Shot Down
Alarms blared as the opposing ship blasted round after round into the side of the ship, the two gunners eagerly returning fire as their captain/pilot barked orders.
"Gunners, focus your fire on the Pyramidion on the port side! Oi Engineer, how things holding up?!" The Pilot shouted into the speaking tubes.
"EVERYTHING IS BROKEN OR ON FIRE! STEER WITH LESS SUCK!! AND I HAVE A NA-" Explosive rounds rock the airship, as a flamethrower roasts the guns on the other side.
The Engineer stumbles into the railing, but pulls himself closer to the busted engines and dousing the fires erupting from the sides. He stands up and runs toward the lower deck to the final engine, dodging one of the cannons as it explodes, taking a gunner with it. He manages to get it started again in time to hear the Pilot shouting at him again.
"Engineer, the Balloon is loosing air! Get up here and fix it!"
"We lost John! The munitions cooked off while the moron wasn't paying attention!" He heard the leader curse as another blast rocked the ship, a sudden dive signaling the loss of both the Balloon and the Engines. The remaining gunner looked where they where headed, and leap off the ship without hesitation. The Engineer idly noticed him being bisected by a stray round as he climbed the latter to the upper half of the ship. He half ran and half climbed his way to the helm and tapped the slightly panicking Pilot.
"Kael the Balloon is in shreds, Engines are in pieces, and the rudder is detached. No way around it, we ain't gonna make it. That's the Swallowing Sands."
"But, you've survived it, haven't you? You've done it twice!" he responded hopefully.
"By luck, and it looks like we're all out. All that's left is the slow decent to death."
Kael turned around, bracing himself against the wheel. "Why won't they just shoot us?"
The Engineer gives him a bored look, as if his explanation had already gotten old before he already said it. "We're at war for resources, why waste the ammo?" Kael releases a pitiful whine.
"S-so, Engineer, what's it like, down there?" Kael looks down at their impending end.
"A lot of pink and black. Constant pressure crushing you, but at least you can breathe, somehow. They still haven't figured out how I got out."
The ship pierces the awaiting dessert below, and is consumed in the fine particles of earth. As the Engineer said, their vision is consumed by pink and black, the pressure becoming nearly unbearable, before a bright flash consumes their vision, and all pressure is lifted. They grip onto the ship as they pick up speed, and eventually the ship gets stuck, bow and stern jammed the sides of a gorge. The fortunate pair lie in pain as the sound of flapping wings grows louder and louder, Kael getting a last comment in before they lose cognitive thought.
"Damn birds."
Awakening and Slight Exposition
Awakening and Slight Exposition
A pain rushed through the Engineer's body, he faintly heard voices and the flapping of wings. he tried to get up when his body lost most support and nearly fell, the sudden jerk making his eyes shoot open in pain as he is supported by his arm. His blurry eyes pick up a strange greyish furred creature holding him, wings beating at the air rapidly to keep aloft. He a voice he could not make out sounds before his arm and legs are quickly grabbed and his view shifts to the ground, the very far away ground. The pain takes it's toll as he slowly loses his grip on the waking world again.
Ponyville General has been having a rare slow day, usually somepony is getting hurt, or sick, but today is seemingly to be making itself as a quiet day, that is, until a group of Pegasus burst in carrying two odd, ape-like creatures.
"What in Celestia's name?" Shouted a nearby nurse. Cloudkicker quickly explains.
"We found them when a strange metal Air balloon thing fell out of the sky and into Ghastly Gorge! They must've been hurt from the fall, cause they won't wake up!"
The nurse calls for a doctor, who calls for the prep of a griffin room. They rush their new patents deeper into the hospital as the nurse at the desk throws out a comment at the odd scene.
"So much for a slow day."
A groan of pain escapes Kael as his mind takes inventory of it's damage. A voice brakes through his distress, and then adds heaps onto it.
"You took forever to wake up, Mister Captain. We got a shit ton of problems."
"Engineer? I don't want to open my eyes, what does heaven look like?"
"A down-scaled hospital, with tons of little equines." Kael's eyes open and he jerks up, before flinching and falling back down.
"Ow, my organs. How are you so much better off?"
A third voice cuts through their conversation. "That's what I'm wondering." Kael looks toward the foot of the bed to see his feet hanging off the edge and onto another set at his feet, and beyond them is an honest to goodness talking equine wearing a white coat and glasses, somehow holding a clipboard in it's hoof.
"You both fell out of the sky on your contraption, and yet your larger and heavier compatriot seems to nearly be fine, especially considering all the extra weight he was carrying."
"I think it's because I'm more used to damage than this pampered shrimp."
"Engineer! Why? Your words cut deep"
"Well Kael, because my name isn't Engineer, that's my job. Call me Lucky, or Kit if anything."
Kael turns to his fellow crashie with a puzzled expression. "Why Kit?"
'Kit' looked at the irritated doctor and decided to quickly wrap up the conversation. "It was my designation before entering the service of your crew. Now hush, this may be important."
Kael opens his mouth to protest, but is interrupted by the doctor before he could vocalize anything else.
"Well, either way, Kit seems to be in a clean bill of health, as far as I can tell anyway. Kael has to stay for longer. On your way out, your rescuers are waiting for you, so be sure to thank them."
"So, 'Lucky', or Kit or whatever, you gonna stay and keep me company?" Kit gives him an evil smirk before patting him on the shoulder.
"Nope, see ya when you heal, Captain." He mockingly responds before leaving.
