The E.S. Nimbus Rider - Attempt #1
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//Chapter 1 : The E.S. Nimbus Rider //
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Sitting on his hammock, Kit CogGrinder contemplates about the recent events that wistfully passed by him like a gale of steam from an engine. First the Pub, then the drugged cider, then the sky port, now this awful ship.
The great blue sky, one of the most treacherous and exhilarating frontiers in the pony world. Many ponies have thought that air travel was reserved for only the winged creatures of the land, well that was until the creation of the flying machine. This new invention brought wide spread ---------. A simple shipment of food would take a week to get to it's destination by land, three to four days by water. Both risking the chance of the food spoiling. But with flight, goods were transported under a day or two. Many merchant ponies exploited these useful contraptions, especially Altremane the Third, The third most richest pony in Equestria and the would-be baron of air based mass transportation.
As the years went by, Altremane began to exploit and corrupt his business competitors until there was no-one left to compete against. Becoming the head of the Air Express Monopoly, he ruled the skies with an iron hoof. Being able to tax stupidly high sums of bits to all earth mongering creatures who wish to fly or transport goods through the air, his wealth skyrocketed.
That was until a small band of Germanic ponies called the "Sky-Raiders" began to attack Altremane's sky ships. This piracy act triggered a small civil war over the skies of Equestria. All creatures with wings wanted to take over the skies for their own kind. Soon the whole continent was fighting for the sky, the Equestrians, the Gryphonites, the Lava Maw Dragon Flights, the Germanes, and the Gildsedalians, all wanted to rule the trade routes in the skies.
Throughout the grueling months, thousands upon thousands of flying creatures and flying machines were hired for privateering work. Piracy skyrocketed and Altremane's business began to falter. Appalled by this, he put his scientists and crafts ponies to work and grounded all of his aircraft for the time being.
Months later, Sky ships under the Altremane jack began to appear in the sky once more. But this time, these ships were escorted by lumbering war blimps that number by thousands. Equipped with a plethora of anti-air weaponry and devices, pirates were routed with ease and the Air Express Monopoly was reborn.
Soon pirates,privateers, and raiders began to make their own flying contraptions of war. This would be the spark that ignites the Air Express Conflict. The situation then exploded into something that even Celestia could not contain since it was so wide spread. All over the sky of the continent, pirates and merchants fought for air supremacy. Even Celestia's royal guard had to join the fight, mainly due to fact that Celestia's cloud cake shipments were not arriving to Canterlot.
The Altremane Fleet and the Celestial Royal Guard dominated Equestrian airspace but its borders were still being battered by hordes of sky pirates.-
"Helmspony..."
-Just two months ago, Celestia led a small fleet of Altremane corsairs over the town of Halifanks.Celestia was not heard from nearly a month after the Halifanks campaign. Many believe Celestia suffered from exhaustion and retreated to a secluded sanctuary, others think that Altremane had something to do with her disappearance-
"Private! Get your snout out of that book and man the helm!" The captain bellowed outside the living quarters door.
"Oh, Aye-aye skipper!" The peach maned stallion yelled out as he shut his little history pamphlet closed, titled "The Equestrian Aeronaut's Report"
The peach pony quickly jumped off his hammock and trotted out of the warm quarters and out into the blustering wind.
Once arriving to the ship's helm, he found the captain standing infront of the balwark, watching the land below them slowly move by.
The captain raised his head slightly and edged his mouth towards the sailor. "Helmspony, Prepare for an alee," The captain yelled.
"Uuuh...What?"
"Prepare to turn the ship out of the air current, you dolt!" He turned his body towards the private and made a turning motion with his hooves.
"Aye-aye skipper!" The stallion yelled as a brief screech of the steam hydraulics letting their compressed air escaped the nearby engine. The deafening drone of the windy gale filled the cluttered deck. Ponies garbed in bright metal plate and sailor uniforms ran about across the wooden deck, all hastily tending to their duties.
Ropes twanged in the wild wind and the wood creaked. The resonating hum of magic and fire mumbled from above as the busy workers trotted about. The whole entire deck was shaded from the sun, which in their case was a Celestia-send for them since it was summer time. The immense object that blocked the unrelenting sun was the massive air blimp that kept the ship "afloat." The blimp was aggressively shifting left to right from the fast winds the ship was catching.
"Helmspony, Hard to starboard. Activate the rear propellers, Keep 'er at 25 knots."
"Aye-aye captain!" He acknowledged as he swiftly rotated the ships wheel to the right and pulled a tarnished brass crank. After some blustering pops and gritting of gears, an intense buzz of spinning propellers began to resound from the back of the ship.
The privateers on the deck briefly paused as the droning gale suddenly died down to a soft whisper. The wooden deck then returned to it's loud clatter as hooves began to clop once more.
The captain stepped away from the balwark turned to face the sky sailor. "Private."
"Aye skipper?" The private stood aloof as his bright blue privateer uniform fluttered softly in the wind.
"Set a course for sky port Nebulus. Prepare the signal flares-" The captain's words faded away as he drew his only eye towards the back of the ship, towards a floating speck in the great blue. After a few quiet seconds the privateer peeked his head away from the captain to see what he was gawking at.
"Skipper, It seems to be just another merchant ship." The privateer said in a assuring tone.
"Something's not right lad. Give me the spyglass." The captain demanded, his eye still fixed on the speck in the clear sky. The private pulled a small pocket spyglass out of his harness pack and casually handed it over.
The captain quickly snatched the glass off of his hooves and quickly rose it to his eye.
The scruffy bearded captain stood there, examining the little speck. He then abruptly collapsed the spyglass with a loud *schlink!*.
"Aacgkh! Those be no merchant colors lad!" The captain scoffed loudly. The privateer's eyes bulged from the danger that he knew best.
"Pirates?" The privateer began to show a tinge of panic.
The captain ignored the private and sprinted to the railing above the aft (middle section) of the ship once more. "Sailors, ready the cannons and nets!"
He quickly turned to the private who was now panicking, condensed steam clouded the lenses of the peach stallion's goggles. The captain whipped his hoof towards the helm.
"Private, All ahead full, increase power in the ."
"Auy-aye-aye Skipper!" The nervous privateer blurted out.
"Cannoneers, load cannons with chain shot! Skirmishers, prepare the launchers with spider net bolas!"
The repeated phrase "Aye-aye skipper" reverberated from the lower decks as the captain trotted towards the stern (back) of the ship with the helmspony trailing behind him.
The sailors below frantically scattered like a disturbed ants on an ant hill. Ponies were climbing the ropes up to the top blimp to man the launchers atop. Down below, burly skirmishers helped the gunners push the launchers and cannons into place.
"Ready when you are captain!" The non-commissioned officer bellowed out from lower deck.
At the back of the ship, the captain was observing his enemy through his spyglass.
"Sir, are those pirates?" The private asked.
"No lad." The captain put the spyglass in front of the young stallions eye. "You see her colors?"
Through the spyglass, a small blue flag with a white and yellow stripe in the middle fluttered in his view.
"Yeah."
"Those be Altremane's boys. And they haven't been to friendly with us lately."
A loud clopping on wood was reverberating from behind them. The officer saluted to the captain. "Skipper, We're ready as ordered." The captain nodded. The officer then drew his attention to the helmspony. "Kit, go to the lower decks, Flako needs your help with the auxiliary net launchers.
"Aye-aye, sir"
(Continuing)