//------------------------------// // Part 4 - Gertrude's Morning // Story: Griffon the Heave-ho // by CrowMagnon //------------------------------// Griffon the Heave-ho by CrowMagnon Gertrude Snowheart looked out upon the horizon from the spot where she, her grandson, and the reigning princesses of Equestria sat. The four of them, along with a small, ceremonial contingent of Royal Guards and four of her own Knights, watched as the Empire's aerial procession skirted around the edge of the Everfree Forest. She tilted her head in curiosity as her extraordinarily keen pink eyes took in the sight approaching them. "When you told me that the Empire had invented a way to fly while encased in such cumbersome metal, I scarcely believed it," she mused to Celestia. "They've certainly come far without me." "In some ways more than others," the aged alicorn princess conceded. 'Laugh lines' wrinkled around her eyes as she chuckled softly. "And certain griffons more than others, but you'll see that for yourselves once they arrive." Gertrude nodded and took in a deep breath to steady her nerves as she held her head high. Though her own vision was considerably sharper at such a distance than even other griffons, she knew that it would not be long before the approaching fliers would get a good look at their former queen. From what Celestia had told her, griffons remained similar enough to those from her own era that it wouldn't help her cause to show any sign of timidity. Her grandson, Gunther, had suggested that she take it even farther, and meet with the Imperial envoys fully armored. She had declined, electing instead to meet the dignitaries in a dress of snow white silk, which had been tailored on short notice by the griffoness who had once been her personal seamstress, assisted by several of Canterlot's tailors at the princess's behest. In truth, as she saw the descendants of her people draw ever closer, she found herself growing increasingly tempted to concede to Gunther's judgement and wrap herself up in the protective embrace of her own magical ice. That very temptation, however, was why she chose to remain as unguarded as she was. Better to present herself openly and with integrity, she felt, than to hide in her armor. The closest thing that she had to a visible weapon, aside from those which nature had gifted her with at birth, was also the closest thing to jewelry or regalia that she wore on her person; a shard of unmelting ice in the shape of a spearhead, which hung from her neck on a thin platinum chain. As expected, a single armored griffon flew ahead of the rest of the pride, streaking across the sky and flying low. Gertrude turned her gaze down, down to the base of the Canterhorn where the tents and hastily-built shelters that were provided for the Snowheart refugees lay. Despite her intention to remain stoic through the meeting to come, she dug her talons into the stone beneath her as she saw the swiftly approaching griffon's armor start sparking violently from the resistance of the air against the flier's speeding form. Lightning arced off of the thundersteel and struck the ground below as she buzzed low, leaving scorched patches of grass and flowers in her wake. And she was heading straight toward the temporary lodgings arranged for her clan. The Empire is attacking our people! That lightning will burn what little they have, came a stray thought in a voice close to her heart. No, they are probing us. Testing our resolve, she mentally corrected. She remained steadfast, holding her wings tight against her sides, knowing that her Knights were only held back by her own restraint. Watch and see... Despite her determination that this was the case, Gertrude couldn't help but look down at the Snowheart clan far below. Griffons, young and old, had all gathered outside to see the arrival of their Imperial brethren. The wind blowing up the mountainside carried their growing unease to her ears. Fly! Intervene, that voice urged her. The lightning is drawing closer. It is your duty to protect them, isn't it? And you know that is why they won't move until the lightning is raining down upon them. Because they expect you to stop it before that happens! Gertrude set her jaw. She felt Gunther tense beside her, his wings rustling anxiously. His Knights followed suit, each of them readying themselves to leap forth into action until Gertrude told them, "Stay where you are. This is nothing but a show. Just watch." The solitary flier zoomed closer and closer to the refugee encampment, with the intensity of the lightning growing by the second. Gertrude could easily envision the destruction this would cause the temporary structures and tents in just a matter of moments... which is why she let out a sigh of relief when the armored griffon pulled up at the last moment, focusing the force of the lightning shooting from the thundersteel into a downward blast which harmlessly blasted a gouge into a dirt road while simultaneously propelling her straight upward before she could pass over the camp itself. Moments later, the flier rose up above the waiting ponies and griffons, high enough that when she flared her wings to fully discharge the lightning in a burst of light and crackling energy, it did no more than make Gertrude's feathers tingle. The thundersteel-clad griffon then landed before her and the princesses, and lowered her head and wings in a bow to the alicorns. In a tone that, surprisingly to Gertrude, suggested hours of very reluctant rehearsal and a staggering level of disdain for the occasion, the griffon recited, "Greetings to the citizens of Equestria. Greetings to the princesses who rule over them. On behalf of the Griffon Empire and His Eminence--long may he lead us--it is with gratitude and honor that we are welcomed into your lands." Though Celestia couldn't have failed to notice the less-than-respectful tone, she chose to show no sign of it as she nodded and replied, "On behalf of the citizens of Equestria, I, Princess Celestia..." "And I, Princess Luna..." the younger alicorn interjected when her sister paused. "... Welcome the Emperor, and all who fly beneath his banner as our honored guests. You may return and tell him that he and his are as welcome in our home as if it were his own." "Though next time, you should pull up a little sooner," Princess Luna added, surprising both parties as she went off the script and peered downward. Every pony and griffon nearby did the same, and saw that while none of the Snowheart griffons had been harmed by the herald's little show, she had passed close enough to their encampment that a stray bolt had struck and ignited one of the tents. The Knights down below were applying their own wintery magic to extinguish the flames before it could spread, minimizing the damage. "Sister, does this mean that we're at war now?" Celestia let out a slow exhalation which nearly covered up the laughter under her breath. "No, Luna, just a reason for our young friend here to keep practicing her flying." The armored griffoness gave a nervous chuckle back at the princesses, as well as sparing a look toward Gertrude and Gunther. "No lasting harm done," Gertrude assured her, though she noticed her grandson tightening his grip on his spear. The griffoness swallowed and then waved her wing to the approaching pride, signalling for them to come land. In moments, the rest of the pride was setting down to form a ring around the largest patch of open space nearby, which is where the large thundersteel carriage was set down. The guards opened up the door to allow the riders to step out, and the first one to do so was a large, muscular steel-blue male wearing a black officer's cap and cape. The breast of the uniform he wore underneath that cape also happened to be decorated with enough medals that the glare of sunlight off of them threatened to blind anypony who looked directly at them. As he stepped onto the stone, the griffoness serving as their herald announced, "Presenting General Gustav Airstrike, Secretary of Military Affairs!" The general approached the princesses, though he didn't actually look at them as he nodded his head toward them as a gesture of respect. Instead, his eyes locked onto Gertrude with an appraising stare. One which the former queen responded to by sitting straight and tall, meeting his judgement with her own gaze. The next was a thin and very severe-looking griffoness who had a rusty hue to the coat of her leonine body contrasting the white of her feathers. While the herald introduced her to the welcoming party as Senator Gail Snaketail, Gertrude noted that as she crisply made her way toward the princesses to pay her respects, she pointedly avoided sparing so much as a glance toward the Snowheart griffons present. Gertrude had thought that her days of being bothered by Winter's chill were long behind her. Senator Snaketail's icy dismissal of her very existence almost gave her cause to reconsider that thinking. The third and last griffon to exit the carriage, however, managed to be the most surprising to Gertrude, even as he was the one most anticipated. With a little "Hup," a slightly overweight, middle-aged grey griffon with a long, feathery beard beneath his beak, hopped out of the thundersteel carriage. Completely naked except for a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, he let out a loud yawn and stretched his wings. "Ahhh, so good to be out of there. I can't begin to tell you how stuffy it was getting, sitting in that big metal coffin for six hours," he exclaimed. Gertrude blinked her large pink eyes as she appraised the grey griffon, who looked rather out of place beside the other two. She even spared a glance inside the carriage, but there were no other griffons. And surely enough, after actually rolling her eyes, the herald drolly announced, "Presenting His Eminence, leader of the Griffon Empire and all domains which exist under its banner, who guides our people through both strength and wisdom... Emperor Grigori Buckbeak. Long may he lead us." "Long may he lead us," the other Imperial griffons echoed as the Emperor strode toward the princesses. Once he was standing in front of the two alicorns, Grigori and Celestia met each other's eyes, and instead of merely nodding as the previous two dignitaries had, both of them simultaneously bowed in deference to each other. Gertrude saw Princess Luna glance between the two for a moment before dipping her own head downward, as if just remembering that she had missed her cue. When they lifted their heads again--Luna needing a prompting nudge first--Celestia beamed and said, "Always a pleasure to see you, old friend." "Likewise, Celestia," Grigori replied, cheerfully forgoing her royal title. "I was going to say that you've never looked better, but now that I'm here, I see that I can do so and actually mean it!" The two rulers shared a laugh before he turned toward Luna with a boisterous grin. "And this must be the reason. It's wonderful to finally meet you, young lady. I'm no expert on pony standards of beauty, but even I can tell that you're just as lovely as your sister has always said." Luna blushed and giggled into her hoof at the compliment. When he pointed to her flowing, star-filled mane and added, "You know, I tried to get my beard to look like that, but the blasted fireflies kept buzzing away. You'll have to tell me how you get them to stay in there," though, the Princess of the Night snorted and completely lost her composure in a burst of laughter. One which Gertrude herself found herself echoing at the thought of the leader of the entire Griffon Empire trying to catch glowing bugs flying out of his beard. This break in her stoicism served as an invitation for the Emperor to turn his attention to her. "Ah, and this must be the lady of the hour," Grigori mused as he walked up to Gertrude. "You know, I grew up on the legends of the fabled Queen Snowheart. And here I always thought it was historical exaggeration when they said you were a giant." Gertrude bowed her head respectfully to the Emperor, which put them at eye level to one another. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Eminence. Princess Celestia has told me all about the foundation and success of the Griffon Empire following my... absence, but I am excited at the prospect of seeing it all for myself." Grigori continued to grin, but as Gertrude watched his expression, the mirth dissolved from his eyes. "Yes, well, that's what we're all here for. Celestia, would you mind if your little ponies showed my entourage to our quarters before we get down to business?" "Of course, Grigori. No need to jump right into it after such a long trip," Celestia replied. She nodded to the Guards, several of whom broke their statue-like posture and began guiding the griffons into the palace proper. Once they were out of sight, Gertrude approached Celestia. "Well... you did warn me that the Emperor would surprise me, but I didn't expect him to be so... casual compared to his cabinet." "And I didn't expect his forces to be so undisciplined and disrespectful," Gunther interjected. "That griffoness acted like the whole thing was nothing but a pain in her flank! What sort of leader allows someone like that to make the first impression for their people?" Gertrude considered her grandson's question, and thought back to the herald's approach. "One who wanted to see how we would respond, perhaps," she theorized. "You know him best, Celestia. Is that sort of thing normal for him?" Celestia shrugged her wings and began to walk inside. "Sometimes. He is generally honest, but he is a politician. Why do you ask?" Because I felt it. Something changed in his heart when you spoke of the Empire, the voice close to her heart whispered. "I just wanted to know what sort of griffon he is," Gertrude replied aloud as she followed her friend into the palace.