https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13246473300A75160100&page=63#1559
Okay, so continued from that... The pony tribes, having reached what is now the Southern areas of Equestria, quickly branched out and began to settle down throughout the vast and fertile land. Conflict was not very common, but very much in existence; land squabbles, rivalries, and the like all arose during this time. However, there was one particular area of conflict that was probably the largest in Equestria: religious differences. While most of Equestria followed what is known now as "Orthodoxy" (who preached that the Source of Magic was the all-powerful god of light known as the Source, and that the night was the wings of a dragon formed by pony violence and greed stealing away the beauty of the sun and that was why predators hunted at night), there was also a number of "Night Worshippers" (these were a smattering of different sects and denominations, but they all believed that the Source was two-that-are-one, a ying-yangish sort of duality that covered the night, which they believed was natural and good). These minorities mostly concentrated in the West, with many ponies flocking to the Night-Worshipping lords of Manehattan, as well as the supposed 'Night Pony Paradise' rumored to exist in the Hills of the Clouds, which were dangerous and isolated (these herds became known as the Hill Herds, and remained extremely isolated for the most part throughout history). For the most part, the two sides were peaceful, though, and Equestria a few decades finally able to move or settle in peace (many remained nomadic at this time, it is worth noting). Magic and technology boomed like never before as tribes finally were able to apply their knowledge and push the boundaries of what they could do- Stardancer of Manehattan grew to near Sainthood by inventing the modern spell format to allow for accessible and easy magic, and metallurgy and agriculture bloomed. However, it was not long before one of the packs of Canidians, having seperated from the scattered remnants in the Everfree Forest and picked up the herds' scent, found itself crossing into Equestrian land at last. The ponies, remembering all too well what had driven them away from their homes, banded together and sent fighters from nearly every herd to drive the dogs away. Led by 6 magically bonded ponies, these armies supposedly smashed the Dogs at the Battle of Mud Hill in a stunning victory (I say 'supposedly' because the only source describing these events are epic poems, and the whole issue is a hot issue of historical debate). It is agreed universally, though, that these dogs were pursued East until the ponies chasing them could pursue no longer, driving them from Equestria. Those taken prisoner were sacrificed (long story about the magic system, but essentially the passage of life into death is a major source of magical energy, and was a very common requirement for large spells back before Starswirl connected magic more closely to pony life and made ponies more magically sensitive) in order to help erect the newly developing cities, which were booming thanks to the unbelievable fertile soil.
With that dealt with, the ponies felt a new sense of mastery over predators, a sensation that was new and wonderful, much better than fear. Settlements grew and prospered as ponies pushed North, East, and West. However, even as time flew by and herd after herd settled, there was a growing discomfort between the Orthodox East and South, and the Nightly West. The North was an area of great contention as ponies on both sides feared that it would go the other way and prove a threat, although the Northern herds were almost all nomadic and remained unaligned. Tension began to solidify as the ponies of Prance pushed far North and settled down, declaring themselves Orthodox...except for a few, which declared themselves independent and settled in the North Western area of Prance (on the modern day border with Germaney), declaring their land one of equal religious toleration and complete nuetrality-which both sides assumed the worst about. Even worse was when the young foal of the lord there, Crystal Globes, earned his brand at a young age by using, well, crystal globes to "glean" some of the specifics of fruit farming, a previously untapped agricultural form for the most part. His city, Pegasopolis, became the fruit capitol of Equestria and a very valuable trade center. The people of Pegasopolis were called, in disdain, the 'Hornless'. You see, the horn of the Trickster was seen as a sign of prestige and magical ability, as the skull deformation was direct proof of lineage, and had become so valuable in terms of respectability that nobles had gone out of their way to encourage the gene expression (they didn't really get genetics, obviously, but once the technique was discovered on accident, it became very popular). The horn had eventually developed into a sign of nobility and higher blood, and many cities openly penalized the interbreeding of unicorns and any 'lower class' ponies who weren't landowning shamans (if you did have a child with a peasant or a merchant, the child must be trained to become a landowning shaman of the correct birth, or the state would take your land, give it to the child, imprison you, and begin essentially giving foster care. Purity is serious business). However, Pegasopolis was not so inclined, and the ruling family openly forbade bringing unicorn blood into the noble class- it saw the horn as a sign of unnatural tampering and a symbol of violence. In response, many ponies seeking either their shift to Orthodoxy or their land or money simply refused to recognize their legitimacy (and often massively raise tariffs, confiscate merchant's products, or even outright cut trade). However, their frontier position led to a delay that would prevent real punitive action for some time and serve as a distraction.
This delay is the encounter with the Griffons, notably a splinter faction that had gone South to escape their Northern brethren and find new game to hunt. Violence broke out soon enough all through the North as they descended, hunting even ponies- the Griffons had not yet encountered another sentient species, and did not fully understand the lengths of how civilized the ponies were until they had encountered settlement ponies with iron weapons. The ponies reacted sharply, and there was a very short conflict before Northern Griffonic forces came South in pursuit of the splinter group, which the North deemed rebellious. At this point, Germanean (not Germanic 
)nomad ponies made contact and eventually broke the language barrier, serving as quite the distraction for some years. The two nations were separated by quite the amount of land, however, and agreed on a simple trade agreement. Much to Equestria's dismay, Pegasopolis was in the perfect position to act as a leader of international trade as well, and many realized that this would soon mean a rising national importance of the city. So they decided to act.
First, I should mention how Crystal Globe ended up in charge; as a major diviner, he had become very magically sensitive and had developed into quite the spellweaver, which also was a political boon as he became very influential, eventually grabbing leadership of the city through vote via the city's system of Tanistry. He was very ambitious as well, and an avid dreamer, hoping to bring himself and his people to prominence through any way possible. He was charismatic, independent, well-intentioned,and rather intelligent, although he was prone to being very caught up in his work and having a very spontaneous temper- when enraged, he supposedly would throw a rather viscous and even violent temper tantrum, and he was to be crossed with great peril. So needless to say, when rival herds declared war to "liberate his people from an illegitimate tyrant"-a rather flimsy excuse. They underestimated Pegasopolis' funds and magical training, and it wasn't very long before Globe's force of mercenaries and highly disciplined and efficient home forces had crushed the unorganized and splintered armies of his neighbors and were pushing into their land. Cities fell, and the rest of Equestria grew wary and suspicious as he had his enemy's families dragged back to his city in chains. For the first time, an Equestria-wide gathering of all the major families was gathered together to try and see if a good solution could be arrived at (Pegasopolis was notably not invited). The families decided to create a sort of League of Nations of the pony herds, known as the Red Council, that would meet regularly and allow the major houses to undergo private negotiations. An actual solution for the moment, however, was not found, and the issue was left in the air.
This tense situation did not last long before Globes had nearly won his war, and it seemed like the issue would have to be settled soon. The now considerably older Globes had other ideas, and, enraged and ambitious, decided to take advantage of the current situation. Globes had been planning one spell for some time that he believed would change history and bring him and his people to the forefront of pony progress, and would bring ponyind as a whole to a new age. He had been inspired by the Griffonic ability of flight, and saw it as a step in advancement for ponies to have that advantage as well, something much preferable to a barbaric horn. He had obsessed for some time over it, and it was his pet project since he had first seen a Griffon. But it was a difficult task, and required many years of laborious dissection and experimentation- so many aspects would have to be addressed, such as hormones, growth, wind detection, a sense of aerial direction, muscles, and a properly efficient set of systems to support flight. He had eventually created a plan- he had enough knowledge to, in theory, create such a spell that would adapt certain systems of birds and Griffons with enough tweaking to work for ponies as if by nature. For such a thing to work on a scale needed to start a subspecies and eventually lead to a majority needed energy, energy he didn't have. Well, until now. So he simply took those unicorns that had declared war upon him and had them sacrificed to provide the energy needed to give his gift to the whole city. And to sacrifice another pony is akin to spiritual cannibalism in Equestrian eyes, so the reaction was very negative. By the end of the week, he had slaughtered dozens in his wild desperation, and already the Red Council was reacting. Armies from across Equestria gathered together, hoping to drive these new Pegasi out of Equestria, just as they had done with the Canidians, and even Globe's expert military was unable to cope(it didn't help that they were completely unsure how to use their new wings, which served even as a hindrance), and the city was stormed. Globes led his people from the city, and those that remained were killed, having been declared 'unponies', and the city was torn down. Globes, intercepted by the Germanes on his way to try and seek sanctuary with the Griffons, swerved South to beg the Lord of Manehattan, who would surely be more sympathetic to a tolerant pony and his army of exiles. He was instead attacked and harassed even further South, relying on raids and violence to take the food he needed in his flight (it doesn't help that wings and flying use so much energy that simply grazing is insufficient for any active Pegasus, an unexpected side-effect which meant that they needed more nutritious food if they were to fly). Eventually, he was accepted by the Hill Ponies, and decided to settle there, isolated from the rest of Equestria.
So what's this for? Pardon my ignorance.
So here's a possible plot about Monsoon:
Monsoon (whose actual name is Autumn Breeze) is a pegasus with a deep interest in archaeology after voraciously reading the Daring Do books as a foal. He finally goes to the University of Canterlot and joins an archaeological dig that will investigate some ruins in Marabia. However, once he starts digging, he realises that archaeology isn't as glamourous as the Daring Do series made it out to be. So after some twists and turns, he eventually finds the remains of a much larger city (a major spell-testing base under the rule of Sultan Hazred, no less!), which unfortunately has actual traps and the like to discourage potential spies, and nearly gets killed in the process. I'm not quote sure how to write the end; him discarding archaeology seems a bit unrealistic, but maybe deciding that archaeology, however unexciting it may be in reality, is what he should stick to? Or something like that.
@Timur Amir: Hmm, I like your ideas about how the ponies eventually came to become a sort of apex predator without being carnivours, though your idea of sacrifice kind of negates that somewhat. Personally I kind of find that idea needlessly dark, but it did happen in the deep past so who knows.
One thing I don't quite inderstand is that it seems that the earth ponies can still use some complex active rather then passive magic despite not being Unicorns. How exactly does that work?
the sacrifice thing is mainly because it is the only major power source at that time; there is supposed to be a slow and eventual trend from ponies being only slightly connected with magic to them being fully capable of using decently complex spells without the need to spill blood, so the ponies back then couldn't achieve all that much. Plus I'm trying to show a sort of advancement in predatory behavior, where they go slowly from being friendly and complacent to actively hunting others- something that will eventually fade out of the culture when it stops being efficient and the ponies start to get over their own power. So, in my eyes, it serves two purposes at once, plus it's existence will give major insight into the magic system later.
As for how Earth Ponies can use magic, technically all ponies could, theoretically- the horn doesn't actually do anything. However, one thing about magic is that you truly have to be confident you are capable of using it to use it, and even if you are confident you require a certain amount of magical sensitivity to be able to harness that without guidance. And as magical sensitivity increases with each generation- the magic use of the parents increases the chances the child will be more sensitive- and from the environment, Earth ponies grow increasingly less capable as magic is seen as something for the aristocrats, and, eventually, the unicorns alone, until it is forgotten that it was ever capable for Earth Ponies beyond a few freakish examples. The reason they never really used it back then was because education to use it (which really is the most essential part for those less sensitive) was limited to the aristocracy, and also because sensitivity for the whole of ponykind was relatively low, and magic on the whole was inaccessible.
I hope that makes sense.
No Dragon Power
OK I need help saying this like Luna
hello citizens of Equestria living on Lestopia* a most urgent matter has arose. I a require the presence of all of you in Cantorloct. Just in case you haven't a speedy mode of transport . I have already sent a speedy Dragon for your assistance.
edited 12th Mar '12 12:52:13 PM by RandomChaos
With the power of a dragon I can make up for my inability to spill.
OMG NO NOSECONES
I'll try:
"Greetings, citizens of Lestopia! It is I, the Princess of the Night! A most urgent matter hast arisen, and your Princess doth require that thou all shall relocate to Canterlot immediately. As We have forseen that thou all do not have access to efficient transportation, we have provided thee with a Dragon."
Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.
Ahoy hoy!
OK, coming up now, some of Pig's common sayings:
'''You're tuggin' my tail here (insert name here).
Hey forget about it!
Get outta here/town!
Don' worry!
Sweet!
Freakin'!
Pop/Bust your skull open!
Holy horse apples!
You're alright!
Have a heart!
Come on!
Wanna make it interesting?'''
Now imagine all of the above said in a deep New York accent.
edited 12th Mar '12 4:54:41 PM by ApplelightLimited
My fanfic outline. RIP Posey
No Dragon Power
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
one thing I think you meant "sufficient" but that's great.
edited 12th Mar '12 5:12:21 PM by RandomChaos
With the power of a dragon I can make up for my inability to spill.
Hehe. Sounds about right.
The whole revelation of Tartarus in the latest episode has got my creative juices going.
I haven't got much yet, but I think I know what happened to Luna's guard post Nightmare Moon and why they look the way they do.
Ahoy hoy!
was my post satisfactory, by the way? Should I elaborate, or continue?
If I didn't respond to your response then you can assume that I found it satisfactory, and you can move forward.
oh, okay then. Now, onto the Griffonic Kingdoms. These, sadly, are not as detailed in their histories as the pony kingdoms, but this is due to them being still partially in development (for now, I'm using mostly Nordic Culture as a sort of placeholder, as well as Nordic names). The Griffonic race began North of Equestria, in a small valley known as the Vale of Audhumla, and is one of the oldest races known to exist, or at least one of the first to record their own history and develop a writing system. The early Griffons spread from valley to valley, gathering around the small pockets of hot springs to escape the intense cold of the tundra. These were also hotspots for vital prey, like Buffalo and Mammoth, which were essential, perhaps even more so than the springs themselves. However, these were not very populous, and the Griffons were plagued with famine and instability. War was common as flocks fought for what few resources existed, and various factions were always looking for new techniques to outhunt, outfight, or outcolonize rival flocks. Then came the climate change, a great heating, which pushed the glaciers back, led to the creation of numerous lakes, rivers, and accessible mountain passes. Griffons were at last able to expand and settle at an all-time high, and resources became much more abundant. Volcanic activity also began to stir, and more hot springs geothermal hotspots emerged. Prey numbers skyrocketed, as well as mobility, and the Griffons settled what is known as "the Fringe", an area of massive mountains and a smattering of prosperous valleys, which became an area of fragmented city states. Smaller prey came up from the South, providing a variance in diet and a lack of reliance on the larger herds, although many remained nomadic and would follow these herds exclusively, driving them North. These nomads discovered an area known as the Westerlies to Equestrians, or Alfheim, a plained region that skirts the Red Desert of the West, which provide some of the hot winds that keeps the narrow region warm. Here the mammoths were hunted to extinction (although climate change, to be fair, did play a major part in their decline), and the Buffalo, strangely, made a seemingly-suicidal rush into the Red Desert, or Muspelheim. The nomads ended up settling the small hills bordering the Northern Sea (which was kept oddly warm by the strange Southern tides), and for some time Alfheim was one of the Griffon's more valuable regions, especially as this was where the domestication of the cow, a huge step in Griffonic history, occured (which allowed for less reliance on local game and more famine protection). However, even with stone cities, domesticated cows, leaps and bounds in metallurgy and architecture, and other advancements of this time, the Griffonic race was surprisingly vulnerable. First of all, the growing volcanic activity was not always harmless, and several times cities were destroyed by volcanic eruptions. War was still very much a problem, with such disunified flocks scrabbling over hunting rights and land rights. And much of the population was still locked into a pattern mimicking that of their prey- the more they hunted, the less prey, the less food, the less griffons, which meant more prey, more food, more griffons, and so on and so on. Domestication, though, was starting to make some difference, particularly in Alfheim, where large herds could be grazed without worry over crowded land rights or dangerous mountain passes.
Griffonic history took another major turn with the exploration and settlement of the Griffon hero, Heimdaller, a veteran who famously braved the icy winds, dangerous mountains, and massive numbers of wolves to arrive at last at a magnificent mountain pass with a river, onto which warm Southerly winds did break. He settled down, hunting the predators first to eradicate competition before building a castle from which he might hunt upon these new plains of paradise, which were teeming with game. This castle was named Bifrost, and was the first Griffon structure built on Equestrian land. After that, a downturn in Northern prey populations drove many Griffons Southward, hoping to immigrate to this new paradise of food. The Heimdaller Flock took advantage of this, expanding their influence and later building the major city of Asgard in modern-day North Germaney. This, plus the domestication of boars and new metallurgy techniques to create steel alloy, began a new "Age of the Griffon", as the Griffonic empire spread in all directions, but most quickly across Equestria, where it saw little geographic resistance and only more bountiful lands. The empire, of course, being little more than a loose confederation founded by the religious authorities of the Audumla to better and expand the Griffon race in a mutual agreement of trade and nonaggression. Technology was booming, population was finally getting off the ground, and at last it looked like the Griffons were at their rightful place in "global" domination (actually, that statement is not as evil as it sounds. It is the religious mission of the Griffons to restore harmony to the world by recombining Sutr, the Lion God of Fire, Discord, Change, and Energy, with Helegrinn, the Eagle God of Cold, Stability, and sameness. This can only be done by the Griffons, who hold the image of the Great Spirit, and the likeness in mind to him, and so must conquer the elements, the world, and themselves to bring paradise to the world)
It is in the situation that a rogue flock, which sought political independence from the more settled Equestrian colonies and escape from its new enemy, the Heimdallers, which it had recently cheated, went onto the plain in search of a good nesting place. There, they found several strange prey creatures, which the desperate flock ate, and so began the first page in Griffon-Pony relations.
I had always imagined Griffons being rather Germano-Nordic myself, as well as being from a cold mountainous region. I really like how well thought out their expansion is, with the geographical and atmospheric forces that drove them.
I find it interesting that you went with religion being their one uniting force. The angle that they view their need to spread and conquer everything seems to kind of mirror the great expansive conquest of the Islamic Empires in human history.
I'm curious how you are handling the sapience of other animals such as Cows (which have demonstrated intelligence in the show). I am assuming most of the animals Griffons eat are not sapient though I can see them resorting to that in desperate times (such as the flock at the end of your piece).
To be truthful, my approach to sentient animals is a little haphazard; the Cranky Doodle Episode was a little more problematic than I expected in terms of animal-pony interaction, as I was originally just going to have them as a unique product of the 'Origins' element of the fic...but, with them stepping up to a more involved role, my thoughts are perhaps having them as children of immigrants from down the Everfree River- after all, the original founds of such immigrant groups could have accessed Equestria by going far enough into the wild from the Zebra Empire (which is at the end of the Everfree River, where it flows into the sea) as explorers (although such a journey would be horrifically difficult). That makes the most logical sense, although it feels like maybe it would look contrived(?)
As for Griffon policy, any species seen as 'blessed' with sentience and recognized as sentient by the religious authorities in the Vale is seen as off-limits in the same way cannibalism is, unless those authorities make a special declaration to the contrary. However, recognition of sentience is generally by word of mouth and interaction before the Vale gets around to throwing decrees about, which only makes it official. However, that being said, if a species never establishes communication with Griffons, there is a possibility that they might mistaken a sentient species for something less so in some rare cases. In particular, the Buffalo they hunted in the beginning was just reaching basic sentience and actually made an active decision on a tribal level to flee into the desert. The Griffons had simply never considered the possibility that these strange new Buffalo behaviors could mean anything more than prey being weirder than usual. In hindsight, the Griffons feel rather guilty about that later on, when the Buffalo come into a second contact with them.
Alright, that makes sense to me.
On another subject I think I have pinned down how I think Check Up would act towards the rest of the foils.
In general Check Up is not very friendly, and has a tendency towards being insensitive, even when they have finally come together he can still come across as aloof,. That being said he does relate to some of them in different ways.
Much like Smoke Screen he is not usually favorable to Moonbeam's theories, however he is not likely to try to debate his theories, outside of a couple of snarky comments. Despite this he would probably be the ultimate Sour Supporter in some of Moonbeam's more grandiose schemes. You see he rather appreciates Moonbeam's ambition and drive. It reminds him of how he was before his accident.
He is a frequent attendant of Big Rig's pub. He is not a really big fan of Big Rig's stories, but unlike others he has always been polite and civil to him and his fiancee. After the group has come together, Big Rig is a little more likely to give him a snarky comment, but is still is generally polite towards him. However when it comes to moral questions Check Up is the most likely to favor a more pragmatic solution, so they may come to blows on that.
Check Up and Pig Iron don't interact much beyond trading snarky blows with each other. Whether these are friendly or serious will depend on the subject. Occasionally, if Check Up is in a particularly good mood he might team up with Pig Iron to lob snarky comments at one of their friends, usually Smoke Screen.
Check Up doesn't really care for Chuckles. He just doesn't seem to care about this mute street performer that always seems to hang around Smoke Screen and Big Rig. When the team doesn't come together this really doesn't change much. Chuckles knows not to press the issue with him, but he can't help but be hurt by some insensitive comments.
I already stated how he and Smoke Screen interact, so what do you think?
I was also thinking about how if Smoke Screen would discuss about how different old Pegasi society is from what pony pop culture depicts it (something more akin to a combination of Ancient Rome and Athens then Sparta). That could lead to a joke about how he would not want to play Commander Hurricane in a local production of the Hearth's Warming Eve play, and Pig Iron proposes that Check Up play could play Hurricane and Smoke Screen could be Private Pansy.
Ahoy hoy!
Sounds good Mio. Like the joke too. 
How can we make Check likable though?
EDIT:
I'm thinking that BR sometimes Rhymes on a Dime...like...rooti tooti fruiti, I'm in a pile of doodie!
edited 13th Mar '12 6:36:15 PM by ApplelightLimited
My fanfic outline. RIP Posey
I'm sure over time he will lighten up a bit. He also finds certain character traits very endearing, like drive and ambition. He would defend any pony with big dreams, even if he personally thinks those dreams are stupid.
Sure I can see Big Rig rhyming on a dime.
edited 13th Mar '12 6:38:12 PM by Mio
Ahoy hoy!
@ Mio
OK, I can see that. Maybe he's the one with everyone's mental and physical health on his mind?
Edit: Glad you like that too. Helps make BR the adorkable one. 
edited 13th Mar '12 6:39:51 PM by ApplelightLimited
My fanfic outline. RIP Posey
I can see that as well. Though he might get annoyed if they give him a "you really do care" reaction.
Big Rig adorkable? Well I guess that makes sense when you compared him to Ned Flanders.
edited 13th Mar '12 6:48:26 PM by Mio
Ahoy hoy!
@ Mio
Indeed. Though we could ask...is it all a front?
And yeah, I keep picturing BR as a better canadian ned flanders...voiced by Matt Smith...
Also...story idea...something involving big hoof...
EDIT: Wait! That's not right!
I meant Soaren's VA!
edited 13th Mar '12 6:53:32 PM by ApplelightLimited
My fanfic outline. RIP Posey
Big Hoof? What's that?
Also Did you ever think up of anything more for the "guilds" story idea?
@ Sereg
A story involving Starswirl and Chuckles could be both highly amusing and be the excuse needed to learn how Chuck's powers work. Tapping into the inate magical field etc.
My fanfic outline. RIP Posey