//------------------------------// // 2 | Airship Down // Story: The Day The World Exploded // by TheMajorTechie //------------------------------// Airship Down I watched in terror as airships around us crashed and burnt. Our own ship had caught fire in multiple areas as well, and the Captain seemed quite uneasy with the fact. The ship continued its descent, falling faster as it neared the rubble-coated ground below. The parachutes that were deployed minutes ago were already nothing but shreds of fabric-- pock-marked with little flecks of stone and singed all over. “Brace yourselves.” The Captain’s voice boomed over everyone else, “With the parachutes gone, and most of the balloon destroyed, we won’t be slowing down ‘till we hit the ground.” Jewel nodded at me, motioning to get closer as she once again lit her horn. Just as before, the center point of the hull became engulfed in a shimmering blue as the spell took effect. Immediately, the ship’s descent slowed to a crawl, sending nearly everyone tumbling onto the deck. The Captain of the ship glared at her for a moment but dropped the look as he noticed another flaming airship drop past us, landing in a fireball onto the ground below. “Y’know,” I began, staring at the carnage beneath us, “that slow-fall spell of yours is pretty similar to teleportation. It shouldn’t be that hard to levitate objects, right?” Jewel shook her head as the ship’s crew threw ballast overboard to lighten the load. “Levitation requires supporting the full weight of an object. The spell I cast only supports it partially.” I snorted. “Yeah, okay,” I grumbled, turning away. “my guess is just that you’re not confident enough.” “I already told you. I’m just not good at that. And just like I said earlier, you’ve seen what happens when I try to levitate even small things. I…” A splinter of wood shot between us from the balloon supports above, embedding itself in the deck. “…I just don’t have the ability to control the movement of an object. That’s why I can use my slow-fall spell but not levitate, okay? This spell just lets gravity do the controlling.” “Enough yapping already!” The Captain yelled, marching up to Jewel. His face softened. “I’d say that you chose a fine time to follow your own orders. Now then, seeing how the ship’s still in the air and not in pieces on the ground, I want you to focus only on that spell of yours. Alright?” Jewel nodded, her horn growing brighter as the ship’s descent slowed even more. “Good.” The Captain mumbled in return as he turned away. Another shockwave ripped past the airship, further shredding the flapping remnants of both the main balloon and the parachutes. With a lurch, the ship’s descent accelerated. The ship’s passengers grew quiet, their eyes fixated on the rapidly-approaching ground below. “Hold on now,” Jewel murmured, a bead of sweat rolling down her face as her horn brightened even further. “we’re gonna be in for a rough landing, even with the spell in place.” Moments later, a sickening crunch tore through the air as the ship plowed into the ground, its hull shredded as if it had gone through a cheese grater. The sudden halt sent ponies across the ship tumbling to the floor in dazed heaps, with some of the more unlucky ones even breaking a few bones. I recovered with a groan, pushing myself up against the splintered remains of the ship’s deck. “Jewel?” I asked quietly, “Jewel, where are—“ I felt a light punch to the side. “I’m right here, doofus.” Jewel deadpanned, “What, did you expect the mare that literally just saved us from certain death to just up and vanish once we landed?” “The Captain!” I heard a voice holler, “He’s pinned under his collapsed cabin!” Jewel turned away as a group of ponies galloped past to aid the Captain. “C’mon.” She motioned, “There’s no use in staying behind to help any longer. The ash is going to settle soon.” “But—“ Jewel cut me off. “Forget about the Captain, Rusty,” she began, pausing for a moment to stare into the darkening sky, “he’s not gonna make it in time to escape the ash.” “She’s right, y’know.” I spun around, jumping back from the sight of a small crowd of ponies approaching us, led by one of the richer-looking Canterlot elites. The stallion halted before me, giving a nod of thanks towards Jewel before returning his focus to myself. “We’ll handle introductions later.” He cautioned, “Follow me. I know of a few hidden bunkers around here.”