Before the formation of the three pony tribes, there was something different in the structure of the unicorn's horn.. What was it, you may ask? Well, a long time ago, their horns weren't the same color as their coat. They had a quartz-like color, silver, or just plain white.
Unicorns weren't able to produce magic from them. They just.. existed on the top of their heads, like a living decoration. The unicorns just lived with those horns, slowly growing as they grew up. They didn't think much of them, they just thought that it wasn't much of a big deal, having a literal horn, growing out of your forehead. Oh, how wrong they were!
One day, an old earth stallion was thinking about the use of those horns in the future. He thought that those ponies could use them as something more than just a flesh decoration to brag about.
"Look at my horn! It's quartz color is so clear that it's almost transparent!""Well, my horn is so silvery, that i wouldn't mind if someone cut it off and sold it for ten hundred rubies!"
This old stallion wanted to make a change..
He just had to study and find forbidden spells and magic, untouched by the hands of any creature for centuries. After two months of studying, he just had to find a horn. When nobody in the town gave him a horn, he had no choice but to go to the cemetary, where it was easier to find a perfect horn for his study.
The old stallion's plan backfired. Ponies from all over the town wanted to banish him, because of literal graverobbing.
He packed up his studies, together with the stolen horn, and vanished, just like what the town's folk had in mind. The stallion moved to the mountains. In a ice cold cave, where an unknown monster once lived. There, the old pony continued with his studies, where nobody disturbed him, for a span of three whole years.
After three years without the graverobbing stallion, the small town haven't changed much. Only the fashion sence of the ponies and a few ways of providing food. They were happy that nothing seriously bad has been happening to their town.
Until they heared the slow trotting of somebody new.
Every single eye focused on the mysterious newcomer. They were wearing a dark cape with a hood that covered their face. Their hooves were covered in ice, snow and mud. And their furcoat..
. . .
The townfolk knew who that was.
One disrespectful pony was able to take the newcomer's cape and revealed who they were. As much as everyone expected, it was the old stallion that commited graverobbing three years ago. But still, something was noticeably different about him.
"Why do you have a horn?" Someone asked. "How did you got a horn?!" Another shouted. The ponies got desperate to know, how exactly did the old guy made the stolen horn, fit perfectly on his skull, with no signs of wouning, stiching and carving. They knew it was magic related thing, but the stallion didn't give the answer. He wanted this to be a secret of his. Something to keep for himself only, and probably his descendants too.
While the town's folk continued on shouting to the now unicorn stallion, he didn't say anything. He just smiled and looked foward. Probably looking towards his future..? Nobody knew..
After the three tribes were formed, something major changed in the unicorns looks. It was nothing but their horns. They weren't just small pieces of quartz anymore, but a truly living part of their bodies. Now they could use and cast spells and many more things that even the ponies themselfs probably didn't know. Their horns were now covered in a thin layer of skin. The color of this thin layer varied on the color of the pony's coat.
Rumors were saying that this new look of the horns originated from the times when poines still lived together, before the tribes and the dangers. Back when this one old stallion was still alive. Some ponies say that he started a new family on his own, where the new unicorns began.
Of course, unicorns weren't the only ones who went thrue a minimal phisical change.. There were also the kirins and many others sub-species of those magical four legged creatures. And there were the most powerfull of all, the alicorns. A really rare member of the family of the unicorns, and a really powerfull one. Two of the most powerfull ones were Celestia, and her little sister, Luna.
Indeed, by the power of unicorns and alicorns, the world peace in ancient Equestria spread in almost the whole world.
And the one, mainly responsible for that, wasn't any of the royal sisters, but an ordinary alicorn-turned-unicorn, Twilight Sparkle. She, like any other unicorn-related equine had a functional horn, with even more ancient origins.
Enought about royal members, let's go back to their horns..
The unicorn's horn may be powerfull and useful in everyday life, study or combat, but it still has it's downside.
A great example is the now reformed villian, Fizzlepop Berrytwist, or better known as Tempest Shadow. She was a unicorn mare, with possibly a powerfull horn. But this horn was, well, of course, destroyed and was never restored to it's healty and stable form. There are other good examples with this condition, but sadly, they weren't aveilable at that moment.
The unicorns from ancient Equestria had many different powers and abilities. Some could teleport, some used their magic on plants and animals, some in combat, like a unicorn duel, or worse, a whole war.. some raised the Moon and the Sun, like the members of the royal family.
The things was, that despite the fact that the 'classical' form of the unicorn horn was created by that graverobbing stallion, he wasn't so remembered by the town's folk. He wasn't even remembered by his own family and descendants. But there was another unicorn, who was just as powerful and smart, mostly smarter, than the old unicorn-turned earth stallion. This unicorn was, of course, Starswirl The bearded. The creator of many, many spells that are used by unicorns today. He was more remembered by folks, because of the many things he did, and the old stallion only did few things;
- study on seriously forbidden spells, without premission,
- stealing the horn of a dead pony, and basically graverobbing,
- and lastly, disappearing for years and then appearing again with no explanation.
Those reasons were sure very valid reasons to not be remembered by the Equestrian society.
Thousands of more years passed. Queen Twilight is nowhere to be seen, together with all of the other royal alicorns, and many more..
The three tribes get separated again. And it seems like there's no hope of going back.
So many things seem like they're returning or just changing like in the old times.. like the horn of the unicorn.
A great example of this modern change is Izzy Moonbow. Her horn isn't quartz-like or almost transparent, but it's still with a different shade of color. Just like her, many unicorns from her generation have almost the same slight carving on their horns that resemble random curves and circles. This was a small feature that no ancient unicorn-like creature had, at least not until the modern days.
These slight carvings don't serve any purpose, other than looking beautiful or unique.
This generation of unicorns were known to use only generic spells and magic. And it would kind of make sence, since there weren't many major conflicts or wars, where the more stronger spells would be more effective if used.
There was still this small mistery of the modern generation of the unicorns.. Where were the other sub-species? Probably nobody will ever know.
