The Everfree Conspiracy

by Poppinfresh

Chapter 4

“The king will see you now.” Heffer said in his snooty voice.
Celestia didn’t much care for Griffons. Or, she didn’t care for Heffer at least. Heffer was the only Griffon she’d met and heard talk for any amount of time, and he treated every one of them with the kind of disdain that even upper class equestrians known for their contempt of the lower class would call unfair and extreme. But even if it turned out that every other Griffon was the cheeriest, friendliest person in the world, that still wouldn’t excuse Griffallion’s weather. Celestia had trained in the northern part of Equestria where it was chilly all the time, and before that her home of Hoofton had seen some brutal winters. But nothing compared to Griffallion. It was a rather large kingdom, filled with large mountain ranges with peaks that stretched to the sky. Celestia and the small outfit she was traveling with had entered the kingdom through one of the precarious mountain roads placed already high up in the ranges. The sight was impressive, being surrounded by massive rock formations had a way of putting her in awe of the world around her, while strangely aware and scared of her own size in comparison. But for all the amazing sights, the cold was horrible. In spite of how many layers she had on and how close she would huddle around the campfire at night, the cold had a way of penetrating her various coats and cloaks, and beating back the warmth of the fire at night. She could see why Griffons would have a reputation for being tough, you’d have to be to live here and call the freezing mountain tops your home. The homes, speaking of which, were a sight to see as well; Luna had been fascinated their whole trip through the country at the sight of entire villages and towns built up and into the sheer cliffs of the mountains. Travel through the country had been difficult as well, the roads in Griffallion were scarce. Seeing as most of the inhabitants could fly, Celestia could see why roads wouldn’t be much of a concern. They were mostly used when a storm rolled in that made flying difficult, and by visitors such as herself.
The Palace was incredible. Luna had been interested in the towns and villages, but she was absolutely enamored with the palace that housed the king and other royalty of Griffallion.
“It’s… impressive…” Luna stuttered out as they arrived around the bend of a cliff side.
“Yeah…” Celestia responded. Just as amazed by what she saw.
And it was amazing. Really amazing. The palace was placed high up towards the peak of the tallest mountain in the area, giving it a wide long view of the direction it was facing, which was every direction. The palace was built around the entire peak of the mountain, giving it a three hundred and sixty degree view of the entire surrounding area for miles in every direction. The palace hung out over the cliff, showing off various windows and rooms. Celestia thought about what the inside of the palace looked like, and considered that in all probability, the palace was the peak of the mountain.
“Celestia? Luna? Are you coming?” Fillius looked at them with a small smile, Taking enjoyment from the sister’s amazement at the interior of the palace.
“Oh… Uh… Yeah. Sorry about that captain.” Luna said, as she motioned for Celestia to follow along with her.
“Girls, I keep telling you, it’s ok to call me Fillius. I may be your superior but I never really did enjoy adhering to most of the military protocol. When we’re not at any official meetings, with higher-ups, you can just call me by my name.”
“Thanks, Fillius.” Celestia laughed nervously, still getting used to calling her superior officer by such a casual title.
Heffer did not appreciate all of the side talking. “If you would all please hurry along, the king’s time is important and he would enjoy it if you didn’t waste it gawking.”
“Sorry about that Heffer. Some of us are a little new to being in new places.” Fillius said, as he smiled jokingly back at the sisters.
“Hmph. Just hurry along and don’t waste our time.”
King Sharp-Eye sat at the end of a long banquet table. Along the table sat various other griffons that held various positions of power and honor in Griffallion. Nearest to Sharp-Eye however, were three empty seats.
“Come on!” King Sharp-Eye shouted across the hall. “Take a seat! Don’t be shy! I haven’t got all day so hurry on up!”
Fillius, Celestia, and Luna quietly took the seats that were left for them. They sat for a few moments in awkward silence before Sharp-Eye spoke.
“Well? What are we here for?” He said in his naturally bellowing and loud voice.
“Ah yes, about that.” Fillius responded, as if snapping out of a trance. “As was discussed beforehand, we need access to one of your old tunnels.”
Sharp-Eye looked at Fillius with minor suspicion. “And why is that?”
“Well, in the particular mining tunnel we wish to explore, we believe that something of value is located there.”
“Value, eh? How much is it worth to you?” Sharp-Eye said with a mischievous grin.
Fillius was expecting this response. “Well, it’s not so much about what it’s worth to us, as it is to you. Which is to say, nothing. It is worth nothing to you.”
“And how do you figure that?” Sharp-Eye asked, obviously annoyed by Fillius’ games.
“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t say nothing. It might look good to you, as a trinket of sorts. But hardly worth the value of extracting it.”
“It’s worth something to you, that is all I need to know.”
“I suppose, but we would appreciate the favor if you let us retrieve the artifact from your mine. Perhaps you will recall the favor that arrived a few weeks before us?”
Sharp-Eye laughed. “Indeed I do. Quite a generous favor it was too, I’m still enjoying it.” He said as he motioned to the food in front of him. “Ok Fillius, I concede. I like you, and I like the game you play. It helps that you did indeed send me quite a gift, though I suppose I will take that as payment for using my mine.” Sharp-Eye laughed some more. “You have my permission, and the permission of Griffallion to use that mine. Just be done with your business and be out of my land within three weeks from now. It’s nothing personal, but some subjects of mine are weary of outsiders, and I cannot guarantee that they will let you stay longer than that.”
“You’ve given us more time than we could have hoped for, King Sharp-Eye. On the behalf of the Grand Equestrian Council, and Equestria, I thank you.” Fillius bowed, while Luna and Celestia awkwardly bowed after him. They quickly left the hall, and were escorted outside of the palace by Heffer.

As they packed up their supplies in front of the palace, Celestia found Fillius and began to help him pack.
“Hey captain-… Fillius,” she said. “Can I ask you something?”
“What is it Celestia?”
“Why did you bring us along?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean, why did you bring us inside the palace. I know there were more people in there suited to handle something of as much diplomatic importance as talking to a king, but you brought Luna and I in. Come to think of it, why did you have us selected for this assignment at all?”
Fillius laughed a little. “Well for one, you like to ask questions. I need ponies who can think, and aren’t afraid to. You like to think, and you like to voice it. But more importantly, I see something in you.”
“And what is that?”
“I don’t quite know yet, Celestia.” Fillius said, getting a little lost in his own thoughts. “But you and Luna both, you’re special. I knew when you lost control of yourself in Hoofton. I brought you along because I know you and your sister can do well, and if I can, I want to speed up the process for you in showing everyone what I know. So I’m giving you a chance, Celestia. A chance to see the world and learn about it, and a chance to show yourself to the world around you while getting to skip a few of the typical military hoops they normally make you jump.”
Celestia didn’t know what to say. It was an odd sensation, having someone look out for her when she’d been looking out for herself her entire life. “Th-thanks…” She stammered, “I don’t know what…”
“I’ll tell you what you and your sister can do for me Celestia. You can do me a favor and not screw this up. Do me a favor and show the world what you can do.”
“You got it, Captain.”
“Good to hear, soldier.”
“Celestia! Celestia!” Luna came yelling with glee. “Did you see that palace!? It’s AMAZING!”
Luna was smiling with a huge grin.
Celestia laughed. “Yeah, I saw it Luna. We were in it after all.”
Fillius looked amused. “I’m glad you like it, Luna. It’s what we based the idea of Canterlot off of. Although I’m afraid that after seeing Blazing Star Palace, Canterlot may be a disappointment.”
“It’s absolutely incredible! I almost want to live here the rest of my life!.”
“Oh don’t worry,” Fillius grinned, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”