//------------------------------// // New Enterprise // Story: Gryphon Greed is Good // by Snuffy //------------------------------// On the edge of a stone ledge, numerous docked vessels heaved and swayed under the force of the battering wind. The atmosphere surrounding Manehatten harbor was bleak as sailors sat in somber silence at overcrowded taverns, nearly all of them unwilling to spend coin so long as their ships remained moored in port. ”Come along, Haywood,” Luna said as her secretary was distracted by the view of so many different ships all in one location. ”My informant is just up ahead.” The old stallion mumbled something to himself about sailors and the sea. ”You’ve never mentioned before that you have a gryphon informant.” ”He was not mine to begin with,” she admitted, hesitantly. ”I took control of my sister’s information network when I assumed this position.” ”I didn’t think we employed foreign spies?” ”Informants,” she corrected. ”We never force nor command them to tell us anything.” If his raised, bushy eyebrow was any indication, Haywood wasn’t convinced about the distinction, and he instead changed the subject. ”I hope we’re having lunch soon.” ”Do not worry, the one we seek owns a restaurant.” Continuing the conversation from there was hard. Ponies young and old were crowding the walkway along the dock, and high above the seagulls squawked and wailed. Some ponies in the mass were sailors and merchants without anything to do, while most were city folk who were there to look at the massive gathering of ships. Upon a stone block meant as a flood barrier, a group of foals sat high above the crowd and pointed excitedly out toward the sea. They were watching an Equestrian ship of the line leave port, its three-masted sails in the process of unfurling while a squadron of pegasus Royal Guards in polished armor followed in escort formation. It was a sight to behold. Back in her age, boats were small, cumbersome, and couldn’t travel too far out into the deep ocean. Her sister had likely sent the ship as a peacekeeper against any unwarranted aggression between the involved parties. The crowd eventually thinned when they reached the southern end of the docks, and at their destination, all the patrons eating outside were gryphons except for a table with three pegasi. ”Don’t tell me we are eating at a gryphon establishment?” Haywood asked. ”Indeed, we are.” ”I’d even prefer to go to a place that serves hayburgers.” She examined her secretary with narrow eyes. ”Nonsense, and don’t think I haven't noticed that you have lost a few pounds. A high protein meal will be good for you.” Haywood’s only response was to stick out his tongue in disgust as they reached the front of the restaurant. Curious and wary were the reactions from the patrons outside. Nearly all stopped to eat just so they could follow them with their eyes as they walked through the front doors, while others took an apparent effort to remain inconspicuous. Judging by their clothes, they were all merchants or sailors, and two of the three pegasi who shared a table wore the brown armor of WPTC mercenaries. The tables inside were all empty, and a burly gryphon with a leather vest was in the process of wiping a glass with a dirty towel. ”I’m searching for Leonard,” she said. The barkeep gave her a curt nod and turned his head toward the second-floor stairs, then answered with a deep voice. ”He is busy.” She levitated a pouch over from Haywood’s saddlebags and dangled it in front of the barkeep, making sure it made a satisfying sound as the bits shuffled around inside. ”No rush. Go tell him we are here for information. Meanwhile, we will be dining in the back room.” She dropped the pouch on the counter and motioned for Haywood to follow her as she headed for the curtain separating the main room. ”Bring us one salmon and one salad.” The back room was sparsely furnished, though the table was clean, with room enough for at least six diners, and the windows gave them a good view of ships entering the dock. After a thirty-minute wait, where they discussed Haywood’s wife’s latest bridge party, the barkeep came in with their orders on a tray. The gryphon hesitated for a moment at the entrance, but when she motioned for him to proceed, he carefully placed the fully roasted salmon in front of her. Drizzled in olive oil and lemons, the fish nearly took up the whole plate, surrounded by fat potato slices. She licked her lips in anticipation, then bit down hard on the seared scales and into the succulent flesh beneath. The taste was out of this world, and with a snout all covered in juices and oil, she couldn’t prevent herself from letting out a satisfied moan. She found Haywood and the barkeep staring at her with wide open mouths, and the latter unconsciously dropped his dish platter on the floor. ”It’s good,’” she said, unimaginatively. The barkeep only stood there mumbling about ’ponies.’ Though she loved her little ponies, their natural instincts often drew them to follow the consensus instead of their own free will. The gryphons, on the other hoof, were almost the opposite, with a highly individualistic society, a trait she often encouraged in the ponies working under her. ”What do you want to drink?” the barkeep asked. ”Coffee.” ”Gryphon’s don’t drink coffee.” Barbarians, the whole lot of them. ”Gryphon ale, then.” The barkeep left and promptly returned carrying two pitchers with a silvery symbol of a gryphon. As soon as the barkeep placed them onto the table, she took hers and chugged down all the ale in one go, then quickly resumed devouring the remaining salmon. Haywood simply shook his head in disbelief, seemingly relieved that his dish was a salad. After a closer glimpse at his bowl, he discovered that nearly half the content was cubed pieces of fish fillet. “Really?” he said, dismay written on his face. ”You’re going to finish that even if we need to bring you a doggie bag,” she said, as the barkeep quickly excused himself. ”I don’t believe anyone, except my late mother, has ever told me to finish my meal.” She felt something crunch between her teeth, and with her magic pulled out a loose bone and placed to the side of the plate. ”Then a reminder was long overdue.” Haywood sneered at the food but eventually took a spoonful to his mouth. They continued to eat their meal in silence for a while, until another gryphon came through the curtain. ”Princess Luna,” Leonard said while giving her a theatrical bow. ”I am honored by the visit.” ”The pleasure is all mine,” she replied after swallowing a mouthful. ”And I see that your establishment lives up to its reputation. Give my regards to the chef. I doubt there is a pony in Equestria who could prepare a salmon so close to perfection.” ”I wonder why that is,” Haywood mumbled to himself. Leonard took immediately to the flattery, just as she knew he would, and beamed with pride. He wore no articles of clothing, unlike many of the upper-middle class gryphons, but all his light-brown feathers, facial and otherwise, were intricately trimmed to show that he was not your average laborer. “I’m certain the chef will be overjoyed at getting such high praise from royalty,” Leonard said as he took a seat at the table. ”And from a pony no less!” ”Indeed, but I’m afraid we don’t have the time for any more pleasantries. I wish to discuss business.” He chuckled. “That’s my preferred language. How can I assist the Equestrian Crown?” “I want to know about the gryphon blockade.” Leonard didn’t answer at first. Instead, he spun around a salt jar on its edge with a claw while deep in thought. When close to a minute passed, she levitated over another pouch of bits from Haywood’s saddlebags. “I guess we should start with what is common knowledge,” he began, then frowned at the bag in the air. “Unless you want me to go straight to the more interesting details?” “Start at the beginning,” she replied, not wanting to show how out of the loop they were. “Very well,” he began with a sigh. “As you are already aware, Gryphonstone ordered a blockade of Hildburg and Gryphonberg, claiming that the merchants there were price gouging necessities.” “Were they?” Haywood asked. Leonard shrugged. “My sources say ‘no.’ Granted, prices have gone up this year, but I’ve seen no evidence of any tampering. Other factors could have driven up costs or increased demand, like heavy flooding up in the north.” “You really should hire some weather ponies,” Haywood noted. “Gryphons are a proud race,” Leonard said, chuckling to himself. “We would rather drain our overflown cellar with a bucket than ask for help from outsiders.” “And what is Gryphonstone hoping to accomplish with all this?” ”Perhaps to assert their authority over the coastal cities and towns, or maybe to scapegoat the merchants for the higher prices to raise their own domestic approval.” “Won’t preventing imports only worsen the prices?” Haywood asked after taking a break from his salad. Leonard shrugged. “Only makes the merchants look even worse in the eyes of the common folk.” She levitated a napkin and wiped the grease from her mouth. Only the head, fin and bones of the salmon remained. “This is all common knowledge,” she began and motioned for the bag of bits on the table. “I’m certain you know of something that isn’t.” Leonard smiled broadly and weighed the bag of bits in his talon. After an approving whistle, he deposited it out of sight. ”As it so happens, the blockade is costing me a fortune in bits, and therefore I took a keen interest in finding all I could regarding what was going on behind the scenes.” ”Oh? How were you affected?” ”I have a fully loaded cargo ship waiting to deliver grocery products to Hildburg,” he said and pointed outside at one of the vessels in the long row of docked ships. ”Unlike my fellow merchants who are calmly waiting to see how things pan out, my cargo consists of perishable goods, and if the blockade isn’t lifted by sunrise, then I will be forced to sell it all in Manehatten for half of my initial investment. Not to mention the fee the WPTC takes for providing me with a ship and crew.” ”A conundrum indeed.” ”Apologies for running my beak,” he said, scratching the back of his head guiltily. ”I can’t help but bemoan my situation to those I talk to.” She motioned for him to continue. ”Right, to the matter at talon,” he continued. ”I called in my contacts to find out what every council member in Gryphonstone was up to in the days prior. And I found one interesting deviant, Counselor Burkhard, was visiting Equestria to attend a business gala in Canterlot.” She and Haywood turned in unison to look at each over. It was the exact time and date they were away dealing with the Hooffields and McColts; no doubt there existed an invitation ticket for her somewhere among the piles of paperwork, though she rarely ever attended such gatherings anyways. ”But Burkhard wasn’t the only important gryphon at the gala. One of the most influential merchants, a gryphon named Ortwin from Hilburg was also there, and it appears that a fight broke out between the two.” ”Wouldn’t a scuffle between two important gryphons be the talk of the town?” Haywood wondered. ”Normally, but this hardly occurred on the ballroom floor,” Leonard said. ”At these kinds of gatherings, you often go to private rooms to discuss business, and there were only a talonful of witnesses. Luckily, it just so happens that one of Ortwin’s guards likes to blather after a few free mugs of gryphon ale.” ”And what did the talkative guard have to say?” ”Right before the incident, the guard noticed Counselor Burkhard slip away to have a private meeting with a pony, and only ten minutes later, Counselor Burkhard came rampaging down through the door, face red with anger. A heated debate about trade then followed, the details of which unfortunately went over the guard’s head. ”It all ended with a brawl, and more harsh words as the guards separated the two, and unfortunately this is all I know. I haven't been able to find any other witnesses, and only a few others heard the shouting in the distance.” ”This pony who met with the counselor,” she said. ”Did you find out who it was?” ”Alas, the guard only remembered a mare with a green dress, most likely an earth pony.” ”Could we perhaps narrow it down from there?” Haywood asked with his mustache twitching. ”Can’t have been that many mares wearing a green dress?” ”Unfortunately, there were over three hundred guests,” Leonard said. ”I sent my henchmen to search for any connection between Counselor Burkhard and the twenty or so mares who matched the description, but all our findings were vague at best.” ”Thank you,” Luna said with finality, then pushed away her plate and stood up. ”Was there anything else?” ”That was all I had,” Leonard said, confused at her sudden shift. There was little doubt left that the mystery mare was the one responsible, or at least acted as an agent for the real culprit. How the pony managed to rile up the counselor to such a degree was strange, and the whole ordeal smelled of changeling trickery. ”This merchant you mentioned, Ortwin. Do you know him?” ”I do.” ”Good, I would like to meet with him.” Leonard sneered at the idea. ”It would take days for me to arrange a meeting, and cost a hefty sum. Not to mention that it will be almost impossible to get to Hildburg by sea.” She walked up to stand snout to beak, and with a smile so broad that the gryphon tried to inch away in his chair. What Leonard said was the truth, taking the train through the northern pass would likely take days, and flying over the stormy ocean, while feasible, was considered way too risky even for her. ”Don’t worry,” she said. ”I have a perfect idea.” ”And that is?” Haywood asked, skepticism positively dripping from each word. ”You mentioned, Leonard, that you have a ship and crew with goods that needed a speedy delivery.” Haywood’s eyes widened to their utmost limit. ”If I can get those goods safely to Hildburg, would it pay for a very rapid meeting with one of the cities most influential merchants?” ”Tenfold,” Leonard said, and gulped loudly. She stepped away from the gryphon and turned toward the window facing the harbor. ”Good, when can we depart?” Leonard was up in an instant. ”If we hurry, you can be there before sunset. Wait here.” The slightly overweight gryphon moved to the main room at a pace she’d not believed him capable of, and after a minute of loud shouts and barked orders, Leonard returned with the three pegasi from outside. ”This,” Leonard began, panting heavily. ”is Sergeant Blaze, Private Contrail, and Private Fair Weather. They are the West Pony Trading Company guards responsible for escorting the ship.” The Sergeant, for lack of a better word, looked like your typically handsome swashbuckler, with a finely made black tunic perfectly contrasting his blue eyes and grayish coat and mane. The two other guards were more standard fare, both wearing the WPTC brown armor and sword beneath their wings. ”Your Majesty,” Sergeant Blaze said, followed by all three bowing respectfully. ”We have been ordered not to set sail near Gryphonstone, and even if we get there, we still have the blockade to contend with.” ”Do not worry,” she said, confidently. ”My authority overrides all others, and I can guarantee that the Gryphon Navy won’t be bothering us.” Haywood coughed behind her. Leonard scurried around like a lost hen, shouting to any one of his employees he could find to go and gather all the sailors swiftly. ”How will we make it through the blockade, Your Majesty?” Blaze asked as they walked out of the restaurant and towards the long row of ships. ”If you don’t mind me asking.” ”I possess a spell that will mark the ship as my personal vessel. The gryphons would never dare fire on a diplomatic delegation with a Princess of Equestria.” ”That could work, Your Majesty.” ”Call me Luna.” Their party of five eventually reached the crowded parts of the dock, where the group of foals still sat perched on their stone slab watching the ships come and go. Suddenly, surprised gasps could be heard as ponies stood and pointed toward the dock entrance. Another WPTC trade vessel was coming into port, and there were black marks spread unevenly across the front of the ship. Marks that could have only been caused by cannon fire. ”I hope nopony got hurt,” Haywood said, loudly enough to drown out the crowd. ”They must have attempted to slip through the blockade, then sailed straight into a broadside,” Sergeant Blaze said. ”Looks like cannonballs bounced off the hard oak of the hull, and only struck the topsides of the prow. I’m guessing the gryphons only wanted to give them a good scare, or they’d have blasted apart the rigging instead.” “Private Fair Weather,” she said to the blue-maned guard with a white coat. “Yes, Princess?” he said, saluting and standing at attention. No doubt he had previously served in the Royal Guard. “Fly over to that ship and ask if the crew is alright.” Fair Weather immediately took off into the air. Technically, she had no real authority to give him orders. Mercenaries were only civilians with the same rights to defend themselves as anyone else, and the military ranks they used was merely a facade. A mercenary calling himself ‘general’ had as much actual power under the law as the pony who mopped the palace floor. Haywood turned to her. “You cannot possibly believe this is a good idea?” “Nonsense,” she said, frowning dismissively. “my plan is flawless.” What could go wrong?