I've never seen a place that's quite like this. Everything is turned around; this crazy world is upside down.
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Shortly after her coronation as the new Princess of Equestria, Twilight is visited by a creature she never expected to see in person. What's even more unexpected than the identity of this petitioner, though, is his reason for coming.
Maintenant en Français grâce à la traduction merveilleuse d'Acylius!
(Now available in French thanks to the wonderful work of Acylius!)
Partially inspired by the Imposing Sovereigns II contest under the prompt "Twilight/The Old."
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I liked it, i always wondered after the finale what happened to the real Grogar
An interesting short. I really enjoyed your descriptions. You have a really nice handle when it comes to simply painting the world around the ponies in a captivating way. And for face expressions, magic too etc.
Absolutely LOVED the dialogue between (the real) Grogar, Twilight and Discord. Yeah, Grogar made some good points about being pragmatic enough to know his chances against Twilight and her friends and Twilight, while understandably suspicious at first, is at least willing to give a fair chance.
I love this dynamic already.
Dear Twilight,
If you allow the Council of Smashing, then you get to regulate Smashing.
This could be a good thing.
--Spade
my only gripe is that this is a one-shot
this idea has so much potential
i wanna read about grogar attempting reformation
and should he succeed, maybe a few chapters' worth of that
Please make a sequel. There must be a sequel! Who will become Grogars friend? I must know!
DId you absolutely have to use that word in reference to those three?
I can imagine this being how Grogar (the real one that is) would've been portrayed on the show had this actual scenario come up.
This is interesting! There's just one tiny problem: This CAN'T be completed! This story needs to continue, it'd be an awesome trip to see Grogar learn about friendship.
9944072
Same here! That's a large part of why I wanted to write this—especially since Grogar seems like such an interesting character to me. Glad you enjoyed it!
9944086
Thank you so much! I fret a lot over my descriptions, wondering whether I'm ever going overboard or not detailing enough. It means a lot to hear that you enjoyed that aspect.
9944093
Dialogue is always so fun to write, and these characters play off of each other so well that it often writes itself. Happy you enjoyed it!
9944142
This is an extremely valid point. Twilight should probably consider that the next time the yaks come around.
9944178
Admittedly, I played around with a few different choices for which word to use there. I settled on that one since it just felt appropriate coming from Grogar. It's a harsh descriptor, but he's a harsh character.
9944182
Happy to hear that! I typically strive for a show-accurate tone in my stories, so I'm glad I hit that mark.
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9944239
I hear y'all loud and clear! I knew once I finished writing it that this feels more like the start of a longer piece than a complete story itself. I considered expanding it, but I wasn't sure how receptive people would be to this idea in general. Judging by the response so far, I had little to fear in that regard.
I can't promise that I'll continue this story anytime soon since I have other projects I'd like to work on first, but a sequel is definitely on the table. There's a lot of potential in exploring Grogar's (mis)adventures at the School of Friendship—and in Equestria in general. I had a lot of fun writing this story on its own, and I've got a fair few ideas for how a sequel might play out. Bear with me, though. I'm a slow writer.
Glad you all enjoyed it!
9944318
i only hope that it happens
also, any ideas for Autumn Blaze in the school?
I liked that! I would love to see some sort of sequel to this.
I quite like Grogar in this. I could go on a spiel describing the intricacies I see in his character, but I've done enough typing for today. With that said, I'm hoping, if you continue this story, that you don't force Grogar down the path of friendship; it just isn't for him. Rather, it seems like it'd be more interesting to have a character whose sole purpose is to take kindness, laughter, loyalty, generosity, and honesty and throw it back in the recipient's face. With the exception of Discord, I can't think of any character in MLP that he would actually get along with.
a few hours later
"Okay, THIRD condition, for the both of you. Hold your skeleton/ghost/custard/napalm fight SOMEWHERE ELSE. And by that I do not mean 'on the other side of Mount Canter'."
more please?
I kind of liked the vibe Twilight gave here, in that she doesn't really seem to be the type to unhesitatingly give others like Grogar a chance, on account of him not really feeling much in the way of regret, aside from failure, and she also strikes me as being a Twilight who knows that there are... lost causes. Twilight did kill Sombra, after all, and it's not like she never tried with Tirek, or Chrysalis, and I kinda doubt she lost much sleep over Sombra, in either case, regarding the outcomes.
Still, giving it a go could indeed be worth it. Not really expecting him to go full Starlight or Sunset on us, regarding turnaround (the former did change a lot, y'know), but there's a lot more promise in this endeavor than with say, Chrysalis (I can't for the life of me imagine Spike vouching for her, for glaringly obvious reasons, and I'm not convinced Twilight can forgive her, for how viscerally personal it got).
I like how Grogar realized how it's probably ultimately fruitless to try going down the path the others went, so he'll try "redemption" for selfish/pragmatic reasons... at least initially. It strikes me as interesting, where it might go. Is he quite "powerless," as in no magic, or is that just in comparison to the others (which yeah, Twilight is very powerful, so is Discord)? It was mentioned he influenced Nightmare Moon getting free.
Discord's appearance was well-done here (why wouldn't Grogar be annoyed by the impersonation? lol), with the casual summoning of the statue to check.
I think you meant "any," not "and."
I love villains that show honest intellect.
Good story, though other than Discord, Celestia or Luna, I imagine Grogar has very few beings who could relate to him, like a grumpy old man with only small children around them to make friends with.
A couple typos
"Twilight herself in as best she could" - This is missing word
“Maybe he's never tried to make and friends. " - *any
I like the idea of Grogar being something utterly pragmatic, and utterly honest. Which in a strange way would make him very difficult to befriend, as he, honestly, tells this or that being his exact opinion on whatever topic. If Grogar thinks you are a stupid waste of oxygen, he will tell you quite plainly that you are a stupid waste of oxygen. Discord reformed because he's inherently changeable, Grogar is a basalt monolith waiting for the nuisances to die of old age.
One thing's for sure, nothing is going to happen until he finds someone worth respecting, and the first step towards that will be someone who respects him.
"Hang on, do rainbows to the face invalidate the 'by your free will' part? Because that could rule out Condiment Mane and yours truly."
Wait, starlight prison? Was Grogar sealed in Capricorn? (Also, fascinating take on the stars aiding in her escape.)
Brilliant way to answer one of the larger questions hanging over the finale: What happened to the goat? And Twilight's decision is perfect for her. Sorry, Grogar, but an alliance requires give and take, and you've let the other party know you're desperate. Not surprising that the Father of Monsters doesn't have a lot of negotiation experience.
Thank you for this, and best of luck in the... Whoops, sorry, force of habit.
Though this is a delightful take on that prompt.
Everyone seems to like how you portrayed Grogar in this.
I love how you portrayed Spike in this. Royal advisor, through and through, even when his advice is against both his and Twilight's gut instincts.
Ah, one of my all-time favorite Tropes. The dreaded Heel-Face Turn. Honestly, the only thing I like about post-reform Discord... But Grogar, I'm sure, will take a longer, more drawn-out process, and will end up all the better for it. Since "honest neutrality" is better in my book than "chaotic with a Morality Chain".
9944764
Ship him through the mirror to hang out with the shadowbolts? Imagine him interacting with Sugarcoat.
"So..." Starlight Glimmer moved her ficus to the other side of the principal's desk next to the 'Best Headmare Ever' mug full of empathy cocoa and just observed Twilight for a moment. There were twitches, and sprung up hairs, as well as that creepy smile to observe, which really did not proclaim 'The Princess of the Realm is Sane' in any kind of body language. Instead of calling for the School Counselor (which would not have helped Twilight's stress level, since Starlight Glimmer had not found a way to break the news about Trixie's new job to Twilight Sparkle yet), she let out her breath and asked, "How can the School of Friendship help you?"
"I've... got a new student for you," started Twilight before rolling right into her next question. "Do you remember when we talked a few months ago about how I had been so angry that Princess Celestia would pawn off her problems on me, and you said it was because she was testing to see if I'd be a good princess at first, and to see how good a job I'd do with ruling the kingdom later, and I laughed and laughed?
"Yes..." started Starlight Glimmer slowly.
"Well, I just wanted to say congratulations ahead of time and to get preening lessons from Rainbow Dash when you have a chance because here's your new student and good luck!"
There was a flash of purple, and Twilight Sparkle was gone. There was, however, a creature remaining in her place.
Starlight took a cautious sip of her cocoa, let out her breath, and made her best attempt at a smile. "Welcome to our school?"
Spike used my usual argument...
I could think Grogar counter...
"I will also have a condition... If I need to go, Discord should go"
And see who give up first, him, Discord or Twilight
9944764
Indeed, it has become quite the cliche of the scheming liar of a villain (the moustache twirling sort). That makes Grogar more scary, he's not hiding his way of thinking nor sugarcoating his stance towards the rest and that speaks volumes of his confidence
(ahem)
ARGONMATRIX
9945190
"So.... I take it YOU are this Starlight Glimmer I've heard so much about. A once iron hoofed ruler of a cultist town turned into a casual Headmare? I am Grogar the former Emperor of all of Equestria. Father of Monsters and Ruler of All. I trust that you will be able to assist me in my..... (ahem) Rehabilitation.
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Hmmmmmm
9944841
I'd say that he does have "negotiation" experience, of the "give me the thing or the bugbear eats your face/family" variety. I think that's why he's going along with this, because as far as he knows this is how negotiation/compromise works.
Might makes right.
Ironically, keeping him in this probationary state will also mean that he assumes that might still makes right, and Twilight is simply indulging the hypocritical privilege her power grants her.
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I couldn't have written a better canon version of Grogar myself. Might I suggest a potential friend for the Father of Monsters? I think Starlight might be an interesting choice to pair up with Grogar. I mostly say this because I believe they could really bounce off of each other relatively well. Besides, Starlight seems to have a knack for understanding ex-villains (except understandably Discord).
9945164
Hello new ship.
Grogar x Starswirl friendshipping sequel when?
9944343
I'm not entirely convinced that Autumn Blaze would need to go to the school, but I'm all for more Best Kirin.
9944412
I honestly don't know whether Grogar would take to friendship. I'd obviously have to figure that out if/when I write a sequel to this, but I could see it going either way.
9944482
Probably not anytime soon, but there's enough interest that I'd be remiss not to continue it at some point!
9944718
Fixed the typos; thank you! As for beings Grogar can relate to, the ones you mentioned are definitely the most obvious candidates—but I think there could be some interesting dynamics between him and other characters, too. Whether that would translate to any kind of friendship, I'm not so sure.
9944764
That's the exact picture of Grogar I hoped to paint while writing this. Glad it came through so clearly!
9944841
My intention was Aries, but Capricorn also works! Maybe even both at once.
9944867
Thank you! Spike is far and away one of my favourite characters. I always enjoy writing him, and I've been told I have a knack for it. I haven't written him in some time though, so I wasn't sure if his portrayal here was up to snuff. Glad you thought it was!
9944950
Grogar definitely wouldn't be able to be reformed in the same way Discord was. It would definitely be a more gradual process, and it might not even work in the end. He's very set in his ways.
9945164
I'm terrible at writing Sugarcoat; otherwise I would absolutely want to do this.
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Please don't hurt me!
9945654
The dynamic between Grogar and Starlight would definitely be interesting—and easy enough to realize, since he'd be at the School of Friendship anyway. Absolutely something I'll consider going forward!
9945831
Ooh, that one hadn't crossed my mind. But the more I think about it, the more intriguing it becomes!
9944178
I mean, it's not like they didn't earn it. They were either offered a chance (or several), or did things too heinous and dangerous to try and allow a chance for.
Redemption only works if someone wants to be redeemed. If you extend your hand at their vulnerable moment and show them you're willing to help instead of hurt them, and they spit in your face, it's pretty clear next time you meet it'll be on their terms and you'll be the vulnerable one so they can hurt you - no offer of friendship. They don't want to be redeemed, they already believe they're right and you're wrong. They want to destroy, dominate, kill, and rule the ashes.
Putting them in pony Hell was already a kindness. 'Plop your butt down here and maybe after awhile you'll want redemption.'
They got out and tried to destroy Equestria again. So they got what they earned. Eradication.
9945938
Right, I've done this a million times already so I'll just go over my major talking points all at once.
Oh PLEASE please PLEASE please pLeAsE pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaze write more, I NEED the slice of life adventures of Grogar attensing friendship school with a bunch of kiddos 🤣🤣🤣
9945938
And now for one specific point.
Twilight should have petrified Starlight Glimmer outside of Our Town if she'd had the chance. She should have let Tempest Shadow die and gone for the Staff of Sacanas instead. That is exactly what you are telling me, exactly how this logic train works. I'll respect you more if you own up to this fact rather than try and dodge it; since even though I'll find it repugnant it will at least be consistent in application.
9945910
Grogar has a point. Does Twilight think forcing an eldery dark lord to go to school and make friends with children is going to help?
This is fantastic. Every character was portrayed excellently and fit their roles in the story like a glove. Count me among the many looking forward to a sequel whenever you get there!
9946186
It really won't, but operating under the logic of "might makes right" as he is, he'll do it anyway.
Im eager to think that you based this fic in the video of grogar by the brony notion, and I like it!
9946186
It likely won't turn him around completely, but it could be a good first step. Grogar has a fundamentally flawed idea of what friendship is—Twilight has a school that teaches the value of friendship. It's a logical place to start, and Twilight is nothing if not logical!
9946014
Why is this comment getting downvotes? He's right with basically every single point he made.
Holy shit.