Drip.
Falling. Pain and agony, fear and shock. All emotions of terror. The expression floating before his eyes was one of undiluted horror.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Wet. Rain. Heavy rain. Red rain. Was someone bleeding?
No longer a drip. More of a gush.
Blood. Blood and feathers.
Eyes of pain.
Battle woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed, cold clammy sweat clinging to every strand of fur on his body and plastering his mane to his scalp. He gasped for air, his throat feeling restricted, as though he had tried to swallow a golf-ball. He felt light-headed and dizzy. It was so hot in here. He couldn't breathe. He rolled out of bed, the bed sheets tangled around his legs and hi chin smacked against the bedside table. He ignored the pain and scrambled to the balcony, throwing opened the doors and leaning against the cold iron railing, drinking in the cool night air.
He slumped, his arms hanging over the railing, the only thing keeping him from falling flat to the floor. His legs felt weak and limp.
He was shaking.
He closed his eyes, trying to tap into the calm, peaceful place in the corner of his mind. Trying to reach that place he retreated to when meditating. He tried his hardest to calm his breathing. But that face swam just at the forefront of his memory. That horrified, agonised face.
His eyes screwed up, trying to blot it out, trying to make himself be calm. But it was no use. Nausea swirled around in his stomach and a deep, throbbing pain built up inside of him. A white hot agony that burned right through him. He pulled one of his hands from the railing and he spun, back pressed against the cold metal as he lay on the ground, left hand dangling in the night and the other gripping the space above his heart. He felt it trying to hammer a bruise on the inside of his ribs, beating wildly and erratically.
He lay slumped like that for several minutes, breathing heavily,as little by little the pain and the nausea seeped away. His breathing calmed and his heart settled. All that remained was a slight ache. He remained like that for some time, drifting into a sort of half-sleep. When he finally regained his sense of awareness, the soft glow of Celestia's morning sun bathed everything in a gentle yellow light as it began to rise over Ponyville. Battle grunted and got to his feet, the hand over his heart, tracing a finger lightly over the thin, pinkish scar that lay beneath his finger. There was no blood to his relief and he couldn't feel any dribbling down his back so that was a plus. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and began to make his unsteady way downstairs.
He wasn't getting any more sleep that was for certain.
Battle gave a discontented grunt as he straightened up, having peered through each of the kitchen's cupboards and finding them lacking. He slammed the door shut, rubbing the corner of his eye to dislodge any sleep. It came away on his fingertip in small crusty clumps, which he flicked away in disdain. He heard the door open in the library and he rolled his eyes, looking down at himself as he did so. The library hadn't been open for more than ten minutes. He hadn't been anticipating anyone would be awake this early so he'd felt safe walking around in his baggy lounge trousers. Just the lounge trousers mind.
He sighed and walked into the library proper and felt a little glad to see it was only Dash and Rarity. Rarity cocked her head at Battle's complexion but Dash gave an appreciative whistle as Battled appeared.
"Dayum!" she cried, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Good morning handsome."
"Rainbow would you kindly not flirt this early in the morning?" Rarity sighed as Battle made his way to his desk. "I wouldn't mind except it's every time Battle takes his shirt off."
"Oh come on! Tell me you wouldn't jump that given the chance!"
"A lady doesn't jump! A Lady expects to be courted first."
"Like you'd have the patience."
"Right here girls," Battle reminded, resting his head in his hands, and his hands on the desk.
"Sorry Battle darling," Rarity said, giving Dash a glance, who gave an apologetic shrug in response. "You look dreadful by the way. I do hope you don't mind my saying so."
"Haven't had my morning tea," Battle grumbled. "Ran out last night."
"Goodness how awful!" Rarity exclaimed. "I sympathise with your position darling I really do. I can hardly get any work done if I haven't had my morning brew either. What blend was it? I might have it back at the boutique if you'd be willing to wait."
"Trouble is Rares," Battle said, setting out a copy of Daring Doo on the desk, which was instantly pounced upon by Dash, "I don't really know the blend. It wasn't anything branded I don't think."
Rarity frowned. "That's odd. Do you think you could describe it to me? I might be able to recognise it."
Battle rubbed the heel of his palm into the ridge of his brow, sighing as he thought. He blew air from his nose before shaking it lightly and offering his hands up in surrender. "It was... different I guess. Think I tasted some apple in there? Maybe some cinnamon. What can I say? I'm not really a connoisseur."
"That does ring a bell actually," Rarity said, resting her chin in her hand. "Though it isn't really truly familiar I have heard that particular sort of flavour for a blend of tea. It's definitely not in my assortment of teas that's for definite."
Battle waved it aside. "Forget it Rares. I'll just probably ask Princess Twilight about it when she gets back." He slumped over the desk with a pitiful sigh. "Which'll be another month... at least."
"Well when she does get back I'm sure the two of you will be able to discuss a lot more than tea," Rarity said. "I mean you clearly have an affinity for books and quite the grasp of magic."
"Just like egghead," Dash muttered, lazily turning the page of her book. Rarity spared her a withering look before looking back to Battle.
"Anyway darling I was hoping to ask you to come and assist me in my new line of clothes. You know? The ones you helped inspire."
Battle looked up slowly, the look in his showing exactly how reluctant he was to comply with her request. "Library's just opened Rares. Maybe after I close up tonight I'll stop by the boutique to see what I can help you with."
"Because you're just bursting at the seams with all the ponies who wanna take out a book," Dash chuckled. Battle's eyes flicked over to her.
"You want me to keep supplying you with Daring Doo?" Battle asked coyly. "I can easily cut you off and you know it."
Dash sat upright and looked at him appalled. "You wouldn't."
Battle waggled his eyebrows at her. Dash's eyes narrowed. "You know if you were trying to looks smug, it worked."
"Thank you."
"But I was too distracted by them pecs to notice."
Battle laughed and fell back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. Rarity also couldn't help but chuckle, though she did so only after a few moments staring disapprovingly at Dash. Battle got to his feet and began making his way to the stairs.
"Well take a good look then Dash because 'them pecs' are going away for the day," Battle said, climbing upstairs. "I know you like getting an eyeful but I need to be, presentable, as Rarity might say, for anyone else who comes through those doors."
"At least you're acting like a sensible adult," Rarity smiled.
Battle paused and looked back at her. "Are you suggesting you're not being sensible right now Rares? Maybe Dash had a point."
Rarity spluttered in protest, blushing profusely as Dash rocked back in her seat, laughing. Battle's smile widened as he climbed the stairs, stepping into his room and quickly fishing out clean (or clean enough) shirt to wear, before swapping out his lounge trousers for jeans and pulling on some socks. As he hopped about, pulling on his other shoe, there was a loud crash from downstairs. He looked up, pulling on his shoe swiftly and dashing back downstairs, all traces of sleep gone from his mind.
"What happened?" he asked, jumping the last few steps and vaulting over the railing.
Dash was sitting close to the window, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Her book lay discarded on the floor, where Rarity was now stooping down to pick it up, also looking slightly alarmed.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Rarity said. "All of a sudden Rainbow just... well... leaped."
"I saw something," she hissed. "Actually scratch that. I saw someone."
"And that someone made you jump like a filly at shadows?" Battle asked.
"Not just anyone," Dash growled. "Gilda."
"Gilda?" Rarity asked, surprised. "You really think she's be in Ponyville after what happened the last time she was here? I thought you never wanted to see her again?"
"I said some stuff I regretted," Dash admitted. "I went after her soon after though. I mean, you can't just end that kind of friendship like... that. You know?"
"Trust me Rainbow I understand. You don't have to explain yourself," Rarity assured. "I take it though Gilda didn't take too kindly to your attempts to patch things up?"
"She's even more stubborn than I am," Dash sighed.
Battle looked confused from Rarity to Dash. "And Gilda is?"
"One of my old friends from Cloudsdale Flight Camp," Dash explained. "We stayed close after we left. Then I moved to Ponyville. Me an' Gilda stayed in touch but I guess we kind of... drifted apart. I mean when she came to Ponyville she didn't exactly hit it off with my new friends. Didn't make her popular around town and didn't really get herself in good standing with me."
"And now she's back?" Battle asked.
"Yeah. I guess Gryphons hold grudges for a long time."
"Gryphon? This Gilda's a Gryphon?"
"Yeah," Dash confirmed. "Really flashy show-off. The arrogant kind too."
Battle walked over to the window that Dash currently looked out of and peered over her shoulder. "See where she went?"
"Nope. Saw her, took a look to make sure it was her, and by the time I got off the floor she was gone."
Battle remained silent.
"I'm not crazy! Okay? I saw her okay?"
"Never said you were crazy and never said you didn't see her," Battle said softly. "Whereabouts was she when you saw her?"
"By that building over there," Dash said, pointing. Battle nodded slowly and walked over to the door, stepping outside.
The air seemed a little colder now than last he was outside. Odd to say the least, but he paid it no heed. Walking over to the spot where Gilda had been sighted, Battle looked around with passive interest, not certain he'd find anything. He looked down at his feet, frowned, and picked up what lay there. A single, snowy white feather, tipped at the end with a violet hue. Definitely a gryphon feather.
Battle's mouth twisted into a scowl. Gryphon's were marvelous creature's. The biology of two beings seemingly fused together. Lion and eagle in the same form. They didn't malt of course. Feather's would come loose yes, but only exceedingly rarely. More often than not, a dropped Gryphon feather meant a challenge. At least, as far as Battle's experience went. He straightened up, putting the feather in his back pocket. He hopped he was wrong.