//------------------------------// // 3 - Griffonstone // Story: The Heart Diplomats // by Arboreal Blue Leaf //------------------------------// Griffonstone. Twilight was seeing it for the first time of her eyes with her very eyes. As the city's outline was getting more and more precise in the distance, the aircraft flew above sprawling pine forests. Sitting atop of a gigantic rocky mountain, the griffon capital was still emanating with its past glory. Griffonstone had once been the heart of a kingdom almost as powerful as Equestria during its apogee under King Grover's reign. It was during that era of prosperity that ponykind had stopped their contact with the griffons, thus explaining why the only books Twilight could find on the subject were only referring to the immensely grandiose city. She would one of the first, if not the first, delegation to visit this kingdom since three centuries. The morning mist made her shivered, but the beams of the rising sun would dissipate it quickly. Despite her excitement, she couldn't contain a yawn. Having trouble sleeping at high altitude, she had awoken before the sun had appeared for the last two days. She had been gazing at the horizon for an hour now; they had been flying over the endless pine forest all night. A bark took her out of her contemplation; Cog Walker's dog had sneaked at her side and was now looking at Twilight happily. She had a small smile and stroked its head. "Good morning Miss Sparkle, how was the night?" the captain's voice asked behind her. He presented her a green mug filled with smoking coffee. "Here's your coffee." "Hello captain. Thank you. That very sweet of you," she took the mug, touched by the intention. "It had been a short night like yesterday." "Insomnia again?" "The height isn't helping." "It took me a few years to get rid of this. Miss Applejack seems to be already accustomed to it on the other hoof," he smiled. "I have never heard somepony snoring like this!" Twilight laughed as she let the dog go away. "And I have a dragon at home that snores. A lot." "That's not the same league but Vanook can be noisy from time to time." Cog Walker took a sip from his own mug and gazed to Griffonstone too. "We will be there in two hours at most, plus half an hour to land. Should I wake up Miss Applejack?" "Don't worry, she will be awoken soon," Twilight chuckled. "She is always getting up with the sun." "The ones who get up early hold the world in their hooves. We must be the rulers of the world, at least for this morning, so to speak," the captain laughed lightheartedly. Twilight smiled genuinely and took a small sip of coffee. Cog Walker and she were getting along well. He was an energetic stallion who knew how to enjoy the simple things of life. He had often stories about his father's or his own travels across Equestria. She recalled that she had said to Applejack two days ago she would have loved to travel with a pony that sounded like the pirates of fairytales. The young earth pony wasn't exactly a pirate in appearance but surely as much stories to tell as an old sea-dog would have. "Say, Cog Walker, have you ever gone to Griffonstone?" "No, but my father did," he stated, rubbing his chin. "It was something like... Thirty years ago? Before he met my mom, he was often taking jobs no one would dare to. He had to go and check on the griffons. He and his balloon had been welcomed by a rain of arrows before he could even reach the capital." "You mean that the griffons attacked him without any warning?" she swallowed with anxiety. "I hope King Gregaire has sent the order to not fire at sight..." "It wasn't griffons actually but something else. He escaped without any damage but decided he wouldn't return there for a very long time." "It wasn't griffons? But the use of weapons like bows indicates he had been attacked by a sapiens kind," Twilight stated. "The closest guess he had managed to make was a tribe called Arismapes." "Arismapes...? That sounds awfully a lot like Arismapi," the alicorn pointed out. "These creatures were likely linked to the creature who stole the golden idol of Boreal." "I've never read anything about this idol," the captain said. "But if there's anything I can do to help." "You are already helping a lot by transporting me and Applejack," Twilight reminded him kindly. Sounds of hooves clopping on the floor drew the attention of both the alicorn and Cog Walker. Applejack was trotting towards them, yawning loudly. Twilight felt a small smile growing on her muzzle when her friend appeared but had no idea why. As usual, Applejack was wearing her stetson and had gathered her uncombed mane in a ponytail. She returned Twilight's smile and got next to her. "G'mornin' y'all. Ya woke mighty early again, Twi'. Somethin' prevented ya from sleepin'?" "Well the usual stuff... Height, stress, thinking... You know me." "It doesn't hold ya back from coffee though. Ya goin' to be as excited as Pinkie," the earth pony said jokingly, making Twilight roll her eyes with a smile. The earth pony turned her head to the captain. "Ya should be careful with this; too much coffee can make her excited." "Got it, but what about you? Do you want some coffee?" Cog Walker asked, showing his mug. "Nope, ah never drink coffee in the mornin'. But thanks ya anyway!" "Alright, I'm going to prepare the breakfast then. By the way, we'll arrive in a few hours." "Gosh, I almost forgot!" Twilight yelled in a panicked voice. "Speaking of Griffonstone, I have to tell King Gregaire we will arrive soon! I'll be back, sorry!" The alicorn trotted quickly to her room and opened one of the bag from which she selected a letter she had written back in Ponyville. Twilight hadn't checked her lists since she woke up this morning. She knew it almost by heart now but having every step she had to follow written and planned reassured her. Twilight got briefly through the letter which signaled that the airship was to land in Griffonstone in a few hours. The alicorn nodded with satisfaction as rolled up the parchment and enveloped it with her magic. Twilight ignited the letter with a green fire that consumed the parchment as soon as the flame had appeared. She was using the same type of magic Spike was doing when he sent letters to Princess Celestia. She had understood during her foalhood that this kind of magic could always be useful and had learnt how to do it a few years later. Her ability was nothing compared to those of the dragon, but was enough to communicate with a few persons. Twilight had had a difficult time sending the first letter to King Gregaire. The letters weren't going straight to the pony she was thinking of when she was casting her spell, it was far more complicated then that. The magic of sending letters was a whole field of magic. One had to be sure to send the letter to the right pony, since some letters had to not fall into the wrong hooves. In order to get such a result, the unicorns of the past had developed a system based on secured magic streams which was still in use in Equestria. Twilight had found after many sleepless nights an old stream connecting Canterlot and Griffonstone and had managed to send letters to the old empire with the instructions on how to send letters back to Canterlot. Luckily for her, she had obtained a response from King Gregaire himself. The alicorn had been emboldened by this success and had managed something she had thought to be impossible, she had renew contact with the Nocturnal Lands using this technique and got the letters to arrive directly to her. She was able to send and receive letters as she would do with Princess Celestia. It had been one of the toughest challenges she ever had to overcome but it was definitely worth the time. As the airship got closer to the ancient city, the endless pine forest was fading from a dense wood to rocky and inhospitable plains where scrawny trees where hardly surviving the weather. Gust of winds were howling between the boulders, giving to the barren landscape an unsettling atmosphere. Twilight was able to discern with difficulty something that looked like a old road made of cobblestone under a thick layer of dirt and rocks that winded between the small hills of the plain to Griffonstone she guessed. The alicorn felt uneasy when she looked at the landscape, and wasn't sure why the pine forest that must have been once expanding to the very gates of Griffonstone was so replaced by those lifeless lands. Twilight's excitement was slowly changing in apprehension as she getting closer to King Gregaire. She and the griffon's king had been exchanging letters for a few months now, and he seemed to be willing to renew with ponykind. But she knew how many times in history Equestria and the Griffon Empire had had tensions in their relationship because of the greedy nature of griffons. And also because of the pony pride she added mentally. When they began to fly over Griffonstone, Twilight felt her apprehension turn into disappointment. She knew thanks to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's stories that the once majestic city was now only the shadow of its past glory, but the condition of the city was far worse than she expected it to be. She spotted some griffons walking through the town without a glance for each other. The buildings had survived to the time but they were mainly ruins somepony could hardly live in. The alicorn's heart shrunk in her chest as she was overwhelmed by Griffonstone. Those griffons needed help. "Hum. Yes, ponies," a voice took Twilight out of her thoughts. The alicorn yelped with surprise when a griffon appeared in her field of view, making her falling on her haunches. The griffon laughed scornfully as he crossed his arms on his grey chest. "You are really easily scared, aren't you?" he stated, shocking his head. "You must be the equines who want to meet our king." "You took me by surprise!" Twilight tried to justify vainly. She got up and extended her hoof. "I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and on behalf of Equestria I..." "Mine's Goltor," the griffon cut her without bothering shaking the hoof she retracted slowly. "Gregaire wants me to tell you where you can moor your airship and escort you to the castle. But you know how it works in Griffonstone..." He extended his hand, claws opened and the palm facing up with a greedy grin. Twilight growled and rolled her eyes. He wanted bits; the first thing a griffon asked her was bits. The alicorn didn't want to haggle over the price; she knew it would be a waste of time. Instead, she gritted her teeth and muttered. "Yes, I know... Please wait me here..." She left the airship deck and trotted to her room. She got from her bags a small purse made of leather full of bits, enough money to cover the expenses of at least three weeks of living in Ponyville. She hoped that it would be enough for the two days they were supposed to spend in Griffonstone. On her way back to pay Goltor's fee, she took the time to warn Cog Walker that a griffon would indicate him where he could land the airship. A few minutes later, she found the griffon talking with Applejack. ".. But ya know we are on an official mission to renew the relationship between our countries, right?" the earth pony tried to persuade Goltor. "Not my problem. Sharing the knowledge equals sharing the wealth," he hammered his point as a well learnt lesson. "But ya could do a favor to both of us if ya just..." "Time's money," he interrupted her rudely. He pointed Twilight with his claws. "Speaking of money, you got mine?" Twilight levitated a few bits from the purse in the direction of Goltor who grasped them greedily and bite one of them with his beak. He nodded with satisfaction and made a quick gesture with his hand. "It will always be a pleasure to make deals with you, dear equestrian delegates," he scoffed with a fake smile. "This way, please." The griffon left the airship and began to fly in the direction of the eastern part of the city. Twilight looked at him and facehoofed. If every griffon was like Goltor, it would be a very complicated mission. Applejack let her know that she was thinking the same with a growl. The griffon brought them to what seems to be an old open-air marketplace large enough to fit at least three times "l'Archimède". Cog Walker had no difficulty to land and moore the airship to the ground. The landing had been far less impressive than the takeoff, but Twilight was glad she and Applejack could help the young captain in the maneuvers this time. After the quarter of hour needed to land, the three ponies had got off the airship followed by the captain's dog. "I'm going to walk around the city with Vanook, but be sure to come back to the ship if you need anything," Cog Walker explained to Twilight as he gave her a bunch of keys. "You can open every door with this, but be sure to lock behind you please. I'll never to far anyway, but just in case." "Thank you, Cog. We're going to follow Goltor to the castle. I'll let you know when we are done," Twilight replied while slipping the keys inside her bag. "Thanks ya again for your help, sugarcube," Applejack added with a smile. "I'm just doing my job, but it's always nice to have clients as nice as you are," he blushed slightly as he rubbed his neck. "Do you need a kick in the back to move, ponies?" Goltor almost yelled behind the group. "Ah swear Ah won't lose my temper... Sweet Celestia, Ah swear I won't," Applejack told to herself as she closed her eyes in a attempt to not reply to the griffon. The three ponies broke apart and the two delegates followed Goltor through the city. The castle was at five minutes by hooves from the airship at most, but it was long enough for Twilight to see how badly the empire had decayed. Everything she was putting an eye on was falling apart. She could guess the ancient position of statues as only their plinth had survived. The few griffons she saw seemed to be as spiteful as their guide was, and the haughty looks they were giving her weren't helping to brighten the situation. Twilight leaned towards Applejack and murmured. "Who would have guessed that Griffonstone was such in a bad condition? I know the girls told us so, but I wasn't expecting anything like this." "Ah wasn't expectin' the griffons to be so greedy too. Ah hope this one is only an exception," Applejack muttered. "But given how they're lookin' at us, Ah'm afraid they all are Ah sure hope Ah'll be proven wrong." "Don't worry, as far as I can tell, the King is really a nice guy," Twilight reassured her softly. "Are you walking or are you sleeping?" Goltor barked in front of them. "He can't be any worse than this bird..." the earth pony's eyes narrowed. They climbed all their way to the castle sitting atop a gigantic rock from which griffons had carved an enormous and stylized tree. Twilight was impressed by such a large scale project, memento of the past glory of Griffonstone. She would have loved to know who had ordered this titanic work and why. Her bet was some megalomaniac king who wanted to be remembered, or at least show its power. Goltor stopped in front of a door made of oak and titled his head. "My job's done. Just get inside and follow the great corridor, the throne room will be there," He took off from the ground and flew away. "It was a pleasure as well and good bye!" Applejack yelled, exceeded by the griffon's behavior. Twilight sighed and shook her head, but didn't say anything. As the alicorn opened the door with her hoof, she felt her apprehension returning. She felt like a hole in her stomach, but entered in the castle anyway. The very first room of the castle was a large room with a pillar in each corner, two small corridors started both on the right and the left of the alicorn. In front of her, an overstrained carpet that must have been blue once was stretching across a corridor as large as the airship. She was amazed yet saddened by the decaying architecture that was falling apart. But the strangest fact was that neither guard nor any living entity could be seen. It was like the castle was empty, and it was most disturbing. "Ah know what you're thinkin' when ya got this head, Twi," Applejack.said with a soft voice. "Ya don't have to be anxious. If ya think Kin' Gregaire's a nice guy, he must be. And besides, ya are not alone," she added with a wink that somehow made Twilight shiver. Twilight nodded with a smile and trotted to the end of the corridor to encounter yet another closed door, probably leading to the throne room. Twilight opened her bag and took out from it a small wooden box. Applejack asked her as she took off her Stetson to clean it quickly. "Say Twi, ain't ya supposed to put on your princess outfit? Ah mean ya often wear outfits or things like that for official visits." "I will for the other visits but I've decided to not to today," the alicorn explained. "The more I see Griffonstone, the more I think griffons haven't much wealth left. And in their culture, having someone rubbing wealth you don't have on your face can be taken as a pretty big insult. I'll just take my crown to show King Gregaire I take this visit an official matter," she stated as she opened the small box and took out the said crown. She put it on her head and adjusted it with precision. "How do I look?" "That will do the trick. Ah let ya handle the talkin', sugarcube," Applejack smiled and put her hat back. "Let's go then and show this kin' how ponies roll!" Twilight chuckled behind her hoof and pushed the door with her telekinesis, revealing the throne room. It was a circular room with six imposing stained glass which showed several griffon kings performing legendary tasks. The alicorn recognized on one of them the depiction of King Grover holding the Golden Idol. The throne room was as decayed as the rest of the castle, if not more. Plants had begun to sprout in some cracks of the ceiling; even some mushrooms had grown on a seemingly very ancient stump at the very center of the room. Behind was a stair high of several steps which lead to a throne made of stones of different colors that had been once embellished with precious gemstones. A griffon of an advanced age was sitting on the throne, holding several parchments on which Twilight recognized the broken seal she used for her letters. He was taller than the griffons she had seen so far, with a cream plumage. He raised his head slowly and looked at the alicorn and her friend with his green eyes as hard as steel. A smile slowly made its way on his beck yet his eyes stayed cold. He put the letters on the throne's armrest and got up. His deep voice resonated in the room. "Your Highness Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and Lady Applejack, The Element of Honesty. I am most pleased to welcome you in Griffonstone," he got down the stairs and walked around the stump. He stopped a few meters away from Twilight and bowed slightly his head, "I am King Gregaire, Lord and Protector of Griffonstone," he offered his claw to Twilight. "A pleasure equally shared, King Gregaire,” Twilight answered as she grabbed the claw and firmly shook it. "I hope your travel got well, you must have met my son Goltor." "Indeed we did," the alicorn answered. "He left us a few minutes ago before we entered in the castle." "I asked him to do so, I wanted to welcome you personally but I have to stay in the castle because of some unexpected problems," the king explained. "I may be a terrible host by asking this, but shouldn't we put the formalities away? I may be greeting you as a king, but I am mainly greeting you as a friend." "I understand your desires King Gregaire," Twilight nodded, pleased by how the griffon seemed to want their meeting to be. "In that case, call me Twilight. This is how all of my friends call me." "I shall call you by your name if it is the pony way to show friendship," the old griffon smiled. "We should go somewhere we can all sit then. Please follow me." They got again through the crumbling corridors of the castle. Twilight trotted a few steps behind the king and near Applejack. She was glad to see that the earth pony's face had softened since they met the griffon. All griffons weren't the same; Gregaire seemed to really be different from the others, to be working for the greater good of his people. Even more, Twilight preferred to see Applejack smiling rather than frowning. Her smile was so beautiful after all. The alicorn stopped and blinked. Had she just thought that Applejack had a beautiful smile? In a moment like this? Why did she even think of this? She shook her head and stared at the earth pony. Her friend and King Gregaire had stopped and turned around, looking at the alicorn with puzzled expression. "Are ya alright, sugarcube?" "I... I was just... Uhm... Yes, I was just wondering who built this castle!" Twilight lied with a fake smile, feeling her cheeks burning. Applejack raised her eyebrow but grinned eventually, she recognized here the need of the alicorn to understand everything that was around her. "I may have a few answers for you, Princess Sparkle," the griffon king walked towards her. "This castle has been built on order from King Grover himself six centuries ago. He decided to build it to protect the Golden Idol of Boreas and to show the unity of the griffon kind. Which it still shows today," he added sadly while looking at a giant fissure in the wall, and turned his head away from the ponies. Applejack couldn't help but getting closer to Gregaire and giving one of the warmest smile a pony could offer. "Ah know how frustratin' it is to see a family torn apart, and your folk aren’t very different. Ya really seem to care about your folk, King Gregaire," Applejack took her hat off her head. "If ya do the best ya can, Ah know it will change." "Yes, this is a lifelong dream I have been working for ever since I was crowned. But griffons need something to gather around, something I haven't found yet." Twilight raised her hoof and was about to answer when a voice yelled through the corridors, echoing all across the castle. A young griffon in a rusty and seemingly too large armor run towards Gregaire and made a quick reverence before delivering his message. "Your Highness, Arismapes warriors have been spotted near the entrance of the city and are about to attack!"