The Great Equestrian War

Chapters

Intro (basically everything you need to know before starting this)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Intro (basically everything you need to know before starting this)

For centuries, there has been a bitter feud between the humans of Deutschland and the ponies of Saddle Arabia. While the humans became allies with the dragon lands for their gunpowder, the Saddle Arabians sided with another pony kingdom- Equestria. Opting to stay out of the fighting, the princesses decided on aiding the Saddle Arabians with supply shipments; while the dragons also sent supplies to the humans. This shook the relationship between Deutschland and Equestria, however it was eventually reconnected. It was even stronger than before with tourism and immigrants from both kingdoms

200 years before Luna's return, Princess Celestia was in a panic as the cities of Manedleton, Capall, and Chapaillíní wanted to break away from Equestria. Princess Celestia, fearing a civil war, decided to send in the royal guard to calm the uprising, but was met with more resistance. For three months, several small skirmishes were scattered throughout the area. Most famously was the battle of sourdough hill where the guard launched a massive artillery strike on the rebel position in attempts to stop the rebellion. More royal guard companies were sent in, most of the ponies left. They had packed up and left, and headed to Deutschland; where they were welcomed with open arms. From there, they created the first Pony Brigade-An entire brigade of pony volunteers.

Around the same time as the Pony Uprising, the leaders of Deutschland and Saddle Arabia had been making great attempts in ending the hostilities. They had set up numerous treaties and trade deals. Ultimately, the current Sultan of Saddle decided that Saddle Arabia has had enough of Deutschland's industrialism influence and ends the treaties, secretly sending thousands of troops to the border; calling it "The Necessary Crusade" for his country.

Here is an example of the uniforms for each kingdom

Equestrian Royal Guard (There will be other variants of their uniforms)

Saddle Arabian Infantry (ignore the bolt action)

Deutschland Infantry

Weapons (because everyone loves weapons)

Deutschland

Deutschland musket (1809 Potsdam Musket)

Dragoons' Revolver Rifle (1858 Remington Black Powder Revolving Carbine)

Officers' pistol (Prussian Colt Model 1851)

Equestria

Standard Royal Guard Musket (1853 Enfield)

Equestrian repeating rifle used by cavalry and Wonderbolts ( Winchester model 1895)

Officers' pistol (Webley Mark IV revolver)

Saddle Arabia

Saddle Arabian Rifle (Shishana Rifle-Ottoman Empire)

Officer's revolver (S&W Turkish Revolver)

Saddle Arabian Breech loader (Turkish Snider Conversion Rifle)

6 pounder cannon

Howitzer Cannon

2o pounder cannon

The Gatling gun (mostly used by the humans as an anti Pegasus gun)
ALSO
Just want to point out that cavalry exists here. All sides will use it.

Author's Note

Alright now that the boring exposition is out of the way lets get to the fun part

Since you had to read all of this, here's a manatee to make up for it

Chapter 1

Camelhoof Plains,
May 5th, 10:35am
Along the border of Deutschland and Saddle Arabia

A company of Deutsche dragoons were patrolling along the Camelhoof plains. It is a barren place, always hot and very few trees. It should be a routine patrol for this company, however rumors spread from the small farming town of Drachenstadt that some shepherds saw a large Saddle Arabian force on the other side of the mountains along the border. There was around 100 in their company. Leading them was Cpt Bren Haas.

As they reached the top of Little Rock Hill, Cpt Haas looked out over the Saddle Arabian side. He was shocked. Hundreds if not thousands of tents and soldiers. Some were guarding various areas of their camp. Others were idly talking to each other. Still others were unloading wagons of food and supplies, some were even unloading cannon rounds. They looked as if they are preparing invasion.

"What the Hell?" the captain mumbles. His other officers share a glance of confusion before he hands them the binoculars. "Whole damn army down there. Looks like those rumors were true."

"Hauptmann, " (Captain)One of the lower officers said." even if they attack right here right now; there's no way we would be able to hold them off till reinforcements arrive. Let alone stop them. They have at least two brigades down there." Cpt Haas thought for a minute before deciding

"Alright, here's what we're going to do. Firstly, I need a runner." He states, as a runner rides up to him. he writes out a quick note before handing it to the runner." Take this letter to Col. Wolmans at Fort Little Rock. Tell him to send reinforcements to this location." The young runner salutes and heads off towards the fort." As for the rest of the men, we will pull back a little ways and dig in. We've got to hol-." He was cut off when a cannon was fired at them from the camp. The shell landed a few meters away knocking a few soldiers off their horses. "Shit! Fall back!" He ordered as the couple of soldiers pick themselves off the ground. Looking back down the hill, the dragoons were mortified to see the entire camp charging up the at them. Some of the men fired a couple of shots into the charging mass of ponies, before falling back out of the range of the cannons.

Once the company was on their side of the hill, they all dismounted and prepared for battle. Armed with their revolver rifles, the dragoons took cover behind anything they could find. Some took cover behind tree stumps; others behind large rocks, some even just crouched in the tall grass. As they were just getting positioned, the first wave of Saddle Arabian infantry was cresting the top of the hill.

"HERE THEY COME!" one of the men shouted. "Keep your heads down, lads!" With that, the dragoons open fired. The first volley struck the horde causing many to drop dead. This was repeated with the second and third volley of gunfire before the Saddle Arabians were ready to return fire. Cpt. Haas could only watch in horror as his men struggled to hide behind what little cover they had. The first volley of enemy fire had already killed twelve of his men and wounded another eight. He could only pray that reinforcements arrive soon. He's not sure how long him and his men will last, but he knows it won't be long. His men's attempt to stop the Saddle Arabians seems fruitless. Even though they've killed a couple hundred, his company is taking severe casualties. Cpt. Haas could order a retreat now and regroup with Col. Wolmans' Regiment. All he has to do is get him and his 32 surviving men to their horses. Peaking out from behind his log, he readied himself to run to his horse

"Retreat!" He shouted, "Get to the fort!" As he gets up, a bullet strikes him in the shoulder, before another one hits him in his lower back. He drops to the ground onto his knees. The last thing he sees, is the remains of his men galloping off towards their fort; before falling to the ground where he breaths his last. The mass of Saddle Arabians swarmed the area, before advancing towards the fort.

As the 22nd border regiment was preparing to reinforce Cpt. Haas ' dragoons, the remnants of his company arrived at the gate. In total, only 28 made it there. Upon being let in, the survivors immediately took positions along the walls. Second lieutenant Wicki was then approached by Col Wolmans.

"Lieutenant, what is the meaning of this? Where is your commanding officer?" He questioned.

"Dead sir." Wicki answered with a crisp salute. "We're all that's left. Colonel, we've got to get the men to fortify this place. The Saddle Arabians are coming, sir."

"How many?" Col. Wolmans asked. "How many are coming, lieutenant?"

"Two maybe three brigades, sir."

"Damn. Inform the battery officers, tell them to ready the 4 inch mortars. We're going to need them."

"Yes sir." Wicki runs off to find the battery commander, leaving Col. Wolmans to his thoughts. 'If this be my last battle, give me a clean death. A soldiers death."

Upon finding the mortar batteries, Wicki is greeted by the short battery commander, Cpt. Adolph Fritz. He was already preparing the mortars for the coming battle with the rest of his men. His battery was a mixture of humans and ponies. Many artillery batteries enlist earth ponies for their strength. Being able to move cannons fast has it's advantages. Transferring the message to Cpt. Fritz, Wicki watched as the men and ponies got to work adjusting the cannons to face the south. He jumped a little when the cannons on the fortress walls began firing, meaning the Saddle Arabians were there. Both him and Cpt. Fritz looks up to see which wall had open fired. Upon seeing smoke from the south cannons, the western guns started firing.

"They're trying to flank us!" Cpt. Fritz shouted, as Wicki ran to the walls where the rest of his men are. The remnants of the dragoons were held up on the southwest corner of the fort. "I want half of the mortars to focus their fire to the west and the other half to focus fire on the south! Explosive shells, 900 meters!" A minute later, the mortars opened fire. Wicki watched as the shells rained down on the Saddle Arabian lines. The explosions would throw ponies across the field they were marching across. Some of the shells were exploding above them, sending hot shrapnel crashing into their lines; dropping the soldiers by the dozen. Solid shells fired from the wall cannons also tore through the lines. about ten minutes later, one of the dragoons notices something in the distance and gets Wicki's attention.

"Sir what's that?" He asks while pointing to the location. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, he focused in on where the soldier was pointing. What he saw, mortified him. Several 6 pound cannons were being positioned. One of them was pointed right at him and fires.

"Oh Shit!" He yells. "Get Down!" He pulls the soldier to the ground, as the shell strikes the wall; sending bits of rock flying up at them. "That was close." The soldier says. Wicki breaths a sigh of relief as several mortar shells pass over the wall. The sounds of musket fire erupted around them. looking out over the wall, Wicki saw that the ponies were close, some were even returning fire. Bodies of ponies litter the field leading up to the walls. He watches as several of the infantrymen are struck by musket fire. A hook tied to a rope lands next to him, before it is pulled back and gets caught on the wall.

"They're trying to scale the walls!" He shouted as several dragoons unsheathed their swords. A cannonball struck the ground next to Wicki sending rock fragments into his leg. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his leg. One of the men got to work patching up his leg while the others set up a defensive perimeter around the two. A hand emerges from outside the wall, followed by a head as the ponies begin scaling the walls. The dragoons take the first shots. One pony is stuck twice in the chest as he falls backwards off the wall. Another pony falling forward hang on the battlements. Several other ponies are hit once the step onto the floor. The ponies scale the battlements and return fire before charging with bayonet. The soldiers return with their swords. A fierce hand to hand battle commences on the corner as more and more ponies scale the wall. A group of regular infantry makes their way down the wall to reinforce the dragoons, when a cannonball tears through their group killing five of them instantly. The small group of infantry crashes into the ponies with their bayonets. The dragoons positioned Lt. Wicki against a couple of powder kegs. While they fight hand to hand, he's providing fire from his revolver. One pony charges him before getting shot in the gut, dropping him to his knees. Wicki fires again, striking the pony in the chest; killing him. The onslaught continues as more and more ponies scale the walls. A stray bullet strikes Lt. Wicki in the chest, mortally wounding him.

The Saddle Arabian cannon crews shifted their fire from the walls to the gates. It only takes two blasts from the cannons, before the gate comes crashing down. The Saddle Arabians continue to rain fire upon the fortress. Col. Wolmans is positioned close to the mortar batteries. Upon seeing the front gate being blown in, several lower officers and mortar crew members position themselves to halt the pony advancement through the gate, with their revolvers and rifles. Gunfire erupts from the gate and the mortar position. Men and ponies drop dead from the exchange.

"Fill those holes in the line!" The Colonel orders. "Hold them ba-ACh!" He's cut off as bullet hits him in the neck. He falls to the ground clutching his neck. A nearby sergeant notices him and rushes up to him.

"Colonel! Colonel!" The Sergeant yells as he applies pressure to the wound in attempt to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. Slowly Col. Wolmans' breathing slows and eventually stops. He dies there in the arms of the young sergeant. The Saddle Arabians have taken most of the walls and began firing down upon the human infantry inside. The remnants of the infantry has fallen back towards the center of the fort. One of the officers grab the shoulder of the young sergeant and pull him along to the rally point.

"Come on lad, we still need ya." He said. Only a few hundred had made it. They were together in a square formation where the first line was kneeling and the second was standing. " Here they come, Boys!" Someone shouts. The front side of the square fires while the two sides move to face the coming enemy. Once the two lines were in position, they also opened fire. Dozens of ponies fell to the ground having been shot. Their attempts to stop the Saddle Arabian force seemed fruitless. As more Soldiers fell, the slimmer their outcome looked. Eventually, with only 23 soldiers left, the Deutschland survivors surrendered to the Saddle Arabians.

An urgent telegram arrives in the Berliner Schloss (Berlin Palace). Sprinting down the hall, the royal telegraph operator carries a message from the border. Reaching the Kaiser's office, he knocks before being let in.

"Mein Kaiser. I have an urgent message." He hands the Kaiser the telegram. He does a quick read over. His hands start to shake.

"When?" The Kaiser manages.

"From when it was sent, I'd say it is still going on."

"Then our worst fears have been realized." The Kaiser says softly. "It is time to prepare for the coming war."

Author's Note

look at this handsome chap

Chapter 2

The news had spread like wildfire. It was one the cover of every newspaper. The people of Deutschland were outraged by the invasion. The people cried for war. One hour after learning of the invasion, Kaiser Faramund formally announced the declaration of war on the Saddle Arabians. Men flock by the hundreds to recruiting stations to help combat the invading force. The news even spread across the ocean to Equestria.

Twilight Sparkle is eating her breakfast while preparing for classes at the School of Friendship, when the sound of something crashing into her window jolted her from her work. Looking up, she breathes a sigh of relief to see that it was only Derpy, the mail pony. The walleyed pegasus hands Twilight the morning paper. Derpy does a goofy salute, before taking off on her route, while crashing through another window on her way out. Twilight giggles to herself at the pony's antics before opening up the newspaper. In big bold letters written across the top were the words: WAR! Saddle Arabia To Invade Deutschland! Horror filled Twilights thoughts as she continued to read on.

Early yesterday morning, along the border of Deutschland and Saddle Arabia, a ferocious battle took place. Believed to be caused by a border dispute between the two nations, resulted in the Saddle Arabians seizing control of a Deutsche fortress and the nearby village of Drachenstadt. It is currently unknown the number casualties sustained. The nation Deutschland is in an uproar. Later in that day, Kaiser Faramund addressed the Deutsche people saying. " Good people of Deutschland, earlier today, We were suddenly and deliberately attacked by an invasion force from Saddle Arabia. While I had hoped for peace between our two nations, this is an act that we cannot and will not allow to go without consequences......" The Princesses of Equestria have since announced their neutrality in the conflict.

"Oh no. This isn't good." She says to herself as her mind drifts to three of her students who will not take the news too well.

"What's not good, Twilight?" Spike says, entering the room while stuffing his face with a doughnut. She shows him the paper, and his eyes widen in shock, dropping the doughnut. "Yup, that's not good. What's going to happen? Shouldn't this be a friendship problem?"

"I don't know, this really isn't a friendship problem, but a full country problem." Twilight says, trying to push those thoughts out of her head. The two quickly finish their breakfast and make their way to the school. Along the way, Twilight's thoughts continue to drift back to the article. 'What does this mean for Equestria? Will we not be friends with the humans anymore?' These thoughts continue to plague her mind until.

"TWILIGHT!!" A raspy voice yells from above. Twilight looks up to find the source and sees Rainbow Dash flying straight towards her. Crashing into each other, Twilight rolls across the grounds, Rainbow Dash; however stands there with a look of horror on her face as she clutches a piece of paper.

"Ugh! Rainbow Dash, what were yo-" Twilight is cut off as Rainbow jumps in.

"Twilight, its horrible. Like the whole world is ending!"

"Rainbow, I don't think the whole world is end. I mean the news was a bit of a shock."

"A BIT of a shock!? Twilight. They're. Moving. The. Daring. Do. Conversation. To. Next. Month! Don't you see it it's horrible!" The athletic pony cries, shoving a flyer into Twilight's face. Twilight was taken aback by this. '

This whole time, she was talking about Daring Do?' Twilight says to herself. She thinks for a minute before saying." Rainbow have you not see the BIG news going around?"

"Huh, oh yeah. That's pretty bad too." Twilight just face palms.

(A/N Come with me......and you'll be.....in a world where I bastardized the German language.)

The students, enrolled at the School of Friendship, were making their way to the cafeteria for breakfast. Among the students, are three humans. One of the humans grabs a newspaper off a large stack, left for the students, and makes his way to the food line. Letting out a yawn, he runs his hand through his brown hair before grabbing a couple of bread rolls and jelly.

"Good morning, Peter." A cheery voice said behind him, causing him to turn around. He came face to face with Silverstream.

"Oh Guten Morgen, Silverstream." Peter said, greeting the hippogriff. He mentally groans at his use of Deutsche, as he was supposed to be working on his Equestrian. 'Dummkoph, you know she can hardly understand Deutsche.'

"Are you ready for classes today!" She exclaims, "Oh I can't wait for Professor Fluttershy's kindness class. Are you excited?"

"Nein, too early in the morning to be thinking about classes." He says groggily while reaching for an apple. Grabbing one for himself, he grabs another one and offers it to Silverstream. "Apfel?" She pauses for a moment processing what he said, before graciously accepting it. They continue on their way, getting a few other food items before settling at their table. He pulls the chair out for Silverstream because it is the gentleman thing to do, also because he has secret crush on her. A crush that his two other human friends know about.

"Guten Morgen, ihr zwei liebt Vögel." ( Good morning, you two love birds) A voice jokingly says from in between Peter and Silverstream. Turning to address the voice, Peter finds a blonde boy around his age. His name is Erik.

"Hör auf, Erik. Was ist, wenn sie dich hört?" (Knock it off, Erik. What if she hears you) He says, slightly annoyed and embarrassed. The others at the table turn to the two in confusion, since they don't know Deutsche. Smolder and the other human named Michael grin in understanding what Erik said. Looking over at Michael and Smolder he realizes something. "Komm schon, du auch." (Come on you too.) Peter complains. "Verdammt, ich habe vergessen, dass die meisten Drachen Tonspeak Deutsch lernen." (Damn it, I forgot most dragons learn to speak Deutsche)

"Wait, what did he say?" Ocellus asks. Michael turns to her, trying to save his friend 's embarrassment, and tells her it's better left alone.

"Anyways." Erik says taking his seat on the other side of Peter." Did you- ooh you did get one!" He exclaims take in the newspaper from under Peters tray and turning straight to the entertainment section. Pulling out a pencil from his pocket he starts the crossword section. The others giggle at his antics, however something on the front page grabs Michaels attention.

"What's that?" He says while grabbing the page from Erik. Looking it over for a minute, he freezes up." What? No, this can't be. No, no." Tears begin to well up in his eyes. His hands begin to tremble. His friends grow worried.

"Michael? Michael, what's wrong?" Sandbar asks. The others look towards Michael for an answer.

Michael drops the paper and buries his face in his hands. "I can't." He mutters. I can't read it anymore." Curiosity gets the better of them, and Ocellus takes to paper. She clears her throats and begins to read.

"War. Saddle Arabia to invade Deutschland. Ye-"

"Wait What!" Erik yells, cutting Ocellus off.

"Early yesterday morning, along the border of Deutschland and Saddle Arabia, a ferocious battle took place. Believed to be caused by a border dispute between the two nations, resulted in the Saddle Arabians seizing control of a Deutsche fortress and the nearby village of Drachenstadt." A somber silence fills the table. The group takes notice of how Michael buries his face deeper in his hands at the mention of name of the town. Trying to comfort him, Yona pats him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Michael," Erik begins." I'm sure that we'll push the Saddle Arabians out of the Fatherland."

"My father." He mumbles to himself. "My father was stationed at that fort. He was the Colonel in command." His slowly filling with anger." He was supposed to be moving next month to the coast, to lübeck. He should be alive! I-I should have been there instead!" The group doesn't know how to react. The normally quiet, artist human is ranting how he should be in the army." Look it says that 'it's a act that we cannot and will not allow to go without consequences.'"

"Michael, maybe you should-."

"No! I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing. Our country, no our Home was attacked!" With that he stands and starts heading to the door. "Tell the professors that I won't be in class. Just say I'm sick or something." He says back to them, before leaving.

The day goes on as normal, minus Michael not being in class. Of course, the gossip between the student body is talk of the invasion. Twilight makes an attempt to not have the invasion discussed in class, but it doesn't stop it in the halls. The gossip, however is not good for one mare from Saddle Arabia named, Alev. She is the recipient of several glares from the students, mostly from Erik. Alev, on her part only just moved to Ponyville with her family a few months before the school open.

As the school day comes to a close, the students return to their respective dorms. As the two humans walk into their room, they are greeted by the sight of Michael packing his suitcase.

"Michael," Peter begins." We're going to head to Sugarcube corner. Erik wants some cookies. We thought- eh what are you doing." Michael stops what he's doing and greets his roommates.

"Ah, I'm glad you're here. I've been up here all day, and I've had time to think about it. I think the three of us should head back home and held fight off the Saddle Arabians."

"WHAT!" Both Peter and Erik yell in unison.

"Come on, think about it. That is our home, and our home is calling us in its time of need. I've already made up my mind. I'm leaving in the morning. You two are welcome to join me. Actually I was hoping that we would all serve together." They all stop for a moment. He makes a good point. Deutschland is their home.

"There's just one problem." Peter says breaking the silence. "There's no way my father will let me join the army. You should have seen him when my brother, Thomas joined the Kaiserliche Marine. He kicked him out of the house until he was assigned to his ship."

"Don't worry. Just enlist when we get back, before you stop at home." Michael explains. "You've got my word. I won't let anything happen to you." Peter stops for a moment, formulating a response.

"That could work, but how will we explain it to the professors or even Headmare Twilight. I don't think that they'd be too thrilled with having three of their students leaving a school of friendship to go fight in a war." Erik reasoned. He is right. How will they explain it. Michael goes silent for minute. He lets out a heavy sigh.

"Look, I had hoped that you two would go with me, but that decision is up to you. You two do what you want. I've made up my mind, and I'm leaving tomorrow morning. The first train heading to Manehattan is mine." With that, Michael grabs his hat and starts to walk out, before stopping at the door." Are we going?"

"Where?" A confused Erik asks.

"To Sugarcube Corner. I thought you two wanted to go."

Peter face palms." Right, sorry. You just threw us off there." Erik grabs some bits, and his hat. The trio then heads out towards Ponyville.

The trip to Sugarcube Corner is awkwardly quiet, as the only one talking is Michael. Peter tries to add to the one sided conversation, but his mind keeps drifting back to what Michael said in the room. 'How would I tell father. This is the right thing to do. No, that wouldn't work. Maybe, this is my home and I'll be damned if I let an invader conquer us.' Eventually the trio arrive at their destination, where they are greeted by a certain energetic pink pony. Upon seeing the trio, Pinkie Pie lets out a huge gasp.

"IT'S MY FAVORITE TRIO OF HUMAN STUDENTS!" She exclaims.

"We're the only human trio at the school." Michael says in confusion.

"Probably the only humans she knows."Erik whispers to Peter, causing him to chuckle slightly. She went on to say how she knows lots more humans, after she somehow heard Erik's comment. 'How the hell did she hear me?'

"Eh, it's just hunch." Pinkie nonchalantly explains. This only confuses Erik more as she somehow read his mind.

'What the fuck?' Erik says to himself

'You shouldn't use words like that, Erik.' Pinkie says, somehow in his mind.

"Anyways," Michael interrupts to bring the conversation back." we came for an order of cookies and three strudels." Pinkie does a goofy salute before disappearing in a cloud of dust. A few minutes later she zips to the counter with the finished desserts. Deciding not to question how she made it all in a few minutes, the trio grab a nearby table and get to work on their food.

That nigh, Peter couldn't sleep. His mind kept racing back to what all occurred during the day. The night is spent tossing and turning in his bed. After a few sleepless hours of doing this, he gives up. Throwing the blankets off of him he glances at the clock in the corner of the room. The moonlight is lighting up the clock face just enough to see the time. '3:48 in the morning. Great.' He thinks to himself. He's torn from his thoughts by the sound of the door closing. Glancing over to Michael's bed, he saw it was empty. When he rolls over to try a fall back asleep, he takes a peak at Erik's bed. It too was empty.

Michael sat alone at the train station. His luggage bag sat in front of him. Further down the platform, a few tired looking ponies sat waiting for the train. Pulling out his pocket watch, he checks the time. "It's only 4:30. Sill got another half an hour." Michael stops what he's doing, when he hears footsteps approaching. Turning to face the noise, a slight smile forms on his tired face. "I knew you guys would come." He says to Erik and Peter, both carrying their own luggage bag.

"Well we've got about half an hour till the train gets here. Now what?" Erik asks.

Author's Note

Another handsome chap

sorry if I butchered the German, I don't speak it and I'm using the google translate.

Chapter 3

Michael was sleeping peacefully, until he felt a hand shake him on the shoulder. Slowly opening his eyes to see woke him, he is met with the sight of Erik shaking him. Peter is busy getting their luggage off of the overhead rack.

"Wake up. We'll be pulling into the station soon." Erik says. Michael gives a quick stretch, before reaching out for his bag. "12:45." Erik comments looking down at his watch" We should have time to get a quick lunch before we board the ship." The others nod in agreement.

"Ja, I don't know about you two, but I would love one of those sandwiches they have by the harbor." Peter chimes in. Again the other two nod in agreement. They look out the window of their cabin as the train pulls into the Manehattan station. The car lurches forward as the train comes to a stop. Grabbing their luggage, the trio make for the door onto the chaotic station platform. The crowds of ponies traveling to and from the many trains amazes the three humans.

"Wow, I've been in Ponyville for so long, I've forgotten what true city life is like." Michael remarks as a mare accidentally bumps into him. Erik nods in agreement.

"Ja me too, though my city isn't that big."

"Really? You know, I don't think I ever asked you where you're from?" Peter mentions as he takes in the sights of the elegant station. The glass roof allows sunlight to pour in, making for a natural lit building.

"Seriously?" Erik says, turning to his two friends. "You've known me for almost four months and you never asked what town I'm from." He sighs" I'm from Stralsund." Two 'oh's ' come as a reply. Pushing that fact back, they head for an information booth inside the station to grab a map of the city. Upon locating the information booth, Erik pays the 2 bits for a map and heads back over to Michael and Peter. "Ok, so we're here at Grand Saddle Station. We need to go here at pier-90, for the ship,that will take us home." Erik says, tracing his finger along the map. Gathering up their suitcases, they leave the station.

The trio is pushed along, out the elegant doors of Grand Saddle Station to the busy streets of Manehattan. Trying to orient themselves on the map, they decide to look for landmarks to determine which way to go.

"Ok so," Peter starts. He looks around, trying to orient himself on the map." Grand Saddle Station and the Manelife building are behind us. That means we're facing south. Pier-90 is west of here." As they're about to start their journey, Michael comes up with an idea.

"Wait, guys shouldn't we just call for a carriage to take us over there?" Michael slings his bag over his shoulder, before walking to the side of the road. He gives out a whistle and a wave of his arm to the passing carriages. Moments later, a dark green carriage stops in front of him. A short beige colored unicorn peers over the side at him

"Where ya headin' lad?" He asks. Michael motions for Erik and Peter to join him.

"We're on our way to the piers. Pier-90 to be exact." Michael answers. The Coachpony tells them to get in. After placing their luggage in a cage on the back, they climb aboard the carriage.

The ride was mostly quiet, as the trio took in the sights of the city. They passed by several iconic places including Bridleway and the wax museum. Hundreds of ponies, walking down the streets, go about their busy lives. Rounding the bend, the carriage then follows up a road running parallel to the river. Several ships lined the piers. Eventually, after a forty six minute ride, the carriage stopped out front of pier-90. Paying the fee and thanking the driver, the trio heads over to buy tickets. There is a small line, about five families, outside the ticket window. It takes about twenty minutes for the trio to reach the window, where they are greeted by teal mare. Peter steps forward to get the tickets.

"Three passes to Deutschland, please." He says with a smile. The mare looks up at him, before speaking.

"Three tickets, that's thirty bits each. Your total is ninety bits." Peter hands over the money in exchange for three fold pieces of paper. He hands two of them to Michael and Erik. "I would hurry if I were you." The mare says, causing the trio to face her." That ship leaves for Deutschland in one hour." Quickly gathering their belongings, they make their way down the pier to the gangway. There, they got a good look at their ship.It has a Long black hull with a white superstructure. A single yellow smokestack rose from the center, belching out thick black smoke. Two masts sat on the bow and stern.

"This must be it." Erik mutters. The other two turn and look at him." What?"

Michael is quick with a slap on the back of the head." Of course this is it! Why else would we be standing here in front of a ship." Peter only facepalms. “Anyway, let's get on board, maybe they'll still be serving lunch.” A solemn look adored Peter’s face at the realization that they won't be eating in the city. Walking down the pier, they eventually come to the gangway. They all pause for a split second. They are all thinking the same thing, but not speaking it. ‘No going back now.’ With that they board the ship, and begin to settle into their cabin for the four day journey across the ocean. Their room was a small one window cabin. A set of bunk beds adored either side of the room.

“So, now what?” Peter asks, setting his bag on the extra bed. Erik looks up from his bed towards Peter.

“Lunch.” He says getting up from his bunk. Satisfied with that answer, the trio then heads down the hall towards the cafeteria in the hopes to satisfy their hunger.

The School of Friendship is in a panic. Both students and staff are looking for three certain students that disappeared in the middle of the night. It didn't help that nobody noticed they were missing until they were two class periods into the day. The only way anyone knew they were gone, was when Sandbar volunteered to check on them. Upon entering the three humans’ dorm, he was met with nothing. He reported this to Headmaster Twilight, who blew it into a full blown investigation.

After finding no evidence of the trio in neither Ponyville nor the school, Twilight decides to head to their dorm room to search for clues. Upon entering the room, she is met with an empty room. Nothing seems to be out of place, until she notices something odd on the desk that could be overlooked. Stuffed underneath a desk lamp is a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it reveals a rough message that looks hastily written.

To whoever finds this letter, I hope you find it in good condition.

If you are reading this, then we are already on our way to Deutschland. We wish we could have given a proper goodbye. We appreciate what you have taught us here, and we thank you for the opportunity to be at this school. Please know that we hold nothing against you or your teachings. You made us feel at home when we first arrived in Ponyville, and you all have become trustworthy friends. While our four months here may have been short, we have collected a lifetime of memories that we will always cherish. We accept your teachings and beliefs, however we strongly believe that this is our right to defend our homeland from a foreign invasion.

Best wishes and farewell,
Your three Deutsche students

Carefully setting down the letter, several emotions fill Twilight’s mind. ‘They're gone. What if they have to fight? What if they're killed?’ Her mind is racing faster than one of Rainbow Dash’s sonic rainboom. Her breathing becomes rapid.Tears begin to well up in her eyes at the thought of losing three of her students.

“Twilight, are you ok?” A voice calls from behind her causing her to slightly jump. Turning around, twilight is met with the sight of Starlight Glimmer. Starlight has a look of worry on her face.

“Starlight, it's terrible. They're gone.”

“Yeah, we're still trying to find them.”

“No. Gone as in, going back to Deutschland!” Cries Twilight, showing Starlight the letter. Starlight flinches back from the sudden outburst. Unsure of what to say, she simply pulls Twilight in for a hug.

“Don't worry, Twilight. Everything will be fine. Hopefully this whole ordeal will settle itself out.” Starlight says, trying to calm the crying alicorn.” Who knows, maybe it will all be over by Hearth’s Warming.” She says with a shrug.

“THAT’S WHAT THEY ALWAYS SAY!” Twilight exclaims. Taking a deep breath, Twilight makes an attempt to regain her composure. “We just have to look on the bright side of things. We know where they are.” Looking back down at the letter in her hands.” Perhaps we should tell the students that at least we know where they are?”

The following days after the initial invasion and capture of Fort Little Rock, the Deutsche military was on the move. The Army of Southern Deutschland, 38,000 men, make their way south from Munich to stop the Saddle Arabian forces. Leading them is General Wolfgang Niederman. He's an older general from Hamburg, where he attended the Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt (Main Prussian Cadet Institute). Thanks to his education, he became a brilliant strategist.

The Saddle Arabians spread their forces, in an arc formation, out from their captured fortress. This move allowed them to capture several small towns along the border. It is an attempt to force the Deutsche to spread their forces thin. Small skirmishes have broken out following the series of attacks in the towns between the local garrison and militia versus the pony forces. The result leaves hundreds dead and wounded. When word reaches General Niederman of the enemy movements, he devises a plan. He plans to have a quarter of his army to attack to the front, under the command of General Francis Meulle, while the rest of his army closes in on the side. It's a bold move, but he is hoping that his men can halt the Arabian advances north, until reinforcements arrive from Berlin. Following the movements of the enemy he plans to meet the enemy at their next target of Penzberg. It will be another day's march until either army reaches the town. Deciding to get a head start in the ponies, General Niederman orders his dragoons ahead into town; in order to secure a strong position.

Two brigades, totaling to 6,000 men, of Deutsche Dragoons ride ahead from the army. They arrive late in the day (around 5:00) in the outskirts of Penzberg. At first the townspeople are worried and confused about the sudden arrival of the military. Not wanting any civilians to be in the crossfire, the commanding officer, Brigadier General Windstar, orders the evacuation of Penzberg.

General Windstar stuck out from his fellow officers. While they are all human, he is a teal unicorn. He is a young general, hoping to make a name for himself. His ancestors first came to Deutschland back during the Equestrian Civil War.

The two brigades move quietly through an orchard in order to mask their movements. Finding the edge into an open field. General Windstar and several other officers notice movement through a tree line on the other side of the field. Pulling out his binoculars, General Windstar spots the enemy.

“That's infantry alright. Two or three brigades, but I don't see any cavalry though.” He lowers the binoculars and runs a hand through his silver mane.” Strange, they send their army this far into our land without the aid of cavalry.”

“I don't like it, sir.” One of the officers comments. “What do you make of it?”

“They're heading this way.”

“Sir?”

“That's too big to be a raiding party. That's their main body. There's power behind that.”

“Sir, if you want to fight them here, we've got good ground here. Probably the best damn ground we've seen all day.

“They're most likely going to set up camp on the other side of those trees.” General Windstar says, while looking back down his binoculars.” They will wait until morning to launch their attack, where we'll be waiting for them.” He turns to face his other officers. “We'll move both brigades into town. That'll make the good people happy. Let's move.” With that General Windstar moved his two brigades into the town of Penzberg. They plan to fortify the southern half of the town where the ponies will be attacking from. Spotting a steeple on top of the town hall, he plans to use it as a lookout point over the battle. Later in the evening, as the sun is beginning to set, General Windstar and another couple of officers walk out to where they plan on having their men placed. General Windstar looks out over the field and sighs.

“You know what's going to happen here tomorrow morning?”

“Sir?” He turns back towards his other two officers.

“The whole damn saddler army is gonna be here. They'll move in through the town and occupy the hills behind us. Then, when our boys arrive. They'll already have the high ground. There'll be the Devil to pay.” He releases a sigh. “We have 6,000 men. They'll have an army coming in force. There could be 40,000 coming up that road tomorrow. If we hold this ridge for a couple of hours, we can keep them away. We can block that road, until our main body gets here. We can deprive the enemy of the high ground.

“The boys are ready for a brawl, Sir. No doubt.” One of the officers mentions

“We'll force the ponies to deploy. That's a narrow road, they'll be coming down. Is Calef's battery ready yet?”

“His six guns are deploying now, Sir.”

“Post the cannons here, along this road.” He says, pointing to the road a little ways behind them. Another officer rides up towards the group.

“Sir.” He says with a salute. “My scouts just reported, the whole Saddle Arabian Army is heading this way. They'll be here by morning.”

General Windstar pauses for a moment. “We'll hold here in the morning, long enough for Wilhelm and the infantry to move in. They'll strike us at dawn, I believe we can hold ‘em for a few hours. Just enough for Wilhelm to get here.”

“Hell, General, we can hold them all the livelong day.”

“Alright, Gentleman. Keep a clear eye. Let's get posted.” Before turning for the night, General Windstar sent out a message to the infantry’s location to alert them of his position.

Here's a map to show you the location of Deutschland and Saddle Arabia. This is east of Equestria, across an ocean.

Author's Note

Ok a couple of things:
Anyone want to edit, that'd be great.
Also if since there will be so many German OC"s, don't expect them to all have perfect German names. If you want, I need German OC's for the Germans and the German Pony Brigade.

Chapter 4

Penzberg, Deutschland
May 11th, 8:15 am

Celestia’s sun is barely peeking above the treeline. A fine morning mist settles across the field. All and all, it is a beautiful morning. Stepping outside into the cool breeze, General Windstar looks around towards town. The vacant streets send an eerie shiver down his spine, causing him to take a drink from his coffee. Turning towards his men’s camp, he notices that they are making ready for the coming battle. Taking a deep breath, he starts to make his way to the steeple where he plans to view the battle. His stops in his tracks when several cracks of musket fire echo from the trees. A minute later his two brigades run past him towards their position. One of his officers, a captain, rides up to him, pulling Windstar’s horse with him. The captain's name is Captain Hans Becker, one of the captains from the night before.

“Sir.” He says with a salute. “The Saddlers are coming! They just tripped the pickets!” Mounting his horse, General Windstar follows his men to the field. He positions his men along a stone wall. Glancing behind him, he takes note of the cannon crews loading their 12 pound howitzers. Running down the road across the field were his scouts, retreating back to his lines. Behind them another fifty yards was a column of Arabian soldiers.

Once the scouts were at a safe distance, the cannons opened fire. The four kilogram shells slammed into the Arabian lines. One shell lands in front of the column killing six infantrymen. Another shell takes out a section of fencing along the road allowing the infantry to move into the field, off the narrow road. Once in the open, the Arabian are able to move into their firing lines. As the Saddler’s return fire, the dismounted dragoons continue to send seemingly never ending fire with their repeaters. The howitzers blow massive holes through the Arabian lines, taking out as many as four at a time. Seeing that the fighting is starting, General Windstar heads to his steeple for a better vantage point. Climbing the long staircase to the steeple, he is greeted by a couple of his generals. The thunderous blasts from the cannons can still be plainly heard from his spot. Pulling out his binoculars, he looks out over the battlefield.

“Half a brigade to the southwest, and another half to the south.” He pauses for a moment. “They're coming at me with one brigade? We've got the best damn ground around. They must be up to something, but they're converging on one spot.” He scratches at his chin as he thinks. Windstar watches as a howitzer shell explodes a few feet above some Arabian soldiers, raining hot shrapnel into the line. Moving his view back to the Arabian treeline. He spots several 12 pound cannons pointed towards his men. “Shit!” He says under his breath.

“What is it, Sir?” One of the generals asked.

“They've brought in their damn cannons.” Windstar answers. He watches as the cannons exchange fire.

On the ground, Captain Becker oversees the men. Ducking his head, to avoid getting it taken off, he watches in horror as a cannonball slams into the axle of a howitzer behind him. Splinters and shrapnel embeds itself into the unfortunate crew. Officers and other nearby soldiers do their best to help drag the unfortunate cannon crew to safety as they call for a field surgeon. Some of the men are dragged away clutching their wounds. Others lay limp and unmoving. The Captain’s eyes drift across the scene, until they land on one from the crew. A boy, of about 19, lay on the ground still. His eyes are completely devoid of life. He notices blood flowing down from his neck where a large gash is. The sight forces the Captain to look away, as sadness begins to fill up in him. A large volley of gunfire brings his attention back to the battle. After another hour of fighting, the wavering Arabian brigade orders a withdrawal, as another brigade begins its attempt to crush the Deutsche defense. The dragoons take the brief break to regroup and fill the holes in their line.

As the Deutsche waits for the next enemy brigade, General Windstar rides up to the line. Riding up to Captain Becker, the general notices a look of grief in his eyes.

“Captain, are you alright?” He asks.

“Fine, Sir.” He answers with a quick salute.

“How are we doing?”

“Not bad, Sir. Not bad at all.” Captain Becker says proudly. “We got them out in the open and they came right to us. We're figuring at least 8,000 in this division.”

“Hmm. It will take them a while to get all of them in line. Mostly likely all morning.”

“The point is, Sir, is when General Wilhelm gets here, he won't have his full army. Most likely a couple of brigades. The Saddlers will be here this afternoon with everything they've got.” Captain Becker sighs. “Now then, Sir, what shall you have me do now?”

“Well, the Arabians will be back in a little bit. If they have any brains, they'll know they're looking at least a brigade in front of them. They won't want to wait for their whole division to get in line. They're still trying to beat our infantry here. They won't need a whole division against us though.” He pauses for a second. “Has
Colonel Elmwood reported anything to the west?”

“Nothing, Sir. Everything has been here, in the south.”

“Hmm, I'll have him leave his position, move alongside your men. It'll strengthen our lines.” He chuckles slightly. “That way those Saddlers will run into two brigades, instead of one. That’ll keep them busy till Wilhelm gets here.”

“Very good, Sir.” Captain Becker says with a smile.

General Windstar rides off to Colonel Elmwood’s location, to reposition his position. Approaching the lime green earth pony, Windstar orders him to position himself alongside Captain Becker’s men. With that, General Windstar returns to his lookout.

Another two hours of fighting have passed and Windstar is getting worried. It is almost one in the afternoon and there is still no sign of Wilhelm. Ammunition for both cannons and rifles are starting to run low. Casualties are steadily increasing. Officers yell to fill the holes in the lines as cannons and gunfire drown them out. The Saddle Arabian army was surprised to see another brigade in front of them, however they soon got over it and kept their advance. General Windstar is getting desperate. He decides to head back down towards the field. He pulls out his pocket watch to check the time

“12:47. Damn it Wilhelm. Where the hell are you?” He huffs.

As he's about to head down, something in his mind tells him to search for Wilhelm one last time. Sighing, he pulls up his binoculars and looks out. Out in the distance several figures are riding up on horseback. One is carrying a Deutschland flag. Further behind them is a column of infantry. Tears begin to well up in his eyes at the sight of reinforcements. Heading down to greet General Wilhelm and his 10,000 men, Windstar informs Wilhelm of his situation.

Wilhelm orders his men to have four regiments move to the sides of the Arabian position. Another three regiments are to strengthen the center. His plan is to have the side continue to squeeze the Arabian lines together, in order to trap them in a bowl of musket fire. All Windstar’s men have to do is to hold out until the infantry is in position.

Upon reaching the central front, the infantry reinforcements quickly take up positions alongside Windstar's men. The dragoons breathe a sigh of relief by the arrival of the infantry. As the new Saddler brigade begins its advance in the Deutsche position, they are met with a torrent of musket fire. The arrival of the infantry allows some of the dragoons to step back and replenish their ammunition. General Windstar and General Wilhelm view the battle unfold from a distance. They watch as an enemy limber chest explodes behind one of the Arabian cannons.

“Looks like you and your boys put up a good fight.” Wilhelm states, turning towards Windstar.

Windstar chuckles slightly at this comment. “That we did. Tell you what though, you couldn't have arrived at a better time.”

Both Generals notice something that catches their eyes causing both of them to pull out their binoculars.

“You see what I see?” Windstar asks. Wilhelm is quick with a reply.

“Jawohl, they see my infantry with your boys. They're going to try and flank us.” He smirks. “Little do they know, they're walking into a trap.”

“Tha-” He is cut off from a cannon blast nearby. “That they are, General.”

As the Arabian army continues to push forward through the center, several regiments are diverted off to the left of the Deutsche position, in an attempt to flank the new infantry reinforcements. In order to flank the enemy, the Arabian army must cross through a small tree-lined stream. The first regiment lets out a battle cry and rushes across the stream and through the trees. Break through to the other side, the Arabians are met with a dark blue line slowly approaching them. The sunlight reflects off their bayonets creating a glare to the Arabians. The 4th and 16th infantry regiments of Deutschland halt their movements and take aim. A wall of smoke covers the infantry as the bullets strike down the enemy invaders. As the Deutsche infantry reloads, the Saddlers take aim. They unleash their own wave of musket fire, bringing down several dozen soldiers. The Deutsche infantry fires another wave of lead into the unfortunate Arabian lines. This time they begin to march forward again, forcing the Arabians back across the stream. The Saddlers take cover behind the thin treeline. Many still have to reload for the coming wave of Deutsche infantry. Just a minute later, the dark blue uniforms of the infantry appear on the opposite side of the stream. Again the two sides exchange fire, leaving hundreds dead on either side.

As the Deutsche infantry continue its advances in the west, the 8th and 2nd infantry regiments push in from the east. Not having as much fighting, seeing as how the most of the enemy moved west, the two regiments were able to reach a good distance before being halted by the enemy. From their position, they could see the infantry regiments fighting in the center of the bowl. Their arrival takes the enemy completely by surprise. Reaching a good overlook over the center field, the two regiments take aim at the bulk of the enemy force. The Arabians, now taking fire from three sides, split their lines to combat the flank. This move however, leaves their central force the weakest. The Arabian counter attack to the east is easily cut down as they charge up the small hill.

Load ‘em up boys! Load ‘em up!” The colonel shouts after releasing a barge of musket fire. The Arabians return fire killing and wounding several men. The two regiments however, remain unmoving.

Across the battlefield, the two regiments in the west continue to push in. Soon the whole western half of the Arabian lines were clumped together into one mass. The two regiment colonels order their men to “Pick your targets!” Several volleys later, the four flanking regiments charge towards the now weakened counter attack. The two sides clash into a brutal hand to hand combat. Ultimately, the Deutsche infantry is the stronger force. The Saddlers’ counter attack flees into the center field.

With the sides closing in on the Arabians and the field piling up with their dead, the General of the Saddle Arabian force reluctantly orders a withdrawal from Penzberg. After an intense seven hours of fighting, the firing comes to a close; resulting in a Deutsche victory. The thunder of the cannons are replaced with an eerie silence accompanied by the groans and screams of the wounded. The infantry help to gather the wounded bringing them into town for makeshift hospitals. A group of infantrymen, carrying wounded, approach a moderately sized home. A maid answers the door after they knock.

“We would like to requisition this house to be used as a hospital. Is the owner of this home here?”

“Jawohl, they're here. They took shelter in the cellar when the fighting started. Come inside.” She says, letting them step inside. The group walks inside, taking their hats and helmets off as they enter. They set up makeshift beds for the wounded. The dining room becomes the operating room. Two soldiers approach the family in the cellar to inform them of the situation. While in the cellar, the two soldiers grab several bottles of liquor, to be used as a painkiller.

The surgeon does his best to get through the wounded. As he finishes patching up one soldier from the western flank, a new patient arrives. A sergeant from the dragoons. The soldiers who carried him in look up to him with hope.

“Can you help him?” One asks. The surgeon takes a look at the man laying on the table. Sorrow wills his eyes.

“This man was shot two times in the chest. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do for him.” A single tear falls from the sergeant on the table.

The waves rock the steamship, as Peter rests himself against the side railing. Michael and Erik approach him, seeing as he's now several shades of green darker.

“Peter, are you alright?” Erik asks.

“How are you ok with these waves?” Peter asks.

“Probably because I basically grew up on the water.”

“What do you mean?” Michael questions as he moves to lean up against the railing.

“Seriously, you guys know nothing about me!” He says under his breath. “Well my grandfather started a fishing company. It did fairly well, and when he died, my father inherited the company. Now my brother and I work with my father on our ship.”

Michael lets out a stretch. “Well I know one thing. I can't wait until we get off this ship tomorrow and on to some dry land. Where are we docking again?”

“Uh, I'm pretty sure we dock at Trier.”

“Ah, ok. Then we take trains back to our hometowns.”

“Ja.” The group stands in silence for a minute before Erik turns to leave, stating he's getting himself a drink.

Author's Note

Check out this iron chap