CMC Watch Bedtime Stories

by Lord Blundergosh

Evil Under The Ice: Mysteries of the Third Reich Part One

“Aaand… stop!”

Sweetie Belle uncovered her eyes right after she gave Apple Bloom the command to stop her scrolling. As had become custom she looked upon the title her hoof had landed upon and read it out loud.

“The New York N-ook-ee: Mysteries of the Third Reech…R-Raech…?”

Her failed attempts to pronounce that last word were interrupted by Scootaloo, who pointed one hoof towards the screen as she spoke.

“Is it me or does this say part three?”

Apple Bloom moved her head in front of the screen and began speaking with the pen in her mouth.

“How th’ hay doesh thisch shtory need three perts?”

“Yeah, seems a bit much.”, Sweetie Belle commented “Buuut, I’m kind of curious to see how this Third whatever had so many secrets that it couldn’t just fit into just one single story.”

Scootaloo winced, “Do we really wanna watch a whole three parter tonight?”

“Tell you what, we can watch part one and if it sucks we can watch a different one.”, Sweetie Belle promised. “But if we all like it, we’ll end our marathon after watching all three parts and start playing some cards instead. How does that sound?”

Scootaloo considered this for a second. While she was enjoying these stories so far, she wasn’t sure how much longer she wanted to watch them in one sitting. So, she was glad that she now might have an idea of when they might finally take a break depending on how this went. And if this first part blows they can at least have a chance of picking a better one.

“Fine. But if this one sucks, I’ll also get to pick the next one without my eyes covered.”

“Alright.”, Sweetie conceded before her face shifted seamlessly into an impish leer. “But if you pick a bad one, you gotta do a dare of our choosing!”

Scootaloo flinched back only the slightest bit. She may have been a little taken by surprise, but she still didn’t want to let her friend staring her down right now know that her intimidation was actually kind of working.

She steeled herself and said, “Sure. Why not?”

“When did it get so stand-offish in here?”, Apple Bloom wondered as she finally found the desired story and clicked on it, spitting the pen onto the ground.

The other two girls got a chance to look at the title.

Evil Under The Ice: Mysteries of the Third Reich Part One

The story opened on what the Crusaders would normally have assumed was a desert with big, stony mountains acting as the mighty “castles” of a barren kingdom. Knowing the title however, it was easy to put together that these were actually glacial mountains in the middle of a snowy wasteland. The never absent and always reliable narration went on to explain how in the aftermath of World War II, the victorious allied nations dispatched numerous military expeditions to the “Antarctic” region. In his usual rhetorical fashion, he then pondered whether these battleships were there for the sake of science and exploration or they set sail in search of something far more sinister; an evil that dwelt under the ice.

“Y’know, we’ve been hearin’ an awful lot about this Second World War. Ah really hope we at least get some hint of what it was about this time.”, Apple Bloom said whilst wrinkling her nose.

“I second that!”

“Ditto.”

The girls then got a view of the icy ocean from behind two human men leaning on a metal guard rail. They were both bundled up as they looked upon a ship that was approaching them. This was obviously not like the usual wooden sail ships the girls were used to seeing. This thing had no such sail and had what looked like a smoke stack popping up in the middle of its top deck. Even in black and white, the trio could tell that at least outside was entirely metallic. It also seemed to lie lower to the waves below than any ship they had ever seen. It looked like it was peaking its metaphorical head just above the water as it creeped through the sea like some sort of mechanical crocodile.

“Huh. Looks like Twilight was right. Ironclads really are the navy’s future!”, Sweetie Belle said, recalling the demonstration of Equestria’s first metallic battleship back in June, where the cutting edge war machine sank two out of four retired Equestrian naval ships before it inexplicably broke down and had to be hauled to the docks for repairs.

No matter how many times Captain Helka and his crew spent the festive seasons scouring the waters around Antarctic Peninsula, perpetual daytime was something they never really managed to adapt to.

Scootaloo’s eyes darkened as a terrifying thought occurred to her, “Can you imagine if instead of Luna, Celestia went crazy and tried to make it daytime forever?”

“*shiver. That might actually be worse, now that ah think about it!”, Apple Bloom ran a hoof through her own mane as she spoke.

The unending periods of daytime made it considerably easier to detect the invaluable whale pods which they were desperately hunting, but it also reduced the crew into shambling, sleep-deprived zombies.

Sweetie Belle felt sorry for the poor whales. Apple Bloom once again pictured her life if it was always daytime in Equestria, it’d be exactly like those sailors. Scootaloo however, was reminded of a question she and Sweetie Belle asked of Apple Bloom last week.

“Hey, Apple Bloom. Did you ask Zecora whether or not she can actually turn dead bodies into zombies?”

Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo and replied with a flat stare and scowl, “This again?”.

“Oh, yeah. What did she tell you?”, Sweetie chirped.

Apple Bloom’s irritation immediately became more apparent on her face, “The fact that y’all were askin’ meh ta do it instead of askin her yerselves, just shows ya know how messed up it is for ya ta ask.”

The two sheepishly looked away, with Scootaloo rubbing the back of her head while Sweetie Belle tried whistling a tune to drown out the all too familiar song that was awkward silence.

Apple Bloom turned back to the screen, but not without letting out a small huff. Unbeknownst to her two friends however, she did in fact get curious enough to actually ask Zecora whether or not she ever had raised the dead. She learned that not only was there no such as thing as raising in Zecora’s line of practice, the stories of zombies being woken from their slumber to serve the whims of their zebra masters was a myth designed by local medicine ponies to sow hate and suspicion towards traveling zebra healers/potion makers wherever they went. If that weren’t bad enough, Zecora also told Apple Bloom how she once had a friend who was executed in a foreign land under such accusations of necromancy. While she knew that the sagely zebra wasn’t intending to make her feel guilty, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel ashamed for opening up those old wounds. Since then, the farm filly was more than a little cross with her friends for putting that whole stupid idea in her head in the first place.

Their sleep-deprived state might have explained why the Juliana’s lookout that morning was slow to react to the vessel that was now floating just a short distance off their starboard beam. Helms had been down in his cabin, staring dejectedly at his charts, in the hope it would somehow inspire him to reverse the fortunes of what was so far a wasted journey, all the way from their native “Iceland”. Then he heard the shouting coming from up above. The whaler’s captain stood on deck along with the rest of the crew, staring helplessly across the water at the “deck gun” that was now trained on his ship. Without anything else on the approaching ship to point to, the trio could only that the “deck gun” is supposed to be weird looking canon mounted on deck.

“So, are they hijacking this ship?”, Sweetie Belle asked.

“Ooo. Does that mean these guys are pirates!?”, Scootaloo exclaimed with twinkles in her eyes.

Even without her infamous red and black naval ensign on display, there was no mistaking the sleek lines of a Kriegsmarine U-boat.

“Ah guess they’re not pirates then.”

“Wait, what makes you say that?”, Scootaloo pressed Apple Bloom, not having caught on.

Sweetie answered instead, “Well duh, they just said it has naval insignia. Ergo, it’s part of a navy and not a pirate ship.”

There had been stories of “German submarines” which had either failed to hear or obey the final orders to surrender. But the war had been ended for over two years now. Just what had they stumbled across?

“So these Germans were defeated two years ago and these sailors still haven’t gotten the memo?”, Sweetie reiterated the narrator’s words in utter perplexity.

“No way that’s possible with those phones humans got. So, they gotta just be refusing to give up.”, Scootaloo said.

Practically channeling her older sister, Apple Bloom stated, “These boys sure got some nerve on ‘em.”

Given the fact that these “Germans” were apparently about to hold innocent civilians hostage, Sweetie Belle was inclined to disagree with that comment about their “bravery”. Still, she was curious as to what these German people looked like. Figures in grey-green overalls were now hurrying across the deck of the “submarine”, and a short time later, two inflatables made their towards the Juliana. With no weapons on board to defend themselves and no other ships in vicinity to hear their transmissions, Helka ordered his men to line up and offer no resistance to their captors.

Sweetie felt a little pleased with herself upon hearing that her assertion from earlier that they were taking the captive was confirmed. Momentarily, she forgot to feel sorry for the fishermen who were about to have their ship and possessions stolen; but again, only momentarily. As the Germans were hauling themselves up over the railings, a figure broke away from their number and strolled enthusiastically strolled over to where Helka was standing. Looking at the pointed cap and smiling, bearded face of the U-boat captain standing to the right of the screen across from Helka, Sweetie’s expression turned a little glum.

“Oh.”, she said blankly, drawing interest from Scootaloo.

“Something wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I was just kind of expecting these Germans to look different. Like an entirely different species, I mean. Instead, it’s just humans from another country.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and joined in, “Yeah. It is mite weird that we haven’t seen any other species of civilized critters from this world.”

“Did something happen to the rest of them?”, Scootaloo wondered.

The U-boat captain cheerfully apologized for the disruption, asking if it would be possible for him and his crew to purchase half of the remaining supplies aboard the whaling ship. Despite his affable and polite nature, there was a tone to the submariner’s request which led Helka to believe that refusal on his part would be unwise. He noted uneasily that each German sailor was armed with either a pistol(?) or carbine(?), so he reluctantly agreed to the proposal. He was immediately handed a thick roll of US dollars(?) and was advised that their should be enough left over for each member of the crew to receive a small bonus for their troubles.

“Huh… sounds like the kindest hijackin’ ever.”, Apple Bloom commented.

“Or it’s actually not a hijacking?”, Scootaloo suggested.

Knowing that without either the ship or the supplies being commandeered without any compensation, Sweetie had to concede that this wasn’t technically a hijacking as most ponies would conceive it. Even considering the implied coercion involved.

“Okay, but what do you call it?”, she asked.

“Weird is what ya call it. Really weird.”, Apple Bloom answered, her anxiousness about discovering this captain’s true intentions apparent in her voice.

As the submarine commander later turned to leave, he paused and asked Helka to bring one of his charts up from his cabin. Once Helka brought him the map, the German U-boat captain then marked down a location not too far away and advised that there was a large school of humpback whales to be found there before saluting and disappearing back over the side of the ship. The Icelandic crew watched in bewilderment as the submarine turned away and then slowly made its way off into the distance, never to be seen again.

“Ah would be afraid ta see how things woulda turned out if he told that German sailor no.”

“Gee, you don’t say, Apple Bloom?”, Sweetie Belle dryly replied with an eye roll.

Apple Bloom ignored her and continued, “Still, ah can’t wait ta find out what they were tryin’ ta hide from those fishers.”

“It has to be some kind of secret treasure, right? I mean, they’ve got cash for days from the sound of it!”, Scootaloo exclaimed.

While the pegasus filly fantasized about diving into a secret pool of Bits that these Germans were hiding underneath the ice, the narrator cut to a human naval captain in a white uniform and pointed cap standing in front flotilla of US ships set off from the naval base of Norfolk, Virginia on December 2nd, 1946.

“Wait, like West Virginia???”, Sweetie Belle noticed.

The expedition was designated “Operation Highjump” and consisted of thirteen vessels, including the “aircraft carrier” USS Phillipine Sea, as well as the “destroyers” USS Henderson and USS Brownson. They had been ordered to make their way deep into the desolation of the Antarctic circle, in order to conduct a series of military drills and scientific experiments. In charge of the operation was Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Jr., a seasoned polar explorer who had carried out a number of civilian and military explorations into the Antarctic. Looking at the the focused, determined gaze and the shiny medals draped across his chest, the Crusaders but admire the work the artist put into conveying this admiral’s impressive aura.

“Dang, those medals look shiny!”, Scootaloo awed.

“Am ah the only one thinkin’ back ta Cadence n’ Shinin’ Armour’s wedding night when we snuck into Shinin’s quarters ta check out his fancy Royal Guard armor?”

Accepting the farm filly’s invitation for a trip down memory lane, Sweetie Belle said, “I don’t get what everypony was freaking out about! We only left a tiny dent, it couldn’t have been bigger than my hoof!”

She lifted her hoof up in the air, then sheepishly put it back down when she saw how much bigger her hoof had become since the wedding, in a way undercutting her point.

“And remember how Shining fainted when he saw that dent?”, Scootaloo recalled. “Sheesh! What was up with that?”

Looking up in the air and tapping a hoof to her chin, Apple Bloom said, “Ah remember hearin’ somethin’ about Shinin’ havin’ a flashback to the last time his drill sergeant found his armor in bad condition back when he was in military academy. Musta gotten one nasty punishment.”

When the Task Force eventually arrived at its destination, it immediately began to conduct extensive photo-reconnaissance operations of the area but would subsequently be recalled due to reports of dangerous weather conditions. Soon after the ships which had taken part in the operation returned to their respective home ports, rumors and stories about what had really happened began to circulate. Newspaper articles in the “Chilean” media claimed that the US fleet had been attacked by unidentified flying craft that had inflicted heavy casualties, forcing the Americans to withdraw. Upon hearing this, all three Crusaders perked up visibly, sensing that the interesting part of the story was on its way. Speculation was only fueled when during a television interview about the mission, Admiral Byrd made a number of significant comments about America having to prepare herself for future attacks that might emanate from Antarctica.

“I hope Princess America boosted her security after getting that news!”, Sweetie Belle said.

“Sweetie, that’s not-“, Apple Bloom paused, deciding not to even bother.

He specifically referred to the risk aircraft attacking the United States having come from the South Pole, and that he and his countrymen could no longer rely on their distance from other hostile nations as a means of defending themselves. Almost immediately, a follow-up mission to the remote region was authorized, codenamed Operation Windmill, which was concluded in April of 1948. After this, American interest in the region seemed to wane, until the decision over a decade later to detonate three “nuclear devices” there.

“Woah! Detonate!?”, Sweetie exclaimed.

Scootaloo was a little taken aback by her friend’s over the top reaction, “What’s that mean? Cause you’re making it sound like their blowing the place up or something.”

“That is what it means!”

“…oh.”, Scootaloo stated, completely at a loss for more words for a moment until she followed up with, “Damn.”

The rationale for this action was to test the effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

“Whatever that means.”, Apple Bloom silently added, though the mention of atmosphere made her guess that it meant that they were setting off explosives high in the sky.

However, her confusion was soon giving way to a growing sense of impatience. Same could be said for the other two fillies. When was the story gonna finally show this weird aircraft that it was talking about? And how is this going to tie back to those creepy German sailors from earlier? Thankfully, they wouldn’t have to wait too much longer for their desired payoff.

It is possible that America’s brief fascination with the southern polar region might have ultimately been forgotten, had it not been for the publication in 1991 of a “Soviet-era” intelligence report, which offered a very different reason for the untimely conclusion of Operation Highjump.

“Yeah, why did Princess America suddenly get so interested in an icy wasteland, then chose to blow it up and thenntotally forget about it?”, Scootaloo pondered.

“She sounds like she’s either really fickle or just a little off her rocker.”, Sweetie Belle added.

Apple Bloom stopped herself from speaking up, “Nope! Don’t bother sayin’ anythin’! If they ain’t figured it out before the end of the story, you’ll tell ‘em then.”

Allegedly compiled from transcripts of interviews between “KGB agents” and a handful of US sailors who were involved in the expedition, the leaked dossier suggested that the American fleet had been driven from Antarctica by an unknown hostile power. The report details that by mid February of 1947, the American ships were making their way through the Weddell Sea, when the USS Brownson became aware of unknown aircraft shadowing her movements. Initially these were described as fast-moving lights in the far distance, but as they began to venture closer and closer, contacts also began to register on the Brownson’s radar screens. The story faded away from the Soviet officer tapping away at typewriter and then transitioned to an illustration so much more exciting by comparison that each Crusader’s mouth hung open slightly.

In view were three of the human’s metallic battleships off the shore from several icy, imposing mountains. Zooming across the sky right above them, with actual motion this time, was a flying saucer. His back turned to the viewer, a sailor looked out at all of this with both of hands held right over his head in what was either an expression of utter shock or an attempt to shield his skull. According to the narrator, what was in fact five of an unspecified number of craft started to overfly the fleet of US ships at a low altitude as the ships had closed up together. They dodged and weaved in and out of the tightly packed American vessels at breakneck speeds; indeed were now seeing more than one saucer zipping all over the screen with speeds unlike anything seen in Equestria if one doesn’t count Rainbow Dash.

“Hold on! Ah thought this was suppose’ ta be about the Germans, why’s there an alien spaceship?”, Apple Bloom puzzled, her initial question were followed up by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo respectively.

“Are they saying the Germans actually made that?”

“Or were the Germans actually aliens the whole time!?”

Deeming their actions hostile, Captain Gimber ordered the Brownson’s gunners to target the attackers, the destroyer immediately opening fire using its 40mm anti-aircraft cannons. The witnesses testified that as soon as the Brownson opened fire, the strange saucer-shaped craft retaliated with incredible beams of light and heat. As fighter aircraft had been scrambling to launch from the deck of the USS Casablanca, they had been burned out of the sky, their airframes and crews reduced to little more than ash by the advanced enemy weaponry. All three fillies sat in awe of the Americans’ metallic flying machines crashing down into the ocean; all accompanied by a soundtrack of indiscernible buzzing, booms and strange ratatatat sounds.

The biggest takeaway for the trio was how losing side’s aircraft with it’s stiff wings and rotary tails were definitely far more advanced than anything Equestria had. Yet here they were getting absolutely demolished by these saucers. Each of them trembled to imagine the destruction these flying saucers would bring to Equestria if they invaded. They even dared wonder if the Elements of Harmony would even give them a chance against a foe this powerful. Return fire from the Americans proved relatively ineffective, due to the superior speed and maneuverability of the attackers, but whilst the battle had progressed, there was some success. As one of the mysterious craft passed over the USS Sennet, a lucky shot from the submarine’s deck gun caught it, the five-inch shell sending the flying machine spinning wildly off to one side. The downed aircraft had detonated violently as it impacted on the water’s surface, but then there was another greater explosion.

Apple Bloom’s face lightened up slightly with hope, “Huh. Maybe the Elements of Harmony could stand up to these things?”

The USS Maddox, a destroyer attached to the Task Force, had sustained serious damage as a result of the relentless attack, including a fire that had fatally spread to her magazines. The resulting explosion killed all those onboard and sent the stricken vessel to the sea floor. Realizing they were outmatched, the Americans would spend the next few days retreating out of the area whilst being continually harassed by the unknown attackers.

“I dunno, Apple Bloom. These guys were lucky to get out alive. Do we have that good of a chance even with the Elements?”

Surprised to hear this from Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle turned to her and asked, “You of all ponies don’t even have faith in the Elements of Harmony, which Rainbow Dash has always been apart of?”

Reeling back upon realizing her own blasphemy, Scootaloo began correcting herself, “I-I didn’t say it was impossible, though!”

The writer of the report ended by speculating that the subsequent US mission to the region had also failed to defeat the forces that had been ranged against them, and that the Americans eventually resorted to nuclear weapons in a final bid to defeat their mysterious opponent.

Sweetie vocalized something that had been bothering her for much of the video.

“What’s nuclear supposed to even mean?”

“Dang it! I was hopin’ y’all would be able ta explain that one.”, Apple Bloom groaned.

The soviet document was seized upon by commentators and conspiracy theorists the world over as evidence that there was something sinister lurking within the safety of the South Pole. For some it was the definitive proof that aliens lived and walked among us. To others, this was the last bastion “Nazi” resistance to have survived the Second World War.

“Wait, does this mean the Germans are aliens or not?”, Scootaloo asked with one eyebrow raised.

“Ah think it means they’re not. Why would they talk about aliens as somethin’ so mysterious if they were suppose’ ta already have fought a whole war against ‘em? Twice!”

While Apple Bloom was busy making her point, Sweetie was wondering about that one unfamiliar term the narrator casually let out. What is a “Nazi”? Was it supposed to be another word for German? A derogatory one even?

“Maybe that’s why he didn’t just say ‘German’ resistance?”, she posited in her head.

The narrator went on to explain how there were those who believed that the answer was actually a combination of both theories. As “Hitler’s” fugitive forces utilized alien technology they had uncovered to build a glorious Fourth Reich (Rike) underneath the ice caps.

“Ohh. So, that’s how it’s pronounced!”

In contrast to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom had a bigger question about that word which still had yet to be answered.

“Forget how it’s said. Why can’t we at least get a little hoofnote at the bottom tellin’ us what a Reich is?”

“Oh well. At least they just gave away who the German’s king was… I think?”, Scootaloo said uncertainly, focusing on the mention of someone named Hitler who was suggested to be the one in charge of the German forces.

Even from just a cursory inspection, its evident that there are glaring errors contained within the Soviet report that act to undermine its credibility, but then, this is perhaps unsurprising. Each Crusader adopted an expression that was their own flavor of perplexed; they wondered whether the narrator was implying that these “Soviets” were dumb or they were liars. Apple Bloom herself wondered if she could call that sentiment xenophobic or not, assuming these Soviets were supposed to be another nation or people.

The narrator continued on explaining how material produced by “Russian” intelligence staff during the “Communist” era are typified by the need to create what the author’s masters wanted to hear, rather than a more truthful representation of the actual events. For example, repeated references are made to the USS Casablanca, an aircraft carrier which did not sail with the Highjump flotilla and was instead aid up in Norfolk awaiting its decommission during the expedition.

Apple Bloom felt relieved, “Ah guess their just sayin’ the Soviet rulers are liars, not the citizens.”

“I don’t know why we didn’t talk about this sooner, but can you believe that apparently have ships that are made just to carry their flying machines!?”, Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with imagination.

“Yeah, that might’ve been real helpful for keeping the Storm King’s airships away from Canterlot.”, Scootaloo said, recalling her unpleasant experience of being held captive in a cage with her friends at the hooves of Tempest Shadow.

It is possible that over time, the witnesses have confused the Casablanca with the USS Currituck, but then there is the issue of the alleged sinking of the USS Maddox. Again, the Maddox did not play a part in the Antarctic mission. Two destroyers by that name were constructed by the US navy during the Second World War. The first was sunk by German dive bombers during the invasion of Italy in 1944. It’s namesake also saw active service during the conflict and also went on to participate in the Vietnam War, where it was involved in the infamous “Gulf of Tonkin Incident”, but neither would have been in the Antarctic during the winter of 1947.

“Who do you think is telling the truth, the Americans or the Soviets?”, Scootaloo asked the other two.

“I mean, these contradictions could be proof that Princess America is trying to cover up how her navy was destroyed by flying saucers!”

*siiiiggghhhh

Hearing a loud sigh immediately after she had made her point, Sweetie Belle turned to and questioned the source of the noise.

“Something wrong, Apple Bloom?”

“Nothin’.”

Finally, the references to American fighter aircraft being destroyed and mass casualties having been inflicted by the attackers is strongly contradicted by the official Highjump diaries. In total, the expedition is reported to have sustained four fatalities during its time in the Antarctic.

“Well, that’s kinda lame by comparison.”, Scootaloo said, before receiving a smack upside the head from Apple Bloom.

“OW!”, exclaimed the pegasus filly.

“Scoots, we should be glad that less humans died!”, Apple Bloom scolded.

After getting over her anger, Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head, not just cause of the pain, but also partially out of her embarrassment at her own moment of callousness; it was indeed easy to forget that these stories supposedly involved real people.

She smiled sheepishly in a manner intended to be apologetic before simply saying, “Oops.”

Three men perished when their “PBM Mariner” crashed in poor weather conditions. A further sailor was crushed during an accident whilst unloading scientific equipment onto the ice. If one were to buy into the Soviet narrative at all, then there are two possible explanations for these inaccuracies. The first is that it was an exercise in disinformation, designed by the United States to draw out traitors in their ranks and deliberately confuse their enemy.

“So they’re saying the United States, or the Americans I guess, didn’t get along with the Soviets?”, Sweetie Belle guessed.

The second is that the incident was indeed genuine and that the American government used the fear and paranoia of the Cold War to suppress all trace of it, with national security acting as the justification.

“Yeah, the narrator gets it! The Americans might be the ones covering stuff up.”, Sweetie said pridefully.

“Is the Cold War supposed to be like the name for their war against Antarctica?”, Scootaloo wondered.

“That’d be weird if it were. Ah thought these were suppose’ ta be some secret one off battles. Plus, they made this Antarctica place out ta be an empty wasteland. How do ya declare war on a place like that?”

Scootaloo wasn’t sure whether she wanted to accept Apple Bloom’s point.

“Well then what else would they mean when they say Cold War?”

“Maybe, it’s actually a war between a bunch of countries over who gets to conquer Antarctica?”, Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Why would anypony want it though?”

Deciding to further elaborate Scootaloo’s point for her, Apple Bloom said, “Yeah, from what we saw, it looks like Anatarctica really sucks.”

So, is it simple enough to write off the Russian account as a work of mere fiction? Perhaps, but it is apparent that something unexpected did occur which forced the Highjump expedition to conclude suddenly ahead of schedule. Also worth considering are the cryptic comments by Rear Admiral Byrd about America suddenly having much more to fear from possible attackers emanating from that region. It is of course easy to dismiss the fantastic conspiracy theories of a sprawling Nazi stronghold, hidden inside gigantic geothermal vents that were discovered underneath the ice. But the fact remains that one of Hitler’s many aims was the establishment of a presence for the Third Reich in all of the world’s far-flung regions, a goal in which he would invest significant time and effort.

In 1938, a German freighter named the MS Schwabenland set sail from its home port of Hamburg and made its way down through the south Atlantic towards the South Pole. The ship was carrying two “Dornier seaplanes” that had been fitted out with skis, which would allow the crew to land on the ice. The mission was commanded by a famed German explorer, named Alfred Ritscher. The German expedition eventually made landfall in an area known as the “Princess Martha Coast”, which had previously been claimed by the “Norwegian” government. They immediately renamed it “New Schwabenland”, establishing a permanent research station for their scientists to work from, and carrying out numerous aerial reconnaissance missions of the area surrounding their encampment.

“I have a feeling these Germans might have been the bad guys of that Second World War.”, Scootaloo said.

While Apple Bloom was usually against making such rash judgments about an entire race, but the penchant for conquering and taking others’ lands these Germans were displaying was rubbing her the wrong way. She could at least say that under this “Hitler” guy, the Germans might have been pretty antagonistic. Ritscher and his crew would return to Hamburg six months later and would immediately begin plans for another trip back to the area. However, official records indicate that this second expedition never took place, as the outbreak of World War Two prevented them from being able to pull to together the manpower and resources they would have needed.

It is clear though, that the German government did succeed in conducting further undocumented forays into the polar regions. As recently as 2014, the remains of an abandoned naval outpost, previously unknown, was discovered on the island of Alexandra Land, near the North Pole. It’s rusting bunkers and Nazi flags provided damning evidence that there is still much that is not known about Adolf Hitler and his secretive ambitions.

“This almost reminds me of how the whole Crystal Empire up in the frozen North disappeared for a long time before it suddenly showed up again.”, Sweetie Belle noted.

Captain Helka’s alleged encounter with a German submarine in early 1947 has largely been dismissed as a fantasy, yet it remains far from an impossibility. Of the hundred and fifty or so large vessels that have historically vanished without a trace from the world’s oceans and remain missing to this day, a significant number are German U-Boats. A thousand of these submarines were put to sea during the Second World War, with over twenty still unaccounted for, their fates and final resting places a complete mystery.

Fading away from the image of the submarine slowly submerging itself into the icy waters, the story then cut to a human in a peaked cap admiring a flying saucer, presumably of his creation, on the ground in front of him. Except this one had a cannon at the top, wheels at the bottom and a black and white cross symbol in a similar shape to one seen at hospitals. The narrator then told of how well documented it was that Luftwaffe engineers did successfully create aircraft using technology considered revolutionary for their time, and that some of these prototypes did resemble what has come to be accepted as the classic outline of a flying saucer.

“Luftwaffe… luftwaffe… luftwaffe…”

“Why do you keep repeating that word?”, Sweetie Belle interrupted Scootaloo’s muttering before it would eventually start getting on her nerves.

The pegasus simply replied with, “It’s fun to say.”

The most well-known of these prototypes was the “Haunebu”, which supposedly only managed a couple of test flights before the bases it was operating from were overrun by occupying forces in the dying days of the war. There is supposedly little doubt that, given time, the Germans might have been able to turn the tide of battle, and that they might not have required extra-terrestrial technology to do so. Afterall, German science, technology and engineering were instrumental in breaking the sound barrier, producing the first working long-range ballistic missiles, and the earliest example of a stealth aircraft.

“Ah wonder if there’s anythin’ in our science textbooks that could teach us what’s so cool about all that jargon.”

A year before, Apple Bloom would have instead asked Twilight what all of that had meant. However, now that she was Equestria’s sole sovereign, she was way too difficult to get a hold of, even on the few times a year she was in Ponyville.

The Haunebu was not powered by “Martian” technology, but was allegedly one huge turbine engine, housed within a circular airframe. It was said to be capable of speed and maneuverability unrivaled for its era, and it’s terrifying to think of the losses it might have inflicted on the allied powers given even just a few further months of experimentation. Once the more fantastic and outlandish elements of the Operation Highjump saga are stripped away, what should easily be dismissed as a creative piece of science fiction does seem to contain a concerning amount of substance. It is uncomfortably apparent that the military might of the United States did encounter something unexpected during its post-war exploration of the South Pole. Something they felt the need to repeatedly confront and even resort to nuclear warfare in order to vanquish it. Whether this force was extra-terrestrial in nature or was instead born out of the darkest crimes in human history, may never officially be known.

The trio of fillies all felt a bit taken aback by that last suggestion.

“Okay, who ARE these Germans? Or Nazis, or whatever? What did they do?”, Sweetie Belle asked aloud.

“They make this Hitler feller sound as evil as Sombra!”, Apple Bloom stated.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes before replying, “Apple Bloom, come on. We all know Chrysalis is the most evil pony in all of Equestria.”

Apple Bloom pointed a hoof at the pegasus filly, “Ah’d like ta see ya get mind controlled by that shadowy tyrant and still come out with the same opinion.”

“What are you talking about? I was in Ponyville when he took over! Me and Sweetie Belle were both brainwashed too.”

Before Apple Bloom could give another retort, Sweetie Belle butted in.

“Will you two keep it down? It’s almost over.”

Sweetie had another point to make, but rather than share it with other two she kept it to herself.

“Besides, we all know Cozy Glow is the worst of them all.”

The narrator concluded by declaring that more time must be given to see what other evidence may be uncovered, as human exploration of the Antarctic region continues. Who knows what abandoned settlements and sunken vessels lie waiting to be discovered, perfectly preserved underneath the polar ice?

The story left the viewer with a view of the harsh and unforgiving, yet enigmatic icy landscape of the South Pole before fading to black. Sweetie Belle took this as her cue to start scrolling for the next part. Scootaloo felt relieved that she wouldn’t have to risk taking a dare by choosing the next video.

“Thank Celestia, we all enjoyed that one.”

“Ah feel like we haven’t given credit to the artist for these stories yet.”, Apple Bloom suddenly said.

Sweetie Belle stopped scrolling to concur with that sentiment.

“Yeah. It was really top-notch this time. Whoever they are, that artist is incredible!”

“Hey, I just realized something.”, Scootaloo interjected. “If these stories about those Germans being the inventors of the flying saucer are true, does that mean that whenever somepony in our world sees one in the sky, it’s actually the Germans in those spaceships?”

“Wait, so ya think the aliens who may or may not be visitin’ out planet are these German humans?”, Apple Bloom reiterated.

“Yeah.”

“Huh.”, Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin. “Ya think ah should maybe ask mah sister ta tell Twilight ta boost Equestria’s security in case aliens try ta invade. Ah mean, these Germans don’t seem very friendly after all…”

“They’re probably not the ones visiting us.”, Sweetie Belle assured. “These humans are supposed to be from another dimension, remember? Not from another planet in our universe. I doubt they can fit their ships through the mirror portal.”

With that, Sweetie stopped scrolling as she found the second part she was looking for and read the title.

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Mysteries of the Third Reich Part Two

Comments

[littleman001]

“Huh. Looks like Twilight was right. Ironclads really are the navy’s future!”, Sweetie Belle said, recalling the demonstration of Equestria’s first metallic battleship back in June, where the cutting edge war machine sank two out of four retired Equestrian naval ships before it inexplicably broke down and had to be hauled to the docks for repairs.

Are we going into Equestria at War territory now?

“Oh, yeah. What did tell you?”, Sweetie chirped.

Did you mean "What did she tell you?"

Honestly, the fillies getting into real world politics and history is making me uncomfortable. Just the idea of the CMC discussing soviets makes me cringe for some reason. I like crossovers but there are some things that just don't mix.

[Lord Blundergosh]

11039522
Relax. I’m not trying to get THAT serious. It’s unlikely that they’ll ever have enough context to have that deep of a discussion on human politics, anyway.

[Mr cold ghost]

Wonderful chapter more soon please!

[Lord Blundergosh]

11039522
Oh, by the way. Nah, there’s no war on the horizon. It’s just Equestria experimenting with new technology. All just a test.

[Wild Stallion]

11044324
I figured that it was a quote. Just the inaccuracy got to me is all.

I'm still surprised only the CMC's thought of the first wife of Roy as a suspect.

[Lord Blundergosh]

11044452
That’s cause I would have guessed the same thing if we didn’t have the other, more popular, suspects. (And the possibility that Cindy did it all herself). Especially considering that female-sounding voice on the phone.