//------------------------------// // Versetzt // Story: Krieger's Tale: Rise of the Germane Empire // by Stalin with Da Spoon //------------------------------// As Krieger slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the sleep in his eyes as they adjusted to the light that was flowing in through the currently open tent flap, as he heard shouting and yelling accompanied by rapid footsteps and movement. Wondering what all the fuss was about, he slowly sat up in his bed, his back slightly straining due to his somewhat old age of 38. As he set up, he looked over to see Klaus and Fredrick already awake, putting on their boots and Stahlhelm while securing their equipment. As Klaus finished gearing up, he walked over to Krieger's bed and saluted. "I trust you slept well, Herr?" "Ja, good sleep, good sleep. Just a strange dream is all... What is everyone shouting about?" "Weiß ich nicht', Herr, we just woke up too." "I see... Now then, let us make ready. We have a lot of ground to cover today." Klaus nodded, as he walked away and allowed Krieger his prviacy. He looked to the bedside table with his new uniform on top of it, as his soldiers looked away while he proceeded to change out of his sleep clothes and put it on, properly securing it where it was nice and snug as he turned to Klaus. "Hand me my boots, please." Klaus nodded, as he grabbed Krieger's boots at the end of the bed and handed them to the Colonel, who thanked him and placed his feet into them and secured them, as he was then handed his gloves and put them on. He then stood and walked over to the table with his hat on it, quickly sorting out his hair before putting it on while he holstered his Luger. He then nodded to his two cohorts as Fredrick opened the tent flap and they stepped out. Krieger's hat did a decent job of shielding his eyes from the rather bright sun, though much of it's light was blocked by the dark storm clouds above, and so he was the first to see what everyone was freaking out about. The landscape was dramatically different, the sounds of war and artillery were replaced with calm and serene noises of nature. The area they had set up camp in had also changed, as they were no longer on top of a hill, but in the middle of a large field. Krieger mentally cursed himself, realizing how this could be. Looks like 'Princess Luna' was real after all, and that offer she made might just be true. Better not say anything about it and act surprised... "What ze schnitzel!?!" The reaction was partially genuine, as Krieger was not expecting this at all. He then turned to see Lieutenant Colonel Franz approaching, as they saluted each other before Franz spoke. "Oberst, are you okay? I do not know how, but somehow in the middle of the night our watchmen became unconscious and we were transported to a new location! Even stranger is the fact that none of our equipment is missing, and everything is practically the same it was last night!" "Hmm... That is strange indeed... Nobody is missing?" "Ja, all military and civilian personnel have been accounted for." "Excellent. Well, it seems to have taken us far from the fighting, so perhaps it was beneficial." "Indeed Herr. Though many of us are disoriented, many of the civilians are just glad to have escaped the fighting. Though many have stated that if we wish to stay ahead of the war, we should get back on the road before noon." "Very well then, give the order for all personnel to pack and get on the road again." "Understood, Kommandant." Franz said as he saluted before walking away to give the order, as Krieger turned to Fredrick and Klaus. "This time we will be taking a jeep, so Fredrick, you will drive." Fredrick nodded as the three soldiers walked over to one of the currently empty Kübelwagen jeeps and saw Private William standing beside the car, as he saluted and opened the car's driver side door for them, as Krieger thanked him and climbed inside to sit down in the front passenger seat, while Fredrick took the wheel as Klaus and William sat down in the back. Considering the storm clouds above, the roof canvas had been rolled over the top of the jeep to protect from the rain. As Fredrick turned the key and started the jeep, the rest of the convoy engaged their engines as well, as one of the bikers signaled for Fredrick to drive as the lead vehicle, as he nodded and pulled forward to the front of the convoy, leading it off of the grassy terrain and onto a rough dirt path, soon followed by the rest of the military and civilian convoy vehicles. As the truck drove along the coarse dirt path, it was far more bumpier than any regular path, so if Krieger wasn't awake already, he was definitely awake now. As the jeep slowly drove along the road, Krieger swore he saw something in the distance... As he looked closer, it appeared to be... Smoke? A tall dark plume of ash and smoke rose from what appeared to be a village. As Krieger turned to his Komarades, they confirmed they were seeing the same thing. The jeep's radio buzzed as Krieger answered it. "Herr, that village is smoking and burning, it may be under attack from hostiles!" "Ja, we must investigate, tell our men to make ready for potential combative engagement, and have any civilian and military personnel with medical experience on stand by! Send forward our scout bikes to follow us as we investigate!" "Understood, Herr!" As the radio cut out, Krieger turned to William. "Step on it, los los!" "Verstanden!" The Private then pressed down fully on the gas, as the jeep sped forward rapidly, two scout bikes driving alongside it as they drove forward. As they got closer to the village, the men in the jeep and bikes readied their weapons, as Krieger placed his hand on his Luger. If there were still hostiles within the village, they would need to be ready. Whoever dared to attack an innocent village would face the full fury of the Wehrmacht! Misty Light sniffled as she was pulled forward by the coarse rope wrapped around her wrists, looking back to the stallions and mares bound behind and linked to her, all of them bruised and battered from the raid on their village, the hope in their eyes lost as their horrid captors pushed them forward. "Move it, you will all sell well in the slave market!" "Ha, betcha the king will love some of these mares!" Misty Light glared at the Caribou before being slapped, feeling powerless. However, an odd noise soon filled her ears, a noise similar to that of something snarling, as several metal chariots began to approach the slave line. The Caribou guards held their spears up, as the metal chariots came into better view, as Misty Light saw the symbol of a Black Cross with a White Outline, as the drivers of the vehicles wore grey uniforms and helmets, wielding strange pipe like weapons, or what she presumed were weapons. As the vehicles approached, the drivers came into closer view as well. They were unlike anything she had seen before, with flat noses, no fur, and all of them almost had the exact same skin tone. The vehicles then stopped, as some of the passengers from the vehicles stepped out, raising their weapons as the passenger side door of the main car opened, and out stepped a creature that matched the height of the Caribou, a glare on his face and wearing a different type of hat, signifying their higher rank. What was even stranger, was the way the creature then spoke to them... "Von der Wehrmachtsbehörde wird Ihnen befohlen, Ihre Gefangenen freizulassen und sich sofort zu ergeben!" Both the ponies and caribou collectively looked at each other in confusion, before one of the caribou spoke up. "What did ya just say to us, punk?" "Ah, you speak English, of course..." The creature then spoke in a language they all understood, though with a different accent. "Ahem... By the authority of the Wehrmacht, you are ordered to release your prisoners and surrender at once!" The caribou all looked at each other collectively before bursting out laughing. "Oh yeah, or what?" The very caribou that spoke saw the officer reach to his side and pull out a strange weapon, as he glared right into the Caribou's soul. "Or you shall eat my Luger!" "Ha, what's that thing going to do to me?" The officer got an evil smirk on his face, before aiming the Luger at the caribou's forehead, and pulling the trigger. The following sound and flash made every caribou and pony wince at the gunshot, before seeing the caribou drop to the ground dead, a large hole in his head as blood flowed from it. As the caribou looked back, the other unknown soldiers began aiming their weapons as well. The caribou nervously raised their spears, before restoring their confidence. "Come on, these bastards are all talk and no bite, let's kill em and take their fancy toys!" The other caribou cheered as they charged forward. The leading officer simply sighed, as he raised his hand and clenched it, as the soldiers unleashed a hail of lead, their weapons releasing flashes of light and loud bangs as each and every single caribou dropped to the ground dead. The ponies shivered in terror, worried about what these creatures would do to them, until they heard the officer speak once more in their unknown language to their troops. "Release the prisoners, tend to their wounds!" As the soldiers approached the ponies, they cowered away before they saw the soldiers reaching to undo their bindings, helping them cut free from the ropes and supporting those who were too weak to stand on their own. As Misty Light contemplated what was happening, she watched as the officer approached her and proceeded to undo her ropes, as he tipped his hat to her and smiled. "Greetings madame. Colonel Erich Von Krieger, pleasure to meet you." The Colonel extended his hand, as Misty Light's eyes proceeded to tear up, before she opened her arms and grasped the unknown creature in her arms. "Uhh... Zis is awkward."