Aces' Diary

A/N: This is also a partially canon chapter.

Holiday Special: Hearts Warming Eve/ Christmas Eve/ Heiligabend Part II

The supper ended with the fruit cake and apple pies; Apple family’s secret recipe, which Soarin ate about five of it. It was the best pie Gerhard ever eaten in his life.

What’s their secret? He wondered, but decided not to ask right away.

After the meal, drinking commenced. Young ones got apple cider, but adults had eggnog, whiskey, wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages.

Tom, of course, chose scotch. Octavia, Rarity and Ava went for the vintage wine; high class bunch. Gerhard wasn’t much of a drinker, so he grabbed a mug of beer. The wonderbolts shared a bottle of whiskey. Vinyl took a whole bottle of vodka for herself. The others had Granny Smith’s moonshine reserve, except Applejack, who had applejack.

Gerhard rose up and raised his mug, “Für Deutsches Vatherland!” he toasted with a smug on his face, before drinking the whole mug in one sip.

Seeing this, Tom followed, “God save the queen!”

“Gott töten die Königin... (God kill the queen…)” muttered Ava, raising her wine glass mockingly. “Gott mit uns, (God with us,)” she threw in another toast.

“Oooh!” Pinkie gasped excitingly, “Toast battle!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “To the party!” she declared and sipped her moonshine.

“Glory to The Wonderbolt!” shouted Rainbow Dash, making the members of Wonderbolt themselves cheer in agony.

The peticular sight remionded Gerhard of something. He spent the moment to himself, ignoring the others to bring up the past.

After a moment of thinking, the memory popped out. It was some time back when he was still in flying school.

*****

He was in the bar near the academy, where most people went to unwind after after classes.

”Mehr Bier! (More beer!)” yelled a man, who was sitting opposite from Gerhard. Clearly, he was drunk, “Schafer, ein weiterer Becher! (Schafer, another mug!)” The bartender complied with the man’s request, filling the mug with beer from the barrel behind him..

“Joachen, gehen Sie zurück in die Baracke. Du bist betrunken (Joachen, go back to the barrack. You're drunk,)” Gerhard warned worriedly.

The said man lifted his hand, gesturing Gerhard to stop, “Betrunken? Es gibt kein solches Wort in meinem Wörterbuch, (Drunk? There is no such word in my dictionary,)” Joachen replied and took another sip from his mug.

On the corner of Joachen’s eye, he spotted a lady; beautiful lady. She was a blonde girl with a pair of beautiful ice blue eyes. Flying school uniform, she probably was a student from other class. Joachen raised his mug, “Um eine schöne Dame dort drüben! (To a beautiful lady over there!)” he shouted shamelessly.

She giggled and lifted her wine glass in reply, “Zu der schöne Herr zu meiner Rechten! (To the handsome gentleman on my right!)” she yelled over the loud chatter of the bar. Gerhard realized that she meant for him when Joachen nudged him on the chest.

“Scheint, dass sie dich mag. Sagen Sie etwas, (Seems that she likes you. Say something,)” said Joachen, “Gehen Sie erhalten sie, Tiger! (Go get her, tiger!)” He passed out by the moment he had finished that sentence.

**Shit…* he swore in his head. Now, the courageous one’s down. What am I going to do now?*

“Erm…” Gerhard muttered coyly. She was looking at him, waiting for his reply, “Um Ihre Schönheit! (To your beauty!)”

She smiled and got up from her table, walking over his table. “Wie heißen Sie, gut aussehend? (What’s your name, handsome?)” she asked with an extreamly adorable face.

“Barkhorn, Gerhard Barkhorn,” he answered shyly. “Und Sie?” he asked back.

“Ava Herz,” she said in an alluring tone. She grabbed a pen from her pocket, and wrote something down on the bar’s napkin hastily, and finished with a kiss on it. “Ich muss jetzt gehen. Sehen Sie sich um, gut aussehend. (I must go now. See you around, handsome.)” With that, she departed and left the bar.

Gerhard took a read at her napkin. It had her room number, class, and where she’d normally hang out. He beamed joyfully, knowing that he just had a girl on his tail.

*****

Back at the dinner table, the toast battle had ended a while ago, with Pinkie Pie as the winner. They had all the fun they should now. It was time for presents.

Everyone (and everypony) gathered in the living room, placing their presents by the Hearts Warming Eve tree. The presents came in many size and shape, some were huge, some were really small.

Applejack, the host, wrote a number on each present, and wrote another set in a paper. She folded each paper and put them into a box, scrambling them by shaking the box.

Taking only a piece of paper, Gerhard picked out number thirteen. His face became pale by getting such a bad number, but he shrugged. What could possibly happen? He himself bought a pair of binoculars, hoping that it would be in good hands.

“Who here git number one?”

“That’s me! Rainbow Dash, the number one!” Rainbow Dash said egotistically. She took the present from Applejack’s hoof and ripped it open immediately. To her surprise, it was Gerhard’s binoculars. “Whose gift is this?” she asked disappointedly.

Gerhard raised his hand, Now, it seems to be in good *hooves*** He snickered quietly.

“Err… Thanks, I guess.” She hovered away without saying another word.

The next one was Ava’s. Spitfire stepped out of the crowd and grabbed it with her mouth, then walked back into the group. Tom exchanged his shortsword with Pinkie’s pink kitchen knife; irony.

Finally, the number thirteen was announced. Gerhard squeezed himself out of the crowd and picked it up. The shape of it was like an instrument case. He gently tore the wrapping out, revealing a violin case. A smiled as wide as mile appeared on his face. None ever knew that he could play it. Except…

Octavia gazed at him, happily. He had told her about it while he was staying overnight at Ponyville’s hospital; a joyful conversation. “May, I?” asked Gerhard. Everyone (and pony) in the room cheered, urging him to play something.

He started the first song which came into his mind: Ein kleine Nacht Musik. It was one of his favourite piece from Mozart, but personally, he liked Turkish March more.

While he was playing, all the eyes watched in awe, some of them even gaped their mouths.

This once again, reminded him of a rusty old memory. It was after his graduation from flying school, after he had dated Ava for a fair amount of time.

*****

His packing was completed. The graduation was fun. After all the time he spent in the flying school. He had found his love, sharing joy and bitterness together. He could never be more happy…

He sat on a compact chair next to the runway with his classmates, chatting about which Wing they would be sent to. One said: No matter how the future will be, do your best for the brighter future.

**It was wise of him.* Gerhard thought.*

“Schätz…” Ava approached, holding gift wrapped in colourful paper and bow. She simply handed it to him without hesitation. He thanked her, then carefully unwrap the present leisurely.

It was a violin.

“Danke, mein schönes Mädchen. (Thank you, my beautiful girl.)” Gerhard hugged her lovingly. Then tenderly kissed her on the soft lips. “Ich habe auch etwas für dich auch… (I also have something for you too…)” He searched his pocket. A second later, he picked out a tiny little box, and opened it.

A silver ring with refined diamonds laid inside, reflecting the light upon Ava’s ice blue eyes.

Gerhard knelt down on one knee, smiling nervously. “Ava, durch alle Zeiten, die wir zusammen verbracht haben, gute und schlechte, können Sie immer gestanden haben durch mich. Ich könnte nie mein Herz versprechen, jede andere. Ich werde dich bis zum Ende lieben. Egal, welche Teile uns, ich werde dich immer lieben. Ich bin die Erde, können Sie die Sonne sind. Willst du meine ewigen Sonnenschein sein?

(Ava, through all the times we spent together, good and bad, you have always stood by me. I could never promise my heart to any other. I will love you to the end. No matter what parts us, I will always love you. I'm the Earth, you're the Sun. Will you be my eternal ray of sunshine?)” Her eyes widened in shock. Frozen like a statue there.

A moment passed, she replied: “Ja, Ja, Ja!” Letting go of every single burden, she threw herself onto Gerhard and gave him the tightest hug in her life. His friends’ reaction was priceless; mouth gaping open. A stray fly flew into one of them, making him cough terribly on the ground.

Gerhard, turning purple, “Ava, loslassen! (Ava, let go!)” he said weakly, using the remaining air in his lungs.

She replied his request with a kiss, blowing some air into Gerhard’s deflated lungs. He coughed badly, but ended up with a smile on his face when Ava finally let go.

I love you, Ava…

*****

The crowd’s agonizing applaud echoed through the room as Gerhard finished the last note. He bowed down modestly.

“Schätz, Ihre Fähigkeiten nicht fallen gelassen ein Bit! (Sweetie, your skill haven't dropped one bit!)” Ava complimented with a pat on his head, “Und die Haare sind immer noch so weich wie Seide! (And your hair are still as soft as silk!)” she giggled playfully and joined the crowd once again.

“Look at the time!” started Rarity, looking closely at her pocket watch, “It’s quite late, now. Shall we call it a night and return home?” she suggested worriedly. Must be about her beauty sleep again…

“Aye, Merray Christmas, lads and lasses.” Tom yawned tiringly, eyes fluttering sleepily

“Auf Widersehen,” said Gehard. He gestured Ava to come with him, “Gehen wir zurück in die Baracke zu gehen. (Let's go back to the barrack.)” she nodded in respond and snuggled onto his arm.