Celestia exhaled a long held breath psyching herself up for the arrival. Normally calm and collected she found a odd sensation in her chest, am I nervous she thought. Glancing to her left at the door she wonder where her fellow sisters were.
"They should have been here by now what is taking them so long?" she spoke only to herself.
"The Gryphons have arrived!" declared one of the two guards at the front entrance pushing open the heavy ivory doors.
The air held thick in rooms as the imposing presence of her guest unnerved the guards. Celestia eye drew immediately to the one she presumed was the leader clearing defined by the skull hanging from his neck. They approached her throne slowly, agonizingly slow for Celestia taste though she had long learn to remain neutral in her expression and fought through the discomfort.
"I suppose I should introduce myself since it seems that you lack the ability too in turn." spoke the lord scraping his talon across the beak of the skull. "I am Grief, leader of this pack. Is this how you and your people present your kingdom to guest? I have travelled far much to our own expenses and all I have seen are stares from your people and whispers from your guards as if we are a threat."
Celestia stood from her throne in a rush. guards jerking in response readying weapons.
"Please my ponies put those away!-" Celestia breathed in deeply calming herself. "I apologize I meant no offense your arrival was of short noticed, my people have not seen gryphons from outside of Equestria in centuries the counsel ponies were in a panic." Once more Celestia took her seat, guards watching uneasily. "May we start over? I humbly welcome you and your people to Canterlot, my kingdom. I am princess Celestia it is a honor to meet you lord Grief." she spoke lowering her head before the group.
"All is forgiven simply see this as a test to measure your..... hospitality if you will." Grief bellowed out a laugh. "quite the response me and my pack received I understand we are not welcome in many places, but I have come here in peace your ponies can rest assure." Craning his neck around taking in his surroundings he continued to speak. "We have come to ask for help. you see my homeland was devastated by disaster after disaster. surely the great kingdom of equestrian could simply accommodate us?"
"Certainly all creature are our friends in Equestria." Celestia said with a smile feeling much of her nerves fading away. She continued to speak with the lord and his guards exchanging knowledge and culture back and forth, even sharing a laugh or two. Till the arrive of her sister and twilight.
"Oh my I introduce my sister Luna and my dear friend Twilight sparkle, Grief."
"Ah I have heard of them, It is a pleasure to met such... such extraordinary ponies." Spoke the gryphon as he walked up to Luna taking her hoof into his talons raising it up to kiss in a bow, Luna blushed in embarrassment.
"T-Thank you most kindly, we are pleased as well to met thou." spoke Luna in response.
"This one I have heard even more about." clapping his talons together. " The esteemed Twilight Sparkle my the-"
"Is the going to take long?" Twilight interrupted Grief.
"Twilight?!!?!" blurted out a shocked Celestia. "What has gotten into you?" she spoke in a hushed voice.
"Nothing." harshly spoke twilight laying down her head in her seat. "why are they even here anyway??
Grief simply stared at Twilight no emotion behind his face. only a clipping noise coming from his beak could be heard.
Twilight glared back at him. Celestia braced herself for what ever might happen next as her guard once again readied weapons.
"Twilight they have only come here seeking help, but this isn't like you to act this way are you alright my dear-"
Before Celestia could finish twilight once again interrupted.
"Why would they need help? Too weak?"
Celestia shrieked in fear as a flash of feather blew between her and twilight as one of the armored gryphons Flared up his wings pinning Twilight to the wall grasping her neck with razor sharp talons letting out a furious roar.
"You dare call us weak you scrawny little pony? What do you know of strength?" As quick as he was the guards had already surrounded him spears drawn ready to end him at a moments notice. Luna only watched in disbelief, looking between Twilight and the brutish hybrid.
Twilight squirmed from her position choking out her response.
"P-plenty.... I am the bearer of the element of harmony, more strength than you can imagine."
"Release our princess now or be prepared to met our spears." demanded one of the guards. The armored gryphon just laughed at the demand.
"I do not fear your spears nor the elements after all what good is that power and your so called "magic" if all the other bearers died, must of been too weak to---" The gryphon was cut short as he became struck by a unseen force knocking him and several guard to the ground. Before he could recover he was thrown up towards the ceiling and slammed down hard cracking the stone. Grunting in pain hoisted up in a magenta aura of magic. The eyes of a alicorn seething with rage glared at him, with her magic she began twisting his forearm around his back.
"How dare you!" twilight yelled. "No one insults my friends and I mean no one.
"Twilight! stop let him down!" Celestia shouted running to Twilight side placing both her hooves over twilight shoulders. "This isn't the way your not acting like yourself." Her pleas fell of deaf ears.
"That's it show me... your strength. what you ponies are really capable of." choked out the words of the gryphon. Twilight steeled her eyes, her anger seething hotter than she could ever imagine possible. She had been anger before , but to be this anger it wasn't her as if she was watching through someone else's eyes. Her magic continued its vice grip on his arm twisting it more, sounds of bone popping from the joint.
"Kindness...always the first to die is it not?"
"What?" Twilight responded snapped out of her anger, she looked at the elderly gryphon walking up to her. Tired eyes looked into her own.
"Always so fragile wasn't it? Kindness just couldn't withstand the test of time it was quick almost as if a whisper, and what of generosity?" sitting down infront of Twilight the elder smiled warmly holding up to his eye a sparkling blue diamond.
" Slowly, but surely its fades away for you see kindness is the light that leads generosity to deliever marvelous gestures and without it what use is it to go on? Soon to follow generosity is laughter, you may not even realize it till its gone, but surely its disappears without a trace." Twilight stared tears spilling from her eyes, her magical grip fading as she listened intently. "What use is honestly without laughter? How can one trust the other when no laugh could be share, no bonds, no memories, and not even friendships? Always stubborn is honesty never backing down from the truth always pushing to hard until it snaps." Now at her front the gryphon asked Twilight a single question a small gentle smile gracing his face.. "Without loyalty why hasn't magic died? is friendship truly lasting? or a magic in itself?"
Awkward silence filled the throne room only adding tension to the air. Twilight broke eye contact with the old gryphon observing the room becoming ashamed of what she saw. Several guards laying on the ground still recovering from he magical blast, a broken gryphon in the center on cracked stone, and that was the smallest troubles. She could see Celestia and Luna watching with pained expressions. In that moment she felt all the anger fade away only to be replaced with disgust. how could she do this? she questioned if she could still call herself a princess of friendship.
"I...." she began with a shaky breath. "forgive me " a brilliant flash filled the room and when it died down Twilight was no longer in the room.
"Most exciting Celestia your Twilight sure knows how to introduce herself." Grief laughed as he moved closer to her only to have his path blocked by guards. "Perhaps it is best we continue this discussion and-" Grief paused clearing his throat. "talk about further issues of peace?"
Celestia remained silent for a few moment letting the tension drain from her, taking a small breath she steeled herself hoping to salvage this mess.
"Yes, we shall guards please assist their injured friend I will handle everything else."
"Sister truly you jest we can not trust these curs?" luna rose flaring her wings.
"Sister please I will handle this." Celestia leaned to her sister giving her a affectionate nuzzle. Luna stared at her for a moment huffing in frustration. Her silence a sign of accepting with that Celestia smiled and turned her attention to her guest.
"Please feel free to stay here I assure you that no further harm well come my guards and sister well help your people settle in Grief" Celestia stood up walked towards the group pointing a hoof towards the doors. "Shall we continue?" she asked.
Grief returned the smile turning to follow celestia. "Ponies first."