"My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and - what's even worse - the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty helpless; only when a man has lost any fingers does he see how much he needs them for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished."
-Anonymous German soldier during the battle of Stalingrad

An icy coldness was the first thing that Applejack felt as her fur hit the cold, hard ground.

The shock of the frigid cobblestone beneath the cowpony prompted her to yelp loudly, jumping up to separate herself as far as she could from the spiteful ground. Shivering from the stinging wind nipping at her body, Applejack surveyed her surroundings. She was standing in the center of a mangled street, craters dotting it's entirety.

A frown formed at Applejack's face when she examined the destroyed shops and apartment buildings lining the street and the intersection beyond it. Debris from various structures lay all around as she stared at the burnt and battered homes. Aside from a crow picking at a dark lump some thirty feet away, there was little movement within the rubble.

"I don't like this . . . I don't like this one bit. I'd best find mah' element and high-tail it outta here before something gets outta hoof." She said to herself in an unsure tone.

Aside from the demolished buildings plaguing her sight, the weather had begun to take it's toll on her body, the feeling in the tips of Applejack's hooves quickly beginning to numb. It was definitely Winter, but apparently not cold enough to be snowing. Her eyes had begun to tear from the driving wind, the wetness on her cheeks stinging her as the freezing temperatures hit the tears themselves.

"Shelter . . . g-gotta find shelter . . " Applejack stuttered to herself as the cold overwhelmed her senses.

The orange cowpony trotted down the destroyed avenue, stepping over building chunks, charred metal, and dropped luggage. The denizens that lived here were obviously trying to get out of here fast, but to no avail. A poster glided in the air as the cold wind blew it, landing roughly on the ground a few feet away from Applejack. The piece of paper snagged on a piece of glass and lay taut for a moment, displaying it's picture to the mare shivering in front of it. It was a portrait of some kind, depicting a creature with an unruly amount of facial hair below what appeared to be it's nose. The lettering was bright red, worded in what appeared to be some kind of foreign language chock full of odd scribbles and backwards R's.

"That's an odd lookin' fella right there." She mumbled to herself through the howl of the wind.

Applejack continued trotting down the road, trying to ignore the sheer obliteration around her. She stepped over a broken window pane and around a funny looking carriage. The crow was still hopping about the darkened lump; another distraction she wished to tune out of her head. Her hoof made contact with something plush, prompting Applejack to look down at the culprit. A small gasp escaped the orange mare's mouth as she gazed upon a ragged, torn teddy bear lying on the unforgiving cobblestone. It looked just like the one Applebloom kept on her dresser. The ears had nearly rotted off and a large slit in it's stomach could be easily identified, whatever remaining of the stuffing spilled out on the ground.

"Poor little thing. Ah bet whoever owned ya is probably lookin' fer you." Applejack spoke somberly.

She bent down to examine it further when an odd rumbling shook the ground lightly around her. The pebbles and glass near the stuffed animal vibrated as a low whir sounded down the street from whence she came. Applejack whirled around on the tips of her hooves and stared down the deserted boulevard. The rumbling grew louder and louder until an odd shape protruded from around the corner of a building. First came a long tube, then the platform it was mounted on. It rolled toward her on giant caterpillars, looking more machine than organic as they tumbled over everything in it's metallic path.

It was then that Applejack realized that the huge metal beast wasn't going to stop. The black crow flew away as the rumbling beast crushed the darkened lump that had kept the bird's attention for so long. It followed a steady path down the road as Applejack turned and galloped into the cover of some badly destroyed ruins, it's wooden supports singed black. The mechanical monster stalked by, rolling directly over the remains of the teddy bear.

"Better get outta here and find mah element unless ah wanna get that thing's attention."

She was about to flee into the cover of another destroyed building when she caught sight of something that piqued her interest. Movement from a dark alleyway near the beast startled the orange pony, but intrigued her at the same time. Something was fumbling around in the shadowy corner, it's mind set on something complicated. Then, in a flash, two figures burst from the alley and rushed the monster.

They walked on two feet, just like a diamond dog, and used their forward appendages just as Spike did. They wore ragged cloths that were dirty and stained. One of them wore a green helmet while the other donned a torn cap. They climbed the hard layers of the beast and reached the top where a small cap sat. One of the creatures readied some kind of object in it's hand while the other tinkered with the piece of metal, as if it was trying to pry it open. Applejack watched intensely as the animal pulled open some sort of hatch in the machine and backed up, making room for it's counterpart. The thing held up the object in it's hand, a dirty bottle filled with a golden liquid plugged up by a cloth, and threw it inside the porthole.

The two beings leaped from the top of the machine as a distinct crashing noise emanated from the bowels of the beast followed by bumps, bangs, and . . . shouts? Applejack could hear panicked screaming as she watched a black smoke column billow from the top of the monster. Then a very peculiar thing happened. From the top of the burning thing shot out an appendage that was shockingly familiar.

Only it wasn't a claw at all. It looked a lot like what the other creature's had on their forelimbs, except this one was burnt a sickening red and black. A guttural shrieking came from the owner of this body part as the rest of the figure emerged from the top of the now unmoving beast. Applejack flinched in shock as she watched the charred thing scream bloody murder, flailing about as it's clothing caught aflame.

It was trying to squeeze itself out, but was obviously losing strength as the constant flame burned away at it's flesh. Tears flooded from the orange mare's eyes as she watched this creature suffer terribly. Then, with one final twitch, the animal slumped over, apparently dead. Applejack looked on in horror at the deceased figure, hearing the fat pop on it's boiled skin as the flame continued to eat away at the corpse. She was now numb to the cold, the only feeling within her being a deep sorrow and pity for the murdered creature.

"This . . . this is horrible! Ah've gotta get outta here!" She spoke in a frantic voice as moist tears streamed down her cheeks, the relentless wind still freezing them as they left her tear ducts.

Applejack tripped and stumbled her way through the back lot of the destroyed building, the tears creating a thin trail in the air behind her as they fell. The image of the grilled creature flashed through her mind as she fell into a cold ditch, patches of frozen water surrounding her. Applejack laid there for a long time, contemplating what she should do next. The horrific events that had unfolded recently clouded her mind, not to mention the frigid air freezing her body. She hardly had the strength to move let alone move around and search for her element.

The sudden voice startled the orange pony, but of course, she couldn't do anything about it. Applejack could hear rustling and steps being taken inches from her position, but obviously whatever was moving around couldn't see her or hear her pathetic, shallow breaths.

The shambling got closer and closer until the voice was right on top of her. It breathed quick, sharp breaths as it scanned it's surroundings. Applejack peeked her eyes up and noticed that it looked a lot like one of the creatures back there did. It certainly was dressed for the season. The creature was bundled in rags and cloths of varying density but a cold fog could still be seen from it's mouth as it drew breath. As she examined the animal in front of her, Applejack's concentration was interrupted by a tingling in her throat. Due to all the phlegm she had swallowed from her constant sniffling earlier, her throat found it necessary to clear itself.

The cough was loud and hoarse, noticeable enough to attract the attention of the thing above her.

The creature looked awfully surprised as it recoiled from the sight of the orange mare lying prone on the ground in front of it. Applejack stared intently at the animal, and at the short mane that spurted out from underneath it's cap. Her vision blurred as she became weaker and weaker from the cold overwhelming her body.

Suddenly she became extremely lightheaded, and darkness stole her from the world.

"Вы знаете, вы действительно должны избавиться от этой вещи.

"Почему? Он выглядел так же, как страшно, как мы. Зачем это отрицать право на жизнь?"

She could feel a thick leather blanket around her, just like the one that Granny Smith used to cover her with when she fell asleep on the couch in her younger days. She could no longer feel the fierce wind blowing on her fur so she assumed that she was inside some kind of shelter. She opened her eyelids slowly, allowing the muscles in her eyes time to contort and adjust to the lack of light in the small room she was in.

The blurred creatures shot up from their relaxed positions, recoiling from the orange pony's sudden outburst. They began chattering amongst themselves, speaking in high-pitched, nervous voices.

Applejack glanced at each of the blurry groups of creatures, trying to make out how many there were and what they might look like. Her eyesight cleared, and she could now clearly make out several shady figures wrapped in cloths and ragged fabric. The one in the center was wearing a cap, just like the one at the . . .

Her sniffles and whimpering was obviously heard over the chattering creatures as they had drawn their attention down to the orange mare sobbing in front of them. One of them, an older thing with creases running down it's aged and withered cheeks approached Applejack.

"Что он собирается делать, да? Меня укусить?"

Applejack shivered in fright as the animal drew closer and closer, until it was inches away from her frail body. It's claw like appendages reached for her, and she cringed as they made contact. But it was odd. This wasn't the touch of something trying to hurt somepony, more so the feeling of something trying to soothe and comfort. The creature brought Applejack close and warmed her with it's body heat as it gently stroked her mane. It spoke with a calm voice, almost fatherly.

"Там, там маленький, нет необходимости плакать."

Although she couldn't understand it, Applejack felt safer than ever in this world of destruction and killing. Looking up, she could see all the other creatures calm down as they eyed their comrade with astonished looks. Then, something odd happened that Applejack couldn't quite process in her head.

It was a hoarse tone of voice, but as melodic and tranquil as any singer could ever aspire to be. The others in the room relaxed back down as they listened to the thing's beautiful tune. Despite the current conditions, Applejack felt right at home, lounging by the fireplace as her father sung her a lullaby.

A deafening crash sounded off outside the small room, and the other creatures shot to their feet. They picked up wooden sticks with metal that capped the ends. A round bolt could be seen at the side near the rear as Applejack watched them all pull it forward, load in some kind of cylinder, and pull back the mechanism. The elderly creature followed suit, as he gently put Applejack down and picked up his own stick. He motioned for her to stay put as he and his friends bolted out the door, shouting frantically all the way through.

Applejack wrapped the cloth around her body as she peeked out the doorway. She gasped as she gazed upon the floor below her. She was in some kind of industrial workplace, the likes of which she had never seen. There were chains and riggings everywhere, probably used to hoist large pieces of metal onto the assembly lines that lined the entire factory. The unusual creatures had each picked various positions by a window as they stuck the barrel of each stick through the smashed panes. The elderly one and one of it's acquaintances fumbled with a longer stick, one that had two smaller stems bracing the pole up against a shelf. It had a circular metallic piece attached to the top.

"Загрузите его! Загрузите его прямо сейчас!" One of them shouted.

Applejack couldn't understand why, but all the bipedal animals had become tense, gazing eagerly at different places surrounding their building. She chanced a glance outside and gasped. Sitting in a muddy crater was a glinting piece of metal. One which was embedded with gems so shiny, not even the dirt and debris could block out it's shine.

Distant pops could be heard, effectively cutting Applejack off as several holes pocked the walls in front of her, small gusts of air tearing her Stetson from her head. She hit the ground and looked forward at the source of the interruption and saw one of the creatures she was in company with earlier writhing on the ground, grasping it's neck as a crimson fluid flowed from the rupture in it's skin. Seconds later, it's jaw went slack as blood flowed freely from it's mouth and open neck wound.

"N-no . . no . . ." Applejack stuttered as she watched an innocent creature die painfully in front of her.

Simultaneous popping erupted from the long pole that the elderly animal used, a plethora of smaller canisters falling from the side of the stick as they were clumsily ejected. She could here indistinct shouting in the distance, frantic and full of panic. Gathering her senses, Applejack leaned back and reached for her Stetson. She picked it up and examined it closely. Three steaming holes had been punched clean through the thick felt.

"Right, better stay low." She mumbled to herself as she positioned her hat back onto her head.

Applejack crawled low through the building, ducking and diving her way into cover every time she heard that familiar popping sound. One of the creatures standing on a catwalk above her activated the mechanism on it's stick as fire erupted from the opposite end. She could hear a resounding cry not far off. Seconds later, the wall in front of the animal erupted in holes as the creature was riddled with some kind of invisible jackhammer. It slumped over as blood flowed from the new punctures in it's chest and head.

The sanguine fluids running through the holes in the catwalk and directly onto the orange mare below.

Applejack winced as the gallon of liquid doused her mane and fur, darkening her a thick red. The erratic popping continued from the elderly creature's pole. It's comrade, a younger being with smoother features, screamed in shock as it pitched backwards. A small hole had torn it's way through the creature's arm, the writhing animal clutching it like a robin's egg. Another creature, one dressed in a darker outfit donning a distinguished cap, yelled in fear.

An explosion ripped an enormous hole in the wall in front of Applejack as the orange pony ducked low, the debris showering her with shards of glass and metal. She stared off in the distance and noticed that the culprit had been one of the armored beasts she had the displeasure of seeing earlier, it's smoking barrel aimed directly at the building housing her and the others. She could also see numerous figures advancing on their position, shouting and swearing in their own language. The barrel on the rolling monster lit up as a dark object flew out of the cannon at lightening speeds, the orange mare tracing it's path as it slammed headlong into the factory.

Applejack gasped as the kindly animal's position went up in smoke, all that remained in it's place being some bloody ragged pieces of cloth. A single tear ran down her cheek as she stared on in shock. The only bit of warmth she knew in this cold world was gone now, but she still had a job to do. One of the figures stepped over her, not seeming to notice the orange pony, and headed toward a window. Right in that instant, the wooden door in front of them broke off of it's hinges and another figure rushed in. This one was wearing a dark robe and a mask so intimidating that it rivaled Nightmare Moon's visage on Nightmare Night.

The two rushed each other and began swinging their sticks clumsily, both seeming to hate one another with a deep passion as they fought. The darker creature's gun was knocked out of it's hand, who proceeded to strafe it's still-armed counterpart. The darker one rushed the other, and ducked low as it's opponent swung it's weapon high. They rammed into each other and wrestled around on the ground until they found each other struggling in place, the darker one's claw-like appendages wrapped around the other's neck.

Applejack slipped by the two out the broken down door, only one goal on her mind.

She crawled through the debris and the bodies that lay outside the building, the popping and shouting still swirling around her in a shrieking mass of noise. She stopped her crawl only for a moment to retch after she came upon the mangled body of one of the creature's who had reached an untimely demise. It's lower abdomen had been slit open, revealing most of it's innards and vital organs. Applejack found herself crawling around the dead body and into a ditch, yards away from the crater that held her beloved element.

Two dark-clothed beings dropped into the crater and began emitting flames from there weapons until they saw Applejack, which was when they had stopped firing to gaze at the queer sight displayed in front of them. Applejack could only stare back. This went on for another thirty seconds until all three heard a peculiar 'clinking' noise. Applejack looked down and noticed something in the crater that hadn't been there a moment before. A small, metal stick.

Applejack knew something was wrong when she noticed that the two creatures had gone bug-eyed at the sight of this small, seemingly harmless object.

Applejack reacted accordingly as fast as she could, but she was too late. A resounding explosion blew the small pony out of the crater, bringing her inches away from her prize.

She cringed when she felt her leg with a hoof, a sharp pain reverberating through her lower limbs. They were bleeding profusely, but Applejack no longer paid any notice. She was too concentrated on the rolling beast about to crush her element and damn her to a futile existence in such an inhospitable world. The mechanical monster was rumbling over the landscape, getting ever closer to the factory. A lone crater stood in it's path, but the machine would have no problem passing over it. The only problem was that Applejack's one chance of getting back to her friends sat in that dismal hole in the ground, and she had to get to it before the metallic beast's caterpillars did.

The monstrosity got closer and the pain grew stronger yet Applejack persevered as she and the beast raced each other in some demented contest for a prize that could only benefit one contender. She was now inches away from the necklace, and the treads from the monster were staring her down menacingly just a few feet away.

"Just . . gotta . . . touch it." She stammered as she rolled herself into the crater.

Her body bounced down into the rocky hole as she came to a stop right before the piece of jewelry. She slapped a hoof over it and brought it close, holding the necklace like a mother would a child. The whirring of the treads became louder and louder as Applejack's body was engulfed in a flash of bright lights.

Over there

by walk-in closet brony

October 2nd, 1942-The battle for the 'Red October' Factory canteen, Siege of Stalingrad-The Second World War