Battleship of Equestria Chapter Five: Recovery, Discovery, and Bonding
April 21st, 1942 8:00 PM
Canterlot…
(Jacob's POV)
I look up at the sun, the red morning sky fading to a blue. Aside from a small contingent of sailors and soldiers to guard the ship and rotate every two hours, the entire crew and the refugees from Ponyville have disembarked and entered Canterlot. For the past hour or so I have had families trot up to me and hug me and bless me and so on, thanking me profusely for saving their children and family, or their pets or their friends, or all of the before mentioned. And In return I would say that I had done what my personal honor and duty would require and that I would do it again a thousand times.
I sit in a donut shop, run by a friendly unicorn stallion named Donut Joe, whose accent makes me think of New York City and the surrounding areas. Despite what I had thought, they did have a form of drink in the form of apple cider, which came in two versions. One was non-fermented, popular among all including fillies. The other, as I discovered, is fermented and is a bit alcoholic, thought not like the ones from our world, thankfully. Despite having promised a round of drinks for my men before going to bed, I wouldn't have to worry about it as all four princesses, including Princess Cadence who would be arriving in a few hours with her husband after having heard about Ponyville and wishing to comfort their family and friends, would be hosting a huge party for me and my men.
Celebration. The thought can't help but make me wonder about the old world we lived on. How was the war going? I shake my head as Donut Joe trots over to me. 'Got a whole new war to fight…and win,' I think darkly. "Here you go: one donut with extra sprinkles. You ok to walk by yourself? This is your fifth one," He asks, like a respectable bar tender would do for a patron who had one beer too many. "No, I'll be fine. So how any bits will I owe you?" I ask, reaching for the small bag containing the 100 bits the princess sisters had given. Each of my men had also received a bag with the same amount.
Joe shakes his head firmly. "After what you did last night, such as saving one of my friends? For a hero, nadda! Today for you and your men, everything is on the house!" He declares with a smile. I thank him before taking a bite of the donut he just placed for me. Man, the donuts here really are delicious! I quickly devour it, slowing down only to be polite. "Well, Joe, you have just earned a new paying customer next time I stop by Canterlot! Thanks for the donuts!" I say as I exit the shop.
I instantly regret it. Once again a crowd of ponies surrounds me, asking questions and praising the 'Hero of Ponyville'. I smile and wave and respond as I try to move forward, still being followed. I barely have enough room to move, yet alone spread my wings to fly.
I am beyond thankful when a squad of the Royal Guard arrives and moves through the crowd. "Sir, the princess which to speak to you," The squad leader says calmly. I nod, glad to have the chance to escape these crowds. "Very well, lead the way corporal."
Later inside the castle…
For the second time less than the week, I stand before a pair of massive wooden doors, this time to the meeting room, waiting to be announced for a major meeting. Behind which are the three princesses present in the city. A member of the Royal Guard turns to me and opens the door, indicating that I may enter. 'Strange. They didn't call my name, so maybe there will be no council members?' I think to myself before entering.
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight are seated at a round table. As per tradition, I straighten my body and deliver a salute, which is quickly returned. I can see their exhaustion on their faces, which is undoubtedly reflected upon mine. Despite this, all three smile at me. "Ah. Welcome once again, Jacob. Please, sit down. We have much to discuss today," Princess Celestia says with a smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty," I say, grateful to not have to remain standing. All three roll their eyes before Luna speaks this time. "Jacob, you have earned our gratitude and trust. You can just call us by our names like I discussed with you before," She says with a slight smile. I nod.
"First of, I must thank you for saving my dear former student and her friends. You truly are a hero and will have to be properly awarded at a later date. So, before we begin, I wish to have your opinion of the enemy and his equipment." The sun mare asks me. I take a minute to fully compose my thoughts before speaking.
"Ruthless. Excuse my language, but these are the cruelest and twisted sons-of-bitches I have ever seen. They do not know mercy or honor. Their weapons and tactics are crude and basic, but they have the numbers, at least for now, to make up for the casualties inflicted. Their warships are different, but they are inferior to the USS Fuso for a wide array of reasons. They depend on the wind, have no armor aside from the wood they are made off, and their cannon are ineffective against my armor. They will be difficult foes for your navy, if you have one. I cannot guarantee that this is what their entire force is, however," I finish, looking at the trio of royal mares. The fact that Luna and Celestia share a look at one another does not escape me, so I wait for one of them to speak.
"We do now where these creatures come from, and the 'master' they serve. You will not find anything about them anywhere in the Canterlot Archives, though maybe the Crystal Empire may have a book or two. Twilight, you and Jacob are about to be told the tale of Starswirl the Bearded's older brother, Carolus Rex." Twilight impulsively interrupts her former teacher. "Starswirl had a brother?!" Luna nods. "Now hush, Twilight. All will be explained to both of you now. Go on, my sister," The blue-manned alicorn looks at her sister, a sad expression on both of their faces.
"Many years before Discord, when we had just started to rule and were still being trained by Starswirl, there was another mentor. His brother. Carolus Rex was strong and brave. In fact, his magic was greater than his younger brother. He was skilled in using combat magic. In fact, Luna was taught much of this form of fighting by him. He was, however, always over-shadowed by his younger brother.
Carolus became jealous of his younger brother, which sounds familiar to you, Twilight. He started to plot for a way to embarrass his brother, and propel himself into the limelight. He hired a dragon to attack Ponyville, thinking that Starswirl couldn't stop him. After several hours of wanton destruction, Starswirl finally managed to chase the attacker off. After being wounded, the dragon surrendered and told us everything. When Carolus arrived, expecting to 'defeat' the dragon, he was instead greeted by a vengeful crowd. They started to throw objects at him. Before we arrested him, a rock had taken out his right eye." There is a brief pause as Celestia takes a break from speaking for so long. Luna takes over.
"After being tried for treason, he was banished to the west. We didn't know, however, of his horrid experiments he took with him. In secret, Carolus Rex had been practicing dark magic. In fact, his magic was never used by King Sombra, who would also use dark magic of a lesser degree. He took a pair of ponies of each group, unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. In exile, he tortured their bodies and souls. He broke them. He used his evil knowledge to make what he called his 'Invincible Army'. His 'warriors' were called Caroleans, after himself. He used his magic to multiply into a vast horde. He changed his name to Cluny the Slaver, donning a mask and eye patch to cover his face and ruined eye, and used dark magic to change his tail into a monstrous rat tail, fitting a dangerous war spike to it.
Flushed with what he expected to be a certain victory, he marched back into Equestria, enslaving towns and destroying entire armies. Eventually, Starswirl, Celestia, and I confronted Cluny and his demonic host in the Everfree Forest, outside of our old castle. With our combined magical strength, and assisted in secret but what my sister and I later learned to be the Tree of Harmony, we banished Cluny and his army beyond the west. We thought he would never break the enchantment. We removed any and all references to him, and even cast a spell to remove him from everypony's memories, the first and only time we ever cats such a spell. I guess the enchantment was weakened, at least slightly, by the death of his younger brother." Twilight uses the pause to ask a question that is also on my mind.
"What do you mean?" She asks, curious. Now Celestia takes over. "Starswirl was never the same after this. It destroyed him to banish his brother. In fact, it would eventually kill him. Now, Cluny has returned, and this time, only one side can remain standing. So Jacob, what are your thoughts on how to fight this war?"
I stand up, thinking. "Can I have a map to use?" Celestia nods and a large map of all of Equestria is placed over the table. I tap a hoof where Canterlot is marked. "There will have to be three theaters of combat. The Central Theater will be run from here in Canterlot, which will also serve as High Command for all theaters." I next tap the area marked as the Crystal Empire. "The Northern Theater will be run in the Crystal Empire. Vanhoover must be emptied of all civilians, who will be sent to the Empire to be trained there. Vanhoover will be turned into a military base. We should try to see if we can build an operational naval yard there as there is plenty of strong wood." Now I move my hoof down south, tapping on Appleoosa. "Finally, the Southern Theater will be based in Appleoosa. I recommend we turn Los Pegasus into a military base as well, and build at least several warships once we can get enough soldiers there. In the meantime, have the eastern coast try to see if you can make ocean-going vessels that can go through the rivers to the west, as well as operate as areas of industry and to train soldiers there as well."
All three alicorns nod. Celestia gets up and walks to the door. "I shall send word out right now. Come Twilight, I would like to have your help in this matter," She says, smiling at the youngest princess. Twilight quickly follows her former teacher, leaving me alone with Luna. The alicorn looks at me. "Tell me, and be honest, are you ok?" I nod. "My only regret is not being able to either save more or save Ponyville. What about you?" I ask. "Tired and unable to go to bed," She admits sheepishly. I nod in understanding. "Well, since neither of us are able to sleep, why don't I give you a tour of the Fuso?" I offer, eager to do something, anything.
Luna raises an eyebrow at me. "You would do that?" She asks in curiosity. "Yes, both as one warrior to another, and as a friend. So, are you interested?" I watch as the alicorn thinks it over. Then she looks at me with a smile. "I would be honored, Jacob." With that, we go out to the courtyard and take flight, heading towards my docked warship.
Later aboard the USS Fuso…
I can't help but chuckle as Luna stares in amazement at the forward superstructure, the 'pagoda mast', from where we are standing at the bow. "I know I have seen her before, but I didn't really understand the sheer size before now!" The alicorn exclaims. I nod in agreement. "Oh, yes she is. She is my pride. In a way, a form of payback for my brother's death, you know?" I say, looking at both the American and the smaller, simplified Japanese flag, simply a white square with a red 'meatball' in the center, to show they represent Japan herself, not Imperial Japan.
I show her around below decks, starting in the engine room. After showing her the various rooms that are still in use with her reduced crew, I show her one of the 6-inch gun casemates on the starboard side. "And so how fast did you say these can fire?" Luna asks me, examining the gun. "6 rounds. When built, she had sixteen of these, but the front two were rather useless due to waves and were removed. Personally, I like the main turrets because of the greater weight of the shells and thus more damage, but I respect the 6-inchers. They'll be most useful in damaging transports while the main battery aims for Cluny's warships," I say, a bit smug.
I then take her inside the front turret. As much impressed with the secondary battery as she was, I watch with mild amusement as Luna's jaw drops slightly. "It's huge! What was the size of this gun, you say?" I indicate an AP round in the loading sling. "Fourteen inches. This is one of their shells." Luna walks over to examine the mass of metal. "She has a rate of fire of two rounds a minute. As I saw firsthand, a single warship made of wood cannot possibly withstand the full twelve rounds Fuso can fire at once." Again Luna glances at me. "You really are proud of her," She comments with a smile. I nod as we exit. "And now, I shall show you the two areas where the action takes place. Normally, I will operate on the bridge. However, if I was to ever engage a cruiser or battleship while commanding her back in my world, I would have been in that mound of steel right behind the second turret. It is called the armored conning tower, designed to block heavy shells," I inform Luna as we climb to the bridge.
Normally there would be several sailors in here, but as there is only a small number to stand guard, mostly around the magazines and engine rooms, only I and Luna are in there. I show her the various stations in both here and inside the conn tower. Finally the tour is finished, roughly two hours long. We go back to the bow. "So, what was Celestia saying about this thing between Cluny and Starswirl and you and your sister?" I ask, the question finally bugging me to the point of annoyance. There is a quiet pause for a few minutes that causes me to start to regret asking.
Finally Luna sighs and turns to me, a sad look on her face. "Well, you allowed me to see the thing that has haunted you; maybe as a friend it is fair to do the same for you. As you know, my sister and I have been around for a long time. I controlled the night, while Celestia controlled the day. I took pride in my night, as I still do. But I slowly became jealous at seeing how ponies shunned my night for her day. Eventually, over a thousand years ago, that came to a head. I tried to bring eternal night, becoming known as Nightmare Moon. I fought my sister before she was forced to banish me to the moon. You have no idea how it felt to no longer be in control of your body. To this day I still am unable to understand how Nightmare Moon came to be as a living thing. Last year, I had finally returned as Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was defeated and I was freed from her corruption, thanks in no small part to Twilight and her friends using the Elements of Harmony. Ever since then, I have done everything to redeem myself, only recently being able to forgive myself of my deeds."
I look over at her. "Well, at least you and your sister have forgiven each other, you and Twilight and her friends are close, and you and I are friends. Seems to me that in the end, you have become a stronger person." I say, cheering her up. She glances at the sky. "Hmmm, Cadence and Shining Armor should be here by now. Come, I would like you to meet them," She says, spreading her wings and taking off, with me close behind.
I pull up to Luna. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" I shout with a smile. Luna gives me a mock glare. "You're on, stinky!" She retorts playfully as she moves ahead. I chuckle and start beating my own wings harder. It is a very close race. Indeed, it ends in a tie, with both of us panting. "Good race," I wheeze, flinching slightly from my bruised rib. Luna notices and looks at me. "What happened?" She says, having regained her breath. "From last night. You should see the other guy. Come on, let's go," I say, forcing a smile as the faint pain recedes. Not entirely convinced, Luna agrees and we enter the meeting room.
Instantly I am grabbed in a duel hug that knocks the breath out of me. 'Thank you so much for saving my Twilight!" "Thanks for saving Twily!" I hear two voices, one a female, the other a male. "Cadence, Shining Armor, I understand your gratitude, but I think that you might end up killing the pony you came to thank," Celestia says, quietly laughing. Thankfully the pressure from the two bodies is lifted, allowing me to see the two newcomers, who are now huddled around Twilight. One is a pink alicorn slightly taller than the violet mare but shorter than either Luna or Celestia. The other looks like a taller, white version of Twilight as a unicorn, with blue hair instead of purple.
Yet again I snap to attention and give a salute, which the stallion is quick to return, quickly followed by the alicorn. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Jacob Holman, at your service," I say. The alicorn, who I correctly assume to be the princess of love and ruler of the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadence, replies first. "We will be in your debt for this." He husband, Twilight's older brother Shining Armor, nods. "You and your men will always be welcomed in the Crystal Empire." Luna coughs slightly to get all our attention. "Well, now that we have the introductions and whatnot finished, I think that Jacob should get his men together for the party we are hosting in their honor tonight. Twilight, will you help me find your friend Pinkie Pie? I think planning a party this big will do much to cheer her up."
I nod. "Until tonight, then. My men and I shall be on-time as soon as you wish. Now, I must make sure all protocol is followed," I chuckle, knowing that there would probably be some hangovers in the morning. At least my planned counter-offensive hasn't even begun to be prepared. Tonight will be a party to remember, that I am positive of.
Celestia and Cadence watch the other depart, Shining Armor to help arrange a guard to watch Jacob's warship while the guards he assigned are off partying, and Luna and Twilight looking for Equestria's famous party planner, Pinkie Pie. Cadence looks at her aunt. "So, Luna seems in a good mood," The younger alicorn ventures. Celestia nods. "Indeed. I think she is experiencing something different for the first time, ever." Cadence gives a knowing wink. "Don't worry auntie, I'll keep an eye on the two of them and see what happens. They certainly deserve it if he feels the same way in the end."
8:00 PM
(Jacob's POV)
I stand in front of my men, all dressed up in their dress uniforms. "Remember, even when drinking one cup of cider too many, try to keep it cool unless I say otherwise. We are honored guests, after all," I remind them, to which all eight hundred sailors, Marines, and SNLF nod in agreement. "Good. Now, let's have some fun!" I say cheerfully as the doors open to the ballroom.
Long tables have been set to both sides, and there is a large stage set in the back for bands and whatnot. Hundreds of ponies stand on either side or sit. To our immense pleasure, many of them are the very ponies we rescued last night. By the stage, a banner hangs overhead. On it, the words, WELCOME HEROES!, is painted with bright colors.
As we enter ponies start gently stomping their hooves, their equivalent of a calm but cheerful clap. Then the four princess of Equestria walk onto the stage, all noise dying down. As it is currently night, and thus her time of ruling, Luna speaks. "Citizens of Equestria, tonight we celebrate the heroic actions of these eight hundred ponies and their brave commander, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jacob Holman. Jacob, is there anything you wish to do to kick off this evening?" She asks with a subtle smile. I nod with a cheeky grin, looking at XO Froster and our make-shift cook, Seaman Donald O'Shea. They return the gaze with a knowing wink.
"If I may, I wish to sing an old sailor song. It may be a bit coarse, but it is a good and lively tune for celebrating," I offer. Twilight nods and replies. "As the princess of Friendship, I encourage it if it helps solidify our bond of friendship."
I grab a mug of non- alcoholic cider, gesturing for my men to do the same and move slightly closer to the stage. I climb onto it as the princess exit and all turn and watch me. I nod to O'Shea, who pulls out his old fiddle he brought. I begin by tapping my hoof against the wooden planks, an action that others quickly follow, understanding what I am about to do. As I start singing, O'Shea starts playing.
What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor early in the morning?
Now the other sailors join in the chorus, even some of the Japanese sailors who have been to the US or overseas, and ponies start stomping in beat. "Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!" Then I pull Froster onto the stage for the first verse.
Shave his belly with a rusty razor, shave his belly with a rusty razor, shave his belly with a rusty razor early in the morning!
Now even some ponies join in the chorus, including Twilight, to my amazement. "Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!" Now my gunnery officer Fuji climbs up the stage, singing the next line.
Put him in a longboat till he's sober, put him in a longboat till he's sober, put him in a longboat till he's sober early in the morning!
Again the chorus takes over. "Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!" Then O'Shea plays a brief solo as ponies and sailors start dancing. O'Shea comes up and sings, still playing his fiddle.
Stick him in barrel with a hose-pipe on him, stick him in barrel with a hose-pipe on him, stick him in barrel with a hose-pipe on him early in the morning!
I dance a circle around the trio on stage, nodding for them to sing the next part. This time, almost everyone sings the chorus, including Celestia and Cadence. Luna just watches with a smile on her face, laughter gleaming in her cerulean eyes. "Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!" I turn and nod at the trio of singing sailors on stage, all of us taking a sip of cider from our mugs. To show it is all in good play, I take up a mock angry position and pretend to chase the singers.
Put him in the bed with the captain's daughter, put him in the bed with the captain's daughter, put him in the bed with the captain's daughter early in the morning!
I am almost stopped by the sound I hear next. In fact everyone else stops as they listen to Luna singing the next chorus line alone. "Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!" Still dancing and tapping, I put my cider down safely and clap in appreciation, followed by everyone else. Now my sailors and I sing the next line as one.
That's what we do with a drunken sailor, that's what we do with a drunken sailor, that's what we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning!
Now everypony joins me and my men as we sing the final line. "Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!" Stopping, Fuji, Froster, O'Shea, and I all bow to the sound of applause. Luna comes onto the stage. "Well done Jacob! And now, the party can officially begin!" Pinkie Pie drags a band on stage as we step off it and they strike a lively tune. Sailors and ponies chat about small stuff, the weather, the food, hobbies and interests. I smile at this bonding. 'Friendship alone may not win this war, but by thunder, it will help drive us to victory!'
The sound of fingers snapping draws my attention as Discord alternates between his best friend Fluttershy and what seems to be playful teasing of Celestia. "Wonder what they're up to?" Luna asks, walking up to me. I take the time to look at her. She looks stunning. "Kinda. You did a wonderful job setting the night tonight. Thank you," I smile to her, causing her to blush slightly at the unexpected praise. "You're quiet welcome. Think of it as a gift of friendship for your personal tour of the USS Fuso," She smiles in return.
Suddenly the tune changes yet again and Luna's eyes brighten with excitement. "Oh hokie pony! Come on! You'll love it!" She says, grabbing my hoof and taking me down to the dance floor. The rest of the night is a blur, spending time with my crew and my friends, and with my newest close friend, Luna.
11:00 PM
Cluny's fortress…
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT SUKALAKA HAS FAILED?! HIS FLEET IS DESTROYED, AND LESS THEN HALF OF HIS FORCE REMAINS STRANDED, LEFT ONLY TO BUILD A FORT AND MAKE FOOD OF THE DEAD?!" A furious Cluny shouts at a prostrated Gu'klas, who had arrived only an hour ago aboard the 'special' ship his master had summoned with his magic. A loud crack is heard as the Slaver's rat-tail whips forward, the deadly war spike burying into the dark granite floor inches from the face of his commander. "My lord, the ponies had some sort of new weapon. I can't get any clear descriptions though. It was armed with cannons and was massive, however, it is only a single ship compared to our hundreds of thousands," He tries to simper in a hissing tone.
Cluny nods at that. "True. We must increase pressure. Have your warriors attack the coast of the North Luna Ocean. Gather as much resources before laying siege on Vanhoover. In the meantime, I shall send a thousand transports, and a hundred ship-of-the-line vessels to attack the southern coast. They will launch within two weeks. In the meantime, I have just dispatched thirty warships to assist the survivors of the failed raid. You have one week to start the siege. Don't disappoint me, Gu'klas," Cluny warns, dismissing his commander who quickly departs.
'I have made my move, whoever foiled my attempt to capture the princess who lived in that pathetic heap known as Ponyville. Now, what will you do?'