Spies and Griffons

Chapter 1: Emerald

The Griffon Pirates: A Guide, by Ocean Eyes

"The Griffon pirates have plagued the eastern seas since sea travel was invented. Their endless raids against seaside towns and merchant ships are universally detested, and the Griffon Empire tries hard to distance itself from the barbarians. Yet, in times of war, the Griffon Empire will often show its true colors and entice the pirates with offers of gold and silver. The pirates, due to some unfounded patriotism or national spirit, are easily converted to the Griffon Empire's side."

Ships and Airships, by Sky Sailor

"Ships are common around the coast of Equestria, and merchants from countries to the east and west often send merchant ships to trade in our ports. In a relatively recent development, however, more and more of these ships have made us of steam technology to achieve lighter-than-air flight. Not only do these "airships" make travel and shipping easier, but they also give tactical superiority in any battle that might occur. Thus, ponies in Canterlot have been quick to adopt this new technology, to get a leg up on any opposing force that might seek to invade Equestria."

On the dusky waters of the eastern sea sailed a ship called Nevermore. Its poetic name clashed greatly with the vulgarity and corruption that had overtaken it.

The ship itself was a large, tri-masted affair, with a deep scarlet hull and a green deck. The sails and masts were also green, embroidered with the insignia of a feather crossed with a saber. Where the ship's figurehead would have been was a massive barbed iron spike. The griffon, Captain Ransom, was very fond of his ship.

Captain Ransom ran a tidy business, or at least that's what he would say if he was asked. In reality he was a blatant pirate, and a ruthless one at that. He made no friends in his quest for gold. In fact, he was currently wanted by all the known provinces of Equestria, and he would probably be an outlaw in the Griffon Empire if not for his connections.

In addition to his pirating exploits, Captain Ransom also dealt in slaves. While slavery was illegal in Equestria and frowned upon even in the Griffon Empire, Captain Ransom could often make a large profit when he traveled closer to the equator. The camels of the Southern Lands were some of his biggest customers.

But opportunities for unloading his cargo of slaves were few and far between, and besides, Captain Ransom had something far more important to do. That was his reason for being this close to the coast of Equestria instead of in-transit to the the south to dump his half-cargo of slaves.

Belowdecks, the Nevermore was a hellhole. The back half of the ship was devoted to quartering the crew, and as such, it were in passable condition. The front half, on the other hand, was full of the souls unfortunate enough to have been captured by the griffon captain or sold to him by other captains.

All of the prisoners were either earth ponies, pegasi, or unicorns. They lived in squalor, with salty brine splashing them from the broken portholes and the smells of sweat eternally oppressing them. They were packed like sardines in a can, back to back, with barely enough room to sit. The dark room currently held forty slaves chained together, but the captain had been known to fit more than seventy in the same room when he wanted to. The slave hold had the effect of gradually draining willpower and happiness from its unwilling tenants.

The majority of the prisoners were older, at pony middle age, but there were a few exceptions: notably, a young stallion, the only pegasus aboard, and the small unicorn filly chained beside him. They were both painfully thin, but of all the ponies in the slave hold they looked the most alive .

The young unicorn filly shivered and whimpered as she rubbed the chains around her forelegs. The stallion beside her spread one of his wings and placed it around her, and pulled her closer.

"It'll be all right, Blue Eyes. Everything will work out," he said. The little white-and-blue filly said nothing. She only nodded, sniffed, and closed her eyes.

While the words seemed empty, the pegasus had every intention of fulfilling them. He had never seen the filly before he had been sold to Captain Ransom, but now he was her only friend and the only person keeping her alive.

He thought of how unfair it was that she was in this place when she had never done a thing to deserve it. The only thing that mattered to him now was to get her out of there safely.

He looked briefly around the room. Nothing ever changed in the slave hold. There were only the walls and ceiling, the half-alive mares and stallions, and the perpetual red-dyed water that seeped in from the crimson outer hull. The water eventually dyed every slave from the flank down, giving Captain Ransom's prisoners a distinctive look.

A puddle of blood-like saltwater shimmered before him on the warped planks. When he bent over it his reflection surprised him. He was much thinner now from the lack of nutritious food, and his coat had a grayish tinge. Only his eyes had retained their emerald shine.

Emerald. That was his name. It was also the picture on his flank; a flawless cut emerald. Every part of him was some shade of green, or at least had been before the dye had stained him. His coat had been like a new leaf, his mane had been the dark green of magnolia, and the colors of his feathers had ranged from pine to jade to grass.

He had been the fastest pegasus around before he was captured. It seemed like a lifetime ago, yet it was probably only a few months. Funny, what hard times can do to you.

He was determined to keep the same thing from happening to the filly.

It was many days on the ocean before Emerald got his chance. He was jarred awake by a deep, rasping, grinding sound. He knew that the ship had just struck land. He instantly put his plan into action.

Emerald flipped over his rear hoof and gently grabbed the bent piece of wire hidden there with his mouth. He bent the wire straight and started to work on the padlock on his chains.

It was long, grueling work. It needed just the right amount of rotational force, coupled with the up-and-down motions that a successful lockpicking required. Nevertheless, the lock sprung open with surprising ease in only a few minutes.

"Celestia, give us luck. You know we need it," he muttered to himself through the makeshift pick in his gripped between his teeth.

Next, Emerald got to work on the filly's padlock. She movement woke her up, but she was wise enough to understand that secrecy was key in this situation. This took longer, but after over an hour the lock clicked open.

Emerald poked his head out of the cracked porthole closest to him and looked to the ground. Thankfully, there was nopony on the ground below. He quickly scooped up Blue Eyes and pushed her out the windows with instructions to hold on to the netting.

He then looked back into the room and saw one old zebra stallion looking back. It wasn't a challenging gaze. It was simply an uncomfortable, unbroken stare. Emerald shook his head, turned, and pushed himself through the porthole.

He wound the netting around himself and Blue Eyes, so that they could rest comfortably until it was darker. He knew that it would be unwise to attempt movement when there was any sunlight; griffons were well known for their eyesight.

He knew to wait until the griffons were good and drunk, but he still realized that the first part of the plan had gone off without any problems. He felt a wave of elation, but he quickly crushed it down. "We aren't in the clear yet," he whispered to Blue Eyes. Even so, he flashed her a rare smile.