Revenge is Bittersweet

by P-Berry

Ch.14: Revenge

In that moment, I feel two things: the hooves of my rear legs colliding with Rainbow Dash’s body and giving her a powerful shove into the direction of the cone, and Applejack thrusting me aside powerfully.

“Ah said cut it out, you jerk!” Applejack shouts angrily, but is drowned by the grinding of the Pegasus Device and the death cries of her former friend.

I quickly unsaddle Applejack and speed towards the cone: I see a small stripe of blood-soaked, cyan fur disappear between the two rollers, the screams suddenly silence.

“DO YOU FEEL THAT!? DO YOU FEEL WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO FIRESPARK!? SUFFER, YOU DIRTY WHORE, SUFFER!” I shout with all of my force, my voice is about to break.

I feel the impact of Applejack’s hoof in my neck and her annoyed shout: “Idiot! I told you not to get provoked by her!” she walks over to the shackled announcer and loads him on her back, “You could have ended that thing honorably! You could have let justice prevail, but no: you had to devote yourself to your rage!” she walks past me and faces the way to the exit, dryly saying: “Great work, ‘brother’.” She snorts derogatorily:”Great work.” She says, literally spitting out the words. Turning around, she departs into the direction of the exit without giving me another look.

Breathing heavily, I turn towards Halo Star who still stands next to the slide with a completely pale face and say: “Come on, let’s blow this hell on earth up!”

He hesitates: “A-are you sure about that?”

I stiffen: “What!?”

“We may use this place to our benefit: there may be some useful information about the production of rainbows in Rainbow Dash’s bureau, we shouldn’t blow it up just like that.” He explains calmly.

I pant with rage: “One more word and you will die like your former boss! We’ll blow this joint up! Period!”

He wants to protest: “But-“

“Shut your face! Don’t make me doubt your loyalty or you’ll get to know what I do with traitors!” I say and make a stiff bow towards the grinding machine next to us.

He jugs loudly, but doesn’t respond anything.

Stormtrotter hurries over the gangplank and gives us a stressed look: “Alright, the lower factory is evacuated, the fight in front of the factory is almost over, and after we’ve brought the workers out of here, we can blow this place up!” He looks at me seriously: “Have you found the manager?”

I make a silent bow towards the Pegasus Device, its rollers glisten with fresh blood.

He makes a slightly disgusted expression, but nods and says: “Alright, at least she won’t make any more trouble. Who was it after all?”

“Rainbow Dash.” I respond soberly.

His eyes widen: “Rainbow Dash!? Are you serious?”

“Yes, she’s been leading the factory all along.” Halo Star explains silently.

Stormtrotter groans shamefaced: “I’d have never thought that she could…” He shakes his head: “But buck it: there are more important things at the moment!” Making a bow to the bottom of the pegasus device, he adds: “Please grab one of the workers and bring them out of here; I’ll round up the other ponies with explosives and place the bags at matching places.”

I nod in determination and walk along the gangplank and towards the stairs.

You did it! You captured the abductors and killed Firespark’s murderers! I’m proud of you, my friend! Now let’s get this place blown up and the Princess kicked out of Canterlot! We’ll make them all pay! Every single one!

I arrive at the lower end of the stairs and look at the last pony remaining: Lighting Dust; her hooves are tied together with metal cuffs and a tight rope around her torso prevents her wings from moving. Focusing me with a hateful look through her ocher eyes, she spits: “I hope you’re happy now!”

I load her on my back and soberly say: “Not before I don’t see this place go down in a fireball, and each one of you punished.”

I walk up the stairs and pass the dressing room with nothing but determination in mind. I step through the door and take a short rest on the small ledge: the impressive scenery of the Equestrian sky presents in front of me; the grassy ground of Equestria seems to be miles away. A slight breeze of hot wind makes me take a deep breath of the summer air and calls up a question in my mind. Turning my head and focusing Lightning Dust, I slowly say: “Tell me: can you imagine what you have done? How many foals you have killed during your career in the factory?”

She snorts: “I know what I’ve done. I’ve done my job, my service for the flock. I’ve provided Equestria with rainbows and freed Cloudsdale from useless failures. … I should be hailed as a hero.”

I snicker dryly: “So your job is to kill useless ponies? Hey, can you imagine: that’s also my job!” I say in plastic excitement while slowly stepping towards the edge of the clouds. I turn around, making my back face the seemingly endless scenery of the sky, and add: “And guess what,” I tense my muscles, “I’m about to get rid of another one!”

Her body suddenly tenses. “D-don’t you dare!?” she yells.

I smirk: “Don’t worry: you’ll hardly feel the impact. It takes about ten seconds until you arrive at the ground; believe me, I’ve already experienced it myself. But in opposite to me, you hopefully won’t survive.”

“S-stop that crap! Y-you bastard have no permission to kill me!” she desperately protests and struggles against the tight shackles around her legs.

I snort dryly and grin: “I’ve granted myself leave to kill murderers. And you, my dear. Are. A murderer.”

She squirms and desperately tries to free herself, but the shackles deny every kind of movement. “N-no! Y-you can’t do that!” she yells, her ocher eyes widened in horror.

“Let me convince you of the opposite!” I announce in apprehension.

Her squirming gets stronger: “No! P-please! I-I’m sorry for what I’ve done! I-if there’s anything I can do to atone for whatever I’ve done to you, please tell me!”

“What you’ve done to me?” I dryly ask and look at her, my muscles relax slightly. “Remember that red pony in the change room, that guy who had his ‘first day’ in the factory?”

A touch of confusion joins the horror in her eyes: “What? Yes, yes I remember him. That bucker caused loads of chaos and then escaped from-“ she silences, her face turns pale as she realizes the issue.

I screw up my face in disgust: “Guess what: that ‘bastard’ stole into the factory to save his daughter.” I let out an angry growl, “But unfortunately, he came too late! SHE WAS GRINDED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS BUCKING EYES!” I yell in rage.

Her breathing speeds up: “T-that was you? Y-your daughter was killed in front of your eyes? B-by us?”

I snort dryly: “Rainbow Dash has already paid, every other murderer will follow suit. But for now, it’s your turn to die.”

She begins to squirm again: “N-no! I-I haven’t done anything to your daughter! Trust me: I-if I would have known that she was your daughter, I would have saved-“

I hit her face with my hoof, making her silence abruptly: “Don’t waste your breath. You’re a murderer, just like every other worker in the factory. You’ve lived the life of a murderer, you’ll experience the death of a murderer.” I soberly say and launch into crouching down, making her slide backward slowly.

Her squirming increases again and she yells: “No! Please!” single tears of fear drop onto my shoulder, “Spare me! I-I’ll do anything!”

I reflect for a moment, then grin superiorly and quickly arise again: “How about offering me a nice air show?”

She sniffs: “What!?”

“See, ever since I’ve had that terrible accident, I can’t fly that good any longer. I’ve tried very hard, but I just didn’t make it.” I sigh wistfully, “I’ve always envied those who can fly, so I’d love to see somepony doing what I’m not any longer capable to.” I lie in plastic melancholy.

Her body relaxes and she sighs in relief: “O-of course! Y-yes, I can do that! Take off my shackles and I’ll offer you a show you won’t forget in your life!”

I snicker coldly: “Oh, I’m sure about that! … But I won’t have to take off your shackles to make you offer me a show.”

“B-but I can’t fly with those cuffs around my wings!” she responds unbelieving.

I take a deep breath and smile: “You’ve cracked it!” I tense my muscles again; her body stiffens as she realizes what I’m up to.

“N-no! Please! Don’t do it! I-I don’t want to die!” she yells tearfully.

Enjoying every second of her desperation, I snicker derogatorily: “What a pity. Guess what: my daughter didn’t want to die either, but did one of you ask her about it!?”

She gulps in discomfort.

“That was a question.”

“N-no.” she stutters guiltily.

I smirk: “See? She wasn’t spared, you won’t be spared either, simple as that.”

Tears run down her cheek: “Please, I’ll do anything! Just let me live!”

I pretend to reflect for a moment: “Hmm … let me think … No.” I tense my muscles to the maximum and growl: “Bye, bucking murderer. Enjoy your last flight. And don’t forget: I wanna see a show!”

I buck her off and throw her over the edge of the clouds. Letting out a desperate scream, she falls downward, unable to do anything about it.

Leaning over the edge, I strain my ears and wait for the confirming ‘crash’; it comes after a few seconds, dully resounding from the ground. Smiling in satisfaction, I lift myself up and round the factory; the pain in my wings seems to be completely gone.

I land in front of the entrance of the factory and take a look around: the square is plastered with corpses; Imperial, as well as Republican guards, single screams of pain are audible from some survivors in the mass.

Oppressing the upcoming sickness, I look to the left and spot the tied-up workers of the Rainbow Factory lying in front of the big, appealing entrance of the lower factory. I give the shackled ponies a satisfied look and walk towards them, drawing my sword; the rests of Rainbow Dash’s blood drips to the cloudy ground underneath my hooves.

I stop in front of a shackled beige mare and give her a satisfied grin, raising my right hoof in apprehension: “So many murderers; so much pony-trash to be disposed … and so little time!”

My attention gets aroused by a strife of red fur in-between the lab coats; an all too well-known crimson fur. I hesitate for a moment, then slowly walk towards the shackled red pony lying in the mass of workers. “N-no. This can’t be. That’s impossible!”

I stop in front of the pony: her legs and wings are bound with metal chains; her black hair is unkempt by the harsh treatment of the assaulters; her crimson fur is mostly covered by her white lab coat, and her grey eyes gleam in hatred as she focuses me. I look down and return the look: “Poppyshine?”

She growls, but responds nothing.

“Y-you’re also working at the factory?”

Again, she remains silent.

My jaw drops: “… H-hell, can’t I trust anypony!? I-is everypony I ever liked a bucking traitor!? … How long? How long have you been working there!?”

“Long enough.” She dryly responds.

I take a deep breath, slowly understanding the past events: “So that’s why you didn’t fight for Firespark? That’s why you just dropped her like a piece of dirt? You wanted new ‘raw material’ for your factory!?” I sigh and look to the ground, my eyes begin to fill with tears, “After everything we’ve passed through together, you just … stabbed me in the back? You just … betrayed Firespark and me? … Poppyshine, there’s no way to express the disappointment I feel at the moment.”

She snorts: “Oh boo-hoo! Do you really think I give a dirty buck about what you think!?”

A wide, superior grin slowly spreads over my face as I look up: “Oh you should! You betrayed me, you betrayed Firespark … heck, you even collaborate with her murderers!”

“GODDAMIT! FIRESPARK IS A FAILURE, ACCEPT IT ALREADY! She was worthless to the flock! She had to die!”

“Well, let’s just agree to disagree about that. The essential is that you betrayed me; you’re a traitor to me. Well, and now, my dear, you’ll get to feel what I do with traitors.”

She chuckles: “Are you seriously trying to threaten me?”

Ignoring her question, I continue: Because now,” I flick my foreleg and smile, “you’re the one with the shackles - I’m the one with the sword.” her eyes widen slightly.

“Don’t you touch me, you dirty bastard!” she protests.

“Oh please, honey! Is that a gentle way to talk to your husband? I thought we still love each other?” I said sweetly and made kissing lips.

“Shut the buck up and piss off! I’ve heard your fellows: you bastards have no permission to harm me!” she yells at me.

I grin superiorly and place the tip of my sword in the middle of her flank: “Oh I’m gonna enjoy this!”

“S-stop it, you asshole!”

I slowly put pressure on the sword; the blue metal pierces her red fur without an effort, making her wince in pain and let out an oppressed squeal.

“What’s wrong, darling? Is that justice knocking at your door? Do you finally feel regret for shitting me and Firespark?” I ask sweetly.

“F-for buck’s sake, stop it you bucker!”

As my sword drills deeper into her body and she begins to clench her teeth in agony, I dryly ask: “Do you enjoy the pain? Not a nice feeling, right? Can you imagine how I felt after falling out of Cloudsdale? Or much more, how Firespark felt when she died in your factory? How does it feel?”

“Argh … GODDAMNIT YOU MOTHERBUCKER!” she yells through her bared teeth, first tears show up on her cheek as she squirms and struggles against the shackles.

I ignore her curses and look at her flank in satisfaction: under my merciless pressure, the sword has drilled into her flesh about three inches deep; a small, but constant stream of blood runs down her flank; a wide grin spreads over my face as I slightly wiggle the blade, making the wound larger than it already is.

Her body tenses from her agony: “STOP IT ALREADY! S-STOP IT! STOP IT!” her voice begins to quaver.

I hold for a second, then abruptly pull my sword back, ripping a small chunk of flesh from the wound; Poppyshine lets out a loud, painful scream. I grin widely and look at my sword: the blade is soaked with blood; multiple stains begin to drip on my hoof.

She looks up and focuses me with her gleaming, grey eyes; single tears run down her cheek: “What the buck happened to you? You’ve never been violent in the past!”

I grin complacently: “Well, sweetie: times change, ponies change. Losing everything you have and seeing your only daughter getting grinded up speeds this process up distinctly.”

I lead the weapon to my mouth and let the blade slide along my tongue; the familiar taste of blood spreads in my mouth. I lick my lips in satisfaction and look back at my ex-wife: the pain makes her breathe heavily; her hateful eyes drill into the ground in front of my hooves.

I raise the sword again: “Alright, time to finish this.”

Poppyshine looks up; the hatred in her face turns into a grimace of fear, abhorrence and apprehension as she yells: “YOU MOTHERBUCKING BASTARD! YOU CAN’T BUCKING DO THIS!”

“Don’t waste your last breath … murderer.” I say while tensing the muscles in my foreleg, ready to run the sword into my ex-wife’s chest; I bare my teeth as a wide grin spreads over my face.

“Come on, stay with us, will ya? Y’all can’t leave us now! Not after everything we’ve been through!”

The familiar voice sounds from behind me and makes me hesitate and look up.

I hesitate, but finally put my sword back and lean towards the worker in front of me: “Lucky you. Don’t worry, you and your fellows will receive your punishment soon enough!” I whisper and slowly turn around, heading towards Applejack. As I approach, she looks up and focuses me with a deadpan look.

I follow her look and notice a guard lying on the ground in front her hooves: his red fur is blood-soaked; a huge cut is visible at his throat and a big puddle of blood has formed next to his head. A smaller pony approaches the guard and, making use of a first aid kit, tries to staunch the big wound; by looking at her light armor more exactly, I can recognize her as Apple Bloom, the hurt guard seems to be Big Macintosh.

Breathing heavily, Big Mac looks up; he focuses his two sisters and me with an exhausted look and whispers: “Bye, sisters. Ah’ll greet Granny Smith from y’all. Ah … Ah love y’all.” He sighs and his body turns limp; Apple Bloom hugs her sister tightly and sobs loudly. Unable to do anything helpful, I look at the two sisters shamefacedly. Applejack gives me a drained look, but doesn’t say anything; the look in her eyes says more than a thousand words anyways; but one question drowns everything else: “Why?”

Luna approaches us from behind: “The factory is completely evacuated; we can initiate the destruction.”

Her look falls on the two crying sisters and she silences. I turn towards her and give her a soft dab, away from the guards: “Give ‘em a minute of silence, they lost somepony very important.”

She nods understanding: “Of course. But we have to evacuate the square first, I don’t want anypony to get harmed through the explosion; even if they are guards of the Empire: the fight, as well as the war, is virtually over. We don’t have to make this war cost more lives than it already did.” She pauses for a moment, “Did you find the manager?”

I nod coldly.

“And, regarding the fact that she isn’t with you, I conclude-“

“She’s dead. She died in her own murder-engine, she deserved nothing better.”

Luna nods soberly: “That was your decision, I do not reproach you.”

I hear steps behind me and turn around: the two Apple-sisters are about to approach us; Applejack gives Luna and me a tearful look.

“My warmest condolences, sister.” Luna says softly.

Applejack nods dryly: “Can we get this over with? I don’t want him to have died without a reason.”

Luna nods understanding and looks around, raising her voice: “My brothers and sisters!” several guards in the mass look up, “The factory is now fully evacuated and we will blow it up soon! Please move away from the factory and take the casualties with you!”

The leftover guards -about ninety ponies- move to the other end of the square; some of them carry hurt Republican or Imperial guards on their backs; most of them limp.

We join the crowd at the other end of the square and I look at the factory; the thought that this horrible place will be extinguished soon brightens my mood visibly.

Stormtrotter comes from the backside of the factory and approaches Luna: “Everything’s ready! Both factories are empty and the explosives are positioned.”

Luna nods satisfied and grabs a small remote from a bag fixed to the side of her armor. She hands it to me and says: “From all of us, you probably suffered the most from the factory, you should have the honor to do the final step!”

I grab the trigger and nod appreciatively: “It’s time to finish this once and for all!”

“But wait a moment, there’s something I have to do!” she interrupts me and makes a concentrated pose, her horn lightens up.

I give her an asking look, but she closes her eyes in exertion; I look over to Stormtrotter and give him the same look, but he just points up to the sun: slowly, a dark spot appears on the bright surface of the sun; it becomes bigger every second, until the sun is completely covered by a round shadow.

It takes me a few seconds to understand that Luna just caused an eclipse; I look up to the darkened sun in expectation.

Suddenly, the shadow of a mare appears in the moon; making an effort, I can recognize Luna. An impressive voice sounds from the moon as she begins to speak: “My brothers and sisters in Equestria! I’m talking to you to tell you that the times of oppression are over once for all! We have discovered a dark secret: the truth behind rainbows! They are produced in a horrible place, called ‘Rainbow Factory’! I am certain that some of the pegasi know about this place, but all of Equestria has to know the truth about this hell! Those foals who didn’t pass their flight test are brought there and grinded into rainbows! I’m telling you, my friends, your ‘Princess’ knew of this, she even supported the whole process! We found this horrible place and rendered it harmless! After we have finished the war, we will unite our powers to provide you rainbows, rainbows that are not made of your kids! She has taken you the night; she has made you sleepless; she has squeezed you with high taxes and strict laws; she supports the murder of innocent foals! My brothers and sisters! I’m telling you: those times are over now! The biggest part of her army is extinguished now; she is helpless! We will assault Canterlot soon, and I hope for your support: support us and fight for peace, fight for a united world, fight for a day-night-rhythm, fight for freedom; Fight! For! Equestria!”

She ends her speech and the moon slowly vanishes again. Turning towards me, she shouts: “Now!”

Without hesitating, I press a big, red button on the remote. A split-second later, I hear an incredibly loud explosion and see the whole upper part of the factory getting drowned by a huge fireball.

This is it! We made it!

As the explosion slowly fades, I hear another noise: a massive growl coming from somewhere at the ground. I give Luna a questioning look and she walks to the edge of the clouds, saying: “Look at that; we’re near to Canterlot.”

I step next to her: the road under us is filled with ponies, all bearing torches and growling and howling in apprehension while hurrying towards Canterlot: the revolution has begun.

“The Princess is doomed!” Luna notes satisfied.

I nod stiffly; Luna turns towards the guards and yells: “Come on, my brothers and sisters! It’s time to end this war once and for all!”

The guards shout in apprehension and the mass quickly dissolves: the unicorns and earth ponies are drowned in a blue cloud of magic; the pegasi depart altogether; some of them head towards the embassy to get rid of the prisoners and casualties.

I’m the only one to stay back.

I hesitantly take my helmet off; my glance slowly wanders over the heaps of corpses in front of me: none of the armored bodies is moving; a lake of blood has collected in the middle of the square. I look at the smoking ruins of the factory: it’s impossible that somepony in there is still alive; the facility is completely destroyed. I give the road under me a short glance: the guards have joined the mob and now head towards Canterlot; it’s obvious that the struck army of the Empire can’t stand against a mob of angry ponies and a mass of experienced and determined guards; the fall of the Princess is only a question of time.

My glance goes to the bodies again: I’ve had my revenge. I reached everything I wanted to reach. Firespark’s abductors are imprisoned and her murderer is dead. The factory is destroyed and I’ve let the murderers feel my wrath. The tyrannical Princess is doomed. Everypony who had to pay, paid. I’ve finally had my revenge.

But there’s something in my chest: a sour feeling slowly crawling up my throat and making me feel sick; it’s not the consciousness that I took the lives of three ponies overall, nor is it the regret that I blew up the factory instead of using it to my benefit. No, it’s the simple lack of satisfaction: I’ve reached everything I wanted to reach, but the expected flood of satisfaction, the certainty that I would be pleased after destroying the factory and exterminating the manager, comes to nothing.

A cold gust blows into my face and involuntarily makes me recall my actions: I killed Rainbow Dash, the mare I used to call my friend when I was young! I killed Lightning Dust! She begged for mercy and I murdered her in cold blood! For buck’s sake, what have I become!? I’m a murderer! I’m a monster!

I stiffly stare at my ankle; the tight sheath still sticks to my foreleg like a shackle. That’s all its fault! If I wouldn’t have had that sword, I would have never killed Rainbow Dash! I wouldn’t have gone mad and I wouldn’t have killed Lightning Dust!

I flick my foreleg; the small blade snaps out of the sheath. I freeze; my breathing slacks off as I look at the midnight-blue metal: even though the few sprinkles of blood already begin to dry, I can clearly see a face in the reflection. As I stare at the pair of dull, exhausted eyes focusing me through the reflection, I hear a voice, cutting through the dead silence like a knife. “Who are you?” it asks me dryly; It takes me a few seconds to realize that the throaty cawing comes from my own lips.

“What have you become?” The voice asks reproachfully.

After a long break, I slowly shake my head: “I don’t know.”

I lower my foreleg again; my glance wanders over to the smoking ruins of the factory: “I really don’t know.”

I wince as a painful cognition comes to my mind: I’m the best example of how much the elemental hunger for revenge can change somepony; what it can make out of you when you set it over everything and let it take control over you.

My pulse speeds up as I slowly look around the place: nopony is here. Nopony to keep me company, nopony to comfort me. Neither Applejack, nor Halo Star, and least of all Firespark are with me. I’m all alone.

I feel something wet around my hooves and lower my head: the puddle of blood slowly spreads over the square; my hooves are soaked with the red liquid. I take a deep breath and look up, focusing the graveyard in front of me. “I’ve had my revenge.” I mumble faintly.

My glance wanders over the masses of corpses in front of me, a single question pops up in my head: “But at what cost?”

Now that you’ve had your revenge, what do you feel?

Is it happiness? Satisfaction? Or even pleasure?

No, you feel none of these.

You feel nothing.

All you have is the certainty that revenge isn’t sweet: it brings you satisfaction in the first place, but the satisfaction quickly turns into bitterness that more and more makes you regret your actions.

You fought for your revenge, you’ve had your revenge.

But what does it use you after all?

You can’t bring back those who died, you can’t undo what you have done.

And there is nopony on your side to encourage you, and no reward for your deeds.

In the end, you’re left alone with nothing. Nothing but one painful insight:

Revenge is Bittersweet.

The end