//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 - Meet and Greet 
// Story: Tales From Day Court 
// by Blade Star 
//------------------------------//

    With my ‘order’ placed with the relevant ponies, and with Sombra unwilling to offer any further information, I could afford to stop thinking about Starlight for a while. After all, as much as a potential threat she is, I did have other issues and cases to deal with. Celestia’s legal advisor can’t just bunk off to go chase pony David Koresh. As ever there were other petitioners, cases and meeting to deal with. 

The Royal Summit was getting ever closer, meaning I would soon be very busy, meeting with representatives from all over Equestria. And in addition to that, given that Cadence’s negotiations with Yakyakistan were still going well, it was possible that we would be having a delegation come to Equestria within the next month or so. Really, things had been quiet for the most part since Hearth’s Warming. 

However, my role as a government minister, as you have already seen, often extends outside of court. If there’s a big political show, I, along with everypony else in the castle, are usually required to make an appearance. For example, I found myself sitting with Shining Armor for Celestia’s birthday celebrations last year, when the Royal Guard conducted their regular Trooping of the Colour. It was a similar ceremony that I would be called to attend next. 

I was startled from the paperwork I was finishing up by a knock on the door to my office.

“Come in!” I called out. It wasn’t too often that I got visitors, aside from Buttercup when the princess dispatched him to bring me to the court. I occasionally got a visit from the odd noble, either a social call, or the odd political move. I try to keep myself out of court intrigue, but it isn’t easy. 

In this case though, it was neither Buttercup nor a member of the nobility. It was one of the senior officers in the Royal Guard; the head of the general staff in fact. His uniform was a little different to that of your common or garden variety guard, but more toned down than Shining’s captain uniform. The stallion was a pegasus, his coat white due to the enchantment on the uniform, with the usual blue mane and tail. His expression was stern, though not in a threatening way. No, this particular stallion was more bureaucrat than soldier, and consequently had a serious stick up his rear end. Doing my best to suppress a sigh, I addressed the stallion as he stood before my desk. 

“What do you want, Darling?” The stallion’s left eye twitched slightly. It was as if a knife was buried in his chest, and every time somepony called his name, it was twisted a little more. He spoke in a tone laced with acid. 

“It’s Lieutenant Sweet Darling to you!” he snapped back irritably. “You’re to attend a military procession tomorrow; visiting griffons.” That peaked my interest.

“Oh, because of that business up in Griffonstone, right?” I asked. Griffonstone had once been one of the more prosperous city states that made up the Griffon Kingdom, though it had fallen by the wayside many years ago. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had been sent there by the map, and somehow, the two had managed to turn the settlement around quite a bit. Magic of friendship and all that. 

“Yes,” Darling replied, still hating the fact that he was playing the messenger. “The king himself cannot attend, but he is sending some of his most senior military officers as an envoy to thank Princess Celestia for sending those two mares. We are going to put on a little show for them, along with a few meetings. Call it a dry run before that dammed summit.”

“I take it all the ministers and advisors are required to attend then?” Darling sneered at me.

“No, it’s all just a special show for you,” he replied sarcastically. “Just dress well, turn up on time, and be prepared to meet and greet with those feather brains.” Luckily, before Darling could treat me to any more of his lovely personality, Princess Celestia arrived. Poking her head through the door, she spotted the two of us.

“Ah, there you are, Darling,” she said. “I was wondering where you’d got to.” She then turned to me. “Well, Roger, I guess you’ll be rubbing shoulders with a few high profile griffons in a couple of days. It should be an interesting experience.”

“It’ll certainly be nice for Hartwin, your highness,” I agreed. “He doesn’t get to see that many of his own kind.” Major Hartwin was a griffon exchange officer, temporarily seconded to Equestria as a gesture of goodwill, and as a way of keeping up foreign relations. The kingdom is Equestria’s greatest ally and also a key trading partner. 

“I suppose,” Darling responded sourly. The princess looked at him sympathetically.

“Oh, come now, don’t be like that, Darling,” she said encouragingly. “This will be a chance for us to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Royal Guard to the griffons. We’ll do a welcoming ceremony, a short inspection parade, and then move on to the meetings.”

“Well, it certainly sounds like you’ll have a lot on your plate, your highness. I guess you’ll have to skip tomorrow’s game then?” Celestia nodded.

“Sorry, but my princess duties come first.” She then turned to the lieutenant. “Come on, Darling. We’d best be off. I’ll see you around, Roger.” With that the pair left.

“Bye, Darling,” I called after him. 

Well, it sounded like it would be quite the big shindig tomorrow. Hopefully things would go better than they did at the gala. This was more of a diplomatic visit though. I decided that I had better make a start on research. Since there was little on my plate at the moment, I left my office and headed downstairs to the archives; there was bound to be a few books on griffon history and culture, and law as well. If I had some time when I got back, I could stop by Twilight’s castle and ask her to give me a quick summary lecture.     





The day of the visit was quickly upon us. Twilight did indeed give me a lecture on Griffon history. 

Several lectures. 

With clip notes. 

And PowerPoint slides. 

I now knew pretty much all I needed for meeting and greeting with the envoy; everything from greeting customs all the way to the history of the various factions and city states that made up the kingdom. 

Of course, I wouldn’t be required to do too much. This was a state visit, so Celestia and Luna would be handling most of the events. We, as in the various advisors and ministers, were mainly there for show. Although I expected we would all be expected to mingle at the reception that would be held in the evening. The griffons would turn up and stay for two days; the usual press stuff, fact finding missions, keeping up foreign relations, the same old game. The two events I would be required to attend would be the military parade when they arrived, during which Celestia would invite the leader of the envoy, some big wig general in the Griffon armed forces, to inspect the Royal Guard, and the reception in the evening. 

I was now standing on one of the balconies in the castle, along with the both the princesses and Celestia’s other advisors, as well as Shining and a few other high rankers, Darling included. Below us was the main castle courtyard, in which two sections of the Royal Guard were lined up Nos. 3 and 5 Royal Guards respectively, one each from both halves of the guard. 

They were all lined up and waiting at attention, and would present their arms when the envoy disembarked. The courtyard was also ringed by yet more guards, this regiment was on watch, providing security. Pegasi were also in the air and would escort the griffons into Canterlot. 

From what Celestia had told me, there were a total of five griffon dignitaries visiting; three general officers and two ministers of his majesty’s government. They would all be flying in by carriage, under escort from four griffon flyers. Not that there was any real danger; the last conflict between Equestria and the griffons occurred back when the kingdom was still the Griffon Empire, several hundred years ago. Still, security remained tight, with some of the old changeling detection protocols being brought back into use. 

We had been waiting on the envoy for some fifteen minutes when one of the sentries spotted them approaching. Across from the Royal Guards was the Guard band. This now began playing a piece I quickly recognised.





The griffons made a single dummy run over the courtyard, with their rear escort flyers peeling off and landing at the far end. The carriage and its two forward outriders then touched down at its designated landing point. Unlike Celestia’s own chariot, this vehicle was much more subdued, with a roof rather than being open. It was coloured slate grey, with black griffon markings on the side, as well as two small flags perched by the lamps. The two griffons pulling it, along with the two outriders, were dressed in the usual slate grey uniforms of the griffon military.

With the band still playing the familiar airs, Major Hartwin walked down the line to open the door and greet our visitors; a gesture by Celestia. Opening the carriage door, which I noticed was armoured, Hartwin switched to his native tongue to greet his commanding officer.

“Herr Reichsmarschall,” he greeted, saluting the larger griffon. The combination of uniforms, language, and them music playing unsettled me a bit; too many similarities to Earth. The griffon in question returned the major’s salute and disembarked. 

Unlike his counterparts, Reichsmarschall Riverbill wore a more ornate uniform. It was still the usual grey, but with many accents and many more lines, signifying rank, on the epaulettes, which were a mixture of gold and red. He also boasted a chest full of medals, sufficient to make even a Russian think it a bit much. The marshal was the second in command of all of the Griffon Kingdom’s military forces, made up of the varying militia groups that were centred around each territory. The country was a federal one, though it lacked a fully unified government or military below that of the king and his ministers. 

Hartwin then led the marshal and the other dignitaries along the line of waiting guards, who promptly drew themselves to attention and presented their arms for inspection. Griffons take military discipline very seriously, and Shining had taken great pains to ensure everything went well. The larger griffon seemed quite impressed, regarding each pony along the line with a stern expression. 

At this point, we were all ushered off. Following behind the princesses, we all left the balcony and headed downstairs to meet with the griffons. Celestia would do the talking for the most part; we were just there for show mainly. Arriving on the ground floor, Celestia strode out to meet Riverbill, greeting him like an old friend. 

“Riverbill, a pleasure to welcome you to my home, as always,” she said, smiling in her usual, practiced way. The griffon politely bowed to her, as did the others behind him. Hartwin meanwhile returned to stand with myself and the other advisors and military brass. 

“Thank you, princess,” Riverbill replied loudly, in an accent that was an odd combination of Slavic and German. “Your ponies are very impressive. It is certainly fortunate that we are allies together!” He then laughed loudly, reminding me of a Russian with his humour. 

“Now, please,” he went on. “Allow me to offer the greetings of his majesty. He again apologises for his absence here. But regrettably, matters have compelled him to remain in the capital.”

“That is quite alright, Riverbill. Come, take lunch with my sister and I.” The griffon smiled at that, and followed Celestia off into the castle. He was about to head inside, but as he passed me, he did a double take. Turning around, he stood before me.

“Ah, princess! Is this the alien being you’ve recruited for yourself?” he enquired. I didn’t much care for being spoken of as if I were absent, but did my best not to let it show, putting it down to griffon temperament. Compared to the ponies of Equestria, they are a great deal more direct in everything they do, with less time for social niceties. Celestia returned to stand with the marshal, briefly sending me an apologetic look. 

“Yes, this is my legal advisor, Mr. Roger Owen. He comes from another world, known as Earth.” The griffon stuck his claw out, fearing a little for my hand, I shook it.

“A pleasure to meet you, Reichsmarschall,” I said, still feeling a tad uneasy at using such a rank. The old griffon smiled at me. Well, at least he approved of me and didn’t seem inclined to try and kill me.

“A fellow soldier too, it seems,” he replied. “I know the eyes of a man who has seen battle well.” That made my heart skip a beat. I quickly began damage control.

“No, sir. I’m no soldier. A tactician of board games, perhaps. But I’ve never been in the service.” Riverbill regarded me a moment longer, before smiling again and heading off with Celestia into the castle for their first meeting. Hopefully I managed to play his comment down, and nopony would ask questions. 





While Celestia was busy entertaining the griffons for a few hours, I had to get back to work. Blueblood had approached me yesterday, asking for an appointment. Not an uncommon thing. He usually manages to get himself in enough trouble to warrant my attention about once a month. 

It isn’t so much that he is any worse than any other member of the nobility; it’s the fact that he’s a prince. Compared to his counterpart, Shining Armor, Blueblood leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn’t break the law; often it’s a case of him annoying somepony enough that they wind up breaking it. And whenever that happens, he usually comes to me looking for legal advice, or just help in general. 

The last time it had actually involved Rarity. In the past, before she and him crossed paths, Rarity had had something of a crush on Blueblood. That of course, had promptly evaporated at the Grand Galloping Gala, and she’d held disdain for him ever since. I think it was some party in the castle, some fashion show or something, and she’d taken my son along as a sort of chaperone. Blueblood had walked up to her, apparently tried to make a pass at her that would make most pick up artists gag, and gotten a punch in the mouth for his trouble. 

It took the better part of an hour to convince him that he might at least be partially at fault. Sometimes I think he might have Asperger’s, since he always seems to miss common social cues. After all, he didn’t seem to understand precisely why Rarity had slapped him, and it took me an age to make him understand.   

This time though, it was a little more serious. Somepony had lobbed a bomb at him. Well, not exactly a bomb, more of a balloon filled with paint. But it had been enough to rile up the guards that were with him. Naturally, the pony responsible would be up in court before long for disturbing the peace. My job then, was to help Blueblood with the court proceedings, since he would be required to speak and give a statement. The white unicorn sat in the chair across from me, running a hoof through his blond mane. 

“I don’t know, Mr. Owen. Are you sure that pony was trying to kill me?” In addition to having all the manners of an ill-tempered dragon, he isn’t particularly bright. Taking a breath to calm myself I replied.   

“Yes, your highness. I’m quite sure. The reports given by your guards made that quite clear.” It irks me no end that I have to address this idiot the same way I would Celestia or Luna. Thank goodness he’s sixth in the line of succession. 

“What makes you think that?” Blueblood asked. He was genuinely curious; I certainly don’t think he’s aware of his own reputation. He seems to be under the delusion that he is held in the same high regard as Shining. Burying my annoyance, I tried to keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice. I failed. 

“Well, my suspicions were first aroused by his use of the phrase ‘death to the stupid prince’.”  I had to struggle to avoid laughing at that. In reality, it wasn’t much of an assassination attempt. But the Royal Guard does love to blow things out of proportion. 

I then spent about half an hour listening to Blueblood’s statement. There was certainly enough for a trial. Since it involved a member of the royal family, the case would have to go up to Day Court, meaning I would have to be there acting as a second judge. It would mean a lot of work over the next few days, meeting with the CPS, briefing Celestia, meeting with the defence, and sitting through the trial itself. And the mad thing was that it would all probably end with, at worse, a six month suspended sentence.

With everything written up for the moment, Blueblood thankfully left my office, leaving me to my own thoughts. I would have to think about getting changed soon for the formal reception. The plan was that I’d bring up some clothes and stay in the castle tonight, and then catch the train home tomorrow evening as usual. Given how long this reception would probably go on for, the last train would have gone by the time I left the party. 

Closing up all the files and putting them away in one of the filing cabinets that lined the back wall of my office, I tried to relax a little. Riverbill’s comment had caught me off guard. I certainly didn’t think that I gave any indication of being a soldier. I’d left that life behind a long time ago. 

And let’s be honest ‘soldier’ was stretching it a bit, wasn’t it? Still, it made me think back; back to my days as a young man, when I had held a gun in my hands. Those were not pleasant memories. No one knew of course, not Celestia, not my children, not even my wife. It was a life I no longer wanted; a life I had walked away from. 

Sighing to myself, I leaned back in my comfortable swivel chair. Taking off my jacket, I rolled up the right sleeve of my shirt. I only have the one tattoo, and few have seen it, I have a good cover story for it too, since so few people recognise what it means, even more so here in Equestria. It was a simple design; four letters in faded black ink, on my bicep. It read ‘F.G.A.U’; I’d gotten it back in the day with a couple others when we joined up and took our oath. I’d thought about having it removed, but it always seemed too damn costly. Maybe Twilight had a spell that could do it? Or did it pass for my cutie mark now? That made me laugh hollowly. 

Rolling the sleeve back down, I covered the old mark up. I wondered what it was that Riverbill had seen that had tipped him off. What had he seen in my eyes? Well, hopefully I would have a chance to talk with him this evening. Speaking of, it was about time I went and got changed.





Changing into the dinner jacket that Elusive had made, and later repaired, for me. I left my office, locking up as I went, and headed down to the main hall of the castle. The reception was already in full swing when I got there. It had the same general vibe as the gala, only with a few more griffons and less chance of an untimely disaster. There was a small quartet playing at the far end of the room for the sake of ambience, and there was a decent buffet to be had. Much to my delight, I noted there were some halfway decent cold meats available. Griffons are, naturally, carnivorous beasts, so it was to be expected. Most of the ponies were taking great pains to go anywhere near the table, aside from Celestia, who seemed immune to its effects.  

Stepping in through the open doorway, I heard the easily recognised sound of a teleport next to me; it was Discord.

“Oh, hello, my friend,” Discord greeted. “I see you managed to get dragged into this as well.” I smiled and turned to my friend. 

“Could be worse, Discord,” I replied. “At least it’s only us government types and some guard brass here. No nobility to worry about. Besides, I figured you’d enjoy the chaos this lot would bring.” 

It was true, as much as Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom are allies, they do have massive cultural differences that often cause slight disagreements. For example, two guards were looking on in horror as one of the griffons wolfed down the better part of a whole pig in no less than a minute.

“Yes, but do they have to force us to ‘mingle’ with each other?” Discord complained. “I know Celestia likes to promote ‘friendship is magic’ and all, but we’re probably not going to see half these bird brains ever again.” 

“Jesus, it won’t kill you to make small talk for half an hour, will it?” I exclaimed. “Besides, I thought you were off being a bounty hunter.” Discord had, along with a few others, taken up the contract to find and being in Starlight. Discord huffed and crossed his arms.

“I’m working on it,” he replied, sounding like a teenager talking about the homework that was due tomorrow. “I can multitask you know.” To be fair, he did track down Tirek in under a day. 

“Really?” I replied, deciding to mess with him a bit. “I didn’t know you were a mare.” The draconequus quickly cottoned on to my somewhat outdated joke, and responded by sticking his serpent tongue out at me. 

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” he said, with an air of finality. Snapping his talons, he summoned himself what looked to be a US Army uniform, complete with general’s stars, three of the too, and an old GI helmet. He actually looked a bit like General Patton. With that we headed off to go mingle. 





Discord quickly left me on my own, whilst he went off to see Celestia, either to make conversation or to annoy her. As for me, I sought out Major Hartwin. He and I were on fairly good terms with each other, and the battle scarred griffon had also met with my son once or twice. I found him, as luck would have it, in conversation with Riverbill, the two seemed to be chatting fairly amicably, or at least, as amicably as possible when they are separated by almost a dozen pay grades. I made my way over to them.

“Hello, Hartwin,” I said as I walked up. The younger griffon quickly brought me into the conversation. 

“Ah, Roger,” he said. “I wondered when you were going to turn up. The Reichsmarschall and I were just talking about your old world as it happens.” Hardly surprising, I’ve gotten used to it being a common topic of conversation when talking to new ponies, or in this case, griffons. 

“Oh, what about the old blue marble?” I asked. 

“I was just telling the Reichsmarschall here about some of the conflicts your country had been involved in.” Don’t mention the war. Don’t mention the war. Don’t mention the war. “We were discussing some of your more advanced aeronautical contraptions, given your species lack of innate flight abilities.” Oh thank God.

“Oh, yes. Well, it’s been almost a century or so since they were first used. Why, when I left, we had aircraft that could fly without a pilot to guide it. It could even drop weapons on its own and land back at its base, flying thousands of miles.”

“Very impressive,” Riverbill commented. “I know in my younger days I led the odd raid into hostile areas. But I can’t imagine flying for that long, certainly not without rest or losing my bearings.”

“Well, the first aircraft were much more primitive, sir,” I replied. “They were made of wood and canvas, they were much slower, and they were liable to blow up at any moment.”

“Still, an attack from the air can be decisive against an entrenched enemy,” Riverbill offered. There was a certain irony to this whole conversation, I realised.

“Not if the enemy has aircraft to go out and meet them. I know my country has its own large network of detection equipment to spot enemies coming well before they could reach bases or cities. And of course, there is the issue of the aircraft’s range. It can all end up in a battle of attrition. Then it comes down to the skill of the pilots.” 

“Ah yes,” Riverbill said, smiling. “Technology and advanced weapons can still be trumped by a fighting spirit. Look at this nation for instance. By your standards their weapons may be comparatively primitive, but these ponies are able warriors when the need arises. Were your world and ours to ever lock horns, I would be unwilling to put decent money on either side. It would certainly be a very close run thing.”

“Well, let us hope such a day never comes,” Hartwin offered.

“Hah, indeed, major,” Riverbill replied loudly. Hartwin looked off to the side for a moment.

“Excuse me, Reichsmarschall, but I would like to have a word or two with Captain Shining Armor.” The elder griffon smiled.

“No problem, major. You go and see your captain. I should like to have a good talk with Mr. Owen here.” The major then promptly departed, leaving the two of us to talk. Riverbill turned to me with a look of sympathy in his eyes; something you don’t usually expect from a griffon, even one you consider a friend.   

“Come, sir, why don’t we talk out on the balcony?” He gestured at the large open veranda that led out into the cool night air. Since he clearly wanted to talk, and assuming it was the subject I thought it was, I wanted privacy; I hesitantly agreed and followed him.

The night air was cool, with clear skies. Canterlot was lit by the full moon that hung large in the sky, whilst stars were dotted all around. I can see why Bones spends so many nights just looking up. I leaned on the edge of the balcony and looked down to the city below. I felt Riverbill’s presence beside me. 

“I’ve seen a lot of them like you, sir. Those who’ve seen too much, too soon, or fought on the wrong side.” He didn’t offer anything more, so I turned to him and replied. 

“What do you see then?” I asked half-heartedly. I’d expected to have this conversation one day, but I didn’t expect it to involve a talking griffon. 

“As I said when we first met; you are a soldier, or were rather. You have the look of one; your actions, your body language, even the way you speak. You never really forget.”

“I haven’t been one in a long time. And I certainly wouldn’t call myself a soldier. A soldier is part of an army. He follows the laws of war and protects his own people from harm. The lot I was with might have claimed to do the latter, but they sure as hell didn’t do the former.”

“Nor did the foe you faced, I assume,” Riverbill replied. “Speaking from experience, dirty wars are not the sort of thing you want to crow about from the rooftops. But nor is it something you should bury or lock away.” I clenched my firsts irritably.

“Respectfully, Reichsmarschall. I’ve heard this speech before. And that part of my life, it was…well, it was a lifetime ago. I was a different man then. I hadn’t met my wife, I had hardly any family. I was young and stupid. If I told anypony, I doubt they would understand.”  

“Possibly true,” he conceded. “But do you want to keep hiding it and wait for someone to find out?” I thought to myself.

As I said, the past we were talking about was a lifetime ago. I hadn’t met the wife, I lived in a different country, and at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. If I told her, she either wouldn’t believe me, or she’d never want to see me again. Relative good guys or not, the side I had fought with was just as bad as our enemies, only we’d lost the political war. Seeing my pensiveness, Riverbill continued. 

“I was talking with that Shining Armor fellow a while ago. He told me about one of his officers. He had a bad experience when the changelings attacked, it messed with his head. He tried to bury it, and it almost cost him his career. I’m not saying go sit on a sofa with some therapist and talk about your feelings. I’m just saying to talk to someone. I’ve seen too many griffons walk the road you’re on, and it only ends in one way.”

Sighing to myself, I straightened up again and looked at Riverbill. Half of me wanted to tell him to mind his own sodding business, damn the diplomatic consequences. But, on the other hand, he was right, I suppose. Sometimes the best way to cope with feelings of guilt and shame was to confess one’s wrongdoings. Confession and penance, there’s irony for you.

“You make a good point,” I said quietly. “Talking from experience?” The griffon shrugged.

“All of us can find a maggot in our past, Mr. Owen. It is our failure to accept our mistakes that tends to cause problems, not just the mistake itself.” I smiled a little.

“Come on. It’s dropping chilly out here," I said. "How about I get you a drink?” With that, the two of us headed inside.





After the reception, I sadly didn’t get to see much of Riverbill. His time, as with the rest of the delegation, was eaten up by the long meetings he had to sit through, along with Celestia. With Griffonstone’s revival, some ripples had formed within the Griffon Kingdom, and it was always good to keep up relations with an allied power. They were not legal matters, so I was neither privy, nor particularly interested in the proceedings.

Still, I did get a chance to talk to him not too long before he left. He had suggested that I tell someone about my past deeds, so I elected to tell him. It took a fair bit of prior explanation of course; after all, the griffon wasn’t too well versed in Earth’s history, never mind the intricate history of my mother country. Nonetheless, I told him what had happened. Ponies are far less violent by nature compared to humans, but as a griffon, Riverbill took my stories quite well. As he had said, he’d been involved in the odd dirty war himself. And he was right, if I’m honest. After I had ‘spilled’ my secret to him, I did feel a lot more relaxed. Of course, it didn’t change what had happened, but it did lighten my heart a bit. 

Before we parted, Riverbill told me that at some point I would have to tell someone closer to me than him. I promised him, and myself, that I would.

The griffons’ departure was far less grandiose than their arrival had been, though Celestia insisted that she would see them off. I naturally joined her, along with Shining, and a couple other advisors who had sat in on the meetings. 

“Well, it is a shame to go, your highness,” Riverbill said. “But I can’t be away from my old home for too long.” Celestia smiled in her practiced way. 

“It’s been a pleasure having you here, Riverbill. I would welcome you back any time.” The griffon smiled as his subordinates boarded their carriage to head back home.