My Little Destroyermen: Walker on Water

by The Atlantean

Chapter 28

Sunset Shimmer’s head swam. She blinked some of the stars in her eyes away and yawned. A utilitarian gray ceiling came into focus. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, her heart racing. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps for air, and the sudden motion made her dizzy.

She scanned the room. It was dull and gray with a bed, a dresser, and a washbasin, but nothing more. A dim light hung from the ceiling, swaying from side to side.

I must be on a ship of some kind. “Hello?” she croaked. She coughed to clear her throat. “Is anyone there?”

Knock, knock. “Are you dressed decently?” somebody replied in a weird accent she’d never heard before.

Sunset looked down. Her clothes were reduced to rags. How did this happen? She picked at her destroyed blue shirt and looked around. Luckily, someone had left some replacements near the end of the bed.

“Give me a minute,” she called.

It took much longer than a minute to change, especially once she realized how scrawny she was. She could literally count her ribs, and her gut had shrunk to half of how she remembered it. Her arms were bony, and a long scar ran up the back up her leg. But she succeeded in the end.

“Okay, I’m done now.”

The door that separated her room from the outside creaked open, and a man entered with a tray of some kind of food. He wore a dark blue uniform with some weird insignia.

“This is for you, Ms. Shimmer,” he said, placing the tray on the bed--no, it was more like a cot. “I am Commander Sato Okada of the Imperial Japanese Navy ship Amagi. You are a guest aboard here, and as such, have been given accomodations equivalent to a high-ranking officer. I am authorized to answer any questions you may have, so please, ask.”

Sunset smoothed her new clothes. Now that she thought about it, they must’ve given her some spares. The food smelled great despite its less than stellar looks, and she took a moment to revel in it. When was the last time I ate? She dove into the food with a vigor that Princess Celestia--she growled at the thought of her--went through cake. Something told her that Celestia wasn’t bad, but it was quickly squashed by another, more sinister, part of her mind.

“So, how do you know my name?” she asked around a mouthful.

“I was told.”

“What do you do on this ship?”

“I am what you would call the ‘executive officer’. Only Captain Kurokawa outranks me unless an admiral is aboard, which is not likely to happen for quite some time.”

“You know where… my friends…” Who? “Never mind. It--it doesn’t matter.” She munched on a cracker. “So, if you’re such a high-ranking officer, why were you carrying the food?”

“Until you are properly healed from recent events, I am the only person on the ship authorized to interact with you, aside from my captain. This includes bringing food, and he is insistent on not ‘stooping to low levels’ for you. I myself do not mind the work, however.”

“You mentioned this ship is in some sort of navy? Are we gonna be fighting pirates?”

“Unfortunately, yes and no. We are fighting other people, but they are not pirates. We are at war with the United States of America and their allies, so our task is to engage and eliminate all assets belonging to them. We have been told that you will aid us in this endeavour.”

“I’m in a war?” Sunset pulled at her hair and took a few deep breaths. “I’m gonna die,” she moaned.

“You are the only magic use we have. I can guarantee that you will receive adequate protection.”

“Oh, no…”

Something bumped the ship, but Sato Okada didn’t seem to notice.

“You feel that?” she asked.

“Feel what?”

“Something hit us, like a wave.”

“A wave is nothing to fear, Sunset Shimmer.”

“No, it wasn’t the ocean.” She pushed the door open and wandered out into the hall. “I need to go outside.”

A beep brought her attention back into the room. Okada replied to a comm circuit in a different language, nodded, and grimaced.

“What was that?”

“I am needed on the bridge, and you are coming with me. Captain Kurokawa gave the order himself, so this must be serious. I do hope nothing damaged us.”

Okada led the way through winding passages and up skinny staircases that were really just ladders. They passed several junior officers and enlisted men, all of whom stepped aside to give them space.

On the bridge, a tall, skinny man with a slightly plumish face frowned behind the guy at the wheel. He spun around as they entered and returned Okada’s quick gesture of respect.

“I came as quickly as I could, Captain. What seems to be the issue?”

Captain Kurokawa walked out to the starboard bridgewing and pointed southeast. “That, Commander, is the problem.”

Sunset squinted in the mid-morning sun. “Is that… a ring of black lightning coming over the horizon?”

“I cannot see lightning, but the sky has changed hues. Perhaps you could explain?”

“Well, I do know a lightning spell. Pretty good prank if you get the magnitude right. Otherwise it just hurts somebody. But ring lightning is Royal Guard stuff, if I remember correctly. It’s been years since I’ve been to Equestria.” She hissed at the name of her old home and the memories it brought to mind.

“But what does it mean?” Okada prodded. His tone was a more polite than his captain’s.

“Could mean anything, really. I do know that black is for mourning. So somebody--or more likely, pony--just lost someone close.”

“How far?”

“Really far. I can’t… maybe three thousand miles? I’ve never seen a spell that lasted long enough to see from that distance. Thing is, you can’t see the lightning itself unless you can use magic. Otherwise, it looks like a darker blue.”

“So, we’ve found their mage. Commander, use our charts to estimate their position. I imagine that our next meeting with the Grik will be well in our favor.”

Comments

[Spc jacko]

What! How am I just finding this? I've most of the series...

[The Atlantean]

9936930
Well, my update schedule isn't exactly the most consistent...

[Yutah123]

“You know where… my friends…” Who? “Never mind. It--it doesn’t matter.” She munched on a cracker. “So, if you’re such a high-ranking officer, why were you carrying the food?”

Oh no...

Does she have some sort of amnesia?

[Turquoise pony]

9942670
Her mind has been affected by Nightmare Moon.