It did not take long for what Hans had identified as “Waffen-SS” to find shelter. The building, like many that occupied Stalingrad, was constructed from a strange, grey material. The back of the building had been partially demolished by what Rainbow assumed to be one of the “shells”. The rubble was stacked in incongruous layers, and Rainbow was horrified to see a hand sticking out from the pile. Hans and Fritz ignored the corpse, hardened by war. The Waffen-SS simply dragged the body from the pile and hurled it out to rot alone. This act was completed with indifference.

The Russian prisoners had been dragged in like animals. Hans had strenuously declared that they were human, and were to be treated with dignity. Richtofen had coldly laughed it off. Grinning sadistically, he had stated that the Russians would be taken care of as according to their race. Since the SS soldiers apparently saw Russians as sub-human, the prisoners’ prospects seemed dim. Rainbow shuddered as the thought entered her mind. What kind of creature saw a member of its own race as an animal? Apparently, the concept of racial superiority was not new to the humans, despite the shock that it inspired in Rainbow. Equestria prided itself in being unbiased, and the concept of oppression by race was a concept that Rainbow was not at all comfortable with.

The SS troops had, for the most part, ignored her. They went about various jobs, setting up defensive positions and standing guard. Rainbow couldn’t help but admire their disciplined zeal, oppressively racist though they were. They were organized to such a degree, that they would put Twilight herself to shame. That was terrifying. Twilight, by Rainbow’s reckoning, was literally the god of organization. Then, there was the impassive demeanor. Rainbow had never seen individuals so seemingly emotionless in her life. They surpassed even the Royal Guard. At least the Royal Guard were capable of displaying emotion. The SS soldiers seemed incapable of basic emotions. In all her time around them, she had seen nary a show of life. Perhaps they relaxed in their private time. All creatures had friends, right?

Richtofen, the squad leader, unnerved her far more than the other soldiers. Although he did not speak often, he understood Equish, “English” in this world. However, what he had said betrayed limitless sadism and an unnatural willingness to kill. He was a psychopath beyond any ever known to Equestria. Saying that he enjoyed torture would not be entirely accurate. He loved torturing and inflicting pain upon others. This shocked Rainbow a fair deal. In Equestria, there had not been a serial killer or confirmed psychopath for roughly five-hundred years, according to Twilight. It was far different here. SS members, according to Hans, were recruited for being amoral killers. They enjoyed violence, and made no move to hide it, and Richtofen was the prime example. Hans had warned her to stay away from him, claiming that Richtofen was dead set on cutting her up. Rainbow had tried to act brave, claiming that she could “totally take him on”. This was untrue, and Rainbow knew it. The creatures here were far more experienced in violence. She resolved to stick with Hans whenever Richtofen was around. Verily, she did not wish to be disemboweled for another’s pleasure.

Screams resonated from deeper within the building. They had been continuing for several hours, and betrayed pure and unbridled agony. Rainbow had assumed her broken wing was the most painful thing one could experience. Evidently, it was not. The voices betrayed inexpressible horror at their plight. Rainbow shuddered at the noises. How could a being inflict such pain upon another? The answer was obvious: insanity. The screams abated for some time, and she could hear yelling in “German,” as Hans had called it. The response was a pained moaning in what she assumed was “Russian.” The voices stopped and the screaming continued. Next to her, Hans flinched with each outburst of pain.

“How could they do something like this?” she asked, more out of disbelief than ignorance.

“They are the SS. They enjoy doing this,” Hans had sighed in response.

The answer did little to comfort Rainbow. She noticed the still form of Fritz sleeping peacefully through the screams.

“How can he sleep through this?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

“Believe me, Rainbow Dash, he has slept through much worse,” Hans replied with mild amusement, flinching at a particularly loud scream.

"You're taking this well," Rainbow responded with some disgust, "How can you stand it?"

"Saying that I can stand it would be a lie. I can't. But, intervening with the Waffen-SS's affairs is never a good idea. You eventually get somewhat used to it."

"Used to it? How do you get used to...to this?"

"By having it around you for two years. It slowly takes the humanity out of you," Hans sighed.

"What do you mean, takes the humanity out of you?"

Hans's inevitable elaboration was cut off by a loud explosion, a gunshot. Hans bolted upright, his gun aimed warily. He realized that the shot had resonated from within the de facto interrogation at around the same time Rainbow did. There was a loud thump, and the sound of flowing liquid. The upstairs door opened, and a limp object was thrown down the stairs. Rainbow realized with horror that it was a body, although it was almost unrecognizable as such. His mouth was gritted in a horrified rictus, and pieces of bone protruded from his head. His eye was utterly annihilated by a heavy blow, further destroyed by the bullet which had passed through his cranium, sending bone shrapnel into his brain. What horrified Rainbow the most, though, was the marked lack of skin. Massive strips had been cruelly cut away, and the injuries had been cauterized. It was no wonder that he had been screaming. Rainbow suddenly felt the urge to wretch, and comforted herself with a singular thought: at least Fluttershy isn’t here.

Author's Note

Evil Nazis are evil. Please feel free to comment. Your opinion shall always be valued.