Essays Index
History series: Part 1 - Pre-Earth | Part 2 - Ancient Earth | Part 3 - Pre-Classical Era | Part 4 - Classical Era - "Era of the Two Sisters" | Part 5 - Classical Era - Reign of Chaos

A history of the first major period of the Classical Era, the era of Celestia and Luna's original reign. This part covers everything prior to the Reign of Chaos, and heavily ties into Journal of the Two Sisters by Amy Keating Rogers, a controversial and now non-canon addition to G4 MLP's expanded universe, but nonetheless a foundational text for the Borderworld's lore. The Tirek issue of FIENDship is Magic also tangentially ties into this period. See the Borderworld Pantheon and Locations series for more specific details on some of the places and events mentioned here.

As a reminder, the History essay series, part three in particular, underwent heavy revisions in 2019, four years after it was initially written. I highly recommend anyone who hasn't read the rewritten part three already to do so, as the changes were fairly substantial, and of course, all further instalments of the series will build upon its revised lore.

Classical Era - "Era of the Two Sisters":
The War of the Winter:
Following the first Hearth's Warming Eve, the fight against the remaining windigoes was relatively brief. After the initial celebrations, the Fire of Friendship kept burning, sustained by Clover's magic and the collective friendships and goodwill of the Three Tribes. The original Fire remained safely in the caves of Foal Mountain for the duration of the conflict, guarded by the newly established Order of the Fire-Keepers, but the ponies carried its flames out across the land, and used them to light smaller bonfires in every major town, city, and encampment. These smaller bonfires, which were magically linked to the original Fire of Friendship, both kept the windigoes out of the major pony settlements, and also provided a weapon for the soldiers going off to fight them.

Although warfare was traditionally the duty of the pegasi, the Three Tribes all contributed to the fight against the windigoes. Pegasus legionaries had their weapons enchanted to burn with the bonfire's magic. Earth pony archers used the bonfires to light burning pink arrows. And unicorn battle-mages were trained to draw power directly from the bonfires to use for friendship-powered pyromancies. Civilians were also encouraged to do their part by feeding and empowering the bonfires in their settlements with displays of friendship, love, and joy, which became the origins of many later Hearth's Warming traditions.

With the Fire of Friendship behind them, the new Equestrian Concord crushed the remaining windigoes in a matter of weeks, with Commander Hurricane himself personally slaying the last of them in a final battle over Fort Neverwinter, now the northernmost remaining pony settlement aside from the Crystal Empire. The defeat of the so-called Last Windigo marked the end of the War of the Winter, the only major military campaign of the original Equestrian Concord.

The Kingdom of Equestria:
With the windigoes dealt with, and the lesson of the first Hearth's Warming taken to heart, the Equestrian Concord desired to solidify their alliance and build a lasting union to prevent future generations from repeating their mistakes. The Three Tribes under the Equestrian Concord established common laws and trade agreements, and began joint efforts to expand all of their existing colonies and establish new ones together.

In cooperation with other local populations such as the sheep and cattle, the coastal city of New Manesterdam was founded as the first multi-tribal settlement of the Equestrian Concord, and also briefly served as its capital as the union was being formalised. Soon after, the Equestrian Concord also welcomed the Crystal Empire and Timbucktu into the fold, who jointly constructed the Statue of Unity in commemoration, a depiction of a mare of unidentifiable race, with the possible presence or absence of both horn and wings obscured. The Statue of Unity was gifted to the city of New Manesterdam, who placed it in the harbour on Friendship Island.

However, the joining of new member nations also presented a problem for the Equestrian Concord, as the appointment of their representatives to the special council raised questions about the council's ability to fairly represent its members and mediate between them.

After the Crystal Empire and Timbucktu's joining, the Equestrian Concord's special council comprised five members, with one from each nation. But while the five nations were represented equally on the council, it was feared that the traditional earth pony form of democracy would lead to problems further down the line if old rivalries and prejudices ever took root again. With five members, it was all too easy for the council to split into factions, and for the Equestrian Concord to fall to mob rule. If the council voted along racial lines, for example, the unicorns could be marginalised, as they had only one representative, while the earth ponies and pegasi each technically had two. Alternatively, the Three Tribes, as the founding members, could also potentially vote as a bloc, and render Timbucktu and the Crystal Empire politically irrelevant.

For these reasons, the special council agreed on the necessity of an impartial higher authority to mediate between them. The idea of electing one of themselves as chancellor was proposed, but the unicorns and pegasi were again skeptical of the earth pony model of governance, put off by the idea of transient elected rulers with ever-shifting priorities and policies, and were also not convinced that any of their own number would be sufficiently impartial. It was thus instead agreed that they would establish an elective constitutional monarchy as a compromise, with a neutral outside party acting as their ruler, while still remaining subject to the council.

The eventual result of the council's decision was the reformation of the Equestrian Concord into the Kingdom of Equestria, a complicated legal entity which was both a union of nations and a nation of its own at once. Although the five member states retained their individual sovereignty, their shared territories such as New Manesterdam would be considered the territories of the Kingdom of Equestria, and Equestria would also enforce common laws throughout its lands, and act as a central authority to which all of its member nations were answerable, with the council acting as the voice of these member nations to the elected monarch.

The final step of this process was the actual election. Due to ponykind's unanimous reverence for the alicorns of Asgard, and the example of Lord Second's rule as King of the Valley in Thoroupe, it was agreed early on that an alicorn would make an ideal monarch. However, the specific choice was a matter of some debate, as the council were split between those who wanted a pony of legitimate royal blood and experience, such as Thor or Baldur, and those who wanted a more impartial ruler similar to Lord Second, with no ties to Asgard's own royal family.

As the pony with the most experience with the alicorns, the council called in Star Swirl the Bearded to consult on the matter, at the suggestion of Clover the Clever. Following another visit to Asgard to review candidates, Star Swirl suggested an unorthodox compromise, recommending a pair of inexperienced fillies known as Celestia and Luna to share the position, born Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi. The two were half-sisters, illegitimate daughters of Thor, and still technically considered children at the time by alicorn standards, even lacking cutie marks despite being in their twenties. However, they were also relatively mature, well-educated, good-natured, and possessed royal blood while still being mostly impartial. They also had a great deal of potential, and could be further educated as they grew to better mold them into ideal rulers.

The council agreed with Star Swirl's choice, and after a final visit to Asgard to present the proposal to Celestia and Luna themselves, the matter was decided. The Kingdom of Equestria was to be a diarchy rather than a monarchy, with the Royal Sisters sharing equal power in law, and the coronation was soon arranged. At Princess Platinum's insistence, so as to not offend the "honour and dignity" of the Unicorn Kingdom's royal family, it was also agreed that the diarchs of Equestria would be crowned as princesses rather than queens, so that they would not stand above the king.

The Royal Sisters:
Celestia and Luna were crowned in a large public coronation in New Manesterdam, though celebrations were also held in every major Equestrian city. This officially marked the beginning of their rule as the Princesses of Equestria, as well as the foundation of the Royal House Invictus. Despite their new positions, however, the council still saw to most of the actual business of governing at first, while the princesses were to be slowly eased into their new roles. Star Swirl the Bearded was instructed to advise and educate the Royal Sisters as he once did for Clover the Clever and King Bullion, and the council also recommended the construction of a new royal castle for the princesses to represent their power and consolidate their rule.

The Royal Sisters scouted several locations for their castle, including all of the major cities. New Manesterdam was the preferred choice of the council, so that the princesses could be close to the capital, but the Royal Sisters were unable to decide, and Luna in particular wanted to build in a quieter location which could be as much a private sanctuary as a centre of government. The Canterlot Hills and even Mt. Canterlot itself were both suggested for their central locations on the continent and proximity to the Asgard portal, but were rejected due to being too close to Nidhug's lair and the dragon cult.

It was again Star Swirl who eventually suggested their final choice, showing them the Everfree Forest and the site of the Tree of Harmony. The Everfree, long abandoned by the crystal ponies, had since been transformed into a wildland by the Tree of Harmony in an effort to drive off the deer, and so was mostly uninhabited at the time, save for an undiscovered tribe of zebras at its southern end. The Royal Sisters were happy with the location, and so began construction. A small road was paved through the forest, bridges were built or hung, and the castle itself was constructed on the cliffside overlooking the Tree of Harmony's ravine.

During the construction, the Royal Sisters became familiar with the Everfree and its inhabitants. An incident with a manticore named Melvin caused Luna to discover an affinity for nature and animals, and allowed her to enlist the local wildlife's help in building the castle. Melvin also became an ally to the princesses, and remained with them throughout much of their early reign. Around the same time, the Royal Sisters also discovered the zebra tribe on the other side of the forest, and spent time with them, learning of their ways.

While staying at the castle, the princesses were frequently visited by Star Swirl the Bearded and the Founders of Equestria, and in time became friends with them all. Celestia and Commander Hurricane went flying, Luna and Chancellor Puddinghead had prank wars, and Princess Platinum, while antagonistic towards them at first, eventually made amends and went on to design the first Equestrian flag, incorporating the Royal Sisters themselves into the design.

Star Swirl the Bearded eventually set up a lab in the castle and moved in permanently to act as their tutor, while continuing his usual studies and experiments on the side. It was during this time that Star Swirl finally perfected his time travel spell, the end result of numerous improvements on his better known but more primitive single-use version. During his experiments with chronomancy, Star Swirl also invented the age spell by complete accident, greatly reducing his physical age, and extending his remaining time well beyond his natural lifespan. After this, Star Swirl began making regular trips into the future, during which time he first met Twilight Sparkle, and also learned a limited amount of future history.

The first true test of Celestia and Luna's rule came shortly after this, when King Gregor of Griffonia reopened hostilities with the Pegasus Legion, arguing that their southern migration and the founding of Equestria was in breach of the treaty which Commander Hurricane had signed years previously. Celestia and Luna, who saw themselves as guardians of Equestria, made it their duty to avert the conflict with the griffons. With advice from Melvin, and techniques learned from the zebras, the Royal Sisters were successful in their first diplomacy attempts, and the war was averted, with a new agreement soon reached.

Their second major challenge came when Lestraktus the Red finally awoke from his dragonsleep after an untold number of years. Discovering that the Crystal Heart had been taken from his hoard, Lestraktus left his lair in the Crystalline Mountain to personally pillage the Crystal Empire and take it back. Again, the Royal Sisters involved themselves, travelling out to the Crystal Empire to assist Princess Amore and confront the dragon. Celestia was the one to pacify Lestraktus, threatening him into surrendering the Crystal Heart back to the crystal ponies.

However, by far the most notable event of these early days of their reign was when the Royal Sisters finally took on the heavenly spheres and gained their cutie marks.

The Return of Magic:
Although Equestria had entered a new age of peace and prosperity with the defeat of the windigoes, the Unicorn Kingdom's magic had only continued to decline. Solar cycle duty remained an arduous task, and by the beginning of the Royal Sisters' reign, the unicorns were on the brink of total magic collapse. As the number of capable civilian volunteers grew short, solar cycle duty eventually fell to the mages and aristocracy, traditionally the last to make such a sacrifice, though King Bullion had already previously done so.

Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever were among the final few to sacrifice the last of their magic in the rituals, which occurred during the Royal Sisters' excursion to the Crystal Empire. By the time of their return, Star Swirl the Bearded was the only adult unicorn left for the task. As he was already abnormally capable of weathering the challenges of solar cycle duty, he attempted to take on the ritual alone out of desperation, but inevitably, he too succumbed and lost his magic, leaving Equestria in darkness.

Though the long night caused a brief global panic, the situation was quickly resolved thanks to the Royal Sisters. Following his failed attempt at performing the ritual alone, Star Swirl met Celestia and Luna at their castle and explained the situation, and convinced them to attempt the task themselves. Knowing the history of how the alicorns were created for this task from his time in Asgard, and suspecting a link between the Royal Sisters and the sun and moon spirits of legend, he was confident that they would be capable of succeeding where he had failed, and he was right. Thanks to their alicorn physiology, Celestia and Luna proved capable of controlling the heavenly spheres unassisted. Furthermore, they did not even drain their magic in the process, but instead became more powerful, and also gained their cutie marks from restoring their spiritual connections to the sun and moon, previously severed ever since the War of the Sun.

Following their success, Celestia and Luna used their newfound power to restore the lost magic of the unicorns. They travelled around Equestria and the territories of the Unicorn Kingdom, infusing their depleted souls with solar and lunar magic siphoned from the heavenly spheres, and to this day, many ponies in Equestria still have a magical affinity for the sun or moon due to lingering traces of the Royal Sisters' magic. These seemingly impossible acts cemented their authority and legitimacy for all who had doubted them, and earned them a reverence from their subjects comparable to Baldur's, sowing the seeds for the later rise of Alicornism.

With the Royal Sisters' ascendence to guardians of the heavenly spheres, as well as the sudden and long-awaited restoration of the Unicorn Kingdom's magical might, Equestria quickly became a much greater player on the world stage. The return of magic jumpstarted unicorn industry and trade, pulling the Three Tribes out of their long economic slump, and allowing them to establish themselves in the Heartland much quicker than they would've otherwise been able to.

As well, with Timbucktu already acting as a hub of international trade with the griffons, Equestria began making inroads into Thoroupe, establishing diplomatic relations and trade agreements with several Thoroupean nations, including Tauros, Maretonia, Mustangia, Trotsylvania, and the Valley of Eden. Talks also began, but were never finalised, with the Zebrican nation of Maretania, which Star Swirl had already made first contact with years previously. As a result of all of these developments, the Royal Sisters quickly became much busier as they engaged more with both domestic and international politics, fully coming into their own as rulers of Equestria, and even becoming respected figures in Tauros by the time of Tirek and Scorpan's youth.

Acknowledgements:
-The name of the Equestrian Concord is taken from Bug on a Stick by Orbiting Kettle.
-The idea of the Statue of Unity, including its name, was lifted from a comment I read somewhere many years ago. I have a vague notion that it was by Jordan179, and probably referred to his Shadow Wars universe, though I couldn't track it down now for the life of me.
-New Manesterdam as the original name for Manehattan I'm fairly sure I took from Alara J. Rogers, though I don't remember which story of hers.

For those wondering, "Era of the Two Sisters" is in quotes because that's what Celestia and Luna said this time would be called in Journal of the Two Sisters, and in this universe at least, they turned out to be very wrong about that.

I was originally intending to write out the entire Classical Era as one big essay like I did for the Pre-Classical Era, but... yeah, fuck that. I wanna actually publish something already. Plus, I crave attention to emotionally validate myself, and this way I'll hopefully get more comments.

Always a treat to read about the lore and world-building you do.
There is just one thing that I feel is wierd. Considering that the unicorns magic was failing and that Star Swirl knew that alicorns were created for the purpose of moving the heavenly spheres, one has to wonder why he waited until the point of almost catastrophe before talking Celestia and Luna into trying the ritual themselves.

Well, I might as well give you a comment for your emotional validation then. So here you go, I'm sure you're eternally grateful.

I'm still caught up on Manny as a royal advisor. What kind of wisdom did the manticore offer, exactly?

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Good point! I personally interpret the Journal of the Two Sisters as occurring in a relatively short timeframe. Celestia and Luna definitely weren't on the throne for more than a few months before they had to take up this burden, and the Unicorn Kingdom were already nearly on the brink of collapse anyway. So the explanation in this case is that it wouldn't have made much difference either way, so Star Swirl was giving them as much time as he could to let them grow into their responsibilities first. Also, giving Equestria as many more days of sunlight as possible just in case he was wrong and they lost their magic too.

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In Journal of the Two Sisters, Melvin's insight was that griffons and manticores share some weaknesses which are apparently common to all chimeras (which in this setting, I interpret as being down to magical flaws in their creation process). For one thing, both griffons and manticores are confounded by rhymes, which is why the Everfree zebra tribe spoke in rhyme (and by implication, why Zecora now does as well). It also amusingly makes sense of Griffonstone's "no singing" policy. Both species also apparently have a sweet tooth, though don't ask me how the manticores would even know this, much less feed their craving.

So yes, on Melvin's advice, Celestia and Luna got King Gregor to back down by bribing him with pastries and rhyming at him. This is 100% canon to my world, and I refuse to apologise for it.

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I wanna actually publish something already. Plus, I crave attention to emotionally validate myself, and this way I'll hopefully get more comments.

I can relate to this far more than I should.