History of Equestria · 9:50pm Aug 28th, 2017
So, I got the idea to write something about before the unification of the tribes. And then I just built off of what I wrote until I had 1k words. I meant this to be a published story, but I don't think it's good enough for that.
Also, two notes. A) It's set in the future. B) It is in reverse chronological order.
Get it after the break:
Long ago, two sisters were reunited. But everypony knows that story, it’s in the history books.
What is lesser known, however, is why those sisters were separated in the first place. That story has fallen into myth and legend, each pony telling it a little differently. Some say the elder was a tyrant, while the younger stood for freedom; others say they were the same age and could not decide who should be queen; and yet others say the younger tried to make her own nation while the elder sought unity.
I can tell you that none of these are true. The younger sister felt less important, less powerful than the elder. Seeking power, she allied herself with The Nightmare Forces, who promised to make her the most powerful being in Equestria. And they did, but at the cost of her freedom. They kept her locked inside the trap of her own body for centuries until the elder noticed. Fearing the inevitable fallout between them, the elder resolved to banish the younger until she could figure out a way to save her, both of which she accomplished.
“Trapped for centuries?” you may be asking. Yes, that is the truth. And it all started after they defeated the greatest threat Equestria had ever come to face. One of the ancients. Capable of stealing the inherent magic of any creature, he killed his opposite and came to Equestria. Two unicorn sisters were able to defeat him by poisoning their magic, using dark magic as it is now called. But it had unexpected side effects, transforming them into the fabled alicorns. The younger was devastated and hid, while the elder loved her new body and showed it off. Overcome with awe, the populace praised the elder and elected her to rule their fair land. Most didn’t even know she had a sister, and praised none but the elder for every miracle brought about.
This is when The Nightmare Forces invaded. Comprised of the foulest of creatures that thrived on darkness, the elder was able to banish them with light. This is also when she discovered she could move the sun itself. But the younger, the younger had no light of her own. When she battled, the enemies only grew stronger. When she tried to move the sun, nothing but the moon came. One of the soldiers disguised itself as a great mage called Starswirl. He promised the younger power, and only when she accepted his offer did he reveal his true form.
Many believe that was the first and last of The Nightmare Forces. They are wrong. The Nightmare Forces are still around today, though they are known simply as Chimaera. And they were there even earlier, as great snow beasts called Wendigoes. The Wendigoes gained power from the infighting among the Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi, who formed the three tribes. The three tribes eventually came together and defeated the Wendigoes, though not without losing their homes in the war. The ponies had to flee what was once fertile land into the mountains. There, they built a great city of crystal, which soon became the capital of their ever-expanding empire.
This is the farthest back any texts go. Well, any known texts. Scattered throughout the world are hidden records and artifacts of ages long forgotten. Some of these artifacts have been found by daring adventurers and tomb raiders, such as the Sapphire Stone, or the Ring of Destiny. Some of these records are ancient cities, such as The Forbidden City of Clouds, Stratopolis, The Lost City of Thunderhoof, or The Spire of Knowledge; while others are simply books too worn or stained to hold, let alone read.
Many of these cities are stationed at the ends of known territory on all sides but the East. They cast an unnatural fear on all but the bravest of souls when looked upon. Those who venture into them rarely come back, while those who go beyond return raving mad and take their lives within the week. When asked what they saw, the affected pony goes catatonic with the fear of what they saw. It is such that ponies simply avoid these areas, and are content telling campfire tales about them. Some tales claim that those areas are haunted, others that beyond the cities everything is wild, and still others say that it is an empty wasteland.
The truth is much worse, for those cities were once considered nothing more than humble watchtowers for the nation. To be put in one of these watchtowers was the worst of fates, for you were the front line against the never ending onslaught of what can only be called monsters. You were the first to enter battle, and the last to retreat. Most ponies didn’t even last a month. For this reason, the Empress Solaris declared that they be as comfortable as possible, leading to the illusion of a grand city.
“And what of the monsters?” you ask. “Are they anything like the monsters around today?” To which the answer is no. The ones around today are nought but the distant descendents of these. Even Discord is several generations removed. But these were the ancients. The ancients were a race that wanted nothing but the destruction of the world. The ancients were pure Evil incarnate. Their magic was such that they could do many things like steal magic, move at thousands of miles per hour, or cause instant death with nothing but a look. But they always avoided the East. From the East came everything they stood against, and with it, the givers. The givers were the opposites of the ancients, the counterparts one could say. For every ancient and its power, there was a giver with the counter to it. As such, they were at an impasse. Neither could defeat the other. So the givers created Life to help fight the ancients. The givers gave Life the knowledge and abilities to kill the ancients.
But they did not realize the capacity Life had for evil. After the ancients were temporarily banished, Life turned on the givers. The givers, realizing their foolishness, cut up Life into millions of pieces. From each piece an animal was born. The givers gave each animal a name, and a chosen few sentience. Then they left. And the ancients came back. And the rest, is history.
