Author's Note
This story is intended to take place in the 1880s. At least that's how I envisioned it. Later on there will be Griffonia just know that they are an allegory to France full of French things. ß this symbol is an "s". It makes an "S" sound. Prueßenland is pronounced with an oi sound. It is pronounced proisenland.
Welcome to Ponyville
Stepping off of the train, Roger took in the sight before him. It was a small town probably no more than 5,000. A welcome change from the bustling busy streets of Canterlot and Manehattan. He headed towards the luggage car to collect his belongings as Ponyville was to become his new home after all. There wasn't much in the bag just a few personal belongings. Roger trotted away from the train station and towards what looked like the center of town. Then a pink pony with a poofy mane trotted up to him. She looked at him for a few seconds almost as if studying him, then the pink pony leaped into the air with a gasp and galloped away.
“What a strange pony.” he thought to himself. Passing through the center of town he saw a pony hammering a sign down in front of what looked like a brand new house.
“Excuse me?” he asked the pony. “How much for this cottage?” Slightly startled the mare responded,
“700 bits.”
“I'll take it.” Roger said almost cutting her off.
“Well, um, sir I don't have the paperwork or anything with me.”
“Well ok here how about you go get the paperwork, and I'll go grab lunch and I'll meet you back here in an hour sound good?”
“Yes, that would be fine.” the realtor mare said. Roger unhitched himself from the cart and headed back towards the center of town. Seeing a cafe he headed over and took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. The waiter soon came out and brought a menu over. He looked it over when a high pitched voice caused him to lose focus.
“Hey! It's you!” Roger looked up from the menu to see the pink pony from earlier. “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie, why don't you come sit over here with my friends instead of being all alone?” Following the pony over to a bigger table, he saw five other ponies or more specifically one alicorn, one dragon, and four ponies. Taking a seat the ponies all introduced themselves then the purple alicorn named Twilight spoke up
“Hey Pinkie who's your friend?”
“Hey Twi this is uh, um,” it suddenly struck her that she did not know his name. “Hey, what was your name?” Roger answered
“My name is Roger Stone.”
“I'm assuming that you're new in town if Pinkie here doesn't know you, where are you from if you don't mind me asking?”
“Not at all, before coming here I lived in Canterlot. Though I am not originally from there, no the land of my birth is called Prueßenland. Before coming here I lived in Canterlot, Manehattan and Griffonia. Anyways I am hoping to come here to start anew, gain a fresh start I can already tell this place is much different from the busy streets of Canterlot and Manehattan. I am looking for a job here as well.”
“What's Prueßenland? Twilight said I've never heard of that place.”
“Oh.” realizing his mistake, Roger answered, “that would be because you might know it better as Prussia or as it's called now Germany. In my native language it is called Prueßenland.”
“Oh, that makes more sense.” Twilight said. Rarity then spoke
“Well if it's a job you're looking for I can give you one as I am always needing help in my dress shop.”
“That would be very kind of you Miss Rarity.” he said. Then the waiter came by to take their orders. When they had finished eating Roger offered to pay.
“Oh that won't be necessary” Twilight said.
“No please allow me.” he argued.
“Well, ok if you insist.” she said. As he trotted away from the group of friends Twilight said to them,
“He seems nice.”
“Yeah, he's aiight.” Rainbow said.
“I thought that he was rather handsome if I do say so myself.” Rarity said.
“Is that why you offered a job to him, so you could see him everyday?” Applejack teased.
“No, I do not have a crush if that's what you're thinking.”
“He seems nice ,but something's not right. He's a nice pony and all ,but he's hiding something I'm sure if it.” Pinkie said.
“Now Pinkie I think you should give him a chance I'm sure he's not hiding anything.” Fluttershy protested. The next day Roger came into Rarity's shop.
"Oh, hello Roger."
"Good Morning Rarity. So this is your shop?”
"Yep. I have two more besides this one there is one in Canterlot and one in Manehattan."
"Is it just you here, I mean do you have any other employees?"
"Nope, it's just me my sister Sweetie Bell helps out from time to time and I have other ponies to take care of the shops in Canterlot and Manehattan." "So, what can you do?" she asked.
"Well I've never been into sewing or embroidery. I did run a fairly successful company that produced firearms while I was in Griffonia. I've always been good businesspony. My company did rather well. Perhaps you can let me handle the money while you make the dresses?" Rarity thought about it for a few moments
"Sure let's give it a try." So Roger started working with Rarity. She made the dresses while he handled the money. As the weeks started to pass Rarity was finding it to be harder and harder to contain her crush. Roger had no idea of course. He thought Rarity was good looking, but to call it a crush would be overstating what he thought of her. Nonetheless, he did enjoy his time working for her. After a little while it occurred to Rarity that she never saw Roger without his sunglasses on. So one day she decided to ask him.
"Excuse me Roger."
"Yes, Rarity?"
"I have a question. Why do you never take your sunglasses off?
"Well, I er um, I just have sensitive eyes that's all."
"Oh, is that it really?"
"Yes, that's it.”
The Story Behind the Glass
Roger hated that Rarity had asked such a question. He had to come up with a quick excuse on why he wore the sunglasses. He knew the reason why, but it reminds him of the pain that his past contains. Some time later on a normal evening when he and Rarity were closing up the shop for the night. Roger was counting the till while Rarity was putting away fabrics and dresses and whatnot in the back. While Roger worked he sang a little tune. Rarity in the back heard his singing. As she listened, she could hear that Roger had a very nice singing voice. She could not make out what song she was singing, so she assumed it was something in German. Soon, she found herself abandoning her work and standing at the entrance to the back room watching Roger dreamily. As Rarity watched Roger she saw what she thought were tears on dropping from his face. She could not see his face as his back was turned to her at the moment. Then Roger started crying and that was when Rarity went over to comfort him.
“Roger, are you ok?” she asked.
“I can never go back.” he answered.
“Never go back? What do you mean?” she inquired. Wondering what the meant.
“Home. I can never go back.” He answered. “I can never go back to Deutschland.”
“Why? She asked.
“I can’t go back because they view me as a traitor.”
“Oh Roger you’re not a traitor you are one of the most loyal ponies I have ever met.”
“I’ll tell you why. It’s a long story. It was almost 15 years ago. I lived in a small village in Preußenland. Near the border with these Griffin tribes. I lived there with my wife we had only been married a few months when it happened.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“She was taken from me. You see Deutschland is bordered by Griffins to the East and the West. The West is more organized they are the Kingdom of Griffonia. The east is much less organized they live separately in tribes. Well in the 1860s one of the more powerful Griffin tribes started conquering the smaller ones. By 1866 they had united all the tribes. Then they set their sights on Preußenland. In 1866 the Griffins declared war on Preußenland. The day war was declared many of the smaller villages were unaware that the kingdom was at war. I was walking home from the town market when I heard it. A sound I will never forget. It haunts me to this day. A terrible screeching from the skies, thousands of Griffins descending, bombs attached to their wings. And one of them was directly over my home with my wife inside. I rushed to hopefully help her get out, but I was too late. The explosion threw me back several feet. And where my home once stood was now a pile of rubble with my wife somewhere inside of the pile.” He was starting to cry again.
“Oh Roger that’s horrible” Rarity said.
“It wasn’t the end though. I was a reserve in the Prussian Army. I had to spend a few weeks recovering before I was sent to the front lines. The war lasted two years and we had won, but there was little joy in my heart. I returned to the village where I had lived with my wife, but being there only reminded me of her and it was painful. Then I tried to move back to Konigsberg, the city where I was born and my parents lived. I didn’t fare much better there. Finally I decided I would move. I moved to the Kingdom of Griffonia far away from anything that could remind me of my wife. While there I started a business with a good friend of mine named Hans. He was my brother in-law when I was married and we both fought in the Griffin war of 66-68. Our business produced and sold firearms. It did pretty well. I thought everything was going to be fine. Until 1870.
“What happened in 1870?” Rarity asked.
“The Kingdom of Griffonia declared war on Preußenland. Now you can imagine the predicament I was in. Of course I supported Prussia, but I was living in Griffonia. I was conscripted into the Griffin Army against my will, I had no say in the matter. Once I was in the Army I came up with a plan, in order to support Prussia and not seem like I was deserting the Army. I bounced.”
“Bounced? What does that mean?” She asked.
“Here’s what I did, I would periodically switch sides and be back with the Griffin Army before anyone could file a desertion report. It was very risky and I knew the consequences if I got caught, but I did it. I was sure I had my tracks covered well. After the war I went back to the city I was living in. Griffonia had been defeated, and rather swiftly the war lasted nine months and Deutschland was finally united under one banner and one Kaiser. However, I was in for a surprise when I got home. I had been discovered, and now I was being hunted by my old commanding officer Commander Haig of the Griffin Army. I had been charged with desertion of the Griffin Army. Now in Griffin culture desertion is a very high crime. It is seen as treason before the King and the punishment for treason is death. Fortunately my friend Hans warned me in advance, and I was able to escape. I ran, ran to Equestria. I hoped that I had covered my tracks well enough this time that Commander Haig would never be able to track me down. I moved to Manehattan, but found that big city life just wasn’t really for me. I tried to move to Canterlot, but a city full of unicorns is not very open to hiring an immigrant earth pony. Finally I decided to move to Ponyville and that’s how I wound up here, I am very grateful for the job you have given me Rarity. You don’t realize how much of a help it is to get a job that easily given how my past has been.
“Roger that is a sad story, I hope that, that Commander Haig never catches you. I can assure you that you will be safe here in Ponyville. We are not exactly well known.”
“Thank you Rarity.”
Author's Note
This is the song that Roger sings:
I hope you are enjoying the story so far more will be coming soon.
