As one would expect of a mare like Twilight, she had, over the course of her journey here, conjured up many a mental image of this place they were sent to visit. All her life she had heard tales of the great and renowned city of Griffonstone, and those who dwelled within, and those stories had done much to paint her notions of what she would expect. She had envisioned grand and ancient columns, able to rival even those of Canterlot itself. She had pictured architecture so well-crafted that even the best builders of Equestria could probably learn a thing or two. She had imagined a sense of ancientness that would be felt in the very air they breathed. But most of all, she had gained great expectations of those who lived here, the Griffons. In spite of her brother's warnings, she had expected a people so noble, so dignified, that they would be respected by all who met them.

Unfortunately, none of her hopes survived actually seeing this place.

Had anypony from her neck of the woods been here to see these surroundings Twilight had found herself in, they probably would have referred to it as a slum. And that was if they were feeling charitable at the time. Throughout her walk through the main street of the city, she could see nothing but grimy and poorly-kept homes. Some had even collapsed due to one reason or another, with no effort whatsoever being put into fixing them again. The grand architecture she'd hoped for was there, but its lustre had passed on centuries ago from the looks of it, as many of the larger buildings seemed to be largely ignored, to the point where some were only held together with rudimentary scaffolding. And as for the Griffons themselves, most of them looked to Twilight and the others with angry glares, ad though simply being here was a crime in itself.

"I told you not to get your hopes up, Twily."

Twilight turned to look upon her brother as he'd said those words, his expression still one of seriousness as he once more looked ahead on their walk. Right now, all three of them, Cadence included, were being escorted by the same two Griffon guards who had greeted them not so long ago. But that was about the only courtesy they were receiving right now, as every other Griffon that arrived in view seemed to view them with nothing but scorn. Cadence alone seemed to give Twilight a degree of warmth, smiling to her in silence, in an effort to make her feel better about this unfortunate turn in their journey. Moving slightly closer to her, Twilight spoke in a low tone to her.

"So...I take it you already have a plan on how you're going to talk to the King?"

Cadence nodded, and here, her smile faded, replaced instead by a more sombre look.

"I have...and it seems I won't have long to wait."

At first, Twilight didn't know what she'd meant by that, but she soon understood, as her eyes widened to what now lay ahead of them. It was the place they had come all this way for, the tall palace of Griffonstone itself. And this place, at the very least, seemed to have had some effort in making itself presentable. Tall spires reached high into the sky, and gold adornments throughout continued to glisten, especially upon the vast wooden doors that served as the palace's entrance. But it was clear to anypony who looked that this castle's glory days were very much behind it, as the chips and cracks seen everywhere around it definitely showed it's age, and not in a good way. However, Twilight said nothing, remaining with the group as they, finally, reached those aforementioned door. And here, one of the guards escorting them walked a few steps ahead of them, giving another bow of his head to them.

"Welcome to the palace."

Cadence nodded in acknowledgement of this, and she, Shining and Twilight carried on without them at this point. This did not leave them alone, however, as there were now an additional two guards ahead, standing on either side of the palace gates. And those gates now opened, creaking loudly as they did so, with the aforementioned guards putting in a great deal of strength to make it happen. But now, at long last, the three ponies were within the palace of Griffonstone, and Twilight, for her part, once more felt a degree of disappointment when she laid eyes on the interior. Much like the rest of the city, it clearly looked as if it had seen better days, with the grand hall lined with cracked and broken statues, depicting past rulers. Like before though, she said nothing, staying close to Cadence and her brother as they made their way deeper and deeper into the chamber. But, it was not long before the uncomfortable silence was broken.

"Ah, Ambassador! Welcome to Griffonstone!"

The voice had been friendly, and full of energy, and for just a brief moment, Twilight hoped that perhaps things were looking up for their little group. Looking ahead, she saw that there, at the very end of the hall, was a large throne, and within sat an older Griffon that, frankly, looked as if he could stand to lose a few pounds here and there. Upon his head was a shining crown, the only thing here that seemed to be in good condition, and he looked to the approaching ponies with a smile upon his beak.

"Welcome! Welcome! I trust the journey wasn't too taxing for you?"

Cadence, once she'd arrived at the base of the throne, gave a deep bow, and was followed shortly afterwards in this by Twilight and Shining. When the Ambassador stood tall again, she smiled to her host.

"It is a pleasure to be welcomed back here, king Grover."

The old Griffon laughed, and as he did so, Twilight had a moment to really get a look at him. It was harsh to say, but this guys really did seem to be a perfect metaphor for Griffonstone as a whole. For while he might have been great once, clearly that greatness was gone from him, and all that was left was someone who, to be perfectly honest, seemed as though he would have a hard time just getting out of his chair. But she, obviously, said none of this, and watched as the King started speaking again.

"Yes...I wish the visit was under better circumstances though."

Cadence nodded slowly.

"I take it you know of our concerns then?"

The King, his smile now gone, nodded back.

"I do. And believe me, I wish there was something I could do. But the fact of the matter is this. Despite the obvious crimes of those who have strayed from my rule, there is little I can do beyond what I've already done."

Shining stepped forward, frowning to this.

"And what have you done, your Majesty?"

The King shrugged his shoulders.

"I've sent out numerous patrols to find those criminals, but every time we've done so, the miscreants have always found a way to slip past our guards. I'm sorry to say, but..."

He looked away, appearing ashamed as he spoke.

"...it really does seem as though I won't be able to help you in this."

Naturally, Shining was not satisfied with such an answer, and nor was Cadence for that matter. Twilight stayed silent, looking from one to the other, and all the while she was thinking on how best to help in this situation. However, before she got the chance to say or do anything, she and everypony else was interrupted by a sudden loud voice calling out.

"I believe we can be of some help, your Majesty!"

All eyes turned around, looking upon the one who had spoken, and when they did, Twilight's gained a look of shock.

"What?!"