A Guide to Recent Equestrian History

by mint20

War with Lord Tirek

Now, it is common knowledge that every species survives on food. Even the changelings, who are nourished and strengthened by love and good feelings, must eat to survive. Tirek and his brother are no exception to this golden rule of life, so the misconceptions about them can die here and now. However, they posses the ability to suck the magic out of any living thing. As even the youngest foal knows, friendship is truly magic, thus Equestria was rich in magic ripe for harvesting. If their race has a name, it is not known, but the two brothers came seeking the magic of Equestria. These two brothers are shrouded in mystery, to the point that we do not know where they came from. We only know that it was far away, and the brothers were acting completely of their own accord, not due to the bidding of some higher organization or as a military activity.

The brothers attacked from the north. The city of their choice was Yanhoover. Battle broke out in 2177, when the two brothers attacked and overwhelmed the garrison of the city. Classic pony tactics of flanking aerial attacks and unicorn bombardment proved ineffective. All the ponies sent to attack and defend had their magic absorbed and used against their comrades. The battle ended in a devastating Equestrian defeat.

Oddly, though the two brothers had the ability to solidify power over the city, they simply left, not attempting to occupy or otherwise force the citizens to their will. In addition, casualties were surprisingly light, with no more than fifty dead or seriously injured. However, everypony, earth, unicorn, and pegasus alike, were left without any form of magic.

Word of these strange foes reached the Sister’s ears quickly, and they quickly dispatched a group of ambassadors to attempt to open diplomatic discussions. The ambassadors were turned away, unharmed, though they brought back a strange story. According to them, the one named Tirek wanted to kill them, but the elder brother, Scorpan, intervened. Then, when Tirek wanted to at least absorb their magic, Scorpan again balked, saying, “They are diplomats. If we aren’t going to hear what they have to say, then at least obey the sanction of diplomats.” Their curiosity quipped, the Sisters sent two other diplomatic missions. The first one was turned away with a similar report of tension between the two brothers. Apparently, Tirek snapped on the second mission, attacking the diplomats before Scropan could restrain him. Two of the three ambassadors had their magic drained before Scropan could stop and subdue his younger brother. He then advised that they, “Run. Now!” before a full-out fight insured.

Eventually, Scorpan overwhelmed Tirek and forced him to stand down. Soon after, they made peace again, agreeing to not attack the pony diplomats, but also agreeing that if they came across any group of traveling civilians, they were fair game. They started to move east, whether they were heading for Manehattan or Fillydelphia is unknown.

As the year wore on, ponies became more and more nervous, especially as some of the changeling POWs, captured from the Expansion Wars, started to riot. The military was called in to settle the problem, and they crushed the changeling riots swiftly. However, the changelings would soon prove their worth to both the Sisters and the greater Equestrian population.

Anyways, Tirek didn’t know, but Scorpan started to sneak away from him, almost every night. At first, he traveled to pony villages as an advance scout of some kind, judging the defensive capabilities and resource production of various materials. However, soon something would happen that would change his mentality regarding this war forever.

He was discovered outside Fillydelphia by a unicorn. The identity of this unicorn is not known, but it is suspected that he is Star-Swirl the Bearded. How precisely he managed to influence the events of that day is not know, especially since the same unicorn taught Clover the Clever over two thousand years previous, defying everything we know about unicorn biology and life spans.

However he managed to do it, he was there to influence the events of the day, and he did. Scorpan had badly miscalculated, and was caught in a storm for days. His supplies of food were meager at best, and he soon ran out. Couple that with hypothermia, and the odd creature was in serious trouble. He was literally only a few hours from death when he stumbled across the path of Star-Swirl, who was leading a small group of gifted unicorns in advanced magical arts a few leagues outside the city.

Star-Swirl saw the odd creature on death’s doorstep, and abandoned his class to help this...thing...that crossed his path. He brought Scorpan back to his home in the city, and nursed him slowly back to health, treating him with both conventional and magical means. This random act of kindness and mercy would have lasting effects on the pony nation - and the entire world.

Meanwhile, Tirek was beside himself with fear and anger. A group of tourists were at Neighagra Falls when he attacked, using both magical draining and lethal force.

When the Royal Sisters learned of this, they prepared Equestria for war. Armies were mobilized and equipped, and staged at the mountain that would later hold Canterlot. The Sisters sent forth one more diplomatic envoy, this time demanding Tirek’s unconditional surrender. Only one pony returned, with the following message: “Over my dead body.”

With that, the Princesses promptly declared war. Troops were dispatched to Neighagra Falls, where they started to track Tirek.

Meanwhile, Scorpan, by now more or less recovered from his near-death experience, was up and roaming around the city of Fillydelphia. Now, remember that the messages brought by diplomats named Scorpan as more level-headed and compassionate than his brother, which may explain why he was not arrested. It also may be that Star-Swirl was a very well-respected citizen of the town, so the other ponies supposed that there was a very good reason why they were harboring an enemy of the state. Either way, nopony attempted to arrest him, and while they were cautious and wary, they started to befriend him, as well.

Soon, Tirek arrived at Fillydelphia and discovered his brother. Reports say that he was rather overjoyed, and eagerly invited Scorpan to his side. However, the die would be cast when Scorpan refused, realizing that he had befriended the city’s citizens in only a few days, saying that “These ponies are now under my protection.”

Now, I am sorry to report that Scorpan’s choosing us over his brother drove the younger brother quite mad. He backed off this time (probably understanding that he could not take on his brother in his state), but angrily denounced Scorpan as a “weakling” and a “traitor.” He then left, undoubtedly to absorb more magic.

With that, Scorpan insisted that he see the Princesses, for he wanted to help the ponies with resisting Tirek. Star-Swirl agreed, and they left for the nation’s capital, carrying a white flag, to avoid attack.

When they arrived, Scorpan spoke to the two Royal Sisters, and offered his assistance. When asked why he wanted to help us, he responded:

“Why? I honestly don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting soft. Then again, maybe I believe that there is still some good in this world. And this good is worth fighting for, even if you must turn against your brother.”

He offered his strength against his brother in the coming battles, in addition to tactical advice against him. In exchange, he asked for secrecy about his past and origins, and to be allowed to stay in Equestria if he should choose. Faced with losing control of their nation, the Royal Sisters agreed.

Using their rights as Warmistrisses of Equestria, the Sisters granted Scorpan a temporary position as tactical adviser, and pulled back the troops pursuing Tirek. Scorpan warned that in order to defeat Tirek, his strength was not enough by itself. At best, he could only force a stalemate. And, the Elements of Harmony would be effective, but Tirek could simply absorb it. Since Scorpan refused to absorb another pony’s magic, the answer waited in the form of a type of enchanted crystal that would prevent the negative flow of magic whenever one of the brothers tried to take magic. There was a problem, though. This particular crystal was very rare, almost never found outside the Crystal Empire.

Realizing the need, the Sisters sent a party of ambassadors to meet with the Crystal Empire, only for them to be turned away. The reason for this is both simple and complex. To put it bluntly, the Crystal Empire was scared of and angry with Equestria’s recent aggressive military expansion, and didn't think the nation could be trusted. In fact, now that a powerful enemy had attacked the other power, the Empire even considered dispatching troops to teach Equestria a lesson. Now, as politics and diplomacy always are, it is infinitely times more complex than this, but that is the basic idea.

Now, facing threats from two opponents, the Princesses themselves went to meet in a closed meeting with the Crystal ruler. These meetings would last for almost a year, as they hammered out various terms and concessions from both sides. What exactly transpired in the meeting was kept confidential, but the Princesses came out of the meeting with an agreement to a semi-lasting military alliance between the Crystal Empire and Equestria, including the use of magic artifacts and materials. In exchange, they traded a fee of half a million bits, reduction in the tariffs involved in business to and from Equestria, and an ongoing pledge that Equestria and the Crystal Empire will maintain a restricted amount of armed forces. For Equestria, they were required to keep the amount of combat troops they were maintaining under two hundred thousand. For the Empire, the limit was three hundred thousand.

The treaty was signed on June 4, 2171, and ratified by September 5. With it, the Crystal Empire joined Equestria in their declaration of war against Tirek. They dispatched the Third Army of their realm to provide support and wield their crystals. Despite the treaty, they still didn’t fully trust the Equestrians, so they insisted that they always be able to see the crystals that were on loan. And so the stage was set for the Battle of Two Brothers.

The morn of February 7, 2182 saw a faceoff between Tirek and Scorpan. It took place near the pony capital in what would later become the Everfree Forest. Unbeknownst to Tirek, the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony, along with a small squadron of hoof-picked soldiers, three from the Empire and six from Equestria, were hiding in a nearby building, waiting for their time to strike. They were able to overhear the two brothers’ argument:

Tirek: Brother! What has happened to you? Why do you oppose me?

Scorpan: Tirek, yield. Abandon our plans. This nation...they deserve better.

Tirek: Why should I? What will they do for me?

(silence for a few counts)

Scorpan: I never thought I would see this day. Let me tell you, brother, a story. Two years or so ago, I left you in the middle of the night, correct? Well, I was headed to one of these ponies’ cities, with plans to scope out the city, analyzing what kind of resistance they could muster. However, I had made a crucial mistake. The weather turned horrible on me - not, mind you, because the pegasi attacked me with it, but rather because of my own stupidity - and instead of spying on the city, I stumbled into it, on death’s doorstep. Now, this ponies knew that I was one of those responsible for the attacks on their cities. They knew I was an enemy of their state. But petty things like politics did not stop them from taking me in and nursing me back to health. They showed me true kindness that day, and have ever since. - (Here his voice took on a biting edge) - Unlike you, brother.

Tirek: What? What do you mean by that?

Scorpan: I mean, dear brother, that these ponies are better than you in every way. I didn’t want to believe it for a while, but it is obvious. They love life. Maybe they're a little quick to draw swords, but they’ve had a rough history. I don’t blame them. You on the other hand, you have been increasingly aggressive. We agreed that nobody had to be killed in the course of this “mission!” But at the first conflict with them, you killed fifty of their kind. And yet, they gave us a chance to talk, to meet and discuss, possibly even work out some kind of trade. Again and again, when they wanted to talk and help us, you wanted to fight them. You’re the one in the wrong here.

Tirek: So this is how it ends. My own brother - blinded by weakness and cowardice.

Scorpan: Princess, now!

With this, the Battle of Two Brothers erupted. The squadron broke cover and attacked. As the Princesses started to wield the Elements, Scorpan attacked with all of his magic. And the unicorns amongst the squadron also unloaded with everything they had. This devastating storm of magic had no effect on Tirek, because he had been preparing for this moment for two years, and had gathered enough strength to be able to resist and hold his own against the devastating tidal waves of magic.

Now, as even the youngest filly unicorn knows, the cost of channeling a spell increases exponentially, the longer one casts it. While this may have been of little to no concern to the Elements of Harmony, for they replenish their stores at a rate beyond comprehension, it is of concern to living creatures, who’s supplies of magic are much more limited. Battle can quickly exhaust the supplies of natural magic used by ponies. What makes this interesting is that both Tirek and Scropan - and presumably others of their species - can weather this exponential increase with minimal difficulty. With Celestia and Luna contributing a good deal of magical energy to the maelstrom, the balance was being threatened. The day could have been lost, but there was a lucky intervention by a very unexpected force.

A squadron of fifty changeling prisoners of war intervened. Why they brought about the this change is unknown, but it is suspected that after over a decade of existing as prisoners of war, with no idea what Equestria had planned for them - to be honest, the nation didn’t know - they were tired of living in fear. But, oddly, instead of taking up arms against the ponies, they fought against Tirek.

Many questions have been asked, but we have no solutions. Regardless of their reasons, the attack launched by the changelings distracted Tirek just long enough for him to be overwhelmed and defeated. The battle ended, with Tirek defeated and behind bars.

To be honest, Celestia was beyond furious with her enemy for stealing the very life force of her population and leaving the ponies for dead. She was so furious that she, in a fit of rage, cast a spell that has only been cast once since and sent Tirek deep, deep underground to a place named “Tartarus.” Whether or not is actually the place of suffering and torment that appears in ancient pony mythology is debated, but it is likely not. More likely, it was simply a cave located deep underground that was converted into a type of high security prison. Either way, the magic used by the Princess has only been duplicated once, and that was against the same foe, over a thousand years later.

When what had happened became obvious to everypony, they reacted with something approaching fear. The fact that one of the benevolent leaders had damned someone to “hell” was - and probably still is - a terrifying prospect.

With the threat over, it was once again time to rebuild. The ponies that had had their magic drained had lost their magic forever. Unlike the most recent confrontation with Tirek, the Elements did not restore the fallen ponies’ magic. It is estimated that over one hundred thousand ponies were unfortunate victims of Tirek’s ramage, and were forced to live out the rest of their lives, unable to do whatever it was that defined their Tribe. Many committed suicide rather than be forced into a half-existence.

Damage to major cities was minor, as the brothers sought out magic, not political power. Rebuilding would last until 2184, and cost the central government about half a million bits. Scorpan helped with a great deal of of the building before, in 2185, he quietly slipped away and left Equestria. Why he chose to do this is not well-established. While he did meet with the Princesses before he left the nation, the Royal Sisters refuse to discuss his reasons, claiming that it was his choice.

With rebuilding more or less complete, one of the only open issues was the changelings. While technically, the prisoners of war were not supposed to intervene in the battle, they saved the day, and the Princesses felt that they should have been rewarded for their courage and valor in battle.

Thus, the two Princesses decided to pardon the changeling prisoners of war and allow them to leave. Over two thousand changelings took her offer, and left the lands of Equestria and traveled over the eastern sea, to land on the eastern continent. There they settled, and established a small and peaceful city-state, that would grow and flourish until it was overrun and annexed by the growing Changeling Empire in 1001 CYP. And while, in this period of hatred and war, it is easy to fear and hate the changelings and all they stand for, we must never forget that if it wasn’t for their bravery in battle, there is a very real possibility that Equestria could have fallen to Tirek, and much that is, would not be.