350 C.E. Three hundred and fifty years after the Banishment of Nightmare Moon. Three hundred and fifty years after the founding of the Equestrian Empire in response to the new shift in power. Three hundred and fifty years during which Celestia has held absolute power over Equestria and, indeed, the entire world, albeit in the shadows.
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace. Airships held up by small solid steel balloons instead of massive canvass behemoths, once a thing of only fantasy and fiction, now commonly roam the skies. Soldiers equipped with rifles powered by either powder or magic, firing either metal bullets or beams of pure energy. Massive dreadnoughts capable of leveling entire cities.
But the world is a changing place. Tenuous alliances and non-aggression pacts in the face of war and destruction. A Reich so mindlessly infatuated with their leader that they have lost sight of everything beyond their world. A General obsessed with utter annihilation of any enemies of the Crown. An Admiral afraid to throw his ships at the enemy. A Princess afraid of unnecessary loss of life. A student controlling the vast majority of the economy.
And in the middle of it all, an airship captain just trying to make a living for her and her crew.
Airships.
You have me hooked.
You had me at Reich, consider me excited. Lovely sentence structure and great vocabulary, I can see this becoming quite a hit.
This is very good. Very good indeed. It's extremely detailed, and seems to have a thick storyline to it. I await another chapter, as this has gained my interest. I don't have any complaints, as I didn't notice any spelling errors or that sort of thing.
This story is great. You could cut down on the descriptions a bit, but since it's the first chapter I'm forgiving. (I like the scenery, but not THAT much)
Otherwise it feels like the good old days again. This song seems fitting:
Okay, this is definitely Firefly. The style and the ship fit. And it is perfect for not trying to be Firefly...
I think this is a fitting song:
[youtube=U1iyJq-aNRU]
5665454, 5737502
Haha ha ha whaaa! 
Complete with stopping halfway through!
Tis a shame, it looks intriguing, but I don’t want to start something that looks so dead.
Psst! Mr. Author! Is this dead, or do you think you might come back? If it is dead, please label it canceled, if not do you need any help? (Editing, etc.)