God, these last couple days have been like walking on air for me. When we got off the train at that train station, I honestly almost wanted to cry. Everywhere we walked there were people looking at us in utter disbelief, all the meanwhile the next crew of lucky soldiers was boarding to make sure the dogs stayed in line. Unfortunately, bringing all the troops back will require multiple trips over a couple of days- but that was fine. Well, sort of.

What with the strained relations between the four other chucklefucks, Queen Annalise sent a small army to arrest us. When they showed up to our camp just outside of Beaksmouth, they waved at us and smiled as I later found out. I didn’t see this myself, mind you- I was one of the first ones on the train since I wanted to get off that leg.

As we were basically led down the streets of Featherworth with a guard detachment, Fertilian Tri-color banners which adorned buildings lining the street were cut down and replaced with a new flag.

I looked over to my wife in confusion. “Where’d that come from?” While the shape was minimalist, I could still see the resemblance to The Sign- it just made me a bit confused.

“That architect I was talking about designed it. I think it’s better- a kid could draw this one.” She explained, “Not to mention, it was cheaper to make than the old symbol, since it’s less complicated.”

Fair enough.

I was honestly surprised at how readily I was accepted, but then I realized- for almost twenty years these people have endured hardship and difficulty. Perhaps it was the result of a collective sense of exhaustion among an abused populace. Then when things started turning back up and it was revealed that I was the reason things started getting fixed, the people saw me as a hero, a savior.

I suppose it depends on exactly who you ask. And on an unrelated note- I think I might change the name of Featherworth at some point. I never liked the name, if I’m being honest- it always sounded so cheesy to me. But I digress.

Music was being played in the streets, people were cheering us on as we went, people selling food and just having a good time. My wife was walking right next to me- and when I looked over, she had a dreamy look on her face that I just adored, so I leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Well, baby… Is this what you wanted?” I asked her, and she just giggled wistfully.

“Ever since I was a little filly, I wanted to be a princess.” She idly said. I looked at her and asked,

“Would you settle for Empress?” She gave me a grin that made my heart skip a beat.

“Abso-fuckin-lutely.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek and I blushed a little.

Eventually when we made it to the castle, the guard captain was waiting at the door.

“Captain Abbandando.” My wife shook his hand. He looked at me with a grin and bowed,

“Don Grimfeather.” I nodded and held my hand out, which he shook. “Your throne is ready.” He said, and we followed.

The throne was not very elaborate- basically a large, comfortable chair. A very ornate one, at that. I didn’t like it, to be honest; I’d rather have an office with a comfortable office chair. In fact, I never liked this throne room or this castle- I always felt it to be a stark contrast to the darker coloring and theming of the rest of the city.

Something that I would eventually deal with.

As we approached the throne, I asked my wife- “You want it?” and she shook her head.

“Nope. It’s yours.” Servants brought in pillows, putting them next to the throne for my wife to sit on. I looked her in the eyes and we shared a brief kiss. Thankfully, the throne was close to the floor, so we were eye level.

I leaned back and took a deep breath. This… was really it. I looked to captain Abbandando and requested some time for my wife and I to get our bearings before I went and made another big speech. I told him that after dinner, I’d do a speech on the balcony- I instructed him to start drumming up hype while my wife and I spitballed things to talk about.

Among other things that needed done, we also had to write down how this new government works. Rules for succession and that sort of stuff. There were also a couple guys from my old crew I wanted to talk to. I planned on taking over the vice industries, and I know Benny knows a guy.

I also wanted to send out invites to all the big CEO’s and businessmen so I can explain to them how things are really gonna work around here. I planned to run this like the mafia, pretty much. War is ultimately bad for business, and to prevent any fighting, everything goes through me first. You don’t build a factory until I give you permission. You don’t whack your competition- without my permission.

In fact, I was gonna use this to my advantage. The neighboring kingdoms don’t have nearly the economic power we have here. We have the factories, the people, and… well. Bottom line is we’re gonna economically hold the neighboring kingdoms hostage until they give in.

Even still though- I own many, many factories myself, so I had my own interests to protect. But thank god- Abbandando has always been corrupt. Dee explained to me that she was able to convince him to come to our side after she gathered a bunch of blackmail material connecting him to the local crime boss… then explained that with me in charge, he’ll never have to worry about getting into shit again, as long as he stays loyal. He’s a real fuckin’ wiseguy.

After Dee and I ate our relatively quick and small dinners, we were led to a balcony on the castle wall. It overlooked the main avenue of Featherworth which itself was packed with griffons. Captain Abbandando was to give a quick introduction to drum up hype.

I wasn’t even paying attention to what he was saying. I stood there, nervously tapping my foot when I felt Dee put her hoof on my arm. I looked over and her warm smile helped to calm my nerves.

“We got this, baby.” Was all she said.

That, we do.

It was finally our turn to step up. Several microphones on the balcony edge were wired up to recording devices, broadcasting devices, and speakers set up all over the place. The crowd looked on, eyes full of hope, wondering what the future will bring.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between. This is a momentous day; not only for our nation, but our people, even our continent! The order of old has been washed away and replaced by a system that will allow our society to progress and improve by an exponential rate.” I gesticulated wildly and spoke passionately to get my point across, much how I’ve always done it.

“No longer will we have to listen to a ruler without our best interests at heart. No longer will our people be subjugated by those we deem to be inferior. This day, which will be christened for centuries to come, is the beginning of a new dawn for griffonkind. A blank slate! We will rise above foreign occupation and carve our own path, our own way. And as we are entering a new era, I feel it is only just that we show the world that as well. As such, I formally dissolve the antiquated government of Fertilia, and hereby establish the Syndicate of Griffonia. FOR PROSPERITY!” I punched my fist into the air and the crowd went ballistic as they screamed and put their fists in the air. The roaring cheer was deafening, causing my tinnitus to flare up a bit.

It was beautiful.

I let the crowd calm itself down slightly before I put my hand up in a pipe down gesture.

“Our first act as Don Leona Grimfeather and Empress Diamond Tiara is to establish rule of law. During these early days, we must ask that everyone cooperate and keep the peace while we pick up the shattered remains of the Old Regime. Tomorrow, the castle will be open to all who wish to have an audience with my wife and I, which will also be broadcast over the radio.”

I said a bit more after that, but it was mainly for the purpose of blowing smoke up their asses. It wasn’t really important, definitely not important enough for me to write down here. I got other things to worry about- like taking care of this laundry list of shit that needs taken care of.

This… is gonna be interesting.

---

For Amelia Grimfeather, life was pretty great. She had friends, lived a quiet life in a quiet town, and had a daughter that personally made sure she’d never have to work again. Though admittedly, she did still work part time, even if only for something to do.

It was early in the morning and the rising sun turned all the dew into a light fog that caressed the air. She grabbed the paper and tucked it under her wing, heading to her favorite coffee shop.

Which was one of only two coffee shops in Ponyville… and they were right next to each other, oddly enough. Still, it was her preference; even if the only reason it was her favorite was because she was in an on-and-off relationship with the barista.

That’s another thing she liked about Equestria: open, casual relationships were much more common than in her griffon homeland. Not to say she didn’t miss her home, of course. She also missed when her daughter was only a day's train ride away, but Amelia knew she’d have to fly the nest someday. Ah, pun not intended.

Ultimately, however, she loved her life in Equestria. She’d made her home here, saw her daughter grow into the woman she is today here. No, she was fine with simply staying put. Besides- she was approaching her forties and whatever sense of adventure she had was spent on the trip to Equestria.

She took a seat at one of the tables outside the cafe, waving at the barista with a friendly smile- one which was returned without hesitation. Already, she was moving around the bar and exited, the bell dinging faintly.

“Ayy, Minty!” the mint-colored pegasus mare approached with Amelia’s cup of coffee already prepared. The mare gently rested her hooves on Amelia’s shoulders, giving her a quick kiss to each cheek and causing the recipient to giggle and blush.

“Hey, Ammy.” She said, sly grin on her face. “I figured you’d be here today, so I got your latte ready.” The latte in question had an adorable heart shape in the foam.

“Extra espresso?” Minty just giggled.

“Nah, I only did half espresso because I knew it’d piss you off.” She said, rolling her eyes and chuckling, while Amelia just giggled.

“Oh, you biiitch!” They shared a quick nuzzle, and Amelia couldn’t help but feel disappointed when her partner pulled away.

“If you want, we can get together and… play chess after my shift.” The mare said, and Amelia smiled with a faint blush.

“Gosh, I’d love to play chess after your shift.” She had an airy, dreamy tone in her voice. Playing chess is, of course, code language for something else entirely. “One more kiss for the road, my darling?”

Minty just snickered. “You’re so cheesy, you know that?” She said as she leaned in.

“I know. And you’re so sweet- what’s your point?” They shared a parting kiss before the mare had to return to work. Amelia let out a sigh.

She lifted up her latte, gently blowing on it before taking a sip. It had a faint minty flavor- which was a specialty of her partner. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

Nothing can ruin this day. Amelia thought this to herself as she took a sip of coffee and unrolled the newspaper.

What she saw on the front page damn near made her fall out of her chair in shock.

POPULAR COUP IN FERTILIA, GOVERNMENT DISSOLVED, GRIMFEATHER TAKES THRONE!

The picture directly underneath the headline was her daughter, giving the finger to someone off camera. Impressed, she took a sip.

“Holy shit, she fuckin’ did it.” She said aloud. Finally when she looked up from the article she realized that literally everyone had a copy of this paper. As a result- a lot of ponies were looking at her. She blushed, giggling sheepishly before running home and slamming the door shut behind her.

---

Ever since Diamond Tiara left, things haven’t really been the same for the Rich household. Ever since Spoiled Rich made that off-hoof comment to that who-gives-a-fuck reporter, her relationship with her husband, Filthy Rich became even more strained than it already was.

Filthy Rich loved his daughter more than anything. To him, she was his world, his reason for getting out of bed every day. She was supposed to step up as CEO of his company so that he could retire.

“Let me guess. You’re thinking about Diamond Tiara again?” They were at the table eating their breakfast when Spoiled Rich noticed her husband barely picking at his food. “It’s been almost a year, how are you still not over it?”

He didn’t even have the energy to bother glaring at her, only looking up with a hollow look in his eyes.

If you couldn’t tell, Spoiled Rich found her daughter to be a disappointment. Not only was her daughter one of the queers, she married a vulture and dropped it all just to be with her.

“I’m willing to bet that harpy already left her for some other tramp.”

That crossed a line. The patriarch of the family slammed his hooves down, causing his wife to jump. “You call my daughter a tramp one more time, see what happens.” He glared at her and she rolled her eyes, completely ignoring him as she grabbed the newspaper and unfolded it.

…

“HOLY FUCK!” She screamed, almost falling out of her chair. The first thing she saw was an image, depicting her much-hated daughter-in-law flipping someone off. Right next to her stood their daughter.

“What is it?” Mr. Rich scooted his chair over and read the article with her.

“Our daughter’s a princess!” she was literally shaking with joy upon hearing this. Not that she was happy for her daughter- no, she was happy to technically be part of a royal family.

Mr Rich had a warm smile. “Empress, apparently.” He said, pointing to a particular part of the article. “Alright, when you’re done reading, get your stuff packed.”

She blinked in confusion. “What? Where are we going?” She asked.

“We’re going to apologize to our daughter. You don’t have a choice.” She was taken aback by this!

“Wha- today!?” She yelled, “We can’t leave today, I have a spa appointment!” Mr. Rich just glanced back.

“We are leaving. Today. Before they close the ports.” He said to his wife, adding that “If you try and argue, I will personally drag you there with me. Don’t test me today.” Was all he said.

---

Twilight Sparkle took a sip of coffee, unfolding her newspaper.

She spit out the sip of coffee in shock, jumping out of her chair and running to her assistant.

She barged into her office and yelled, “Close all the ports and issue an embargo. Leona’s out of control. Until we get to the bottom of this, all trade with the Griffon Confederacy will halt.”

One of her assistants piped up and mentioned “Uh, your royal highness, wouldn’t that be collective punishment? It’s clearly just a rogue state and embargoing the entirety of The Confederacy may have negative consequences.”

Twilight immediately snapped back with “JUST GET IT DONE.” and slammed the door as she exited.

And that was that.

Shoutouts to my GF for designing the flag :3

I have a discord server for this fic out now!! It'd be real cool if u joined :333

Thanks for reading! As always, likes and comments are greatly appreciated :3