A Brief History of Equestria

by K9Thefirst1

Tribal Origins

Tribal Origins

Given the long history of Equestria, it is difficult to place a finite start date of when Ponies first civilized themselves. From Archeological evidence, the first nomads that would become what we would recognize as ethnic Equestrians first settled in what is now the Manehattan River Valley (Manehattan literally translates from Ancient Equestrian to ‘Protective-Mother’) some 4000 years Before the Warming (BW). Before the bustling Metropolis that dominates the landscape, the entire area was a relatively flat coastal plain with a stable floodplain that produced fertile farmland, while the mountains further up the river produced cartloads of gems and metals ranging in worth from semi-precious to enchanted, and the stable climate made the local sky ideal for pegasi cultivation. Even more importantly, with the mountains on either side and behind, and the sea to the south, predators and foreign invaders would be very hard-pressed to make it into the valley. Therefore, it was ideal for all three types of pony to settle. However, their new home produced other pressures that would shape their society for years to come.

From the evidence found in ancient burial sites found both in the area and on the most probable route the nomads took from where ever it was they came from, it is apparent that Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies all lived together in harmony. This was most likely due to the fact that survival would be more easily assured together than separated. Earth Ponies, with their natural affinity for agriculture, would be able to find more food during foraging. Pegasi, with their ability to fly and manipulate weather, would be able to detect enemies before said enemies could find the rest of the herd. Unicorns, with their magic, could find valuable resources for trade, and would also be able to cast protective wards and shields to delay any particularly persistent enemies so that more ponies could escape. And finally, with all of these factors together (along with Earth Ponies’ enhanced strength and endurance), meant that the three could fight off a force significantly larger, better equipped and better trained than they could alone.

Ironically, and tragically, upon settling the river valley and having the survival pressures of being together removed, these same differences caused a schism. Unicorns moved back into the mountains, and the Pegasi retreated to the sky. Over the course of generations, this self-imposed isolation resulted in the birth of the Three Pony Tribes, each one with its own unique set of social conventions and cultural identities. Which shall be the focus of our next chapter.

Comments

[lil-rainbow]

Sounds interesting. I shall have to read this later.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Okay, makes sense there.

[Charles Rocketboy]

You're overthinking things.

KEEP DOING IT! It makes me !

[Hilltopper]

And of course, this glosses over the lost G1 era

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Short but sweet; provides a good setup. Plus overthinking things is fun.

533940

[Impoxdragon]

533940 History, or at least the history books I've read, doesn't start out with the Neanderthals, Sapiens and Australopithecines, it starts out with ancient civilisations and all that stuff. That's what Anthropology is for, or in the Equestrian's case, Hippology, starting with G1, possibly the equivalent of the Australopithecines, going to G2 and G3, possible early Homo ercti and ergaster equivalent, respectively, going to G3.5, the equivalent of the Neanderthals, and ending with G4, the anatomically modern equine (or pony). (Yes I know, your comment is old but I couldn't help myself .)

[tosety]

Love the tone, sadly I was annoyed by the definition of manehattan. I assume Manhattan means that, but with mane being so prominent in the equestrian version, I wished it had something to do with hair (maybe protective cover). Still, thumbs up

[platogkrone]

1754723
Hah! If you think that that is old, just wait until you read this!