The History of Another World

Just got out of surgery for appendicitis. No big. It's taken care of. But it has delayed my creative process a bit.

I've been wanting to drop in a sort of timeline for the history of the alternate Equestria visited in "Lessons in Chaos" for a while now, but have been wrestling with precisely when to do it. The pain medication I'm on is messing with my ability to write, so now seemed as good a time to any, especially since most of the big reveals are already out of the way and the only one still outstanding takes place after the timeline's cutoff point anyway.

The reason I wanted to write this up is that a lot of it simply isn't relevant to the story in "Lessons in Chaos". Trying to explain every minute detail of how this Equestria became the way it was when Princess Twilight arrived would be a story unto itself. Probably more than a few, even. The flashbacks cover the parts most important for characterizing this reality's major players and I feel like a rough framework has been delivered through them, but there are a lot of smaller bits that just aren't going to make it into the story because they don't directly connect to Princess Twilight's journey.

So, think of this as sort of the appendix () to "Lessons in Chaos".

• So it all starts with the Summer Sun Festival. Twilight Sparkle is sent to Ponyville to check on preparations for the festival and make some friends. She starts with Sweet Apple Acres, where she's immediately swept up into Apple Family shenanigans, but she insists that she is on a tight schedule and has work that needs doing. Apple Bloom gives her the biggest puppy dog face she can in order to convince Twilight to stay. Twilight refuses. She does not have time for this.
• Despite the best efforts of Ponyville's finest, Twilight navigates through her responsibilities in record time. She even manages to fit in some reading time with her tome on "The Elements of Harmony", uncovering their resting place in the Castle of Two Sisters. However, there is nothing she can do to prevent the rise of Nightmare Moon.
• Armed with the knowledge she gleaned from the book, Twilight embarks on her journey to the Castle. Accompanying her are Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, much to her dismay. Twilight initially writes them off, but it's through their demonstration of the virtues of Harmony that the Elements are able to be uncovered. In the confrontation with Nightmare Moon, Twilight recognizes the virtues of her companions and how they reflect the Elements, allowing them to be discovered.
• The sixth Element, the Element of Magic, is also discovered. The bond of friendship that unites Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie brings it into being, though the meaning is lost on Twilight. She takes it as reflective of her own innate talent with magic, just as she assumes that the other Elements are reflective of their bearers' innate qualities.
• Twilight takes the six Elements of Harmony and wields them alone against Nightmare Moon. Using their power, she's able to strengthen the original binding that Princess Celestia used them for before. Nightmare Moon is reimprisoned inside the moon for another thousand years and Equestria is safe once more.
• To Princess Celestia's dismay, Twilight thanks the five Element Bearers for the service they've given and then returns home to Canterlot. On the flight back, she proposes an award ceremony to acknowledge Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie for helping her. Within the week, the five are brought to Canterlot and given medals of service to commemorate their efforts, then returned home. A mural is also added to the royal walkway depicting Twilight's battle with Nightmare Moon, with smaller icons of the five Element Bearers behind Twilight.
• A town meeting is called to discuss recent events and the safety of Ponyville should such a circumstance ever arise again. Rarity points out that this was really a job for the Royal Guard to have been doing. Questions are raised as to how much Ponyville can really depend on Canterlot to protect them.
• Applejack points out that the five of them were able to handle themselves and even helped Twilight to win the day. She proposes the idea of a town militia. A handful of ponies could act as Ponyville's own Royal Guard. It wouldn't have to be a big deal; the five Element Bearers could just take what they'd learned and pass it on, and then other ponies could pass those lessons on. That way, Ponyville would have a security force in case something like this ever happened again.
• Rainbow Dash is immediately onboard with the idea, defining it as, "Our own WONDERBOLTS!!!" However, despite her enthusiasm, the rest of Ponyville is less convinced that such a thing is necessary. Nightmare Moon is classified as an isolated incident. Voices are raised, stating that Equestria's known a thousand years of peace and prosperity under Princess Celestia. Why would we need a militia? Ultimately, Applejack's proposal is rejected.
• Shortly after the meeting, a traveling magician named Trixie comes to town. In an act of enthusiasm for her stories, Snips and Snails get the attention of an Ursa Minor, mistaking it for an Ursa Major, and entice it to attack the town. With Trixie outed as a fraud, Ponyville is defenseless against the assault. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity gather volunteers to help lead the Ursa away from town. Notably, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon volunteer, putting to use Lyra's experience as a former student at Princess Celestia's academy and Bon Bon's mysterious expertise with giant monsters.
• Once the Ursa is led away from town, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Dr. Fauna use everything in their considerable knowledge to help calm the beast and soothe its tempers. They manage to put the Ursa to sleep where its mother can come and find it. The crisis is ended.
• In the wake of the Ursa attack, a second town meeting is called. The idea for Applejack's militia is revisited. Lyra points out that the Royal Guard was too far away to bring help. In the time it would have taken for news of the Ursa to reach Canterlot and for a response to arrive, the Ursa could have wiped out half the town. It was only by the ponies of Ponyville standing together that they were able to drive away this latest threat to their little hamlet.
• Mayor Mare approves the idea and gives the five Element Bearers time to discuss and deliberate what they want to do. Lyra is inducted as an honorary founding member. Rarity flippantly suggests the name "Shield of Harmony", but Rainbow Dash loves it. The name catches on quickly and before long, members of the group are referred to as Shieldmares. Bon Bon also joins the group, but secretly reports on their activities to Princess Celestia under her true identity as Special Agent Sweetie Drops.
• Fluttershy quits the Shield of Harmony almost immediately. She never liked the idea and doesn't want to be a part of something so violent, but felt obligated by the medal she won for finding the Element of Kindness to at least help them get on their hooves. As soon as the Shield is ready to start taking volunteers, she wishes her friends the best of luck and drops out. Hugs and promises to keep in touch are exchanged.
• The final roster for Founding Shieldmares is posted: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Lyra Heartstrings, and Bon Bon. Recruitment begins and is slow going at first. Through Bon Bon, Princess Celestia helps to guide their activities in secret, encouraging them to take care of a variety of tasks without ever revealing her involvement.
• Apart from the tasks Princess Celestia has given them, the Shield of Harmony achieves minor celebrity one day when Cerberus escapes from Tartarus and arrives in Ponyville. This is nothing like the Ursa attack; the Shieldmares are disciplined and Celestia's tasks have given them experience. Together, they're able to drive off and even capture Cerberus without anypony being harmed.
• Unbeknownst to anyone, Tirek has also escaped from Tartarus and is planning his comeback. He begins feeding on magic in secret, avoiding drawing too much attention to himself.
• The Shield of Harmony receives public acclaim for their capture of Cerberus. Headlines from Manehattan to Whinneapolis are buzzing about this new force. Never revealing her involvement, Princess Celestia announces to Equestria how proud she is of these brave mares who have taken it upon themselves to lend a helping hoof to their fellow ponies. She extends a hoof to the Shield, inviting them to send a liaison to Canterlot. Rarity accepts and becomes the organization's public face. Bon Bon remains in Ponyville to continue reporting on them in secret.
• Twilight is immediately skeptical of the Shield. She points out to Princess Celestia on multiple occasions that the Royal Guard already exists and there's no logical reason to be entertaining this charade. Logically speaking, what could a handful of small town ponies obsessed with making friends with anything that moves dressed in applewood barding and carrying toy spears possibly contribute to Equestria's defense?
• To Twilight's surprise, Rarity agrees with her assessment. Ever the diplomat, Rarity had already singled out Twilight as her sole point of opposition. She manages to convince Twilight that the Shield has value purely as a measure of public relations. It's not a real military force, but an exhibition squad. If it makes ponies feel safer to see them out and about, then what's the harm? Twilight tentatively accepts this explanation, but seeing civilian ponies dressed up in imitation suits of armor still leaves a sour taste in her mouth.
• Moons come and go. A royal wedding is announced in Canterlot. Unbeknownst to everypony, Queen Chrysalis has abducted and replaced Princess Cadance. After observing her interactions with Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and Twilight Sparkle, Chrysalis is able to turn in an immaculate performance and nopony is the wiser. The wedding goes off without a hitch. The true Cadance is never seen again.
• The Crystal Empire returns. Chrysalis, in the guise of Princess Cadance, volunteers to stay in Canterlot and take care of the royal responsibilities while Celestia attends to this new emergency. Celestia takes Twilight with her and, to Twilight's dismay, requests the Shield of Harmony's accompaniment as their first official mission. With a membership now in the dozens, the Shield is able to handle the busy gruntwork while Celestia and Twilight attend to recovering the Crystal Heart and defeating King Sombra.
• At the conclusion of the crisis, Princess Celestia gives a speech about how this victory was achieved through everypony working together. Celestia had chosen them for their variety of skills and expertise; because they were not military ponies, each member brought a different skillset that was more useful in establishing the Crystal Fair than a few dozen Guardponies might have been.
• Twilight doesn't see it. She resents the Shieldmares for their presence. She doesn't see what any of them have to offer that the Royal Guard, Twilight herself, and Princess Celestia couldn't have done themselves.
• Meanwhile, Chrysalis seizes her opportunity to make a major troop movement. With Celestia out of Canterlot, there's never been a better time. While in command of Canterlot, she has countless members of the Royal Guard abducted and replaced, putting changelings into key positions of authority.
• Sunset Shimmer returns to Equestria from her prolonged stay in the human world. She is initially disoriented by her surroundings, but is able to piece together that she is not in Canterlot. She learns that the Elements of Harmony have been discovered and catches a train to Canterlot in order to acquire them. However, "Princess Cadance" has her own special guards watching the Vault very carefully. Sunset is quickly apprehended and taken into custody. She spends the duration of the coming conflict in a dungeon in Canterlot, alongside a rapidly growing number of other ponies taken captive by Chrysalis.
• Plunder Vines attack Equestria and seize Princess Celestia! "Cadance" shares the information she's gleaned about the Tree of Harmony from probing conversations with Celestia about the Elements with Twilight. Together, they manage to return the Elements to the Tree and rescue Celestia, sacrificing the Elements in the process.
• Chrysalis sends her changelings to fortify the Castle of Two Sisters and prevent anypony from accessing the cave where the Tree of Harmony lies. The Elements are out of the picture. There's nothing left to stand in her way. Twilight and Celestia return home to an ambush as Chrysalis makes her move.
• The fighting in Canterlot is fierce. Nearly half of the Royal Guard has been replaced by changelings and Princess Celestia is far from top shape. Twilight tries to save her brother, Shining Armor, but there's no way to reach him. Celestia and Twilight escape with as many forces as can be saved but Canterlot is lost to the changelings. The Changeling War has begun.
• The Shield of Harmony is sent to evacuate Ponyville immediately. Its proximity to Canterlot puts it in dire threat. Fluttershy and a few others refuse to leave. She cites an injured pair of rabbits from Princess Celestia's garden who fled Canterlot's takeover. Instead, a clinic is established on the border of the Everfree Forest. Clinic Everfree is established with the mission statement that any creature, pony or otherwise, harmed in the fighting will be taken in and given medical care.
• Princess Celestia establishes the Crystal Empire as a secondary capitol to be used until Canterlot can be liberated. The Crystal Ponies are given assurances that they will be kept safe and that nopony will be forced to fight the changelings. Some Crystal Ponies enlist in the Royal Guard on a purely voluntary basis to help in this new crisis.
• For two years, war rages between the changelings and ponies. The Royal Guard do the heavy lifting, serving as Princess Celestia's troops in battle. The Wonderbolts provide air support to harass the changeling forces. However, at Twilight's insistence and backed by Rarity's support, the Shieldmares are prohibited from extensive combat roles. Instead, they're kept in reserve and given reconnaissance and espionage tasks. Their reputation as folk heroes, however, allows their ranks to swell even as the Guard's numbers deplete.
• Lurking in the background, Tirek becomes more bold in his feeding. He finds opportunities to drain more and more magic, concealed by the chaos of war. Still lusting for revenge, he bides his time and waits for his opportunity.
• One day, a changeling named Thorax arrives at Clinic Everfree, pleading for help. A fellow changeling is badly injured and isn't going to be able to survive without treatment that Chrysalis won't provide. The Clinic's mission statement is called into question and Fluttershy makes the decision; any creature injured by the fighting literally means any creature. The clinic opens its doors to wounded changelings.
• After two years of fighting, the ponies of Equestria are prepared for a master stroke. A plan is enacted to reconquer Canterlot and deprive Chrysalis of her staging ground. The Royal Guard launches a doomed full-scale assault from the front to draw attention. Princess Celestia leads the Wonderbolts into the city, drawing out Chrysalis but dividing her forces to keep the pressure off of the Guard. While Celestia distracts the inner forces, the Wonderbolts set to work liberating Shining Armor and the other prisoners and getting them to safety. Meanwhile, the Shieldmares scale the mountain from below. Explosives are planted beneath the Royal Palace.
• The detonation rocks the city, sending half of Canterlot down the side of the mountain and dealing a decisive blow to the changeling forces within. Chrysalis barely makes it out of the city but with her injuries, she can barely fly. She crashes into the Ponyville ruins, pursued by Princess Celestia.
• Tirek finds Chrysalis first. He drains her of her magic, giving him the final edge he needs over Princess Celestia. He engages her in the ruins, trying to drain her magic. She fights back, supported by what remains of the Guard, the Shield, and her apprentice, but is mortally injured. In her final moments, Princess Celestia bequeaths her magic to Twilight. She grants Twilight as much magic as her unicorn body can contain and instructs her to defend Equestria.
• Using Celestia's magic, Twilight is able to overpower the injured Tirek and save Equestria. The war ends but at great cost. Canterlot is gone as is Princess Celestia. The Crystal Empire becomes the one and only capitol of Equestria. With the release of magic brought about by Tirek's defeat, Chrysalis is able to escape and is able to return to her original hive somewhere beyond Equestria's borders.
• In the absence of any true Alicorn Princess, Twilight assumes the role of Acting Princess based on Princess Celestia's final words to her. She is reclusive, however, and shuts herself away for days at a time, leading to the ponies of Equestria feeling leaderless.
• Fear and uncertainty sweeps over Equestria. Many questions are being asked. Who was Tirek and what did he want? Why did he do this? What happened to Chrysalis? Will she return? Are the changelings coming back? What else is out there, waiting to hurt us? When can we start rebuilding what was lost? Will we be safe enough then?
• The most pressing threat to Equestria is resolved quickly. The force of using Celestia's magic to defeat Tirek put a crack in Twilight's horn; it would be impossible for her to try and move the sun without potentially shattering her horn for good. The magical strain would simply be too much. But the old method of having a team of unicorns move the sun came with the unpleasant side effect of burning out their magic for good. Such a model had always been unsustainable, and in Equestria's fractured state, it was now only moreso.
• An author by the name of A.K. Yearling requests an audience with the Royal Family. She introduces Twilight to the Rings of Scorchero. She explains that these golden rings were discovered while researching one of her Daring Do novels and have some limited capability to control the weather, drawing in heat from the sun. Twilight assembles the best minds in the Crystal Empire to devise a new method of moving the sun and moon, drawing on the magic from the Rings. The new method would still require a coalition of unicorns to maintain, but the Rings could at least regulate the connection between the unicorns and the stellar bodies. As long as no unicorn maintained the connection for more than twelve consecutive hours and several day periods of rest were offered, the magic burnout could be avoided.
• Shining Armor takes over speaking to Equestria on Twilight's behalf, but the ponies are dissatisfied. They want their Princess. Remembering the way Equestria shone on his wedding day, he devises an idea to help take ponies' minds off their fears: a new royal wedding. A political marriage is arranged between Twilight and Rarity, symbolizing everypony's favorite folk heroes, the Shieldmares, joining the new royal order and becoming a part of the system in perpetuity.
• Rarity quickly takes to her new role, becoming the face of the Royal Family. At Twilight's urging, she encourages Shieldmares to lay down their weapons to show the ponies of Equestria that the conflict is truly over and there is no further need for such a force. New jobs and opportunities are created for former Shieldmares, though only a small number accept the offer. Among them, Pinkie Pie is given a position as a spokespony for the Royal Family, delivering the news through a spell of Twilight's discovery. Rarity and Shining Armor determine what news to hand off to her, with an emphasis on encouraging positivity and faith in the new regime within the Crystal Empire.
• The changeling prisoners rescued from Canterlot recover. Among them is Sunset Shimmer. She storms into the Crystal Palace, demanding to be taken to Princess Celestia. Rarity tries to soften the blow, but to no avail; Sunset is outraged when she learns of what happened. Rarity tries to calm her, but her actions disturb Twilight's study. Twilight tries to restrain her, prompting Sunset to fight back. Together, Twilight and Shining Armor are able to subdue her.
• Sunset Shimmer's intrusion raises further questions. Like Tirek, she is a blast from Equestria's past that nopony can recognize or identify. Twilight was charged with defending Equestria from anyone that might threaten it, and now it's apparent that those threats can come even from within the pony population. Something has to be done to prevent altercations like this from happening again. Equestria cannot survive another conflict like the ones that have so recently ravaged it. Troublemakers need to be isolated and removed before they can have a chance to finish the destruction of everything Celestia devoted herself to building.
• At Twilight's insistence, Shining Armor begins studying the principles behind an enchantment to bind a unicorn's magic. Security gates formerly used for recreational events are repurposed for containing unicorns. A secret prison is constructed in the frozen mountains beyond the Empire for the sake of containing ponies like Sunset Shimmer and isolating them away from the population, where they can do no harm. The ponies are told that they are being rehabilitated and will be evaluated for return to society when Twilight is not busy researching potential threats to Equestria.
• Twilight is never not busy researching potential threats to Equestria. There's so much history to pour through in the books that could be salvaged from Canterlot's ruins. So many secrets that Princess Celestia kept close to her chest. So many different avenues through which Equestria's doom might come.
• Twilight sends Rarity to start putting pressure on Applejack and Rainbow Dash to disband the Shield of Harmony. In these tumultuous times, she explains, it makes ponies feel unsafe to have them here. Applejack points out that the ponies of the Empire have more faith in them than the Royal Guard at this point so why not disband the Guard? They're barely hanging on as it is! As Rarity expected, Twilight takes offense to the notion that the Guard is insufficient, claiming that the only reason the Shield's in such good condition is because she sheltered them through the war.
• Tensions between the Shield and the Royal Family continue to escalate. The truth about Special Agent Sweetie Drops is leaked to the public, prompting a highly visible falling out between Lyra and Bon Bon. For her years spent spying, manipulating, and deceiving everypony, Bon Bon is informed that she's no longer welcome as a Shieldmare. The name "Bon Bon" is never uttered again. With a broken heart, Special Agent Sweetie Drops reports to Shining Armor for reassignment.
• One day, rumors of changelings within Equestria arrive at the Royal Palace. Ponies tell tales of a place near the ruins of Ponyville where changelings have been sighted among ponies. This is it. One of Twilight's potential Doomsday Scenarios has finally arrived. Chrysalis has returned. Mustering her forces, Twilight takes the Royal Guard to Clinic Everfree to cut the threat off at the knees before it can have a chance to doom what is left of her people.
• Everything goes south at Clinic Everfree. Fluttershy, in the time since Thorax's arrival, has created a healing refuge that knows no borders and takes no sides. When pressured by Twilight, she refuses to surrender the changeling doctors and patients she has with her. When a nurse accidentally sends Twilight into a PTSD attack, everything goes south. Violence breaks out between the Royal Guard hunting for changelings and the Shieldmares being treated. For aiding and abetting changelings during the war, Fluttershy is arrested for treason against the throne.
• Twilight makes a desperate bid to get the situation under control. She takes every Royal Guardpony she can muster to the Shield's training grounds in the Crystal Empire, but it's too late. Somehow, the Shield of Harmony were warned ahead of time that she was coming and were able to vacate. In trying to head off Chrysalis, Twilight finds herself immersed in a wholly different doomsday scenario. The Equestrian Civil War has begun.

So, yeah. That's how we got here. Much of this has already been revealed and some of it isn't really relevant to the story, but I thought it might be nice to have it all out there in a chronological fashion.

If you're wondering why Discord doesn't show up, that's an excellent question. Princess Twilight is wondering the same thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm supposed to be resting. Don't tell my roomies. This post is our little secret.

Comments

[esplin10]

Wow! That is a lot of backstory. It would be a truly epic tale if you ever made a full story out of it.

[Meta Four]

If you're wondering why Discord doesn't show up, that's an excellent question. Princess Twilight is wondering the same thing.

I thought the answer was already implied. Twi found the broken remains of Discord’s statue in the secret vault of that prison. I figured that after the Elements petrified Discord, Celestia and Luna smashed him so he would never come back. And this sort of pragmatic approach became something of a pattern for Celestia. Twilight learned more from Celly’s actions than from her words, which is how Twi wound up as such a friendship agnostic.