//------------------------------// // Prologue: Zeppelins // Story: {EaW} The Voyage // by Altarya //------------------------------// When something doesn’t work, what do you usually do? Give up? Try again? Few have the perseverance and patience required for the last option, fortunately I am one such pony. My name is Altarya Skarya, and this is my story. oooOOOooo I stared into the massive doors of the royal throne room, waiting for a word from the Princesses. Despite how friendly they were, only a few ponies had the luxury of being seen by either one of them nowadays. The massive white doors stood, presenting the terrific art of when the city of Canterlot was originally built; the art detailed the two royal princesses watching over the kingdom as they’ve always done, and probably always will. “Relax Altarya,” said my twin sister, Etrys, “the worst that can happen is they don’t accept and we have to seek out private funding.” She wrapped one of her leathery wings around my neck before adding, “Maybe do some re-branding.” Unfortunately, her wing brushed against one of my ‘scars’. I let out a hiss of pain as I pulled away. “Ah! Etrys, the neck… it still hurts.” I turned to look at Etrys. “It’s the fifth time I have to tell you since they discharged me from the hospital yesterday,” I said, giving her a patient smile. She frowned, but nodded, her jet black mane falling on her face and covering one of her bright orange eyes. The door rumbled and began to open, and I looked towards the room, trying to take on a serious expression. No matter how much Etrys tried to comfort me with talks of private funding, truth was that after the ASA-126 Novum went down in a flaming inferno; no one was willing to trust Skarya Airship Co. or zeppelins in general. The Equestrian government’s ban of Xeriun-based lighter-than-air vehicles didn’t help either. The doors opened, revealing the throne room within, straight ahead was a wide silk red carpet, leading to the Celestial Throne, the furniture was raised by a golden stage. The room stood several meters tall, sustained by magnificent columns. In between them were several stained glass windows depicting the sun, the moon and the stars. Atop the throne itself were several tapestries of similar iconography. Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria and the one responsible for each sunrise, stood regally on the throne; her white pristine flank was covered in many golden jewels, her multicolored mane and tail waved in an invisible eternal breeze, her purple eyes looked down upon myself and my sister, she had a calm expression and a soft smile, but one could see that hidden behind her expression was the unnerving tiredness of a thousand years worth of ruling. Next to her stood her younger sister, princess Luna, the princess of the Night, her dark blue flank was covered with marine blue jewels, her mane and tail filled with stars also seemed to wave in the same invisible breeze as Celesta's. Unlike her sister though, Luna’s expression was far more serious, her blue eyes gazed upon us with an air of authority and assertiveness. “Please enter, make yourselves comfortable.” said Celestia in a calm tone. We lightly trotted towards the royal figures. Then we bowed as we reached the throne. “It is wonderful to see you again, Ms. Skarya, how has your recovery been going?” She asked. I stood up, and looked at the smiling princess “Well, magical fire gives permanent wounds, but nothing that will tie me to a bed anytime soon”. She nodded. “What is it you wish to discuss with me my little pony?” I opened my suitcase and grabbed a blueprint, the alicorn levitated the paper and opened it, revealing the schematics for the Novum’s sister zeppelin, the ASA-127 Spero. Her expression changed to concern as she levitated a table to put the schematics upon. Luna simply raised an eyebrow. I cleared my throat, “So, after the ASA-126 Novum and it’s disaster, our investors have backed away, claiming we should direct focus towards passenger aircraft or traditional airships rather than our trademark zeppelin-class, however…” From my suitcase I grabbed another paper with my mouth, containing a picture of a zeppelin surrounded by a cheering crowd, behind it a sign read ‘Aerial Revolution!’, I placed the photograph on the table, “But we simply cannot abandon our most prized invention, we were the first to fly in between the continents, and the first to make passenger aerial flights!” I paused to catch my breath “the public view of our invention is certainly stained right now, but with public funding and the ban on zeppelins lifted, I'm certain we can bring back support from the masses” I said assertively. She considered me for a moment, then simply shook her head. “I’m sorry Ms. Skarya, but we simply can’t, your airships may have revolutionized air travel, but look at yourself, you’re covered in eternal wounds, your wings are damaged to the point where you’ll never fly again…” She closed her eyes and levitated the blueprint back into my suitcase “You’re an inventor Ms. Skarya, you have done a lot to the modernization of Equestria without your airships, I'm glad you can look upon such an invention with passion but I simply cannot put public funding in a machine that has become associated with a such a horrific event, I may be able to lift the ban or at least make it less strict but funding these machines is simply not possible” she paused sighed and then continued “Not everything you invent needs to be a complete revolution Ms. Skarya”. “But Princess… we cannot abandon something because of one bump in the road, the Novum was but one zeppelin, there were one hundred and twenty five others before it that didn’t end up with the same fate, and most of those airships are collecting dust within \the few hangars we have or are being slowly destroyed by weathering, I assure you whatever caused the Novum to explode won’t happen again, ever” I said raising my right hoof. “Think about it, we can use them to integrate the world, use them as a symbol of unity among cultures, my previous voyages proved that the public sees them as such!” She opened her eyes and gave me a patient smile “Sorry, but there are more important sectors in need of funding, Ms. Skarya, and the public’s view of them right now is that of an unsafe, expensive way of travel. I cannot promise lifting the ban entirely, but perhaps I can make it less restrictive”. I opened my mouth to make another argument, but the princess was already giving me a slight hint of impatience, so instead I simply nodded. “We understand your highness…” Etrys said while I grabbed the photograph with my mouth and closed my suitcase, we gave the princess one last bow before turning around and- “Wait!” Luna said and I immediately turned to face the alicorns again. Celestia turned to her sister with a raised eyebrow. “Sister, what she says has value and funding for her company doesn’t need to be permanent. The stars have told of a great incoming disaster, if we can somehow unite the world with one symbol, harmony may prevail.” Luna said evenly. “Oh Luna, there you go with your stars again, there won’t be a disaster here in Equus, like there hasn’t been for a thousand years. Furthermore, you have yet to fully grasp what it means to administer a modern nation, even I am having troubles with that.” She shook her head, “Go back to managing your batponies” Luna gave her a scowl, then turned to face me “Clearly pride has completely blinded you, sister, since you haven’t noticed that I am doing just that at this very instant!” “Luna, please there is no need to- “Princess! Please I beg of you!” I screamed as I bowed “We already have the Spero built, we only require funding to keep it aloft, please give me a chance… In one year, maintain the Spero in the air for one year and I will helm it around all the nations of this world and prove the value of my machine once and for all!” I snapped at her… and immediately regretted that decision. She was right, there were more important sectors that needed funding, and who knows Etrys might actually find a way to get the company privately funded again, she was a businesspony after all. Always keeping the company afloat… perhaps we could re-brand and try a new design… one that wasn’t prone to magical fires. Celestia gave me a severe glare, then faced her sister who returned the expression, she turned to face me one more time “Fine”. Wuzuwutwhaaat? That actually worked?! “If you can, in one year, and with only one airship, create a common symbol to all races to look upon for unity, if you really manage to visit all nations, then Ms. Skarya your company will receive as much funding as it will ever need and the ban will be lifted completely!” She said while opening both of her wings, her voice actually seemed to push me back, like a small gust of wind “However I will not commit to spending even a single bit after your airship leaves equestrian soil. You will have to obtain all fuel and supplies yourself, you are also NOT an equestrian ambassador and you do not carry with you the will of the equestrian government, also should you fail or become trapped within a foreign nation I do not hold responsibility and I will not commit an expeditionary force, am I clear?” I backed away a bit, but then stood and nodded. “We shall depart in three days then, thank you, your majesty, this chance will not be wasted.” “Luna will oversee this operation, since she seems so… devoted to her people, right sister?” I had never seen the princess with such… ruthlessness before, ruling really was taking a toll on the old goddess. “I’m granting you a dragon companion with the spell necessary for you to maintain contact with the equestrian mainland, your letters will be delivered to Luna and only to her, I do not wish to be bothered with this matter again.” Luna, sighed and nodded. “Well then, this session is dismissed!” She said while hitting the ground with one of her hooves. Well… that could’ve gone better… oooOOOooo “That could’ve gone worse, you could’ve ended up banished, or in a dungeon, or in a dungeon in the place you’re banished to, with how quickly the princess lost her temper…” Etrys said, then she gave a concerned smile and  tipped her right wing on my neck… I hissed again and sighed. “Ouch, the neck Sis…” I said, she removed her wing and looked around trying to find another conversation topic. We were inside another thing I helped invent, its  engine at least, namely a car. We sat on top of leather seats, the car was large enough to fit two rows of seats one in front of the other, I believe they named it a ‘limousine’. We decided to sit across from each other. The interior was entirely black, on the left side we had a mini-fridge, which I opened to grab a bottle of wine It was around the middle of the afternoon, the streets of Canterlot were busy and the traffic was slow enough that I could safely pour wine into the glass without spilling it all over my suit and what’s left of my once white furry flank. Sis gave me a worried frown “Erm, I don’t think you should be drinking so soon, you left the hospital just yesterday.” I took a sip “If I don’t get a drink I think I'm going to have an aneurysm…” I said while taking another sip. “But why? Celestia is giving us the funding you asked… while you’re in the mainland at least. And as long as you just make a trip around the globe and… make everyone love each other and zeppelins… Heh…” She smiled nervously. “Get me a glass of that please… you got me to also be about to have an aneurysm.” I grabbed another glass and poured wine to it, then handed it to her, she took a sip. “So… Where are you heading first, world explorer? The Changelings? Crystal Empire? Nova Griffonia?… Pingland?” She asked while taking another sip of the glass. “Stalliongrad” I said matter-of-factly. “You’re going to the commies? Why?” She asked as she gestured… assassination, I think? By slitting her own throat with one of her hooves. “Well, last time I checked they were building zeppelin-wannabes themselves, plus re-establishing connections with them might strengthen my case enough for me to not need to literally travel the ENTIRE WORLD!” I put the glass away and then proceeded to drink the entire bottle. My vision started to blur a bit… “Why… why did I suggest that… tell me sis? Why…” I fell against the back of the seat, staring into the car’s open sunroof, the sunroof was opened, letting a warm breeze through. “Look, there might still be time left for you to call it quits, and you definitely should try talking to Luna, she might be able to work something out without you having to go on this massive trip”. I should be worried and while I just questioned my decision…  the truth was that I loved the idea. It had always been a dream of mine to sail around the world and this was basically the same thing, but with a flying ship… So why did I have a terrible feeling about it? For a split second I thought I saw a winged figure flying above the car, but just as it appeared it vanished. I rubbed my eyes, and nothing but the blue sky there, must be the alcohol… “Sis, you alright?” I turned to face Etrys, she looked very concerned. “Yeah… I'll do that” I said, or at least I think I did… I had to do this… not for airships’ sake, not for my own sake, but because the princess said she foresaw something coming… something terrible, and the truth of the matter was, without Luna the batpony race is just an outcast race. She was the one that took us in, made us guards, gave us a place in the equestrian society… which is why I must trust her judgment in sensing a great disaster… one that I had to prevent… I guess… somehow. I sighed while closing my eyes… ‘In Luna we trust’, is what our parents told us, and they were told that by their parents, and so on. Even when she turned into that monster we still had to support her judgment… That’s it right? That’s the reason? Everything else, like self satisfaction and meeting a whole bunch of undocumented cultures is just a bonus…  and the good outweighs the dangers of: unpredictable weather, sky pirates and evil overlords right I guess? Goddesses this wine is strong… I decided to rest a bit. oooOOOooo I guess that before I tell you about the voyage I should talk a bit about zeppelins. Airships have existed for a very long time, they are composed of a gondola (usually a boat) which carries the passengers and cargo, and a gas bag (usually a simple balloon), where the gas used to give the airship its lift is stored. These machines are powered by magical propulsion engines or fluttering magical wings, neither of which give the machine much speed and the gas they use, called Helion, while inert, does not generate enough lift to allow for airships larger than a few dozen meters. So how are zeppelins different? Well, while the word is thrown around casually to refer to those flying boats, the term zeppelin actually refers to a much different machine. Yes, it has the same idea of being a flying machine lifted by gas, but zeppelins are far different. For one thing zeppelins have a rigid structure inside their gas bags, this structure prevents the gas bag from simply deflating if punctured. Zeps also use another of my inventions, combustion engines, as their main source of movement. These engines are powered by a gas mixture called “blowgas” which is as light as air and generates enough ponypower to outrun the fastest of the classical boat airships. Speaking of which, zeppelins are actually made with aerodynamics in mind, so they’re shaped in a way that allows them to move even faster and this is what gives them their unique appearance. The interior of zeppelins is also much more complex than your standard airship, filled with personal quarters for each passenger, a restaurant, etc… Though the ASA-127 Spero is not the largest one, it isn’t by any means small, spanning  500m in length and powered by thirteen blowgas engines, the Spero is only half the size of its sister, the Novum, but unlike it, the Spero is carrying within it some computer prototypes, turret protection and a plane hangar, as it was designed to be an exploration airship rather than a cruise one. It was a work of art, a big, flying, silver blob of art. But the fatal flaw of the zeppelin is it’s lifting gas, Xeriun, a gas found primarily in the badlands, extremely toxic and also very sensitive to magical sparks, the gas bags are very protected and nopony has direct access to them, but even a unicorn casting a light spell could cause the gas to ignite in magical fire, which can’t be put out by water and if it burns you, it’s a permanent wound that will always hurt when touched. I thought the chances of that happening were slim, but if the Novum proved anything, it’s that no amount of caution is enough caution. oooOOOooo The days after my meeting with Luna were mostly spent preparing the voyage. The Spero could carry up to a thousand passengers, but the less we carried the longer the supplies would last and the less strain on the zeppelin’s engines thus using less fuel, we had the minimum crew possible, around a hundred ponies and myself. I was in front of the helm of the zep, around me the windows showed the city of Canterlot as the airship had been moored on one of the castle’s spires. Around me a crowd watched, and using the binoculars I could see the princess giving a speech in front of the palace. I was waiting for a signal to be given to me from the tower so I could disengage the magnets holding the airship into its makeshift mast. Next to the princess was Etrys, smiling nervously while looking over the crowd. Luna was nowhere to be seen, however … Celestia seemed to finish her speech as the crowd roared. From one of the castle towers I saw a pony moving an orange sign telling me to disengage the mast. With a loud clank the mast was disengaged and the zeppelin was pushed by the winds, I turned the helm upwards and started the engines, behind me the loud boom of the six blowgas engines roared and then the propellers began to spin. And just like that the zeppelin was moving, the crowd below looked upwards and pointed hooves, with the binoculars I could catch a few frowning faces. It would take a lot to get the public to love the zeppelin again. Guided by the astrolabe I finally steered the zep towards Stalliongrad. And so the voyage begins…