//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Midnight's Shadow: Tainted Legacies 
// by Ponibius 
//------------------------------//

Midnight Sparkle’s next memoir concerns the events surrounding the Magus Conclave of 121. Being one of Midnight’s more controversial adventures, this memoir’s first printing was significantly censored, and over a century passed after the events in question before the full memoir came to light. This isn’t surprising considering the ripple effect the conclave’s aftermath had on Equestria, especially where the Morning Wars are concerned. The following is a selection from the unredacted memoir, with additions from Midnight’s journals to fill in some details. 





I pressed my dagger to the throat of the gryphon reiver. “Unless thou wishest for me to open thy throat and cut thy jugular, resulting in thy blood spurting forth whilst thou desperately clutch thy throat in a vain attempt to prevent from choking to death upon thine own lifeblood, thou wilt do my bidding. ‘Tis a rather painful way to die, so I do not suggest forcing me to inflict it upon thee.”

The reiver stiffened and did nothing for several seconds, his breath misting in the cold springtime air. I tilted my head as I considered what the reiver must be thinking. “Calling out to thy companions will do no good, I have already cast spells to make it impossible for them to hear thee. Thou wouldst die for nothing.” While a whole squad of guardponies were bathed in moonlight on the forest hill, the spell I had cast over the area made it look as though the reiver picket was standing alone. The veil would even prevent sound from escaping. More spells yet obscured myself and mine allies next to me, making us look like shadows within the gloom of the forest. Mayhaps all the illusions I had cast were redundant, but it would not do to spoil the surprise the Royal Guard had for the reivers.

The reiver’s spear clattered to the ground, and he slowly raised his talons. A pair of guardponies from the Long Patrol stepped forward and bound and gagged our new prisoner. I got a good look at the gryphon as they did so, and he was not what I expected. Wide-eyed with fear, aye, the trembled from more than merely the night chill; this gryphon could only generously be called an adult, and his ill-fitting chainmail barely covered his skinny frame. ‘Twas far from the brutal, hardened brigand I had expected. I wondered what his story was.

Pity ‘twas not the time or place to interrogate him. The young reiver’s compatriots were not far away. If all was well, the reiver camp guards would be asleep around their fire. If the plan was to proceed as desired, then they needed to be dealt with.

I felt a hoof placed on my shoulder and turned to see the eager grin of Lieutenant Shield Cumulus. “Good work, Magus,” he said through the telepathic link I had set up between myself and the other Long Patrollers. “Are we ready to move forward?”

“Let me check.” I cawed out into the darkness and lifted up a leg. ‘Twas not long before a particularly large raven landed on my leg.

Trinket, Grand Marshal of the Great Unkindness, Lord Protector of the Equestrian Unkindness, Devourer of the Hearts of Kings, Clevertongue, Guardian of the Threefold Treasures, Venerable Defender of Secrets, Knight Benefactor of the Great and Wise Magus Midnight Sparkle, bowed before me. “What is your desire, Raven Queen?”

“Are the reivers still around their campfire?” I asked in the raventongue.

Trinket nodded. “They are all accounted for, and are vulnerable to your strike.”

“Then we shall proceed.” I turned back to Lieutenant Shield. “Everything is going according to plan. They have not noticed the loss of their picket.”

“Let us see to it, then.” He motioned for one of the guardponies to stay with the prisoner and the rest to follow us as we approached the campfire.

Sergeant Stalwart Kicker and Subtle Song were on either side of me as we worked our way through the shadowed forest. My magic suppressed the sounds we made as we closed in on the four gryphons lying about the campfire. Only one was awake, busy mending his clothing, while the rest were asleep on the ground. Once in position, I cast a veil over the campsite to prevent anyone from outside the area from noticing what was to come.

“Magus, can you deal with the one who is awake?” asked Shield after I had cast my veil. It was difficult to see him and the rest of the guardponies through all the foliage thanks to my spells and all the cover, but my spell let me still hear him clearly.

I considered several spells at my disposal as I hide behind a bush. “I can. Do you wish him dead or alive? I could slay him in any number of ways, but we might wish to interrogate him as well. ‘Twould be difficult to get information out of him if he is running around the camp while on fire or a smoking corpse that has had the flesh burned from his bones.”

There was a moment of silence. “Preferably alive.” 

I decided on a spell. “It should not be a problem.”

Shield spent another couple minutes confirming everyone else knew what they were doing before proceeding. “On my mark then. Three, two, one, go!”

There was an explosion of activity as the Patrollers silently charged forward. The conscious gryphon only had enough time to let out a startled cry of surprise before I encased him in a block of ice and sealed his beak shut with a solid layer of ice. His companions had only begun to stir when the Patrollers fell upon them. With trained precision, they isolated, disarmed, and shackled each of the reivers before they could properly resist. Only one of the gryphons was able to rouse himself quickly enough to get a spear in his talons, but Shield was on him before he could bring it to bear. Shield slammed the butt of his own spear into the reiver’s gut, stepped forward and smacked him across the shoulders to send him stumbling to the ground. Two more Patrollers fell on on the reiver, and he was subdued along with his compatriots.

It was all over in a minute. The four reivers were our captives, and Shield signaled for our rearguard to bring his prisoner to the camp. Shield stepped beyond the campfire and looked down into a gully hidden within the forest. I joined him and examined the sight with mine own eyes. Within the gully were a dozen tents, with sheltered campfires to help keep too much light from revealing their position. I had seen the reiver camp through the eyes of my ravens, but ‘twas different than seeing it for myself.

This band of reivers had managed to sneak inside Equestrian borders and had been terrorizing the local communities. They had mainly concerned themselves with looting and pillaging, though they had also taken prisoners and partaken in all manner of other crimes while securing wealth for themselves. I had been in the area on unrelated business when they had struck. Knight-Magus Daylight Shimmer had organized a unit from the forces available in the region, and I had answered the call to put an end to these menaces. While the reivers had done a fine job of hiding themselves from the Guard thus far, with the aid of the Great Unkindness and mine and Magus Daylight Shimmer’s magic, we had found the reiver’s hidden camp.

The patrolponies and I had been sent forward to deal with the reivers’ lookout stations. My ravens had also spotted an additional group stationed on a cloud above the camp, but another team had been assigned to deal with them. If all went well, they should have been able to sneak up on the reivers while inside of an inconspicuous cloud. The Kicker Clan ponies assigned to the task had practice doing such things, and ‘twas as good a plan as any. If it did not work then we had all just gone through a lot of work for nothing.

“Shall I signal that our mission is complete?” I checked with Shield.

He nodded. “I have just checked back with my scouts, and they have seen no other patrol or pickets in our area. Go ahead and tell the Knight-Magus to move forward.”

With our part of the plan done, it was time to push onward. I pulled out a gem from my robes, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it to break it. Its magic released to set off its counterpart in Daylight’s possession. ‘Twas less than half an hour later before the greater bulk of the Equestrian force quietly moved up to the ridge line. Nopony spoke, and only simple communications were made through hoof signals. More than a few had crossbows at their sides, ready to unleash death down on the gryphons down below.

Shame there was but one complication to us merely slaying all the reivers outright.

Knight-Magus Daylight Shimmer crawled over to me and Shield, fixing us with a grim frown that gave his strong boned-skull an even sterner expression. He was a well-toned unicorn, with lean muscles that his tall stature from a life in the Order of Sol Invictus . His short-cropped red mane was covered by his helmet, as was most of his orange coat by his golden armor and magus cloak, though the armor had been covered by soot to hide its sheen.

“Lieutenant,” Daylight said stiffly. Though his features softened at my sight. “Magus Midnight. Is everything proceeding well?”

I nodded. “They are. We captured all guards without casualty.”

“Good.” He pointed to a cloud over the camp. “I got the signal from Riposte Kicker that they dealt with the guard cloud too. That leaves us with our last problem.”

“The reivers’ captives,” I stated. Down near the middle of the camp was a wood and string cage that held at least twoscore ponies. As was usually the case with reivers, they had taken to kidnapping ponies from the towns they attacked. Usually focusing on taking the strong and young, they took them to be slaves in their own communities or sold to Freeportian slavers to work sugarcane fields far to the south—though there were also rumors of gryphons eating their captives. That had been the excuse given for hanging the previous Archduke of Westmarch.

The guardponies could have opened fire on the camp, but that would place the captive ponies at significant risk. In addition to the chance of friendly fire, the reivers might threaten their prisoners in a desperate attempt to save themselves. Considering freeing those ponies was our greatest purpose in being here, neither of those possibilities was acceptable. Thus we had come up with a plan to prevent that from happening, even if ‘twas not without its own dangers.

“Last chance to back down if thou hast any second thoughts,” Daylight whispered to me. “I will not demand such a risk from thee.”

I shook my head. “Neigh, I am sure this will work.”

Subtle sighed, her eyes flicking over our quarry. “Unless you have a better idea, do not try and convince her to change her course. ‘Twill only make her more stubborn to do this.”

“I am not so stubborn,” I groused. “This plan is merely the best I can come up with to free those ponies.”

Subtle grinned at me. “Do not pout, my dear Midnight. Your determination is one of your more flattering traits.”

I frowned and did not meet the flirtatious bard’s gaze. This was not the time for me to be embarrassed by her advances.

Daylight cleared his throat. “We should move soon ere we risk detection. Art thou ready, Midnight?”

I nodded. “I am if Lieutenant Shield is.”

Shield flashed a fierce grin. “I was born ready.” He waved over four of his pegasi patrolponies. “Cast your spells and let us begin.”

Seeing no reason to delay, I cast an invisibility spell over myself, Stalwart, and the patrolponies. Next I cast a spell that would allow us to see one another. That done, a pair of the guardponies took me by the legs and we all flew down into the gully. No reiver noticed us as we approached the camp from above. The camp was largely silent with only sporadic activity, as most gryphons were asleep in the dead of the night. One problem made itself known as we drew closer: a pair of bored-looking guards stood beside the cage holding their captives and chatted amongst themselves.

They would need to be dealt with.

We had known there was a high likelihood of posted guards, and had a plan in place for this eventuality. Shield, Stalwart, and a pair of the other guardponies snuck towards the reivers while the other two pegasi circled around the other side of the cage. I stood behind them, mine own part in this plan too valuable for me to risk myself at this particular point.

Soon they were upon the reivers. Shield made another countdown at the end of which, they struck. Shield stabbed one guard through they heart while his compatriot sliced into his neck. The other reiver was similarly struck down, with Stalwart removing his head with a stroke of his wing blade. The guards had not even known they were under attack before ‘twas already done.

The same could not be said for the rest of the reiver camp, though. As they struck, the guardponies’ invisibility spells dropped. A reiver coming back from relieving himself let out a cry of surprise at the sight of us, startling awake the ponies within the cage. ‘Twould not be long before the whole camp was roused.

I took position near the cage and pooled my magic. I was about to cast my spell when a curious sight stopped me: a pegasus poked his head out from under one of the tents and stared at me, a confused expression on his face before his eyes fell upon the dead gryphons lying at our hooves. He was likely a prisoner taken advantage of by his captors, if I had to guess.

“Run to us!” I bade him. “We will protect thee!”

To mine astonishment, he instead withdrew into the tent. For a moment I thought him too scared to seek the safety of his fellow ponies, until he stepped back out with a crossbow in his hooves. Before I could question his intent, he leveled the crossbow right at me. Mine eyes widened, my surprise complete at this inexplicable behavior.

“Down!” Stalwart’s cry barely reached mine ears as he pushed me to the ground. The pegasus’ crossbow fired but a heartbeat later, and I felt the bolt fly right over my head.

That pony had just tried to kill me.

I knew not why, for I was trying to free him. This did not make any sense. Was it some sort of panicked reaction? Many ponies reacted poorly in the face of a sudden crisis and the appearance of corpses. Though that struck me as less than likely when that pegasus pulled out a quiver from the tent and started reloading.

My ruminations were interrupted when Shield called out to me. “Magus! The spell!” He leveled his spear at a group of marshaling gryphons. “Sooner rather than later!”

Aye, there still was the matter of keeping us all alive. I returned to concentrating on casting a spell, for the moment putting the pegasus who had tried to kill me out of my mind. The air crackled as a solid wall of ice formed around us and the cage.  I built up the wall and then curved it inwards until we were all protected by a solid dome of ice. Except for a small hole in the very top to allow air in, we were completely shielded from the larger battle.

That was good, too, for more than a score of reivers quickly laid siege to our impromptu stronghold. I doubted the ice would have held long if they were determined to break through, but it would deter them for a time, especially if I reinforced the ice. And time was exactly what the reivers were short on.

A particularly large and rough-looking gryphon whom I knew to be the leader of this band stepped forward. He stopped short of the ice and looked it over, sneering at us. “Congratulations, you have trapped yourselves for us. I admit ‘tis a bold strategy, but I do not think this will turn out well for you.”

I picked myself up from the ground and glowered at the reiver captain. “I think thou art mistaken regarding who is trapped.”

Through the ice I saw a little light dance in the air like an ember being carried by the wind before it drifted down into a nearby campfire. The fire, alongside all the other fires in the camp, burst into pillars of flame that made the reivers flinch away. “THIS IS THE ROYAL GUARD!” Daylight’s voice boomed through the gully. Scores of guardponies stood to make themselves seen by the reivers, many aiming crossbows at their intended targets. “YOU ARE SURROUNDED! SURRENDER NOW IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES!”

A pair of gryphons had started flying out of the gully, but did not get far. A fireball shot from Daylight’s horn and intercepted the two reivers to immolate them in an explosion of fire. All that survived was a pair of charred corpses that plummeted back down into the camp.

His point made, Daylight continued, “LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS! THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!”

The reivers stared up at the ponies ready to rain death down on them, then turned to their leader. He gripped his spear tighter, and I could sense him considering his odds. “It seems I am not as clever as I thought.” He sighed and released his weapon, letting it clatter to the ground. The sound was followed by that of dozens of other weapons following suit.





“Thank you, thank you, thank you! A thousand times, thank you!” The Mayor of Bitburg hugged his son tight to him. Wood Chop was a strongly built earth pony, so I could almost hear the young stallion threaten to break from his enthusiastic gesture.

“Father! Everypony is watching!” the Mayor’s son whined, glancing at me and Daylight out of the corner of his eyes.

“And I care not!” Wood nuzzled his son, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I had thought I had lost thee forever.” His son grumbled some more, but stopped resisting his father’s affections. Whatever his complaints, they paled in comparison to the fate his captors would have inflicted upon him. He was but one of the ponies we had freed a couple of days ago, and we were in the process of traveling from town to town to return everypony and their property back to them. It felt good to be helping ponies, even if we had failed to stop the reivers from ravaging the countryside to start with.

After some time, the Mayor finally broke his hug, though he still kept a leg draped around his son’s shoulders as he faced me, Daylight, and a hoofful of guardponies, mine ever faithful bodyguard Stalwart included. “Once again, I cannot thank you enough. I owe you a debt I can never repay.”

Daylight smiled and held up a hoof. “There is no need. We were merely doing our duty, good mayor.”

“Mayhaps that is so, but you are always welcome under my roof.” Mayor Wood nuzzled his son. “The only other thing I could ask for is to see those reivers hang for what they have done. They should face justice for the harm they inflicted upon this town.” He looked back to the burned-out wreck that had been his home, and his ears wilted.

Daylight frowned at the sight. “I assure thee, justice will be done.” His eyes flicked to the rest of the Mayor’s family, all of whom looked quite eager to meet their freed family member. “Though perhaps we should give thee and thy family time for thy reunion. Mayhaps we can talk in the morn? We plan on breaking camp at first light tomorrow, but there should be time for us to talk over breakfast.”

Mayor Wood nodded. “Of course, of course. We would be more than happy to host you and any of your guardponies.”

Daylight smiled and inclined his head. “Then I will send thee word on how many I will bring once I have confirmed it back at my camp. Until then, have a fine day.”

We parted company and started down the path back to the Guard camp at the edge of the town. Bitburg was not large by any means; sitting near a river, the logging village was no more than a hoofull of small huts collected along the edge of the forest. But it had still been targeted by the reivers, and now most of the homes were merely burnt-out husks. Not being an overly prosperous town, the reivers’ greatest prize was the strong-backed ponies they had kidnapped. Though the reivers were our prisoners now, and there was the somewhat thorny issue of what was to be done with the dozens of gryphons we now had in our possession.

Not wishing to walk in silence, I addressed Daylight. “The Mayor might not agree with your plans for the reivers, you should know. Offering mercy for any who submit all they know to our interrogators will not sit well with their victims. They would much prefer they all hang.”

Daylight took a few seconds to answer. “That is probably true, at least for the majority of the villagers.” He shrugged. “We still have the uncooperative reivers to hang to placate their victims, and ‘tis not as though the cooperative ones will go completely unpunished.”

“Being forced to accept a geas and working a life of charity is not a light punishment,” I agreed. “And the ponies we are trying to protect will be better off if we can determine the routes the reivers are using to sneak into and out of Equestria.”

“‘Twas the idea.” Daylight looked out to the river that bordered the path walked—a river that led out to the sea, and beyond that, Gryphonia. “‘Tis bad enough when the reivers attack coastal towns. Once they start penetrating inland the problem starts to become a real crisis. Reiver raids have not been this severe for a decade.”

We reached the edge of the Guard camp, and I saw the captive reivers sitting in chains. Guards stood watch over them, and one jabbed a reiver with the butt of his spear when he caught him talking with another prisoner. The interrogators were still going about their questioning, and we did not want them devising a cover story amongst themselves. ‘Twas in part why their leaders had been separated from them, as well as why they now sat in small, isolated groups.

“The end of the civil war in Gryphonia does seem to be making them bolder,” I said as we passed the reivers.

“‘Tis more desperation, I think.” Daylight’s gaze studied his prisoners. “Based on what we have gathered, the war consumed much of their lives. For the younger amongst them, war is all they have ever known. With the civil war over, many do not know what to do with themselves other than to go raiding. That, and many of them have poor and hungry families back home.”

“Where Equestria is a land of plenty as far as they are concerned, especially when the war must have left so much of their countryside in ruin.” ‘Twas a story I had read more than once in the chronicles of gryphon history. Many a poor or unemployed gryphon, particularly during times of peace, took to being reivers and become moderately wealthy by stealing from ponies. At the very least, it could allow a gryphon to be reasonably well-off by the standards of his peers.

‘Twas a curious thing to read the gryphon point of view. Where pony chroniclers wrote with fear and hatred for the gryphon reiver, the gryphons often spoke with high praise of the same. To many of them, the reiver was a daring adventurer and even a hero to the community. But it made sense that pony and gryphon would see such figures differently, for one was their victim and the other their benefactor.

I tilted my head as I examined some of the reivers. “They are not quite what I expected. I have read of terrible rogues and ne’er-do-wells who plunder the countryside, heartless monsters without pity or regret as they loot, rapine, and burn down all before them. These gryphons ... do not meet that image of them. Neigh, now that they are not wearing their armor, I can see the ribs showing on many of them.”

Daylight shrugged. “Hungry ponies do desperate things, and the same goes for gryphons. Whatever the case might be, we can hardly allow it to continue. They might have their reasons for what they do, but they are still hurting ponies, and that cannot be abided.”

“I must agree with that sentiment.” I turned my gaze away from the reivers. “They must be stopped, for the innocent must be defended and ‘tis our duty to do so.”

“Well said.” Daylight glowered, staring down the river as if seeing the ocean beyond. “In truth, I would like to take a force and smite the reiver camps in Westmarch. Visiting ruin upon them would teach them a lesson not to take Equestria lightly.”

Stalwart nodded in agreement. “That is what the Ephorate did last time the reivers became such a menace. We went over to Westmarch, slew any reiver we could find, burned down their towns, and hanged the Archduke himself when we discovered him amongst the reivers. ‘Twas years before we saw any in large numbers again along the coast.”

“Because that raid caused the gryphons to fall into civil war,” I explained. “Slaying the old archduke caused that whole region to fall into infighting that dragged the whole of Gryphonia into it.”

Daylight scoffed. “Thou makest that sound undesirable. Let the gryphons fight one another if it means peace for Equestria. We have trouble enough without reivers threatening our borders.”

“I was merely explaining the facts,” I said, sounding more defensive than I had intended.

“They are right, Midnight,” Corva said within my mind. “The reiver raids are how it all starts. First the reivers come to spread fear and scout Equestria’s borders, and then comes actual armies from Gryphonia. If nothing is done, then they will seek to seize a port to allow them to raid the interior of Equestria more easily. From there affairs become most dire; ‘twas so after Manehattan fell to the gryphons, and they would have it be so again.”

I frowned as I thought over those points. “‘Tis not as simple as that,” I said out loud for everyone. “The old High King was a weak ruler who would not risk a war with Equestria for fear of losing his crown. I fear High King Severus is a very different gryphon. He has already crushed all of his rivals in Gryphonia, and might seek a war with us. Equestria raiding across the sea into Gryphonia itself could very well unite the gryphon people behind their new sovereign.”

Daylight shook his head. “If he desires war, ‘tis better we start it before he is ready for it. If we raid into Westmarch now, then he will either have to declare war before he has finished consolidating his power or decline a conflict and thus look weak to his people and nobles.”

My frown deepened into a scowl. “I do not like the idea of launching into another war. I have no fond memories of the last one.”

Daylight grimaced and placed a hoof on my shoulder. “That we can both agree on. Please do not misunderstand me, I do not seek battle for the sake of glory or plunder, but because I think it necessary to defend our country.”

Stalwart nodded solemnly. “‘Tis our duty to protect the ponies under our charge.”

“And doing nothing while reivers pillage the land makes Equestria look weak,” Corva whispered. “A nation can afford many things, but the appearance of weakness is not one of them. To look weak is to provoke injury from others. A show of strength might avert a war, and if it does not, then war was likely inevitable regardless.”

I sighed and nodded. I hated it, but the more and more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that war was again on the horizon. Unless something changed with High King Severus, such as his sudden death or an equally sudden desire for peace, then there would be blood spilt ‘tween gryphon and pony. If that was true, then the only choice we had was how we would allow the war to start. Mayhaps a punitive attack or raid might be for the best? I was not wholly convinced by the idea, but there was logic to it.

We walked in silence for a time before Daylight broke it. “Wilt thou be returning to Canterlot soon, then?”

I nodded. “Aye, I had originally come out here to resolve a land dispute. Squatters had taken over the land around a village abandoned after the Lunar Rebellion, but then ponies returned claiming possession of the deeds to that land. Her Highness asked that I assess all their claims for her, but those plans were foiled when nearly everypony in the town fled in terror from the reivers. So instead I decided to aid you in dealing with that.”

Daylight smiled warmly. “Something for which I am quite thankful. Thou hast quite more talent for the subtler magics than myself.” His smile became a wry grin. “I am sorry to say that my talents lie in more ... expressive forms of magic.”

“Setting reivers on fire is certainly very expressive,” I agreed. “And you are welcome. It brought me pleasure to be of aid.”

“And if I could ask a couple boons of thee, I would be more thankful still.” Daylight stopped and turned to me. “First, might I ask thee to deliver a report to Princess Celestia on my behalf? I wish to inform her of recent developments in this area.”

“Of course, that is only reasonable.” I looked back at the village and the burned-out homes of Bitburg. “She should know how serious the problem is becoming in any event.” After a moment, I added, “And ‘twill make my failure to fulfill her mission for me seem less grave in comparison.”

Daylight chuckled and shook his head. “Do not fear, I will make sure to express how thou acted with wisdom and bravery in the face of a crisis. Though more seriously, there is at least one new development here that Her Highness should know about.” He gestured at a pegasus prisoner—the pegasus that had shot at me in the reiver camp. “It seems the reivers have contacts amongst the bandits, though I am not yet sure to what ends. Hopefully our interrogators will discover more in time, but this bodes ill.”

I frowned deeply. “‘Twould be good if our problems with the bandits and the reivers did not combine.”

“Indeed so.” Daylight scowled at the offending pegasus. “Mayhaps they are merely trading as co-ne’er-do-wells, but I fear there might be more to it. As thou mayest know, there are many pegasi emigres who fought for Severus and helped him seize his throne.”

I crossed my legs over my chest. “I have heard of the clanponies who fight as mercenaries overseas. They still claim to be part of clans, even.” I blinked slowly as I considered the possibilities of gryphons and pegasi, long traditional enemies, working together. “You think there might be a greater conspiracy in the works?”

‘Twas several moments before Daylight answered. “Mayhaps, but I am far from certain. ‘Tis possible no more than coin passes ‘tween Severus and his clanpony mercenaries, but I fear what might happen if he promises more to the pegasi if there is war ‘tween Equestria and Gryphonia.”

I could see one very dangerous possibility. “He could offer to fight on the pegasi’s behalf. Mayhaps even offer to bring back Pegasopolis.”

Daylight’s face contorted into a strained grin. “Thou art a smart one, and do imagine the most pleasant of possibilities. But aye, that could cause us great trouble if Severus comes up with such a possibility.”

Stalwart’s wings flickered. “Neigh, ‘twould never happen. Pegasi warriors would never work with the gryphons against Equestria. Such would be dishonorable.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Would they not? Before the Lunar Rebellion many did not imagine that the tribes would fight one another, or that the honorable warriors of Pegasopolis would consort with warlocks and monsters? And who would have imagined thousands of pegasi fighting for a gryphon king before the war?”

Stalwart’s features turned stony and he did not answer me. He was always fiercely proud of Pegasopolis and the pegasi’s honor, and the possibility we now faced might have been too much for him to contemplate.

Daylight sighed as he ran his hoof through his mane. “Whatever the case might be, I will put my fears into my report. Mayhaps our spies will discover whatever High King Severus is whispering into the ears of his pegasi mercenaries. That would tell us much of what to expect. Surely we must have at least one spy amongst all those warriors, or within Severus’ court.”

“Knowing what is happening in the Gryphonian royal court is a high priority,” I agreed. Though I did not know much about what we knew of its internal workings. Mother and Gale had been tight-lipped about Severus as of late, and I had not pressed hard on the matter. Mayhaps after this encounter with the reivers ‘twas time for me to do so. Gale might be convinced to confide in me what she knew about the workings of the gryphon court.

We reached the command tent, and Daylight held up the door flap for me. He looked to the guardponies that had escorted us here. “If all of you do not mind, I would like to speak with my fellow magus in privacy. Feel free to get some refreshments for yourselves, we should not have need of you for the rest of the evening.” Stalwart looked to me, and I nodded to him to assure him that ‘twas fine. They departed and the two of us headed into the tent.

Daylight sighed and shrugged. “Mayhaps more will be known about what the gryphons are doing at the conclave. I should gain a wider view of things if I become an archmagus.”

“That is one of the benefits of higher station,” I agreed.

A wry grin spread across Daylight’s lips. “I hope I will have thy support at the conclave in Fillydelphia?”

“You will,” I assured him. “I agreed with my mother that you should be the next Archmagus of the East, and the events of the last few days have done nothing to dissuade me from my course.”

“That is good to hear.” He pulled out a bottle of wine and poured each of us a glass. “Not having the vote of the Grand Vizier’s daughter and a potential future archmagus would be somewhat distressing.”

Feeling embarrassed, I did not look at him directly as I took a wine glass. “‘Tis probably presumptuous of me to suggest I will become an archmagus someday.”

Daylight shook his head. “Only moderately so, I would think. Mayhaps thou dost not know it, but ‘tis no secret that thy mother wishes for thee to succeed her. If I might be so bold, thou art her only apprentice and daughter, and she is known for her ambition. Go from there and look at the other signs, and ‘tis not hard to imagine what she intends.”

It was hard to argue against his points. Mother had come to depend on me more and more over recent months, and she had never been shy about what she wished for my future. But then, what mare of her station did not have ambitions for her child?

“I suppose there is no harm in admitting that I covet the title,” I said. “I wish to attain the heights of our order and do what good work I can.”

Daylight smiled and raised his glass to me. “As a fellow aspiring archmagus, I can sympathize with thy desires. It sounds as though thou art off to a good start. Already tales of thine accomplishments are spreading. Not just anypony could defeat a whole coven of hags, or out-bargain a fey.”

I tilted my head. “Is that so? I was not aware such tales had spread so far.” I wondered if that was Subtle’s doing or Mother’s. Such a reputation could have its own power, especially where the common pony was concerned, and that was something they both knew well—and had taught me, in fact.

“Rumors are the only thing that can go faster than a pegasus courtier.” He sipped his wine. “Though I will warn thee to be wary of sycophants and those who would abuse thee at the conclave. They collect like mayflies when ‘tis time to elect a new archmagus.”

I nodded. “Mother had thoroughly warned me. I will be careful. ‘Tis not as though I am new to such things—I did grow up in Canterlot, after all.”

“True enough.” My fellow magus swirled his drink and studied it. “Though there is one boon I would ask of thee while we are at the conclave.”

“What is that?” I was curious by his more serious tone.

“There ... is something I would wish to speak with thee about while we are in Fillydelphia.” He spoke hesitantly, choosing his words with care. “‘Tis somewhat personal, and I would have it spoken of only in private.”

I tilted my head. “Can we not speak of it now? We are in private.” At least as private as we could be in a camp full of soldiers, but the magic crafted into the tent itself should be keeping our conversation secret from any prying eyes.

Daylight frowned, and his eyes flicked between me and his drink. “‘Tis something I would prefer to talk about at the conclave. ‘Twould be good to have your mother near to clear some matters up after our discussion, if need be. Please, I ask for thy patience in this—all will become clear soon enough.”

My head tilted further. What could he wish to talk about in private that he wanted Mother on hoof for? It must have been something of a sensitive nature. Hopefully ‘twas nothing dangerous—I would like to think he would tell me if there was some pressing danger instead of playing games such as these. Though one possibility did present itself that made sense: mayhaps Daylight thought to propose a marriage? Near as I knew he was single, and his standing amongst the nobility was shaky. ‘Twas known he was a foundling of the Order of Sol Invictus, and had only earned the title of knight due to his service to the Order. Meanwhile, I could benefit from the patronage of an archmagus and influential knight within the Order. It made sense, though I was not sure what Mother would think of it. For that matter, I did not know what I thought about it.

“If you wish to wait ‘til the conclave to discuss the matter, then I will wait ‘til then,” I decided out loud. “I will seek to make time for a meeting.”

Some of the tension left Daylight’s shoulders. “My thanks. I assure thee, ‘twill be worth thy time.” He finished off his glass. “With that agreed upon, how about we make arrangements for thy travel back to Canterlot?”

I nodded. “That is fine. I was planning to leave in the morning with your report in hoof.”

“Then I will arrange for an escort for thee.” My fellow magus stepped over to a map that was lying on a table. “I think we got the bulk of the reivers in the area, but I would rather not take chances with thee. Thy mother would no doubt take umbrage if I allowed some evil to befall thee—like reivers taking thee captive—and I would prefer not to lose her favor over some ill-timed misfortune.”

“I hold that preference as well.” ‘Twas unlikely anything would happen to me on the way back to Canterlot, but there did not seem much point in arguing the matter with the senior Knight-Magus. As Stalwart had told me not that long ago, some fights were not worth fighting. Instead I turned my thoughts to what escort I might receive. “Mayhaps Lieutenant Shield and his patrolponies could escort me? Shield has family back in Canterlot, and I do not doubt he would like to see them again.”

A deep frown fell over Daylight’s face as his features darkened. “I was thinking to send Sergeant Wind Kicker and her squad with thee. I know the Sergeant well, and know she should be more than equal to the task.”

I blinked slowly as I felt something amiss. “Is there something wrong with Lieutenant Shield?”

Daylight stood still for a long moment. “I think the Lieutenant’s skills would be better served elsewhere than escorting thee. As I alluded to, I worry there might be more hidden reivers, and his patrolponies are best able to find them.”

While his reasoning was sound, there was something about Daylight’s tone that read false. I had heard enough carefully spoken statements to recognize when a pony was hiding his true thoughts. Pressing Daylight would probably only serve to upset him, and merely satisfying my curiosity was not sufficient reason to alienate a stallion who was likely to be an archmagus if Mother had her way.

“I trust your judgement, then.”

Daylight’s smiled returned. “Thank you. Now then...” He pulled up a cushion for the both of us at the table. “If thou wouldst be so kind, wouldst thou give me company and tell me of the happenings in Canterlot? I can have some dinner prepared for us.”

I nodded and sat down next to him. “I see no harm in it,” I agreed, not wishing to be rude. There was no business I needed to see to right at that moment, and building Daylight’s favor could only be to mine advantage.

“Excellent.” His horn lighted as he summoned someone to take our order. “And I would not mind hearing of thine own business as well. I have heard rumors of some of thine assignments, but I do not know what is truth or merely rumor.”

“What would you like to hear about?”

“How about what happened at Appleton?” Daylight settled on his cushion and smiled.

I smiled and nodded. “If you do not mind a long story...”





“...and that is everything that had transpired by the time I departed Knight-Magus Daylight’s company,” I finished reporting to Princess Celestia and the other important ponies gathered in Her Highness’ private throne room. Lady Protector Shadow Kicker sat to our princess’ right, a deep frown crossing her face, while Mother sat on the other side of Her Highness. “I have a letter from him stating much the same, though with his own suggestions for what should be done in response to the growing reiver attacks.”

Mother’s eyes had narrowed by the time I finished making my report. “We will read what he had to say in a bit, though first I want to say that thou hast a singular talent for finding trouble where there should be none.” She sighed. “This was not what I expected thee to report upon thy return.”

“I did what I believed to be my duty,” I said, trying not to sound defensive. “I could hardly allow reivers to terrorize the countryside when there was something I could do about it.”

Shadow shook her head. “Thy conduct speaks well of thee, Magus. Many ponies were saved because of thine actions, and we approve of thy decisions.” She turned a frown Mother’s direction. “Do we not, Sunbeam?”

Mother let out a huff and rolled her eyes. “Of course we do. I was merely lamenting how so many assignments given to my daughter seem to end in death and mayhem—especially when those assignments should have resulted in no such thing.”

“Fate has a way of upturning our plans, whatever they might be,” Celestia announced in a calm tone. “Though since we all agree that Midnight did as we wished, how about we turn our attention to how to react to this news?”

“Launching a punitive expedition on the reiver camps in Westmarch had an appeal,” Shadow stated with a glower. “Doing so ended the worst of the reiver attacks for a time a decade ago.”

A scowl grew over Mother’s features, and her eyes flicked Her Highness’ way. “Such a plan would be problematic, as circumstances are different than they were a decade ago. Such an attack in Gryphonian territory could give Severus causus belli, and one that could unite all of Gryphonia behind him. The nobles might not support him in a war of aggression against Equestria, but they will be much more likely to do so if they consider it a defensive war.”

Shadow’s wings twitched. “‘Tis gryphons who have raided into our territory first. We would not be the aggressors if it comes to war.”

Mother shook her head. “Alas my dear Shadow, thou dost forget how the gryphons would perceive a punitive expedition. To them the reivers are not a problem or a mark of aggression, but ponies raiding into their own lands would be. What is more, if we launch an attack into gryphon territory, Severus will have no choice but to strike back at us lest he look weak before his enemies. He has spent years crushing his fellow nobles to end their civil war, and I do not see him throwing all he has achieved away because he fears Equestria.”

Shadow snorted. “So we are to accept our wounds without comment?” She shook her head. “That is unacceptable. I will not stand aside as ponies we are sworn to protect are harmed for fear of offending gryphons.”

Mother let out a put-upon sigh. “I am not saying we must do nothing. At the very least we can hunt down those reivers that enter our territory, and preferably keep them out of Equestria to start with.”

Shadow frowned at Mother. “That is fine to say, but that merely treats the symptoms of the disease afflicting Equestria. If we wish to truly solve the problem, we must strike at the source.”

Princess Celestia frowned as she considered the words of her most trusted advisors. Though to my slight surprise, her eyes fell upon me. “And what do you think, Midnight?”

I blinked, for I did not expect to be inquired about this. “Me?”

Her Highness nodded. “I wish to hear thy thoughts on the matter. What do you think should be done about the reivers?”

My mouth suddenly felt very dry as I found myself being stared down by what were probably the three most powerful ponies in Equestria. ‘Twas a situation where a pony could easily look like a complete fool, and ‘twas only with a force of will that I organized my thoughts on what I should suggest. I had put some thought to the idea on the way to Canterlot, so ‘twas merely a matter of stating what I thought the best course of action.

“It seems to me that we are at a dangerous crossroad with Gryphonia,” I said with slow deliberation. “Correct me if I am wrong, but are our armies not spread about Equestria?”

Shadow nodded. “There has been little reason to concentrate them as of late. Not when there are many minor threats to deal with across Equestria.”

That knowledge in hoof, I continued. “Then the first thing I suggest we do is to move the bulk of our forces to the east coast—both to present stronger resistance against the reivers and to put on a show of strength to Gryphonia’s king. If we show a willingness to go to war to defend ourselves, then ‘tis possible Severus might back down from a conflict ere one can truly begin.”

“Assuming such a move does not just provoke them,” Mother countered, an unreadable look on her features. “If Severus is looking for a war with Equestria, then massing our forces near his border will give him an excuse to marshall his own forces.”

I was unsure if Mother really disagreed with me or was merely challenging me as part of a test. Either way, I could not back down from mine argument without looking weak-willed or foolish, so I continued. “If all High King Severus desires is a war with us, then he will find an excuse in anything we do. Either we do nothing and look so weak that we invite an attack, or we do something preemptively and be declared as aggressors. We cannot control what the gryphons will ultimately do, so the best course of action is to do what will place us in the best possible position if the worst comes to pass. At least with my proposal we will be in place to fight him should it come to war. What is more, we will be defending what the gryphons will desire to take most: our east coast ports. They make it no secret that they still think Manehattan should still be theirs, and ‘tis hard to overstate how important using such a port as a base would be to them.”

Shadow cocked her head slightly as she took in mine argument. “And what about after we marshal our armies near the coast? Shall we do nothing, or wouldst thou argue to attack the reiver camps in Westmarch?”

I carefully chose my words for this next part. “What I recommend is a gradual escalation in our response to the reivers. First we move the Royal Guard into position to best defend the Eastmarch, then push Severus and the Westmarch nobles diplomatically. We protest the illegal acts of the reivers while also offering opportunities for reconciliation—mayhaps offering some aid for communities in Westmarch that have been devastated by conflict might bear fruit.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “Thou wouldst suggest we bribe the gryphons to stop the reivers? We can hardly accept selling our honor for peace, especially when such would only invite the gryphons to commit acts that they think would cause us to give them even more for peace.”

I shook my head. “There is a significant difference ‘tween paying tribute to a power out of fear and giving aid to a war-ravaged neighbor. Not to mention Severus will have no reason to come to the table with us if we give him no positive reasons to do so. If all we do is threaten him, then he can only threaten us in return or look weak. Only by offering him something he desires can we convince him to meet us in concord.”

Shadow crossed her legs over her chest. “I am not sure I am convinced on this. There is little stopping him from taking our money and then going to war with us anyway. Not to mention he could use such funds to tighten his grip on his power.”

“I would not suggest giving him vast funds with which he could carry on a war,” I stated. “The sums I would suggest would be far less than it would cost us to wage a war—not even taking into account the damage that would be caused to Equestria by the conflict. And this is but one step in a greater scheme; I would use the offer of aid to Gryphonia to gauge what it is that Severus and the other gryphon lords desire. If he turns us down out-of-hoof, then we know he likely plans for war, and we can act based on that knowledge. If he does come to the table to negotiate with us, then we can see what desires lie at his heart, and see what can be done to both prevent war and end the reiver raids.”

The slightest smile crept onto Mother’s lips. “‘Tis an intriguing idea. It might let us buy time to ready our defenses, if nothing else. We would not be hurt to ready Manehattan for a siege. Unfortunately, many of the defenses along the east coast have fallen into disrepair over the years, so more time to address that may help.” (1)

1. This is largely because the royal government had cut funding to the defenses of rebel settlements like Manehattan. Little surprise, the loyalists saw little reason to pour revenue into building up the fortifications of cities that had waged war on it, especially with the royal budget being as tight as it was during the Great Ennui.

Shadow grunted, her displeasure obvious as she frowned deeply. “I would still prefer to take action first, but ‘twill take time to prepare for a war.”

Princess Celestia re-entered the conversation. “I prefer to give peace a chance if at all possible. As Midnight pointed out, we might be able to make an accord with High King Severus. We must remind ourselves that these reivers are probably acting on their own, or at most, at the behest of their lords. We should speak with Gryphonia’s ambassador and see what can be done before we take more extreme measures.”

Shadow snorted. “I do not think we will be able to trust that peacock’s word on anything.”

Princess Celestia sighed and nodded. “While I desire peace, I would be remiss if I did not prepare my nation for a war that might be just over the horizon. I fear ‘tis time we raised taxes so that we can fill the royal coffers. I had hoped that we could put such measures off for another decade, but we have already borrowed more than I like to pay for charities and repair the damages from the last war..”

“We should meet with your other advisors, Your Highness,” Mother said. “‘Twould be best if everypony understood what we need to prepare for should the worst come to pass.”

“Agreed,” Princess Celestia said. “In fact, after that I will be tempted to review the Eastmarch myself to assess the situation. I would like to personally see the state of the defenses of the region and the state of my ponies.”

“That would have the advantage of showing that you are taking the threat from the gryphons seriously.” Mother tapped her hoof as a scowl grew on her features. “I would go with you if not for the magus conclave in Fillydelphia. Unfortunately, the election is far too sensitive for me to do otherwise.”

That sparked my curiosity. Mother had been aiming to make Daylight Shimmer the Archmagus of the Eastmarch for years now, and despite that she was not wholly confident he would win the election? It made me worry how the factions opposing us were doing amongst our fellow magi. That was something to discuss with Mother later.

Her Highness looked to Shadow. “And what of thee, Shadow? Dost thou still intend on going to the conclave?”

Shadow was not quick to respond, her gaze shifting from Her Highness to Mother. “I think I should still go as well. ‘Twill be important that a suitable archmagus be elected to lead the magi in the Eastmarch, and ‘twould not hurt for me to speak with the battle magi of the region.”

Princess Celestia nodded slowly. “Understood. Mayhaps I can start along the northern half of the coast, and we could meet up in Manehattan?”

“That should be fine if the conclave is concluded soon enough,” Mother agreed, but her frown soon reappeared. “Though first we need to make arrangements before we depart Canterlot. New taxes need to be levied, the Guard repositioned, and a hundred other things need done.”

“I agree to raising taxes and moving our warriors to the east coast, though I am unsure of some of the other measures we discussed,” Shadow stated. “And I want to review the possibility of launching a raid into Westmarch if Severus proves unwilling to do as we desire.”

“Then I will call on mine other advisors so that we might discuss our actions in detail.” Princess Celestia looked as though a great weight were falling on her, but still she flashed me a smile. “Thou art dismissed, Magus Midnight. We will call on thee if we need thee for anything else.”

While I might have wished to stay so that I could listen to what they planned, there was little I could do when I had been dismissed. I curtseyed before them. “By your leave, Your Highness.” I nodded to Mother and Shadow. “Lady Protector, Archmagus.”