Honor & Integrity

The thin, chilly air of 1500 feet and at 6.30 in the morning, six pegasi are seen flying north toward the border of Gryphonstone. This patrol was a routine item and it was was led by a mare, Capt. Silverlining, the others were Lt. Cyclone, Sgt. Tradewinds, Pvt. Neon Blitz, Pvt. Dust Storm, and Corp. Blizzard. The squad after about six hours of flight spotted a forest in which to land to rest; they touched down and Neon Blitz amongst the small talk felt uneasy....it was too quiet. Voicing her concerns Silverlining listened and felt the unrest. The group paired up and searched the area on hoof. Neon was paired with Corp. Blizzard and they found the remains of several fire pits, all still contained some warmth. Further search by the squad found were places where bodies had been laying. They've seen enough to know that a force was moving along the border or into Equestria.

"We patrol on hoof, Sgt. Tradewinds take to the sky and keep to a high altitude....higher than we've been flying and if you can use the clouds for cover. For the fucking love of Celestia don't whistle to yourself! The wind up there will carry your tune to the gryphon aerial patrols." The patrol was simple and after several hours they found no other evidence of their foe.

The squad used a wide tooth search and Neon Blitz felt like they were being watched, gingerly she tread the damp forrest floor, the moss was always facing her as she plodded east. She froze as she looked skyward, she became accutely aware that Tradewinds had flown over her for the past two hours; he flight over her was about fifteen minutes in incremental timing. A twig snapped and she spun to her right and flicked her hoof blade out and almost stabbed Dust Storm in his barrel.

"Don't fucking do that!" She hissed angrily, "Where the hell is Tradewinds?"

"You noticed too? That's why I came over here, is to ask that exact question." The duo were soon joined by Blizzard as she trotted over.

"I feel like we're being hunted as we're hunting!" Was Blizzard's fearful whisper. The three of them stuck close together and found Silverlining glancing skywards.

"Stick close! Something is wrong and I can feel that Tradewinds is either in trouble as met it! He hasn't flown over in a while. Fuck! I knew we should've left after finding those warm fire pits." Neon Blitz was the youngest and though like Tradewinds a private the stallion was a private first class and had more experience than she had.

Silverlining was trying to decide if she should lead her troops to safety on hoof or walk to a clearing and get them airborne. Glancing at her hoof she froze in terror, she had placed her hoof by a trip string. "No pony move! We're fucked!" Dust Storm panicked and shot skyward. As he went up something large slammed him down and blood went everywhere. Hoof blades were drawn and Dust Storm writhed on the spear that impaled and pinned him to the forrest floor. Neon attacked a gryphon who lunged with a sword and missed her barrel by inches. Blizzard swung at her nearest foe and severed his head jaggedly as it hit the ground. Silverlining was doing her best to calculate an exit route while engaging five gryphons at once.

Tradewinds finally appeared and dove into the fray. He had been trying to keep from being detected while in the air and was unable to alert his commrades about the impending ambush. Neon shot skyward to try to get an aerial advantage when she was tackled and slammed to the dirt. Her left wing was broken upon impact and a dagger was thrust into it and into her barrel. A claw began to hammer her face and it had also made impact into her rib cage with enough force that she felt ribs snap. She now choking on her own blood raised her hooves in a gesture of surrender and slid her hoof blade off and slid it away from her. The blows ceased and she saw through a swelling eye and an eye having blood drip into it saw her friends were all wounded and were either being held by two gryphons and had been beaten with a war hammer or being stabbed with short bladed daggers. Fearfully she looked at her captor, he was huge and she felt tiny under his mass. Gently sliding her helmet off and sliding it away she kept her gaze steady into his glaring eyes. Soon the entire host of gryphons appeared and some jeered and mocked her as she lay still and not even struggling. Neon got kicked several times and she coughed out a single request.

Neon saw the gryphon's rank and she made a humble request and placed something she held dear as collateral. "Please Major.....can you release me? I......just need to get the blood out of my throat, as proof that I won't try to run I have my great grandmother's locket, if I run you kill me and do what you wish with the locket." Nodding the gryphon let her up and coughing out blood, Neon removed her armor and let herself be vulnerable and completely defenseless. The other gryphons were amused that an enemy was doing this voluntarily, Dust Storm cursed like Tradewinds and we're screaming profanities at their captors. Blizzard, Neon saw, was a mare who wanted to die as she had received many injuries and was hanging by a rope by her forelegs and her back hooves barely touched the ground and was struggling to breathe. Neon Blitz became fearful and tried her best to stand as the gryphon king was making a landing. Silverlining glared defiantly, but Neon could see the terror in her eyes to spite the glare.

King Tungsten had to the squad's disgust a pegasus in his entourage. "Your highness, I give you Capt. Silverlining as I promised! Now your end of the deal."

"Idiot, among my own kind your actions disgusts us.....your reward is......" The sentence didn't end as the pegasus was now being beaten by eight gryphons with clubs. "Your reward is not going home as a disgrace!" Neon Blitz saw claws before her, and her companions beside her. Her commrades stood defiantly, Neon chose to bow, even though it pained her greatly from the broken ribs.

"Your majesty......I trust your flight was pleasant?" Damn her luck she coughed and blood soaked the feet in front of her. "Pardon me your majesty......it was an accident."

"Neon don't bow to the enemy!"

"Lt. Cyclone sir.......I am paying respect as seeing it could get us slightly better treatment or swifter deaths."

"She's right pony, you all would do well to learn from her." The squad glared at Neon Blitz and mouthed out that a court Marshall and firing squad had her name on the list.

"My lord.....permission to make a request?"

"What is it pony?"

"Just a small sip of water to reduce this cough....if I ask too much.....a pardon is what I ask." Water was brought to Neon Shuffle, and the others were chained to a tree and a field medic had been summoned to treat them until further notice, however, Neon was given her medical care in the medic tent while the gryphon who captured her stood guard over her. Neon was cautious and tried to be polite even though her newly spiked fever had spiked and was causing her to have a bitchy moody. It would be several weeks before the six ponies would learn what their rates will be.