//------------------------------//
// Twilight of Canterlot 
// Story: Panzerlost: Rommel in Equestria 
// by The Party Pony 
//------------------------------//




Moonlight flowed through the window, illuminating the massive bathroom. Rommel quietly sang Panzerlied as he turned on the water.


Mit donnernden Motoren, geschwind wie der Blitz,

Dem Feinde entgegen, im Panzer geschützt,

Voraus den Kameraden, im Kampfe stehn wir allein, stehn wir allein.

So stoßen wir tief in die feindlichen Reih'n.


The Pony showers were too small for the Wehrmacht officer, so a bath would have to suffice. Princess Celestia had been kind enough to surrender the Guest Wing of the palace since it had the only bathtub large enough. It was usually reserved for foreign guests and ambassadors, but those had obviously been in short supply lately, and in any case the Desert Fox seemed to fit that description.

The quarters seemed impossibly comfortable after so much time in the field. As the Feldmarschall, Rommel could have had a better quarters in Afrika, but whenever it was possible, he preferred to endure the same challenges as his troops. During the First Great War, when he had been a mere Oberleutnant, he had despised the self-inflated Prussian nobility, and the way they sent their troops into the horrors of warfare while relaxing in a luxurious headquarters. A true general should always lead from the front.

So when Rommel became a general, and later a field marshal, he always tried to be relatable to his troops. He ate with them, slept with them, and even fought alongside them. He was never too proud to do what needed done, no matter how menial. The Allied generals rambled on about being outwitted by his brilliant strategy and tactics, but Rommel knew the true secret to his success: leading his troops by example. Out of all the nations arrayed against Germany, only the troops of Amerika seemed to understand this concept.

"Heaven help us if they join the War in earnest..." he muttered, stepping into the bathtub. But now he had more pressing issues at hand. To even return to the Vaterland, he would have to gain victory on this... unique battlefield. Could modern tactics of tanks and airplanes really apply to unicorns and pegasi? That was certainly not a set of tactics he learned at Danzig.

But he willed himself to drop his worries and relax, if only for a little while. Do not worry about tomorrow, let tomorrow worry about itself...







The Desert Fox strolled proudly down the hallway, admiring the beautiful architecture of the palace. Morning sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, making the golden walls and floor seem to glow. After so long in the beige war-torn deserts of Afrika, it was like... well, like being in another world.

He saluted the guards at the door before striding into the throne room.

Celestia was standing at a large map table, surrounded by various subordinates and nobles. Seeing Rommel walk in, she smiled warmly. "Good morning, Desert Fox."

"Heil Hi-" he began in reflex, starting to raise his arm. That salute, he realized to his relief, was no longer necessary. Instead he bowed and clicked his heals. "Ah, good morning, Princess. How goes the planning of war?"

"It goes well," she replied lightly. "Did you sleep well last night? I hope our quarters weren't too primitive."

"No!" He exclaimed, "they were perfect. Thank you. Though, if you have a moment, there is something I would like to ask."

Celestia motioned him to continue.

"I was wondering who made this uniform." he said, gesturing to his clothing. It had been hanging on his door when he awoke. It was absolutely beautiful, a golden tunic like one a Roman Legionnaire might have worn. But elements of his own uniform were incorporated, like an Imperial Eagle on the right chest, and a gold visor cap with blue trim. It was absolutely resplendent.

Celestia just smiled. "That would be our Chief Uniform Designer, Rarity Belle. She saw your garb while you were inspecting the troops yesterday, and she couldn't help making something based on it. She thought yours looked a little... old. So she made a new one for you. With a classic Equestrian flair, of course.

"Tell her I appreciate it," said Rommel sincerely, "even in my own world I have never seen anything like it. It is beautiful."

"I will. But as it stands, Desert Fox, there are other things to attend to. Our soldiers won't be ready for the counter-attack until at least tomorrow. Perhaps you'd like to take a brief walk around our fair city?"

Rommel smiled. He wouldn't mind seeing more of this beautiful place. "If you're sure I wouldn't be of more use here?"

"My officers aren't total idiots." Celestia replied with a grin. "I think we'll manage. Besides, you need time to relax. Changing dimensions might be a little hard on your human mind - no offense."

"None taken." replied Rommel lightly.

"In any case, I think I'll send my secretary to escort you. She knows the city very well."

"Please, Princess, I don't need a lot of fuss. All available resources should be put towards the war effort."

"I insist. My secretary needs a break just as much as you do."

Rommel sighed. "As you wish. Who is this pony?"

Celestia smiled softly. "Her name is Twilight Sparkle."

She gestured to a lavender unicorn sitting in the corner. She was busily scratching on a scroll with a quill, and didn't even notice her name being mentioned. Up to this point Rommel had only seen the majestic Princess Celestia, and the burly soldiers and captains of the military. This was the first time he saw an ordinary pony. It was absolutely adorable. If he could have, he would have hugged it and patted its head like his pet Dachshund. But he would die before he admitted that, of course. Being in an alternate reality with talking horses didn't mean he had left his pride behind - just most of his sanity.

"Nice to meet you, Twilight." he said with a smile.

The unicorn stirred from her relentless writing, and looked up at the Wehrmacht officer. "I... ah... hello!" She squeaked, suddenly realizing that Celestia and the Desert Fox had been staring at her.

"I was wondering if you might accompany me on a walk around town?" offered Rommel politely.

Twilight looked at Celestia, then Rommel, then back at Celestia. The Princess rolled her eyes as if to say 'yes, Twilight, of course you can go' and nodded.

"I would be happy to!" beamed the unicorn. She carefully stowed her quill and scroll under the chair before prancing towards the door. "Come on, we can get some ice cream!"





The streets seemed far more lively than they had the previous day. Merchants were out and about selling their wares, ponies chattered and talked in the streets and alleys. There was something new in the air, something different. Something like-

"Hope." said Twilight. Rommel suddenly realized he had been talking out loud. "They have hope now, Desert Fox," continued the unicorn, "and you gave it to them. Before you came, we had no chance of victory, but now? A great warrior is sent from the heavens to save us? It's a miracle!"

Hope is the most important of all things. It is more valuable than gold, more powerful than a bomb, more useful then an Opel-Blitz engineering truck. It was hope that moved armies, raised leaders, built nations. Even the the Nazi Party, which had seized control of Germany, was powered by hope. Hope for change, hope for a better future. Hope is what made the Blitzkrieg so effective; striking quickly and capturing key objectives removed hope from your foe, and the rest was easy. Hope was the lifeforce of humanity.

That he could inspire that in people- er, ponies- was a compliment greater than any he had ever heard before. "Thank you," he said sincerely, looking the unicorn in the eye.

Twilight just glanced up innocently, unaware the effect her words had on the Desert Fox. "No problem." she replied with a grin. "So, are we going to get that ice-cream or what?"





It had been years since Rommel had eaten ice cream. It was better than he remembered it. Cool, sweet and creamy. He had never really had a sweet tooth, but this was amazing. But even better was the affable company of the unicorn which sat beside him on a park bench, swinging her legs and chatting cheerfully.

"There is one thing I want to know," said the Desert Fox between bites of Rocky Road. "I've noticed that all the horses here have pictures on their flank. What do they mean?"

Twilight cocked her head. "Humans don't have cutie marks?"

Rommel raised an eyebrow. "Ah... no."

"Oh," said Twilight, looking puzzled. "Well, to sum it up, they tell us what our destiny is."

"You're born knowing exactly what you're going to do in life?" he asked, slightly in awe.

"No! Well, we're not born with them," Twilight hurried to correct. "They... well, it's a little difficult to explain. When a foal is very young, they... pardon me, Desert Fox, it's hard to explain something that's so natural to our culture. It's like trying to explain breathing."

Rommel chuckled good-naturedly. "That's alright." He thought he got the general idea. It sounded a little like the caste system in India, where children immediately knew their lot in life. Though Twilight said it like there was some choice in the matter. Choosing what you have to do for your entire life when you're just a child? There was a terrifying proposition. Rommel had no idea what he wanted to be when he was young. If humanity had 'cutie marks' he'd probably be a math professor or an engineer. "What does yours mean?"

Twilight blushed a little. "Mine? Er, it means I'm supposed to be good at magic. I got it when I... well, I guess I should start at the beginning." Rommel looked at her expectantly. "You see, before the War, Celestia ran a school for gifted unicorns. I completely failed my entrance exam. I failed it. But I aced the written part of the test, and even though I couldn't go to magic school, Celestia hired me as a secretary of sorts. I do odd jobs like opening doors and taking notes and making sure she's safe all the time."

"Like a valet?" asked Rommel curiously.

"A... what?"

Bizzare pony-world. Right. What would be a good comparison? "Like a squire?" he tried again.

Twilight brightened. "Yeah! Just like that! I never really thought of it that way before!"

Rommel idly wondered what his cutie mark would be if he had one. A panzer for his love of armored tactics? Or maybe an Iron Cross for his loyalty to the Vaterland? His mind inevitably went back to Twilight. "So you have a talent for magic?" he asked, "what does that do, exactly? This system of pony sorcery is new to me."

"Well, it helps me to learn new spells more quickly. And I can use more powerful spells, too."

Rommel considered asking her about how ponies 'learned' new spells, and what kinds of spells even existed. But he decided that magic was far too complicated a venture to begin now. Instead he merely leaned back with a small smile. "You know, Twilight Sparkle, I have magic too."

"Really?" Twilight cocked her head.

"My soldiers say I do," responded Rommel jokingly, "they call it Fingerspitzengefühl." He willed the last word to come out in German, as he doubted the meaning would translate. "It means I have an almost psychic intuition. I don't believe in magic- at least not magic in my own world -but I cannot deny I have a... an instinctive feeling when it comes to tactics and lines of battle."

Twilight smiled wryly. "Well, Desert Fox, that might be more useful to us than all the magic that all the unicorns in the world can conjure."