//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Aurora Song 
// by MasterZadok 
//------------------------------//

	The sky was beginning to turn blood-red with the light of the sunset and the air felt icy cold on Drossel Meyer’s face. His wings beat against the deepening purple sky as Ponyville rapidly shrank beneath his hooves. Ahead of him, the lumbering silhouette of the airship gradually grew in size. Somewhere on board, in the glass observation deck, Black Spot was watching as the town beneath him fell apart into chaos and confusion.
Meyer continued gaining altitude like a rocket, scanning the sky every which way for Lilly and Yeller. Fortunately, the crewmembers were nowhere to be seen. The cowards were probably plundering the Carrousel Boutique or raiding bit boxes in the market place. Either way, so long as they didn’t stand between Drossel Meyer and the mutineer aboard the Aurora Song, they didn’t matter. Soon, the former captain soared above the dull metallic hull of his airship and sped toward the aft section.
Designed to decimate towns and tear through armies of unicorns and earth ponies from above, the Aurora Song had only one blind spot, its dorsal ridge. Even still, Meyer prayed that Black Spot hadn’t seen his approach. Though unparalleled with his folding saber, the brass pegasus stallion only had his one weapon. Black Spot would surely be armed with a repeating rifle.
And he would be expecting Meyer to arrive at any moment.
Softly, Drossel Meyer dropped onto the ramp leading into the hangar of the airship. Aside from the humming of the aurora core, everything seemed quiet and empty. The former captain extended his saber and crept forward.
Bang!
There was a flash of white light up in the catwalks and the metal deck beside Drossel Meyer flashed with a shower of sparks. Meyer’s muscles erupted like a loaded spring and he instantly vanished behind a thick pipe.
“Yes… I suppose that would have been anti-climatic for the "Mastermind of Glacier Falls" to die like that!” Black Spot’s taunting voice floated down from the shadows above.
“You dastard! You seek to doom hundreds of innocent ponies!” Meyer shouted back.
“Look at yourself, Meyer! You’re just like this ship! Slowly wearing away without any dream or any passion!” The mutineer laughed. “You bleeding-heart foal! I always wondered why Admiral Pinion gave this ship to you and not to me.”
“Perhaps because he knew that true power doesn’t come from a show of force, but from an abstinence of it!” Drossel Meyer galloped out of his hiding spot and dashed for a crate. Instantly, a volley of plasma-fueled pieces of led followed him. Black Spot had positioned himself way up high toward the middle of the hangar. There was no way to get to the bridge of the ship without enduring a volley of rifle shots.
“Listen to you! And here I thought you were a warrior!” Black Spot spat. “You’re no better than those sniffling idiots down on the ground! You honestly came to this little town for the food!? You honestly organized a raid to steal a couple bits and a bite to eat!? You don’t even know the first thing about being a pirate! By the time the sun rises tomorrow, every ear is going to be filled with the name of Captain Black Spot and every eye will be watching out for the Aurora Song! I will be a legend! I will finally restore this ship and her crew to the pegasus glory they deserve! I-”
“Hey! Mister Meyer! Are you in here?” The yelling of an angry mare echoed through the hangar. Drossel Meyer looked behind him to glimpse the small form of a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane tentatively looking into the ship. This was the brave little wielder that had attacked him earlier.
“Rainbow Dash! Get out! Hide!” Meyer shouted.
“What!?”
Black Spot turned his gun on the intruder and the loud clapping of his rifle rang out. The blue mare jumped ten feet into the air and frantically looked for cover as the air around her hissed with bullets.
Drossel Meyer threw himself into action, leaping out from behind his crate and hurling an ether grenade at the mutineer. Black Spot saw the attack and vanished further into the hangar as his catwalk was consumed by a burst of gas. The bronze pegasus galloped over to where Rainbow Dash was hiding.
“What are you doing here?” He demanded, looking around frantically for any sign of Black Spot.
“Don’t think it was my choice, pirate! Scootaloo begged me to help you.”
“Scootaloo? You’re supposed to be helping her get to a safe place!”
“She wouldn’t let me! She was frantic. Kept yelling something about how you needed help and how you weren’t a bad guy.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs angrily. “Well, you fooled me!”
Drossel Meyer caught a glimpse of a silver rifle further down the hangar. Black Spot was right above the hallway leading to the bridge.
“And don’t think I’ve forgiven you, but I’m here to help.” The bright blue pegasus huffed an angry cloud of steam from her nostrils. Meyer didn’t expect her to forgive him, but he found himself admiring this little mare’s loyalty to Scootaloo and her bravery in the face of danger. Perhaps these ponies of Ponyville were made of sterner stuff than he thought.
“Thank you… Rainbow Dash.”
“So… What are we up against?” Rainbow Dash cautiously looked around the hangar; her eyes wide at the sheer scale of it.
“An automatic rifle and a mutineer who’s willing to use it.” Drossel Meyer growled.
“A who, now?”
“It’s a weapon that throws small rods of metal.”
“… Ok.”
The former captain looked around his ship. He was running out of time and he needed to gain control of the bridge.
“Listen to me, are you a strong bucker?”
“The strongest in Ponyville!” Rainbow puffed out her chest before deflating again, “Well… second strongest.”
“Then I pray you’re up to the task. You see these large chambers?” Drossel Meyer indicated the large metallic intestines above the pegasi’s heads. “They’re full of storm clouds. I need to get to the bridge, but as soon as Black Spot follows me, I need you to destroy those red valves!” On each side of the hangar, red wheels with warning symbol on them could be seen stretching into the recesses of the ship.
“How are you so sure he’ll follow you?”
“I’m going to the bridge. There’s no way Black Spot will give up his power and his control. His attention will be focused on me. Besides, he thinks you’re nothing more than a weak coward. I need you to prove him wrong.”
“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash popped her neck from side to side and grinned. “And what about you?” She saw Mister Meyer’s eye narrow as it peered toward the bridge.
“I have a mistake that I need to fix.” With a terrific crash, Drossel Meyer pulled the lid off the wooden crate he was hiding behind and lifted it in front of him with his metal wing. With time rapidly running out, the brass stallion charged out of his cover, holding his wings and the box lid in front of him.
Instantly, the distant rifle flared to life, shining like a flickering beacon and peppering the wooden shield with holes, but Drossel Meyer didn’t slow down at all. His hooves beat the ground faster and faster while Black Spot’s bullets became harsher and more rushed.
“Blast you!” Black Spot cursed as Meyer disappeared beneath his hiding spot and vanished into the ship’s main hallway.
Behind him, the brass pegasus heard the crash of hooves hitting the deck as his former first mate pursued him. Two more shots rang out and there was a sharp pain in Drossel Meyer’s good wing. He glanced over just in time to see a small wound blossoming with blood appear, but he kept running. Behind him, the rifle clicked once more, but nothing happened. Black Spot was out of bullets. An inarticulate scream of rage filled the whole ship.
Suddenly, the hallway vomited Drossel Meyer onto the glistening bridge of his ship. Beneath him, the town of Ponyville was just beginning to darken with the shadows of night. The dam, however, could be seen in the distance, flecked with the glowing plasma bombs.
“It's beautiful, isn’t it.” Black Spot slowly walked up behind Drossel Meyer. “Almost poetic, how the former captain should die at his former post.” The mutineer looked at the droplets of red that fell beside Meyer’s hoof. “At least glass is easier to clean than wood.” There was a click and the rifle was reloaded with a new belt of bullets. Meyer didn’t flinch.
“At least now I can look in your eyes, traitor!” He frowned. “Instead of you hiding like a coward.” Meyer drew his folding saber and locked his eye on his opponent.
Black Spot’s lip twitched and his nostrils flared with rage. The dark blue pegasus reached behind him and drew a saber with his mouth. For a second, the two pegasi stood motionless, each waiting for the next to move first. Fittingly, it was the ship that signaled their fight to begin.
A distant crash could be heard down the hallway and the ship shivered as if in pain. Black Spot glanced up fearfully at his vessel and Drossel Meyer instantly flew forward, reaching to plunge his saber into his foe.
The mutineer recovered quickly and parried his captain’s attack. Their sabers collided in a shower of sparks and the rifle flared to life, sending streams of bullets flying around the room. The pegasi beat against each other, striking and dodging. Drossel Meyer lifted his metal wing to shield himself from the bullets, but he could feel his makeshift shield falling apart with each projectile that struck. The distant sounds of thunder grew stronger and the ship began to list.
“What do you think you’re doing!?” Black Spot’s mouth was frothing with rage. “That blasted mare is releasing the storm clouds!”
“Perfect!” Meyer lanced forward again. The air turned into glistening arcs of metal and flashes of rifle fire. Another shot pierced Meyer’s wing. The song of blades clashing rang out above the Ponyville sky. Meyer fought desperately, but he couldn’t protect himself and land a fatal blow at once. Black Spot wielded his two weapons like a madman, slashing frantically and piercing the surrounding windows with his repeating rifle. Meyer’s saber cut a long gash across the gun and up Black Spot’s foreleg.
The battle paused. Meyer’s wings were falling apart and Black Spot’s rifle hung limply in front of him. Yet, their eyes still blazed with hate. One wrong move on anypony’s part and the battle would be over. The ship was almost completely listing now as Rainbow Dash released wave after wave of angry clouds. Drossel Meyer stood just uphill from his mutinous first mate.
“What? Is my bleeding-heart captain finally going to kill somepony with his own hooves?” Black Spot laughed madly.
“I’m not a murderer.” Drossel Meyer lowered his voice and tightened the straps on his prosthetic wing, “But I’m not going to refrain from sending you to the highest court!” Somewhere in the bowels of the ship, Rainbow Dash destroyed another valve and the Aurora Song lurched in turmoil. There was an instant of weightlessness between the two combatants and Drossel Meyer swung his wings in one last painful attack.
Black Spot tried to lift his rifle, but the captain seized it, pinning the weapon under one wing. Above their heads, the two sabers were locked together in an unmoving X.
“What now?” The mutineer taunted, struggling to move. The two warriors were at an impasse.
“This is the part where I defeat you.” Meyer lifted his chin and revealed the last of his ether grenades. Their fuses were active.
With an explosion that shook every window, the grenades detonated, consuming both pegasi and the entire bridge in a noxious orange gas. Meyer held his breath and his eye began to water painfully, but his plan worked. Black Spot fell limp in his hooves. With his lungs screaming for air, Drossel Meyer seized the rifle and released its remaining bullets into the glass window he was leaning against. There was the sound of crystal shattering, a sudden gust of air and the orange ether was rapidly sucked out into the open sky.
Drossel Meyer held onto his ship as the fresh air swirled around him. He had one last glimpse of Black Spot before the dark blue pegasus slid down the sloping deck and fell out of the gaping window. The Mutineer vanished into the sky below. Drossel Meyer was in charge of his ship once again.
At least, what was left of him was in charge of what was left of his ship.
“Meyer? Meyer! You’re alright! Er… You’re going to be all right.” Rainbow Dash appeared at the entrance of the bridge and looked around with a grimace. Her pink eyes rested on Drossel Meyer’s tattered wings.
“You’ve scuttled the ship?” Meyer shook himself from the window and walked slowly over to the ship’s steering wheel.
“All the valves are destroyed. The air in the hangar looks like tar!” The light blue pegasus reported. “What now?”
To answer, Drossel Meyer turned the wheel sharply and thrust a couple levers to their most extreme positions. The ship roared, her engines spun to life and the deck rolled. Creaking as her hull was pushed to its limit; the Aurora Song swung back around and began speeding toward the distant Hoofer Dam.
Rainbow Dash looked around her at all the instruments. The ones that weren’t broken or shot were filled with red bars. The ship was losing altitude and gaining speed at an alarming rate. The light blue mare crouched low on the glass deck to keep from slipping. The air around her poured in through the open window, trying to suck her back into the hangar. Captain Meyer was strangely silent.
“So, what’s the pla-?” Rainbow Dash’s words froze in her mouth. With six billowing explosions of white light, the bombs around the Hoofer Dam detonated. The concrete structure was reduced to a bright cloud of scattered dust and the river erupted in plumes of white steam. For a moment, Rainbow Dash felt her limbs freeze.
“The dam! We couldn’t stop it? We… Lost?” She gasped. Drossel Meyer didn’t budge, his eye focused like an arrow on the remains of the dam. When he spoke, his low voice cut through the howling air like a knife,
“Rainbow Dash… Thank you for your help. I’m honored to have met a pegasus as fearless and loyal to her friends as you were today… You proved yourself to be a mare of courage and I’m glad that the town of Ponyville has such a capable pony to watch over them…”
“Mister Meyer…” A sickening feeling rose in Rainbow Dash’s stomach.
“Now I only have one last favor to ask of you.” A tear fell to the glassy deck from the old stallion’s eye. “Watch over Scootaloo. And tell her I’m sorry…”
“What!? No! No… Tell her yourself! Turn the ship around! What are you doing!?” Below, the first surge of the river was now running freely toward Ponyville.
“Ponyville deserves to be safe.” Drossel Meyer whispered. “I’ll stop the river, but you need to promise me that you’ll tell Scootaloo…”
“You’re going to crash the ship… to save Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash’s voice dropped.
“Get out of here.”
“Mister Meyer, there has to be another way!”
“Go!” as if thrown back by the sheer force of the captain’s voice, Rainbow Dash lost her hold on the deck and was sucked backwards through the hall. All around her, the ship was creaking and the surface of every wall was alive with lightning. Darkness consumed her and the force of a hurricane tossed the young mare around like a ragdoll before finally spitting her into the open sky.
When the light blue pegasus stopped tumbling, she found herself far away from the rapidly falling airship. The Aurora Song charged into the mountains like a missile, casting a cape of shimmering clouds behind it as if it were on fire. Within moments, the ship sunk to her final resting place.
The dark metal hull scrapped both sides of the river gorge and the shriek of the airship’s bones pierced the air as the massive structure collapsed upon itself. Clouds of dust and water rose up and embraced the Aurora Song while a deep rumble filled the air above Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash floated motionlessly in the sky. Captain Meyer had sacrificed himself, had crashed his ship, in a desperate effort to replace the dam and stop the river from breaking free. The light blue pegasus looked at the wrecked ship. It was still mostly intact, perhaps Meyer had survived! However, just as the mare tilted her wings to investigate, the sound of every engine along the ship’s hull roared like an ocean and veins of aurora light spilled out in all directions.
In the next instant, the aurora core boiled free of its glass cage and a bubble of light enveloped the ship as if the sun itself were nesting in the mountains. It was a few seconds before the sound reached Rainbow Dash.
When she heard it, it sounded like a thousand voices singing for freedom.