//------------------------------// // 26: Life's Full of Surprises // Story: The Jolly Rogers // by lockheed //------------------------------// I extended my hand to both of the men in front of me and Rommel was the first to accept. “Field Marshall Rommel, you’re absolutely brilliant. A strategic genius.” “Thank you, general.” He replied as we broke the handshake and I extended it to Patton. He shook my hand and it felt as though he was trying to crush it. When we ended the handshake we all turned to the giant map and we watched a mare move another red magnet. “So, what’s the plan?” “Well,” Began Rommel “we’re looking at nineteen panzer divisions but they made the mistake of landing them all with in a twelve mile area.” He pointed to an area around fifty miles south of Baltimare along the coast. “With the Home Army’s tanks I can perform a simple pincer maneuver and cut them off from their supply lines on the beachhead.” “And then when they’re cut off we close in on them and destroy them.” Patton said. “My pilots can provide air cover for your operation if needed. We have new anti-tank A-24s that can knock out a panzer with a couple shots from their cannons.” I told them as I watched the map. “I will need your pilots to ensure that no enemy transport aircraft get supplies to the enemy troops.” Rommel replied as he removed his peeked cap and set it gently on the table. “No need to worry about that general. With our radar stations along the coast we’ll be able to see them coming a hundred fifty miles before they reach the coast.” “I’ve seen these radar screens general.” Patton said through his Boston accent. “There’s no way to tell if they’re ours, theirs, or a flock of damn birds.” “That is where our cooperation with the navy and the merchant marine come in. Ships sailing in and out of Equestria have been ordered to report any plane they see. Whether it’s ours or not. And,” I walked up to the map on the wall and borrowed a wooden pole from one of the mares “to get to their troops the planes would need to fly over a major shipping lane.” Pointing to a thin blue line leaving Baltimare Harbor I helped make my point. “Since the declaration of war there’s been an average of one convoy entering or leaving Baltimare every hour. Whether they’re going to Manehattan, or through the canal in Paneighma to Applewood; we have ships that will be able to catch any incoming aircraft.” “Then why didn’t they catch it before?” Patton asked and I found myself grumbling under my breath. “That’s a problem to bring up with Fleet Admiral Ironsides.” I told them as I began to walk out of the room. As I walked down the corridor my boot nails clicked on the marble floor but the sound of hoofsteps behind me made me stop and turn around. Princess Luna came to a halt next to me and gave me an envelope. “What’s this?” “It’s a human pilot we just assigned to help with the defense of Baltimare. I was hoping you would go and speak with him.” ~~~~~ 22:00 Hours February 7, 1987 Baltimare Aerodrome ~~~~~ A thin man in a blue air force uniform stood outside the transport plane as the engines shut down. As I looked at him out the window I saw a cigar clamped firmly in his jaw. Getting up from my seat I walked back and opened the door. Hopping down from C-47 I heard someone call “attention” and heels and hooves snapped together. Saluting the man ahead of me he returned it and began to walk forward to meet me. His slicked back hair shone in the moonlight and I saw a shadow above his lip that I noticed turned out to be a mustache. Extending my hand I felt him grab my hand and he gave it a good, firm shake. “General Jones, I presume?” He asked with a German accent. “At your service. And you are?” “Lieutenant General Adolf Galland.” He replied as we began to walk towards a Quonset hut where a metal chimney belched white smoke. We entered the hut and I felt the warmth from a makeshift stove envelop me and I relaxed in its presence. He sat down at a table made out of a giant spool for telephone wires. Sitting down on the small folding metal chair across from him I watched him place his peaked cap on the table. “So general, what brings you to our little airfield?” “Well, I’d like to see how ready the pilots and crews are for the defense of Baltimare.” “Hold on, I’ll get our best pilot in here.” He stood up and walked over to the door. “Major Hartmann!” He shouted as he stuck his head out the door. Returning to his seat he continued to puff on his cigar until a tired looking young man entered the hut and gave a lazy salute to Galland. Galland waved him to take a seat and the young man pulled up a chair. “General Jones, this is Major Erich Hartmann. Major Hartmann, this is Commanding General Jones.” We looked over at Hartmann who had dozed off in the few seconds he had been sitting down. Galland gave a small ‘what can you do?’ type of laugh about Hartmann. “He’s not slept in almost three days. Between training pilots day and night and now the invasion he’s been running about like a headless chicken.” “I can understand that. So how many kills does he have?” “Three hundred fifty two back on Earth; another five here.” “If all our pilots were like him the air war might be over by now.” I said as I pulled a small flask out of the inside pocket of my greatcoat. Taking a quick drink I placed the flask back in my pocket and looked around the Quonset hut. Along the walls, all the way down on both sides, there were bunks with personal items taped to the wall or laying on the thin mattresses. Down at the end I noticed two bunks that were bigger than the others. As I sat in my seat I felt as though I was melting next to the heater. “I think I’m gonna step outside for a few minutes.” Getting out of my seat I walked outside where a group of pilots sat around with a guitar and several empty bottles around them as snow began to fall from the overcast sky. As I looked at them the one with the guitar began to play and sing with a falter here and there amongst his words. Finally he stopped and one of the other pilots told him to play again and he cleared his throat. “Dashing through the snow In my rusty Thirty Eight Through the sky I go, gliding all the way I need new piston rings I need some new main tires My fighter’s held together by a piece o’ chicken wire “Oh, rust and smoke The heater’s broke The hatch just blew away! I light a match, to see the dash And then I start to pra-ay! The frame is bent The engine went The radio it’s ok Oh what fun it is to fly this rusty Thirty Eight!” The other pilots around him were laughing as the guitar player continued and the snow began to fall harder. “Bouncing through the snow clouds In a big blue cloud of smoke Ponies laugh as I fly by I wonder ‘what’s the joke’? I’ve got to get to the armory To get some ammo belts Cause Adolph Hitler’s comin’ soon In his big ol’ Fifty Two! “Oh, rust and smoke The heater’s broke The hatch just blew away! I light a match, to see the dash And then I start to pra-ay! The frame is bent The engine went The radio it’s ok Oh what fun it is to fly this rusty Thirty Eight!” The guitar player finished playing and all the pilots were laughing and applauding the singer. As I smiled at the group of drunken aviators the familiar wail of an air raid siren pierced the blackness of the night. “Attention! Attention! Unidentified aircraft inbound from the northeast! All pilots report to your aircraft!” The PA system blared and the base was filled with the groans of exhausted pilots. Slowly they all dragged themselves to their planes and up into the cockpits. As I stood by the hut Galland came out and stood next to me. “They’re all exhausted. They have to get up for every plane spotted. Even if it’s one of ours. They’re up at all hours because of the training flights from Manehattan that fly down towards us.” “Well better safe than sorry I suppose. Last thing we need is an enemy plane using friendly markings to bomb us.” I said as I pulled out my pack of cigarettes. Pulling one out I patted my pocket feeling for my lighter but I couldn’t find it in any of my pockets. “Pardon me general, but do you have a light?” He reached in his pocket and produced a silver lighter. Reaching over he lit my cigarette and I took a drag of it before lowering from my mouth between my fingers. “From the sounds of your luck so far I’d say it’s probably just another training flight.” We stood and watched the pilots for a bit until the sirens sounded the all clear. Looking again at the pilots we saw several who had dozed off in their planes. Those who were still awake climbed out of their fighters and slowly made their way back to their bunks. “So general, what can I do to help your pilots?” “We need new planes. We’re working with second-hand Warhawks and Lightnings that are lucky to get off the ground.” “I pull every string in the air force. What d’ya want?” “Spitfires. Give us a squadron of Spitfires and we can finish the job.” ~~~~~ 07:10 Hours February 8, 1987 War Department, Canterlot ~~~~~ “Now listen to me, the South Pole incident never happened. Understood?” Princess Luna asked a colonel who was holding a folder stamped top secret in red ink. “Yes your highness.” He replied. He turned and walked out of her office and I stood up from my spot on the bench outside Luna’s small office. Stepping into the doorway I saluted before walking in and shutting the door behind me. “James, I just got a request form from Applewood I felt you might be interested in seeing.” Luna said as she slid a folded piece of paper across her desk. Picking it up I read the first couple of lines and set it back down. “Please tell me you’re not going to grant that request.” “James, if Sabre wants to reenlist then that is his choice. He is turning seventeen tomorrow and in the eyes of the law he will be a legal adult. Last time he joined with your consent. This time he can do it without permission. It’s all up to him.” “Does he even think before he does shit like this?! He thinks it’s all a fucking game! He wants to be a goddamn hero! He sees all those shiny medals and he gets these ideas in his head that he can be a hero!” I shouted as I paced the floor. “All heroics get you is six foot under in a pine box!” Slamming my fist against the wall I stood looking at the white paint until a thought came to me. Turning around I smiled at Luna with a small laugh. “The reserves.” Throwing my hands in the air I looked at Luna again and she had a perplexed look on her face. “Don’t you get it? The reserves! If he’s in the reserves then he can’t fight. No, even better idea! His leg! He got his leg broken in that POW camp. His leg still gives him problems! He can’t even get in the reserves. Oh, this is good.” I said to myself as I clasped my hands together. Looking at Luna I noticed she was looking at me with her eyebrow raised. “Happy?” “Very.” I said as I looked down at my watch. “Alright, I have a meeting at seven thirty with John.” Giving her a quick salute I walked out into the hallway and down towards the intelligence department. Opening the door to the room that was filled with radios I walked up the steps to the platform that overlooked the entire room. Stopping next to John I looked over at the phoenix on his shoulder. “When’d you get promoted?” “Couple days ago. So, you wanted a meeting with me?” “Yeah. We’re supposed to step up the anti-sub campaign and I need one of your enigma codebooks.” “Well, I can’t give you the code book but I can have my operators rely information. I’m sorry sir, but we need the codebooks here.” “Alright. Have you been in contact with the division trying to kill Hitler?” I asked as I watched the radio operators below us go about their work. “We’ve been talking. I’ve had runners taking messages from Gryphus over to them to analyze. So far they’ve figured out some of Hitler’s daily routine from photographs and radio messages. If you’re interested in more information I think Stauffenberg is in his office over there.” “Alright. Well, I think I’ll be off now. See you later John.” Patting him on the shoulder I turned and walked out into the hallway. Pausing by the door I pulled out a pack of cigarettes and removed one. Lighting the cigarette I leaned against the marble wall that was beginning to turn a yellowish color from the amount of smoke breaks that had been taken by workers. Looking up at the ceiling I saw a painting that stretched the length of the corridor. Though the paint was old, faded, and chipping away; I could still see the picture rather well. While some of it was now lacking smaller details I saw hundreds of ponies in armor charging head on against an entire army of changelings. Blowing smoke from my nose I gave a sigh and looked down the hall towards the office of Colonel Stauffenberg. Looking back at the ceiling I sighed again and pushed myself off the wall. Walking down the hallway I walked outside into the sunny February morning. Making my way down the stone steps of the War Department I began walking down the sidewalk where many ponies were beginning to go about their day. As I walked I saw dozens of mares heading to work in trucks that had been set aside to transport factory workers. Waving to workers in their famous red bandanas they all waved back with smiles on their faces. Walking further I saw a city police officer standing on the corner and approached him. “Excuse me officer, can you point me in the direction of the Red Star Line office?” I asked the overweight stallion who seemed to be on the verge of dozing off. “Uh, yeah. You’re gonna want to keep going down this street until you hit Fourth Avenue then hang a left and it should be the second building on that block.” “Alright. Thanks for your help.” Walking down the street I kept an eye on the street signs until I eventually reached Fourth Avenue and turned left. Looking at the signs in front of the buildings I saw the sign for the Red Star Line. Looking at the posters in the front window I saw one for their only ocean liner not in military service or sunken. Entering the office I saw a mare behind the counter who looked up and gave me a smile. “Good morning sir. May I help you?” She asked as she set down a book she had been reading. “Yeah. I was wondering about advanced booking.” “Alright, when were you wanting to book?” “Well I was hoping for whenever the war ends.” “You and a number of others, honey. And what ship are you wanting?” “The Titan if possible. Do you have a brochure or something for the Titan?” I asked as I looked at her desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out a pamphlet that had a picture of a large ocean liner on the front. Taking it from her I thanked her and made my way out onto the street where ponies were making their way to work. ~~~~~ 19:00 Hours February 8, 1987 1237 N. Main St Ponyville ~~~~~ I let out a sigh as I put the key in the lock for the front door of the house. Setting my head against the door I thought about what had been happening over the last couple days. After a few moments I turned the key and went inside. As soon as I stepped inside the heat from the living room fire place surrounded me. Shutting the door I set my hat and jacket on the rack by the door. Walking into the kitchen I grabbed a bottle of cola from the refrigerator. As I opened the bottle I realized something. It was quiet. Too quiet. Carefully making my way out of the kitchen I was by the stairs when I heard music. Looking upstairs I recognized the song as Love Never Changes and I slowly began to make my way up the steps. “Honey?” “James? I’m in the bedroom sweetie! I’ve got a surprise for you!” Thunderstreak replied with a seductive tone in her voice. Smiling to myself I removed my tie and stopped in front of the door. Grabbing the handle I was about to open the door when she began talking again. “And I want your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.” “Whatever you say sweetheart.” Closing my eyes I turned that handle and stepped into the bedroom. Taking another step further I stopped and behind me the door closed. Still smiling to myself I heard her walk around in front of me. “Alright sweetie. Open your eyes.” Opening my eyes I saw a woman in front of me with long brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. Looking her over I watched her red dress catch the light and further down her stomach showed she was pregnant. Looking back up at her eyes I smiled a little. “Thunderstreak?” “Surprise.” She whispered in my ear as she hugged me. Behind her the record on the player stopped and she broke the hug. “How about we put some more music on?” “Alright. But first a question. How-“ “How am I human?” She interjected as she placed the Chordettes record back in its sleeve. “Well, I went to Twilight today and she was able to get ahold of Luna for me. After eight of course because I knew she had called you in at seven. Anyways, with a little help from Luna we managed to come up with a face that I liked. Keep the hair and eye color and hello new body. Don’t think I’ll keep it though. I figured this could be your little Hearts and Hooves Day gift.” Thunderstreak said as she placed a new record on the player. “Now, I know we had trouble with dancing at the gala. So,” She placed the needle on the record and In the Mood began to pour from the speakers “let’s give it another shot.” Thunderstreak began to dance her way over to me and I took her hand. Putting my right hand on her waist we began to dance around the room. When the record ended we stood in silence for a few moments before I led her over to the bed and sat her down. “Another question; where’d you get a dress that fit your new body?” “Oh, Rarity made it. I already had a good idea of height in mind so she just went off that.” “I see. Now, I’ve got a surprise for you.” Reaching into my pocket I pulled out the brochure from earlier in the day and held it out for her. She took it and looked it over. “What’s this?” “Well since we never got to take a honeymoon, I figured once the war is over we could go on a little cruise. And what better ship than the Titan? Almost nine hundred feet long, a swimming pool, gymnasium, five star meals, and look at the grand staircase.” I said as I pointed to the staircase pictured in the brochure. She continued to look it over with a skeptical look on her face. “How much will this cost?” “Well for just you and me it’ll be about forty four hundred each. So a little under nine thousand.” “Nine thousand! James, we can’t afford that!” “I make over fifteen thousand a month. You make just under six thousand. Together we bring home around twenty one thousand bits a month.” Grabbing a pad of paper and a pencil off the bedside table I began doing the math. “Now if we take that and multiply by twelve we’re making over a quarter of a million bits a year. Sweetheart, we can afford nine thousand bits.” “I hate having money now. It pisses me off.” “How on earth does having money piss you off?” “Because then I can’t bitch as much!” She said as she threw her hands in the air. Even after dancing with her I was still getting used to seeing her with hands. “I’d believe that.” I said under my breath but a moment later a pillow hit me in the face. We sat in silence for a while but a knock on the front door drew our attention. I slowly stood up and made my way downstairs where another round of knocking echoed through the house. Opening the door I saw Big Macintosh standing on the doorstep “Mac, what’re you doing here?” “She’s gone.” “What? Who’s gone?” “Fluttershy. She’s gone. She left a note on the counter at the cottage and she’s run off. I don’t know where she is.” He said as he stepped inside. I led him over to the couch where he began to cry into his hooves. From upstairs I could hear steps and turned around to see Thunderstreak standing worried at the top of the steps. “James, what’s going on?” Mac turned around to face Thunderstreak but froze when he saw her standing on the top step. “I’ll explain later. Now,” Sitting down next to Mac I put a hand on his shoulder “just stay here and try and calm down. I’ll head into town and get the girls together and I’ll have a search party sent out from the base. We’ll find her Mac. Promise.” Getting up I grabbed my greatcoat and a garrison cap off the rack by the door I headed out into the cold. Getting into the car I drove towards Golden Oaks Library where there was thankfully a light still on. Parking in front of the library I got out of the car and made my way inside. “Twilight? You here?” I asked in a tone that was on the verge of shouting. From the steps leading upstairs came the sound off hoofsteps. “James? What’s going on?” She asked in a tired tone. “Mac just came by the house. Fluttershy’s run off and he can’t find her.” Her tired expression gave way to concern and she hurriedly began putting on her winter clothes. “I’m about ready to call together a search party from the base. Try and get the others here before I get back. And once you get ahold of them I want you to go down to that red police box on Third Street. The phone in the box should connect directly to the police station.” I told her as I turned to leave. She nodded as I closed the front door and climbed into the still running car. Driving over to the airbase I parked in front of the base offices and hurried inside. Walking into my office I grabbed the microphone that was connected to the base PA system. “Attention all personnel, you are all ordered to be by the base gates in five minutes. I repeat, you are all ordered to be at the gates in five minutes.” Setting the microphone down I opened the top left drawer of my desk and grabbed the pistol that was hidden under a mess of papers. Removing the clip of the captured P.08 I checked to make sure it was loaded before replacing the clip and sliding the pistol into my pocket. Walking outside I saw pilots, ground crew, and other base personnel slowly making their way towards the gates. As I stopped at the gates I looked around for somewhere higher I could stand. Finally I found a small ladder and made my way up to the flat roof of the guard shack. When the crowd finally stopped growing I looked at all of them and raised a hand to silence them. “Alright, I don’t like being out in the cold any more than all of you but listen. I’m sure you’re all familiar with Captain Macintosh Apple.” There were nods in the crowd and some mumbled answers. "And I am sure you’re all familiar with Miss Fluttershy; Element of Kindness and Captain Apple’s fiancé.” There were more nods from the crowd. “Well I am here to inform you that Fluttershy has gone missing. And our job tonight is to find her. I’ve already had someone gather the other elements and inform the local police department. As of now you’re all going to be divided up into teams of twenty. You’ll fan-out and look wherever she might be. I’ll also need a team to head over to the marine base to let them know one of their troops has gone missing. And everyone grab a gun. Who knows what comes out of the Everfree at night.” Climbing down from the guard hut I went inside where a cabinet filled with guns caught my attention. Opening the cabinet I grabbed as many clips as I could fit in my pocket and the Thompsons to go with them. Walking back outside I made my way over to the car and gently tossed the guns into the backseat. Climbing into the driver’s seat I turned the car on and drove towards the library again. Looking out the windshield towards the sky I silently thanks the heavens that the griffins had chosen to not launch a raid that night. Pulling up in front of the library I climbed out and looked up at the full moon overhead. Sighing I grabbed the guns from the backseat and went inside where five mares were all standing panicked. “Girls, calm down. I figured we’d start searching around Fluttershy’s cottage. From there we’ll check anywhere in the Everfree she might be hiding.” “Are ya crazy?!” Applejack shouted. “The Everfree Forest at night is one of the most dangerous places in Equestria!” “Which is why if she’s in there we need to get her out.” I said in a deeper, more angry tone than I had meant to. Applejack immediately went mute and stood there with everyone else. “Now, I figured the Everfree would be a bit high on the ‘shit yourself factor’. So naturally I brought guns for everyone.” Passing out the guns I gave everyone clips and they all loaded their guns in silence. Pulling out my P.08 I cocked it to ensure there was a bullet in the chamber before placing it back in my pocket. “Alright. Let’s roll ladies.”