Somewhere east of Berlin
April 30th, 1945

"Dmitri? Dmitri? Hey Dmitri, are you okay?"

Daring Doo called out to the static Dmitri while shaking him and realizing that he was still unconscious from the blast. She noticed that he was still griping on the Eye of Maxon within his hands and a thought floated into her mind that she could take the prized possession. But she decided against it and silently cursed herself for thinking such a thought. Daring Doo decided to take a look around at where the two of them were at and from what she could understand of their surroundings, it appeared the two of them were in a dark apartment room. The walls surrounding them were a deep grey, even more so than her own mane and stained with what looked like years of neglect and erosion combined with the elements.

"Depressing.." Daring Doo mumbled to herself and grimacing at the sad sight of despair in the room, noticing as well that there wasn't much of a roof.

She also noticed that the room they were in had to be elevated, for once she came across a window inside the room she was able to see the street below them and what look like soldiers in grey clothes marching on that street. But as soon as she started to watch the grey soldiers, she heard a distressed voice yell out loud:

"Die Russen sind hier! Die Russen sind hier! Weglaufen! WEGLAUFE-ARAH!"

But the soldier's voice was cut off as Daring Doo heard many explosions echoing in the small street, and watched the grey soldiers below her start to fall down as she saw flashes of yellow hit their bodies.

"Rückzug! Rückzug!" yelled out one of the few grey soldiers that still remained however his voice was silenced when a yellow flash sliced through his head, fatally killing the grey soldier and causing him to fall down lifelessly.

Daring Doo gasped at the atrocity she had witnessed and started backing up from the window, shocked to see such a brutal sight. She didn't want to believe what she had just saw and dismissed it as her imagination. However Daring Doo failed to notice a conscious Dmitri standing behind her and as a result she backed up right into him. Daring Doo turned around quickly, and assumed a fighting stance until she realized who it was standing in front of her. Dmitri gave Daring Doo a somber look and rested one hand on her shoulder.

"Now do you see why I did not want you or any of your people to be part of war? My war. Not yours." he told her.

"Dmitri? Are we going to make it?" Daring Doo innocently asked Dmitri while she pleaded with her eyes.

Dmitri did not respond at first and instead grimaced at her. But eventually, as she continued staring at him for an answer, he finally gave her one.

"All I know is that I don't know comrade" Dmitri said softly to her.

She then hugged Dmitri and embraced him rather strongly and did not let go for a while while Dmitri did the same back to her. It was in this moment that Dmitri told Daring Doo the most crucial advice she had ever heard in her whole life and kept dear to her heart for years to come.

"I may not be afraid of death, but does not mean I am not afraid at all." he told her gravely, to which she could only gulp at.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daring Doo for a long time would be haunted and at the same time amazed at the weight of these words that were spoken to her and knew that was what real courage was; to face one's fears directly. And she would, granted with time, come to learn of Dmitri's struggles and of his life in general, and would learn that Dmitri's greatest adversary was himself. She cried for him, knowing of all the pain he had endured to make sure she made it alive and the sacrifices he made to make sure Equestria was fine as well. For a long time Daring Doo carried a pin he had given to her shortly after the battle of Berlin which beared the symbol of his people's greatest struggle; the hammer and sickle of the common man prevailing over the corrupt few.

"I'll never forget Dmitri..I never will.." she whispered to herself.

She put the pin on her right shirt sleeve and smiled, remembering Dmitri Durchenko, the bravest man she had ever known.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay comrade this is the time I need you to be brave. The war here is coming to an end. But that does not mean end is already here. The Nazi know that the war is lost so they will do anything they can to make sure they make it last as long as possible. This is why I was sent on mission. These are old orders, given to my comrade Sasha shortly before his death. The Nazi are planning on using their wonder weapon to win war however what they don't realize is weapon will kill us all. That's where you and I come in comrade. We need to make sure this reality never happens. Trust me comrade, I've seen what this weapon can do. It is not pretty."

Dmitri kneeled to one knee and lowered himself to Daring's height and looked her in the eyes with such sincerity. He rested both of his arms on his knee in a disciplined fashion and locked his hands together as well.

"Do you think you can do this Daring?" he asked her.

Daring Doo did not answer with words but she answered with her eyes, which were telling him that she didn't think she could do this.

"Yes you can comrade. You can do this. You know how I know? Because we have this-"

Dmitri held up the Eye of Maxon to her eye level and continued talking.

"-and we have this." he said, pointing at both of their hearts and setting back down the Eye of Maxon.

"But I'm scared, I'm-"

"I'm scared too comrade but we have to be brave. We have to conquer our fears, no matter how great we think they are. Fear is strong Daring, this is most true. But fear will never have the one thing we have. Courage. Fear fears courage. So let's make fear fear eh? Heh heh that's the look! See? Not so hard right?" Dmitri chuckled, softly patting Daring Doo's back.

Daring Doo smiled a little at Dmitri and shook her head yes.

"Okay now that you are in better spirit, time to tell plan. Okay. So right now my people are fighting below and killing what is left of German army. We have to get through this street somehow, without my people or the Germans seeing us."

Daring Doo's ears raised a little and she cocked her heads when Dmitri said that.

"Why though?" she asked with curiosity.

"Because we have time-traveled Daring. You see, both you and I don't exist in this timeline. We are out of timeline. The soldiers below us, they belong in timeline. Think about it like this comrade. The timeline is like huge spider web. This means all of time is one great huge spiderweb right? You follow? Da? Good. So soldiers below us, they are like flies in spiderweb. They are stuck. They cannot move at all. But what about us, you ask. Well my friend, we are like spiders. We must be like the spider who is careful and treads on own spiderweb carefully. But one little wrong touch and spiderweb is ripped to shreds. This is what Nazi want to do. They want to rip spiderweb. But Daring, what Nazi does not know is this is our spiderweb. It has been for a long time comrade. So let's go get Nazi spider off our spiderweb. What do you say eh?"

"Let's do it!" Daring Doo, with her question answered and her spirits lifted even more excitedly shouted.

"Haha comrade, that is most like it. Okay, follow me closely and be quiet. I have been through here before. So we should be good, eh?"

Dmitri took out a knife that was hidden in his right boot and crouched, beckoning at Daring to say low as well. He slowly led her out of the blasted living room of the apartment room they were in, down a dark and destroyed hallway and into the stairwell nearby, which was just as equally destroyed.

"Okay Daring, nice and easy. Down the stairs we go comrade."

But as Dmitri led the way down the stairs, he failed to noticed a flying rifle butt heading towards his head from a nearby apartment door.

"Dmitri!" was all Daring was able to shout out in warning.

Dmitri glanced up quickly and managed to avoid the rifle butt and even grabbed the incoming closed fist that came after but dropped his knife as a result.

"Daring! Don't panic! I got this!" Dmitri yelled to Daring as he struggled with the unknown soldier.

Dmitri continued struggling with the soldier and tried to see into the dark room the soldier was in but failed to actually see him. However finally Dmitri overpowered the solider and tossed him into the stairwell, which caused him to drop his weapon and reveal his identity.

"Stigel?" Dmitri said to the soldier on the ground.

The soldier on the ground turned around to face Dmitri and responded.

"Dmitri? Is that you? Oh, it has been long time. I thought you were one of..zthem.." Stigel said, as he looked around frantically to see if anyone heard him say that.

Dmitri walked over to Stigel and extended a hand out towards him and Stigel grabbed it. Dmitri then helped Stigel up to his feet and picked up his rifle and handed it back to him.

"Them?" Dmitri questioned Stigel.

Stigel nodded and dusted off his grey uniform.

"Ja. Lots has happened friend since the last time you have been here. Let me give you a quick run through. Hmm let's see..Der Führer has pretty much DESTROYED DESUTCHLAND! He is crazy! I am glad I joined you guys. Oh, I would not stay a day longer in Nazi Germany if I can help it. Oh yes, Der Führer has already initiated his program. Operation Unlimited is in full effect. I imagine that that should be quite a shock to you."

Dmitri responded with only a shocked look, as Stigel had predicted.

"It's ok my Russian friend, we'll make it out of here alive. But only if we stick together. Ja?" Stigel smirked at Dmitri.

Stigel then noticed that there was another on the stairs behind Dmitri and initially was shocked at Daring's appearance but managed to muster something to say.

"Quite a lovely umm friend you have there Dmitri." Stigel said while smiling at Daring Doo.

However Daring Doo did not smile back for she was bothered by not only his appearance but the way he spoke.

"Daring, it's okay. You can trust him. He is one of us. It's gonna take more than a rifle to kill me heh. Stigel, you crazy bastard heh heh!" Dmitri chuckled while patting Stigel's back roughly.

Daring Doo still did not think so and gave him a look of skepticism.

"Oh Daring, don't look like that! You see, Stigel is most trustful comrade. He always has back. Don't worry, with Stigel we are surely to make it. Unfortunately, because of what Stigel has told us, plans have changed little. And when I say little, I mean a lot."

"Okay but what the heck do you mean a lot?" Daring Doo asked him right away.

Dmitri hesitantly looked at Stigel for an answer, who gave him a similar look. Dmitri looked back at the anxious Daring Doo and gulped, replying as quickly as he could.

"Well Operation Infinity was a plan Der Führer would only use at last resort. It seems last resort is here. So that means there is infinite German soldiers. This is good for Nazi but at same time it is most bad. Because these infinite soldiers are actually dead and will eat anything alive. Der Führer must be that crazy to think that will end war. It will only prolong it, but not a war of man against man but man against the undead."

Daring Doo's eyes became very large as she was speechless at first.

"Un-undead?" Daring Doo stuttered in disbelief.

"Yes, like zombie. Heh. Nazi zombie. What a piece of-"

"Hey!" Stigel protested at Dmitri, who then in turn laughed at his reaction.

"It is only joke of course Stigel. You aren't one of them. You are comrade, like Daring, like me. Da?"

"Ja" Stigel replied in his native language while shaking his head at disapproval at Dmitri and slightly chuckling.

After Stigel and Dmitri traded a few chuckles, the both of them made sure Daring was okay, which she was and the trio then continued to head down the decrepit stairs.

"So Stigel, right?" Daring Doo asked Stigel.

Stigel looked behind him to Daring Doo and smiled while nodding his head.

"So are you like the grey soldiers I've been seeing a lot of recently?" she probed him.

"It depends friend. Are these grey soldiers alive or dead?" He said sarcastically to her.

"Alive." Daring Doo replied with a monotone while rolling her eyes.

Stigel gave her a look of pure thought, stopped walking for a second and looked at the ground for a moment. He stuck out his jaw while he was in thought and then looked back up to Daring.

"Ja, I guess I am like zthem. Except I am friend of Dmitri. Dmitri..both him and I go back a long time ago. Ja. Before this war."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh we were friends in school together. Long long time ago. I was student visiting the Soviet Union and well I happened to-" Stigel droned on, however was cut short of his recount of his childhood.

BWWWWAAAAAHHHH! BWWWWAAAAAHHHHHH! BWWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

"Get down friends! Get down!" Stigel barked at the other two.

Dmitri, along with Daring Doo who was in front of him, quickly got down and took cover as best as they could.

"Wha-what's happening?" Daring Doo asked, to which she did not get a reply save for a finger rested on Dmitri's mouth.

Daring Doo remained paralyzed as she heard the loud sirens blasting, shaking the apartment complex they were in. Then she quickly found out why they weren't panicking and remaining silent.

"Oh my Celestia, oh my Celestia this can't be!" she thought to herself.

The trio had almost made it out of the exit of the stairs, to the ground floor but did not quite make it all the way to the door. Instead, the trio were close to base of the stairs and from this vantage point Daring Doo could see the street ahead of them from where she was. She was amazed at how destroyed the street and the surrounding buildings were and she could barely hear the screams of humans in the distance, both young and old, both male and female. But there was something else that she saw. Rather, something horrendous that she saw. The streets were filled with those "things" that Stigel was talking of. Below the sounds of the alarms she could hear the relentless screams and groans of the undead outside and it chilled her to the bone. She shivered slightly from the thought of it and wished that she could just stay on the stairs that she was on. But she knew she had to help Dmitri and Stigel. But how exactly she could help them and what they were really doing, she did not know.

"Hey friend it's going to be okay. These 'things' are pretty stupid. We'll be able to make it through." Stigel whispered over to Daring, attempting to reassure her.

Daring gulped and looked to Dmitri for reassurance, who then whispered to her.

"He's right comrade, it will be okay." He responded while smiling at her.

He then continued whispering as he looked at both Stigel and Daring.

"Okay our goal is to make it across city. We have to get to a bunker named DE-47. There, we will find machine that is doing this to the city. We shut down Operation Infinity and we stop Der Führer from killing world. And if we stop Der Führer from killing this world, then we stop him killing your world Daring. Sounds like good plan eh comrades?"

Stigel looked at Daring, who looked back at him and the both of them nodded their heads at Dmitri.

"Good. Okay DE-47 is not far from here. Stigel knows where it is don't you comrade?"

"Ja of course friend. I can lead you there."

"Great comrade. Okay, if you both are ready then let's go!"

Dmitri went by the door, peeked out of it to make sure there weren't any undead right next to it and slowly sneaked outside, hiding behind what used to be a car. He looked back at the stairwell entrance and signaled for Stigel to come. Stigel nodded, checked his sides first and told Daring to quickly follow him. Both him and Daring quickly rushed over to where Dmitri was and took cover behind him.

"Okay Stigel, it's your show now."

Stigel nodded at Dmitri and went in front of Dmitri. He peeked over the car, surveyed the area while determining a route for them to go and then took cover again.

"Looks like we can't avoid zthem. Hmm..what can we do. Oh ja, we can take the back roads. I used to take them all the time when I would steal bread from local baker. Hmm. I miss those days..he could never catch me heh."

Stigel looked at the other two and smiled, to which he received half-smiles back.

"So serious both of you. Don't worry friends I know what I'm doing" he tried reassuring them.

He then looked over the car again to make sure the path was clear, which it was, and he started darting across the street as the other two followed right behind him. He came upon a store of some sort and continued passing it, going into the road that went behind it. However the trio weren't the only ones on this back-road; the road itself was so densely populated with the undead it seemed like the road itself was alive.

"Shize. Well that is not going to work" was all Stigel said once he saw the debacle in front of him and even stood there with his hands on his hips and a smirk on his face, completely disregarding the danger he was in.

But luck was on Stigel's side for he noticed a manhole on the ground nearby and he told the others to follow him into the sewer once he got the idea. At first Dmitri was hesitant as well as Daring but the undead relentlessly heading towards their direction convinced them to go into the sewer finally. Once Daring Doo finally got into the sewer, she closed the manhole above her just in time as the undead on the surface began pounding on the cover, causing a sickening sound of hand and nail against metal.

"It's kinda like music isn't it friends? Really strange music. I thought Amerikans were weird with music. Ha!" Stigel joked.

The trio, with the only source of light being the covered manhole above them, stayed gathered underneath it until Stigel pulled out a flashlight from his satchel and turned it on, casting a bright white light onto the dark sewer walls.

"Who would've known sewers were nasty?" Stigel sarcastically joked, which earned him a slight chuckle here and there.

Stigel then looked behind him to the other two while being careful not to shine the bright light in their eyes.

"Friends, you sure are tough to entertain. Heh."

He then turned around again and starting walking forward, shining the light in front of him.

"Okay friends, the sewer goes right under the bunker. So we should get there pretty soon. What do you think Dmitri?" Stigel said, his voice echoing in the dark tunnels.

"I think you're right comrade. I don't think we're very far right now."

Dmitri then looked behind him to Daring, and noticed that she was looking at the floor. Stigel saw Dmitri doing this and continued walking forward.

"Daring, what's wrong?" Dmitri sincerly asked Daring.

Daring turned her head slightly away from Dmitri and stopped trotting. Both Dmitri and Stigel stopped walking and looked at her, although Stigel still remained cautious of where they were.

"It's just..I don't.." Daring Doo began as she continued staring at the floor sadly.

Dmitri walked over to her and was careful not to splash water on her due to his boots and lowered himself to her height. He then gave her a loving embrace, one to which she responded likewise. Daring Doo then started sobbing into his arms and he comforted her, stroking his hand down her mane and shooing her.

"It's alright Daring, we're gonna make it. It's alright" Dmitri told her while hugging her a little tighter.

"Hey friends, we got company down here!" Stigel interrupted.

Daring Doo and Dmitri looked up to Stigel, who was pointing ahead of them with his flashlight at a few bodies in the distance. However as time passed, it became apparent that the 'few' bodies they saw was actually a lot of bodies both on the walkway they were on and the water nearby.

"Bilet" Dmitri said.

"Shize" Stigel said right after him.

"Oh my Celestia" Daring Doo said last but not least of course.

The undead saw the trio and immediately started heading towards their direction. Dmitri looked at the undead and then looked back at Daring Doo, who was looking at him with such fear. At this moment, he had never noticed how beautiful her eyes were and even though she was scared out of her mind right now, he started to fall in love with her. Dmitri could hear the screams of the undead get louder with each and every passing second but despite the impending danger heading their way, he continued staring at Daring. And to Dmitri, it seemed that Daring felt the same way, for she kept intensely staring at his eyes as well.

"Tick tock, we're about to get fucked!" Stigel shouted at the other two.

Whatever spell was happening between Daring Doo and Dmitri was dissolved as reality came back and the screams became even more louder than before.

"Get ready comrades, they are about to be on us!" Dmitri shouted to Stigel and Daring as he pulled out his rifle while letting her go.

"Ja I know! Hey Daring, get behind Dmitri and me. You'll be just fine." Stigel replied to the both of them as he pulled out his machine gun.

Stigel remained on point where he was and stuck to his right side, right next to the wall as Dmitri assumed a stance right next to him in the small amount of space they had on the walkway. Dmitri crouched down to get a better aim while Stigel remained in a standing up position as he aimed.

"Okay, I got three on our left right here!" Dmitri shouted.

"I see that. I got 6 in front of us. Engaging!" Stigel replied back.

TATATATATATATAT! TATATA! TATATA! TATATATATA! TATATATATATATATA!

CRACK! CRACK!

"Friend, there's too many. Too many!" Stigel yelled out loud.

He continued firing at the undead, killing as many as he could but despite his efforts and those of Dmitri, the undead kept coming and coming.

"Reloading!" Stigel yelled out to Dmitri.

Dmitri continued firing as fast as he could, dropping a zombie here and there but could not kill all of them. He then pulled out his pistol and started firing rapidly, trying to kill the zombies heading towards Stigel first then those heading towards himself and Daring.

"Okay I'm good friend. Reload if you need too, I cover!" Stigel yelled again.

Dmitri nodded and proceeded to reload his rifle and then his pistol.

"DIE! DIEE!" Stigel shouted at the undead, mercilessly killing any undead who step too close to the trio. However Stigel failed to notice a zombie get through which was stumbling towards a distracted Stigel.

"Stigel watch out!" Daring Doo shouted out to Stigel.

Stigel was then attacked by the stumbling zombie and struggled with it until Dmitri blasted it's head off, causing quite a relief to Stigel.

"Thanks friend" Stigel said to Dmitri.

Dmitri nodded and got up, walking slowly towards the undead. Stigel did as well and the trio slowly advanced towards the undead. Once Dmitri and Stigel got close enough, the both of them engaged the undead in close quarter combat and killed the undead without mercy. At one point, Dmitri even grabbed a zombie and smashed its head violently on the hard cement ground below. Pretty soon, and with a miracle, the two of them managed to kill all the undead that were standing in their way, but at a great cost.

"Friend, those zthings sure can bite nasty" Stigel softly said to himself.

He then slid down to the ground and observed his wounds, which were too great for recovery. Dmitri and Daring looked at Stigel with despair, for they knew he wasn't going to make it.

"Oh just say it friends. I know I won't make it" Stigel said outloud, reading their minds.

Dmitri and Daring grimaced at Stigel and said nothing until Stigel did once again.

"Good news is, we're here friends. Take me up. You'll need me to stop machine."

"You're going to be okay comrade. I know it. Okay, let's go." Dmitri told Stigel.

Dmitri then picked up Stigel and put him on his back and walked a couple of paces forward until he came across a ladder. He climbed the ladder as fast as he could and with Daring's help, opened the sealed door above him and crawled into the bunker's floor. Once he did, he set Stigel down on a nearby wall and helped Daring up onto the bunker's floor and then shut the door afterwards.

"We're here friends. Right next to you. The one thing responsible for all of this shize we just went through." Stigel said, coughing a little from the effort of him speaking.

Dmitri looked around on his sides and saw what Stigel was talking about; whatever this machine was, it certainly appeared to be complex. There were rows upon rows of buttons and lights engraved into the walls and to Dmitri, it seemed impossible to decipher what was what. However it was Daring Doo who spoke again and not Stigel like how Dmitri expected.
iph

"Hey Dmitri, I think this is the off button or whatever."

Sure enough, Daring Doo happened to find the off switch which was located on the side of the wall where she was at.

"Yes friend, you found out how to shut it off. But it can't work unless there are two hands. Both of you need to stand right here. You can't both be there." Stigel said, pointing first to his left to a strange box looking object and then to where they were standing.

"Niet, you're not saying what I think you're saying.." Dmitri began.

"Oh it's exactly like that friend and you know it." Stigel replied, chuckling and coughing.

Dmitri grimaced at Stigel and walked over to where he was and he kneeled down in front of him.

"I can't leave you comrade. I will not allow it!"

"Well it's not your decision is it friend? We've had a good run Dmitri but all things come to an end. However, it isn't your time just yet friend. And how about this. Maybe we'll see each other in the next world? I think so, ja? Ja So take me to switch." Stigel insisted.

"Dammit comrade, why must you make me do this!" Dmitri said, slightly sad, slightly amused.

Stigel smirked at him and coughed a little.

"Because you wouldn't be my friend if you didn't. Besides, remember when I saved you from Lucas the bully?"

"Comrade I thought we agreed to let that go. You are really bringing that back up again eh comrade?"

"Hey, just saying you still owe me." Stigel chuckled.

"You bastard heh heh heh..I'm going to miss you comrade." Dmitri replied with a chuckle.

"I'll miss you too friend. I really will."

Stigel and Dmitri then shared one last embrace before Dmitri picked him up again and set him down in front of the controls. Dmitri, along with Daring Doo, walked and trotted over to the strange box and stood on top of it.

"Okay, get ready friends. Here goes everything!" Stigel called out to them, pulling the switch down.

The bunker itself started shaking with such an intensity it vibrated the walls rather rapidly.The three of them could hear a loud noise overhead, accompanied with a sharp blast as a loud sound slowly descended in pitch and volume above them. Dmitri and Daring Doo then gave Stigel one final bye as the machine made one more loud noise.

FU TANG WHOOP BEEP!

But as soon as it did, the bunker's door bursted opened and a horde of undead piled into the bunker, heading towards the downed Stigel in the control room.

"STIGEL!" both Daring Doo and Dmitri called out.

But it was too late. After the loud noise, the two of them disappeared in a puff of rainbows as the undead overpowered the hurt Stigel and his desperate attempts to stop them as his dying screams echoed in the bunker's cold walls.