Treason

by Trevosta

Battle

Battle

The Captain came around and woke everyone up, sending them off to their respective clouds. They went silently, each one donning their armor, and mounting some of the fireworks on them.

They had smoke bombs, that they could either trail behind them, or drop into a crowd. They had roman candles designed to light like flares, with a simple twist of a cap. They had rockets, and they had firecrackers. Each one was ready to fight a war. Each member of the team was at their stations, at the clouds strategically placed around the griffon camp.

The captain gave the signal and they all lit their respective fuses, feeling adrenaline begin coursing through their veins. The fuses would burn for 60 seconds, giving them enough time to get off of the clouds and prepare for battle.

The Captain felt a familiar feeling, the adrenaline, mixed with mild rage and a bit of excitement. He Gestured to the others to advance, and they did, each pair going to their own respective sections. Each pair was to take out a guard station, by the time the fireworks went off. He was positioned over the west guard station.

Then time slowed down.

The sky lit up as the first mortar wet off, filling the sky over the griffon compound with a bright red light. Before he could even hear the ‘boom’ the Captain was diving for the first griffon. He had his hoof out in front of him, and he made contact.

The hoof dug in to the small gap where the wing met the back of the beast. With a slight pop, the wing came out of socket; and with a wheeze, all of the air left the griffon’s lungs. He couldn’t even scream and before the other guard could, his limp companion slammed onto him, driving both of them to the ground, where T.C. Sliced their throats.

The compound was filled with many different colors as the rockets and mortars continued screaming into the sky and sending colorful explosions through the dark night sky.

Rainbow was having a hard time, she couldn’t bring herself to kill anyone there, but she could handle hitting them.

She would beat her opponents, using her superior speed to outrun any attacks and plant more hits on the griffons she was facing, until Gilda came in and finished them off. This system was working pretty well, neither of them getting any real injuries, just minor bruising.

The griffon troops were beginning to pour out of their barracks. Attempting to identify the source of the noises that were interrupting their sleeps, to be greeted with the colorful flashes of light that blinded them as they came out into the night.

Blue Angel and Red Arrow were enjoying themselves immensely.

“Just like our first date, huh Red?” Blue Angel said in between bucking griffons as they were coming out of their barracks, before they even had a chance to see what was going on.

“Hey, in my defense, I didn’t expect the soup to taste like that, how would I know the entire kitchen staff would come after us- er... me, like that?” he said, slamming his attacker into the ground and breaking his neck.

Blue Angel just laughed at her husband as he, once again, tried to justify his actions that day.

T.C. Watched his captain as blood stained his coat, the look on his face unnerved him. The red pegasus was being stained a much deeper shade as griffons went down around him. It almost seemed unfair, attacking these creatures when they were asleep, but T.C. Quickly pushed the thoughts of that out of his head as he realized that they would’ve done the same.

While he was distracted by ethics an enemy swung at his back, drawing some blood, before the Captain knocked him down and used as much momentum as he could gather to slam his hooves into the griffon’s chest snapping several ribs which punctured his lungs.

The Captain looked at his wingman with expectancy, trying to convey thoughts without vocalizing them, which oddly worked.

T.C. Nodded his understanding, the captain ripped a smoke bomb off and drug it over a striker, lighting it, before he threw it on the ground. The casing broke, the materials inside scattering, making the smoke spread intensely and rapidly.

The cloud of smoke distorted their figures long enough for them to take off and towards the largest building, the command center.

Blue Angel dug her knife into the spine of a hostile and up. When she did she noticed a large cloud of smoke, with two figures flying out of it and towards the command center of the compound, she caught her husband’s attention and pointed with her hooves to the Captain and T.C. before taking off, quickly followed by her wingman as he comically used the face of a different griffon as a springboard to lift off.

Gilda was fighting off several hostile griffons, while Rainbow unleashed three smoke bombs and a couple firecrackers into a mostly full barracks. She quickly slammed the door shut and was greeted with the sound of explosions and screaming.

As the poorly ventilated room filled up with smoke, Rainbow and Gilda continued to fight. Suddenly a griffon leapt into the fray, swinging a sword he was wielding in his talons at Gilda’s side.

Just before he made contact; however, another set of claws twisted the weapon from his grasp. Gilda looked up to see Hawk wrestling the very confused griffon to the ground. She couldn’t help but smile, slightly, as the attractive male joined their fighting team.

Several more blows were exchanged between each of the fighters and their respective opponents. Another of the traitorous griffons joined their team, allowing them to truly decimate their, barely awake, opponents.

Rainbow glanced into the sky, watching for the rest of her team. She saw two pairs of beings taking off into the night sky from their respective positions of carnage. Quickly, she whistled to her teammates, dropping a smoke bomb and taking off into the sky.

Gilda followed quickly, the other two struggling to keep up, and understand what was happening.

The team merged together just outside of the tower that make up the command center.

Avoiding the spotlights that were being activated, they went over the plan.

“Alright,” the Captain shouted over the fading fireworks and the craziness happening below, “You two, guard the tower, don’t allow anyone else in, get the other traitors to help you if you can.” He said to Hawk and his partner.

“The rest of you, come with me, we are going to find a way in. We will get to the general’s quarters however we can.” He quickly swerved off, the others following in formation.

---------------------------------------

The team were able to force their way through the primary guards, and were able to locate the location of the general’s office. The golden griffon had perched his office at the top of the tower, and the only way was up through a series of staircases and hallways.

They fought through the first few floors with very little resistance, a few griffons that were still confused were all that they ran into.

About halfway to the top they reached a locked door. “Hey, Anypony know how to pick a lock?”

“I got it, sir.” T.C. chimed in. He then stepped forward and inserted a claw into the lock, twisting it and working on the tumblers.
As they waited for the griffon to accomplish his task, the others just stood around awkwardly. The Captain, in the awkward air, looked between his troops and the locked door, and as time progressed he knew that there had to be someone coming to find them.

His suspicions were proven correct as he looked to the back of the team and saw a griffon stalking the group and pouncing towards Gilda.

Time once again seemed to slow down as the Captain pumped his powerful wings. He shot over the gathered troops, his wings pulling the air out of the hallway and slamming it against the door.

The attacker made eye contact with the Captain in the split-second before they collided, and saw the face of a mother bear protecting her cubs.

The Captan looked at his troops as he stepped out of the bloody mess that used to be a griffon. Looks of horror on almost every face, including those that were used to watching death.

"What?"

"Was all of that really necessary?"

"Probably not, but I am not about to let any of them harm my troops, I will not let anyone else die under my command." He said with an air of someone who had been hurt, and would not be hurt again.

"Got it, Captain." T.C. said, looking up from the lock that had previously held his undivided attention. "Woah, what happened?"

"Don't worry about it, now let's move." The Captain said, pushing past him through the, now open, door.

They fought their way up through the rest of the building, until they saw it. The door to the general's room.

It was about four inches thick of reinforced steel, held in place by the most complicated locking mechanism any of them had ever seen.

"How are we getting in, Captain?"

"I honestly have no idea." he admitted, staring at the metal plate as though it would tell him how to get in.

"I could probably handle it." Red Arrow piped up.

"How?"

"I brought a few quarter-sticks."

"Of dynamite?"

"Yep."

The rest of the team stared at him for a few moments as he dug the explosives out of his pack.

"Here they are!"

"You're so lucky that I like your accent." Blue Angel said, shaking her head.

------------------------------------

General Lyle Highwind was in his office staring out of the barred windows.

He could see the destruction outside, the bloodbath of his soldiers. This would be a truly terrible thing if any of them even deserved to call themselves griffons.

The disgusting creatures slaughtering each other outside were just a disappointment to the griffon race. They were all scrawny, and very few of them were independent enough to lead any part of his army. Also they were all losing to a few wimpy ponies, and a few griffons, it’s not like they were even fighting an army, and they were still losing.

He saw several griffons be torn apart by one of his commanders, a certain Hawk. He was a good fighter, and one of the best leaders in the group, but still he was too small to ever be considered a real griffon.

Wait... Why was Hawk killing the other troops?

That dirty little double crosser had betrayed the great General Highwind. As impressive as that was, he would still be punished, once this was over.

Now, how should the greatest griffon that ever lived enter the battle? He could-

BOOM

An explosion ripped the giant door from its hinges and locking mechanisms. The large metal sheet was twisted and mangled as it flew through the room, slamming into the wall mere inches from the beak of the General.

He turned around to face the empty hole where the door used to be, that was now full of smoke and dust, with a small pile of rubble covering the floor.

He peered into the space that was left, to see a figure coming through the smoke. The figure was a griffon, male, and slightly familiar, not one of his soldiers, but familiar.

The griffon had a slightly creepy smile on as he greeted him. “Hey, Lyle, long time no see!” after no reaction came the griffon continued, “What? Don’t you remember me? I had the biggest crush on your sister, and then when she ran away, your parents hired me to find her. Oh! And whenever I came over to your house, you looked down on me with disgust.” He said with a sickening smile.

“Uh...”

Then two ponies walked into the room, two that looked really familiar...

“You...” The dark blue one said, hate woven into her angelic voice.

Then the male spoke up, “You killed one of our best friends, about eight years ago.” He said with his weird accent.

Then the General recognized them, they were two of the 51st. They had killed his entire militia with the help of that Geronimo guy and Spectrum Dash, both of which he had killed that day, so why did they only say one?...

“Look who else we brought to the party!” the griffon cheered, pointing to the doorway as Gilda walked in, looking like she was about to rip him limb from limb.

“You took away my brother and left a twisted psychopath in his place, you don’t deserve to lead this country, you are less of a griffon than any of those outside who died fighting tonight.” She hissed at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“But she doesn’t even hold the most against you!” The male griffon chirped, the creepy excitement was really beginning to unnerve the General.

Then a sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane walked into the room, “You took my brother, my inspiration, and my best friend away from me. My name is Rainbow Dash.”

The General was absolutely sure that he could take these losers, they didn’t even have the guts to kill him if they could. After all, he did kill the great Spectrum Dash, the greatest fighter to ever grace the skies. He didn’t even care if this mare was Spectrum’s sister, he could still take her.

With that confident thought in his head he saw the last pony enter the room, and all confidence left.

Entering the room was a scarlet coat and a reverse-rainbow mane, and his bright blue eyes were glaring at him with an intensity that could make a dragon back down.

It was Spectrum Dash.

“H-h-h-huh... I-I-I-I...” The General stuttered, trying to formulate his thoughts into something useful.

“What? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The dead pony said to him.

The General couldn’t even make proper thoughts, as he saw the, blood coated, pegasus flare the wings that had been mounted on his wall for eight years.

“I want a rematch. Sound good?” He said raising an eyebrow. “I’m just warning you though, I don’t fight nice.”

The two circled for a while, each one trying to get the upper hand, but neither gaining anything. Sometimes one would attack, but would get overturned by their opponents.

After about 10 minutes of this Spectrum Dash spoke up, “So, you know how I said I don’t fight nice?” As he said that, the General’s legs were taken out from underneath of him, as the others in the room tripped and tied them up.

The golden griffon was now laying on the floor, staring into the eyes of a very sickeningly happy pegasus. “So... You are about to feel what I felt eight years ago...”

“Fine, kill me. All of those outside are loyal to me.” he spat at his captor.

“Hahahaha!” the creepy laugh was not reassuring. “I said that you would know what I felt. I didn’t die, you just tore my wings off. So I will use your own talons to rip your wings off, also, the princess wants you alive.” He said, walking to where the golden griffon’s front legs were tied.

The pegasus raised a hoof, and brought it down hard on the talons of General Highwind, snapping one of them off in a blur of blinding pain. He then picked it up in his mouth and walked over to his back.

“This is going to hurt, very, very, bad.” He muttered around the claw in his mouth. Then he brought the magically enhanced point down on the base of the wing, drawing it across and effectively severing the once great appendage.

The General then passed out from the pain as he laid on the floor, under the blood stained 51st squadron.

Gilda was in tears as she watched the unconscious form of her brother fall to the ground beside his, now useless, limb. She wrapped the stump as Rainbow patted her on the back, attempting to comfort her old friend. While they sat on the floor, the Captain pulled out some paper, ink, quill, and a jar full of some green liquid and began to write a letter.

“What is in that jar?” Asked Thunderclaw.

“Oh, this?” the Captain asked holding up the jar in question. “It is apparently a jar of Spike’s breath, and although I don’t know how he did it, I can use it to send a letter to the princess, telling of our victory.” He finished, striking a heroic pose.

He finished his letter and dipped it in the jar, suddenly becoming engulfed in a green flame, and flowing out of the room on a magical air current.

Rainbow’s eyes had followed the wisp of smoke out of a hole in the wall, were the the door had hit it when it blew off the hinges. Then, just as it went out of view, Hawk passed in front of the door, grappling with another griffon, and falling fast. Rainbow bolted up and dashed over to the hole, looking out to see her new ally falling fast and bleeding.

There was only one thing Rainbow could think to do, she dove.

She flew as fast as she could.

She flew faster than she ever had.

The Sonic Rainboom that resulted caused all of the fighting to stop. She caught up with the two falling griffons, with very little effort, and latched onto the back of the attacker. She then dug the knife that she held in her mouth into the back of the offending griffon.

She then threw the corpse off of her friend’s crush, and wrapped her hooves around him.

Hawk felt his fall being slowed, and then he felt his body being laid on the ground. He turned his head to see his rescuer.

It was that rainbow mare that was part of the attack team, from the night before. "Sorry, but I cant let you die before you take my friend on a date." She said with a creepy smile.

"Wha...?" That didn't make sense... And Hawk felt weird...

Then that red guy peeked out of the hole in the tower, he said something about freedom, and the battle being over, and the princesses. Then the pretty griffon came down to see Hawk... Maybe she would stay with him while he slept...