Letter 14: Inside the Cave
By the time this letter was written, the war was nearing the famous Second Stalemate. However, it was written during a rare lull in the Equestrian advance, (observant readers may notice that this is due to Princess Celestia's historic Speech at the Horseshoe River, which uniquely called for the ethical treatment of Griffon prisoners of war,) and thus had very little to do with the war itself.
Instead, the letter focuses almost entirely on Gustavus' discoveries within Haysead, making it the single most informative letter of the collection.
My dearest Guinevere,
I wish I had good news for you, but I do not. Our lines continue to fall back, and though most of our commanders have finally pulled their heads from the sand, all we seem to be able to do is slow the Equestrians down.
The quarry continues to baffle me. We continued excavations in the cave, taking care to clear out the extremely sharp crystals lining many of the walls, as I'm told they are a great annoyance for my workers. The paintings also continued, getting denser the further in we went. Strangely, the cave seemed to transition from a natural formation to a more constructed set of underground rooms. It appears that they were carved many, many years ago, and only much later were the symbols painted upon every available surface.
When the exploration party reached the end of the cavern-rooms, they found what looked to be another door, although this one was made of stone and appeared to have been sealed for a long time. It was painted with the circles-in-circles symbol, the biggest one that we've seen. When the workers finally broke through the door, they stumbled into what appeared to be an ancient underground riverbed that had long since dried. I am told it stretches out in both directions for a great distance. We have not explored any further as of writing.
Our encounters with the swamp pony tribe continue. We always drive them off and they always return. Their home has proved impossible to locate, of course. They continue to send war parties to our encampment, but I am not entirely sure they mean to kill. They carry weapons, yes, but the swamp is dangerous and they prefer to shout at us instead of attacking outright, although that could also be because our weapons are obviously more threatening and technologically superior. They also have begun walking in circles on strange stilts made of bone outside our gate, sometimes for hours at a time. I find the performances extremely macabre.
I believe the condition of the war is beginning to press upon my griffons a great deal. Though none report it to me, I have heard that many have ongoing nightmares and great difficulty getting proper rest, and it is an easy thing to see this, as my soldiers drag their claws and fly as if their wings are made of lead.
Tell Genoa that her tom received her gift and that it has brightened his days a great deal. He talks of her daily and continues to tell me what a wonderful daughter we have. He even carries out all his duties quickly and without complaint, and does not expect further special treatment. I believe I am warming up to him, against all odds.
All the love in the skies,
Your Gustavus