Part One Hundred & Five
Grover bobbed his head in acknowledgement. He kept his eyes on the projected map, and his claws clasped under his beak. The Reichstone shifted from the movement. He let it settle slightly right-leaning.
“Overlord copies all,” the radiogriffon said at the equipment desk. “Field Marshal Bronzetail has officially transferred command of the southern counterattack to General Loudbark.” He fiddled with the line of dials and buttons along the wall, swiveling around in a rolling chair. Wires ran up and through the rafters to the tower atop the roof.
“Wyvern-One’s forces jumped the gap,” another griffon called out. “Five-and-Seven.” One of the attendants at the projected map rushed to push small tokens across the gray zone heading to Las Pegasus from Appleloosa. It was one of the few major highways across the south that merged with two railways, and the Changelings had taken the obvious retreat opportunity.
“Do we know where they are headed?” Gallus asked. He shifted over several reports, yellow claws flipping through estimates. He crumpled one into a ball with a clack of his beak and tossed it to an overflowing wastebasket.
“Rockville.” The griffon removed his headset for a moment. “Wyvern-One is in the field.”
“They remain classified as rogue elements until Dragon Lord Ember links her forces to mine,” Grover ordered. He frowned heavily at the map, cheeks pulling down at the stalled airfields along the north. We’re losing airpower keeping the skies clear for them. “Has the Dragon Lord seen fit to acquire a radio yet?”
“General Mudbeak has relayed the request,” a griffon answered.
Grover resisted rolling his eyes.
One of the servants pushed up a metal alicorn across the gray zone and up to Rockville. It joined several wooden ponies with poorly carved bat wings and the draconic tokens. The griffoness checked her notes and stepped back from the map, disappearing into the flurry of activity along the walls.
Grover VI sat in the eye of a storm of griffons relaying, authorizing, countermanding, and commanding his orders as Army Group North launched several probing attacks through flooding fields to stall any attempted overland breakout. The storms had grounded most of his air force and the Hegemony’s Luftwaffe, and the Hegemony’s air force had been steadily bleeding since landfall. Both navies had disengaged; the Hegemony’s High Sea Fleet had been smashed outside Haukland in the initial landings, but the Reich’s fleet had been gradually mauled by submarines.
The Kaiser of Griffonkind rolled an eye to the metal alicorn. Well, and her. “Demon-One jumped the gap as well?” he asked aloud. The figurine was well-detailed, but the wings were not proportional to the actual alicorn.
“Her irregulars and a squad of the New Marelander contingent,” Gallus answered.
“Just so,” Grover rolled a sleeve back and checked his watch on a wrist. His tail swished. “Gallus, remain and send a courier if there is a significant development. I will be attending dinner in the west wing.”
“Of course.” The blue griffon cracked his talons and leaned back in his chair. Grover noted the smug look of a Griffonstone griffon lording over dozens of his ‘betters,’ but allowed it. The Kaiser stood and smoothly grabbed his overcoat, sliding his wings through the slits in a well-practiced, singular motion. He adjusted the cufflinks and put on a pair of gloves before placing his claws back on the floor.
Grover’s Ironpaws briefly halted the activity and made a corridor for the Kaiser to walk to the doors. Benito waited beyond in the hallway. The sounds of flapping wings and shuffling papers faded as the doors closed behind the griffon.
“How is our guest?” Grover asked.
“She will be attending,” Benito waved a paw and began escorting his Kaiser down the hallway. “Her own guards wish to be present.”
“No more than four,” Grover replied. “This business is best conducted with a modicum of privacy.”
Benito raised a fist to one of the Ironpaws and the dog raced ahead. “As you command, my Kaiser.” They continued down the corridors. Rain thumped on the barricaded, stained-glassed windows, and Grover felt the pressure differences even inside the castle. Reichsarmee soldiers on guard along the rooms flexed their wings subconsciously.
Canterlot was subjected to nearly unending rain as storm cells roiled outside the pink shield. The main frontline had essentially halted for the Reichsarmee and the Hegemony; trucks and cargo planes struggled to meet demand. Equestria lacked the regional infrastructure of Griffonia. Major highways and roadways were a rarity. Many earth pony villages and townships simply hauled their goods on carts along dirt roads to larger towns for shipment at trainyards.
Hardly a surprise the Changelings relocated so much of the outlying populations. Equestria’s commitment to simple, rural pacifism made it the breadbasket of the world, but the Hegemony prioritized factories over food. Grover lashed his tail and stopped in the hallway, opening his coat. He fished out a ballpoint pen and notepad, flipping through the pages.
The Ironpaws halted and looked around. Benito took an extra step forward, but his ears twitched at the click of the pen and the dog looked back. He cleared his throat and tapped a paw on a wristwatch.
“This’ll be quick,” Grover said absently. He scribbled down Population Growth w/out Equestrian Exports — Check Census w/ Yale. The griffon flipped the page over, then scribbled out Find Out Why Wings So Maar-Damned Big.
“If it’s important…” Benito began.
“It is not,” Grover clacked his beak. He replaced the pen and notebook and closed the inner pocket. “Proceed.”
As the procession exited the east wing to move to the west wing, Grover stopped again and frowned at the Reichsarmee checkpoint to ‘his’ side of the castle. Canterlot Castle had not been built to be very defensible; there was a lack of chokepoints and hard turns. Engineers had dragged sandbags into strategic hallways and blocked several of the servants’ doors.
The main checkpoint dominated the entrance to the east wing; sandbags and a heavy machine gun sat facing the interior with a constant staff. One of Grover’s Aquileian mages was present at all times. Currently, three knights had surrounded a purple-uniformed griffoness, searching a very quaint-looking picnic basket as if it had a bomb. The Kaiser raised a wing and bent several primary feathers for the Ironpaws to advance.
Grover walked up to the burgundy griffon with Benito’s barely audible whine of disapproval following him. “Katherine of Katerin.” The griffoness tilted her head to the side at Grover's approached. Her tail bobbed with feigned delight.
“What’s up, Kaiser Grover?” Katherine leaned her claws atop a sandbag, flashing her talons at a knight sneering down at her beak. He had half-drawn his sword at the movement, but the griffoness kept her arms bent and in plain sight. The Imperial Snowflake was slightly askew on her right arm.
Grover did take some satisfaction that even with her leaning on two sandbags, she was only eye-level with him. He had gotten used to the Princess' height. Her friend was a year younger than him, and slim. Her rich red feathers clashed terribly with the splotchy purple of her jacket. “Did you make that uniform yourself?”
“Yep,” Katherine rolled her eyes. “I got a better one, but I like my peasant wear. Your guards won’t let me in naked, but they search me every time I dress up. Hardly fair, but nothing in the Reich is fair, is it?”
Grover did not respond to the taunt. He raised a brow at the bottles of soda and sandwiches being unwrapped by one of the knights. “Is there a reason you are trying to access my area of the castle?”
“Dinner,” Katherine deadpanned. “Figured Henrik would enjoy something other than your table scraps.”
Grover paused. “Who?” he asked, tone flat and neutral.
It is good that her feathers are red. Makes her flush of anger harder to see. Katherine’s head feathers puffed involuntarily, but she glared through his glasses and slammed her beak shut when she registered the smirk in his eyes.
“Funny,” Katherine said lightly. “Does it bother you that his voice is deeper than yours? Sounds like a real griffon.”
“He’s a year older, so no,” Grover quipped. He squinted at the bread knife one of the knights was critically studying in a gauntlet. The Kaiser waved both wings. “Her claws are probably sharper than that knife. Let her through. Escort her to Henrik’s chambers.”
“My…” the knight nodded reluctantly. “As you command, my Kaiser.”
Grover looked back to Katherine. “Enjoy your date with my double.”
“He’s double the griffon,” the peasant retorted in her Katerin accent.
The Kaiser of Griffonkind laughed, voice cracking deeper. He took a breath, only to laugh harder at the griffoness’ dumbfounded blink. “I see why the Princess likes you,” he eventually managed. “Words are wind. Try harder. Thou art unfit for any place but Maar’s Hell, for example.”
Katherine’s wings fluttered. “Thou dost infect my eyes,” she tried.
Grover hummed. “Same play, but somewhat ruined by your upcoming date.” He turned away. “Henrik likes mustard, by the way,” the griffon added over a wing.
Katherine collected her sandwiches and sodas from the knights, stuffing them back into her basket with off-balance movements. She followed the knight waiting to escort her more meekly than Grover expected, but she was out of sight quickly as they crossed the great hall.
The obsidian throne remained in the room, but the windows had all been dismantled and boarded-up. The throne was draped over with Twilight Sparkle’s pointed star, and the burning Crystal Heart swung from the rafters above it, reminding ponies of the restored Diarchy. More importantly, who is actually ruling it. A pair of each tribe guarded the steps to the throne: unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, crystal pony, and bat pony. All of them were wearing purple dress uniforms with rifles and eyes that tracked the Kaiser as he crossed the room.
“Has there been news from the River Federation?” Grover said to Benito. The dog was still ahead of him.
“No, my Kaiser,” Benito responded. “We have heard nothing.”
Grover rubbed his beak together. Damn. Their silence is more worrisome than their neighing. Or barking. He half-expected a condemnation of Flurry Heart’s elevation and the Royal Sisters stepping forward. Twilight Sparkle had been discovered tortured, Mi Amore Cadenza confirmed slain and mutilated, a new blood-soaked alicorn claimed the oldest throne in the world…
And the world watched with a shrug. Then, what else to expect? The world shrugged when Chrysalis claimed the continent. It shrugged when the Revolution destroyed the Reich. He laughed to himself. It shrugged when Celestia declared she had a long-lost sister.
“My Kaiser?”
“History, Benito,” Grover waved a wing.
“Try to restrain your bouts of laughter,” Benito advised. “There were always rumors with those letters.”
“Would you prefer I flew into a rage like Grover II?” the griffon asked mirthlessly.
Benito coughed into a gloved paw and looked back ahead. The guards changed from griffons and dogs in Reichsarmee gray to ponies in gray uniforms with purple accents around the cuffs and collars. Appears practicality has won the day, Grover mused. Occasionally, a crystal pony wore a full dark purple uniform, but the Imperial Army of the Crystal Empire and Equestria merely adjusted their armbands and collars as a whole. This will be a war of black and gray.
The crystal ponies outside the dining halls stared through Grover’s entourage, glittering eyes blank. Benito kept his paws at his hips, but the other Ironpaws shuffled awkwardly behind their Kaiser. The Princess proclaimed no favorites of her subjects, but the few crystal ponies in Canterlot were zealous in their devotion to Flurry Heart.
“Kaiser Grover VI and Lord Commander Benito,” a crystal mare intoned without inflection. Her muzzle was almost ultramarine, shifting between a deep blue and a brighter color from the shadows in the doorframe. She swept her unblinking stare through the entourage. “You may enter. The rest remain. The Lord Regent and Royal Advisor await.”
Grover stared down his beak at the mare. “Frosty Jadis.”
The mare bent her foreleg to her chest with some difficulty, then placed it back upon the floor. “Kaiser Grover.” She snapped her tail in a signal to open the doors. The other crystal ponies shouldered them open, slung shotguns clinking at their sides. Jadis turned around and led Benito and the Kaiser into the room.
Jadis cleared her throat. “Sir Spike the Brave and Glorious, Lord Regent of Equestria and Knight of the Crystal Empire, and Thorax, Royal Advisor to the Princess, your guests have arrived.” She managed their titles in one breath.
The large dragon and slim changeling leaned on two of the dining chairs in an otherwise empty hall, chatting with each other in a low voice. Thorax tucked some paperwork into a folder and set it upon the table. Benito raised a paw and made several quick gestures; the Ironpaws broke formation and took up positions opposite the crystal ponies in the hallway.
“Kaiser Grover,” the Lord Regent nodded from the table. The dragon had not taken a seat, but one of the chairs was far larger and more reinforced than the other four. He leaned against the top of it. “When I gave the invitation, I did not expect you to accept so soon.”
“Circumstances change,” Grover answered formally. “My guest should arrive shortly. She is allowed four guards.”
“So your dog informed us,” Thorax picked up. “It makes no difference. For your own safety and comfort, you may choose to have your Ironpaws to inside the hall.”
Grover eyed Jadis’ tail ahead of him. It swished with a flick of nervous energy. “They will remain outside,” the griffon said dismissively with an upturned beak. “Trust is a valuable commodity, and we are allies.”
A unicorn server approached and bowed to Spike. He beckoned the stallion upright with a claw. “Bring the food and drink out.”
Jadis stepped aside and resumed her blank stare as Grover and Benito passed her. The crystal pony returned to her post, but the doors remained open for the final dinner guest. The dining hall had been cleared, long tables moved to the sides either by magic or strength. One modest wooden table had been set with a fine gilded tablecloth with five cushioned, low-backed chairs surrounding it.
Grover and Benito stood opposite Spike and Thorax. All were wearing formal outfits. The Kaiser removed his gloves and stuffed them into his coat pockets. He had left the sash of medals behind in his room, but wore an elegant buttoned-up shirt with his emblem of a roaring griffon on the breast pocket. He unhooked his glasses and cleaned them with a cloth while he waited.
The dragon gestured to a basin with a bar of soap and towel on the table. An earth pony stood ready with a cart. “If you wish to wash your claws before dinner…” the dragon offered.
“I wore gloves,” Grover retorted. Benito stuffed his own gloves in his jacket, then draped it against the back of his chair. The dog rolled his sleeves up. Grover caught the white scar running the back of his paw and looked away to the basin. Why not?
Grover peeled a line of soap of the bar with a talon, then scrubbed his claws in the water. His talons raked the fluffy towel afterwards and tore the fibers. He still refolded it and left it by the basin. Benito eyed him with a scrunched muzzle.
The table was silent. Grover stared back. After a heartbeat, he rolled his eyes and said what he was thinking aloud. “They did not poison a fucking soap bar, Benito.”
“VOPS would be fond of something like that,” Thorax said dryly. “Vaspier is fond of ironic deaths.”
“I am aware of the capabilities of the Vesalipolis Office of Public Safety,” Grover answered. “I assume you have no reason to want me dead and are capable of checking for poisons.”
“Your chefs are in the kitchen too,” Thorax answered. “We checked them as best we could.”
Grover clacked his beak at the insinuation that his own griffons would attempt to assassinate him. “The teams work separately. I have found that even Aquileian ponies cannot stand the preparation of red meat. It offends their senses.”
“For most,” Spike agreed. “Nova Griffonians swallow it down, and the Princess became fond of chicken in the frontier.”
“So I’ve seen,” Benito interrupted. “How did that occur?” The dog crossed to the basin and scrubbed his paws.
“Bet,” Spike shrugged a wing.
“Barbecue sauce,” Thorax elaborated without elaborating. He seemed to have a smirk judging from how his lips curled away from the prominent fangs.
Other severs began to bring out plates of bread and mashed potatoes, setting them up on one of the side tables with plates. It was not an excessive amount of food, and carefully proportioned for the table. Grover cocked his head at the clatter of additional hooves in the hallway. He turned to the doorway just as Benito finished and resumed his place beside him.
A stag entered the doorway, brown eyes sweeping the room. The deer wore an old, faded blue uniform under and equally haggard sash, but his eyes were proud. He inhaled and raised his antlers to the ceiling. “Velvet Jelzek, Queen of Olenia!”
The next pair to enter reminded Grover of the word ‘hubris’ in his mind. Truthfully, he had not considered the Olenian royal family at all during his war plans. It was an extraction protectorate of the Hegemony, invaded a year before the Great War and capitulated in less than two months. There had been no grand rebellion of deer during the Great War.
Deer conscripts were sent into battle against Equestria in the early days, promised to be exempt from the Love Tax for loyal service. They had all but disappeared as the war dragged on, and there was no news from Olenia beyond what the Hegemony wanted to distribute. Apparently, deerkind was prospering under the guiding hooves of Chrysalis.
I must give her credit: She is the Queen of Lies. I should have her named as a Maarspawn after I kill her. Grover inclined his head to Queen Velvet, far enough to show respect without letting the Reichstone fall to the floor.
Velvet nodded back. Her eyes were a fierce blue a shade darker than the Princess, and her blue antlers flashed in the light, polished to a shine. She had an elegant shawl draped across her frame that exposed her voluminous light tan chest fluff, clearly brushed and maintained. Her muzzle was pressed into a thin line, appearing collected and in control.
None of her presentation could make up for the fact a brown stag carried her in. The shawl hid most of her atrophied rear legs, and her forelegs were still lean and strong, but the Queen of Olenia could not walk unaided. She was carried to the final chair at the end of the table, and the stag carefully knelt. Velvet made the shuffle off his back look as dignified as she could, pivoting her hooves against the table and leaning down into the chair.
“I hope you do not mind if I take a seat first,” the Queen demurred in received Equestrian. She clearly had a professional tutor in the language.
“Of course not,” Spike said deferentially. “You are the guest of the hour, Queen Velvet.”
The doe smiled brightly at the tacit confirmation of her title. “The honor is mine, Lord Regent, but first I must thank Kaiser Grover.” She shifted her stare to Grover VI and bowed her head. Her horns flashed. “Your knights were able escort.”
“The Rosewood Order has many accolades,” Grover answered. “But you did all the hard work of reaching the frontline in the first place.”
“My deer will debrief you on all we know,” Velvet promised again.
Thorax levitated the bowl of water and soap down to the deer. Velvet cocked her head at the changeling, but smiled disarmingly. “Very kind. Royal Advisor?”
“Thorax,” the changeling supplied. “We never met.”
“Ah, you were exiled like I was. I remember the story.” Velvet scrubbed her forehooves as if she wasn’t carried into the room. Benito discreetly muffled a sneeze. Grover’s nose was not as good, but she smelled of fine perfume. The griffon nudged Benito with a wing to change places. The dog did so reluctantly, but Grover sat closer to her now.
Spike raised a claw and snapped his talons. The washing bowl was withdrawn and the servants advanced to the table with the modest dinner. Grover was not particularly that hungry after several hours of observing the war room, but his chefs prepared spaghetti and meatballs with a deluge of spices from Aquileia.
A griffon, a dog, a dragon, a changeling, and a doe took their seats at a pony’s dining hall. This is a setup to a terrible joke. Velvet’s attendant stood beside his Queen, but she waved him away with a hoof.
“Wait with the twins, Rudolph.” She unfolded the napkin, taking the utensils into the clefts of her hooves while tucking the napkin against her puffy fur. “I thank you for your generosity, Kaiser Grover VI.”
“Of course,” Grover answered with practiced ease. He looked over his shoulder to the four deer standing inside the room in faded uniforms. They reminded him of the Princess’ ragged army. All were armed with Changeling equipment. “Your journey must have been difficult.”
“The Changeling line is disorganized.” Velvet rolled her neck. “Leaving Olenia and crossing the strait was the most difficult trek. Their garrisons are diminished, and many of the fishing towns south of Vanhoover are long abandoned. Their western settlements are in disarray in Equestria. There are gaps along the overgrown roads.”
“You noted no contact with the ELF,” Spike said.
“Beyond errant bullets fired from tree lines?” Velvet nickered. “I imagine they have not seen a deer in some years, or at all. Olenia and Equestria never saw eye-to-eye.”
“Centuries of raiding will do that,” Spike replied dryly.
“Equestria was weakened by the loss of its Moon,” Velvet answered with a shrug. “We are traders and seafarers. I reached out to Equestria to restore me to my rightful throne and gain an ally, and the Sun declined.”
“The Sun had no interest sparking a civil war,” Spike answered. “You should have come earlier.”
“Would that have made a difference?” Velvet laughed.
“No,” Thorax answered. “But I have to wonder what made you risk such a difficult journey now.”
“That should be very obvious,” Velvet answered, tone cold.
Drinks floated down to the table, followed by dishes. Grover had water with a wedge of lemon. Benito accepted a chilled beer, muzzle curling at the imitation changeling label. He still popped the cap off. Thorax accepted a glass of seemingly plain water and a plate of buttered bread.
The Lord Regent’s dish was a meaty lasagna flecked with crystals. He cut into it carefully, listening for where the knife clinked against the shards. Both the dragon and the deer had wine glasses. “Leave the bottles,” the Lord Regent glanced up at the servers. “This will be a long dinner.”
Queen Velvet accepted a salad. She smiled again at the leafy greens and diced carrots. “It has been far too long since I’ve had anything fresh,” she mused. “The Princess is in the field?”
“She extends her apologies for not attending,” Spike answered.
“Please,” Velvet scoffed. “The Princess extends fire and blood across the south. Floki and Loki dream of it.” She snapped her horns towards two identical deer standing at the far table. The doe and stag, both snow white, drank sodas in unison with bright red eyes.
“Most dismiss the magic of Seers,” Grover answered. “Precognition is not well understood.”
“Unicorns wish to catalog magic,” Velvet laughed daintily. “They imagine they can bound it and spiral it around their horns. We understand it is a wild, feral thing: It is a sword without a hilt. The spirits can guide us to glory or guide us to pitfalls.”
She looked towards the plain bread before Thorax. “Why do you eat?”
“We have to eat,” Thorax said casually. "Emotions are only part of it."
“The Alsherjargoði once decreed that your kind was without souls,” Velvet continued. “That is why you need to steal ours. Killing you could only do a service to the Gods. Our borders always lived in fear of your pathetic raids.”
Thorax bit into a slice of bread without responding.
“I suspect Celestia never wanted us to meet.” Velvet crunched through another bite. She waited until she swallowed. “Good of you to stay in the north with the Crystal Princess.”
“I am not your enemy,” Thorax said calmly.
“Ah,” Velvet whickered. “But what about the Terror of Vaverfront? Hive Marshal Trimmel’s favorite blitzkrieg commander? He made quick work of our defenses.”
“My brother is long dead.” The changeling’s voice was neutral.
“Unfortunately,” Velvet said in an airy voice, “mine still lives. Johan sits upon my throne in Hjortland, surrounded by deer that could not stomach a doe upon the throne to the point of elevating a bastard.”
“You intend to kill him?” Grover asked. “What do your gods say of kinslaying?”
“He is a literal bastard as well as a figurative one,” Velvet demurred. “My father’s great sin. He wished for me to be heir, but raised Johan beside me. Of course small-minded deer looked to a three-horned stag to lead them before a doe.”
The Queen blushed. “I apologize.” She glanced to the empty wine glass. “We have not had wine in some time.”
Grover saw through the ploy. She must have been the Queen of Equestrian foppery…but I grew up in Griffenheim. He smiled indulgently. “Just so, Queen Velvet.”
“My brother must die for his crimes,” Velvet confirmed. She poured herself more wine, nearly to the brim of the glass. “The Princess has demonstrated the proper punishment for collaboration. Oligarchs have grown fat off the suffering of the common deer for over a decade. No longer.”
Spike nodded. “Equestria should’ve backed your restoration. We could’ve stalled Chrysalis early.”
Alternatively, sparking a civil war could have accelerated Chrysalis’ plans and caught both of you unprepared, Grover mused. Perhaps a victory in the end, but not as easy as one would wish. His aunt flashed in his eye.
The Kaiser sliced open one of the meatballs and his cheeks pulled into a frown. There was a wedge of paper stuffed into the meat. He glanced over the rims of his glasses to the changeling, then pulled it out and unfolded the small slip of paper.
Gotcha.
Grover set it down next to the bowl. “This hardly counts,” he said across the table.
Thorax swallowed a sip of water. “There’s five. You find the other four and we’ll talk.”
Grover suppressed a growl. “How bad is my security in your estimation?”
“If VOPS was actually trying to kill you they would’ve done it,” the changeling answered. “Vaspier must be stretched thin trying to keep internal suppression down.”
“The other Changeling Queens are dead,” Velvet claimed. “After Chrysalis’ coronation in Canterlot, they fell silent in their Hives. We encountered a few near feral changelings in the mountains for years afterwards. They had fled purges behind shadowed doors and knives in the night.”
“You didn’t show any mercy to them, I suppose,” Thorax assumed.
“Your brother showed no mercy to Vaverfront. He enjoyed it.”
“My brother is dead,” Thorax repeated with a mild hiss. “He was hanged by the Queen he loved to serve. I’m sure you enjoy that.”
“I do,” Velvet confirmed. She took the stem of the wine glass the cleft of her left hoof and sipped. “I enjoy knowing Trimmel is dead as well.”
“He died a coward,” Spike rumbled.
“Good.”
The table was silent for several minutes.
“We lost track of you during the war,” Spike eventually stated to the doe. “The ELF assumed you had been killed.”
“It was obvious you had lost this war long before Canterlot fell,” Velvet said softly. Grover sensed it was false kindness. “I could not speak on a radio forever; I risked the journey to Olenia across the bay to lead whoever I could.”
“Olenia’s prewar borders will be restored,” Grover promised.
The deer’s antlers flashed. “We have suffered greatly.”
“You do not want any changeling land,” Grover retorted. “Trust me on that. The rebuilding process of Olenia will be arduous enough.”
“What is your intention?” Velvet mused. “I have heard of this Grand Crusade. Do you claim the territory, or does the Princess?”
Spike and Thorax shared a look, but neither responded. Grover folded his claws on the table. “We have not discussed it in-depth.”
“Olenian runestones dot the southern Changeling Lands,” Velvet laughed. “Our lands extended well into their borders centuries ago.” Her eyes turned sly. “Much like the Crystal Empire.”
You overreach. “We will take that into consideration,” Grover demurred. “I do wish to hear of your resistance and their gathered information.”
“Of course, Kaiser Grover,” Velvet promised again. “Olenia will not be another footnote in another war.”
“Once the southern campaign is finished, Princess Flurry Heart and Dragon Lord Ember will return to Canterlot,” Spike added. He carefully bit around his fork, crunching through the crystals and the lasagna.
Benito’s whiskers twitched at the exaggerated motion. “How many forks do you bite through?”
“Haven’t done it in years,” Spike quipped. “When do dogs stop chasing their tails?”
“Unless they are exceptionally stupid, four,” Benito retorted. “When did you outgrow the basket?”
“I scarcely recognize you, Lord Regent,” Velvet faux-apologized. “My last memory was of a pudgy dragon taking notes while Princess Twilight apologized for the lack of deer enrolled in her school.”
“I remember that meeting.” Spike set the fork down. “You twisted words well enough there, too.”
Grover clasped his claws under his beak to hide the smile.
“I beg your pardon?” Velvet frowned.
“It was your decision,” Spike pointed out. “You didn’t want deer enrolled because it made you look like a puppet, but you twisted it around on Twilight with honeyed words. Made it seem like it was her fault her school wasn’t welcoming enough.”
“Well, considering that debacle with that foal…” Velvet left the thought hanging for a heartbeat. “I was vindicated.”
“You’re just as proud as you were all those years ago,” Spike snorted. “I admit it; I’m impressed. Most would take a bullet to the spine as a wake-up call.”
Velvet’s muzzle curled in anger. “I risked more than your Princesses ever did. Celestia threw dinners. The Grand Galloping Gala continued during the first year of the war even as her sister lost every engagement. Unicorns gathered around to tell me how tragic Olenia’s fate was, blind to what was happening beyond their mountain.”
“They’re all dead,” Spike countered. “You arrived too late to see the hangings.”
“Our fate could have been avoided had Celestia found her spine. She told me with a smile that she sent a note of protest to Chrysalis when the tanks rolled across our borders. She called it unjust on the radio, but no more.”
“Equestria was not prepared for a war.”
“And you paid for it as dearly as we did.” Velvet shook her head. “I don’t understand. How could you look at our home burn and shrug?”
Spike opened his mouth.
“You should’ve killed your brother,” Thorax interrupted. “Why didn’t you kill him then?”
Spike gaped at the changeling beside him.
“How was I to do that?” Velvet nickered.
“You had loyal deer in Olenia,” the changeling buzzed his wings. “I’m sure some were close to Johan, close enough to poison him. You ask us why we didn’t do more. Why didn’t you?”
Velvet flushed and drank her wine glass dry.
“Your brother surrendered Olenia before the fighting turned truly ugly,” Thorax explained. “Had it been a bitter, vicious fight to the death…perhaps Equestria would have woken up. But it was over in less than a season, and many ponies had never met a deer. What did it matter to them?”
“Enough, changeling.”
“My brother was an asshole,” Thorax said with finality. “I’m sorry for his role in Olenia’s fall. He was still my brother, and I still loved him.”
“Keep whatever sense you have to yourself,” Velvet nickered. Her antlers glowed in the light.
Thorax drank his water.
The table was quiet again. Grover did not find another note in the pasta and assumed the others were probably stuffed into his socks and scattered through his room. Pull another mage to run wards. The Kaiser cleaned his beak with the napkin.
“There’s no dessert,” the Lord Regent said after finishing his plate.
“I doubt any of us wish to stay for further discussion,” the Lord Commander replied.
“I shall speak with the Lord Regent and Royal Advisor privately,” Grover announced. “You are dismissed, Benito.”
Queen Velvet regarded the wine bottle. “May I keep it?”
“We’ll have another delivered to the guest quarters,” Spike promised. “When the Princess returns to Canterlot, we will officiate the alliance between everyone.”
“We shall speak more in private, Queen Velvet,” Grover said to the doe.
The Queen of Olenia was helped out of her chair by her assistant and the two twins. Another stag stood at the door with a hoof on his stolen submachine gun. One of the albino twins, the doe, stared at Grover unblinkingly.
Grover stared back. Far too much like a crystal pony.
Benito and the deer exited the room. Servants collected the plates and departed through the side entrances. Grover was certain Benito was waiting outside with a twisting tail, but the remaining guards were far along the walls.
“I feel obligated to apologize for my guest,” Grover began. “I was unaware General Pharynx played such a role in the fall of Olenia.”
“Most of his achievements were credited to Trimmel after his death,” Thorax said dismissively.
“What did you want to discuss?” Spike asked. He folded his arms.
“The Princess remains committed to avoiding the mistakes of the Great War. We may present a unified front, but it will be under my command. My war plan and my army are advancing across your continent.”
Spike puffed a plume of smoke. “Fine.”
Grover blinked. “Just like that?” he asked incredulously.
“Princess Flurry has committed to that course already,” Thorax rolled his eyes. “Archmage Shimmer is working on getting Mage Units ready to integrate into the frontlines. We’ll talk about all of this once the southern campaign is concluded.”
“What else?” Spike asked flatly.
Grover drummed his talons on the table. “I wish to be on good terms with you.”
Spike laughed; it was a single, rumbling chuckle.
“We’re not her parents,” the changeling added with smirking fangs.
“She calls you family, and so you are,” Grover replied. He ran a claw through his head feathers around the Reichstone. “Ancestors above, she threatened to blow up my palace.”
“You really expect me to believe you were quaking in your crown over that?” Spike said sardonically. “You bombed the shit out of her bubble shield up until the deadline.”
“I had to make preparations,” Grover countered. “I could not shift my entire war plan based on the whims of one alicorn. I had to reshuffle my air command.” Most were probably grateful to avoid facing Maar's Daughter.
The changeling across the table tilted his horn to the side and breathed deeply. He licked his fangs. “We’re fine. It was her decision.”
Spike frowned, fangs pulling his muzzle down. “Why’d that even work?”
“What do you mean?” Grover asked.
“The Griffonian Reich’s whole thing was that it did not care about Equestria,” Spike shrugged. “You papers barely acknowledged Luna, even when they did they called her Nightmare Moon. No alicorns in the Riverlands. Did you even know about her mother?”
No. “How many Equestrians knew about Princess Cadance before the wedding?”
“Fair,” Thorax laughed. “She liked to keep a low profile for a long time. She was never that magically talented.”
“Why’d it work?” Spike asked again.
Grover took a breath. “I was going to lose the war. We stalemated in Equestria. I needed to relieve pressure elsewhere.”
“So she didn’t even have to offer it,” Spike chuckled ruefully.
“It helps,” Grover answered. “Griffons need tangible results. I can’t wave my claws at an economic table and screech about how Equus will make us rich. The average griffon is not going to see a drastic improvement in their quality of life from winning this war.”
“A trophy,” Thorax shrugged a hoof. “Something shiny to point to.”
“Not in those terms.”
“She knew the nature of the deal,” Thorax sighed. “Improve your security. If you die, your griffons are going to blame her.”
“I will speak with Benito,” Grover deadpanned. He stood up and placed his coat back on, followed by his gloves. His beak clenched, then he pulled out a slip of paper from one of the gloves. Thorax stared back placidly as the Kaiser unfolded it.
Gotcha.
“Three more,” the changeling offered.
Grover unhooked his glasses and closed his eyes. “I am sorry,” he forced out. “I wish she accepted my offer. I should have explained myself better and never sent-”
“You still don’t understand her,” Thorax chided with a hiss. “I did not raise her to be a Princess, nor did her family, not truly.”
You think I wanted to be the Kaiser? Grover did not say it aloud. “The gaps in her education are self-evident.”
“Her studying habits were terrible,” Thorax chirped. “Spend more time with her. Maybe the reading will rub off.”
“It won’t,” Spike countered.
“No, but I can hope.”
Grover inclined his head. “Thank you for hosting us.”
“Two things, Kaiser Grover VI,” Thorax said. The changeling leaned back in his chair and tipped his purple cap away from his horn. “Velvet Jelzek is going to realize you’re just pumping her for information. She wants to be an equal ally.”
I am well aware. “And the other?”
“Did Flurry ever tell you what happened with the Crystal Heart?”
Grover rolled his eyes. “Aside from it nearly killing her and making the world’s largest flyswatter, no.”
The changeling stared at him for several moments, then licked his right fang. He smiled softly afterwards. “Thank you for being there for Flurry. We should do this again.”
“Lord Regent. Royal Advisor.” Grover backed out of the room. The crystal ponies reopened the doors and the Kaiser exited into the hallway. Benito ceased pacing before the other dogs.
“Did they threaten you?” Benito asked.
“Only if you count more dinner invitations as threats.”
Benito gave Grover a dark look that indicated he did count them as threats.
“I’m too busy,” Grover deflected. “This was solely to confirm Queen Velvet as under my wing. She approached the Reichsarmee before Equestria.”
“She expects terms similar to the Princess.”
She is not an alicorn. “I must admire that level of self-confidence,” Grover deflected. He checked his watch. “Gallus did not send a courier. Let us see what has happened. I do not like the dragons as a rogue element in the south.”
They departed down the hallway. Benito and the Ironpaws formed a cordon around Grover, but the trip was peaceful. The sun had set over the course of the dinner, and the guards on shift were the only occupants in the hallways. Grover reached the other wing without incident.
“My Kaiser?” Benito turned his voice upwards to indicate it was a question and not a confirmation. The dog glanced over his shoulder. “I must express concern at the future war councils.”
“Why?”
“You intend to place the Dragon Lord, the Queen of Olenia, and the Princess in the same room and pray to the Gods they do not kill each other.”
“Yes,” Grover said flatly.
“Can you not be in that room as well?”
“Someone has to stop them from killing each other. As Proteus says, we cannot expect the Gods to do all the work.”
Bentio muttered something.
“What was that, Lord Commander?” Grover asked in a louder voice.
“Nothing,” Benito lied.
Grover adjusted the Reichstone with a wing, then frowned at a crinkling in the padding. He stopped abruptly and yanked the crown off, flipping it upside down and tugging at the seams. There was another folded slip of paper tucked inside a fold. This time, he openly snarled and crushed the paper without reading it. “I want a full sweep of my room.”
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Well, this was interesting. Good to see spike and Benito getting along, and the running bit with the notes.
The little "Gotcha" notes are hilarious just as they show how equestria isn't totally overpowered by the griffons. They might be generally weaker then the reich but they still have a few tricks for themselves. But seriously, how good are Thorax's services to put a note in the damn Reichstone?!?! If Benito learn about this he's going to have an heart attack and/or start searching every corner of the castle.
Also yeah... sorry Velvet but you aren't in position to ask a lot. Especially if you have to go against the princess of shut up I do what I want.
I liked the double meaning
Oh look! They're bonding!
That note Grover left himself about (Flurry's?) wings, why'd he cross it out? I remember him pondering them and planning around them. Was it ever resolved, or did he just give up or dismiss it as unimportant?
Still amusing, regardless.
11710402
And I only counted four notes!
I'd be as dead as Grover.
I feel bad for Velvet, even if she's not without blame. It's a good thing she has such proficiency wielding her confidence; it's almost all she has left to offer!
Unless she's keeping some super secret Intel for her solo meeting with Grover.
Nice to see him trying to make nice with hunny's family, and nice to see them trying back.
Uh.
How old is Velvet in this story? She might be a doe but she's heart of a Cougar.
11710434
I don't think they mean it like that. Cus, for one they can't produce any children. And she's gonna need a successor (a legitimate heir given her stance on "bastards"). And two, What reason does grover have to accept that. She brings little if anything to that marriage beyond being a headache.
I think she's expecting to be treated as a Equal partner in terms of the war. Kinda like what Charles de gaulle wanted during ww2 for the French.
11710434
...You realize that a political marriage has nothing to do with sex, right? She simply want thhhe protection that that marriage would guarantee.
Well that was a funny. And here I had hoped that Velvet and Thorax would know each other. Oh well. I can't wait for the three of them to be in on3 room together. I also loved Griover trying to reach out to Spike and Thorax. Adorable!
Why do I see velvet getting warsawed
"Food fight!" Princess Celestia yelled and threw her half-eaten plate of spring rolls at her sister.
The biggest question in my head after this chapter is Ember.
Like why is she here, fighting? Why has she decided to join? What does she hope to gain for her people?
Velvet's goals and reasoning are pretty clear in this conflict. But Ember? What are her demands going to be at the negotiation table?
11710434
Dragon Lord Ember is also single. Grover's getting a harem.But nah, not the vibe. Queen Velvet is based off her character from Them's Fighting Herds, aka an amazingly self-centered doe. She's got some credit to back it up; she survived for over a decade and is still leading her people. Grover's lent validation and support to Flurry Heart on the world stage, acknowledging her as an ally instead of a puppet. Velvet is also expecting to be an ally in the war with the confirmation of her title, perhaps a "Free France" scenario to oppose her brother's Olenian Protectorate.
Which straight-up isn't going to happen. This is Grover's war. He's willing to share it with Flurry because she rides his tanks into battle and is a walking apocalypse, but Ember and Velvet annoy him. They complicate his war plans. (In all honesty, the Reichsarmee is still doing most of the work here. Flurry's embraced the support role for her little Imperial Army out of pragmatism, and she has enough "trash gremlin" humility to accept that Grover is smarter than her and go with his ideas.) Grover's not entertaining a "Big Four" conference; he wants them to fall in line behind his army. Velvet is going to be highly disappointed.
11710466
Velvet does know of Thorax's brother, the Terror of Vaverfront. Pharynx has been dead a long time, but it's easy to forget that he was basically a Chrysalis simp and a few steps away from a Queen's Guard fanatic. As far as Velvet's concerned, Pharynx having a last-moment change of heart and being hanged by the Queen and Trimmel is poetic justice. He helped crush Olenia and Equestria without remorse until the last moment. (And she completely ignored Thorax's dig that she still loves her own brother. There's a parallel there she doesn't want to look at.)
11710432
The wings question will never be answered. He asked. She doesn't know. Grover would rather pull census data and see if there's an impending population decline from Equestria's food exports collapsing. (This is things he does for fun.) It's a gentle reminder that Grover is still a teenager. He wrote down a very forward-thinking problem, then scratched out the dumb "Why are her wings so big!?"
11710402
Flurry's not the real concern for Velvet; she'd just shrug. There's a reason Velvet cozied up to the Reich before Equestria; Olenia's always struggled against Equestrian influence. She hasn't caught on that Grover sees right through her. He grew up in Griffenheim. Velvet is going to try and piecemeal out information about the rear of the Hegemony to secure her own position post-war. Grover is making his own plans.
11710564
Maybe Grover can make some kind of grand alliance similar to The League of Nations in our world, with him at the head. He could align the country's members under his rule.
Although I must admit that I was surprised that Olenia appeared first than Mount Aris. Of the Young six, only Silverstream is missing.
11710527
Imagine how funny it'd be if Ember just went "Oh I did it to be a good friend." like she's the only one that took the whole "Friends help friends in need" thing seriously
11710600
In Aris's defense there is a large ocean probability filled with Changeling Subs between Zebrica and Equss compared to the land travel between Olena and Canterlot. So it does make a bit of sense for Velvet to make an appearance before the Hippogriffs.
11710600
What makes you think they are coming at all?
11710402
Flurry has also been shown to be very capable at teleportation magic. Would be funny if she didn't even fully need Thorax to take a dab like this on Grover.
I've always seen unicorn magic as the main reason why ponies could hold their own againt griffons and fight on relatively equal terms during wars - Wittenland mages can literally drop a comet on the battlefield and cripple an entire region (simulated in the game with a nuke). If not for things like that or the (upcoming) horrors of the Eygsic Forest in Deponia, the Riverlands probably would have been conquered centuries ago. Griffons simply vastly outpeform ponies (especially Equestrians) in waging conventional wars, but are vulnerable twice as much to the 'fantasy' elements within the world of EaW (like changeling shapeshifting) due to their extremely limited pool of own magical abilities. I really wish there was a way to reflect this concept more in the mod's gameplay itself.
11710677
Like Velvet, they have a section in the chapter "The Spark that Ignited the World". And totally personal, I want to see the Young six reunited, and see Gallus and Silverstream together.
11710677
11711051
Queen Novo and Aris are not eager to yeet their army to another continent with Chiropterra and Colthage watching for round two of the North Zebrican War. They have their own internal problems from losing and have barely scraped out a recovery with massive internal issues. Their navy is still powerful, but it's the only thing halting an invasion of the home island. Seaquestria was trying to retreat into isolation after the loss.
As for whether or not they'll come up more... I didn't weld Ocellus into that friend group for nothing.
The Spark that Ignited the World & The Wind that Fanned the Flames sound a little similar, hmm?
The Table of Contents has minor spoilers. Keep on eye on it occasionally for updates.
11711158
In the series, it seemed to me that Ocellus made flirty eyes at Smolder. Just say.
11710466
I could very much see Olenia pulling a Warsaw, perhaps even multiple Warsaw’s but in this case it actually working because the Reichsarmee is happy for the help
I could also see Olenia’s resistance being greater in the hillier rural regions. The Changelings firmly control the cities but any attempts to penetrate inland outside of their mining operations sees empty villages and Changeling picked off by snipers. The deer have seers and a natural ability to better fight and hide in their lands. It also would not be really that important over time.
Wasn't the right fang code for something or am I misremembering?
11711113
You seem unsettlingly familiar...
Another great chapter
11711342
Lying.
Flurry told Grover what happened with the Crystal Heart. (Most of it.) She also asked him not to tell anyone else. Flurry's made enough oblique comments about the Crystal Heart; those close to her know something happened that she just won't tell them about. Thorax connected that Grover would only flatly deny knowing anything if Flurry asked him to.
Nerdbird gets a pass from buguncle.
Velvet doesn't bring much to the table honestly. All she brings is another front to fight on. And honestly she blames Flurry for Celestias and Lunas failures.
Flurry will not like that.
I started reading this because of a meme. After the second chapter, I was hooked. Within 2 odd weeks, I powered through 530k Words. I have never read a story that has both done that and kept it up. You pump out chapters like it's an assembly line. Yet every chapter is excellent and filled with hidden detail and subtleties. Holy shit. Keep up the good fight.
Monopoly
I do like Grover subtly trying to improve the relationship of Flurry's family to have a "normal" family in the future
Ps. I really want little flurry's or grover's in the future(even though its highly unlikely)
11711113
Your worst nightmare.
Speaking of which "DO NOT MIX THE GELS!!"
11712450
Well, hippogriffs do exist
They must have come from somewhere🤔
11711370
Sorry man, I dunno who you are. Are you someone I sent the fic to?
"do you think I want to be Kaiser"
Wait wait wait, hold on, what dats means?
11714260
It's a hereditary role he was breed and raised for. No one ever asked him if he wanted the job.
Don't take that the wrong way I highly doubt he has any interest in giving up the job, it has some seriously good perks.
Reminds me a bit of Emporer Turhan who lamented in his final days that he never really decided anything about his own life. He was born and raised to be Emporer, did what was expected of him his whole life, and at the end wondered what else could've been?
Granted Grover does not let his advisors make his decisions for him so he's not going to have the same regrets. But still a lot of decisions were made for him.
11715653
Here some cool shit for you for responding to me
https://youtu.be/D44523IHXvw?si=6M8Okvhk8ASN4cks
Not done with the chapter yet, but I just wanna say, the bit with Grover making a note to find out about her wings, that’s probably why I keep liking this, if this was just a slog of depression and darkness, I might still read it, but I would not enjoy it as I do. I also fully acknowledge that that could’ve been to pick the story back up after the emotions that were last chapter, which I am fine with, due to the reason stated above.