A War

by Comma Typer

To Ask for Help

Between the shelves of banjos and bass guitars, the pony and the griffon stood although at the side of the banjos.

The pony was a rangy middle-aged stallion with a bushy mustache—lighter than sky blue in coat, hair as swirly as a cloud (and colored like one, too). His suit and bowtie covered much of his body so his cutie mark could not be seen. The nametag pinned to his suit read: "Steer Straight, Equestrian Ambassador to Griffonstone".

"So, Galena," he said, fixing his tie for the umpteenth time, his voice exasperated, "would you please consider helping us even just a teensy bit?"

The griffon wore nothing but her visor. Her brown feathers were on her head, her beige ones were on her wings, and the rest that covered her body were brown-yellow with black stripes. Four legs—forelegs of claws, hindlegs of paws—were typical of her kind.

"I don't know if you've heard, sir," she said, "but there's not much we could do. Griffonstone is in shambles, even more when we've had the massive leave of girffons recently to your home." She poked her companion with a claw.

"I don't have a single griffon in our home," Steer Straight said, backing down in his tone. "I only have my wife and my daughter in my home."

Galena groaned and slapped herself on the face. "I'm not saying that you're harboring any griffons in your house. I'm saying that griffons are going to Equestria, your home—your national home." A tense pause. "Who assigned you here, anyway? You're not even a smidgeful of the last guy!"

"He's on vacation," Steer Straight simply replied.

"Permanent vacation?" and Galena raised an eyebrow of suspicion.

Steer Straight brushed the air off from before him with his hooves—a move that showed exhaustion. "I'm...I just got the post on the spot. I mean, I know more about you than the average pony, and I have wings—"

"Just like the last guy," Galena interrupted. "One of the job requirements is that you have wings."

"Well, I don't know!" he shouted and turned away, resting his head and a hoof on the racks of banjos. Sighing, he picked up a banjo, tuned it, and strummed a few solemn notes.

"You wanna buy that or what?!" the cashier yelled from afar.

Steer Straight moaned as he hastily returned the banjo back to its place.

"I want to make myself clear," Galena said, flapping her wings and crossing her forelegs. "Griffonstone is not in a good state right now. I'm doing my best to round up some pride—about everyone's sulking off and hoarding gold with no care for each other. I'm tempted to focus on my hoard as well, but I've kept it as modest as I could. I'm grasping at straws here: I've sent out an expedition to look for our lost idol, I've sent some miners to dig up some gold and other precious metals for trade, I've started some efforts to make our capital city look pretty. I'm running out of ideas, resources, and time—and that's just for my own home. I don't think we have enough to even discuss a mutual agreement with Equestria."

"I haven't tossed up some terms in the air yet," Steer Straight said. "We could, uh—"

"And what?" Galena asked. "I'm not ignorant about what's going on with your civil war."

"It's not a civil war!"

"It's one pony against another," Galena said. "There's not much else to it, even if those other ponies were gone for a thousand years."

"Then you must know what's going on!" Steer Straight told, raising his voice, stepping forward on the tiled floor and away from the banjos. "The Crystal Empire is a strong empire. It may not have as many ponies as we do, but it has...crystal-based magic on its side."

"And what do we griffons get if we help you win?" Galena asked, eyes narrowed down and glaring at the pony delegate.

Steer Straight gulped. "Uh...I didn't think that far ahead into the future."

"Eh, I expect your silly war to end shortly. Either the empire conquers everything or you conquer everything."

"Just—please, I beg you!" Steer Straight pleaded, on his knees. "Your griffon fighting forces might be the extra push we need! They might be the tipping point, the tide-turner of this war that will end it all before we know it!"

"Not likely," Galena simply said, shaking her head. "What happens if you guys lose? We'd be losing a lot of our best persons for nothing. They'll have passed away in vain. Of course, I'd want you to win, but that's not happening anytime soon, right?"

Steer Straight sighed one more time.

He stood back up on his four hooves.

He breathed slowly, looking down on the tiled floor and on her claws.

"Well, then."

Steer Straight fixed his bowtie.

"I'll send you a letter detailing the whereabouts of our next meeting. I hope that will be fruitful."

The pegasus flittered away and out of the music store.

Galena looked on at that pony until he was gone, out of sight.

A few ponies were standing still, having had watched what had gone on between the two delegates, the two ambassadors. Those few breathed out sighs of small sorrow and moved on with finding which instrument was the best for them, although with sadder faces and quieter voices.

Galena scratched her chin as she eyed one of the banjos in front of her.

---

Galena, with banjo roped around her body and around her wings, walked the dark and quiet streets of Light Doze.

A few civilians were walking around, most of them in an unexplained hurry and rush. Eyes wide, mouth shaking—no words, just a quick dash from one place to another and inside the building.

On one main street, a platoon of guards—all but three with white coats, those exceptions bearing gray coats—were gathered up. Some bystanders watched the group of almost thirty soldiers look at their leader, his armor slightly bigger than the rest.

Their faces were as stoic as any of the other guards.

She could hear whispers behind her and around her—hushed conversations as the ponies that were still outside held their hooves to their ears.

But, Galena spread her wings and flew, banjo in tow.

---

The griffon flew in the clear and starry night. The many stars twinkled in and out and back in again, bedecking the sky with their lights beside the full moon.

Her eyes twinkled, too, reflecting a bit of that moonlight.

Below, sleepy hills of copses and small forests lay. Dirt and paved roads winded and spun and turn around, but they were mostly straight. Over there, a railroad ran along though no train was in sight nor was there that familiar whistle, that deafening whistle.

Then, she flew over a barren wasteland.

It was a jarring transition. One mile was filled with yet another lush forest, the next was dotted with rock formations on the dry ground. There were no plants for long stretches—only weeds and dead trees with no leaves.

Galena heard something past the gust high up in the air.

She looked down.

Lights.

"Wow," she said to herself as she stopped to hover above the town. "Last time, there was barely any infrastructure in this part of town—"

"Who goes there?!"

Galena turned around—defensive position: claws raised.

A navy blue pegasus. Tired hair, baggy and disheveled eyes, and a spear in hoof about to prod the ambassador.

"I was only passing by," Galena said, a little scared and a little irritated.

"Hmph!" The pegasus returned her spear to her side. "It is alright, then?"

"What's alright?"

"Nevermind." She shooed the griffon away with a hoof and wing.

Galena shrugged and flew off.

"Will Starlight think much about it?" Night Glider asked as she flew down to the lit up village. "Nah."

Comments

[Sir Budginton]

Looks like this universes starlight is getting involved. Let's see where this goes.

Also any reason the story is on hiatus?

[Comma Typer]

8626143
Yes, this timeline's Starlight is getting involved.

Concerning the hiatus: It's nothing too serious. The Christmas season is going to bring with it parties, celebrations, and so on and, as much as I love writing, I don't want to leave my family and friends during this special time. New Year festivities will also explain the hiatus extending to early January. As for the rest of the month, there will be some personal and non-personal activities I'll be partaking in which might hinder my regular writing schedule.

If you're worried about me abandoning this story in the dust, don't worry. I know that the dead fic is a common thing in the realm of fan fiction and I've made it a commitment to finish whatever I've published barring any life-changing events. So, just consider this my downtime.

[Sir Budginton]

8627675

Okay then, that's fine. Spend time with your family and friends, it's what holidays are for after all. I'm a patient guy, I can wait.

Merry Christmas

[Pun System]

So Starlight has armed her village. If she's got any combat cutie marks, now would be the time to dispense them.

Or maybe she'll make the war her own personal dogma-spreading crusade and emerge as a third faction...