Welcomed Company

EDIT: Light beads in the sharks' eyes

The airship groaned as the winds tore at its balloon and hull, the relentless cacophony of pounding rain, thunderous lightning and shattering wood haunted Contrail's ears as he ran for the starboard beam. He could hear their shrill cries beyond the dark clouds that engulfed his tiny vessel. Grasping his trusted spear tight, he braced himself against the rigging of the ship, eagerly awaiting their inevitable arrival.

Thunderchief was an ageing vessel, she had been passed down to Contrail after his grandfather's retirement from the Navy. Contrail had spent countless hours maintaining and modifying the vessel himself, such devotion he had given to her that she had become more than a simple airship. She had gained a personality, an honest and reliable vehicle who still had much fight left in her. Contrail couldn't bear to think what he'd do if she ever bought it for the final time. Though that dreaded day would inevitably come to pass, Contrail was sure in his heart that it was not this day. By his hand he would make sure she would live to fly another day.

As a shard of lightning pierced the dense clouds before him, the ominous outline of the predators that had been following him for miles now appeared clear as day. Bursting from the cloud line, two of the monsters went straight for Thunderchief's hull. This was the moment Contrail was anticipating, though it was not fear that gripped him, but a sense of loyalty to protect 'her' from these brutish hunters, as a stallion would to its newborn foal.
The monsters closed in, breaking Contrail into a rictus grin.
"Glad you could make it" he said...

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Just a bit of fun I had, took me longer than I expected, but that's probably cos I kept adding stuff as I went. Oops.

The flying sharks were meant to look a bit more original and more leech-y, but I was watching 'Jaws' about an hour before so that must've had an impression .

Personally I'm particularly proud of the lightning and lighting overall, I guess I could've put more detail into the deck and helm, but I didn't fell they were focal points of the image.

Hope you all like!

I'm just happy Airships are part of actual MLP canon too

Contrail ©DJP15

MLP:FiM ©Hasbro