Velar hadn’t expected he would ever wake again. Once he made it clear to Zoya that he would not accept any life in exchange for his own, even those that were offered willingly, he had expected a painful end.
Anesthetics put an end to the first of those—modern chemistry had become very good at suppressing pain, even terrible pain. Less so about putting the mess of his guts back together. His parents had come to see him off, though he couldn’t stay awake for most of the ritual. He could barely even talk to them. “Try to… remember me,” he said, or he thought he said.
There was a strange coolness in the drugs they gave him, drugs that made it so he didn’t care even knowing his insides had been completely ruined. I thought it would be worse to die.
His only regret faded the moment he saw Starlight’s face, near the end. The pony had cared enough to come for him. I did something right. Hopefully his father could use his death, somehow. Was it good to have a martyr?
Then he felt nothing. Velar would’ve imagined that was death, except that he didn’t think either. Time was a dream, and for a few seconds he woke.
Pain returned all at once—agony in his chest that set him to screaming and thrashing immediately. Except that he was already restrained, on an operating table barely large enough to hold him.
“You fools are wasting your time!” he screamed. “I’m already dead! There’s nothing you can do!” He just wanted it to stop. Why hadn’t the assassin just finished the job and let him die?
There were more drugs, and Velar slipped into something like dream. He watched himself as though he were an observer to his own body—watched as half a dozen ponies wearing white and black worked on his open gut. Strange machines beeped and hummed around him as they cut with impossibly small knives and sewed with transparent thread.
At least it didn’t hurt anymore. He didn’t struggle anymore, just watched in fascination, searching for familiar ponies. Velar had gotten himself acquainted with many of the ponies in New Scythia, after all. He would’ve recognized any of the unicorns working in the city. He knew none of these.
Starlight Glimmer must’ve done this, he thought, in some distant part of himself that somehow remained rational. She was an ambassador. She must have called in a million favors to get so many here in time to save me.
Starlight Glimmer herself was not part of the procedure, which seemed to take a small eternity. At a few points, fresh ponies arrived with white clothes, replacing those stained with the red and black of his guts.
They’re good at this. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t spend all your time killing. Ponies had decided to get good at saving things instead.
Eventually the surgery ended, and Velar finally slept. He woke in agony more than once, coughing and vomiting until an orderly arrived with more drugs. He didn’t lash out anymore—his rational mind had returned, and all the aches had purpose.
Velar had always imagined he would die well one day, giving his life to change the world. An assassin’s bullet before he even ruled was probably not the way. I’m going to live. And so he decided.
Visitors came, in that strange pony hospital room with silver walls and a floor that shook and rumbled. Velar wasn’t conscious enough to talk to them, but he could at least hear the voices. It was good not to feel so lonely.
There were tables around him, and on them Velar could see thousands of little offerings. They were simple things, prayers written on paper and folded into origami. Flowers were the easiest, but a few were more complex. They were the way Accipians expressed their gratitude and their hope for recovery to one who had suffered.
A few were bright and colorful, but most of them were not. Instead of the fine parchments scented with perfume, these offerings were written on stained scraps. Many of them had crumbled when moved, and were little more than litter.
They were the offerings of slaves. Thousands and thousands of them.
It took a long time before Velar finally woke properly. He jerked up in the long cot, conscious of the sturdy straps around his hind legs and claws. Ponies were obviously worried about him hurting himself.
He’d been dressed in a plain hospital gown, something made of paper and printed with saccharin heart and flower designs.
His belly ached, though not from hunger. He could make out the scars running down his chest even through the gown, as the ponies had shaved away his fur to make the cuts.
Sloppy, primitive, was his initial thought. But I turned away the old magic. What did I expect?
The room was small—barely large enough for Velar’s cot and the machines connected to him with transparent tubes. There was a tiny porthole-style window, and he could see clouds slowly drifting by outside.
There was also one chair, and a pony sitting in it. Starlight Glimmer, with a dozen books piled up beside her. She’d fallen asleep buried in one of them, slumped sideways and breathing heavily. She looked and smelled like she hadn’t left the hospital room in some time, though Velar couldn’t smell much through the antiseptic and rot.
“Starlight,” he called, his voice low and gravely from disuse. His throat ached terribly, but he didn’t feel the need to drink. Something to do with the transparent bag of fluid hanging beside him, maybe?
The unicorn sat up suddenly, knocking the book from her lap. Her horn glowed with an indistinct, unfocused spell, as though confident she had to do magic but not sure what kind yet. “What is it, doctor? Another infection?” He looked towards the door—but it was still shut, obviously. Then she saw him watching her, and her expression softened. “Velar. You’re awake.”
“I guess so,” Velar said, leaning back in bed. He tried to make himself look as proud as he could, though under the circumstances it wasn’t doing much good. With so much fur shaved away and awful stitches running up his chest. “I considered just giving up and dying, but I thought better of it. I just don’t know what our two nations would do without me.”
He felt a pair of hooves wrap around his neck, in a hug far more affectionate than was proper for a griffon female. That kind of thing was beneath the dignity and poise that a proper female ought to display. He didn’t care.
“You don’t know how hard it was,” Starlight whispered, before suddenly breaking away and glaring at him. “Why’d you have to fight? Why did there have to be an assassin in the games? Why any of it?”
“I expect my father will have a better answer to the latter,” he muttered. “Or my mother, for that matter. I can’t believe Gallard shot me. After putting myself in danger for him… I’ve never known any bird to have so little honor. Even a slave.”
His eyes lingered on the offerings as he said that. They’d been piled up so high around the bed that he could barely even see the floor in places. “I guess I’ve had a lot of visitors.”
“Uh…” Starlight Glimmer looked away. “We got all these before we left. New Scythia was mourning for you.”
Velar couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he hadn’t been so stupid after all. There was honor left. Enough that Accipio could recognize it when they saw it, even if they hadn’t demonstrated any. “Left… for where?” he eventually asked. “A pony hospital? There’s nowhere in New Scythia like this.” He held one of his forelegs closer to his head, the one that had the almost invisible tube running into it. “How do you get glass blown so fine without shattering it?”
“It’s not glass,” Starlight muttered, dismissive. “It’s called plastic, a chemist came up with it a few…” She shook her head. “Don’t you dare think you’re getting out of this by asking stupid questions, you completely idiotic bird!” She stood over him, glowering. “You’ve been on the edge of death for almost a week now. You have an entire troop of personal guards—maybe you could’ve asked one of them to fight for you?”
Velar tried to keep his smile unbroken, but it was difficult. It was becoming difficult just to stay sitting. It felt like his guts were going to come unraveled and spill all over the table if he moved too quickly. They just might.
“There’s no honor in that, Starlight Glimmer. A general must demand nothing of his birds that he would not do himself. There’s no honor in asking someone else to fight in a cause you think is just. If you think it’s a good cause, you get down into the dirt and prove it.”
He coughed, and found himself regurgitating a disgusting ball of slime and black blood. Starlight levitated a cloth for him to hack into, which he did for nearly a minute straight, his whole body shaking.
“Is there water somewhere in this hospital?” he asked, once he’d recovered his voice enough to speak again. “I feel like my throat is dissolving.”
“Here.” Starlight Glimmer offered him a bottle, made of the same strange, clear substance as the tubes. But there was water inside, and it soothed some of the pain in his throat. He stopped complaining. “You can’t do solid food for… a while,” Starlight said. “I’ll get your doctor in here in a minute, he can explain.”
Velar immediately stiffened, his whole body freezing. “You trusted my life to a male doctor? Unity grant he didn’t leave a knife sewed up in my gut or something.”
“No.” Starlight stomped one hoof on the floor. It sounded like metal. “This is Equestria, Velar. We don’t have any room for your barbaric, backwards way of splitting ponies off. Maybe it’s worked well enough for birds, but…” She took a deep breath. “Dr. Stables and his team saved your life, Velar. Along with a few others.”
“You,” he supplied, though it was becoming too painful to sit up anymore. He lowered himself back onto the bed, heedless of the indignity. There was no honor in ripping his stitches open. “You’re the reason I’m here. In… Equestria. My family must’ve been desperate to allow this. But when I return home, I’m sure it will go a long way to strengthening our relationship with Equestria.”
Starlight sighed, staring out the window. “It’s too bad we can’t put that relationship into surgery and stitch it back together.”
“What?” Velar couldn’t sit up, but he did watch her. “What are you talking about? Did something happen after I was shot?”
“Something happened before, stupid!” She didn’t even look at him anymore. “You tricked us into letting you keep ponies enslaved! Do you have any idea how upsetting that is to Equestria? I wasn’t just sulking that day I didn’t come to the tournament, I was communicating with the princesses. They gave an ultimatum—to release every single pony slave, or else.”
Velar didn’t laugh. The very idea of such a request was ludicrous to him—but he could see from Starlight’s expression that ponies did not see the humor in it. “They said no, obviously. What was the else? A war? Am I a… prisoner?”
Starlight shook her head. He could see there were tears there—though he couldn’t imagine why. He couldn’t reach out to try and comfort her anyway, so there was nothing to do but watch. And feel guilty, knowing he was probably responsible. “We severed diplomatic ties. Recalled every Equestrian citizen living in the territory, barred entry for every griffon. Terminated trade. Everything, until the princess’s demands are met.”
Velar shivered. The first few provisions would be annoying—but trade meant food, food that the other cities were growing badly. New Scythia had plenty of food, but only because of the ponies helping them. Now that they’d been taken away, it was only another season before they were in the same position as all the other birds. And in the meantime—it sounded like the ponies had just planted a crop of their own. The seeds of a war.
“Oh,” was all he managed to say.
“Yeah.” Starlight nodded. “Oh.”
Ugh, yeah ponies planted the seeds of war, not griffins and their conniving notions of what ponies meant by "release our people". I sure hope Equestria is ready for hostile incursions from these asswipes, and I hope they don't just wait for the guns to be manufactured either. Excellent chapter.
Plant? Plant!? Oh no dear prince, your people did all the planting. This is just the harvest coming due.
Let's just hope Equestria's magic can help settle the balance of power, because regardless of where the blame lies they just cornered a people whose first instinct is war.
Well then... at least Celestia's ire didn't extend to denying lifesaving surgery. The griffins aren't going to think that Velar's survival is being held hostage for their slaves- though I wonder if this ultimatum will mean he's booted back home once he's recovered or if he'll be stuck in Equestria anyway, but this recovery probably won't be quick so it almost doesn't matter. Things are still dire, but it almost feels like this assassination attempt is less another piece of the diplomatic disasters (this has to provide some goodwill) and more because
youfate can't bear to have these two stuck apart for too long.Yeah, the seed was your side by keeping ponies as slaves. I think the survival of your empire is worth the cost of some slaves.
8821731
Isn't calling for the bloodshed of an entire race a bit over dramatic? I mean, not every griffon owns slaves.
8821786
Who said I was calling for bloodshed against their entire race? I said i wanted Equestria to be ready, and I hope they can prevent the griffins from reconstructing their arsenal of firearms- and yes, that would mean eventually attacking one or more of the griffin settlements, but our friend Velar, the most palatable specimen of his people that we've seen, thinks Equestria is instigating a war. The griffins are most definitely going to attack unless something miraculous happens.
The paper offerings were a nice touch. It's pleasant to see griffon traditions that don't revolve around war, slavery or racial and sexual segregation are just genuinely nice.
Other than that... war is looking very likely. I doubt that the Princesses will relent in their ultimatum, nor should they, but I also doubt that the griffons will simply submit and let their pony slaves go. This is not a situation that will end pleasantly.
I'm also curious about what destination the airship or train or whatever other sort of vehicle that Starlight and Velar are on is heading for, and what route it will take to get there. I wouldn't mind seeing Velar's reaction to seeing Cloudsdale or Canterlot for the first time. Cloudsdale, especially, might make him seriously reconsider some of his notions regarding pony magic.
8821798
Because releasing the slaves and stopping biting the hooves who are feeding them would be soooo hard.
Welp, sure hope the Equestrians are ready for a war. If they aren't, they will almost certainly get attacked and everyone will die, if they are, they may yet avoid it.
Oh Velar. You are so likable but so, so stupid. Every time I see your thoughts and every time you open your beak I want to punch you, but then I want to pat you on the head and sit you down and explain things to you like a two year old.
There's something we are not seeing.
They didn't release all the pony slaves, but we don't know why. By the way the emperor, his wife and Velar reacted when Starlight confronted them, and how Velar is reacting in this chapter, there's something else the fic hasn't revealed yet. Something that seems obvious for the griffons, but that the ponies don't see.
At least, that's what I feel.
Life before death.
Oh good goddess. Equestria has plastic water bottles and IV tubes while the griffons (or at least, the griffon prince) don't even know what the substance is. That's a serious tech gap.
Starving griffons are going to be violent, warring griffons. Maybe Velar's presence in Equestria plus an unexpected miracle will somehow resolve the brewing conflict.
8821882
Ay! Someone else figured it out!
8821897
:)
I feel like this story requires a more objective point of view, and careful reflecting of all the angles presented. Most of the readers side with the ponies for how similar their culture and Starlight's opinions are with theirs.
8821909
I don't necessarily think it's something we aren't seeing. It's more along the lines that people have forgotten a very important statement made much earlier in the story. Specifically, the fact that even though they're slaves, Accipio still considers all of them 'their people'. It's extremely backwards, but from their perspective, Equestria could actually appear to be in the wrong because they only seem to consider the ponies to be their people. Other races aren't their concern.
8821841
Yeah... I'm gonna just let Twilight explain why hoing to war against Equestria would be a seriously bad idea.
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/156225392200515584/415557137175937024/ce70500cd4cd9c3b15d2453c365e8a47--comic-party-mlp-comics.jpg
The real scary part is, that by tricking the Equestrians into letting them keep their pony slaves, the Griffons have given Equestria Casus Belli, which means "an act or event that provokes or is used to justify war", and is one of the pillars of St. Thomas Aquinas' "Just War Doctrine".
If the Griffons go to war with Equestria, they're going to face one hell of a fight since by this theory/doctrine, the entirety of Equestria will believe in the war and be rallied behind the Princesses, where-as the Griffons will be in a position of starvation and poverty without their usual weapons.
In short... if they go war, it'll be a short one, and the Griffons aren't coming out on top.
8821982
Yeah, the story tends to over-glorify Accipio's military might, and how long they'd last in a war even if they still had their guns. An army runs on its stomach, and that stomach would rapidly wind up empty without Equestria's support. I'd give them a month at best, if Equestria doesn't get any allies that want their people back as well.
8821989
Actually if it comes down to a fighting war, it won't matter who wins or loses, both sides are on the edge due to the volcano. Equestria is straining itself to survive and feed it's allies so they aren't prepared for war, and Accipio is starving and without their infrastructure and weapons. Both sides need all of their resources to survive, and if too much is destroyed that's all she wrote.
8821989
Indeed. Ontop of that, they've got things like plastic and modern medical practices, so the war might be even shorter as the Griffon military would start to die of through disease due to amputation and infection of wounds. Not to mention, while Equestrian Magic is not as powerful as Blood Magic, it's long-term sustainable, and would likely eventually overpower blood magic as the spells and enchantments built up.
8821999
True, but that's assuming that the war would actually take a significant amount of time, and the griffons of Accipio would actually be able to push into Equestrian territory enough to destroy their lands. Considering the current situations for both countries, I'm confident that if it actually came to war, Equestria would trounce New Accipio with relative ease.
8821952
8821882
8821731
8821862
Let me refer you to one of my previous comments, where I noted the possibility that what's happening is a product of monumental, mind-boggling arrogance on the part of the Griffons.
Perhaps Velar is simply indicative of how the average Accipian lord sees dealing with Equestria. Namely, that ponies should first and foremost be exploited, from being enslaved to being tricked by breaking not the wording of your agreement with them, but the spirit under which it was worked out. You can like individual ponies, and Velar obviously cares a great deal for Starlight Glimmer, but ponykind as a whole, that's a resource, one that just happens to be able to fight back if pressed.
Cynical? Yes. But so far, I haven't seen anything to disprove it.
8822008
Don't forget that now that Equestria isn't trading with New Accipio, that's a whole lot of resources that Equestria could keep for itself if it actually came to war. Accipio was pretty much already operating off of Equestria's kindness as it was.
8822025
Yup, and the Griffons will also need to present a unified front, and considering their heir was just shot in the back by one of the clans, well I don't think that'll happen anytime soon.
If war is coming, then it's going to end very badly, primarily for the gryphons. They're just barely hanging on, close to starving, and are still getting settled into the land they've been provided. Their agricultural assistance has been cut off, they have little in the way of money, they're under trade embargoes so even if they had money it would do little good... they're way out of their league. Even if they've got more airships coming with the finest armor and armaments their nation had to offer, it's not going to do them much good if their troops can do little more than crawl into conflict.
Celestia, and by extension Equestria, are in the perfect position to simply starve them into submission, simply dangling food in front of them and offering it in exchange for the freedom of all ponies currently held by those damn birds.
I gotta be honest, you write good chapters, but they are over frustratingly quickly.
I keep waiting for the shoe to finally drop and for Velar to realize his entire race is idiotic and only Gilda and Gabby have expressed survival instincts.
At least the idiot is slowly realizing that Equestria has [gasp of sarcastic horror] HORRIFICALLY OUTPACED ACCIPIO IN LITERALLY EVERYTHING EXCEPT WAR.
This upcoming conflict ain't gonna be pretty. For ANY side.
8821999
Yeah what's the situation with Equestria's allies here? I mean we have the Changelings, who don't need to eat solid food, Dragons, who are probably better off with the volcano, Yaks who are used to bad weather, Griffinstone is a part of Equestria, all the leaves is Saddle Arabia as it's implied the Griffins have conquered and enslaved all other countries, including the Zebras, Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs, etc.
Here's a list of all weapons the Griffons have (as stated by star scribe indirectly):
1. Gatling guns
2. Muskets
3. Revolvers
4. Hand grenades
5. Ager guns
6. Requa batteries
7. Brown Besses
8. Lever-action repeating rifles
9. Cannons
New Scythia has a store of food for the winter. The other Griffin cities don't.
I am fully expecting griffin civil war.
Welp... This is gonna go bad for everybeing... Grffons are gonna be having starving problems, while ponies are now under the threat of war in already heavily strained situation... Thou I think we should see how Equestria is doing overall. That are ALL of them working to help nation to survive the volcanic aftermath (both from eruption and what is yet to come from such activity), OR are there some ponies who just don't care?*cough*nobles, racist and rich*cough*
8822191
Yaks and Saddle Arabians are supposedly conquered
8823213
Yeah... I'd expect the Griffin race to face complete and total extinction in that manner.
8821952
I think I mentioned that last point in a comment a few chapters ago.
You have an interesting point.
Well this won't end well for anyone involved. They're all politically trapped
8823234
Wouldn't such a thing also be serious stain on Equestria's rep as peaceful nation? Using WOMD-like spells to speed things up, IF pricesses are OP in this verse, would also inspire unwanted fear too.
"Hey, what's this?" Velar asked, stopping to gesture at one of the many stained glass windows. It was a good idea, he aknowledged. It allowed creatures who couldn't read the ability to comprehend what was happening in them, to some extent. He had no idea what this one was about though.
Starlight stepped up beside him. "Oh? That's Discord, the spirit of Chaos, being defeated by Princess Twilight and her friends." Velar blinked. "Spirit of . . Chaos?"
"Well, that and disharmony. He's okay now, reformed and all that, though that doesn't stop him from warping reality now and then."
Velar took a small step back, eyes widening as he swung his head to stare at the unicorn. "He's a reality warper?!" He yelped. Despite everything, Starlight let out a small laugh. "Yeah, why?"
"Is he a friend to ponykind?"
"He's a friend of mine, and some other ponies, so yes, I guess. Though Fluttershy is his best friend. If she's in danger or upset, he will lash out pretty badly" she shrugged, while Velar felt a pit open up in his stomach. "How does Miss Fluttershy feel about slavery?" He asked quickly. Starlight frowned, tilting er head. "Hates it. She thinks all creatures should be treated easily . . . oh."
Valer had a sudden vision of this Discord ripping through his birds like they were paper. "Oh" he repeated dully. They stood there for a moment, staring at the drawing, before an even worse thought entered the griffins head. Ponykind defeated a reality warper.
I don't really like Valer all that much, mostly because he always seems to come across as right, while Starlight is wrong.
Earthponies are not slaves, they have free will, and are paid just as much as a pegasus or unicorn would if they were doing their job. Plus, there are tons of rich earth pony's, like Filthy and Spoiled Rich, Photo Finish, Coloratura and Octavia to name but a few.
HOW DARE HE BLAME THE PONY RACE FOR BRINGING THEM CLOSER TO WAR! IT'S THEIR FAULT!
8822378
Welp, time to join in
Equestria;
1. Unicorn Magic
2. Weather Control-storms
3. Earth magic- I think in this fic that Earth Ponies can make the land more fertile, so why can't they spread a famine?
4. Elements of Harmony/ Rainbow Power
5. Sound breaking pegasus- if hit's something then there's a nuke effect
6. Five all powerful, immortal beings
7.Power over sun and moon
8. Can influence emotions
9. Know how to work as a team, in harmony
10. Discord
8823657
We'll send in Dinky. She'll gave them eating out of her hooves in a single afternoon. All griffons will be reduced to giant cuddly balls of feather & fur within three days.
8823213
Can't wait for them to realize;
A) Celestia and Luna CAN move the sun and moon
B) How far ahead the ponies are technologically (plastic? Really Valer?)
C) Discord's Equestria's ally
8823657
1. Unicorns fire slow-moving energy beams that can be dodged and the griffons have their own unicorns as well
2. Pegasi are easy to shoot down and can't even control their own storms.
3. The equestrians already are having a very hard time to even feed their own people and the griffons outrange them.
4. Probably won't do jack or is easily countered. Kill one and everything stops.
5. That is one pegasus, and that's one time, and it is by a pegasus that if killed, destroys the elements of harmony/rainbow power
6. Alicorns are not all powerful/omnipotent. They got defeated by a goddamn changeling. Twilight is not immortal.
7. I'll give ya that, but I really don't think Celestia and Luna would want to decrease the griffon population by at least 80%. Plus, their ethics.
8. That would go against their ethics
9. So can the griffons.
10. How do you know he'll join in?
In conclusion, I believe the Equestrians will eventually win by sheer numbers but the griffons will put up and very hard fight to the death.
8823645
Oh my god. It's like you people don't understand using loopholes is a huge part of diplomacy and happens all the time. The griffons weren't doing anything outrageous, they were just trying to benefit themselves as much as possible. Not really a "lets go to war" kinda thing
8823693
The Equestrians are too high up on the moral pedestal to disregard ethics, plus I really doubt the situation will become desperate enough to warrant a genocide. Manipulation of emotions to attack would count as "mind manipulation", which the Equestrians would never use.
Fluttershy? What if discord just kindly explains to the griffons that if they hurt Fluttershy, they will be obliterated?
Why? Why is it ludicrous? They allowed you to move into their country, take land as your own, you can still keep everyone else as slaves, practice blood magic, etc.
They asked you to leave your guns behind and to free all enslaved ponies. Neither of which you did. Why is it ludicrous? How the hell do you think diplomacy works?
Of course, being conquerors and slavers, you're probably not too familiar with the topic. But there has to be some give and take, they gave you a way out of your own extinction, your not suppose to take the agreement you made with them and wipe your ass with it.
8823645
That's only because the chapters with him as viewpoint character are told from his perspective, and Velar simply doesn't consider possibly being wrong. His horizon is... limited. Just imagine his face if Starlight asks him, directly:
"You kept ponies as slaves, when we asked you not to! What did you think would happen?!"
He probably won't have an answer. Velar has lived a spoiled, sheltered life and only now slowly begins to realise consequences are a thing.
8823688
There's also the fact that even if they had conquered most species... Accipio is destroyed. It doesn't exist anymore. Who's to say all those nations aren't chomping at the bits to give the Griffons, who made and make them slaves, a little payback?
8824408
If they are, they would have already.
8824417
Nah. Just going it alone would be too costly. But if Equestria calls to war? Or, more likely, gets attacked? Well, now, things suddenly evened out a lot more. Equestria is powerful, they've defeated Accipio every time the two clashed. With an ally like that, you can afford to throw your hat into the ring.
8823691
also if any one is to blame it would be starlight not the griffins she failed to catch this huge loophole.
8823688
1. Unicorn energy beams aren't much slower than Civil War era bullets. On the flipside we have seen unicorn energy beams shatter substantial amounts of rock, which puts them closer to RPGs in terms of power and would quickly invalidate most any cover. Furthermore all unicorns are telekinetics - you will never get a straight shot off against one. Or your gun decides to flip over and shoot yourself in the face.
2. Pegasi would be borderline impossible to shoot down with Gryphon level of firearms technology. Not enough accuracy, muzzle velocity, effective range nor rate of fire, lol mk1 eyeball. AA was historically absolute crap up until late WW2 where you get electronically guided, rapidly firing proximity fused explosive shells. The Gryphons have zero effective AA available - especially against targets that are smaller, faster and much more manouverable than early planes.
Seriously, depending on how competently one uses Equestrian magic the gryphons and their guns are worthless. Massed formations? Pegasi bombing runs (bottled lightning seemed hella explosive, just repurpose that) or simply chuck a want-it-need-it enchanted powder keg at them. Want to starve them overnight or deprive them of material? Launch appropriately modified parasprites into their lands and they will be left with literally nothing by the time morning rolls around. Float Cloudsdale over and chuck instant winter into their lands for good measure. Potential teleporting assassins against leaders make perimeters largely useless. Morals? Morals quickly cease to matter in a war.
There certainly is a point where technology can compensate for magical versatility and overcame it through sheer force and quantity. But there is a reason why Equestria vs modern world tends to be a hotly contested topic at times. Because when properly used their magic is that good. Civil war ear guns, while obviously better than no guns, are barely a blip on the radar.
8825230
1. Unicorn beams are visible, bullets are not. That's the big difference there. You can't dodge what you can't see. Telekinetics? As I've said before, the griffons have their own unicorns and the Equestrians aren't the best when it comes to military (as shown in the alternate Sombra war universe). The unicorns also will have no idea what to do with guns because THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEGE ON THEM.
2. They are very slow when creating storms. They also have zero armor that can deflect bullets.
Also, another factor I forgot about is that the Equestrians do not know much about guns, and as such are completely unprepared for warfare with them.
The Equestrians are WAY too high on the moral pedestal to disregard them. 80% of their leaders are pacifists.