First Contact: The Tymbrimi

Seated in Her Majesty's Conference Room, Bincaltha cautiously sniffed the hot beverage she'd been offered, then took a tentative sip. Immediately, her eyes brightened, and she finished it in one gulp, to the dismay of those around her.

"Careful!" cried Twilight as she tensed. "It's piping hot!" Expecting their..."guest" to cry out in pain, her brows lifted as she watched the alien smile, then hold out her teacup for another serving. Twilight exchanged a look with both Celestia and Luna, then set her own cup and asked, "Didn't that...hurt?" Bincaltha smiled.

"No, Your Highness...we Tymbrimi are tolerant of high temperatures, so this beverage's heat was not a concern." She held out her cup again. "More, if you would?" Twilight used her magic to pour her another cup, then sat back and continued to watch her.

Celestia smiled as she watched this exchange, shared an amused glance with her sister, then asked, "Tell us about yourself and your people...and all you know about this...Enemy." And even though she and Celestia were not related, Bincaltha's tendrils waved in the s'ustru'thoon, or as if she had received assurance from her own Mother as she returned Her Majesty's smile, then frowned as her gaze grew inward.

"This is going to take some time."

Twenty-four hours later

Celestia stood as she addressed the hastily gathered assembly of Equis' leaders and military. "Welcome, all creatures. I have asked you all to join Us in the face of an implacable Enemy." She turned to the huge blackboard behind her and pointed to the being rendered there. "These are the Gooksyu-Gubru. They are one Race of a massive Galactic Empire, one of which We were unaware until less than two days ago. Their fleet is large, their weapons are formidable...and they will arrive to Our planet in less than twenty-four hours." She held up her hooves for silence as all broke into angry shouts and gestures.

The Zebrican Emperor stood and demanded, "And why are they suddenly our 'Enemy?!' What did you ponies do to provoke them?!" All the other Ambassadors joined him in his accusation until Celestia looked over her shoulder and nodded. The guard stationed there opened the indicated door, and the Tymbrimi revealed herself and stepped forward. A silence fell as they watched the strange alien come forward, and then she looked around at them all with a mournful expression.

In her frustration at their situation, her tendrils formed the glyph of l'yuth'tsaka, an expression of contempt, specifically contempt for the Universe at large, but in those brief moments before she spoke, she hoped none present were able to kenn and get the wrong meaning. However, just before she raised her voice, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pink one from earlier suddenly whip her head in her direction and narrow her gaze at her. That one is a true Empath. She quickly crafted the teev'nus glyph for her benefit and began speaking.

"Fellow creatures, the blame does not rest on the ponies but upon myself. I am T'yn challa' Thrii Bincaltha, Daughter and Scioness of the House of Chani, of the Tymbrimi. I was under attack by the Gubru and fled here by fateful accident and crash-landed a scant day ago. My arrival here has set in motion events that have long been an occurrence in the politics of the Five Galaxies, namely, the discovery of a world with unclaimed k'chu-non and the immense increase of power and influence for the discovering Race. This world is unique in that it appears to hold several k'chu-noni, an event that has not been recorded in vast memory." As she placed a hand on her chest and "sighed" in syrtunu, she added, "As the only member of my Race present, legally, I can claim this world for the Tymbrimi. But...the Gubru have only to eliminate me and do the same." She looked over her shoulder at Celestia. "Your Princess has decided She will not allow that to happen."

A cold Silence filled the room once again as all eyes turned to the Princess. Finally, the Gryphon Queen muttered, "You. Did. What?!" She leaned forward as her brows lowered, her feathers ruffled, and she clenched her teeth. Holding forth a bared talon, she pointed at the Tymbrimi and growled, "An advanced alien Army is descending upon this planet, and YOU decided to place us ALL in danger to save ONE! STINKING! CREATURE?!"

The Princess Celestia met her gaze without flinching and uttered one word: "Yes." The Gryphon blinked, not expecting this response, then sat back in her seat as Celestia stepped regally forward. She frowned as she met all of their faces. "Perhaps you all missed the import, but the Gubru are not only T'yn challa's enemies but ours. It is true that without her arrival, it is likely they would never have discovered us, for she tells me our world, even our Galaxy, is outside of their normal shipping lanes." Her frown deepened as she added, "But, now that we have been discovered, they will stop at nothing to claim us, and that means whether we want them to...or not."

A voice in the back asked, "What does that mean, to "claim" us?"

Celestia grimly smiled. "It means exactly what you think it means: servitude, for millennia." Angry muttering filled the room once more as they argued among themselves, and then Celestia spoke up once again. "Servitude will include our "masters" deciding our reproductive rights as well, with a six-color system from White to Red, with Red being the absolute lowest. Those designated 'Red' would not even be able to interact with children in any fashion." At this, the room exploded into fury, and it was several minutes before order could be restored.

Once she could make herself heard, Celestia continued. "I have little doubt that "hybrids" such as my Sister, my niece, my former student, and myself would quickly be designated as 'Red,'" and here she paused, then said, "...as well as the entire Gryphon race." This time, Celestia held up a hoof to forestall the Gryphon Queen's indignant outburst.

"I did not inform you all of these facts merely to provoke you but to bring home the seriousness of our situation." She lowered her brows as she stared around at the assembled. "Surrender is not an option."

"How are we to fight an Enemy capable of interstellar flight?! Their weapons must be far more advanced than ours!" one cried.

Celestia smiled. "I'm told by our visitor here that we have a factor on this planet, an anomaly, that is unknown to the Gubru, one that may shift the odds in our favor. Even so, it is likely we cannot directly defeat this Enemy." Then, her smile turned predatory.

"But...We are not without...a Plan."

Twilight was in a state of near catatonia as she stared at the screen. In a quavering voice, she asked, "T...tell me once again: you are telling me this device is...a LIBRARY?! That holds billions, no, trillions of...of...books concerning the Five Galaxies and Its Races?!" Bincaltha smiled over her shoulder as her tendrils formed the fsu'usturatu glyph and nodded.

Switching to another tool as she continued her repairs on her communication system, she answered, "Yes, Your Highness. All of our ships, even one as small as this shuttle pod, carry a device that can access The Galactic Library." She made another delicate adjustment and added, "You are fortunate indeed a Tymbrimi crash landed on your planet in that regard, and not a Human, as I can see you are quite impressed with the Library."

At the mention of a Human, Twilight startled and tore her eyes away from the device. "Humans? You know about them? What would be the difference?"

Bincaltha wiped her brow and stood back for a moment. "Humans are notoriously stubborn against using the Five Galaxies' advanced technology, which includes accessing the Galactic Library." The kiniwullun formed as she added, "They prefer using their own...hmm... primitive methods, and it is one of the factors that has kept them at odds with most of the other Races." She giggle snorted to herself as another memory surfaced, adding, "I am sure that this will amuse you: one of the more quaint aspects of EarthClan is they still use... calculus!" She looked back at Twilight, who was suddenly trying not to sweat and maintain an innocent expression. "Is that not adorable?" Then, the more profound implication of Twlight's question dawned upon her. "Wait...are you saying that...there are Humans on...this planet as well?!" Twilight nodded her head.

"Yes...well, not anymore." She turned and stared out the cracked window of the shuttle to the sun-soaked forest and added wistfully, "None have been seen for millennia, but rumors still persist of their existence...somewhere." She smiled and looked back at her. "If we ever find the time, remind me to introduce you to a mare named Lyra Heartstrings...just be prepared to sit with her for a while!" Then her eyes widened in alarm. "Are you alright?" For Bincaltha had fallen back in her chair with a stunned expression, her tendrils waving erratically as she stared out into Nothingness.

In a low voice, she whispered, "Do...do you know what this could mean?" She slowly raised frightened eyes up to the mare. "If the Gubru finds evidence that Humans preceded them to this distant galaxy, then that would give weight to the theory Humans might also have been...The Progenitors."

Her fear was contagious, but Twilight still did not quite understand the meaning. "I know the general term, but what specifically do you mean by..."Progenitors?" Bincaltha sighed and began.

"I have already explained the meaning of our Tymbrimi word k'chu-non, which refers to patronless wolflings. It means a Race without an apparent Patron Race that Uplifted them to sentience. We believe that Uplift was initiated over two billion years ago by beings known only as The Progenitors. However, any evidence or records of their existence have been lost to time." She stood, and began pacing. "None can explain how Humans achieved sentience without a Patron Race, and it has been suggested that Humans did not need a Patron Race...because they were The Progenitors!"

Quickly forming the nuturunow glyph to fight down the gheer enzymes threatening to overwhelm her, her body shook as she stopped, faced Twilight squarely, and said, "Do you not understand?! If the Gubru finds evidence that there is the barest hint that Humans might be The Progenitors, they will not allow the rest of the Races to find out! They will no longer be interested in claiming this planet...they will kill us all and vaporize it..."

Then, they both jumped as a button started beeping on the panel. Clamping down her excitement, the alien turned back to her comms and manipulated the controls...then waited. After a few moments, a series of beeps and dashes could be heard, and Bincaltha nearly squeed with delight! Looking back at Twilight, she smiled and reported, "It...worked!"