//------------------------------//
// 7 Grueling 
// Story: Prince Blueblood: Master Ambassador 
// by Doug Graves 
//------------------------------//

The red eye train to Manehatten was uneventful, the two sleeping for the vast majority of the eight hour trip. The ferry to Trottingham took up the rest of the day and afforded the two a chance to read through the insufficient literature about the new regime. They were also able to charter a fishing boat for the next morning; it dropped them off at the mouth of the river in the Griffon Lands, and even got a promise from the fishermare to keep an eye out for them on the shore for when they returned, hopefully in a week. Now stranded further east that either of them had ever been, it should only be a single day's hike to get to Griffonstone. Assuming everything goes smoothly.

Walking along the snowy, barely traveled dirt path was equally uneventful, the two passing the time bickering over where a hypothetical train route from the mainland of Equestria would need to run. Tying into the existing Manehatten line is the obvious answer, Aspide argues, Lunaris countering that there is already an existing line through the northern mountains that reaches to Vanhoover, the most likely trading partner of the griffons due to climate of the breadbasket of northern Equestria. Aspide, not to be outdone, points out the absurdity of running a train that distance for the kind of goods the griffons are likely to make, at which point they devolve into silence before the arguments begin anew. 

It took a while, but at some point they both realized that their full day of hiking merely got them to the base of the mountain.

The first thing Lunaris notices is how vertical everything is.

Standing at the base of the Hyperborean Mountains, ahead of him is even less of a path than the one they took through the shrub land. He has to look up.

And up.

And up.

In order to see even the barest hint of the path that leads to their destination.

This would have been so much easier with wings.

"I think, when I get back, I'm going to invest in airship technology," Lunaris remarks as the two start their journey upwards, trudging through the thirteen inches of snow that occasionally nips at their barrels. Aspide is carrying the vast majority of their dry goods, clean water, camping equipment, and half of the bits. Lunaris has one day's worth of rations, the maps, the various paperwork and promotional material, and the other half of the bits. Neither of them looks comfortable with the arrangement, a pretty good indication that it is the 'fairest' split they are going to get.

"I didn't think any non-pegasi liked flying," Aspide remarks, her breathing calm and steady as their journey turns more and more vertical. "Outside of that one crazy earth pony. Airy Berry or something."

"Nonsense! Airships are nothing like flying, outside of the fact that both take place in the air." Lunaris derisively waves a hoof, immediately regretting the loss of support for walking up the mountain. "It would be more akin to sailing, and there are plenty of sailors from each tribe." He pulls his scarf a little tighter around his neck, slightly envious of the blue shirt Aspide is wearing. At least the packs serve as a slight break against the wind.

"Yeah, sure. Tell that to the eighty percent of the sailors back in Trottingham who are earth ponies. I can't believe the pegasi don't even want to catch their own fish. It's like they have this ingrained image of pegasi being weather manipulators. And us earth ponies are relegated to food collection and transportation. No matter how little we actually want to eat the meal in question."

"Well, maybe you wouldn't mind working on an airship, then! After all, it's very similar to working on a train, or a boat. Or so I've heard. Just, instead of crashing off the side of the tracks, or into a mountain, or sinking to the bottom of the ocean, you plummet to the ground when things go wrong! Much safer that way."

"You know, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," Aspide retorts, focusing on the furrow Lunaris is carving through the snow as they forge ahead. "You aren't going to try to convince me that air travel is the safest method of transportation, now are you?"

Lunaris shrugs, "Well, it has been... hmm, dozens of years? since the last pegasi chariot fatality. And airships, being relatively new technology, haven't really had time to sort out every issue, and yet they still maintain an impressive safety record."

"Oh, sure, skew the statistics by focusing on fatalities. Not every train incident is Awash, you know."

"Regardless of which metric you want to track, as long as they can get the navigation across the Celestial Sea down then it would be a great boon to trade. Not only would it provide direct access to Griffonstone, without having to walk up and down a mountain, but it would also avoid the stench of fish. Actually, the griffons would probably import a vast amount of fish. Hmm."

Lunaris sighs as the rough dirt path ends. What lies beyond could charitably be referred to as the beginnings of a trail. If they had a squad of trailblazers armed with machetes, perhaps it would be navigable without scratching his pristine coat, or ruining the polish on his hoof. Actually, it is likely far, far too late for that. So much for keeping up appearances back in Canterlot; he'll probably need to seclude himself for a week to keep away any prying questions. And daily trips to the spa, purely to return his luster, of course. The path, overgrown as it is, leads through the dense forest, though fewer and fewer bushes are hindering their way. Instead, it is evergreen trees and a prickly grass that bites at their hooves with every step through the lighter snow. Definitely unappetizing, a likely reason it has spread so far. Tartarus forsaken jungle, couldn't even nibble on the grass.

Aspide peers through the foliage, as far as she can see, which only amounts to several dozen feet, then back at Lunaris. "Are you sure we're still going the right way? This is going to be terrible if we pick a route up a cliff, or something."

Lunaris shrugs, "Sorry, I don't know of any point-the-way spells that let me go somewhere that I've never been. You generally need some sort of marker to direct yourself towards. But yes, we're heading in the right direction."

Aspide rolls her eyes, "As long as we're going uphill it's the right direction. Even a blind pony could tell you that." They push through the underbrush; Lunaris levitates Gilded Graze, helping clear some of the worst of the vines crossing their path, inspecting his blade after every slice. At least they aren't magical vines. The foliage thins out as they get higher; while it becomes easier to navigate, the ground is no less steep and the rockier path threatens to send them tumbling to their knees should an errant rock slip from underhoof. And an injured fetlock at this point would easily be life threatening, with the nearest civilization a mile upwards or ten leagues downhill.

The two break out of the treeline on a particularly steep slope, the two looking around for the next sign of a trail leading them through the rocky mountainside. Above, dark storm clouds are gathering, likely to dump even more snow on them if they aren't able to continue climbing. Lunaris closes his eyes, trying to orient himself as Aspide says, "So, which way do we go now? Besides up, of course."

"Does it not look like I'm trying to figure that out?" comes the strained reply, Lunaris gritting his teeth to keep from making a more biting comment.

A raspy voice comes from above them, "Sounds like the two of you could use a guide."

Lunaris and Aspide look up, seeing a golden female griffon hovering over them. She has an older look to her, graying white plumage around her amethyst eyes and darker, nearly black wings. She watches them closely, her eyes tracing over the various saddlebags and bedrolls they are carrying. Her talons flex, as if already trying to grasp the belongings. Or possibly the meat from their bones.

Lunaris snidely remarks, "So what if we are?"

"Oh, you know, never hurts to be prepared!" She dances around the air, flourishing her dark feathers and golden talons at the two ponies. "After all, you never know what's around the next corner!"

"Is it a break? Please let it be a break," Aspide groans, quite tired from lugging the gear all day. The evening sun casts everything in shadows as it sets behind the Hyperborean Mountains, the sky getting darker far earlier than in other parts of Equestria. 

"So, are you offering us your services as a guide, whatever your name is?" Lunaris asks, one of his ears flicking at an unexpected noise behind them. His body tenses, his hold on his rapier tightening, though it stays against his side. 

"My name? I'm Golda. But, no, you see, me?" says the griffon, flying a little closer. She laughs loudly, trying to cover the scrape of talons against each other, "Oh, no. You see, I'm the distraction."

"What?" exclaims Lunaris as he drops to the ground, his time spent dodging Shining Armor's shield attacks from blind angles saving him from being raked by the strafing griffon. The dark gray griffon caws in surprise and fury, turning on a wing for another run.

Lunaris' horn flares as he dashes towards Aspide, the mare struggling to get out of her packs. His second rapier bursts out of his canvas bag, one intervening between each of the two griffons. Lunaris breathes heavily, not used to dodging and moving in the snow while carrying extra weight, as his eyes narrow.

"You old geezer! How did you miss?" Golda huffs, glaring at her male counterpart. The two pause in their assault, eyeing the floating rapiers with a healthy amount of respect, staying away from the dancing blades. "We would have had an easy two kills if not for that!"

"Hey, it's not my fault your distraction didn't work," comes the fast retort, the male inspecting his golden talons. "Maybe next time you'll actually do something."

Lunaris loudly speaks up, "Now, if it isn't any trouble, we came to Griffonstone to put a stop to exactly this sort of thing! I don't suppose you want to, say, stop trying to kill us and help us get there?"

"Psh, those pretenders? They think they speak for all griffons!" The two griffons circle to opposite sides of the two ponies, piercing shrieks unnerving the two on the ground. Lunaris quickly glances between the two, his golden rapier between the male and cobalt rapier between the female. She calls out, "Ready to taste some pony?"

Both griffons dive, Lunaris' golden aura flaring as his rapiers surge into the air. Talons come up, trying to ward away the cutting blades as the griffons swoop down. The female griffon knocks into the blunted cobalt rapier, the slowly yielding blade crackling with magic as it interferes with her dive towards Lunaris. The male griffon is less fortunate, pulling back his wings and breaking his dive with a gasp as the golden rapier flicks upwards, carving a vertical line through his left eye.

"Gruff!" shrieks the female as the male griffon howls in pain, his talons coming up to try to stop the gushing blood. He stalls, his wings twitching as his body goes into shock. He plummets down, a cloud of snow and dirt bursting up as his limp body impacts the ground. 

Aspide drops her packs, sifting through and pulling out the medical kit. She dashes over, her mouth withdrawing disinfectant and bandages as she drops the remaining medical supplies next to the griffon. Lunaris follows closely behind, warily watching Golda.

Golda pushes away Ward Pierce, disentangling herself from the cobalt rapier, hard flaps of her wings trying to bring her above the unicorn. She stalls her attack, swooping up and away as the sharp golden rapier intervenes between herself and Lunaris. Golda looks over at Aspide and Gruff, confusion on her face as the earth pony reaches the downed griffon.

Aspide grunts as she drops the bags, a curt, "This will sting, griffon!" as she pours disinfectant on one of the bandages. Lunaris stands close to Aspide, a harsh scowl on his face, his rapiers ready if either griffon makes a sudden move. 

Golda backs up slightly, infuriated at being bested by a pony and her momentary lapse of sympathy. She glares at the golden rapier as it flits between her and the three others, a bit of blood still on the steel. She hisses at Lunaris, ducking up and down, feinting lunges to try to get around the dancing blade.

Aspide rolls the male griffon, his pinkish head now resting on the ground, legs splayed to the side. She climbs on top, straddling him as she inspects the wound. The impact with the ground has split the wound even wider, the previously thin cut now a ragged laceration. Small pieces of grit are embedded into the flesh, and he is still bleeding profusely. She presses the bandage against his destroyed eye, spreading the cloth to cover both sides of the wound. He moans, his body otherwise completely limp as she tries to stop the bleeding, pressing her hooves against his head. His talons listlessly try to find purchase, weakly grasping at the ground around him. Aspide grunts out as she tries to hold him still, "This will go much easier if you cooperate, griffon!"

"Hey!" shouts Golda, trying to rush to his side, Gilded Graze continuing to block her path. "Stay away from him!"

"I'm trying to save his life!" yells Aspide, the griffon under her barely moving. "He's gone into shock, and we need to stop the bleeding right now!"

"What? No!" One talon comes up, trying to ward away the rapier. Lunaris' expression hardens, continuing to stare down the griffon. She slowly puts one talon on the steel, lightly pushing it away from her. Her eyes open wide, her voice catches as she pleads, "Please! Let me see him!" 

"Aspide?" Lunaris calls, the rapier spinning so the blunt edge is facing the griffon. "Your call."

"Oh, now you want me to decide something?" Aspide huffs, Gruff still weakly struggling against her. "I could use some help here!"

The rapier pulls away; Golda flies past Lunaris and lands next Gruff, cradling his head as he feebly writhes on the ground. "Shh," she coos, watching intently as Aspide adds a second layer of cloth, the bleeding subsiding as she continues to press down. Gruff stops struggling as fiercely, his good eye briefly focusing on Golda before he stares at the sky.

After a minute Aspide carefully peels away a corner of the bandages. "This will need stitches to heal properly, and he will have a scar regardless," Aspide says, grimly looking at the wound. "It's mostly clean, thankfully, and the rapier didn't penetrate into the bone, just a deep cut into the upper and lower eye socket."

"And the eye?" Golda asks, staring at Aspide. The earth pony frowns, solemnly shaking her head as she replaces the bandages, the bleeding slowing to a few weeping spots. The griffon closes her eyes, though no tears come out. She sighs heavily, "Why?"

"Why what?" Lunaris retorts, drawing closer. His rapiers stay at the ready, in case she gets any ideas about taking a hostage.

"Why are you saving him?" she demands, her eyes opening and boring into him. Her voice nearly breaks as she shouts, "After we tried to kill you! Why do you dishonor us like this?"

"You think mercy is dishonorable?" spits Aspide, a curved needle and black thread levitating out of the medical pack. She nods at Lunaris in thanks as he threads the needle for her. She gently pats Gruff's head, a whispered, "Try to stay still; this will be quite uncomfortable." She begins to remove the larger pieces of grit as she sews, hoping she can get all the gunk out. He would need to see a real doctor as soon as possible, or have a serious risk of infection.

"We just tried to kill you!" Golda shouts, eyes narrowing as the golden rapier swings back and forth, reminding her of its presence. "Why would you do anything but destroy us?"

"Is that what you want?" thunders Lunaris, his rapiers brushing to the side to plant a hoof on Golda's chest. She gasps, looking down at the hoof before he roughly shoves her to the snowy ground, Gilded Graze trimming the golden feathers at her neck. "You only want to be enemies?"

Golda spits at Lunaris, barely able to reach his left hoof. She lays on her back, glaring up at him but unable to move without slicing her neck on the rapier pressing into her.

Lunaris sighs as he shakes his head, "But what would that accomplish? Another mule headed griffon would just take your place. Another misguided zealot!" Lunaris smiles at Golda's continued glare, "But, that's what you're expecting, isn't it? A terrible fight to the death, full of glory?"

Golda's eyes rise to the fading sky, smiling as she relinquishes control, her body relaxing. Her eyes close, a fast lunge with her talons, her neck trying to push against a blade no longer resting against her. Her eyes frown, opening back up to see Lunaris standing above her, holding his right hoof to her. She looks down his body; his rapier is along his side, the sharpened point facing away from her. Gruff is laying on his back; his body is still, his breathing normal, as Aspide pulls another two flaps of flesh back together. She looks up at Lunaris; he is still smiling. Not the smirk of victory, but a slightly forced grin.

"I will warn you, though, that while Princess Celestia might forgive again and again, I think I only have room for one. I am only a noble, after all." The grin curls to a smirk, his hoof bobbing up and down. His smile slowly fades as Golda stares at him, watching him as he wavers. He sighs, the hoof starting to come down, a gasp of surprise as a talon raises up.

Golda grunts as she pulls, half trying to pull herself up and half trying to drag the unicorn down. She finds herself rising, surprised at the unicorn's strength. His other three legs hold him up, pulling her to her taloned feet, her grasping claws managing to not cut into his foreleg. She stares as his grin widens, a talon brushing off her front as she shakes her wings, the feathers ruffling off the dirt. "I don't think you ever answered my question, pony."

"It isn't because I see no honor in killing and dying for a cause you believe in," Lunaris calmly says, motioning towards Gruff. "But instead, how are we to become friends, if the other side is merely a pile of corpses?" Aspide stands, the stitching complete; there is still a large gap of bloody flesh above and below the eye, but it is much smaller than before. She starts bandaging his head, the griffon rolling to his chest when she is done. "And I can see how much you care for your sire."

Golda scoffs, "He isn't my dad." Gruff looks at her with his good eye, his eyebrow slightly raising. "Well, okay, he's more like my adopted uncle." Golda sighs, "The Griffon Lands can be very brutal, and my parents were not so lucky. I suppose I could thank you for sparing my life, so another chick needn't be raised without a hen."

"I don't suppose I could ask you to repay that thanks by leading us to Griffonstone?" Lunaris asks, an eye going to the fading light. "I don't want to hole up in a cave here."

Golda laughs, "You think sparing him, that that's enough for me to throw my life away? I don't think so. Maybe you can't tell, but there's a bit of a disagreement going on between us griffons."

Lunaris stands, his chest puffing out, "Well, that's kind of why I'm here! I'm hoping to improve the relations between Ponies and Griffons; perhaps I can do the same between your clan and the rest of the griffons!"

Golda laughs again, slapping her talon against the ground. She pauses, "Oh? You're serious?"

"Well, I got you to take my hoof. What makes you think I can't do the same again?" Lunaris looks down, wiping a bit of the dirt off of his foreleg. "And the sooner we can get started, the better."

Golda shakes her head, "You might be the craziest pony I've ever met. Well, that I didn't, um..." She coughs, "But, that's all in the past, right?" Golda stares at Lunaris, the unicorn uttering a deep sigh at the lives lost before. 

He says, "I'm not here to obligate you one way or another for your past deeds, but I do wish to put all of that behind us, start off on a new hoof." He extends a hoof towards her, "Friends?" Golda stares at the hoof for a few seconds before glancing over at Gruff. 

The male griffon grunts as Aspide finishes securing the bandage against his head, pressing one talon against it. He stands, stalking over to Lunaris and making a fist. He takes the offered hoof, pressing against it and shaking up and down. He grunts out, "You are serious, pony? You desire peace between ponies and griffons, and among griffons?"

Lunaris nods, "I would wish peace among all of us, between all, yes. How may I assist in bringing about that peace?"

Gruff raises a talon to his beak, "What do you have to offer, besides friendship and the lack of a blade between my ribs?"

Lunaris smiles, "Well, I have bits."

Gruff and Golda both raise an eyebrow. "Bits?" he asks, his eyes lighting up. "Like, the gold coin?" 

"Yes! The Equestrian bit!" Lunaris says, shrugging his pack off. The bag opens, two golden coins withdrawing, one to each griffon. They both inspect them, each trying to take a bite.

Satisfied, Gruff smirks, saying, "While good, I don't know that gold is enough. Griffons had their shot with gold, and while it was good while it lasted, it proved... vulnerable. To thieves and time."

"Well, the bit isn't just good to look at. You see, the other reason I am here is to broker a trade agreement, so that these bits might be traded for your goods and services. And we ponies would provide you with items of our own." Lunaris levitates one of the brochures, "In fact, there is a wide variety of items one might acquire, should you accept this."

Gruff takes the brochure, quickly flipping through the pages. He smirks, pointing at one picture, "You make all this?"

Lunaris shrugs, "Well, I in particular don't, but some pony must. Is there an item you like?"

Gruff elbows Golda, "Look at this hat! It looks ridiculous! What griffon would wear something like that?"

"I don't know, I think it looks nice," Golda shrugs, "I could see you wearing it!"

Gruff grumbles, "Eh, it's too plain. Just a red cap! You'd think ponies would be more creative with their goods."

Lunaris nods, "Agreed. It would look much better with a gold band around the cap. Maybe some sort of tassel on top?"

Gruff laughs, "Alright, pony, that would be better. Perhaps some of the other griffons might like this junk as well."

Lunaris smiles, "So, we have a deal? Get your, um, leaders, whatever you call them, to come to Griffonstone for a peace summit. Or something. Tomorrow morning."

Gruff nods, "You know, pony, I think that would work. I had heard from a... colleague... that somepony was coming. Didn't expect it to be you, though." Gruff takes flight, holding the bit in his talons, "Good luck, Ambador!" 

"That isn't my name!" Lunaris calls as Gruff clumsily flies over the trees.