Part One Hundred & One
There was once a sun on the door. Grover knew that intellectually. He also assumed that the sun had been removed and replaced with Chrysalis’ trident crown.
The door now had no emblem; it had been scorched clean with a wide, black burn mark in the center, with long gouges from scraping tools that ruined the engravings carved into the ancient wood. The door was probably old enough to have been built with the first iteration of Canterlot Castle. Petrified, fossilized wood thrice the age of his Reich had been carved apart without mercy or remorse.
A magical glow enveloped the wood, humming faintly with power that made his feathers twitch even several wingspans away. The jewels in the Reichstone atop his head rattled. Wards, Grover recognized; he knew them well enough from his own mages, but these seemed to have enough charge in them to blow a chunk of the castle off the mountain.
He turned back to regard the dragon standing beside the door. The dragon, in turn, regarded him, staring down a scaled muzzle with overlapping fangs. The Lord Regent of Equestria dressed in a long purple overcoat emblazoned with a six-pointed star, but left his feet and claws bare. The talons on both looked wickedly sharp and capable of cleaving through skulls.
Benito shifted behind Grover. Spike Sparkle towered over the dog, easily the tallest being in the palace. His cap nearly touched the ceiling. The dragon’s intense green eyes flicked to Benito at the sudden movement, then back to Grover VI. The other guards, all ponies in purple uniforms and armed, took cues from the dragon. Hooves shifted against the stocks of rifles and submachine guns.
The Lord Regent puffed out a short plume of gray smoke. “Kaiser Grover,” he said with the barest hint of politeness. The dragon’s voice was smoky and his bass reverberated in his throat.
“Lord Regent,” Grover acknowledged with a bob of his tail. It slapped against his pressed slacks. He looked forward at the dragon’s chest rather than his head; the griffon would have to crane his neck too far up on all fours to make direct eye contact. “I have business with the Princess, but yours takes priority. Benito and I will wait.”
“How charitable of you,” the Lord Regent said dubiously. He had one claw stuffed into a pocket of his overcoat. The dragon had been pacing outside the door when Grover turned the corner of the hallway, and the Kaiser had left his additional knights behind at the intersection. They clearly did not like it from the jittering wings.
Knights and dragons never mix. “It is not overly important,” Grover said vaguely. “I wish to discuss minor matters before she departs for the battlefield.”
“Those can be discussed with me,” the Lord Regent rumbled.
Grover cocked his head and rubbed his beak together. “I assume you know which matters I speak of.”
Spike snorted another plume of smoke. “Guards, dismissed. Wait at the end of the hall. Sensitive information.” The ponies backed away slowly, eyes on Benito and Grover.
Grover watched them leave. “She made the offer, you know.”
“I know,” the Lord Regent answered. “I tried to stop her from flying out to test it.”
“I ordered my navy and air force not to fire under any circumstances.”
“Your dog know?” the Lord Regent snarled.
“I do,” Benito growled lowly. His gloved paw gripped at his sheathed sword.
The Lord Regent smiled over at him, fangs gleaming. “Is your blade enchanted to cut dragon scale?”
“It is enchanted.” Benito bared his teeth back. “Perhaps we could find out.”
“Please relay that I would like to speak with her before she leaves,” Grover deescalated. He held out a claw. “This can be discussed at another time.”
“The Princess is leaving immediately,” Spike retorted. The arm within the jacket shifted, clutching something tighter in his pocket. He lifted his other arm, but raised it higher than the offered claw.
The dragon hammered on the door, six knocks then four then five; golden magic sparked around the impacts and danced off the scales of his claw. He shook his talons afterward with a muted grimace.
“Spike!?” a voice called out through the door, projected with force through the wood and magic. “What’s up!?”
“Visitor. Kaiser Grover VI.”
The glow on the door faded. The Lord Regent stepped to the side and jerked his head to the inert wood. “Go in. Wards afterwards.”
Benito advanced to open the door.
“Not you,” the Lord Regent rumbled. “You stay.”
Benito growled and the hackles of his fur raised around his popped collar. “I am no pup, dragon.”
“You a general?” the dragon asked languidly.
“I am Lord Commander of the Barkginian Guard.”
“Like Lord Commander Lacin and the Queen’s Guard?” A ridged eyebrow raised in mock admonishment. “Call yourself a general instead.”
“Remain, Benito,” Grover ordered in Herzlander. He raised his left wing and eyed the holstered pistol. He tugged it free and checked the safety, then held it out broomhandle first to the taller dragon. “I wish to have it back.”
The Lord Regent smiled again. A lower fang was chipped slightly. “Keep it. It won’t do you any good.”
True enough. Grover holstered the pistol with a nod. “As you wish.” He placed a claw on the door and pushed it open after twisting the handle. The door caught slightly; the doorframe had also been gouged down and stripped of its fine filigree, and the fit was rough.
Grover entered the Princess’ room, claws and boots clicking on the floor. He turned around to shut the door, but the dragon reached a massive claw in and pulled it shut effortlessly with a thud. The griffon had enough time to see Benito’s forlorn muzzle before it vanished.
He suppressed a laugh. I am sorry, friend; I have made you go gray too early. The dog’s fur had been a chocolate brown when he was young. Every year, the gray marched across Benito’s muzzle more and more.
Grover turned back to the room, then blinked. It was empty.
Well, that was not quite true. There was a mattress on the floor with a set of sheets and a pillow, but no bedframe. A dresser with open, empty drawers sat across from it. A saddlebag laid strewn on the floor with a half-folded jumpsuit sticking out of one of the bags.
Two guards looked in from the balcony, peering through the glass windows. The pegasi watched Grover warily, even slightly soggy from the constant rain. He shuffled his claws and avoided looking at the open bathroom door; steam wafted around the ceiling.
Flurry Heart’s purple uniform was half-folded atop the dresser with her Imperial Snowflake cap atop it. A pair of white boots and a pair of black boots sat beside the open bathroom door. There was a flash and chime from inside the bathroom, but Grover did not advance to look inside. He coughed loudly.
“I’m decent!” Flurry called out. “What’s up? You wanted to talk?”
Another flash and the door glowed behind Grover. The windows on the balcony door abruptly became opaque and blocked the guards from view. They must not be able to see in as well. The golden magic crackled around the windowpanes.
Grover crossed to the small nightstand beside the mattress, avoiding the bathroom. He tilted his head at a lumpy stuffed snail wearing her old tiara. It was too large for the snail and rested closer to the shell than its head. Beside it, something that the griffon could only assume was an unfinished timepiece laid with open gears facing the ceiling.
“Behold: Whammy, second of his name,” a voice said behind him.
Grover risked looking over a wing. The Princess was in her black, padded jumpsuit and jeweled crystal crown. Her pink fur was pristine for once, feathers freshly preened and bare hooves filed and lacquered.
“I did not know you had two jumpsuits,” Grover offered. He looked to her saddlebags.
“Need ‘em,” Flurry shrugged a wing. “They’re comfortable and quick.”
“I offered to wait.”
“I was done in there anyway,” Flurry deflected. “Not gonna be able to shower down south, unless I borrow a raincloud every few weeks.”
Grover sniffed. His nose was hardly even half as good as a pony’s, but the Princess did not smell of any scented soap. She still smelled like gunpowder and ash; it seemed etched into her light pink fur. “Are you bringing your armor?”
“Shipping it overland,” Flurry responded. “Train already left. I’m teleporting to catch it. Gonna hop off the balcony in a couple minutes.”
“Is that wise?” Grover asked with a frown. “It is overly reckless to fly without an escort.”
“And marching in a procession to the train station isn’t?” Flurry snorted. “This way’s unpredictable. Trust me, you want unpredictable to throw VOPS.” A wing jabbed at the bathroom. “I leave the shower and bathroom door open and take my meals whenever I decide to. Random stuff every day, all cans or open sources.”
“I have taste-testers.”
Flurry raised a brow. “Same time and same stuff every day?”
Grover flushed. His head feathers flexed under the Reichstone. “My dogs are thorough.”
“Start eating canned food,” Flurry advised. “Prepare it yourself.” She considered her wording. “Actually, don’t do that because they can poison the lids or utensils. Have your dogs do it.”
“We are taking adequate precautions.”
“I’m going to tell my Royal Advisor to sneak a scrap of paper saying ‘Gotcha!’ into your food.” Flurry rolled her eyes. “We’ll find out.”
“Just so,” Grover agreed. He turned back to the snail. “Where is Whammy the First and the Great?”
“Left behind in the Crystal City when we evacuated,” Flurry answered. “I think mom had it when she died.”
Grover paused. “I am sorry.”
Hooves clopped against a bare tile floor behind him. “It’s fine,” the Princess said far too lightly to be genuine. “What did you want to talk about earlier?”
“Are the wards blocking sound?”
“Yep.”
“The River Federation has offered no response or comment to your coronation,” Grover began. “That does not mean there will not be one. My spy network is hampered by Arclight and the Office of Harmonic Services.”
Flurry Heart pressed her lips together and looked around the barren room. Muzzles were far more expressive than beaks, and ponies tended to wear their emotions on their muzzles like cutie marks. “Celestia hasn’t said anything?”
“Not for some time.”
She hummed noncommittally. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Celestia was Diarch before you. Many would say she still is. Luna was only Princess because her sister proclaimed her as such.”
“Is the River Federation capable of fighting across the entire Griffonian Reich then crossing the ocean to install her?” the alicorn nickered with a roll of her icy eyes. "That is quite a war to wage for one pony."
“They do not have to do that. All they have to do is put out an interview.”
“She’s there and I’m here.” The alicorn paced back to the bathroom door. There was a puddle of water on the floor from the bathtub and showerheads. True to what she claimed, she had apparently left the curtains and door open the entire time.
“She lived in a fine gold castle with fine white marble while ponies bled and died in mud,” Flurry continued in a cooler voice. “She can whinny on a radio all she wants. Ponies won’t listen.”
Grover sighed. “Some will.”
“I’ll deal with them. I had to deal with the ELF trying to blow up the Castle of the Two Sisters before letting you have it.”
Grover cocked his head. “It’s a ruin.”
“You are a filthy, diseased, savage griffon,” the Princess claimed with a raised muzzle. She flared her wings out, touching the wingtips to the high ceiling. “This is Equestria, the land of ponies. Begone to your hovels and stab each other over gold.”
“Go back to your fields and frolic,” Grover retorted. “Sing merry songs and see if that stops the panzers racing across your flowers.”
The alicorn’s laugh caught in her throat and she sneezed. She brushed a wing across her muzzle. “What do griffons say about Riverlanders?”
“They live on the wrong continent,” Grover shrugged a claw. “Far more interesting what Riverlanders say about Equestrians. You are all strange, absurd nudists sheltering under the wings of alicorns. No alicorn ever emerged from the Riverlands. The River Empire from Lake City collapsed after two centuries.”
“My mother was the first alicorn to rule the Crystal Empire,” Flurry shrugged. “It lasted from the Windigos to Sombra. Ponies don’t need alicorns.”
“That sounds concerningly like a plan to abdicate.”
Flurry raised a hoof to her eye then jabbed it in his direction. “Funny. An Equestrian Parliament would collapse quicker than a Griffonian one. Can you imagine the opposing parties singing their policies?”
Grover rolled his eyes. “There are Aquileian musicals of that nature.”
“Ponies,” Flurry waved a wing. “The ponies corrupted Aquileia.”
“They were the staunchest monarchist supporters the Discrets had.”
“Did that translate to support for the Reich?”
“No.” Grover lashed the bob of his tail. “The Discrets had a tendency to blame every unpopular decision on my ancestors to galvanize regional support. And Grover the Great’s conquest was bloody, as was Grover II’s retaliation to the rebellion. The ponies of the borderlands are the descendants of the knightly campaigns of the Great Crusade. They have no great love for me either.” His stare turned wry. “Unlike your griffons, the ponies-in-all-but-name.”
Flurry grimaced. “Sorry.” Her ears pressed flat. “Thank you for confirming me as Diarch. And Twilight.”
“Of course. But words are wind. Grover the Great claimed the Idol of Boreas charged him to unite all griffons, but it was not until his armies marched from Griffonstone and conquered the Herzland that his claims were taken seriously.”
Flurry exhaled. “South, then west.”
“North,” Grover corrected. “That was one of my concerns. Are you capable of lowering the shield?”
The alicorn hesitated. “It’s blocking supply lines, sure, but don’t you want a narrower front line?”
“Not after we take the south,” Grover answered. “I can leave the northern front to your Imperials if they are capable of it. My mountaineer divisions are at the border to Wittenland.”
“My yaks and crystal ponies can deal with it,” Flurry dismissed. She bit her lip and looked to the side. “I can try it.”
“If it is not an absolute certainty do not attempt it. I would prefer you alive.”
“Aw, thanks.” The alicorn raised a hoof to her muzzle and blinked rapidly. “That level of complement warms my heart.”
Grover clacked his beak and twisted back to the timepiece on the nightstand. He unhooked his glasses to squint at it closer. The gears had crystals shaped like the sun and moon, surrounded by a larger star. It hung on a chain. Too unwieldy to be a clock. “Was this the device you spoke of when you haunted me?”
“That is a strange way to say I wished you happy birthday. Yes.”
Grover raised a claw. “May I?”
“Sure. You wind it counter-clockwise.” Hooves clopped on tile as she approached behind him, and a horned shadow eclipsed his on the wall. Grover picked up the purple case and wound the gears with a single talon. He only did it once before releasing the springs.
The gears clicked, barely audible. The sun and moon rotated around the purple star. Grover turned it over in his claw. “It is not enchanted. Nothing known to griffons at the very least.”
“I’ve seen wind-up toy soldiers,” Flurry said over his right wing. “And pocket watches.”
Grover set it back on the table. “I would assume it was meant for your aunt. Or her project.”
“It would be like Aunt Twilight to make a giant, useless pocket watch,” Flurry laughed. “Maybe she wanted a mobile version of that hourglass?”
“Perhaps,” Grover offered. “Why do you have it?”
“Spike gave it to me. He’s waiting around outside?”
“Yes. Apologies if you had something important to discuss.”
“If it was important he would have made you wait,” Flurry dismissed. “Probably just a final check before I leave. He’s staying in Canterlot. He’ll be a far better administrator than me.”
“You could stay.” Why did I say that? Of course she won’t stay. Grover’s voice cracked and he looked askance. The Reichstone shifted.
“I’ll never be the Princess of Paperwork,” Flurry snorted. “And I’m not one to sit in a castle. My Crystal Heart is on fire, and fire spreads.”
“Just so,” Grover agreed. “I am remaining here to manage the front. The Changeling Heer is stalling.”
Thunder rumbled outside, muffled by the wards. The alicorn’s ears flicked above her muzzle, light pink triangles that stuck out tall above her buzzed mane. “Archmage Shimmer and Tempest will work on getting support units up to the front.”
“The Storm King’s Right Hoof?” Grover said mirthlessly.
“My aunt gave her a chance,” Flurry replied. “It had to be for a reason.”
“Your aunt saw the best in everyone, even if they did not deserve it.”
“If everyone got what they deserved this world would be far emptier.” Flurry looked at the covered balcony. “How're the prison camps in Hayston?”
“Wet, I suspect,” Grover deadpanned. “My engineers are expanding them and warehouses are stocked with condensed love potions. They will live, but they will never be comfortable. I need Las Pegasus intact, airfields and dockyards. If we can cut-off their overland escape and across the sea to Olenia, they’ll surrender or starve.”
“They can drain the ponies of the city,” Flurry whickered. “They tried that in Rainbow Falls and I shelled the city to the ground.”
Grover hummed. “You are no longer a foreign, teenage filly. There is a crater lake to the west. How many truly love Queen Chrysalis enough to die for her, soldier and civilian alike?”
“You think it would be easier if I wasn’t down there?”
I could tell her yes. Grover's cheeks pulled into a frown. “No,” the griffon said aloud. “Your presence might incentivize them to accept my offer of surrender.”
“I’ll look sufficiently like Maar’s Daughter,” Flurry promised sardonically. “Get some dirt in my wings again and maybe a nosebleed.”
“Your bloodshot eyes are harrowing,” Grover provided. “The veins clash with the blue of your pupils.”
Flurry widened her eyes. She still had bags under them, but the light, glacial pupils were surrounded by pure white. “I’ll work on that. Am I supposed to take orders from General Mudbeak?”
“He declined your offer of teleporting down to the front. He has already departed.”
Flurry scrunched her muzzle. “I don’t recall offering that.”
“I made the offer in your stead,” Grover quipped. He rolled his eyes. “Mudbeak is a veteran of the Griffonian Revolution and experienced, but old. He is addicted to morphine.”
“You really brought your best to Equus,” Flurry snorted.
“Field Marshal Othmar is holding the River Federation’s border with the newer commanders under him. I chose experience for Equus over untested griffons.” Grover clacked his beak. “As Princess, you are technically in command of all your armed forces.”
“The savages for a savage Princess?” Flurry echoed. Her horn flashed and she rolled up the sleeve of her jumpsuit. Grover glanced down at the swirling scar. “I’ll get them to play nice.”
“I apologize if that remark was too-”
Flurry stuck her tongue out. “Fuck off, nerdbird. I grew up in the Nova Griffonian frontier. You gotta work way harder to offend me. Did you see everyone looking at each other?” The alicorn’s eyes shifted around with wide, exaggerated sweeps. “All my ponies in that room knew about the deal and they still locked their knees like little fillies at their first dance.”
“Yes,” Grover admitted. Perhaps distance between us would be preferable for a time. “We can announce the marriage at the war’s conclusion.”
“Sounds good,” Flurry agreed casually. She raised a hoof and posed with wings extended. “We’ll declare it atop Chrysalis’ corpse. The Empire and the Reich bound in holy matrimony.”
“Perhaps not immediately,” Grover rolled his eyes. “I would like to get my army back to the River Federation before an announcement of that caliber. I doubt they will attack after we defeat the Hegemony, but the further my army moves west, the more tempting a target we must appear.”
“Thestrals fight dirty,” Flurry offered. “This’ll be quick.” Her horn glowed and her mostly empty saddlebags flumped on the mattress. “I have to leave. Was there anything else?”
“Good luck,” Grover said after a pause.
“Don’t wish Maar’s Daughter good luck, Kaiser ‘Blessed by Boreas,’” Flurry nickered. “I don’t even believe in that stuff and I still wouldn’t risk it.”
“You don’t believe in Harmony?”
“Harmony is a tree in an old cave as the world burns,” Flurry retorted. She rammed the jumpsuit deeper into one of the bags. “It’s useless jewels affixed to cheap purple crystal.” Her crown went into the bag as well. The six multi-colored jewels caught the light, but did not shine or sparkle before disappearing into the satchel.
“I’ll be Kind and Generous and Loyal and Honest and Laugh all I can, but I am not clinging to that as we march towards a cliff. Half my ponies cannot fly away with me when we reach the edge.” A comb levitated over from the bathroom, but Flurry looked over a wing back to her lack of tail and jumpsuit before discarding it onto the mattress.
“I have heard rumors you agreed to enact a vote post-war,” Grover revealed. He leaned against the wall and removed the Reichstone, cracking his neck. An eye rolled to Whammy and the oversized tiara. I understand your pain.
“I'm sure Thorax has a list of gossipers from my meetings. If ponies want a parliament, I’ll give them a parliament,” Flurry snorted. “And when that parliament fails, I’ll march in and disband it at the point of my horn.” The saddlebags levitated above her horn and landed on her back. She cinched them tight to her lean barrel.
“I do not have that luxury,” Grover stated bluntly. A wing fluttered.
Flurry bit her lip and her head lowered. “I get why you did it,” she said in a softer voice. “Maybe if you signed everything over things would have worked out…or maybe every griffon tears each other apart.”
“Feathisia has a constitution for their Grand Duke,” the Kaiser rolled his eyes. “Or it did. The government collapsed just before the civil war and no amount of paper stopped Gerlach from siding with Gabriela.”
“Am I going to meet her?” Flurry asked. “She’s part of your regency council?”
“You are nearly the same shade of pink,” Grover clarified. “I am certain she will despise you. Gabriela Eagleclaw has always believed in the duty and poise of the noble bloodlines.”
“I agree with half that statement,” the alicorn said. “I’d like to meet your aunt. You passed by Princess Twilight’s room on the way here. I’ll tell Spike to let you in if you’d like.”
Grover did not respond immediately and cleared his throat. “I will be sure to-”
“Never mind,” Flurry cut him off. Her eyes pinched. “Not like she’d have anything to say. Thank you for confirming her as Princess.” Her horn glowed again and the puddle in the bathroom turned to steam with a zap.
Grover held the Reichstone in his claws and pushed himself off the wall with a wing. “Princess, I would be honored to meet your aunt.” Should I say I would pray for her? Words are wind.
“Thank you,” Flurry smiled. It was subdued and creased lines at the corners of her muzzle. It wasn’t the beaming, forced smile or rictus grin she gave when teasing, but a smile in defiance of the world dragging her towards a frown.
“Good luck, Flurry.”
“Have fun in my castle,” she returned. “Don’t burn it down while I’m gone. That’s my job.” Her horn glowed and the wards faded. Grover put the Reichstone back on and fixed a cufflink.
With a flash of her horn, the Princess opened the door for Grover. He nodded a final time before turning back to the hallway. Benito and Spike faced each other, leaning against opposite walls with their arms crossed over their coats.
“The dogs of Equus aren’t much to speak of,” the Lord Regent rumbled.
“We do not claim those Diamond Dogs,” Benito countered. “They are barbarians that have forgotten everything, cast out from Kiri’s Halls long ago.”
“Well,” the dragon drawled, “you are a credit to your race here on Equus. Some of the Princesses’ courtiers used to tell me that when Twilight wasn’t around.”
“Whatever griffon may crow about us, they dare not say it to our muzzles. Was your leash so tight they did not fear the fire?”
“I was barely past their knees until I had a growth spurt.”
Benito scoffed. “What do they say now?”
“Nothing,” the Lord Regent answered grimly. “Most are long dead.”
Grover exited the room.
“What’s up, Spike?” Flurry called out behind him.
The dragon turned an eye down to Grover, then back to Benito. “It’s not important,” he said, twisting his muzzle over a folded wing. “It can wait until you return. Stay safe. Win and come back to us, Princess.”
“Thank you, Spike.” The door shut with a flash of magic, and the ancient wood glowed again as she replaced the wards.
“You are not afraid of leaving her unguarded?” Benito asked. “Her magic muffles sound.”
“Thorax trained her well,” the dragon said dismissively. A claw drifted back into his coat pocket. He pinched his eyelids. “She’s more careful than she seems to be.”
“Have a good day, Lord Regent,” the Kaiser stated. “We should speak more over the coming weeks and coordinate the reconstruction of Equestria.” The griffon shifted. A large purple claw grabbed his shoulder. Benito pushed himself off the wall with a raised tail.
“You should have dinner with us sometime, Kaiser,” the Lord Regent offered. “She’s family, after all. My last family. That’s important to a dragon.”
Grover felt the claw tighten through his coat. His shoulder popped.
“The old stereotype is that dragons hoard gold like griffons, but there’s a lot of other things we might find more important,” the Lord Regent continued casually. “We should talk since you are remaining in Canterlot.”
“Just so,” Grover agreed in Herzlander. He gave Benito a severe glare when the dog moved to unsheathe his sword. He left his paw at his hip. “The Princess made a similar suggestion in Nova Griffonia. It was her idea.”
“She did,” the Lord Regent nodded. “She has more of her aunt and mother in her than she will ever accept, no matter how much we tell her. I watched her hold onto the Crystal Heart as…” the dragon trailed off. Grover felt the claw release his shoulder.
“She hurts herself enough. Don’t hurt her,” the dragon said softly. “Or I will kill you.”
Benito growled. His paw gripped the sword’s hilt tighter.
“I will ram that toy sword through your head while my other claw tears out your stomach,” the dragon said to the dog just as softly.
Grover took a deep breath. “I understand,” the griffon said lightly in Equestrian. “Fare thee well, Lord Regent. Come, Benito.” He caught his wording. “Let us depart,” he restated.
Benito sighed and backed away from the dragon, paw on his sword instead of at his holster. The sword would be a better option. The blade’s enchantment could pierce dragon scale.
“Wait.” Spike pushed himself off the wall with flared wings. A claw slowly withdrew from his coat pocket, holding something inside. Grover pushed his glasses up his beak.
The dragon held up a surprisingly small scroll bound by a single gold string. His eyes searched it, gripping it tightly in a large palm and crinkling the parchment. “Kaiser Grover?”
“Lord Regent?” Grover responded after a deep breath through his nostrils.
Green slit eyes did not look up from the scroll. "Is she happy?"
Grover thought about it. She smiled as he left. “Yes.”
The dragon exhaled a small blast of flame over his claw, blackening the cuff of his purple sleeve. The golden string wrapped around a talon, popping and sparking with magic as it burned last. It crumbled into ash as he cut off the small stream of red and yellow flames by pursing his lips. Otherwise, his expression had not changed.
“Good.” The dragon brushed his ashen claw against his overcoat and turned around in the hallway. A purple spade flicked under the coattails. “She deserves to be happy,” he said over a folded wing. He stalked away in the opposite direction, and the pony guards advanced down the hall to resume their posts.
Grover registered his knights waiting at the other intersection. He paused at another ancient door in the hallway as he walked towards them. The Princess of the Moon’s bedroom had been gutted by the Changelings and used as a radio room. It remained that way now. He tilted his head to inspect the wood. Newer. Celestia must have renovated the castle before her sister returned. How did none of them put it together?
The Kaiser shook his head. Not as if we did. No griffon cared…or at least we pretended not to. His ancestors were supposed to be watching from the afterlife above, but Grover never heard a voice like Grover the Great. What did you think of Equestria and its sole Princess when you flew from Griffonstone?
“He is right about the dogs of Equus,” the Kaiser commented.
“I hate this continent,” Benito growled.
“I suspect it hates us back,” Grover retorted. “So be it.” The rain started again and hit the boarded-up windows of the hallway at a slant. None leaked. The stained-glass of Chrysalis' horde had been broken or shattered over the past weeks, and ponies worked in factories or trained rather than move to replace glass.
“If the dogs of Zebrica wish to be called Hyenas, then let the dogs of Equus be called Mongrels. We do not claim them, nor do we wish to.”
“What do the dogs of Diamond Mountain have to say about Celestia and Luna?” Grover asked aloud. “King Diamondshield?”
“Bronzehill dogs do not concern themselves with the whining of our cousins,” Benito scoffed. “They are pony princesses, not ours. They have never cared for us.”
“I have named her the rightful Princess of Equestria,” Grover whispered. “It may mean a war.”
Benito bared his teeth. “King Diamondshield will never fight to place a pony upon a throne. The Riverlands is not Equestria.”
“Chancellor River Swirl wants an Equestria of the East.”
“Equestria never practiced slavery. Half the Wittenlanders at our border still bear caste marks on their muzzles, and dogs still flee King Diamonshield’s generous mines. Nimbusia neighs about democracy from clouds while half their population sits under their shadow.”
“The Princess’ bat ponies might dispute your first statement.”
Bentio clamped his muzzle shut to suppress a bark of laughter. “Just so.” His muzzle furrowed. “The south will be bloody. Our legends still speak of our escape from Diamond Mountain, hounded across the swamps and fields to the battlefields of the Grand Crusade. I suspect the Princess’ bats are flying to a similar war.”
“Good,” Grover answered. “This is the Second Great Crusade. Let it eclipse the first.”
“If that is the case, then the Princess is Grover II and you are Guinevere waiting in Griffenheim.”
Grover made a crooning sound in the back of his beak. “Poor bait, Benito. Grover died.”
“Guinevere died first, my Kaiser,” Benito corrected.
“Of illness and age,” Grover said dismissively. He paused again. “I want a copy of my scheduled meals. I will make amendments tonight.”
“My Kaiser?”
“I am not dying of poison while an alicorn that bathes once a moon and charges into battle survives every brush with death.” He walked faster towards his knights. “I am certainly not dying while she fights with my army. My ancestors will screech at me for eternity.”
"Loudbark has drafted some precautions in case something occurs-"
"The Princess will not die," Grover interrupted. "Not out there. She is too stubborn."
"Many said the same about your ancestor."
Grover did not argue that point. Another clap of thunder rattled the boards. My ancestor was not an alicorn.
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Flurry nooooo ;_;
Good to see her paranoia is spreading.
It's nice to see Spike accept Grover. Hopefully when Flurry meets Gabriella She will have a similar reaction XD
Once more a fantastic chapter
What was in the letter though
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Growing up in a kleptocracy in Nova Griffonia might've permanently soured her viewpoint on "votes" to run a country. Blackpeak used her as a shill for the minority vote. She's fine with democracy on a contained regional level, like cities or towns, but she's the daughter of an absolute horse-monarch. You think Cadance had a Crystal Parliament? The ELF, the Thestrals, Baltimare, and everything else about scraping together a unified front just reinforced her views.
Nice idea to look at what the other nations might do when Flurry was crowned. Celestia might actually move to regain her crown and Throne as undeserved as they are now. Luna would be a good envoy and insult to send to Canterlot to push that claim as well. Then again, it might take a Alicorn to heal Twilight Sparkle.
Dam this story is so good. I really do wanna see what Celestia and luna think of all this. Though I guess the mystery is part of the story.
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Idk, parliament sabotaging reconstruction efforts would kinda get in the way. Really she would just encourage them to see things from her perspective. They had it coming. Probably.
Grover knows how to drive a tank, it would be very cool to see him use those skills on the front, i get that he probably wont though, but there's always a chance it could happen. Also i agree with Grover and Flurry, democracy is a bit overrated for a country anyway, Emperors and Princesses all the way.
Wait, did Celestia send a reply after all?
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Part Nine:
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Oh. I thhhought it was destroyed. That Makes that scene even more poignant now. Nice call back.
Wait does that mean Twilight secretly died?
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No, he means that he doesn't believe twilight's gonna get better
Wonderful chapter, just finished binging the story again yesterday, I love your characterizations of the characters.
What are Celestia and Luna doing?? They can't be just cowards right??? There must be a bigger reason???? Celestia fought Chrysalis one on one when they invaded a pegasus city state in the IDW comics, she and Luna gave their power to Twilight when Tirek was around for the first time putting them in massive danger, they fought discord, many other examples.
C'mon mister author, Iam so excited to see what is the reason, please tell me it's coming, please please please
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Oh, that makes sense, thanks.
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If I had to guess, Celestia’s taking an extreme long view that only immortals can. The Hegemony will become even more unstable as time goes on before imploding. When “the time is right” and without a Hegemony to fight, she and Luna will swoop right in and bring revive Equestria. It may take decades and countless may die, but after a thousand years any wounds can heal.
That’s my theory on their plan though. I don’t think it would work anyway.
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If Celestia holds healing Twilight over Flurry’s head as a condition to abdicate, that would end in an envoy’s head on a pike, if not Celestia herself. In the off chance she did accept and Twilight did get better, that would irrevocably sever any sort of positive relationship between her and Celestia (what with her life being threatened over a power play and all). It will end in tears at least and a full on civil war at most.
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Well, routine is both predictable and is a good environment for complacency to emerge. Considering that, in my opinion, only an idiot would use a fast-acting poison, and thus a food taster would just mean that two people died, paranoia will likely serve Grover well.
As for Gabriella…we’ll see. She seems to be the noble who supports her own privilege, but that noblesse oblige must also be followed. Thus, Flurry will probably have…mixed opinions, and considering how uncultured/crass she acts, the feeling will probably be mutual.
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On the other hand, with her around to…severely punish corruption or other perversions of representative democracy, as well as being completely willing to dissolve it if they’re too disfunctional to get anything done, it may very well surprise her.
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Great callback.
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Thing is when you take a view that long, basically nothing matters. It’s stupid. Just because the economy will recover, as it always does, or that crop yields will bounce back, as they always doesn’t mean that the hunger and hard times now don’t matter. Just because a broken bone will heal doesn’t mean the pain from when it broke doesn’t matter.
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Pretty sure he's already told us that something like this has happened before, and Celestia's grown weary of the it.
She can literally outlive hardships like this, then return to gather up the pieces, restabilize, and rebuild.
It's basically a vacation for her, one that allows her to ignore the suffering that she dislikes so much. She has ages of experience ignoring problems across the water.
Then when it's all over, she returns in splendor to reestablish a new Equestria. With her guidance, it will be absent all the things that caused the previous one to collapse.
Until the next collapse.
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I think he's just losing hope that Twilight will ever wake up
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My very unfounded theory is that both Luna and Celestia are one bad day from coming back to Equestria as Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon. That is because I believe that they are not as pragmatic as Flurry (Lets say they are Lawful Good), so they believe its better to not risk becoming evil in the face of evil, even if it would save a lot of ponies. But thats just my dumbass theory
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yeah, your the second person to reply saying that, and with that in mind Spikes words make more sense to me.
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There was something about Twilights brain activity readouts mentioned a few chapters back witch leads me to belive that she is braindead.
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Oh god, I'm going to hope she's not.
Seeing Grover have a little bit of separation anxiety was cute! Hopefully the southern front will move along smoothly, but Grovers plan of cutting off their retreat, while probably necessary, may make the front much bloodier
Great chapter as always. Seing Flurry and Grover talk more casually is nise to see. Also Grover not wanting to let her go away is just adorable.
And honestly the warrior princess + administrator kaiser combo is pretty neat.
I'd love to see an interaction between Grover II and this Flurry Heart. I imagine them actually getting along talling about their battles while Grover and Guinevere are just in the back corssed arms wondering who got the worst.
“If everyone got what they deserved this world would be far emptier.”
Says the pony who hangs stallions for having a child out of wedlock... ah, but that's only as applied to classes of persons which are politically inconvenient and readily disposable, neigh? Naturally I'm being extremely sarcastic on the subject, and I do have to remind myself we're talking about an angry teenager whose direct experience with most persons of the class in question has been exceptionally negative for a variety of reasons.
She was a hotheaded mare, she was brutally handsome,
And he was terminally nerdy.
He bombed her home, and she sank half his navy
As they tried hard to take her city.
They had some nasty reputations as cruel and lewd
He flattened some riots, she liked to trot in the nude...
Yeah, gonna stop there, it really doesn't get any better. -;)
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She didn't execute that person for JUST having a child out of wedlock. He also threw the mother out onto the street, where she proceeded to starve to death. Kid deserved it at that point.
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11722137
I do appreciate someone holding a torch for poor Beryllium. That's his purpose as a character. If Flurry's "party" was just full of unwed assholes without families, then there's no actual stakes or emotion. A lot of "ze epic vengeanz" stories take that route to avoid complicating the protagonist. There's very few easy targets here. If every changeling Flurry faced was a frothing bugnazi ranting about the racial superiority of the changelings and every collaborator was a sneering caricature with a monocle the story would probably be more fun. It would also be more stupid.
Flurry had a snapshot of their lives, and she deemed it enough to hang them. She spared their kids, but left orphans with the stain of their parents' crimes following them for the rest of their lives. Was Lavender Lace's husband complicit enough to warrant execution? How many of the ponies in that room were just related to the wrong asshole? Sure, they probably turned a blind eye to a lot of stuff at the very least, but...
Even The Count of Monte Cristo, the revenge story, has the complications of family and how far to take it. Unlike Edmond Dantès, Flurry is embarking on her quest for justice at seventeen and doesn't have the self-reflection to think she's taking it too far until something really beats her over the head with it. She's a stubborn, traumatized, radicalized teenager. One of her friends is Cerie, who was abused by her boss. She saw a parallel and it disgusted her.
Oh discord (probably Jacque)would love flurry