Here be too much Dragon.

by Golden Paw

Blooming Bloomberg

Blooming Bloomberg

Spike wasn't happy at all: Despite his best efforts to avoid Warden after their 'disagreement' the black dragon had forced Spike into talking with him. This had only been after a long chase that wound through the rocky highlands surrounding the mountain. Warden had finally cornered Spike within their previous battle ground and tried to explain the 'invitation' the younger dragon had received.

"So what you're saying is that your master wants to meet with me?" Spike asked in a slow way, making sure he had understood precisely what Warden was trying to tell him, all the while struggling to keep his temper in check. Spike was still nursing a sore head after the events of a few days ago. He gingerly massaged the green spines adorning his skull, noting they were still a little bent out of shape and tender to the touch.

"Thortax wants you present at the next migration, hatchling, in fact he has used his considerable pull in the dragon world to move the date forward," Warden explained, "That's a massive feat and should indicate how serious Thortax is about your invitation."

"But he didn't say why?" Spike pressed.

Warden shook his head slowly, "No hatchling he didn't, but I know Thortax doesn't do anything on a mere whim: I would strongly advise you to accept."

Spike grimaced as he was reminded of the last migration he had attended and was not looking forward to being present at another. He was especially put off by the idea of being the centre of attention of a large number of grumpy old dragons; the concept that he was going to be presented like some sort of exhibit wouldn't leave Spike's mind despite Warden's assurances.

He was in no mood to comply with anything the other dragon suggested at this moment. Spike was torn however; he really shouldn't have lost his temper with Warden, but the thought of losing Twilight had been like a fire in his head. When Warden had reminded Spike of the now forever out of reach Rarity well......

If left to himself, Spike would happily forgo the whole idea of mixing with other dragons right now, but again it wasn't so simple, Luna had already told Spike of the message from Thortax and left the decision up to him. If she had ordered Spike that would have been easier, as he didn't really want to go and having it as a royal command would have removed Spike from the hard decision before him.

Twilight was all for the idea, but yet again wouldn't force Spike to do so if he didn't choose to. In the end Spike felt it would be worse to disappoint his friends than to be paraded before his fell drakes and so slumped his shoulders in defeat, "Fine I'll go, but I'd better not be some sort of 'gimmick'."

Warden smiled, "Trust me, Thortax would never stoop so low, maybe have you as an example, or possibly an object lesson, but never just something to win favour with other dragons. Warden pondered for a moment before going on, "In fact if what I suspect is true, then what Thortax has to say will make a large number of the other flights very angry."

"You're not filling me with confidence here Warden," Spike cautioned, the idea of being surrounded by hundreds of possibly angry dragons all watching him was even more off putting.

Warden's expression became serious, "Now hatchling, I never said this was going to be an easy journey. I just promised it would be worth it. I think you have it in you to be a truelly great dragon, from what I have seen you could certainly be a match for the older and tougher dragons some day. If you have learnt nothing else from our time together then you should at least know that strength and power are of little use without control and wisdom."

Warden indicated the number of craters dotting the rock face around them and Spike was acutely aware of the hard lesson this older dragon was trying to teach him. "What Thortax has to tell the other dragons may not be what they want to hear, but what is popular isn't always what is the right thing to do," Warden reminded Spike sternly.

"So what's that got to do with me then?" Spike asked in confusion.

Warden's face softened, "Well that's for Thortax to know and us to find out hatchling."

Spike growled and let out some more smoke, “Fine you've told me, can I go now?"

Warden sighed sadly, "Look Spike I told you I'm sorry okay, if you trust me at all then please believe me on this: I truly have no intention of taking Twilight away from you. She's your sister, I have the upmost respect for both of you and would try my up most not to spoil the friendships we have formed."

The glare Spike gave Warden showed just how much stock he gave that assurance and shoved past the smaller drake. As Spike clambered back up towards his cave Warden easily flew up and past the grounded Spike. "Well hatchling I'm glad you have chosen to come, even if under sufferance as I have already asked Twilight if she could help with some transport.....

---

Twilight breathed deeply as the Bloomberg floated ponderously out of the workshop which had been his 'cradle', all the time trying her best to remain calm. This project represented months of work, years of planning and was finally coming together. She watched tensely as a number of deckhands slowly guided the airship from its old home and out into the cold light of day.

Twilight shivered as another gust of frigid air washed over her, causing both her feathers and hair to ruffle. Winter was definitely on the doorstep now and Twilight was certain she could smell the crisp bite of approaching snow in the air. Despite the chill her heart burned with well earned pride as the Bloomberg cleared the workshop for the first time.

The boost given by the new workers had put the project ahead of schedule by just over a week and Twilight was eager to put the airship through its paces. The Bloomberg was greeted by a resounding cheer as its tail fins cleared the doors and the new ship was free at last.

The noise was quickly hushed as Applebloom darted from one worker to another; double and in some case triple checking that each creature knew its duty and was doing it well. She paused as the central bulk of Bloomberg momentarily blotted out the sun as it sailed overhead and glanced up at Twilight. The Princess chuckled as she met Applebloom's eye and saw the look of pride mirrored on her face; this was her project as much as Twilight's and she felt the pride was well earned.

The good mood was infectious and Twilight felt her own muzzle grinning like an idiot before she could stop herself. Twilight watched as Bloomberg was slowly rotated on its guiding ropes and took in just how big their new project truly was. She had estimated it would take only a small competent crew to make the ship flight-worthy, but the Bloomberg was made to carry far more than that.

Twilight had worked out that the airship should be able to carry at least sixty five pony sized passengers, along with storage enough to transport supplies for at least four months, with cargo space to spare. The original balloon design had been altered from floating above the machine; now fitting snugly within the centre of the craft allowing the main decks and crew compartments to run either side. The main cargo holds were positioned beneath the balloon for easy access to the ground.

Twilight smiled broadly as she recalled how the small scale tests had shown some balance problems with the design, but that was easily countered by weights and few handy spells of her own creation. The overall result was a sizable yet compact flyer with its flotation far better protected than a standard air balloon or blimp, even before the latest magical barrier defences were activated.

This was where the Bloomberg became particularly impressive: With the developments in magical power-storage along with some very clever devices designed by Applebloom herself which enabled the ship to be driven by magical propellers that would normally take five or six unicorns to power. The engines could now be run from the central power crystal at full pelt for days before needing a full recharge, an almost unheard of feat of efficiency.

The Bloomberg was of course still a prototype, and his successors would improve with time, but Twilight knew this first ship would always hold a special place in her heart, along with those who served on him. Nevertheless even she was forced to stop and marvel at what they had achieved in a relatively short time.

"He's lookin good Big. D, any words fer the history books?" Applebloom called up once she was certain that the Bloomberg was secured in place and couldn't slip his leash.

Twilight was taken aback, but then again she shouldn't be surprised by that either. "Well A.B, I think we’re going to make the Royal pony Sisters and Equestria proud! Well done everyone, creatures of all races will look back to this day and see what we made: Let's impress them huh?"

The cheers from all around were louder than the before and Twilight felt the blush forming once again, no matter how many times she had done so, Twilight knew she would never get used to public speaking. She let the enthusiasm of the team wash over her and felt more confident with each passing moment. They were all happy with what had been done here and Twilight was glad she could share it with them.

With eagerness the work crews began to prepare for the first of Applebloom's rehearsals, starting with the 'prop' alignment. At Applebloom's signal the helmsman, a griffin by the name of 'Blerio' warmed up each propeller in turn: The power behind them was impressive and there were one or two moments where Twilight was afraid Bloomberg really would escape, but Applebloom knew her stuff and the airship stayed firmly within its appointed area.

With first the checks concluded, Pipsqueak confirmed that the power crystals were holding steady and the crew moved onto the next set of checks. The Bloomberg gently sank lower, before climbing back up until he was straining at his tethers. Everything ran smoothly and Twilight was almost ready to congratulate them on a perfect build when comic timing cut her off by revealing the first fault.

As the ship pirouetted into place Blerio pulled back the throttle, only to find that the connected props refused to power down and Bloomberg continued its horizontal spin much to the alarm of the work crews. Very soon the guide cables began to twist and tighten together in a central spiral. As they did so the ship was dragged closer and closer to the ground as its movement ate up the slack like a hungry parasprite.

"Kill number three! I said Kill number three!" Applebloom yelled as the team members below began to scatter while the Bloomberg began to list in its unplanned decent. "Pip, cut the power ter number three propeller!" Twilight's chief engineer had given up shouting at the hapless pilot who had done all he could to obey and galloped around trying to shut the problem down at its source, but there was too much going on for the yellow mare to possibly succeed.

"Uncouple the tethers!" Twilight yelled as she swooped from her vantage point overlooking the proceedings, she circled the stricken Bloomberg, her wings out stretched and with bursts of magic began to do just that. As each cable came undone the airship's decent slowed, but it's angle drifted further from horizontal and was soon spinning from nose-down to nose-up at a crazy forty five degree tilt.

The freshly freed cables began to grind across the ground, leaving trails of sparks in their wake. Applebloom was finally forced to dive clear as one clipped her galloping legs and caused her to stumble. Twilight worked quickly, even going as far as to sever the last tether with a blast of magic before the Bloomberg righted himself with a protesting groan.

With everyone else out of harm's way Twilight refocused her magic on the ship and with a 'pop' appeared inside the empty cargo bay where a number of queasy and battered crew were nursing various bumps and bruises. The startled workers barely had time to register the Princess' presence before she tore off towards the power room.

Now that the airship had levelled out Twilight was quickly able to make her way to the crystal room and was soon confronted by an unconscious Pipsqueak. Evidently the young stallion had banged his head in the chaos and was lying oblivious just outside the power room. Twilight was impressed that despite his failure, it seemed Pip had the same idea as Applebloom and herself.

With a grunt of effort Twilight channeled her magic and shut off the offending power lines. The Bloomberg's out of control spin began to slow as Bleiro brought him back under the control of his skilled claws. Twilight gave a relieved sigh and sank to her haunches as reports began to filter through the intercom system.

Catching her breath, Twilight gently levitated Pipsqueak with a flash of her horn before laying the unconscious pony across her own back. Twilight then commenced her unsteady way back to the rest of the startled ground crew and a frantic Applebloom.

---

"Stupid colt, yer could have been hurt!" Applebloom was beside herself with worry as Twilight carried Pipsqueak down the exit ramp of the Bloomberg and deposited him with the other wounded. Thankfully no one was badly hurt, just a collection of cuts and scrapes; Pip being the worst off.

"He's out cold Applebloom, he's got a nasty bump on the noggin that's all. I found him just outside power room," Twilight tried to reassure Applebloom who just snorted in response.

"That's no excuse, what was he doing in there in the first place?" Applebloom muttered, causing Twilight to stare at her in utter confusion.

"He was trying to cut the power as you shouted at him to do?" Twilight replied, her face radiating puzzlement.

"Yeah, but not get himself hurt! I'd strangle him if he did summit foalish like that!" Applebloom shouted, still glaring at the mottled pony, "That's it Twi, every pony is ter wear helmets during any emergency! Yer the Director, write it down or summit!"

Twilight blinked a few times as Applebloom continued to rant. She had never seen her chief engineer so worked up, even when the power crystal exploded, "But A.B, we don't know when every emergency could happen, we would have to wear helmets all the time?"

Applebloom paused for a moment as Twilight's question sunk in, "Well maybe just him then, if he's gonna go around bashin his head on things."

Twilight tried to suppress a giggle, "Applebloom I didn't know you cared so much about his safety, I thought that was my job?" This comment only earned a glare from the yellow earth pony.

"Well good help is hard ter come by, I don't want my best technician bashin his brains out whenever we have a problem," Applebloom retorted as her temper flared, "His fault fer tryin ter be such a brave fool." Applebloom said in low voice that Twilight only just caught.

"It's only a bang to the head A.B, he will come around soon I'm sure. If it makes you feel better I've already called for medics and they won't be long," Twilight smiled and shook her head; having seen the signs enough times to know when a pony cared for another on more than just a professional level. Having five best friends married, Twilight knew what to look for even if Applebloom was herself oblivious.

"Well fine, but he better be up and at that fault as soon as he's kickin or I'll have his hide yer hear?" With that Applebloom stomped off to the now mercifully quiet Bloomberg to see what damage had been caused in the accident, muttering to herself all the way.

Even as Twilight watched her go, she heard a groan from the stallion in question and turned to see Pipsqueak blinking slowly with a distant look in his brown eyes as he mumbled, "I'm on my way boss, don't you worry....."

"It's okay Pip, it's over and everypony is safe," Twilight assured him.

"Wha-what happened?" Pip asked and Twilight smiled down at the dedicated pony.

"Well from what we can guess the power feed jammed open and we couldn't stop the horizontal spin of the airship as a result," Twilight explained slowly as Pipsqueak rubbed the mound forming on his skull.

"Boss was gonna kill someone about that, had to make sure it wasn't me...." Pipsqueak mumbled before drifting back into unconsciousness and Twilight was forced to suppress a chuckle.

If something was going to go wrong with the ship she was just glad it had been now and not during the presentation in a few weeks time or heavens forbid out in the field. A pair of medics, a zebra along with a pegasus arrived and began checking the injured, leaving Twilight free to go and speak with Applebloom about what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future.

Trotting on board their machine, Twilight quickly traced her steps to the power room and found Applebloom simply by following the exposed wiring leading away the engines. Twilight finally found Applebloom waist deep in a junction box a few corridors downstream and seeing her so engrossed decided not to bother the engineer right away.

After a few minutes Applebloom gave a triumphant shout before a small chunk of metal flew out and clattered against the opposite wall. She pony continued to rummage about in the guts of the Bloomberg and Twilight smiled, watching her tinker with interest. Twilight was amazed at how much a pony with no direct magical powers could understand and work with such a magically based machine; putting it down to how practical earth ponies were.

They saw problems and came up with solutions that would have never occurred to Twilight and reminded herself just how lucky she was to have Appleboom as her engineer. Twilight's pondering were cut short as Applebloom extricated herself from the junction box, only then becoming aware of Twilight as she banged into her hoof.

"Oh Big. D, did'ner see yer there," Applebloom's muzzle broke into a huge grin, the previous worries forgotten in the face of her latest triumph. "One of the flow line's regulators got wedged open when that there chunk a metal lodged in it; bound ter happen somewhere when we first start him up."

Twilight nodded, happy to see Applebloom was still as driven as ever, "Um A.B, I need to ask you an important question."

Applebloom cocked an eyebrow at Twilight as she cleaned her hooves with a rag from the toolbox she seemed to carry everywhere these days, "Hit me Big. D, if it's about Bloomberg then I wanna know about it."

Twilight didn't know how to begin, so decided to tread carefully, “In theory..." She began only to have Applebloom snort in annoyance.

"Oh no Big.D, I knows when you're gonna ask me summit I don't wanna hear: Lemmy brace meself first," Applebloom rummaged once again in her toolbox. After a few moments the pony emerged with a hard-hat forced down over her red mane and a pair of welding goggles fixed firmly in place, "Right go fer it."

"In theory, how fire proof is the inside of Bloomberg?" Twilight asked slowly.

Applebloom paused before she lowered the goggles to peer at Twilight, "He's tough but I thought we were gonna have all the fire n danger on the outside Big.D That's what the barriers are for right?"

Twilight shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, "Well one of our passengers on our first trip may be a bit......dragonish"

Applebloom's mouth dropped open in utter disbelief before she almost shouted in reply, "Yer can't be serious Twi, after all we have done yer wanna have a fire breathin lizard in our foal!"

Twilight's eyes spoke the truth and Applebloom held her head in her hooves, "Yer have gotta be kiddin me, please tell me yer ain't gonna bring a dragon on ma ship! Which one, Spike? I know yer have a soft spot fer him Twi, but every pony knows he's a walkin disaster." The engineer grimaced as Twilight scowled back at her. "Sorry Twi, but I don't think Bloomberg would last long with a dragon in him. Plus where would we put him? There ain't no berths made fer a creature his size."

The director of the research centre drew herself up to her full height, her horn almost touching the ceiling of the corridor, "I am serious A.B: We can modify the cargo hold, surely we can reinforce them to withstand any fire related accidents?"

Applebloom continued to cradle her head in her hooves, "It's not just that Twi, do yer know how much a dragon of his size eats? We'd have to take up even more space fer his supplies, I just don't know if we can make it work. It's that or we would have to make more regular stops and we can't guarantee we could find suitable replacements neither.

Twilight looked skeptical, "Come on A.B, I think that's a bit harsh. This ship is meant to carry at least another sixty five roughly pony sized passengers, along with far more food than Spike will need. I am confident that the Bloomberg can safely carry both Spike and Warden." She concluded with a final note.

Applebloom visibly swayed at this news, "Two! Two dragons?" She frantically shook her head at the insanity of the suggestion and Twilight could almost see the visions of the two lizards fighting each other on board her beloved ship rampaging through the engineer's mind."Twi I heard they ain't the best of friends and if they started a hoe down on the Bloomberg...." Applebloom went so pale that Twilight feared she may actually pass out.

"That's what we need A.B and I know if any pony can figure out how to achieve such a feat, it's you," Twilight said in a confident voice even as Applebloom seemed gripped with despair, "If you can't do it then I could always find some other ponies to help you?"

The effect was instant and drastic: Applebloom snapped her head around and Twilight was rewarded with a fresh fire in the her amber eyes. "Yer don't think I could do it huh? I could fit five dragons in this ship and still fly it ter the crystal fiefdom n back!"

Twilight smiled inside, even if her face showed remorse, "Well I wouldn't want to put you under more pressure that you can hand...." Applebloom looked like she might explode.

"Princess, if I say I can fit five dragon's in here and still have Bloomberg flying fine then two dragons is nothin, now get outta ma way Twi, I need ter find that useless assistant Pipsqueak. He's no doubt lyin down on the job again....." Twilight chuckled quietly as her best engineer stomped away, causing the floor plates to wrattle and muttering something under her breath about tying one of the drakes to the ship's hull.

"That's why your my chief engineer Applebloom, I know I can count on you," Twilight grinned as she followed at a safe distance to go and tell the dragon's the good news.

Comments

[redmar]

Reverse psychology is very effective on Apple Bloom who has a crush on Pipsqeauk already. I spotted it too like Twilight but in my case due to another story with PipBloom shipping where Apple Bloom has the exact same attitude to Pip which is a good thing.