1055 AD, November 4th

Tap tap tap tap

“Enter.”

A squeak of hinges and a polite cough. “Marquess Aldo.”

Looking up from the parchment he had been writing on, the bronze-feathered griffon took note of his silver-feathered compatriot who had lowered his front half to the floor respectfully, eyes closed and wings spread stiffly to the side.

“You may rise, Lord Alonzo,” Aldo stood from his seat and walked around the large desk, his talons tapping against the marble floor. “I trust you bring news concerning Equestria’s present state?”

Alonzo rose from his bow and nodded with a look of unease. “I have, Marquess,” In his right hand he held a single sheet of white paper. “There was no mistake; it seems as if Equestria is, indeed, under new rule.”

Aldo took the paper as it was offered and skimmed over the contents, his beak twisting into a frown. “A coup…”

“The instigator refers to herself as Nightmare Moon, though she also states that Princess Luna is simultaneously imprisoned.”

“Yes, that would be confusing unless you have spoken to Luna herself.”

Alonzo furrowed his brow. “What does she say if I may ask?”

“That Nightmare Moon, technically, both was-” He caught himself. “Is and isn’t a part of her,” Aldo turned to place the paper on his desk before heading towards a liquor cabinet. “The scholars of Equestria write that they are the same pony, but according to Luna, Nightmare Moon is some sort of… parasite – a creature of its own mind and desires.”

“I shudder to imagine a being strong enough to possess an alicorn.”

Aldo poured himself a glass of wine. “Would you care for a drink?”

“Thank you, Marquess, but I’ll pass.”

“She does not know when she became infected with the creature,” Aldo set the bottle down and returned to his desk, glass in hand. “But it was at some point after the defeat of Discord. I can only assume that it has somehow found a new host, though as to what would be strong enough to match two alicorns…”

“I thought it had been vanquished by the Elements of Harmony.”

“Evidently not,” Aldo took a sip and grimaced as the acrid liquid burned a path down his gullet. “I am beginning to suspect that the Elements are not as powerful as they seem.”

Alonzo nodded in agreement. “The ponies rely too much on their, erm… what was it? Ah, yes – their ‘magic of friendship’ philosophy. They have no real army and no real means to defend themselves from threats; even the Royal Guard is a glorified police force more than anything.”

“Hmph, you are beginning to sound like Marquess Abruzzi.”

“Forgive me, but I speak my mind.”

Aldo took another sip. “Personally, I admire their hesitance to resort to violence. Equestria has a long history of resolving conflicts with words instead of force and I believe the Griffon Kingdom could learn from them.”

Alonzo frowned, unsure. “Peace is all well and good, Marquess, but friendship will not stop the wyverns from attacking and friendship will not cull the vampires in the east.”

“Perhaps it can,” Aldo said evenly. “We have never tried, so how will we ever know?”

“You have a point,” The silver-feathered griffon relented. “However, I am not willing to stake my mate and my chicks’ lives on a chance.”

“A fair point, too,” Aldo sniffed and placed his empty glass on his desk with a sharp tink. “But we stray from the matter at hand – Equestria, our ally, requires our help. Lord Alonzo, I want you to send news of this development to the rest of the holds.”

“Of course, Marquess,” Alonzo inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Is there anything else?”

Aldo thought for a moment, his yellow eyes flicking over to framed picture on his wall. He, along with a beautiful white-feathered hen of significantly larger size, nestled side by side with a young fledgling between them, bearing traits from either parent.

“Yes…” He turned back to his friend. “Inform my daughter to pack her things. We may be travelling soon.”

“… taught to by the mountains. This allowed Lady Palmira, through deep meditation, to create The Way of Stone.”

‘Ugh, so laaaame. The Way of Stone; give me a test on The Way of Boredom and I’ll ace it.’

“Obviously, The Way of Stone was conscripted into The Path of Nature alongside The Way of Fire, Water, and Thunder, changing the Path’s square symbol to that of a pentagon. You can see this by turning to Chapter 23 of the Arcanus Thesis…”

‘Whoever invented books must have been a torturer for Ottaviano the Omnipotent… ah, crap – stupid history lessons are rotting my brain!’

“… which also provides a handy illustration showcasing where the Gift manifests and how it is expressed through the use of physical gestures. Indeed, the usage of using one’s body to create a path of minimal resistance for the Gift to flow has been…”

‘I gotta clean my talons more; they’re getting dull. What is that? Oh, come on – grooves? At my age? This is a bunch of bull-’

“Mistress Gilda!”

Jolting at the shrill cry, Gilda spread her wings in preparation for a fight and looked around sharply.

“Huh? What? Who?”

Lady Eulalia harrumphed in annoyance, her cold grey eyes glinting behind her tortoise-shell glasses. “Mistress Gilda, would you care to relay to me the name of the hen who gave fruit to The Way of Stone?”

“Uh… sure, um…” Gilda folded her wings and strained her memory, squinting from the effort. “Totally… L-Lady… Pal… Lady Pallarina?”

Her mentor was not amused. “And you’re not just saying that because there’s a magazine with the main topic being ballet hidden between the pages of that Arcanus Thesis?”

“Wh-wha-? How the heck did this namby-pamby stuff get here?” Gilda quickly grabbed the offensive magazine and tossed it – very carefully – away, hoping that her embarrassment would be mistaken for anger. “Some… some frou-frou thief must have snuck in and… did… things…”

Eulalia sighed and pushed her glasses up to rub at her eyes. “Mistress Gilda, it is rare for griffons to inherit the Gift; we are not like ponies whom have an entire race with that ability, so when one is recognized it is a momentous occasion for both the individual and their kin.”

Gilda scoffed and rolled her eyes at the mention of ponies. They weren’t so special; she’d pick her claws over some fancy light show any day.
Though she had to admit, flinging a water balloon at the back of someone’s head with her mind was pretty rad.

“So why aren’t we learning about magic?” Gilda grumbled and placed her head on her front legs. “Why do I need to know who discovered what? When’s that gonna help me?”

A comical look of offense on her face, Eulalia clucked disapprovingly. “Young lady, as the chick of Marquess Alonzo you are next in line to inherit his title. Basic knowledge about our history is mandatory in order to be an effective-”

“I don’t even want the stupid title!” Gilda snapped as she uncurled, rose from the chaise longue – she didn’t know why griffons didn’t just call it a couch – and stalked out of the living room.

“Mistress Gilda, where do you think you’re going? You haven’t finished your lessons!”

Rolling her eyes, Gilda shoved a door open and stepped out onto the veranda, kicking the door shut with a hind leg.

“‘Gilda, meh-meh-meh!’” She glared harshly at a servant who looked up at the commotion. “What do you want?! Yeah, go back to your planting.”

Making her way down some stairs, Gilda walked along the cobblestone path that weaved through the backyard, the various foliage sculptures upsetting her more than usual. The servants of the manor and the gardeners were mindful of her mood and wisely avoided eye contact.

A minute’s worth of walking later, she arrived at a running stream that went through her backyard and into the woods beyond, the soft splashes against rocks worn down to mere pebbles playing against her ears. Still grumbling, she sat down at the edge and peered at her own wavering reflection, her tail swishing aggressively behind her.

The stream wasn’t so much as relaxing so much as… well, she didn’t feel it was right to be angry at her mother’s favourite spot.

“It’s so lame…” She muttered to her reflection. “I want to travel the world, not sit in some office arguing with a bunch of dumbasses about… dumb stuff.”

Her reflection said nothing.

“It’s kinda weird how you married dad. I mean, I’m grateful for it and everything, but I always wondered how you two met. You were so… you, and dad’s so… dad, ya know? The only way I can see you two ending up together was if he passed a bill or named a new street and it was so epic that it was love at first sight or something.”

A sparkling green dragonfly hovered over the water, its silver wings a blur.

“I can’t really ask him about you because he gets all mopey and says ‘Not now, Gilda’, and I can’t ask you since… yeah. It’s… I’ve missed you… still do, but… I think I take it better than dad. I’m tough like that, ya know? Just like you taught me.”

She laughed, but it quickly trailed off.

“I want to be like you, mom. I want to travel the world and do all that awesome stuff you used to do. I mean, it’s just…”

Her ears perked up at the sound of grass crunching underfoot. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted one of the servants approaching her.
“What do you want?!” She growled with more than a hint of threat.

It was bad enough for someone to catch her having an emotional moment, but this was her mother’s spot, her spot, and no one else was allowed to just be there without asking.

The servant paused on taking another step, sensing the hostility. “M-Mistress Gilda, your father has called for an audience with you. He is waiting inside the living room.”

Hearing the waver in his tone made her feel a little better. “Yeah, sure…” She turned back to the stream. “I’ll be there; give me a second.”

“… He said it was urgent.”

“In a second!” She retorted angrily without looking back.

“… As you wish.”

“You were gone for a while.”

“I was at the stream,” Gilda answered curtly, making her way towards the couch, just across from her father’s favourite chair. “So what’s up?”

He waited until she was comfortable before answering. “There is a situation involving Equestria. At some point in the last three days, a coup was successful in evicting both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna from their positions of power. As of now, Nightmare Moon is the current empress of the country.”

Gilda’s eyes widened. Hell – that was more interesting than what she expected him to say.

“Nightmare Moon? Isn’t she, like… that Luna princess or something?”

“From what I gathered from various conversations with her, Nightmare Moon is an eons-old parasite that is able to mentally manipulate the host. They thought it to have been destroyed by the Elements of Harmony, but it obviously still lives, and appears to have found a new host.”

Gilda had no love for Equestria and its inhabitants, especially not after her so-called ‘friend’ abandoned her, but it must have sucked to have your government taken over by an ancient parasite that wanted to bring everlasting night. She liked a midnight glide every now and then, but she also liked feeling the sunlight on her primaries.

“So what?” Gilda shrugged and raised one eyebrow. “Are we going to help or something? Are we going to war?” She inhaled sharply as excitement welled up and a grin crept across her face. “Can I join?”

“Noooo...” Her father said slowly like she had suggested the dumbest thing in the world. She could totally think of dumber things. “The High King elected me to be the ambassador to travel to Equestria and gain a deeper understanding over just what this change in government means for both Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom.”

Gilda frowned. “No fighting? Isn’t Equestria our ally? I mean, usually I’m all for letting someone fight their own battles, but only if it’s not some freaky magic parasite… freak; share some of that butt-kicking, ya know?”

“Equestria is a… trade partner. Our relationship doesn’t necessarily involve jumping to the other’s defence unless it means the protection of both our homes.”

That… sounded like a pretty scummy thing to her and judging by how her father’s expression darkened as he said that, it seemed he thought so, too. Did he want to help fight or not? She wouldn’t mind; having one of those crossbows in her talons would be wicked cool.

“So…” Gilda scratched at her head. “You’re going to Equestria to see if they’re gonna invade us?”

“The High King and the other Marquess’ would put it in a much more complicated way, but that’s the general idea.”

“And what if they do wanna invade us?”

“Then we prepare our defences.”

She perked up. “Can I join?”

“No,” He said sternly. “You’re underage… and I could never let my chick do something like that.”

Gilda scowled darkly. “Let me? This is my home! If someone tries to mess with it then I’ll pick up a sword and crossbow to defend it as much as any griffon! I’m not a coward.”

Her father sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “One does not have to fight to prove oneself brave.”

It was a favourite saying of his, but it grated on her nerves. What did he mean by not fighting? If a burglar were to enter their home right now and start talking smack then of course she was going to kick him in the nuts. Was she just supposed to ask him to leave politely?

Her father was really unknowable at times.

“Yeah, yeah…” Gilda waved her hand around dismissively. “All I’m saying is that when push comes to shove, I’ll shove back.”

He said nothing for a moment and appeared to debate something internally before giving a shake of his head. “At any rate, we are to leave for Equestria within three days. It shouldn’t be for too long, but be sure to pack enough for a few weeks at the most.”

She couldn’t help but groan in displeasure. Admittedly, Equestria as a place was pretty cool to visit, but she had plans here, too. Vinnie was having a party at Zero Point; his parties were always off the hook and were one of the few events where she could relax and be herself.

“But, dad, why do I have to go? I can take care of myself.”

“No,” Her father had been in the midst of leaving his seat until she had spoken and stopped with a stern note in his tone. “I think it’d be better if you remained where I can get to you.”

“Ugh, is this about those vampires?”

His eyes widened a little. “What do you know about the vampires?”

“I…” She grinned sheepishly. “I might have… snuck into your office to read some stuff. In my defence, I was trying to forge your signature.”

His expression told her he was not amused. It wasn’t as if he was fully exempt from blame; if he just let her skip as many science classes as she wanted then she wouldn’t have to do it.

“They are becoming bolder,” He said after a few tense moments. His tail swished from side to side behind him. “I may be just paranoid, but we can never be too careful with them.”

“Dad,” Gilda sighed in exasperation. “This is Aviana – the safest city in the kingdom… pretty much. They’d have to be idiots to try and mess with me while I’m here,” She paused and furrowed her brow in thought. “Actually, they’d have to be pretty stupid to mess with me, period.”

“Regardless of what you believe yourself to be capable, I’d rather be safe than sorry,” His expression softened. “I won’t lose you too, Gilda.”

She wanted to argue that she was stronger than what he gave her credit for, but his tone and the fact that he mentioned her mother – as vague as it had been – stilled her protests.

She sighed. “Dad, come on…”

“Four days – please be ready by then.”

As per the norm, he left as soon as he sensed the topic veering towards her mother. It sort of pissed her off, but at the same time… well, she couldn’t exactly be angry that he missed her, could she?

Gilda missed her too, but it had been four years; she had dealt with the pain and moved on, and she wished her father could do the same.

“Yeah, sure, dad…” She replied, though he had already left the room. Her half-lidded eyes flicked over to a hanging picture on the wall – a family portrait – and she sighed again. “Sure…”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Griffon magic is different to unicorn magic; it is much rarer in individuals and is not as instinctive and easy to master as it is for unicorns. However, griffons typically have more raw power and reserves at their disposal as well as possessing the unique ability to manipulate the ground beneath their feet. Countless studies have been made over many years to figure out the 'why' behind these differences, but all that has come up are hypothesises and theories.

Note 2: Princess Luna told Marquess Aldo more about her experience with Nightmare Moon than she did with Celestia, her sister.

Is it because it is sometimes easier to tell a complete stranger things that would be more difficult with those close to you, or a mutual agreement between the siblings to try and leave painful memories in the past?