If you had told her where she’d be a few years ago Gilda would have called you a liar & a dweeb and made fun of you. As far as griffons were concerned she was fairly unremarkable, Her flight scores and general performance in school was average at best. She had no special talents or skills besides making griffon scones (which had been voted the worst pastry on the planet). Her one aspiration in life was simply raising enough bits to put as much distance between her and birth town as possible. That’s why if you told her she’d become President & Founder of a nascent Republic centered on her hometown she’d call you crazy.
Perhaps it was because she hung around ponies too much? Maybe it was because of dumb luck? Or maybe it was because nobody else wanted to run this dump? Either way she was head of the Griffonian Republican Party and de facto President of the newly founded Republic of Griffonstone! She had only joined the Griffonstonian Republican Party as a hobby! She never believed anygriff would like her speeches or opinions! She never expected them to make her the leader! She never in a million years expected them to succeed over Grandpa Gruff and the other old nobles! She never once thought that other griffins would actually depend on her…
In the early days she thought about scampering off once she snagged enough Bits and going to Equestria like she wanted. But she realized she couldn't do that. These dweebs depended on her so much that this place would immediately fall into anarchy if she wasn't here! She decided to only leave once she had delegated enough responsibility to other griffons. Unfortunately that plan went up in smoke because just about everyone in the territory administered by Griffonstone was either greedy, incompetent, or a combination of both. Those she thought might be good for a leadership position either took advantage of the griffons under their command or were unable to do the job she requested of them.
The last one was completely the fault of the dweebs. So many griffons were incapable of doing more than basic reading, writing, and math. She supposed she was lucky her mother was a teacher and a difficult taskmaster. She couldn’t simply leave the country in the claws of a bunch of dopes so she started a massive education reform. The population had to be a bunch of idiots because so many of them seemed to think her speech on how ‘education was the key to Griffonstone’s future’ was actually good! Can’t those dweebs see that she didn’t mean it!?
Well she may have meant it a little bit…? And she did feel a little bit of pride watching griffons, both young & old, crowd into the newly built schools and university. Once she started to get some competent, educated griffons she started placing them around the country. In government positions, military ones, and other key places. She thought she was done there but then her new staff brought some more issues to her attention. Poor infrastructure, few jobs, inefficient crop production, low quality & outdated military weapons, and much of the country being stuck in medieval stasis. As much as she wanted to fly away she knew she had to fix these problems.
Not out of a sense of duty or compassion mind you! It’s just because she didn’t want a horde of angry Griffonstonians knocking down the door of her new home! Only a dweeb would think she actually liked doing this!
While improving the country and bringing it into the modern era would take years she at least got the ball rolling after building new rail lines and factories. These new factories helped churn out trucks and farming machinery replacing the hand drawn carts and plows griffons in this area had used for over a millennia. They also produced a small amount of weapons for the Republican Army though it was still woefully inadequate for their needs.
The Republic of Griffonstone was surrounded by enemies. There was the Barony of Rumare in Lake Rumare who wanted to reclaim their ancestral lands. The Barony of Arantiga who wanted to do the same. Blackrock’s Bandits who routinely raided their eastern border. To the north were the squabbling states of the Griffonian Empire who were currently sizing each other up for coffins. In the south there was the Wingbardian Empire where Beakolini made several species claiming that he wished to restore the birthplace of Griffonkind to glory. Which was fancy speak for saying he was planning an invasion. With all these threats they needed guns and plenty of them. Thankfully she knew just where to get them…
The Americans were quite happy at the idea of not only helping a fellow republic but also getting an ally on the continent which they desperately needed. Despite conquering Marelandia giving them a lot of land to work with, the Americans were still in a precarious position. At the moment the Kingdom of Aquelia or Wingbardy could easily invade the United States despite the tech difference. So having a friend to back them up would work out well for them.
The Americans had plenty of weapons left over from their war with Marelandia. Bolt action rifles, machine guns, tanks, and planes. All of which was far better than what they had now. Simple military surplus wasn’t what she was after though. She wanted something that would certainly give Wingbardy pause. A quick trip to New Washington and a meeting with President Carter later and she now had a treaty promising substantial military aid to the Republic.
Thousands of small arms were currently being shipped to them by cargo plane. Not the bolt action weapons of Marelandia but the guns of the United States. While she was unable to get the CAR-15 rifles currently in service she did manage to get ahold of a bunch of their outdated guns. M2 Carbines and M-14 Battle Rifles. Guns that while outdated for the Americans were a step above what the surrounding powers possessed. Then there were the support weapons like Browning .50 caliber machine guns and M60 GPMG Machine Guns. Along with a variety of other weapons like mortars, artillery, anti-aircraft batteries, and anti-tank weapons. Speaking of tanks the Americans promised to supply those too when their tank production was in a much better place.
They did hand over the ‘Bitty Simple’ tanks they had captured from Marelandia but upon seeing them she privately wished the Americans didn’t. With corrugated steel bolted over a tractor frame and a single machine gun the only way the Bitty would defeat the enemy was by causing them to laugh to death especially if they had tanks of their own. While proper tanks would be nice to have the mountainous terrain of much of the nation and the current status of infrastructure would make using them detrimental at this stage.
What wasn’t detrimental was the Air Force. The GRAF or Griffonstone Republican Air Force had very rapidly become the most popular military branch in the country. Above the Army even though they did most of the work. Above the miniscule Navy which operated a few boats in Lake Rumare. It was even above the Griffonstone’s Order of Knights which was starting to receive training to become a modern military force like America’s special forces or Equestria’s Royal Guard. Ever since the Americans sold off some of their older jets and helicopters along with captured Marelandian craft every young griffon wanted to join up.
It was hilarious when you thought about the complete opposition that some griffons had to the very idea of an air force believing that airborne griffons or even airships could easily stand up to some newfangled machine. That was until the Air Force showed off their new equipment in an Air Show near Griffonstone. At least a half million griffons turned up over the several day long event with some even coming over the borders. The F-86 Sabres gifted by the Americans were more impressive than any other plane and the Huey helicopter bristling with weapons made tanks seem irrelevant to the casual observer. After a ride in a helicopter she wasn’t ashamed to admit she’d prefer a ride in one rather than having to use her own wings. It was a lot less exhausting to be sure.
Now that the nation was on much better footing she had hoped to sneak away once she was done grooming a successor. The Blackrock War and the War with Arantiga had changed that. First was the war with Blackrock’s Bandits. The bandits had done one raid to many and a few overzealous army commanders emboldened by their new weapons planned an offensive into the bandit nation. Since the territory controlled by Blackrock wasn't recognized as a nation by any sense it wouldn’t exactly be illegal to invade it. If they handled it correctly they would be hailed as heroes.
Unfortunately for her they did handle it correctly. Those griffons made sure their ‘military expedition’ was well organized and properly led. They dealt with resistance harshly but fairly putting down the bandits that tried to fight but also fairly tried those they captured. Griffons in the Blackhollow Territory greeted Republican troops like liberators. Blackrock herself died in a rather ferocious battle for Murkbeak. The invasion was so successful that decrying it in public was political suicide. So she committed to the operation fully.
Just as they were mopping up the last bandits she had gotten reports of hostility on the Arantigian border. The Barony had declared war on them! Unlike the bandits of Blackrock, Aratiga’s soldiers were professionals and well trained. Especially the Arantigian Knights. They rampaged through the countryside and were at the gates of Griffonstone itself when she got a rather alarming proposal from President Carter.
While it would save Griffonstone and ensure they’d never have to go it alone in a fight again it basically meant she wouldn’t be able to sneak off like she wanted. She had to make a choice. Griffonstone or herself? Boreas damned ponies… Curse them for making her like this. Everything was so much simpler before they came into her life…
The decision was a no brainer. She signed the treaty. With the stroke of a pen the Alliance of Harmonious Nations was born. American troops arrived sometime later with bombing runs from the US Air Force happening within hours of the treaty signing. After a thrust by US Marines volunteers and a Knight division they had captured the last Arantigian city and ended the war.
Her troubles weren’t over yet though. Wingbardy was still eyeing them up Alliance with the US or not. The County of Blackhollow which they had formed from some of the territory they took from the bandits needed aid. Thanks to their new territory they now bordered the communist nation of Prydwen who was also sizing them up. The Alliance of Harmonious Nations was also gaining new members which in ordinary circumstances would be good if those new member states weren’t also in danger of being invaded. There was the Griffonian Republic who was at odds with both Skyvania and the Empire. There was the Kingdom of Yakyakistan who was currently in a civil war. Worse yet was that the City state of Flowena had recently joined even though it was currently on the ‘invade & pillage’ list of just about everyone around it which included the Kingdom of Aquelia.
Stupid Americans! Stupid Alliance! Stupid Griffonstone! She was going to be president of this stupid Republic forever!
Henry Bishop peered through his binoculars at the two men in a guard tower sharing cigarettes. Below the tower near a gate were two more guards playing cards with a radio nearby. Looks like the guards of this camp were still sloppy. He looked at a hill beyond the camp where there was a small light flashing. He took out a small light and made three slow flashes. Two flashes came in acknowledgement.
Picking up his weapon he motioned for the men to follow him. They shot the guards by the gate and in the tower catching them completely by surprise. While they were using non suppressed weapons it ultimately didn’t matter because on the northern part of the camp there was a large explosion as a hole was blown into the perimeter fence. The explosion just so happened to also take out the guard barracks/administration building where a majority of the guards were goofing off in. They had been planning this operation for weeks so the habits of the guards were well known to them.
Bishop and his men went through the gate and entered the first building they came across which was a crudely built log building. The building was dark with not a single light in sight. Pulling out a flashlight he turned it on to get a proper look at the room. Their intel was correct. This room was filled with ponies.
A good 50 or 60 tired looking ponies were packed onto bunks that wouldn’t look out of place in a concentration camp. It was an apt comparison because the couple of Germans in his team cursed their fellow countryman who were willingly repeating the past. He pursed his lips as he got a better look at the ponies. They appeared to be either malnourished, with many showing visible ribs, or injured. This wouldn’t do. It was a long way to the border from here. They’d never be able to walk this distance in this kind of state. Pulling out a radio gifted by the American CIA he called the other team.
"Sean, we have a problem." He said into the radio.
"I'm guessing your ponies are in bad a shape as ours?" replied Sean "Don't worry. I sent my boys to take care of it. Luckily the trucks the bastards used to transport them are still here."
He sighed in relief. They had been seeing plenty of good fortune so far. Though that may have more to do with them having spent months planning this operation. Everyone knew the plan and were doing the best that they could to make sure it went without any problems.
“My name is Henry Bishop,” he said to the ponies. “We’re here to get you out of here.”
Almost all of the ponies had looks of hope on their faces. The few that didn’t shrunk back and shivered in fear. These ponies just so happened to be in the worst shape sporting numerous bruises, black eyes, and even a few broken limbs. They most likely thought this was some kind of elaborate trick in order to hurt them again. It took some coaxing but eventually even these reluctant ponies began to make their way to the trucks.
As the ponies were loaded onto the trucks Bishop started to get nervous. This was going on a bit longer than they had planned. Many ponies were in such bad shape that they had to be carried, slowing them down. Each passing second meant that they were more likely to be discovered and if that happened then the hammer would surely come crashing down. While they had prepared for such an outcome there were a lot of miles from here to the border. A lot could go wrong in that distance.
While he had stressed the need to leave ponies & people behind if it threatened the operation during planning he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If he left them behind these ponies would surely die.
Soon all the ponies had been loaded into the trucks allowing them to finally leave. Troops were most certainly on the way to investigate the explosion. As they started to drive off his worst nightmare became realized. An attack helicopter was fast approaching. He called Sean who was riding in the back of a pickup truck containing most of their weapons & ammo. He told Sean to ready the gift that the American CIA had lent them.
“Take this you fascist bastards!” yelled the irishman before firing the Stinger surface to air missile at the helicopter. The helicopter tried to veer off but the missile struck its side momentarily illuminating the countryside as it exploded.
“Now let’s get out of here before they send another one.’ said Sean grabbing another Stinger just in case.
He wholeheartedly agreed with Sean’s request. They thankfully had no more excitement for the rest of the night except for the border guards who they unceremoniously shot. Several teams had already made it across the border so when they drove into an Equestrian military camp they were met with much fanfare.
He couldn’t but smile as he received pats on the back from dozens of Equestrian Army soldiers and bottles of cider being shoved into his hands. All in all they had escaped from the European State with over 4,000 ponies rescued from dozens of camps and almost twice as many humans. The Equestrian press proclaimed them heroes.
The fascist council of the Euro State demanded that they and all the humans who escaped be returned to face trial for terrorism & insurrection but Princess Celestia was not having it. She now had definitive proof that the ponies that were still living in Euro territory were being mistreated despite the assurances of the Council. Almost instantly diplomatic & economic ties between Equestria and the European State were severed.
All food & resource deliveries stopped. The Equestrian Navy began to blockade the nation. A statement was released that any Euro aircraft flying over Equestrian airspace would be shot down. A threat that became easier to enforce as American & Soviet made AA began to pop up over the country. While it wouldn’t completely stop Euro visits to the Changelings they had become significantly more difficult.
Both him & Sean would go to Canterlot to not only receive personal thanks from the Princesses but also become the first humans to ever be proclaimed ‘Knights of Equestria’ which as a rare honor dating back to the nation’s founding. They were also asked if they wanted to join the Equestrian group known as S.M.I.L.E. It was originally formed as a monster hunting agency but recently reorganized into a special forces/intelligence agency under the Equestria Royal Intelligence Ministry. The Princesses wished to turn it into an organization not too dissimilar from the Special Air Service. He was an SAS man before joining MI6 and Sean… well he was sure Sean knew more than a few IRA tactics.
Besides, neither of them wished to emigrate to the US no matter how many offers the CIA made. Even in another world the Yanks were still far too crazy for his tastes…