5: Hellacious

        Deacon couldn't sleep that night. It was like all the want to sleep from just a couple hours ago diminished altogether. His mind was filled with opinions and dwellings on the events of the day; not only did he manage to help his human friends finally cross the American lines, he was also brought back to life, teleported to a new world filled with technicolor ponies, had a couple bullets removed from usually fatal locations, was rudely awaken from a nap by the sound of gunfire, was a part of a bloody battle, got captured by a presumed dead Nazi (or.. Blofigan?) Captain, and had a badly frostbitten finger removed from his hand. To top it all off? His friend was currently being interrogated violently and without remorse.

        Nathan's eyes were wet with tears as they scanned the pages of his personal Bible, desperately trying to drown out the sounds of Rudolph screaming from down the hall. He tried praying for the dreaded sound to fade away, but to no avail. He tried multiple times to focus on other things, but the profane German yelling always dragged him back to the ordeal. Even now, he was trying to focus on his Bible reading.

        "John, Chapter three, verse sixteen," he thought to himself.

"Blöd, pathetisch Verschwendung von Pelz!" was the distant statement which brought him from focus. Cringing, Deacon tried yet again to continue his Biblical progress.

        "For god so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.." he whispered as he read.

"Ficken pathetischen!"

        He almost jumped at the pure profanity which came from Blauesherz's mouth. He had dealt with such language in the Army, but never at this scale. Plus, he always hated profanity. It was the easiest way to drift to wickedness.

        "...that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

        Deacon almost dropped his Bible as the sounds of bones cracking echoed down the hall, followed by a muffled grunting. He sniffed, desperately praying that his friend was okay.

        "Verse seventeen," his voice quivered. "For God did not send his Son to condemn--"

        The noise of irregular hoofsteps in the hallway was the last straw. Deacon sighed, marking his place before tucking the small Bible in his shirt pocket. "I'll continue later," he said quietly.

        As the unknown individuals neared his prison cell, it became evident one was severely wounded, being half dragged by two others. Occasionally a pained grunt or a slip of the hoof erupted from the hurt one. The only response from the two healthier ponies was a rough "Aufstehen," or a shove.

        The hoofsteps stopped just outside Deacon's door. Curious, the latter looked up to find two Blofigans throwing a black pegasus in its cell, just across from his own. With a rough slam, the barred door shut the pegasus in.

        As the Blofigan guards left, Deacon studied the pegasus. It was definitely young; at least about one year older than Deacon. The messy fur which adorned the body was black in color, along with a black and white mane and tail. He quickly recognized it as a she, judging by the long eyelashes above her eyes, which held light green irises. In a way, she resembled Rainbow Dash because of her mane style.

        The next thing he noticed was how horrible her injuries looked. She had a black eye, a huge gash on her leg, and even a bandaged wing. All the wounds were crudely patched by the Blofigan doctors, barely helping.

        For a few seconds, the mare looked gloomily at the bars, as if she could glare a hole of pure sadness through them. She seemed to not notice Deacon as she sniffed, looking over to the pathetic bed which was hers. He remained quiet as she trotted, defeated, to the itchy bed and lied down.

        It was then she noticed Deacon staring at her, and her eyes immediately went wide. For a few seconds, the two just stared at eachother, not one word escaping their lips. Her light green irises seemed both frightened and curious as they scanned over the human's body, stopping occasionally to examine his wounds more carefully. Deacon let her investigate without a word, knowing it was useless to try talking to her first. She would most likely just not respond or turn away.

        She blinked as her vision focused on his four-fingered hand, barely a rag protecting the grotesque wound from infection.

        "...How did you get that?" she finally asked, only half expecting the human to understand her.

        Deacon looked down at his maimed hand, just a dull pain making up its distress. He lifted it up for her to better study. "It was frostbitten. It had to be amputated."

        She slowly examined the spot where the finger used to be. "...Frostbite? In the middle of Summer?"

        Deacon shrugged. "It's a long story."

        Another one of Rudolph's screams pierced the relatively quiet hallway, echoing off the walls. Deacon cringed, worry for his friend overwhelming. The mare caught onto this.

        "That brown stallion," she started, tilting her head. "Do you know him?"

        Deacon nodded numbly. "My friend. Rudolph."

        The pegasus sighed. "Well, then, I'm sorry for your loss. Everyone who gets on Blauesherz' bad side is as good as dead."

        Deacon looked down, a lump forming in his throat. He figured as much, but to hear it flat-out like that triggered something in him. The mare quickly recognized her brutal frankness and looked down, guiltily. "...Sorry." she said.

        Deacon took a second to recuperate himself before turning back to the apologetic mare. Curious, he asked a question: "Do you know Blauesherz?"

        She chuckled, shifting her position on the bed to better face the human. "Know him? I'm his sister."

        Deacon's eyes widened, pulling a rueful smile from the mare. "Don't worry; I'm nothing like him. He doesn't even recognize me anymore."

        "How does someone forget how their sister looks?"

        She sighed. "He doesn't remember anything now."

        Deacon looked at her, his face beckoning her to continue.

        A black hoof from the mare waved nonchalantly. "Don't ask. That's all I'm giving away for now. That tale's for people I trust."

        "You can trust me," Deacon reassured.

        "I'm sure I can," she said sarcastically. A blank look from Nathan made her sigh. "I'm serious. Blauesherz may be... different now, but believe it or not, he was a good pony. A hero, actually." Her eyes shown with nostalgia. "A hero who's tale shouldn't be told. At least, not yet."

        The human nodded respectively. He knew some tales are not to be told lightly. "So.. what's your name?"

        She gave him a stern look, which made Deacon think he came off a bit too strong. However, after a while she responded. "Flecksturz. But I just prefer 'Starfall.'"

        Deacon smiled. "I like that name."

        Starfall just grunted. "It's Germane. Just reminds me what my nation has done."

        Deacon shrugged. "My country also did stupid things."

        Fleck smiled at the soldier's response. "So.. what's your name?"

        "Well, my real name is Nathan, but I go by Deacon."

        "Deacon? Isn't that some Mormon word?"

        "Yeah."

        Starfall nodded slowly. "Sooo.. are you, yourself, Mormon?"

        "Yep."

        Curiosity flashed in Fleck's eyes. "So, do you go on Missions and stuff? Do you pray and have control over nature?"

        He chuckled. "Yes, I did go on a Mission and I do pray. I do not, however, have control over nature. God does that, but only when he has to."

        Starfall looked at him, fully engaged in Deacon's religion. "...tell me more."

        Deacon was taken aback. Never had someone asked him that; they usually just brushed him off or weren't interested, which he could respect. He expected Fleck to be joking, but her face was one of seriousness. He scratched his head, wondering where to start; the Ten Commandments would be a good place, but she would most likely question God's authority, starting her off badly.

        But then he had an idea.

        Deacon started with the creation of Adam. He took joy in finding someone who was deliberately interested in his beliefs, as it was a rare phenomenon which happened virtually only on his Mission. As he talked, the yells of pain from down the hall seemed to die down. Deacon was grateful for that; perhaps Rudolph was finding strength?

        He could not have been more wrong. Down the peaceful hall was the interrogation room, which Rudolph and Blaues were currently in. It was just growing more quiet because of Rudolph nearing his death.

        Tied to a metal chair, Rudolph could only whimper and sputter as Blauesherz worked his knife into the brown earth pony's stomach. The pain was overwhelming. If his voicebox wasn't already completely depleted from the yelling of the previous torture session, he would definitely be screaming.

        "What does it feel like," Blueheart said menacingly, his cyan eyes filled with hatred. "To betray your own country? Hm?" He twisted the bloody knife, resulting in Rudolph moaning in pain, trying his best to hold back tears. "You know, Rudolph, the moment I layed eyes on you in the training academy, I knew you were going to be useless. I cannot tell you the shock I felt when you were chosen to be in my squad."

        "Nn-nngg..!" was the earth pony's responce as the knife worked its way through muscle, scraping bone. He was used to the constant berating of Blauesherz' brutal words, but still, it hurt more than the knife in his gut.

        After what felt like an eternity, Blueheart ripped the gory knife from the helpless stallion's belly. The latter heaved with pain, panting.

        "You are pathetic," Blauesherz continued with a backhand to Rudolph's cheek. "I would die for my country. You, on the other hand? You would abandon it the moment the oppritunity presented itself. For what? To get layed by some rainbow bitch? Nutzlos, pathetische Stück Scheiße!"

        Rudolph, as if a sudden surge of strength passed through him, gave Blueheart a deathstare. Then, he jerked his head forward, his hard forehead crashing into the pegasus' nose. There was a loud crack as the blue pony hissed, holding his now profusely bleeding nose.

"Gott verdammt Hurensohn!" Blueheart yelled, his eyes closed tight from the pain. Rudolph only stared at the result of his deeds, no knowledge of where the burst of energy came from surfacing. His forehead held no pain at all, as if the headbutt only hurt Blaues.

        After a while, the pegasus looked up to Rudolph, his eyes full of hatred. "You've got balls, Arschloch." he grunted. "But you just signed your death warrant."

        Blauesherz got up from his position, walking right past Rudolph. With a rough hoof, he grabbed the back of the chair holding Rudolph suspended, dragging him with him. Rudolph looked around frantically, struggling desperately to rip free from the metal chair.

        Blaues dragged Rudolph through halls, doors, and corridors. The brown pony knew his oncoming fatality was existent, although he refused to believe it. He kept believing that he could escape somehow, his mindset the most optimistic part of the situation.

        After dragging the brown pony through a door, Blauesherz was in the prisoner chamber.

        "...men were ignorant back then," a calm voice came into focus. Blaues quickly recognized it as the human's. Most likely babbling about his religion. "They thought they could build a tower, leading to Heaven, so they could be with God. As they began, they--"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Blueheart. He could hear the sound of someone starting, most likely Deacon jumping from the sudden and brutal interruption.

        A black Pegasus's head appeared from the cell across from Deacon. "Why don't you shut up?!" she shot back. "The guy's telling a story!"

        For a second, Blauesherz just stood, dumbfounded. He did not expect somepony to retort, especially a mare. Then, he stormed over to her cage bars.

        "Luder! HALT DIE FRESSE!!" he shouted as he grabbed her by the mane, then banged her head on the bars, hard. She screeched with pain as a gash formed on her forehead.

        Deacon's eyes widened as he shuffled to his door, kneeling down to her eye level. "Hey! Hey, you okay? Sie gut?"

        But the pegasus wouldn't look him in the eyes. Her eyes were downcast as she groaned, massaging her wounded area. It was as if she was ashamed of her wound.

        Blaues gave her and Deacon a hard look, shifting his head to look at the two. "Oh?" he said with mock surprise. "Is she your marefriend? Ist das Liebe?"

        "Hell no!" the mare said with sudden anger. "No offense, Deke."

        Deacon shrugged, although it was clear she did offend him.

        "Well, I don't believe it," Blueheart said. Then, he trotted to Deacon's cell. The latter backed away, unsure of what to expect. The black mare took a step forward, sympathetic to the human. Obviously, she cared about him at least a little.

        Blueheart ripped the cell door open with incredible strength. Then, he grabbed the hesitant human by the shoulder and dragged him to the mare's cell. She backed away as Deacon was thrown into her abode, grunting as he hit the floor.

        "If you're going to witness this," the pegasus said, closing the cell door. "I assume you'll need your little bitch to cry with."

        Blueheart walked to Rudolph's chair, dragging him to the cell's view. Deacon's eyes immediately widened at his companion's state. Rudolph wouldn't look at anyone, as if ashamed with his position.

        "Hey Rainbow Dash! Come see this," Blaues yelled. In response, Dash's head appeared from a cell down the hall.

        "What the Hell do you--" she started, but didn't finish. When she spotted Rudolph, her eyes widened. "Oh, Faust, no.." she whispered.

        Blueheart smiled smugly. "I figured I needed the whole gang here to witness this. Now, listen up, everypony!" He looked around, drawing the attention of various ponies in different cells. He could see some poking their heads out, some shaking the recognition off. Every other prisoner had their battle scars, most likely dealt by Blauesherz himself. He had interrogated and beaten so many ponies he couldn't hope to remember faces.

        "This pony's name," he patted the brown stallion on the cheek. "is Rudolph. He is a Traitor to my country, betraying the Blofigan race by letting my squad be killed. As you can see, I beat him up real good. Beat him to a pulp, actually..."

        As Blauesherz was giving his speech, Deacon stared at Rudolph through the bars of his cage. His eyes watered as he clenched his fists, the fingers closing around the bars between him and his friend.

        Rudolph could only glance at Deacon. Although no words passed between the two, a million's worth was reflected in their eyes.

        "...and I want all of you," Blueheart continued. "To witness what happens to Traitors!"

        Rudolph gave Deacon a slight smile as Blaues finished his talk. "Don't worry," he said. He turned to Rainbow Dash, who was no better than Deacon. She sniffled, her eyes red rimmed. Tears flowed down her cheeks freely. He turned back to the human, who was currently reaching his hand through the bars, shaking tremendously. They were full of passion, to grab Rudolph. To pull him to safety. "My fall will be the beginning of your rise."

        "Please, no," Deacon whispered, sniffing.

        "Don't worry," Rudolph sniffed as Blueheart wrapped his hooves around his chin and forehead. As they clenched onto Rudolph's features, he made out the words: "If you truelly believe in your religion, then I am with God now."

        Then, before Deacon could respond, Blueheart's hooves snapped backward, cracking Rudolph's neck.

        The entire room fell dead silent as the death noise echoed throughout the chamber. Blueheart pushed Rudolph's chair, and his body, to the floor.

        Deacon and Rainbow Dash both stared in unison at the corpse of their friend, unwilling to accept the young stallion's early fate. The remainder of the room were also downcast, some turning away hopelessly while others just stared.

        "You.. You.." Rainbow Dash stuttered. "...son of a BITCH!"

        "Say what you will," he said, bending down to grasp the back of Rudolph's chair. "But I thought I needed to teach everypony here a lesson."

"GO BUCK YOURSELF!" Rainbow Dash screamed, slamming her hoof on the cell door.

        Blueheart only brushed her statement off as he exited the room, satisfied with his work. He dragged Rudolph's body with him, the brown head lolling to the side. Deacon stared at it, shaking. The face was one of horrification, with the capability of haunting Deacon until the end of his days.

        Starfall gazed at the human from behind, sadly. The gash on her forehead just felt numb now; nothing compared to the pain she felt for the human. Hesitantly, she inched her way forward to the downcast Deacon, and awkwardly put a hoof on his shoulder. She definitely was not good with sympathizing, but for now she would make an exception.

        "I'm sorry," she whispered as she knelt down to his side. After no response from the human, she slowly dragged him in a hug.

        Deacon only shuddered at first, but gradually he buried his face in her shoulder. She could see the tears in his eyes, although none fell. It was as if he refused to show weakness, but still wanted to mourn for his friend internally. He didn't speak, only stuttered with his words as his face contorted into one of pure sadness.

        She acknowledged the way his eyes held no anger. That was amazing by itself; Fleck wouldn't hesitate to give Blauesherz a lesson. His eyes were only full of pity. She sighed, patting his back.

        "He.." he finally made out, sniffling and gasping between words. "was so.. young."

        Starfall looked down at the human, his messy and short dirty blonde hair obscuring her vision of the human for the most part. "...I know," she said. "I know now that.. Blueheart really did change. He's a monster."

        Deacon shook his head gloomily. "No. He's misled. Confused. We all do many horrible things in War.. but killing someone so young, so helpless.."

        Starfall hesitantly put her hoof on her youngerponies friend's head. She began to stroke his hair lightly. "Don't you feel any.. anger?" she chided.

        "No," the human replied. For the first time, he looked up at her. She almost flinched at the raw emotion in his chocolate brown eyes. "I never feel anger toward the enemy. They are just another victim to the system of War. The only difference between us and them is our uniform colors."

-  -  -

        Applebloom cringed as she saw a rust-colored hoof work around her eyes, only being able to imagine the deeds they were busy on. If she wasn't on pain killers, and completely numb on the face, she was sure she would be in excruciating pain.

        "Ne bougez pas." Remy said through his paramedic mask as his experienced hooves worked around her maimed face. Applebloom could only guess what that meant.

        The stallion's eyes squinted, focusing hard on a spot on her face. Without moving his eyes, he slowly reached over to his side, coming back with a pair of tweezers. She started to squirm, only to have Remy repeat his French statement, planting a firm, but gentle, hoof on her shoulder. He expertly and slowly reached down with the utensil. Applebloom's eyes widened as Remy slowly pulled a piece of gray matter from somewhere near her eye. He placed it on the tray beside him. Applebloom turned her head to look, only to have Remy repeat another French statement.

        "S'il vous plaît, ne bouges pas."

        Applebloom could understand the first word, but beyond that, nothing.

        "Remy's asking you to not move, Applebloom," a nurse, who was currently working on Applejack, said. "Let him do the work; he's a professional."

        She tried her best to ignore the assortment of dead skin and gore Remy removed from her face. After that was finished, he started to disinfect the wounds. Thanks to the numbness, however, she could barely feel a thing.

        Applejack, lying just a couple feet away, received the same treatment. After her wounded leg was fixed and stitched up, her gashes and injuries were next. Big Macintosh was also receiving his well-earned healing. They were all on the sweet trail of healthiness.

        Rarity entered the tent, the brief opening showing the herds of bustling ponies. As the tent flap closed, the white unicorn levitated a clipboard infront of her. "Hello, Darlings," she said.

        "'Darlings'?" Applejack repeated, amused. "Is that what you just called us?"

        "Some habits just don't go away," Rarity defended herself. The nurse working on Applejack giggled, fully accostumed to the unicorn's speech. "Anyways, I have good news and bad news," she said pleasantly.

        The entire room, save for the three doctors, were instantly attentive.

        "The good news comes first: we've located the Blofigan base, where your friends are being held."

        Applebloom was the first one to react, sitting up in a flash. "Where are they?" she almost squeaked with happiness. Remy only grunted as he gently pushed her head back on the pillow.

        Rarity shuffled her hooves, unwilling to put an end to the young mare's joy.  "Well.. that's where the bad news comes in. They're in the camp: Festung Blauespferd."

        Applebloom, instead of reacting as hellacious as before, just stayed still, letting Remy continue rub some sort of tannish lotion on her face. "So?" she asked nonchalantly.

        Rarity sighed, looking down. "Festung Blauespferd's captain is Blauesherz." A look of nostolgia passed through her eyes, and Applebloom could have swore she saw a tear in her eye. "Or, in Equestrian, 'Blueheart.' Him and I... have a history."

        Applejack, not as restricted to move as her sister, sat up and looked Rarity in the eye with shock. "What do you mean?"

        "Well.. that's a story for another time," Rarity shrugged. "Please understand, but I'm afraid I cannot join you in your endeavors."

        "What?" asked Applejack. "I don't understand! You can still plan with us to take over the camp.. right?"

        "I'm afraid I cannot," the white unicorn sighed. "I do not want anything to do with Blueheart."

        Applejack looked at her friend, hard and concerned. Obviously, the stallion had been a part of her friend's life. If it was for the worst or better was the question.

        "Like I've told you," Rarity smiled sadly. "Much has changed. Please, I know it is rather selfish, but I beg you: respect my decision." Something in her eyes shown, but it was quickly drowned out. "Anyways, we've had this for a pretty long time. Here are the blueprints for Festung Blauespferd. There are dozens of ponies here who would gladly volunteer for your cause. I wish you the best of luck." She quickly trotted over to Applejack, laying the clipboard down by her arm. There was a blue paper on it, with various designs and levels labeled with white crayon. Then, Rarity turned and left the tent.

        Immediately after, all eyes were on Remy. If he was her husband, surely he would know of this ordeal?

        Remy didn't even have to look up to know what the Apple family was doing. Instead, he started to apply stitches to his patient's left cheek, closing a gash. "Je sais quelle vous croiyez, et je ne parle pas," he said nonchalantly.

        The French-speaking nurse by Applejack spoke up. "He's not talking about it."

        Applejack picked up the blueprints by her side as the nurse continued her work on the wounded leg. The base was relatively simply made; there was the entrance, then it curved into a wider, circular building. The interior was a different story. The white lines representing locations, walls, and levels all looked like jibberish to her. It was so jammed pack with information her head hurt as she studied the Blofigan workmanship, but she could get the basics. After a minute of studying the page, she knew where the gas chambers, interrogation room, Captain's Quarters, and the Prison were located in the complicated insides.

        Then, a plan hatched in her mind.

We'll set off a distraction, first..