Ropes cascaded across the deck of the airship, pulling it into the dock. The sound of metal grinding against itself screetched out as the ship came to a halt. The ship was in total ruin, I had only managed to escape with it still intact. I trotted out onto the deck to survey the damage for one last time. The helm of the ship was cracked open like a walnut, half of the structure still remained. Hanging, crooked, from the remainder of the building was the ornate bronze inscription Yekaterina, Catherine, my poor ship... I stepped down from the gangplank onto the cobblestone docking bay. I turned in the direction of the previous battle, gazing off the cliff. I was daydreaming when I heard the pounding of hooves approaching me. I turned towards a towering stallion, his coat a gleaming bronze, he wore the traditional captain’s garments and the flashy hat as well. A glare pressed through his heavy facial hair. Finally, he spoke
“I do not have words to describe how disappointed I am in you, Skies...” His words stung like molten fire pokers, a higher ranking officer’s opinion could sway your entire career as a captain. “Fleeing a battle, midway through, abandoning your comrades to DIE!” I stepped back and adverted my eyes in shame.
“Sir, I had no choice, the crew had nearly died and the ship was nigh destroyed! I had to think about my own crew...” my voice trailed off as I took my chance to gaze past the stallion and see the train of ponies being carried from the hull of the ship on stretchers. One, a name whom i forget, had taken a canon ball to the stomach as he was reeling, tearing him wide open. I winced at the sight and turned back to the furious stallion that I stood before.
“Leave my sight, impudent worm, go drown yourself in ale for all I care.” He pushed past me quickly, nearly knocking me to the ground. I felt absolutely terrible, I had deserted my fellow sailors to die... I was not lying in my purpose though, I had to make a decision and I did, whether it was the right one or not, I do not know...
* * *
I stumbled down the cobblestone walks of Stalliongrad, the ailment of alcohol pressing me down as I tried to walk. I reached my home and pressed into it, searching for my keys. When I could not find them i angrily tried the handle, in the off chance i had forgotten to lock it. Much to my surprise the door opened into the dimly lit living room of my house. I stopped cold in my tracks as my eyes adjusted to the light, the alcohol didn’t help. Inside was chaos, furniture was broken, glass shattered, papers strewn across the ground, bookshelves toppled. Somebody had vandalized my house, and I knew why. You see, in Stalliongrad, a stallion’s honor is everything. I had made a bad example of my city, neigh, my entire republic with an act of dishonor, this was my punishment.
I searched through the mess slowly and carefully, cold tears stinging at my eyes. I felt and heard something crunch beneath my hoof. I raised it to find a shattered picture frame, inside it the picture was still intact. I saw myself, standing next to a beautiful mare. She wore an elegant white gown... a wedding gown. I myself wore a black tuxedo. We were both smiling brightly, without a care in the world, happy. We were happy... I clung tightly to the frame as I curled up on the floor, the tears now flowing down my face and onto the floor.
“I miss you Catherine... I miss you so much...”
* * *
Hundreds of miles away, across many mountain ranges and rivers, stands a stallion clad in his traditional Canterlot airship captain attire. A cool breeze blows through his black mane as he gazes off in the direction of his most recent victory.
‘The silly little captains of Stalliongrad refuse to accept that they cannot beat us, maybe they will hear more from the one who got away...’ A smirk spreads across his muzzle at the thought. A door slides open as a mare calls to the captain
“Gray, would you just come back inside please? your dinner is getting cold...”
“Yes dear...” the stallion stops to admire the view once more before retiring for the night.
Five years have passed since the war between the Monarchy of Canterlot, which consists of the neighboring cities to the royal city, and the Republic of Stalliongrad, which consists of a few conquered and some allied areas of Equestria that want revolution, erupted into full fledged conflict. though many battles were fought on the ground, most of the turning point battles were forged in the skies. The vast open space of Equestrian skies have become scenes of bloodshed and destruction. Both sides have taken enormous casualties but still find the need to fight overruling.
My name is Amber Skies, I am a pilot for the the R.S. military. I have grown a name for myself over the years... That has no meaning to me anymore, my honor has been stripped from me by my mortal enemy, Gray Tides, a very near friend of me before this bloody war. Funny isn’t it? How war can tear people apart? I loved that stallion like a brother... I never wanted to fight him, he left me no choice.
I acted too late...
Enough about the past though, although my honor and title where stripped, I still have a military position, just below a captain. Sure, I will have to do far more work, and take orders from a lesser qualified pawn, I still can reclaim my position.
The morning routine started off normally, the only difference being a lecture on honor... Figures... When we were let out, there was some scouting to be done, spies had recently uncovered some routes the Royals could take to get the jump on some of our airships. What would be more like the Stalliongrad way than showing up and waving our guns around...
Our ships set sail at high noon and we were to travel for two hours towards Canterlot, dangerously close to the city if you ask me. There was to be a cliff face off to the west of the city where a docking station was supposedly being excavated. Two gunships and the flagship of the operation, my ship, Yekaterina. The mechanics had finally gotten around to making repairs. The ship was notoriously fast. It rested on three sets of two wings each. A massive engine roared on the back where it got most of its vertical and horizontal thrust. Truly a beautiful machine by any other means than war.
We reached the designated location ahead of schedule. Lo and behold, there was the docking excavation. I stood next to the captain in shock as he chuckled.
“Priceless, they can’t hear us over the ocean. half of them will be trapped outside with no cover, hah!” I winced at the laugh. This captain truly was a sadistic stallion, but I was in no position to protest. “Descend! We will catch them off guard!” He shouted through a casting radio to the other ships. In unison the three metal beasts leaped over the cliff with an odd sort of ‘grace’. Before long, it became a massacre. The captain began to laugh uncontrollably as volley after volley of broadsides slammed into the cliff face. Ponies could be heard screaming as they fell to their deaths. It was a gruesome sight to say the least. i could not bear to look. Before too long the gunships whipped into a rapid ascent. The captain neglected to take notice though. Suddenly the bladed bow of a ship came down to break the space between us and the ruins of the dock. I immediately understood what had happened. The ship was obviously from Canterlot, a gunship. I pushed myself to pipe up.
“Uh, Captain?” The gray-coated stallion looked up to me with a clear anger on his face. “That is a Royal gunship, we have to go before it tears our ship to shreds!” His gaze stiffened.
“I care not for the interruptions of the hoity-toity Canterlot navy. This is your ship is it not? You do not believe it can take on any of this glamorous pieces of useless scrap metal?”
“Sir, I am certain it can’t, now we need to move before we all die!”
The captain was thoroughly displeased, and he made sure to convey that feeling. He continued to order another broadside, this one at the gunship. “Have you gone completely mad!?” I bared down on the ship captain. “CALL OFF THE BROADSIDE!” I shouted out to the deck. As I returned my focus to the captain I felt a pain spike through my cheek, sending me to the ground, dazed.
“Don’t you DARE attempt to usurp my control of this ship!” The captain shook his hoof to try and get some of the blood off it. By now I could feel a warm trickle of blood creep down my face. In anger, I planted my hoof on the wood floor of the helm. As I tried to lift my self from the ground there was a terrible explosion. Glass poured onto me as canon balls peppered the ship. I looked for the captain, hoping this had changed his mind. Apparently I had spoken too soon, as I bared witness to the gruesome sight of gore and carnage that used to be the captain. Where he once stood was a largely decorated R.S. captain’s hat. I drew it from the ground and placed it on my head, it fit perfectly. Without skipping a beat I grabbed hold of the controls and fired my ship up and over the cliff, out of the danger zone. The engine was clearly damaged and the crew was cleaning up the mess of their comrades. I silently cursed the captain, I couldn’t believe this was happening again.
I made haste in any direction that was not the cliff face. The ship was having a terrible trouble of even running and I couldn’t stress it if we were to make it back to Stalliongrad in one piece. The gunships had already ran off, cowards. I was left to my lonesome in enemy territory. Just as I thought we were in the clear, explosions rocked the ship once more. I pulled up to escape the fire but it was all in vain. It was too late when i realized...
We were going down, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
My shipmates, my comrades, they were falling to their deaths, being torn apart by iron and steel. I released my grip of the wheel, it did me no good anyways. The ship tilted to the left and began to drop. Smoke billowed from the rear and fires had erupted across the ship. The tail rudders remained though. I tested them to make sure they even still worked. In emergency the tail rudders were to operate for a short period of time. I placed my hooves around the lever and pulled it back with all my might. Into my sight appeared a dreadful sight. A beautiful city appeared as the airship pulled up, Canterlot. I panicked, wrenching the lever from the floor, it was no use, the rudders gave and the decent became more rapid. Seconds remained. I said a few silent prayers and looked up to the bronze plate above the helm.
“Catherine...
We will be together soon...”