Prelude
Poised on the Canterlonian mountain were 3 alicorns. One was the Goddess of the Sun, the radiant and loving ruler Celestia. One was the mysterious Mistress of Darkness. The ruler of the night, Princess Luna. The third and last was a green stallion covered in sapphire blue, swirling tattoos, with a gray and dark purple mane and tale.
Underneath them stood a massive assembly of ponies; Ponies of all races. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, lunar ponies and even crystal ponies had gathered. 30’000 strong was this gathering, but it had been made for a reason. This was an army, an army with one purpose. To drive back the forces of “The Pure”. With shimmering armors, spears, swords, crossbows and axes they looked to what lay ahead.
In front of the mountain and army stood “The Pure”; a unicorn army bent on ruling over all races of ponies. But they were not alone, for their allies had gathered as well. Diamond dogs, wielding massive clubs and spears, had raised from the very earth to fight. The minotaurs from the north-eastern mountains had traveled far to see the blood of the princesses, who had stopped many invasions over the last three millennia. Filling the entire valley, these three factions had grown into one and were ready to tear Equestria apart and throw the world into darkness.
Utilizing the royal Canterlot voice, the green alicorn shouted out his speech, for all to hear, for all who would soon bear witness to the largest battle in millenia.
“I say to all of you, what will come to pass this day. You will see death. You will see suffering. YOU WILL SEE TERROR. You will witness the very darkness that ruled Equestria before Celestia and Luna. But do not fear. For what will come with this is hope. Hope for peace. Let us all drive back the enemy so that we may live in equality. Let the enemy be purged from the planes of freedom. FOR GLORY! FOR HONOUR! FOR EQUESTRIA! ATTACK!!!”
This was the beginning of the most important conflict in millennia, though the origins of this conflict are ancient.
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About five thousand years ago there were three pony nations: Pegasus Prima, The land of cloud fortresses; Opalitian, The land of mines; And The DRUE, The Democratic Republic of United Earth ponies.
These three nations lived in a symbiose. The earth ponies made food, the pegasi controlled the weather and the unicorns raised the sun and moon. This was their cycle. They lived in relative peace and calm, but some ponies began to question which was the superior race. Unicorns had their magic and vast mines filled with gems and metals, they were artisans as well. The pegasi were elite fighters, with superior speed and agility. Earth ponies were born farmers, smiths, crafts in general and all in all the sturdiest and strongest physically. Ponies began discriminating each others. This brought forth the spirits of cold hearts, the Wendigos. These spirits of wind and ice froze the entire land, making it a uninhabitable waste. All ponies suffered and all ponies put the blame on others. This culminated in a meeting of Commander Hurricane, leader of the pegasi. Princess Platinum, daughter of the diamond king and Chancellor Puddinghead, newly chosen prime minister of the earth pony congress. They all had their respective personal thralls along with them. Everypony knows the story concerning them, but very few if any knows of what had happened right after the meetings, but before the immigration.
The unicorn princess’ thrall was Clover the clever, who also was the apprentice of Starswirl the bearded. He was Platinum’s advisor during the politic meetings and eventually developed a short lived romance with Commander Hurricane which ended the second that the two weeks of meetings were over.
After a couple of months the immigrations were done and the discrimination was largely over.
Some time later a pegasus came to Star Swirl’s hut with a foal and a note. It was his and Commander Hurricanes foal, but not a normal one. He was green, had a grey/ purple mane and tail and he was graced with a horn and wings. Star Swirl knew that this foal was special, but also in danger. Star Swirl was the diamond king’s brother and such only allowed to marry and copulate with unicorns. He had to keep this foal secret. In the end he gave the foal to his apprentice Clover so that she could take care of him and educate him. She took the foal with her to the great forest in the middle of the pony realm. In there he would be safe and she could improve her magical prowess and get her own student. She named the foal Emerald Storm as a unification of the two royal houses that the foal unknowingly was a member of.
Here she began to educate the young foal in magic and scholarship as well as teaching him about the wonders of friendship, which had saved the entire race not even a year ago.
Outside the forest, the lords were having a better time than before, except the pegasi. They wanted to get more revenue as well as knocking ‘the arrogant unicorns’ down a nodge by getting hold of their metals. The pegasi were dependant on metal mined by unicorns and earth pony smiths to forge it. They wanted to get around this fact by getting dominion over earth ponies and capturing unicorn mines. Their lack of metal and money stopped them though. That was until they found a mountain in the north which peak often overflowed with molten metals that were absorbed by the surrounding clouds. The clouds somehow took the metal’s properties without getting heavier. They called it iron cloud and this light, yet strong metal was mined, forging became a viable trade in pegasi cities and soon, they attacked the earth ponies who lived in valleys and by the sea with ruthless efficiency.
They came in great swarms of hundreds from the skies, wearing and wielding their new metal. They enslaved every town and farm they came across and stood unopposed until they reached the Canterlot valley where the local earth ponies were an important food source for the unicorn capital of Canterlot. The unicorn army destroyed a bigger pegasus raid party in ‘the battle of the valley’ and so the civil war began. A war that determined which faction would take claim of the earth pony labour force.
Week after week, month after month... Year after year the war raged on without anypony to put an end it.
The pegasi, safe in their clouds could attack without fear of losing homes and loved ones and did so with vicious abandon towards both unicorn and earth pony.
The unicorns however needed to use some strategy to ensure victory. They moved from the mountains down the coast and valleys to take control of the earth pony cities. Their idea being that if they could hold and take all the earth pony settlements the pegasi would be forced back to their save clouds and then could be forced into submission through starvation.
The wars were bloody, especially after the earth ponies amassed their forces, armed with bows and armored in simple cloth, the brave stallions held towns and villages so that the mares and foals could escape onslaught. Most who fled would go to either the occupied towns close to unicorn's original territory or to the bigger, safer cities, but some by the shores chose to leave it all behind and escape with boat to the icy regions in the north.
The next 16 years left many thousands of dead in their wake and the land divided. Unicornia ruling west to the sea, controlling mountains, valleys and coasts. Pegasopholis holding dominion of the great planes spreading to the eastern mountains of minotaurs and griffins. Earth holding but three cities and the surrounding land. Baltimare, Coltenhagen and Trotterdam. These three cities was all that separated pegasi and unicorns... But this border was not built to last.
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In a small hut in the canterlonian valley a purple unicorn with black and grey mane, tail and beard, sat in a chair, reading peacefully. Finally a chance to get back to studies he thought. His train of thought was broken however, when he heard heavy knocking on his door.
" ... Two weeks was all the vacation I asked for..." The purple unicorn said followed by a weary sigh. He stood up and walked to the door, opening it slowly, trying to get a few seconds of calm before being dragged into duties again.
As he opened he looked at a young unicorn stallion. The stallion was covered from head to tail in a royal blue enamelled plate armor made of real steel. The clear sign of a truly rich pony, since only the richest of rich could afford steel, let alone enamelled pieces. The only things beside the armor that were visible were a longsword with a gold handle and his clear red eyes.
As he saw the purple unicorn he immediately saluted.
" Starswirl, Lord of Diamond grove manor and Field marshal of Legio Uno. You have been summoned to heed the word of King Aurum in his own hall." The young stallion said with a proud and powerful voice.
Starswirl smirked slightly. " And what is so important, that my brother would send one of his priced gemstone guard? And do give me a good reason Sir Bright I am officially on vacation."
Sir Bright looked at him with a wide grin. " We will soon be one trot closer to victory. We are going to conquer Coltenhagen..."