Trotcon Speedfic Panel
7/14/17
Admiral Biscuit
Luna and Roseluck in the Zebralands
The dirigible was off-course. That much was known. How far off-course, nopony knew. The Sirocco winds had whipped up the desert sand, obscuring the view of the ground below, and the night sky was obscured by high clouds.
Roseluck was not worried. She knew that up in the bow of the airship, Princess Luna was in her cabin, and surely the princess of the night knew where the stars were, even if they were obscured.
Right?
"Your Highness?" Nightshade, Thestral commander, regarded the lunar diarch nervously. "We're, um, lost."
"How can we be lost? Does the captain not have navigation instruments?"
"Yes, but with the sky obscured and the ground obscured. . . ."
"Perhaps we could simply stay airborne until the sky clears," Princess Luna suggested.
"The chief engineer says that we are low on hydrogen," Nightshade said. So we must land soon--as soon as we find any suitable land."
Meanwhile, on the main deck of the dirigible, the ship's pegasi were taking flight, descending into the sandy malestrom.
Roseluck watched them with a growing sense of alarm. The pegasi frequently flew around the airship, inspecting the rigging and the envelope, but these were flying away and not coming back. A vague sense of unease was growing in her breast. Didn't sailorponies say that rats deserted sinking ships? Why wouldn't airship pegasi do the same?
She thought about asking one of the non-winged crew members--they, at least, couldn't so easily abandon ship--but she decided to wait. She knew that she had a tendancy to panic unnecessarily, and maybe this was one of those times.
Sure enough, after a while the pegasi started coming back, and Roseluck breathed a sigh of relief.
That relief was somewhat short-lived, though--after the last pegasus landed, Roseluck started hearing the hiss of escaping gas, and the dirigible began to sink towards the blowing sand below.
Nightshade stepped back in Princess Luna's chambers. "The captain says that we are far south of our destination. We will not be able to fly again until the storm clears."
"A pity . . . I was looking forward to meeting with the Saddle Arabians."
"I could ask the captain how far from Saddle Arabia we are," Nightshade offered.
It was tempting, but Princess Luna knew that the captain probably had his hooves full already, so she simply shook her head. Perhaps this is an opportunity, Luna thought. I could meet more of our subjects.
The flight down was bumpy and rough. All the airship pegasi did their best to keep the ship under control as it descended through the whipping winds, but they didn't have nearly enough wingpower to battle a duststorm.
Roseluck had retreated to her stateroom. She thought that if she was going to die, ti would be better to do it in a bed then clinging to the railing in horror.
When she ship finally landed, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was still alive, and just as importantly, none of the flower arrangements she had brought for the Saddle Arabian embassy were damaged.
She hastily packed up her belongings, completely oblivious to the fact that their dirigible was not in Saddle Arabia.
Nightshade looked out the porthole and studied the zebras that were now beginning to encircle the downed craft. They didn't look hostile--but it was her job to make sure that the Princess was safe.
I am sure they are peaceful," Princess Luna said. "We have been at peace with the zebras for centuries. They are just curious, that is all." She rubbed her hooves together. "Come along, let us meet our subjects."