//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: On Course For Disaster // Story: Constellation // by Locomotion //------------------------------// Dawn broke over Manehattan, and the next stage of the plan was set in motion as more than nine-hundred ponies and other creatures gathered in Starswirl Airport and began checking in for their flight. They all claimed to be travelling to a festival in Abu Dhonki aboard Royal Equestrian Airways Charter Flight 3877 – but what nopony in the terminal building could realise was that these “passengers” were actually actors, and that of the nine-hundred and fifty-six who checked in, none would actually be aboard the plane when it left. The only airline staff who knew about the plan were the control tower personnel, the security officials and the crew of the Constellation sitting patiently on the airport ramp. From the control tower, Speedbird watched through his binoculars as the final preparations were made for the plane's long flight east. Spike, Rotor, Panthera and Spyder stood close behind. “Well,” mused the grey-blue unicorn stallion as he set the binoculars down, “so far, so good. Constellation Equine Zebra Flower should be ready to fly in about ten minutes.” “Yeah – just so long as they don't suddenly find it's got a fatigue crack in its roof like the last two,” muttered Spike. Rotor nodded in agreement. “Either that or they might find the saboteur casting that spell from a distance,” he put in. “Exactly, that's why Twilight shouldn't be doing this!” protested Spyder. “Here we have a saboteur on the loose, and yet she goes right ahead and starts taking risks! RISKS, I SAY – RISKS!” “And so are you by shouting in a control tower,” warned Panthera sharply. “Now be quiet and let the controllers concentrate!” He stared upon the giant airliner with a look of uncertainty in his eyes. “Although I must say, now I come to think about it, I'm rather inclined to agree with you on this one. Once that thing takes off, it's going to get pretty dangerous up there.” “I'm sure Twilight knows what she's doing,” asserted Spike, trying to sound confident. “I mean, she's been through a hay of a lot of trouble to ensure safety, and with all those weird anagrams she came up with for the passengers' names, nopony will be any the wiser.” “What, like...Scripting Whistle?” asked Spyder, his anxiety giving way to mirth. “Uh-huh.” “Purloined Cobble?” “Uh-huh.” “Colonel Titans?” “Uh-huh.” “Lord Barnacle?” “Uh-huh.” “Moral Soupier?” Spyder barely finished uttering that last name before collapsing onto the floor in a fit of helpless laughter. “Yes, every one of those, and plenty more before you even begin to suggest them,” affirmed Spike, mildly annoyed, “so could we please stay focussed instead of suggesting names every five seconds and making me go 'uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh' like I've got OCD or something.” “Yeah, yeah,” spluttered Spyder, trying to assume a straight face. Spike simply rolled his eyes in reply. “Well, what I want to know what's going on with Flash,” mused Rotor anxiously. “It's been...how long since his last radio check?” “Nearly six hours, I make it,” said Speedbird. “Could be that his radio battery's run out or something.” “Or maybe he's already spotted the saboteur and was unable to pay any attention to the radio at all,” murmured Panthera. “I just hope he's okay.” While the controllers and investigators were debating, the last of the Constellation's would-be occupants were making their way through the portal that Twilight had cast across the walkway, which would take them to a field over on the far side of the airport. One by one, they disappeared through the magical wormhole until the only one left other than Twilight herself was Technicolour Tarquin, the famous film-maker who had been hired to direct these “passengers” for the purpose of the ruse. “Well, my dear Princess Twilight,” he said as the lavender-coated alicorn closed the portal, “that's the last of the extras safely, er...out of sight, as it were.” Twilight nodded her approval. “Thanks, Tarquin. Well, let's hope this all goes successfully.” “So do we all, Your Highness,” agreed Tarquin gravely. “It's bad enough to lose one of these magnificent beasts, but to lose a Princess would be most tragic. Anyway,” he went on, “I'd better remove myself and let you do the rest. Good luck.” “Thanks again, Tarquin,” replied Twilight nervously. “I think we'll need it,” and she watched uneasily as Tarquin uttered his booming, echoing catchphrase of “MOVIE MAGIC!” before teleporting out of the plane. Then, using the headset with which she had been equipped before joining the flight, she spoke to the control tower; “Starswirl Control from Alicorn Four. All passengers have passed through the gate, and we're just waiting for our preflight checks to be completed. Any word from Agent X yet?” “Negative, Alicorn Four,” replied the voice of Speedbird over the radio. “We can't seem to get a response out of him.” Twilight gritted her teeth, silently cursing herself for having thrown Flash's life away – and all for nothing, it seemed. “Okay, well...if he doesn't call back within ten minutes of take-off, then put out a search for him,” she instructed. “I'm now passing all radio communication with Air Traffic Control to Captain Clipper Victor for the duration of the flight to Abu Dhonki.” “Roger, Alicorn Four. Good luck.” After a further two minutes – much too soon for Twilight's liking – the ground crew finished their preflight checks. With the plane itself in seemingly perfect condition and its solitary passenger aboard, the flight attendant shut the door, the walkway slowly retracted, and an aircraft tug carefully eased the bulky airliner away from the terminal building. All the while, Speedbird, Spike and Rotor watched anxiously for anypony about to make a last-minute attempt to damage the Constellation – but even now, none of them had any idea that, in another part of the airport, Tailstrike and McPommel were also watching the leviathan airliner being prepared for its ill-fated journey. Tailstrike smirked evilly as the plane backed off the ramp area and onto the apron. “Yeah, good luck, Princess Twilight – if you know where to look for it,” he murmured, his voice heavy with irony. “Serves her right if you ask me,” grumbled McPommel, sneering coldly at the mention of Twilight's name. “That foolish upstart of a princess should know better than to interfere with my plans like this. The sooner she and the Constellation are out of the way, the better for the Phantom project.” “Don't you worry, sir,” Tailstrike assured him. “The loss of that meddling brat should be the final nail in the coffin for de Hoofilland's monstrosity – and certainly if I have anything to do with it.” “It had better be. If that plane stays in the air any longer than an hour at most, then I'll...” but McPommel quickly broke off when he noticed Tailstrike heading back towards the hangars on the other side of the airport. “Where do you think you're going?” “Where else?” snorted Tailstrike dismissively. “There's still one pony I need to silence before we take off, you know.” “Listen, Tailstrike,” growled McPommel sharply, “we're in enough danger of being nicked by the airport police without you gallivanting off into hangars! You told me you'd tied him up before you left; that's good enough! Now come back here and help us check this thing over, you idiot!” “But sir, I don't think you understand...” “I don't need to understand anything, Tailstrike!” snapped McPommel. “All I need is to get away without anypony knowing I had anything to do with that plane, and if you don't cooperate, you're on your own! Do I make myself clear?! Tailstrike rolled his eyes in sullen exasperation. “Yeah, fine,” he muttered, and trudged sulkily over to the smallish propeller-driven airliner standing nearby. Secretly, he couldn't help but worry about what might come of his client's decision not to bother with Flash any further – one little slip, and their whole scheme could very easily be thwarted... As the two ponies and their Pegasus pilots continued to check their plane over, the Constellation was just approaching its take-off position. From the plane's first-class cabin, Twilight watched nervously as the scenery crawling past her window slowed to a complete stop. Not long now, she thought. “Alicorn Four to Starswirl Control,” she heard the voice of her captain saying over the radio, “we're in position on Runway One Four and awaiting our departure clearance.” “Alicorn Four, you are cleared for take-off,” replied Speedbird. “Report back as soon as you reach Flight Level One Two Zero – in the meantime, I'll be keeping the frequency clear for you and your passenger.” “Roger, Control. You ready, Princess?” “As ready as I'll ever be,” Twilight responded, wisely double-checking that her seatbelt had been fastened. “Good. Now commencing take-off run.” No sooner had Captain Clipper Victor uttered those fateful words than the engines picked up again with a loud roar from outside the cabin. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster, the Constellation thundered down the runway on the first stage of its dangerous journey eastwards. As it reached halfway, leaning back to begin climbing, the lavender-coated alicorn took a deep breath and steeled herself for the perils that lay ahead. There was no turning back now. At last, with a light shudder, the landing wheels parted company with the tarmac, and the Constellation soared boldly into the air. In the control tower, Spike continued to gaze upon the giant airliner as it ascended further and further. “Well...so far, so good,” he murmured, crossing his fingers. “I just hope it stays that way.” “They'll make it yet,” asserted Panthera grimly. “We've taken every step to ensure that whatever struck that plane down doesn't happen again.” “Yeah,” muttered Spyder anxiously, “but is 'every step' gonna be enough?” Rotor nodded faintly. “Well...here's hoping, anyway.” More than five minutes later, back in the hangar where the Constellation had been resting during the night, Great Snipe was silently brooding over its fate as he began to make preparations for another aircraft to undergo routine maintenance. It had been bad enough losing just two of these planes, especially after he had passed one of them as being fit to fly – but a third one? With an Equestrian princess aboard? That was just...crazy! His thoughts were suddenly interrupted, however, by a faint rattling and some muffled yells. Puzzled, he made his way across to where the noise appeared to be coming from, ultimately tracing it back to a nearby storeroom. “Odd,” he murmured, taking out a key and unlocking the door. “What would one of the others be doing locked away in here?” But as he cautiously entered the room, it quickly became apparent that it wasn't a fellow technician – instead, it was an orange-coated Pegasus stallion with sapphire-blue mane and tail, lying bound and gagged against a ladder leaning against the far side wall. He was clad in a black spy-suit and struggling helplessly, though clearly to no avail. “Holy cow!” exclaimed Great Snipe in alarm, as he began untying the stallion. “What the hay are you doing in here?!” Flash tried to reply, but the gag prevented him from speaking clearly enough. Taking the hint, Great Snipe removed it from his mouth before getting back to setting him free. “Never mind what, where's the Constellation?!” Great Snipe looked confused. “What Constellation?” “The one that was in this hangar last night!” hollered Flash frantically. “Where is it?!” “Oh, that Constellation! Yeah, that only just left the airport six minutes ago, why?” Flash's eyes widened in horror. “WHAT?!?” he burst out. “But that means Twilight and the crew are in peril! I must warn them!” and before Great Snipe could ask what he was talking about, the young guardspony was out of the hangar and making a beeline for the control tower, donning his ear defenders as he went. The confused ground technician could only stare in confusion at this unexpected turn of events. Flash, however, couldn't bother any less with his rescuer – he had far more important things to worry about. “Come on, Flash!” he hissed anxiously, gritting his teeth as he set his wings into motion. “This is a matter of life and death we're dealing with here – you don't get to that tower soon, you'll lose...” but he quickly broke off and veered sharply to the left, just in time to avoid being struck by an incoming airliner. The plane shot past with a loud roar, the slipstream almost knocking him clean out of the air; but he only just managed to correct himself in time to avoid a crash landing. His composure regained, he resumed his course for the control tower, hoping to goodness he wasn't too late... Up in the tower, Speedbird could only raise a confused eyebrow at the radio message he had just received. “That's weird. Titan Niner Two Six reports that some Pegasus pony nearly darted out in front of him as he was coming into land.” “Say what?!” Rotor stared in disbelief. Spyder raised both hands to his temples, almost ready to panic again. “What in the name of banana fritters is going on here?! First we're missing a secret agent, and now we've got ponies charging randomly across other planes' right of way?!” “Hang on a minute, Spyder,” exclaimed Spike, pressing his face against the observation window, “I think that is Flash headed our way!” “It...is?” Speedbird looked out across the airport – and sure enough, he could see the orange-furred stallion rapidly closing in on the control tower. “Good grief, you're right! Somepony let him in at once!” “I got it!” screeched Spyder, leaping for the door and only just swinging it open in time to prevent Flash from ramming it down. The frantic stallion quickly came into land within the control room, collapsing onto his haunches as he tried to catch his breath. Speedbird trotted over to him. “Where were you, Agent X? What happened?” “They've...they've struck again,” panted Flash. “Roof's been damaged...must warn plane...or they'll blow up...” “WHAT?! And you tell us now?!” burst out Spike. “He tied me up...smashed my radio...” Rotor raised an eyebrow. “Heck, that'd explain why we couldn't contact you! You say they've already damaged the plane?” Flash was just about to reply when they heard the voice of the Constellation's captain on the radio; “Alicorn Four to Starswirl Control, Flight Level now One Two Zero. Nothing to report so far – continuing towards Flight Level Three Seven Zero.” This radio message triggered off what was probably the loudest alarm bell that had ever rang out in Flash's head. Without thinking, he suddenly leaped for the radio and grabbed the microphone. “NO! TURN HER AROUND!” he shouted urgently. “YOUR HULL'S BEEN DAMAGED! SHE'LL BREAK UP ANY MINUTE!”