MY LITTLE YAMATO

Chapters

The Beginning of the End
Arrival
The Long Good-Bye
A Visitor From Another World
The Message
The Council
Don't Shoot the Messanger
Preparing to Leave
Welcome Aboard
The Briefing
To The Stars!

The Beginning of the End

Once upon a time in the Magical Land of Equestria, there were Six Special Ponies, Twilight Sparkle, the very intelligent and magical Unicorn. Applejack, the honest and caring pony. Fluttershy, the shy but always kind Pegasus Pony. Pinkie Pie, the silly but always brave Pony. Rarity, the generous and always fashion smart Unicorn Pony. And Rainbow Dash the ever faithful and fast Pegasus Pony. Together these very special Ponies combined represented the Elements of Harmony, the purest and most beautiful form of existence in all of Equestria. Together these Ponies were virtually unstoppable, keeping the land of Equestria safe from any harm and chaos.

That is until from a distant planet a new threat came. They called themselves the Gamilus Ponies. With dark blue mane’s and bright blue coats they came in vast numbers in their might space fleets. In response all across the land the Ponies of Earth and Sky banded together, creating in a hurry a defense fleet of their own ships. But before they could be fully completed the cities of Manehattan and Trottington were destroyed under the onslaught of the Gamilus Ponies.

For a time the Ponies of Earth and Sky under the command of Princess Luna managed to hold back the Gamilus Ponies. But this would soon prove to be a futile gamble. For three years later the Gamilus Ponies began raining down radioactive planet bombs. These bombs, several miles wide would impact Equestria all over, spilling their deadly contents across the lands.

Ponies young and old perished in the bombings and as radiation crawled across the surface of Equestria the Ponies of Earth and Sky had no choice but to move their people BELOW the surface of the once blue planet. It was a long and dangerous feat that took nearly a year to complete, even with the assistance of the Six Harmonious Ponies. But even then, once the surviving Ponies of Equestria were under ground, it was too late. Slowly but surely, radiation began spreading down into the earth.

It was estimated at this time, that Equestria had only one year left to live before all life there would be extinct. Even the Elements of Harmony, in which the Six Ponies represented couldn’t combat this terrible evil. Something, anything, had to be done to save the Pony Kingdoms, and that something had to be soon.

This is where our story opens, in Equestria’s darkest hour, where one final hope rests on the horizon.

MY LITTLE YAMATO
(A My Little Pony/Space Battleship Yamato Cross-over Fiction)
Written by RDFan1701

DISCLAIMER! : My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is Copyright Hasbro Studios
Space Battleship Yamato is Copyright Musashi Enterprises and Voyager Entertainment
No infringing claims are intended by this work of fan fiction.

The MY LITTLE YAMATO fan series is dedicated to Prudence, the person who introduced me to the magical land of Equestria and the magic that is My Little Pony.

Far away from the doomed Equestria, Princess Luna looks out upon her fleet of defense ships. Her cold stare piercing deep into the black that was space, where her enemies slowly gathered strength for what she believed to be, the final battle for Equestria. Her mind was with her fleet and brave crews, but her heart remained home at Equestria, where her subjects waited and struggled to survive. With a slow trot she continued towards the front of her Command Ship, ponies of all shapes and colors littered the halls of the small ship as the lights dimmed and were replaced by the blinking red strobes that signaled an alert.

She let out a long sigh as she hung her head, “So, it is begun.” Luna said as the hatchway to the Command Deck opened to reveal bright lights from the nearby Command Consoles. Each display showing different types of information on it. As she got closer to them, one in particular caught her eye. With barely audible trots she approached the screens and looked down at the Pony in front of them.

“Give me a count Braeburn.” She ordered to the bright yellow pony in front of her.

“Yes Ma’am.” He responded as he watched the display change from blank to a brighter color green as several spinning ships appeared. “Two Space Battleships, ten Destroyers, and dozens of smaller support ships.” He slowly turned his head towards Luna, “We’re heavily outnumbered and outgunned Princess.”

She simply nodded in response as she turned back towards the rest of her crew. “Take Battlestations, turn the fleet thirty degree’s to Starboard, artillery stand by to attack.” The dull white lighting that was the standard aboard Battleships such as hers instantly snapped to red once again. She watched out the forward viewports as the small stars littering the black slowly panned towards the left as the Bringer of Light turned to meet its mark.

Braeburn turned around once again, “All Ponies aboard report ready for battle Princess.”

“Thank you.” She quickly replied as the Bringer of Light completed its turn. Her eyes once again drifted towards the bright blue orb in the distance that was Equestria.

“Enemy in visual contact Princess!” Braeburn called from his side of the Command Deck.

Across the deck came a loud burp! And a bright flash of green as the small purple Dragon Spike received a message from the enemy. He turned around and began reading to Luna the message, “Princess Luna, Leader of the Equestrian Defense Fleet, by the order of Emperor Desslar himself, you are ordered to surrender unconditionally and leave the area’s within and around Equestria at once. This is your final warning. Signed, Commander Gantz, Leader of the 18th Gamilus Attack Fleet.”

Luna closed her eyes, her long black and blue mane flowing with the magical flutter that it always had as she thought to herself.

Spike took a deep gulp as he then asked, “What shall I tell them?”

Luna’s eyes snapped open sharply, “Tell them, they are fools. The Princess of the Moon and Equestria will never surrender!” she said confidently. Her crew beaming and grinning across the ship as they scrambled for their action stations.

With a few quick scribbles and a short burst of flames from Spike’s mouth, the message was away. And the response was swift. A bright blast of orangey red light shown through the viewports as one of the EDF’s ships exploded into a gigantic fireball. Luna’s eyes roiled with fire as she watched as a ship containing no more than fifty loyal ponies, vanished into the black.

“All ships, fire!” she shouted as loud as she could. From across the fleet, bright beams of green lanced outward towards the Gamilus ships. Striking their targets dead on, but something was wrong. Instead of damaging or crippling the Gamilus ships, the magical blasts that shot from her fleet, simply deflected off of the armor plating covering the Gamilus ships.

Another volley from the Gamilus ships confirmed Luna’s worst fears, the Gamilus were going to win and Equestria would be theirs for the taking.

Arrival

One by one, Luna’s fleet was ground up and spat out like an over chewed piece of gum. With a scream that would shatter glass, Luna side stepped twice as her ship was hit. Sparks and flames leapt up from the screens scattered around her as circuits and wires gave out under the stress.

“Whoa! What happened to the gravity?!” Spike shouted as he slowly began to lift off of the floor. His claws latching onto a handle in front of him, “Somepony do something!” he cried as tears slowly floated away from his eyes.

“Everyone keep calm! We will make it through this!” Luna announced as her horn glowed and the deck beneath the ponies and dragon became gravetized again. Spike let out a sigh of relief as he burped again and caught another scroll in his hand.

“Princess! Defense ship 17, Shining Armor’s ship has spotted something approaching our solar system at half the speed of light! It’s not Gamilus and it’s not ours!” he said in a rush as the deck pitched again, knocking him off his feet.

Luna held fast as the ship rocked beneath her, “Alert Canterlot of the incoming craft. It’s out of our hands at this point! Then order the remaining ships to flank the Gamilus ships to our Starboard!” she commanded quickly as yet another of her ships exploded.

Meanwhile, back at Equestria ponies ran between consoles in the giant underground Command Center of Canterlot Underground. Far atop the giant room stood Princess Celestia, ruler of all of Equestria. Her calm demeanor projecting across the room as she watched the battle from the projection screens. Her heart beating fast as she saw one after the other of her loyal pony subjects perish and fade out of existence.

“Princess Celestia, message from Princess Luna. A craft of unknown origin is quickly approaching Equestria.” Announced the small filly named Featherweight. Celestia sighed hearing his voice, wishing dearly that fillies of his age weren’t here. In the necessity of emergency Celestia had allowed Ponies of all ages to join the defense forces in a very desperate attempt to keep Equestria safe. Of course, the youngest of all the Ponies were assigned to very unthreatening and dangerous jobs such as message couriers and medicine ponies. Unfortunately, all Unicorn Ponies were requested to join the soldiers division and that as many Pegasus Ponies were to officially enlist with the Wonderbolts, once a flying team for entertainment, now turned into a squadron of highly trained fighter force.

“What is its current course?” Celestia asked with a tilt of her head.

“It’s going to land just outside Ponyville Princess.” Featherweight replied as he pushed a button on the console in front of him with his hoof, one of the giant screens changing to show the direction of the object and where it would hit. Celestia’s eyes followed the arc down to the location of the ruins of Ponyville, a small tear forming in her eye quickly blinked away.

“Send Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash to see what the object is once it’s landed. Tell them to be extremely careful when up there.” Celestia said turning her back away from the screens, “Please keep me informed as to the progress in the battle near the moon.”

Featherweight nodded as Celestia walked off towards the back of the room. She didn’t want the other Ponies around her to see her upset. The spirits were low enough as it was with the situation they were in. A crying Princess, let alone ruler of Equestria crying would put the metaphorical knife in the heart and end it all right there.

Down on one of the lower levels Rainbow Dash was looking at a small picture of her friends. She sighed as she turned away from it and nearly knocked noses with Twilight who was behind her.

“Miss them still?” Twilight asked with a reassuring smile.

“Yeah I do Twilight. Ever since those stupid Gamilus guys decided to attack we’ve all gone our separate ways. It’s not cool not being able to see your friends.” Rainbow Dash replied pushing the picture down against the small desk it was resting on.

Twilight sighed and smiled weakly again, “Well they all had things they needed or wanted to do before things got worse. Fluttershy rounding up as many of her animal friends as she possibly could. Applejack trying to make sure that everypony has enough food down here to eat. Pinkie Pie helping keep everyponies spirits up as best she can. And Rarity is busy making sure everypony has something to wear. You know as well as I do that all of those are very important tasks.”

Rainbow frowned, “It still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t like it.” She said slowly moving away from the desk, “I mean, I’m the only one that stuck with you despite the circumstances.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight began in an almost complaining tone of voice, “That’s not fair to the others, they write when they can. And it’s not like they aren’t our friends anymore.”

Rainbow looked back at her with skepticism, “Yeah I know…I don’t know I guess I really miss them.” She says turning back to the picture and lifting it back up. And heading back to her bed to look up at her old posters of the Wonderbolts.

“Don’t worry Rainbow Dash, I’m sure things will go back to normal…one day.” She said half confidently as she looks at the picture of the six ponies in front of Twilight’s house in Ponyville.

As Twilight turned around she heard a knock at the door to the shared cabin that Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared. Twilight headed towards the door and opened it, “Featherweight? What can I do for you?” she asks the small filly.

“Princess Celestia wanted me to give you these orders Twilight.” He said placing a small parchment on the ground in front of her. Twilight lifted the parchment up with her magic and opened the small scroll.

Twilight read it quietly as Rainbow Dash spoke up, “So, what’s the Princess want?”

Twilight looks down at Featherweight, “Tell Princess Celestia that we’re on the way.” She places the scroll down on the desk and looks at Rainbow Dash, “Get you mask and suit on Rainbow Dash, we’re going home.”

Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow, “Home is gone remember?”

“Something is going to land back in Ponyville…or what’s left of Ponyville anyway…” she said with a frown. “Princess Celestia wants us to take a look at it. And get back to her on what it is.”

Rainbow Dash hopped up off the bed and nodded. “Alright, let’s get on it. We wouldn’t want to keep the Princess waiting.” She said as she slides on her anti-radiation gear over her body. A moment later trotting out of the room and towards the pilot’s area, Twilight right on her hooves.

The Long Good-Bye

Back on the frontline things continue to grow worse and worse for the Equestrian fleet. By now everypony throughout the fleet knew their fate, but continue to fight on gallantly. Luna watched with unshaking nerve as her ship rocked and slowly became a increasingly larger target as the support ships were destroyed.

"Missile ship 12 is down!" called out a Pony from across the bridge. "Cruiser 19 is no longer transmitting transponder ID's!" announced another.

Spike turned his head to look back at Luna, "It's hopeless Princess! We're losing too many ponies, we've got to retreat!"

Luna was completely still, the thought of retreat in her mind repeating over and over. "If we fall back, this planet is lost. Equestria is next..." she looked outwards towards the Red Planet it's northern and southern poles covered in snow.

"Status of the fleet?" she asked abruptly looking at Spike.

He turned to read his screen. "We've lost 78 percent of our fleet. Correction, now 90 percent. If we stay any longer, the whole fleet will be destroyed and Equestria will be theirs!" he replied, worry covering his voice as he turned to face Luna, "Princess, please, we need to go home. We can't let Equestria be taken."

Luna looked about the bridge, Ponies young and old staring right back at her. Wanting to her to say something. Fight, surrender, retreat, anything to make them forget what was happening to Equestria and on the ship.

Alarms blared as Featherweight announced, "Gamilus ship approaching from above!"

Luna's head snapped up as she looked out of the giant glass dome above her. Watching the green menacing ship speeding towards hers. Her heart skipped several beats as she shouted, "Defensive fire now!"

From above several weapon batteries opened fire on the approaching ship. Every blast being deflected or absorbed by the armor coating the ship. Spike bit his claws as he watched the approaching doom take the hits and keep coming. But then his mouth opened in shock as the ship exploded! He then started cheering as he watched one of the fleet's missile ships came flying out of the giant fireball that was once a ship.

He then blinked and the belched loudly, catching a scroll in his hand. "From Missile Ship 17, several targets destroyed. Make your retreat now. We will cover you, protect Equestria at all costs! Tell Twilight..." Spike stopped reading as he looked up slowly. He took a deep gulp as he continued reading, trying to not cry. "Tell Twilight that I am sorry. I won't be able to keep my promise and come home. Tell her to be strong and to be brave. Tell her that Equestria needs her to be strong to make her blue again."

Luna looked down, she knew that arguing with Shining Armor was futile. When he made a decision, he followed it through, no matter the ending. "Turn the ship around. Order all remaining ships to make for Equestria at best speed."

"Princess we can't just-" Spike started to protest.

"Don't argue! We are leaving!" she shouted in return. Spike quietly nodded as he quickly wrote a message and lit it on fire, the message copying itself several times over to inform the remaining ships. However, even as the Captains got the message, the ships exploded. Until finally only Princess Luna and Shining Armor's ships remained.

"All other ships have been destroyed Princess! We're all that's left! Shining Armor's ship is moving away and taking heavy fire!" Featherweight exclaimed as the ship finished turning around and heading for the burnt orange planet that is Equestria.

Luna looked down at Spike, "Send to Shining Armor, that we thank him deeply for his sacrifice. It will not be forgotten. And wish him God speed." Spike nodded and quickly wrote the message. Sending it a moment later and quietly sitting down in his chair.

Everyone on the bridge watched as the smaller ship weaved in and out between Gamilus ships firing all of it's weapons. Destroying several before being hit itself and spinning out of control. Spike closed his eyes and looked away as the ship was struck one final time and exploded. Silence fell across the bridge as the fireball slowly extinguished by the vacuum of space.

"Thank you, Shining Armor...you will never be forgotten." Luna said somberly as the battered ship slowly headed back towards Equestria. "Spike." she said stepping away from the spot she had occupied for several long hours.

"Yes Princess?" Spike quietly responded.

"Send one more message to Canterlot. Inform them of the battle's conclusion. Report the ship's status. And then once that is completed. I want you to personally inform Twilight of Shining Armor's sacrifice. I think she would rather hear it from you, than myself as you are one of her closest friends." Luna said slowly moving towards the rear hatch.

"I'll take care of it Princess." Spike said hopping off of the small seat and following her towards the hatch. Luna's horn glowed as she used her magic to open the large metal door. Spike followed her out as the door slowly closed behind them. "It isn't your fault Princess. What Shining Armor did, was his choice."

Luna kept her gaze forward as they walked, "I know Spike. Which is why I didn't try to argue. His sacrifice saved the lives of the One Hundred and Seventy Ponies on this ship. For that he will be revered as a hero."

Spike looked up at her as they walked, "That isn't going to change how Twilight is going to feel when she finds out..." he replied quietly.

"I know...I know." Luna returned as they reached the cabin that was marked, 'Commanding Pony: Princess Luna.' Her horn once again glowed as she opened the door and stepped inside. "I need a moment Spike, please get to those messages as soon as you can." she said closing the door before Spike could protest.

Spike opened his mouth to speak but closed it as soon as the door shut. He sighed and hung his head as he slowly started moving away from Luna's Cabin. Stopping only for a brief moment as he looked out the nearest window at the shimmering stars.

"I wish this war had never happened." he said quietly as he sighed once more and headed towards his own cabin to start getting the scrolls written and to think about HOW he was going to tell Twilight that her brother was dead.

Author's Note

Now, for those that aren't aware of the Yamato Series. The main characters older brother, Mamoru Kodai, sacrificed himself and his crew to ensure that the Admiral's ship survived to carry out the mission to save Earth. So I would GREATLY appreciate it if you guys DIDN'T dislike this chapter because I have 'killed' Shining Armor, it was the ONLY thing I could think of considering who the characters are.

A Visitor From Another World

Twilight put a hoof up to her eyes as she and Rainbow arrived at the top most level of the underground city Hangers. The blinding light coming from the open doors at the very end. The two slowly walked towards the scorched Earth in front of them. Of the two to be most effected by the sight was Rainbow, though she didn't show it on her face.

Sure she was a Pegasus Pony, but that didn't stop her from admiring the once lush greens and blues of Equestria's surface. Not to mention she used to be part of the reason that Equestria stayed Green and Blue, and now she couldn't even fly up to Cloudsdale. She looked up into the sky, spotting the new dull brown grey mass that currently is the remains of Cloudsdale. A single tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she quickly blinked it away. She didn't want to distract herself from what their job was.

"You ready to go Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked as she spread her wings and ruffled them getting all the unused muscles ready to fly. A moment later her horn glowed, covering herself and Rainbow with a protective magical shield that would essentially keep them alive on the toxic surface of Equestria.

Rainbow looked over at Twilight and nodded, "Let's get this done I don't want to be outside for too long." she said spreading her wings open and dragging a hoof on the ground, preparing to fly.

"You and me both Rainbow Dash. I don't know why Celestia would send us to Ponyville since it was destroyed. I mean, what is the point? There's nothing there but radioactive glass covered houses." Twilight said as she too got ready to take off. Her hooves scraping against the cold metal beneath them.

"Who knows? Let's just get this done, okay?" Rainbow asked as she ran forward at top speed before pushing off the ground and taking flight.

Twilight let out a long sigh with a shake of her head, "Yeah guess that's a good way of ending the topic." she says lifting her head and running off after Rainbow Dash and lifting up into the sky. Her eyes blinking at the ungodly brightness that shined off of the ground due to it being turned mostly to glass from the radioactive bombardment from above. As her eyes adjusted she watched her reflection on the ground, a small smile on her face as she remembered the few times that she flew over the water, catching her reflection in it as she learned how to fly.

She then giggled as she remembered how many times it took just to get off the ground. She was very thankful for Princess Celestia's help, being her student and all, but it was in fact Rainbow who helped her the most. Sure, Rainbow pulled her occasional jokes and pranks as Twilight attempted to learn to fly. But Rainbow being Rainbow, took it very seriously most days and Twilight rapidly became a very good flyer. Of course, Rainbow would NEVER let Twilight get the compliment of 'Best Flyer in Equestria!' Which Twilight, gladly accepted, she was a Princess, she didn't need that title too.

She looked up and spotted the bright cyan Pegasus Pony that was Rainbow flying ahead of her, she flapped her wings harder to catch up to her friend. "Boy Rainbow Dash, when you are in a mood...you are in a mood." She muttered to herself as she got closer to Rainbow. Of course, as soon as she got closer Rainbow sped up just a bit more. Forcing Twilight to fly faster to keep up.

"Rainbow! Not so fast!" Twilight called out to her, Rainbow on the other hoof, didn't want to slow down. Something drove her forward like a calling as something glittered on the Horizon. It was then that Twilight saw the glittering and flapped harder and faster. It took only a few minutes but when they arrived, their jaws dropped instantly. Looking up at the towering gold mass that could only be described as alien.

"This isn't a Gamilus ship is it?" Rainbow asked as she trotted around the object. Looking at the unusual, archaic designs and unusual bumps that littered it's surface. Rainbow pressed a hoof to the metal and blinked, "It's cold."

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she too observed the strange towering object. "Cold...but it's blistering hot out here!" she said rubbing a foreleg against her forehead, wiping away the sweat that blanketed her coat. "That and it should be giving off it's own heat, having only JUST crashed on Equestria." she said placing her own hoof on the metal and blinking at it's lack of heat.

Twilight dropped her hoof but only for a moment. She then noticed what looked like a hoof print on the side of the capsule. She looked at her hoof and then at the shape, then gently placed it upon the indented shape.

WOOOSH!

Almost immediately a large egg shaped hatch on the side of the capsule cracked open and lowered. Of course, sending Rainbow instantly into defense mode and leaping in front of Twilight. Who blinked several times before placing a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "It's ok. It's just a door."

Rainbow looked back and protested, "Yeah, but what's BEHIND the door is what worries me!" Of course that argument died VERY rapidly as a very tall White Coated Mare appeared before them. Of course, within a single moment of exposure on the surface of Equestria, the mare would not have survived. With that thought in mind Twlight tried to rapidly form a protective barrier around the Mare with her magic, who slowly fell to the surface of Equestria, limp as a rag dolly pony.

Twilight gasped as she looked down at the once beautiful mare. No signs of life being given whilst lying there. Rainbow looked down at the mare with curiosity but also a small hint of distrust. That was when the Mare suddenly opened her eyes and gasped for air. Twilight jumped and nearly let her magic barrier drop in fear but stayed firm in keeping this mare alive.

"Where....where am I?" the Mare asked weakly, as if she had just woken from a VERY VERY long sleep. Her voice was soft and sweet, as if listening to the slow beautiful melody that would be played by a harp. Her bright blue-green eyes scanning around her, surprised to see the dead brown-orange ground that she laid upon. Her wings, tucked neatly underneath what could be described as a formal dressing gown. And to both Twilight's and Rainbow's surprise, a white horn protruded from the Mare's forehead.

Rainbow blinked a few times, "She's an Alicorn..." she muttered to herself taking in the Mare's appearance and silently trying to find out what kind of threat she was to both herself, Twilight, and Equestria.

"You're on Equestria...you kind of crashed here..." Twilight began as the Mare started to stand up, but ultimately failing, "Easy, easy, you've been through alot, rest." Twilight uttered with concern littering her voice.

"Equestria?"

"Yeah, that's right. Now who are you? Why are you hear?" Rainbow pushed inquisitively.

"I...I made it..." she said with a sigh as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed.

Rainbow frowned and nudged the Mare's face with a hoof, "Hey! I'm talking to you!" she bellowed having not been answered.

Twilight put her hoof on Rainbows and shook her head, "Hey, take it easy. She's asleep and if you crashed into a planet and didn't know what was going on, you'd be tired too."

"But-"

"No buts Rainbow, come on, lets get her to Canterlot Hospital. They can take care of here and Princess Celestia will decide what to do with her after we explain what happened." Twilight said starting to lift the Mare up onto her back.

Rainbow looked absolutely disgusted at the thought of helping some VERY strange pony from who knows where. "Twilight! She could be a Gamilus spy! Or worse, she could be here to kill Princess Celestia!" Rainbow pressed, her skepticism wearing thin as it was. But then, who could blame the little pony for that?

"My decision is final Rainbow, we aren't just going to leave somepony out here in this wasteland to die. How would you feel if it was YOU?" Twilight retorted.

Rainbow opened her mouth to argue but instantly shut it as fast as she had opened it. "Alright fine. I don't like it...but fine." she said stomping a hoof into the ground in a final show of protest. Twilight smiled and nodded once the Mare was on her back. Then without a moment's notice, ran and took off into the sky. Rainbow too one last look at the golden capsule and sighed, following Twilight, keeping a fair distance, in case the sleeping Mare should try something funny.

Author's Note

I am so sorry it took me this long to get out. I have been having some stuff happen in the real world so I had to put my writing on pause for a bit.

The Message

Waiting. It was the one thing both Twilight and Rainbow HATED with a burning passion. Rainbow a pony full of energy and 'get up and go' spirit groaned as she looked up at the nearby clock. "How long is this going to take?" she asked impatiently.

"As long as it takes." Twilight responded with a bored sigh.

"She wasn't even THAT bad!" Rainbow replied with a groan. "Does it REALLY take this long to make sure an Alicorn is ok? I mean honestly!" she bellowed which caused several sick and injured Ponies to look up with a great deal of annoyance. Twilight noticing the cold glares that was being shot towards Rainbow, yanked hard on her tail pulling her to the soft cushion that was behind Rainbow.

Rainbow yelped as she was forcibly made to sit. "What was that for?" she asked with a very unhappy expression. Twilight simply pointed a hoof at the rest of the Hospital waiting room. Rainbow nervously chuckled noticing for the first time the evil glares aimed in her direction.

Twilight looked in the opposite direction at the rather large door, that above had the words written in black with a red light outline around them saying, 'Operating Theater.' As soon as the two carrying the Alicorn arrived the Doctor's and Nurses rushed her inside. Twilight gave them a simple version of what happened and they simply moved her inside without another word to Twilight or Rainbow.

It had been nearly six hours since they brought the alien Alicorn here and the wait was starting to drive them both up the nearest wall. Rainbow sighed once again as she looked up at the clock. Twilight then gently nudged Rainbow's side with her wing as the light on the sign turned off and the doors opened. The two quickly stood up and started to make their way over. That is of course when a giant white wing blocked their path. Both were surprised at it but then smiled noticing WHO the wing was attached to.

"Princess, thank you for coming." Twilight began before Celestia nodded silently but made a gesture that indicated she wanted silence. Twilight nodded and kept quiet for the moment as the three Mare's slowly made their way over to the Doctors who were slowly removing articles of clothing and protective suits to prevent even more radiation sickness from proximity to the Alicorn.

One Doctor turned and noticed the three walking over and she turned to greet them. "Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight, Rainbow Dash." she said to each with a small bow and nod.

"Doctor Redheart, thank you for tending to our injured visitor." Celestia began.

"Well it was the only thing any sensible Pony would do." Redheart replied, "Unfortunately, she doesn't have much time." she looked at Rainbow and Twilight, "It was wise of you both to bring her here for treatment, but I'm afraid that the radiation has done it's toll. There was simply too much exposure to her body that she's beyond the point of saving."

Twilight's ears dropped hearing that. "But I was so sure that...the capsule was only open for a few seconds..."

Celestia wrapped a comforting wing around Twilight, "Sometimes, there is little we can do. Your heart was in the right place Princess." Twilight nodded, she understood, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"How long does she have?" Rainbow managed to ask, having been silent all this time.

"A few hours? A day at most." Redheart replied, "She's awake now if you want to go and see her."

Celestia nodded, "Thank you Doctor, please, leave the room to us." Redheart nodded and started clearing the room of Ponies that were still in the way. Making room for the trio to enter and close the door behind them.

Twilight gasped at the sight that was before her. The once beautiful Mare that she had carried on her back was now missing patches of the white coat that she had. Her horn was covered in very dark black spots. And from even a far distance as they were, they could tell she was shivering.

"Why is she shivering like that Princess?" Rainbow asked Celestia as they got closer.

"It's an effect of the radiation sickness that is slowly draining her magic and life away. It's one of many things that are happening to her." Celestia replied as she approached the bedside, "My dear, dear Mare from the stars, why did you choose here to land? Equestria is not safe for anyone on the surface."

The Mare looked up towards Celestia, her coat peeling away as she turned her neck, "I had no choice...I am here to deliver a message."

Celestia looked confused, "Message? For who? No one here knows you."

"My name is Astra of Iscandar, Third Princess to the throne." The Mare replied, her horn lighting up and projecting a image of the bright blue water planet. "We have heard of your struggle against the Gamilons. And we, cannot let them succeed. They have conquered many, and destroyed even more. Equestria, cannot be another planet lost." she gasped for air as she choked on her own words. The radiation sickness progressing faster every time she used magic.

Twilight looked as if a part of her was being crushed, to watch a Pony die this way. It unnerved her something fierce, and yet, she kept her eyes glued on the Mare. "But...no pony can save us. Equestria is doomed Princess Astra." Twilight said without thinking.

Astra smiled and extended a very weak wing to wrap around Twilight, "That my little pony, is where you are wrong." she looked up at Celestia, "To save your planet and restore it's beauty. You must travel to Iscandar. There, you shall meet my sister, Starsha of Iscandar, Queen of Iscandar. Where she will bestow upon you the Cosmo Reversing Magic that will clean and restore your planet."

Astra gasped again as she felt great pain filling her body. Celestia smiled and tilted her head in a small bow, "Astra, thank you for this gracious message. Your travel and passing will not be in vain. I promise you that." Astra smiled and nodded.

Twilight too had a small smile on her face, hope was finally given to them. Equestria...green and blooming again...it was more than any pony could have asked for. She bowed in respect to the dying Princess before her. "Thank you Astra...thank you from the bottom of everypony's heart." Rainbow too bowed, her pride beaming inside of her. Oh to see Cloudsdale again, and to control the weather on the surface. Her prayers couldn't have been answered sooner.

Astra nodded her head as best as she could, "Will you grant me one favor?" she asked VERY quietly. Celestia knew it was almost time for Astra to part from this world.

"Anything." Celestia replied looking down at Astra.

"Bury me on Iscandar, on the plains on the northern sea. Remember this, for it is my only request." Astra said slowly, using each breath she had to continue speaking.

"We will Princess, we will." Celestia replied, touching her horn to Astra's. And with a shimmer of light an unbreakable promise formed between the magic of the two. "It is with this light that this promise is made, and with this, I Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, give you comfort in your passing from this world. As a farewell gift to you for bringing us this message. Farewell, Astra, Princess of Iscandar." And with that, a smile formed on Astra's lips as her eye's slowly closed. Her breathing became slow, steady and then no more.

Twilight was in tears now, the passing of such a brave and noble Princess had moved her from sorrow to a bit of joy. It wasn't a meaningless death, it wasn't a painful death, but it was a death none the less. And that small fact, had her tears flowing fresh like running streams. Rainbow, did her best to contain her tears, instead lifted a hoof to her forehead, saluting the Princess before her. At first she didn't trust the Alicorn, but now, her heart was a flutter, full of mixed emotions.

Celestia lifted her horn from Astra's and looked down at Twilight and Rainbow. "This is a true sign that there are those out there that do care. That will do anything to stop the evil that will always rear it's head. Remember, remember her sacrifice my little ponies, for one day, you too, may be called upon to do the same." Twilight and Rainbow nodded in understanding, "Twilight, assemble the Council. Tell them we have news and that we shall share this news once Princess Luna has returned from the frontline."

"Right away Princess!" Twilight said turning on her hooves, "Come on Rainbow, I'll need you to fly the messages out right away!"

"Right! Lead the way!" Rainbow said confidently, an emotion that she had rarely shown since the first days of the planet bombing.

Celestia smiled as the two ran off, then looked down once again at Astra's body, "Thank you again Astra. We owe you a debt that we cannot repay." And with that, the white satin blanket that was covering her body, slowly moved with Celestia's magic, and covered her whole form. And slowly the Princess turned, walked away, and let the doors to the room close quietly.

Author's Note

I'll tell you, I had to stop a few times to write this one. I wasn't sure how I wanted to handle the message, but this, I think was the best way to do it. I hope you all enjoy it. And continue reading!

The Council

A week nearly passed before Luna returned. The journey home was a long, dreary, and lonely trip. Luna's ship being the only ship that survived the latest of the doomed battles with the Gamilus Ponies was finally docked beneath the surface. The Ponies under her command were granted several days worth of free time. Many chose to visit family, friends, others remained because they simply had no other place to go other than to serve Princess Luna. She pleaded with several to take some time off, but they wouldn't have it. She reluctantly allowed them to stay. But simply because she was both too tired to argue and she was needed at the council chambers immediately.

Almost instantly she began to regret coming home and being summoned here. Even before she entered the chamber, she could hear the council shouting at each other. Arguing back and forth upon what to do about Equestria now that the Defense Fleet had been almost completely wiped out. Another group was arguing on whom should be saved from Equestria's demise by escaping the planet, naturally the ones with the money seemed to be on the top of the list. Another argued simply for the sake of arguing.

Luna sighed and spoke to herself, "Is this really what has become of our once beautiful civilization? A bunch of bickering and pathetic foals?" Luna then suddenly felt a wing on her back which caused her to look up.

"They are only scared sister. Nothing more. Their home is in ruin and they can only think of survival, anypony would." Celestia said to calm her sisters worry.

Luna nodded as she took a deep breath, "Now for you to tell us all what you want." she said motioning a hoof towards the large council chamber.

"Yes. And this time, it is a message of hope."

Luna blinked and found herself unnervingly confused as to what her sister was speaking about. But then behind her came Princess Cadence, Princess Twilight, Shinging Armor, Spike, and Rainbow Dash. Luna blinked several times, trying to understand why they would be needing to be here.

"Howdy ya'll! We ain't too late to the meetin' ah we?" Called a familiar country pony. Luna looked to her right spotting Applejack and Fluttershy approaching. Twilight practically beamed with excitement spotting two more of her friends entering. Of course that was cut brief by a flash of bright pink and several 'oof's' and 'umphs' as Twilight was literally tackled from a distance.

"Hey Twilight! Long time no see! I mean it's been a REALLY long time! Hey did you do something with your mane? It's a massive mess. Oh...wait, that was probably because of me. Sorry! Didn't mean to mess that up!" Said a bouncing Pinkie Pie.

"Why Darling, it has been a long time and you look as FABULOUS as ever! Minus the messy mane of course." Rarity spoke up as her horn glowed, "Don't worry! I'll have that fixed in a moment!" she called out.

Luna stood there agape at the sight, then smiled happy to see six friends reunited for the first time in a VERY long time. Even Spike seemed to change his mood spotting Rarity approaching. Luna approached them and cleared her throat getting their attention.

"I am happy to see you are all reunited, however, you all must be a bit more calm now. The session is about to start. Please, head inside after Celestia and myself and take your seats in front of ours." she began as Pinkie Pie began to bounce again before slapping a hoof over her mouth, "And not ONE outburst from you Pinkie Pie, no matter how excited you become."

"Awwwww bummer!" Pinkie Pie said calming down.

Luna rolled her eyes with a smile, "Anyway, please follow me." she continued turning around to face the entrance to the chamber, "Now remember, everything you hear in here is completely confidential, it does NOT leave the room. Is that understood?"

"Yes Princess." chimed out the six ponies that followed closely. To each they had their own thoughts and worries about this meeting. But to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, they knew what was going to be said, atleast in part. For now, it was all up to Princess Celestia to inform the council of what had taken place over the last few days. Something that at first would upset them, but then, hopefully would give them hope.

A moment passed before Celestia began the slow walk into the Chamber. Instantly every pony in the room stood up from their seats in respect for the four Princesses in the room. Celestia remained completely silent as she and the group reached their seats and waited for her to begin.

"Thank you all. Please, be seated." Celestia began, immediately the Ponies sat. "Now, to begin this Council Session, I would first like to brief you all on the latest developments that have occurred over the past several weeks." Celestia's horn lit up as she pulled down a projector screen from behind her and let it extend as far as it could. In the distance a projector sprang to life and began projecting images onto the screen.

Celestia looked outward as the lights began to dim. "Last week ago, the Defense Fleet tracked and engaged a large Gamilus fleet that was en route to Equestria. A battle was waged in which, unfortunately, we have lost. This has left the defense fleet crippled and unable to protect Equestria. We are down to one functioning Battleship Fillies and Gentlecolts."

She let her words echo across the room, letting them sink in and let everypony react in the smallest ways they could. Celestia didn't like telling them this, but it was necessary. To lie to them now would be the worst thing possible.

She took a deep breath and continued, "This leaves us at a terrible disadvantage as the Gamilus Ponies can continue their planet bomb attacks, or a landing operation on the surface of Equestria. However, this is a topic for later discussion. Today's session is being called to discuss a matter of grave importance and can possibly be the entire future of Equestria."

At that, Filthy Rich had to speak up, "Pardon me Princess, but how can the loss of our defense fleet be a topic of LATER discussion? That is a MASSIVE loss in not only pony life, but a substantial amount of money and resources. Things we can not simply get back at a whim."

Money. That was all they could think about, money. Even when the world around them was coming to an end, money was the focus. To Luna, it disgusted her, how could these Ponies rise to power? Simply because of money and how much power they had before the war.

"And not to mention without the defense fleet we stand no chance of survival." He continued, "With all due respect Princess, you should be instead focusing on the evacuation plans that we have provided you with. All the 'proper' ponies have been selected. All we need is your word to start loading them and-"

Luna cut him off, "We aren't going ANYWHERE. This is our HOME and we will not ABANDON it." her voice boomed throughout the room. Several Ponies cringed at the terror she projected. But Filthy Rich, he simply fixed his monocle and cleared his throat.

"That Princess is precisely why we are going to end as a civilization. No we need to save those ponies that are 'important' to the survival of the Equestrian civilization." Filthy Rich was becoming a bigger and bigger thorn in Luna's side, "Further more, the Yamato Project is nearly complete and we should by all means, make haste to leave as soon as possible with the list I provided."

Luna stood up and shouted, "A list that places Ponies such as yourself at the top! What makes you better than say a farming pony? Or a pony who creates clothing for other ponies to wear?"

"Well, my status of course. And the fact that I and many others here have funded the project over the past-"

It was Celestia's turn to speak up, "Enough! I will not have you squabbling like two foals!" Luna and Filthy Rich sank back into their seats. "Now, as Luna said we are not leaving Equestria. That plan has been changed." Many gasps could be heard across the chamber. Whispers of, 'What does she mean?' and 'How could she?' could be heard, but just barely. Another reaction Celestia had guessed would happen.

"Less than one week ago, a capsule from another world crashed on Equestria, in the old Ponyville site." She continued as an image of the golden capsule was projected on the screen behind her. "Inside was an Alicorn from another planet. Her name was Astra of Iscandar, Third Princess in line for the throne on her planet." Again, a picture changed to show that of Astra before the radiation sickness had nearly ruined her coat and horn.

"This Alicorn unfortunately has passed on due to radiation sickness from the surface of our world." Celestia explained, "But before she died, she passed on a message from her sister. Starsha of Iscandar, Queen of Iscandar requests that we travel to their home planet. Once there, she will bestow on one of us, a magic that is unlike any other, and from what I understand, a power that even the Elements of Harmony do not possess."

Luna looked back at her sister, "And what power is that?"

"The power to return Equestria to it's former state." Gasps once again filled the room. "The radiation that poisons our world gone, the water returned, the grass and flowers blooming again, and the rain no longer acidic. Yes, they offer us a way to save our planet." Celestia looked down, "I know many of you find this offer, too good to be true, but if we are to save our planet, we must take risks. Otherwise, Equestria will fade into the night and never be alive again."

The Chamber was silent as Celestia finished for the moment. Letting the Mare's and Colts around think and question the idea of traveling to a completely unknown planet to retrieve some form of unknown magic that only exists there. The biggest question was how would they do it? No one asked until finally Applejack broke the silence.

"Princess, tha's all gud and sounds like it'd be ah great thang. But HOW in tha world do ya expect us ta get thar? I mean after all, it is another PLANET we're talking 'bout." She said trying to bring some reality to the conversation.

Twilight spoke up next, "I have the answer to that." she looked up at Celestia, "If I may Princess?"

Celestia nodded and Twilight took flight. "As you know we currently have no way of traveling faster than the speed of light. And after doing some research, I have discovered that Iscandar is roughly 148,000 Lightyears away from Equestria. Normally, a trip that length would take HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of years. But we only have one year left before everypony and everything on Equestria is gone forever."

The Council listened intently as Twilight spoke. Many, literally, on the edge of their seats. "So, after much study I believe that I have come up with a way for us to do just that. Travel faster than light." A moment later, her horn glowed and a small box levitated up from where she had sat. "Inside this box contains the Elements of Harmony. Six Elements that represent the magic and power of friendship here on Equestria. By using the Elements I believe we can equip ONE ship, with them and use them as not only a source of power, but an Engine to Travel Faster than Light itself."

The crowd sat dumbfounded as Twilight explained her plan. Some turned their noses up in disgust of the idea of sending the Elements of Harmony away from Equestria and out of reach in case something drastic should happen. But then some looked back, realizing that not much more could go wrong than it already had. And then there were the ones that thought escape was preferable to trying to save EVERYPONY from dying.

Celestia however, spoke up, "I encourage this plan and I am putting forward the motion. All those in favor of the Iscandar Plan, please say Aye." A loud ring of Aye's suddenly cried out from the council and several hooves shot up into the air so that someone could keep count. "All those opposed?" very little Aye's could be heard. Celestia smiled, "They Aye's have it! Immediately, a call shall be put out for volunteers for this project. Any Pony may volunteer, those Ponies who are under the age of 12 shall be given minor tasks aboard the ship of our choosing, such as cooking and message bearing."

Celestia stood from her seat, "Thank you all. Filthy Rich, I want a word with you if you don't mind?" Filthy Rich nodded and stood following Celestia out. The rest of the Council slowly filed out one by one, to draft plans to make sure that which of the two ships remaining should go, had the supplies needed to make the long trip to and from Iscandar.

Only the Six friends and Luna remained. They all gathered in the center of the chamber and began to speak amongst themselves.

"Wow Twilight, do you really think that you can get the Elements of Harmony to do that?!" Rarity asked in a rushed composure that even she was rare to exhibit.

Twilight nodded, "Yes, but in order to do it. All of you will need to come with me atleast to start it. I won't drag the rest of you with me on this mission."

"Hey! If you're going! We're all going!" Rainbow exclaimed as she hovered a few feet off the ground.

"Rainbow's right Sugarcube. We can't let you do this on your own." Applejack said placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

Fluttershy nodded, "We're friends, and friends stick together."

"Someone needs to make sure that you crazy ponies don't forget how to dress! I'll start making uniforms right away!" Rarity said with a cheerful expression on her face.

"And someone needs to organize the 'Let's-Save-Equestria-From-The-Evil-Meanie's' party! And the 'Equestria-Is-Saved-From-The-Evil-Meanies' Party! Oh! And there's the 'First-Ship-To-Go-Wicked-Fast' Party! And then the-" Applejacks hoof covered Pinkie-Pies as the rant had started to grow a little too long.

Luna then stepped forward, "It is very brave of you all to volunteer right away. However, Twilight, I will be in Command of this Mission. You don't need that responsibility just yet. You focus on getting the Elements to work as the engine. And I will take care of everything else."

Twilight looked around at her friends and Princess Luna. "Thank you. Thank you all. It means so much to me to hear you all say that." And with that, she embraced them all in a hug and small giggle.

Don't Shoot the Messanger

While the Council spoke, Spike sat the whole time utterly silent. Sure, he was interested what was being said. And sure a visitor from another planet had caught his attention. Even when Twilight said the Elements could probably be used to move a ship faster than light through space he found himself flabbergasted. However, his mind was on a totally different topic.

How he was going to tell Twilight that her brother was dead battered around his mind over and over. It was not something he was looking forward to doing. Twilight had been his closest friend for years before the war and he was afraid that the news would make Twilight hate him.

He shook his head as he climbed down off of his seat and followed his friends down towards the concourse in the middle of the chamber. "No, Twilight wouldn't hate me for that...would she?" he asked himself quietly his nerve once again wavering as his mind ran wild. "What will she do? Banish me?" he blinked, "No, that is NOT Twilight!" he said firmly. His mind finally made up, atleast until he saw Twilight once again.

He ducked behind a corner and leaned against the wall. "This isn't fair. Why does it have to be me?" He asked himself outloud.

"Because sometimes, the most heartbreaking things can be less terrible if a close friend tells another." Celestia responded, seeming to have appeared out of no where.

Spike literally jumped up from the wall, "Princess! Don't scare me like that." he began before blinking, "Wait, you know about-"

"Luna told me before the session. She is very upset about it, but she too knows that a trusted friend can not only tell the pony that is going to be hurt, but offer a shoulder to let her cry upon." Celestia explained as she motioned a hoof in Twilight's direction. "Do you understand that Spike?"

He looked up at Celestia, trying to understand it himself, but not completely. "But...her brother...he's never coming home...how can even a friend help make her feel not as upset?" he asked quietly. He watched as Twilight smiled and received praise for her idea's that occurred during the session.

"Do not get me wrong Spike, Twilight will most certainly be heartbroken. But knowing she has friends as close as you and the others to support and be there for her, will help allow her to grieve and move on with what she must do." Celestia sighed, "However, we are not in a time of peace and her time to mourn will be short." she looked down at Spike with concerned eyes.

Spike looked back and sighed, "So telling her sooner rather than later will be better." Celestia nodded in response as she looked out on the group accompanied by Luna. "Should I tell her when she is alone or while the rest are around."

Celestia remained silent for a moment, "Tell her after I have called Luna away. Twilight may not take well to the news if Luna remains. She could lash out at her and I doubt we both want that."

Spike looked at Twilight once again and nodded, "I will Princess. Thank you."

"You are most welcome Spike. Now, I shall fetch Luna now. Be brave little dragon, and simply be there for her." Celestia said whilst making a slow walk towards the group. Spike slowly following behind watching the group smile and hug one another.

He thought to himself, "Brave Spike, that's all you need to be. Brave." he tried to reassure himself.

"Princess, that was such a lovely speech you made." Rarity began as she pushed a bit of her mane up with a hoof. "Though that Filthy Rich does get on my nerves. I hope you gave him the speaking to that he rightfully deserved." she concluded with a sharp nod and a hmmmp, at the thought of Filthy Rich getting away with things completely free.

The group giggled and Celestia shook her head, "I had...words with him. But not on that subject. He did have a point but the way he went about it was rude. Though...I doubt anypony could change his attitude, even if the world as we know it is in danger of slipping away forever."

Pinkie Pie trotted up quickly, "I can always prank him! That always makes ponies think differently about things! Oooooooh maybe a pie to the face? Or a whoopie cushion!" she grinned evilly, "OR! I could make it so that water dumps on his head when he opens the door to his room!"

Celestia, Luna, and Twilight frowned at Pinkie Pie, "Two wrongs don't make a right Pinkie." Twilight said with a undertone of annoyance on her voice.

"Awwww but-" Pinkie began before being abruptly cut off by Applejack.

"Twilight is right sugarcube. Ya can't go 'round prankin' ponies jus' 'cuz they go an do somethin' tha ya don't agree with." She said with a frown on her face, "If tha was the case, Flutterhsy'd be prankin' ya left and right. An ya wouldn't like that, now would ya?"

Pinkie's ears dropped, "No...I wouldn't." she said with a saddened tone.

Applejack smiled lightly and gave Pinkie a rub on her head with her hoof, "But that doesn't mean ya can't keep prankin' us every now and then."

Pinkie beamed and squeee'd at the thought of pranking her friends. "I'll get started right away!" she exclaimed excitedly as she started to bounce off towards the main door. Applejack chuckled as she watched.

Of course that is when Celestia cleared her throat, "Could you six remain here please?" she looked up at Luna, "And I need to speak to you alone sister."

Luna nodded and moved around from behind the group of Ponies to move towards the exit of the chambers. Celestia looked at Spike, "I leave them in your capable claws Spike." The group looked confused as Celestia turned and followed her sister out. As Spike stood there, shaking at the knee's.

Fluttershy moved up and put a hoof on Spike's forehead which made him finally snap out of his nervous daze. He waved a claw at her hoof, "What're you doing that for?" he protested at the intruding hoof.

"I wanted to see if you were sick. You were shaking all over, I thought you were cold or something." Fluttershy responded, "But you seem perfectly warm to me. What's wrong Spike?"

Spike took a gulp as a round of, "What's wrongs?" and "Come on, tell us." lines came from his friends. He sighed and walked up to Twilight and looked up at her with sad eyes.

"Twilight..." he began slowly. "I...I...I have some bad news..."

Twilight cocked her head to the side, "What bad news? What's wrong?"

Those words cut into him like knives, so many times he had heard it in the last few minutes. He just wanted to run away, hide, get away from the responsibility of telling her. But surrounded by ponies on all sides, Spike couldn't go anywhere.

"Twilight...you should know-"

"Know? Know what?" she interrupted, her eyes large with worry.

Spike sighed and looked up at her, tears forming on his eyes, "Shining Armor...he's...he's dead."

Twilight blinked down at Spike. Her eye's growing even larger as the words hit her like a ton of bricks. "No...no..." she stammered out as she collapsed on her flank. The other five Ponies letting out long gasps of shock, upset, and worry for Twilight. They slowly started moving around her as her eyes filled with tears.

"He died protecting Princess Luna's ship." Spike continued, "He bought us enough time to get back to Equestria. All the while holding off the enemy until the last possible moment. If he hadn't done what he did...we wouldn't have made it back."

Twilight started to slowly let out a whimper. Her bright indigo eyes becoming very large as more and more tears gathered in her eyes. Spike couldn't look at her any longer, his head drooped and his eyes locked to a single speck of dust on the floor. Twilight's tail wrapped around her flank on her right side. Her whimper slowly turned into short sobs.

"But...that's...no...he can't be...he can't..." She pleaded to nopony in particular. Her front legs giving out and she placed her head down in her legs and openly cried. "Noooooooooooo! No! Shining Armor! You can't! You promised! You promised to come home!" she cried out, pleading for him to come home.

Spike grabbed his tail and took a deep sniffle, "I'm sorry Twilight...I am so so sorry."

Twilight jumped up to her hooves and shouted, "Sorry?! SORRY?! How can you be sorry!? You're still alive! My brother is dead! You don't GET to be SORRY!" she screamed at Spike who went wide-eyed in fear as her words cut deep.

Rarity put a hoof up in front of Twilight, "Twilight, don't be mad at him. It's not his fault that it happened. Don't take it out on him. He's one of your closest friends." Rarity said calmly and quietly.

"But...but..." Twilight tried to argue but she knew that Rarity was right. Instead she shrank back to the floor.

"Oh Twilight, we are so sorry." Fluttershy said kneeling down next to Twilight, rubbing her head on Twilight's forehead. "He did a very good thing protecting Spike and Princess Luna."

Rainbow floated above the group for a moment before placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "He will be missed but again, it's not Spike's fault. We're all here for you Twilight."

Twilight looked up at Spike, tears clearly running down her cheeks. Spike looked back at Twilight. He was still a little afraid of her still. But that was only a brief moment before Twilight used her magic to pull Spike towards her in a hug. Her arms wrapping around his tiny form tightly. She cried openly as her friends crowded around her to simply just be there for her.

"I'm sorry Spike, you didn't deserve that." she said between sobs.

Spike gently ran a claw through her mane. "It's ok Twilight. Just let it out. Your friends are all here." he said as she simply replied with a long bought of sobs, cries, and tears.

From above the concourse, Luna and Celestia watched the scene unfold. Luna was tempted to fly down and stop Twilight right there but Celestia had stopped her. "This is something that they need to do together."

Luna began to protest, "Sister, I am the one who lead all of those Ponies to their deaths. *I* should have been the one to tell her."

"Sometimes friendship and simply being there and hearing it from a friend is better than hearing it from your ruler." Celestia countered. "Even if you had told her yourself, the feeling she has towards everyone right now, wouldn't have changed. And she still would have lost her brother."

Luna looked down again as she watched the friends gather around and either lie down or put a hoof on Twilight as she cried. "Will she still be able to work her magic? Without her, we won't be able to make it to Iscandar in time."

Celestia looked at her sister, "Despite her losing her brother, my student won't let us down. Her heart is larger than the loss she has suffered. She will do what she needs to save Equestria and her friends." Celestia said confidently listening to the cries fill the room. Luna only had the assurance of her sister to go on as the cries reached down into her chest. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed tightly.

"Do you still want to command the mission? I could take your-"

"No. I will stay in Command sister. You are needed here Celestia, Equestria is where you belong. And you know that you are more capable to keep Equestria alive and running while we are gone." Luna countered to her sisters inquiry. "And we both know that I am more adjusted to space than you are, after all, I did spend One Thousand Years imprisoned in the Moon."

Celestia smiled, "You never cease to amaze me sister. It was not that long ago that you were learning how to adjust to the modern times we live in. Now you Command Ponies in battle and travel across the stars." Luna looked up as Celestia wrapped a foreleg around her neck, "There are times that even I, am jealous of you." Luna smiled and closed her eyes, resting in her sisters embrace as the cries of Twilight slowly ended. And the bright simulated light of the fake sun beneath the surface shown through the glass dome above. Lighting the room with a warmth that nopony had noticed since they had moved beneath the surface.

Preparing to Leave

Following the council meeting Equestria was thrown into a chaotic rush. Ponies far and wide were called upon to gather at the Canterlot Barracks. Scientists, Soldiers, Engineers, and Ponies who specialized in Astronomy all swarmed the small barracks. The chance to not only travel the stars, but to even have a a chance to bring about Equestria's revival, well even a foal could even see how big a chance that was. So they came in droves.

However...

"Oh...oh...but...it's so big...and dark." Fluttershy said as she cowered underneath her small bed. Her ears flopped down over her pink mane as she tried even harder to scoot under the bed.

"Oh for the love of- Fluttershy, this ain't open for discussion." Applejack said dragging a hoof over her eyes, "Princess Celestia said that we ALL are going. Not jus' Twilight an the rest of us. Besides, we'll need someone to come with us that knows how to take care of pets on board a space ship."

Fluttershy looked up a little, "You're...you're bringing pets into space?" she asked with a small sign of warming up to the idea.

"Ah course we are! Where else would we leave 'em? Can't have some stranger watching over our pets now can we?" Applejack said offering out a hoof to help Fluttershy out from under the bed.

"But what if something bad happens?" Fluttershy asked out of the blue.

Applejack was momentarily stopped by the question, even she hadn't thought of that. Applejack took a moment to ponder it, "Fluttershy, you know I wouldn't lie to you. It is going to be dangerous that's for darn sure. But we'll all be together, and you know when we're together we always make out ok. Now, come on, don't you want to play in the grass and fly with all your animal friends in the sun again?"

Fluttershy took Applejack's hoof and slowly emerged from the bed, "Yes I do." she replied with a bit more confidence than before. Applejack smiled and let her hoof drop back to the floor.

"Now that's the spirit! Come on grab your stuff!" Applejack said walking around behind Fluttershy and giving her a soft kick with one of her hooves. Fluttershy jumped but nodded as she started moving about the room and gathering her things.

Down the hall however things were in a total opposite swing as Rainbow Dash and Twilight scrambled to gather their things. Despite having lost her brother, Twilight pressed on. In fact, if anything, Twilight's heart was set aflame by her brother's passing. Rainbow watched her as she went around the room stuffing books and other such items into her small bag. Twilight's horn glowed as the 'Make-it-Small' spell worked in rapid succession with each book being piled inside.

"Twilight, are you ok?" Rainbow Dash asked for what seemed to Twilight, the hundredth time.

Twilight sighed out in reply, "I'm fine. I'm going to be fine, and I will stay fine." Twilight closed the bag and turned to face the door, "I wish you'd stop asking that. It's really starting to bug me." she concluded by opening the door with a swift kick instead of a gentle tug with her magic.

Rainbow looked as if she swallowed nails as she opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut again. She couldn't help but worry about Twilight. Not even a week had passed yet and Twilight all but seemed back to normal. Perhaps a little quieter but other than that nothing seemed out of her ordinary. Wake up, visit the Library, eat, read, more visits to the Library, speak to Princess Celestia about the mission, then back to the lunch room to eat, then spend the rest of the day reading or practicing flying where she could and then back to bed. Even still, Rainbow didn't like how easily she slipped into her old routine. Even Rarity had commented once, 'She's coping in the best way she can but...it's strange that she's so quick to ignore what happened.'

Rainbow watched the door for a few moments before it hung loosely after it was assaulted by Twilight's hooves. She snapped out of her moment of daydreaming. Then proceeded to walk over to the small footlocker in front of her bed.

That was when she heard the door open, without looking back she asked. "Forget something Twilight?"

"I'm afraid you've got the wrong Pony." Responded a regal voice that was both young and nervous.

Rainbow turned with an eyebrow raised as she looked at the Pink Alicorn standing before her, "Princess Cadance! I'm so sorry, I thought you were..."

"I know Rainbow Dash. Don't worry yourself about it." Cadance replied as she stepped inside the room. Looking around curiously as if searching for something.

Rainbow rubbed a hoof on the back of her neck, "So uh...what can I do for you Princess?" she asked once Cadance was inside completely and breaking the brief but awkward silence that had fallen across the room. Cadance remained silent as she looked down at the desk, her eye catching sight of a small piece of paper on the floor next to it. She lowered her head down closer to it, noticing a shine to the back of it. Her horn glowed as she lifted the paper up off of the floor and turned it around in front of her.

A small smile formed on her lips as she saw what was on the paper. On the paper was a clearly editted photo of the six friends surrounding the newly married Cadance and Shining Armor. The photo was made shortly after the wedding and Cadance had given this particular one to Twilight herself before setting off to rule the Crystal Empire Fiefdom. A tear formed in her eye as she remembered giving it to Twilight, Shining Armor waiting on the train platform waiting for them to-

"Princess? Are you alright?" Rainbow Dash interrupted breaking Cadance's thoughts off of the past.

"I'm...well I miss him." she said quietly replying to Rainbow Dash's question. "Though I'm sure she misses him more." Cadance turned the photo to show Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash in turn blinked and sat down on the bed with her ears dropped. "I didn't even know she had that." Rainbow sighed, "How does she go on?" she asked concerned, curious, and quiet.

Cadance placed the photo down on the desk next to Rainbow Dash, "Probably because she knows that it's what he would have wanted. Shining Armor constantly drove her forward, taught her never to give up, even when things seem the darkest and when things will never be the same." Rainbow looked at her hooves as Cadance spoke, "You should have seen them both when they found out that their parents had died in a planet bomb attack. They became even more inseparable...if that was even possible to begin with." she giggled remembering what she had heard when they had found out that Canterlot had been bombed, "BBBFF and little sis as they liked to call themselves. They helped each other get through the tough times and now..." she paused, "Twilight is all on her own."

"That's not true." Rainbow said stopping Cadance. She pushed off the bed and put a hoof on Cadance's shoulder, "She has you, me, and the rest of her friends."

Cadance smiled and nodded slowly, "Yes, that she does." Cadance lifted the photo up again with her magic and placed it on top of Rainbow Dash's bag. "Hold onto it for her, give it to her when you think she would need it the most." Cadance said stepping away from the embrace. Rainbow Dash nodded and gripped the zipper of the bag and zipped it closed. "And another thing." Cadance said as Rainbow turned to face her again.

"Yes?" Rainbow asked, curious as to what Cadance had to add.

"Keep an eye on her?" Cadance asked with a tone that both carried worry and sadness.

Rainbow nodded, "Always have, always will." With that and a nod between the two, Rainbow exited the room and headed towards the transport rotunda.

Welcome Aboard

Twilight moved through the line that was gathered by loading dock 001-D, the docking area designated for the Yamato Project. Twilight had wondered since day one what the project would look like exactly as she had known from the beginning it was a ship, but never once saw designs. That was a secret that Filthy Rich had kept close to his chest ever since the proposal came through and being one of the few Ponies able to fund the project got the ability to work on it. She had even wondered whether or not Celestia had even seen the ship, but somehow she knew that she had.

Twilight was the first of the 'Senior' Crew that would arrive. Having to be present to help install the Elements of Harmony into the ship's systems was her job. One that she couldn't leave to anypony but herself. Twilight sighed as she moved up the long ramp into what looked like a rather large hanger bay. She looked past the ramp towards the far end of the cavern and spotted something hanging down from the ceiling covered in very vibrant red metal plating that had...Twilight raised an eyebrow as she looked again, did it have wings?

Twilight looked at the Guard at the top of the ramp who looked back at her curiously. Twilight put a hoof up, "This is the loading ramp for the Yamato Project correct?"

"Yes Princess Sparkle, this is in fact the Hanger of the Yamato." he replied looking down at Twilight, "You do have security clearance to be here correct?"

Twilight nodded, "Yes I do. It's just...I've never been here before..." she answered the Guards question with hints of embarrassment on her voice and face. She looked back at the Guard who she squinted at, something about him was familiar, "Do I know you?"

The Guard rubbed a hoof on the back of his neck, "Well we didn't have much time to talk, you crashing into me all the time." he said with a smile, "It was a long time ago so I doubt that you would really remember-"

"Flash Sentry!" Twilight replied, beaming brightly, "I remember you! You were the Guard at the Crystal Empire when my crown was stolen by Sunset Shimmer!"

Flash Sentry nodded, "Yep! That's me!" he chuckled, "Atleast you didn't smash into me this time."

Twilight blushed heavily, "Yeah...about that...sorry."

"No need to apologize Princess, you were distracted by your friends, and you were tired so I'll give you a pass on that one." he smiled again, "Now, you said this is the first time you've been to the Yamato? I'm surprised, I thought all Equestrian Royalty was allowed in here? Guess it was only those that weren't needed on the front. Anyway! Princess Luna is already aboard and is inspecting the ship."

Twilight blinked, "Luna is already here? It's nearly four in the morning! I thought I was going to be the only one here."

Flash shrugged, "For the past several days she's been here. Making sure that the work to complete the Yamato is on schedule." he then looked to his side as another Guard came up to him and whispered in his ear. "In fact, the Princess would like to see you in the Element Chamber." he waved a hoof, "Follow me please."

Twilight nodded and continued up the ramp, her hoofsteps echoing as she followed Flash through the unusual looking hallways of the ship. Her eyes capturing every small detail in the design. Efficient, definitely lacking in any sort of decorative pleasures that would be found in a typical Equestrian home. But then again, this was a warship so she understood that certain pleasures would be taken away.

Twilight tried to glance inside some of the rooms they passed but due to the very dim lighting and certain area's simply lacking it, all she saw was blackness inside the rooms. She shook her head and kept it forward as Flash navigated the hallways perfectly.

"How long have you been here? I feel like I'd be getting lost all the time in here without a map." Twilight said breaking the brief but straining silence.

Flash kept walking but laughed, "Oh I've been here since the beginning. I've been the Head Guard here during the planning and construction phase of the Yamato." he rounded a corner and nearly ran into a Engineering Pony, "Sorry about that Orion! I did not see you there."

The older looking unicorn pony turned to face Flash a smile plastered across his face and a small gray mustache and beard covered his muzzle, "Oh that's quite alright Flash! No harm done!" he opened his eyes and spotted Twilight behind flash. Instantly his head dropped down in a bow, "Your Highness! I did not know you were aboard! Have you come to inspect the ship?" he asked of Twilight before raising his head back up.

Twilight shook her head, "Actually I am here to see that the Elements of Harmony are properly installed into the Element Chamber. Flash was actually taking me there to meet Princess Luna."

Orion beamed once again, "Ah! So that's what the hubbub was about earlier! There were Guard Ponies EVERYWHERE!"

Twilight looked at Flash Sentry with confusion, who in turn explained, "The Princess wanted to make sure that NOPONY but you and her had access to the Elements before they were installed into the Chamber."

"Oooooooh! I see! Well, that definitely makes sense!" Twilight responded with a nod, "And...forgive me for asking, but what is your role here Orion?"

Orion smiled as his horn lit up and he lifted a set of Engineering Saddle Bags onto his back, "I'm the Chief Engineer of the Yamato Princess, if somethings broken or needs to be checked, I'm the Pony you will want to go to!"

Flash nodded, "He has been very good at his job, there isn't a single panel in this ship that Orion hasn't personally inspected and double checked. His blood and sweat are literally everywhere in this ship."

"You flatter me Flash, I just like to make sure that the ship is in the best condition she could be before taking flight."

Twilight giggled as she listened to them talk for a small time before she cleared her throat. "Flash, I do believe Princess Luna is waiting for us?" Flash turned to look at her, first to protest that she had interrupted a very good conversation. But quickly nodded.

"Oh it's perfectly alright! I'm sure we will have plenty of time to talk later Flash!" Orion piped in before anypony could interrupt or protest, "And Princess Sparkle, it was a fine pleasure to meet you! I hope to have more talks with you on how you came up with the idea for using the Elements as an Engine and Weapon!" And with that Orion moved off around the corner.

Twilight on the other hoof blinked. Did she hear him right? 'A weapon?' She didn't design a weapon, she designed an engine that could use the energy of the Elements to travel faster than light. How could they even be used as a weapon without the other Element bearers wearing them? Had someone adjusted her plans to make it this way? Or was her design in fact wrong and she had in fact created a weapon? Twilight sighed in annoyance as question upon question flooded her mind.

"Are you alright Princess?" Flash asked before turning on his hooves to begin walking again.

"He said 'weapon', I didn't design a weapon, I designed an engine." Twilight said as her confusion began to turn into mild annoyance. "How...why...it just doesn't make sense."

Flash shrugged, "I wouldn't know what to say or how to explain it. I just know that they now can be used as a self defense weapon."

Twilight's ears and face dropped into one that showed blatant annoyance, "When I find the Pony that did this to my designs I'll-"

"You'll do what Twilight Sparkle?" Luna boomed in 'The Voice' as they entered the Chamber.

"P-Princess!" Twilight replied in absolute shock that Luna had heard her.

Princess Luna took several long strides over toward Flash and Twilight, "You are dismissed Flash." Luna said quickly towards him, "Princess Twilight and myself have things to talk about in private."

Flash bowed his head, "As you wish Princess." he lifted his head and smiled at Twilight, "I'll see you around Princess."

Twilight briefly returned his smile and he turned around and headed outside of the Element Chamber. Luna remained motionless as she waited for the door to the Chamber to close. Then she looked down at Twilight who returned her gaze, though Twilight's was a bit more cold than Luna's. Luna could see the pain, the hate, the suffering in Twilight's eyes. Though she knew that in time, Twilight would forget her reasons to hate her.

"It was our idea to use them as a weapon." Luna said breaking the silence. "The Gamilus Ponies have beaten us at every turn and we need something to keep us safe. And in an emergency to destroy our enemies."

"But the Elements aren't supposed to be used to destroy Princess, they simply do not work that way." Twilight said shaking her head several times, "The Elements represent everything that is good in the universe, using them as a weapon, shouldn't and couldn't be used."

Luna sighed as she shook her head, "They can when dark magic surrounds them. You have seen this Twilight, you told my sister and ourselves that Sunset Shimmer was able to use the Element in your crown to control and nearly destroy the entryway to a school with it. The concept is no different here."

Twilight looked absolutely disgusted and intrigued at the same time. "Dark Magic?"

"Remnants of our own magic from when you freed us from Nightmare Moon's grasp. We have used the last bit of it to breathe life into the chamber that will hold the elements, while they remain pure inside, the chamber itself is wrapped in dark energy that will change their power to something less friendly." Luna sighed and hung her head, "That is the most we can do, we need something to protect ourselves should we ever need to fight. And when this is all over, we should never need to rely on using the dark magic surrounding the chamber."

Twilight looked at the giant compartment that would house the six elements. Bright orange with arcane designs that reminded her more of a living organism that a machine. Inside it she could see slots designed to fit the shapes of the elements perfectly. And then around them several tubes and wires leading out to different ports that obviously fed into the giant engine in the compartment behind the far wall.

"I understand." she looked up at Princess Luna and added, "Is that all?"

Luna looked back at Twilight, "Two things Twilight. One, no pony can know how the elements will work as a weapon besides you. Two," Luna paused, should she apologize for the loss of her brother, "Welcome aboard." was all she could manage to say before moving towards the door and heading out of the chamber.

Twilight scowled at Luna as she simply moved off. She sat on her flank and frowned, "Killed my brother...didn't even apologize...turned something pure evil...she will pay for this, one day."

((Little Artwork I did for the end of the Chapter. Please feel free to comment or download!))

Author's Note

I am so sorry that I took so long to come out with a new chapter folks! Real life had me busy at work and school! I am back and ready to go! Hope you all enjoy as we get nearer and nearer to the launch!

((A Picture of the Engine and Element Chamber aka Firing Chamber))

The Briefing

Rarity stood at the front of the crowd along with the rest of her friends. Looking up at the large stage with a microphone in the middle of the stage and several large speakers on either side of it. Her expression was one of pure ego. Around her Ponies of all shapes and colors stood wearing the new uniforms that she had designed. Shortly after the announcement of the Yamato Project, Rarity took it upon herself to design and create a new line of military uniforms for the Yamato crew. The old uniforms worn by EDF to her were simply too stiff and the colors were wrong. Something had to be done!

Within twenty-five hours, Rarity (assisted by Spike and Fluttershy) were able to create several hundred issues of the new uniform. A simple white base to not clash with anyponies coat. But on each, down the front, a militarist style anchor separated down the front seam and on the shoulders, three bars indicating name, position, and the section the individual was assigned to. And on the shoulder itself a matching pair of rank insignia's for the wearer. Rarity was quite proud of the uniforms.

Her own was left to be a yellow base with a black set of lines and arcs following her form. She was to be part of the crew, but as a more non-essential role as Operations Officer with Fluttershy as her second. Twilight stood to her left wearing a white based uniform with red as the trim color, indicating the Tatics Group. To her right stood Rainbow Dash who idly picked at the uniform, black based with yellow trim indicating the Flight Group. Pinkie Pie stood next to Rainbow Dash, her uniform looking slightly different as it had a nearly completely white appearance minus the section on her right sleeve that had the Word 'Medic' written on the side surrounded by four red squares. Applejack stood the farthest left and she wore a white base with Green Trim, indicating that she was to be part of the Navigations group.

Several other ponies had gathered in the crowd, three in particular caught Rarity's attention AND her frown. Standing side by side, grinning like a set of complete foals were Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, and Applebloom. All three wore miniature versions of the Yamato crew uniforms on their smaller forms. All wearing the same color and trim, a dull orange with black trim. The three fillies had enlisted almost as soon as they heard that their older siblings had enlisted.

And finally standing proud next to Twilight stood Spike, wearing a yellow base and black trim uniform. Part of the Operations Group but being the ONLY person aboard the ship with any type of communication abilities he was a natural pick for the Communications Officer role. The friends stood side by side, all comprising the main command crew. Behind them stood a massive crowd, all volunteers for the Yamato Project.

Rarity tapped a rear hoof and huffed, "What is taking so long?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sure the Princess has a reason to be late Rarity...we just need to give her time..." Fluttershy replied in a near silent whisper.

Rainbow Dash looked past Rarity at Fluttershy, "Yeah, and that is something we are QUICKLY running out of!" Rainbow said with annoyance covering her voice and features.

"ATTEN-SHUN!" A lone Guard Stallion called from the far side of the stage. Everypony in the room instantly stood as straight as possible. The only sounds were that of hoofsteps slowly ascending the stairs to the stage. And the slight subtle breathing of the ponies in the room. And perhaps a single grunt of disapproval?

Princess Luna looked out over the stadium at the gathering. A small part of her proud to see so many ponies of different lifestyles volunteering. Another part, feared for the lives that may not survive the mission. But the pride outweighed the worry for the moment. As she made her way to the stage she could feel the burning gaze from the front row locking on her figure. She knew who it came from, she knew why it was there, but she couldn't let the feeling bother her. Instead she remained focused on her goal of reaching the microphone.

Approaching the microphone the Guard Stallion called out once again, "PRESENT ARMS!" Instantly every pony in the stadium raised a right foreleg to their foreheads, saluting Princess Luna as she made the final steps to the center of the stage, and to the center of every ponies gaze.

"At Ease." she replied simply, and the sound of nearly two hundred hooves could be heard making contact with the ground once again. She looked out again and fought the urge to smile. Instead she cleared her throat, "Thank you, everypony for joining us today. It was brave of you to even volunteer and I am proud of you all for that."

Twilight scoffed quietly as she listened, "Proud? How can she be proud? All she does is get-"

"You all know the situation so I shall be as brief as possible." Luna continued, "The planet we rest our hooves on has roughly one year left of life in it. After that, no pony here will be alive. The planet will be a giant radioactive ball in space." She paused to observe the reactions of the ponies in the crowd. A variety of anger, sadness, curiosity, and neutrality echoed in the wake of her words.

Luna began again, "We obviously cannot let that happen. In light of recent developments, the Equestrian Government has decided that in this crisis and new intelligence that we shall not be using the Yamato Project as an evacuation ship for those ponies who are 'noble' enough to pay for passage, leaving every pony behind that could not. No, we, my little ponies, we are the noble ones, for we, shall be making a long journey together. A journey that will not only test our skill to work as a team, but our skill to survive in a time where no light seems to shine through the gathering darkness."

Twilight watched as Luna nodded at the Guard Pony who began using magic to display images above Luna. "We are here, on Equestria. Our goal lies here, in the cluster known as the Magellanic Cloud on a planet called, Iscandar. It is there where we shall receive the materials that should restore Equestria to it's once former glory. Where ponies young and old could walk the surface in day or night, not living in fear of being irradiated from the damage caused by the Gamillus planet bombs."

She paused once again, sensing wonder and curiosity filling the room over the fear and anger, though the anger was definitely there...

"As this mission is one that no pony has ventured on before, this mission is entirely voluntary. Anypony wishing to stay behind will not receive any kind of negative feelings from me. But know this, that without every single one of you, this mission will most likely not succeed." Her gaze was cold as she looked at them all, "I shall await you all aboard the Yamato. All crew should be aboard by 0700 tomorrow morning. As of 0930, the Yamato shall begin flight preparations, 0930 is the last time the doors shall be open for anypony wishing to accompany the Yamato on her journey. At 1000, the Yamato launches."

With a single step back and the raising of a hoof to her forehead the Equestrian National Anthem began to play in the background. In response the gathered ponies too raised their hooves to their foreheads and waited until the slow, harmony of a mare vocalizing the harmony, melody, and rhythym of the anthem. And once finished, the ponies lowered their hooves and departed. Where they went, only the individual ponies could tell you. But one can assume that they in fact, turned to see family one last time before being unable to see them once again for a year to come.

To The Stars!

"Thirty-five seconds to impact!" Rarity called looking down at her console, "It's going to hit Captain!"

"Stand-by!" Luna called from the Command Console, "Ninety Degree Left Turn, train all guns on the target! All crew assume brace positions!"

With several small clicks Applejack manipulated a set of flight controls, "Aye Cap'n! Left turn started! We're still a'climin'!" she replied as a small shudder was felt through the floor. "Sorry y'all! That was mah fault! Still gettin' used ta this flyin' thing!"

"Impact in fifteen seconds!" Rarity cried out with urgency.

"Twilight!" Luna exclaimed leaning forward with a hint of urgency in her own voice.

Twilight's hoof hesitated over the control as she looked up at the massive swirling ball of metal and went wide eyed.

"TWILIGHT!" Luna called out again.

And Twilight's hoof slammed down on the control, "Fire!"

One Hour Ago...

"This is sooooo exciting!" Pinkie Pie commented as the small air-train sped through the transparent tunnels that cased it. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the statement. The prospect of flying through space interested her, but not to the point of throwing up streamers and partying. Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof as she giggled at Pinkie's display of enthusiasm.

"I don't think so..." Fluttershy commented quietly, "Space is big...and empty...and cold...and-"

"Now Fluttershy, what'd we discuss before we left?" Applejack asked with a smile.

Fluttershy looked at Applejack, her mane somewhat inflating with a bit of hope, "That I shouldn't be afraid of space and that all my friends will be there for me."

"Right! And it's true! See! We're all here!" Applejack said waving a hoof around at their friends. "Even Spike is coming along! And the rest of our animal friends like Owlicious and Angel Bunny will be there too." Fluttershy nodded quietly as she continued to look out the window of the air-car. The transparent glass suddenly becoming very dark brown as they disappeared underground. "Hey y'all, where are we even goin'? I ain't been to this section of the underground city before, even in the Navy's section." Applejack added as the ground became darker and darker around them.

"You'll see." Twilight replied without a hint of interest in her voice. Applejack looked at Twilight with an eyebrow raised curious as to why she was being so rude. However, she didn't press the issue, to her, Twilight had enough of a headache to deal with. And Rainbow Dash was just as equally quiet as Twilight as she simply stared at her, watching her like a hawk. Applejack raised an eyebrow at the sight, could the two...no, that wasn't possible. Rainbow Dash wouldn't let her personal feelings get clouded like that...especially in times like now, but...something seems off.

Rainbow Dash on the other hand was taking Cadence's request to watch over Twilight very seriously. Cadence, a Mae she really didn't know as well as Twilight nearly begged her to watch over her. Sure, Rainbow Dash was loyal but this...coming from her sister in law was a request she couldn't ignore. Besides that, if it weren't for Twilight, Rainbow would've done something she couldn't have recovered from. And that was trying to search the floating wreck that was Cloudsdale.

Twilight turned her head as the tunnel began to widen and then open up into the giant underground hanger that housed the Yamato.. A series of gasps and oh's and ah's could be heard as the passengers saw the mighty ship in her berth. The upper section of the mighty ship was covered in a dull grey metal that even in the dark shone. And her bottom was painted in a Royal Canterlot Red. Along the upper section were five, three barrel cannons, on her sides twelve smaller anti-aircraft guns were placed in perfect rows. As the ship came into view, Twilight was able to get a good look at the bow of the ship where a gigantic opening was seen, rifling all the way down as far as the light allowed. Her eye's glazed over the hull as she reached the aft section where a giant engine was settled in smoothly. And just below that, she recognized the ramp that she had entered the Yamato before.

"Is THAT what we're going in?" Applejack asked, her eyes wide at the sight.

"Yes." Twilight answered quickly as the air car turned sharply right and began it's quick decent towards the rear ramp of the Yamato. Question upon question followed as they slowly came to a stop. Twilight turned to face her friends, "Remember, we are here to save Equestria, let's leave the questions and excitement behind for the moment shall we?"

Her friends looked at her in a bit of surprise, Twilight wasn't one to quickly shut them up as she had done this time. They all nodded and began moving their way inside the ship. Twilight pointed to a map on the wall and explained a few things as they walked, explaining to them to use it if they ever got lost. It was five minutes later that they all arrived on the bridge. Where three colts they hadn't met stood standing over their consoles. They looked up and faced Twilight's group and bowed.

The Colt wearing a Blue Uniform spoke first, "Princess Twilight! It is an honor to meet you!"

"Thank you. The honor is mine." Twilight responded with a nod of her head.

The Colt stood up to his normal height, "My name is Shiro Sanada, I'm the Chief Science Officer onboard." he said raising a hoof pointing at himself. Then at the other two, "The Colt behind me is Kenjirō 'Eager' Ōta, we call him Eager because-"

"I'm always ah rearin' to go and am eager to work!" he said with a southern drawl that Applejack smirked at, "Pleasure ta meet ya miss Sparkle! I'm the Assistant Pilot, assigned to miss Applejack!"

Sanada continued, "And this is-"

"Yasuo Nanbu, but everyone calls me Dash." the Colt replied cutting Sanada off, who scowled at the other pony. Causing 5 mares to giggle. Nanbu continued, "I am the Assistant Gunnery Officer, assigned to Princess Sparkle."

Twilight nodded to each one, "I am sure your talents will be put to good use. Thank you." she looked at Sanada, "I assume that Princess Luna is in her cabin?" she asked pointing a hoof at the door at the back of the bridge that lead to a set of stairs leading directly to the cabin.

Sanada gave a single nod of his head, "That would be correct."

"Thank you." Twilight said turning on her hooves, opening the hatch, and closing it rather rapidly behind herself.

As Twilight ascended the stairs she took several hard breaths, calming herself for her meeting with Luna. As the ships Executive Officer, Twilight's job was to make sure that the crew was adjusted properly and got their assignments from Luna on time. A small smile formed on her face as she shook her head, "I wonder if Spike ever felt like I do, being my assistant..." she pondered the thought for a moment or two longer before reaching the door to Luna's cabin. She raised a hoof and tapped three times.

From inside a muffled voice replied, "Enter." Twilight pushed her hoof on the door and it swung open with a bit of a loud metallic creak. Inside the room was a collection of books on a shelf to her right, in front of them laid a pull down bed, and closest to her next to the bed was a small nightstand with a picture of herself, Luna, and Celestia at Twilight's coronation. The picture brought back happy memories to Twilight as she looked about the room. Nestled in the front of the room was a rather large chair that was on a small track that randomly disappeared in the middle of the room on a set of divided tiles. And directly to the left of the chair, stood Luna.

Twilight looked at her and spoke firmly, "Princess Luna, the final members of the crew have arrived. Everyone showed up, no one decided to stay behind."

"Good, have they all reported to their stations yet?" Luna asked briskly as she slowly walked towards the book shelf."

"They have, we are awaiting the final checks from Orion before we begin powering the Elements of Harmony." Twilight said only turning her neck as Luna walked. Twilight's neutral expression remained for several moments until once again her eyes caught sight of the coronation photo. Her expression softened as she remembered the shining faces of the Equestrian Royalty, her friends, her parents, and many of Equestria turning out to celebrate the coming of a new Princess.

It was then when the alarm broke her train of thought and Spike's voice filled the intercom, "ALERT FROM EDF HQ! CAPTAIN LUNA AND TWILIGHT SPARKLE TO THE BRIDGE IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS A CODE RED ALERT!" Twilight looked at Luna, who looked back at her and simply nodded. Luna swiftly moved to the chair and sat down, her magic flicking a switch on the control panel in front of her, and the chair began to move backwards. Twilight tracked the chair with curious eyes as it stopped in the middle of the floor, where the tiled floor lowered and then slid into the floor, opening a large enough gap for the chair to descend downwards through the floor. Twilight shook her head out of the daze and galloped down the stairs and into the bridge where she looked up and saw Luna descending still towards the most aft station of the bridge, The Captains Console.

Twilight moved towards the console at the center front of the bridge. "Report Spike!" she called as she sat down on the chair in front of it. The console's controls and readouts still offline unlike the rest of the bridge.

Spike turned around, holding a headset against his ears, "EDF HQ tells us that there is a giant missile headed this way! It will impact in roughly twenty minutes!"

Applejack spun in her chair, "Captain! We gotta move before then! Or the whole underground base will be destroyed, 'an us along with it!"

Sanada nodded at Applejack's statement, "Agreed, however, we are still charging the batteries to contain a constant magical charge for the Elements of Harmony. We won't be able to move for," he turned to calculate the time, "Another thirty minutes at minimum."

Rarity blinked, "But...but that's too long! There must be a way to get it done faster!"

Orion shook his head from the console directly to Rarity's left. "There isn't a way. Not unless you know how to get a magical charge to hold without a battery charging it. And even then, you'll need a massive amount of magical power sent directly to the ship through the lines we've been connected to." Orion blinked as his console chirped, "Well...would ya look at that..."

Sanada looked at his console as he heard the chirping as well. "Captain Luna...I don't know how, but we just got a surplus energy buildup in the batteries. I think..."

"Incoming transmission! It's EDF HQ Captain!" Spike announced loudly.

Luna looked up at the giant green tiled panel above the central consoles, "Put the transmission on the video panel."

"Yes Ma'am!" Spike announced as he reached forward and flicked a small switch with his claw. Immediately the panel glowed a bright green before fading into a video picture of Princess Celestia and Filthy Rich.

"Sister, it is with pride that I must tell you that the unicorns of Equestria have banded together, and are sending you bursts of magic to the shipyard!" Celestia said with a bright smile on her face, "Unfortunately this will only speed the process up by approximately fifteen minutes, as soon as the build up is complete, you MUST take off. The fate of Equestria, is in your hooves."

Luna's neutral expression didn't change as she spoke, "Thank you sister. We shall depart as soon as we can. Tell Equestria that will will return with the device to heal our planet."

"Good luck sister, and may your journey be safe." Celestia said with a nod. As the transmission was severed at the source.

Rich looked up at Luna, "Do you think it will be enough Princess? Fifteen minutes is cutting it very close..."

"It will have to be Rich. We have done what we can here. Now we must hope that they will take off before the missile impacts..." Celestia said with closed eyes, "And if they don't, Yamato, and everything aboard her, will be lost, and Equestria will die with her..."

"Surely you do not doubt their chances Princess!" Rich protested in shock at the grim reality of the danger the untested ship was in.

Celestia opened her eyes, "No, I do not doubt them at all Rich. My sister is in command and," she looked up at a Security feed that lead directly into Yamato's bridge as she watched Twilight give orders to the ponies on the bridge, "My most Faithful Student, Princess Twilight Sparkle is with them."

Rich huffed, "You put too much confidence in that mare of yours Celestia, one day I fear it will be your undoing..."

Celestia let a brief chuckle, "That Rich, is where you are very, very wrong."

Twenty Minutes Later...

Twilight wiped a hoof across her brow, never had she been so nervous. The plan was set, the ship was charged, all that needed to happen was...start the engine. Twilight looked over at Applejack, who like her, was sweating. Being an Earth Pony, Applejack had never flown before. But she was the only pony aboard that had experience operating mechanical equipment. Should something go wrong, she could react faster to it than any other pony.

Applejack gulped, "Alright steady Applejack...ya got this girl..." she reached forward with a hoof and pulled a few controls, "Start auxiliary engines..." She looked up as she listened to the Yamato begin to power up. "Pressure in the engine now increasing...now at one thousand and climbing..." The gauge in front of her showed the pressure level of the engine's power cell. "Two thousand five hundred." she called out as she reached forward once again and let her hoof rest above the lever that would engage the flywheels on the engine.

Twilight closed her eyes as the Yamato began to shake where she rested in the berth. "Three thousand! Connecting the Auxiliary Engines to the Main Engines! Flywheels engaging!"

Luna shouted loudly, "YAMATO TAKE OFF!" Twilight opened her eyes as she heard the Yamato's primary engine engage, a loud cry of metal on metal was heard throughout the ship. And then she exclaimed as her head was yanked backwards into the seat. Applejack smirked as she pulled back on the control unit, the giant thrusters on the front of the Yamato pushing it upwards at an angle.

From the front windows Twilight watched as the berth in front of them slowly began to disappear and the bow of the Yamato quite literally began plowing its way through the crust of Equestria. The surface of the dying planet collapsing around them in blasts of dust, sand, and ruined buildings. Slowly through the dust the bright shining sun streaked through, illuminating the hull of Yamato, causing bright glares to shine through the windows. Twilight found herself suddenly grinning from ear to ear as the Yamato tore free from the surface and began to fly.

"We're clear! Engaging all control surfaces for atmospheric flight Captain." Applejack announced as she pushed forward a control. Two giant wings began to extend from the sides of Yamato. The shuddering ship soon became smooth and gentle. And Twilight found herself slipping into a state of ease.

That is until Rarity decided to chime in, "The Missile is still on course with...us! I don't believe it! The Missile is targeting US!"

Twilight snapped her head up as she watched the swirling ball of metal and engine go streaking across the sky. She felt her heart begin to pound against her chest.

"Twilight, prepare the main batteries for firing." Luna announced calmly, speaking for the first time since giving the command to launch.

Twilight nodded as she leaned forward and began speaking into the intercom, "All hands to battlestations! Prepare main guns for firing!" Alarms throughout the ship sounded once again, ponies of all colors and sizes scrambled to get to their combat stations.

Nanbu watched his display as he watched several green lights turn red on a display of the Yamato. Finally, once all the lights were red he turned, "All hands report at Battlestations XO." Twilight shuddered for a moment as she began to sweat once again. This was it, the first test fire of the Yamato's main guns...a baptism of fire.

"Thirty-five seconds to impact!" Rarity called looking down at her console, "It's going to hit Captain!"

"Stand-by!" Luna called from the Command Console, "Ninety Degree Left Turn, train all guns on the target! All crew assume brace positions!"

"Impact in fifteen seconds!" Rarity cried out with urgency.

"Twilight!" Luna exclaimed leaning forward with a hint of urgency in her own voice.

Twilight's hoof hesitated over the control as she looked up at the massive swirling ball of metal and went wide eyed.

"TWILIGHT!" Luna called out again.

And Twilight's hoof slammed down on the control, "Fire!"

Instantaneously fifteen bright blue bolts of magical energy shot outwards from the tips of the Yamato's main cannon's. They swirled into a single beam as they approached the giant missile and impacted. For a single moment, nothing happened, but then in a massive explosion of fire and light the missile exploded. The sheer force of the blast sent a jolt through the ship as the view ports became a bright light of orange and red. Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs...it was too late.

Celestia's jaw had dropped as she watched the explosion, the ball of fire engulfing the space battleship, and then the camera cutting out. Rich was the only one on his hooves, "Get the feed back! Find out what happened! Where is the Yamato?!" he cried as ponies scrambled to comply with his orders.

"They...they hadn't even left the planet yet..." Celestia muttered in complete shock.

"Auxiliary camera fifty-nine B is online!" A tech announced as all of the screens in front of Celestia lit up. A gigantic mushroom cloud of smoke and fire filled them. All hope of seeing Yamato again faded from her heart.

"The Yamato...where are they?" Rich muttered as his eyes rapidly scanned the image. Which itself began to pan back and forth along the Yamato's predicted trajectory. For several moments, the room was quiet. Then, slowly, from the smoke a bulge appeared in it's billowing form. And then, with a sudden jerk, the bow of the Yamato emerged! Pushing smoke out of it's path as it continued it's climb towards space.

Cheers filled the chamber and Celestia let out a relieved sigh. She held her head down a few moments before lifting it, "Go Yamato and come home safe." she said quietly as the shining ship pushed it's way through brown clouds and into the sunlight.

Author's Note

As a surprise, I am dedicating this chapter of My Little Yamato to Lillian Joy! A person who I consider to be very dear to me. To her, this is an early birthday gift! Happy Birthday Lillian! And may many more come!