Chapter 1: An unhappy welcome
It was another beautiful day in Equestria. A young unicorn named Dinky Hooves stirred in her sleep as the sun shined down on her. She yawned as her human stepfather, Johann walked in, carrying a breakfast board. “Good morning, Dinky.”
With a grin, she replied, “Good morning, daddy!” Then ate her breakfast, consisting of a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of juice. “That was delicious!” She exclaimed in joy.
With a smile of his own, the man replied, “Glad to hear it. My wife, Whooves, Sparkler and Derpy are already at work, so I’m gonna take care of you today. What would you like to do today?”
The little unicorn thought for a moment, then had an idea. “How about going into the park, enjoying the warm weather?”
“Sounds like a great idea, Dinky.” The pilot got into his pilot uniform, the same he wore while being in the proud air force of Germany, being used to it.
Outside, the young filly was hopping ahead, it warmed his heart to see her happy, back in Germany, he never could have dreamed of a life like this.
In the park, the other foals were playing in the grass, laughing. “Morning!” Dinky greeted them.
“Good morning, Dinky.” Ruby’s stepfather Helmut greeted as the earth pony played hide and seek with her siblings and friends.
Johann sat down on the bench next to his friend. “Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe that we are living in Equestria, with the foals that changed our lives,” Helmut mumbled.
“Yeah, it’s over a year now for me and Dinky. Still, if I think about it, if she hadn’t shown up back then, I had probably died when Blazkowicz attacked my workplace.”
“You and me both. Or I had died when Wulfburg got destroyed. Still, I sometimes wonder what could have happened to him.” The younger soldier smiled at the playing fillies.
“That’s a good question. For me, I hope he made Deathshead pay for what he did to her.” The former Luftwaffe soldier replied, referencing to what happened to the young filly back then.
“I hear ya. While I never saw him personally, only having heard of him, I don’t want to imagine what he would have done to Ruby if he got his hands on her.” Helmut shuddered at the thought.
“Yeah. Though, it makes me wonder how Germany would do without him. I mean, Germany has dozens of scientists who are gifted like him but none of them matches the genius and intelligent of him.”
“Indeed. Makes me wonder why the Supersoldiers were so inferior to his first creations in 1943, it just doesn’t make sense.”
Johann put a hand to his chin, thinking about it. “Maybe…all his research got destroyed back then, forcing him to redesign them?” He theorized.
“It’s a possibility, but we will never know. It’s also hard to believe that one man accomplished so much…”
Their conversation got interrupted by Dinky’s laugher, getting tickled by her friends, it warmed the hearts of both men to see the children so happy, having fun.
Suddenly, a loud thunder startled everyone, though there was not a single cloud in the sky.
“What was that?” The little unicorn asked scared, looking around.
Another loud thunder sounded, out of nowhere, a massive storm brewed in the sky together, it was dark, darker than any normal storm they had ever seen, lighting emitting randomly from it, almost in an uncontrollable and furious manner.
They instantly realized that this wasn’t normal.
“Mein Gott… not good!” Helmut explained in shock before they tried to find shelter.
As Dinky and Johann tried to follow their friends, they felt a magic energy surrounded them, getting lifted into the storm. “HELP!” the filly screamed in terror, struggling to get free before everything went black.
The soldier awoke with a groan, an alert ringed in his ears, his head aching. Where am I? What happened?
As his vision cleared, he looked around, finding himself in a metal hallway, Dinky next to him, also waking up. “Ugh…Where…are we? She asked, still dazed.
“I don’t know.” He replied, continuing to look around, realizing it looked like they were in a ship, or more a U-boat. Due to the alert, it was clear to him that the U-boat was under attack, and that Dinky might be in danger. Unfortunately, he hadn’t any of his weapons with him.
Faintly, a sound came from the end of the hallway, a sound he would always recognize instantly.
Combat boots.
“Stay behind me.” He said, the filly didn’t hesitate, trembling as she was a bit scared.
A shadow appeared, making his slowly towards them, the soldier knew, he had to defend his daughter, no matter how, taking a protective stance.
“Stop right there!” A German voice shouted as the silhouette was completely visible.
A German soldier, wearing a black uniform, his face concealed by an iron facemask over a black balaclava, like with all regular soldiers, armed with an SMG Johann had never seen before.
“What…” The German mumbled as he saw the Luftwaffe soldier and unicorn, not able to believe what he just saw, his mask hid any emotion but the confusion was clear in his voice, staring at them.
Bauer knew how awkward this was, being in a boat, in god knows what ocean with a talking filly. “I know this is confusing, but I need to get my daughter to safety, can you help me?”
“Uh…sure, follow me.” the soldier replied, Johann took Dinky in his arms.
“Testing, testing…Give up terrorists, you have lost. This boat you have stolen is now ours again. Most of your friends are already dead. Do you wish to join them in the grave? General Engel is prepared to offer amnesty to anyone who puts down their weapon and surrenders. It’s your only chance. …how do I turn this off?” A German soldier announced on a PA system as Johann was led through the corridors, seeing bodies of soldiers and resistance members, Dinky had closed her eyes from this horrible sight.
Still, the announcement made Johann realize something. “If you don’t mind, what’s going on?” He asked the soldier.
With unease, he replied, Well, you surely heard of Terror Billy, haven’t you? This U-boat he captured is his base, we’re finally close enough to get him, after five months of searching.”
“So he did survive…” Johann mumbled.
“What?” The soldier asked.
“Nothing.” Johann hastily replied.
“Okay. The man led them to a sail platform elevator. Once at the surface, the young child and father saw a giant airship in the sky, looking like a large fortified airborne platform, having forcefully surface submerged the U-boat with Electromagnetic cables, fascinating Dinky as she looked in awe at it.
Johan knew this airship.
The Ausmerzer built and put into service around 1951, as a sort of “guard” of the new American order, similar to the London Monitor in Britain.
An elevator looking like a box got lowered, they all stepped in and the box rose into the air, bringing them onboard, leading them into what seemed to be a meeting room.
Inside was someone Johann wished he would never meet again.
Frau Engel.
“Reporting General Engel, I found this fellow comrade and his…daughter on the ship the terrorists had stolen.” The soldier reported.
“I see, Zimmermann. Leave us alone.” She said in a neutral tone and expression, having some scars on her jaw, a crooked left eyebrow, her left side of her mouth open, apparently unable to be closed.
The Luftwaffe member felt nothing but hate against her, yet stayed calm, while Dinky whimpered scared.
The woman grinned, almost demented, making the air feel cold. “Johann Bauer and Dinky Hooves. So good to have you back.” Her voice sounded neutral but a small hint of joy could faintly be heard in it.
“General,” Johann said with a neutral tone, hiding his disgust to see her again after what she had done to the little unicorn.
“I’m surprised to meet you again after you went missing a year ago. What brings you back to us?” The woman asked, still grinning.
It wasn’t easy to answer this, Bauer knew he was most likely wanted for desertion and treason, so he just replied, “I don’t know.”
Engel’s expression became neutral. “I see. Last time you were seen last year in November, reported missing.”
Bauer knew he wouldn’t get out of this alive. “I do what I had to do to keep Dinky safe. If it means my death to guarantee her safety, so be it.”
“No! Please, don’t do it, daddy!” Dinky pleaded, not wanting him to die.
The General stared at them, empty of any emotion for what seemed like hours before breaking the silence.
“Why should I execute you? You only tried to protect your child like any parent would do. You and your daughter shall be reprieved, I had done the same if one of my children had been in danger like that. As such, I deeply apologize, I only did my duty back then, not knowing what the general would do to you.” Frau Engel lowered her head in shame, sounding honest and regretting.
Both didn’t trust her, it could be only acting but if it was, she really did a very good job at it.
Before Johann or Dinky could answer, a soldier walked into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt General, but we have them.”
“Good.” She turned to her guests. “Stay here, for your own safety.” The father and daughter just nodded.
The moment Frau Engel had left the room, the female unicorn let out a breath of relief. “I thought she would…k-kill us.”
Johann patted her. “Shh, it’s over now.”
After a few minutes, the door opened and another soldier came in. “Frau Engel ordered me to escort you to her.” From the voice, both could tell it was Zimmermann.
He led them to a small room, they saw how several other soldiers held a young man with brown hair and blues eyes in the ground and an unconscious woman with grey hair and blue eyes, wearing some sort of golden armor, was held by a large, armored soldier.
Dinky recognized them, Wyatt and Caroline, Bauer saw some similarities to the 1960 Super soldier in the large, armored German, assuming it was the next version of it, having a robotic-like face mask instead of a Greek statue like mask, having a jetpack on his back and a gorget. Next to them was a young woman with fair skin, light blond hair, and blue eyes, being overweight, wearing a dark blue skirt and a white collar shirt and tie, covered by a black leather jacket.
As they all had their backs to Johann and Dinky, the two couldn’t see their expressions, but the filly already worried for the resistance members.
The General turned slowly around, her face one of joy. “Glad you are here. Now, you will witness justice to those who endanger German lives.” Her voice was joyful, almost like a child getting a present as two soldiers brought a man in, wearing only underwear, having multiple scars on the upper body.
It shocked the girl and father as they realized it was Blazkowicz, his expression couldn’t be seen as the men dropped him on the floor, Engel pointed to Wyatt. “Hold him down.” Then she looked at Blazkowicz. “There he is! Good.” She turned to the Super soldier holding Caroline. “Now off with her armor.”
The soldier punched the control panel on the chest with great force, deactivating it as it removed itself downwards, leaving the woman in her underwear.
“Oh man. Oh man.” Wyatt mumbled worriedly.
“Shut your mouth!” The soldier holding him shouted as Caroline got thrown on the ground next to Blazkowicz.
“What a funny sight, the mastermind crawling around in her own filth.” The general taunted, Caroline and B.J. whispered something to each other before the former got knocked out by the General with a baton, then used it to lift the latter’s head up, forcing him to look into her face, looking exhausted but a hint of rage was in his eyes.
“You think you're a hero, William Joseph Blazkowicz?” She asked in English before ordering, “Pull the cripple up!” Her men did as told.
“Let me tell you…you’re not. Only the degenerate rats of the slum admire you. The filthy dregs festering in the ghetto. But once they see you…” She pointed her baton at him, “this will change.” She started to laugh.
“I shall put you on international television. Look everybody.” She laughed again, all her men (save for the super soldier and the other woman) did too. “Is…Is this how a hero looks like? A crippled wretch of a man peeing in his tube?” She taunted in joy as he pointed to a wet spot on his underwear. “Everyone will see what a useless joke you are.
Drop him.” The soldier holding him did as told.
Another soldier gave her an axe. “Thank you. You. Pull her up by the collar.” Engel ordered the super soldier, he obeyed. “Bow your head.” The general smiled.
“Don’t be silly. The resistance does not bow.” Caroline replied, only to be knocked out again.
As Engel raised the axe, the other woman stepped in front of her. “Mother.” Her voice was horrified.
“Sigrun. Quiet. I’m working.” Engel countered with an annoyed voice.
“I thought you would set them free?” Her daughter replied, the older woman let her arms fall in annoyance.
“I am setting her free. I’m setting her head free from her body.”
“But you said…”
“And you said you would do your exercises and lay off the sugar…” Engel taunted her daughter in a high pitched voice. “…but what did my men find when they searched your room? Chocolate, cookies, lemonade, candy! Not to mention the sick things you wrote in your diary. You want to set her free? Okay…Take this.” She handled her daughter the axe, Sigrun hesitated. “Take it!”
“Go on then. Set her head free from her body.”
Sigrun sniffed. “You read my diary?”
“Do it, or so help me…bad things will happen to you.” Engel threated.
Johann felt how Dinky trembled, so he took her in his arms and asked disgusted, “Can’t you at least spare my daughter this awful sight?”
The General turned around, having a neutral expression. ”What are you thinking? Even the young people must learn.”
As the woman turned back to her daughter, Dinky buried her head into Johann’s arms, he also covered her eyes, not wanting her to see this at all.
“Do it! Do it, do it!” The general cheered with her men, while Wyatt pleaded,
“Stop! For god’s sake, stop!”
“Do it now!” Engel cheered as her daughter raised the axe into the air.
“I can’t, mother.” Sigrun cried.
“Now!”
No! I can’t do it!” The young girl collapsed crying, her mother knelled down to her.
“But what you can do…is fill a diary…full of perversions and words of treason. Some of them even in English!” The elderly woman shouted angry, her right hand balled into a fist, her eyes burning with rage and disgust. “Page up and down…your dirty mind pouring out…while your body swells up with disgusting blubber like a sea cow. Don’t you understand the position you’re put me in? I’m compelled by law to report you.” This made it clear for the filly and her young father that Frau Engel was a horrible mother, only caring for her own image as general rather for her daughter as she took the axe.
“You had no right to read it.” Her daughter protested.
Sigrun’s mother walked over to Caroline. “Caroline Becker. Leader of the Kreisau Circle. The criminal mastermind.” Becker whispered something to Blazkowicz as Engel continued. “I think not. I think…You’re just another...”
Quick as a flash, she swinged the axe, beheading Caroline, Johann closed his eyes as the sound of metal and flesh ringed in his ears, flinched as well as Dinky.
“Subhuman!” Engel shouted, then laughed, almost insane. “Did you see that? Well, I had a lot of practice. Look at this. How strange. One moment she was here. And now she’s gone.” The woman picked the head up, looking at B.J.
“Were these eyes ever filled with a lover’s graze…do you think? Kiss, kiss, kiss, hm?” She asked, then “kissed” William with Caroline’s head, blood dripped down, he groaned in disgust, Johann struggled not to vomit, being deeply disgusted himself, the filly shivered in his arms, not daring to open her eyes.
By this action, the young father knew that the general was cruel and seriously mentally unstable.
“This is not funny.” Sigrun said, her expression serious, her mother looked at her with a grin.
“You want some kisses too? Like it said in your diary. On your plump checks.” She “kissed” her daughter on the cheeks, causing the young woman to vomit. “What about down here?” Irene then kissed her daughter’s crouch, before getting shoved back, dropping the head in the process.
In response, she slapped her daughter. “Sigrun, do not make me chose…between you…” She warned in a dark tone, pointing a finger at her, “and the strength of my beliefs…because you will lose.” Dinky filched again at a smashing sound of flesh, as the Super soldier stomped Caroline’s head, Bauer looked away, not able to bear it.
The general walked over to Wyatt. “And now…you.” Her voice full of joy. “Also another friend if yours, yes?” She asked Blazkowicz, taunting him.
“Stop. No more of this.” Wyatt sobbed, breaking down, head lowered.
Dinky wanted it to stop, but the words were stuck in her throat, even Johann was too shocked to say something.
“Mother. Please stop. No more.” Sigrun pleaded, stepping in front of the young man.
“Move.” Her mother shoved her away, raising the axe.
“No!” Her daughter yelled in rage, lunging at her mother, pinning her to the ground, causing the general to accidentally strike Wyatt’s right cheek, also her soldiers to let go of him. “Mister!” She threw her mother’s pistol to Wyatt, Johann quickly made a dash for the door, getting out just in time before the sounds of bullets filled the room.
Once safe, the soldier let out a long breath of relief, feeling how Dinky trembled in his arms. “No more…please…” She sobbed, he rocked her in an attempt to call her down.
“Shh, calm down…”
The general and the super soldier walked in, the woman looked rather shocked. “I…can’t believe this happened…”
Johann was hiding his disgust and hate as the woman looked at him with a forced neutral expression. “He may escape our grasp again, but he can’t run forever, we get him eventually. I suggest we bring you and your daughter to a safer place. I suggest Roswell in the USA would be good, as it’s one of the safest places in the world.”
Dinky was still crying, so she didn’t hear it, Johann knew there was no point in arguing with Frau Engel. He had never been to America before, knowing only that the USA was submitted into surrender by destroying New York with an atomic bomb on December 21st, 1948, the Independence Day on the fourth of July replaced with the German Victory Day, to celebrate Germany’s victory in the war.
Forcing a smile, he replied, “A good idea.”
Getting led into a crew quarter, the general led them alone for the journey towards America. As the filly calmed down, she asked, “Why? Why would she do something terrible as this?”
It was difficult to answer, her stepfather sighed, stroking her mane. “I hate to say this but it’s her way of dealing with any kind of resistance. I have seen it before, they are mercilessly hunted down. Mercy means only a quick death in the view of people like Frau Engel.”
Despite this, they used the time to learn what happened since Deathshead compound. It was now June 25th, 1961, the gifted scientist had been killed back then by Blazkowicz, his compound destroyed, which relieved Bauer a bit.
It was evening when the Ausmerzer arrived in the USA, Zimmermann had been ordered by the general to bring them to their new home in a VW Bus, the streets were empty from civilians due curfew from 4 PM to 6 AM on all days of the week, only soldiers and drones patrolled the streets.
The car stopped at a house, from the outside, it looked like any common family house. “Here we are. General Engel has arranged everything. I hope you enjoy your stay.” The private said before driving away.
The furniture looked very comfortable, the fridge was filled with fresh food, a couch with TV were in the living room, but there were no pictures on the walls or commode, making it impossible to see if the house had belonged to someone else, though Johann was sure of that, having been cleansed from its former occupants.
He made some warm dinner for the young girl, then brought her to bed, a teddy bear was on it. “Goodnight Dinky, sleep well.” He wished her a good night.
“Good night, daddy.” She replied, falling asleep.
As Johann went to bed himself, he wondered how long it would take for the others to find them.
Frau Engel had given him and Dinky their lives. Their lives as Germans in the American Territories.
He found himself wondering how long that would last and what little it would take for it to change.