It didn't take long to arrive at our destination. Celestia said that she simply 'knew the way.' I suppose it must have been something that Father did. It was her planet now, after all.
Technically ours, I suppose.
When we arrived, the planet was just beginning to bloom. The angelae responsible for laying its foundation had long since gone, having moved on to other worlds. To be honest, the planet appeared bland, just like dozens of other worlds that we had passed on our way here. Celestia, however, thought it the most splendid thing in the cosmos. She bounced about on the solar winds like a little filly, giggling and rambling to herself. I simply stared down at the slowly rotating orb, contemplating where to begin our labors. There was so much to do, and I hardly new where to start. I worriedly thought about how much time Celestia had spent watching other alicorns cultivate their worlds, and wished that I'd payed a little more attention.
Suddenly Celestia was in front of me, looking at me intently, the glee apparent on her face.
"What shall we name it?"
The question took me off guard. Names? I had not even thought of names. It mattered little, however, for Celestia was already jumping to and fro, shouting out names, each longer and sillier than the last. I shut her out, pondering for a moment. What would we name this new world? Names are important; they are full of hope, potential, and meaning. What did we hope for this little world of ours?
"Equestra," I said suddenly.
Celestia halted mid bounce and looked at me, surprised. She tilted her head for a moment, gazing at me. I felt my ears lay flat against my head as worry flowed seeped into my thoughts. What if she did not like it? Then a massive smile split her face and she repeated back to me, "Equestria."
We began our labors immediately. Things went far more smoothly than I had expected. Celestia, it seemed, knew just what to do to cultivate life on our little world. First the smallest of creatures, languishing in pools. Then we nudged them this way and that, encouraging new life wherever we could. Slowly but surely life began to diversify. Plants, insects, and animals one by one made their appearance. I even made humans as a joke.
What? Don't look at me like that, Twilight Sparkle. Humans are real. They have hands and everything, though they're not nearly so sophisticated as those fairy tales make them seem. Little more than dirty, hairless apes, all things considered. I don't think your friend Lyra Heartstrings would be terribly enamored with them if she saw them.
Hmph. You're just like 'Tia. She didn't laugh either.
Ponies were progressing nicely by this time as well. They were much different than they are now, however. They wandered in herds across the grasslands of Equestira. They were little more than animals back then. No culture, barely able to communicate with one another. They used their horns and wings for little more than mating rituals. It's comforting to see that ponykind has come so far.
You seem surprised, Twilight Sparkle. Yes, ponies were originally much like my sister and I, having unicorn horns, pegasus wings, and great stature.
Why don't you have them anymore? It's simple. You fell.
All in good time, Twilight Sparkle. All in good time.
Progress for your predecessors did not truly begin until they began to use their connection with the earth to grow food instead of simply wandering for their fodder. With that, larger, more stable family structures were not far behind, as well as language, buildings, and culture. They began to build towns and eventually cities, the greatest of which was called Barneighkoth, built in the tops of the Barneigh mountains.
The city rose and grew, grand and pure. All of ponykind looked to Barneighkoth with hope for a brighter future, and many flocked to its walls. 'Tia was overjoyed. I had not seen her so happy since we arrived. The Barneighkith, or Kith as they came to call themselves, grew in culture, wisdom, and power. In several hundred years they had outpaced their rivals in culture and technology, and in only a few hundred more they had become the very center of all of ponykind. I hoped that they would become everything that 'Tia wished for, a kind and harmonious civilization.
Alas, it was not to be.
The Kith began to decay from within. They saw their own greatness, and in their arrogance they began to impose themselves on the lesser creatures. Entire races were enslaved, and soon not even that was enough for the Kith. They turned to their less fortunate sisters, enslaving them as well. They began to delve into dark, forbidden magic, practicing it on themselves and their slaves. Equestria's great beacon of hope and harmony had turned into a place of darkness and horror.
'Tia was devastated, to say the least.
Again and again we tried to dissuade them from their path. Again and again we failed them as they condemned themselves to darkness. They ignored our warnings, our pleadings, and they eventually reached for what we would have given them freely had they but followed our council.
Needless to say, they failed miserably. Dark means can only bring about dark ends.