The Alicorn empire
The alicorn empire was a mighty land filled with magic and mystery. The very ground on which they walked seeped with magic. With each step of a hoof, the earth seemed to grow, the sheer magical potential of a full grown alicorn must have been awe-inspiring.
But their society was far more alluring than their doctrines. In the empire, everypony was born with at least one of three gifts. The gift of flight, magic or strength. It would not be long before the young ponies would start to undergo training and conditioning.
A grueling process where a pony would learn of the traits they were not born with and develop skills and attributes to overcome their shortcomings. By the age of 30 moons, one of two things happen.
If the pony had practiced and studied hard, they would be given a test, that if passed, would permit the pony to be made an alicorn. But it was a difficult test, and many lacked the ability or aptitude. For only a lucky few were welcomed into an exclusive club and given the prestige and honor of being made an alicorn.
But for those that failed the test, they were cast out. The failure rate was high and steady. Over time, clans of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns began roaming the land. They had an unsteady peace, the earth ponies would farm, the pegasi control the weather, and the unicorns control the magic. As the clans grew over time, they started having foals of their own instead of taking in those that were cast out.
The alicorns cared little for those that were cast out. It was a process with no revelry or flare. As soon as the test was over they were unceremoniously dumped outside the gates with not so much a second to say goodbye.
Even as the outcasts grew in size and complexity, their civilizations were small compared to the alicorns, so the alicorns paid little mind to the developments of the outcasts. Over time, there was a growing group of those in the empire that started to care and mourn for the loss of their friends, even if they were not alicorns.
The group consisting mostly of the Sunshine family and the Pitch family. Together, their families made up almost an 8th of the alicorn class. They had many prospects under their care.
Before the war, the two families often married a mare and colt to gain another prospect. It was not a genuine marriage but one born of ancient bylaws. The last marriage between the two families though was more genuine than others. A fierce commander in the empire, a huge stallion with a mane of fire and a commanding mare with hair as dark as night and eyes as bright as the moon. They often met in planning and strategy meetings, and as time went on, they soon found themselves in love.
After a time, two little unicorns where born, one as bright as a star and one dark as the night. It would be some time before the sisters became alicorns. But as they approached there thirtieth moon, niter was ready to take the test.
Now fearing for their children futures, the cause of the group grew. No longer was it about morels, it was about family. The the two lovestruck alicorns could not bear to send their children off.
The two families, while outnumbered and underpowered, began a campaign to change their society as they knew it. A few families were sympathetic to there plea and joined the cause. Such as the iron hide family that supplied the impervious armor. The green hoof family that controlled much of the food in the land. And lastly, the reclusive family of mages, skilled in magic and witchcraft.
Together, they were less than a third of the alicorn class; but mighty in terms of raw power and skill. Each soldier, even one yet to achieve the alicorn class, was clad in impenetrable armor. Trained and well feed, layered with enchantments of the highest order.
The parents were careful to exclude the sisters from the war. If they were going to win, they would need leaders that did not know of such brutality. As the thirtieth moon approached the alicorn sisters were still learning, but time was not on their side.
The war lasted many moons. The great alicorn empire, once numbering over fifty thousand was reduced to just a few hundred. There were but a few candidates left, and the sisters were still learning.
On a fateful day as the war went on far behind the front lines, the two sisters studied under there mentor. A stray enemy soldier was far behind the fronts looking for easy targets. He found just the two, but these were no ordinary children. For he had found the children of the opposing armies general. If he were to succeed, it was likely the opposing forces would concede in a matter of days.
He moved in for an attack but was pushed out of the way at the last second by the sisters' mentor. The two tussled on the floor for a few moments, pushing and jabbing each other. The soldier was releasing beams of red energy from his horn as the mentor tried his best to direct them away from the two sisters.
As fate would have it, a single red beam struck a supporting pillar and caused the ceiling of the Cappel to collapse.
At this moment, the two sisters learned the one thing they never taught in school, and the one thing that would cause many to fail: Friendship.
A special kind of friendship shared by sisters, each helping the other to survive under the rubble; one holding up the stones and the other giving encouragement and strength. The older of the sisters endured under the weight of the stones, keeping the younger safe for three days. The younger never once left the older sister, even though she might have been able to slip through the cracks and escape.
It was later when the injured mentor finally got word to the generals and told them of the news. As many guards as could be spared were sent to the ruins and were instructed to hurriedly dig up the rubble. Moving massive stone after stone, little progress was made. The castle was a mighty building with thick walls and ceiling. It was far too dangerous to blast the stone away without knowing where the sisters where.
The two sisters were dirty and malnourished after being trapped for days. The older sister magic was now fading, the bubble protecting them from the tons of stone above them was growing smaller and smaller. Cracks and holes began to open, allowing smaller stones to funnel into the shield.
As the bubble grew just large enough to fit the two ponies with not much more room for anything else, the two sisters nuzzled close together, promising to be together forever. It was then when a bright flash of light overtook the dark cavern.
The sisters now lay on the ground with wings and horns. They were so surprised that they failed to realize the older sisters shield had grown to almost the size of a house, pushing stones and soldiers off to the side and allowing them to be bathed in fresh sunlight. They were no longer ponies, they were alicorns.
Within moments, the parents of the two sisters flew down in a panic and enveloped the two sisters in a warm embrace.
That night, the sisters' father slept just outside the sister's rooms, worried for their safety. In the middle of the night, he awoke in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. It was not often that alicorns where given visions, but he knew what this one meant.
The next day, the stallion conversed with the two sisters and informed them of a trip they were going to take. He promised that when they had finished their learning they could return to the empire and rebuild it anew. He knew that was a lie, but the events of the previous day had been hard enuff on the two sisters.
Later that night, the two sisters said goodbye to their parents and started on there trip. A traveling wizard belonging to unicorn clan, still young, but very capable and wise, would be their new mentor. The stallion hoped that this figure would be able to protect the last of their kind until the sisters could teach another.
As Their father watched the sisters leave he was mentally preparing for the battle ahead. He knew that the vision he saw would come to pass and he knew what he had to do, and what it would ultimately result in.
In the days to come, the few hundred alicorns remaining were reduced to little more than a dozen. There were but 15 left. The parents of the two sisters and the 13 alicorns opposed to them, mostly from the warrior family. There was no way the two of them could defeat 13 stronger and more well-trained generals. So they crossed their horns in the final moment of the battle, knowing that they would change the course of history.
A spell of light and dark combined to create a never-ending prison, shielded by the fire of a thousand suns and a desolate void as empty as space between the stars. The two created limbo and cast themselves and the other alicorn commanders into its depths.
The parents were smart. Libo was no ordinary prison. A one-way cell with a door that could only be opened from the outside. An inconvincible void where they would spend the rest of eternity fighting a never-ending battle. But it was a price they were willing to pay for the sake of the sisters.
With the last of the grown alicorn gone, the magic that once permeated the ground was gone. The land was barren and scorched. A colossal crater now lay among the ruins and the plains. There was but ash where civilization had once lay, but as the empire was gone, so too were their twisted ideals.
As time went on, the two sisters and the traveling wizard made their way to the clans of outcasts. The wizard offered help and aid in exchange for a place to settle. The sisters had grown much since their travels had started. And the wizard knew that they needed more than just him to talk to. So Clover The Clever sought a friend, Star Swirl.
As time moved on, the war was forgotten. The magic that once radiated from the land became a shadow of its former self, so new tenants started to arrive, one such group being the Wendigo, fierce creatures of ice and magic. This group drove the three clans together, but squabbles turned into rage, and lines were drawn in the ground. Even with the squabbles, in time, friendship lit the sky ablaze with ribbons of light and cast out the windigos as the alicorns magic once did.
It was not long before the two sisters, now know as Princess Celestia and Luna, ruled the kingdom, and their faithful mentor, Star Swirl the Bearded, roamed the land and helped them learn. It's not known how much the sisters remember of the time before. It's been so long, generations of pony kind have passed and new generations grew. It's possible they don't even remember the days of old or those who ensured their safety.
But one thing is clear, they rebuilt the empire anew just as their father wanted.