Hello, friends, and I hope you are all having a good day.

I had some questions and hoped one of you could inspire me in my writing. I’m writing a story with King Grover, who is mentioned in the show as the main lead. His rise to power, his unique relationship with Equestria, and eventually being crowned Emperor of a united Griffin Empire. This is set before and leading up to Luna becoming Nightmare Moon.

Some context: Grover is a young illegitimate child born to his father's mistress who becomes legitimized by his father as a lawful son when he turns 18 and passes a test of manhood via a hunt. At this early point in his life, Grover has been training to be a warrior and wants to please his father by fighting his enemies. After his legitimization, Grover is elated at the idea that his dream of serving his father as a warrior is coming to pass. Unfortunately for him, this is not meant to be, as his father decides that Grover is much better used to secure an alliance with Equestria. Grover is being married off to Celestia and Luna. The reason for this is that I have Equestria presented as a polygamous society, and with Celestia and Luna being a diarchy who share power equally, this marriage is an extension of sharing power. Grover, a griffin from a monogamist culture, feels deeply humiliated by his father's decision, and there is no shortage of anger and contempt for his father and towards the two princesses. The princess agree to this marriage proposal because they want to end the long-standing hostility between the Griffins and the Ponies and have a peaceful coexistence. Of course, Celestia and Luna understand that Grover has been used by his father as a political bargaining chip, giving him space to work out his feelings.

This is the situation Grover finds himself in at the beginning of the story, and he remains in this position until years later, when his father passes away. His half-brother takes the throne and is a tyrant, leading to Grover becoming King. My question to you is, what events and character development should I focus on during these early years? One thought I had was that Grover takes part in a military campaign when Sombra took over the Crystal Empire, and Equestria led an expedition to remove him from power.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you all have a good day.

7965462
It's fun to tackle ancient pre-NMM world-stuff that isn't set in what would become Equestria, and it's a cool idea you've got there. A few things that come to mind right now are...

• Basically, what was griffon society like back then? From what we can tell from the show, the griffons seem to be a squabbling bunch until King Grover came around, though of course, the history book Twilight read from may not be 100% accurate.
• Perhaps there's a settlement of griffons on Equestrian land that we just don't see a thousand years later in the show? There can be political/species tension related to that, especially if we have harmony-esque ponies in contrast with the comapratively cynical griffons.
• A short arc on how to deal with a normal-lifespan griffon marrying with ageless alicorns.

But I do have a bigger question: What is the theme you want to pursue? What big questions does your story seek to answer?

7965462

My question to you is, what events and character development should I focus on during these early years?

The ones that are relevant to the story at hand.
Or stories at hand? There's quite a lot to tackle if you wanted to somehow convey this all in detail, so much so that it'd easily make for multiple stories.

The provided information sounds interesting, but it's pretty much just character details and lore. Those are definitely important, but what's going to be the conflict--the driving force--of the whole story? That's something that you should focus on first. For example, if the whole story deals mostly with Grover waging a war with his brother, and the Royal Sisters and his relationship with them are mentioned only in passing and do not affect the story in any significant way (such as by being present or serving as motivation for Grover), then it'd make little sense to focus on them at the beginning of the story in detail. On the other hand, a military campaign showing that he's a capable leader--or he's not and needs to become one--may work better as a story opening. However, that's something you need to decide. We random forum dwellers lack the necessary info on the conflict and plot.

7965474
Thank you for taking the time to respond.

• I plan to portray Griffin society like Twilight found it in her history book but with much more detail. Grover himself comes from the Kingdom of Griffonia, but other Griffin Kingdoms also exist, such as Falconia, which are all vying for hegemony. Giffonia is the closest to Equestria, hence why they decided to enter an alliance and a mutually beneficial trade agreement.
• That is exactly a plot point I have in mind. These griffin settlers in Equestria were descendants of former raiders when Ponies and Griffins were hostile to one another. Grover's father, as part of their treaty, renounces all claims that Giffonia has on these settlements. The settlements themselves I plan to have those communities form the foundation of the Hippogriff Kingdom that was shown in the movie and later seasons way later down the line with one of Grover's desendent's being it's founding monarch. As for their purpose in the early part, I plan on making them a home away from home for Grover but with some old mentions that come with being a griffin settlement in Equestria.
• I agree. I am debating the best way to handle this. Maybe a moment when he has an inner monologue about how he feels betrayed that he worked his entire childhood to become a warrior only to be cast aside and used in such a way by his father. Something along the lines of thinking that his life would matter to his father, but in the end, he was a tool to him. And overtime learning to make the best of his new reality.

I am taking a major source of inspiration from the historical figure Charlemagne, who was crowned Roman Emperor in the West after the fall of the Roman Empire some 400 years after the fact. The view of Charlemagne's reign was the idea that civilization had not fallen completely. That there was a chance for civilization in the West to be revitalized. In this story, I want to present a world that has come out of an apocalypse. I make reference to Grogar, who caused the fall of a great Empire, and a Great Winter froze those who were left. Now, coming out of it, there is a lot to be rebuilt, but how does one go about it, and what does it take to realize that? Charlemagne in our real life history was both a warrior and a scholar who learned how to read and write and also brought about education and literature reforms. An a event known as the The Carolingian Renaissance. However I also want to also examine Luna's slow downfall into NMM and how Grover plays a role in that part of the story.

7965479
Thank you for taking the time to respond.

The overall story is about Grover growing over time into a figure worthy of the title Emperor. My inspiration comes from Emperor Charlemagne, who is known as "The Father of Europe." Grover is meant to be a Charlemagne-like figure who, with the help of the princesses, lays down a foundation of restoration and renewal in not just his own Kingdom but also Equestria. But also, I want to take the concept that Grover matures into a ruler who wants to make the world a better place and have him make tough decisions, some of which will lead to Luna becoming NMM to create some drama and complicate his character.

7965483
Hopefully I see how it goes. But also if you want, I could give you weapon ideas if you're interested.

7965757
Interesting, not something I am particularly worried about but I will hear you out.

The idea of cannons. But not just cannons, I'm talking about the bombard cannon, 'the bear'. That type of cannon.

Made out of brass and bronze. Capable of doing more damage to stone walls than any cannon throughout the centuries. Loads refrigerator-size stone balls nicknamed 'cubs'. Fires every shot 5 to 7 minutes at least.

Only down side is: It needs to be assembled by hand. The cannon's the size above a modern cement tube you see in local sewage drains. And if not given cooldown after hours if using it, the cannon could potentially explode.

Man who used it: Memed II, sultan of the Turkish/Ottoman Empire.

Inventor: A man and his teenage son.

7965784
While I appreciate the advice. I am strictly keeping the technology level to Early to High Medieval era so gunpowder weapons are out of the scope of my fic. Thank you however.

7965788
Oh, in that case. Why not 'The Warwulf'?

A trebuchet that is 6 times bigger, and three times the damage of a normal one.

Used during the medieval times of England to storm York. A settlement that was once under control of the Scottish during their revolt. {Or so I believe}

7965481
My apologies for replying rather late, and I will do this somewhat backwards.

Now, coming out of it, there is a lot to be rebuilt, but how does one go about it, and what does it take to realize that?

Speaking without narrative consideration for a bit, I think there has to the rebuilding of some political center or capital around which a new kingdom (proto-Equestria-that-we-see-in-the-show-now) can be formed. I would have to ask why the Griffin Empire would want to form an alliance with Equestria in particular and not some other country on this side of the world... legitimacy of "we are the true and real center of post-Grogar civilization" with the alicorn princesses being their main attraction, something like that?

Now, if I am reading this correctly, Grover is going to be staying in proto-Equestria for a long time. There can already a big contrast between the relative stability of the Empire versus the utter devastation that can be found in Equestria (depending on how post-apocalyptic you want to make them out to be). More than just Grover helping out with the rebuilding, said rebuilding can shed light on a few themes: how committed is he to his new wives in being dedicated to their country and not his own? Or, depending on how you head-canon-ize ponies, how is he affected by the inter-tribal racism of the ponies (given that among the griffon countries, there is just one "tribe" of griffons versus the ponies' three)?

Again, what theme do you want to hit with rebuilding? What do you want to see Grover become by the end of the rebuilding?

Also, I am going to hijack a bit of EverfreePony's response here (7965479) (also, hi, Everfree, long time, no see!): speaking of conflicts, what is the one big thing or climax you want to see Grover get through before he becomes a "finished" character and thus ending the story?

7966106
I will address the reason why the Kingdom of Griffonia, or rather why Grover’s father, Guto the Short (not the same Guto in the show but shares the same name), wants to ally himself with Equestria. The reason why is that Guto is not actually the King. He is a Duke and holds the title of Mayor of the Palace. When the story begins, Guto is the De Facto ruler of Giffonia, with the current King being a puppet ruler. Guto wants to be King but needs support to remove the King and make himself King. This is where Equestria comes in and a spiritual head of faith like the pope. While Grover is in the middle of his test of manhood, Celestia and Luna make their way to sign a treaty with Guto, with the Head of Faith overseeing the treaty as a middleman.

The treaty will contain the following provisions:

1. Equestria will support Guto’s claim to take the throne of Griffonia, arguing that Guto is already the De Facto ruler and, therefore, should have the right to wear the crown.
2. Upon Guto’s accession to the throne, the Kingdom of Griffonia will end all hostilities between their Kingdom and that of Equestria.
3. Griffonia will renounce all claims to griffin settlements upon the coast of de jure Equestrian lands
4. Trade relations will be established between Griffonia and Equestria.
5. A defensive pact between Equestria and Griffonia will be established. Guto will provide a family member to marry into the Equestrian royal house to establish familial bonds and represent the sincerity of this alliance and treaty.

Guto wants to conquer and unify the warring Griffin Kingdoms into one unified Kingdom. Having a defensive pact with Equestria secures his rear flank and makes other factions think twice about invading him. Celestia and Luna see this as a total diplomatic victory for Equestria since they don’t have to worry about griffins raiding or invading Equestria, leaving them more time to focus on other problems in their Kingdom. In addition, having a griffin army to call upon and trade to bring in new wealth is certainly not a bad thing.

Next, I will answer the bit about Grover being in pre-Nightmare Moon Equestria. He will spend much of his young adult life in Equestria, where I want several things to occur. First, Grover will begin to develop a relationship with Celestia and Luna. My vision is that Grover sees the princesses and, by extension, Ponykind as more than the soft, weak ‘grass eaters’ that his people have always assumed them to be. One way I plan to accomplish this is that the Princesses teach him to read and write. That is correct. Grover doesn’t know how to read or write. This ties into how post-apocalyptic I am presenting the world of Equestria and Griffonia. Much like in our timeline after the fall of Rome, Western civilization regressed. Most Germanic rulers who came to Europe didn’t know how to read or write, as the main skills for a ruler didn’t require reading or writing. Reading and writing fell to the Christian priesthood, which was the most educated. By the time of Charlemagne, an educational resurgence began called the “Carolingian Renaissance,” which saw literature being reintroduced back into Western Europe as well as gave us a lot of useful things like lowercase letters and copies of classical Greco-Roman literature. There is even a historical account of Charlemagne practicing writing every night before bed because he was dedicated to learning for learning’s sake.

I want Grover’s endpoint to be the warrior King and a scholar King. Celestia and Luna teach him to read and write, which helps get him started on that path and opens a chance to develop a relationship with the princesses. I have one idea roughly in my mind where Grover asks Luna about the nature of the celestial bodies and why the planets move in a circular pattern. Luna will explain the geocentric model to him with a conversation leading her to gush about her personal love for astronomy and how she is working on a heliocentric model of the universe. With Celestia, I plan on her teaching Grover by using poetry and having him fumble around with the words and rhymes. He falls in love with them because they show him another way of living beyond warfare and fighting. There needs to be a reason why he fights in the first place. By the time he can read and write, he develops a taste for history and learns about the world before Grogar, of an empire that came, and then decides that he wants his legacy to try and recapture that old imperial glory. And he will do it not just for his people but for Equestria as well. One of the ways he does that is by building education-based universities and monasteries. Encouraging nobles to read and write.

The final climax of the story is Luna’s descent into madness and eventually becoming Nightmare Moon. And in my retailing of why Luna becomes Nightmare Moon, Grover is a bit of a catalyst for how that happens. By this point, the Princesses are 100% behind his vision of the future and stand with him in building a better future for Pony and Griffin. However, one thing needs to change from Grover’s point of view. Equestria can’t continue as a polygamist society for several reasons. One of the reasons is that the stallions left behind in this arrangement have no incentive to contribute to wider civilization, and the griffins back home in his Kingdom hate what they see as a blasphemous union. Grover decides that marriage to one has to be annulled. He decides on Celestia for the simple reason that she is the more popular of the two, both among ponies and griffins. Luna is deeply hurt by this, as I plan to have her have genuine feelings for him. In addition, it is also seen as Luna being considered the lesser of the two sisters when they should be equal to one another. While this isn’t why she goes NMM, it starts the divide between the two sisters. From there, it is one thing after another until it reaches a final breaking point. I won’t go into too much detail on that, but it is something that makes her break and grow to hate both Celestia and Grover with passion and a desire for vengeance.

God, that was long… Thank you for your input; it gives me a lot to think about and bounce off of.

7966131
Honestly, I don't have much to comment here because a lot of this seems very solid already. Read it a few times and it's a pretty good kernel for your fic.

Still, though Grover is certainly the main character, what motivates Celestia and Luna more than just "make Equestria"? It would be interesting to see what kind of motivations clash between theirs and Grover's beyond the surface-level of abolishing polygamy and learning how the other species work, for one.

Oh, and you're welcome, Eagle Talon!