The March of Canon · 12:34pm Dec 5th, 2015
Been a while since I made one of these. Been even longer since I started the Viral Unicorn series, and it's really beginning to show it's age isn't it? Just take a look at FiM canon to know the truth of that statement. For instance the mental image of stereotypical Knights who hold honor and chivalry in the highest degree, proud Princes and formidable citadels atop mountains is a bit of a far cry from how Griffins are in FiM. Then there are those alternate timelines from the season finales. I don't know what the international conditional of the canon world is like but in my version, Equestria going under due to major threats like Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis and Sombra would warrant an equally major foreign response. I've already stated what would happen if Equestria couldn't handle Chrysalis and her swarm, Wolverine Stormtroopers, Griffin Anvil knights along with any other donated forces by League members. I'm not bashing canon or stating my version is better, it's just very clear that my efforts at world building has effectively made this series an AU by now.
I prefer stories that look at the show like you seem to look at the comics. A basket of Idea's.
Most stories I've seen have taken to just ignoring certain episodes, Griffinstone being a choice example.
As for your story. Griffinstone 'heart of the griffin empire' could always be a separate entity from the 'griffin dominion'.
-Not long after Equestria was founded the ponies made contact with the griffin dominion as the griffins were experiencing a population boom because they had found a population of mega beasts and the success gave them the old imperialistic itch.
Turns out one of those lands was the newly founded Equestria. And ponies and griffins had a bad first contact that caused a 'war' that pretty much boiled down to a squabbling land grab back and forth between the two peoples. Eventually the griffins (given their history of fighting with each other) were starting to win and it looked the the ponies would be kicked off their new found home. But just as the ponies new found unity was about to brake, two unknown newcomers stepped up to the plate- Celestia and Luna. United under the Two Alicorns (But mostly Luna) the ponies pushed the griffins back, capturing a large number of them as they drove them back to the sea.
After the war the Ponies and griffins wen't to the negotiation table, and when Celestia attempted to return the captured griffins, the Dominion refused, claiming the Griffins had disgraced themselves as cowards for being captured in the first place. (And as one last petty jab at the ponies) left all of them to the princesses mercy.
Celestia being who she is took up the responsibility to help the ostracized griffins in stride and the POW camp turned into Griffinstone. After a few decades she even allowed them self governance (which the griffins residing there called the Griffin Empire as a 'screw you' to the dominion), but lingering racial tensions from the war (ponies get 'testy' when their home is threatened) meant a high tax was levied upon the new kingdom to stop the Griffins there from ever becoming a military threat to Equestria. (or at-least that’s the excuse the nobility used)
Generations coming and going under that Tax is why the Griffinstone griffins are so obsessed with gold, why they are so abrasive to ponies, and why their cultural pride is dependent upon a peace of treasure the ponies can’t take away.
That’s my shot in the dark.
3594367 'That's my shot in the dark.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhjKjtdu-_c
There's nothing wrong with Alternate Universe stories.
3596936 Oh I know. Kind of ironic really, I write Equestria the way I do in my story out of desire to preserve the feel of the show, but now my story is effectively AU due to said show
3596959
I think that you mean "Due to the merchandising branch of said show".