Chapters September 14 th , 1051, 5PM
Grover sat alone in his new personal office, now that the chaos was over he needed to actually get to know the state he was meant to help govern, the two days that started this entire ordeal still heavy in his memory, the ageing Griffon had escaped with his life, and his family was safe. In just a few days his coronation would go ahead, in the meantime he spent most of his time studying the structure of the Griffking Empire, building off of his childhood education he was a quick learner in the matters of statecraft, despite his considerable age.
The soon-to-be Emperor did not want to become detached from the people however, in the 40 years he spent outside the halls of power he learned many things, and he would try to apply them to his rule. Yes, he would have to share power with a military cabinet that installed him, but even they were not a united front, Grover could use his popularity with the people combined with the sympathies of certain members of the cabinet to achieve his desired reforms. He would be an Emperor of all creatures, no matter if they were ponies, griffons, dogs or even more exotic elements within the national body.
The mutinous elements of the military were crushed, with their ambitions of either capturing or killing him all being thwarted. For all the time he spent in his village Grover had still been a griffon of interest to many within the Empire, his isolation from those populations that remained loyal to him was a tactical move by Golden Morning, he did not want Grover to know of the remaining potential he had as ruler, and yet in an irony even the conqueror of the Griffking would find amusing, Grover the 6th, the child Emperor, was now to become a successor to Golden Morning's legacy, and for the most part it would be maintained, Grover glanced at a portrait of Golden Morning hanging in the office and spoke. “You got what you wanted. The Empire you built will persist, and the unity of the Griffking will be maintained, even if done so by the claws of the one you deposed to build it. Rest easy, Golden Morning, as your dream lives with me.”
August 16 th , 1051, 9PM
Grover was a griffon nearing his elder years, working in the logging industry had both strengthened his build and taken a toll now that his prime was behind him. It was now almost 35 years since his stake in history had ended. A lineage not wiped out, but instead relegated to irrelevance. The life of a monarch in just a few months was turned into that of a simple lumberjack, and the stallion that made that change was now so distant that Grover barely remembered his colouration, let alone more specific details about him, he only saw Golden Morning once after all.
He thought of his life on his porch, pipe in claw, with a book on a side table beside him, reminiscing about the royal duties he was so sure were his destiny. But now as he looked at the sunset the irony of his life was as clear as it could ever be, and yet a smile adorned Grover's beak, what did his own royalty matter to him anymore? He couldn't even remember his own father, all he could now do in enjoy what he had to the fullest, his wife, his children, and his humble yet satisfying work.
Grover was of course not ignorant of the wider world, what little he kept till today from the chaotic years of his 2 regencies was an appreciation for literature and learning, however superficial it seemed here deep in rural Longsword, he was still curious, though as he himself got older the world itself seemed to mature with him, conflict still erupted, blood was still spilled, but there was nothing that compared to the 1010s, the age of truly massive conflict was seemingly behind them all.
The sun had set as Grover reminisced about his life, and only when the gentle chill of night made itself known did he retreat into his humble home, a wooden building with 2 stories, a fine living, though now that his children left to study and work in The Heart much of the space was rendered superfluous. He entered the house with a soft smile adorning his beak, when he was young he felt cheated, but with so much time behind him the simple life he led proved to be more satisfying than he ever imagined as a mere teenager.
After the initial affair of his placement in the village even Golden Morning's propaganda machine stopped paying him much attention, he was the last triumph the empire needed to rise, and half the point of his humbling was for him to become a regular citizen, unremarkable, almost forgotten.
And now that he was back in his abode the thoughts of the past melted away, Grover had more than enough to live with in the present, and the distant past could be discarded, it had little left to do with the current him, he was a simple griff with a loving pony wife, Winter Blossom, and that was all he needed.
August 19 th , 1051, 3AM
Grover awoke suddenly in the middle of the night, brought out of a dreamless sleep by what to him seemed an unexpected sound, he could not place it, he knew neither where it came from nor the reason it came to be, but this was his house, and he was sure that if anycreature were to find the origin it would have to be him. He left Winter Blossom laying in bed, there was no need to wake her, it was not the first time something harmless awoke him, but he had to always make sure that everything was in order. Opening his bedroom door quietly as to make sure not to wake his wife, Grover came out into the corridor on the first floor and headed towards the stairs. But as Grover's claws hit the first few steps he heard something again, the muffled sounds of a careful walk, getting closer.
Intrusion, likely by multiple creatures considering the amount of muffled taps he heard, Grover felt fear and adrenaline surge through him, but at the same time as he wanted to run and reach for a weapon of any kind he was also paralyzed, all he could do for a few seconds was to stare at the L-bend in the staircase, and those moments of inaction were all that was needed for a dark figure, cloaked in shadow to emerge. A Griffon, a visor covering his eyes with a sickly green glow coming from the eyepieces. This distorted the face to an extent where determining the Griffon's emotions was nearly impossible, especially considering the state of sheer terror that engulfed Grover's mind as he saw a glowing magical assault rifle held by the intruder. Both knew the other had seen them, and those unnatural lenses seemingly drilled into Grover, all the while he himself stood still as if turned to stone.
“No sudden moves friend” said the griffon in a quiet tone. “We're not here to hurt you.” His rifle was still pointing to the floor, and a seeming smirk emerged on his beak, he turned his head slightly and spoke, this time to his yet unrevealed comrades. “I've got him, he's already up... And scared shitless”
The intruder chuckled and turned towards Grover again, but before he could open his beak Grover spoke “What is this? What are you here for? Why...” Grover was then interrupted by the Griffon in front of him moving further up the staircase and responding.
“You'll get your answers soon, now I would prefer if you cooperated and went downstairs. It's a lot better for you than the alternative.”
Grover glanced towards his bedroom and gulped before opening his beak again, only for the griffon in front of him to cut in again. “Your wife will be safe too, just come down the stairs and there will be no trouble.” He gestured with a claw towards the staircase, signalling Grover to move, and after a deep breath, the order was followed, and the ageing griff went down his own staircase looking as if it led to the gallows.
The Darkness downstairs was just as thick, however it was pierced by more glowing objects, more visors, more crystal powered weaponry. Griffons and ponies, even a diamond dog, Grover counted 7 intruders in total as he was directed to his own dinner table where the dog silently sat, looking at the griff before her with a satisfied expression, at least she didn't wear those night vision goggles like her compatriots, so her face was easier to decode even in the dark. As Grover was led to the table and sat down she spoke “Well if it isn't Grover the 6th in the flesh, how different you are from the photos I saw of you. Truly you are an Emperor of the people, living as a simple hard-working labourgriff.” Grover looked at her in astonishment, it had been long decades since the last time he was referred to as ''Emperor'' but this diamond dog said so not just seriously, but with reverence. He remembered that look, it brought him back to the imperial palace, it was like that which he saw on Benito's face, the captain of the guard, the most loyal of his staff, it was back, clear as day, 40 years since he last saw it.
Grover's thoughts were racing, and a picture was quickly assembling itself in his mind, were they trying to restore the Griffonian Empire? That was mad, Golden Morning, while old, had kept his regime's grip on most of the continent rock solid. Were these mutineers?! What did they expect to happen were they somehow to get him to Griffenheim?! The diamond dog continued to stare at him, and considering his current state, she knew very well what he was thinking. “Emperor, the situation is not as you think it is, you are coming with us, so is your wife, your children have been secured in The Heart and are safe. We are taking you to a site in Lushi for safekeeping because you won't last long here, you will also be briefed on the current goings-on on site. And most importantly, we are glad to have you back.” A genuine smile came across the dog's face as she stood up. “Somecreature go wake the Emperor's wife, explain the situation and get her down here, we are leaving in 5 minutes” she barked the orders at the soldiers still in the room, many seemingly enamoured by the visage of the old Griffon they came here to catch. The dog turned her head towards Grover again and said, “The name is Clara Grauler, my Emperor, we will be talking quite a bit once we get you to Lushi.” Grover simply sat dumbfounded, his life was about to change irreversibly, forced to leave his home behind and again captured by troops of who's intentions he could not be sure, it was all the worst parts of 40 years ago coming back in a cruel irony. Soon after his wife was led downstairs by a Pony soldier and both Grover and Winter Blossom were packed into the back of an APC, and for the entire long drive south they stayed almost completely silent, holding each other in legs and claws, determined to not be separated.
August 20 th , 1051, 2PM
Grover sat in what was by military standards a luxurious office, the amenities he was granted at the base were substantial ever since his late arrival yesterday, with him and Blossom being granted a large room and luxuries they could not afford at home, nothing too fancy just yet but having meals cooked for oneself without even asking was not something anycreature would be unhappy with.
Him being seated in such a place was no coincidence, he was awaiting the explanation he was promised before his drive here, after being treated the way he was Grover needed to know what happened to cause his life to be so massively shaken up, and thankfully he would not have to wait long as through the doors to the office came two creatures, one he already knew, Clara, the dog commander of the squad that had taken him from his home, the better lighting revealing her fur to be of a greyish colour, the second he was unfamiliar with, a green pony mare with a pitch black mane, based on the uniform she was dressed in Grover assumed that he was dealing with an officer of fairly high rank.
“Well, if it isn't Grover the sixth. Pinetree Shadow” said the mare waving her hoof towards herself as he glanced at the already sitting griffon, her voice lacked outright enthusiasm, but there was still a clear interest in it, she quickly made herself welcome by sitting down on one of the two chairs opposite Grover.
In contrast when Clara entered behind Pinetree she simply lightly bowed before making her way to the other chair, and right as she sat down the first question blurted itself out of Grover's beak. “Why?”
Pinetree Shadow raised her brow and smirked, while Clara seemed to think for a second before responding. “Let's start with the most important thing, Golden Morning is dead. A sudden stroke took him in the late hours of August 18th, it was to be expected considering his age. The news is not public yet, largely because any semblance of government unity has been lost, but army units like this one needed to choose a side in the struggle, and you my Emperor are a very important part of that struggle.”
Grover looked at the dog in disbelief, he was of no importance any more, basically a peasant, he never even got to hold real power after all. “What do I of all Griffons have to offer you? What do I have to offer to anycreature on such a scale?”
He asked, still in disbelief, and this time it was the pony before him who answered. “Legitimacy Grover, legitimacy. You think that memory of you, of the empire, faded in just 40 years? You were placed in an idyllic Pony village disconnected from the rest of the country, chosen by Golden Morning personally as one that would accept you and turn you into a model citizen. The many Griffons of the Herzland still remember you, and Bronzehill... Well, Bronzehill's dogs would not lose loyalty to the Grovers in a hundred years, let alone 40.”
The answer was cold, logical, and importantly, backed up by the enthusiastic presence of Clara. It made some sense to Grover, but that does not mean he was happy with it. “So what? You want to just use me as a propaganda piece? A pawn forced to obey all orders?!”
Pinetree's response was swift. “Yes, to some extent that is the role you are expected to play, however we don't want you to just be that, you will be a figurehead yes, but not just in propaganda, we plan to crown you as Emperor of the Griffking. Golden Morning died childless, and in his stubborn old age he never appointed an heir. You are the best option we have.” The words hit Grover like a sledgehammer, ever since yesterday his mind was consumed by hypotheticals of the intentions behind his kidnapping, the possibility of being used for propaganda was one of the many options he considered, but the thought of being Emperor?
Before now, it was there, he acknowledged it, the thought being spurred on by the dog's clear reverence and use of the old title, but he wrote it off as an impossibility. Now what had previously seemed an outrageous scenario had materialized, there however still remained doubts in Grover's mind. “Would this not cause a revolt of the Riverponies?” He thought out loud.
“Oh no my Emperor, this scenario has been considered and deemed highly unlikely, the fact that all 3 of your children are ponies is what saves us from that fate, since your heir will obviously be one of them. Installing you on the throne is the exact unification of East and West that the New Griffonia movement sought, you are the perfect Golden Morning continuity candidate.” Clara quickly corrected.
“That much is true” Pinetree cut in. “Now don't think that means absolute authority, you are being installed, and not by your own power, so...”
Her more detailed explanation was interrupted by a light rumble coming through the room, followed by distant sounds of shooting and screams. Both Pinetree's and Clara's ears perked up, and their faces switched from relaxed to concerned, the pony cursed under her breath and quickly stood up, shortly followed by the dog beside her, “Clara, lead the Emperor to the underground shelter, we are likely being assaulted by a hostile army unit.” Pinetree Shadow ordered with a cold voice before sprinting out of the office.
Grover stood up quickly before realizing that he had once again become terrified, looking at the Dog now standing beside him however he saw a face of raw determination staring back. “After me, my Emperor” she said through her tensed up face and started walking out of the room, paw reaching for her holster to pull out a pistol, Grover at this moment felt only one thing, the need to survive, and he carefully followed the dog out of the room.
The treck had only begun, Clara quickly told Grover that they had around 300 meters to cover in order to get to the shelter, but right as they made their first turn towards the exit of the building, the world collapsed. Dust and debris were suddenly everywhere, Grover's ears were ringing, he was on the floor, the earth was shaking and behind him a significant portion of the roof had collapsed, through the ringing more booms and crashes could be heard, though thankfully all were more distant than the first. He then felt his front claws being lifted and Clara's fur, now completely coated in dust, occupied the majority of his field of vision. He was being lifted up from the ground, and as he attempted to stand back up the dog began pulling him forward again, Grover stumbled forward after her, moving through the cacophony of war, with the sounds all melting into one alongside the ringing in his ears.
Clara led Grover out of the building onto the grounds of the base, pistol raised. Grover had recovered from his knockdown enough to move independently again, but right as they began their dash towards the shelter they noticed that the sky today held more than clouds, as they saw anti-air beam batteries scorching through the sky, hitting what could only be one thing, paratroopers, Grover and Clara began a mad dash towards the concrete shelter, it's door heavily guarded by troops attempting to help against the airborne assault but quickly losing ground, with some paratroopers finding themselves on the roof of the shelter, and with that a positional advantage against the troops on the ground. They were now close, but the majority of the guards at the door lay dead or incapacitated, slaughtered by the forces above them, through they had taken heavy casualties as well, with only a few remaining, engaged in a battle of finding cover, but it looked like Grover and Clara would make it to the shelter, which would be able to hold off the attackers for as long as was needed.
And then a bright red streak flashed from above, Clara had just a few milliseconds to respond, and the response was swift, almost instinctual, she threw herself between the speeding red pegasus and her Emperor, a single shot simultaneously sounded and the 2 bodies collapsed on the ground in a crash of blood and 2 tangled creatures. The red Pegasus was getting up, and Clara was staying down, blood streaming from a bullet wound in her chest. Grover had turned to look, and when he saw Clara's pistol laying on the ground mere meters away from him, he threw himself at the gun, and just as the Red pegasus had picked himself up, he went down in a flurry of somewhat inaccurate pistol fire, collapsing in a heap on top of Clara. A paratrooper who had cut his strings, but Grover had no time to think, he saw the remainder of the guards in front of the shelter gesturing frantically for him to run in, and after what felt like minutes of running exposed he made it inside the concrete shelter, being quickly ushered downstairs towards the deepest levels. Grover's eyes were still choked with dust, but that did not stop his from shedding a tear. Even as he saw his wife in the shelter, he was still disconnected. He had taken a life, and saw another snuffed out protecting him. The least he could do was to make the deceased dog's death mean something.
