Chapter 1: What do they want at this hour?
Large waves from the Atlantic ocean rocked the massive metal ship, that was the U.S.S. Eldridge. The supercarrier sliced through the hulking waves with ease, moving at a steady thirty knots. Moving at her steady pace, her goal just a mere seventy miles away but the storm was not playing in her nor her crew’s favor.
Everybody felt like they were inside a rocking tin can. Especially a newly appointed veteran Admiral, named John Harper. Previous to his Naval career, he was in the Air Force, stationed in the Pacific on the U.S.S. Enterprise. But four years before the Enterprise was decommissioned, he left and joined the Navy.
The Eldridge was on her final voyage, going home. Making a quick stop in Britain, they would then sail north and then back across the Atlantic. A brief transmission over the intercom calling for John woke him from his slumber.
What would they want at this hour? He asked himself as he groggily made his way up to the bridge.
Arriving, he stepped the Captain saluted him, “Admiral.”
“At ease, Captain What do you need” the captain responded “I’m sending you on a patrol to the cargo hold.”
“May I ask why?”
“We don’t rightly know, but reports from other crew members and patrols have left us curious about what’s happening down there.” The Captain replied, dancing around the question as best as he could.
John sighed, “So you thought it was best to send me down there?”
The Captain, still smiling nodded.
“Why didn’t you send down a grunt, or another patrol?” John asked.
“It the “cargo”.” The Captain said.
“How long has this been going on?” John inquired.
“For some time now. Oh, maybe since thirteen-hundred hours.” The Captain replied.
“So you waited till twenty-three-hundred hours, when I was asleep, to have me go and solve the problem?” John said, anger apparent in his words.
“Well after four or so patrols came back spooked, we thought about what to do. Then we called you.” The Captain explained, not making John feel any better.
“So you’re saying, patrols are getting spooked by something in the cargo-hold. So you want me, one man, to check it out?” John said slowly
“Correct Admiral.”
“Armed patrols were spooked, and you want me to go down there unarmed?” John added.
“No, no, no, we’ll let you take a rifle.” The Captain replied with a kind smile.
Saying nothing more, John sighed and turned away. Walking to a small armory lock-up to the left. Unlocking the door, he walked in working on a cable lock that held an M4. As soon as the cable retracted into the wall, the Eldridge lurched hard, like it just hit a brick wall.
Getting up off of the floor, John rushed back out to the bridge, where everyone else was picking themselves up off of the floor. Staring out the windows, they were in calm waters one would find in a sound.
The sun shone brightly through the windows, blinding a few people who had to shield their eyes.
“What the…?” The Captain muttered, almost speechless as he took in his new surroundings.
The bright blue sky was a great contrast from the water, which was a deep blue. Several alarms and buzzers went off, which were silenced by the crew members. Quickly, a meeting was arranged for officers on the bridge, who would then tell everyone else.
After an hour or so of compiling all of the officers, the meeting was under way. The Captain and officers on the patrols that visited the cargo hold shared their stories. And then explained everything they knew.
Coming up with a plan of action, everyone was dismissed and set out. Men grabbed guns and made their way to the flight deck and other pre-determined areas. Including the cargo hold, hanger, or any other large place in the bowels of the ship.
Pilots began suiting up, mechanics and deck-crews began getting jets ready to go. The elevator was working over time, moving as many jets to the flight deck as it could. All of the planes were put away due to the storm they were previously encountering.
Everything was on high alert, with everyone watching the skies and the water. Guns and cameras came to life as everything mechanically scanned. But were told not to engage no matter what the circumstances.
Within a few minutes time, they spotted land. Moving closer, they stayed a few miles out. Fearing they could run aground or possibly get attacked by enemy land forces.
Using special cameras, they peaked onto the main land. Seeing creatures flying around, everything went up another notch in “High Alert”.
John, along with a few other trusted officers met in the bridge again with the Captain. Many questions were asked, mostly along the lines of “What do we do next?”. The Admiral explained it would be best if they sent a little party ashore to scout out the land.
With a few nods, a couple officers left. Going down to the hanger, they sent up a drone and a Grumman E-2C to the flight deck, ready for take off. Now with the drone and plane in the air, and two F35’s ready to take off, operators began searching the landscape.
“Sir, may I ask, what was in the cargo hold?” Captain asked quietly.
The Admiral took on a stern expression, “That’s classified Captain.”
With a sigh, The Captain turned back to the large LCD screen in the bridge. Watching the drone fly around, and looking at the landscape.
While scouting was happening in the bridge, the two F35’s were given the “Okay” to take off and accompany the one drone and Grumman. Beneath the flight deck, crews scrambled to get armored vehicles ready to traverse through the water, along with helicopters to provide an over-watch.
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy sat upon a picnic blanket on the highest point of the hill. From their vantage point, they could see the shimmering waters of the ocean that bordered Equestria. Straining their eyes, they looked out across the bright waters, to see a large gray mass along. With tiny black dots flying out and away from it, which were coming towards the distant shore.
Within a matter of seconds the dots had crossed the shore-line, no longer dots, but irregular shapes. Two light gray, and dark gray, almost black. The two dark gray objects were louder than the other two, and moving faster and lower.
Seemingly buzzing tree-tops, the wind they generated as they flew over them blew both ponies to the ground. The deafening sound rolled through the hills like thunder, as vapor trails were left from the tips of the objects wings.
“W-What was t-that?” Fluttershy squeaked, which was almost drowned out from the sound of the objects.
“I don’t know, but we should try to follow them!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly, grabbing a hold of Fluttershy, she ran as fast as she could after the flying objects.
The group of officers stared into the screen. Watching exactly what the pilots, and drones saw. A beautiful landscape, seemingly untouched by any sort of technology or industry. Small villages scattered around the countryside, with abundant farm fields. Off in the distance was a mountain, with a castle some how stuck to the side of it. Off on the other side, was a butt city.
The pilots gawked out loud about what they were seeing. Though they kept their distance from the two amazing places, they yearned to get a closer look. In the awe of the sight, the pilots didn’t notice they had friends flying with them.
One pilot noticed, his heart jumping out of his chest when he saw what was flying right next to him.
“Echo Lima Delta we have Contact!” He shouted into his helmet, yanking on the stick he rolled up and to the left
The second pilot reacted quickly, pulling the same maneuver, he ended up on the right side of his wingman. Both began to searching the skies and everything around them. Trying to find the possible enemy.
Sky Eye, the AWACS was doing it’s best to locate the possible enemy craft. But with no luck.
“Mobius one, come in, this is Echo Lima Delta.” The Admiral said over the radio.
“I copy.” Mobius one replied.
“What did you come in contact with?” He asked.
“I don’t know sir.” The pilot replied, ending the radio chatter.
Both pilots made eye-contact through their polarized shieldings, when the other craft flew up in between them. Though it wasn’t a plane, it was two ponies
“What the…” Scarface one, the other pilot muttered.
"A pink pony, with it’s darker pink mane and tail flailing in the wind. With a light yellow pony with wings, with a light pink mane and tails.” Mobius said calmly, “And they’re flying right next to us.”
There was a pregnant pause before The Admiral responded, “Excuse me?”
“Sir, he’s not lying.” Scarface said quickly, watching as both ponies looked at both pilots.
There was no response. Mobius rocked the stick left and right, tilting the wings at the ponies. The pink one smiled, giggled, and did the same. Somehow the yellow one was keeping them both in the air without falling to the ground.
“What should we do?” Scarface asked.
“Can you bring them back?” The Admiral asked.
“We can try.” Mobius said, taking the lead he turned them back around and head for the ship.
Within the next hour, both jets returned with two ponies flying high between them.
“Ponies, Why in hell does it have to be ponies” said Herman Barnett
Herman Barnett was a Petty Officer First Class inchange of the computer systems and radar on board of the Eldridge.
“First we have a stinken Admiral with his “Cargo” and then we get teleported to an alien land inhabited by ponies.”
“Gail, how do you have sex with a pony?”
Gail Becker, a Petty Officer Second Class, whose under Herman in the military command chain was caught off guard with this question.
Herman started cracking up
“You know, cherry you're a killer with the faces”
Gail shrugged this off and left Herman’s bunk.
--
Rebecca Wright, the EldridgeXO went down to P.A system room to do morning announcements.
“Boy, I never signed up for this” she said to herself
Walking towards the room she saw various members saluting her as she walks by.
“Good thing they don't lose SOP but I can be 100% sure the officers would be on their asses if they broke just one tiny rule”
A few minutes of her walking around the huge ship, she arrived at the P.A system, Why they built it so far away from where the XO sleeps is beyond her. She grabbed her clipboard out of her bag and picked up the microphone and turned it on.
--
John was at the bridge, hearing the sound that the XO is coming on the P.A system.
“Oh boy, I wonder what she would say? It’s not like you could say, Everyone, Were are on a alien planet with the main species being ponies. It’s not like the whole ship does not know already, that we are on a alien planet with ponies.”
John went right back to waiting, for the ponies to arrive
--
Captain Daniel Hall already hated this cruise, First with the Admiral and that “shipment” he was sent to protect and then that Admiral outranked him meaning that he has to follow his every wish and command, essentially saying that he has full operational control of this military ship. As well that THEY WERE IN A FREAKING ALIEN PLANET. Of course Daniel did not have this outburst out loud but he really hated this cruise and would if they ever got home apply for a desk job.
“Maybe NCIS” He muttered to himself
--
Commander Albert Murphy, the highest ranking officer on the USS Florida stood on his Ohio class submarine in the middle of the Atlantic when it lurched to the right.
“XO, Status report.” Commander Murphy said knowing that submarines don't just lurched, and that something must of caused it.
Andrew Harmon, the XO onboard the USS Florida looked around a shouted orders.
“Radar check!”
“Dive Check!”
Pat Drake, the radar officer looked at the screen and did a system check.
“No bogies, But I can confirm the storm is gone.”
Lucy Lowe, The dive officer onboard reported after checking her system many different times.
“We have gone up 30 feet from before.”
Commander Albert thought long and hard what he was going to do next
“Bring us up to periscope depth” he said
--
