answer: we don't know. we've talked about it a lot. we theorize it might be possible to access through focusing on a specific religion (either faith into power for the Emperor Cult, or an ascension triggered by the Crystal Heart, or bringing back the old gods and becoming their chosen one..), but we have no way to know of it IC.
EDIT: Also we kinda went with a "all religions are more or less equals" approach, so it's not likely to happen anytime soon. Though who knows.. maybe long term we could get multiple paths this way.
It is possible, but difficult. Not the sort of thing that's going to be easy to arrange.
And, Meta-wise, probably a late-game event. Once the Alicorns are no longer unique in their power and biological immortality, the writing is on the wall for Equestria's supremacy.
It is possible, but difficult. Not the sort of thing that's going to be easy to arrange.
And, Meta-wise, probably a late-game event. Once the Alicorns are no longer unique in their power and biological immortality, the writing is on the wall for Equestria's supremacy.
something to note about the Alicorns: apparently they first appeared right after the fires of friendships, when ponies from the three different tribes first became friends and chased the Windigoes away. (usually the story goes that Starswirl somehow found Celestia and Luna and started teaching them, with them becoming the new rulers as a symbol of the unity of the tribes. All of this is supposed to have happened BEFORE Discord. Possibly a LONG time before him).
This doesn't seem that different from what's happening in OUR empire, in a way... except that the races in our empires are less closely related (though gryphons AND ponies can mix, apparently), and there wasn't as long an history of separation and mistrust.
If/when it happens, depending on the specific flavour, I wouldn't be surprise if our ascension ended up basically integrating all the races of our empire in the ascended.
So, Gryphons, Crystal Ponies, Diamond Dogs, and possibly the other pony races if it happens late enough in the game and Maretonia has been peacefully integrated enough that they honestly considers themselves part of the Empire.
Pony and Gryphons would lead me to think of some kind of ascended hyppogryph (though it's definitely possible that, a few generations from now, the royal family might be formed of (normal) hyppogryphs instead of gryphons. All it take is one pony somewhere down the family line...), with some kind of added part/ability from the dogs.
so, in terms of special abilities... flight, crystal magic, and something about earth/digging affinity?
It is possible, but difficult. Not the sort of thing that's going to be easy to arrange.
And, Meta-wise, probably a late-game event. Once the Alicorns are no longer unique in their power and biological immortality, the writing is on the wall for Equestria's supremacy.
Not feeling up to it personally. I'd rather get on with the times and pass from character to character, though I do recognize that quests tend to have a hard time committing to moving on. I've heard that there is some Warhammer quest where the people playing have been saying they want MC to retire to his son for years and still have't done it.
I'm more up for the genetics game, but that's not for the sake of becoming long-lived. It's more because I want the relationship between Neighpon and Griffonia to be special as the two empires, and having a Qilin-Griffon hybrid as emperor would be awesome!
Not feeling up to it personally. I'd rather get on with the times and pass from character to character, though I do recognize that quests tend to have a hard time committing to moving on. I've heard that there is some Warhammer quest where the people playing have been saying they want MC to retire to his son for years and still have't done it.
I'm more up for the genetics game, but that's not for the sake of becoming long-lived. It's more because I want the relationship between Neighpon and Griffonia to be special as the two empires, and having a Qilin-Griffon hybrid as emperor would be awesome!
Right now we know (crystal) ponies and gryphons are compatible.
That's IT.
I'm fine with leaving the empire to Gawain in a few years. Maybe thanks to the Emperor's cult the Emperor will ascend on death and his soul will stay to support the new emperor or something like that? Who knows..
I think maybe for affinities it would be Intelligence (our masterful use of industry) Runes (crystal ponies) and something else... Maybe Pack bonding?
An ascended Hippogriff leading an army becomes something terrifying to face as every soldier suddenly works in perfect harmony and unison, fighting as one force rather than an a bunch of creatures fighting. Something like that
I think maybe for affinities it would be Intelligence (our masterful use of industry) Runes (crystal ponies) and something else... Maybe Pack bonding?
An ascended Hippogriff leading an army becomes something terrifying to face as every soldier suddenly works in perfect harmony and unison, fighting as one force rather than an a bunch of creatures fighting. Something like that
Right now we know (crystal) ponies and gryphons are compatible.
That's IT.
I'm fine with leaving the empire to Gawain in a few years. Maybe thanks to the Emperor's cult the Emperor will ascend on death and his soul will stay to support the new emperor or something like that? Who knows..
Honestly I'd be perfectly happy with Garrick becoming some sort of super being but I'd also be fine with playing as Gawain, the one thing I don't really want to of is force Garrick to abdicate because let's face it there's no way Garrick would just sit around doing nothing
Seriously though, a magical solution was what I was already betting on. Neighpon's species already have issues with a low population and fertility, so I can't imagine they wouldn't be looking into it anyhow. A shared research project between Neighpon and our own magic users would probably already be a future thing as a result. The magic hybrid is just the next step.
Honestly I'd be perfectly happy with Garrick becoming some sort of super being but I'd also be fine with playing as Gawain, the one thing I don't really want to of is force Garrick to abdicate because let's face it there's no way Garrick would just sit around doing nothing
King turned Emperor for 30 years, and a merchant during Discord's chaotic rule before that?
Garrick would CERTAINLY enjoy retirement! It's not forcing him!
He can stay as occasional advisor to Gawain, Ambassador when necessary, and possibly a regent in case Gawain has to leave the country for any reason (like, for example, a visit to another kingdom).
Seriously though, a magical solution was what I was already betting on. Neighpon's races already have issues with a low population and fertility, so I can't imagine they wouldn't be looking into it anyhow. A shared research project between Neighpon and our own magic users would probably already be a future thing as a result. The magic hybrid is just the next step.
Might be fun to try, if nothing else it will lets us get a feel on what we need to do in order to pull it off, if not Garrick then Gawain, if not Gawain then his child and so on, could be a generational goal if nothing else.
I'm fine with leaving the empire to Gawain in a few years. Maybe thanks to the Emperor's cult the Emperor will ascend on death and his soul will stay to support the new emperor or something like that? Who knows..
That reminds me. It'd be cool if the Crystal Ponies were able to do even half of what the Vahnatai from the game Avernum could do with their own crystal magic. The highest bit they could do is crystalize the souls of the eldest and/or wisest to stick around in special meditations rooms for everyone, young and old, to go to for teaching past arts and seeking advice about current events.
That reminds me. It'd be cool if the Crystal Ponies were able to do even half of what the Vahnatai from the game Avernum could do with their own crystal magic. The highest bit they could do is crystalize the souls of the eldest and/or wisest to stick around in special meditations rooms for everyone, young and old, to go to for teaching past arts and seeking advice about current events.
Right now the best crystalmancer is probably Gleaming Pearl. With most of their old knowledge lost, anything more complex than... well, basic crystalbending won't happen soon, and it seems like for most Crystal ponies growing crystals is a relatively slow thing, with Gleaming being an exception.
King turned Emperor for 30 years, and a merchant during Discord's chaotic rule before that?
Garrick would CERTAINLY enjoy retirement! It's not forcing him!
He can stay as occasional advisor to Gawain, Ambassador when necessary, and possibly a regent in case Gawain has to leave the country for any reason (like, for example, a visit to another kingdom).
Eh, I just don't see Garrick wilfully retiring, he takes leading the Empire very seriously and also wants his kids to have as good a life as possible so probably would want to put off putting that strain on Gawain for as long as possible
Right now the best crystalmancer is probably Gleaming Pearl. With most of their old knowledge lost, anything more complex than... well, basic crystalbending won't happen soon, and it seems like for most Crystal ponies growing crystals is a relatively slow thing, with Gleaming being an exception.
I wasn't saying that is something we should do. I was just pointing it out to give an example of the peak of what they could do since I know that you guys have probably never played or heard of Avernum, plus your comment about Garrick staying around to advise after death just made me think about the crystal souls. They can do a lot of other useful stuff. Just thought it best to name the peak of power.
I wasn't saying that is something we should do. I was just pointing it out to give an example of the peak of what they could do since I know that you guys have probably never played or heard of Avernum, plus your comment about Garrick staying around to advise after death just made me think about the crystal souls. They can do a lot of other useful stuff. Just thought it best to name the peak of power.
It's like.. I don't know, taking the Qilin's firebending, and going "and as the sun is a ball of fire, the peak of qilin magic might be moving the sun".
In the end all I'm saying is that I'm making no plans about possible magic uses until.. well, we find out IC what kind of magic we have access to and/or can research.
It's like.. I don't know, taking the Qilin's firebending, and going "and as the sun is a ball of fire, the peak of qilin magic might be moving the sun".
In the end all I'm saying is that I'm making no plans about possible magic uses until.. well, we find out IC what kind of magic we have access to and/or can research.
I...wasn't making plans about magic uses though?. It was literally just a statement saying it would be cool if the Crystal Ponies could be inventive with crystal magic like the Vahnatai.
That reminds me.It'd be cool if the Crystal Ponies were able to do even half of what the Vahnatai from the game Avernum could do with their own crystal magic. The highest bit they could do is crystalize the souls of the eldest and/or wisest to stick around in special meditations rooms for everyone, young and old, to go to for teaching past arts and seeking advice about current events.
Like, I didn't say the the Crystal Ponies could do that much. Heck, I explicitly made a statement saying "half as much" with the whole thing just being a throwaway statement just following up the conversation since your statement reminded me of that species from another franchise! Stop taking it so seriously.
Like, I didn't say the the Crystal Ponies could do that much. Heck, I explicitly made a statement saying "half as much" with the whole thing just being a throwaway statement just following up the conversation since your statement reminded me of that species from another franchise! Stop taking it so seriously.
It was recently revamped. It starts when you play as Equestria. Luna wants to get equal rights and treatment for the batponies, which are considered the "Fourth Tribe" of the pony tribes. The history on it seems to be that they were her followers and lived in the more jungle-type areas in the southeastern part of Equestria. They never properly integrated back in to Equestria after Nightmare Moon was banished.
It starts off with Luna bringing the proposal for integrating the batponies to Celestia. She can then completely support it, tell Luna that she will have to do it herself, or tell Luna that there isn't any point to the endeavor. The first one guarantees that the batponies will be integrated through Celestia's own grace (though there's lots of grumbling), but it also means that Luna will never step out of her sister's shadow and assert herself as an equal in the diarchy. The second and third leads Luna to try to be her own monarch, with the third leading to a strain in Celestia and Luna's relationship as Luna takes offense to Celestia's comments about Luna's own people before Luna declares that it's Celestia's fault as well for never doing anything to stop the oppression and racism affecting the batponies in the 1000 years she's been ruling alone. That argument from the third option will push a hidden counter up for how likely Luna is to becoming Nightmare Moon.
The next set is Luna trying to assert her wishes to the public in a press conference, freaking out at the intense questioning and initial negative response by declaring that there will be a referendum on batpony rights instead, declares her intent to campaign for the pro-rights side, and then walks off to privately have a "WHAT DID I JUST SAY AND DO?!" moment to herself. She then goes on to organize her campaign by either hiring a team of activists, or by asking the Elements of Harmony for help in putting together a campaign. If she picks the Elements of Harmony, she will be moved slightly away from the counter of becoming Nightmare Moon due to having a friend in Rarity to work with and keep her calm. It will also unlock the possiblity of recruiting Rarity as an advisor and/or Governess of the Moon Crystal Protectorate in the Lunar Empire country if Luna becomes Nightmare Moon.
Then it will follow a pony who is pro-Batpony who claims to have been told in her dreams by the princess to start gathering weapons. You then choose which of three places said pony is meeting up with some batpony followers of Luna, with each of the three decisions giving you progressively more cached weaponry at the start of the civil war while raising Luna's closeness to Nightmare Moon but also raising a hidden counter for Celestia and her soldiers catching on to the brewing conspiracy.
Next it will follow Luna giving a speech in Manehattan to a crowd of activists. She can choose to give mealy "friendship and unity" bits, speak of the importance of defending Harmony and declaring that you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are, and the third being Luna declaring that you need to be willing to fight to make people recognize your right to respect and to never let others trample over being who you are. Each one is progressively more militant and thus gives the Lunar Empire more manpower at the start of the civil war, at the cost of raising the counter for how close Luna is to becoming Nightmare Moon and raising the counter for how close Celestia is to discovering the brewing conspiracy.
The third is the batponies themselves following Luna's endeavors over the radio and deciding what support they should give to her. They can decide to stand by and support her however they can, declare that they must be willing to defend her at any costs to prevent her from being banished again if she is betrayed, or declare that they are willing to fight for any cause that the Princess tells them to and that they must make sure they don't fail in their duties again like they did 1000 years ago. Being increasingly militant gives you more batpony divisions of soldiers on the civil war start, with once again the cost of pushing Luna towards Nightmare Moon and raising Celestia's suspicions.
The final set is an Equestrian division near Fillydelphia that has been ambushed by early batpony forces looking to prepare for a potential uprising. They can decide to hold the line to deny the batponies any advantages, divide their forces half and half to hold a weaker defence while still sending slower runners to warn Celestia, or completely withdraw from the area to warn Celestia in an expedited fashion. Withdrawing completely gives the Lunar Empire control of Fillydelphia and its surroundings when the war starts, half-half starts you holding the city but no surroundings, and not withdrawing at all kicks the batponies out of the region at start. Follows the same pattern of pushing Luna towards Nightmare Moon and Celestia towards suspicion the more advantages you get.
So it finally comes to a head in Luna's final rally. She meets in Manehattan to give a final speech and encourage her followers to vote and keep hope in the referendum, when a bomb planted under the stage goes off. The assassination attempt causes mass panic and the moon turns red. Luna blearily looks out to seeing members of the crowd dead and assumes Rarity is too when she sees her covered in red (she is just wounded). She then envisions Nightmare Moon who mocks her over her failures to address the situation peacefully. You can then choose to have her surrender to Nightmare Moon or try to fight it. If you fight it, your chance of succeeding or failing depends on how militant you were in the build-up. If you fail or surrender, Nightmare Moon takes over Luna, the Lunar Empire is formed and based out of Manehattan, and the Equestrian Civil War starts with a bunch of other parts temporarily seceding to avoid the catastrophe and the Elements out of use since Rarity was captured by Nightmare Moon. The third path to starting the civil war is being overly militant enough to get Celestia suspicious before the event chain reaches the assassination attempt. Celestia will temporarily lock up Luna thinking she's already been possessed to wait for the Elements to arrive to fix it again, but the feeling of betrayal from being imprisoned and accused of a conspiracy triggers the transformation and the civil war starts with the Lunar Empire on its backfoot due to not completing preparations.
Now that I've gotten the lead-up out of the way, I can give the basic gist of the Lunar Empire's actual path. So the first part is obviously fighting Equestria to win the civil war and then reuniting all the secessionist bits (while hopefully avoiding the Changelings invading early). It's easy enough if you know what you are doing, though it gets more difficult if Celestia ascends to Daybreaker during the civil war. She'll use literal scorched earth tactics to burn her enemies and the ground to win the war.
After the war is when the branches in her route appear. There are three ultimate routes: a batpony-supremacist Nightmare Moon that goes full power-hungry dictator, a pragmatic authoritarian who wishes to root out the worst excesses of Equestrian society and racism towards batponies and other species using her might, and a path where Nightmare Moon's authoritarian tendencies are balanced out by Luna's own desire to help her and all other people by forming a slightly more authoritarian (yet still democratic) version of Harmony. That third path portrays the Nightmare as being alike to a Marvel Symbiote, wherein it is influencing Luna and giving her strength (and she refers to herself in the third person when covered in the Nightmare) but it can be pushed back or worked with to ameliorate the worst of it.
That path is decided by her decisions, such as whether to punish or pardon the Elements, whether to reconcile with Rarity (only if you pardoned the Elements), how you solve the issue of religious doctrine both in how to treat the Solarists and how the Lunar worshippers should view Luna, Nightmare Moon, and the Moon itself; whether you seek vengeance or justice in the legal system, whether you centralize the economy or create an interventionist economy, whether you form a parliament or maintain divine right of an absolute monarch (though she retains the right to intervene unilaterally when she deems it necessary regardless of that choice), whether you execute, pardon, or banish the Solarist military officers, and whether you turn Nightmare Night in to a time of worship or fun*.
At the very end of the path, the ending depends on what route had been picked through your choices. I played the "kindest" Nightmare Moon-Luna balance route so it had her looking upon her new empire from her balcony as a bittersweet moment. She feels what she did was justified and has ultimately helped bring everyone of all species and races together in friendship and harmony, but laments that it came this far and that she had to banish her sister to either the Sun or Moon (can't remember which).
*The fun path is actually kinda funny because Nightmare Moon hires this party-planner guy to revamp Nightmare Night to be more fun so people stop assuming she and her night are so scary. He basically turns it in to a night of debauchery that is a Bacchanalia meets the excesses of Carnaval.
Sounds interesting, although I probably will never play it because I don´t like *Starting out* as big Empires in HoI4 - even the Changelings are a bit big for my tastes.
Yeah, most time in HoI4 goes into the Fallout mod "Old World Blues" and more specifically its submod "Enclave Reborn" where I tend to play as Reformists who actually do more than *pretending* to be defenders of freedom and democracy (heck, later during the Absolute Reformist path, I end up allying with the NCR instead of either invading them like in the genocidal Purist path or bringing them down from the inside as "pretenders to the American Legacy" in the Ambivalent Reformist path)
But going back to Equestria, I do hope that we´ll see the Thestrals soon and they do end up using that Blood Magic focus another quetor laid out a while ago.
But going back to Equestria, I do hope that we´ll see the Thestrals soon and they do end up using that Blood Magic focus another quetor laid out a while ago.
Gawain Golden-Feather, Crown Prince of the Empire of Gryphus, tried not to show any reaction to the stares of the numerous servants and assorted nobility as he made his way through the wide, marble-floored halls of the Castle of the Two Sisters, the quintet of gold-armored and white-coated stallions that made up his party's escort leading them to the throne room at a steady but unhurried pace. He had to give the guards credit, they were the very picture of professionalism; a delegation from a foreign nation and the survivors of a supposedly lost expedition show up on their doorstep without any prior warning and he couldn't make out so much as a crack in their stoic personas. They certainly contrasted with all of the other Equestrians that he and his fellow Griffons had encountered on their journey across Equestria.
Then again he supposed he couldn't blame them. It wasn't everyday one saw an airship after all.
"Heck of a production we're putting on here, eh?"
Gawain turned to regard the speaker, the much-acclaimed Captain Dawnclaw, dressed resplendently in his dress uniform. He still wasn't too sure what to make of the griff whom the newspapers had dubbed a "Hero of the Empire". He was a far cry from the dramatic and bombastic figure that the media seemed to paint him as. To the Crown Prince he seemed to be a straightforward and typical (if sometimes overly casual) example of an Imperial Army Officer, one who seemed to be continuously frustrated and annoyed with his own sudden fame, shunning the spotlight and focusing on his work. When the Prince had asked the Captain why he seemed so upset with the praise being heaped upon him, Dawnclaw had simply stated his opinion that "no soldier should be honored simply for doing what is expected of them." Gawain wasn't sure if he agreed with that, but he could respect the sentiment behind it.
"I'm not sure what you mean Captain?"
The scarred soldier gestured out the window as they walked past, pointing to their airborne transport, the flags of Gryphus affixed to it's sides fluttering theatrically in the breeze as it's crew performed maintenance checks and ensured the vessel was properly secured and grounded, heedless of the crowds of Equestrians gawking at them from behind the impromptu security cordon established by the Equestrian Royal Guard.
"All this. The ship, the return of the Expedition, the fact that the Heir to the Imperial Throne left the Capital to personally establish first contact with a foreign government...we really pulled out all the stops for this, didn't we?"
Gawain hummed and nodded in idle agreement as he shifted his focus to his bodyguards, the two Knights flanking him as he and his fellow travelers were escorted through the castle halls. If anything, the sight that greeted him only served to reinforce the Captain's statement. For being clad in armor the color of darkness, they were certainly a pair of colorful characters.
The Emperor had wanted to send an entire squadron of the Blackwatch with him on his journey, but seeing as how his father was about to travel into a literal war zone and would have far greater need of bodyguards than him, Gawain had managed to talk him down to two. And given the nature of his mission, to represent the Empire and it's people, the choice of exactly which two to send had been obvious.
On his right stood Sir Sapphire Lance, the first and thus far only Crystal Pony to be admitted into the ranks of the Blackwatch. If what Gawain had heard about the male was true he had more than earned his place there. The Crystal Stallion cut an imposing figure in his Blacksteel Armor, the almost light-absorbent metal drawing as much attention from the Equestrians as the being inside it. One of the first Crystal Ponies to be liberated during the Winter War, he had thrown himself into the task of assisting the Imperial Army, from providing information on the layout of the Crystal City to serving as one of the guides that had accompanied the Emperor and Empress into the catacombs beneath the Crystal Palace, fighting for his people's freedom every step of the way. Once the war had ended and the Knightly Order of the Crystal Guardians was established, he had been among the first to be accepted into it's ranks, and the only one that Hardbeak has thus far deemed worthy of a place amongst the Black Watch, the Elite of the Elite. His martial skill was matched only by his fanatical loyalty to the Empire, something that rapidly became apparent to nearly everyone who met him. The Knight had introduced himself to Gawain by dramatically stating that he was prepared to lay down his life for him if need be. The Crown Prince was fairly certain that the equine warrior would cut his own limbs off without hesitation if he could be convinced that it would benefit Gryphus and the Protectorate in some way. It was honestly kind of unnerving.
To his left stood Sir Granite, the first Diamond Dog to ever wear Orichalcum armor, his twin war axes hanging from each hip as he plodded along beside his liege lord. He had drawn almost as many stares from the Equestrians as Gawain himself, stares which had more often than not been hastily diverted when the steely gaze of the canine combatant had met their own. None could say exactly what had lead Hardbeak to elevate him to the ranks of Gryphus' most elite unit, the dog himself least of all, but many suspected that the Watch Commander had been impressed by the hound's long service history. Like his equine colleague, he had been among the first of his people to enlist in the nation's military, and he had served with distinction in every phase of the Winter War under the command of the (in)famous Captain Kaboom, his career culminating in the battle of the Crystal catacombs where he had fought alongside the hero Hardbeak himself. He had apparently done something to earn the attention of the Knights Lion Grandmaster, who would later personally oversee the dog's induction into the order and his training as a true champion of the realm. He had swiftly developed a reputation amongst his fellows, both for his unorthodox fighting style and his unflappably stoic demeanor.
The two were as much a contrast in temperament and personality as they were species: One emotional and willing to extol the virtues of the Empire, the Protectorate and the Knightly Orders at the drop of a hat, and the other eternally stone-faced and speaking only when necessary. Their company had made the journey to Equestria an interesting one at the very least. Not that it hadn't been one already.
One would think that traveling via airship would be a remarkable and miraculous thing, and for the traditionally ground-bound perhaps it was, but Gawain had found the novelty fading after the first few hours of their three-day journey. Their Equestrian passengers and the ponies that had spied their vessel along the way had been visibly awed though, and hadn't that been the whole point?
The first sign that the airship had passed into Equestrian territory had been the silhouettes of Pegasi visible in the distance. First a bare handful that had hurriedly flown away after spying the ship, then throngs of dozens that had come out to gawk at the vessel and it's foreign passengers from a distance, and finally a squadron of armor-clad soldiers that had been the first to actually approach the bizarre vehicle ponderously floating through the sky. They had been very surprised to meet fellow Equestrians aboard. Snowdrop and her comrades had quickly explained the situation, and the dirigible soon found itself with an escort of Royal Guardsponies guiding it towards the Kingdom's seat of power for a meeting with the Alicorn Duumvirate. Along the way they had passed over several towns and villages whose inhabitants had been sent into quite a frenzy by the sight of their ship. Thankfully there didn't appear to be any sort of panic, but it was clear that the locals were suitably awed by the sight of a flying machine of clearly foreign make in the skies above them. Hopefully the impression that they had made was a positive one. And speaking of awed Equestrians...
Gawain turned his head to regard the final member of their 5-strong party, the Lady Snowdrop herself. The poor mare looked a nervous wreck, eyes darting to and fro as she tried to prepare herself for a meeting with her sovereigns and what would likely be the most important conversation of her life. Gawain did not envy her. She had departed nearly two years ago as a member of an expedition of over a hundred souls, and was now returning with less than a third of them alive. Gawain felt that she could hardly be blamed for the result of her mission; she hadn't even been the expedition's leader, merely it's quartermaster. But by the time she and her fellows had been rescued from their captivity she was the highest ranked pony alive, which meant that she would likely carry much of the blame for the fate of the mission, whether that blame was deserved or not. The Prince hoped that the Equestrian Princesses would be of the merciful sort, and that the fact the Earth Pony mare was returning after making contact with a friendly nation would help to soften the blow.
The Captain had also taken notice of her obvious distress, a look of faint concern crossing his features as he idly brushed a wingtip against her side, stirring her from her panicked musings. He fixed the pale-coated mare with an empathetic gaze, trying to reassure her.
"Hey. Everything's going to be ok, alright? After all that you went through, this is nothing."
Snowdrop stared back into the face of her savior, eyes wide with anxiety.
"W-What do I even say to them? How can I explain such a catastrophe? S-so many deaths, on my watch..."
Dawnclaw placed a taloned hand upon her shoulder and stepped closer to her, either not noticing or pretending not to notice how such an action led to a dusting of pink along the mare's cheeks.
"None of that was your fault. None of it. And if it hadn't been for you rallying the rest of your people after that Wyvern attacked, none of them would have made it out of that place alive. You saved them, and all of those ponies know it."
He glanced at Gawain and the Black Knights before placing his other hand upon his chest plate.
"All of us know it."
Snowdrop shook her head, the beads of unshed tears visible at the corners of her eyes as her voice shook.
"I could have saved more. I should have saved more. If I-"
Dawnclaw cut her off, his voice filled with the authority of a career officer and combat veteran.
"You can wonder about what could have been or should have been or might have been until the end of time. But people are alive today because of you. You led them through the most hostile terrain on Earth, you kept their spirits alive in captivity, you helped me get all of you back to Gryphus in one piece! You deserve a medal for what you did."
The Captain let his arms fall back to the ground and took a step back, returning to his previous position as he gave his Equestrian counterpart a few final words of encouragement.
"You were brave Snow. You did good. Don't ever doubt that for a second."
Snowdrop stared at the scarred Griffon in silence for a moment before looking away, focusing on the group's shared destination as their journey through the Castle continued. Though she still looked nervous, she now carried herself with a greater composure, standing a bit straighter, her hoofsteps and gaze more steady.
"Thank you."
Dawnclaw simply nodded.
"No problem."
It took a Gawain a moment to realize that the entire conversation had taken place in Equish.
He idly ran a talon over the medallion around his neck, the faint glow of magic visibly strumming through the arcane circuitry of a translation rune. His father had commissioned Merlin to create it for him in preparation for this day, the Canterburian Archmage once again demonstrating his skill and indispensable value. It was too bad the things were so expensive to produce, had they been cheaper they could have revolutionized the world...but then, wasn't that the problem with all runes?
Gawain had already spent over a year studying the Equestrian language, and Dawnclaw had become nearly fluent after so much time with the members of the Expedition, but with the stakes so high he wanted to leave nothing to chance. A single misspoken word or misunderstood phrase could ruin the entirety of the negotiations and utterly ruin their all-important first impressions upon the Equestrian monarchs. Besides, the visible use of magic would send a message to the Equestrians: despite lacking the biologically derived magic that the Ponies possessed, Gryphus had it's fair share of arcane resources and abilities. They simply weren't as obvious or ubiquitous. That should give them pause.
Finally, after being led through numerous twists and turns, the delegation and their armored entourage arrived before a pair of grand double doors guarded by a pair of identical white-coated and gold-armored unicorn stallions. Gawain had just enough time to briefly wonder about the bizarre uniformity of appearance the guards displayed (did they only hire white stallions? Some sort of caste system perhaps?) when the doors were pulled open from the other side, revealing an expansive and richly appointed throne room. And at the other end of it, sat upon twin thrones carved of marble and obsidian, were the titular Two Sisters.
Gawain had to admit, he was mildly impressed. He had thought Snowdrop and her colleagues to be exaggerating when they had described their rulers, but it appeared that the star-struck, almost religiously awed descriptions of their unique appearances had been accurate. Even if he had known nothing about them, had simply encountered them upon the street in plainclothes, he would have instinctively known that they were important. They carried themselves with an air of refinement, an aura of authority and power. This had to have been the first time he'd encountered a pony as large and as tall as himself.
They still had nothing on his parents though.
The guards that had escorted them took up positions around the throne room, the Alicorns remaining seated as Snowdrop and the Imperials approached, stopping a respectable distance from the two monarchs. Gawain could see both of the Sisters taking the chance to observe him and the members of his party, their eyes darting between the Griffons, Ponies and the sole Diamond Dog. He was impressed by their composure. Aside from a few brief micro expressions or a minute widening of the eyes, they showed no obvious visible reaction to their visitors' appearances.
But Gawain was an attentive Griffon. He had been trained to read people, and over the course of his years of diplomatic service, and in his experience as a player of games of skill and strategy, he had learned that there were tells that were universal across all species. He saw the release of tension from the white-coated Alicorn's shoulders when she first laid eyes upon Snowdrop, how her darker-coated counterpart's gaze had immediately zeroed in on the armor and weapons of himself and his bodyguards. He saw their faces momentarily shift into an expression of surprise at the sight of Sapphire and Granite before they schooled their features back into neutral masks of impassivity. He saw both of them stare at the runic talisman around his neck before tearing their eyes away.
He caught the singular glance the two exchanged, a mere moment of eye contact that he imagined conveyed more information than he would ever be privy to.
There was a brief silence as both sides eyed each other. Snowdrop stepped forward, bowing before the two thrones, her eyes fixed firmly upon the carpeted floor beneath her hooves as she spoke, her voice surprisingly steady for one so obviously nervous.
"Princesses, My Ladies...The Northern Expedition returns."
The dark-coated Alicorn with a mane made of stars and shadows (Princess Luna, he recalled) glanced between Snowdrop and Gawain, her expression unreadable.
"And not alone it would seem."
The Crown Prince startled at the volume of her words. Despite looking like she was talking normally, it sounded as though her voice was being directed through a megaphone. The subtle glow of magic around her horn answered his obvious, unspoken question.
The other Alicorn with a gleaming white coat and a multicolored mane that seemed to constantly blow in a nonexistent wind (that must have been Celestia then) gave her sister a brief but noticeably pointed look before returning her gaze to Snowdrop, her gaze softening as she looked upon the mare who was still staring intently at the floor.
"You have been gone for a long time my little pony. We had thought you all lost forever."
Snowdrop began to shake, but not in fear of the Princesses.
"We nearly were Your Highness. Many are."
Celestia's face fell.
"How many?"
"Sixty four in all. Nearly two thirds of us."
Both Princesses bowed their heads at that, eyes closed in grief for a moment of silence befor they returned their attention to what they now recognized as a survivor. Luna is the first to break the silence, her voice now far softer and somber.
"What happened?"
Snowdrop raised her head, trying to maintain her composure as she recalled the tale of the expedition's disastrous fate.
"We were unprepared Princess. We simply had not expected to face such extreme conditions. The lands north of Stalliongrad are completely inhospitable. Temperatures never rose above freezing and the weather resisted all of our attempts to control it. No food can grow there, not even our magic could coax sustenance from the soil. Every form of fauna we encountered was some form of predator that hunted and hounded us throughout our journey."
Snowdrop shook her head, grey eyes fixed on an indeterminate point in the distance.
"The decision to flee and return to Equestria was made, but it was almost like the land itself was fighting to keep us from leaving. Avalanches and rockslides slowed our journey home and cost twenty two ponies their lives. Blizzards of incomparable strength hampered our attempts to travel and forced our Pegasi to the ground. Many of our maps and navigational tools were lost or destroyed."
"And then the Wyvern came. A bloodthirsty beast the size of a dragon. It fell upon our caravan, forced us to scatter...we lost more lives that day than every other put together."
The room was utterly silent as Snowdrop repeated the story that she had told the Emperor, the Princesses listening in rapt horror as words continued to spill from her mouth, Gawain and his fellow Imperials nearly forgotten by the monarchs even as they too heard the mare's tale.
"It was then that we encountered the land's native inhabitants. Large, bipedal, and as cold and brutal as the land they inhabited. They called themselves Yetis. They took us prisoner, clad us in chains, and put us to work in their mines."
The grey-eyed Earth Pony's voice began to shake alongside her body as she recalled her capture and enslavement.
"We were trapped there for months...it was a miracle that none of us died in captivity, though many came close. We all thought that we would surely die there, that we would never see our home again."
Snowdrop's trembling suddenly lessened, a tone of unmistakable relief and gratitude creeping into her voice as she gestured to Captain Dawnclaw.
"Had it not been for our new friends we surely would have."
Now the eyes of the Alicorns returned to the Imperials, eyes wider with understanding even as Snowdrop continued to speak.
"The Griffons...they saved us Princess. By luck or fate or some divine providence they sent their own expedition into that accursed land soon after we had been captured, one that was better prepared and more fortunate than our own. They saw our plight, freed us from our chains and brought us back to their homeland."
The Equestrian explorer paused to compose herself, glancing between the Captain and her Monarchs.
"I would not be here today without them. None of us would be."
The scarred Captain simply bowed his head to the mare he had saved, an unspoken but clear message passing between them.
Snowdrop tore her eyes away from Dawnclaw to resume her story to the Princesses.
"We have spent the last several months recuperating, learning, preparing to make the journey home. Our hosts were gracious enough to provide us with transportation."
She glanced back once more, this time to address Gawain.
"I am...eternally thankful, for all that they have done for us."
A silence descended upon the throne room as Snowdrop finished her report, the Alicorn Sisters digesting this new information. It did not take long for their attention to turn towards Dawnclaw and Gawain, both sporting looks of gratitude, though Celestia's smile was noticeably more obvious than Luna's. It was the Alicorn with a Sun on her flank that addressed the Imperials, her tone warm.
"Your actions have preserved the lives of our Ponies. You clearly went to great lengths to rescue them and return them to us. For that, you have our most sincere thanks."
Both Gawain and Dawnclaw inclined their heads modestly, the Crown Prince echoing the scarred Captain's earlier stated sentiments as his arcane translator glowed softly, converting his Gryphonese speech to Equestrian.
"It was the right thing to do. We would like to think that, had the situation been reversed, you would have done the same for our own people."
Princess Luna nodded in agreement, unabashedly taking in the appearance of the Imperial Delegation and showing no reaction to such a blatant use of magic.
"'Tisreassuring to see others that stand against the forces of chaos and disorder. May we inquire as to the identities of those with whom we speak?"
Gawain stepped forward, his bodyguards and the Captain remaining behind him as he approached the twin thrones and the Alicorns upon them. He spoke with authority, knowing that his words, this first greeting with another kingdom, would be remembered as one of the most important and consequential actions he would ever take.
"I am Gawain Goldenfeather, Crown Prince of the Empire of Gryphus and heir to the throne. I greet you in the name of my father and Emperor, Garrick Goldenfeather. We come to you in the name of peace and goodwill."
Celestia's smile widened, and Gawain swore that the room grew brighter.
"We welcome you to Equestria, our friends from faraway lands. We offer you our hospitality."
Luna's smile was less blatant, but no less real, though it was accompanied by a look of blatant inquisition.
"Thou art the first true nation that we hath encountered in the wake of Discord's fall. Will thine indulge us our curiosity, and tell us more of thine people?"
Gawain returned their smiles, his wings unfurling in a gesture of friendliness.
"It would be our honor and privilege to share the knowledge of our people...and to learn more of yours."
New Nation Encountered: Kingdom of Equestria
Relationship: 7/10 (Grateful Friends)
What Questions do you ask, and what do you wish to Tell the Princesses?
[ ] Write-Ins
This First Contact question and answer is going to be a little different. Not only are you going to be asking questions of the princesses, but you will also be choosing what parts of the Empire's history you wish to emphasize...or conceal.
Any relevant lore or valuable information not covered in the coming update can be asked about and either elaborated upon OOC or provided as a result of future Diplomacy or Intrigue Actions.
