BritAnon- Post WW2 Anon

Context of the story was something along these lines:
>"Our bloodiest war cost the lives of 328 guards, how can your wars even compare to such an atrocity?"~ Celestia





>Celestia's words ring in your ears
>328 guards? That's barely even a skirmish
>Battles on your world have easily seen 1000 times that amount
>Wars with collective casualties numbering in the tens of millions
>And she's concerned over 328
>As if that's a high body count
>As if your planet's wars could ever even compare
>You feel your palms trembling
>You feel a burning sensation in your chest as memories surface
>Anger?
>Revulsion?
>But in the end, all you feel is sorrow
>Sorrow for the war torn world you left behind
>For those millions cut down in their prime, ripped to pieces on blasted desolate battlefields
>And sorrow that this bright and vibrant world which you now find yourself in has also known the vile touch of war and slaughter
>Your voice shakes as you stammer back your reply, trying to keep your composure
"I- I'm sorry your subjects d-died"
>That's it?
>That's all you can say?
>You feel the dam breaking, the mask is slipping
>Before you lose it you turn around and walk briskly out of the throne room to your sleeping quarters.

>Your rest is fitful to say the least
>Memories of the war haunt your dreams, waking you up in a cold sweat, and often screaming incoherently
>You dreamed of the endless bombing raids night after night that shook you to your very core
>Then of the allied invasion of your town, watching your countrymen fight like rabid dogs, only to prolong the inevitable
>Your father lying in a pool of his own blood after the window was raked by machine gun fire
>The soldier kicking open the door as you clutched the rifle you barely knew how to use
>Shooting in a blind panic
>You never wanted to kill him but the jagged gash in his neck gushing blood meant that you had

>You leap out of bed screaming and crying in terror
>You had also pissed the bed
>Suddenly the door implodes as several guard ponies charge in, weapons ready
>And all you see is the soldier you killed
>You curl up into a ball in the corner, bawling like an infant
>The guards try and comfort you, not knowing what the matter is
>One sends for another to go and fetch Luna and tell her that something is wrong with the guest
>He gallops off immediately

>30 minutes later
>You hear hooves clopping on tile floor as the princess of the night enters your room, flanked by a royal guard
>She smiles warmly, though concern is evident on her face
"I hear you've been having some bad dreams anon?"
"I-It's nothing really"
>You stammer back weakly
"I'm uses to it now"
>The princess's frown of concern deepens at these words
>The guards have changed the sheets, but the stench of your accident still lingers in the air
>To add to the image you are white as a sheet and your hair is matted with sweat
>You aren't fooling anypony
>In an authorative tone she dismisses all the guards present and shuts the door so it is just you and her in the room
>She sits down next to you on the bed and drapes a large, soft wing around you just like a blanket, pulling you into a hug
>Just like mother would do when the bombs came
>You stifle a sob, sniffling pathetically
"Tell me Anon, what troubles you so much? We have never seen you like this"
"Do you miss your friends? Your family? Your home?"
>Each question sends a stab of pain like a knife into your soul, and you sob again
>You miss them all dearly, but they were all gone before you even came to this land
>You wish you could pour your heart and soul out to luna
>The way she holds you, says such kind words in that soft voice reminds you of your mother
>You sniffle again
"I can't tell you Luna, I'm sorry. Even if I could you would never believe me. You would think I'm a monster..."
>Your voice catches in your throat at that last word
>A 15 year old boy, a killer
>A murderer
>A monster
>And then it all comes out
>You cry for all you're worth
>Crying for your parents
>For the god that has forsaken you
>For the sheer fucking futility of all the mindless bloodshed you have witnessed
>And eventually you cry yourself to sleep, still wrapped in her embrace.

>You wake up groggily with a pounding headache
>Sitting up, you realise that Luna is still there in bed with you, though she is sat bolt upright
>Her eyes are unfocused as she seems to stare right through you
>You have seen this stare before on the faces of every German citizen you passed after the allies had swept through
>An empty stare, a reflection of untold horrors that the mind has seen but has a complete inability to process
>But what has she seen?
>Cautiously you try to rouse her
"Luna? Are you ok? What happened, what's wrong?"
>Slowly she focuses her gaze on you, though she looks petrified
"I... you... di-did you actually see those things? I-I-In person?"
"What things Luna? What are you talking about?"
>Her reply comes in a tiny voice, as if she can hardly dare to even speak the words
"The d--d-dreams, Anon?"
>The words hit you like a ton of bricks as a multitude of questions spring to mind
>How can she see your dreams?
>How much did she see?
>Will she be alright?
"I'm sorry you saw that, Luna"
>Is all you can think to say
>You've traumatised this pony, a princess no less
>She will never forget the images, much like you won't
>You're in the shit now for sure
>Celestia will probably banish you, or lock you up
>Perhaps even execute you...
>As you begin to shake you feel a pair of hooves wrap around you tightly, squeezing you into a hug
>You calm down a little at the feeling of this unexpected embrace, and Luna speaks quietly

"We have never seen such horrors, Anonymous. Such atrocities inflicted by one another on their own kind"
"The fact that you have 'gotten used to this' disturbs us greatly. We must inform our sister, Celestia. Only then can we figure out how best to help you."
>Shit. You knew Celestia wasn't going to react well to this
>But you were resigned to your fate, you honestly didn't care what the world threw at you anymore

>Before you set off to the throneroom to meet your fate, you decide it best to get changed
>Still fascinated by human biology, you allow the princess to stay in the room, so long as she averts her gaze when you are fully indecent
>As you remove your shirt, you notice her scrunch up her face in a grimace
>Suddenly you remember the scars on your back
"What happened?"
>She asks tentatively
"There was an explosion close to me when they sent the tanks in. My back was burned and peppered with shrapnel from the blast"
>You think to explain what a tank actually is, however the queasy expression on her face is indication that you should stop
>You hurriedly get changed, deciding that any conversation with Celestia is bound to be less awkward than this pony stood here pitying you
>Once you are dressed and notice that some colour has returned to her face, you make your way to the throneroom with Luna.

>When you reach the throneroom, you are greeted by Celestia, who is sat on her large throne
"Greetings Anonymous. Is there something you need?
>You are reluctant to speak, but a look from Luna gives you the strength to speak
"A-Actually Celestia, I need to discuss something with you, It's about the talk we had last night"
>Her face flushes with anger and sadness
"I do not wish to further discuss with you the war we fought against Sombra. You cannot comprehend the atrocities inflicted, nor do I want to corrupt your mind by the imagery of war."
>The words stung but you decided to press on
"Well actually Celestia, I wanted to tell you of a war on my planet. Of my war, if you will hear it"
>Celestia seemed to perk at your apparent familiarity with the topic
"Very well anonymous, I shall hear it, though I doubt it shall compare"

>You begin with Hitler coming to power, how at first life seemed better, how you joined the Hitler youth as soon as you could
>Then how life took a turn, as your country invaded Czechoslovakia and then Poland, provoking a war
>You decide to leave out the Holocaust. You still couldn't bring yourself to believe that it was true, let alone these innocent creatures.
>Your older brother left to go and fight in 1942, the last thing you ever heard from him was that he was being deployed to the eastern front and somewhere called Stalingrad
>You never heard from him again after that
>The situation began to deteriorate at home
>Grieving families, extreme rationing
>Then the bombing began
>At first it was the odd air raid
>Then soon enough it was every single night
>Then in the day too, bombs falling endlessly
>Your mother was killed in the bombing, on the third week of it
>You saw her mangled corpse when the bombing stopped as the soldier pulled a tarp over her
>That is the last memory you have of your mother
>Not too long after that, the allied forces began drawing near to your town
>Every night you could hear gunfire and explosions
>Then they reached your town
>That day it was raining heavily, the ground. Slippery bog
>And still the men fought and died for this pitiful town, their blood mixing into the puddles, turning the streets into ribbons of crimson
>You saw neighbours and friends gunned down, caught in the crossfire
>You saw your father die, shaking in a pool of his own blood, looking straight into your eyes as the life bled out of him
>You saw the soldier again, his eyes bulging with shock as you shot him
>Murdered him

>You don't know when you started crying, but your face is drenched with tears
>Both the princesses and the guards present are stood in astonished silence, their faces too streaked with tears
"So uh, yeah, that was my war"
>You finish lamely
>It takes around 5 minutes for anyone to calm down enough to speak
>Finally, Celestia breaks the snivelling
"How many people died Anon? I need to know. How many died?"
"I-In my town?"
>You pray to god that she just means your town
"No Anon, the war. How many died in that war?"
>You can't lie. You don't really want to lie at this point
"We don't know for certain, but it is estimated to be between 50 and 80 million"
>The princess of the sun promptly faints, and Luna and several guards throw up

>1 year later
>You are now living in Ponyville in a castle with Twilight Sparkle, your closest friend
>The town vaguely reminds you of your old home in Germany
>It makes you sad, even though you are happy here
>Celestia arranged for you to live here with Twilight after she finally recovered from what you said
>Since then you have become great friends with everyone in the town
>There is no fighting here, no wars, and petty quarrels are few and far between
>You are happy here, even the night terrors have subsided and become less frequent
>You smile as you watch the sun set, without fear of a bombing raid or attack
>Without worrying if you will see another day
>You are finally at peace
>You are home