I finished The Lost Fledgling of Griffonstone today! The jist of it is that in the Runeverse, the griffons never lost their monarchy and not all of them are poor.¹ We also know from a throwaway line in Runic Notation that griffons used runes; I considered factoring this into the plot, but I couldn’t fit it in.

I had an ulterior motive for writing it: I’m hoping to create an alternate Student Six in the Runeverse using only canon characters, and TCC doesn’t mind. Since we never see any other “teenage” yaks or changelings, this group doesn’t have to include the same species. Also, we’d need to come up with an alternate version of the School of Friendship, but one thing at a time.

Here’s some food for thought:

• In the Runeverse, every species can use magic, though runes are very hard to learn. How would this change various societies? For example, Zecora would’ve never gone to Equestria if there was magic she could learn at home.²
• Are you unhappy with how a certain species was portrayed in canon? Alternate universe fics are the perfect way to rectify that!
• The Runeverse isn’t limited to show canon. Runic Notation prominently features Aria Blaze³, while The Lost Fledgling of Griffonstone gives minor roles to some comic characters.
• If you want to write hippogriffs, we’d need to think about how the movie would play out in the Runeverse.⁴
• I’m calling dibs on the breezies.

Without further adieu, let’s brainstorm!

1. This was intended to be the long-term setup for a Gallus/Silverstream roleswap, but that’s subject to change.
2. Further reading: Friendship is Magic #90
3. I know the Dazzlings had a cameo in the show, but it was supplementing their backstory in Rainbow Rocks, so...
4. In a Discord conversation, TCC said that he would roleswap Zecora with Capper - would that mean the Storm King conquered Farasi instead of Abyssinia in that case?

Wow that's a pretty cool idea let me think about that with the young six

I have one idea: swapping Yaks and Changelings.

• With Runic magic availible to them, the Yaks grow more and more prideful and warlike. Eventually their leadership decides that if Yak are the the strongest and species around, Yak are also the greatest, and Yak should conquer everyone else tnd "share" this greatness with them, starting with those weakling ponies in the south. So the Yak army attack a major event in Canterlot, using Runes to make up for their lack of unicorn-style spellcaters, but the Princesses and Element Bearers fight them off. I imagine Yona eventually becomes their Thorax: someone who shows her fellow Yaks that true strength comes not from violence, but from kindness and mutual support, which helps their society turn over a new leaf.
• The Changelings, on the other hand, become Equestria's mysterious and aloof foreign allies. I imagine Adagio and Sonata faced Chrysalis during the Changelings' initial rampage and, having been fellow emotion-eating monsters, worked out some sort of peaceful compromise. They could probably appear in a plot similar to "Party Pooped," where the Mane Six (or Rune Six?) try to throw a welcoming party for the visiting Queen Chrysalis, who is being a huge diva all the while.

7430312 I like that! Maybe Chrysalis could be one of the few who knows the Princesses' origins. It reminds me of Love Bites by MagnetBolt.