Chapters She swirled through howling winds and nosedived for the city below. Keeping her eyes closed until reaching terminal velocity, only opening them as she released her wings to break in a perfect arc straight through into an open window at the highest tower in Canterlot.
Fortunately, the cleaning staff remembered to keep the window open this time, and she was able to touch down on the carpet in front of her workbench without glass splinters between her teeth. Floating behind her encased in a magical field, was her sleeping secretary, Haywood.
”Luna?” he asked with bleary eyes. ”We have returned already? What time is it?”
She released Haywood onto the sofa at the far end of the room, inspecting him. The old stallion didn’t appear worse for wear despite their weekend-long adventure to the hills south of the Smoky Mountains. Though his white mustache and mane did need combing, as he resembled a mad professor gone supervillain.
”It is early morning,” she answered while taking her seat behind the desk. The inbox with arriving messages contained a dozen new letters, though one carrying the sigil of the West Pony Trading Company caught her attention.
Haywood grumbled and stretched like an old cat on the sofa, then jumped off and approached her desk. ”Have you been awake all night?”
”Indeed!”
In truth, during most of the night flight from the Smoky Mountains to Canterlot, she’d been multitasking between sleeping, soothing ponies’ dreams, and flying with him caught up in her magic.
Still, sleeping as such wasn’t particularly restful. No doubt there were visible bags under her eyes despite her dark coat. But there did exist a remedy for her situation that could cure her deprived state without fail: a product that she ranked highest among the many achievements in this age of discovery.
“Haywood,” she announced with her hoof outstretched. “Bring me a pot of coffee, extra strong.”
The stallion mumbled under his breath, only the word ’addict’ being discernible, though ultimately he did vanish in a flash of teleportation. With the imminent arrival of the divine brew underway, she passed the time by going through the letter from the WPTC.
The reports sent to her were the result of a deal made in the aftermath of the currency crises and reveal of the dragon, Gordon Rich. In light of his previous economic tampering, both sides agreed to work more closely together to prevent another collapse of the financial system. Technically, the WPTC and Gordon Rich had done nothing illegal and couldn’t be prosecuted for their meddling under current laws, but their actions and secrets were now in the princesses’ sight, and both parties agreed that cooperation was the preferable choice, going forward.
Gordon Rich might be the wealthiest citizen in Equestria, but for all his riches, his rights didn’t differ from that of the average pony. Having two immortal and unbribable rulers made sure of that, and if the oversized lizard decided to cause trouble again, she had a secret weapon in the form of the spearhead of knowledge.
The threat of having Princess Twilight Sparkle and her unrelenting resolve to pester him about dragon culture sent to his cave again all but guaranteed that there would be no more foul play. The dragon did once threaten to leave Equestria and take his gold with him, but she knew the threat was hollow. The West Pony Trading Company was too profitable for him to go and abandon his shares.
Before she had finished reading the introduction of the letter, Haywood appeared beside her desk with a tray and several steaming cups. She hadn't had any access to the black gold out in the wilderness and salivated at being finally being served some. Not wasting a second, she emptied the first cup in one fell swoop, and despite the scalding heat, she smiled satisfyingly as the liquid invigorated her body and soul.
”You know that ponies have been sent to detox facilities for less?” At least his look of disapproval wasn’t as bad as the time he caught her one morning drinking straight from the pot. When she made no reply, he quickly changed the subject. ”Did we do the right thing with the Hooffields and McColts?”
”Whatever do you mean?” she asked while taking a more modest sip of the second cup. ”Everything worked out according to plan. Honestly, I don’t know why Twilight’s magical map table didn’t originally send us instead.”
”Well, I believe this time it was more of a squabble at the local bar instead of outright war,” Haywood noted. ”The message sent to us overstated the situation. There was barely a land dispute to begin with.”
”Nonsense,” she replied to the former and waved away his argument with a hoof. ”If Twilight and Fluttershy dealt with the situation more permanently, this all would have been avoided.”
Haywood massaged the side of his head. ”You do realize that arranged marriages have been illegal for a thousand years? What am I suppose to tell Celestia in my report?”
”The truth. I simply let slip the idea that the Princess of the Night would be very pleased if there were a marriage between a son and daughter of each head of familie.” She paused for a moment. “I would never have said such a thing without confirmation that the two in question secretly weren’t already smitten by one other.”
A quick visit to both of their dreams had given her more than enough evidence that they would be thrilled with this new arrangement.
“Besides, when you have two families isolated on the far fringes of Equestria’s border, you need to make a determined effort to protect the gene pool.” She thought about it some more while draining the second cup. “The moon only knows they needed to.”
“I’ll leave that last part out,” Haywood said as he held his head high while walking toward the adjacent secretary room.
Ignoring any potential fallout from Haywood’s report, she continued reading from the WPTC letter. So far, there had been little of note. The trade with the changeling village on the edge of the Badlands proceeded without incident, and there hadn’t been any more kidnapping attempts despite numerous infiltration checks.
Changeling issues aside, most of the letter was pointless fluff, until she reached the very end.
”Haywood!” she called out for her secretary. ”We have a situation on our hooves.”
Haywood poked his head into her office, the orange tie now perfectly straightened and his mane less unruly. ”What world-ending disaster is it this time?”
”It seems there has been an international incident on the high seas while we were away.”
Haywood tilted his head and took a seat on the chair opposite her desk. ”Oh, what happened?”
”The Gryphon Navy has established a blockade against all trade vessels docking at Gryphonstone-controlled ports.”
There was a heavy frown from Haywood as he processed the information. ”They are blockading their own ports?”
”In essence, yes.”
Though that wasn’t the whole truth, as while the council in Gryphonstone controlled the capital and commanded most of the nations army and navy, their rule of the other gryphon cities existed only on paper. Those cities often governed themselves with little to no regard to the council’s wishes.
”I take it the West Pony Trading Company weren’t too happy about this?”
Instead of answering, she levitated over a map highlighting eastern Equestria. Trade routes over land and sea were marked going in and out of gryphon lands; most important were the ship routes between Manehatten, Baltimare, and Fillydelphia that connected to the gryphon ports of Hildburg to the north and Gryphonberg to the south.
”Indeed they are not,” she answered while tracing over the map, then tapped with a hoof on Hildburg opposite of Manehatten across the Celestial Sea. ”A WPTC trade ship defied the blockade and sped past the gryphon navy. Reportedly, they delivered their cargo to Hildburg and made it safely back to Manehattan, but the action infuriated the gryphon navy command, who ordered one their carracks to open fire on the trade ship.”
”What? That’s scandalous.”
”They claimed it was a warning shot,” she said, the letter afloat in her magic.
In this instance, she would believe it. Most of the Equestrian navy was moored at port, but if they deployed to the Celestial Sea, they’d outnumber the gryphons seven to one. If you counted armed trading vessels the number was closer to twenty in their favor. In truth, the WPTC trade fleet alone could most likely best the gryphons at sea if they wanted to.
Haywood was still visibly appalled. “Princess Luna, do we know why the Gryphonstone council did this?”
“No idea,” she said while folding the map on her desk until it was small enough that would fit inside a pocket. “The gryphon ambassador and Celestia might know, but it doesn’t matter.”
“Why doesn’t it matter? This could escalate into to a serious incident if we do nothing!”
She stored away the map in a saddlebag and began rummaging through her filing cabinet, searching for a specific letter.
“I’m certain that my sister has already made the necessary arrangements,” she began, withdrawing a piece of paper and placing it on the desk for him to read. “Do not forget, Haywood, that we manage domestic issues. Leave the foreign affairs to Celestia.”
The stallion was about to object but eventually nodded.
”What’s this?” he asked when she deposited a letter in front of him.
”It is the letter informing us of the land dispute between the Hooffields and McColts.”
She waited for him to connect the dots.
”It is a bit suspicious that we were sent away on what was essentially a wild goose chase.” She motioned for him to continue when he looked up. ”That also happened to send us way out to the westernmost outback while, at the same time, this trade dispute broke out in the east.”
”Suspicious, indeed,” she said. ”Which is why we need to discover the name of the pony who sent us out there in the first place.”
Haywood inspected the back and front of the letter in his hoof. ”I can’t find a sender on it.”
She mused about that fact. Any letter reaching her department would have undergone scrutiny. For the problem to be verified, it needed tangible evidence that something was wrong or else be vouched for by someone who the Crown trusted.
”Take the letter to Celestia's advisor, Kibitz, and find out who sent it.”
Haywood responded by scruffing his mustache before leaving the room. No doubt he understood the implications. With him gone, there was little for her to do but consume the last cup of liquid delight.
With so many momentous events lately, she’d little time to work on some of her pet projects. First was her airship, The Moon’s Return, which stood half-finished in Canterlot shipyard, its construction delayed another year courtesy of a particular dragon’s lawsuit.
Secondly, and more ambitiously, were her plans to restore what they now called ’The Castle of the Two Sisters ’ to its former glory. The reconstruction of Equestria’s former capital would cement her return as princess and co-founder of the nation. Not that ponies didn’t accept her now, but she felt there was a need for a more permanent and grandiose landmark.
Of course, such an undertaking required considerable resources. A railway connection to Canterlot and Ponyville needed to be established, and in doing so, deforesting a broad path through the Everfree Forest to place railways. The workers installing the tracks also needed protection from the often dangerous wildlife, and the Crown wouldn't provide the guards required, since the reconstruction was privately funded. That had been the only demand her sister made before approving the project, which meant employing mercenaries.
Another issue was that even if she managed to coax enough investors to support the project, and the former capital was restored as budgeted, an isolated city in the middle of the Everfree Forest wouldn’t offer much commercial value to repay the initial investment. Canterlot already served as the city of choice for the aristocracy, and the forest provided little else than timber in terms of resources.
Of course, its remoteness would make it ideal as a military bastion and refuge in times of crisis, not to mention the importance of protecting the Tree of Harmony hidden beneath. But she knew this wouldn’t be enough to convince her sister. The location of the Tree of Harmony was something only a select few ponies were aware of, and building a fortress at its location might draw unwanted attention.
Deciding to dwell on those issues later, she redirected her mental faculties to the gryphon problem. If the current dispute originated from inside Equestria somehow, then there were only a select few who could orchestrate such an endeavor. Gordon Rich and the WPTC possessed the necessary resources and connections to manage such a feat but were quickly dismissed, as they had the most to lose in a trade dispute. The dragon might be devious and cunning, yet his greed made him predictable. He would never sanction a scheme harming his profits.
The trading company did, however, have rivals and enemies both domestic and foreign, primarily due to their vast business outcompeting many smaller actors, though these factions were minor players in the game and didn’t hold enough political sway to affect nations on such a scale. The Equestrian Royalty was capable enough but would never attempt something so devious, except maybe for Blueblood who she dismissed due to incompetence.
The door to the main entrance of their department opened, and a sour looking Haywood trotted from his secretary office into hers.
”No luck?” she asked.
Haywood shook his head. ”I found out who sent the letter.”
”And?”
”The letter was sent to us by none other than The Element of Laughter: Pinkamena Diane Pie.”
Barely conscious of how her jaw dropped at the reveal, and with a mind that raced at the speed of caffeine, she thought about the implications. The limited interaction she remembered with the pink mare was mostly during formal dinners and celebrations, and if Pinkie Pie was responsible for any crimes, it would be for single-handedly keeping the country's supply of chocolate artificially low with her consumption while still retaining a perfect figure.
”Princess Luna, how do we handle this?” he asked.
She turned toward the open window. ”Do you even need to ask?”
“There is a train leaving in—” he began, but realized he was no longer standing on the floor as a blue ethereal tendril wrapped around his barrel. “We haven't even had breakfast yet!"
The strong winds effortlessly drowned out any further complaints.
The temperature of the summer morning promised a hot and humid day. Haywood especially seemed bothered by the weather, if his agonized expression were any indication, even though the parasol at the center of their roundtable kept them cool in the shade.
Her secretary also wasn’t eating the hayfries drowned in ketchup that the restaurant owner said was on the house, instead staring down at the plate as if contemplating his life choices. Granted, deep-fried pieces of hay weren’t the most nutritionally complete breakfast for a stallion his age, but one should always appreciate free food.
Her own portion was gone in under a minute.
”So,” Haywood began, dejectedly, then turned to look at Sugarcube Corner across the road. ”Why haven't we gone and asked Lady Pie yet?”
”Because breakfast is important,” she replied.
The actual reason was twofold. First, the Element of Laughter was an opponent not to be taken lightly; secondly, she wanted to field test one of the modern accessories designed to repel sunlight. According to her own research—studying a magazine she’d confiscated from a guardsmare the week prior—sunglasses also served as an efficient spy tool, often used by celebrities to remain incognito when out in society.
”We should have talked to Princess Celestia,” he mumbled while examining a particularly soggy piece of hayfry held up in his magic.
”That would be an unproductive use of our time,” she replied, dismissively. ”I know how dear sister will respond before even she does.”
”And?”
Luna looked about their surroundings for any eavesdroppers before answering. A dozen locals were roaming the street, some setting up food stalls while others strolled around seemingly with little to no purpose. They were getting a fair share of questioning glances, but none appeared too interested in their conversation.
”Gryphonstone is allowed to sanction or embargo any type of Equestrian goods within a certain timeframe if they so wish, but a blockade is illegal under our current treaty,” she began with a low voice. ”Though, if they don’t want to trade with us any more, then there isn’t much more to say about the issue. Celestia's first priority will be to keep the peace and order the WPTC to recall their ships from gryphon shores, or they'll risk having their trade license revoked.”
”And they’ll leave willingly?”
She shrugged and leaned further back into her stool. “News travels slowly at sea and it will be days before every vessel of the trade fleet is informed. Meanwhile, if a gryphon captain decides to fire another warning shot before then, who knows what might happen.”
”The WPTC are only authorized to defend themselves,” Haywood said, mustache twitching. ”You believe they might provoke the gryphons into firing the first shot?”
”They would never openly defy the Crown.” She allowed the rest to remain unsaid. ”If you’re done eating, I suggest we proceed with our investigation.”
They barely made it across the road.
”Hi, Princess Luna, hi, Haywood,” Pinkie Pie said, suddenly bouncing out of Sugarcube Corner and instantly recognizing them. Pinkie and Haywood had never met, from her recollection, but she decided not to pursue that line of thought.
”Good morning, Pinkie,” she began with a heavy emphasis on her last words. ”We wish to have a word with you, in private.”
Pinkie, in the motion of swapping away dust from the stairs with her tail, instantly beamed. ”Sure! Come inside, the Cakes are away with the kids, and we have no other customers yet.”
They followed Pinkie into a room with too many bright colors and resemblances to baked cakes, and when the mare opened a small gate to stand behind the cash register, she noticed several large sacks with the WPTC logo at the bottom of a shelf.
”So,” Pinkie said with front hooves up on the counter. ”Can I get you anything? We have cupcakes right out of the oven.”
Pinkie’s smile never wavered as Luna stepped to the counter opposite her.
“You import all your ingredients?”
“Yup!” Pinkie said and turned to pick up a sack from the shelf and place it on the counter. The barque riding a wave with three pegasi in escort formation revealed its origins, and Pinkie showcased two more sacks, half the size of a pony with different ingredients, ranging from raw sugar to cocoa and cinnamon. “We only buy the bestest available!”
In the back of her mind, Luna noted how none of the ingredients came from gryphon lands.
”I have another question,” she began with a hint of edge to her voice. ”Did you recently deliver a letter to the royal office in Canterlot?”
”Yup!” Pinkie replied, unperturbed.
Haywood retrieved the Hooffields and Mccolts letter from his backpack and levitated it over for Pinkie to read.
”Did you write this?” Luna asked.
”Nope!”
”Who sent you to deliver it?”
”Can’t say!”
She moved to the edge of the counter and loomed over Pinkie. ”And why not?”
”I made a Pinkie promise not to!”
This caught her by surprise for a moment, and decided that it was necessary to force the issue. ”Your Princess asks you to tell me who gave you this letter.”
Pinkie shook her head. ”Sorry, Princess Luna. But a promise is a promise!”
A pleasant breeze from the open front door was the only thing that followed as she magicked over her sunglasses to Haywood’s saddlebags. The situation required a different approach, and she loomed as much as possible over the smaller pony who in turn matched her stern gaze.
”Is the letter related to the Gryphon blockade?” she asked without blinking.
Pinkie did not answer. Instead, she matched Luna's straight-faced expression to the point where both eyebrows touched. Neither gave an inch as the unblinking duel continued, and the hot summer air turned cold when ominous darkness began to emerge from every corner of the room. Haywood retreated for the front door, but unnaturally strong winds violently slammed the door behind him.
Darkness spread and a pained creaking of wood filled the air as the entire room appeared to bend inwards, yet Pinkie displayed an incredible determination as the contest of wills escalated further.
Then something unexpected happened. Pinkie’s grave expression faltered as her pink cheeks puffed up like balloons, and before long the mare exhaled audibly, spreading spit all over the immediate vicinity.
The darkness quickly rescinded from the room.
”Wow, Princess Luna,” Pinkie began in between gasps for air. ”The only other pony I’ve lost a staring contest to was Fluttershy!”
”Will you answer my question?” Luna replied patiently, not questioning why you’d hold your breath in a staring contest.
From somewhere inside the depths of Pinkie’s mane, a parchment was dragged out and placed upon the counter.
”Nope,” Pinkie said.
The mysterious parchment, embedded with long pink hairs, was a legal document of sorts. Reading from the top were long paragraphs of judicial language, the results of which meant that a warrant, signed by a majority of judges in Equestria’s highest court, was required to break a Pinkie Promise legally. The individual who swore the oath couldn’t answer anything that might lead, directly or indirectly, to breaking the promise.
Most surprisingly, at the very bottom of the page was Celestia’s elegant signature, adjacent to Pinkie’s messy scribble which formed a smiley face at the very end. Why her sister would agree to sign such a document needed to be looked into later.
”Then I will ask you directly, do you personally have any involvement in the Gryphon blockade?”
Pinkie opened her mouth without any words coming out, and it took a full minute as the gears could almost be heard turning in her head. The eventual answer was as unexpected as unhelpful.
”What does ’blockade’ mean?” Pinkie asked with full sincerity.
The two other ponies in the room shared an incredulous look, then both turned in sync for the exit and walked out into the open street.
”Come back at lunch hour for some freshly made pies!” Pinkie’s shouts echoed behind them.
”Well, that was a bust,” Haywood said as they aimlessly turned to walk down the street. ”What do we do now? Return to Canterlot?”
”No, we do not,” she replied, putting back her sunglasses for added emphasis. ”This situation is more dire than I feared, and beyond the capabilities of my dear sister to handle alone.”
While it was true that their only lead was a ’bust,’ they now had adequate evidence of a broader conspiracy by someone possessing a vast amount of cunning. Asking Pinkie to deliver a letter while simultaneously tricking her into taking an oath of silence was, in effect, the only possible way Luna could imagine to allow someone to remain anonymous while putting the blindfold over her department.
”We need to move our search closer to the source.”
Haywood sidestepped away from her at hearing that. ”Don’t tell me we are flying to Gryphonstone?”
”We are not,” she said as the old stallion let out a sigh of relief. ”But first, we need to brainstorm. What do you know of the trade between Gryphonstone and Equestria?”
Haywood mulled about the answer for a while as they walked through the streets of Ponyville, on a course for Princess Twilight’s castle.
”I don’t know the exact amount of tons at the top of my head.”
”Just humor me,” she said.
”Very well. The geography of gryphon lands is often rocky hillsides with few forests. The amount we sell and buy varies with the season, and more so if the winter was long or short, but mainly Equestria exports timber, utensils, furniture, silk, honey, and cider.”
”And imports?”
”Iron, sand, clay, and perhaps marble, I think? Goods brought back are often unrefined and basic, and the traders usually don’t earn much from selling it back home, but it’s better than returning with an empty cargo hold.”
”A substantial trade deficit then?” she asked.
”Most months of the year, at least.”
Tracing the flow of coin was often the most efficient way to find the source of any financial trouble. In this instance, it all began in the gryphon mainland, where the locals bought Equestrian made goods distributed from the merchant classes in the coastal cities, who in turn purchased the products in bulk for a far lower price from the West Pony Trading Company.
The WPTC was a publicly-owned company, whose shares were bought and sold on an open market, and while the Rich family owned the biggest block of shares, their total percentage barely reached into the double digits. Collectively, it was Equestria’s upper and middle classes who were given most of the dividends.
In situations like this, the cynical would point out how much of the wealth created by the work of mainland gryphons was filling the pockets of already well-off merchants and ponies, but she knew that none of those hard-working gryphons wished to return to the days when there was never enough wood left to keep your home heated during the winter months.
”What parts of Equestria would be most affected if trade halted?” She already had a solid idea what would happen, but hoped Haywood would notice something she missed.
”The companies who import iron could likely buy it from somewhere else, albeit at a substantially higher price,” Haywood began. ”The export companies will have a tougher time compensating since there are no other big markets for timber. It will be hard for the countryside since most small towns and mills are established near large forests.”
Haywood paused for a moment before continuing. ”I believe my own firewood comes from a small town called Rosewood, somewhere in the woods past Dodge City.”
”Anything else?” she asked.
”Nothing off the top of my head,” he replied. ”We might face some short-term economic pain, but the economy should equalize within a few years, even if the gryphons decide to isolate themselves.”
A few years was likely a low estimate, and the decline would eventually spread to urban areas. Manufacturing was centered around the large cities because of easy access to skilled and educated labor, and any collapse from there could snowball into unrelated businesses.
They walked on hard-packed dirt, kicking up dust, only a few yards away from the main entrance of Twilight’s castle. ”There will always be winners and losers when there is a sudden imbalance of goods. You believe potential winners could have orchestrated the dispute?”
”Very unlikely,” Haywood said while they moved up to the door. The castle’s shadow allowing them a reprieve from the heat. ”Are we visiting Princess Twilight?”
”Briefly, there is something I need to confirm.”
She took a step forward and knocked hard on the crystal door thrice in quick succession, followed by a long silence. Eventually, Twilight's dragon assistant peeked in from behind the door.
"Oh, hello, Princess Luna."
"Greetings, Sir Spike," she replied, taking extra care to make sure her introduction was up to dragon standards. "Where is your liege, Princess Twilight?"
Spike looked up at her in confusion, eventually answering with less elegance than expected.
"Uh, Twilight and Starlight left for Gryphonstone yesterday."
This wasn't breaking news. She surmised her sister wouldn't hold back her greatest diplomatic asset, and yet wondered if even Princess Twilight would be sufficient to avert disaster.
Haywood took a step forward and peered at Spike with narrow eyes. "Are you alone in the castle without supervision?"
"Nah, Big Mac and Discord are over," Spike said, then hit one clenched claw into an open one. "I know, why don't you come inside and join us?"
Every mare instinct in her possession flared with warning signals at the offer. "Haywood, it is time."
"Time for what?" Haywood asked, and found his answer when he began floating upwards into the air. "Don't tell me we are—"
"Heading for Manehatten," she said while holding him up in her magic, then extended her wings and took off into the air at the speed of a Wonderbolt.
"Uh, I guess that's a no then," Spike said to himself.
On the edge of a stone ledge, numerous docked vessels heaved and swayed under the force of the battering wind. The atmosphere surrounding Manehatten harbor was bleak as sailors sat in somber silence at overcrowded taverns, nearly all of them unwilling to spend coin so long as their ships remained moored in port.
”Come along, Haywood,” Luna said as her secretary was distracted by the view of so many different ships all in one location. ”My informant is just up ahead.”
The old stallion mumbled something to himself about sailors and the sea. ”You’ve never mentioned before that you have a gryphon informant.”
”He was not mine to begin with,” she admitted, hesitantly. ”I took control of my sister’s information network when I assumed this position.”
”I didn’t think we employed foreign spies?”
”Informants,” she corrected. ”We never force nor command them to tell us anything.”
If his raised, bushy eyebrow was any indication, Haywood wasn’t convinced about the distinction, and he instead changed the subject. ”I hope we’re having lunch soon.”
”Do not worry, the one we seek owns a restaurant.”
Continuing the conversation from there was hard. Ponies young and old were crowding the walkway along the dock, and high above the seagulls squawked and wailed. Some ponies in the mass were sailors and merchants without anything to do, while most were city folk who were there to look at the massive gathering of ships.
Upon a stone block meant as a flood barrier, a group of foals sat high above the crowd and pointed excitedly out toward the sea. They were watching an Equestrian ship of the line leave port, its three-masted sails in the process of unfurling while a squadron of pegasus Royal Guards in polished armor followed in escort formation.
It was a sight to behold. Back in her age, boats were small, cumbersome, and couldn’t travel too far out into the deep ocean. Her sister had likely sent the ship as a peacekeeper against any unwarranted aggression between the involved parties.
The crowd eventually thinned when they reached the southern end of the docks, and at their destination, all the patrons eating outside were gryphons except for a table with three pegasi.
”Don’t tell me we are eating at a gryphon establishment?” Haywood asked.
”Indeed, we are.”
”I’d even prefer to go to a place that serves hayburgers.”
She examined her secretary with narrow eyes. ”Nonsense, and don’t think I haven't noticed that you have lost a few pounds. A high protein meal will be good for you.”
Haywood’s only response was to stick out his tongue in disgust as they reached the front of the restaurant.
Curious and wary were the reactions from the patrons outside. Nearly all stopped to eat just so they could follow them with their eyes as they walked through the front doors, while others took an apparent effort to remain inconspicuous. Judging by their clothes, they were all merchants or sailors, and two of the three pegasi who shared a table wore the brown armor of WPTC mercenaries.
The tables inside were all empty, and a burly gryphon with a leather vest was in the process of wiping a glass with a dirty towel.
”I’m searching for Leonard,” she said.
The barkeep gave her a curt nod and turned his head toward the second-floor stairs, then answered with a deep voice. ”He is busy.”
She levitated a pouch over from Haywood’s saddlebags and dangled it in front of the barkeep, making sure it made a satisfying sound as the bits shuffled around inside.
”No rush. Go tell him we are here for information. Meanwhile, we will be dining in the back room.” She dropped the pouch on the counter and motioned for Haywood to follow her as she headed for the curtain separating the main room. ”Bring us one salmon and one salad.”
The back room was sparsely furnished, though the table was clean, with room enough for at least six diners, and the windows gave them a good view of ships entering the dock.
After a thirty-minute wait, where they discussed Haywood’s wife’s latest bridge party, the barkeep came in with their orders on a tray. The gryphon hesitated for a moment at the entrance, but when she motioned for him to proceed, he carefully placed the fully roasted salmon in front of her.
Drizzled in olive oil and lemons, the fish nearly took up the whole plate, surrounded by fat potato slices. She licked her lips in anticipation, then bit down hard on the seared scales and into the succulent flesh beneath. The taste was out of this world, and with a snout all covered in juices and oil, she couldn’t prevent herself from letting out a satisfied moan.
She found Haywood and the barkeep staring at her with wide open mouths, and the latter unconsciously dropped his dish platter on the floor.
”It’s good,’” she said, unimaginatively.
The barkeep only stood there mumbling about ’ponies.’
Though she loved her little ponies, their natural instincts often drew them to follow the consensus instead of their own free will. The gryphons, on the other hoof, were almost the opposite, with a highly individualistic society, a trait she often encouraged in the ponies working under her.
”What do you want to drink?” the barkeep asked.
”Coffee.”
”Gryphon’s don’t drink coffee.”
Barbarians, the whole lot of them.
”Gryphon ale, then.”
The barkeep left and promptly returned carrying two pitchers with a silvery symbol of a gryphon. As soon as the barkeep placed them onto the table, she took hers and chugged down all the ale in one go, then quickly resumed devouring the remaining salmon.
Haywood simply shook his head in disbelief, seemingly relieved that his dish was a salad. After a closer glimpse at his bowl, he discovered that nearly half the content was cubed pieces of fish fillet.
“Really?” he said, dismay written on his face.
”You’re going to finish that even if we need to bring you a doggie bag,” she said, as the barkeep quickly excused himself.
”I don’t believe anyone, except my late mother, has ever told me to finish my meal.”
She felt something crunch between her teeth, and with her magic pulled out a loose bone and placed to the side of the plate. ”Then a reminder was long overdue.”
Haywood sneered at the food but eventually took a spoonful to his mouth. They continued to eat their meal in silence for a while, until another gryphon came through the curtain.
”Princess Luna,” Leonard said while giving her a theatrical bow. ”I am honored by the visit.”
”The pleasure is all mine,” she replied after swallowing a mouthful. ”And I see that your establishment lives up to its reputation. Give my regards to the chef. I doubt there is a pony in Equestria who could prepare a salmon so close to perfection.”
”I wonder why that is,” Haywood mumbled to himself.
Leonard took immediately to the flattery, just as she knew he would, and beamed with pride. He wore no articles of clothing, unlike many of the upper-middle class gryphons, but all his light-brown feathers, facial and otherwise, were intricately trimmed to show that he was not your average laborer.
“I’m certain the chef will be overjoyed at getting such high praise from royalty,” Leonard said as he took a seat at the table. ”And from a pony no less!”
”Indeed, but I’m afraid we don’t have the time for any more pleasantries. I wish to discuss business.”
He chuckled. “That’s my preferred language. How can I assist the Equestrian Crown?”
“I want to know about the gryphon blockade.”
Leonard didn’t answer at first. Instead, he spun around a salt jar on its edge with a claw while deep in thought. When close to a minute passed, she levitated over another pouch of bits from Haywood’s saddlebags.
“I guess we should start with what is common knowledge,” he began, then frowned at the bag in the air. “Unless you want me to go straight to the more interesting details?”
“Start at the beginning,” she replied, not wanting to show how out of the loop they were.
“Very well,” he began with a sigh. “As you are already aware, Gryphonstone ordered a blockade of Hildburg and Gryphonberg, claiming that the merchants there were price gouging necessities.”
“Were they?” Haywood asked.
Leonard shrugged. “My sources say ‘no.’ Granted, prices have gone up this year, but I’ve seen no evidence of any tampering. Other factors could have driven up costs or increased demand, like heavy flooding up in the north.”
“You really should hire some weather ponies,” Haywood noted.
“Gryphons are a proud race,” Leonard said, chuckling to himself. “We would rather drain our overflown cellar with a bucket than ask for help from outsiders.”
“And what is Gryphonstone hoping to accomplish with all this?”
”Perhaps to assert their authority over the coastal cities and towns, or maybe to scapegoat the merchants for the higher prices to raise their own domestic approval.”
“Won’t preventing imports only worsen the prices?” Haywood asked after taking a break from his salad.
Leonard shrugged. “Only makes the merchants look even worse in the eyes of the common folk.”
She levitated a napkin and wiped the grease from her mouth. Only the head, fin and bones of the salmon remained.
“This is all common knowledge,” she began and motioned for the bag of bits on the table. “I’m certain you know of something that isn’t.”
Leonard smiled broadly and weighed the bag of bits in his talon. After an approving whistle, he deposited it out of sight.
”As it so happens, the blockade is costing me a fortune in bits, and therefore I took a keen interest in finding all I could regarding what was going on behind the scenes.”
”Oh? How were you affected?”
”I have a fully loaded cargo ship waiting to deliver grocery products to Hildburg,” he said and pointed outside at one of the vessels in the long row of docked ships. ”Unlike my fellow merchants who are calmly waiting to see how things pan out, my cargo consists of perishable goods, and if the blockade isn’t lifted by sunrise, then I will be forced to sell it all in Manehatten for half of my initial investment. Not to mention the fee the WPTC takes for providing me with a ship and crew.”
”A conundrum indeed.”
”Apologies for running my beak,” he said, scratching the back of his head guiltily. ”I can’t help but bemoan my situation to those I talk to.”
She motioned for him to continue.
”Right, to the matter at talon,” he continued. ”I called in my contacts to find out what every council member in Gryphonstone was up to in the days prior. And I found one interesting deviant, Counselor Burkhard, was visiting Equestria to attend a business gala in Canterlot.”
She and Haywood turned in unison to look at each over. It was the exact time and date they were away dealing with the Hooffields and McColts; no doubt there existed an invitation ticket for her somewhere among the piles of paperwork, though she rarely ever attended such gatherings anyways.
”But Burkhard wasn’t the only important gryphon at the gala. One of the most influential merchants, a gryphon named Ortwin from Hilburg was also there, and it appears that a fight broke out between the two.”
”Wouldn’t a scuffle between two important gryphons be the talk of the town?” Haywood wondered.
”Normally, but this hardly occurred on the ballroom floor,” Leonard said. ”At these kinds of gatherings, you often go to private rooms to discuss business, and there were only a talonful of witnesses. Luckily, it just so happens that one of Ortwin’s guards likes to blather after a few free mugs of gryphon ale.”
”And what did the talkative guard have to say?”
”Right before the incident, the guard noticed Counselor Burkhard slip away to have a private meeting with a pony, and only ten minutes later, Counselor Burkhard came rampaging down through the door, face red with anger. A heated debate about trade then followed, the details of which unfortunately went over the guard’s head.
”It all ended with a brawl, and more harsh words as the guards separated the two, and unfortunately this is all I know. I haven't been able to find any other witnesses, and only a few others heard the shouting in the distance.”
”This pony who met with the counselor,” she said. ”Did you find out who it was?”
”Alas, the guard only remembered a mare with a green dress, most likely an earth pony.”
”Could we perhaps narrow it down from there?” Haywood asked with his mustache twitching. ”Can’t have been that many mares wearing a green dress?”
”Unfortunately, there were over three hundred guests,” Leonard said. ”I sent my henchmen to search for any connection between Counselor Burkhard and the twenty or so mares who matched the description, but all our findings were vague at best.”
”Thank you,” Luna said with finality, then pushed away her plate and stood up. ”Was there anything else?”
”That was all I had,” Leonard said, confused at her sudden shift.
There was little doubt left that the mystery mare was the one responsible, or at least acted as an agent for the real culprit. How the pony managed to rile up the counselor to such a degree was strange, and the whole ordeal smelled of changeling trickery.
”This merchant you mentioned, Ortwin. Do you know him?”
”I do.”
”Good, I would like to meet with him.”
Leonard sneered at the idea. ”It would take days for me to arrange a meeting, and cost a hefty sum. Not to mention that it will be almost impossible to get to Hildburg by sea.”
She walked up to stand snout to beak, and with a smile so broad that the gryphon tried to inch away in his chair. What Leonard said was the truth, taking the train through the northern pass would likely take days, and flying over the stormy ocean, while feasible, was considered way too risky even for her.
”Don’t worry,” she said. ”I have a perfect idea.”
”And that is?” Haywood asked, skepticism positively dripping from each word.
”You mentioned, Leonard, that you have a ship and crew with goods that needed a speedy delivery.”
Haywood’s eyes widened to their utmost limit.
”If I can get those goods safely to Hildburg, would it pay for a very rapid meeting with one of the cities most influential merchants?”
”Tenfold,” Leonard said, and gulped loudly.
She stepped away from the gryphon and turned toward the window facing the harbor. ”Good, when can we depart?”
Leonard was up in an instant. ”If we hurry, you can be there before sunset. Wait here.”
The slightly overweight gryphon moved to the main room at a pace she’d not believed him capable of, and after a minute of loud shouts and barked orders, Leonard returned with the three pegasi from outside.
”This,” Leonard began, panting heavily. ”is Sergeant Blaze, Private Contrail, and Private Fair Weather. They are the West Pony Trading Company guards responsible for escorting the ship.”
The Sergeant, for lack of a better word, looked like your typically handsome swashbuckler, with a finely made black tunic perfectly contrasting his blue eyes and grayish coat and mane. The two other guards were more standard fare, both wearing the WPTC brown armor and sword beneath their wings.
”Your Majesty,” Sergeant Blaze said, followed by all three bowing respectfully. ”We have been ordered not to set sail near Gryphonstone, and even if we get there, we still have the blockade to contend with.”
”Do not worry,” she said, confidently. ”My authority overrides all others, and I can guarantee that the Gryphon Navy won’t be bothering us.”
Haywood coughed behind her.
Leonard scurried around like a lost hen, shouting to any one of his employees he could find to go and gather all the sailors swiftly.
”How will we make it through the blockade, Your Majesty?” Blaze asked as they walked out of the restaurant and towards the long row of ships. ”If you don’t mind me asking.”
”I possess a spell that will mark the ship as my personal vessel. The gryphons would never dare fire on a diplomatic delegation with a Princess of Equestria.”
”That could work, Your Majesty.”
”Call me Luna.”
Their party of five eventually reached the crowded parts of the dock, where the group of foals still sat perched on their stone slab watching the ships come and go. Suddenly, surprised gasps could be heard as ponies stood and pointed toward the dock entrance. Another WPTC trade vessel was coming into port, and there were black marks spread unevenly across the front of the ship.
Marks that could have only been caused by cannon fire.
”I hope nopony got hurt,” Haywood said, loudly enough to drown out the crowd.
”They must have attempted to slip through the blockade, then sailed straight into a broadside,” Sergeant Blaze said. ”Looks like cannonballs bounced off the hard oak of the hull, and only struck the topsides of the prow. I’m guessing the gryphons only wanted to give them a good scare, or they’d have blasted apart the rigging instead.”
“Private Fair Weather,” she said to the blue-maned guard with a white coat.
“Yes, Princess?” he said, saluting and standing at attention. No doubt he had previously served in the Royal Guard.
“Fly over to that ship and ask if the crew is alright.”
Fair Weather immediately took off into the air. Technically, she had no real authority to give him orders. Mercenaries were only civilians with the same rights to defend themselves as anyone else, and the military ranks they used was merely a facade. A mercenary calling himself ‘general’ had as much actual power under the law as the pony who mopped the palace floor.
Haywood turned to her. “You cannot possibly believe this is a good idea?”
“Nonsense,” she said, frowning dismissively. “my plan is flawless.”
What could go wrong?
Author's Note
Nautical terms: topsides is the area of hull above the water and below the deck.
Favorable wind assured a timely arrival at Hildburg despite delays in gathering the crew, and the barque’s sails were proudly displaying the blue crest of a royal princess of Equestria on all three masts. A useful, if temporary, spell.
“Haywood! ” she yelled loudly enough for the whole crew to hear. The old stallion was trotting about mid-deck, looking around the ship with interest while attempting to stay clear of the working crew members. Upon hearing the Royal Canterlot Voice, however, he nearly leaped out of his suit.
“No need to shout,” Haywood said after walking back to the aft section.
“We are one hour from gryphon territorial waters,” she said, eyeing Captain Keen standing behind the rudder next to her. He was a well-built earth pony with a bushy red beard and a compass cutie mark, and his blue sailor's coat bore the emblem of the West Pony Trading Company.
“Any signs of gryphon ships?” Haywood asked.
“None so far, but I want you to stay close by my side from now on.” She looked him up and down. “You seemed to be handling the waves well.”
Haywood craned his head to look back at his skateboard cutie mark. “My younger days prepared me well.” He then turned to look around the deck, searching for someone among the thirty-eight pony sailors and four of Leonard’s gryphon employees tending to the riggings or swabbing the deck.
From what she could tell, they were all experienced sailors, though there were some who were a bit wobbly from drinking too much cider at the tavern. Not that she could blame them when setting sail so unexpectedly.
“Shouldn’t Leonard be with us?”
No doubt the merchant was down in the hold overseeing his crates and barrels.
“I am certain he will join us soon.”
She looked up when a sudden motion caught her attention and watched as Sergeant Blaze veered away from the formation. The three mercenaries had maintained the escort since leaving port, only stopping to take short water breaks when necessary.
The sergeant flew along the main sails and touched down next to her, patches of sweat from staying in the sun for hours visible on his face and coat. “Incoming gryphon carrack off the port side. Intercept course.”
Captain Keen muttered to himself and turned the ship’s wheel halfway to starboard. The rumors of a WPTC ship getting hit by cannon fire had already spread through half of Manehattan before they left the harbor, though Private Fair Weather had managed to confirm that no one was harmed in the incident.
“At least we’re in international waters,” Haywood said.
Which still left them with a military vessel chasing their tail as they neared the blockade, and by Sergeant Blaze’s expression, he understood the implication.
“When they get closer, we can turn and threaten them with our port side guns,” Sergeant Blaze said, and pointed northward at the ship still far off on the horizon. “Our ship is tougher than theirs, and our bluff might make them break off the pursuit.”
Not an unexpected suggestion, coming from a flamboyant adventurer.
“We are not here to provoke an international incident, Sergeant Blaze,” she said, firmly. “They’ll no doubt wish to speak with us first. When the ship gets closer, I want you to fly over and meet the gryphon messenger half-way. Tell them that the ship is escorting a princess on an important diplomatic mission to Hildburg.”
“Just putting all our options out there, Luna,” Sergeant Blaze said, stretching and flexing his grayish legs and wings out in front of her. “I’ll relay your message.”
He was even bold enough to give her a wink before taking off to return to his formation. She already regretted permitting him to call her on a first name basis.
“Can we outrun them?” she asked Captain Keen.
“Only if we dump our cargo overboard, Princess,” he replied with a gruff voice. “But company policy forbids cutting lose the client's hold unless we’re in great peril.”
As if those words were a summons from the merchant gods, Leonard bumbled out of the ship’s hold and scurried over to the helm. Despite spending most of the voyage below deck, the slightly overweight gryphon was continually wiping away sweat with his handkerchief.
“Are we there yet?” Leonard asked, barely able to hold his balance on deck.
“We are less than two hours from port,” Haywood said and pointed a hoof at the incoming ship. “But we have company.”
Leonard only chuckled when he saw the vessel. “Well, that’s my taxes put to good use.”
"Permission to rile up the crew," Captain Keen asked, and took a deep breath after she nodded. "Clear for action! All hooves on deck!"
The petty officer standing slightly below the helm blew a whistle in case any missed the first signal. A flurry of activity followed among the crew as the flag of the approaching ship became discernible from the deck. The sailors all kept a level head, however, and worked extra hard with the rigging to make sure the sails caught as much wind as possible. Some of the pegasi even used their wings to help with the propulsion, though it seemed to change little.
“I’m still surprised you decided to join us,” she said, addressing the merchant.
“I couldn’t let my dear employees and hired crew head into danger without risking my own feathers.”
There was a sudden cry of alarm from Private Fair Weather above them. “Flyers incoming!”
Leonard opened his beak to say something, but no words came out for quite some time. “I believe my presence is required in the cargo hold.”
“That may be best,” she said and turned her attention to the sky as the merchant excused himself.
As ordered, Sergeant Blaze veered off to meet with two approaching gryphons, and she didn’t need one of those brass telescopes to know that the talks were off to a bad start.
“Seems to me like it would easier if we met on deck,” Haywood said.
Captain Keen cleared his throat. “We sailors consider it very rude to land on another boat without permission. Unless there has been an accident, of course.”
“What do we do if they won’t listen?” Haywood continued.
She let the question remain unanswered. There were a few options left if the gryphons decided to be stubborn, though how far she would go to solve this mystery was still in question.
The aerial meeting only lasted about ten minutes, then both Sergeant Blaze and the gryphons returned to their respective ships. The sergeant's frown told her all she needed to know.
“It didn’t work, Luna,” Sergeant Blaze said as soon as he touched down. “Their orders were to divert all vessels regardless of purpose, and they threatened to fire on us if we approached Hildburg.”
The question remained if they were bluffing. Instituting an illegal blockade and using it to deter unaffiliated merchants was one thing, but an outright attack on an official vessel of the Equestrian crown quite another. The result would always be a fight they couldn’t hope to win, though, by Sergeant Blaze’s awkward expression, it was clear there was something important he wasn't telling them.
“Was that all they said? I would be most displeased if you withheld information.”
Sergeant Blaze grinned guiltily. “They argued that your level of authority was insufficient to allow you free passage.”
There was a sharp pang as the planks below her cracked and splintered, and muscles in her face twitched involuntarily; everyone around her took a long step backward.
“Did they, now?” she said, to no one in particular. “How amusing.”
Haywood was about to speak up before changing his mind when the air around her calmed notably.
”We will have to correct them,” she said, and took off hard into the air, reaching beyond the top of the masts before anyone on deck could react.
Once higher up in the air, she swung westward toward the carrack tailing them and accelerated towards it at a downward angle. Gryphon guards flying in escort formation around the vessel were the first to spot her, and some flew to intercept while others went to alert the rest of the crew.
She effortlessly zoomed past the airborne guards before they had a chance to block her path, and landed hard enough on the ship’s mid-deck to send gryphon sailors scurrying for the railings. Without a second to lose, she walked confidently and without any sudden movements toward the captain’s quarters.
The gryphon sailors were too dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of an Equestrian monarch, who acted as if this was a perfectly regular occurrence, and she made an effort to make an impression that stopping her would be a considerable faux pas. The armed guard near the captain’s quarters wasn't so easily cowed, and she needed to give him her best ‘Oh, really?’ expression and a light push when he attempted to block the door.
In the room sat two gryphon officers charting courses on a map. Both rose up on their talons when she used her magic to slam the door in the guard’s beak behind her.
“What is the meaning of this?” The gryphon on the short side exclaimed as she walked up to stand on the opposite side of the table. Judging by his young age and emblems on a gray uniform covering his front half, he was a midshipman.
“I’ve come to have a few words with your captain,” she said and placed a forehoof up on the table.
The captain, an elderly fellow with sizeable bushy side whiskers and bicorne hat too big for his head, seemed composed at first, then his face turned red with rage.
“Princess Luna,” he began with his blood pressure notably up. “This is highly inappropriate! Why are you onboard my ship?”
She responded by leaning forward, both hooves pressing down hard on the oak table. “Do not speak to me of improprieties, Captain! Have you any idea of the political implications of your threats and actions?”
“Implications?” he asked in frustration. “You expect us to believe that you’re on a diplomatic mission with a ship of merchant rabble?”
She stretched her neck out to closer stare into his eyes. ”Which should have confirmed the urgency of my mission, Captain.”
“I have my orders…”
“Does your orders say to start an all-out conflict with Equestria by attacking one of its sovereign rulers?”
“Certainly not,” he said, hesitantly. “To prevent ships–”
“You believe your council will accept that excuse when they found out?”
“It’s my duty as a captain of the Gryphon Nav–”
”To make decisions in your nation’s best interest.”
The captain, still simmering with rage, finally backed down into his seat.
”To make up for your indiscretions,” she continued, seeing her chance. ”I have a suggestion to make.”
Surprisingly, it was the midshipman who responded. ”What do you propose?”
She turned her attention to the younger gryphon. ”I want you to escort us past the Hildburg blockade.”
“You ask us to go against our orders.”
“Your orders are flawed and do not account for unforeseen circumstances,” she said, pointing a hoof at herself. “Gryphons pride themselves on their individual decision-making abilities, do they not?”
The midshipman was deep in thought considering what was said, while the captain still struggled to stay composed. That was when she heard a ruckus on deck, as though the sailors were about to barge through the door at any moment.
“What she says is true,” the midshipman finally said to the captain. “I suggest we accept and escort them to Hildburg.”
The captain, face now notably less red, still seemed like he desired to rip apart something with his claws. “Fine, but the council will hear of this.” He turned to look up at her. “You better have a good reason for what you're doing.”
Casting doubt on her intentions earned the captain a questioning glare, one menacing enough to make him retreat further back into his chair.
“We will provide an escort back to your ship,” the midshipman said and moved to open the deck door for her.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said while following him to the exit.
The scuffle outside was becoming louder, and when the midshipman opened the door, they found Sergeant Blaze standing center of mid-deck with his wings flared threateningly, holding his ground against a whole crew of gryphon sailors who seemed ready to dogpile him.
The midshipman's reaction was slow to the unexpected disturbance, so she took the initiative and stepped through the row of distracted sailors to address Blaze directly.
“The meeting was successful,” she said in a bored manner as if their presence was planned all along, then looked about the gryphon crew like they were inappropriately overreacting to the situation, and it didn’t take long before uncertainty spread among them.
“Get back to your stations!” the midshipman finally bellowed, sending a surprised crew away from their encirclement of the ponies.
“Luna?” Sergeant Blaze asked. “Is everything in order?”
“Of course it is, Sergeant Blaze,” she said, turning her attention to him. “You believed otherwise?”
He responded with a snicker, then noted the suspicion coming from the sailors around them.
“It is time for us to leave,” she continued. “If you would follow me.”
“I’ll be at your side, Luna,” he said, letting out a chuckle.
She flared her wings and took off in between the sails of the ship. “If you can keep up,” she called down, before speeding toward Leonard’s hired ship. Sergeant Blaze only managed to catch up halfway after she slowed down for him.
“You are too reckless, Sergeant Blaze,” she said as they flew side by side over the waves.
“The pot calling the kettle black,” he said with a chuckle.
She blinked and examined the smug grin plastered on his face. “This pot has been through strife beyond your understanding. Be wary if you wish to follow it.”
As if to emphasize her point, she accelerated through the air, quickly leaving him behind. The two other mercenaries, Private Contrail and Private Fair Weather, flew to intercept, but she ignored them and headed directly for the helm. There was a flurry of activity on deck, and by Captain Keen’s steering, they were altering course for the gryphon carrack.
She landed next to the captain and Haywood, who were too busy arguing with each over to notice her until she was on well on deck.
“Princess Luna!” Haywood said, rushing up to her. “Thank goodness you are safe. Captain Keen here was about to board the gryphon ship to get you back.”
She looked over to the captain. “There will be no need for such rash actions, Captain Keen.”
“Sorry, Princess,” he said. “Privately employed or not, the crew wouldn't sit idly by if those mangy gryphons took you as their prisoner.”
“Your concerns are admirable. Now, reduce speed and allow the carrack to overtake us.”
“Princess?” Captain Keen asked.
“They will be our guide through the blockade.”
Captain Keen's sour expression brightened up considerably at that. "I would love to hear how you convinced them."
Sergeant Blaze came landing next. “Bullied them into it, if the shouting from the captain’s quarter was any indication.”
“You’re out of line, Sergeant Blaze,” she said and nodded toward his colleagues in the sky. “Return to your duties. No doubt we’ll come across more patrols before long, and be sure to inform any messenger of the situation.”
“As you command, Luna,” he said and gave her a jovial salute before taking to the air again.
Captain Keen guffawed loudly at his antics. “That young rascal will get himself into real trouble one of these days.”
“Mind your own orders, Captain Keen,” she said. “We are still moving too quickly.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” he said, and took a deep breath before bellowing out. “All hooves! Take in the topsail and ease the sheets!”
She and Haywood moved to the deck railings to stay out of the way as the captain continued barking orders at his crew. It didn’t take long after that for the carrack to pass them close by on starboard.
The gryphon crew and sailors were also hard at work, but she couldn’t find their captain among them, only the midshipman who stood rooted at the helm. No doubt the old captain‘s pride wouldn’t allow him to leave his quarters after her… persuasion efforts.
“I can’t believe you flew over to the gryphon ship without saying anything,” Haywood said with both hooves up on the railings.
“Indeed, I was rash, and for that, I apologize,” she said and placed a wing on his shoulder.
They sailed for nearly an hour without encountering any more ships, and the gryphon carrack maintained its lead position. It wasn’t until they could see cliffs on the horizon that the rest of the Gryphon Navy made themselves known.
“Captain, another carrack coming in from the north,” shouted Private Fair Weather from above them.
“Two schooners coming in fast from the south. Intercept course,” continued Sergeant Blaze.
“Clear for action!” Captain Keen bellowed, and raised his brass telescope to the shoreline, then lowered and folded it again. “I can see Hildburg from here, and if we make full sails past the carrack, we can reach port before any other ships can catch us.”
“Now you’re acting like our good friend, Sergeant Blaze,” she noted and took up a position beside the wheel. “Continue on our current course and speed. I mean to show them our visit here is legitimate.”
Of course, the gryphons might still decide that it wasn’t. She was able to convince a captain of what’s right or wrong, but the blockade was no doubt commanded by an admiral who could prove more difficult to persuade.
The three approaching ships were moving in to surround them, and gryphon messengers could be seen flying overhead between them and their escort. The only thing she could do now was to remain visible to anyone above to make sure they understood the visit was legitimate.
“We’re greatly outnumbered,” Haywood said, eyes on the skies. “What prevents them from flying over here and overwhelming us?”
“Magic,” Captain Keen answered. “Nearly all WPTC ships have a unicorn on duty who can create a barrier strong enough to keep out boarders, or to trap them inside to prevent them from leaving.” After a moment he added. “Nothing strong enough to repel cannon fire, though.”
She could almost hear the loud arguments above despite the crashing waves and creaking oak, and Sergeant Blaze was now in a conversation with gryphons from several different ships. The tension in the air was palpable as they got closer to the bay entranceway, situated between two sheer cliffs.
The escorting carrack then suddenly veered off course to give them a clear path into Hildburg bay, and the three other gryphon vessels broke off their pursuit.
“Steady as she goes, Captain Keen,” she said, as the crew began to cheer loudly. “Take her in nice and slow.”
“Thank heavens,” Haywood said and fell to sit on the deck while fanning his head with a hoof.
A thought then came to her, one which caused an even louder uproar when she struck her hoof into the air and announced in her Royal Canterlot Voice:
"First round of cider is on The Princess of the Night's tab!”
Midnight in Hildburg was somber, apart from two sources of noise: the waves pushing through the opening between the cliffs and onto the sandy beach below, and the inn that catered to pony patrons. It was the sole building with its lights still on, and from it, sea shanties and laughter echoed across the town.
Luna had asked Captain Keen why the sailors were celebrating so fiercely. Granted, they’d delivered their cargo as ordered, but so far as Luna knew, they were now trapped inside a blockaded gryphon city far from home. The captain explained that the sailors had been languishing on half pay after their ships were ordered to remain docked in Manehattan, but there existed a caveat in their contract saying that if they were ever stuck in a foreign port, they would be given full compensation despite not being on active duty, and a tavern was a tavern no matter where you sailed . Luna was encouraged to participate in the merriment, but she informed them that her duties were more than lowering the moon.
Perched on the edge of the city’s highest structure, hundreds of thread-thin ethereal tendrils reached out from her horn and into the houses of the inhabitants. Soothing the dreams of other creatures required a more direct approach, but Luna was pleased to find that they rested easy despite their predicament.
The coastal gryphons built their houses and shops upon large wooden platforms far above the sandy shore, no doubt because they preferred the added altitude. Flight was the only way to reach many of the wooden buildings, with the notable exception being the area where ships moored and flightless foreigners conducted their business.
A pony silhouette soared past her peripheral vision and landed not far behind her. Luna recognized the shape and calmly continued to channel the dream spell.
“You’re out late, Sergeant Blaze,” Luna said, staying perfectly still as the figure moved in behind her blind spot.
“How did you know it was me?” Sergeant Blaze replied.
Luna decided on a mystical approach. “I know many things.”
The adventurer sat down next to her on the thatched rooftop, and it was clear from the radiating heat and smell of soap that he’d arrived straight from a hot bath. Luna watched as he gazed out into the strange city, illuminated only by moonlight. His wet mane rested precariously down his gray neck, and his relaxed and vulnerable posture was in stark contrast to his confident act on the gryphon ship. An act, of course, not good enough to fool someone who knew full well the burden of command.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” Sergeant Blaze said with a low voice. “I never believed a princess could handle herself so well in a tough spot.”
Luna paused the dream spell and turned her head to get a better view of him. “Thank you.”
“What I mean to say is,” he said, inching closer until their shoulders touched ever so slightly, allowing her to catch a faint whiff of cologne. “I really admire you.”
Luna could only smile at his clumsy advancements. “Don’t you have a special somepony back home?”
He shook his head. “I like you.”
Luna didn’t respond. Instead, they gazed into one other’s eyes as the distance between them shrunk, then he moved forward to land a brief kiss on her upper lip.
Instincts took over, she leaned down to his height to kiss him properly and with such force that they toppled over to lay intertwined on the rooftop.
She pondered what to do next as she watched from above Sergeant Blaze smooch a dream image of herself. True, she suspected to have made quite an impression on him in today's high sea adventure, but she couldn’t imagine he would be smitten enough to have romantic fantasies.
Perhaps this era had a few stallions worthy of note after all.
The pair, a dozen yards below her looking-post on the fake moon at the roof of his dream bubble, continued to roll around on the rooftop, kissing wildly. There was no need for a measuring tape to know that his imagination exaggerated the fullness of her lips, the lushness of her eyelashes, and the volume of certain other parts.
Turning Sergeant Blaze’s dream into a different one where his mother discovered him stealing from the cookie jar seemed appropriate. Perhaps one where a filly he’d never met knocks on his front doors to reveal to him that he is the foal’s long-lost father.
A score of approaching souls caught her attention before she could begin altering his dream, and she turned away from the dream romance. Leaping out of her position on the moon, she flew through the thin barrier of Sergeant Blaze’s dream bubble, stepping into the area of the dream realm mirroring the waking world. The two were interchangeable to an experienced dreamer, unlike those who stumbled into it by accident and only saw a dense mist clouding reality.
The object of her focus was a train of wagons and carriages traveling towards the city through the only land route in and out of the surrounding cliffs. It was difficult to see clearly with the dust cloud kicked up by the distant convoy, but she didn’t need visual confirmation to know that there wasn’t a single person sleeping among them.
It was time for her to act.
She opened her eyes and looked up at the roof of the inn, then threw off the ragged bed sheets and shuffled out of the rickety bed.
”Haywood!” she said to the stallion on an adjacent bed.
There was no time to wait for him to rouse from his slumber, so she levitated his sleeping form straight into the mild air, fastened the saddlebags around his waist, and used a dream tendril to wake him.
”Luna?” Haywood said, eyes popping wide open. ”What’s happening?”
”Ortwin and his associates are approaching the city.”
When they’d first arrived at the port, the merchant they sought had been traveling the countryside with a large retinue. Though Leonard had visited their manor and assured her that a meeting would be possible the following evening, she had no intentions of waiting longer than was strictly necessary.
The floorboards creaked as she trotted down the stairs to the first floor of the inn and into the dining hall, Haywood floating alongside in her magic. A few sailors were still up and sleepily nursing their last cider, most of them too tired to react when their princess passed them by.
Captain Keen was one of the late night patrons sitting near the exit, and though she couldn’t explain why, she halted by his table.
”Captain Keen,” she said to the intoxicated pony. He looked up with bleary eyes from his half-empty pitcher, and to his credit quickly sobered when faced with her serious expression. ”I have a favor to ask.”
”U-uh, yes, Princess?”
”I have a need for some assistance and wish to hire Sergeant Blaze.” She levitated a small stack of bits from Haywood’s saddlebags onto the table. ”The crown would be most appreciative if you could go to his room and ask him to meet us at the building opposite of the Ortwin manor in fifteen minutes, quietly.”
Captain Keen blinked a few times at the bits, then he rose up from his seat and acknowledged her with an uncoordinated salute. ”I’ll go get him right away.”
”What time is it?” Haywood asked as he hovered at her side. “Is it morning already?”
“We are still a few hours away from sunrise,” she said and gave him no time to reply as she barged through the door of the inn and out into the night. There was no one around on the wooden walkways at this hour, so she quickly took to the air and flew in the direction of the merchant house.
The lights from the convoy she’d seen in the dream realm had already reached the city limits and were moving between buildings on a patch of land beyond the beach. It was a smaller area that functioned as the city’s center of trade, where structures too large to fit on the wooden plateau were located. Among those were the trading houses belonging to the various merchant guilds and their warehouses.
She swooped over the houses toward the caravan as it moved through the streets, then landed on the ceiling of a square building on the opposite side of Ortwin’s manor, releasing Haywood from her magic as she did so.
“Why are we skulking about on the rooftops?” he whispered once he stumbled back onto all fours.
“We are observing, not skulking,” she replied and peeked over the ledge to the street below. “Perfect timing is a requirement for proper diplomacy.”
The gates of the merchant house were swung open by estate guards, all of which wore green tunics with the symbol of an anchor and carried sabers at their side. The close timing implied that the schedule of the approaching convoy was planned. Soon after that, a carriage drawn by large oxen appeared at the edge of the street. Its drivers were two gryphons wearing similar garments, and they didn’t stop until they were well inside the manor grounds.
A flurry of activity followed as more green clothed gryphons carrying lanterns emerged from the main doors of the estate, and before long, the entire caravan stood parked in a semicircle in front of an adjacent, windowless warehouse. The gryphons were quick to unload unmarked boxes and heavy sacks, storing them in a place well out of sight of the street. The time of night was likely not coincidence, either.
“That’s awfully suspicious,” Haywood noted in a hushed tone. “You’d almost believe they are hiding contraband. When did you realize something was wrong?”
“I didn’t,” she admitted and channeled a spell around the both of them when one of the gryphons took to the air in their direction. The gryphon surveyed the rooftop they were hiding on from above, then returned to the wagons.
“What was that about?” Haywood whispered.
The glow on her horn stopped. “Shadow magic,” she explained, then pointed back toward a dark spot flying from the direction of the inn. ”It would seem that our reinforcements have arrived.”
Haywood turned to look at Sergeant Blaze flying low over the housetops. The pegasus hadn’t spotted them yet, so she used her magic to snag him out of the air and levitate him down to the rooftop.
”Whoa,” Sergeant Blaze said as he fumbled around in her magic. ”What was that for?”
”Be quiet, Sergeant Blaze,” she said before releasing him onto solid ground. The mercenary’s mane was severely ruffled, and when their eyes met, he stared just a few moments too long before looking away. From the pungent odor of old and dried up sweat, the stallion must have foregone a bath and gone straight to bed when his shore leave began.
The initial noise he had made was loud enough to make some of the gryphon guards turn their heads, but not enough for them to warrant further investigation.
”I think Leonard’s friend might be a smuggler,” Haywood told Blaze, then pointed with a hoof at the late night activity still going on at the manor courtyard. Most of the wagons had unloaded their cargo and were setting out into the city, while a majority of the gryphons were either returning to their homes or retiring to a nearby barrack.
“I can’t see any other explanation,” Haywood continued. “Decent ponies don’t sneak about and conduct their business at night.”
The old stallion cleared his throat and at least had the decency to look embarrassed when he noticed her deadpan stare.
In the courtyard, there was a wealthy gathering which stood out from the rest by wearing embroidery and merely observing the workers hauling goods by wing and claw. They were centered around a tall gryphon with an abundance of jewelry attached to his wings and facial feathers. The green cloak over his back displayed the symbol of an anchor in an intricate silver lining. There was little doubt left in her mind that this was the merchant leader, Ortwin.
”Is that the gryphon you came for?” Sergeant Blaze asked in a more leveled voice.
“That is correct, Sergeant Blaze.” The gryphon in question was retiring to inside the manor with his entourage following closely behind him. “I’m here on an investigation to uncover a plot against the nation, and Ortwin is my only witness to who the culprit might be.”
”I’m not sure I follow,” Sergeant Blaze admitted. ”But I’m guessing you have a plan and need my help.” He stood straight and pressed a hoof to his chest. ”I would gladly do anything I can, Luna.”
”Good,” she said with perfect sincerity.
”If Ortwin is a smuggler,” he continued without giving anyone else room to respond, ”then I could sneak down there and knock out the warehouse guard. The lock looks strong, but with enough time, I might be able to pick it. Also, if we knock out enough gryphons, we might stumble onto the keys by accident. Once we find evidence, we could use it to force Ortwin to spill the beans, right?”
She rolled her eyes. Adventurers.
“I have another job for you in mind.”
He leaned in closer. “Yes?”
In answer to Sergeant Blaze’s question, she used her magic to comb his shaggy mane and adjust his collar into something more presentable. The pungent odor coming from his black tunic, however, she could do little about.
“Your job is to escort us to the building, then stand outside as regally as possible while we manage things inside.”
“Wait, what?” Sergeant Blaze said, completely dumbfounded. “You woke me up because you wanted me to act like I’m one of your pretty little guards?”
“You were not drinking with your fellows? My apologies.” She tilted her head theatrically. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important in your dreams.”
The way he froze for an instant was evidence enough that he remembered all too well.
“Dreams?” Haywood asked, clearly confused.
“It’s nothing,” she replied, then stood up tall with one hoof on the roofs ledge. “Let us proceed with the plan. We are no longer in Equestria, and first appearances are important.”
“What plan are we—” Haywood began when he was suddenly yanked into the air and levitated down to the street.
The gatehouse was still open for them to pass, and she took the initiative to fly straight through before any of the gryphon guards could react. Once they landed in unison at the center of the courtyard, the dozen or so remaining guards and laborers turned to stare dumbfounded at the unannounced guests. Some might have been informed about them from Leonard’s visit, but those who just arrived with the caravan had their claws on the hilt of their swords.
There was no cry of alarm at their intrusion. Likely, no one wanted to take the first step and risk embarrassing their employer in front of royalty, and so she and her group were allowed to walk up to the manor entrance unopposed.
A young gryphon with a pike resting over his shoulder stood guarding the main door, and by the rustling of his ill-fitting armor and the rust stains on his metal helmet, he had little experience on how to handle a confrontation with an audacious alicorn.
“I have come for an important discussion with your master,” she informed the petrified guard, then raised a hoof to push open the front entrance before the gryphon could muster enough courage to object.
The door was locked.
An awkward pause followed as both ponies and gryphons wondered what would happen next. Thinking quickly, she turned her attention toward the young gryphon with an accusing glare, that near magically shifted all the blame for their predicament onto the unfortunate guard.
“I’m sorry!” he yelled with a voice that seemingly skipped through puberty.
They avoided any more uncomfortable difficulties after the young gryphon pulled out a keyring from his side, and though he fumbled with getting the correct key into the hole.
“You may wait outside, Sergeant Major Blaze,” she told the mercenary at the door.
Sergeant Blaze raised an eyebrow at his sudden promotion, and at least managed to give a proper salute before standing at attention next to the door opposite the gryphon.
The interior of the manor was unexpectedly unadorned and, compared to the Rich manor in Ponyville, downright destitute. The wooden planks they walked on creaked as loudly as the ones at the inn, and instead of expensive paintings lining the walls, there were only a few cheap looking copies of the trade house sigil.
They only needed to take a few steps before she and Haywood reached a lobby of sorts, where a tired gryphon in a worn red suit, likely a steward, sorted paperwork behind a makeshift reception. Opposite side of the room was a small resting area with chairs, where a few of the merchants they’d seen crowd around Ortwin gathered around a single wood-burning stove.
“Princess Luna!” the gryphon in the suit exclaimed. “What in King Grover’s ancient whiskers are you doing here at this hour?”
“My associate Leonard promised me a meeting with Master Ortwin,” she said from opposite the counter. “I’m certain he provided adequate compensation for the arrangement.”
The gryphon looked past her to glance nervously at the group of merchants, who were now very much interested in the conversation. Leonard hadn’t been forward on how he was going to arrange the meeting, but she more than expected it involved bags of coin changing pockets behind the scenes.
“The deal was to convince Master Ortwin into accepting a meeting tomorrow evening,” the gryphon whispered to them. “He has in all likelihood retired for the night.”
“We saw Ortwin outside just a few minutes ago,” Haywood interjected. “Surely he hasn’t fallen asleep already.”
The gryphon grimaced and fidgeted with his claws. “You saw that did you?”
“Our only purpose here is to have a brief conversation with Ortwin,” she said with finality. “I suggest you inform him of our arrival before we decide to complicate matters.”
“I’ll ask him,” the steward said after a momentary pause of indecisiveness, then bolted up a flight of stairs to the second floor.
They were forced to wait in the lobby for nearly ten minutes while the group of merchants eyed them suspiciously behind their backs, but the gryphon in red returned and motioned them up the stairs that lead them to a long hallway. Their destination was a door with another anchor symbol on it.
“Behind me is Master Ortwin’s personal study,” the gryphon said, then eyed them suspiciously. “With this, I consider my obligation fulfilled.”
“Of course,” she replied.
“And now a warning,” he continued, holding a single claw up. “Should the Master decide that the meeting is over, then I must insist that you take your leave immediately.”
The gryphon’s sudden boldness surprised her. “We have no intention of overstaying our welcome.”
“Remember, we are free gryphons here. Equestrian royalty holds no sway over us.”
A slight trembling in his outstretched talon and a twitch at the wings suggested otherwise.
She guided him away with a wing. “Your concerns are noted.”
The room on the other side of the door showcased another stark contrast with the Rich manor. Fully stocked bookshelves that towered to the ceiling were shrunk to racks that barely reached her withers, and kerosene lamps were replaced with smelly tallow candles as the primary source of lighting.
The tired merchant behind the desk and writing in his ledger were all too similar.
“I have come far to speak with you, Master Ortwin,” she said as they approached the desk.
Ortwin looked up and readjusted a pair of round glasses resting on his beak, and judging by his lush feathers and thin frame, he was a surprisingly young for a leader in his profession. The sharpness in which he studied them, however, showed a promising intellect that carefully waged the implications and opportunities of this makeshift meeting.
“By the amount of coin that upstart Leonard spent on bribing my associates while I was away,” Ortwin began, as he closed the book and pushed it to the side, “I suspect the distance traveled was the least of your expenditures.”
The boy had some spunk. “I was unaware of Leonard’s improprieties.”
“Is that how you ponies refer to it?”
“Yes?” Haywood asked rhetorically.
Ortwin scoffed at the idea. ”An individual who doesn’t seize the opportunity for extra gain is not worthy of my respect.”
“You allow your employees to take bribes?” Haywood continued in disbelief.
“If it gives me a valid reason to withhold a month’s salary in recompense, then you’d be a fool not to encourage the practice.”
She and Haywood exchanged a questioning glance. They’d yet to even introduce themselves, and the conversation had already taken an odd turn.
“We shouldn’t let our differences in work ethics distract us from business,” she said in an attempt to regain control of the conversation. ”My name is Princess Luna, and this is my secretary, Haywood.”
“Call me Ortwin. I would offer you gryphon ale and a place to sit,” he replied with a wave of his talon before gesturing to the bare room, “but it’s way too late at night for pleasantries anyways.”
“We only need to know one thing, and then we’ll be on our way,” she said, standing in front of his desk. “You attended the business gala in Canterlot, did you not?”
Ortwin dropped the quill in his claw and held his talons together. “Yes.”
“And there was a scuffle with Counselor Burkhard of Gryphonstone?”
“The fool jumped me in a fit of rage,” Ortwin frowned. “The old bird was lucky that my guards intervened.”
This was the moment she’d been waiting for. “Burkhard was seen having a brief meeting with an earth pony mare wearing a green dress right before the incident. Did you recognize who it was?”
“It seems like I have to bring less talkative guards on my next trip.” Burkhard leaned back in his chair, and his smile was that of a schemer. “I’ve never met the mare personally, but I recognized who it was. This information won’t be free, however.”
She suspected as much. “I can offer six-thousand bits from my personal funds. When the information has been confirmed, and the blockade ended, a royal ship will deliver the coins to you in person.”
Ortwin appeared to be considering the offer, but it was clear to her that the merchant had something else in mind. He left the chair and stood up on all fours, then went to peer out of one of the windows. Outside was the side of the warehouse where they’d stored the goods from the wagons.
“I fear matters are more complicated now that you’ve interfered in our domestic politics.”
She and Haywood exchanged a questioning glance. “Our investigation has nothing to do with, nor cares about gryphon affairs. Do you accept my offer or not?”
Ortwin chuckled, shook his head, then closed the curtains before returning to his seat.
“You brought a ship loaded with provisions to a blockaded port. What do you think the Gryphonstone Council will say when they hear you’ve undermined their efforts to subdue the coastal cities?”
“Was Hildburg in any risk of starvation?” she asked, genuinely concerned that the situation could be more dire than first believed.
“Hardly, but there are other factors,” Ortwin said. “Prolonged rationing with little to eat but gruel and soup will take its toll on morale. It won’t be long before the average gryphon might decide that they’d rather support Gryphonstone than the merchant classes.”
“I don’t understand,” Haywood said, joining the discussion. It was always convenient to have someone who is willing to ask the simple questions. “Even if it wasn’t intentional, shouldn’t you, the merchants, be thankful for the fresh supplies?”
“You might believe so at first glance,” Ortwin replied. “In actuality, you’ve not only angered Gryphonstone, but ruined our plans to put those pompous aristocrats in their place.”
“How could we possibly have ruined your plans?” Haywood asked in bewilderment and looked to her for support.
The puzzle was slowly being solved in her mind. The unmarked crates and sacks: perhaps they weren’t part of a smuggling effort. If so, she’d already lost her trump card in the negotiations.
“You are hiding provisions in those warehouses,” she said, betting that her assumption was correct. “That’s why you unloaded them in the cover of night, to make Gryphonstone believe that their blockade is effective when in actuality the city is fully provisioned.”
“Well done, Princess Luna. I’m impressed.” Ortwin laughed out loud. “Indeed, it’s the finest produce coin could buy.”
Hence the issue of her involvement.
Haywood wasn’t so quick to follow and frantically turned between the two in search of answers.
“My informants tell me that the Gryphonstone treasury will run dry maintaining this blockade long before our food stores does,” Ortwin said. “Besides, most of the sailors in the gryphon navy come from the coastal area where support for the government is low, and nearly all ships are captained by incompetent Gryphonstone officials. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
There was a silence in the room as both sides waited for the other to begin.
“Now that you’ve made a mockery of their blockade and delivered fresh supplies in broad daylight for the whole town to see,” Ortwin continued. “Gryphonstone will most likely withdraw their ships and cut their losses.”
“You’ll be able to resume trading as before,” Haywood noted.
“True,” Ortwin said, tapping with a claw on a parchment with a long list of numbers. “But the merchant houses have invested a considerable amount of time, money, and effort on making sure that this ploy worked.” He looked up to her. “I’m afraid you’ll find few friends in gryphon lands after this debacle. This is why six thousand bits will not suffice for the information you need.”
The situation appeared worse than anticipated, from her point of view. It might be true that she’d unwittingly angered most of the dominant classes in gryphon lands, but if they believed it would be enough to intimidate her, then they’d be up for a rude awakening.
“Ortwin,” she began, with an indignant pause. “I care nothing about your internal affairs or paltry schemes. We have come to you for information and are prepared to offer you a substantial amount of money in return, but if you withhold knowledge vital to the safety of Equestria out of spite, then I will make life very difficult for you and your associates.”
Ortwin seemed more amused than intimidated by her threats.
“Oh, on the contrary, Princess Luna,” he said with a broad smile and glimmer in his eyes. “The reason I won’t accept your money is that I desire something else entirely. A partnership between us.”
She blinked.
“Partnership?” Haywood asked. “You mean with the crown?”
“Not the crown,” Ortwin quickly interjected. “Between my merchant house and Princess Luna.”
The offer seemed ludicrous at first. Only a few years had passed since her return from banishment; too short a time to acquire any personal wealth of note. Ortwin must be aware that she would never abuse her political power, which left him with only one remaining reason for this offer.
“You’re interested in the lumber that will come out of my restoration of Equestria’s former capital.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Y-yes,” Ortwin said, visibly surprised that she had caught on so quickly. “Though I admit I now fear your sharp intuitions.”
“How much?” she asked.
“I want to be the sole purchaser, with a twenty percent discount to current market prices.”
Interesting.
She moved to lean over his desk. “Six percent, and you’ll have half of the lumber.”
Ortwin stood his ground, figuratively. “Fifteen percent and all of the wood. Don’t forget the risk I’m taking in committing myself to a project still in its planning phase.”
“Eight point five.” She leaned in even further. “The Everfree is a vast forest, and though we only intend to clear as much as needed to set up a functioning railway system, the sheer amount will no doubt cause a notable drop in market price.”
Haywood again looked back and forth between them, apparently not following.
“Thirteen percent,” Ortwin said. “The prices won’t change if I don’t sell a single plank on the open market.”
“That would make for a very large summer home then.”
Ortwin pointed accusingly at her with a claw. ”You jest.”
True, the reason why you’d ever need enough wood to found a city were limited, and providing the nation with fuel for the winter was not among them.
”Of course,” she said and for emphasis, tapped her hoof on a map of the gryphon coast on his desk. ”You intend to build a fleet of your own.”
Ortwin gave her a weary smile in return, and it was then his fatigue from traveling through the night became clear. The energy he had displayed when their conversation began vanished in a heartbeat, and the young merchant looked to have doubled his years.
”Correct,” Ortwin said, putting up a brave front. ”We merchants have few ships of our own, and renting them from pony trading companies is a pricey affair. We wish to have control over our own destiny, with modern seafaring vessels made and crewed by our countrymen, no more of those antiquated ships the Gryphon Navy uses.”
“You plan to compete with The West Pony Trading company?” Haywood asked with a modest hint of skepticism.
Ortwin waved away his question. “We’re not so presumptuous. My wish is only to have eight modern vessels ready within four years, and another forty in ten years' time.”
There was much for her to consider in this deal. There was nothing wrong with helping the coastal gryphons gain more autonomy, and a little bit of outside competition would only be healthy for the Equestrian trading companies. The danger lay in how this deal affected the balance of power in gryphon lands when those ships were ready to sail. This was her first visit into their country in a millennium, and her presence here had already affected them more than she could have imagined.
In the end, she trusted her intuition in these matters.
“Ten point five percent,” she said and held out her hoof to him.
“Deal.” Ortwin stretched out his talon and shook it. “I will have my lawyers write up the necessary legal documents, and since we share a common goal in restoring this old city of yours, I will speak with potential investors on your behalf.”
She nodded and backed away to stand next to Haywood. “Now, I wish for you to tell me, who was with Counselor Burkhard that night at the Gala?”
Ortwin folded his arms and closed his eyes for a nearly a minute. “Yes, I’m completely certain, though I believe your informant wasn’t too familiar with high society and celebrities in pony lands.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Because?”
“She wasn’t an earth pony. The gala dress obscured her wings.” Ortwin stared up at her. “The mare who met with the chancellor was none other than one of your national heroines, Miss Fluttershy.”
The front doors of the Ortwin manor slammed shut behind them, no doubt because the steward was peeved at their impromptu meeting. Sergeant Blaze waited for them outside, whispering something into the ear of a suspiciously red-faced door guard. Not exactly proper conduct for one pretending to be a Sergeant Major of the Royal Guard.
“We are returning to the docks,” she told him, then took off into the air with Haywood in tow.
They flew at a measured pace over the city and passed the inn, eliciting questioning glances from the two stallions. She landed at the peak of the sheer cliffs that formed a natural seawall and gazed out at the horizon.
A ship belonging to the Gryphon Navy patrolled the outskirts, staying well out of range of the shore batteries the coastal gryphons had built inside hollowed out tunnels. Behind the ship, the sunrise slowly drifted in, and she began lowering the moon in turn.
“How likely do you believe it is that Fluttershy knowingly conspired against the crown?” she asked the two stallions.
Sergeant Blaze didn’t seem to know who that was.
“Not at all, your majesty,” Haywood said. “Shall we return to Ponyville and ask her directly?”
The other choice would be to fly to Gryphonstone and hear Counselor Burkhard's side of the story, but due to their unfortunate circumstance, that option would likely remain closed for quite some time.
The fact still remained that the shy pegasus had managed to rile up a seasoned official enough that he attacked his fellow countrymen, leading to civil strife and interracial embargoes, and did so in the span of a brief meeting, no less. It continued to defy reason.
Perhaps there existed a third option from a third party. Though she had little idea what they hoped to gain by causing a divide among the gryphon classes and their relationship with Equestria.
“Sergeant Blaze,” she said with the tone of command.
“Yes, Luna?”
“I’m commissioning your ship and its crew for an important task in service of the crown,” she said while turning her back on the ocean. “Rouse the crew and sober them up, I want us on a course south by southwest within the hour.”
The pegasus took a moment before he understood what that meant. “But that would take us far past Baltimare.”
“Yes, it would, Sergeant Blaze,” she said. “We set sail for the Badlands.”
Stormy clouds rolled in, completely blocking the bright summer sun. The wind gathered strength at near magical speeds, and quickly the air became thick with salt carried by the gale.
Captain Keen immediately order his fliers to remain on deck at all times. Sailors dressed in heavy duty raincoats said that such weather was not uncommon in the Celestial Sea. For someone who remembered an era where the deep ocean was as mystical as it was feared, the experience was surprisingly harrowing. Any sailing ship from her time would have struggled for survival under such conditions; not simply riding the waves without even having to shorten sails.
"Quite the storm," Haywood said as he pressed his hoof against the hood of his raincoat to prevent the wind from pushing it back over his head. "How much farther until we reach the Badlands?"
It was Captain Keen, holding firm the ship's wheel, who answered.
“We’ve been sailing southward parallel to the coast for nearly two hours," Captain Keen yelled, unnecessarily loud as they were close enough to hear him despite the shrieking winds. "And no sailor worth his salt would call this ‘breeze’ a storm."
"Mr. Haywood is no sailor," she reminded the captain. Truthfully, due to the rough sway of the deck, she would have almost believed that they were sailing through a hurricane. "Are we near the trading post then?"
"Apologies, Princess Luna,” the captain grumbled. “According to our charts, we should see land soon."
She nodded and walked off on unsteady legs to the stern of the ship, where Sergeant Blaze acted as the lookout with a bronze spyglass in his right wing.
"How fare our friends?" she asked him.
She was referring to the fourteen-gun sloop belonging to the Gryphon Navy, sailing just within sight. The vessel had broken away from the blockade and stalked them all the way from Hildburg. She suspected they were ordered to shadow her ship until they were out gryphon waters, but to pursue them this far across the ocean was as excessive as it was pointless. She knew her intervention would anger Gryphonstone, yet the deed had already been done. Harassing her ship further gained them nothing, only wasted time and resources they could ill afford to lose.
"Their ship is having some troubles, Luna," Sergeant Blaze said, wiping away at the rainwater on the glass before raising it again. "They are taking in another reef of the main topsail. We should be able to outrun them at this rate."
"We lost sight of them before, and yet they’ve always managed to catch up to us before long."
"Someone in Hildburg must have overheard the crew talking and ratted on our heading." Sergeant Blaze folded his spyglass and tucked it in under his wing. “I would wager my spirit rations on it.”
“Now is not the time to be thinking about cider,” she scolded him playfully before returning her attention to the gryphon ship.
It was entirely plausible, though she could think of a few different explanations for the gryphon presence. Seeing as how they purposefully kept their distance, it was more likely her initial suspicions had been accurate. If the changelings realized she caught wind of their scheme, they’d perhaps even go so far as to manipulate the Gryphon Navy into hindering her progress. How the gryphons might do so was what worried her. There were only a few ways they could physically prevent her from arriving at The Badlands, none peaceful.
"Keep a continuous watch on them, Sergeant Blaze," she said with a hoof on his shoulders. "If they clear for action or show any signs of raising sails, we are to beat to quarters at once."
The stallion turned questioningly to her, then nodded when it was clear she was serious. She very much doubted the gryphons would end up resorting to violence, but if there indeed was a puppet master in their midst, the proper course was to expect the worst. Ultimately, the presence of the gryphons here was enough evidence that something ominous was playing out behind the scenes.
"Captain Keen," she said, returning to the two stallions at the wheel. "Is the ship in any danger if the storm worsens?"
The burly earth pony guffawed. "The ship has handled stronger winds than this." He took a brief pause to contemplate something. "Though caution might be warranted because of the empty hold."
"How so?" Haywood asked just as a massive wave hit the side of the ship, drenching the lower deck and crew.
The answer was at least similar in both eras. "Without the weight of cargo to counteract the force of the winds, the ship is in greater danger of broaching."
Haywood wet and dripping mustache twitched. "Broaching?"
"It means the ship might roll over," Captain Keen mumbled. "Unless we can procure enough goods at the trading post, we may need to anchor there until fairer weather."
"Will you be returning to Manehattan then?" she asked him.
"I believe so," Captain Keen replied. "It's our homeport after all. Of course, the commissioner at the trading post has the ultimate authority on where we set sail next."
"Sounds rough," Haywood noted.
"It’s not so bad. The contract says we get paid extra if we don't return to our homeport and have a few days of leave before making our next delivery. They'll most likely load us up with whatever they have in their stores and then send us packing back to Manehattan to avoid the extra cost."
"I hope the sailors aren't distraught at losing their chance to earn a few extra bits," she said, referring to the clause in their contract about receiving full pay when moored in foreign ports. If she hadn't enchanted the ship's sails again, the Gryphon Navy would in all likelihood have fired on them as they attempted to leave before the blockade was officially lifted.
"Hah," Captain Keen bellowed. "The crew wants nothing more than to gossip about how they helped a Princess beat this dumb blockade. Every tavern and merchant house in Manehattan will know about it within an hour of us coming home.”
”I’m glad to hear that the crew is content,” she said, honestly. “However, please inform them that it was never my intention to meddle in gryphon affairs. The crown would prefer it if there were no unsubstantiated rumors that might muddy relations with our neighbors.”
Still, she owed the crew a lot. If they hadn’t been so loyal and quick to action, despite their late night drinking and private employment, the perpetrators of this crisis might have had enough time to cover their tracks.
Her instincts now lead her to a much greater unknown, an uncovered changeling village disguised as an earth pony settlement, yet open to both dialogue and trade. No official channels between them and the crown had been established as of yet, as she and her sister had agreed to take a hooves off approach unless the situation demanded it.
The winds and waves continued to batter the ship as they coasted just out of sight of the shore, and when a lookout at the prow shouted that they spotted land, she turned to make sure Sergeant Blaze was keeping a close eye on the gryphon sloop. The pegasus never faltered in his watch, continuously wiping away the water running down the end of his spyglass. If the gryphons were to make their move, now would be the time.
”We made good time at least,” Captain Keen said, raising his spyglass towards the coastline that gradually appeared from the mist. ”Strange, seems like we are the only trade ship here presently, nor can I see any workers at the docks.”
A fact that did little to calm her unease. The trading post, from what she could tell, was a small establishment made up of twenty or so buildings, ranging from simple lodgings to a central brick warehouse. The dock itself was little more than a worn wooden bridge extending out from the sandy beach and into deeper waters.
The Captain bellowed orders to the crew, who’d already begun preparations to drop anchor adjacent to the platform. Observing the process of docking under such severe conditions would normally be intriguing to watch, but her concerns and focus shifted toward the sloop following them. So far, the gryphons were content to observe them from a distance, and by the reflected flashes of light coming from their vessel, there were several of them aboard watching her every movement with spyglasses of their own.
”They sure are interested in what we’re up to,” Haywood said, having caught her staring at the sloop. “You think they’ll be docking here as well?”
“I have no idea,” she answered, truthfully.
The ship’s anchor dropped with a rustling of chains, splashing loudly when it made contact with the ocean. Pegasi then flew over to tie ropes and set up a walk plank between the ship and bridge.
”We should go and have a word with the commissioner in charge,” Captain Keen said and motioned for one of his midshipmen to take command. ”You’ll need their expertise if you’re going to be traveling that unholy land.”
They disembarked with a group of sailors and Sergeant Blaze, moving along the deserted dock toward an oversized log cabin that sported a WPTC sign on the roof next to a smoking chimney. She craned her neck to take one final glance at the gryphon ship. The weather limited much of the visibility, but a vague silhouette showed it still idled at a fair distance from Captain Keen’s barque.
The air inside was thick with pipe smoke mixed with the smell of beans and sweat. A dozen or so ponies in West Pony Trading Company work garments lingered within, some boiling food while others played games such as chess or darts, discussed hoofball at the tables, or read books near the hearth.
"Nice to see that my fellows are hard at work," Captain Keen barked, loudly enough for everyone inside to pause what they were doing. "Who is in charge here?"
There was no answer. The stunned silence was likely not because of Captain Keen's shouting, so much as the princess standing tall behind him. The reactions of the ponies in the room were mixed as they couldn’t decide whether to salute or bow, but within moments they collectively agreed to stand straight with their work caps held close to their chests.
A gray unicorn stallion with a white mane and a red scarf stepped forward, bowing deeply in front of the group. "Princess Luna, I'm the senior official here, Commissioner Long Trott."
”Well met, Commissioner,” she said, pushing through the sailors. ”I require a moment of your time, in private.”
”Of course, your majesty,” Long Trott said, bowing halfway with one knee. ”We can speak freely in my office.”
The group of four followed the unicorn into a small, narrow room barely able to fit them all. Its walls were decorated with various artworks crafted by the nomadic tribes of creatures who survived on the trade between the lawless towns within The Badlands. The only settlement she recognized by name was Kludgetown, and someone had drawn two angry circles around its location to the south of their position. No doubt the WPTC learned the hard way why business deals with cities controlled by crime syndicates were forbidden by Equestrian law.
“Sorry about the mess, we usually never get visits from the nobility, much less royalty,” the unicorn said, referring to the small quarters and paperwork spread haphazardly over the desk. “Can I get you anything?”
“Coffee,” she said, instinctively.
Long Trott shouted for the chef, a scruffy looking stallion in his thirties who only peeked in briefly before scurrying away in a rush.
”Nor did we expect another ship here for at least a week,” the unicorn continued. ”If I may ask, what brings a princess to this wasteland? We have little more than caked mud and poisonous serpents here.”
”I require a guide to take us to the earth pony settlement.”
”That dump?” Long Trott asked, and eyed the other ponies in the room, hesitating even though Captain Keen and Sergeant Blaze were wholly uninterested in their discussion. ”I’m certain you know about the—” There was a long pause as he chose his next words carefully. ”—delicate situation. The next caravan is not due for another month, and the higher-ups have set up strict rules and schedules when dealing with that place.”
It was clear Long Trott didn’t wish to discuss the village’s true identity with outsiders.
”Captain Keen is working under crown contract.” Her sister would likely lecture her later on what constituted proper government expenditures. ”He has fulfilled his part and should be returning to Manehattan. Do you perhaps have goods in need of transport?”
Long Trott nodded after a quick check through the papers on his desk. ”It’s far too early for any substantial hauls, but we still have a few crates of adhesives from the earth pony settlement that you can take with you, and while it doesn’t sell for much, we could fill what’s left of your hold with fine sand if you’re in need of ballast.”
”Very good,” Captain Keen grumbled, likely realizing his presence was becoming an inconvenience. ”I’ll go see to it that my crew helps to fasten the goods properly.”
Captain Keen turned around and motioned Sergeant Blaze to follow. Before the adventurer reached the door, she surprised him by blocking his path with a wing.
”Sergeant Blaze,” she said. ”We might require a competent guard with us on this expedition. Would you be interested in an extended contract with me personally?”
”Uh, sure.” Sergeant Blaze said after the initial surprise wore off, and his open mouth slowly morphed into a confident smirk. ”If the pay is right.”
She nodded and returned her attention to Long Trott. When Captain Keen left the room alone, she continued. ”I trust everyone in here to keep the identity of the changeling village a secret.”
”They are changelings?!” Sergeant Blaze said, likely loud enough to be heard outside.
Long Trott was not impressed. ”Are you certain?”
”Quite,” she said, and eyed Sergeant Blaze until he had the decency to look embarrassed. It was clear that the stallion would need extra grooming if he were to fulfill the duties she had in mind for him. “The crown requires a fully stocked caravan to depart immediately.”
“The Badlands can be a dangerous land to travel,” the unicorn replied, seeming not at all happy with the request. “I won’t order my ponies to risk their safety. You’ll need to ask for volunteers if you want the company to allow the expedition.”
“I’m certain I could find some willing souls,” Sergeant Blaze said. “With bits, if not by loyalty to the crown.”
”What exactly is going on?” Long Trott asked, skeptically. ”My employer will want to know why you are appropriating one of its caravans.”
“The West Pony Trading Company is not privy to matters of state,” she told him, effectively shutting down the discussion. “We will head out as soon as preparations are finished.”
Long Trott let out a long sigh. “In this weather?”
“Our quest requires haste,” she said, ignoring Haywood’s look of dismay. “There is another issue before we depart.”
The unicorn waited for her to continue.
“There is a Gryphonstone sloop-of-war resting outside the dock.”
“Gryphons?” Long Trott’s surprise was genuine. “What are they doing this far south?”
“We don’t yet know their intentions, only that they’ve been following us.” She allowed a long pause to let the implications set in. “The gryphons must not be aware that we’re traveling to the changeling village, and if they do decide to disembark, you and your subordinates will inform them that we are heading for Kludgetown to negotiate a ransom demand.”
The stallion looked down at his desk for a moment before answering. “I believe I understand, your majesty.”
They said their farewells, leaving Sergeant Blaze to recruit members for the expedition. After a few cups of watery coffee, she and Haywood headed into the rain, where they met up with Captain Keen at the base of the dock.
“I fear this is where we must depart, Captain Keen,” she told the stallion after he was done yelling at his crew. “The commission fee should arrive at your office within a week.”
“It’s been our pleasure to serve.” He gave her an honest salute. “The crew will miss having you aboard.”
“We never asked how long it would take to reach the town,” Haywood said, changing the subject.
“Shouldn’t be more than a few days at most,” she replied while watching ponies struggling to balance heavy crates in the strong winds. She realized then that the gryphon sloop was nowhere in sight. “Where did the gryphons go?”
“I reckon they grew tired of following us after we dropped anchor,” Captain Keen said before moving away to yell at two crewmembers in the process of tilting over a large crate on the gangplank.
”Could the gryphons have given up and sailed home?” Haywood asked when the two stood alone in the biting downpour.
Or they were launching boats further up the coast to get a head start.
”We shall find out soon enough,” she replied, then hesitated when she looked closer at the old, weary stallion. Days of travel had taken their toll, and yet their journey was far from over. There was little she could do except give him her most confident smile. ”I’m certain things will go smoothly from here.”
The heat was near unbearable.
Compared to the warm summer days in Equestria, where the cold winds from The Crystal Empire at least offered a modicum of reprieve, the dry and barren lands of the Badlands made her nation appear arctic. Two earth ponies drawing the canvas wagon they'd procured wore dark cloaks that offered some protection against the sun and its accursed rays. She was half-tempted to have a word with her sister about reducing the amount of day in the summertime to be more in-line with winter.
"This is horrible," Sergeant Blaze said, looking downright ill on his wooden bench on the opposite side of the wagon. "I signed up to escort ships, not sweat myself to death in the desert."
This was the thirteenth time he'd complained since they’d left the changeling village.
"So you’ve told us,” she replied, laying on her side next to a sleeping Haywood in the cramped wagon. ”But we are within Equestria’s border now, and should be reaching Dodge City soon.”
The mercenary didn’t seem convinced by her assurances, responding only by taking a deep drink from his waterskin before returning to sulk with his back against the canvas.
Their trip to the changeling village had ultimately led nowhere. Its inhabitants had been simple-minded villagers who knew little of the outside world, and she’d sensed no signs of deceit when questioning their intentions. In the end, they were but a few hundred drones that had broken away from the hive after the failed invasion scattered the swarm. Their only wish now was to find some stability in their lives away from their queen, and to that end masqueraded themselves in a barren wasteland, living off the resource-scarce land in the same manner as before the conflict between their people.
While her assumptions that the changelings had orchestrated the trade dispute behind the scene appeared to be proven false, the journey itself wasn’t entirely pointless. Establishing a formal dialogue with a former rival faction was an essential first step, and she could see how it was a mistake not to have capitalized on this opportunity sooner.
There remained only one lead now to help solve the mystery. Fluttershy, a friend of the crown, was implicated and they needed to hear her version of events.
Dodge City eventually came into view after they passed through the cliffs of a valley.
”Where to next, Luna?” Sergeant Blaze asked as the wagon stopped at the center of town.
Typically, she would have flown the distance home without rest, but one glance at her secretary’s heaving chest was all that was needed to dismiss the idea. There would be no escape from the sun high up in the air.
They woke Haywood and boarded the train for Canterlot instead. The ride itself was uneventful, as the heat stole most energy for idle banter, and they’d barely said a word before reaching the outskirts of Ponyville.
“Is there some sort of rally going on?” Sergeant Blaze asked, pointing with a wing toward the window that showed the town hall. There was indeed a small gathering of ponies there, and atop of a wooden plateau, two ponies held a speech for the onlookers. Above them, a large banner with the words ‘Help save the forest animals’ flared in the wind.
Such gatherings held little interest to her, and she was about to close the blinds when she recognized the two ponies standing at the top of the stage. The main speaker she vaguely recognized from a meeting from almost a year ago, a green mare from the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures . They’d discussed at the time what the effects of restoring Equestria’s old capital might have on the wildlife in the Everfree Forest.
The association had expressed concerns that the reconstruction would leave several species pushed away from their natural habitat, and that trains would disrupt migration patterns.
In the end, both sides had made concessions. She’d agreed that the train’s path should avoid any endangered populations, while the association decided only to supervise the deforestation, just interfering if they found probable cause. Initially, the association had demanded that the whole project be called off, arguing that the Everfree Forest should have protected status due to its unique fauna and flora.
That argument never got any traction, as the one who was indirectly responsible for creating the forest sat at that very table. The Everfree Forest and its magically imbued inhabitants had only existed there for a thousand years and was therefore still considered to be invasive to Equestrian lands.
“We are getting off,” she said as train braked at Ponyville station.
The audience was too captivated with the speech to notice an approaching princess, and she remained at the back of the row to listen in without interrupting. The earth pony speaker still braided her hair messily and carried the same flowery shawl as their last meeting a year before.
“... the forest is filled with different creatures, each one of them perfect and unique. We can’t allow the establishment...”
There was a momentary pause when the speaker noticed her presence, though the reaction was only a lazy blink before continuing with the speech. The ponies in the crowd slowly began noticing that something was amiss, and before long, most eyes were on the band of ponies that looked like they’d spent days trotting through the desert.
”Sergeant Blaze,” she said loudly enough for the crowd to hear. ”Make a path forward, if you please.”
There were concerned murmurs from the gathered ponies, but the gathering quickly parted to give them free room up to the stage.
“We have a permit to be here, you know?” the green mare told Sergeant Blaze when he moved to confront her. “I’m not sure I appreciate the aura coming off you.”
No doubt the week-long lack of a bath added to that statement.
“That will be enough, Sergeant Blaze,” she said, following him up the stage. She only needed a brief side glance at Fluttershy to see the mare’s ears droop guiltily.
Finally, they might get some answers.
“Princess Luna,” Fluttershy said, huddling at the corner of the platform with a sign with the words trees are ponies too in colorful letters. “W-what b-brings you here?”
The poor poker face spoke volumes. “Fluttershy, we wish to have a conversation with you, in private.”
“More tea?” Fluttershy asked politely.
Haywood nodded gratefully, his mustache twitching vigorously as he was allowed to relax in a comfy chair with his beverage of choice. No doubt it had been a time long since the old stallion had been this pampered, and the soft-spoken pegasus was more than happy to shower him in pillows. Even the animals in the house helped out as two squirrels massaged Haywood’s shoulders.
The green earth pony, introduced to them only as Tree Hugger, made herself comfortable on the living room sofa.
“This tea is so in rhythm with my life force,” Tree Hugger said to no one in particular.
The constant half-smile on the environmentalist's face suggested a frequent use of the newly discovered and highly questionable herb from the colonies.
Fluttershy took a seat next to Tree Hugger. “You wanted to ask me a question, Princess Luna?”
“Indeed.” The letter regarding the Hooffields and McColts levitated over to the pair. “Do any of you recognize this letter?”
“Yeah, we’ve definitely seen this before,” Tree Hugger said while Fluttershy nodded hesitantly. “We wrote it, after all.”
The revelation caused a complete silence. Even the animals stopped their skittering to watch what might unfold.
“Why did you send my department this letter?” The question was straightforward and polite, but in truth, she listened keenly for any hints of deception.
Fluttershy was the one who answered. “Big Daddy McColt has been sending me letters ever since Twilight and I helped them stop the fighting with the Hooffields. But he suspected that their neighbors might have been planting crops on their land, and feared that the conflict might start all over again.”
So far, there was nothing amiss in their explanation.
“That’s all well and good,” she began, retrieving the letter. “By why cover up the fact that you were the sender?”
Fluttershy’s ears drooped to their lowest point yet. “We thought it would protect the animals.”
“Animals?” Haywood asked, looking around at the high variety of wildlife scurrying around the living room. “They seem healthy to me.”
“Fluttershy is talking about the beautiful and vibrant Everfree Forest,” Tree Hugger placed a supportive hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “We love all the creatures there equally.”
“Your concern for their well being is admirable,” Luna cut in, “but irrelevant to the subject matter. We’ve already deduced that the McColt situation was to distract us from the business gala in Canterlot, we want to know why.”
The accusation was enough for Fluttershy to crack.
“We’re so sorry we tried to deceive you,” Fluttershy said, regret written all over her face. “We thought it was the only way.”
Sergeant Blaze rose from his chair, ignoring a white bunny that tried to block his patch while making a series of rude gestures. “Uh, should I be arresting them or something?”
“Arrest us?” Fluttershy exclaimed in horror.
Holding up a hoof was all that was needed to make the mercenary back off. Matters still didn’t add up.
“You had a private meeting with Chancellor Burkhard at the gala, correct?” Luna asked in a non-threatening manner.
Fluttershy nodded solemnly. “I asked him to help us save the forest.”
The tiptoeing around the issue was becoming vexing.
“And how exactly does inciting the gryphon factions to the brink of civil war help save the forest?”
If the threat of being arrested was enough to horrify the yellow pegasus, it came as no surprise that the accusation of nearly causing a war was enough to petrify her.
“Uh, what have you been smoking?” Tree Hugger said.
“Have you heard of the gryphon blockade?” she asked the earth pony.
The mare seemed genuinely confused. “Yeah, has to do with like ships, or something?”
The questioning wasn’t going as planned, and it was clear they needed a different approach.
“Why did you try and deceive the crown?”
Tree Hugger tilted her head to the side. “The crown?”
It was impossible to tell if the mare was playing dumb or not.
“Explain in simple terms your plan for saving the forest.”
“Yeah, I suppose we should,” Tree Hugger said and patted the slowly recovering Fluttershy on the shoulder. “You see, we still thought we could persuade you against rebuilding that castle of yours since it would harm the forest and all. So we brainstormed a lot, you know, and came up with this plan. We figured, if you couldn’t sell the timber, you wouldn’t cut down the trees. And since gryphons buy lots of timber, the forest would be safe if we asked them to stop buying timber.”
“So you used Fluttershy’s fame to arrange a meeting with an influential member of the Gryphonstone Council that night,” Haywood chipped in. “The whole Hooffields debacle was just a ruse to make us miss the business gala?"
A gala they had never planned to attend in the first place.
Fluttershy took that moment to escape her paralysis. “Oh no, Princess Luna. Big Daddy McColt and I are really thankful that you helped them. He said so in his letters.”
There remained an unanswered question.
“Fluttershy,” she said, eyes narrowing. “What exactly did you tell Chancellor Burkhard in that brief meeting?”
The pegasus looked out of the window as she tried to remember. “We only talked about why gryphons needed so much timber. I asked him if maybe they could make do with less.”
“And his response?”
“Burkhard said that he didn’t understand what I meant and that the merchants had no plans to buy any more than last year.” The pegasus became more comfortable as she explained the situation. “I thought that couldn’t be true since the Everfree has many big trees. I asked him if maybe the merchants were lying about how much they were buying.”
“Did the Chancellor believe you?” she asked, skeptical that Burkhard would act on unsubstantiated rumors alone. And clearly, Fluttershy overestimated how long it would take before the Everfree had the necessary infrastructure to send in lumberjacks.
“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said with genuine confusion. “He mumbled something about ‘price gouging’ and called the merchants a lot of bad names. I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but I told him the merchants sounded like a bunch of meanies.”
Haywood moved about in his chair. No doubt they both remembered the discussion at the tavern in Manehatten. Leonard told them he’d never found the source of the claims that the merchants were inflating prices by hoarding necessities.
“We talked a little bit more about the forest and animals,” Fluttershy continued. “but when I asked him if he would help, he stormed out of the room.”
“Just like that?” Haywood asked. “What happened next?”
“I followed after him to apologize for upsetting him, but he’d gone into one of the private rooms, and the gryphon guard outside wouldn’t let me enter.” Fluttershy was noticeably unhappy about what occurred. “They were yelling inside, and I thought that I must have failed to convince him, so I ran away from the gala.”
There was a momentary pause as the explanation still gave them no real answers.
“Fluttershy,” she began, patiently. “I want you to recreate exactly what happened before Burkhard left the room.”
“Uh, okay.”
Fluttershy shut her eyes for just a moment, pink tail wrapping itself around her hooves protectively as she slowly began to lean forward from her seat on the sofa. She opened her eyes again, and with ears folding to the side, looked up at them with an expression so innocent and pure it would have melted the most bitter heart.
“Please, sir,” she said, eyes shimmering with forlorn hope. “Won’t you help us save the animals?”
The effect was immediate. Haywood nearly dropped the cup in his magic, while Sergeant Blaze gaped openly, a faint blush spreading along his cheeks. Luna felt something move deep inside her—a feeling she’d not expected for many, many years to come. A mother's urge to protect her young.
”Uh, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked, uncomfortable at the sudden shift in the room, and seemingly unaware of the impact she made on them.
”Haywood, Sergeant Blaze,” she said to the two stallions. ”I believe we’ve wasted enough of Ms. Fluttershy’s time. It’s about time we headed home.”
The immaculate salad and wine at the royal dining hall was a welcome change from surviving on provisions of haycakes and lukewarm water. Haywood and Sergeant Blaze at her side seemed to agree, both scarfing down the contents of their plates with surprising vigor.
On the opposite side of the long table sat a bewildered Twilight Sparkle, together with a very angry Starlight Glimmer. The unicorn had been sending glares their way ever since the three of them arrived mid-way through lunch, and both Twilight and Starlight’s manes were uncharacteristically frazzled.
”You’ve been missing for nearly a week without sending me a single letter, dear sister,” Celestia said, sitting alone at the main side of the table. ”There are all kinds of audacious rumors floating around in Manehattan.”
The loud sound of Sergeant Blaze slurping his carrot soup broke the silence for a few awkward moments.
”Sailors tell such fanciful tales, sister of mine,” she replied, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. ”The commoners would be distressed if they thought their rulers believed in tavern gossip.”
Celestia hid a smirk behind a sip of tea.
”Hello!” Twilight Sparkle said with her usual energy, rising from her chair and trotting over with an outstretched hoof to greet Sergeant Blaze. ”I’m Twilight Sparkle, and you must be a new acquaintance of Princess Luna!”
Sergeant Blaze chewed on a broccoli stalk while he looked at the waiting hoof, taking a moment before bumping it with his own. If Twilight’s strained smile was any indication, the sergeant hadn’t bothered washing his hoof since the ship left Manehattan.
”Call me Blaze,” he said, causing Twilight’s strain to become even more obvious. ”You’re prettier than you look in the papers.”
”Thank you,” Twilight said, face twitching, then returned to her table while Starlight Glimmer continued to glare daggers in their direction.
”Sergeant Blaze, was it?” Celestia asked. ”What brings a company mercenary to Canterlot?”
”Luna wants me to hire capable soldiers,” he replied without noticing Celestia’s raised eyebrow at the casual use of her name. ”Something about gathering enough of a force to—Ow!”
A strand of black hair flowed away from beneath the table in a blue aura. ”Apologies, your tail had a few loose hairs.”
The situation amused Celestia. ”Should I be worried that you’re raising an army, Luna?”
”Nonsense, sister,” she replied. ”I recall that it was you who wouldn’t allow the Royal Guard to assist in private enterprises.”
”You still intend to go through with restoring our old home?” Celestia asked.
”I intend to, as soon as we have sufficient funding.”
”You’ve searched for investors for a long time now with little to no success,” Celestia noted.
”Indeed,” she replied, sourly. ”Only not in the right place, it would seem.”
”Did you find them in gryphon lands perhaps?” Starlight Glimmer nearly spat out the words. The open hostility was enough to have Twilight cough on her drink.
She’d never cared much for Twilight’s pupil and had done nothing to her knowledge to earn this level of animosity from the former leader of a cult.
”Twilight and Starlight returned from their diplomatic trip to Gryphonstone just minutes before you did,” Celestia explained, then levitated a scroll from a bench lining the wall. ”I take it you haven’t caught up with recent events.”
”Did the peace talks succeed?” Haywood asked.
“Not exactly. Twilight?”
Twilight quickly cleared her throat after being asked a question from Celestia. “We were making progress with the negotiations between the Gryphonstone Council and the merchant representatives.”
There was likely a very big ‘but’ coming.
“However, on the third day of our meetings, Counselor Burkhard got a report that said a ship bearing Princess Luna’s colors had defied the blockade and delivered large quantities of supplies to Hildburg.” Twilight’s tone became more beleaguered as she went on. “Gryphonstone accused Equestria of interfering with gryphon domestic affairs and—sent Starlight and me to the dungeon for two days.”
That would explain their baggy eyes, unkempt manes, and Starlight’s ire.
“With their blockade so openly undermined—” Celestia rolled out the scroll with her magic. “—Gryphonstone agreed to end the trade embargo and allow the coastal gryphons to trade freely again. A strange turn of events, wouldn’t you say, sister?”
”Most peculiar.” It seemed the council was angrier than she expected. The gryphons of old would never have dared to mistreat an Equestrian royal as such. ”How do we respond to their insult of imprisoning a princess on a diplomatic mission?”
”The matter is fortunately already settled,” Celestia said, eyeing further down the paper. ”When the Gryphonstone council finally gathered their wits, they decided to look into the matter more closely. They couldn’t understand why Princess Luna would do such an outrageous act, and on a private trading barque in full view of the public no less.”
Celestia dropped the letter on the table. ”The admiral in charge of the blockading fleet ordered one of their ships to tail the trade barque in an attempt to uncover its origins. To their astonishment, its heading turned out to be a remote outpost in The Badlands. Witnesses on the gryphon ship claimed they saw Princess Luna vanish into the desert, accompanied only by a suspiciously small retinue. With that information, the Gryphonstone Council concluded that this was all a ploy by changelings to sabotage relations between gryphons and ponies. Likely even orchestrated by Queen Chrysalis herself.”
There were a few minutes of silence as the servants came in to remove the empty plates.
”They must be pretty crackers to believe this was all a changeling plot,” Sergeant Blaze said as a joke, only to realize the implications far too late. He tried brushing it off with fake laughter, but that abruptly ended when another strand of hair got plucked from his tail.
The situation at least presented some interesting opportunities. “Most troubling news if proven true, sister.”
Starlight Glimmer rose up and slammed both hooves on the table. ”Well, was it you on that ship or not?”
Their eyes met as Twilight desperately tried to pull her apprentice back into her seat.
“The reason for my absence is none of your concern,” she replied with a tone that brokered no argument, then turned her attention to Twilight. “I would suggest you teach your student proper etiquette.”
“Yeah, you tell her, Luna,” Sergeant Blaze said with his usual grace.
Perhaps she’d chosen poorly after all.
“If you—“ Starlight Glimmer began, but Celestia cut her off by clinging with a spoon against the teacup before turning her attention to Blaze.
“I believe we will get along splendidly, Sergeant Blaze.”
The mercenary didn’t recognize the hidden glee in Celestia’s remark and responded with a smile reminiscent of a young boy who’d been praised by his mother for completing his chores.
It was one of her sister’s many tricks she’d been unable to replicate.
“To answer your earlier question, sister,” Celestia continued. “The gryphons sent Twilight gifts as an apology. Historical heirlooms carved out of granite from their national museum to be precise. They are scheduled to arrive at her castle tomorrow.”
Twilight’s ears instantly perked up at the notion. ”They’re letting me study their cultural treasures and entrusting their safety to me? That’s so flattering!”
Celestia wasn’t finished. ”While they may claim it’s a gift, in actuality, they are only loaning you the heirlooms for six months, and there is a waiver in need of signing that you’ll compensate for any damage to the priceless treasures when in your custody.”
Twilight froze in place.
”Might I suggest you store them behind several inches of glass, preferably enchanted with your strongest wards,” Celestia said. ”Just to be safe.”
With the main course finished, waiters in white uniforms came to pour coffee, tea, and deliver plates of exotic fruit from the colonies. There was an unspoken understanding with her sister that whatever happened in Hildburg would remain unsaid for political reasons, and though not knowing the whole truth bothered Twilight and Starlight, they were at least wise enough not to push the issue any further. It also meant that any apology for putting them in such a situation would need to wait.
“We will take our leave now, sister,” she said and motioned Haywood and Sergeant Blaze to follow her out of the dining room. “Just one last thing.”
Celestia’s head tilted ever so slightly. “Yes?”
“The newly discovered earth pony settlement,” she began with a deceptively casual tone. “I suggest we double the size of aid shipments.”
Twilight and Starlight looked at each other to see if the other knew what village she referred to.
Celestia knew precisely what she meant. “If you think it’s wise.”
She gave her sister a curt nod and left the dining room with both stallions at her sides.
“Haywood, how are you feeling?” she asked as they walked through the halls.
“Much better after a proper meal, thank you,” Haywood said with a brief twitch of his mustache, revealing that something else was occupying his mind. “Just worried about the greater battle ahead.”
Which could only mean one thing.
“I plan to buy the finest piece of chocolate from every vendor in Canterlot,” Haywood continued. “And the Misses always loves her lilies.”
“May good fortune always follow you,” she said, playing along with his theatrics. “I find that a surprise kiss often helps cool hot tempers.”
Sergeant Blaze chuckled.
They reached the entrance of her department where one of the royal guards approached them.
“Your Majesty, you have visitors,” the armored stallion said. “I told them they could wait in the lobby.”
She had expected none for today but headed straight for the main entryway. The dozen or so guests, mostly gryphons in expensive attire, sat in a circle around a table, though a few standing against the walls were armed bodyguards.
The merchants all stood up and turned their attention to her, and from the group emerged two familiar faces.
“Princess Luna,” Leonard said, making a surprisingly agile bow despite his girth alongside the merchant leader, Ortwin. ”We wish to offer you our most sincere thanks.”
”I am pleased to be of service,” she said while walking up to them. “But I’m afraid I don’t follow. And how did you know I would be returning to the palace today?”
“That would be me,” Ortwin said, playfully swirling with a glass of Canterlot wine in his talon. The gryphon appeared well rested compared to the night they’d first meet, and the keen spark she’d seen in his eyes still shone brightly. “I asked some of my associates to watch the gates and inform me of your arrival.”
She raised an eyebrow at that. “Spying on Equestrian royalty are we, Master Ortwin?”
“With the best of intentions, I assure you,” Ortwin quickly added. “We came to greet you in Canterlot as soon as the Council came to their senses, but we didn’t suspect you would still be traveling the continent.”
”Sergeant Blaze,” she said, turning to look at the mercenary who’d unceremoniously made himself comfortable in one of the sofas along the wall. ”Go outside and find a servant and help them bring refreshments, and familiarize yourself with the castle layout while doing so.”
The pegasus let out a long sigh before exiting the room.
”You recruited the good Sergeant,” Leonard chirped. ”A fine sailor when on duty. Just be mindful he is kept busy, or you might find him chasing the wrong tail.”
“Noted,” she said, putting an end to the idle banter. ”How might the crown assist you?”
Ortwin gave her a sly smile. ”I’ve spoken with my fellows about restoring your old home.” He gestured with a talon to rest of the gryphons, of which nearly all possessed a unique symbol on their green tunics. ”After some persuasion, eight houses have pledged to invest fully in the project, and for the last day, we’ve convinced many of our pony colleagues on this side of the ocean to do the same. We also offer you hard-working and skilled laborers from our organizations to help start the project as soon as possible.”
She and Haywood exchanged a glance. Ortwin was contradicting his earlier claim that the gryphon merchant classes would be furious that she ruined their ploy to bankrupt the Gryphonstone Council, and instead they now scrambled to offer her aid?
”You former capital is as good as restored,” Ortwin continued, raising his wineglass high up in the air. The merchants all followed suit, then cheered with one voice.
”For trade, profits, and a better tomorrow!”
Rows of candles lit up the office when the moon had finally replaced the sun. The scent of sweet honey permeated the room as the beeswax burned and flickered, making her reminisce about memories and ponies of the far past—a welcome distraction from her mounds of neglected paperwork.
“Another case successfully solved, Haywood,” she told her old secretary. “The gryphon lands are peaceful, and ponies rest comfortably in their beds.”
”I suppose,” Haywood said from the adjacent desk in her office. ”Though I have my doubts that we will ever manage to successfully prosecute someone.”
”One of these days, Haywood.” She rested a hoof on her chin. “One of these days.”
”Am I allowed to arrest people now?” Sergeant Blaze asked. The gray pegasus had been laying on her couch for hours, doing little except reading gossip magazines or balancing his sword with a wing.
”No, you are not,” she said, leaning even further into the hoof while she used her horn to sign yet another document. ”If you’re bored, you have my permission to retire."
Sergeant Blaze grimaced. “I don’t like my new quarters.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
”It’s too big, and the beds are too soft,” he said without caring how silly it sounded. “I’m used to sleeping in a moving hammock with twenty other sailors.”
She shook her head and returned to the papers in need of signing, and with a large project soon underway, the amount of work would only worsen. She needed more staff by the end of the month, and the bits would need to come directly from her private account.
”Princess Luna, can we trust the gryphon merchants?” Haywood asked suddenly. ”Never have I seen so much dedication from them. I have a distinct feeling there is something they’re not telling us.”
“No doubt Ortwin has some grandiose plan besides building his trade fleet,” she replied. “I only trust that he wouldn’t dare to break the law while under my supervision, and for the moment, that’s all that matters.”
“Very well,” Haywood said, trying to rub away the fatigue from his eyes. “I spoke with the railroad company, and they claim they can put down five miles of track a day. If they begin next week, we might make it to the Everfree Forest before winter.”
“You know what, Haywood,” she said, leaning further back into her chair. “I believe today, Equestria’s future has become a little brighter.”
Haywood chuckled. “Yes, what could possibly go wro—”
“Do not finish that sentence.”
