13

Surprise

It had been the first real battle of the war, as far as Rainbow could tell. Thunderhead was about midway between Manehattan and Trottingham. At first, it was two scout groups bumping heads, and, within the hour, dozens of squadrons were fighting it out from cloud to cloud. The griffons were no longer bare, now clad in dark grey armor which clashed against the pegasi's azure.

The battle went on for what seemed like the entire afternoon, and it managed to clear the entire sky of clouds. Rainbow was a bit sour about not actually getting to finish a fight on her own. It seemed as though whenever she would start one, some other pony would come along and steal the show, usually Soarin'.

In the end, the fighting fizzled out, and Rainbow and the Wonderbolts went back to Thunderhead. Rainbow thought they had won; she didn't know for sure—nopony did—but the griffons seemed to back off first. She was just glad something had happened after a month of idleness. But, when the Wonderbolts had gotten back, they realized Surprise wasn't among them, and Rainbow felt guilty for wanting action. That evening, the Wonderbolts tasked themselves with finding Surprise before morning.

"Alright, we've got a lot of sky to cover, so hurry it up!"

Spitfire hovered in front of the main window, watching the team scramble for their equipment. Rainbow, who was ready for the mission, stood in front of her locker and stared at her helmet. A sense of anxiety hung over her, and she couldn't shake the feeling. Soarin', who had the locker adjacent, looked outside past his captain. He scrunched his nose.

"Why's it cloudy?" he asked. "Didn't we clear out this area in the battle?"

"Huh?" Rainbow snapped out of her thoughts and looked outside. "Oh," she said in mild astonishment. "That is weird. I wonder how that all got here so fast." She absentmindedly buffed out her visor with her forehoof and began to answer her own thought. "Well, from what I know, the weatherponies don't go this far out, so maybe the weather here has a mind of its own, like the Everfree."

"Hm," Soarin' said somewhat indifferently. "Shouldn't there be a team or something clearing the skies to make it easier for us?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe there aren't enough ponies here for that. We could always do it ourselves if it got too covered out there."

"Yeah, I guess." He shut his locker. "I guess I shouldn't be too worried. I mean, we'll have essentially the entire team looking for our missing bird. It shouldn't take long. I hope."

"Heh, you'd be surprised how big the sky can be when you're looking for one pony." She looked around at the other Wonderbolts. "How long does it take to get some armor on?"

"Well," Soarin' said with a smirk, "we can't all be as fast as you."

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, well, you all should be. We're wasting time here." She put her helmet on. She tried to forget the uneasiness she felt, but it persisted. "I'm going to go talk to Spitfire." Soarin' nodded, putting on his knee guards.

Rainbow flew over to the captain, who was glancing at her watch, her hoof lightly tapping the floor. She shook her head. "Tch, we needed to be out there five minutes ago. Come on, ponies, let's go!" She then noticed Rainbow. "What?"

"N-nothing, ma'am," Rainbow said quickly, already regretting walking over. "I was just wondering what our search method was." Spitfire raised an eyebrow, saying nothing. Rainbow's ears folded down slightly.

"Our search method? Isn't it obvious?" Spitfire said, hoofs outstretched. "We have a dozen miles to cover before nightfall. We're gonna split up and comb the skies."

"Um, w-with all due respect, ma'am—"

"I know the last thing I'm gonna get out of you right now is respect, Dash."

Rainbow could feel waves of stupidity crashing in her mind. She thought for a second to just leave it, but her fears told her to keep going. She spoke more softly, as though hoping to make the thought less imposing. "Sh-shouldn't we stick together?"

"What?" Spitfire said incredulously. "Why in Equestria would we do that?"

"Well," Rainbow spoke faster now, "i-it's just that there might be some leftovers—griffons—hanging around, and I thought—"

"So?" Spitfire again raised an eyebrow.

"But wouldn't it be safer to—"

"Yeah, if we wanted to wander for a week looking for Surprise. The griffons aren't out there anymore. We have air superiority here." Her tone sharpened in derision. "What, are you worried you can't take care of a griffon if one somehow pops up?"

Rainbow was taken aback. "No, b-but—"

"Then drop it." Spitfire crossed her hooves.

"But ma'am, I—"

"What?" Spitfire raised her voice. "You what, Dash?"

"I have a bad feeling is all," Rainbow muttered, slowly walking backwards.

Spitfire looked to yell again, but then sighed in defeat. "You and me both."

"Wh... what?"

"I guess if I'm being blunt with you..." Spitfire landed in front of Rainbow. "I'm not so sure about this op. You and the rest of the 'Bolts want to search, but I don't know about it. I don't want to waste time looking for somepony who's probably dead."

Rainbow looked her in disbelief. "Spitfire—ma'am—you can't be serious. Don't call off the search. That's not just some random pony out there. That's a Wonderbolt. One of us."

"I know that," Spitfire said curtly, silencing Rainbow. "But I'm thinking it might be pointless. You and I know damn well that the griffons don't just leave pegasi alone." Her face contorted in pain. "I think Surprise is dead, just floating somewhere in the ocean or on one of the thousands of clouds out there."

"But we can't just leave somepony like that," Rainbow insisted. "We have to look. We don't know if she's dead or not."

"How in Equestria could she be alive?"

"Well, last I checked," Rainbow said, "clouds are easy to hide in."

Spitfire scoffed. "Hiding in a cloud won't help a spear to the chest."

"We don't know that!" Rainbow yelled, throwing a hoof up. Unbeknownst to the two, the other Wonderbolts started to gather around them quietly. "We don't know what happened that made her stay behind," Rainbow said. "She could've just had a broken wing, or she could've gotten knocked out, or... something."

"That's wishful thinking. Those griffons probably cleaned the area when they left."

"We still have to try!"

"And I'm not saying we shouldn't!" Spitfire groaned. "Listen, Dash, think for a second how I'm thinking. How likely is it that she's still alive, waiting, somewhere out there, even if she only had a broken wing?"

"Her chances of surviving would be a million times better if we'd hurry and look for her! Please don't cancel the search!"

"I'm not, damn it!" Spitfire yelled, stomping the ground. She looked around and noticed the other Wonderbolts watching, and then Rainbow saw. Everyone was silent. Spitfire cleared her throat and turned back to Rainbow. "I'm not. We're still going to look for Surprise. I just don't expect to find her." She looked at the other Wonderbolts, downcast. "I... I didn't want any of you to hear that. I didn't really want you to hear what I said about Princess Luna back when Manehattan was bombarded, either. I just have a hard time keeping my big mouth shut. Sorry, 'Bolts."

"Ma'am," said Rainbow timidly, "would you reconsider my idea? We—"

"It's not griffons that worry me, Dash. I just don't know if I'm ready to find nothing." Spitfire sighed, turning to the rest. "Come on, we need to get out there now or we won't be able to search at all."

Rainbow was now alone, bobbing in and out of clouds, craning her neck around. She peeked over this cloud and under that cloud, through that cloud and around this cloud. The apprehension she felt in the locker rooms still lingered, but eased off a little. Calling out for the Wonderbolt didn't seem to help her any, so she stopped a few minutes after the team split.

She had been doing this for the last half hour, searching her stretch of sky relentlessly. Growing tired, she went to a cloud on her left and kicked it, sending a small lightning bolt to arc from the opposite side. The thunder and electrified air helped wake her up some, but she was still weary from the long day. Looking around her now, she wished the sky had remained clear.

"Soarin' was right," Rainbow said to herself. "Why are the clouds back so soon?" With a small shrug, she zipped around, clearing clouds seemingly as soon as she grazed them. After a minute, she looked around at her handiwork. To her dismay, the clouds had somehow gotten both bigger and darker. She sighed and moved on.

Suddenly, something flew by her. Something big. She first saw a dark blur far away from her, then an instant later, it was behind her. Rainbow got sucked into the vortex behind it, causing her to spin out of control for a few moments. At the same, an unsettling whoosh assaulted her ears, followed by a deep sharp crack, as if it were thunder. Holding her ears, after regaining her balance, Rainbow looked after the object. After a moment of thought, she remembered what it was, a feeling of despair filling her chest. She morbidly wondered where the shell would land.

Then something else flew by Rainbow. She whirled around, trying to find it. She knew it wasn't a shell. Then she was hit from behind. It sent her careening off, flipping into the cloudy sky, her helmet plummeting to the obscured ground below. Before she could get her bearings, a second hit, this time from above, sent her slamming into a cloud below. Another shell zipped over her.

She shook her head, and looking above her, she saw what had hit her. A griffon, slightly smaller than her, Rainbow thought, was diving at her quickly, a spear pointed directly at her face. Seeing the threat, Rainbow rolled out of the way, sending the griffon through the cloud.

Rainbow stood up, unsure where her attacker went. She heard a noise from behind and whirled around. The griffon was hovering there, poised for the kill. The griffon lunged at her, but Rainbow was ready. She sidestepped the attack and managed to step on the spear, ripping it out of the attacker's claws, and then kicked it from the fight. Another shell soared over them.

Rainbow faced her now disarmed opponent. She lobbed a left-hoof punch directly at the griffon's golden visor. The griffon was dazed, shaking its head. Rainbow aimed another punch, but the griffon flew upwards, causing Rainbow to fall flat. Then, seeing Rainbow unfocused, it lunged at her, claws bared. Rainbow saw it and pulled out of the way, but not far enough. The griffon's claws tore across her left cheek, leaving behind three long cuts from ear to chin.

More shells pierced through the clouds. Her eyes watering, Rainbow attempted to tackle her aggressor. The griffon dove a split second before, causing Rainbow to hit the cloud's surface, grasping at nothing. Specs of blood fell from her face as she stood up. She saw nothing, hearing only the wind. She spun around, trying to find the griffon. She then heard a piercing cry from below her, and was hit by a force directly on her stomach. She was sent spiraling upwards, with the griffon just below her. Rainbow couldn't breath; she had the wind knocked clean out of her.

She paused for a moment, trying to get some air. But, before she could even so much as blink, the griffon was above her, diving again. It hit her hard, pushing her down towards the cloud surface again. They both slammed into the cloud's surface, Rainbow pinned by the griffon. The pegasus mustered all of her power and kicked the griffon in the head, knocking it off of her, sending its helmet flying away.

Now Rainbow had a face to match the attacker, and she started. The griffon looked very nearly like Gilda, but, to Rainbow's relief, she wasn't. The griffons had dark violet tinged feathers and a golden beak. She was bleeding from just below her right eye, where Rainbow had punched her visor. Her eyes were various hues of amber. Rainbow didn't have much longer to look, as the griffon had shaken off Rainbow's attack and flew towards her at an incredible rate. Rainbow went above the griffon, causing her to overshoot, in an attempt to get some higher vantage point.

The pegasus circled a cloud in order to lose her opponent. After flying for some ways, she looked behind her and saw nothing. Another shell roared past her. Before she could get far, though, she was hit again, this time from her right. Rainbow spun into an adjacent cloud, and the griffon was there mere moments after. The pegasus was ready this time, and she managed to kick her attacker in the chest, sending the griffon upwards. Rainbow flew up to meet her, and punched the griffon in her lower beak. The griffon hovered away, staggering.

Rainbow attempted to pin the griffon onto the cloud behind her, but the griffon ducked. She then dove into the clouds beneath her. Rainbow followed, trying to estimate where she would pop up. She saw a wrinkle, and put all of her strength into a punch directly downward. She saw her attacker's face pop up and swung down. To the griffon's joy, Rainbow missed, and the griffon was able to deal her own blow to the pegasus. She caught Rainbow's throat, flipping her into the air. Rainbow landed on her back and struggled to get up, coughing.

Rainbow stood quickly and looked at the griffon, who was was standing a ways off, shaking. The griffon laughed, but her voice wavered. "Y-you ponies are pathetic." The griffon started circling around Rainbow, swishing her tail and fluffing her wings. "I-I thought I would have died long before I-I saw Canterlot, long before I killed your Swan." She laughed again. "But here I am, a-about to kill a member of the best damn squadron in Equestria."

The clouds above began drizzling. Another shell echoed across the sky. It didn't take long for Rainbow to understand who the Swan was. "You!" she yelled, her sides aching. "You killed Princess Celestia!" Images of her battered body flashed in Rainbow's eyes, and she grit her teeth.

The rain started coming down harder. The griffon stopped pacing and licked the blood from her claws. She saw Rainbow shudder and grinned. "Oh, and it was so easy, too. Didn't put up much of a fight. She just kinda flailed a bit and fell off her bed. Sad, really." Rainbow seethed, and the griffon smiled widely. "And tearing off her wings, snapping that horn... Whoo!" She caught her breath and straightened up. "But you're fun, too. You're at least making me work for this. Do me a favor, rainbow-mane. Say hi to your Swan in Hell for me." With that, she leapt at Rainbow.

Rainbow, deciding to use the griffon's tactics against her, dove beneath the cloud layer. She swooped a fair distance and emerged again on top of the clouds. She figured the griffon would follow her. A lone shell whizzed overhead. She turned around and saw the telltale wrinkle in the clouds. She put all of her might into her right hoof, fueled by her newfound hatred for this murderer, this princess-killer.

The griffon's head emerged, and Rainbow didn't miss. Hoof and skull connected, and the griffon flipped backwards from the force. The pegasus seized the opportunity and tackled the griffon midair. She punched the griffon's face over and over, not giving the griffon a window. A flash of lightning arched across the sky. She threw her opponent onto a cloud, watching the figure crumple on the surface.

A thunderclap echoed across the sky, much louder than the shells. Rainbow, adrenaline pumping, dove onto her downed opponent. She flipped her over, not registering the fear present in her eyes. The griffon covered her face with her front legs and claws, trying to turn away. Rainbow saw her neck and had the impulse thought to choke her. She began to pummel the griffon again, and when she saw her chance, she stamped hard with her two front hooves onto the griffon's throat. A short squawk escaped her beak.

She started flailing, trying to get the pegasus off, kicking her back paws at her stomach, clawing at her armor, wings flapping erratically. Rainbow stomped on the paws with her hind hooves, silencing their objections. The griffon, realizing clawing wouldn't work, instead tried to pry apart the pegasus' hooves. She grabbed each one and pulled with all her power, but the pegasus remained determined, pressing deeper into the feathers. The claws dug into Rainbow's armor and pierced her skin. The griffon tried to wrench herself away, arching her back, pulling back her head, anything to get air.

The two starkly contrasted, one nearly still, the other writhing. Several moments passed in relative silence. The storm grew closer, the rain gaining momentum. The fight was being drained from the griffon gradually. The wings slowed. The paws no longer demurred. The grip slackened. The claws still pulled but had lost their vigor. The eyes, once darting in every which direction, now stared right at Rainbow's. They were met with nothing but hatred, pure and unobstructed. The griffon could not keep much longer. She concentrated all of her energy to pulling at least one hoof away, to get a breath, to fly away. Another flash. It all stopped.

Another thunderclap. The shells continued to tear through the sky. The claws, once actively trying to save their master, fell to either side of her head, and the pegasus stepped off her kill. There was a slow, rattled exhalation from the griffon. Her eyes stared up without seeing.

The adrenaline was still pumping throughout Rainbow's body. She had done it. Celestia was finally avenged. The one who killed the princess of the sun was dead. Rainbow panted, trying to calm herself down, her mind still on her kill.

The rain began to pour. Rainbow's buzz soon fizzled out, leaving behind a prickly sensation. Twinges popped up throughout her body, and she quivered a bit. Her face and chest injuries came back in full force. She sat on her haunches, looking at the gathering storm. Her mind cleared. Looking back to the corpse of the griffon, her eyes widened.

"I... I-I... killed..."

A third flash, a third thunderclap. She started, backing away from the griffon a few paces. Her heart now heavy, its beating felt as though it threatened to burst from her chest. Her mind raced, thoughts going by so fast she couldn't process them all. She stared to breath quickly, realizing the gravity of what she had just done. She hugged herself to try and calm herself down. Her stomach suddenly began to heave. She ran to the edge of the cloud and vomited. Her nose stinging, she started crying. She collapsed, covering her face with her wings. She couldn't bear to look at the griffon. She pulled at her matted mane, muttering "what have I done" between heavy sobs.

She lay for some time, digesting the assaulting flurry of thoughts. The lightning and thunder and rain and shells continued. A part of her wanted to justify her actions, but another wished to hate herself. What about the bad things this griffon had done? This was the griffon who killed Celestia. This was the griffon who started the war. She spat some of the remains of her vomit and held her mouth open to drink some rain.

Looking at the griffon, she sniffled and wiped some blood from her cheek. She stood and walked over to the fallen enemy, trying to avoid eye contact to no avail. A glint caught her attention, and Rainbow followed it to find dog tags around the griffon's neck. Curiosity getting the better of her, she brought them to her eyes and read them.

Gwendolyn

44B-0315

New waves of guilt crashed over her. She didn't kill just some griffon. She killed Gwen, whoever she used to be. She was someone's daughter, or sister, or wife. Someone. Now she was gone. But this griffon, this Gwen, had killed Celestia, she continued to reason. Rainbow wanted to believe she was vindicated by avenging her, but no such feeling of relief came. She wanted to puke again, to purge this awfulness, this confusion, this guilt, from her. She couldn't help but stare at Gwen's eyes. They looked so much like Gilda's. She stood for a while, unable to move or think of anything else.

After a moment, she remembered the other Wonderbolts and gasped. "If I-I was attacked... then..." A faint tingling sensation washed over her, and her heart slowly quickened. She stood up, about to take off, but stopped. She took one last look at Gwen and felt as if she should say something. Unable to think of anything, she looked to the skies and took flight.