//------------------------------//
// Cut Off One Head (part 2) 
// Story: A New Brand of Freedom 
// by Spettro138 
//------------------------------//

Millions of eyes were upon him, watching his every movement, listening to his every breath, and attempting to discern his every thought. Through corridors and hallways they went, keeping a tight grip on the American that had plagued their every waking moment for the past two years. Ever since the traitor Dr. Abraham Erskine had given his super soldier serum to the Americans, all of Hydra had been on edge. Desperately trying to keep progressing their technological advancements to get an edge in the war. It was all for naught as the American Super Soldier had thwarted their every plan and had destroyed every last major factory they had established on the European Continent. They kept up their guard even more, not knowing why the American was so calm and focused, not paying any heed to any of the troops around him. He kept his eyes straight ahead, on his next destination. His infernal indestructible shield was taken from him when he was captured. Safely away from him where he could not use it.

Four other armed Hydra grunts accompanied the others escorting him exactly to the person that he wanted to see. Steve was taken into an elevator that went up well over a hundred floors. The sound of the pulleys groaning as it ascended helped him concentrate on what was going to happen next. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to enter a meditative state as the ride took longer and longer. 

An hour earlier just a few miles from the mountain, Colonel Phillips had arrived with an entire Brigade of 4,000 American, French, English, and Free Polish troops all hidden outside in the forest. Agent Carter had arrived with him and was assisting the man with his rifle and helmet. The rest of the 101st Infantry was at the forefront of the Brigade, heading the invasion force. Men crunched around in the dirt, getting into position to wait for their best chance to get a crack at the Red Skull. Everyone was tense with anticipation. Jeeps were rolling up as quiet as they could, unloading more and more troops at a time. Many of the Platoon commanders met with the Colonel to know what was to happen next. 

"Quite the gathering you have here Colonel," Peggy mused.

"General Patton and General Montgomery wanted this to go off without a hitch, so they provided me with a bit of extra manpower." Phillips agreed. "They would rather only deal with Adolf instead of Hydra too."

"Any contact from the Russians?" 

"Not a peep. Screw them, they've been shifty little bastards since the war began and I got a bad feeling they want a crack at us after the war's over."

"One army at a time Colonel," one of the commanders said as he marched up and gave Phillips a salute.

He saluted back and shook the man's hand.

"What are our orders sir?"

The Colonel pointed with his rifle at a secondary peak poking out of the trees parallel to Hydra's mountain fortress.

"Captain Rogers Howling Commandoes and the Commander are going to fire off a flare just as they initiate their attack to signal us to begin the charge. Meanwhile, we are gonna heat up that mountain with charges."

He snapped his fingers and a subordinate grabbed a lump of plastique explosives which the Colonel displayed to everyone around.

"If the kid wants us to heat up the mountain, then you'd better as hell deliver men! Let's bring it tumbling down onto that Red and Green son of a bitch's head!"

He threw the explosive putty back to the soldier who caught it fearfully, thinking it would blow up at any moment.

"Let's move out!"





Firebrand was off of Dugan's back and preparing for their next move. Morita and Jacques had set up a mobile listening device to wait for the right moment to strike. They found a window, almost invisible from afar but among a wall of icy rock, black glass stood out like a sore thumb. Falsworth investigated with special heat vision binoculars Howard had come up with and found a signature inside that matched the Red Skull perfectly.  Firebrand had his secret weapon all set up and Gabe was all prepped with their line launchers. All that was to happen next was wait. 

The wind blew strongly like always. At this point, Firebrand was beginning to get used to the cold. Their mission on Patmos was probably the most drastic change in climate the colt had ever experienced. Just to be told that there were warmer places on Earth out there waiting for him. It was a rather exciting idea if a bit strange. All he had known was dark and cold until Steve had saved him from Austria. It was as natural to him as breathing. Firebrand had discussed this with the others but when they would try to console him, he just shrugged and felt empty. He knew his darker side may have had a part to play in all of that. The armored woman in his dreams promised she would help him be rid of it, only if he accomplished something great. 

So, to that effect, Firebrand had a feeling this would be his finest hour yet. All of his anger and righteous fury he would properly focus on the one man who had caused him so much despair through this whole ordeal.

Firebrand looked back and forth between his special device and each of his friends, wondering who would be the perfect man to break it in. His eyes immediately fell upon the bulky Dugan who was standing around with a bored expression on his face. The colt suddenly had an idea, an awful idea, the colt had a wonderful, awful idea. He could feel his mouth curl into an unnaturally excited face. 

"I know just what to do." he purred as he held up a forehoof.

"What was that?" Dugan asked as he and the others turned to Firebrand.

"Uncle Dummy! You go in first!" 

"What?"

"We're gonna blow out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks!"

The last thing Dugan saw was Firebrand's horn and eyes glow a menacing red before feeling himself being lifted off the ground in a field of magic.





Steve felt the elevator reach its destination as they came to a stop and the doors opened with a whir. The six grunts pushed him forward into what looked like a giant laboratory with a desk near the window. A painting sat on one side of the room along with a various assortment of maps and documents stacked around in a neat and mannerly fashion. A shiny record player sat on a nearby table with its needle off until someone is ready to use it. Lamps barely lit the room, only serving as mood setters at best. Most of the ambient light came from the window, bringing in a soft glow into the otherwise shadowy room. The walls were made of some unknown metal, but in a fractal honeycomb pattern, for some scientific purpose. A telescope sat by the window leaning up towards the stars.

A familiar stiff silhouetted figure stepped out of the shadow with a groan of annoyance as he approached Steve. Not in anger, but in irritation and genuine interest. Steve noticed that the Skull had a new mechanical hand covered in green runes and glyphs. He idly remembered, that was the hand Firebrand had shattered in his darker form. It seemed to be juiced up by something dark and powerful. Each digit fluidly moved as if it was still organic and the wrist articulated perfectly with barely noticeable sounds of tiny motors in the new extremity firing off.

"Arrogance...may not be a uniquely American trait...but I must say you do it better than anyone!" the Red Skull snapped. 

The Skull acknowledged his honored adversary and gazed into his eyes as if he was probing for something.

"But...there are limits...to what even you can do...Captain. Or did Dr. Erskine tell you otherwise?"

Schmitt's cool, collected voice was rather soothing and it strangely kept Steve focused on the next step and ready for whatever might come next.

"He told me you were insane."

That response almost seemed disappointing and saddening to the man. He looked down in thought before hardening his stare back on Cap.

"Ah, he resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine, but he gave you everything." Schmitt scoffed. "It seems the unicorn had the same idea. He is my ticket to glory and conquering new worlds and yet he would rather keep his secrets from me. That is fine. I am a patient man. I will not make the same mistakes Zola did. I have acquired a source that will force him to give up his precious secrets. Where is he...Captain? Your little...companion."

"Away from you. I wouldn't risk his safety."

Schmitt's new mechanical hand began to glow bright green as he backhanded Steve across the face. His face was on fire and Steve could almost feel his own brain being bounced around inside his skull. The metal hand not only applied more force to the blow, it felt hot. Unnaturally so. It was not unlike that of a red hot poker one would stoke a fire with. Only with ten times the force. It burnt his skin and knocked his head back with so much force that he thought he would get whiplash.

"A gift made by my allies in the ancient kingdom of Latveria." the Skull explained. "I assure you Steven, I spared no expense in assuring your utter failure."

The grunts were barely able to hold him up as the Skull kept pounding away. He hit Steve to the ground with a punch to the gut that broke the grip of the grunts for a moment and sent him sprawling. The wind was completely knocked out of him again and it felt as uncomfortable as always. Wheezing in pain as the grunts quickly recovered and pulled him back over to the Skull. Steve however, was resilient as always as he pushed through the discomfort and stared the Skull in the eyes.

"I can do this all day!" Steve spat.

"Oh, of course you can of course, but I'm afraid I'm on a tight schedule." 

He pulled out his energy pistol and activated it, hearing that familiar whine as the cartridge inside began to glow violet. Steve figured the Skull had gotten a reserve of Firebrand's drained magical energy. The barrel was aimed right between his eyes and Schmitt had every intention of killing him right then and there.

Then, two cracks just outside the rock wall drew everyone's attention outside. Four figures were ziplining down towards the window while on the opposite peak, a miniaturized cannon painted red and gold had extended out its comically large barrel and fired off with a loud bang. Something large, glowing red, and obscenely fast came flying out of the barrel like a falling meteor.

"YA-HOO-HOO-HOOOOY!"

Suddenly, the entire window and wall of the laboratory blasted open with an echoing boom as embers, shattered glass, shards of metal, and broken equipment flew everywhere. The sound of the blast could be heard for miles, cracking like distant thunder. Everyone was tossed around into the walls as the force of the impact shoved them off of their feet. The Red Skull's office was completely obliterated in whatever had hit them. A large section of the mountain fortress was destroyed in the explosion caused by whatever had hit them. Alarms all over the area blared loudly alerting any nearby troops to the presence of the new intruders. 

The Skull and Cap were the first to recover their senses as the former tried firing at Steve, but he grabbed a grunt to use as a human shield just in time. The grunt disintegrated and when the others came through the opening, everyone began firing at the remaining grunts before they could get back up. Schmitt sprinted out of the room before he was next to be killed.

Steve got up and found Firebrand and Dugan on the ground, with black smoke coming off of their bodies. A small flame started on the man's shoe, to which Firebrand licked his forehoof and put out quickly.

"What the heck was that?" Steve laughed.

"The Party Howitzer!" Firebrand chattered.

"One heck of a party kid!" Dugan grumbled as he held his stomach and threw up into the remains of a trashcan.

More grunts poured into the ruined lab as the Howling Commandoes fired away at them to give Cap a chance to escape.

Falsworth grabbed his shield and threw it over to Steve who nimbly caught it.

"Rogers! You might need this!" 

"Thanks!"

Firebrand ran to Steve's side and kept up with him as he pursued the Skull down dark, metallic hallways. 

Suddenly, another nearby explosion violently shook the entire facility to its core as parts of the lower levels were beginning to collapse.

Lower down, a maintenance hatch blew open and a squad in all black body armor and bandannas over their faces came in firing at Hydra soldiers blocking their path. One threw a frag grenade into the group which blew most of them to bits before they finished off the remaining stragglers The leader called into his radio to everyone outside.

"We're in! Assault Teams one through five Go! Go! Go!" he bellowed.

Just outside, Colonel Phillips had received the radio message as he signaled to everyone to begin the attack.

"Good man Price! MOVE OUT MEN!" the Colonel shouted. "Time to show the kid the strength of the U.S Army!"

Through the trees and the thick brush came pouring out countless soldiers holding their rifles high and cocked, ready to fire at a moments notice. Out into the open, the Allied soldiers received heavy fire, many getting mowed down by Hydra's energy blasts. The unlucky ones were disintegrated into dust in a flash of blue light, but the brave many began to overwhelm the grunts left over from the Captain's rampage. The battlefield was a hell storm of chaos and carnage as everyone rushed forward, not caring in the slightest what might happen to them. Each heavy energy shot kicked up dust clouds into the air, filling the entrance with a thick viscous miasma of smoke, dirt, water vapor, and blood. 

Peggy ran along with them, firing away into the fray with the men she swore her life and limb to fight with. Brothers in arms and family all united against a common enemy. Here there was no past, present, or future, only the battle as she charged on. The earth was bombarded and kicked around as if under the attack of a shower of meteorites falling from the sky. Ground and rock flew all around, showering both armies. The overwhelming assault from the Allied armies pushed Hydra back into the base in retreat. Men fell on both sides as the chaos from the outside leaked into Hydra's headquarters.

Back inside, Dugan had found an Plasma Rifle and mowed through dozens of grunts trying to hinder their progress. They turned a corner and ran into a pair of Juggernauts. A Warden with a massive riot shield and a Scorcher with a Plasma Launcher.

"Oh shi--" Dugan began as they ducked to avoid the first volley and dove in towards the Scorcher. 

The Warden pushed back Dugan with his shield as Falsworth and Gabe focused their fire on the Warden to draw its attention. The Scorcher peaked out and Dugan took the opportunity to fire at the helmet, pushing him down. Dugan took out a flashbang and threw it over the shield. Turning away for a second, they could feel the Warden begin to stumble. They rushed all together at once and held the Warden down, allowing Dugan to blast at the neck and kill him. The Scorcher tried firing away as he was down, but Dugan shot down the barrel of the Plasma Launcher and the resulting blast blew the Scorcher's arm clean off. A scream of pain could be heard from behind the mask.

"Goodnight sunshine," Dugan said as he fired through the damaged helmet.

The Red Skull was in a panic, trying to make it to the hangar, dashing through the corridors at high speed as his subordinates were in a wild scramble all around. He would make it to the Valkyrie and cast the ritual given to him as the ultimate defense. He had to.

A nearby hatch blew open and many grunts fell to the ground dead. Dozens of Allied troops came pouring through, forcing Schmitt to grab a Plasma Rifle and fire away at the soldiers. It did the trick as all of the troops that came in were instantly disintegrated, giving him the chance to run off to an alternate path.

Meanwhile, Colonel Phillips had made it inside and already faced down a platoon of armed officers with his own. They came around the corner being gunned down like a flock of ducks. All they had to do was sit still and keep firing. Bodies piled up in the corridor, slowing the grunts down even further before one grunt tried one last defiant act with a plasma grenade. 

"CUT OFF ONE HEAD, TWO MORE--"

The Colonel sprang up and shot the grunt point blank into the chest of the armored officer with a 12-gague before kicking him back. Allowing the grenade to finish its work, the passageway lit up in a ball of fire as the Colonel cocked his shotgun, letting a round fall to the ground.

"Let's go kill two more boys!" Phillips proclaimed.

Steve and Firebrand finally caught up with their fleeing adversary as a rapid exchange of attack and defense ensued while on the run. Miles of long, twisting empty hallways gave them plenty of room but stretched the pursuit out longer and longer as both Firebrand and Cap had to constantly dodge and block the shots as they gave chase. Steve and Firebrand tried to finish off the Skull with a double teamed attack. Firebrand leaped up and on the swing, hit Cap's shield which went off like a shot, slicing through the doorway Schmitt tried to escape through. They heard a loud grunt, affirming they had hit their target and done some damage, but not before a familiar adversary came off a side corridor the duo had not checked. A modified Mankiller mounted with weapons and equipment from the Scorchers. 

Cap ducked behind a doorway to avoid the stream of fire from its dual flamethrowers while Firebrand just sat there and took it. The flames all around felt as good as a hot shower, cleaning off the muck and scum from a hard day of work.

"HAHAHAHA! Stop it, it tickles!" Firebrand said sarcastically. "My turn."

Drawing the flames into himself, he absorbed the fire into his mane which began to glow and grow spiky and golden as it blew around with no breeze. He concentrated the fire into his horn and sent a compressed ball of fire right into the chest of the Mankiller, which dented the chest plate and pushed it back across the floor. Unfortunately for the colt, the Mankiller opened its chest and was about to fire off its six missiles point blank at the pony. 

Thankfully, Peggy and a Battalion of Allied troops caught up with them, the English agent sporting a massive machine gun as she fired off fifty shots right into the Mankiller's chest and blew it apart before it could fire off its rounds.

Steve peeked around the corner, looking back and forth between Peggy and the carnage she had caused. 

"You're late," he reiterated with well meaning snide.

As he approached her, he felt a moment of connection between the two of them. Fire, smoke and smoldering metal only made the electrified moment stronger as he awkwardly approached her and nearly leaned over when Firebrand smacked him on the hand.

"We have a bad guy to catch!" Firebrand said expectantly.

They ran through the doorway and found the shield embedded into the ground, sizzling into the red hot metal. Grabbing the shield they ran off after the Skull before he could escape. The Allied Forces followed right behind him as they continued through several more miles of barracks, laboratories, hallways, and testing rooms. Taking out any remaining grunts hiding within the bowels of the facility.

A cavernous hangar at least five miles in length stretched out before Steve and Firebrand as they exited the tunnels and passageways. A fire fight had begun with the remaining resistance of Hydra's legions with a supermassive jet black Horten H.XVIII Intercontinental Bomber beginning its take off sequences. Steve remembered the reports about the proposed plane that the Nazis could never implement. The H.XVIII was one of many proposed designs by the Nazis the Luftwaffe could use for an attack on the United States, and would have carried sufficient fuel for transatlantic flights. The SSR never imagined that Hydra would be the ones to do so. If this beast was anything like the original designs, they had little time to act.

"GET ON!" Steve shouted to the foal who jumped onto his back.

Steve went off like a cannon as he went into a full on dead sprint on the tip of his toes, pushing any grunts out of his way. A stack of crates gave him the perfect opportunity for a boost of speed. He vaulted over and grabbed onto the chain, gallantly flying through the air as he batted away energy blasts being aimed at the duo. For a moment, he began to keep up with the plane as his muscles burned and screamed with raw adrenaline just trying to keep up. Soon however, it was becoming abundantly clear that his own speed wouldn't be enough. Luckily, Peggy and the Colonel came riding up beside him in a beautiful swamp green Duesenberg. 

"Schmitt's?" Steve asked.

"GET IN!" the Colonel urged to which the duo quickly obliged.

Colonel Phillips pressed all the way down on the pedal, testing the very limits of what was supposed to be the pride and joy of the Red Skull himself. The Horten accelerated even faster, forcing the group to come up with a plan and come up with it fast. At his wits end, the Colonel pressed a conspicuous looking button by the steering wheel which didn't seem to do anything at first. Firebrand feeling a familiar spark of fire, ignited his horn and drenched the entire car in a bright red glow. The back end spat out a whirlwind of fire and exhaust as the car went as fast as the plane and soon they were right on its tail again. Steve and Firebrand got on the edge of the car, getting ready to jump onto the wheels of the plane.

"KEEP IT STEADY!" Cap exclaimed.

"WAIT!" Peggy retorted before pulling the man into a passionate kiss as they were accelerating well over two hundred miles an hour. 

The subzero air whipping and biting across his face just seemed to make that tender moment last forever. Something though in the pit of Steve's stomach gave him the feeling it very well may be the last. He wrapped his arms around his love, making the kiss all the more sweet, feeling their hearts connect in that eternal moment both wished would last forever. In the heat of battle, at what seemed like the end of the world itself, he finally found a proper dance partner. A thousand million thoughts went through his brain at the speed of light, wondering what could be, and how it could be. Everything more beautiful than the last. All of it they would share with the unicorn that had touched both of their hearts. Firebrand watched all of this not understanding it, but feeling something special nonetheless.

"Go get him!" she said as her voice began to break.

Steve allowed the moment to finally pass as he pulled away, dumbstruck. He absent mindedly turned to the Colonel who only look back at him with an unamused expression.

"I'm not kissin ya," he stated.

Firebrand only smiled and jumped over and gave the elder a gentle peck on the helmet before giving him a salute. Phillips sat there looking at the foal for a moment before giving Firebrand a warm smile and returned the salute proudly. He pulled a small medal out of his pocket. A red ribbon with a Bronze Star at the end of it. The Colonel pinned it to the breast pocket of Firebrand's bomber jacket and pat him on the back good naturedly.

"Colonel?" the colt asked. "Isn't this yours?"

"You can have it squirt. You've earned it. You're a soldier now. Go do our country proud! Ya hear?"

Firebrand felt a wonderful warm sensation well up inside as he raised his forehoof for a second salute.

"SIR YES SIR!"

"GOOD MAN! NOW GO! GO! GO!"

They moved towards the wheels as they passed under the propellers, forcing everyone to duck before they were shredded to bits. Steve could feel Red Skull cringing internally as one of the propellers scratched the side of the car. Steve could see a light rapidly approaching from the end of the tunnel, signaling he had only a split second longer to react before they all went over a cliff. The duo lept to grab ahold of the wheel column as it slowly swung upwards and clung to the innards of the bomber. Firebrand and Steve panicked as Peggy and Phillips hit the brakes of the car hard, but they weren't slowing down fast enough as they rapidly approached the edge. Firebrand acted quickly but felt himself straining from reaching so far as he erected a barrier large enough to stop the car in its tracks. The simple trick did well as the Duesenberg smashed back first into the barrier. The barrier cracked but didn't shatter as he allowed it to finally descend. 

The unicorn started to sweat as he breathed hard from exertion. Peggy and the Colonel stood up looking out at them as the plane flew further and further away. Hundreds of miles of snow capped peaks flew underneath as they finally ascended into the super massive bomber. Steve found a catwalk that was safe enough to jump onto as he went over a handrail and walked about the place, getting a look at his surroundings. The first thing in this area of the plane didn't bode well for anyone. A series of six pods lined this cargo bay area up and down the width of the plane. Each with names plastered on the sides that made Steve's stomach sink to his knees.

"Chicago, Boston, Miami, Maryland, Philadelphia...New York. He's gonna hit home with these things..." Steve breathed out.

Suddenly, he heard several dozen Hydra grunts scrambling downstairs to check whatever had caused the disturbance they heard. He leaped up to a pipe above to conceal himself while the officers walked about the catwalk underneath. Firebrand hopped onto one of the grunts and smashed his face with a swipe from his hooves before leaping to the next one. Cap took the distraction and jumped down, catching three grunts off guard as one came out with a machete and the other tried escaping into a pod to evade capture. Steve knocked out the first and went over to a control panel, pulling a lever before the grunt could get in. A hatch opened up sending the bomb careening out of the plane, along with the grunt who lost his grip. Another grunt on the other side tried escaping but Firebrand slung a shoe at him, knocking him out. He picked up one who tried to catch him from behind and threw him out the open hatch finishing him off. 

Firebrand heard something fly through the air and nimbly caught it by chance before it hit Steve right in the chest. It was a big knife which the colt stopped only inches from his heart. He slung it back at its owner in the dark who groaned and fell with a clatter. 

"Schmitt knows we're here now," Steve stated uncomfortably.

They made their way towards the front of the plane, fully ready to meet whatever was up next. 

A small metal door creaked open as Steve and Firebrand went through, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Silence made things all the more uncomfortable as they entered the main cockpit. It had to be the biggest cockpit he had ever seen. In the center of the chamber was a massive receptacle with a bright blue light giving off an eerie ethereal glow. Firebrand didn't know why, but it felt extremely familiar. Alive and powerful. With the capability to engulf everything.

"Daddy...there's something in there..." Firebrand whispered fearfully, pointing to the glowing blue cube. 

"HOW RIGHT YOU ARE!" Schmitt proclaimed as Steve whipped around and saw a bolt of green light flying at them.

He lifted his shield and the bolt bounced off but knocked Cap back, breaking a hole into the glass.

"You don't give up do you?" Schmitt asked rhetorically.

"NOPE!" Firebrand and Steve retorted in unison as they lunged forward. 

Schmitt used his enchanted hand to swipe at the air, sending emerald green scratches towards them. Both weaved under as Steve closed in for hand to hand combat. He tried swiping at the Skull's neck, but he backed away and narrowly avoided the slice. Firebrand tried leaping in from the side but the Skull backhanded him away, sending him flying into the wall. He tossed a shoe at the Skull, knocking him to the side, giving Steve an opportunity to go in for a beat down which Schmitt took and gave right back just as easily. Cap wrapped his arms around Schmitt's neck, trying to choke him out while Firebrand stumbled up to get back into the fight.

Schmitt struggled but as his hand glowed brightly, he smashed it into Steve's gut, knocking the air out of him for a moment and fell to the ground in a heap. The Skull held up his palm for another blast but Firebrand jumped in and held up his hooves, absorbing the blast.

"That's the same stuff the Sleeper threw at us," Firebrand thought aloud.

"Very good, young Firebrand yes," the Skull congratulated. "The ancestors of the Latverian Romanies were a mighty people who dabbled in the mystic arts. Often calling upon the demon lords of old to give them power. Fusing metal, blood, and mortal souls was a common practice. It stood to reason that their ancestors most likely created the Sleeper and a number of other beautiful abominations of power. The mighty demon Prince Andras Goetia of Discord gifted them with an artifact of unimaginable power. The Book of Sins. Or as the locals called it, the Darkhold. A book to which I hold a page of now."

Schmitt reached out and pulled in Firebrand with his own telekinetic grip, holding on by the neck. The colt struggled greatly but couldn't seem to break the hold quickly enough. 

"You will complete it child and assure me my ultimate victory."

Steve lashed out and swept the Skull's leg as he was distracted and caught Firebrand who needed a moment to shake off the effects of Schmitt's magical attack. Steve went in for another chokehold and the Skull responded by struggling even harder. Over the power receptacle they rolled and began battling for dominance over Cap's shield. Schmitt got ahold of it for a moment and bashed Steve across the face with it as he pushed Steve down over the power module. Cap headbutted the Skull in response and kicked him off. His head still fuzzy and his vision still blurred, Firebrand dashed for the Skull and with a quick switch of his shoes, bucked at his midsection, sending him smashing into the main throttle of the bomber.

Sparks flew into the air as the control pushed all the way forward and then they all felt weightless as the plane began to take a deep dive downwards. They were so high up, that they could begin to see the curve of the Earth and the tops of the clouds. It all changed just as quickly as the force of their momentum sent them to the ceiling. The Skull's eyes glowed an angry green as thirty draconic heads with beady, shimmering yellow eyes erupted from his mechanical hand. A manifestation of the very creature he worshiped in name.

"Hail Hydra!" the Skull hissed as the heads all focused on Steve and blew emerald green flames at him.

Steve whipped around a pillar to avoid the majority of the attack, but felt his hands and parts of his back suffering from severe burns.

"Dad!" Firebrand cried.

The colt tried climbing or grabbing onto something vainly to get control, but the lack of hands and apposable thumbs proved to be a challenge in of itself. He could see the Skull continue his attack on Cap as he bounced around in the lower parts of the control room. The pillar was already starting to turn red hot and he could smell the steel begin to melt. He had to act fast. He felt angry and powerless. Fearful and vengeful. Emotions that led to something else deep inside trying to gain control of him.

'Let me out!' a familiar voice sing songed in the back of his mind. 'I have all the power you ever need little buddy.'

It was the voice from the being he remembered all too well. The spirit from the giant of ice he had allowed to control him in his weakest moments and nearly go on a homicidal rampage. Frostbite.

Frost started crusting over his legs and the tips of his mane began to turn silver again. Half of his cutie mark had already turned into the icy crown he dreaded in his nightmares. Firebrand knew what was coming this time and headbutted himself five times against the metal wall. He hit the upper part of his foreleg against the railing and threw himself back first into a nearby pillar knocking the wind out of himself again. It hurt and gave him a massive headache, but it got the result he wanted.

"Shut up," Firebrand snapped as he held his throbbing temple.

'Imagine what we could do together if you let me out and let ME handle this fool'


"I AM and I don't like it. You nearly hurt my Daddy last time and I will NOT let you out." Firebrand spat back.

'I don't ever recall giving you a choice Burner,' Frostbite retorted.

"Burner?"

'Oh, you don't know? tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor, pathetic little Firebrand, still confused and naïve as always. You want to know? Too bad. I'm not telling.'

Firebrand's eyes snapped open in rage and he ignited his horn, feeling his power heat up his entire body and scorch the very inside of his mind as he pushed Frostbite back into dormancy.

"Try that again, and I'll break your frosty head around so much that It will face your butt."

He instinctually wrapped his back hooves around a nearby guardrail and slung both of his horse shoes into the back of the Red Skull's head. It broke his focus on the spell and nearly knocked him out as the whiplash from the hit sent him into a forward roll in the air. One of the hooves missed but struck his hand and mangled it, as the hydra heads dissipated and retreated back into oblivion. Steve was able to finally retreat from his hiding spot, but the Skull had shimmied down back to the control board and initiate the bomber's auto pilot as they finally leveled off and fell back down to the floor. He held his mangled mechanical hand but forced magical power to continue course through it as he began building up power for one final blast.

"YOU COULD HAVE THE POWER OF THE GODS!" Red Skull roared. "YET YOU WEAR A FLAG AND A MEDAL ON YOUR CHESTS AND CLAIM TO FIGHT A BATTLE OF NATIONS! I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE CAPTAIN! THERE ARE NO FLAGS! ONLY MINE THROUGH THE WHOLE OF CREATION!"

"NOT OUR FUTURE!"

Steve jumped out from behind a corner and grabbed his shield in a roll and Firebrand jumped out from the other side. The Skull unleashed his final blast of power as a twisting circulating beam of hellish energy. Firebrand and Steve held up their respective weapons together, each holding back the emerald beam. The power was too evil to absorb, and too much to take all at once, so they did the one thing they thought of and pushed forward and leaned into the beam with their arms held out. The duo could feel the unholy and inhuman heat coming off of the beam, but persevered with every step. When they were inches from the Skull, Firebrand and Steve together used a double Shield Charge using the last of their adrenaline, and the Red Skull's hand exploded. He fell back into the power module and damaged it, sending blue sparks into the air. 

The blue cube fell out of the receptacle with a clunk and the Skull scrambled to grab it. 

"What have you done?" Schmitt asked fearfully.

It groaned and sputtered alien sounds as shapes and images fluttered all over the control room. Firebrand recognized what looked like images of glowing, gaseous branches of a giant tree fading in and out of existence among the sparks. Shining white wind whispered and creeped through the air. A clear picture was displayed of space and a multicolored galaxy. Like back in the SSR but the image was different this time. Of a different place than the forge world he had visited briefly. Firebrand felt something strange begin to happen. The Red Skull's presence was being drained from that place and being sent somewhere else entirely. Like water being drained from a sink down a pipe. Schmitt began to scream in utter terror as the process began to take place. Blue plasma engulfed the Skull's body disintegrating him, starting with his hand as his entire body seemed to be evaporating into a pillar of light that stretched him out into the sky before everything finally burst into a shockwave and disappeared entirely.

The light died away and the cube dropped, melting through the floor and out of the plane, down into the ocean below.

Steve and Firebrand looked at each other before running to the cockpit chair and looking around at all of the complicated controls. He found the autopilot switch, but it was smashed. The Skull had done everything to make sure the Valkyrie would never stop.  A screen off to the right appeared to display a map and the direction they were going. They were somewhere over the North Atlantic ocean, quickly making their way towards America and New York City. Looking out at the clouds, Steve realized just how bad things were becoming. 

"Can't you turn this thing around?" Firebrand asked frantically.

He tried turning the helm, but the control's were locked in place. A million buttons, switches, gauges, and indicators on the panel.

"No...it would take a mind like Stark to know how all this junk works and even then, the only ones who knew how to operate it were Zola and Schmitt. We know how they turned out." Steve breathed out.

Firebrand tried to help, but just like back at the Castle or every other base they destroyed, he was severely out of his league. He witnessed the inner workings of some weapons, doors, and communication devices and even helped dismantle them, but that was about it. On the left-hand side, he saw a device that they both knew well. It was merely slightly modified without the detachable microphone.

"Dad, a radio," Firebrand said.

Steve looked over and to be sure, found a radio built into the control panel. He turned back to the colt with a hopeless look seared into his eyes and despair begin to sink in. So he went to call the first person he could think of. He activated it as the static told them it was still active thankfully. He tuned into the correct frequency and called in.

"Come in this is Captain Rogers, do you read me?"

They heard Morita on the line for a moment, but he was cut off by Peggy who jumped in.

"Is that you Steve, are you alright?"

"Schmitt escaped somehow! He had some kind of power source that...sent him someplace else."

"Its what he's been using for his weapons this entire time," Firebrand added. "He definitely didn't create it, that's for sure."

He could hear the others swearing and kicking in the background.

"What about the plane?"

Steve desperately tried flipping random switches and playing around the controls to get some kind of positive result.

"That's a little tougher to explain."

Peggy felt herself begin to break down.

"Give us your coordinates, we'll find you both a quick landing site." she said hopefully.

Firebrand looked in the heads up display and saw that five of the six suicide bombs were still active in the cargo hold.

"There's not gonna be a safe landing. We're gonna break the controls and try to force it down."

"I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do." 

"There's not enough time! This thing is moving too fast and its headed right for New York!"

His eyes turned back to Firebrand who seemed to understand what was about to happen. The golden globes in that innocent face he met so long ago had finally connected with him. The pony only nodded back in reply.

"We have to go forever now...don't we?" Firebrand asked with a sad smile. "No sacrifice, no victory...right?"

"I can get you out of here in one of those bombs," Steve offered without hesitation. "I can just rip out the explosives."

The colt only embraced him tightly and shook his head.

"No time, you just said it. Besides, I'd rather go down with my family if I do have to leave too," the colt replied. 

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing out of the foal as he began to cry, but he maintained his composure and finally responded.

"I got to put her in the water." he choked out into the com. 

"Please...don't do this," Peggy begged. "We have time. We can work it out."

"Right now we're in the middle of nowhere," Steve replied as he checked the map. "But if I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die."

Silence filled the bomber as the arctic air filled the plane through the break in the observation glass. Firebrand's mane and Steve's hair whipped across his face and they looked down to the barely visible ocean below. 

"Peggy...this is our choice," he said with finality.

"We're gonna save people...right? More families like ours get to live. Nobody else knows about me or cares, so I doubt it will matter that much," Firebrand continued. 

"You're wrong sweetie," Peggy cried. "We care. I care. I love you. That is enough."

"I know, Mommy, I know."

Steve grabbed his compass with the picture of his love inside and placed it on the control panel. He stared at it for a moment, trying to sear the image into his brain forever. The duo struggled but broke the helm controls out of their locked position and pushed the bomber into a diagonal downwards descent. The clouds rushed by and soon, ice and water as far as the eye can see was within view.

"Peggy?" Steve called out.

"I'm here..."

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance..." Steve said glumly.

"...Alright." she replied quietly. "A week, next Saturday at the Stork Club."

"You got it."

"Eight O'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late," she sobbed. "Understood?"

"I still don't know how to dance," Steve joked.

"I'll show you how...just be there."

An icy landmass filled the glass from top to bottom.

"I'd hate to step on your---"

Static filled the radio as the call cut off. The sound filled the entire radio room back at Hydra's now conquered base. The Colonel stared at the machine with sadness seeping out of his gruff exterior.

"Steve?...Firebrand...Steve?...Steve?...Steve?" she wailed. 

Colonel Phillips with his head held low and his spirits crushed, slumped out of the radio room to give his friend a moment alone.

Steve with his eyes fluttering and struggling to stay awake, looked back at Firebrand who was having the same problem. Only a shard of light from the morning sky broke through to illuminate both. 

"Its gonna be morning in Manhattan buddy." he whispered. "Maybe if we dream hard enough, I can show you some stuff from there." 

Firebrand activated his magic and began to glow as he wrapped himself around his human father, trying to act like a living hot water bottle. His light and his body was warm as the bomber finally began to sink below the surface and the light from the outside died off entirely.

"Sure, I'll do my best," he replied. "Can we see Central Park?"

"...Yeah. We'll go play some ball. I have a good spot picked out. We can go to Coney Island after. The carousel guy knows me. "

"That sounds nice..."

His hooves clasped tighter and Steve's arms squeezed even harder until they were in a deadlock. Everything inside was flash freezing quickly and the temperature was plummeting. Captain America laid his face in his son's thick golden mane as he finally began to linger off to sleep. Firebrand then started to close his eyes not long after, the glowing beginning to die down as the ice creeped over and covered the duo for the last time.

"Well done, Firebrand...well done. You have far exceeded my expectations. You may now join me in my realm of Vanir so that we might forge a contract," he heard a caring familiar feminine voice say before his mortal body drifted off into unconsciousness for the foreseeable future....

Somewhere in another realm, an elder king sitting on a golden throne with his trusty steed at his was suddenly distraught when the muscle bound, eight legged horse began to whinny in anger and despair. He reared up four front forelegs and neighed loudly like a cry. The king felt what his companion felt and was deeply troubled by it. 

"I feel it too old friend." the king stated. "It seems two of your new shoes have chosen another bearer. "A quite worthy one at that. Brokkr and Eitri's blunder was fate it seems."

The horse nickered and stomped his hoof in frustration as a response.

"Yes, the power of ice has shifted its attention on Midgard in a most unpleasing manner. If Ymir knows of the colt, then we have to investigate quickly. Guards!"

Two of his men in golden horned armor approached the throne and knelt with their spears pointing high.

"What do you require my king?"

"Fetch my son. I have a mission for him as the last leg of his training begins," he proclaimed. "It will take a few years, but we must uncover Ymir's intentions."

"Yes my lord," the guard said as he bowed and ran off.

The king retreated into his thoughts, meditating on the identity of the colt. Wondering what such being of righteousness could over ride the power of himself and that of his mighty mount Slepnir.

"There was something else I sensed among the disturbance my friend. Something from the past. Something uncomfortably pleasant..."





In the weeks and months that followed, the gallant tales of Captain America and Commander Firebrand had spread in fantastic rumor to every branch of the United States military. Though an unspoken agreement in them all decided to leave out the existence of the fantastical unicorn. Captain America himself spread to the homeland and became a legend, inspiring all to finish the war and give courage to every man, woman, and child who knew of him. When Victory in Europe Day finally arrived, the Howling Commandoes met in their favorite bar to pay tribute to their heroes. Their leaders. Falsworth led the group in the raising of glasses to a toast of honor.

"To the Captain," he said. "To Firebrand. May their spirits never leave us."

"To the Captain and Firebrand!" 

Their glasses clinked together and they drank. It felt right. All decided to carry on and continue the fight as long as there was one who could stand and carry a gun. On their left sleeves, all had patches of a mighty red unicorn rearing up its legs alongside a wolf howling at the moon.

Next Time: 70 Years On Ice, One Day Abroad.