//------------------------------//
// 10 Juncture 
// Story: Prince Blueblood: Master Ambassador 
// by Doug Graves 
//------------------------------//

Silence greets Lunaris as he stops, just before getting to the center of the arena. He glances down at the small pool of blood from the last fight. He looks from side to side as if debating whether or not he should just step over the reddened soil, or walk around; he finally kicks a bit of dirt over the top, the sound of his hooves disturbing the quiet. He coughs before continuing his straight path to the table.

"Very nice arena you have here," Lunaris says, his raised voice echoing around the perhaps thirty gathered griffons. They stare like statues, unblinking eyes slowly following as he paces around the center. Lunaris' eyes trace over each griffon, the whites and grays and blacks occasionally blending into the rough stone steps, though the occasional vibrant blue or green plumage is easy to pick out. His gaze settles on the large gray griffon in charge, golden talons crossed under his beak. The griffon leans forward the barest amount; he seems to acknowledge him, the slight flick of his eyes demanding Lunaris hurry along, lest he find himself in over his head. Or without it.

Lunaris slightly nods in return, "And, Gregory of Griffonstone, thank you for taking the time to hear me out. I am Prince Lunaris Blueblood, here under the direction of Princess Celestia to broker a formal relationship between our peoples. Possibly including a trade agreement. I know we have had a storied past;" he pauses, levitating up a small index card from his bag, a slight grimace on his face as he says, "But before I get to that, a brief word from our sponsors."

The collected griffons glance at each other, murmurs springing up all around the arena. A few talons raise, pointing into the air and at Lunaris. Other gasps come as four griffons stand up and move to the edge of the arena. Gregory holds up a talon, the four stopping their advance.

Lunaris gulps, the chill air making the sweat beading on his brow uncomfortably cold. He improvises as he reads from the card, "No griffon knows for certain how the coming conflict with the Golden Aerie will go, which is why it is so important to have a plan already in place in case of emergencies. Flim and Flam Contracting will construct houses guaranteed to withstand not only marauding griffons, but also the elements. Living on top of a mountain shouldn't be uncomfortable just because of the chill winds, and a Flim Flam Contractors house will weather any storm, whether it is frost, or rain, or blades."

The griffons' chatter becomes more excited, many of them motioning to the stone walls surrounding them. A few regard Lunaris with something approaching eagerness, their eyes sparkling as they talk of the various improvements they could use to their homes. Others sit back, folding their talons across their puffed chests, glaring at Lunaris with more than a healthy amount of skepticism.

Lunaris flicks the card back into his bag, nodding to Aspide. She brings forward one of the saddlebags, bouncing up and down a little more than normal so the bits inside jingle against each other. Lunaris grins at her, the griffons watching with fervent anticipation, as the bag drops to the ground. The strap holding the top pops open, revealing the sparkling gold within. "Now, I know it isn't much, but Equestria is planning to offer a bit of a bonus for agreeing to become allies. But, before I get into all of the benefits that each and every one of you will acquire by becoming allies, perhaps I should detail what exactly that would entail."

A few of the more eager griffons grumble, sitting back slightly, their eyes still trained on the bag of bits. Others watch, a more bemused expression while Lunaris levitates a scroll, unraveling the golden ribbon tying it together. The paper unfurls, merrily bouncing along the ground behind Lunaris. He watches the paper, a smirk at Aspide as she walks back to the edge of the arena.

"Hmm, I could have sworn it was shorter the last time I read it," he dryly remarks, drawing a few scattered laughs. He slaps one hoof against the top of the parchment, "First on the docket is a respect for the sanctity of sentient life. Now, I can go into the specifics of what exactly sentient life entails, and all the legal mumbo jumbo contained here," he taps a hoof against the paper, "but it really just boils down to 'don't eat ponies. Or citizens of any other country that Equestria is allied with."

"But ponies are delicious!" comes a loud call from the back of the arena, all heads spinning to see a score of griffons landing. The golden griffons are fulled dressed for war: metal breastplates and wingblades, light spears topped with stone or iron heads, a few wielding crossbows. A few city guards nervously fly about, broken spears held in their talons. The leader, a tall white griffon with golden wings, steps forward and throws Gruff to the ground.

The older griffon coughs a few times, limply pushing himself up. His wounded eye is no longer bandaged, and the rest of his body has fared no better. He is missing feathers in places, a few other spots coated with dried blood. Golda rushes forward, tenderly laying a talon on Gruff's head. He smiles up at her, gripping her talon with his own as she drags him to his feet. The large white griffon watches, a bemused look in his eyes as Golda helps Gruff to the side.

The white griffon regards Lunaris, the arena silent but for Gruff scraping the ground. He continues in his deep voice, "But, I suppose I shouldn't interrupt a debate before the speaker has had a chance to finish. Please, Ambador, continue."

"S-Sure," Lunaris stammers, regarding the new griffons. They seem to settle back, content to intersperse among the other griffons watching the proceedings. "As I was saying, um, and this really isn't negotiable, but please don't eat any ponies, even if they venture into your lands."

Lunaris pauses, again looking at Gregory; the large gray griffon has acquired a metal tipped spear from somewhere, though it is merely resting against his neck, his body otherwise unmoved from his previous position, his talons clinking against each other as they rest under his beak. The rest of the griffons are understandably uneasy, shifting back and forth in their seats. Aspide is tending to Gruff, Golda repeatedly tapping one foot against the ground.

"The second provision concerns property rights. Specifically, don't take another pony's belongings." He glances to Gregory, "I assume you have a similar rule more formally stated, and of course it would apply in reverse." Gregory barely inclines his head, Lunaris smiling as he walks to the bag of bits. "These bits that I have are meant as a gift to all griffons, and that includes the Golden Aerie and any other griffon clans that I am unaware of but would also be joining as allies to Equestria. The exact dispersal would be up to you, but our default would be to an equal distribution among all griffons."

Gregory slightly moves forward, his deep voice softly saying, "Should that become a point of contention, it will be discussed."

Lunaris nods, looking back at his scroll, "Yes! Very good. Let's see, number three. But, before I continue, another word from our sponsors." The assembled griffons groan as Lunaris levitates over a business card. He recites, "As a business owner, or even just somepony involved in business, we all need legal services on a constant basis. And, let me tell you something, lawyers are extraordinarily expensive. But, LZ Laywer is not. They are there to give you the tools you need so you can focus on running your business. More than a dozen ponies have used LZ for things such as wills and trusts, contract reviews and such. You all don't know what you're doing, which is why you need a lawyer! Just, take one of these easy to use applications. And, for special savings, use promo code Luna in the referral box to let them know I sent you."

Lunaris takes a deep breath, ripping the card into pieces and scattering them to the wind. "As you can probably tell, I didn't use LZ, which is why I had to read through that Tartarus forsaken advertisement." He pauses, a stony silence following. 

"I can't take it any more!" a griffon bellows, quickly followed by three of his fellow Griffonstonians. "No more advertisements!"

"And these rules!" the second shouts, pointing a talon at the long paper scroll, "Too many! I formally object to the first and second provisions!"

"Very well," intones Gregory. He looks at Lunaris, the unicorn slightly distracted by the advancing griffons, "Are you prepared to offer a defense?"

"Against not eating ponies? Of course! Are you daft?" Lunaris shouts, whirling to face the first griffon. "How brittle your dam's egg must have been, to produce such a weak griffon as you!"

Golda gasps, quickly followed by the rest of the griffons. The leader's black feathers somehow turn red as he draws in a breath, almost not able to believe that the puny pony in front of him would dare to insult his mother's egg.

Lunaris turns to Golda, a stage whispered, "I did say that correctly, right?"

"LOOK OUT!" bellows Aspide, pointing a hoof towards the center of the arena.

Lunaris turns, gasping as he dances backwards, away from the griffon charging him. The golden talons madly slash back and forth, trying to rend his white coat as Lunaris merrily yells, "Oh? Are we starting?" His horn lights, his body dodging to the side as Gilded Graze appears next to him. The blade intervenes, parrying one blow before being swiped away. 

The griffon cackles, charging again, rage in his eyes as Lunaris tumbles to the side. The griffon sneers, raising to the air before he howls in pain, the golden rapier sticking out of his wing. He falls down, clutching his injured wing as the rapier withdraws out the way it came.

"Sorry about that, good sir," Lunaris says, brushing himself off. "I was aiming for the feathers."

The griffon glares at him before slinking away, cradling his wing in one talon. Two of the remaining griffons take to the air, both holding stone tipped spears as they advance on Lunaris.

"Two at once?" the unicorn quips, his golden rapier swishing back and forth in front of him. "I mean, I suppose that will make this go faster, yes?"

They circle around as Lunaris backs up, not letting the two get on opposite sides of him so easily. He grins as one over commits to her flanking maneuver, charging the other one. The steel flies up, cutting through the intervening wooden shaft before flicking down, trimming one of the longer tail feathers. The griffon glances down, squawking in alarm at the rapier that could have eviscerated him. His spear drops to the ground as he retreats, landing back on the stone steps.

Lunaris gallops around the center as his attention shifts, the other griffon giving chase. She brandishes her spear, her eyes warily watching the blade as it rejoins the fight from above. She swoops down, outpacing the sword as she swings her spear in a wide arc, aiming at Lunaris' chest.

One hoof comes up as Lunaris steps into the attack, blocking the middle of the shaft. He continues forward, rolling to the side as the griffon swipes at his retreating form. Her talons go to the top of her head as a whoosh of air comes from above, the top of her crest halving in length as the rapier trims her feathers. She throws her spear to the ground, storming back to the edge of the arena as the last dissenter moves forward.

"Gregory!" he bellows, pointing a talon at Lunaris, "This pony is making a travesty of our rules with his magic! I demand he cease his use of any unicorn magics while in the arena!"

Lunaris doesn't wait for Gregory to say anything, his rapier levitating to his hoof. "I accept," he formally intones, a few practice swishes through the air. "I will warn you, I'm not as precise with the hoof, and I'm sorry if I injure you."

"It is your own hide you should be worried about!" shouts the griffon, advancing with a spear held in front of him. Lunaris narrows his eyes; none of these griffons have been trained combatants, at least not against unicorn techniques. They have focused on him instead of the levitated blade, allowing him to attack from range while retreating and dodging, his rapier coming at them from unexpected angles. With his hoof, it would be much more dangerous, more akin to a normal duel. However, none of the four griffons have the look of a killer; it is more likely they have have other jobs, and are merely here as representatives. His hoof goes to the bag at his side, swapping Gilded Graze for Ward Pierce. The blunted anti-magic blade would be far safer for the griffon, just fighting to first feather.

The griffon raises an eyebrow at the weapon swap, his stance lowering to three limbs as he charges. At the last second he leaps into the air, his wings taking him to the side and out of counter range as his spear thrusts towards Lunaris.

Lunaris dashes forward, spinning as a heavy strike with his blade parries the spear to the side, a quick followup overextending himself as far as he can reach. His rapier crushes into the grasping talons, knocking the spear away as the griffon yowls in pain. He cradles his talons next to his chest, a terrified look in his eyes. Lunaris picks himself off the ground, warily watching the griffon as he slowly advances. The griffon holds up his other talon, surrendering.

Lunaris spits on the ground, "That is it? Is that all you have?" He shakes his head, a hoof coming forward to grab one of the feathers, a sharp tug plucking the primary. The griffon shudders, quickly slinking to the edge of the arena as Lunaris gathers three of the other fallen feathers, placing them back on the table with the paper. He loudly calls, "Any other objections?"

The arena is silent as Gregory scans the assembled crowd. Nogriffon else steps forward, Gregory slamming a taloned fist onto the throne he is sitting on. He loudly states, "The bill passes as stated, no other provisions added or subtracted."

Lunaris smiles, "Thank you, Gregory." He stops, looking back at the paper, "Actually, wait; I had a few more things I wanted to add to that."

Gregory shakes his head, "Perhaps we may revisit those clauses at a later time, Ambassador, but Griffonstone is prepared to accept a more formal relationship with Equestria. Does the Golden Aerie have anything they wish to contest?"

No," shouts the white griffon, "Our objection lies with the trade agreement, and the destruction of Griffon culture that would follow!"