“After a thousand years, it’s now considered “poor form” to be weary of one’s enemies? How embarrassing that we should placate these Griffons. We fought wars against them did we not? Does nopony remember that? Fields above, this country had fallen to the dogs!” ~ Princess Luna.
Princess Celestia is in trouble. Her little sister has returned, and with that she has brought her antiquated views of a thousand years long past along with her. Whilst some of them are excusable, some things have to change, like her blatant hatred for a certain avian species. Especially after her diplomatic mission which has gone so poorly that it threatens war in the best-case scenario.
With the help of her Public Relations advisor, the daughter of a famous clown, and the unwanted assistance of the Prince of Chaos, the royal family must do something utterly drastic in order to save Equestria.
All of their fates rest on an out-of-touch Alicorn of the moon and a young hatchling Lioness fresh out of the egg, with a propensity to maul faces at the drop of the hat… It does not look good.
Special thanks to Living Madness for allowing me to use their concept.
Didn't this story used to be longer?
Oh god no Discord…
I laughed from this man that pillow is gonna have a story to tell
Love it! Ready and waiting for next chapter!
Sounds like Luna has some ptsd from the days when ponies and griffins were at war with each other. They might have made peace while she was gone but she wasn't there and still remembers how things were and remembers it like it was yesterday. To expect her just to change her point of view because times have changed is asking of her a lot.
Celestia should have talked with her sister before going to such measures. Now they have a griffin who is expecting Luna to be her mom and Luna who still remembers the war like yesterday and doesn't like griffins because of that. If Celestia wanted to help maybe she should have gotten twilight to help her see the change of things since she been gone and maybe she could have come around. This is just going hurt everyone.
Doubly so, when you consider that letter Z in the alphabet is often represented with a zebra when being taught to children.
You know, it actually figures that Celestia would be a fan of metal.
Black Saddle! I love it! I wonder what Ozzy would look like as a pony.
Sure you aren't, Yogi Bear.
Well, that should make this all the more fun then.
And the "fun" has been doubled!
You have odd standards for the state of the country, Luna.
Now there's a pony asking the real questions.
Yeah, speaking of, you'd best lie low for a bit, Discord, because if either of these two sisters get a hold of you after this, I suspect you'll be going right back into the statue again.
Amazing recreation, loving what you've done with this. So funny and dynamic. Keep it up!
11581283
I was thinking the same thing! Also note how when Luna is talking about the Griffin war (or whatever it was called), there is no mention of Celestia being involved in the war efforts. So on top of Luna having been in the thick of it, possibly watching her grandfather get mauled by a griffin, losing thousands of good soldiers and (likely) friends, AND Celestia never witnessing any of this firsthand the way Luna did…
Yeah, they needed to talk first.
Another theory: there may be something about the griffin’s history that even the griffins don’t remember since Luna seemed to have a mild PTSD reaction to the staffs, likely indicating they have war origins or something like that. It is stated that they were heirlooms/artifacts from when their country was founded, but there’s probably more to it than that and Luna knows it. Maybe they were the war staffs of some warlords or violent kings who conquered ponies and/or Luna’s battalion in order to form their country. 🤷🏻♀️
11581390
Don’t forget not knowing how to use a spear before the age of 10
Good lord Luna
11581752
Yeah, it's almost a pity Luna's not even remotely interested in this baby griff at the moment, because I think they'd actually end up having a lot of common in the end.
It’s back…. I’m happy now
Is "mall faces" some zoomer slang I'm unfamiliar with? Of course, malls are dying out, and zoomers and alphas might be completely unfamiliar with them.
11582015
Haha, my apologies, that was meant to say maul, as in to attack. Thank you for pointing that out, I will change that shortly.
11581751 11581283 Yeah, this whole situation is a right cock-up and it can all be laid on Celestia's hooves for "forgetting" that her sister was a veteran of the griffin raids/wars/whatever.
But, hey, on a potential good point, Luna didn't immediately try to kill/imprison the griffin invader, so there might be hope ....
11582281
I think she was too busy freaking out and planning on how to kill her sister.
11582288 Celestia still "forgot" her own sister's military history when she decided that sending Luna to the heart of the Griffin Empire would be a "good thing".
Nice to see this idea of explored again, I do so love seeing Luna the Moon Racist.
11582290
And she probably be reminded of that when her sister works on killing her. Besides adopting a child isn't a game and the fact is Celestia actions were wrong. This child needs a loving home and Luna doesn't like griffins. Maybe with help she could have overcome her issues with them but a child is not the right answer.
Seems alright fiction so far.
A cute story you got here so far.
I don't believe it. Celestia knows that she was in war with griffins and despite the fact bad times sometimes leave scars on the spirit she refuses to even try to get her sister real help. This isn't about racism this ptsd. Luna is barely holding together outwardly and thinks that she is fine. Celestia should have forced her to talk before even considering adoption. She should have just gotten the truth about it and people would have understood that for Luna the memories of the war are fresh as if they were just yesterday's memories. And having her see someone about would have appeased the public. Unfortunately this will only hurt everyone because sooner or later someone is going to tell the public that Luna doesn't like having a griffin daughter and that it was Celestia idea for her to have a griffin daughter.
Yeah getting rid of the army was a dumb move although they don't have many enemies that doesn't mean someone won't get the idea that they are top of the pecking order and want what someone else has and since the princesses are top of the pecking order someone will try something to make themselves more important somehow.
11606493
Yo, this guy knows it's a comedy, not a drama right? Calm down my man. This shit ain't real. Take a deep breath brother.
11606524
What can't a person have an opinion?!
Maaan, these castle workers are hard up for entertainment then, aren't they?
A few of those bannings were even in place before her banishment, and simply never undone...as if the owners, throughout the ensuing generations, somehow knew there would come a time where such a banning would be needed again and thus safer to just leave it on the books regardless.
Incidentally, hats swiftly went into style for a good while after the populace had seen how stylish and completely covering her scalp the one Celestia wore for that national address.
Yeah, now if only we can get Luna to come around to the idea. I've said it before--those two would get along wonderfully if Luna can just get past whatever it was that's keeping her so...mmm, we'll go for the polite option...skittish around griffons.
It is getting me wondering, in fact. Celestia did comment that it's peculiar that despite the plenty of other non-pony creatures that had been on Equestria or Luna's bad side before, even to the point that it'd create PTSD of its own, that specifically griffons are the only ones she can't seem to move past. So whatever happened must've been in a whole league of its own in comparison to the usual amount of PTSD Luna must've have faced when fighting with others.
But of course, Luna doesn't want to talk about it. Which is honestly mistake number one any PTSD sufferer could make, but you really can't rush them on these things--trying to force it usually just makes it worse.
She's got claws--probably used them to cut a few threads, whether intentional or not.
Don't jinx it, Celly.
Better question--where's Discord hiding and watching the proceedings play out this time?
Oh, never mind--found him.
Well, at least Luna will have some fun with that, then. I expect it'd be all over entirely too quickly for her tastes though.
Got me wondering about these three bad-griffs though, as it seems to me there's more to them (or at least the leader...I suppose tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber are pretty self-explanatory as-is) than currently meets the eye...particularly pertaining to their real intentions for doing all of this...
Missed the opportunity to just call it the creeper basilisk, then.
A definitive answer to that question would require you to inspect the child's genitals. The Law takes a Dim View of that sort of behavior. 16 will get you 20.
“But perhaps the most dangerous of all, is the petrified basilisk, which confusingly, does not turn things to stone, but instead lives in a state of constant fear and paranoia, then when threatened, promptly explodes. Blowing itself, the predator, and the several hundreds of feet of land along with it out of history and into geography.)”
I would like to pet this creature. It would be but a single boop on its noggin.
Love these type lines 😂😂😂
So, Celestia just happened to have a device to completely imprison her sister on hand, so she could force Luna to be "civilized" with the implicit threat of being locked away forever.
Luna still hasn't actively targeted the cub with anything harmful, so there is that ... but, to be honest, I'm at least as interested in seeing Celestia get her comeuppance as I am in seeing if anything other than stockhold syndrome develops between Luna and the cub.
No. Just, no. You created that mess Celestia! You "forgot" that your own sister has PTSD and decades (if not centuries) of ground-in hatred against an "enemy race". You decided to send Luna to Griffinstone so she could "adjust" to "the modern way of things", while ignoring that you had centuries to adapt to the changes and where not on the frontlines against the griffin menace, while to Luna those events were only a few years ago!
Yes, Luna cocked everything up quite nicely, but you, Celestia was the one who sent her there (Luna sure as hell didn't volunteer), you "forgot" to tell you chief diplomat that "Oh, by the way, we were at war with the griffins when Luna went away, and had been since out grandfather's reign, and it might affect her behavior"!
That is an absolutely wonderful plan ... until the hostile nation remembers that there is nothing you can do to force them to pay!
No, you imbecilic nag, it's been a thousand years for you!
Yeah, I don't believe you.
Goddamn it, Luna
Okay, someone is messing with things, but the "extinct butterfly reappears at just the wrong time" seems to subtle for Discord. Do we have another player on the field?
11606839 But who is Luna going to talk about it too? Celestia, the only one who might understand, literally ordered Luna into the heart of girffindom and has now decided that Luna is adopting a griffin -- the trust is pretty shaky there ....
11608000
I agree that Celestia should've tried to talk to Luna about it far sooner, though part of the whole point of the story is that mistakes were made all around and now everyone has to comically work through the consequences of their ill-advised choices. But she's nonetheless tried to talk to Luna about it now, to the point of almost pleading...and Luna still refused to even acknowledge there's a problem. So it's still less Luna has no one to talk to and more that Luna actually does...she's just flat-out refusing to.
Which, as previously commented, is fairly in character for both Luna and someone suffering from PTSD, done partly out of pride and partly out of just not wanting to relive the trauma that discussing it would bring about, as well probably thinking that talking about it isn't going to do squat about changing what happened anyway, so in Luna's head, why bother? Thus all leading back to my earlier comment that trying to force Luna to talk, as obvious a solution as that might seem to be in this case, isn't going to help much because to her you'd still be forcing her into doing something she doesn't want to do, and as such will react defensively and probably just make things worse.
Granted, leaving her alone will change nothing, so something needed to be done to get her out of that shell concerning the matter. Forcing her to play the part of adoptive mother, of course, even if just for the cameras and nothing more, isn't great for much of the same reasons already mentioned. Never at any time will I say otherwise on that front (amusing to watch it all play out though it is). But it DOES at least still give Luna the chance to adapt and change her views towards griffons via a sort of exposure therapy at her OWN speed and pace rather than someone else's, and ultimately that's what Luna really needs.
So, as very ill-advised as it all is and given all the many mistakes all parties made trying to address it...I still feel like that, in the end, it's all going to work out okay. One just has to get through all the turmoil first...hence the story.
Interesting story you got here. I’ll track
11608193
Yeah I would have sent her to poynville and told her she could come home when twilight was no longer her student and that she must help twilight and friends in their study of friendship. Maybe the magic of friendship could get her to open up about her feelings after all it turned a pony who didn't really care about friendship to one who did. And invite griffins to poynville every so often. Everyone will satisfied with the fact Luna is being punished considering she won't be allowed any royal privileges until her punishment is up. Celestia I know is trying but how close are they considering age and nightmare moon have to be considered?
11607981
To be fair, those assumptions are based on the theory that Luna was unconscious on the moon. Other theories say Luna was perfectly conscious (and probably bored/furious) on the moon. Neither is canonically confirmed, but Luna very well could’ve sulked stubbornly for 1,000 years over her sister (which means she’d still be sulking/grudging over the griffins after 1,000 years of solitude)
Also, I noticed that all the current chapters have the same publish date, even though they were public on different days. This evidences to me that the entire story is already written and chapters are just being released at different weeks. Nothing we say is gonna change the story. Maybe Celestia eventually sees her own flaws, but for now are we really gonna ignore Luna’s as well just because she has PTSD?
As far as Celestia is concerned, Luna is just stubborn and rude. Luna will never tell Celestia outright that she has problems until they eat at her alive and spit her out in the form of Nightmare Moon (as very clearly addressed in the story). As evidenced even in the series Luna has a tendency to just bottle things up and keep her problems secret until she literally can’t hide it anymore or contain it (-cough-tantabus-cough-).
Sure, could Celestia have forced Luna to tell her these things? Maybe, but that wouldn’t really solve the problem. Even if Celestia knew about Luna’s PTSD and just didn’t send her to Griffinstone, Luna would still not receive help for her problems. It’s still gonna be a lingering problem as long as she tries to just ignore it and bottle it up.
11610041
You know, I'm not sure which is worse, Luna being unconscious (or whatever) on the moon, or her being fully awake and aware the entire time. <shudder>
As for Luna's flaws, as I said she certainly has responsibility for what happened in Griffinstone, my issue is that Celestia (who has vastly more culpability for the entire situation) is acting as if everything is Luna's fault and she is completely innocent of anything except trying to "help" her sister.
I hadn't notice the publication dates, good catch. So, yeah, yelling at the characters for being idiots or whatever is going to have no effect on the story -- but I find it cathartic.
Hopefully Celestia's screw ups are going to be background for the rest of the story and I can let them slide (somewhat) and focus on Luna, cub, and Golden's antics, the griffin Stooges' bumbling and whatever Discord (or the possible other actor) is going to get up to.
11610692
True, and I don’t deny it. I just also don’t deny that Celestia is at least TRYING to help (regardless of if it’s actually helping or not) while Luna is ignoring that there’s a problem at all
The fact is Luna isn't ready to think badly about her grandfather who she loved so much. And the war and the fact that griffins haven't done anything good that she can see doesn't help. Though I am surprised that they didn't use the mirror to find out why she doesn't like griffins. One part her grandfather legacy and the rest ptsd from the war. Celestia might have been able to move on and but she probably wasn't as close to their grandfather as Luna was.
Hee hee, great line, that.
On the upside, that would imply the pressing into service was at least somewhat voluntary. That helps take some of the edge off the dubious morality of it all.
Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, Luna.
Well, I didn't expect that, but I'm all for it nonetheless.
And pointy on five of her six ends!
You don't want to know about the sixth end.
Speaking of, what is the language posing as Griffonian here? I've narrowed it down to something in the North Germanic family of languages, such as Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish (personally, I'm betting on Norwegian, but all three aren't languages I know very much about, so...) but I'm not certain beyond that.
This suddenly brings to mind a relevant question that we might as well get out of the way now--do griffons suckle their young, mammalian-style? If so...how exactly does that work with the beak? It can't exactly be pleasant for the poor mother after all.
You know, like you do.
Admittedly, he does have something of a point with that.
It's too bad this griffon isn't wearing red--it'll go well with the blood here in a moment.
Also, awww, she no doubt won't admit it, but Luna had her first proper moment of bonding with her new feathered charge, and it seems it went well, all things considered.
Artefacts are like Pringles.
So, there is definitely something to the little Princess becoming an orphan ... and that mystery might be part of what helps Luna bond with her.