A small air force slices through the clouds, Strider and Cyclops squadrons. They're several miles from the Bck Sea, where Hornet's fleets resides. Alicorn stands on top of her jet, a couple band-aids on her arms. She has a worried look on her face as she bits her lip.

  AWACS Long Caster is heard over the radio. <>

  Enterprise then speaks. <>

  <>

  <> Húxiān compins, she's in a new jet. <>

  They reach the sea, and a massive bck cloud rises high in the distance.

  <> Count asks.

  <> Enterprise orders.

  Everyone's engines run red hot as they speed off. After a minute they hear gunfire in the distance, along with loud explosions.

  <> Long Caster warns. <>

  <> Everyone agrees.

  The Squadron reaches the battlefield, and it seems to span miles. Dozens of sinking siren ships litter the water, several damage HO ships limp along. Their cannons still firing at full speed towards enemy ships.

  <> Prez mutters.

  <> Fre shouts. <>

  <> Everyone heads off.

  Alicorn looks around, her stomach dropping as the amount of fire spreading along the water. The amount of HO ships that are barely floating. She then sees a Ship-girl sitting on a slowly sinking Siren ship.

  "Baltimore..." Alicorn mutters, and the ship girl looks up to the sky at the sound of jet engines.

  Baltimore smiles, holding a hand to her side, where blood is pooling into her shirt. She wipes a bit of blood from her lip and gives Alicorn a wave, then a thumbs up.

  Alicorn nods and continues searching, until she finds a strange looking drone. She brings up her cross bow, and fires. The arrow strikes the drone, blowing it up, and she notices her radar clear up slightly.

  Her radio crackles to life, but she can't make anything out. She flies off and continues looking around, her gaze falling onto the waters below. An HO ship suddenly goes up in fmes, causing Alicorn to cover her eyes as its ammunition goes off.

  She lets out an angry grunt as she scans the skies for more drones. Until she notices several Siren jets fly towards her, they're slightly damages. She gres at them, and fires off a pair of missiles, as the enemy jets fire their own.

  Alicorn twists her jet between the two missiles fired at her. Her missiles strike their targets, blowing up. She continues flying on, finding more heavily injured ship girls, and heavily damaged HO ships. For everyone one ship she finds, she finds a dozen destroyed Siren ships.

  "They went all out..." Alicorn mutters as she watches USS Sims blow up another Siren, before falling to the ocean, Exhausted.

  Alicorn looks into the distance, where the sky is lit up by AA, Missiles and gunfire. She keeps flying along towards the main battle, taking down a couple EMS.

  Her radio crackles to life as Long Caster's voice breaks through the Veil.

  <>

  <> Prez starts. <>

  <> Fre compliments. <>

  Alicorn then speaks into her radio. "Long Caster, any word on Hornet?>>

  Long Caster is silent for a few moments. <<...She's at the front of the battle, apparently Equus is there. Alicorn, Enterprise, quickly get there and stop her!>>

  "On it!" Alicorn shouts. "Enterprise, I'm on my way, meet you there!"

  <> Enterprise agrees.

  Alicorn takes off, her rigging let out a worried rumble. She sees more heavily injured ships, and a few sinking HO ships. She finds Duke of York holding up Hood, on her shoulder. The two try to shake away from the battle, but two humanoid Sirens chase after them.

  Alicorn swiftly brings up her bow and fires, while Midly fires off his rail cannon, before letting out a tired rumble. The arrow sms right through one of the Humanoid Siren's, sending it towards the bottom of the sea.

  Midly's shell sms into the second Siren, blowing the top off of it clean off. Duke of York and Hood both look up to the sky and see Alicorn. Duke of York ughs as she waves, Hood barely lifts up a hand to wave, blood covers the both of them.

  Every second feels like an eternity to Alicorn as she heads towards the main battle. She finds a massive gold portal in the distance, she grits her teeth, knowing Equus is there.

  She lowers her shelf onto her jet, as AA blows up all around her. Ignoring the heat and shrapnel, she flies as fast as her engines will take her. A missile strikes her back left engine and her entire jet shakes, smoke billowing out of her pne, but she doesn't relent.

  She stands up after making it out of enemy and friendly fire. Her heart them drops as she finds her target.

  Baxterbro

  A massive bck battleship, with red accents, sails towards the portal. Equus, standing on her conning tower, looks back, her glowing yellow eyes, meeting Alicorn's pin yellow.

  Equus gives a sadistic smirk, before giving a dramatic bow. She turns around as her ship sails into the portal. Alicorn then notices Purifier standing just outside the portal, yellow blood covering her side as she hold it. There are several bruises on her face as her eyes are Dull, instead of glowing.

  She looks up to Alicorn, and just stares at her for a few moments, before disappearing into the massive portal, and it closes. Alicorn gres where the portal was, before huffing and gncing at the fiery remains of ships below her.

  Then her eyes nd on someone below, Northampton. Alicorn then notices Hornet in her arms and Alicorn's eyes light up, as she speaks into her radio.

  "I found Hornet!"

  <> Enterprise says over the radio.

  Alicorn's jet dips down and flies along the water, passing several burning wreaks of Siren ships, and a couple crippled Azured Ships. She then hops off her jet and it takes off into the sky.

  She skates over to Northampton, but her heart drops. Northampton looks over, spotting Alicorn, before turning to Hornet. Shells nd around them, as several Siren Ships blow up.

  "Hey..." Northampton mutters to Hornet. "Wake up, Hornet... Your Niece is here..." She hugs Hornet tighter. "Please, just wake up. We're saved..." Her voice starts breaking. "Please Hornet, just open your eyes."

  Alicorn stares at them, at Hornets tattered and unmoving figure. Her eyes start to go blurry, as she feels warm tears flow down her checks.

  Northampton looks over to Alicorn, tears falling down her eyes as she sobs. "I'm sorry! I tried, I tried so hard!" She buries her face into Hornet's shoulder. "I gave everything I had... and it wasn't enough."

  Alicorn's legs start to grow numb, her rigging lets out a few soft whimpers as they lower themselves. Someone approaches from behind.

  "Alicorn, where is..." Enterprise skates up beside Alicorn, and notices the scene in front of them. "No..."

  Enterprise's shoulders sag, as she covers her mouth.

  <> Long Caster asks over the radio, the two don't respond. <>

  Alicorn chokes slightly, but then speaks up. "Hornet's... KIA..."

  <> Count yells.

  <> Prez chokes up.

  <> Long Caster asks.

  Alicorn grits her teeth as tears pour from her eyes. "USS Hornet was Killed In Action."

  <> Húxiān shouts. <>

  > Fre orders in a quiet tone.

  Húxiān just yells in anger on the radio. Enterprise skates over to Northampton and Hornet. She takes Hornet from Northampton, and hugs her tightly.

  "I'm sorry, Sister." Enterprise says between choked sobs. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let you fight! Please, just let this be a bad joke! Please!"

  Alicorn's vision glitches and the colors distort, everything goes bck and white for her. She rubs her tears away, but her vision remains distorted. She grits her teeth in anger, before summoning her jet and jumping on it. Her rigging fshes in blue and bck cubes, before forming around her jet. Transforming it into the X-02 Wyvern.

  Alicorn takes off, flying away at full speed. Northampton watches her leave as guilt fills her.

  .

  .

  .

  Yorktown sits in her wheel chair at the docks. Staring out to sea, her fingers drum against the arm rest of her chair. Major Freya's ship, along with Tea Destroyers sail in the distance, patrolling around the isnd.

  Suddenly Pennsylvania walks up to her, handing her a satellite phone.

  "Ma'am, it's Long Caster."

  Yorktown grabs the phone and nods to Pennsylvania. "Thank you."

  Pennsylvania gives a nod, before walking off. Yorktown brings the phone up to her ear.

  "Yorktown here."

  ""Operation Dragon Breath and Overlord were successful." Long Caster informs in an exhausted tone.

  Yorktown smiles. "Good, what are the casualties?"

  "4,414 troops were killed, and more then 5,000 were injured in Operation Overlord. And we've lost 2,501 troops defending the cannon, and we've lost 13 ships."

  Yorktown grips the phone tightly. "Who did we lose?"

  "HMS Howe, HMS Aurora, HMS Icarus, MNF Joffre, MNF Tartu, MNF Foch, PRAN Fu Shun, ROC Yat Sen, FFNF Béarn, USS Thatcher, USS Pensaco, USS West Virginia..."

  "Who's the st?" Yorktown asks in a sorrowful tone.

  "...USS Hornet. All 13 ships are confirmed Killed In Action."

  The phone nearly slips through Yorktown's hands as she finds herself for a loss. Her tries to speak but no words come out. Tears threaten to fall, but she pushes them down.

  "What of Enterprise and Alicorn?" Yorktown asks, her voice cracking slightly.

  "Enterprise is guiding all remaining ships back to base, and Alicorn. Well, she took off and no one knows where she went."

  Yorktown lets out a shaky breath. "Thank you for letting me know."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  The call ends and Yorktown sets the phone in her p, as she looks up to the sky. A few tears falling from her chin. She tries her best to keep her composure, but her mask starts to crack.

  She leans forward, wiping her eyes as she grits her teeth. She looks off to the side, and notices something. A small pilr of bck smoke rises up to the sky. Her brows furrow, before she realizes where its coming from.

  She starts to wheel herself in that direction.

  Half an hour ter, and calming down people. Yorktown hobbles herself up a hill, using her cane to walk. The smoke pilr gets ever closer and closer. She takes several deep breaths, exhausted from the trip.

  After a little more walking she fines the source of the smoke. It's Alicorn's X-02 Wyvern, crashed into the ground, smoke pouring from the back of it. And just past it, she finds Alicorn sobbing at her father's grave.

  Baxterbro

  Yorktown's gaze softens as she hobbles over to her distressed daughter. Alicorn, hearing the footsteps, looks over. Her eyes are all puffy and red, her dress is all torn and mangled, with a few spots of blood.

  "I'm sorry!" Alicorn sobs out, trying to wipe her tears away, but they keep coming.

  Yorktown drops her cane and walks over to Alicorn, before kneeling down and bringing her into a hug. She rubs the back of Alicorn's head, as she cries into her mother's chest.

  "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Alicorn keeps repeating it over and over.

  "Why are you sorry, my love?" Yorktown asks in a soft tone, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

  Alicorn looks up to her mom, her face stained with tears. "If it wasn't for me..." She hiccups. "Hornet would still be alive! Equus is doing all of this, because of me!" She lets out another hiccup, and lets out a couple sobs. "So many of my friends and family are gone because of me!"

  Yorktown shakes her head. "That's not true."

  "It is!" Alicorn shouts. "The Siren's are only doing this, because I was supposed to die! But I didn't and this is my punishment! Why must they hurt everyone else, and leave me be? Why must everyone look to me to stop her! I can't even think straight, how am I supposed to do this?!"

  Alicorn buries her face back into her mother's chest.

  "I never asked for any of this! I never wanted to be strong, I just wanted my family. But they're taking it all away, because of how weak I am, I'm not the strongest ship, I'm the weakest! I just want them all to go away, make it go away, Mama!"

  Tears streak down Yorktown's face, as she hugs her daughter tight. "The weight of the whole world is bearing down onto you, and you have no one to hold you up. I'm sorry, Sweetie, that I never saw your struggles behind that smile of yours." She rubs Alicorn's head. "I was so focus on everything else, that I forgot, you're just a child."

  "I'm sorry, Mama." Alicorn apologies again. "I just wish I was more like you..."

  Yorktown doesn't respond as she just keeps hugging Alicorn. She looks up to the grave in front of her.

  Erik Steinman

  A Beloved Father and Friend.

  August 21, 1908 - September 26, 1938

  'Just what kind of monster parents are we? We made a child bear the weight of the world, why... why would we do this?' Yorktown stares at the grave. 'I know you never wanted this, but you had to know this was coming... I knew this was coming, but I just ignored it.'

  Yorktown looks down to her broken daughter.

  'I'm such a horrible mother, I should've seen the signs. I'm sorry Alicorn, I hope you can forgive me.'

  She then looks out to the sky above the ocean.

  'Please Commander... end this war...'

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  05-15-2025

  2200 words