//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 All Quiet on the Western Front. // Story: A war to close to home // by Bronycommander //------------------------------// Chapter 8: All Quiet on the Western Front After Bergmann’s death, I took his position as mentor and squad leader for the younger recruits. Babs acted as my right hand, never leaving my side. The death of my brother and friends affected her as much as I was. This day would be different. We expected an attack from the Harlem Hellfighters and let me tell you, they hit hard. We were prepared for their attack with MGs and Field guns but we would have great losses when the attack would begin. Except for Babs, I had nothing to lose anymore, so I didn’t care if I would die. I expected to die every day on the battlefield, but with the time, you get used to it and it becomes routine. While the new recruits were inexperienced, with their enthusiasm, they managed to kill many enemies, I gave them that. I just wanted it to end. We were losing too many already. I would be already in a madhouse wasn’t it for her. She is what still drives me. Back home, things weren’t go so well. Father died of cancer and Mother…she suffered a nervous breakdown after she was told that Holger died and got send into a hospital, only to never recover from it. We all left for war as boys, never to return as men. If you ask me, this upcoming battle is a suicide mission. Babs whimpered. “You miss your family, don’t you?” “Yes, Herbert. I don’t want to die. Sister’s heart couldn’t take it if I return to her in a body bag.” “I will protect you, Babs. And together, we can make it through everything.” I gave her a smile and ruffled her mane. She returned it. “You’re right. We both have not come this far, to die now!” “I got an idea. To guarantee your safety, what about being our runner?” “B-but this is one of the most dangerous jobs here!” She exclaimed scared. “For runners on the front yes, but we need a runner for our Rear Command, so you should be safe.” “Okay, I’ll do it.” “You know I would never send you into things too dangerous for you. Also I would never demand from you to do tasks I couldn’t do myself.” “You are correct. But I don’t want that you die either. You’re the only one left for me.” She feared for my safety and cared for me. “I survived situations I never thought I would survive.” I patted her and she blows her mane out of her eyes. High command would never put us into situations that were impossible. Only difficult but not impossible. I know I called this a suicide mission but maybe I overestimated it. Yet, the Hellfighters were known for being aggressive when attacking but not merciless. If they take prisoners and they would spare Babs, I’m sure of that. While I checked the recruits, I heard how Babs made a prayer that she and I would survive. Instead of God, she used Celestia. “The Hellfighters! They’re here!” A recruit shouted as smoke was popped. Babs got into the bunker and I lined up, ready to shoot. As the Americans advanced, we mowed many of them down, yet they reached our trench and engaged us in brutal close-combats. Some of them used a Trench Gun. A shotgun, deadly at close range like in trenches, thanks to the spread. Many of us protested it’s use, but I had to admit it did a pretty good job. I killed many with my Shovel and bayonet until we defeated the first wave. Only light losses. “Don’t let your guard down! They will come again!” They attacked harder this time. We defeated them again but this time we had heavy losses. “Jesus Christ! That was a second wave…They’re just throwing themselves at us! Babs! Tell Rear Command that we need reinforcements!” “Right away!” Perspective: Babs Seed Vaulting over a fence, I ran as fast as I could to Rear Command. It was in a house safe behind the frontline. Running past a half destroyed buildings and through a crater, I saw the German flag on the building in the distance. It was quiet. Too quiet. “Wait…where is everyone?” I asked myself as nobody was here. I got in the house to investigate it. I saw a note nailed or better said stabbed to the wall with a knife. I took it off and read it. “For those who didn’t hear it from a runner, the central position is lost. Artillery fire ordered to cover retreat. Shelling the objective and outlying positions.” “Oh no, Herbert!” I have to warn him! I started to run back as fast as I could. Why would they do something like that? Shelling their own soldiers to cover a retreat? Why and who would order something so terrible? Halfway to it, I saw Artillery explosions near Herbert’s position. One explosion was close to me, causing my ears to ring as a house collapsed. Artillery already? They gonna kill their own soldiers! Despite this, I reached the position. Herbert was the only one left, firing a FK96 at a Mark IV and destroyed it. “Once again, Recon has only done half their job, you have to do everything herself.” He complained. “Where are my reinforcements?” He ask me as I reached him. “There are no reinforcements! Full scale retreat, their gonna shell everything to cover it! We have to go!” I yelled out of breath, from running. “Too late!” He yelled as artillery rained down, knocking us out and throwing us into a crater. My ears were ringing and I vision was blurry as I regained consciousness. Looking around, I saw Herbert standing but stunned. Another soldier that had survived also stood up. As my ears stopped ringing, I heard the engine of a tank and a Mark IV came closer. The soldier was about to use an Anti-tank grenade but was killed by it. Herbert just stood protectively in front of me and closed his eyes, waiting for the shot. But it never came. Instead, the hatch opened and a young man looking like Tommy got out. “You’re the one who helped my little brother, right?” He asked Herbert who nodded. “My name is Timmy. Come onboard.” He waved friendly at us to get in. I tried to get up but a sharp pain kept me from doing so. Looking down at my right hind leg, I was shocked. It wasn’t blown off but covered in blood and splinters. My eyes teared up and I screamed in pain. “My leg! It’s hurts!” “Don’t worry, I get you fixed up in no time! It's not bad, okay? It's not bad. Let me take a look.” He tried to calm me down even if it looked very bad. It hurt even more as Herbert slowed the blood loss, removed the splinters and bandaged it. The shock took fully over and I muttered over and over again if I could walk again. My voice was a mix of pain, shock, fear and crying. I feared that amputation as the only option. I was so in shock that I didn’t noticed how Timmy took my hoof and spoke in a calming tone, “You’re alright.” After Herbert was done, he gently picked me up and carried me into the tank. Apart from Timmy, two other crewmembers were in the tank but they were wearing medieval styled masks so I couldn’t see their faces or emotions. They looked scary. “Alright lads, next stop…” He started to cough. “Sir?” the driver asked worried. “Driver. Get moving.” “Oh no, don’t you go thinking you can to drop dead on us now.” The other crew member said to him. “I’m fine boys. Come on.” Suddenly, there was on explosion and the tank stopped. “Anti-tank mine! We lost a track!” the driver shouted. “Herbert! Get out now!” Timmy ordered. As we got out, an anti-tank grenade knocked him off his feet and we fell to the ground. German soldiers charged on the tank, either not caring or noticing us. The crew tried their best to defend itself but it were too many. I smelled gas. I could see that gasoline fumes were leaking from the fuel line. “Sorry,” Timmy said. I wondered why he said that until I saw what he had planned. He lit a match, igniting the fumes inside the tank, sacrificing himself and his crew as the blaze burned the assaulting German troops to death. We both stared in shock before I asked still in shock, “What do we now, Herbert?” “We walk.” He carried me along the abandoned road until I heard engines in the distance. “What’s that?” I asked as Herbert used Binoculars to see what it was. “British convoy! Into the grass!” He went prone as several tanks and trucks moved past us. I held my breath and my heart raced as a Mark IV drove VERY close past us, followed by infantry. Herbert put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down as I trembled in fear. Relaxing, I gave him a smile. About two minutes which were like hours to me, they had passed. After they passed, we moved on and I fell sleep in his arms. For some reason, I heard a familiar voice. “Babs? Little sister, please wake up.” Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself in a hospital room on a bed, surrounded by my sister, the CMC, and Princess Celestia and Luna. “Sis?” “Yes, it’s me.” She had tears of joy in her eyes. “Sis!” We both hugged each other with tears of joy. “Hey, what about your favorite cousin?” “How could I forget you, Apple Bloom?” I hugged her too. “How did you found me?” I asked everypony. “Well my dear sister, Unicorn magic leaves a trail to every object that gets teleported. After the bad ponies got arrested, we used it to search for you but it took some time. Now, what happened to you?” She pointed to my still bandaged leg. I started to tremble. “W-well, I-I found myself in a...” I couldn’t bring myself to say it and buried my head into Sunflower’s chest. Luna walked up to me. “My dear subject, you don’t have to say it.” Her horn glowed and touched my head. Everypony was surrounded by her blue aura and they saw my experiences like a movie. “My poor sister!” She hugged my tightly. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now. I’m just so glad that I didn’t lose you too.” The word “lose” reminded me of something. “What about Herbert?! What happened to him?!” I asked panicking. “It appears we teleported you back out of his arms. But don’t worry, we will thank him.” Princess Celestia and Luna vanished in a teleportation spell but not before picking up a piece of paper. What have they planned? Perspective: Herbert. Fate is REALLY not good on me. A couple of minutes ago, she was curled up in my arms, sleeping, then out of nowhere, an aura surrounded her and she vanished! Why does my fate have to be so bad? I was sitting on the grass still trying to process what happened. She must be home and reunited with her sister, family and friends. Must be the only explanation. A white light blinded me. As it stopped, two tall ponies with wings and horns stood in front of me! That must be Princess Celestia and Luna. “Greetings, Sergeant Herbert, I assume? There’s no need to bow,” Celestia said. “We wanted to thank you for keeping one of our young subjects’ safe. We and her family are very grateful and will never forget what you have done to her." "But unfortunately, you can’t go with her as having a human in Equestria would bring our country out of balance. But you are allowed to keep your memories and keep contact with her. Just write on his scroll and tap it twice with your pen or whatever you use to write. It will be sent to Babs or her sister depending who is Available.” Luna gave it to me. “And I must thank her. She kept me alive in situations where I would have lost my mind without her.” I thanked them before they got back to Equestria. Thank you, Babs. Thank you for everything. I thought, walking along the road, humming the British song. October 1918 One year later, I used the newly deployed MP18. Also we got a new weapon. The Tankgewehr, a rifle capable of destroying tanks. However, the soldiers had problems how to use it, as one soldier yelled at another once, “You have an Anti-Tank rifle. Over there is a tank. FIGURE IT OUT!!" Right now, I was again in a trench writing to Babs. It is on. We wait for the end. We wait for peace. Dear Babs, as you know, you and I are the only ones left. Holger died at 20, Fritz at 21, Bergmann at 30, Tommy 18, his brother 19. They never got older. And here I am, still. You and I are the only ones left. How I miss you. After finishing writing, I send it and checked the recruits. As I walked through the trench, I spotted a bird. I adopted my brother's hobby to watch them but I also drew them. As I tried to sketch it, the bird flew away. I stood up, looking where it went, then a shot and a quick pain before everything went black. German High Command Communique: October 11, 1918. “All Quiet on the Western Front.”