Griffon the Heave-ho
by CrowMagnon
Gertrude and Gunther turned to face the door when they heard it open. When Princess Celestia entered, Gunther knelt down respectfully while Gertrude smiled and nodded once to her dear friend. To her mild surprise, though, she noticed that there was another alicorn beside her. One who wasn't Luna, but a lovely pink mare with a warm smile, wide violet eyes, and a tri-colored mane which, while lustrous and well-maintained, lacked the more ethereal qualities of the royal sisters.
"Ah, this must be Mi Amore Cadenza," Gertrude deduced as she walked over and bowed slightly out of habit. Not low enough to come across as submissive, but just enough to greet the young princess with respect. "It is a pleasure to finally meet Celestia's 'niece' in person."
Princess Cadenza's smile widened as she mirrored Gertrude's bow and replied, "It's an honor, your majesty! I would have come to meet you much sooner, but I had to be in Fillydelphia for--"
Gertrude interrupted Cadenza by raising her talon and shaking her head with a light chuckle. "Please, it's alright. I've heard all about how vital you've been in helping Celestia rule Equestria these past few years. And there is no need to call me 'your majesty', either. I may have been queen once, but now I am just Gertrude of the Snowheart clan. And this is my grandson, Gunther."
"A pleasure, your highness," Gunther replied with a formal gravitas that elicited a tinkling laugh from the pink alicorn.
"Well, you can just call me 'Cadance'. Both of you," she assured the griffons. "Even if you aren't royalty, you're still very dear to Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna. We're practically family!"
"Quite," Celestia interjected as she took a seat at the head of the table which they would soon be meeting their Imperial counterparts around. Letting out a contented sigh as she sat back onto the plush cushions provided for her, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkled as she shot a wry grin toward Gunther. "In fact, Gunther, after our meeting is done, you and Cadance should spend some time getting to know each other. She's always loved tales of dashing knights, and I know for a fact that you have quite a few exploits to share."
It would have perhaps gone unnoticed by most creatures, but one who was as closely attuned to temperature as Gertrude immediately felt a wave of heat radiating from the younger alicorn that, to her senses, was like a blast of desert wind. "Aunty! I don't need you shoving me toward every creature wearing a suit of armor," she complained. Immediately, she turned toward Gunther, her cheeks flushing with embarassment as she quickly clarified, "Not that I wouldn't love to chat some time, don't get me wrong! I'm just so busy with my diplomatic duties, I don't know when I'll have the time..."
Celestia leaned back and let out a long-suffering sigh that was far too exaggerated to be serious. "Is it a crime to not want to watch my own flesh and blood--"
"You adopted me."
"--Let her youth waste away, spending her every waking moment doting on a withered old nag? Is it truly so terrible to want to hear the pitter-patter of tiny hooves racing through these dusty palace halls before I dry up and blow away?"
"Please, we both know you're in no danger of that, and you still had a century or two in you even before Luna came back." Cadance brought a hoof to her forehead and apologized to the griffons, "I'm sorry, playing match-maker is one of her hobbies, now."
Gunther shook his head. "Trust me... Cadance. This is not a new development," he replied, looking to his grandmother, who was stroking the underside of her beak in thought while looking between Gunther and the young princess.
Seeing Gunther turn his attention to her, Gertrude asked, "Hmm? Oh, don't mind me. I was just thinking about how you two really would be able to make some beautiful hippogriff children if you happened to be inclined," Gertrude mused. When Gunther and Cadance both gave her a half-lidded stare, she smiled and asked, "What? Just because Celestia is getting younger, that doesn't mean that I am."
Cadance and Gunther both rolled their eyes while their immortal counterparts shared a laugh. Cadance then walked over to take a seat at Celestia's right side. "In any case, I hope you don't mind me sitting in on this meeting to help represent the Equestrian side. Aunt Luna would be here, but she's resting up for her nightly duties."
Gertrude nodded and took her own seat at the table. "It's alright, I completely understand." In truth, she was a little glad that Luna wouldn't be involved in the negotiations. She loved both of the royal sisters with all her heart, but it was clear that Luna was still in the process of recovering from a horrible ordeal. One that she had been forced to suffer without Gertrude or her other friends to protect her. If she hadn't been imprisoned in her own madness and misdirected hatred...
Before she could take that thought much farther, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Celesta said, and one of the castle staff opened the door.
"The Imperial party is ready to see you, Princess."
Celestia nodded and stood, taking a moment to work the kinks out of a few joints along the way. "Let them in."
The servant bowed his head and pushed the doors open. General Airstrike and Senator Snaketail entered first, with Emperor Buckbeak and two of his honor guard coming in after them. The bearded griffon had apparently used the time to wash up and get dressed in a charcoal grey suit, giving off a more conservative impression than he had at their first meeting. He took the end of the table opposite Celestia while the other two dignitaries approached the spots at the table to either side of him.
Once every pony and griffon involved was positioned, the Emperor and Celestia nodded to one another and simultaneously sat down. Once they were seated, the others followed suit.
"Once again, thank you all for coming all this way," Celestia said to those seated on the Empire's side of the table. "Is there anything more that we can provide for you before we begin?"
"Thank you, princess, but that won't be necessary," the Emperor replied, resting his elbows on the table as he steepled his talons together. Gertrude felt the feathers on the back of her neck bristle at his curt demeanor. From the angle at which she was sitting, the lenses of Grigori's glasses reflected the afternoon light in an oddly sinister way, preventing her from looking him in the eye. "I doubt that this meeting will take long."
Celestia and Cadance shared a concerned glance with one another, as did Gertrude and Gunther. The pink alicorn in particular seemed confused by Grigori's bluntness. "What do you mean? Isn't the whole point of this meeting to negotiate an arrangement?"
"You say that as though you three have already come to a decision," Gertrude replied, making an educated guess as to where the Emperor was going with his statement. "But if you've decided out of talon to deny the Snowheart clan the right to assimilate into your Empire, then I will argue that there is much that we could contribute to your Empire in many ways.
"Among our ranks are many skilled storm-shapers who specialize in the magic of Winter. Knowledge that was lost to griffonkind after my imprisonment. I understand that some regions of the Empire have difficulty preserving food for long stretches of time. My clan can teach others how to freeze their meat and other foods without it ever going bad from being frozen for too long, and that is only one of the things that we can offer. We also have poets, artists and craftsgriffons who can recreate works that have been lost for over a thousand years. There are techniques that could allow your military to--"
Grigori cut her off by replying sharply, "I am aware, Ms. Snowheart. The contributions that your griffons could make to our society were exhaustively debated in the Imperial Senate the instant that we heard of your return. Despite the objections of some..." Senator Snaketail sniffed pointedly and looked down her beak at Gertrude and Gunther. "... It was agreed by majority vote and my personal support of the motion that we should extend an invitation to your clan, and offer them a place in the Empire so that they can share their talents and knowledge with all griffonkind."
Gertrude was taken aback. Given the posture that the Emperor had taken, she had assumed the worst. And yet, despite his good news, his grim demeanor continued, with no sign that he had been putting on an act to surprise her before revealing it all to be a harmless prank. "And what aren't you saying, Your Eminence?"
Grigori looked up, and the shifting angle allowed her to see past the glare reflecting off of his glasses. Looking him in the eye once more, she saw no trace of the mirthful cheer he had displayed during their first meeting. Instead, his eyes were as dark and foreboding as a storm cloud. "That invitation does not extend to you, Gertrude Snowheart. Whether or not your clan agrees to join the Empire, you will not... can not be accepted into our society.
"The only way that you will ever be allowed to cross the Empire's borders, is if you're willing to die first."