//------------------------------// // Out of The Frying Pan and Into The Fire // Story: Captain America: Under The Nightmares Shadow // by Majestic Hamster //------------------------------// A yawn escaped The Captains lips as he stirred in his sleep. After a couple more moments, he gave up his attempt to stay asleep and opened his eyes. He sat up in his bed, rubbing his left eye. It was then that he noticed that his hand was still a hoof, and that he was still in the same infirmary bed as before. He looked himself over one more time. Why am I still a horse? Wow, never thought I would say that to myself. He then remembered the nurse from before. "Nurse, you there? Can you come her for a second?" After a moment the same nurse from before entered his room and said to him. "Are you okay? You were out for three hours." He replied with. "I feel like crap, but I'm more concerned why I'm still a horse?" The nurse gave him a concerned look. "A doctor should come see you. Sorry, you would be better taken care of if it wasn't for the civil war." The Captains eyes widened before he said. "War? Last time I checked it wasn't a civil war. We were going up against the Nazi's and Hydra." The nurse shook her head at his statement. "No... We have been in civil war with the Lunar rebels for three months now. It has only grown worse and worse since it started." The nurse let her head droop, but as soon as it did. The room around them began to shake because of the intensity of the battle above. "As you can see, the rebels are laying siege to the castle as we speak." "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but from my experience the rebels are usually the good guys." The Captain stated. The nurse rapidly shook her head. "No, Equestria was in a golden age. It is only because of Luna's jealousy for her sister manifesting to new heights that she decided to overthrow her sister. She now refers to herself as Nightmare Moon, and her rebellion has cost the lives of too many ponies... Why don't you know this, you must be suffering from amnesia. All the more reason we need a doctor to look over you." The fire inside Rogers ignited, his will to do what is right burned fiercely. Taking the tubes out of his forelegs, he hopped out of the bed. The nurse pleading for him to stop, but The Captain gave her a look of determination that made her stop what she was doing immediately. The steadfast Captain continued to exit the room, but just before he got there the nurse called to him. "Wait!" The Captain turned around to look at her. "What is your name?" "My name's Captain America ma'am, and when I was brought her did they happen to bring a shield with them?" "Shield? I don't know anything about a shield, but I do know that everything found with you was kept in the chest at the end of your bed. Captain America nodded his head, and walked up to the chest in front of the bed. He stumbled a bit getting there, still getting used to his new form. Once he was there, he opened the chest revealing his signature shield. He tried to pick to up, but without his hands his hoofs just slid off of the shield. He turned around to the nurse, and in returned she bent her fetlocks in a gesturing manner. Motioning for him to do the same. He turned back to his shield doing as she instructed. Pleased that it was able to work, he strapped the shield to his right foreleg. Not wasting another moment, he exited the room leaving the nurse to silently say to herself. "Captain America? What a strange name." The Captain was walking by static doctors who were traveling back and forth trying to tend to the wounded soldiers. Some of them were giving him looks of concern, but were to busy tending to the the large quantity of impaired solders that were coming in the dozens by the minute. One of the doctors walked up to him however. "Wait! you need to return to your bed. You're in no conditi-" He was cut off when The Captain just pushed right passed him. Heading to the the staircase that lead out of the infirmary. When he got to them, he moved up them swiftly, trying to get a look at the battle that was currently going on. When he made it to the top of the stairs, he was greeted with a vast hallway. On the right side of the hallway were tall windows which The Captain walked up to. What he saw shocked him. Outside he saw a courtyard filled to the brim with solder ponies of all kinds. Archer ponies on the walls shooting down flying ponies--pegasi--in the sky, solders on the ground of the courtyard using swords, axes, and other medieval weapons to hack and slash at each other, but what astonished him most however was that some of them were shooting beams of energy from their heads. I got to get down there now! He mentally told himself. Not wanting to spare another moment to look at the onslaught and join in the fight, he ran down the hall. He turned down many a hall trying to find way to the courtyard, and after a good moment he finally found a big imposing door guarded by a squad of soldiers. When he walked up to the group of soldiers, they pointed their spears at him. One of them wearing a silver insignia of the sun on his chest plate barked. “Stay back! no one gets in no one gets out.” “Sorry, but I’m gonna need to get out into that battle.” The Captain replied to the stallion. The solder laughed at him before saying. “Who are you to give me orders, look at what you're wearing, you look ridiculous.” It was at that moment that a group of thestrals crashed through the windows on either side of the door, catching the guards off guard ironically. They landed to the ground hissing at them with hatred and were about to do battle with them, until a shield flew in between both groups catching both their attention. The shield bounced off the wall returning it to its thrower. Both groups turned towards The star spangled pony, and the thestrals hissed with annoyance. They then charged him then and there. The first two of the group which were holding spears tried to impale him, but The Captain just put his shield in front of him and charged. When the spears connected with his shield, they broke easily and Captain America rammed right into the two thestrals knocking them out. The other two which were armed with swords in their mouths flanked his sides. The one on his left swung his sword, but The Captain parried it with his shield and laid a right hook to his jaw. The one on his right tried stabbing at him, but he just jumped to the side and used his shields edge to snap the sword in two. After that he struck the lunar solder in the snout, breaking his muzzle. What was left was Captain America surrounded by a group of knocked out solders. The group of soldiers from before stood dumbstruck by what had just happened in front of them. Their jaws hanging open, and their eyes wide. The Captain then walked up to them and said. “I still need to get out there.” After a moment, the silver insignia pony came to his senses and replied with.. “Oh… Yeah, sure.” He then motioned for his soldiers to open the door for The Captain. After a moment they opened it, and Captain Rogers began to walk out the door, but before he could he was interrupted by the same solder from before. “Wait! What is your name?” Rogers turned around and smiled at the solder. “My names Captain America.” And with that The Captain was off into the fray in the courtyard. Ready to do his best to repel the invaders. The solder just shook his head before telling his soldiers to once again shut the door.