The Pirate and the Hound

Screaming through the forests on the border of the Badlands, a lone Gryphon, cut and bloodied almost beyond recognition, hobbled to civilisation hoping to be freed from the peril he'd just left behind. His screams fell short of any sentient life. He knew the risks of attracting more predators, but he felt that they were avoidable even if they found him, what wasn't avoidable was what he was screaming and running from.

Through his heavy panting, he saw the faint glow of moonlight beyond the treeline and knew he'd made it to the edge of the forest. 'Thank Celestia' he thought, even though Celestia was not his deity Truthfully, the Gryphons had no need to believe in an afterlife. Nomadic in nature, they believed death in battle to be the ultimate privilege. To exist in any way shape or form afterward would be nothing but an insult. This Gryphon however, thought differently after having seen what he'd seen. He'd entered the forest with a hunting party of seven. None but himself made it more than a yard from the point of contact.

Pushing through the pain all over his body, he picked up the pace. Even if by a fraction, it would be fast enough; or so he thought. As he cut through the treeline, he filled his lungs and went to call out for help. He barely managed the first two letters before he was silenced by a large creature. It had caught his hind legs with its teeth, causing him to trip up and fall face first into the ground. He bit his lip and pain seared through his mouth, followed by a warm fluid that was too metallic for saliva. With a mouthful of blood, he was unable to call out again as his once prey, now turned predator dragged him back into the depths of the forest.

The gurgled cries of the Gryphon could be heard from three yards away at the most. Far enough for a widowed old Gryphon to hear. It didn't take her long to deduce the situation. She'd heard similar cries from animals, but what frightened her were the gargled words instead of the high screeching or bleated baying. Reacting on instinct, the Gryphoness locked her doors and closed the curtains on her windows; she turned out the lights and took refuge under the covers of her bed.

The following morning, the villagers listened to the Gryphoness' story. While some refused to believe her, others went so far as to investigate the treeline. It didn't take long for one of them to spot a dried up trail of blood leading into the forest Some feathers remained pinned to the ground, further proving the old one's story. A large number of villagers armed themselves with everyday farming equipment and went into the forest to investigate.

Several minutes in, and the carcass of their fallen brother had been found; half of it at least. Different emotions spread out through the villagers. Some were angry, others worried for their lives. This Gryphon had died as prey, not as a warrior He had been disgraced. Later that day; three of the villagers, including the widow made track for the High Kingdom of the Gryphon Empire.

It took a week for them to arrive, but they arrived unscathed, which was all they could have asked for and sadly all they received. The Emperor was unwilling to listen to reason. Possessing a race-wide superiority complex, he refused to believe a Gryphon could fall to anything short of another one.

Sent on their way without the promise of aid, the three were ten minutes out of the city's edge when the widow offered an alternative solution: They could either return home empty handed, or they could go further West to the Border of Equestria, where the newest Princess, Twilight Sparkle (who had taken an abandoned Gryphon state as her own without complaint from the Gryphon Emperor) resided. The other two, though uncomfortable asking the Equestrians for aid, realised they could either swallow their pride or let their comrades back home be mercilessly killed. In the end, the decision was obvious. It would be even more shameful to not seek help from a neutral race than it would to go home knowing they had the potential to save their friends.

The journey had taken a further week. They were thankful that Twilight's territory was a wedge in the Gryphon Empire's. Explaining their situation to the Dawnguard Captain, Rainbow Dash, they were allowed to rest and given food and water after their journey. All the while, Rainbow Dash had put in a request order for an audience with the Princess. Knowing these orders could take anywhere from twenty-four hours to three days, Dash gave the gryphons accommodation within the castle to the three tired travellers.

That evening, Dash spoke with Twilight.

"It's strange. Gryphons never ask ponies for help. They're too proud. That was evident in Gilda's personality." Twilight commented, staring at the audience form as if it were an indecipherable artifact from an Ancient ruin.

"I know what you mean, but I've never seen Gryphons so tired and spooked before. These three aren't Soldiers like most others, they're genuinely village folk." Dash replied. She removed her helmet to reveal her shortened Rainbow Mane. She was taller than most of her Guards and she'd aged really well. She was in her thirties and there were barely any wrinkles on her face, but her eyes showed experience.

Twilight was taller, but she hadn't aged a day beyond her transformation. Her wings were larger than Dash's, then again, so was she. She truly looked like a Lavender Luna in Dash's eyes. Her Galaxy themed mane and tail suited her. It was just like Twilight to take on an Astronomus theme. "That's the worrisome bit. If they aren't soldiers, then their reason for being here must be genuine and if it's so bad that they need our help, well... I'd rather not know what the problem is. Nevertheless, I'll see them first thing in the morning." Twilight lifted a quill from her table and signed the form with her name. "Let your guards know to expect them. I'll also be holding a meeting with Celestia and Luna. If it involves the Gryphons, I want them present. Their experience will undoubtedly be helpful in this situation. That being said, could you be a dear and sent this a letter to Luna when you're done with this form?" she asked. Dash knew it wasn't an order, so she decided to play around.

"You know, I do sleep Twilight. Why not get Spike to send the letter?" she asked.

"Spike's in Canterlot, visiting Rarity and undoubtedly trying to win her over while helping her. After that, he'll be visiting Applejack so we can exchange letters." she replied. Dash thought about the last time she saw Spike.

"Is that why he was carrying a dragon egg in his bag?" she asked.

"Yes, I decided to give our friends back in Ponyville their own baby dragon to raise so we can communicate to each other. Since only Myself and the other Princesses know how to return a letter sent through a dragon, it would be best if they had their dragon send it and I replied through it." she replied.

Dash began flapping her wings excitedly. Her foalish nature hadn't completely subsided over the years. "Ooh, can I send some letters to them as well? I don't really trust the regular mail services, not since Derpy left to join the Dawnguard. Ironically enough, it ran better with her there."

"That's because the Post office was full of morons. Derpy was just cross-eyed." Twilight said venomously, remembering a bad situation regarding the Manager. "Okay then. But We should both write on the same parchment. We don't want their dragon getting sick, do we?" she asked, smiling honestly.

"They can get sick from that?" Dash asked.

"Of course. Remember how Spike was after that first encounter with Discord? He'd belched up all of the friendship reports I'd given to Celestia and he wouldn't even look at Ice-cream for weeks. I had to make smoothies out of his food, just to keep him healthy." Twilight replied. Dash recalled the following weeks and nodded.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Alright, could you let me know when you're going to write a letter to the others? I wanna tell them about us." she asked. Twilight chuckled.

"Alright. I guess if I tried to tell them about us, they wouldn't understand what I meant by it." she handed Dash the Audience request form, concluding the conversation. Dash looked around the room for signs of other guards. When nopony was present, she quickly leaned in and gave Twilight a peck on the cheek.

"Be right back." she said, dashing out of the room. Twilight chuckled again and began writing her letter to the other Princesses.

Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,

...