> Steam Tyrant
>  by duvagr007
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Cornelius 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Prologue






Inkwell was loving his new life with Twilight. He now lived in the library in which he worked, and he got to see the love of his every day. And each time he saw her, he was reminded of her beauty and intelligence. He was also reminded of the foal she was carrying in her womb. He knew any day now it would be time, and they would have to rush her to the emergency room so she could give birth. Inkwell was a bit nervous about becoming a father, but he figured that if Twilight was ready to be a parent, then so was he.

It had only been about a year and a half since he had moved into Ponyville. He realized he loved Twilight when they were on their trip to Cloudsdale a few days after he moved to town. A lot had happened since he arrived. Aside from him marrying Twilight, another marriage had sprung up among their friends. Fluttershy and Big Mac had gotten married, and were expecting a foal of their own in a few weeks. Rainbow Dash was unmarried, but she had decided to adopt Scootaloo. This had caused quite a fuss in town because nopony had known her parents were dead. The orange filly had seemed excited enough however, so the confusion had slowly been forgotten. Pinkie had sort of taken Pipsqueak under her wing and had become something like a big sister to him. Applejack still ran the apple orchard with the help of Applebloom and Sweetie Bell, who's sister lived in Canterlot with her husband Fancy Pants. Granny Smith had passed away a few months after Inkwell had arrived in town. He hadn't known her well, but she seemed like a sweet mare.

Inkwell, who was now a published and well known author, sat at his desk working on his latest book. It was around midnight, and he was getting ready to go to bed when he heard the door to the study open. He turned to see Twilight standing there looking pained and very anxious.

"What's wrong hun?" He knew whatever was bothering her, it most likely had something to do with the baby.

"It's time," she said flatly. This came as a bit of a shock to Inkwell, he knew it was due soon, but he had figured it wouldn't be for a few more days.

"Are you sure," he asked, and she answered with a nod of her head. "Alright then, let's get to the hospital." He stood and grabbed her with his magic, knowing that this would be her smoothest ride to the hospital. He stepped out the front door of the library, leaving a note for Spike saying where they had gone. Once he was sure the baby dragon hadn't been woken, he ran for the hospital, Twilight still held in his magical grasp.





_____
 




"I need you to push Miss Sparkle, the baby is almost out." Nurse Redheart sat waiting to receive the baby.

"Aaahhh!"

"One more, you're doing great."

"Aaaahhhh!!"

"Almost there, hold on. Oh no, the horn is causing damage!"

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Twilight let out one last scream and then a foal could be seen. Inkwell's vision was blurred, he caught the faint sound of the foal crying before he lost consciousness and fainted.





_____





Inkwell slowly opened his eyes to a blinding light. His hearing returned in a ringing pain. As the ringing and blurriness subsided, he became aware of his wife standing at his side. He turned his head to look at her, and she smiled.

"Good morning. Why are you always getting knocked out one way or the other?"

"Believe me, I've been asking myself the same question for the past year. Boy or girl?"

"Boy or... oh right. Why am I such a scatterbrain sometimes? He's a boy. Unicorn like his parents."

"What does he look like?"

"Nothing like us for some reason, he has a rust colored coat with a mane similar to bronze. His eyes match his mane and he looks rather large, not fat large just, big."

"Odd that he doesn't look like us. But I bet he's beautiful anyways."

"You're right on that, he is very beautiful, but not as beautiful as you." He chuckled and gave her a small kiss. Just then the doctor walked in and released him to go. They walked back home and began to prepare the babies room.





_____




1 Year Later





They had decided to name their son Cornelius. He was difficult to deal with at first, but Inkwell and Twilight had gotten the hang of it quickly. They also noticed quickly that he was very smart. At a year old he was already walking, and he was beginning to talk a little as well. He enjoyed finding random things around the house and building small machines out of them. He had already created clock, it wasn't functional, but all the necessary components where there in one way or another. 

Fluttershy and Big Macintosh had their foal also. His name was Zach and he was a black pegasus with a black mane that had a read streak in it. He didn't make much noise and always seemed to be lost in thought. As much as you could be lost in thought at his age anyways. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had yet to complete their mission, and Pipsqueak lacked his cutie mark as well. Pip was a little too young, but the filly trio had almost lost hope entirely. They had no clue they would have to wait for a few more years yet to earn their special talent.





_____





"No you idiot! We can't do anything that would give our plans away! We need to wait until the time is right. Be patient Lucius, the kingdom will be ours all in due time."

"Yes, of course Blueblood. I humbly serve you, but how much longer? We need to act quickly. I have heard rumors that a very smart colt has been born, smart enough to ruin our plans if he so chooses.

"Don't worry. We will strike soon, but first we need to set the ball rolling. Perhaps some propaganda against the princesses? That should get ponies off their side at least, making it easier for us to take control.

"Very clever sir. You are truly an evil genius.

"Don't flatter me. Ha, hahaha, Mwahahahahahaaaa!!!!!"









    
> Chapter 1: A New Age
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Chapter 1




20 Years after the events of the prologue





Cornelius sat over his workbench wondering how he was going to get his newest creation to work properly. He had been working on the thing for weeks now, and he was starting to get frustrated. He looked it over again, this time with a very close eye. He wasn't one to miss things, but it had happened on occasion. As he was looking it over, he noticed that two pipes that were supposed to be connected weren't. He facehoofed then proceeded to correct the error. Like his countless failed attempts, he poured water into the proper container and turned on his contraption. At first nothing happened, but as he watched, pistons and wheels began to turn. His newest machine was working!

"Yes! I finally got it working! Oh, that isn't supposed to happen." He looked closely and could see that he had forgotten to actually place an opening at the exhaust port. He was a genius, but he could be such a scatterbrain sometimes. He quickly began to look around his workshop for something to place a hole at the end of the pipe, but before he could find one, it put a hole in itself. A loud band resounded throughout the room and a piece of metal could be seen ricocheting off the walls. It flew right past his head and embedded itself in the wall next to him. He went over to inspect it, not yet registering the pain in his horn. When he finally did however...

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OW SWEET CELESTIA THIS FREAKING HURTS!!!!" The pain in his horn was unfathomable. He had no idea what could have caused it without killing him. He hobbled over to a mirror he had on a nearby wall, and what he saw, or rather, what he didn't see, stunned him. His horn was gone. He had no idea how this could have happened, the metal shouldn't have been strong enough to snap his horn off. At least, he didn't think it was that strong. He decided that he had worked enough today, and turned to leave. As he neared the door and tried to open it with his magic, he realized that no horn meant no magic.

"Great. As if things weren't going bad enough. Now I don't have any magic. Ugh, mom's gonna kill me." He stepped outside, struggling to open the door with his hoof. As he walked toward his parents house, he noticed that everypony was staring at him. He knew his horn had a lot to do with it, but it was also because he didn't go out much, so ponies weren't used to seeing him. He didn't have any friends per-say. He hung out with Zach every now and again, but he mostly kept to himself. He was always working on a new build, or coming up with ideas for one. He had a sketch of his biggest goal. He wanted to build a ship, but one that flew with the use of an  elongated balloon. It would be like a blimp, but larger and able to carry 5 or 6 ponies and rations/supplies for a month. He didn't have a name for what it was, and up until recently, he didn't have a power source for the propellers that moved it forward. The machine he had been working was the... great, now I need a name for that thing... well it ran on steam. He pondered for a moment, trying to incorporate the word 'steam' into his creations name. I know! I'll call it a steam engine. It's got a nice ring to it. Satisfied with his new creations name, he continued to the library in mental silence.

Knock. Knock. Knock

"Inkwell, could you get that please? I'm busy." Called Twilight from the back. Inkwell sighed and stood, setting down his quill. He walked toward the door and opened it with his magic to see his son standing there, but something was different about him.

"Hey son, how have you- SWEET CELESTIA WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HORN!?!?!?!?!?"





_____





"YOU WHAT!? Conelius, sweetie, how could you disregard caution like that? You know your work is dangerous, you should know to be careful. Now look what happened, you lost your horn and your magic with it."

"Mom, stop. I'm fine, I just had an accident is all. I know I won't have magic anymore, but think about what I just contributed to Equestria. This will move us forward like nothing else has before. With my new steam engine, we can move forward into... hmm. Oh, I've got it! The Steampunk Era! How do you like it?"

"I would like it more if you had your horn young man. And another thing-"

"Twilight, stop. He made his mistake, and he'll suffer the consequences for it. He doesn't need you lecturing him about it. Okay?"

"I... okay. But you better have learned your lesson young man."

"I know Ma. I'll be more careful. I'm sure I can still make excellent machines, with or without my horn. And they will all go toward benefiting..." he trailed off. An idea had popped into his head. One that might just earn him his magic back.

"Benefiting?"

"Mom, Dad. It's been wonderful catching up with you guys, but I gotta go."

"Wait, Cornelius. What are you," but he was already out the door. "why does he never listen to me?"

"He gets it from his mother. Ow! That hurt."

"It wasn't supposed to feel good."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"I know. And I love you."

"Love you too Twi."





_____





Cornelius burst into his workshop, startling the now awake Owloicious into falling off of his perch. He moved to his workbench and picked up a piece if paper and one of his pencils and began to sketch out blueprints. He knew what he wanted to do, he just didn't know how to go about doing it. He sat for hours drawing out plan after failed plan. He was about to begin another sketch when a knock could be heard from his door.

"Who is it?"

...

"Alright, come on in Zach." The door opened and Zach, the only pony Cornelius ever talked to walked in. He was slim, tall, and the second best flier in Equestria. Cornelius wasn't sure how somepony so small could be so strong. Zach gave a small nod in greeting and Cornelius nodded back. He turned back to his paper and began to draw again. After a few minutes, he had a look that he liked, and one he could pull off without too much difficulty.

"Hey, um, what the heck is this thing?"

"That's just my new steam... did you just talk?"

"Yes, I know how. I just... prefer not to."

"Right. Well anyways, that's my new steam engine. Just finished it this morning. I lost my horn in the process, but its going to move Equestria very far forward. It's also going to power my mind's creation hanging on the wall there."

"What is it supposed to be exactly?"

"I haven't come up with a name for the actual machine yet. But its name is 'The Falcon'. How do ya like it?"

"Well, the name is good. But as for the name of the actual machine, why not call it an airship? It's a ship that flies in the air. At least, that's what I assume the big balloon on top is for."

"Huh, simple and creative at the same time. I knew there was a reason I hung out with you. Hey, you wanna help me build it?"

"Well, I don't have anything better to do today. How long is it going to take?"

"About a month with you and a few other people I rounded up helping. So, you in?"

"A month? Meh, might as well. Who else is helping out?"

"Just a few ponies my mom recommended. She  usually knows who can be of use around town."





_____





"You didn't. Please tell me you didn't"

"What? What's wrong with them?"

"Your mom obviously never told you the Cutie Mark Crusader stories. These three almost always make a mess of things. They have good intentions but, it never really works out for them."

"Well, if they have good intentions then that's good enough for me. Besides, we aren't going to be doing anything for a week of so. I need to bring everybody up to speed on what we're doing, and there is one more we're waiting on."

"And this one more is?"

"I can't remember his name. Chipspeak or something like that."

"Pipsqueak?"

"That's the one."

"Well, I've never heard anything bad about him but still. I don't like where this is going. And, what the heck is that thing on your head supposed to do again?"

"It lets me use my magic again. Since my real horn broke off, I made this replacement one instead. It hasn't exactly been field tested, but I have faith in my abilities." Zach scooted to the right some.

"I'm glad you do, because I sure don't. It was your 'abilities' that lost you your horn in the first place."

"Sheesh, you sound like my mother."

"Hey guys, hows it goin'?"

"Hey Scoot, where's Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell? Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"We're comin', hold yer horses."

"So what exactly are we doing? I know we're building something, but what?"

"All in good time Sweets. Come on in and I'll show you."

"Hey, what in tarnation is that thing on yer head? An' what happened to yer real horn?"

"Lost it. This is a replacement."

"Right."

"Just get in here. You comin' Zach?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry I was just um..."

"Staring at me," supplied Scootaloo.

"No, well... maybe."

"It's okay Zach, I know I'm irresistible."

"Ignore her. Fifteen years living with Rainbow Dash will do that to a mare. Besides, everpony knows I'm the most beautiful mare in... sorry, that's what happens when you're Rarity's sister."

"You two Ah swear. So ta repeat Sweetie's question, what are we... uh, Cornelius? What the hay is that?"

"It's a steam engine. It's going to be used to power the propellers for this." He pointed at a scale model of 'The Falcon' he had built after he had finished with his prosthetic horn. I wonder if... well, it's now or never. He picked up the model with his magic. Ha! It works! It actually works! Wait, no. Nononononononono! He tried to regain control of his magic but it was no use. The model went flying through the air and crashed into a nearby wall.

"Well, that was a very informative first test."

"Informative? Ya almost took mah head off!"

"Sorry about that. But it's informative because I now know not only does it give me back the ability to cast magic, it amplifies it as well."

"Right, sooo, you gonna show us what you're building or what?"

"Not what I'm building. What we're building. All of you are going to help. And in turn, you can be part of the crew if you so choose."

"Crew? So we're building a ship?"

"Not just a ship Ms. Bell. An airship."





_____





It had been about a week since construction on 'The Falcon' had begun. Most of the hull was finished, and the interior walls were in place as well. A few more planks and the furnishings were all that was left and then they could attach the gasbag that Sweetie had been sewing. Even if she wasn't good at sewing, she was better than the rest of them so that was the task she had been charged with. Apple Bloom had been put in charge of the mechanics of the ship, and Scootaloo had decided to go her own and build a small plane-like craft to fit inside. Pipsqueak, who had arrived a few days prior, was given a tour and put to work helping out wherever he was needed. Zach put in the things that required wings and Cornelius oversaw the entire operation. He had also been working on a few side projects here and there. He had heard rumors of a plot to overthrow Celestia and Luna, so he figured a few weapons wouldn't hurt, just in case things got dodgy. Zach had taken a liking to a pair of hoof-canons that Cornelius had built, and he never missed whatever he was aiming at. After one particularly good shot, he got his cutie mark, a pair of crossed guns with a crosshair in the background. Scoots had finished her plane completely and took it up for a spin. When she got back down she saw she had earned her cutie mark as well, a pair of mechanized wings with an 'ace' symbol in the middle. Apple Bloom got her cutie mark when she finished attaching the engine to the propellers, it was a wrench and screwdriver crossed over one another. Cornelius had gotten his mark when he created a gun that could be mounted on the side of the ship. It was a large set of gears and cogs with a belt in the shape of an upside-down triangle stretched over the bottom portion. Sweetie hadn't earned her cutie mark yet, and neither had Pipsqueak.

Throughout the entire construction, they were watched by one of Blueblood's spies. Blueblood had heard of their construction and decided that these new 'airships' would be of value in taking control of Equestria. He had ordered dozens of them constructed. All of them bigger and more heavily armed than 'The Falcon'. It was only a matter of time before he was ready to take the princesses. He wasn't sure what he would do with them once they were captured, probably just give them to the griffon kingdoms as a peace offering.

"Prince Blueblood sir. The stallion known as 'Cornelius' has completed his ship. He has given a display to the ponies of Ponyville, and given blueprints to the mayor of Cloudsdale. They have already begun production of what are being referred to as 'Vindicator' class ships. They are smaller than our own, but Cloudsdale has more resources and ponypower. Their numbers will greatly trump our own. What should we do?"

"Well do they know of my plan?"

"No sir."

"Then we attack their production facilities before their ships can be completed. Then we will overthrow the princesses as planed."

"Sir, they have already completed twenty-seven ships. To attack with our current force would be suicide. They may not be prepared for an attack, but their ships are armed. We would only be able to down roughly ten before we were defeated ourselves."

"Then boost production. I want every able bodied pony on our side working on our 'Interdiction' class ships. I want them finished yesterday!"

"Yes sir!"











     Author's Note: If things seem a little slow paced right now, don't worry. It should start to pick up in chapter two or three. Also if you see any mistakes, feel free to point them out. Comment with your thoughts and feelings about how it's playing out. And until such time as I die, I will continue to write this story. Until my note in chapter three, seeya. 

P.S. If you have something to ask me, send me a pm. Or use the comments, I read them all so I will see it. Your choice.

> Chapter 2: Dethroned
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Chapter 2





Cornelius woke to a knock on his door. He glanced over at his alarm clock, 6:00. Who would be waking him at six in the morning was beyond him, but another knock at his door got him out of bed. He walked over to the door and was surprised to see his dad there. Now he was really confused.

"Um, dad? Wanna tell me why you're waking me up at six in the morning? I was up late last night, what could be so important that...you..." he trailed off, noticing the headlines to the paper that his dad had brought with him. He snatched it with his magic and read it over.


Celestia and Luna Vanish!



-As of 2:30 this morning, sources report that the princesses have vanished without a trace. Sings of struggle could be seen in each of their bedchambers, leaving investigators to assume the worst. Investigators have proved nil in their fruitless and unrelenting search for Celestia and Luna. Until such time as the princesses can be found, Prince Blueblood has agreed to take the leadership role for all of Equestria. Here is a statement made by the prince once this was brought to his attention: "Attention, my fellow Equstrians. You have all been made aware, of a very tragic incident that occurred late last night. Our dear beloved princesses have gone missing. Now nopony grieves more than I, but despite my emotional state, I will take on the heavy burden of ruling our fair country, until such time as Celestia and Luna are found. Now I ask that you all hope for the best, yet plan for the worst. I cannot stress enough that you all remain calm and be able to accept the outcome of our search, no matter what it yields. Good or bad news, I... I'm sorry. I... I need a moment." The search continues for the princesses, and the prince is getting acquainted with his new duties. Officials have asked all citizens to remain calm, and heed the prince's warnings. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. This column will cover any news on the princesses as it is discovered.-


After he finished reading, Cornelius sat back on his haunches and took a deep breath. He went over the news again and again in his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the princesses, the all powerful rulers of Equestria, just up and vanished. After all this, one thought sprang forward in his mind.

"How's mom taking this?"





_____





"Oh no. How could this happen? Where are they? Who did this? Oh! Maybe they just went on a secret vacation and... no, Celestia would have told me at least so I wouldn't worry. So where are they!?"

"Twi, don't worry. I'm sure wherever they are they're fine. You shouldn't worry about it so much."

"Shouldn't worry? Shouldn't worry!?!?! Inky how could you say that? Of course I should worry! She was like my second mother, you know that!"

"Mom, listen. Dad is right. Celestia and Luna can handle themselves. Even if they were in some form of danger, I'm sure they will be fine."

"Don't side with your father! You're a smart kid sweetie, you should know that your father is being ignorant right now. I will send you to your room!"

"Um, mom? I don't live here anymore so..."

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME!"

"'Kay. Sorry dad, but you're on your own."

"What? Why am I getting double teamed here? C'mon son, help me out."

"I, er. Um... I think I hear my airship calling. Gotta go, kthanksbye!"

"Wait what? Great."

"Inkwell!"

"Yes?"

"Worry about the whereabouts of the princesses with me."

"But I-"

"NOW!"

"Yes Twilight."





_____





Although Cornelius had played it cool when he was with his mom, he was very concerned about the princesses. He decided now would be as good a time as any for 'The Falcon' to take its first real voyage. He had taken it out a few time to show the ponies around town, but he had never really flown it a long distance. He knew that if he was going to take it out for a real flight, he would need his crew. He went to Zach's house first, deciding his second in comand and weapons expert would take the longest getting ready.

Knock. Knock

The door opened and Zach was standing there, he gave a small nod to tell him he could come on in, but Cornelius shook his head.

"C'mon, we're leaving in 'The Falcon'. I'm going find the princesses. Meet me at my house in thirty minutes." Zach opened his mouth to reply, but Cornelius didn't give him the chance. As soon as the message had been delivered, he teleported to Sweet Apple Acres.

Knock. Knock

"Ah'm comin'. Oh heya there Cornelius. What can Ah do ya for?"

"Are Apple Bloom and Sweetie home? I need to speak with them."

"Bout what?"

"I take it you heard the news about Celestia and Luna yes?"

"Yeah, but Ah don't see how... you ain't?"

"Going look for them? Yep, and I'm going to need my engineer and com operator for the trip. Just in case Blueblood is as corrupt as I think."

"Whaddya mean by that? Corrupt how?"

"Power hungry lunatic that wants to take over Equestria corrupt. If I'm right about that, then he'll try to shoot us out of the sky as soon as he realizes we're trying to save the princesses."

"Ah don't think Ah want my sister goin' into somethin like that. And why did you say 'save' that time instead of 'find'?"

"Well, if you must know, I also believe Blueblood is behind the disappearances of the princesses. And on the note of Apple Bloom, I implore you to reconsider. She's the only pony I know who can devote her entire time to keeping the ship in peak condition. I would do it myself but I would be helping keep our course, or fighting off Blueblood's ships. If we don't have her, we won't last two minutes in a firefight. Please AJ, I promise we won't engage anything if it isn't absolutely necessary. I'll watch her myself. She'll be safe."

"Do ya swear?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Well alright. But you had better bring her back in one piece. Cuz if you don't, you will spend the rest of yer life wishin that you were dead. You got that?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. Apple Bloom! Sweetie Bell! Cornelius is here an' wants to talk to ya'll!"

"Be down in a second!" Applejack stepped away from the door and Apple Bloom and Sweetie came running down the stairs.

"Whatchya need Cornelius?"

"I need you two meet me at my house in thirty minutes. We're going find the princesses. Now I need to get Scoots and Pip. Do you two know where they live?"

"Well Scootaloo lives with Rainbow Dash. You can just see her cloud home over there. But I don't know where Pip lives. Scoots might know."

"Thanks Sweetie. See you in half an hour." He teleported away toward Dash's home, casting a cloud walking spell just before. His mecha-horn's magic boosting properties were really coming in handy.

Poof. Poof.

"Coming!" Wingbeats could be heard from inside, along with rock music. The music grew louder when Scootaloo opened the door.

"Hey Cornelius. What's up?"

"Can you meet me at my house in thirty minutes? We're going find the princesses. I trust you've heard?"

"Yeah I heard. We're really going save them? Awesome! Can we take 'The Falcon'? Please?"

"That's the plan."

"YES! Can we take 'The Sonic Rainboom' with us too?"

"The what?"

"That plane thing you helped me build. I named it 'The Sonic Rainboom'."

"Actually, that's a good idea. We might need it in case we run into any trouble."

"Awesome! Wait, what kind of trouble?"

"I'll explain at my house. Do you know where Pip lives. It's kind of hard to fly an airship without a pilot."

"Pip? Yeah, he lives right over there, he wanted his house to be close to the lake so he built it right there."

"Thanks." He teleported once again, landing himself in front of  Pipsqueak's home.

Knock. Knock.

A tired looking Pipsqueak opened the door and looked at Cornelius with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it? I'm trying to sleep."

"Have you heard about the princesses?"

"No, what about them? Have they gone missing or something?" He lifted a can of soda up to his mouth to take a drink.

"Actually, they have." He chose a bad time to say these words, Pipsqueak spewed the accumulated soda in his mouth all over Cornelius's face.

"WHAT!? How could this... wait, are you trying to prank me?"

"No, here, take a look," he pulled out the paper his dad had showed him and let Pip read it over.

"Okay, so you aren't pranking me," he said once he was done reading. "But, why are you bothering me with this now? It's not like we can do anything about it."

"Actually, pilot, we can."

"Wait, you want me to... no way. It's not happening. What if they were kidnapped by somepony who has the ability to use lethal force? You expect that you and me are going to save them?"

"Nope."

"Good, for a second there I thought-"

"Me, you, Apple Bloom, Sweetie, Scoots, and Zach, are going to save them."

"Oh, great."

"Just meet me at my house in thirty minutes." And with that, he teleported to his own home, and began to pack food and other necessities into 'The Falcon'.





_____





"Alright team, you all know what happened this morning, so I won't bother going into detail about it. The purpose of this mission is to find, and if necessary, save, the princesses. Now some of you may be wondering, why not just let the officials handle it? Well, the answer to that is a simple, yet unfavorable one. I believe that prince Blueblood has kidnapped them. The article in the papers said that their rooms were trashed, and the prince seemed all to certain that they weren't coming back. So with that said, it's highly possible that he has corrupted the investigators, and anypony else who may find out the truth. Now then, you all know your assignments whilst on-board. Pip, you pilot the ship."

"Eye sir!"

"Scoots, fighter pilot."

"You got it!"

"Sweetie, you came up with the idea for the radio, it's your job."

"Spectacular!"

"Apple Bloom, you're the mechanic, keep us in the sky."

"Ah gottcha' covered."

"Zach, you're on weapons detail, shoot down any hostiles, and keep Scoots covered."

"On it boss."

"Alright, you all have your jobs, let's go save some princesses!"

"FOR EQUESTRIA!" They all climbed on board on set off, heading first for Cloudsdale. Cornelius knew that if they were going to take on an army, they would need to have one of their own. Cloudsdale was the only place that had the capability to produce airships other than Canterlot. And he wasn't sure Canterlot was exactly on his side. They touched down just outside the town hall, and Cornelius went inside to talk to the general that held political power. His name was General Maelstrom, a direct descendant of Commander Hurricane. He walked into the front door to see the general talking with somepony. He looked to be an engineer if his uniform was any indication. They were looking over a blueprint of one of Cornelius's cannons.

"Sir, I just don't see why we would need to have weapons, Equestria is a peaceful land, we haven't been to war since the griffons pulled out nearly four-hundred years ago."

"I don't care if we aren't in war. Better safe than sorry." The generals deep raspy voice carried with it a demand for respect and obedience with every word. Cornelius could tell he was a born leader.

"But sir-"

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

"Who the hay are you? And what in Celestia's name is that thing on your head?"

"I'm the guy who designed those airships you're building, and this thing on my head is a replacement horn. Also, I suggest you keep the guns, we might just have a war on our hooves sooner than you think if I'm correct."

"Correct about what exactly?"

"That Blueblood is the one who kidnapped the princesses and is a tyrant bent on taking over Equestria and ruling it with an iron hoof."

"Well, I suppose it does make sense, but we have no way to prove it. How could we do anything?"

"Well, I'm trying to go and find the princesses, but if I'm right, Blueblood will stop at nothing to make sure we drop out of the sky in a fireball. What you can do is provide me with a bit of support."

"How?"

"Here are blueprints for a radio, and instructions on its function and how to operate it. Outfit all of your ships with one. Its range is about fifty kilometers, when you get them functioning, tune them to twenty-three. If we need help, we'll call."

"You catch all that Gearbox?"

"Yes sir, I'll get right on it. And I'll be sure to outfit the ships with weapons."

"Alright then, is there anything else we need to do?"

"Be prepared for a civil war."
> Chapter 3: Uprising
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter 3










Cornelius loved flying. The whir of the propellers in the back of the ship, the sound of steam escaping the engine. He loved all of it, and the best part was that he had himself to thank for it. He sighed in bliss, knowing that he could be under attack at any moment by Blueblood's forces. He couldn't help it. 'The Falcon' was truly a sight to behold whilst she was in the air, the ship had two large balloons that kept it in the air, and a large central hull, that housed it's crew of six. Pipsqueak was at the helm, flying them towards Canterlot, which may or may not be hostile. They could be flying towards their death for all he knew. But it didn't matter, he knew he had to save Celestia and Luna, wherever they were. He was busy subconsciously working on a plan of attack/rescue, when Pip's voice came over the ships intercom, also built by Cornelius.

"Cornelius, you might want to come take a look at this." He sighed, wondering what it could be this time. He walked towards the frontal half-sphere that made up the pilots area. His hooves clanked against the metal floor as he walked, the only sound in the hallway other than rushing steam. He opened the door to the pilots room and looked out the window.

"What is it now Pipsque- no. That isn't possible, how is, that thing shouldn't even be able to fly!" Cornelius stared at the massive ship that was before him. It was easily five times the size of his own ship, and it sported a massive cannon on the front. A cannon that looked as though it could swallow 'The Falcon' whole. It had hangers on either side, which looked as though they held more of Blueblood's ships. The larger one was a dark gray, and had the words 'Iron Curtain' painted on the side in white letters. It looked as though it was loaded down with ponies, all of them gray. Cornelius grabbed a nearby spyglass to make sure. He looked through and saw that they weren't in fact gray, but were merely wearing gray uniforms. Some had gray hats with pins in them, but most wore nothing atop their heads. Cornelius figured this was some way of showing rank. As he was scanning the deck of the 'Iron Curtain', he noticed one with a hat point in his direction. Great, they've spotted us. This should go well. The one who had pointed out their ship told a unicorn something. The unicorn flashed away, and a few moments later, their ship began to turn towards his own. He turned to Pip, who was standing mortified.

"We need to get out of here, now. Head east, away from Canterlot, that thing may be huge, but it's slow and cumbersome, we can outrun it. I need to go down to Sweetie and tell her to radio to General Maelstrom about that thing. Good luck and Clestia speed Pip." He teleported down to communications, nearly scaring Sweetie Bell half to death. She turned and faced him.

"You know there's a door there right? You could have just, I dunno, walked in here."

"I need you to get the general on the radio A.S.A.P., we have a big problem on our hooves."

"Um, okay?" She turned back to the radio and spoke into it. "General Maelstrom, this is 'Falcon', do you copy?"

"This is Maelstrom, I copy, whats your situation?" Sweetie handed the radio over to Cornelius so he could spek to the general personally.

"Maelstrom, this is Cornelius, I have some bad news, and some really bad news. Which one you wanna hear first?"

"I hate bad news, but go ahead, softer news first."

"Alright, the bad news is that Blueblood is as corrupt as I thought, and he has a massive fleet of his own."

"That's pretty bad news, do I wanna know what could be worse?"

"You may not want to, but you need to. You've seen the size of my ship correct?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Blueblood's flagship has a cannon twice as big as my ship. The actual ship is five times the size of 'The Falcon'." He waited a few moments, but there was silence on the other end. "General?"

"This is Gearbox, I'm so sorry but, it appears that the General has fainted. Shall I take a message?

"No, it's fine, just build a big ship to go against 'The Iron Curtain'. Can you do that?"

"How big does it need to be?

"Roughly three-hundred yards in length, six engines, and two-hundred fifty-six canons on the sides. Also, have a two-ton frontal canon. Can you manage it?"

"I, uh... well I may... no. No we can't."

"Then we're going to need as many ships as you can crank out. Otherwise, we're all dead."

"I'll see what I can do." There was a cracking sound as the radio was disconnected. Cornelius sighed and went to his quarters. He lay on his bed, thinking about how he wound up into this mess. Sure he decided to actually go on this little expedition, but he never really expected to encounter such heavy resistance. He figured one or two ships at best, not a full fleet with a flagship the size of Ponyville. He was just about to wonder how they were ever going to find the princesses when the ship shook violently, accompanied by a loud 'boom'. He sat bolt upright in his bed as Pip's voice came over the intercom.

"Cornelius, Zach, we're taking fire! Get to the guns and keep them off of us!" At any other time, Cornelius would have been pissed at Pip for ordering him around, but instead, he headed to the rear mounted gun, knowing Zach would be at the fore. He climbed into the seat, strapping himself in, and took the controls in hoof, and scanning the skies for a target. He noticed a small airship trailing them. It was slowly gaining, it's smaller size allowing for higher speed. He lined the ship up in his sights and opened fire, a stream of bullets flowing from his gun. He could see them making contact with the hull of the enemy, trailing all along the side. Suddenly, an explosion and a satisfying 'boom' echoed from the enemy's ship. It caught fire and was sent plummeting to the earth below. Cornelius knew he had just killed ponies, but he knew it was for the good of Equestria. He heard another explosion and turned to see that Zach had taken one as well. He turned back and saw another ship turning around. They had obviously figured out that it was pointless to attack. Their weapons were harmless against 'The Falcon'.

Cornelius got out of the gun and returned to the pilot's area. He took a quick assessment of their surroundings, attempting to decide where to go. To the west, there was a desert that stretched for miles, to the east, rolling hills the eventually led to mountains. Behind them was the city of Canterlot, and the small dot of Ponyville could be seen in front of them. With two options eleminated, they could go into the desert or head up into the mountains. He concluded that the mountains in the east were the best option. The odds of the princesses being in the desert were slim to none.

"Pip, head east into the mountains, tell me if you see any of Blueblood's ships, no matter how small. I'll be in engineering, getting a status update from Bloom."

"Aye sir."

"And stop calling me 'sir'. This isn't a military operation." He turned and left the room, and started towards the back of the ship. The vast majority of all the ships mechanical components were there, so that's where Apple Bloom had decided to set up shop. When he opened the door, smoke poured out, and the soft glow of a fire could be seen through the thick haze. That's not good. He ran in and immediately began looking for Apple Bloom. His fears were worsened when a hole big enough for a pony to fit through could be seen in the back. Oh no! No, she can't be... gone. I told AJ I would take care of her. I told myself I would take care of her. How did this even happen, their weapons weren't that strong. Where they? He berated himself for a few more minutes, and would have continued had he not heard a sound behind him. He turned his head and saw Apple Bloom standing there, a puzzled look on her face. Without thinking he jumped up and ran to give her a hug.

"Apple Bloom! Thank goodness you're okay. I saw the hole in the ship and I thought..." He stopped, realizing he probably sounded like an imbecile.

"Yeah, Ah'm fine. Cornelius, are ya'll... are ya'll cryin'?"

"Uh... no. No, a-absolutely not."

"You are cryin'! Haha! What fer? Did it just crush ya t' see yer ship with a pony sized hole in it? Did ya crack under the pressure of an attack? Oh! I know! It was cuz you thought we was all gonna die wasn't it! Haha! You sure are a lot softer than Ah thought Corny. Of all the ponies on this here ship, you was the last one Ah expected to be cryin'. Jus' wait n'till the other hear bout this! Haha!" He couldn't believe it, the only mare he had ever had feelings for. Though he never shared those feelings with anypony, nor had he dwelt on them often, he still knew they were there. And now she was laughing at him. She had no idea why he was crying, and she was laughing at him. He had thought she was more sensitive than that. Well if she could be rude, then so could... No, I can't do that, then I'll never have a chance with her. I have to be level headed about this. So what do I say? I could think up an excuse, or i could tell her the truth. Making an excuse would make me a liar, and I don't lie. However, telling the truth could have mixed results. She could share my feelings, she could think I was crazy and ignore me, she could think I was serious and ignore me, or, she could punch me and send me flying out the very same hole i thought she had fallen through. Meh, if she punches me then whats the point anyway, I'll know she hates me, and I would most likely kill myself anyways so, best to have her do it for me. Alright, truth it is. 

"Actually Apple Bloom, I was crying because i thought you had fallen out the ship, to your death."

"And, Ah knew what Ah was gettin into when Ah signed up fer this here mission. Me diein' shouldn't be that much of an upset."

"Maybe not for the others, but for Bloom, it's different. I was crying because I... I..."

"You what?"

"Here goes. I love you and the thought of you plummeting out the ship to your death scared me more than anything so I started crying there you happy now?"

"Hang on, Ah musta heard ya wrong. Did you jus' say that you love me?"

"Yes."

"Oh, um... well Ah, um... Ah don't think that that would exactly work... cuz, uh... mah sister would, um, uh..."

"Oh quit your mumbling already." And he leaned in and silenced hr with a kiss. She tried to pull back at first, but as the kiss continued, she began to relax, and she started to return the kiss. Neither one of them wanted to break apart, but they eventually did. They each had a red blush on their faces, and Cornelius rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, that was... interesting. Although, the others might take to it a little..."

"Immaturely?"

"Yea, Ah don't think mah sister is gonna like it all that much either."

"Oh, I don't even want to think about it. Maybe we should just keep it secret for the time being?"

"That there is a right good idea Corny."

"Please stop calling me that Bloom."

"Fine, so... what exactly did ya come down here fer? Ah mean, at first."

"Oh, right! To get a status report on the engines and such."

"Well, other than the gapin' hole in the side, not much is wrong. Jus' a bit o' maintenance work."

"Well, I'll let you get to it then."

"Bye."

"Bye." He walked out the room, shutting the door behind him. He silently cheered, and punched the air. He now had a marefriend. Albeit a secret one. His celebration was cut short by Pipsqueak's voice coming over the intercom.

"Cornelius, I think we've found them."

     

     
> Chapter 4: Goose Chase
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Chapter 4





Cornelius ran toward the front of his ship, anxious to see what his pilot had. The clank of his hooves on the metal floor was the only sound that could be heard in the hallway. He passed by communications, startling Sweetie Bell. He approached the cockpit and prepared for the worst. He opened the door and looked out the window. He saw four ships, roughly the size of his own, and many of the smaller ships, like the ones that had attacked them earlier. He knew the smaller ones wouldn't be much of a threat, but the four larger ones would be a huge challenge. there was no guarantee that they would survive the encounter.

"Cornelius, do you think they're down there?"

"Only one way to find out." He turned and picked up the intercom, speaking orders to his crew. "Sweetie Bell, radio Maelstrom, we'll need backup as soon as possible. Scoots, get to your fighter, and be ready to fly in five. Zach, get ready on the guns, I'll meet you down there. Bloom, brace yourself."

"Wait, we aren't, going down there. Are we?"

"Yes, Get us as close as you can to the bigger ones first. Keep our front to them, that's where our armor is strongest. You think you can handle that Pip?"

"No, but we've come this far, why not just keep going?"

"That's the spirit!" He turned and left the cockpit, leaving Pipsqueak alone. Pip turned and began flying the ship at the enemy, readying himself for whatever happened next.

"Even if it is a suicide mission." He muttered to himself.





_____
  




Cornelius once again ran through the halls of his ship. This time, for not as long. If Pip did manage to keep the front to the enemy, then the rear gun would be almost useless. Instead, he went to their front-right mounted gun, spinning it up and bracing for a fight. He notice Zach climb into the gun on his left and spin it up as well. He took aim at the nearest of the lager ships, and waited for Pip to bring them in range. The enemy began to turn their ships toward his, and he noticed they began to take aim as well. He also noticed that on the foremost ship, stood a unicorn with his horn glowing.Now what could he be doing?

"Attention unidentified airship. You are in a restricted area. Turn back, or we will be forced to see you as an enemy to the Empire. And we will not hesitate to shoot you down." Cornelius set his horn alight, and cast a voice-amplification spell on himself. He opened the nearby escape hatch, and began to speak.

"Listen up, Blublood's 'Empire' is nothing more than a fragile dream at power. As soon as we destroy you and return the princesses to their thrones, this whole thing will be over. And  Blueblood will be locked away, or banished, or locked away in the place he is banished to. So I suggest you back down before I make you back down. And my way involves you plummeting in a fireball."

"You are going to stop us? You and what army?" Cornelius waited for a moment. This would have been a perfect time for Cloudsdale's reinforcements to arrive. However, Coudsdale was far away, and it would be another hour or so before help arrived. With no witty remark to respond with, he stayed quiet. 

"Just as I thought. Now, prepare yourself for battle!" The unicorn went back inside his ship as the small Imperial fleet turned towards his lone ship. He had a long and hard fight ahead of him. He shut the window and dispelled his magic. His ship started forward, and he prepared to fire. He waited, the suspense hung in the air, so thin it could be cut with a knife. He waited, the only sounds were his ships engines whirring behind him. The enemy came in range, and he knew that he could possibly die in the near future. Better to go out fighting. His and Zach's guns blazed to life, a steady flow of bullets flowing out at the enemy ships. Just then, the Imperial ships returned fire, and rounds were sent streaking past the small glass dome he was encased in. Zach had already felled two of the smaller ships, his expert aim allowing him to hit hardpoints with ease. Cornelius was working on one of the larger ships, the bullets not doing much damage. He noticed that Scootaloo had taken flight in her small fighter plane. Buzzing around the larger ships, taunting them. He noticed one of her stray bullets rip through the balloon of a smaller ship, sending air pouring out. Cornelius realized with great pleasure that his enemy had failed to reinforce their balloons, making them easy to puncture. He turned his gun upward, and began to fire on the balloon of what appeared to be the lead ship. As the rounds made contact, dozens of hole sprung up along the surface of the air-bag, making it lose air at an exponential rate. Zach had figured out the weakness as well, and was dropping ships left and right. Scootaloo seemed to have caught on, and was targeting the air-bags as well.

The last of the ships fell, and Cornelius let go of the gun, and unbuckled himself from the harness. Scootaloo was heading back as he turned to leave the gunner's seat. He climbed out of the turret, and walked back towards the cockpit, Zach right behind him. As he walked into the cockpit, a couple ships with Cloudsdale's symbol on their hull arrived. A pegasus showed up at the nearby boarding door, and knocked. Cornelius walked over and opened it, letting him in.

"Well, we're here. Where's the threat?"

"Check the bottom of the valley. You missed all the action. Though I would appreciate it if you and your boys stuck around, just in case there's more trouble."

"Wait, you destroyed them all? How in the hay did you do that?"

"They neglected to make their balloons thick enough to withstand a bullet. We just filled their air-bags full of holes."

"Haha. Well, nice work. My name is Shepard. I'm the captain of the Normandy, the ship on your right. On the left is Home One, commanded by Admiral Akbar. We were instructed by General Maelstrom to follow your orders once we arrived. So, as per your request, we shall stick around. Now then, where do you believe they are hiding the princesses?"

"Down i that cave. Speaking of, Pip, take us in."

"Yes sir!" The ship moved towards the cave, being guided in by an excellent pilot. Pip flew the ship in, and turned off the engines. Cornelius turned and headed toward where the weapons were stashed. Zach and Shepard followed him, eager for action. He walked into the armory, and grabbed his sword. His magic made it an easy weapon to use, so that's what he stuck with. Zach grabbed his pistols, one in each wing, ready to be fired at a moments notice. Shepard grabbed one of the spare rifles leaning against the wall. All of them armed and ready for combat, they headed off the ship. As they made their way through the cave, the lack of guards surprised them.

"Where are all the guards? You would think that the princesses would be better protected than this." Shepard looked around as he spoke, eyeing every crevice carefully.

"Maybe Blueblood didn't think anypony would get past his ships?" Cornelius gave his sword an idle twirl as he said this. Suddenly, he saw a light up ahead, and broke into a gallop, Shepard and Zach right behind him. They came upon a few guard sitting at a table playing poker. They were caught by surprise, and were unable to reach their weapons before the three friends forced them to surrender.

"Now then," Cornelius spoke up, "where are the princesses?"

"Like we would tell you!"

"Well, if you won't tell me, I have no use for you, so I guess I'll just kill you all." He had no real intent on killing them, but he needed information, and death threats were a good way to get it.

"Wait! Don't kill us! I'll talk I'll talk! Just please don't kill us!"

"Glad I have your cooperation. Now, answer my question. Where are the princesses?!"

"We... traded them to the griffons. As a peace offering. Blueblood gave them to the griffons, in the hopes that they wouldn't attack Equestria."

"HE DID WHAT?!?!?! You have got to be kidding me! We just did all this, only to be told that Celestia and Luna are in the griffon's possession!?"

"Looks that way Cornelius. Come on, lets head back to the ship. I need to tell Akbar what's happened."

"Good point Shepard. We need to get to the griffon kingdom. Any idea where it is?" Surprisingly, Zach spoke up next.

"I do. I talked to Rainbow Dash one time, and she told me where it was. Apparently, she used to have a friend who was a griffon."

"Well that's brilliant! Now all we need to do is figure out how to go about actually rescuing them." They headed back towards the ships, leaving the guards inside. While they walked, Cornelius was working on a plan to free the princesses from the griffons. When they reached the ships, Shepard returned to his and relayed what had happened to Admiral Akbar. Cornelius went into the cargo hold of his own ship and pulled out a spare radio. He carried it up to the cockpit and installed it so he could speak with Shepard and Akbar on a whim. He knew he could need to talk to them at any time. one of those times being now.

"Alright, Shepard, Akbar, can you hear me?"

"This is Shepard, I read you loud and clear."

"Akbar here, I'm receiving you message clearly."

"Good, now, we need to head toward the Griffon Kingdom. Zach told me it lies to the northwest of Equestria. So lets move...out. Oh that's not good."

"Sweet Celestia, that thing is massive!"

"The guards inside where there to stall our progression! It's a trap!

"This can only end badly. Brace yourselves for the fight of your lives. Radio Cloudsdale, tell them, it's The Iron Curtain."
> Chapter 5: Curtain Call Pt. 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Chapter 5






"Um, Cornelius?"

"Yes Pip?"

"Are we really going to fight that thing?"

"Yes, Pip."

"Will we die?"

"Most likely. But, I wouldn't worry about that. If you do die, at least you won't have to regret coming with me. And falling to your death in an airship turned fireball probably only hurts for a few seconds. That is, if you survive the original attacks and explosions. But enough of that! Let's go destroy a ship that's four times the size of our own, shall we?"

"Great pep talk Cornelius."

"I try." Cornelius ran over to the ship intercom on the nearby wall, and summoned his crew to their self-proclaimed battle stations once again. He then ran out the cockpit, heading for his gun. As he climbed the ladder up into the turret, he heard Zach run behind him, heading towards his own gun. He buckled himself in and spun up his weapon, preparing for what was likely to be the last fight he ever participated in. He chanced a look over at Zach in his turret, and saw him staring slack-jawed at the Iron Curtain. Cornelius allowed himself a slight chuckle, before turning back to the target. Well, he thought, at least I won't have a hard time hitting it. He decided that he wasn't going to let them give him a chance to surrender. If he was going down, he was going down fighting. An idea came to him to use the same tactic on this thing that they had the small fleet earlier, but decided that the air-bag was too large for bullets to have much effect. They would have to target hardpoints, such as the engines or their cockpit. Cockpit doesn't sound right for that massive thing... 'control room'? Nah, hm...oh! How about 'command deck'? No, 'bridge'? N- actually, that one isn't too bad. Bridge it is then. Well, now that that trivial matter has been solved, let's go destroy a... behemoth? Destroyer? Battleship? I really need to stop doing this. Oh look, there's a pony on the deck offering us a chance at surrender! No, sorry, gonna have to kill us. Cornelius motioned to Zach to shoot the pony on the deck. Zach quirked an eyebrow back at him, but Cornelius just nodded and pointed again. He shrugged, and fired a single, precise shot over the great distance. Cornelius couldn't see exactly where the bullet hit, but he saw red mist fly out when it did hit, and he noticed the pony standing on top was no longer there. He shrugged, accepting the fact that his friend just vaporized a pony. He took aim with his own gun, for he had dropped it during his naming rant, and opened fire.

He noted with a smile that The Normandy and Home One had also opened fire, their weapons being much larger. After a few moments, nothing seemed to be happening, so Cornelius stopped firing so he could assess what had been done to the large ship, without the flash from his gun obscuring his vision. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Well that's just great. They hadn't even scratched it from what he could tell, and he had no clue how to stop it. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and he climbed down out of his turret, just as the massive ship began to unload it's hanger. He galloped to the cockpit, startling Pipsqueak, and ran to the radio.

"Shepard, Akbar, we aren't doing anything to that monstrosity out there, it's outer armor is too strong, but I have an idea."

"Shepard here. What are we gonna do? Shoot the air-bag?"

"No, we destroy all the ships coming out of it first, then, when it brings out it's own cannons we destroy those. With me so far?"

"This is Admiral Akbar. I understand your plans, but how do we destroy it? Simply taking out it's weaponry will not keep it out of enemy hands. They will simply retreat to Canterlot, repair their weapons, and return with more help."

"They can't return to Canterlot if the ship isn't in their possession."

"What the hay do you mean, 'not in their possession'? How are we gonna'- no. Oh-ho no. I refuse to do that. Sorry, but I'd like to stay alive, thanks."

"What? What is he proposing the you are so determined not to do?"

"The kid want's to board the thing! I mean, how crazy is that?!?!?!"

"That, actually is not a bad idea. Perhaps we can even convince some of the crew to join our side?"

"Wait, Akbar you aren't actually considering-"

"Yes Shepard, I am. So then Cornelius, what would you have us do?"

"Like I said earlier, take out the smaller ones coming out of the hangers first. Then, they will have no other choice than to use their own weapons, which we will promptly destroy. After they cannot retaliate, we move in and take the ship by force. It can then be piloted back to Cloudsdale, where it can be repaired and used against Blueblood in the, well, I guess it's a war now huh?"

"I still say it's a suicide mission, but hey. Why not? Let's do this." Cornelius smiled, dropped the radio, and ran back to his gun, stopping at Zach's to tell him the plan. As he climbed the ladder up into his turret, he noticed that the Iron Curtain had finished unloading it's hangers. In the air around it where around fifty of the larger ships from before. Only fifty? This shouldn't be too hard. Cornelius rolled his eyes at his own sarcasm, and began to fire on one of the ships that had just exited the hanger. He implied the same tactic as before, targeting the air-bags, and dropping the ships with their own weight. The two ships from Cloudsdale hadn't caught on just yet,and where instead firing on the enemies engines. This caused them to explode and fall back down to earth in gigantic fireballs. Hey, whatever works. After twenty minutes or so, they where just cleaning up the few remaining ships that were still flying. Once they had all been destroyed, Cornelius took a quick moment to assess the damage they had taken. Home One was in a rough state, one of it's propellers was destroyed, and there where a few smoking holes here and there across it's blue hull. The Normandy seemed to have fared better. Only about a dozen or so small holes dotted the front. His own ship, was almost unscathed, mainly due to the fact that it was smaller than the other two and didn't pose as much of a threat. He looked back towards the massive ship in front of him, still not a scratch on it. But now, it had a sizable number of large, square openings in the front and back of the ship. The middle was purely a hanger, so no canons where in that area. The large rectangular holes where the hanger was provided a distinct separation between the canons, making it easy to tell where roughly to aim for. Wait, they left the hangers open? I think I just got myself a plan 'B'. He smiled, knowing he had a backup plan always made him feel better. He opened fire on the forward canons, taking out one of them before the others followed suit.

After about half an hour, they had destroyed the forward canons, and were now working on the ones in the rear. The Imps had yet to fire their main weapon, so they decided to leave it alone for now. After a little while, the enemy was on their last few canons, and their where hundreds of smoking holes, peppered throughout the hull of their ship. Home One had taken a few more hits, but it was still flying, so they were still shooting. There was only three or four canons left on the rear, and they where about to finish them off when Iron Curtain began to turn it's front toward them. Cornelius knew exactly what this meant: they were going to fire the main gun. He couldn't move, he was locked in place, frozen with fear. Fear for his life. Fear for his friends lives. Fear for the lives of the ponies on the ships to his left and right. Fear for Apple Bloom. He finally came out of his daze, and began to fire at the main weapon of the enemy ship. The effect was nil, not a single thing to keep it from firing. And it did fire, with catastrophic results. A bone rattling, ear splitting BOOM was heard as a shell the size of a barn came rocketing out of the canon. A shockwave sent avalanches tumbling down the nearby mountains. The shell was a large black blur as is flew through the air at super-sonic speeds. Right towards Akbar. Celestia no, NO! Cornelius's ship rocked to the left as the shell passed on their right, and flew behind them, tearing through Home One as if it was made of paper. A few moments later, what was left of the ship's engine exploded, killing anypony who had survived the impact with the shell. The air-bag floated away as the flaming splinters of wood fell to earth like rain. The shell, however, continued to travel and wound up smashing into a mountain. The peak of the mountain crumbled, and was sent falling down the far slope, taking out any animals or plants that where unlucky enough to be caught in the rock-slide. Holy crap. How the hay are we supposed to fight that! And... and Akbar, he's... he's dead. For the sake of spared heartbreak, I hope he didn't have a family. How do you tell a stallion's kids that their daddy died? How do you tell his wife that she has been widowed? How do you tell his parents, that their son died before they did? Cornelius almost broke down right there. He hadn't known Akbar long, but he had seemed like such a great stallion. And now he was dead, all because Blueblood was too much of a selfish bastard to let the princesses keep the throne. Cornelius decided right then and there, if he survived this battle, he would head straight for Canterlot and put a bullet in Blueblood's head. He turned his attention back toward the massive Imperial ship that loomed ominously nearby. He still had a rough fight ahead of him, and he wasn't sure if he was up to the task.
> Chapter 6: Curtain Call Pt. 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter 6






Cornelius was at a loss, Ackbar was dead, he was fighting an enemy that seemingly couldn't be beat, and the new Adolf Hoofler was running his beloved country. He groaned in frustration, unable to think of a way to destroy the main cannon on the massive ship that loomed before him and his friends. He thought for a few minutes, thankful of how long it took the Imps to reload a weapon that size. I can't think of... wait a minute. Ha! That's it! Smiling, he practically flew to the cockpit.

"Pipsqueak!"

"AH!" The splotched pony fell out of the seat he was in, landing on the floor with a 'thud'.

"Get up! I have a plan."

"Sheesh, don't scare me like that. Now what is this brilliant plan of yours?"

"So you know what my original plan was? This is a minor variation of that. Their gun takes forever to reload, so in that time we execute my original plan. Make sense.?"

"I guess, but I still don't see how we~ take over the ship. there has to be hundreds, if not thousands of trained ponies on that ship. You have two, and I only have around thirty."

"Well that's why we go straight for the bridge."

"We'll still have to fight far too many ponies to handle along the way. It just isn't possible."

"Not if we go in from the outside Shepard."

"No."

"C'mon. You know you want to."

"I... fine. But if we die, I swear I'll kill you."

"Um..."

"I know it doesn't make sense! Let's just get this over with."

Cornelius set the radio back on the table, and ran once again towards his gun, letting Pip know it was time along the way. The only part of his plan he still hadn't thought of was how he was going to get inside the bridge from the outside. It sounded crazy, even to him. Oh well, he would cross that bridge when he got there. He he, cross that bridge when I get there. He. His ship lurched forward, Zach turned and gave him an inquisitive look, and Cornelius responded with a rather degrading charade explaining it all. Though it didn't seem very descriptive, Zach got the idea. Hopefully, they would make it before they could fire agai- BOOOOOM!!!!!!- crap.

Cornelius watched in horror as once again the black shell streaked across the sky. Luckily, it missed. Well, sort-of. The house sized round grazed the left side of his ship, causing a rather large hole to spring up. It would hinder the ships combat effectiveness for sure, but at least she was still flying. They closed the distance rather quickly, undoubtedly leaving the Imps wondering what the heck they were thinking. As they approached, Pip steered them for the bridge, while Cornelius got out of his gun and went to find something that would allow them to board. He could teleport, but only himself plus around five others if his amplified magic was as good as he thought. He went to the port side of his ship first. He opened the only storage closet on that side and noticed a board on the floor, right next to the hole. It began to slide towards the opening, but Cornelius grabbed it in is magical aura before it could get far. It was a little short, and jagged at both ends. He assumed it had come from the side of the ship, where the shell had grazed them. He went to the cockpit, told Pip to put the left side of the ship to the enemy, and went to retrieve Zach, Scootaloo, and their weapons. He only hoped Shepard was able to get to the bridge as well.

After they were geared up, they went to the hole and waited for Pip to bring them into position. Cornelius noted with a smile that the Normandy was moving into position as well. He magicked the board over, and once The Falcon had been maneuvered into position, he set it down and let it crash through the Imps' bridge. He and Scootaloo ran down their makeshift boarding ramp, while Zach flew alongside. He braced himself for whatever he would find inside, whether it just be flight crew, or a platoon of armed guards. He noted dully the another window a few panes over had also smashed, the ramp inside laeding back to Shepard's ship. He was almost there now, he drew his guns, ducked under the glass that still clung to the pane and... nothing. There wasn't a single pony on the bridge. Not one. They had all abandoned their stations. He looked around puzzled. Where did they all go? And what's that beeping noise?

"Wait a minute, beeping, empty room. Oh c'mon!" Even though it was the only bomb that had been made, he knew exactly what it was. He had thought it up at one point, but trashed the idea because of the lack of need for them. He began searching frantically, looking for the source of his impending doom. Scoot and Zach came in from their window, while Shepard and about twenty others came in from the one they had broken open. 

"Cornelius," Shepard spoke, "where is this ships crew, and what is that beeping?" Cornelius looked up from the table he had been searching, and looked at his fellow ship captain.

"Hm? Oh, the crew left, and they left a bomb, the source of the beeping. If we don't find it in time, It's going to explode and probably kill us all! Even if it doesn't, it'll destroy the ships controls, making it impossible to steal! C'mon, help me find it!" He had a very cheery tone in his voice, despite the danger. Sometimes, he thought himself more like Ponyville's resident party pony than his own mother. Think of the pony, and the pony shall appear... holding the bomb in her hooves.

"Hi corny! Are you looking for this?"

"Pinkie Pie? How did you... never mind. Yes, I am looking for that. Could you please hoof it over so I can disarm it?"

"Aw, but I wanted to see the fireworks." Cornelius face-hoofed. Their lives where at stake, and she was complaining about a lack of fireworks.

"Sir," one of the stallions that had boarded with Shepard was looking out the starboard side windows, pointing to a group of fleeing ships. "It looks like the ships crew abandoned her sir. They're headed back for Canterlot in one of the larger ships from before!" Just then, Cornelius got an idea.

"Don't worry Pinkie, you'll get to see fireworks."





_____





"Very clever captain Stalin. Leaving that bomb on the bridge. Blueblood won't be happy about the destroyed ship, but at least it isn't in enemy hooves."

"Of course it vas a cleevar plan. I am the brightest meelitary mind to evar come out of Marescow Meelitary Academy. My plans are alvays cleevar."

"Of course sir. Shall I set course for Cantelot?"

"Da, vee should tell Blueblood that his sheep vas- do you heer a vistling sound?"

BA-BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!! Parts of the Imperial ship flew everywhere, and any pony that was inside was either, disintegrated, impaled, or fell to their death, missing limbs and screaming in pain and/or terror. Cornelius looked down on the scene with pity. He didn't like killing, but sometimes it was necessary. He had thought long and hard to determine if he would really drop the bomb on the fleeing Imp ship. Even with all of his careful consideration, he still wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. Watching as the mangled bodies of stallions and mares, earth ponies, pegasi and a few unicorns fell to their deaths made him begin to question himself. Had he really made the right decision? He shook his head, right decision or not, there was no taking it back now. He sighed, and turned to head into his room. Pip was bringing them to the griffon empire, Shepard right behind them. A few extra pilots from Shepard's crew where taking it to Cloudsdale to be repaired and used against Blueblood if worse came to worst. He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling for a while. He should feel happy, he had successfully captured a ship much larger and more powerful than his own. Yet for some reason, he just felt numb. He sighed again, and fell into a dreamless sleep. 

 

     
> Chapter 7: Warm Reception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 7






Cornelius awoke to the sound of Pip's voice over the intercom. He couldn't make out what he was saying, due to his grogginess. Eventually, his ears began to properly function, and he could make out what his pilot was saying.

"-ade it! Were here Cornelius! I can't believe we... what the?"

A dull thud could be heard on the upper deck, signalling something had impacted upon it. Cornelius stood, and made his way to the stairs that led outside. As he opened the door, he could see a couple of griffons talking. Once they noticed him, they began to approach, both wielding spears. They had a look of murder in there eyes, and Cornelius was outnumbered, and outgunned. So to speak. He knew the griffons were a very warlike tribe, and they had all trained since practically birth to fight. Wait a sec... warlike tribes respect battle achievements right? Okay, maybe I can reason with them...

"Greetings gentle-griffons. My name is Cornelius. I come seeking-"

"Silence." The larger one spoke, and due to the fact that his armor was more ornate than the others, Cornelius guessed him to be the commanding officer. "Lay down any weapons you have, and have every other pony in there come out. You are trespassing in griffon skies. The penalty is dungeon for as long as the Flock Father sees fit." His voice was deep and monotone, commanding fear and respect. Cornelius, knowing when to back down (when he was in his right mind at least), quickly complied to the griffons commands.

"Very well then," he replied. "Allow me to call my crew out and we will come quietly." Cornelius turned and retreated back inside the metal interior of his ship. He went straight to the cockpit to alert Pipsqueak to the situation. He opened the door and saw Pip spinning around in his chair.

"Pip!"

"WAHH!" Being startled by Cornelius, Pip lost his grip and fell to the floor in a heap. "Ow."

"Get up, I need you on the intercom." The marbled stallion rose to his hooves and returned to his chair, turning on the ships loudspeaker. He turned his head and looked at Cornelius, waiting for further instruction.

"Tell everypony to get up on the upper deck. Bring no weapons. We're going with the Griffons." 

"Uh..."

"Just do it!" Pipsqueak relayed the message across the ship, then set the microphone down and walked back to the deck with Cornelius.

"So, what are we doing exactly? Are they going to let the Princesses go?"

"No, we're being taken into custody for trespassing. Hopefully they take us to the Flock Father first, so I can try to reason with him." About that time, Zach, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle joined them. Confused looks on their faces.

"Hey Cornelius," Sweetie said. "Why are we going up to the deck? Is there a welcoming party or something?"

"You could say that. Where's Apple Bloom?"

"Don't know. Still sleeping maybe?" Cornelius sighed.

"I'll go check. Pip, let the griffons know what I'm doing. Try not to tick them off."

"Right, uh... will do." Cornelius turned and headed back inside the ship, closing the hatch behind him.

Pipsqueak turned and faced the two large griffons before him, gulping slightly as they came his way. The one on the left, Pip assumed him to be the one in charge, glared at him. If looks could kill, the young pilot was sure he'd be mere ashes at this point. He gulped again, and spoke up.

"Uh, C-Cornelius went b-back inside. There's another c-c-crew member still b-below deck." He couldn't help his stutter, as he was literally shaking with fear. His condition wasn't helped when the younger griffon put the tip of his spear against Pip's throat. He gulped again for what seemed like the tenth time today as the griffon spoke to him in a voice that would have fit better with a handsome prince, rather than a war-mongering griffon.

"Well then, you had better hope your captain finds this missing crewman soon, lest I sever your head from your little body."

"Calm down Silverwing. We were sent up here to bring back prisoners to the Flock Father, not the severed heads of six ponies." Pipsqueak let out a small sigh. The obvious commander had probably just saved his life, though he still wasn't too fond of going before the leader of the strongest army in the world, it certainly was better than... the alternative.

"Hrrmph. You always have to ruin my fun Iron Claw. I just wanted to scare him a bit." 

"We are soldiers Silver, not circus clowns. We don't get to have fun." While he griffons talked, Pipsqueak moved over to his friends near the door to the lower deck. They were all talking quietly, but he couldn't hear until he got closer.

"-can't just up and attack two griffons! We're unarmed, and even if we were, we could start a war!"

"Zach is right Scootaloo. Tensions between Equestria and Griffonia have been high for years now. Attacking those two would be the spark that starts the whole thing burning. We can't handle another war right now, especially after that whole Changeling business." 

"Please Sweetie Bell, that was nearly ten years ago! And besides, we could overpower them, and just fly away! They wouldn't even know what happened." Pip decided to jump in at this point, having seen the many flaws in that plan.

"There's no way we could overpower two griffons. And even if we could, what would the rest think, seeing us fly away when we're supposed to be in chains! We would be swarmed for sure!" Scootaloo opened her mouth to protest further, but closed it again. Sighing, she sat down in defeat. There really was nothing they could do, but she felt helpless siting there doing nothing. 

After a minute or so of sitting in silence, Cornelius reappeared with Apple Bloom in tow. The griffons took notice of this, and walked over to speak with the group.

"Now then," the leader said. "Your pilot alone is to go back below deck, and follow us in to the Skyport. After that, you will all come with us to the main hall. The Flock Father wishes to have a word with you." The younger griffon smiled evilly at this, and gleam in his eye.

"But of course good sirs. Pipsqueak, if you would be so kind as to follow these two wonderful griffons to their Skyport?" Cornelius looked to Pip, and gestured for him to do as he was told. Pipsqueak reluctantly went below deck and started the ships engines back up. He looked up and saw the two griffons out the front glass and gave them a nod, signalling he was ready to follow them in. They nodded in return, and began to fly towards their city. Pipsqueak opened the throttle and stayed with them. He wasn't sure what the Flock Father had in store for them, but it couldn't be good.

> Chapter 8: (Not So) Hostile Negotiations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter 8





Pipsqueak guided the ship into the dock designated to him by the two Griffons leading him in. One the ship was tied down, he cut off the engines and pulled himself out of the pilot's seat, making towards the upper deck to join his friends. As he climbed on to the upper deck, he looked around and was in sheer awe at what he saw.

Airships of all sorts littered the sky, swarming around the Skyport like bees to their hive. Among the cacophony, he could make out several trade and cargo ships, as well as a good number of war vessels. Their was even a few lavish and ornate ships, signifying they likely belonged to some foreign dignitary or some form of high-society buff. 

Suddenly, he was pulled out of his reverie by Cornelius swatting him in the back of the head with a hoof.





__________





"Pip!" Still no response. Cornelius's pilot continued to gaze out at all the ships moving about the Skyport, lost in his own little world. He sighed, and proceeded to give a solid 'THWACK' to the back of Pipsqueak's head, which seemed to do the trick.

"Ah!" He lost his balance, and fell flat on his face. Cornelius sighed yet again, and picked his friend off the ground, leading him to follow the two gryphons who were to be taking them to their leader... heh. 

The Skyport gave way to a sweltering industrial district, causing the group to sweat as they passed blacksmiths and smelters, forging weapons of war. Swords, shields, spears, arrow heads, and any other manner of weapon that could be imagined were being piled as high as a pony, ready to be shipped to whatever their destination may be.

The Indstrial District fell away and molded to what seemed to be the Market District, completely abuzz with gryphons going about their daily lives. Through all the hard faces and steely glares, they could see a culture far from apposed to art and learning. There were stalls selling paintings and little knick-knacks, sidled right next to ones selling spears and shields... for the kids of course. 

This eventually died off, and they were left in the Nobles District, at the top of the city. Everything here shone with steele trim, and the structures were crafted from the great pine trees that stood in the valley at the base of the mountain. All manner of high-society gryphons stood around them, shopping or conducting business with their partners. There was even a few mercenaries milling about, their weapons and gadgets giving them away. Though it was certainly nothing like Canterlot, it was still far more... refined than he rest of the city. 

After a few more moments of walking, they finally stood at the doors of what they assumed to be the 'castle'. Though it could hardly be called as such, for it was only slightly bigger than the surrounding homes. Their escorts walked up to the doors and spoke with the guards standing there, then ushered for the ponies to follow them inside. As Cornelius stepped through the door, he was momentarily blinded by the drastic change in light level, but when his eyes cleared, he was in awe at what he beheld. A long, open room with columns rising to meet the ceiling, banners spread in between depicting scenes of battle and glory. A long, red carpet with golden trim led from the door to a throne on the other side of the room. A great feast table rested atop the carpet, roughly midway to the throne, and was covered in food. Cheeses, wines, fruits, vegetables, and... meat littered the table. 

The two gryphons led them towards the throne as a burly, scared gryphon walked in from the side and sat in it. Cornelius assumed this to be the Flock Father, and braced himself for whatever came next. The older of the two gryphons gestured for them to wait, and sent his soldier to the edge of the room. He approached the throne and removed his helmet. He places his right arm across his chest, bowing low, and the Flock Father did the same, only dipping his head in response.

"Iron Claw, my old friend, how are you?" The Flock Father stepped down from his throne, and gave his friend a strong hug.

"I am well, Flock Fath-"

"What did I tell you? We are friends, and there are no nobility here, save myself." Iron Claw gave a small laugh.

"As you wish Razor. How are things up here? I hardly ever get to see you anymore, what with that promotion you gave me."

"I'm as well as I can be, what with all the nobles pining for my attention. And don't even TRY to pin our lack of each other's company on me, you wanted to take command of our forces just as much as I wanted you in command. And besides, your hatchlings will need a good strong role model if they are to take your place one day."

"You can hardly call them that anymore, Steel Feather is almost ten, and the rest aren't far behind!" Razor gave a laugh at this, and moved back to his throne.

"I shall have to come visit them and your wife soon then. So, did you do as I requested?" His gaze shifted to Cornelius and his friends, giving them a wary look.

"But of course." Iron Claw turned towards the group of friends, "Whoever is in charge, step forward. The rest of you, go stand with Silverwing." 

Cornelius nodded to his friends, and they did as they were told. He then stepped toward the throne, bowing to Razor, and awaiting his fate.

"Rise, pony, introduce yourself, and tell me what business you have in my kingdom flying an un-marked airship." Razor hardly sounded angry... in fact he almost sounded welcoming, but that must have just been Cornelius's imagination. Regardless, he did as he was told, and stood up straight.

"Well sir, my name is Cornelius. My friends and I are-"

"Wait... Cornelius? Are you the Cornelius who developed these marvelous airships by chance?" He raised an eyebrow, awaiting the stallions answer.

"The very same, why do you ask?" Razor's eye's visibly lit up at this bit of news, and what could pass for a smile graced his features.

"Wonderful! I can't tell you how happy I am to finally meet you!" He got up and walked over to Cornelius, vigorously shaking his hoof. "You changed everything around here you know. Trade, travel and transport, warfare. Our new prosperity is all thanks to your inventions. I couldn't possibly hold you captive after all you've done, albeit indirectly."

"Uh... you're, welcome?" Razor put his hoof down, and motioned Cornelius's friends over.

"Now then, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Razorbeak, and I welcome you to my hall. Your friends as well. By all means, introduce them to me as well." Cornelius still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but it seemed luck was on his side, so he just decided to 'roll with it'.

"Of course, hehe. This is my pilot, Pipsqueak; my weapons specialist, Zach; my engineer, Apple Bloom; my radio operator, Sweetie Bell; and Scootaloo, who pilots the Mousquito." Cornelius pointed a hoof to each of his friends as he named them off, and turned back to Razorbeak when he was finished.

"Radio, weapons, and this... Mousquito. It all sounds so wonderful. Perhaps we can make a sort of deal, hm?"

"Well, I don't see why not... I can easily have my company ship over any number of things you may need, though what do you have to offer us in return?" Now was Cornelius's turn to quirk an inquisitive eyebrow, waiting to hear the gryphon's offer.

"Only that which you came here to get in the first place. your princesses. They are alive and well, i assure you. I treat my guests fairly. I never wanted them in the first place, but the Blueblood fellow made us several side offers that we could not refuse, all in return for us starting a war with your people that I have no desire to see come to fruition. So, my offer to you is this: Supply us with what we ask from your company, all of it to be paid for of course, and we will return your rulers with a promise of peace and kinship between our people. How does that sound?" He waited to hear Cornelius's response, wondering why it was taking so long to accept such a generous offer.

Cornelius was completely dumbfounded... this was a GREAT offer. Though... was he really in such a position to accept this? He was just the owner of the most powerful company in the world, and was on a mission to save his princesses to restore order to his lands... yes, yes he was.

"I will accept your mot gracious offer Razorbeak... on one condition." Cornelius's gaze turned hard, ready to jump in case this didn't go as planned.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Razorbeak took a single step back, once again wary of the stallion standing in his throne room.

"You allow me to visit from time to time, and see my new friend!" Cornelius's gaze instantly turned to one of laughter, as he trotted up to Razorbeak to shake his talon once again.

"Haha! But of course! I'm glad we could work this out. Iron Claw, bring the princesses from their chambers, they're going home!"

"Of course Razor!" Iron claw flew off up a flight of stairs.





__________





The princesses stood in front of the airship that was newly repaired and ready to take them home as Cornelius and Razorbeak talked behind them.

"Roazorbeak, I can't thank you enough for this. Equestria needs her leaders restored to their rightful places, and I'm sure that punk Blueblood will get what's coming to him."

"Think nothing of it. I'm not a war monger, we're just really good at it." They chuckled a bit, and shared a small hug.

"I'll be sure to send a premium shipment over as soon as this whole mess is sorted out, free of charge. I'll also deliver it myself. We can discuss future relations then." Razorbeak nodded, and Cornelius walked to the princesses.

"So, Celestia, Luna, ready to go home?" The sisters looked at one another, then to Cornelius.

"Of course... where will we be staying while aboard your ship?" 

"I do have a couple extra rooms available. Right this way Celestia." He trotted aboard and went below deck, the princesses in tow. "Pip," he called out as they passed the cockpit. "Take us home."