Friends of a feather
Not one goat could be seen and many of the chickens had vanished as well. The cows herded together in a tight bunch and kept their eyes skyward while chewing their cud. Some of the ponies had split as well and the sound of slamming doors could be heard. While chaos rippled all around him, Sundance wondered why he had a griffon visitor. Coincidence? He had just arrived. Was he being watched? That seemed likely.
“Cucumber, does this griffon have a name?” Sundance asked his retainer, whom stood beside him.
“Milady.”
Sundance was forced to bite his lip in frustration and one ear trembled. After taking a deep breath he asked, “Is there another name she is known by?”
“Dam, Sire.”
“Damn what?” With a turn of his head, Sundance cast his most commanding glance at the elderly unicorn beside him. “Surely she has a name, Cucumber.”
“Baroness, Miliege.”
“Cucumber, are you having another go at me?”
“Why, no, Sire, I would never…”
Nearby, an unshorn sheep stood stock still, attempting to do its best boulder impression, and doing an astounding job. Sundance stood drawing in deep breaths, his nostrils flaring, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards while he made snorgling sounds in the back of his throat, the sound of repressed laughter. His stomach rumbled, informing him that he hadn’t eaten in quite some time, and he began to wonder what passed for tea around here.
His mother was a stickler for tea, insisting that life without tea was a turn to hooliganism.
The griffon was little more than a speck in the sky and still quite some distance away. Sundance raised his wing and held it over his eyes for a better look, but still couldn’t see much. Around him, work continued, save for the ponies who had retreated into their quaint little cottages, and Sundance wondered how often this rather remote place had visitors.
Eyes skyward, Sundance prepared himself for a guest.
The griffon, or in this case, the griffoness, was of surprising size. Oh, she wasn’t a giant of her species—not at all, Sundance had in fact seen bigger—but the griffoness was… fluffy. Well padded. She was on the larger side and this left Sundance a little confused because he had never seen a portly, overweight griffon. Under most circumstances, these creatures were quite active and were known for their athleticism, so this was a shock.
In her claws, she carried an enormous basket which she lugged with ease and she seemed to do more gliding than flying. Sundance envied her wings, which had more than twice his own wingspan. Griffons were just graced with bigger, more powerful appendages, and it just wasn’t fair. She was coming in soft and slow, in no big hurry.
About a yard or so above the ground, she dropped the basket into a soft patch of grass and then braced her legs for a landing. Sundance saw that she was surprisingly nimble for her size and her claws allowed her to get a good grip on the ground. She flapped a few times, folded in her wings, took a deep breath, and then her tail sprung up into an exclamation point of blissful happiness.
“Hi!” she said, offering up an exuberant, husky greeting. “I’m Silver Lining, of Lulamoon Hollow, and I was sent on behalf of the Lord of Lulamoon Hollow to say ‘hello,’ so, hello!”
“Milady, it is always a pleasure to meet you,” Cucumber replied while he bowed his head in reverence and gave Sundance a feeble, ineffectual kick.
Bowing his own head, Sundance remembered his manners. “Yes… yes… it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Sundance.”
“Earlier today there was a bit of dragon mail letting us know of your imminent arrival and Sumac was busy doing his job and Pebble doesn’t fly so I flew over with a welcome basket filled with a few nice things to help you adjust. I thought it might be a bit of a shock to come out of the city and find yourself… well, here, in this place, which is really very lovely, but, um, well, you know… um…”
“Yes, I understand, and it was very kind of you to think of me—”
“Oh you’re so nice,” Silver Lining blurted out while her talons flexed and her claws dug into the soft ground. “The last baron, he wasn’t so nice, and that’s one of the things I was sent to do today, was make formal requests of you, as I am the wife of Lord Sumac and his formal emissary and diplomat. He stays busy.”
“What does Lord Sumac do?” Sundance asked and he found that he was quite charmed by this friendly, gracious griffoness. Most griffons he knew were of the grouchy, grumpy griffon variety, and this was a pleasant change of pace.
“Oh, he’s an undertaker and sometimes he’s a coroner due to his magical ability, but he’s not a medical doctor, and really, it is all very complicated.” The griffoness inhaled, fluffing out, and then, with a huff, she sat down in the grass and made herself comfortable, with her tail coming to rest in a patch of dandelions.
Beside Sundance, Cucumber grunted, and then took a few steps back.
“And Lady Pebble is known as the Dominator—”
“Yes she is! Yes she is!” Silver Lining’s whole body tensed, which caused a lot of jiggling and rippling through her features. “She can’t wait to meet you, but there is a lot of distance between our homes. It’s no big deal for you and I, because we have wings, and we can fly a few hundred miles in no time at all, but Pebble is an earth pony and like Sumac, she stays very busy.”
“Milord, I’ll be looking after the others and asking if my magic is needed,” Cucumber said, dismissing himself. “If ya need anything, give a whistle. My ears are still good.”
“Thank you, Cucumber.” Turning his head, Sundance watched as his ancient retainer wobbled away, his knees creaking and popping. After but a moment, he returned his attention to his guest, who seemed to be filled with a bubbly, effervent happiness. “Lady Silver Lining, I wish to restore good relations between our lands. What can I do to make things better?”
“Oh! Oh! I don’t know where to start! We have so much work to do, you and I, and once we do it, I’ll have to have you come back to Lulamoon Hollow with me so we can formally revive the old treaties and pen new ones. I’m very excited!”
The big griffoness was, indeed, excited, and Sundance marvelled at just how animated she was, how vivacious and full of nervouscited energy she was. Not feeling the need to be formal, he sat down in the moist grass and wondered how he was supposed to show hospitality, but he couldn’t think of anything that he had to offer her. At some point, it occurred to him that the griffoness had to be smelling the stench of rotten eggs, but not once had she made a face, or a comment, or been rude about it.
Right then and there, Sundance decided that he liked her, and that they could be the best of friends.
“Okay, first off, my husband wanted me to ask you if Boomer could hunt on your lands. She’s a tree dragon, she’s about pony sized, friendly, and likes exploring new territory. The previous fella, he refused, said he didn’t want no dragons on his land. Well, actually, he said a lot of other things, mean things, not nice things, but he’s gone and you’re here now!”
“I don’t see any reason why not—”
“Oh thank you!” Silver Lining gushed while she wrung her talons together.
At ease, Sundance found himself smiling. He kicked out his hind legs a bit, settled more on his haunches, and listened to the world around him. The jingle-jangle of tack, birds chirping, ponies working, and of course, the nervouscited breathing of the big, friendly griffoness. Unable to help himself, he began to wonder what was in the basket.
“Secondly, Sumac wants to know if you are interested in restoring the old treaties, the defensive pacts that we once shared, and oh, he wants to know if the nocturnal pegasus ponies can also hunt on your land. Lulamoon Hollow has quite a population of them and we’re running short on game. In return for your kindness, you would receive their protection.”
“The night terrors?” Sundance felt his muscles tense and he became uncomfortable.
“Oh, don’t be scared… I was raised by one. He’s a little stern but he’s great and he only interrogated poor Sumac just a little when he asked for my talons in marriage.” She laughed, a happy sound, and leaned forwards. “Gosh, Sumac was sweating that day, lemme tell you. Sweatin’ like a watermelon at an earth pony picnic!”
“The pegasus ponies of the night? Big, scary, bat wings?” Sundance felt his throat go dry and the underside of his wings felt itchy. “Is it true what they say… that the night terrors are part dragon?”
“Yes, but there’s no need to be afraid of them, silly.” Silver Lining made a dismissive wave with her talons and her beak clicked together. “At some point, I’ll have you meet my little sister. She almost killed my mother—”
“Killed?”
“Oh! No! No! Not in the way you think! Nononono!” Silver Lining held up her talons and her eyes were pleading. “Little Gloom Treader got her big head stuck in my mother’s backside. But I assure you, little Gloomy is a sweetheart! Just, uh, don’t get too close to her food when she’s eating.” The griffoness let out nervous-sounding laugh that faded into a half-hearted chuckle.
This was, potentially, his first big decision as a leader, and Sundance began to feel a little sweaty while the mental pressure built. This was a goodwill gesture, but also one that offered the benefit of protection. He had already agreed to a dragon, so why not the night terrors? Well, night terrors were scary, for one thing—but then again, so were dragons. Sundance had known a few dragons back in Baltimare, but nocturnal pegasus ponies were unknown to him, scary, spooky, and mysterious. What might his peasants think? Would they even notice? The night terrors would, presumably, be active at night, right? Dragons were dragons and ponies were ponies, but night terrors were neither, and this gave Sundance considerable unease.
Making this decision was a whole lot harder than Sundance felt it needed to be.
Silver Lining was staring at him now with her head tilted off to one side in some birdlike manner. The wind gusted, tugging at her flawless feathers, which rippled in a fetching way. Sundance felt itchy, uncertain, and wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he supposed to ask for something in return? Would that be rude? Diplomacy was about give and take, right? Try as he might, he couldn’t think of anything to ask for, nor could he think of a way to phrase such a question. In the end, he was left with what he felt was the only viable option.
“I welcome the protection of your hunters and I am grateful for your generous offer to defend my land.”
“Hey,” Silver Lining began in a chirpy voice, “that’s a pretty good answer. I think you’ll do well at this. Don’t be so nervous. I wasn’t raised with being a Lady of the land in mind, so I wasn’t prepared and given a whole lot of special education. I did go to a finishing school, Sumac and Pebble paid for it, but I wasn’t great at it. I was about average, and that’s fine, I guess, but I expected more of myself. Just about everything I’ve learned, I’ve done so as I went along, and I’ve learned mostly from the mistakes I’ve made. I started off as absolutely nothing special and now look at me… a Lady of Lulamoon hollow, a diplomat and an emissary. I navigate the Royal Courts and I say that I do pretty good for myself, because I’m honest, warm, sincere, and friendly. If I can make it this far, so can you!”
Something deep inside of Sundance felt warm and squishy when he replied, “Thank you.” No other words seemed forthcoming, and while he searched himself for something else to say, the warm sense of affection gushing from within him helped him calm down a bit.
“There’s a fresh new blanket in the basket.” Silver Lining gestured at the basket behind her by jerking her thumb-talon back over her shoulder. “There’s some candies to help lift your spirits and help you make friends. There’s a little traveller’s tea service set, some tea, and a jar of honey. There’s also the promise of friendship, but that’s more... ephemeral? Is that the word I’m looking for? No, I don’t think it is. Something-something insubstantial.”
“Thank you… for everything.” Sundance held out his hoof, unsure of know a griffon might return a hoof-bump. It was nice meeting somepony much like himself, a commoner thrust into all of this complication.
Much to his surprise, his fetlock was grabbed and Silver Lining gave his hoof a shake that almost pulled him over.
“I’m starving,” she said, still holding onto Sundance’s fetlock. “How about we talk more over a meal, or am I being too forward? Ponies tell me I’m too forward sometimes, but you and I are gonna be the best of friends, I can tell, and I can hear your stomach gurgling.”
“Lunch sounds like a fine idea.” Sundance shook his head and he felt his spirits soar, knowing that he had made a friend. “I’ll see what I can do about getting us fed. Again, thank you for everything.”
“Yay!” Silver Lining cried as she tugged on Sundance’s foreleg. “Lunch!”
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Finally something that gives it a rough time setting in the Weedverse. Little Silver's all grown up.
Yay! Silver Lining!
Silver Lining is such a sweetheart. It's good to have good neighbors. Nice to see things starting off on the right wing (so to speak).
8673664
That's what I was thinking. I wasn't sure how far in the future it was taking place but it is further than I thought.
8673664
And a lot less shy...
I really hope that by this time Grogar has had his horns clipped. Somewhere just south of his ears sound about right.
hmm, it seems i've yet to read where sumac and pebble don't become an item :B
8673907
They are an item.
Silver Lining should tell Sundance why letting Boomer and the nigh Pegasus hunt benefits him. That always helps how does this benefit the other party
8672967 8663564 We are talking about a system that you are put into power just on the basis of your birth. Why would anyone in power vote for a system that lets them be removed from power. Look at how hard it is to remove a bad bureaucrat
wait, Sumac *married* her??? Did this get mentioned in one of the 'future' side stories and I missed it?
8673923
Yes. You are reading the story where it is mentioned.
8673914
hmmkay, so what do i need to read that explains silvers relationship with sumac?
8673944
That is a forum question. Or maybe somebody else will take the time to write out a detailed answer. See, I wrote all these things, and I'm still writing things, and when people don't read them, or skip them, or fails to pay attention to important details, I am forced to write these things for a second time.
8673944
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheWeedverse
Here is a valuable resource. Check the character listings and the stories. It should help you sort everything out on your own.
Dohoho, now this should be fun.
So, some of Celestia's traits breed true, then.
8673949right, my aplogizes for the annoyance, i'll be taking a look at that tropes article then
8673978
I am so glad that somebody took the time and the effort to notice this. Thank you.
8673980
There is also a Discord link in the forums.
There is a whole army of people with vast amounts of knowledge available. And secrets!
8673985
hmmkay
8673981
Silver Lining is sweet.
I must say that you have clearly done it again. Such a great new chapter! <3
8674334
I am also aware of the old proverb you punned, my Exterminautus finger is getting twitchy
So will you let us use your lands for this and this? In exchange you will get protection. Um, protection from what? So far Silver Lining seems like she is discussing a pretty one sided deal.
8674517
Hunters tend to go after dangerous threats that might be a danger to the peasantry. It will keep the monster population in line. More on that later.
/^3^\ so adorable
Speaking of tea, and thinking back on how it was previously mentioned how high up Canterlot is built on an imposible mountain using enormous amounts of magic. I figured it out. It’s the perfect hight to get the perfect boiling water temperature for tea. Never too hot, no waiting for water to cool down before brewing. Boil water, brew tea and drink. Perfect every time. Damn, Celestia was thinking ahead
8674523
Just like it is in parts of the Asian continent.
8674520
Predators are an important part of any ecosystem. Just look at how the removal and reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park affected the fauna. If nothing else it will help control the population of some species that could be considered pests by farmers.
8674547
8675235
Monasteries have been built in the Himalayas just for this purpose. Wars have been fought to control cities at just the right altitude. There is a long history of warfare and violence to control these precious places.
Silver Lining is my new Spirit Animal.
8675269
As someone who downright hates tea.... Wow.
As someone who goes to insane lengths to fold papers with absolute mathematical precision.... Yeah, I can see it. Especially when the culture values it.
8673944
*cough cough* Crystal Cotillion *unconvincing cough*
How nice to see Silver Lining and learn what Sumac and Pebble are doing!
Talk about a silver lining to this new post.
Yes!! Grifongriffongriffongriffongriffon!
And shes married to an earth pony eh?
Sundance you gotta find yourself a burb!