Captain of Equestria Chapter Two: Out of Darkness
March 8th, 1942 6:00 AM
Five hundred nautical miles off the coast of Equestria…
The frigate RES Dragon (RNF-8) continues its slow pace, propelled by the winds. The veteran warship had been assigned the task of trying to locate the citadel that had once belonged to the warlord/magician Cluny the Slaver, who had been slain on the field of battle nearly a year ago, along with the vast majority of his army of Carolean fighters and his entire navy. Now that the land has recovered in full from what many have come to call the 'Great War', Princess Celestia, with the agreement of the man in charge of both the entire Equestrian military and the captain of the flagship of the fleet, the battleship USS Fuso, Captain Jacob Holman.
The task they had been assigned was to find and scout out the island if the legends were true, and to report back immediately. The entire crew is composed of all volunteers, as the princesses had all stressed the high probability of the ship going down and the uncertainty of survival while venturing in uncharted waters. The skilled stallions and mares who had served on the Dragon throughout the war all did so, along with her captain (and the second-most famous captain in Equestria) Commodore Salty 'Skipper' Wave.
They had run into some thick fog and Wave had ordered for reduced speeds. No point in running aground, or onto a shoal. Recently there have been reports of un-armed frigates and fishing vessels going into the fog covering these waters, never to be seen again. Skipper had dismissed most of the tales about what had happened to the unfortunate vessels as tall tales. He did acknowledge the fact that something had happened to the ships, and hopes that this series of mysteries will be solved. The grizzled mariner turns to the helms-mare. "Bring her about twenty-five degrees to the port side. Let's try to get out of this fog," He says quietly. In fact, the normally-cheerful deck is silent. One would find more cheer in a graveyard than on the flagship of the Frigate Squadron One. Salty can't help but feel like something or someone is stalking them.
Suddenly, two shells that skim over the bow answer his worries. Wave's eyes widen as the sharp boom of cannon fire is heard. He slams his right hoof against the large brass bell just in front of the wheel. Bong! Bong! Bong! "GET THE GUNS LOADED WITH AP ROUNDS! HELM, HARD TO STARBOARD! LOOKOUT, DO YOU SEE THE ENEMY?!" Wave shouts in his deep voice. Before the lookout can answer his captain, however, a second shell hits the center of the ship's deck where the vast majority of the short-barreled carronades are placed. The wood splinters and sends deadly shrapnel of splinters and shards of iron everywhere.
Then Wave sees it. His ship's attacker. The veteran captain's eyes widen. It looks like a destroyer, which he knows the relative shape thanks to a crash course provided by Jacob last September. But the main cannons are massive, looking to be about the same caliber as the Fuso's secondary battery of six-inch guns. A flag he had never seen before. Wave eyes the large red flag with a black cross and something that looks eerily like an object that Jacob had described as being a 'Swastika'. Then a figure appears with a speaking tube similar to the ones the Equestrian Navy had initially used before talk between ships (TBS) had been equipped.
"This is the destroyer Z32. Surrender immediately and prepare to be boarded. Resist and try to fight us off, and you will die. Try to send a signal, and you will die. If you wish to live, strike your colors now. You have five seconds," The figure says in lightly-accented English. Wave knows that the demand can be backed up and not an empty threat. The stallion hates the thought of surrendering, especially without a fight. Salty hates sacrificing the lives of his crew for a non-existent chance of victory even more. He takes a deep breath and turns to his officers.
"Do what they say."
Once the cannons are rolled back inside the hull and the Equestrian flag lowered, a launch carrying a dozen heavily-armed ponies pulls up and boards the wooden frigate. The crew is rounded up into four groups, earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, or officers. Then a new pony steps onboard. Instead of a naval uniform, the unicorn wears an officer's uniform for an infantry unit. Wave notices the skull-shaped badge on the officer's cap and the weird runes on his uniform's collar, but doesn't comment, instead settling for a silent but defiant glare. The officer clears his voice before addressing his newly-gained prisoners.
"I am SS-Oberfüher Ernest Simon. You are now prisoners of the Third Reich. Obey my instructions, and all will be well. Sergeant, has everyone been accounted for?" A marine says yes in response, still pointing a pistol at the back of Wave's head. The unicorn gives a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Good. Get our 'guests over to Z32 and place them in the brig. Then instruct your captain to sink the vessel once we are back on board. Tonight, we will be heading back to New Berlin with more prisoners!"
8:00 AM
Ponyville…
(Jacob's POV)
I get out of bed with a yawn. My sleep had been troubled last night with weird dreams of vessels going down to a shadowy ship. Maybe it is just my discomfort at the recent loss of exploration ships to the west. I'll talk to Luna about it later. I frown as I stare at the bed I share with my wife. 'Once she gets back from Canterlot, that is.' I know I am being a bit melodramatic about the subject, but it kinda hurts to wake up and not get to see your wife for a week or two. Thankfully Luna's absences rarely tend to be that long.
I walk out of my room, yawning once more. While the Equestrian Great War has been over for nearly a year now, it has not been a quiet time. The Crystal Empire had been restored by Princess Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements of Harmony, and a new Crystal Heart had been made. Shortly afterwards, a Changeling named Thorax had left the Changeling horde and their leader, Queen Chrysalis. After a rocky start, the reformed shape-shifter had been accepted into the Crystal Empire thanks to the effort of Spike, Twilight's baby dragon assistant.
I grit my teeth slightly as I think about three weeks ago and our most recent encounter with the Changeling Empire. While I had taken my flagship USS Fuso out to sea for a week-long exercise for the crew, the Changelings took the Mane 6, my wife, Princess Cadence, Flurry Heart, Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia as prisoners. Thankfully, Twilight's student Starlight Glimmer had escaped. Along with Discord, Thorax, and two other mares, she helped rescue and even overthrow Chrysalis, with Thorax being the new leader as Prime Minister of the Changeling Republic. One of the two mares was a reformed unicorn show-magician named Trixie, who is also Starlight's closest friend. The other was Lightning Dust, my adopted daughter.
The corners of my mouth shift as I make a small smile. I still remember the pride in Dust's eyes as I pinned the highest medal back home on her flight uniform, along with the rest of her companions. The ceremony also proved just how far the pegasus mare has changed, both through the efforts of her friends and myself and Luna. Once, she would have placed herself before anyone else. Now, she would face impossible odds for friends and family. I'm truly glad to see that Lightning has made amends with her fellow cadets from when she was still eligible to join the Wonderbolts.
I raise an eyebrow when I detect the smell of breakfast being made. I can rule out my wife instantly, quickly followed by my daughter. Lightning Dust can cook, but not very well. And it can't be LD's friend Rainbow Dash or the others, so that means there is an intruder. I reach up and grab my trusty Krag bolt-action rifle from its hanging over the bed. I load a single round in as silently as I can, then attaching the bayonet. After making sure it is properly secured, I creep out of my room. I can already see my adopted daughter has also come to a similar conclusion, for she has her front hooves at the ready while she nods her head in greetings towards me.
I move to the stairwell. Now we are both able to hear the sounds of activity occurring in the kitchen. From the sounds of it, it would appear that there is only a single individual. Using hoof signals, I tell my daughter that I will take point, and that she is to be ready to fly to Dash's cloud house if help is needed. She reluctantly nods in agreement, her bold nature being tempered by her recent acceptance of following military orders.
I move as quickly as I can do so while being silent down the stairs and through the dining room. Lightning Dust is close behind. We pause outside the threshold into the kitchen. Once more I look at my daughter and nod my head three times as a way of counting down in silence. On the third nod, we spring into action. With a grunt, I get on one knee and steady my rifle, ready to pull the trigger to send a .30-40 caliber bullet straight into the heart of…
A grinning Discord, a bowl in his lion paw, spoon in his eagle talons, and dressed in a stereotypical chef outfit.
I lower my rifle slowly. With an eyebrow raised, I address the Spirit of Chaos. "Good morning Discord."
The reformed Draconequus continues to grin mischievously. "Ah! My favorite commander-in-chief of our military and his daughter! Take a seat, you two, while I finish getting these pancakes ready!" I nod, working the bolt backwards to send the chambered bullet tumbling to the ground. I pick up the round and place it on the counter, my rifle against the wall. Then Lightning and I go into the next room and sit at the table, waiting in silence.
Soon Discord comes into the dining room with a large platter of pancakes in his hands. He places it in the center and sits down in the guest chair, between me and LD. "Eat up. We have much to talk about." I raise my eyebrow once more in curiosity. We eat in silence, the only sound being the quiet clatter of utensils. Soon all three of us have eaten our fill. I watch as Discord drinks a glass of chocolate milk that he had summon with a snap of his fingers. Placing the glass down on the table, the Spirit of Chaos looks at us with a rare expression of seriousness.
"Captain Jacob, do you remember how you and the rest of your original crew of the USS Fuso had been teleported to Equestria nearly a year ago?" I nod my head.
"Well, of course! How could I forget? But Cluny the Slaver is dead, along with Henry. So far as we know, no one else is alive to open the portals. Why are you bringing this up?" I highly doubt that the reformed prankster is being nostalgic. What he says next confirms my theory.
"I didn't mention it at the time, but on June 18th, more humans arrived."
I blink my eyes in shock. I open and close my mouth several times, trying but failing to reply to this sudden bombshell. My adopted daughter comes to my rescue. "Why keep it secret for so long? And why are you telling us this?" The turquoise mare asks. A slight grin returns to Discord's face.
"Well, if you must know, one of the reasons was that I felt that you all deserved to have a break to relax and recover. And I also wanted to see if these newcomers were hostile or not. It appears that they are the latter, so that is why I am telling you know." In his own way, his explanation makes sense. I don't know which unsettles me more, the fact that Discord kept this a secret, or the fact that he made a logical explanation with little to no prompting.
I finally manage to speak, a neutral expression on my face. "So where are they?" With another snap of his fingers, Discord uses his chaos magic to summon a map of Equestria in place of the empty platter in the center of the table. With a second snap, the uniform of a general appears on him, complete with a cap, fake metals and a mustache, and a swagger stick. He taps the end of the instrument on a section of coastline of the far south. My eyes narrow as I recognize the area. Lightning stares at Discord, surprised.
"So you didn't tell us this until now because they were deep in Changeling territory?" A scholar's cap appears on my daughter's face. Discord lets out a hearty chuckle while we stare at him in mild annoyance. Finally the Draconequus wipes a fake tear from the corner of his eye before replying.
"We have a winner!"
I cut in before Dust replies. "How many men will we need? From the looks of the map and from the most recent reports as well, that area is the largest section still under the control of Queen Chrysalis and her rebels." The former queen of the Changeling Empire refused both Starlight's offer of friendship and to go quietly. Instead, she had fled the ruins of her throne room, along with a fair number of followers. Within days of the revolution, the fledgling Changeling Republic was immersed in a full-scale civil war between Chrysalis and Thorax. So far the rebels have been kept bottled up by the south-western coastline. Right where the other humans that Discord claims to be at.
Shit.
"I'm assuming that this is not going to be a full-scale operation?" I ask, a slight scowl taking place on my face. At the same time, however, I enjoy the prospect of a dangerous adventure. Discord nods his head at my question.
"Correct. It would be best for you to go with only one other pony. I have talked with our new ally Thorax and he is sending an elite squad of Changeling soldiers to provide an escort for you. I recommend that you leave very soon. I'll transport you to the rendezvous point with your escort once you are ready. Preferably today within the hour," the Spirit of Chaos says with a semi-serious expression. I turn once more to my beloved pegasus daughter.
"Well LD, you up for a father-daughter adventure?" I ask with a wiry grin on my face. Lightning's face lights up like a Christmas tree in excitement. The young mare stands up, delivering a quick salute as she replies.
"Sir, yes sir! I'm ready to head out when you are."
"Very well, just give me thirty minutes to get ready. Make sure you put on your uniform and that vest I had asked Rarity to make for us. I'm taking the shotgun as we will be in a jungle. Buckshot rounds only. And for God's sake, take my Colt and several spare magazines. I know you prefer to use your speed and fight close-quarters, but it would be nice if you could humor your father on this. Better to carry it and never use the pistol than need to use it and not have it." Once I see my daughter nod with slightly less enthusiasm, I stand up and head towards my room.
Once there, I close the door and use my magic to open the door to my closest. I don't have many outfits, but this kind of mission will require something. As the mission will undoubtedly depend on stealth, that automatically rules out my now-famous outfit, which is my white naval officer uniform. Thankfully, I have a second option, one that is rather perfect for this task.
I pull out a uniform that had not been worn since April 18th, 1942. The outfit in question is the combat uniform I wore when I had lead the successful raid that captured the Japanese battleship Fusō, now known as the USS Fuso. I place my infantry helmet over my head, carefully sliding my long alicorn horn through a specially-made hole to allow me to use my magic.
After finishing putting on my uniform, I turn to a second gun hanging from the wall over my bed. It is the weapon that I had originally used on the raid, before switching to my trusty Krag rifle when the war in Equestria required loner-ranged rifles. The weapon in question, a pump-action shotgun, is a 12-guage Winchester Model 1897 Trench Shotgun, complete with a Model 1917 bayonet, which I will take instead of my saber due to the smaller blade of the long dagger being more ideal than a long, slashing blade. Despite the fact that it had been unused during the Equestrian Great War, it is still in good condition due to my careful care of all my weapons. I load all five rounds into the tubular magazine underneath the barrel and chamber a sixth round. I grab several boxes of buckshot ammunition and several dozen individual rounds, as well as the vest I had worn back home to carry rounds for quick reloads.
Ten minutes later I am back on the kitchen. I check to see if Lightning Dust is also ready, which she is. I give her a small smile before turning to Discord, who is examining his nails with a seemingly bored expression on his face. "Ok Mr. Chaos. We're ready to go," I say, hoping that this is true. My nerves must be somewhat noticeable, for I feel my daughter lightly nudge my right flank in a reassuring gesture. I turn my head towards her and give her a quick smile as Discord snaps his fingers and teleports us both to Changeling territory, and our new possible friends.
10:00 PM
New Berlin, central HQ of the Eighteenth and Twentieth SS infantry divisions…
Around a large map of Equestria that had been found inside the ruins of Cluny's old fortress are the senior officers of the two Nazi infantry divisions and naval warships in Equestria. SS-Oberfüher Ernest Simon walks into the room and delivers the stiff-arm salute of the Nazi Party. The salute is quickly returned and a battle-scarred, uniformed unicorn officer with a blonde mane and coat and startling blue eyes addresses his second-in-command. "Report," he says in a lightly accented voice.
"Sir, we have captured another vessel without letting others know of our presence. The prisoners are being processed right now. Also, we have heard back from U-118. Our new allies will be ready to attack within the week. Already three divisions are fully equipped with the new weapons, along with two more that will be ready tomorrow. Our newest recruits are almost done with training and will be ready to be administered the oath soon." The unicorn officer nods, pleased.
"Excellent. By the end of this week, we shall make the first move and bring this entire world and its resources under the control of our beloved Füher. HEIL HITLER!" SS-Oberst-Gruppenfüher Heinrich Paulus shouts, a cry echoed by the other SS officers.
Once more will war come to the shores of Equestria, and blood will flow once more.