PRINCE GALLUS? And the Trial for the Throne

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

The Crowning of King Gallus The First

The following weeks (more than a month) had been a lot of work. Word had to be spread all across The Griffon Empire that there was now to be a new king. Responses included excitement, indifference, and anger. Some griffons had claimed that they should have been the ones who took the throne. However, none of them were actually willing to undergo the trial themselves. Still, between the scepter, Gilda and Gabby, the direct support of Equestria by Princess Twilight Sparkle, the indirect support of The Hippogriff Kingdom by Silverstream being Queen Novo's niece, and the griffons' desire for a leader to help improve the empire as a whole, they were able to get enough support for Gallus's rule to be recognized.

There had even been offers to be his queen, royal consort, or even concubine. Offers from females, and males, from griffons, hippogriffs, a few ponies, and even a couple of changelings. It was quite a variety.

Then there was all the preparation for the coronation itself. A new crown had to be made, and there was an insistence of a full, proper royal garbs, including one specifically designed for the ceremony itself. Word had to be sent out to the other kingdoms, along with invitations, allowing them to send representation. Also, since the coronation was also something of a party, which meant that food and entertainment had to be set up.

Being sick of food was something Gallus had never imagined was possible.

Since the new king would need a place to live, renovations of the castle began. A full and proper repair and update would take far more time than they had (especially to do it properly), only a small portion was focused on at the moment. Specifically, a living quarters, the throne room, and the kitchen. It would be enough to allow for living and working while the rest of the castle was worked on later.

As the day grew closer and word spread, a surprising number of relatives (which, in this case means any) began to show up. Usually, they would come to Gallus, claiming to be some X cousin Y removed on one side or the other. There were exceptions, of course. For instance, one particularly bold tom showed up, claiming to be his long lost twin brother. It would have been a lot more impressive if the "twin" had done a better job painting himself.

A part of Gallus wished there was some sort of test or spell that could find out if any were telling the truth.

Finally, the day of the coronation arrived. Griffons had flocked to Griffonstone from all across the empire. Creatures had come from other kingdoms. Including government representatives, writers -- both journalists, and hopeful authors who wanted to write the definitive book about the historical event -- and, of course, Gallus's friends.

Five particular friends stood together at the base of the red carpet leading up to the castle steps.

The first horns blew, signaling the start of the fanfare, and the coronation ceremony. Gallus came to a landing at the bottom of the carpet, completely unadorned. His head raised high, his chest puffed out, and wings spread out and held up above him, he started forward. Ocellus and Sandbar followed after, behind him and off to the sides. Yona and Smolder fell in step directly behind them. Finally, Silverstream stood furthest back and in the center, pulling up the rear.

That was, when she was not stopping to wave enthusiastically at a creature, then sprinting to catch up with the others.

The crowd stood on each side, watching the group make their way forward. There was an occasional flash from a camera, and flare of corona from a unicorn.

Reaching the base of the steps, the entourage came to a stop at the base while Gallus climbed up. The music came to an end as he reached the top, Princess Twilight Sparkle awaiting in front of him, with Gilda on one side, and Commander Tempest Shadow on the other.

Gallus stepped closer, the dropped into a deep bow.

Princess Twilight Sparkle took a step forward, wings unfolding. Her horn lit up with the soft pink glow of her magic. With her magic, she pulled a pair of bracers into view. They looked to be made of tin, with a flying eagle etched onto one, and a roaring lion on the other. The bracers were placed onto Gallus forelegs. A peytral followed, made of the same material. Lifting his head, Gallus allowed it to be slipped into place. He could feel the weight of it on his shoulders, and the cool metal against the fur and skin of his chest.

A royal cape appeared. It was large, with a deep wine-red color, thick, fluffy trimming (made from angora rabbit hair, which had been collected quite harmlessly at Fluttershy's insistence), and two small golden squares attached near the collar. As the cape was set in place, the square tabs came in touch with the peytral.

There was an audible click as the tab snapped into place. Once it did, a change overcame the peytral. The tin turned to gold, glistening brightly in the sun. A sapphire appeared in the center, large and bright blue. Small sapphire chips spread out from that point, creating the look of feathered wings spread wide. The bracers followed, the eagle and lion transforming into a pair of griffons with amethysts for their eyes.

Then came the crown. A band of gold with six prongs raised up, equally spaced apart. On each prong was a single jewel, each one of the six major colors. On the inside of the band, hidden from view, was a series of small etchings, including a six-pointed starburst of energy, a crystal tree, and a fez. The crown was gently lowered into place, settling onto Gallus's head.

Princess Twilight Sparkle brought forth the scepter that Gallus had found in the cave. Taking it in her hoof, she slowly lowered the eagle head down, tapping it against each of Gallus's shoulders.

"Rise," she ordered, holding out the scepter.

Gallus rose and took it.

"CITIZENS OF THE GRIFFON EMPIRE!" Princess Twilight Sparkle called out. "I PRESENT TO YOU, YOUR NEW RULER! KING GALLUS!"

King Gallus turned around and stepped forward, raising the scepter high. As he did, cheers (and some boos) came from the crowd. At the base of the steps, five creatures from different kingdoms bowed down. The first that he received as king of the griffons.

Gilda stepped beside him.

"Congratulations."

Her wings flicked out, smacking the back of his head and knocking his crown over his eyes.

"Don't let it go to your head... your majesty."

Comments

[FriendsForever]

Will there be a sequel

[Scyphi]

And here I thought Leo was just going to be part of the test, not an actual lost little griff.

I wonder, how does one go about resetting the test? You know, just in case?

[Comickook]

This is an excellent epilogue. The characterizations and overall tone of the story was downright superb throughout. I LOVED the detail of the work that went into getting the castle fixed up as well as all of those individuals coming out of the woodwork to try to cash in on Gallus's success. Most of all, I adored how the rest of the Young Six, Twilight and Gilda attending the coronation.

All in all, I could EASILY see this being an actual episode of a sequel series. :-D

[ICantThinkOfAName404]

A great read but it feels somewhat lacking. bit more detail here and there could help with the overall feel.
other than that its great. I wanna see more of the concept, of gallus secretly being royalty. i cannot find any other fics with the same plot. so i do hope for a sequel

[FanOfMostEverything]

A part of Gallus wished there was some sort of test or spell that could find out if any were telling the truth.

"The good news is that I know people with access to gene sequencing technology. The bad news is that I have no idea what the mirror portal does to griffons."

In any case, a fantastic example of the local boy made good. A little tightly compressed in parts and you never really resolve the disconnect between the squalor and apathy of Griffonstone versus the implications of an empire, but still some excellent character moments. The etching of the fez in the crown was especially nice. Thank you for this, and best of luck in the judging.

[NaiadSagaIotaOar]

This could've badly done with a proodread, but darn it, this was just so charming. You made me like Gallus, and I'm not sure much else can claim to have managed that.

[Hopeful_Ink_Hoof]

Well, the winners have been announced, so time for some replies.

9881531
No plans to at this time, although I do have a small portion of an idea for it. It would basically about Gallus needing to get married and having an heir. I also want to go back and write a longer, more fleshed out version of the story.

9881823
I considered it. Having him be like an illusion or something. But... the idea of having Gallus and Leo build a rapport, only to have him be fake, or still stuck there... seemed a bit mean to me.

As for resetting the test, it's automatic. When the griffon attempting it either exits the cave or fails, the test resets, and rearranges itself so that the new challenger doesn't know what to expect.

9882607
That is one of the potential issues when working on a story with a word limit. You can either risk a lack of proper detail, but end up in the limit, or you can have it well fleshed, but risk going over.

9886237
They have shirts they are selling about his failing, which happens to be selling much better than the ones cheering him on. Silverstream was just trying to avoid telling Gallus anything about it, not wanting to undermine his confidence.

[Scyphi]

9998167

I considered it. Having him be like an illusion or something. But... the idea of having Gallus and Leo build a rapport, only to have him be fake, or still stuck there... seemed a bit mean to me.

I'll buy that. Though it does leave Leo feeling like he needs a bit more fleshing out for his role in the story, if only to better explain and justify the hows and whys and so on. Obviously word limits played a role in that, so I hope you go back and do a more fleshed out version now that's no longer a restriction, as it can only help but improve this little tale.

[RyansFlan]

Excellent story! Wonder if there will be a sequel.

[RyansFlan]

There had even been offers to be his queen, royal consort, or even concubine. Offers from females, and males, from griffons, hippogriffs, a few ponies, and even a couple of changelings. It was quite a variety.

Who would Gallus take as a wife?
Would be interesting if Gallus established his own harem

[Hasbrofan22]

9998176
Who did he chose to marry?