A Note on the Elder Age
The world of ponies was very different during the long-forgotten part of their history known only as the Elder Age. It was a brutal and ruthless time, when ponies were torn apart by hatred and danger lurked on every path. Throughout the four eras of the Elder Age, society changed little in comparison to the great upheavals that would take place in later ages. Thus, the setting was far different than modern Equestrian society. Four of the major differences are highlighted here, concerning religion, society, government, and the acquisition of cutie-marks.
I.
On Religion
During the Elder Age, a pantheon of gods and goddesses existed that would later be forgotten by ponykind. The Eight Equines were the first collection that existed. The Eight Equines were formed over many years from ponies that had ascended to a higher state, all of them previously unicorns or pegasi. These godlike alicorns were not technically deities, only ponies much more powerful that the common breed that existed across the Northlands. Nevertheless, many ponies chose to worship them, building shrines to them both in towns and in the wilderness in between. The Equines themselves admitted that they were not gods, but did not discourage the worship heaped upon them by the masses. Their dwelling place, the realm of Aetherius, a city made of clouds and silver, and believed to be the final resting place of the souls of unicorns, did nothing to dispel the rumors of their godhood.
At the end of the Second Era and the beginning of the Third, the pantheon was changed with the addition of Talhooves, an earth pony who managed to drive the dragons from the Northlands, and became the first Alicorn Emperor. When he died, he experienced a transformation that allowed him to join the Eight Equines in Aetherius, and the Nine Equines were created. However, for centuries the pegasi (who had lost greatly in the wars Talhooves led when he inhabited the world) contested his place as the Ninth Equine, and finally got their wish at the end of the Great War. With the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, worship of Talhooves was banned throughout the Unicorn Empire, inciting the Earth Ponies of Horizon to rebellion over the removal of their patron deity.
But not all ponies worshipped the Nine (or Eight) Equines. Some chose to follow the Draconequus of The Beyond, a practice both repulsed and banned. The followers of the Draconequus cults are forced to practice their religion either in secret, or far outside of towns. A fairly new organization, the Vigilants of Steedarr, seeks to destroy Draconequus worship wherever they find it.
II.
On Society
The Elder Age was a time of transition for the society of ponykind. The matriarchal society of Equestria was not yet in place during the Elder Age, but became prevalent after the exodus into Equestria. Instead, each of the three pony races had a separate society.
The unicorns held to the ancient patriarchal society of previous ages. As a result, throughout the Alicorn Empire before its fall, and in the province of Unicornica afterwards, stallions were seen as the superior gender. The emperorship would always be passed down to a male descendent, and all the emperor’s advisors, and the counts that governed the land, were stallions.
In sharp contrast, the pegasi had already adopted a matriarchal society by the end of the Elder Age. Their belief in the superiority of the mare was another thing that drove a wedge between the Pegasari Dominion and the Unicorn Empire. As a result of their beliefs, the majority of high-ranking military officials, and almost all government officials in the Dominion were mares.
The third race, the earth ponies, embraced neither side’s societal patterns. Instead, earth pony beliefs held that mares and stallions were equal, both able to act out equivalent duties. This is evident in both the Horizon military (where about an equal number of mares and stallions can be found holding each rank) and their government (where the number of male and female Jarls is roughly the same.)
III.
On Government
As opposed to modern Equestria, which is ruled by a set of Alicorn Princesses, at the tail end of the Elder Age, there was no one government uniting the three pony races. The Alicorn Empire had long served that purpose, but with the death of Mystica, ponykind was no longer united. The three races each held their own, and very different governments.
The unicorns held with the old imperial monarchy even after the fall of the Alicorn Empire. From the Imperial City, the Unicorn Emperor ruled the province of Unicornica, and attempted to hold the province of Horizon in line. The government of the Unicorn Empire resembled that of the Alicorn Empire immensely. The Unicorn Emperor had absolute control over the Empire, so long as the Equine Council agreed he wasn’t overstepping his bounds. The Equine Council was formed of the counts of Unicornica (who ruled the eight counties of the province) and the Jarls of Horizon who still remained loyal to the Emperor. After listening to the ruling of the Equine Council, the Emperor would make his decisions in the best interest of the Empire.
The pegasi of the Pegasari Dominion held with a completely different government. After overthrowing the monarchy during the nation’s founding, the military came to be the governing body of the country. Service in the military forms the backbone of pegasi society and the country is ruled by a military council. In an emergency, the Pegasari High Commander can even suspend freedom temporarily.
Horizon’s government, while currently in turmoil, has remained the same for thousands of years. The territory is broken into nine Holds, each controlled by a Jarl who rules several small towns and the land in between from the Hold capital. The Jarls remain in a state of constant distrust with their neighbors, but banded together to keep their land from falling to foreign control. A High King or High Queen selected from among the Jarls rules the land. At the end of the Elder Age, Horizon was involved in a civil war sparked by the assassination of the High King by Jarl Stormcloud. Stormcloud and his followers control roughly half the territory and have seceded from the Unicorn Empire. The other half of the land is loyal to the Empire, and combats the Stormclouds at every chance. Both sides are pushing for complete control of Horizon, but have reached a stalemate.
IV.
On Cutie-Marks
In the Elder Age, even the most constant event throughout a pony’s life, the acquisition of the mysterious and elusive cutie-mark, was different than the Modern Age. Being a much more brutal time, even young foals had little time to search for their purpose in life while trying to survive and help support the family. In this age, the cutie-mark appeared much later in a pony’s life. Once a pony reached a certain age, they would try out apprenticeships with different ponies in the town in an attempt to discover their special talents, and their cutie-mark. The acquisition of a cutie-mark was a turning point in a pony’s life, the point at which they would begin to be considered an adult. Most ponies would not receive their cutie-marks in their foalhood, but rather in their later teenage years (16-17.) Anypony who hadn’t received their cutie-mark by that point were usually shunned as social outcasts and expected to amount to no more than beggars.