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// Prologue 
// Story: Wings of Deceit 
// by Fyn16 
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Prologue


War is the food of nations. Throughout history, conflict has taught us one thing- that regardless of who the victor is, both sides come out stronger. In the early days of Equestria, after the Great Vanishing when the Alicorn Kingdom fell, the Griffons had their eyes set on the lush continent that would eventually become Equestria. Perhaps it was the country’s abundant natural resources, or the vast wealth that lay buried beneath the ruins of the Alicorns’ once mighty kingdom that attracted them, or maybe their interest was as simple as their domineering nature. Whatever the case may have been, the Griffons watched while the Alicorns faded from existence, watched as the strange new creatures called Changelings spread across the land, led on in search of the few Alicorns that had managed to survive the destruction of their home, and watched as the Changelings one day fell dormant, leaving the land to a fledgeling race- the ponies. 

Since that day, the Griffons sought to take Equestria, and claim it as their own. It was by sheer fortune that the three pony races were able to unite so quickly, for it wasn’t long before the Griffons arrived on the Equestrian shores. In those days, ponies had yet to spread throughout the continent, and when the Griffons finally encountered them, they met crushing defeat at the hooves of Commander Hurricane and her forces. As the ponies drove their aggressors back, new lands were discovered, and Equestria was settled and fortified all the way to the east coast. In a way, the Griffon invasion had only strengthened the country. Attempts were made continuously  to break the ponies’ coastal defenses, but none were successful. 

It wasn’t until the banishment of Princess Luna that a second serious attempt at invasion was made. An ambassador from the Griffon Kingdom offering his “condolences” to Princess Celestia proved to be an assassin in disguise, but the Princess quickly dispatched him, once again foiling the hostile nation’s plans. Tensions grew between the two nations until finally reaching a boiling point just three decades before Luna’s return. On one foggy morning, the Griffon armada sailed into Manehattan bay, opening fire indiscriminately, and laying waste to both the harbor and the waterside facilities in the city. The country was devastated. Following Celestia’s declaration of war, the ponies rallied to defend their nation against the first true invasion the country had faced for millennia. The battle was long and bloody, but after four years of fighting, the Great Griffon War, as it came to be called, ended with the Griffon surrender at Baltimare. Bloodied, exhausted, and humiliated, the Griffons retreated to their homeland. Equestria was safe once more.

After the war, Equestria’s economy boomed. The many scientific advancements made during the war were slowly applied to the civilian market, and soon electronics, medicine, and transportation were all on the rise. Equestria not only survived the war; it flourished in its wake. Even the Griffons, it seemed, had grown tired of fighting. Leaders from both sides met frequently to discuss treaties, and travel was encouraged between nations. For the Griffons, however, memories of defeat were difficult to abandon. For some, Equestria was still that jewel on the horizon- barely out of reach. Before long, both nations were on edge again, this time waging a “cold war” with one another. Militaries raced to outperform one another, and units made ready to fight again should the need arise. Nopony wanted another war, and one day it became obvious that there were those in the Griffon Kingdom that felt the same. On that day, communications between Equestria and the Griffons ceased. Word reached the ponies that civil war had erupted on the Griffon continent. Ponies waited with baited breath for the outcome, but no news reached them. Equestria made clear its policy of isolation in foreign matters, and stayed clear, but observant ponies knew it was only a matter of time before something snapped. One way or another, war would come to Equestria, and this time, nopony was sure what the outcome might be.