Chapter 26: Boarding Party
Gina was not the sort of bird who had to deal with the big picture of politics. She didn’t have to see the relationships between the great houses, or their slow machinations as they constantly fought to out-maneuver each other. Her own house had been part of that great game once, though she hadn’t been anywhere near the top. The birds of Purity had been unwilling to sacrifice their purity to do what was necessary to keep a great house from being torn apart from all sides. Now Purity was gone, divided into the masses of birds of other bloodlines.
But how much longer could Accipio continue as they were, consuming another great house every decade or so? Eventually their waring and politicking would create a world where only one house remained, and the emperor it produced would rule for all of time.
Even if he’s from house Virtue, that would be a terrible ending for our kind. Even if the emperor came from house Purity, and they were still living together in their ancestral homeland, it would’ve made her nervous. But the future was even less certain now that they were guests at the whim of ponies.
Now it seemed house Vengeance had taken the first steps to ensuring they would be guests no longer.
Gina moved slowly along the deck, passing Hogarth with a nod as she walked. Captain Hookbeak seemed to have his eye mostly on the sky, scanning for pony ships.
Below them, Equestria passed by as quickly as their engines could take them. But however swift the Lapwing was, it couldn’t outrun the smoke its engines made as they flew. The chances that some pony ship wouldn’t be waiting to intercept them were very small.
What was worse, Gideon and his Vengeance monks now skulked across the deck, practicing their various crafts in whatever corners they could find. They wore the sacred robes with distinction, but even so Gina could muster little respect for them. There was no denying the danger they had brought to every bird by circumventing the pony injunction on firearms. They could sing sweet songs about obeying the words of the treaty all they wanted—when Equestria heard about this, there would be war.
Gina found herself settling in beside Isabel on the deck. The pony was near the bow, watching as settlements went by far below them. Compared to the destruction of their homeland, Equestria seemed almost unscathed by the apocalypse. Even the signs of ordinary war were absent—Accipio was a land of mighty fortresses, where every hill was fortified with some ancient redoubt, or equally ancient burial site.
Equestria had no such places. Their cities weren’t fortresses tucked against the mountains, but more sprawling versions of the slave-settlements that worked the land of Accipio. No walls, no cannons, nothing.
“Do you regret coming here?” Gina asked, her voice low. There was nothing to stop her from conversing with her slaves—but the priests from Vengeance were watching. There were old customs about the way to treat slaves. She didn’t want some birds working for the honorless Vengeance to overhear what she was thinking. “Or maybe you wish you were down there.”
“No,” Isabel said. “I don’t think so. Maybe you didn’t need me… but it’s nice to see Equestria up close. I always wanted to… see it. Not live here—they’re too primitive for me. I don’t want to live with barbarians. But maybe once everything is safe I’ll be able to visit.”
Gina was about to reply, but she didn’t get the chance. Someone shouted from behind her, and she spun around to see it was Hookbeak. “Equestrian vessels ahead, Imperator! What are your orders?”
Gina nodded once to the unicorn, then took to the air, gliding swiftly to the upper deck beside the captain. “Can you get away, Hookbeak?”
The old bird shook his head. “Afraid not, Imperator. There’s three of them this time, all along the border. Take a look.” He held out his spyglass for her, and Gina squinted at the lens to look. There were three of them all-right, modern Equestrian vessels with the odd-looking hulls and magical engines. She’d heard rumors some of these new ships had cannons on them too, though as of yet they’d never had the displeasure of finding out. The day an Equestrian ship actually fired on an Accipian ship might be the beginning of the end of the world.
“Those flags.” She passed the binoculars back. “What are they signaling?”
Captain Hookbeak took his spyglass back, staring through the lenses for a few seconds. “That’s… they think we’re a merchant ship. Makes sense, with no Accipian flag flying. But once they get closer they’re going to see all of us, and know we’re not from that midden of Griffonstone. Our heading makes that mighty obvious.”
“And we can’t outrun them?” Gina looked past him, to the empty places where cannons would be on the side of their ship. Removing them had meant a significantly reduced weight, meant they were nimble—but it also meant they were defenseless. Emperor Gaius had obeyed the treaty in every respect when sending them—except for the part about ponies no longer allowing them across the border.
“No chance,” Hookbeak said. “Well, we can delay them. Come about, make for Equestrian territory with all speed. But they’re in their own lands. They’ll have reinforcements coming from the north to cut us off.
“We’re doing what Equestria wanted,” Gina muttered. “It’s okay. That’s what we’ll tell them. There’s nothing aboard we need be concerned about.” She glanced briefly down at the deck, where Isabel was still watching the countryside below them. Almost nothing to be concerned about.
She straightened. “Captain Hookbeak, signal our surrender. We’ll reduce speed and allow ourselves to be boarded.”
A few of the sailors all around them seemed visibly annoyed with this pronouncement. One of them muttered something she couldn’t hear to another sailor—she could only catch the word “female,” and from his tone it was obvious it hadn’t been flattering.
She didn’t know what the bird had said, but she didn’t much care. She pretended as though she hadn’t heard. Hookbeak, for his part, only saluted before shouting his orders. The Lapwing began to slow, a griffon near the bow flashing a few flags in rhythm to the distant pony ship. Gina didn’t know what they meant, but she assumed it was surrender.
“One more thing, Hookbeak. Raise our flag. Make sure they know who they’re boarding.”
“Aye, ma’am.”
She returned to the front of the ship, settling in beside Isabel. “You should… probably get below decks, Isabel,” she suggested. “And… while you’re at it, give me that slave-collar.” It wasn’t locked. Like all of Gina’s slaves, Isabel was loyal to the core, and her collar was not a restraint. Even Hogarth’s heavy iron band was more for intimidation’s sake, as well as reassuring citizen birds that he was “under control.” It had no lock.
Isabel removed the slave-collar without hesitation. But Gina wasn’t the kind of master who expected absolute, unquestioning obedience from her slaves. Not when they might have better ideas. “It might be better if I stay up here,” she said, her voice appropriately deferential. “It they search and find me, it will be worse than if I’m on the deck when they get here. I can take off the necklace, but I can’t remove this.” She twisted her right hind leg slightly, exposing the long-healed scar of her brand.
Few masters still branded their slaves—that barbaric practice had fallen out of favor a long time ago. But many of the slaves Gina had obtained for her own household had been by confiscation, taken from some of the worst families in Accipio. Birds who didn’t treat honor the way Virtue did.
Gina tucked the slave-collar away into her money-pouch, nodding once to Isabel. “Good idea. And if they ask…”
“I’ll say I’m a member of your household,” Isabel said. “It’s true. They’re ponies, they won’t have the courage to question you. They’re barbarians and cowards all.”
They watched in silence as the three pony airships closed in around them. She could see as they got closer that the rumor of Equestrian ships having cannons appeared to be just that—these ships had a single ballista atop their decks, as though they were on their way to a museum display.
As they neared, the birds of the Griffonstone monastery gathered near the top deck. All except for Gideon, who joined Gina on the bow to watch.
“An interesting tactic, allowing them to get this close,” he whispered. “We can see their numbers, certainly. Their weaknesses. How will we destroy them?”
“Through cooperation,” Gina said, unable to keep the spite from her tone. “Once they realize we are here enforcing the will of their princesses, they will be helpless but to leave us alone.”
Her mockery didn’t elicit so much as a smile from the monk. He looked her up and down with a withering stare. “Don’t think that just because Purity was willing to bend the knee that the rest of us are so easily broken. We won’t be ridden like a slave by the weak will of prey. My birds will not submit to these slaves dressing up and pretending to be soldiers. They will learn their place in time.”
“You will cooperate, by authority of Emperor Gaius,” she said, flashing her seal briefly at him. “If your birds resist, you will not return for trial. I’ll have your wings bound and throw you overboard myself.”
It wasn’t entirely an empty threat. Imperial commands were absolute, and she did carry his authority. At least so far as returning these birds to Accipian territory. But Gideon was from an important branch of house Vengeance. “You know who I am,” he said, his voice low. She could see the glint of his claws, purposefully extended for a moment. “There is no greater master of arms in all Accipio. I could kill every soldier aboard those ships without a gun. The only reason any of your crew is still alive is my cousin’s respect for Gaius. You would not do well to test it.”
The pony ships were very close now. She could see the pegasi moving through the air all around them, wearing their light scale-mail armor. They carried crossbows, most of them, though some had blades instead. No firearms to speak of. The center ship appeared be moving alongside, with a few ponies preparing to bring across the bridge that would connect them. They were being boarded.
“Your skills are impressive,” Gina agreed. “I saw some of your tournaments, before you took the vow of service to the ancestors. But don’t think Gaius sent this ship unprepared to deal with you. If you raise your claws against me or those ponies, I swear on the old blood of Purity you won’t leave my ship alive.”
He met her gaze in an electric silence, yellow eyes boring into her light blue. But she didn’t look away, not for a second. Not until the voice of a gruff pony sounded from behind them. “All aboard, line up and present yourselves for inspection! Any wearing weapons will toss them to the deck and not pick them up again. If you’re carrying contraband, present it now—it’ll go quicker for all of us. Will the officer in charge please present themselves and their writ of passage.” And on and on.
Gina turned her back on Gideon. The gesture took enormous courage—showing ones back directly after a confrontation like this was a dangerous gamble. Vulnerability like that invited attack, but it was also an expression of contempt. As Gina was female, that made the move even more pronounced. You are beneath my notice. I know I have power over you. And at least for the moment, she was right. She could smell the bird’s anger following her across the deck, but Gideon didn’t strike her.
“That would be me,” she said, stopping before the pony in the fanciest uniform. She removed her large knife from her belt in an exaggerated way, tossing it to the side. Then she extended a talon. “My name is Gina of house Virtue. We travel under the sacred auspice of the emperor himself.” She removed the seal, handing over the wrought gold to the officer. “I trust you’ll find everything in order.”
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I find myself actually wanting the shit to hit the fan, just to put an end to the griffins' farce once and for all. Whether all out war breaks out or not, this is going to end bloody for both sides because of them. The sooner it happens, the better for Equestria, so as not to allow the griffins enough time to completely rearm themselves. Nice chapter, but goddamn I want those monks dead.
I'm just sitting here waiting for shit to hit the fan
I'm seriously tense at the mood of this scene
8910702
Kind of, yeah.
At least with Isabel, I'm wondering if she's not trying to convince herself more than her owner there. She literally looks down on the pony cities, and she has to notice how pleasant and peaceful they look. So she might be playing up the part of the loyal, tough, hypercompetent slave because acknowledging the truth, that she'd probably be way more happy in Equestria as a free mare, is too painful.
There's an underlying tension in the story, without actually stating so. That's some good writing there.
8910702
You forgot the air quotes there.
'Monks'.
It'll be interesting to see what happens when conflict inevitably breaks out. Because despite griffon confidence and pony trepidation, any conflict on remotely even terms should be hilariously one-sided.
Unless the griffons have a hidden ace up their sleeve, or the ponies are seriously nerfed/dumbed-down in this story, the griffons should get their tails handed to them in just about any engagement. If nothing else, unicorn magic should be a dominant force on the battlefield. And while the griffons might very well have them outnumbered, it almost doesn't matter in the face of Equestria's heavy hitters.
8910804
OP ponies are boring ponies. And I personally like flawed characters more than "sues" and "stus". Just saying.
HEART. POUNDING. IN. CHEST.
8910822
I'm not saying they're OP, just that the Griffons aren't prepared to fight them. They have weapons, tactics, and technology optimized to combat mundane threats, not pony magic. Ponies are likewise not prepared to deal with griffon tactics, but unlike the griffons they have the ability to very quickly adapt and regain the initiative.
Assuming the griffons don't bury them under a surprise attack with superior numbers, the ponies have little chance of losing.
8910831
That's not even going into what a pony society geared towards war could churn out. In another timeline, they developed cybernetics.
8910839
Exactly. Even if we disregard the weird outliers, pony technology is decades, if not centuries, in advance of the griffons. If they made a concerted effort to actually fight the griffons, rather than appease them, the battle would be pretty much over.
8910831
Good point's. Although personally a little bit skeptic about the adapting part; ponies tend to jump to conclusions or run around in panic, at least in parts of canon, when some kinda threat arises and there is no musical number or a princess to fix it (and they can't be everywhere at once). And earlier we did see emperor wearing magic-immune/resistant "void-steel" armor, but it's unknown to us how widespread that is in use.
Let's just hope that A-holes get somehow axed on BOTH sides, if such thing happens.
8910854
Like I said, it depends on if/how much the ponies are nerfed in this story. If the negative aspects are played up (guard is weak/incompetent, characters can act like children, Alicorns are useless, etc.) then the griffons walk over them. Otherwise...things get interesting.
As for the "void-steel," if I recall that requires regular recharging, and like any "magic-immune" ability, it has obvious counters.
We'll have to wait and see when things get messy.
I am sort of wondering when it comes to these equestrian vessels. If they are like described in the other chapter, Destroyers meant as an answer to the griffons dreadnoughts, then it might be bad for the griffins. At least if those equestrian destroyers followed same line of thinking and development as our worlds.
Also, I can't help but chuckle when the griffons and Isabel call ponies primitive. They literally have plastic IV tubes. The amount of technological advancement that means is quite alot. Hell, we know they have electricity, presumebly hydropower as we do see a dam in an episode, and they got DJ's at parties and so on. I guess it could all be powered by magic.
I got a question to Starcribe. This fic says that the griffons conquered all the other lands, the zebras, minotaurs and so on. So why did the griffons need to relocate to equestria when the volcano erupted, why not go to a conquered land? Or how do you actually see the landmasses/continets in this fic?
8910839
In a world with magic, artificial limbs aren't necessarily cybernetic. They are still functional artificial limbs though, which is a massive boon both during war and peacetime.
8910854
Hmwell in the alternate Crystal War timeline they adapted to a war economy pretty dang fast.
8910854
A little creativity goes a long way towards countering that void-steel armor. Might be immune to magic, but considering a non-military mare like Twilight managed to lift, manipulate, and fill an entire water tower with a barn's worth of cow's milk to appease a giant star-bear cub, I think we can say with certainty that a military pony, or even a group of them, could lift and throw a gigantic boulder and crush whoever's wearing it. Not to mention it needs to be recharged.
Beyond that, we've only ever seen all that panic, conclusion-jumping and such from civilians. The Royal Guard has almost always been purposely absent for most crises, or completely overwhelmed by superior numbers in the case of the changelings, which is a race entirely dedicated to subversion and trickery. The griffons practically worship the very concept of honor. They would want a prepared, head-on war. They would be annihilated if Equestria actually had to mobilize.
8910866
Let's do hope thing keep getting interesting.
8910882
Yes they did. And it took EVERYPONY(and some non-ponys) in that effort to just keep up the ("slap-wrestling-little magic")fight againt's a brainwashed population of single city and its ruler.
8910886
And said annihilation would surely scar/damage Equestrias rep, and maybe civilians psyche, in too many ways to count.
8910908
Yeah, it would, but the alternative is letting the griffons enslave the entirety of their country, so pick your poison.
8910910
We don't know yet if it would the only alternative. But if I had to choose, I would drink both poisons and wait what happens in future chapters.
If the gryphons had the brains to load their brand new guns with voidsteel would the ponies really have any defence against it?
8910917
I just think it would be very unbelievable if the griffons had any chance at all. It's a problem when magic's involved in this kind of scenario. We know what magic's capable of, and the griffons can't use it with the kind of diversity and natural ability that the ponies can. Even if the griffons win some early skirmishes with their guns, that's the only ace they have up their sleeve. Beyond that, Equestria has far more land, far more resources, and far more bodies to throw at the problem, not to mention there's nothing stopping Equestria from stealing firearms off of dead griffons and replicating the technology, possibly even making it better with magic. Imagine a firearm that's actually a magic-powered railgun.
Either way you look at it, if the griffons push for war, the griffons get wiped out.
8910702
WAR IS GREAT! LETS START IT NOW
8910804
But many ponies would die. many
8910886
Twilight Sparkle is literally the element of magic and one of the strongest unicorns in all of Equestria.
8910908
It wouldn't damage Equestria's rep. Since the Griffons conquered everything, Equestria would own everything. Of course it would probably lead to a MASSIVE reduction in the pony population and severe damage to everyone, so yeah
8910951
Okay, then get five, maybe ten unicorns to throw boulders. Same result. The point is, if she can do that, there's very little stopping a team of unicorns from being able to do the exact same thing. It's also worth noting that the vast majority of her feats of strength outside of the battle with Tirek had nothing to do with her Element (as far as we know).
I actually forget, is she an alicorn in this story? I don't recall it being mentioned.
8910908
Enemies who use mind control rarely keep their armies limited to one city's worth though.
8910962
There's also the fact that mind-controlling people turns them into puppets that likely have no sense of self-preservation. That's a very dangerous and intimidating enemy to face.
8910957
Her feats of strength do have to do with her element because she is strong magically because she is the element of magic
I think she is an alicorn in this story, yes.
8910951
Actually, this raises an interesting point I don't recall addressed yet: Accipio claims to have conquered everything, yet they were forced to withdraw from their homelands into Equestria. Why did they not withdraw into one of these other nations they claim to have conquered? What is happening in those nations now that their gryphon masters are gone?
8910971
Okay, so what's Starlight's excuse? You know, the unicorn that squared off against her when she was an alicorn and, being as mild as I can about it, clearly outmatched Twilight?
Twilight being the strongest unicorn/alicorn around doesn't suddenly make all other unicorns in the world scrub-tier dunces.
8910975
You know, that's actually a really good point. I wonder if maybe that's another case of exaggerated propaganda bordering on a full-on lie? Hopefully that'll get explored down the line.
8910848
For both. The unique circumstances of the eruption possibly means the end of both regardless of who wins. Equestria fears this because they apparently cannot use their tech to compensate for the agricultural loss due to the manpower demanded by war.
8910975
Wasn't it said that the equestrians are the least affected by the eruption (other than the dragons)? They would have moved to the conquered if given a choice. I assume those other civs are too busy surviving to celebrate their sudden freedom.
8910976
Its quite clear starlight is also an incredibly talented unicorn. The abilities of average unicorns other than levitation (and that still has limits) haven't really been touched upon but I'd assume star and twi are quite a few levels above the populace. Again, the whole treaty was implemented to avoid an expensive war not a one-sided curbstomp. They wouldnt be so concerned with the agricultural loss if the battle was one-and-done. It won't be. It'll be bloody. And then the winner will likely starve.
8911066
It honestly feels like a griffon civil war will start before a war with equestria.
8911040
Yeah, but that encounter implies that she's at least as strong as if not superior to Twilight when it comes to magical aptitude and strength, and that's after Twilight became an alicorn. Not to mention Starlight being that powerful either proves how weak the Element of Magic is, or it proves that the Element of Magic has little to nothing to do with Twilight's magical feats and skills.
The only reason those two seem like outliers is because the show has no reason to show us anyone else in Equestria that could possibly be that powerful and capable. Assuming those two are the only powerful unicorns around doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
8911084
They are outliers. Otherwise, the end of the world events that occur every season would have easily been thwarted by a unicorn force.
It hasn't been touched upon how powerful average unicorns are or theor potential, but they are clearly not comparable to twi and star. There might be some that are but we can only use what the show (or starscribe) gIves us. And apparently, normal run-of-the-mill unicorns rarely use anything beyond levitation.
8910971
8910976
On the Element of Magic, I know it's popular fanon to translate that into 'Element of magical spellcasting', but spellcasting is not an Element of Harmony. Friendship is. Twilight's Element is not spellcasting, it's the Element of the Magic of Friendship.
All that magical oomph is pure Twilight.
Now as for unicorn spellcasting in general, the show's a tad split on that. We are told as early as Boast Busters that magical talent of Twilight's level is limited to those with cutie marks in magic. But on the other hoof, we also see unicorns without a cutie mark in magic perform rather amazing feats of magic. Even Rarity was capable of rearranging the weather, and her talent is in fashion.
Maybe the slave issue and the gun issue will somehow collide and cancel out the impending war. Or maybe we'll have a double war.
Oh lord.
Maybe they could just do some creative accounting and declare everything to be House Vengeance's fault and have everyone have the wars against them specifically.
8910929
8911108
8911123
To be honest, even considering all the things Equestria can pull off in a serious fight (from all that technology and magic to things like ice archery) I don't think it would be a cakewalk. Not at all. Equestria isn't a warlike country, and the ponies aren't a warlike people. And yes, they are affected by the devastation wrought in old Accipio, only on a far smaller scale. They would rather not divert any of their workforce to a war effort.
And yet, I also think they would win in the end. Because one thing the ponies are doing is learning about the Griffons. They clearly worry about what their weaponry can do. They're willing to adapt. The birds... they're not. They go "guns and claws, huzzah!" and believe that'll be enough. Except for a tiny, tiny number of them, they don't seem to consider much of anything the ponies could possibly be capable of. That's not just the handful of mares who can teleport over long distances and throw buildings, or that fellow who can generate a shield over a city for days, it's also how a team of Pegasi can create a tornado. That's all real, all of it. A cunning commander should take that into account.
8910917
Except, right in this chapter, when the Griffins ship was simply going to let the Ponies inspect the ship, the 'monks' had this to say.
The Griffins see pony magic as a farce, see them all as slaves masquerading as something else, and call them barbarians even when their technology is leaps and bounds ahead of Accipio's. They respect NOTHING about Equestria, and this is a country that's repeatedly repelled them.
8911208
Of course it isn't going to be a cakewalk. There is a reason Celestia wants to avoid war beyond the food crisis, a war with Accipio is going to be bloody, it is going to be long and it is going to be killing ponies and gryphons even after it ends, regardless of who wins.
8911212
Ahead in some, behind in others. From what we've seen in the story so far, they're better in the medical field, but in regards to transportation and weaponry the gryphons have a rather distinct advantage.
8911201
That's a... solution.
Pretty sure it happened in real life at least
oncea couple of times.I have not gotten this genuinely angry over something I've read in quite some time. God, but Accipian culture is loathsome. Isabel I can forgive, since in her case her ignorance is likely caused by a lifetime of indoctrination and enslavement as much as anything else, and Gina and Velar at least seem to have ten brain cells to rub together and a working sense of morality, but the rest of the Accipians we've seen... what a pack of two-faced, traitorous, backstabbing, virulently racist warmongering pricks. The good news, I suppose, is that there's no way they can get the victory they want. Either a) cool heads win out and peace is maintained, which would be ideal, b) the griffins have their war and are beaten before anything truly major can happen, or c) a major war breaks out and any hope of keeping civilization running until the volcanic cataclysm subsides is lost, dooming whatever is left of Accipio thanks to its own citizens' ignorance and short-sighted greed.
Bah. Let's see how this boarding party pans out, I suppose. After all the contemptuous bile the monks have been going on about about how no one can possibly ever be a threat to them, I really hope they're given a reason to eat crow.
This is not a criticism on the story itself, by the by. I count it as a good thing if a work can make me this viscerally angry at the antagonists.
If this story takes place after the movie, Equestria could have Tempest Shadow have a word with the griffons.
Then again I also want to see Ember dropping by to have a word with the griffons, and explain how they can pacify Accipian territory if it proves necessary.
Ugh, Isabel needs a good slap of reality.
8911820
Seriously what is primitive about the ponies? The Griffins keep slaves (some, possibly many, of whom don't want to be slaves (which Isabel probably doesn't believe)), the Griffins might be eating other intelligent beings (again, VEAL), the Griffins have seemingly only developed military technology over the last few centuries, and their most advanced medical treatment is one that involved dark magic and a sacrifice, the Griffins still have trial by combat and fights to the death as part of their actual legal system.
Does Isabel know nothing about Equestria at all? Or does she just believe every rumor she's told by her masters? Cause I'm honestly lost as to what about the ponies she could be considering 'primitive'
8910975
More to the point, Gryphons and their slaves are constantly harping on about how much better the Empire is than Equestria, and yet, Equestria is the only nation in this world that Accippio hasn't conquered. Surely there is a reason for that.
8911208
I have to disagree. This Equestria would have an incredibly war ready government. A massive budget for their military and weapons R&D. A standing, extremely well armed military ready to deploy at a moments notice. They wouldn't have survived this long otherwise.
They are one of only two countries and two free species left (As far as we know), the other being expansionist hungry, slaving griffons who have no qualms about telling you to your face "We only see you as 'To-be' slaves". Equestria knows there's no diplomacy available here. You can't parley with those that will ignore any word out of your mouth.
The only thing preventing Appico from taking everything from them is shear military power. And only a fool would allow that to fall behind in this political situation.
This Equestria might not be like the Crystal War timeline Equestria, but it would be prepared to become that at a moments notice.
8912099
And yet, given how the gryphons are so blindly believing their absolute dominance they can't have had a lot of clashes with Equestria. if they had, then either they would have been proven right by taking Equestrian territory in the past or they'd know Equestria isn't as helpless as they claim.
8912099
I would still argue they're not a warlike country or people. Thing is, they have incredible force multipliers at their disposal. Friendship and magic and a population of gifted craftsmen and savants due to the nature of Cutie Marks and destiny.
Equestria is vulnerable when caught off-guard. That, sadly, happens a lot, and probably because they're not warlike. But if they know what's coming and have time to prepare? Hoh boy. They're going to sing a catchy song and pool their skills.
8911900
Why, that they're not yet enslaved, of course! Clearly that's a sign of their close-minded, stubborn primitiveness to be so clinging to their misplaced 'freedom', which is really only a less organised form of slavery anyway!
Jokes aside, the Griffons plain don't care to know much about Equestria. They see slower airships and a lack of guns and that tells them all they think they need to know. Anything not fitting their own sense of superiority is Fake News.
8912124
They've had one. (That we know of, at least). The survivors formed what is known as Griffonstone.
The griffons are incredibly arrogant, with pisspoor knowledge of anything outside their culture. They have no idea what Equestrians are capable of, and put down as myth the most basic magical abilities of pegasi and earth ponies. They wholeheartedly believe in a natural superiority over everything.
And yet they still only attacked Equestria once.
I don't think we've seen much about that defeat they suffered, but it must have been bad enough that they've never tried again. Even after many generations down the line having dulled the memory of the defeat, and considering it a blight on their history of their species and their natural place of holding dominion over the entire planet that needs to be fixed, and believing that everything and everyone else's place is serving them, head bowed, with a chain around their neck.
They're still arrogant enough to bluster and call Equestria weak and pathetic, but not stupid enough to try again.
8912099
A comment from "Weather Station" implies the dragons have maintained independence as well.
Possibly also the yaks, since they're mentioned as living in an area that the griffins have no experience or adaptions for surviving in and would struggle to settle.