This is a primarily a short story about stress, anxiety and the importance of parental affection in the development of young adults against a backdrop of political chaos and instability across the Griffonian Empire after a decade of wars; some large and some small.

If that name is unfamiliar to you, then I'm happy to explain that this story is based on a headcanon from the Hearts of Iron IV mod Equestria at War in which Duchess Gabriella and Duke Gerlach secure Griffenheim and rescue Grover VI from the talons of the Archon. From there they reconquer the empire and look after Grover VI as his wards, which gives us the backdrop to this short story.

I have also decided to flesh out this story, you can find the longfic version here which is currently receiving weekly updates, though that may be subject to change as my exams are coming up.

Did you know Fluttershy was made Royal Game Warden of the last remaining Royal Game Preserve in Equestria? Of course, she only has that title because the newly winged Twilight needed something with which to defraud the government, and that "preserve" is, due to centuries of neglect, actually the Everfree Forest, but that's not really important.

Until, of course, the Griffon Ambassador showed up at her door demanding her services as a hunting guide for his lunch.

Then it was a little important.

A nation fractured and surrounded by enemies, a physically weak ruler who struggled daily to maintain an empire that weakened with each passing year. Together with nobles increasingly ambitious and emboldened as the emperor's authority dwindled.

All this added up to a powder fuse for a nation that would explode into conflict with the ambition of the various duchies and counties that already wielded considerable power.

And in the middle of all this chaos, he is born.

An old spirit in a young body. The first and only heir of the Von Greifenstein dynasty and the last hope of a declining Griffonian Empire.

Grover the Sixth, Emperor of the Griffons.

This story is based on the mod for Hoi4 Equestria at war. It's really worth checking out. All types of constructive criticism are accepted and very well welcome! I don't own any of the images! They all belong to the Equestria at war Dev team and their Artists!

(I couldn't find a better picture of Zipp in royal regalia)

Many moons have passed since Opaline's defeat. In that time, Queen Haven abdicated her throne, passing the crown to Zipp Storm. As ruler, she reaches out to the griffon kingdom, in order to reforge international relationships. However, due to ponies' tendency to split up by race, the griffon king wants nothing to do with them. But Zipp can't give in.

An entry in Imposing Sovereigns IV, using the prompt Zipp/Persistence.

This story is a sequel to Good Trooper Gilda

Gilda has been a fugitive, a refugee, a prisoner of war, and a bat-hen to Equestria's fussiest unicorn. But it wasn't until she took 'the Princess's bit', that she began to know something about what it meant to be responsible for the welfare of others, even if the others in question happened to be the pack of imbeciles, blackguards, con-ponies, and bat-ponies who had been fool enough to answer her captain's call to the standard.

A crystalline standard which had not been seen in the living world for over a thousand years.

And although Captain Gleaming Shield and her motley band of raw recruits and shifty bat-ponies aimed to do nothing more exotic and dangerous than put a foreign princess on her proper throne, there are other things stirring in the shadows.

Like calls to like, and the revival of ancient battle-colors may lead to the revival of other, darker memories upon which the rays of Celestia's sun lay lightly and infrequently.

The surface isn't safe anymore.

In the ruined depths of Canterlot, a team of brave salvagers discover six mares, long forgotten but miraculously preserved. Though these mares cannot remember what happened to their world, they possess powerful magic that hasn't been seen for centuries.

Now the Elements of Harmony are thrust headlong into a world beyond recognition. Twilight and her friends must dive into the sunken remains of history to determine what happened, but Equestria isn't the harmonious land it once was. Before they can focus wholly on the past, they may first have to survive the present.

It isn't going to be easy.

Audiobook by Skijarama!
Original Soundtrack by Noc!

Special thanks to Doccular42 for the original concept, and M1ntf4n for editing!

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Big thanks to dA artist fantazyme and reader jeffh4 for making this fantastic rendition of Rarity at Mr. Rich's party!

On the fence of whether to read? Check out the Rage Review or hear PaulAsaran's thoughts!

The ancient and powerful Accipion Empire has conquered every nation on Equus... except one. Despite their apparent weakness, the magic of friendship has protected ponies for many years. Emperor Gaius Renault thought his kind would rule forever, that they would have ample opportunity to conquer their ancient foe.

Nature had other ideas. Beneath their claws was a force of unimaginable power, a volcano whose eruption will devastate the empire and smother their crops for years afterward. Even his most optimistic advisors agree that there is only one choice: evacuation.

Equestria might be friendly, but they are no fools. They send a pony, Starlight Glimmer, to see that the terms of the evacuation are followed, and to help the griffins integrate during their time as refugees in Equestria. But blood runs thick, and old rivalries can't just be forgotten.

The longer Starlight Glimmer watches, the more she is convinced she is witnessing the end of both nations.

Updates Mondays

This story was commissioned on my Patreon by Vilken666. Thank you so much for making this story possible!

Coverart by Zutcha, who maintains his perfect record. Prereading by Two Bit and Sparktail (sometimes).

On the morning of an important day, a father rises early to prepare breakfast for his family. His son joins him and asks a question he isn't prepared to answer.

Special thanks to Bean's Writing Group for the feedback and support!

Following the banishment of Nightmare Moon, Equestria as a nation was thrown into turmoil, never to recover.

It collapsed completely not long thereafter.

Now, a thousand years later, it'll be up to the inhabitants that have taken its place to finish what it could not.

Honorable mention in the Choices: A Species Change Contest.

Featured 11/27/2022

Long after the Event that transformed all of humanity into ponies, griffins, or other fanciful creatures, and sent most hurtling forward in time, many were still randomly popping out of the timestream. This was a real problem when it came to a whole airplane full of passengers arriving in mid air, and the pilots could no longer control their vessel. Who do you call in this situation? The Aeronautical Returnee Rescue Response Squad!

This is an episodic story which is a side-fic based in the "Ponies after People" universe from Starscribe's story - "The Last Pony on Earth".