//------------------------------// // The Ghost of UB-65 // Story: CMC Watch Bedtime Stories // by Lord Blundergosh //------------------------------// Only one word passed through Babs’ toothy grip on the stylus, “Shit…” “Yup.”, her cousin replied simply. Babs halted her scrolling and turned around to witness the heavy look on Apple Bloom’s face. She let go of the stylus and asked, “So, what’re they gonna do now?” “Well, they ain’t give up hope that their ma and pa survived just yet. Closest ah heard to a plan was Miss Rarity tellin’ Sweetie that they’ll head out ta Vanhoover ta search for their parents if they don’t hear back from ‘em before the end of the week.” Almost forgotten by the other two, Scootaloo finally chimed in to say, “I think Sweetie told me on the way to school there was actually a change of plans. Said something about her sister writing letters to Twilight asking for her help.” “Really?”, Apple Bloom puzzled, then contemplated further. “Think Twilight’s gonna dispatch a search team from the Royal Guard ta look for their folks?” “At the LEAST.”, Scootaloo answered. “I can’t imagine how badly Sweetie might be takin’ all this right now.” This was all a bit surreal for Babs. It was only yesterday she had heard about this airship accident, felt sorry for everypony involved but otherwise didn’t think much of it. Now she comes to Ponyville thinking she has it rough with her school burning to the ground, only to find out one of her friends is going through something worse. At least Babs knew for a fact her schoolmates were safe. Meanwhile, Sweetie will probably have a bunch of sleepless nights just hoping to not get the worst case scenario. The moment of silence was broken when Scootaloo said to Babs, “Hey, if you’re done scrolling, how about I just choose the episode now.“ “Oh, right. Sorry.” Relieved that she got to give her arms a rest, Scootaloo let them drop to her sides as she read the title. “The Ghost of UB 65” Scootaloo silently cursed herself upon reading that aloud. “Just my luck!” Scootaloo hardly paid any attention to the opening lines the narrator gave over the metal leviathan which was the subject of this story’s haunting. “Is that one of those U-Boat thingies?” “Guess that means we got another story about the Germans then.”, said Apple Bloom. Now that she looked at it closer, Babs did see the resemblance to the shipyard just outside of Manehattan. There was just one thing that was throwing her off though. “How come this looks so different from every ship I’ve seen?” “This one is built for goin’ underneath the water.”, her cousin answered. “Huh. Wonder if my sis would wanna take somethin’ like that for a spin?” The narrator proceeded to monologue about the mindsets of the opposing factions at the start of World War One. “Would ya look at that? We finally get ta learn a thing or two about the first world war for once.”, Apple Bloom remarked without noticing her cousin’s disbelief. “There’s more than one!?” Scootaloo eyed up the all the men trudging through smoke-filled fields of grass and barbed wire carrying their hand-canons with them. “Hang on, these are supposed to be soldiers? Why are they all wearing bowler hats?” “Pretty sure those are actually helmets.”, Babs corrected. “Sorta reminds me of the helmets that lesser officers in the old Pegasai army used t’ wear.” According to the narrator, the allied nations held a traditional and gentlemanly view of warfare. In their eyes, combatants should face each other head on in organized and decisive encounters. In contrast, the Central Powers would utilize new technology and evolving battle tactics to win the war by the quickest means possible. “AJ would sure have some opinions on that.”, Apple Bloom commented. The flaws in Great Britain’s mentality quickly revealed themselves once poison gas started flowing over battlefields across the continent and German zeppelins firebombed London. This left Allied leadership clamoring for innovations that would counter Germany’s wonder weapons. Nowhere was this more apparent than on the high seas. Despite boasting the mightiest navy on Earth, Britain’s massive fleet of warships had trouble coping with the Imperial German Navy’s U-boats. Even though it boasted a larger number of submersibles, the Royal Navy’s insistence on treating them as subservient to the main fleet rather than allowing them to operate in isolation like the Germans did. For this reason, German U-boats were able to wreak havoc on Britain’s outdated naval forces in numerous devastating attacks such as when the 7th Cruiser Squadron lost three cruisers and 1,450 men or when a U-boat torpedoed the cruise liner RMS Lusitania killing 1,198 people, many of whom were neutral American citizens. Both AB and Babs’ ears folded down at the sight of the ship sinking beneath the waters as the death count sunk in. For her sister’s sake, the latter was happy that things were cool between all the kingdoms on Equus. “I think we might already know what’s haunting these submarines.”, Scootaloo guessed. “If somepony killed me over something I have nothing to do with, I’d definitely haunt their ass.” Over the next six months, over a million tons of shipping would be destroyed by U-boat activity which would earn their commanders reputations as the Aces and Mavericks of the German military. In August of 1917, UB-65 joined the 142 strong U-boat fleet. Before it was deployed or even so much as entered the water for the first time, this particular U-boat would be known as one of the unluckiest vessels to ever be put to sea. “Even worse than when we tried river raftin’?”, Apple Bloom dared to wonder aloud. During her time under construction, UB-65 would experience an unusually high number of accidents. In one instance, two dock workers got crushed underneath a falling girder. One was “lucky” enough to die instantly whilst the other remained conscious for two hours, screaming in agony until he finally succumbed to his injuries. For a moment, all three fillies’ eyes grew wide-eyed as they sat in stunned silence. While Scootaloo audibly gulped and Apple Bloom covered her mouth, Babs was the first one to speak up. “Have I ever told yuh that there’s this kid at school whose dad died just like that? Haven’t seen her talk t’ anypony since.” The tragedy didn’t end there. Numerous more accidents during maintenance and testing would take the lives of crewmen. The only one mentioned that didn’t kill anyone was a testing run where a malfunction in the ballast sent the vessel crashing down onto the sea bed where it spent the next 12 hours before finally resurfacing. “I’m getting claustrophobic just thinking about it.”, Scootaloo whispered under her breath Judging by the illustration of the cramped interior that came onscreen, that feeling was totally justified. AB sighed in relief, “At least they all got out of THAT okay. If only those fellers coulda been so lucky all those other times.” “Life’s not fair.”, Babs said looking downward. Given sailors’ superstitious nature, the ones assigned to UB-65 were quick to believe that it was cursed. “Wait, is that true what he just said about sailors?”, Apple Bloom questioned with her tilted slightly. “Oh it’s more true than you probably think.”, Babs answered. “Me and sis took a river boat one time when she was back from duty. Gave me crap the whole ride for the crime of whistlin’” Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow, “Whistling? What’s the harm in that?” “She said whistlin’ into the wind when it starts pickin’ up could summon a storm or even sea monster.” “Did she forget that you were on a river and not the ocean?” “Good luck trying to explain that t’ her. Hope yuh like goin’ in circles.” Despite how jittery his crew was, Captain Martin Schelle would net let that stop UB-65 from being cleared for duty. This was a sentiment shared amongst higher ups in the Imperial Navy now that the allies had developed methods of countering their submarines. With every U-boat available now being rushed out into service, UB-65 was then set out on its maiden voyage. Schelle hoped that the thrill of battle would make his crew forget about all the hair raising rumors. Unfortunately, that evening would further cement the idea of a curse in the minds of the crew. In the process of loading the torpedoes onto the vessel when one of them inexplicably detonated. While the damage to the submarine was minor, five sailors were seriously wounded including the ship’s Second Officer, Lieutenant Richter. He would later die of his injuries. “Ah should thank Sweetie for talkin’ us out of lightin’ those firecrackers.” Her friend turned to her indignantly and said, “Oh come on, do you really think a firecracker compares to these torpedoes?” In October of 1917, after repairs UB-65 finally set sail through the North Sea. “Okay, not that I’d be too scared to get on that thing, but maybe they should look into this whole curse situation just in case?”, Scootaloo said more tentatively as she noticed the judgmental stares she was getting. “You know, to make sure it won’t create more problems.” On its first mission it managed to sink five enemy vessels, including the British corvette HMS Arbutus. “Is it weird that ah was expectin’ ‘em ta accidentally sink one of their own ships?” Babs had to hold back laughter at her cousin’s comment; had to remember these were still real creatures they were talking about. For a time, it seemed the crew had been wrong in their assessment of the vessel. That is, until a string of unnerving incidents began. One evening, a crew member came to Schelle’s cabin to inform him of a situation on the deck. When the Captain made his up to the conning tower he found Petersen, the sailor chosen for lookout duty, cowering in the corner. As he recounted what he saw, the illustration showed the lookout up in the conning tower and someone else in an officer’s uniform standing a few feet away on the ship’s bow, back turned to him. When Petersen called out to the man, he turned to reveal the face of none other than the deceased Lieutenant Richter, who then vanished before his eyes. “Maybe Petersen was good friends with Richter and just missed him so much he sees him when he isn’t there?”, Scootaloo offered. “Ah can see that. Applejack misses Granny so much that she sometimes acts like she still with us.” “Well two things. One I don’t think they got t’ know each other long enough for that t’ be true. Second, what do yuh mean your sista acts like Granny Smith is still here?”, Babs asked her cousin. “Well sometimes when she thinks nopony is lookin’, ah catch her goin’ ta granny’s old room and talkin’ to the picture of her next ta her bed.”, Apple Bloom explained. “Usually she talks about the farm or how ah do at school.” She noticed the weird looks her friends were giving her. “I-is that weird?” Babs waved her hooves in front of her. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”, answered Scootaloo quickly. Schelle berated the sailor, accusing him of being either intoxicated or cowardly. He warned Petersen that if he spread any rumors of ghosts to the rest of the crew, he would suffer serious consequences. But news of the incident had already spread throughout the boat even as Schelle was still making his way back to his cabin. “What was the point of threatening him anyway?”, questioned Scootaloo. “Sure, teasing them would be one thing but why does Schelle have to be such a jerk about it?” “Big sis tells me most officers tend t’ have a branch up their ass.”, Babs answered. Several days later, another lookout had a ghostly encounter. This time, after clambering up into the conning tower he felt a tap on his shoulder and found Richter standing behind him, smiling. Scared out of his wits, he fell backwards down the ladder and into the control room, breaking a leg in the process. His screams of pain disrupted the morning’s tranquility and drew crew members to his location. As they tried to help him, two of the men swore they saw Richter staring down at them from the conning tower hatch before disappearing. Even though he once again threatened disciplinary action against those involved, Schelle was left feeling a little nervous after this incident. “One of ‘em has a broken leg! What’s yer problem, Schelle?”, AB exclaimed. “Can we please not talk about broken legs right now?”, Scootaloo pleaded. “Makes me think of that time we had to drag you back to Sweet Apple Acres after you broke yours trying to get a rock climbing cutie mark.” “Oof. I can only imagine how bad it musta been tryin’ t’ explain that t’ cousin AJ once yuh got home.” Her cousin’s guilty downward gaze and drooping ears as well as Scootaloo’s clenched jaw and thousand yard stare was all the indication Babs needed. The hauntings not only continued into UB-65’s second patrol, they increased in both volume and intensity. One evening, two engineers working on a piece of machinery reported that they saw Richter surveying the control panel behind them, before proceeding to walk straight through a nearby bulkhead. While Scootaloo felt a chill run up her spine, Babs wasn’t so rattled. “Oh.” The former gave her a strange look, “What do you mean, oh?” “Well he said that it was going t’ escalate. So I figured this time Richter would beat up a crew mate or push one of ‘em off the ship. Somethin’ like that.” Schelle was initially worried that reporting the issue to his commanders would reflect badly on him. However no enemy ships sunk during the second patrol, the captain feared that this sharp decline in performance meant that his crew were too frightened to carry out their duties. So, he no options other than requesting a new crew. “Wait, so he fired all of ‘em? Harsh!” “Eh. It’s less they were fired and more like they were shuffled t’ somewhere else, I think.”, Babs explained to her cousin. “I guess we now know why Schelle kept getting so uppity. He doesn’t want his reputation getting torpedoed.”, said Scootaloo. “And if my sista has taught me anything about naval officas, he also doesn’t want t’ see his chances at a promotion go underwater eitha.” On the way back to their home base at Wilhelmshaven, a torpedoman working in the bow compartment looked up to see the dead second officer walking past him; in typical fashion, the spirit then disappeared through the steel hull. The crewman was driven so insane that he screamed then carved a violent path through the boat, fighting his way past every crewman who stood in his way until he made it to the top of the conning tower. From there, he threw himself into the water. “Sweet Celestia!”, Babs exclaimed wide-eyed and mouth agape. Apple Bloom struggled to find the words. “W-what’d he have ta do that for!?” Scootaloo’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks and she felt herself break into a cold sweat. The idea of being trapped with something that terrifying until you come to shore was a nightmare. “And it won’t even wait long enough for you to get that chance!” Schelle stood on deck with several other crew members, watching helplessly as this scene played out. When he turned around, he saw Richter standing amongst the others and staring back at him, before fading into nothingness. “And here I thought Richter didn’t actually wanna hurt his old crew mates.”, Babs said. “Technically he didn’t.”, AB pointed out. Schelle’s superiors were initially angry and bemused at his patrol reports and request for crew reassignments. However, the corroborating testimonies by his junior officers and his crew swayed them enough to take action, even if it was only to quash any potential hysteria that might spread to other ships. The commander of the Flanders Submarine Fleet decided to launch an investigation into the supposed supernatural activity. A Lutheran priest was also brought in to conduct an exorcism of the boat while the majority of the crew was quietly replaced. “Banishment is probably the only real way to stop a ghost. What else could you even really do?” Apple Bloom was too busy pondering if this priest’s “exorcism” counted as some form of magic to acknowledge Scootaloo’s question. “He might be usin’ some kind of gadget, instead. Ah sure don’t remember any human magic users mentioned in the other stories.” UB-65 would go through two more patrols without any incident until a fateful encounter with the American submarine, L2, which spotted the u-boat sitting motionless on the surface just off the Cornish coast in the evening. Just as he was giving the order to sink the unsuspecting German vessel, Lieutenant Augustine Grant spotted something that gave him pause. Through perspective of Grant’s binoculars, the audience got a troubling view of UB-65 on its final voyage. Before anything even happened, it was already tilting heavily to one side in the water. Despite how hazardous it was, an officer was seen standing up on its deck and staring off into the sea. Before his men even finished loading the submarine’s torpedo tubes, Grant observed UB-65 violently shake as if hit by a huge explosion before sinking beneath the waves. AB quirked an eyebrow, “Wait, so did Richter blow up the ship? What even happened?” “Probably some kinda malfunction or one of their torpedoes suddenly goin’ off without warning.”, Babs suggested. “Not like it hasn’t happened with this ship before.” “Okay, but how does that explain the Americans seeing Richter’s ghost even though they didn’t know about him?”, questioned Scootaloo. For the next hour, L2 sailed back and forth in search of any survivors but found none; the entire crew had gone down with the ship. Being reminded of the human element of this story they’d forgotten about made all the fillies’ previous questions fizzle away. “I should probably count my lucky stars that things turned out the opposite way when my school burned down.”, acknowledged Babs. “Might have turned out that way for those sailors too if their captains actually cared about their safety.”, Scootaloo muttered bitterly. It drove her nuts learning how much of reality was beyond her control and the idea of people who actually had some agency choosing not to heed all the red flags and making all their underlings suffer the consequences was downright sickening. Almost ninety years later, their metallic underwater tomb was rediscovered in 2004 by a British documentary crew. The wreck was inspected by a renowned nautical historian who found no signs of damage nor anything that indicated UB-65 being sunk by enemy action. Though, she did some evidence that some of the crew had tried and failed to escape the vessel as it was sinking. That last tidbit elicited all manner of pity from the girls. “There goes my theory, I guess.”, Babs thought to herself. What was more surprising than that was the fact that other U-boats of the Imperial German fleet have also experienced something supernatural. The narrator cited an incident from two months prior to the loss of UB-65. The HMS Coreopsis rescued the crew of the sinking UB-85 off the coast of Belfast. The U-boat’s captain would later claim to his interrogators that an attack by a vicious sea monster is what caused his vessel to sink. According to him, as the ship was resurfacing something emerged from the water and climbed up onto the decking. In the accompanying image, coiled around the ship was a massive serpent with horns and, according to the captain’s description, glowing red eyes; it’s wide open mouth displayed rows of razor sharp teeth and a long forked tongue. This monster had pulled the bow under the waterline, flooding the open hatches. Thankfully, a steady barrage of gunfire managed to scare the creature off, though it caused further damage to the submarine as it crashed back into the water and the crew spent next few hours trying to keep it afloat before eventually being captured. “So they don’t have any protocol for sea monsters? They got manuals on that in the Equestrian navy, it’s standard.” “There’s just a lotta creatures we take for granted here that are seen as myth by humans.”, AB answered her cousin. Despite the ridicule and accusations of inventing this story to cover for his own shortcomings, the German U-boat captain insisted till his dying breath that it was all true. “Weird that I can actually relate to this guy.”, Scootaloo said. “Why? Met a sea monster before?”, Babs asked. “No. But when I’ve gotten in trouble, nopony ever believed me when I’ve tried shifting the blame onto a monster either.” When the wreck of the submarine was discovered in 2016, analysis once again unable to determine any obvious cause for its sinking. “Does that prove him right or discredit him?”, Apple Bloom wondered. The commander of U-28 also gave an eyewitness account of a huge sea creature. This one he supposedly saw get hurtled from the sea into the air by the explosion of the British steamer called Iberian, which he had torpedoed. While together this all may sound compelling, it is important to remember the stresses of operating a U-boat. For weeks at a time, U-boat crew had to live in cramped, unsanitary conditions with the threat of death always near even in non-combat situations and the chances of survival or rescue were minimal. This of course took a heavy toll on sailors’ physical and mental health. With this in mind, was it possible that this stress generated some form of mass hysteria that spread through the ranks of the commanders and crew alike? “I hope I never set hoof on any of these things in my life.”, Babs said. “Me neither.”, added Apple Bloom Scootaloo remembered how far-fetched mass hysteria sounded as an explanation when it had been applied in the Mad Gasser case. The narrator was also skeptical of this explanation given that these occurrences were confirmed by entire crews and not just individuals. These men had nothing to gain from fabricating their accounts of Richter’s ghost. Nothing except ridicule. Though it should be noted that those who were transferred for talking about the specter turned out to be the lucky ones. This combined with the results of examining the wrecks seems to point to something more mysterious. He then concluded that whatever the answers are regarding UB-65’s fate had sunk to the sea floor along with its wreckage, which now served as a monument to the bravery of its crew. “May they rest in peace.” Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief now that it was finally over. “I feel like we ain’t got an explanation for what this First World War was about.”, criticized Apple Bloom. “Same with World War Two, actually.” Scootaloo turned to her and asked, “Do you really want a history course just to understand a ghost story?” “Good point.” Babs was indifferent to that question. “Personally, I just hope that my sista is retired from naval duty by the time these things start showin’ up in our world.” Once the conversation died down, the time came for Apple Bloom to blindly pick the final story for the night. She got an awful feeling from the title she ended up landing on. What Happened To The Sodder Children?