Chapter 1
Flight
The day began like most others. Luna could be observed from afar lowering the moon, then retiring into the castle, as her sister was raising the sun from wherever it was that it spent the night. It was late spring, the birds sang their songs to welcome the day. Many ponies were headed off to work, while their foals went somewhat reluctantly to school. The lucky few who either had the day off or didn't need a job were headed out to meet with friends.
And me? I was asleep. Dead to the world, but not for long. My pleasant dream was mercilessly shaken from me by my marefriend, Slipstream. The comforting sight of her cream coat and light blue mane greeted me as I blinked my bleary eyes. She was speaking to me, but my consciousness hadn't quite caught up with the real world; I couldn't understand a word she was saying.
“...you even hear me? We're going to be late, Tinker!”
“Late? For wha...?”
“For our flight, you idjit! Didn't you remember we're flying out to the Poneighsian islands today?”
“Oh... Right. We packed last night, didn't we?” I said groggily.
“Yes, Tinker. Those of us who were awake did. I honestly don't know how you sleep as long as you do and yet are still tired.”
“Hey, all that sleeping is hard work,” I said, my natural sarcasm returning alongside my increasing awareness.
“Right, of course it is. Now hurry up! The airship won't wait for us,” she said impatiently.
“It's not a DH series airship, is it?”
“Of course not, you wuss. They only use DH series ships for mail service after that one went into a tailspin and nearly hit the castle last year. Thank goodness it was on a maintenance flight when that happened. We'll be riding an SF model 3 ship. It's bigger, faster, and safer. Now get moving, or we won't be going at all!”
“Alright, alright. Don't get your stockings in a twist,” I said teasingly. “Or I'll end up having to un-twist them...”
“I-I don't think we have time for that...” she said, blushing furiously.
“Well, then why are we sitting around? Let's go!”
Shortly thereafter, Slipstream and I stepped out of our apartment onto the mildly busy street. We had a week's worth of supplies and clothing in our saddlebags, not that we would be wearing any. I took a few steps out into the street and turned to wait for Slipstream to lock the door. Doing so got me a good look at both her and our apartment. The building was rather drab by Canterlot standards, but it served our needs. Of course, seeing Slipstream there with it livened the place up. She finished locking the apartment and trotted up to me, breaking my reverie.
“ Hello? Equestria to Tinker. You just gonna stand around all day, or are we going to the Poneighsian Islands?”
A short while later, we left our quiet little suburb and entered the busier downtown area of Canterlot. Much of the early morning traffic was headed to work, or running errands. Several delivery companies also used these roads. At least two of the ponies in the throng were headed to the skyport, and they needed to be there soon. We passed a few well known shops, such as Glaze's Woodcarving. Despite the sounds of machinery inside, it wasn't open yet. Pony Joe's doughnut shop was unsurprisingly packed. The sweet smell of their baked goods wafted to our muzzles from the open door. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for doughnuts today. Thankfully, there would be several in-flight meals provided.
Once at the skyport, we made our way past the majestic, carved stone outer arch and into the building proper. The noise hit us like a wall, as crowds were all around. Many important looking ponies were on their way to business in far corners of the kingdom. One in a pinstripe suit barged past us, jostling my bags. There were only two flights to major vacation destinations scheduled for today. There had been talk of adding a flight to the Crystal Empire, but the frequent stormy weather discouraged such a notion when trains made the trek in safety. Our flight was at the third bay, and scheduled to leave at 7:15 AM. I checked the ornate clock high on the wall, and nearly had a heart attack. The clock read 7:09.
“We've got to hurry,” I said to Slipstream.
“You don't say? Now, check your bags. We'd hate to lose them.”
I checked my saddlebags, finding a strap that could've come undone in our hurry. I tightened it up, and nodded to Slipstream. With that, we took off for the third gate at nearly a gallop. Ponies around us, especially the guards, gave us looks, but we hadn't the time to explain ourselves to them. We dodged our way around those ponies who didn't see us, and galloped when we could. I could see the gate for the third bay just ahead, with a short line. These ponies could not be run around. We joined the line, and I began nervously watching the clock. It was already 7:12. The flight left in three minutes, and there were half a dozen ponies ahead of us, with more further in. Guards at the entrance spoke with the ponies in front of us, and then it was our turn. Another minute had passed.
“Tickets please.” the guard on the left said.
“You guys don't usually do this, do you?” I asked.
“Not for shorter flights, but we don't want anypony getting a free ride to the Poneighsian Islands. The cost in time and resources to turn around and drop off a freerider would be too much. Now, tickets please.” he said, finishing somewhat agitated.
“Here you go,” Slipstream said, ripping the tickets from my magic with her wing and giving them to the guard.
“Ah, the winners. Congratulations to you two and have fun, but try to hurry up. Flight's leaving soon.”
I glanced at the clock; the guard was right. It was now 7:14. As we passed through the entrance, I heard one of the guards speak to the other.
“Alright, that's the last of them. Close it up.”
I glanced behind me, and sure enough, the guards were busy locking the gate. Behind them, I saw another pony rushing to the gate. He wasn't slowing down. If anything, he sped up. One of the guards saw me looking, and turned just in time to get a face full of pony. The rushing pony collided with him head on. Fortunately for the guard, and rather unfortunately for the rushing pony, the guard was wearing a thick metal helmet. The guard got up from the heap, shaking his head. The other pony was unconscious.
“See what I mean?” he said, turning to me. “A free ride to those islands can be a tempting thing.” He turned away, grumbling about the paperwork he'd have to fill out over the pony on the ground.
I turned around, and saw Slipstream waiting at the back of another line. This one was to check luggage for, of all things, illegal fruits. According to my ticket, the Poneighsian islands had a fragile ecosystem. It was a quick check, with a trained unicorn passing his or her glowing horn over the luggage. Even with the speed, however, I became very concerned when the clock struck 7:15. The look must have registered on my face, because one of the ponies checking the luggage gave me a quizzical look as the next traveler approached.
“Don't you worry your little head. They'll delay a few minutes for this kind of voyage.”
Immediate relief flooded through my veins, and I saw Slipstream breathe a relieved sigh beside me. All this time I had worried we wouldn't make it, only to learn now that we would be fine. True, we wouldn't have if I had slept in any longer, but we had already crossed that hurdle.
As we submitted our bags for the scan, I could now glimpse the airship outside the windows. On the side, gold-painted carved letters proudly proclaimed that this was the EAL Tornado. The doorway was still open and ponies continued to walk patiently up the gangplank.
“See?” The unicorn said, noting my stare. “Nothing to worry about.” He quickly scanned our bags and lifted his head back up to look at us. “All clear,” he said, smiling. “Enjoy your flight.”
“Not likely,” I thought to myself. I did not enjoy flying. Slipstream however, being a pegasus, loved it. We boarded the airship and once again she remarked on the type and keel.
“I've never been aboard an SF model 3 before,” she said, releasing her inner fanfilly. “It looks amazing, inside and out! Seventy-five meters long, and fifteen wide! It's nearly double the size of the model 1 I usually ride for business.”
“Heh, yeah. Amazing,” I said nervously. I didn't enjoy flying. The few times I had done it before had been nerve-wracking.
Slipstream turned her head, glancing back at me. “Don't worry. There has never been an accident on an SF model of any kind, let alone a model 3.” she said, looking bemused. “Now come along, you big scaredy colt.”
We were the last ponies aboard, so seating was scarce. We managed to find a pair of window seats about halfway down the right aisle. Takeoff procedures were already underway, so we quickly stowed our bags and sat in our seats. Buckles came standard on all airship benches, but they were seldom used, even by a nervous flier such as myself. I began hearing a low hum as the spark powered props began charging up. Suddenly, I found myself clutching the hoofrests tightly as my eyes shot wide open to the feeling of the entire craft shuddering. I quickly calmed however, when I realized that it had just been the docking clamp disengaging.
Soon, the spark props began spinning at high speeds, pulling us up and away from the Canterlot Skyport. Slipstream directed my attention out the small round window, and I immediately regretted it. All the soaring architecture of the skyport and the surrounding buildings were so far down already. I backed away from the window hurriedly, but Slipstream stopped me. I calmed down enough to take another look. Ponies on the streets below were little larger than ants. As we passed around the towers of the castle, I found a new appreciation for the gleaming marble structure. Up close, each block of stone was intricately carved with lines and whirls that were only hinted at when viewed from further away.
Slipstream noted my interest.
“I hear it took a huge team of pegasi and unicorns over thirty years to carve just one tower.”
“No earth ponies were involved?” came the question from in front of us.
I looked up. A teal blue unicorn with a fiery mane was looking back at us, her front hooves propped on the back of her seat.
“Frostfire? I didn't know you were heading to the islands too.”
“Yeah, It cost me a good chunk of bits, but I managed to snag a last minute spot.”
“Awesome!” Slipstream said ecstatically. “This trip is going to be so much fun!”
“You two know each other?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yep,” the teal unicorn answered brightly. “I'm guessing you're Tinker?”
“That's right, my friend here is Tinker,” Slipstream answered before I could say anything. “To answer your earlier question, yes and no. Earth ponies did most of the heavy lifting, but at the time, earth pony tools were too crude to use for sculpting something that important. The castle is, after all, over a thousand years old.”
“Right, yeah. I get it. There some kind of monument dedicated to the workers?”
“Yes, there is, but it's in the central courtyard, so the public doesn't get to see it often. Rather a shame, really. It's quite magnificent.”
“Oh, you've seen it?”
“Well, yes.... once or twice, from a distance.”
The two mares fell into a deep discussion of architecture and history, subjects I had only marginal interest in.The signal that we were free to move around arrived a few minutes later as the airship leveled off from its steep ascent.
“I'm headed up,” I said to the conversing mares, getting out of my seat. “You're welcome to join me.”
“I'll be up in a few minutes.” came Slipstream's reply.
“Yeah, me too.” Frostfire chimed in.
I headed for the stairs, passing a pair of black unicorns with gray hair, presumably brother and sister. They appeared to be in very deep conversation, talking in near whispers as I trotted past. I ascended the stairs, hearing the howling of the wind under the door, and promptly bumped into the earth pony mare who had stopped suddenly in front of me. She glanced back at me, raising one eyebrow, before turning her attention back to the filly who had balked at going outside.
“The wind scares me, mama!”
“It's all right, Snowleaf, the noise will go away once the door is open.”
The little filly slowly, nervously pushed the door open and peeked out. She stood there, staring outside, before bounding through the door rather suddenly.
“Ugh. Not again. Come back, Snowleaf! Be careful!” the mare said, chasing her filly outside. I shrugged and stepped out soon after. The bright light stunned me briefly as my eyes adjusted. I went slowly ahead to the bow of the craft. Glancing down, I had a wee bit of vertigo as my old fear returned, but the ground was far enough away that it quickly passed.
Far below me, the buildings and roads of Canterlot marched slowly away into the distance. Already, I could see open country in the distance ahead of us. Turning my head, I glanced back at the rest of the airship. Only now did I get a true grasp of the size of the SF model 3. I had ridden a few of what Slipstream assured me were model 1s, but they were small, meant for short, quick flights. The model 3 I rode on now was more than twice the length of those smaller ships, and double the width. A flicker of motion drew my eyes up to the cockpit at the stern of the ship. Inside, the pegasus captain directed the movements of the airship through his crew. Anypony could be a captain, Slipstream had told me, but the job was almost exclusively held by pegasi. With their innate knowledge and love of flight, it only made sense.
Closer to me, the door to the lower decks opened, drawing my attention away from the cockpit. Slipstream stepped out first, followed seconds later by her friend. The mares each had a different reaction than mine. Slipstream's eyes immediately became the size of dinner plates at the prospect of being on the deck of one of her favorite airships. She proceeded to jump around in excitement and run to various features of the craft. I facehoofed in embarrassment. Frostfire, on the other hoof, merely looked around curiously. She noted my marefriend's excitement, before trotting over to me.
“Your marefriend has quite the set of interests, doesn't she?”
“Yeah...she's always liked architecture, but get her talking about airships, and it can be a little difficult to get a word in. She's a little...eccentric about them.”
“No harm in that, though, is there?”
“Well, no. In fact, it can be quite entertaining.”
“Yes, quite. I'm glad her and I share a few of the same interests. If nothing else, it'll at least make the trip a little interesting. Although, for all of her knowledge of many varied subjects, she didn't tell me much about you.”
“She didn't? Huh. That's usually the first thing she tells her friends. She's never mentioned you to me either, come to think of it. How long have you two known each other?”
“Hmm, it must have been just under a year ago when the boss sent us on a business trip together. Before that, we'd never met, but we hit it off pretty well on the trip and we've been friends ever since.”
“That's very odd then. She's never so much as mentioned you. Then again, she has had a lot on her plate until just recently. I guess she must have been distracted by the excitement of being on this trip, and riding on an SF model 3, no less...”
“So then, what about you, Tinker?”
“Oh yeah, I'm excited to be out of the city for awhile too, but I'm not exactly comfortable off of the ground.”
“No no, silly. I meant about what you do. Slip told me you're an inventor of some sort?”
“Not exactly. I don't usually invent things so much as improve on what's already there.”
“Care to give an example?”
“Well, say you've got a watch that stopped working, or a toaster that needs repaired. The one to call to fix it is me. Sometimes I even fix things that aren't broken.”
“You fix things....that aren't broken?” she asked, tilting her head quizzically.
“Ayep. The clock in our apartment never has to be wound up again... although it's been a minute or two off ever since...”
“Cool! But... that's not exactly what I meant. I meant more along the lines of where you grew up, where your family is, that sort of thing.”
“Oh... well. I don't mean to sound rude, but I hardly know you. ”
“Well, duh. I don't want your whole life story or anything. Like, why do you fix things?”
“Oh, well after my father died, I started fixing things, I figured that if even one thing I had fixed or improved saved somepony, it would be worth it. I was really good at it, and after awhile I made a career out of it.”
“Slipstream told me you're lazy,” she said jokingly.
“Well, business has been slow lately, and what I do requires a lot more concentration than energy.”
“I know, silly. I was just giving you a hard time.”
I glanced over at movement off to Frostfire's left. Slipstream had finally gotten over her excitement and was approaching.
“Hey guys! Can you believe this airship?! It's awesome!” Slipstream called exuberantly, apparently not over her excitement yet. “It's a shame the cockpit is off limits to civilians. That's where the real magic happens.”
“They're off limits?”
“Yes," she replied, eliciting another facehoof from me. "Or at least, that's what the crew rather forcefully told me after I tried going in.”
“Nice. Next time, you mind including me in your hi-jinx?” Frostfire asked.
“Sure thing,” came the reply. “That is, if you're up for it.”
“Always. I live for that kind of stuff.”
I looked down again. Canterlot was now completely behind us. Open fields passed serenely below. Off in the distance ahead of us, I could just barely make out the shimmering line of the ocean on the horizon. I gazed out around us for awhile, taking in the sights. South of us, the Whitetail woods stretched into the distance, green and vibrant. Off to the north, the Unicorn Range marched slowly past, their majestic, snow-capped peaks dominated by Smokey Mountain, the largest by far.
“You know, I heard there was a dragon living in that mountain some years back.”
“Gah!” I said, jumping. “Don't startle me like that.” I still wasn't comfortable flying, especially at the prow of the ship, but it had the best view.
“Sorry,” Frostfire said apologetically. Then, her expression returned to that happy-go lucky look that appeared to be a default for her. “As I was saying, I heard there was a dragon living in the mountain a few years back. He was going to sleep there.”
“That's bad... isn't it?”
“Yeah. Dragons spew smoke when they sleep, lots of it. They also sleep for a really long time.”
“There doesn't seem to be more than a light haze around it.”
“Aye, and that's what's left thirteen years after the dragon went elsewhere after snoozing for only a day.”
“How could it have lasted this long?”
“Nopony knows for sure, or if they do, they aren't saying. Slipstream, been any pegasi groups that tried to figure it out?”
“One or two,” Slipstream replied. “but they came back with confusing data. As far as we can tell, the wind patterns should have blown it all away long ago.”
“Oooo, a mystery...” Frostfire said, drawing the words out with overemphasized drama.
“Yeah, well I'm not looking for any mystery on this vacation.” Slipstream commented.
“...we aren't going near that mountain are we? Sounds dangerous,” I said somewhat nervously. Mysterious air currents and airships didn't sound like an appealing combination.
“Oh no. That mountain is far out of the way of any of the airship routes,” Slipstream said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, good,” I said, relieved. Glancing to the side, I noticed the pair of black unicorns were now on the left side of the deck. They still appeared to be in quiet conversation. Looking further to my right, I noticed a speck in the distance. I couldn't make out any details, but I was fairly certain it was another airship. Directly south of us, a large bank of clouds with rainbows beneath them marked the location of Las Pegasus.
“I see where you're lookin', Tinker. There'll be plenty of gambling where we're going.”
I turned, embarrassed, to see Slipstream and Frostfire both staring at me, amused looks on their faces.
“What?” I asked. Surely there's nothing wrong with a little sightseeing?”
“No, not at all,” Slipstream said, “but that wasn't what you were thinking of.”
“How do you know?”
“Oh come on, Tinker,” she said. “We've been together long enough that I know you almost better than you know yourself.”
“Oh, alright. Fair enough.” My next thought was interrupted as the captain's voice rang out over the deck through speakers.
“Attention passengers: We will be offering in-flight brunch on the open deck and in the mess hall located at the fore of the second level in fifteen minutes. In other news, we will be over the ocean in just over half an hour.”
With that, several ponies wearing Equestrian Airlines uniforms arrived on deck from below and the cockpit. Moving to certain crates around the deck, they opened them and pulled large wooden half-circles with a small hole in the center out, as well as several short wooden poles. To an inexperienced eye, these devices would make no sense, but I had witnessed it before.
They began by snapping the wooden poles into evenly spaced slots around the deck, then folded the half-circles open with a sharp click that could be heard even over the rushing wind and the hum of the propellers. The half-circles, now transformed into tabletops, were then slotted onto the wooden poles, forming a quick, easy, and secure table.
“Wow, I've never seen that before,” Frostfire said. “Are they always so efficient?”
“First flight, eh?” I asked.
“No, my second,” she replied, “but the first one was short and no meals were served.”
“I see. Most of my flights are like that, but I've seen them do this on one of the few occasions where the flight was long enough that I ventured out of the cabin.”
“You really are afraid of heights, aren't you?”
“Not nearly as bad as I once was. There was a time when you couldn't pay me enough to get on one of these things.”
“Wow, that bad, huh?”
“Ask her,” I said, gesturing to Slipstream. “She'll tell you all about it.”
Brunch was served not long afterward. The meal consisted of a dandelion sandwich with a sprig of fennel on the side for taste. Water and cider were provided for refreshment, and there were cupcakes available for the foals and those ponies with a sweet tooth. By the time brunch was over, we were well over the ocean. Looking behind us, I could just make out the coast, as well as a small dot in the air, possibly the same airship I had spotted earlier. It was probably my imagination, but it seemed a bit closer than it had been.
“You know, those clouds don't look all that inviting,” Frostfire said, drawing my attention forward. I looked at the completely harmless little tufts of cloud amid the otherwise crystal clear sky in front of us and shook my head.
“I don't think so, they're...Oh yeah, real funny.” I said, catching the grin on her face.
After that, the talk devolved into simpler things like who was the favored princess, why there was a running joke about bananas and the moon, and other various topics. We had been chatting like this for a few hours when I happened to glance back and saw that the speck that I had seen earlier was now quite a bit closer, and I could clearly see that it was another airship. I couldn't identify what kind it was, but it was clearly a different kind than the one we rode. Slipstream had, unfortunately, just gone to use the mare's room.
The other airship continued to grow larger as it drew nearer to ours, and the symbol on the side of the balloon that Slipstream had told me several times was mandatory on all Equestrian airships came into view. It was the distinctive mail envelope sealed by a muffin that signified that this other airship belonged to the Equestrian Mail Service. Instantly, I thought back to what Slipstream had said about the fact that DH model airships were used exclusively for mail. My thoughts must have shown, because Frostfire was giving me an odd look.
“Something wrong there, Tinker?”
“Wha-what? No, nothing,” I said, trying to hide the nervous look that she had noticed. “Nothing at all.” Of course, I had never been good at hiding my expression, so she saw right through it. Fortunately, Slipstream was on her way back to us as we spoke.
“Hey guys,” she said, before she too noticed my expression. “What happened, Tinker? You see a ghost or something?”
“Yes, he did,” Frostfire said before I could properly respond. “It was twelve feet tall and had eight legs!”
Ok, maybe it wasn't fortunate after all.Trying to end the situation, I quickly caught Slipstream's eyes and pointedly looked at the other airship, which she hadn't yet noticed.
“What, that? Don't be a silly filly, Tinker. That is a DH model 3. It wasn't even in production when that other airship went down. It has all of the latest safety features as mandated by royal decree.They're just as safe as the SF models.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positively. All airships are inspected before and after each flight. If they're missing even the most minor of safety features, they are flagged as 'no fly' until the issue is resolved. The safety systems include several redundancies, just in case the primaries fail. Trust me, it's safe.”
“Alright,” I said, still somewhat nervously, but relieved at her reassurance. “If you say so.”
“Attention passengers: some of you may have noticed that the EMS 'Muffin Wagon II' has joined us,” the captain’s voice suddenly said over the intercom, startling us. “This is due to the possibility of reduced visibility during the next portion of our flight, and having two airships together will allow us to boost our signal if necessary to stay in contact with the Las Pegasus tower until we can establish contact with that of the Poneighsian Islands. I also happen to be a friend of their captain, and she has been flying airships almost since they were invented all those years ago. So, trust me when I say that there being two airships this close will not be a danger. In fact, it would be more dangerous if they had not joined us. That is all.”
Sure enough, as the other airship drew alongside us, the name “Muffin Wagon II” in bright white could be read on the side. The distance between the two airships was not comforting to me.
“..Wait, so another airship this close is actually safer than if they were far away?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yes, Tinker,” Slipstream said in that matter-of-fact tone she used when explaining airships to me. “The ships can link together via magic to boost their signal range to more than what either of them is capable of on its own.”
“I see, but the skies ahead look pretty clear,” I said, indicating the crystal clear air ahead of us. “It doesn't seem very likely to be any reduced visibility in that.”
“Yeah, you wouldn't think so, but with how infrequent flights to the islands are, the Pegasus teams don't keep the clouds in check on a daily basis. Weather around here can be mildly unpredictable as a result. The most we might have to deal with is a light rain or a thick fog bank, and those are the extremes.”
“Okay... If you say so,” I said, uncertain but willing to trust my marefriend. A yawn suddenly escaped my mouth. “Oh dear, I'm tired. I think I'm going to head below and catch some sleep before we get there.”
“What? After all that sleeping you did last night?”
“What can I say? Sleeping is hard work.”
“Ugh,” she said, exasperated. “Sometimes you can be so ridiculous, Tinker. Enjoy your nap."
As I turned and walked away, I caught her next words to Frostfire.
“I swear, that stallion sleeps more than my entire family put together.”
On my way back to the door to the stairway, I was nearly knocked over by a lightning ball of white and green as the same excited filly from earlier bounded past me. Apparently, brunch had given her a boost of energy. Her mother was once more engaged in chasing down the errant bundle of energy as she deftly ran around me. I made it to the door with no further incident, and after pulling it open with my magic, went inside. The bench we had originally sat in was unoccupied, as were several others, their occupants in different parts of the airship at the moment. I laid on our bench and promptly dozed off.
I was woken a few hours later by Slipstream again shaking me awake.
“Hey Tinker, time to rejoin the land of the living,” she said. “They're serving early dinner in a few minutes.”
I got up and began following her back up to the deck. Before I got there, I noticed that the lamps inside the cabin were on. The windows were no longer bright with sunlight, suggesting the sun had recently set. “How long was I out?” I asked as we ascended the steps.
“Oh, just a few hours,” she replied, pushing the door open. Right away, I realized that I had been wrong. The sun was still up, but it was concealed by clouds that threatened rain.
“Where did these come from?” I asked, indicating the clouds.
“Like I said, Tinker: Unpredictable. Hey, Frostfire,” she yelled. “Guess who finally woke up?”
Ahead of us, the teal blue unicorn turned around from where she had been watching the clouds.
“Well well well,” she said as we approached her. “Look who's up and about.”
“What can I say? Slipstream said there was food, and I like to eat as well.”
“Is that all you think about, Tinker?” Frostfire asked jokingly. “Just eat, sleep, repeat?”
“Funny, but no. I do think about other things on occasion.”
Dinner was served shortly. It included alfalfa burgers with a hint of dill. Refreshment was once again provided via water or cider, but there were cookies in place of the cupcakes they had served earlier. We ate in relative silence, the only speaking being comments on the taste of the food. At the end, all three of us sat back from the table, full to our heart's content. Nearby, many of the other ponies did much the same thing.
The rain started while we were still conversing at the table. At first, it was merely a light drizzle, few drops made it onto the deck thanks to the balloons holding our airship aloft. However, the clouds soon took on a more ominous darkness, with the rain quickly became a raging downpour. The wind had also picked up, meaning the relative cover the balloons had provided was useless now. Many of the other ponies on deck had decided to return to the lower levels, and around us the crew was busy packing away anything that wasn't bolted down. We were about to head down ourselves when the first flash of lightning seared across the sky. We -myself especially- needed no further encouragement to go below-decks. The roll of thunder sounded mere seconds later, as we were going down the stairs.
Once below, we joined the rest of the passengers in sitting in the benches. A few of the more nervous looking ones were busy fumbling with the buckles on their safety belts. As I sat, I too worked the safety belt over my belly and buckled it. Slipstream and Frostfire did not, for the moment.
For a third time, the captain's voice came over the speakers; “Attention passengers: due to the unprecedented weather we are experiencing, I must ask that you go below-decks and fasten your safety belts to prevent injury to yourself or fellow ponies. We expect the storm to be over shortly.” As I looked out of the window into the growing darkness, I could see that a magical cable was being strung between the two airships. As a connection was made, the cable began to give off a faint yellow glow. Lights on the other airship were also being activated.
“Is that the cable they use to boost the signal, Slipstream?” Frostfire asked over the sound of rain on the wooden hull.
“Yes, though from what I've heard, they typically don't have to use it this early in the flight. Then again, this is without a doubt the worst weather they've ever experienced on the flight to the islands.”
“You're telling me,” the comment came from our left. “This is my fourth trip there. The other three were clear skies the whole way.” I glanced over at the new speaker, who was a pale tan earth pony with a dark brown mane and tail.
“And you are?”
“Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself. The name's High Roller. I typically head to the islands for the gambling, as it's quite a bit more entertaining than back in maneland Equestria.”
Looking out the window again, I could no longer see the other airship with any clarity. Only the lights on board were still clearly visible, while the rest of the ship was simply a dark mass. A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the airship from behind for a split second, then all went dark once more. Soon the wind picked up again, and rain began splattering noisily into the window, making it all but impossible to see anything outside with detail. It continued to get darker all the while, until the other airship was little more than a collection of lights in the rain-lashed darkness. Even the cable with its glow was barely visible in the rain. Suddenly, a nearby bolt of lightning threw everything into stark relief, startling me. Thanks to the intermittent wind, I could just barely make out the shapes of ponies on the other airship before the world outside once more plunged into darkness. The boom of the thunder came mere seconds later, rattling the windows and vibrating the entire airship. Another flash of lightning, the closest yet, left imprints on my eyes as it scorched a path through the atmosphere. There was no boom of thunder, only a sharp, resounding crack that only comes from the closest of lightning bolts. Even in the well-insulated cabin, everypony heard it plain as day. Those who had not seen the bolt itself emitted startled gasps. Somewhere a few rows up, a filly started crying.
As I looked fearfully back out of the window, a third flash of lightning erupted...but this one struck the other airship. The blast was as deafening as the flash had been blinding. When I could finally see again, distant flashes illuminated the other ship… and the scorch mark where a spark prop had been.
“Well, there goes getting there on time,” Slipstream commented from beside me.
“Why's that?” Frostfire said, turning around to face us.
“Because DH model airships are designed to be very speedy with only a few props. Now that one is gone, they won't be able to fly straight when this storm dies down. We'll have to go onto the other side and tow them so they don't fly in circles. And that will---”
“Attention passengers,” the captain said, interrupting Slipstream. “Some of you may have noticed that the 'Muffin Wagon II' was struck by lightning.” Those ponies who hadn't yet figured that out gasped or went wide-eyed. “Her captain has assured me that the situation has been contained and that there is no danger to either ship. Now, since they have lost one of their few propellers, they will need to be towed into the islands after this storm blows over. Since the 'Muffin Wagon II' was designed for speed, we will not be significantly delayed by towing them. EAL policy also states that all passengers will be properly compensated for--” Now it was the captain's turn to be interrupted as a second bolt of lightning struck, punishing my abused hearing. The lights immediately went out, and the ponies I could see looked around fearfully. Flight attendants quickly came down the aisles from where they had been with portable lamps. They asked any unicorns they saw to light up their horns, myself and Frostfire included. The cabin lamps, meanwhile, began flickering back to life
Glancing over at the other airship, I saw lights through a few of the windows, and saw a flickering orange light. I also noticed that the wind had blown the two ships closer together. The barely visible cable between them was sagging drastically from where it had previously been. Suddenly, the other airship shuddered. Simultaneously, that dim flickering orange glow separated into two distinct motes of light before both disappeared. All of these details were small compared to the fact that the other airship was now swinging directly towards us in the high winds. As it swung around, I could also see a familiar faint glow from one of the still-functional -and apparently still operating- spark props. Many ponies began to panic. Those further from the windows were confused, and began panicking as well. Others swore.
Personally, I was scared out of my wits. Beyond words, I could only think to try and get out of the way of the oncoming airship. However, my running was promptly cut short; I was held fast by the safety belt. Time seemed to slow as the Muffin Wagon II drew ever nearer to my window. I held onto Slipstream with all my strength, and she onto me. The other airship continued its turn, and for a moment, it appeared as though it might not collide, but it slammed through the hull thirty feet behind me with a mighty crash. Instantly, our formerly stable airship began wallowing like a drunken pegasus. Many of the ponies inside reeled from the impact. Those that had been a few rows back were nowhere to be seen. The hull of the Muffin Wagon II continued its unstoppable path through the back of the Tornado. Those ponies who could got out of the way, but there were screams, and there was a liquid on the hull that looked suspiciously darker than the rain.
The Muffin Wagon II suddenly sheared in half from the force of it still turning while the front was lodged in the Tornado. The rear half of the other airship spun down and away, while the front remained behind. For a moment it seemed like what was left of the Muffin Wagon II would remain lodged in the larger Tornado. However, the Tornado shuddered again as the keel snapped. A dropping feeling in my stomach told me what my eyes couldn't. We were falling. Looking up through the gap that the Muffin Wagon II had torn in the ceiling, I saw that the two halves of the Tornado were only being held aloft by a single balloon, the other one was nowhere in sight. Then, a third mighty crash sounded as the remnants of the Muffin Wagon II severed the rear quarter of the Tornado completely apart from the front. With that, the front half of the mail-carrying airship dropped down out of sight, leaving a trail of envelopes in its wake. With the keel snapped, the front and rear halves of the Tornado were now held aloft very awkwardly. Each piece immediately swung down like some kind of demented amusement park ride. Those ponies unlucky enough to not have anything to brace themselves fell from the now-vertical floor down into the dark abyss beneath us. I looked back up to where Frostfire was cowering on the bench above mine. She was right to do so. Another shudder rolled through the remains of our airship as the distinctive sound of snapping rope reached my ears.
The front half of the Tornado picked up speed as nothing held its weight against gravity anymore. A mighty crash of breaking wood and glass sounded above me. The rear of the other airship had returned, slamming into the dining hall. Shards of glass and wood rained down on us as what was left of our airship began to tumble. Ponies everywhere were screaming, but they couldn't be heard over the rushing wind, the crashing thunder, and the sounds of the Tornado breaking apart. My belt buckle had somehow come undone during the commotion, and I found myself suddenly clinging to the bench with all my might. However, it was slippery from the rain, and I had never learned self-levitation. As Slipstream tried to help me back up, a chunk of wood fell from above and smacked into her, stunning the pegasus. My hooves slipped from hers and I fell, screaming as her outstretched hooves reached for me.
When consciousness returned, the world still looked black; only now there were dots of color, and it was very cold. I soon realized that I was floating in the ocean, clinging to what looked suspiciously like the piece of wood that had hit Slipstream. Those dots of color were fires amidst the wreckage. It was hard to make out any more details than that, but over the roar of the waves, I swore I could hear other ponies in the water. I clung to my chunk of wood and prayed before the darkness took my consciousness once more...