“A German and a Princess”
Conrad Schmidt
Camp “Plains”, Appleloosa, Equestria
September 17th, 15 ALR

Conrad stood in front of the Royal Tent, breathing deeply as he prepared himself to face Celestia. After the... nightmare of last night Conrad had spent most of the day shut in his tent, struggling deeply with what Discord had said to him. Deep down, part of him knew that it was just pure lies, an attempt by Discord to try and steer him away from the path he had chosen. At the same time, he knew that there was a hint of truth in his words.

Taking a second to clear the flurry of his thoughts, he instead chose to focus on the path ahead. No matter what, these ponies needed his help, and he would help them be free if it was the last thing he did. Once focused, he pulled the tent flap aside and ducked into the tent.

Despite being the temporary home for the Princesses, the tent was surprisingly plain, with little more than two beds, a table, and a few chairs decorating it. Seated at the table was Celestia, a neutral look on her face as she watched Conrad enter. Conrad removed his helmet and took a quick bow before putting it back on. “I came as fast as I could Princess Celestia, is there something you need?” he asked calmly.

Celestia looked at Conrad for a few moments, and then gestured for him to sit down, floating over a pot of tea and two cups. “I wanted to speak to you before we start plans for the first strike in the revolution. Pull over a chair and make yourself comfortable, and then we’ll continue,” she replied warmly. Conrad simply nodded, putting a chair in front of Celestia’s table and sitting down.

Once Conrad had sat down, Celestia poured tea into both of the cups before pushing one to Conrad. “I hope you enjoy the tea, it’s made by some of the highest quality leaves in Equestria. Do they have tea back in your country?” she exclaimed. Conrad thought for a moment, and then nodded slowly.

“We don’t usually have tea in Germany, but you can get some if you really want it. It was lot harder with the war going on though,” he explained, taking a sip of the tea that Celestia had provided. It was a bit bitter for his tastes, but otherwise tasted fine.

Celestia sat there, drinking her tea silently for a few moments before giving Conrad a warm smile. “Luna didn’t really tell me much about you, just that you were a soldier that could help us fight back against Twilight, yet there is so much more I wish to know about you. From the look of you, you’ve seen your fair share of struggle and conflict... how bad is it back in your world Conrad, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked softly.

Conrad thought on Celestia’s question for a bit, wondering if he should lie about the experiences of Stalingrad and the daily suffering he endured. “Well... it was terrible. Before I was brought here, I was fighting in one of the biggest battles Germany had ever seen. Hell isn’t a strong enough word to describe Stalingrad, for the suffering we faced daily was simply unfathomable. I spent my every waking moment on my guard, wondering when the next attack would happen. I would be helpless to watch my comrades die next to me, feel that emptiness grow more and more inside of me with each passing day. There was little rest for me and the others on the front line, just the shriek of Stukas ahead or the shattering booms of Soviet artillery…” he began before tapering off, feeling an emptiness grow inside of him.

Celetia listened thoughtfully, placing her teacup on the table. “You've experienced a lot Conrad, and if you need a minute, I can give you some space. Only the strongest could have possibly survived what you went through, I can clearly see why Luna chose you,” Celestia said softly. . Conrad sat there silently, pulling himself together before shaking his head, looking Celestia straight in the eye.

“I’ll be alright, thank you. If anything, Stalingrad forged who I am today. It taught me to detach myself from the world around me, to focus on nothing more but surviving to the next day. Useful if you’re up against overwhelming odds,” he replied softly. Celestia simply nodded, giving Conrad a slight smile.

“I hope so, because things are looking bleak for us right now. Anyways, I’ve been curious for a while about that weapon that you carry on your back. Applejack mentioned that like that smaller weapon you used in the prison while freeing me; it kills in one shot. Weapons of such power are hard to find in Equestria... would you mind telling me about it?” she inquired. Conrad hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should really explain the concept of his rifle to Celestia. After a brief internal struggle, Conrad ultimately decided to tell Celestia about his Kar98k and removed it from his back before putting it on the table.

“This is a Karabiner 98 Kurz, the standard issue rifle for the German Army. It fires these small pieces of metal called bullets at high velocities, and can kill targets up to 500 meters away. It holds five bullets, and gets loaded through special clips. I also have a bayonet that I can mount on the end of the weapon in case I get into melee combat, in which the rifle can be turned into a type of spear.” Conrad explained as Celestia held it up with her magic, looking at the details of the weapon. Once Celestia finished inspecting the weapon, she placed it back on the table before chuckling.

“That’s very interesting... if only we could find a way to produce this rifle for our ponies, then we would be certain to get an advantage in our battles. Maybe find somepony who could reverse engineer it or something for use by our forces when we grow big enough. Anyways, thank you for telling me about your weapon, it will certainly help us. I assume you know what our next step is?” Celestia replied warmly. Getting no reply from Conrad, she smiled, pulling out a map of Appaloosa from under the table and placing it down in front of them.

“We’ll launch our first attack in about three days, and our target is the relocation zone in Appaloosa. They turned the entire town into a camp, so it’s slightly fortified, guarded by a small garrison of magical constructs and a unicorn commander. You’re going to lead Applejack’s group and break through the southern gate, getting out as many residents as you can. If ponies are too weak to get out, then try to focus on aiding the strongest ones out first. We’ve got a limited timespan for this attack, roughly two to three hours before the unicorns arrive with reinforcements, so act as fast as you can. With luck, we’ll all regroup at our fallback camp in the Macintosh Hills. Any questions?” Celestia explained. Conrad pondered for a few moments then nodded.

“You mentioned magical constructs. What exactly are they and what are their combat abilities?” he asked. Celestia paused, taking a moment to formulate her answer.

“Since the unicorns are a bit thin on numbers, the unicorns make these ponies out of magic to fight for them and work places. They look like normal unicorns except for the pure red eyes and shimmering coats. Constructs are pretty dumb, but they are strong in combat and can sometimes even use offensive spells such as fire or ice spells. Any other questions?” she replied.

Conrad shook his head, satisfied with the information that Celestia gave him. Seeing that Conrad was ready, Celestia smiled, then stood up and put the map away. “Wonderful. You’re free to leave Mr. Schmidt, have a nice day.” she exclaimed. Conrad stood up, gave a quick bow to the Princess, and then left the tent. For the first time in a while, he felt good about what was left to come.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long D: