Author's Note

Maybe first chapters aren't too good, but next episodes will be better.

Chapter II - The Tannenberg

I couldn't feel anything. Everything went terribly wrong, Germans launched an attack, Samsonov committed suicide, and Rennenkampf was taken into captivity. I was the last commander of the defense. We fought like bears, but it wasn't enough. Germans destroyed the whole front. We had to move back into Russia, but they were too fast. There wasn't any ideological fight, we fought only to survive. Germans were well prepared with a modern weapon. Our conservative General Staff didn't want change the army equipment or strategy. The were still using tactics from the time of Crimean War. All of us realized Ludendorff and Hindenburg duo were very effective. When Germans couldn't break our defense, the decided to use artillery. Artillery fire destroyed our lines, one missile exploded nearby, its shards paralyzed me. Because of pain, I lose my consciousness.

I woke up in a strange place. It was terribly hot and stuffy. The room where I was, was red, created from human organs, bones and flesh! I was hearing distance screams. It wasn't German's prison, even them wouldn't be so fucked up. At this point, I realized something. I was tied to chair. I've started asking myself. Where am I? Why I'm tied? Where is everybody? I decided to shout.

"HELLO?! ANYBODY THERE?!" The only answer was a silence. "RELEASE ME! WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! LET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!"

"Calm down, homo sapiens, you're going to hurt yourself......." The creature who spoke that words almost made me a heart-attack. It was a demon, 3 meters tall, wholly black, surrounded by black cold flame, with black, shadow tentacles, and sharp as knife teeth. Its eyes were amber and pure evil. She came out from nowhere.

"YA yebat'... What the fuck are you?"

"Your judge, and the demon as you can see. And my name is Hecate. Do you know where are you?" Her voice was cold as ice and hot as lava, at the same moment.

"In hell, yes? Am I right? I'm in the fucking mythical space or something, where the damned souls get? Which circle of hell it is?"

"What are you talking about? Do you even know, why are you here?"

"Nein, ich weiß nicht."

"Why are you using German?" She didn't give to move out of balance, but she began to be furious.

"Aaaah, so German isn't native language of hell? It makes a bloody difference. Also, it doesn't change a fact, that I'm an atheist. So could you explain me, why am I here?"

"I wanted to, but you began to interrupt me. You were always so impatient and undisciplined. I thought army is supposed to teach you some manners."

"Okay, last thing and you can continue. Am I dead?"

"It's complicated, but you should understand it. Your soul was ripped off your body. I ordered to bring your soul here. I'm going to judge you, by your sins."

"Okay lady, let's started it. I'm fucking ready." I didn't intend to show any sing of fear. She didn't like it, for demon like her, torturing

"Trust me, it won't be nice...." She lifted up her hand and put it on my head. Hand started to shine in dead blue, I felt weird cold, then my mind has shattered into millions of pieces. I saw my whole past, from the death of my parents, by Balkan Wars to present day. After this short display, I fell into darkness for a while. When I woke up, I saw Hecate writing something on the piece of leather, I pulled out the knife from my shoe, and cut off the ropes. I took out my colt, and as silent, as I could, I sneaked behind Hecate. He was too busy, writing something with blood, I lifted colt and shot her in her head. She turned around in one second with flames in her eyes. Hole after the bullet disappeared in one second, she has a weird ability of quick regeneration.

"Shit......" I though it will be my end. I hid my pistol, and I was waiting for her reaction.

"You really thought, your precious bullet can kill me?" She drawled.

"Always worth a try. Are you going to kill me?" I started to panic.

"I want to but, even if I am the ruler of Hell, there are creatures stronger than me. Your world is pure, there isn't and wasn't any demons, devils or gods. Your world was created in Big Bang by itself. You could ask how it was possible. Let me explain, there are a lot of parallel dimensions, your universe is one of the oldest, energy, which created it, came from another dying universe sucked into the giant black hole. But in space between the universes, a powerful entity lives, goddesses of fate, Moirai. If you red Greek Mythology, they're more powerful even than gods, and I'm powerful as your Christian God. I could kill you any moment, but Moira told me, your end didn't come yet."

"I must admit, this is really interesting." I was surprised, the ancient Hellenes were worshipping something that was real. When I was listening to her, explaining me the right, ruling the multiverse, gray pony came to the room. I was surprised by his presence, but one thing took my patience. It had unnatural big eyes and not horse mouth. Even his body was weird, he had a height of the typical pony, but I didn't saw his hoof box or pastern brushes. His not looking like a normal pony, was nothing comparing to his ability to speak.

"Good morning mister. Good morning mother." He spoke calmly.

"Good morning Flick" She talked to him kindly. "Homo sapiens. This is my son, Flicker. Flick, this is general Joseph Stalin."

"Chto? Is this loshad able to speak? How this is even possible?" I was baffled.

"Magic. Dark magic." He explained to me with a smile. "What are you doing here? I saw Caligula, Elagabalus, Cortés, Pizarro, all of the tyrants, dictators, debauchees, worst sinners from all realities, but you? What have you done?"

"Your "mother," told me that's kind of trial. A trial of my soul, because of my actions, in a time of military service and before, but I'm still thinking this is a hallucination caused by cerebral hypoxia. Wait for a second, Caligula is here?!"

"Believe me general". She looked at me. "This isn't cerebral hypoxia, nor clinic death. Your body is still alive and only your soul is ripped off from your body, that's all."

"So why aren't you torturing me or something?"

"You haven't done anything evil... I mean, you've done a lot of terrible things, but not as so bad, you should be condemned."

"So why I need any redemption?!"

"This is going to be your redemption for future sins!" She began to get impatient. "Are you understand it now?!"

"Quite enough."

"That's good. Flick, bring his soul back to his body and help him in his world."

"Okay, spasibo "lady"." I was happy that I finally was free. When I thought, my soul will be sent again to my body, Hecate stopped me.

"Wait a second. I have something special for you." She pulled her finger inside of my heart. I felt terrible cold and burst of energy. "Now go. How are you Russians saying? Vremya mat' rozhdayet, odnazhdy umeret'?"

"Exactly. Goodbye. See you next time. Ok, come on Flicker."

He started mumbling words in some weird language, Celtic I think. Then, I felt very light, and darkness fell. I woke up again in my body, covered by dead soldiers.

"You humans really love wars?" Flick stood next to me on the edge of the trench. He seemed to be inert, but the view of dead men filled him with sadness.

"This war was supposed to be the last. As you see, it wasn't. Hold on! I can feel my body again! That's bloody brilliant! Spasibo weird demon lady!" I clambered out the trench. "We lost 125.000 men only within a week."

"Do you fell sorry for your actions?"

"I was last Commander of defense. I hadn't any other choice...." I heard the German voices. "Get to the trench, now!"

"What is happening?" He was surprised.

"Germans are checking the bodies for values and jewelry. They can't find us."

"I could use magic to get rid of them."

"Magic doesn't work here. Your mother told me about this."

"Ok, this is bad. How many are they?"

"One company and platoon, 150 people."

"Do you have any plan? I'm half-demon, but if you're saying that magic doesn't work here, everything is more complicated, even for me. I didn't get used to fighting."

"Ok, first we must hide under the bodies."

"Don't you think it's some kind of prophanacy? I'm okay with that, but what about you?"

"Deads can't fell difference. Do you see this Mosin?"

Germans were coming closer. Fast answers and question were now necessary.

"Yes."

"Grab it."

I and Flick grabbed Mosin, and hide under the bodies. The Germans were above us. I order Flick, to be silent.

"Hans, what do you think? When the ar is going to end?"

"Soon, our soldiers are destroying the Tsar's army, on the west, we're near the Paris.

"I hope so... Herr Major. Where is this bastard Stalin?"

"I don't know, dead or he had escaped."

"These russian scums have no rights to live." From the chink, I saw the man who told that words. Young sergeant, nationalist.

"I agree, sergeant."

I whispered to Flick: "Are you ready?" "Yes". "Die german scum!" I jumped out of the heap of corpses with loaded Mosin. First, I killed Hans, then Schlager. Flick, I don't know how killed 2 other soldiers. They panicked, so initiative was on our side. Corner of my eye, I noticed heavy machine gun. At this moment the simple idea came to my mind.

"Flick, rush to this HMG!"

"What?! Have you lost your mind?!"

"If I had, both of us would be dead. I'm going to distract them! Go!"

The struggle was tough but I wasn't giving up. The one soldier charged at me with an axe, but I killed him with a bayonet. A trick proved to be effective. Flick approached the Maxim and, I didn't expect that he started to fire. He killed 50 soldiers. I was impressed, even flabbergasted. That was a mistake. 4 soldiers rushed at me with bayonets pierced my chest and pinned me to trench wall. For a moment, I was thinking it's the end for me, but abruptly Flick charged at them with a shovel. It didn't end well for him, Kaiserman shot him in the back of his head. I felt bad for him, but feeling the chance, I pulled out the bayonets and killed all of them with the shovel. Remain soldiers were terrified. I looked at my chest and realized what made them terrified. I was terribly shot, with a lot of wounds. When I made one step, they made 2 steps backward.

"Is this some kind of demon?" One of the soldiers asked their mayor.

"No, I'm just a man like you, but it doesn't change the fact, that you're done....." I saw this words with a creepiest smile which I would even made. "Better start running....."

Only 20 soldiers left, that wasn't even challenging. I throw Mosin, grabbed shovel and axe. While I was charging at them, they opened the fire, but I hadn't felt anything. I was on the rampage, they were begging for mercy, but I wasn't listening to them. I killed everyone. Until then I felt the pain in my chest. Don't care about it, I found Flick's body. He wasn't moving. He had wound in the back of his head, by the bullet. His mother wouldn't be happy about it.

"Sorry that this happened to you. I never expected this could even end like this." I felt guilty.

"Don't worry...... That's nothing......" He was still alive. I don't know how but I became curious.

"H.... How?! You got yourself shot in the back of your head. Your brain should be irreversibly damaged."

"Well, being the spawn of a demon gives you interesting abilities. I can heal myself. I see, my mother gave you some abilities too."

" What do you.... Oh, I get it. It's a strange feeling, being shot and stay alive."

"You are communist, right? How you became general-lieutenant without respecting your ruler?"

"After breaking out from the seminar, I joined the army at the time of Russo-Japanese War. For bravery in the fight, Kuropatkin promoted me to lieutenant rank. When in 1905, the revolution broke up, I was on the side of protesters. During this event, I've met the man, called Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, leader of RSDRP. Then I decided to join them. In a time of Balkan Wars, I've become mayor, and later colonel. Struggles war tough, but didn't give up."

"I was observing events in Europe. Just because of curiosity. It seems Balkan Wars was a prelude to present war?"

"Yes indeed. Interests of European powers clashed here."

"I don't want to interrupt you, but I've become a little hungry." He was looking for something.

"Sorry, I don't have anything to eat."

"That won't be a problem." When he spoke this words, he lifted a chopped leg of one of the Germans, and.... he was eating it! That was most fucked up view of my whole life. He looked at me with questioning expression on his face.

"What? What's the problem? "

"You.... You're eating human flesh!"

"So?" He didn't notice the problem.

"Are you serious?! You're a bloody pony, and you're eating flesh! Ponies are supposed to be herbivorous, not carnivorous."

"Listen up, Stalin. You should understand, I'm not actually a pony. It means, I'm a pony but only in the half. The second half of mine is a demon."

"How......"

"Okay, it doesn't matter now. Continue your story."

"All right. When Gavrilo Princip killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, everyone realized war is only matter of time. The Europe has already participated into 2 alliances, Triple Alliance and Entente. Every country was declaring war on each other. I was promoted to General-lieutenant rank with the order of commanding the Second Army with Samsonov. Germans were very effective. We were losing battle after battle. Samsonov committed suicide, and after that, I've become the Supreme Commander of Second Army. We were fighting with Germans to this day, about 2 hours ago Germans made powerful offensive with massed artillery shelling. Then a piece of a bullet hit me and paralyzed. I lost consciousness, you know the rest of the story."

"Good, thanks for explaining me everything. I would stay a little longer, but, I need come back to my mother. She's waiting for me. I can feel it."

"I'm not going to stop you. Thanks for helping me. I appreciate it."

"No problem... No, wait. Actually, there is a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"You saw the hell, and you remember everything that my mother said, also you saw talking horse. I need to clean your memory."

"This won't change me a lot?"

"Of course not. You are going to remember this fight with Germans for example but without my assist. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's do it."

He created a pentagram under my shoes. The golden glow covered me, ans again I felt myself light. He looked at me the last time

"Well Stalin, see you next time."

"I hope so. Goodbye Flick." The last thing I saw, was flash.

Darkness fell. When I woke up, the Russians were surrounding me. Lieutenant crouched next to me with a water bottle. I grabbed it instantly, I wasn't stopping drinking until the bottle was empty.

"General, are you allright?" He asked me.

"Yes. I'm fine." One of the soldiers was bandaging me.

"It doesn't look like that. You're terribly shot. Also we saw a lot of dead people around you. Is that your work?"

"Yes, it's impossible, but yes."

"You remember anything'?"

I've started thinking, but nothing came to my mind. I couldn't remember anything. "No, the last thing I remember, was , I killed a whole company alone. Also, why are you here?"

""The Emperor wants to talk with you personally, he has some special plans for you. We pushed the Germans 2 km away, the road to the capital is clear."

"We should let the Autocrat wait for us, let's go to Petrograd." I went with the lieutenant, to the nearest train station. When we came to Warsaw, I was the witness of polish reluctance. Poles were divided into 3 empires, they had to kill each other, I was one of those, who ordered them to do that. I felt it, they wished me death. We went to Vienna Station and entered the train, going to the Petersburg.
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End of Chapter II.