Chapter 7 - Truths
Quite some time later, after innumerable twists and turns, the chariot reaches a truly massive estate. Turning into the driveway, they physically have to raise their heads to see the entire building that stands before them. Quite the feat for anyone’s home, I must say. As the chariot stops Arc and company get out and look over the building, clearly astonished. Hammer is the first to speak.
“This is just... crazy big!”
Twilight gasps. “I’ll say!”
Ashe nods. “It’s not nearly as tall as Canterlot Castle, but the manor is certainly wider by far.”
Natalya turns to the others. “The estate is certainly the biggest in the Griffon Kingdom, yes.”
Gallus scoffs. “”Yeah well… I think dad was just compensating for something.”
Gabby appears confused. “What’s that mean?!”
Arc clears his throat loudly. “It’s... not important, Gabby.”
Ashe attempts to move the conversation along. “In any case, we should try that key. No point in just standing around outside.”
Approaching the door, Natalya puts the key Twilight found in Goldstone’s room into the lock. Turning it, she hears a series of small clicks from within the door. Rotating the knob clockwise, the young griffon pushes it open to allow all of them to enter. The group steps into a grand Main Hall and looks around as Natalya closes the door behind them. Twilight is the first to speak.
“Incredible!”
Hammer grins. “Everything in here is just so sparkly!”
Gallus rolls his eyes. “Yeah. And as far as the Griffon Kingdom is concerned, sparkles translate to crazy expensive.”
Natalya nods as she steps forward. “Right. But expensive doesn’t always mean functional.”
Walking over to a small end table with an ornate looking vase sitting atop it, Natalya picks it up. Turning back to the others, she speaks.
“This gemstone encrusted vase probably costs more than all the commoners in the city make in a month.”
Ashe looks at the vase as she speaks. “At a glance it appears to be solid gold, yes.”
Gabby shrugs. “And all those pretty gems probably aren’t cheap either!”
Arc sighs as he shakes his head. “All that for a bit of decoration.”
Twilight frowns. “True. It could have been spent on something a bit more... practical.”
Natalya taps the vase. “All of you are correct in your own way. However, that wasn’t the point I was trying to make.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Then what...?”
Natalya interrupts her. “It’s in regards to something Lord Arc said in my father’s room before we left our estate. Observe.”
Raising the vase over her head, Natalya brings it down hard on the center of the end table. A dull thump is heard as she does so. Turning the vase toward the group, Natalya points to a sizable indentation on the base of the vase. Gabby frowns as she does so.
“Now it won’t sit right!”
Natalya nods as she sets the vase down on the end table again. “Right. The vase was made from pure gold, so it’s very pliable.”
Letting go of the vase, she allows it to fall to the floor as the base is no longer able to hold it level from the first blow. Gallus shakes his head as he speaks.
“Beautiful, but extremely fragile.”
Gabby scoffs. “Shouldn’t we throw it out now?!”
Ashe gasps. “No, it’s still valuable due to the materials used to make it!”
Twilight looks to Natalya. “So what would a noble do with it at this point?”
“Probably send it in to an artisan to be melted down and reforged. Very expensive to do, of course. But also the only way to make it perfect again.”
She gestures to the end table before continuing.
“But take a look at where the vase hit the table.”
Arc squints. “I see splinters.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “The table itself is just gold coated wood?”
Ashe nods. “Right, Princess Twilight. After all, it needs to be stronger in order to be able to hold the weight of the vase, after all.”
Gallus rolls his eyes. “But at this point, any other noble would probably discard the table as it can’t really be fixed. Well... fixed inasmuch as made perfect again.”
Natalya points a talon. “True. But look at where the vase originally sat.”
Twilight touches the table top with a hoof. “I see a slight ring in the table’s gold finish?”
Natalya traces the ring with a talon. “Right. The weight of the vase displaced the gold finish on the table. So anytime the vase was moved, perhaps for cleaning of the table or vase, it would have to be put back EXACTLY where it had been in order to hide such a defect.”
Hammer frowns. “This sounds like a LOT of work to me.”
Gabby shakes her head. “Just for the servant doing the cleaning!”
Arc looks around the Main Hall as he speaks. “I’m seeing a lot of pure gold furniture and whatnot around this single room. Seems like you’d have to tiptoe through your own home for fear of damaging something.”
Gallus kicks over the table. “Right. It’s all so stupid.”
Ashe nods. “Agreed. Why have things that you can’t really enjoy for fear of causing defects?”
Twilight carefully steps away from a large plant next to her. “We should probably look this place over carefully then.”
Natalya shrugs. “That’s up to Lord Arc, I suppose. After all, this home legally belongs to him at the moment.”
Ashe smiles at Arc. “Contingent on your marriage, of course. But tentatively, yes.”
Arc sighs. “I’m not too worried about things getting damaged here. After all, we’re just going to have the place and it’s furniture sold.”
Gabby gasps. “What?! But this place belongs to my dad!”
Gallus rolls his eyes. “Hence why he’s inheriting it.”
Natalya puts a talon on her little sister’s shoulder. “We talked about this the other day, Gabby. Our father is dead and Lord Arc is helping us get out of this legal mess.”
Hammer clears her throat loudly. “Yeah, well... why don’t we get that Heathcliff guy over here to help us navigate the place?”
Twilight nods as she looks around. “Agreed. This manor, while beautiful, is kinda creepy without others around.”
Ashe sighs. “Empty manors are like that admittedly.”
Arc calls forth his gauntlet. “Then let’s get Heathcliff over here so we can get started.”
Kneeling down, Arc creates a sigil before opening a portal in the center of the room and waits. A few moments later the elderly griffon steps through and looks around before turning his attention to Natalya.
“Hello again, Mistress Natalya.”
“Good to see you. Um... did you have a nice trip over?”
Heathcliff turns to look at the now closing portal. “It was very... quick, ma’am.”
Gallus moves his talon in a circular motion. “Speaking of ‘quick’, can we get this show on the road please?”
Arc looks to Heathcliff. “Some of us are rather unnerved by all the empty and quiet space over here.”
“Shall I fix that for you, Master Arc?”
“Um... sure, I guess.”
Walking over to a golden wall panel, Heathcliff carefully removes it to expose a series of buttons and switches. Pressing a few, the sound of classical music rings out all around them. Hammer frowns as she folds her arms over her chest.
“Uh... that isn’t exactly making the place feel more homey.”
Arc shrugs. “I kinda like it.”
Twilight smiles. “ At the very least, this makes the manor feel more like a place of learning than a vacant house to me.
Natalya turns to Heathcliff. “Does this just play here in the Main Hall?”
Heathcliff shakes his head. “No, Mistress Natalya. I can program the system to be heard in every place within the manor if you’d like.”
Gallus shrugs. “Sounds better than all this silence, I guess.”
Gabby sticks out her tongue. “Well, I don’t like it!”
Natalya looks to Arc. “What would you like to do, sir?”
“I think that the music is very nice. And that it will help alleviate the ‘creepy’ factor to this place.”
Heathcliff nods as he presses a few more buttons and flicks some switches. “Very good, sir. I’ll activate the speakers in the rest of the manor now.”
A few moments later he closes the panel and turns to the group.
“All speakers are now active in the common areas.”
Twilight appears confused. “Common areas?”
Heathcliff nods as he counts on his talons. “Corridors, dining rooms, living rooms, sun rooms, and lounges.”
Arc frowns. “I noticed that all of those things you just listed were plural.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “So you’re saying that this place has multiple... all that stuff?!”
Heathcliff nods. “Yes, ma’am.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “But why?!”
Heathcliff shrugs. “I can only assume such was the will of Lord Goldstone when he ordered the manor additions a number of years ago.”
Arc looks around, confused. “Construction additions? To a place that I can only assume was already quite large.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ashe frowns. “But the outside all looks the same age.”
“Lord Goldstone ordered that the outside of the new construction be made to look like the original façade. Special processes were made to give the appearance of age to the exterior walls.”
Gallus rolls his eyes. “All that wasted money just to keep up appearances.”
Gabby giggles happily. “Yeah! But it made for the biggest home in all the land!”
Natalya grimaces. “I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing though.”
Ashe looks around. “Yes, there is such a thing as too much space.”
Twilight drags a hoof across a slightly dusty banister nearby. “And it’s probably a major pain to keep clean.”
Hammer nods. “The number of servants required to keep things running around here must be crazy too.”
Heathcliff turns to her. “At last I knew, there were well over two hundred employed here to keep the interior and exterior in prime condition.”
He gestures with a talon before continuing.
“But perhaps we should adjourn to the master’s study.”
Natalya appears confused. “Why there though, Heathcliff?”
“I’m assuming that’s where you’ll find what you came here for.”
Gallus looks to his sister. “Uh... what did we come here for again?”
Gabby folds her talons over her chest. “A grand tour, I thought!”
Natalya sighs. “Answers, hopefully. That and I honestly just wanted to see where our father lived before his old house and its contents are sold at action.”
Arc nods. “We should also go through his quarters as well as his study.”
Twilight frowns. “Arc?”
“I’m sure Goldstone had secrets that he wanted to keep hidden. Maybe some of them could be of use to us.”
Ashe appears confused. “How though?”
“That would depend on what we found, of course. But if he was anywhere as business savvy as I’ve been led to believe, maybe he recorded some way out of this whole inheritance mess.”
Natalya puts a talon to her cheek thoughtfully. “Admittedly, he probably could have figured something out.”
Hammer shrugs. “Worth checking out, I guess.”
Gallus turns to Heathcliff. “Where do you think we should start?”
“As I stated earlier, the late master’s study would be the logical choice.”
Arc nods. “Then that’s where we’ll start. Lead the way, Heathcliff.”
“Right this way, Master Arc.”
Turning, he leads the group down a corridor. They pass innumerable paintings on the walls. Twilight looks to Heathcliff as she speaks.
“Lord Goldstone’s ancestors?”
“Indeed, Princess Twilight. The bloodline of the Goldstone’s is a long one dating all the way back to the time of King Grover.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Grover?! The first king of the Griffon Kingdom?!”
“Yes, ma’am. It is said that the pair were business partners before the land was united.”
Natalya gasps. “I didn’t know that.”
Gallus scoffs. “No surprise there. I mean, when did dad have time to tell us anything about anything?”
Gabby puffs out her chest proudly. “He told me lots of stuff!”
Gallus frowns. “Yeah? Like what?”
“Like how pretty I am! And how smart I am! That I’m growing up into a fine young griffon!”
Arc turns to Gabby. “Um... he didn’t touch you anywhere, did he?”
Gabby looks herself over. “Like where?!”
Gallus points a talon to her back half. “Anywhere between your hind legs or under your belly.”
Gabby gasps as she sits down instinctively. “But that’s where my no-no parts are!”
Natalya nods soberly. “Right. So, did our father touch you down there?”
“No, never!”
Hammer breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s a relief!”
Gabby puffs out her chest proudly as she struts ahead of the group. “He said I was always his favorite little youngling though!”
Gallus puts a talon to his stomach as he grimaces. “Yeah... right.”
Natalya looks to Arc. “Just to clarify, our father did contact her the most though.”
She lowers her voice before continuing.
“Considering what information came out at his trial though, should I be worried about that?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not at this point, no.”
Ashe joins them in keeping her voice down. “But if Gabby has been fondled in the past, she’ll need therapy!”
Arc looks at the youngling trotting some distance ahead of them. “I don’t think she was sexually abused, no.”
Natalya grimaces. “How can you tell?”
“When I was growing up in the Farburg Orphanage there were kids who had been molested by their parents, or others, in there. We could usually tell by the way they carried themselves though.”
Ashe raises an eyebrow. “How did they act?”
“Pretty much the opposite of how Gabby is. They were sullen, distrustful, and introverted. Not saying everyone that came to live there whom was like that had been abused, mind you. But it was a pretty common set of traits among them.”
He sighs before looks ahead at the happy youngling strutting around.
“But I do have a feeling that Goldstone was grooming her.”
Gallus raises an eyebrow. “But he had servants to clean us as younglings.”
Arc shakes his head. “No, no. In this context, ‘grooming’ means that he may have been trying to form a relationship with Gabby for the purpose of sexual exploitation in the future.”
Ashe grimaces. “If we were talking about anyone else, I would have just said that it was most likely a parent just trying to connect with one of their younglings. But considering the context of Lord Goldstone’s past...”
Natalya shudders. “I don’t really want to think about my father doing something like that. Especially to someone as innocent as Gabby.”
Gallus shrugs. “According to her though, nothing happened in the past. So let’s just be happy that she’s safe from him. Now that dad’s six feet under, I mean.”
Gabby calls out to the group from down the corridor. “What are all of you whispering about over there?!”
Natalya smiles nervously. “Nothing! Just talking about... um...!”
Gallus cuts her off. “The past!”
Ashe nods. “Yes. And other boring things.”
Heathcliff calls out as he stops walking. “Here we are. Lord Goldstone’s study.”
Gabby turns around and runs back to the group as Heathcliff pushes open the large double doors. Before them stretches a massive room with floor to ceiling bookcases made of what appears to be solid oak. A floating second floor is visible around the perimeter of the room with a second level of bookshelves. Twilight’s eyes light up as she gasps excitedly.
“It’s incredible!”
Gallus shrugs. “Certainly... big.”
Gabby makes a face. “And stuffy!”
Ashe looks around. “These are probably every book ever written in the Griffon Kingdom!”
Heathcliff nods as he allows the group to pass. “They may very well be. I’m told that this collection was originally started in conjuncture with King Grover and another griffon whom later took the name and title of Lord Goldstone the first.”
Natalya gasps. “A founding member of our country!”
Hammer sighs. “Cultural stuff. Never thought much about it.”
Arc calls out to Heathcliff as he walks over to the desk. “So you’re saying that some of these books are literally hundreds of years old?!”
“It would stand to reason, Master Arc. However, the oldest ones were transferred to the Aviary to be put into a private museum for King Guto about twenty years ago, I’m told.”
Twilight calls out from a shelf on the other side of the room. “That would make sense. They should be kept in a proper vault and carefully copied for posterity.”
Ashe turns to the butler. “Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know the subjects of the books that were transferred?”
“They were personal journals of King Grover. Written before he took the throne, of course.”
Hammer gasps. “Those really should be in a museum!”
Gallus rolls his eyes. “Oh yes. That way only the nobles can see them.”
Gabby giggles. “Did they have pictures?!”
Natalya sighs as she turns to Hammer. “What my brother means is that such things are not open to the general public. Only scholars and the aristocrats are allowed to see them. And even then only with prior approval from the Aviary.”
Ashe chimes in. “Which takes quite a long time to request and a great amount of paperwork too.”
Twilight looks to Ashe sheepishly. “Do you think I might be able to see them?!”
“I can put in an expedited request on your behalf when we get back to the ship, Princess Twilight. Just be aware that it will still take quite some time and a number of meetings to gain approval.”
Hammer shrugs. “Sounds boring to me. But I’ll go with you, Twilight.”
Arc looks over. “Me too.”
Natalya turns her gaze to look around the room. “Heathcliff, did my father have a record’s room of some kind around here?”
Heathcliff nods as he walks toward a nearby smaller door. “Right here, Mistress Natalya. However, only Lord Goldstone knew how to open it.”
Gallus raises an eyebrow. “How hard could it be to turn a key though?”
Gabby flaps her small wings happily. “I’ll help look for it!”
Heathcliff chuckles. “It’s not that kind of door, I’m afraid. Take a closer look.”
Natalya walks over and looks the door over. “It just looks like a normal door to me.”
Heathcliff smiles as he gestures with a talon. “Try the knob.”
Doing as suggested, Natalya turns the knob. However, it does not budge. Frowning, she continues trying but to no avail. Gallus kneels down and examines the knob more carefully.
“It’s weird looking down here. I don’t think this thing is even supposed to turn.”
Hammer steps forward. “Let me see it.”
Moving aside, Gallus allows Hammer to take his place. She frowns while looking it over and calling out.
“It’s just solid metal.”
Gabby appears confused. “Like the door itself?!”
Hammer nods. “Yeah. Like the whole door itself is just one big piece of metal. Knob included.”
Knocking on it with a knuckle, Hammer groans.
“It’s solid too.”
Arc sighs. “So no breaking it down?”
Hammer shakes her head as she stands. “Not without a blasted bulldozer, no. We’d be better off trying to cut through the walls than tackling that door.”
Arc smirks. “Or going through the ventilation ducts.”
Hammer chuckles. “Like in the movies, yeah!”
Heathcliff puts a talon on the wall. “Lord Goldstone once told me that this room is built like a bank vault. Thick metal plating all around and no ventilation whatsoever.”
Ashe bows her head. “Such extreme measures to access the room would most likely destroy whatever is on the other side though.”
Natalya looks around. “So there has to be a hidden switch somewhere to open it.”
Gallus nods. “Somewhere in this room, I would imagine.”
Gabby cries out. “Scavenger hunt!”
Arc calls out. “I already checked in and around the desk. Nothing of interest there.”
Twilight walks over levitating a book. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
Arc turns to her. “You have an idea, Twilight?”
“I do, yes. Let me try something.”
Her horn aglow, Twilight vanishes in a pop of magic. About ten seconds later she reappears and shakes her head.
“No good.”
Hammer appears confused. “Where’d you go?”
Twilight motions to the door with a hoof. “I just Blinked inside.”
Ashe puts a talon to her beak thoughtfully. “Yes, it would make sense not to bother warding the room against magical entry in a country utterly devoid of any magic users.”
Natalya looks to Twilight. “Can I assume there wasn’t some kind of a manual release near the door?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Not that I saw, no.”
Heathcliff chimes in. “There probably is one in there for safety’s sake. After all, Lord Goldstone was a very secure griffon.”
Hammer folds her arms over her chest. “That may very well be. But you’d run the very real risk of breathing up all the oxygen in the room looking for it.
Gallus taps the door with a talon. “What if whomever Blinked in there brought an oxygen tank in with them?”
Gabby grins. “Like a scuba diver?!”
Natalya nods. “That would certainly be safer, yes.”
Arc chuckles. “I suppose it would be. But I may have a better solution to the problem.”
Natalya turns to him. “Sir?”
Reaching for his ring, Arc pulls out the guardanium dagger. Hammer grins as she sees it.
“Hot dog, Arc! That thing can cut through anything!”
Gallus appears skeptical. “It can?”
Gabby shrugs. “Well, it does look sharp!”
Twilight giggles. “Good idea. I’ve seen what that thing can do.”
Arc turns to Natalya. “You okay with me doing this?”
“Legally this place and everything in it belongs to you, sir.”
“Only on paper. I’m asking if you’re personally okay with it.”
Gallus shrugs. “It’s just a door, sis.”
Gabby nods fervently. “Yeah! It can be fixed later!”
Ashe smiles. “By the new owner, yes.”
Natalya sighs. “I suppose it’s fine. That and I really do want to see what our father has in there.”
Heathcliff gestures to the door with a talon. “It would appear that you have your answer, Master Arc.”
Arc nods. “Guess so. Everyone should probably stand back though.”
Walking over to the door, Arc focuses his magic into the dagger. Making four cuts in the shape of a square, he reaches out with his opposite hand to pull the core toward them with a Telekinesis Spell. The thick metal slab falls to the ornate marble floor, cracking it. Putting away the dagger, Arc turns to Natalya.
“Sorry for the mess.”
“It’s fine, sir.”
Gabby bounds past them and into the room. However, she emerges a few moments later looking bored.
“Nothing but a bunch of filing cabinets in there.”
Heathcliff steps toward her. “Why don’t you and I head to the kitchen for a snack then? I’m sure there’s plenty of yummy treats to be found there.”
Gabby grins happily as she bounds toward the door. “Sounds good to me!”
Heathcliff looks to Natalya. “I hope you find what you’re looking for in there, mistress.”
“So do I.”
Stepping forward, she looks to Arc. He nods silently and motions to the opening. Taking a deep breath, Natalya enters the room and looks around. A large number of filing cabinets line the walls and extend all the way to the ceiling. Gallus and Ashe enter next and look around. Sighing, Gallus speaks.
“I didn’t think it was possible. It’s even more boring on the inside than I originally thought it would be.”
Ashe frowns. “While I’m certain records aren’t exactly exciting, they must be very important for Lord Goldstone to put them under such extreme security measures.”
Hammer enters the vault. “Either that or he was paranoid.”
Twilight follows her in. “Perhaps a bit of both.”
Arc steps inside last. “Shall we have a look at some of them then?”
Natalya shrugs. “Might as well. We’ve come this far.”
They each pick a drawer and open them. Pulling out a number of files they look them over for a time. Eventually Hammer calls out.
“I got the financial records of a landscaping business over here.”
Gallus sighs. “Expenditures for a shell company is all I have.”
Twilight taps her hoof on a filing cabinet. “Patents for a number of items here.”
Natalya nods. “Bank notes.”
Arc closes a drawer. “Generic receipt storage.”
Ashe shrugs. “Archived contracts.”
Hammer groans as she turns. “Nothing of real importance at all.”
Twilight walks to the center of the room. “I wouldn’t say that, Hammer. After all, one would have to go through all of these records to know for sure.”
Gallus gasps. “But that would take months if not years!”
Ashe looks to Natalya. “It’s not really something we need to dig into too deeply, mind you.”
Natalya appears confused. “Why not? He might have been involved in any number of shady dealings.”
Arc turns to them. “That may be. But with his death all of that came to an end.”
Twilight nods soberly. “And even if he did do something illegal there’s no longer any way to punish him for such a thing.”
Hammer shrugs. “Let sleeping dogs lie, I guess.”
Natalya groans. “I really thought there would be something of interest here though.”
Twilight looks through the door to the study beyond. “It’s not a total loss. I’m sure many of these books would be of great interest to the scholars back in Equestria.”
Ashe nods. “As well as those here in the Griffon Kingdom.”
Gallus grins slyly. “What would you give us for them, princess?”
Natalya frowns. “Gallus!”
“It was just a joke! Sheesh!”
“Lord Arc owns these books now!”
Arc sighs. “Kinda. But they’re yours from where I stand, Natalya.”
Twilight steps toward Natalya. “Equestria would be willing to pay for a number of those tomes, of course.”
Hammer looks to Twilight. “What about this land’s government though? I mean... some of these are probably priceless historical documents. Not that I care too much about that sort of thing, mind you. But it could cause an international incident if we were to just arbitrarily take them back to Equestria.”
Ashe sighs. “While that is most certainly true, if the Aviary knew about this collection they’d probably just take possession of the whole lot via royal decree.”
Natalya nods sadly. “They’d put the books they wanted into secure vaults and private collections.”
Arc appears hopeful. “Not all of these would be worthy of such a high honor though I would imagine. Perhaps we could purchase them later.”
Ashe shakes her head. “It’s not likely, Lord Arc. Going through the process of selling them would be a lot of trouble for the Aviary, after all.”
Gallus raises an eyebrow. “So what would they do with the rest? Throw them in the trash?”
Ashe sighs. “Most likely the incinerator actually.”
Twilight gasps. “WHAT?!”
Natalya bows her head. “It’s standard procedure to burn documents and books that potentially could be dangerous or libelous toward the ruling body. I’m guessing there isn’t much here in regards to the latter, of course. However, it’s not likely that the Aviary would be willing to run the risk of something important getting out to the public.”
Arc frowns. “That just seems like a terrible waste to me.”
Gallus scoffs. “And that’s why our country doesn’t advance socially. Because the moment something is deemed even minutely dangerous, it’s either locked up or outright destroyed.”
Ashe puts a talon to her beak thoughtfully. “It’s likely that an appraisal team will go through the house prior to putting it up for auction. They’ll refer this to the powers that be over at the Aviary and a team will be dispatched to examine the collection.”
Twilight looks to Ashe pleadingly. “We can’t let them destroy all of this though!”
Arc nods as he thinks. “Maybe we don’t have to.”
Natalya appears confused. “Sir?”
Arc turns to Ashe. “You said that this manor, and all of its contents, belongs to me at the moment. Isn’t that right?”
“Tentatively, yes. When your marriage to Natalya is formalized you two will officially be declared the new lord and lady of the estate.”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Just to be sure though, I can do whatever I want with this place, right?”
“Yes. Within reason, that is.”
Gallus gestures to the bookcases with a wave of his talon. “Then why don’t you just take the books, and anything else you want, before torching the place?”
Hammer grins. “Kid’s got a good idea there. Can’t prove that we took the books if the whole place goes up like a matchbook.”
Natalya’s eyes grow wide. “But the entire house is still culturally relevant! It’s history in and of itself!”
Twilight nods soberly. “Agreed. That and we can’t just go around burning down buildings. I’m sure that’s probably illegal here in the Griffon Kingdom.”
Ashe sighs. “Yes, it’s called ‘arson’.”
Arc snaps his fingers. “Then I suggest that we turn it over to Equestria.”
Gallus appears confused. “Turn it over?”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Like donate it?”
Arc nods. “It could be used as a vacation home for the princesses.”
Twilight frowns. “But we don’t leave the country for such things, Arc.”
“Maybe not in the past, no. However, you could start a new tradition, Twilight.”
“A tradition?”
“We could come up here sometimes with the others. Like a vacation home of sorts.”
Ashe chimes in. “It could also be listed as a kind of Equestrian Embassy, Princess Twilight.”
Hammer looks to Twilight. “But do we actually need an embassy here?”
“It’s something that should probably be looked into, what with all the industry coming to the Griffon Kingdom from oversees.”
Gallus shrugs. “I guess that’s true. However, it would probably require an official ambassador to be appointed to it, right?”
Twilight gestures with her hoof. “A pony counterpart to Ambassador Ashe.”
She turns to the griffon before continuing.
“You’d have an office here too, of course.”
“Thank you, Princess Twilight. But a pony ambassador would still be required to fill the post.”
Arc chuckles. “Know anyone whom could do the job, Twilight?”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “It would have to be someone intimately knowledgeable of both griffon and pony customs and rule of law.”
Natalya looks out a nearby window. “And they’d have to be willing to permanently relocate to the Griffon Kingdom as well.”
Gallus sighs. “A tall order, to be sure.”
Ashe turns to Twilight. “This might be something all four of the princesses should talk about face to face.”
Twilight nods. “I’ll bring it up when we get back to Canterlot. There must be somepony whom could do the job. Or at the very least, temporarily fill the roll until a permanent ambassador could be appointed.”
Arc shrugs. “We’ll put a pin in that for the moment then.”
Hammer looks to Twilight. “In any case, the whole vacation home idea does make a nice plan though. We could station a handful of guards up here for security along with some support staff to keep things clean and ready for us, Twilight. That and they’ll be needed here anyway to maintain the embassy side of things.”
Ashe nods. “Appearances must be kept up for the sake of, well... appearances.”
Arc looks around the study. “And it could still be designated as an extension of Equestria for diplomatic purposes.”
Hammer grins slyly. “Nice place to get away from it all. And have some privacy too.”
Ashe looks to Twilight. “I’ll run the idea by my father if you’d like, Princess Twilight.”
Twilight nods fervently. “Please do! And don’t mention the books here unless he specifically asks!”
“If he does I’ll make sure to mention the fact that you’re personally very interested in them. With any luck I can convince him to just let them all stay here.”
Gallus chuckles. “That would just leave the matter of the bill of sale.”
Arc shrugs. “I was just going to donate it for such a purpose.”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, no! Equestria will need to pay you for it if it’s going to be used as a government building, Arc!”
“Then figure out a sum with the other princesses and give the money to Natalya.”
Natalya appears surprised. “Me, sir?!”
Arc nods. “I already told you that I’d be turning over all the money we got for liquidating your father’s assets. And I intend to keep that promise.”
Gallus folds his talons over his chest as he sits down on his haunches. “She’d be able to get it anyways after you two tie the knot though.”
Ashe quickly chimes in. “Or at the very least, half of it.”
Natalya sighs. “I’d be more than happy with just a small sum, Lord Arc. You can keep the rest.”
Arc shakes his head. “No, Natalya. I said you could have it all, and I meant it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She turns to Gallus before continuing.
“I’ll give you and Gabby a fair share too. We’ll split it right down the middle into thirds.”
Gallus shrugs. “Thanks, sis. But you might want to put Gabby’s share away until she’s older though. Otherwise she’ll just blow through it.”
“Yes, I may just do that.”
Hammer sighs. “Give the kid an allowance then! Make her understand that money doesn’t just grow on trees!”
Ashe clears her throat loudly. “We can figure all that out later. Right now I’m guessing there are other parts of the manor which should be searched.”
Twilight calls out as she walks over to yet another bookcase. “I’d like to look over this room a bit more. See what books there are to save.”
Hammer nods as she follows her. “And I’ll keep an eye on Princess Twilight for security’s sake.”
Gallus looks to Ashe. “Maybe we should split up?”
“That would help us cover more ground, yes.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “It does make sense. After all, this is a REALLY big house.”
Ashe nods. “True. However, you and Natalya should stick together, Lord Arc.”
Natalya raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Not that I mind, but why?”
“It’s a griffon tradition that an engaged couple spends as much time together as possible.”
Hammer frowns. “What about having to go to work though?!”
“That would fall under the category of what is known as a ‘necessary departure’. However, as Lord Arc is currently doing his job as Equestria’s Hero of Light, and Natalya is more or less on sabbatical from her position at the orphanage, such a thing could be seen as a departure from tradition for you two to be needlessly apart during this time.”
Arc nods. “Then Natalya and I will go together then.”
He turns to her before continuing.
“If that’s okay with you, of course.”
“Yes sir.”
Ashe shakes her head. “One more thing. As Lord Arc’s fiancée, you really shouldn’t be referring to him as ‘sir’, Natalya.”
Arc sighs. “I gave her permission to use that title over ‘master’ when I received her though.”
“I understand that. However, as your fiancée she should be treated as such though. “
Ashe turns to Natalya before continuing.
“Using Lord Arc’s first name would more prudent.”
Natalya gasps. “But I’m legally still his slave, aren’t I?”
“Technically, yes. However, in the eyes of griffon tradition you’re also classified as his fiancée. And as such it is improper to refer to him by a title.”
Natalya sighs. “I’ll try.”
Arc puts a hand on Natalya’s shoulder. “No one’s around though. So you can call me whatever makes you feel the most comfortable, Natalya.”
“Thank you... s-sir.”
Ashe sighs. “Very well.”
Gallus heads for the door. “Now that we have that foolishness out of the way, let’s get moving.”
The others follow him toward the door. Arc turns to Twilight whom is already adding tomes to a pile next to her.
“See you in a bit, Twilight.”
Twilight nods but does not look away from the bookshelf. “Have fun.”
Hammer grins as she waves. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Twilight here doesn’t get buried in a mountain of books, or something.”
Twilight smiles as she adds another book to the pile. “”Oh, come on now! That hasn’t happened in quite a long time!”
Arc rolls his eyes. “Just be careful, Twilight.”
“I will.”
Leaving the room, Arc looks to Natalya.
“How about you and I go this way?”
“Sounds good, sir.”
Gallus points a talon. “Then Ambassador Ashe and I will go the other way.”
Ashe nods in agreement. “Very well. Where shall we all meet though?”
Arc looks down the corridor. “How about the Main Hall at sunset?”
Natalya raises an eyebrow. “Sunset? Do you really think this will take so long, sir?”
“Considering how big this place is, it might take longer.”
Gallus turns to Nataly. “He has a point, sis.”
“Sunset it is then.”
They turn around and go their separate ways. Gaining some distance from the study, Natalya sighs and bows her head.
“This whole thing is exhausting!”
Arc nods. “Yes, going through a lost family member’s things isn’t exactly easy.”
“Nor is getting married.”
“That too.”
“I just... don’t really know if I can do that though.”
“If you really can’t go through with the marriage, I do understand.”
Natalya shakes her head. “No, I have to at this point. Remember, we both signed for it.”
“I’ll do my best to make this as easy for you as possible.”
“For me?”
“When it’s all said and done, you won’t have to refer to me as your husband. I’ll be okay with you putting the whole thing out of your mind and having your own life.”
“But what if I... find someone else?”
“Then like was suggested before, I’ll have one of the princesses sign the papers allowing them to legally join our herd as your spouse.”
“And you’d be okay with that?”
Arc nods. “Of course. After all, our marriage is just one of convenience.”
“I suppose so. But, um...”
Arc turns to her. “Something wrong?”
“I just... kinda always had a vision in my mind of what my wedding would look like.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well... I would have a modest white wedding gown. Gallus would be there to give me away, and Gabby would be my flower griffon.”
“We could do that.”
Natalya appears surprised. “Sir?”
“I could ask Rarity to make you a wedding dress.”
“Oh, would you?! I can pay her whatever she wants!”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll foot the bill for it.”
“But I’ve saved up some money since moving to Equestria!”
“Isn’t that supposed to be for a house though?”
“I can wait a couple more months to save up some more.”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “Please keep your money and let me do this for you though. You can think of it as my wedding gift.”
“Well... I suppose I can’t really say ‘no’ to you.”
“Remember, I’m not actually ordering you to accept this from me. But I would like to do my part to make that day special for you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Anything else you’d like for the special day?”
Natalya puts a talon to her cheek thoughtfully. “I... haven’t actually had time to give it much though.”
“Let me know if you think of something and I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’ll try to keep it as cheap is possible though.”
Arc smiles at her. “And I do appreciate that. But remember that I too want this to be a special day.”
Natalya appears confused. “You do?”
Arc smiles as he turns to her. “Remember, I’ve never been married before either.”
“That makes sense, yes. A bit of practice for you before the wedding between you and Princess Twilight.”
“And my other future wives, yes.”
“They’re all very nice mares. I’m sure they’ll make you very happy as well.”
“I hope I can measure up to their expectations too.”
Natalya raises an eyebrow. “You, sir?”
Arc sighs. “As a husband. Remember, I’m not perfect.”
“You’ll do just fine. I can tell.”
As the pair round a corner they spot Heathcliff and Gabby walking towards them. Gabby waves happily to her sister as she speaks.
“They have the biggest sweets bins here, Natalya!”
Heathcliff chuckles. “Lord Goldstone always had a weakness for sweets after a hard day’s work.”
Gabby nods. “Where are you two going?!”
Natalya smiles at her. “We’re all exploring the house at the moment.”
Gabby looks behind them. “And Gallus?!”
Arc points down the corridor behind them. “With Ambassador Ashe.”
Natalya nods. “They went one way and we went the other. We’re planning to meet up in the Main Hall at sunset though to compare notes on what we’ve discovered.”
Heathcliff bows respectfully. “Can I perhaps be of assistance to you, Mistress Natalya?”
“Maybe. We’re looking for something that could give us more information on my father. Any ideas?”
“Have you checked his private suite?”
Natalya shakes her head. “No, we haven’t.”
Arc appears hopeful. “Is it close by?”
Heathcliff nods and points a talon. “Just down this hallway and to the left. All the major bedrooms are there.”
Natalya appears confused. “Major bedrooms?”
“That’s what Lord Goldstone always referred to them as for some reason.”
Arc begins walking. “Thanks. We’ll check it out.”
Gabby tugs at the old griffon’s uniform. “Come on, Heathcliff! You said you’d show me where the pool is!”
Natalya stops and turns as she raises an eyebrow. “This place has a pool?”
Heathcliff nods as Gabby pulls him down the hallway. “A small indoor one, yes. We’ll catch up with you two at dinnertime.”
Arc looks in the direction Heathcliff pointed them. “I guess we should get moving too.”
Natalya nods nervously. “Y-yes, indeed.”
They continue on. Turning a corner, they see a corridor with several doors on either side of it. Natalya appears confused as she walks up to the first door.
“This one has a sign on it that says ‘Gabby’.”
Arc looks the door over. “I thought you and your siblings lived at the other estate though.”
“We do. Or at least, we did. None of us has ever been here before.”
Arc motions to the door. “We should probably take a look in there then.”
“Yes, I believe you’re right, sir.”
Turning the doorknob, Natalya pushes the door open and steps inside. The lights turn on automatically to illuminate a well-furnished room that appears specifically tailored for a young female griffon. Arc looks around as he enters.
“Looks like Lord Goldstone spared no expense on this place.”
Natalya nods as she looks around. “A large bed, brightly colored walls, several toy chests overflowing with whatnot, an entire wall of plushies, books, and even a ball pit.”
“But if you three were never here, nor even had much contact with your father in the first place, why would he make all of this?”
Natalya sighs. “I don’t know, sir. It doesn’t make any sense to me either.”
Arc frowns. “Let’s continue down the corridor.”
Turning around and walking out of the room, Arc and Natalya make their way further down the hall together. Coming to the next door they see a wooden sign on it labeled ‘Gallus’. Natalya pushes the door open and allows them to step inside. Looking around for a few moments, she eventually turns to Arc.
“This room is certainly full of things that Gallus likes.”
Arc nods. “Any teen griffon for that matter, I would assume.”
Natalya shakes her head. “Believe me, my father did go to great lengths here to make it especially for Gallus.”
“How so?”
“The paint scheme of all the items in here were his favorite colors growing up. That and there’s a small balcony with a telescope. Gallus always liked looking up at the stars at night. And then there’s the paintings on the walls.”
Arc looks around. “Unicorns?”
“Don’t tell anyone, but Gallus has always been fascinated by the idea of magical ponies and spellcasting.”
“But griffons don’t have magic.”
Natalya shrugs. “No harm in dreaming about it though, right?”
“I suppose not.”
Arc turns to Natalya before continuing.
“That leaves us with just one more room to see on our way.”
Natalya appears confused. One more?”
“If Lord Goldstone made rooms especially for both Gabby and Gallus then it stands to reason that he did the same for you.”
“I suppose so.”
“Wouldn’t you like to see it?”
Natalya looks away nervously. “I... um... I’m not really sure.”
“We don’t have to do so if you really don’t want to, of course. Or if it would make you feel more comfortable, I can wait in the corridor while you look at it alone.”
Natalya sighs. “No, sir. It’s just...”
Putting a talon to her forehead, she continues.
“Knowing what my father did to so many female griffons, and that he may have been grooming my own little sister for the same purpose... it kinda makes me think that maybe this was to get us closer to him in order to do that same to all of us.”
Arc nods soberly. “I admit, that certainly is a possibility.”
“And to be completely honest with you, going in to my room alone isn’t exactly something I’d feel comfortable doing at the moment.”
“Do you want to skip it then?”
Natalya bows her head sadly. “No, I... I’d like to see this thing through.”
Gesturing to the door, Arc leads Natalya through it and down the corridor to a door with her name on it. Staring at it for a long moment, Natalya steps forward slowly. Standing there for an even longer period, she eventually feels a hand on her shoulder as Arc speaks.
“You okay?”
Natalya nods nervously. “I... um... I’m kinda scared.”
“What can I do to help?”
“This might be asking a bit much, but... do you think you could... hold my talon, Lord Arc?”
Arc smiles. “Of course.”
Extending a hand to her, Natalya slowly puts her talon into it. Arc gently wraps his fingers around it as she again looks to the door. Slowly reaching out, Natalya takes the knob in her other talon and turns it. The door slowly swings open and the pair walk inside. Looking around as the lights automatically come on, Natalya sighs.
“It’s certainly my room.”
“Everything you like, huh Natalya?”
Natalya nods. “Yes sir. Under normal circumstances the old me would have been very happy having such a room tailored to me.”
Arc looks around. “Armor racks, training dummies, various weapons... this is certainly the room of a soldier.”
“My father must’ve made it when I was still in the military then.”
“How about that bookshelf?”
“Probably filled with books on military tactics and etiquette.”
“Want to see?”
Natalya shrugs. “I guess so.”
They walk toward the shelves together. Arc scans the titles silently for a few moments before speaking.
“Just like I though. All military books on this...”
He stops talking as his eyes fall to the bottom shelf. Kneeling down, Arc pulls a book from its place and looks at the cover.
“Um... is this a romance novel?”
Natalya bows her head and nods slightly. “Yes sir.”
“Did your dad mess that up?”
Natalya shakes her head. “No, sir. Admittedly, I... I do like those things.”
“Really?”
Natalya blushes and looks away. “Pretty much all female griffons do.”
Arc shrugs as he puts the book back in its place. “Nothing wrong with that. After all, everyone has their own likes and dislikes.”
“Yes, of course. I mean... who doesn’t want to find love, settle down, and raise a family with the one they love?”
“No arguments here.”
Natalya looks to him, confused. “You mean... you aren’t upset?”
Arc appears confused. “Um… no. Why would I be?”
“Well... I’m going to be your wife. Most griffons would be angry with their wives for fantasizing about romance. At this point in the relationship, I mean.”
“You mean they’re jealous of books?”
“Usually, yes. When a female griffon meets someone special, they usually put things like this away. And when they get engaged to someone it’s traditional to either give away or dispose of such things. Otherwise their future husband might see it as them continuing to think about other griffons.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “But they’re just characters in a book. Not exactly corporeal.”
Natalya shrugs. “It is what it is though, sir.”
Kneeling down, she begins pulling the books off the shelf as she continues.
“I’ll run these down to the incinerator right now.”
“You really don’t have to do that, Natalya. I mean... we’re just getting married on paper.”
Natalya nods as she continues. “That is true, yes. However, it’s a sign of respect to the future spouse.”
“Have you read all of these before?”
“Very few of them admittedly.”
“Don’t you want to see what happens in them though?”
“I suppose so. But out of respect for you and our engagement, I...”
Arc interrupts her. “If you want to keep them, I’m totally fine with it.”
“Our traditions...”
Arc cuts her off. “I keep hearing that word lately. Tradition, tradition, tradition. Nothing wrong with it in the basic sense of the word. But another thing I’ve seen is that the Griffon Kingdoms seems to be more concerned with maintaining the old ways over the feelings of those whom have to actually carry them out.”
“But I’m just trying to be a good fiancée to you, Lord Arc.”
“And I do appreciate that.”
He puts a hand on her shoulder before continuing.
“However, at the same time I need to be willing to do the same for you.”
“I don’t understand, sir.”
Arc gestures to the bottom shelf. “The whole reason for getting rid of those books is to please your future husband. Make him happy, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And I want you to be happy too, Natalya.”
He looks to the books before continuing.
“So if they bring you even a little bit of joy, then I want you to be able to keep them.”
“Are you sure, sir? I know that our marriage is largely ceremonious, but I also don’t want to do anything that would shame you.”
Arc smiles at her. “I’m sure, yes.”
Natalya turns to the bookcase again and continues pulling books off. “I’ll just take a few then.”
“Go ahead and take them all if you’d like.”
“I can’t exactly carry all of them though, sir.”
Arc pats his magic ring. “Want me to help with that?”
“Help, sir?”
“I can store them in my ring until we get back to the ship.”
Natalya appears relieved. “Oh, would you?! That would be so helpful!”
“Sure. Just give me the ones you want.”
“I can’t really decide.”
“Then just grab all of them.”
“Well... alright. If you’re sure, that is.”
Arc nods. “I am.”
Handing the books to him one by one, Arc puts them safely in his ring. Finishing their task, Natalya stands and lowers her voice.
“For reputation’s sake, I’ll keep this just between us, sir.”
“It’s okay. If you want to tell Twilight and the others I’m fine with it.”
“I’ll... think about it. But for now we should probably do what we came here for.”
Arc nods soberly. “Visiting your father’s room.”
Natalya looks towards the door. “It’s probably the one at the end of the hall.”
“Then let’s find out.”
Standing, they make their way out of the room and down the corridor together. Looking ahead, they spy a large and very ornate looking set of double doors. Natalya reaches out and takes Arc’s hand again as they approach. Stopping, she turns and looks to him with a pained expression on her face.
“I... I don’t...”
“Scared?”
Natalya bows her head and sighs. “Very. But that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“How so?”
“I’ve been in combat before. Faced off against opponents in the Gladiator’s Arena for promotion. But here I stand, shaking in terror of a closed door and the vacated room of my dead father.”
“We don’t have to go in there if you don’t want to.”
“No, I do feel that it’s my duty to do this. For Gallus and Gabby as well as my own cloture.”
“Can I help?”
“Just... stay with me please, sir.”
Arc smiles. “Sure.”
She reaches forward toward the knob and squeezes his hand tightly. Putting her talon on the door, Natalya stands there looking at it for a long moment. Eventually, Arc speaks.
“Want me to do it?”
Wordlessly nodding, Natalya draws back slightly. Stepping forward and reaching for the knob, Arc turns it and pushes one of the large doors open. A sprawling room stretches out before them. Stepping into it with his fiancée, Arc looks around as he speaks.
“Now THIS is a room!”
“I’ll say. It’s bigger than most modestly sized houses.”
Arc points to the bed. “Biggest one of those I’ve seen too.”
“At least three times the size of the one you have aboard the ship, sir.”
Arc motions to the end table next to it. “What’s that?”
“Some papers.”
“It’s a start. Let’s check them out.”
Approaching the end table, Arc picks up the papers and gives them to Natalya. She reads them over silently for a few moments before gasping.
“It’s a letter!”
“Whom from?”
“My father!”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “To himself?”
“It appears to be for me!”
Arc steps back. “If it’s personal, I understand.”
Natalya shakes her head. “No, no. I’d like you to hear it.”
She clears her throat and begins to read aloud.
Dear Natalya,
If you’re reading this then it would appear that I fell in the Battle of Truth. Hopefully I died with honor and dignity, but I suppose at this point it doesn’t really matter. There are many things I wish that I could tell you face to face. But at this late hour on the night before the battle, I suppose this written correspondence will have to do.
You no doubt saw the rooms meant for you and your siblings on the way to my suite. How each one was custom tailored for each of you. My plan was for you, Gallus, and Gabby to one day be able to join me here in this manor so as to create a real family. Had I survived the battle, I had hoped to put my plans with you three into motion. We would have lived together for the first time. Shared meals and quality family time as I instructed each of you in the manner of running my businesses. Such would allow for each of you to build your respective fortunes in separate, non-competing industries.
For Gabby, I have raised a sizable entertainment business. Her spunky and happy demeanor make her the perfect heir to carry on the business of bringing joy to others. It includes catering, live entertainment, and even a branch for the amusement of younglings. I am certain that she will take it farther than I ever dreamed possible with her unorthodox ideas and personality.
Gallus will take over my production factories. They produce most of the goods consumed by both the public and government sectors of the Griffon Kingdom. Food, toiletries, medicine, textiles, and even a small amount of military armaments. His organizational skills and charisma will allow him to expand the existing factory’s output from shore to shore. Perhaps even to Equestria itself one day.
And you, Natalya... you will inherit my numerous financial institutions. Banking, financial planning, and real estate primarily. Most of the money which flows to help businesses grow and prosper come through my coffers. While it is not nearly a monopoly, I have faith that you can make it so with your youthful spirit, discipline, and the training you received in the military. At that point, it will be time for you to expend your holdings to Equestria and do the same there as I did here in the Griffon Kingdom.
You’re probably wondering why I made such grand plans for each of you without saying a word. Well, the time was coming when I was planning a big reveal for all three of you. Everything was nearly in place to allow me to turn over the businesses to subordinates for a time. However, as you’ve no doubt heard by now, that stupid pastel maned cow Princess Twilight brought charges against me which forced me to take drastic action. And since you’re reading this it looks like I failed. Had I been able to rise above and proven my innocence I would have spent each and every day tutoring you and your siblings on the proper way to run their respective industries. And when you were ready, I was planning to transfer all assets, titles, and intellectual properties to the three of you so as to get you started on your way. I then would have relegated myself to the role of an advisor to each of you while enjoying the fruits of my labors in quiet retirement. Fortunately, I always had a backup plan in case something happened to me.
Across the room on the top shelf of the bookcase you will find three books. One for each of you that explains the basics of the industries which you will be inheriting as well as tutorials on how to take care of the day to day affairs of them. They also contain letters of intent which you can present to the business’ executives stating my desire for you three to take over the respective companies. As such, my top managers will help you get settled in and provide the guidance that I myself am apparently unable to give at this point. Learn from them and use what they teach you to expand and become more profitable. However, when they are no longer needed, you should offer then a nice severance package with enough funds and property to allow them to retire very comfortably. While I know this will be very costly, you’ll want to gain a reputation for rewarding those whom helped you grow.
With the business side of things taken care of, you may wish to live in the a fore mentioned rooms that I have provided. You are certainly free to do so, of course. However, I do recommend that upon completion of your respective takeovers that you three part ways and have manors built for yourselves. Gallus and Gabby will have to start their own separate family names and fortunes while you yourself maintain the Goldstone name and legacy, Natalya. When time permits, be sure to begin a search for a proper husband. One whom can help you bring forth an heir to carry on our family name. I’m sure you know how these things work.
It would appear that I have rambled on for longer than I intended and the hour is late. I must now end this letter and rest myself for the Battle of Truth tomorrow. If luck is with me I’ll be able to exonerate myself and throw this letter in the trash. However, one must always be prepared for the potential future. Be sure to help your brother and sister begin their new lives as business moguls, as their success will reflect positively on you personally.
I wish all three of you the best of luck on your future business dealings.
With high hopes,
Your father
Natalya closes the letter and sets it back down on the bedside table. Sitting down heavily on the bed she puts her face in her talons. Arc sits down next to her and puts an arm around Natalya’s shoulders as she speaks.
“My father, he... he was planning to get closer to us.”
“It sure sounds like it, yes.”
“We were going to be his heirs and live in wealth and splendor.”
“Nothing wrong with that. After all, it sounds like he built his business empire for you, Gallus, and Gabby.”
“That’s the worst part of all!”
“Huh?”
Natalya turns to him with tears in her eyes. “Don’t you see, sir?! I don’t want his businesses! Any of them!”
Arc nods understandingly. “You just want a simple life with a job that makes you happy.”
“And I have that back in Equestria! We all do!”
Arc shrugs. “Well, there’s no law that says you have follow in his footsteps. Is there?”
Natalya sighs. “Tradition states that younglings follow their parent’s wills for their future. Especially final requests like this.”
“However doing so would make you miserable.”
“But I have to do it!”
Arc shakes his head. “No, you don’t.”
Natalya holds up the letter. “This says that I do though.”
“But no one knows about it.”
“The executive boards certainly do.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps not.”
Natalya appears confused. “Sir?”
“Think about it. That note said that the books up there contain letters conveying Lord Goldstone’s intent for the executives of those companies to help you and your siblings.”
“So?”
“Meaning that he hasn’t told them of that plan. Had he done so, there would be no reason to have those letters.”
Natalya sighs. “I suppose not. But griffon tradition says...”
Arc interrupts her. “Enough with tradition, Natalya. If you don’t want to do what your father wanted you to then we can just stick with the original plan.”
“Liquidate the companies and return to Equestria?”
Arc nods. “Right. There’s no reason that you should be forced to do what your father wants at this point. You, Gallus, or Gabby for that matter. Just be your own griffon and do what you want to do with your life.”
“But what if someone finds out about this?!”
“They won’t. Remember, that letter was sealed when you found it and was apparently written the night before your father died. There’s no way he had time to tell anyone else.”
“Not that he would have anyways. But what about Gallus and Gabby?”
“You already know that Gallus has no interest in inheriting any sort of business. And Gabby would just get into trouble if she was given any sort of authority.”
“But can I really make that decision for them?”
“Gallus, no. Gabby, yes. Remember, with your father dead, Coco Pommel gave you legal guardianship of her. And as such, you have every legal right to decide this.”
“Could I maybe wait until she’s older before telling her of the plan and giving her the book?”
“If that’s what you want to do, then yes. It’s your choice to make right now.”
Looking toward the bookshelf, Arc stretches out a hand. Pulling the three books to himself with a Telekinesis Spell, he takes them in his hands before presenting them to Natalya.
“Do whatever you want with these.”
“I... I think I need some time to think.”
“Want me to hold onto them for you then?”
Natalya appears relieved. “Please do.”
Taking the books back from Natalya, Arc carefully stores them in his ring before standing and looking to her.
“With that out of the way, should we continue looking around the room?”
“For what though, sir?”
Arc shrugs. “Whatever there is to find. Remember, this may be your one and only chance to search your father’s room before things are potentially disturbed.”
Natalya nods soberly as she gets up. “I suppose you’re right, sir. Where should we look now though?”
Arc looks toward the desk in the corner. “How about over there?”
“Sir?”
“A desk in a private room would probably hold a lot of personal information. Things that might not be found anywhere else.”
“Which is why we came here in the first place, I suppose.”
“Do you want to go through it?”
“Me?”
“Well, Lord Goldstone was your father, after all. I just figured you might want to do it privately.”
“A fiancée is supposed to share everything with their counterpart though.”
Arc smiles at her. “I understand if you’d like to do something like this alone.”
Natalya sighs. “And I’m a bit nervous about what I might find. So... do you think we could do it together?”
“If you’re comfortable with it, then sure.”
Walking over to the desk together, they begin opening drawers. Natalya is the first to speak.
“Just a bunch of blank papers and pencils over here.”
“Same on this side. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Natalya groans. “My father was a very neat individual. He was well known for taking care of things properly and immediately filing them.”
“So if he had done any work here he would have finished the task without leaving papers lying around.”
“Exactly. Wait! What’s this?!”
Pulling a large book from the bottom of the lower drawer, she opens it hastily. However, after looking the first page over her excitement fades.
“False alarm, sir. It’s just a dictionary.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “A deluxe sized one I might add.”
“My father always made sure that he went for the very best available products. And in this case, a very complete dictionary.”
Moving to put the book back, Natalya’s talon slips. The dictionary tumbles to the floor with a dull thump. However, as it does so, a strange looking key falls from within the pages and clatters to the floor. Picking it up, Natalya looks it over carefully.
“A key of some kind.”
Arc nods. “A pretty detailed one too.”
Natalya points at a line running down the center of it. “And it has a guardanium stripe too.”
“So it’s a manor key?”
“I don’t think so. The shape is all wrong.”
“What else would such a key be used for?”
“Anything that one wants to make pickproof. Like a manor door generally. But they’re also used for high security safes, panic rooms, and mausoleum vaults. Although it’s probably not the third thing, as that wouldn’t be something one would keep so close at talon usually.”
“So it’s for a safe or panic room then?”
“Probably, yes.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “If that records room in your father’s study had a keyhole in it, I would have guessed this was used to open it.”
“There was probably a hidden control panel somewhere in that room for it. But it would have taken forever to find.”
Arc looks at the key. “Well, he went through the trouble of hiding this in his quarters. That says a lot.”
“Oh?”
“Your father must’ve wanted it close at hand for a reason. I mean, locking something like this up in a safe would have made more sense.”
Natalya looks around the room. “But I don’t see one in here. Unless it too is hidden, that is.”
“That does make sense though.”
“A safe out in the open, no matter how secure it was, would scream out as being obviously filled with valuables. I would imagine that there is one in here. Hidden in plain sight, that is.”
“Then we just need to find it.”
“Where to start though.”
Arc points at a wall. “With the paintings.”
Natalya appears confused. “Paintings, sir?”
“It’s kinda cliche back on Earth, but in the movies the wealthy often times had paintings on the wall that could swing out of the way to expose a large safe built into the wall behind it.”
“I guess it’s worth a look.”
Arc and Natalya carefully remove each painting from its place on the wall. However, there is nothing but normal wood paneling behind each of them. As Natalya stands on a chair to put a painting of her father back in its spot over the fireplace, she loses her footing and crashes to the floor. Arc runs over to help her up.
“You okay, Natalya?!”
Natalya nods as she gets to her feet. “Y-yes sir. Just a bit of a tumble.”
“What happened?!”
Natalya motions to a small cabinet next to her. “I put my foot on here to get just a little higher and bumped into what was on it.”
“How does one fall from that though?”
Natalya sighs. “It just kinda startled me.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am, yes.”
Arc turns to look at the cabinet and what is on top of it.
“Looks like just a common vase.”
Natalya groans. “Now I feel even more silly.”
Arc frowns. “Wait a minute. These indentations in the gold over the wood.”
“What about them, sir?”
“You said that when cleaning things like this, the support staff were always very careful to put things like vases back on the table exactly where they were.”
Natalya nods. “That’s correct. It’s to avoid showing the indentations in the gold over time from the weight of the vase.”
“Well, that wasn’t the case here.”
“Sir?”
“There are numerous rings where the vase was set back down out of alignment with where it was.”
Natalya gasps. “You’re right! My father must not have noticed it though! He would have had a fit!”
“Maybe he did.”
“Did what?”
“Notice.”
“I don’t get your meaning, sir.”
“Think about it. This room here is filled with gold and jewel covered furniture. Why would Goldstone have such a plain looking vase to decorate such an exquisite table top?”
“It does seem kind of strange when you put it that way. But what does that prove?”
“Let’s see.”
Picking up the vase, Arc sets it aside and looks at the wood under it before pointing.
“There!”
Natalya gasps. “A keyhole!”
“He must’ve figured that no one would give a normal vase a second glance.”
“I certainly didn’t!”
Arc holds up the key they found earlier. “And we have a key. Care to try it?”
“I suppose it’s worth a shot, yes.”
Taking the key from Arc, she puts it into the hole. It slides into place perfectly. Taking a deep breath, Natalya turns it until a soft ‘click’ rings out. A few moments later the back of the fireplace opens to reveal a secret door. Arc chuckles as he points to it.
“Looks like we found our safe.”
Natalya peeks inside the dark interior. “So it would seem.”
Arc gestures to the fireplace as he turns to Natalya. “Shall we?”
“I guess we should. But I don’t see any lights in there.”
“Good point.”
Looking back to the cabinet. Arc pulls open the top drawer. Inside is a flashlight and a stack of extra batteries.
“Perfect.”
Natalya appears confused. “But how did you know that a flashlight would be in there, sir?”
Arc smirks as he picks up the light and tests it. “Because Goldstone was a griffon. And as far as I know griffons can’t see in the dark.”
“So it would stand to reason he’d have a source of light close to where the keyhole was.”
“Exactly. Shall I lead the way?”
Natalya nods. “Yes. Let’s go.”
Taking Arc’s hand, Natalya falls into step next to him as they enter the dark corridor. Finding a staircase that leads down, they continue on. Going down what must be the equivalent to several flights of stairs, they find themselves in front of a small door. Opening it, the pair see a small room with several simple shelves on one end of the room along with a small table and chair in the center. Walking over to the table, they find a large leatherbound book sitting next to a lantern, quill, and inkwell. Natalya turns to Arc nervously.
“What do you suppose is in here?”
“No idea. But considering the measures your father took to keep this room hidden I’m guessing it’s not your grandmother’s secret recipes.”
Natalya sighs. “One way to find out.”
Sitting down, she opens the book and begins to read as Arc lights the lantern next to her and turns off the flashlight.
“It’s a journal! I didn’t even know my father kept one!”
“Probably all his sordid affairs I would imagine.”
Natalya grimaces as she turns the pages. “Yes, this isn’t a business log. Lots of personal thoughts about various females. Along with what appears to be a rating system based on looks, voice, scent, and something he calls ‘pliability’.”
Arc frowns. “I think I get what the last thing means.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
Arc gestures to Natalya’s tail. “Think about it for a minute.”
There is a tense silence as Natalya puts two and two together. Blushing heavily, she looks away from the pages.
“Gross!”
Arc frowns. “I’ll say. Scanning these entries, it’s obvious that your father didn’t think of them as griffons with feelings and opinions. But rather just bags of meat to do with as he pleased.”
Natalya bows her head as she closes the book. “I still can’t believe he was guilty of raping so many griffons though.”
Arc looks to the books on the shelves. “Maybe there’s something of use in those other books. I mean, they can’t all be like this one.”
Picking up the books with a Telekinesis Spell, Arc levitates them over to the table. The pair look through each of the books for a few moments before setting them aside and moving on to the next one. Sometime later Arc makes a face as he closes the last book.
“I stand corrected.”
Natalya puts a talon to her belly. “It’s incredible! Every one of these contains rankings for what must be the entire Aviary staff!”
Arc nods soberly. “Male and female, I might add.”
“My father was also raping male griffons as well.”
“So it would seem. But I don’t recall any males storming the Throne Room at the trial.”
Natalya sighs. “That’s part of griffon culture. Males are thought to be impossible to rape. So anyone whom comes forward is at best thought of as a prankster or at worst a liar.”
Arc frowns. “So it wasn’t that they wouldn’t come forward, but that they couldn’t.”
“Right. It’s likely that after experiencing such a thing they just got cleaned up and had to try and move on with their lives.”
“Kinda like the female victims.”
“Not quite. They were probably ignored if they told anyone about what happened. Although I don’t think that’s any better than what happened to the males.”
Arc shoves the stack of books off the table angrily. “Your father really was a piece of work!”
Natalya nods sadly. “I know. Now anyways.”
Arc sighs. “I’m sorry for blowing up at you like that, Natalya. After all, absolutely none of this is your fault.”
“Maybe not. But it’s my job to answer for it.”
“You can figure out how to do that later.”
He gestures to the lamp before continuing.
“This thing is pretty much out of fuel. We should probably take the last couple of books back up to your father’s room to look over there.”
Natalya groans as she stands. “I don’t know how much more I can stand to learn about my father’s antics.”
Arc holds up two large books. “You don’t have to read these if you don’t want to.”
Natalya shakes her head as she blows out the lantern. “No, I’ve come this far. Might as well go the distance. Besides... they can’t be any worse than what we’ve already seen.”
Nodding, Arc puts the books under his arm as he takes Natalya’s talon. She holds the flashlight as they ascend the stairs together. Returning to the brightly lit room above, the pair stop for a few moments to reaccustom their eyes to the light before closing the secret passage behind them. Arc drops the books on the desk along with the key as he steps back and looks to Natalya.
“Would you like to do the honors?”
“How about you open the smaller one first? Judging from the cover it looks like a ledger of sorts.”
“Alright.”
Sitting down at the desk, Arc opens the smaller book. Scanning the first couple of pages, he frowns.
“Numbers for the cost of building something.”
“Something?”
“A building of some kind. Look here. Wood, cement, screws... that sort of thing.”
“But a building would take more than that to properly raise.”
“Maybe there’s more further in.”
He continues looking for a few minutes as he turns the pages. Suddenly, Arc stands and holds the book closer to his eyes.
“This can’t be right!”
“What is it, sir?!”
Arc turns the book to face her. “Look here! An entry for a large amount of weapons, armor, rations, and black cloth!”
“You think he was raising a private army?”
Arc flips through a few more pages. “I have a hunch.”
Continuing his search, Arc points at another entry before speaking again.
“Here!”
Natalya looks over his shoulder. “Some kind of magic cloth?”
“Imported from Equestria!”
“But what does that prove?”
“Nothing by itself. However, the other items that follow do.”
Natalya scans the entries. “I don’t know what these items are.”
Arc frowns. “The reagents needed to make magic cloaks.”
“For what purpose though?”
“Clandestine operations.”
“But our forces do that all the time.”
“True. However, the black cloth isn’t exactly standard issue, is it?”
Natalya shakes her head. “No. And there really is a lot of it there.”
“Right.”
Putting the book down, he stands and turns to Natalya with a sober look on his face.
“It all makes sense to me now.”
“How though, sir?”
“A while back I made contact with the rebels here in Griffonstone.”
Natalya gasps. “You what?!”
“I needed to talk to them about a recent attempt on Twilight’s life. During the conversation, I was able to turn the tables on their leader and interrogate him regarding someone they had received certain magical based goods from. He told me that the figure was covered from head to foot with a cloak but that he walked like a noble.”
Natalya’s eyes grow wide. “Are you saying...?!”
Arc nods. “Yes, Natalya. Your father was the one supplying the rebels.”
“But... but that’s impossible! What reason would a member of the Council of Lords have to overthrow the government?!”
“My guess is nothing.”
“Then why...?!”
“To potentially have his own private underlings with which to send off on missions completely off the record.”
“But what if they had actually succeeded though? He’d have been ousted by the incoming regime.”
“Because he knew it would never actually happen. Commoners going against trained soldiers never ends well.”
“They did so much though.”
“Which allowed the current administration to clamp down harder on the commoners and raise taxes I would guess.”
Natalya eyes grow wide. “They did, yes! It really was all part of his plan!”
“Even if they had somehow won, a nation runs on business. Which he’d still control as he’d still have all the money. Either way, Goldstone knew he’d come out on top.”
Natalya walks over to the bed and sits down heavily. “It’s just... just so overwhelming.”
“Admittedly, I didn’t suspect him either. I figured it was some other lower noble trying to take over.”
Natalya puts her face in her talons. “My own father... a traitor!”
She looks to the other much larger book before continuing.
“Well, I’m certainly glad we saved that one for last.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because whatever’s in that one can’t be as bad as what we’ve already found.”
“I guess not. But we should still take a look.”
Natalya smiles sadly. “The only way it could be worse is if it contained a signed confession.”
Opening the book, Arc looks it over for a few moments. Grimacing, he turns to Natalya.
“Um...”
“What is it?”
“You know how we just agreed that this couldn’t be worse?”
Natalya nods skeptically. “Yes.”
“It is.”
Natalya groans as Arc walks over to her and sits down on the bed. “What is it?”
“Have a look for yourself.”
Giving the book to Natalya, Arc watches as she opens it. Looking over the pages for a few moments she appears confused.
“What... is this?”
Arc sighs. “Something he really didn’t want anyone to find, I assure you.”
“All I see are feathers, names, dates, and places.”
“It’s... a confession.”
“Of what?”
“I’ve heard about things like this back on Earth. When I was a young boy, my uncle was engaged to get married to his girlfriend. But out of the blue one day she called it off. I thought that was kinda weird at the time as they seemed really happy together.”
“So what happened that split them apart?”
“My mother wouldn’t tell me when I asked. But I overheard her talking on the phone a day or so later with another family member about that breakup. She said that the girlfriend had found what she referred to as his ‘sex book’.”
“What’s that?”
“That’s what the person on the other end of the line must’ve said, because my mother had to explain it to them. Supposedly, she opened that book and found a lock of her hair, a date, and her name written within.”
Natalya grimaces. “So... he had a book of all the humans he’d had sex with?”
“Pretty much. And from what I overheard, it wasn’t a small book. But that wasn’t what pushed her to call off the marriage.”
“I don’t see how it could have gotten any worse.”
“It did. Below her name and hair sample was an entry for her mother.”
Natalya gasps. “What?!”
“And above... was her teenage daughter.”
“I know things are done... differently in other places. But that just doesn’t sound even remotely appropriate. Having sex with three generations, I mean.”
“Believe me, it’s not culturally acceptable back there either.”
He motions to the book again before continuing.
“This appears to be the same thing though.”
Natalya looks over the page they’re on. “I’ve seen several of these names before on duty rosters!”
“Military?”
“Mostly support staff.”
Arc shakes his head. “And this is a pretty big book.”
Natalya groans as she pushes the book back into Arc’s hands. “I think I’ve seen enough of that.”
“Me too. But...”
Natalya turns to him. “You want to look at it more?!”
“Just the end. After all, I’m assuming this is in chronological order.”
Flipping to the last page, Arc stares at it for a long moment. Looking to Natalya, he frowns.
“Take a look.”
Natalya shakes her head. “I really don’t want to.”
“Believe me. You need to see this.”
Sighing, Natalya glances over at the page. Her eyes wide, she cranes her neck to get a closer look.
“Th-those feathers...!”
Arc nods. “Yeah. Gallus, and Gabby’s.”
“But I never...!”
Arc points to the top of the page. “See here? He has them under the label of ‘future conquests’. Looks like Goldstone was planning to get with both of your siblings at some point.”
“Thankfully he’ll never be able to... to...”
“Natalya?”
Turning to look at the griffon next to him, he spies her putting a talon on her belly and the other over her mouth. Jumping off the bed, Natalya runs into the private bathroom slamming the door behind her. Arc hears the sounds of vomiting and coughing as he closes the book and tosses it aside.
“I know what you mean, Natalya. It’s all I can do to keep from throwing up myself.”
Putting a hand on the bed below him, Arc slowly and carefully stands.
“Don’t think I want to sit on this thing anymore.”
Looking down at his outfit, he groans.
“Not sure if I want to have these things washed heavily after a VERY long shower or just burn them.”
He frowns as the sound of another round of vomiting rings out from the bathroom nearby. Sighing, he nods.
“Right, Natalya. Burned it is.”
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The word “years” may be missing.
Within the limitations of the story, I hate it when I get even an approximately right prediction.
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Opps! Fixed that.
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My wife was equally horrified.
Ugh, this was hard to read, good job I haven't eaten recently!
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My wife had wanted that particular character to bite the dust for a long time. So when he did, I made sure that he was portrayed as the most vile creature imaginable.