Chapter 14: “A City Built By Talons and Hooves.”
It took Daring Do a full minute to register what had just happened, and where she and the Storm’s Vengeance now where. Her jaw dropped as she stood up in the Crow’s nest and looked around to see herself in another world.
Rays of golden sunlight shined down in streaks all around them, illuminating the entire sky in a golden hue.
Great gleaming clouds floated around with giant marble statues of ancient looking Griffins and Ponies resting on top of them.
Huge floating islands, with great water falls pouring down to the earth below, peppered the scenery.
And in the center of it all, was the most beautiful city Daring had ever laid eyes on.
It was like a world onto itself. A sprawling complex of glittering, soaring spires and sweeping buttresses. The magnificent architecture of it all, seemed to pulse with streams of light, and the entirety of it emblazoned against a backdrop of a radiant luminescence that seemed to stretch to infinity.
Daring had no words. Because no words were needed.
She let herself glide down to join Storm and Swift Wing on deck, who were also gazing out at the magnificent city in pure awe. None of them were able to look away.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have much time to appreciate the great lost city’s beauty, as the scene was suddenly blocked out by The Rising Thunder, with all its guns trained on the Vengeance.
Storm snapped back to reality, Just as the cannons fired. He seized the wheel and threw it a random direction.
Daring and Swift were thrown aside as the Storm’s Vengeance spun to the left, nearly colliding into a nearby floating island. A shot missed, but the other exploded into the side of the ship ,throwing Storm off the wheel.
In a matter of minutes, cannon fire was flying in all directions from both ships, As griffins scrambled all over different parts of the ship, while Storm barked orders to his crew.
“All soldiers to stations! Lock down the central propeller! All Cannons, be ready to return fire!”
“Sir! We’ve taken damage on the port-side hull!”
“Get someone down there on the double, We can’t afford any risks in this fight. Get it patched as soon as you can!”
“Aye, Sir!”
Daring and Swift Wing did all they could to aid the griffins in the fight, but it was becoming clear that they couldn’t afford a huge sky battle. Not when they were literally right outside Kamara Mista’s front door.
Daring turned to Storm. “Storm! We don’t have time for this!” She yelled over the cannon fire.
“We’re literally right outside the city! We need to get in there, before CopperBeak does!”
Storm nodded but looked unsure. “Your right Daring, but I can’t afford to leave the ship. My men need me to-“
“Storm. My father could be waiting for me down there.
“I need you.”
Daring’s words touched the old griffin. He thought for a moment.
Then gave a determined smile.
“Cloud! Front and center!”
Sergeant Cloud flew over and saluted storm. “Aye, Sir?”
“We’re going down to the city to stop Copper. I need you to stay on deck and keep that Dreadnought busy!”
Cloud’s eyes widened. “Sir, I-“
“Is that understood Cloud?”
Cloud looked taken aback a bit. But he saluted storm again. “Sir, Aye, Sir!”
Storm nodded and saluted Cloud back.
As the Sergeant flew off, Storm turned to Daring.
“Alright. So how do we intend to reach the city?”
“Ummm…fly?”
Storm looked surprised to say the least. “Fly!? While cannon fire is being hurled left and right from both ends?”
“Well I don’t know, I thought you had a plan!”
“I thought you had a plan!”
Swift Wing raised a hoof. “I’ve got one.”
Daring and Storm both looked at her. “You do?” they said in unison.
Swift smiled and nodded. “Follow me.”
Below Deck
“No.”
“Storm, it’s the only way.”
“No.”
“Storm-“
“These crafts were not designed for maneuvering through a war-zone! They were meant to take griffin soldiers or civilians to safety in case the ship was going down.”
Daring eyed him. “Well, you got a better idea on how to get there?”
“I…well…No.”
Daring smiled then gestured a hoof to the escape ship’s pod door. “Alright, so: Griffins first!”
Storm grumbled to himself as he entered the small confines of the escape pod.
As Daring entered, she turned to Swift Wing outside the door. “So…you know how to fly this thing right?”
Swift Wing gave a nervous smile and scratched her head. “Oh yeah...you know…maybe?”
“Maybe?”
“Hey, it can’t be any different then flying a plane can it?”
“Heh. Fair enough.”
With that, Swift Wing, Storm Talon and Daring Do were all seated in the escape pod as the ship rocked from time to time from the force of the firing cannons.
Before Storm could protest, Swift Wing had activated the controls and launched the escape pod into the skies, bound for Kamara Mista.