Battleship of Equestria

by MorgothII

Endgame

Battleship of Equestria Chapter Nineteen: Endgame

June 18th, 1942 12:00 PM

Second Battle of Equestria

(Jacob's POV)

My saber smashes against Henry's own sword. Sparks leap briefly from the ferocity of my strike. Our swords are wielded by our magic, the grips as strong as, if not stronger, if we had hands. My former brother takes a step backwards and swings his own sword at me. Once again our blades lock. I stare at the half serene, half crazed expression on my rival's face. I can feel my face contort in a mixture of equal parts of hatred and disgust. It will be either him who dies, or me. And I won't die without taking that bastard with me. Luna and her sister and their friends, my friends, have been nothing but kind and helpful for the small group of men and later ponies that I call both my crew and my family. I will repay them in ending one of the three threats on this battlefield, no matter the cost.

With a silent snarl, I jerk my sword, still underneath Henry's mameluk sword, upwards, breaking the parry. I press my own flurry of attacks. Henry begins to give ground. I barely register the fact that we are moving towards the semi-burning wreck of the former USS Arizona, before Henry had perverted and desecrated the American battleship-turned-tomb. Maybe it is fitting for the death that will end this duel should occur on the ship where my little brother died and was replaced by this bastard.

I deliver a swift quick to his chest, once more knocking him off guard. I deliver a horizontal slash with my saber. I take grim satisfaction at the result. I have drawn the first blood of this duel. A shallow slash across his right check begins to weep blood, his coat starting to turn crimson. With a grunt/shout, my alicorn opponent spreads his wings and takes flight. "NOT SO FAST YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!" I howl as I also take to the sky. We both head to the forward fighting top of Henry's flagship. Soon the sounds of our duel are heard once more as the final battle continues its blood-soaked path.

Meanwhile…

The Second Battle of Ponyville

With a grunt, Princess Luna dodges a sword strike by rearing backwards. The midnight-blue alicorn quickly steps backward before Cluny the Slaver can strike again with either his sword or his tail. Above Luna is her older sister, Princess Celestia. The taller alicorn fires a golden bolt of magic while the fallen unicorn wizard-turned-warlord launches his own bolt of dark magic. The two projectiles collide in the middle, the ground directly underneath scorched by the raw power of the blast.

"Oh how I have waited a long time for this, my dear princesses," Cluny cackles. "At last Equestria shall fall to me, and death and darkness shall reign supreme until the end of all. You have failed your subjects," He taunts. Luna growls. "Not if we have anything to say about that!" She shouts, swinging her sword straight into Cluny's own sword, creating a notch in the massive blade. Celestia swoops in low and delivers a hard kick. TO her astonishment, the blow barely affects Cluny.

With a sigh, the older brother of Starswirl the Bearded simply flicks his rat-like tail upwards. The barbed end streaks through the air towards the flying alicorn. The war spike at the end of his long tail makes contact with the startled princess of the day. While it only scratches the golden yoke she wears as part of the symbol of her position, it is more than enough to shock Celestia just enough to cause her to pull away. Luna narrows her cerulean eyes and continues her duel against the greatest threat in all of Equestria.

'I hope your duel is going much better, my love of my life,' She thinks to herself as she swings and slashes with her sword, relying on her years upon years of practice.

Aboard the Arizona…

(Jacob's POV)

"GAH!"

I grunt as I take a half-step backwards. Not taking my eyes off my former brother, I shake my head slightly to regain my balance. I mentally curse myself for being sloppy in my guard. I can tell that the cut to the right side of my face will leave a hell of a scar, but it won't be fatal. The platform shakes slightly as smaller internal explosions of fuel and ammunition slowly begins to be ignited. In spite of the danger, however, we continue our hate-fueled duel to the death.

Both our uniforms have rips and tears in them. Small sections of my white naval uniform has turned red from the shallow cuts that Henry occasional managed to hit me with. The uniform my alicorn counterpart wears disgracefully, however, is more soaked and tattered. Henry always preferred using his fists while I continued to practice my swordsmanship immediately upon receiving my now well-used sword.

Suddenly, I feel a strong force enclose around my neck, choking me. I lose my concentration at that moment, my magic fading as my sword clatters to the floor. Henry walks forward with a smirk. My vision starts blacking out as my lungs scream for air. If I don't do something fast, I will be dead. And that is not an option, especially if that means that Henry lives. I mentally smirk when I see the key to escaping as my former little brother halts a foot away from me, preparing to deliver the killing blow with his own sword.

I lash out with my front hooves, setting him off balance and destroying his own concentration and losing his grip on his sword. I take a deep breath as he charges at me, but I stick my leg out. He flips over onto his back. I stand over him and use my magic to bring my sword back to me. He does the same thing, for our blades smash into one another once more just inches from his face, causing me to growl in frustration as I leap backwards, having the desire to not risk getting knocked onto my own back.

We continue trading blows in the small area. Then I send a stream of my magic at him. Henry does the same with his own magic. The two streams of magic, one a deep blue, the other black-and-green with a hint of red. I feel beads of sweat beginning to form on my forehead as the strain of pushing my magic forward against Henry's starts to drain me. After a few more seconds, I release a grunt as the magic stalemate between us explodes, launching both of us backwards. I slam into the side of the fighting top forward of the second forward-firing fourteen-inch gun turret, a collection of rope and canvas that is starting to burn clinging to the narrow railing. A hoarse grunt is emitted from Henry as he lunges forward, wings outstretched.

I roll to the side as his mameluk slams into the narrow string holding the burning material. With nothing to hold it upwards anymore, the material drops to the turret, which is now partially roofless thanks to a blast from one of my own fourteen-inch guns from the USS Fuso. I was surprised that the magazine hadn't exploded, but now I pray that Henry had flooded the magazine. Though to be brutally honest, I highly doubt that, knowing how immoral the former Marine has become.

I stand up but receive a (relatively) light kick to the jaw from one of Henry's back hooves, sending me towards the remains of the top of the turret. I manage to spread my wings and land on all four legs. Henry quickly joins me as he swings his mameluk in a diagonal manner, trying to slice my chest open. I duck underneath and swing my saber in a counter-blow. Mine is more successful. I am rewarded with a loud grunt of pain as I deliver a deep cut into Henry's right shoulder. Blood immediately begins to pour downwards.

I have no time to savor the strike as the pain appears to only egg him on. Once more our swords continue to duel, sparks flying amid the burning destruction that is our battleground. I will not stop, but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I pray that the rest of the final battle is going well for us, and that both Cluny the Slaver and General Gu'klas are pinned down and engaged in their own duels.

Meanwhile…

High above the battlefield and unnoticed by ant other fliers are two pegasi mares. One is cyan with a very distinctive multi-colored mane, and the other is turquoise and has a golden-crested mane styled as a Mohawk. The cyan mare smirks slightly when she sees her target. Rainbow Dash looks over her shoulder at her friend and wing-pony Lightning Dust. She points down several times and mimics a dive. Lightning nods eagerly, her carrot-golden eyes brimming with confidence. The two mares fold their wings against their body and point their noses downwards, becoming blurs.

General Gu'klas doesn't see the duo until it is too late. He is knocked off his mount by both the mares using their front legs. As the Carolean general rolls away from his mount, slightly dazed from the impact of four hooves against his bronze helmet, the two pegasi mares make their attack. Rainbow and Lightning circle the sky above, all four legs clutching the 81mm white phosphorus mortar round. RD looks at LD with a determined smirk.

"BOMBS AWAY!"

The two shells score a direct hit on the wolf-like wooden creature. Twin clouds of smoke obscures their target, but the painful howl is more than enough proof that the Timberwolf is on fire. Lightning Dust, confidant of victory as it will be a single Carolean (albeit an armored one) against not one but two of the fastest flyers in Equestria, dives down on the seemingly still-dazed Gu'klas. Rainbow doesn't realize that her wing-pony has broken formation until the last minute. Her violet eyes then widen as she notices the sudden shift in Gu'klas's posture.

"LIGHTNING DUST! BREAK OFF, BUCK IT!"

Her friend starts to slow down, but not at a fast enough rate. She momentarily takes her eyes off of the back of the crouched Carolean to shoot a look of curiosity at the sudden order. That is more than enough time for the Carolean general to attack as LD is within the reach of the arc of his cruel-edged scimitar. Like a coiled viper, he strikes with no mercy at the distracted pegasus mare.

Rainbow Dash watches in horror as a metallic streak is seen briefly, along with a thin line of red blood. Then her blood chills in a mixture of horror and anger when she hears her friend-turned-rival-turned-friend-again scream in pain. It is not a pleasant sound. In fact, it is a little surprising to RD as she realizes that this was the first time she has ever heard Lightning make any kind of sound that indicates pain at all. She continues to watch as the turquoise mare starts to spin slightly, one of her wings turning crimson as blood stains her feathers.

Rainbow Dash zooms at top speed towards her now-injured wing-pony. She keeps one eye on the grinning face of the enemy general as he stands up to his full height. His sword is held towards the ground. The Element of Loyalty's blood begins to burn slightly in anger as she notices the area of the tip that is coated and even dripping blood, the blood of her wing-pony Lightning Dust. Then she feels a second, friendlier presence.

"Take care of your friend, Dash. I'll take care of this Gu'klas."

If it is possible for RD's already-wide eyes to widen anymore, they would have upon her recognizing the owner of the voice, though she hadn't heard her speak since the loss of the Crystal Empire. She turns her head to the left and sees Princess Mi Amore Cadenza flying right beside her. The normally-gentle and loving pink alicorn has an expressionless mask on her face that hides her emotions, just as it has been for nearly a month. But her eyes tell Rainbow an entirely different story.

Pure hatred fills the eyes of the princess of love as she stares at one of the three architectures of the destruction and displacement, as well as the near-death of her beloved Shining Armor, of the Empire and the crystal ponies. The sight unsettles the nearly-always confidant cyan mare and she merely nods, a small part of her mind almost pitying the Carolean who will soon be subjected to the wrath of one of the four alicorn princesses of Equestria. Then she resumes her rush towards the now-limp Lightning Dust that lies on her side on the ground, her injured wing splayed across her body.

Rainbow is relieved to see her friend's eyes open half-way up. "Sorry I bucked up, RD," The reformed daredevil says weakly. Dash shakes her head, trying to get the injured pegasus to stay relaxed. "It's fine, Lightning. I've bucked up too. Don't worry, you're going to make it," The cyan mare says, putting on the best confidant smirk she can manage at the moment.

Meanwhile, Princess Cadence flaps her wings slowly, hovering above the ground. Her eyes bore into Gu'klas. He gives a smirk and laughs. "You better leave now, 'princess of love'. I'm not interested in wasting my energy into killing a shell of a pony, even if you're an alicorn," He taunts, a part of him wanting to fight. After all, his master had given instructions for the alicorns to be captured. Defeating this one will be easy, and easily gain praise from Cluny.

He isn't shaken when the pink alicorn doesn't reply or even flinch, nor when she lowers her head, a light-blue glow surrounding her alicorn horn. In fact, the callous demonic warrior throws his helmeted head backwards and closes his eyes as he laughs uncontrollably. What he doesn't realize is that he has just sealed his doom, for he has under-estimated the extent of the mare's fury and desire for vengeance, or how far she is willing to go to do so.

A glowing, pulsating heart made of her magic flashes towards the unaware general. Her magic washes over him as he stops laughing and opens his eyes. He stares at Cadence as he suddenly begins to shake slightly. His chest suddenly feels like it is tightening, his body filled with strange new emotions. "What-what have you done to me?!" Gu'klas demands, his voice raw with emotions he had never dealt with in his long life.

Cadence watches in a detached manner as she answers his question/demand. "I have opened your heart. What you are feeling now is guilt of your actions, the grief you have caused in every single pony, and your own horror at what you have done. Simply put, I have given you a true conscious of sorts. As some will say, you are reaping the whirlwind you have sowed."

Gu'klas feels tears beginning to form in his eyes. He throws his head slightly backwards, his fanged mouth open in a silent scream/sob. The cold-hearted Carolean is unable to form coherent thoughts as his brain is overwhelmed. With trembling hands, he sticks his scimitar into the ground and removes his bronze chest plate. He tosses the armor aside and grips the hilt of his scimitar, yanking it from the embrace of the earth.

The top Carolean general reverses his grip on his sword, the edge now pointing at his own chest. He closes his eyes as tears continue to flow freely down his cheeks. Then he thrusts the blade forward into his own beating heart. The organ immediately stops pumping blood, and the rest of Gu'klas's body systems slowly begin to shut down. He slumps forward onto his knees for a brief moment. Then the once-formidable warrior falls onto his side, his body curled.

Princess Cadence has already turned away, however, and is with the duo of pegasi mares. "Come, we must quickly get her to Twilight and the medics. There is no time to use," She tells the Element of Loyalty, her voice once more filled with compassion and kindness. RD nods, having already placed a tourniquet of fabric torn from her Wonderbolt uniform around the cut around LD's damaged wing, in an effort to stem the bleeding. And effort that is partially successful, for although the rate of blood that spills out of the deep gash in her left wing has been reduced to nearly nothing, the blue-and-yellow fabric is soaked.

No further words are said as the two uninjured mares lift up the third mare and fly with all speed towards the rear. As Rainbow clutches the limp Lightning Dust, she reflects briefly on the results of the duel. 'One leader down, two to go. We're counting on you Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And you as well, Captain Jacob.'

Back aboard the Arizona…

(Jacob's POV)

I breath in sharply in pain as Henry's blade nicks my ribs as it is withdrawn from my side. We both are bleeding heavily from our wounds. Henry has sustained an additional leg wound to the rear and his left ear has been severed, courtesy of my academy saber. In return, however, I have received several deep gashes on my sides, with this one being the third. We circle one another as blood continues to escape via our wounds. Then we lunge forward atop the turret roof, our blades crossing and catching one another. We both lean forward, trying to overpower the other.

Then I feel a rumbling sensation and smoke rising from the large hole in the roof nearby. My eyes widen in shock as I fully process what has happened. The burning rope and canvas from earlier must have somehow reached the powder magazine. This whole damn ship is about to blow up, and if I can't get away in time, take me with it. I note the same line of thought on Henry's face. Then I turn around and gallop towards the beach, spreading my wings and taking to the air just as I feel one last massive explosion take place.

A massive fireball erupts from the bowls of the Arizona, and virtually the entire front end of the beached battleship. Metal debris flies everywhere, into the water or burying itself deep into the sand. The blast flings both of us into the sand, briefly disorienting us. I spit sand out, getting back up upon shaking legs. A quick kick to my injured flank sends me stumbling backwards, but not ot the ground. Henry pants, his eyes blazing with anger and quite possibly insanity.

"This has gone on long enough!" My former brother then starts to chant, his voice slowly starting to sound like multiple other voices joining in.

"Ash nazg durbatulûk, Ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!"

Suddenly the whole earth shakes. The sky darkens despite there being a lack of enough clouds to block out the fully-risen sun. Before my eyes, portals appear all around. I am reminded of the effects of mirrors. I see soldiers from back home fighting to the death. I see planes flying back and forth, engaged in the deadly yet breath-taking art of aerial combat. Tanks from both World Wars churn the ground beneath their treads, while warships pound one another.

I finally manage to look back at my opponent when I hear a crazed laugh roll around the beach. My eyes widen in shock. 'He's lost his fucking mind!'

True enough, Henry continues to laugh, a crazed light in his eyes. "Just one last extra incentive for you, 'brother dear'. If you kill me, your world and your pathetic pony friends will live to see the night. When you fail to kill me, however, your entire world shall be destroyed."

My eyes narrow as I lunge forward. I open my mouth as I deliver my own mini-rant, my gaze locked onto his face.

"YOU WERE MY BROTHER HENRY! WE SWORE TO PROTECT EACH OTHER FROM THE MONSTERS BACK HOME! BUT NOW YOU HAVE BECOME THE VERY THING WE SWORE TO NEVER BECOME! YOU ARE NO LONGER MY BROTHER, AND I SHALL SLAY YOU HERE AND NOW!"

Henry is now a monster in all but form. Any hope of possibly reaching towards some small shard of the man I loved and cherished as my brother is truly gone, despite having already accepted that probability months ago. Now it will be a mercy for all to finish him. I pull my sword backwards, ready to strike hard for all of Equestria.

Meanwhile…

Once more Cluny laughs as the two alicorn sisters break away from him. While both have failed to inflict a direct wound to the other, all three of their armor is liberally covered in scratches and gouges from swords, magic, and Cluny's war spike. Now the trio stare at one another, panting. 'I don't know how much longer we can keep this up, Luna,' Celestia warns her younger sister by using their secure mental link. Luna shoots her older sister a reassuring smile for the briefest of moments before replying in kind.

'Fear not Tia. It will be like the stories Starswirl would tell us, of how good always defeated evil. We can do this.'

Then the ground shakes and the sky darkens. All three leaders look upwards at the sky as a vast array of portals appear. Cluny's single good eye narrows in anger once realization his him. He points his muzzle to the sky as he shouts furiously. "DAMN IT YOU PATHETIC WORM! I TOLD YOU THAT ONLY I CAN SAFELY OPEN THOSE PORTALS! YOU HAVE DOOMED US AL-URGH"

Cluny looks downwards in shock at the sword that had just pierced his neck the entire way through. His one good eye gazes into the cerulean ones belonging to Princess Luna. The midnight-blue alicorn princess withdraws her sword from his throat, taking a step backwards to avoid the spurt of blood emitted from the fatal wound. The wizard-warlord continues to stare at his killer in shock as his legs give out. Starswirl's younger brother collapse to the floor as his eye rolls upwards, his mask and coat becoming soaked in the rapidly-forming pool of his own blood.

Cluny the Slaver has finally been slain. And that means that there is only one more fight left.

Luna looks towards the beach, only one thought on her mind.

'Please be safe, my love. Don't die!'

On the beach…

(Jacob's POV)

I continue to slam my sword against Henry's. The evil alicorn has been forced to the ground on his back, his stomach bleeding from a superficial cut from earlier. I continue my relentless attack, my mouth running on an automatic-like mode.

"This is for my real little brother who you have replaced! This is for Ponyville! This is for the three ponies you tortured in that bastardly ambush you created! This is for the Crystal Empire and Shining Armor! This is for my crew and friends! This is for Froster! AND THIS IS FOR EQUESTRIA!" I howl as I swing my blade downwards once more, all my hate focused into both my magic and physical strength. It works to great effect.

Henry's mameluk snaps in half. My blade continues its path, the heavily-notched blade burying itself deep into Henry's chest. I withdraw it and slash open Henry's throat for good measure. The monster before me gives a brief gurgle before going limp, the final thing I see in his eyes being pure loathing towards me. Once, that would have crushed my heart. But you can't crush a heart already broken. At least, in terms of family. I raise my blood-soaked blade to the sky as the portals suddenly disappear as quickly as they had appeared. I give a guttural roar in triumph as I stand over the body of my fallen foe. Then I collapse to my knees as the blood I have lost from my wounds sinks in.

Even if I shall be dying soon, I can die knowing that Equestria will be a safer place without that…monster around. I watch the sky as the world goes black around me. I barely see the blur of movement as a dark blue wing folds next to me. "You did it, my love. You saved Equestria. Now sleep, and I shall see you soon, Captain Jacob." With that, I fall asleep, hopefully to awake soon.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the shortness and choppiness, had a hard time writing the duels so that they would be long enough

Comments

[Sunny Starscout]

..should I read this??????????? Y3A I11 G1V3 1T A TRY :)

[MorgothII]

7654927 Fusō was part of Vice-Admiral Shōji Nishimura's Southern Force at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was sunk in the early hours of 25 October 1944 by torpedoes and naval gunfire during the Battle of Surigao Strait. Some reports claimed that Fusō broke in half, and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour, but according to survivors' accounts, the ship sank after 40 minutes of flooding. Of the few dozen crewmen who escaped, only 10 survived to return to Japan.

[MorgothII]

7654869 Thanks, I take it you like it?

[Sunny Starscout]

Ya kidding me. That was like the best 10 hours of isolation and reading anyways great storie hope to see more content from you

[Night Swift]

More m8

[MorgothII]

7666674 Thank you. I have two models of her and I carry one of them around me in my pocket. In fact I have it in my hand right now

[MorgothII]

7666876 Again thanks. It actually caused me less of a headache selecting her as a basis of the Royal Equestrian Navy's ironclad fleet than finding out how many guns the USS Constitution-based sailing frigates had because the results varied :P

[FLUTTERGUY411]

I have spent almost a week reading this, well I'm not really sure if it has been a week but, since Tuesday, I think. I love this and will look forward to more from you. ALot of people don't like military in equestria due to the common similarities between the stories, but this is unique and is definitely different, in a good way.