The goblins across the Gamma ship's top deck cheered wildly. Haman leaned back from the cannon, swiveling around on his creaking metal limbs to spot the Noble Jury's fatal plunge into the mountains below. Slowly, his stubbled cheeks curved into a greasy smile.
“Great shot, boss!” a goblin subordinate hollered. “Shall we finish them off?”
“We've wasted enough time on these pesky ponies as it is,” the Cartel leader said. “It'll be their suicide if they try charging us again.” He strolled towards the bow, pointing at the northern horizon. “Resume course to the deer capital. Have the gunners blast the Jury out of the sky if they attempt anything more foolish.”
“What of our sister ship, sir?” another imp asked. “With two propellers gone, it'll take them longer to stabilize long enough to engage their skystone engines.”
“We can't wait for anything anymore,” Haman growled. “They'll just have to take up the rear.” He pointed with a greasy set of fingers. “Full speed ahead!”
“Aye!”
“You heard the boss! Maximum speed!”
“Full speed to Val Roa!”
As the Gamma ship above accelerated with a burst of yellow skystone energy, far below the Noble Jury was plunging into the mountains. Chunks and slivers of metal peeled off its bow as it descended rapidly.
Inside the cockpit, Zaid was virtually wrestling with the controls, fighting to lift the smoldering vessel upwards.
“Come on, hot stuff!” The ex-cultist gnashed his teeth, flipping several switches and venting steam in order to give the ship some much-needed lift. “If not for me, try and survive for your elk husband! Grnnngh... his dry lips are puckering for y-you!” While pulling up, he glanced over his shoulder and yelped, “Bellesmith?! Pilate?! Guys?!”
He barely heard a yelling voice from beyond the wind and smoke.
“Dammit!” He slapped a hoof over the intercom, fighting g-forces throughout the maniacal plunge. “Blondie! Blondie! Please, for the love of ricotta, tell me you're not a sexy puddle of guts somewhere!”
“Scrkkkt... Kaff! Kaff! Guh... Zaidy Waidy!”
“Oh, thank Goddess!” Zaid exhaled, then blinked. “Wait... are you a sexy puddle of guts with an intact voice box?”
“Zaid, I think something hit us! There's smoke everywhere!”
“Is the book in one piece?”
“Yup yup yup! And still glowing! Now can you please pull us out of this crazy death plunge?!”
“Uhhh...” Zaid winced, struggling with the flight stick. “That's a little hard to do! We just lost two and a half decks towards the bow!”
“Pffft! We did not!“
“Err... yes we did...”
Waving away smoke fumes, Props crawled across the engine compartment and opened the door to the navigation room. “Zaidy Waidy, I'm standing right here, and I'm telling you! The Navigation room is in one p—”
She finally unlocked the door and swung it open to debris-strewn wind and passing mountaintops.
“Poopy!” she shrieked into the billowing gale. Dodging chunks of shrapnel and shredded books, she kicked the door halfway shut and scrambled back to the opposite end of the engine room. “Poopy poopy poopy poopy poopy!”
“Scrkkk! We weren't hit in the middle of the ship, Blondie. I'm sure the lavatory is still in one piece.”
“Enough toilet talk!” Props hopped up and grabbed a wall-mounted lever with all fours. “Nnngh!” Schlunkkk! She yanked the thing, then somersaulted to the starboard side of the ship, twirling several steam valves. “I'm venting as much steam as I can through the exterior reserves! Cut the engine and throw Nancy into a glide! What's left of her!”
“Cut the engine?! Are you crazy?! I mean, I love you, babe, but that's crazier than normal!”
“If you leave the engine on, the skystone will overpower the ship and thrust us into the mountain! I know how much you love thrusting, but this means super mega nasty death this time!”
Props gave a few more levers a final yank. “Now cut it! Cut it like it hurts!”
Zaid exhaled out his nostrils. “Cutting...” He twisted two dials.
After a flickering pulse, the skystone above the gondola stopped glowing entirely. Steam pipes wheezed all along the bulkhead, giving the plunging ship the tiniest of lift.
The ship immediately tilted forward. Zaid realized that—with most of the lower bow gone—there were no steam thrusters there to evenly levitate the vessel.
“Crud!” He gnashed his teeth. “'Throw Nancy into a glide,' she says!” Thinking quick, he yanked hard to the side and punched a button, firing a steam valve along the upper starboard side.
Th-Thwisssh! The ship spun counter-clockwise. Within seconds, its rear became its front, and the lower steam vents tilted the accelerating stern upwards so that it coasted towards the peak of the looming mountain.
“Come on... come on...” Zaid twirled his pilot's seat around by ninety degrees. Craning his neck, he squinted out the open door to the cockpit, staring past the skystone's support beams and the tail of the vessel. Reaching his hoof back, he twitched the flight stick left and right, steering in reverse as he aimed the stern towards the top of the arid topography. “This is the very definition of... nghhh... ass backwards!
At last, the lower hull of the ship's stern struck the mountain.
WHUDDD!
Zaid jolted, as did every instrument panel on board the ship.
“Gnnngh!” Zaid panted, sweated. “Good morning to you too, gravity!” He yanked hard on the stick with both hooves. “Guhhhhhh...!”
Scrkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! The Noble Jury rode up the edge of the mountain, spitting sparks and chunks of burning metal everywhere. The pressure grew too great, and the very door to the hangar split down the middle. CRKKK Half of the slats flew off, sailing up and smashing to bits against the skystone shard. A chunk or two embedded into the doorframe to the cockpit—TH-THUNK!—showering Zaid with hot dust pellets.
“Gah! Goddess!” He nevertheless held the stick steady as the ship grinded up, up, and up towards the very ledge of the mountain's summit.
Fwooosh! The battered vessel plunged completely off the side of the mountain.
Holding his breath, Zaid spun towards the cockpit and slammed his hoof over the starboard button once more.
Thwish! The ship twirled counter-clockwise, tilting forward into a deadly free-fall. A wide ravine loomed beneath the Jury.
Zaid hollered into the intercom. “Now, Blondie! Gun it!”
He could hear Props' breathless exertions on the other end. The cockpit flickered with light, and soon a crimson beacon shimmered all over the aircraft, lighting up the stone walls hurling towards opposite ends of Zaid's vision.
SHOOOM! The Noble Jury sailed forward like a rocket. Zaid steered back, threading the ship through the canyon, then lifting up majestically before it could splatter into the walls on the opposite end. Smoking and leaking in dozens of places, the ship nevertheless ascended to a manageable altitude, limping its way northward on weak pulses of skystone and steam.
Zaid panted and panted and swallowed a lump down his throat.
“Are we dead yet?” Props' squeaky voice asked.
“I'll get back to you on that.” Zaid twirled around, staring nervously out onto the deck of the ship. “... … ....guys?”
There was no sign of the Ledomaritan couple. During the entire time Zaid fought gravity and death backwards, he hadn't seen an inch of them either.
He bit his lip, starting to squirm. “... … ...”
Just then, there was a grunting noise. Zaid saw a striped figure shuffling onto the top deck from the port side, trotting in reverse. Pilate was struggling to lift a weight along with him.
Zaid gasped. He looked through the windshield, spotting an even horizon. Slapping the autopilot on, he bolted out of his seat and galloped out onto the top deck. “Sexy newspaper!”
“H-Help... me...” Pilate seethed, tugging on Belle's limp figure.
“Holy crap grenades!” Zaid reached in, and the two stallions resumed pulling the mare from where she dangled over the port side. “Ooomf!” He struggled for breath, squatting on the deck along with Pilate and Belle. “How long were you holding onto her?”
“I... I don't know,” Pilate wheezed. “Since we got hit?”
“Friggin' insane...” Zaid smiled weakly, but immediately winced. “Is... is she okay...?”
Belle gasped for breath, her eyes bright in the middle of a pale expression. Coming back to reality, she glanced back and forth at the two stallions cradling her.
Pilate switched off his Ocular Array and slipped it off his crown, revealing a dull smile. “Does that answer your question, Mr. Zaid?”
“How... how bad...?” Bellesmith stammered.
“Well...” Zaid grimaced. “Aside from missing one third of the Jury and half of our steam reserves, I'd say we're d-doing pretty okay!”
“The... the goblins...” Belle gulped. “We're sitting ducks.”
“I... uh... I'd be m-more worried about Floydien at this point.”
Gulping, Belle raised a hoof and caressed Pilate's cheek. “Beloved...”
“I'm here, Belle.”
She smiled, breathing evenly. “Always having to be the hero.”
“Well, Rainbow Dash isn't here.” He winked blindly, nuzzling her hoof. “Nor does she love you half as much.”
Belle's cheeks went rosy. “Just don't let her hear that.”
“Hmmf... as if I'm inclined to care.”
P-POW! A burst of flak thundered off the starboard side. Zaid gasped, spinning to see the shadow of the battleship with two damaged propellers crossing over them.
“Wuh oh...” Zaid gulped. “Someone doesn't care for mushy scenes.”
“Where'd the other ship go?” Belle asked, struggling to stand up.
“I dunno. I bet they're headed for Val Roa.”
Pilate helped Belle to her hooves while more explosions rattled all around the ship, filling the air with bedlam. “First, let's work out a way to avoid that ship's fire,” the mare said. “Second, set a course for Val Roa as well.”
“Cap'n, when you give an order... you give an order.” Zaid rushed into the cockpit.
“Uhm...” Pilate shifted in place. “Bad news, beloved.”
“Really?” She tossed her mane back, wincing as the explosions popped closer and closer. “You mean aside from the fact that we lost half the ship and our meanest enemy yet is about to turn Val Roa into a casserole?”
Pilate gulped. “I... uh... may have lost the starboard side cannon while leaping to grab you a few minutes ago.”
“It's okay, Pilate,” Belle said, brushing his limbs with hers. “We'll make it through. Somehow.”
“Indeed.” He smirked slightly, sliding his Ocular Array back down and lighting it up. He didn't shudder this time. “Employing the most heinously stupid tactics, I presume.”
“I wouldn't have it any other way.” Belle gestured towards the remaining cannon. “Help me with this.”
“Yes.” Pilate shuffled after her. “Let's make Rainbow Dash proud.”
“Mmmm... I was going to say Kera, but certainly.”
Meanwhile, Zaid accelerated the ship, outrunning the bursts of burning flak.