Chapters The Rise of the Dragon Prince
As I wake up, I notice myself in the middle of a forest; well I was in a forest until I blacked out. But this seemed how I should say…different. It was really fogy and dark, I could barely see my hands and I wore bright white officer gloves! I try to stand and wince in pain. ‘I almost forgot that I got shot in my stomach before I blacked out’ I thought. I force myself to my feet and checked for any additional damage. My midnight blue Prussian officer’s uniform with black pants and my shako with a tall and thin white plum. At my stomach my jacket was blood red. I remember how I got the wound from the battle that seemed like it never happened.
(Earlier)
My men and I were in a large battle against the French. Apparently tension has been running high for years that it escalated to war. I was sent out with a company of my full regiment as lead scouts of the army. We were ambushed by French skirmishers. For the next hour each side put in reinforcements into the fray and it grew to a full out battle of 140,000 men. Each side had around 70,000, anyway on my part of the battlefield we pushed back the French and by the time they broke a retreating skirmisher noticed my officer’s uniform and shot me. I quickly lost consciousness.
(Present)
“How am I still alive?” I asked myself. Right then I heard the most terrifying growl I’ve ever heard in my life. I quickly take out my Colt Revolver I got from an American officer as a gift and check the chamber. I had a bit of relief when I saw the chamber was full. Then pair of gold eyes made me forget that relief. As it steps out, I see a shadow figure of what seemed to be a wolf. It steps into the moonlight and what caught me off guard was it was larger than a normal wolf, not only that it seemed to be made out of…wood? My questioning look vanished when the wolf like creature pounced; I barely was able to side step out of the way. I fall to one knee as my stomach thrives in pain as I try to move. Seeing my weakness the wooden wolf moves in for the kill. I raise my colt and fire two rounds directly to its head. With a pained yelp the creature drops to the ground and make no more sounds as what looks like sap drips out of the bullet holes I sent though it skull. “The bastard wasn’t that though” I chuckled to myself then again wincing at the pain in my stomach. “Ok laughing bad idea.” I started walking an unknown way when I heard a scream.
“help! Somepony help!” ‘somepony?’ confused “Help!” Ignoring that one comment I rush towards the screaming. As I come across the location of the screaming what I saw again confused me, Three small and I mean really small ponies with extreme colors that no pony in existence should be those colors were huddled together as another of those wolves I saw just a second ago was stalking up to them. One of the ponies I noticed was yellow with a cherry red mane and tail, another orange with a sort of purple red-ish and shaggy mane and had wings, and the finally one that was white with a light purple and a streak of pink mane and instead of wings had a horn. Ignoring the obvious fact that the ponies were strange, I aim my pistol at the wolf and send a bullet in the right side of its head. The three ponies I just saved from being dinner for the wolf stared at me with horror in their eyes. What seemed to be forever in reality a few seconds they ran away.
Now free of my attackers and saving three extremely small colorful ponies, I take the time to patch up my wound with the first aid kit I had on the opposite side of my sword. I force myself up ignoring the pain and walk the direction the small ponies ran hoping to find civilization. As I walked, I had my pistol in my hand just in case of another attack, so far in what I believe has been an half an hour I find a cave and decide to rest. The cave wasn’t that deep you could see the back wall from the outside. I sit myself down and thought about my situation. ‘Alright I wake up from a battle still wounded and yet no signs that a battle took place around me. I get attacked by a unnatural wolf made of wood and save three colorful ponies for another. What the hell did I just get myself into and where the hell am I?’ Thinking on that I shut my eyes and drift to sleep.
I wake up the next morning a little bit refreshed. I take some antibiotics to make sure my wound won’t get infected. My wound at this point is no longer bleeding but still in risk of reopening. I carefully get up and start walking in the direction I was before. Looking at this forest in the daylight was different than before, The place was beautiful and could hear the chirping of birds. After five minutes the forest starts to thin and now I look on to what seems like a village. I take out my binoculars to get a closer look. What imminently attracted my attention was a full-sized gingerbread house. Next I see a lot of those colorful ponies I saw but they were nearly twice as big. I figured out the ones I saved must have been children. Why in the hell would they be in a forest in the middle of the night? I also figured I might need a doctor after this because I might go insane after this.
I decided to take my chances and try to talk with them. I walk down the slope into the clearing and to the town. Then I saw what seemed to be ponies in gold armor running towards me with spears. “You got to be kidding me. Well so much for that plan.” I took off in the other direction towards the woods with the guards right on my ass. I was about to hit the tree line when a larger white ponies lands in my path. This one had both wings and a horn. The pony was at my eye level and had a crown of its head with a heavy looking necklace. ‘This must be their queen.’ Before I could react the guards caught up and now have surrounded me with their spears pointed at me. Judging by the armor and weapons as well as the town I must be in some sort of Medieval universe where ponies were the dominating race.
“Identify yourself creature.” The large White pony demanded, wait creature? ‘It seems I may have stumbled into a different world where humans don’t exist. I need to think about this. I must seem to them a weird creature in clothing armed with a sword. I might be able to convince them that I’m harmless and let me go. I guess the good news is that they speak English.’ I decided to take a diplomatic approach to this.
“Greetings.” The ponies gasp except the queen but she had a surprised look on her. I must have surprised the ponies that I could speak.
“You speak Equestrian.”
“Wait what?” Confused by what the white alicorn I decided to continue. “My name is Oberst Justin Date, I’m an officer of the Prussian Empire may I ask who you are?”
“I’m Princess Celestia Co-Ruler of Equestria. Not to be rude but what are you?” ok so it seems queen what a bit much there. I tried to walk closer to the alicorn but was stopped by two spears in my face by one of the guards in gold armor and one in a more decorative purple. He must be an officer.
“I’m a part of a race called Humans; I think I may have stumbled onto your world by accident.”
“How did you get hurt?” the alicorn motioned to my uniform.
“My country is at war with another and I was wounded in a battle and knocked unconscious.” I noticed a look I couldn’t decipher in the alicorn’s eyes.
“I will have to ask you to come with me and give up your weapons.” That annoyed me no diplomatic meeting required an officer to give up his arms.
“I will do as you ask and come with you. But I’m afraid I can’t give up my arms you highness.” An annoyed look came from the alicorn and the officer spoke up.
“How dare you! Who do you think you are to refuse.” The alicorn raised a hoof to silence to unicorn. She shot a glance at him and nodded, the officer nodded in return and move away from her out of my sight. The alicorn turned her gaze toward me once again.
“As you wish.” The last thing I felt was something hitting the back of my head and hitting the ground.
The Rise of the Dragon Prince
I wake up in what seems to be a jail cell. I check my side and noticed my stomach has been proficiently bandaged and of course my sword taken away. ‘what the hell hit me?’ I thought to myself then I remembered the officer of the guards moved out of my sight before I was hit. ‘That bastard! When I get the chance I’ll get him back for that.’ Well anyway they should considered themselves lucky. Striking and prisoning an officer of a neutral nation would likely lead to war. I sighed knowing that it won’t matter since that my nation doesn’t even exist here. “Seems like politics failed for me this time.” I said to myself.
“Hey quiet in there!”
I looked up to see a guard on the side of my cell. ‘Great it’s one of those prisons.’ Usually an officer would get better conditions when being a prisoner and had privileges but it seems that didn’t apply here. I leaned up against a wall and just started to occupy my time in my thoughts since the guard apparently wants me to shut up. ‘How the hell did I end up in this mess.’ I decided to let time go by and sleep, I needed the rest anyway since the wound I have nearly killed me.
I was woken up by the cell door opening and the guard that told me a while ago to be quiet stood in the doorway beside another alicorn that was smaller than the rude one I met that ordered me to be knocked out cold. The alicorn was purple and its mane like the other alicorn was waving even if there was no wind. The mane resembled what I would say as the night sky. “So this is the so called human my sister told me about.”
“Yes it is your highness.” The guard bowed. I didn’t really like to be called an it. But judging on how my race is new to them I’ll let that slide for now. The guard left the cell and locked the door behind him as the new alicorn sat down a little ways in front of me.
“I was told thou gave sister a hard time not giving up your weapons.” It seems the alicorn if front of me is speaking in old English.
“Where I’m from you don’t tell an officer trying to be diplomatic to surrender his sword. That is only to surrender in battle, and we were not in a battle.” I was a bit annoyed that the alicorn named Celestia seems to be painting a picture of me as a violent person that can’t listen to reason. The purple alicorn just stares at me for a while probably observing the strange being in front of her.
“Well anyway my name is Princess Luna I’m am the Co-ruler of Equestria and you’ve already met my sister Celestia.”
“Wished it ended on better terms.” I muttered.
“As do I.” Luna answered. “So I’m guessing the Oberst in you name is a rank, how high is that rank?”
“Oberst is the equivalent to a Colonel. The rank is given to a regiment leader. A regiment consists of 1,000 men.” Luna looks like she’s following this pretty well to my surprise. Regiments haven’t been in military organizations in the medieval period so I’m guessing I’m doing a good job explaining. “ Before we move on to any more questions who hit me in the back of the head?” Luna tilted her head in confusion.
“I believe that what Captain Shining Armor, why thou ask?”
“Just curious, wasn’t a very diplomatic thing to do.” ‘Now I know who the look for to get payback!’ I thought. As I stretched a bit I felt something rubbing against my chest. I checked my jacket pocket and found out that my sidearm hasn’t been taken. ‘Why am I not surprised I still have this, by the tech level I’ve seen from these ponies they wouldn’t know what a gun was.’
“So thou’s country named Prussian Empire, Am I correct?”
“Almost it’s called Prussia for short.” By now I’m guessing she’s down here either getting information or trying to fix what her sister has fucked up. ‘Maybe these ponies can be diplomatic.’ I chucked in my thoughts
“Thou seems more different than what my sister described.” I was confused but interested about what the white alicorn named Celestia has told her what seems to be her younger sister.
“what do you mean?”
“I’ve expected a menacing creature that would be violent and really suborn, it seems thou very civilized and refrained.”
I was taken off guard by the first line but the second seemed more correct. I did study politics on my own time and often knew how to deal with complex situations but it seems that this situation would have to require more restraint and patients.
“I see your sister doesn’t like me that much.”
“Yes it does, she sees thou as a threat, and she also tells me you received that injury in a war.” Motioning to my bandaged stomach.
“Yes I was shot by a retreating soldier; I later woke up in the forest near the town I was captured by. Now I’m here sitting in a jail cell waiting for your judgment that will affect my life.” Luna chuckled at my saying. I was kind of taken back by it; I didn’t consider the fate of my life to be a laughing matter.
“Sorry about that. May I ask why thou wished to keep his weapons if thou meant no harm?”
“I’m a soldier at war, I don’t feel comfortable unarmed.” Now I’m leaning towards the idea she is trying to patch up what Celestia messed up by taking me prisoner. “Why did she take me prisoner in the first place?”
“My sister believes you’re a threat to our subjects, we have had peace for well over 1000 years. Now we have a soldier that is fighting in war in our lands armed. Why thou think she would respond differently.”
The thousand years of peace part took me off guard no matter at what point in history there was a war somewhere in our world and yet here there was none. “Now that you put it that way I seemed like a demon to your sister when I first came here. I mean no harm, again I came here against my will. I was just trying to find civilization after being attacked by wolves made of wood.”
“Thou were attacked by timber wolves?”
“Yes, if you call them that. I also rescued what I believe were three children ponies from another timber wolf I think you said.”
“Hmm would make since. Three fillies came to Celestia the night before you were captured telling something saved them. I’m guessing thou were you.” I nodded.
Luna stood up and told the guard to open the cell she walked out and looked at me.
“I’ll see what I can do to get thou better treatment. In the meantime thou rest to recover from your injuries.”
Luna walked away and the guard closed the cell. I was now again alone in a cell waiting for the princesses to past my judgment. I stood up and looked out the window and saw that I talked to Luna for at least the entire afternoon. I decide once again to lean against the wall and close my eyes. ‘I hope my men are alright.’ I was now in an unknown world, prisoner to a bunch of colorful ponies and now waited for something to happen. I don’t know what’s better, me marching with the column across the open country or this peacefulness inside a jail cell. All I know is that my adventure of this world has only begun.
The Rise of the Dragon Prince
Chapter 3: Intresting Development
I wake up once again inside my cell. A ray of sunlight hits my face and forces me awake. As I rub my eyes I could hear birds chirping outside. One even landed on the window to my cell. It was interesting to hear and see one up close. You don’t really get to see them when you march with an entire army. You tend to scare of any wildlife before you see it.
I let out a sigh before getting to my feet to look outside. I could see guards in a block down below, it was quiet interesting seeing medieval ponies do their morning routines. They kind of do the same thing at forts but what do I know I’m always on the frontline with the main army. I felt a grumble in my stomach and remembered I haven’t eaten in 3 days. Yeah no wonder I’m out of energy.
Just as I thought that, a heard something slide on the ground. I look behind me to see a tray with two apples and a glass of water. The so called meal didn’t really need a tray but really doesn’t matter, I needed the energy or die from starvation.
I took one of the apples and bit into it. This apple had to be the…best apple I’ve ever tasted! I quickly took another bite then another. I soon ate the apple within about thirty seconds maybe more. I put the core on the tray then drank the glass of water. It was really refreshing. Perfect temperature, nice and cold. Compared to the water in a canteen which was about room temperature or higher.
I save one of the apples for later just in case I didn’t get anything else later on. I sat back down, slumped against the wall and took out my revolver. Looking at it up close it seemed to be perfectly fine. I take out the remaining three bullets out of the chambers and start to clean it. Taking the rag from my ammo pouch on my left side and start to clean my gun.
Besides annoying the guard with my tinkering with my sidearm nothing really happened. After my cleaning, I reload the revolver and set it back into my jacket. I heard the cell door click telling me that it was unlocked. I look at the entrance to see Princess Luna and a familiar white blue mane pony with purple armor.
They enter my cell with the door locked behind them and sit in front of me. I was tempted to reach over and punch, who I now know as Shining Armor, right in the face but I knew that will get me nowhere fast.
“Alright monster-“
“I have a name, so use it.” I saw the annoyance in Shining Armors eyes as I cut him off. ‘hey I have to get you back one way or another.’
“We have questions for you and if you want your position to get any better, it would be smart to cooperate.” Shining Armor with more anger in his voice.
Luna was shifting uncomfortably probably due to Shining Armor’s approach. “I’ll answer if I can, not much I could tell you though.” Luna relaxed a bit by my answer.
“First about your rank, how high is it?”
“Higher than yours captain.” I nearly let out a chuckle seeing Shining Armor’s reaction.
“How did you become an officer in Prussia?” I was surprised that this came from Luna not Shining Armor.
“That is a long story.”
“We have time.”
“Not like you’re going anywhere in the first place.” Shining Armor sneered at me obviously with hostility.
I swear he’s making it really hard to hold back myself from punching him in the face and breaking his nose.
“Alright better get comfy this will take a while.” I waited for a second before continuing.
“As you know my name is Justin Date. This would be different if I was born in Prussia. In fact I wouldn’t be able to talk to you due to differences in language, hell it would be hard to pronounce my name. Anyway I was born in a country called the United States of America. Unlike my country its run by a democracy not a monarchy like Prussia. I never knew my parents, I was raised in an orphanage. Some people think that they died shortly after I was born, others say I was abandoned. Besides the fact I hated that place. The women in charge there didn’t give a damn about us. She only cared for the money that the government sent to her for taking care of us. Living there was a child’s hell, we were verbally and physical abused, barely fed even though there was plenty of food, and forced to do labor as the women just lied on the couch doing absolutely nothing.”
I look up to see the two ponies’ reactions so far. Shining of course just sat there with no expression. While Luna had sadness with a bit of sympathy in her eyes. I took in a sigh and continued.
“When I was seven I told myself enough was enough. I ran away from the place, I knew that the caretaker couldn’t careless if I was gone or not. I ran in the middle of the night no caring what dangers lurked in the night. I wandered for a while until I hit the port. Under the cover of darkness I snuck onto a trade ship not caring where it would take me. All I wanted was to be away from that god forsaken place. After a while at sea the ship landed in Prussia and once again snuck into the city. Once again I wandered for days I wandered until I was found by a Captain named Alexander Hueber. He worked at the military academy in the city. I was taken in and studied at the academy for about 7 year and was made a Leutnant or a lieutenant of a jeagar regiment. I quickly rose in rank until I gained my own infantry regiment and my rank of Oberst.”
I once again look at the two ponies looking at me. Shining was in thought while Luna eyes were filled with sympathy. Shining was the first to respond.
“So you were in the military since the age of seven? How old are you now?”
This was kinda odd, the Captain that once looked like he was about to hang me eyes were now in curiosity.
“I’m 19. Before you say that I’m young you should see how young British low rank officers are, their around 14 when they get to the battlefield, I tell you those nobles are nuts sending off a kid like that but then again they really don’t command their just there to learn.”
Luna by now has already left the cell while me and shining armor stared at each other for a moment longer. After that Shining got up and walked towards the cell door before turning back to me.
“Do you mind if we picked up on this tomorrow?”
Wait…..What! Even the guard guarding the cell looked shock at the sudden change in Shining’s attitude towards me. He was not only talking to me without some sort of insult or demand but he was actually asking me something with respect towards me. What in the hell just happened here, did I miss something.
“Umm…sure if you want, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.” This became extremely awkward for me really fast.
Shining Armor gave out a small grin before leaving. ‘What the hell did I say to get him off my back? Whatever gives me one less enemy to worry about.’
I took out the second apple I was saving and bit into it and looked outside the window. I could hear the birds and feel the golden rays of sun hit my face and the fresh smell of air.
“This has become an Interesting development.” I chuckled before I once again let sleep overtake me.