“What are we going to do?” screeched a panicked Solar Flare from behind where Shining Armor was desperately pouring magic into the task of saving their lives. Shining did not respond. He was already doing all he could.
“Sir!” shouted one of the sailors, splashing through the water that was collecting in the bilge. Shining was unable to stop all the leaks by himself. The man bravely came up to the edge of the magic shield that held back the water. “We’re going to get the damage control equipment down to the bilge. How long can you stay here?”
Shining shook his head. “No idea.”
A voice shouted from the upper deck. “There’s a fire in one of the electrical lockers! The explosion must have shaken something loose. We’re going to have to close this hatch to control ventilation.”
Solar splashed as his hooves stamped nervously. “We have to get out of here!”
It might have been possible for the researcher to climb over Shining and his force fields, but as the two ponies watched, the sailors retreated back towards the access hatch, closing it behind them.
“They’re…they’re just leaving us?” shouted Solar.
“Quiet!” demanded Shining. “This is hard enough already without breaking my concentration. Think you could lend a hoof?”
“What do you want me to do?” asked the other stallion. His face was petrified, but he seemed to have regained control over his voice.
“Anything you can. We’ve still got water coming in, and I think these cracks are getting wider.” Shining looked uncomfortably at a fissure in the steel that reached up past the low overhead, likely breaching the deck above. There would probably be water coming in there, too. He was slightly more glad that the hatch had been shut to prevent water from coming in that way. As a side effect, the pressure building up would help keep the water out.
It was a small consolation. They were locked in a compartment that was rapidly filling up. The cold seawater touched Shining’s stomach and he arched his back a little to stay dry for a few moments longer. Solar had figured out how to get his own magic in phase and began adding power to the shielding spells. It helped, but the splits in the hull continued to expand marginally.
“I think we’re going to die.” Solar’s voice was calm and collected, and that actually worried Shining more than if he was screaming. It was the sound of a stallion who’d already given up.
“Don’t say that.” Shining could no longer avoid the rising water. He gritted his teeth in frustration as it began to rise up his sides. It was his opinion that yes, they could certainly perish in the cramped bilge, but he wasn’t about to admit that until it happened.
“I feel something,” remarked Solar in surprise. “Where’s that power coming from?”
It took a moment for Shining to realize what he was talking about. The glowing sphere beneath the water was…helping them. The soldier gazed at it in wonder. It sat very near the edge of the hole the bomb had opened up. The metal had begun to crack, and without intervention the fractures might have reached the orb.
Shining knew that it didn’t have a true intelligence of its own, but that didn’t mean it didn’t know that the two ponies might have saved it from harm. Was it grateful?
With the added magic, the water actually began to recede. Within a few minutes, it was nearly all displaced. As the level dropped, the bodies of three ponies and one man stopped floating and came to rest on the deck. Shining had felt the unpleasant sensation of them bobbing against his shield.
The access hatch opened again and several men dropped through it. They carried damage control equipment. Behind them came the contingent of ponies, both researchers and soldiers. Working together with tools and magic, the group relieved the two exhausted stallions.
There was a sudden jolt, and the jagged split in the hull seemed to close slightly.
“That’ll be the tugs,” said one of the men. “We’ve got them fore and aft pushing the ship together.”
Shining glanced downward. The glow from inside the sphere had gone. It was a dull piece of glass.
He stepped carefully over the bodies on the floor and made for the upper decks. Passing the scene of the fire, where crewmen still stood with carbon dioxide extinguishers in case of a reflash, the stallion headed for the CIC. He may have been dripping wet, but there were ponies who needed to know what had just happened.
It was surprisingly easy to get in contact with Princess Celestia. She must have had a dedicated phone channel set up for him to call with updates.
“I heard that there was trouble,” she said.
That was putting it mildly, but Shining doubted that either one of them wanted to discuss the fine details of the conflict right now. He said, “Yes there was, Princess, but it’s been taken care of. The ship is going to survive.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We’ll be taking delivery soon.”
So Equestria actually went ahead with the purchase. Shining mustered as much humor as he could. “I hope we get a good deal.”
“We’re still in negotiation, but the price is steadily dropping as new reports come in. Try not to break anything else, or they might end up just giving it to us for free.”
“I won’t, Princess.” Shining managed to laugh. He asked the radioman to take a walk and spent a few minutes of privacy telling Celestia the short version of what he had experienced, as well as recent damage to the ship.
“I’ll pass the report on to Ms. Crosswind,” Celestia promised. “Between you and me, I think she’s going to be the next Secretary of the Navy. Perhaps sooner rather than later. Now, you sound like you’ve been through a lot, Colonel. Get some sleep.”
“With all due respect, Princess, I think I’d like to get my hooves back on shore ASAP. There’s a reason I joined the Army.”
Celestia said that she would arrange transportation. With a little time to kill, Shining decided to go check on the foal that had been rescued. She would probably want to leave the ship, too.
He knocked on the CO’s door. There was no answer, so Shining stuck his head in. Penny was somehow fast asleep despite everything that had happened.
The stallion stepped in, closing the door. The spare mattress on the floor was no feather bed, but the filly didn’t seem to mind. Clutched between her hooves was a dark blue ballcap embroidered with USS Cushing, DD-985 and a silhouette of the destroyer. It looked like it didn’t really fit her head, but she looked fond of it. Shining decided to let her sleep for a few more minutes.
When Commander Delgado came in later, he was surprised to find a pony in his bed as well as one on the floor. He stared at the two of them for a moment, and then quietly backed out of the room. They had both earned a good rest.
★
October, 2007
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Ingalls Shipbuilding had constructed every Spruance-class destroyer. It made sense, then, to let them work on the Equestrian Navy’s newest purchase.
Between political, military, and public issues, the ship had been laid up in Japan for several months before Equestria could fully take over the vessel. It had been transported halfway around the world by MV Blue Marlin, a Dutch heavy-lift ship that had carried warships of various kinds before, including damaged ones like USS Cole.
After about two years of work at Ingalls, the ship was ready to sail again. The hull had been repaired and an extensive refit performed to ensure that everything was up to par.
The naming issue had carried on for quite a while in Equestrian Parliament. Every member had their own idea what it should be called. The designation, however, was more quickly agreed on.
The Spruance-class destroyers had been the basis for the US Navy Ticonderoga-class cruisers, despite their similar size. Since the new ship was much larger than anything else in the Equestrian Navy, nopony had any problem calling it a cruiser, which sounded better anyway. Accordingly, it was designated CG-1 for cruiser, guided missile-armed, hull number one.
At the launching ceremony, there were more than a few celebrities from both sides of the dimensional doorways. Presiding over the event was the Mayor of Ponyville, Equestria. The mare stepped up to the podium.
“Greetings to you all,” she said, smiling to the mixed-species crowd. “It’s on days like this that we’re truly reminded of the value of friendship. It’s heartening to see so many individuals coming together to do great things.
“First, some thanks are in order. I would like to recognize Ingalls Shipbuilding for their toil. USS Wisconsin was refit here shortly before discovering the dimensional divide, so we know they do quality work.”
The crowd murmured in agreement. They all appreciated a good ship.
The Mayor gestured to the vessel behind her. Its sleek bow was draped with the Equestrian flag and fresh paint glistened in the sun. “My thanks also go out to the men and women who crewed this ship, and the stallions and mares who will continue to do so. You are a credit to your respective countries.
“Lastly, I must express gratitude to the selection committee for choosing to honor my town by naming this ship after it. With the blessings of Celestia and Luna, may I present to you Their Majesties’ Ship Ponyville.”
A pegasus filly with a scarlet coat lifted a glass bottle and cracked it against the sharp edge of the ship’s bow. Out of respect to Equestrian tradition, it was a mixture of fruit juice rather than champagne.
Water began to pour into the dry dock where the ship had been refitted. Although it would take hours to fully flood the dry dock, the water had already covered the scars the mended keel bore. The assigned crew gathered to go aboard. As one, they faced the ensign flying at the ship’s stern and crisply saluted.
Forming a line, they proceeded up the gangplank. It would take work to bring aboard weapons, supplies, and personal equipment, but that was minor. Salt water began to rise up the sides, gently adding bouancy. The hull lifted free of its supports, floating the new TMS Ponyville for the first time.