Chapter 47
“You need to give them something, your highness,” Twilight said as she walked along with Darkfeathers and myself into the throneroom, “I have negotiated with Yeti, before and after their invasion. Without any kind of give from their opponents, they are not going to bend.”
Darkfeathers fluffed his feathers and looked thoughtful, “Perhaps…”
Twilight looked thoughtful, “Not sure it even needs to be anything big, if those creatures raiding your villages really are rebels, they want to stop them almost as much as you do. Maybe if we could go out there and talk to them…”
“I’m fairly sure our Guards would tackle both of us if we tried,” I commented, “Let’s not antagonize them if we can avoid it, their jobs are hard enough as is.”
Darkfeathers looked amused, “Over-protective guards?”
“Something like that,” I agreed with a small smile, “Well, if it keeps them happy. I doubt talking would work in this case anyway.”
Twilight frowned at me but didn’t protest. Not right now at least, I had no doubt she would have plenty to tell me about it later.
She was the Princess of Friendship, so she might even have a point.
But I didn’t want to go traipsing across the Griffon lands to get into mortal danger! I would be way too busy traipsing across the Griffon lands into mortal danger!
Speaking of which…
“Say, King Darkfeathers,” I said, “I wouldn’t mind seeing more of your country after the talks have finished, would it be possible to get permission to take our airship to tour the countryside?”
“But of course,” he said with a smile, “Would you require a guide?”
I shook my head, “That’s not necessary,” I said and shifted my wings before leaning a bit closer, lowering my voice, “Between you and me, I’d just want some time to relax with Sunset and Twilight away from everypony else… or at least as much as such a thing is possible.”
That’s what I wanted. That’s not what was going to happen as I would be involved in hive politics, but what I wanted was a couple of days enjoying the views with Sunset and Twilight.
I didn’t lie.
“Ahh,” he said with a grin, nodding, “More than understandable.”
Twilight blushed and poked me with her wing but didn’t say anything, looking away instead.
A door opened and a group of griffons walked inside, crossing towards us. I recognized the griff in the lead.
Razorwing, the would be ambassador to equestria with the shortest career in the history of diplomacy.
Oh great, what is it now?
He gave King Darkfeathers a quick bow before turning to me, wings rising as he fluffed his breathers, “Prince Page, I demand satisfaction! You ruined me!”
“Who are you?”
He blinked at me, “I’m Razorwing! Lord Razorwing!”
I frowned at him in slight bewilderment, “...I’m sorry, sir, but it does not ring a bell. Have we met?”
He looked angry enough to crack his beak, “I was in Canterlot at the welcoming reception for the new Griffon Ambassador.”
I raised my wings and nodded, “Ah, I see! Were ýou one of the staff?”
“I was the ambassador! I struck you!”
“...I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t remember you. Did I do something to hurt your feelings? I’m terribly sorry if that’s the case.”
He looked about ready to explode but then he took a deep breath, “Do you accept my challenge?” he finally ground out through a closed beak.
I frowned at him before I looked at Darkfeathers. He looked pissed but controlled.
“Can he do that?” I asked him.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Darkfeathers answered, his eyes not stopping their attempt to burn Razorwing alive, “As a noble of the court and the head of a prominent family, he has the right to issue dueling challenges if he feels his honor has been damaged.”
“Do I need to accept it?”
Darkfeathers shook his head, “No. But not doing so may cause… trouble,” he said and kept trying to burn the other griffon and his hangerons to ash with his eyes, “They represent a faction that does not see any use in our current arrangements with Equestria. An unfortunately somewhat powerful one.”
Razorwing met his glare for a second before escaping it to glare at me in turn, “Well? What do you say, Pony. Do you have any shred of honor? Or are you a cowardly grazer?”
I ignored him, “Do I have to answer now?”
The King shook his head, “According to tradition, you have two days to decide.”
I nodded and turned back to Razorwing and his followers, “I’ll let you know in two days then, Baserwing.”
“It’s Razorwing!”
“What did I say?”
He didn’t answer, he just turned around and stormed out, his followers… following.
I stared after him until the door slammed shut before I turned to Darkfeathers, “He’s not very bright, is he?”
“Not particularly,” the King sighed, “He lost a lot of influence after his failure as the ambassador to Equestria, but not all. He is the head of an old and powerful family. You do realise that according to our dueling codes, you will not be allowed to use your magic? As he is unable to.”
I nodded and met Twilight's eyes, “We have read them,” I said and sighed, “It was part of what we went through on the way here.”
Twilight didn't look happy, “Page, with no magic…”
“I still have earth pony strength,” I reassured her, “And thestral flight. I’d be fine. But it may not even come to that, perhaps we can come with an alternative.”
The King looked dubious.
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Nice
Ah, the Blueblood of griffin's... Why am I not surprised.
Duel or not this featherbag won't learn his lesson until its beaten into his overly thick skull.
Oh! Some action! I was waiting for it!
Seriously just snark him into submission, point out how retarded he is. What a imbecile he is and how he care less for the Griffon Empire than the Rebels...
a 'challenge' is not what page needs right now
Honestly, every time a fic trots something like that out, I always think it’s a stupid rule.
Let’s ignore the obvious issues with allowing an underling to challenge a visiting head of state. Or even just a visiting diplomat, in many cases. Because Dweebfluffer clearly isn’t bright enough to care, or he wouldn’t have issued the challenge at all.
So a unicorn couldn’t use magic in a duel against an earth pony, but the earth pony gets to use his strength? A pegasus can fly in a duel with said unicorn, but the unicorn can’t use magic to shoot back? That’s hardly fair.
In this instance, Page, as an alicorn, trains in fighting using all of his abilities: flight, strength, and magic, and in utilizing all three synergistically to maximize their impact.
Arbitrarily robbing him of one of his core abilities actually reduces his combat capability by a greater amount compared to Rubberwing, as Page has not been training to fight without magic—or at least, not nearly as much!—whereas Ditzthing has spent his whole life training in fighting the way he will be fighting by default, and thus can draw fully on all of his training and experience.
Poor Page has to drastically change up his practiced tactics and do battle with his own muscle memory and instinct at every turn just to comply with the restriction. So very much not fair.
The fact is, Boozewring issued the challenge. He knew who and what he was challenging. If he wants to duel an alicorn, then he can by gosh cock up and fight an ALICORN, with ALL that that entails! Magic included!
Especially if this is a duel to the death, and not to “first blood,” or until Ricefloofer decides he is “satisfied,” which are nefariously exploitable and unhelpfully nebulous win conditions, respectively.
Disagree? If a man with no right arm challenged a man with full use of both arms to a duel, would we expect the two-armed man so challenged to tie his right arm behind his back and fight solely left-handed? Especially if he’s a right handed swordsman? Fuck no, and the one armed guy knew that when he made the challenge!
I doubt you’re going to change that just over one disgusted comment, of course. Even though I really think you should.
But consider. At the very least, Page should insist on following the “dueling tradition of his homeland,” and refer to a specific variant wherein the challenged decides the manner of the duel itself. Implying that Razorface is being cowardly in trying to engineer a situation where he can face an alicorn with an unfair advantage to try and make himself look good might even sway onlookers to supporting such an idea.
And then he is free to choose whatever weapon or contest he likes, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be head to head bloodspilling. Indeed, Duncefester could use a good humiliating in some kind of arbitrary and silly challenge!
I imagine the King wouldn’t mind Peetzerwing being taken down a few pegs in a situation of his own creation, after all.
10980111
Yeah this isn't that good of a plot point. You think you can challenge a foreign head of state after you assaulted him? And the duel would rob him of his most trained skill?
10/10 times, you'd be laughed out. If Page declined the duel, all he would be doing is pissing off some extremists in Griffon society. If he accepts... who knows what could happen?
This is really the only acceptable reaction
10980128
Excellent choice of clips.
Just offer him the position of mbassador in Nocturnis and I am sure he will calm down. Wouldn't be surprised if that is in fact his true goal.
10980128
Honestly, I can see it like this: should fluffbag here issues the duel like this there are two outcomes; either he wins and brings the wrath on him for challenging a head of a state of the foreign country, or he loses and gets not only humiliated for losing to a pony, but also the king can. Have the entire head of the family booted for shaming him BY issuing such a challenge.
As the king said, the blunder-beak isn't very bright, he probably didn't even know or care of such consequences.
And this is why you should had built a gun for yourself.Even the basic, one shot and reload one.
In reality if the rank difference between the challenger and the challenged is too great, like a mere ex-ambassador vs a head of state, the challenge would be dismissed completely and the challenger escorted out.
Oh yeah, gotta help the cuddlebugs
You ruined yourself really
That is a strange and stupid rule clearly designed by a griffon to give a griffon an unfair advantage in any duel with a spellcaster
I mean Baserwing doesn't exactly have to cut his claws just because Page doesn't have any right, and what if his opponent had been an Earth Pony, would Baserwing need to have his wings bound?
Being able to cast spells is a natural asset for unicorns and alicorns, just like the wings and claws of griffon
Seems to me that your pulling a small part of a certain scene from one of Goldfur's stories Hiver.
10980252
I am?
Which series is that?
10980257
From A Different Perspective. Lord Razorwing challenged Long Path to a duel, though it was cause he was getting to close to a female griffon that he wanted to marry that would have set him back up financially.
10980258
Wait, the name matches?!
What are the odds of that. No, haven't read it, no tickboxes when I looked it up.
I guess great minds and all that?
10980263
My bad. just checked and the griffon is called Ravenwing. So I was wrong.
10980268
To be fair, that's pretty close.
10980271
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/246414/7/a-different-perspective/chapter-7-never-gonna-give-you-up-never-gonna-let-you-down This is the chapter from the story if and when you have time to read it to know what I meant.
10980273
I'm slightly annoyed that Ravenwing is a way better name. :P
10980275
10980111
tbf, dueling and its rules are always just about as stupid as it sounds
Page: Honestly your highness, I'm very surprised you allowed him near enough to make the challenge. I am a visiting dipolmat after all.
King Darkfeathers: Well normally I would have but considering what happened when he returned...I feel little guilty if I don't allow Razorwing SOME chance at dignity.
Page: Hm? I don't understand what you mean.
King Darkfeathers: Upon hearing Razorwing's behavior in Equestria, I may have "miscommunicated" to my staff that one of the rooms needed to be converted into a nursery.
Page: What does have to do wit--
...oh...OH!
King Darkfeathers: I may have "accidentally" told Razorwing the number of that room as the location of his demoted office space. I may have "misplaced" the information of the real location of his actual office for two weeks so Razorwing was forced to conduct all of his businesses in that nursery.
Page:
...wow.
King Darkfeathers: It was in the tabloids for MONTHS. The law states he cannot challenge his king to the duel so you're the next best thing.
Page: Okay I feel you. We'll let Razorwing think this is the way to regain his honor...he will FAIL miserably but lets allow him that beacon of false hope regardless.
King Darkfeathers: Indeed...
Can someone remind me of who this idiot gryphon is and what he did? I have the memory of five squirrels playing a game of telephone.
This is more than likely a cultural clash, after all Griffon society is very merit and being a dick based. So being able to dule someone above you makes sense to a degree, the guy is just a idjit of the highest order.
10980341
Razorwing was the idiot ambassador who thought Page was beneath his notice during a party in Canterlot. Page cuss him off and Razorwing sucker-punched him...in front of Celestia. Celestia then basically told Razorwing to skip town with all the fake sweetness in the world~!
10980348
Ah, I remember now. Thanks.
Lying by omission is still lying, Page!
Calling it now: Page is going to spend those two days tormenting Razorwing with nightmares, since there's no rule against using magic when the duel is still purely theoretical.
hum i wounder if this is the same rules as in ridick??
i kind of hope so.
as the hole Baserwing family will be removed from being a problem.
Causing yet another diplomatic incident, Razorwing? Smooth, really smooth.
10980111
Maedhros intensifies!
Grammar jackboot:
'come up with an alternative'
10980128
You're forgetting one detail,
Blank Page is a weak willed idiot.
He may set himself to look smart in the eye of the audience, but when plan A fails, there is no plan B, and Page just rolls over and dies. And he all ways bends the knee to Celestia who by the way is still as dumb as she is in canon. Page would have won his tactical dream fight if he had bothered to make guns for his army.
Is it a duel to a certain point, or straight up to the death?
Because if it's to the death, razorwing should realize he'd be dooming all griffons to a solar flare/meteor shower combo attack.
But if it's only to the point of passing out, what's to stop Page from humiliating Razorwing further? After all, what's more insulting to a griffon than an opponent who apoligizes for his actions, and doesn't fight back?
10980421
Two reasons he wouldn't do that: One, it would defeat the point of the exercise. Two, he has moral objections to introducing the sort of weapons I assume you mean as opposed to say, arquebuses, ahead of their time. I quote directly from Complications Chapter 35:
10980475
Most foreigners apparently don't realize that Equestria is literally the only thing keeping the planet habitable. The level of power that implies... well, Page may not even need to visit the second night.
10980287
Well, yeah. Dueling is pretty strictly a hobby for the idle rich and powerful, after all, so in order to not risk rocking the boat too much and giving mere commoners ideas about gaming the system themselves against their alleged superiors it would be odd if the rules weren’t firmly based in favor of the house (so to speak).
Razorwing committed Lèse-majesté he should be fish food. He doesn't have the political or social clout to demand "satisfaction" besides he's on a diplomatic mission and has "diplomatic immunity."
10980501
Which I still think is BS. The best way to have less deaths is to ice a motherfucker so hard and fast that no one else thinks to step up and box with god.
I'm not advocating for exterminatus, but if Paige went through with even a bit of his threat with the yetis after the attack by the Storm King, he would be having less problems as of now.
At this point, just get a changeling assassin to disappear the problem.
10980717
depending on the places yes, but in america you didn't really have to be of that high in social standing, and talking about out west especially, even a guy with a few dollars was 'rich', so a lot more people got into it in the US, and it stuck around long past the advent of rifled pistols which made the thing actually a blood sport instead of a joke. plus people in the us were less likely to have any special low caliber inaccurate black powder pistols, they used what they had...which is to say real guns and just hoped the other guy wasn't aiming to kill them, which many times they were, and reloaded to ensure they did...
10981268
Assuming of course that wouldn't simply move the challenge to his heir or chosen second.
10981265
Which works right up to the moment they ambush one of your foraging/scout parties, capture some of your gear and start reverse engineering it. As for the threat? The Storm King agreed to talks. Both the Sisters would be less than impressed with Page if he had spoilt that by breaking the terms of doing so, even if the scumbag deserved it.
If page cannot use his unicorn magic because razor wing has none, the razorwing cannot use his talons as page has none. (i don't know if fangs and beak are equivical or not though)
this has always bothered me about the stupidity of these kinds of duels. forcing one oponent into a handycap is the other already admiting that they are the inferior. if Razorwing wanted to fight page. throwing in limitations proves nothing beyond cowardice.
10991034
One hundred percent agreed.
10991034
Does that include dueling with weapons of the challengers choice? I can understand some of those restrictions weapon wise but only if both agree.