Ponies, cannons, and war

The room was brought to a stunned silence as a tremendous BOOM shook the restaurant.

I looked over at the source of the noise and saw a pink pony with a mane and tail that reminded me of pink cotton candy, with an ear-to-ear grin, gripping the string of a short barrelled cannon. Streamers hung from every spot where a streamer could hang and glitter softly wafted from the ceiling. A huge banner stretched over the bar, reading “WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA!” A huge cake adorned one table, the glitter somehow avoiding it. A poster was on the wall, labelled Pin the tail on the Pony. A ribbon sliced to resemble a pony’s tail hung beside it.

“PARTY TIME!” She yelled before zipping around and handing out slices of cake to the nearest ponies. I think I heard her say, “You’re doing a good job, keep it up.” I couldn’t see whom she was speaking to if she had.

I had so many questions. Where did she get that cannon and how did she get it inside the base? Why did she make that banner and who was it for? How was she moving so fast? Where did she put that cannon?

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!”

In an instant the pink pony was in my face before backing away and handing me and Wealthy Guardian plates with a slice of cake each. We could only take the plates before she continued talking.

“It's a welcome to Equestria party! My Pinkie Sense has been acting up for over a month like I was supposed to welcome ponies to Ponyville, but that couldn’t be right since we haven’t had any new ponies since Starlight Glimmer and this was like super strong. But, then Princess Celestia told us about Chesapeake and I was like ‘Reality is an illusion!’ and I realized that I was supposed to give Chesapeake a party and then my Pinkie Sense got even stronger like I was supposed to give other ponies a welcome to Equestria party and when it got like super duper stronger I just knew that I had to take a train to Manehattan with Rarity and Applejack and give that pony a party! And so here I am! So what do you think!?”

"Well, thanks. I do feel welcome. Thank you for going to all the trouble."

The mare, Pinkie Pie, giggled before reaching into her mane and producing another slice of cake.

What?

“Who was that?” I asked an equally shell-shocked Wealthy Guardian after Pinkie Pie bounced away to deliver the slice of cake.

“Pinkie Pie. I think I’ve heard of her somewhere.” Wealthy Guardian, mindful of the plate, rubbed his chin before we walked over to an empty table.

“That’s because she’s a bearer of an Element of Harmony, laughter apparently.” Answered a stallion sitting at a table behind us, a Master Chief if his uniform was to go by.

“Wait, she’s an Element Bearer?” Wealthy Guardian stared at the Master Chief before staring at Pinkie Pie… who was juggling while riding a unicycle.

“What’s an Element Bearer?” Now the two stallions were looking at me.

“Has she been living under a rock?”

“Another world apparently.” Wealthy Guardian answered before focusing on me. “The Elements of Harmony are six very powerful magical artifacts that can only be used by ponies who exemplify the ideal each individual element represents. When all six are used together, they are a very powerful force."

“I… see.”

I don’t, not really.

Deciding that the Elements of Harmony weren’t as important as re-supply, I took a bite out of my slice of cake.

Chocolate raspberry mousse cake.

So good.

That's about all I can think of as I tuck into my third hayburger, twelve salad and fourth slice of cake, the other occupants warily eyeing the growing pile of dishes strewn around me.

"You're… uhh, hungry, aren't you?" Wealthy Guardian observes.

"Mhm." I agree, between bites.

A few more long moments pass.

"Have you ever thought about… slowing down?" He tries again.

"Do you know how much a carriage weighs?"

He's taken aback by the non-sequitur.

"I… don't really know? About eighteen hundred pounds or so?"

I narrow my eyes.

"And do you know how much a Mark 8 Armor-piercing shell weighs?"

"Uhh, no, ma'am."

"One of them weighs one thousand four hundred and two pounds. And I fired forty-eight of them in my last engagement plus a third of my secondary armament. Trust me, you're lucky this is all I'm eating."

With that, there are no further protests as I continue to wolf down my food. Whether that's due to everyone's curiosity being sated, or just nobody being brave enough to interrupt me, I can't really say.

I also don't care. I'm just hungry.

Two boxes of french fries later, and after a detour to the Marina to pick up my now-landed Kingfisher, Wealthy Guardian showed me to an empty room in the Bachelor Officers Quarters.

He left me alone for the rest of the night, leaving me with the direction that he'd "Be back at 0800 tomorrow".

Glancing over at the bedside clock, I'm shocked to see that it's reached 22:00. I collapse onto the bed, and let the veil of sleep take me.

“I just hope that tomorrow is less eventful than today.” I mutter as my eyes slowly slide shut.

"West Virginia is burning!"

"Who's attacking us?!"

"Meatballs on the wings! It's the Japs!"

"What?! That isn't..."

Arizona's eyes snapped open. The battleship jumped to her feet, frantically scanning the horizon. Her ears were ringing with the panicked radio traffic, as she looked out at the harbor. At the burning harbor, smoke rising into the air from both Ford Island and...and...

"No...no no no..."

And from her friends. Almost smack-dab in the center of Battleship Row, she had the best seat in the house as the other girls burned. West Virginia...thick black smoke poured from the girl, her hull alight with angry red flames. The smoke did nothing to hide the source of these flames, pure white aircraft flitting across the sky. That coloration did not lend them an angelic appearance however. No, it only served to contrast against the dark black bombs and torpedoes some carried, and the red circles all were marked with.

The Rising Sun of Japan.

"Oklahoma was hit! We're taking on water!"

"I...I can't feel my legs..."

The voice of Oklahoma's Captain and the girl herself merged in Arizona’s ears, the battleship bringing her hands to her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish the voice of her friend. Banish the pain and anguish, as Oklahoma's hull began to lean to her side.

"This can't be happening. This can't be happening..." Arizona got out, her voice shaking.

But everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but flames and diving aircraft. Men ran, swam, tried to get away. But Arizona could see them gunned down by the Japanese aircraft. No mercy was shown, no quarter given. Anything that moved was a target, and even things that didn't move. Ships caught fire, or took hits from torpedoes that impossibly worked in the shallow harbor.

"Bastards, fight fair!" Cali's angry voice echoed over the airwaves, as a handful of her anti-aircraft guns returned fire.

It did little good. Even in the target heavy environment they were in, only one or two Japanese aircraft began smoking. Nothing more. And Cali's anger soon turned to pain, as torpedoes slammed into her side. Arizona felt tears come to her eyes, feeling like the hits had been to her. And there was nothing she could do but watch, as more and more hits slammed into her California.

Watch, as Tennessee took a bomb hit, shrapnel spraying over West Virginia. Watch as Oklahoma continued to roll over onto her side. Arizona couldn't turn away, even as this happened in front of her. Even as she cursed her inability to do anything but watch, her own guns silent. Her crew...where were...

"Utah!"

Arizona’s head snapped around at the anguished cry from Pennsylvania, in time to see a gout of flame and debris shoot into the sky. Despite being moored on the opposite side of Ford Island from Battleship Row, Arizona could see. She could see better than any of her crew, as Utah burned. The battleship fell to her knees, as she saw Utah’s hull lift out of the water, her bow shattered in fire. Utah settled back in the harbor, flames roaring over her hull. Her masts fell forward, the girl's bow ruined by the explosion. There hadn't even been a warning, a pained shout. Nothing. She was there one second and...

"I can't believe...Utah..." Arizona held a hand to her heart, tears flowing freely. "Why? She was a target ship… she couldn’t fight. Why did they…?"

"Enemy bombers!"

Before Arizona could finish her sentence, she was thrown to her deck, having been flung from her mainmast by a bomb detonating against her anti-torpedo bulkhead. She could feel another striking her port rear 5-inch AA gun just as a fire started in her Captain’s pantry from an earlier bomb hit that had ricocheted off the face of Turret IV and penetrated the deck. A quick glance upward revealed a fourth, and final, bomb falling straight towards Turret II. If it penetrated the armored deck, just near her magazine, then…

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Arizona’s eyes slid shut once again, just as…

“Thou need not fear the nightmare! 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 Arizona’s eyes snapped open.

The bomb, instead of penetrating her deck, had shattered like fine china. The ships, the planes, the harbor, everything was dissolving into nothing like fog in the morning sun. In its place, she now found her hull in the center of a moonlit ocean. The waves blowing in a nearly imperceptible wind, creating a soothing sound that combined with the beautiful moon hanging overhead created quite the peaceful atmosphere.

But despite the reassurance that it had all been a dream, and the newly returned knowledge of her new existence and just where she had fallen asleep, Arizona couldn't stop the tears. She could still hear Cassin and Downes scream as they burned. Watch them… clinging to one another as they died. Each trying to comfort the other. As such Arizona found herself sprawled out on her deck trying to get her bearings.

“Calm thyself, for no harm shall befall thee from thy own subconscious so long as We are present. Thou are safe, my… little pony?” the voice from before continued before trailing off in… confusion?

Arizona, after taking several calming breaths, slowly rose back to her… hooves and turned to see just what her subconscious mind had conjured now. There, standing on her deck, was a tall pony with a noble bearing. Her fur was a dark blue color quite similar to the night sky above and it meshed well with the set of silver hoof coverings and black armor across her barrel depicting a crescent moon along with an equally black crown upon her head.

But by far the most surprising aspect of this mental conjuration of her was both the pony’s mane, which looked to be composed of the night sky, and her eyes which, beyond the clear intelligence held within, watched Arizona with a look of surprised compassion that gave the ship mare 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.