Spitfire shifted uncomfortably on the ground as the burlap sack was removed from her head, the darkness giving way to a dimly lit room. Though the single light hanging from the ceiling was by no means particularly powerful, she'd spent the last several hours under that cover, and while she was glad to see light again, it was quite painful. Almost immediately, her military reflexes kicked in, forcing her into an anti-interrogation mindset. After all, the tell-tale signs were all there: wings tied down, hoofs restrained behind her back, in a small room containing nothing but herself, a lightbulb, two griffons, a table, and a combat knife sitting on top of it. It was definitely an interrogation. "Spitfire. Eques..."
"Equestrian Air Force," one of the other beings interrupted, stopping the pegasus dead in her tracks. "First Platoon, Alpha Company, Thirty-eighth Fighter Wing. Captain, identification number four-nine-two-one-three-three-seven-two-four." He paused for a moment to take a seat across the table and look Spitfire directly in the eyes. "We know who you are."
That was... intimidating. If they'd simply done their research as they came here, she would be a simple prisoner of war. But if they took her because of who she was, that would be a problem. If they broke her, they could gain access to any amount of classified military intelligence, troop reports, locations of several undercover agents... they could ransom her back off to Twilight, who would undoubtedly pay thousands, if not millions of bits for the hope of keeping her safe. "What do you want?"
"I only want to ask you a simple question. Answer it for me, and I promise you'll be treated with the respect you deserve by my employer." My employer... The words confirmed what Spitfire had feared: she'd already judged by the accent that the two in the room with her were not homeland griffons, but his promise of respect had confirmed their status as mercenaries. She also took note of the silent one moving around near the wall until he'd maneuvered into a position behind her. "If you do not, I cannot speak for what will happen here."
He took a deep breath, giving a frightening smile at his last assertion. "What was your mission in Nevskaya, Captain?"
Nevskaya. Capitol city of the Griffon Kingdom. Glass skyscrapers and tiny cafes sitting right next to each other. Spitfire had been there, once. She and Twilight had gone on a world tour together. It was a nice enough place, but there hadn't been a mission. It was a vacation. "I never went to Nevskaya for a mission."
With that, her fiery orange mane found itself home to another griffon's claws, and her edge of the table found itself home to her forehead. The one that had pushed her walked away slowly, and the talkative one just smiled. "It isn't polite to lie to lie to someone, Captain. I'll ask you again: What was your mission in Nevskaya?"
Lifting her head slowly, feeling a throbbing pain even as she did so, she replied, "I never went to Nevskaya for a mission, I told you!" Her head slammed into the table again.
"It isn't polite to lie to..."
Without even looking up this time, the pony interrupted him. "Spitfire. Equestrian Air Force. Captain. Identification number four-nine-two-one-three-three-seven-two-four."
"What was your mission..."
"Spitfire. Equestrian Air Force. Captain. Identification number four-nine-two-one-three-three-seven-two-four."
Suddenly, the ground shook lightly, only just enough for both beings to notice it. Now, Spitfire lifted her head up to see the silent on leaving walking towards the door, her interrogator mouthing something along the lines of "Go see what that was." She smiled to herself at their ignorance. Once it was just the two of them, she let that grin grow. "I know exactly what that was."
"Shut up." The words seemed nervous, as if he did, too. The griffon was losing his cool, and if she could get him to step out, too...
"Sounded to me like a twenty-five pound anti-medium structure and emplacement bomb. Probably freefall, instead of guided. We felt it in here, so I'm assuming we're in a cave."
"Shut up."
"I hope you don't have the entrance blocked off. Then, somepony might have to drop a fifty to get in here, and that doesn't end well for anyone. Except maybe me."
"Shut up!"
The ground shook again, harder this time. Once it had stopped, she could hear the echoes of voices in the caves. Specifically, echoes of voices speaking Equestrian. "They dropped a fifty to get in here." This time, the other one didn't reply. Instead, he simply began rubbing his temples with his claws, like one does when they have a headache.
The voices were getting closer. It only took thirty seconds for her to hear the hope she'd been waiting for. "Stack up!" somepony called from behind the door. It was time to go.
"You forgot one thing, by the way." Her captor looked at her with more anger than question in his eyes, but politely waited for her to finish. "Spitfire. Equestrian Air Force. Captain. Identification number four-nine-two-one-three-three-seven-two-four. Fiancée to Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria and one of the most powerful confirmed beings in the known universe."
"Shut up!"
Everything after that point started happening in slow motion. At the same time the griffon reached for the knife on the table, the door was enveloped in a pale green light and started pushing inward. As the griffon jumped onto the table, knife at the ready, the breacher on point filed into the room. As the blade came within centimeters of her face, both it and the one holding it flew to side as a violet bolt of magic threw him out of the way. He landed in a pile on the floor, unconscious and beaten up, but alive.
The same magic that had saved her grasped the now-ownerless knife and cut off the restraints on her wings and hooves. It picked her up and placed her onto its owner's back, purple fur giving way to meet her. Her head rested in a midnight blue mane as the two of them were escorted out of the room, through a series of dugout tunnels, and into the open air. Spitfire winced as the harsh sunlight greeted her, momentarily blinding her before she had a chance to adapt. They walked through fiery ruins of what looked like a former checkpoint into the caves as a large, dual rotor helicopter landed a short ways away. She was put on top of a stretcher in the middle of the bay as several soldiers climbed in either side.
Twilight Sparkle took a seat right next to her, holding her hoof and weeping silently. Spitfire was in bad shape, with several bruises blemishing her fur. As the helicopter dusted off, the alicorn finally spoke to her. It was remarkably quiet in the bay, and they both could hear every word. "Spitfire, I need to know what happened in Nevskaya."
The words never really processed in the pegasus's mind. Instead, she only giggled a little, smiled, and said, "I love you so much," as she pulled her beloved into a deep, passionate kiss. It wouldn't be long before the painkillers the medic gave her kicked in, and she needed to get that out of the way.
When they did break apart, Spitfire was already asleep. It was all Twilight could do to simply say, "I love you, too," as they flew back to the carrier. Debriefing could wait. Right now, she was just happy to have her fiancée back.