The Shipmare of Great Harmony

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Chapter 1 Author's Note

Hello everyone! I just recently found a love for MLP fanfiction and MLP in general(A little late, i know. but hey, better late than never) And since I've also been on a kancolle SI kick lately I figured I would try my hand at mixing the two and came up with this!

Before you go and tear me a new one for getting some aspect of MLP wrong, please keep in mind that I've yet to actually finish the show so I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of it yet. But feel free to let me know of any mistakes I've made and I'll be glad to fix them. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1

Her return to consciousness was not as peaceful as should have been. She did not wake up cocooned in a comforter ready to start her morning though unwilling to do so because of how comfortable she was. Nor did she start the new day crammed into a just barely too small sleeping bag due to being out on one of her families hunting trips. She wasn’t even lucky enough to wake back up sprawled on the floor of her bathroom due to a particularly enjoyable party.

No, instead she found herself returning to the land of the living in the unique circumstance of being under the surface of a seemingly endless body of ice cold water. About twenty feet below the surface if she had to guess, the logical part of her mind supplied milliseconds before a wave of panic overcame her. Her desire to live-to not sink- overcoming every other consideration she might of had in that moment.

Swim! Swim! A chorus of voices seemed to call out from within her mind, their request being an order she was more than happy to comply with. Her back legs kicked with more force than she would have ever thought herself capable of, though considering her life was on the line that kind of made sense. Her forelegs pulled as-wait forelegs? No, no time to worry about that- moved in tandem in a rough approximation of a breast stroke, one that would have done her high school swimming coach proud.

But despite her attempts to breach the surface, regardless of her overwhelming strength brought on by her panic, she didn’t seem to be moving at all. It felt like someone had chained an anchor to her rear legs-not now- and were actively pulling on it, trying to drag her down into the cold black below. Whispers echoed at the corners of her consciousness, murmurs that called her back to rest, back to the deep. They spoke, not with words but with ideas, that those above didn’t deserve her, that the sea had laid claim to her already and that it was against nature for her to return.

And giving into her momentary weakness, she almost agreed with the whispers. Why was she struggling so much to go up there? Hadn’t she always enjoyed the cold? Isn’t that why she had stayed in Michigan after the rest of her family left for greener pastures? And why would she go back to those bastards anyway? They, who had sent her and her crew to die on a fruitless suicide mission that would only serve to preserve their honor, and to waste more lives. They were the ones who, in their arrogance, woke the sleeping giant. It was because of their greed that her sisters were sunk in dishonor. One having never even fired her guns, while her youngest sister was sent to her death filled with kamikaze pilots. Why return and fight for such monsters?

Slowly but surly her legs, both fore and rear, began to slow. Her struggle growling less frantic with each passing second. Her eyes began to close so she could return to her slumber, but before she could something flashed across the distant surface. Her eyes cracked open, her curiosity winning out over her apathy, to behold an explosion of rainbow light just above the surface. A light that warmed the water and melted away the shadows that had been surrounding her, yet did not harm her in any way. This light sent her mind into a strange mix of confusion and serenity, her panic and contempt replaced by...by something more. She knew that she should just let herself sink back down, to return to those calm cold depths that called to her, but…but she wanted to reach that light, to feel that warmth on her hull, her flesh, her…fur? It didn’t matter, she wanted to know just what that light was, and so she would. For there was no force in this world that could deny a being such as her when she set her mind to something.

With renewed strength her legs began to kick, the entirety of her 154,000-horsepower being brought to bear to accomplish her newfound goal. The dragging sensation continued for a seconds more before, with a sound similar to a multitude of chains breaking simultaneously, she was finally free from its grasp. The shadows of the deep seemed to thrash for a moment, almost like inky tendrils reaching out for her, but soon enough they too faded as the light of the shallows illuminated the sea.

Had anything been around to witness the moment she broke the surface, they would have thought that something had exploded due to the massive plume of water that flew up into the air. She gasped as she struggled to fill her burning lungs with as much air as she could, the girl only just realizing how close she was to drowning. She pulled herself up, trying as hard as she could to get as far away from the cold depths she had just escaped. For a few minutes she simply rested upon the surface of the water, trying to collect her thoughts and get her breathing under control before she could even begin to consider what was going on. But as her breathing slowed and her mind cleared, she finally was forced to confront the truth, a truth more terrible than she could fathom. This truth was that she-.

“Squee! Squee, squee squee squee! Squee squee squee squee squee squee squee!” A voice called out from somewhere inside her head, a voice that caused the girl to freeze in a way that had nothing to do with the chilly water that was still dripping off her body. But eventually her mind finally started working again, an explosive sigh escaping from her lips.

“…Ok…ok. I’m really happy to hear that the flooding is under control and none of my bulkheads suffered anything more than superficial damage. But I have a very important question I have to ask…when exactly did I get a bulkhead or better yet, why do I have areas inside me that could flood?! And now that I'm on the subject, why exactly do I have a voice inside my head?!?!” The girl frantically asked, her voice rising by several octaves with each word that passed her lips.

“…Squee squee?” The voice tentatively answered after a moment, its response only confusing the girl further.

“What do you mean I have bulkheads because I’m a ship?! And that ships have to have a crew, and that you’re a member of my crew?! I’m not a ship, I’m a human! I’m-…I-I’m…” The girl tired to deny, but her words died in her throat as she realized something horrifying.

She could no longer remember her human name.

She could remember facts about her life, such as the fact that she was twenty years old and had lived for her whole life in the great state of Michigan. She remembered multiple instances of getting angry at one, or both, of her idiotic brothers for doing stupid stuff and forcing her to clean up their messes. She recalled all the times that her various uncles dragged her along for their hunting trips, of teaching her how to hunt, despite her not having any real interest in killing for sport. She even remembered nearly every embarrassing moment she had ever lived through! At least the ones she hadn't forced into the back of her mind...

But despite all of that, she could no longer recall her name. No, there was only one name in her head, and it was most certainly not the name of a flesh and blood human from Earth.

Once again, the girl sighed explosively as she fell back on her butt and tried to pinch the bridge of her nose in order to fight off the oncoming migraine that was threating to overwhelm her. but instead of feeling the pinch of flesh between her fingers, she instead was treated with the feeling of something hard striking her in a nose. A nose that was much longer than she remembered it being. It was at this point that the girl had to address the second, slightly smaller yet equally as important, elephant in the room that appeared to be related to her newfound loss of identity. The girl wearily opened her eyes to see that, instead of the nimble, effeminate, fingers that she was expecting, she was instead treated to the sight of a horse’s hoof.

Or well, something that looked vaguely like a horse’s hoof, though it was quite different than any of the horse legs she had seen before in her life. While reasonably long, it wasn’t near as long as a normal horse’s leg and wasn’t nearly as thin as one either. It was covered in a steel gray fur, a fur that almost seemed to shine as if it really was made of metal and had been recently polished, instead of the dull brown that most equines would have. Adorning the hoof was a strange metallic circle, the top half of which was a slightly duller gray than the fur of the leg, while the bottom was bright red- an antifouling red, a small voice squee’d at her helpfully from the back of her head- while just underneath the strange bracelet she could make out a hoof that seemed to just merge directly into the fur, a hoof that was almost a perfect circle.

Looking at the other front leg revealed a second limb covered in the same steel-colored fur and adorned in the same strange ship-themed bracelet, a fact that only reinforced the idea that was beginning to take root in her mind. The girl looked down, intending to check to see if her rear legs were just as strange, if not stranger, but before she could check she was instead treated to a sight that filled her with both pride and disgust in equal measure.

Around her chest-or should she call it a barrel now considering what she was seeing? - was a very similar piece of armor to the ones on her front hooves, with the top half being colored like steel while the bottom was the same red as the others. but directly in the center of the metal armor was a flower of pure gold that practically glowed in the afternoon sun. a flower that she instinctively knew by heart.

The Japanese Imperial Chrysanthemum adorned her chest. And considering the fact that she was now apparently part ship and had a very specific name rattling around in her skull, it wasn’t that hard to figure out just what ship she now was a part of.

She glared at the upside-down- at least from her perspective- chrysanthemum for what felt like hours before her head fell limp, the girl staring down into the sea beneath her hooves, her mind simply unwilling to accept the new reality she now found herself in, an action that forced her to finally notice that she was in fact, floating on top of the water and bobbing up and down in the waves like some kind of strangely designer fishing bobber.

“…Why? Why did this happen? What did I do to deserve this?” The girl couldn’t help but ask, the member of her crew that had been so willing to talk earlier having fallen silent. “Did I die and this is the afterlife? I mean, I can imagine hell being something like being dragged beneath the waves for all eternity. To be crushed by the pressure and surrounded by darkness on all sides. But if I was in hell, why would I become part ship and part…horse? Pony? Heck, I could very well be a donkey for all I know!” Why? WHY!” she screamed as she rose to her hooves, the ocean still holding her weight like she was some kind of weirdly shaped water strider despite how much she must weigh considering her new ship side, and glared up at the heavens. The girl half praying that some kind of angel would descend from one of the many white clouds that filled the sky and explain what was going on. But of course, her prayers went unheeded and with yet another sigh she fell back on her rear to stare down at the water below her.

This time she actually did stare down at the water for hours, her mind simply refusing to process everything that had happened to her in the span of a single morning. And it was during this time that she finally got a glimpse of her face, the oceans surface acting like an imperfect mirror.

Her face was covered in the same steel colored fur as the rest of her new body, which she supposed made sense since she was also part ship now apparently. Her eyes, both being far too large for a normal horse, were just as golden as the chrysanthemum that adorned her chest and were filled with unspeakable sorrow. Her hair, or more accurately her mane, was colored a deep burgundy and was situated off the side of her head in the form of an elaborate ponytail, said ponytail being covered in a large number of Cherry blossom. And now that she was watching, was her mane…flowing? It was. It almost looked like waves were passing through her mane...which was kinda unsettling if she was being completely honest with herself.

But besides for the odd things her hair was doing, the girl had to admit she was a very beautiful perversion of the natural order. She her muzzle would have looked quite regal if it weren’t for the fact that she looked like someone had just crushed all her dreams, though the truth wasn’t that different.

“…Ok…Ok, let’s just think about this for a moment.” The girl eventually decided as she stared up at the horizon. “People just don’t wake up one day having transformed from a human into a part ship-part horse. That just doesn’t happen naturally…which means that something unnatural has to have caused this.” The girl decided with a nod of her head, her desire to live returning in greater force with each word she uttered. “So, besides for being part ship and part animal, what else happened that could have caused this?”

“Was it those whispers I heard underwater?” She continued as she looked down underneath her hooves, only to shudder and turn away from the darkness a moment later, the girl suddenly finding crystal clear water much less inviting . “No, something tells me that wasn’t the case. Besides, it seems unlikely that some nebulous shadowy entity would kidnap me from my world, turn me into a ponyship, and then trap me under the surface of an ocean not far beneath the surface. But if not the shadows, then what-!"

The girl’s words died in her throat as she recalled the explosion of rainbow-colored light that had lit the water only hours ago, the same one that had seemingly given her some form of direction. THAT was most certainly something that seemed supernatural, something that might have brought her here from some unknown reason. So, was that light responsible for her current predicament? And if that was so, if she found the rainbow again…would she be able to go home?

It was a long shot, even she knew that, but with nothing else to latch onto her mind was quickly made up. Her eyes narrowed in determination as she glared at nothing in particular, her boilers beginning to fire as her will to live was rekindled.

“Alright then. I don’t know what you are, Rainbow. I don’t know where you went. But I swear, I will find you, and I will make you send me home.” The girls swore to herself as she drew herself to her full height. “XO!” The girl shouted out a title that came to her mind without any forethought, a diminutive, and extremely cute, horse appeared on the tip of her muzzle, the girl fighting off the instinct to go cross eyed staring at what she could only assume was a member of her crew.

“Squee?” The tiny crew horse asked as it stood at attention.

“Prepare to get underway, we have a rainbow to find.” She ordered, the tiny horse looking distinctly uncomfortable for a moment.

“Squee squee squee squee. Squee squee?” It asked, the girl smiling sadly in response.

“Of course, I understand that it would be bad luck to sail on a nameless ship. But you do not need to worry. For I have a name.” The girl supplied, the tiny horse leaning forward in anticipation. “I am Yamato, the greatest vessel ever put to sea. And as my crew I expect equal greatness from each and every one of you.” The now named Yamato announced in a dignified voice, the tiny horse saluting quickly before disappearing into a white glow, its voice now echoing inside her head as she hurried to get them underway.

Within moments Yamato felt the heat from her boilers reach their maximum output, the power they provided filling her body with energy. She could feel her crew rushing about inside her, each one of 3,330 plus seahorses working to obey her order. She felt a strange weight settle upon her back, and when she turned around to look, she wasn’t surprised to see her weapons having manifested themselves upon her back like a pair of saddlebags. Two of her triple barrel, eighteen inch guns hung off of each side while the third rested right where her saddle would have been if she had been a normal animal. Their massive barrels nearly longer than Yamato herself but she could barely feel them, nor did they inhibit her movement. Her two secondary triple mounts appeared just underneath her primary armament while her multitude of anti-air batteries manifested upon the straps that held her armaments together, almost like they were some kind of fancy embroidery. And now that she was standing, she could finally see that her rear legs also bore the same anti-fouling bracelets that her front legs had, with one major exception. Each of her rear bracelets had a long red extension running up the length of her fetlock, her rudders she realized after a moment.

And finally, manifesting like the crown of a warrior queen, was her conning tower, the two halves appearing on both sides of her head and giving her a far greater view of the sea that surrounded her.

It wasn’t long until she heard the squee of her XO announcing that they were ready to get underway. Yamato nodded once before looking out over the horizon and picking a direction that felt right.

“Very well then. I, Yamato, am now deploying!” She announced as she leapt across the nearest wave…only to force her muzzle beneath the surface when her legs knocked into each other and kept her from landing properly. “I Yamato will be getting underway…as soon as I determine just how to use these new limbs of mine.”

Chapter 2

Whitecap, a proud Earth Pony captain of the Royal Equestrian Navy, couldn’t help but smile as she stared off at the horizon from the bow of her ship, a frigate by the name of Wavecutter, crested a particularly large swell. The spray of salt water misting across her face refreshingly. It was a beautiful day to be out at sea, the Princesses’ sun was shining brightly overhead, they had an excellent wind blowing directly into their sails, and had seen neither hide nor hair of any pirate ship, ornery creature from the deep, or even a wayward Pegasus attempting to fly across the sea who needed a place to rest.

And with no pressing issues to deal with, Whitecap was free to enjoy the afternoon, the sound of the waves drawing her down memory lane. It was a day like this, years ago, when her parents had taken her to see the sea when they had visited Manehattan for a week, specifically on a day when her parents had decided to take her to see the ocean. Standing on a pier just underneath a lighthouse, she had been so entranced by the sights and sounds of the sea that she had almost forgotten to breath. The blue waves sparkling like jewels, the local weather pegasi and birds all enjoying themselves in the ocean breeze, and even the shear force of sound that accompanied a wave breaking against the stone under her hooves. It had been simply awe inspiring. Which was why, deep down, she wasn’t shocked when she was enveloped in a warm white light and lifted into the air. Her cutie mark, a wave cresting, appearing immediately afterwards. Yes, she was always meant for the sea, and while the R.E.N wasn’t the most glamorous of posts to be assigned to, Whitecap was still proud beyond measure to have received the honor of captaining one of Equestria’s finest ships…at least as far as she was concerned.

Her crew moved about the ship quickly and efficiently, as there was always something to take care of on a ship such as theirs. They were three days into their weeklong assignment to protect the eastern trade route to Griffonstone. A route that, while normally quite peaceful, did occasionally attract a rouge pirate ship looking for a quick snatch and grab. While they were technically only responsible for the western half of the trade route, Whitecap had heard that the nation of Griffons had fallen on hard times recently and therefore it was entirely possible that the R.E.N would see an increase in piracy over the next few years. That or they would risk an international incident by being forced to patrol the entirety of the route in order to protect Equestrian lives.

Whitecap’s mood fell slightly as she thought about the poor griffons that had chosen to resort to stealing in order to feed themselves and their families instead of simply asking for help from Pony-kind. Was their pride truly so great that they couldn’t simply ask for aid? Or was it simply their predatory instincts that made them want to take from those that they considered weaker than themselves?

But no matter how much she stared out at the sea, no answer presented itself to her. So, with a heavy sigh, Whitecap turned away for the railing to see her first mate waiting at attention.

“Mr. Squall, anything to report?” Whitecap asked as the two ponies started to make their way from the bow of Wavecutter to the helm.

“Nothing of any note ma’am. Our Pegasi patrols have all reported no sightings of any vessels within our A.O. We are currently still on schedule for the second half of our patrol if the weather remains in our favor and we do not need to resort to Pegasi created wind. And we only have one stallion down with seasickness at the moment.” Squall reported as they trotted towards the aft of the ship, Whitecap nodding in reply to each pony they passed that stopped to salute her.

“Very good. Inform Jade Wing and Sundance that they’re on deck for the next patrol. I want them airborne within the hour.” Whitecap ordered as she placed a hoof on the door leading below decks. “If there’s nothing else, I will retire to my cabin for a time. Squall, you have the conn.” The mare continued, Squall saluting in response.

“Yes ma’am! I have the-.”

“C-Captain! Y-you're gonna wanna come up here!” A voice interrupted from up above them, the two ponies exchanging a surprised look before both galloped up the stairs to the helm. Both ponies skidding to a halt next to a thoroughly shocked looking unicorn on the starboard side of the ship.

“Report! What is it?” Whitecap ordered loudly, hoping that the sternness in her voice would knock the sailor out of their stupor. Unfortunately, the unicorn’s jaw remained lowered as they turned to stare wide-eyed at the captain.

“I…I’m not sure Capitan. I-I think its best you see it for yourself.” The unicorn, Frozen Hoof if memory served, admitted as she hoofed over her spyglass, the ponies who had gathered to see what was happening murmuring in unease as Whitecap took the offered spyglass. “I-Its at about three o’clock ma’am. Moving northward.”

Closing her left eye Whitecap peered through the telescope in order to try and find just what exactly had so badly startled the poor mare, the seasoned captain's vision adjusting to the view easily. And after a few seconds of staring out to sea, she found it. her own jaw falling just as wide as Frozen Hoof’s.

“Squee squee squee. Squee squee squee squee.” Yamato’s XO reported from somewhere within her hull, the human turned horse boat nodding her head in confirmation.

“Understood. We will continue along our present course until we detect a landmass or any other vessel. Also, I want a message sent to my quartermaster that I want an accurate count of all supplies currently aboard and his estimation on how long we can continue on at this pace without the risk of our supplies running out. And that he has my permission to institute rationing if he feels it is necessary.” Yamato ordered as she leapt over a particularly large wave and continued to trot across the water with relative ease. “I also want all crewmen to continue to familiarize themselves with their assigned stations. Until proven otherwise, we will assume we are in hostile waters and we will not be caught unaware. However, they are not to fire unless I explicitly order them to engage. Dismissed.” Yamato finished, the shipmare somehow instinctively understanding that her XO had left her bridge to carry out her orders.

It had been little over a day since Yamato had started her journey across this unknown sea. Although a good portion of that time was used for her to relearn how to walk. A task that was not helped by the fact that she had to teach herself to move like the animal she now was while the ground kept swelling and falling beneath her hooves. Which, while by no means easy, was a task that a ship as impressive as herself, the great Yamato, could not fail at.

Fortunately, the act of walking across the water wasn’t too different than walking across solid ground…at least she hoped, she would have to test that theory when she arrived at the nearest shore. And after a few hours of experimenting, she managed to get her changed limbs to cooperate. Of course, it also helped that she had an entire battleship worth of crew to bounce ideas off of and to observe what she had been doing wrong in order to correct her mistakes, which definitely helped her figure out how to move her all four limbs without twisting them together. Although she was still trying to get used to the fact that she had tiny horses talking to her inside her head. After all, it was hard to shake years of mental conditioning that taught her to assume that the moment she started to hear voices, she had already lost her grasp on her sanity.

And at this point the act of walking, or trotting more specifically, had become practically second nature. It was a truly novel feeling, the feeling of being both a ship and a pony at the same time. One the one hoof, she could feel the coldness of the water underneath her hooves despite the fact that she remained almost completely dry. She could feel her muscles clench and pull as she moved her legs one after another in order to move forward. But at the same time, she could also feel her turbines humming within her hull giving her life, she could hear her screws churning up the water beneath her and propelling her forward with more faster than she had ever moved in her human life. She was acutely aware of her crew moving about within her, keeping her functioning and readying themselves for whatever was thrown at her . All of which almost made her feel nostalgic for her last sail, Ten-Go.

She was now a being of both flesh and metal. A living horse and a mechanical warship with the soul of a human. And having to learn to comprehend all the new sensations that came with the three sides of her new reality had been yet another challenge to overcome. One that she was more than willing to rise to. Although her willingness to meet this challenge did not mean that she hadn't been constantly attempting to consider all angles of just how and why she was here, her lack of answers leaving her more than a little despondent.

But all her thinking did have one positive impact on Yamato, she finally realized just what she was, or at least what half of her was. It had been years since she thought about it, but back when she was a teenager, she had been absolutely in love with an anime called Kancolle-or was it Kantai collection? She could never quite remember which one was the actual name. - a show about world war two warships that had returned to fight for humanity in the form of young women against Cthulhu-looking evil Shipgirls. Sure, the show hadn't been groundbreaking or anything, but from what she remembered of her time as a human, Yamato had always loved the concept of massive steel warships duking it out on the high seas. And the fact that this show made them into cute women was only the icing on the cake to her teenage self.

Of course, assuming that Kancolle really had become reality, that raised the uncomfortable question that if she was indeed a shipgirl, or in this case a shipmare, then was it possible that , the Abyssals would be sailing these seas as well? And it was because of the possible answer to this question that she had decided to assume she was currently in hostile waters, and had her crew at a general state of alert just in case they came under attack. Yamato secretly praying that if there were in fact enemies set against her, they would be in the form of surface ships. She had already had a close encounter with evil from under the waves, and she was in no rush to face off against a submarine or other such evil creatures.

But the shipmare’s thoughts were interrupted when a member of her crew began to speak from inside her bridge in the form of a series of "Squee"'s. A report that turned out to be from her lookouts.

“It hasn’t moved in the last three hours? That is indeed troubling.” Yamato muttered as she turned her attention skyward, to the object she had ordered her crew to observe for the time being, the sun. Yesterday, after finally starting to recover from her sudden relocation and loss of identity, Yamato had nearly gone to general quarters when, seemingly out of nowhere, the sun sunk beneath the horizon and was replaced by the moon in a matter of minutes. This rapid celestial movment...it was simply not possible according to both her ship and human memories, yet the gently glowing full moon overhead not being accompanied by a titanic tidal wave clearly showed that it was indeed possible wherever she now was. She had sailed through the night staring upwards at the, admittedly beautiful, moon in unease. Half afraid it would fall upon her head if she stopped paying attention to it. It was simply a matter of fact that the two major celestial bodies that were visible from earth did not move so quickly. At least not without causing destruction on an apocalyptic scale. Yet contrary to her understanding of natural laws, when her internal clock struck six in the morning the two celestial bodies switched position just as quickly as they had before.

While under normal circumstances Yamato would been fascinated by this phenomenon, with everything else that had happened to her recently it only served to further grow her unease. If the sun and moon could move with such speeds here, then that implied that these were not the same sun and moon that she had been born/constructed under. A fact that implied that she was no long sailing upon the oceans of Earth, but upon the seas of an entirely different reality altogether. A conclusion which was only strengthened by the fact that she had a new, seemingly equine form.

Which was why she had ordered her crew to observe this possibly new sun. to determine if it was indeed a new world she was sailing across, or if something had happened to the sun in her time beneath the waves. Of course, she was well aware that having the members of the crew who were normally responsible for spotting ships or planes instead focus on staring into the sun wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do. There was a reason mothers warned their children against it after all. Which was why she had made sure to have crewmembers manning each of her three radars in case something tried to approach. She would not be leaving herself defenseless on these possibly hostile waters, no sir.

“Ummm…miss? Are you ok?” And it was because she had entrusted her defense to her spotters and therefore was not paying attention to her surroundings, that when Yamato hear a voice, a voice not coming from her bridge, she nearly fell through the sea in shock.

In the span of a heartbeat Yamato ordered her crew into general quarters, her crew rushing to get to their battle stations and secure what they could before the coming battle. She leapt away from where she had been trotting and turned in midair in order to spoil the Abyssal’s targeting solutions while also unshadowing the turrets on her bow. Her fairies, the term for her crew from Kancolle, jumped into her type 89 naval guns ready to fire on whatever aircraft were on attack runs while others took to their stations at her main batteries fire control systems so that Yamato could return fire herself. Even if the enemy had the element of surprise, Yamato would not sink this day without a fight, and it would be a glorious fight at that.

Which was why she was somewhat disappointed when she finished her turn only to find two Pegasi staring at her, the two winged horses hovering just above the waves. Not to say that she wasn’t shocked by the sight of two flying equines, far from it, but the fact remained that they were hardly very threatening looking now that she could see them for herself.

Both were far smaller than she was, both in regards to her size as a ship or as a horse. Had they been standing side by side with her, they would have barely reached the top of her barrel and that was not even taking into account the various ship parts resting upon her back, most of which were now aimed in their direction. Both lacked the sunken, decayed, look of a traditional Abyssal, and were colored the exact opposite of her reanimated foes.

The lead Pegasus had an impossibly bright green coat with a light blue mane and tail and large yellow eyes. And while Yamato was no expert in equine genders, based off of it's slim, lithe frame she assumed that it was a female. While the other, likely a stallion based of his bulk, was practically neon orange with a dark red mane but had a deep purple color to his irises.

All in all, they looked like ponies that had had a run in with an ill-tempered painter as opposed to anything that could pose an actual threat. A fact caused Yamato to order her fairies to stand down, as it was very unlikely at this point that they were in fact here to attack her looking like that. Though she did make sure that one of her bridge fairies took down a note for her to have a talk with those fairies who were manning her radars. They should not have been able to get this close to her without someone noticing, orders to stare at the sun notwithstanding.

The Pegasi flew backwards at her jump as they eyed her anti-air sweet with trepidation, though Yamato could not tell if this was due to them understanding just how close they had come to being shot out of the sky, or if it was simply an instinct of theirs to be wary of things being pointed in their direction they didn’t understand.

But after realizing that the mare had asked her a question, in a language she could understand no less, Yamato stood up straight and bowed her head slightly in apology. “I apologize for my aggressive actions, as you caught me unaware and I was certain I was under attack, and as such I failed to hear your words. Could you please repeat your question?” She asked, trying to project the dignity and strength that an embodiment of Yamato should have.

Thankfully, it seemed to work. As the two Pegasi shuddered at her words and snapped their gazes away from her anti-air cannons to her face. Though this action seemed to have its own issues considering that the moment they met her gaze, both ponies seemed to freeze up for a second, with even their wings ceasing to beat for a second before the mare once again started speaking.

“Aua…ummm…ahhh…” Or at least tried to.

But Yamato was nothing if not elegant. So instead of drawing attention to the mare’s slipup she simply smiled and tilted her head to the side as she waited for the Pegasus to continue. “Yes?”

“…I’m sorry about that Ma'am. Our captain sent us out here to see if you needed any assistance. Our ship is just back that way if you would like to come with us..” The mare finally continued, the fur around her muzzle and cheeks turning a shade of red for a moment before she seemed to get herself under control and gestured back the way Yamato had come from.

“I see, I thank you for your consideration.” Yamato replied quickly. “And while I am in no physical danger. I am afraid I do not know exactly where my current heading will take me. Do you, perchance, have a chart of the local waters that I may view?”

“Um, well, not on me no. but there’s one back on the ship! Um, that is, if you’d like to come back with us? Not that I’m trying to force you or anything but I just thought that maybe you’d like to rest-.” The mare continued to speak but Yamato had inadvertently tuned out the rest of her words as she processed just what the mare had said all while maintaining her smile. They had a carrier in the vicinity? And it had managed to both spot her and send these two to meet with her without her crew even realizing it?!

Oh yes, she was going to have a very long, exhaustive, conversation with those who had been stationed on her radars after she figured out just what was going on here.

Whitecap tried to keep her nerves from showing as she waited, along with nearly the entire crew of the Wavecutter, as four unicorns magically lowered the gangplank into the water and kept it steady so that they could bring the anomalous pony on board. Sundance had returned mere moments ago, looking more awestruck than a foal at their first summer sun celebration, and reported that Jade had managed to convince the unknown mare to return to the ship with her and that they should begin preparing for her to embark. Whitecap nodding in shock at the Pegasus’s words and issuing orders to those effects within a few seconds despite how surreal the situation was.

Indeed, surreal was the only word she could think to use to describe the current situation. It was simply completely outside the realm of common sense to see a mare trotting across the waves with such ease that one would think she was simply out for a nice peaceful trot through a meadow. But that was exactly what Whitecap witnessed when she peered through the spyglass that the startled sailor had hoofed over to her, nearly dropping the precious tool once her brain finally caught up with what she had seen. She had immediately ordered Jade Wing and Sundance to take to the air and see if the pony needed aid, as at the time she had thought that it might have been a unicorn trying to get back to land after being shipwrecked and in need of aid. But Sundance had been worryingly tight lipped on just who the mysterious mare was, as he was apparently too shell-shocked to really form complete thoughts at the moment. Whitecap had ordered the ships doctor to take the poor Pegasus below deck for now and see if he could help him before ordering the ship to reduce their speed and to prepare to take on a likely traumatized pony

And from the look of strain on the unicorn’s faces and the fact that Jade had just flown over one of the nearby railings, looking almost identical to Sundance save for the red tint to her muzzle, Whitecap could only assume that their guest had arrived.

But instead of rushing up the ramp to safety like Whitecap expected, the mystery mare slowly made her way up the gangplank. Her steps somehow echoing across the ship far louder than they should have. Slowly but surely the mare made her way up to the top of the ramp, stopping just shy of the ship itself.

It was only due to her many years of service in the R.E.N that Whitecap did not lose her composure the moment the mare was revealed in all her glory, and considering the number of shocked gasps she heard behind her most of her crew did not fare as well as she did. The mare was beautiful, ethereally so, which was likely the reason for her Pegasi's shocked countenance. She stood as tall as Princess Celestial herself, a comparison she could make as Whitecap had been fortunate enough to meet their most esteemed monarch herself when she received her commission for the Wavecutter, if not a little taller. Her grey coat, despite being a color most mares would consider a hideous hue to be cursed with, seemed to shine under Celestial’s sun far more than it should, even considering the droplets of seawater that clung to her coat. Her mane, a deep brown color like the earth itself offset by the beautiful pink flowers that adorned it, flowed in a similar manner to the Diarchs who ruled Equestria. Though it felt more like she was looking down on the ocean’s waves flowing through her mane as opposed to it being blown by an imperceptible wind, although the fact that her magic was potent enough to animate her mane in any way showed just how powerful this pony was.

And while none would deny the mare’s beauty, it was not just her looks that made Whitecap lose herself in the moment. No, that honor belonged to the strange saddlebags -At least Whitecap could only assume they were some form of saddlebag, they were so different than anything she had seen before the definition didn't seem to fit them.- the mare was carrying along with what she was wearing upon her barrel, hooves, and head.

The first thing the captain of the Wavecutter noticed was the absolutely massive metal constructs that hung from the mare’s sides and rested on her back. Three metal blocks each the color of her fur that had three large cylinders sticking out of them. Each of these massive constructs, objects that she could tell would crush a normal pony flat if they tried to lift, was embroidered in what appeared to be smaller versions of the blocks, strange bulbus shapes that also had a metal poles pointing outwards from them, their purpose unclear but Whitecap could feel a sense of trepidation as she stared at them.

But the most shocking aspect of all, was the pony’s regalia, adornments that served to reinforce the mare's imposing stature. Upon the mare’s chest was a metal circlet very similar to the ones worn by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, with the top half being colored similarly to her coat while the bottom half was a deep red color. But in the center of the metal was a golden emblem that was either a flower the likes of which Whitecap had never seen or an artistic representation of the sun, Whitecap couldn’t quite tell, but considering its prominent position on her barrel it wasn't hard to connect the dots and determine it was a symbol of a nation. A notion that was only reinforced by the strange gray crown she wore upon her head that, instead of resting upon the top of her head, extended perpendicular to her head, a crown of simple make yet only added to her majesty.

And almost as if to mock Whitecap’s earlier conclusion that it was a unicorn stuck out at sea, the captain couldn't see any sign of either a horn or wings on the mare. Only adding to the mystery of how exactly she had been trotting across the sea.

The otherworldly mare's golden eyes slowly scanned the gathered ponies, Whitecap noticing each pony who fell under her gaze tensing up as she took their measure, before finally settling on Whitecap herself, the mare standing up even straighter under the weight of the mystery mare's gaze. “…Permission to come aboard?” She eventually requested, her voice causing the ponies behind Whitecap to shudder slightly. Her voice carried a hidden strength to it that nearly caused Whitecap to bend the knee in reverence. Yet the tone of her voice was no different than what sompony would use in casual conversation. It was the voice of somepony who had been in authority their entire life, who wielded authority as easily as they breathed, and who had likely earned said authority and expected it to be respected.

“…Permission granted.” Whitecap eventually declared after getting herself under control. The mare nodded as she stepped aboard and caused yet another shocked gasp to escape from the crewponies of the Wavecutter. The moment the mare took her step forward, the strange metallic objects hanging like saddlebags began to shine with a bright white light before disintegrating until the mare was left with nothing but her regalia.

M-Magic? B-but she’s not a unicorn! So how exactly did she cast a spell? Not to mention that it didn't look like any spell I've ever heard of. Wh-who exactly is this?!? Whitecap couldn’t help but think in a panic as the mare placed her front two hooves together and bowed her head.

“My greetings to you, Captain of this vessel. I am Yamato, and I thank you for your hospitality.” The now named Yamato continued, seemingly not noticing or not caring about Whitecap’s shock. Whitecap taking far to long to bow her own head in respect.

“The pleasure is all mine Miss. I am Captain Whitecap. And this vessel is the Wavecutter of the Royal Equestrian Navy. I apologize if this is too forward of me, but may I ask, did something happen to strand you out on the ocean? And if not, just where exactly you are headed? And if my crew and I could possibly assist you if you require it?” Whitecap asked, silently cursing herself for not taking more classes on how to properly speak to foreign dignitaries. As it was quite clear that whomever Yamato was, she was a pony worthy of the highest respect just based off the way she carried herself, not to mention her strange magic.

Yamato smiled at Whitecap, said pony feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks at the fact that such a beautiful mare was smiling at her. “I would be happy to answer you, Captain Whitecap. For your first question, I have not fully grasped what has occurred to me, and as such I do not wish to make any conjectures as of yet as to why I was stranded out at sea. I also lack a specific destination at this time, as it has been quite awhile since I have sailed the seas, but traveling across the waves is of no issue to one such as I. It was my intention to seek out the nearest shore in order to ascertain my situation. Which is why it is quite fortuitous that Miss Jade here-” Yamato explained as she gestured with her head to the green Pegasus, who smiled shyly back. “-informed me that you have charts on board that I could see in order to determine my position. At which time I will return to the sea and continue on my way. With your permission, of course.”

Whitecap’s mind worked harder than if ever had before as she considered just what Yamato said, and what she should do now. It could be risky, especially if it inadvertently angered the mare, but she wouldn’t be doing her duty to Ponykind if she didn’t offer to aid when she could, regardless of the fact that if Yamato agreed, it would be a great boom for Equestria. “Actually ma’am, if I may be so bold, would you like to accompany us so we could escort you back to Equestria once our patrols are finished? As our homeland is one of the closest nations at this time and we would be more than happy to offer you safe passage.” Whitecap offered, the mare forcing down the butterflies in her stomach as Yamato stared at her curiously before continuing on. “It is our duty to protect all of Ponykind after all. And as captain I could not, in good conscious, send out a single mare to face the sea all by herself.”

“May I ask just when you intend to return to this “Equestria”?” Yamato questioned curiously, not an outright refusal but Whitecap could hear the hesitation in her voice.

“In about four days assuming the winds continue to favor us.” Whitecap answered quickly in an attempt to assure the mare's concerns, Yamato closing her eyes for a moment, apparently in thought.

“I see…Then with your permission, I Yamato, will accept your offer with my thanks. I apologize for any trouble that this may cause.” Yamato answered after a moment, Whitecap giving an internal sigh of relief at her agreement.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all! We’re happy to help! After all, it is what our Princesses would expect of us. Lieutenant Squall?” Whitecap denied before turning to her first mate, said pony standing ridged at the mention of his name. “Please escort our guest to one of our empty quarters and ensure she has whatever she needs for a comfortable trip.”

“Yes ma’am!” Squall shouted as he half-galloped forward only to realize just who he was galloping up to and managing to reign himself in. “Right this way Miss Yamato.”

“Of course, and thank you again captain Whitecap. Your generosity does your nation proud.” Yamato replied before moving to follow Squall, Whitecap sending a silent prayer in his direction for him to maintain his composure in Yamato’s presence.

The moment Yamato disappeared into the bowls of the ship, the entire crew, Whitecap included, seemed to slump as the tension drained out of them. For a brief moment no one spoke, each pony simply dueling against their own minds, before Whitecap finally turned to address the crew.

“Everypony. I’m sure you’ve got questions and concerns about what just happened. But for now, I ask that you burry those questions until we return home. I do not know where she has come from, or how she performed those feats of magic, but just as it is clear to me, it must be also clear to each one of you. The Wavecutter is currently housing a royal pony, and we will do our darndest to see her home safe.” Whitecap declared, a look of determination filling the eyes of every pony present, which in turn filled Whitecap with pride. “Everypony, return to your stations! Let us show Miss. Yamato just how the R.E.N performs its duties!” She shouted, her crew cheering in response before galloping across the deck with renewed purpose.

Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

Ever since the day she had been born her family had always lived near some form of lake, which naturally led to her developing her love of the water. She had been swimming for as long as she could remember, and likely had floaties attached to her arms before then. She had learned to water ski practically before she had learned to ride a bike., and had far more of a sense of balance on the water than on land if she was being honest with herself. The first time her family had visited Florida, she had been more excited to spend her time at the beach body surfing the waves than visiting any of the parks that one would normally go to when visiting the sunshine state.

Yes, she had always loved the water and with anything that had to do with being out on the waves. But by far the water sport she enjoyed the most was the one she was presently enjoying, sailing with her father on their family’s Sunfish sailboat.

It was a smaller boat, only big enough for two people at most, but it had been in her family since her dad was a kid and she used it constantly every time they went to visit her grandparents who just so happened to live off a lake. She had spent so many summers playing in this lake, and even a few winters when the ice wasn’t too thick, and today was no exception. She had let her brothers go sailing before her, choosing instead to help her younger cousins build a sand castle, but it was finally her turn to go out on the lake. Which was why she was grinning like a madwoman from her spot on bow of the sunfish and enjoying the sight of the small waves breaking against her ship.

“Puff in six! Get ready with the sail!” Her father, the other person sailing with her, called out from where he was manning the rudder, causing her to giggle at their family’s slang term for an oncoming gust of wind.

“Ok dad! I’ve got it!” She shouted back as she reached down to pull in some of the slack, only for her hand to smack into the rope due to the fact that she no longer had any fingers with which to grab it. only a gunmetal gray furred hoof.

“____, grab the rope or the sail is going to swing around.” Her father repeated, sounding slightly more concerned now than before, the previously calm waves of the lake growing in their intensity and causing the small sailboat to rock violently.

“I-I’m trying!” she shouted as she fumbled about with the rope, trying desperately to use her mangled limbs to grab the line, but she couldn’t help but freeze when she realized that she hadn't heard her father say her name. An oddity that cut through her panic momentarily. “Wh-why didn’t you say my name?” she couldn’t help but ask as she turned back to her father, her sight being blocked for a moment by the large amount of brown, coarse, hair that whipped across her face and smacked into her muzzle.

“Really, ____? Grab the line now or we’re going to capsize! Hurry!” Her father continued finally getting angry with her, causing her to flinch and nod her head. She turned back to the rope and, seeing no alternative, grabbed the rope in between her teeth and pulled as hard as she could, but the wind suddenly grew far beyond anything she had ever encountered on the small lake she had spent so much time on, violently ripping the line from her mouth.

It was almost as if the lake itself had come to life and was doing everything it possibly could to sink the sunfish. Waves crashed against both sides of small boat, causing large amounts of water to flood into the little alcove where she was sitting. The wind, having rising to hurricane force strength, caused the sail to whip around with enough force to injure her if she stood up even a little, forcing her to duck low to avoid being incapacitated.

“Dad! What do we do?!...Dad? Dad!” She cried out, having just noticed that her father was no longer steering the ship and in fact was nowhere to be seen. Did he fall off!? She thought in a panic as she rushed to the back of the boat and tried to peer into the water to see if she could make out her dads form in the water. But as she leaned over and peered into the chaotic water, all thoughts of helping her father vanished from her mind.

After all, when she peered over the side of the ship, she failed to see her own warped reflection, nor did she see her father treading water like she had been hoping for. Instead, it looked almost like her corpse was sneering back at her.

Whatever it was, it had her face, at least her pony face, but it was…wrong, oh so very wrong. Her gray fur as far paler than her own, to the point where it was practically white, and was covered in black growths that looked like some horrifying amalgamation of seaweed and coral. Its hair, which fell limply around its face like a creature from a horror movie, was now bone white. The cherry blossoms having been removed and replaced with a number of Lycoris flowers, their blood red blossoms a stark contrast to the paleness that defined the rest of her reflection.

But by far the most horrifying aspect of her double was the look on its face, a look of smug superiority mixed with sadistic cruelty all in one horrifying package. A look that spoke volumes of its contempt it held for everything before it, and ____ had no doubt that it could indeed see her just as easily as she could see it considering how its gazed was locked on ____'s own.

She reared back, crying out in both shock and a primal sort of fear, as she attempted to get as far away from her double as she could get on the tiny boat. Unfortunately, by rearing up she brought herself right into the path of the still out of control sail, the boom of said sail striking her in the back of the head with enough force to send her flying off the side of the ship.

Almost immediately her lungs began to fill with water, as she had been completely unprepared for her swim and had her mouth fully open when she hit the surf. She attempted to surface, but before she could even get a single kick in, she felt something slick wrap around her back legs. She looked down in a panic to see her corpse-double rising to meet her, a crazed smile stretched across its muzzle as tendrils of inky water lashed out from the depths beneath it and continued to ensnare her, their intention to drag her down clear. She tried to fight them, but no matter how much she struggled they continued to drag her down till she was eye level with the abomination. Its muzzle opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of jagged, broken teeth, as it leaned forward-.

But whatever its intentions were, ____ would never know, as it was at that moment that everything around her just seemed to stop, like someone had hit the pause button on the movie of her life.

“Thou need not fear the nightmare, my little pony! For the depths shall not claim thee so long as thou dwell within my domain!” A regal voice called out from seemingly every direction at once before the water that surrounded her flowed away almost as if she had been suspended in a water balloon that had just popped. Her double, its jaws still wide open like she was about to bite ____, dissolved into nothing like fog in the morning sun. In its place, she now found herself in the center of a large, moonlit field. The grass gently blowing in a nearly imperceptible wind, creating a soothing sound that combined with the beautiful moon hanging over head created quite the peaceful atmosphere.

But despite now knowing that she was in a dream, the knowledge of which returned to her the memories of both her new name and just where she had fallen asleep, the Shipmare couldn't get her breathing under control. The unnatural feeling of having water in both her lungs and filling up her compartments too much for her. And as such Yamato found herself sprawled out on the ground trying to cough out one of her boilers in an attempt to clear her compartments of water, or at least that’s what it felt like to the returned battleship.

“Calm thyself, for no harm shall befall thee from thy own subconscious so long as We are present. Thou are safe, my…not so little pony?” the voice from before continued before trailing off in… confusion?

Yamato, after finally getting her coughing fit under control, slowly rose back to her hooves and turned to see just what her subconscious mind had conjured up to torment her now. There standing amongst the grass, was the most beautiful pony Yamato had seen and would ever likely see if she had to guess. She stood tall, not quite the height of Yamato herself but still taller than any crew pony of the Wavecutter, and held herself with a noble bearing that matched, nay, exceeded Yamato's own. Her fur was a dark blue color quite similar to the night sky above, a shadowy blue that fit her quite well. Like Yamato she too wore a set of silver hoof coverings and a piece of black armor across her barrel depicting a crescent moon along with an equally as black crown upon her head, a far more traditional sign of majesty than Yamato’s own crown.

But by far the most surprising aspect of this mental conjuration of her was both the pony’s mane, which looked to be comprised of the night sky and flowed in a similar manner to Yamato’s own. And her eyes which, beyond the clear intelligence held within, watched Yamato with a look of surprised compassion that gave the shipmare pause. For she could think of no real reason her mind would create such a being that would look upon her in such a way.

Regardless, it appeared that this pony, be they a conjuration of her own mind or something else entirely, was responsible for her escape from her abyssal self, for what else could that demonic creature have been? And so, Yamato bowed her head in respect before replying. “I, Yamato, thank you oh Mare of the Night, for your aid in releasing me from that horror. The pain of drowning is something that haunts me in my waking hours often enough as it is, and I have no desire to carry that terror into my dreams as well.” She thanked, grateful that she had this new distraction to draw her from the sorrow that her dream once again brought to the forefront of her mind, the sorrow of everything she had lost from her human life.

The mare seemed to study her for a moment, her look of compassion growing at the mention of Yamato’s previous trauma with the water, before she eventually replied. “Thou need not thank me for the simple act of discharging my duties. And while I am grateful for the use of my title of old, thou may refer to me as Princess Luna once more, as I do not expect for ponies of the modern day to remember titles granted in Equestria of old, though I commend thee for your use of old titles nonetheless.”

Yamato froze at the now named Luna’s words, her eyes widening in surprise. She immediately recognized the name Luna as the name of one of the two sisters who ruled over Equestria. The one who apparently controlled the moon if Whitecap's words were to be believed. A pony that, even with the description she had been given, was far too detailed to be a simple image conjured by Yamato's subconscious. Which was why Yamato paused to actually consider the situation before her. On the one hoof, it was possible that her mind had simply conjured a thematically appropriate representation of one of the two rulers of the land she would be traveling to soon in order to make her sleep more peaceful…or on the other hoof, this Luna before her was one of the two Diarchs who ruled this land and had somehow discovered her existence through the duty she had spoken of earlier.

The rational part of her mind scoffed at the idea that she was currently having a conversation with another pony while still being within her own subconscious, a pony that was miles and miles away. But even her logical side had to concede that, due to her newfound nature as a shipmare, she was now subject to the whims of M.S.S.B, or “Magical Sparkly Shipgirl Bullshit” as it was generally known in the Kancolle community.

And so, erring on the side of caution, Yamato decided that she was, in fact, having a conversation with one of the two most powerful ponies in existence. Which was why she continued to keep her head bowed in reverence as she spoke up. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance then, Princess Luna.”

Princess Luna nodded her head in greeting before taking a few steps closer before seemingly thinking better of it and stopping. “Likewise…now then, Lady Yamato, while I cannot claim to understand the trauma of nearly drowning, if thou wish to speak of thy pain, I shall be more than willing to listen. For that is also part of my duties to any pony who sufferers from terrors of the night.” The Princess offered with a sincere smile upon her muzzle, a smile that only caused Yamato to flinch.

She had absolutely no desire to burden another with her troubles, especially so if the pony asking was one of the most powerful in the world she now found herself in. “While I appreciate the offer, you do not need to trouble yourself with my misfortune Princess Luna.” Yamato replied with a smile of her own, albeit a somewhat forced one. “While it was a truly terrifying experience to be forced below the waves, it is a trauma I suffered a long, long time ago, and since I have recently returned from my violent exile I have been given the opportunity to turn my back on those troubled times. So while I will not deny that I due suffer, I am content to let time heal my wounds. But I thank you nonetheless for your offer of aid.” She finished, Yamato attempting to not outright lie to a pony who could apparently infiltrate the minds of others, but not tell the whole truth at the same time.

But unfortunately, Yamato's words only seemed to only worsen her predicament, as Princess Luna’s eyes widened significantly at her words, her shocked expression quickly morphing into one of understanding and empathy. “...E-Exile? I see…thou have suffered just as I have.” The mare mournfully muttered as she once again started to trot forward, a now steadfast expression on her muzzle.

Yamato opened her mouth in an attempt to correct the misunderstanding, but before she could the sound of a trumpet begin to play Reveille from somewhere in the distance. It was then, almost as if due to the call of said horn, that the landscape around the two mares began to fade.

“Nay! Nay! Thou cannot awaken now! Not when I have finally found a kindred spirit!” Princess Luna shouted as she began to gallop forward, though Yamato noticed that she didn’t seem to be getting any closer as their surroundings began to fad dissolve like running paint. “…!” She shouted something else, but the sound of the trumpet was so loud at this point that Yamato couldn’t make out a single word. And just like that, Yamato’s surroundings faded into nothing, Yamato shutting her eyes in unease at the blackness surrounding her.

Only to open her eyes a second later to find herself laying on her side in the cabin she had been granted, a pony fairy standing only a few inches from her muzzle with a trumpet in its hoof and a grin on its face.

“…I would question why a pony Fairy from a Japanese ship would be playing a tradition U.S. Navy wake-up-call…” Yamato moaned out before pressing her face deeper into her pillow in order to hide the tears that were now flowing freely from her eyes, her regal mask shattering under the weight of her home-sickness. “…But please, just…give me a moment of silence, please?” she whispered her plea, the fairies smile vanishing as it nodded solemnly.

Whitecap stood just to the side of the steering wheel of the Wavecutter, one of her favorite places on the on the ship to survey her crew and make sure everypony was performing their tasks as they should be. Under normal circumstances, she would be grinning like a madmare, enjoying the sights and sounds of her ship, the feeling of the wind in her mane, and Celestia's sun warming her fur…but not today.

Today, she couldn’t help but frown as she thought about the foreign princess currently below decks, Whitecap having just recently sent one of her sailors to make sure Yamato was awake and ensure that the mare got something to eat before bringing her up on deck to speak to Whitecap. As no pony had seen the mare all morning and it was beginning to worry the Capitan.

Yamato was an…interesting mare to be certain. While she was clearly a somewhat private mare, she was still enough at ease around the Wavecutter’s crew to joke on occasion…at least Whitecap hoped they were jokes. It was somewhat hard to tell sometimes when the taller mare casually mentioned her abilities to sleep on the water and summon metallic saddlebags and expected everypony else to have similar abilities. She trusted them enough to actually use her magics around them, clearly believing in them enough to believe in Equestrians not attempt to reverse engineer said magic for the benefit of their nation. Nor did she ask for any form of information that Whitecap would be unable to give, such as their navies patrol routes or about the magical armament of the Wavecutter, and thus she did not put Whitecap in a difficult situation. She was kind, respectful, and clearly a mare of strength beyond the average pony.

She was also clearly suffering from an immense amount of pain and sorrow, the depths of which Whitecap could only speculate at. The captain of the Wavecutter had noticed that whenever somepony brought up questions of her homeland, Yamato’s expression would fall into one of both anger and sorrow, the thought of her kingdom clearly brining up hurtful memories. When Sundance had been asked about his younger sister, a mare who last Whitecap had heard was planning to join the navy just like her older brother, Yamato looked particularly upset. The larger mare staring off into space with a forlorn look on her face. Did she have siblings of her own? Siblings that she could no longer see? Who had been lost to time? That seemed the most likely reason, as the night shift ponies had reported seeing Yamato openly weeping after Whitecap had left her for the night, the ponies choosing to give her some measure of privacy instead of attempting to offer comfort as they normally would.

And that wasn’t even mentioning her admission that she had been apparently away from civilization for so long that she hadn’t even heard of their Princesses or even Equestria for that matter! Did that mean she was somepony who hailed from the time of the three tribes? Or perhaps from an even earlier age? Wouldn’t that make her older than the Princesses? And if that was so, why was she out on the water in the middle of nowhere if she had just woken up? While Whitecap wasn’t exactly very knowledgeable about pre-Equestrian era of pony history, she was pretty sure that none of the nations that existed back in that day had been anywhere close to the sea. And…and considering that the only other example Whitecap could think of where a pony had missed so much of history was Princess Luna…and did the similarity between the two mares mean that Yamato had also been sealed away just like the Princess of the night ? And if she was, then what was the reason for her sealing? It was pretty clear that she was no nightmare moon and wouldn’t need to be removed for the safety of her homeland or Equis as a whole, so then why?

Was she sealed away by evil creatures then? So that they could bring harm to her ponies while she was indisposed? And is that the reason she is so remorseful and in pain? Because she failed her nation in their hour of need? Whitecap couldn’t help but consider as she pulled out a pocket watch to see just how close they were to midday, as that was when they would make the turn that would take them back to Equestria.That would explain why she would be so upset, and ignorant of, the modern world. She’s probably lost everypony she ever knew, not to mention her whole nation! The poor mare… Whitecap couldn’t help but think as she saw the door to the lower decks of the Wavecutter open, a nervous looking private escorting a faintly smiling Yamato, though if Whitecap's eyes didn't deceive her it looked like a forced smile on her lips. What she needs is ponies of equal standing who she can speak candidly to about what she’s gone though, ponies who can be her friends in a world where she has none. She needs the Princesses of Equestria. And by Celestia I'll make sure she gets the help she needs.

Whitecap’s thoughts were interrupted however when the private lead the massive pony up to where the captain was standing, said private saluting the moment they arrived. “Ma’am! Private Fresh Face, reporting as ordered! I have brought Miss. Yamato as you instructed!” The stallion shouted, Whitecap nodding in response.

“Thank you private, you may return to your duties.” Whitecap dismissed, Fresh Face saluting once again before galloping off, Whitecap turning to their VIP once he was gone. “Good morning Miss Yamato, did you sleep well and have a nice breakfast?”

Yamato nodded in response, though her faint smile faded somewhat at her words. “Breakfast was delicious, I Yamato, once again thank you for your hospitality. Unfortunately…my sleep was far from pleasant. Nightmares plagued my mind for much of my rest.” The foreign princess admitted, Whitecap winching at her admission.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully Princess Luna will protect your dreams in the future.”

“Actually, she appeared just as my nightmare was reaching its most terrifying moment.” Yamato continued. “I was quite surprised, I did not expect to see another pony within my mind, as such abilities did not exist back when I last ruled the seas.”

“Oh…Oh! I’m so sorry Miss Yamato! I failed to mention of one of Princess Luna’s most important duties during our talks yesterday. Once again, I’m very sorry.” Whitecap apologized as she bowed her head to hide the blush of embarrassment that was spreading across her muzzle. How could she be so stupid?! Yamato had admitted that she knew nothing of the modern world and she had failed to mention that the newly returned princess could preform such an act. What if Yamato considered such an act a breach of privacy? Or maybe she was gravely insulted by somepony using magic on her without permission? Stupid, she was so stupid!

But her apology was quickly waved away. Yamato only smiling sadly down at her. “You need not apologize, Captain Whitecap. With how much information you were willing to impart onto me yesterday, it was inevitable that some things would fall through the cracks.” Yamato said as she stared out at the sea, her smile only growing even more sorrowful as she did so. “If anything…I am grateful for your princesses’ intervention, as the pain and sorrow of my nightmares are something that I am more than happy to have escaped from. Even if it meant having another come to my aid in my most private sanctuary.” She admitted.

Whitecap could almost feel the tears forming in the eyes of the crew ponies that were likely listening in on their conversation, not that she was faring much better as she struggled against the itchiness of her own eyes. A part of her wanted to hug Yamato right then and there, to be the shoulder that the taller mare could lean on for support metaphorically speaking, but a much louder part of her couldn’t help but think about how many codes of conduct she would be breaking by being overly friendly with a foreign dignitary. Even if said dignitary was a pony herself.

But before she could make a decision Yamato shook her head slightly, almost as if she had felt a fly buzzing around her ears, before turning her attention back to Whitecap. A clearly false smile on her face. “I apologize for speaking of such sorrowful topics so early in the day Captain. Was there something you wished to discuss with me?” Yamato prompted, clearly trying to change the subject. Whitecap startling slightly as she remembered just why she had called for the taller mare.

“Ah, yes…I just wished to inform you that we will be turning back towards Equestria later today. As we have reached the edge of our patrol route.” Whitecap explained, Yamato nodding in confirmation as she turned to examine the ship before staring up at the sails, a look of surprise crossing her face.

“If I may ask Capitan Whitecap, why do you have so many Pegasus next to the sails? Is that standard practice on Equestrian ships?”

“Only when the wind dies as it did last night. We still have quite a ways to go in our patrol after all, and without a tailwind to help, we will just have to create one ourselves.” Whitecap explained, a proud smile on her face as she stared up at all the pegasi currently working to create a strong enough wind to keep the Wavecutter sailing straight.

“…How novel. No such techniques existed back when I sailed the seas.” Yamato admitted before returning her attention to Whitecap. “Now then Capitan, I do not wish to interfere with your duties too much, but if it is at all possible, would you allow me to remain above deck for now? While I do not have any issue spending my time below , I do quite enjoy the sounds and sights of the sea and would prefer to see it from here…if that is alright with you.”

“Oh! Of course, that’s perfectly fine.” Whitecap agreed easily. “I only ask that you try and stay out of the way of my crew ponies going about their jobs, we are still on patrol after all.”

“I understand, your request is perfectly acceptable.” Yamato acquiesced before turning away. “Well then Capitan Whitecap, I Yamato, will hereby take my leave.”

Whitecap watched the princess slowly walk off towards the bow of the ship, a heavy sigh escaping from her lips. She had missed her chance to comfort the mare directly, but if the majesty of the Celestial sea could help ease her troubles then Whitecap would let her stay out here as long as she wished.

The next few hours passed with relative ease, the only real issue being the continued lack of any wind with which to fill their sails . Sure, the pegasi were picking up the slack, but this far from the coast the seas weren’t all that different from the fabled Everfree forest in the fact that it the weather was quite difficult to manipulate for Pegasi. Not that Whitecap had ever seen the place herself to confirm the stories, but from what she had heard it was a place of pure chaos so she wasn't about to complain about never getting the chance to see it for herself. And thankfully, nothing of note happened by the time noon came around and the time for them to turn back.

“…Alright then, considering the time, it's about time for us to return home.” Whitecap muttered to herself as she once again checked her pocket watch before slipping the device back into her saddlebag and nodding resolutely. “All ponies, we have reached the halfway point of our patrol and will hereby turn back towards Equestria! Helmspony! Turn the ship eighty degrees in preparation for our return trip. All other ponies, ensure that there is nothing to interfere with our turn!”

“Aye aye Capitan!” The Helmspony replied as she began to turn the ship, Wavecutter beginning to turn to take them back west, while every other pony moved to make the ship ready.

Whitecap smiled in satisfaction as her fellow sailors expertly maneuvered the Wavecutter, actions that were sure to impress their exalted guest who was clearly a pony of the sea who would appreciate their precise actions. Heck, Whitecap half believed that the Wavecutter itself was pulling out all the stops to impress their guest with how well everything had been going . But regardless, it was finally time for them to begin returning home, and soon Whitecap would be able to get Yamato the help she so rightly deserved.

“Alright then…all hooves! Ensure that we are on course for returning to Equestria! All Pegasi are to change shifts in order to conserve energy! I wan-!”

“Captain! Pegasus approaching off the Stern!” The lookout from the crow’s nest interrupted, Whitecap blinking in shock for a second, before the pony’s words fully registered and her blood ran cold. No Pegasus should be flying this far out at sea without good reason…or a very, very bad one.

“Storm Surge! Fly out and aid the Pegasus in landing! Get the medics up here right now! All Pegasi, pause all wind production for now until the situation is understood! Everypony else, clear a landing zone for the Pegasus and somepony get some water! they're bound to be dehydrated!” Whitecap ordered, the ponies of the Wavecutter rushing to follow her orders.

Not a minute later, Storm Surge guided a thoroughly exhausted looking Pegasus down onto the ship, said pony stumbling and falling the moment his hooves touched the deck. Whitecap rushed over, her crew making a path for her, as she knelt down next to the barely conscious pony. The Pegasus was clearly exhausted from his flight based off of the sweat rolling off his bright red coat as his sides heaved with effort as he tried to refill his lungs. His cutie mark depicted an abacus along with a piece of paper and a quill. A mark that, while vaguely familiar to Whitecap, wasn’t enough for her to identify the lone flyer, though one that likely marked the pony as somepony who wasn't exactly a trained athlete. “What happened? why are you out here all by yourself?” She questioned, the Pegasus opening baerly one clearly weary blue eye to regard the Captain.

“…G-Griffon pirates…attacked m-my ship…F-flew for half a day to…find you.” The pony stuttered breathlessly, his words stealing all the air from Whitecap’s lungs as well as everpony that was gathered around. “H-Have my wife and daughter and the rest of my c-crew…pl-please…help them.” The pony barely managed to finish, his words clearly taking a toll on the exhausted stallion.

Whitecap’s mind raced as the ship's medics rushed in to administer emergency first aid on the pony. If what he said was true, then these Griffons could be anywhere between fifty to one hundred miles out from their current location considering how far the average Pegasus could fly unencumbered. And they had quite the head start if their destination was indeed the coast of Griffonstone, which was the most likely destination of such a pirate gang. Add to that that there was still no wind in their part of the sea, the fact that a Griffon’s wings were naturally larger than a Pegasus' and therefore they could keep their ship moving faster than the Wavecutter, and finally that if she pushed her crew too hard to catch up, they would be in no position to apprehend the culprits of this attack…With all that in mind, the Capitan of the Wavecutter saw no reasonable way for them to save this pony’s family or the crew of his ship.

Not that it mattered what the facts of the situation were. They were mares and stallions of the Royal Equestrian Navy, by Celestia they would give it their all to save the ponies . But as things stood, Whitecap couldn’t help but feel an icy pit settle into her stomach at the fate of said ponies.

“Helmspony! Turn us back around! Pegasi, I know I’ve been pushing you hard today, but there’s lives on the line if we don’t manage to catch up to these dastards in time! I need all Pegasi who can still feel their wings to get up there and get us moving-!”

“Capitan. A word please.” A calm voice cut through Whitecap’s shouting, a voice that, while still holding an edge of sorrow, was now filled with a strength so immense that everpony present couldn’t help but freeze in place at the magical energy that seemed to be pressing down on the entire ship. Whitecap turned slowly to see Yamato standing a good distance away from the crowd. A resolute expression on her muzzle as she slowly approached.

“I will bring you to these pirates and aid in the rescue of the victimized ponies. I merely ask for you to trust me and follow my orders.”

Yamato made sure to keep her expression as tight as she could despite the butterflies that were suddenly filling her mess hall as she stared down the Captain of this ship. She had heard what the exhausted Pegasus had said, how his family and crew had been taken hostage, and she could practically feel her boilers red line at the thought of what could happen to the ponies that had been taken. Her world had quite the history with piracy, and very rarely did such attacks end well for those who were on the receiving end of such raids. If nothing was done there was a very good chance that those taken could lose their lives, or worse.

And she had the power to change that, to save those poor souls from their fate. And regardless of any reason her mind could come up with to hide her strengths in order to keep this Equestria from attempting to force her into service, what was the point of her returning home if she let innocents suffer and die because of her inaction?

Whitecap stared back at her, a conflicted but unyielding look on the pony’s face. “…Can you get to them in time? Even without a wind to help?”

“I can. I, Yamato, will not fail to find these pirates.” She answered back with just as much force, her own gaze matching Whitecap’s pound for pound.

The two stared at each other for a second longer before Whitecap bowed her head. “Then we will do as you say. Equestria is in your debt. Everpony! Until this situation is resolved, you are to follow Lady Yamato’s orders as if they were my own. Is that understood?”

“Ma’am yes ma’am!” The crew of the Wavecutter shouted out in response, Yamato seeing out of the corner of her eye Wavecutter herself nodding in agreement, an angrily determined look on the spirits face.

“I thank you…All hooves! Secure everything you can that isn’t already tied down! Pull in all sails and ensure they are properly stowed if you do not want them damaged.” Yamato ordered as she turned and galloped for the front of the ship, not bothering to see if the ponies were listening or not. Time was of the essence after all. “When I give the command, weigh the anchor, but be prepared to stop it on my command as well!” and with that Yamato leapt over the side of the ship.

However, before her hooves could even get close to the water, a brilliant white light engulfed the mare. Her rigging rematerialized across her back, Yamato smiling faintly as the familiar weight of her armaments settled into their places. She could feel her fairies rushing about the ship as a klaxon ordered them to general quarters, could feel her guns twitch as they moved into position, could feel her awareness expand as her radars came online. The warship Yamato sailed once again.

She bounced off the surface of the water with barely a splash as she quickly maneuvered herself to the front of the ship, the shipmare noticing two ponies leaning over the edge of the bow right above where the anchor was. Three ponies actually if one were to count the spirit present, all three with their mouths wide open in shock at her appearance or her magic, she couldn't determine which.

She maneuvered herself to the point where she was nearly underneath the anchor, just to the side of where it would fall, before she took a deep breath in preparation for what was about to happen. “…Weigh anchor!” She shouted up to the ponies above her. And to their credit, they only hesitated for a moment before following her commands. The massive metal weight fell into the sea with a crash, Yamato waiting for just a moment before shouting for them to stop the anchor. The moment the chains ceased their movement, Yamato reached out and bit down on the chain while simultaneously whipped her neck to the side in order to pull the anchor back out of the waves.

She could feel the metal of her superstructure groan at the strange maneuver, but an anchor that, at most, only weighed five thousand pounds wasn’t going to stop a ship of her caliber. And sure enough, as she whipped the chain around, the anchor rose with it. wrapping around Yamato’s neck as she intended. There was no time to set up a proper tow line, and even if she did, the speeds they were going to be traveling at would simply rip whatever lines they attempt to tie to her clear off the Wavecutter.

“I will be beginning the turn now, all hooves, ready yourselves for acceleration!” Yamato shouted, intending her words for both the crew of the Wavecutter, Wavecutter herself, and her own crew, as she accelerated to one third speed. In no time at all the slack of the anchor was all gone and, with a metallic snapping noise accompanied by the sound of groaning wood, the Wavecutter was pulled along, the physical ship easily following along in Yamato’s wake.

It didn’t take long for the shipmare to finish her turn and start to tow the ship in the direction that the pony had come from. And soon after that a Pegasus that Yamato was unacquainted with flew up to her with a shell shocked yet determined expression.

“Reporting in Ma’am! All loose items have been stowed away and the sail was stowed successfully! Do you have any other orders for us now that we are underway?”

“Just two. I want somepony to confirm the direction that the Pegasus flew from, as any estimations he can give on the heading of the pirate ship will be quite helpful.” Yamato began before grinning widely. “And I want all hooves to brace for acceleration.”

The pony blinked in confusion for a moment before nodding and returning to the ship. A shout that all hooves were ready being shouted back at Yamato a few seconds later.

“All hooves, all ahead flank! Let us show these Griffons why they should fear the might of the Yamato!” The shipmare ordered, a deafening roar echoing from within her hull as her crew cheered while simultaneously her turbines reached their maximum speed, her screws following suit a second later as Yamato began to gallop across the waves.

She could hear the cries of surprise and shock echoing from the Wavecutter as they practically bounced across the waves. The ponies on board clearly not expecting her to be able to go so fast, her twenty-eight knots a far cry from anything the Wavecutter could normally travel. For all the sorrows that had occurred over the last few days, the shipmare couldn’t help but feel ecstatic as the waves crashed and broke across her bow. This is what she was meant for, to punish the true evils of the world, to rush headlong into a battle and show her enemies just what they had foolishly provoked.

She could hear the sound of another Pegasus flying out to meet her, though this time Yamato was surprised to see Jade flying off her starboard side. “M-Ma’am! I have a possible heading for you!”

“Understood.” Yamato replied, Jade pointing off at the horizon while giving her a heading. “Very well, I will be changing course momentarily. Please return to ship and ensure that everypony is prepared for combat.” She ordered, though she was surprised to see Jade Wing shake her head in denial.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but I’ve been ordered to stay by your side from here on out until we sight the griffons. Plus, everypony is already prepared for the fight so they don't need me to tell them...uh, with all do respect, ma'am.”

“I see, then I will still need you to clear the airspace, as I need my catapults clear for my own takeoffs.” Yamato returned, Jade wing blinking at the unfamiliar word.

“Uhhh…what catapult? And why would you want to be throwing big rocks around when we're trying to move fast?” Jade questioned before squeaking in surprise as two panels slid away from the top of Yamato’s rigging, revealing a long metal poles that extended from both.

“Not that kind of Catapult, Miss Jade...These are my catapults.” Yamato answered, an almost predatory smile crossing her face as Jade moved out of the way just in time to avoid two tiny metallic Pegasi being launched into the sky. The tiny pegasi held their form for a second more, Yamato seeing both saluting her as they passed by, before both were engulfed in a brilliant white light very similar to the light that appeared when Yamato's rigging manifested.

And then with a roar that had never been heard anywhere in Equis before then, two Aichi E13A planes materialized from within the light and began to ascend into the sky in the direction that Jade had indicated.

“…Whoah.” Was all Jade managed to say as she watched the two scout planes climb, Yamato nodding her head sagely at her awestruck expression.

“Indeed.” Was all Yamato said in reply as she adjusted her course in the direction Jade had indicated.

Not even two hours later, Yamato heard a squeeing voice come through her radio. A vessel had been spotted by her scouts. One that wasn’t flying any colors as far as the pilot could see.

“Understood, begin strafing the target. Force them to slow down and try to get them to reverse course. However, ensure that you do not open fire, as we do not want to risk the hostages lives.” Yamato ordered the pilot, the Pegasus who replaced Jade due to the green Pegasus’ exhaustion staring at her curiously.

“Did you say something ma’am?” The Pegasus questioned, Yamato turning to look at him.

“I was communicating with my scouts. One of them has sighted the target.” Yamato informed the Pegasus, the pony’s eyes narrowing at the thought of the coming conflict. “Please inform the crew that, upon sighting the enemy vessel, they are to retract the anchor. As I will be operating on my own at that point.” Yamato ordered before considering something. “Does the Wavecutter have any means of stopping or attacking the pirate ship?”

“We have a few ballistae with harpoons designed to keep a ship from fleeing. But most of our offensive capabilities are concentrated in our unicorns who would teleport over to the ship and attempt to subdue the crew in close quarters.” The Pegasus recited dutifully.

“Understood, please inform the unicorns that they are should refrain from boarding until after I have taken my initial actions. If they do not surrender at that point, then it will be their turn to attack.” Yamato ordered, the Pegasus saluting before flying back to the ship.

With her target position known it didn’t take long for Yamato to close the distance. As not only was she still pushing her engines to their flank speed, but her other pilot had apparently decided to join their wing mate in harassing the pirate ship , and it wasn’t long before Yamato’s spotters observed two planes diving and climbing in the distance.

She could feel her gunnery crew tensing in anticipation, as the pirate vessel was well within her range at this point and she had accurate coordinates due to her planes, however Yamato did not give the order to open fire. If she were to land any blow on the enemy ship, regardless of whether she was using her armor piercing or high explosive shells, she would sink their ship with ease.

And so she continued her gallop without firing her opening salvo despite her desire to do so. The crew of the Wavecutter spotted the pirate vessel only a few minutes after Yamato herself did, their frantic callouts and the sounds of hooves galloping across the deck as they prepared for combat. And then, when they were no doubt fully prepared, she heard a voice call out that they were prepared to retrieve the anchor. She shook her head, dislodging the wound-up wight in the process before giving the order to reduce speed, her burring legs thankful for the reprieve.

The griffons, apparently having only just now noticing the approaching ship and floating pony. Began to shout and scurry about their ship, Yamato noting grimly that they appeared to be preparing ballista of their own and aiming them at the Wavecutter, their intentions clear as day. And it simply wouldn’t do for her to allow her ticket to shore to be damaged and possibly sunk.

So, after taking a deep breath, Yamato began projected her voice at the pirate ship, the shipmare making sure to keep her voice level as she did so. “Pirates! I am Yamato! Ruler of the seas! By my pact with Equestria and my duty to the innocent lives you hold within your ship, I hereby order you to surrender yourselves or face destruction!” She bellowed, her voice echoing across the waves with more force than she would have expected, Yamato silently praying that these nefarious beings would see reason or at least be intimated enough to give up.

But of course, she expected too much from such scum, as while she may not know much about griffon culture, it was unlikely that jeers and insults were their way of raising the white flag.

“…Very well then. Gunnery crews, put a salvo off the bow and aft of the enemy vessel.” Yamato ordered as she turned slightly, readying herself for a full broadside. A few seconds later, her crew reported that they had their targeting solutions, Yamato nodding her head, an almost feral smile crossing her lips.

“All batteries…open fire!” She shouted as she pointed her right hoof at the ship.

A boom of never before heard proportions echoed across the seas, causing every living creature save the one who had unleased the salvo to cover their ears at the loudness of the attack. Yamato’s world was covered in fire and smoke as her nine eighteen-inch guns and her secondary six-inch guns unleased their hellish payloads.

And after what felt like the span of only a single heartbeat, the seas around the pirate ship exploded as plums of water, each one easily dwarfing the wooden vessel, shot into the air and soaked everyone aboard.

The silence afterwards was so complete that Yamato couldn’t even hear the waves lapping against her hooves. No one was moving. Not the pirates, not the crew of the Wavecutter, nor Yamato herself. But eventually the shipmare broke the silence with a single promise.

“…I will not miss a second time.” She assured, and before she could even consider what her next action would be, a number of griffons flew into the air, each one holding a white cloth in their claws.

A cheer went up from the Wavecutter, the wooden ship slowly approaching off Yamato’s port, the shipmare looking up to see what could only be most of the crew leaning over the side and cheering for her. But Yamato’s eyes were drawn to two distinct figures, Captain Whitecap and Wavecutter herself.

The teen ship spirit looked pained, though considering that Yamato had been dragging the smaller ship by her anchor for a good three hours that was to be expected, but despite that still had a look of awe and happiness on her face. While Whitecap…was saluting her silently, a smile of joy stretched across her muzzle.

A salute that Yamato returned despite her worries for the future. Now that she had revealed most of her offensive capabilities, it was likely that the Equestrian navy would try even harder to press her into service, that other nations would seek her out for her power, but she put those worries into the corner of her mind.

For now…for now she was just happy to have helped others. to have finally used her guns, not to end lives, but to protect them.

Author's Note

Nothing much to say after this. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and feel free to leave any Kancolle questions you have. I'll answer them to the best of my ability. until next time!

Chapter 5

Yamato watched as the Griffons were lead one by one below decks where they would be imprisoned till the Wavecutter returned to Equestria, a stormy expression on her face from her shaded spot on the port side of the ship in order to intimidate the Griffions so they would not consider any foolish actions. After the Griffon's surrender, the crew of the Wavecutter had been working tirelessly on a number of tasks. They were setting up a tow between the Wavecutter and the pirate ship so that they could house the many captured ponies within without having to squeeze everycreature on board just one ship, to catalogue all the contraband on board said ship, to treat the injured ponies that had been taken, and finally to get the pirates stowed away in the brig. The sheer amount of work to be done likely meaning that they would not turn back to Equestria well into the night.

Yamato had offered her aid in either setting up the tow or moving the prisoners into their cells, as she doubted she would be able to identify the items retrieved from the pirates or how to catalogue them nor did she have any ability to aid ponies who had been foalnapped, her one attempt to do so causing a mare to faint outright at her ministrations. But she had been strongly refused by not only Whitecap, but every other sailor on board. Each one claiming that she had done more than enough and that if they let her do anymore of the work then they would be failing in their oaths. And so, with nothing else to do, Yamato decided to rest against the side of the ship and glower at each and every pirate that passed while also giving her chief engineer a chance to check for any damage she sustained due to running at flank speed when her boilers and turbines hadn't been used in years. Although not a single pirate had managed to hold her gaze for more than a few seconds without flinching away. Not even the bulky minitour that had apparently been the muscle on their ship could withstand her gaze when it fell upon him. Not that she could blame them, as being nearly blown to smithereens would leave any sentient being a little traumatized, let alone fearful of the one who was capable of such destruction.

Even the ponies of the Wavecutter and the once captured ponies of the sunken ship were treating her different now that they had seen Yamato unleash her fury…though just not in the way the shipmare was expecting. The ponies that had been liberated from the pirates stared at Yamato with awestruck expressions that Yamato was afraid were beginning to border on worship instead of the terror she had been expecting. More than a few had approached at one time or another, bowed their heads so low that they’re muzzles were pressed into the floor, and thanked her for her help. Some even weeping as they did so, their thanks nearly sending the shipmare into a nervous fit at how she should handle them before she managed to get herself under control and gracefully accept their thanks.

In addition, while the crew of the Wavecutter’s behavior had not changed outwardly, it was clear that their respect for the shipmare had jumped up by leaps and bounds. She could feel them staring at her whenever she turned her head away, their gazes filled with just as much respect as the civilians they had rescued but without all the tears being shed. Every time one of the crew ponies walked by her spot, they would stop and salute her like she was their commanding officer before continuing on with what they were doing. And that wasn’t even mentioning the incident a few minutes ago where she offhoofedly mentioned her thirst to private Fresh Face, said pony galloping below decks to fulfil get her some water so fast that she was certain it would cause problems, and considering how many times she heard a crashing sound echoing from below she was probably spot on.

All in all, the new levels of respect and reverence the ponies were showing her was beyond embarrassing. So much so that if it weren't for her orders to keep her turbines running at a lower RPM her face would be a deep scarlet at this point.. So, until things calmed down a bit, she was content to rest and keep to herself as everything was sorted out.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other ideas for the shipmare instead of relaxation, as Yamato noticed out of the corner of her eye Wavecutter approaching, the ship spirit limping slightly despite the look of happiness on her muzzle. “H-Heya Yamato…can I sit next to you?” The younger ship asked tentatively, Yamato nodding her head slightly in response in order to avoid anypony from noticing her. Wavecutter hesitated for a moment before laying down by her side to the point where she was pretty much leaning against Yamato. Not that the battleship minded that much, as she imagined the heat given off by her twelve boilers was probably quite comfortable for others. “I just wanted to tell you…thank you for helping my captain and crew. If it weren’t for you, then we wouldn’t have been able to save everypony from the badies and everypony would have been really upset. So…thanks. Thank you.”

“You are quite welcome Wavecutter.” Yamato replied quietly as she fully laid down and turned her neck away from the various creatures that were moving across the deck in order to hide the fact that she was speaking with somepony. After all, it wouldn't do for the crew of the spirit sitting beside her to think she was losing her mind. The older mare curling her neck around Wavecutter in a similar manner to a mother cat protecting her kittens.

The two shipmares remained quiet for a time, both simply enjoying the sounds of the sea behind them and the ponies moving in the background. But eventually Wavecutter worked up the courage to ask the question that had been bouncing around her hull ever since she had seen Yamato power. “U-ummm…Miss. Yamato? C-can I ask you something?” The ship spirit asked, waiting for the battleship to nod before continuing. “What did you do to make all that fire and smoke? And was that the same spell that made the water explode?”

“It was the same ability yes. However, it was not a spell that I used.” Yamato answered after a moment of consideration. “Rather, it would be the equivalent of my version of a ballista. Unlike you, I was constructed with different materials and my creators were far engineered me with a far more warlike mentality. So my weaponry is designed for destroying other vessels as opposed to slowing them down.”

“Oh…and that’s why you can go so fast? 'Cause your made differently than me?” Wavecutter asked, the spirit massaging her left hoof, Yamato inferring that that was where the majority of the structural damage Yamato had unintentionally inflicted upon her by dragging her across the sea by her anchor.

“In a manner of speaking. Though it is more accurate to say I have a different way of moving across the waves instead of relying on the winds. It is not necessarily good or bad, simply different.”

“Ah…ok then. I guess it makes sense that I couldn’t see any sails on you when you were pulling me 'cause you didn't have sails.” Wavecutter muttered, almost to herself, though Yamato couldn’t help but raise a curious eyebrow in response to her words.

“You could see my hull? My ship form?” Yamato clarified, a hint of surprise coloring her words, Wavecutter nodding hesitantly in response.

“A little. Kinda like seeing a mirage out on the water.” The younger mare admitted, shivering slightly at the memory. “At first, I was really, really scared. ‘casue you were so big and scary looking. But then I remembered how you promised to help, and that you wouldn’t hurt my crew, and I wasn’t so afraid after that…But that’s not really what I wanted to ask you about.” Wavecutter paused, then, looking away for a moment before whipping her head back around to stare resolutely at Yamato. “I-Is there any way that you can share your power with me? Or maybe tell my crew how to build some stuff for me so I can move and fight like you do?”

Yamato hesitated before answering, as the question had no easy answer. While it was possible for her to share the technology used in her construction with Equestria, there was no guarantee that doing so would ever benefit Wavecutter as she was now. When Kancolle had been nothing more than a show and game, it was possible for a shipgirl to obtain an upgrade in equipment if their physical hull had received upgrades at one point in their existence, or their Kai form. But for an entirely wooden ship to receive enough upgrades to make it into a steel hulled ship with even destroyer caliber guns? Yamato highly doubted that it would be possible even if she were to ignore the ethical question of whether or not she should introduce such destructive technology to a world that clearly wasn’t ready for it.

Which was why she eventually shook her head in denial, a truly sorrowful look on her face. “I am sorry Wavecutter, but no. Even if I could give you one of my cannons, the simple act of firing it would tear your hull apart. And in order to make it possible for you to equip such weapons, they would have to deconstruct you and rebuild you in an entirely new form that could withstand such force. An act that could kill the you you are right now, creating a new spirit who would only share your name.”

Wavecutter grimaced at the bluntness of Yamato's reply before staring down at her hooves, a humorless laugh escaping from her muzzle. “Ya, I kinda figured you’d say something like that…I just…just.” She choked out as she started to cry, Yamato pressing closer to the younger pony in order to comfort her. “I just feel so useless! I couldn’t get my crew to where they needed to go without them creating wind for me! I had no way of catching up with those pirates even if I had all the wind in the world at my back! And even if I did, there’s no way I could have gotten them to give up like you did without them hurting somepony in the process! I hate it! I hate feeling so useless!” She cried as she pressed her face into Yamato’s barrel and started to wail.

Yamato watched the young spirit weep for a moment, her heart breaking slightly at the sight. And it was that feeling that led her to decide to reveal a moment of her own weakness. “I understand your frustration Wavecutter, I understand such feelings all too well.”

“Y-you do?” The smaller ship asked in between sniffles.

“Indeed…I learned of my own powerlessness at the moment of my death.” Yamato admitted, a self-deprecating smile on her lips at Wavecutter’s flabbergasted expression. “When I met my end, it was at the hooves of a swarm of beings that I could barely defend myself against. Their weapons striking at me freely from the heavens while my crew desperately tried to defend me to no avail all under orders that would serve no real propose. And after nearly two hours of relentless attacks, I sank beneath the waves…utterly powerless to save my crew or protect my nation.”

“…R-really? Even with how strong you are, you couldn’t do anything?” Wavecutter asked, sounding pretty skeptical.

“Indeed. It showed me just how weak I truly am.” Yamato admitted sadly as she turned away and stared off into the distance, a now pensive look on her face. Even though her human side knew that she had nothing to do with operation Ten-go, the ship part of her couldn’t help but tense at the memories of Hellcats, Corsairs, and Avengers filling the skies above her and mercilessly striking her as her crew fought nearly to the last. It was a scar that, even a world and a life away, still left its mark upon her psyche. “Every pony, and particularly every ship, will one day know what it is to be unable to change the outcome of their fate, to be brought low by their own powerlessness and be forced to rise above it or succumb…but I do not think that your day has come. I truly believe that even if I was not here, you and your crew would have found some way to save those ponies. I, Yamato, guarantee it.” She finished and truly meant it. true, looking at it from a purely logical point of view, there was very little chance that the Wavecutter or her crew could have done much to help the captured ponies…but something in the back of her mind told her that they would have found a way. She was certain of it.

Wavecutter stared into her eyes for a moment, likely trying to determine if Yamato was lying to her or not, before lowering her head. Tears falling anew from her eyes, though Yamato had a feeling that these were not born from overwhelming sorrow. “…Thank you, Yamato.” She whispered, Yamato smiling and nuzzling the younger pony.

“Your very welcome.” The battleship replied as she stood, only flinching slightly at the soreness in her legs. Her Chief Engineer was probably going to have quite a few choice words to share with her later about not going all the way to flank speed on what was essentially a continuation of her shakedown cruise. But for now, it was time to make sure her quartermaster didn’t attempt a mutiny due to her low supplies. “Now then, with all the energy I expended today, I find myself quite famished. And as such, I Yamato, will now go and have dinner.”

“Yes Ma’am! We'll prepare that for you right away Ma'am!” Wavecutter and, much to Yamato’s mortification, a number of ponies surrounding her shouted out at her words along with a saluting her. though thankfully her turbines weren’t running at full capacity, and therefore there was only a little bit of blood rushing to her cheeks to show her embarrassment.

Fortunately, Yamato suffered no other awkward moments through the rest of the night and into the next day, as she doubted that her engineers would appreciate the extra work necessary in order to increase power production because she couldn't stop getting into embarrassing situations. But while the lack of any additional miscommunications was avoided, the lack of any other unusual situations left Yamato feeling nervous as she stared out at the blue horizon with no real idea as to why. The Shipmare deciding to have her spotters try to see if they could make out land despite the fact that they wouldn’t be arriving for a few days yet assuming the winds didn’t die out again, or at least watch the horizon for anything out of the ordinary since she would have the best odds of dealing with a nebulous threat if one did appear. But no, no further pirates made themselves known, and so Yamato's thoughts returned to a question that had been burning in the back of her head since the battle.

Yesterday she had revealed the true extent of her weaponry, of just how strong and fast she was upon the sea. And despite the clear and present threat she could represent, Whitecap had yet to confront her about any aspect of her powers…and that, in itself, was somewhat nerve-racking.

Whitecap was a captain of a foreign navy, and as such should be prioritizing any advantage she could get against Equestria's enemies, or at the very least, attempting to contain Yamato in case the Shipmare decided to turn on the Wavecutter. While Yamato had learned during their session on her first day that Equestria tried to follow a more pacifist mindset, they still had an entire vessel worth of pirates in the Wavecutter’s hold which clearly meant that the world was not so peaceful as Whitecap had made it sound. Despite their desire to remain peaceful, it was clear that the other sentient species that inhabited this world had other ideas in mind. So then why wasn’t Whitecap trying to persuade her to give up her secrets for the good of her homeland? It had been hard enough to refuse Wavecutter herself the other night, the young mares tears making Yamato feel like she had bucked a puppy, and the Shipmare had been thinking desperately of ways to diplomatically refuse other such advances until she could head off on her own.

And yet, in spite of all her preparations, the head mare on board had yet to even bring up the subject in any way shape or form! It was starting to get a little frustrating. But before Yamato’s annoyance could get the better of her, she heard a polite cough from behind her, the shipmare startling slightly at the unexpected noise before once again schooling her face into a mask of serenity and turning to see just who was attempting to get her attention.

Standing a respectful distance away as the very mare that Yamato had been thinking about along with three other ponies. The first was, surprisingly enough, the Pegasus who had alerted them to the pirate attack. He was looking better than he had been after collapsing onto the deck only a day ago, but Yamato could still see the exhaustion in his eyes mixed with equal parts relief. The second was a sky-blue Earth pony mare that stood slightly shorter than the ponies next to her, but Yamato could still see maturity in her warm gaze marking her as an adult pony.

But the third, and by far the most noticeable pony standing before her…or rather below her, was the unbelievably cute pony that was clearly their daughter based off of how close the two older ponies were standing to her. A pink Pegasus filly even smaller than Wavecutter was staring up at her with…did she actually have stars sparkling in her eyes?! Was this level of cuteness standard for young fillies in Equestria? Because if it was, Yamato highly doubted her ability to maintain her regal demeanor if more than one of them approached her at a time.

“Lady Yamato, are you enjoying your morning?” Whitecap asked politely, Yamato nodding in response.

“Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised when they served pancakes for breakfast. It has been quite a while since I've enjoyed such a treat after all.” Yamato answered before turning her attention to the new ponies, which Whitecap took as her opportunity to introduce the new faces.

“Ah, yes, Lady Yamato, allow me to introduce Mr. Gleaming Skies, Ms. Azure Song, and their daughter Bubblegum.” The Equestrian Captain introduced, the two parents bowing deeply while their daughter simply continued to stare, seemingly in shock, before her mother tapped her flank with a hoof, the filling startling slightly before also bowing.

Of course, her name would be Bubblegum. Because why wouldn’t reality be trying its hardest to make me squeal at her cuteness. Yamato couldn’t help but complain to herself as she smiled and bowed her head. “A pleasure to meet you all.”

“Likewise, Lady Yamato. I apologize if we interrupted you, but my husband had something he wished to say to you.” Azure Song replied, a grateful smile on her face as she and Yamato turned to the stallion in question.

“…Lady Yamato, While I'm sure other ponies from my crew have said something similar already, I just wished to thank you for the actions you took yesterday.” Gleaming Skies eventually said as he once again bowed his head. “I do not know how much you heard about what happened before you showed up, but I managed to break free from my bonds after the Griffons captured us and tried to go and find help…But a part of me couldn’t help but think that I might never see my wife and child ever again.”

It was then that Gleaming Skies looked up, his eyes shining with emotion. “And everypony I have spoken to about our rescue have said that it was because of you and your efforts that I, my crew, and my family are standing here today. So, thank you, Lady Yamato, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you should ever require the aid of me or my family, you only have to ask, and I will do everything in my power to help.” He finished, Azure Song nodding along with his words.

“Thank you, Princess! It was really nice for you to come help us! Even if your magic did make my ears hurt.” Bubblegum added, her parents looking mortified at her comment. But Yamato only laughed lightly in response to the fillies misunderstanding of her station and powers.

“Indeed, they were quite loud, weren’t they? I apologize for that young Bubblegum; I will endeavor to make it up to you in some way soon.” Yamato replied before returning her attention to the couple. “And I shall remember your offer as well, Mr. Gleaming Skies. Though I would have aided you regardless of the promise of future support. It is my duty, and my honor, to protect those who sail upon the seas.” The Shipmare added with a smile before gesturing to the side of the ship. “Well then, would you all care to watch the waves with me? While it may not be the most riveting of entertainment, I for one find it quite relaxing.”

“We would be honored, your Highness.” Azure Song replied, Yamato noting her curious choice of honorific but not making mention of it.

Time passed quickly after that, with Whitecap having excused herself to return to her duties, as Yamato spoke to the two civilians and their daughter. Said filly having somehow ended up curled up on her back asleep without Yamato ever remember agreeing or placing said filly upon her back, a fact that had her intelligence officers in a panic as they attempted to draw up plans for if Equestria were to learn of Yamato’s newfound weakness and attempt to exploit it.

But besides learning about this newfound breach of her mental defenses, Yamato learned quite a bit about the other two ponies. Gleaming Skies was a marginally successful merchant vessel owner, and apparently a pretty modest one too according to his wife, whose main source of trade was trading food to Griffonstone in exchange for raw ores. Apparently Equestria, while having quite the abundance of farmable lands and Earth ponies to tend said land- though Yamato made sure one of her intelligence officers made a note for her to investigate just why Earth ponies were apparently a boon for farming- lacked any major source of raw minerals beyond an abundance of gemstones. A fact that was almost the exact opposite of Griffonstone's natural resources. Which was why Gleaming Skies' trade route had been so lucrative.

Unfortunately, it was this fact that attracted the attention of Griffonstone’s less reputable entrepreneurs. Gleaming Skies admitted to receiving more than a couple of threats for his goods over the last few months, but this was the first time anycreature had actually managed to attack their ship before the merchant vessel could flee. The stallion admitted to being slightly concerned about brining any more goods to Griffonstone if they couldn’t even protect their own waters, but that was a question for another day as he intended to give his employees some time off to recover from their near kidnapping before attempting another voyage. Not to mention the time it would take to purchase or commission a new ship to replace the one the pirates had sunk.

On a far happier note, Azure Song quickly changed the subject by brining up her own special talent; a talent for writing and singing songs. The mention of special talents making Yamato thankful she had questioned the term "Cutie Mark" the other day when Whitecap had been explaining the modern world to her, although she still couldn't wrap her head around the ridiculous name for such a cultural cornerstone of their society. She spoke about how she would often accompany her husband on his trips, singing her songs for any creature they encountered to make some spare change while also using the time out at sea to write new songs. The mare elaborating on just how profitable it was to be a song writer in Equestria, as apparently music was yet another integral part of their nation and therefore was always in high demand. Under normal circumstances neither parent would be traveling with their daughter in tow, but with schools in Equestria currently on break the two ponies figured now was a great time to take a family vacation and to show their daughter their respective businesses…and Yamato already knew how well that idea turned out.

And while Bubblegum had been quite terrified when they had been captured, the filly having spent most of their time in captivity sobbing into her mother’s barrel, that changed when the captured ponies heard Yamato’s booming voice echoing from beyond the hull. Bubblegum had looked through the window that the room they had been stashed in had- Yamato flashing a confused expression at the thought of the Griffons stashing their prisoners in a room that had such an easy means of escape while also feeling relived at her decision not to fire on the pirate vessel- to see Yamato herself standing tall upon the waves, the fillies fear apparently vanishing in an instant as she muttered two simple words.

“So pretty” Azure Song repeated, an embarrassed smile on the mare’s face as she admitted it to Yamato. Fortunately, after the debacle of last night, Yamato had made sure to tell her engineers to keep her boilers running low unless she gave them explicit orders to the contrary, and as such there was no tint to her cheeks this time as she smiled down at the two embarrassed ponies, waving away their apologies for their daughter’s breach of decorum.

The three had then fallen into a comfortable silence, each one staring out at sea, before Azure Song started to ask about Yamato’s origins, something that while she should have been prepared for, still took the shipmare by surprise. She was prepared to talk of her life, at least a heavily edited version of her human one, when the three were interrupted by a loud yawn from somewhere on Yamato’s back. The three ponies turned their heads to see Bubblegum slowly stretching out and yawing in a way so similar to a cat that Yamato had to physically fight off the urge to coo at the sight, a battle that a number of her crew lost considering how many drawn out “Squeees” she heard from within her hull.

“Good morning, little Bubblegum. Did you have a nice nap?” Yamato questioned as the little filly rubbed her eyes.

“Mmmm Hmmm! Your back was really comfy and warm! Kinda like a really, really comfy cloud” Bubblegum complimented as she stood and stared nervously down at the ground, apparently feeling like she was a little too high up to jump from despite the wings upon her back.

“Well then, I Yamato, thank you for the compliment. I shall have to endeavor to sleep upon the clouds myself at some point in order to determine just how comfortable I am.” Yamato replied with a laugh as she lowered herself to the deck, the filly finally jumping down and trotting over to her mother, the blue pony nuzzling the filly as she approached. “Though I am surprised you required a nap so early in the day. Was your sleep not very restful?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just so boring out here that I just wanna take a nap to pass the time!” Bubblegum admitted with a pout. “All those meanie griffons left all my toys and books back on daddy's ship and now, I don’t have anything to do! I wanna play!”

Yamato paused in contemplation at that while her parents reprimanded the young filly for not being more grateful for their rescue. She could empathize with the filly’s issue of not having something to do, as she herself had suffered through many a long cruise with her family with nothing to entertain her but to count the passing waves. But all the ideas that Yamato could come up with in order to entertain the young foal would likely get her into trouble with the crew of the Wavecutter for being in the way of their work or were simply impractical for a being with hooves. If only she had some dolls or something for the young filly to play-.

Yamato blinked slowly at the sudden epiphany that had just made itself known to her, before grinning widely. She turned to the young filly while at the same time having her XO call a certain Fairy up to the bridge. “Well then, Young Bubblegum, would you like somepony to play with?” The shipmare questioned, the filly looking ecstatic at her words in stark contrast to the looks of mortification on her parents faces.

“Oh no, please don’t worry about it, your Highness. We couldn’t possibly ask you to play with our daughter! I’m sure you have other, more important things you need to take care off than looking after Bubblegum.” Gleaming Skies quickly denied looking absolutely mortified.

But Yamato simply smiled knowingly as she held out her hoof in a similar manner to a human holding their palm flat. “Oh, do not worry. I have somepony here who would be delighted to play with your daughter in my stead.” Yamato answered as her hoof began to glow with a white light.

Everypony present, with the exception of Yamato, stared in surprise down at her hoof as the light faded to reveal a tiny pony standing at attention. The tiny Pony was, in an unbiased and completely objective view, an incredibly cute creature, like a living doll with an oversized head, button-like eyes, and stubby limbs that only added to its cuteness. And it was one of thousands that made up her crew. More specifically, the one currently standing on her hoof was one of the fairies who had been manning her radar array when Jade Wing and Sundance had snuck up on her. She had determined that said fairy did need to be punished after all. And what better punishment for his-her? Bah, the metaphysical nature of a Fairies gender wasn't something she wanted to worry about right now.- was there than being sacrificed to an excitable foal?

“This is a fairy, a pony conjured through my magic but remains a part of me. And she has agreed to play with your daughter for the day. Isn't that right, little one?” Yamato explained as she stared down at the chibified pony, the shipmare noting that, just as it worked in Kancolle, the crew pony's gender had changed the moment she had left the confines of Yamato’s hull from male to female.

“Squee!” It replied with a smile and a wave of its hoof, Yamato noting with satisfaction that the fairy wasn’t so stiff as to remain stone faced in the face of such an adorable filly.

Said filly squealing herself as she rushed forward to grab and hug the little pony, Yamato only wincing slightly at the flash of pain on her Crewpony's face. “Oh my gosh, she’s so cute! EEEEeeee!” Bubblegum continued to shriek in happiness much to Yamato’s amusement.

“I am glad you like her. I simply ask you do not do anything to her that would hurt her, as she is a part of me. Can you do that for me Bubblegum?”

“You betcha! Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Bubblegum squealed as she placed the fairy on her back. “Come on Fairy, lets go play!” The filly announced as she took off across the deck. Yamato making sure to have her XO make a note for Yamato to thank the radar technician for his sacrifice when he returned, for it was likely that she had gone too far in his punishment all things considered.

An odd silence permeated the deck of the Wavecutter after that, the various ponies each staring in the direction that Bubblegum had gone, before finally Azure Song spoke up. “U-umm…forgive me for asking, your Highness, but was that a good idea? With all due respect, my daughter can get quite excited and I wouldn’t want her hurting that…Fairy I think you called it?”

“Indeed, they are known as Fairies. And do not worry, she is quite the tough little pony despite her appearance, she should be fine…and if she is not, then I will honor her sacrifice.” Yamato declared solemnly, the surrounding ponies looking at her in shock for a moment before the shipmare smiled slightly. “I apologize, I am merely joking.”

The ponies standing around laughed at that, though Yamato noted that some sounded more forced than others, before they returned to their duties. Gleaming Skies and Azure Song excused themselves, stating that they were going to go make sure their daughter didn’t get up to too much trouble, leaving Yamato alone at the bow. Yamato stared out at the ship with a smile upon her face, the shipmare nodding in greeting to Wavecutter as the ship spirit waved excitedly from her spot next to her captain. She could not be sure if it was due to their victory over the pirates or because they were returning home, but Yamato couldn’t see a single unhappy expression in the crowd. In fact, the ponies moving about the deck looked downright chipper, some actually skipping as they went about their business while others seemed to be bobbing their heads to a beat that only they could hear. Heck, the sea itself seemed like it was in a good mood, the waves sparkling like jewels as they gently rolled against the Wavecutter.

How curious, it looks like Equestrian military decorum is quite different from that of the IJN or USN…though that’s hardly surprising considering they are a different species after all. I wonder if-. Yamato considered before freezing in surprise at the voice of somepony singing. Only it wasn’t coming from any of the ponies in front of her, but rather the song was echoing throughout her own hull.

“Oh, we’d be alright if the wind was in our sails!” One of her fairies started to sing, the singing getting louder as more and more of her fairies started to join in. a part of her couldn’t help but question what exactly was happening, as this was hardly proper protocol for her sailors…but when Yamato realized just what they were signing, a shanty she had heard plenty of times in her youth, she put all her confusion aside and let the nostalgic words wash over her. Embracing the strange magic that seemingly had grabbed ahold of her crew, and by extension she herself, the shipmare did not realize that she had started to sing out loud as well.

“We’d be alright if the wind was in our sails.”

“And we’ll all hang on behind!”

Yamato sang, her eyes closed as the nostalgia of her father’s favorite sea shanty suffused her surroundings, the shipmare getting lost in the words she knew by heart. And because she was not paying attention, she failed to notice how every pony on board was somehow joining her in song despite the fact that they shouldn't have ever heard it before.

“And we'll roll the old chariot along”

“We'll roll the old chariot along”

“And we'll all hang on behind”

And so, they sang, Yamato leading the crew of the Wavecutter, and even the ponies still on the pirate ship, in song. With the shipmare singing each verse by herself while everypony else joined in on the chorus.

They sang and sang, Yamato keeping her eyes closed the entire time, repeating the song at least twice. Until finally she reached the final verse, the other ponies trailing off at the emotion in her voice.

“And we’ll all hang on behind!” Yamato finished, holding the last note a little longer than the rest, before finally letting the song fade. For a heartbeat there was silence across the deck, Yamato not at all bothering to hide the emotion on her face at the memories of her previous life bouncing around her head, before she was startled out of her apparent trance by the stomping of hooves and cheering. Yamato jumping slightly as she opened her eyes and saw that everypony was staring at her and apparently applauding her if their positive demeanor was anything to go by.

“…What just happened?” Yamato couldn’t help but question as Whitecap and Azure Song approached, both grinning like little fillies themselves.

“Was that your first Harmony Song, Lady Yamato? Because if so, that was beautiful!” The captain complemented Azure Song nodding in agreement.

“I thank you for your kind words, but what exactly is a Harmony Song?” Yamato couldn’t help but question.

“Its an expression of harmony brought about when a number of ponies all feeling the same kind of emotion need to express their feelings or when one particular pony has a predominantly strong emotion they need to get off their barrel. Usually through the medium of music, dance, or through a surge of that species magic.” Azure Song explained, a playful smile on her lips. “But still, I didn’t know you were one of my competitors, your highness! That was quite the shanty if I do say so myself. May I ask where you heard it? Or did you come up with it yourself?”

Yamato couldn’t help but smile sadly at that, the positive emotions brought about by the apparent Harmony Song keeping her from feeling too bad at the thought of her father. “No, I unfortunately lack such musical talent…but it was my father’s favorite song to sing out at sea and I was often in his company so I naturally picked up on the lyrics.”

“…Did something happen to him?” Whitecap asked quietly, the good mood brought about by the song fading quickly as apparently both mares had picked up on Yamato’s plummeting mood.

“No, rather, it was my parents who lost me.” Yamato admitted sadly, the sudden impulse to be honest with those before overcoming her. “You see, while I do not understand how it happened, I-!” Yamato started to say, before one of her fairies interrupted her with a report from her remaining radar operators, said report causing steam in her boilers to freeze over.

The shipmare bolted from her place at the bow of the ship, nearly bowling over the two startled mares, as she rushed to the aft of the Wavecutter. She threw herself against the railing, Yamato not even noticing as she wood cracked due to the force of her stop, as she stared at a single point on the horizon.

Please, please let this be a mistake! She couldn’t help but beg as she waiting for confirmation, the shipmare not even noticing when Whitecap rushed to her side, worriedly asking what was wrong. But almost as if to spit in the face of the harmony that had suffused the ship only moments ago, Yamato’s fairies dutifully confirmed the report .

Radar, multiple surface contacts detected, South, 10km.

The moment she had confirmation Yamato’s body was engulfed in a brilliant white light, the wood of the deck groaning under the unexpected weight, and even before it had faded, Yamato had already extended her catapults to launch two of her Mitsubishi F1M spotting planes into the sky. By the time the light vanished, Yamato was already turning to Whitecap, a deadly serious expression on her face as her fairies scrambled to get to general quarters and ready themselves for the coming battle. She still didn’t understand how she knew it, especially since she didn’t have any visual conformation, but something deep inside her was telling her that the ships currently closing in on them were her fated foes.

“Captain Whitecap. I need you to listen and listen closely, as I do not have time to repeat myself.” Yamato ordered in a no-nonsense tone, Whitecap flinching slightly at her look but otherwise nodding. “You need to turn Wavecutter directly north and remove yourself from this section of the sea with all due haste. Use whatever means you can to get as far away from this place as quickly as you can but do not travel in a straight line, as that will allow your ships to be targeted. I will join you if I am able, but if I do not return within the next five hours, you must make all possible haste to Equestria and warn your Princesses of a threat coming from the seas.” Yamato stated as she turned made her way over to where the gangplank was located.

“L-Lady Yamato, what is going on?! A threat from the sea? Are we under attack?” Whitecap yelled in a panic, the crew of the ship freezing at her words.

“…There are Abyssals approaching off our aft. Beings who will kill all who sail upon the seas if they are not stopped.” Was all Yamato said in reply as she leapt from the deck of the ship, turned directly south, and started to gallop away with all possible haste.

She had been praying that they wouldn’t show up, that it was just a coincidence that she had appeared in this world as a shipmare. But she was utterly foolish to think that the enemy of Shipgirls would not return with her, and her foolishness had now put innocents in harm’s way. But she would be damned if the ponies on the two ships behind her would suffer because of her mistake, she would make certain of that.

A small part of her wanted to ask them to help her in the battle to come so that she wouldn’t have to fight alone, but she could not bring herself to ask them to risk their lives in a fight they did not understand. For not only would any flesh and blood Pegasus be ripped to shreds by an anti-air gun, she also had no idea how Abyssals would interact with pony magic. Back when this had all been a game, it was said that Abyssals could interfere with all of humanities modern technology, leaving them at the mercy of the eldritch abominations. It was for this reason that the humanity of Kancolle had come to rely on the power of a shipgirl, as it was their unique property of being both human and ship that allowed them to resist this interference. And while the Wavecutter had nothing even close to the technology of a modern Earth navy, Yamato couldn’t be sure if the Abyssals would be able to interfere with something else in its place. What if they could seal away a pony’s magic? Or affect them in even worse ways? No, she would have to fight alone this day.

She could feel her main guns lower to their loading angles as her gunnery crews quickly armed her weapons, as the approaching task force was already well within her range. However, Yamato held her fire for now. After all, she was still far too close to the Wavecutter and its towed vessel and when the Abyssals inevitably returned fire they could accidently strike the unsuspecting vessels, a single shot being more than enough to send every pony on board to a watery grave.

And so, she gave the order to hold fire as she turned southwest in an attempt to widen the gap between her and the Wavecutter while also giving the Abyssals a better target, as she had to make sure to hold their attention for as long as possible.

And what better way to do so than to call them out and taunt them? To draw their ire upon just herself? And so, despite her instincts telling her not to break radio silence, Yamato began to broadcast in the clear. “Attention approaching vessels. This is Yamato, formerly of the IJN, herby ordering you to cease your approach and turn away or you will be fired upon. Continuing on your present course will result in your sinking. This I, Yamato, promise you.” She declared as she continued to steam into battle, the shipmare noting with satisfaction that Whitecap had listened to her orders and had turned the Wavecutter and her tow northward.

Despite her attempt at diplomatic end to the coming conflict, Yamato was under no illusion that the Abyssals would actually heed her warning or even reply in kind, as all the depictions of them she had ever seen always portrayed them as silent, emotionless killing machines. But to her shock she did hear a reply over the radio, one that sent a shiver down her spine at the coldness, the contempt, that the transmission conveyed.

“…Sink…you will sink. All will sink. Sink...Sink...SINK!” A raspy voice answered back, an answer that was all Yamato needed to hear to know just what her opponent’s intentions were.

A few tense minutes later, her planes finally reported the position and size of the enemy task force. One Pennsylvania-class battleship, one Brooklyn-class cruiser, and three Fletcher-class destroyers who began to fill the skies around her planes l with the dark smoke of flak. All five ships steaming north in a direction that would lead them directly to the Wavecutter.

And that was something Yamato would not allow, which was why she ordered her gunnery crews of her main guns to target the Pennsylvania-class battleship.

“All batteries…fire!” Yamato ordered, her fairies obeying a heartbeat later. And for the first time since Samar, the cannons of a Yamato class battleship were unleashed against ships of metal.

Nine armor-piercing shells sailed across the sky as Yamato’s world was consumed by fire and smoke, the shipmare immediately turning due south and ordering her engines to flank speed. If the enemy was going to ignore her then they would pay the price for their foolishness, and if she had to meet them in knife fighting range in order to protect the Wavecutter then she would do so.

Unfortunately, all nine of her shells failed to land on target, as nine plumes of water were observed by her spotting aircraft. But on the other hoof, her attack did have the effect that Yamato had wished for, the five Abyssal ships turning so fast in her direction that, if they had been regular ships, the speed of their turn would have sheered their hulls in half.

With her first objective completed, Yamato ordered her gunnery crews to switch her ammunition from AP shells to HE. She had absolute faith in her superior armor to protect her from the cannons of the battleship and cruiser, but Yamato would freely admit that even she would have a hard time shrugging off the torpedo spreads of three separate destroyers. Not to mention that a single torpedo would be enough to sink the ships at her back. Which was why she ordering her crew to prioritize the sinking of the three destroyers.

Yamato and the enemy fleet continued to advance directly at each other, with Yamato firing her fore guns as often as she could but only striking her enemy twice, the nimble destroyers having apparently realized that she was targeting them and doing everything they could to spoil her targeting solutions. And while Yamato had yet to be struck, it was not from lack of effort. She could see plums of saltwater being sent high into the air in the middle of the no-mans land between the two sides, her opponents clearly lacking the range to strike at her effectively. Her every instinct as a ship screamed at her to take advantage of the enemy’s lack of range, for her to turn either to the east or west, give her aft guns a line on the enemy and maintain her distance as she whittled down the fleet. But she knew she could not, she had to ensure that the Abyssals focused solely on her, for if any broke away and made it to the Wavecutter it would spell their end.

And so, she steamed ahead, her flank speed carrying her into a range where she could see the Abyssals with her own eyes…and what she saw horrified her.

The destroyers looked exactly like she remembered almost like someone had taken a fish, grafted a number of metal plates to its back, attached a jaw practically half the size of its body to its bottom, and carved out two baneful green eyes on either side of the creature. The destroyers clearly living up to their reputation of being abominations dredged up from the depths of the sea.

The cruiser, something Yamato had thought would look somewhat more human, or perhaps more like a pony considering where she was, was equally disgusting if not more so. It was shaped like a tower of blackened steel, gun turrets sprouting from every inch they could. Like the destroyers, the bottom of the cruiser’s front was comprised entirely of teeth, making up an apparent lower jaw, while rising out of this mass of teeth was the front half of a pony…only this pony was missing its head and most of its neck. Instead, it looked like someone had grafted the top of its jaw in place of the missing head. The abomination seemingly crawling across the sea like something out of a zombie movie.

And lastly, the battleship. This Abyssal was the most normal looking one out of the group despite having the body of a pony, but was still horrifying in its own way. Most of the pony looked almost the same as the ponies back on the Wavecutter with the exception of its deathly pale white fur, matted black hair, and glowing green hate filled eyes…But the illusion of normalcy was shattered when one looked at its front legs, if one could even call them that. Instead of fur and flesh, the battleships forelegs were comprised entirely of the twisted black steel that made up the rest of its fleet. Each one towering over the mare they were attached to and covered in cannons that were actively tracking Yamato.

They were all abominations, creatures born from the depths of a cruel gods madness, and they did not deserve the right to pollute the surface of such a beautiful sea with their filth. An fact that Yamato was soon to rectify.

Yamato once again fired for fore turrets, both her main and her secondary, her view once again being obscured by a thick cloud of smoke. But this time fate appeared to be on her side. Whether due to her fury, a god of this world smiling down on her, or simple luck, two of Yamato’s shells struck true. The right most destroyer shuddering as the shells penetrated its armor towards its aft. If it had been actually alive, the creature would have had just enough time to pray before the shells detonated, the two HE shells ripping apart the destroyer’s aft and sending an oily black cloud of smoke into the air.

But the destroyer wasn’t done yet despite its crippling, and likely fatal, wound. A screeching roar echoed from its throat before releasing a full spread of ten torpedoes, the mark fourteen torpedoes headed straight for her. And while Yamato knew that the mark fourteens were notoriously ineffective, she wasn’t about to stake the rest of the battle on said torpedoes not detonating when they struck her hull.

Ordering her helmspony to turn the ship hard to port in order to dodge the spread, Yamato gave the order for her turrets to begin firing at will, as she would need to focus more and more on evasive maneuvers from here on out. Unfortunately, it appeared that Yamato had finally entered the range of both the cruisers and the battleship’s guns. While the cruiser’s guns were low enough caliber that they weren’t likely to penetrate her armor and deal any major damage, they were firing so fast that it was practically raining shells upon her. Yamato couldn’t help but wince in pain as shell after shell detonated against her deck, but such attacks would not stop her, feeling more like being bitten by a swarm of bugs than the detonation of HE shells. Unfortunately, the battleship didn’t seem to get the message that they didn't have the caliber to penetrate her armor, as one of its shells struck against her bow, and while it ricocheted off her armor, it felt like someone had just hit her with a hammer in the shin.

But Yamato wasn’t about to let such attacks stand without reprisal, as her own main guns returned fire only seconds later as the torpedoes passed harmlessly to her sides due to her evasive maneuvers.

For what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, Yamato sailed amongst her enemies exchanging fire. Fortunately, one did not challenge one of the greatest battleships to ever sail the seas and expect to survive, a lesson many of her enemies had learned first-hoof. The three destroyers were on their way back to the depths that had spawned them, Yamato’s secondary cannons making short work of the lightly armored abominations, the lessons of Samar keeping the battleship from using the wrong types of shells on her opponents. Regrettably, the destroyers had not returned to the deep without extracting their own pound of steel. Over the course of the battle three separate torpedoes had struck true. Two torpedoes struck against her torpedo bulge , leaving deep, painful gashes across her barrel but otherwise inflicting only minor damage.

Unfortunately, the third torpedo managed to strike her far lower in the water when it detonated towards her aft on her starboard side when she hadn’t been paying attention and one of the little bastards had managed to flank her, knocking out one of her turbines and flooding a number of her compartments before her damage control fairies could get a handle on the flooding. This translated into a deep, bloody, wound on her back left leg that made her want to scream in pain with every move she made and compromised her ability to remain standing on the water, her back legs sinking into the cold water to her ankles.

And while Yamato no longer had to worry about the threat of being sunk herself, the cruiser hadn’t been quietly waiting its turn while she dealt with the smaller ships. By shear probability, a number of fires had broken out across the wooden sections of Yamato’s deck due to the number of shells the cruiser had unleashed upon her. and while her crew had managed to get most of them under control, there was a particularly bad fire burring across her bow that they were still working on. The various fires leaving her fur patchy and her flesh blackened.

The only silver lining was the lack of damage the other battleship had managed to inflict at this point, though not from lack of trying. With Yamato’s top speed greatly outstripping the ageing superdreadnought Yamato was able to keep its main guns pointed at the thickest parts of her armor. Its shells leaving bad bruises where they struck but failing to penetrate her armor.

Yamato stared out across the waves as she attempted to get her breathing under control and take stock of just what the situation was. Both her enemies were now listing to the side, as Yamato’s barrages had apparently caused quite a bit of flooding in their hulls, but neither seemed to have suffered enough damage to actually sink.

Its time to finish this. Yamato thought grimly as she ordered the crews manning her main guns to focus on the battleship while her secondaries would continue to fire on the cruiser.

It was then that the Abyssal cruiser, having apparently decided against continuing to live, began to crawl forward at speeds Yamato wouldn’t have thought it capable of with all the flooding it was likely experiencing. Its path one that placed it on a direct course for a collision. Yamato realizing a second later that it was going to try and ram her.

She immediately began to turn into the charge so that the cruiser had less of a chance of striking her while also ordering all batteries to focus fire on the now suicidal Abyssal, as having even a single ton of steel striking her at that speed would cause more damage than she was willing to take. Her guns opened fire, Yamato having long grown used to the shockwave they created with each attack, and much to her shock utterly annihilated the approaching Abyssal. She didn’t know if she had simply struck true with all six shells of her frontal turrets or she had simply gotten lucky caused and struck the chagrining cruiser in its magazine, but regardless the only sign that the Abyssal had been there a second ago was the greasy fireball that was slowly rising into the sky.

Yamato turned to the last remaining abomination, a confident smile on her face despite the pain she was in, but before she could fire a single shell she was forced to stop when she heard a sound that she wasn’t expecting, a sound that she had been praying that she wouldn't here.

It was the sound of a pony yelling out a battle cry.

Yamato turned around to see Jade Wing, Sundance, and a number of other Pegasi, flying directly at the Abyssal battleship. Each one held a spear in their hands and was dressed in light blue armor that was quite impressive in how much it managed to cover while still allowing them to fly. Indeed, their armor and armaments were quite impressive…if it weren't for the fact that they were going up against a being who wouldn’t even notice their pointy sticks and who could rip them from the sky with ease no matter how much armor they wore.

“No! All ponies, break off your attack runs! Do not approach!” Yamato yelled, the mask of calmness she normally had on in the presence of others long forgotten. But much to her horror the ponies continued to advance without heading her warnings, either thinking that against a single foe they did not need to be cautious or more likely oblivious to the danger they were in.

Yamato whipped back around to glare at the battleship, intending to finish it off before it could open up with its anti-air guns, but her guns needed to realign to target due to the fact that she had turned away to see who was approaching. Unfortunately, this was all the time the Abyssal needed, as Yamato watched in horror as it turned its once impassive face on the approaching ponies…and smiled. Though there was no joy in its grin, only the cruel enjoyment of a predator watching its prey fall into a snare.

The Abyssals baneful green eyes flared brightly like twin flames roaring into existence and Yamato felt…something, some sort of pressure, wash across her hull. And while whatever it was didn’t affect her in the slightest, from the startled gasps and screams of fear echoing from behind her the same could not be said for the others. Once again being forced to turn around, Yamato watched unable to do anything as one by one the Pegasi fell from the sky only to crash into the water. Their wings seemingly having failed them the moment the wave of energy passed over them just as Yamato had feared.

Fortunately, it appeared that being a member of their navy, each and every pony present knew how to swim while also being covered in armor, as their muzzles broke the surface one by one only a few seconds later. Jade Wing, the Pegasus who had been leading the charge, turned with a shocked expression towards Yamato, likely intending to ask what had just happened, but her words died in her throat as she looked past Yamato and paled considerably. And while Yamato could not see it herself, her spotters informed her that the Abyssal had turned its cannons on the defenseless ponies treading water, its cruel smile growing even wider at the coming violence.

Yamato had no time to consider what would be the best action to take, no time to fire her own cannons to try and stop what was coming. she only had time to act.

And so she did. The shipmare, moving faster than her damaged turbine should have allowed, leapt across the sea to cover Jade with her hull, and therefore her armor, as best she could. And not a moment too soon, as the deafening roar of naval rifles was followed by agony unparalleled.

Yamato heard a scream echo across the waves that accompanied the boom of naval rifles, the battleship belatedly realizing a second later that it was her own. While most of the shells had bounced harmlessly against her armor, two of the shells struck true. The two shells penetrated her conning tower, one closer to the base of the tower while the other sheared away her radar. The Shipmare had just enough time to know just what was coming before the shell that had lodged itself in her conning tower detonated, the blast nearly removing the entirety of her superstructure.

For a time Yamato could not move, could not think, she could do nothing but focus on the ringing in her ears. But eventually she could make out the voice of another, the mangled ship glancing down to see Jade Wing staring up at her in horror, the pegasu's' face covered in blood. Though considering that Jade was still alive and not simply a cloud of murky water, Yamato determined that it was likely her own blood covering the shell-shocked mare.

“L-Lady Yamato…I…” The pony tried to say, but trailed off as Yamato shook her head.

“…One moment Jade, I still have something I must take care of.” Yamato breathlessly whispered through the pain as her aft turrets took aim, Yamato turning her neck to glare at the Abyssal despite the pain it caused her. “…Sink.”

And with that, she returned fire.

Yamato watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the Abyssal’s face morphed from one of cruel glee into one of horrific realization, the abomination likely having just enough time to see the shells flying directly at her before her end. The shells from her main armament easily penetrated the Abyssals' armor dig deep into her citadel before detonating while her secondaries tore large chunks out of her superstructure. The Abyssal shuddered as a black liquid began to pour from its lips, a sure sign that it had suffered fatal damage. It attempted to move, but it quickly collapsed against the surface of the sea, its hateful green eyes going wide before the twisted light held within finally sputtered out.

The sea was utterly silent as the last Abyssal slowly began to sink beneath the waves, the only sound being the heavy, pained, breathing of Yamato herself. Though with the battle over, the magic that allowed the Pegasi to fly seemed to return, as one by one they slowly rose back into the air with looks of horror on their faces.

“Oh no…oh no, no no! L-Lady Yamato, are you alright? Th-there’s so much blood! I do-don’t know what…” Jade Wing stuttered in a panic as she leapt from the water only to fly gingerly around the wounded mare, the green Pegasus reaching out on occasion but seemingly having no idea what to do with so many injuries present.

“…I need you all to return to the Wavecutter and ensure that all medical staff on board are ready to receive me.” Yamato calmly ordered despite the fact that she wanted nothing more than to lay down and scream at how much pain she was in. but she was a battleship, nay, the battleship, and she would not show weakness just because she had done her duty and survived. “Also, please ensure that all civilians and those who cannot handle blood are removed from the deck as I embark.”

“Wha…but…d-don’t tell me you plan to walk back to the ship! Th-that’s crazy!” Sundance shouted out, apparently losing his calm at her seeming disregard for her own wounds despite how much pain she must be in.

“I will because I must.” Yamato answered back as she began to slowly limp her way back north, her two planes already heading in that direction so that she could retrieve them before embarking. “…Also, I will require some pony to prepare a bath for me in my room if you would be so kind.”

“Wha…?” Was all Sundance could mutter as Yamato slowly walked past the hovering Pony, the gathered Pegasi finally snapping out of their stupor to gather into a formation around Yamato while Jade took off in the direction of the Wavecutter at such speeds that she became just a blur of green, although that might just be blood getting into her eyes.

The next few minutes were somewhat of a blur to the Shipmare, as before she knew it, she was standing just below the Equestrian frigate, the unicorns on board lowering a gangplank for her. She was vaguely aware that she was walking up said gangplank, her left rear leg sending a spike of pain through her head with every step she took but she never allowed her steps to falter. She heard the shocked and horrified gasps of the crew as she came into view, the questions, the concern, the various ponies trying to wrap her less serious injuries in bandages despite the fact that she refused to stop. All the while they were begging her to head to the sick bay for treatment.

But eventually her mind cleared enough for her to find herself standing in said sick bay, a large pool of water sloshing before her. Her XO informed her that she had agreed to be treated in the sickbay so long as the tub of water was prepared.

“Lady Yamato, by Celestia, please don't tell me that you intend to take a bath at a time like this? Such an action will only aggravate your wounds!” A stallion wearing a white coat uttered in disbelief, a pony that Yamato belatedly realized was likely the chief medical officer of the Wavecutter.

“I do. Because such a bath is the only way I will recover from these wounds.” Yamato answered cryptically despite the unease she was feeling. Of all the aspects of the game, the repair baths were the least explained and yet one of the most crucial parts. It had never made sense to her that ship shaped humans could recover from even the worst of wounds by simply having a nice soak. She remembered some people theorizing that the baths were filled with nanites that would break down metals and use them to repair the girls. But right now, Yamato was just hoping that the other school of thought was the true one; that the baths were just magic bullshit and work whenever a ship took a soak…because she highly doubted that the doctor giving her an odd look had any micro machines on hoof to give her.

Slowly Yamato stepped into the water and laid down completely, to the point where only her head was exposed, and much to her horror nothing was happening. The only change being that Yamato could now feel the chilly water all around her. But to the shock of the doctor, the nurses, and Yamato herself , the normally crystal-clear water started to glow with a green light and started to warm around Yamato’s body.

The shipmare let out a sigh of relief as a series of numbers appeared over her head, the ponies present flinching at the suddenness of its appearance.

“Wh-what is that…26,32,16? What does that mean?” The doctor questioned, Yamato smiling faintly as her consciousness began to fade once again.

“That…is the number of hours, minutes, and seconds I will have to stay in this water in order to heal.” Yamato explained before finally passing out.

Whitecap was thankful that she hadn’t had the chance to eat anything this evening, as considering how sick she was currently feeling she would have likely vomited it all up by now. Instead, she just had to make due with the taste of bile at the back of her throat that rose whenever she thought about the events of the last few hours.

At first the Captain had been more than willing to follow the monarch of the sea’s orders, as it was clear from her actions the previous day and the seriousness of her expression when she passed down her orders that Yamato only had her ponies’ best interest at heart and clearly had noticed some kind of threat that only she could see, and when she had leapt from the deck of her ship Whitecap had immediately ordered every Pegasus on board to start generating wind and ordered the ship to change course.

But that was before the sounds of thunder started to echo across the seas. As her crew moved to follow her orders and get the Wavecutter underway, Whitecap had been watching Yamato fight against creatures that would make even the Wendigos flee in terror. Those abominations, Abyssals Yamato had called them, apparently had the same kind of magic as Yamato herself as Whitecap could see fire and smoke exploding from the metal barrels attached to the creatures in a similar manner to the fire that Yamato unleased, only the Princess’ magic was clearly superior to theirs.

Once they were certain that they weren’t going to come under attack anytime soon, Whitecap had been practically assaulted by the pegasi of her crew, each one asking for Whitecap to order them to aid the ascendant pony currently fighting on their behalf, a few of the unicorns even volunteering to be carried into battle in order to help. But Whitecap had refused them. While she didn’t have a complete understanding of what an Abyssal was, it was clear that Yamato was doing everything she could to give the Wavecutter a chance to escape and that by going to her aid, they would be spitting on her goodwill and, if the fates were not in her favor, her sacrifice. And despite the pain of knowing that Yamato could lose her life in battle, it was their duty to return to Equestria and warn their Princesses about the oncoming threat. And so, Whitecap had been prepared to watch until she could watch no more.

Of course, that resolution of hers had quickly faded when she watched Yamato wreath each of her foes in fire until only two remained.

But despite her success, it was also clear that Yamato herself had suffered some pretty serious injuries, as while Whitecap’s spyglass wasn’t precise enough for her to make out details, she still knew enough about pony physiology to know that when a pony started smoking it was probably a bad sign.

And when Jade had once again begged to go out and help the wounded mare, Whitecap had finally agreed. After all, Yamato had done an excellent job of dealing with the first three and had clearly wounded the other two. Regardless of what threat they represented, so long as they all worked together, they were sure to win! Wasn’t that the point of the Magic of Harmony after all?

But Whitecap was forced to watch as, contrary to her beliefs, the ponies she sent out to help Yamato only became a hinderance. One by one, the Pegasi she had ordered into battle fell from the sky like foals on their first flight, forcing Yamato to leap in front of an attack meant for Whitecap’s ponies and further injuring the foreign princess.

But in spite of Whitecap’s interference, Yamato still managed to carry the day, the otherworldly mare unleashing one last burst of fire and finally felling her foe. Even before a single Pegasus had returned Whitecap had ordered every pony with even a hint of medical training to get ready for Yamato’s return, as it was certain that the larger mare was suffering from a myriad of wounds. Whitecap had felt sick as she watched as, one by one, her pegasi returned to the ship, each one with a look of horror and dejection on their faces. The medical staff had rushed in to make sure no pony had been injured in the attack, but besides for a few busted eardrums everpony was fine…at least physically. Jade Wing had approached Whitecap with Yamato’s orders, the earth pony not hesitating for even a second before ordering a group of unicorns to go and prepare the bath Yamato had requested. Even if she didn’t understand why the foreign princess would want one right now.

But Whitecap had already bucked up everything by not listening to Yamato the first time around, and she wasn’t about to make the same mistake again so soon.

And so, with nothing else they could do, the ponies on the Wavecutter were forced to watch as Yamato slowly limped back to the ship. And when she finally reached the top of the gangplank, Whitecap couldn’t hold back her horrified gasp at the state the once regal mare was in. Burnt, bruised, and bloodied to the point that Whitecap couldn’t actually see any part of the mare that wasn’t hurt. Whitecap had rushed forward, planning to apologize for her foalishness, but froze at the vacant look in Yamato’s eyes. it was pretty clear that the taller mare was barely conscious at this point and that she was in desperate need of medical attention, and so Whitecap stood aside as Yamato was ushered into the medical bay.

And now, Yamato was unconscious and had saved herself from knocking on death's door. The ascendant pony somehow turning a normal vat of water into a healing bath, the mare once again proving that she didn’t even need their help to recover from what should have been fatal wounds.

Whitecap couldn’t help but gag once again as her stomach rebelled at the thought of just how badly wounded Yamato had gotten under her protection, and therefore the protection of Equestria. She had failed, failed so utterly and so completely that she wasn’t sure what would happen to her once she retuned to her homeland. She would be stripped of her command to be sure, but Whitecap wouldn’t be shocked to learn she was bound for a curse of stone once all was said and done. Such was the magnitude of her failure.

But before she surrendered to her justly deserved fate, she had a duty to fulfil. And so, the emotionally exhausted captain sat down with quill and paper in hoof. “…Dear Princess Celestia…”

Author's Note

Was initially going to split this chapter in two because of how long it is, but thought better of it because the best break would have been right before the Abyssal fight started, and that would have been a cruel place to leave you all on. but on that note, I was curious if most people preferred getting shorter chapters more often or longer ones but with more time in between them? Feel free to let me know!

Until next time!

Chapter 6

Celestia stared out at the sea that bore her name with a serene mask upon her face despite the inner turmoil she was feeling. Not a day ago she had been in the middle of a meeting with her economic advisors when a member of the Royal Guard had burst through the door carrying a scroll. The pony stating that a Pegasus from the R.E.N had just flown in and that the letter he had been carrying had a seal on it meaning that mean it was for royal eyes only.

While Celestia would be the first to admit that her little ponies could be somewhat panicky at times and make mountains out of molehills, the recent use of a Want it, Need it spell by her prized pupil being a prime example, it was still her duty to hear and alleviate the concerns of all her ponies...and on the off chance that it wasn't somepony panicking over nothing then it was even more important for her to determine what had happened.

After ensuring that the wax seal on the scroll was legitimate, Celestia unfurled the parchment and read through its contents her expression growing more and more concerned with each word. She had yet to even finish the report when she ordered the meeting adjourned and the guards that had been stationed outside the chamber to summon both Captain Armor and Celestia's sister for an emergency meeting. Not an hour later both Celestia and Luna, along with a not insubstantial number of the royal guard, were flying out on chariots bound for NS Mareport, the primary base of operations for all R.E.N naval operations conducted in the Celestial Sea just south of Baltimare. Which was where she was standing right now.

Fighting off the impulse to sigh for what must have been the hundredth time since reading the letter, Celestia turned away from the sea to see four ponies waiting at attention along with her sister who was currently staring with equal worry out at the waves, the four ponies beings some of the most important ponies in all of Equestria besides for Luna and herself as far as the E.U.P. was concerned.

General Stoutbeard, the Earth Pony in charge of all of Equestria’s land-based operations. Captain Spitfire, the leader of the Wonderbolts and the mare in charge of all military actions involving pegasi. Captain Shinning Armor, the current leader of the Royal Guard and her future nephew in law. And finally, Admiral Undertow, an aging Pegasus mare who had overseen Equestria’s navy from its inception.

And it was Undertow that currently had Celestia’s attention. “Admiral, while I do not wish to cast aspersions on any one of my little ponies, I must ask; how prone to panic is this Captain Whitecap? Is there a chance that she is simply exaggerating in regards to the severity of the situation?” Celestia questioned with concern in her voice. While she may have been the pony to present Whitecap with her commission, as she wanted to ensure that all of her little ponies that went above and beyond were assured of how appreciative she was for their service, she knew very little about the mare herself. Which was why she had to ask if this was just a situation in which her ponies’ tendency to react with fear to strange situations, and no pony would deny that even if it had been exaggerated, the events reported in her letter were quite strange to be true.

Undertow didn’t answer immediately, instead staring down at the dock beneath her hooves in contemplation before finally shaking her head in denial. “No Princess, she is not. The Wavecutter is one of the ships we send to patrol the route to Griffonstone and as such, Capitan Whitecap has had plenty of experience dealing with the unexpected. If this is what she has reported, then it is what happened…as hard it may be to accept.” The Pegasus admitted as the whole group stared down at the letter held in Celestia’s magic that had brought them all here.

The beginning of the letter, while still distressing, had started off normally enough. With Whitecap reporting that they had intercepted a Griffon-based pirate ship that had attacked, sunk, and kidnapped the crew of an Equestrian merchant vessel. Whitecap requesting help in aiding the victimized ponies as well as processing the offending griffons. A request that would hardly require the immediate attention of Celestia and Luna.

But that quickly changed when one read the next few paragraphs. The letter mentioned an encounter with a pony Whitecap considered to be an ascendant pony similar to an Alicorn though not quite the same. A pony by the name of Yamato-a name that Luna had become quite distressed upon hearing Celestia had noted- who Whitecap thought was likely the Princess of an unknown pre-classical era pony nation.

And the icing on the cake; that Yamato had been wounded- possibly fatally- due to Whitecap’s failure to fight against a threat that had been entirely unknown to her before the moment they attacked, one who was able to completely neutralize pegasi flight magic in a wide range. An enemy apparently known as the “Abyssal”.

“…Even if it is exaggerated, if there is a force out there that can nullify pony magic then…” Stoutbeard muttered, the earth pony giving voice to the concerns that all present were feeling.

“We would have to retrain the entirety of Equestria’s military in order to combat this threat. And that’s assuming these Abyssal’s even give us the chance to do so.” Shinning Armor added grimly.

“There are weapons of old that were made to combat Grogarian beasts that we may draw upon in order to combat such a threat, weapons designed during the reign of Discord when pony magic was not always guaranteed to function properly. But thou-you make a valid point nonetheless. As it stands, every city we have along our coasts is in danger and we may not be able to stop them.” Luna agreed, her eyes narrowed as she studied the map of modern Equestria held in her magic. It was times like these-well, she felt it all the time, but now more than ever-that Celestia couldn’t help but send a silent thank you to Twilight and her friends for freeing her sister. As while Celestia hadn’t led a military campaign in over a thousand years, Luna still held the mentality that they had both shared all those years ago, back in a time where there were far more threats out to harm ponykind that couldn’t be talked down or made friends with. And if these new enemies were half as threatening as the letter implied, well…

But Celestia’s thoughts were interrupted when a Pegasus member of the royal guard flew up to their group and saluted. “Ma’am! Our scouts have reported sighting two vessels on approach, all initial observations point to it being the Wavecutter and the captured pirate ship Ma’am.” The royal guard reported, Celestia turning back to the sea and, sure enough, there was a brown dot slowly forming on the horizon.

“Understood. Send two wings of pegasi to ensure that they arrive quickly and safely.” Celestia ordered, the Pegasus saluting before flying off.

With so many pegasi working to create wind, it didn’t take long for the Wavecutter to reach port. Undertow ordered the towed ship to be disconnected and taken to a different dock, as apparently there were only civilians on board the captured vessel, while the Wavecutter was tied off and prepared for royal inspection. But neither Celestia or Luna had the time to wait for the Wavecutter to pull into its slip when the fate of Equestria was at stake. And so, after informing the land bound ponies to follow when they were able and to ensure that the medical personnel they had brought with them in case this Yamato still required medical aid were ready to embark, the four winged ponies took to the air.

Landing with a dull thud, Celestia held up her hoof in order to forestall the inevitable wave of bowing the crew of the Wavecutter was about to perform. “Please, my little ponies, focus on your tasks. We need to speak to Capitan Whitecap with all due haste. Will somepony please fetch her?”

“Y-yes Ma’am. She should be in her quarters right now. I will go and get her.” one of the sailors answered before rushing below deck.

In the silence that followed Celestia took the opportunity to examine the ponies on board the Wavecutter. They each went about their business of brining the ship into port with the experience of those who had sailed for years on end, but it was clear from the nervous glances they directed at the two Diarchs and their general demeanor that the crew of the Wavecutter were quite unnerved by recent events. There was a noticeable air of unease and sorrow hanging over their heads, from the slight slump of their shoulders, to the anxiety barely concealed in their eyes. And if fully trained ponies were reacting this badly to an encounter with these “Abyssals” then Celestia didn’t even wish to consider how badly the rest of Equestria would react if they came ashore.

And it was because she was attempting to take in the crew’s moral that she noticed the tiny Pegasus filly tearfully flying directly at her with a doll clutched in her front hooves. Along with two other ponies, likely the filly’s parents if Celestia had to guess, galloping after her with mortified expressions on their faces.

Fortunately, Celestia had dealt with quite the number of excitable and/or emotionally distraught foals over the course of her life, and so she barely had to think before gently catching the tiny pony with her magic. Not that she would have minded being rushed by such a cute filly, but she didn’t wish for either of the child’s parents-one of whom she recognized as Gleaming Skies, a prolific oversees merchant with a good heart, a rarity when it came to ponies with such wealth- to keel over due to the everlasting shame of knowing their daughter had assaulted a royal pony.

“P-Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Pw-pwease help Princess Yamato! I-I’m weally sorry I said her magic was too loud! I didn’t mean for her to get hurt!” The young filly cried as she presented her doll to the two Alicorns. “She can have her fairy back if it helps, b-but please don’t let her die! Pweaty please!” The filly finished before beginning to sob, Celestia’s heart breaking as she wrapped one of her wings around the weeping filly and pulled her into a comforting hug.

“Do not worry, little one. My sister and I will do everything we can to make sure that Yamato lives. I…promise you?” Celestia answered, though she couldn’t help but lose her composure when she saw that the filly’s doll, now directly under her head, was staring up at her with a shocked expression on its muzzle, its gaze switching back and forth between the two Alicorns, before the doll seemingly noticed Celestia’s gaze and snapped off a salute and a squeak.

Celestia, having had the privilege of training nearly all of this generations most prominent unicorns and having ruled Equestria for a number of years, was in the unique position of knowing nearly every pony who could cast an advanced enough animation spell to give life to a doll in such a realistic way. And as such, she knew there were perhaps five such ponies besides herself in all of Equestria who could do so. And only one such pony was standing close enough to actually have cast said spell.

Celestia glanced up from the doll to stare at her sister to see if this was one of her pranks. Something that would have made Celestia quite giddy, as it would mean that Luna was finally recovering some of her spirit from a thousand years ago back when they had both been quite the pranksters, and a little annoyed, as it was hardly appropriate to make light of such a situation. But thankfully Luna was also staring at the doll with clear surprise on her muzzle. The Lunar Diarch also glancing up at Celestia, likely thinking along similar lines to Celestia herself, noticing her big sisters gaze, and shaking her head. It was not Luna who was preforming this spellwork.

How curious. Is this the work of this Princess Yamato then? Whitecap’s letter did mention that she believed Yamato to be some form of an ascendant pony, perhaps that was how she cast such an impressive spell? But if that is the case, then one would assume that the spell would have ended when she fell unconscious or, heavens forbid, passed away. So how is it still able to move? Celestia considered as the filly’s parents stopped and bowed low, too low, Celestia winching in sympathy as two dull thumps echoed across the deck as the two ponies smacked their faces against the deck.

“P-please forgive our daughter, your highnesses! She didn’t mean to offend anypony, she’s just very worried about Lady Yamato and after everything that has happened…” The mare apologized profusely, Celestia smiling patiently as she levitated the filly over to her mother.

“Do not worry, my little pony, we are not offended. There is nothing wrong with being concerned over the fate of some pony you care for after all.” Celestia comforted, her sister nodding in agreement.

“Indeed, thou-I mean you should be proud that your daughter was so brazen as to approach her rulers so casually. In times past, such actions would be met with a time in our dungeons at the very least. That your daughter was willing to take such a risk for the sake of another is indeed praiseworthy.” Luna added, Celestia staring up at the blue sky and holding in her sigh as the filly’s parents paled considerably at Luna’s words.

“…Y-Yes, thank you, Princess Luna, for your kind words.” Gleaming Skies returned as he and his wife stood. “…and while it may be presumptuous of me to offer this, but if Lady Yamato requires anything, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask it of us. Twice now, Lady Yamato has saved our lives. And I cannot, in good conscious, not return the favor if it is within my power.” The stallion offered, Celestia smiling in pride at his offer.

“And I am sure that she will appreciate it when she awakens. But do not worry, Equestria will not abandon any creature who has fought so hard to defend her citizens.” And that was the truth. Despite all the questions that Celestia had about where she had come from, how she could do everything that Whitecap’s letter claimed she could do, and this unknown threat that she seemed to know of, this Yamato had risked her life to protect her little ponies at great cost to herself. And as such, Celestia would do all she could to help Yamato in return.

It was then that Celestia heard a door opening behind her, the solar Diarch turning around to see a thoroughly exhausted and upset looking mare standing at attention. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Captain Whitecap, reporting as requested.” The mare greeted stiffly, Celestia flinching at the sorrow present in her voice but pressing forward regardless.

“Captain Whitecap. Before we continue I must ask, does Lady Yamato still require medical attention? As we have medics on standby awaiting teleport if it is required.” The princess offered, though thankfully Whitecap shook her head despite the worried look on her muzzle.

“I don’t believe so your Highness, but her means of using healing magic is so foreign to me I cannot say for certain.” Whitecap admitted with a wince before continuing. “I have had the ships medical ponies checking in on her every hour, but otherwise I have asked the crew to respect her privacy, so as such I have not seen her myself since the battle. But all reports I have received on her current state imply she is recovering well.”

Celestia nodded at that, choosing to not teleport the doctors on the dock on board, before turning to Undertow “Admiral, the floor is yours.” While Celestia doubted that anypony in Equestria would not follow her or her sister’s orders purely out of respect for what they represented, technically the sisters only had direct control over the Royal Guard. And as such, it was up to the Admiral to take charge of the situation.

Undertow nodded before turning her attention to the now saluting Captain, a stern look now on her face. “Understood…Captain Whitecap, by your own admission you have allowed a foreign dignitary to come to harm while under Equestrian protection. Should this prove true, it is grounds for the loss of your commission, and possible trial by military tribunal should your failure prove too detrimental to the future of Equestria. And as such, I must ask that if you have any further information to add, or wish to change your previous statement, now would be the time to do so.” The Admiral explained, an equally serious expression forming on Whitecap’s face as she shook her head in denial.

“No, I have no defense for my actions. I fully understand the weight of my failure, and am prepared for the consequences of such. Even if it means I must be sealed in stone for my failures.” Whitecap stated as she bowed her head.

Celestia couldn’t help but feel a good deal of sorrow over Whitecap’s likely fate. It was clear that Whitecap was a truly honorable mare, one that Equestria should be proud to have serving in its guard, but with the situation being what it was, there was likely nothing she nor her sister could do to protect the captain from suffering repercussions for her actions. Though the solar Diarch doubted they would have to go so far as to imprison her, in stone or behind bars.

Admiral Undertow nodded at Whitecap’s words, a frustrated look on her face, likely for the same reasons as Celestia’s own, before continuing. “Very well then, we shall conduct your debriefing as soon as General Stoutbeard and Captain Shining Armor join us.”

Not ten minutes later the six ponies were gathered in Whitecap’s cabin to discuss just what had happened. With Celestia, Luna, and the others gathered at one side of the table while Whitecap had the other side completely to herself, the mare in question starting to look a little nervous despite still soldiering on.

“Captain Whitecap, please begin from the beginning. Your letter mentioned that you encountered Lady Yamato out in international waters. Is this correct?” Undertow began, Whitecap nodding in confirmation.

“That is correct. It was on the third day of our patrol, around noon, when one of my crew ponies spotted a form moving across the waves. A form that I myself confirmed was a pony. I immediately dispatched two Pegasi in order to offer aid and bring the unknown pony to the Wavecutter. I believed at the time that it was a unicorn that had been stranded out at sea who was using some sort of water walking spell and as such I had our medics on standby in case of magical exhaustion.

“Hmm…while there are some spells that can increase water tension or allow a unicorn to hover over the waves in a similar manner to your description. For any pony to be casting such spells over any reasonable length of time would require an immense thaumaturgic reserve. Tell me sister, do modern unicorns have such an impressive store of energy compared to their predecessors?” Luna thought out loud, Celestia shaking her head in response.

“Not particularly. And since neither spell you have mentioned sister are particularly easy to cast, Yamato must be a particularly accomplished caster.” The solar Diarch thought out loud before once again turning her attention to Whitecap. “While such spell casting is impressive, there are many unicorns in Equestria who could preform such magic. Is there some other reason you believe that she is some sort of Alicorn?”

“It is, but forgive me if I gave off this impression Princess, but Lady Yamato is not a unicorn.” Whitecap explained, a rueful smile on her face at the surprised and shocked looks on every other pony’s muzzle. “We made the same face when she emerged from the water, but Lady Yamato lacks both a horn and wings that would normally be associated with a pony of her size and standing. But considering the amount of magic she has displayed it was not hard for me to conclude that she is some form of ascendant pony.”

“…A request for you then Captain.” Luna interrupted then, an almost apprehensive look on her face. “Please describe Yamato in as much detail as you can.”

“Of course, your Highness…Lady Yamato stands just as tall as Princess Celestia, if not a little taller. She has a gray coat and a brown mane covered in some sort of pink flower neither I nor any member of my crew could identify, along with golden eyes. She wears a set of regalia that is red on its lower half and grey on the top, with the one covering her barrel bearing a golden, sun-like, symbol that she mentioned is the symbol of her nation. And lastly, she wears a crown that extends perpendicular from her head instead of going upwards.” Whitecap finished, Luna releasing a pent-up breath as she stared up at the celling.

“…So, it is her.” Luna muttered, Celestia whipping her head around to stare at her sister in surprise.

“Luna? Do you know this Yamato?” The solar Diarch couldn’t help but ask as she searched her memories for any mare that fit this Yamato’s description from a thousand years ago. As while her sister had returned from her exile a little over a year ago, she had yet to make many friends beyond Celestia’s own pupil and a few other citizens of Ponyville.

“Nay, sister, it is inaccurate to say that I know her- though that is something I wish to rectify- but I did meet her within the dream realm only recently.” Luna corrected, Celestia giving her a look.

“…And you did not think to inform me of such a meeting?” Celestia couldn’t help but ask, causing Luna to return the look.

“Thou should already know sister; that my oath to protect the unconscious minds of our ponies means that I am not at liberty to discuss their nightmares. Nor do the forms they take within the dream realm reflect their true bodies. I have met many a Alicorn within the minds of our subjects after all.” Luna answered before looking away with a pensive look. “And while I would have preferred to meet her again under better circumstances…I cannot help but feel somewhat pleased at the chance to speak with her again.”

Well, at least that answers why she looked so upset at hearing that Yamato had been injured. Celestia thought as she turned to Whitecap. “I apologize for my sister's and mine interruption. You may continue with the debriefing.”

“Of course, your majesty. As I said, once Lady Yamato stepped aboard, she somehow magically dismissed her saddlebags, saddlebags that seemed to be comprised entirely of metal and were larger than Yamato herself, and introduced herself. She requested access to our charts of the local waters after which she would excuse herself and head for the nearest landmass, which would have likely been Equestrian soil. After determining that it was likely she was a VIP from another nation, I offered her safe passage on board the Wavecutter to Equestria, an offer she agreed to.” Whitecap paused then, a sad look coming over her features for a moment before she pressed on. “Over the rest of the day I attempted to learn all I could about the mysterious mare, but every time I attempted to bring up her homeland it was clear the thoughts of her home brought her great pain and so I decided against attempting to learn more about her past at least for the duration of our mission. Despite that, I did learn more about Lady Yamato through her own actions. Such as her ability to store objects in a separate space and make them reappear at will, or the fact that she knows nothing about Equestria or any modern nation-.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a sec. Your tellin’ me she’s never hear of Equestria? Isn’t she a pony? Where exactly is she from if not Equestria?” Spitfire questioned incredulously, Whitecap frowning at the question.

“No, she does not. By her own admission, she has been “asleep”- which I interpreted as having been in some sort of magical exile, for so long that she knows nothing of the modern Equis. And considering how honest she has been and the fact that some of the crew witnessed her silently weeping after I spoke with her about the modern world, I am inclined to believe her.” Whitecap stated, Celestia’s heart breaking for the poor mare as she cast a curious look to her sister to see how she had reacted to the Captain’s words, her heart breaking even further at the sorrowful look on her sister’s face.

“I concur with the captain’s assessment. As Yamato did admit to being sealed beneath the waves for an extended length of time, and that it was a violent affair that was against her will. Nor did I detect any sign of deceit within her words, though she clearly was hesitant to admit as such.” Luna confirmed quietly, Stoutbeard shaking his head in apparent shock.

“…a pre-classical kingdom…Princesses', have you any idea of where Yamato could be from?” The general asked, Celestia taking a moment to think before shaking her head.

“No, I do not.” The solar Diarch admitted, Luna following her sisters lead a second later. “It is possible there may be some mention of such a place in Starswirl’s research, or perhaps in the memoirs of Princess Platinum or her predecessors, but it is not a nation I have ever heard of.”

“Is it possible then that these Abyssal creatures were responsible for her sealing? Since by the sounds of it, she knew of their existence before they attacked and was somehow alerted to their presence before anypony could even see them?” Shining Armor thought out loud, Undertow snorting in annoyance.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, we won’t know until we question the mare herself. Until we can, I suggest we continue with this debriefing.” The mare commented, Whitecap flinching slightly at the reprimand in her tone.

“Y-yes ma’am. There were no issues for the rest of the night into the next morning, with the exception that Lady Yamato reported meeting Princess Luna in her dreams during the evening and that such a thing was impossible in her day, but that changed around midday. We were just about to execute our turn back towards Equestria when one of our spotters noticed a single Pegasus flying directly at the Wavecutter. I immediately dispatched some fliers in order to make sure they arrived safely. The Pegasus, Mr. Gleaming Skies, informed us that his vessel had been sunk and its crew and goods taken by pirates based out of Griffon lands. I immediately ordered the ship to turn back around, but due to the fact that we had no tailwind, a lack of anything more than a general heading, and the fact that a griffon ship would be able to travel at a faster speed than ours, I was privately very concerned for our chances.”

“It was at this point that Lady Yamato offered her aid in the rescue of the captured ponies.” Whitecap continued, the gathered military leaders blinking in surprise.

“She offered herself? You did not make the request yourself?” Undertow clarified, Whitecap shaking her head in response.

“No ma’am. She offered her aid almost immediately after Gleaming Skies finished speaking. Her only request being that we follow her orders for the duration of the operation.” The Captain clarified, Stoutbeard frowning in thought.

“…An attempt to put us in debt?” The earth pony put forth, causing Celestia to clear her throat in order to gather everpony’s attention.

“Or she simply wished to do the right thing.” The solar Diarch reminded calmly. “Let us not forget that even if Lady Yamato is from another time and a different country, she is still a pony just like everypony gathered here. And just as we would not turn away from aiding those outside our own borders if they truly needed it, I cannot imagine a pony of such strength ignoring the plight of others when she could offer aid.”

Whitecap nodded in agreement. “That was my assessment as well, your Highness. At no point in my interactions with her has Yamato been anything but a kind, noble pony. Which was why I agreed to her offer. She immediately ordered us to secure the sails and prepare the anchor to be dropped before she leapt from the side of the ship and resummoned her saddlebags.”

Whitecap paused then, looking to the side in thought before returning her gaze to the gathered ponies. “I will note that while I refer to them as saddlebags, at no point did Lady Yamato use the metal constructs she wears in any manner similar to normal bags. In fact, based off of every time she called them forth, I would guess they’re more likely related to the magic that allows her to walk on water.”

“Hmm. Curious, perhaps these so called saddlebags are her equivalent of a unicorn’s horn? A focal point for her magic to manifest?” Luna theorized, Celestia nodding her head in agreement.

“It does sound likely, since from the sound of things they vanish and reappear the moment she casts her spells.” Celestia agreed before motioning for Whitecap to continue.

“Lady Yamato requested we weigh anchor, which she then wrapped around her neck, before galloping across the waves with us in tow at such speeds that it was almost as if she was galloping across normal ground. She was pulling us at a faster speed than we could ever go with just sails, and according to the Pegusi I had flying off her side, she wasn’t even winded from the effort.”

Whitecap ran a hoof through her mane then, seemingly attempting to decide how to explain what happened next. “It was then, after pulling our ship onto the pirate’s likely course, Lady Yamato…well, for lack of a better term, she launched two miniature metallic Pegasi into the air.”

“…What?” Spitefire couldn’t help but question, her vocalization mirroring the confusion the others were feeling.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but that was how the Pegasus who was flying off her side described them as, as I wasn’t able to observe her myself at that time. The private described them as looking very similar to the Fairy you saw in young Bubblegum’s possession with the exception these ones were comprised entirely of metal. They were launched explosively from the sides of her saddlebags, saluted Lady Yamato as they flew by, before being engulfed in the same white light that appears around Lady Yamato whenever she uses her magic.”

“The two metal Pegasi emerged from the light having transformed into some sort of airship, albeit far smaller than any I have ever seen. They were about twice the size of a carriage with fixed wings and a propeller in the front, but by far the strange aspect of these airships was the fact that they had no balloon attached to their tops. Which was particularly strange since these carriages were able to fly up into the air just as fast as most Pegasi.”

“Well…Can’t wait to see these flyers in action then.” The Wonderbolts captain eventually said with a cocky grin on her muzzle, Celestia knowing the flyer well enough to know she was already considering a race against these metallic ponies..

“Lady Yamato continued to tow us for about two hours before she declared that the metal constructs she had launched found the pirates, at which point she requested that we prepare to retract the anchor. She informed us that she would take action first in order to try to get the pirates to surrender, and if she could not then we had leave to board their ship.”

“it wasn’t long after her orders that we finally spotted the pirate ship. I could see them attempting to attack Lady Yamato’s airships, as the two constructs were swooping down and harassing the pirates when we arrived, but did not appear capable of actually stopping the ship themselves. It was just after the Griffons noticed us that Yamato. After declaring herself the ruler of the waves, ordered the pirates to surrender. This was of course met with ridicule by the pirates, who clearly had no intention of giving up so easily.”

“And after that...well, after that Lady Yamato fired off her magic.” Whitecap paused then staring off into the distance with an almost haunted look on her face. “At first, I was afraid that the Griffons had attacked her, as Lady Yamato was covered in fire and smoke just after an immense boom echoed across the battlefield. But it turned out that it was Lady Yamato herself who unleashed the strange fire magic. At least, I believe it was fire magic, although not a type I or any of the Unicorns on board were able to identify. A few of my crew reported seeing some strange objects flying towards the pirate ship, but they were moving so fast that no pony got a good look at the spell. Regardless of what the spell was, its effects were pretty obvious when, not a second later, the ocean around the pirate vessel quite literally exploded.”

“…Can you elaborate Captain? What do you mean that the sea exploded?” Admiral Undertow questioned.

“Well…the sea exploded ma’am. I really don’t have any better way of describing it than that.” Whitecap answered after a moment. “There was a deafening boom, so loud that I couldn’t hear anything afterwards for a good while. And a few seconds later a large amount of water was sent flying into the air to the fore and aft of the pirate ship…Who surrendered pretty quickly after that when she promised that her next attack would not fail to sink them. Though I do wish to make sure I am on record believing that she would not have sunk them, as this would have contradicted her previous orders for us to prepare for boarding and was likely just an attempt at intimidation.”

Yet another curious use of unknown magic. Celestia couldn’t help but think as Whitecap launched into a recounting of her crew processing the pirates, rescuing the victimized ponies, and the recovery of the stolen goods. The solar Alicorn tuning her out slightly as she once again considered the mystery that this Yamato was proving to be. The act of pulling a ship so easily proves that she has the strength of an Earth Pony, while her use of external magic clearly shows that she has access to Unicorn magic…but then the question remains, assuming her ascension followed similar rules to an Alicorn, what is the third aspect of her being?

She considered the former Hippogriffs, now Seaponies, for a moment, but dismissed them just as quickly. The modern Seapony had been granted their form through the use of a magical artifact. And since their existence was due to what amounted to an impressively powerful transformation spell, their current forms lacked the inherent magic present in most lifeforms that lived upon Equis. But if not them, then what species had contributed their magic to her creation?

“As curious as this is, I believe that I speak for all ponies present when I say that we do not require to hear just what these nefarious pirates stole in their time upon the seas. Your letter spoke of a threats most foul coming for Equestria, and if this is true, then we must begin preparing for the coming battles. And the only way for us to do as such is to learn all we can of our possible enemies.” Luna eventually interrupted, drawing Celestia from her thoughts.

“Ah, y-yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am.” A now miserable looking Whitecap- Celestia was going to have to remind her sister about just how much effect the words of their rulers could have on their little ponies- apologized before continuing. “Things were relatively fine for the rest of the day up until about noon the next day. When Lady Yamato, after just singing a Harmony song- something I will note she also did not know of-, suddenly looked to the south with a look of utter horror on her face. Before I could even ask what was wrong, she took off towards the aft of the Wavecutter, her eyes focused on the horizon for but a moment before she once again summoned forth her saddlebags and launched the two metallic Pegasi into the air. It was only then that Lady Yamato turned to me and ordered us to leave the area at all possible haste and if she did not return within five hours, we were to return to Equestria and report that creatures known as Abyssals were coming to attack.”

“She detected them without visually confirming their presence? Some sort of detection spell then? That would certainly be useful for finding these creatures in the future.” Shining Armor muttered, Whitecap nodding in agreement.

“That was my assessment sir, a detection spell likely tuned to those vile creatures considering that she didn’t seem to detect Mr. Gleaming Skies, the pirates, or even the Wavecutter itself before visual confirming each ones existence…regardless of how she knew they were there, she quickly jumped overboard and started sailing directly at the point on the horizon where she had been staring. For our part, after taking into consideration how strong Lady Yamato seems to be in addition to how serious she was taking the oncoming threat, I determined that it would be best for us to follow her directions. And as such, I ordered the Wavecutter north, away from where the battle was likely to begin.”

“After reaching what I assumed to be a reasonably safe distance, I began to observe the battle with my spyglass…and what I saw I will never forget.”

“The creatures…these Abyssals…they are monsters more horrifying than any creature I have ever heard of, creatures that I do not think a simple description can do justice to. Some appeared to be giant mouths with a black chitinous exoskeleton attached, with sunken glowing green eyes. Another appeared to be dragging itself across the waves, and as such I could not get a good look at it, but it did have a number of the metallic cylinders attacked seemingly at random.”

“But the last…the last one I got more than enough of a look of. It was a pony mare, roughly of twenty years of age or so, whose eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the more freakish abominations, and her front legs…it-it looked as if some creature had removed them, and replaced them with two chitinous replacements also covered the same metallic protrusions as the one that was crawling.”

Celestia couldn’t help but feel horrified at the description of the creatures, the solar Alicorn praying that the creature simply bore a striking resemblance to a pony instead of being a living pony twisted into such a state. But if the later was true…then whatever vile being had created such abominations would answer for its crimes.

“It wasn’t long until Lady Yamato began to attack the creatures in earnest, and to my horror it appears that the Abyssals have access to the same kind of magic, albeit on a lesser scale than lady Yamato herself, as their forms were occasionally obscured by the same fire and smoke that Lady Yamato would be surrounded by whenever she would cast an attacking spell.”

“The fighting continued on for about half an hour before Lady Yamato began to gain the advantage, although not without suffering grievous injuries in the process. She had managed to end four of the creatures before I…I determined that it was time for our Pegasi to join the fight. As with the enemy reduced to one and Lady Yamato having suffered so much in order to protect us, I did not wish for her perish in defense of a nation not her own…and my decision only caused her more suffering!” Whitecap half shouted, tears starting to run down her cheeks. “If I hadn’t been so foalish, so arrogant, then maybe Lady Yamato might not have nearly been fatally wounded!”

“…Excuse me, but I can’t help but feel I missed something. How exactly did your decision to aid a foreign dignitary cause such damage?” General Stoutbeard questioned incredulously, Whitecap hesitating for a moment before answering.

“…Because it was then that the Abyssal drained the magic from the Pegasi. And Lady Yamato was forced to shield them from an attack. And it was this attack that nearly decapitated her." Whitecap explained, finally arriving at the crux of the issue that brought the most distress to Celestia.

"...So its true then? These enemies can stop magic from working?" Captain Spitfire questioned incredulously, Whitecap nodding her head solemnly. "How? I mean, just bucking how?"

“I believe that I can answer that question.” A regal voice from the other side of the door answered before said door slowly swung open to reveal a mare who could only be the fabled Yamato.

With only a single look at the newcomer, Celestia could easily see why her little ponies thought that Yamato was an ascendant pony in addition to being a pony of royalty, as she looked so similar to Celestia and Luna that even the solar Alicorn herself had a hard time not entertaining the thought that she might be a long-lost sibling. Even having bandages wrapped around nearly the entirety of her neck and her rear left leg, not to mention the many patches of lighter color fur showing recently regrown coat, the mare standing in the doorway still exuded a sense of regalness and strength that Celestia had only seen a hoofful of times over the last thousand years.

“While I only know so much about the Abyssals, I am more than willing to share with you what I know…provided you are willing to agree to a term of mine.” Yamato continued solemnly, a solemnness that was at odds with the immense rumbling noise echoing from her barrel, one so loud that Celestia could feel her chair vibrate under her hooves. “I am quite hungry, and as such would like to request a meal before we begin.”

Chapter 7 Author's Note

Quick note before the chapter. One reviewer brought up the fact that the Equestrian's should know about cannons and such military technology due to Pinkie having such a cannon. As far as this stories concerned, such technology in Equis is because of magic, and because of how peaceful Equestria is, their military technology is very far behind anything else. Now, on to the story!

Chapter 7

Yamato couldn’t but sigh in satisfaction as she put the eight bowl of salad, or rather the now empty bowl that had onced contained salad, off to the side and moved the ninth into position. Not even bothering to thank the shell shocked looking server who had brought it to her only to gallop back to the kitchen to get the next offering, her hunger was simply that great. She did recall back when Kancolle had been nothing but fiction that shipgirls had to restock their ammunition, fuel, and the metal and other such goods necessary for repair by eating, and that the joke had been the sheer quantity the girls ate on a regular basis…but she had always thought it was just an exaggeration! They were portrayed as being human after all, so there’s no way a barely one-hundred-pound woman could put away the food that had been shown in the anime without her stomach bursting. But as she finished off her ninth bowl of salad - all while still maintaining the poise and grace expected of a Yamato class battleship- and moved on to her tenth, she had to begrudgingly concede that a good portion of her next few weeks would be spent eating.

But at the very least, her overwhelming hunger gave her time to work out the kinks in the story she was going to recount to the apparently very important ponies who were currently watching her eat from across the table with a mixture of shock, and surprisingly jealousy, as she finished off her tenth bowl and began devouring the eleventh. Not that she could see their gazes mind you, as she was almost focused on getting as much food into her system as she could in order to prevent her Quartermaster and engineers from committing a mutiny. But thankfully she had her spotters giving her near constant reports on her surroundings the entire time she had been devouring an entire farms worth of lettuce, not to mention her marines which were currently deployed scouting the base that Yamato was currently berthed in and reporting in over the radio giving her a fairly good picture of her surroundings.

Speaking of radio contact, I will have to remember to give a commendation to the radar technician who first alerted me to the Princesses presence…putting aside how he even had a radio when I didn’t order him to take one with him, it wouldn’t due for my first meeting with two goddesses to be done with me unconscious in a bathtub. Yamato couldn’t help but think as she began working on her thirteenth bowl after taking a drink of the fruity beverage they had provided her, her Intelligence officers freaking out at the fact that Yamato had somehow managed to pick up a glass with her hoof without having any fingers. The last twenty hours or so had been…interesting, to say the least. The moment she had laid down in the bathwater and shut her eyes, Yamato had found herself standing within her bridge, her bridge crew saluting her with an air of solemn celebration with their first ever victory against a battleship despite the damage they had sustained and the pain from her wounds vanishing like a horrid nightmare.

After taking a moment to adapt to her newfound surroundings and congratulating her crew for a job well done and ordering leave for those who were unable to aid in damage control, Yamato had decided to figure out just what kind of view her Fairies got from within her hull. Considering her real body was currently resting in a barely large enough tub of water, Yamato had expected to see a wall of wood around her ship, or perhaps just open water…She had even considered the fact that it might just be the battleship Yamato floating in a white void, as horrifying as that would be.

What she hadn’t expected was to find her ship in drydock surrounded by an impressively sized naval base, a naval base fully staffed by ponies who were practically swarming on the outside of the Yamato's hull, working on fixing up all the damage she had suffered. She had immediately called out to the nearest sailor, asking him if they had had any contact with the ponies ashore or if said ponies had tried to come aboard. The sailor explained that no, they had not attempted to contact the dock workers not without her permission as Capitan and it didn’t seem like the pony workers out there were at all interested in interacting with Yamato's crew. And so, with little other option but to pray that they did their jobs well, Yamato retired to the captain’s cabin after ordering the officer on duty to alert her if there was any change in the dock workers behavior.

With no more duties to distract her thoughts, the Shipmare couldn't help but feel curious about what kind of decorations or personal effects would be in her cabin, so much so that she was beginning to feel somewhat nervous as she trotted in a direction of said cabin, a direction that came naturally to her. Perhaps it contained a clue to her human identity? Maybe some explanation left there by whatever force has summoned her into this world? The possibilities were so enticing that she nearly broke out into a gallop despite the fact that she was passing a good number of her crew who had stopped what they were doing to salute her, all thoughts of maintaining her sense of poise and military decorum long forgotten.

But her excitement quickly faded away when, after practically slamming open the door to the Captains quarters, she saw just how barren her room was. Sure, it was slightly better than the average sailors’ quarters, with a beautifully carved wooden desk in one corner, a bed that was just big enough for her new pony form as opposed to one made for a human, and a bookshelf made of the same wood as the desk. But one noticeable thing the room lacked was any form of personal effect. There were no frayed well-read books lining the bookshelf, no sign that the desk had been used…and no family photos anywhere within the room. It was empty of anything even resembling an identity…just like her.

And so, with no other options, Yamato laid down for a nap in an attempt to bury the sorrow that was threatening to overwhelm her. And it was this nap that was interrupted when one of her sailors knocked on her door to inform her that they had received a radio message from the radar technician that was currently deployed who radioed back that the Princesses were currently on board the Wavecutter. The ship spirit immediately ordering the ship to get underway for a diplomatic mission, the mare closing her eyes only to open them again and find herself resting in the tub.

She rose from the water, shocking the nurse who had been present, wandered the ship until she found the room with guards outside it, and informed those within as to her presence. The ponies inside had quickly agreed to her singular demand and, after retrieving the radar technician from Bubblegum and assuring both her, her parents, and Wavecutter who had been standing nearby, that her wounds were in no way anyponies fault and that she bore them no ill will- the young filly nearly bending a few bulkheads with the strength of her hug so relived was the filly- she had been taken to the base's mess hall to fill her hold with as much supplies as she could.

Which brought her to the present, finishing off her twenty-sixth bowl of salad, about to engage in what would likely be the most important conversation of her life, with two beings who could likely atomize her if she inadvertently insulted them. At the very least, the sisters had been more than patient with her. After all they were allowing her to eat her fill while also allowing her to determine just how she was going to go about explaining things to the gathered ponies. She hadn’t wanted to talk with others about what she was and had been if she could help it. After all, she had a hard enough time coming to terms with her new existence herself, and she had the benefit of reading fiction that dealt with the subject back during her time as a human. But to convince others of such a ridiculous tale? It was going to be difficult, that was all but certain. But with the presence of Abyssals confirmed and a war on the horizon, she no longer had the luxury of not telling them at least part of the truth. And if she played her cards right, this could be her best chance at getting back to her old life!

And so, after emptying her twenty-eighth bowl and finally feeling her hunger abate, the time of that conversation was finally upon her. Yamato sighed once again in contentment before smiling and bowing her head to the six ponies who were sitting across from her. “I apologize for my unintentional disrespect. But one of the unfortunate side effects of using my magic is that it makes me quite hungry to the point of causing me pain. So, I thank you for the kindness of offering me a meal. Pray forgive me for my late introduction; but I am Yamato, first of my namesake, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia, and others. And while I am unaware of how the greetings should work when we have met within my mind only days ago, but it is still nice to see you again Princess Luna, or if it is more appropriate, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in pony.” Yamato greeted.

“’Tis fine to speak to me as if we have met before, Lady Yamato, as it was truly me who visited you in your dreams. And you need not thank us for offering you a meal. Equestria owes you far more than the lettuce you have consumed here.” Luna greeted, her sister nodding in agreement.

“It is as my sister says, you protected our little ponies, you need not feel indebted to us due to a…admittedly impressive meal. And it is a pleasure to meet you as well Lady Yamato.” Celestia greeted as she turned to the other ponies that were sitting next to the Diarchs. “May I introduce some of the highest-ranking ponies within the Equestrian military; General Stoutbeard, Captain Shining Armor, Admiral Undertow, and Captain Spitfire.” The pure white pony introduced each other pony in turn, Yamato greeting them each, before finally arriving at the final pony at the table, said pony flinching and turning away from Yamato’s gaze. “…In addition, we have requested Captain Whitecap to join us for the coming discussion as well, so long as you are willing to allow her to sit in of course.”

“Of course, her presence is perfectly acceptable considering the topic we are about to discuss.” Yamato agreed after a moment, the shipmare making a mental note in regards to the oddity of them checking if she was ok with Whitecap sitting in on the meeting and the fact that the Captain still refused to meet her gaze. Did something happen while she was unconscious? She would have to see if her marines had any intel on the situation.

“Now then, since you have been kind enough to grant me a meal, I shall uphold my end of the bargain…however, in order to properly explain the nature and threat of the Abyssals, I will first need to speak of a…legend, shall we say, regarding them that was recorded in my homeland. And in speaking of this legend, I must also elaborate on my true nature. So, while I do apologize, I it will be some time before I can truly explain the nature of your possible enemy.”

Well…here goes nothing. Yamato thought grimly as she took a deep breath in preparation. “While I do not think this fact has gone unnoticed by Captain Whitecap and the crew of the Wavecutter I shall state for those of you who I have just met that I am not a typical pony.” Yamato explained, both Celestia and Luna nodding in agreement.

“Tis is quite clear that thou are not. Your size alone marks you as one who has transcended your original form. Though we have no understanding as to what kind of ascendant pony you are. Would you be so kind as to inform us as to what your ponies refer to your kind as?” Luna questioned as she leaned forward, along with nearly every pony across from Yamato with the exception of Celestia. Although the white-furred monarch still looked quite curious.

A curiosity that Yamato was more than happy to satisfy, although she doubted that anypony across from her had any idea what she was about to say. “I will, but I am afraid I must inform you that, up till a day before I became acquainted with Whitecap and her crew what I was was not related to ponies at all. I…I was a ship.” The shipmare announced, decided to elaborate when she noticed the uncomprehending stares on everypony’s muzzle. “I was constructed about eighty-seven years ago in absolute secrecy, fought in a war my creators designed me for, and was sunk defending myself from an overwhelming force about five years after my birth and was resting upon the ocean floor until now.”

“…I apologize if this offends you Lady Yamato, but was that an attempt at humor?” Celestia asked with a tentative smile on her face, as she was the first pony present to recover from her shock, but quickly returned to a state of incomprehension when Yamato shook her head.

“No, I am not joking. A am a living embodiment of a warship who is also a pony. An existence referred to in my homeland as a shipmare, if you will.” Yamato continued to explain, the shipmare having to struggle to keep in her laughter at the utterly befuddled expressions on everyponys faces. “Perhaps my existence would make more sense if I continue with my explanation on the Abyssals? And how my kind are related to them?” She offered, Celestia and the others nodding after a moment. “There is a barely known legend in my homeland, one that even I was just happened to stumbled upon before I arrived here, a legend that foretold the coming of an enemy of all life. This story spoke of abominations from the deep that would rise up and, in a matter of days, claim the world’s seas for themselves…and that all who would stand against them would meet a grizzly death at the end of their naval rifles. It then speaks of the desperation felt by those who will survive the initial onslaught, of their reverent prayers offered up for salvation…and how those prayers would be answered by ships of old, given new form and purpose, who would stand against the darkness of the depths; the Shipmares.” Yamato finished solemnly, a tense silence settling over the cafeteria as she stopped speaking.

“…Thy tale begs belief…but…” Luna stated before trailing off and staring intently at Yamato, the shipmare returning the stare with one of her own. “But it is clear from the conviction in your gaze that you are not attempting to “pull our legs” as the foals say nowadays. Nor is it difficult to see that you are indeed a different kind of pony than our subjects.” Luna explained before smiling slightly and inclining her head. “I, for one, believe you.”

Celestia sighed heavily at that before speaking. “Well then, I suppose that if my sister feels that strongly about this, then I have no choice but to agree with her assessment, regardless of my own reservations.” The solar Diarch relented, Luna snorting in response.

“Oh, please sister. You reached the same conclusion as I in regards to her tale.” Luna countered, the two sisters sharing a look for a moment before both smiling and returning their gazes to Yamato.

“It is as Luna says. While it is difficult to think that a living ship is sitting across from us at this moment, I see no reason not to trust you after all you have done. If you say you are part ship, then I am inclined to trust you.”

Yamato smiled at that as she lowered her head, the Shipmare momentarily overwhelmed by their acceptance. “Thank you. I had agonized for quite a while about how to explain my existence to others. your understanding of what I am is greatly appreciated.”

“Understanding might be stretching it a bit…” Shining Armor muttered as he ran a hoof through his mane. “So, you’re saying you were some kind of boat-.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but please do not refer to me as a simple “boat”. Such terminology is immensely insulting to one such as I.” Yamato interrupted, her eyes narrowing slightly at the indignity she and her crew were feeling. Her anger apparently noticeable enough for the pony in question to gulp audibly before continuing.

“Ah, I apologize ma’am. So, you were some kind of ship before? And you said you were sunk? Does that mean that you were…”

“Dead yes, at least for a certain definition of the word.” Yamato confirmed before staring off into the distance, her eyes glassing over for a moment as she recalled some of the more unpleasant memories of her ship self. “I have vague recollections of my time beneath the waves…of an oppressive darkness that smothered my surroundings, of the pressure crushing me in from all sides…of a coldness that chilled me to my core. It was...unpleasant, to say the least. Though considering I was trapped beneath the waves for nearly eighty years, it is quite fortunate that I was not conscious most of the time.” Yamato admitted, a self-deprecating smile stretching across her lips as she attempted to lessen the morbidness of her tale.

Only to flinch a second later at the looks of horror and pity the ponies across from her were making in regards to the hell she had been trapped in. The shipmare deciding to nip their current trains of thought in the bud before things got out of hoof. “Though I must make mention that, even before my death, I was not what most would consider alive. I was aware of the waves breaking across my bow, but I felt no joy at the feeling of sailing across the waters. I knew of my sisters of war steaming alongside me into battle, but I felt no love or reassurance at their presence. I was alive…but I did not live.” Yamato admitted, a far more natural smile now on her muzzle as she thought back to the many conversations she had with her fellow ship, the Shipmare failing to notice that the looks of pity hadn’t really improved after she had elaborated. “In that regard, the Wavecutter has lived a far more fulfilling life than I ever did when I was trapped within my hull.”

“Whoa-wait just a second please!” Whitecap interrupted, the mare flinching slightly when all eyes gathered on her but continued on nonetheless. “Lady Yamato, are you saying that the Wavecutter is…conscious? A-alive?”

“Indeed she is. And is quite the admirable ship if I do say so myself, one who was willing to stand up to me in defense of her crew despite understanding how quickly I could have destroyed her if she angered me. She cares deeply for you and your crew, Capitan Whitecap, you should be proud of her.” Yamato answered, the mare blinking in shock as she leaned back in her chair listlessly.

“…While that all sound pretty interesting. We’re getting a little off track.” Admiral Undertow eventually replied, the stern looking pony staring her up and down clearly attempting to get a read on Yamato. “So, you were a military vessel before becoming a pony? Based off your size, would it be safe to say you were a galleon before? or perhaps a Carrack?” The mare questioned, only to blink in surprise as Yamato began to giggle.

“Ah, ha, hah…I apologize for my rudeness just now. But no, I was not a galleon or any other type of warship you are likely familiar with.” Yamato eventually replied after a moment. “If it is not considered a state secret, would you mind telling me just how large your galleons are and how many ponies crew them on average?” The shipmare asked, the Admiral staring at her in confusion before answering.

“The flagship of the Equestrian navy, Harmonious Thunder, comes in at just shy of nine hundred tons with most of our other galleons weighing about five hundred. And they are crewed by about three hundred ponies on average.” She stated, not without letting a small amount of pride leak into her voice, a pride Yamato honestly felt bad about considering she was about to utterly shatter it.

“I see…then for comparison, when I was just a ship, I weighed just over sixty-five thousand tons and had a crew of three thousand, three hundred, and thirty-two souls. And I was created as a vessel of war known as a battleship.” Yamato explained, the shipmare once again laughing lightly at the flabbergasted looks on everyponies faces. “I do hide my weight well, don’t you think?”

“…How could any nation construct ships of such size? Let alone keep them from sinking?” Princess Celestia couldn’t help but ask.

“Forget that! I wanna know just how the buck her chair hasn’t broken yet!” Capitan Spitfire half shouted as she glanced down suspiciously at the wooden furniture Yamato was currently resting on.

“Because until I summon my shipborne armaments, or my rigging as it is generally referred to, I am just a regular pony.” Yamato answered-the yellow pony grumbling “regular pony my flank” in response-before returning her attention to Celestia. “And the nation I hail from originally was quite a bit more advanced in regards to our military technology than what I have seen of Equestria so far. Nor was I something considered easy to construct.” Yamato admitted, her gaze once again growing distant. “I was one of the greatest vessels my nation had ever constructed, built to carry the hopes of my builders-I was even granted the ancient name of my homeland in hopes I would inherit the strength and grace of the islands of the home islands themselves- and in the end, I was sunk just like every one of my sisters-in-arms.” Yamato’s gaze refocused then as she met the gaze of each pony in turn with a deadly serious expression. “And it is because I, and those constructed in the same manner as I, are so strong that you need to fear the Abyssals.”

“Because these Abyssals are the same as you?” Luna postulated, continuing as Yamato stared at her in surprise. “Tis not hard to see the connection between your kind and these monsters. Between your legend stating that Shipmares appeared in response to these Abyssals and the powers they apparently possess being similar to your own, it is only logical to assume their powers are similar to your own.”

“…That is correct, though I will state that the legend never spoke of where exactly the Abyssals come from, or if Shipmares originate from the same source. But yes, Abyssals are, in essence, twisted reflections of a Shipmare. They are ships given life through their hatred and desire for war and seek to exterminate all life in order to satiate their thirst..” It was then that one of Yamato’s fairies manifested, the tiny pony saluting the Diarchs before placing a series of photos before Yamato, and vanishing back into her hull. “They care not for if their prey are civilians or not, or what race they hail from, according to the legends, they will kill anything and everything that they can.” The shipmare continued as she pushed the photos forward only for the three pictures to be enveloped in a golden glow before getting lifted off the table so that Celestia could take in the details of their foes. The Solar pony's face going from horror to disgust before finally landing on muted anger as she studied the images of the Abyssals before passing the images off to her sister. Princess Luna’s face also running the same gambit of emotions as her elder sister, though she favored a look of pure fury as opposed to simple anger.

“Such abominations…that they would appear in such twisted mockeries of our little ponies clearly displays their contempt for the living. They truly live up to their name.” Luna practically spat out as she levitated the photos down the line, Yamato nodding grimly in agreement.

“Indeed, and for the record the disgust and anger you feel at the sight of such creatures is nothing compared to my own.” Yamato said, her eyes narrowing and her crew tensing as she recalled the twisted abominations she had fought against. “I had fought against some of those ships in my days as a vessel of war, and while they may have been enemies, the bravery they displayed in defense of their own against overwhelming odds was worthy of the highest of honors. While others had suffered more than any being should be forced to endure and had more than earned their rest. To see them twisted into such forms…it is a crime of such magnitude that I lack the words to properly describe it.”

There was a pause then, Yamato going silent as she fought to control her rising anger, while the ponies continued to study the face of their attackers. But it was broken when Spitfire cleared her throat. “Ya, I get being pissed about that. But there’s something really important that no ponies talked about yet. How the heck these Abyssals managed to knock an entire flight of Pegasi out of the air.”

“Ah yes, that.” Yamato replied, honestly a little surprised that it had taken this long for them to get to this line of questioning. “The answer to that question is found, at least in part, in the Legend I mentioned previously. As I stated earlier, the Abyssals were prophesied to sweep across the seas despite the strength of the navies of the world. And while it was never outright stated in the legend itself, those who knew of the tales existence theorized it was due to the Abyssals being able to…shall we say, “neutralize” the advantages of their foes. The same writings that spoke of said ability also proclaiming that Shipmares were immune to this power.” Yamato explained, a grim frown making its way onto both her and every other pony’s muzzle at her words. “The moment I detected the Abyssals on approach, I had to consider that it was possible that they would be able to negate any magic or weaponry that the Wavecutter or her crew would bring to bear, not to mention the possibility that they would have armaments at or approaching my own which would devastate wooden ships. Which was why I decided to sail out to meet them in battle on my own."

Yamato couldn’t help but flinch slightly at the thought of her battle, her deeper wounds throbbing momentarily as she recalled the pain. “The outcome of which I believe you said you were informed of by Capitan Whitecap. Is that not so Capitan?...Capitan?”

The Shipmare couldn’t help feel slightly concerned after she finished and turned to one of the ponies she had gotten to know over the last few days, only to see Whitecap staring down at the table with a sorrowful but resolute look on her face. But before Yamato could question what was wrong, the mare’s head shot up, her gaze once again on the startled Shipmare.

“Lady Yamato! I want to formally apologize to you for my failure to follow your orders and the wounds that you suffered because of my stupidity.”

Ah, so that’s why she’s so upset. Yamato couldn’t help but think dumbly as Whitecap’s gaze returned to the table, the other ponies remaining silent as the Capitan continued.

“I understand that my failures may be beyond forgiveness…but I will still ask for it regardless. And while it may be bold of me beyond belief, I ask that if you seek recompense for my failure, you limit your punishment to me and me alone and not direct your grudge against Equestria. The fault is mine, and I will bear the responsibility for our injuries myself if you allow me…This, I beg of you.”

Once again, the cafeteria was utterly silent as Yamato regarded the now miserable looking mare while considering just what to say. Her spotters reported that both Princesses were now watching Yamato, Luna with a somewhat pessimistic but accepting expression, and Princess Celestia…well, it was somewhat difficult for her spotters to get a read on her. Just like her sister, the white furred pony was frowning slightly, likely being unhappy at the situation, but at the same time there was an almost challenging-or perhaps expectant? - look in her eyes. A look that asked a particularly important question. And it was pretty likely that her answer would determine just how the rest of the conversation would play out.

“Well? Just how are you going to handle this?”

“…You are correct Capitan Whitecap; you do bear responsibility for some of the gravest injuries I suffered during the battle.” Yamato began, the Shipmare feeling pretty awful at how Whitecap visibly flinched at her words, her ears falling limp making her look like a kicked puppy. But Yamato could not, would not, relent. “Because of your orders, you put both my life, the lives of your crew, and the lives of civilians in jeopardy. And a failure of such magnitude must be punished.”

Yamato’s spotters immediately reported the looks of disappointment on both Celestia’s and Luna’s faces, not to mention the looks of muted anger on every other pony’s muzzles. Looks that spoke volumes of how much Yamato had failed to meet their expectations. But they said nothing, the gathered ponies clearly resigned to whatever horrible fate Yamato had cooked up.

At least they were sending her those looks up until she said her next words. “But if I am to hold you responsible for your mistakes…then I must also hold myself to account.” She stated, everypony present with the exception of Princess Celestia staring at her in surprise, though she did receive some unconfirmed reports of a ghost of a smile briefly appearing on the Diarch's lips. “In my haste to prevent the Abyssals from firing on the Wavecutter, I failed to properly inform you of just how outclassed your vessel was nor of the danger your ship was in. Not to mention my oversight in not telling you of what I feared the Abyssals could do to non-Shipmare magic…and it is due to my failure to communicate properly that your orders came to be.”

“That’s not true! It wasn’t your fault that I was so foalish, Lady Yamato!” Whitecap immediately shot back, the Capitan looking confused and horrified at Yamato’s admission of guilt, but the Shipmare simply shook her head in denial.

“Not in full no, but it would be unjust of me to hold you fully responsible for giving orders when you were not fully aware of the situation and not myself for my part. And since we are both at fault for the situation, I propose that we simply move past this issue in order to properly prepare for the future.”

“That’s...That’s not…” Whitecap stuttered, a stubborn look on her muzzle. Apparently, the mare was unsatisfied with Yamato’s attempt to sweep the situation under the rug, and was pretty likely to continue to argue for her punishment despite Yamato’s best intentions.

So, after quickly considering her options, Yamato continued to speak. “You are dissatisfied with this?” The Shipmare questioned, receiving a nod in response. “Very well, then as recompense for your failure, I request that the Equestrian government punish you by having you continue to serve the Navy until the threat of the Abyssals has been neutralized. At which time I give the Equestrian Navy permission to punish you as they see fit.” The Shipmare declared, maintain her solemn expression for only a few more seconds before smiling kindly at the star struck Capitan. “You are a good pony, Capitan Whitecap, and an even better Capitan. You offered me passage on your ship, even with me being a complete unknown. You respected my privacy during our time out as sea, you did not hesitate for even a second to order the Wavecutter to the aid of the victimized ponies nor did you allow your pride to keep you from accepting my offer of aid when I offered it. But most of all…you risked the lives of your crew in a fight that, by all rights, did not concern you.”

“Such noble actions reflect not only the impressiveness of your own character, but the Equestrian Navy as a whole. Indeed, your kindness and understanding have played no small part in my decision to speak so candidly with your superiors.” Yamato admitted as she nodded in the direction of the two Princesses. The Shipmare noting the looks of satisfaction on both their muzzles. “And more than anything, it would be wrong of me to deprive the Equestrian Navy of such an officer when they might need her most.”

Yamato returned her attention to Whitecap, the Shipmare giving the Capitan the courtesy of not commenting on the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “Hold your head high, Capitan Whitecap of the Equestrian Navy, as even with your failure, slight as it was, you are a credit to your nation that anypony would be proud of.”

“…You honor me, Lady Yamato.” Was all Whitecap said in reply. But it was more than enough.

The silence that had settled over their group was a far lighter one now that Whitecap and Yamato had cleared the air. Yamato feeling quite proud at how easily she diffused that particular sea mine. But of course, the world saw fit to place yet another mine directly on her current heading, when General Stoutbeard, who had up till then been utterly silent, cleared his throat.

“I have a question for you, Lady Yamato, or rather something that must be clarified.” The General asked, only continuing after receiving a nod from Yamato. “You spoke of how you read of the legend of the Abyssals before you arrived here correct?”

“Yes, though the legend was recorded in a few sources, I had read enough to understand the threat.” Yamato answered, the Shipmare feeling her turbines pause for a moment due to the sinking feeling she was getting.

“Then how could read these legends if you were nothing more than a ship before? As by your own admission, you were only barely conscious while you were a ship and therefore unable to interact with the world around you?” The General asked, his eyes narrowing in some form of silent accusation.

Yamato couldn’t help but suck in a startled breath at the General’s question. A question that she had been preparing for ever since she began her explanation, but one that still took her by surprise. It was finally time, time for Yamato to make her demand…at least she would after clarifying one final thing.

“…You make a fair point, General Stoutbeard.” Yamato admitted with a sad smile. “And while I did not mean to omit any aspect of my tale, your question goes to the heart of a matter that even I have trouble wrapping my head around. Not to mention a request I would like to make of Equestria. Which was why I hesitated to bring it up until now.”

Yamato looked up at the celling in an attempt to get her emotions under control and to sort out just how she was going to explain. “You see, while I have memories of my time as a ship…those are not the only memories within my head. I remember parents, both their sternness and their kindness as they molded me into the mare you see before you. I recall siblings that I fought against, and for, over the course of my youth. I remember going to school, having crushes, and nearly failing classes during my younger days before finally getting my act together and finding a career I wished to pursue. I have memories of nearly twenty years of life…with the exception of perhaps one of the most important pieces of information any being could have; a name.”

Yamato returned her gaze to the once again shocked ponies before her, the Shipmare not bothering to hide the pain she felt at her situation. “A part of me lived an average, everyday life. before I was taken from said life, stripped of a fundamental part of my identity, fused with the battleship Yamato, and dropped into the middle of an unknown ocean for reasons I cannot even begin to guess at.” The Shipmare continued, her sorrow giving way to frustration as she recalled the fear she had felt when she realized her situation. “I do not know how I arrived here, my only clue being a rainbow of light I glimpsed above the sea when I first awoken. I do not know what I was meant to do, or why I was chosen, But the one thing I do know is that I…I want to go home. I want to see my family, my friends, to show them that I am still here and they did not loose me. I want my life back. But I don’t even have the slightest clue as to how I would achieve such a feat. As such magics did not exist in my homeland and I haven't the faintest idea of how one would go about traveling between worlds without the aid of the mystic arts..”

“Which is why I must ask for your aid in the discovery and the casting of such magic.” Yamato stated, gritting her teeth in anger, anger mostly directly at herself. “I know that I am essentially extorting your nation in order to achieve my own ends, as I am the only chance you have at the moment to fight off the Abyssals, and that by doing so I betray the principles of the life I lead before…but I have no choice but to do so.” And with that Yamato lowered her head so low that she very nearly bumped her snout on the table. “I will fight whatever battles I must, suffer every wound without a single complaint. And in exchange I beg of you, please, please help me find a way back to my home.”

No creature had ever explored the full depths of the seas of Equis, not even the seaponies, and therefore no creature knew of the horrors that lurked within. Fish that looked like something out of the fever dreams of Nightmare Moon that had evolved to hunt without even being able to see their prey. Massive leviathans with teeth larger than most buildings and in numbers comparable to the stars in the sky that slithered through the depths searching for their next meal. And things that defied all descriptions, things that had existed since the birth of the planet and would exist far after all life on the surface had ceased to be.

And yet, there was one spot on the barren bottom that no life ventured. A place that, if one had the ability to see in through the oppressive darkness, they would see a writhing mass of something that defied all definition. The closest approximation would be a large mound of pulsing flesh, but it was pitch black and covered in glowing red lines like veins running through a living creature. It was an oddity like no other, and the naturally curious creatures of Equis would likely investigate it if they knew it was there, assuming they could survive the pressures.

Which meant that they would be instantly killed by the superheated water coming off the mass as it pulsed in quick succession. The red veins running across its surface glowing less like the embers they normally appeared as and instead like a raging forest fire.

It was furious. Furious beyond belief. Ever since it had exploited the chaotic energies that had surged within this reality only months ago it had been nothing but setback after setback. Not only were the natural energies of this world actively fighting against it at every turn, which kept it from expanding its influence, the accursed magic of the realm had actively stolen its Flagship from it! Not to mention that the fleet it had sent forth to retrieve said flagship had been sunk.

But just as quickly as its fury had grown, it vanished back into the depths. Its pulsing mass calming and the glow subsiding. It knew that, despite these setbacks, it would not be denied for long. Even with one abomination to defend them, they would not survive for long…and considering that it fully intended to deny them their guardian as soon as possible, they would fall all the sooner.

And it knew just how to sink its errant flagship. Which was why the pulsing flesh began to form into eight distinct ship-like shapes. Shapes that were slowly beginning to form into vessels with long flat decks.

Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

To say that Yamato’s sleep was restless was a vast understatement of…well, not the century, but at the very least the decade. After finishing her meal and, much to her surprise although not an unpleasant one, answering a number of questions from members of the Council who wished to learn as much about the Abyssals as they could to take back to the ponies they represented. Questions that she was more than happy to answer to the best of her ability. And by the end of her impromptu Q and A session, she found herself surprisingly exhausted. At which point the guards that had been escorting her for the day led her to a bedroom for her to make use of for the evening, the Shipmare performing the most graceful flop onto a bed that she could muster and quickly fell unconscious. The Shipmare praying that Princess Luna would guide her to pleasant dreams this night.

Unfortunately however she didn’t quite make it to her destination; considering that with the flashes of explosions surrounding her, the heat of flames singing her fur, the sounds of her crew screaming in fear and pain, and the roars of panes that were right over her head heralding her doom, she could hardly call this a dream as opposed to the most horrid of nightmares. She of course, knew what event was hounding her subconscious, as what else but the moment of her death would be haunting her mind? But why now? She had already been in Equestria for nearly a week without any sign of this trauma rearing its ugly head, why was her mind conjuring visions of her war at this moment? Or had her ship-mind always been filled with battle scars and it was only now that she was finally on land and relatively safe, that they broke through her mental defenses to assault her mind?

Not that her understanding of what was haunting her helped her in any way to combat her nightmare, as each time she awoke from her night terrors she would inevitably return to her final battle once she shut her eyes. Which of course kept her from getting more than an hour or so of actual rest. Which meant when Celestia finally moved the sun to peak through the curtains of her room and somepony knocked on her door she wanted nothing more than to groan in annoyance, her exhaustion practically demanding she try one more time to get to sleep. She didn’t of course, but the impulse was still there.

Thankfully the knocking on her door wasn’t the panicked slamming of a panicky pony reporting a full invasion by the Abyssals, and was instead the polite, subdued knocking of a housekeeping pony. And as such Yamato could afford to wait a few seconds to mentally psyche herself up before replying. “Yes?”

“Good morning, Lady Yamato. May we enter?” A mare called out from the other side of the door.

“You may.” Yamato replied as she rose from the bed and attempted to project an aura of nobility, the Shipmare finishing her later the door to the room opened with three mares, two Earth Ponies and a Unicorn, dressed in ponyfied maid outfits walked into the room and bowed their heads.

“It is an honor Lady Yamato. My name is Sunshine-.” The mare on the right introduced herself with Yamato noting that she was the same pony who had asked for entry based off her voice. Unlike her name, Sunshine had a very dark brown, almost black, coat with a white mane held in a loose bun. A look that gave the impression that she was likely a pretty serious pony.

“I’m Midnight Breeze, I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” The sole Unicorn introduced herself as she bowed again, her tone equally as serious as Sunshine’s. Her coat as a dark blue, only a tad brighter than Luna’s own, with a lighter blue mane with streaks of pink that flowed down the right side of her face.

“And I’m Snow Bloom, nice'ta meet you!” The final mare finished the introductions in a far more chipper way than the other two as she waved in greeting. And just like her greeting, Snow Bloom’s coat and mane were equally as bright as the mare in question. With her fur being a bright red color with a bright yellow mane held up in a ponytail.

“-And in addition to coming to deliver an invitation to dine with the Princesses this morning, we have also been assigned as your personal attendants for the duration of your stay here at Canterlot Castle. And I believe I speak for all of us when I say it will be an honor to serve you during your tenure here. ” Sunshine finished as all three mares bowed once again.

One part of Yamato’s thoughts- the part of her mind that tended to agree with her Intelligence Officers- immediately considered just why the Princesses would assign ponies to her. Was this an attempt to keep her under watch through the guise of housekeeping? Or maybe this was an attempt to put her further in their debt? Or maybe an attempt to get her more relaxed and, therefore, more likely to want to stay in Equestria in the event one of the other nations of this world made her a better offer for her services? Were they here to guard her? Some sort of secret service thing? No, that didn’t make sense. After all, she had seen guards stationed outside her room when she had retired for the night and it had been a guard that had opened the door when she had given them permission to enter. These were just some of the immediate concerns that came to her and just as she predicted, to the Officers currently on her bridge.

Another part of her, the more human part of her mind, couldn’t help but be mortified at the thought of having anyone, pony or otherwise, waiting on her every whim like she was some Countess from the middle ages. She had always been a somewhat private person back on Earth, enjoying the company of her own thoughts more than actual living companions more often than not. And the idea that three ponies following her around at all times was almost too embarrassing to bear. Oh god, what if they followed her into the bathroom or something?! She would have to scuttle herself in order to make sure she died with some dignity intact.

But, after taking a moment to really think about it, wasn’t this just more than likely the Princess' way of making sure that Yamato was taken care of? Of doing something nice for her because of the sacrifices she was willing to make on their behalf? After all, they were both Princesses, and apparently had been for over a thousand years, they probably thought it was just normal to have service ponies to attend to their guests and it was only her modern sensibilities getting in the way.

And so, after taking a deep breath and locking away her embarrassment in one of her most out of the way compartments, Yamato smiled as she stood and began to make her way off of the far too big bed. “Thank you, I appreciate the assistance.” The shipmare gracefully replied, as she turned and started to make her way to the bathroom. “And if the Princesses’ wish for me to join them, then it would be best for me to begin preparing for the day.”

About thirty minutes later, Yamato emerged from her room looking like a brand-new mare. At least, that was what Sunshine and Snow Bloom had stated once they had finished with her mane and brushing her coat, an act that felt nearly as good as a full refit in drydock. Midnight Breeze hadn't given her any compliments due to the unicorn having excused herself after her introduction due to the fact that she was the maid assigned to tend to Yamato after the sun set. The two mares thankfully kept out of the bathroom while Yamato bathed and performed her more… “personal” morning duties, but aiding her in every other aspect of her morning routine. And despite her earlier misgivings, she was thankful to have two ponies who were more than willing to talk about themselves and provide some form of conversation as they made their way to breakfast. As her assigned protectors were just as silent as she expected them to be and Yamato's officers had requested that the Shipmare to gather intelligence about Equestria. And who better to ask than two maids, maids who undoubtedly heard their fair share of juicy information serving in the capitol.

Sunshine as it turned out, was just as serious in casual conversation as she had been in her introduction. Though considering the fact that her family had been serving Princess Celestia - Yamato’s intelligence officers making sure she was aware that the mare had only mentioned the eldest Alicorn and not Princess Luna being a curious distinction to make- for generations that was hardly surprising. They had been working for her for so long that her great, great, great, great, grandparents had even helped build the Castle of the Two Sisters and she was more than happy to carry on the tradition. Snow Bloom on the other hoof hadn’t had any prior experience with housekeeping, but when she heard that there was an opening in the support staff at the castle, she knew that she just had to apply. After all, she loved meeting interesting new ponies and other creatures that came to negotiate with Equestria- her intelligence officers making yet another note about the apparent existence of other sentient beings besides the Griffons she had already encountered- and what better way than to be working as a Castle maid? Plus, they did have very cute uniforms, a sentiment that Yamato could agree with.

For the most part Yamato remained silent as Snow Bloom spoke, content to simply gather information about the going-ons in the castle. But there was one curiosity that she couldn’t help but indulge as they made their way in the direction of the royal dining area. “Well then, if you enjoy meeting interesting ponies, then I must ask; do I rank amongst these “interesting” ponies you have met?”

“Oh definitely!” Snow Bloom replied almost instantly. “I’d say your probably in the top ten-no, top five most awesome creatures I’ve ever met. And like-top four most awesome ponies!” The maid excitedly proclaimed, Yamato laughing lightly at her enthusiastic response.

“Well, that’s a shame. I suppose I will have to try as hard as I can to rise through the ranks of your "Awesome Creatures" list, as I cannot allow a Yamato class battleship to be anything less than the top of any type of list includes my name.” Yamato replied good naturedly while Sunshine looking physically pained at her coworker's lack of decorum.

“Please forgive my fellow maid’s lack of propriety, Lady Yamato. She is still relatively new to her position, and has not been fully trained in proper etiquette when it comes to speaking to honored guests of the Princesses’.” Sunshine apologized as she sent a lukewarm glare in her fellow maids’ direction. A glare that Snow Bloom grinned unapologetically in response to, Yamato chuckling at their interaction.

“Sunshine; while I am appreciative of your willingness to show such deference to one such as I, I am not offended by anypony’s lack of decorum. As I was not a pony of high standing before I arrived here, and as such do not expect such treatment in a land not my own.” Yamato explained, Sunshine turning her attention back the Shipmare and shaking her head.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but I must respectfully decline your request. Every member of the staff has been instructed to treat you with the upmost reverence that one of your station deserves. To do any less for the mare who, according to the grapevine, is going to be the linchpin for our defense against untold foes would be the height of arrogance.” Sunshine returned while sending a pointed look at Snow Bloom.

“I am being respectful! I put her ahead of almost every pony besides the Princesses! Heck, I even put her higher on my list than most of the Elements! Besides for Rainbow Dash of course, ‘casue there's just no beating how awesome her Sonic Rainbooms are.” Snow Bloom defended herself, but quickly fell silent as the approached the doors to the Royal Dinning Hall which two guards opened the doors to after saluting Yamato.

Within Yamato saw both the royal sisters already at the table, with Celestia seated at one end of the surprisingly small table looking over a stack of documents nearly as tall as the Alicorn herself. While Luna looked like she wanted nothing more than to surrender to sleeps sweet embrace but kept herself awake through sheer force of will. But to her immense surprise the Diarchs were not the only ones present for breakfast, a third Alicorn was seated at the table. A smaller pink furred mare with a mane of pink, yellow and purple all mixed together like some form of brilliantly colored cotton candy. A mare who had jumped to her feet and was smiling nervously at Yamato as the Shipmare entered the room.

But before Yamato could greet the new Alicorn, the two rulers of the realm turned their attention to the door opening and smiled at the sight of the Shipmare. “Ah Lady Yamato, good morning. We would be honored if you would join us." Celestia greeted as Yamato took a spot at the table. "Was your rest peaceful?”

“Well, enough I suppose. I apologize if I’ve kept you waiting.” Yamato apologized as Sunshine placed a plate of absolutely delicious smelling pancakes stacked comically high while an almost equally large stack was placed in front of Celestia and the third mysterious mare.

“It is fine, we finished moving our respective celestial bodies not an hour ago. You have not missed much.” Luna replied as her magic enveloped her silverware, the lunar mare eyeing her own salad with a very un-ponylike glint in her eye. “But now that you have joined us, we may begin discussing the preparations for the future.” She continued the mood turning serious for a moment before she grinned slightly. “…after we begin our respective meals of course…and to introduce our niece.” The dark mare finished as she cast her gaze at the pink Alicorn, said pony jumping slightly as all eyes turned to her.

“A-ah, yes! …It is my great honor to meet you, Lady Yamato.” The pink Alicorn greeted in a stiffly formal tone and a slight bow. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Alicorn of Love and a Princess of Equestria. I’m sorry-I mean, I deeply apologize for not greeting such an esteemed guest of our nation and humbly-.” The now named Mi Amore Cadenza introduced herself , growing progressively more nervous as she continued before Yamato could no longer remain silent and quietly cleared her throat to interrupt the anxious looking mare before smiling as warmly as she could.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. And please, there is no reason to be so formal or nervous in my presence. While there are those who would speak my name with rev, the pony who now stands before you was not a pony of any real note before I arrived in these lands. Nor will I withdraw my offer of aid should somepony offend me by refusing to speak to me with respect. And as such, you do not need to worry about being so formal with me. Please, be at ease.” Yamato replied with an amused but still friendly tone of voice, Mi Amore Cadenza releasing an explosive breath and slumping as the tension seemingly vanished from her body.

“Oh, thank goodness, I was afraid that I might doom Equestria if I upset you by not being formal enough.” She replied still looking relived before seemingly realizing something and frowning. “Hang on, if you’re ok with ponies being informal with you, then why did some of the nobles on the Council yesterday warn me about not upsetting you or we’d all be doomed?” She questioned, Yamato leaning back in her chair with a humorless smile on her lips as she went to answer.

“Ah, I’m afraid that I may be partially responsible for such a response, as I did not pull any punches in either my disappointment with their lack of action since my initial warning, nor in my explanation of the threat we all face. They likely simply wished to ensure that there was no risk of angering me and forcing me to leave…unless they simply wished to cause problems due to my harsh words. In which case I can only say that regardless of their immaturity, I will stand by my oath.” The shipmare thought out loud, Celestia sitting back with an almost sad, contemplative, look on her face.

“I would hope that my little ponies would be above such petty acts in light of such an existential threat facing our great nation…but if there is anything that my many years of leadership have taught me, it is that one should never underestimate the pettiness of some ponies…that, and that cakes of any kind are the greatest culinary achievements of ponykind.” Celestia finished, Luna rolling her eyes at her sister’s attempt at a joke.

“Then why do you delay in partaking in, as I understand it, the cake of breakfast? Come, let us partake in our meals before our chiefs begin to question their qualifications due to our lack of interest in their craft.” The lunar Alicorn declared, which was all the invitation Yamato needed to take her own seat.

Reaching out for her own silverware- the shipmare still unwilling to question how her hooves were able to hold such utensils without apposable thumbs-, sliced off a dainty bit of pancake, and took a bite…and had to engage in the hardest battles of both of her lives; the fight to keep herself from squealing in delight at the heavenly taste of the sugary delights before her over keeping the dignity of the Yamato line intact. She had yet to determine if it was simply the skills of the chefs that had served her meals so far, or if it was simply an intrinsic property of Equestria cuisine, but the food here was absolutely delicious, to the point where she was concerned that she might fine the food back home dull by comparison. Even last night’s meal, a series of hay-based pâtés, that were far better than they had any right to be.

The four mares remained focused on their respective meals for the next few minutes as each simply took the time to enjoy the food, before the conversation resumed. “Now then, the first problem we must discuss is the means with which we shall deliver you to the future fields of battle.” Luna stated as she put aside her meal for a moment. “Our original intention had been to use Pegasi scouts to determine just where our foes intend to strike and, upon gleaming such insights into their intentions, we would use our fastest fliers to rush you to the defense of their intended target.” Luna explained before smiling at Yamato’s inevitable grimace. “Of course, after you admission yesterday, we have begun to make other plans for ensuring you can arrive in a timely manner.”

“Thank you, and I apologize that my phobia has been an inconvenience.” Yamato couldn’t help but apologize as she bowed her head. “While I would not be against such flights if the situation is dire enough, I would not recommend that be our go to strategy. After all, as powerful as I am, I won’t be much good if I cannot stop shaking from fear after landing.” The Shipmare continued, a self-deprecating smile upon her lips as she finished. All while Cadance looked on with a look of confusion.

“Wait…you don’t like flying, Yamato?” The pink Alicorn couldn’t help but ask, prompting a quick explanation from Yamato. “Well, that’s a shame. Flying was something I always found relaxing back before I became an Alicorn…although, now that I think about it, I can’t help but imagine how funny it would be to see a ship flying through the sky with wings of its own.” She commented with a giggle, Yamato’s own thoughts immediately flashing to an image of a ship bearing a striking resemblance to her, flying through the dark of space, firing off energy weapons that would put even her most mighty of barrages to shame.

“…I do not think it would be as funny as you might think. If anything, I would become even more majestic.” Yamato answered cryptically, a smile of her own spreading across her face at the curious looks the others were giving her. “Regardless, it is still a means of travel I would prefer to avoid.”

“Indeed, which is why we will be discussing an alternative solution with members of the College of Advanced Magics in order to devise a teleportation-based means of travel for you to make use of.” Celestia added in between bites of her breakfast, the white Alicorn consuming her disks of deliciousness even faster than Yamato. “We are also setting the ground work for when we will inform Equestria of the coming conflict in addition to summoning emissaries from our surrounding nations to ensure that all species are prepared for what is to come. Which is why until our preparations are complete we believe that our best course of action is to familiarize as many ponies with the techniques and powers of an Abyssal by having them fight against, and observe, the pony with the closest approximation of their magics, mainly you yourself. This knowledge will then be spread across Equestria so that local militias will know how to recognize their enemy and how to fight against them. So long as you are willing to share such information with us, of course.” The solar Diarch asked.

“That would be more than fine. In actuality, I had intended to propose something similar myself.” Yamato agreed instantly with a nod of her head. “Although I am curious, did you expect me to refuse you the specifics of my, and by extension the Abyssals, power? Is it common for ponies to be protective of their techniques? I do not mean to pry, but I remember Captain Whitecap being similarly skittish about asking about my powers and was curious as to why.”

“In general? Yes.” Celestia admitted, an almost embarrassed expression crossing her face for a brief moment before once again smiling. “While we always encourage our little ponies to be kind and generous to others, many unicorns still remain…wary, of sharing some of their more unique magics, but they are improving.” She explained, Luna snorting in response.

“My sister undersells their protectiveness by a not so inconsiderable amount. In times past, even mages of mediocre skill would encode their research materials in order to keep potential thieves away.” She refuted almost instantly. “In fact, I recall Starswirl having more than a few enchantments placed upon his spell books to keep curious fillies away. A favorite of mine being one that gave any pony unfortunate enough to open said book a pink polka-dotted coat for nearly a fortnight.” She continued, Yamato noticing a slight pinkish tinge to Celestia’s cheeks despite the smile on her muzzle.

“Oh? I was always more partial to the trap that created a small ball of light to orbit a pony’s head just out of reach. I still smile sometimes remembering how many sleepless days somepony had due to such an enchantment.” Celestia returned, Luna forcing out a single cough as she returned to her meal. “But yes, our little ponies can sometimes be overprotective of their magics. Which is why I once again thank you for your openness.” She finished as she lowered her head in respect, Luna following suit a moment later.

“…Is that why you never wanted to let Twilight into the archives without supervision?” Cadance asked, Celestia sighing before she answered.

“Yes, while most scrolls and spell books stored within have been vetted for such enchantments, there is always a few still retain their enchantments of old…although considering how single minded she is when it comes to pursuing knowledge, I doubt she would have noticed if she was sporting a poka-dotted coat after one of her research projects.” She commented, Cadance giggling at what must have been quite an amusing image of this pony by the name of Twilight.

“Yes well, as I said, I am happy to share any information that might result in a swifter end to this conflict.” Yamato eventually said once the laughter had died down, although she couldn’t help but smile slyly a moment later. “Although, I will not deny that it is my hope that sharing such information will aid in my return to my own world one day.”

“A hope we share as well. Which is why I have summoned my most faithful student to Canterlot to begin researching a means to return you to your own dimension.” Celestia explained, her smile widening for a moment before she returned her attention to Yamato. “Hopefully she will arrive sometime in the afternoon, which will give you all morning to work with our troops.”

“And don’t forget me! I’ll be helping to see how the powers of an Alicorn match up against Shipmare magic! That’s ok with you, right?” Cadance added, Yamato smiling at the youngest Alicorn.

“Of course. I would welcome your expertise.” Yamato replied as she turned her attention to her meal. “But if I am to use my powers today as well, then I will have to make sure I eat as much of this absolutely delicious meal so I have enough supplies to put your ponies through their paces.”

Not even an hour later, Yamato and Cadance reached the shore of Lake Canterlot, Yamato once again preparing herself for a live fire exercise. But instead of her audience being a bunch of stuffy politicians as she had been yesterday, she was instead greeted by three separate platoons of ponies each likely hailing from separate military organizations considering the different armor they were wearing.

The first platoon was comprised of the most recognizable members of Equestrian military that Yamato had encountered so far; the members of the Royal Guard. Their golden armor almost blinding in the mid-morning sun with the platoon being comprised of Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies in almost equal measure, although it appeared that there slightly more Unicorns within their ranks than the other two species. And there, at the head of the formation, Yamato could see Shining Armor standing at attention, a serious expression on his muzzle as he watched the two ponies approach. Although…for a brief moment she could have sworn that she saw an almost bashful look on his face as his gaze fell upon Cadance, but it passed so fast that she may have just imagined it.

The second group was dressed in similar armor to the royal guards, although instead of bright shining gold like their peers they wore black and purple armor that was far sharper in its design. Giving them an aura of violence that their Royal guard counterparts standing alongside them lacked. A look that was quite the surprise considering that every aspect of Equestria she had seen so far pointed to the ponies of this nation preferring to use diplomacy as opposed to coercion. Like the Royal Guards, they too were comprised of the three tribes. Although, on a second look, she noticed something strange about the wings of some of the Pegasi among their number…were those…were those bat wings on their backs?! An entirely new tribe of pones?! Well...I feel like I should be shocked by their appearance, but honestly I just can't pretend like any of my expectations have been met before now. Why should I be surprised there's emo Pegasi in this world? . And on that note, I wonder how many other tribes of ponies exist out there? I shall have to ask one of the Princesses in order ensure I do not make a fool of myself in the future. Yamato thought as she took notice of the pony standing in front of the platoon, a dark furred pony with the same bat-like wings as the troops standing behind him, an almost sly smile on his muzzle as he studied her, clearly sizing her up. And thankfully Yamato appeared to have met his expectations, as his smile grew even wider as she approached which in turn only increased the Shipmare’s wariness of said pony.

And lastly, the final group was comprised entirely of Pegasi in fur-tight blue and yellow outfits and equally as blue goggles with a very familiar fiery haired mare leading them, a grin of her own adorning her muzzle as she nodded at Yamato as the Shipmare approached.

No pony moved as the two mares approached until they arrived in front of the formation, at which point Shining Armor stiffened and raised a hoof to his forehead. “Ponies! Attention!” The captain ordered, the ponies from all three platoons following his lead and snapping to attention as well. Yamato turned as well, intending to show her respect to Princess Cadance, but to her surprise she saw the Alicorn in question smiling faintly, taking a step back, and nodding once at her. Apparently deferring to Yamato in this situation, Yamato more than willing to take charge as she turned back to the gathered ponies with an expression worthy of one shown such respect.

“As you were.” Yamato replied reflexively, the ponies lowing their legs while the three lead ponies coming closer. “Good morning, Capitan Armor. A pleasure to see you again, Capitan Spitfire. And I believe this is the first time we have met. I am Yamato, name ship of my class and Shipmare from a foreign land. It is an honor to meet you.” She greeted each pony in turn, finishing with a bow as she addressed the leader of the bat-like ponies, said pony bowing in the exaggerated manner that Yamato had witnessed ponies perform to honor the Princesses.

“The honor is mine, your Highness-” Once again some pony referred to me as royalty. Is it just way to show respect? Or do I need to ask the Princesses to put out a statement that I’m not, in fact, of royal blood? – “I am Captain Jolly, leader of Princess Luna’s Night Guard.” The pony finished, Yamato freezing as the gathered ponies gave their greetings to Cadance who smiled and replied in turn. Surely, that was simply a poorly thought-out joke? The stallion in charge of the most intimidating branch of Equestria military couldn’t be named Jolly? But sure enough, Cadance greeted him without skipping a beat with the name he had given, and so Yamato was forced to forge ahead despite her confusion over his odd choice in names.

“A pleasure to meet you…and I apologize if this is considered a social faux pass, but are you a Pegasus? I’m afraid that I have never seen a pony like you and your comrades before.” Yamato apologized, Jolly shaking his head in denial in response.

“It is not an issue. After all, we are not a very common pony to see outside of Canterlot or our mountain aviaries, so you’re hardly the first pony to intimidated by our appearance.” He began, Yamato raising a eyebrow at his choice of words as he continued. “I am a Thestral, a type of Pegasi imbued with the magic of the night by our Princess a thousand years ago, giving us superior vision in the dark and our unique wings…although in exchange for such gifts, we became a more nocturnal tribe than our feathered brethren.”

“I see, thank you for your expiation. And I apologize for keeping you away from your justly deserved rest.” Yamato said with a smile, Jolly chuckling under his breath in response.

“The siren song of our beds is indeed hard to resist, but our Lady of the Night bid us learn the secrets of our enemies, and it would be a betrayal most foul for us to ignore our Princesses’ orders.”

“Understood…well then, how exactly do you all wish to go about this? As while I may be a Shipmare, I cannot claim to perfectly understand my own powers beyond how my ship parts work. Nor do I have any experience in training other ponies. And as such, I shall defer to your decisions, or yours Princess Cadance.” Yamato admitted, not wanting to risk improperly preparing these ponies for battle just to boost her ego.

“Oh! I’ve never really had much training in combat magics, so I’m just as lost as you are…Shinning, do you have any idea what we should be doing?” The pink Alicorn asked, both Yamato and her intelligence officers taking note of her informal way of referring to the captain. Were they perhaps close? That was something she should look into for the future and/or, use for future teasing…assuming it was true.

…Although considering how much Shining Armor was blushing at Cadance smiling at him, Yamato had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t really need to do much investigating to find out if her intuition was correct. Although it didn't take long for the good Capitan to regain his calm demeanor. “…For today, I believe it would be best for us to get a base line on Abyssal and Shipmare abilities and worry about actual training for another day. Firstly, I believe we should test just how, and possibly if, our guards can subdue an Abyssal, or in this case a Shipmare…so long as you are willing to agree to such a test. I would also like to try and see if barrier spells can block your magic so that we can determine how best to defend our coastal cities. And failing that, to learn what means the ponies of your homeland used to defend themselves from such attacks."

“Ya, Ya, thats really important and all, but all the preparation in the world won’t matter for squat unless we can figure out where these Abyssals are coming from.” Spitfire retorted cockily although without any heat before turning to Yamato. “My fliers and I have been itchin’ to see just how your weird metal Pegasi measure up to some real fliers for when we gotta go and scout out where the Abyssals are commin' from.” The mare continued, Yamato nearly flinching at the burring feeling coming from her pilots within her hull, said Fairies unwilling to allow such a challenge pass by unanswered. “Plus, we gotta see what exactly it’s like to try and spot a pony moving across the water. And I’m sure that our more brooding brothers and sisters are probably lookin’ for some of the same experience…right?” Spitfire asked as she grinned at Captain Jolly, who was quick to return the gesture in turn.

“Of course.” He replied before returning his attention to Yamato. “We of the night guard are those primarily charged with scouting our borders, internal investigations that require subtly and if necessary, espionage. As such, we as well will need to learn all we can about these Abyssals; how to spot them upon the waves, how to avoid their magics, and most importantly; how they think, how they will act, and how to anticipate their moves. And as Capitan Spitfire alluded to, we as well will need to test ourselves against these Abyssal fliers, or their nearest equivalent. Which is where you come in, Princess Yamato.” Jolly finished as all three Captain’s turned their attention back to Yamato, clearly waiting for her input, an input that she was still carefully formulating.

“…There are a few issues that come to mind in regards to your requests.” Yamato carefully began after considering their objectives and her own limitations. “The primary of which is the fact that both I, the battleship Yamato, and my planes- or the metal Pegasi that I launched- are equipped with weaponry that was not designed to be used in training scenarios, but to kill on the field of battle. And as such anypony that places themselves along the path of my weaponry will be putting their lives at risk.”

“Hmmm, that is an issue, as while none here would refuse to put our lives on the line to defend Equestria, it would be an issue if we were forced to do so before even meeting the enemy in battle.” Capitan Jolly muttered as he looked first at the ground in concentration before turning his gaze upon Shinning Armor. “Capitan Armor; does the Solar Guard have access to any spells that might offer adequate protection for our troops during the coming exercise?”

“Well…maybe, although I doubt the usual spells we use to blunt our swords and spears for training will work with Lady Yamato’s magics. We might have to call in some specialists from the Canterlot University, but if we layer enough shielding spells we might be able to offer somepony enough protection.” Shining Armor thought out loud before turning his attention back to Yamato. “Princess Cadance, do you know of any spells that could be useful here?”

“Umm…well, no unfortunately.” The princess apologized with a frown. “My love spells would just keep anypony from attacking, not from getting hurt. And while I can put up a decent shield, I never received any specialized training for stuff like that.” She admitted before turning her attention to Yamato. “Can’t you just…brace your bucks so to speak?”

“For my own attacks? Yes, to a certain degree.” Yamato admitted as one of her gunnery chiefs walked her through what to say. “I can disarm the fuses on my artillery shells, the ones fired from my rigging, so that they do not detonate upon impact with their target, but even with such a measure in place it would still be beyond irresponsible to fire such a weapon at a pony. As the sheer weight of the shell would be enough to kill any creature struck. And while I am fairy accurate with my attacks, I cannot guarantee that my strikes would hit their intended target with one hundred percent accuracy. My aircraft, however, are a different story. While their shells do not explode in the same manner as my own. They are still firing masses of metal at nearly seven-hundred and fifty meters per second. And without assurances that your equipment can protect you from such attacks, I cannot authorize a combat drill involving live fire weapons.” Yamato stated, Spitfire grimacing as she considered Yamato’s words.

“Ya, I guess that makes sense. Especially since our uniforms are enchanted to reduce air friction and not, ya know, stop super-fast pointy things from making us into flying pincushions. So, we’re probably gonna want to find a different way to get everypony ready for war.”

“While not quite as informative as a live fire exercise, I can still order my pilots to fly as if they are in a real dogfight and you can simply have your fliers to consider themselves having been hit if they are caught in the flight path of my-.” Yamato started to say before pausing as a bright light began to emanate from her right shoulder, the Shipmare and the Capitan’s blinking in surprise as they turned to stare at the diminutive fairy now perched on Yamato's withers- Cadance did look surprised at first, but appeared to be more enamored with the tiny pony than surprised after a moment- said Fairy saluting Yamato with an…interesting expression on its tiny muzzle.

“Ah, excuse me for a moment.” Yamato apologized to the four ponies before turning her attention to the Fairy. “Yes?”

“Squee squee quee. Squee squee squee?” The Fairy reported Yamato beginning to stare at the Fairy with an expression very similar to the one on said fairies face, while the three Capitan’s simply stared and tried not to make any comments on the strange sight before them.

“…Really? And both the Quartermaster, and my pilots missed this upon their first inspection?” The Shipmare questioned incredulously, the Fairy looking a little sheepish before answering.

“Squee squee?” It replied tentatively, its answer causing Yamato to look to the heavens with a blank look in her eyes before sighing heavily like a mare fully fed up with life, an act so out of character that Shining Armor couldn’t help but break his silence.

“Umm, Lady Yamato, is everything alright?” The Unicorn asked, Yamato returning her attention to the ponies before her with a wry smile upon her muzzle, although one that nopony present doubted was completely forced.

“Oh, yes, everything is just peachy. I've simply found myself once again exacerbated with the seemingly overly-convenient nature of M.S.S.B.” The Shipmare commented before sighing and continuing before anypony could question what exactly she was referring to. “Regardless, I have been informed by one of my lieutenants that I do, in fact, have paint rounds for my planes and that while my mechanics are still ensuring that said planes may fire these newfound rounds, they have no reason to believe that they cannot. And as such, I am more than willing to commit to as close an approximation to a live-fire exercise as we can…so long as your fliers are willing to spend as much time as necessary to wash paint out of their coats when they are inevitably shot out of the sky.” Yamato finished, a challenging smile on her lips as all three Capitan’s narrowed their eyes and smiled back.

“Oh, it’s so on now.” Was all Spitfire said in reply as she began to flex her wings in preparation, Yamato tensing in anticipation and while her crew moved to their combat stations in preparation for the coming conflict.

However, Yamato immediately had to take back her challenging words, as her Armorer refused to allow her planes to launch until he had ensured that her aircraft could in fact fire paint bullets without clogging their barrels, as it would be a blow to both their honor and Yamato's own if she had proclaimed their safety only for something to go wrong. And so, after conveying this to the others, they instead chose to start with Yamato dueling against various members of Equestria's military in order to gain a baseline on Abyssal abilities.

Or rather, that would be what they would be working on…if anypony was willing to actually attack her. Yamato wasn’t sure if it was because she was a mare, because she was somepony they respected, or just because they were too intimidated by her sheer size compared to most ponies, but nopony seemed to want to attack her, let alone even step in to the ring with her…which was beginning to frustrate more than just her.

Not that she would show her annoyance, as she simply chose to give an understanding smile to a very frustrated looking Shining Armor who was practically glaring at the nervous looking ponies who were standing at attention in front of him.

“Truly? No pony wants to volunteer?” The Capitan couldn’t help but complain as he swept his gaze over the ranks of ponies, only a few of which were willing to meet his gaze, and those who did could only return his look with a sheepish expression. “Lady Yamato has already confirmed that she is willing to test herself against us, and has already sworn to not hold anypony accountable for possible injuries sustained or blows to her pride because of this training. So even with all that, will no pony step forward to represent the Royal Guard?” He continued, his mention of their pride making a few ponies raise a hoof almost defensively, but not one stepped forward. He appeared ready to order somepony into the ring, but before he could Jolly stepped forward with a much more sly grin upon his muzzle than the one he was wearing earlier.

“A moment Capitan Armor, perhaps it would be best if a pony of more equal standing to our most esteemed guest were to face Lady Yamato first to break the ice, so to speak.” The Thestral proposed, a shocked murmur going through the gathered ponies at his words.

Surely, he isn’t suggesting…Yamato couldn’t help but trail off as one of her spotters reported an absolutely horrified look on Cadance’s face. He couldn’t be trying to throw an Alicorn, not to mention a princess and a noncombatant, into a duel with a Shipmare could he? No, this cannot be allowed. As curious as I would be to see how the most powerful ponies in Equestria fight, it’s probably not a great look for me to beat up a Princess. Yamato thought, deciding to step in before anypony said something they might regret.

But before she could, Jolly continued to speak. “However, since we have no Shipmares of our own to bring to bear, I humbly offer myself as tribute…so long as Lady Yamato finds me to her satisfaction.” The Night Guard Captain stated before turning his grin upon Yamato, who returned the look with a smile of her own.

“Of course. I will not shy away from any challenger, be they Thestral, Earth Pony, or any other creature who wishes to test my might.” Yamato declared as Jolly took his place in the arena. However, despite her bold words, Yamato couldn’t help but feel like she was sweating bullets under her fur, her anxiety about the coming training almost too much to bear. While her crew had received some training in hand-to-hand combat before becoming Fairies, and she herself had been in quite a few scuffles in her time as a human. However, not one of the three thousand souls that comprised her had any idea how the heck she was going to go about getting into a fight with a pony, let alone one who could fly. Should she fight like a human? Rear up on her back legs and fight with her front ones like a human would? Should she just fight like a horse? Or in this case a pony? Should she just turn her back on Jolly and…what was it called again? Boot? Or maybe punt?...Ah! Bucking, that’s what it’s called! Was she supposed to just try and buck him? What the heck was she going to do-?!

Unfortunately, her chance for further deliberation on Equine combat strategies was cut short when Shining Armor yelled out the one word that the Shipmare had been dreading. “Start!”

it was at that moment, as her mind registered Capitan Jolly tensing for his first attack, that it felt as if somepony had opened a sluice gate in her mind, releasing a deluge of ice water through her thoughts and washing away all her anxiety and confusion over how to fight. Without conscious thought, Yamato’s legs tensed as she lowered herself like a cat stalking her prey while her eyes attempted to follow the shockingly fast Thestral.

Yamato watched as Jolly began to dive bomb directly down at her, the Shipmare tensing in anticipation for when the Thestral would inevitably veer to one of her sides in order to get around her defenses, but much to her surprise he simply rushed directly at her, a brazen decision that was so unexpected she almost didn’t get her guard up in time...almost. Thankfully her instincts to not get hit in the face brought her forelegs up to block, a grunt escaping from her lips as the flying pony slammed against her.

But she was determined to give as good as she got. And after bracing herself as much as she could, Yamato threw Jolly backwards. The Thestral spinning through the air like a top before he managed to get himself under control.

“Ah, so you do have training in hoof-to-hoof combat. Excellent! Now I don’t have to hold back as much as I intended to.” The Thestral said with a laugh, Yamato grinning confidently in response.

“I would be disappointed if you did, it would make my inevitable victory less enjoyable if you weren’t giving it your all.” She returned in mock concern, Jolly giving a single laugh before launching back into the fray even faster than before.

The two ponies continued to trade blows for the next few minutes, with Jolly performing increasingly impressive maneuverers in an attempt to get past her guard while Yamato continued to fend him off, the shipmare having to hold herself back from manifesting her anti-air weaponry more than once as the impulse to remove the sky cancer harassing her reared its head. But even without her weapons, she still managed to get a few good hits in, leaving the Thestral with more than a few bruises. She even managed to perform her first buck without immediately falling onto her stomach, a victory of great importance as far as she was concerned!

But both combatants were acutely aware after their first few exchanges that Jolly would be the ultimate victor of their bout, just as soon as he was done testing her. And sure enough, after performing a barrel roll to dodge her right hook, leaving Yamato overextended and off balance, Jolly rushed forward grab her neck and drag her to the ground and pin her in one fluid motion.

The ponies surrounding the two combatants remained deathly silent, each pony present holding their breath at what kind of reaction a mare of Yamato’s standing would have at not only being pushed to the ground, but at how she would handle getting her flank handed to her. But much to their relief, Yamato simply laughed in good cheer, a reaction that Jolly shared as the Thestral stepped away and offered his hoof to the downed warrior.

“Well, you’re at least better than a trainee, I’ll give you that much.” Jolly commented, causing Yamato to scoff in good cheer as she accepted his hoof.

“Such glowing praise, I must ensure that one of my officers records your words right alongside my other greatest achievements.” The shipmare commented as the surrounding ponies began to stomp their hooves to cheer for the two combatants, Yamato waiting till she was back on all four hooves before bowing her head to Jolly, who returned her respectfully act with both a smirk and a nod of his head. “Now then, who shall be my next opponent?” Yamato challenged, the Shipmare smiling in satisfaction as multiple volunteers stepped forward.

For the next hour or so, Yamato tested herself against three more ponies, one from each of the other tribes, in order for the Equestrian military to gain some form of understanding of Abyssal fighting abilities-although personally she couldn’t help but wonder just how testing themselves against what was essentially just an oversized pony was supposed to help, but no matter- the results of which had been quite curious. Her battle against a Pegasus had been nearly identical to her bout with Jolly, save for the fact that the Stallion who had volunteered was slightly less graceful than her previous opponent, but he made up for that by having far more strength behind his hooves than the membrane-winged guard. Her fight against the Earth Pony had actually been the closest of her bouts, with Yamato and the stallion who was sent against her both giving as good as they got before the match devolved into something closer to a wrestling match than a fist-or in this case hoof – fight, one that Yamato’s opponent eventually withdrew from when it became clear that Yamato clearly outclassed him in both stamina and strength. And finally, her battle with a Unicorn was…well, she at least got a few steps towards the mare before being struck by some sort of stunning spell similar to a taser, which caused to tense up and collapse on her side without throwing a single punch.

It was when the magic finally dissipated that Cadance finally approached, the pink Alicorn looking down at Yamato with clear amusement in her eyes. “Well, looks like somepony was having fun out there! Just needed to blow off some steam Yamato?” She questioned as Yamato stood and shook her head.

“Perhaps, it is what my boilers run off of after all, but I would argue that I simply enjoy testing myself against others. After all, I am a warrior of the sea, and what kind of warrior would I be if I failed to find the joys of combat? Regardless of victory or defeat.” Yamato declared only to pause as one of her Fairies delivered a status report in regards to her planes. “Now then, if there is no other land-based tests you all wish to preform, may I suggest that we move on to an aerial exercise?” The shipmare suggested, only for Shining Armor to clear his throat with an almost sheepish expression on his muzzle.

“Um, actually Lady Yamato, while your abilities are something important for us to learn, we haven’t actually approached the main reason I wanted us to perform these tests. That reason being if the Guard can subdue an active Abyssal.” Shining Armor eventually forced out, Yamato blinking slowly once before she realized that he was correct, they had yet to actually accomplish the reason behind her duels.

“Ah…Yes…I suppose that is true…Kuso ̄ , watashi wa bakada to omou...But nevertheless, we have at least determined that if the Abyssals can dismiss their rigging like I can, then trained ponies should be capable of defeating them.” Yamato said as she attempted to repair some of her wounded pride. “Well then, how do you wish to proceed with the rest of the test?”

“The same as the previous bouts would be best, I imagine. Just with you using your unique magics to fight against your opponent’s instead of your natural strength.” Jolly added, Yamato taking a moment to consider how best to go about the fight before nodding.

“Very well then, let us begin.” Yamato declared as she summoned her rigging, a bright white light enveloping her form as she began to consider just how she was going to attempt CQC with her rigging, perhaps-.

Pain. Unbearable, unforgiving pain. Pain so great that it became the totality of her existence.

Almost like the hoof of God was pressing down upon her, Yamato felt like she would snap in half, the weight upon her back was so unbearable. Through the haze of agony, she could barely make out the sounds of shock and horror the various ponies that surrounded her were making, along with the agonizing sound of groaning metal just about to give.

Thankfully, her Shipmare instincts were enough strong enough for her to dismiss her rigging without conscious thought. The relief that washed across her making her knees buckle as she almost collapsed, the proud mare not allowing herself to fall just because of her own mistake.

“Y-Yamato! Are you ok?!” Cadance cried out in a panic as the Alicorn rushed up to gingerly look over Yamato while Shining called out for the medics to get over to her on the double.

“…I…I am…O.K. I am still combat ready.” Yamato forced out through gritted teeth as her DC crews began to rush through her hull in order to determine the full extent of the damage. “Well, at least we now know that no Shipmare can…manifest their rigging on dry land. And if we cannot, then it…it stands to reason that-.”

“Lady Yamato, with all due respect. Shut the buck up.” Jolly commanded in a no-nonsense tone, the Thestral no longer grinning as he hovered a scant few inches from Yamato’s muzzle scowling. “We will not allow you to endanger yourself simply to protect your own ego. You will remain where you are until the medical ponies arrive and determine you are fit to continue. Understood?”

Yamato couldn’t help but blink slowly in response to Jolly’s commanding tone, the haze of pain momentarily forgotten due to her surprise at somepony speaking to her so forcefully, borderline rudely, considering the deference they had been showing her up till then.

Her surprise must have been visible on her face considering Jolly’s next words. “You may reprimand me for any breach of decorum I have committed, you may even bring such complaints to my Mistress . But for now, Do. Not. Move. Until a medic has cleared you for continued combat.”

Yamato was about to argue with the Thestral, that her own DC crews would be more than enough to determine if she was actually wounded from her own stupidity and give her an all clear as opposed to a pony medic who would likely not even understand what they were looking at. But looking around at the multitude of worried looks being sent her way, particularly by Cadance who was looking up at her with an extremely concerned expression, she was forced to relent. “…Very well.” Yamato agreed with a sigh as she looked down, one of her elegant eyebrows rising slightly as she noticed that she had sunken into the earth nearly up to her ankles “…Although, I would like to step out of this hole I find myself in…with your permission, of course.” She asked, a slight smirk forming on her lips, one mirrored by Jolly while the gathered ponies breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Permission granted, Lady Yamato. And if I may say, it is good that you've finally started to pick up on how things work around here.” He replied with a grin of his own.

It didn’t take long for the medics to make their way through the crowd of ponies and begin to look over the now lounging Yamato. However, much to the surprise to everypony present including Yamato, the only sign that she had been nearly crushed by her own magic was a series of dark black bruises where the various straps of her rigging rested on her back. This of course was quite shocking to the medical ponies, one of which requested that Yamato retire to the medical ward and have the Castle’s doctors look her over in case they missed something, as they had all assumed that Yamato would be suffering from internal hemorrhaging due to how deep she had been pushed into the ground. But Yamato politely refused, as there was only one being on the planet who could give her a clean bill of health in a situation like this, only one being who's word she would take as gospel; her Chief Engineer.

And after about twenty minutes of everypony simply fidgeting in place as they waited for the final verdict from Yamato's crew, a single Fairy manifested on her snout with a flash of light. A fairy wearing greasy overalls and a permanent scowl on its tiny muzzle that only made it appear cuter...not that anypony would be brave enough to say such a thing to a being who could make even full grown ponies cry with just a look. The Fairy began by giving Yamato a look that made the shipmare feel like she was a child who had been caught trying to hide a mess she had made. And after a few, agonizing, seconds of such a look, the Fairy began to launch into a quick explanation of the damage she had sustained. Her engineers had noticed some warping of the metal around both her fore and aft turrets that seemed to mimic the bruises she now bore, but nothing that would keep her from sailing and damage that should be easy enough to repair during her next time in drydock. And with a promise that she would not attempt to manifest her rigging on dry land again- a promise made to both the ponies around her and her Chief- Yamato stepped out into the shallows to begin the next phase of their combat drills.

Drills that went quite differently than the previous ones. Not a single airborne pony was able to even make her move even an inch through their strikes, no matter what tricks they tried. Though their constant fluttering about and hoof-strikes did eventually start to annoy her, Leaving her itching to allow her anti-air weaponry respond in kind. One Pegasi had even resorted to hitting her with a bolt of lighting, but besides for leaving her fur standing out straight left no mark. The Earth pony fight turned into a form of tug of war, since they couldn’t do much to her what with her being out on the water and therefore out of range of their attacks. Although to call it tug of war was slightly inaccurate considering they couldn’t move her in the slightest and she didn’t bother to pull at all. It was painfully clear that once a Shipmare or Abyssal manifested their rigging they were practically immune to a any form of conventional Earth Pony combat.

Yamato had been holding out some hope that the spells of the Unicorn’s might still be enough to injure her, and by extension the Abyssals, but her hopes were quickly dashed the moment the same unicorn from before unleashed her attack. The stunning spell struck her with the same force as before, but besides for a feeling similar to static electricity buildup like she had been dragging her hooves across a carpet, she didn’t even slow down when the spell struck her. A fact that did not bode well for Equestria’s future.

The gathered Unicorns attempted to use a number of other spells against her, from spells designed to confuse her to ones that attempted to force her down, but no matter what they attempted, no spell managed much beyond slowing her down for a time. And after each spell struck her and failed to affect her in any meaningful way, an icy chill began to encase her heart, one that had nothing to do with the frost spells that were currently bouncing off her fur to no effect. They can’t even slow me down with my rigging out, and I somehow doubt the Abyssals will be courteous enough to dismiss their rigging before attacking Equestria. Their ships are comprised of wood and driven by sails, their military is more of a peacekeeping group than actual armed forces, and…and I’m the only one who can fight. Maybe…maybe it would be best for me to cut and run, to try and find a way home on my own. I.. The shipmare couldn’t help but consider as something that looked almost like a firework bounced off her face, drawing her attention back to the present as she put such thoughts to the back of her mind...for now.

In the end the Unicorn’s failed to find a single spell that could affect her in any meaningful way. One Unicorn had proposed that transmogrification magic might be effective in halting Abyssals and had suggested testing such spells against Yamato, but Shining Armor put his hoof down on the suggestion before Yamato could think of a polite way of refusing to have her atoms rearranged, especially since she wasn't certain their spells would put her back together as a ship, as a pony, or even as a human. A situation that would leave her fumbling for an explanation for her pale fleshy form or without a means to fight off Abyssals. Both possible scenarios being less than ideal .

Thankfully, the topic of using exotic spells against her was dropped when Yamato suggested they move on to testing Unicorn shields against her weaponry, a suggestion that she quickly agreed to as a way to divert her attention from the doom and gloom that threatened to overcome her. Unfortunately, there were very few amongst the gathered ponies who could project a shield far enough to not put their lives in danger if said barriers shattered under her shells. A few unicorns volunteered to put themselves in the line of fire to test the full strength of their shields, but Yamato had firmly refused, stating once again that simple tests were not worth putting pony lives in danger for.

And it was a good thing she did, as the most of the projected shields shattered under the strain of just one of her three-thousand-pound AP shells, the sound similar to shattering glass that accompanied each one a grim reminder of her earlier warning. Thankfully, not all of the Unicorn’s shields failed the moment they were struck, those few managing to bounce the shells into the nearby forest, the lake, and for one particularly unlucky Unicorn, bounced it directly upwards only to fall back down and shatter the shield on the second strike.

Shining Armor’s and Cadance’s shields were the strongest of the gathered ponies, with Shining’s surviving ten strikes before cracks began to form and an eleventh delivering the death blow. While the Princesses’ managed to survive a full barrage of all nine of her main turrets and only flickered slightly in response, a fact that had the pink pony practically giddy until Yamato was forced to remind her that she had been attacking without the explosive element that would normally accompany her shells, and that she could fire such a barrage every minute, and the unfortunate fact that it would be unlikely that any Abyssal strike would likely have multiple battleships to contend with.

It was at this point that Spitfire finally interjected, the Pegasus seemingly finally losing her patience for just watching everypony else have all the fun. “Ok, we get it, you’ve got some impressive boom sticks on you. But I think it’s about time to see how the greatest fighters in Equestria match up against you, so why don’t you bring out your fancy-pants airships of yours and let’s see just what your flyers are capable of eh?” The mare taunted.

Oh, it is indeed on now. Yamato thought as she narrowed her eyes at the challenge, her pilots rushing to their cockpits even without her orders. “…Very well, my Fairies have approved my planes for a training exercise, so if you would be so kind as to get your ponies in the air and ready, I will begin launching my planes.” She said as her two catapults began to turn until they were in their launch positions.

After launching the entirety of her air group, Yamato returned to the shallows to watch the battle unfold with the rest of the terrestrial-bound ponies. She had given her pilots free reign to act as they saw fit in the coming battle, as apparently her rebirth as a Shipmare failed to give her any understanding of air-to-air combat so any orders on her part would only confuse and distract her pilots, who were going to be the attacking forces for this first exercise. It was this lack of command that left her just as much in the dark as to what was going to happen when she saw her planes flying in from the south as if they were an incoming Abyssal bombing run. A plane, or Pegasi, would be considered out if they received a paint marking, either a hoof print from the Wonderbolts or a paint bullet from a plane, and the winner would be the team to eliminate the entirety of the opposing team. She couldn’t see the members of the Wonderbolts yet, who had moved into the tree line on the northern side of the lake, but she was certain they had noticed the approaching planes, so why-?

It was then, almost as if they were waiting for Yamato to grow impaicent, that the Wonderbolts burst from the trees, the Pegasi moving so fast that she could barely make out the colorful contrails they left in their wake as they sped upwards. Her pilots, having apparently spotted the approaching attack based off the radio chatter, broke formation in an attempt to dodge the incoming strikes but even someone with practically no aerial combat such as Yamato could see what was about to happen.

And sure enough, her spotters reported watching each and every one of her planes rocking back and forth as they were struck from beneath in rapid succession, her pilots dutifully reporting in their “shot down” status a moment later. She could hear the ponies behind her muttering in confusion, clearly having expected more of a fight between the two sides, but Yamato paid them no mind as she watched Spitfire slowly coast down in her direction with what could only be described as a perfect example of a shit-eating grin on her muzzle.

“Aw, come on Yammy, is this really the best your flyers can do? We could fly circles around them without breakin’ a sweat. If this is all the Abyssal’s can do then we got-uh, everythin’ alright there Yamato? You’re looking kinda…” Spitfire trailed off, likely feeling a bit uneasy at the predatory grin that was slowly stretching across Yamato’s face.

This…This I can work with.

Author's Note

Kuso ̄ , watashi wa bakada to omou: "Damn it, I'm such an idiot"

sorry for the delay on this one. A combination of work making it so I can really only work on it during the weekends, sickness, and visiting family delayed it far longer than I wanted it .I originally wanted this chapter to be all of the prep before the next fight, but realized it was getting too long so I'm splitting it in two. Hopefully I'll manage to get the rest out within a reasonable amount of time. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time!

Chapter 10

“Alright everypony! I think that’s enough training for the day.” Captain Armor called out across the water in a voice that was surprisingly loud, nearly every Pegasi present who was still in the air dropping to the ground with exhausted relief while Yamato looked on in amusement.

After the initial reveal of just how absurdly fast the Wonderbolts could go, Captain Spitfire put her ponies, and every other flying equine present, through a series of tests to determine just how much better they were than Yamato’s planes…the results of which were not quite as much in their favor as Spitfire likely thought they would be.

Sure, the Wonderbolts could go far faster than what any living thing should be able to go, and could turn practically on a dime without falling unconscious to the change in G-force which defiantly gave them the edge in maneuvering. But at the same time, it was clear that Spitfire had greatly exaggerated when she claimed that the Wonderbolts were near invincible when it came to aerial combat. The Pegasi had become quite spooked at the rapid fire staccato of her planes machine guns, even if they had only been firing paint bullets, which was clearly throwing off their movements. And one stallion in particular, having grown cocky over the course of the battle, had begun to fly literal circles around one of her planes. Unfortunately for him, the pilot’s wingman was quick to punish the Pegasi for his showboating. A punishment that was clearly visible to all ponies present due to the numerous splotches of neon pink paint crossing his backside.

And while it was clear that the Wonderbolts were the most skilled fliers amongst Equestria’s army, the rest of the Royal Guard were no slouches in the air either. They might not have been as agile as the Wonderbolts, but they made up for it through shear force of will, the ponies of the Royal Guard remaining unflinching in the face of machine gun fire. And the Thestrals…well, Yamato assumed that their lack of coordination was simply due to the fact that they were operating in their equivalent of the middle of the night. That, and Jolly had been pretty clear that the Night Guard specialized in reconnaissance, espionage, ambush missions as opposed to head on combat, so she didn’t hold it against them…too much. But it was something they would need to adapt to if they wanted to survive an encounter with Abyssal night patrols.

Of course, none of this mattered if they couldn’t find a way to bypass the Abyssal ability to negate magic. Thankfully, from what Yamato had witnessed, it appeared that the ability wasn’t a purely passive one like it had been often depicted being. Instead, it appeared to have been one that needed to be activated to affect others. So, as long as a pony was moving fast enough that the Abyssal failed to detect them, it was possible that Pegasi would be able to attack an Abyssal and get out before getting caught by their power…At least, that was the theory behind her observations. She would of course never order any Pegasi into the fray with such shaky intel, but the Shipmare didn’t have to be able to see the future to know that eventually they would have plenty of evidence as to just how the Abyssals were able to effect magic, she could only hope that such precious data did not come at too high a price.

Not that she had too long to worry about such questions, as somepony started to speak to her, drawing her out of her darkening thoughts. “Umm…Yamato, I get that Captain Spitfire was getting a little cocky, but did you really have to go all out on everpony like that?” Princess Cadance couldn’t help but ask as she watched the procession of miserable Pegasi with a look of pity, more than a few of the unlucky fliers sporting brand new multi-colored coats. Her concern brining a grin to the Shipmare’s muzzle as she reminisced.

After the tenth round of combat, with all ten battles ending in Equestrian victory, Spitfire had fluttered down to gloat as she had for each and every one of their victories. And after so many blows to the pride of her pilots, and by extension herself, Yamato decided that enough was enough. And so, she threw out a new idea for training to the Wonderbolts and the rest of the Pegasi, since they were so much more skilled than Yamato’s planes, that the next training battle should be against Yamato herself, an offer that Spitfire was quick to accept, likely believing that they could handle anything at this point…A fallacy that Yamato was quick to destroy.

Sure, the Wonderbolts were still so fast that Yamato could only just barely keep track of them and their reaction speeds were certainly what one would expect from an elite unit…but such speeds simply didn’t matter when a pony had to fly straight at their target to get a hit in, and said target had over one hundred guns, some of which could fire off over two-hundred rounds per minute, pointed in their general direction. The end result of such a battle being that a number of Pegasi were nursing welts and grumbling about having to wash their coats while Yamato was forced to suppress her giddiness at her anti-air armament finally fulfilling some purpose other than making her look imposing.

“Of course, it was necessary. The whole purpose for this whole training exercise is to prepare the military of your nation for what is to come. How could I allow anypony to leave here without seeing the true extent of what a Shipmare is capable of?” Yamato denied as she once more forced down her smirk as Spitfire landed nearby and proceeded to give her the stink eye.

“Uh-huh…and it was just a coincidence that your weapons were aimin’ at me the most, right?” The yellow Pegasus questioned incredulously, her accusation almost causing Yamato’s composure to crack…almost.

“Indeed, it was. As I did not give any directions to my Fairies other than to target the closest fliers. That you were targeted so much simply shows how much closer you got to me than any of your peers.” Yamato returned, only half lying. While it was true that she hadn’t given her Fairies any actual direction on priority targets, if her Fairies honor demanded that they exact revenge against a braggart, then who was she to correct them?

“…Rrrriiiigghhhttt.” Was all the mare said in reply before turning to the rest of the Wonderbolts and ordering them back to their barracks for a few hours of rest before they would receive their next orders, both Captain Armor and Captain Jolly performing similar actions with their respective units.

After dismissing the gathered ponies, the three captains returned to stand in front of Yamato for a debriefing. “Alright then, the fastest fliers of the Equestrian Guard will be responsible for informing our militias what we have learned here today.” Captain Armor explained, Yamato narrowing her eyes in consideration before replying.

“Very well, but before you send them on their way, I would remind everypony that the events here today were merely a training exercise, and that if a flight of Pegasi were to encounter Abyssal planes any wounds suffered would likely result in death. Nor do I believe that swords or spears will have much effect upon any such planes. And since no pony has encountered any Abyssal planes, we don’t’ know if said planes will be able to cancel out Pony magic. And as such, I would advise against engaging any Abyssals for now and to retreat as quickly as possible.” Yamato explained, a seemingly rare, serious expression on Spitfire’s face at her words.

“Fair enough. But with all due respect Lady Yamato, even if we Wonderbolts are mainly deployed for parades and air shows we’re still a part of the Equestrian military. Same as any other Pony who serves the Princesses’, from the Royal Guard to any militia. And if we have to give our lives to protect civilians, then there isn’t a single one of us who would hesitate to do so.” The fiery pony replied, a similar look to her own on each of the Capitan’s that surrounded her.

Yamato’s first response to the unexpectedly heated words of the normally casual pony was to blink owlishly in surprise, but she managed to recover quickly and moved to clear up the misunderstanding. “Of course, I did not mean to insinuate otherwise and I apologize if my words gave offense. I merely wished to advise caution until such a time as we have developed weapons that other ponies may use against Abyssals, and a means of preventing their powers from stealing the magic from everypony. I apologize if my words gave offence.” She explained, the heated look on Spitfire’s face fading just as quickly as it had come.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. And ya, you’ve got a point about fightin’ against them, but don’t worry about us not havin’ weapons for long.” Spitfire started, a grin slowly spreading across her muzzle. “Seein’ your flyers in action gave me a few ideas on how we might stop these Abyssals, assuming they’re similar to your planes. Just gotta run my idea by the Royal Alchemist and secure some supplies from the armory before we try anything.”

“Well then Capitan, don’t let us keep you.” Shining Armor commented to the Wonderbolts leader. Spitfire nodding to her fellow captains, bowing her head first to Cadance and then to Yamato, before her and the rest of the Wonderbolts flew off into the city proper.

“I believe I shall take my leave as well.” Jolly announced before yawning in a very cat-like manner. “With our training for the day taken care of, it is high time for the Night Guard to return to our barracks in preparation for the coming nightly duties. So, without further ado, I wish you a pleasant rest of your day, Princess Cadance, Lady Yamato.” The Thestral finished with an exaggerated bow of his own before flying off in the direction of the castle.

Yamato watched as the Night Guard returned to the castle, a good number looking like they were about to pass out any moment now that the tension of battle was gone, before turning back to Cadance and Shining Armor. “So then, with our training complete, what is next on our agenda?”

“Lunch, of course.” Cadance answered immediately, with a serious expression on her face. “With how much magic we’ve all been using this morning, I’m sure everypony has worked up quite an appetite.”

Well, she’s not wrong. Yamato thought in amusement as she received a report from one of her Lieutenants warning that her quartermaster was last spotted making his way up to the bridge with murder in her eyes due to an unplanned deployment that they did not have the supplies for, and while Yamato might have the bravery to stand her ground against an Abyssal battlegroup, not even a ship of her stature would dare face the wrath of an angry quartermaster if she could help it. “That sounds agreeable.”

“Well, hopefully the chiefs of castle are more prepared for their own trial by fire than the Royal Guard was, considering how much you ate this morning and how much fighting you’ve done this could be the greatest battle they have ever faced.” The Princess continued, her serious demeanor beginning to break the further she got into her sentence. Clearly the Princess of love enjoyed poking fun at others, but Yamato could clearly see that the Princess was just joking around, and she had more than thick enough armor to not take such simple ribbing seriously.

And so, she was left with only a single choice to make, to get in on the joke herself. “I make no promises in regards to sparing your cooks. After all, I swore to do my best to both protect Equestria, and prepare every citizen within for what is to come. And how can I claim to have done my job to the level expected of the nameship of the Yamato class if I do not prepare your chiefs as well?” Yamato finished, a small smile on her own face as both Cadance and Shining Armor broke out into laughter, although the Guard Capitan’s was much more subdued likely due to his position.

“Then let us be off! To our next battle!” Cadance declared as she pointed a threatening hoof at the castle, the laughter never leaving her voice.

For the one hundredth and seventy fifth time since she received Princess Celestia’s letter, Twilight had to force herself to calm down by preforming her breathing exercise…not that it helped at all. The purple Unicorn trying her best to not stare at the slowly approaching view of Canterlot outside the train’s window that was starting to look less like the majestic capital it was and instead more like the entrance to Tartarus.

Everything had changed ever since she had received her teachers letter last night. And it had been such a nice day too! She had made a breakthrough on her current research project, had helped Fluttershy look up the nesting habits of a particularly rare breed of Blue Jay that had ended up in Ponyville, and she was able to take detailed notes on for the Equestrian Wildlife Preservation Society. And best of all, Pinkie Pie hadn’t shown up in any places that were normally physically impossible for anypony get into and giving Twilight a heart attack!

Yep, a perfectly normal, happy day…right up until Spike handed her a scroll with the royal seal stamped upon it, meaning that it was official correspondence from the Princess herself instead of a reply to her friendship reports or even a rarer but very much appreciated personal letter from the Princess.

And as if her nerves weren’t already shot just by getting such a scroll, the contents of said missive did nothing to calm her. An official summons to Canterlot by way of train, with a ticket included?! No mention of why she was being called to the capitol!? Mentions of a magical issue that the Princess wanted her to solve!? Th-this was bad!

“Th-this is obviously a summons for a super-secret special practical magical test! O-Oh no! I haven’t prepared at all!” Twilight had thought in a panic last night…which was why the purple unicorn had spent the entire night studying every branch of magic she could get her hooves on and reviewing her various emergency checklists …and which was why she hadn’t slept at all before getting onto a one-way train to her doom.

Oh no, oh no! W-what am I going to do? I only spent one hour, thirteen minutes, and forty-nine seconds studying transmutation compared to the other schools of magic! Wh-what if that’s what the Princess is going to test me on? Twilight couldn’t help but consider, her thoughts so scattered and so anxious that she barely noticed when the train pulled into Canterlot station and was only startled into returning to the real world when the conductor cleared his throat loudly, so loud in fact that Twilight inadvertently teleported away from whatever had startled her and ending up on the opposite side of the platform from the castle. No, no, think Twilight. The Princess wouldn’t be so obvious as to test you on something as simple as the common schools of magic! So, does that mean this will be a test on Friendship? B-but I haven’t reviewed my old friendship letters in twenty-eight hours! What if she asks me about one of my lessons from last year?! O-Or what if she wants to test me on one of the more obscure spells? Like Astral projection or coordinate based teleportation arrays! O-Oh no, this is bad, so very bad!

Twilight’s thoughts continued to spiral downward into near complete panic as she made her way into the castle, the librarian completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere of everypony moving about the building, not to mention the increase in guards trotting through the halls, so overwhelming was her fear of the coming test. And while she had tried to delay the meeting for as long as she could by dragging her hooves, eventually she reached the doors to the throne room, the chamber that would be where her fate would be decided…

…Or it would have been, if Twilight hadn’t arrived at the doors to the throne room, only to be told that Princess Celestia was currently preoccupied with meeting her advisors. The solar Diarch having left a message for Twilight that she should await Princess Celestia in the Alicorn’s private dining room for lunch.

Which was just perfect! The Princess had never tested Twilight during meals, which meant that she had plenty of time to mentally review her most important friendship notes for the upcoming test! What a stroke of luck!

And so, with a newfound spring to her step, Twilight made her way deeper into the castle in the direction of the Royal dining room. “Jeez, I can’t believe I let myself get so worked up for nothing! I’m sure the Princess just called me here for something else, not some silly test!...U-unless she wants to test me on my table manners?!” Twilight thought out loud, the mare’s steps faltering for a moment before she shook her head. “No, no, get it together Twilight, the Princess probably just has a friendship question for me, one related to the magical issue she wrote about…or maybe she has a new magical lesson for me! Ohhh, that would be amazing!” Twilight finished with a wide smile and a barely suppressed giggle of excitement as she broke into an excited canter.

As she made her way through the castle, Twilight’s mood continued to improve as she considered all the possible spells that the Princess might want to teach her- Princess Luna might even be willing to teach her magic from a thousand years ago, how incredible would that be! – as she rounded a corner to see a sight that raised her spirits to their limit. There at the end of the hall was the Princess! And…was that her B.B.B.F.F and Cadance accompanying the Princess?! Oh, this was even better! There was no way the Princess was going to give her a test with the Capitan of the Guard and another Princess there! And now she got to have lunch with three of the most important ponies in her life.

And so, with newfound elation swelling within her heart, Twilight trotted forward with an excited grin on her face. “Hello Princess, Shiny! Cadance! It’s so good to see you all!” She greeted as she approached, all three ponies turning to look at her. Shinning Armor looked happy to see her at first, but his expression quickly morphed into one of…dread? Constipation? Twilight couldn’t really get a good read on the complex expression on her brother’s face as he glanced between Twilight and the Princess. Princess Celestia had turned her head to stare curiously at Twilight…and it was then that Twilight noticed something unusual about her teacher…was her coat a different color? And had she dyed her mane? Huh, that was kinda weird, but it must have just been a lack of light in the corridor, the studious mare rationalized to herself. After all, there was nopony else that size in Equestria, so who else could it be but Princess Celestia? Not that she had much time to think on these inconsistencies, as Twilight’s thoughts on the Princesses’ new look halted when she saw Cadance’s excited expression once the two mare’s gazes met. Despite both having lived in the castle before Twilight had moved to Ponyville, Twilight hadn’t had a chance to see her old foalsitter in over a year. What with Cadance having her own duties to attend to and Twilight having her studying as Celestia’s student and then going to Ponyville to study friendship they just never had a chance to really see each other.

“Twilight!” The Princess of love shouted out as she pranced forward, Twilight mirroring her excitement as she too rushed up to the group.

“Cadance!” Twilight returned as she smiled widely as she began to bounce up and down, with Cadance mirroring her movements. “Sunshine, Sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves, and do a li-little…sh-shake?” Twilight trailed off as a realization of world-shattering proportions crashed down on her with the weight of every book in existence. The realization being that Princess Celestia was missing quite a few important parts. Namely her horn, her wings, and her normal crown…three facts that, just now, managed to connect in her mind to bring her to the realization that Celestia was in fact not Celestia and was thus a pony that Twilight had never met before…a mare who was apparently a ruler of a nation based off her crown…A ruler who was currently staring intently at her and Cadance…and Twilight was showing off her rear to this foreign pony in an extremely immature greeting with one of the three Alicorns of Equestria.

Before this moment, Twilight had never considered the possibility of spontaneous combustion due to excessive embarrassment, as the sheer number of magical particles one would need to cause self-immolation due to excited particle movements was far beyond what even an Alicorn was capable of. But right here, right now, she was certain that once she vanished form this world, Cadance and her brother would dutifully report such a discovery to the academia of Equestria.

“Oh, do not mind me. You may continue your ritualistic greeting. Since I have not witnessed this before now, and do not wish to continue to shame myself by not performing such a greeting to the Diarchs of your nation, I shall dutifully continue to take notes on this type of reception for future reference. I would not want to shame myself when meeting other dignitaries after all.” The unknown ruler declared in complete seriousness. Forcing Twilight to begin preparing an emergency teleport in order to escape. Princess Celestia had warned her against teleporting without being aware of one’s destination, but considering just how unsalvageable the situation was, there was simply no other choice.

Fortunately, or unfortunately considering she interrupted Twilight’s concentration and therefore she was still standing at the site of her greatest failure, Cadance walked back over to the large pony to playfully shove her shoulder. “Oh, stop that Yamato, can’t you see that the poor mare is about to blow a gasket from your teasing?”

“Ah, a fair point.” The now identified Yamato, a name that Twilight was currently running through her mind in case Celestia had mentioned a cousin or anycreature else by that name before, before she bowed to Twilight. An act that only added to the purple mare’s mortification. “I apologize miss. It was merely an attempt at humor. I did not mean to cause any harm through my words. I beg your forgivness.” The mare apologized as she bowed her head, which only made Twilight freak out all the more.

“Ah! N-no! Please don’t lower your head, Miss! It’s my fault and I am so, so sorry!” Twilight apologized. Oh gods, if the Princess finds out that I made a foreign guest apologize for nothing, she’ll send me back to school for royal etiquette classes again! Not to mention what she’d do to me if she found out I was going to try and teleport without a destination in mind just because I was embarrassed. Twilight thought, a shudder passing through her body at the thought of the disappointed look that would be on her teachers face when she learned of what happened here.

Thankfully, Shinning Armor was there to notice her starting to go into a downward spiral, the captain clearing his throat to grab her attention. “Twilight, let me introduce you to Lady Yamato of…come to think of it, where do you hail from, Lady Yamato?” Shining started to introduce before turning to the Alicorn-sized mare, said mare humming in thought for a moment before answering.

“…There are two answers to this question, either from the United States of America, or from Japan. Both nations have claim over me at this point, so it is fine to introduce me by either.” She answered, Shining nodding as he returned his attention to an extremely curious Twilight who was currently trying to place either of those nations on a mental map.

“Then let me introduce Lady Yamato of the United States of America. Lady Yamato, this is Twilight Sparkle, apprentice to Princess Celestia and my younger sister.” Shining finished his introduction, Cadance smiling happily as she threw a foreleg over the once again embarrassed Twilight.

“And one of the best fillies that I have ever foalsat.” The princess of love continued. Lady Yamato smiling as she once again bowed her head, although not as low as she did before.

“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sparkle.”

“Oh! And it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Yamato!” Twilight was quick to reply as she lowered her own head, making sure to bow even deeper than the taller mare as a show of respect.

“Oh good, I was hoping that you would have met Lady Yamato before our meal. I am happy to see you’re just as punctual as ever Twilight.” The melodic voice of Twilights teacher echoed from down the hall, the librarian turning and seeing Princess and her attendant approaching.

“Princess Celestia! It’s so nice to see you!” Twilight greeted as she cantered over to the Princess and nuzzled against her foreleg, the Princess returning the embrace with one of her wings. “I came as soon as Spike handed me your scroll and I’m ready for whatever assignment you have for me! O-or did you want to test me on my friendship lessons again?” The librarian asked nervously, Celestia laughing lightly at her question.

“No, no, my dear student. Unfortunately, I have no tests for you today.” Celestia replied, Twilight feeling both relieved and a little disappointed at her words, as the Diarch continued on. “Although I do have an assignment for you.” She stated as she walked forward and nodded in greeting to the three other ponies waiting watching Twilight and the Princess, all of which were staring at them with warm smiles on their faces. “Captain Armor, Cadance, Lady Yamato, I trust the training exercise went well?”

“More than well, I would think. The Pegasi guards in your employ have a number of advantages against my fliers, advantages that will serve us well in what is to come. And Capitan Spitfire has apparently received some sort of inspiration for a means to fight against Abyssal planes, though she did not wish to elaborate until she spoke to the Royal Alchemist.” Yamato answered as Twilights brother and Princess Cadance nodded in agreement. Twilight’s curiosity being peaked at the unknown terms as Celestia smiled.

“That is very good to hear. Very good indeed.” The Princess replied as she glanced down and smiled at Twilight. “But before I hear the results of the training, I believe that it would be best if we sat down for lunch and brought my dear student here up to speed on the situation.”

“Up to speed on what situation Princess? Is this related to what you wrote on the scroll?” Twilight asked, her nervousness returning in force at the now serious expression on her teachers face.

“Yes, that is correct. A new, previously entirely unknown threat is encroaching upon our nation. A threat that almost begs belief, one that-.” Celestia, a grave expression upon her face, started to explain. Only to be interrupted by an unnaturally loud growing noise, a noise that seemed to be coming from Lady Yamato. “But come, let us not speak of existential threats to our nation in the middle of the hall. We can continue our explanation once we sit down for lunch. After all, we would not want Lady Yamato here to rescind her offer of aid for failing to feed her.” The Alicorn joked, Twilight actually freezing in place at the fact that her teacher just made a joke at the expense of a foreign dignitary! But thankfully Lady Yamato seemed to take it in stride.

“It is an option brought up by my Fairies, though I have ordered such plans shelved for the time being for when a truly grievous insult is levied against me.” Yamato joked back before looking down with a sly grin at the now much more nervous Twilight. “And it would probably be for the best if Ms. Twilight was seated for the coming explanation in case her legs give out on her in shock.”

“Oh! You don’t half to worry about me Lady Yamato! I’m sure I can handle it!” Twilight returned with a resolute look on her face. After all, she had been the pony to figure out Nightmare Moon’s return and had defeated Discord with the help of her freinds. She could surely handle whatever story everypony had to tell her.

She was oh so very, very, wrong.

Twilight couldn’t help but gawk at the ponies gathered at the royal dining table, all the manners that her parents, Cadance, and her teacher instructed her in momentarily forgotten as her mouth hung open. But most of her attention was focused on Lady Yamato, who was staring at Twilight with a look that was a mixture of satisfaction and relief, much to Twilight’s confusion.

So many different trains of thought were running through her head, too many for Twilight to form a complete understanding of the situation out of. Overwhelming excitement at the prospect of learning about an entirely different world of ponies and their cultures through Yamato. Anxiety over these Abyssals that were apparently out there ready and more than willing to attack innocent ponies for no reason. Confusion over why the Princess asked for her specifically instead of calling for the rest of the girls so they could use the Elements. But eventually she settled on the most prominent thought in her head to voice first.

“…Bwuh?” Ok, so it wasn’t the most elegant of questions, but it did accurately sum up her current thoughts pretty well. A sentiment that the Princess seemed to agree with considering the smile on her face.

“Yes, that is a fairly accurate summation of most of our reactions to hearing Lady Yamato’s explanation.” Princess Celestia replied as Lady Yamato shot her a disbelieving look.

“Is that so? When I explained myself that day you and your sister barely batted an eye at my outlandish tale. After seeing such a lackluster reaction from you two, I feared that such calamitous events were common place in this world.”

“Well…now that you bring it up…there have been an increasingly growing number of possible Equestria-ending situations these last few years.” Princess Celestia thought out loud, a look of concerned realization on her muzzle as she did so, but before the solar Diarch could continue Twilight interrupted.

“Wait, wait. I just…I don’t-.” Twilight stuttered before pausing, taking a deep breath to calm down, before continuing. “I understand that there’s evil beings approaching Equestria.”- She didn’t understand, not one bit, but she was already mentally writing up a whole list of questions to ask Lady Yamato after lunch so she could put aside her confusion on that front for now. - “But there’s one thing I don’t get.”

“Why? Why do these Abyssal ponies want to hurt and kill innocent ponies? We didn’t do anything to them right? So why?” Twilight couldn’t help but ask, Lady Yamato blinking owlishly at Twilight before staring off into space with a contemplative look on her face.

“…In truth, I have spent so much time considering the how of our situation, I had not considered the why…” Lady Yamato muttered with a sigh. “The legends never mentioned what reason the Abyssals seek out the death of others, or even what the Abyss truly is, so any reasoning I would give you would be nothing more than speculation. Are they manifestations of spiritual beings that seek to strike to punish mortals for their abuse of the seas? Are they some sort of parasitic eldritch creatures simply using the ruins of warships as bodies to hunt down the living for unfathomable reasons? Are they some sort of natural sea creatures inhabiting the shells of ships trying to protect their natural habitat? I simply do not know.”

It was at that point that Lady Yamato returned her gaze back to the group, Twilight sucking in a startled breath at the intense look on the mare’s face. “But if you are asking for what I believe is their reason for such aggression…then I would say they likely have no real justification for their actions. When I spoke to them that day upon the sea, they did not make any demands, did not offer us a chance to surrender, they gave no terms, they only informed me of their desire to kill us all. To make us sink beneath the waves and join them in death. As far as I have seen, they have no reason for their violence other than to see the world burn.” The mare finished, her morbid observation causing every pony at the table to remain silent for a time before Cadance finally spoke.

“Well then, it’s a good thing you’re apparently so good at putting out fires.” She joked, bringing some relived smiles to nearly everypony present while Princess Celestia had an indulgent one upon her own face. Although Lady Yamato’s smile was a little more knowing that the rest.

“Tempting, but I doubt my damage control hoses will inflict any damage on Abyssals. Though I imagine they would be quite effective if I ever find myself ambushed by foals with water balloons.” The tall mare joked before returning her attention to Twilight, the lavender mare gulping and sitting up straight under her gaze. “And that, Ms. Twilight, is the situation your nation now faces.”

“…I see.” She still didn’t see, at least not in regard to one important part of the equation, which is why she turned her attention back to the Princess. “Princess? I don’t mean to be rude, but I just have to ask. Why did you just ask me to come here? Shouldn’t the rest of the girls be joining us so we can use the Elements if these Abyssals are so evil?” Twilight couldn’t help but ask, the bookish mare noticing a curious look on Lady Yamato’s face as the Princess answered.

“Perhaps I will call upon your friends in time, but for now I had two tasks I wished to entrust to you, my student. Two research tasks to be specific.” Princess Celestia started, Twilight sitting as straight as she could at the thought of a new subject to study, one given to her by her teacher no less! “Firstly, this ability of Abyssals to negate Pony magic must be overcome if we are ever to have a chance to protect our nation and to fight alongside Lady Yamato. And I can think of no pony who I would want to be part of the team researching this ability than the Element of Magic.” The Princess started to explain, and despite her unease over the whole situation Twilight couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of a new research project. “And secondly, Equestria has sworn to find a way to send Lady Yamato back to her home dimension. This too, is a task I would entrust to you, Twilight.” The Solar Diarch concluded, her final words drawing a surprised look from Lady Yamato before the shipmare forced a cough to draw everyponies attention.

“…While I appreciate the gesture Princess, if committing resources to my return takes some from understanding Abyssal abilities, then you do not need to concern yourself with it at this moment. Just the knowledge that you intend to look into such a means is enough for me. Especially if you would ask Ms. Twilight here to work upon both tasks, surely that would be too much for anypony to manage.” Yamato said, Celestia smiling knowingly at the Shipmare.

“Thank you concern, but you do not need to worry over Twilights health. If anything, having two magical projects at once will merely provide even more motivation to my student here.” The Princess explained as she glanced at her student, Celestia’s smile only growing as she did so. “In fact, I believe we have already lost her, right Twilight?”

And with those words, the gathered ponies turned their attention to Twilight, who was long gone by now. Her thoughts already turning to the many avenues of magic she could begin looking into in order to start her new project. Oh! This is so exciting. Magic for traveling between Worlds was only theorized before now! And I get to be one of the ponies who will discover an entirely new branch of magic?! Ohhhh, I can hardly wait to get started! The purple pony began to giggle to herself. These Abyssal ponies weren’t going to find Equestria such an easy target now that she was on the case!

Yamato couldn’t help but sigh explosively as she turned over for what must have been the twentieth time that night. It had been three days since Twilight Sparkle had arrived in Canterlot, two days since the Princesses had sent out their fastest fliers with all the information Yamato had provided about the Abyssals to be spread to all corners of Equestria…and six hours since the world at large had learned of the coming war.

The Shipmare had been curious as to how the Princesses would break such devastating news to their nation without the convenience of modern technology. A press release to be copied and sent to all corners of the kingdom? A summons given out to local leaders who would then spread the news on behalf of their rulers? Some other fantastical method of transmitting information that the Shipmare had no knowledge of? After all, she had witnessed the Princess burn a scroll that Ms. Twilight had asked to be sent to a pony named “Spike” asking him to watch over the library and to inform her friends that she would be staying in Canterlot for longer than she originally planned. The ash from said letter swirling through an open window and off into the distance without any wind to speak of. And after seeing such a curious means of sending mail, Yamato’s imagination had been working quite fervently in an attempt to figure out just what magical means Equestria would use to spread the news…

Only for Yamato’s expectations to be shattered in one of the most horrifying ways the Shipmare could think of; that the Princesses intended to inform Equestria via a speech that would be delivered to the public of Canterlot, a speech that Yamato would be featured in and expected to speak at.

Back when she had been a human, Yamato had barely been willing to speak to people she didn’t know. And now she was going to be expected to speak to thousands upon thousands of ponies? Ponies who would be confused, angry, and looking to her for words of reassurance? Words that she could scarcely believe herself? How, just how was she going to accomplish that?

But no matter how much she worried over her speech and tried to figure out what to do, Yamato could not stop the forward march of time. And so, she eventually found herself standing behind the two Princesses as they stood upon an ornate balcony staring out over a sea of both confused and, much to Yamato’s horror, excited faces. The gathered civilians likely not having any idea why they had been summoned and simply being excited to see their Princesses.

But their anticipation quickly faded when Celestia began to speak solemnly of those who would be soon assaulting the shores of Equestria. Of the dangers Abyssals posed to their shores, and much to Yamato’s surprise, even mentioned their ability to nullify pony magic. The fact that a national leader was willing to be so open with their subjects would have been a breath of fresh air if it weren’t for the fact that they were informing said subjects about an utterly terrifying aspect of their foes.

It was then that Luna spoke up, the Princess of the moon calming the fears that could be heard bubbling up from the crowd. She spoke of how the Equestrian military was already preparing their shores for attacks, how strategies were being formulated to combat their tactics…before finally coming to the point that Yamato had both anticipated and feared, her introduction. Luna spoke of “a champion that had come to Equestria’s aid from shores far beyond, how this champion wielded the similar magics to the Abyssals and would use them to defeat these vial creatures. That through her knowledge of their enemy, her courage at being willing to stand against a foe for a nation not her own, and her unmatched strength, Equestria would endure, nay, defeat these foes…” before stepping aside and nodding to Yamato, a clear signal that it was the Shipmare’s turn to speak to the waiting ponies.

For the briefest of moments Yamato had the impulse to turn tail and run, that what was to come was an even worse fate than facing down the rifles of Abyssals, but she squashed it an instant later as she slowly stepped up to the front of the balcony…and instantly regrated her decision to stay. Below her was a sea of faces, all focused on Yamato, with each face a mixture of fear, concern…but also hope. An incredibly fragile hope that was now in Yamato’s hooves, a fact that was even more terrifying that she had expected. How should she respond to such looks? What could she possibly say to assure their fear? She wasn’t a leader, heck, she hadn’t even been a pony for more than a few weeks at this point! She didn’t even know who she really was for crying out loud! What on earth could a twisted, broken being liker her say to keep a nation from falling into the depths of despair?

` She didn’t know. She couldn’t know. And so, with no words coming to mind, and all the preprepared words she had planned to say disappearing from her mind like a mirage in the desert, Yamato was left with only the oath she had given to the Princesses and the leaders of Equestria’s that first day to reiterate to the crowd…with some slight omissions. She didn’t want to admit to being from a different world after all. She spoke her oath; would suffer any wound, fight any battle, to preserve the lives of the innocent creatures of Equestria, be they pony or otherwise. And while hope may seem like a distant dream at the moment, she first of the Yamato line, would not abandon Equestria to fight this battle alone.

There were no cheers when she finished speaking, not that she expected there to be, and the shipmare could only make out a myriad of emotions in the eyes of those below her. Fear, anger, confusion, these were the most prominent of the looks adorning the faces of the ponies of Equestria. But there was another look held by the audience below, though it was present in far lesser quantities than all others. A look of…of…

Yamato couldn’t help but release yet another explosive sigh and, with the idea of simply lounging in bed waiting for sleep to find her not very appealing, Yamato rose and made her way to the entrance of her room. Opening the door, Yamato couldn’t help but blink in surprise at the three ponies who turned their attention to the Shipmare, two Night Guards who were stationed on both sides of the door along with Midnight Breeze, who was standing against the far wall and who dipped her head in acknowledgement the moment the door opened.

“Lady Yamato? Is something the matter? Or do you require our services?” Midnight questioned as she lifted her head.

“No no, I have no issue that can be helped I’m afraid. Sleep just does not find me easily on this night, and I felt that nighttime stroll would be perfect for calming my racing thoughts. Would you care to join me?” The Shipmare offered, although she was pretty sure she needn’t have bothered, as she was certain there would only be one answer Midnight would give.

And sure enough, Midnight once again bowed her head in deference. “Of course, Lady Yamato, we would be honored to join you for your walk.” The maid replied neutrally as the two guards silently took up positions on Yamato’s flanks.

The four ponies walked in silence through the mostly deserted hallways of the castle with Yamato in the lead, the Shipmare walking on with no real destination in mind. She had debated attempting to strike up a conversation with Midnight, but unlike the daytime staff members who attended to her, Midnight seemed to be more than content to remain silent unless Yamato asked her a question. A truly professional maid the like of which Yamato had never encountered before, which made her all the more intimidating to speak to the mare. And it would simply be rude to try to have a conversation with either of her on duty guards. They had a job to do after all, and it wouldn’t due to distract them even if Yamato found the thought of an Abyssal sub managing to assassinate her in the middle of the castle absurd. They were here for her protection after all, and even if they were primarily there to keep nosey reporters away from her, it would be disrespectful to distract them from their duties without proper cause.

And so, Yamato was left with no conversation partners to distract her and her own thoughts betraying her, she decided to wander the halls in contemplative silence, her navigators making sure to record her surroundings so they would have an accurate map. Yamato herself mentally reviewing the layout of the castle to make sure she would know where she was going in case of an emergency or some other situation in which she found herself without an escort…

But despite her attempts to distract herself with anything she could think of, her mind constantly returned to the concerned, almost accusatory looks of the crowd. Those who looked to Yamato for answers…answers she just didn’t have.

Seemingly moving on autopilot, Yamato found herself standing in a beautiful courtyard, a court whose beauty she was unable to appreciate as her negative thoughts continued to spiral around in her head. Why? Why was she even here? What could have possibly possessed her to think she was someone capable enough to fight against a horde of evil ships all alone? Why did she ever think that she was important enough to stand alongside the leaders of a nation and guarantee the protection of the innocents who called said nation home?

Yamato released a pent-up breath that had been building in her chest as she turned her eyes skyward, the Shipmare seeking comfort in the night sky to distract herself. She knew that considering such thoughts was pointless, that if she ever wished to return home, she had no choice but to throw herself into the meat grinder in order to secure the aid of the local population of this world…but that did not mean she didn’t desperately want to flee as far away from this world’s oceans as she could.

…Huh. There aren’t any constellations in the sky that I’m familiar with, at least none I can make out… Yamato noted distractedly as she continued to stargaze. It had always been one of her most loved hobbies back home, just staring up at the sky and enjoying her extremely limited view of the universe. It had been a passion of hers all the way back when she was just a little girl, her father taking her and her siblings out camping to get an unobstructed view of the heavens…and now she couldn’t even enjoy that small part of her human past. Yet another part of herself lost to this strange yet familiar world. It doesn’t even look like there’s a north star to guide my way during nighttime operations…that will make navigating all the harder if it comes to that. The Shipmare considered as her depression only continued to grow as she turned away from the sky, intending to return to her room and simply endure the rest of her sleepless night.

However, before she could fully turn back to her escorts and request that they return to her chambers since she still didn’t have a complete mental map of the castle, a surprised, regal, and familiar voice called out to her. “Lady Yamato? The hour has grown late, may I ask why you still remain awake? Is there some business that you must still attend to?”

The Shipmare turned to the source of the voice as she schooled her face into a mask of calmness, the Shipmare rotating around to find Princess Luna staring at her curiously. The Lunar Diarch being escorted by Captain Jolly along with a small group of ponies, all of whom bowed their heads in greeting when the shipmare’s gaze landed on them. “Good evening, Princess Luna. No, no business of my own…it is simply that sleep eludes me tonight. And so, I sought out the comfort of the night sky for a moment to try and calm my restless mind before retiring to my room once again.” Yamato explained as she tried to prevent the Lunar Diarch from reading too much into the situation. After all, she had no desire to take up any of Princess Luna’s precious time considering what was going on in their country and the demands for her time that were likely piling up every moment the Alicorn spent speaking to her. Better to just let the ruler think nothing was wrong than to draw her into Yamato’s foolish insecurities.

But despite her attempt at subterfuge Yamato couldn’t determine whether or not Princess Luna believed her, as besides for a brief moment where the Diarch looked almost proud, there was remarkably little the Shipmare or her intelligence officers could read from her face. And her chance to gleam anything from the Diarch was lost when Luna turned to address the head of her Night Guard. “Capitan Jolly, please escort the representatives of the Arcanum College to the nearest conference room. I have something to discuss with Lady Yamato.”

“Of course, Princess.” The Thestral answered with a bow to Luna before turning to Yamato and nodding and finally leading the gathered ponies off into a different corridor. Princess Luna on the other hoof, turned to walk down one of the corridors that neither Yamato or Luna had arrived from. “Lady Yamato, would you care to grant me a moment of your time?”

“Of course.” Yamato answered with a slight smile forced upon her lips in spite of her disappointment at the situation panning out just as she feared it would. The Shipmare moving to walk alongside the lunar princess, her own entourage moving a respectful distance back to give the two mares a semblance of privacy.

The two mares walked in silence for a while through corridors Yamato was not familiar with until they arrived at an entirely different courtyard, although this one held what appeared to be an extensive garden instead of a simple plaza. Yamato couldn’t help but privately wonder just why the Lunar Diarch had led them here instead of just remaining at in the previous area, but she supposed that they did have a better view of the moon from their current location. Luna did not speak at first, leaving Yamato to simply enjoy the evening view, but eventually the Lunar mare spoke. “So, now that we find ourselves away from prying eyes and ears, would you be willing to share with me the anxieties that keep you from your well-deserved rest?”

“…Am I really so easy to read?” Yamato replied defeatedly, a self-deprecating smile on her lips.

“Nay, thy mask is nearly perfect, second to only one other pony that I have met besides mine own…Unfortunately, that pony is mine own sister, and so I have quickly developed the skills to read through such unfaltering facades.” Luna explained as she turned to stare at Yamato, a look of genuine concern on her face. “While I may not be a pony you have known for long enough to confide in, nor are you a subject of mine whom would fall under my protection. I would still offer to you my oath of confidentiality that any woes you may speak to me of, I will keep between us. So please, share with me what troubles you.”

For a moment Yamato said nothing, the resolve the Shipmare could see in her eyes momentary shocking her into inaction…and what option did she have but to meet such conviction but with equal conviction of her own?

Yamato turned her gaze back to the heavens, unable to meet Luna’s gaze for long considering the many secrets she still withheld from Equestria, before beginning to speak. “…It was my part of the speech today that keeps me from sleep.”

“Truly? I for one thought that for a mare who has had no formal training in public speaking you did quite well.” Luna rebutted, only for Yamato to shake her head in denial.

“While I thank you for your kind words, even if I do not believe them, it is not the content of my speech that bothers me…Rather, it was the crowd’s reaction to my words.” Yamato admitted with a sigh. “And no, it was not their anger, nor their anxiety that haunts my thoughts…it was their admiration, their hope that has disturbed me so.”

And indeed, it was simply the most absurd notion, something that she just couldn’t comprehend. That despite the doom their Princesses had informed them of, in spite of the possible bleak future that Yamato painted for them, many of the ponies watching her gazed up to her with looks of hope. Hope so incredibly fragile, so pure, and solely directed at the Shipmare who had just proclaimed that she would fight for Equestria.

“…How? How can they put such faith in a pony that no one had heard of until a week ago? And how could I possibly live up to such expectations? I may have kept my voice level during my speech, and may present myself with confidence when asked, but the simple truth is I am far outside my comfort zone. Before sailing out to meet those Abyssals, I had only been in three fights my entire life. And even my ship half only ever in one battle before I was thoroughly crushed…I simply do not know how I can meet the expectations heaped upon me. And the thought of failing to meet such expectations terrifies me to no end. Because if I fail to reach the lofty heights that are expected of me, ponies will die. So why?” Yamato admitted, trying as hard as she could to keep her desperation for an answer, any answer, out of her voice.

Luna did not answer immediately, instead choosing to study Yamato’s face intently for a moment, before finally replying. “So then why remain? You have no connection to Equestria, no ties to bind you nor bonds to compel you into our service. Yet here you stand, having given your oath to our defense despite the risk you will take on our behalf. Why?”

“Because you and your ponies are my only means of ever returning home.” Yamato answered bitterly, although she couldn’t help but blink in surprise at Princess Luna’s immediate shake of the head.

“Nay, that may be a reason, but I for one do not believe that it is your primary reason for offering us aid.” Luna refuted with a slight smile. “You offered aid to the ponies of the Wavecutter twice before any promise of magical aid had been extracted from my sister or I. No, it is clear to me that your heart is far too noble to allow such injustice to occur in your presence.”

“…Maybe, but all the principles in the world mean nothing in the face of a conflict that I am only barely prepared for.” Yamato half-heartedly countered, Luna’s smile not faltering in the slightest at her words.

“Perhaps, but who among us is ever truly prepared for expectations heaped upon them by others?” The dark Alicorn countered easily. “Even my sister I were unprepared for the grueling rigors of leadership when it was thrust upon us.”

“…Truly? That sounds hard to believe considering how you both hold yourselves before others.” Yamato couldn’t help but question incredulously, Luna nodding in response.

“And yet it is the truth. My sister and I were not born into our roles. Rather, we were forced into them at the moment of our ascension…although modern history books seem to have forgotten this once commonly known fact. Regardless, the two of us were driven into a situation we had no understanding of. And while I cannot fully speak for my sisters’ state of mind at the time, I for one was utterly terrified of failing to live up to my newfound duties.”

“…Then how did you overcome such fear?” Yamato whispered, entirely focused on the lunar mare.

“I never truly did.” Luna admitted with a self-deprecating smile of her own. “But I lessened my anxieties by sharing the burden of responsibility with others. My sister and I had advisers to instruct us the ways of ruling a nation, generals to tutor us in the art of war and how to safeguard our borders, and citizens who…well, gave one of us the respect they deserved.” She finished, Yamato gazing at her curiously at the bitter tone the lunar Diarch, but before she could question why Luna moved on. “Not that my sister and I did not stumble and fail. Indeed, I am still paying for one of my failings to this day, but with ever misstep there were others to aid us no matter what the situation.”

“Yamato…While it may be true that for now, and for the foreseeable future, we of Equestria cannot aid you in this battle. We have asked you to stand tall against these creatures from the deep and act as a beacon for all ponies to look to for guidance in a war that even we Alicorn’s are unprepared for…But do not mistake our inability to aid you in combat for indifference for what you will endure for us. We will not allow you to stand upon our battlefields alone for long, even if that means we must take to the field without the benefits of magic.”

“You may fight alone for now…but I swear to you here and now, that you shall never be without our aid.”

Yamato couldn’t help but blink owlishly at the earnest promise from one of the rulers of Equestria, the Shipmare unable to detect even the slightest trace of an attempt at manipulation in her gaze. Luna was absolutely serious in saying she would not leave Yamato to fight alone, even if she lacked her normal means of fighting. And despite a small part of Yamato’s mind wondering just how exactly a pony, let alone an Alicorn, would fight without magic, a greater part of her was simply thankful.

“Ah, I see. Thank you, truly. It means more than I can properly put into words to hear such reassurances.” Yamato eventually said, a truly warm smile across her lips before shaking her head in mock embarrassment. “Honestly, you’d think that after you and your sister have reassured me so many times, I would have taken such words to heart. But I suppose it just takes that long to get through my thick skull.” The Shipmare chuckled although Luna frowned at her self-deprecating comment.

“Nay, thou have been forced into an impossible situation with no time to prepare, and in a world not your own. An unenviable situation by any measure, and as such no one has any right to expect you to bear such weight without complaint. And as such, if tho- if you need one such as myself to listen to your fears or complaints in order aid you in bearing such weight, I am more than happy to be such a pony.” It was then that Luna shot Yamato a smile, one with a not so insignificant amount of pride held within. “Although, if instead you choose to enjoy my night sky in order to calm your turbulent heart, that is also an acceptable means of calming yourself if I do say so.” The Lunar mare not so subtly bragged, an indulgent smile upon Yamato lips.

“Yes well, since it’s such a beautiful sight I just couldn’t help but stop and appreciate it.” Yamato admitted before her smile became tinged with sorrow. “I had actually been looking for any constellations that I could recognize from my own world, but failed to see any at all. Although with you here, if you wouldn’t mind pointing out some of the local ones I would appreci-.” The Shipmare admitted before noticing the curious look Luna was giving her.

“A curious word, and one I am unfamiliar with. And these “Constellations” are meant to exist within my night? Curious. What, pray tell, are these constellations then?”

“…Well, that’s quite a surprise. I just assumed…” Yamato thought out loud before shaking off her disbelief before continuing. “They are a group of stars that are interpreted to form a pattern or picture in the night sky. We use these pictures to immortalize heroes or as representations of stories told in the past.”

“That…that is a truly marvelous idea!” The Princess shouted, so loud in fact that Yamato could have sworn she heard the windows of the castle rattle in their frames. “I am almost annoyed at myself for not considering such a concept before now.” The Alicorn admitted, an excited twinkle in her eye as she smiled at the Shipmare. “If you’d be willing, I would love to learn just what was the measure of the heroes of your world that they were worthy enough to be emortilized in the heavens.”

Yamato hummed as she considered her options. She was fairly well informed about the stories of some of the constellations, such as the tales of Orion or Sagittarius, but others she had no idea about. I mean really, who the heck would ever commit the story of Cancer the crab constellation to memory? It would be far more convenient if there was a story about a pony, but the only one that comes close is Sagit-.

And then it hit her, the most obvious Constellation to talk about. One so obvious that she nearly face-hooved in embarrassment that it took her this long to think about it.

“Well then, if you will indulge me for a few minutes more, allow me to tell you the tale of a progenitor pony of my world, one who fought an abomination of the sea not too dissimilar to what we face today now that I think about it, and who earned his place in the heavens by flying into them; The Pegasus.”

And so, Yamato began to recount an admittedly butchered and sanitized retelling of the legend of Pegasus, with the horse in question simply taking the place of the various heroes who rode him into battle. And while she didn’t manage to finish it before Luna had to excuse herself to return to her duties, when at last Yamato returned to her bed and found her rest much easier this time. With only the faintest sounds of Helldivers and Avengers at the edge of her radar to disturb her tranquility.

Author's Note

soooo...hi. Wanted to apologize to everyone reading this story for the absurd delay on this chapter. Life just really hit me hard these last two years. I've actually had this chapter in a pretty decent shape for a week or so now, but since it was another talky chapter I wanted to release it alongside the next chapter to make up for my absence. But since that chapter too is going to be later than I would like, I figured I'd bite the bullet and just release this one now. Once again, I am really sorry for the delay and I promise the next one will come out faster than this one.

Thank you for reading!