The wild west and the buffalos
New Western territories of Germany
It felt quite weird for those who travelled west in the prospect of wealth, as they were permitted guns and the new lands that they acquired from Equestria were uncharted, therefore unsafe. Yet, it didn't deter some griffons from trekking west with wagons and sometimes family in tow against the risk to gain their fortune.
They would usually move in large columns; the leading convoys generally being the heaviest armed. Some would split off once noticing a suitable plot of land, whilst others kept pace; searching for their prize.
"Bertha! You see anythin'?" A gruffy voice asked, as he mindlessly looked side to side.
"Nothing of worth dear," A gentle voice answered back, as so far, she could only observe endlessly plains.
The gruffy griffon nodded slowly, as he began to squint towards what seemed to be a hill on his right. "Funny... Last I checked hills don't get bigger..." He muttered as the 'hills' seemed to dissipate and reveal a line of specks approaching them.
His eyes widened in realisation, as he quickly whipped his gun to his side. "INCOMING! AT 9'OCLOCK!"
Every griffon leading the wagons trained their aim towards the warning in unison; their drills and experience serving them well in their attentiveness. The wives of said leading griffons drew their own guns as well; determined to save their youngings' and their belongings.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE! THEY'RE TOO FAR!" An authoritative voice boomed; his tone matching that of a sergeant, which motivated the aiming griffons.
As the specks became bigger, their features became unmistakable; "BUFFALOS!" A squinting griffon informed the rest, as the others began to train their aim towards a target.
It was quite confusing for the buffalos, as what they first assumed to be ponies were actually in fact, griffons. They were not only confused that the infamously 'savage' eastern griffons had wagons and clothes but also refused to fly away only spotting a stampeding horde. "They have valuable possessions." They all assumed.
Their confusion would quickly turn to fear, however, as their entire front rank limped and tripped after a thunderous CRACK! Boomed out from the motionless griffons.
The buffalos, by now were no strangers to such powerful weapons; the blood and guts of their fallen comrades and brothers against the ballistas of the earth ponies having taught them that. And so they dispersed and scattered into the dust; not wanting to serve the same fate as the ones in the front lines.
"Damn pests... When will they learn to avoid us?" A griffon spat, as he cocked his gun to load a bullet.
"They better learn like those damn wolves did... Too bad they're now replaced by those fearless timber-kinds." Another griffon cursed, as he flung his rifle to his back; intending on continuing forward.
"...Aye..." They muttered.
Buffalo chief's camp
To say it wasn't their day was an understatement; it hadn't been their day for several months now.
They used to be able to raid and stampede the earth ponies easily; their pegasus 'allies' being either too slow or uncaring to repel them.
But now, everything had changed, as the once-prized position of being in the front ranks became a punishment; an equivalent to a death penalty as the earth ponies began to use a new wooden contraption to kill them from afar.
At first, they were relieved to see that the earth ponies' patrols and forts began to become vacant, as they mysteriously retreated west; theoretically giving the buffalos free rein over the eastern plains and rivers. Oh how wrong they were.
What they discovered in the eastern interiors was completely abandonment; the sparsely inhabited land now being even barer; as the ponies who previously settled there had all but mysteriously disappeared as well, leaving behind ghost villages and vast, empty fields.
Then, the griffons came.
The buffalos would never forget the images. The horrifying memories and scenes of griffons flying in flocks and picking them off one by one.
Normally, arrows from pegasuses would simply brush or bounce off their thick furs, but the griffons were using something different.
A weapon that roared an ear-splitting explosion; so precise it could kill a fly; so deadly that it could fell a dragon in one shot.
There was no hiding, no running nor fighting. The griffons could see from afar, and shoot from that distance; they could fly and easily chase a fleeing buffalo. They stood no chance.
The Griffons would move in groups, killing entire hordes without mercy. Despite their utter efficiency and brutality, they would strangely not touch the buffalos' prized fur nor devour their bodies; instead, more insultingly, they would leave them out in the open; their carcasses emitting terrifying fumes that would disgust and warn the buffalos that passed by.
In just a week, their entire kind was driven out of the eastern Equestrian lands; a very few escaping with their lives, but the majority died in it; never to see their families again.
Never would they travel north again; for the risks were too big. But they would never yield land; no matter the cost.
Lessons of warning against travelling north already began to spread; teaching the younger generations to never pass the northern mountains and hills which acted as their border.
But they would learn another lesson; to never concede their rightful lands.
Colony of Alsace: State capital
Erwin Rommel stared nervously at his communicator; not out of fear for his wellbeing, but fear that the emperors' names were merely coincidences, and he had just wasted his, and their time.
He briefly glanced towards a guard that flanked him; poised to rip off his communicator at any signs of wasting their glorious emperors' time.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the communicator finally spoke.
"10 seconds. Say something worth my time." Paul dismissively remarked as he was preoccupied with working on another blueprint. He hadn't even bothered looking at the supposedly crazed griffon's case.
"I swear... We need someone else to delegate these questions to..." Paul absently thought, as this wasn't the first time a griffon inquired personally to the emperors, and it definitely would not be the last. The worse bit was, many junkers (nobles of Germany) would appoint such services with priority to celebrate birthdays for their children. "I'm never going to do this agai-".
Erwin had at first, stammered in silence by the bluntness of Paul, but quickly recovered to interrupt Paul's thoughts, "Hail Kaiser Wilhelm II!" He hopefully chanted.
An awkward silence followed, which prompted the guard to snatch away Rommel's communicator, but was stopped by the emperor's following response.
"...Guard, step out of the room and ensure nobody can hear anything outside of it." Paul ominously ordered, causing the guard to hesitate in confusion for a second, but immediately follow the order anyways.
Erwin gulped nervously; the tension having increased between his unseeable speaker.
"...Who are you?" Paul cautiously asked; having dropped what he had been doing to focus on his conversation.
Rommel immediately snapped into attention and raised his arm in a salute, "((General Erwin Rommel! Theorist and hero of Germany!))" He shouted in German; hoping Paul would understand.
"Mein Gott..." Paul sputtered, as he barely caught himself from a shock-induced fall. "((Hold on! I'm going to get Bismarck!))" He replied as he dropped the telephone to madly dash to Bismarck's office.
Rommel simply blinked, as he heard a telephone clatter on the ground and a door slam open and close. "((How the fuck am I going to explain an Austrian took control?))" Rommel cursed, as he sat back down to formulate a response.
He would remain a career officer, but this time, he wouldn't serve a failed artist.
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Sorry for the delay. I got work and stuff.
10949543
Better later than never and nicely done!
Though, can't imagine Rommel to swear like that
weltpolitik intesifies
Oh no
Going for the low blow
And hilter was born in a part of Austria that mostly identified as germans
A ah yes it wouldn't be a good nation building story if there wasn't some manifest destiny
Can't wait for the next chapter.
10949587
It won’t matter to Bismarck. Which is actually kind of funny because though Bismarck was of the Junker class of Nobility, he himself technically wasn’t Prussian-Saxon Nobility, as all his estates were in Altmark or Pomerania.
And so the Native Americans, or their equivalents in this case, get screwed once again. I just hope something miraculous happens that can bring them back as a force to be reckoned with and a strong fence against the new German Griffon state.
Hang on a second. Bordering the Germans, mountainous terrain, unyielding of their lands? Sounds like there’s a capability to become Switzerland actually. After all, the early Swiss policy on neutrality was basically to consider anyone and everyone from beyond their borders as a potential enemy.
Ah yes, the only worry one should have. "How am I going to explain that an Austrian took control‽" Truly, an unenviable position for Rommel to be in. Meeting the greatest German that has lived in the past three hundred years (and Paul too... I guess) and having to explain to him that his beautiful plan had already gone tits up. Twice.
Glorious as ever. Not digging the manifest destiny stuff though.
I can see the buffalos becoming the equivalent of the Swiss.
10950178
Take a look down, I just said that! Great minds think alike!
10950524
They do, now that I think about it.
10950178
A Swiss Buffalo/Buffalo Swiss would be interesting. But if the show told us anything, the buffalos lack good diplomats.
10949886
Is there a mistake?
Moral reasons?
Too 'MURICAN?
Too boring?
Me confused
10949826
The buffalos don't have a France, Italy or chocolate to counter-balance Germany. So I doubt they could be like the Swiss.
But Bismarck would probably not try to take them over anyways 'cause of the rough terrain and bare returns/rewards. Unless they find natural resources, they should be fine.
I gotta stop talking like a reader and more like a writer smh.
10941269
They are an Empire that follows closely with the pre-WW1 German empire; they have social and economical reforms; not to please and make the people happy, but to ensure their own power and stability.
They pretty much are an absolute diarchy that is posing as a constitutional monarchy.
10946408
If it could make the anarcho-liberals go away, Bismarck would've made beer and sausages free.
For those who don't get it, it's a Victoria 2 reference.
10949549
Kaiser Wilhelm II's wet dream
10950852
I take no issue with the fact that it is there, it just seem slightly daft when you consider how every named gryphon has reacted to a foreigner – the hospital staff and Harold for example.
But then again, ponies and gryphons are "civilised" and therefore they must march hypocritically across their new territories treating all they meet with the same level of respect as a shit filled sock.
It also feels rather shoehorned in, but I haven't complained about that before.
Surely – having been taught gryphon history – they would recognise a culture almost identical to their own prior to Bismarck? Why just shoot them all when you can get cheap labour? Why send fools before surveyors? It just doesn't seem like something that would make much sense to anyone. Not least our wonderful emperor Bismarck, whom, as a masterful political actor, would understand the benefit in assimilation over conquering.
It feels far more Rome than Germany, and it's throwing me. But hey, that's probably more to do with the way it's written than anything else.
Also I am English and the moment I spot anything remotely American sounding applied to any great empire I have the immediate instinct to grump about it.
(I hope against hope for this comment to make sense)
10951124
I understand. But Bismarck, Mauser and Rommel will only attack those they consider as 'raiders' who have no central government. They are colonising after all and going by the examples from our history, there's a lot of "shoot first, ask questions later."
But the gryphons would be aware that the raider's culture/behaviour is similar to their own, (before Bismarck and Mauser changed everything) and be sympathetic to their situation somewhat. (Not every griff is the same, Harold's crew is compassionate as an example).
But it's very much a Japanese modernised situation. The people are absolutely loyal to the emperors and will follow their every order, and they will commit morally dubious acts to please them. They believe they are superior then the others, especially with imperialist indoctrinations, and their services in the military which mandates their removal of sympathy towards the 'enemy'.
It would make more sense for the griffons to send surveyors or assimilate the natives as Bismarck did to the griffons, but Bismarck would know the weaknesses of having an ethnically diverse state, namely, Austria-Hungary, and would try to avoid it.
I foresee him making puppet states or satellite states that all revolve around Germany, but I doubt he would try to assimilate a culture/creature that views them as predators, as he wouldn't want to overstretch the empire and waste resources taking down rebellions. (He's a realist)
10951379
Hmm, that actually does make alot of sense.
Bismarck, Mauser, and Rommel should all have at least one example come to mind when they think of a state that's far too diverse/overstretched. (Spain, Austria, The Russ, Nazi Germany) though I certainly forsee some disagreements regarding how exactly to deal with it.
I think my focus on assimilation comes from the fact that I've been reading up on Chinggis Khan for my own original fiction, and that's the perspective he takes on empire building. Conquer, loot, assimilate. With their status as true immortal gryphons they have an actual chance at maintaining that type of governance – the maneuverable nature of gryphon armies not withstanding.
The fact that most of the states they're conquering are – while culturally distinct – technologically below them would make that a possibility. I am not Bismarck, but I feel a diplomat can at least see the benefit of trade and local knowledge.
I do however feel like this is not the time for this discussion to be had – there's more than just the crystal empire to the far north, after all. And hell, we haven't even looked to the sea. There're plenty of places to see different styles of empire building.
Then again, the Yaks do lack leadership...
(I am aware of the rambly nature of my comments, just had my jab so I'm a little woozy)