Revenge is Bittersweet

by P-Berry

Ch.13: Charge!

I crouch on top of a big cloud and stare at the scenery in front of me: the weather factory lies a few meters under the cloud me and my team are resting on, the square in front of the entrance is filled with hundreds of Imperial guards, all looking into the distance stiffly.

I look to the right: Applejack‘s look is focused on the square, every muscle in her body seems to be tensioned. She notices my look and looks up. I gesture her to mount my back and whisper: “Come on, the assault will begin in a few moments!”

She nods understanding and silently mounts my back, I let out a groan of exertion. Suddenly, the incisive sound of a horn comes from opposite the factory and a mass of Republican guards rains on the place, colliding with the wall of ponies in golden armor. I turn towards my team and shout: “That’s the signal! Let’s show those motherbuckers how we deal with murderers!”

I take off and speed towards the back entrance of the factory, the adrenaline in my veins seems to compensate the additional weight on my shoulders. I forcefully land in front of the door and Applejack jumps off my back. After looking at the door critically, she turns towards me and, over the noise of the fight at the other side of the factory, shouts: “They replaced the door, it’s much thicker than before! I can’t open it on my own!”

I swear loudly, then reflect and turn towards the rest of my team flying behind us in expectation: “Do we have any other earth ponies?”

A pegasus flies forward and sets down a mare, dressed in the signature heavy armor of earth ponies. I look at the pegasus and shout: “Thank you, sister!”

She turns her head towards me and reveals her violet eyes, surrounded by orange fur. Soberly, she says: “That’s my duty as a guard. To help my brothers and sisters.” Scootaloo makes an impatient bow towards the door and adds, “Now come on, let’s get this over with!”

She flies next to me and looks at the two mares, now opening the door with two powerful kicks of their rear legs.

As the door forcefully flies open, I throw my sunglasses aside and turn towards Scootaloo and the rest of the team, shouting: “Get your flanks in there, I want every single one of those murderers to be laid in shackles!”

I land on the ledge and hurry past the two earth ponies, running into the factory; I hear the heavy breathing of Halo Star and Scootaloo behind me, followed by the heavy steps of Applejack.

I enter the small hallway and do a sidestep, literally flying into the change room. I spot a single worker standing in front of a locker and run towards him. I give him a forceful shove towards the locker that certainly broke at least one of his bones. Ignoring his screams of agony, I turn towards the arriving ponies of my team and dryly shout: “Arrest that bucker, the manager is mine!”

Accompanied by Halo Star, Scootaloo and Applejack, I rush through the narrow corridor and take a quick stop in front of the wall of windows: the everyday work seems to be in full swing; the grinding of the Pegasus Device is clearly audible and a silent whining can be heard from a small crowd of foals at the other end of the room; a couple of guards are standing across the factory, but altogether, there are clearly more workers than guards in the factory.

While the rest of my team arrives and looks at Applejack expectantly, I give the cone of the Pegasus Device a long look, the memory of Firespark rises up once again and a painful question pops up in my head: How many lives did that machine take? How many foals were killed by the factory?

I feel the rage going to my head and let out a loud growl: “THIS HAS TO BE ENDED!” I yell, take off and speed forward. Quickly closing my eyes, I feel my body colliding with the windows and the glass burst from my weight.

I shake my head and focus the gangplank, landing on it hard. I feel a slight pain coming from smaller cuts in my body, but clench my teeth and ignore it: the pain can wait, the manager has to be spotted and held accountable. Hearing the sound of the team hurrying down the stairs and single alarmed shouts from the guards, I single-minded focus the other end of the gangplank: a dark hallway, only enlightened by a single strip light.

I clench my teeth and stomp on the cold metal of the gangplank as I see one of the workers land directly in front of me; her white lab coat, as well as her golden hair are stained with blood, her turquoise fur looks even duller than the day I met her in the change room; her ocher eyes are hidden under the mirrored glass of her goggles. Baring her teeth, she growls: “And where do you think you are going, dirty little intruder!?”

I take a deep breath and return the look: “I warn you one time. Step aside and I will keep your head on your body.” I growl and draw my sword.

She lets out a derogatory laugh: “Ha. You wanna threaten me? You have humor.” She tenses her body and focuses me: “Alright, let’s get this little dance over with.”

“Lightning Dust. What a joy to see you again.” I hear the voice of Scootaloo next to me. The turquoise pegasus looks at her former colleague and her expression turns into pure hatred: “Scootaloo. How nice to see you again, you bloody traitor!” She shoots forward and forcefully lands on the orange mare.

I turn at Scootaloo and want to help her, but she points to the hallway at the other end of the gangplank and yells: “Go Ahead, that wimp of a mare is no challenge for me!” She pitches the turquoise mare and presses her to the ground.

Without hesitating, I turn around and focus the dark spot again, hurrying towards it determined.

Upon entering the darkened corridor, I hear voices coming from somewhere further in the darkness; I listen to the dialogue while trotting through the hallway and trying to spot the voices.

“And why in Tartarus should I give you two scumbags a raise? What did you do that you deserve more of our precious money?” a strict, female voice asks.

“We … err … well, we did a good job with the last delivery.” A sleazy voice replies.

“The last delivery, huh? Oh, I remember, that stallion that wanted to rescue his failure of a daughter, right?” the female voice sounds.

“Hehe, yeah. Just made him drop off the sky.” A deep voice chuckles. I startle: I know that voice! And I know the pony to that voice: the announcer, that bucking bastard who abducted Firespark in the first place!

I stop and look to my right: in the dimmed light, I can spot a brown door in the wall; a golden sign saying ‘Manager’ is attached to it. It takes me a few seconds to realize the issue; I stare at the door and feel an apprehensive smile spread over my face: three ponies, on my list altogether, and all in one room.

I turn around and give the door a powerful kick; it flies open with a wooden ‘crack’. I hurry into the room: in fact, the two ponies I met after the flight test stand in front of a big desk; a large executive chair stands opposite to it, the backrest faces me, so I can’t see the mare I’m looking for. Baring my teeth in an apprehensive smile, I growl: “Hey hey hey! Guess who’s here to have some fun?”

The two stallions look at me unbelieving; the backrest of the executive chair slowly turns around and I finally see the mare sitting on it; the mare that killed Firespark; the mare of whom I swore myself that I will kill her by my own hoof. She doesn’t wear the balaclava any more, so I can see her entire face: her cyan fur is completely dull, single spots of it are missing in her face; her magenta eyes show a touch of insanity while they drill into my face and her formerly colorful mane hangs down faintly. Giving me a superior smile, she imitates my voice and replies: “Hey hey hey! What do we have here? An intruder?

I freeze, my jaw drops: “R-Rainbow Dash?”

It takes a few seconds until she recognizes me: “Ha-ha! Fippo, old friend! Nice to see you here! What a sweet reunion, right?”

My mind is about to drown in chaos again: “B-but … y-you are the manager of the factory!? You … You killed my daughter!?”

She chuckles: “What a bright spark you are!” Her face abruptly becomes serious and she looks at the two sturdy stallions next to me, soberly commanding: “Get him!”

They spin around and face me, departing simultaneously. Before one of them can reach me, the announcer gets hit by a powerful kick and, letting out a painful grown, flies to the other end of the room; the blue pegasus gets grabbed by an armored guard and shoved to the opposite wall. I spin around and see the determined eyes of Applejack, facing the passed out announcer.

“Applejack! Nice to see you again, you dirty little bitch!” Rainbow Dash shouts and arises from her chair.

Applejack looks at her former friend unbelieving: “R-Rainbow? Y-you are the-“

She gets cut off by the cyan mare: “As I see, you two have united.” She steps on the desk and tenses her body: “But that won’t avert your death!”

She shoots forward and lands on me surprisingly forceful, knocking me over and pinning me to my back. From the corner of my eye, I see that Applejack wants to help me, but gets hit by the announcer and carried to a corner of the room.

I look up; the magenta eyes of Rainbow Dash are focused on me as she raises her hoof and growls: “It’s time to die, old friend. Maybe you’ll see your failure of a daughter in your afterlife!”

That word makes something in my head move; I break loose from my stiffness and yell: “SHE’S! NOT! A! FAILURE!” I tense my rear legs and give her abdomen a forceful kick, making her fall off my body and land a few meters away from me.

I jump up and run towards her, noticing that Applejack and the other guard are still struggling with the two abductors. I step over the cyan mare and draw my sword, looking deep into her eyes: “Finally. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so-“ I get cut off as she gives my face a powerful punch and jumps up, running her head into mine and making me stumble backward.

Without hesitating, I swing my right foreleg and feel the dark blue metal cut through her skin. Letting out a painful groan, she recoils and gives her leg a quick look: a large cut is visible directly above her hoof. I give her chest a powerful punch and make her stumble backward; she tumbles and finally lands on her back again.

I step over her again, this time holding her hooves with my legs, and say: “Don’t you interrupt me while I’m talking! For the past days, I’ve been hurrying through this goddamn country and searched for my daughter, just to arrive here and watch you brutally killing her!”

I give her nose a powerful punch.

“I never thought that Rainbow Dash, my former friend, would work at such a place! That she would be the mare I hate more than anything in Equestria! That she would be the leader of a goddamn slaughterhouse! I mean: why!?”

She squirms and comments my speech with an angry hiss.

I shake my head hastily: “But believe me: no matter how you entered this hell here, I’ll make sure that you don’t leave it alive!”

I press the sword to her throat and growl: “Are you afraid to die?”

“Bring it on! In opposite to your failure of a daughter, I’m not afraid to face my end! I regret nothing!” she responds sharply.

I clench my teeth, scream in rage and shove my hoof downward.

“Ha! I knew it: wimps like you can’t kill strong ponies like me! You’re just too weak to end somepony’s life!”

I look at my right hoof: the tip of the sword stopped one inch above Rainbow Dash’s face, my foreleg twitches.

I take a deep breath and say: “No. I’m not weak. I want to kill you, the desire to run my sword into your head is indescribable, but I won’t do it. Because if I would, I would let myself down to your standard. I would devote myself to the desire for revenge and act unjustified. No, you will face the anger of the Republic, you will be brought before the court and receive an appropriate punishment for your actions. But your fate isn’t my business.”

I put my sword back in and grab the shackle fixed to my armor. After tying her up, I look around: Applejack stands in front of the tied-up announcer lying in front of her hooves and gives me an impressed look. The other guard is just about to shackle the second abductor.

Slowly walking towards me, Applejack gives the shackled mare a pitying look: “Rainbow Dash.” She sighs, “Why? Why do you work at such a horrible place!?”

Rainbow Dash snorts dryly: “Because somepony needs to do this! Those worthless failures have to be exterminated and Equestria has to be provided with rainbows!”

I wince and give her a hateful look: “Don’t call them failures!”

She returns the look: “Shut up, you son of a whore! I don’t talk to ponies who don’t have the guts to kill other ponies!”

I furiously draw my sword: “I’M GONNA SHOW YOU WHAT GUTS ARE!”

Applejack puts her hoof on my shoulder and calms me: “Come on, stop it. You’ve made a honorable decision, now don’t make that-“ she literally spit out the word, “monster change your mind! She’ll be punished by our brothers and sisters.”

I sigh and hesitantly put my sword away: “You’re right.”

I look over to the other guard: he has shackled the stallion completely and is just about to load him on his back. I turn towards him and say: “Come on, brother. We should bring those,” I make a disgusted expression, “things to Luna.”

He turns towards me; his cyan eyes gleam in satisfaction: “Of course,” he smiles, “brother.”

I raise an eyebrow, facing the fact that Halo Star just defeated a full-grown, sturdy stallion completely on his own, and turn towards Rainbow Dash who is squirming on the ground in front of me.

I load her on my back and exchange a look with my two fellows: they have both loaded up their opponents and look at the exit expectantly.

I trot through the narrow door and feel a touch of satisfaction come over me: I’ve done it! I’ve caught Firespark’s abductors and her murderers! Now they will face the wrath of hundreds of ponies! I’ve done it! Now there’s only one thing left: the tyrant.

We leave the small bureau and walk along the dark hallway, Applejack gives me a satisfied glance: “We did it. We took out the factory and captured the manager! The threat for the foals is finally over!”

I nod approving: “And it’ll only be a question of time until we’ll make Celestia fall and free your family!”

She shivers: “I hope they survive that massacre out there!”

I give her an encouraging smile: “I’m sure about that! They already survived one massacre, they’ll endure that one too! I mean: if they really are as tough as you, there’s no doubt!”

She sets up a weak smile: “Sure.”

We leave the small corridor and walk across the gangplank, giving the rest of the factory a glance: the guards from team Bravo have defeated the few imperial guards –a more exact look at the corpses confirms that neither Big Mac, nor Apple Bloom are under them- and shackled the workers of the factory, they are lying in front of the pegasus device altogether; the few captured foals seem to have been set free already.

I stop in front of the huge cone coming up at my right side and look at the bloodstained, rotating rollers next to me. Letting out a deep sigh and turning towards Rainbow Dash on my back, I dryly ask: “Do you have any idea of how many lives you have taken? Lives of innocent foals? Of foals that could have grown up into great- into admirable pegasi?”

She snorts coldly: “Are you talking about the failures!? Please, pegasi that can’t fly are worthless to the flock! Where would we be if we’d allow failures to live in our community?”

I let out an angry growl, feeling the muscles in my front legs tense: “Don’t. Call them. Failures.”

She chuckles: “Or what? You wanna threaten me!? Oh, how cute! That wuss of a stallion has captured me and now wants to end my life!” her voice drips with sarcasm, “Oh, I’m so scared! Puh-lease don’t hurt me, oh you great and powerful fighter for the weak!”

I clench my teeth; my growl is growing louder.

“Don’t let her provoke you, will you!? She just wants to rile you up!” Applejack warns me slightly worried, “Come on, let’s get outta here!”

I respond nothing and stay where I am; Halo Star arrives with the second abductor on his back and stops behind Applejack.

“Don’t we go?” he asks slightly confused - nopony answers him.

“Oh, and I’ve heard we’ve processed your daughter recently? That red filly, right?” Rainbow Dash chuckles, making me bare my teeth and tense my muscles even further, “Ha-ha. Oh yeah, she was totally clueless.” She makes a short break, then joyfully adds: “That little failure.”

I let out another growl, every single muscle in my body seems to be tensed: “Call her a failure one more time and I swear to Faust: I will end your miserable life!”

She breaks out in laughter: “Ha-ha-ha! You wanna kill me!? Oh my, you sure know how to entertain me! Please, you’re far too weak to kill me; you’ve been a wimp ever since flight school! Honestly, I think it was better for your daughter to die here than to grow up with a wimp like you as a father.” She chuckles, “Well, so she died like she lived: as a failure.”

A fuse in my head seems to blow; I let out a furious scream and buck her off, throwing her into the air and giving her body a powerful kick with my rear legs. I hear a hard, brazen impact and spin around: she has landed on the gangplank in front of me, directly next to the slide leading into the cone of the Pegasus Device. She slowly looks up; her hateful eyes drill into me.

I quickly step towards her and press my right hoof into her stomach: “ONE MORE WORD AND YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR OWN GODDAMN MACHINE!”

“Come on, snap out of it!” Applejack urges me.

Rainbow Dash opens her mouth - I increase the pressure on her body, feeling her slowly slide backward, and yell: “O N EM O R EW O R D!”

She gives me a long, incisive look, then looks to the side and silences.

I keep on pressing my hoof into her body and growl: “SO! Now let’s talk about my daughter!” I forcefully shove her head upward and force her to look into my eyes, my hoof twitches in tension, “Tell me: is she a failure!?”

Rainbow Dash remains silent and stares at me, her magenta eyes gleam in a mixture of hatred and insanity.

“Come on now, I know that she provoked you, but you’ve made a honorable decision, don’t take it back now! Leave her fate to the Republic!” Applejack says determined.

I spin around and plant myself in front of her, yelling: “Shut up! This is something between her and me! Buck Luna! Buck the Republic! She is mine!” I focus Rainbow Dash again and place my hoof on her body, growling: “I’m still waiting for an answer!”

She still remains silent, her eyes drill into my face; the insanity seems to stain on me.

I keep on shoving her forward; she slides closer to the slide: “I WON’T ASK AGAIN!”

Rainbow Dash, now facing her mortal danger, narrows her eyes and mumbles: “She’s not a failure.”

I bring my ear closer to her head and ask: “What was that!? I COULDN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF YOUR KILLING-MACHINE!”

She looks up; with a quavering voice, she slowly declares: “Your daughter is not a failure.”

I narrow my eyes and, in plastic excitement, say: “Oh, really!? Well, nice that you’ve also realized the truth!” I make a reflecting gesture: “But please tell me: WHY DID YOU KILL HER THEN!?” I yell at her and increase the pressure on her body even further; she now lies at the top end of the slide, only one inch of bloodstained metal decides about her fate.

She clenches her teeth: “I-it was just a normal day, alright!? Failures get killed, rainbows are made! That’s the daily routine here!” she soberly explains.

I narrow my eyes even further: “Daily routine, huh?” I dryly ask and spin around, making my back face her. I tense the muscles in my rear legs and yell: “I’LL SHOW YOU SOME DAILY ROUTINE, BITCH!”