"The worst thing about winning a war is watching the enemy slowly get younger."

  Baxterbro

  "War." Enterprise's voice echoes.

  Fk rings out above the battlefield as a drone crashes onto a Siren ship.

  "Yes, war never changes, regardless of era." Enterprise states.

  Alicorn stares at the Nuclear Missile on Orochi's ship in shock.

  "Does the color of the sky mean anything special to you?" Alicorn's voice echoes.

  Clevend and her sister stand nearby Alicorn.

  "Big sis!" Montpelier calls out. "What is that thing?!"

  "Death..." Alicorn mutters and they all look at her.

  "Alicorn?" Clevend questions.

  "It does to me. A hell of a lot."

  Sweat falls from Alicorn's chin as she stares at the missile. "I thought it would never be in such a powerful form. I thought it would end with me, but... Death always gets it dues."

  Beat Beat

  Alicorn grunts as her Cube beats heavily in her chest. "I... I have to stop that thing."

  "Alicorn, are you okay?" Columbia asks.

  "When I close my eyes, the sky in my dreams..."

  Alicorn panics and skates towards Orochi, but the missiles takes off into the sky.

  "...Is a deep, dark blue."

  Alicorn stops and stares at the flying missile in horror. The missiles takes off into the direction of Azure Lane main base.

  "Alicorn!" Enterprise yells at as she flies into the sky on a Dougss SBD.

  "Right..." A Mig-29k takes off from Alicorn's middle shark head and grows in size, she hops onto it and follows after Enterprise.

  Alicorn and Enterprise fly side by side.

  "We have to destroy it, no matter what!" Enterprise orders.

  "On it!" Alicorn shouts. "This thing is headed to base, and by the information I can gather, it will reach it even from here, and kill everyone at home..." Alicorn then mutters in horror. "Even mother." She then yells. "COME ON!"

  Alicorn's rigging changes into Cube and forms onto her jet. Her change changes forms and becomes the X-O2S Strike Wyvern. Her speed increases as the engines of her jet scream.

  Enterprise's pne glows yellow and she amazingly keeps up with Alicorn.

  Alicorn's jet locks onto the missile and she goes to fire, but an electronic ringing echoes and her vision glitches and she holds her head in pain.

  "Rail Jammed!" A robotic female voice rings in Alicorn's head.

  Suddenly a psychotic ugh is heard. "Let's py, Enterprise! Imouto!" She fires her ser cannons at the two.

  Alicorn shakes her head and regains her senses and dodges the incoming sers, so does Enterprise.

  Alicorn changes her sword into a crossbow and fires at Purifier. Purifier catches the arrow before it his her throat.

  "Nice try, Imouto~" Purifier ughs.

  "Alicorn!" Enterprise yells out. "GO!"

  "But-" Alicorn tries to argue.

  "That's an order!"

  Alicorn nods and her engines go red hot and speed after the fast missile.

  Purifier ughs and aims her cannons at Alicorn, but an arrow strikes her, nearly sending her to the ocean.

  "I'm your target!" Enterprise yells as she charges at Purifier.

  Purifier huffs and targets Enterprise.

  Alicorn looks back and sees Enterprise and Purifier engaging in combat. She then looks back at the missiles she's slowly closing in on. Her heart races know the consequences if she fails this, suddenly her rigging rubs their faces on her, letting out soft roars.

  Alicorn pats their heads. "I'm fine, I got this."

  Alicorn pulls the string back on her crossbow and it clicks into pce. A golden arrow appears on the string as she aims up her bow.

  Alicorn lets out a breath and starts to pull the trigger, but an electronic ring echoes around her and she grunts in pain as her vision glitches.

  "Nice try, Imouto~ But it's not gonna be that easy!" purifier yells out as she looks at Alicorn while dodging several pnes flying around her.

  Alicorn falls to her knees as she brings a hand up to her head. Her rigging starts to short circuit and her jet starts to slow down. "N-No!" Alicorn changes her bow into a sword and uses it to push herself up. "I...can't give up!"

  Alicorn stops on her jet and it's engines go red hot as they go full throttle to the max.

  "I... am a proud..." Alicorn grunts as her vision glitches the closer she nears the missile. "...Daughter of Yorktown! The daughter..." She yells in pain as the electronic ring grows louder and louder the closer she gets to the missile. "...of Erike Steinman! They are the best..."

  Alicorn nears the missile as her jet slowly starts to fall apart. "..The best parents anyone..." Alicorn grunts as she jumps onto the missile as her jet falls into pieces and falls towards the ocean below.

  "...Could ask for!" Alicorn uses her sword to slowly climb to the front of the missiles, with the wind trying its best to throw her off. Alicorn's rigging roars in protest as they short circuit.

  "I... may be a monster in the body of a little girl..." Alicorn grunts as she nears the front of the missiles. "...But none of that matters! I may be a Siren, but I'm still human at heart!"

  Everything mostly clears up for Alicorn as she reaches the front of the missile. The electronic ringing quiets down as she sits up, wind blowing against her. Her tiara flies off her head and down into the ocean.

  Alicorn looks down at the WMD below her and takes a shaky breath. "It has to be stopped no matter what."

  Baxterbro

  Alicorn looks down at her shaking hand, and clenches them. Her rigging lets out a sad roar.

  "We have to, if we don't... Mama and everyone will die." Alicorn says. "Maybe... I'll be considered a hero... A monster disguised as a hero, but a hero none the less. Mama, made hard sacrifices for the war... So will I."

  A tear falls down Alicorn's cheek as she closes her eyes. She shakily brings up her sword, her heart racing. Her rigging rubbing against Alicorn one st time. "I'm sorry Mama, Papa."

  Alicorn opens her eyes and looks up to the sky. "Deep... Dark... Blue."

  Alicorn lets out a breath.

  Alicorn brings down her sword, as her rigging covers her, and lodges it into the warhead. A bright purple fsh goes off.

  Enterprise's pne flies around in a circle as Purifier fires onto her. Enterprise brings up her bow to fire at the Siren, but a purple fsh goes of behind her.

  "What?" Purifier questions.

  Enterprise looks back with a smile, but she loses it as she doesn't spot Alicorn. "Alicorn?" Her eyes widen. "ALICORN!" She suddenly gets thrown off her pne and down towards the ocean below.

  Purifier puts a hand on her chest as it beats. "Alicorn..." The bst from the bomb hits her.

  .

  .

  .

  In the dark blue waters an rge purple explosion goes off above it, and Alicorn falls into the water and slowly sinks. Her left arm from the elbow down is gone. Blood seeps out from her right eye and her left eye fshes. A rge wound covers her right leg as burns glow on her left.

  Kevin's head has been blown apart, as midly's head is mostly missing. Righty's head is missing its armor and his eyes are fshing.

  The water around Alicorn slowly turns red and yellow, with a bit of oil mixed in.

  Yellow petals rise up towards the surface from the flower on her pel. A few parts of her rigging break off and float up towards the surface.

  A semi-transparent hands reaches into the water towards her.

  'I don't have the strength to move.' Alicorn says in thought. Tears drip from her eyes. 'Was I a good daughter? Is this the judgement of all my sins?' Her vision slowly goes dark. 'I'm... cold?'

  Alicorn closes her eye as she continues to sink.

  ...

  Alicorn opens her eyes and she finds herself sitting within the dark void once again, light shine from the small cracks above her.

  Alicorn looks down in sadness as she brings her knees to her chest and puts her face in them. A soft sob echoes in the void.

  "I deserve all this." Alicorn whispers. "All this pain is for a reason, all the people I hurt."

  The void grows ever darker as the cracks keep sealing.

  "Do you really think that?" Meta Alicorn's voice rings out behind her.

  Alicorn looks up as tears fall from her eyes and sees Meta Alicorn standing in front of her. "What do you want." She gives Meta Alicorn a gre.

  Meta Alicorn smirks. "Are you really gonna act so pathetic?"

  Alicorn wipes her tears and turns away from Meta Alicorn. "Just... be quiet and let me die in peace."

  "Hell no! You're the only one other Alicorn that survive and I refuse to let you die now!"

  "It's already too te... I'm not for this world anymore. People don't need me."

  Meta Alicorn sighs. "Don't you hear them?"

  "...What?"

  "Listen."

  Alicorn quiets down and at first she doesn't hear anything. But then voices start to echo behind her.

  "Alicorn!" Clevend yells.

  "Alicorn!" Columbia yells.

  "Alicorn!" Team Destroyers yell.

  "Alicorn!" Major Freya yells.

  "Alicorn!" New Jersey yells.

  "Al-Al-Alicorn!" Commander Sicilia yells.

  "Alicorn!" Enterprise yells.

  "Alicorn!" Hornet yells.

  "Miss Alicorn!" Sheffield yells.

  "Miss A-Alicorn!" Edinburgh yells.

  "Alicorn!" Unicorn yells.

  "Alicorn!" Illustrious yells.

  "Alicorn!" Javelin yells.

  "Alicorn." Laffey tiredly calls out.

  "Alicorn... we need you." Yorktown says in a motherly tone.

  Alicorn looks back and spots three figures. On the left is Purifier with her back turned. On the right is Meta Alicorn, with her back turned.

  Then in the middle is Yorktown with her back turned.

  "I know what I am now." Alicorn states as she stands up.

  Alicorn walks over to Yorktown, and puts a hand on shoulder and suddenly the voice shakes and the darkness shatters away. Revealing a deep dark blue sky.

  Alicorn looks up and a rge smile forms on her face. "Deep Dark Blue... just what my father loved. A clear blue sky on a nice sunny day. He wanted this for everyone, a peaceful ocean to watch along with his family. I shall bring to this ocean, I shall give the ocean back to my family. I shouldn't be afraid of myself, I should be afraid of not being bale to see my family."

  A blue shard on Alicorn's Wisdom Cube shines brightly and her cube changes from Mostly bck, to now mostly blue.

  ...

  Baxterbro

  Alicorn's left eye snaps open within the dark and she grabs onto the Semi-transparent hand. She is then suddenly pulled out of the ocean and she coughs as her lungs try to take in the fresh air.

  "Come on, sweety." Yorktown's voice is heard. :Be the hero everyone needs you to be."

  Alicorn looks to the side and shes a transparent Yorktown smiling down at her.

  "Mama?" Alicorn's eye widens.

  Yorktown smiles. "Let' me help you."

  Yorktown helps Alicorn change her sword into a crossbow, then she helps lift it up. A golden arrow appears on the crossbow and Alicorn's heavily damaged rigging changes into hundreds of cubes and flies into the arrow, changing it from golden to a bright blue.

  Alicorn then looks forward to see Enterprise firing an arrow into Orochi's shields, which it struggles against.

  "Be the hero and save the day." Yorktown suddenly disappears.

  Alicorn yells in determination and fires her bow, causing her to stumble back, as it bsts off her crossbow.

  The blue arrow spreads forward and suddenly splits into three sharks. The sharks roar and merge with Enterprise's arrow and they bst through Orochi's shields.

  The arrows travel through Orochi, setting multiple explosions off around the ship and out the back. Orochi then powers down and the second missile she had ready powers down. The ship starts listing to the side.

  Alicorn smiles as blood falls into the water from her wounds. "I... We did it." She breaths out, before falling over.

  Before she hits the water, she's suddenly caught by two pairs of arms.

  "Huh?" Alicorn looks up to see Clevend and Columbia holding her.

  "We gottcha!" Clevend smiles.

  "Can't let someone that saved me, fall now, right?" Columbia smiles.

  Alicorn smiles and chuckles. "Thank you."

  The two girls hold Alicorn up.

  Baxterbro

  "Let's finish this!" Clevend shouts.

  "Yeah!" Everyone shouts in agreement.

  The Azured Ships begin to fire onto the Siren fleet. Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Sakura Empire and Iron Blood, working together once again.

  Everyone stands side by side, taking down Siren ships one by one.

  Alicorn's robot eagle screeches as it flies past Alicorn, with several of her jets and drones following.

  Edinburgh and Sheffield skate over.

  "Miss Alicorn!" Edinburgh shouts in horror.

  "Are you okay?" Sheffield asks with worry in her eyes.

  Alicorn looks down, before looking up with a smug look. "I'm fine." She gives a thumbs up, blood falls down her face.

  The four ships look at her in shock.

  "Did she just get smug?" Clevend asks.

  "Are we sure this is our Alicorn?" Columbia asks.

  Sheffield smiles. "It's good to see your spirits are well."

  Suddenly portals open up in the sky and Siren ships start to fall out of them.

  "That's not good." Alicorn comments.

  Sheffield smiles. "Don't worry Miss Alicorn, we'll be fine."

  "Huh?" Clevend, Alicorn and Columbia question.

  "It's time to begin this party!" Queen Elizabeth yells.

  "Fire at will!" Osami yells.

  "FIRE!" Command Stait yells.

  "F-Fire!" Commander Sicilia yells.

  Shells sm into many Sirens around the battlefiled

  "That's..." Clevend turns to the side.

  "Sorry for the wait!" Queen Elizabeth yells. "Here are the knights of the round table."

  Yamato is with the ground as she fans herself.

  Behind the rge group of reinforcements are three ships. Major Freya's ship with Commander Sicilia on it. Commander Stait on another HO ship. And Osami on Musashi's ship, as the kutsune tries to hug her commander, but she's pushing her away.

  "I am Nagato, Nagato of Sakure Empire!" She informs. "From this moment on, Red Axis and Azur Lane enter into an alliance to defeat the Sirens!"

  "Wow..." Alicorn's smile grows.

  "Don't start without us!" A new voice yells out.

  Everyone looks to the side to see Bismark's ship sail in with Commander Amilia Arndt on it.

  Bismark stands beside her Commander with an indifferent look on her face, but blushes a little as Arndt puts an arm around her.

  "Let's end with everyone!" Ardnt yells.

  "Let's do what we were created to do!" Alicorn moves off of Clevend and Columbia as she slowly readies her crossbow. "Save the world!"

  "Go, warriors!" Enterprise yells. "Ignite your souls!"

  "We may be created for war, but we're still human at heart. We ugh, we love, we cry. But no matter what, we will save this world from our one true enemy, the Sirens."

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Baxterbro

  Alicorn's left eye opens and she finds herself in a hospital bed. She brings up right hand and looks at it, it's covered in bandages. Then brings up her left arm and finds a pure white arm from the elbow down.

  Alicorn then grabs a mirror and holds it up. She looks at her face and sees a rge scar over her right eye. She opens her right eye, revealing a siren yellow eye.

  The door opens and Alicorn looks to the side and sees Yorktown enter the room. The two stare at each other, before Alicorn starts to tear up as her mother walks over.

  Yorktown brings Alicorn into a big hug, and Alicorn hugs her back tightly.

  ...

  Osami stares up at the rge Sakura tree above her, as she leans into Musashi's bussom. Said Kitsune is happily wagging all her tails as she hugs her Commander.

  Yamato us ying on the grass next to them, with her eyes closed.

  "I was a fool for thinking Project Orochi was a good idea." Osami states. "I'll take the bme for everything so no ship gets punished."

  "Oh, so selfless Commander~" Musashi blushes.

  Osami deadpans. "Please don't make everything lewd."

  ...

  Commander Amilia Arndt yells in happiness as she stands on the counter of a pud and downs a pint of beer. Everyone cheers around her.

  Bismark sighs and shakes her head as she sips on a pint of beer.

  Roon is sitting nearby as her friend Hans and another drunk human are... doing something.

  "Auf der Heude blüht ein kleines Blümelein" Hans and the other human sing, before hitting helmets on their heads together. "Und das hei?t" They head butt each other again. "Erika!"

  Room brings up a pistol and puts it in her mouth.

  ....

  Stait is sipping on some tea as she sits next to Commander Sicilia. Sicilia sighs as she goes over paper work.

  "Alice, take a break." Stait says. "Celebrate with everyone."

  "S-S-Someone has to do this paperwork, and w-w-w-with all the After Action reports I-I have to do..."

  Stait sighs in annoyance, before a smug smirk appears on her face. "Alice~"

  "Y-Yes?" Sicilia looks up.

  Stait grabs Sicilia's coat and brings said girl into a kiss. Sicilia eyes widen and a massive blush appears on her face. After a few seconds Stait moves back and licks her lips.

  "Will you come to the party, now?" Stait asks.

  Sicilia blinks a few times and slowly nods.

  ....

  Alicorn is walking through the Academy, with a small limp. She smiles brightly as she watches everyone from everyone faction getting along.

  "This is what my father fought for." Alicorn says.

  "Miss Alicorn." Sheffield approaches her with Edinburgh behind her.

  "Yes, Sheffield? What is-"

  Sheffield suddenly brings Alicorn into a kiss. Edinburgh shouts in shock.

  (People wanted some Yuri, and I brought the Yuri!)

  Alicorn panics for a few seconds and tries to struggle, before going limp and closing her eyes.

  "S-S-Sheffy!" Edinburgh shouts in shock. "No fair!" She whines.

  Sheffield releases Alicorn from the kiss and looks to Edinburgh with a small smug smile. "Too slow, Edinburgh."

  Smoke raises from Alicorn's head as her eyes have swirls in them. "Hehe... K...Kiss."

  .

  .

  .

  Enterprise stands at the docks and Alicorn walks up to her.

  "Enterprise." Alicorn smiles.

  "Alicorn." Enterprise smiles.

  "Remember a year when you told me I have two options on what I can be? That I can either be a Siren, hellbent on destroying humanity. Or I can be a tool of war, used to save humanity."

  "Yes?"

  "Well, I found a third option. I'm just a human trying to protect her family."

  Enterprise smiles and brings Alicorn into a hug. "I like that option, it fits you."

  Alicorn puts her arms around Enterprise. "Thank you Enty."

  Enterprise chuckles. "Haven't heard that in forever."

  Alicorn looks up at her aunt. "Well, I'd thought I'd bring it back."

  "I'd like that."

  Meta Alicorn walks past the two, though only Alicorn can see her. "You will have to one day fight each other, ideals will csh again one day. And you'll be back to hurting other. Cause war never changes, no matter the era."

  Enterprise's and Alicorn's eagles circle each other before screeching.

  "To Skies Unknown... The path to mankind's vast future remains standing. Mama."

  Baxterbro

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  - .... . / ... - --- .-. -.-- / .. ... -. .----. - / --- ...- . .-. / -.-- . - .-.-.- / - .... . .-. . / .- .-. . / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / --.- ..- . ... - .. --- -. ... / .-.. . ..-. - / ..- -. .- -. ... .-- . .-. . -.. .-.-.- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -.-- --- ..- / .-. . -- .- .. -. / - --- / ... . . / - .... . -- / .- -. ... .-- . .-. . -.. ..--.. / --- .-. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -.-- --- ..- / ..-. .- .-.. .-.. / - --- / ... .. .-. . -. / -.-. --- -. - .-. --- .-.. ..--..

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

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

  08-23-2023

  3242 words