To save confusion, Seaquestria will share the same timezone as Equestria. So, I'll just call it Equestrian time. Same goes for the Crystal Empire, Yakyakistan and etcetera in the future. Equestria's timezone will be an hour ahead of Finland's timezone.
Anyway, we haven't seen how Seaquestria is doing yet in this story timeline. But now we will, and are they going to be doing well? You'll have to read and find out. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
- 15th December 1945 - 11:00 AM Equestrian time (In Seaquestria)
Skystar needs some time outside of Seaquestria to be by herself, although she doesn't swim off too far away. She is not feeling great, she's feeling really down. On her, she has a pair of black binoculars, strapped to some seaweed attached to a yellow coral belt.
She remembers 5 years ago now, they had to flee Mount Aris once again. That was because of the war starting to turn against Equestria and the Axis. Mount Aris was within range of Soviet bombers at the time, albeit, barely. She was fortunate to not be involved with the war directly, because of Queen Novo's staunch policy on staying neutral. But the effects are far-reaching, far reaching enough to affect them.
After the second world war, Skystar was thrilled to travel between Mount Aris and Seaquestria again. Preparations were made for those seaponies who wanted to go back to Mount Aris and be hippogriffs again. But then, the Soviet invasion of Equestria happened, and crushed all hopes of returning to Mount Aris anytime soon. Soviet bombers now are far more than capable of reaching Mount Aris in today's time. Skystar looks down at the seabed, and starts fiddling with the stones with her flippers, taking her mind off of the ongoing events.
SREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...
"AAAGGGHHHH!" Skystar screams in pain as she hears a very, very unpleasant sound ripple through the deep water depths. This sound temporarily stuns the seapony. So powerful was this sound, Skystar felt her whole body vibrate. The powerful sound felt like she was hit by baseball bats all over her body at once, on the outside and inside of her. Her body was badly shaken by this powerful sound.
Skystar is left with a massive, massive migraine. It felt as if she had her head bashed against a rock wall. She notices the water around her starts turning into a murky red around. It's her own blood, she is hemorrhaging. She then goes into unconscious shortly after.
(Some time later)
Skystar regains her conscience, she doesn't know how long she has been knocked out for by the sound.
"What in the actual- agh..." Skystar limps as she wiggles her tail to stabilize her body upright, albeit, massively struggles to. Eventually she was upright again, and looks in the direction she was certain that aggressively horrible sound came from. She is still bleeding. She wipes her eyes with her flippers to clear her vision. She doesn't see anything ahead of her.
Skystar then grabs her binoculars with both her turquoise blue flippers. Her flippers are very shaky as she grabs the binoculars. As she holds her binoculars up to her eyes, she can see a large, long black object that has a massive object on top that looks like a dorsal fin, except it has 3 stick-looking objects on top that can be easily seen. From the top of the dorsal fin, 2 lines on each end, attacked from the top of the dorsal fin to each end of the object. This weird object appears to be swimming to the right.
"What kind of fish is that..." Skystar sees on the front face of the dorsal fin what looks like another stick, except this one is horizontal, and is slightly near the bottom of the dorsal fin. Skystar wags her tail to swim up slightly, so she can see what's around this object. She notices on each side of this object are many seaponies, 20 if she estimated, and their spears nearby. The seaponies aren't holding their spears, and they and the spears are floating up to the surface. The nearby water around these seaponies is also murkey red, a much stronger and darker tone of red.
"That ugly fish killed them-" Skystar then realizes that this object is no fish. Above the horizontal stick-looking object near the bottom on the front face of the dorsal fin, is a red star with a white outline. On the side of the dorsal fin near the top has characters in white 'C-13'. No fish has a perfectly drawn star and writing on their dorsal fin.
"A submarine-"
Skystar sees that this submarine is not alone either. There is another submarine of the same model. She notices both of these submarines are sluggishly turning right, which is the location she is to them. Skystar immediately swims away. She cannot survive hearing another burst of that sound, let alone hearing it made by 2 of these submarines at once.
"I must go back and warn my mother! They're heading for Seaquestria!"
"We can't continue staying neutral, we have to help Equestria in whatever way we can!" Terramar begged desperately, pleaing to Queen Novo to work something out.
"We could help, you are right. But unlike the threat the Storm Creatures posed back then, the USSR has the means to launch attacks underwater, meaning they could attack us if they so wished to. I am not willing to provoke the Soviets and put you or my other subjects in harm's way. Guards are out there patrolling the waters, and all we can do is patrol. We must not provoke the USSR when we don't need to. This is the surface dweller's conflict, not ours," Queen Novo is talking to Terramar and Silverstream.
"But they're on their own fighting desperately! We can't just stand here idly!" Silverstream exclaimed.
"We are staying out of their troubles and that's final!" Queen Novo declared, as she swims back to sit on her purple anemone-looking throne.
"Mum!" Skystar comes in screaming while swimming at lightning speed up the hole in the middle of the floor of the room. She also leaves a very faint red trail. She barely stops herself from crashing into her mother. The seapony princess is struggling to keep her posture upright. This gathers the attention of the other seaponies in the vicinity.
"What happened!?" Queen Novo gasped in shock, pushing herself off of her throne with her tail immediately at the sight of her injured princess.
"Two submarines are heading this way... they are coming for us..." Skystar replied weakly. As she spoke, the water around her mouth dyes to a faint red colour.
"What did they do to you!?" Silverstream cried, swimming up to Skystar and helps her in correcting her posture.
"Y- you're spitting out- b- blood!" Terramar stuttered in horror, and rightfully so. He's concerned for the princess seapony as much as every other seapony.
"They blasted powerful sound- and it feels like I've been shaken about- it hurts- my head hurts- my body just hurts so bad I wanna end myself it hurts so bad- agh..." Skystar groaned, wincing and weeping in pain.
"What insignias did these submarines have?" Queen Novo questioned calmly, pushing her tail against her throne to swim off it and swims to Skystar. While Novo remains calm on the outside, she's panicking on the inside for Skystar.
"A red star on the front of their dorsal fins..." Skystar replied as she sputters out a little more blood. She goes unconscious again.
"Stupid Soviet warmongers, death to them all..." Queen Novo muttered under her breath. Seeing her princess in terrible pain makes her so distraught and extremely fuming, that saying she's upset and furious would be insulting.
"You two, get her treatment immediately-" Queen Novo then hears some whooshing noises behind her. She turns around and swims forward slightly, to look out of the window behind her throne. She doesn't see anything out there.
...woshwshwshwshwshwshwsh...
"Who else is hearing whooshing noises?" Silverstream wondered. Other seaponies can now also hear this whooshing sound, and some swim near to the throne to see what's coming.
"SEAPONIES IMMEDIATELY SWIM AWAY!" Queen Novo turns around and tries to swim away from her throne. She spotted a long but relatively small dark object rapidly approaching the window, creating a trail of bubbles. Then it goes through the window, shattering it which creates a big hole, and crashes into the throne.
Crwalsh- KABAAAAAANG!
All within mere moments, a blinding white explosion obliterates Queen Novo's throne from behind it. Water is pushed outward, parts of the throne as well as shrapnel from the object. A nearby seapony that was near the throne gets decapitated by a purple coral disk flung out of place by the explosion, blood staining the nearby water around their neck.
Seaponies in the area screams as they start fleeing. All the countless number of seapony guards in the area swim to where the attacker is supposedly attacking from. They are going to confront the attacker and show no mercy after that attack.
Silverstream grabs Skystar's shoulders. They as well as Queen Novo and Terrarmar swim through the hole in the window that the explosion made. Silverstream is careful to not scrape Skystar on the sharp edges of the hole as they swim through. Queen Novo takes lead.
"We have to get Skystar out of here!"
Sreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
Silverstream immediately let's go of Skystar to cover her own ears. She, Queen Novo and Terrarmar curl do the same while also curling into a ball, badly disorientated by the sound. Silverstream quickly uncover her ears as the sound stops to grab Skystar. She, Queen Novo and Terrarmar began to swim up diagonally in the opposite direction, to the surface. Other seaponies are doing the same thing.
"Was that the sound Skystar heard!?" Silverstream cried. She's panicking and distraught as all of this happened all of a sudden without any warning. They are now near the surface.
"It must be," Terrarmar replied back, who is doing his best to keep calm. He as well as Silverstream now see 4 large bulky dark grey hulls above them, 2 to their left and another 2 to the right.
They see another seapony who's reached the surface. They get grabbed by a large black net along with 3 other seaponies. They flap violently to get free, and they hear faint hissing noises. After the hissing noises stop...
POW! POW! POW! POW!
Faint bangs are heard above the water. The seapony struggling to get free stops moving. The water around their heads starts turning red. Their bodies are then dragged by the net near to the hull on the left that's at the front. Their bodies are pulled out of the water.
"Swim back down! Follow me!" Queen Novo exclaimed. They went to swim down to get away from the hulls on the surface, followed by Silverstream and Terrarmar. They quickly descend back into the depths.
"I will escort you two over to the west side of Equestria. Once I know Skystar will be safe, I'll go back-
SREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...
Queen Novo is interrupted by a bombastic, violently loud sound coming from below. She as well as Silverstream and Terrarmar scream. They curl into a ball and covers their ears as let go of Skystar. They now have a massive headache, they start to hemorrhage and stain the water red. Then shortly after, they went unconscious. They as well as Skystar start to drift along with the direction of the water currents are going.
Skystar regains some consciousness, and so does Queen Novo, Silverstream and Terrarmar. They are all unaware of how much time has passed since losing consciousness. They don't even know where they even are, what time it is or even if they're in the next day. It takes a whole minute for them to fully regain conscience.
"What... Was that- agh my head..." Silverstream scrunched her eyelids closed and puts her left flipper over them. Terrarmar does as well.
"Where are we- what's going on-"
"What matters is you're alive," Queen Novo swims close to Skystar and hugs her. The seapony princess stops and relaxes the tensions in her body. Queen Novo then let's go and looks to Silverstream and Terrarmar.
"I trust the pair of you to keep Skystar safe while, whether that's temporary or permanent. I must navigate my way back to Seaquestria, even if it means I will fall with my subjects."
"No you can't go back they'll-"
"I have to Skystar, I don't want future seaponies to see me as a coward who abandoned her subjects to die. I have witnessed Seaquestria's rise, and if I must, I'll be there to fall with Seaquestria." Queen Novo then swims off while looking at Skystar, blinking. If they weren't in water and were on land, they would see each other's tears.
Skystar looks down and sighs, whimpering. Silverstream and Terrarmar comforts her, but respects her personal space.
"We'll get through this, together," Terrarmar speaks calm and firmly.
"Let's just go... before more submarines come after us..." Skystar murmured in depression. The seaponies start swimming upward, for the surface. They make sure they don't see anything, so they don't share the same fate as the unfortunate seaponies.
(Above the surface, above Seaquestria)
"Once Seaquestria falls, Klugetown will follow suit almost immediately..."
Chrysalis as well as Dysthanasia and 200 other changelings are helping 4 Soviet-possessed Liberty ships, crewed by 60 Soviet naval personnel each, which 20 of them are out on deck, wearing their white hats and black uniform, armed with a wooden rifle each. Chrysalis grins as many more seaponies are being pulled up to the surface by the Soviet sailors using nets.
"You've spent ages starving, years and years without a meal! This will be your greatest feast, with many more greatest feasts to come today and tomorrow and the foreseeable future! Feed, my subjects, feed!" Chrysalis barks out her commands as she flies towards a 30 feet by 30 feet net with 6 seaponies, which 10 other changelings are already sucking the love out of.
"Make way for Chrysalis!" All 10 changelings fly off to a different net. Chrysalis licks her lips as she prepares to devour all the love. Her horn glows grown and hisses, taking all the love from the 6 seaponies, all of which are screaming in terror and fright. After devouring all the love, Chrysalis licks her lips and oses her mouth. Then, 6 of the Soviet sailors walk to the edge of their ship and aim their rifles at the 6 vulnerable and helpless seaponies, at their heads.
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
All 6 seaponies in the net are murdered. Their blood and brains fall into the water, staining the water red. The 20 sailors on the ship began to pull the net up via ropes attached to each end and corner of the massive net. Chrysalis salutes to the Soviet sailors with her right forehoof to give her respect.
"This is working to well! Ah ha haha hahahaha!" Chrysalis evilly laughed.
This is the best moment in Chrysalis' life, especially after her lowest moments since losing her hive. Since finding changelings who are still loyal to her has brought her, sanity back. She wouldn't of had the motivation to find them if she didn't become a close ally to Joseph Stalin.
Chrysalis shakes her head, her mind is distracting her from this great feast. She went to fly to another net, until she notices Dysthanasia not feeding. Instead, he's hovering in the middle of the chaos.
"Why aren't you feeding!?" Chrysalis snapped as she questions her second-in-command.
"I don't feed on a creature's love... I feed on a creature's suffering..." Dysthanasia coldly replied. Chrysalis nods in admiration.
"I won't take part in this feast. Love is lame, pain and misery is delicious. But, I am admiring this exercise, practicing Soviet-changeling coordination," Dysthanasia added more explanation.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" A voice screamed at the 2 changelings, a mixture of fiery anger and drowning sorrow. Chrysalis and Dysthanasia immediately turn around. Hovering infront of them is Queen Novo in her hippogriff form.
"Ah... Queen Novo, the Queen of the seaponies of Seaquestria..." Chrysalis speaks slowly while having an evilly-wide grin. She hovers slowly to the hippogriff.
"I'm afraid you're too late to save them now! Two S-13 submarines are in the vicinity of Seaquestria are blasting active sonar, forcing your beloved seaponies to surface as they avoid being ruptured to death by the active sonar and once they come to the surface, it's free real estate! We feed on the love, the Soviets take the meat, mwah haha haha hahahaha..." Chrysalis starts to tauntingly fly around Queen Novo in circles. The hippogriff and the changeling maintain eye contact with one another.
"You won't get away with this..." Queen Novo growled, squinting her eyes.
"But we already have-"
Queen Novo goes straight for Chrysalis, bewildering her. The hippogriff raises her right arm and slashes the changeling's left wing with the pointed nails of her right foot-like hands, hindering her flying, and starts to hover lower dramatically. Queen Novo dives for Chrysalis, but then Dysthanasia flies straight into the hippogriff's side with his right rear hoof. Queen Novo's focus shifts to him, but then the hippogriff gets blasted by a beam of green magic. Queen Novo gets sent flying, crashing onto the deck of the deck of the right-side Liberty ship at the front. She lands outside of the steel door that leads into the crew's mess room, which is roughly in the middle, left side of the ship.
"I'll make you pay dearly for scraping my wing!" Chrysalis angrily hissed as she puts more power into her beam. She lands down beside her with a thud.
Meanwhile, Dysthanasia flies over the defenseless hippogriff until he's hovering above her. He began to start sucking out similar matter when stealing love from another creature, except it's red. Dysthanasia is feeding on Queen Novo's feelings, distress, powerless, misery and most importantly, her feeling of suffering. After a minute of dreadful torture, they stop. Queen Novo is barely conscious. She has received a patch of exposed ghastly-burned flesh from Chrysalis' venting with her magic.
A Soviet sailor walks up to Queen Novo and aims their wooden rifle at her head. Dysthanasia grabs the muzzle of the rifle with his left forehoof and lowers it.
"Leave it, I want it to suffer," Dysthanasia ordered, referring Queen Novo as 'it'. The Soviet sailor nodded and withdraws his aim.
"You understood me?"
"Yes, comrade, I speak a bit of English," The sailor nodded. He looks at Chrysalis, looking at her scraped wing.
"Will your wing be okay?" The sailor asked with some concern, walking up to Chrysalis.
"It's nothing, I endured worse. I'll feed on a random creature's love and heal it later," Chrysalis replied.
"I will give you mine. Comrade for comrade," The sailor sincerely offered.
"I could kill you if I take your love, and I don't kill such valuable allies," Chrysalis declined the offer. The sailor nodded.
"Well, what do we do with her?" The sailor nodded inquired, jerking his head towards a crippled, weak Queen Novo.
"Chuck it in the ocean and let it suffer. It can wash up on amy random beach for all I care," Dysthanasia coldly retorted, having absolutely no regard for Queen Novo.
"I'll let you two deal with her. I have to attend with the changelings preparing to assault Kluegetown," Said Chrysalis as she flaps her fly-like wings. She struggles to lift up off of the deck due to her scraped left wing. She stops and her horn glows green. A green aura appears around herself and she levitates off the deck and levitates away.
Dysthanasia hovers up and grabs the very weak Queen Novo by her head with all 4 hooves. The Soviet sailor grabs her by her feet with both of his hands. They lift her up off of the deck and throw her off board, into the water.
Splash!
"Good riddance," Dysthanasia retorted. They turn their backs and head away from the edge of the ship. Queen Novo, still in her hippogriff form, is left to drift along the waves.
The feast ended shortly after. The 4 Soviet-possessed Liberty ships start to sail back to the motherland. Once there, they'll start cutting up the seaponies and start delivering their meat to various markets throughout the USSR. The changelings that took part in this operation meanwhile start heading their way over to the Soviet lines south of Kluegetown.
Nobody knows how many seaponies were murdered. The Soviets saw the operation as an opportunity to gather food resources, while the changelings saw it as practicing coordination as well as a feast. But one thing is is for certain, the Soviets and their new changeling allies had no regard for the atrocity they committed, the worst atrocity committed in the conflict so far. But unfortunately for Equestria as a whole, the atrocities are only starting to ramp up, and are only going to get worse from here.
End of chapter notes:
Poor seaponies, they don't deserve this. They tried to stay neutral, but they ended up getting caught in the crossfire anyway. When I was writing this chapter I did feel bad I swear /
Keep a look out for the next chapter, definitely. If you thought this chapter was goof, next chapter will be much better. I'll only say that much to not give away spoilers ;)