Prince Blueblood: Master Ambassador

by Doug Graves

9 Introductions

"Hello!" calls Lunaris, forcing a smile to his muzzle as two of the guards land, one russet and one light blue. The other two griffons, both medium brown, continue circling in the air, casting wary looks at the two ponies and griffon cowering behind them. Lunaris continues, "How are you this fine day?" He shudders as one of the armored guards lopes towards him, restraining himself from whipping out one of his rapiers against the spear that wanders dangerously close.

"Why are you here, pony?" the russet guard rasps, waving the spear between him and Golda, "And why is one of the Golden Aerie hens here?"

Lunaris nods, taking half a step backwards, "My name is Lunaris Blueblood, Prince of Equestria. I was sent here by Princess Celestia to broker some sort of agreement between us. If you would be so kind as to help us over there, and take you to your King, I would be very grateful."

"Griffons have no king, pony!" the guard belts out, glaring at Lunaris. The guard advances further, the spear no longer aimed at Lunaris but instead at Golda. She gulps, nervously raising a talon and waving; short, fast motions that fail to quell the guard's animosity. The russet griffon continues, "And, you, Golda of the Golden Aerie, you know the penalty for returning here. I give you one chance to flee for your life."

The blue guard moves up behind the first, his spear pointing at Golda, the two guards in the air circling to flank behind her. Golda quickly glances down the mountain, her talons shuffling against the slick stone.

"Hey!" Lunaris shouts, stepping forward and pointing a hoof at the guard, his expression unwavering at the harsh glare in return. "Golda is here on my request, serving as my guide, and I demand that you allow her and her clan safe passage while they are here peacefully."

"Peacefully!" snorts the blue guard, his spear waving back and forth. He stutters, a nervous glance to his russet comrade, "Wait, the Golden clan is coming?" He signals to the two airborne griffons, both dropping down to land next to him. "We have to prepare if the Golden Aerie decides to show up in force!" He turns to Lunaris, "And you somehow thought you could help with this?"

"Maybe?" Lunaris adds with a chipper smile, the two griffons glaring at him in return. "I was hoping to, say, arbitrate some sort of peace between you and Equestria. If that goes well, then I could also help between Griffonstone and the Golden Aerie as well."

"Well, I hope you brought more than goodwill, pony!" The russet griffon thrusts her spear towards Golda, angrily saying, "Because it won't be enough to stop her clan from trying to pillage our homes, should they decide to attack!"

Lunaris motions to his pack, "I did bring bits! Perhaps I can barter some of them, not only to the Golden Aerie, but for you and your comrades to, say, fly me and my assistant, Private Aspide, over the Abyss?" He pulls out four bits with a hoof, tossing one to each griffon. They inspect the bits, shrugging and grunting at each other. Two griffons move to each of Lunaris and Aspide, glancing over each at each other as they try to figure out how exactly they will carry the ponies over. They finally grab both ponies by the forelegs, their talons grasping the upper foreleg and hauling the ponies into the air.

"Please don't let go please don't let go," mutters Aspide as they hover over the Abyssal Abyss. She gasps, clinging to the talons carrying her as they briefly stall, the winds buffeting the griffons around. Their efforts redouble, dragging the earth pony and unicorn to the other side. The two fall to the ground, Aspide dropping down and kissing the dirt. "Don't worry," she softly coos, "I'll never leave you again."

"Good job!" Lunaris calls, another bit for each griffon coming out. "As well, those bits can be traded for other things! Such as those spears of yours."

"What about our spears?" the russet griffon asks, holding her flint spear close to Lunaris. "You insulting our weapons?"

"Oh, well, stone is certainly abundance around here," Lunaris levitates the brochure closer to the hen, her eyes narrowing as the pages flip through to the farming equipment. "Perhaps some of these iron plowshares could be sharpened, and would serve as better tips." He glances through the brochure, "I don't know if we have actual weapons for sale, though I may be able to inquire more when I return."

The griffon's eyes light, a talon plucking the brochure out of the air and flipping through it. The other griffons crowd around, pointing talons at the teeth of the plowshare. The blue griffon asks, "And how much is a plow share?"

Lunaris glances at the brochure, "Four bits each. Um, I feel obligated to say that shipping on the entire order is five hundred bits, but that would be split between every griffon that ordered something. I imagine it would come out to about two bits per griffon that orders something."

"So, the two bits you gave us, that would be... half of a plowshare?"

Lunaris grimaces slightly, "Oh, well, yes; you see, it would take more than just one minor job to buy something. I know it doesn't seem like much, but-"

The blue griffon laughs, "Oh, no, pony. You misunderstand. This spear?" He hefts the shaft, running a talon along the stone tip, "It took me hours to find the wood, the stone, and shape the head. A good metal tip? Days, if not weeks of toiling in the mines, a thankless job if there ever was one. And you purport to deliver tens, no, hundreds of these? It could change everything!"

"Yes!" Lunaris nods, smiling, "It could!"

"With these, the Golden Aerie won't stand a chance!"

Lunaris quickly shakes his head, holidng up a hoof, "Hey! I'm here to bring peace to you all, not serve as an arms dealer to both sides. That spear tip was just an example, and should be used for defense, not as a means to subjugate those around you!"

The griffon opens his mouth, pausing for a few seconds before cocking his head to the side, peering at Lunaris. "You really are an odd pony." He shakes his head, "Regardless, you want to head to the stone stadium." He points a talon to a large building on the opposite side of Griffonstone, the coliseum open to the air where many griffons can be seen circling around.

"Thank you for your assistance, of course," Lunaris says with a smile, waving as the four griffons take off. He glances over at Aspide, the earth pony still hugging the ground. "Well, that went well."

Golda lands next to the two ponies, "Yeah, I only hope you have enough bits to buy off everygriffon here. You better believe those four are spreading the word about this."

"Hmm, I probably should have given out more brochures then," Lunaris says, pulling out a few more. The three walk down the main street of Griffonstone. Decrepit buildings line each side, decaying thatch atop rotten wood. "Hmm, I didn't know their homes were in such a state," Lunaris remarks, Aspide huddling close as many of the griffons stop what they are doing and watch them, long stares that barely turn at the neck as the two walk by. "It shouldn't be too hard to bring up more wood and such."

"Did you not just walk up the side of a mountain with me?" Aspide grunts, adjusting the pack on her back as she nervously looks around. "They probably already got all the easy to reach trees, and who wants to cart a bunch of logs up a slope like that?"

Golda says, "Griffons might be stronger than pegasi, but they aren't the best at carrying things through the air."

"Hmm, perhaps a chariot would better suit them, then, so they could fly wood and other resources up here. Or, perhaps they should hire the services of an engineer or two, and build some sort of ramp up along the cliff wall. That way a cart or wagon could make it here. Much easier than flying." Lunaris pulls out a piece of paper, jotting down various notes on potential infrastructure improvements.

Their heads turn as a few griffons laugh, pointing talons at the two ponies. One mimes tying a bib around her neck, the next griffon pulling out a long knife. They guffaw at the ponies' growing nervousness, shaking their heads and going back to carving out the joints of a new house.

"Are you sure about this?" Aspide asks quietly, huddling next to Lunaris and screening herself with his larger body.

"More than ever," Lunaris responds, trying to sound confident as his voice wavers. "Just goes to show even more why it is so important that we succeed here."

The two arrive at the large stone building, a loud argument audible from within. One griffon is shouting, "No, a preemptive strike is the best way! They won't be expecting aggression from us!"

Golda pulls them to the side, saying, "Okay, so, we probably don't want to interrupt whatever argument is going on in there. Once it dies down, then go in and say your piece. I just hope that you can defend your arguments."

The three watch from behind a stone pillar as two griffons circle each other in the middle of a large dirt arena. The ground, most a dull gray dust that matches the stone around them, is constantly kicked up as the two combatants circle around each other, both wielding stone tipped spears. In the center rests a table, a parchment with black and red letters on top. Surrounding the fighters are about thirty griffons, standing or jumping on the stone steps rising up and away from the center. All are cheering, some more than others, as a solitary griffon sits on a slightly raised throne.

Golda points to the dark gray griffon in charge, "That is Gregory, the current moderator of the debates going on. He's one of the best debaters in Griffonstone, and is about equal to Ganis, leader of the Golden Aerie. The two fought to a standstill on multiple issues, part of the reason the Golden Aerie splintered off in the first place. Nogriffon likes inactivity, and the fact that they couldn't decide on a compromise or a winner meant a lot of inaction."

"Fought?" Lunaris asks as the two griffons in the center of the arena lunge at each other. "I thought they were debating here?" He takes off the packs, leaving only his canvas bag strapped to his side.

Golda nods, "They are. The green one there? He's probably going to win, but I hope he doesn't." Golda shudders, "He's the one arguing for a preemptive strike against the Golden Aerie. It would end disastrously for both sides, and neither of us really want that."

"You fight each other to decide your laws?" Lunaris asks incredulously as the green griffon's spear is parried to the side. The orange griffon dashes forward, slicing off a tail feather with a talon. The green griffon yowls in pain, throwing down his spear and slinking out of the center. The orange griffon holds the new quill in the air, the crowded griffons cheering loudly as he moves over to the table. He dips the quill in the ink, writing out a new line on the paper.

The four guards land next to Gregory, the large gray griffon listening intently. He shakes his head, chuckling and flexing a talon. The guards nod, moving next to him and sitting down, waiting for the next griffon to move to the center.

"Well, here's my chance," Lunaris says, striding out to the center of the arena. All eyes are trained on him as he clears his throat, announcing, "Attention, Everygriffon!"