Chapters Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 2 Life in America
Chapter 2: Life in America
Johann’s peaceful sleep was interrupted by a scream, wasting no time to look towards Dinky, who was breathing heavily. “Did you have another nightmare about Deathshead?” He asked the filly, she nodded, trembling.
Without hesitation he gently took her into his arms, carrying her to his bed. With a sigh she fell asleep hugging the teddy bear, her stepfather fell asleep too.
As the morning sun shined into the room, they both stirred in their sleep, yawning and stretching themselves. “Good morning, daddy!” Dinky smiled.
He returned it. “Morning, my dear.” They went into the kitchen for breakfast, Bauer turned the radio on.
“Good morning, Bürger of Roswell! It’s another wonderful morning, with warm temperatures. A friendly reminder, Changeover day is next year, so learn your Germans lessons. And let’s start the day with the Die Käfer - Changeover Day .” The radio speaker said before the song played.
While it sounded strange to Dinky, it was kinda catchy. “What does this changeover day mean?” She asked curiously and a bit confused.
“Well, as far as I know, it is planned to phase out English, making only German legal to use. It even goes as far as changing the American culture, like replacing American food with German food.”
The filly stayed still for what seemed like hours. “That’s…horrible to force people to change like that.”
He patted her. “I know, I know. Reminds me, I wasn’t told where I am supposed to work.” How was he supposed to pay for food, keeping himself and Dinky feed and healthy?
The doorbell tore them out, Johann wondered who could it be so early in the morning as he answered it.
In front of him stood a man in officer uniform, having blond hair and blue eyes, a golden handgun in his holster and a trench coat. “Good morning, can I help you?” Bauer asked polity.
“Yes, I assume you are Johann Bauer?” the officer asked with a neutral expression, the soldier nodded in return. “I’m Erstecommander Jessie Günther, I got informed from General Engel you are in need of a workplace and wanted to offer you one.”
“I would like that but I have none to look after my daughter,” Johann replied, seeing this as a problem.
The officer smiled. “It’s no problem, since it’s your first day, what about taking her with you, showing her your new workplace? I like children.”
“Well, I showed her my workplace in London back then, so I see no problem with that. What do you say, sweetheart?” Bauer asked his daughter who grinned.
“I would love that!” She exclaimed, causing the commander to chuckle.
“I see you raised your daughter well. What’s your name?” He asked, patting her head.
“Dinky Hooves, Mr. Günther.”
“A really nice name that suits you. Now, come along.” He pointed to a VW Bus parked on the road and they all stepped in as he took the wheel.
“Where are we going?” Johann asked curiously.
“To area 52, that’s where the Oberkommando relocated after the destruction of General Strasse’s compound. You would be one of the guards, with me as commanding officer.” The Erstecommander explained as they reached the outskirts of town, Dinky looked out of the window, seeing abandoned convoys and wrecks of American tanks, jeeps, and trucks on junkyards on the side of the highway, showing the sad legacy of the U.S. Army.
“I see. If you don’t mind, do you have a family?” Bauer asked.
“Of course, I have a son. Actually, as you can guess from my first name, I’m German-American. I was born in Dallas, Texas, with my father being a soldier and my mother being a nurse. It pains me to see my birthplace being changed like this.” The officer told with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“If I may ask, how is your son?” Dinky was curious.
“18 years old and a good boy. He wants to do a medical career as I did in both wars.”
“Both wars? You mean you’re a veteran of the Great War too?” Johann asked in disbelief, his eye wide, Günther appeared in his early twenties, it just made no sense.
“Well, I was born 1895, immigrating to Germany at the age of 18. In 1916, at the age of 21, I had an accident with poison gas, it somehow changed my DNA, so I can’t age anymore and I am a bit more resistant against injuries.” Günther explained a bit embarrassed.
“That…That’s incredible!” Dinky exclaimed fascinated.
“I know. As for how I became an officer, I served as medic and sniper in the Great War and as a pilot in the Second World War, from time to time also as infantryman if my skills as sniper and medic were needed. This made me highly decorated, with General Engel suggesting me to join the high-ranking officers. My rank is higher than the normal ones but lower than the Übercommanders, who are highly influential and important, being under the general’s command. I have my own command, my uniform is the same as normal commanders, but in blue like with the Übercommanders, my golden handgun showing my authority.”
“Makes sense,” Bauer replied in awe.
“I couldn’t believe it myself back then. And here we are.”
The filly saw nothing, only sand and desert as far as she could see. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” The commander replied as they came to a fenced area, a large gate opened and Günther drove in, stopping at an underground parking lot. “Welcome to Area 52 where the Oberkommando resides.”
As the filly stepped out of the car, her eyes went wide as she saw what seemed to be a large cargo depot, a crane was lowering a large rocket engine on a train. Overall, it was consisting of a vast, slate-gray expanse, winding walkways leading in all directions, dim light and billowing steam encasing corners of the place in shadow while sets of red lights gave the room little light but shone brightly like the eyes of great demons in the darkness. Hanging from the high ceilings, immense mechanical masses silently churned out the German war machines.
“That looks… amazing!” She exclaimed.
Jessie chuckled. “Indeed it is, a train powered by a rocket engine, on such an idea you have to come first. Just as heads up Johann, standard issue for the infantry has changed since 1960.”
“It’s okay, I get used to it,” Bauer replied as he got led to the armory. The handgun was the same but instead of an Assault Rifle, he was issued an SMG, the MP61, having a 45 Round magazine.
“The MP61 is the replacement for the standard 1960 Assault Rifle for regular soldiers, I wonder why, as an Assault Rifle is way better than an SMG.” The officer explained.
“I guess it’s the production costs and lower importance here.” Johann suspected.
“Yeah, the Assault Rifle is primarily used by Elite soldiers here. Come, I’ll show you around.” Günther said and they followed him into the train.
Inside, the soldiers saluted the commander and greeted the father with his daughter, the two also noticed the Elite soldiers along the regular ones, being heavier armored, having a tag light attached on the right side of their helmets, armed with the Assault Rifle, it had a sleeker design and better heat dispersion compared to the 1960 version.
Dinky and Johann also took notice of soldiers who were larger, having face masks and were armed with Shotguns. “Those are the replacements for the fire troopers, armed with the Schockhammer, an improved version of the Automatic Shotgun, utilizing three barrels.” The Erstecommander explained as they walked to a passenger wagon, the filly also saw soldiers with a strange optical visor in front of their heads.
“That visor looks so strange.” She commented.
“I know, they are our Marksmen, armed with a semi-automatic version of the Assault Rifle. The visor allows them to magnify their vision at longer ranges. Kinda stupid, the AR Marksman was way better than this but since Blazkowicz was on the moon base, production got canceled.” Günther commented.
As they came to what seemed a storage room, the filly saw what seemed to be human-sized robots hanging on the ceiling. “What are those?” She asked curiously.
“Those are ÜberSoldats, replacing the Guard robots in general service in some lower threat regions as the USA, so that they can be redeployed to more important duties in higher priority areas, in particular, the African front. With a skeletal head and a powerful chassis frame, the ÜberSoldat model's main advantage is its incredible speed, and high agility, allowing it to sprint and jump great distances, and even stick to walls. Its main offensive weapons are two powerful blasters attached to its arms but in order to make them agile and fast, ÜberSoldat’s design sacrifices their armor, making them less durable than the Guard Robot.” Jessie explained as they leave the room, coming to an open wagon where a few soldiers patrolled, an ÜberSoldat was standing on the side, his head lowered, his arms hanging, apparently in rest mode.
Dinky took notice of a 1961 Super soldier patrolling the wagon, carrying a pair of weapons rather than just one, looking like a laser gun. It was painted black, and consisted of a metal muzzle likely containing a kind of focusing crystal or lens, and a tough, mechanical stock. The body of the weapon was covered in wires and electrical components, as well as a fluted mechanism similar to a turbine.
“Based what I got told, you already saw the new version of the super soldier. Unlike their slow, lumbering predecessors they are all equipped with a rocket engine mounted on their backs that allows them to rapidly close the distance to an enemy. Instead of an MG, they can be armed with a Lasergewehr, an energy weapon which fires a red laser beam capable of melting metal sheets or vaporizing biomass.
The second weapon is the Dieselgewehr, a flamethrower which utilizes a compressed motor to propel fireballs. Or the Super soldier can be armed with the Hammergewehr, a heavy shotgun.
This came at a high price, however. The armor had to be lowered to accommodate the increased weapon payload and the rocket pack, thus making them less durable in contrast to their predecessors and the fuel tanks on their backs are prone to exploding after being damaged.”
“Can’t tell if this is more a downgrade than an upgrade,” Johann mumbled.
“I ask myself this often too,” Günther replied as he took them into a comfortable cabin.
Due being early morning and still tired, Dinky climbed on one of the seats and closed her eyes, taking a nap, causing the two soldiers to smile.
After fifteen minutes of driving through the endless tunnel, the train arrived at its destination. Günther had his arms on his back as he led his guests out to a large elevator platform.
The filly’s eyes went wide in awe as the elevator moved past a large cave.
Once the elevator reached the top, the group came through a few storage rooms with all kind of machinery, eventually reaching a large room with a big reactor at the end of it. “This is the nuclear reactor of Area 52, the heart of this machinery.” The commander explained.
Dinky was fascinating, seeing two commanders patrolling, both escorted by an attack dog, being a Doberman pinscher. Unlike the attack dogs from 1946 and 1960, they had cybernetic red eyes, but any other cybernetic implants were smoothly concealed with their body harnesses.
A chilling, low-pitched electronic noise started the young pony from behind, turning around in fear.
A large, lumbering, heavily armored robot stood in front of her, his weapons locked on the filly, which trembled.
“She’s harmless.” The Erstecommander said in a calm tone and the robot moved away with a standard pitched noise. “This is the Zitadelle, the successor of the Heavy guard robot, armed with a rocket launcher and a flamethrower, it can be a dangerous foe at all ranges.”
“I see…Kind of a downgrade in firepower compared to the energy weapons of the Guard robots.” Bauer commented on it.
“Yeah, really a downgrade. But let’s show you the rest.”
For the rest of the day, the daughter and father got shown the command center, cafeterias, and recreational areas and so on, it was very interesting for the young child.
In the afternoon, she watched Johann and Günther playing billiard, the officer had some trick shots up his shelve but the Luftwaffe member proved to be an equal opponent.
After the shift was over, Jessie said to them, “Come, I’ll give you a ride home.”
During the ride, the radio played Die Käfer - Mond, Mond, Ja, Ja.
Due to her stay in Germany a year ago, Dinky knew the song already and enjoyed it, it was kinda relaxing.
The sun was already setting as the car arrived in Roswell. “End of the line. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Günther said goodbye.
The young man made dinner for his daughter, then tucked her in. “Goodnight, sweetheart, sleep well.”
Dinky yawned. “Night, daddy.”
As Bauer went into his own bed, he thought about his first day at work.
Jessie seemed like a man he could trust and the day went rather smoothly for him and Dinky, looking good for them so far.
But for how long?
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 3 Victory Day
The next day was quiet, Johann and Dinky quickly befriended Günther, who told him they could call him with his first name or nickname, which was James, due being named after the famous cowboy Jesse James.
“So, what about Dinky?” Johann asked him.
“I already got that covered. One of my men can take care of her if you want.”
“Sounds good to me. What do you say, Dinky?”
The filly grinned. “I would like it!”
James smiled. “Glad to hear it. Private Jonas!”
“Sir!” A soldier saluted him.
“You take care of her until Private Bauer returns from work.” The officer ordered with a strict tone.
“Jawohl!”
As the two men left for work, the private took his helmet and masks off, revealing he was a young man with brown hair and green eyes, smiling at the unicorn. “Hello Dinky, my name is Jonas Walter but Jonas is just fine. What would you like to do?”
The filly hadn’t long to think about it. “Well, I like muffins, want to bake some with me?”
He grinned. “With pleasure! I love baking with my son.”
While they baked, the girl asked, “How long do you know James?”
“For a few years now, we got to know each other back in 1955 and are best friends ever since. Couldn’t ask for a better commander, he cares for anyone under his command.”
“Yes, he is a very nice person,” Dinky replied, already liking Jonas.
After the muffins were done, they both enjoyed them while watching TV. The program was apparently a comedy show, called “Trust in brother”, where the younger brother got scolded by the older one, as he had his second chocolate this week, warned that he will be reported the Youth Health Ministry, if it’s too much, being dishonorable and disgusting, as a good nutrition value for the youth was a matter of state security.
Second chocolate in the week? Reported to a ministry? Dinky found that more than a little excessive. The most fuss she'd ever gotten out of her parents was when she'd somehow managed to eat six marshmallow muffins in a contest with Tootsie, and only then it was only because they worried she'd feel sick. Back home, Truffle Shuffle was always overeating but nopony would go so far as to call him dishonorable or disgusting, not even Diamond Tiara in her worst moods. She knew for a fact that Tootsie found him rather cute.
“It’s…strange. I mean, what’s wrong about having a single chocolate too much?” She wondered.
“I know, it’s a bit exaggerated, with enough exercise, it’s actually not a matter, at least for my son. I and my wife always let him enjoy some candy, still making sure he has enough exercise, that way, it’s balanced.”
“Indeed. I and my parents love muffins, but still have enough exercise.” She replied as the next show started.
It was called “Blitzmensch”, a TV series, for children where an n Olympic athlete named Dieter Goldblitzer, who was struck by lightning on a Trans-Atlantic Zeppelin flight and as a result, became Blitzmensch, an electricity-themed superhero with powers ranging from electrocuting enemies, super-speed, super-strength, flight, and super-intelligence. Opposing him were a rogues' gallery composed of crude caricatures of symbols of the pre-war America, including Uncle Sam, Colonial soldiers (such as an African-American) and Puritan Pilgrims, a brutish baseball player, a cowboy with a literal cow's head, a mad scientist, and a Liberty Bell-themed boxing villain.
It reminded Dinky a bit of the Power Ponies, a team of comic book superheroes who defend the fictional city of Maretropolis. Still, she found it a bit strange that the enemies were things like the statue of liberty, a sight of America.
After that, a game show called “German or Else” was shown, where two contestants had to conjugate various words in German, with some of them being unusually long and complex. Winning contestants were given a prize of thousands of Reichsmarks, while losing contestants are publicly condemned to 4 weeks in re-education camps on live Television.
If there was ever a time she thought her eyes would resemble those of her mothers, it was now.
The filly couldn’t understand how they could forbid the English language and make a game show out of it.
To motivate the Americas to learn German? Maybe, but it confused her still.
“Why do they such a TV show?” She asked in confusion.
“Apart from promoting the eventual Changeover Day, for entertainment value and for indoctrination value. I barely watch it, I mean if German is your first language, what’s the point in watching a show that shows other learning it?” Walter replied.
“I see. What to make a surprise for Johann?”
The man smiled. “You bet!”
Inside Area 52, Bauer was mostly patrolling around the cargo station, everything was quiet.
“I have no sympathy for terrorists. How can they promote violence towards us, just because we hold a different point of view?” He overheard a soldier asking his comrade.
“They are violent creatures, Karl.”
“I think they were born without a moral compass. We are humans too, aren’t we? Violence only begets violence.”
“You’re right Karl. Acts of violence are never okay. Never.”
“What kind of society would this be if I were to kill anyone who does not subscribe to my viewpoint?”
“A war zone Karl. It would be a war zone.”
“Makes me sick. By the way, did you apply for the New Orleans assignment?”
“I did! Are you going?”
“Damn straight!”
“Maybe we’ll be in the same death squad?”
“I hope so! We work well together, don’t you think?” The soldier named Karl asked with excitement.
“I do!”
The young man just shook his head, he never understood such people who disliked violence but had no problem to use on others or using other for violence.
Also, the mentioning of New Orleans filled him with disgust. Once a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana, well known for its distinct French and Spanish Creole architecture, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage, as well being famous or its cuisine, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras, dating to French colonial times, it was decimated by the Germans and had been turned into a massive ghetto with a giant solid wall blocking access to the ruined city.
But it hadn’t been like this before.
Prior to 1952 the city was controlled by the Germans, growing civil unrest led them to desolate the city and transform it into its present, despoiled state, and in the same year, the city was hit by a hurricane called Greta, destroying it.
Johann had sympathy for the people who had to live here. Either those who wouldn’t suit into the ideology of the Reich, or those that spoke out, or did not comply with the Regime's ideology, being exiled to massive ghettoes formed out of the ruins of occupied American cities, such as New Orleans to endure systematic purge and genocide.
“Johann, your shift has ended, go home.” James tore him out.
“Wha-? Oh, it is? Time passes fast.” He quickly replied.
“Yes.” They both got into James’ car.
“You know, it makes me sad to see what has become of New Orleans. Once such a beautiful city, now a ruin of death. When I was a kid, my parents showed me New Orleans, I always enjoyed trips to it.” The officer told with a sigh.
Bauer could only imagine how this all must be for Günther. “I can imagine that this must be not easy for you.”
“Yeah, it isn’t. But I will do anything I can to keep you and your daughter safe, Johann. You have my word.” His voice sounded honest.
“Really?” Johann asked surprised.
“Yes. Dinky kinda reminds me of my son, caring and polite, always ready to help.”
It was evening as they arrived in Roswell, the Luftwaffe grunt opened the door, and everything was dark. “Hello?” Johann asked a bit worried.
“Surprise!” Dinky yelled as the lights went own, Jonas was holding a plate with muffins.
“She wanted to surprise you, Johann.” The private explained.
Her stepfather smiled. “And I like it. Do you like to stay too, Erstecommander? Jonas?”
“How could I refuse?” James asked.
“Count me in,” Jonas added with a smile.
For the rest of the evening, the three men and pony enjoyed muffins, told each other jokes and chatted about family and other things.
In the next morning, Jonas made some waffles for breakfast, which the young filly enjoyed very much. “They were delicious!” She exclaimed in joy.
The man smiled. “Glad to hear it. Say, what about going outside and enjoy the warm weather?” He suggested as the sun shined outside.
“Great idea!”
Outside, Dinky noticed the citizens had mostly their head lowered in fear, others rather smiled, apparently grateful for the Germans to occupy the US.
As he and the German passed by an alleyway, the faint sound of crying greeted her ears from it, “Do you hear that?” She asked her friend who nodded.
“Yes, I do. Hello?” He called out in English.
“P-please…don’t hurt me… I’m lost… The voice was male and a mix of English and German, being very scared. Jonas couldn’t blame the boy, violators of curfew were at risk of being considered enemy combatants and some soldiers weren’t friendly towards the Americans.
“I’m not gonna hurt you, kid.” He lowered his weapon to show he meant no harm.
The boy slowly came out, having brown hair and eyes, his yellow sweater and black shorts dirty, hugging the soldier for comfort.
“Shh, it’s okay. What’s your name?” Jonas asked.
“P-peter. Peter Norris. I live near Papa Joe's All American Diner.”
“The Diner? I know that, I live near that too. Follow me.”
“Don’t worry, we have you reunited with your mother in no time,” Dinky assured with a smile, the boy looked confused at her.
“She’s the daughter of a friend of mine, I take care of her while he is at work.” The soldier quickly explained.
Dinky offered a hoof. “You can call me Dinky, Peter.”
He hesitated but still smiled as he shook it. “Pleasure to meet you.”
The two children then followed the soldier, until the boy pointed to a house. “That’s where I live.”
Jonas then used the doorbell. A woman with dark brown with matching eyes opened it, sobbing, then forced a smile, trying to hide it as she looked at the soldier. “Yes?” She asked in German, her accent strong.
“Hello, Ma’am, I believe you are looking for your son?” He stepped aside to reveal her son, who looked overjoyed at her.
“Mom!”
“Peter!” They hugged each other with tears of joy before the mother looked grateful at the German. “Thank you! How can I repay you?”
Jonas waved a hand. “There’s no need, I only do what I believe is right.”
“Would you like to come in?” She offered.
“Thank you, but I’m on duty at the moment, taking care of my friend’s daughter.”
The woman looked confused at the unicorn, blinking to check if she saw that right. “It’s a costume, Ms. Norris,” Dinky explained.
The mother hesitated before she smiled. “It’s a nice costume. What’s your name?”
“You can call me Dinky.” The filly smiled.
“Pleasure to meet you, Dinky. You can call me Isabella.” The woman shook her hoof.
“Would you like to visit us when you have the time?” The boy suggested, already liking her, seeing the foal as friend.
“Sure, why not. Bye!” Dinky and Jonas left, happy that they had helped to reunite a family.
The young man showed her the town, then invited her to some ice cream, which she enjoyed.
“That was fun!” Dinky exclaimed after having finished her ice cream. “If you don’t mind, Jonas, do you miss your family?”
The mask hid any expression but with sadness, he replied, “Yes. But I write them postcards regularly, helps against homesickness. And I promise, I’ll do anything I can to help you.”
“Appreciated.” She smiled.
During the evening, Johann returned home. “I’m back! How was your day, Dinky?” He asked his daughter who grinned.
“Great! I already have a friend!” With that, she told him about Peter.
“It makes me happy to hear it that you already have a friend, Dinky. Let’s shall visit him tomorrow, shall we?”
“Great idea!” She exclaimed in joy.
The young man made pancakes for dinner, having taken some cooking experience from the cakes, the little filly enjoyed it to the fullest.
In the next morning, Dinky led her stepfather to her friend’s house, knocking on the door, the young boy opened it. “Dinky! Nice to see you again!” He was happy to see her.
“Me too. May I introduce my father Johann to you?” He pointed to him, he smiled at the boy.
“Hello, my daughter told me much about you.” He offered his hand, Peter shook it.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“Peter, who is it?” his mother asked as he came to the door, forming a smile as she saw Dinky. “Hello, Dinky.” She turned to Johann. “You must be her father.”
“Yes, I am, Johann Bauer.” They shook hands.
“I’m Isabella. Want to come in?” The mother offered, her guests didn’t refuse.
Inside, Dinky and Peter played together, while Isabelle and Johann watched them with smiles. “That’s a very nice costume. I wonder how it’s so well made and, who is her mother if I may I ask?”
The man let out a sigh, knowing it wouldn’t be easy to explain. “Dinky, would you please come over here?”
“Yes, dad?” She asked, trotting over to him with Peter.
“We should tell them.” He said with a neutral expression, she nodded in return. “This might sound very strange but please listen.” The mother and son nodded in response, wondering why.
Johann and Dinky told them their story, the family were fascinated yet shocked at what they heard. “Oh my…I’m sorry to hear that, Dinky.” The woman told with sympathy, looking sad at the filly.
The boy hugged his friend. “I’m sorry too, a polite and friendly girl like you doesn’t serve to suffer such a terrible thing as this.”
“It’s okay Peter, it belongs to the past now.” Dinky gently broke it.
“How did you end up in the alleyway?” Bauer asked curiously.
With a hint of disgust, Peter replied, “Because of Bobby. He’s a boy in my class who always bullies me for getting the simplest of things wrong. This time, he chased me and beat me up.”
Dinky gasped. “That’s awful! In my school, there is a filly named Diamond Tiara who used to be bully other foals but would never do something like this.”
“His mother should teach him some manners,” Johann added disgustedly.
“Yes, I will talk with his parents as soon as possible. We had planned to go to the diner today, would you like to come too?” Isabella asked.
“Sure, why not.”
“Count me in!” Dinky grinned, liking the idea.
At Papa Joe's All American Diner, the children enjoyed chocolate milkshakes, their parents had strawberry milkshakes. They could tell that this was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
After that, the two children played tag in the grass, with their parents watching them. “I can’t say how happy I am for my son to have Dinky as friend, Peter has not many in his school,” Isabella said to Johann.
“Yeah, even one friend can mean much. If you don’t mind, who’s his father?”
The woman sighed. “He’s dead. He was killed during a firefight between German troops and insurgents while he was on his way to work shortly before Peter was born a few years ago. That is what I got told official, others say the secret police took him away.”
“Sorry to hear that. I know that feeling only too well, having lost my parents to the secret police.” He replied with sympathy.
Dinky giggled as a butterfly landed on her nose, interrupting their conversation.
The days passed, Dinky and Peter visited each other regularly, the boy and mother also befriended Jonas and Peter.
On the morning of the fourth of July, Johann read the newspapers, The Star-Spangled Daily, the official news publication of the American Territories based in Washington D.C. that reported on various topics relevant to the climate of both the Territories and the Greater German Empire. The newspaper was established years before World War II. After the war, the Star-Spangled Daily later became the main news source for Americans. Although it's a newspaper the publication was used by the Germans to spread their ideas and propaganda to the American public.
Victory Day parade biggest in history
4 Jul. 1961, Roswell – The Bürgermeister of Roswell said today that the Victory Day parade planned in Roswell would be the biggest in history. Since the city was liberated by our beloved Führer from the oppressive capitalists and dictators in Washington, the city has been celebrating Victory Day every 4 th of July, like everyone else across the American Territories. “I usually buy myself one of those salty pretzels and watch the might of our German protectors as they march on by,” said Jack Childress 45-year-old store owner. “I try to get a glimpse of the Panzerhunden, but you got to find a good spot for that with all the people coming out to watch the parade.”
“I got free for today, let’s watch the parade, shall we?” Bauer asked with a smile.
“I was thinking the same!” His daughter replied with a smile.
Outside, The young soldier bought Dinky a pretzel from one of the many stalls, which she enjoyed, carrying her on his shoulders so she could watch the parade, consisting of soldiers marching in formation, it seemed endless.
After having finished her meal, she asked her father, “Can I take a look around?”
“Sure, just don’t get lost.”
“Of course.”
Many of the businesses were closed due to the parade, but that didn’t meaned she could take a look around.
Right next to her was an American woman and German officer, who leaned against a VW Käfer. “Just listen to that lovely marching beat! I’m so happy you Germans brought some culture to this country, Kommandant Ney…Neydner? Did I pronounce that right? You really must correct me if I didn’t.” The woman said to him.
“Oh, j-just a, a bit more practice Fraulein Adler, and you will pass the test on Changeover Day with the highest marks.” The officer replied, a bit caught off guard.
“I just couldn’t stand that primitive jungle music they used to play. Jazz and rock-and-roll. Quite ver…ver-shrecklich.” The woman replied with disgust. “Like you would say, right?”
“Yes, good, Fräulein Adler. You know, I see great potential in you. Your attitude is impeccable.
Adler giggled. “You flatter me, Captain.”
“You are a lady deserving of flattering, Fräulein.” The German countered as compliment.
“Oh stop! But I wonder one thing, Captain. Why do you tolerate that awful band Die Käfer? Those boys are Englishmen pretending to be German! I even stopped listening to Mozart when I heard he’s not German at all, but some kind of impure Austrian! Now Beethoven, hah! That is…”
“Fräulein Adler. May I remind you that the Führer himself is Austrian at birth! And so is my grandmother!” Neydner replied with a voice of anger, furious to be insulted like that.
“Oh…Oh…I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to…” The woman replied scared.
“To insult the Führer like that is…It’s outrageous.”
“I really didn’t mean to…”
“Be quiet, Fräulein! Your name will be reported to my superiors.” The man threatened.
“Oh, please no…” The woman cried in fear.
“You will be carefully monitored from now on. Do not step out of line or you will face great consequences, do you understand?” The officer asked dark, the woman nodded scared.
Before Dinky could think about it, a loud explosion startled her, looking into the sky in awe, as military planes did impressive aerobatics, leaving red, white and black colored smoke behind as they flew past.
“Die Bürger of Roswell. Be loyal! Remember to honor Der Liebe Führer today by reading a page from Mein Kampf.” A drone’s speaker echoed in her ears, broadcasting propaganda.
The young filly had heard of the book, Johann had told her about it, showing the believes of the Führer. He also told her having read it once, finding it rather boring. She never understood why this book was so important or what was so special about it to read.
Next to a Gas station, she saw what seemed to be a bike, composed of a single circular wheel next to two soldiers.
“Impressive.” One soldier complimented his comrade.
“What’s that?” The other one asked confused.
“I noticed the notches on your rifle butt, Volmar. Very impressive number of kills.”
“Oh, these aren’t notches. They’re grooves to keep the rifle from slipping out of my hands. My hands get sweaty, it’s a medical condition.”
“I get rashes on my feet. Why do they give us wool socks? We’re not in Bavaria any longer, for God’s sake.”
“I like it here. Find yourself a cold beer when you are off duty, and you’re all set.”
“Hey, why don’t you let me buy you a beer tonight at the pub? They only have tiny American glasses. But we can use the flower cases by the window!”
“You’re on.”
Dinky suppressed a giggle, Johann and the other humans did also have a drink when work was over, even her father loved it to enjoy a cider after work and on hard school days, she enjoyed to have a cold apple juice. Yet, the mentioning of medical condition reminded her of her mother, missing her but she stayed strong.
I have to be strong! For my family.
The foal then took notice of two men wearing white robes, a German soldier walked up from behind. “So, Americans, are you going to the concert tonight?” He asked in English.
“Oh, Jeb here is. He’s a, a big fan of Die Käfer, ain’t you, Jeb?” One of the men replied.
“Their music makes me happy, what’s wrong with that, Wayne?” The other one asked in return.
“Nothing wrong with that, Jeb.”
“I like your style, Americans. Very good. You’re part of the Reich now. Subjects of the Great Führer. I Hope for your sake you consider the Reich and all its glorious people your own.” The German said to them.
“Yes, of course, sir.”
“Let me give you some free advice. You’re witnessing a new dawn for America. You have a choice in this new world. Because the time will come when…how do you say? The wheat detaches from the staff? Have you taken your German lessons?”
“Ah yes, sir. Mhm.”
“Good. You…” The soldier pointed at Jeb. “How do you say ‘Thank you’ in German?”
“Oh, of course, sir. Let’s see. It’s…” The American tried to remember.
“Yes?”
“Dank…dank…”
“Yes? Out with it.”
“Dank…Dankey?” The American stammered due to his heavy southern accent.
“Mein Gott.” The Soldier was disgusted.
“Was that alright?”
“No, that was terrible! You’re butchering my beautiful language! It’s ‘Danke schön’ verdammt – say it!” The German yelled angry.
“Danke Shoon.”
“Incorrect! Danke Schön!”
“Dankey…Shaun?”
“I’ve heard enough. No more.” The German replied unhappy with the result.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, sir. I’m still practicing.” The US citizen apologized.
“You will practice harder.”
“Oh, I will, sir. I’m so sorry.” The two men then entered the gas station as a drone broadcasted the next text.
“Die Bürger of Roswell. Be obedient! Die Klansmänner are superior to die Bürger – ordinary citizens like you. Listen to what they say!”
Dinky couldn’t understand what was so special about those “clansmen”, they looked like everyone else. The language part was disgusting to her, taking away English and replacing it with German, it was just ridiculous. Learning another language could be hard, she knew that from the lessons in school, was this just another way to see who was suiting enough to be allowed to stay here?
“We just got our marriage approved by the Ministry of Family Affairs. A woman cheered as she brought her aunt the news.
“Oh, that’s wonderful news! When’s the wedding?” The elderly woman asked in joy.
“We haven’t decided on a date yet. But soon. You’re invited of course, auntie.”
“Oh, that’s nice, dear. Give my regards to your father when you return to the farm. Oh, and tell him I’m putting some hard working slaves up for auction this week, if he’s interested. There’ll be cocktails.”
“I’ll tell him, auntie. Bye Bye now.”
“Bye Bye, dear.”
Suiting to this conversation the next propaganda broadcast came.
“Die Bürger of Roswell. Be observant! If your sklave behaves suspiciously, report him to your nearest officer.”
Slavery.
That word alone made her shiver in fear and disgust. Slavery was bad and in Equestria, anypony who would do that would receive the highest of punishment, although this crime was very rare.
What she also knew, was that the USA had fought against slavery in a civil war, abolished it in the end. And the Reich would reintroduce it, with the Americans being okay with that, had so many forgot their past, or were they too scared to say something against slavery. How could they just let ignore something they had hard fought to abolish it?
Without warning, a loud sound filled the air, causing her to jump. It took her a few minutes to realize it was an air raid siren. “What’s going on?” She asked in alert as Johann ran up to her.
“Tornado alert! Let’s move!” He replied and they wasted no time, following the evacuations instructions.
The crowds of evacuating civilians got tighter, The little filly struggled to keep her father in her view, losing him eventually.
She went into an alleyway to avoid the crows trying to get up with an idea how to find him, staying calm, although she knew it would be difficult.
Going out would be her death, getting trampled by the crowds.
Still, she couldn’t allow staying too far behind.
“Dinky, what are you doing here?” A soldier asked as he saw her, she recognized his voice, it was Jonas.
“I-I got separated in the crowds.” She replied a bit scared.
“Don’t worry, I get you to him.” He picked her gently up, carrying her to a troop transport.
Once inside, Dinky asked, “Where are we going?”
“To Mesquite, a city in Texas, not far from Roswell. And don’t worry about Johann, we inform him that you are safe” Jonas explained.
It was a bit calming for the foal to hear that, knowing she could trust him.
And if they went to Mesquite, it was likely Johann would be there too.
With a breath of relief, she leaned back into the seat, enjoying the ride.
It couldn’t be that bad, maybe, she could take a look at Mesquite as well, but hoped Peter had made it out too.
For some reason, the young boy reminded her of her friend Pipsqueak, young, yet politely and always ready to help.
Suddenly, a great force hit the transport, strong enough to throw it over, Dinky screamed as Jonas clenched her protectively, getting thrown around before it come to a stop.
Both held their heads, moaning and groaning in pain, but were luckily unharmed, climbing out of the troop transport, finding themselves on a road in the desert.
“Don’t move!” An English voice sounded from behind, both did as told, Jonas did it only so Dinky wouldn’t be endangered.
For some reason, the voice was familiar to her.
“Turn around. Slowly.” The voice ordered.
Both did as told, seeing a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a brown leader jacket with strange nods sticking out. “Blazkowicz?” Dinky asked in confusion, then looked worried at Jonas.
“Run.” The American said and the German wasted no time. Dinky and Johann had told him about their previous “adventure” with the man known as “Terror Billy”, he knew that Dinky was safe with him. And he was grateful to be spared.
“I guess I just saved you again from the bad guys, Dinky. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see you again.” William smiled at her.
While the foal was kinda happy to see him too alive and well, she replied, “Well, not exactly. The soldier wanted to bring me to safety after the tornado alert in Roswell.”
The American’s expression went neutral. “I see Hop on, you can explain everything on the way back to HQ.” He pointed to a bike standing next to him, it was the same model she saw at the gas station.
After he had helped her up, she saw him holding a small box with a button, pressing it.
A loud explosion, startled the filly, turning around in fear.
Her eyes went wide in awe, a giant cloud formed like a mushroom could be seeing in the distance where Area 52 was. “Why…Why did you do this?” Dinky asked in shock.
Blazkowicz thought to find the right words to explain this. “I know it’s hard to believe Dinky, but it’s for a good cause, liberating America from the Regime.”
It took the child a moment to process this, she knew for what he was fighting for but she possible had lost a good friend of hers, making mental prayer if he had been in area 52.
“I understand. I just hope nobody innocent died.”
“I can assure you, Dinky, no civilians were hurt, a friend of mine evacuated Roswell.” He explained. “Now, hold on tight, this thing is fast.”
True to his word, the bike was very was, almost like a rocket, it reminded Dinky a bit of Rainbow Dash as the wind brushed against her fur.
They used this to talk about what had happened, she told him what had happened in Equestria, which surprised him a bit.
He in return told her what happened after he took care of Deathshead, it was a relief for her that the man who had hurt her was no more and she grinned upon hearing that Anya was pregnant, yet felt sorry that his fight with Deathshead left him paralyzed but he replied it was alright, thanks to the Power Suit he was wearing, the same Caroline had worn, made by the Da'at Yichud.
They travelled to Mesquite, Dinky was surprised as B.J. pulled up next to a farm, which had seen better days, the stable and house falling apart, the windows barricaded.
The filly spotted a mailbox with the name Blazkowicz next to the gate, realizing this was William’s old home.
Before she could ask why he came here, he said, “Just to get something for Anya.” In a neutral voice.
The filly didn’t care to know why as he entered the house with him, inside, it looked like a tornado had raged, the furniture was damaged and dirty, like somebody had destroyed it in rage, making it look like the house had been abandoned for decades.
The filly found a letter on a commode in which used to be the living room she guessed.
Dearest Rip,
I hope you’re holding up well and cooperating with our new administration. I must say, things are looking much brighter for us now. Your uncle has been promised a new job by the regime – a janitor at the new SS building in the city center. He’ very excited! It’s a far cry from the machine operator job he used to have before he was fired all those years ago, but it puts bread on the table. So, how’s Zofia? I imagine she’s worried now, considering the circumstance. I hear the Germans have some Issues with the Jews. I bet if she cooperates with them, everything will be okay.
Anyway, hope we can visit you this summer!
Love,
Aunt Wilma
Rip and Zofia, Dinky assumed those were William’s parents, she couldn’t help but hope they were alright due to the state of the house as she continued to look around, finding another one on a fallen over piano.
Date: May 1949
Herr Rip Blazkowicz,
Thank you for expressing your willingness to cooperate with us. The more information you provide is with – Jews and deviants, their location, and so forth – the more “rewards” you will get for showing your loyalty. There may even be a chance to get a new place for you. In the future, I suspect there will be many vacant mansions that need to be occupied by those who are loyal to the Reich.
I will look into those “Frank” and “Archibald” characters that were troubling you. Looking forward to hearing from you again, Herr Blazkowicz.
Überkommandant Erik Wechsler
That alone sounded horrible. Reporting people just because they were different, her father would never report his wife, just because of her eyes.
How could somebody do something so terrible?
Bang!
Dinky startled at the loud shot that had come from upstairs, running upstairs to see if Blazkowicz was hurt.
“William, are you alright?” She asked as she entered the bedroom, gasping as she saw the corpse of an elderly man next to him.
“Is he…d-dead? Why did you?” she asked in shock, unable to process this.
A metallic groaned filled the air. “She’s here.” He mumbled before the celling broke apart by a claw grapping the house, pulling it up into the air, causing both to lose their balance. “Hold in onto something.” William told her as he reached for a hatchet, hitting the claw rapidly until it fell off, causing the house to tilt to the left.
“Don’t look down.” He warned as he took out 2 drones with his MP61, she nodded scared, gulping.
“William Joseph Blazkowicz. For your crimes, you will be captured, sentenced and punished.” The voice of Frau Engel sounded via loudspeaker as they moved through the partially destroyed house, coming to another claw.
Just in the moment Blazkowicz had it destroyed, a third claw got deployed in a partially intact room, together with a Super soldier and ÜberSoldat. Equipping an Assault Rifle with armor piecing rounds, he fired on the jetpack of the Super soldier, the explosion burned the soldier, the robot got caught in the small explosion.
With no hostiles left, he took care of the claw.
This caused the ground below them to collapse, making them fall, Dinky screamed in fear as Blazkowicz in their freefall wrapped his arms protectively around her.
Everything went black as a beam landed on them.
Everything ached as she came to, pinned under a beam, not able to feel her legs, hearing faintly voices. “Dinky… hold… alright….” Then she blacked out again.
As she regained consciousness, her entire body started to ache greatly but she couldn’t see anything, feeling numb.
She felt the same kind of pain when she was Deathshead’s test subject.
First, he stabbed her eyes with a scalpel, making her almost blind, barely able to see anything, then her skin burned as if something got fused with her, following by her entire body cramping as if something got injected into her.
Back then, she was very relieved that the doctors in Equestria could revert everything and she wasn’t forced to life blind for the rest of her life in a permanent damaged condition.
As the pain stopped, the faint sound of an ECG echoed in her ears. Dinky struggled to open her eyes, everything was blurred. Once her vision became clear, she found herself in a hospital room.
“Dinky…I was so worried…” The voice of Johann sounded next to her, standing next to her bed, crying tears of joy.
“I’m happy to see that our efforts to save you weren’t in vain.” James walked in together with another young man, having green eyes and blonde hair. “May I introduce my son John to you?”
“Hello, Dinky.” The young man greeted with a smile.
“I owe you something.” Johann said, being grateful for their efforts.
James held a hand up. “You owe us nothing, we only did our job and what is right.”
Dinky tried to get up but everything felt numb. “I can’t move.”
“Don’t worry, you should regain your sense of feeling soon. The fall injured you badly but thanks to Blazkowicz’s actions to protect you, you aren’t paraplegic.” The officer explained.
She managed to form a smile. “Glad to hear it. Where is he?”
With a hint of regret, he replied, “He got captured by General Engel. His trial is in a couple of weeks.”
Before she could think about it or reply, a young voice called out, “Dinky, you’re okay!” It was Peter and his mother, both very happy to see her, the boy was carrying a basket with muffins and a “get well soon” card.
“Hello, Peter and thanks for the gift.” It pleased her to see that kind act of her new friend.
During her recovery, he visited him regularly, chatting and playing with her but the filly was filled with worry about William, wishing there was something she could do for him, often crying about him, only to be cheered up by Peter.
After one week, the television, showed the trial, Blazkowicz was restrained in a straightjacket, brought in on a hand truck into the courtroom, having a bag over his head, Dinky watched nervously with Peter and the others.
The judge announced the verdict as the bag was removed.
“For theft and destruction of public and private property, aiding the enemy, torture, terrorism, including nuclear, domestic and abroad, and high treason. For gruesome murders that number into the thousands! You have been found guilty Mr. William Joseph Blazkowicz. It is rare, even for a man of my job description, to come face to face with true evil. And it pains me, that the maximum sentence that I can bestow upon you is something as trivial as…death!” The judge pointed his hammer at the American, who had his eyes closed, as if he accepted his fate.
“Death, Mr. Blazkowicz. Nothing but swift, sheer death.” The judge brought his hammer down. “Bailiff!”
The bag was set over William’s head again, the scene switched to Washington D.C, outside the National Mall, the American brought before Frau Engel and several cameras.
“Citizens of the glorious Reich. This is a day of triumph. A week ago, our brave forces captured William Joseph Blazkowicz alive. He was found in a farmhouse outside the city of Dallas, in a swift raid conducted without casualties. And now the dangerous criminal leader will face the justice he denied to all of his countless victims. The glorious Reich will not relent until the war is won!” The general gave a speech, earning cheers.
Dinky and Peter closed their eyes as the woman raised a sword to behead him, hugged by their parents for comfort.
Frau Engel then held up the head into the camera with an evil grin, before dropping it into a fire below.
Blazkowicz was dead and the resistance destroyed.
The Reich had won, all hope was destroyed.
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 4 Beyond the stars
Chapter 4: Beyond the stairs
It took the children a few minutes to calm down from the shock.
Dinky blamed herself, she had hoped that his actions of keeping her safe would have made his punishment lighter. But given the charges, it seemed only to make it worse.
“It is my fault…” She sobbed, her head lowered.
“Shh, calm down, you aren’t to blame.” Johann patted her as comfort.
“But…but… He’s dead because he was with me and I’m probably next!” She exclaimed in fear and guilt.
“Dinky, you have nothing to fear, I made sure this won’t happen.” James tried to explain bit Dinky continued to argue,
“That doesn’t mean she will go after you all!” The filly yelled, her emotional conflict taking control. “I shouldn’t have gone with him! He could have been alive hadn’t I gone with him!” She exclaimed in rage and sadness.
“Dinky, please…” Bauer tried to get up with the right words. “You aren’t to blame, Blazkowicz knew what he was getting into, he knew the risks.”
This sentence struck Dinky hard, stopping to yell, trying to make sense of the words her stepfather had said, staring.
Still, it made her sad that the very man who had saved her life was now dead, his children having to grow up without father, if the others were still alive.
Even Johann, Jonas and James felt sad about Blazkowicz’s death, although he had been their enemy.
“Look on the bright side, at least you're still alive. In your heart, he will be always alive” Peter tried to cheer her up.
The filly sniffed after what seemed like hours. “Okay...okay...” She replied with a weak smile, knowing she would get over it eventually.
“Yeah. No matter what happens, Dinky, I stay by our side.” Peter promised.
“Thank you all but…I need some time for myself.”
“Sure, take as long as you need.” They all left.
The filly stared at the ceiling, thinking over the events. Blazkowicz was dead.
They had already lost Caroline. William had been their symbol of hope. Without him, their chances of survival were little to zero. If anyone of his friends were still alive and not hunted down already by the general.
But had B.J.’s capture really been her fault? Her mind raced for an answer but couldn’t get up with one.
If it was, she really hoped he forgave her.
“I’m sorry, William, so very sorry…” She sobbed and cried herself to sleep.
During her recovery, Peter and the others visited her regularly, making her happy.
One day, Johann brought some muffins, which she enjoyed. “That was delicious!”
Her stepfather smiled. “Glad to hear it. Listen, I know it’s hard to believe and I know Blazkowicz’s death is tragic but you aren’t to blame.”
“Yes, Dinky, It was very unfortunate, there was nothing else you could have done,” James added to console her.
“I know, it’s just hard to believe he’s gone.” The filly replied sadly with a lowered head. While she appreciated the support, deep within, she had trouble to believe she wasn’t responsible for this.
He kept me safe and paid the price. Do I really deserve to live? William was such a politely man, always helping those in need, like daddy. She thought with guilt feelings.
“Yes it is, he actually was a good man.” Bauer replied, having respected him.
The filly quickly recovered within the next days, getting released from the hospital.
James and Jonas waited outside to pick her and Johann up. “Glad to see you healthy again, Dinky. Johann, I got news for you.” James said to him.
“News?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, since area 52 got destroyed, the Oberkommando now residents on the Venus, we get redeployed here.”
“Great.” He deadpanned, “What about Dinky?”
“She comes with us. Sorry, but I can’t get with up with anything better.”
“It’s okay, I’m pretty sure it will be interesting for me.” Dinky replied a bit excited about it. While she could live with Peter and his mother, she didn’t wanted to be separated from her stepfather for too long, plus staying together would make it easier for the princesses to find them.
They said goodbye to their American friends and made their way to Topeka, the capital of the Federal State Kansas, where the Topeka Space Center, a large launch facility was located, used for personal to travel to the Venus and Moon.
The aerospace craft they used looked like a flying saucer in design, being a flat disk with domed protrusions above and below its hull. As far as Johann knew, it was called “Haunebu-V”, using anti-gravity propulsion to travel through space.
As it breached the atmosphere, the filly looked outside the window in awe, her eyes went wide. “This is amazing! Look at all this! Just...look at all those stars…This is incredible! I-I-I’m actually in space!”
Johann had to chuckle at this. They had been in a space ship before, the Stormy, but just looking out of a window of a space ship orbiting your home was completely different than being in a moving space ship.
He also enjoyed the view.
The young man never understood what the Reich saw in the Venus, it was the second planet from the sun, only slightly smaller than Earth and was covered by a toxic, extremely hot and extremely dense atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide. It made him really wonder what was so important to have a base here, there was nothing of value.
Once the planet was in sight, the Haunebu-V entered the upper atmosphere and a massive floating city became visible.
“Wow…” Dinky said in awe, impressed, never having seen anything like this before.
Bauer was also fascinated, Back in 1960, when everything was discussed at the London Nautica, he never dreamed if seeing it with his own eyes.
After the transport landed in one of the hanger bays, they got out, being led by James and Jonas to the Habitat District of the city, it looked very luxurious, red carpeting, statues of the Führer and of soldiers decorated the hallways, at one point, the filly saw a fountain with an eagle statue on it.
Dinky and Johann took notice that the soldiers on Venus were wearing orange-colored suits, looking almost identical to the normal soldiers, having a small tank with coolant supply for patrols on the surface on their backs, the commanders had the same suits, wearing gas masks over their faces.
The family got brought to one of the rooms, it had two beds, a small couch, a bar which also served as a kitchen and a table with a bowl of fruits, a small luxury.
Reminds me of home actually, this is very close to my home. The foal thought at the sight, kinda enjoying it already.
She then had to yawn from the long journey, feeling tired.
“I guess you should take some rest, Dinky, it was a long journey after all.” Her stepfather suggested.
The filly nodded and Bauer tucked her in, Dinky fell instantly asleep.
The Erstecommander smiled at the sleeping filly. “Reminds me of my son when he fell asleep as child. Anyway, I have an important meeting with members of the Oberkommando, you will be assigned as guard.”
“Okay. Shall I... change clothes?”
“Yes, you need such a suit to survive on the surface, follow me.” The officer led him to a locker room, where they switched to the uniform of the Venus Soldiers, Johann didn’t use the facemask, so Dinky could recognize him. James could be easily distinguished from the other commanders due his blue cap and coat as they made their way to the transportation pods.
As most Space Marines and troopers got killed by Blazkowicz when he infiltrated the Lunar Base one year ago, the Venus troops were composed of regular soldiers.
In the conference room, several high ranking members had a conversation.
“Until the Sonnengewehr is fully operational, we are vulnerable. There are still well equipped resistance cells out there. They are more dangerous than you may realize.” A general of the ground forces told his concern.
“Dangerous to your ground troops, general, not this orbital cannon.” Another general countered.
“Even with the death of Terror-Billy, the resistance stays strong. We should increase the number of slaves on the project, so the Sonnengewehr is completed as soon as possible.”
“Absolutely not, General. Reinstituting slavery is illogical and entirely unnecessary. We already have a strong workforce and the money to pay them. Our priority should be keeping them loyal and content, not outsourcing them to conscript laborers. How do we intend to set an example to the world if we resort to orchestrated barbarism? I will never consent to it.” Günther said as he entered the room.
“With all due respect, Erstecommander, those subhumans must be put to use for the benefit of the Reich.” The general of the ground troops protested.
“But any of them could be a spy of the resistance, informing it about this orbital weapon. By using our loyal workforce, we can guarantee the safety of this project.” James replied.
“Even if the slaves have spies, any attack against this weapon will be a useless gesture. The Sonnengewehr is the ultimate weapon, I suggest we use it, even Übercommander Metze has this option.”
“So we destroy land and make it uninhabitable, destroying valuable resources? We will have crushed any resistance in a swift stroke once the station is operational.” The other general had doubts.
The Erstecommander suggested, “The words that spring out at me there are 'Make it uninhabitable' and 'destroying valuable resources'. What we rob the resistance of we deprive ourselves of in turn. This is not how a war is won. Else we will destroy all lands around us. Leave us a single oasis in a planet-wide desert. What would be more beneficial is steady and subtle intelligence operations in areas of known resistance influence. While that takes place...We begin a program of public relations. Prevent the resistance by robbing them of the instruments they use against us. If we find out and remove whatever causes resentment between the Reich and America, we stop the resistance growing any more violent.”
The high ranking man seethed. “Are you insinuating that we give the terrorists what they want?”
“No, General, I am insinuating we give the people what they want or at least find out what that is exactly. We cannot hope to appeal to the Americans simply by stomping on their throats. Otherwise, the peace after Terror-Billy's death will barely last a week.” The German-American pointed out.
One of the other officers spoke up, “I see your point, Erstecommander. We cannot earn their loyalty before we earn their trust. It seems logical.”
“Thank you, general.”
“Now, gentlemen, I will discuss this with the Führer and General Engel. Dismissed.”
“Good luck.” One of the other officers muttered sarcastic as the general walked out.
Once everyone left, Johann asked confused, “What was that about?”
With a sigh, his superior replied, “I told you how it pains me to see America like this, especially with slavery being reintroduced, which many fought hard to get rid of it, my ancestors included. I just try to make the life of the Americans better, giving them at least some small freedom.”
Bauer thought for a moment to process this. “Sounds like a good cause to me.”
“Thank you.”
Dinky stirred in her sleep, awaking with a yawn. That was good. She looked out of the window. Only blackness and the yellow color of the planet, but somehow, it was a wonderful sight to her.
“Are those the newspapers they collected from Manhattan?” A soldier asked his comrade.
“Yes, they are, already decontaminated. Wonder why they need those.”
“I guess we will never know.”
“Yeah. Hey, can you keep watch, I have to see the bathroom.”
“Sure thing, comrade.”
The filly walked outside, the door opening on its own. “Excuse me sir, have you seen my father?” She asked the soldier.
“You’re Bauer’s daughter, right? He’s currently at the Oberkommando, he should be back soon.” The soldier replied friendly.
For some reason, the filly got curious, pointing to the bag of newspapers. “Mind if I take a look?”
“Not at all, they’re outdated anyway.”
The filly read the first newspaper.
Hellstorm batteries to stop German missiles
Dec 12, 1948, Washington – “We will not see another Nantucket incident”, says General Leonhard Troyden of the Eastern missile defense command (EMDC) at a press meeting yesterday, “Starting in January, we will mount our new, state of the art missile defense system named ‘Hellstorm’ along the east coast to protect all major cities from the Germans long range missiles.” The experimental Hellstorm batteries work by launching massive walls of tungsten carbide bullets upon detecting incoming missiles, effectively shredding anything in their way. MIT professor Gordon Osoff recently claimed the new missile defense system would only stand a 17 percent chance to stop a V3 rocket before impact, but his calculations have been dismissed as demoralizing propaganda. “Next year, once our shields are up, we intend to bring the war back to Europe.” General Troyden stated.
Well, this Hellstorm system sounds very destructive, I wonder if it had worked. The filly wondered as she read the next newspaper.
War effort floundering?
Ever since the White House ceased to publish causality numbers from the war in Europe, sources have been saying that the war effort is developing in a far worse direction than Washington wants to admit. When asked for verification, the government responded with a worrying silence. Reports coming out of Europe, Africa and Asia state that the enemy has an enormous technological advantage that US troops have no way to match in combat. One source in the pentagon goes as far to call the war “unwinnable,” and says the president is currently considering either doubling down or pulling out of the war. As the conflict now has the entire world in its grip the question is: Is it too late to withdraw?
They really must have been desperate back then.” Dinky thought, not wanting to imagine how bad it must have been for the government and soldiers as she read the next newspaper.
Reader: Bring our troops home
We must end all combat operations overseas and make some kind of peace treaty with the Germans. America’s pessimism about the world war is a fact and it is acknowledged by our leaders. They should be fighting to bring back our boys to American shores. Let’s stop fantasizing about winning the war and instead look at what victory would cost us in American lives, and what it has cost us already. The war effort is not worth it. Let’s end it while we still can. Bring our troops home.
Stanley Hopkins
Oct 17, 1948, New York
The desperation is understandable but I doubt a peace treaty had been better. The filly then took notice of a letter.
Dec. 21, 1948
Dear Carolyn,
Thank for you the gifts! I hadn’t even realized we were that close to Christmas. Nothing but war bonds this year. I should have known my little sister would find a way around, like she always does. The scarf you knitted from my old sweater really is cute. I wanted to give it to Lieutenant Stephens, a patient of mine who lost both legs at the battle of North River but the Captain wouldn’t let me due to a suicide attempt. The Lord may have mercy on their souls, but I can’t find in my heart to blame those wanting to end it all as I lay awake at night, listening to their tormented cries. And we don’t have any epinephrine left after two supply ships were torpedoed by the Germans.
I miss you, my sweet sister. When this is all over, will see you again in the orchard by the old house?
All love to you, Mom and Robert!
Poor men, they didn’t deserve this… Dinky closed her eyes in sadness, trying not to cry.
“What’s wrong?” The German asked.
“...this letter is just...I can't think what it must have been like...so afraid...so desperate.” She replied.
“I know, it’s tragic. Still, it’s in the past, we have to look forward. Between you and me, I really hoped it would never come that far. But sadly, it has, we can’t change it.” The soldier told with sympathy.
“Ah, you’re awake, I hope you had a good rest.” James interrupted them.
“Of course I had. I hope your conference was going well.” She replied, happy to see them.
“Well, we managed to make some results. I expect some supplies from the transport hall, would you like to help?” The officer asked, causing the filly to grin.
“With pleasure!”
Arriving at the bean acceptance, the filly lifted a crate up with her magic, ready to carry it where it was needed.
A low-pitched electronic noise came from behind, making Dinky freeze in fear. She slowly turned around, her eyes went wide in awe.
Before her stood a robotic unicorn stallion, having a green coat, blonde mane and hazel glowing eyes, carrying a scoped Assault Rifle on his back, staring at her with a cold glare.
“She’s a resident.” James said.
“Affirmative.” The stallion replied with a German robotic voice and went on patrol.
“W-wh-what?” The filly asked confused, looking after the robot.
“Oh…that. Well, you see Dinky, back when General Strasse had you, he created this prototype inspired by your race. Due to his death, it couldn’t be finished, so other scientists finished this one after his death. There is also another model, it’s supposed to be delivered tomorrow.” the officer explained, hating it to bring back bad memories of her.
“I…see.” She replied in confusion.
Despite this, the rest of the day went smoothly, the filly helped to carry anything to where it was needed, wanting to help in any way she could.
In the evening after dinner, she wrote a postcard to Peter.
Dear Peter,
While I’m not allowed to tell where I and Johann are, I can assure you we are doing well. I really wish you could be there, the view is beautiful. A recovery team managed to recover some old newspapers and letters from Manhattan, they really show how desperate it was for the Allied forces back then. I apologize if this wakes bad memories. The view into space reminds me also of my family and friends, I miss them and hope they aren’t too worried about me.
I also hope you and your mother are doing well.
Faithfully yours,
Dinky
Before she went to bed, Jonas took her measurements down. “Why do you need her measurements?” Johann asked.
“To make an Atmospheric Suit for her, just in case she should strand on the surface, better safe than sorry.”
“Good point. Goodnight, Dinky.” He smiled at her.
“Night, daddy.” The filly replied with a smile and fell asleep.
Still, she wondered what this other model of robot could be.
Author's Note
Surprised to see the Knight?
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 5: Burning up
Dinky stirred in her sleep, yawning and stretching herself, seeing that Johann had already left for work.
The sun was rising, it was a wonderful sight, the child enjoyed every second of it.
Then she took notice of a bowl of oatmeal with a glass of apple juice and an apple on the table, with a small sign and a postcard next to it.
I made you breakfast.
Johann
She smiled at this, enjoying her meal while she read the postcard, which showed Earth and the Reich’s motto, “One world, one future, one Führer!”
Dear Dinky,
Thank you for the postcard! I’m doing well and so does mother. Whenever I look at the night sky, I know you up there, somewhere in the universe. I already miss you.
I can’t complain about Mesquite, it’s pretty nice here. I have heard they want to make a movie about Blazkowicz, so there are much more soldiers present than in Roswell.
No matter how long it will take until you can go home, I stay by your side, that’s what friends do. Looking forward to read your next postcard.
Peter
The unicorn grinned, pleased to hear he was doing well, wanting to reply but couldn’t figure out what she could write as response.
Maybe watching some TV or listen to music will help.
The girl got comfortable on the couch and turned the TV on, it showed a news report.
“In other news, the Minister of Public Security, General Engel has resolved to clean up the streets of America from quote all criminal and terrorist elements.” the news speaker announced.
the picture switched to the woman. “The terrorist attack on Roswell was a wake-up call to the American people. We are not as safe as we think we are.”
“Later tonight, we interview Lady Helene herself about the upcoming movie, the most expensive production in cinematic history chronicling the hunt and capture of Terror-Billy. We will ask Lady Helene the most pressing question of all. Who will play Terror-Billy? Can any actor truly channel the pure evil of one of history’s greatest mass murders?”
The filly switched the TV off, no longer able to hear this propaganda. William had killed many Germans, but he wasn’t evil. Still, he had to agree with the movie being the most expensive, given how long he had managed to avoid capture.
To get her head free, the filly used her magic to turn the radio on. It played The Comet Tails – Weltraumsurfen , a song about surfing in space, with Germans being the best surfers.
While it wasn’t her taste, she bobbed her head to it, kinda enjoying the melody, reminding her of the stunts the Wonderbolts did.
In the moment the song ended, the door opened and Jonas walked in. “Good morning, Jonas.” She greeted with a smile, happy to see him.
“Morning Dinky, I hope you have slept well?” The girl nodded. “Glad to hear it. I made you an Atmospheric Suit, in case you should land on the surface. Would you try it on?”
The suit looked identical to the protection suits the soldiers were wearing, except it had a helmet with visor, fitting perfectly. Of course, Jonas thought to include her tail and horn. “It fits perfectly, thank you. Can I help you with something?” She asked him eagerly.
“I like your helpfulness but no, there’s nothing at the moment you could help with. Johann and Günther are patrolling the surface near the Oberkommando. If you like, I could saw you it.”
“Great Idea!” She exclaimed, flowing him to the transport pod.
“I’ll go first. Using it is very simple, just provide credential at the terminal.” Jonas stepped in.
“Okay.” She replied as he demonstrated for her, the pod closed and moved out of view.
A few minutes later, it came back, opening. “Transport capsule ready for boarding.” A computer voice notified her as she stepped in, having to stand on her hind legs.
“Please provide credential.” A deep computer voice said to her as the door closed.
Dinky then noticed that she wouldn’t be able to use the terminal with hooves, lighting up her horn to tip in the credential.
Without warning, the terminal sparkled, causing her to yelp as she startled. What the?
“Warning, malfunction. Navigational systems corrupted…Initiating emergency drop…” the computer voice glitched before she felt how the pod got thrown out like a rocket.
She wasted no time to hold on into something, shutting her eyes tight, bracing for the impact. Hoping she would survive this.
“Touchdown in T minus 3…2….1…”
The landing was rough, she grunted in pain as the pod hit the ground hard.
A warning tone echoed in her ears, the door had been fallen off from the impact, only the glass was remaining, lightly cracked.
Knowing she had to get out of here, Dinky lighted up her horn, firing a spell that was meant for non-lethal self-defense but could break glass, having it learned from Sparkler.
As she jumped out, she immediately felt the brutal heat and heavy air, it was like Ponyville in August.
The emergency radio hadn’t survived the impact, only pieces were left.
Dinky looked at the coolant display, it was full but slowly draining.
She had to make it back inside or to a coolant recharging station in time or she would immediately die of overheating when the coolant was empty.
The filly walked through a tunnel-shaped rock, her eyes went wide in awe upon seeing the transport hall from the outside, a big facility with the sun rising in the background, it just looked beautiful.
While the suit kept her alive and cool, the extreme heat made her body sweat, running down her mane.
I feel like I’m burning up. I definitely need a shower or bath after this.
Under her was a catwalk with a recharging station, so she climbed down the rocks, spotting something in the distance at the other end of it.
It appeared to be the unicorn robot, having his back to her, seemingly unaffected by the hostile environment. Strangely, he stood on his hind legs for a few seconds, waved his forelegs fourth and back, before getting down.
Upon turning around and seeing her, he moved towards the filly in a quick sprint, making her fearing he might see her as intruder, trembling.
“Are you lost?” The robotic stallion asked, surprising her.
“Uh…yes, the capsule I used had a malfunction and dropped me on the surface.”
“I see. Please follow me, your safety is important.”
A beeping sound ringed in Dinky’s helmet, slowly increasing in speed, the outside of her vision becoming red/orange.
She gasped as the coolant was almost empty. Had she been staring at the robot for minutes?
Luckily, a recharging station was right next to her, but she was too short to use it. The filly pointed to the station. “Could you give me a hoof, please?”
“Affirmative.” The stallion replied, his forehooves transformed into hands, gently picking the filly up, holding her up, so she could use the recharging station, taking the pump nozzle and sticking it into the opening of the supply system of her suit, the warning sound stopped and her vision became clear again.
As this was down, she followed the robot across the catwalk to a small hill where a Zitadelle patrolled the area, the unicorn exchanged low pitched sounds with it, probably to tell Dinky was not to be harmed she assumed before getting led into an airlock, the cool air being very pleasant for her.
This part of the facility appeared to be a repair shop for the rover vehicles of the Germans, the soldiers were informed of her presence but surprised to see her on the surface.
The two walked to a commander. “She got separated from her father due to a malfunction of the transportation capsule.” The stallion reported.
“I understand. Escort her to the living quarters of the Oberkommando, I’ll inform the Erstecommander.” The officer replied.
“Of course.”
The filly’s escort led her to another airlock, the heat was there again as they stepped outside.
The robot helped her again with the recharging station as they had walked up the catwalk halfway. The next airlock led to what seemed to be a room with Atmospheric Suits hang up in dressers at the wall, the filly took notice of a completely quadrupedal machine, looking like a dog with a single red eye patrolling the room.
They had to step out and walk up another catwalk to get to the lobby.
Inside, a few engineers crossed their way, wearing green uniforms with hats and glasses.
The foal saw also small robots driving around, making electronic noises, looking like a vacuum cleaner. Dinky had been told those were protocol robots, making her wonder why they then looked like mobile vacuum cleaners.
She got to an elevator, enjoying the view of the surface and city in the sky as it drove up.
After the elevator came a small Science Lab, the scientists were too focused on their work to notice their visitors.
The airlock at the other side, led to an area being under construction but was still walkable, the soldiers not bothered by Dinky had all, greeting her friendly.
Once at the other side, the two ponies entered, coming finally to the living quarters of the Oberkommando.
Another commander crossed their way. “You must be Dinky, right?” she nodded. “I will take care of you until Johann arrives.”
“Thank you, sir. Is there a shower? I would need one.”
“Of course.” They were right next to the living quarters. As there were only male soldiers, the filly felt a bit uncomfortable about this. “Don’t worry, we keep watch.” The man assured her.
“Okay.” She took the suit off and walked in, the shower room was empty.
Dinky turned on the shower, adjusted the temperature, then took position under the warm stream of water. She let out a sigh of relief with a happy and satisfied expression as the water washed away the sweat, lifting her head and looking directly into the stream, she let it flow over her face and her closed eyes.
After that, she proceeded with shampooing her whole body, being covered in shampoo from the tip of her horn to the end of her tail, she turned on the shower again, having to grumble as she had to adjust the temperature again, then began with washing the shampoo off.
She was in a world of bliss as the water flow over the rest of her mane, her back and the upper side of her tail. Halfway through the process, she turned to face the stream again and got up on her hind legs, making sure the water would reach the lower part of her chest, her underbelly and her lower abdomen. Finally, she turned around a last time, bent down a little and raised her flank. Lifting her tail out of the way, she let the water stream over her rear, cleaning it too.
Feeling refreshed, the unicorn turned the shower off, grabbed a towel and rubbed herself dry. “Much better.”
Stepping outside, the officer said, “Your father will arrive in a few minutes, to pass the time, would you like some music? I can play the Theremin.”
She knew what a Theremin was, an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist. “Sounds good to me.”
She followed the commander to his living quarters, the robot followed too, standing guard outside the door.
As Dinky took a seat, the German started to play .
She couldn’t describe what he played, it was nice but kinda spooky with the high-pitched tone.
After he was done, the filly applauded. “That was nice.”
“Thank you, took me years to master it.”
The door opened and Johann walked it, looking very relieved. “Can’t say how happy I am to see you’re okay, I feared the worst after I heard the capsule had a malfunction.”
“I’m sorry that you got scared.” The filly lowered her head in shame.
“There is no need to be sorry, Dinky, it was an accident,” Bauer replied to cheer her up, giving her a hug, then turned to the commander. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He replied.
“Well, perfect timing, one of the lead scientists wants to demonstrate the other model,” James said as he and Jonas joined them.
The group together with the green pony got to the labs, where they saw a man in a white lab coat, having brown hair and green eyes, a scar over the left eye, having a broad face and average build.
He seemed to be quite aged, in his late forties at least.
Once he looked at his visitors, Dinky couldn’t help but feel fear as his expression was cold, like Deathshead.
“Welcome, gentlemen. I’m pleased to see you all present for this demonstration.” He greeted them with a British accent in his German.
“I hope this will be worth my time, Dr. Lyle Richmond,” James said unimpressed.
“Of course, Herr Erstecommander. You already have seen the Ulor model. For this test, I wanna thank General Engel for providing me with volunteers.”
The steel plate covering the window to the test room slid open, revealing two men, one being Caucasian, the other one was African-American, both restrained on chairs, eyes downcast, like they had given up all hope, making Dinky feel sorry for them.
The scientist pressed a button, activating an intercom. “Gentlemen, you are given the chance of freedom and prove your worth for the Reich. Defeat my newest robot and you are given granted your freedom.” He pressed another button, the men got released and a weapon locker opened, containing an MP61 and Assault Rifle.
The African-American took the Assault Rifle, the other man the SMG.
“Now, witness my newest, creation, the knight of fire, of the sun!” He announced proudly, as a gate opened and metallic sounds could be heard, the shadow of a unicorn became visible.
“Ihr seit Asche!” came a robotic-sounding yell from it as its weapon became visible, a compact and conventional version of the Dieselgewehr.
Dinky’s eyes went wide as the unicorn stepped out of the shadows.
A stallion in dazzling golden armor and a trailing gown of white with ribbons of saffron, ochre and crimson, having a collar made of giant dove wings and the back of his shoulder pads curved upwards into a great arch above him like a halo, his hooves being made of brass, making a clang with every step.
But most fascinating was the head.
There was no visible face, instead, the robot had a golden mask of a tranquil, cherubic young steed.
“Give him hell!” The Caucasian man shouted, firing his weapon together with the African-American at the stallion, the bullets bounced harmless off.
They both looked at each other in despair, then fired again at the robot until they ran out of ammo.
Dinky closed her eyes, Johann hugged her tightly, looking away as both knew what would happen now.
The stallion closed slowly in, his weapon raised, both men stepped back in fear until they were trapped against a wall.
It seemed like hours as the unicorn had concerned them, at his mercy, until a hissing sound came from his weapon.
Screams of pain echoed as the robot unleashing a steady stream of fire, the yellow/orange color reflecting in his armor, the 2 men rolling around until they stopped screaming, having died a painful death.
The stallion then saluted before walking out of the room.
“I call this one the Black Sun Sentinel, named after the same project the Germans did years ago.” The doctor told with pride and satisfaction.
Dinky looked at James, he was hiding his fear and disgust well. “I see. What’s the purpose of this one?”
“Well, while the Panzerhund is very effective in clearing out enemies. It has, despite having the smartest non-human intelligence in existence, problems to acquire targets hiding in buildings too small for it to reach, so I finished General Strasse’s project by creating those two robots.
The Sentinel is slow but heavily armored as you have seen, and can switch between a steady stream of fire or fireballs to acquire targets at short range as well as at long range.”
“A clever idea. I hope for your sake we don’t have to make more field tests.” James’s expression was neutral but sounded slightly disgusted.
Dinky just trembled, how could the scientist be proud of killing humans in such a cruel way? She wanted to protest but couldn’t get out a single world.
“It wouldn’t matter, those subhumans are replaceable, I’m confident the Oberkommando will appreciate my work.” Richmond sounded like he had enjoyed watching them burn.
“I will inform my superiors about it.” Günther just replied.
Johann carried her in his arms as they left, hearing Lyre mumbling, “Getting learned by General Strasse himself sure has paid off.”
The filly sobbed, not able to bear this kind of cruelty.
“Why? How could he do this?” She cried in shock.
Her father patted her. “Shh, calm down. It’s sadly so in this world, only those who are seen “fit” are allowed to live.”
It pained the German-American to see the child so sad, then he got an idea of how he could cheer her up. “Could you come with me to my quarter?”
“Uh…sure,” Johann asked surprised.
In his Quarter, James opened a safe, containing several antiques from American history, fascinating Bauer quite a bit.
“Every single one of them was recovered from a sunken ship of the US Navy, I guess they wanted to bring it to a safer place. Such beautiful art would have been destroyed in anyone else's hands. Now, where is…Ah, there it is.”
He got out what appeared to be a small ceramic figure of a unicorn striking a heroic pose, with a Pegasus doing the same pose next to it. “While it is unknown where the unicorn had its origin in the Human culture and the Pegasus having its origin in Greek mythology, the American art really understood to make it beautiful. I thought you should have this, Dinky.”
The filly slowly started to smile, it reminded her of her mother and sister. And a bit of her father as he dreamed sometimes about being a unicorn. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.” He returned it.
As the filly and young man walked out, they noticed another commander walking into James’ quarters, looking not very pleased to see the antiques. “Did you just give a child…this…?”
“Yeah, what’s the big deal? I just keep it in a place of honor.” James replied calmly, yet Dinky noticed in his eyes that he was rather annoyed by this.
“Why do you even bother with this primitive, worthless statue of phantasy?” His comrade asked slightly aggressive.
“It’s not worthless at all, but a priceless piece of American culture.”
“We should just destroy this piece of Yankee trash!” The officer yelled.
In a blink of an eye, Jessie had grabbed him by the collar with an angry grunt.
Dinky and Johann stared in shock at him, seeing the fear in the commander’s eyes as James let out a hiss.
After a short moment, he let his fellow officer go. “My apologies, commander Müller. I forgot not everyone is able to appreciate art as I do. Now, if you excuse me, I’ll escort our guests back to their living quarters.”
“Sorry for my outburst, I just can’t stand it when someone insults such beauty. I may have immigrated to Germany but I still care for America.” James said, his head lowered.
“It’s okay, everypony has such moments,” Dinky replied, not blaming him at all.
Back at their quarter, the filly put the statue on the table then climbed into the bed, feeling tired.
Before drifting away, she looked at it, hoping her family would find her soon.
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 6 unexpected allies
Chapter 6: Unexpected allies
In the next morning, Dinky awoke as a delicious smell entered her nose, yawning as the door opened.
“Good morning, Dinky, time for breakfast.” It was James, carrying a breakfast board with croissants, they were still warm, steaming. “Fresh out of the bakery.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
While breakfasting, the filly watched TV.
“In a few days, final auditions for the role of the infamous terrorist William – ‘Terror-Billy’ Blazkowicz, take place on the enigmatic aerostat habitat on Venus. One of the hopefuls is actor Jules Redfield, here getting a snack from his favorite milkshake bar-“
The officer turned it off. “Well, this will be an eventful event.”
“It can’t be that bad.” The filly replied.
With a hint of disgust, Jessie told, “Trust me, it will be bad. The Führer himself produces the movie, overseeing the castings. He has become both old and senile, suffering from Parkinson's disease and Syphilis. As such, he has a volatile disposition, thus anyone should be careful what he says and does in his presence. For your own safety, I suggest you stay out of sight.”
A bit frightened, the foal replied, “Okay. Should I stay here?”
“I think it would be better if you are in the living quarters at the Oberkommando until the audition is over. You can have my quarter.”
“Appreciated.” She wasted no time to get here with the transport capsule, which worked this time without any problems.
Johann and Jonas were assigned as guards for the audition, together with the two robots, probably to show Richmond’s work, they suspected.
There was also an Elite soldier guarding the entrance and a Zitadelle in the background. The room the audition took place reminded the pilot of Canterlot.
Statues, a red carpet and a table with cheese, grapes, meat and drinks, a small buffet.
He didn’t know any of the actors, the first was a young man with brown hair and eyes, the other two middle-aged he suspected, the first having sideburns to his brown hair, wearing purple glasses, which made it impossible to see his eye color. The other one had a board with black hair and green eyes.
The door opened, and a woman together with another man walked in. As far as Johann knew, the woman was Helene Winter, a noted German director of propaganda films, having brown hair with matching eyes. The man, having a beard, looking identical to Blazkowicz in eye and hair color, was the fourth and last actor for the audition.
“Welcome. Welcome to the audition, Mr. Redfield. Now that you’re all here I ask you to prepare yourselves. You must be off book for this audition, so be sure to memorize your lines before the producer gets here. He has a volatile disposition. So, be careful what you say and do in his presence.” The director warned before looking at Redfield. “Mr. Redfield, I can’t stress enough how important it is you learn these lines by heart. Your script is on the chair. I will be with you shortly.” She left the room.
Mr. Redfield and the man with glasses wasted no time to work, while the others chatted instead.
After a minute, coughing could be heard outside, the guard opened the door and Helene walked in. “Places! Places! Quickly!” She yelled and the authors took their seats.
Everyone expect for Redfield saluted and applauded the Führer as he walked in a slow, shuffling walk. Jonas and Johann said nothing, they just stood at attention. Bauer couldn't remember exactly how much he'd seen of the Conquest of America but he recalled the Fuhrer always stood like a demi-god in the posters and films, right-arm held up high, broad-chin and shoulders, hair and uniform catching the sun. It had always been an inspiring sight...as long as one looked past his strange choice in moustache.
Now, seeing the Fuhrer in person, he could not remember the last time he was so disappointed.
Adolf Hitler, glorious leader of the Reich, entered in only a sepia-colored bathrobe that hung around his emaciated body ill-fittingly. His skin was much the same, clammy, saggy and dry. His hair hadn't so much greyed as whitened in sickly strands, his tiny moustache looking like some patch of furry white mold on his upper-lip. His eyes were squinting and suspicious, twitching erratically as he scanned the room with more difficulty than most.
The way he moved was the strangest thing. Where once he'd marched proudly at the head of his armies, in the pictures anyway, he now shuffled oddly, joints in his limbs giving muffled clicks and cracks. His arms shook fitfully and were held close to his chest as if to give him warmth.
In the years since he'd defeated the USA, the Fuhrer had degraded into the polar opposite of the human image he'd idolized. The man before Bauer's eyes appeared as a subterranean troglodyte who'd never seen light or human contact in god knew how long.
Adolf Hitler was a wreck, a walking mass of brittle bones and rotting skin, a prisoner to the debilitations that in any other human were punished by death.
This was the man who was leading the Reich.
Suddenly everything that was wrong with the country Bauer had grown up in made perfect sense.
He also took notice that the two robotic ponies looked at each other, the green stallion having an expression that said “Seriously?” before standing back at attention without any sign of emotion.
The Führer made a gesture to Helene to come closer. “Have you seen this? Strangers in my office. Care to tell me who in God’s name they are?” He yelled.
“Yes, they are actors, mein Führer.” The woman replied.
“Actors.”
“Yes. These men are here to audition for the role of William Joseph Blazkowicz. They are actors. Many apologizes, I sent a memo but it must have not reached you.” The director explained.
The man drew his handgun, causing the actor with black hair to startle. “And those are the best we could find? None of them even looks like the man for God’s sake!” The Führer yelled displeased before having to cough again.
“Make up will do the rest, mein Führer,” Helene assured.
“Oh yes. Make up. Good. It’s magical. Magical…” He laughed before taking a closer look at the actors. “Actors. Skilled in the arts of disguise and deceit is an actor. A similar set of skills that of a spy. Perhaps there’s a spy amongst you? I trust you have all read my book?” He asked in paranoia, showing that he was in very bad shape in terms of both physical health and mental stability.
“Oh yes, mein Führer, and my children have read it too.” The actor who got started replied.
The young man stood up, making a thumb up with both hands. “I loved it, Mr. Hitler. Super-good.”
“’Mr. Hitler’? When you address me you say ‘mein Führer’…Do you understand?!” The Führer yelled enraged. “Have you no respect for authority? Your words provide insight into a treacherous mental apparatus.”
“I’m so sorry, mein Führer.” The man replied calmly.
“Are you an imbecilic?”
“No, mein Führer.”
“Are you a sinister man in disguise? A Jew? A deceitful Jew?” The Führer’s hand was shaking as he said those words in fear.
“No, mein Führer. I’m…I’m from Arizona.”
In that moment, a shot echoed through the room, as the Führer executed the man with a headshot, shooting him more times than necessary, then reloaded as the pistol made a clicking noise, with Helene crossing out the author’s name.
Johann was shocked but managed not to show it.
Guess James didn’t lie when he warned me. It scared him a bit to be in the same room as the Führer.
“Always they come. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Conspiring, lying, deceitful Jews. I see them coming from miles away.” Hitler grabbed an ice bucket from the table and put it on the ground, both soldiers hoped it wasn’t what it looked like.
To their horror it became true, the Führer was painfully urinating, missing, making Bauer noticing it was blood, showing his health was in a bad shape, the young man and the woman looked away with awkward expressions.
“If you have studied my book you know I see the truth! And when the truth is on your side you always succeed. That is how I was able to wash the world clean from all the Jews. That is how I crushed the degenerate communists. This is how…I destroyed… William…” The elderly man moaned. “…Joseph…Blazkowicz.” A canvas was lowered. “Helene!” She turned the movie projector on, the picture showed the Führer in a Mecha standing over B.J.'s body outside Castle Wolfenstein, as the top of the tower could be seen in the background. The movie was named “The end of everything evil” In German.
“My ultimate masterpiece. The epic of a century and my legacy as an artist. When one reads my script one will appreciate the endless hours, I’ve spent making sure every scene, every line, every single syllable is flawless.” He proudly announced, getting applause.
“Bravo, mein Führer! Bravo!” Helene cheered.
He started to cough again. “For God’s sake.” then vomited on the floor. The woman wasted no time to clean his mouth with a cloth, showing displeasure as he hugged her. “Mother? I’m so cold.” He whimpered, apparently briefly deluded into reliving past childhood trauma, before pushing her away. “Go away.” The Führer coughed again, then held Redfield at gunpoint. “You. You…Play the scene. Helene, read with him.”
The woman formed a fist with her right hand. “A cold-blooded terrorist. That is what you are.” She said with conviction and emphasis. Jules was quite surprised by this before replying after a short pause,
“And you’re a Nazi whore!” His voice was without any emotion, sounding uncertain.
“You monster! What are you going to do to me?” Helene sounded scared, playing her role very convincingly.
“I will rape and murder you!”
“So many German innocent lives you have killed. But the German race will rise again.”
“I will murder your dirty race too.”
The Führer let out a scream of rage before making a gesture to calm himself down. “You got the words right, but you do not seem to have any grasp, of the psychology of a man like William Joseph Blazkowicz. How can you be…what you do not understand?” He then pointed to the men wearing glasses. “You. You play the part. Become, become, become the part!” He demanded.
“A cold-blooded terrorist. That is what you are.”
The man got up from his chair. “And you’re a Nazi whore!” His voice sounded dark and threatening.
“You monster! What are you going to do to me?”
“I will rape and murder you!”
“So many German innocent lives you have killed. But the German race will rise again.”
“I will murder your dirty race too.”
Hitler laughed in joy. “Much better! You could learn from this one.” He said to Redfield who looked rather unimpressed. “I provide you with the tools to gain entrance to the psychology if this insane man. This damned subhuman! I knew him inside and out. It is because I knew him so well I was able to stop, capture and bring him to justice!” He exclaimed before groaning. “Oh god…Oh god, I’m hungry.” Hitler turned his back to them, shoveling a morsel or two into his throat before continuing, his voice cut off through hoarse swallows every couple of sentences.
“William Joseph Blazkowicz. Raised in Mesquite, Texas. The half-breed child…” He took a bite of his meal. “Of a salesman and a Polish Jew.” The projector showed a picture of William’s parents. “His mother was exposed by his father. She died in an extermination camp in Neue Mexico.” The next picture showed an adult William on a child's bicycle.
Where in the world did they get that? Bauer wondered, not able to believe his eyes.
“As an adult his intellectual capacity remained on a child’s level. Indeed, if one cuts open, as we did after his execution, one finds the innards of a Jew.” The Führer said as a picture of a cut open back of a body was shown, then laid down on the carpet. “Helene! Take over. I’m so tired.”
“Aspirates, as you know, this role is very physical. William Joseph Blazkowicz was not a man of intellect. He was a man of action.” Helene explained as she accidentally stepped into the vomit, scraping it off disgusted.
“This scene takes place right before the scene you did earlier. Blazkowicz is about to plant the bomb that will massacre the German children in the orphanage. But first he must eliminate the brave soldier standing guard outside the school, in a brutal fight scene.”
She opened the door to a glass case, the soldier guarding the door walked in. “Mr. Liewellyn Ewing?” She asked the man with beard and black hair.
“Liewellyn Ewing.” He corrected.
“Ja, why don’t you start?”
The actor walked into the box, making exercises as Helene continued, “You will each improvise a fight scene and once the guard is eliminated you finish the scene by reading the lines from the cue card, exactly as written. Places und action!” She picked the card up.
Ewing made two light punches which the soldier effortlessly blocked, then hit the American with the butt of his rifle twice, causing it to bleed. “Ow! Ow! Stop. Stop. Oh, god, I’m bleeding. I’m bleeding. I need to take a break.” Liewellyn cried in pain, holding his nose.
“Line please!” The director held the sign up.
“See, I need a doctor.”
“Line!” She demanded in a serious tone.
“Your bravery is no match for a Neanderthal like myself. Besides, I only know how to fight in a dirty manner. Now to kill all the innocent children. Germany’s future.” He let out evil laughter, which was badly executed, as the soldier played dead, then got out of the box, crying and moaning in pain.
“That was terrible.” The Führer aimed at Ewing, shooting him three times in the back, the Actor collapsed on the ground, begging “why?” as he died.
This showed that Hitler’s old personality was still here to some degree.
The woman cleared her throat. “Mr. Redfield. Please. The floor is yours.” He got up and stepped into the box. “And action!” What happened next, terrified Johann and Jonas.
Redfield grabbed the rifle, pushing the muzzle towards the soldier’s head and pulled the trigger, blood splattered and the guard fell dead on his back, Jules fired the entire magazine into the German’s head, then beat him with it, before throwing the rifle against the glass, cracking it, having him ruthlessly murdered.
They all watched in shock and awe as he stared at them.
In a slow, threating walk, he leaned against the glass. “Is that what you wanted? Is that what you had in mind, you Regime assholes? Cause that’s all you’re getting!” He said in a cold voice.
Johann was impressed, in terms of hate, it really suited William, scaring him a bit. He has really talent, I give him that.
The Führer got up, laughing happily. “Wonderful! Did you see that Helene? He is born to play that part. He will be my Blazkowicz.” Without looking, he executed the last candidate actor, favoring Redfield over him. “Oh my god.” He raised his hands into the air with a smile. “He is better than perfect!”
With that, the audition was over.
As Johann walked out, he could have sworn that Redfield was familiar but couldn’t figure out why.
“Can you believe to have seen the Führer like that?” Jonas asked, bringing him out of his thought.
“Oh? Ah, yes, I can’t believe it either. I mean, given how he is supposed to be our glorious leader, it’s kinda disappointing.”
“Yes, it is.” James joined them. “It's awkward, as you can see. Herr Führer's chance of living another year grows ever less likely and...he has yet to name a successor. I don't think he really expects to ever die. He's not an easy man to reason with. It's become...unproductive.”
Bauer blinked, trying to make sense of what he just heard. “That’s treason! No offense but that will never work!”
James waved a hand. “No, no, not like Stauffenberg. I meant, after he died, I try to be selected as new Führer and make things better for Germany and all citizens of the occupied countries, like get rid of slavery and such.”
Johann thought about it, actually, it sounded pretty good. “I guess you have a point, trying to make lives better. I can only wish you good luck when the time comes.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s have lunch and check up on Dinky. I heard today Schnitzel is on the menu.”
Bauer grinned, it was one of his favorite meals. While ponies were vegetarians, they also ate fish and poultry, so it was no problem for him and the other humans to eat meat when they desired.
Dinky had much fun, playing a card game with James until he had to go. She then decided to take a look around, also helping to carry supplies. In a box room, she wiped the swofft of her forehead after being done with carrying. “They’re heavy.”
As she walked out, the filly noticed she hadn’t looked which why she had taken and there were no soldiers around to ask for directions.
“Stay calm, there must be a way to find out where I am.” She spoke to herself, taking random directions.
But that led her to being more lost. The young unicorn thought for a moment how she could find a way out of this
Out of nowhere, a strange feeling entered her body, she couldn’t describe it, walking towards a door at the end of the hallway. Something told her not to enter it, but the strange feeling become too strong as she came closer, the door opening by itself as any other door on the Venus base.
Inside, she was greeted with a horrible sight.
Several slabs with nozzles for an incinerator above them.
A room-sized incinerator, like the one she was in when Deathshead experimented on her.
The filly trembled at the memories, unable to move, frozen on the spot.
Dinky turned to the right of the door, spotting a terminal with a screen.
What had happened?
Was everyone alright?
Did she need to tell someone?
What had gone on in this room?
Slowly, she made her way over it, her hoof shaking as she raised it to activate the terminal, about to show what had happened here.
Everything seemed to stop as her hoof finally pressed the button and a recording started.
It showed a unicorn stallion looking identical to the Ulor robot, his hooves cuffed, lying on the ground with a neutral expression. Next to him was another pony in the shadow, being impossible to identify, only a silhouette was visible.
On the opposite of them was another silhouette with a horn visible on the head, showing that this pony was also a unicorn.
The door opened and a man in a lab coat walked in, Dinky noticed it was Dr. Richmond, looking very interested at the ponies, causing the green unicorn to gulp.
“I can see why General Strasse likes you both. Such resilient specimen. With you, he could do great things.
“You don’t scare me!” The green pony taunted with a neutral voice, trying to hide his fear as the scientist looked him into the eyes.
“I like your eyes.” He said with a smile.
“Savour this moment, I insist...It will pale to what I'll do to you.” The other unicorn taunted him too, unimpressed before Richmond looked him also into the eyes.
“I like yours too. I can see my master chose well, you both are good ones, like the young specimen before you. I will finish what General Strasse has started.” He then inspected the eyes of the pony next to the green stallion. “Not you. You are broken already. What a shame.” Lyle sounded disappointed, then took a scalpel out of his pocket.
The filly closed her eyes as painful screams followed, it seemed like hours before it stopped. The unknown unicorn cried in pain. “Celestia…Fletcher…Anypony?” He asked scared.
“I’m here, I’m here…” The green stallion tried to comfort him with an expression of sympathy as the man looked at him with an evil grin after Dinky opened her eyes.
“In work like this it is easy to be tempered. To sense compassion. It gets old very fast. Losing oneself in sentiment...Very unproductive.”
The filly closed her eyes again as painful screams and the sound of machinery filled the room for a very long time.
As she opened her eyes again, she saw both ponies lying dead on the ground, the green stallion had his eyes cut out and his back was torn open.
The last remaining pony breathed heavily, being very scared as Richmond walked over to the door, turning the incinerator on, grinning at the scared pony.
The room filled with a muffled hiss that steadily erupted into a deafening mechanical howl, like one of the air-raid sirens in the Great War, droning over and over.
“Auf wiedersehen.”
Then it ended.
The filly breathed heavily, trying to make sense of what she had just seen.
Those two robots…
They were…
Ponies. Just like her.
She wanted to leave the room, wanting someone to comfort her, but her entire body refused to move, shocked at what she had seen.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, she struggled, then felt something injected into her and became tired, falling asleep.
After some time, the filly woke up, trying to move but she had to realize it was futile, being restrained. NO! Not again!
The door opened and Dr. Richmond walked in, his expression neutral. But for Dinky, it didn’t matter. “How could you?! Doing this to them?” She yelled in a mix of sadness and anger.
“I only did what Strasse wanted me to finish for him. Nothing personal to them.” He replied cold and emotionless.
“Don't...don't you care? About the people you use? The people you hurt?!” The filly yelled again.
“Do you think a butcher cares about hurting his pigs?” He countered, causing her to think about it.
It made sense to a degree.
“...N-n-no...”
“Then there's your answer.”
Still, there was something Dinky wanted to know. “You are Brite, how could you betray your fellow countrymen?”
“I’ll tell you why. Before the war, I had a glorious career at the university, but some took exception to my scientific interest and had me expelled. Under General Strasse’s care, my knowledge got far better and greater than I could ever imagine.
When the Germans came, I knew they would help the British Empire to a new age of glory and with their technology, I will make my place and the General proud. Maybe, I should end what he started on you.” He suggested in a cold tone, walking over to a box of surgical tools, causing Dinky to whimper.
“Please…no…”
He turned around. “You are familiar with my old mentor but you can relax ...I am not Dr. Strauss. I have standards. I make it as painless as possible.”
She made a last attempt to gather courage. “You won’t get away with this! My Dad and James will look for me!”
“I already got that covered. Besides, this room is soundproof, nobody will hear your screams.”
At this point, the filly trembled, not able to believe it would end like this, making a final prayer. I’m sorry…
The Scientist stood in front of her, a syringe in his hand. “It will only hurt for a sec-”
A chilling whistling echoed in Dinky’s ears, blood splattered from the man’s chest as he collapsed.
Behind him stood the Ulor robot, a silenced handgun in his right hoof, the barrel smoking, next to him the Sentinel robot.
“But...how…” Richmond, still alive, couldn’t understand this.
The green unicorn freed Dinky, she couldn’t help but to hug him tightly for comfort.
“L-listen...You need me alive.” The man pleaded, fear in his voice, his expression and eyes showed he was terrified.
“Give me a reason. Just try.” The green stallion said with a cold voice, showing no emotion.
“The laboratory is swarmed with guards! You'll never get through them all. If you kill me, you'll have nothing to barter with.”
“We have this.” The other unicorn replied in the same cold voice, priming his flamethrower on Richmond. “Have you forgotten, Dr.? You created us to wipe out whole armies...You succeeded.”
Realizing what the stallion meant, the scientist bitterly lowered his head, accepting his fate. “...bugger it...”
The flamethrower hissed to life. “Heil Celestia.”
Dinky was brought out of the room, so she didn’t noticed anything of the death of Richmond.
Slowly, the filly calmed down, taking a deep breath, looking the green robot into the eyes. “T-thank you...It is real what...I saw?” She asked with a shaken voice.
With an expression of sad,ness the stallion replied, “Sadly, yes. We are ponies like you. Least used to be. My name is Fletcher Fray.”
The other unicorn walked out. “Call me…Balthazar.”
“What happened to you?” the little unicorn wanted to know.
“We used to be enemies and fought each other, somehow landing here as you did.” Fletcher explained.
But this...” Balthazar looked at his mechanic hooves. “You can no longer call this a pony. One year without body. No sensory organs. Nothing to do or see or feel. No knowledge at all about what is going on. Just silent nothingness for one year, with your own terrified thoughts to keep you company. That's about a billion times worse than death.
Still, with our strong will, we managed to regain slowly control over our actions, knowing the only way to survive was to work together. We’ll protect you, Celestia had it wanted so.” He sounded honest.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a safety going off and they turned around.
A man in an Atmospheric Suit, armed with a silenced MP61 held them at gun point. “Let her go, right now!” He yelled.
“Listen,do we not mean to harm her, it’s a misunderstanding.” Balthazar tried to explain.
“Yes, have you seen a Nazi robot comforting a foal?” Fletcher added.
The filly recognized the voice, not believing her eyes as she looked at the man in the suit, seeing blond hair and blue eyes, somebody she never thought she would see again. “Bl-blascowitz? Is that really you?” She asked confused.
Before he could give an answer, another voice ordered, “Drop your weapon!”
Dinky saw James, Johann and Jonas behind him. The Luftwaffe soldier also recognized him upon seeing his face, lowering his weapon. “Blazkowicz? But...you died!!”
The American grinned. “Apparently, the general needs to do better than that.”
Before any of the Germans could do anything, Dinky spoke up, “Look...I know I'm not much good at keeping out of danger...and I've sure never been in a war this bad...But one thing I do know is when there's good in someone. And trust me, I've seen some people, even ponies back home, where there wasn't. But I know that there's good in them, BJ. I just know it. Please...give them a chance.”
She waited for a response from, it, it seemed like hours until he replied, “Sure, I gave Johann a chance and Sigrun, so why shouldn’t I give them a chance as they have helped you.”
James holstered his handgun. “If you want to go with him, I won’t stop you, do what you think is right. I cover your absence. But you might get your other uniform first.”
“Right. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait!” James yelled. “While Richmond was the head of this project, there is a lab, where other scientists work on his creations. It might be beneficial for all of us if it gets destroyed, so none can use it anymore.”
The golden armored unicorn raised his weapon. “I will take care of that. Where is the lab?”
The officer smiled. “Just down the hallway. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you. You may wanna call a cleanup crew.”
Inside the lab, one guard wanted to smoke a cigarette but couldn’t find his lighter, so he asked a comrade, “Got a light?”
“Sure.”
“Allow me, heretics!” The stallion said as he burned the desk, the soldiers managed to evade them, fleeing with the scientists in panic as Balthazar walked into the middle of the lab, burning the German Flag hanging on the wall.
One Elite soldier had enough courage to fire his Assault Rifle at the cyborg, the bullets bounced harmlessly off. Looking down, the former unicorn saw a “No smoking” sign, next to a box of explosives. In the moment he aimed at it, the soldier’s eyes went wide in fear. “Oh crap!”
He managed to get out just in time as the pony set the box on fire, causing a big explosion in the lab.
Balthazar’s armor was designed to be fireproof, so he walked out of the burning room unharmed but stopped as he saw a clipboard on a desk that was still intact, grabbing it after he saw what was written on it.
A fire alarm ringed through the hallway as he came back to the group. “I found this clipboard in the lab.” Balthazar gave it to Günther.
“Ah, I have seen this before. While Richmond finished any projects General Strasse had planned before his death, it was General Engel who made it possible for him to make this at all, giving him permission and such.” The Erstecommander explained.
This enraged Johann, baling his fists. It had been a trap all along, she had sent him and Dinky to their doom on the Venus, allowed a mad scientist to use the poor filly for his experiments and let this terrible fate happen to the two stallions.
“Anyway, you should get going, I and Jonas clean up the mess. You will hear from us.”
“Right. Goodbye.” Bauer said, calming down as he followed the American to the main control room of the Oberkommando.
It consisted of several thermals and a globe in the middle of the room. A commandeer with his squad, consisting of soldiers, a super soldier guarded the control room.
As any other officer, the commander had his left hand behind his back as he watched for anything out of place, yet he found it boring, it was mostly quiet here.
“Everything in order, private?” He asked as a soldier passed by.
“Yes, sir. If I may ask, what do you think of the actor Jules Redfield?”
“Jules Redfield? He’s a very good actor, very famous too. Likes milkshakes and fast cars, sounds like the perfect role to play Terror-Billy if you ask me. From what I heard, he brought the fight very convincingly, even made his own line for it.”
“I agree, one of the best American authors out there. Can’t wait to see the movie.”
“Me too, private.” The officer replied as the soldier walked away.
The commander let out a sigh, hoping that anything exciting would happen, the conversation had helped much against the boredom here.
Suddenly, he saw a man in an Atmospheric Suit in the distance, looking out of place for some reason, he couldn’t tell why. “What…” He wondered in confusion.
Upon recognizing the face behind the helmet, he froze in fear, completely terrified. It’s…Te-te-Terror-Billy!? It was his last thought before the American fired his silenced MP61 and with a quick pain in the head, everything went black for the German.
Johann and Dinky waited as William had killed the commander to prevent an alarm, Fray had silently killed the regular soldiers.
Balthazar sneaked behind the Super soldier, chopping his fuel tank before going to a safe distance and lighted the leak. With a sudden, deafening roar and scatter of shrapnel and flame, the tank exploded upon its wearer. The super soldier flailed a moment before collapsing, its corpse left smoldering on the ground.
“Welcome to the Oberkommando…Population: Zero.” Blazkowicz announced as all enemies were killed.
“Say, Blazkowicz, why are you here?” Bauer asked him.
“As you know, my plan is to liberate America from the regime. In order to do that, the Ausmerzer must be disabled first, but the automatic defense system, ODIN makes this impossible. Still, we found out the codes for it are stored here.” He explained.
“Makes sense.” Johann did not only follow B.J. to get revenge on Engel, but also he didn’t felt safe with an insane Führer around, plus wanting to make life easier for Dinky’s friend, they had already suffered enough. For Dinky, she didn’t want to be here any longer after having seen what had happened to Fray and Balthazar, also wanting to help Peter.
For Fletcher and Balthazar, they had lost everything. The least they could go was to help Dinky get home, they knew their leaders had it wanted so, seeing it as their final mission.
The door to the code thermal was locked, but there was always another way. Dinky took a closer look at the globe, noticing something. “Hey, there appears to be a hole under the globe.”
“I see it.” Fray replied, firing a shot with his Assault Rifle, causing the globe to fall into pieces.
William crouched through the maintenance tunnel, followed by Johann, Dinky, Fletcher and Balthazar, who despite his bulky appetence had no problem crouching through it.
“ODIN codes. Where are you?” The American mumbled as he tipped on the keyboard before the codes got printed. “Gotcha.” He put them into an envelope, then looked at a Haunebu-V in the hangar bay.
The others understood quickly, getting with him on board before he steered it towards Earth with ease, landing in on the ocean, it floated on the water, also informing his friends above his passengers via radio.
They waited on the roof as William feed a gull. “You like that, bird? Best be on your way now. My ride’s here.” He said as the water started to make giant waves, causing the bird to fly away.
The Eva’s hammer rose from the water, the aerospace craft being gently lifted up as it was on the hull.
Due being the largest U-boat in the Kriegsmarine and the world, the eyes of the others went wide in awe, having never seen anything like that before.
A hatch opened and Bombate waved at William, laughing happily at him.
Strangely, the emergency lights were on and an alert was ringing through the ship. “Why are the emergency lights on? Where is everyone?” Blazkowicz asked confused.
“Something’s wrong.” Bombate replied as he and the others walked to the entrance to the helm, the room was dark, making it impossible to see anything. The soldiers took positions, Johann held Dinky back as the African added, “Be ready for anything.”
William walked slowly in, his weapon drawn.
“Surprise!” His friends shouted as the lights went on, revealing it to be a birthday party.
Touched, William blew the candles out, earing cheers of everyone. “Didn’t think I’d make it this far.” He commented with a smile.
“Well, here’s to brother Blazkowicz. Toughest man I’ve ever seen.” An African-American with brown hair and eyes said a toast on him.
He tasted the cake, enjoying it. “There’s some hot damn good banana cream pie right there!”
“Max made it.” The woman replied.
“Max Hass!” The boy said proudly, hugging him.
“Now here’s some liquid love.” An elderly man with grey hair and brown eyes handled him a glass and they drunk together. “Lord, oh lord, that’s gonna tear a hole up poor ol’ Horton’s tummy.” The man said, coughing as it appeared to be very strong.
“So…How was Venus? Did you bring me back anything?” The woman asked Blazkowicz.
“Well, the, eh…souvenir shop was closed. But I brought you this.” He gave her the code.
While Dinky felt happy for William, she noticed how the woman said to Sigrun to get her regime eyes on this, so they could disable the defense system and hijack the Ausmerzer, with the German replying in a sad voice “Please stop calling me that.”
Before the filly could say anything, Blazkowicz cleared his throat. “Everyone, I want to welcome Dinky back, as well as welcome her father Johann and her two friends Fletcher Fray and Balthazar to this party.”
After he had said this, everyone welcomed them, greeting them friendly, the African-American climbed on the strategic map. “Comrades! Brothers and sisters.” The elderly man gave her a liquid bottle. “Thank you very much. Tomorrow we are gonna shot regime soldiers until we run out of bullets. But tonight…Tonight is for Blazkowicz!”
“Hear! Hear!” The others cheered.
And so, they all celebrated William’s birthday, dancing and drinking, Dinky had apple juice and Johann alcohol-free to be a good example for the child.
The two stallions just watched with happy smiles, never having been the party ponies in general, pleased to see the filly happy.
“If I may ask, did one of your birthday parties went like this?” Fray asked Balthazar who shook his head.
“Not that I can remember, And if this was the case, I don’t want to remember it. You?”
“Same here.”
The little unicorn ran up to her friends. “Come, you’re missing the fun!” She exclaimed happy.”
“If you insist.” Balthazar replied as he and Fray joined the party, also enjoying it.
After all this, they all had earned to enjoy themselves at a nice party, for the two stallions, it could be their last, so they made sure they enjoyed every second of it, to be ready for the Ausmerzer.
Author's Note
Little reference in here.
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 7: The revolution
Balthazar awoke with a strange feeling, the ground feeling very…soft. His eyes felt heavy as he slowly opened them, finding himself in an alleyway.
At first, he thought he was in a sleeping bag due to the soft ground, until he looked down, startling.
He was lying in a pile of bodies, apparently poisoned. In panic, muttering “Hurts...” over and over again, he crawled backward in an attempt to get out.
The stallion stopped to struggle as he saw a shadow at the end of the alleyway, staring at it in fear as it came closer.
It was a pony in golden armor, one of his own soldiers, looking at him with a stern expression.
“Blessed one...Grant me your aid. Quickly.” Balthazar said to his soldier with a hint of fear. “Quickly!” He yelled as the pony spoke into his radio.
“What are you doing? I...I...I am your master! I am anointed! No! Stop you fools! I'm not one of them! I'm not one of them!!! ” He yelled as a troop transport arrived, another soldier holding a flamethrower walked ahead, pointing it at him.
“PLEASE!”
In that moment, he woke up with a gasp, panting heavily. “Balthazar, are you alright?” Fray asked with concern, standing next to him.
“Just…a bad dream.” He replied.
Due to being cyborgs, they had to recharge, although they could be active for a very long time without recharging. It worked quite simple, they just had to connect themselves with any charging station, being in a semi-conscious state. It also fed their brain with nutrients, they both had never understood how that worked.
The two stallions used the stations in the hanger bay, where the helicopters were located and the Haunebu-V.
In the morning, they checked up on Dinky and Johann, who slept in the room of William and Anya.
They had to smile, seeing the filly hugging her stepfather in her sleep. He gave her safety, she gave him something he could have never been otherwise.
The filly stirred in her sleep, yawning, smiling at her stepfather as he awoke and the two stallions. “Good morning!” He exclaimed in joy.
“Morning.” Balthazar and Fray replied, with her father returning a smile as they went into the galley for breakfast.
As the two family members breakfasted, they heard the wonderful music of clarinet player Jacques 'Paris Jack' LeRoy, a African-American and member of the New Orleans Resistance cell led by Horton Boone, the man who had drunk the whiskey with Blazkowicz as his party yesterday, having her and her father and two friends introduced to everyone.
“That really sounds wonderful, Jack, where did you learn to play so good?” The filly complimented him.
With a smile, he replied, “The streets of New Orleans were alive with music. You carried the gift and the music would just slip into your bloodstream. Mastering that gift? Playing without hitting a single blewey? Now that took practice. Years and years of practice. And a bucket load of discipline.”
“I can imagine that, the mother of my friend Tootsie also had to practice long to play her Lyre.” It remembered of her friends, but knew she had to stay strong.
“Everyone. Wyatt has gone missing. Captain Blazkowicz is conducting a search.” Grace Walker, the woman the group had seen talking to Sigrun and made a toast on William, also being the leader of the resistance in New York, announced on the intercom.
In the moment she had spoken, said man walked in. “Hey, Paris Jack. So, you seen Wyatt around?”
“I saw him late last night. He was not doing well.”
He then told how he called him out for using drugs, telling him that it doesn't help. Annoyed, Wyatt walked to the shooting range.
“So…you saw him walking towards the shooting range?”
“M-hm. looked like he was heading for a trip.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“Can we help you, Blazkowicz?” Dinky asked him.
“Of course.” He smiled.
With that as answer, the group walked to the shooting range. Balthazar looked around. “Okay, where could he-“ He couldn’t finish as he tripped, falling down some stairs leading to a secret area of the shooting range, landing with a loud “thud” on the ground. “This fricking sucks!” He exclaimed in disappointment.
“You okay?” Fray asked as he helped him up.
“You forget you saw that, Fletcher Fray!” The armored unicorn exclaimed a bit angered.
“Duly nodded.”
The small hallway led to a ladder leading down to another area only illuminated by red lights. A hatch and the end blocked the way, William blew it open with his Dieselkraftwerk, a variant of the LaserKraftWerk, which used diesel-powered grenades as ammo.
Behind it was a door, he opened it, seeing Wyatt on the other side, lying on the ground with a handgun in his hand.
“The little guy died this morning. He didn't eat his cheese. Starved to death. So it goes.” He mumbled in a depressed and sad tone.
“Wyatt?” William asked him.
“Who?”
You. I’m talking to you, Wyatt.”
“Oh, the kid? Yeah, he's not here anymore. He went looking for the truth but he didn't like what he found.”
“Look, um, you’re talking crazy man. You gotta get with the program, we need you, we’re moving out, come on, Wyatt.” The Captain quickly figured out he had a nervous breakdown.
“Kid's father had his future all staked out for him. Ivy league straight to the top congressional power. Cut him off when he joined the military. Ungrateful brat, he called him. The kid's mother fell into a depression in that big dark house. Same day the kid shipped off four Europe, she swallowed a bottle of pills. And that was it. That was that.” Wyatt mumbled in response with a sad, depressed voice.
“Imma take you to Set. He gonna fix you right up. You, you’re just a little confused, is all. Come on now.” In the moment he walked towards Wyatt, the younger man took hastily a sitting position, aiming the gun at his head, breathing heavily, causing Dinky to gasp in shock, her stepfather and two friends having neutral expressions. “No, no, no, no, Wyatt. Come on now.” William tried to calm him down, reaching for the gun. The young man pointed the gun at William, finger off the trigger, the filly noticed.
“Wyatt. I’m your buddy, remember?” Blazkowicz said in a calming voice before his buddy pointed the gun back at his head again.
“He saw perfect patterns... swallowing branches of a great tree. The all-knowing space entity at the center, gazing upon him.” Wyatt mumbled before William struggled for the gun with him. “The kid was approaching the apex of the universe... but it all slipped away. And a colossal black trench opened up...swallowing the colors and the kid couldn't see anything...except for a trans-dimensional gaping maw...swallowing his soul! Oh, nothing matters anymore, man! Oh, sunset for humanity.” He yelled, then stopped to struggle, breathing rapidly. “Tell'em that he's sorry. Tell'em...Tell'em that he loved them.” Before struggling again, leading to Blazkowicz knocking him out.
Due to this move, the filly noticed that William had some kind of ring around his neck, wondering why but assumed it had to do with his revival.
Without a word, she and the others helped William to carry Wyatt to the Infirmary.
"It will take a while until he could wake up. I try to eliminate the Übercommanders in New Orleans and on Venus in the meantime.” William suggested, looking over his friend with guilt.
“Is there some way we could help?” Balthazar asked him.
“Thanks, but I’d like to do this myself.”
“Just please, don’t kill James,” Dinky replied with a hint of fear.
The American patted her. “I won’t, promise.”
As he left for the helm to get the locations of the Übercommanders, Bauer asked, “What could we do now?”
The filly thought for a moment, then had an idea. “What about bringing Anya breakfast?”
“Sounds good to me.”
The woman awoke with a yawn as a delicious smell entered her nose, seeing Dinky walking in with a breakfast board, toast and a glass of juice on it.
“Thank you, Dinky, that’s very kind of you.” Anya’s heart was warmed by this, enjoying the breakfast with every bite.
“You’re welcome. I also wanted to congratulate for becoming a mother!” The filly said with glee.
“Me too, my congratulations,” Johann added, his head lowered, making Anya notice a slight sign of remorse.
“Thank you, I carry twins.” The filly grinned as she heard this. “If it makes you feel any better, if how you've taken care of Dinky's anything to go by, you'd be a great father.”
“Yeah, I just sometimes have to think back.” He replied.
“If I may ask, why has William that…ring around his neck?” The foal asked with curiosity.
“Oh, that? It’s a Bio-engineered Super Soldier Body Carline recovered some time ago. We used it to save William’s life. A fascinating piece of technology and science.”
“The doctor could only dream of something like this. He'd want to get his claws on this.” Fray mumbled in awe.
“Which Doctor?” Dinky asked him, catching the stallion off guard.
“I’ll explain that another time, okay?”
“Okay.” The filly replied.
They all then walked to the helm, seeing Sigrun working tirelessly on a terminal to decrypt the ODIN Codes. “Oh, hello.” She said, surprised to see them.
“Hello. Any luck with the codes so far?” Bauer asked.
“Not yet, but I’m working on it. I’m also sorry for what my mother did to you.” The young woman lowered her head in shame and guilt.
The little unicorn gave her a hug. “it’s okay, Sigrun. You’re not to blame. You're nothing like her. And you should be proud of that. My parents thought me to see others from the inside, not the outside.” Dinky tried to comfort her.
“Yes, Sigrun, I saw how different you were when you saved Wyatt and tried to be fair to the others, you can be proud of that,” Johann added.
The German girl smiled. “Thank you.”
Grace walked out of her quarter, trying to find her lighter but couldn’t. “Do you have a light?” She asked Balthazar, pointing to his weapon.
“Uh, sure.” He replied surprised and lighted it for her, causing Fray to chuckle. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s just…how many of your troops did ask you for a light?”
Balthazar thought for a moment. “Way too often, was one of the reasons I forbid it.”
The filly noticed that Grace's hand was scared. “What happened to your hand?” She asked, having a hint of pity in her voice.
Taking a deep breath, Grace replied, “I was there when the bomb hit.” Her voice was shaken. “I survived relatively unscathed cause I was underground at the time. When I came up…Looked like a vision out of Dante’s Inferno, you know what I’m saying?”
Only Johann nodded, the others stared, trying to understand.
“I remember maimed people just wandering through the smoke. I remember…the screams echoing through the bombed out buildings. Like howling ghosts.” She took another deep breath.
“And I remember this mother and son. This boy was blindly stumbling through the chaos, his arms were outstretched….Calling out for his mama. And the heat from the bomb had…melted the skin of his arms and they just drooped…like he was wearing a shirt that was a couple of sizes too big. And I remember his mama. She was crawling to get to him. And the half of her body…was all gone. It was just…gone.” Again a deep breath.
“What are you thinking in a moment like that? When you know you’re losing everything you love? What are you thinking in a moment like that, huh?” She asked them all with a shaken voice as everything flashed before her eyes.
Johann pointed at her cigarette, noticing it was about to burn on her hand but it was too late as she flinched.
“Damn. That’s gonna leave a mark.”
The ponies just stared, trying to process what Grace had told them.
Fletcher and Balthazar had both seen their fair share of horrible things, things that would hunt them to this day. Both nothing could compare to the Atom bomb.
“This is why you don't let machines do your fighting. Machines don't think...” Balthazar exclaimed in disbelief. “And thinking is something a fight should never be without. Bodies rotting, neither dead nor truly alive. Left screaming, left suffering. To send others to Tartarus before death.
We have a word for a magic like that...Necromancy.
It is a crime against the equine race.
It is purely and simply...evil!”
“Monsters did this,” Fray said stunned.
“Not monsters. Men.” Grace countered.
“Do you mean, you used to be soldiers?” Bauer asked the former unicorns.
“Well…Yes.” Balthazar admitted with a hint of being uncomfortable.
Fletcher started, “When Nightmare Moon emerged and was banished by her own sister...Not all of Equestria considered it justified. There were those who saw Celestia as the betrayer. Imprisoned for a thousand years, banished from her own kingdom, then of all times Luna found attention...respect...support. Those who were willing to fight to bring her to the throne founded what was known as the Lunar Republic, to overthrow Celestia, bring Luna back and place her on her sister's throne...I was among their command. In fact, before her banishment, I served as one of Princess Luna's personal bodyguards, the Eternal Knights, alongside Domino, Saracen, White Wolf and our Lord Commander Midnight Blade.”
“Celestia wasn't alone in all this chaos however. As you can tell from my armor, I served alongside her foremost generals and strategists. The Elements of Harmony were lost during Nightmare Moon's awakening and Princess Celestia was nearly driven mad by grief, unable to face her subjects. It fell to the most influential nobles and the most experienced officers to keep Equestria stable as Luna's servants fought to avenge their exiled figurehead. I can’t remember much how we ended up on Earth, but we fought each other before this.” Balthazar explained.
“You mean it was like...a rebellion?” The filly asked, trying to make sense of it.
“Not quite. More like a Civil War.” Fray replied.
“Province fought province, family fought family, sister fought sister. What happened to the Princesses happened to all of Equestria.” Balthazar finished.
The words were crushing on Dinky, in her home world, civil war was inconceivable. War, because of a misunderstanding as this? Celestia hadn’t a choice when she banished her sister.
“Then why did you help us?” Johann asked shaken.
“After landing on Earth, we both had to realize the only way to survive was to work together, especially after that…operation. I had a hard time believing it, but after one year I and Fray came to realize the civil war might be over in a stalemate, as none side can precede without us. We have no home, no reason to continue the fight, it would be pointless. The only thing left to do is to help those in need. Like you, Dinky.” Balthazar said to her, his voice without any emotion.
It took the filly a moment to process everything. “O-okay…Might I ask what you had planned to do after the war would be over?”
Fray shrugged. “To be honest, I never had the possibility to think about it.”
“Me neither, I was too focused on the war, trying to think of tactics and strategies against the Lunar forces.” Balthazar added.
“I see. I’m sorry if it woke bad memories.” Johann lowered his head in shame.
Fray waved a hoof. “It’s alright, it was bound to happen to explain our backstories.”
Set spoke up, “I hate to interrupt but I took a closer look at your…bodies. It appears they are a combination of the prototype robot and the Bio-engineered Super Soldier Body, as you both seem to have Contraptions like Blazkowicz has.”
It wasn’t surprising to them. “Yeah, we both tested them in the early phases, I have the Constrictor Harness and Ram Shackles, while Balthazar has only the latter,” Fray said with an unimpressed tone.
A man and woman walked in. “That sounds convenient, we could need said Contraptions for some help.” The man said to them.
“How can I be of assistance?” Fray asked.
“I’ll help in any way I can,” Balthazar added.
“Good. Follow me, sir Fray. Balthazar, follow the lady.” They both did as told, Fletcher got led to a small storage room with a ventilation pipe. “Section 66G was sealed off because of a gas leak back then when Blazkowicz first took over the U-boat. Now there’s something rotten in there and we have to get rid of it. We have a serious fly infestation at our hands. You have that extraordinary Constrictor Harness and so I speculated you could venture unto Section 66G through the ventilation system, and turn off the gas so that I may send a cleanup crew up there. Here, allow me to open this hatch for you.” He removed it, causing a swarm of flies to come out.
“Ugh. Smells of death.” He complained as Fray climbed into the pipe. “Remember the gas leak. You mustn’t’ fire any weapons: It will cause an explosion that will kill you and sink the boat. Godspeed, sir!”
It wasn’t a problem as the former stallion could use his hooves/fists and had also an extendable blade for close combat.
Once he reached the other end, the sight of flies and trash were everywhere. This must be one foul smell, good I can’t smell anymore. Fray thought as he moved through the corridors, everything was wrapped into red light.
After crawling through another pipe, he spotted a Kampfhund at the corridor, lunging towards him but he quickly sliced the dog into the neck.
“I guess the dogs might be responsible for the smell I suppose. Maybe.”
After climbing through another 2 pipes, another dog crossed his way, which he sliced before it could harm him.
As he went through another pipe, Fray could see the valve at the end of a small corridor. “Ah, finally. Now, let’s-“
A growl interrupted him as a Kampfhund stormed out of the corridor, lunging at him, knocking him down. The dog bit his left hind leg but Fletcher reacted quickly, stabbing the dog into the throat.
Getting up, the stallion turned the valve, turning the gas off, then used another pipe to get back to the man. “Good graces, you made it out, Fray! Heard some awful noises and wagered there was trouble. I will make sure the cleanup crew has been turned off.”
“Glad I could help,” Fletcher replied as he walked out.
Wonder how Balthazar is doing.
The woman led Balthazar on the elevator in the main catwalks connecting all sections. “Stay on the platform.” She used the switch and the elevator moved down. “Grace told me to organize the storage bay at the moon pool. It’s been in shambles since the Ausmerzer attack. But all the vittun entrances are blocked by debris, I can’t even get in there! Come with me and clear the entrances. I really don’t want to let Grace down. I know you have extra strength from your Ram Shackles contraption. So hopefully, you can find a way through the debris.”
“No problem.” The unicorn jumped into the water, being waterproof, swimming to the catwalk on the other side of the Moon Pool, seeing some boxes blocking the entrance.
Without hesitation, he started to sprint, plowing through the boxes, clearing the way. Inside the room, a few more boxes blocked the door on the other side, Balthazar destroyed them, so the woman could open it. “Now I just have to figure out how to get this place organized. “Thank you for your help.”
“Your welcome.” The stallion replied, walking back to the elevator.
This woke an old memory in him.
Ugh, reminds me when that one soldier screwed it up with counting boxes in the delivery.
He and Fray then got back to the control room as one of Grace walked up to them. Nice job, you two. I could need your help with something…special.”
“Uh, sure, what do you need?” Fletcher asked.
“We managed to capture an SS officer but he won’t talk.”
“Interrogation isn’t my specialty, I'll see what I can do.”
“I'll help if it's required,” Balthazar added as they followed her into a small back room, seeing a man with blue eyes and blonde hair tied up in a chair, with other resistance members standing around him
“Talk!” The woman demanded and punched the man furiously across the face. “What's the password for the Ausmerzer?! Talk, you son of a bitch!!!”
The officer in return yelled, “Gibbon whore!” spitting blood in Grace's face.
Grace drew back with an angered snarl. “Screw this! Give me something sharp!” She yelled at the others and Fray’s expression became one of discomfort.
“...Maybe we should come back later.” He suggested to his comrade.
“That won't be necessary.” Balthazar replied and cleared his throat before asking calmly and politely, “Mrs. Walker?” She turned towards him with a suspicious look. “If it's permissible, may you let me try?”
“You?” Grace asked in distrust.
“I have a certain...method if you'll allow me to employ it?”
She made a show of smiling sweetly in a sardonic manner. “Sure, sweetie...right after I cut something off.”
“Mrs. Walker, may I dissuade you?” The golden stallion asked, still calm as Fray watched with unease as Grace grabbed a screwdriver.
“'Fraid not.”
“Five minutes”, the stallion added in a slightly hastily voice, pausing for a moment. “That's all I ask. Then, if my methods prove unproductive, you may do as you wish...”
Everyone was silent. Grace then tilted her eyebrow at Balthazar and threw the screwdriver down to the floor with a clatter.”
“Fine. But we're not leaving this room until this bastard spills, one way or another.” She demanded as she stepped back
Balthazar nodded. “Quite understood.” He sat down in front of the Officer who sneered at him with contempt.
“One of Richmond's toys, eh? Englishmen are so unreliable.” He taunted and looked into what were the stallion’s eyes. “Don't glare at me...I'm not impressed. You kill me and we'll bring you a whole new kind of hell!”
The cyborg remained silent for a few seconds, then lit his horn up and the Officer's bonds were undone,
The female resistance leader turned to Fletcher in confusion. “What the hell's this jackass doing?”
“Please remain patient, Miss Walker...and less of the racial slurs,” Balthazar replied and took the officer's hands in his hooves, placing them together and tilted his head, his horn still lit.
“Are you completely abnormal? Do you know who I am?” The German taunted in disgust
“Yes. Completely.” Balthazar said as he looked up. “Osmund Fulbert Weislinger, born in Erkner, Brandenburg 1910. Enlisted in the Reichswehr in 1928, transferred to the SS-VT in 1935. SS Service Number- 368, 945. Took part in the Invasion of North America in 1948, saw fighting at Charlestown and Cape Feare, promoted to Hauptsturmfuhrer and awarded the Iron Cross which you keep in a drawer by your bedside after you scratched it when you fell on the cobblestones three feet from the explosion at the Heydrich Memorial eighteen months ago.”
Weislinger’s eyes and mouth were wide opened. “Wha...how...”
“What the f...” Walker mumbled in confusion as Fletcher explained it to her.
“This is...very advanced magic. Nothing like this has been seen for years. Other ponies know how to protect themselves from it but...I've never seen what it can actually do.”
“Who...who told you?” Weislinger asked with fear in his voice
Balthazar rubbed Weislinger's hands with his hooves. “You did. And you've so much to tell me. You see, my kind utilize many different kinds of magic. Friendship chiefly among them.”
“Your kind would...Soft-headed beasts, the lot of you.” The SS member managed to gather some courage.
“Yet we prosper. But you see, there are other kinds of magic. Friendship was made to counter the dark Magic of Hatred, which you seem to favor to an absurd degree. There are the mid and minor schools, Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, etc. But one school I found particularly interesting was a neutral magic. One that can aid both light and dark Magic almost simultaneously. One that drives ponies to both good and bad and lingers deep in the psyche forever after...the Magic of Guilt.” The stallion replied and Weislinger laughed derisively.
“Is this some therapist act, animal? You plan to shame me into aiding you. Pathetic! We are the Master Race! We feel no guilt for we commit no wrong!”
In response, the unicorn gave him a steely glare, his voice turning eerily quiet and calm as he said, “So you were right in what you did...Is that what you believe? You were right to do it...”
“Do what?”
“What you did to Tilda.”
“Wha...” Before the man could process everything, all the color drained from his face as he started shaking, his face became a picture of horror.
“Your daughter. Your only daughter. The light of your dear wife's life. You'd so longed to have a child to teach and treat and adore...But when she emerged...She didn't fit!” Balthazar exclaimed.
“No, I...I don't know what you're talking about.”
“You feared...You did your research, praying you were wrong.” Balthazar continued.
“This is ridiculous! S-stop this!”
“And when you knew...You made a choice. Your daughter...or your Reich!” The stallion exclaimed again
“She was filth! She was an inhuman creature, born to spread waste and pain to everything around her! It was the only choice, the kinder choice!” The man exclaimed before he suddenly twisted in his chair, mouth open in a silent scream.
“What the hell's he doing?!” Grace yelled in shock, her expression terrified.
“Don't...don't go near him...” Fletcher advised with the same expression.
Weislinger’s mouth was agape, wheezing in agony as an invisible force appeared to bend him backward. “Please...please...”
“Your daughter was autistic...Wasn't she?” His interrogator concluded.
“Yes!”
“That's why you did it.”
“Yes!” The SS officer replied and the hold subsided. He fell forward into his chair and gasped for breath.”
“...and you believe you did the right thing?” The pony wanted to know.
Weislinger looked at Balthazar venomously. “Yes. I do. Surprised to hear that?” He sneered. “We do not break. Ever. She needed to die. It was safer that way. She was simple, unpredictable. She was...completely mad. She had to go!” He justified himself as Balthazar took his hand again.
“Go where, daddy?” The voice of a girl echoed through the room.
“What?” The man looked around frantically, the others did the same. “T...Tilda?”
“Yes, daddy.” The echoing voice replied.
“Wh-where are you?”
“I'm right here, daddy.” All then looked in the direction it was coming from, realizing it was the golden armored stallion.
“What? H-h-how are you doing that? What is this?!” The prisoner demanded to know with fear in his voice.
“What's wrong, daddy?” Balthazar asked with complete innocence.
Grace gasped slightly. “How in the holy mother of...”
Fletcher, growing increasingly worried, looked at his comrade. “Balthazar?”
“Who are these men, daddy?”
“Stop! Stop this!” Weislinger yelled as he tried to pull his hand free.
“Where are they taking us, daddy?” The pony asked before his voice started to sound frightened. “Where are you going, daddy?”
“Stop it! Let me go!”
“What is this place, daddy? They're hurting me, daddy?! Where are you, daddy?!” The pony yelled in fear and the man started to cry.
“Please!”
Grace struggled not to cover her eyes. “This...Oh my god, this is sick!”
Fletcher couldn’t watch this anymore, wanting to move but his legs didn’t respond as he yelled, “Balthazar, stop!”
Balthazar started to scream like a child. “Let me out, daddy! I can't breathe, daddy! It hurts! Daddy, it hurts!” He then cried. “It hurts! It hurts!”
“No! No! They said it would be painless! It was meant to be painless!” The man yelled in terror.
“Why, daddy...Why did you do this...”
Now, the officer started to weep. “...I had to...”
“You...killed me...daddy...”
“No...” He sobbed
Balthazar: then yelled angrily. “You killed me, daddy!”
“No!” Her father exclaimed in terror.
Balthazar’s voice became almost demonic it was echoing in the ears of everyone around. “YOU KILLED ME!”
“I'm sorry!” Weislinger fell upon Balthazar, sobbing wildly. Balthazar held him gently, almost parent-like as he sobbed, “I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
“...I know.”
Fletcher’s face became slightly one of fury. “Balthazar! That's enough!”
“Of course. That should do it.” He replied and looked Weislinger in the eyes calmly as he asked. “What is your name?”
“Osmund...Weislinger...” He mumbled with sadness
“What happened to your daughter?”
“...I sent her to the gas chambers...”
“And why did you do that?”
The man broke completely down, sobbing. “Because she was different.”
“There, there...Now, one more question...What is the password for the Ausmerzer’s defense systems?
“It’s…complicated, I must explain it to a person with knowledge of it.” The man replied.
“Thank you, Mr. Weislinger. You've been very helpful.” Balthazar said and stood up and turned to the Resistance who stared at him in shock, “The darkest secrets in a sinner's mind simply cannot be buried no matter how hard he tries. Break through that and he'll open like a vault...” He then glanced around. Is everyone alright? You all rather unwell.”
“Please…don't do that again.” Grace managed to say.
“Well, clearly...After all, he talked..”
Fletcher slowly nodded. “I believe there’s no longer point in killing him, being a broken man is punishment enough.”
“I…agree. I arrange his release.” The resistance leader replied, still slightly shocked.
Meanwhile on the Ausmerzer
Günther let out a sigh. He had to attend between some commanders and General Engel, he always found those meetings boring and Engel’s presence wasn’t really pleasant at all. On the other hand, he could acquire useful information for the resistance.
As he entered the conference room she saw the woman talking with an Übercommander.
“You are to find where she has hidden herself from me and retrieve her. Then, and please listen very carefully here, I want her to experience the full consequences of her actions.” She said in a cold voice, having an emotionless expression. While the bulk part of the Kreisau circle was rotted out, she knew her daughter was still alive and somewhere out there.
“You...would have us put her to death?” The officer asked nervously and a bit scared.
“Of course not.” The woman replied. “For a woman to murder her own daughter is unspeakable. I simply want her...disciplined.” She smiled sardonically.
“...I'm afraid I don't quite understand.”
The General’s expression became one of anger. “Idiot!” She punched him in the face and pinned him to the ground with one boot. “I want her brought to me, brought before the faces of every German, every American, every human or subhuman under the Reich, and disciplined! I want her stripped of the honor that makes her my daughter, that makes her a pure German woman! I want her on her hands and knees, howling like the bloated beast she is, bleeding from a thousand wounds as the instruments of her discipline rip through her miserable body and leave her a quivering, bloody slab of inhuman waste, gasping for air and begging for mercy! And I want the world to bear witness to her punishment so that all may witness the fate of any worthless daughter that dares betray their parent's cause!!!”
Everyone, save for James, who stayed neutral, stared in terror at the woman, pale-faced and speechless at her angry and apparently mad behavior.
After what seemed like hours, the officer slowly got up of the floor, saluting with a shaking hand. “A-a-a-as you wish, General Engel.”
“See that it is done. I'll pin a medal on whoever's brave enough to grapple with her. It would be as if they fought alone against an enemy vessel.” She cackled loudly.
Slowly, the other officers around her obediently laugh weakly, while James just stared in disgust.
“Now, I have a scheduled appearance on the Jimmy Carver show. Captain Decker, you’re in command of the Ausmerzer while I’m gone.”
“Yes, General.” He saluted.
As everyone left, the Erstecommander grinned, it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of the General and free America from the Regime’s iron grip. Being finally alone, he gave Jonas a sign, he nodded without a word.
Dinky and Johann walked past the ammo depot as one resistance member walked up to them. “Can you help me with something?”
“Sure.” Dinky grinned, always easy to help where she could.
“I was doing inventory in the ammo depot when this gigantic example of a rat jumped straight at me. Biggest rat I’ve ever seen in my life, big as a dog! If I hadn’t been so lucky that a box fell on top of it and trapped it, I’m not sure what would have happened. You gotta get to the ammo depot and take care of it, man. Be careful not be bit, I’ll guarantee it’ll give you tetanus and god knows what else!”
Bauer just rolled his eyes, knowing the man was exaggerating, there was no way a rat could be that big.
The filly saw the box in the depot and lifted it up, the rat made a squeaking noise as if it said thanks, then started to run away. “Run and hide, little guy. Ain’t your fault you’re a rat.” Bauer mumbled, the ponies in Equestria, especially Fluttershy, appreciated almost every animal, mice included and Dinky never wanted to kill anything, not even a rat.
After Blazkowicz returned from his missions, everyone met in the meeting and planning room as Grace had news.
“My brothers and sisters. Check this out. We got an anonymous hint that in less than six hours Frau Engel is gonna make a scheduled appearance on the Jimmy Carver show, live from Hollywood, California. Now, while that cow is getting her butt kissed on national television, we gonna infiltrate the Ausmerzer, disable the ODIN defense system and hijack her ship. And then we find that bag and take her out.”
“Frau Grace.” Sigrun joined them. “I decrypted the ODIN codes Herr Blazkowicz brought back from Venus. Turns out it’s just one simple word: Valhalla. Type in Valhalla in any of the ODIN terminals, and you have permission to shut down the automatic defense systems.”
“Well, alright. Now go, nazi. Like I was saying, we gonna find that brat and we are going to take her out-“
“Grace,” Sigrun said in a stern tone.
“What?” The Woman turned around, only to get slapped by the German with enough force to fall to the ground, surprising everyone.
As the American got up, Sigrun grabbed her by the throat, causing her to gasp for air.
“Don’t ever call me a Nazi again. I’m not a Nazi. You do have not the right to label me as something I’m not. As someone less than yourself. A someone less than human. Say it! I’m not a Nazi!” Sigrun yelled in an angry and desperate voice.
“Alright. Okay, I get it. You’re not a Nazi.” Grace managed to get out, struggling to breathe.
Sigrun let go of her and turned to Bombate, sobbing. “And you! I’m…in love with you. Don’t you understand that you dumb…idiot? And it hurts. It hurts that you are so stupid you don’t love me back. But…I will dry the tears from my eyes…get over it, and move on. Because I don’t need you to be happy. I will just be mentally using your body from time to time for my own personal pleasure. And there’s nothing you can do about that!” She shouted angrily and turned away, Bombate was quite surprised, unable to process it.
“Sigrun?” Grace caught her breath.
“What?! I’m leaving, ok?!”
“No, wait!” Grace yelled and Sigrun stopped. Breathing heavily, the African-American smiled. “Don’t be silly. You’re coming with us.”
“Can I help too?” The unicorn foal asked with a pleading expression.
“I know to appreciate that you want to help but it would be too dangerous for you, Dinky.” Her stepfather replied.
“Please?” She asked, showing puppy eyes, causing William to chuckle.
“Look Dinky, after everything up to know, the last thing we want to do is put you in danger. But...I think we can find something for you to do, don't worry.”
With that, they boarded the helicopter, flying to the Ausmerzer as Sigrun explained how they had to move in.
“We have to approach fast and low. That will buy us time before we are detected by ODIN’s radar. Once we are directly below the Ausmerzer, we must ascend rapidly and vertically. This will give is the greatest chance of surviving ODIN’s opening salve. If we are lucky we make it back out before ODIN has a missile lock on us.”
Wyatt steered the helicopter above a catwalk, Dinky, Johann, Fletcher, Balthazar, Blazkowicz and Anya jumped on it, seconds before a Missile pod got a lock in it, firing a missile.
Wyatt flew a lopping around the catwalk, causing the missile to miss and hit the entrance instead.
The catwalk started to collapse where the missile had landed, causing the group to run to the other side, the door closed but Dinky and Anya managed to jump through it, opening it for the rest of the group.
The door inside was closed, Fray held a hoof up. “Those horns aren’t just for show you know.” It the metallic horns of the unicorns’ bodies were sensors, allowing them to scan what’s on the other side. “Several soldiers and drones, they are already alerted.”
“Not that it will help.” William pressed the button to open it, the child stayed back as her friends cleared the room. Balthazar forced the soldiers to cover with his flamethrower, allowing the others to flank them easily.
Bauer felt no remorse killing other Germans, he had killed before to keep Dinky save, knowing that Jonas wasn’t among those men, firing his MP61. He also had an Assault rifle with Armor piercing rounds on his back from the armory to destroy mechanic enemies. Fray used also his MP61, saving his rifle for long range combat.
As only one soldier remained, Balthazar sprinted towards him, throwing him to the ground with his Ram Shackles, killing him instantly.
With the area being secure, Anya reported, “Sigrun, we’re in.”
“There are three different ODIN Control Centers on the Ausmerzer. Two of them controlling the automated defense system. The HUGIN Control Center for the port defenses, the MUNIN Control Center for the starboard defenses. Finally, there’s the ODIN Main Control Center for the ship itself.”
“Understood. How do we get to them?”
“There’s a terminal concealed in the floor of the room which will open the door leading to the HUGIN Control Center.” As the woman had said it, the filly took notice of a triangle in the middle of the room, pointing at it. “The other parts of the ship are harder to access from your location. Bring up the ship’s schematics in the terminal and see if there’s a way to reach them, Anya.”
The woman activated it and it rose out of the ground. “William, you and the others find the HUGIN Control Center and shut down the port defense system. I’ll stay here and try to figure out our way around the ship.”
Blazkowicz took the lead, barely having made one step as a group of soldiers opened fire, Bauer pressed Dinky behind the wall for cover, she covered her ears.
Fray noticed a Supersoldier in the middle of the group, aiming down his rifle, firing a shot on the jetpack, the explosion took the entire group out, leaving only burning corpses.
“Nice shot,” William commented.
Bauer carried Dinky, she had her eyes closed as they moved on, opening them again after they had passed the bodies.
At the end of the corridor was the HUGIN Control Center, a commander was in the room. Fray raised a hoof. “Wait here, William, we take care of that.”
“Okay.”
He and Dinky watched as the 2 cyborgs and human entered the room, the guards greeting them, thinking they were allies. Fray waked behind the commander, drawing his SMG. “Hands up!”
The commander startled but did obey, his men aiming their weapons at Fletcher. “Weapons Down! We’re taking this ship!” Fray yelled as his comrades primed their weapons in the corners of the room.
“You...you're mad! You've no chance in hell!” the officer yelled in disbelief.
“Maybe so. And if you take issue with my recommendation, go right ahead and point a gun on us but keep this in mind. We've already got this far. Right now, Terror-Billy is tearing through the main defenses and none of your higher-ups are any the wiser. By the end of today, Fraulein Engel will be receiving a well-deserved death! I can't imagine any of you fancy joining her but if I'm wrong, now is the time to say!” He pointed out.
After a brief moment of silence, the guards looked at each other, then placed their weapons on the ground and raised their hands. “Thank you. I'm glad this doesn't have to end in more death than necessary.”
Balthazar walked over to the commander taking the headset, destroying it while William walked over to the terminal to deactivate the defenses.
“Well done, William. The port defense systems are offline. Get back here as soon as possible. I think I’ve found a way to reach our other objectives.” Anya reported after he had entered the code.
“Now, everyone on the ground,” Balthazar ordered, the Germans did as told, hands behind their back.
Dinky had already seen enough death, she shouldn’t see them as merciless killers.
The group moved to a door leading outside to the outer catwalks, two commanders were patrolling there with a super soldier nearby. “That super soldier could be a problem in staying undetected.” Johann pointed out.
“He won’t, I’ll take care of him, do your thing,” William replied.
The others nodded, Dinky and Blazkowicz watched as Johann sneaked behind the commander standing with his back next to the door. “Freeze!”
“Don’t shoot!” The officer begged, dropping his weapon, hands up in surrender.
“On the ground.” The commander did as told, Bauer threw his headset overboard, Fray and Balthazar held the other guards up. As only the super soldier was left, still unaware of what was happening, William aimed his Dieselkraftwerk at him, firing a grenade, it pasted to the jetpack. With the press of the button, it exploded, killing the cyborg in a small fireball, the body burned.
Upon reaching the door at the other end and getting back inside, Anya reported in to hurry, as she needed help, with gunshots in the background.
William detached a mounted Lasergewehr at the entrance and charged it. The filly saw the turbine spinning, emitting a red glow and exhibited red lightning.
Around the corner was a group of normal soldiers and a super soldier, Blazkowicz pulled the trigger, the gun sounded like dubstep of DJ Pon-3 as the red sustained beam vaporized everything in its path. Fray let out a whistle. “That’s what I call firepower.
Back in the room where they had started, they saw the woman on one transport pods. “I’ve reprogrammed these pods to take us to the upper part of the ship. We can reach the other ODIN centers from up there.” She turned to Johann and the ponies. “For you, I reprogrammed an elevator.”
“Okay, we see you up there,” Fray said as he and the others stepped into the elevator, while B.J. took the second pod.
As the elevator reached its destination, they walked through a small corridor to a large door at the end, the switch sparking. “Looks like it’s broken but it I’m pretty sure it can be opened from the other side.” Fray looked around, seeing a vent on the ceiling. “Dinky, could you please climb through and open the door?”
“Of course.” She grinned, Fray helped her up.
The filly knew it was a bit risky but she doubted the soldier would shoot her should she be spotted, doing the trick William had showed her to stay calm as she crawled through the vent, coming to a control room, it overlooked a big storage room with a large container in the middle. Walked up to the terminal, she looked around until she saw a button for the door, pressing it.
It opened, the group walked into the room, scanning for enemies, then inspected the container.
Something told her whatever was in there couldn’t be good for them. From the size, a Zitadelle could fit in easily.
With a loud metallic groan, the container deformed as if something tried to break through, the group aimed their weapons at it, It got blown open, throwing Fray over.
Dinky’s eyes went wide as she saw what walked out of the container. A robot as large as a Zitadelle, looking like an Alicorn with a dark body, a blue glowing mane and Cyan eyes, wearing a metallic night blue helmet and chest armor.
The filly couldn’t hear anything but see that Fray looked shocked at the robot. It rose its forelegs to stomp him but he managed to roll out of the way.
They all fired their weapons at the Alicorn but even armor-piercing rounds seemed not to harm it at all. With a red glow and exhibited red lightning, the horn fired a red sustained beam at Balthazar who dived out of the way.
Dinky watched terrified but knew they wouldn’t last long against this mechanical nightmare.
Rushing to a terminal, she tipped on it, looking for a way to shut the robot down.
“Come on! Come on!” She yelled, seeing that the Alicorn started to jump into the air and dived into the ground, creating a shockwave that threw the group over, then pinned them down, charging it’s horn to finish them off, they all struggled in vain.
With only seconds to spare, the filly hit the enter button. “Please work!” She begged, looking nervously at the robot who stared at the three soldiers.
With a loud powering down sound, the eyes and mane ceased to glow and the robot collapsed. Relieved, the group looked up to the control, seeing Dinky who waved, Johann have a thumb up as she took the stairs down to them.
“Okay…How did he manage to make this?!” Balthazar asked in disbelief.
“I don’t know and I don’t wanna know,” Fray replied disgustedly.
As the golden stallion stood up, his face mask fell off, revealing his brain in a glass box, red glowing points connected with wires in front of it serving as his “eyes”, causing Dinky to shriek in terror, the others, save for Fray, stared in shock.
“Oh, sorry.” He said embarrassed, taking his mask back on rather hastily, then checked the shutdown robot, finding fuel pipes in the Alicorn’s hind legs, severing them and ignited it. “That way, they can’t use it anymore.” He said as the metal started to melt.
“Good thought.” Fray agreed as they moved on, coming to one of the outside decks, seeing a large tower at the other side, looking like the bridge of the ship.
Just in that moment, William joined them by coming up a ladder. “Must be the ODIN Main Control Center. I’m on my way, Anya.” They heard him mumbling as the ventral launchers deployed two transport pod into the air, they exploded and one super soldier landed into the outside deck from the pods.
Fray aimed down his scope, firing on the jetpacks, making short work of the super soldiers before they could react. William jumped down into the deck the cyborgs had patrolled, followed by Johann and Balthazar. Fletcher lowered himself. “Climb on, Dinky.”
She did as told and he also jumped down, landing elegantly on the lower deck.
Two commanders, a regular soldier and a Marksman patrolled the deck, completely oblivious of the deaths of the cyborgs, Blazkowicz and Dinky waited as the others neutralized the guards by holding them up and telling them to lie down, then used some ladders to get up the decks to the control center.
As they got near another control room, they had to realize that a commander was in it, a few soldiers, a super soldier and robotic dog guarding him.
Again, William placed grenades on the cyborg and robot, detonating them once the guards were held up.
A mechanic roar came out of the smoke where the dog had been, the filly’s eyes went wide in fear as the robotic dog ran out smoking but still working, the eye glowing red.
In the moment Blazkowicz aimed his Assault Rifle, a grenade was thrown out of the control room, landing near the dog, exploding in a large electromagnetic field, it twitched and fell to the ground before exploding into pieces.
“Equipping me with electromagnetic grenades was a smart idea by Richmond, I give him that,” Fray commented with a grin as they moved up the ladder to the upper main canon deck.
The American took notice of a large weapon lying on a cart, picking it up. “What’s that?” Dinky asked curiously.
“As far as I know, it’s called Übergewehr. According to a research note I found on Venus, it’s an energy weapon using charged laser energy mixed in with diesel fuel. Let’s give this a test run, shall we?” William asked as they took the main elevator, charging the weapon.
A red beam in the Übergewehr lighted up, showing how much it was charged, emitting red lighting like the Lasergewehr.
In the moment the elevator reached the took, the ventral launchers again deployed super soldiers. William pulled the trigger as the first cyborg had landed on the deck, the Übergewehr fired a red glowing energy sphere, vaporizing anything in it’s path. Fray killed the other super soldier with a well-aimed shot to the jetpack.
“Engaging!” A voice shouted, regular soldiers deployed, Bauer picked Dinky up and brought to her to one of the weapon cabinets for cover, she covered her ears from the noise as he picked them off.
Two more super soldiers got deployed, charging at Fray and Balthazar, who used their Ram Shackles on them. With a loud clang! the Supersoldiers got thrown back a few meters, having been killed instantly.
“Too easy.” Balthazar taunted.
Then, a gate at the other end deformed with a loud metallic groan, the soldiers aimed their weapons at them, ready to face whatever would come out.
It were two heavy robots , armed with dual Übergewehrs landed on the deck. “Guess they kept the heavy guns for the last defense.” Balthazar commented with a hint of surprise and fear as the robots charged their weapons,
Blazkowicz took cover in the cabinet where Dinky and Bauer where, Fray and Balthazar used the cabinet on the other side, the robots separated, sieging the cabinets.
“There must be a way to defeat them!” the filly yelled in despair.
“Is there a problem, there is a solution!” Bauer switched to his rifle, peeking out of cover and fired a few shots at the left arm of the robot, then went back in cover so the robot couldn’t target him.
Repeating this a few times, he managed to destroy it, and William charged up his new weapon and fired, the robot exploded into pieces, only the legs and lower body remained, burning.
The unicorns used a similar tactic. Balthazar peeked out of cover and back, firing at the right arm to get the attention of the robot, while Fray sneaked around, flanking it, firing on the other arm.
The robot wasn’t able to fire at both targets simultaneously, leading to it’s destruction as the arms failed, exploding and leaving a burning wreck.
Noticing that his weapon was almost out of fuel, the golden armored cyborg refueled it at a nearby charging station. “How much fuel do you actually have?” Fletcher asked as he had noticed that his comrade never refueled it since the Venus.
“More than you can burn in one night.” He replied after it was fully refueled.
“Uh-huh. For some reason, this fight feels like a deva-vu.” Fray couldn’t tell why, but it felt so strange, as if he had done this before.
William smiled satisfied. “Can you feel it, General? You are the old and weak. And this is your day of doom.”
He then dropped the heavy weapon, so he could climb up the ladders to the ODIN Main Control Center located in the bridge of the Ausmerzer, which was surprisingly empty.
Blazkowicz tipped on a thermal to open the door as Anya came running out of a side door. “Watch out!” A squad of soldiers with a Panzerhund came out of the door he just opened.
Anya slid past the soldiers, throwing a bunch of grenades, grabbing the American and dived into a dig as the robot used his flamethrower, Bauer did the same with Dinky, followed by the two cyborgs.
The explosion blew the soldiers to pieces but only slightly damaged the Panzerhund.
What happened next was surprising and shocking for the 4 males.
As Anya’s top was on fire, she took it off, blood splattered on her as she fired dual Assault rifles on the robot, screaming while being topless and blood showering down on her until the Panzerhund exploded. Johann instantly covered Dinky’s eyes, not noticing the filly had closed her eyes already as Anya breathed heavily.
“Wow.” Was everything William said, being impressed.
His lover smiled. “Darling…I think I’m done with this.”
Bauer looked down, trying not to blush.
While Fray and Balthazar had seen many…unusual things before, they both were glad they couldn’t blush anymore, having neutral reactions, as even they had never seen something like this before.
The filly kept her eyes shut until William offered his jacket to Anya. He chuckled. “No offense but I could imagine your friend White Wolf could do something like this.” He knew from Fray’s and Balthazar’s past as they had told him and Wyatt about it on their way to the Ausmerzer.
“Trust me, Blazkowicz, this wouldn’t end well, the moment I or Midnight would say wow,” Fray replied a bit embarrassed.
“I guess that that was all they had,” Johann commented at the mess. Fletcher turned towards the main door.
“I’m still scanning one.” Quick as a flash, a bullet was fired and an clang! noise was heard.
Dinky’s eyes went small in shock.
Fray had caught a bullet headed for her with his fingers, before firing a short burst with his MP61 at the shooter who died with a scream.
“Make that zero.” He said as he dropped the bullet.
Shortly after, the others joined, Grace laughed, giving William a handshake and asked Anya, “You ok?”
“I’m fine.”
Then Grace tipped the code word into the main terminal.
After a few seconds of checking the code, the screen turned green. “Access granted. Welcome, commander.” A robotic voice said as confirmation.
“I don’t believe it. We got your ship, cow.” Grace cheered in triumph.
Look here, Frau Engel still shootin’ crap on the TV.” Horton pointed to a screen, showing the TV interview.
“’..this was your dress? I thought it was a trash bag.’” The General and the moderator laughed together.
“Hilarious. Wunderbar, wunderbar! We’ll be right back with more from Frau Engel and…Die Käfer! After…” Horton destroyed the screen with a shot from his handgun.
“Can I stay here? I just can’t be a part of what must be done.” Sigrun asked, feeling uncomfortable
“Me neither.” Dinky added.
“It’s okay. You both earned your keep. Now for the rest of y’all. You ready to start a revolution?”
“Startling a revolution is like starting a fire. All it needs is a spark.” Balthazar raised his weapon as they left.
Now alone, the young unicorn decided to ask her friend something. “Sigrun, I just want to say…” She struggled to find the right words. “Look, it's okay Sigrun. Grace is...A lot of very bad things happened because of...”
“My mother...You can say it…” Sigrun finished, her voice neutral.
“I don't want to...” Dinky took a deep breath, “But because of those bad things she's...slow to trust people like you. People who know those things are bad, even if it hasn't happened to them. That's what makes you better than your mother. And...that's what makes you one of us. Grace doesn't hate you, not really. Nobody here does. You know that, don't you?”
“...Danke...” The young woman said surprised and tried to turn away but paused as she was hugged by Dinky.
“You know...I was really happy when you showed up here. Because it proved ponies right back home. The Princesses back in Equestria have a very important rule that you proved right.” The filly pointed out.
“And...what was that?” Sigrun did not understand.
“That anyone can earn friendship if they just try hard enough. What your mother did, what...the Nazis did...I can understand why everyone else was angry. But I knew it was unfair to be angry at you and now the others know. And you knew they'd be angry. You knew you'd have to try hard to earn their trust, their friendship, and start a new life...But you did it anyway.”
Sigrun blinked in confusion. “Wh...what are you trying to say?”
Dinky looked up at her and smiled. “I'm saying you're a really brave woman, Sigrun Engel...And I'm proud to be your friend.”
The Overweight German stared as she tried to make sense of the words, then tears appeared in her eyes as she held Dinky close.
“O-one...has ever said to me before...” She hugged Dinky, crying with happiness. The unicorn returned it gladly. “Dinky...Whatever happens…I hope you return home and be reunited with your mother.”
“I hope so too.”
The group leaved the elevator to the entrance of the studio, noticing a soldier sleeping on a chair at the back door, Grace sliced him.
The Tone crew got caught by surprised, startling as they got held at gunpoint, begging not to be killed.
William and Johann used this to get behind the stage, B.J. inspected his hatchet . “Feeling it, general? Doom is coming.”
“Wunderbar! Wunderbar! Let’s hear it for the band. Give it up for the fine young men of Die Käfer!” Jimmy Carver announced as applaud sounded, unaware of the intruders. “Best players money can buy. Please leave your tip on the way out.” Laugher sounded.
“Alright, okay. Welcome back! We’re here with a true hero. One of the biggest names we’ve ever had on this show. The scourge of terrorists everywhere. General Engel! Yeah, yeah, right! General Engel!” Again applaud.
“Thank you! You are too kind. Thank you.” The woman smiled.
“Alright, alright, General. I’m gonna say what’s on everybody’s mind. Take us through the moment you executed Terror-Billy? W-w-what was that like for you? It must have been so emotional?” Jimmy asked eagerly as William and Bauer took an elevator up to the light rig.
“Well, Jimmy, I remember as I was swinging my sabre, I thought to myself: We are safe now. Terror-Billy was a terrible threat to everyone’s safety. A demon…disguised as a man. But I have proven that even a demon will fall before the righteous hammer of the Reich.” Engel told in detail as applaud followed.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Aha! Yes!” Jimmy exclaimed.
“And people of America, I promise you this: If there are any demons amongst you, we will hunt them down. Just like William Joseph Blazkowicz, they will die and burn until they are no longer a threat to the decent folk.”
“Woo! You hear that? Did you hear that? Yes!” Carver cheered. ”Powerful words, General. Powerful words.”
“You all saw the pictures. There was a lot of blood…things got messy. But through it all…all I could think was…How this man…took my beloved daughter from me. Sorry.” The General had a faked sad voice, making Johann’s blood boil.
“Oh, general, general, I think I speak of all of America when I say Sigrun must be so proud of you, wherever she is tonight.” Jimmy believed her lie in sympathy.
“She was always a little on the heavy side, you know. And very vulnerable to bad influences. We were thinking to send her to the…Euthanasia…”
“Ah! Euthanasia?” The mercy killing?” Jimmy figured out.
“Yeah.”
“But…You know then…She turned things around. And just when it happened…she told me…’Mutti…I wanna lose weight. I wanna be heathy and strong like you.” She let out a faked sob, which worked on real on the moderator.
“Aw…General. Listen. Tell me something. How do you stay so slim?” They both started to laugh.
“German genes and discipline! But the ultimate testament to German resolve is: That Terror-Billy is gone forever.” She replied cheerful.
“And we. And we are forever grateful isn’t that right folks? Yeah! Forever grateful! General Engel! May I say, general. I have had many people on this show, but few have shown the integrity and grace, that you have. And I, I am not just saying this because she paid me.” Jimmy joked.
There was a moment of silence bore both laughed. “Wunderbar! Wunderbar! Alight! Alright! A lot of fun shimmer down everybody it’s time to pay the bills. We’ll be right back with more from the lovely General Engel. After this.” Jimmy announced, followed by applaud.
This disgusted Johann even more that Frau Engel putted on the facade of a caring mother who loved her daughter, being devastated by her defection as he noticed that William inspected his hatchet again. “This needs to happen up close. For you, Caroline.” He took the elevator at the other end down, while Bauer took aim with his MP61.
“What the hell? It’s terror-Billy!” Carver yelled in fear upon spotting him, felling with the band.
The General was also visibly horrified, screaming, “You are dead! I severed your head from your shoulders! I killed you!”
She drew her handgun but Bauer shot it out of her hand and Blazkowicz chopped her right hand off. In response, she tried to use her remaining hand to draw a knife, only to be hit into the left side of the brain from his hatchet.
With a shocked expression, the woman stared at William as he leaned close, blood splattering out of the wound, not able to believe he had survived.
“Lady... That the best you got? Then your best won't do. You among wolves now. And these are our woods.” He said as the woman was writhing and spluttering in pain before splitting her face in two, dealing the killing blow.
The rest of the group secured the studio, Grace looked into the camera.
“My brothers and sisters of the United States of America! Don’t listen to that lying bitch! These Nazi bastards are all gonna get what’s coming to them. Tonight. We are not gonna take it anymore!” As she mentioned to Wyatt to continue, Balthazar burned the German Flags in the studio.
“Americans. Americans... wherever you are. I wish I had words of comfort...to give you. Like the warm winds that this Nazi general sent down from above. But from me...you will not get...comfort. Only the cold...agonizing...truth. And the truth...is...this great nation...has been raped...and pillaged...by the greatest...enemy...of our time. They ask you to sell...your liberty....to purchase your safety. To kneel...to the new order, to submit...to the winds of change...But my...fellow...Americans! They...that sow the wind...shall reap...the whirlwind. You were born...in the land of the free. You fought the kings of old and broke them. You gave your lives...for the simplest...but most essential truth of all: Give me liberty...or give me death! In your veins runs the blood of revolutionaries. So tonight, brandish your guns...your knives, and your fist. Seek out your oppressors wherever they are and tell them: We don't want nothing...not a thing from you. Tonight...we show those that sow the wind... the whirlwind!” Wyatt delivered his speech as they all posed in front of the camera, with Blazkowicz noticed something in the pocket of the lifeless general, happy to see it again.
The revolution had begun .
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 8: One last Thing
“Did I do okay?” Wyatt asked the others
Grace chuckled. “Damn A, Wyatt. You were great.”
“I was nervous. Could you tell?”
“Damn, yeah. But that’s okay. Here we go.”
Johann smiled. “You did rally great, Wyatt, I couldn’t have made it better.”
“Thanks.”
Blazkowicz picked up a small box from the General’s lifeless body. “Anya.” He knelled down. “You make me strong and weak at the same time. Will you marry me?”
The woman gasped, covering her mouth, sobbing in happiness. “Oh, William. Yes!”
Johann smiled at them, they both had earned it.
Out of nowhere was the sound of clapping. They all turned into the direction, seeing James was the one who made the sound, smiling at the American. “My congratulations, Blazkowicz and great speech.”
Wyatt, Boone, Anya and Grace aimed their weapons at him, only for William to make a sign to lower their weapons. “Stand down, he was the one who gave us this information.”
His friends looked confused at him but did as told.
“Yes, I have. With Frau Engel's end, I doubt the Reich will hold power in the not-so-former USA for long. And that's where I come in. And don’t worry about your daughter’s friend, Johann, I’ll make sure they will be okay.” He said and left.
“Wh-What?” Wyatt was confused.
“Trust me, he will be a great help in defeating the Reich,” William replied.
Not questioning his leader, Wyatt just nodded and they all made their way back to the U-boat.
“I think I gonna hit the hay.” The filly said as she was quite exhausted, walking towards her quarter as they were back, leaving Fray, Balthazar and Johann in the hanger.
“I never thought I would say this, but we make a good team, Fletcher.” The golden pony admitted embarrassed.
“I have to agree with that. You also did great, Johann.” Fray complimented him.
“Thanks, you were great too.” He replied, then could swear he had seen a strange shadow in the helicopter but dismissed it. “Let’s get some rest, we all have earned it.”
Suddenly, there was a loud Thud! Behind them and low-pitched electronic noise, making them turn around.
Fray’s eyes went wide in shock as they saw a robotic Pegasus mare with fiery navy-blue coat with matching eyes and flowing silver mane. “You got to be kidding me!” Fray yelled before the robot charged at Bauer, throwing him against the door.
The mare then leaped at Fray who barely managed to extend his blade, raising it towards the robot. With a metallic groan, the robot made an electronic dying noise as it writhed impaled and deactivated, it’s blade inches away from his neck. “Close, tough guy...very close...” Fray said relieved before another Thud! and low-pitched electronic noise entered his ears, another robot jumping from the helicopter.
A grey bat pony with pure white eyes. This robot lunged at him and threw him to the ground, struggling with him before he managed to behead it and threw it off him.
To his horror, the robot stood up fast, apparently able to still work with missing head, the neck of the body sparked.
In the moment it charged, Balthazar rammed his blade into the robot’s chest, it let out a dying noise as he pulled his blade out, falling twitching to the ground. “And stay down!” The stallion yelled before helping Fray up.
“I...don't understand. Are they here...Were they here?” Fray looked at the bodies frantically. “They couldn't have been...Its not like them...Its not!” Fletcher exclaimed shocked, trying to understand as his friend laid his hoof on his shoulder.
The golden armored pony tried to think of the right words.
“Richmond had your memories scanned, remember? He could have just based the robotic design off what he saw, like with the Nightmare Moon robot. They're probably still back in Equestria.” Balthazar tried to calm him down.
“I...I hope so...”
“And if they were in there, we both did them a favor.”
The green stallion let out a sigh. “I suppose.”
They checked Johann. “You okay?” Fray asked with concern.
“Except for my head, good. Help me up.” Bauer replied with a dazed voice, Fletcher grabbed his right arm, Balthazar the other arm, lying him down on a bed in the Infirmary. “I’ll be okay. Just…need to rest.”
“Alright.” Then the two cyborgs brought the remainings of the robots to Set’s lab, thinking they could be of use for him.
Despite this, the young man recovered quickly, just in time as James transmitted the whereabouts of the last remaining Übercommander, as William had assassinated all other Übercommanders.
Bauer read loud the Intel Günther had sent them.
“Gernot Herrmann, served on the Ausmerzer during the Liberation War 1951. Awarded for heroism during the Washington riots, 1953. Captured 26 terrorists and killed 13 during the Siege of Silver Canyon, 1955. Currently posted at an abandoned bunker in the Riverside area of Manhattan.”
“Good, let’s move out. You will need this.” William gave Johann a Rebreather, a device that enables a person to safety breath in heavily radioactive and toxic environment.
“Thanks.”
“Our bodies can provide protection against radiation at any level,” Fray said to show they could join without problems.
They then boarded the helicopter, flying to Riverside .
They got dropped off at a part of the subway, the roof was partially destroyed and it was dark, so both men had to use flashlights, while the unicorns had built-in Night-Vision.
As the group carefully walked towards the entrance, they noticed corpses of soldiers being scattered in the bunker, and parts of the corridors were collapsed. “I guess someone attacked this place before.” Bauer suspected.
“That is very likely but stay alert,” William whispered, making a hold sign as the mechanical sounds of a patrolling ÜberSoldat could be heard ahead. Peeking around the corner, he saw said robot having his back to him.
Blazkowicz sneaked behind him then hit the glowing power cell on the robot’s back, the robot sparked and let out a dying sound as it shut down, falling face-first to the ground. Fray took notice of a deactivated robot to his right next to a weapon cabinet, apparently in rest mode or out of power. To be better safe than sorry, he beaded the ÜberSoldat with his blade.
They sneaked through the corridors, disabling more patrolling and resting robots and from time to time a few Super soldiers by blowing up their jetpacks, walking downstairs until they came to a control room, seeing a few soldiers in yellow hazmat suits patrolling around on the other side downstairs.
“No way can we get past them undetected,” Bauer whispered before a fast mechanic sound greeted his ears, a robotic dog slamming itself into William, knocking him down.
Fray reacted quickly, throwing the robot of him, so the American could destroy it with his Dieselkraftwerk, making it explode into pieces.
This, however, alerted the soldiers, some ran up the stairs to assault, while one manned a mounted Lasergewehr, firing it into the control room, making the group diving for cover.
Fray tried to take aim but the laser pinned him down as William and Bauer neutralized any Soldier entering the room. “I don’t have a clear shot!”
In response, Balthazar prepared a grenade. “Catch!” He threw it towards the soldier manning the laser weapon, the grenade exploded into flames, making the German scream in pain and rolling on the ground to put it out before he died.
As the area was clear, Johann collected the ammo from the fallen enemies. “I really don’t get it. What’s the point in deploying men into a wasteland with zero population? It’s a waste of manpower.”
“Beats me,” Fray commented as they took the ladder at the other end up, coming to a small pier outside the bunker, the Übercommander pacing around, guarded by another of those large robots they had fought on the Ausmerzer.
William took aim with his scoped Assault Rifle and fired, blood splattered from the officer’s head, stumbling around before falling to the ground in a puddle of blood.
The robot opened fire with his Übergewehrs, but as the group was behind a wall on a hillock, he couldn’t effectively hit them.
Balthazar switched to his fireball firing mode as he and the others aimed for the arms, destroying the robot quickly.
Blazkowicz then inspected the corpse of the officer, holding up an ID. “That was our target, mission complete, let’s return to base.”
“No, we should check why he was here,” Fray suggested. “Could be important.”
“If you insist.”
They searched every corner of the bunker, finding only supplies of food and ammo but nothing else. “I guess he was hiding here from any attack.” Balthazar suspected.
“Looks like that was the case,” William replied and they returned to the U-boat.
As Johann looked after Dinky, his heart melted.
The filly was sleeping on the bed, Set’s pet cat Shoshana was curled up on the blanket, also sleeping peacefully.
As Shoshana was actually a hybrid creature, consisting of the head of a Siamese cat with the torso and limbs of a Squirrel monkey, it was a bit creepy for Johann at first but he got used to it. As far as he knew, the head originally belonged to the ship's cat of the Eva's Hammer, whom Set Roth found hunting for rats in the engine room; the body was that of a Squirrel monkey he found chewing on a blasting cap in Belize. The cat was suffering from terminal bowel cancer and as Set had grown attached to it he endeavored to transfer its head onto the body of the brain-dead but otherwise healthy monkey.
Feeling a bit exhausted from the mission, Bauer carefully snuggled himself next to Dinky, she wrapped a leg around him in her sleep.
With a sigh he fell asleep, happy to know the way was open for James.
Fletcher and Balthazar decided to go to the shooting range, practicing.
While the high score was 305 points, by the sniper of the New Orleans Resistance Cell, Mary Sue 'Professor' Ellington.
Due to his skills as Archer, Fray beat her record with 445 points, Balthazar close behind with 430 points. “Not bad.” The green stallion was impressed.
“Thanks.” As they were about to walk out, they saw on the scoreboard that Shoshana had the fastest killing house time, having cleared it in seventeen seconds.
“How in the world can a cat do that?” Fray wondered.
“No idea, but do you think you can beat it?” Balthazar asked him.
Fray grinned. “Only one way to find out.”
He walked into the killing house, sprinting and shooting at the same time, hitting every target, then used his constrictor harness gadget to use a shortcut through the pips near the shooting range, finishing it in fourteen seconds. “Let’s see how anyone beats that.”
Balthazar chuckled. “Yes. How about a round of billiard?”
Fletcher smiled. “With pleasure!”
In the bar, also known as club Kreisau, the two played against each other, Fletcher could easily sink the balls due to his Archer skills. Still, Balthazar proved to be quite a challenging opponent, doing some impressive trick shots.
But eventually, Fray won. “Good game, Fletcher.” The golden unicorn had enjoyed it despite having lost.
A yawn greeted their ears. “That was good.” Johann and Dinky came in.
“I take you rested well?” Fray asked, earned nods as response.
“Yeah, we have. I might try the arcade machine.” Bauer pointed to the Arcade machine quarter.
“And I wanted to ask, when I’ll be able to get home, would you like to come with me and my stepfather?” The filly asked them.
It didn’t look long to get up with an answer.
“Yes, Dinky, it’s the closest possibility we could have to a normal life. Maybe, we could serve under Luna’s and Celestia’s service here.” Fray replied.
“But until then, we do what we can to make sure the flame of the revolution burns bright for all to see,” Balthazar added.
“And you did well,” William said as he joined with the others, smiling.
Suddenly, a white light blinded everyone in the room.
As they all uncovered their eyes, they saw two Alicorns standing in front of them, a blue one and a white one, Dinky grinned upon recognizing them.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!” The filly exclaimed in glee, out of instinct, Fray and Balthazar bowed.
“Hello, Dinky, I cannot say how happy we are to see you both unharmed. And I see you made some friends.” Celestia smiled at the two cyborgs, appearing not to be confused at all.
“Well…yes, your highnesses, I’m Fletcher Fray and this is Balthazar.” Fray introduced himself and his friend, feeling a bit embarrassed about it.
“Pleasure to meet you.” The Princess of the sun said, then turned to William. “Mr. Blazkowicz, we couldn’t meet the last time given the circumstances, we want to give our thanks to you and your friends for keeping my subjects save.”
He waved a hand. “It’s nothing your highness, we did only what was right.”
“Thank you for everything. I will never forget that.” Then she turned back to the Alicorns. “I have a friend in Mesquite, can I say goodbye to him before we leave?”
“Of course,” Luna replied with a warm smile.
“I’ll inform the resistance forces there, so you won’t have trouble with them.” Grace headed for the radio room, while the five ponies with Johann and William headed for the hanger.
As the helicopter reached Blazkowicz’s hometown, the resistance fighters welcomed him. “It’s an honor that you are here, Blazkowicz.” One of them said a bit nervous.”
“It’s nice to see it free from the Reich,” William replied as they saw German flags being torn and wrecks of all kinds of robots, walking to a house.
The other resistance members gave the ponies confused looks, while looking suspiciously at Johann, which made him a bit unsettled.
The American knocked on the door and Isabella opened it “Hello, Blazkowicz. What brings me the honor?”
“Well, Dinky wanted to see your son before going home.” He replied.
The mother understood, noticing the two Alicorns, calling her son.
He smiled upon seeing the filly. “I can’t say how happy I am to see you again, Dinky.”
“Me too, but…It’s time for me to go.” She told with regret, causing the smile of her friend to vanish, looking sad to the ground.
“I…understand. I will miss you, but…”He looked up, smiling again. “You can finally be with your family again.” Peter then hugged her. “You were a good friend, Dinky.”
She returned it. “You too, stay that way. Goodbye.”
“And so, the journey comes to an end.” They heard a new voice, turning around to see James and Jonas, the resistance fighters aimed their weapons at them. To Dinky’s and Johann’s surprise, they both stayed calm, showing no sign of fear.
“Wait, they are on our side, being spies in the German Oberkommando.” William held up a hand.
“If you say so, Blazkowicz.” One of the resistance members said and they lowered their weapons, knowing they could trust him.
“Thank you, Blazkowicz. Dinky, Johann, it was a pleasure to know you. May you have a peaceful journey home.” James said to them.
Johann saluted. “It was an honor working with you.”
The officer tipped his cap. “So it was for me. Goodbye.”
The group then gathered around the Alicorns. “Cover your eyes,” Celestia warned before using the spell.
In a matter of seconds, the group was in the throne room of Canterlot, Dinky’s family and friends already waiting for her and Johann.
“Dinky! My little muffin, you’re okay!” Her mother, father and big sister hugged her with joy while Johann got happily hugged by his wife.
“Yes, thanks to new friends I made.” She pointed to the two cyborgs. “Everypony, everyone, those are Fletcher Fray and Balthazar.”
“Hello,” Fray replied, his comrade waved instead.
“Pleasure. We are all very grateful for keeping Dinky save.” Time Turner shook his hoof.
“So Dinky, how did you get to know them?” Tootsie asked curiously.
The filly’s stepfather took the word, being uncomfortable about it. “It’s a long story and there is a…suggestive scene you shouldn’t see.”
“This won’t be a problem,” Luna assured as she cast her memory spell, allowing everyone to see what Dinky and Johann had experienced.
As the suggestive scene came, everyone closed his eyes like on command.
Celestia had her head lowered after it was over. “My condolences for what happened to you, Fletcher and Balthazar. We will do everything we can to get you back to your Equestria.”
“Thank you, your highness.” Both spoke in unison, being honored and grateful.
“If you like, you can live with us until the time comes.” The grey Pegasus offered.
The green unicorn smiled. “I accept.”
“How could I refuse such a polite offer?” Balthazar asked.
Dinky and Johann used this to show them Ponyville and Canterlot, also introducing their friends to them.
While not being the party type, Fray and Balthazar enjoyed Pinkie’s welcome party, feeling kinda happy to be in pony society again, despite not being in their Equestria.
They were fascinated as the hooves family showed them Ponyville and Canterlot, making them wonder if Luna’s banishment had also triggered a civil war here or if they did exist in this universe, but decided against it to ask the princesses about it, out of fear of waking bad memories.
They rested the night with the hooves family in Canterlot.
While “sleeping”, Fletcher woke up, hearing a strange noise, noticing that Balthazar was not next to him and the door to the balcony was open.
Walking to it, he saw his friend looking at the stars and moon. “Never thought to see you out here,” Fray said to Balthazar, surprised.
“Just because I’m on Celestia’s side, doesn’t mean I enjoy the stars at night from time to time. But, every time I saw the stars while on Venus, I wondered what has become of our Equestria. Celestia, Canterlot, everything. If we can live with the changes if we can return.” The golden armored pony told with concern.
“I have no doubt we can. I mean we managed to adapt to becoming cyborgs, so why shouldn’t we be able to adapt to that?” Fray countered.
“Fair point. Have you thought of the concept of being…”He paused for a moment before abruptly finishing, “ageless?”
“No. Why?” Fletcher asked confused.
“Because, you Eternal Knights swore a vow. To not rest until you placed Princess Luna on the throne of Equestria. I doubt you can uphold that when we return home. The civil war has costed both many lives, it can’t be allowed to happen again. We both, White Wolf and Midnight Blade are the best choices to make sure it won’t happen again. We could be the Bearers of our princesses.”
Fray thought about it, it sounded reasonable. “I’ll think about.”
In the morning, the family breakfasted with the princesses, while the two unicorns enjoyed the sunrise on the balcony.
“There’s nothing more beautiful in the morning than the sunrise.” Balthazar enjoyed the sight, then turned to Fray. ”Can you believe humans living in Equestria?” He paused again for a moment. “given they are only a myth?”
“Not really at first, but it’s fascinating how they came all here and get along, despite being from different timelines and cultures,” Fletcher replied, watching how Dinky was happy eating with her stepparents.
“Yes, it’s quite interesting. I never thought I would ever see one.”
“Me too. But tell me, what was the point in using the name of the pony that saved you as colt instead of your real name? The way you talk and your appearance are a dead giveaway. And Richmond would have no other pony stuffed into a robot that looks like you.” Fray pointed out, his voice and expression neutral.
“I knew you would figure it out eventually. Isn’t it obvious? If I had used my real name, you would have never worked together with me.”
“Fair point. But why? You could have killed me the moment you regained control over your actions.”
Balthazar sighed. “I've had...a lot of time to think...In a year of silence and numbness, thinking is something you do a fair amount of. Yet you're hesitant to do it. Like being buried alive, you fear breathing for you know it won't last. Your mind will degrade in time...and perhaps madness will be an escape. Yet I did not feel my mind change. And I start to wonder if it already had long ago. Madness, illusion, and falsehoods, years of them, only from my lips and only for my ears. Yet they gave me no better protection than truth. In war, the first casualty is truth. Always. I do not know what they think of me or if they even remember me. But tomorrow, I intend to find out, whatever my fate leads to. I am ready...to stand in Celestia's light and accept the judgement I sought upon my enemies. For I now realize...my greatest enemy...is myself.”
That was quite surprising for Fletcher, having never seen his enemy like this before, saying nothing for what seemed like minutes.
“I…I never thought I would say that but…it was an honor to fight by your side in this conflict-“
Before Fletcher could say Balthazar’s real name, a white light in the middle of the room cut him off and caused him to cover his eyes.
As it vanished, they all saw another Celestia, together with a blue Pegasus and grey bat pony in the room, White Wolf and Midnight Blade, Dinky and Johann assumed.
The white Alicorn from Fray’s and Balthazar’s Equestria stepped forward. “Excuse our unannounced visit, but we are looking for two missing ponies, are they here?”
Before anypony of the adults could give a reply, Dinky stepped forward. “Yes, they are.” and pointed to them.
While this Celestia had a neutral reaction, the bat pony and Pegasus looked confused and shocked at Fletcher.
“Fletch…is that really you?” The mare asked.
“Yes. Or better said what’s left of me.” The green stallion replied.
Balthazar walked towards his princess. “Your Highness, I can’t say how happy I am to see you again.” He sounded really happy, hugging her.
“Me too.”
The bat pony smiled at Fletcher. “One month of searching hasn’t been in vain. I was really worried we had lost you.” The stallion sounded relieved. “So, would you like to tell what happened to you and why you are in an Equestria with humans?”
“It’s kind of a long story.” Fray then cleared his throat. “Everypony, everyone, my friends White Wolf and Midnight Blade.” He pointed to the Pegasus and bat pony.
The young unicorn stretched her hoof out. “Pleasure to meet you. I owe Fletcher my life.” With that, she and Johann told them and the other Celestia how all those human citizens landed on Earth and how they met Fray and Balthazar without going too much into detail, the other princess of the sun, Wolf and Midnight listened patiently.
After the filly was finished, Midnight said to her, "I’m sorry to hear what happened to you. Fletcher, I’m proud of you.” He smiled with pride at the unicorn stallion.
“But what caused that magic storm?” Helmut asked into the round.
“I believe I can answer that.” A purple Alicorn, Princess Twilight Sparkle walked into the room. “I was helping the weather team creating a rain cloud, which went out of control and…well, caused this storm in your vicinity.” She had her head lowered in guilt.
“No aren’t to blame, Twilight, if this hadn’t happened, Fletcher and Balthazar would still be trapped on the Venus under Richmond’s control. “Dinky pointed out, causing her to smile weakly.
“This reminds me, can you tell us how you and Balthazar did end up on Earth?” Midnight asked.
“To be honest, neither I nor he can remember much,” Fray replied.
“This won’t be a problem, I know a spell that could help with this.” The white Alicorn of his universe said, lighting up her horn, touching his forehead with it. A white light engulfed everyone.
As Fletcher opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a battlefield with dead bodies scattered around them, the battle seemingly over, some trees burning and smoke covered some of the area. After getting up he heard a groan of pain to his right, seeing a unicorn stallion with grey coat with blue-grey dapple pattern over his face and back and a Crimson mane and ochre eyes, being dressed in lunar armor, rubbing his head, a shield and spear next to him.
“Are you okay, Rigel?” Fray asked helping him up.
“I’m fine.” Rigel relied. He was an expert in defense and Fray’s most trusted soldier, being his personal bodyguard. He had a family in Eventrist, having liked the night since he was a colt. Like Fletcher himself, Rigel was a pony who tried to avoid unnecessary kills, being a rather calm and pleasant pony to have, always knowing a joke to keep morale high. He was wearing a bandage over his left eye, having suffered an injury shortly before this but this didn’t affect his mood in the slightest.
Coughing from the some alerted them, seeing Balthazar together with a Pegasus stallion in golden armor coming out of the smoke. The Pegasus had a Cream-white coat a Peach mane tied in a ponytail and green eyes, growing a beard. Rigel knew him.
Uriah, he used to be his best friend before the civil war. Now he was Balthazar’s most devoted soldier, who's best at sneak attacks, armed with two swords.
He used to be friendly yet serious pony before the war, trying to protect anypony in need, often risking his own life.
He pointed his swords at the two lunar members, who in return pointed their weapons at him and Balthazar. Fray could see in Uriah’s eyes that deep within, he still cared for his former friend, the same was for Rigel, as both trembled slightly as they looked into each other’s eyes.
After a few seconds, Fletcher and Balthazar, raised one hoof to order their body guards to stand down.
The golden armored unicorn looked around, seeing the dead bodies before he spoke, “A shame...I was told the Farmans were barbarians. I never believed them until now.” His voice was neutral.
“Nothing you can say will make me hate you more than I do now, teacher's pet.” Fletcher countered.
“You act like such a zealot yet the only real reason you fight so hard is to end this terrible war. Just as I do.” Balthazar pointed out.
Fray chuckled. “Oh, was that not a joke?”
“My civility is wearing thin, Fletcher Fray. I am giving you a chance to escape it all and to have what you truly seek.” Balthazar replied unamused.
“And what's that, then?”
“A home...a family...a life.” The golden armored stallion offered.
“Under your rule?” Fletcher asked suspicious.
“No. Under yours.” The golden armored unicorn explained, “You're not from here. Equestria is a realm you shall never understand. Why struggle eternally and fall, which will happen I assure you, when you could simply hang up your bow and end the conflict that grips at your heart, the conflict that tore you from your family.” Balthazar paused for a moment.
Rigel eyed the officer of Celestia’s forces with distrust, Fletcher would never believe him. Or would he? The bodyguard couldn’t tell as the Eternal Knight had a neutral expression the entire time.
“I know it all, Fletcher Fray. Your noble lineage. The love-story of your parents, brought a tear to my eye, truly...shame how it ended. Your grandfather and the poor fillies he died to save. Your poor niece, Ruhlinda. Has she forgiven you, yet? There could be a chance. Return home. Continue the noble line of Armbrust. Meet a nice Stirropean mare and have plenty of darling children. I wish you all the best. We will need someone to rule Farmany in Celestia's name. I can think of none more worthy than you.”
Balthazar’s words sounded reasonable to Rigel but still, he couldn’t imagine that Fray would ever agree to this.
“In Celestia's name. Why does that always sound like 'In Your Name'?” The Eternal Knight deadpanned, not impressed.
Balthazar rolled his eyes. “Oh, do stop being so objectionable. You have no real loyalty to Luna, what did she do that her sister didn't? If it weren't for Celestia, you'd be dying in some trench on the Reinland. Face it, Fray, your loyalty is wasted on Nightmare Moon and those that worship her. The light of Celestia's sun touches all who will rise their heads to it. Is this not so much easier?”
Fletcher hesitated before saying, “...Yeah...yeah, it is.”
“S-sir?” Rigel asked confused as Fletcher walked towards Balthazar, shaking his hoof.
This can’t be! The lunar soldier thought in disbelief, Fray would never agree to this, leaving everything behind he worked so hard on. But it was happening right before his eyes. He can’t be betraying the lunar republic, he can’t! He would never do this!
“Thing is, though...” Fray drew his bow and grinned. “...I don't like easy.”
With a hint of surprise and shock, Balthazar took a step back as Fray charged at him, only to be blocked by Uriah, holding the green stallion back by swinging his swords at the green stallion to buy time for his commander.
In the moment Balthazar casted a teleport spell in form of a portal, his bodyguard got knocked down by Fray and kept busy by Rigel, blocking every strike with his shield.
“You won’t go anywhere!” Fletcher shouted as he tackled Balthazar, who still was trying to calibrate the portal, into it.
With nopony to control it, the portal started to suck the two bodyguards in who tried to hold into something in vain.
Before everything went black for Rigel, a large Tree trunk hit his hind legs.
Dazed, Fletcher regained consciousness, groaning. “What a flight.” He got up, seeing Rigel, Balthazar and Uriah next to him.
“My hind legs are broken.” Rigel said as Fray checked him, letting out a scream of pain.
“Yep, that’s broken. What is this place?” Fray looked around, shocked as he saw several eyeless bodies with torn backs on slabs, causing Uriah to vomit.
At first, nopony could believe it, but the bodies looked similar to humans, which where only a myth in Equestria.
“Some kind of room-sized incinerator I imagine. There must be a button for the door. Soldier, try to find a way to open it.” Balthazar ordered his bodyguard who walked over a control box, sounding disgusted.
As the Pegasus used the box, the room filled with a muffled hiss that steadily erupted into a deafening mechanical howl, starting everypony. “What did you just do?” Balthazar asked.
“I'm sorry I thought it was for the door.” His body guard replied.
“Triggered the incinerators! Turn it off! Turn those dials!” The unicorn yelled, sounded slightly panicking.
Uriah in panic, pushed some of the other buttons but nothing seemed to stop the incinerators. “We’re screwed!” He yelled.
Fletcher tried to stay calm, looking for another way out, noticing that Balthazar tried to use magic but his horn made only sparks.
“My lord.” Uriah looked at his commander, lowering his head in fear.
“Don't be afraid...” The unicorn replied in a calming voice.
“Yes, master...I'm glad to have served you...to have...shared in your light.” The Pegasus accepted his fate, a single tear escaping his eye.
“You were most worthy of it, child.”
“Will I...Will I be saved? In the next life?” The guard asked with hope.
“Brave initiate...Worthy herald...I vow that I shall personally carry you to the gates of Paradise. You shall stand among those that gave all for our Princess Celestia...Your name will never be forgotten, nor will your sacrifice...brave, brave Celestine soldier.”
“There’s another door!” Fay shouted, pointing to a second door on the side of the room, pressing a button to open it. Uriah walked through first, Balthazar pushed Fray away, holding the door open.
“Get your soldier, quickly now!” He yelled as the incinerators were almost ready.
The Eternal Knight wasted no time, picking Rigel up with his magic, then carried him to the other room just in time as the incinerators went off, Balthazar barely made it as the armor of his left foreleg got set on fire.
He managed to pat it out. The stallion breathed heavily, then let out a sigh, relieved to be still alive.
“What is all this?” Uriah wondered as the room contained several large pods in the ground, knelling next to one to inspect it. “My Lord! Sir! Have you ever seen anythi-”
Without warning, a large human in metal armor, having a metal helmet and a boldly styled art-deco human face as mask smashed its way out of the pod, grabbing the pony with one arm by the head, lifting him into the air.
The stallion screamed in terror before the human crushed his skull with a terrifying cracking sound, killing him instantly, leaving the others shocked and a bloodied corpse.
The three other ponies just stared in shock at what they had just seen.
A pony killed in a brutal way they had never seen before.
Fear made their blood freeze and panicked if this thing could be defeated at all. Their eyes were small before the metal man let out an angry roar, tearing them out.
“Stay calm!” Balthazar yelled as the metal human charged at Fray who managed to keep his distance.
As Fletcher was about to grab his bow, he realized that he hadn’t it anymore, looking slightly panicking for a weapon to fight this large metal thing as he tried to avoid its punches.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Balthazar’s horn glowed, firing a fire spell at the large metal human. He stumbled from the hit, the mask fell off. “It's face is exposed!” The stallion yelled, seeing a heavily scarred, nose-less and almost skeletal face behind it.
Fray quickly picked up Uriah’s swords and rammed them into the head of the creature, blood splattered and the metal human let out a dying groan as he fell on his knees, then on his stomach, defeated.
“You okay?” Balthazar asked.
“I’m good. The incinerators are off.” Fray replied as everything was quiet on the other side.
“Any way to get that door open? I'd rather fancy leaving this room.” Balthazar replied still a bit in shock, walking over the body of his bodyguard. “I’m sorry, soldier, may you rest in peace now. You won’t be forgotten.” He mourned him.
“Somepony’s coming.” Fletcher said as he faintly heard the sounds of hoof steps on the other side of the door.
A small window in the door opened and the smiling face of an elderly man greeted them. “What the hay?!” Fray exclaimed as the man pushed a button and the walls started to close in.
Balthazar looked frantic around, muttering, “Celestia save our souls!” Over and over again.
“C-C-Commander...Sir?” Rigel asked him, sounding scared and desperate.
“I'm here...I'm sorry...about this...You deserved better.” Fray replied calmly, taking a deep breath.
“It...It's fine.” The other unicorn replied before lowering his head and started to sob. “Just...find a way out of here, sir...And then...my family in Eventrist...my wife...and her foal...please take care of them.”
“I will, soldier. I promise. They'll be fine...They'll all be fine. You're a good soldier...I won't forget what you did for us. We will never forget you...nor those you love. I swear it. Do you hear me...I swear it.” Fray replied before the wall reached them, he struggled against it before it choked him unconscious, faintly hearing a voice before everything went black.
“What are you people doing in there?”
As Fletcher regained his senses, he had to realize he was restrained, stripped of his armor, unable to use magic, finding himself in the same room-sized they had barely, seeing Rigel, also restrained and stripped of his armor next to him, breathing rapidly, his expression terrified. Balthazar was of the opposite in the shadow, making only his silhouette visible.
A door opened and a man in a white lab coat walked in, having brown hair and green eyes, a scar over the left eye, with a broad face and average build. Fray couldn’t help himself but gulp, his heart racing in fear.
“I can see why General Strasse likes you both. Such resilient specimen. With you he could do great things.
“You don’t scare me!” The green pony taunted with a neutral voice, trying to hide his fear as the scientist looked him into the eyes.
“I like your eyes.” He said with a smile.
“Savour this moment, I insist...It will pale to what I'll do to you.” Balthazar taunted him too, unimpressed before Richmond looked him also into the eyes.
“I like yours too. I can see my master chose well, you both are good ones, like the young specimen before you. I will finish what General Strasse has started.” He then inspected the eyes of Rigel. “Not you. You are broken already. What a shame.” Lyle sounded disappointed, then took a scalpel out of his pocket.
Fray looked again at Balthazar. He appeared to tremble, his expression terrified as he saw the scalpel. The Eternal Knight could only see a reflection of Balthazar’s eyes, never having seen so much fear in them before.
Out of instinct, Fletcher closed his eyes as Balthazar let out painful screams, not able to bear the horrible scene in front of him. After the screams stopped, he heard Balthazar’s voice.
“Celestia…Fletcher…Anypony?” He asked scared, being in great pain.
“I’m here...I’ here...” He may been his enemy, but now, he couldn’t help but feel sorry with comforting him being the least he could do for him.
“In work like this it is easy to be tempered. To sense compassion. It gets old very fast. Losing oneself in sentiment...Very unproductive.” The voice of the man sounded in his ears, having no regrets for this.
Then more painful screams and the sound of machinery followed.
Fletcher’s seen suffering and death, ponies maimed and tortured. He thought he’d seen it all, but never seen such cruelty. Until now.
Not even Balthazar’s cruelty could match this.
As Balthazar’s screams of pain stopped, Fray had one last thought. Midnight, Wolf...I’m sorry.
In the moment he opened his eyes, the same man stood before him, holding the scalpel in front of his eyes.
Fletcher then screamed in pain from the scalpel was rammed into his eyes, feeling more pain than he could ever imagine in his life, screaming at the top of his lungs until he couldn’t feel anymore.
Rigel looked at the two lifeless bodies in shock, not believing what he had just witnessed, then in fear at the man who was holding two jars in his left hand, each one containing the brains of Fletcher and Balthazar respectively.
Breathing heavily, the unicorn watched in horror as the man turned the incinerator on, grinning evil.
“Auf wiedersehen.”
Midnight and Wolf jumped back at what they had seen after it ended, breathing heavily in shock, even the Celestia of their universe appeared to be slightly shocked.
For a moment there was a pause.
The leader of the Eternal Knights finally broke the silence, taking a deep breath.
“Oh, dear...Luna…”
“Poor Rigel, he was one of our best soldiers.” Wolf looked to the ground, feeling sad, but knew he had known the risks.
“I made a promise to look after those he left behind. I'll see it honored...But I must know, how goes the war??” Fray asked curious.
“Well, Fletch, the war is over. After you and Balthazar vanished, I and Wolf were so worried that we couldn’t led the republic effectively anymore. As such, a peace treaty has been made. After that, we and Princess Celestia worked together to find you.” Midnight explained.
“As we both had suspected.” Fletcher turned to Dinky. “It’s time for me and Balthazar to say goodbye. I really enjoyed my time with you and your stepfather.”
“And so did I. You both are good people. Stay that way.” Balthazar added.
“Thank you and we will.” the filly replied, happy for them to be finally able to return home.
As the four ponies gathered around Celestia, Midnight said to Fray, “Don’t worry, I’m sure Doctor Matsuyama can turn you back.”
“As long as he doesn’t implant a rabid ferret launcher into my chest again.” Fray replied with a disgusted voice.
The bat pony gave a nervous chuckle. “I will make sure this won’t happen again.”
Then the princess lighted up her horn and they vanished in a white light.
“Well, that the end of that. Fletcher and Balthazar are finally back where they belong.” Johann was happy that they could help them.
“Yes, thanks to us.” the young unicorn had pride in her voice, walking on the balcony watching the sunrise.
“Without us, they would have never returned home. We can be proud of ourselves for helping them regaining what they had lost.”
The filly’s family and Celestia joined her. “Indeed, Dinky. This is something you both can be really proud. I couldn’t be any prouder of you.” The Alicorn said to her with a proud smile.
As the foal and human watched the sunrise, they both hoped that Fray and Balthazar could return to their normal lives again. They had earned it.
They also wondered how their future would be.
Meanwhile in another Equestria
Fletcher couldn’t remember how much time had passed since the operation had been made that was supposed to make him whole again. Maybe some weeks, maybe a month.
He had lost track.
Slowly, he awoke, feeling numb, not able to move anything save for his eyes as he opened them, finding himself on a bed in the infirmary of his, Wolf’s and Midnight’s home, the Sunless Isle.
The door opened and Wolf and Midnight walked in with happy expressions.
“You’re woken up. It’s good to see you in flesh and blood again, Fletch. How are you feeling?” The Pegasus asked.
“Apart from feeling a bit numb, good.” Fray replied, wanting to get up but had no feeling in his body.
“Save your strength. We also wanted to give you something we found after you went missing.” Midnight reached for something in his saddlebag revealing Fletcher’s bow. “We found it right where you went missing.”
The unicorn smiled. “Thank you. Can’t say how happy I am to see it again, it’s a family heirloom after all.”
“Yes. Rest for now, Fletcher, you have earned it. We still have something to do.” The two ponies walked out of the room but the grey stallion stopped at the door. “Oh, before I forget, there is visit for you.”
As Midnight left the room, a thin young unicorn mare with a light green coat that was slightly more yellow than Fletcher's and pale-green eyes, wearing a blue-grey veil that covered her mane along with a gold and ebony necklace of office walking into the room.
“Ruhlinda, nice to see you.” Fray forced a smile as she had never felt good since the loss of a good friend and his departure to fight in the civil war.
“Hello, Fletcher.” She replied in a monotone voice, being very secluded. “The doctors say you're recovering. That's...good to hear. Things are fine in Stutegart...In case you wondered.”
“Glad to hear it, Ruhlinda.”
“While I can’t say I was happy to see you leave for the war, I’m still glad that you are alive and well after you…went missing.” The mare formed a barely noticeable smile. “The filly...she is a unicorn.”
“Yes.” Fletcher confirmed.
“Golden mane...wide eyes.”
“...yes.”
“Barely eight years old.”
“Ruh!” Fray exclaimed as he painfully thought back how similar Adalie, a unicorn filly that was Ruhlinda’s sister, looked to Dinky. “Ruh...I'm sorry.” He lowered his head in shame.
None of them said a word for a moment before the mare broke the silence.
“So am I.” He words earned her a puzzled look by Fray. “I look at you, lying here, fortunate to be alive. I hear how you've been cut open and toyed with in body and mind, how you've braved war and bloodshed...Over and over. And I think I did that to him. I pushed him to this life. I made him feel like he deserved this. That this was the only way he could make up for...what he did...” Tears appeared in her eyes. “What I made him think he did.” She stopped as Fletcher managed to put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Ruhlinda...Your mistakes as my cousin...Were born from my mistakes as Adalie's.”
Ruhlinda sniffed, dried her tears and nodded.
“Where’s Matsuyama?” Fray asked as he couldn’t see him anywhere.
“He’s studying this…suit of yours.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes. “That wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Yes. Anyway, get well soon.” The mare left the room.
Being alone again, the Eternal Knight wondered how Balthazar was doing.
In the personal infirmary of Princess Celestia, the work on Balthazar had been nearly completed. Just outside, enveloped in the late evening shadow, a Pegasus and a bat pony observed undetected. “I can’t say how happy I am to see you whole again.”
“Returning here, seeing you, after what seems like an eon in Tartarus...It is nothing less than bliss, your highness.” the stallion replied contentedly, his voice sounding soft and youthful freed from the metal shell.
“And I hear you braved a fate worse than death to rescue an imperiled foal.” Celestia added with admiration.
“I merely did what I felt what right. Though I will gladly accept any pride that comes from it.”
“The doctors say your recovery will be slow but steady. If there is anything else you need, you know I'm here for you, dear one.” The Alicorn brushed his mane fondly before noticing that he had a flat expression. “Is there anything?”
“Dear Princess...today I have seen the true face of war. More than that, I fear I have worn that face myself here in your domain. Your highness. Forgive me but...” He managed slowly to clutch her foreleg and started to weep. “I've done terrible things.”
Celestia stared her face uncertain. “...I see.” She blinked before steadily holding him and rocking him slightly. “Don't worry. We'll settle things out, I promise.”
“I don't want to hide anymore. I don't want to lie. Not to you...or them. I will face whatever fate they feel I deserve.” The stallion replied, accepting what would happen to him.
The Princess pressed his cheeks and looked into his eyes. “Listen to me. They aren't your judges. I am. And I promise, I'll look after you...my child.”
“This…can’t be…It’s really…him!” The blue mare couldn’t believe it.
“I’m afraid I have to agree. Let’s talk with Fray about this.” The bat pony suggested with a neutral voice.
Fletcher let out a sigh, having missed the comfort of an actual bed, as the door opened again, revealing a…not very pleased looking Pegasus and bat pony.
The blue pony grabbed Fray by the shoulders, pinning him down and growling ferociously. “We need to talk...friend!”
Midnight exclaimed in disgust, “I didn't want to say anything at first. Mainly because I didn't want to believe it. Swordsmaster Balthazar died during Nightmare Moon's fall. It seems your friend is far higher standing in Celestia's circle than we were led to believe. In fact, you might just say he's the highest!” The bat pony sounded disapproving. “Fletcher...You! Knew!”
Fray held his hooves up in surrender. “Okay, first, how was I supposed to know it was really him? I suspected it but never believed it was really him. Second, do you know the old saying, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend?’”
“He's nopony's friend. How, Fletcher? How was this allowed to happen?” Midnight asked calm.
“It might be hard to believe, but it appears our archenemy is no more.” With that, Fletcher told his friends what “Balthazar” had said to him on the balcony.
Both ponies thought about it for a moment. “Forgive me if I'm not convinced.” Wolf replied.
“But still, even if he accepted his mistakes and such, we should keep an eye on him, better safe than sorry.” Midnight added.
Fray nodded. “Indeed. He also suggested something that may come in handy for the future.”
“And that is?” Wolf and Midnight asked in unison, confused and eager at the same time.
“Did I ever tell you the definition of agelessness?”
Welcome to the new colossus
Chapter 1 a unhappy welcome
Chapter 1: An unhappy welcome
It was another beautiful day in Equestria. A young unicorn named Dinky Hooves stirred in her sleep as the sun shined down on her. She yawned as her human stepfather, Johann walked in, carrying a breakfast board. “Good morning, Dinky.”
With a grin, she replied, “Good morning, daddy!” Then ate her breakfast, consisting of a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of juice. “That was delicious!” She exclaimed in joy.
With a smile of his own, the man replied, “Glad to hear it. My wife, Whooves, Sparkler and Derpy are already at work, so I’m gonna take care of you today. What would you like to do today?”
The little unicorn thought for a moment, then had an idea. “How about going into the park, enjoying the warm weather?”
“Sounds like a great idea, Dinky.” The pilot got into his pilot uniform, the same he wore while being in the proud air force of Germany, being used to it.
Outside, the young filly was hopping ahead, it warmed his heart to see her happy, back in Germany, he never could have dreamed of a life like this.
In the park, the other foals were playing in the grass, laughing. “Morning!” Dinky greeted them.
“Good morning, Dinky.” Ruby’s stepfather Helmut greeted as the earth pony played hide and seek with her siblings and friends.
Johann sat down on the bench next to his friend. “Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe that we are living in Equestria, with the foals that changed our lives,” Helmut mumbled.
“Yeah, it’s over a year now for me and Dinky. Still, if I think about it, if she hadn’t shown up back then, I had probably died when Blazkowicz attacked my workplace.”
“You and me both. Or I had died when Wulfburg got destroyed. Still, I sometimes wonder what could have happened to him.” The younger soldier smiled at the playing fillies.
“That’s a good question. For me, I hope he made Deathshead pay for what he did to her.” The former Luftwaffe soldier replied, referencing to what happened to the young filly back then.
“I hear ya. While I never saw him personally, only having heard of him, I don’t want to imagine what he would have done to Ruby if he got his hands on her.” Helmut shuddered at the thought.
“Yeah. Though, it makes me wonder how Germany would do without him. I mean, Germany has dozens of scientists who are gifted like him but none of them matches the genius and intelligent of him.”
“Indeed. Makes me wonder why the Supersoldiers were so inferior to his first creations in 1943, it just doesn’t make sense.”
Johann put a hand to his chin, thinking about it. “Maybe…all his research got destroyed back then, forcing him to redesign them?” He theorized.
“It’s a possibility, but we will never know. It’s also hard to believe that one man accomplished so much…”
Their conversation got interrupted by Dinky’s laugher, getting tickled by her friends, it warmed the hearts of both men to see the children so happy, having fun.
Suddenly, a loud thunder startled everyone, though there was not a single cloud in the sky.
“What was that?” The little unicorn asked scared, looking around.
Another loud thunder sounded, out of nowhere, a massive storm brewed in the sky together, it was dark, darker than any normal storm they had ever seen, lighting emitting randomly from it, almost in an uncontrollable and furious manner.
They instantly realized that this wasn’t normal.
“Mein Gott… not good!” Helmut explained in shock before they tried to find shelter.
As Dinky and Johann tried to follow their friends, they felt a magic energy surrounded them, getting lifted into the storm. “HELP!” the filly screamed in terror, struggling to get free before everything went black.
The soldier awoke with a groan, an alert ringed in his ears, his head aching. Where am I? What happened?
As his vision cleared, he looked around, finding himself in a metal hallway, Dinky next to him, also waking up. “Ugh…Where…are we? She asked, still dazed.
“I don’t know.” He replied, continuing to look around, realizing it looked like they were in a ship, or more a U-boat. Due to the alert, it was clear to him that the U-boat was under attack, and that Dinky might be in danger. Unfortunately, he hadn’t any of his weapons with him.
Faintly, a sound came from the end of the hallway, a sound he would always recognize instantly.
Combat boots.
“Stay behind me.” He said, the filly didn’t hesitate, trembling as she was a bit scared.
A shadow appeared, making his slowly towards them, the soldier knew, he had to defend his daughter, no matter how, taking a protective stance.
“Stop right there!” A German voice shouted as the silhouette was completely visible.
A German soldier, wearing a black uniform, his face concealed by an iron facemask over a black balaclava, like with all regular soldiers, armed with an SMG Johann had never seen before.
“What…” The German mumbled as he saw the Luftwaffe soldier and unicorn, not able to believe what he just saw, his mask hid any emotion but the confusion was clear in his voice, staring at them.
Bauer knew how awkward this was, being in a boat, in god knows what ocean with a talking filly. “I know this is confusing, but I need to get my daughter to safety, can you help me?”
“Uh…sure, follow me.” the soldier replied, Johann took Dinky in his arms.
“Testing, testing…Give up terrorists, you have lost. This boat you have stolen is now ours again. Most of your friends are already dead. Do you wish to join them in the grave? General Engel is prepared to offer amnesty to anyone who puts down their weapon and surrenders. It’s your only chance. …how do I turn this off?” A German soldier announced on a PA system as Johann was led through the corridors, seeing bodies of soldiers and resistance members, Dinky had closed her eyes from this horrible sight.
Still, the announcement made Johann realize something. “If you don’t mind, what’s going on?” He asked the soldier.
With unease, he replied, Well, you surely heard of Terror Billy, haven’t you? This U-boat he captured is his base, we’re finally close enough to get him, after five months of searching.”
“So he did survive…” Johann mumbled.
“What?” The soldier asked.
“Nothing.” Johann hastily replied.
“Okay. The man led them to a sail platform elevator. Once at the surface, the young child and father saw a giant airship in the sky, looking like a large fortified airborne platform, having forcefully surface submerged the U-boat with Electromagnetic cables, fascinating Dinky as she looked in awe at it.
Johan knew this airship.
The Ausmerzer built and put into service around 1951, as a sort of “guard” of the new American order, similar to the London Monitor in Britain.
An elevator looking like a box got lowered, they all stepped in and the box rose into the air, bringing them onboard, leading them into what seemed to be a meeting room.
Inside was someone Johann wished he would never meet again.
Frau Engel.
“Reporting General Engel, I found this fellow comrade and his…daughter on the ship the terrorists had stolen.” The soldier reported.
“I see, Zimmermann. Leave us alone.” She said in a neutral tone and expression, having some scars on her jaw, a crooked left eyebrow, her left side of her mouth open, apparently unable to be closed.
The Luftwaffe member felt nothing but hate against her, yet stayed calm, while Dinky whimpered scared.
The woman grinned, almost demented, making the air feel cold. “Johann Bauer and Dinky Hooves. So good to have you back.” Her voice sounded neutral but a small hint of joy could faintly be heard in it.
“General,” Johann said with a neutral tone, hiding his disgust to see her again after what she had done to the little unicorn.
“I’m surprised to meet you again after you went missing a year ago. What brings you back to us?” The woman asked, still grinning.
It wasn’t easy to answer this, Bauer knew he was most likely wanted for desertion and treason, so he just replied, “I don’t know.”
Engel’s expression became neutral. “I see. Last time you were seen last year in November, reported missing.”
Bauer knew he wouldn’t get out of this alive. “I do what I had to do to keep Dinky safe. If it means my death to guarantee her safety, so be it.”
“No! Please, don’t do it, daddy!” Dinky pleaded, not wanting him to die.
The General stared at them, empty of any emotion for what seemed like hours before breaking the silence.
“Why should I execute you? You only tried to protect your child like any parent would do. You and your daughter shall be reprieved, I had done the same if one of my children had been in danger like that. As such, I deeply apologize, I only did my duty back then, not knowing what the general would do to you.” Frau Engel lowered her head in shame, sounding honest and regretting.
Both didn’t trust her, it could be only acting but if it was, she really did a very good job at it.
Before Johann or Dinky could answer, a soldier walked into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt General, but we have them.”
“Good.” She turned to her guests. “Stay here, for your own safety.” The father and daughter just nodded.
The moment Frau Engel had left the room, the female unicorn let out a breath of relief. “I thought she would…k-kill us.”
Johann patted her. “Shh, it’s over now.”
After a few minutes, the door opened and another soldier came in. “Frau Engel ordered me to escort you to her.” From the voice, both could tell it was Zimmermann.
He led them to a small room, they saw how several other soldiers held a young man with brown hair and blues eyes in the ground and an unconscious woman with grey hair and blue eyes, wearing some sort of golden armor, was held by a large, armored soldier.
Dinky recognized them, Wyatt and Caroline, Bauer saw some similarities to the 1960 Super soldier in the large, armored German, assuming it was the next version of it, having a robotic-like face mask instead of a Greek statue like mask, having a jetpack on his back and a gorget. Next to them was a young woman with fair skin, light blond hair, and blue eyes, being overweight, wearing a dark blue skirt and a white collar shirt and tie, covered by a black leather jacket.
As they all had their backs to Johann and Dinky, the two couldn’t see their expressions, but the filly already worried for the resistance members.
The General turned slowly around, her face one of joy. “Glad you are here. Now, you will witness justice to those who endanger German lives.” Her voice was joyful, almost like a child getting a present as two soldiers brought a man in, wearing only underwear, having multiple scars on the upper body.
It shocked the girl and father as they realized it was Blazkowicz, his expression couldn’t be seen as the men dropped him on the floor, Engel pointed to Wyatt. “Hold him down.” Then she looked at Blazkowicz. “There he is! Good.” She turned to the Super soldier holding Caroline. “Now off with her armor.”
The soldier punched the control panel on the chest with great force, deactivating it as it removed itself downwards, leaving the woman in her underwear.
“Oh man. Oh man.” Wyatt mumbled worriedly.
“Shut your mouth!” The soldier holding him shouted as Caroline got thrown on the ground next to Blazkowicz.
“What a funny sight, the mastermind crawling around in her own filth.” The general taunted, Caroline and B.J. whispered something to each other before the former got knocked out by the General with a baton, then used it to lift the latter’s head up, forcing him to look into her face, looking exhausted but a hint of rage was in his eyes.
“You think you're a hero, William Joseph Blazkowicz?” She asked in English before ordering, “Pull the cripple up!” Her men did as told.
“Let me tell you…you’re not. Only the degenerate rats of the slum admire you. The filthy dregs festering in the ghetto. But once they see you…” She pointed her baton at him, “this will change.” She started to laugh.
“I shall put you on international television. Look everybody.” She laughed again, all her men (save for the super soldier and the other woman) did too. “Is…Is this how a hero looks like? A crippled wretch of a man peeing in his tube?” She taunted in joy as he pointed to a wet spot on his underwear. “Everyone will see what a useless joke you are.
Drop him.” The soldier holding him did as told.
Another soldier gave her an axe. “Thank you. You. Pull her up by the collar.” Engel ordered the super soldier, he obeyed. “Bow your head.” The general smiled.
“Don’t be silly. The resistance does not bow.” Caroline replied, only to be knocked out again.
As Engel raised the axe, the other woman stepped in front of her. “Mother.” Her voice was horrified.
“Sigrun. Quiet. I’m working.” Engel countered with an annoyed voice.
“I thought you would set them free?” Her daughter replied, the older woman let her arms fall in annoyance.
“I am setting her free. I’m setting her head free from her body.”
“But you said…”
“And you said you would do your exercises and lay off the sugar…” Engel taunted her daughter in a high pitched voice. “…but what did my men find when they searched your room? Chocolate, cookies, lemonade, candy! Not to mention the sick things you wrote in your diary. You want to set her free? Okay…Take this.” She handled her daughter the axe, Sigrun hesitated. “Take it!”
“Go on then. Set her head free from her body.”
Sigrun sniffed. “You read my diary?”
“Do it, or so help me…bad things will happen to you.” Engel threated.
Johann felt how Dinky trembled, so he took her in his arms and asked disgusted, “Can’t you at least spare my daughter this awful sight?”
The General turned around, having a neutral expression. ”What are you thinking? Even the young people must learn.”
As the woman turned back to her daughter, Dinky buried her head into Johann’s arms, he also covered her eyes, not wanting her to see this at all.
“Do it! Do it, do it!” The general cheered with her men, while Wyatt pleaded,
“Stop! For god’s sake, stop!”
“Do it now!” Engel cheered as her daughter raised the axe into the air.
“I can’t, mother.” Sigrun cried.
“Now!”
No! I can’t do it!” The young girl collapsed crying, her mother knelled down to her.
“But what you can do…is fill a diary…full of perversions and words of treason. Some of them even in English!” The elderly woman shouted angry, her right hand balled into a fist, her eyes burning with rage and disgust. “Page up and down…your dirty mind pouring out…while your body swells up with disgusting blubber like a sea cow. Don’t you understand the position you’re put me in? I’m compelled by law to report you.” This made it clear for the filly and her young father that Frau Engel was a horrible mother, only caring for her own image as general rather for her daughter as she took the axe.
“You had no right to read it.” Her daughter protested.
Sigrun’s mother walked over to Caroline. “Caroline Becker. Leader of the Kreisau Circle. The criminal mastermind.” Becker whispered something to Blazkowicz as Engel continued. “I think not. I think…You’re just another...”
Quick as a flash, she swinged the axe, beheading Caroline, Johann closed his eyes as the sound of metal and flesh ringed in his ears, flinched as well as Dinky.
“Subhuman!” Engel shouted, then laughed, almost insane. “Did you see that? Well, I had a lot of practice. Look at this. How strange. One moment she was here. And now she’s gone.” The woman picked the head up, looking at B.J.
“Were these eyes ever filled with a lover’s graze…do you think? Kiss, kiss, kiss, hm?” She asked, then “kissed” William with Caroline’s head, blood dripped down, he groaned in disgust, Johann struggled not to vomit, being deeply disgusted himself, the filly shivered in his arms, not daring to open her eyes.
By this action, the young father knew that the general was cruel and seriously mentally unstable.
“This is not funny.” Sigrun said, her expression serious, her mother looked at her with a grin.
“You want some kisses too? Like it said in your diary. On your plump checks.” She “kissed” her daughter on the cheeks, causing the young woman to vomit. “What about down here?” Irene then kissed her daughter’s crouch, before getting shoved back, dropping the head in the process.
In response, she slapped her daughter. “Sigrun, do not make me chose…between you…” She warned in a dark tone, pointing a finger at her, “and the strength of my beliefs…because you will lose.” Dinky filched again at a smashing sound of flesh, as the Super soldier stomped Caroline’s head, Bauer looked away, not able to bear it.
The general walked over to Wyatt. “And now…you.” Her voice full of joy. “Also another friend if yours, yes?” She asked Blazkowicz, taunting him.
“Stop. No more of this.” Wyatt sobbed, breaking down, head lowered.
Dinky wanted it to stop, but the words were stuck in her throat, even Johann was too shocked to say something.
“Mother. Please stop. No more.” Sigrun pleaded, stepping in front of the young man.
“Move.” Her mother shoved her away, raising the axe.
“No!” Her daughter yelled in rage, lunging at her mother, pinning her to the ground, causing the general to accidentally strike Wyatt’s right cheek, also her soldiers to let go of him. “Mister!” She threw her mother’s pistol to Wyatt, Johann quickly made a dash for the door, getting out just in time before the sounds of bullets filled the room.
Once safe, the soldier let out a long breath of relief, feeling how Dinky trembled in his arms. “No more…please…” She sobbed, he rocked her in an attempt to call her down.
“Shh, calm down…”
The general and the super soldier walked in, the woman looked rather shocked. “I…can’t believe this happened…”
Johann was hiding his disgust and hate as the woman looked at him with a forced neutral expression. “He may escape our grasp again, but he can’t run forever, we get him eventually. I suggest we bring you and your daughter to a safer place. I suggest Roswell in the USA would be good, as it’s one of the safest places in the world.”
Dinky was still crying, so she didn’t hear it, Johann knew there was no point in arguing with Frau Engel. He had never been to America before, knowing only that the USA was submitted into surrender by destroying New York with an atomic bomb on December 21st, 1948, the Independence Day on the fourth of July replaced with the German Victory Day, to celebrate Germany’s victory in the war.
Forcing a smile, he replied, “A good idea.”
Getting led into a crew quarter, the general led them alone for the journey towards America. As the filly calmed down, she asked, “Why? Why would she do something terrible as this?”
It was difficult to answer, her stepfather sighed, stroking her mane. “I hate to say this but it’s her way of dealing with any kind of resistance. I have seen it before, they are mercilessly hunted down. Mercy means only a quick death in the view of people like Frau Engel.”
Despite this, they used the time to learn what happened since Deathshead compound. It was now June 25th, 1961, the gifted scientist had been killed back then by Blazkowicz, his compound destroyed, which relieved Bauer a bit.
It was evening when the Ausmerzer arrived in the USA, Zimmermann had been ordered by the general to bring them to their new home in a VW Bus, the streets were empty from civilians due curfew from 4 PM to 6 AM on all days of the week, only soldiers and drones patrolled the streets.
The car stopped at a house, from the outside, it looked like any common family house. “Here we are. General Engel has arranged everything. I hope you enjoy your stay.” The private said before driving away.
The furniture looked very comfortable, the fridge was filled with fresh food, a couch with TV were in the living room, but there were no pictures on the walls or commode, making it impossible to see if the house had belonged to someone else, though Johann was sure of that, having been cleansed from its former occupants.
He made some warm dinner for the young girl, then brought her to bed, a teddy bear was on it. “Goodnight Dinky, sleep well.” He wished her a good night.
“Good night, daddy.” She replied, falling asleep.
As Johann went to bed himself, he wondered how long it would take for the others to find them.
Frau Engel had given him and Dinky their lives. Their lives as Germans in the American Territories.
He found himself wondering how long that would last and what little it would take for it to change.
Author's Note
After the sequel to the New Order came out, I thought "why not?" Hope you enjoy the story.