There were many things that Twilight had expected to see on her journey to Griffonstone. And every single one of those expectations had been thoroughly dashed by her actually being here to see it. But, while that disappointment lingered, it had to be said that, what she definitely wasn't expecting to see on this trip was what now stood before her. The doors of the palace had opened wide, and there, standing in that doorway, were about half a dozen pegasi. But that was not what surprised her. What did surprise her was their dress. For every single one of them was clad in the distinct armour of the night guard, the military of the Lunar Kingdom. Naturally, seeing them here caught everyone off-guard, especially the King, who seemed to be unable to say anything right now because of how shocked he was. However, as the newly-arrived ponies started to enter the palace in earnest, Grover finally snapped himself out of this state, glowering angrily at the unexpected guests.

"Who...what is the meaning of this?!"

The ponies kept on approaching, prompting Shining to take position in front of Twilight and Cadence, ready to protect them from whatever may come. But onwards the Lunar ponies marched, until they stopped just a few feet short of Twilight and her group. Silence fell over them, and the whole situation was one of immense discomfort. Twilight could hear her own breathing loudly, which was all the more noticeable given how worried she was right now. However, the silence did not last forever, and the pony at the head of the Lunar's group took another step forward, giving only the barest bow of their head.

"King Grover...a pleasure to meet you."

The voice was that of a mare, and before Twilight or anypony else could say anything, they watched as that mysterious figure raised a single hoof, placing it upon her helm. In one motion, she removed it, revealing the pony underneath. As Twilight had suspected, it was indeed a mare, one with light green fur and a bright orange mane. Upon her face was a look of utter confidence, as she stared intently at all those present.

"I am Captain Lightning Dust of the Lunar Guard. Our Queen sends her regards, your Majesty."

Grover frowned to this.

"That's all well and good, but the law of our land is clear on this. No outsider may come to the palace without outright permission from the royal family!"

Lightning smirked to this.

"Ah, but we do have permission."

Naturally, such a remark earned confusion from Grover and the Equestrian ponies, prompting Lightning to take the next step in her introduction. Reaching into her armour, she rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a scroll. It was tied tightly, and was emblazoned with a golden seal, bearing an obvious symbol of a Griffon's claw.

"I believe this is the permission you were referring to?"

Grover, as well as Twilight and the others, were hugely taken aback by this.

"But...but...I never..."

Unfortunately, the king had no opportunity to continue, as another unexpected voice started to speak up.

"I'm the one who called them, Father."

The heads of all in attendance turned, and to the surprise of all but Lightning, there was another Griffon now entering the scene. Instantly, they could see that it was a female, with a variety of grey-coloured feathers, and upon her face was a look of clear concern. Nopony said anything, especially when this newcomer approached the King, giving a respectful bow of her head. Grover, for his part, seemed to be having a difficult time taking this in.

"G...Gabby?"

The female, Gabby, looked up to him, her expression both one of fear and shame.

"Father...I invited the Lunar ponies here...to help us."

She looked to him in a pleading manner.

"We can't do this! Not even with the Equestrians! We need them!"

She pointed passionately at the Lunar ponies, prompting the King to frown angrily.

"My daughter...I love you truly...but this was not your decision to make!"

Hearing those words, Gabby returned to her earlier look of shame, and all the while, Twilight and her party looked amongst themselves with great discomfort. As for Lightning, she was more along the lines of impatience, raising one eyebrow as she addressed the King yet again.

"You should really thank your daughter, King Grover. Your Kingdom has suffered much with these malcontents. Asking for outside aid was obviously the correct call, given that you seem..."

She measured her next words carefully.

"...less able that your people might like."

Obviously, such a remark caused outrage for the King, and he struggled to hoist himself out of his throne, glaring ferociously at the green pegasus.

"You dare say that to me?! You march into my realm, unwanted, and claim to know what is best for my people?!"

Contempt crossed his face, and he snorted as though the very idea of them needing their help was ludicrous. Twilight, though she felt hesitant to do so, cleared her throat, gaining the attention of all there.

"With all due respect, Captain Dust...what makes you believe that you are able to help them, when the Griffons themselves have been unable to do so?"

Looking to her, Lightning silently stared at Twilight in an analytical manner, much to the latter's discomfort. Then, her prior smirk returned.

"You must be Twilight Sparkle, yes?"

The fact that this complete stranger knew who she was caught Twilight off-guard, and it was a feeling clearly expressed in her face. By contrast, Lightning hid her feelings well, turning and gesturing to the door behind them.

"Anyway, in answer to your question...we already have fixed the problem."

Those words caused surprise for everyone in the room, and without saying anything, they turned to where Lightning had gestured. As if on cue, a number of other Lunar guards now entered the royal chamber, but unlike the first, they were not alone. Shocking all of them, they appeared to be dragging in a number of Griffon citizens, all bound and with sacks over their heads. As one would expect, this earned a great deal of ire from the King.

"What right do you have to take my people like this?!"

Lightning turned to him with scorn in her eyes.

"I would hope for a bit more gratitude, your Majesty. It's not every day somepony waltzes in to hand you your most wanted on a silver platter."

Lowering himself back into his throne, Grover's expression was now one of incredulity.

"And what evidence do you have that these individuals are the bandits?"

Lightning's expression made it very clear that she had been hoping a question like that would be asked, and so, once the prisoners had been brought closer, she turned her full attention to Twilight.

"You saw the bandits first-hoof, yes?"

Hesitantly, Twilight nodded, prompting Lightning to turn to one of the guards, a male, holding one of the prisoners. She nodded, which he nodded back to, before promptly yanking off one of the sacks. Immediately, the face of the one underneath was revealed, and when he was, Twilight made an audible gasp, leading to Lightning looking back to her.

"Tell me, Miss Sparkle...is this one of the ones you encountered?"

Twilight paused, staring intently at the imprisoned Griffon male before her. She glanced to Cadence and Shining, silently hoping that one of them would be able to help her. But, sadly, no advice came, leading to a degree of further impatience on the part of Lightning.

"We're waiting."

Hanging her head, Twilight sighed.

"Yes...that is one of the bandits."

Lightning smiled, clearly pleased at this outcome, before then swiftly turning her head back to the King.

"King Grover. You were unwilling to do what was necessary for the wellbeing of your people. I think this makes it clear that your ability to rule Griffonstone is somewhat...suspect."

Grover seemed incensed by this, but said nothing as Lightning looked instead to Gabby.

"However...at the very least, some here were not so blinded with pride to be kept from doing what needed to be done."

A smirk crossed her face yet again.

"The Lunar Kingdom stands ready to enforce the leadership of Griffonstone from bad elements such as these...assuming that your people gain a...wiser head."

She briefly glanced to Gabby, though the latter had not noticed, and Shining, who had been quietly seething this whole time, moved forward, standing right in front of Lightning.

"You think to come here and dictate what these people do?!"

But Lightning was unimpressed with such a display.

"Captain...given that your own leader was so often unwilling to take direct action like this, I'd say you're hardly in a position to decide what's best for them."

Her smirk returned.

"What was Princess Celestia planning on doing, exactly? Or was sending you three to ask the King to try harder really her only plan?"

Shining said nothing, though he was clearly still angry at what had been said. Cadence, likewise, was at a loss for words. As for Twilight, she felt utterly helpless right now. They had been sent here for one thing, and not only had they not accomplished it, but things had taken a very unfortunate turn. And during that long silence, Lightning once more turned to Grover, her eyes filled with her usual level of disdain for him.

"I think it's time Griffonstone had an injection of...fresher blood."