Valor is Magic

by NotSoSubtle


A Letter, Foreword, and Dedication






Dear Princess Luna,

This letter has been sent to you with the first printed copy of Valor is Magic: A History of the Great Griffin Invasion. If there are any changes you would like made, please note them in a separate scroll. This is the only complete copy right now, so please be careful with it. It only needs your final approval before I send it out for publication.

I need to thank you again for all of your help in putting together this text. I was able to interview dozens of ponies for fact checking and extra perspective because of your efforts, and it was also just nice to catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen in a while. I’m not sure I want to know how you were able to get Kaleb to visit Ponyville long enough to provide some scenes.

As for the passages you personally provided, I’ve done my best to integrate them into the larger story with as few changes as possible. I know how much it hurts you to talk about some of these events. If you feel anything in this binding makes you uncomfortable, it’s still not too late to revise or remove any of them. Just let me know, and I’ll make any changes you would like.

Your Faithful Friend,



Twilight Sparkle



P.S: Please have a talk with the publisher if you can find the time. The editor, Namby Pamby, wants to shorten the title to just “Valor is Magic,” but that says nothing about the history. I’m sure she’d change her mind if, say, a princess told her that the title was fine the way it is.


FOREWORD

When Twilight Sparkle first spoke to Us about the idea of putting her memories of the recent conflict with the griffins into published form, We must admit to having doubts. Equestria had suffered greatly during that time, and things were beginning to return to normal. Many were just coming to terms with the loss of friends and loved ones, and We did not see the reason to reopen such wounds in the hearts of so many ponies.

We must also confess to a personal bias in this matter. Much happened that caused discomfort to Us, and We did not care to revisit such times even if only in thought. It did not help that she approached Us during the first Grand Galloping Gala after peace had been restored. We were not the only pony to approach the gala with the hope of finally putting such dark times behind us for good, and we believed such talk would spoil our enjoyment of the event.

Yet Twilight persisted, as she so often does. Eventually she caught Us alone and without other obligation for long enough to explain her full vision for this text. We finally consented to hear her entire plan, in spite of Our misgivings.

We could not have been prepared for what was in store. What We thought would be a droll description of numbers and battle lines, like so many that have been written for previous conflicts, was nothing of the kind. Twilight wove a tale of ponies risking all for one another, and of the power of friendship in dark times. She told the story through the eyes of one who lived it, aided by the views and experiences of her closest friends, the Bearers of the Elements.

She truly believed that there were lessons in her experience that should not be confined to regular studies, but that should be known and shared across all Equestria. Most surprisingly, We found that the more she explained, the more We agreed with her. Her story was so moving that it seemed unfitting to merely approve such an important work, so We decided then and there to contribute to her efforts, volunteering to track down any contacts she might need as well as offering Our own experiences.

The tome you now hold in your hooves is the result of her efforts, and We hope that this is how ponies will remember these times.

Equestria has been blessed in her history to enjoy centuries of peace with her neighbors, but it is not always so. There must always be a few ponies dedicated to preparing for the worst, though in this land of friendship they are not always understood. Perhaps, with the help of this book, every pony will come to see that valor is its own kind of magic.


Princess Luna


To departed friends. May you find new magic in the hereafter.

TS