The sun was shining brightly in the sky today, but that was about the only good thing Twilight could say about her circumstances. Currently, she was about as far removed from Ponyville as one could get, walking carefully along a winding mountain road, going higher and higher with every passing minute. The winds were bitterly cold here, as shown whenever she would stop and shiver for a moment. Naturally, she had to work hard to keep her glasses from falling off whenever a particularly bad gust came her way. But, at the very least, she wasn't alone out here. Beside her was none other than Cadence, who, like Twilight, seemed just as uncomfortable with their surroundings. In addition, Twilight's brother, Shining, was also present, walking just a little further ahead from the two mares. In fact, it was the stallion himself who broke the silence between them, stopping to look back to them both.

"It shouldn't be long now. Just a few more turnings and we'll be at their gates!"

Cadence nodded to this, though said nothing as her bodyguard carried on marching forward, Twilight, by contrast, looked to her colleague with a look of uncertainty.

"I never thought I'd find myself in a place like this."

Again, Cadence nodded, though she seemed far more solemn about this situation than Twilight.

"And I hoped to never find myself here again."

Twilight looked to her with interest.

"Oh yeah, you've been here before, right? With Princess Celestia?"

Cadence sighed before answering.

"Yes. It was a diplomatic mission some years back, when I was just starting out as her hoof-maiden. She wanted to discuss new trade agreements with king Grover. It didn't turn out well though. The King kept making ridiculous demands regarding the prices he wanted to charge for incoming goods. Eventually, we had to call the whole thing off."

Twilight looked ahead, seeing her brother continue to forge onwards, making sure the path was safe. And it was as she looked to him that she carried on with her conversation with Cadence.

"Cadence...am I really the best pony for the Princess to be sending to this meeting? I mean, I understand why you're here, you're the trained diplomat after all. But me?"

A small smile crept onto Cadence's face.

"You're the personal apprentice of Princess Celestia, Twilight. Your presence carries weight, regardless of your political experience. It shows that the Princess considers this an important matter."

Twilight hung her head as they kept on walking.

"No offense to the Griffons, but the last time I was near them, it wasn't exactly a pleasant time for me."

Cadence nodded, her expression a serious one.

"And that, perhaps more than anything else, is why Princess Celestia wants you here. You know first-hoof just how bad the situation with King Grover's people is right now. If those in his kingdom can just go about and turn bandit without his knowledge, and beyond his ability to control...well..."

Here, Shining stopped, looking over his shoulder to those he was charged to protect.

"Surely that's no surprise, Ambassador? Expecting King Grover to be able to keep his people reined in is like expecting Yaks to be polite at a dinner party. It's just not happening."

Cadence gave him a disapproving frown over that remark.

"That was one time, Captain, and the Princess asked us both not to hold a grudge over the matter."

The stallion said nothing to that, but watched as Cadence continued.

"And as for the Griffons, we're here as friends, Shining, not as people coming over to criticise his rule. Perhaps talking with us, hearing just how serious those raids have become, might just be enough to convince him to step up and take greater action."

Shining rolled his eyes.

"It's your nature to hope for the best, Cadence, but I'm a soldier. My job is expecting the worst."

Twilight looked from one to the other, clearly uncomfortable over this disagreement they were having. But, she said nothing, especially as her brother had other battings he wanted to get off his chest.

"To make matters worse, apparently only I'm needed on protection for this little trip."

To that, Twilight finally spoke up.

"There's no need for a whole army, brother. It's just diplomacy."

Shining snorted briefly, looking ahead and starting to get back to the business of walking forward.

"Perhaps...but I'd feel a lot better knowing you two were surrounded by my best guards. We are heading for the centre of their power after all."

The other mares said nothing to this, merely doing their best to keep up with him as the winds around them continue to make their journey all the more difficult. However, after passing by the next turning in the mountain road, Shining stopped, prompting the two mares to follow suit. They didn't know what was going on, but it was not long before he looked back to them, seriousness upon his face.

"Well...speak of the Devil..."

He didn't finish his words, as Twilight and Cadence already got a feeling of what he was about to say. They trotted swiftly together, until they now stood on either side of him. And here, they looked ahead with a pair of smiles, seeing that they had, in fact, reached their destination. Griffonstone, the great capital of the Griffon people. Like a mighty tree sprouting forth from the mountains itself, it stood tall and proud upon the horizon before them. Even from this distance, it remained an impressive sight, catching Twilight in awe in particular. Cadence giggled to seeing her like this, though Shining, by contrast, was no more thrilled to be here than he was before. However, before anypony could do anything else, the stallion looked up, his eyes narrowing yet again.

"Heads up. We've got company."

The mares did as requested, turning their heads upwards to find, to their surprise, that a pair of armoured Griffon males were now flying swiftly towards them from high above. The three ponies watched with baited breath, waiting to see what would happen next, and it was not long before those Griffons landed on the road just ahead of them, pointing a pair of sharp-looking spears in their direction.

"Halt! Who goes there?" one asked.

Cadence stepped forward, placing a hoof upon her chest and speaking up in a tone of authority.

"I am Mi'Amore Cadenza, Ambassador of Equestria. We are here on a diplomatic mission from Princess Celestia. Will you allow us entry to speak with your King, Grover?"

The guards seemed taken aback by this, looking to one another with uncertainty. One leaned in closer to the other, whispering in his ear, all while the ponies watched. For a moment, Twilight was worried that, perhaps, they might not be granted entry. But, the fear was short-lived, as the guards lowered their spears, bowing their heads slightly to Cadence before speaking back in a more respectful manner than before.

"Ambassador. Of course. The King will be pleased to speak with you."

Cadence, likewise, returned the bow, and then smiled to the two.

"Excellent. We have much to discuss."