Legionnaire

Preface: In the year 1882, the Equestrian empire was an empire in name only, being more of a collection of semi-autonomous city states coming under the loose authority of the diarchy of the benevolent princesses Celestia and Luna, who reigned from the then-capital city of Canterlot. The two princesses were content to adopt a 'hands-off approach' to ruling their own domain. Whilst this created problems in its own right as various fiefdoms jostled for power, this approach generally worked. Occasionally the princesses would step in to mediate disputes or step upon a noble who had gotten too big for his boots, but in the main, life in Equestria continued as it had for hundreds of years beforehand. Everyone was content with striving to put food upon their tables and provide a life for their families.

A large portion of this stability was due to the princesses themselves. The princesses were wise rulers who were able to apply their innate gifts to best effect in the field of international diplomacy. Knowing you were sitting across the table from a pair of women who has been ruling a country since your grandparents walked the earth had a suitably cowing effect upon the diplomats of various nations who sought to demand things of Equestria. Given Equestria's abundant natural resources, pleasant climate and agreeable population, Equestria very rarely sought to meddle in the affairs of other nations, nor did it entertain extraterritorial ambitions beyond favorable trade agreements with the nations surrounding it.

By this point the wounds caused by the Third Equestrian Civil War during the 1640s, had apparently healed up and the two sibling rulers were on friendly terms once more. There were few causes for concern among the lesser royals either. Princess Mi-Amore Cadenza, at that point in her second century of life, had picked up quite a bit of experience in her own right. At that point she was the ruler of the Northern Provinces of Equestria, founding the infamous 'Second Crystal Empire' as it was then known. At this point in time, Princess Twilight Sparkle was still in her infancy as a stateswoman, however the coming events would greatly challenge her as we can see from her diary entries at this point.

Another reason the Equestrian Empire was able to become a major economic and military power on the continent was thanks to the Imperial Navy. Though Equestria had never had to deploy significant armed force against an enemy government since the Gryphonic Incursions of 1675, the Imperial Navy remained a competent and deadly force to any brigands or dictators who wished to add pieces of Equestria into their tin-pot empires. Any such dictators found their ambitions rather rapidly crushed beneath the jackbooted heel of the Imperial Navy, which only grew more lethal after Princess Luna took up her post as commander-in-chief of the Equestrian armed forces.

In summary, when 1882 dawned, there was no indication to anyone inside Equestria or outside of it; that this would be the year that things started to change. There is ongoing debate amongst many scholars about whether the change was for better or for worse. Like all large changes however, it was to be lubricated with blood. The catalyst for war began to burn in January 1882, starting with the failure of the ill-fated Lunar Entreaty.

Relations between the Khanate and Equestria had been simmering ever since the Golden Prosperity Initiative (GPI) of 1874, which involved a Khanate owned mining corporation setting up several illegal mining operations in Equestrian territory. The Imperial Navy responded by evicting the miners and their families by force in June of the following year. In the aftermath, the fact emerged that the GPI had been set up by the Khanate’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to fund these illegal mining operations. The so called ‘Cat-cables’ provided damning evidence of Khanate involvement. Once these telegrams reached the public eye, the Equestrian public was outraged and demanded retribution.

The Princesses responded by imposing sanctions and confiscating ten miles of territory from the Khanate in reparations. As the Khanate was embroiled in internal strife in the aftermath of the Shah seizing power, the Khanate were unable to take action against the Equestrian incursion. By the time the Khanate had finished with their civil war, the Equestrian hold on the territories was consolidated. This invasion naturally soured relations between the two major continental superpowers. The Khanate response was long in coming, but when the response came, it hit hard.

Max Bayeux. The Foundations of Modern Equestria.