Wings of Deceit

Contact

The flight of four Griffons skimmed over the smooth wave tops as they crossed over the boundary between the Griffon Kingdom’s western shore and the sea. All four flew in perfect formation, scarcely moving more than a few inches out of position despite the wave foam occasionally covering their visors.

“Hund One to all units, equipment checks okay?” the lead Griffon called out over the radio.

“Hund Two, roger.”

“Three, roger.”

“This is Hund Four, roger.”

The Griffons sounded off in perfect cadence, to the degree that one could be forgiven for assuming they’d rehearsed it. The lead nodded, beginning a slow bank to the northwest- towards Equestria.

“Alright, listen up- we’ve got a long flight ahead of us, but I want you ready to go when we cross the ocean, understand? A Griffon is always alert, and it’s in times like these that we need to be at our sharpest. You all know what we were sent out to do- let’s wrap this up quickly and get back to the Kingdom. May the glory of our race guide us ahead.”

The four Griffons snap-rolled almost inverted, diving towards the ocean before leveling off at even lower altitude. the formation’s members cut small v’s into the ocean with their wingwash, like the claw-marks of some gigantic creature. Equestria was dead ahead; the operation could finally begin.

…

Nimbus shifted uncomfortably in his seat within the 132nd Aviator Squadron’s briefing room. He’d only been up for two hours- Cloudsplitter had sent out an emergency sortie order- and so far he was the only one in the briefing room… again. Being early was nice, but it got awkward at times as well. Fortunately, he was either too hyped up on coffee, or it was too early in the morning to care. Waking up at five a.m. had that effect on some ponies.

“Morning, Lieutenant Nimbus,” Cloudsplitter said, entering the room behind him.

Wonderful, Nimbus thought to himself, as if things couldn’t possibly get more awkward, now it’s just me and the commanding officer in the room. Well, we’ve been through worse, right?

“Good morning, ma’am,” he said aloud.

“Here early again, I see,” Cloudsplitter yawned, setting up the projector in the back of the room, “well I’m sure you won’t have to wait much longer. I saw the others on the way in.”

Nimbus nodded. “Thanks for treating us to dinner last night, ma’am,” he added.

Cloudsplitter looked up from what she was doing, studying the pony for a moment. “Thank you, Lieutenant…” she paused, as if about to say more.

“Something on your mind, ma’am?” Nimbus asked.

Cloudsplitter shook her head and let out a long breath. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just… I’m not really sure, I suppose- I feel like despite how quickly everything’s happening right now, I just feel peaceful. It’s weird. Maybe that’s what going into a sortie with the potential for real conflict is like.”

Nimbus shrugged, “I suppose it’s possible. Are things really looking that eventful for our sortie?”

“Possibly. You’ll know what we’re up to as soon as the others come in.”

“Roger.” Nimbus tapped his hoof on his seat rest, wondering what was taking the others so long. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his commander’s company- it was just that something about her right now was almost scary. She was eerily calm, which almost certainly meant there was something she wasn’t telling him yet. Then of course there was her statement over dinner last night. He remembered it well.

“You guys are great, you really are. I know we’re a small squadron and all, but I think we can really make a difference over the next few days. Maybe things will get dangerous, maybe… maybe we won’t even all be sitting around the same table in a few months. I honestly don’t know. But I want you all to know that whatever happens to us, the Windigo name will live on.”

It was an odd and uncharacteristically dark thing for Cloudsplitter to say, especially in the middle of dinner, but the Pegasus ended up just laughing her speech off and changing subjects. To the others, the trick seemed to work, but Nimbus was still genuinely concerned. She was clearly uneasy, and it spooked him.

His speculation was cut short by the arrival of Storm Runner and Starburst. The Pegasi said their customary greetings, saluted, and took their seats.

“Storm, can you grab the lights?” Cloudsplitter called out. Storm Runner stood and flicked off the light switch, and Cloudsplitter powered up the projector. On the wall was a diagram of the Manehattan coastline, projected over a whiteboard.

“First things first,” Cloudsplitter began, “I’m glad you all were able to make it here on such short notice. I realize this is the first emergency sortie we’ve dealt with, but so far you have all handled it like the professionals I know you are. That said, I expect nothing less throughout the rest of this operation.” Clousplitter drew a cluster of teardrop shapes near the northern corner of the coastline.

“This morning, madar picked up a small fleet of civilian boats heading in the direction of the Griffon Kingdom. They managed to slip out past a patrol, and are now barely outside our patrol area, if our speed and directional calculations check out. We’ve been unable to confirm whether or not they’re squawking IFF, but for now we have to assume that due to the circumstances of their departure, they’re not. Our orders are to stop them…” she paused, “and to stop them, and I quote, ‘in any way necessary.’ We’ll be gearing up as soon as we’re done here, departure time is 0815. I want you on your best game up there, and no matter what happens, stick with your wingpony. We’ll get through this. Roge?”

“Roger,” Nimbus said with the rest of his squadmates, answering his commander’s slang use of the word.

“Good, dismissed. Meet me at the airstrip in five.”

Nimbus stood, already heading for the door, but stopped when he felt Cloudsplitter’s hoof on his shoulder. When he turned to face her, the mare looked almost sad, looking him over with her discerning, teacher’s eyes.

“You always were one of my best,” she said, smiling, “take us home safely, okay Nimbus?”

“Er… yes, ma’am,” Nimbus nodded, slightly put off again by the unexpected statement.

“Good,” Cloudsplitter called back as she left the room, “then get your flank on my runway now, or I’ll have you running mail delivery to Canterlot in place of the Phoenixes!”

Nimbus grinned, anxiety draining away. That was the Cloudsplitter he remembered. Time to go kick flank in the name of Equestria. Or, in this case, hopefully avoid doing so.

…

Within five minutes, the Pegasi were all assembled on the runway in a staggered “V” formation. Cloudsplitter was on point with Nimbus on her left. On her right side was Starburst, and behind him and to the right was Storm Runner. All were fresh, and ready to begin their first sortie in what had felt like ages.

“Tower, this is Windigo One, ready for formation takeoff runway zero eight,” Cloudsplitter called. The mention of the Windigo name sent shivers down Nimbus’s spine. This wasn’t some training exercise. For the first time in a long while, this was real.

“Windigo, cleared for takeoff, runway zero eight, formation takeoff approved. Be advised winds are out of the northeast, heading zero one zero at one one knots.”

“Cleared for takeoff two six, formation approved. Roger.”

Cloudsplitter looked back at the rest of the squad, and gave a brief nod.

“Right, let’s do this Windigo!”

As if on cue, the ponies started galloping forward, slowly at first, but gradually accelerating until they were all at a full sprint. Then, together, they spread their wings, letting the natural forces of aerodynamics take control. Within seconds, they were clear of the runway, holding low level as they built their speed up in ground effect. On Cloudsplitter’s cue, a simple wing twitch, they pulled up into a climb, accelerating away from the tarmac below.

“Madar contact, Windigo,” the tower called back, “altitude for this mission is your discretion, but keep it below one thousand feet to avoid being caught on the ships’ madar. Contacts’ last known heading was approximately zero five three degrees from this location at two two miles, traveling at three zero knots. Recommend you adopt an intercept heading of zero six zero to intercept.”

“Roger,” Cloudsplitter called back, “adopting zero six zero.”

“Windigo, you may begin your sortie. Cleared to enage and halt your target ships. May Celestia’s light guide you and Luna’s darkness shield you.”

“Okay, Windigo,” Cloudpslitter called, “descend now and maintain formation at five zero feet. No need to get too fancy here.”

Nimbus had to laugh a bit as he followed his squadron into a shallow dive. Fifty feet was actually quite low for most other squadrons, but since last year, Windigo had been practicing terrain masking. Fifty feet was nothing when you were used to flying low enough to touch the grass if you wanted to. Getting fancy, as Cloudsplitter had implied, would be getting low enough to arrive at the target area soaked.

Even though he was used to long distance flights, Nimbus knew he’d be feeling this one the next day. While Pegasi could generally hold flight almost indefinitely, Aviators were expected to far exceed the standards of the average civilian. Therefore, a standard flight for Nimbus often bordered on mach one speeds, speeds that most ponies rarely saw even once in their lives outside of racing. Such flights were not in the least bit easy, and as they cruised at just subsonic speeds above the water, Nimbus could tell this wasn’t going to be easy either. Ignoring his feelings, Nimbus checked his madar display. Ahead was a large cluster of blips so close together, they looked like one big signature.

“Madar contact,” Cloudsplitter said, beating him to it, “one zero miles ahead, right on our noses, let’s try to get a visual.”

Nimbus shifted his eyes away from his instruments, scanning the clear, blue waters of the Griffon Sea for movement. With zero restrictions to surface visibility, as well as a clear sky, spotting the ships this far out wouldn’t be hard at all.

“Let’s see,” he mumbled to himself, “dead ahead…” he closed his search parameters a bit, concentrating on the water directly in front of the ponies.

“Got a visual,” Starburst radioed, “I can confirm at least four vessels, non-military. I think these are our targets.”

“Roger,” Cloudsplitter replied, “descend and switch on external audio. We’ll start with a flyby warning.”

Nimbus grinned a bit in spite of himself. The external audio function on the Aviators’ helmets was relatively new, and had been installed when the Aviators were still helping the city with criminal apprehensions. Essentially, the system acted like a big megaphone, and few things were cooler than using the “big voice” to tell somepony else to freeze where they were.

“There are five ships, and four of us,” Cloudsplitter went on, “split up and spread the word. Hopefully they’ll listen and we can put a quick stop to this. If not, I’ll radio you with more options. I’ll take center. Nimbus- far left, Starburst and Storm Runner, take the right. Ready? Break!”

The four Pegasi split apart like an exploding firework, each zooming towards their own targets. Nimbus’s target was an old paddleboat churning slowly through the water and looking for all the world like an enormous water beetle from where he was. Hearing the others’ speakers, Nimbus set to work, slowing down and entering a bank turn above the deck.

“Civilian vessel,” he called down, “by royal decree, you are ordered to halt and turn back immediately under penalty of treason! Please comply!”

The sheer amount of glares he was receiving from the deck was enough to make the hair on his mane stand on end under his suit. He was honestly glad none of them were armed; if they were, he wasn’t sure he could hold out for long. Finally, a middle-aged Earth Pony trotted out onto the deck and waved his hoof.

“Yes, I can see you,” Nimbus said, “are you the captain?”

The pony continued to motion with his hoof, and with a start, Nimbus realized he was being told to come down.

“Sir,” he repeated, “I have to ask you to turn around now! You’re in a restricted area!”

The pony didn’t stop. Instead, his gestures just became more exaggerated. Nimbus frowned and let out a long sigh. He’d probably never hear the end of this back at base. Giving in, he descended, lining up with the deck. As soon as the threshold passed beneath him, he flared his wings, coming in for a smooth landing in front of the captain. The pony raised an eyebrow quizzically as he slid his visor up and removed his mask.

“Sir,” Nimbus began again, “for the last time, I-”

“I am not turning this boat around, son,” the pony said in a dry, cracked, and tired voice, “I can’t stand and watch while our only chance for peace fades away.”

A few boats over, Starburst shot a glance over to Nimbus as his own boat began pulling back towards shore. Great, the Pegasus was trying to talk things over. Just wonderful. He respected Nimbus’s heart, but it wasn’t hard to see that sometimes the Lieutenant let it get in the way of things, like this mission. Letting him work things out for himself was probably the best course of action, but Starburst was tired. It was time to wrap things up and go home. Deciding on his course of action, he dipped his wings and descended to Nimbus’s boat, landing behind the orange Pegasus.

“-and if you don’t do that, the Griffons could declare war on us!”

“So?” the captain scoffed, “we’ve had war with them before, and we won. We can’t just abandon them!”

“Nimbus, what is going on here?” Starburst said, raising his visor. Nimbus jumped, startled.

“They won’t move, sir. I’m trying, but they’re too insistent!”

“I’ll take it from here.” Starburst moved forward until he was only a few inches away from the captain’s face. “Let me make something clear to you, sir. I am one of four Aviators tasked with stopping your little fleet in any way we can. If that means we have to sink you, then I for one will not hesitate to do so. Do I make myself clear?”

The captain glared at him, defiant as ever. Starburst was about to up the intensity to get his point across, when something caught his eye. One of the crewmates- something wasn’t right. The pony was trembling ever so slightly. He looked at the pony, and the pony looked away. Feigning directing his attention back to the captain, Starburst checked his peripherals. There it was again! The crewmember’s eyes flashed green in the instant it had taken him to look away.

Not now, he thought, he’s going to blow my cover! Sure enough, the pony was now looking towards him with a marked interest. Starburst had to do something, and fast. He checked his CAL-2 charge level: empty.

“Dammit,” he hissed under his breath. Turning to Nimbus, he spoke.

“Lieutenant, send it to the bottom. This crew cannot leave these waters.”

“Sir,” Nimbus stammered, backing up, “what? But… but why?”

Starburst glared at the crew. Killing them would be killing kin, but it would be necessary. “I have reason to believe that this crew bears hostile intentions towards us.”

“What?” the captain growled, “you can’t be serious! Starburst, don’t you-” he stopped, eyes wide, and shut his mouth immediately. Nimbus cocked an eyebrow in surprise at his flight lead.

“Captain? You know these ponies?”

“No,” Starburst spread his wings, “no, I don’t. Comply with my orders and send this ship to the depths!”

Nimbus didn’t know what to do; he was conflicted. He had his orders, but as far as he was concerned, he was facing innocents here. With a groan, Starburst took to the sky, leaping clear of the deck. Without much of a choice left, Nimbus dove off after him, following the captain in a climbing turn as they circled around for a strafing run.

“Windigo Two, we confirm one hostile ship!” Starburst called as he angled himself with the ship’s hull.

“Roger, Windigo One copies,” Cloudsplitter replied. In the distance, Nimbus could see her breaking away from her own target, cutting white vortices through the sky. “Tally ho on the paddleboat.”

Below, the ponies on deck had all vanished into the crew’s quarters, and the vessel was churning up a thick foam of sea water as it chugged away, trying to outrun the Aviators in a futile attempt to flee. Nimbus and Starburst dove down, leveling out above the waves as they hammered the sides of the ship with their CAL-2s. While the weapons were highly effective against soft targets, they were making only a few dents in the side of the watercraft. It’d be a few passes before they could send it to the bottom.

“Again!” Cloudsplitter called, circling around. By now, Storm Runner was in the thick of the fighting as well, diving on the ship from above. Crackling bluish-white bolts fell all over the ship like hail, but still it held fast.

“Windigo, abort your mission, we have an emergency update for you!”

Nimbus stopped mid-strafe, pulling up and away from the ship, a bit relieved despite the fact that they were now on an emergency call. Every pass he made at the ship below made him feel sicker and sicker. This was not how Aviators were supposed to fight.

“Manehattan Tower, this is Windigo One, go ahead,” Cloudsplitter radioed back. The four ponies regrouped, silently awaiting their new orders.

“Windigo, we’ve detected a flight of four Griffons inbound from the east at low level and high speed. Request you intercept them before they make landfall.”

Well, at least we’re not shooting at civilians, Nimbus thought. Interception missions were fun, anyway, and it gave the squad time to practice large-scale formation flying. He eagerly awaited Cloudsplitter’s response.

“Roger, tower. We are inbound, requesting intercept vector. Be advised, we let one ship go, probably headed for the Kingdom now.”

“Nothing we can do about that,” tower replied, “fly heading one seven five, that should put you on an intercept course.”

“Roger, moving to intercept. Let’s go, Windigo.”

Cloudsplitter snap-rolled to the left, waiting for the rest of the squad to catch up. When they did, the four Pegasi turned towards the southeast in unison, waiting with anticipation to meet the Griffons who had dared violate Equestrian airspace.

…

The Griffons in question weren’t far away. In fact, they could already see the Equestrian mainland from where they were.

“Hund, ascend and reduce speed by one zero knots.”

The flight lead wasn’t entirely sure why their orders were specifically meant for this particular Aviator squadron. Their talents could be used elsewhere, he knew that, but at the same time, neither he or his comrades were in a position to question orders. If this was what had to happen in the grand scheme of things, then so be it.

“I have madar contact three o’ clock,” the Griffon on the right called.

“Excellent. Maintain current course and speed until intercepted. Scan and switch to the interceptors’ channel. Await my orders afterwards.”

The squad responded with “roger”s in unison, and the lead nodded. They were a good squadron, closely-knit, and that would prove helpful in the coming minutes. Surviving was not a priority, but part of him held hope that survival was possible. He shook the thought from his mind. There was a mission to accomplish, and he was just as much a part of that as anyone else. As the ponies came into view, he cleared his mind. Time to get ready.

…

“Target in sight,” Storm Runner called, “ten o’ clock off my nose. See them?”

“Roger, I see them,” Cloudsplitter called. Nimbus swept his eyes over the region to his front and left. Sure enough, for black dots were slowly taking shape as a flight of Griffons. Their intercept course had been perfect.

“Okay Windigo, switch to intercept frequency,” Cloudsplitter ordered, “this is it. Follow my lead, we’ll form up directly behind them.”

The Pegasi banked and dove, and Nimbus did his best to maintain his position within the formation. Rollout was swift, and happened as soon as they reached the Griffons’ altitude. They fell in behind the intruders without any problems.

“Switching to intercept freq now,” Cloudsplitter said, “attention, unidentified Griffon squadron- Equestrian coastline is currently closed to presence flights during this time of crisis. We respectfully request that you alter your course and head back to the Kingdom. Failure to comply will result in more drastic measures being taken.”

Nimbus studied the Griffons for a while. Unlike the ponies, their flight armor looked much more traditional- shiny in some places, and almost ornate. Their visors were thinner as well, and looked much more menacing. Nimbus shivered. He was thankful the Griffons were at war with themselves right now; tangling with one wasn’t high on his to-do list. There was a crackle over the radio before the lead spoke, voice heavy with a Griffon accent.

“Windigo… I can’t help but admit I’m somewhat underwhelmed. Such a ferocious creature of legend, yet you four look like you could hardly handle yourselves against one Griffon.”

“Did you come across the sea solely to insult us?” Cloudsplitter called back, “because if that’s the case, I’m not sure your superiors will be too happy to hear about the fact that you dared toe the fragile line between us.”

“No, that’s not why we’re here…” the voice trailed off. Nimbus waited for him to continue, but before the Griffon could speak again, his HUD began to flash red and his heart leaped into his throat.

“Madar targeting!” he gasped, “they’ve switched on targeting systems!”

“Griffon flight,” Cloudsplitter radioed, “you’ve engaged targeting madar. This is a hostile act and will be-”

“Hund squadron, cleared to engage. Make our country proud.”

“What?” Nimbus breathed as the Griffons broke formation. He had to dive to avoid one that had pulled up in a sharp immelpony maneuver. He prepared to switch on his own targeting systems when he remembered that until cleared to engage, he was helpless. He rolled to the right to avoid Cloudsplitter as she dove past him, trying to shake a pursuer of her own while radioing the base.

“Windigo One to Manehattan tower- we are currently being engaged by hostile air units! Request immediate clearance to engage! Repeat- request clearance to engage!”

The Griffon was back on his tail now, and Nimbus pulled up sharply, rolling at the same time. It was enough to buy him a bit of time as the Griffon corrected himself, but without the option to shoot back, he and his squadmates were sitting ducks up here above the ocean. A flurry of charged air rounds flew past his visor, and Nimbus bit his tongue in surprise. Ignoring the pain, he pulled a hard right turn, rolling out above the ocean. His pursuer was thoroughly shaken, but he’d be back soon.

“Windigo, Manehattan tower. You’re sure the Griffons are hostile?”

“Dammit, tower, there is an air battle going on up here!” Cloudsplitter roared, “give us clearance to engage now, or we’re dead!”

Finally seeing the gravity of the situation, tower wasted no time with a response.

“Roger, Windigo. Cleared to engage!”

Sighing in relief, Nimbus switched his targeting systems on, highlighting the Griffons in green boxes. He pulled back up into the fight, and not a moment too soon, as it seemed. One of the Hund Griffons dove on his position, barely missing the Pegasus as he soared upwards. The Griffon was unable to pull up in time, and plowed headfirst through a wave, emerging airborne, but shaken. Nimbus took his chance, twisting around and landing several fatally-charged shots across his pursuer’s back. The Griffon dropped into the ocean below with a splash that threw water several feet into the air. Easy. Almost a little too easy.

Nimbus looked up just in time to see another Griffon bearing down on him, pursued by Starburst. He rolled to the side as crackling charges brushed past the outer layer of his flightsuit and turned to engage. This one was throwing some interesting tricks into the mix, leading Starburst into a slow rolling scissors trap.

“Two, I’ve got your back!” Nimbus called to Starburst as the Griffon pulled away, out-accelerating him.

“Roger, Three. I’ll lure him in to you.”

Starburst made a long, slow turn, attracting the attention of his quarry. The Griffon burned through the air, coming in fast, and Nimbus took his opportunity, pulling in just to the side of the enemy on an intercept angle.

“Go, Three! Fire!” Starburst called out. Nimbus took a deep breath and fired a few rounds directly into the Griffon’s flight path. The aggressor connected, and immediately locked up, also dropping down into the ocean below.

“Thanks for the assist,” Starburst breathed, “moving to next target.”

Shifting his focus back upwards, Nimbus caught site of the other two Griffons, each in fierce combat with Cloudsplitter and Storm Runner. Storm was trying his best to evade, but the one on his tail was too fast, matching his every maneuver with ease. Nimbus pumped his wings, gaining altitude rapidly as he climbed towards his friend.

“Turn hard, Four, he’s on you!” Nimbus called out. Storm Runner attempted a hard turn, but one round caught his wing, and he stumbled. Just as she began to gain the advantage on her own target, Cloudsplitter saw this, and broke away.

“I’ve got your tail, Storm!” she called out, breaking the ‘no names’ radio protocol out of panic. Storm Runner was in danger, and with his stumble, he only had seconds before his pursuer found a new firing angle. To save her wingpony, Cloudsplitter had given up on her own kill. It was a mistake she’d soon regret.

“One, watch your back!” Starburst yelled out, streaking ahead of Nimbus. With a start, the Pegasus realized why his wingpony was in such a hurry. The Griffon Cloudsplitter had been chasing had turned around, and was now zeroing in on the flight lead, “break, One! Break!”

“Negative,” Cloudsplitter said, pulling into a dive behind the Griffon and firing, “almost there…” she altered her angle, and a few hit the Griffon’s wing, sending him into an uncontrolled spin. “Gotcha! Splash one! Storm, get out of uff-!”

“One! Windigo One, please respond!” Starburst called. Nimbus was petrified with shock and rage as the moment passed, as if in slow motion. As Cloudsplitter fired her last few shots, several rounds from the Griffon behind her impacted her squarely in the side. The force of the impact sent her tumbling head over hooves through the air, and Storm Runner immediately altered his course to follow her. Starburst, enraged, peppered the Griffon with rounds, and Nimbus swerved to avoid him as he fell.

“Mission- ngh- accomplished…” the Griffon sighed as he plummeted. Nimbus watched as he disappeared through a cloud below. The only indication that he was down for good was a faint splash below. The problem was dealt with.

“I’ve lost comms with Windigo One!” Storm Runner said, flying alongside Cloudsplitter as the mare struggled to regain control, “can anyone contact her?”

“Windigo One, do you read? Cloudsplitter, answer me please!” It was Starburst calling this time, voice tinged with worry. This frightened Nimbus- his wingpony hadn’t sounded this bent out of shape since the revelation that Site Echo existed over a year ago. As he and the others formed up around Cloudsplitter, the flight lead finally recovered, holding level, albeit shaky flight.

“I still have comms,” she gasped, “oh dear Celestia this hurts.”

Now that she was flying normally again, Nimbus could see what had actually happened, and it didn’t look good. One of the rounds had hit with enough force to tear through her flightsuit, and had actually broken the skin. The fabric obscured the worst of the wound, but bright red blood flowed from it, some trailing out and falling away into the sky.

“Bring it in close, Windigo,” Starburst said, “come on, Cloudsplitter, let’s get you home.”

“Heh…” Cloudsplitter coughed, “look at you, taking charge. I ain’t dead just yet, Starburst. Tower, this- this is Windigo One speaking. All hostile units c- confirmed down.”

“Roger… do you need assistance, Windigo?” The tower pony’s voice was tense, and Nimbus could tell he was doing his best to keep his composure despite what he could already infer from Cloudsplitter’s cracked, weak voice.

“Tower, we need priority landing and an EMT team immediately,” Starburst radioed, “Colonel Cloudsplitter has been hit.”

The radio was deathly quiet for a moment before tower came back.

“EMT is on standby and you have priority clearance. Come back safely.”

The silence as the four ponies flew on was broken only by the sharp, rattling breaths of Cloudsplitter as she struggled to stay aloft. The others were doing their best to stay in formation with her, though Starburst was now closer to her side than normal.

“Colonel, you’re going to be fine. You’re stronger than any of us wimps, right?” Starburst turned to Storm Runner, perhaps the most silent out of the group, “Storm, how far are we from the airfield?”

Storm Runner scanned his instruments quickly, making a few brief calculations. “two six miles to destination. At present speed, we’ll be there in one zero minutes.”

Starburst turned towards the squadron commander with a smile. “You hear that, ma’am? Only ten minutes to go. You’ve got this!”

“I- ergh- I don- don’t know,” Cloudsplitter groaned, “it h- it hurts. I…” her voice faded away as the shoreline came into view ahead. Slowly, she looked around at her squadron, at all the fine ponies she’d trained and developed into the leaders they were now. Though pain racked her body, she felt strangely at peace. Her journey was almost complete. Theirs was only beginning.

“Windigo,” she said, summoning every ounce of strength to speak with just a bit more clarity than before, “those Griffons were wrong about us. Things… will get difficult for you soon, I’m s- sure of it. You stick together, remind them why we bear the Windigo name. And if this comes to war, you promise me… make- make them fear us.”

“That doesn’t have to happen,” Nimbus spoke up, watching anxiously as the shore grew closer, “we’ll get you patched up on the ground. We’ll all be in this together!”

“Hah, Nimbus… you have no idea how much I want that to be true. I’d love to stick around for a while longer, but…” her head drooped for a moment, and Starburst moved in closer. “Ponies…” she breathed, panting lightly, “I’m p- proud of you. I’m proud of you all…”

The runway was in sight now, dead ahead. Below, the coastline was rapidly approaching. They were about to make landfall, just a little farther…

“It’s been fun,” Cloudsplitter whispered, “Windigo One… out.”

Before Starburst could do anything, Cloudsplitter’s eyes closed, and her wing suddenly gave out one final time. She entered a steep spiral, and the rest of Windigo squadron plunged down after her, but by the time they finally caught up, they had no choice. The water was too close; maintaining the dive any longer would render pulling up futile. Their options exhausted, the ponies pulled up as their leader slipped beneath the surface of the waves. They could still see the outline of her body for a moment, but as soon as the next wave crashed over her, she was lost to the sea. It had all happened so fast, ,nopony knew what to do.

“Windigo,” tower called, “status report! I only read three madar signatures!”

The ponies formed back up, minus one Aviator. Nimbus heard a sharp intake of breath from Starburst and realized the pony was trying his best to hold back his emotions.

“Colonel Cloudsplitter is dead,” he said, voice rattled with grief, “about two miles offshore. We… we tried to bring her back, but…”

There was a long sigh on the other end. “Windigo, your mission is accomplished. You did all you could. I’ll scramble a retrieval team, and we’ll find the Colonel. For now, come back to base. You still have that priority clearance, and if you want to take the rest of the day off… I can’t say I blame you.”

Starburst looked behind him at the two ponies he was now responsible for. Both immediately shook their heads, for while they grieved, each also burned with rage at the death of their leader. “We’re not taking the day off,” Starburst radioed back, “that said, we’re not landing yet either. Can you give us clearance for a low approach?”

“Roger, low approach approved.”

Starburst looked back again at his wingponies. “Stay in formation a little while longer. You know what to do.”

“Paying our respects, sir?” Storm Runner asked.

“Affirmative.”

The ponies moved just left of the approach end of the runway, and descended to around two hundred feet off the deck, keeping their speed average. Outside, some ponies had already gathered on the tarmac after hearing the news, and the EMT team was still present. Starburst, Nimbus, and Storm Runner flew over them in a perfect delta formation, but as soon as they crossed over the center of the airfield, Starburst pulled up and out of formation, climbing into the sky. Below, the ponies watching averted their eyes and saluted. It was a missing pony formation, and watching the departing Aviator was considered disrespectful to the dead.

Before long, Starburst was back, catching up with Nimbus and Storm in the landing pattern. Together, in silence, what remained of Windigo squadron touched down on the field. They’d won today, but they were not met with thunderous applause. Instead, the field was silent. A pony had been lost in combat today, and to make matters worse, hostilities had increased between Equestria and the Griffons. Cloudsplitter was the first, but everypony knew she wouldn’t be the last. Why the Griffons had chosen to attack without warning or motivation, nopony knew. What they did know, however, was that this time, there would be retribution.

And it would be as swift as lightning.