//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Battleships are Magic // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// Zevera – Zebra Capitol City The smoke and dust was cleared quickly by the wind. Once the United Lands forces had made up their minds to retake the city, there was not much the dragons could do about it. Many did not even try, escaping before the army arrived. The string of UL victories, combined with no communication from Terrorvane, had broken their will to fight. The Zebrican government officials were able to return to their offices and begin restoration efforts. Rebuilding began, and there was a sense of hope for the future in the air. There were, however, a few final details to take care of. One last mission was being put together to capture the dragon responsible for the war. Zecora volunteered. Several dragons who had been interrogated said that Terrorvane was still in the area of Fireholm. The dragon city was located deep in the mountains of the north, and required a long strenuous march to reach. When the assembly of UL troops entered the city, it looked abandoned. A few dragons who were salvaging what they could kept clear of the UL. Carefully, the area was combed for any sign of Terrorvane. The buildings all stood silent and dark. Zecora led a group searching dwellings one by one. She bucked open a door and came face to face with the dragon. Terrorvane had built his empire through intimidation. He could bully others to do his bidding. With his army gone, and facing angry UL troops, he didn’t stand much of a chance. After a brief scuffle, the dragon was shackled and formally arrested. “Take him away from here,” Zecora spat. “I hope he is locked up for a thousand years.” Terrorvane would stand trial in a UL court. No one would pity him. FOB Friendship As the UL’s Forward Operating Base on the Zebrican shores was being dismantled, Twilight Sparkle received a letter from Canterlot. As a skilled student of magic, her presence was requested to help prepare the spell to send Wisconsin home. The base had never been intended to be permanent, and work was going quickly. Twilight decided that she could leave it in the capable hands of her advisors. Zecora dropped by. The zebra looked tired, but managed to smile. She’d just returned from Fireholm and had been traveling nonstop. Twilight asked if she was coming back to Equestria. “Perhaps in the coming years, but for now I am needed here.” Twilight understood. Zebrica was well on its way to rebounding, but there was still a lot of work to be done. She had confidence that creatures like Zecora who had passion and love for their country would do great work. She said goodbye to her friend and made ready to leave. Teleportation required a lot of magic, and Twilight had never attempted to cross such a large body of water before. Instead, she decided to save her energy and catch a ride home on the battleship. As it was not necessary to keep pace with the fleet any longer, Wisconsin showed off some of her speed on the return trip. The frothy wake kicked up by her four propellers extended behind the ship for nearly a mile. A site along the Equestrian coast had been chosen to cast the spell. It was as close to Wisconsin’s point of entry into the world as possible. A dozen of the unicorn scientists who had worked on discovering the secrets of the anomaly were hard at work preparing the location. Everything had to be just right. A pony rowboat brought the two Princesses to the ship. Mittal met the two of them on the quarterdeck and invited them aboard. Celestia spoke. “Captain Mittal, I would like to thank you for your service to Equestria and the United Lands. I consider every human aboard this fine ship to be a friend.” Twilight said, “Princess, I have something to give them, if that would be all right.” She showed Celestia a small plaque. Affixed to it was the symbol of Equestria, a badge that was decorated with the sun on one half and the moon on the other. An engraved plate displayed the citation. Celestia nodded. “By all means.” “What’s this?” asked Mittal. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the ship’s library,” said Twilight. “I know Wisconsin has received awards in the past for service.” Twilight cleared her throat and read the engraving. “The nation of Equestria presents this commendation to USS Wisconsin for actions during the Zebrican War. Wisconsin came to the aid of United Lands forces on several occasions, displaying great efficiency and effectiveness. The ship refused to yield to attack, and was successful in all missions she was assigned to. Wisconsin’s actions reflect great credit upon the ship, her crew, and the United States of America.” It was a surprisingly poignant moment for Mittal. He accepted the award on behalf of the ship and promised to display it proudly. “Are you ready to begin the spell?” Luna asked. Celestia nodded. “Captain Mittal, we are interested in pursuing diplomatic relations with your country. I have prepared a copy of the details regarding this enchantment.” She gave him a wooden box filled with many sheets of paper. She smiled. “We will await your return.” The three ponies took the boat back to shore and joined the rest. Mittal went up to the bridge, pausing to put the plaque and box in a safe place. He watched from behind the bridge windows as one by one, the ponies began their magic, bathing the entire area in soft light. The Equestrian shores faded away and the ship was oceanbound once more. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do, Mittal thought unhappily. He was not looking forward to it, but it could wait for the moment. He lifted the 1MC. “This is your Commanding Officer. We’re on our way home.” Author note: Here we are. I’m still surprised at the extremely positive reaction FIMFiction has had to this story. The praise inspired me to write sixteen thousand words in four days. Funny what fame can do to you. Thanks to everyone for reading and making my first story a success. I learned a lot about writing fanfiction, and I hope to use these lessons in the future. Yes, I promise to slow down. I’m going to take a few days off to recharge and work on something new. I had a couple ideas for what to write next: “Wings of Gold” – Rainbow Dash obtains US citizenship so she can pursue her dream of becoming a military pilot. “The Truth” – As the Element of Honesty, Applejack knows when people are lying. The CIA wants to hire her to interrogate bad guys. “My Little Black Hawk Down” – Ponies and Rangers and Delta, oh my!