Wingbardy, Francistria, Sicameon... the nations of Southern Griffonia all sought to remove the last trace of the Lunar Empire's influence from their continent, the colony of New Mareland, by waging a united surprise war against it while Her Imperial Majesty, Nightmare Moon, was busy fighting the Changeling Lands under Queen Chrysalis.
They failed.
Now, with all the griffons brought low and subjugated under the reign of the Nightmare, those who rule New Mareland in her stead, the Shadowbolt Society, hold all the cards. It is they who will decide the future of the nation, and they who will shape the history of the region for decades to come...
Written for the 1st Equestria at War #fanfiction-zone contest. Note that this story takes place in the Equestria at War universe.
Coverart sauce: https://twitter.com/Egil_Art/status/1403967261954560006 (SFW)
Should have known you'd write about this. Oh well, nicely done still.
Great job. I would love to read more of this story.
An interesting opening, though the end was rather abrupt. The planning session didn't feel much like a meeting as a tacked on afterthought, in all honesty. Then again, these don't seem the most professional of people.
I am... Surprised they managed to win the war. Wingbardy is no pushover at the best of times, but with Arantiga, a cored Falcor, Francistria, Talouse, Cyanlosia, Sicameon and Asterion too, not to mention the swarms of volunteers they'd be getting? OUCH. What with having been through a civil war already and probably with the Great War ongoing as well, it's a miracle New Mareland has enough ponypower and/or equipment left to maintain the garrisons, let alone even think about raising more forces. Not to mention that after this their overlords have the conquest of Equus to deal with (assuming they don't lose to Chrysalis), which means no help when the Griffonian Empire decides that it wants Wingbardy back...
Enjoy your victory while you can girls, I honestly don't think your future will look so bright in five years time.
Nice story!
I enjoyed reading it.
But now I'm wondering what the Riverponies are currently doing.
Are they the next target or will Nightmare simply leave them be (as long as they won't make any trouble)?
For as short as this fic was, it felt much larger than itself both because of its far-reaching subject matter and the gravity of what that entails! It really immersed me in the victory of the Shadowbolts and the Lunar Empire overall, and who would run the territories of southern Griffonia! It can be all too easy to think of hoi4 in terms of raw numbers and the meta for one's armed forces, but you do a fantastic job of grounding this reality, and really making it come alive!