The history of a race as old as the world itself must, naturally, begin with the world itself. While different cultures bicker over semantics, it is largely agreed that the world was forged by the Great One, the Fausticorn. The origins of the Fausticorn are as unknowable as those of a rock’s: It has a story, but it is beyond any being’s capacity to learn. Some believe it is an eternal being, with neither beginning nor end. Some believe it was an alicorn of creation, of sorts. Still others believe that the Great One was, in fact, not even of the world as we know it.
The origins of the originator, however, are irrelevant and will be fought over so long as pegasi fly and diamond dogs dig. What is known, is its creation of the world. Beginning with simply the concept of existence, the Fausticorn forged the idea of ‘being’ first. Once existence became a tangible idea, beyond the Great One’s intangible power, it forged the twelve great forces of the universe into twelve physical forms. These forces of nature personified would be the Twelve: The original twelve alicorns, and the first living things in existence.
While it is common belief to think the twelve to be blood foals of the Fausticorn, they are not. They are of their own blood, not born to the Fausticorn literally, but rather metaphorically. The Fausticorn forged them from raw power; A unicorn is not the mother of a fire she started with a horn, and so the Fausticorn is not the literal parent of the Twelve. However, regardless of this, the Twelve are often referred to as the Bloodborne, Firstborn, or the Foals to the Great One. Each of the Twelve were named for their realm:
Umbris, Alicorn of Shadow
Pentimus, Alicorn of Darkness
Lumos, Alicorn of Light
Thermos, Alicorn of Warmth
Amor, First Alicorn of Love
Iras, Alicorn of Hate
Professios, Alicorn of Emotion
Academis, Alicorn of Knowledge
Aeros, Alicorn of Air
Aquos, Alicorn of Water
Infernis, Alicorn of Fire
Terra, Alicorn of Earth
The nature of their role in the creation of the world is left to conjecture, as are the events between their creation and the first few vestiges of the mortal races as they came into existence several centuries later. While this work will cover theories on this timespan in this chapter, one must recall and stress that they are just that: Theories.
After the creation of the world, it is believed in some circles that the Fausticorn granted dominion to the alicorns over their respective fields, dividing the world between the different alicorns by granting fiefs of sorts. Aquos was given the seas, Infernis the volcanoes, and so on. However, this 'fiefdom' theory is alack in that there is no physical realm which belongs to love or hate or knowledge or emotion; Four of the alicorns would be left landless. Because of this distinct err, several scholars flock to other schools of thought. Proponents of the theory, however, defend it by claiming that these four alicorns did not rule over tangible concepts, and so instead reigned over intangible fiefs. Despite this defense, the fiefdom theory stands as the weakest and most marginal of the prevalent schools of thought.
The belief held by the Changeling culture claims that the alicorns warred with one another to lay claim to their fiefs, but this theory is only respected within Changeling circles; Among others, it speaks too greatly of an alicorn race which was less than godly and one of low moral standing.
One respected theory in Equestrian circles claims that the alicorns did not have any sense of 'claim', but rather simply knew what they were made to rule over and ruled over it. According to these 'natural reign' theorists, the alicorns did not so much race for dominance, but rather kept to their own business. Among Equestrian scholars, this theory stands as the strongest, as it embodies the ancient Equestrian creed of love and toleration.
However, in one marginalized but still mentionable circle of thought, it is theorized that, perhaps, the alicorns were the first mortal race, but achieved such great understanding of the world that they came to attune themselves to it and its certain aspects, therefore becoming one with their elements, and therefore immortal (Lumos became one with light, and is as immortal as light itself, examplis gratis).
Numerous more marginal theories stand on the alicorn race's origins, which shall be reviewed, but it should be noted that all theories agree on one thing: That the Fausticorn forged the world, and then the alicorns to govern it. In all circles of thought, this is an accepted fact. It is the belief of the author of this volume that such consistency across cultures, Changeling, Equestrian, Griffon, and countless others, provides statistical backing to the theory, therefore establishing it as what can only, at this time, be assumed to be the only truth known about the origins of the alicorn race.
"...Or is it?" Thought the bronze pony, the golden glow of his eyes suddenly turning up from the tome before them to gaze deep, deep into the past, deeper than he had ever gazed before... back, and back, and back... to the beginning... to the very, very...
Start.