Places of Power Within the Pony Wars

by Wings of Black Glass

The Sunbound Kingdom

During the first years of the Second Alicorn Age, the King of Caliburn grew desperate. His foes were closing in around him and his people on the edge of starvation. With armies on the horizon and few options to save his people, he turned to his faith. He begged spirits to save his people and his dream of a unified nation and that he would pay any price in return. To prove his dedication, he threw himself into the brilliant orb of energy atop a sacred mountain, expecting to be incinerated. He instead emerged bearing the wings and horn of an Alicorn, gleaming with golden power. Unknowingly he had entered into a Nexus and survived.

Believing he had been blessed by the Sun, he and his few remaining soldiers flung themselves upon the invaders with unrestrained zeal. Despite being badly outnumbered, and with his enemies having never seen an enraged Alicorn before, he routed them from the field. Unwilling to let his advantage falter, he chased them down and encircled as many as he could. Instead of executing the captives, he gave them a choice, go home and vow to never threaten his people again, join him in his crusade, or be destroyed. In awe of his power, many took the option to serve him, including the leaders of several city-states.

He could have taken their lands but saw benevolence as the better option. He allowed them to retain governance of their cities if they swore to him they would follow him and convert to his religion, the Cult of the Sun. As they bowed, he gave his promise that he would protect them, as they were now under his wings. At first, his rule was shaky. The average Pony was unsure what his intentions were and blamed their former leaders as cowards and traitors. Most thought of him as a tyrant and invader, little more than a foreign overlord.

It was clear to him that he would have to be seen as more than that to secure his new Kingdom’s stability. To a dear friend and fellow follower of the Sun, he gave governance of Caliburn, ensuring his attention was appropriately divided upon all his people. Then he abandoned his old name and took a new one. To celebrate the Sun that granted his victory, he took up the name Sunbound and that all his followers were equal in his eyes. The Sunbound Kingdom had been formed.

At first, he set about ensuring his rule was stable, visiting each city in turn and providing they each had the resources to grow. Where food was scarce, he took from where it was plentiful, and the same with materials and skill. His plan worked flawlessly. The first cities in the Kingdom could have fallen to bickering but instead flourished and grew under his leadership. Soon many began to worship him as a messiah and savior. It began to go to his head, and a cult of personality formed around him. The Nexus Temple atop the mountain became a sacred place; a proper shrine was built there for the faithful to pilgrimage to the Altar of Radiance.

The Sunbound Kingdom was bountiful, and seeing the neighboring nations as failing, he knew he would have to bring them under his guidance. King Sunbound believed himself blessed and knew they would surely join him. Some choose to merge voluntarily, exchanging autonomy for stability. Others grew jealous or frightful of him and fought against him. Unprepared for the power of an Alicorn, they fell, and King Sunbound began to believe he was invulnerable and unstoppable.

He was wrong. Taking few precautions for personal safety, King Sunbound was slain in battle barely more than ten years after claiming his throne. Their glorious leader slain shattered the image he had made of himself, and many of his closest followers fell to despair. How could the blessing of the Sun be taken so quickly? The young Kingdom was on the edge of collapse. Worse, believing himself immortal, King Sunbound had not secured an heir. The nobles of the cities who did not immediately fracture off gathered to decide how to handle the situation.

Some wanted to dissolve the Kingdom as a failed experiment; others thought they would have to face civil war as the more militarized among them would try to take the throne by force. But a few of Sunbound’s first followers still believed in his vision of a united world and gave the others another option. Each noble would put forth a candidate to become the new monarch, and they would debate who was the best choice. It was a fair and forward-thinking proposition, even placing substantial limits on the political powers of the new leader. So it was that the new Queen was chosen. The Kingdom should have collapsed after the end of the cult of Sunbound, but it didn’t.

The new Queen decided to move her capital to be closer to the nation’s center and ruled well for several decades. Before her death of old age, she had even agreed to a new Elector Council to select the next monarch. This became their tradition; each time a King or Queen died, the nobles from each fiefdom would gather and choose the next one. Sometimes the children of the monarch would be considered first, or they would have endorsed a capable figure to take their place. It wasn’t always peaceful, and several times the Kingdom almost fell to civil war.

Yet, it endured and expanded. While King Sunbound preferred to use diplomacy to acquire more territory, he wasn’t afraid to use force. His successors, however, were far more willing to use blades before bargains. The Kingdom’s history is marked by multiple militant expansionist phases, often a generation or two apart. Sunbound Kingdom armies were soon renowned as being large and well trained, with a reputation for overwhelming force and skilled generals.

This expansion eventually brought them to within striking range of the other large and powerful nations of their time, most significantly the ancient Lumahina Empire on the other side of the Twilight Lands. It was an administrator in the city of Galatine who foresaw the Sunbound’s expansionist policies coming into conflict with them, and knew that such a war would be utterly devastating to both nations. This low-level bureaucrat by the name of Halo managed to get an audience with the current monarch and suggested a meeting between the leaders with the intent of avoiding war.

Halo’s idea for a diplomatic meet met with disdain by many, but the King was already handling small wars and revolts on multiple fronts and agreed to allow Halo to at least make an attempt. After hiring a Kirin guide to get safely across the Twilight Lands, Halo made his way to the capital and tried to get the attention of the current Prince. It took him several weeks to be granted an audience, during which time he marveled at the beauty of the city beneath the giant tree. Even once he finally got that meeting, it was clear the Prince considered the Sunbound Kingdom as a young upstart and not worth the effort to engage in diplomacy.

That was a misunderstanding; although the Sunbound Kingdom was much younger than the Lumahina, it was by no means an upstart. By this point, it was already nearly five centuries old and had cajoled, claimed, or conquered more cities and populations than the much older Empire. As well as examples of art and sculptures from many of the far-flung corners of the Kingdom meant to prove that the Sunbound was a cultural center, Halo had brought detailed maps of the continent-spanning Kingdom. Although the Prince was unimpressed with the art, he was surprised at the sheer size of the supposed small upstart. Halo was dismissed but instructed to remain in the city for several more weeks. They spoke once more, and the Prince agreed to the formal meeting.

The Conclave was remarkably successful, making each nation’s intentions clear to the other and helping to prevent conflicts. Without having to worry about the Lumahina, the King could refocus his efforts to resolve the revolts and wars on his borders. Halo’s achievement got him plenty of attention and elevation to the governor of Galatine and occasional adviser to the King. Before the King passed, he gave a glowing recommendation to the elector council that Halo would make an exemplary and wise new leader, and they accepted him. Halo would rule for many decades while keeping the Sunbound Kingdom safe and relatively conflict-free, becoming known as Good King Halo.

Under his rule, the culture and economy of the Sunbound people thrived. It would, however, be a mistake to assume there is only one Sunbound culture. During its expansions, there was no concerted effort to displace the existing traditions and rituals of the claimed territories. Similarly, no attempt was made to shun ethnicities or even other races. Each region or city has its own distinct way of life and may be distinctly different than most others. Due to this, the Sunbound Kingdom is a dynamic place, full of complex and varied societies within the larger Kingdom. As long as they pay their taxes and don’t cause trouble, they mostly get left alone to their own traditions.

Although varied, there are some common festivals throughout the Kingdom. Chief among those is the celebration of the Sun’s Gift, the day King Sunbound emerged from the Nexus Temple as an Alicorn. The festival takes place several weeks before the Summer Solstice and also serves as the official date of the new calendar year. Often there is a bonfire just before dawn into which an effigy of a Pony is placed into the fire to represent the transformation of King Sunbound, although there are many regional variations of the celebration.

Just as culturally diverse as the Sunbound is, it is also religiously diverse. These cults are small regional sects that typically worship animal totems, spirits, or local superstitions. One of the only major organized faiths is the Cult of the Sun, revering the Alicorn founder of the Sunbound Kingdom. Despite his death long ago, his followers still hold sway over a not-insignificant number of Ponies across the Kingdom. Some of its members even keep offices of political and economic power.

Among the non-noble Ponies is a belief in personal excellence. A bright and capable individual can make a successful life on their own. Parents encourage their children to find something they dream for and work to make it a reality. Those who achieve greatness through hard work and skill are celebrated and respected.

There is a dark side to this way of thinking that has crept into Sunbound society over time that went unnoticed. As magic was re-discovered after the collapse of the first Alicorn Age, it became both more potent and accessible. Unicorns who could perform magic had an easy shortcut to success out of reach of Pony and Pegasus. Magic-using Unicorns could produce quality work cheaper and faster than non-unicorn. What began as reverence for personal excellence slowly morphed into reverence for magical ability. Spellcasting Unicorns quietly took control over many of the industries and businesses. Magical power became one of the defining features of success. Despite this, the dream of personal excellence, even for non-Unicorn, never left the collective culture.

Such a large population requires a broad economic base. Difficulties in organizing logistics over an immense territory and having a sometimes relocated capital means there is no single centralized financial center. Each region has its own internal trade center, and each trades with those around it. It is ubiquitous to find goods from every end of the Kingdom in distant cities. This robust and widespread economy funds large-scale projects, including roads and aqueducts to every major city.

A robust economy also helps spread the wealth around the people. While the nobles and some churches are still fabulously wealthy, far beyond most citizens, the standard of living can be quite high. Those who want to make their own way in the world can do so as they wish, with the only limitation being funding for whatever project or business they want to start. Literacy rates are pretty high as most citizens can afford some teaching for their children, and those who show promise are typically taken for instruction at prominent academies.

The pinnacle of these academies is the Luminous Tower, a center of magical study and instruction. Here the best and brightest young minds learn mathematics, philosophy, military theory, economics, and politics. Most importantly, those with prodigious magical skills are taught how to hone that ability. The children of nobles, sometimes even non-Unicorn, almost invariably are sent to the Luminous Tower to learn how to govern and rule. Quite a few of the Sunbound’s living heroes got their start here.

One of the most consequential young Pony to get started at the Luminous Tower was the Alciorn, Solarflare. Possessing nearly unparalleled magical talent and power, it is believed by some of the cult of the Sun practitioners that she may be the reincarnated form of their messiah. When Good King Halo was assassinated at the final Conclave, the elector council chose her to become the new Queen. She moved the capital to the mountain fortress-city of Arondight and rapidly began re-militarization in anticipation of further hostile action from the Lumahina Empire.