the Sloths when I was young and foolhardy. My honour as a mercenary has since recovered."

"Anyways, the facts. I've been in wars, I've seen tribes rise and fall, I've lost comrades and friends, but I've never given up. If you select me, your getting a soldier-- a leader that doesn't quit, that doesn't relent until she sees her goal accomplished."

"But being a pioneer isn't the same as being a soldier. You need to be ready to use other methods to solve your problems, not just your talons," the Farmer corrects. This attracts a glare from Hurricane.

"I'm not a soldier-- I should've been more specific. I'm a mercenary. Mercs get the shit end of the stick when talked about by most folks, yeah, but we're not greedy deserters. Well, not all the time... Mercenaries are as multifaceted as a warrior can get. We need negotiating skills, survival skills. Every merc I have worked with could outwit a common levy. Killing's what I'm good at, but I'm no one trick pony."

"You're right. You are not a one trick pony. In fact, you are no pony at all! We already let one non-pony into the ranks of the pioneers, and he caused all sorts of trouble," the Magister says.

"What? The dog? I thought that was his fault," she says as she points to Tipped Scales. This was the wrong thing to say. Most of the ring members tried to speak at once, and their corrections and defenses soon turned into squabbling.

"Enough!" the Chief says over the noise, quieting the rest. "We have heard enough from you, prospective. Now, next is Sam Harvey of the Wilds. You have been chosen for your strength and fortitude. Your primary potential sponsor is Tipped Scales."

"The only one, too. I believe in you, my cow-like friend," the trader says as he winks. Sasha steps back into her place in the lineup with an angry expression on her face.

[Patrick Hunt]

Sam shuffles his feet nervously looking around.

" Uhm well I've never been in a war or anything but you know I'm very strong and lots of people have tried to hurt me before and I didn't kill them all. Lots of them I hit on the head and left on a road so they'd be found and helped back to a town so I know I don't always have to kill things.

I don't have any family or friends except some animals in the forest so I don't have anyone to betray you to and I want to have a family now, I don't like being alone all the time.

I'm very tough as well and I know how to fight very well with my hands and with big weapons so if you can give me some things to hit people with and some stuff to wear if they hit me back then I can take care of the others for you and make sure they'll all be as safe as possible if somebody mean tries to hurt them.

Please let me try I'm so lonely I don't want to go back to the forests, please don't make me. "

As he finishes speaking a slight cracking can be heard as he clenches his hands so tightly that he leaves bruises on the center of his palms.

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

Everyone but the Master Interna, the Farmer, and the Trader look at you with doubt, neutrality, or contempt.

"This is not an adoption ceremony, minotaur. We're looking for the best of the best, not lonely monsters," the magister says with disdain.

"Don't be so pathetic! You're a minotaur, for Umbra's sake!" the Commander adds.

"Now, now. His scores should speak for themselves, even if he's a little soft of wits."

"Yeah! I mean, what more do we need? He fights good, he needs direction, and he's a cute little bugger to boot. Don't listen to them, Sam, I think you're exceptional."

"What sort of scheme are you planning this time, I wonder?" the Judge says, rather directly. Before Tipped Scales could respond, Clover the Clever cuts him off.

"We've heard enough from you, prospective. Next is Auroura Dawn of Glistens. You have been chosen for your extensive knowledge of magic and noble customs, your sharp mind, and your natural inclination towards distinction among other Glisteners. Your primary potential sponsors are Magister Regal Silver, Negotiator Pale Seer, and myself." That last bit about 'inclination towards distinction' injects some emotion into the air. Of course, it is likely the Chief's way of saying that you are not like your racist kin. Still, the other races on the ring look at you with a hint of animosity.

[LordBucket]

Next is Auroura Dawn of Glistens. You have been chosen for your extensive knowledge of magic and noble customs, your sharp mind, and your natural inclination towards distinction among other Glisteners. Your primary potential sponsors are Magister Regal Silver, Negotiator Pale Seer, and myself." That last bit about 'inclination towards distinction' injects some emotion into the air. Of course, it is likely the Chief's way of saying that you are not like your racist kin. Still, the other races on the ring look at you with a hint of animosity.

Aurora listens attentively, a smile slowly growing across her face before she steps forward and begins to speak.

"You honor me, Ring Chief. In truth, I'd suspected that my nomination was politically motivated. While House Dawn is not directly connected to Her Royal Highness Silla Eternal, we are a noble House of no small consequence and Her Majesty has generally been loathe to take actions that alienate her support base. While Glistens is officially neutral to Equestria, I have no doubt that the admission of a member of a Glistens noble House into your ranks would strengthen the ties between our nations."

"Historically the function of the nobility is to provide political, financial and even military support to their monarch, and while we Glisteners admittedly prefer to not fight our own battles," at this Aurora looks apologetically at those who scowled at her during Clover's speech, "even so we have maintained strong martial traditions within many of our Great Houses. I can't speak for her Majesty, but I suspect that if I were a Queen, I would be hesitant to engage in hostilities with a border nation that had allied itself with members of the political structure that constituted my own power base."

Aurora glances at Commander Hurricane. "Surely that extra little bit of certainty that your northern border will remain secure must have some value to you." Aurora glances at Pale Seer and Tipped Scales. "And of course, peace is good for trade." Aurora smiles next at Smart Cookie. "In fact, my family runs a vinyard back home. I've not yet sampled the local wines, but I look very much forward to doing so, and I know for certain that," Aurora glances back at Pale Seer and Tipped Scales, "there are many Glisteners who feel the same way. Simply by virtue of being a foreign nation, and a new one at that, many of the goods you produce locally would be seen as exotic fare back home. I make no apologies for our farming methods, but it's really a loss for us both that Equestria doesn't do more trade with us."

"Now, if you'll each forgive my long windedness, I'd like to answer the question your Ring Chief has posed. She asks why it would be in your best interest to sponsor me. To answer that I'd like to respond with a question of my own that so far, no one has asked."

"What exactly is it that pioneers do?"

Aurora pauses to look at the various Ring members.

"It is a varied and complicated role. We serve to tame the Farlands, scouting and clearing areas for settlement, and battling fell beasts who threaten ponykind. For this role, pioneer's must be warriors and explorers. While I am no explorer," Aurora looks fiercely into Commander Hurricane's eyes, "I am indeed a warrior, and I carry with me the martial traditions of my homeland." Her fierce look gives way and she smiles at the Commander with a conceited, flippant smirk, as if speaking to her solely. "And if you've never seen a unicorn duel before, I'd be happy to show you with Autumn Switch over there, since I'm pretty sure it's between the two of us for who gets to be the team's magic-er."

Aurora looks at the ground and exhales, allowing her grin to fade naturally before looking up again.

"Yet for all we must be warriors, we also serve as diplomats, representing Equestria, setting an example and encouraging peace with Equestria's neighbors." Aurora looks at Regal Silver, "Goodness knows we're here to tame the wilderness, not merely beat it into submission like barbarians." Aurora momentarily looks disgusted, and brushes a forehoof on the ground as if to wipe off something she finds distasteful. "While fighting might occasionally be necessary," she stretches out the word necessary, "...it certainly wouldn't do to clear out the riffraff only to create something foul in its place." Aurora's nose turns upward, just a bit. "I intend to bring the elegance and dignity this team would otherwise be sorely lacking."

Aurora looks again at the ground, then looks up at the Farm, Negotiator and Trade Masters, with a calm, thoughtful gaze. "And finally we have to maintain our ties with the ponies we serve." Aurora looks around. "Not sit above them and hand out orders without any idea what those orders are supposed to accomplish. It's one thing to clear out monsters, but we're only doing that so ponies can live on the land we're clearing."

Aurora gives a hard look to the earth ponies who scowled at her previously. "It should be more important to you that I be on this team than anyone else in the Ring. You might find better diplomats and better casters, maybe. But good luck finding another unicorn with family whose livelihood depends on working the soil."

Aurora then returns to her place in line, as if to indicate that the interview is over.

[uod]

Flame Flipper decided to wait for other members of his group to speak.

[Boxman]

   Inside the dining room, Borak felt more at ease. The simple area made him feel like he had worried too much. Taking his seat when he was told too, he took the time to look around at the various ponies that would be attending this meeting. First his attention was immediately taken by Marrin. He stared at the pony, oblivious that he felt himself tense a bit at the sight of the bratty prince. However his eyes quickly wandered towards the posh mare. It was her smile that caused feelings of hate to swirl in his gut. He found himself unable to turn from her smile, his eyes lingering much to long. To the point of being very noticeable. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that they stood together, but Borak could not help but feel like he knew that this mare must be the brat's mother. That smile made his his gut churn with revolt.

   Luckily for him, his stare was broken when the elder mare started speaking. Realizing that he had just been staring he made it a point not to look in their direction anymore, and instead follow the conversation. The old mare amused him, and he rightly connected her as the one Edjane had warned them about. He was curious about the gods the mare spoke about, but he was positive this was not the time. Besides he could just question Sirara or perhaps FlameFlipper about it later. They were the two who were likely to find out about that kind of stuff anyways. He still couldn't help but relate the old mare to the story teller back when he was still just a runt in the Stonehooves. Perhaps it was for this reason, that he took a liking to the old mare.

   He followed the rest of the ponies as they introduced themselves. He already knew who Xavus was, and he had yet to make an opinion of him. He supposed he was a powerful figure in this place and he should be respected, but if his son was any indication of how he ruled he was going to have to be careful, not just for the sake of himself but for everyone else's sake. He gave Lady Esse a very brief glance as she introduced herself, not allowing himself to stare any longer. He remembered Melesa from earlier, but didn't have enough information to create an opinion about her. But it was at this point that he realized there was something special about the way they were introducing themselves. The blank of Xavus. Well, that is, until they got to Helen. He wondered if she was purposefully using a different introduction. Marrin was the last one to introduce himself, and Borak only glanced in his direction before returning his gaze to Xavus.

   Borak was content to allow the others to speak first, Sirara or Flame would probably take up the mantle and explain what it was exactly they were doing in Numbra, they were probably the two who were more suited for that task. He on the other hand was content sifting through what he had learned today. There was much he needed to digest, but quickly he came to realize that his pioneers were all waiting for someone else to do the talking. Hoping to not seem rude he started the introductions. “I am Borak of the Lance, Protector of the Littleleaves and pioneer from Equestria.” He did his best to smile disarmingly as he spoke, turning to each of the nobles before him equally as he introduced himself. It was at this point that he noticed Adjus and Luciona in the peripheral of his vision. He felt a bit easier knowing that he had at least three people in the room that he felt like he knew from this place.