Chapter 141: Forces Collide
MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 141: Forces Collide
“Stay on our path! Full speed! Give it everything you’ve got!” Spitfire yelled into Lucky’s ear as he winced and held his hoof firmly against the throttle, forcing it all the way forward while tilting the steering lever to line them back up near the mountains.
“I’m doing it, I’m doing it!” Lucky pointed out while tilting his ears down to prevent Spitfire’s yelling from making him go deaf.
“They’re turning around!” Surprise yelled, clinging to the periscope as everypony else braced themselves. The Nimbus lurched forward, the engines down below going full tilt as it surged ahead.
“Keep your eyes on it!” Spitfire ordered as she gripped the edge of the frontal control station. “Luna!” Spitfire yelled, pushing her headset down. “Standby! We’re kicking it into high gear!” she stepped forward and looked outside. “WHERE ARE THE RENEGADES!? … I don’t give a damn! Tell Descent to get their asses in gear and get after them!”
Back behind the control platform, Dash, Squall, Storm, and Little Star were all pinned beneath Matteo. He had his talons latched to the floor and was gently pressing down over them to keep them from falling everywhere. As the Nimbus finally stopped lurching, Matteo removed himself from over them, the four pushing themselves up with painful grunts.
“Well?” Dash asked as she turned to Squall. “Not bored now are you?” she asked with miffed sarcasm as if he just HAD to say it.
“Oh shut u—”
“EEEE! THEY ARE COMING UP BEHIND US!” Surprise cut off Squall as she screeched and flailed. “CANNONS! CANNONS! CANNONSCANNONSCANNONSCANNONS!”
“LUNA!!!!” Spitfire yelled into her microphone. “AFT SHIELD! AFT SHIELD! NOW!!!!!!!”
Luna scrambled to set her hooves, she and the rest stationed on the deck still recovering from the shifting and tipping of the Nimbus after the near miss and realignment. She had heard Spitfire loud and clear and was already gathering a large amount of alicorn magic into her horn as she rose and turned to face the doors leading inside. She had to be careful and use her magic in controllable portions. If she put too much power into it, she’d overload again and take herself out. She refused to let that happen again, especially now. But that was also exactly why she had the other unicorns out there with her. With them adding their magic to hers, she’d be able to push the boundaries a little more than usual.
“Wonderbolts! Brace us!” she yelled as she gritted her teeth, several Wonderbolts stationed near her gathering in and placing their shoulders to her limbs and her flank. “Unicorns! Ready!” she called out as the glow around her horn grew brighter and brighter. The unicorn volunteers stood ready, their magic shining from their horns as each paired with a Wonderbolt to hold them steady. “RRRRRRRRAH!” Luna roared as she whipped her head around and released the magic while flipping her head to the right.
A powerful beam of blue, divine magic burst from her horn, the whipping motion of her head and neck causing it to immediately bend and arc in a wide curve around the building to the back of the Nimbus. As it flung around and reached a central point of the Nimbus’ aft, Luna shut her eyes and took a sharp breath, puffing her cheeks out. The beam burst into four separate beams, extending to four points and erecting a large magical barrier that was wide and tall enough to completely cover the aft.
She was just in time too.
The Shadowbolt Fortress opened fire, a barrage of large blasts from the smaller magic cannons shooting towards the Nimbus. Most of them pelted and peppered against Luna’s shield with a few wayward shots flinging by to the sides and above.
“AH!” Luna grunted as the pressure of the cannon fire forced her shield back and slammed it right up against the aft of the Nimbus. The shield was smaller and sturdier than the dome she had placed around the entire compound once before, but that one was anchored to the ground. She also had to put effort into keeping this one in place in the air, and that was already proving to be difficult.
While it protected the Nimbus from harm, the shield pressed against it, forced to the aft surfaces by the pressure of the blasts and explosions as it was peppered by attacks. The Nimbus began to tip forward slightly, feeling the shocks of every impact. Luna shut her eyes, sweat beading up on her brow as she held firm. She needed more, but she was still worried about overloading.
But then she felt a boost of power. She opened her eyes to see the unicorns around her aiming their horns towards her, channeling their magic to join with hers.
“YES!” Luna yelled out confidently as she felt the effortless surge of magic, immediately pushing her own magic further without fear of overdoing it.
The shield fought back, removing itself from the Nimbus’ aft, but only a little. However, a little was all they needed to prevent the cannon fire from affecting the Nimbus’ flight path. Every impact and every explosion made the Nimbus shake and vibrate, but Luna’s shield held firm, the unicorns bolstering her efforts.
“Hold strong, ponies!” Luna encouraged as they all worked together, the Wonderbolts on deck holding both her and the unicorns steady as they worked their makeshift defenses.
“Come around! Regroup!” Descent yelled as the Renegades regained themselves, grouping back up after being forced to scatter. They avoided the stray cannon blasts that shot by the Nimbus, flying out ahead of the ship before making a sharp U-turn and heading back towards it. Starry Skies and Lightning Dust flew side by side with Descent, Blazetail and Flashwind coming up on their right as all the Renegades fell in line behind them. They flew on an intercept course with the Nimbus, using it and Luna’s shielding to avoid all incoming cannon fire. “Keep moving! Get ready to break right and fly around! We’re taking this fight right to the Fortress!”
“To the left!” Starry Skies yelled the moment he finished. Descent blinked and glanced towards the mountains. Shadowbolts were pouring over the peaks and gliding down the mountainsides, Blade, Void, Angel, Sin, and Shadow all in front, leading the charge down the mountain side and heading for the Nimbus.
“Renegades! We have incoming! Change course! Intercept!” Descent changed the plan on the fly, but…
“Descent!” Starry yelled out suddenly. “Falcons! Three O’clock!”
Descent blinked, his jaw dropping as he looked to the right. Ten… twelve… fifteen… at least twenty Falcons were inbound, flying in an arc from behind the Nimbus and veering back towards it to attack from the opposite side as the Shadowbolts.
“They’re trying to split us up!” Blazetail yelled out as he kept his eyes locked on the Falcons.
“Luna! They’re going after Luna! We have to draw their fire!” Flashwind added as the Renegades closed in on the Nimbus.
“Dammit!” Descent snarled. There was no time to think about it. Blazetail was right. They were trying to divide the Renegades. But they had no choice, the Wonderbolts on the deck couldn’t leave Luna or the unicorns behind to fight. “Renegades! Divide into two forces! Renegade Shadows, with me! We’re taking on the Shadowbolts! Veteran Wonderbolts, with Blazetail! Divert the Falcon fire away from the deck! Keep them off of Luna!” Descent looked forward to see they were moments away from reaching the Nimbus. “Whatever you do, don't stray too far from the Nimbus! Strength will be in numbers! GO!”
The Renegades reached the Nimbus splitting off to the left and right as they passed over the deck, Descent leading the charge towards the incoming Shadowbolts and Blazetail leading the other towards the falcons.
Just as they suspected, the Falcon cannons rained down upon the deck, their magic fire being directed right in the vicinity of Luna. Several unicorns broke away from Luna and worked together to erect a shield of their own. The Falcon magic crashed and burst all over their shields as well as over the surrounding deck. Explosions erupted around Luna and the Wonderbolts, scattering many of them around the deck while trying to avoid being hit. The unicorns did their best, but the strength of the Falcon magic was more than they could bear, cracks appearing in their shields quickly as they fought to protect Luna.
Just when it seemed the shields would shatter and leave them vulnerable, the Renegades swooped in and charged headlong into the incoming magic blasts.
“Fly right at them!” Blazetail yelled as they did just that. “Keep their focus away from the deck!” he ordered as they swarmed around the Falcons and started ramming their shields.
With the attention of the Falcons diverted and their paths thrown off by the Renegades, the unicorns released their shields for a breather, but they were unable to rejoin Luna. The ten or so that had broken off found themselves remaining in place, working together to intercept the attacks of any Falcon that broke through the barrage of Renegades.
And that posed a problem.
“OOF!” Luna grunted, grinding her teeth together as she held fast against the continuous pressure. While Luna still had the help of at least twenty unicorns, the loss of ten to handle the Falcons made a difference. With ten less sources of magic backing her up, Luna lost a bit of strength against the flurry of magic cannon fire coming from behind them, the Fortress’ attacks again pushing her shield back slowly until it was pressing against the Nimbus once more. She was able to push it forward every few seconds to avoid too much pressure against the flight path, but the Nimbus still shook heavily and violently with every hit.
The Wonderbolts on the bridge stumbled and held on for dear life as the Nimbus continued to lurch and sway. They were maintaining their flight path, but the continuous fire against Luna’s shield from behind was making it one hell of a bumpy ride.
Dash cringed as she held on to Matteo, who had once again taken it upon himself to be an anchor for her and her squad. The shaking was violent, the window panes were vibrating loudly with every impact, the control panels were all beeping and blinking, a few sparks flying up here and there as a few panel sidings fell off and exposed the control wiring within. The Nimbus was holding together for the most part and staying afloat, which confirmed that the Luna shield strategy seemed to be working, but that wasn’t stopping the Fortress from giving them hell. She could also see the Renegades outside engaging with the Shadowbolts and the Falcon ships, both of them coming in from opposite directions beside us. Spitfire’s plan details seemed geared towards expecting a frontal attack, yet out front was the one place they were not being attacked. They were being hit from every other direction.
Dash cringed again, gripping Matteo’s leg as the Nimbus rocked and shook again. Matteo grunted as his talons slipped, causing all five of them to slide with him until he dug them back into the floor with an ear piercing screech of talon to metal. They were nearly thrown out the door before Matteo managed to stop them, the high pitched, painful screams of Fleetfoot meeting Dash’s ears to their right as Calm Wind struggled to keep her steady among the violent shaking. There was no way Spitfire could get angry at him here. There was literally nothing he could do about it.
“Well THIS sure went to hell fast!” Soarin yelled towards Spitfire as he held onto the platform railing near the main controls. Gripping them even tighter as the Nimbus shook again, knocking Spitfire to the floor right beside him.
“ARGH!” She grunted as she rolled upright. “Then we go with plan B!” she yelled as she stood up.
“Which Plan B?!” Soarin asked as he followed her back over to Lucky, who was gripping the control lever so tightly his hooves were grinding into it.
“The second one!” she yelled.
“SOMEPONY PLEASE MAKE SENSE!” Lucky yelled hysterically as he fought to keep the Nimbus steady, another round of shaking erupting and knocking them around.
“The mountains!” Spitfire yelled right into his ear, making him lean away from her. “Veer us into the mountains! The Falcons and the Shadowbolts will follow, but if we’re going to lose the Blimp of Doom our best bet is the mountains!”
“Oh god…” Lucky slid down the lever slightly, but was instantly pulled right back up by Spitfire.
“Quit slouching and get to it! TURN RIGHT! NOW!” she yelled.
“WaitwaitwaitwaitWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!!!!” Surprise yelled, Lucky freezing in place right before pushing the lever.
“What?!” Spitfire asked as she spun around and saw Surprise upside-down and clinging to the periscope with all four limbs, her whole head nearly lodged into the eyepiece of the periscope as it slowly moved towards the starboard view. With one hard yank, she dislodged her head from the periscope and frantically turned her upside-down face to Spitfire.
“THEY’RE COMING UP ON THE RIGHT!!!!!” Surprise yelled, as she let go and crashed onto the floor. Spitfire gasped and blinked as she and everypony else realized that the shaking pattern had stopped for the moment.
“MY WORD!” Fire Streak suddenly remarked as he and Misty slowly backed away from the starboard end of the windshield. All eyes went towards them, and then to the window as the Shadowbolt Fortress slowly pulled up right beside them until it was flying perfectly parallel with them.
“They’re cutting us off from the mountains!” Soarin yelled as Spitfire looked out front. Their forces were entirely focused on the Falcons, the Shadowbolts, and protecting Luna. They had no other options they had to tough it out!
“LUNA!” Spitfire yelled into her headset while hardening her expression and glaring out towards the Shadowbolt Fortress. While she was sure Luna could clearly see the monstrosity pulling up beside them, she encouraged her anyway. “Starboard! Give it everything you’ve got!
“We see them!!!” Luna replied as she released her magic and quickly turned while building up her power once more. She stared in awe for only a moment as the massive airship pulled up beside them, but quickly refocused, keeping her mind on protecting the Nimbus. The unicorns turned with her, already aiming their horns towards hers, waiting to help once more as the rest continued to intercept any stray attacks from the falcons.
But something was off, Luna continued her buildup of magic, but noticed that the cannons mounted on the Shadowbolt fortress were not turning to aim at them, they were facing forward.
Regardless, she pulled back and thrust her neck forward releasing her mighty alicorn magic once more, repeating the process and erecting another shield to cover the starboard side. The twenty unicorns standing with her all released their magic as well, adding it to hers as they had before.
The massive wall of magic hung in the air, suspended between the two ships, but Fortress simply remained flying beside the Nimbus, the cannons still pointing forward. This troubled Luna. Why weren’t they attacking?
“AH!” Luna flinched and yelped as Descent and Sin suddenly crashed violently to the platform right in front of her, a few of the unicorns stumbling as they backed away from the impact. They bounced once ahead of Luna before they both rolled back up on their hooves and grappled. Sin got the drop on Descent, pushing as he was still rising up. The two locked arms and pressed their foreheads together as Sin pushed Descent back towards Luna. Luna’s eyes frantically shifted between the scuffle and concentrating on her shield.
“WOOOO! HAHA! YEAH!” Sin hooted and guffawed as he and Descent struggled, Descent finally stopping his push less than a yard away from Luna. “You still got it dude!”
“RGH!” Descent growled right back into Sin’s gung-ho smile. He glanced to the right to see Shadow screaming towards both of them. He tried to push Sin off of him, but they were deadlocked. He braced for impact, but at the last moment, Lightning Dust shot in and intercepted Shadow, the two getting tangled as they crashed and tumbled. “PUSH THEM!” Descent yelled as he refocused and began forcing Sin back a few inches at a time. He looked up to see the Renegades being forced too close towards Luna by the Shadowbolts. “PUSH THEM BACK! NOW!”
“HA-TAH!” Sin yelled out comically as he pulled back his neck and headbutted Descent.
“GAH!” Descent grunted as he stumbled backwards, planting his back hooves firmly just in time to avoid running plot first into Luna’s armored chest plate. He shook his head out and glared, noticing that Sin was slowly moving backwards while blinking several times, looking slightly dizzy.
“Whoa…” he said as he put a hoof to his head. “Okay, maybe that was a bad idea, still a little—OOF!” he was cut off as Descent rushed forward, putting his shoulder right into Sin’s chest and lifting him off the ground, roaring as he grabbed Sin around the shoulders. He kept driving his back hooves while pumping his wings, lifting off slightly before pile driving Sin right into the deck.
With the Renegades and Shadowbolts suddenly fighting much closer than she was comfortable with, Luna forced herself to remain focused on her shield. The fortress was still just flying beside them with no sign of attacking. But then something appeared in her peripheral vision. She glanced to her right to see Angel diving towards her, his crystals alight and his magic gathering in his right arm.
She gasped as he swung his arm outward, unleashing a deadly blade of magic that ripped through the air towards her. If she moved, she might lose her hold on the shield… but if she didn’t… she had been told all about what Angel’s magic blades were capable of.
She was seconds away from reluctantly breaking away and dropping the shield, but right before she made the move, Starry Skies swooped in, placing herself right below the flight path of the flying blade. She flicked her wrists and knocked her hooves against the flat edge, successfully turning and pushing the blade completely off course. But then she did one better, she manipulated it further, turning and giving the same flat edge a kick with her back hoof to make it arc around and fly right back at Angel.
“HMPH!” Angel gruffly harrumphed as his crystals came to life and he launched another blade right at the first. The blades collided and split each other apart, dissipating after the collision.
Both Angel and Starry remained on course, charging at one another, but as they pulled back to strike, a stray magic blast from a Falcon surged in between them, nicking them both and forcing them to the deck. Starry got the worst of it, crashing roughly on the deck near the beams impact, but Angel had twisted and glided to safety before being engaged by other renegades.
Starry quickly pushed herself up, gasping and shifting aside just in time as to avoid Sin as Descent choke slammed him on the deck right beside her.
“OOOOFFFFFFuck, man! You’re going all ou-GAH!” Sin’s banter never got off the ground as Descent punched him in the gut before heaving him onto his back, swinging him around and launching him into the air, right into Shadow, bringing them both to the deck surface.
Starry quickly flanked Descent standing side to side as they looked in opposite directions.
“Starry!” Descent spoke up as he scanned the fighting all around them. “Any sign of Nightshade?!
“I haven’t seen her!” Starry quickly answered as they both glanced at Luna, then at the Shadowbolt Fortress.
“That’s not a good sign! Keep an eye o—”
Starry turned when Descent abruptly stopped, but moved aside as Blade crashed down from above, Descent reaching up and catching his sword as he tried to hit Descent with a skull-splitter.
“About time you found me!” Descent yelled as he forced the sword away from him. Blade moved with it, spinning and sliding to a stop a few yards away. “It always has to be a surprise attack, eh? Coward!”
“I’ll make you eat those words!” Blade yelled, leaping at Descent, but he was suddenly shoved aside by… Sin?
“Yo, Blade! I ain’t finished with him!” Sin yelled casually while laughing and started rushing at Descent.
“SIN! BUZZ OFF!” Blade yelled as he quickly tried and failed shoved him back, the two now moving side by side and… arguing who was going to fight Descent.
Ignoring Sin’s idiocy, Descent made a very quick and swift hoof motion to Starry. Without any hesitation, Starry leaped forward and swung her arm around, hooking it around Sin’s neck. Taking him by surprise, she used his momentum against him, flinging him to the ground like a bull.
Descent was hoping to distract Blade, but it didn’t work. Blade immediately refocused on Descent and swung his sword again. Descent rushed right at him, knocking the sword aside, but shifting awkwardly as Blade swung a second sword around, hidden on his other hoof, it ended with the two grappling in unfavorable positions. Descent was stronger, but neither of them were stanced correctly to get any real leverage.
“Dammit!” Descent yelled as he stole a quick glance towards Luna. He looked up and saw Shadow hovering above her, her crystals glowing, readying her burst wave. Lightning Dust was en route, but was not going to get her in time. “PUSH…” Descent headbutted Blade to stagger him. “THEM…” he grabbed Blade by the arm. “BACK!!!!!” he whipped Blade into the air, his body crashing into Shadow. It prevented Shadow’s attack, but also made them collide with Lightning Dust.
“EEEYIKES!” Dust yelped as she flung out of control towards Starry and Sin, still on the ground. Starry was already on top of Sin, twisting one of his arms so he couldn’t get up, but it was difficult. He was way stronger than her, making it hard to hang on. But then Dust also landed on top of them. After several confused grunts, Sin opened his eyes and saw Starry and Dust both on top of him.
“Sheesh ladies, there’s plenty of me to go around!” he said with a hearty chuckle.
“UGH!” Starry grunted in extreme disgust, pushing herself off of him and kicking him so hard in the ribs that he began rolling across the deck. Dust yelped as she fell off of him, quickly putting some more space between her and Sin, still fearful of him from past encounters. Starry suddenly began hopping forward, her breath hissing through her teeth in pain as her back hoof and leg shook. “Ow! OW! Dammit! What is he made of?!”
“Shake it off and keep fighting!” Descent yelled into her ear as he rushed by them, taking off to meet Blade in the air.
Without a word, Starry and Dust looked around for targets and leapt up as well.
Luna blinked as sweat ran down her brow and nearly got into her eyes. The situation was a hundred times more heated than anything their plan entailed. They were holding their ground, but barely. The Shadowbolts were getting too close. While the Renegade Shadows were handling them, several Wonderbolts around her had been forced to spread out a little to engage. The Falcons were still getting shots off at her. She wanted all thirty unicorns helping with her magic, but ten were still occupied with shielding her from stray blasts.
And why, oh why… was the Shadowbolt Fortress not firing at them? It made no sense!
“What?” Luna blinked as the Fortress suddenly… tipped away from them slightly the moment the thought crossed her mind again, widening the gap between the two ships. “What are they—”
Her eyes shot open as the Fortress stopped… and then tipped back towards them and…
“PONIES! WONDERBOLTS!” Luna frantically yelled as the Fortress started edging towards them faster and faster. “HELP US! BRACE US! BRACE THE UNICORNS!!!!!!!!” The Wonderbolts turned and saw what was happening. There was no time to be alarmed, only time to act. The Wonderbolts broke towards Luna, gathering in tightly and bracing themselves behind her legs, on her flank, and piling up behind one another, at least fifteen of them all bracing Luna with the rest seeking out any unicorns that were unaccompanied. “HOLD! HOOOOOOLD!” Luna yelled.
The Fortress rammed the Nimbus, the pink shield smashing against Luna’s causing blue and pink flashes and flares of magic to shoot and dance everywhere.
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” Luna cried out, slamming her eyes shut as she felt the unbelievable pressure of the heavyweight collision. Luna’s shield held, but was instantly pushed back and pressed to the side of the Nimbus, forcing it to tip and move as the Fortress pushed against it. “RGH!!!” Luna grunted as her magic flickered, sparks flying from her horn as her hooves slid backwards. The Wonderbolts pushed back against her with all their might, sliding with her as they fought back against a force several thousand times stronger than them, their hooves grinding and screeching against the decks surface. The unicorns did their part, holding strong and keeping their horns aligned with Luna’s. They also felt the pressure and force pushing right through their magic into their horns as they added their power to Luna’s.
Loud groans and creaks came from the Nimbus, the deck slowly tipping as it was pushed out of its flight path. The Renegades and Shadowbolts all flew away, creating distance between them and the starboard side of the ship to avoid being caught in the mayhem, the Falcons backed off slightly to avoid being struck by the Nimbus as it shifted off course.
The Wonderbolts roared and growled as they pushed back against Luna, all piled behind her and chanting to each other.
“PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!” They all yelled in unison, determined to keep Luna up as they were rocked by the continuous shaking. Luna’s shield began to crack and flicker… it looked like she may not be able to maintain it…
But the efforts of all those surrounding her was lighting a fire in her chest. Spitfire said to draw strength from those around her, and that was exactly what she was going to do!
“WE… SHALL… NOT… YIELD!” Luna yelled out in her full Canterlot Voice, casting aside fears of overloading her magic and pushing the limits of her divine powers. She pumped more of her alicorn magic into the shield, filling in all the cracks and bolstering its strength.
She had to take the risk. It was going to take everything they had to see this through. She couldn’t repel the Fortress, nor could she keep it from pushing against the Nimbus, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let it crash into the structure.
The Fortress eventually let up, but only to pull away briefly before coming in for another collision as the Nimbus tipped and teetered.
“HOLD STRONG PONIES! SHOW THEM THEY CANNOT DEFEAT US!!!!” Luna rallied those around her as they braced for another hit.
“They’re going to hit us again!” Fire Streak yelled from the starboard window as the Fortress loomed outside, growing closer once more.
“HOLD ON!!!!!!!!” Spitfire yelled, everypony grabbing onto something or somepony to brace themselves.
The whole room shook violently as the Fortress struck the Nimbus again, pink and blue flashes shining up in front of the windows as the Fortress’ shield grinded against Luna’s. The shock of the impact threw several ponies off their hooves, ripping their hooves free from the railings and panels, throwing some of them painfully against the hard edges of the metal control boxes and one or two over the edge of the railings. Surprise was knocked right off the periscope, tumbling into Blaze and High Winds, the three sliding along the floor, and hitting the opposite wall. Calm hung on tight to both Fleetfoot and Shine, pressing himself up against the back wall, but still sliding a little as Fleetfoot cried out in pain beneath his wing. Fire Streak was the only pony who had not grabbed onto something before the hit, the initial shock sending him flying backwards and over the railing onto the control floor. Spitfire managed to hold on, but her body was flung sideways, knocking Air Mach into Soarin, who in turn lost his hoofing as he tried to keep them steady.
Soarin cursed as he and Air Mach ran directly into Lucky, causing him to completely lose his grip on the control lever… and accidentally pull the propeller power control lever all the way down.
“Ah!” Lucky yelped, realizing what he had done as he fell back from the controls, but the tipping of the Nimbus prevented him from getting right back up, instead making him tumble away. He flailed to get upright, but his hooves kept slipping.
“Are we going down?!” Dash yelled as she held on tight to Matteo and Squall. She felt a gentle uplift in her stomach, a slight feeling of falling. Upon looking outside… they WERE falling slowly. “WE ARE!” she exclaimed as she saw Lucky falling away from the controls. They were not dropping like a stone, but something was causing them to descend and it wasn’t the Fortress.
Matteo suddenly ripped free from them, digging his talons into the floor before ripping himself forwards, sliding his large body across the floor and grabbing Lucky by the arm.
“Yikes!” Lucky flinched in surprise as Matteo pulled him along, grabbing onto railings and panel sidings as he forced his way onto the control platform and to the main controls against the shaking and tipping that was throwing everypony else everywhere. With one last effort, Matteo shoved Lucky forward, his paws and talons loosing their grip right after and plunging beak-first to the floor. With the adrenaline pumping overtime, Lucky stumbled and caught the control lever, immediately slamming the power controls to the max to stop the steady descent. “PHEW!” Lucky exhaled as he got the Nimbus under control and it began tipping upright again.
“I don’t know how Luna is holding her ground against that thing, but holy shit!” Spitfire commented as everypony struggled back to their hooves. “Aw hell… HERE THEY COME AGAIN!!!!!!”
The Nimbus shook once more as the Fortress rammed them a third time. Yelps and screams resonated throughout the room, but the overall shock was lessened this time as Lucky made an effort to pull the Nimbus slightly away and cut the overall force of impact in half. Yet the shift to port nearly threw them around again regardless.
“We’re getting nowhere here!” Soarin yelled as they all held on against the continuous vibrations. He was yelling directly at Spitfire, but she was just staring out at the Fortress as it slowly pulled back, preparing yet another ram. “SPITFIRE!” Soarin yelled, but she didn’t look at him, she moved right over to Lucky while pushing her headset down.
“LUNA! IT’S TIME FOR PLAN B!” she yelled while turning to Lucky. “PLAN B, LUCKY!
“Uh… WHICH PLAN B?!” he asked, noting she had already used the term once.
“THE FIRST PLAN B! ASCEND! ASCEND! NOW!” she yelled.
“PLAN B!” Luna belted out into the air as she kept her eyes on the Fortress. “PLAN B!” she repeated, taking a moment to throw her head up and yell even louder to let her Canterlot Voice resonate through the air.
Nearby, Descent was grappling with Blade, the two of them falling towards the platform. Descent held the flat edges of Blade’s sword between his hooves as his ears turned to pick up the call from Luna.
“HRRRAGH!” Descent roared as he spun and threw blade away from him, the two evening out and gliding away from one another just before striking the deck. “PLAN B! PLAN B!” Descent yelled out as he made his way back towards the Renegades.
Lightning Dust broke away from Sin and Shadow, flying right towards the central propeller and folding her wings in, cutting through the strong gusts as they pelted Shadow and Sin behind her. Once free from her pursuers, she picked up Descent’s yelling and swiftly turned towards the Renegades engaging the Falcons.
“PLAN B! PLAN B!” she repeated, all of them picking up.
Every single Renegade, rogue Shadowbolt and veteran Wonderbolt alike, abandoned their fights and all dove in towards Luna, hundreds of hooves all slamming to the deck and screeching to a halt at once as they turned and looked up at their respective targets. It was if they were inviting them in.
Luna swallowed as she watched the Renegades gather. She knew what plan B was, but she was hoping they wouldn’t have to use it… because part of it left her briefly vulnerable.
As the Shadowbolts and the Falcons roared towards them… the Renegades suddenly ALL turned towards the Shadowbolts, lifting off and charging. The move caught the enemy off-guard, forcing the Shadowbolts to pull up or engage, none of the commanders able to generate clones in time to make up for the difference in numbers. The Renegades surged towards them, causing heavy collisions. But they didn’t fight. They instead pushed and pushed, forcing all of the Shadowbolts over the edge of the Nimbus platform.
“TAKE THEM DOWN!” Descent yelled as they all turned downward, plunging them over the side and towards the ground once they were far enough out to avoid the lower propellers.
The Shadowbolts were effectively taken out of the picture for the moment… but that gave the Falcons a completely clear path towards Luna.
Luna glanced between the Fortress and the Falcons, gritting her teeth and holding herself firm. Several more of the unicorns helping her broke away to join those facing the Falcons, adding their power to the shielding as Falcon cannon fire started raining down. At the same time, the Fortress began tipping towards them again.
With less help, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to hold the shield. She only had five unicorns helping now, the only other backup being the Wonderbolts still bracing her from behind. Not only that, but the unicorns facing the Falcons were struggling, they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.
Luna slammed her eyes shut as she pumped more of her magic into the shield, putting herself at further risk for an overload as she waited for the Fortress collision…
But then she and the rest were nearly pushed to the deck as the Nimbus began lifting upward, the propellers turning faster and harder, causing the massive structure to ascend.
The Falcons were forced aside as the Nimbus also tipped left, moving it up and away from the Fortress. The two ships were close, very close, the Nimbus’ movements just barely keeping it away from the Fortress. The Falcons panicked, the ships frantically turning down to avoid running directly into the Nimbus. One of them was not quick enough, getting flat out smacked by the central propeller of the Nimbus, its shield shattering as it was catapulted away and sent tumbling to the ground with a trail of pink smoke streaming behind it. As for the rest that avoided the rising Nimbus, the crews suddenly found themselves evading again as their own Fortress came right at them after missing the Nimbus. Most of them managed to veer away, but two of them smashed right into the Fortress shield. Three more ran into one another while trying to avoid, one of them being flipped upside down, losing control and nose diving before crashing below. The fortress pilot was clearly not ready for the Nimbus’ rise, the Fortress moving right beneath the it, its momentum carrying it well past and out over the open fields away from the mountains as it struggled to regain stability.
Near the ground, the Renegades suddenly disengaged the Shadowbolts and took to the skies, flying up after the Nimbus. Descent looked left and right as his force kept up with him, then glanced towards the west to see the sun was hitting the horizon, the light levels dimming.
“Perfect timing,” he said to himself. “MOVE RENEGADES! MOVE! GET READY TO CLEAR THE WAY!” he ordered.
The Shadowbolts were right behind them, Void leading the charge with Angel and Blade right behind him.
“GET BACK HERE YOU COWARDS!!!!!!” Void roared as he pumped his wings harder, pulling out ahead of the pack. “DON’T YOU RUN FROM ME!!!!!
“Why are we going up?!” Soarin asked as he and the rest of the Wonderbolts braced themselves against the heavy uplift. “Won’t that just make us an easier target?!” he yelled to Spitfire beside him. But Spitfire was… smirking?
“Not when he have a nasty surprise waiting for them underneath!” she said while giving him a jab on the shoulder.
“Underneath?!” Soarin blinked. “What do you… Oh…”
“RIVET!” Spitfire yelled as she slammed her hoof over the comm button. “Cut power to the lower propellers!”
“Excuse me, WHAT?!” Rivet’s voice came back through.
“Cut the power to the lower propel—”
“I heard you!” Rivet cut her off. “But that’s kind of impossible to just do instantly!”
“Then get started! Slow them down as much as you can!” Spitfire pushed.
“But—”
“DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!”
The Shadowbolts kept surging upward, following the Renegades towards the underside of the Nimbus. They all fought against the intense winds of the propellers beating down upon them as the Nimbus cast a looming shadow over them, darkening their view.
Void was still in front with Blade and Angel trying to keep up behind him, Sin and Shadow followed suit with the Shadowbolts behind them and the Falcons bringing up the rear.
But as they followed the Renegades, the intense crosswinds suddenly weakened as the propellers beneath the Nimbus began slowing down, loud clanking and whooshing as they turned slower and slower, never fully stopping but decreasing speed in small increments until their blades no longer blurred. The Nimbus itself also stopped climbing.
“What the hell are they doing?” Blade yelled out as he continued to pump his wings.
“Ha!” Void guffawed. “They’ve only made it easier to…” he went no further his voice trailing off as the Renegades suddenly scattered, breaking in every direction away from the Nimbus and clearing the space between it and the pursuing Shadowbolts. “What?!” Void glanced in every direction, but the rest of the Shadowbolts were looking right at the dark underside of the Nimbus as the propellers turned very slowly.
“What… are… THOSE?!” Shadow remarked.
Bright yellow lights in pairs began appearing on the ventral hull of the Nimbus. Several hundred pairs to be exact.
Every single Shadowbolt stared in confusion as the strange phenomenon occurred… and then one very bright pair of red lights appeared in the very center.
“What the hell?! Are those… PONIES?!” Shadow added as they closed in, a few of the Shadowbolts beginning to hesitate.
“Uh…” Sin blinked as they closed in and got close enough to realize that… yeah… there were ponies on the Nimbus alright. “Ohhhhhh shit.”
Fully covered from head to hoof in his silver, enchanted armor, Captain P.L. threw his neck back and released and ear piercing bat screech that pulsed through the air and echoed for miles over the plains and throughout the mountains.
He and the Thestrals propelled themselves from the underside of the Nimbus, exploding from the underside and raining down towards the unsuspecting Shadowbolts as yelps and screams erupted from their ranks. The collisions were heavy, violent, and ruthless as the Thestrals surged down, baring their fangs, screeching and hissing as most of the Shadowbolts were immediately knocked right out of their flight path and sent tumbling uncontrollably through the air.
Even the five commanders up front could not hold their ground, once again unable to generate clones through a combination of surprise and lack of focus. Void was immediately swarmed by ten Thestrals, grabbing and biting him by the limbs, ears, neck, and anything they could get a hold of as he roared and flailed about. Angel was grabbed by the hair and yanked down as another three grappled Blade and preventing him from using his sword. Shadow was freaking out, screaming as she tried launching her burst wave in several directions, but her aim was erratic and way off as she eventually got swarmed and pulled down. The thestrals were attacking them like wild, untamed, bloodthirsty animals, suddenly turning the Shadowbolts from predators to prey.
The only commander that got free was Sin, who delivered heavy blows, severely denting the armor and knocking out five thestrals that came at him while laughing heartily.
“DUDE! I DUNNO WHO THE FUCK THESE GUYS ARE, BUT THIS IS AWESOME!” he yelled, wearing an adrenaline crazed smile as he looked for another target… only to see captain P.L. come screaming down from above right towards him. “Oh man, YOU look like fun!” he grinned wider as he turned his attention to P.L. and pulled back a hoof, rotating it around as he wound up a heavy punch. “COME ON! GIVE ME A FIGHT YOU—”
But instead of engaging Sin, P.L. pumped his wings harder, picking up speed and twisting to the side as Sin threw the wild punch, missing horribly over P.L.’s shoulder. He twisted and jammed his elbow into Sin’s neck, following up with a kick to the chest as he passed.
“GUH! GAH!!!” Sin choked and coughed as he flailed and lost control of his flight, suddenly unable to breathe as he reached for his neck and began coasting down.
P.L. had not looked at Sin once throughout the process, hitting precise, vulnerable points to disable him. He remained focused, staying on his course as he continued his sharp dive through the Shadowbolt ranks. Sin was simply in his way, he had his eyes on something else from behind the grate of his helmet.
The first Falcon behind the Shadowbolts.
He kept his vision on target, pumping his wings harder and harder, diving faster and faster as he collided with several Shadowbolts, their bodies bouncing right off his armor. He held his hooves forward, gritted his teeth and blew puffs of steam out of his nose that hissed between the spaces of his helmet. His wing-beats created a loud WHOOSH with every swing, generating strong winds that knocked and pushed against ponies in his wake.
With the distance between him and the Falcon closing at an incredible rate, he took a deep breath and unleashed a mighty roar.
“HHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!”
P.L.’s armored hooves smashed right into the Falcon’s shield, the impact created a loud POW with a fierce shockwave following. The Falcon tilted as if it had run directly into a brick wall, its shield splintering and shattering as P.L. pierced through it like tissue paper. His momentum undeterred, P.L. proceeded to plunge through the top of the Falcon’s armored fuselage, past the four terrified Shadowbolts within, and through several of the vital systems as he punched right out the bottom of the ship back into the open air.
The Falcon sputtered, shook, and violently exploded the moment he was through, a large eruption of pink light engulfing the Falcon, throwing its four occupants in different directions like ragdolls along with shrapnel and debris. A trail of pink smoke streaked behind P.L. in his wake as he evened out.
“HOLY SHIT!” Starry Skies yelled out, she and several other Renegades watching in awe as P.L. took down a Falcon BY HIMSELF in a SINGLE BLOW.
“Hmph… show off…” Descent grumbled to himself, trying not to look impressed as he and the Renegades came around to join the fray.
But their awe was short lived as P.L. found himself smack in the middle of the rest of the Falcons with no definitive second target. He was instantly forced onto the defensive, dodging cannon fire and bouncing off the shield of the next Falcon he tried attack at roughly half the speed he used against the first. While he made it look easy with the first Falcon he hit, without the speed and power of his initial dive he was completely at their mercy.
In one maneuver, P.L. proved exactly what they had been told about him. His strength was absolutely terrifying… but he had a habit of putting himself in bad situations. Descent quickly pointed towards the Falcons as P.L.’s armor began absorbing several cannon blasts.
“HIT THE FALCONS! BACK HIM UP!” Descent ordered.
“What about the rest of the thestrals?!” Lightning Dust asked as she formed up beside Descent and Starry. Descent shook his head and put a hoof to his ear. The sounds of Shadowbolts yelping and screaming filled his ears.
“I think they’re doing just fine. GO!”
Spitfire pressed a hoof to her headset, blinking several times before she reached forward and slammed the comm button.
“Rivet! The Thestrals have deployed! Push everything back to full power!” she yelled.
“Rog—” Rivet was cut off, Spitfire releasing the button before he could even reply.
“PUNCH IT LUCKY! Bring us back down and go full throttle!” she ordered, but they were already descending.
“Way ahead of ya!” Lucky replied as everypony held on. The Nimbus tipped down, as Lucky pushed the throttle to the max, the Nimbus rumbling as the machinery within the walls clanked and creaked. Using gravity to pick up a little more speed, Lucky lowered them back to their initial height before locking the uplift lever in place. Once again they were surging along, but what was going on outside?
“Surprise! What’s the situation out there?!” Spitfire yelled as she looked back over her shoulder, but Surprise wasn’t there. She looked around, but couldn’t find her. “Surprise?!”
“I’m on it, I’m on it!” Surprises voice suddenly came from one of the back corners. Spitfire shifted over to see her all tangled up with Blaze and High Winds, the three of them all on top of Lightning Streak as they groaned and rolled over after being thrown all about. “Hold on I’m sandwiched between the lesbos!” she yelled as she pulled her hoof out from the strap of Blaze’s goggles.
“Take your time, babe. I’m in no hurry,” Lightning Streak commented from the bottom of the pile and was coincidentally struck in the face by three hooves right after.
With one final effort, Surprise yanked her hoof free from Winds’ suit.
“YEEP!” she yelped as she tumbled away from them before getting right to her hooves. She galloped over to the periscope and slid to a halt, pressing her face into it as she spun it around. “Oooooo!” she suddenly bounced up and down on her back hooves. “The Batties and the Rennies are really beating them up!”
“Are we being followed?!” Spitfire pressed.
“Ummmmmmmm…” Surprise hummed as she turned the periscope back and forth. “Nope! There are no Shadowbolts following us! Looks like they are all caught up with… Oh darn…”
“What?” Spitfire questioned grinding her hooves into the floor anxiously.
“We still have some of their little shippies following us!” Surprise said as she pulled her face out of the periscope and bent her head all the way back to look at Spitfire.
“How many?!” Spitfire pressed, gritting her teeth and turning a hoof over, wishing Surprise would just give her the details so she could give orders. Surprise whipped her face back against the periscope with a loud PLAF.
“Looks like… One, Two, Three…” she turned the periscope to the right towards the port side. “Four, Five… YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!! LEFT! LEFT! LEFTLEFTLEFTLEFT!”
“WHAT?!” Spitfire blinked as she looked over to the port side. Lightning Streak pulled himself up from beneath Blaze and High Winds and peeked out the port side windshield.
“OH SHIT! MOONBOARD! MOONBOARD! OR WHATEVER IT’S CALLED! BOARD PORT! MOONSTAR! THIS WAY!” he yelled hysterically as he rapped his hooves against the window.
Before Spitfire could question any further, the Shadowbolt Fortress suddenly came into view from their blind spot, pulling up right along the port side of the Nimbus. They had shaken the Shadowbolts and most of the Falcons, but they STILL had the worst of the worst after them!
“LUNA! PORT SHIELD!” Spitfire yelled into her headset as she saw the Fortress cannons slowly turn and face them while glowing brightly. Everypony braced themselves, but right before the cannons fired, Luna’s shield appeared between them and the Fortress. Hooves held onto railings and panels, anticipating more shaking, but Luna’s shield held strong, completely negating any pressure from the cannons as their fire pelted against Luna’s magic. Without the Falcons coming down at them from above, it looked like Luna was back to having the full support of every unicorn on the deck. The Wonderbolts relaxed slightly as they watched Luna’s shield absorb all the cannon fire, never giving an inch as the cannons peppered it nonstop.
But they probably would have been wise to stay braced.
The Nimbus suddenly shook violently as several loud BANGS rang out and made the walls shake and shudder. The whole ship tilted forwards slightly as the rumbling and lurching knocked them all right back off their hooves.
“The Falcons!” Soarin yelled as he wobbled and fell into the side of Lucky’s control panel. “They’re hitting us from behind!”
“Shit!” Spitfire swore as she pulled herself up and looked out towards the Fortress. She was wondering why the Fortress cannons were simply firing into the shield… it was to keep Luna occupied!
“We have to launch the Wonderbolts!” Soarin suggested, but Spitfire immediately swiped her hoof to the side.
“NO! We can’t leave Luna and the Unicorns alone on the deck! We can’t abandon interior defense either!” she clarified.
“We don’t need to send all of them!” Soarin argued as the Nimbus rocked violently again. “Can’t we spare a few?!”
“We can’t take that chance! For all we know they want us to thin out ranks! There could be Shadowbolts waiting to launch from the Fortress the moment we send them out!”
“AH! INCOMING!!!!!!” Lightning Streak yelled from the window again. Soarin and Spitfire both looked up just in time to see the Fortress tip in and ram against Luna’s shield. While the shield held stronger than before, it was still pushed back against the Nimbus, causing them to lurch and tip to the right while also being hit from behind continuously. Everypony hung on for dear life as the fortress shifted away, the Nimbus teetering as the Fortress primed for another hit. Macho Savage ran up to the windshield beside Lightning Streak and pressed his face to the window.
“IS THAT ALL YA GOT BROTHER?! WE ARE THE ULTIMATE MANIACS AND THE ULTIMATE SURVIVORS, YEAH!” he yelled into the window as the Fortress tipped towards them again. “WE’RE RIDING ON THE EDGE OF A LIGHTNING BOLT, YEAH, AND THE MADNESS-”
“BRO! GET DOWN!” Lightning Streak reached up and yanked him down from the window as the Fortress rammed them again, the windows rattling as they were forced closer to the mountains.
“They’re trying to force us towards the mountains!” Soarin yelled as he noticed they were getting closer.
“I noticed!” Spitfire yelled back as she growled and held on tight, doing her best to not be knocked over. “Lucky! Since they’re inviting it, can you get us into the mountains?!”
“I don’t know!” he yelled as he forced the lever to the left just to even them out upright. “They’re also pushing us down! I don’t know what’ll happen if they hit us while I’m turning!”
Spitfire gritted her teeth and turned her eyes back towards the Fortress, moments after she was whiplashed forward with the rest as the Falcons hit them from behind again.
“Spitfire we HAVE to launch the Wonderbolts!” Soarin yelled, reiterating his point. “We don’t have much of a choice! If the Falcons keep hitting us, they might damage the propellers!”
“Dammit, DAMMIT!” Spitfire yelled as she slammed a hoof to the floor, weighing her options.
“HEY! HEY! HEY!” Air Mach suddenly yelled, sliding himself along the platform until he was up between the two of them. “GUESS WHO HAS AN IDEA?!”
“WHATEVER IT IS, NO!” Spitfire denied him before he even explained.
“YO! CHILL OUT!” Air Mach smirked and pointed at her. He pulled on his goggles until the strap snapped and they fell to the floor. He reached into the sleeve of his suit and pulled out his pair of enormous, ridiculous red sunglasses that had somehow fit and remained concealed within. He placed them over his eyes and pounded his chest. “I GOT THIS!” He immediately turned and ran for the door.
“AIR MACH!” Spitfire yelled, but he didn’t stop. “AIR MACH WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU—” She kept yelling but he was already out the door. “Oh, for the love of all that is holy—” she was cut short as the Nimbus shook, absorbing both a hit from the Fortress and more Falcon fire. “Just… JUST…” Spitfire growled, feeling out of options. “JUST KEEP PUSHING IT LUCKY!”
“Sweet Celestia, I’m trying!!!!!”
“Whoa! Whoa! WHOOOAAAA!!” Air Mach yelped as he tried to fly down the stairs. Either he was being brash or he forgot his wings weren’t feeling too well, but regardless he ended up falling and tumbling down the stairs, bouncing off nearly every broken step all the way down to the lobby. Luckily, after hitting the last step he just happened to turn upright and land on his hooves, blinking with his sharp glasses crooked on his face.
“HA!” He pounded his chest and pointed forward, ignoring the pain from falling down the stairs. “Perfect landing!” He claimed as a few of the Wonderbolts stationed nearby turned to look at him.
He was immediately thrown forward as the Nimbus shook and lurched. Wonderbolts all around yelped and stumbled, holding onto the secure furniture and bracing themselves against walls. No doubt the Wonderbolts spread out within the compound were wondering what the hell was happening. None of them, after all, had any view of what was going on outside other than the windows, and they hardly had enough field of view to capture any of the action.
“Whoa… WHOA! AYE YAI!” Air Mach slipped, slid, and tumbled as he was thrown about by the shaking. “Quit shaking, Nimbus!” he yelled at the ship itself as he forced himself up and pushed his way through the lobby. He moved towards the front doors, fighting against the teetering and tipping of the floor beneath him. “Help me out here and I‘ll help you!” He kept speaking, treating the Nimbus like it was a living thing. “Yikes!” he grunted as the Nimbus shook again, causing him to lurch forward and run face first into the glass doors, his face slid down it as he tipped over on his side. “Or don’t help me!” he yelled as he rolled back onto his hooves. “I’ll do it myself!”
He ripped open the lobby door only to be blasted by heavy winds.
“ACK!” He held on tight to the door handle, preventing himself from being pushed back while using his other arm to reach up and keep his glasses from blowing off his face. “HA! If it were that easy…” He pulled himself out onto the deck, leaning forward and digging his hooves into the floor as he pushed through the whirlwinds. “Every stallion would do it! AND I SURE AS HELL AIN’T EVERY STALLION!” he chanted to himself as he forced himself forward, bracing himself as the winds constantly threatened to knock him down.
There was one hell of a bright light coming from the center of the deck, and thanks to his sunglasses he was able to make out what was going on. Luna was standing strong in the center, surrounded by unicorns and braced by Wonderbolts as her magic flared wildly. She was maintaining the shield that held back the Fortress, but the Nimbus shook and lurched as the Falcon’s peppered it from behind, causing them to stumble and struggle to hold themselves in place.
But they were not his goal.
Air Mach grinned from ear to ear, adrenaline and excitement overpowering reason or clear thought as his eyes landed on… their captured Falcon.
“YEAH!” Air Mach cheered as he forced his way towards the small ship chained to the deck. “Why use water when you can fight fire with fire?!” He kept bantering to himself as he closed in, another hard lurch from the Nimbus nearly knocking him off his hooves. “There are times in a stallion’s life when he has to drop his balls lower and out-alpha the rest! It’s a glorious moment when the fire in his chest reaches critical mass and—” he paused as his glasses nearly blew off his face again. “Hey, you’re supposed to stay on when I’m monologuing!” he complained, disregarding the fact that keeping his flight goggles on may have made all of this easier. He finally made it to the Falcon and grabbed onto the side of it. “Go beyond the impossible!” He pulled himself up and crawled along the top of the fuselage. “Kick reason to the curb!” He found the hatch and ripped it open. “THAT’S HOW I ROLL!” he stood up and struck a pose.
But as he did, the Nimbus shook and lurched as the Fortress rammed it.
“WHOA!” Air Mach stumbled and fell, falling right into the hatch and landing on his back on the floor of the Falcon’s interior. He popped right up and punched his hooves forward twice. “Always enter in style!” He chuckled as he immediately moved to the pilot seat and plopped himself down in the chair. “Alright you much smaller bucket of bolts and gears! I hope you’re not too stiff from sitting out here so long, because we’re about to kick some serious ass!” he grabbed the levers and yanked on them, but they barely budged. “What? Aw C’MON! We already did this before! I thought we had something special!” he yelled at the control panel in front of him, pushing random buttons, but nothing was on, no lights, no indicators, the whole thing was dead.
He seemed to completely forget that simply yanking on the controls and yelling at it didn’t work last time either.
Regardless, he kept trying, yelling and screaming at the Falcons control panel and pulling on the controls until his arms hurt.
“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DEAL?!” he yelled and he growled. “WE NEED TO HELP EVERYPONY! GET WITH THE PROGRAM! GAH!” He yelped and was thrown from the chair as the Fortress rammed the Nimbus again at the same time as the Falcons fired on it from behind. The Nimbus was forced down, slowly descending to the point where they were getting dangerously close to the ground below. Air Mach pulled his face off the front windshield and blinked as his glasses slipped off his face. They fell onto the control panel and bounced, turning around with the lenses facing him as it rested on the controls.
He stared at them, gritting his teeth as sweat rolled down his face, but then his eyes widened as he saw a reflection in them. The panel was angled, and he was looking straight down… the reflection was of something in the Falcon behind the pilot’s seat.
Air Mach turned around and looked over his shoulder.
His eyes landed on the core of the Falcon, the open air, wired up, capsule shaped apparatus… with the pink crystal that was meant to power it simply sitting in the bowl shaped bottom, clattering and clinking around in it as the Nimbus continue to sway and lurch.
They had left the crystal there since they acquired the Falcon, nopony daring to go near it or touch it in fear of the ramifications. Luna in particular stated that it would be best to simply leave it until they had a better understanding of how they worked and how to safely handle them.
Air Mach stared at the crystal, his eyelids twitching as he realized the Falcon wasn’t going to move unless the crystal was powering it.
If he was going to make the Falcon work… then he had no choice.
It was him… or his friends.
To him, a risk always worth taking!
“HEY! YOU!” Air Mach yelled as he pointed at the crystal, reaching his other hoof back to grab his glasses. “You’ve got some NERVE, not working with me!” He slammed his glasses back on his face and stepped away from the pilot’s seat, standing up on his hind legs and crossing his arms. “WELL GUESS WHAT?!THAT ENDS NOW!” he yelled as he put all hooves to the floor and started stomping towards the core, never taking his eyes off the crystal. “You’re gonna make this thing fly whether you like it or not!” He stopped right in front of the core and snarled at the crystal as it sat at the bottom of the bowl.
“WHO THE HELL…” Air Mach pulled back a hoof. “DO YOU THINK…” He thrust his arm forward, reaching for the crystal. “I A—”
His arm suddenly halted an inch from the crystal. He flinched, his voice failing to finish his catch phrase as he was prevented from touching it, the sudden jolt causing his glasses to slip off his face and clatter to the floor below.
There was a dark blue hoof gripping his wrist, holding his arm still.
Air Mach blinked, frantically looking to his left.
It was Moon.
Their eyes met, Air Mach’s filled with slight shock, surprise, and bewilderment while Moon simply stared at him flatly with his goggled propped up on his forehead.
“I think you’re the biggest moron I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Moon bluntly.
Before Air Mach could react or retort, Moon suddenly yanked his hoof away from the crystal, forced him to turn around and shoved him back towards the pilot seat. Air Mach stumbled forward and slammed into the back of the seat, grunting painfully as he caught himself before falling. He blinked as his glasses suddenly slid along the floor, stopping right at his hooves.
“What the…?” Air Mach looked up and saw Moon with his hoof resting on the edge of the core capsule, his three crystals floating towards it as he reached in and grabbed the core’s crystal too. He stole a quick glance at Air Mach and made a simple head motion towards the controls.
“Drive.”
Moon picked up the core crystal and directed his three crystals over to it. They all pressed together, a bright flash erupting from them. Moon grabbed the four crystals and thrust them into the core, bright pink lights shooting along the wires and all around the interior of the Falcon.
With a roar and a rumble, the Falcon awoke with a start, loud beeping coming from the systems as panels lit up, airflows hissed, and the engine hummed.
Air Mach looked all around him in awe as Moon started up the Falcon, but the awe was quickly replaced by eagerness. He didn’t give a damn that Moon, their mysterious friendly enemy had just dropped in to help him while his comrades were bearing down on them all. Big deal! He had a ship to fly!
“Hahaha!” Air Mach laughed as he reached down and retrieved his glasses, putting them in place as he whipped around the chair and plopped down in it. “NOW we’re talkin’!” he cheered as he reached forward and slipped his hooves into the control levers, pulling them towards him with no resistance at all. He looked all over the control panel. “Say! Which one of these buttons makes it fly?!” he asked.
“None of the ones on your panel,” Moon commented as he continued to manipulate the core with his crystals.
“Why the hell is—?!”
“The Falcons are built for a crew of four. Just keep your eyes forward and get ready to fly and shoot, I’ll handle everything else from back here.” Moon explained while cutting him off, staying calm and collected as he reached to the side of the core and yanked a lever down.
The Falcon began to shake and vibrate, lifting up off the platform slightly, only being restricted by the chains holding it to the Nimbus.
“The propellers are rotating.” Moon relayed forward to Air Mach. “Just punch the throttle. The chains won’t be able to—”
He was cut off as Air Mach immediately pushed the throttle to the max. With a heavy surge forward, the Falcon shot from its resting position, ripping completely free from the chains launched, shooting right over Luna and the rest stationed on the deck. The loud BANG of the engines firing, followed by the rush of wind left behind in the Falcon’s wake caused them all to look up in shock. There was a pink stream of light and crackling sparks erupting from around the Falcon, the extra surge of power from Moon’s additional crystals nearly setting it ablaze as it flung through the air.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOO HOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!” Air Mach hooted as the Falcon shot out in front of the Nimbus. “ZERO TO BADASS IN THREE SECONDS FLAT!” he hollered as he twisted the levers to the right to come around back towards the Nimbus.
“What the hell just flew off our deck?!” Soarin yelled as he held on and stared out the front windshield.
“What did what now?!” Spitfire questioned as she pulled herself away from Lucky and over to Soarin.
“There!” Soarin pointed to what looked like a pink comet streaking through the air as it turned back towards them. Both of them just stared as it came near, but any fears were quickly alleviated as it seemed to be turning to fly by the windshield over the top of them.
“Wait a second…” Spitfire blinked, “Is that… a Falcon?!” she wondered out loud as it grew closer, moving much faster than any of the Falcons they had seen thus far.
“Hold on, look! In the cockpit!” Soarin pointed as it grew closer. They could see a pony inside… it was hard to make out due to how fast it was moving, but something was very familiar about the pony’s eyewear. They both ducked as the Falcon shot overhead with a loud WHOOSH, causing the Nimbus to rattle slightly as it did. “Was that… Air Mach?!” Soarin asked as he frantically turned to Spitfire.
Spitfire turned to answer him, but before she could, her hoof shot up and pressed her headset against her ear.
“What?” she blinked as Luna spoke to her. “That was the Falcon… we had on the deck!?”
Spitfire and Soarin looked directly at one another, then turned to glance at everypony else as they stared blankly as well… all except for Surprise. She had spun the periscope around and was giddily tapping her back hooves against the floor.
“It’s heading for the other Falcons!” she exclaimed.
Spitfire’s jaw dropped, left speechless as she turned and looked back at Soarin. Soarin only shook his head and shrugged.
“Well…” Spitfire shook her head out, flabbergasted. “I don’t know how the hell he did it, but…” she turned and looked out the windshield down to Luna. “But let’s go with it! If he can keep them busy, then all we have to deal with is the other tub!” she called out as excitement seemed to refill her voice. “Surprise, are the Falcons disengaging us?!”
“YEP!” Surprise giggled, glancing away from the periscope. “They’re going after our Falcon!” She looked back through and cooed. “Oooo! Ours looks so pretty and sparkly!”
“Dammit, Air Mach, you glorious bastard!” Spitfire laughed out loud, drawing some slightly worried glances as the sudden change in the situation seemed to charge her up a little irrationally. “Lucky! Try to regain our lost altitude and keep us steady! Luna!” She pressed her headset again. “Keep it up! I’ve got an idea!”
“Are we going to like this idea?!” Soarin asked, voicing the slight concern appearing over everypony’s face.
“NOPE!” Spitfire said with a slight smirk. “But we’ve gotta use this opportunity while we have it! Based on how everything has gone so far… I think this might just work!”
“Well fuck, she’s lost her mind!” Blaze yelled from behind them as everypony prepared for something ludicrous.
“THIS IS AWESOME!” Air Mach bounced in the pilot seat as he twisted and yanked on the levers, causing the ship to twist and turn to avoid incoming fire from the Falcons chasing him. “YEEEEEHA!!!!” he continued to not take the situation seriously at all as the shield began absorbing cannon blasts, causing the Falcon to rattle and shake. He pulled back hard on the controls to turn the ship up into a wide somersault, taking the other Falcons on a wild goose chase as he seemed to be easily outmaneuvering them. “I knew I was badass, but I had no idea I was this badass!”
“For Celestia’s sake!” Moon growled as he used his magic to work the controls at the core and the other two stations of the Falcon all by himself. Everything warning light was flashing, every cord and wire attached to the core had pink ribbons of energy lifting from it and some of the panels were crackling and fizzling with pink sparks. “Shut the hell up and engage the other Falcons already! The ship’s mechanisms are not built to withstand the extra power I’m pumping into it! So make use of it now before it blows apart!”
“YES SIR!” Air Mach happily agreed as he worked the levers and brought them about. He executed a hard U-turn and faced the Falcons, his hooves twitching as they readied to squeeze the pressure handles that fired the cannons. “ORDER UP, DOUCHEBAGS! COMING IN HOT AND SPICY!”
“This was a mista—WHOA!” Moon yelped and hung on tight as the Falcon suddenly lurched forward, moving even faster as Air Mach squeezed the triggers while twisting the Falcon.
The powerful magic beams erupted from the barrels of the cannons. The ship visibly shook as the overcharged core nearly overloaded the cannons, incredible muzzle flash shining from them as streams of pink light bursting through the surface of the cannon surfaces. Large cracks split in the armor covering the cannons as if they could barely contain the output.
The blasts that hurled towards the other Falcons were enormous, brighter, and left trails of pink sparks in their wake. The Falcon at the front of the pack was struck head on. The shield protected it, but the impact brought it to a full stop, the Falcon flying behind it running directly into it, their shields clashing and bursting from the pressure of the hard collision before they crashed fuselage to fuselage. The second Falcon’s nose jammed right into the engine of the Falcon in front, tilting forward and causing their propellers to whip into one another, ripping them to shreds.
The crystals on their hulls cracked and broke as pink bursts of smoke shot from both Falcons, and the Shadowbolts inside immediately abandoned ship, all eight of them hightailing it out of there as their two Falcons plummeted to the ground and were engulfed in bright explosions.
“OH, I COULD GET USED TO THIS!” Air Mach cheered as Moon just stared in awe. He knew he was overcharging the core, but Air Mach was still the one driving and shooting. This was only the second time he had driven a Falcon and he was doing it more effectively than any of the Shadowbolts ever had through mostly improvisation? “C’MERE YA PUSSIES!” Air Mach yelled as he turned towards the remaining three Falcons that were trying to regroup. “We’re not finished till I’ve smacked you all with my dick!”
Or maybe he was just an overzealous idiot. Either way, it was working.
“HOLD ON!” Spitfire yelled as the Nimbus shook, the Fortress ramming them for the umpteenth time. Everypony braced themselves as the Nimbus tilted and lurched. Lucky once again managed to keep them afloat and steady, but now everypony was beginning to wonder. Spitfire said she had an idea, but since Air Mach pulled his little Falcon stunt, they had been rammed three times and Spitfire had still yet to reveal her idea. “Come on!” Spitfire growled as she glared out at the Fortress. “Aren’t they tired of doing that yet?!”
“Now would be a good time for your ‘idea’!” Soarin became the voice of what everypony was thinking.
“KEEP GOING LUCKY!” Spitfire yelled, ignoring Soarin and turning to Surprise. “Surprise! Are the Falcons still engaged with Air Mach?!”
“Uhhhhh I think so! They’re pretty far away now!” she replied as hugged the periscope.
“Good!” She glared back at the Fortress. “Keep flying, Lucky!” she repeated again.
“For the love of Celestia, I’m nervous enough as is! Stop telling me to do the same thing over and over!” Lucky suddenly retorted in an anxious outburst. “We can’t outrun them! We’re not fast enough!”
“I’m not trying to outrun them!” Spitfire suddenly threw out there. “I’m just waiting for—” Spitfire’s eyes suddenly widened and she smiled in a slightly unsettling manner. “YES! FINALLY!”
Everypony followed her eyes to the fortress to see that it had pulled back and the cannons were turning to face them again.
“It’s time to hit them back!” she turned and got in Lucky’s face. “NOW! RAM THEM!”
“Excuse me WHAAAAAAA—?!” Lucky’s jaw dropped.
“They’ve been ramming us! It’s time to ram them back!” she yelled as she pointed out the window, the cannons powering up and threatening to fire.
“Heh, kinky,” Lightning Streak remarked, still holding Blaze and High Winds steady, receiving two smacks right after.
“LUNA!” Spitfire yelled into her headset as Lucky continued to stare at her in disbelief. “Come in! Are you holding up?!” she asked, pausing to get a reply. “Good! Because I need you to give me two hundred percent here! We’re going to ram them right back!” she yelled, blinking and furrowing her brow. “No, I’m NOT crazy. Now nut up and shut up! Let’s GO!” She turned to Lucky and snarled at him as he continued to stare blankly. “LUCKY!” she reached forward and smacked him across the face. He winced and shook his head out.
“OW! What was that fo—?” he barely got anywhere as Spitfire grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked his face towards hers.
“When they start firing, take a HARD left!” she demanded.
“Oh god, you’re really being serious aren’t you!” Lucky shook as he stared forward, nearly turning his head and knowing on the lever.
“I WAS RIGHT!” Blaze yelled as she clung to High Winds. “SHE’S LOST HER FUCKING MIND!”
“Spitfire,” Soarin reached to grab her shoulder. “That’s too dangerous! We—!”
Soarin was cut off as the Nimbus rattled, the cannons firing and peppering Luna’s shield.
“NOW LUCKY!” Spitfire yelled, slamming her hooves down on the panel beside him. “HARD LEFT! LUNA’S DOING HER PART! NOW DO YOURS! HIT THEM!” She was screaming, her voice raising octaves as she gave the full-breath order.
Lucky slammed his eyes shut, growled to himself, and glared forward.
“SCREW IT! SCREW! IT! ALL!” he yelled as he pushed Spitfire away from him and took a hard step to the right, placing his left shoulder into the lever. “I’m tired of their pilot pushing me around!” he threw his body into the lever, putting all his weight into it as he forced it all the way to the left.
“HERE WE GO! HANG ON!” Spitfire yelled out, grabbing onto a railing with one hoof and pumping the other into the air.
Everypony grabbed on to something or somepony, a wide majority of them in disbelief that they were really attempting this. Everypony gritted their teeth, watching and bracing themselves as the Nimbus shifted hard to port, pushing through the cannon fire and surging towards the Fortress.
There was a loud, very audible BANG that rang out as the shields collided, the shaking and rumbling that ensued much stronger than anything they had felt yet. Several of them were thrown off their hooves, yelps and screams coming from the staff members as sparks jumped up from some of the control panels. A few cracks appeared in the windshield as they vibrated violently.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! RRRRRGHHHH!!!!!!” Luna grunted, her eyes slamming shut and her teeth gritting as the Nimbus drove against the Fortress. The pressure was immense and nearly unbearable. Her hooves slid backwards, the force edging her backwards even with the Wonderbolts bracing her from behind.
But then she stopped moving, her eyes opening as she saw every single Wonderbolt on the deck rushing towards her. The Fortress was the only thing left to deal with, so all of them were making their way over and propping themselves up behind their fellow Wonderbolts, all of them fighting along with Luna to keep her in place as she held the shield up. Even the unicorns came together with her, grouping close together and leaning into her as they shared their magic with her, doubling their efforts, pushing their horns to the limit to give her every drop if that’s what it took.
They all pushed back, the Wonderbolts and unicorns chanting encouragement in unison as they dug their hooves into the ground and forced Luna back forward.
Radical flashes of blue and pink light were bouncing and dancing in all directions as the two magical forces collided, Luna’s shield grinding against the Fortress shield as she literally worked side by side with the Nimbus itself, the strength of the old machinery relying on her to protect it as it drove up against its much more modern and powerful counterpart.
The effort all around her was pushing Luna to the max, motivating her to seize control of her doubts and confidently push her magic well beyond levels she felt she could control. Her eyes disappeared as bright blue light shone from them both, she roared out as her magic surged, the beam connecting to the shield doubling in size. The shield grew thicker and brighter, adding an extra helping push that evened the odds, effectively springing an evenly matched power struggle of the Nimbus and an alicorn goddess against the incredible chaos magic fueled Shadowbolt Fortress. The two massive ships forced against one another in a battle of dominance.
“GRRRHHH!!!!!!” Luna winced as her magic poured forth. It was a struggle to maintain such a strong power output, painful even. Her head was on fire, her nerves all over her body pleading for her to stop, but she held strong, determined to work with everypony until her horn burst if need be.
“COME ON!” Lucky yelled as he his hooves slipped on the floor beside the lever. “COME ON!” he repeated as he kept pushing, forcing his whole body into the lever to keep it pushed as far over to the left as possible, bracing himself against the shaking and against the lever as it tried to force him back. “COME ON, NIMBUS!!!!” he spoke to the ship itself.
But despite his best efforts, the lever began inching back against him.
That is, until Soarin pulled himself over to the control panel and stood over Lucky, putting his shoulder against the lever as well to add his strength to Lucky’s, forcing it back as far left as it could go.
The rumbling and shaking continued, snaps and pops echoing throughout the room as panels sparked and the mechanical workings within the walls creaked. The windshield continued to form cracks, barely holding together.
Fire Streak pushed himself up from the floor, shielding his face from the electrical spasms erupting from the panels nearby as he tried to move towards the window. He met Misty halfway as she placed herself at his side to support him. They both peered out the damaged window and stared at the Fortress, squinting to protect their eyes from the blinding light show between the shields.
“LUNA’S SHIELD!” He suddenly yelled back over to Spitfire at the front. “Her shield is weakening!”
Spitfire quickly pulled herself over, fighting against the disruptive rumbling as she moved towards the window. Luna’s shield looked much larger. She was clearly pumping an incredible amount of power into it, but it was beginning to flicker and small tears were forming in it. Spitfire couldn’t imagine how hard Luna was pushing herself for the sake of this brash maneuver… could she hold it long enough? She quickly pushed her headset down.
“KEEP IT UP LUNA! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!”
Luna cringed and gasped as she continued to push herself, giving it her all and more. But she was slowly losing her hold on her magic. She could feel her power reaching critical levels, if they didn’t repel the Fortress soon, she’d likely overload and the results could be disastrous. She had to take a risk, it wouldn’t win the day, but it would at least give the Wonderbolts a chance.
She snarled as she tipped her head slightly and tensed every muscle in her body, using intense concentration to abruptly halt the flow of her magic and cause an enormous buildup from within, intentionally letting the flow from the center of her body back up.
The stream of magic connecting to her shield disappeared, but the shield lingered, remaining as she proceeded with her plan.
Her body filled to the brim with magic, an intense light blue glow surrounding her and shining brightly, the surface of her body growing burning hot as the Wonderbolts and Unicorns surrounding her immediately pushed away from her in surprise.
Her armor began to creak and pop, her body pulsating, muscles expanding and receding, forcing against her armor as if the power was trying to force itself out of her body.
Then with a mighty roar, Luna whipped her head forward, letting the magic explode from her horn, a magical beam nearly five meters wide ejecting with small misfiring streams shooting in every direction. The Wonderbolts and unicorns yelped and shielded themselves from the backfire as Luna’s wild magic blast spilled over.
The beam hit the back of her shield, and shattered it, piercing right through and colliding with the Fortress shield. The beam flattened against the shield and split outward, magic spewing and splashing in every direction as it pushed against the Fortress.
The moment it hit, the Luna’s magic proved its power, pushing the Fortress back before propelling it away, the Nimbus and the Fortress separating. But it didn’t stop there, the Fortress was tilted away, and continued to be pushed until it was forced at least fifty yards away.
“AH!” Luna’s head whipped back, a bright blue explosion erupting from her horn as the magic flow ceased. Her headset was struck by the blast, snapping the plastic frame of the headband, but the wires held together, the earpiece dangling down by a wire beside her ear as she was thrown backwards and caught by the Wonderbolts behind her.
She groaned and panted as a trail of blue steam rose from her horn, but before the Wonderbolts could gently lay her down, she sat up and rolled forward, sitting on her plot and planting her hooves on the deck in front of her.
She refused to go down, she would not let her own power knock her out again. Her eyelids twitched, her head throbbing as she stared out towards the Fortress as her magic dissipating and their foe teetering at a distance.
She was not out… but she was certain she would not be able to do that again, at least not with that much power. She had created a momentary buffer of space between the two ships… whatever happened next was up to Spitfire.
“Luna knocked them back!” Fire Streak yelled as he kept watch outside. “But her shield is gone!”
Spitfire ran up to the window as Lucky steadied the ship. She peered out beside Fire Streak, seeing the Fortress struggle to steady itself much further away after whatever Luna had done to cause the bright blue flash. But just as Fire said, the shield was gone as a result and that troubled her.
“Luna! Luna, come in! I don’t know what you just did to slap them across the field, but are you alright?!” she yelled. All eyes turned to her, eyes of concern and worry knowing that Luna was more or less who had been keeping them alive. “Okay… Okay…” Spitfire nodded, but she didn’t look too convinced. “You’re voice sounds scratchy, is your headset damaged? Okay… You overdid it didn’t you?”
“I don’t like that sound of that…” Soarin said to himself as Lucky shook his head furiously.
“YOU don’t?! Try being the driver!” he exclaimed, not feeling so confident without a shield. Growing impatient, he turned to Spitfire after evening out the Nimbus and flying steady again for the first time since the confrontation started. “Captain, what do we do?!” he asked, taking a look towards the Fortress knowing there was nothing he could do to outrun them.
But Spitfire didn’t respond, she had a hoof on her headset, but there was no indication Luna was talking to her through it, Spitfire was just staring blankly, blinking once or twice as she stared at the Fortress as it continued to wobble. It looked like Luna’s attack had taken them by surprise and their pilot was struggling to get them under control.
Then… she started bouncing on her hooves. She suddenly looked back and forth between Lucky and the Fortress, a look of on her face of eager realization, or an epiphany. Either way, after what just happened, everypony got the feeling that she was about to suggest something ridiculous again.
“Note to self,” High Winds sleepily spoke up as she squeezed Blaze in the corner with both her arms and wings. “From now on, keep your sister away from copious adrenaline.”
“LUNA!” Spitfire suddenly yelled into her headset as she stepped forward and almost pressed her face against the windshield, looking out down towards Luna. “Do you have one more shield in you?”
“That’s it, we’re fucking doomed!” Blaze yelled out as she nearly got squeezed unconscious by High Winds’ strong wings.
“All I need is one more Luna!” Spitfire said to Luna as she looked towards the Fortress. “If you can do that and this works, we’ll be home free! I need you!” she pleaded. She must’ve gotten the answer she wanted because a smile spread across her face quickly. “You’re a trooper, Luna! Stand by!”
“So how are we going to kill ourselves?” Soarin asked with blatant sarcasm as he tried to pry into Spitfire’s idea, but she was too far into the zone.
“Somepony keep an eye on the Fortress!” she yelled as she pointed around the room and motioned towards the window. Without hesitation, Surprise whipped the periscope to the port side, Fire Streak retaking his position at the window as well. They didn’t know what her plan was, but did they have any other choice? It wasn’t like any of them had any ideas. Even if Spitfire seemed a little off her rocker, it was at least something.
Spitfire bounced over beside Lucky and slammed her hoof over the engine room comm.
“RIVET! Increase power to the central propeller! We need maximum uplift!” she ordered, the speaker scratching and tuning as Rivet picked up on the other end.
“I’m already giving her all she’s got!” he yelled back in a defiant tone.
“Well we need MORE!” Spitfire quickly demanded. “Just long enough to get us up quickly! MAKE IT HAPPEN!” she pressed her nose to the speaker, yelling in a tone that implied she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
“RGH! FINE!” Rivet angrily complied. “I’ll see what I can do! But don’t blame me if the whole engine room goes up in flames!” he raged before cutting off the comm immediately.
“Lucky!” Spitfire shifted over and bumped against him, nearly knocking him off the lever. Spitfire grabbed him over the shoulder and bent down to get in his face. “Take us higher and move us directly above them!”
“Right… above them?!” Lucky blinked, dreading whatever this plan of hers was going to ask of him.
“You heard me! GO!” she patted him on the back so hard that it nearly knocked the wind out of him.
“Gah, blargh!” he gasped as she shuddered from the overzealous pat on the back. “Oh, I’m going to regret this!” he said to himself as he pushed the uplift controls to the max.
The Nimbus rumbled, the extra power surging from the engine room reaching the central propeller. Everypony braced themselves as they felt the push from below, their forward view rising as they lifted up.
“REPORT!” Spitfire yelled to Fire Streak.
“The fortress is still evening out, but they aren’t following us up!” Fire Streak yelled as Misty used her whole body to help support him against the upward surge.
“GOOD!” Spitfire rubbed her hooves together in a scheming manner.
“Sweet lord, Spitfire,” Soarin yelled towards her as he trudged up beside her, his hooves feeling heavy as the ascent continued. “What are we doing?! Didn’t we already do this? We don’t have the thestrals!”
“When you’re driving something this big,” Spitfire turned and sneered at Soarin. “You’ve gotta THINK big!” she said with an unnerving snicker.
“You don’t look like you’re thinking at all! Have you outright lost your mind?!” Soarin tipped his head, a look of slight terror on his face as Spitfire dropped further and further into a state he had never seen before from her.
“Luna!” Spitfire yelled into her headset, but then her smile disappeared. “Oh, hell… Luna? LUNA?! COME IN LUNA!!!!”
Luna panted and wheezed, her head nearly spinning as she struggled to keep herself up. If not for the Wonderbolts surrounding her and supporting her, she was certain she’d be lying on her stomach. The sudden surge upward of the Nimbus was not helping, her head feeling like it was being forcefully dunked into lukewarm water and making her queasy.
“Luna! Luna!”
She could hear Spitfire’ voice yelling from the headpiece speaker as it dangled beside her ear by a single wire. With a solid effort and a painful grunt, she reached her hoof up and pushed the mangled microphone towards her mouth.
“We… are here!” she answered.
“What happened?! I lost you there for a second!” Spitfire yelled frantically. “Are you sure you’re alright?!”
“That last effort was most difficult. Our magic is taking a great toll our body, but…” She cringed as her body twitched and her head throbbed, but she forced herself to concentrate. “We’re not out yet!”
“Good, because we’re already executing the plan, I need you here Luna! Just one more push!” Spitfire expressed concern, but also detailed that there was no going back. “When I give the word, I need you to produce a shield covering ventral!”
Luna blinked as she glanced at the deck floor.
“V…ventral?!” she asked.
“You heard me, directly below us!” Spitfire repeated. “Can you handle that?!”
Luna took a deep, slightly painful breath. Her whole body, her muscles, her nerves, and even her insides were feeling tender from her reckless internal magic buildup moments ago. Alas, she exhaled and forced herself up, the Wonderbolts helping her stand.
“WE SHALL!”
“A shield below us?! Spitfire what the hell are we going to do?!” Soarin demanded to know, providing a voice to the rest of the Wonderbolts as they wondered what Spitfire was about to attempt.
“No time to explain! We only time to act!” Spitfire denied him, pressing a hoof to his nose and pushing him away. “FIRE! ARE WE OVER THEM YET?!”
“Not yet!” Fire Streak yelled back as he leaned up against the window, tipping up on his hooves to keep the Fortress in his view. “We’ll be over them in a few seconds! I can still just see them over the deck!”
“Are they still stuck?!” Spitfire pressed. Fire quickly shook his head.
“It looks like they just regained control! But I don’t think they’ve noticed we’ve gone up! They aren’t adjusting!” Fire yelled as he looked over his shoulder towards Spitfire.
Spitfire’s overzealous smile returned, her eyes widening giddily.
“Then it’s time to drop the hammer!” she yelled out, turning forward and reaching for her headset as Soarin blinked with a blank expression.
“Drop the—?”
“Luna! Stand by!” Spitfire yelled, her grip nearly crushing her microphone.
“I can’t see them anymore!” Fire yelled over.
“Perfect!” Spitfire rubbed her hooves together again before sliding over beside Lucky and pressing the comm button. “Rivet! That’s good enough!”
“Already reduced the power! That almost blew every damn steam valve down here!” he yelled back through the speaker angrily.
“Good, you’re already halfway!” she said with a smirk. “Now… listen carefully and do exactly as I say!”
“I already hate it!” Rivet threw sarcasm through the speakers.
“Don’t gimme any shit, shorty!” Spitfire rapped a hoof against the speaker. “On my mark… I want you to reduce ALL power to the engines and then be ready to turn them right back on!”
There was no response.
“A ‘yes, ma’am’ is what I was looking for!” Spitfire added.
“You’re actually serious…?!” Rivet yelled in disbelief.
“I don’t stutter!” Spitfire angrily growled. “NOW DAMMIT! WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO ARGUE!”
“You’re literally asking me to do something impossible!” Rivet argued anyway. “These engines are STEAM POWERED! They can’t just be flipped on and off like a light switch!”
“Okay, fine whatever!” Spitfire yelled back. “I don’t care what you have to do, just reduce the power enough to make the propellers slow and drop us like a rock!”
“WHAT?!”
“NOW, RIVET! NOW!” Spitfire belted through the speaker.
“GOD! FINE! I GUESS I MIGHT AS WELL KILL US ALL!” Rivet raged as he cut the comm.
“Ex-fucking-SCUSE me?!” Blaze yelled as she ripped free from High Winds only to stumble and fall flat. “You want Rivet to do WHAT?!” she yelled while grabbing her mane.
“She really HAS lost her damn mind!” Lightning Streak added as he grabbed onto a railing.
“Spitfire, this is insane!” Soarin yelled as he ran up, placed himself in front of her and grabbed her shoulder. “Snap out of it!”
“Soarin, BACK OFF!” she yelled into his face. Soarin snarled down at her, taking a moment to glance up around at everypony, at the elite squads and towards the back left corner where Squad Foxtrot and Dash had braced themselves along with Fleetfoot and Calm, holding on for dear life with terrified looks on their faces.
“You’re literally acting crazy! It’s my duty as a first commander to step forward and—” he was cut off as Spitfire ripped free of him.
“Throttle all the way down, Lucky!” she yelled right into his ear, making him cringe and lean away. Soarin ran up to the other side of him.
“BELAY THAT ORDER!” Soarin ran up to the other side of Lucky. “Spitfire is not demonstrating mental soundness!”
Lucky looked back and forth between them. There was suddenly a loud whirring and clanking as the mechanisms of the Nimbus slowed down and kept slowing down.
“THROTTLE DOWN!” Spitfire yelled again. “Rivet’s already easing the engines! Power down! NOW!!”
“DON’T DO IT!” Soarin yelled back as Lucky looked back and forth between them with an increasingly frantic look on his face.
“Uh… UH…!” he stuttered, completely at a loss of what to do.
Soarin’s eyes widened as he felt a slight sinking feeling in his gut. He looked outside to see the Nimbus was slowly beginning to fall. He frantically looked towards the comm button on the other side of Lucky. He shifted and moved around Lucky, ready to push past Spitfire, order Rivet to turn the engines back up, and take command.
But Spitfire stepped in his way, knocking Lucky out of the way at the same time.
“SPITFIRE!” Soarin yelled as he stumbled away, fighting to regain his balance as Spitfire reached for the throttle and uplift controls. “STOP!!!!!”
It was too late. Spitfire pulled the throttle back and the uplift lever all the way down.
Everypony flinched as loud metallic clanking and scraping came from within the walls and the floor. The engines were already powered down and now the mechanisms were grinding as they were forced to slow down as well. The Nimbus shook as the propellers screeched and wailed, the inner workings, gears, and axles groaning as their rotations grew weaker. There was little reaction as the Nimbus started to fall a little faster… because nopony in the room could actually believe that Spitfire really did it.
Then Surprise let out an high-pitched scream as they started falling faster and faster, causing everypony else to react and cry out as they held on, the feeling of falling hitting them all as the Nimbus started plummeting.
“NOW LUNA!” Spitfire yelled into her headset. “NOW! EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT! DIRECTLY BELOW US!”
“PONIES!” Luna yelled as everypony on the deck with her was rightfully frantic. With the height they were flying at, and the view moving up with increasing speed it literally felt like the world was falling around them. “ONE LAST PUSH! ADD YOUR MAGIC TO MINE!”
Amid the adrenaline and the hysteria, the unicorns listened to their Princess. With the Wonderbolts keeping them secure, the unicorns all channeled their magic, thirty separate flows of magic converging on Luna’s horn as she put forth one last valiant effort to call upon her own. Luna grunted and groaned, her head throbbing and burning as her own magic flow sputtered and struggled to move smoothly. But with the help of the unicorns and their magic she remained vigilant, successfully building up enough to create one more solid shield.
“RGGGHHHAAAAA!” Luna thrust her head down, the tip of her horn striking the deck.
Beams of her magic splashed outward, hundreds of trails shooting along the deck and running to the edges of the Nimbus. They remained attached as they disappeared over the edges, running down along the curved underside of the Nimbus, shifting and weaving as they moved around the propellers until they all collided at the very center of the ships ventral point.
Luna kept up the surge, pumping more and more magic into the deck floor the spheres of magical energy shooting along the trails and racing all the way to the buildup point beneath the ship. A large ball of light was forming, growing larger and brighter by the second… and every second counted as they fell faster and faster towards the oblivious Shadowbolt Fortress below.
“WE… SHALL… SUCCEED!” Luna yelled out as she took a deep breath and exhaled with her mouth closed, puffing out her cheeks. The magic buildup below exploded outward, creating an enormous bowl shaped frame of magic that widened and thickened until it covered the entire bottom half of the nimbus with a protective shell.
The Nimbus was falling like a rock… just like Spitfire had ordered.
And the Fortress floating beneath it clearly had no idea.
And by the time a massive shadow had appeared and expanded over the Fortress…
It was too late.
The Nimbus slammed down over the top of the Fortress.
A loud, tremendous BANG rang out, echoing throughout the surrounding plains and mountains, a forceful shockwave shooting from between the shields like the winds of a hurricane. Loud crackling and creaking erupted from the shields as giant ribbons and sparks of pink and blue magic shot in every direction.
While the Fortress shield held, the weight of the Nimbus immediately forced it down, the powerful engines and propellers of the Fortress unable to fight against the pressure.
With the shields grinding together and causing an epic dangerous lightshow of magical forces, the two ships moved closer and closer to the earth below.
Soarin and Spitfire both lost their hooves and were thrown to the floor, the Nimbus shaking as if a fault line had shifted within the ship itself. Every panel rattled, the glass windshield somehow stayed intact as cracks began spreading all over it from end to end, a few pieces chipping and sprinkling to the floor.
The staff members dove away from their stations as electrical surges bounced up from them, one station near the front suddenly exploded, the side of the metal frame ripping free from the nuts and bolts as the weak blast erupted from it, flames bursting upward.
Lightning Streak quickly grabbed Blaze from High Winds and thrust her towards the panel, Blaze quickly absorbing the flames around her arms to control their spread. Fire Streak followed his brother, pushing High Winds forward so she could snuff out the flames with a blast of wind. The two were up for only a moment, the shaking throwing them right off their hooves right after they contained the fire, but they were caught and gently brought back to the floor by Misty Fly.
Dash held onto Matteo’s arm tightly, Little Star latched to her back as they braced themselves. Squall and Storm were both ripped free of Matteo, tumbling away and bouncing off Calm as he shielded both Shine a screaming Fleetfoot from all harm or contact.
Surprise was latched to the periscope with both her arms and legs the periscope spinning out of control as she screamed at the highest imaginable pitch. The shaking was so violent that not even Macho Savage could keep his hooves, the bulky stallion getting tossed about and bouncing off everything he tried to grab hold of.
Twister was still stuck in the ceiling.
“COME ON!” Spitfire yelled as she kept trying to stand up beside Soarin. “OOF!” she stumbled and fell over Soarin’s back. “COME ON! GO DOWN, YOU BASTARDS! GO DOWN!”
The Fortress propellers spun madly, signaling an increase in power and an effort to fight back, but it proved to be fruitless as the Nimbus continued to drive it down. The new push from the Fortress slowed the fall… but it couldn’t prevent it, the bottom of its shield slowly being forced towards the earth.
Fifteen yards…
Ten yards…
Five yards…
Impact!
The spherical shield of the Fortress crashed into the earth, grass and dirt erupting upwards like a tidal wave as it began dragging through the ground, the forward momentum of both ships causing it to continue forward as it dug against the solid earth.
With Luna’s shield holding strong, the Fortress shield began to shake and flicker, the crystals littering the Fortress fuselage glowing brightly, screeching and shining as it fought to maintain it. Loud groaning and rumbling filled the air as the Nimbus weighed the Fortress down, the sparking and crackling between the shields becoming more and more intense as the Fortress was compressed.
Cracks began appearing in the Fortress’ shield.
They were small at first… then growing larger and larger, spreading all over the spherical surface.
Despite the awesome power of the massive crystals, the sheer bulk and crushing weight of the Nimbus was more than it could bear.
The shield shattered.
It burst like an enormous bubble as it completely capsized.
The Nimbus dropped, Luna’s shield smashing into the Fortress propellers, the metal blades crashing and snapping like twigs, the pillars that held them up bending and groaning as they ripped and broke from their bases. The Nimbus kept falling, crushing the upper structures of the Fortress, the higher crystals shattering and bursting, pink explosions erupting as they were tipped and toppled. The pressure forced the Fortress all the way down, the lower propellers slamming to the earth. The inner workings of the Fortress cried out with metallic groans and creaks as its lower rotors were crushed beneath its own weight. The Fortress underside crashed to the earth and tipped forward, digging violently through the dirt.
“RIVET!” Spitfire yelled as she yanked herself up and slammed the comm button. “NOW! FIRE HER UP! FULL POWER!” she yelled, but was thrown from the speaker before she could get a response.
She tumbled backwards, sliding along the floor until she ran into Soarin again. Soarin grunted as he rolled, doing his best to keep his horn from hitting anything, but as he tried to tip back up, he was inadvertently shoved down by Spitfire as she forced her body up. She trudged back over to the comm and leapt for the button, not sure if her order went through, but the shaking was too much, forcing her back to the floor.
In the end, she didn’t even have to check. A loud WHOOSH hissed through the vents, the Nimbus’ mechanical innards roaring to life. Lucky’s ears perked up when he heard the familiar noise and he quickly pulled himself over, grabbing the uplift controls and forcing it to maximum, reaching his other hoof to the throttle and punching it to full. The Nimbus came alive again, the shadows of the propellers spinning in their view from the cracked windshield, confirming that they had power again… but would they build up enough in time to regain flight? They were still descending slowly. The only thing that kept them from a disastrous collision with the Fortress was Luna’s shield.
“Ah! AHHHH!!!!” Luna began to shout in pain as the immense aura around her horn began to pulsate erratically. The unicorns around her began grunting and gasping as well as they all felt the extreme pressure Luna was fighting against. They were doing their best to share the burden, but they were all holding a shield that was literally being pressed between two behemoths.
The Wonderbolts held on tight to them, keeping them steady as the Nimbus continued to press down against the Fortress, causing the platform to quake endlessly. They had no idea what was going on from their vantage point and feared for their lives as the Nimbus continued to fall slowly.
But they had hope, hope that salvation was close as they saw the propellers start up again and once more blast them with heavy winds and cross breezes as they rotated faster and faster. But would it be enough?
“H-HOLD… ON!” Luna chanted as she strained herself, pushing her magic harder and harder to the breaking point. “WE… CAN… DO IT!!!!” she encouraged… but it looked grim. Her magic was beginning to flicker, and as her magic flickered, so did the trails of light shooting along the deck and over the edge.
Luna’s shield was failing, growing thinner as she and the unicorns slowly lost their grip on it. With the propellers turning above her, Luna knew they were trying to make an escape… she just hat to hold on a little longer… just a little longer!
“N…NO! AHHHH!” Luna’s eyes and mouth shot open, bright flashes of blue light shining through both before her horn fizzled and another blast of magic ejected from it. A loud POOF sounded from it as her head was thrown backwards and the flow of magic completely stopped.
The unicorns surrounding her all screamed as their magic was forced back to them, all hitting them hard and disorienting them to the point where they slumped against the Wonderbolts holding them.
The shield was lost.
With the magic no longer flowing to it, the shield began to crack and bend inward against the crumbling structures of the Shadowbolt Fortress. Fading and threatening to vanish.
But the very last moment… right before the shield disappeared for good…
One of the massive crystals upon the Shadowbolt Fortress went critical, the pressure and the breakages forming in it causing a chain reaction.
It exploded violently, the bright pink flash of energy erupting from its surface and crashing against the entire starboard side of the Fortress. A massive shockwave shot forth from the blast, pushing against Luna’s waning shield. The shield split and shattered upon impact… but completely protected the underside of the Nimbus on its last breath… the blast and following shockwave instead propelling the Nimbus from below, giving it a sudden boost upward and away from the Fortress.
“WHOOOOAAAAAA!!!!!!” Soarin yelled out as he and everypony else were suddenly roughly pressed to the floor, the intense upward force more than anypony on board could handle.
“We’re moving up?!” Spitfire remarked as she forced her head up, looked out the windshield, and saw that they were, indeed, moving up. “WE’RE MOVING UP!!!!!” she yelled again, pounding her hooves on the floor excitedly. “LUCKY!!! LUCKY!!!!” She frantically looked over to him, only to find Lucky had been forced off the lever and to the floor. “SHIT!” Spitfire tried to pull herself over, but Soarin was already yanking himself along the floor faster than her, reaching out to Lucky and stuffing a hoof beneath his stomach.
“GET UP!!!!” Soarin yelled as he called upon all the strength he could muster, pushing Lucky up onto his hooves against both gravity and the absurdly strong upward force. It got easier to lift him as he was doing it… and it was because the Nimbus was reaching the top of its arc. “GO LUCKY! GO!!!!” Soarin yelled as he and Lucky worked together to get him back on his hooves and he immediately grabbed the steering lever… right as the Nimbus stopped rising, and started falling again. The propellers were turning… but they were still not going fast enough to keep them in the air.
The Nimbus tipped down and started to fall.
With the throttle punched full tilt and a little bit of forward momentum built up, they tipped downward into a slow dive towards the ground, taking a thirty degree angle that slowly tipped further as they surged towards the ground below. The uplift lever was already locked at maximum, so all Lucky had left was to pull up and pray it was enough.
“HHHRRGGGGG!!!!!!” Lucky grunted as he pulled the lever back towards him as far as it would go. The Nimbus axles, rotors, and fins churned, lurched, and creaked as it continued to descend, the ship itself fighting to even out as the propellers built up their speed. “COME ON NIMBUS!!!!!!” Lucky yelled. “YOU GOT US THIS FAR! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!” he yelled as he held on tight, his hooves sweaty, but refusing to let go.
Nopony said a word. Nopony even screamed or yelled. They all just stared out the front window as the ground grew closer and closer…
But their angle was improving.
Slowly but surely, the Nimbus began tipping back up. The bow was still pointing down, but it was getting closer and closer to even.
Soarin gripped the control panel beside Lucky. Spitfire clasped her hooves together, putting her head down against them as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
The Nimbus grew closer to the ground… closer… closer…
The gap between the earth and the ventral propeller blades steadily closing… inching closer and closer…
“COME OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!” Lucky yelled at the top of his lungs, pulling so hard on the lever that he felt like his hooves would fall off.
Then one of the ventral propellers…
Sliced the very tip of a tall blade of grass.
“YES!!!!!!!!!!” Lucky yelled out as the Nimbus tipped upward and slowly started climbing back into the air. “YES! YES! YES!” Lucky yelled, but then held onto the lever a little too long, the Nimbus tipping up to the point where a few ponies lost their hoofing and fell backwards, a few tumbling and yelping in surprise as the Nimbus took back to the sky. “YESSSS!!!!!” Lucky yelled once more before finally realizing he didn’t need to pull back on the lever anymore, pushing it back forward to even out.
The Nimbus tipped back until it was flying evenly… and smoothly.
Soarin exhaled loudly as the Nimbus calmed. Spitfire opened her eyes and blinked multiple times as she saw them regaining their altitude. Several other sighs of relief began ringing out, but Spitfire did not relax. She refused to before making sure of something.
“SURPRISE!” Spitfire yelled as she whipped around and stared at Surprise, still clinging to the periscope. “What’s the status of the Fortress?!” she asked, causing all eyes to point towards her.
“OH!” Surprise let go, landing on the floor with a soft plop before standing up and sticking her face to the eyepiece. “Um…” she turned it back and forth before freezing in one direction behind them. “AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” she bounced up and down, her tail twirling in a circle.
“What? What is it?!” Spitfire demanded as she rapped a hoof on the floor.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!” Surprise yelled giddily, her tone of glee causing a wave of curiosity and pre-relief among the rest. She pulled her face away from the periscope and flashed a wide, hyper smile towards Spitfire. “The Fortress is a complete wreck! They’re stuck in the ground and all smashed up!” She stepped back and pointed at the periscope while giggling. “I can’t do it justice! LOOK!” she encouraged.
But Spitfire just stared blankly, as if trying to process the moment. Soarin glanced at her, lifting an eyebrow as he waited for her to move, but in the end decided to do it for her. He stepped forward, taking Surprise’s invitation to look through the periscope. He paused briefly to carefully tip his head up a little so as not to hit the horn against it, and peered into the eyepiece.
His jaw dropped as he looked out behind them. Surprise was not exaggerating.
The Fortress was on the ground with a massive trench dug out behind it. It was HEAVILY damaged, all the dorsal propellers either broken, bent over, or on the ground beside it. The structure of the hull was in ruins, most of the higher portions completely crushed, including the bridge. The crystals that rested upon it were in were smashed and mangled, broken chunks either on the ground or in the process of breaking off and falling. It was riddled with small fires here and there, plumes of black smoke mixing with plumes of pink smoke that rose up from the broken crystals. The entire ship was tilted slightly to one side and looked like it had just been hit by a meteor shower, a lot of damage on its starboard side from an explosion.
Soarin pulled his head back and blinked before turning to Spitfire.
“Yeah, uh…” Soarin chuckled, a flabbergasted smile appearing on his face. “We kind of… really messed them up.”
The whole room went silent, nopony saying or doing anything except for Surprise as she continued to bounce and giggle happily. Eventually Lightning Streak suddenly stepped forward and took a turn looking through the periscope. He kept his face against it for a few moments before pulling his head back, turning to face forward and taking a deep breath.
“HELL… YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!” he cheered while pumping a hoof in the air.
The silence immediately broke, all the Wonderbolts and staff members erupting in cheers, hooting and hollering as more of them came over to take a look through the periscope.
They did it, they actually did it.
Not only did they get past the Shadowbolts… they also took their ship down in the process!
---To Be Continued---
Art in this chapter by Foxenawolf. (And holy crap check out those first two images by her!) And Penumbraglow.
Annnnd cut off. A little abrupt at the end there, but i felt it would make it an easier read. I already have 6000 words written going on from here and i don't see it taking me very long to finish it so expect a very quick update, chapter 142 picking up literally right after Lightning Streak yells at the end.
But WOW... Spitfire you crazy mare...
That feeling when you use your massive ship to literally teabag your enemy's massive ship... 
Lots of action, it's fun to wirte from the Nimbus p.o.v. in these confrontation, i feel like i'm writing ship battle scenes from Star trek or something 
Luna putting on the big girl pants to come through for the Wonderbolts! Literally shielding the whole compound like a boss.
P.L. is.. wow... he's strong as hell but... he really needs to work on his planning huh? Strength doesn't mean much if you get yourself killed. Good thing he has backup... and good thing Silver was down for the count or else he'd be getting an earful for that one.
What's Moon up to? This time he aided directly in helping fight against the Shadowbolts... just when you thought you maybe figured the guy out... At least he let Air Mach be Air Mach! 
Spitfire... went a little nuts... 
I mean seriously... dropping the whole dang ship down on top of the other ship... i mean, it worked but YIKES SPITFIRE.
crazy stuff huh? And chapter 142 will pick up right where this left off with the Wonderbolts absorbing the fact that they REALLY DID just pull that off.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!
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Can I laugh?
Ahh!!! I don't know if I'll be able to wait for the next chapter!!!
Nicely done. But Ruin and Nightshade are of yet no-shows!! YOU'RE NOT OUT OF DANGER JUST YET!!! DON'T GET COCKY!!!
OMG!?!?!?!?!? THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!! That was so fun to read! Good job everypony!!!!
Also Twister is still suck in the ceiling.
Dies but doesn't So many things I want to say.. but I can't put words to them O_o
I'm pretty sure this should maybe be labelled with 'adventure' as one of the tags. Y'know, just maybe.
Crazy. Now I won't mind a pic of what they done to the fortress.
I just hope that Ruin didn't infiltrate the fortress during the battle.
That was amazing! I can't wait for the next chapter!
Good gravy this was AWESOME! Great job, now let's get this lot home.
First off.
That was teh song i listened to the whole chapter. It fit.
ALSO: “I’m already giving her all she’s got!” he (Rivet) yelled back in a defiant tone.
Rivet is now Scotty Jr.
An amazing chapter all around, though!
I bet Penny freaks out over Moony-Moon showing up ;3
I love it! I think I might have an inkling of an idea where you're going with this next--but we'll see. They're clear of the Shadowbolts, but they are now WAY shorthanded if anything (or anypony) else should arise...
It's a daring move to try and knock them down from above, but that was quick thinking on Spitfire's part. Reminds me a little of the old arcade game Sky Pirates. Wouldn't have happened to have played that one, would you?
Also I have a crazy theory about Ruin's absence but I'll wait and see if i'm right!
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except i have to remove the slice of life tag if i do, believe me i've tried, the website considers those to be conflicting tags
Holy fuck that artwork Foxena is godtier
Also, I think I've found the threstral and P.L's theme
(I've been on a berserk kick for the past two weeks...send halp)
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Surprised a moment similar to this hasn't quite happened yet
Dip dip potato chip.
Great chapter as always Calm see you in the next one!
Eeeeeeeee! This was awesome! Things are still up in the air, but looking hopeful. I just hope Air Mach's okay
There's going to be a lot of regrouping going on next chapter. Hopefully they had some kind of rally point set up for the thestrals and renegades. There's always Nightshade to worry about, too
Okay, hold on, real quick.
Literally the first thing I thought of:
*starts singing as loud as she can* TO THE LEFT, TO THE LEFT, EVERYTHING YOU OWN IN A BOX TO THE LEFT (also, another very relevant line - YOU MUST NOT KNOW 'BOUT ME, YOU MUST NOT KNOW 'BOUT MEEEE)
Okay. Now that that's done.
WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT MAN, FEEL THE FRIGGIN HYPE (but did it have to happen like that...?
) 
Just gotta say though, I seriously thought something bad was gonna happen based on how several other times things started out well and then ended very badly, so I was REALLY unprepared for this madness, but whatever, I'm happy now (though the Nimbus has to have some kind of internal damage, like the engine room has to be like, almost on fire at this point).
AND MOON. MAKE UP YOU'RE MIND MAN, WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU REALLY ON. Although I'm kinda eager to see what kind of excuse he'll conjure up this time. What's you're cover, Moony, we're onto you
I mean, assuming he finds a way to get back to the Fortress in the first place, since we kinda lost him and Air Mach some time ago, but then again, he's Moon, so I'm pretty sure he'll save himself.
Somehow.
Welp, I think that wraps up my thoughts XDD. This was so friggin awesome man, I NEED MORE, I CAN'T WAIT
(I have an emoji obsession, I am so sorry XDDD)
Whoa wait.
Hold on.
Wait a minute.
I lied.
I'm not done.
....................
Where were Ruin and Nightshade.....?
(SNEAK ATTACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I'M CALLING IT RIGHT NOW)
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Ehem...
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༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ EVERYONE! GIVE LUNA YOUR ENERGY! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
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JR: Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out!
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ROCK BOTTOM! ROCK BOTTOM! ROCK BOTTOM!
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Uh oh! Wait a minute. Oh no don't do it to em!
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TOOOOMMMBBBSTTOOONNNEEEEEEE PILLLEEEDRIIIVVEERRRRRRR
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Such a good chapter
My favorite part was “SHE’S LOST HER FUCKING MIND!” and “Ex-fucking-SCUSE me?!”
Funny parts “Dammit, Air Mach, you glorious bastard!”
”
“Well fuck, she’s lost her mind!” Blaze yelled
“COME ON! GO DOWN, YOU BASTARDS! GO DOWN!”
But Spitfire was… smirking?
“Not when he have a nasty surprise waiting for them underneath!” she said while giving him a jab on the shoulder.
“Underneath?!” Soarin blinked. “What do you… Oh…
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Now now, Easy, I think this fits better.
I have a tendency to talk to stories or act like I'm in the story, and when I did the latter, my "plan" was the exact same as Spitfire's. When she told them to drop the Nimbus, my first thought was '
My plan! They're doing my plan!' I can believe I predicted that. 
my adrenaline is so high just from reading this epicness!
Those are my favorite lines from him so far in the entirety PTH so far. Glorious.
That was contradictory... And hilarious.
Someone give Squall a BIG hug. This guy need it.
Little Star: On the way!
What tipped you off?!
I'm with Lucky...
I'm supposed to be relieved or what?
Is this a bad moment to say I ship these two?
DON'T SAY HER NAME!!!
Guys, time and place, please...
You know... There's Plan C too... And I know this have something to do with the Thestrals.
Where the shy little engineer went?
I knew it!
Void being bite, Angel being mane-yanked, Blade being restrained and Shadow freaking out...
Someone bring me my camera, I need to take a picture from these...
HOLY SH-!
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Oh HELL NO! You don't!
Me: WHAT?!?!
Dad: *almost jumps out of his seat* What the hell?! Are you crazy?!
Spitfire, let's sit down and think the situa-
Spitfire: THINKING MY ASS!
Spitfire, have you gone INSANE?!?!
For this time, I agreed with Blaze and High Winds...
Okay, one: Spitfire needs a massage or a psychiatrist (By preference the second one). Two: Did she just called Rivet shorty?!
Oh, there you are! At least you didn't disappeared...
Is this another reference?
GOOD DAMN! This chapter was amazing!!!
SO MUCH ACTION! SO MUCH SUSPENSE! THIS IS AMAZING!
And what the hell is Moon doing there?! Where the hell is Ruin?! Who let Sin out?!
I don't want to fucking know if Nightshade is going to attack!
Amazing Chapter Calm!
AMAZING! As always...
The worst was that halfway this my brother decided to be a pain and demand the computer, leading my mother to ask me how long I have been in the computer and ending with me reluctantly turning off the computer... But I ended reading in my iPad anyway
Can't wait for next chapter! You have me chewing my nails (And I hate to ruin my nail polish)
One last time:
AMAZING! INCREDIBLE!
TV Tropes - Awesome Moments - Chapter 141. WHOLETHING!
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Twister wouldn't still be in the ceiling and everyone inside would be hearing Ruin's tirade of screams and curses if he did, and the infiltrator was Rapidfire.
8019905 Yeah, Twister would definitely kick Ruin out if the latter tried.
SWEETNESS, good paced action, thrills and chills, honestly i had wanted spitfire to drop the nimbus on the shadowbolt fortress for a good while now
twister has one scene, and he nails it, i'm curious as to the condition of the lunar guard and Animak
WOW just WOW!
REALLY THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!
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Just... I have no words for how BA everyone was.
well done sir!
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YEÀH AN UPDATE!!!!
Crazy things over at the HQ was expected but I wasn't expecting for Spitfire to be that shitty crazy....she kinds a scared me for a sec.
And I kindda forgot about the confiscated falcon smart for aitmatch to bring it bad and I quote
That was a helluva ballsy move by Spitfire, but I recommend that she takes ten seconds to explain her plans in future if she doesn't want to be considered insane!
A good crazy plan is one where you take down the enemy's main power. An even greater crazy plan is one where you actually survive doing so.
And on the subject, as the line between madness and genius is so blurred you could use it as censorship, I will say that in this battle, Spitfire was FUCKING BRILLIANT!
Now she properly deserves victory schoodlypooping with Wave Chill once he's cured.
i fell like the bat ponies went to waste after all that build up with them..........just one quick scene and that was it........
Aaaaahh! That was god-tier epic! Knowing you, I kept expecting something bad to happen but, well, the Wonderbolts managed to survive this time! (Or did they?)
Am I the only one wondering if Silver is still properly strapped or if the shaking was strong enough to move him? :(
Hopefully Luna will be okay too after this…P.L will probably never leave her side again :P
I'm genuinely worried about Nightshade and how she's taking this. What will Kayn Ost do to her?
Now, onwards to the Crystal Empire!
Welp, PL showed himself to be a bad ass. But really, he has enchanted armor to help, Descent and the others don't. But I bet he could take on blade and probably beat him down, given his skill and expertise.
Also, way to drop the hammer Spitfire! But at least she's learning that being risky in combat is a good thing. Now it should be relatively smooth sailing to the Crystal Empire! Where everypony can get some well deserved rest!
8020288
I don't know how to plane
8020422
Oh i'm far from done with them
So... Falcons require a crew of four to keep in the air. One big question is what the other two seats are for. Are they gunners? Navigators? Are they simply secondary flight controls in case the pilot is killed? It's possible that there are details in the chapter where Air Mach first retrieved this Falcon, but my exhausted mind cannot remember clearly.
*takes notes on Spitfire's tactics for use in Space Engineers and ship-to-ship combat in atmosphere and low-orbit*
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HANG ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!
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WHAT MADNESS AM I UP TO?! Just the usual...
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Twister is, if nothing else, consistent at being random...................................
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Have i actioned you out? x3
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and of course you are more worried about the Shadowbolts
8019311
Thats always been a tough one. I dont know many artists who can do arcitecture... and even if i did i will admit describing architecture is much more difficult, hence why Aoki's pic in chapter 97 at the end isn't quite exactly how the nimbus looks, but told him MYSELF that i wasn't sure i could give him enough details for 100% accuracy, so i let him put his own touches on it.
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You gotta love characters that can create unease like that even when they're nowhere to be found
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Thanks!
8019381
Thank you!
Yes..... let's......
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i couldn't resist throwing a scotty reference in there somewhere
And as for music, since we're on the subject, i listened to this to get hyped for writing this action sequence:
8019410
Indeed they have succeeded, but they still have to make it to regroup and make it to the crystal empire
And i actually can't say I know of that game
8021938 Yes he is, please keep doing funny and random scenes with Twister.
8019435
ikr? Foxena went to TOWN on these pics
I actually was channeling a little bit of the 'oh shit' generations scene when i had them crach land in chapter 98. In general, i've had fun doing a bit of startrek-esque action writing when it comes to the Nimbus, have always wanted to
Thanks bro!
Name of chapter: Forces Collide
Name of song i was listening to at the time when i began to read the chapter: Worlds Collide (Nightcore OVIOUSLY!)
Conclusion: Calm can predict the future
be afraid everypony, be afraid XD
Moon, sweetie, ya gonna regret working with Him.
Also, its the latter XD
I know right! She's gone mad!
...
I LOVE IT!!!!
Calm, i wont lie, this chapter is mad... LOVE IT!
Have some memes!!!!
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Sweet Luna and stars above Calm! 710 likes!!! 710 dude! Congratulations!!!
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Thanks!
pretty much all those things there are addressed in the 8000ish words i cut off to be chapter 142 xD so you'll know soon