The Royal Family of Feathisia spends May Day together!

A lovely gift fic written for my good friend Diceman set in the Equestria at war universe!

The pony known as Jungle Trek hasn't had the luckiest life so far. Being born in the Tenochtitlan Basin far from the oversight of Canterlot, his "adventures" have consisted of bouncing from one occupation to another, holding himself together while other foals did things like "make friends" or "get an education". Well, Jungle needs none of those things, when he has bits instead!

...Okay, maybe working for Doctor Caballeron isn't exactly a dream job. It does pay well and the archeological stunts are always exciting, but Jungle needs a break from all that. That's why he has his eyes on a new house all for himself, located in a nice, small village called Ponyville. With a full bag of bits in tow, he's ready to start a new life, one far more peaceful than constant trap-dodging and fighting Daring Do.

After all, Ponyville can't have anything special or strange about it to pull him into more adventures, right?

...Right?

This is a primarily a short story about stress, anxiety and the importance of parental affection in the development of young adults against a backdrop of political chaos and instability across the Griffonian Empire after a decade of wars; some large and some small.

If that name is unfamiliar to you, then I'm happy to explain that this story is based on a headcanon from the Hearts of Iron IV mod Equestria at War in which Duchess Gabriella and Duke Gerlach secure Griffenheim and rescue Grover VI from the talons of the Archon. From there they reconquer the empire and look after Grover VI as his wards, which gives us the backdrop to this short story.

I have also decided to flesh out this story, you can find the longfic version here which is currently receiving weekly updates, though that may be subject to change as my exams are coming up.

Cute and adorable ponies go about their daily lives in Equestria, and yet none of them can forget that in 1998 The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and he plummeted sixteen feet through the Spanish Announcer's Table.

The year is 1007 ALB, and the Griffonian Empire lies dying.

Suffering from a combination of major revolts, rampant corruption and power hungry griffons vying for power, the Empire's direct holdings have shrunk greatly from it's glory days.

With the health of current Emperor Grover V in very poor condition and his son being a mere child unable to rule, the Empire braces itself for another violent power struggle. Whoever wins the coming struggle, whether it be the religious conservatives under the guiding talon of Archon Eros VII or the ever wise cousin of Emperor Grover V Gabriella Eagleclaw will still have to contend with the task of healing an Empire long on the decline.

Facing it's darkest hour, many Griffons pray for the Empire, as many of them know only one thing is certain:

May Boreas save the Empire, for no one else can...

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The amazing cover art is done by none other than the ever so lovely mushroompone, make sure to throw some love their way! Not only are they incredibly talented at drawing, they're also pretty damn good at writing horsefics! So check em out, and tell em General Soarin sent ya!

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This story is inspired by the popular mod for Hearts of Iron 4 Equestria at War, especially it's content on the Griffon continent. Please note that while I will try my best to keep the story accurate to events and characters that are prominent in the mod, I will take some creative liberties in making sure that I can tell a proper story as at the end of the day, Hearts of Iron is a war simulator. However, don't let that stop you from playing the mod if you haven't already or getting your hands on the game, it's a fantastic mod made by ludicrously talented people that I highly recommend you check out!

I hope you enjoy, for this is my first time writing MLP related fanfiction in a long time. Also...a word of warning, this story is completely unedited as I have lost contact with many of my previous editing/proofreading friends in the fandom. So if you see any spelling or grammatical mistakes, please point it out so I can fix them!

Grover V of the Griffonian Empire. Regarded by many as a frail and sickly monarch, he is the perfect showcase of the Empire as a whole. Weak, dying, and a shadow of what he once was. Only truly serving as a unifying force for griffons in the Herzland, even that may soon be gone as what remained of his health is rapidly declining, following his train trip across the land.

And so, on his deathbed, he is forced to come to terms with his short life as he meets those he trusted the most one final time.

For even an Emperor has his last day.

Set in the world of the popular Hearts of Iron IV mod Equestria at War.