How ya' doin'? My name used to be Trinity, but now it’s Leona. It’s a long story, but the short of it is that after taking a seat on Ol’ Sparky, I somehow got reincarnated into a little bird-lion creature called a “griffon.”

I don’t know what I did to deserve this second chance, but you won’t see me complaining; the world I’ve found myself in is all so interesting and new! The Griffon homeland is a fascinating chimera of different cultures and ideas- I just wanna explore them all!

Maybe I won’t have to go back to a life of crime? There’s all sorts of new opportunities for me! New people to meet, new worlds to explore! Magic in this land is real and the Griffonian Confederacy is soon to face Great Depression levels of economic trouble!

…

Ah. Okay then, maybe a little bit of crime is in order- just to make sure Mamma and I stay above the red, at least. Just some petty small-time stuff, I’m sure things won’t spiral out of control. It's like I’ve always said- Ya’ gotta do what ya’ gotta do. It also helps that I happen to enjoy doin’ what I gotta do. Life’s a race about winning; and it doesn’t matter who’s kneecaps you shoot out along the way, you know?

I remember the one time the prison psychologist described me as a psychopath. Honestly? I agree with the sentiment. At least Mamma loves me, though; and worst case scenario, I'm sure we can come up with a backup plan. Equestrian immigration seems a solid Plan B.
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AKA: An ex mobster and self-proclaimed psychopath gets reincarnated as a griffon. This story follows her life as she grows up and deals with all the challenges associated with being raised by someone who actually loves her, all while in the midst of the economic near-collapse of her homeland. And who knows- maybe she'll even make some friends along the way?

This story takes place slightly before, during, and after the events in which the canon show took place; one of the key differences is that the show takes place over a decade of in-universe time (Watching the entire MLP canon show is NOT entirely necessary for understanding this story). During Luna's return, the Mane 6 were in their 20s, Diamond Tiara and Leona being around eight years old or so. By the time Twilight was sworn into the throne, they were in their pre-to-early 20s. This is a long story, about the journey- not the destination. It's a long, strange trip- so ahead is a bit of a teaser of what to expect. LAST WARNING!

Eventually when Leona is on a campaign in Griffonia for a winner-takes-all bid to pacify the Diamond Dog threat and take power off the weakened Confederate Monarchs, the soft-hooved rule of the Equestrian Crown leaves has created a... laissez-faire business environment. While Twilight is misled by the nobles and the wealthy, Celestia has become adamant on her retirement, disappearing almost entirely from the view of the public; A populist revolution in Griffonia will shake the world with the loud thundercrack of gunfire; The citizens of the Crystal Empire will get so desperate for better labour rights that the crown will have to suppress the dissent; And topping it all off, a pony named Starlight Glimmer just had some funny ideas about workers rights, particularly in regards to the means of production- and Twilight isn't there to keep her Equalist Marksist friend from slipping back into old habits.

When the seesaw of poverty lifts one part of the world, the other must fall into recession... or worse, depression. While the increasingly stressed and isolated Twilight decides to experiment with Democracy and Alcohol, the self-proclaimed Boss of all Bosses in Griffonia has her own mental issues to work out while keeping her wife happy and trying to raise her daughter. Between dealing with a cold war, the threat of dragons invading, keeping her people happy and above all keeping her new Syndicate afloat: She'll have her work cut out for her. Constant speeches, PR, settling fights between unions and corporations, all the lies and secrets she and her Family have to bury constantly... It's stressful, but there's a saying we have in regards to that:

Fugeddaboutit! I'll just have a couple drinks and relax, what's the big deal?

FAIR WARNING- This fic contains themes of alcoholism, addiction, and general drug abuse and draws a lot from my own personal experiences with those topics; it's not the main focus of the story, but it becomes a major plot-driver as the world tension increases, and even people at the top need a boost now-and-then. There's a reason the first step in a 12-step program is admitting utter powerlessness to our addiction- admitting that your life has become unmanageable... and my fuck, I never understood what that meant until round 2 in rehab.

Sorry for the long description- it's just a long story... A long, strange trip.

With cover art done by @MiniKrasnyy :3
Edited with my amazing GF, vantachromia!
¡Ahora con una lectura text-to-speech en español! Special thanks to MlpFanFiction :3

FEATURING: (tags)
Human In Equestria (HiE)
Alcoholism
Family Drama
Friendship
Tongue Eating Louse
Regular Drama
Economic Hardship
Crime
So Much Friggin’ Crime
The Mafia
War
Nationbuilding
1900s Turn Of The Century type vibe
Hardtack
Jerry Garcia
Italian Food
The Machinations Of An Eldritch God
Lore And Worldbuilding For Griffons
And so much more!