“ANGRIFF SOLDAT!” Oberstleutnant Heinrich Slukovsk yelled to encourage his squad as the 88mm AP shell of a Nashorn sailed over their heads and easily penetrated the turret of a Valyrian Tiger one hundred metres away killing the commander, loader and gunner.

Heinrich looked up and saw a Typhoon heading to strafe their trench. “IN DECKUNG!” he ordered as and his 4 soldiers threw themselves to the ground. The Typhoon’s bullets hit the ground around them.

As the plane turned around a german soldier runned up to them. “Oberstleutnant!” he called him “Die Ingenieure müssen abdecken Feuer, während sie die Spur eines Nashorn reparieren! Nicht zurückfallen! (The engineers need cover fire while they repair the track of a Nashorn! Do not fall back!)”

“Jawohl!”

“Neuladen! (reloading)” yelled the machinegunner.

“Alle, feuer! (Everyone, fire!)” at the command, all the soldier except for the mchinegunner and loader started providing cover fire.

A bullet hit a german soldier in the yugular, said soldier fell to the ground applying pressure to the wound, but to no avail as the blood keep coming out like a torrent.

“Geladen! (Loaded!)” yelled the mg gunner and started spraying the ground before the squad just in time as over 30 valyrians soldiers were charging the trench.

As the mg opened on them they started dropping like flies. Head jerking back, and mists of red coming from where the bullets hit. Soon, only a quarter of them remained.

* Earlier *

“I...I didn’t think you’d convince them to fight.” Novenor said with a dumbfounded look at
his face.

Down the hill there were 3023 german soldiers, 20 Ferdinand tank destroyers, 10 Nashorn tank destroyers, 20 Jagdtigers, 10 Stugs and 15 Marder III.

“I have more good news, I found the hidden stashes of rifles.” Venotenko told Novenor, who was now sport an ear-to-ear grin.

“Perfect.”

Steiner’s grin faded. He turned to the left and walked 10 metres, a clear frown on his face. He just stared at the ground, feeling a knot in his stomach.

“Wenck?” a voice called him.

Wenck turned around to see Jean and Archie.

“Are you alright mate?” the British Private asked.

“This...this is all a verdammt mess. There are ponies and xanthians that have nothing to do with this conflict who have been dragged here. On top of that I brought German soldiers to die here too. I jus-...I just want to be home.”

“Hey.” Jean called him. “Then ask Novenor to send you back. This is not our war after all.”

“Und do what? Keep fighting for Hitler? Not a chance, besides Germany is almost defeated. Become an allied PoW? Pff. Nein, danke. Besides… by home I ment I want to be with my… meine familie… But they’re dead, so I have nothing left to lose or live for. Might aswell help this guys out.” Wenck sighed. “You guys go home. You still have people to care for.”

“No.” Archie said. “I have none I care for left.”

“Neither do I.” Jean had a sad look on his face. “I...I was told my family was in Villers-Bocage when the USAAF pounded it to shit. I still haven’t heard from them.”

“Jean, wh-”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Look, we’ll stay here and fight with you.”

Steiner grunted and felt a small grin tug at his lips. “You know, for a second there in Fluttershy’s cottage, back when we just got here, I really thought the war had ended, I thought we wouldn’t have to fight anymore. Seems it is true that ‘only the dead have seen the end of war’”.

“Well, look at it this way. We won’t have to kill any innocent ponies.” Archie tried to confort his friend.

“But are the Valyrian soldiers really guilty? They are just following orders, just like you, Jean and me. I think Sven, Celestia and Luna are the only guilty ones here.”

“Really?” they heard a voice behind them and turned to see Nocenor and Venotenko standing there, their stupor having left them long ago. “Add me and Venotenko to that list. we 5 are guilty for all the ones that have died and will die.”

“But at lea-”

“Silence.” Novenor cut Archie off. “We 5 are guilty for all that is happening and that’s it. On another topic, we still need a way to destroy the enemy airships, especially the Carolus and then Odin.”

“Odin? Carolus? Luftschiffe? Wo zum Teufel hast du uns Major? (Odin? Carolus? Airships? Where the hell did you bring us Major?)” A voice said as they heard several footsteps approach them. Wenck recognized that voice, it was...it was...Schultz?

Steiner turned around. “Hans! Schultz! Manfred! Albert!” he yelled as he ran to his friend and they group hugged. “Mein freund.”

“Sie werden nicht loszuwerden uns so einfach. (You will not get rid of us so easy.)” Schultz said.

“Ich bin froh. (I'm glad.)”

*

Wenck, Archie, jean, Manfred, Hans, Albert, Schultz, Novenor and Venotenko were sitting around a round wooden table inside a large tant.

Steiner had to explain to to other germans what was happening. When he finish all of them had a dumbfounded expression.

“Das ist-”

“Hans, english.” Wenck cut Hans off.

“Ja, sorry. That is quite a story you have there. Und don’t be sorry for bringing us here, it is gut to be alive again. But I have ein question. Why didn’t you bring more soldiers und equipment?”

“Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask you that too.” Archie told him as he poured some water into his glass.

“Well, Novenor said that if he touched anything else he could upset the balance of the space-time or something. So no tanks or artillery for us.”

“Ich know that we have to defend for now. But eventually we’ll have to attack, uhh...Canterlot, was it? And you’re the only one with urban kämpf experience.”

“Really? Where did you fight?” Jean asked him.

“Well, I never told you guys, but I fought in Poland, then France, and then was deployed to the Eastern Front.”

“Bloody hell, really?”

“Yes. First with Army Region Centre, fighting towards Moscow. Then I got reassigned to Stalingrad from 1942 to 1943. After Kursk I was assigned again to the Panzerabteilung.”

“You were panzergrenadier?”

“I still am.”

“Steiner.” Novenor called him. “We still need to think about how to take out the airships.”

“Why don’t you use your power?”

“Because I’ll use it to stop Odin’s giant HE shells, and they’re anti-magic too. so I’ll have to use extra power. Besides I’ll need to be ready if Faust decides to interviene. And the Alicorn sisters will be protecting it and the Carolus probably.”

“Do you know how long it takes to reload?”

“Each cannon takes around 5 minutes or so to reload.”

“Sehr gut. When they’re all reloaded, a squad of your vellemons will drop a large ammount of explosives into one of the howitzers, the explosion should make the shell explode, which should make all the other shells explode.”

“Seems like a good enough plan, and the Carolus?”

Suddenly, an orc entered the tent. “Lord Novenor, an Equestrian soldier has surrender as is requesting an audience with one the human Steiner.”

“Later, take the pony and put it under arre-”

“Wait!” Wenck stopped Novenor from giving the order. “What is her name?”

“Wenck it is me!” yelled Silky Winds as she bust in the tent. The orc guard unsheathed his sword.

“HALT! Senken sie ihre waffe! (Stop! Lower your weapon!) Steiner ordered.

“Put that away, soldier.” Novenor ordered.

“What are you doing here?” Wenck asked her.

“I...I needed to see you. First you dump me and say you don’t love me, then you steal the elements, kill soldiers and leave the castle. What is going on?”

“Soldat, aussteigen. (Soldiers, get out.)”

Everyone, even though some didn’t speak german, understood what he meant and immediately left the tent.

When Steiner was alone with he rushed to her and hugged her. “I do love you. But what are you doing here?”

“W-wenck.” Silky started sobbing as she hugged back. “What are YOU doing here? Why did you leave?”

“Because…” Wenck broke the hug and sat down. “At first we were planning to steal the elements and use them to destroy Novenor’s stone of power. But then...he told us what really happened. And...seems the humans and the princesses aren’t saints.”

“Wenck I-”

“Look, you can’t go back, they’ll take you for a dissertator, maybe even a spy. You...Y-you could hide, yes. You’ll hide and when all this is over We can be together!”

“Wenck, no. I want to be with you now.”

“Silky, I’ll be back. I swe-”

“NO! Don’t lie to me Wenck, please. I’m a soldier too. I know as well as you you could die tomorrow. I just want to be with you, be with you now.” She said as tears fell from her eyes and runned down the cream coloured coat of her cheeks. “Wenck...I...I-”

She was cut off as Wenck passionately kissed her.

*

“That...That fucking piece of shit!” Sven yelled as he slammed his fist on the table in front of him. In the table there was liad a map of Ponyville and the nearby fields.

“Calm down Sven, we need to plan our attack.” Celestia tried to calm him.

“Don’t worry, this is simple. I’ll send the Tigers, Cadian Shock Troops and the 4th Infantry to engage them. Then The Odin will deploy the Tretrachs light tanks on their back and they’ll be caught in a pincer. I’ll fucking murder those bastards!”

“That is what’s wrong…” Luna almost whispered.

“What was that?” Sven asked.

“What we did is finally catching up to us. Everything we did all those centuries ago...We will pay for everything, for every single bit.”

“WHAT!? NO, NO! THE EMPIRE WILL NEVER FALL. THEY ARE THE BAD ONES, THEY WILL PAY! THEY! NOT US, THEY!” Sven screamed angrily.

“YOU DON’T GET IT, DON'T YOU? IT WAS ALL OUR FAULT! ATTACKING WITHOUT REASON!”

“Luna! Don’t you speak likes that to us! Now go to your room!” Celestia scowled her sister.

“You can go fuck yourself Celestia! I’m not a little filly anymore!” With that, Luna stormed off the room.

“Celestia...Prepare the attack.”

*

“You know. I’ve never seen you smile out of pure happiness.” Venotenko told Novenor.

“Did you distribute the rifles?”

“Yes. Most goblins have their rifles and are training right now, same as the orcs who have their pistols and swords.”

“The uniforms?”

“We couldn’t find them.”

“I see…” Novenor looked at the horizon. The sun was setting, soon the moon would be up in the sky. The battle getting closer by the second. He hoped Steiner would make them win. “Venotenko…the day I spit in the face of Faust, I’ll smile out of pure happiness.”

*

Jean was sitting in a little green hill. The light of the setting sun hitting him of the back. His eyes were red of having been crying.

Archie came up behind him. “Hey Jean. How are you mate?”

The french soldier didn’t respond.

Archie sat in front of him. “Oi, mate. what’s bugging you?”

“S-Silky Winds came all the way from Canterlot for Wenck...I couldn’t even say goodbye to Applejack.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure she wants to be here with you. But she’s one of the Elements, she can’t just leave.”

“I suppose you’re right…”

“Oi, when all this is over, you will be able to live happily with her in her farm. A peaceful, quiet life. Sounds good, huh?”

“Yes...it does. Archie.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think we’ll survive this war?”

“...No…”

* The Day of the Battle *

A german soldier was on watch on the edge of Ponyville, behind him there were 10000 entrenched orcs and golbins with their Mosin Nagant rifles.

The young soldier though he heard a noise, but shrugged it off. However, the nosie got louder, it sounded like an engine...many engines. He looked towards the source with his binoculars and saw tanks and infantry, he aimed the binoculars up and saw several airships.

"Scheiße!" he cursed "ALAAARM!"

Author's Note

Next chapter, the Second Battle of Ponyville.

Will Steiner be able to stop the Valyrians? Is Luna's loyalty wavering too? Will Faust intervene?

I hoped you like the chapter. Which is your favourite character so far? (You can't say Steiner)