Equestrian Radio Show's Adventure Variety Hour: Explorers of STOMP

"Gearick did you recall to patch up the hole on the balloon?" Field asks seemingly unconcerned by the current situation.

"Spotlight, hold up!" Grease calls, licking his completed device with a sparking tongue before throwing it at Spotlight's feet. The disk latches onto the floor and projects an odd, off-white halo, emitting a strange hum. The hum is periodically interrupted by the crackle of static, but the halo remains steady.
Grease chuckles quietly. "Universal fact analyzer. If anyone states a lie, it corrects them verbally. It should last, oh, ten minutes. So for the next ten minutes, ask those two questions, then get some details, okay?" He starts hurrying towards the smaller ship. "I'm going to make certain everything is ship-shape in here. One last thing: After those ten minutes, the analyzer is probably going to explode with a small boom. Just a small one, but I don't know how much more this big old zeppelin can take. Also, has anybody grabbed real Tensai? Gearick said he found him, right? I don't want to leave him onboard this when it crashes." He darts into the smaller ship, kicking himself for not questioning the loss of haikus from Tensai.

"Your worthless contraption means nothing to me!" The impostor hissed.
"I have been found out and am now worried." The machine corrected.

Upon hearing this, "Tensai" changed shape.  Spotlight now held an angry changeling in his grasp! "At least I don't have to be in that form anymore. Just glad I didn't have to use that detestable zebra language."

Meanwhile, Grease found the team's vessel in top condition and while disoriented, Tensai and the transport's attendants were okay.

The searing pain shooting through Melisma's lungs now replaced by the most glorious breaths of air, the young Pegasus immediately made to the hanger and began searching for a way out. All the more hurried by the feeling that the ship was 'sinking.' "...Remind me never to fly on aircraft again. Trust my wings and my wings alone..." She muttered aloud, even as she opened up the exit portal to the open air. With a flap of her wings, she was quickly airborn, searching around the balloon for the source of the hole... And where she could fill it with air.

OOC::

Before attempting anything further on the Zeppelin, Melisma flies up closer to the puncture itself, trying to determine what, if anything, caused the rip itself. A projectile? A knife? Was the craft designed to tear open this way? "...Feh, no time for that. This needs to be closed, as soon as possible...!"

After attempting to commit the hole's details to memory, the pegasus gives a powerful flap of her wings, before bucking the nearest mid-sized cloud at the hole. By compressing the cloud, she hoped to freeze shut the craft's wound with the water in the cloud, and hopefully prevent more air from escaping. With a powerful pair of kicks, she strained herself to blow enough cold air over the cloud and hole.

OOC:

"Mate, Exactly who do you work for? And i assume they're after the cats yawn or whatever that was?" Keg asked the changeling, pouring a drink of cider for unexplained reasons.

Melisma's efforts managed to properly seal the blimp like a doctor my seal an open wound.  The craft steadied its course as Gearick continued to steadily pilot.

Meanwhile, the changeling captive sneered at the minotaur's questions.  "I work for the Collective Opportunists of Intellectual Necessity as a private contractor to watch the island in case someone was sent to rescue the princess or retrieve the artifact before we could."

Grease pokes his head out of the smaller ship. "Everything in here looks like it's in top condition, and I have some questions of my own. What does your employer look like, and what other surprises are waiting for us when we get there? Any other independent contractors that you've worked with before? How did you get on board? Did one of the crew sneak you in." A spark passed between Grease's eyebrows, and his eyes widened. He starts furiously rummaging around in his gearkit. "Lastly, what is this?" He says, producing the Black Crystal. "Also, what happens if I poke you with it?"

"There's a crew on the island but I do not know who all is there or what they can do. Temple traps are probably a bigger issue than any individual. My contracts are always sent in writing and I don't know of other contractors specifically in case something like this happens. I have a way of getting into places so I used that when you entered the fog. The crew was clueless to my entry but I could only subdue one without detection. As far as the crystal, it is a trinket of no worth. Might as well toss it." "The type of crystal you hold is usually used to insulate power sources or negate magical abilities. If larger or in greater quantity, it might be able to stop my phasing or invisibility."

Tensai ran up front to take the wheel from Gearick.
"When you guys finish
Will need to deploy the blimp.
Close to island now.

The pegasi team
Will go and raise the transport.
Don't you love weather?"

The ponyforged's grip does not loosen and he says, "Resistance is futile, Spotlight says in a matter of fact tone."

---

Athletics: 16 + 16 = 32.

The changeling hissed in response to the firm grip then gave a sneer, "I may have not yet escaped but holding me means that you are preoccupied.  Unless you're turning this around, you're the one whose hooves are tied...so to speak."

Field bends over to look the Changeling in the eyes. "Hm yes the current situation is just a stop-gap measure. However we are currently aboard an airship it is more than likely that there would be enough spare rope to bind you. In the unlikely occurrence that there is not enough to secure you effectively it would only be a mild inconvenience for us to dislocate a few of your limbs." As Field says this he keeps an entirely casual tone.

The changeling silenced his jeers as Professor Fields set about binding him with the spare cable within the cabin.  Everyone else finished their preparations and boarded the smaller vessel.  Once the Professor had joined the rest of the team, they could hear Tensai shout from the front,

"Hold onto you hats
Getting ready to deploy
We'll be back later"

The transport's floor opened up and the team's blimp fell for a bit until it suddenly inflated.  Coasting silently and gently in the night, a thick fog obscured vision from most.  For those who could peer through the perilous precipitation, the island loomed in the distance with the fog thinning the closer they got.  Upon landing on the island itself, the air was mostly clear.  Peeking out of the bushes was a female griffin with snow white fur and feathers with pink eyes.  Her eyes darted back and forth with worry.

"You...you're the team sent by STOMP, right?  You look like the ones Tensai showed me when we communicated."

"Grease the mechanic, at your service." Grease says as he clambers out of the ship. "And my first service to you is to suggest that you find something darker to wear over that fur. You stand out like Ruby Dragon at a county fair." He bows, then looks up and narrows his eyes slightly at Muse. "Also, we were told you had a baby dragon companion named Basic Glory, who was supposed to be with Tensai. Where is she?"

After acknowledging the greetings, Muse shrunk back a bit at the mention of the Princess' dragon. "Basic Glory is still with Silver Swirl.  At least...I hope so.  When we were attacked...I...I ran.  I'm sorry.  All I could think of was going to get help.  I sent a telepathic message to the Keep base in Neighpon and then hid until Tensai updated me.  I've got a rough idea of where they went.  Don't think I was followed since I was flying through the trees and they looked like earth ponies."

"It is okay in fact it is a good thing that you did run if you did not it would be much longer before help could be sent. Now are you able to lead the way? Also an idea has just come to me are either Basic Glory or Silver Swirl able to receive your telepathy?" Field pauses for a moment before saying an afterthought "Professor Field"

"I'm Keg, nice ta meetcha lassy." The minotaur said, drinking a whole mug of cider right after talking.

Muse waves the team on, ducking in and out of the bushes. "Something's been blocking me from reaching the princess and Base and I have always had difficulty with telepathic communication.  Um Grease, about what you said...  Should I roll in mud or cover myself in leaves or what?"