> Greed and Power
>  by TheStoryMaker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue - Without Any Warning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Run.

The only word in my head.

Run for your life. 

Run if you want to live.

Run if you want to see another day.

So I did.

I ran for my life through the battlegrounds of the war. The flags, the dead bodies, the abandoned trenches that were fought from close-quarter combat. As I ran toward the closing of the dome of magic ready to seal on its own, I had to get closer.

At first, I ran on the trench maze not even attempting to get lost in it. It also didn't help with the mud and wood boards on the ground of the trench maze. My heart was beating fast, my feet felt like sticks. I was ready to die.

Then when I just jumped over a trench in mid-air I saw my shadow, it was a bright flash... Brighter than the Sun. Brighter than anything I have ever seen before, but this very very important.

Sometimes that mushroom cloud can come, without any warning.

The shake of the ground was powerful so powerful enough, that once I had landed on the other side of the trench, the mud and wood collapsed into the trenches. So really I was caught in it, as I struggled to get to the ground my foot stepped on a wooden surface bringing me to support my struggle. After that, nothing but god-forsaken barbwire and spiked wood covering almost everything I see. Now the trenches were just almost completely covered with mud. Now all I wanted was a shower, literally, my feet was rotting away.

As I continued to run to live and see my future, the barbwire was cutting away my clothes, and skin with a huge amount of blood all over my body, dripping away. Now, remember, I wasn't going through complete metal, the shake helped the barbwire to break to small pieces. All now sunken into the trenches.

"Hurry!" A very similar pony asked. "Before it gets here!"

Now I was running, bleeding and almost collapsing on the mud with nothing to go through but countless dead bodies. Of Humans and Ponies. Guns and grenades ready to shoot or explode.

As I ran toward the 'Dome', it was already closing. Now all I really had to do is run over the mud.

Now I really think it's not even considered mud, it's mostly damp water. To the point where grass can't grow over it, I was crossing a sea trying my hardest to now fall down.

"Run! Before the... shockwave gets here!" The pony said.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

I look behind me as I run toward her, seeing the shockwave getting closer and closer.

As I see the water rising with the wind and the barbwire making all different sounds as it turned and screech. I jumped and slid under the glass dome just before the shockwave hit us. Looking the pony who called for me.

"Ugh!" As she stopped her magic closing the glass dome as much as the rest of the ponies.

Breathing heavily, as I collapsed to the ground. Taking a minute or so until I got up.

"Don't tell me you're ready to die are you?." She asked.

"I'm good Trixie," As I swallowed, breathing lightly-heavy.

"Wow! That was a big one!" Trixie said as I faced towards Ground Zero.

"I'm just surprised that I'm not dead yet," I replied. As the mushroom cloud got bigger and bigger, "Who knew an explosive that big can happen with just magic!"

"After three days it should be gone,"

"That's true," I said walking away to Appleloosa with the rest of the unicorns unrested with the strength of the magic they had.

"Do you know where the others are at now?" I asked.

"Who knows? The only thing I can take a guess from is that Twilight is at the Crystal Empire and Rarity is at Los Pegasus." Trixie replied.

As I watched that mushroom cloud, well inside the now sealed glass dome. I saw the sky now taking the dust making an orange-grey color in the sky.

The glass held its place. No radiation passed the Glass Dome it was only a matter of time before they would surrender or at least. That's what we would think would happen...

Now what? We sit and wait for them? We basically planted the 'Dome' of where our territory is at.

"Trixie, can I see the map of Equestria for a second?" I asked her.

"Sure," She replied with ease but stressed from the project of the dome, then showed a map of Equestria. "Ok, this was Equestria before the war,"

"Ok,"

"And the red is where the glass dome is placed. It's our shield to prevent us from losing more land."

"What about the blue?" 

"The blue dot is when those... those..."

She didn't felt like talking about them, they were just so... horrible.

"When those 'things' showed up," She then let out a sigh.

"Ok, I see, too bad we lost a lot of territories,"

We basically lost about a 50-60% of the land the ponies have conquered of Equestria.



Should all of this ever happen?

Should we just stop and protect ourselves from the dome? And just sit down to let them take over the land all around us?

To be honest I don't know.

"Wow. Just like you said, the dome worked."

"Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie does what she can to help the ponies around her," As Trixie pointed to herself then using her horn to teleport her magician clothes on herself. "Besides I did it before a long time ago."

Here let me show you how all of this really happened. As of right now, we are protected by the dome, and which Humans are starting to take over us and pushing us more and more inland. All of us resulting in thousands, millions, or just put into simplifying, a shit-ton of deaths. This war might change the world forever, even if we got along ponies might be slaves, like the Slave Trade. Resulting in the American Civil War,  after the Great War came to a World War. Literally.

Besides you know what that Mushroom Cloud was...

Right?
> Chapter One - Orgins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I remember my life before the war.

Born on December 3, 1909, in the state of Colorado growing up in Denver. Lived most of my life, making it very nice I suppose. I remember playing around with my friends, playing card games, or riding our bikes. Drinking pops and such, until a new war came anything than a war of the Civil War.

The 'Great War' or 'The War To End All Wars'. I remember being five, back in the day when I was little a whole new world out there, everybody being against everybody. Wow. If I had to guess what the war ended, was really Austria-Hungary and Germany. 

Why Germany?

Well, a new power rose a dictator. Ready to make a move,  but during this time 'Germany is already having riots and revolutions too.'

My friend told me 'quote on quote'.

I just turned 18 about a month ago. Still in school for homework and for studying, being the 'Class of 1927'. Ready to move to college, but the thing is I need more money to get to college.

"You can just join the service, get the money need for college then go to college," He said. "Then you will come back in no time."

"That's true I suppose." It couldn't hurt just to join the service for a bit, I thought to myself.

'Nothing bad is gonna happen, a 'Great War' just happened usually a war never happens for a while.'

"Alright, I'll do it."

And so it happened. But in late February, that's when it had all gone to hell, on Wednesday, February 23, 1927. But little did I know that we have been getting these creatures, since the beginning of late January.

"Miniature horses appeared at the border of France and Germany, suspects say they don't know where it came from. It all started when a man who lives at Saarbrucken. Saw the horse and ran in fear and shock, Germany who then experimented the horse, appearing strange new things one of which was a sign appearing on its croup. With bright colors on its fur, with a bright tail, and bright mane. More new coming news tomorrow at the hour of five as we discuss what this strange horse is."

I heard it on the radio, 'What the hell?' I thought to myself. That didn't make sense. Sign of their croup? With a bright tail, mane, and fur? Well, that is pretty uncommon how that would happen. I never thought to myself that it would happen. But hey, there is gonna be more news tomorrow.
----------------------------------
I remember I came in my house greeted by my mother. "So how was today?"

"It was okay."

"That's nice to hear supper is about to be ready soon."

"Alright, mother."

I turned on the radio, it was still a surprise to me how we brought it. It was a good $3, but still, we had managed to pay for it.

"As we had discussed yesterday, miniature horses start to appear in double the numbers, some seem to be talking, and even had used some type of force to shield themselves, acting like us and how we act,"

"What..."

"Supper is ready!" My mother called out.

"Germany still recovering more and more of these horses, as we gather more information we will see where these 'things' are coming from updating you with the news tomorrow at the hour of five."

"Supper is ready," My mother opened up the door connecting to my room. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, I did it's just..."

"What?"

I chuckled. "Nothing."

"Well, ok. Your father is coming in 30 minutes ok?"

"Alright"

More and more of these things started coming, until early February.

"These creatures, now identified to be here of the following: pegasi, unicorns, and regular ponies more conflicts appears, as the whole area of the sighting is now enclosed with the German and now new French army. As riots happen in Berlin and Paris as a new government shows in Germany called the 'National Socialist German Workers' Party' or 'Nazism' for short. Begin to take action of these horses, but not for the German Army. As interrogations occur in Germany these so called 'ponies' started talking about a place called 'Equestria' and some things called 'Princess Celestia' or 'Princess Luna' as of unicorns take magic only to stop by by a bullet into their body. And as of 'Pegasi', the French airforce take them down and strap them from flying. More news coming soon! So stay tuned at five to learn more!"

"That's strange," My mother said right after the commentator stopped the news.

"I know, it's strange indeed." I stopped to grab a drink of pop next to me. "But Princesses? That doesn't make sense at all!"

"With ponies, pegasi and unicorns too."

"Yeah, I got up to go talk to my, friend. I walked outside to his house. We lived in a suburb neighborhood. He lived next door so it was a short walk to his house. I went through the back. "Terrence!"

"What?" He replied. Looking down at me, he lived in a second story house so he got down by sliding a pole to the ground.

"Did you hear the news?" I said to him as his feet hit the ground.

"No, what happened? He asked me.

"The commentator, in Germany he sai-"

"Oh yeah that again," He cut me off, " You told me already don't worry." As he began to climb the pole back to his window.

"But, he talked about two princesses."

He stopped jump down the pole looking at me quickly. "What?"

"Yeah, about these two, princesses called, 'Princess Celestia' and 'Princess Luna' and a place called 'Equestria'," I explained.

"That's real," he stopped having no words for it. "Interesting."

"I know, but what makes them show up? What make them appear because nothing is happening."

"I have no idea."

It would continue with scientists and doctors, experimenting on how their signs would show on their croup but with nothing coming out of their ideas or existence of hypothesis. Hell, they even got Albert Einstein to see if he had come up with anything.

All he said was, "I never heard of this."

More and more soldiers continued to 'fight' with these things until.

It went down on, again on that Wednesday, February 23, 1927, day. it began with the pony army marching in through the portal meeting the German, French, and Nazi Army.

A picture was taken then on sending it to the newspaper on Friday, February 25, 1927, showing an army all using their horns lighting up casting a bubble around them. Showing a unicorn who seems out of place wearing armor with his mane and tail, bright and dark color on his mane and tail. It wore a helmet having a hole to let his horn go through and two other holes for his ears, with nothing but armor connecting to its withers, with that it had armor connecting to his shoulder all the way to his tail throughout his body, but its legs were clearly visible with a light color of his fur. With a little shield connected to his armor on its chest having a pink star.

And the other ones with a light and dark fur color, but this time a brighter armor than the pony is having much of the same thing but this time having a star on its chest.

"I really wish these pictures were in color," Terrence told me.
> Chapter Two - If They Can Name It, They Can Claim It!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We enter. It is graduation you know in early June. I remember me and Terrence celebrating as we graduated with the war taking control of Europe, as Luxemburg and Switzerland were now pulled into the war with the ponies building trenches, and stations as the ponies started to take a very almost small fraction of Germany. So small in fact, it was about 13% of New York City. God, I remember when my mother and father saw me crying as I was leaving on the train. As I was waving my arm with a white cloth saying, "Goodbye!"

One thing that took most out of me was when my Grandfather gave me the combat knife he used during the Civil War, he told me he was twelve when he fought at the Battle of Gettysburg, fighting for the Union.

The knife my Grandfather used was a tree bark handle, with a knife, 'Stainless Steel' appeared in the carving of the steel. "That's a really fine knife," Terrence said looking at me, we were close friends and we both always did everything together. Not EVERYTHING, but a lot of things we accomplished in life. The train ride as ok, I guess. I couldn't explain how it was, I never in my life rode a train, or drove a plane or anything like that as such! Only riding a car. "Where did you get it from?"

I was wondering where in all of the world.  Where those ponies came from as I stared into Outer Space, about life and its true meaning, maybe I should have written all of this down.

"Nathan!" Terrence called in front of me bringing me back to reality. "Wake Up!" I told myself to never daydream again.

"What?"

"Where did you get the knife?" He said looking at me concerned.

"Oh, umm," I swallowed hard due to my dry throat. "My grandfather fought in the Civil War when he was twelve and he used it to kill any Confederates."

"Wow," He then stopped, then sighed. "I guess he had a carpenter and a blacksmith together right?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

The ride to the camp took about a good nine hours to reach our destination. Only to be in basic training where they would teach you to reload, to throw and arm a grenade, and use any type of gun.

"EVERYBODY, LINE UP!!!" Lieutenant Simpson lined us up side-by-side standing straight up tall with our hands at the back of our hips. Our haircuts were shaved like they have always been when you join the military. "ALL OF YOU GRAB An LEE-ENFIELD IT WILL HELP YOU IN THE TRENCHES AS THEY USED DURING THE GREAT WAR! "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

"YES SIR!" All of us shouted as we started to move to the lined up Lee-Enfields, even if I had to say the Lieutenant's voice is really rough. Hell, he is losing his lost voice.

There were targets at the distance of the home-base to centerfield like baseball.

"SHOOT THE TARGETS, MAKE TO SURE TO PULL THE BOLT BACK TO RELOAD THE TEN ROUND INTO THE GUN!" He shouted. I felt bad for his voice on this hot summer day. "YOU WILL RECEIVE THE MAGAZINE NOW!!!"

As we see the worker pass down the ten round magazine  to me and Terrence and the rest of the others waiting for orders

"PLACE THE MAGAZINE IN THE GUN!"

And so we did, we carefully placed the magazine into the gun as we pulled the bolt back to reload it.

"NOW START SHOOTING THOSE TARGETS!!!" Lieutenant Simpson shouted as we started to shoot the targets this time all of us spread out to prevent shooting each other.

It was ok, I guess shooting it after would mean that I would have to pull and twist the bolt back and upward to receive another bullet. I tried to shoot it in the middle but again the recoil would mess me up.

Sometime later we would run, do obstacle courses to get prepared for trench warfare and to be fast enough to charge to the enemies' trenches.

"EVERYBODY PICK YOUR POISON!" Lieutenant Simpson was really losing it. "NOW SINCE GERMANY WAS NICE OF US TO GIVE YOU BABIES A MAUSER C96 HOLDING TEN ROUNDS! BUT THE M1911 IS THE STANDARD GUN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HOLD 8 ROUNDS!!! NOW GO PICK THE WEAPON YOU WANT!!!"

Like always we got the pistol me personally I pick the Mauser C96 because it held more ammo than the M1911 has it held an eight round magazine. But here is one thing I had noticed after the Great War.

All of the guns that use clips to push into the guns. Now use magazines to replace it for a much faster reload speed time than the clip.

Now that was interesting of how it worked and how much we have come.

"IT WAS DESIGNED BY THE GERMANS AS A PROTOTYPE DURING THE LAST MONTHS OF THE GREAT WAR MAKING IT EFFECTIVE THAN THE CLIP-FED ONE!"

As again we got the ten round magazine and held it until orders, but the targets were closer than their original place like the distance of a pitching mound from the home-plate.

So as again we shot the targets with inaccurate and slight recoil.

So as it came in with a hot night in the shed where we had bunk beds and tents on the outside of the main courtroom. With the moon shining through the windows of the night sky.

turned it on with low volume, tuning the stations to find the right station due to it being messed up in my backpack full of supplies.

"They come from everywhere to take the challeng-e!"

"Oh n-o!"

"World Dominat-i-o-n!"

"Equestria what in the name of G-o-d?!"

"That's it!"

"Let's see how it changes overti-m-e."

"Tonight is the night where Germany is highly increasing to invade 'Equestir-a."

"Yes ma'ma!"

"And if they can name it they can claim it!"

God, now I wonder what's next Italy?! With their Pizza ready to feed who? Matteo?

So much in my head, I really can't see what the war brings us.

"Nathan!" I heard a whisper as I placed the radio back to where I had, kept it for the last two days.

"Terrence?!" I whispered back, "Is that you?"

"Yeah, what did they say about the war in Europe?" Terrence asked. How am I not surprised on how he said that.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean has any new counties joined in the 'party'?" He was asking me if any other counties joined.

"No, the only ones that join are so far are Luxemburg and Switzerland. Why?" I asked him. Was it because of the enemies why fought in the Great War now became our friends? Well, let's hope that they will become our friends.

"Alright I just wanted to check," He coughed. "You know?"

"Yeah, I guess." As I got the covers over to me to make as little noise as possible because well. we signed up for the military, using Lee-Enfields and Mauser C96s too. God, help me through this war.



We did the same thing usually we did our 1-mile run, pushups, situps, doing obstacle courses trying not to fail at or fall down into the mud and make it dry. It didn't even help again with the heat so I and Terrence would pour or drink the water cups, pouring it on our bodies to make it help us. It felt good at least it didn't feel like we were dying.

But as again we used basic rifles and handguns to our advantage this time we used Springfield 1903s with an Auto Revolver reloading it by placing a bullet one at a time and using a speed reloader with was a lot easier than manually. After that, we started throwing grenades just taking out the pin and throwing it. Obviously, we didn't use real grenades but fake ones instead, such as Smoke Grenades.

So as the day ends we took a shower, etc. Getting ready for bed.

As I get on I see the bright blue moon above the horizon with little clouds to be seen outside, as the light from the moon was bright enough to cast our shadows with you guessed it, the ground having a blue tint into it.

"Nathan," Terrence said, I didn't even pull out my radio so I didn't know what he wanted.

"What is it?" All of us was lying down on our back on the beds so I didn't even want to move due to the aching of our training to the army, besides I was comfortable. 

"Did you ever wanted to join the Air Force, or to operate a tank?" He asked me.

"No, not really. Why?"

"Well, because of the planes, they twist, dance, and pull in the sky like a flock of birds." He explained to me, using words I thought I would never hear. "Also don't forget about the tanks and how they can the course of the battlefield in the night and day." Oh god, I think he is losing it.

"Wow. That's... interesting of how that was set into place. I just didn't want because well," I tried the best I could to my abilities to explain to him. "it's just a suicide mission, one hit with an Anti-tank grenade then, 'Boom!' you're dead or with a Tankgewehr M1918 in one shot, 'Boom!' dead." I explained even though it was scary in how it is so protected but so fragile to dangerous weapons.

"Oh," he then stopped to adjust himself on his bed to lie down on his bunk bed. "I didn't know that about you."

"How come you didn't sign up?" I asked him with curiosity. If he is talking about all of this why didn't he join the Air Force?

"So, I can be with my friend." He relied on.

Friends, thats the only word that sticked with me all night long...
> Chapter Three - Princess of the Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I remember as I got the docking ship, heading toward France. I seemed that we would be near Saarbrucken but not close enough. It was early October we once had our training done. With nothing but people screaming in our faces and doing obstacle courses and practicing combat with my grandfather's knife and using simple guns like the Lebel Model 1886, Springfield 1903 and pistols like the M1911, Mauser C96, and the Auto Revolvers and grenades more of smoke, explosive, and Tear Gas, with the Molotov Cocktail which we didn't use that often  because of the easily flammable alcohol and us might having a chance getting drunk or catching ourselves on fire. More of the hard weapons we used as the Thompson Submachine Gun or the M1927 which was my favorite due to the fast round per minute.  I especially used the fifty-round drum magazine instead of the twenty-round. Also using the BAR as well but it was ok. If I had an opinion.

I brought the radio with me but due to the connection of the ship to the land of America or the French. I still would be too far to get a signal or a least something to hear about. As the ship filled with the cold fall breeze it was cool up there in the dock but ok as if it was room temperature here under near the bottom of the ship with bunk beds and the cafeteria above us near the right or left, depending on the general direction you would look at. Also, we had small wide windows near the ceiling with the moon shining down through with the water showing half of the window filled with the water surface and underwater. I was on that side of the ship on the top of the bunk bed. Then with a fear of sinking like the Titanic fifteen years ago.

But I had more thoughts than that filled my head which was mostly this: what country is going to join the war next, it seems that France, Germany, Luxemburg, and Switzer land obviously us the United States of America. It seems pretty clear who was going to join next my guess was the Italians or the Kingdom of Italy if you will.

"Terrence," I wanted to see what country he would guess would join in the war next.

"Yeah?" He replied with his eyes closed, he was tired from training we had for four months, he was sore and fatigue and me? Well, I do and sometimes I just feel like falling apart.

"What do you think which country is going to join next?" I asked. Now closing my eyes trying not to get lost in the momentum of the ship and the water.

"Umm, I would guess,"He then stopped to think about the European Union. "The United Kingdom if I had to choose. Why?" He then asked me.

"To see what you would go for, but had you heard about the stories?!" I started to whisper because there isn't just us on the ship, other people were sleeping in other bunk beds too near us. "About the 'Great War' and the Battle of the Somme?!" My heart dropped, it became cold and bitter as if my body was going to shiver. I had blankets on me but the thought of death....

"Yeah, but don't forget. We're going to die anyways right?! I mean, if we live to see old age wouldn't it mean that we too are going to die in the way future? Like in," He thought of a year just by the way he was saying it. "In the year Nineteen Eighty, I will be seventy or seventy-one years old!" He was correct, why should I fear death if I am going to die anyway?!  It was like those questions 'What is the meaning of life?'

"Wow. I never thought of it like that." I stopped to think what to do when we got to France it would be four days until we got there but we still had some time. "But anyway good night, I will see you tomorrow."

"Night see you tomorrow." He said as he went on his side with the blanket making sounds moving against the bunk bed.

I then pulled the covers up adjusted my pillow to make it comfortable then closed my eyes and let my mind take me where ever I go.

Or let my dreams take me to where it wants to go.

I didn't have a thing for dreams but this one was more particularly different.

This was a war. I saw tanks, planes, and soldiers attempting to take the trenches and securing it to not let it take off its land.

But there was this flag standing it was the most different of them all, instead of the wood, sandbags, barb wire, and steel that made up the trenches, but this flag wasn't like the ones we use where the rectangle is sideways.

Was it standing sideways? Like of an upright shape, it showed two ponies with wings and horns the outline of the flag was a light blue, with forty-one small white stars with a black pony on the left and a white pony on the right with a sun and moon symbol.

'What the?'

I saw the vision took me through the trenches like me, myself was flying in a cinematic-like view. I saw bullets, soldiers dying some being dragged by teammates, some crying in the trenches by the horror of war, tanks exploding, planes falling from the sky, nothing but artillery shell creators on the flooded mud ground, some soldiers getting just to end the pain, some even crying about the horrors of the war. Then seeing a plane crash right before my eyes with nothing to see but blackness. I heard as the propeller went into a low-pitch sound, crashing with the sound of mud and water, then the real sounds of war: soldiers screaming, explosives heard around me, mud, water, the sounds of guns everywhere. 

Then all of it to stop to hear this in the faintest sound of a voice ever to be heard:
'I am the Princess of the Night. Who shall hear this message shall see me in the future.'




I woke up to the sound of my breath and shouting.

"EVERYBODY, GET UP!" I heard as the commanders woke us up in our sleep.

I felt like I was hit in the head.

God, what happened in my dream last night? 

'Shall see me in the future.' Wow. I was there in the battle waiting for death and blood to surround me. Ready to shake hands with the Grim Reaper. 

After I woke up I did the chores to be done such as mopping the floors, cleaning the windows, and washing the dishes, pots, pans and forks, spoons and knives. Then after we would have our lunch, the time would be around 2:00 PM. Depending on the time zone, I was talking to Terrence it would be about three more days until we arrive in France.

"Can't wait until Halloween," Terrence started as we ate our lunches.

"it's October fifth, and you're already for Halloween?!" I exclaimed. "It's not even Christmas!"

"Who cares?" He said. Then taking a bit of his sandwich.

That's what they gave us, sandwiches.

"Never mind," I said, looking down biting, daydreaming about the battlefields.... About the ponies and the trenches, I'm probably just breaking up with myself. "Hey," I said looking at Terrence, fast. "Did... did..." I couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

"Did what?" He asked me, he was confused. Meanwhile, I'm choking on my words.

"Did, you, have a dream about the 'Princess of the Night'?" I asked, finally getting the words out. I looked like shit, to be honest, I couldn't get the image or the sound out my head. I'm going insane.

"No, I just dreamed me in the house playing baseball," Terrence replied, to my surprise. I wouldn't blame him for having a dream like that. "I hit the ball so hard and so fast that it was gone in a second."

"So, you were acting like 'The Great Bambino' right?" I asked. Hell, I would pretend to be like him. 

A man who can play truly good baseball.

Anyway, after a few hours of chores looking and staring at the ocean and the wavy waters splashing against the ship. I reflected about the  'Princess of the Night' Who the hell was she?

The sun was already setting and I just wanted to get some sleep, after saying a few jokes with Terrence in different showers, not together but in separate stalls. As we put on our clothes and brush our teeth, I went asleep before anybody else with us in the bunk beds.

I start dreaming then slowly taking me to the place where I go.

Anywhere.

I then 'wake up' in a room, a dark room with a balcony?

I get up but this time, I'm wearing normal United States of America standard uniform with a helmet next to me in camouflage green.

The helmet was the perfect size for me, it had a strap around it with a pack of cigars on the right of it with three playing cards with two 'A' cards one black with a club on the bottom, and a red one with a diamond under it too but slightly to the left and a 'J' card or 'Joker' card to the left of it all. Then a peace sign at the right side of the helmet then at the front reading out the words 'War Is Hell'. I put it on with the straps hanging and swinging at my sides of my face.

I then get up on my feet then seeing my surroundings, a staircase going to the bottom floor it seems, a telescope and of course support on the edge of the balcony just in case if someone fell down. "What the..." I said, shocked. 

So much for meeting the 'Princess of the Night' I thought to myself.

Anyway, I walk to the telescope to see through it and the beautiful stars. I touch the telescope then become fully aware of how high I was.

I was at the highest point of a castle I am in. I look down to see the artwork of the castle and towers that make it up. "Oh shit," I said. I was never this high before in my entire life. I see the entrance to be a drawbridge with obviously a river at goes through the land and the castle. "Jesus, that's a long drop down," I exclaimed.

I long through the telescope to see the strangest thing I ever saw in human existence.

A small town with pony citizens? Then moving the powerful telescope with a light budge moved it to...

Oh my god. I look to see trenches and mud, with pony soldiers sitting in the night sky. With the light of a glowing purple, or blue seeing a huge circle in the distance with the edge of a rainbow color glowing the light I can see. "What the hell?" the trenches went all the way to a shore, a beach past a desert, past the town, past a large forest and mountains.

"I must be going crazy," I said agape, dumbfounded look on my face. I start breathing hard, "Oh god." I exclaimed followed by a breath of panic. "Calm down, it's ok. It's-" I then swallowed hard then start sweating feeling the fear in me. "This can't be happening!" I then take a step back, hitting a furry breathing creature on my back.

I look back to see a dark pony resembling a unicorn and pegasi, with its long mane and tail wave in the wind, shortly followed with a "You, creatures are taking over our world."

I see its face as it's revealed in light from the moon. The pony was black about my height and had a blue color mane.

I couldn't move it was impossible, with sweat rushing down my body. I then move my arms to at least have a pistol with me but I was short.

Nothing.

"I- I can ex- plain." I start backing up in a run almost, the pony was blocking the staircase so I had nowhere to go for an escape plan.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?!" The pony reacted with a stern voice leaving me leaning against the support of the balcony.

I have some much fear in me that I myself don't have any awareness of my surroundings.

Then without warning, gravity pushes me over the support, heads first. Letting my body be upside down, for a second then followed by the momentum of gravity letting me go sideways, then fall down showing my abdomen to the roof of the building on the floor.

I shouted mostly, in fear. "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Then crashing to the roof, into darkness.
-------------------------------
I get up in fear hitting my head on the ceiling of the the ship in the floor we were in.

Only to imagine stars orbit around me.
> Chapter Four - Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Darkness and death get the best of us.

Fear gets the best of us, I can't imagine it. How did my grandfather do it? How did he do it all? Using gunpowder and dynamite and nothing more but just a knife? The ponies probably don't have guns, but stuff from the Medieval Times. Shields and swords, they use trenches, we used swords for Calvary during the Great War.

I see a bright light.

It was like I was underwater.

8:45AM
July 2, 1863
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Battle of Gettysburg



"Oh god," I felt drunk, or dizzy if you recalled it. I couldn't get up I was on my back lying, it felt like I was on mud I then moved my left arm hitting of what felt like a board of wood.

I wipe my face which felt more wet, than usual. I open my eyes which greeted the Sun. I was then going to move until.

"AAAAHHHH!" Yelled a loud battle cry. Then the sounds of war came, of cannons and revolvers.

"Oh SHIT!" I yelled as a soldier came holding gun carrying a bayonet with a rifle, I held the bayonet at the end, with my hands meeting the barrel of the rifle.

"Jesus!" I exclaimed as he blocked the Sun and I did my best to hold off his weight. I did my best as the blade slowly came to touch my body but I heard a yell from the right side of me.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" As a twelve-year-old kid stabbed the man, kicked him in the abdomen letting him fall on the bottom right of me, then shot him with a revolver. The rifle fell on me, so I grabbed it to all of my might.

The kid looked at me, "I'm not gonna shoot you," He said, as he let out a hand for me to get up.

"Thanks, fo-" I stopped as soon as I got up looking at my surroundings, men in the same uniform as the kid killed came to the left of us trying to get a flank. I saw the grounds of the battlefield explode every second of my vision, people in navy blue and in a light gray color uniform lied on the floor dead. Some parts of the battlefield covered in red, complete red. "Oh my God." I was shocked at what I saw, the horrors of war. I touched my head to realize I as wearing a hat. "Crap!" As I turned my body the other way, ducking down lying my back against the wooden board.

Shaking.

Then let out a loud breath, "Kid," I said. Looking at him.

"What?" He was reloading the revolver he just shot, without removing the chamber he used a little stick to remove the shell of the bullet. Then placed it in.

"What day is it?" I asked looking at him as a near explosion caused the mud and soil to rain down on the both of us of a second.

"I think it is around July the second." He answered this made more fear into me.

"Where are we at? And what's your name?" I asked him to answer. How did I get here? Where are we and that I already know the day, all I need to know is the year.

He started to move through the opposite of the front lines of the battlefield. So I swiftly followed him. He started to talk as he moved through the trench we were in. 

The trench had nothing more but hills and barb wire at the top in an almost open area. It wasn't the trenches we were fighting the ponies but instead, the 'trenches' were just well ditches.

"First of all, we are near Gettysburg." He said then grabbing a rifle he had on his side reloading it. "Second of all, my name is Alex." He answered grabbing his knife to clear the dirt in the musket. "What's your name?" He asked me in which I was not prepared for.

"My n-name i-is N-Nathan." I choked. I couldn't believe who I was with, in all of the twelve-year-olds I was with my...

My grandfather.

I thought of this for a second, staring into space. "Hey!" Alex then snapped his fingers, "Last time that happened, the American Revolutionary War started."  He said as he laughed then followed by me laughing with him, he was the same person as he was back in Nineteen Twenty-two or for all of my life.

He then added the gun powder into the rifle and then proceeded to insert the metal ball into the rifle as well. But for me, I had no weapon or anything but my uniform.

We were fighting the Confederate States of America.

"Um, do you have any spare muskets or revolvers?" I asked with the fear of not able to defend myself.

"Yeah," Alex said, grabbing an extra revolver out of his pocket.

"How the hell do you have so many guns hidden in you?" I really wanted to know his secrets of the ways to stay alive in the battlefield.

"Um,"  He started. "If you get captured, they won't see it coming." He said. Handing me the revolver, with obviously six bullets in the chamber. "Old school, wild west revolver." He then snapped his fingers, at the same time moving his index, making almost a 'gun' shape with his hands.

"Are you supposed to shoot me?" I want to know if it was a sign to kill the Confederates.

"What? No, it means 'looking good stud'." He said, then moving to my location past me in the trenches. I followed him upon a hill in the dirt, with smoke covering most of the view with again cannons hitting their targets. The sounds of war will always stick with me.

It didn't help me how we were bunched up with other Union soldiers waiting to die in the dirt. With all of that out of the way, the sound of death came louder than ever.

"Is, is that a train?" I asked him pointing to the right it was a good distance away from the battlefield we were at. The train looked like it had armor, and hole for the projectiles

"I think it is!" He replied. I was shocked with just that but then.

'BOOM' 'BOOM' 'BOOM'

The train fired artillery shells, landing in the battlefield where to the point where well, 'What's the point of firing it if everyone is all dead?' I thought cocking back the hammer. "Holy shit," I exclaimed in agony. "You have got to be kidding me."

Alex then exclaimed, "Jesus,"

"I know, right?"

We have to defend, the Confederates were flaking to the left or trying at least. To get the advantage of the battle, I stayed with my grandfather, or Alex. To survive, this... This hell.

"I hope you know how to kill." As he went prone on the dirt hill.

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"Because you look like you never killed somebody before!" Alex exclaimed.

I scoffed then replying, "No shit, Sherlock." I moved my body to prone seeing Confederates charging from a distance to us.

"Who the hell is 'Sherlock'?" He asked.

"Trust me, in the future you will," I replied, taking my first shot. Damn, I really need a musket. No, not just that I need an M1927 to kill them fast.

I took shot after shot, killing any Confederates I saw. The union was pushing forward, they were falling back to me and Alex followed them forward and onward as we went off.

"Watch out!" I yelled as a soldier almost shooting me with a musket. I moved his arm as he took the shot, luckily not hurting anybody. I grunted and punched the Confederate, wounding him then shooting him with my revolver.

"Nice shot," Alex said. "Where did you get those moves from?"

"Had some practice," I replied as the sounds of muskets and revolvers literally heard every second it took over my head. It was like I was hallucinating crazy. I was afraid that the ditches will close on us like an avalanche, it wasn't mud so thank God for that. 'I swear after this I'm gonna eat, some Tomato soup and some sandwiches!' I thought to myself in a way where I can laugh it off tomorrow, about our 'Grand Adventure'

"You need a musket?" Alex asked me picking up the musket from the Confederate I just killed. Picking up shaking it to get the dirt out and the mud too.

"No, I good," I answered, I didn't want to use it. Why? Well, first of all, it takes forever just to reload it, second of all nothing but smoke gets in your vision as you take that shot.

"Just..." Alex threw me the musket, the barrel was pointing to the sky so I was safe from getting shot by the damn thing.

"Alright, never mind!" I said cocking it back ready to kill. I prone with Alex on the hill leading up from the ditch we were in some soldier dead screaming, shouting, bleeding. Some, dead. I looked through the Iron Sights which was a little line pointed at the end of the barrel. "What the hell..." I mumbled. I didn't want to complain about because I knew other muskets would have the some Iron Sights. "Okay,"

I pointed to the Confederates shooting with again smoke blocking my view. I didn't even know if I confirmed the kill. Alex did the same thing, this time better and more skilled than me. Shooting the musket then reloading quickly as I took my time copying him because obviously the only thing I know what to reload is bolt-action rifles, semi-automatics, and automatics. "You look like you've never been camp," Alex stated as I watched him with every move, he was implying about me in training.

"Uh, I been there just you know, I just went through different training." I didn't know what to say to him it was like having to say things in a complicated way.

He scoffed, "Okay!" He replied as he stretched his face in a confused glance at me, reloading inserting the metal ball in the gun, then lying on his stomach looking through the Iron Sights to kill another Confederate.

I quickly placed the metal ball in as I followed the same tactics as he did.

After shooting reloading, kill after kill. We both didn't seem to notice that we were pushing forward leading to a victory.

We both got up as we swiftly went through the battlefield with our comrades, the Union charged with bayonets some throwing dynamite into the ditches, exploding some dirt hills collapsing into the ditches to how unstable they were.

"Holy, shit," I said as a hill collapsed into the ditch buried some Confederates. "There!" I exclaimed and pointed as we jumped into the ditch.

I pointed to a Confederate flag as it waved in the wind with a pole holding it at the top.

The pole was metal and was held by concrete attached to the ground up on a hill surrounded by a network of ditches.

"This is insane! You want to capture that flag?" Alex asked me shocked, as dead bodies gunpower, soldiers killing enemies, as screams and cries took over the sound of mud, and dirt. As cloud covered the Sun making us not raise our cheeks to over our eyes.

"Let's do it! Follow me!" I commanded to which he nodded.

We fought like lions, killing every single Confederate we saw as the Union army surrounded killing the weak Confederates. Blood splattered everywhere as cuts and bruises took over our bodies. The train came closer with creators of projectiles landed around us as hills came down. Every step of victory we took came closer to victory. Alex and I stood our ground as we came to the flag in the ditches then a ditch that would follow to the flag ending with about six feet of 'No Man's Land surround by ditches in a hill-top, but the only problem was that the bottom was covered in barb wire.

"As if things didn't get any worse," I said to myself and Alex, I could think of anything to raise the flag without touching the bard wire. We needed dynamite to destroy the thing.

"Yeah, you're right but how to we put our flag up?" I looked around to find dynamite, but just as I looked around a corner in the ditch I saw a stick of dynamite land in the ditch beside me of where we were at. "Watch out!" Alex called.

I picked it up as fast as I can and threw the stick next to the pole. Exploding mud and dirt launching it into the sky. It took a second of rain-fire of dirt to rain down on us but we were fine.

"Ok, now all we need is our fla-"  I was cut off by Alex who yelled at me, the guns of smoke and explosions would still take shape of the battlefield.

"Oh, alright." He took out the good old red, white, and blue. The flag was folded so I unfolded to open it ready to be hanged on the pole making it our territory. "Hey, Alex!" I called out.

"What?" He asked in replied.

"Cover me as I put the flag up!" I took out a revolver on the right side of my hand, using my thumb and middle finger as I held on the end of a flag and used the other hand to hold the other end. "Okay," I mumbled again ready to set our territory.

I went up the pole running, sweating hard of the fear of getting shot and killed. I came to it the rope holding the flag made the flag hold in place so I shot the rope making the Confederate flag fall into the cold muddy, smoky dirt. Every gunshot I heard made me want to speed up my process. "I got this, I got this!" I exclaimed pushing the rope off of the holes in the flag, then inserting the rope in the three holes of the America flag. I tied the now two separate ropes together that I shot making it into one rope then pushing the rope down making the flag reached the top of the rope.

By now the Confederates retreated by still had defensive positions at the end of the battlefield at their side.

Alex came up to me. He and I were covered in blood and mud, and sweat. "Here is your musket," He said handing me my musket, I grabbed it then secured the rope making sure the flag won't come down.

Again the flag was thirty-six star instead of the forty-eight stars we had in the present.

Which again. How did I come here? How?

I tried to leave those questions at the back of my head, as worry and fear hit my heart.

My heart became cold by the thought and made me shiver.

"Today, Alex" I looked at him as the rest of the Union looked at us, resting in the ditches or just wiping their face off of mud and sweat. It was around sunset so we were okay. "Today is the day where we fought through hell and bac-" I hit the stock of the musket to the ground, but then as that happened everywhere, everything was darkness. "What the hell?" I replied back in shock as the battleground, ditches, and smoke disappear in an instant. There was only a moon right directly up to me. I tried to look at the bright circle but no luck. But as soon as I give up in hope to blind my eyes. A... A 

A shadow appears.

I tried to examine it closer to get a better look at what it is. "Oh no," I exclaimed in shock of my sight. It was a silhouette of the 'Princess of the Night' I saw as the pony showed her front part of her body only seeing the front legs. It looked down on me and just stood there wondering and wondering...

I looked like an idiot just staring at it back, the moon, and what else? I thought of the flag I saw in my dream there was a flag that showed her and what else? Nothing came to my mind as ideas but instead fear and weakness.

But, just then as she looked down she turned her body 'walking' back to of where she came from as soon as the moon became a whole it seemed to get bigger and bright. I thought I was going to go blind, the moon became bigger and bigger, brighter and brighter. So much so that when I looked at the ground, I could see my shadow and the reflection of the bright light. "Oh God, oh God." I started breathing heavy to the point where I thought I could pass out. 

Suddenly, the sound of an 'e' sound came with it. 

I saw a bright light, moving and swaying "Oh god," I said as I covered my face. I got up to it seemed that I was lying down on a bed. As soon as my vision cleared there were five people looking at me with worry and confusion. 

My forehead felt like bleeding.

"Son, this morning you hit your head hard back there."
> Chapter Five - Welcome To The Trenches
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This day is set upon the mighty endeavor. Souls will be shaken by the violence of war, in this hour of great sacrifice. We shall prevail!”

I took a big breathe in and letting out an unsteady paste, breathing like I was out of air. “Now what?” I asked in desperation. The soldiers that came with us to Northen France now all look at me when they notice that blood can even be shed before we arrived at the frontlines. When I woke up the doctors patched me up, I looked at myself in the mirror showing a spot on my forehead that had round bruise spot with blood on the center. They cleared the blood but the bruise was still visible and lied there first making a huge red stop then finally setting in with the ‘blue, purple’ colors it goes to.

I turn off my radio as I saw the shore to Normandy, the smell of the sea was enough to have a gut feeling to where I can taste the seafood, shrimp, etc.

As we got there something turned up as hundreds of wounded United States soldiers came back with the iconic ‘Red Cross’ sign meaning that I was medical. I looked around as we got off the ship packing our bags and headed to Saarland, Germany. I walked and walked through people shaking and sparking up stories that made no sense. Others soldier came in wheelchairs and missing legs, broken bones, and dried blood on their clothes. Really a hell hole to be in. “Have you seen them, they now take over Saarbrucken!”

“They used this magic, to left us, and throw us! I once saw a tank got thrown to French soldiers who had gotten crushed by the damn thing!”

“They flew taking out our planes and everything! I don’t know about you but I think now the SPAD S.XIII is now useless I saw them go from the back and kill the pilots now we have to use the A.E.F 2-A2!”

“No, shit?” I saw one soldier talk as we walked by them slowly listening as others were talking among themselves. “The last damn thing I ever wanted was a to hit the bar, now we are fighting against these creatures.”

“Do you think it is from Greek Mythology?”

“God knows what. All I know is that we are fighting these things for our freedom. I'm too scared going into that, that portal.”

I couldn't hear anything more as other wounded soldiers walking in front of the view as well as going to the tents for medical help. ‘Oh god, this is not going to be good!’ I exclaimed in my head walking to a truck with a fabric wet, top to cover us from the rain if we had to. All of us got on Terrence got on another on as the truck drove from Normandy to Saarland, pray for me mother pray for the United States of America



We got there.

It took a while but we did eventually.

Saarbrücken was a hard and dark place, the ponies took over the capital of the state. Damn, this is why Luxembourg joined the war. It was affecting them, it was so close too. I guess it is the same reason with Switzerland too. It is so much of what a war can handle. Just by the stories of the ‘Great War’ none of those countries were in it, but now they were.

We got off the truck we used it as transport, going through France, we were now in Germany. “Holy shit,” I got off seeing the downtown destroyed. “They really took over this town did they?” I saw skyscrapers with holes maybe with broken glass too. We were far away so I couldn’t really get the details, but the most intriguing to me was that the second tallest skyscraper was leaning in with the tallest. It looked like it was going to fall right into their territory.

On the other hand, the front line trenches were for us were getting pushed back more and more, making it impossible for us to take them straight on.

It was starting to get late out, it was evening and just for us, we soldiers were getting ready to experience close-quarters combat.

The ponies took over downtown and about ten miles of an almost crooked circumference of territory. It was only time before they could take over the world. 

"LINE UP!!!" A sergeant called to us, I grabbed my Standard Issue Springfield 1903, and my M1911 then only to line up with a bunch of other soldiers too. "Now all of you dough-boys," His voice calmed down as because I could know it, we were fighting creatures only to us we thought were harmless. "This is war, the only thing all of you damn boys need to do is help the Germans and the French." He talked as he was walking back and forth to us, standing straight holding the stock of the bolt-action rifle. "All of you may, not make it out. But you will be remembered." It looked like in my depiction, he was sending us soldiers to die. And for what? "Yes, sir?" He looked at all of us, in sorrow.

"YES, SIR!!!" All of us yelled as the trucks we came in left back to where it came from, as other trucks came from the other side. This time damaged and with dried mud on the wheels and bottom of the truck.

All of us got on trucks as they came straight to the front lines of Saarbrucken, through I can't say what was in front of us due to a fabric roof over us. The back view began to hit the mud, water, and smoke to my surprise. It kept hitting bumps on the road and also too, some launched mud inside of our little 'shelter'. Once it stopped all of us got off, carrying our Springfields and M1911 which was already in our holsters. All of us went inside a smoky cloud as some of us started coughing, and get stuck in the dense mud. As I went seeing blue soldiers crying, weeping, and some corpses of soldiers the smell reeked. But to be the most shocked I could rarely see German soldiers but when I did, they looked like they were in worse shape than the French. The smoke seemed like forever as we continued to walk into the front lines.

"Hey," As a hand touched my shoulder startled me, making me jump due to my focus on the two armies. I almost immediately looked back, seeing my long lasting friend.

Terrence.

"God, you scared me," I said, looking at him. He was with us during our way to Saarbrucken but I never got a chance to talk to him. "Where did you come from?"

"Oh, you know, from the World."

"Right," I looked back to the front around me other soldiers looked in shock as to see more and more French dead soldiers as only for the smoke it was only about a good three feet of visibility. "God, I can't anything in my view."

"Where do you think it's from?" I looked back for an 'I dunno' answer.

"I dunno, for all I know it can be a smoke-," I looked front of me seeing to what is the last thing I expected in this war. "Holy shit," I said. I can hear other soldiers stare in the view of the front trenches which we weren't that far. Just only about a good walk to really get to the front trenches. We were on a hill which seemed trench warfare really went back. 

The 'view' if you can recall it was the most horrific sight anybody can see. At first, we saw nothing but arrows and large wooden spears stuck on the muddy ground with bodies stuck stabbed in the center of their chest, the arrow having their body leaning back. In other words, they were not advance in warfare than I thought or the rest of us dough-boys thought of.
So much for 'Magic' 

It was hard to depict what was in 'No Man's Land' but swords, regular arrows, large sphere stones were all stuck in the mud. With some steam coming from the ground, which seemed odd due it not hot outside. Besides, it was Fall. And of course, there were the regular things to be expected in the trenches such as barbed wire, sandbags, wooden planks to hold and to open their trenches, thin metal sheets, dead trees, huge wooden square logs in the trenches to support the mud we might drown in, Maxim's machine guns in the front lines, lamps for light, a little hospital with a red cross on a green tent with cots and wounded German and French soldiers, a shitton of Czech hedgehogs with barbed wire lined up to make the line into the trenches and area of where the artillery shells, creates etc. From exported foods and weapons too.

Remember we are at the back of the actual trenches, there were piles of artillery shells, artillery cannons, creates of food, weapons, uniform, helmets, etc. Almost everything needed in the war to try to get the upper hand. They were all stored in little wooden beams with wooden planks on the top to protect it from the rain, and wooden logs to hold against the mud to act a little trench 'walls' around the area of where we were at only to be surrounded by Czech hedgehogs. There were also some sandbags and acted to help organize the walls as well too.

The only thing connected to us and from the real trenches was a small trench-ditch, of course, it had Czech hedgehogs on the top on the real ground level but it had small wooden planks to help with the mud. All of us walked over it hearing the mud and rotten wooden planks ready to break on us and to be swallowed up by mud. It took a turn to the right but it wasn't sharp though so it leads to an open area leading to more of an open area. It looked like it was destroyed by artillery shells with more huge wooden arrows leading to where they landed at. It looked like there were trenches there but only the remains of it now.... It had some more Czech hedgehogs securing the area of where the real battlefield and really so no thieves could get in our base. There was nothing but mud more of the French and German soldiers seemed to be at the frontlines. There were dead leaf-less trees that were above on the ground and not in the trench. The whole center place we were at seemed to mostly to destroyed instead of the trenches on the right side of the little area we had and the left side as well, therefore leading more wooden arrows that seemed to land there so long ago.

We walked up closer to the right side of the trench maze, I guess they had to improvise with the destroyed trenches as there was a path of small planks that would go off like little paths into the frontline. 

Through I can't say for certain.

We as we started walking to the right slowly sandbags were on the real ground next to Czech hedgehogs with thin metal sheets on the right side of the now starting trench, with creates of 'God knows what' as we came a German soldier then to our surprise, came out of nowhere trembling putting his hand on the right side of the trench, he was at the corner of the trench which led the open area we were in. He was coughing and dropped his MP-18, his hand slipped then making his body bang to the thin metal sheet, he picked up his MP-18 again and walked toward us. In which all of us moved to make way his path. "Poor guy,"  One of us said. It looked like he was heading to the hospital tent as we saw him go through the corner to the small ditch to follow by the area we once at.

All of us once again walked in the small narrow trenches turning to the left then seeing a small staircase then almost immediately led to the right. As we turned to the right, there was like a little small camp as two German soldiers talked about whatever they talked in their language. The wall had shelves filled with artillery shells, two chairs with a tent fabric roof over them with a map nailed against a wooden wall with the ground filled with mud and small wooden planks. They had a fire, with wooden roofs being held by beams of wood with sandbags against the wooden wall next to the fire. One German soldier was leaning against one followed by one sitting crouching toward the fire on the mud. "Glaubst du, sie werden uns glauben, wenn wir nach Berlin zurückkommen?"

The other German had lowered his eyesbrows, "Sind Sie im Ernst? Über "Magie" und wie sie "die Dinge aufheben" Gott, glaubst du, dass sie glauben, "Fliegende Ponys'? Das ist wie zu überzeugen, dass es ein Märchen ist!"

The other German looked at the sky then looked down said, Ouais, peu importe. Personne ne va croire n'importe quoi jusqu'à ce qu'ils le voient, je suppose."

We continued walked as the trench took a turn to the right, it wasn't a sharp turn but a curve turn. We went walked through on the planks on the mud, as the walls had the wooden planks it always had. It yet again had another staircase the curve this time square logs on the mud instead of being directly next to each other. At the end of the 'staircase' next to it, had step carved into the trench walls providing a view only for scouting. Or just viewing. As we walked we yet again hit another camp where this time, it had a little rectangle small area on the right it had another trench path but blocked by a Czech hedgehog with barb wire. The center had a little 'room' if you would recall. In this case had a cot inside with the roof being wooden planks and sandbags acting as the perimeter of the 'room'. Inside only a lamp and a fire next to it. The rectangle area had crates and more path trenches to go through about three of them.

There was a path, up some 'stairs' at the same level as the 'room'. It was at the right, but not the direct right only to be block or enclosed. It was straight ahead of to I hope 'No Man's Land'. I walked up some soldiers who didn't know where they were going followed me. And of course Terrence too.

As we went up a little roof of two wood planks held small logs onto the trench, "Probably a bridge for the tanks," A soldier called out as barbed wire was covering the damn thing. We continued as everything seemed like 'Deja Vu' seeing, well the same crap as all of us are seeing getting lost in this damn maze.

"We gotta make a map of this place," Terrence said at the back. He was probably scared too about this whole place as well.

"You got any paper or a pencil?" One soldier asked in the back.

"Nope," Terrence replied while I was in front leading them to only where the trench took me.

"Hey, that's a good idea," One recalled at the back, "Or just try to memorize it."

"Do you believe the things they said?" One asked. We had three guys with us so they started their own conversation.

"About this damn place?" He looked at the Czech hedgehogs one the ground level. "Now, I don't know what to believe in anymore."

"Isn't the same for all of us?" I said, looking back. "Taking footage would be the hardest thing yet."

"Yeah but," Terrence then looked around. "I pray to God we will survive."

"Yeah, don't all of us want to live to see another day?" As I continued back on the trail to the front lines.

I continued as took a turn to the left directly across me was the mud going up to the ground and left was a lookout area as a step in carved to again view on the land and see across the maze of trenches and sandbags were used then followed by wooden planks over them. On the right, showed another really small trench that made another square camp area. The trench that connected to the trench system and the camp was really, really small like five steps and you were in the camp. It had hollow creates and a fire with German soldiers quiet as an Alley Cat. Just staring at the fire. It had a small trench made bench, sandbags were used to pile up then wooden planks over it to create something to rest on.

On directly the other side of where we came from had stairs that led up to the right then curved to the left that led to ground level. The logs were together so I can create a real staircase instead of a muddy one. Sandbags were stacked upon each other and again Czech hedgehogs covered the sides of the staircase. It led up to a concrete house for machine gunning as a Maxim Machine Gun was connected to three small windows in it with a spotlight over it just in case if there was a 'Pegasus' coming to fly by to gather information. The house was a tiny room the walls to the entrance was extended into the trenches due to it being secure from barb wire and Czech hedgehogs. We went inside the concrete house providing crates and more sandbags it had three little windows, we looked through it seeing the overview of the trenches and even more Czech hedgehogs on the mud with dead trees scattered around the area. I saw another concrete house with a spotlight on the direct left of us. "We're not gonna survive this damn war," One said. "Not skill or anything like that, just luck."

"Said who?" One recalled as he looked at him with disbelieve.

"Nobody, of course. Just the dark thoughts of death and, well whatever happened to those guys." Said another one as he pointed to the spears at the frontlines with dead bodies hanged on them.

"What do you think happened to 'em?" Terrence asked looking at the distant decaying bodies.

"They probably used spears or something." He paused then continued. "They maybe tried to capture the trenches on the other side but just as they were running," He used his hands as gestures to recreate what must have happened to them. "Wham!" He then used a finger on one hand and used the other hand to show and spear going through the body. "Just like that. Got 'em."

"Not helping!" I called out, not even looking at him as we went back from where we came from down the stairs and past the camp with the two German soldiers.

"We could just ask them." Said one.

"Why?"

"Because we are gonna believe it when we see it anyway."

I looked to the right seeing the broken wall that collapsed followed with mud and a huge wooden spear stabbed on the ground leading out of the trenches to ground level.

I wasn't gonna go through there and get killed. I walked to that way then seeing as the real trench to the turn to the right then to the left.  I went to where the trench went off glancing to the left of the broken trench wall seeing the other concrete house and an artillery crator. I still continued with the trench now leading to the right or to the left. The right leading up to staircases as to the left lead to still more trench. I continued to the right as it was the right way to the frontlines.

I went right seeing as the wooden plank walls were now sandbag walls with thin metal sheets on the right side of the trench wall. It then took a turn to the right again so I took the turn to the right seeing a small pathway of trench then taking a turn to the left. As soon as I took the turn it showed the real frontlines, such as ladders, a barrel, little shelter rooms side to side, more French soldiers than German soldiers, us American soldiers, heavy Czech hedgehogs, small trench-made benches, and rats, and my personal favorite, soldiers hanged by the spears used by the ponies.

The quintet of us went and sat on the trench-made bench squeezing each other shoulder to shoulder, we just talked. I tried to start a conversation as there was nothing to do here. "Hey man." One called out as right before I started a talk. I looked at him, well all of us looked at him to see who he was talking to. He was talking to me.

"What?" I asked.

"What's your name?" He asked, it seemed he wanted to know all of our names since all of us would be living in this dump.

"Nathan," I answered, as he took out a hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Nathan," He then looked to all of the rest of three guys, who were lost in thought of whatever it was. "What about all of ya? Huh?" He then snapped his fingers jumping Terrence and the other two guys.

"What?" One asked.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, Xavier," He looked to the right facing the rest of us as we were to the right, he was next to him.

"Yours?" He pointed to the man next to Xavier.

"Elijah, that's my name." Elijah looked to Terrence who sat next to me.

"Terrence," Terrence then gave him a handshake, which kinda came to my surprise.

"How about you?" I asked the person next to Xavier.

"Sebastian,"

"Nice to meet you, Sebastian," I looked at him first then looked at the others. "I guess we our own little squad." I looked leaning against the wooden wall staring into the sky. "Now what?"
> Chapter Six - Stories and Theories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"That's about it," I said looking at the four of them.

"Jesus," Terrence proclaimed. "Well, that explains everything." We were at the little camp room, next to the concrete house, followed by a staircase. There was a fire in the center of us covered by a surrounded by steel frames. We were sitting in the trench made bench made out of wood planks. It was night, the Moon was bright enough to cast our shadows.

"Yeah, he was a good man. Funny, smart. All of that stuff." I stared into the fire, recalling the dream I had.

"The Princess of the Night," Called out Xavier, his breathing was starting to become unsteady. "Oh God," He looked at the sky. "I pray to God that doesn't happen to me."

"Don't all of us wish that?" Elijah said in a 'No Shit?' tone in his voice. "Nathan was one victim, of that dream..." He then stopped, ending it in a dark tone. He then changed the subject. "Hey Nathan,"

"Yeah?" I asked I looked to the left as I was on the right side of the bench, Elijah was on the left side.

"Where did you get that radio from?" He asked astonished on how far technology has gone by, the good old jazz was playing in the background so, that was okay.

"Oh, I would cut my neighbor's grass and they would pay me. So I started saving up to buy me a radio." It took a long time, most of the neighbors would give me 20 cents most or less. It was cheap nothing more than what I wanted.

"You cut my yard a few times," Terrence said grinning, then laughing. Remembering the memories.

"Yeah? And all you paid me was one cent!" I exclaimed.

"I know, I know." Terrence laugh died down as he looked at me.

"What did you do during those days anyway?"

"Oh, um." He stopped for a second then resumed. "Playing baseball, buying some cracker jacks, and some Coca-Cola. Then watching some kids play."

"How did you get the money?"

"My parents would give me money if I cleaned my room, cut the grass." He then looked down. "All of that stuff." I thought of that spending the money then giving me a penny.

Great.

"How about you guys?" I then looked at the Trio.

"Oh um, during those days, I would..." He then stopped remembering those good old days. "Play baseball, and just have the time of my life."

I then got off my seat, then surprised that he too played baseball so instead of them telling me about them playing baseball I exclaimed, "Okay, who played baseball back in the World?!"

"Me." Both Xavier and Elijah said regarding about the subject.

"I think all of us played baseball," Terrence commented as I sat back down on the bench. "Pretending to be The Great Bambino."

"Yeah, I think you're right about that," I called looking down. The memories were getting to us of the feeling of happiness and more things other than this dump. The thing is how did this happen?

Why? Why remake trench-warfare as it was ten years ago? This is just the start, the war has been lasting for 8 months by now, other countries think very differently about this war, about whether to fight or not. Other countries went or changed. But there was something that seemed different. Magic. "Do you guys think the 'magic' thing is real"?

"What do you mean?" Asked Xavier.

"Well, have you heard the stories? About unicorns, and the Pegasus."

"You had a dream about it!" Exclaimed Elijah quickly. "You explained it detail by detail."

"Yeah and?" I asked I didn't expect a much harassment from him.

"Do you believe it?"

"I-I don't know. Those were probably just dreams, fragments of my imagination." I had doubt in my mind, nothing but hallucinations. I expected the least.

"It hasn't happened to all of us," Terrence recalled. "But it will soon."

"A castle right?" Sebastian looked at me. "And a mix of a unicorn and a pegasus,"

"That's right, it was black too with some parts of blue too." He thought for a second.

"A kingdom, with a mix of pegasi and a unicorn. What do you think the name is?"

"Beats me," I replied.

"Wait, didn't we read a newspaper about that?" Terrence looked at me.

"I think we did," I tried to remember but it was so long ago when the war first started. "Didn't the Germans interrogate the ponies?"

"Holy shit, that was one of the most bizarre things I ever heard of," Terrence recalled.

"Wait, you guys read a newspaper?!" Elijah asked us in shock as well as some of the others.

"Yeah," Me and Terrence said together. I was thinking hard now remembering word for word.

"What did it say on it?" Xavier asked.

"I think it's translated to English from German. About a place called 'Equestria' right?" I looked at Terrence just to make sure I was right.

"Yeah, I think we heard that on the radio too." He looked at me.

"Oh crap, I'm starting to remember now."

"So-o, the Kingdom of Equestria?" Sebastian asked us as the name of the place. "It's a 'princess' so that makes sense."

"Or it could be the Equestrian Empire," Elijah suggested.

"What?" Xavier asked. "Clearly the Kingdom of Equestria works it's a princess!"

"I know but remember Nathan's description of the flag?"

"What fla-? Oh." Sebastian stopped.

"The flag Nathan saw. The one where it was a square flag a silver-white outline with forty-one stars, a light blue color in the background and the 'Night Princess' in the left and a white princess to the right with a sun and a crescent moon in the center."

"So what's your point?" Xavier asked.

"There are two of those things in the center so, it can be an empire." Elijah tried to make his point out of his crazy stories.

"Then who would be the Emperor?" Xavier asked once again.

"The white pony," He replied.

"I think those are alicorns," Terrence said in which stopped the argument for Elijah and Xavier. "After the war broke out when I saw that picture on the newspaper I went to the library to find out what each type of pony can do."

"Oh yeah, that picture scared the crap outta me," Xavier said.

"So what did they do?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, first of all, I read a book about mythical horses opened it up and looked at the first thing that I wanted to know: Unicorns."

"What did it say on it?" Sebastian asked again.

"I looked at the abilities and- well how do I say this...?"

"Oh god, what is it?" I asked him.

Terrence tried to be as serious and if he was hiding something. "They have an ability to have healing powers,"

"Well, at least it's not that bad!" Elijah said in relief.

"And drink the blood something else to keep you alive..." Terrence got and moved the radio beside him.

'Oh shit,' I thought to myself.

"Oh my god," Sebastian asked.

"And with their horns, they can do spells and enchantments,"

"Doesn't seem 'that' bad," Xavier said.

"They live forever until they are killed and their horns can bring the dead back to life and clean polluted water." He said fast and thoroughly.

My heart skipped a beat as he said that, randomly without thinking I exclaimed, "And you didn't tell me that shit until now!?!"

"What? You would freak out!" Terrence replied.

"Good point," I said.

"Alright, what about Pegasus?" I asked.

"They would just fly!" Elijah, Xavier, and Sebastian said mostly the same thing at the same time.

"Yeah, they just fly t-that's about it..." Terrence looked at me as he shrugged.

"Well, how about Alicorns?" I asked.

"It's a pony with wings of a pegasus and a horn of a unicorn, so it's like both." He answered as he sat down looking at the fire.

We were all quiet, I thought to myself thinking of how we can win. I guess as the more and more we fight, the more we get to know about those things. 

It's just a matter of time.
> Chapter Seven - Second Battle of Saarbrücken Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sleep and do whatever I can to pass the time. 

It has been a few days but nothing more. Still more and more of us for the World are coming to Occupied-Saarbrücken in which already damaged the future of tomorrow. It has been a few days since we got there around October 20th I believe. Nothing more than cleaning my gun from the mud or catching on some sleep and alerted and awake from an invasion or attack. Nothing can go possibly wrong, so far-

"NATHAN WAKE YOUR ASS UP!!!" I was shaking violently by something.

"Ugh, what?" I looked around. Hearing whistles and the charges of war, bombs and crying from a distant.

"WAKE UP!!!"  I think it was Sebastian waking me up just to the sound of his voice.

"I'm up! I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!" I said fast he dropped me and left. I was in the concrete house, some drool came just a bit but that's about it. I looked around picking up my Springfield and my M1911 in which was right next to me. I slept to the bottom right side of the house of it leaned to my left in which I fell asleep. "Oh God," I mumbled. I grabbed all of my stuff, my radio, my ammunition and took the safety off my weapons. I stood and looked around seeing nothing but men, tanks, planes, and artillery firing bombs charging to the far pony-trench.

Yep, that's how far the Germans were scared of these things. The gunfire started and all became a bloodbath. I started to pay attention to the pony-trench as some sort of light or magical glow came out. My heart skipped a beat and I swear to God it did. Some wooden spikes started falling from the sky as some have an explosive tip killing the men only to be hanged with their bodies leaning back dropping their weapons and helmets.

Germans, the French, and us Americans started to charge to the trench carrying BAR M1918s, FM 24/29s, Gewehr 98s, Lebel Model 1886s, MP-18s, and M1903 Springfields.

The mud splattered everywhere, with blood and craters with water in them. "Oh shit," I shook my head then started walking down the stairs meeting the rest of them. Everyone looked tired and scared.

"Oh god not the damn unicorns or ponies," Xavier said, putting the magazine into his M1903, then picking up his M1911 cocking it back locked and loaded.

"We've been to training before," Recalled Terrence. "We heard stories, we know how to survive and everything. Hell, I heard gunshots of men shooting down a bird!"

"Damn, good point," Said Elijah, "When did you hear them?" He was on the bench looking down on his M1903 placing the magazine in, the, cocking back the bolt loading the chamber in.

"Um, the other day I think, I saw the bird go down but that's about it. All we got is bread and beef." Answered Terrence cleaning the mud from his M1911.

"I'm back now." I walked toward the four ready to charge and die on the battlefield. my heart was beating fast like a scared animal. Nothing but artillery would plummet down onto the ponies and they would use wooden spikes with an explosive tip having a similar effect to the projectiles we were using but a smaller explosion.

"You ready?" Asked Terrence he looked like he was ready to get on No Man's Land. 

"No, I'm not." I looked at the sky spotting different planes such as Ilya-Muromets', Caproni Ca.5s, and Salmson 2s. Flying in the air as ready to hit their target, if I had to count there would be thousands of them. Great, this offensive became more suicidal.

"Same here," I looked at Terrence as he looked up to the sky.

"I don't even wanna go. The dirt in your eyes, the bullets, the smoke, even 'trench foot'." Sebastian called out slowly cocking back his M1911.

"Let's just stay here," Xavier said. "We don't have to g-" He was cut off by the sound of a commander at least yelling at us, then blowing his whistle then talked in another language, it sounded more French than German just by listening to conversations from the Germans. He grabbed Xavier and Elijah who in both were sitting and pushed Terrence and Sebastian out then toward the way to the front lines. I insisted jogging with them.

We knew the general area of the trenches but it didn't last forever as the spikes would crash down breaking or cutting paths for us from the trenches. I ran with them from behind going to the front lines. "Just one path at a time," I yelled as gunshots, crying, and artillery came crashing down. I kept looking at the sky or just slightly above the heads of my 'friends', "WATCH OUT!!!!" I shouted as a projectile from the ponies came down and stabbed the wet, mushy soft mud above and right next to the trench path where we were. Splattering it all of us. Luckily I covered my eyes when it happened. But when I opened them a crater destroyed the wooden and thin metal walls of the trench. The ground went deeper and a little portion was filled with water. "Jesus,"

"I know right?" Terrence said as he went right into the crater shivering in the uncomfortable feeling of water and mud. After that then, a few more running around left and right we hit the frontlines in which dead corpses of French, Americans, and Germans rot inside the trench.

"Oh God," Elijah started breathing hard then ran across from us shoving us then vomited in a corner.

"Ugh, shit" Disgusted Xavier as a shiver went down his spine.

"Let's go," Elijah mumbled just loud enough for us to hear. He grabbed his bayonet from his pocket and attached it to his M1903 all of us repeated the same action. As soon we were ready there was one thing before it ends.

Ending in a dark death rotting on No Man's Land. As rats, maggots, and bugs eat you. Will you be remembered? As a hero who died in battle and for what? What are we fighting for? The freedom of Europe? Enough battles have already happened in the continent. 'Why should there be another one?'

I thought of this in my head as the thousands of soldiers of which were already dead or wounded bleeding to death as some body parts were blown to pieces or just barely attached by the veins of the circulatory system. Some crying, yelling in agony, crying screaming as they too know that they will not make it. What was this for? And why? Would you blame politics that wanted more power? Or was it much, much worse? Is it a certain cause to die for one's world or home? Will these heroes be in shrined in history forever for their great sacrifice? Or will their legacy be rot away into dust like their bodies before them? Animals such as us and the ponies killing each other, that's what war is. That's whats war has always been, and yet we glorify war. I fell for the same trap, I needed money to go to college but why during this time? Of such an invasion? We are the same people, we think the same and do the same things. Not killing each other, just as leader's Greed and Power. They sent them and they die knowing that he will to not do the same.

I picked up my M1903 Springfield running as fast as I can through the thick heavy mud, through the dead bodies, and the broken Czech hedgehogs and wooden spikes of our men hanged with their rifles on the mud. May God Bless Them. It was smoke everywhere then right as I got outta there. Everything was a blur, it felt like time has stopped as retired tanks like the St Chamond and FT-17 light tanks started coming in and Mark V Landships as they loaded up the heavy machine guns and started shooting. "Shit, shit, shit!" I ran toward a destroyed tank it looked more abandoned but it was fine by the looks it. It was a large hole from the back of the tank as it looks like was trying to go head on but to fail and explode. "Okay," I looked back to see if there were any of my friends but nothing. "I can do this," I whispered.

I looked around to see if there were any obstacles there were but mostly scattered, with a bunch of dead trees, and a few signs of life of plants. I entered the tank and started to look around, it reeked of corpses I wanted to vomit just like Elijah. But I got out before I could, I turned and looked again. Then the craters of the artillery made an almost perfect cover for me to hide behind. I waited for an opportunity but couldn't I was so damned scared. Of dying, and to rot on mud. My heart was basically beating out of my chest, my muscles would reject of what my brains been saying. "Come on, come on come on," I mumbled. As I stood still in shock, as the light rays from the ponies kept going and going. "AAAAHHHHH!!" I yelled running into the craters running faster than ever in my entire life. I saw the crater ready to leap into the hole I grunted as I leaped then, "AHHGGRA!" I excruciated as I tripped over a dead horse with a dead rotting French soldier holding his saber. The velocity launched me into the crater filled with some water, I got up and leaned up against the mud ignoring the pain from my leg. I trembled peeking over the to find where was my next move. I grabbed my M1903 and aimed to where the light rays were coming from. I could only guess where they were coming from.

I took a shot to a light blue ray was coming from, 'BANG[!/i]' the light disappeared. I cocked back the bolt the shell ejected, I cocked it back in ready for another one. 'BANG!' Another and another. 

One by one disappearing. 'BANG!' the five round magazine was empty. I cocked back the bolt all the way then took the mag then prepared to grab a new one. I looked up toward the pony-trench seeing something different. "Didn't I shot it?" I looked as the light started to glow brighter and brighter. "Oh shit," I quickly put in the new mag, then cocked the bolt back loading on the chamber. I looked again this time faintly hearing a humming sound. Now it was bright enough to notice it instantly after I heard a 'pew' sound I took the shot. It was probably me who pay most attention to it. 'BANG!' I closed my eyes ready to die like the rest of the others. I dunno what happened but the loudest explosion I ever heard was after that I opened one eye barely making out the details. There was an orange-transparent ball that expanded then closed on itself then expanded once more making a 'BOOM!' sound. "Holy shit was that me?"

Nothing but smoke came up with dirt and mud, I took it as a chance to run and get some cover moving closer to their trench. But to my surprise, as soon as I ran through the smoke a tank showed with broken tracks probably the furthest one out here. Closest to the pony-trench, it was coming closer and closer from a distance not far but far on No Man's Land, my breathing became louder and louder. I was close to it, 'BOOM!' there was an explosion behind my kicking me off my balance. I quickly grabbed my helmet and placed it over the armor helmet I had on. I looked to see what it was. It didn't kill me or wound me it just took me off my balance. I was on my back and watched as....

Confetti went everywhere, and balloons floated up into the sky....

"What the hell?" I looked and shook my head. "I must be hallucinating," I crawled toward the tank and again was facing toward the trenches only this time five dead bodies were facing the same way rotting. "Okay, now what?" I asked myself, the smoke density was starting to drop off, I opened the left side door of the tank and leaped in. It didn't reek or anything there were a few holes here and there but nothing more. I looked around trying to find where the machine guns were at for a second. "Oh, here we go!" I then saw that a Lewis Gun was connected. I cocked the slide then started firing toward the ponies. "Hahaha!" I laughed knowing how powerful the gun was. But it didn't last forever as it overheated with steam coming out. "Oh sh-" I cocked back the slide hopefully restarting the gun again.

It worked as it was a killing machine. But it wasn't enough to keep our men to charge at the trench. I got out and moved to the cannon in the front, I fired it. 'BOOM!' It was 10 times better than the Lewis Gun, "Oh shit, where are the shells?" I looked behind in the cramped space. "There!" I moved closer then grabbed one and placed it into the cannon pulled down the lever then aimed it to most ponies were at. 'BOOM!' I would have guessed most ponies were taken out by that one shell. I then got up and repeated the same progress, to the point where the ponies were shooting at me. "Crap I gotta do something about this!" I went to the Lewis Gun and shot them down helping everyone on that battlefield. 'BANG!' I felt something as the tank got hit, I aimed the Lewis Gun to where it came from but I didn't know where. 'BANG!' This time it was stronger. Then 'BONG' the tank flipped it shook gravity changed, "AHHH GOD!" I landed on a wall then shells started pouring down.

I took a big breath in, but then came darkness.