"I'm at the engines." Lightning Dust said, gravity generators in her boots latching her firmly onto the windy surface of the S.F. cruiser, the engines blazing and rippling the air ten meters down from her location. She peered over the edge, watching them burn.
"On my way. Just need to shake these bastards off." Zealo said, and Lightning Dust could see his Apollo swerve through the air with several Strikers on his tail.
Suddenly the cruiser shook as portions of the tip blew apart, and the imbalance started causing it to tilt back. Lightning Dust tumbled over, and just managed to grab onto the edge. Her hooves dangled over the blazing engines. She was about to fly up when she noticed the huge air flow that was sucking her towards the engines- or more precisely, a specific portion of them. It was the air extractor, where air is drawn into the engines and then pushed out as thrust. This was often used in atmospheric conditions to reserve fuel for use in space.
So basically, she would get sucked into the engines if she were to open up her wings.
"Zealo? I've got a small problem here. Gonna have to blow up the engine right now. I'm stuck." she said, swinging down and making her gravity boots stick onto the side, the engines still slowly dragging at her from behind. Long marks started forming on the hull as her metal boots dragged along the surface. "Get away from the cruiser, it's not gonna last long after this."
"But what about pick up?"
"I can fly." Lightning Dust said, plucking a grenade from her belt and ripping out the pin. She looked down at the air extractors. "Wanna eat? Have this-" she said, dropping the grenade.
She didn't even need to aim it anywhere. The airflow sucked it straight into the engines, and she braced for impact.
There was a loud tink as the grenade hit metal, and a loud boom as it blew apart. The grenade shredded a portion of the hull, tearing up the metal; which got sucked straight into the engines. A series of loud bangs echoed through the entire cruiser, traveling down the lengths of the engines. Acting as a chain reaction, the metal shreds that got sucked in were wreaking havoc on the internals.
The engines spluttered, hissed, and went out. The flames died down, and Lightning Dust could feel the sudden decrease in velocity as the cruiser slowed down.
"That was easy."Zealo said, watching as the cruiser started slowly falling out of the sky. It was quite a sight, a flaming hunk of metal spanning several kilometers slowly dropping towards the water surface, the sea below it seemingly stretching beyond the horizon. More importantly, there was another cruiser underneath it.
"Didn't blow up. That was boring." Lightning Dust said, feeling the airflow die down and stretching out her wings.
Suddenly an out of control Striker swooped down, clearly having been shot in the wing- and almost hit Lightning Dust full on. It clipped her left wing, and they both went tumbling down towards the engines.
"Gah!" she screamed as her back cracked against the heated metal surface of one of the engines, while the Striker continued down, flaming and plummeting towards the sea. The immense heat of the surface burnt her back, and probably even melted what remained of her wings. She screamed, but not daring to move or she'll get more of herself barbecued. The cruiser shook, and she started rolling towards the edge. Her mind was dulled by the hit it got from that Striker, and she was barely thinking as she clawed at the engine's surface; which was slipping out from underneath her. She felt something sticky catch her back for a short second- yep, that'll definitely be her grilled wing.
Then she started falling again, down towards another cruiser. The word spun, one moment deep blue with the ocean and the next light blue with streaks of white clouds. Whatever remained of her wings twisted and turned, but she wasn't in control of them. They broke her descent, but she still slammed down pretty hard when she landed face first onto the metal hull of the cruiser below.
"Lightning Dust! You still there? The cruiser's coming down on another one- I doubt they'll go down without a boom this time! Lightning Dust!" Zealo's voice yelled through the micro speaker, but it was lying on the floor next to Lightning Dust's half conscious body.
She stirred, trying to stand up- but her legs gave way and she fell again. She couldn't feel her wings- well, she could- but they didn't feel the slightest like wings. They felt like shredded strands of muscle- and because of that, she didn't dare look back. There was a lot of blood on the floor, and a lot of loud metallic groaning in the background. Despite the small puddle, it was still quite less all things considered. The engine must've burnt her open wounds together. She looked up, and saw the cruiser she fell from earlier- crumbling down in flames, bits of burning metal with fire trailing them in the air falling down from the main body. She peered closer- those weren't part of the cruiser. Those were its crew members- in their desperate last attempt at survival- all going down in flames, some what literally.
She looked away as she heard somepony's screaming, getting closer and closer; until it ended with a loud thunk and sickening crack somewhere next to her. She felt the vibration in the hull for that one. She couldn't control it- she looked to her side, and saw the dead body of the mare that tried to jump into the ocean. Clearly she fell way too short, but she didn't look like she had a choice anyway. Lightning Dust could barely tell whether or not it was a mare, considering how demented and burnt the body was.
Was this what she wanted? To prove herself, to make herself useful... To make herself recognized. She looked back at the still burning body, with the eyes of a murderer. Was this really what she wanted?
She slowly crawled her way to the mic, and picked it up. She felt its familiar cold presence in her ear again as she placed it there.
"Zealo..." she said, her voice a mere croak. She could feel blood dripping from her wings and slipping down her side. She couldn't feel the pain, as her body was in shock- but from what she could feel, she decided it was worse than having them completely ripped away. After all, she could feel a strand of muscle stuck to her back by blood. Worse part was, she could feel both ends- both her back, and the odd strand of muscle.
"Shuck! You're alive! The hay are you? The cruiser's coming down!" Zealo said, having shaken off the Strikers and now circling the two cruisers and their inevitable collision. One desparately trying to get out of the way, the other falling in the same direction- collision was inevitable. "Where are you? I'm coming around for pick up."
"Nah. Too late." Lightning said, looking up- the sun was already being blocked out, and the cruiser was coming down fast. "Just remember to give me credit for taking down TWO cruisers." she said, every bit of strength draining from her muscles.
"Too bad. I'm coming in." Zealo said, marking a location on his HUD based on a tracking device in Lightning Dust's armor.
"Just go back to command. Judging by the blood loss, I won't make it anyways. Help with the evac." Lightning said, lying down on the hull and ignoring her oddly shaped wings.
"Damnit- just hold still! I'm heading straight for you now!" Zealo yelled, the Apollo screaming towards the closing gap between the two cruisers.
"You'll just end up dead too. It's too late-"
"I won't forgive myself for not trying!!" Zealo yelled, but even he could see there was pretty much no hope.
"And how do you plan on picking me up?" Lightning Dust asked, with a sad chuckle. She took something off her belt. "Hey, as a question- which do you think would be a more painless death..." she made sure the pistol was fully loaded, and pressed the barrel against her temple. "...crushed by a thousand ton cruiser, or a bullet through the head?"
Zealo heard the click as she flicked the safety off.
"No! Don't- I'm right the buck here!" Zealo yelled, the Apollo still flying towards the two cruisers. "Don't bucking martyr yourself!"
"Bullet through the head it is." Lightning Dust breathed.
"Wait-" Zealo started, but everything seemingly fell silent as a loud bang traveled through the mic. He couldn't hear the groans and screams of the metals on the cruisers, the blaring engines of the Apollo, the high pitched whine of electrics inside the cockpit, or the static of the mic that followed- he could hear none of that. "Lightning Dust?" he asked, and even his own voice sounded distant. "Can you hear me? Oi, Dusty!"
But there was nothing but static as a reply.
Then-
"Damnit, I couldn't do it. I'm too awesome to commit suicide. Hurry up! Just don't kill yourself."
"God damnit Dusty." Zealo muttered, now just in front of the gap.
He turned the plane upside down, and just managed to clear the closing gap. The cruisers were fusing at an angle- and Zealo entered by the narrow end. Light around him darkened as the gap behind him closed together, only to be lit up again by the explosions that followed. Then a flak projectile whizzed by his ship, hitting the top and exploding in a huge upside-down fireball.
"Shuck- their auto turrets are still on!" he yelled, but didn't dare turn the ship the right way around as the two surfaces were so close.
But he could spin the Apollo.
He spun the engines, making the Apollo turn 180 degrees while still heading in the same direction.
"Uuah!" he cried out as a flak hit near him- also because he had no idea where he was going, considering he was flying backwards. His eyes widened even more when he saw what was chasing him.
To try to describe it, it was a line of exploding fireballs stuck between two quickly closing surfaces; with distinct trails of smoke from flak turrets zig-zagging in between. Pressure inside the cruisers was also obviously increasing, as occasionally a portion of the hull would burst out and release a cloud of deadly flames. Zealo accidentally flew through one of these clouds, and could feel the sudden increase in temperature even inside the cockpit.
"Screw this-" he said, and turned the Apollo back around; its engines flaring up with a loud boom as he boosted it forward.
The Apollo zipped through the closing gaps, weaving through the flak towers and occasionally coming dangerously close to being shot down.
There was a loud boom- the cruisers' hulls must've been depleted, and their central structures must've hit each other. Unlike the flimsy hull, the central structure was essentially a huge ball of metal that could be deemed indestructible.
Through holes in the hull above, things started falling from the impact; shaken out from inside the ship. Weapons crates, beds from dorms, furniture- the contents of the ship were being thrown out. But inanimate objects weren't the only ones falling.
Soon enough Zealo could hear the screaming, hundreds of Science Faction officers and soldiers alike falling to their deaths below, some clinging on desperately and only to be burned to death later. Survival wasn't an option in this situation.
Something hit his windscreen, and crimson red smeared across the glass; tinting everything behind it red. There were bits and chunks of pink, and shreds of what once might've been an officer's uniform. Zealo tried his best not to puke, but the blood and guts were right there in front of his eyes, and he could not clean them away.
He was quickly nearing Lightning's location.
"Can you fly?" he asked.
"I would've flown away already if I could." Lightning Dust said.
"Shuck." Zealo said, slowing the plane down. This was risky, but he had to fly it at the lowest possible speed for this to work. And right now, the explosions and crushing jaws of the cruisers were right behind him. "Think you can grab my hoof and swing into the back seat?"
"It's gonna hurt real bad, but I think I can handle a stunt like that." Lightning Dust said, then chuckled. "Hey, that rhymed. Sort of."
"More ponies that I will never understand." Zealo muttered, making a sharp right and dodging a flak. "Buck!" he yelled as something clipped the hull.
"Hull integrity, 30%." the inboard AI said.
"My Apollo isn't holding up very well." Zealo said. "Can you see me?"
"Got visual." Lightning Dust said.
"Well. Get ready to grab my Apollo. How fast are your reaction times?"
"I was the best in the Wonderbolt training academy, until I got sacked for being too good. So I'd say my reaction speed is pretty fast." Lightning Dust said, some what glumly.
"I see you. Get ready..." Zealo said, spotting a small distinct dot in the distant. He made sure his seatbelt was tightened to the max, checked his helmet, and flicked a switch to his side.
The windshield popped up, then slid back. Instantly he was hit by the wind, and he could feel the warmth of the explosions tingle his skin through his suit.
"I'm going to miss having a functional arm." Lightning Dust said. She stumbled up, some what painfully. She looked out, and saw the Apollo as it flew towards her, chased by a line of fireballs. This looks pretty dramatic, she thought to herself.
"Slowing down..." Zealo said, making the Apollo break and fly at the slowest possible speed- without getting him killed by the explosions behind him. But still, it was about twenty miles an hour.
"YOLO!" Lightning Dust yelled at the last second, and jumped up. Her front hooves latched onto the back of Zealo's seat, and she swung up and into the co-pilot spot, her gravity boots latching on firmly to the floor.
Zealo punched the switch, the windshield sliding back on. Then he stomped on the accelerator, bombarding the unprepared Lightning Dust with an insane amount of g-force as the Apollo shot from twenty miles per hour to a hundred and fifty in point seven seconds.
There was a loud boom as they entered sonic speed, the line of light in front of them signaling the end of danger. Slowly it was coming closer and closer, the darkness retreating and fires behind them growing less bright in comparison to the sunlight outside.
The cruiser hulls whooshed by them on the top and bottom, and were getting increasingly close. Because Zealo had to slow down, they were much further back than where they should be- and much closer to the narrow end.
The two ends closed in, and the Apollo jerked violently as the top and bottom scraped along the metal hulls. Sparks were flying all over the place, loud mechanical groans echoing around inside the cockpit. There was a loud crack as part of the Apollo's outer hull gave way, the pressure crushing the turret hidden underneath it.
Then they hit open air, clear of the closing gap that most certainly would've crushed them.
The blue skies and fluffy clouds were a much more welcoming sight than they would've been, signaling the end of the few terrifying minutes inside a hazardous bombardment of everything that could've easily killed them. But they were alive, and boy- it was good to be alive.
Although, maybe a bit too alive- Lightning Dust thought as the pain was starting to slowly seep into her.
There was a loud boom as the second cruiser's engines failed, having to support the weight of two cruisers instead of only one. They fell, slowly tumbling down; and hit the water surface. A huge wave rippled outwards, then broke into a million little droplets; followed by more as the two cruisers sunk into the ocean. Large columns of smoke spanning kilometers in diameter were left in the air, slowly being pushed away by the ocean breeze.
"Huh. How about that- still no big boom." Lightning Dust said weakly. "Although, I think I'll name that one 'Titanic' and the other 'Concordia'."
"Worst. Pick up. Ever." Zealo said, flying the Apollo around and heading for ATLANTIS. He definitely needed some repairs on the plane, plus Lightning Dust needed immediate medical attention. "Also, that's just cruel."
"That was nice. Maybe we could get dinner together sometime, or something." Lightning Dust said, a little weakly and forced. The pain in her wounds really had a nasty sting.
"Haha- thanks for the offer, but I'm taken already." Zealo said, thinking back. His heart kind of dropped as he said that though- he hadn't seen Magnum since she was moved to work on the OASIS- and there were rumors floating around about her being dead on a mission to the barricade. He wasn't going to believe any of that until he has hard evidence- but it always unsettles him. Technically he wasn't going out with her at all, because none of them actually spoke up- but he could tell that they both could tell. He also thought about that other reality- oh, silly Magnum- shot me with a gun.
"Awww, really? What's the point of having good taste when everyone's taken? I'm still not quick enough, eh." Lightning Dust sighed, closing her eyes. Maybe she could go to sleep and ignore her injuries that way.
*
Val and Blithy had wreaked havoc across ATLANTIS, and now they were in the weapons storage room. There was smoke everywhere. A second ago Val had set off a full box of smoke grenades, now none of them could see anything.
"Blithy! Commander!" An officer and his squad came running towards Blithy. "Did you get Val?"
"Lost her. No idea where she is." Bltihy sighed, looking around. "Also, don't call me commander. I'm Blithy, egghead dumbarse the third-"
"SCREW YOU!" the real Blithy came leaping out of the smoke, and slammed fake Blithy across the face.
"It was worth it." Val said, getting up and rubbing her chin.
"There she is! Shoot her!!" the squad leader yelled, and put a bullet through Val's head.
"Hey!" Val yelled, irritated. She flicked out her palm, and in turn sent a bullet busting through the squad leader's skull.
"Leave them, Val!" Blithy yelled, swinging a punch at her evil self.
"What? He shot me, so I shot him back! It hurt!" Val complained, blocking the punch and kneeing Blithy in the stomach.
"Well it's about to hurt even more." Blithy said, grabbing Val's leg and flipping her head over heels. Val slammed back onto the ground face first, cracking the concrete floor.
"Buck you." she said, hooking an arm behind Blithy's back hooves and tripping her down.
"You guys! Retreat!" Blithy yelled at the squad. "And don't send anyone back here!"
"Brave little martyr are we?" Val grinned, getting up and launching a kick at Blithy's head.
Blithy was about to bring her arm up to block it, but Val shot her hoof and delayed it. Her kick connected with the side of Blithy's head, and she went flying across the room.
"Roughly five meters. About twenty below the record." Val estimated, peering into the smoke.
"I always hated that tooth anyway." Blithy muttered, spitting out a tooth and wiping the blood off her face. "Nice kick."
"Why thank you." Val said, a grin on her face as usual.
"Just need to work on the accuracy." Blithy said, rubbing her neck and readying for another round.