//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 // Story: Equestria: World War II // by The Unseen //------------------------------// 5TH OCTOBER 1939 -----------------------------------------------------------------CANTERLOT CASTLE------------------------------------------------------------------ It was now 8:00am in Canterlot, and Celestia and Luna were rushing. They had been called by Wood, in Manehattan, again, and he said it was extremely urgent. Apparently, it was related to Discord. The two sisters quickly finished their breakfast, and teleported to Manehattan, where they met up with Cadance. They quickly ran to the docks, and onto the HMS Nelson. They went into the ship's conference room, where they noticed Rockmond and Wood, waiting for them, looking rather sombre. "Your majesties, looks like, Discord may have won this." said Wood. "What do you mean, Mr. Wood? The Soviets have only helped the Germans out in parts of Poland." said Celestia. "No, it's over. The last unannexed part of Poland has been taken by the Germans. They surrendered yesterday. The news came out only two hours ago. Most of Poland's military has gone and hidden in Romania and Latvia." replied Wood. "What?! The Polish surrendered? I thought they were going to keep fighting for their country, until the very end." "Unfortunately, it looks like the Germans forced them to surrender, after a final two-day battle in the town of Kock. It's a rather dirty name for a town, yes, but the Polish soldiers fought bravely. They killed more than 500 German soldiers, and took around 300 captive. However, the Germans killed close to 400 Polish soldiers, and after the surrender, took more than 18,000 of them captive. Take a look." said Wood, as he turned on the TV, and began showing them the horrifying images and video captured during the battle. It showed the Germans brutally beating and killing Polish soldiers, but there was also some footage of the Polish bravely fighting back, but most of it was showing the brutal torture inflicted on German soldiers by the Polish. As everyone in the room watched the footage in horror, they wondered if soon, Discord may succeed in his plan. That was when Celestia spoke. "Discord may have won this battle, yes, but he still hasn't won the war." "How? Poland has been taken, and the China-Japan war is still raging." said Wood. "And so far, China doesn't seem to be doing so well." "Yes, but Britain and France are still fighting the Germans, right?" replied Celestia. "We can fight them, if we all unite. As much as I don't want to rush our little ponies into a battle, we should try and get them on the front lines as soon as possible. Then, we can hopefully stop his plans, and imprison Discord entirely, once and for all." "I do admire your enthusiasm, your Majesty. But the Atlantic blockade of Germany is also facing a bit of trouble. Constant attacks by German U-boats have caused the loss of a British aircraft carrier, a British battleship, and a civilian ocean liner, with the loss of close to 1,500 lives. We have only been able to destroy one of the German U-boats, and a few German patrol boats, but that's about it. We also have to deal with ENA. Plus, the Equestrians and Crystal Empireans' won't be ready for the battlefield until February or March." "That is fine. Once they get some decent real-world experience on the battlefields, we can use the planned showcase to prove to Earth that we belong, and we are willing to fight. We can also use it to hold a huge diplomatic summit to get more trade and investment into our country." "I originally never thought about the showcase being used as a diplomatic summit, and now that we have the idea, we can use that as a good opportunity to have one." said Wood. As the three princesses continued discussing with the ambassadors, an idea began to take shape. One that would hopefully, make ENA's members, including Bret Stiles, have their mouths open in awe. ------------------------------------------------------------THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW----------------------------------------------------------------- Joseph Stalin and his retinue were waiting for three heads of state to arrive at the Kremlin. Konstantin Päts, the president of Estonia, Kārlis Ulmanis, the Prime Minister of Latvia, and Antanas Smetona, the president of Lithuania, would all soon be arriving from their respective countries, as Stalin had some business to conduct with them. Stalin was thinking about making a contingency plan against the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, as he felt that Hitler was plotting against him, when he noticed multiple black cars pulling up outside the Kremlin. The three Baltic leaders had arrived. As the three leaders arrived at the Grand Kremlin Palace, Stalin greeted them. "My comrades! Welcome to the capital of the Soviet Union!" said Stalin. "It is nice to see you, Joseph, my friend." said Ulmanis, via an interpreter, as he didn't speak much Russian. "You said you wanted to conduct some business. What kind of business do you want to conduct?" "Well, I would like to set up some Soviet military bases in your countries. That way, we are all protected in a war." replied Stalin. This shocked the three Baltic leaders. As the they exchanged worried glances, Stalin continued, "I know you may be hesitant about this proposal at first, but trust me, it's for your own good. The Germans are becoming increasingly aggressive, and we need to be prepared for any eventuality. With our military bases in your countries, we can defend you against any potential German invasion." "Are you sure about that, Stalin? I thought the Germans only wanted Poland, and you helped them out with it, carrying out fucking war crimes in the process!" replied Smetona, also via an interpreter. "I may have helped out the Germans carry out war crimes in Poland, yes, but you do realize I am trying to improve the relationships between our nations?" replied Stalin. "No, you are trying to colonise our nations, just like how Britain colonised India and Africa back in the old days! That is what you are doing, Stalin! You just want the whole of Eastern Europe to join the Soviet Union!" shouted Ulmanis. "That I do. But it is the only way to keep the Germans from invading, should they choose to break the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and strengthen our countries." said Stalin, start to get angry. "Are you sure? Because we don't want to join the dictatorship you run, Stalin!" shouted the three Baltic leaders, as they began to leave the room, only to stop by a large number of armed Soviet soldiers, all pointing guns at them. "Well, you have to let me set up my bases there. Otherwise, I may invade your countries, and send some of the people, including you three, to my gulags, where you will have a very unpleasant experience." said Stalin, with a cold smirk on his face. "Stalin! Do you realise that you are threating to kill three heads of state in cold blood?" shouted Päts. "Oh, I am, and can easily kill you, and take over your nations, unless you concede to my demands." said Stalin. "Fine! If it means we will still be alive to rule our nations, we concede!" said Päts, to the shock of the other two leaders. As the guards put their guns down, Stalin grabbed a few documents for the three Baltic leaders to sign. It was going to be good for the glory of the Soviet Union.