On July 3, 1943, Equestria declared war on the Axis Powers.
Like many other bronies, part of the appeal MLP holds for me is its unrelenting optimism. Equestria serves as a charming diversion, both from reality and from the more violent medias we enjoy in games and television. No matter how many orks I kill in a game, I always seem to meander my way back to the realm of ponies. It is a land of bright colors, good intentions, and happy endings. A utopia, or at least close to it. While humans are inclined towards ambition, I imagine that ponies seek contentment above all else. If there is enough, there is no need for more.
A longstanding hobby of mine is studying history, particularly World War II. And I do mean STUDYING - I read the big books and dig online for unusual facts and details. Combining the two interests became a project of mine, and so “A Great Endeavor” was conceived.
Its premise is self-obvious: Equestria exists on Earth, and enters the sprawling conflict known as World War II. But what could bring the peaceful species to war? How would they work with their human allies? What tactics would they develop, and what counter-tactics would the Germans use? Would the presence of magic lead to ruin or salvation?
Such are questions for the ‘big picture.’ But what of the individuals? Ponies at war would doubtless see their naïve outlook shaken to the core. But wouldn’t they also bring this outlook with them to war-torn Europe? Could their good intentions and gentle kindness make this very dark time just a little bit brighter?
The ‘big picture’ will be included, but the stories within will be about individuals. I could wax on and on about politics and strategy, but it is the individuals who truly make up the face of war. It was them who smelled the smoke, them who died for their homelands and ideals. It was them who saved their fellow man, or doomed him, or stood by in utter indifference. It was them who lost their innocence, and them who – at last – brought the madness to an end.
While the stories are obviously fiction, I intend to back them with historical fact. There will be no “Robo Hitler.” The Allied soldiers will not be saints, nor will the Germans act with senseless evil. The line between evil and ‘necessary evil’ can be a blurry one, however, though such judgments are yours to make.
The era carried with it unprecedented atrocities, and I believe it is irresponsible to shy away from this fact. As a part of this world, ponies will bear witness to them: as saviors, survivors, and victims. Like the humans around them, they will struggle to keep their better nature, and emerge from the war changed for better or worse. If you do not feel that such events and emotions belong in a pony fiction, then please read no further. But also please remember that this is history, and no pony shall endure that which has not been endured by millions of your fellow human beings.
With or without ponies, World War II was a strange time. Progress and barbarism leapt forward hand-in-hand. Hope was crushed, then flared again in the unlikeliest places. Nations and armies shattered in the space of days. The worst of humanity rose to power, yet this drew out the best in others, who risked and suffered death for the sake of strangers.
In these stories, the ponies are a part of those strange times. What will they find, and what will they leave behind?
May you always find what you seek.
-Dan