//------------------------------//
// Letter from a Friend 
// Story: Ryuuzan, a Gryphon Silenced 
// by Kimono-Gryphon 
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Quill Feather was seated in Luna's quarters, which was opened as the night princess had poured over paperwork from the events in the court room last evening. Luna had a small desk on one side of her chambers, separated from her bedroom of course. The desk was a custom carved one, with veins of wood interlaced with glass that filled in the gaps from the wood, and the wood was smoothed to perfection. Luna had received the desk from one of the Gryphon Empire ambassadors that Luna had befriended thru Celestia during diplomatic meetings. 

Paperwork was strewn about, in makeshift piles of varied importance that needed anything from a signature, to multi requests for piles of documents relating to legal cases she had presided over. Luna's bespectacled eyes were scanning over the mounds of forms that seemed to had grown in size from when she started work in the afternoon.

Luna had returned from the medical wing just before sunrise and had one or two ponies from Celestia's day court staff to help Quill Feather in getting the needed info and reports as Luna had finally slept, being physically and emotionally drained. However, Luna did send Celestia a note of what happened on a scroll just before going to sleep, magically sent to the Sun Princess (that was visiting a neighboring city for two days for a diplomatic meeting or something that day, Luna wasn't sure of the reasons. Tho it might be to refresh her secret tea and cake recipes.) to notify her of what happened and not to worry, as things were pretty much cared for. 

That didn't stop Celestia from suddenly popping into Luna's chambers as soon as she read the note. "LUNA... ! Are you ok sister?" 

This had prompted a glare from the Moon's Princess, and a hastily thrown pillow that smacked squarely into Celestia's face. "We see 'Tia have not read the note in entirety, especially when we mentioned we needed some sleep. There is already a report on your desk giving an explanation. Have some patience and we will fill you in when we wake after lunch." Luna had another pillow in hoof, aimed for her sister's face if Celestia somehow needed another clue that sleep deprived princesses are grumpy princesses. 

Thankfully Celestia did have the sense to let her sister sleep, and bid Luna a good rest. 

Later on that afternoon, Luna did awaken well past noon, having slept more than she realized. She had trodden to Celestia's chambers to see if she indeed read her brief report about what happened. However, what Luna did see beside the pile of paperwork, was a copy of the Canterlot/Equestrian Press newspaper with the headline 'Gryphon invades Canterlot Castle' with some pony that had taken a badly focused picture of the blown out window of the castle, with a story that was equally unfocused, avoiding what really happened with hearsay and fluff, mainly as bait to sell papers no doubt. 

"Great, now we have the press spreading this garbage? We simply can't 'wait' for the response from the Gryphon Empire about... this... " That's when Luna noticed the letter with the seal of the Gryphon Empire emblazoned on the front. Fortunately the embassy letter was penned by her longtime friend Sahmek, the gryphon ambassador that was stationed in nearby Baltimare. Sahmek was the one that gifted Luna her wood and glass desk she was so fond of. So, maybe, feathers won't be too ruffled, copying a gryphon term Sahmet had used before in conversations with Luna. 

Luna facehoofed mumbling, "Can the troubles just hold off until we get some coffee?"

Right then, Quill Feather had appeared at the doorway, with her paperwork and to Luna's relief, a cart full of coffee and hot food for the night princess. "Good Afternoon, Princess. I had seen you slowly walking here from your chambers and figured you were going to need some help with things. I had managed to flag down a food cart headed to the dining hall, and steered them here first."

Just before Luna had a chance to reply, her stomach had grumbled loudly enough to announce it was going to be fed first, no excuses. Don't Pass Go, or Collect $200 bits. 

"Not only does the press and Gryphon Empire has plotted against us, but now thine own stomach join in chaos? If we hadst not known better, we may think Discord is behind this. But he is with thee Pony of Kindness currently and mayhaps she is helping the Draconeqquis turn." Luna had looked at her own belly as it protested the lack of food, shaking her head slowly.

After Luna and Quill Feather started lunch, Celestia did enter after the day court had taken a break. Celestia had also carried her tea inside her aura, as the others were discussing the previous night's events. "Luna, is it ok to enter, or are you going to assail me with more pillows?" Celestia replied, slightly teasing her younger sister. 

"It's safe to enter now sister, after sleep and our appetite having being sated." Luna had spoken up after drinking a good portion of her coffee. "Join us, and partake in some donuts from a local eatery that seems famous in Canterlot."

"Thank you, and that's Donut Joe's." Celestia had started nosing in the box for a particular donut. She then squeaked excitedly and pulled out a donut that made Celestia grin. It was a white angel cake donut with a lightly salted caramel glaze. Aptly named 'Celestia's Sunrise,' it had become popular with the day princess and she had sent a letter of appreciation to Donut Joe's, from herself and Luna who had become fond of the moon pies. Quill Feather had liked the Key-Lime herself, and was happily munching as paperwork was getting caught up. "Did you read the letter from your Gryphon ambassador Sahmek yet?"

"We were waiting for your arrival, so we may see what was written."  Luna was finishing her own moon pie and was sipping her coffee. Using her magics, Luna had levitated the scroll letter addressed to herself from Sahmek. The quill penmanship was remarkably neat, seemly written with magic, but Sahmek didn't use magic obviously.

[Dearest Night Princess, 

I hope you are well these days, as things have been somewhat dour here in Baltimare, from all the rains we have been having. 

However matters seem to have been stirred up there in Canterlot, as I had seen in your newspaper that was awaiting my viewing this morning. The story does seem somewhat farfetched, especially coming from a gryphon mind you. I do see some general discrepancies with the story related facts, and I will attempt to remedy them from a gryphon's point of view, if you would indulge my knowledge of gryphon ethics. 

Single Gryphon attacking:  This is never how gryphon society invades another citizenry. We do attempt to dialog our differences peaceably using five meetings of opposing sides, the higher numbered meeting, the more stringent the requirements for success. In any meetings between the Gryphon and Equestrian Princesses, the numbers may have reached a 2 (two) since I had been alive. The highest in history the meetings may have been strained was a 4 (four) during the famines of 1187 C.R. (Celestia's Reign) about 140 years ago. 

No reason for attack: No hostilities or bad blood between our ruling factions. Things are at peace, why stir a still pot?

The story did mention the gryphon was unarmed and had chains. This does bring up 2 (two) matters of concern I might have to notify the royal family on. 

1.  The gryphon was a criminal that was housed in the Gryphon Empire, then escaped to Equestria. Possible but however unlikely. Our criminals are usually housed in deeper caves with guards and full staff, and the primary feathers had been removed to quell flight. We do have doctors on staff that do cleanly remove and store the feathers in sealed containers until sentence served, then the primaries are surgically re-implanted a month before release, so the criminals are then released into populace, but takes about a month to get reacquainted with flight again. 

2. The gryphon was an Equestrian resident. This would made matters my concern as we do offer gryphons citizenship through my office specifically. I will check my records, but off the top of my brain, there should be about 47 emigrated gryphons living in Equestria. Any gryphons that were jailed I would know of it, and a simple records search will reveal if the gryphon was ever incarcerated. I will need a few days to complete the background check on my end here, and I will let you know what I find.

Again, Princess Luna, it has always had been a pleasure corresponding with you, and I hope to meet with you again sometime at some level. I do miss our long distance chess matches, let me try to even the score sometimes. 

Warmest Regards,
Sahmek Irenizz

Gryphon Ambassador, Baltimare. ]


"Well that letter was pleasant enough, and it seems my little sister is quite the chess master herself." Celestia teased lightly, smiling to her little sister, poking her tongue out playfully. "I did not know you played chess. How long have you been playing Sahmek?"

"We say, fourteen months, since we have bested everypony on staff here." Luna had sipped the last of her coffee without looking up. 

Right then, a knock was at the door to the office, where a guard opened the door, with a nurse standing, holding some paperwork in her wing. Looking up, the nurse stated, "Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia, the Gryphon has awakened early, and seems to wish to know what's going on."

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