• Member Since 7th Feb, 2014
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Starscribe


Stories about ponies are stories about people. Every challenge is an opportunity to change. My Patrons let me keep writing, at: https://www.patreon.com/RealStarscribe

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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.

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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).

Chapters (45)
Comments ( 1748 )

I'm always up for a new Starscribe fic! :pinkiehappy: Sure, it's only the prologue, but this one's sounding pretty good so far.

When does the Human Empire invade?

Well now. I wasn't sure about the description, but I'm certainly willing to give this a few chapters. Knowing you, I'm sure I'll be brewing hypotheses and anticipating new chapters in a matter of days.

A promising start, as excellent as I've come to expect from a writer ad talented as you. Looking forward to the new chapters.

I'm already hooked. I can see the depth of the backstory, and the cultural differences already. I can only hope it is to be expanded upon later, yet in a natural, not-shoehorned-in sort of way.

Knowing your other works, though, I don't need to worry.

Ooo, I'm liking this! Time to see where it goes...

I am always blown away by your work. You make it seem like creating universes is as casual an activity as cooking dinner, I can't wait to see more of this story. One of my favorite things about fan fiction is the vastness of universes that some writers can create, you are an inspiration my friend!

This looks like a really cool fic. Hope to see more soon!

You have my interest. Continue.

Well, Starlight is one observant mare it seems.
I wonder how many world wars she'll manage to cause and stop in a single day.
And how Equestria intends to deal with so many slavers around. I don't think that "no enslaving pones while you stay here" would work.

8564156
*compares it and finds some major differences*
:derpytongue2:

8564165
I'm aware of that, but I know some dumb fuck is gonna do it unironically.

Odd how no one seems to acknowledge the lion half of griffons. They're always "birds" for short.

In any case, the tension is palpable... though this must be one heck of a volcano if an entire hemipshere needs to evacuate. :derpyderp2:

8564277

Starscribe said the volcano was a "mega volcano" so I'd assume something on the scale of Yellowstone volcano going up. Just to put it into context the last time a super volcano exploded was about 70,000 years ago in Indonesia, I think it was called the toba volcano but don't quote me on it. And when that thing went up it stared an ice age. And it was calculated that the blast could instantly deafen people 200 miles away. Even if it this volcano won't start an ice age it will seriously reduce crop yields for a decade or two which would cause mass famine.

This looks interesting.

They really should have prepared Starlight better if she didn't even know who the emperor's son was. By all rights there should have been briefings and preparation and whatnot.

A clash between two wildly different cultures, one more similar to our own and the other closer to the ones of the past. This seems promising.

And I liked that last line.

8564315

8564277
And the Toba eruption almost drove humanity to extinction, so a volcano of that power is as serious as a natural disaster can get.

If Starlight is reading about flintlocks in centuries-old books, those guns might be quite a bit more advanced than flintlocks. I guess that's also why her sources are conflicted on how powerful a gun is...

Celestia is letting them relocate to Appleloosa.:applejackconfused:

I wonder what would happen if they killed each other.:rainbowderp: Nice chapter.

Gabriel seems more the "beserker" than the "knight". As in he doesn't think ahead in duels.

I know this is probably underestimating the sod, but he seems brash and quick to act, so I can only assume it happens to be the same in combat as well.

8564765
War of succession and the griffons will run out of time.

Griffons really need to learn about centralized government and cast aside such petty things such as feudalism and clanship. You'd think for all the wisdom the emperor held in regard, he'd learned that as well.

Nice read. Looking forward to the future.

You had my curiosity. Now you have my attention.

That's it, adding this to my favorites!

8565031
Well that'd work out for Equestria at least. Not so much for the slave races under griffon control tbough.

8565045
centeralized government is even worse the fedualism

8565031
When you say it like that, I wonder if that's the direction Star is going to take.

8565791
Only a horribly misinformed person would ever claim such a thing.

8566214
um no jsut look at the soviet union, Nazi Germany, China, North Korea.

I imagine I we’ll get frustrated at stubborn cultural misunderstandings, but feel sympathy for many on all sides. I’ll be following this.

8566601
Very extreme examples, the USA is a centralized nation compared to the Feudalistic nations of the past. Feudalism essentially makes nations within nations, and those tiny nations cannot (or rather will not) share their resources. The Feudal Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, an "Empire" which stretched across modern Germany, United Provinces, Northern Italy, Austria and Bohemia, could at times be matched in terms of Wealth and Available manpower as the dukes of Normandy. Feudal nations cannot access anywhere close to the full resources of their lands, often lead to instability within themselves thanks to powerful vassals, and depend on highly rigid caste systems which restrict social advancement and leave you stuck in the position you where born in, often also leaving your country with incompetent rulers. Every modern nation today is a centralized nation compared to those feudal ones, and I guarantee Feudal nations could not have reached the level of wealth, technology, production and social equity of any centralized nation, yes, even Nazi Germany, the USSR and North Korea.

8566642
that is an issue with how the US has changed over time. the founding fathes didn't want a centralized government. they rebelled against one. The representive that doesn't even live i nthe area he represents will make bad desicions for that area

8566601
And thus proving my fact. You have literally no idea what you're talking about. Every single country today is centralized. Every successful empire and every successful nation in history has gotten better because of more centralization.

Do you want civil war every time a monarch dies? Feudalism. Do you want to be a slave to lords that own the land you live on? Feudalism. Do you like roads, hospitals, schools and the like? Sorry, you cannot collect taxes because of Feudalism. Another nation is attacking you? Sorry, you have to ask your lords for an army which they very much can just deny or turn against you in support of the enemy.

There is a reason we stopped using feudalism. Because it's simply not able to cope with a modern society. Centralization is key to everything you have around you. Without it, you would most likely starve and live a generally horrible life unless you were of noble birth.

And notice most of the nations are in trouble because of it.

That reads a bit like the shardplate from The Stormlight Archive series. I suppose any form of magical armor would at least a little though

8566904
Oh good, I'm not the only one who thought of that. Plus there's the highly combative culture, the incredibly stringent gender roles (including male illiteracy) and the unending war against a frustrating enemy who never comes out and fights properly.

This certainly explains how griffons have kept a stranglehold on so much of the world. That devastating tech advantage cannot be overemphasized. And the Voidsteel is only going to further complicate matters with Equestria...

8567249
Oh yeah that's right, the male illiteracy combined with the female dominated engineering was also making me think Stormlight Archive. I was thinking that last chapter but didn't remember to comment about it.

8566601
Denmark, France, Portugal, UK...

8566750
The US was a confederation from 1781 to 1788, under the Articles of Confederation. In 1788 the Constitution was ratified, and the US became a federation, which is a form of centralized government.

So if by "changed over time", you mean "over the course of the first 7 years" (where "first" is overlapping with the tail end of the American Revolution), then sure.

Into the sea? That's harsh. I would expect him to haggle for "into your arsenal, with receipts, to be returned later."

8569382
the Constitutution. allowed a limited Federal Government. One that has sadly grown since. and most of those countries are havign issues because of Centeralized governments. The farther a government is form it's people the more out of touch it becomes.

8566750
The founding fathers idea was for extremely self sufficient communities, but the problems with that idea is one, it doesn't reflect the technology of the modern age, two, entirely self sufficient communities have no need to trade, so ideas don't get shared, unique goods don't get traded etc. Three, it's near impossible to create a proper military to defend those communities, especially if the opponent is more centralized, small government is a big part of why America did so poorly in the war of 1812 that they got their capital burned to the ground. And if you try to argue about how America won its war for independence, one they had the help of the French and Spanish, two the soldiers and officers who won the independence war were almost universally supporters of centralized government after it was over

8569647
no the founding fathers in the end wanted a government that answered to the people. Look at the constitution. WHile that have a national government to take care of boarders and and such there was also powerful state governments closer to the people. Hence Not Centeralised.

8570012
The United States is a centralized government that exists at the sufferance of the people, which, while a fairly unique position to be in, does not make it non-centralized.

8570012
Firstly, I don't think you understand what a centralized government actually is. Centralized governments don't mean the people have no say in it, it just means that things like taxes, laws, budgets, infrastructure etc are all managed from a central organisation. And the inverse is not true either, non-centralized governments don't mean they have to listen to the people, if you think Feudal governments gave many shits about the opinions of their citizens then you have no understanding of what feudal societies where actually like.

Secondly, even the governments of the individual States are centralized compared to feudal societies, where as in feudal societies the most important government organisation was often just the lord of the town, US State Governments are(and where) massively centralized compared to those feudal societies.

Thirdly, by virtue of having a central government which could pass certain laws over the states, could collect taxes from those states, maintain an army for those states and maintain a foreign policy for those states which they themselves could not do, the US government created by the US founding fathers was still far more centralized than Feudal Governments.

8571514
>mfw you started an online argument.

I don't believe he gets it, bro :P

8571514
no Centeralized government is everything in one spot. the european nations don't have state capitals the way america does. the reason america exists is becasue the colonist got sick of a government so far away dictating laws on them.

8571751

Centeralized government is everything in one spot.

What like, geographically? You have a very simplified view on the world. Because you know that for example, the US government is not geographically all located in one place right?

And European countries do have states with state capitols, the capitol of Bavaria in Germany is Munich, the Capitol of Brittany in France is Rennes etc.

And yes the Americans did revolt because they where sick of a government across an entire ocean dictating some of what they could do (among other things) but you'll note that Washington DC is significantly closer to any American State than London is.

EDIT: Also, none of this is disproving the fact that Feudal governments where so much worse than Centralized ones. Nor the fact that the entire history of the American government alone has been far more centralized than Feudal governments.

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