Shivering in his airborne chariot, Faithful Hymn was bundled up in blankets and coats as his small entourage was being escorted to Griffonstone. His group of ten unarmed fliers flew in between a dozen griffons. Each pony was a volunteer from across the peninsula.
The mountains were a beautiful sight to behold as he flew past them. Peak after peak graced him with natural wonder, each with a pristine cap of untouched snow, or hosting small hamlets and communities. One such place was no hamlet, but a training ground. Steady gunfire echoed off the mountains. He peered over his chariot to find hundreds of figures sparing below with an equal number using a gun range. The multitude of barracks and other cliff-hugging structures only warranted mild attention. However what held his interest was the increasing number of them the further he went. I've seen better.
He bit his lip to reprimand himself. None of that. You are an emissary of Harmony. Kindness will thaw the animosity of the past, no matter how slowly it may take. It was so easy, comforting almost, to fall back into sneering superiority with an unbroken history of military success against their old foe. A foe that in their desperation against Lunaria had turned to unscrupulous means to grab any sort of triumph against his people. Even so, a nation was capable of change. Just as his was beginning to learn how to fully embrace Harmony, he saw no reason the griffons couldn’t do the same.
That very thought pulled his mind back to months prior in the palace.
Faithful Hymn walked with pained purpose to the imperial court room. His knees ached from age, and his gait was impaired, but he refused to be carted wherever he was needed. His only concession was leaning more heavily on his newly commissioned staff of office. It was silver with gold filigree across its length to symbolize a united faith with Equestria at Luna’s behest. It was topped with six gemstones in a circle to symbolize the six paths. Five of them orbited the central amethyst to represent friendship as the core to it all.
Faithful had resigned from his station as an advisor to the empress soon after she arrived at Tranquility so he could remain in quiet contemplation and pen the new gospel. No, gospel is not the correct word, is it? Not anymore. How about the virtues? Possibly. The Tenets? Maybe, but it doesn't roll off the tongue well enough. Why is the title always the hardest thing to do? He knew the moment he was given the task that the gospel would become his magnum opus. He had barely slept and ate while he worked. Dozens of clergy aided in its creation, even correspondence from the Solar Church was considered. Again at Luna’s behest.
Upon arrival at court, those watching the proceedings saw him and parted ways for the archbishop. Luna first heard the hushed whispers and moving ponies. She looked away from the current supplicants, and waved a wing for them to pause. When the craggy old unicorn was visible she stood up out of her throne and waited for him to be close enough to speak to. “Archbishop Faithful Hymn, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
His magic grabbed a new book bearing the same mark of his staff as he struggled into a proper bow. Upon standing back up he held it aloft for all to see. “My empress, the “Paths of Harmony” is complete as per your guidance.” I suppose that will have to do. Perhaps the simplest is the most memorable. He hid being glad he had yet to put any kind of title on the book yet. “Even now, my priests await throughout the city and beyond for your final word before distribution can commence.”
A pleased grin fell over the proud alicorn. Seeing the clergy throw themselves into this new philosophy soothed much of her earlier concerns. “So long as nothing substantial has changed since the last version I read, then you have my blessing.”
“I thank you.” Hymn glanced behind him to one of the priests who had escorted him over. The signal given, the priest quickly departed to spread the word. Returning his gaze upon Luna, he kept his copy of the scripture aloft. “Your majesty, as important as this development is, I would not interrupt court if that was all I had to ask.” Drawing himself up as much as his old bones could muster, he grit his teeth to keep the pain in his joints under control. “In light of the reawakening of Harmony within us, I humbly request your permission to begin missionary work.”
Confusion rippled through the crowd, and such feelings were mirrored in Luna who tilted her head. “Missionary work? For whom?”
Faithful did not answer straight away. Fear and the old ways tried to still his tongue. Wrestling through it, he pressed on. “It has been with great reflection that I have come to realize that Harmony does not need to be solely for ponykind.” Faithful Hymn steadied himself for backlash, and to ensure no one would think he was even remotely joking. “As our Three Tribes ancestors embraced kindness and put aside old hatreds for each other, so too must we make a similar gesture.”
“I suppose they did in time,” Luna admitted with some caveats she kept to herself, suppressing the need to argue the point. “Between the tribes at least. But it…” She stopped as one word finally registered. Ponykind? “You can’t possibly mean..?”
“I do.” Faithful drew himself up. “I wish to extend the hoof of friendship to the griffons.”
There it was said, and the stunned silence that surrounded him was deafening. Heated, angry, and disbelieving voices quickly exploded from the petitioners, breaking Luna out of her own stupor. “Silence!” She commanded, quickly bringing the audience under control. She heaved a sigh and rubbed her forehead. “I can not speak of griffons, save for what I have heard, and little of it is good. Point of fact, the only reason I have not seized their lands is because an army can not march during a famine.” She shifted back into a proper sitting position and studied the crowd. What they couldn’t say by speech, they said by their faces. They were tense and agitated. An energy she had seen a millennium prior of a people willing to go to war. “Something we’re only now getting out from under.”
“How difficult was it for our ancestors to embrace Harmony among the tribes?” Faithful asked more to the crowd than to Luna with the same strength of his sermons. He knew that energy all too well. He had grown up and worked alongside warhawks his whole life. He knew how to stir them into action, but now he had to turn that energy into something unfamiliar. “Your majesty, you of all ponies know how quickly many of our ancestors slipped back into the old ways when the Flame of Harmony was not nurtured. How can we follow the Paths if we don’t change?” He waved the gospel at the crowd, knowing they would influence Luna more than he could. “This is meaningless without thought and action. Are we going to ignore the best part of us? The part that gave a god pause? I. Say. No!” He stomped his hoof, enhancing the noise with magic. The crowd flinched, cowing from his words and force of will. “Our empress saw the flames of Harmony sputter from the winds of the old hatreds once already. So long as I draw breath, I refuse to see the day she has to witness that again!”
Turning back to Luna he slid down his staff to a kneeling position. “I am not expecting them to return any sign of friendship. I expect to be rejected, spat on, kicked, or worse. But the first act must be made. I for one freely offer my life as kindling to the Flame if need be. I beg of you, Empress, let me be the one to spread the Fire of Harmony! I care not if all I find is a rainstorm, I need only to kindle a single ember, and I will have succeeded.”
Rubbing her eyes of both stress and indecision, Luna refused to fall into silence, not in the face of such a proclamation. “You may be willing to suffer such injuries, but as the Church’s archbishop, the griffons harming you in such ways can not be tolerated.”
“It must be me,” Faithful implored her. “Somepony must entreat the griffon emperor to allow such missionary work to continue for any length of time. Anypony of a lower station than myself would be an insult to him.”
“As if I care about insulting some flying cat freaks,” she muttered while chewing her cheek.
Faithful opted not to acknowledge the comment, lest it gain ground in the audience.
Luna’s eyes slowly drifted over to her advisors seated across her flanks. “Do any of you wish to add anything before I make a decision?”
“I do,” Eclipse offered while standing up. When Luna nodded her assent, he walked over to stand before everyone. The old emperor now stood as Luna’s chancellor, and the people loved him as much as they did Luna herself. He was widely becoming known as the Oathkeeper for stepping down. “We have always been a people in love with our heroes. I have yet to meet somepony who doesn’t love Champions' Week. You, Empress Luna, stand above them all, for only you had the strength to free us from the injustices of the past and set an example for the rest to follow.” Eclipse made an effort to minimize Celestia’s blame in it, as Luna wished to bury it. “We are in a time of great change. Not only do we continue to struggle with the refugee crisis and the lingering marks of the famine, a change in the pony spirit is upon us. Somepony must assume the role of the revolutionary hero for the Flame of Harmony to burn brightly in us all.” Eclipse stepped up to his aging friend and rested a proud hoof on him. “Faithful Hymn, such a role is not an easy one, but I have seen how well you have taken to the Paths. If anypony can take that role, it’d be you.”
Filled with emotion, Faithful let a few tears fall, and spoke with trembling joy. “You honor me, old friend.”
“And you honor us all,” Luna declared while gracefully climbing to her hooves. “Once again, my ponies have proven their strength of character, and I could not be more proud of you, Faithful Hymn, and the ponies of Lunaria as a whole.” She saw the audience was following along, practically begging for her to formally give the word. “You are correct to avoid the mistakes of the past. Harmony is a flame to be spread, not smothered in isolation.” Inwardly however, Luna had to mask her deep reservations about the griffons. Ultimately though, she did not want to get in the way of the momentum Faithful Hymn and Eclipse had started. Nevertheless, she could not let the old unicorn walk into the nest of vipers without some form of protection. An armed escort would make his work impossible, so implied threats will have to do. “You have my blessing to try and enlighten the griffons. But make no mistake, friendship is a two way path, and can not stand alone. Lunaria is loyal to its people and its heroes. If they harm you, there will be consequences.”
Faithful arrived at last to Griffonstone, and was surprised at what he saw. Unlike the old ruins of Talon Peak, Griffonstone was a vast city that straddled three mountains like one massive fortress. Homes and businesses were carved into the mountainside with hundreds of thousands of griffons present in the air and ground. A vast system of cables and pulleys dragged freight up from the valley floor. Redoubts and fortifications were so ubiquitous that made any assault look like a fool’s errand.
As the escorts brought them closer, he identified what could only be the castle. A spire of iron five stories tall that looked more like a spear bursting through the mountain top than a seat of government. Even with the escorts bringing them in to land near the front, he could see guns and cannon were not yet aimed at his entourage of five other priests, but the soldiers were certainly watching closely.
An honor guard was waiting for them and didn’t bother letting the old stallion get off the chariot before speaking harshly “Be honored, ponies the emperor has deigned to see you. Do not keep his majesty waiting.”
Faithful had selected his entourage well, and none of them returned the hostility with any of their own. He magically straightened his robes and held his staff in front, then flashed a smile and nodded. “My thanks to you, and your emperor.”
Not the arrogant reply the bird expected, the royal guard was left rather disappointed. “This way.”
A multitude of onlookers had spotted the arriving ponies and were gathering between the landing point and the castle entrance. None of them knew or cared why ponies had arrived, only that they were unwanted.
Insults did not flow the same for griffons as it did for ponies. Words were for comradery, shunning was for your enemies. That is what Faithful Hymn faced as the curious crowds dispersed as quickly as they came. Troopers kept watch over their every move, but castle staff and visitors all turned their backs to the missionaries, and uttered not a single word.
While both species shared distaste for each other, Faithful Hymn knew the significance of such an insult, even if some of his entourage did not. He bore it with dignity, and it did not stop him from offering simple greetings to anyone who caught his eyes and didn’t turn away fast enough. He would not return insult for insult, even if by mistake.
At last, they arrived at the throne room at the highest point of the castle. The thin air at this elevation taxed Faithful heavily even with a gifted amulet making it easier to breathe. His strength was diminished, but his pride kept him moving without another’s support.
The throne room was small, barely five ponies wide, but entirely open to the skies. Eight columns held a spire above, and each arch had a rolled up tapestry. Four advisors sat on the throne’s flanks, and a multitude of griffon onlookers flew outside, eager to see what their lord would do with the ponies.
The emperor was an old bird, though not quite as aged as Faithful Hymn. His black feathers were half-grayed, and his thin fur was well groomed. His eyes were keen, and he zeroed in on the single unicorn among them.
The guards stopped ten feet away from the throne and saluted. He waved it off with a wing before focusing on his unwanted guests. Though his blood wished to insult these intruders as much as the rest of his subjects, his station demanded that he speak with them. “Ponies of the moon,” he thumped his claw on the metallic armrest of his throne. “Know that you stand before Emperor Geraldy the Savior. You hardly look the part of a messenger of war. Why come where you are not wanted?”
Not entirely trusting the messenger that had flown ahead of them, Faithful planted his staff with a loud ‘chink’ on the rough stone floor, and bowed his head as best he could before speaking. “Your highness, I am Archbishop Faithful Hymn, and I come here with the blessing of Empress Luna herself. Lunaria has embraced the truth of the Flame of Harmony with more vigor than we have in the past. This truth is one which we believe is compatible with all species, not just ourselves.”
Laughter sprang up from everyone, from onlookers to Geraldy’s council, only the emperor kept such mockery in check. The fact that none of the ponies appeared to take offense unsettled him. He remembered any insult given to a pony was always returned. In truth he had expected Faithful’s temper to be as short as his remaining years were. Though the orbiting griffons kept their gossip quiet, the derision was clear. Geraldy was content to only give a humorless half-hearted grin. “I know full well of the six aspects of pony ‘Harmony’. They are nothing more than words. nay, tools of convenience to pass yourselves off as morally superior and just.”
Faithful was unmoved by the remark’s biting tone, and held a placating smile. His fellow priests kept quiet to follow his lead. “I suppose if any outsider knew us best, it would be the griffons. But that lip service is no more, or at least we are changing to make sure of it. Empress Luna revealed a deeper truth that brought new meaning to Harmony. We do not come to draw the faithful away from your pantheon, for at its core, the Flame of Harmony can burn bright in any soul, no matter their faith.”
“Is that so?” Geraldy leaned back in his throne, eying the frail old unicorn like prey in an attempt to unbalance him. “You speak as if your Flame is an ideology, yet you are clearly ponies of the cloth.” Geraldy tapped the armrest of his throne. “You’re either poor liars, or are being cheap with your finery.”
Laughing briefly, Faithful Hymn glanced back at his entourage. “I suppose you could consider The Paths an ideology of a sort. The tale which brought new meaning to Harmony involves the god Terra, but we do not worship it.” As much as Faithful’s heart begged to tell Luna’s story, now was not the time. “As for our garments, generosity spoke to us. Money spent on a tailor for the whole church was better spent on other matters. Somepony else will see to a change in wardrobe before too long I’m sure.”
“Other things he says,” Geraldy mused with a sneer. “Like staving off the ravages of famine perchance?”
There was no point in lying in Faithful’s eyes. Saving face was better served with honesty, not masking national pride where it was already lost. “Aye. It is difficult to justify new robes when you need only look out your door to see the masses wasting away for lack of food.” Two years prior, Faithful would have added a rebuking question, but he kept it quiet, and waited for the emperor to reply with only a polite smile.
Seeing that the bishop clearly didn’t act like the Lunarians he was used to, Geraldy eased up. “Perhaps you are here with Luna’s genuine blessing,” he said with a laxer tone. “Or perhaps you are a heretic sent here to die.” Before Faithful could protest, Geraldy stood up and flared his wings, an act his missing right hind leg always made it difficult. “We griffons will have no part in Luna’s game. The Seers will hear your ‘truth’. Then, when they hear your empty words, you will leave. Until then, you will remain in the castle. If you wish to return home early, then by all means, I will see you escorted back to your starving people.”
Faithful bowed once more, the act giving him time to realize he had been allowed to stay, if for a time. “I look forward to meeting these Seers, your highness. I thank you for your hospitality.”
“There is one thing I require of you before that.” Geraldy debated on whether or not asking this particular question during open court was necessarily a wise thing to do, but ultimately felt his people should know.
For his part, Faithful Hymn was unsurprised. “But of course. What would you ask of me?”
Geraldy snorted. The unicorn’s civility rattled him. Even so, he needed to know something dire. “Stories of your empress are known to us. An old tale used to frighten hatchlings was that Luna is a dreamwalker. Now that she flies the world again, she has become more than a nightmare for misbehaving children. Can she intrude on the dreams of others?”
That was definitely a dangerous question, one Faithful was not too keen on answering, but given where he was, he saw little recourse. “Honesty is something I strive for, so believe me when I say this. Luna can indeed enter the dreams of ponies, it is true. In fact she has visited me multiple times as I penned the Paths.” Horrified gasps and gossip started circulating among everyone, both onlookers and advisors alike. Faithful had to nearly shout to make sure he was heard. “However, if you fear for your own dreams, I can not say. She confided much in me, but only in relation to my station.”
Displeased with the response, Geraldy sat back down to put on a front of calmness to ease his people as best he could. “Is it possible she can visit your dreams all the way out here?”
“I would imagine so.”
Geraldy grumbled, his fears were mounting. He looked to the sentries surrounding the ponies. “… Very well. Glarherald, escort them to the guest quarters.”
As soon as the ponies were led away, Geraldy called out to the circling citizens. “Court is over for the day! Clear the skies and your fears. If the Dreamwalker can invade your sleep, we will find a way to protect you.”
The onlookers quickly fled, knowing the soldiers would drive them off if they lingered. Soon Geraldy was alone with his four advisors. His Peak Minister, Zerald stood up to stand next to his emperor. “Keeping them here is dangerous, sire.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” Geraldy bit back heatedly. “This has to be some sick joke on Luna’s part.”
“For what it is worth, sire, I think Faithful believes what he said. Even so, every slight against them could be reported back to Luna daily. We barely know anything of her, save for old wife’s tales and superstition.”
“And I have read those records.” Geraldy gave a stiff gruff, and his words were bitter. “Ever since word of her return reached me, I knew she would turn her eyes to us eventually. Superstitions always begin with a kernel of truth. If she is anything like the old fables, then she reflects her people well, and is just as bloodthirsty as they are. We don’t give the gods enough praise that the ponies distract themselves with each other more often than not.” He shook his head, the stress was already causing him to flee his age. “Tillera, what say you?”
All eyes went to the very plain and unassuming griffon jane, Geraldy’s spymaster. “Missionary work is loud and obnoxious. A perfect cover for one of their number to slip out and do some scouting. There would be no need for secreting messages back to Tranquility since Luna can just speak to them every night. But I would be remiss to rule out that it is entirely possible some of them are genuine clergy, Faithful appeared well intentioned, but the five who traveled with him are suspect. Also, I must agree with your earlier assessment. Faithful Hymn is a heretic, and his expected death is clearly an excuse for war.”
“Expelling them is dangerous as well, sire,” Zerald cautioned while raising a restraining claw at Tillera. “The Emerald Horde is on the rise again, and you are not the only one with informants, Tillera. The Horde fully adopted firearms at a frightening pace after the war, and I have reports of griffons serving as training advisors. We have traitors in the warlords’ ranks. They will be ready for us next time, and that time is fast approaching.” Zerald fixed a hard gaze on Geraldy, trying to hammer each word home. “We can fight the ponies, or we can fight the Centauri, only a fool would fight both.”
Tillera pushed his claw off of her, and spoke as if she had been offended. “I am not saying we should. Only that we need to give a politically tasteful reason to expel them. We need only to stay Luna’s hoof long enough for Equestria to draw her ire.”
Geraldy hummed his agreement. “The situation is delicate. Perhaps more so now than ever before. For if the ponies manage to dislodge us from these mountains where else can we go? The frozen peaks to the north? Or try our luck across the Carabath Sea and hope for lands there? These missionaries are a complication we can ill afford. Tillera, watch them closely. This is a powder keg, and I need you to keep any sparks well away from it.”
“As you order, sire.”
“Giddens, speak with the seers and listen to this ‘new’ interpretation of Harmony. We can not be poor hosts and ignore this ideological shift completely. Treat their eyes as Luna’s eyes.”
“If that is your will, sire.”
“We must make sure those missionaries leave our mountains alive, everyone,” Geraldy warned sharply, hoping none of them might start scheming. “The Union will drag its heels in supporting us if the missionaries come to harm, even if Lunaria declares war first.”
“Do you think that is their angle, sire?” A griffon tom left his chair, his numerous metals clinking on his chest. It was Commander Graze, the master of arms. “The Union wouldn’t abandon their savior so lightly.”
Tillera sighed and looked to the distant east. “Perhaps we have been too successful in creating fear of the ponies on our erstwhile allies. “Not to mention they have a very real fear of the Centauri that is much fresher.”
“Indeed. Ponies are devious and full of guile. Especially when it comes to war. We should rule nothing out.” Geraldy joined Tillera and looked to the east, fearing he might see storm clouds on the horizon.
“Including taking this at face value?” Said the final advisor. Everyone cast various looks of disbelief at Geraldy’s youngest son Gallus. The blue and white feathered griffon had never met a pony until today, and he was largely there to offer the fool’s wisdom that the old griffons around him wouldn’t consider. Because he was told that very reason, he was always caught between taking offense and wanting to live up to his duties. The young tom pressed on, feeling the need to elaborate his point now that he had gained their attention. “Father, the archbishop claims Luna revealed a new truth about Harmony, correct? If those are the same six aspects of Harmony we know of, only genuinely practiced, then this could be a serious attempt to find peace with us. A real peace.”
“I told you reading that nonsense the ponies themselves only paid lip service to was a waste of time.” Geraldy sighed and curtailed his first reply to stew on his answer some more after seeing Gallus’s feathers starting to rise out of growing anxiety. “...I suppose it would be folly to ignore your theory entirely. Since you suggested it, you will see to their needs. However honest or deceitful these missionaries prove to be, play the part of the good host until further notice.”
Feeling vindicated, Gallus jumped to his feet with his chest puffed out. “As you order, father. As loony as it may sound, how amazing would it be to get them to help us fight the Emerald Horde?”
“Loony indeed, my son.” Every fiber of Geraldy’s being railed against the idea of fighting side by side with a pony, and that was exactly why Gallus was on the council. Right or wrong, the young prince would learn from it.
Some time later, the missionaries were settling into their guest quarters of the castle. They were spartan affairs, with only beds, a small table and stool holding a wash basin present. The wooden walls and floors were gentler on Faithful’s hooves than the stone everywhere else. Overall, the room had a feel that they were never expected to be used, and had been at the bottom of the furnishing budget. He opted out of using the stool and rested on the bed while going over his sermon notes. Magically floating parchment and pens made revisions depending on where he would be allowed to preach.
A firm knock on the door made him lower his work to the bed and he struggled to get back to the floor. “Enter.”
He had been expecting to wait on the Seers for hours, perhaps even days out of spite more than anything. So when a young blue tom walked in. Faithful first assumed he was a cadet who drew the short straw. Given his smart and well fitting military uniform, Faithful quickly decided to give him measured respect. “Can I help you?”
Mildly irritated by not being recognized, the griffon nonetheless kept it civil. “My name’s Prince Gallus, third son to his excellency, you saw me in the throne room, yes?”
A short laugh drifted out of the aged stallion followed by a kind smile. “My apologies, young prince. I had not heard your name until now.”
Embarrassment ran through Gallus, but he refused to show it. Growing up hearing stories about murderous ponies left him cautious around a unicorn. “Ah. Of course. The Seers should be here within a fortnight. They’re being recalled from other aviaries you see.”
“I thank you for the clarification, Prince Gallus.” Faithful glanced around, sullen at last by his minimal accommodations. “Might I say you are the friendliest griffon’s seen yet, it warms my heart to see it before my work has even begun.”
“Friendly… right.” A bit too strong of a word just yet there old timer. “I’m here to play the role of the good host is all.”
“Wonderful.” Faithful waved him to fully enter the room, and ignored the implications of Gallus’ reply. “Is there something else you wish to discuss?”
“There is actually.” Gallus walked in and closed the door. “I know you’re a bird - uh pony of the cloth, but do you know anything of the Emerald Horde or the centauri?”
Humming for a moment, Faithful looked to the sky. “Emerald Horde… It does ring a bell… But I am afraid that is all it does. I have all but sequestered myself these past two years as the Church adopted the Flame of Harmony more fully. When I was on the council before Luna’s return, Emperor Eclipse would often interview far reaching merchants on what they saw of the Horde, but he never did it in open court. I would imagine the empress is well aware of them, but I certainly am not. I’m afraid I cared very little outside of Lunaria save for Equestria and to a lesser degree the Griffon territories. You may ask my brethren, but I doubt you will find much luck.”
“Mores the pity.” Gallus shook off his disappointment, hoping to at least get something useful out of them. “Anyway, I assume you brought silver or gold with you? Staying here is currently the limit my father will allow, but food is a charity he is unlikely to extend until the Seers come. If and that is the big ask, if the Seers see no reason to expel you, he will offer standard fare; as is your right as a dignitary.”
“Ah yes, that much I understand.” Faithful looked to his eastern wall where his neighbor was staying. “Good will is in expectantly short supply. We brought enough silver with us for a few months’ food and other possible expenses. There is little cause for generosity just yet, but hopefully in time we can foster such things together.”
“You think so? Well, since missionaries love to hear themselves talk, I was hoping to hear about why this Flame of Harmony would drive you to come to us at all. We’re sworn enemies are we not?” Gallus studied the aged unicorn closely, seeing if he could pick up any tells or slips.
“Perhaps the griffons feel that way,” Faithful conceded with a fatherly smile. “We ponies have had… less severe opinions about you. I do not deny our history is replete with blood and vinegar. I am not fool enough to think I am still here out of your father’s desire to warm relations. He wishes to avoid a war, which is a good sign for my efforts.”
“You ponies don’t exactly have a glowing reputation,” Gallus remarked with more aggression than he wanted, but his upbringing was warning him of treachery, especially from a unicorn.
“Of that I have no doubt,” Faithful replied, trying to calm the boy. “Which is why you must be given a reason. Many of them over a long time, I am here to be the first.”
Wary of it all, Gallus still felt the need to back up his claims to his father. It would have been easy to believe Faithful was lying with every word, but Gallus had thrown himself into the possibility it was the truth. I'll end up as Gallus the Fool by the end of this. Try as he might though, Gallus could not sense much if any deceit from the old pony. “And all of this new thinking came about because Luna returned to this world?”
Snorting at himself, Faithful magically retrieved his book and held it close to his chest. “It might be more accurate to say when I was first humbled by a pegacorn who proved me wrong, and then by Luna who destroyed my world completely. But she gave me a chance to rebuild, stronger than I was.”
“Huh.” Gallus scratched the back of his head before catching himself and stopped. Coughing as a distraction, he spoke with his practiced authority more to keep the soldiers outside of the door from thinking less of him than to intimidate the old unicorn. “At any rate, when the Seers meet with you, I’ll be there too. Might as well see if this new Harmony business is worth listening to if you’re going to be preaching to the people.”
Faithful grinned broadly and tilted his head in thanks. “A prince listening to me prattle on about philosophy? My boy, I came to bend ears, and having you would be an honor.”