Horseshoe Bay teaser- Requiem · 6:40pm Mar 20th, 2016
I'm still here, and still writing possibly the largest, and most important chapter of the book so far. I know i've kept you waiting, and for that I do apologize, but I promise it'll be worth it! Here in this chapter, there's a lot of foreshadowing to the third and final book in the series, as well as finally getting insight on the Equestrian Royal Navy that has been mentioned since the first chapter of New Beginnings. Don't worry guys, your wait is almost over. I'm nearly done, and will be submitting the revisions to my editors within the next few hours. Your wait is almost over! So for now, here's a small teaser of what's yet to come in the newest chapter in the arc, Requiem. Enjoy!
Talon banks gently, tipping the wing to correct his course heading to Horseshoe Bay, the reconstructed harbor city that now houses the mysterious fleet he’s been hearing about from Celestia. The flight has been uneventful and relaxing, the two hours in the tranquil skies thus far proving to be enjoyable for the black alicorn as well. Nightie seemed to be unaware the internal communications has been active this entire time, the pilot listening to her softly singing a tune to herself through his headset.
The skies are clear and beautiful in the mid-morning sun, the soft, fluffy white blanket of clouds thousands of feet above the Equestrian landscape masking everything below as the war machine flies overhead, giving a peaceful view of the heavens. A quiet chirping from the computer sounds, alerting the pilot of large objects far below being detected by the radar. With a smile, he turns his head back to look at the nightmare alicorn. “Nightie, we’re approaching the harbor. Are you ready to see this?” He asks through the headset.
Nightie turns to focus on him, her gentle teal orbs locking onto his through the flight helmet. The alicorn smiles and nods, her demeanor calm and serene. “Yes, master. I have been looking forward to this. I’ve always known Luna has loved flying in this machine with you…and now I know just why.” She responds. When the pilot turns around again, she returns her gaze back to the left looking out of the canopy glass, her eyes tracing the wing and the blanket of cotton colored clouds below. She can feel the nose of the aircraft begin to dip slowly, the clouds coming closer and closer, before the whole of the machine is enveloped in the white embrace, obscuring her vision.
She scrunches her muzzle in contempt, the layer of cloud cover preventing her from seeing anything. The aircraft rocks gently as it passes through some turbulent air, before the clouds begin to break away. As the view begins to clear through the canopy glass, she’s left awestruck and breathless at the sight below.
Coming quickly into view, rows upon rows of ships as far as the eyes could see, nestled safely in the harbor. There were a great many giant skeleton frames being built upon land, ships of unimaginable sizes being built. Ponies below looked like tiny specks in the activity, small flickering lights on sections of the constructed ships. Giant floating completed ones rested quietly in the bay, each vessel seemingly bigger than the last. She hears the voice of the pilot come over the headset once more, as the war machine slows in its decent and fly over of the city below.
“Those are Iowa class battleships that you’re seeing.” He comments with a smile, turning the aircraft to line up over the rows of ships anchored against the docks. “On my world, we had many of those that served in the Second World War, floating fortresses that protected the seas. “ Talon also looks around, leveling out the flight and slowing the cruising speed further, so he can enjoy the sights more. As they start to approach the larger ships further to the center, his eyes go wide with wonder. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There, just ahead he could see numbers painted upon the hull, flight deck and super structure of the largest ship he had ever seen, numbers that were a familiar and welcomed sight. ‘CVN-65.’ Talon adjusts the course of the flight to run parallel to the vessel, flying further out to sea before pulling a sharp U-turn and coming up the transom of the great ship. There, painted on in bold black letters against the dull gray paint, the words that he had missed the most. ‘E.R.N. ENTERPRISE.’
“Master…that’s like your old vessel I had seen in your dreams…she’s beautiful.” Nightie whispers out in the headset, a giddy squeak emitting from her throat. She lifts her forelegs against the canopy glass and presses her snout to it, disbelieving the sight. And what a sight to behold! Gleaming in the sunlight, there was what she could only describe as a floating city. Standing silently at the bow and the stern, four massive cannon turrets stood silent vigil, their guns pointed forward and rearward, quietly awaiting the day they would rain down death upon an unfortunate enemy. The massive black flight deck was a whirlwind of activity, several groups of Pegasi lifting aircraft from the waiting docks below onto the carrier, where waiting teams of Earth ponies would then pull them to elevators and positions on the surface to secure them in place. The aircraft continues its course overhead, some of the ponies below stopping to observe the alicorn and pilot, some waving, others simply smiling at them.
Talon stares at the massive vessel, studying the new design. This ship seemed different, far larger, far more menacing looking in appearance to anything he had ever seen in his time on Earth. He nods lowly, inhaling a sharp breath before turning away, changing course again to observe and fly over more of the harbor to see the other ships. “She’s a predator…” He remarks with a smile. Further ahead on land, nearby the Enterprise, he could see another ship in dry dock being built, with two large incomplete structures being added on the sides of the hull. Clearly this was meant to be another super carrier he surmised. Seeing this one out of the water, he could observe it had many more hidden cannon turrets that would be hidden below the water break line. What confused him the most though was the structures being added on the ground. He pulls up slightly to gain more altitude, twisting the war machine in a gentle aileron roll to see more.
On each side of the vessel, were large ring frames that were being assembled and pieced together, one of the empty rings being attached by a team of hard working ponies below. ‘I wonder what those are for…?’ He asks himself, blinking in surprise. He didn’t see anything at all in the paperwork about these two ships. Talon had known about the Iowa Class battle ships, the various cruisers and destroyers being built. The fleet was told to be massive, being a joint effort of both the Crystal Empire and the Equestrian military, which would be split. There was however, no mention of the two aircraft carriers that were here. There was absolutely no mention of the Enterprise. He smiled and changed course again, now cruising high above to the edge of the harbor, so they could see the other smaller ships docked in the bay. He flicks his gaze to the mirror upon the cockpit controls to see his RIO, briefly for a moment forgetting it was Nightie, and not Luna behind him. He smiles when he sees her, the alicorn pressed up against the canopy walls, both of her hooves and snout seemingly glued in place. The alicorns’ light pink tongue slightly hanging out with her open maw, her features betraying her excitement at the sight.
Well...I forgot about this fic butreading this reminded me of it. Good thing that an update is coming
3818038 I'm putting the finishing touches on a scene now, and my editor Nightfeathers has stated she should have it ready by tomorrow evening. I do warn you, this is a pretty wordy chapter (as has been the trend) and will not disappoint.
3818078 Nah, I read Fallout Equestria (the original), so i dont worry about the size of the chapter anymore XD