//------------------------------// // New Friends // Story: Panzerlost: Rommel in Equestria // by The Party Pony //------------------------------// Erwin Rommel and Twilight Sparkle had a long and pleasant conversation, but lunch was quickly approaching. So the Desert Fox bid his pony companion a fond farewell and set off towards the throne room. He was still awe-struck at the Palace's beauty and architecture. The hallway to the throne room was lined with massive stained glass windows that rivaled the cathedrals of his own world. A hundred different windows showed a hundred different scenes from what he assumed was Equestrian legend and history. Many of them featured Princess Celestia, and many more pictured a dark blue pony whom he had yet to meet. It was clear the pony was a winged unicorn like Celestia, and from the appearance of the artwork, was equally as powerful and respected. A deceased sibling perhaps? Rommel made a mental note to cautiously ask the Princess about it. He was just about to arrive at the doors when he collided with a white unicorn coming the other way. He had been so busy admiring the artwork; he hadn't been watching where he was going. "Pardon me." he said, extending a hand. The unicorn had been knocked off balance by the much larger human, and lay prostrate on the floor. It daintily accepted the Desert Fox's hand, and was pulled to its feet. "Excuse me, Darling," she said, apparently a female, "I was so busy looking over these new designs I didn't even see you." She giggled and brushed off her coat. "The fault is mine," responded Rommel with a smile. "Designs? If I may ask, what manner of designs are they?" "Why, uniform designs of course!" Exclaimed the unicorn, levitating a few papers towards him. "I'm Rarity Belle. I design the clothing for our armed forces." Rommel nodded as he looked over the designs. He was no fashion expert, of course, but he could tell they were absolutely stunning. "Then you're the one I have to thank for my new uniform? Words cannot describe the quality and beauty of this outfit, Miss Belle." Rarity's eyes sparkled. "Well... thank you, Desert Fox. You're too kind. I really just threw it together..." Rommel laughed incredulously. "Threw it together?? Then Miss Rarity, I would love to see what happens when you try. In any case... thank you for your gift. It was incredibly generous." "Thank you, Darling!" exclaimed the unicorn, "but I'm afraid I must be off. I have to deliver these designs before production starts on the new uniforms. It was nice meeting you!" With a little wave she galloped down the hallway, the papers trailing behind her. "Farewell!" exclaimed Rommel after her. She seemed like a nice enough pony. He hoped he got the chance to see her again. But in the mean time, he had to report to Princess Celestia and receive his next assignment. He cast a grave salute towards the guards on either side of the throne room doors, and entered. "I have returned from my furlough, Princess." He announced, bowing and clicking his heals. Celestia was sitting quietly on her throne, head propped up by her arm. "Ah... Desert Fox." She looked up at him and smiled. "There you are! I was hoping you could talk to the Pegasi about your... what was it called? Lightning Warfare tactics?" Rommel nodded. The translation wasn't perfect, but it would suffice. "They have a new commander named Spitfire. She's a good soldier, but she's very proud, and she's not willing to accept the tactics suggested by the charioteers." Understandable. The various branches of service had rivalries in his own world as well. If the Waffen-SS tried to tell him how to fight, he wouldn't listen either. "In any case," continued the Princess, "I was hoping you might try to convince her." "Ja'vohl!" Exclaimed Rommel. In reflex, he had accidentally willed the words to come out in German. "Yes, ma'am!" he translated. "Excellent! I'll teleport you there at once!" Rommel's confidence suddenly disappeared. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with the... unnatural feeling of changing dimensions. But there was no going back. Celestia's horn glowed a soft gold, and he felt himself slip into darkness. The darkness exploded like an artillery shell, light and matter suddenly springing into existence. He reeled backwards a moment before steadying himself, eyes darting quickly around his new environment. He was standing in a large, flat meadow filled with pitched tents of blue and gold. It was a military camp; for once a situation he felt comfortable with. Armed ponies walked back and forth, the distant bark of drill sergeants echoing through the cool mountain air. It was colder here then it was in the city, just enough to make it uncomfortable. Rarity had failed to make him a parka along with his new clothing, so he continued to clasp his rugged grey Wehrmacht Great Coat around his shoulders. It looked odd alongside his pristine Equestrian uniform, but it kept him warm. First things first, he should find this 'Spitfire'. Before he could wave down a soldier, a meteor came screaming down from the heavens. At least it seemed like a meteor, but glimpsing it in the half-second before the collision, it resembled a rainbow. Rommel had been through many airstrikes in the wide brown sands of Afrika, but never before had he seen the sheer speed and power of a pegasus in a dive. Before he knew it, he was thrown backwards like a rag doll, arms and legs flailing helplessly like a man caught in the outer radius of an explosive shell. He crashed back to the ground with shuttering force. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurry, and for a few brief moments he wondered if he was doomed to die far from his Vaterland. "Hey there," said a slightly-concerned voice, "you alright, sir?" Rommel's vision began to clear. He was lying on the ground and staring up at large magenta eyes. A blue pegasus was standing above him, with a rainbow-colored mane and an uncertain smile. "I, uh, I didn't mean to hurt you," she said uneasily, shifting from one hoof to the other. "I was just doing my training for the day, and... I guess it got a little out of control. I hit the ground a few feet from you." Rommel blinked a few times, and patted himself down. Nothing felt broken... "Thank you for asking," he said with a glare as he scrambled to his feet, "though next time perhaps you could refrain from making suicide dives into-" he paused mid-sentence, annoyance turned to awe. "You hit the ground at that speed? And you're alive?!" The cyan pegasus cocked her head. "Yeah...? Come on, it would take more than that to injure a flier like me." Rommel just shook his head. Apparently pony physics were much different from his own world. That much he knew already, but seeing it in practice like that... there were some things he would never get used to. "In any case, how about you make yourself useful and tell me where I can find Commander Spitfire?" The pegasus grinned. "Yeah! I mean, yes, sir! I can take you there if you want!" Rommel mentally flinched. Riding on a pegasus to begin with wasn't something he wanted to attempt, but a pegasus this reckless? There was a reason he had joined the Heer instead of the Luftstreitkräfte. "Thank you, but I think I can make it there myself." The pegasus shrugged. "Suit yourself. I could walk with you if you'd like, though. The camp is a little hectic, so you might have trouble finding your way." "Alright," said Rommel with a curt nod, "I could use the company." The Pegasus was surprisingly decent company. Her name was Rainbow Dash and she had a propensity to constantly talk about her own exploits and accomplishments. But Rommel honestly didn't mind; it helped him learn more about the history of the Crystal War. He, in turn, shared his ideas for new tactics, giving a brief description of the basic concepts of Blitzkrieg. Dash, if possible, had seemed even more enthusiastic than Fancypants had been. "THAT'S SO AWESOME!" She practically screamed. Rommel raised a hand to shield his ear from the direct bombardment. "OH MY GOSH, THAT'S SO BRILLIANT! I'VE GOTTA SEE IF SPITFIRE WILL LET ME SPEARHEAD AN ASSAULT!" Rommel appreciated her enthusiasm, even if the volume was a little louder than he would like. Enthusiasm was normally a mark of green recruits, but judging from how long this war had been going on, Dash was anything but. "Well, I guess this is the place," said Rainbow Dash with a smile. The command tent was about twice the size of the others, and large Equestrian banners were staked into the ground on either side of the door. It had an almost Mongolian look to it. "Thank you," said Rommel sincerely, "I greatly enjoyed your company." He bowed cordially and clicked his heels. "Well there was no way I was going to leave you after knocking you off balance like that!" Rommel hid a small smile. If he had knocked over an officer back in the Deutsches Heer, he would have run for his life. "Your loyalty is admirable," he said seriously, "that will be of much use in the coming days. Such loyalty deserves compensation. I promise I won't mention anything about the, ah, accident to Commander Spitfire." "Really?!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash with a wide grin, "thanks, sir!" Rommel saluted and walked away. Such genuine excitement was rare among the veteran Afrika Korps in his own world. It cheered him a little to see a soldier so light-hearted and full of joy. It reminded him of his days in the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic just after the Great War, when it appeared that all the worst was over in Europe. And there I go worrying about Germany again... Fretting about something I have no control over will do no good at all... But in any case, I hope I get to see that cyan pegasus again someday. Erwin Rommel leaned against the wall with a sigh. The setting sun filtered through the stained glass windows of the palace, casting a rainbow of colors along the floor. The largest of the windows pictured Princess Celestia surrounded by the Elements of Harmony. It hadn't been hard convincing Spitfire of the new tactics. When she realized it wasn't just a selfish play on the part of the charioteers, she quickly agreed to the plan. She was headstrong, but she knew when to withdraw. Now Rommel felt exhausted. In addition to the strain of being in a completely different dimension, the difference in daylight gave him an awful case of desynchronosis. But fortunately, an equally-exhausted Twilight Sparkle had just gotten off work, and stood beside him. "So the Elements... they're jewels?" He asked, gazing at the massive glass artwork before him. "... sort of," replied Twilight, "it's a little hard to explain. They're sort of... embodiments. The purest form of their respective Elements. There's Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter and Magic; the very essence of a pony's soul. When they combine, their magic is very powerful." "So these... stones... embody these elements?" "Something like that." Twilight shook her head, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. "As much as I'd like to answer all your questions, I'm exhausted. Maybe we could resume the quizzing tomorrow?" Rommel chuckled. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Sparkle. How terribly impolite of me to keep you awake. I was so entranced with this artwork, I didn't even think about how tired you must be. Please, take your leave." Twilight looked up with large indigo eyes. "It was nice talking to you, Desert Fox. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave a small smile and disappeared down the hall. Rommel silently studied the stained glass for a long while. Finally, as the last shreds of sunset disappeared into the western mountains, he turned on his heel and walked towards the library. As exhausted as he was, he had a lot of research to do.