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.
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Oh goody, your back.
holy horses, ur alive!
noice.
Woooo! New chapter!
Yay
Oh, I am afraid there's not much she can do with recon biplane
Captain Jolly x Yamato ?
The planes! The planes! The planes are their weqkness! Until AA fire comes into play!
Yes the bolts are as fast as jets but they have nothing to hit with
Welcome back, glad to see an update.
huh
Excellent work keep it up can’t wait for your next chapter
Good chapter looking forward to see how Twilight will react to the existence of shipmares and the possibility of updating or retrofitting current Equestria ships wonder if wavecutter will manifest fully and become the first true equestrian shipmare don't know I'll wait and see what you got in store for us.
The only problem I see is still the null feild the adyssal will have around themselves. Will it also be around the flyers.
I can see it now...
“Squee squee quee. Squee squee squee!" The gunnery fairies cried out.
"prepare the paint rounds, fire at will..."
p1-tt.byteimg.com/origin/tos-cn-i-qvj2lq49k0/046b81e4bac04540bbb40f38d827dc82
p3-tt.byteimg.com/origin/pgc-image/a1dacbdd4bcf4561b5e0b78173981d97
It should be horrifyingly adorable! The paint rounds may come in rainbow colors too... a polka dot Spitfire sounds cute as heck!
Yes, Pegasi might be able to outfly a plane, but Abyssals have been shown to nullify their magic. The question needs to be, how close can Pegasi get before Abyssals nullify their magic?
Why do I see in my mind eye Yamato dream relive her first death from the movie Yamato 2005 but replaced the humans with fairys as Luna looks on as a specter,
Good chapter and story do continue
11168228
Yes I was thinking the same. Seems they all had a collective brain fart and forgot the magic nullification. Maybe they can use hit and run tactics. Get in and out fast enough to avoid that nullification. Assuming it's not a persistent affect they can turn on.
That said their first fight will be against carriers. So here's hoping the enemy planes can't nullify and the pegasi can protect Yamato while she deals with the carriers
This was great, but I can't help but wonder if there will be more shipgirls/mares that somehow join the fight.
“This I can work with”… despite the sirens being able to create entire battlefields the size of an ocean that will negate all pony flight? They’ll just flop to the ground before they are even engaged by the sirens air force.
Though its not kantai collection your story kind inspired me to do something with gundam ^^ inspired by some gundam girl images i found. lol i look forward to your next chapter.
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/727547464407842926/972337511735123968/unknown.png
Cant wait for the next chapter!
Be me knowing that yamato only had spotter type aircraft to lauch that have pontoons whi h make them slow but able to water land.
Just wait till the poinies meet a aircraft carrier wuth actual planes.
Love your story, hoping for more.
Hoping you are all right and hopefully we will see a new chapter soon
11307001
Ya, a combination of an family emergency and rewriting/editing of previous chapters has delayed the next chapter but I should be able to get it out pretty soon here.
Dive bombers , the rippers of all big battleships
Please author, may we have more?
can't wait for the next chapter and good story
come on continue it
Waiting...waiting...
11483487
ya, I'm really sorry Its taking me so long on the next chanter. Like every other fanfiction writer ever, had alot of real life stuff going on this last year and couldn't really summon the effort to write much. I am working on the next chapter again and am going to try and get it out by this weekend. But at this point I've learned better than to make promises on it.
Do you think this is a "Displaced"?
11483554
Yeah...Really really REALLY hate to be that guy, but that was almost two months ago, everything okay? RL is....Is what it is. No shame in that.
11531607
Ya...I'm really sorry about all this but its been touch and go with a grandparent recently so I've not been in a good headspace for writing. I am still working on it. But life just seems to keep getting in the way. Thank you for your patience and I will get the chapter out as soon as I can.
Despite it being so long since the last update, I have to commend the highly entertaining story presented here so far and hope it one day finds a continuation. This was incredible to read
Nice story as far as i read it, the intro in the story, and the build up of the character to building up trust. I must say it's probably the best i seen so far in the story, building up the development. Keep up the good work, and stay true to your idea of the story. Don't be ashame of what IRL stuff is delaying the next chapters, just take your time. I'm sure you will make not only a great story but also a proof read story.
update it we all want to see more chapters
status of the next chapter?
4/13/2024: