Saddles and Reigns

The windswept dunes and the dry rocks seemed to glow in gentle light, a large set of towering plateaus with a single cleft between them as only distinct landmarks as far as the eye could see. The night desert played host to Equestrian entertainment, with five stallions gathered atop a small outcropping of rock  that jutted out from the desert like a dragon's claws some distance away from these plateaus. A gentle breeze blew as yet another magical blast missed its mark and struck a nearby patch of sand. Two stallions, both unicorns, battled it out in what could only be described as a dancing match of some sort.

One was a grey stallion with a pitch black mane, grey coat, and silver eyes. He wore blue guard armor with a shiny blue peal at its crest, glinting with each blast of magic let loose from the horn. Of a solid build, the unicorn dashed left to right, churning up sand with rapid footwork, his dark blue shoes lightly scratched with the abrasive sand constantly sliding over it. The stallion let loose a beam of magic at his foe with a smirk.

Nimbly leaping out of the way of the crimson blast was his opponent. A leaner, more lightly built blue pony sporting the same armor. Though by most measurements smaller than his counterpart, this night guard was far nimbler, hooves practically a blur whenever the pony was not stopping to take aim. A dark blue mane and bright blue coat allowed the amber colored eyes to stand out, perhaps working against the pony as his eyes locked with his quarry's.

The small gaggle eagerly cheered on their respective favorite, stomping hooves and shouting uproariously, giving the otherwise quiet fight auditory life.

"Come on Night Light, quit prancing around and hook him already!"

"Onyx you better not get a scratch on you or the captain will have your head!"

"Correction," the larger stallion retorted, "He will have you five's heads for gawking."

Night Light, perhaps seeing an opportunity, let loose another blast of grayish, light blue magic. Onyx swiftly leaped out of the way, but rather than just another blast of magic, this beam left a faint blue glow in the sand. From this glow emerged three versions of Night Light, all spawning seemingly from thin air.

Not sure if he was faced with an illusion or not, Onyx erected a bubble shield, static emanating from his horn as the shield sparked against the desert sand. Though the Night Light clones began to separate, Onyx expanded his shield until he had caught all three of them, shocking the illusions into nothingness. When he looked back towards the original, however, he noticed that he was gone from sight.

Not lowering his shield, Onyx cautiously watched the sands for any signs of tunneling. As unlikely as it seemed that Night Light could dig a tunnel that swiftly, with no visual anywhere, Onyx walked forward to where he had last seen him. The wind picked up at this point, and a flash of blue caused Onyx to whirl to his right. Night Light stood within inches of the magical barrier, now charging towards Onyx with horn alight. Lowering the shield, Onyx fired off his own beam of magic, only for it to go completely through his quarry and hit the ground behind him.

The real Night Light reappeared just a centimeter to Onyx's backside, using magic to take hold of his tail and levitate him several feet off the ground. Night Light then flung the pony downwards and released his grip, only for a red field of magic to appear directly below Onyx, preventing him from slamming face-first into the sand. Much like a ball, the magical field depressed with Onyx's weight, only to spring him upwards in a flip. The field vanished for a moment, just as Onyx dropped like a stone towards Night Light.

Night Light barely had time to leap out of the way before the pony slammed into the place where he had been standing mere moments before. Light turned to see that Onyx had coated himself in some sort of reflective spell. If before his coat had had a gentle sheen interrupted by bits of sand and dirt, it now appeared smooth and almost crystalline in appearance.

"Check it, that must be the prince's signature spell!"

"Flashy, I wonder if mares are attracted to that sort of thing."

Night let loose a beam of magic again, but this time, rather than dodge, Onyx merely batted it away with a hoof, sending it flying off into towards the horizon. Onyx came rushing in towards Night Light, the heavier footsteps a tell-tale sign of his magical augmentation's added weight. Now knowing that he had an advantage in speed, Night Light once again became invisible, and swiftly leaped out of the way of the charging unicorn.

"Come on now Night Light, I hear that is your talent, but I really pulled out the stops for that one." Onyx turned around rapidly, though retained his wide grin. "I almost dare you to attempt to scratch me now."

A swift strike to the face merely caused Onyx's head to turn; no mark was left, and he clearly was not too pained by it, but another to the flank sent him stumbling to his right. Though not doing much physical damage, each strike seemed to have more and more impact, Onyx losing more and more of his footing until finally Night Light outright tackled the prince from the front. His spell dispelled, Onyx practically rolled, his quarry once again revealing himself.

Some cheers, and a boo rang out from the spectators as Night Light pointed his glowing horn at Onyx's exposed stomach. Onyx chuckled, shooting two hooves in surrender. Night Light raised his head and disarmed his horn, a smug grin on his face.

"Well my prince, you put up quite a fight, but you still have a long way to go before you can start escorting yourself around Saddle Arabia."

Onyx rose to his hooves and chuckled, dusting some of the sand off of his flank. "Yes well, it is a good thing I have such skilled guards to keep my backside clear. So tell me, what time is it?"

Looking towards the sky, Night Light scrunched up his face, as if the pony-faced moon held the answer. After a few moments, he looked back towards Onyx and shrugged. "I have not the clue."

"It is high time for you two to stop horse-playing!"

A gruff voice cut through the air, the spectators and Night Light going rigid as a large pegasus marched towards the group with a small entourage of guards. Though his guard escorts bore the same armor as the others, the stallion's armor had a far more elaborate crescent moon design on the front. His multicolored mane was a mixture of sea blue and silver, with diagonal stripes almost running all the way to his pine leaf green coat. Bright grey eyes critically cut into the spectating stallions, who hastily rushed to join Night Light in salute. The newcomers stopped when their lead pegasus stopped, a few of them armed with spears at switching holding hooves at this point.

"Prince Onyx, when Celestia told you to get to know your new guards more, I do not think this is what she had in mind."

"Oh lighten up Captain Chivalry." Onyx nodded to his companions, who, other than Night Light, orderly marched to join their comrades behind their captain. "We were just having a little fun."

Chivalry tilted his head to the right, a scowl alone reflecting his displeasure. "A little fun? Prince Onyx, you are here to discuss the nature of our continued relationship with Saddle Arabia at the Medinan Oasis. You do realize that the lives of every Saddle Arabian rests on Equestrian cooperation?"

"Of course." Onyx walked up to the captain with a playful smile, hardly fazed by the scolding. "However, the griffons are not taking the Chuavier bombing lightly. Nothing I say will deter the griffons from coming to this country and attempting to find the group responsible, and any who supported them."

Chivalry sighed, shaking his head. "Perhaps not, but they are less likely to invade if they know that Equestria will not tolerate such a blatant disregard for Saddle Arabia's sovereignty. I would have hoped that-"

"Please, spare me the scolding." Onyx cut Chivalry off with eyes narrowed. "Really, sometimes I wonder if you are head of my security or my father."

"Someone has to make sure you do not shirk your duties." Chivalry shook his head. "Why could she not have come herself I will never guess. We should be off."

They did not have far to go, since their destination was in fact the cleft between the large plateaus. A worn but still visible road led directly to it. At the entrance stood two equine guards. They were noticeably taller than all of the ponies, but they had what looked to be size fitted Equestrian armor with matching spears and helmets.

"Prince Onyx?" The guard to the left of the entrance lowered his spear slightly, tilting it in the general direction of the Equestrians. "You may leave most of your guards here. Only two are permitted past this point."

"Very well then." Onyx stepped forward, gesturing with his head the cleft entrance. "Captain, if you and Night Light would."

"Of course sir."  Chivalry turned to face his guards as Night strode forward to flank Onyx to his left. "Now, while I am in there, you lot behave. If any troubles arrives, deal with it as if we were back in Canterlot. Stryke, you are in charge until my return."

One pony among the group saluted and nodded in compliance. Once that was done, Chivalry took his place at Onyx's right side. Together, the trio walked past the guards and into the cleft. The passageway narrowed to a point where they could only proceed one at a time. Taking the lead followed by Onyx with Night Light guarding the rear, Chivalry flapped his wings irritably. "Tight spaces. Never a fan of them. If they wanted our guards to hang back, then the griffons must already be here."

"That means we will have to be cautious then Captain. Night Light, how is the rear?"

"You have a little sand still stuck in between your tail hair."

The wind made a howling noise as it passed through, a sort of whistle following that carried the sounds of murmuring. A few minutes later, the trio came out on the other side, where a wide open space greeted them.

A single pond of fresh water, flanked on all sides by trees and what appeared to be grass, reflected the night sky above perfectly. The walls sheltered the area from harsh winds and the lack of a full ceiling provided a clear view of the stars above. Even with this light though, a few torches were still set up along the walls.

At the edge of the oasis was a griffon in all midnight blue clothing with no visible body armor. The feathers and coat were also dark blue, most likely artificially done, and the clothing resembled a form fitting flight suit that concealed all but the wrists and ankles of the griffon's main body from view. It was obvious that the griffon had flown here rather than walked. The griffon flag was proudly stamped on the flank of the uniform, but it was a largely nondescript sort of outfit otherwise, especially for a meeting of this sort. Onyx flicked his tail in several vain attempts to remove the sand that had lodged itself near the base during his earlier sparring match.

The motion caught the attention of the griffon, who opened his yellow eyes wide and surveyed the surroundings. The bright yellow beak opened, but for a moment, no sound came out. After the griffon had inspected the ponies from hoof to horntip or wingtip, only then did he speak.

"I hope you came with more than words, as these Saddles have no intention on being ridden today by anyone."

The words were dripping with sarcasm, which seemed odd since the statement on its own seemed to be a joke regarding normally uncooperative Saddle Arabian diplomats. The other griffons, standing to the side and going largely unnoticed until now, shifted in their spots. Neither carried spears, but it was evident that they were better dressed, much like their charge, to blend in with the darkness of the night sky rather than fight off an attack.

"Seems the Saddle Arabians are rather late to the party," Night Light observed, "Either that or they want you to speak first my Prince."

"Typical." The griffon huffed and puffed out his chest before exhaling, an odd gesture even for a half-feline half-avain creature. "Equestria always has to be fighting the battles of their equine de-pendents. All we want is Qada; we do not want to spill anymore blood than theirs if it can be helped."

Onyx strode forward to join the griffon ambassador while Night and Chivalry took their place next to the escort griffons to the right and the left of the two diplomats respectively.

"Where are my manners, I should introduce myself. My name is Antoine Bellamy, but Antony is just fine." The griffon extended his right hand, which Onyx reached out and shook with his left hoof.

"My name is Prince Onyx. Just Onyx unless you are a commoner." Onyx chuckled, and the two released the hand-hoof shake after this greeting. "Equestria understands the situation, but Griffia threatening to invade and occupy Saddle Arabia is not acceptable rhetoric."

Antoine sighed and looked towards the pool of water. "Well that is the problem. The Saddle Arabians are not cooperating in our efforts to apprehend the surviving attackers and their supporters still living here in the country, using the excuse that they cannot extradite their own citizens to Griffia. They are not making any moves to try them here in the country either, and the griffons back home are demanding figurative sacrifices to put their bloodlust to rest. You can hear it form the horse's mouth soon enough, but the only reason I am even here is because we want to work this out without having to turn the Arabian sands red with a seemingly pointless war."

It was not an idle threat, all in the room knew. Just before Onyx could speak, a large Saddle Arabian emerged from an entrance on the other side of the cleft, completely ungarbed in anything befitting a diplomat. Suspicious, the griffon escorts rose to their feet, but the horse merely stood guard as a Saddle Arabian mare walked forward. Night Light noticed Onyx gasp, some sort of connection apparently having been made.

"Sela, they sent you here?" Onyx seemed shocked as the mare took her place across from the two foreigners, her escorts standing mere feet from her on both sides. She wore a purple gown of sorts, bright and clearly not meant for anything less than presentation a matching purple head covering that conveniently left room for her flowing blue mane and erect ears. Sky blue eyes scanned the audience, as if searching to make sure all was in place, before resting on first Onyx and then Antoine.

"Prince Onyx, Prince Antoine, I am happy to see you two here. I have a proposal."

"You are extraditing all of the Qada criminals to Griffia at once?" Antoine seemed surprised, though if it were either because his own words or hope that a conclusion had already been reached was unclear at the moment. Truthfully, his tone betrayed his guess as more of a suggestion than a vain attempt to guess the proposal.

"No." Sela looked to Night Light and Onyx briefly before returning her gaze to Night Light. "Tonight, I witnessed a display just outside these very stone walls, and it gave me a most wonderful idea. My parents refuse to allow any Griffian force, large or small, to operate in the country. But they would be much more willing to allow Equestrians to operate, as we can trust that they will minimize collateral damage."

Had she seen Onyx sparring with Night Light? Chivalry had not mentioned running into her on their way to reinforce them, so either she had taken the scenic route or had seen it from the cleft. Or, perahps, she wass referencing a different display, and there was no need for great concern. It was already bad enough Chivalry had caught him fighting with Onyx, the only that could have made that worse besides Celestia finding out was the Saddle Arabians watching the Prince at leisure while their country was in peril.

Antoine frowned and folded his arms, the griffon's roving eyes a clear indication that he was mulling it over before responding.

Onyx did not require quite as much thinking time for his response. "Sela, what you are suggesting is that Equestrian military forces go after these extremists; not that I do not think that our forces are capable, it is jut that I find it unlikely that Celestia would permit a search and destroy operation of this sort without having very specific details about the accused citizenry."

"Such as?" Sela looked towards Onyx with a puzzled expression, as if she genuinely had no idea what Celestia would need to know before sending in any ponies.

Onyx paused for a moment, looking towards the waters before looking back towards Sela. "We need to know where they are hiding, what they have access to as far as weaponry, and access to any and all records that you all have on them regardless of classification. Those kind of details."

"Well, we cannot do that." Sela spoke almost mechanically, trying to keep as much of her emotion  "From the highest authorities in the land, none of us are permitted to give such information. We do not sell out our own."

"Afraid that it might expose the conspiracy in your government?" Antoine suggested without a hint of sarcasm. "It is one thing to try to get the Equestrians to fight your battle for you, but to expect them to go in blind, play nice, and have their ponies be placed in great danger when there are bloodthirsty griffons more than eager to do the job for them? Clearly your administration has been slipping ever further into denial since the Gala last year."

"We do not trust griffons on our soil, that is the base line," Sela narrowed her eyes, her expression becoming more firm than friendly. "In the same breath, we do not entirely want to compromise the basic promises that we give to our citizens: protection of their lives, property, and peace of mind. To renegade on that for even special occasions like this invites discontent and a further pool of recruits for this Qada to recruit from. Besides, they have broken none of our laws, and thus cannot be charged for any crime here on our soil-"

"They bombed a train, causing it to derail and devastate the Hub at Chuavier, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and caused trillions of bits worth of damage that will take years to fully repair. That is not against your law?" Antoine extended his wings, causing some the Saddle Arabian guards to noticeably tense up. "Setting fire to the griffon's nest and putting all of your fellow Arabians in danger of just retaliation is not against any of your laws?"

Sela looked hesitant to answer for a moment. It was not a trick question, a simple yes or no really would have likely sufficed Sela sought both a truthful answer and an answer that would not further derail the negotiations. "No, there is no law covering that, though we are drafting one even as we speak. We never thought we would have to make a law of this sort."

Onyx coughed and decided to interject here. "Expecting Equestria to handle this is the most peaceable solution. Antoine, I will speak to Celestia about griffon support of any Equestrian venture, but it is unlikely that she will permit griffons to invade or otherwise militarily operate in this country unsupervised. Allow us to deal with this threat to international peace and stability our way." With a small grin, Onyx looked looked towards a mildly concerned Sela. "Rest assured that a full-scale invasion by griffon forces will be repulsed with the full might of the Equestrian military."

Onyx's small smile faded as he looked from Sela to Antoine with a slight frown. "You both need to be cooperative and trust Equestria to handle this in a reasonable amount of time."

Antoine folded his wings tightly and reigned back his hostile appearance. While this did not put the Saddle Arabian guards at ease, it did make the griffon seem less willing to lash out again. Antoine sighed, closed his eyes, and then lowered his head, as if accepting the terms set forth. Just as it seemed as if he might would stalk off in defeated silence, he raised his head again, eyes opening to reveal a grim, determined glare directed at Onyx.  "Very well then. We want constant updates on the progress of this hunt. If there is no progress made within two months time, we will act in the best interests of the international community. A full-scale invasion is not in the best interests of anyone here."

The griffon paused, and shifted his gaze towards Sela, who stared back at him with a similarly steely expression. "The griffons of Griffia will have their justice. Cooperate with the Equestrians in full and put a swift end to Qada and their affiliates. For there is nothing more dangerous than a wild horse among a stabled herd."

With a snap of a talon, the griffon guards were at the ready. Antoine turned from the equines and walked towards the cleft where the ponies had entered, soundlessly entering the shadow of the earthen structure, vanishing into the darkness of the path leading to the outside.

A few moments later, the distinct griffon screech could be heard, slightly unnerving Night Light. Of course the griffons had brought a larger escort party than that; but where had they been? Atop of the plateau? There had to be a reason they wore that type of clothing to a nighttime diplomatic mission. Not wanting to draw attention was one thing, but Night Light could feel that there had to be more to it than that. Before he could think more on it, a drawn out sigh from Sela lightened the thickened air.

"Celestia will not be pleased." Chivalry walked up to Onyx with a frown, "But it does not look like we have much choice if we want to keep the griffons out of Saddle Arabia without resorting to force."

"No." Onyx looked towards Sela. "She will not be pleased. But, clearly, it is expected of Equestria to pick up after our allies."

"Onyx-"

"You heard Antoine Sela. Either we do it, or they will. And if they have to come do it, Saddle Arabia may find itself ground zero for a major conflict."

"Onyx. We do not expect you to pick up after us." Sela sighed and strode around the pond. Onyx sat on his haunches and stared at the water. "We merely expect you to have our backs when the enemy makes threats."

"If I may, the griffons are not entirely out of place for wanting to apprehend the ruffians who were behind the attack on their soil," Chivalry ventured, "However, more lives can be saved if we can swiftly apprehend these Saddle Arabians. You need to convince your parents that it is for the best that you all tell us as much information as possible."

"Any suggestions?" Sela truly looked at a loss, shaking her head mournfully, "Before coming here I tried, but they are unmoving."

"Persistence." Onyx rose to his hooves, stepping into Sela's pace path. She stopped pacing, and gave a small smile.

"I can try, but they have been unwavering. Simple pleas will fall on deaf ears."

Onyx smiled wide and flicked his tail, a prominent grain of sand making landfall in the oasis. " Well Sela, I always wanted to meet your parents; this sounds like the perfect excuse."

"Sir, Celestia is expecting a full report from you concerning all of this," Chivalry warned, stepping forward until he came just within inches of the two, "In person."

Onyx looked towards Chivalry with a sly expression. Sela seemed to brighten at the mischief that clearly ran through his head.

"Well, she wants a pony actually here to give the briefing; and I know just the pony to give the report in my stead-"

"I refuse." Chivalry barked, flaring his wings in agitation, "My Prince, with all due respect, Celestia trusted you with this assignment with the idea that you would come straight back and not make any detours. She will be most displeased if you disobey a direct order."

"She will be even more displeased if I fail to do everything that I can to make sure Saddle Arabia cooperates so that we can solve this without the griffons raining hell upon them." Onyx stepped forward to Chivalry in a challenging manner. " Besides, I intended on sending Night Light."

Night Light went rigid, as all eyes were now on him. Even the Saddle Arabian guards looked at him, and if the desert before had evaporated the sweat from his body, the since cooled desert air now chilled what remained of the moisture.

"Night Light, pen a letter to the princess at once!" Chivalry ordered, looking towards Onyx with lips curled. "Let her know that I am bringing Onyx in. On a stretcher if I have to-"

"Captain, maybe Onyx is right."

Night Light's voice seemed so loud, as if he had shouted the words. And yet, he had merely spoken in his regular voice, the complete shock of his words forcing Chivalry to double take towards Night Light. Incredulously the pegasus flapped his wings in a flurry, as if flabbergasted that Night Light would actually agree with Onyx on disobeying orders.

"Night Light, Princess Celestia will be livid if Onyx is still here when she starts sending ponies in to exterminate Qada."

"Yes, but she will not send in any until she knows enough about them," Night Light pointed out, "Onyx being here will also reassure the Saddle Arabians that Celestia will not abandon them. Consider him, uh, insurance?"

Chivalry snorted. Sela scrunched up her face, and Onyx laughed, wrapping his right foreleg around Sela's neck and pulling her forward slightly.

"I am glad somepony here other than me sees the bigger picture here! Night Light, take our group back with you, Chivalry's platoon will keep an eye out to make sure no horses get any bright ideas."

Chivalry's angry stare and flexing muscles suggested continued resistance. But about a minute after Night Light's suggestion, he calmed, and sighed deeply.

"Onyx, at least make sure Celestia is aware of this before Night Light leaves. If she refuses, then there will be no further arguments. You return at once to Equestria, one way or another."

Night Light saluted and nodded. "You got it sir."

Onyx kissed Sela on the cheek, earning a gasp from her guards and Chivalry. Sela blushed profusely as Onyx retracted his right foreleg, chuckling all the while as if he had not done a thing. "Alright, that sounds like a fair compromise. We had best tell the guards-"

"I and Night Light have it handled." Chivalry hastily blocked Onyx's path, eyeing the nervous reaction of the guards to the clear breach in diplomatic protocol. "Stay here and work out the details of your stay. I will come back with Celestia's answer."

Onyx raised an eyebrow. "Very well then."

"Please, do not do anything like that outside of this oasis," Sela chided, "You should not have done that then."

As Onyx turned to speak more with Sela, Night Light found himself ushered by Chivalry into the cleft's darkness. A few minutes in and the two emerged on the other side, where the remainder of the guard awaited them. The two Saddle Arabian guards from earlier were still present also, and eyed the two as they departed.

Chivalry did not need to speak a word; just a few stomps of his hooves and the guardsponies were all in line, at attention at the edge of the entrance.

"We will be right back."

Chivalry was not questioned, and Night Light still found himself being led further out into the desert. For a few moments, he was concerned that Chivalry might would consider attacking him, but once clear out of earshot, Chivalry stopped, signalling for Night Light to turn around and face him.

"Night Light, though Onyx would likely prefer you keep it quiet, report that... breach to the princess as well," Chivalry stated, "Leave out no details from what you saw. Projecting your memories should be sufficient in getting the message across."

"If I might ask, Chivalry, what is the history between those two?" Night Light surge magic to his horn, reproducing his memories in a brief flash of events.

"The two met at the Grand Galloping Gala three years ago," Chivalry explained, watching with scrutiny the magical report's formation, "Long story short, Onyx has been less and less discreet in his attempts at courting her. She hasn't exactly refused his advances either, but her guards were caught completely off guard by that kiss."

"You don't think he just did that on purpose?" Night Light reasoned that Onyx had purposely shown that random bit of affection. Even Sela had been caught off guard if her reaction was anything to go by.

"Whether he did or not, I have a bad feeling that those guards are going to do exactly as we are doing now," Chivalry explained, "He is going to likely be welcomed with open arms; nothing like two royals falling in love."

"Is it love, or just, attraction?" Grunting from his exertions, Night Light nearly had the spell complete, the magical report condensing into an aura around his horn.

"Either way, the Saddle Arabians would love to tie Equestria to the country with a royal marriage." Chivalry looked upwards, as if the sky held the remainder of his response. "I do not want Onyx to try too hard to get an audience with the Royals and ends up impregnating the mare. Celestia knows that is the last thing we want in order to keep our options open regarding Saddle Arabia."

The magical condensation surged back to the tip of Night Light's horn, seemingly being absorbed. Night Light once again saw the events of the night play out solely from his perspective with the same clarity as if he had been there himself.  With the spell completed, Night Light was now ready to show those very memories at a later time.

Chivalry looked about one more time, and then leaned in close to Night Light. "Tell this to nopony but Celestia, but I can't help but notice that Sela wore a rather concealing and eye-catching dress to a meeting out in the middle of the desert."

Night Light gave Chivalry a confused look. "I am pretty sure all three of us saw that."

"Why do you think that is?"

A gentle breeze blew, and Night Light suspected he knew what Chivalry had guessed was the reason.

"Maybe she wanted to get Onyx's stallion side?"

Chivalry eyed Night Light before giving him a light tap to the head with his hoof.

"No, she is clearly attempting to suppress a rather awful smell, or she purposely hid her figure from all of us present. I suspect it was the latter."

Night Light gasped, but Chivalry used a hoof to bring his head lower and closer. "That is for Celestia's ears only, understand? It's speculation, but speculation that needs to be included in the report."

"Why not just have Onyx contact her now and tell her that?" Night Light did not see the reason to wait; after all, this was a very urgent matter that really should not wait until it was too late to do anything about it.

"Because Onyx is playing ambassador," Chivalry pointed out, "And I have a good feeling he knows, or is about to find out, which of my suspicions is true."

Night Light backed away, looking worriedly towards the cleft. "And we just left him alone in there-"

Chivalry rose to full height and chuckled, an ever wider grin showing on his face. "Onyx is quick, but not quick enough. Even if he were, you saw her reaction to his kiss; she understands what's at stake here. Unlike Onyx, the fate of her home, her friends, her family are on the line."

The stallion frowned as he fully turned towards the Cleft, demeanor once again becoming stern. " With that said, while the griffons will do almost anything necessary to avenge their fallen, the Saddle Arabians will do absolutely anything necessary to make sure they don't end up at the mercy of the griffons."