Crimson walked home from her day job as an aircraft riveter. She had been building cargo planes for the state, to increase efficiency in supply distribution. She walked along the sidewalk, which by now was starting to crack faster than repairs could be made. She was accompanied by 3 scrawny ponies, who followed her like ducklings follow the mother. She could see across the street the American cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane who kept to herself also walking along, trailed also by some scrawny ponies, most of whom looked Latino. Far behind her walked another mare who spoke with a heavy British accent. She tried to disguise the fact that she, too, had been following the pegasus mare.

“Psssst!” came a voice from behind her. Crimson turned around to see a hoof coming out of a dark alley, asking her to come over. She walked over, instructing the ponies following her to keep walking, and was greeted in the alley by a pink mare with crazy pink hair. She remembered her from school back in Vladimaregrad, one of the German ponies who ridiculed her because of her dad’s political affiliation as extremely Unionist. However, she claimed to only want to make peace. They made a deal that they would not get in each other’s way as long as she surrendered one of the ponies following her, and in return would get plenty of bits in commission. She reluctantly agreed and continued on her way, not thinking too much about what happened.

The next day Stallion, for unknown reasons, declared that Germans are no longer Unionist enemies and removed all anti-German propaganda from Izvestia, saying that in reality they are and always will be neutral.

The next day Crimson walked through town again, but this time saw the pink pony threatening another pony with a box cutter until she surrendered her money, after which she ran off. She decided to stick by her word and decided not to do anything about it. She also saw the rainbow-maned pony also watching the action, however, she too turned around and continued doing her business.

Another day has passed and Crimson walked home as usual. This time she saw a mare getting mugged. This time a French mare interrupted the pink mare, and slapped her square in the snout. The pink pony by now was furious, and clocked the French mare with an uppercut to the neck, knocking her out instantly. The British mare saw this, and immediately held her hooves up. A bloody fight ensued, with the British mare taking a beating while the pink mare was taking barely any hits at all. She cried for help, but the American mare lifted a hoof, but then placed it right back where it was. Bleeding all over the street, the British mare fought to remain conscious.

“Where’s my cut of the profits?” Crimson shouted. The pink mare looked back. “I asked, WHERE’S MY CUT?” The pink mare withdrew a box cutter. “Oh, you’ll be seeing plenty of cuts soon!” she replied, charging at the mare, cutting her cheek open and then stabbing her in the arm. Crimson ran home, bleeding and crying. The rainbow-maned mare frowned, spitting at the ground. The pink mare called a Latino unicorn that was following her over. “How about we make things a bit sweeter?” she asked. “You help me kill the cyan pegasus, and we split the profits of her property 50/50. Deal?” The little unicorn ran off, and so did the British unicorn, stumbling away to inform the pegasus of what she has just heard.

The next day, Izvestia printed a new issue, with worse anti-German propaganda than ever. The streets were lined with anti-German posters, and when she came to rivet cargo planes, Crimson was informed she has been reassigned to rivet bombers. More of her other colleagues riveted other war technology, such as tanks and MiG fighters, and the Red Army was scrambled to defend the Eastern Front. The following issue of Izvestia confirmed rumors, the Union was under attack. The army was taking heavy losses, however Stallion said he plans on burning down for the most part Western CCCP. Just like in the previous great war, the germans would be unable to sustain themselves. He knew the winter, he knew its strength. He refused to underestimate it. The opposing army refused to accept it. He smiled. “If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.”

Months later, Crimson met up with the cyan pegasus. They headed their normal way, knowing they will be in for trouble, but doing it anyway out of personal pride and dignity. The cyan pegasus refused to fight the pink mare, saying it is not her fight, but slipped something into Crimson’s hoof. The pink mare was standing there as usual, mugging an unsuspecting foal. Suddenly she saw Crimson and withdrew her boxcutter. She charged at crimson with her box cutter, missing her by less than a millimeter. Crimson thrust her back hoof out, tripping her. As she scrambled to get up, Crimson stabbed her in the flank with a pocket knife, with the initials RD inscribed into the wood. She kicked her, and the pink mare ran off yelping into an alley. Suddenly a shell flew over their heads.

Earlier that day the Germans had dug in on the outskirts of town. They knew if they could capture Stalliongrad, then the Union’s massive oil supplies would be cut off, ready for German use. However, most of the citizens had dug in. At work, Crimson was given a small, long wooden box and ordered not to open it until she got home. The box had the Unionist insignia burned on it. She got home and opened the box. At one end was two halves of a makeshift iron helmet that clicked together and held tight, and below it was a rifle, with an American flag etched into the stock. She loaded it with ammunition, and not a moment too soon. Two army lieutenants knocked on her door; they requested her immediate assistance. She and a throng of other ponies garrisoned themselves in the gleaming modern buildings of Stalliongrad.

A stallion in a red uniform walked up to Stallion and told him the news. “Should we order the citizens of Stalliongrad to a tactical retreat and destroy our oil wells so they will not be used by the invaders?”

Stallion sat for a few seconds, even though he had already made up his mind. “In the CCCP, it takes far more courage to retreat than to advance onto the enemy.”

The winter was cold, and food was scarce. Every week a truck full of enough supplies for everypony was destined to come to their aid, but every so often their hopes would be crushed as a giant explosion rocked the land, and a plume of smoke rose from the road as the hungry, freezing German soldiers rushed over, running back into their trenches holding charred blankets and lumps of bread. The one thing that improved their morale was the desperate looks on their faces as they ran for the supplies. They knew they were suffering just as much as they are. Shells tore through buildings, and bombers from both sides made regular passes, bombing different key targets. Panzers rarely made it far into the city, and even less than soldiers. Charge after charge failed, because the freezing soldiers were used to open field combat, and the Unionists knew well how to fight close-quarters. At one point Germans made it to the floor below Crimson and began firing into the wooden floor with their machine gun. Crimson managed to make it out of the room unhurt, and quickly descended the stairs where she and another pony garrisoned on the floor below charged into the room. The Germans, still reloading, were helpless. She pulled out her pocket knife and carved away at the Germans. Now she had a proper gun and a nice iron helmet, albeit unnecessarily heavy.

Bombers made regular runs now at the German trenches, and reinforcements were being gunned down before they could aid the Germans. Stallion smiled at the latest Izvestia telling the story of every German wiped out in Stalliongrad and the citizens themselves holding off the Germans without the army with just household weapons. He turned to the stallion in the red uniform and asked him. “Comrade, do you know what was the same mistake that led to Alexander the Great’s death, Napoleon Bonaparte’s downfall, and now the end to the war we are in?”

The stallion in the uniform looked puzzled. “No Comrade General Stallion.”

“I’ll tell you what” Stallion replied. “Those mother beeches dared to attack Russia.” The two let out a hearty, twisted laugh. “Just make sure Stalliongrad doesn’t get this issue of Izvestia. Freedom of the press is slavery. You see, the press is the sharpest point of our party, and the ultimate goal is to make sure the ponies are happy, and if they believe they are single-handedly defeating a great enemy, not only will they be proud of themselves, they might actually try it, and those who succeed will share their stories of greatness. Don’t worry about those who fail. They won’t be telling anyone anything.” Stallion returned to reading the letter and smoking his pipe. “Fascism is just capitalism in decay” he muttered to himself. “If we decide to hang them, they would sell us the rope.”

The Germans began their retreat back, with the Red Army in close pursuit. Crimson smiled as she returned her war supplies to the soldiers, and went back off to work. By now, however, the gleaming city of Stalliongrad was reduced to rubble. She remembered one concrete shell of a building used to be the general store. A pile of bricks used to be the bank. The mass of rebar over the river at one point was a mighty bridge. She passed through town square, this time confronting the pink pony again. She now too had a pocket knife, and slowly circled around her in tightening circles. Suddenly she fell flat on her face. A cyan pegasus came in from behind her and slammed her into the ground. She retaliated, cutting one of her wings deeply. The pegasus then pulled out a large Rambo-style knife out of a concealed spot. The pink pony shrieked and began defensively backing up. Then her flank hit a wall. She realized the pegasus had cornered her. Crimson, in her rage, bucked her square in the face. Teeth littered the concrete sidewalk as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She collapsed with a thud, blacking out.

She woke up with a knife being held up to her neck by the British pony, the cyan pegasus, and Crimson. “Who are you?” the British pony interrogated.

“I am just a mare who wanted the best for her foals. Both of their parents had died in the war, and I needed the money to take care of them” she replied, pointing at 2 mares shivering in a corner, and began to cry. “That one’s name is Osten, and the other Westen, both with the surname Berlin.” Then she collapsed. She no longer responded; she didn’t wake up again. The 3 mares looked at each other with disappointed looks. They circled around the two children. “I feel absolutely aweful” said the British mare, lying onto a lavish sofa that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Also, my name is Rarity” she said. “Rainbow Dash”, the pegasus replied. “Crimson Tracer” the orange pegasus added. “I think it’s only right that we take them in” said Rainbow. “I’ll take Westen.” “I guess I’ll take Osten then” Crimson said, petting Osten.

“It’s a shame all this time we have been ignoring each other when we’re not so different after all” Rainbow said. “I agree. Let’s not keep to ourselves anymore and tackle life head on whatever it may dish out!” Crimson added. Rainbow and Crimson locked lips, sloppily making out. “From now on let’s agree never to fight each other” Crimson said. “I’ll always be by your side if you need it” Rainbow affirmed, kissing her again, and flying off back to wherever she was going.

Stallion exited a meeting hall in Berlin, whose swastika was hammered out and replaced with a flag with a hoof and plow, wiping his lips off against his hoof. “How did it go Comrade General?” the stallion in the red uniform asked.

“Swimmingly. We got control of East Germany, including half of the capitol, and we agreed to be completely open with each other from now on to prevent any hostilities.”

“You trust them, even after our ally betrayed us and attacked us?”

“I trust nopony, not even myself. I told you this already. However, capitalism is unionism’s greatest enemy, and if we are to expand unionism, we must make sure capitalism won’t stand in our way.”