//------------------------------// // Chapter Three - Princess of the Night // Story: Greed and Power // by TheStoryMaker //------------------------------// I remember as I got the docking ship, heading toward France. I seemed that we would be near Saarbrucken but not close enough. It was early October we once had our training done. With nothing but people screaming in our faces and doing obstacle courses and practicing combat with my grandfather's knife and using simple guns like the Lebel Model 1886, Springfield 1903 and pistols like the M1911, Mauser C96, and the Auto Revolvers and grenades more of smoke, explosive, and Tear Gas, with the Molotov Cocktail which we didn't use that often because of the easily flammable alcohol and us might having a chance getting drunk or catching ourselves on fire. More of the hard weapons we used as the Thompson Submachine Gun or the M1927 which was my favorite due to the fast round per minute. I especially used the fifty-round drum magazine instead of the twenty-round. Also using the BAR as well but it was ok. If I had an opinion. I brought the radio with me but due to the connection of the ship to the land of America or the French. I still would be too far to get a signal or a least something to hear about. As the ship filled with the cold fall breeze it was cool up there in the dock but ok as if it was room temperature here under near the bottom of the ship with bunk beds and the cafeteria above us near the right or left, depending on the general direction you would look at. Also, we had small wide windows near the ceiling with the moon shining down through with the water showing half of the window filled with the water surface and underwater. I was on that side of the ship on the top of the bunk bed. Then with a fear of sinking like the Titanic fifteen years ago. But I had more thoughts than that filled my head which was mostly this: what country is going to join the war next, it seems that France, Germany, Luxemburg, and Switzer land obviously us the United States of America. It seems pretty clear who was going to join next my guess was the Italians or the Kingdom of Italy if you will. "Terrence," I wanted to see what country he would guess would join in the war next. "Yeah?" He replied with his eyes closed, he was tired from training we had for four months, he was sore and fatigue and me? Well, I do and sometimes I just feel like falling apart. "What do you think which country is going to join next?" I asked. Now closing my eyes trying not to get lost in the momentum of the ship and the water. "Umm, I would guess,"He then stopped to think about the European Union. "The United Kingdom if I had to choose. Why?" He then asked me. "To see what you would go for, but had you heard about the stories?!" I started to whisper because there isn't just us on the ship, other people were sleeping in other bunk beds too near us. "About the 'Great War' and the Battle of the Somme?!" My heart dropped, it became cold and bitter as if my body was going to shiver. I had blankets on me but the thought of death.... "Yeah, but don't forget. We're going to die anyways right?! I mean, if we live to see old age wouldn't it mean that we too are going to die in the way future? Like in," He thought of a year just by the way he was saying it. "In the year Nineteen Eighty, I will be seventy or seventy-one years old!" He was correct, why should I fear death if I am going to die anyway?! It was like those questions 'What is the meaning of life?' "Wow. I never thought of it like that." I stopped to think what to do when we got to France it would be four days until we got there but we still had some time. "But anyway good night, I will see you tomorrow." "Night see you tomorrow." He said as he went on his side with the blanket making sounds moving against the bunk bed. I then pulled the covers up adjusted my pillow to make it comfortable then closed my eyes and let my mind take me where ever I go. Or let my dreams take me to where it wants to go. I didn't have a thing for dreams but this one was more particularly different. This was a war. I saw tanks, planes, and soldiers attempting to take the trenches and securing it to not let it take off its land. But there was this flag standing it was the most different of them all, instead of the wood, sandbags, barb wire, and steel that made up the trenches, but this flag wasn't like the ones we use where the rectangle is sideways. Was it standing sideways? Like of an upright shape, it showed two ponies with wings and horns the outline of the flag was a light blue, with forty-one small white stars with a black pony on the left and a white pony on the right with a sun and moon symbol. 'What the?' I saw the vision took me through the trenches like me, myself was flying in a cinematic-like view. I saw bullets, soldiers dying some being dragged by teammates, some crying in the trenches by the horror of war, tanks exploding, planes falling from the sky, nothing but artillery shell creators on the flooded mud ground, some soldiers getting just to end the pain, some even crying about the horrors of the war. Then seeing a plane crash right before my eyes with nothing to see but blackness. I heard as the propeller went into a low-pitch sound, crashing with the sound of mud and water, then the real sounds of war: soldiers screaming, explosives heard around me, mud, water, the sounds of guns everywhere. Then all of it to stop to hear this in the faintest sound of a voice ever to be heard: 'I am the Princess of the Night. Who shall hear this message shall see me in the future.' I woke up to the sound of my breath and shouting. "EVERYBODY, GET UP!" I heard as the commanders woke us up in our sleep. I felt like I was hit in the head. God, what happened in my dream last night? 'Shall see me in the future.' Wow. I was there in the battle waiting for death and blood to surround me. Ready to shake hands with the Grim Reaper. After I woke up I did the chores to be done such as mopping the floors, cleaning the windows, and washing the dishes, pots, pans and forks, spoons and knives. Then after we would have our lunch, the time would be around 2:00 PM. Depending on the time zone, I was talking to Terrence it would be about three more days until we arrive in France. "Can't wait until Halloween," Terrence started as we ate our lunches. "it's October fifth, and you're already for Halloween?!" I exclaimed. "It's not even Christmas!" "Who cares?" He said. Then taking a bit of his sandwich. That's what they gave us, sandwiches. "Never mind," I said, looking down biting, daydreaming about the battlefields.... About the ponies and the trenches, I'm probably just breaking up with myself. "Hey," I said looking at Terrence, fast. "Did... did..." I couldn't get the words out of my mouth. "Did what?" He asked me, he was confused. Meanwhile, I'm choking on my words. "Did, you, have a dream about the 'Princess of the Night'?" I asked, finally getting the words out. I looked like shit, to be honest, I couldn't get the image or the sound out my head. I'm going insane. "No, I just dreamed me in the house playing baseball," Terrence replied, to my surprise. I wouldn't blame him for having a dream like that. "I hit the ball so hard and so fast that it was gone in a second." "So, you were acting like 'The Great Bambino' right?" I asked. Hell, I would pretend to be like him. A man who can play truly good baseball. Anyway, after a few hours of chores looking and staring at the ocean and the wavy waters splashing against the ship. I reflected about the 'Princess of the Night' Who the hell was she? The sun was already setting and I just wanted to get some sleep, after saying a few jokes with Terrence in different showers, not together but in separate stalls. As we put on our clothes and brush our teeth, I went asleep before anybody else with us in the bunk beds. I start dreaming then slowly taking me to the place where I go. Anywhere. I then 'wake up' in a room, a dark room with a balcony? I get up but this time, I'm wearing normal United States of America standard uniform with a helmet next to me in camouflage green. The helmet was the perfect size for me, it had a strap around it with a pack of cigars on the right of it with three playing cards with two 'A' cards one black with a club on the bottom, and a red one with a diamond under it too but slightly to the left and a 'J' card or 'Joker' card to the left of it all. Then a peace sign at the right side of the helmet then at the front reading out the words 'War Is Hell'. I put it on with the straps hanging and swinging at my sides of my face. I then get up on my feet then seeing my surroundings, a staircase going to the bottom floor it seems, a telescope and of course support on the edge of the balcony just in case if someone fell down. "What the..." I said, shocked. So much for meeting the 'Princess of the Night' I thought to myself. Anyway, I walk to the telescope to see through it and the beautiful stars. I touch the telescope then become fully aware of how high I was. I was at the highest point of a castle I am in. I look down to see the artwork of the castle and towers that make it up. "Oh shit," I said. I was never this high before in my entire life. I see the entrance to be a drawbridge with obviously a river at goes through the land and the castle. "Jesus, that's a long drop down," I exclaimed. I long through the telescope to see the strangest thing I ever saw in human existence. A small town with pony citizens? Then moving the powerful telescope with a light budge moved it to... Oh my god. I look to see trenches and mud, with pony soldiers sitting in the night sky. With the light of a glowing purple, or blue seeing a huge circle in the distance with the edge of a rainbow color glowing the light I can see. "What the hell?" the trenches went all the way to a shore, a beach past a desert, past the town, past a large forest and mountains. "I must be going crazy," I said agape, dumbfounded look on my face. I start breathing hard, "Oh god." I exclaimed followed by a breath of panic. "Calm down, it's ok. It's-" I then swallowed hard then start sweating feeling the fear in me. "This can't be happening!" I then take a step back, hitting a furry breathing creature on my back. I look back to see a dark pony resembling a unicorn and pegasi, with its long mane and tail wave in the wind, shortly followed with a "You, creatures are taking over our world." I see its face as it's revealed in light from the moon. The pony was black about my height and had a blue color mane. I couldn't move it was impossible, with sweat rushing down my body. I then move my arms to at least have a pistol with me but I was short. Nothing. "I- I can ex- plain." I start backing up in a run almost, the pony was blocking the staircase so I had nowhere to go for an escape plan. "Do you have any idea what you have done?!" The pony reacted with a stern voice leaving me leaning against the support of the balcony. I have some much fear in me that I myself don't have any awareness of my surroundings. Then without warning, gravity pushes me over the support, heads first. Letting my body be upside down, for a second then followed by the momentum of gravity letting me go sideways, then fall down showing my abdomen to the roof of the building on the floor. I shouted mostly, in fear. "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Then crashing to the roof, into darkness. ------------------------------- I get up in fear hitting my head on the ceiling of the the ship in the floor we were in. Only to imagine stars orbit around me.