//------------------------------// // 2330 17/09/1017 // Story: The Red Vengeance // by KaiserVanBeackmarck //------------------------------// Suddenly, I awoke once more, atop the roof, my body healed and ammo replenished. The gods were truly giving me another chance. Now just to use that properly. Quickly, I looked around the Kaiserplatz. There were a group of encircled griffons in the center, cornered by some Diamond Mountain infantry. I felt the desperation to aid them, but I had to focus. Heavenly Snow was my quarry, not them. And I was to keep my oath to Boreas. Leaping out, I shot towards the Palace, where gunfire ripped the air. As I flew, I thought of all the unfortunate comrades that fell in this uprising, Ebonwing and Mikusian falling, and the injustices to our kin cast by these liars. I felt the fury building within, flowing in my blood as I dove towards the Lake City elites. Turns out Wilhelm hadn’t died or run away, he had opened the palace gates for the rest of our forces, and were now locked against Heavenly Snow’s legions. But now I was going to give them hell. Unsheathing my sword, I flattened a pegasus and spun, my blade ripping through flesh and bone, showering blood everywhere. Everypony who saw me, panicked and scattered. They had seen my flaming, ruined corpse fall over the Kaiserplatz, yet I was here as strong as steel. This just made it better as I tore through them, my fury roaring within like a bonfire of souls. I hacked through the last to come face to face with the thief himself, Heavenly Snow. His reaction was akin to his comrades, but far quicker overcome. To him, I was just another infuriated griffon peasant, trying to stop him. Little did he know, this little peasant would be the one who would rip him apart. I lashed at him, my blade clashing against his longsword, drawn hastily to defend. I spun it and cut his leg before ramming my spiked Knight helm into his face, savouring the feeling as his glasses and jaw broke. He screamed and slashed at me wildly, the edge cutting through my jacket and ripping along my arm. I reached back and brought my blade overhead, his own sword blocking desperately. Not stopping, I continued to press down, trying to break his blade as it slowly descended. This I relished. Cornering my foe and slowly breaking him down before finally killing him. Suddenly, in an unexpected move, he rolled to the side and fired a blast of magic at my chest. No time to dodge, I felt it rupture my jacket, but suddenly stop before piercing my skin. I looked, and I noticed armour, shining red in the light of the fire. A parting gift of Boreas, I assumed as I leaped towards Heavenly snow once more. He scampered back, barely avoiding the strike as it split the lawn. I withdrew, and he used the opportunity to lash again towards me. I ducked and rolled behing one of the beheaded Grover statues, his blade biting into the altar. Now defenceless, I charged him, sword angled to behead him, as he desperately tried to retrieve his weapon. Finally realising it wasn’t going to come free, he hefted the head of Grover V and flung it at me with a shot of magic. I couldn’t block, so I just took it. The force of the head sent me hurtling into a wall, my bones shattered in several places. Shaken but not fallen, I stood back up, as Grover III’s head flew towards me again. This time, there was enough space to dodge, so I leaped up and kicked off the rock, straight at Heavenly Snow. Now he had gotten his sword back from the altar, and readied himself for my blow. I put everything behind it, and smashed his blade with all my might. The blow not hitting him, it still sent him flying onto the ruins of the Temple of Boreas. I followed swiftly, my blade aimed at his open throat. Swiftly, he rolled to the side, my blade shattering the rocks where he lay moments ago. Again, he launched a boulder towards me, making me question if he was just a lying cavepony, as he fought like one. This smaller one, I cut it in half before springing at him. Now in the closer quarters, I unleashed a flurry of blows, many nicking and hacking parts of his jacket and flesh free, each one fuelling my anger at Heavenly Snow. Finally, he screamed, “ENOUGH, GRIFFON! AS YOUR EMPEROR, I COMMAND YOU STOP!” I felt him channeling the might of the gods to try and stop me, part of me relaxing. In retaliation, I called for the reserves that the gods had given me and screamed back, “NEVER! YOU ARE NOT THE GODS’CHOSEN DISIPLE, YOU ARE NAUGHT BUT AN URSURPER!” Our powers crashed against each other, echoing like thunder and sending rubble flying. The only visible sign was an aura of energy, glowing whitish red. I focused, and took a step towards Heavenly Snow, my energy advancing with it. I felt like marching through a gale, random memories of Heavenly Snow hitting me. I saw him in the Northen Zaphizian plains, leading an assault on a line of fortresses on a river, his inauguration where he had promised to reform the Holy Pony Empire, and then him leading the attack on this city. I continued to take step after step, the gale increasing as he forced more energy into it. Now I could hear the memories too. “DIE GRIFFON DIE!” “Come on, CHARGE THEM!” “THOSE RAIDERS HAVE RUN RAMPANT FOR LONG ENOUGH! OUR HOOF FALLS HERE!” I took another massive stride, my limbs straining agaisnt the furious storm. Heavenly Snow roared, forcing every reserve of his energy into this attack, the storm firing up with more and more fury. I raised my arms and took yet another step towards him. He couldn’t move, his whole body focusing on forcing me back. I didn’t stop, taking step after step towards him. Finally realising he was dead, he tried to run but his magic had taken it’s toll.Once he started to release it, it wouldn’t stop flying till the target died or he died. But here, I had the will to trump him. Taking the last steps, I swung, my blade arcing straight into his neck, before tearing his entire head free, blood and gore spewing from the severed neck. His last moments of fear were permanently etched onto his face as it rolled across the tile, the maelstrom of magic cooling as his body collapsed behind me. Reaching out, I grabbed his head and ran to where the remainder of the forces duelled. Upon arrival, I landed on the wall, produced Heavenly Snow’s head and roared, “SEE, FOOLISH PONIES! YOUR EMPEROR LIES DEAD BY MY HAND! SURRENDER OR JOIN HIM!” When they saw his head, they blanched and ran with their guns falling behind them, followed by my forces. Slowly but surely, the news of Heavenly Snow’s decapitation spread, and the River Union retreated from the Hertzland. Grover II and Grover VI were freed, and the rest of the leaders of the Union aggreed to a ceasefire, returning all our conquered lands and with much fury from Grover II, we accepted. The worst war to rock our Empire in an eternity was over. I was assigned the position of Head of the Royal Guard, Benito humbly stepping down for me, and Grover knighting me as The Red Vengeance, Knight of the Fallen and Avenger of the Deceased. Wilhelm was assigned to the guard under me, which I always poked fun at him about. And the Griffinheim Uprising of 1017 went down in the Historia Griffonia as one of the few successful rebellions in our history.