Ashes. That was all that remained of Europe. Ashes of war. Ashes of hate. And soon, ashes of one of the greatest species who had ever lived. Four years after Hitler invaded Poland, Equestria came into the conflict of the second world war. They appeared as a large landmass in the pacific. Many thought that they would choose the Allies and help them stop Nazi Germany from her goals of world domination. But they did not choose either side. In fact, it seemed they were no better. This new race, of ponies that harnessed a strange energy, only explained as magic, took a third party. A third party that was devastating to all of mankind. The rulers of this race were disgusted by the hate and violence that befouled humanity. They saw it as a cancer. And they vowed to irradiate it from the world. Over fields and cities they moved, very quickly. They overtook Japan first and America soon after. Using some kind of potion and gas known as ponification serum, every Japanese and American soldier and civilian was made a pony. They were shipped back to Equestria and nobody knows what happens to them, for all humans that step foot on that island become very sick and die soon after. Soon it was not long before the Equestrian armies reached the bloodied heart of evil. Berlin. Many of the soldiers fought to their deaths, those who did not die were ponified, and those who were ponified were shot by the SS. Soon all humans would be ponified, and hate would be extinct from the world for good.
Herman Schott was a Wehrmacht Captain, or Hauptmann. His division was in charge of defending the Reichstag. It was a futile battle. The pegasi teams with the gas bombs would be here to drop the bombs on the Reichstag, and then it would be over at last. At this moment, Schott was in the Fuhrer Bunker behind the Reichstag. He, and many of Germany's top generals, had taken up shelter in the bunker. He and the others, were hunkered down in a meeting room. This would be their last meeting. At the head of the table sat Der Fuhrer himself. Adolf Hitler was always a proud man. He broadcast his messages of hate with such arrogance and bravado, that it was actually not too surprising that he managed to get the entire German people to back him. But this time he was not proud. In fact, nobody had ever seen him this defeated. He stood up from his seat. The snapping of heels and the rise of hands filled the room.
"Heil Hitler." The generals said. Hitler waved their hands down.
"There is no need for that anymore." Hitler said. "For now I have doomed us all, Aryan or otherwise." He began to get angry. "It was my own hate that spawned this war, that called forth these... these... PONIES!" he spat. "to wipe us all off the map! And now humanity will die, we are the last city in Europe!" Schott took a deep breath. He felt bad for the leader, who was consumed by self pity. It seemed that his hate was now directed at himself. Hitler sat back down and sighed. "This is the end." he spoke softly. "I should be angry with my troops for not fighting harder." He looked up at the generals. He made eye-contact with every one. Captain Schott shivered as the eye of the Fuhrer passed over him. "but I am proud of our men and their valor for lasting this long, for I am sure the result would be the same anyways." He stood up once more and moved to the door. "I am going to end my life in this bunker today, for I refuse to live under the rule of these dammed equines." He looked back to the group. "Unless that is your wish, I suggest you do the same." He waved his hand as he stepped out the door. "You are all dismissed for the last time. Geh mit Gott! " The men filed out of the room, one by one. Schott was one of the last to leave.
As Schott exited the room, He was stopped by a tall man. It was Josef Gobbels, the chief propaganda officer of the Third Reich. "Hauptmann Schott." He stated "The Fuhrer would like a final word with you." Schott nodded. What did Hitler want with him? Schott hurried into Hitler's office. The Fuhrer was standing behind his desk.
"Ah, Hauptmann, you have come as quickly as I have expected." Schott clicked his heels together and raised his arm high into the Nazi salute.
"Heil-" Hitler cut him off as he grabbed his arm and lowered it.
"You fool." he said, his voice slightly heightened. "That does not matter anymore! Do you understand?"
Schott nodded. What more could he do? "Yes, Mein Fuhrer."
"Now your loyalty is applaudable, Hauptmann. I understand that you are in charge of the defense group defending the Reichstag, yes?"
"Ja, Mein Fuhrer, that is correct."
"Then I wish that you join them. You do not deserve the death of a man like me. You deserve to die like a hero. You will be the last hero. There will be no more heroes from here, or anywhere else anymore. Now go."
Schott nodded. Without another word, he left the office. He breezed through the bunker, and put on his coat, his oberschutze cap, and his Luger. At the door, he was stopped by General Burgdorf.
"Where are you going, Hauptmann Schott?" Burgdorf asked.
Schott's reply was simple. "To be the last hero of humanity. By orders of the Fuhrer."
Burgdorf said nothing. then he clicked his heels together. Raising his hand, he said "Heil der Menschheit!" It was these words that signified the fall of a dictator, and a rise of a brief period of hope. Before long, all those in the bunker saluted towards Schott. as he stepped up the stairs and left the bunker. "Heil der Menschheit! Heil der Menschheit"
Schott walked through the halls of the Reichstag, his journey taking him towards the roof. First though, he stopped at his office. Schott's office was rather small, but just large enough. It smelled of dust, ash, and soot, like the rest of Berlin. A desk with a world map above it was at the opposite end of the room. Next to that was a chest. He went to the large chest beside his desk. Flags of companies of countries that his division had conquered lay inside. Some were gifts, for example, a prayer flag given to him by a fellow commander in Japan. There were many flags. Schott took them all, and put them into a bag. He was going to make one last symbol to stand by for his inevitable demise. As an afterthough, he took down the map over his desk as well. Taking nothing more than the flags and an armful of Stielhandgranate, he set off to make his image.
(Der Koniggratzer Marsch)
Schott stepped out onto the terrace of the Reichstag. He could hear the echoes of the Koniggratzer Marsch throughout the dead city. Gold clad Equestrian legions marched onto the Reichstag grounds and were making their way inside. He could hear gunfire ringing out from withing the grand Parliament building. Schott began to take down the Nazi flag. The tattered red white, and black fabric swooped down to cover his hand. As he did this, there was massive cheering from the Equestrians below. They took the lowering of the flag as an act of surrender. In a way, it was. Schott worked quickly. As he glanced over the side, something caught his eye.
As the ponies marched in with the barrels of potion that would turn his soldiers into ponies, he saw two larger ponies. One was white with a multicolored mane, and one was blue with a dark twinkling mane. The Princesses were here to witness Germany's, as well as Humanity's final defeat. He reconfigured his plan. Schott placed the flags on the rope. He opened up some of his grenades and used the powder to lay a trail. He took out the bullets in his Luger, and replaced them with a small flash cap. He was ready to welcome the Princesses.
Although it was only a few minutes, it seemed like hours to Schott. He was hoping, no, praying, that his soldiers were somehow able to defeat the Equestrians. But his prayers were not answered. The regal figures of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were here. Beside them was an average sized lavender alicorn.
"Guten tag, Frauliens," he said simply. "I understand that you are here to take me away."
Princess Celestia took the lead. "Yes." she said. Her voice was gentle, almost understanding, but Schott knew there was no way she could ever understand. "As I am sure you are aware that you are the last human. All others have been either ponified, or, most unfortunately, have been killed."
"I see." Schoot shifted uncomfortably. Never could he have anticipated that he was the last man on Earth.
"I understand that this must be a harsh moment for you, but-"
"You understand nothing!" Schott shouted. The Guards at the Princess' side readied their weapons. "Do not lie to me now." Schott's body shook in anger. "You will never understand the pain, or the suffering. To know you are the last one of your species and that very soon you will die. I doubt you would be the last in that situation, another will be forced to receive that pain, saving your stupid sunny ass!"
The purple alicorn cried out in anger. "How dare you insult the Princess like that!"
"Twilight, please." Celestia steadied the smaller pony. "Sir, you must realize that we only do this for the greater good. Ponification does not kill you, it makes you better." She turned back to her guards. "Bring forth one of the newfoals!" A tan pony was hustled to the front of the group.
"Hauptmann Schott! Is that you?" Schott knew that voice too well. It was Hauptmann Hoffman. Hoffman was his second in command. They had been through thick and thin together. And now he was one of them. "Please Hauptmann Schott, don't delay anymore, it is so wonderful to be ponified, you feel so much more pure and alive." Those were words that Hoffman would never say. He would rather die before being ponified, but they had beaten death to him, and turned him into a mindless shell of the man he was.
"It rips your beliefs from your soul and mind." Schott shook his finger at the ponified captain. "It changes your personality, your thinking pattern. If that is not killing, then neither is death! You cannot have love without hate. I am by no means saying that hate is good, but it is necessary, and it cannot be fully destroyed."
The guard took Hoffman away as Celestia spoke once more. "We only want to help you. We want to free you from your hate."
"And you are willing to take the life of an entire species to do that." Schott sighed and shook his head. "I know, I know. I see the irony in that, but it was only two months ago when I learned about those terrible camps. When I heard that, I wanted to desert the Fuhrer, but that would get me nowhere but dead. Now I wish I had ran, so that I would not be cursed with being the last one of my race."
"Indeed." Celestia said "Now enough talk." Will you go quietly, or do we have to force you to make the right decision?"
Schott said nothing. Celestia nodded back to her guards. One produced a flask of purple fluid. The serum. Schott shuddered. "Twilight, my faithful student," Celestia said to the lavender pony. "Would you do the honors of cleansing Earth of hate once and for all?"
Twilight took the bottle with her magic. "Yes Princess."She walked over to Schott, lifting the bottle towards him. "Trust her, it will make you feel much better."
It was now or never. Schott ducked down and grabbed Twilight. The guards and the princesses were too shocked to react. Schott raised his right hand, along with Twilight's hoof in a salute and took out his Luger, pointing it at the ground.
"Heil Der Menschheit!" he shouted, and fired at the ground.
The flash cap in his gun ignited the gunpowder trail. It led to the flagpole. Up shot a string of flags over the pole. The top of the miniature rocket rope wrapped around the top of the pole, securing the rope in place. At the top of the rope was the map of the world. Following that were the flags of all the countries Schott possessed. The Nazi flag from the Reichstag, the Japanese Prayer flag, flags from the United States, Britain, Russia, Poland, France, Italy, and many others flew proud in the wind. But the plan was not over yet.
Schott shoved Twilight back towards the Princesses and stepped back to the edge of the roof. A second line of powder was still burning. It led to a cluster of Stielhandgranate hidden under a pile of rubble. When the burning powder ignited the fuze, the grenades exploded. The princesses and any guards near them were blown into pieces, their armor and limbs scattering around the rooftop, their blood splattering up onto the map and the flags. The force of the blast blew Schott far over the edge of the roof, knocking off his cap, and sending him plummeting toward the Earth below.
As Schott fell, he heard many sounds. The ringing from the blast, the air whistling past his ears. Most prominantly, though, was the Koniggratzer Marsch still playing over the loudspeakers in the city. To Schott, it was like a serenade. A celebration. Schott closed his eyes as he waited for his final impact. However, he was no longer afraid. He had left a symbol of humanity to the Equestrians. He had ensured they would never forget their mistakes of trying to control what could not be controlled. And he was happy. He had paid humanity the final tribute. Der Letzte Tribut. He had retained the honor of man for now, and forever.
Heil Der Menschheit.
Hail Humanity.