A lonely griffon is blessed
The lands north-east from the Crystal Empire were unique among the frozen north of Equus. Legends say that it used to be the home of ancient pony tribes, before their conflicts brought eternal winter upon them, forcing them further and further south in vain hopes of finding warmth. There were even some archeological discoveries recently that supported these old stories.
However, once the ponies left, the land become deserted; and with Windigos defeated soon after, life slowly returned to the thawing wasteland. First in the form of plants and migratory animals, but soon these lands returned to their old state; sometimes harsh, but livable. A long coastline made fishing viable, and a combination of southern arable fields and mineral-rich mountains in the west made settling it a very tempting prospect.
Before ponies of Equestria grew in strength and numbers enough to colonize the north, a new colonists arrived from somewhere else. Griffons crossed the Rocky Sea and settled there, creating a small village of Nouveau Aquilla. It slowly grew into a small city and simultaneously other settlements appeared alongside the coastline, more griffons arriving as the news of the new frontier spread on the continent.
Soon these small, thriving communities got the attention of their motherland, and Emperor Grover I established Nova Griffonia as an official colony of the Empire. It soon got the reputation of a place where willing individuals could make fortune taming the new land… or escape from any criminal charges back home. In fact, the Empire began sending their criminals and other ‘less desirable’ elements to work in mines and bring prosperity to the newfound colony.
But the prosperity would not last long. With Empire falling apart and griffons in general falling into disarray, Nova Griffonia was forced to rely on itself. Internally divided and suddenly cut off from trade with their homeland, the once prosperous country was on a verge of disaster, and large parts of it became overrun with bandits.
With such dire circumstances in their country, the griffons did not pay much attention to external matters. Such as when choosing a proper ambassador to a new, weak pony nation of Crystal Empire.
“I do not see what the problem is, Cadance.” The ambassador Featherbert Highhill said with contempt, as usual ignoring her royal title. He was the last choice for a diplomat to a sensible creature; sadly, reasonable griffons were slowly becoming an extinct species in Nova Griffonia. He was only send there because it was the farthest away from the capital that Governor Teafeather could send him.
After all, everyone knew that Cadance wasn’t a ‘real’ Princess. She had no actual powers, and ruled a country consisting mostly of frozen wasteland. Why would anygriffon care about her?
“The problem, Ambassador, is that bandits from your lands once again crossed into Crystal Empire.” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza explained once again, hiding her annoyance well. This was the third time this happened, and that griffon was not only getting more arrogant and dismissive every time. “I believe we already discussed posting guards close to the border, to prevent this situation from happening ever again. Our border has just a few mountain passes, and it would be easy to patrol them together.”
“If these bandits are such a problem for you, why won’t you post guards, then, instead of wasting my time? And besides, you have no proof they even came from Nova Griffonia.” The ambassador dismissed her claims once again, hoping he could return to the capital soon. As much as he enjoyed putting this upstart pony in her place, he had things he needed to do back home. He paid little attention to the Princess, and therefore missed the moment she finally lost her patience.
“We already keep guards there. In fact, my husband is right now dealing with these bandits, and I have no doubt he will succeed. And all the captured bandits gave testimony pointing out to your country as one responsible for their arrival here.” Her voice grew much colder as she struggled to contain her anger. Ponies died in one of these bandit raids, and these buffon dared to just ignore her! She personally tended to funerals, knowing she was ultimately responsible for their premature passing; after all, wasn’t she their ruler, and a Princess?
“Good thing you caught them, but honestly, Cadance, you really think the words of some bandits have any merits? They don’t. Now, I believe that is all, then.” The ambassador got up, ready to leave the palace.
Cadance mentally snapped.
“It must be hard, being here. I know you hate it.” She said, her voice now warmer and empathetic.
“Of course.” He scoffed. “It’s cold and pointless…”
“Oh, actually, I meant being here as in on this continent, in general.” Cadance interrupted him, smiling sweetly. “I know you miss the intrigue in the Empire. All these other griffons you could match wits against.”
The griffon looked at her, surprised. “I suppose, when you put it that way. It is far away from the civilization, indeed.”
“And of course, all the other benefits of being in the heart of Gryphus. Luxuries. Lovers. Pitting your enemies against each other, and enjoying it.”
“I do not like the insinuations you are making right now, Cadance.” The griffon answered coldly, turning away. “I believe my government will send an official protest against this slander.”
“You may do that.” She agreed. “But it won’t change the fact that Ritberto is there, and you are here. You will probably never see him again, and it’s such a shame, isn’t it?”
The griffon jumped in surprise, before turning around, furious. “How dare you! Where did you learn that?”
“You know, the saddest part is that he could have actually became your husband, back then. You both actually felt some love towards each other, not just physical attraction. You actually felt less empty when you were together.” Cadance commented softly.
“How do you know all this?” The griffon demanded.
“You know, he actually still misses you. Sometimes. And he still hasn’t found anyone he wants to be with.” Cadance informed him, ignoring the question. “If you hurry, you may still make it back to him. Be happy, and not stuck here, trying to fill the emptiness in your heart with the politics and schemes. You love him more then you love your scheming, and even if you became the governor it will never replace him.”
“How… what…” The griffon swallowed nervously, only now looking into her eyes. They radiated power; it was soft, and warm. But it was also overwhelming, and he turned his eyes away, unable to look into these wells of love. “Do you really think so?” He asked, a tiny bit of hope in his voice.
“You can never be sure in those things. You both will need to work on this, and it may not work out in the end.” Cadance answered softly, smiling gently. “But you should try.”
Featherbert Highhill, count of Schneetal, made the best decision in his life. He bowed slightly to her, finally understanding and respecting her power. “I thank you for your hospitality, but I’m afraid I have to resign from my post immediately due to personal concerns.”
“Of course, ambassador. I do hope for the best in resolving your… personal issues.” She answered, lowering her voice to whisper. “He loves orchids the most; they remind him of that one meeting at the lake.“
The (former) diplomat considered it for a moment. What she said, if true – and seeing her now, he had no doubt about her truthfulness – was an incredible and scary invasion of privacy, and a demonstration of power more akin to the Gods then mortals… but on the other claw, if she was right, and he could still fix things, he would take that.
He bowed once again and left, already planning on the fastest way to inform the capital of his sudden resignation, so that he could find a ship returning home and leave this emptiness and cold behind him.
It took some time before Shining Armor returned home. But Cadance was there, and as he entered the city she hugged him; he hugged her back. Some soldiers silently made ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ sounds at the sight of the married couple, before moving on. They knew how much their commander missed his beloved.
“Let me guess, the ambassador was acting like he usually does?” Shining Armor asked, smiling.
“Yhm.” Cadance answered, her face buried deep withing her husband’s chest. She moved her head a little bit so she could talk. “I used my magic.”
“Ah. I see.” He answered, hugging her still. There would be more to say later, but for now, he was just enjoying seeing her again.
“I guess the hunt for bandits did not went as planned?” It was her turn to ask.
“Yhm.” And it was his turn to bury his face in her chest, before answering. “I killed one of them.”
“I see.” She said, hugging him still. There would be more to say later, but for now, they were just here to love and support each other, before moving back to the privacy of their chambers. There would be some hesitation, many emotions, and discussions there.
But most importantly, love and support towards each other.
And at the same time, in distant Gryphus, a lonely griffon answered a knock on his door. “Yes, what is it?” Ritberto asked opening the door. To his surprise, he saw a griffon holding a bouquet of orchids. A griffon he knew very well.
“…Featherbert?”
