//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Potshot of Manehattan and Battle of the Skies // Story: War on Terror // by cellum95 //------------------------------// "Sir, unidentified warship in 5 nautical miles. What are we gonna do sir?" "Contact the USS Stetham to fire a warning shot at the vessel." "Aye sir!" The Lt. moves to the communication room and ordered to the USS Stetham: "Unidentified warship at 5 nautical miles northeast. Elevation: 110. Fire a warning shot." As the message was relayed, the gun of the Stetham traversed to the vessel, and fired the shot, only to be replied by another shot. "Sir, the ship is still firing at us!" "Well, we have no choice here. All ships, intercept course and return fire!" Task Force Fleet Washington moved to battle formation, with guns of the modern destroyers firing back at the unidentified warship, turning the potshot into a major sea confrontation. The other ones fire Tomahawk Missiles, which proves deadly. 15 minutes into the confrontation, a Tomahawk hits the ship, with 2 direct hits from the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain following it. The unidentified ship ripped apart and split into two, with the US Ships deploying rescue parties to have some survivors to talk with. *At Manehattan, before and after the confrontation* "No! Dashie!" Rarity cried. The Mane 6 and the princess watch in muted horror as Rainbow Dash plunged into the sea, only to be being boarded in a smaller boat than the rest. "No......."Princess Celestia cried. The Mane 6 and Princess Celestia rage about what happened to Rainbow Dash. However, 5 minutes later, a splash was heard and they turned their heads towards it, to see a column of water near the fleet. "Uhm....Where did that come from?" Fluttershy asked. "I-" But before Rarity could answer, a shot was heard,then another, and another. They turned and saw the ships firing at an unknown direction, only to see in that particular direction, a wooden ship with a flag on it. "What in old's name is that?" Applejack ask. "A ship with some kind of flag on it." Twilight responds. Princess Celestia, not wanting to have the Elements of Harmony in grave danger, sought to talk to the Captain of the Fleet. Then suddenly......... *BOOM* The mares quickly turned their heads and saw the wooden ship split in two, with smaller boats with creatures moving towards it. *At the Bridge, USS Fitzgerald* "I don't want to be the receiving end of that." Rainbow gulped in shocked. She was told about the history of the United States Navy, it's action in WW2, and the very gun she saw cause devastation. "I don't like it either, but it's the least we could do." John said. "Why? Why would you do this?" Rainbow asked. "It was our duty, in the past, present and future, to protect our country from the threats, from the British, to support the Allies, and now, combat terrorism." John replied. "What is terrorism?" "Terrorism means using violent force to give them what they want." "Oh......Do you have?" "Yes, our threat was the Al-Qaeda, an Islamic Terrorist Group." "I don't like terrorism. If I heard that there was in Equestria, I would certainly want them out." "The same with us." *At the rescue site* "Uhm sir...Our directive was to know if there is any survivors from this ship." "I know that 2nd Lt.. However, I'm still worried with that......flag over there." Captain Kael Werner, commander of the USS Curtis Weber, pointed out. The rescue party turned their heads and saw the flag. It was a red cross with the initials GPLF in it. "WTF is this 'GPLF' means?" "Dunno what is means. Regardless, let's look for survivors in the water." "Aye sir!" The rescue party searched relentlessly for any lucky survivors. Every passing second, minute or hour, nothing.....Until, a crew spotted something. "Sir!" The rescue party turned their heads and saw a lucky survivor, but not an ordinary one. It is a horse alright, but black and has 6 red eyes. "Odd-looking creature." "Same here." "Just shut up and get this survivor to the ship." "Aye sir!" When they tried to rescue the unusual horse, they found 6 more, lying unconscious, but breathing. They put the horses into the boat and moved into their ship. But when they arrived, they saw another group of horses, this time in different colors, not the same as the ones they rescued. *Before and After* "Let's board their ship so we could.......you-know-what!" Rarity said. "I agree, but brute force is not the answer." Princess Celestia replied. "How are we gonna board this ship princess?" Twilight asked. But before she could get an answer, a great white flash suddenly overwhelms. The next thing they new, they are boarded in the ship. They noticed it's unusual design. It's made out of metal, not the typical wooden type, and has a stick poking out of something. But when they heard a noise, they turned their heads and saw the beings in a small boat and have 7 mares with them, just like them, only to be more.....unusual. *Encounter* "Dafuq are they?" "Will you pls identify yourselves?" "Hello, my name is Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria. And these are the Elements of Harmony." "What are their names Ms. Celestia?" "This is Twilight Sparkle, my personal student of mine. This is Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack. Including Pinkie Pie. Have you seen Rainbow Dash?" "Why yes madam. She is in the bridge, but I will need to get these unusual survivors on-board." "Yes you may." The creatures got out of the boats and proceeds to the Ward Room, where they treat the 7 unusual ponies. The Mane 6 and princess,accompanied by John who introduces himself a while ago, check out Rainbow Dash. "Hi Dash!" Rainbow Dash turned her head and saw her friends, and John. "H...Hi Guys." "My word darling. What happened to you?" Rarity asked. Rainbow Dash couldn't speak a word, but John breaks the silence. "We thought she would endanger our flyboy, so we take necessary actions. We took our guns, aimed, and fired. Perhaps we have injured her too much." "How dare you!" "It was just our instinct mam." Suddenly, a voice moves in. "Captain, the survivors are waking up. I advice you to come to them immediately." "Understood." "Where are we going?" "To the ward room." The captain, the Mane 6 and the Princess moved into the ward room, and saw the 7 ponies alive. "Well howdy....." But before Applejack could finish her sentence, a green colored pony, much like her, moved into her face. "Who....Who are you?" "I'm Rottenbunch. I was revived by Dimmed Star, which is right over there." They look at Dimmed Star, and Twilight was shocked to see herself, in a much more darker form. "Hello, my name is Dimmed Star, a personal student of Queen Blackhood." Twilight, and the rest of the gang, was in shock to learn about it. Twilight didn't know, that her darker form has a teacher, much like her. What's worse, the queen Dimmed talked about was actually the darker self of Princess Celestia. "Let me ask you guys." The rest of the unusual ponies wake up, and the 2 woken ones gathered around John. "Where do you all come from?" "My name is Queen Blackhood. I was once a co-ruler of Equinox, before I could my sister, Eclipse." The Mane 6 and the princess herself was in shock to learn about it. Nothing, in anypony's lives, to hear that a co-ruler would kill her own sister. John continued the conversation. "What does GPLF means? Who was it's leader?" The Equinoxean ponies were speechless to hear an unknown specie to ask the GPLF. Finally, after a long purge of silence, Dimmed Star spoke. "GPLF means Global Pony Liberation Front. It's aim, however, was a closely-guarded secret, and I can't even tell you about it. The leader, is also secret." "Please tell me." Celestia then spoke. "I told you, it's a closely-guarded secret. It can't be revealed." "Uhm.....Guys?" Pinkie asked. "What is it?" a red form of Pinkie asked also. "My Pinkie Sense is tingling and it's coming from above. By the way, who are you?" "My name is Zalgy Cake, and I'm a pony of jokes. But sometimes, I could make those jokes hurt people. But in my state of depression, my name now turns to Zalgressa, and disturb me, that's a death wish. Just ask me what is happening, or lock me inside my house." "Oh." *At the USS George Washington* "Sir! Several bogeys detected!" "Shit.....Send in the Hornets Lt.!" "Yes sir!" As the siren wails, the pilots of the Hornets rushed to their aircrafts, and flew off to intercept the bogeys. In the USS Fitzgerald, the Mane 6, princess, and Equinoxean ponies saw in utter awe as jets flew by, shooting the bogeys down one and another. The Battle of the Skies has began, and ended in the US Navy's favor. 'I don't know what's there intent, but I will be on alert.' Celestia thought. The fleet was steaming north, with some pony vessels behind it, some 10 nautical miles south of it and secretly follow the fleet, in hopes to know it's secret.