And The Horse You Rode In On
My Dear Twilight,
As you may be aware, the magical levels that blanket all of Equis has suffered a severe shift, resulting in many disturbances across not only our nation, but across the entire world. It is not enough to cause any immediate harm, but I fear that long term exposure to the limited magical levels will cause harm to the populace. Therefore not only ponykind, but all a dignitary of every species has come to Canterlot and their best minds have figured out the cause behind this mysterious event.
There appears to be a portal high in the sky, far above where most pegasi are able to fly. What is through this portal, we don’t know. That’s why the nations of Equis have put together their resources to form the first ever airship that is capable of space travel. It’s name is Covert Tolerance.
I hesitate to ask you and your friends to join several other representatives on this trip, but I feel that having your magical expertise, along with your other friends areas of interest, I feel that you could benefit this expedition. Please bear in mind that you do not have to do this for me.
I fear that if this portal is not closed soon, then the chances of us being able to close it will diminish greatly, affecting Equis for the rest of eternity.
Sincerly,
Princess Celestia
Dear Princess Celestia,
I had indeed noticed the shift of the magical balance around Ponyville, but I had thought that it was just the Everfree forest acting up. Now that I know the full story, I agree with you. This is most worrisome. I myself would be glad to join the other representatives on the ship and help search for a solution to closing it. I have also asked my friends, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash said they would also attend. However, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity have declined to come along, as all of them have pre-obligations. I will, of course, have my number one assistant along, if that is okay, of course.I’m sure that between my magical knowledge and the other species abilities, we’ll be able to solve this problem in no time at all!Your Faithful Student,Twilight Sparkle
“TWILIGHT!” Tech shouted loudly, flying through the window and landing with a thump on the floor. “Can I go too!?” He asked eagerly, his eyes displaying an enthusiasm rarely seen.
Twilight stared at the green pegasus for a moment, her mind working on a cognitive response.
“What? Go where?” Was all that came out as she mentally face-hoofed at her oh so eloquent response.
“On the Spaceship!” Tech said excitedly.
Twilight stared at him for another moment. “Tech, how did you even know about that?”
Tech smiled sheepishly. “Well, I may have been coming to the library to check out the newest Daring Doo book, but then I heard about the spaceship!”
“How?”
“You dictate Twilight. He could probably hear you talking.” Spike answered for Tech, as Tech nodded.
“Sooo, you were eavesdropping?” Twilight asked slowly, her tone dropping down.
“I prefer to call it ‘gathering intel.’” Tech retorted, smiling still.
“Tech, you can’t come with us this time.”
“Why not?” Tech asked, his enthusiasm not dipping in the slightest.
“Because it could be dangerous!” Twilight said, looking at Tech like he was crazy. “So? You’re going!”
“Because I am an adult! I can handle myself in these types of situations.” Twilight argued back.
“But you’re taking Spike!”
Twilight’s mouth opened and closed silently, before Twilight managed to come up with a retort. “But he’s my assistant!”
“Come in Twilight. You know I can take care of myself. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? We’ve already seen the worst Equestria can throw at us.” He said, pointing out his logic.
Twilight stared at him.
“What?” Tech asked after about a minute of Twilight just staring at him.
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “Tech, no means no! Just because it shouldn’t be dangerous, doesn’t mean that it won’t be!”
Tech sighed. “Come on Twilight! Pleeeaaasssseee!?”
“Teechhh! I said no!”
Spike put a clawed hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter.
Tech sighs. “Well, I don’t understand why you and your friends get to go all over Equestria having adventures, and this time it’s not even on Equis!”
“And who usually ends up going anyway?” Twilight asked in a tone of voice that made clear it was sarcastic. “And besides, the fact that maybe we’re the Elements of Harmony might help?”
Tech was silent for a moment, picking his next words carefully. “It’s just... you guys get to go out and have an adventure, while the rest of us are just left back at home. Most of them don’t mind. But I do. I don’t want to be stuck here in Ponyville forever.”
Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry Tech. I know that you don’t like being left behind, but this time it really is dangerous. I can’t guarantee your safety if you come along. I can’t risk that.” Twilight said seriously. “The girls I know can handle themselves if they get into danger. With you, I’m not sure if it’s skill, or just plain luck that you’re still alive.”
Tech looks at Twilight, nodding slowly. “Well, when you put it like that, it makes sense.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.
“But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Tech said, sighing as well.
Twilight shrugged a little bit. “Besides, we shouldn’t be gone long. Just a trip up, figure out what’s wrong, and seal it up. Back by Monday.”
Tech rolls his eyes. “That what you said about the Crystal Empire.”
Twilight chuckled. “Now, grab that Daring Doo book and get out of here, ya knucklehead. I gotta pack.”
Tech nods, heading for the stairs.
“Oh, and Tech?” Twilight asked, causing the green pegasus to pause.
“Yeah?”
“Tell Time Turner to stop by the library tomorrow, have him set it up, ‘kay?”
Tech nodded and walked out the door, a beginning of a plan forming in his head.
Twilight woke up early the next day, eyes shooting open as she tumbled out of bed and stumbled upright. She looked in the mirror as she grabbed a hairbrush and pulled it through her hair to straighten it out from the state that it had left her bed in.
“Spike! Time to wake up! We’ve got to ready for the train that’s leaving at nine!” Twilight said, shaking the baby dragon awake.
Spike grumbled a bit and looked over at the clock. “Twilight. It’s six in the morning. Couldn’t this at least waited till seven?”
“But we have to pack and make sure that we have everything we need. I don’t want to be up in the air only to find out that I don’t have the one piece of equipment that we need!” Twilight said, explaining her motives to her assistant.
“But Twilight!” Spike said slowly, climbing out of the bed and rubbing his eyes. “We packed last night.”
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but Spike cut her off.
“And we triple checked them last night.” Spike said, making his way down the stairs towards the kitchen. “Since I’m up, I’ll make some pancakes.” He yelled up the stairs.
Twilight nodded slightly, before realizing that Spike couldn’t see it. “Sounds good Spike.” She yelled back, before making her way into the bathroom to freshen up.
By the time she finished and exited the bathroom with a towel drying her hair, she could smell the delicious scent of the pancakes that was wafting up the staircase, and she headed downstairs, following the smell.
Spike turned off the burner, and flipped on last pancake onto the small stack that was on the table before turning around and sitting there. “Hey Twilight. Have a nice shower?”
“Yeah. What time is it?”
Spike looked up at the clock before answering. “Around six thirty. Think we start gathering the girls up at around seven?”
Twilight nodded. “That would make the most sense. That way we know that we’ll make the train on time.”
Spike took a bite of pancake, nodding while he ate his food.
Twilight smiled slightly, before digging into the food herself.
Applejack was waiting for them on the porch, sitting in a rocking chair and looking at the sunrise whenever Twilight coughed slightly and brought her attention to them.
“Oh. Howdy Twi! Ah figured ya would show up sooner rather than later. Ah’d figure I’d beat’cha by waking up and waiting.”
Twilight smiled while Spike waved from her back. “That was a good idea Applejack. I can only hope that Dash had the same idea and I don’t need to wake her up.” She smiled, chuckling softly.
Applejack joined in for a few seconds, before smiling herself. “Well, if we want’a make it to the train by nine, Ah think we need to head over there and get started on that.”
Twilight nodded and the three of them set off towards the cloud house in the distance.
“RAINBOW!” Twilight shouted up at the house again, only for the result to be the same as it had been the last three times she had tried.
“Save yer throat Twi. She can’t hear ya. Ah would just try teleporting up there or something.”
Twilight sighed, casting the cloud walking spell on herself and charging her horn for a second before blinking out with a flash.
Reappearing on the cloud, she walked in the door and marched down to Rainbow Dash’s room. Walking in softly, she grinned slightly before putting her muzzle next to her friend’s ear.
“TIME TO WAKE UP!” She yelled loudly as she pulled her head back quickly, to avoid what was coming next.
Dash sat straight up in her bed, eyes wide open as her hooves went flying in the air as she tried to bat away the loud noise.
“Waaah!” She shouted, falling out of bed as the covers caught her arms and she lost her balance.
Twilight stifled a giggle as she watched her friend land face first on the cloud floor. “Are you up now?” She asked, before losing it and bursting out laughing.
“Tech... I-I’m not sure this is a good idea...” Tenna said, looking around the corner at the guards that stood posted at the entrance of the ship. “I-I mean, what if th-they don’t fall for it?” She asked, looking at him.
“Relax, Tenna. I mean, we have the guard armor and the note for Celestia. And, with you, we have a guard!” Tech said, smiling and gesturing towards the said items.
Tenna slowly nodded. “B-but why don’t we get a real guard?” She asked, frowning.
Tech sighed. “Tenna, if we asked a real guard to take us aboard, they’d make sure we were off the ship before it launched. With this, we can stay on board, and hide out!” He said, smiling.
Tenna sighed softly. “F-fine. B-But if this goes wrong, I-I’m blaming you!” She warned.
Tech grinned widely. “You always do.”
Tenna nodded, before closing her eyes and concentrating, her tongue poking out slightly as she concentrated. With a suddenly blast of green light Tenna was gone, in her place was a white stallion. With a slightly confused look on her face, she lifted up her hoof, looking at it.
“I-I’ve never done a stallion before...” She said, looking herself over, before stiffening up at a certain part, lifting her head, blushing. “O-Oh!”
Tech grinned, stifling a chuckle. “See anything interesting?”
Tenna just glares at him a bit, before sighing. “J-Just help me get this armor on.” She said softly, picking up a hoof guard, trying to snap it into place.
Tech nodded, taking the piece from her, and snapping it on easily, and doing the same for the other three.
“Okay, remember. You are a big, disciplined guard. You don’t say hi. You don’t smile. You give the other guard the information that he needs to know. Okay?”
Tenna nods. “Okay! I-I can do that!” Tenna said, smiling.
Tech sighed. It was going to be a miracle if they made it on.
“How’s the heading, Feathers?” Twilight asked, looking out the window at the bright blue sky.
“Well, we’re still on course, but we’re almost at the zone that the portal should be at. We need to be careful here otherwise we risk going by it and missing it completely.”
“Well, we expected that down on the ground, so keep the course, but reduce the speed by around fifty percent.” She said, giving an order.
Feathers nodded and adjusted the appropriate controls. The entire crew of the Covert Tolerance felt the inertia as the ship slowed its speed and continued on it’s path.
The gryphon next to Feathers grunted, looking at the monitors that displayed the ship’s status. “Main propulsion unit says steady. Secondaries are coming online now, in case of trouble.” He said gruffly.
Twilight nods. “Good thinking Talon.” She said, monitoring her own little monitor. “I’ll try to give at least a hundred meters warning, but be ready for full reverse in case this thing isn’t properly calibrated.” She states, before turning on a little switch and feeding some magic into it. “How are things going down below?”
Applejack’s voice came through the speaker, sounding staticy through the wiring. “All good down here, Twi. Dash is getting a little antsy for some flying, and the minotaurs are just plain annoying. But we’ll survive.”
A muffled burst of laughter came from the small speaker.
“And what about the third gryphon?”
“He’s just in the kitchen area, securing the pots and pans, or something. Ah’m not not quite sure what he said he was going to do before he left.”
Talon rolled his eyes slightly. “Knowing that gryphon, he’s securing the rum most likely.”
Feather whacked him on the back of his with her free paw. “Be nice. He’s our superior.”
“Yeah, and he’s working in the kitchen.”
Feather sighed, before giving her full attention back to the equipment.
“Hey, let me talk to Twilight!” Dash’s voice came back through the radio.
“Hey! Don’t push!”
“Hey Twilight! When am I going to get to fly?”
Twilight sighs. “Dash, I told you before, you can’t fly out yet. You can’t fly outside at this altitude without your wings failing.
“Yeah, but don’t we have that special suit or something?”
“Well, yes. But we need to save it for whenever we need you outside to get some readings. The suits charge only lasts for about thirty minutes.”
“Yeah, yeah. Science stuff. Thirty minutes tops. Fine. Just give me a call whenever I can show you some real high altitude flying. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen with Marzisomething.”
“Marzipan, Dash.”
“Whatever! Imma go see what he’s up to. He’s a bit too odd to leave on his own, I think.”
Feathers and Talon shared a look, Talon grinning slightly and Feathers with an exasperated expression on her face.
Applejack’s voice came back on the radio.“Sorry ‘bout that Twi. Yeah, we’re good. Call if anything comes up.”
Suddenly, there was a conversation that Twilight didn’t quite catch.
“Spike says hi, Twilight.” Applejack said.
Twilight laughed softly. “Tell him I said hi back.” She said, before turning off the radio.
Feather looked back at Twilight. “Let’s hope that Marzipan’s in a good mood.”
Talon laughed while Twilight looked on in confusion.
Dash stretched her wings slightly, shuffling them to try and relieve some of the itching they had to get flying. She rounded the corner of the hallway, looking for the kitchen she knew to be nearby.
“I swear that they said that the kitchen was this way. I mean, it’s a small ship. It’s not like there’s much to actually miss.” She thought aloud, looking around for any sign of the kitchen.
Suddenly, her ears picked up a little bit, hearing something strange coming from around the corner. It sounded like.... really bad singing? Shaking her head slightly, she rounded the same corner and smiled as she realized she had found the kitchen.
She stared at the source of the singing for a little while, trying not to laugh at the sight. An old gryphon with grey feathers was moving around the kitchen, looking in different compartments and drawers in an attempt to find something, it looked like.
Finally, Dash couldn’t take it any longer and let out a bit of laughter. The gryphon stopped looking for whatever it was immediately as his head shot up and he looked at Dash, a surprised look on his face. It was at this expression that Dash lost it.
The gryphon rolled his eyes, and went back to looking for something, though this time he started a conversation with Rainbow.
“They told me I would be traveling with some bull-headed creatures, but I didn’t expect for one to show up while I was searching for my rum. Especially not such a multi-coloured one.” He said with a smile.
Rainbow Dash bristled slightly at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, stepping from the hallway into the kitchen.
“Exactly what it means my blue one.” The gryphon said, not even turning around as he was neck deep in a cabinet.
“You think I’m bull-headed?”
“Of course not! Everyone knows that only minotaurs have bullheads!” He said, grinning an unseen grin.
“But, you just said-”
“I say a lot of things, my dear.” He said, withdraw his head and sticking it in the cabinet next to it. “But I will also say this. My name, is Marzipan. What may your name be?”
“My name is Rainbow Dash! Best flyer in all of Equestria!” She boasted, puffing up her chest.
“My dear, you are probably correct about the ‘all of Equestria’ part.” He said, baiting her.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s just that, I am a better flyer than you.” He said simply, pulling his head out for a moment before putting it back in.
“Nuh-uh! Listen here Marzi! There was a reason I was chosen to fly for that whatchamacallits!”
“My name is Marzipan, my dear. And yes there was. You are a pegasus, I am a gryphon.”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah. That and the fact that I can out fly anything!”
It was the gryphons turn to roll his eyes. “I doubt that highly my dear.”
Marzipan had stopped listening by this point, instead opting to let out a sound of joy as he withdrew his head again and stuck his arm in and pulling out a silver flask.
“Meine Alkohol! Ich habe dich gefunden! Jetzt können Sie diese Reise zu beginnen!” He said with some joy, hugging it briefly before opening it and taking a swig.
Dash just stood there, confused for a moment. “Uh... what?”
Marzipan grinned. “My apologies, Rainbow Dash. I switched into my native tongue. All I was saying was that I had found my rum!”
Dash shook her head slightly. “Uh yeah. Good for you dude. Now Marzi, any idea when we’re going to get there?”
“It’s Marzipan, Mrs. Dash. And no, I do not. I was simply told that I was to cook this week.”
“Ohhh. So you’re the master I’ve heard about? Have any grub whipped up, Marzi?”
Marzipan sighed, and attached the flask to a belt running around him. “No, I do not holzkopf. Now, if you excuse me, I wish to take a walk around the ship. You can help yourself to anything in that fridge.” He said pointing.
Dash nodded. “Sure thing, Marzi. But what did you call me?”
Marzipan just grinned. “Just a nickname from my country. It suited you.” He said, before leaving the room.
“Really? How?” Dash asked. “Marzi?” She sighed. “Guess I’ll have to ask Twi...” She said, before shrugging and turning to the fridge and opening it.
Marzipan whistled softly, taking another drink from his flask as he walked the outer corridors of the Covert Tolerance.
The ship was an amazing piece of technology, far behind what the gryphons were capable of. But that made sense, since the ponies had... other means of achieving their ends, like magic and pegasi. The only reason they were not on a gryphon ship was because this ship was built to be airtight.
He rolled his eyes slightly. Of course the ponies would find a hole in the sky. He wouldn’t be really surprised if it turned out that the ponies had actually caused this whole mess.
He chuckled. “A whole mess about a hole. This language is fascinating!”
“Ouch! Tech, st-stop it!” Came a muffled sound of a female voice through a door... to an escape pod?
His curiosity got the better of him and he peered into the small window, where a strange site beset him. Two ponies were there, attempting to apparently share the same seat.
“C-come on Tech! I-I want the window seat!” The grey pony said, attempting to feebly push the green one out of the chair.
“Technically they’re all window seats, Tenna!” Tech said, refusing to move out of the chair.
Marzipan smiled at the sight, before his mind turned to another fact. What were the two ponies doing here? He refocused his thoughts on the two ponies, and chuckled at the new sight. The green pegasus had apparently won, but with a catch. The grey one sat on him, her forelegs crossed and a pouting expression on her face.
With a deft push of the button to the side of the doorway, the door slide up resulting in the two ponies jumping, the grey one falling off the chair. Her terrified expression looked up at Marzipan, the green one mirroring her look.
“Hello, my little stowaways. I would appreciate it if you would explain yourselves? Before I am forced to assume the worst?” He said, a slight smile upon his face.
“I-I... uhhhh.” The mare said, looking up at the green one with an expression of slight anger, as if saying “this is your fault!”.
The colt tried to explain. “Well, you see. We-uhh...”
The gryphon shook his head. “Ah-ah. Few words can explain much. You have ten.”
“Wait, what!? That’s not fair!” The green one exclaimed. Marzipan simply stared, amused as the grey one smacked him in the back of the head.
“Your friend is right. Five words.”
He opened his mouth to argue before getting a grey hoof in it. Looking at her, Marzipan waited.
She thought for a few seconds, before opening her mouth slowly. “Fr-Friends. We-We want t-to help.”
Marzipan glared at the two of them for a few more seconds before a real smile appeared. “Wonderful! Then you may help!” He said, surprising the two of them. “I am Marzipan. Who might you be, my dear?”
“I-I’m Tenna.” She said shyly, before looking down.
Marzipan nods. “And you?” He said, looking at the pony in the chair.
“I’m Tech!” He said, smiling, before frowning. “Please don’t tell Twilight.”
Marzipan smiles. “How about this...” He said slowly. “I believe that you are... what’s the word in the language... Bah, I will say it in my tongue. You are vertrauenswürdig, I believe. I believe I can trust you.”
Tech slowly steps off the chair and stands by Tenna, confused.
He continues. “I am not supposed to be in the area of the ship. If you do now tell this ‘Twilight’ that I was here, I see no reason that I should tell her of you. Just know that the truth will come out eventually. I would not wish to be here for the... scheiße storm.”
Tech looks confused for a moment, before nodding. “Okay then. Shake on it?” He asked, sticking out a hoof. Marzipan smiled, and shakes it. Just as they released the shake, a shudder shook the ship suddenly, and an all call sounded.
“Attention crew members. Report to the bridge immediately. We’ve entered the gravity well. We cannot pull out with risking everything, including lives. I repeat, we’re going in.” Twilight said, before cutting off in a burst of static.
Marzipan looked at the two ponies. “If you wish to remain hidden, buckle up. And I believe that Tenna gets the window seat.” He said, before leaving quickly.
Tech and Tenna quickly looked at each other as the ship shuddered again.
They quickly buckled up.
Five Minutes Earlier on the Bridge
“Feather, what’s our status?” Twilight asked, looking at monitors in front of her.
“I don’t really know, Ma’am. The system’s suddenly reading critical all across the board, yet everything is responding fine. We may need to restart the systems.”
Twilight nodded, confirming that status on her own monitor. “Talon?”
“I agree with my sister. We need a full system restart, otherwise when we hit the area of expected contact, we’ll miss it.”
Twilight nods again. “Okay, do it. We should have enough time to do that before the zone.” She said, before looking out the window at the mentioned spot.
Talon nodded and looked at Feather, before the two of them turned several knobs and flicked a switch. The monitors went dark for a moment, before they flickered back to life, a bar appearing.”
“System restart in progress, Twilight. Should be up in a minute.”
Twilight smiles. “Thanks. Anyway, what are your thoughts on this hole in the sky? I’m asking this as a friend, not as a captain.”
Feather looked behind her, shrugging. “To be honest, it doesn't’ affect the griffons. We’re just here because of diplomatic relations.”
Talon laughed. “Leave it to sis to put it bluntly.”
While Feather smiled slightly, Twilight sighed. “Yeah. I have a feeling that minotaurs though... I think they’re just here hoping to beat stuff up.”
Talon snorted slightly. “They’d better not beat up this ship, otherwise I’m liable to push them off of it.” He said seriously.
Twilight chuckles at the thought, while the griffons pushed some buttons and checked the restart.
“Fifty percent, Sparkle.” Feathers said, looking back at her.
“By the way, did you two see the guards board the ship? They were supposed to be here, but I haven’t seen them.” Twilight asked suddenly.
The griffons shook their head. “I haven’t seen any guards. Maybe they’re just in the armory, taking stock?”
Twilight looked at the griffon. “There’s an armory on board?” She asked, surprised.
“Of course!” Talon said, glancing the screen again. “We’re griffons. We’re always armed.” He said, simply. “Ninety percent.”
Twilight nodded. “Makes sense. I suppose it’s a reasonable explanation. Still, once the systems are back online, I’m going to make sure that they’re on board.” She said, finding it a good excuse to get up and explore the ship.
Feather nodded. “Sounds like a plan, Sparkle. We can hold down the bridge.” She said.
Twilight stood up as the system made a soft noise, drawing the attention of everyone in the room as the systems screen lit up and quickly arranged the status of the ship into various places. The griffons quickly ran their eyes over the new data, and immediately grabbed the controls and started pressing buttons and levers.
“Sparkle, I’d suggest you get your ass back in that seat asap.” Talon said in a strained voice.
Twilight compiled, a confused look on her face. “Situation report?”
Feather answered that question quickly. “We’re higher than we thought. If this is right, we should’ve hit it, or we’re just about to hit it!” She said, as an alarm went off and the lights changed, bathing the room in a red light.
Twilight looked at her own monitor, bringing up some data and blanching herself.
“We need to go down! Now!” She yelled, bringing up some other data to confirm her suspicion.
“Don’t you think we know that!?” Talon yelled, wrestling with the controls and attempting to make it respond. “Nothing’s working! It’s like we’re not even in control anymore!”
Twilight ran several scenarios through her head, and only one came back with a good outcome.
“Shut it down.” She said suddenly. “Shut every non-essential system and reroute the power to shielding and fine control jets.”
Feather turned around in her seat, her look mirroring her brother’s. “What!? If we shut down everything but that we’ll have no control!”
“Like we have any at the moment?” Twilight said, pointing at Talon, who was still wrestling with controls. “We’re caught in the hole’s gravity well!”
“What!? How can a hole have gravity?”
“It doesn’t! We were wrong! It’s not a hole, it’s a portal! And whatever is on the side has gravity! Now shutdown the systems!” She yelled as she turned on the com system, a shudder hitting the ship suddenly, causing her to slip slightly before regaining her seat.
“Attention crew members. Report to the bridge immediately. We’ve entered the gravity well. We cannot pull out with risking everything, including lives. I repeat, we’re going in.” She said, before buckling up.
The two griffons in the control seats were flicking switches and buttons in orders that made no sense to those not trained. Lights went dark and emergency lights provided some light after a few seconds of darkness.
“Sparkle, you’d better know what the hell you’re doing!” Talon said, flipping one last switch, which caused the whole ship to shudder slightly as it stopped moving itself.
“I do to.” Sparkle said softly as the door to the bridge opened and Applejack and Spike came in, the minotaurs not far behind them.
“Twi? What in the hay is going on? We’re goin’ in where?” Applejack said suddenly, stopping next to her chair.
“I don’t know Applejack. Buckle up though, we don’t know how rough this it going to be. You to Spike.” She said, looking at the two. As if to prove her point, the whole ship shuddered again, a bit more violently.
Spike nodded. “Okay, Twilight!” He said, looking around the room quickly before running to his seat and getting strapped in. Applejack quickly followed suit, sitting her own seat.
Twilight nodded, before turning towards the minotaurs. “Well, get in your seats as well! There’s no way of knowing how much this will affect the ships internal mass!”
At the minotaurs confused look, she sighed, before snapping at them. “Sit down!” She yelled, making sure they complied before turning back towards the piloting griffons.
Ignoring the angry mutters of the minotaurs, she quickly asked, “What’s the status of the engines?”
Talon quickly brought up a screen. “Engine one was running hot and we almost lost engine two. We managed to shut them down just in time.” He said, looking up as a particularly strong shudder cause all the people strapped in to be thrown around slightly.
“What about propulsion thrusters?” Twilight asked tersely, the shudders becoming more and more constant.
“Still online.” Feather said.
“Good. Be ready for anything through this portal.” Twilight said, before switching on her radio, this time on a wide spectrum band.
“Mayday, mayday. This is the airship Covert Tolerance. We are being pulled into the hole in the sky. I repeat, we are being pulled in. Radio contact expect to be cut off at any moment. Will re-establish contact as soon as possible. I repeat, this is Covert Tolerance, going dark.”
She switched off the radio, unsure if anyone had picked it up at all. Radio signals were never tested from this high up before, and she wasn’t sure if there was anyone to pick it up.
“Okay crew.” She said, her voice slightly jumpy as she pulled up her screen for one last time. “Entering the portal in five.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
The shaking was almost unbearable, the contents of her stomach threatening to leave.
“Two.”
Everyone with fur onboard felt their fur start to stand on end as something passed over the ship. Even the griffons felt something, giving each other an uneasy glance.
Twilight looked around in the second that remained, closing her eyes.
“One.”
Twilight took a deep breath, before yelling over the noise.
“BRACE!”
The ship made a terrible screeching sound, like metal tearing, and suddenly the air got cold suddenly. Everyone on board felt something... strange. Like they were being stretched suddenly, their body feeling longer.
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the contents of her stomach to remain there, as were the others.
The noise was deafening now, and Twilight started to panic. Something was breaking off, she knew this for certain now.
And then, when Twilight was certain that she could take no more, is stopped, her body feeling like it had snapped back into it’s proper form, the ship suddenly still as everything seemed to stop for a moment.
Everyone looked around, making sure that everyone was okay. With a quick head count out of the way, and only a minor injury to one of the minotaurs, Twilight was about to bring up a screen that had fizzled out during the portal.
But then the alarms started.
“Ma’me! We’ve lost all of our stern thrusters! We can’t control the back end of the ship!” Talon said, eyes flicking over the information that was flowing from the system.
“We’ve taken extreme damage to our bow! We’ve lost all of our visual sensors but one and most of our tactical ones! We’re going in blind!” Feather cried out, screens moving quickly under her talons.
Twilight looked over her own screen, a certain section catching her eyes. “We’ve lost one of the guards down in the armory!” She said, mentally cursing. “Okay, Feather, Talon! Fire all the thrusters we still have, try to slow us down! There’s no way in tartarus we’re making a clean landing. Just try for a good crash!” She said, tightening her straps.
Feather nodded. “Talon, take the controls! I’ll guide!” She said, pulling a visor down over her eyes.
Talon grunted. “Okay!” He said, grabbing the controls, pulling them all back in an attempt to slow their descent.
A screen popped up in front of Twilight, but she dismissed it quickly. She had bigger problems than an escape pod that got loose.
“Tech!” Tenna cried out, watching the new world that had just appeared from the sky fly by quickly. “Look!”
Tech nodded. “I see it! But we’ve got bigger problems! We’re not attached to the ship anymore! We’re going to crash!” He said looking down at the console in front of him. “We need to get the brakes out!” He said, looking at the tiny words over the buttons, before cursing.
“They’re all in griffonic!” He yelled, hitting the console in frustration.
Lights suddenly filled the escape pod, their seat restraints suddenly tightening.
“Te-Tech, what did you do!” Tenna cried out, watching the land get closer and closer, their pod not slowing down.
“I don’t know!” Tech cried out, searching the console again. “This looks like it might do something!” He said, pressing another button.
This time, they felt a jerk. A quick look behind them through the small window showed that a parachute had deployed.
But they were still falling too fast. Looking at the distance to the ground, Tech nodded suddenly.
“We need to jump.” He said, unbuckling himself and standing up, stabilizing himself on the side of the pod.
“Wh-What!? Te-Tech, that’s su-suicide!” Tenna said, shaking her head again.
“Staying in here when we hit the ground at maximum velocity is the worst option here!” Tech said, opening the door, nearly being sucked out at the sudden difference of wind speed. “Tenna! Come on!” He said, standing near the door, bracing himself.
Tenna shook her head. “N-No!”
Tech shook his head as well. “Tenna! We’ll die if we stay in here! We need to leave. Now!” He said, going towards Tenna, struggling to unbuckle her.
“N-No! Wh-What are you doing!” I-I’m not going out there!” Tenna said, grabbing the seat as Tech tried to get her moving.
“But you can’t stay here!” He said, prying her from her seat, moving the struggling changeling towards the door.
“I’ll be there to catch you, okay!? Just like always!” He said, before pushing her slightly towards the door.
“Wh-What!? Te-Tech!?” She said, off balance. Without anything to right herself, she fell out of the door, her screams whipped away by the sound of the wind.
Tech looked out the window again, before quickly running through the door and into the turbulent tempest. Losing all sense of direction for a few critical moments, he eventually righted himself and he quickly scanned the sky for Tenna, the falling escape pod quickly moving out of sight.
Spotting Tenna struggling to right herself, plummeting towards a body of water. Quickly flapping his wings, he shot off towards her, trying to catch up with her.
Tenna struggled, her wings flapping quickly and erratically as she tried to regain control over her fall, her screams breaking the otherwise silent world.
The green pegasus finally caught up with the frantic gray mare, trying to grab her to right her, only to be blocked by her flailing hooves.
Unable to get her attention by yelling over her screaming, Tech decided to do something really stupid.
Flying underneath Tenna, he waited until the last moment, and flipped upside-down, and grabbed Tenna in his grip, holding her still as he held his wings out, slowing their descent as much as possible. “Hold your breathe!” He shouted, taking a deep breath himself just before he hit the water, his wings snapping to his side with force.
They plunged into the water, going down about five or ten feet before Tech started to kick his way to the surface, pulling Tenna with him.
When their heads breached the surface for a few moments all you could here was both of them breathing heavily, trying to get their breath back, not only from being underwater, but from the terrifying ordeal.
Tenna was the first to recover well enough to point in the air. “T-Tech! Look!”
Tech looked over his shoulder, the world bobbing slightly as he tried to stay above the water. What he saw scared him
The ship, or what was left of it, was falling. And fast. Smoke trails marked where it had been, and the noise was becoming slowly and slowly louder.
“The Covert Tolerance.” Tech whispered. “It’ going down.”
Tenna eeped slightly, worry wrote on her face.
“We need to get there. Now.”
