My faithful student,
I'm going to tell you a story I have not told anypony else.
I was once in Griffonia on political business about 300 years ago; at the time, there was a minor conflict going on between the Equine and Griffon villages near the border of our nations, and I was hoping to get it all sorted out. I met with the Griffon Emperor at the time, His Excellency Volatus Talon the III. He was a very kind man, and I knew we would eventually get a settlement worked out; we did, but that is of no importance.
We were in the middle of negotiations when one of Talon's generals stormed into the palace. His name eludes me, unfortunately, but more important was what he brought with him; a small griffon who I knew couldn't have been over the age of seventeen. He was filthy, his white feathers the color of the earth, and his tail seemed to have lost a few feathers here and there. I watched in curiosity, because I knew that this griffon had been brought to the palace for good reason, though based on the tide of red that washed across the general's face as he violently jostled the boy to the front of the room, I'm guessed it wasn't for a very GOOD reason.
The general threw him to the floor, and the boy cried out. It was then I knew he wasn't some criminal hardened by the cruelness of the streets, but he was exactly what he looked liked, a confused and scared child who knew he had done something wrong.
"This scullion here was in your wife's quarters, and thought he could make off with all of her valuables. I brought him here so you could look at this thief's eyes and lay upon him judgement yourself," said the general; something of the sort, anyways. Now this was intriguing; I was about to see griffonian justice, and just the type of man Volatus was. What he did next still lasts with me today.
He knelt down, as calm as the eye of raging storm, and he spoke. "What is your name?"
Volatus did not treat this griffon like a common street thug, or like the "scullion" the general claimed he was; he treated him like a griffon. The griffon said his name--I fear I don't remember that, either---and then told his story. He was living on the streets with his mother and four siblings, and he explained that a crime lord in the area promised to get them housing and shelter if they had delivered to him the jewelry of the Queen herself. To me, as an onlooker, it seemed like a typical thief spiel, but Valotus Talon the III did not seem to think so; he sat silent for a moment, and then declared the young griffon free to leave. He was shocked, but scattered out of the palace as quickly as he could, before anyone's mind could be changed.
The general was furious. He raised his voice to ear shattering decibels, and demanded an explanation as to why the King had let him go when the general had clearly caught him in Queen Talon's quarters. The King walked back to his throne and sat upon it, giving a long sigh, before making his case.
"Because I believe, general, that there is almost always a second chance. I looked into that boy's eyes, and I saw that he meant ill upon no one; what would throwing him in jail do? Perhaps he is bright and strong, and will one day contribute greatly to my empire. Perhaps he will always stoop to crime to make his way through life. If I catch him again, then I will see to his punishment...general, I do have one question, if you do not mind me asking." The general was red with anger, though he managed to get a passive aggressive "Yes, your highness?" out through his teeth.
"You are not a guard of this palace. What were you doing in my wife's bedroom?"
I still laugh at that, after all these years, though that last line is of no importance, I assure you. King Volatus Talon the III saw something in that young griffon, and as a result, forgave him for what he had done. I saw something in you, Sunset, the day I took you from your class in magic kintergarden. I saw the best of you. I saw you say the cruelest things, and I saw you do acts I know you regret, but I've also read your letter. Eight times over, in fact, because I miss your friendship letters so much, in the same way that you miss that mint ice cream.
I believe, Sunset, that there is always a second chance. Come home. I'll have everything ready when you step through the portal.
With love,
Tia