A Guide to Recent Equestrian History

Chapters

A Message from Princess Twilight Sparkle
Final Years of the Equestrian Republic
The Battle and Fall of the Republic
Life Under Discord
Celestia and Luna
The Harmonious Revolution
Transition and Separation
Social and Economic Reform
New Challenges
Military Expansion
War with Lord Tirek
War of the Bloodied Crystals: Opening Diplomacy and Politics
War of the Bloodied Crystals: The Road to War
War of the Bloodied Crystals: Opening Deployments
Table of Contents
The Reign of Discord
Time of Reconstruction

A Message from Princess Twilight Sparkle

A Message From Princess Twilight Sparkle

Having recently been elevated to the prestigious position of the Princess of Friendship, I have come into contact with many ponies. As a Princess, they often turn to me first as a source of information about the past. Some of the most commonly asked questions is “Who is Triek?” or “Why did Discord betray us?” or even “How did the Royal Sisters come to power?”

This is not acceptable to a civilization of our standards. While at Canterlot, all ponies there are extremely well-educated, I am shocked and somewhat appalled at the lack of understanding of Equestria’s past within Ponyville, which is so close to the seat of our government. While some may just shake their heads and keep walking, I believe that we cannot walk away with “good enough” when we are talking about our great nation, especially with its history. I toyed with the idea of teaching a community college on the topic, but decided in favor of this book for two reasons: one being that Equestria is a great and long-lived land, with a deep, rich, fulfilling history. This history is long at best and is boring to some minds. Due to this, a book on the matter is much more easily accessible and probably more appreciated. In addition, my royal duties may greatly inhibit the amount of time I can teach any hypothetical college course.

Bear in mind, however, this is by no stretch of the imagination a "complete" history book. Think of it more as an "pocket book", if you will. I have little to no time to collaborate with fellow historians.

I appreciate you reading this, as our nation is strengthened by those who care about its history.

With regards,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Princess of Friendship, Head of the Council of Six

Final Years of the Equestrian Republic

The Final Years of the Equestrian Republic
circa 1920-2049 AW

First, it must be said that the modern Equestria possesses very few records of the time. Unfortunately, the reign of Discord - and the death and destruction that occupied it - destroyed most written accounts. Oddly, due to a strike of fate, most surviving records are not scholarly sources, but rather newspaper articles. The reason for this is not known.

While Equestria has been a Constitutional Diarchy for longer than anypony but the Royal Sisters can remember, this was not always the case. Before the reign of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and after ponies had conquered their racism and hatred, Equestria had been organized into a Republic. Laws were made by passing bills through a two-house system, with each house made of representatives sent from all corners of the land. These were then sent to the “Premier of the Republic,” who either signed the proposed bill into law or rejected it, sending it back to the two houses to consider again. If the bill was popular enough with the houses, it would override the Premier’s decision and become law. This is, of course, oversimplifying the government of the time, as what little records we have of that era are scattered and fragmented. Records also show of a functioning legal system and even remarkably advanced technologies, centuries or even millennia beyond what is known in Equestria and the world today. Sadly, these technologies were lost to ponykind soon after the Battle of the Republic.

Regardless of whatever technologies our ancestors may or may not have had, it is clear that the Republic’s days were numbered. Several different newspaper articles from across the nation consistently reference two political parties of the time: the Spirit of the Warming, a very conservative party, and the Forward-Thinkers, very liberal one. Because of how the government was structured, the two houses failed to agree on anything from everything as minor as faction of a percentage point on taxes to as major as movement of troops and military activity to counter Discord’s alarming advances. According to other fragments, large corporations also lobbied for bills that benefited them at the cost of the taxpayers and consumers. On top of that, the richest fraction of a percent the Equestrian population continuously exploited loopholes in the laws to “earn” what would amount to hundreds of millions of bits a year, by today’s currency standards, tax free. And still on top of that, while, theoretically, the nation was egalitarian, male ponies very rarely, if ever, held any form of office, be it civilian or military. This was not due to sexism from the general public, as some claim, but rather laws passed by the houses around 1895, requiring stallions who wished to run for office pay a hefty fine and complete five separate background checks, which were expensive. Various smear campaigns ran by mares who wished to retain full control of the government did not help matters. These laws were passed without objection from the Premier of the Republic, who was a mare. Meanwhile, the military, based off of the works of the matriarchal Pre-Unification Pegasi, maintained many of the discriminating features of it, particularly against stallions. Civil unrest was alarming, and some citizens accepted or even supported Discord’s attacks upon the nation. There were more grievances against the government, but in the interest of time, we will now move on.

At any rate, despite all the bad, the Republic managed to remain in power with the popular support of the citizens for almost two millennia. This is impressive, to say the least. From the scattered records, most scholars agree that Equestria relied on an unprecedented mode of communication, allowing messages through the civil population and orders through the military to travel from one corner of the nation to the other in tenths of a second. This communication, while its name was lost, along with a way to reproduce it, is know as the “Web” or the “Net” by scholars today.

When examining the Republic’s successes and failures, one must also take into account the world politics of the time. Like everything else in this period, records are inconclusive at best. However, if one analyzes what they find and also factor in what evidence she can find in the fossil record, patterns start to emerge. Careful analysis of the newspaper articles of 1910-2000 AW show a repeated reference to a “threat” of some kind. Most ponies of the modern era may think this threat is Discord, however, the first signs of him are not seen until late 2048, when reports of the Sun and Moon requiring much more force to move and weather patterns that defied the Pegasi’s control started to appear. However, what we do know is that many ponies died in between the years of 1925-1975. Add in the fact that most of the fallen were of the Pegasi, who were by far the most militaristic of the three tribes, and the fact that some of the bodies have traces of high-powered magic, and it becomes clear: Equestria was fighting foreign invasion. While this is not enough to answer the question of who, a newspaper from 1955 says:

All ponies of … advised to … and in the case of a loved one or … acting strangely, report this to … as …

The document was torn in several places, but it is clear that the article is advising everypony to be aware of changes in behavior and to report said changes. The most logical conclusion is a changeling attack on the nation. Some bio-historians has proposed a link between changelings and the windigos, that is, changelings are directly descended from windigos. This theory makes logical sense, however, it is impossible to prove, as the windigos were extinct by 15 AW.

At any rate, be it changeling or otherwise, the government’s failure to defeat the “enemy” greatly undermined the citizen’s trust in the Republic. Some even claimed that the threat was a government conspiracy to control the masses. The war finally ended in 1975 in what seemed to be an uneasy cease-fire. However, the failure of the central government would be remembered for much of Equestria's history.

By 2048, the ponies were almost in a state of rebellion, tired of high taxes, runaway inflation, an ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor, and a deteriorating standard of living. Fragments of writings that modern histories have uncovered include descriptions of tens of thousands of bit’s worth of food consumed in one massive party thrown by four of the richest Unicorn ponies, while, meanwhile, ponies from all the Tribes barely could scrape a living. While this is almost certainly an exaggeration, the idea remains.

Finally, events came to bear when, on a fall day in 2048, an unclear number of lower and middle class Earth ponies rioted against a Unicorn landlord. Soon, many other ponies, from all Tribes joined the fray, both fighting with and against the lower classes. Finally, the military was called in to address the issue. As far as we can tell, nopony was killed in the moment, but civil war was the thought on most ponies’ minds.

In a way, Equestria was lucky that Discord invaded when he did.

The Battle and Fall of the Republic

The Reign of Discord
2050-2148 AW
The Battle and Fall of the Republic
2049-2050 AW

After the Riot of 2048, Equestria was teetering on the brink of civil war. It was clear to everypony that the Republic had been ignoring the needs of the ponies served by it by accepting bribes and living in extravagance, along with the upper classes. Soon, though, something happened that changed everything.

On a cold, snowy day in 2049, Discord showed himself for the first time near a small village located near modern-day Manehatten, the cradle of pony civilization, if one could call the Three Tribes Period “civilization.” He attacked, never directly harming his victims, but subjecting them to all forms of chaos and agony.

Word of this spread swiftly, and most ponies quickly forgot about their grievances. Despite their anger at the Republic and excessively rich, the ponies of Equestria were still very proud to be Equestrian. Reforms could be enacted later; a threat to the nation, however, had to be acted on immediately. When the call to arms came and war was declared, ponies flocked to pick up weapons. It is estimated that four hundred fifty thousand unicorns, half a million earth ponies, and six hundred twenty-five thousand pegasi answered the call, for a total of one million, five hundred seventy-five thousand combat troops. This would be the largest army mobilized by Equestria until the Second Battle of Ponyville.

They met their enemy near the site of his first encounter with his soon-to-forced-subjects. When General Wind Thistle saw her adversary, she was allegedly flabbergasted when he emerged, “chuckling like a little filly.” Seeing the enemy like this, she abandoned her complicated battle plans and instead opted for a head-on assault, hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. This proved to be a great mistake.

While not even Discord takes Discord seriously, he possesses great power and, more importantly, great cunning. Even though he considers direct conflict and war beneath him, he has no issue manipulating and bending friend and foe alike to his will. Also, he often seizes control of the elements from the Tribes that control them and uses the elements against them. For instance, the army didn’t know of it, but Discord had already cast a blanket enchantment over the entire field of battle that twisted and warped spells of healing to be extremely painful or even lethal. This would prove to be confusing and demoralizing as the battle progressed and more and more ponies were wounded.

As the front lines of the army advanced, Discord reportedly, “Yawned, then checked an imaginary watch. Satisfied that he was keeping to his imagined agenda, the enemy proceed to wreck havoc within our lines.”

Now, how exactly he accomplished this not certain, as is any battle. Battle is, by definition, large-scale, confusing, and involves many ponies. All of their accounts must be taken account before a conclusion can be reached. Now, another thing to be considered is the fact that, when dealing with battle and war, both sides often hyperinflate their enemy’s forces to either excuse a defeat or make a victory seem “glorious.” The same goes for their own armies, but in reverse, lowering the numbers of their own forces.

What is clear, however, is that Discord was ruthless and efficient. When the pony army attacked him, the spirit of disharmony reportedly wrestled control of the skies from the pegasi and diverted a huge storm back at them, knocking some out of the air and forcing the others to push back. This wrecked much sorrow and confusion throughout the ranks of the land-based ponies, many of the ponies that had survived the battle claimed that by the last, most desperate phase of the combat, a F5 tornado was raging.

Meanwhile, Discord had not forgotten about the Unicorns and Earth ponies. As they advanced, he first cast a spell, trapping the Earth ponies in large soap bubbles, bringing them up high in the sky, then slowly popping them, one at a time, so they fell to their deaths. Meanwhile, he subtly played with the Unicorn’s magic, not making guaranteed changes. Rather, there was an even chance that an offensive spell cast against Discord would fail, and instead summon enormous foodstuffs, ranging from breath mints to entire wedding cakes. It was said that enough food fell from the sky that Equestria would have been well-fed, even obese, for a decade.

As innocent as this may have seemed at a brief glance, nothing was farther from the truth. While how these...interesting weapons worked is lost to history, it is clear that they were devastating.

The Equestrian Armed Forces were out of their league. They were facing a single enemy, yes. However, this single enemy possessed great power and was cunning enough to make the million-to-one ratio irrelevant. Do not misinterpret this book to be insulting Equestria’s armies, far from it. Discord was rather badly hurt in the last few moments of the battle by a small squadron of war-hardened veterans from all Tribes. All of them perished in the backlash, but Discord was forced to rest and recover for much of 2049. Regardless, by the end of the day, one hundred thousand earth ponies, seventy thousand unicorns, and one hundred twenty-five thousand pegasi were dead. While not the worst defeat Equestria had suffered, the death toll was still appalling, both then and now.

The effect the battle had on the population is not entirely clear, however, the already waning trust ponies had in the Republic continued to collapse. By 2050, the Republic was not only fighting an external enemy, but also massive internal strife. While it did not lead to open civil war, the tensions and arguments would make it hard for the Equestrian Resistance Alliance to unite as a whole and fight Discord.

Either way, the Battle of the Republic was a turning point of Equestria’s history. When Discord took the nation’s capitol in 2050, there was little resistance. It would not be until the Celestial Years of Peace that the ponies of Equestria would have regained full trust in a large, centralized Equestria.

Life Under Discord

The Reign of Discord
2050-2148 AW
Life Under Discord
2050-2148 AW

After the Republic fell, ponies continued to fight. Discord had taken the capitol without much resistance, but was forced to fight for almost 3 months to take Pegasusoplis, the final unconquered city, due to the fact that as long as one Pegasus, mare, stallion, or foal, remained alive, he or she fought bitterly. Discord even broke down and directly engaged the defenders in the last week of battle, stooping to what he thought of as an inferior level. His direct intervention is what finally ended the fight, in the summer of 2050.

With the fighting finally over, ponies had to pick up the pieces. It was a daunting task. The war had claimed almost three million lives, and had destroyed many once large, thriving metropolises. Art, technology, and literature of all kinds had been lost. With the fallen technology and cities, many ponies were back to living in straw huts, which had not happened since the Three Tribes. Equestria was in ruins, and pony civilization had just been thrown back to the Stone Age.

Discord’s rule was far from peaceful, and was chaotic, as is befitting of the master of chaos. In general, weather patterns followed and reflected Discord’s mood, though not always. Seeing as Discord is the spirit of disharmony, storms came when he was happy, and sun when he was angry (usually), contrary to what an ordinary pony may expect. Thus, hurricanes were commonplace throughout the land. In addition, the Sun and Moon were never predictable. The day might last four hours, and the night four seconds. Then, the heavenly bodies may appear alongside each other. Or maybe not. Physics went to Tartarus, and many large buildings flipped over and hovered. Even on top of this, animals exhibited many odd behaviors, such as fish being able to swim though air. Ponies themselves were not considered important, and often taken as some form of cheap entertainment to appease their overlord. Many lived in fear, with the knowledge that if he wanted, Discord could end all of pony civilization without even trying.

What’s more, the failure of the old Republic was still in the forefront of many ponies’ minds, and they lacked trust in a large, centralized government. With this distrust and political tensions, it is a wonder that ponies stayed together at all, and did not relapse back into a new Three Tribes or similar phase.

The fact is that they did not. While there were tensions and arguments, for the most part, ponies more or less united against their common foe, the hated Discord. While resistance as light in the early years, by 2085 the Equestrian Resistance Alliance had started to take action against the foreign ruler. They also wielded propaganda, spreading rumors and half-truths to great effect, managing to persuade many thousands into taking up arms when the Harmonious Revolution began. By 2095, many ponies were actively opposing Discord in one way or another, often by attempting to take control of their elements. More often than not, they failed, but occasionally they succeeded, if only briefly. It was merely a nuisance to the spirit of chaos, but it was a step in the direction of freedom.

Meanwhile, Discord became aware of the increasing resentment. He didn’t give a $@!#, though. He considered the ponies beneath him, and his victories had given him a sense of bravo. After all, Equestria was the dominant world superpower at the time, and he was but one who managed to bring it to its knees in two years. However, he seriously underestimated the Equestrian Resistance Alliance. He dismissed them as a small band of terrorists (rather hypocritical, when one considers the fact that Discord himself may be labeled as but a terrorist), and did not believe them to be large or capable of any real resistance.

However, this was not the case. Now, to be fair, the Equestrian Resistance Alliance (or, as it was known by the ponies of the time, the Equestrian Military) did act as a terrorist organization at times, often assassinating the few who co-operated with Discord. By 2135, it is estimated that one-third of all ponies were members of the Alliance, and the other two-thirds who did not want to resist Discord directly gave aid and comfort to them, sometimes more out of fear than loyalty to the state. While the Alliance was disorganized and launching small-scale attacks in the beginning, gradually they saw the need to form a larger resistance corps and launch larger, more organized assaults. And, slowly, they did indeed organize. Before Celestia and Luna took the leadership of the Alliance, however, the largest assault, coined “the Great Attack”, consisted of only two thousand ponies and was a crushing defeat for Equestria. In order to defeat Discord, larger scale attacks were needed, and somepony had to take charge, before all hope was lost.

Celestia and Luna

The Reign of Discord
2050-2148 AW
Celestia and Luna
About 2110 AW to the present day

After the Great Attack, hope was starting to fade. Some ponies started to think that Discord would reign forever. To these ones, Discord was omnipresent, and always aware of the Equestrian Armies. While the propaganda spread by the Equestrian Resistance Alliance did turn many against Discord, not all were easily turned. Some ponies even favored Discord’s rule over the corruption of the Republic. The more vocal of this group were often assassinated by the Equestrian Alliance, but the ones that kept their heads down escaped notice and attack.

As hope started to collapse on itself, some of the disorganized Alliance started to see the need for strong, efficient leaders. They started to search for a strong, powerful leader to save them from the tyranny of Discord. However, they had clashing opinions and ideas, never agreeing on who would make a good leader. Allegedly, there was few scuffles and fights over two different candidates to leadership, and civil war almost broke out...again. Luckily, Celestia and Luna sensed the growing anger and hopelessness, and chose to act immediately.

Celestia and Luna have always enjoyed a shroud of mystery when it came to their past, and very little was known of them until very recently, in the past two years, when a combination of discoveries and recent events forced the Princesses to reveal a great deal of secrets about the past. What is known is thus: around 2100, the two Princesses-to-be were born to a unicorn in the Alliance. They were fraternal twins, Celestia being only a few minutes older than Luna. The identity of the mother and father are not known, and if the Royal Sisters remember, they hold the secret close to their hearts. Regardless of their parentage, they were raised on rants of Discord’s cruelty and malice, learning to hate the enemy. By 2110, despite the fact that the two unicorns were still fillies, they were exhibiting great magical talent and understanding of tactics and politics. They attempted to stop the ponies from performing the Great Attack in 2121, claiming that they did not have the numbers or strength to defeat Discord. They were largely ignored by the Alliance, even mocked. Then, when the Attack was crushed, and their parents were killed in action, the sisters swore to never allow the Alliance to ignore them again. They started to focus on learning a great deal of magic, particularly the spells that the unicorns once used to raise the Sun and Moon. Then, on a fall day in 2130, after nine years of intensive study, they assembled some of the higher-ups of the Alliance to a demonstration, where they seized the heavenly bodies from Discord’s control by themselves. They held the link for almost fifteen minutes, until the spirit of chaos noticed the fact that the Sun occupied the sky alone, and the Moon had remained down. Angry, he channeled his force and took back control of the heavenly bodies, surprised by the new degree of resistance offered by the two unicorns, though he did not know that Celestia and Luna were the opposers.

The Alliance were astonished that these two mares, still technically fillies, managed to take over the heavenly bodies from Discord’s grasp. The entire unicorn nation had failed to do so, and these two had succeeded. What happened next, however, shocked them even more. There was a flash of light and suddenly, the two unicorns had cutie marks. One was the shape of a sun, and the other a crescent moon on inky black. Suddenly, on top of this, the two unicorns ascended to to be Alicorns, the greatest of all ponies. They had earned the ascension due to their demonstrated expertise in wielding magic, and, more importantly, though demonstrating moral fiber and a willingness to risk death and/or torture by seizing the Sun and Moon, not for themselves, but for the population they loved.

Now, many believe an Alicorn is a “pegasus unicorn”, a combination of a pegasus and a unicorn. While this is technically true, it is not the full truth. The problem with “pegasus unicorn” is that the term ignores the Earth Ponies. One must not forget that while an Alicorn does indeed gain the speed and flight of the pegasus, and the magic of a unicorn, he or she also gains the strength and stamina of the Earth Pony.

Most of the ponies assembled bowed and declared the two sisters to be their leaders, and later their rulers.

However, not all ponies accepted the sisters. One faction broke off soon after this declaration, claiming that the Alliance needed no leader, and resistance is hopeless. Mostly earth ponies, this faction fled north, to return to the ancestral home of ponies, from before the Three Tribes. They traveled for many weeks, heading farther and farther north until they arrived at an area rich with crystals, outside of Discord’s influence. There, they settled, founding what would become the Crystal Empire. This book will not go over the history of this neighboring realm in any great detail, but know that it had a very rough history, torn by war, enslavement, and famine.

Having taken control of the Alliance, the sisters re-organized the Equestrian Resistance Alliance, building soldiers from farmers and warriors from former politicians. This was a massive undertaking. To put out some numbers, it is estimated that five million ponies were members of the Alliance upon the Declaration of Equestrian Sovereignty, that kick-started the Harmonious Revolution. The task of organizing and arming these makeshift soldiers took thirteen years, and barely escaped notice, with meetings being held deep underground or in what little patches of clouds that the pegasi had managed to seize. When all was in order, and with the Alliance more or less united behind two effective leaders, the time had come for revolution. Thus, in 2143, the Royal Sisters declared that Equestria was an independent nation, sovereign by itself, and not bound to Discord’s overlordship, sparking the single most bloody war in Equestrian history.

The Harmonious Revolution

The Reign of Discord
2050-2148 AW
The Harmonious Revolution or The Three Battles of Harmony
2143-2148 AW

Phase One: Declaration (2143)

As with almost all revolutions, the Harmonious Revolution started with a declaration. This document is known by many names, including the Declaration of Equestrian Sovereignty, the Declaration of Harmony, the Declaration of War and Revolution, and the Declaration of the End of Chaos. No matter what it is called, the document declared that Equestria was a nation on its own, and Discord was no more than a foreign criminal, with no right to rule Equestria. Appropriately enough, the Declaration was signed on Hearth’s Warming Eve in 2143 by the Royal Sisters and every member of the Alliance that could make it to the secret council held on the fridge of the modern-day Everfree Forest, numbering around nine thousand. The signing lasted for almost three days, and by the end, the document stretched for several hundred pages.

News of the declaration spread like wildfire, engulfing the land. In almost every village, ponies rallied, cheering and weeping for the newly independent nation. Arms were distributed to everypony, regardless of age or gender. The drums of war were heard in every corner of the land, and trumpets blared as the ponies rose up in revolution.

War was upon Discord. While he remembered the Battle of the Republic, and he was no stranger to the nuncieses of combat, never before he he seen an entire population rise up so completely against anybody. As riots broke out and armed rebellion began, he struggled to put down the Harmonious Revolution. He quickly learned, however, Equestria was waging a total war. Absolutely everything, civilian or military, was levied to maximum. All ponies were expected to contribute in some way to the war effort, be it by fighting, smithing, or some other means. As 2143 ended, most everypony considered themselves ready for open war and direct confrontation.

Phase Two: Early Defeats (2144-2147)

However much they thought they were ready, though, the Equestrians were losers on the field of battle. In 2144, the ponies clashed with Discord outside a small settlement that would gradually evolve (after its utter destruction) to become Ponyville. Known as the First Battle of Ponyville nowadays, (although, there was no Ponyville at that time), the battle was brutal. As brave and determined the ponies were, Discord was still extremely powerful and cunning, able to easily defeat the two hundred thousand ponies that attacked him. The battle lasted for three days, and by the night of the third day, the battle had slain thousands. The Army of Equestria retreated, blowing horns and carrying the wounded.

After this shocking defeat, Equestria quickly changed tactics. Instead of meeting Discord in open battle, Celestia and Luna had the Alliance instead fight on the homefront: small local rebellions, and plenty of them. They knew that mighty as Discord was, he could not possibly put down very last rebellion.

However, Discord was aware of this, and he enlisted help in the form of the old ancestral enemies of ponies: Changelings. Now, this was one of Discord’s greatest mistakes. To put it bluntly, allying with the Changelings is one surefire way to piss everypony off.

And pissed off they were. Membership in the Alliance doubled after Changelings were first spotted. Many once-defectors switched sides back to Equestria, and even a few of the ponies from the Crystal Empire returned to assist their friends against the hated Changelings. In the years 2144-2146, thousands of skirmishes and minor engagements were fought against Discord and his Changelings. As a rule, the ponies tended to be very successful in small-scale battles, often driving back Changelings with few casualties.

War was the new trade of Equestria. After several years of fighting on the homefront, Celestia and Luna decided to once again risk open war. They marshalled an army of almost one million strong to face an army of Changelings at the Battle of Ghastly Gorge in late 2146. The Changelings numbered about one hundred thousand.

On the first day of battle, all seemed to be well. The ponies shoved the lesser force of Changelings around, commanding the battlefield. The ponies had taken very few casualties. Celestia and Luna fought on the front lines themselves, wielding their powerful magic to great effect, annihilating the enemy. However, the trap would come that night.

According to logs kept by the sisters and warriors, it was about three o’clock in the morning when an elite force of Changelings raided the camp where the ponies were stationed. It was slaughter. It was followed up by a much larger force of Changelings the next morning, and several ponies who turned their weapons on their fellows, due to the fact they weren’t ponies at all, but rather Changelings planted the night before. The battle quickly fell into disarray, and the Changeling forces capitalized on this, crushing the army.

The battle ended after two days, with over five hundred thousand dead or wounded, more than half. By comparison, the Changeling force, in spite of being outnumbered ten to one, had lost about forty thousand combat troops, most from the first day of battle.

Phase Three: New Plans and the Elements of Harmony (2147)

It was clear to everypony who looked that something had to change. Discord remained as mighty and strong as ever, and his Changeling armies, while they had taken damage, seemed to be never-ending. It became clear that the ponies could not defeat Discord though the force of arms. Rather, something else had to happen.

Rumors of a powerful magic deep within what would later be called the Everfree Forest started to surface. Princess Celestia and Luna spent many months researching the so-called “divine power” before finally deciding to explore themselves. Their first expedition took place in the summer of 2147, and they explored much of the northern and western half of the forest. Nothing was discovered.

Discouraged, the expedition returned. The Harmonious Revolution seemed to be collapsing, no long a possible thing. When Celestia proposed another exploration, nopony responded.

Celestia was angered by the general apathy, and proposed to her sister, Why don’t we explore the eastern portion of the Everfree ourselves. Luna agreed, and they set off alone, to try to find mythical Elements of Harmony. The voyage lasted for many weeks, for only the pony(ies) who were pure of heart and absolutely determined could find the Elements. It is said that the Elements presented the Alicorns with trials, to test their charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, and optimism, to see if they truly did have the sacred right to posses the Elements. The Princesses refuse to discuss the trials that they faced, if they did at all.

Regardless, the sisters did eventually discover the Elements of Harmony. The sisters remember finding the Tree within a cave as stumbling into some kind of paradise. The Tree was strong enough to not only resist Discord’s magic, but also regulate the conditions of the cave and push back against Discord.

Embedded in the Tree of Harmony, if one thinks of the Elements and Tree, the best way of thinking of them is that the Elements both amplifies internal magic and taps into a force that resides in us all, the force that the Windigos found to be poisonous to hatred. The Tree, in turn, acts as some kind of power manger and battery, able to draw in more power than it needs to sustain its magic. In turn, the Tree stores the magic power for later use. This is how the Tree was able to regulate the Everfree Forest for over a thousand years after the Elements were removed. We will cover the Elements of Harmony and the Tree more in depth later in this book.

With the Elements of Harmony, Celestia and Luna felt that the time to advance against Discord and make a stand for Equestria had come. First, though, they had to convince the ponies of Equestria that it worth fighting for independence.

They called an emergency meeting of the Alliance, claiming to have found “the divine power with which we will defeat Discord once and for all, and banish him from this realm forevermore.” Interested, a huge number of ponies showed up, almost a million. The Alliance was lucky that at the time, Discord was preoccupied with a massive uprising at Pegasusoplis.

The sisters demonstrated the power of the Elements in a rather foalish and reckless move: they repeated the feat that earned their fame and Alicorn status. Using the combined power of the Elements and their own natural affinity for the heavenly bodies, they once again seized the Sun and Moon, showing that Discord’s power was no match for both the sisters’ and the Elements’.

Discord noticed this, and attempted to take back the heavens, only to fail miserably. This worried him, though he did have a plan. He had heard the rumors of the Tree, and decided to move his “capital” (if one can call a lone throne on a small hill a capital) to near where he suspected the Tree to be. After he completed that, he started sowing “plunder seeds” in the ground in the area, expecting that the seeds would be able to grow up and steal the magic from the Tree of Harmony. Thus, he was unconcerned as the ponies mobilized for one last battle in one last, desperate attempt to overthrow the tyrant and establish Equestrian sovereignty.

Phase Four: The Second Battle of Ponyville, Collapse of the Reign of Discord (2148)
Preparation

The final battle approached. Celestia and Luna knew it. The Alliance knew it. The Changelings knew it. Discord probably knew it, but it is impossible to tell with that one. Accordingly, Celestia and Luna threw in everything. Ponies everywhere answered the call to arms, young and old, stallion and mare, pegasus to unicorn to earth pony, from the north to the south, east to west. The newly formed Crystal Empire even sent a small army to assist. Allegedly, a few tribes of Zebras and Buffalo, fearing for their safety should Discord move on, joined forces with the ponies. On top of that, even some xenophobic griffons ambushed the Changelings part way through the Second Battle of Ponyville, much to the surprise of everypony, changelings and ponies alike
.

The preparations for war took the greater part of 2148. By November of the year, the army for Equestria was numbering something approaching three million.

Let us pause for a moment and consider the logistical expertise and experience required to mobilize such a massive force. On top of that, one must consider the extreme cost to upkeep such an army. Remember that each warrior has to eat, and have equipment. Also, armor and weapons have a nasty habit of breaking and wearing out.

Equestria rose heroically to the challenge, producing tens of thousands of sets of armor in a month, raising a great deal of crops, and otherwise making sacrifices to maintain such an army. Meanwhile, the Princesses-to-be were drawing up battle plans and discussing the upcoming battle.

On the other side, the changelings were not idle. They were arming themselves and otherwise preparing for war, as well. They saw the fire in the ponies, and knew that this would not be an easy win. The changeling general recalled all her armies in preparation to launch a massive assault against the rebels. Unfortunately for her, the Royal Sisters saw this, and ordered the Army of Equestria to harass, raid, and otherwise try to stop the changelings from meeting their fellows.

The action is regarded as one of the wisest in military history. Most scholars agree that if the force of ponies where to meet the full might of the Changelings hoof to hoof, the rebels would have been crushed. This way, Celestia and Luna manipulated the situation so that they could exploit their number superiority to compensate for the fact that in a straight-up duel, changelings were vastly superior soldiers to the poorly (if at all) trained pony warriors.

These military deployments and plots certainly help, but Discord was still the main threat, not the changelings. As the Revolution had proved that armies were of no use against Discord, Celestia and Luna decided to use the battle as an elaborate smokescreen to distract the changelings. Then, they could take the Elements and challenge Discord directly.

Battle

The Sisters, in the deep winter of 2148, decided that the time had come. On November 20, they began moving their enormous army to the settlement later known as Ponyville. As the muster point was about ten miles north of present-day Canterlot, it was about a fifty mile trek. The voyage took almost all of five days, due to the slow speed of some of the ballista and catapults the army was towing. They were attacked while on the march two times by changeling forces. Both times, the fighting was light, as the changelings unwilling to commit to an extended battle.

On November 25, the army finally arrived and began fortifying the settlement, which took the better part of two days. It was very early November 28 when the enemy army first appeared. A vast host of changelings appeared over a nearby hill. The Royal Sisters knew that they had to attack before night, else the changelings infiltrate the army they had built. First though, they fashioned a flag of truce and met with the changeling leaders. Luna kept a log of the very brief conversation:

Changeling Leader: What do you want?
Celestia: We offer peace and friendship with you and your people. We have no quarrel with you, merely with Discord. Stand aside, and we will guarantee your safety. No harm will come to you.
Changeling Leader: We have sworn to assist and protect Discord, and so we shall. Disband your troops and surrender your weapons. Only then will there be peace.
Luna: Very well! The hoof of friendship has become the buck of war! Just remember, you brought this upon yourself.

That concluded negotiations.

Celestia and Luna returned to their army, and delivered a speech. It went as follows, delivered by Luna:

“Ponies of Equestria! Unicorns! Pegasi! and Earth Ponies! Our herd. We see it in your eyes. The very fear that would take our hearts in a second. Know this! A day may come, when the courage of ponykind fails. When we abandon family and break all bonds of friendship. Not today! An hour of hatred, an hour of sorrow when the Fire of Friendship is snuffed out, never to be relit! But this day is not that day! For this day we fight! So this day, remember your family, remember your friends!” Here Celestia joined in and bellowed alongside her sister. “WE BID YOU STAND, PONIES OF EQUESTRIA!!”

As one, the ponies lowered their spears and adopted a defensive stance, preparing for the attack. And the attack came. The Changelings surged forth, many getting caught on the spears or falling to arrows. And so the battle began.

Now, one must consider that, while in the grand plan, the battle was merely a distraction, the ponies considered it to be the real thing. Commanders of the pony forces reasoned that if they are going to throw themselves into this battle, they may as well earn something from it. As such, the army quickly sought to envelope the changeling lines and encircle them, which would allow them to abuse their numerical superiority. The changelings saw this coming, and fought back the flanks of the pony lines. After this, the whole battle collapsed into chaos and confusion, and little is known.

Meanwhile, Celestia and Luna fought alongside their troops for about two hours until they decided to move. They quickly slipped away from the battle, managing to avoid detection from changeling fighters, and moved to attack Discord directly.

Discord saw them coming, but was confident that his plunder seeds would be able to steal the magic they wielded. He thus adopted a cocky and smug attitude while addressing them. Also, despite hearing about them, Discord had never seen the Elements of Harmony. Thus, when the Alicorns brought them out of their bags, Discord did not believe that such unremarkable things could be the Elements. So confident was he that he failed to notice the magic-infused rainbow that arched down to petrify him. Thus, Equestria’s foreign tyrant was defeated.

Meanwhile, the battle against the changelings was progressing poorly. While the ponies were technically winning, the battle was costing many lives. However, this would change when a large squadron of griffons, numbering some fifty or so strong, attacked the changelings in the air, taking a great deal of pressure off of the pegasus forces. The militaristic Griffons were brilliant fighters, able to cause severe damage despite their small numbers. This continued for some time until the two Alicorn leaders flew onto the middle of the battlefield, with a petrified Discord in their magical grasp. They demanded the changeling’s surrender, explaining that they snuck past the changelings, crushing Discord’s magic. Most of the changeling’s surrendered on the spot. A few continued to resist, but it was over. Equestria was free. The war was not cheap or easy, though.

END OF THE REIGN OF DISCORD

Transition and Separation

Author's Note

WARNING: Headcanon incoming.

Much of Equestria's government had been left to the fans to decide and create. Thus, I have. In writing this, I have attempted to give Celestia and Luna a good deal of power to do what they do in the show, while allowing the ponies to still exhibit a degree of control over the government. That said, here it is.

Oh, and also: I own no part of "For A United Equestria". That is the work of quite a few people, most notably Carbon Maestro. Not one of those people is me.

Transition and Separation

For a United Equestria can be found here.

Age of Reconstruction
2149-2158 AW
Transition and Separation
Founding of Equestrian Diarchy with the Constitution of Equestria: 2151 AW
Succession of the Anti-Royalists: 2151-2155 AW

In 2150, the ponies started to charter Equestria’s new government. This process started in the summer of that year and ended in the late winter to early spring of 2151. The convention consisted of one hundred twenty one delegates (at the start) drawn from throughout the land, some from the far north, some from the south, and everyplace in between. It was held near Pegasusoplis, probably due to the fact that that city was one of the few that still had any structure left to it at all. All these meetings where absolutely and completely confidential, with the delegates forbidden to discuss anything regarding the possible constitution they were writing. This was meant to avoid one’s friends or colleagues from influencing the propositions, for the delegates were chosen for their political knowledge and level headedness. Complicating the council with political agendas and opinions would have ended disastrously. Finally, neither Celestia nor Luna were allowed into the convention, for fear that if they expressed an opinion, the delegates would be persuaded or intimidated into agreeing with them.

The meetings of the council were held every second day, giving the delegates ample time to think over the propositions made by the ponies the last meeting before voting the next meeting. Each proposition had to gather two-thirds support to pass, that is, eighty supporters, before it would become an official provision of the Equestrian Constitution.

As far as the actual government went, the single largest argument and debate was of what kind of government the pony nation would follow. This set of debates would last from the founding of the Convention to late October, when it was agreed that there would be a constitutional diarchy. The resolution past only by a vote of eighty-one to forty.

Now, the first vote regarding this occurred in the late summer and failed by a large margin, gathering forty-six votes for to seventy-five against. The vote was cast at least six times after the first, slowly gaining more and more support. Numerous compromises were struck. For instance, the original proposition had a very limited court system, and no method of challenging edicts issued by the Princesses. After a few discussions and debates that shook the city above, the Royalists agreed to install a complex court system and add a mechanism to repeal edicts that were considered improper by the population. The process is simple: any grivencing party had to collect a petition of one hundred thousand signatures. Then, the topic would be put to a general vote, requiring a supermajority (two-thirds vote) to repeal the law. In addition, they also passed a few restrictions on what laws the diarchs could and could not pass. For instance, most feared that the royals could raise taxes and enrich themselves at the expense of the common ponies. To compromise, the delegates agreed that all money raised from taxes had to be logged, and deposited directly into a national treasury. On top of that, any raise in taxes had to be presented to a committee of no less that ten and no more than twenty ponies, along with the reason for the raise. In return, the Royalists earned twenty-two votes, for a total of sixty-eight.

This was not enough votes, of course. A few groups consisted of two or three and their votes were won after a few minor compromises, such as the creation of an independent ministry to address the finances of the state and the changing of the title from “Queen” to “Princess”. This was because, due to the Reign of Discord, ponies feared that a “Queen” would try to take Discord’s place, oppressing the ponies’ opinions. By changing the title, the delegates believed that, instead of setting up an autocratic Queen, they were setting up a leader or set of leaders that made decisions for them, but were answerable to the ponies they governed. This compromise brought the Royalists’ cause to seventy-five, still not critical mass.

The final compromise that had to made to earn the final six votes regarded the army and the ability of the royals to declare and wage war, alongside a mechanism to remove a leader from power if she made too many transgressions. The Royalists wanted to allow the Princesses to wage war with little penalty and be able to move troops of the newly-formed nation freely, citing the very valid idea that the military had to be fast and fluid to oppose threats and defend the nation. Their opposition were appalled at this idea, pointing out the also valid point that the ability to wage war without consequence could bankrupt the nation and the power to move troops could be used to intimate the population and stifle freedoms. In addition, in the case a thing like this still managed to happen, the faction wanted a procedure to replace the offending leader.

After furious arguments and debates, a compromise was reached. The Princesses could move troops freely for one month without consequence, to respond to national threat or disaster. After this grace period, the Princesses must present the reason for the movement to a committee of randomly selected citizens of Equestria, who would decide if the reason was valid or not. In the case it was not valid, the troops would be transferred to a special general, who would station the forces at the nearest military base while an investigation into the Princess’s action was conducted. If the committee found the dispatch and movement valid, they would decide whether or not to renew the “licence” for another month. In the case of war, the Princesses were permitted to declare war immediately if the enemy had conducted military operations against any city or settlement of Equestria. If they wished to go to war for some other reason, it was mandated that the Princesses first discuss the reason with the Equestrian population as a whole and put the proposition to a popular vote. The vote had to secure seventy five percent of the general population in order to pass. While at war, the Princesses were in total and complete control to the military, and could add “Warmisteress of Equestria” to her title(s). On paper, the Princesses were not allowed to conduct military operations against any foreign power without a declaration of war. However, when the Princesses took preemptive actions against Lord Tierk in the modern day...that law was somewhat forgotten.

In addition, the delegates agreed on a method of stripping a Princess of Equestria of her power. This could only be done in the case of “gross negligence to the country, stealing from the national treasury, warmongering, diplomatic misconduct, or high treason.” In order for an impeachment to be successful, the grievances were to be raised by a special committee that can be called by any citizen that could prove their claims. Note that, to discourage citizens from filing grievances for no real reason, the penalty for failing to prove claims was harsh, with up to fifty years in a federal prison and a fine that would equal forty million bits in today’s currency. If successful (eighty percent of the committee must agree for it to be successful), the Princess in question is to be suspended, and a popular vote is to occur. If the vote successful, gathering at least eighty-five percent of all the population, not just the voters, the Princess would be stripped of her title and citizenship, and banished from all of Equestria’s holdings. If the vote fails, but gathers at least seventy percent, the Princess will remained suspended for six months, and an investigation would occur. In something incriminating is found, the evidence would be shared and the vote cast again. Less, and the Princess would be reinstated, but an investigation would still occur. In the case the committee failed to find enough evidence to bring charges, nothing would happen, the pony that aired the grievances would be punished, and the case would be dropped. With this, the final votes were received, and eighty one votes were cast in favor of a constitutional diarchy.

There was a huge outrage when the vote narrowly past and a faction of thirteen delegates insisted that the decision be declared invalid. When the eighty one refused, five delegates declared that “Equestria has no ruler, and Equestria needs no ruler,” and left the council, never to return. Thus the conventions shrunk to one hundred sixteen.

The question of government settled, there was still some questions to be answered. For instance, How would treaties be decided? What if the Princesses signs a treaty that the population rejects? And finally, how would succession of the Princesses occur, should one grow old and die?

The first question was rather simple. For trade agreements and other “minor” treaties, the constitution allowed for the creation of a diplomatic department, which would negotiate on behalf of the Princesses, and, by extension, the ponies of Equestria. A “major” treaty, such as a peace treaty or purchase or sale of land, however, required both Princesses to negotiate and agree to the treaty in question. As for the second question, all “major” treaties had to be ratified by a supermajority of the Equestrian population. If a significant portion of the population disagreed with a “minor” treaty, it would be put to a vote, requiring a simple majority.

Finally, the debate of succession lasted from mid November to the new year. After numerous compromises, the following deal was struck: the Princesses could name a successor to the throne. However, the successor in question had to “prove themselves worthy of this high honor not only by possessing the skills, but also the high ideals Equestria is founded upon.” According to earlier in the document, this is namely that of being a leader to all in harmony, friendship, and love. To this effect, a successor could take power immediately, but for the first year was a period of probation, in which all decisions made by her had to be ratified by any existing leader. If no leader was still alive, a small committee of ponies drawn due to their knowledge of law and politics would serve as the ratifying group.

There were a few other minor decisions that took to February of 2151. For instance, the final wording of the preamble of the Constitution was decided. It went as follows:

We, the Ponies of Equestria, in order to better forge the bounds of love, to renew our circle of fellowship, and to continue to sustain the Fire of Friendship, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the sovereign nation of Equestria. May all three tribes live in harmony forevermore.

Finally, the last decision was the arguably one of the most interesting. In late February to early March, the delegates agreed upon an anthem for the new nation. This was not a part of the constitution, but the delegates still wanted a to form a strong, unified base for Equestria, and they felt a great way to so that was to declare an official anthem for the nation. It was called “Quia Unita Equus Terra” which roughly translates into “For An United Equestria” from Ancient Equestrian. In Modern Equestrian, the lyrics translate to:

United we stand,
Divided we fall.
From plains,
To shining sea,
We breathe,
Flourish,
Love,
And live.
Equestria,
it's a place worth
living.

This would be the anthem of Equestria all the way up to the Lunar Restoration, when a new anthem would be selected to celebrate the return of Princess Luna.

Finally, with the convention over, the document had to be presented to the ponies of Equestria. The document required a supermajority of the citizens of Equestria to ratify it. Due to some well-placed propaganda and a near-universal love and support for Celestia and Luna, the constitution was ratified on April 1, 2151.

Now, not everypony was satisfied with this decision. Like the convention, a sizeable fraction of ponies, about fifteen percent of the population, where shocked and appalled at the idea that Equestria now had a set of powerful rulers. Most of these dissenters were appeased over the course of a few years, with the Princesses passing several reform laws. However, an even smaller portion of the population took drastic action quickly instead of waiting patiently for the government to act. Quickly, these separatists took up the title of Anti-Royalists and declared that Equestria was not Equestria if it was led by a royal. To them, Equestria was, and should be, only a republic. They left Equestria, some settling in the Crystal Empire for a while, and others crossing the East Sea, eventually finding land and settling, founding the nation now known as Saddle Arabia. They have remained a republic ever since their founding, and have had their fair share of troubles. However, they have more or less managed to prosper for over a thousand years.

The Princesses learned of the “rebellion,” if you will. They considered taking military action against the Saddle Arabians, but decided against it. The reasons for this was many and varied, but foremost was that the Constitution outlined ideas of friendship and harmony. Taking open military action against this seemed to run counter, seeing as the citizens had hadn’t technically done anything wrong, for the land they claimed did not belong to any nation, nor were they violent in the separation. Add to that the more practical fact that Equestria had neither the ponypower or the resources to wage a civil war against a very different faction, idealistically speaking, and allowing the separatists to leave peacefully seems to be a very appealing option.

Gradually, leave they did. The departure lasted for four years, and it is estimated that about ten thousand ponies left to form Saddle Arabia, found various city states, such as Maretonia, or swell the numbers of the Crystal Empire. The Princesses realized that ponies of Equestria would likely not support a war against these separatists, and sought a diplomatic alliance with them. This political maneuvering and manipulation will last for a long time. For instance, an alliance with the Crystal Empire would take a long time to form. Only the threat of a common foe would allow the two pony nations to work together.

Social and Economic Reform

Age of Reconstruction
2149-2158 AW
Social and Economic Reform
Currency Act: 2153 AW
Edic Against Discriminatory Action: 2155 AW
Military Intervention Against Discrimination: 2155-2159 AW
Amendment Regarding the Rights of the Ponies of Equestria: 2156 AW
Declaration of Intent to Seize Lands Possessed by Changelings: 2158 AW

With their hooves on the reins of power, the Royal Sisters had decisions to make. Would they focus on reforms or foreign diplomacy first? Would they maintain the same standards of the Republic, or would they start fresh?

To this effect, the Currency Act was issued. This act remains, if not the most, one of the most controversial acts ever passed by the Equestrian Diarchy to this day. In it, the sisters declared that any currency possessed during the time of the Republic would no longer be honored by the government. Rather, the central government would issue bits, which remains the currency of Equestria to this day.

Seeing as nopony had bits, this edict effectively sent everypony back to square one. The rich suddenly on the same level of the ones who, only a century ago, they had looked down upon with disgust. Therefor, this act was unpopular with them.

However, seeing as the former rich and wealthy made up no more than two percent of the nation, all attempts to repeal the act failed miserably. This is curious, as a pony might think that the middle class of Equestria would have disagreed with this edict. After all, the middle class would have had something to lose, as well.

Careful analysis of records from just before the fall of the Republic shed some light on this matter. Records that date back to just before the fall indicate that the “middle class” was actually very small and not all that rich. The upper middle class consisted of only five percent of the nation, and they earned the equivalent of eighteen thousand bits a year. The lower middle class was only fifteen percent, earning an average of twelve thousand bits. (Bear in mind that the cost of living was much higher due to inflation, over fifteen thousand bits a year, and it only stopped rising due to the fall of Republican Equestria) The lower class had everypony else, with over thirty percent of the population living below the poverty line, and at least twenty percent homeless. What’s more, over twenty five houses or apartments were empty for every homeless family. All these played a role, not to mention the fact that the middle and lower classes shared the view that that the upper classes were nothing more than a collection of stuck-up, arrogant, whiney fools who indirectly contributed to the failure of the Republic. Add these together, and it becomes clear why the Currency Act passed.

Now, with everypony starting fresh with a new lease on life, old patterns began to resurface. Often, discriminatory action, left over from the Three Tribes Period and the Republic, could be seen throughout pony society, most notably in the pegasi-dominated military. It was rare for any talented unicorn or earth pony to receive a commission, and unheard-of for there to be a unicorn/earth pony general. It is possible, though not statistically likely, that this was not discrimination, rather there simply no cases of sufficiently skilled soldiers in the other tribes. As before mentioned, this was more than slightly unlikely. To give a comparison, it is more likely that Discord managed to break free of his stone prison, and replace the stone statue with a fake, then sneak off and found his own nation with a willing population.

Princess Celestia and Luna was aware of this. They also knew that, if this action were to continue, it could very well rip apart the nation. Action had to be taken swiftly, and, unlike the Republic, reforms had to be enforced. Many reform acts were passed by the Republic of Equestria, but they were barely, if at all, enforced.

The Royal Sisters’ answer was threefold. First, they passed an edict declaring discriminatory action to be on par with “treason against the high ideals upon which Equestria is founded.” As such, those actions would be punishable by the same penalties allotted to perpetrators of high treason. After the edict was issued, the Princesses began phase two. Phase two involved a complete reform and restructure of military command, placing skilled ponies from all Tribes in positions of authority. They were required to swear to always and faithfully obey the Edict Against Discriminatory Action.

Finally, phase three. The Princesses moved troops into every settlement of ponies, with orders to arrest anypony who presented any form of discrimination. Between the years of 2155 and 2159, when the troops were pulled to invade changeling lands, several hundred ponies were arrested on charges of high treason. The penalty at the time was fifty five years in the federal prison and a fine of two million bits. It is said that the national treasury doubled in size be because of the fines.

Following up the edict, the Princesses proposed the Amendment Regarding the Rights of the Ponies of Equestria. The document is still on display today in the Canterlot Archives. In it, basic rights to the common pony were outlined and detailed. For as revolutionary and bold the Constitution was and is, no part of it outlined basic rights.

According to the document, these rights were guaranteed to all citizens of Equestria

The right to speak one's mind.
The right to petition the government, dissent, and protest peacefully
The right to carry weapons and train with them
The right to receive equal opportunity regardless of Tribe, excepting cases of Tribe-specific jobs (for example, weather control for non-pegasi.) The final authority on what counted as a Tribe specific job was the Princesses.
The right to refuse to answer a question in court, and and to not have above-mentioned refusal be taken as an admission of guilt. This only applies to questions asked regarding the pony in question, not to questions posed about family, friends, etc.
The right to a fair trail by jury, and to a state-paid lawyer to represent the pony in question in above-mentioned court.
The right to deny officers of the law or military the ability to search and/or seize themselves and/or the pony's property, excepting cases where a court of law has decides there is "amble evidence" to warrant such a search/seizure.
The right to other rights not necessarily outlined in this document.

With the domestic stability more or less achieved, the Princesses turned their attention to outside the borders of their realm. In 2156, the Royal Sisters stepped up the training and funding of the Equestrian Military, converting the poorly-trained warriors of the Harmonious Revolution to hardened, battle-ready soldiers that would be the envy of the world. The Sisters believed that it was Equestria’s “Manifest Destiny” to spread across the continent that they were upon. Much of this land was once controlled by the Equestrian Republic, taken by the Changelings after Discord was overthrown. Finally, it was time to return to the stage of world politics and remind the world of the power of harmony.

New Challenges

New Challenges
2159-2188 AW (and beyond)

From the Reign of Discord, ponykind has made a great deal of progress thus far in our tale. The nation has a functioning government, a new currency. The ponies have managed to more or less overcome a feeling of discrimination against each other, and the society was at least relatively united. That is good, because while the nation had defeated one enemy, many more still awaited their turn to challenge the nation of ponies, each one with their own type of threat. The next century would shape our nation, changing it, bending it, forging it. In the end, the pony nation that emerged from the Celestial Years of Peace would not recognize the nation that entered the War of Bloodied Crystals, or the nation that decided to strike at Lord Tirek. When all is said and done, these events would set the world stage for ponies to dominate and control world politics for centuries to come.

Military Expansion

New Challenges
2159-2188 AW
Military Expansion
Expansion: 2159-2171 AW
Attack on Pegasusoplis: 2168 AW
Treaty of the Alliance: 2171 AW
Economic Crises: 2170-2173 AW

Whether or not this is considered a war is hotly debated by scholars. Technically speaking, the Harmonious Revolution had put the ponies in a state of war against changeling forces that was never repealed. However, one could also argue that the war was against Discord, not changelings. Therefor, because no declaration of war was past, the troop movements were violating Equestrian law. Also, another possible reason for the war was ponies who lived in cities under changeling control were once Equestrian citizens, often related to current Equestrian citizens. Securing those cities were a huge step to guaranteeing popular support by current citizens. On top of that, adding citizens would open up the ability to raise revenue without raising taxes, in addition to increasing the potential military capability of the young nation.

Legal or illegal, the Princesses considered themselves to be at war against the neighboring changeling lands. And, with reform acts successfully past, popular support with the Princesses were at an extreme high, so nopony questioned their decision to attack. In 2159, military forces were pulled from within the nation to invade and conquer lands controlled by the changeling legions.

First, the pony armies chased the changelings out the Everfree Forest, with the Battle of the Ghastly Gorge in February 2160 securing and stopping future raids against the pony nation.

After those advances, the Royal Sisters turned east, looking to claim the three east coast cities, that is, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, and Manehattan. These three cities were all controlled by the same changeling nation, with the seat of their power located in what is today known as Hollow Shades. An invasion against the changelings commenced in July of 2160 and lasted for three years. It finally ended in the Battle of Two Moons, which, as the name suggests, lasted for two lunar months (about 58 days). The result: utter devastation of the changeling government, and complete annexation of all of their territory.

The invasion concluded, with the young nation on top. Between the two campaigns, the loss of pony life was rather low, less than five thousand. Feeling invincible, Equestrian forces struck against Las Pegasus in 2165.

That was a terrible mistake. The Third Army of Equestria, numbering around ten thousand hooves strong, clashed with a changeling/buffalo allied force. Their numbers are not known, but are estimated to have been at least fifty thousand strong. It is also believed that the changelings infiltrated the core of the army’s leadership, leading to poor maneuvers. The details of battle are vague at best, due to the fact that only fifteen ponies escaped the slaughter.

Now, the reason for the joint Changeling-Buffalo Alliance was befuddling to the Equestrian government at the time. Past records and patterns indicate that the Royal Sisters had little to no interest in the San Palomino Desert. In addition, nopony, as far as known to modern scholars, had provoked the buffalo into a state of war.

A complete investigation was launched by the Royal Sisters. This operation lasted for several years. Meanwhile, an offensive was launched by the First and Second Armies of Equestria against the western and north western territories. By 2168, the Smokey Mountains and over seventy-five percent of the Unicorn Range were secured and under occupation by Equestrian troops.

However, the offensive war had left the interior of the nation vulnerable to lightning attack. With the Fourth and Fifth Armies of Equestria still suppressing resistance on the Eastern Front, the First and Second out conquering land, and the Third Army completely destroyed, the defensive capabilities of the nation were greatly reduced. This was exploited by a group of Changeling soldiers. Estimated to be five hundred strong, the ancient enemy of ponies struck deep into Equestrian territory, striking Pegasusoplis on August 4, 2168 AW. They overwhelmed the weakened militia in less than two hours, and occupied the city for upwards of a year, before the Fourth Army was able to return and challenge the invaders on June 24, 2169, driving the invaders away by June 26.

While not a critically wounding defeat, the blow was devastating to Equestrian morale. The nation had failed to defend itself against the “dark wings of the enemy.” Civil unrest spiked, as more and more citizens became concerned about their own safety. In response to the unrest and anxiety, Princess Celestia and Luna declared their intent to expand the armed forces. The request for volunteers went over very well, all things considered, with sixty thousand ponies, most from the newly conquered lands, volunteering for military service.

With these volunteers, by late 2170, the Third Army was rebuilt, and five new armies were commissioned into service. The Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Armies were built, and the First and Fifth Armies were assigned to permanently defend the eastern and western territories, respectively. Without delay, the Eighth and Tenth Armies were dispatched alongside the Second to complete the northern front. The Smokey Mountains were conquered by 2171, and the ponies laid siege to Yanhoover soon after.

Meanwhile, Las Pegasus had not been forgotten. Equestrian intelligence revealed that the Buffalo-Changeling alliance was formed because of a changeling infiltration. The Chief of the Buffalo had been killed, and replaced by a changeling. Princess Celestia and Luna dispatched an ambassador to inform the buffalo of the treachery.

To say that some of the buffalo were outraged would be an understatement. After all, the buffalo were - and is - an old and proud race, which had no argument against Equestria. The very idea that someone infiltrated them is toxic. However, the sword cuts both ways. Many buffalo denied the charges, forming an army and spat upon the ones who dared accuse their mighty chief. The buffalo divided, with over half of the population rejecting the others and declaring war on Equestria. The rebels offered to support the nation in the war to capture Las Pegasus in exchange for two things: military support in defeating their enemy buffalo, and a treaty prohibiting the settlement of the San Palomino Desert “from now, everon.” In addition, if they failed to defeat the Buffalo, the rebels wanted political asylum.

Princess Celestia and Luna were all too painfully aware that, even though they had greatly expanded the military, many of the troops were rather hastily trained. Equestria had to have the support of the rebel buffalo to win and capture Las Pegasus. Somewhat reluctantly, they agreed and signed the Treaty of the Alliance in 2171. As it was a “major” treaty, under the Equestrian Constitution, it had to be ratified by the citizens of Equestria, who passed the treaty by a vote of seventy-eight percent for on August 25, 2171.

An important part of this treaty is found in Article II, Paragraph 14. It reads, “In the case of attack, the parties agree to assist each other without limits. This assistance includes, but is not limited to, military and economic aid.” This cause was put in as a way of stopping Equestria from simply providing monetary support to the buffalo. This will become important during the War of the Bloodied Crystals.

Anyways, with the ranks of pony armies bolstered by buffalo, the alliance took to the battlefield by September 4, 2171. The Sisters dispatched the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Armies of Equestria, some fifty thousand strong all together. They were supported by at least twenty-five war-parties of Buffalo, made up of about one thousand warriors each. The armies clashed with at least forty thousand changelings and a similar number of buffalo at the Second Battle of Las Pegasus.

The battle lasted for two days, and is, along with the Battle of Night and Day, and the Second Battle of Ponyville, one of the single most important armed conflicts in Equestrian history. The battle opened with a magical bombardment on the changeling camp. While the ponies were providing cover, the rebel buffalo struck the changeling camp, inflicting severe damage through the changeling armies. The ponies correctly surmised that they had to quickly defeat the changeling forces, else their armies be compromised by imposters. As the day wore on, and more and more conflict took its toll, the enemy buffalo were still nowhere to be found. The pony general started to get more than a little suspicious, and pulled back the buffalo troops. Not a moment too soon, for the city of Las Pegasus suddenly revealed thousands of buffalo, each one charging blindly for the Equestrian allies. However, instead of finding the rebel buffalo engaged in a melee with changeling troops, they soon found them in a defensive square formation, equipped with spears on loan from the Equestrian armies. And all throughout their blind charge, they were taking fire from Equestrian magic and bows.

Too late to veer off, the buffalo charged straight into the spears of the rebels. A bloody hoof to hoof conflict followed, with the rebels decisively winning. At least five thousand of the forty thousand enemy buffalo were slain, all within an hour and a half. By comparison, the rebel buffalo sustained just over seven hundred fifty deaths.

After that disastrous exchange, the sun was starting to set. The ponies launched one more attempt to wipe out the changeling forces. It met with moderate at best success, crippling the changeling troops, but at a cost. By the end of the day, almost fifteen thousand changelings were killed. The ponies suffered about five thousand casualties, in exchange.

The night was relatively uneventful.

Morning saw a raid on the rebel buffalo by scattered changeling forces. This raid happened early, and, by the time the ponies had rallied to support their allies, the attacking troops had vanished.

They had accomplished their goal, though. Soon after the ponies left their fortified camp, an all-out attack was launched against them by fifteen thousand changelings and ten thousand buffalo. This wouldn't have been much of a problem, for the ponies outnumbered the army, if it wasn't for the fact that the ponies had skipped breakfast to reinforce their allies.

Now, one must fully appreciate the effect skipping a meal has on morale. It crushes it. Ponies that have survived such a tactical blunder have said that each movement seems to take three times as much effort. Against the enemy, who had eaten before launching the attacks, the ponies seemed slow and sluggish, always two steps behind. And, in battle, even the slightest mistake can mean the difference between life and death, victory and defeat.

Defense against the charge was disastrous. As the ponies, caught unaware and hungry, attempted to rally, the enemy forces smashed in the pony line in a wedge formation, wrecking havoc. And, to add insult to injury, despite the ponies’ best efforts to prevent it, about fifty changeling troops had managed to inflate the army. As they turned weapons on the ponies, the entire army started to break down and defeat was inevitable.

Or rather, it would have been. However, the Armies of Equestria suddenly received a form of backup that they did not expect.

While the battle was raging outside their walls, the mostly pegasi citizens of Las Pegasus felt the need to intervene. After all, military service is central to pegasi culture, and a battle was being fought right outside their wall. So, on September 5, a force of civilians some two thousand strong attacked the forces that were devastating the pony armies. With the element of surprise on their side, the makeshift warriors, armed with whatever weapons they could find, crashed into the enemy.

This move saved the battle. Coupled with the buffalo charge that occurred soon after the attack, and the enemy force was in serious trouble. Thanks to the distraction, the Armies of Equestria rallied. Soon, they were pushing back at the enemy troops, causing heavy casualties on both sides. By noon, the troops of Equestria had wiped out almost every one of the thirty thousand combat troops that had attacked the armies. But, victory in this fight came at a high cost.

So far in this battle, thirty-five of the forty thousand changelings, along with fifteen of the forty thousand Buffalo that started this engagement as their allies, had been killed. Contrast with the Army of Equestria, who, so far, had lost twenty-nine thousand combat troops. The rebel Buffalo had lost just over three thousand warriors.

The changeling forces, seeing that they could no longer win the battle though conventional means, decided to launch one final attack against the Equestrian Army, with the hope that they would be able to force a hole through the exhausted pony lines. And thus, the remaining changeling troops, about five thousand strong, attacked an army about four times their size, taking heavy fire from Equestrian bows and magic. The attackers never actually made contact with the ponies, for the allied buffalo, sensing that their allies couldn't take much more, brought the battle to them, devastating what was left of the changeling troops and decisively winning the battle.

Thanks to the buffalo, Equestria was triumphant. The city of Las Pegasus, along with the White Tail Woods, was annexed by Equestria, and the siege of Yanhoover was complete by September 10 of the same year, allowing it and the surrounding territory to be added to the vastly growing land of Equestria. All pony citizens of the cities were offered complete citizenship as long as they forswore any allegiances they previously pledged. The Second Battle of Las Pegasus, along with the various other invasions and battles, decisively broke the power of various changeling nations. One by one, they would collapse, often by the sword of other changelings. The packs and hives that remained would not present a meaningful military or economic threat for over a millennia, when a changeling queen would reunite them into a massive empire.

The entire twelve years of expansion and non-stop warfare cost at least fifty-five thousand pony lives, and the economic impact would be felt for three years, as the government fell into a state of crises. It is estimated, that in today’s bits, the wars cost a grand total of one and a half billion bits. To meet these demands, Equestria was forced to borrow huge amounts of money. When the wars were over, the money had to be paid back, and the nation’s investors were not patient with the Royal Sisters or their excuses. On top of that, the nation had captured some ten thousand changelings, and paying to guard them was a severe economic and military burden on the nation.

The government wasn't forced to default - which would have been a new definition of bad, but they were forced to shut down for the dates of August 5-7, 2173. Thankfully, the new incoming taxes from the conquered cities started prove their worth, as the income from taxes raised and the cities granted Equestria access to the ocean, where they could conduct business, which could be taxed. The taxes quickly started to refill the Equestrian treasury. Just to put things into perspective, the population of the nation grew from one and a half million in 2160 to more than eighteen million by 2180. Thus, Equestria was ready to expand its influence over neighboring realms. Unfortunately, the nation would need the backing of its neighbor to defeat its next great foe.

War with Lord Tirek

New Challenges
2159-2188 AW
War with Lord Tirek
Attack on Yanhoover: 2177 AW
Ambush in Neighagra Falls: 2179 AW
Defection of Scorpan: 2180 AW
First Crystalline-Equestrian Alliance: 2181 AW
Battle of Two Brothers: 2182 AW

Now, it is common knowledge that every species survives on food. Even the changelings, who are nourished and strengthened by love and good feelings, must eat to survive. Tirek and his brother are no exception to this golden rule of life, so the misconceptions about them can die here and now. However, they posses the ability to suck the magic out of any living thing. As even the youngest foal knows, friendship is truly magic, thus Equestria was rich in magic ripe for harvesting. If their race has a name, it is not known, but the two brothers came seeking the magic of Equestria. These two brothers are shrouded in mystery, to the point that we do not know where they came from. We only know that it was far away, and the brothers were acting completely of their own accord, not due to the bidding of some higher organization or as a military activity.

The brothers attacked from the north. The city of their choice was Yanhoover. Battle broke out in 2177, when the two brothers attacked and overwhelmed the garrison of the city. Classic pony tactics of flanking aerial attacks and unicorn bombardment proved ineffective. All the ponies sent to attack and defend had their magic absorbed and used against their comrades. The battle ended in a devastating Equestrian defeat.

Oddly, though the two brothers had the ability to solidify power over the city, they simply left, not attempting to occupy or otherwise force the citizens to their will. In addition, casualties were surprisingly light, with no more than fifty dead or seriously injured. However, everypony, earth, unicorn, and pegasus alike, were left without any form of magic.

Word of these strange foes reached the Sister’s ears quickly, and they quickly dispatched a group of ambassadors to attempt to open diplomatic discussions. The ambassadors were turned away, unharmed, though they brought back a strange story. According to them, the one named Tirek wanted to kill them, but the elder brother, Scorpan, intervened. Then, when Tirek wanted to at least absorb their magic, Scorpan again balked, saying, “They are diplomats. If we aren’t going to hear what they have to say, then at least obey the sanction of diplomats.” Their curiosity quipped, the Sisters sent two other diplomatic missions. The first one was turned away with a similar report of tension between the two brothers. Apparently, Tirek snapped on the second mission, attacking the diplomats before Scropan could restrain him. Two of the three ambassadors had their magic drained before Scropan could stop and subdue his younger brother. He then advised that they, “Run. Now!” before a full-out fight insured.

Eventually, Scorpan overwhelmed Tirek and forced him to stand down. Soon after, they made peace again, agreeing to not attack the pony diplomats, but also agreeing that if they came across any group of traveling civilians, they were fair game. They started to move east, whether they were heading for Manehattan or Fillydelphia is unknown.

As the year wore on, ponies became more and more nervous, especially as some of the changeling POWs, captured from the Expansion Wars, started to riot. The military was called in to settle the problem, and they crushed the changeling riots swiftly. However, the changelings would soon prove their worth to both the Sisters and the greater Equestrian population.

Anyways, Tirek didn’t know, but Scorpan started to sneak away from him, almost every night. At first, he traveled to pony villages as an advance scout of some kind, judging the defensive capabilities and resource production of various materials. However, soon something would happen that would change his mentality regarding this war forever.

He was discovered outside Fillydelphia by a unicorn. The identity of this unicorn is not known, but it is suspected that he is Star-Swirl the Bearded. How precisely he managed to influence the events of that day is not know, especially since the same unicorn taught Clover the Clever over two thousand years previous, defying everything we know about unicorn biology and life spans.

However he managed to do it, he was there to influence the events of the day, and he did. Scorpan had badly miscalculated, and was caught in a storm for days. His supplies of food were meager at best, and he soon ran out. Couple that with hypothermia, and the odd creature was in serious trouble. He was literally only a few hours from death when he stumbled across the path of Star-Swirl, who was leading a small group of gifted unicorns in advanced magical arts a few leagues outside the city.

Star-Swirl saw the odd creature on death’s doorstep, and abandoned his class to help this...thing...that crossed his path. He brought Scorpan back to his home in the city, and nursed him slowly back to health, treating him with both conventional and magical means. This random act of kindness and mercy would have lasting effects on the pony nation - and the entire world.

Meanwhile, Tirek was beside himself with fear and anger. A group of tourists were at Neighagra Falls when he attacked, using both magical draining and lethal force.

When the Royal Sisters learned of this, they prepared Equestria for war. Armies were mobilized and equipped, and staged at the mountain that would later hold Canterlot. The Sisters sent forth one more diplomatic envoy, this time demanding Tirek’s unconditional surrender. Only one pony returned, with the following message: “Over my dead body.”

With that, the Princesses promptly declared war. Troops were dispatched to Neighagra Falls, where they started to track Tirek.

Meanwhile, Scorpan, by now more or less recovered from his near-death experience, was up and roaming around the city of Fillydelphia. Now, remember that the messages brought by diplomats named Scorpan as more level-headed and compassionate than his brother, which may explain why he was not arrested. It also may be that Star-Swirl was a very well-respected citizen of the town, so the other ponies supposed that there was a very good reason why they were harboring an enemy of the state. Either way, nopony attempted to arrest him, and while they were cautious and wary, they started to befriend him, as well.

Soon, Tirek arrived at Fillydelphia and discovered his brother. Reports say that he was rather overjoyed, and eagerly invited Scorpan to his side. However, the die would be cast when Scorpan refused, realizing that he had befriended the city’s citizens in only a few days, saying that “These ponies are now under my protection.”

Now, I am sorry to report that Scorpan’s choosing us over his brother drove the younger brother quite mad. He backed off this time (probably understanding that he could not take on his brother in his state), but angrily denounced Scorpan as a “weakling” and a “traitor.” He then left, undoubtedly to absorb more magic.

With that, Scorpan insisted that he see the Princesses, for he wanted to help the ponies with resisting Tirek. Star-Swirl agreed, and they left for the nation’s capital, carrying a white flag, to avoid attack.

When they arrived, Scorpan spoke to the two Royal Sisters, and offered his assistance. When asked why he wanted to help us, he responded:

“Why? I honestly don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting soft. Then again, maybe I believe that there is still some good in this world. And this good is worth fighting for, even if you must turn against your brother.”

He offered his strength against his brother in the coming battles, in addition to tactical advice against him. In exchange, he asked for secrecy about his past and origins, and to be allowed to stay in Equestria if he should choose. Faced with losing control of their nation, the Royal Sisters agreed.

Using their rights as Warmistrisses of Equestria, the Sisters granted Scorpan a temporary position as tactical adviser, and pulled back the troops pursuing Tirek. Scorpan warned that in order to defeat Tirek, his strength was not enough by itself. At best, he could only force a stalemate. And, the Elements of Harmony would be effective, but Tirek could simply absorb it. Since Scorpan refused to absorb another pony’s magic, the answer waited in the form of a type of enchanted crystal that would prevent the negative flow of magic whenever one of the brothers tried to take magic. There was a problem, though. This particular crystal was very rare, almost never found outside the Crystal Empire.

Realizing the need, the Sisters sent a party of ambassadors to meet with the Crystal Empire, only for them to be turned away. The reason for this is both simple and complex. To put it bluntly, the Crystal Empire was scared of and angry with Equestria’s recent aggressive military expansion, and didn't think the nation could be trusted. In fact, now that a powerful enemy had attacked the other power, the Empire even considered dispatching troops to teach Equestria a lesson. Now, as politics and diplomacy always are, it is infinitely times more complex than this, but that is the basic idea.

Now, facing threats from two opponents, the Princesses themselves went to meet in a closed meeting with the Crystal ruler. These meetings would last for almost a year, as they hammered out various terms and concessions from both sides. What exactly transpired in the meeting was kept confidential, but the Princesses came out of the meeting with an agreement to a semi-lasting military alliance between the Crystal Empire and Equestria, including the use of magic artifacts and materials. In exchange, they traded a fee of half a million bits, reduction in the tariffs involved in business to and from Equestria, and an ongoing pledge that Equestria and the Crystal Empire will maintain a restricted amount of armed forces. For Equestria, they were required to keep the amount of combat troops they were maintaining under two hundred thousand. For the Empire, the limit was three hundred thousand.

The treaty was signed on June 4, 2171, and ratified by September 5. With it, the Crystal Empire joined Equestria in their declaration of war against Tirek. They dispatched the Third Army of their realm to provide support and wield their crystals. Despite the treaty, they still didn’t fully trust the Equestrians, so they insisted that they always be able to see the crystals that were on loan. And so the stage was set for the Battle of Two Brothers.

The morn of February 7, 2182 saw a faceoff between Tirek and Scorpan. It took place near the pony capital in what would later become the Everfree Forest. Unbeknownst to Tirek, the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony, along with a small squadron of hoof-picked soldiers, three from the Empire and six from Equestria, were hiding in a nearby building, waiting for their time to strike. They were able to overhear the two brothers’ argument:

Tirek: Brother! What has happened to you? Why do you oppose me?

Scorpan: Tirek, yield. Abandon our plans. This nation...they deserve better.

Tirek: Why should I? What will they do for me?

(silence for a few counts)

Scorpan: I never thought I would see this day. Let me tell you, brother, a story. Two years or so ago, I left you in the middle of the night, correct? Well, I was headed to one of these ponies’ cities, with plans to scope out the city, analyzing what kind of resistance they could muster. However, I had made a crucial mistake. The weather turned horrible on me - not, mind you, because the pegasi attacked me with it, but rather because of my own stupidity - and instead of spying on the city, I stumbled into it, on death’s doorstep. Now, this ponies knew that I was one of those responsible for the attacks on their cities. They knew I was an enemy of their state. But petty things like politics did not stop them from taking me in and nursing me back to health. They showed me true kindness that day, and have ever since. - (Here his voice took on a biting edge) - Unlike you, brother.

Tirek: What? What do you mean by that?

Scorpan: I mean, dear brother, that these ponies are better than you in every way. I didn’t want to believe it for a while, but it is obvious. They love life. Maybe they're a little quick to draw swords, but they’ve had a rough history. I don’t blame them. You on the other hand, you have been increasingly aggressive. We agreed that nobody had to be killed in the course of this “mission!” But at the first conflict with them, you killed fifty of their kind. And yet, they gave us a chance to talk, to meet and discuss, possibly even work out some kind of trade. Again and again, when they wanted to talk and help us, you wanted to fight them. You’re the one in the wrong here.

Tirek: So this is how it ends. My own brother - blinded by weakness and cowardice.

Scorpan: Princess, now!

With this, the Battle of Two Brothers erupted. The squadron broke cover and attacked. As the Princesses started to wield the Elements, Scorpan attacked with all of his magic. And the unicorns amongst the squadron also unloaded with everything they had. This devastating storm of magic had no effect on Tirek, because he had been preparing for this moment for two years, and had gathered enough strength to be able to resist and hold his own against the devastating tidal waves of magic.

Now, as even the youngest filly unicorn knows, the cost of channeling a spell increases exponentially, the longer one casts it. While this may have been of little to no concern to the Elements of Harmony, for they replenish their stores at a rate beyond comprehension, it is of concern to living creatures, who’s supplies of magic are much more limited. Battle can quickly exhaust the supplies of natural magic used by ponies. What makes this interesting is that both Tirek and Scropan - and presumably others of their species - can weather this exponential increase with minimal difficulty. With Celestia and Luna contributing a good deal of magical energy to the maelstrom, the balance was being threatened. The day could have been lost, but there was a lucky intervention by a very unexpected force.

A squadron of fifty changeling prisoners of war intervened. Why they brought about the this change is unknown, but it is suspected that after over a decade of existing as prisoners of war, with no idea what Equestria had planned for them - to be honest, the nation didn’t know - they were tired of living in fear. But, oddly, instead of taking up arms against the ponies, they fought against Tirek.

Many questions have been asked, but we have no solutions. Regardless of their reasons, the attack launched by the changelings distracted Tirek just long enough for him to be overwhelmed and defeated. The battle ended, with Tirek defeated and behind bars.

To be honest, Celestia was beyond furious with her enemy for stealing the very life force of her population and leaving the ponies for dead. She was so furious that she, in a fit of rage, cast a spell that has only been cast once since and sent Tirek deep, deep underground to a place named “Tartarus.” Whether or not is actually the place of suffering and torment that appears in ancient pony mythology is debated, but it is likely not. More likely, it was simply a cave located deep underground that was converted into a type of high security prison. Either way, the magic used by the Princess has only been duplicated once, and that was against the same foe, over a thousand years later.

When what had happened became obvious to everypony, they reacted with something approaching fear. The fact that one of the benevolent leaders had damned someone to “hell” was - and probably still is - a terrifying prospect.

With the threat over, it was once again time to rebuild. The ponies that had had their magic drained had lost their magic forever. Unlike the most recent confrontation with Tirek, the Elements did not restore the fallen ponies’ magic. It is estimated that over one hundred thousand ponies were unfortunate victims of Tirek’s ramage, and were forced to live out the rest of their lives, unable to do whatever it was that defined their Tribe. Many committed suicide rather than be forced into a half-existence.

Damage to major cities was minor, as the brothers sought out magic, not political power. Rebuilding would last until 2184, and cost the central government about half a million bits. Scorpan helped with a great deal of of the building before, in 2185, he quietly slipped away and left Equestria. Why he chose to do this is not well-established. While he did meet with the Princesses before he left the nation, the Royal Sisters refuse to discuss his reasons, claiming that it was his choice.

With rebuilding more or less complete, one of the only open issues was the changelings. While technically, the prisoners of war were not supposed to intervene in the battle, they saved the day, and the Princesses felt that they should have been rewarded for their courage and valor in battle.

Thus, the two Princesses decided to pardon the changeling prisoners of war and allow them to leave. Over two thousand changelings took her offer, and left the lands of Equestria and traveled over the eastern sea, to land on the eastern continent. There they settled, and established a small and peaceful city-state, that would grow and flourish until it was overrun and annexed by the growing Changeling Empire in 1001 CYP. And while, in this period of hatred and war, it is easy to fear and hate the changelings and all they stand for, we must never forget that if it wasn’t for their bravery in battle, there is a very real possibility that Equestria could have fallen to Tirek, and much that is, would not be.

War of the Bloodied Crystals: Opening Diplomacy and Politics

The War of the Bloodied Crystals
2198-2236 AW
Emperor Sombra, Arms Race, and the Prelude to War
Crystal Succession: 2198
Assassination of Emperor Lucs, Rise of Emperor Sombra: 2200
Crystalline Militarization: 2202
Arms Race: 2203-2220
End of First Crystalline-Equestrian Alliance: 2205

The War of Bloodied Crystals did not break out over night. Rather, there was a long, complicated diplomatic crises that led up to the world’s first truly global war. No matter what everypony says, battles are not things that occur instantly and spontaneously. Nor are there typically preemptive actions taken by one group or the other. A long period of diplomatic maneuvering and manipulation almost always comes before a declaration of war, including this one.

It began with the Crystal Succession. When the old ruler of the Crystal Empire died in December of 2197, as is tradition in the northern realm, there was a three month period of morning. During this time, all diplomats of the Empire, including the pony stationed in Equestria, were pulled back and returned to their native land, and Equestria was left without a contact with an important ally and trade partner. So, the Princesses, with little knowledge of the Crystal Empire’s traditions and politics - for the Empire had lost only one leader before this time, and that was while Equestria was still addressing internal imbalance after the Harmonious Revolution - sent a party of two diplomats and an escort of a half-dozen troops to reopen communication with them.

Not knowing the traditions of the Crystal Empire, this would have normally been irritating, but completely acceptable. Unfortunately, the rituals of the Crystal Empire would lead to this being the first step on the slippery slope to war.

The diplomats that arrived in the Empire were met with something approaching indifference. It’s not that the ponies didn’t care, but rather the ponies of the Crystal Empire believed that, before their empire could rejoin the stage of world politics, their leader had to be properly mourned. Now, if the Equestrian diplomats had simply seen the morning for what it was, it is possible much sorrow and bloodshed would have been averted. However, none of the diplomats knew of the traditions, and so they brought their armed escort into the borders of the Crystal Empire’s capital city.

This would have been the equivalent of a declaration of war. Outraged, the ponies of the Crystal Empire attacked and slew the six armed escorts and captured the two diplomats, claiming justification in that Equestria had committed an overly aggressive act. Shocked by the actions of of the Empire, Equestria, after the conclusion of the Succession, negotiated for the release of the diplomats with the newly-crowned Emperor Luzcs. He apologized for the “hasty, inappropriate actions of my subjects,” blaming the misunderstanding and subsequent bloodshed on “old, outdated traditions.” Cautiously, Equestria accepted his apology and looked past the event.

However, not everypony was willing to let bygones be bygones. A number of ultra-conservative ponies, in both Equestria and the Empire, were furious at the actions of the other nation. This group was headed by a certain unicorn mage who was next in line to the throne, only to have the throne of the Crystal Empire “stolen” from him at the last minute by Luzcs, a long-lost earth pony brother of the late emperor, who commanded near-universal respect amongst the ponies of the Empire due to his great prowess in battle. This unicorn’s only surviving name is “Sombra.” Whatever true name he had has been lost to time.

Emperor Luzcs, with his throne secure and the diplomatic crises with Equestria under control, continued to endorse friendly relations with Equestria. In the first year of his reign, he disbanded almost a quarter of the empire’s standing army, closed as many as eighteen of the twenty-five military checkpoints and forts that separated the nations, slashed various tariffs, and reopened two trade routes that had been closed under earlier rulers. In order to foster better relations, he even adopted the Equestrian calendar, though he also retained the Empire’s calendar alongside it. The Crystal Empire benefited greatly from the decreased militarization, as the lowered upkeep of troops and increased trade allowed for far more government money to be spent on public services and even the patronage of the arts. The entire capital city received a complete remodeling, as many expensive crystals were weaved into each building’s superstructure. Tourism to the Empire flourished, even though the empire was centered in the middle of a frozen tundra, as the wondrous sights in architecture, sculptures, and paintings made the freezing voyage worth it.

The Emperor, at the tail end of 2199, looking forward to a new century and the golden age the Crystal Empire had entered, made a speech to his subjects. It was just before the new year (by Equestrian reckoning,) and he wanted to open up a new golden age for the ponies of the Crystal Empire. He reassured the population of the Empire that Equestria was no longer hostile with them, and a new era of peace and prosperity was upon them.

While this was acceptable for the greater portion of the Empire’s ponies, this speech was an unintentional slap in the face to those who opposed the idea of peace between the two nations. Sombra and his followers in both Equestria and the Crystal Empire began to look for a way to undermine the accelerating diplomatic ties between the two countries.

First, they attempted to assassinate the diplomats from both countries and/or attack and capture their embassies. However, in light of the attack on the Equestrian diplomats, both Emperor Luzcs and the Royal Sisters took the security of their diplomats very seriously. Both nations had agreed to devote huge military resources to protecting and fortifying each other’s diplomats and embassies, in a joint military operation. Sombra was many things, but he was not insane enough to launch an attack of his loyal followers against the battle-hardened armies of either the Empire or Equestria. At least, not yet.

With diplomatic subterfuge out of the question, the desperate and scared ponies of the conspiracy turned to assassination. The only way to guarantee war was to ensure that there were hostile, antagonistic leaders of ideally both of the nations.

On February 14, 2200, two simultaneous plans to assassinate both the Princesses of Equestria and the Emperor of the Crystal Empire were put into action. Both attempts were actually pretty well thought out, with ponies planted by Sombra’s group acting as undercover agents from the other government attempted to attack and kill the leaders of each nation. In Equestria, the increased military presence almost instantly captured the would-be assassins and attacked them. When one was detained, the pony, after several days of questioning, finally “cracked” and falsely named himself as an agent of Crystal Empire.

Meanwhile, Sombra’s other assassins struck against Emperor Luzcs. The plan was somewhat simple: First, cut the emperor off from the outside interference, then send in a small group of battle-hardened warriors to kill the emperor, allow themselves to get caught, and after a few days, name themselves as agents of Equestria. They accomplished this by sabotaging the communication between the Emperor’s private chambers and the rest of the palace. Then, a full dozen fully armed combat troops attacked at midnight, striking to kill the emperor.

Records of this battle are shaky, but we do have a few. The assassins that survived the emperor’s sword were few. It appears that the emperor was aware that a faction of some kind wanted to...dispose...of him. He was ready for them, sword out and flashing in the moonlight.

The fight lasted for over ten minutes, as, one at a time, each one of the would-be assassins were slain by the leader of the Crystal Empire, Finally, there was only one assassin left standing. Before he could jump at the Emperor, Luzcs asked who had sent him. The assassin, after a long pause, allegedly said “I belong to-” before the Emperor took him by surprise and stabbed him through the head.

He had won this fight, but unfortunately, he would not live out the night. At the opening of the battle, he was cut by a poisoned blade. The emperor didn't even notice it at the time, and he wouldn’t. Not until it was too late, that is. After fighting the powerful venom for over an hour, he finally succumed to the onslaught of the poison at 3:00 A.M. on February 15, 2200. He was dead by the time his servants found him that morning.

Unfortunately, most any chance for peace between Equestria and the Crystal Empire died with him. Rumors started flying in both nations. As the pones of the Crystal Empire started to line up to deal with the succession of the emperor, one of the biggest questions was war. Sombra played off of this, constantly issuing speeches about the “evil” of Equestria, and how they attempted (and succeeded) to slay their noble emperor. Remembering the incidents of the past, the Royal Sisters recalled their diplomats as the Succession began, hoping that after the ponies had named a new emperor, they could fix the souring relations.

How wrong they were.

While most of the candidates for the throne of the Empire supported some form of retaliation against the Equestrian thrones, Sombra was by far the most radical. Most of the other candidates had little or no wish to try the might of the Equestrian armies, recognized to be one of the most powerful militaries of the time. Sombra, on the other hoof, advocated all-out war, as soon as it was reasonable to do so. After a lot of well-placed propaganda and sucking up to a few of the wealthier families in power during the Succession, the Empire emerged with a new, strong, aggressive leader: Emperor Sombra.

Soon after his emergence, the Equestrian diplomats returned to their embassy in the Empire. Sombra did not want the Equestrians having a place so close to his capital that the enemy could use. Thus, he moved one thousand combat troops to be permanently stationed around the Equestrian embassy. He did not violate international law and attack the embassy, but the show of force sent a clear enough message. When the Royal Sisters inquired as to the reason that the Equestrian embassy had been surrounded by troops of the Crystal Empire, Sombra replied that was only taking prudent measures.

Both the Crystal Empire and Equestria soon adopted a policy of rapid militarization, in light of the souring diplomacy. Of course, both nations were still bound by the Crystalline-Equestrian Alliance that was begun in response to Lord Tirek’s incursion of Equestria. By now, this alliance was almost thirty years old, and the binds it placed on military strength was exhausting Equestria. The far-flung reaches of Equestria made it difficult to fully defend and exert authority over the entire nation with only two hundred thousand troops. Meanwhile, due to the small nature of the Crystal Empire, the restrictions it placed on their troops were much more manageable. As Sombra militarized, the Royal Sisters tried to match his spending bit by bit. Instead of commissioning new armies and fleets, the Sisters instead poured their money into military technology and research, along with a massive investment in various forts and military checkpoints along the border.

To put all this spending into perspective, the investment military upkeep and spending during all twelve years of the Wars of Expansion was one and a half billion bits. In the two years between the beginning of the Crystal militarization and the termination of the Crystalline-Equestrian alliance, Equestria spent almost double that number, dropping over two and a half billion bits on forts and equipment.

By 2205, the Crystal Empire had militarized to the limit that was allowed by the terms of the alliance. The brutally direct Sobra wasted no time in sending a short, direct, and to-the-point letter to the Equestrian diarchs.

As of this fair day, the seventeenth of February, 2205 years after the Great Warming (Equestrian calendar), I, Sombra, Emperor of the mighty Crystal Empire, terminate the alliance between the nation of Equestria and mine, sometimes known as the Crystalline-Equestrian Alliance. My reasons are my own. Do not reply to this discourse.

Freed from the terms of the alliance, the Crystal Empire re-adopted its policy of rapid and efficient military growth. Unless Equestria could find a way to douse the flames of war, they would grow to envelop the entire world.

War of the Bloodied Crystals: The Road to War

The War of the Bloodied Crystals
2198-2236 AW
Cold War and the Declaration of 2222
End of the First Crystalline-Equestrian Alliance: 2205 AW
Cold War: 2205-2221 AW
Ambassadorial Missions: 2211-2215 AW
Incident in Baltimare, Embargo: 2220 AW
Equestrian Ultimatum, Evacuation of the Equestrian Embassy: 2221 AW
Campaigns on Manehattan, Declaration of War: 2222 AW

Upon the collapse of the Crystal Empire and Equestria’s alliance, ripples were sent throughout world politics. Suddenly, with the two pony nations gearing up for war, many small nations had to pick one side or the other, with effects that would send yet more ripples throughout the complicated stage of world politics.

Diplomatically speaking, the Crystal Empire, thanks to its propaganda, had a huge hoof up on Equestria. By 2210, they had secured alliances with various city-states, including ones populated by griffons, diamond dogs, and many of the wandering changeling packs and hives, promising the changelings restored lands and the dogs and griffons great riches.

The idea to enlist the help of changelings, again, the old ancestral enemy of ponies, was not popular. Much like Discord many years ago, this caused ripples of outrage and saw a great deal of the Empire’s allies to defect to Equestria or pull out of the cold war altogether. For instance, the city state of Maretonia switched sides to Equestria, while Saddle Arabia, which had been tentatively backing the Crystal Empire, pulled out and issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 2212, where they announced they would protect any nation not allied with either the Empire or Equestria.

Realizing their diplomatic weakness, Equestria started systematically attempting to undermine nations allied with the Empire while forging their own web of alliances and treaties. In 2211, missions to various foreign powers occurred, including the zebras, a hooful of diamond dog packs, and even to the dragons.

By and large, these missions where only somewhat successful. In 2214, the backing of a hooful of zebra tribes was secured, but most of them flat out rejected Equestria, on the grounds that it wasn’t their place to decide the right or wrong of a nation’s actions. Similar results were achieved with the diamond dogs.

All diplomatic missions to the xenophobic dragons were never heard from again.

Meanwhile, while all this was happening, both nations continued to build their military at a rate that would never be tolerated at this day and age. By 2215, Equestria had a standing army of over five hundred thousand troops, and it was growing every day. The Crystal Empire was also increasing the size of its military at a comparable rate. The powers seemed to be set on a collision course.

The years of 2216-2220 were an intimidating time for the Empire and Equestria alike. Each power had built an impressive amount of military capacity and infrastructure in such a limited amount of time. Both nations had also secured alternate economic sources, in the case trade embargoes were created. Socially speaking, propaganda within the Empire had almost conclusively turned the ponies of the Crystal Empire against their Equestrian cousins, while in Equestria, the average pony saw the increased armies of the Empire as a threat that had to be terminated.

Events finally came to a head when, in 2220, there was some kind of conflict in Baltimare. The details aren’t clear, but the records seem to reference some kind of insurrection by the Crystal ponies and a few of their allies. The increased military presence throughout Equestria was enough to swiftly defeat the enemy, which was reported to be approximately a dozen, but not before ten civilians and three soldiers were killed in action.

This caused an outrage throughout Equestria. Most everypony demanded that some kind of action be taken against the Crystal Empire. Pressured by the citizenry, the Royal Sisters decreed in November of 2220 that all trade with the Crystal Empire was to become illegal. With this fateful step, the rest became inevitable.

Suddenly, all the fears of the past few years were realized. Huge armies from both sides mobilized and were put onto some form of alert as diplomacy between the two continued its downward spiral. Ambassadors from the Crystal Empire attempted to negotiate some kind of release from the embargo, but were clearly only there as a formality. Sombra had Equestria right where he wanted them to be: confused, uncertain, and ready for his strike.

As the buildup of troops on the Crystalline-Equestrian border continued, growing exponentially, the Royal Sisters got more and more nervous. War seemed to be the only remaining answer. Finally, after sweating on their thrones for some nine months, on August 25, 2221, Celestia and Luna issued a diplomatic demand known as the Equestrian Ultimatum, In it, the Sisters ordered the Crystal Empire to disband a quarter of its army, and to pay a fine to Equestria for the attack on Baltimare, among a few other demands.

Upon receiving this demand, it is said that Emperor Sombra laughed uncontrollably for some twenty minutes. After that, he disposed of the parchment and never spoke of or acknowledged its existence again.

After four months, in December, it became clear that Sombra had no intention of bowing to the Equestrian demands. As such, on the 20 of that month the Royal Sisters ordered an evacuation of the Equestrian embassy and all of the consulates, revoked all visas of citizens of the Crystal Empire, and de facto terminated all diplomatic ties with the Crystal Empire. Sombra returned the favor, evacuating the Empire’s embassy and consulates, and also terminated all Equestrian (and allies of Equestria) visas on January 2 of 2222.

With no correspondence between the two nations, starting a war was easy. On the fateful day of March 3rd, Sombra moved ten thousand troops to attack Manehattan. The troops arrived on March 6th, and attacked the same day. They met stiff resistance, but the Eighteenth Army of Equestria, stationed there, was overwhelmed and forced to retreat by March 10th. Manehattan was captured by the forces of the Crystal Empire.

As outrage rippled across the nation, the Sisters decided that there was no alternative. On March 15th, 2222 A.W., the Equestrian government issued a declaration of war against the Crystal Empire. This would be the bloodiest war since the Harmonious Revolution, and almost as many Equestrian ponies will die in it.

War of the Bloodied Crystals: Opening Deployments

The War of Bloodied Crystals
2198-2236 AW
Opening Deployments
Battle of Manehattan, Declaration of War: 2222 AW
First Invasion of Equestria: 2222-2223 AW
Battle of Foal Mountain, End of the First Invasion of Equestria: 2223 AW

Speaking unprofessionally, when the Battle of Manehattan occurred, it was at least five different layers of on. As the true banners of war were unfurled, ponies could be found in the streets of cities chanting, singing, and otherwise showing patriotism and offering their support to Equestria. Likewise, similar scenes were seen throughout the Crystal Empire. Both sides’ population were certain of a swift victory, and winning much glory for their mother countries.

That makes two populations that were wrong. Dead wrong.

As armies marched to the front lines, both sides opened diplomatic lines to their allies, calling in alliances and promises of support. Equestria called in the Treaty of the Alliance, signed in 2171 with the buffalo, who mobilized and sent troops, though they would not arrive at the frontlines for a year.

The Crystal Empire seized the initiative, using Manehattan as a staging point for troop movements and supply trains. Starting mid-2222, the Empire launched a two-prong invasion of Equestria, with simultaneous assaults on Yanhoover and Fillydelphia. The Battle of Yanhoover lasted from May 2-3, 2222 and pit the new Twentieth Army of Equestria against various armies under the banner of the Empire. After two days of bloody combat, the Twentieth Army, made up of ten thousand ponies, was completely annihilated. They had inflicted severe damage amongst the Empire, though, slaying or greatly wounding over twelve thousand troops.

Meanwhile, the other prong of the invasion came to Fillydelphia on April 30, 2222. This battle, the First Battle of Fillydelphia lasted until May 5, and was a very sloppy affair, with about twenty thousand troops for the Crystal Empire engaging scraps of the Eighteenth Army and the full might of the Nineteenth Army of Equestria. At the end of the six day battle, little remained of either force. Their objective failed, the scattered remains of the Crystal armies, about six hundred strong, withdrew, leaving no more than five hundred soldiers alive and garrisoning Fillydelphia.

These two campaigns were abrupt and sudden wake-up calls to both governments and populations. The message was simple, really: This war will last longer and cost more than you can even dream of. Too bad nopony realized it at the time, though.

With one prong of the invasion beat back and the other successful, Emperor Sombra retreated, regrouped, and prepared the next onslaught. Soon, he had regrouped and launched an assault against Galloping Gorge, where three military forts maintained by Equestria were located. His troops numbered some thirty thousand, and met the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Armies of Equestria, along with the garrisons of the forts, each numbering about five hundred strong, on September 30, 2222.

These three assaults on the forts, Fort Zeta, Eta, and Theta, are collectively referred to as the Battle of Galloping Gorge. The first day of battle saw a clash when a scouting force, about a dozen strong from the Empire, encountered a similarly sized reconnaissance force under Equestria’s banner. After a brief skirmish, ten Equestrian soldiers were slain, in exchange for eleven of the Crystal Empire.

Despite the fighting, the bulk of the two armies were still unaware of each other’s locations. The rest of the day passed with no violence towards either side.

After an uneasy night, two detachments of troops clashed over fort Zeta. Each side numbering some five thousand strong, they collided over control of the fort. The money the Royal Sisters invested in military technology started to show its worth, as the Equestrian ponies soon gained the upper hoof in the battle and pushed the armies of the Crystal Empire around. After two hours of desperate fighting, the Crystal troops were totally annihilated. Victory came at a heavy cost, though. Over four thousand ponies of Equestria laid beside them.

Zeta successfully defended, Eta and Theta were still vulnerable to attack. Evening the same day saw a clash between the full might of the Seventeenth Army of Equestria, ten thousand strong, and over fifteen thousand troops of the Empire. The Seventeenth Army was taken completely by surprise and crushed. Only three thousand ponies escaped the slaughter. In turn, some five thousand soldiers of the Empire were slain.

With this downward turn in the battle, the Equestrian forces retreated to the forts. Less than thirteen thousand of the opening Equestrian force of twenty-five thousand troops were left in fighting condition, and morale was at a low. By contrast, the Empire retained over twenty thousand of their thirty thousand opening forces. With the numbers stacked so heavily against them, the ponies of Equestria turned to guerrilla warfare and night assaults, aiming to destroy supply lines and whittle down the might of the Empire’s armies through attrition. This operation lasted for over a week, meeting with complete success.

By October 9, the general of the Equestrian forces decided that the Empire was weakened enough by a lack of food and medical supplies to launch an all-out assault with the intent of driving them away. On the ninth, the Equestrian forces collided with the tired and hungry forces of the Crystal Empire. This last, all-out throw of the dice paid off, By the end of the day, the Empire’s troops were driven from the battlefield, barely two thousand remaining. The Equestrian forces had won, and they emerged with four thousand ponies still standing.

With the winter setting in, the pegasi of Equestria effectively closed the border between the Empire and Equestria with the extreme amount of snow. This allowed both sides some much-needed time to rebuild their forces and prepare themselves for the return of the other side. However, while the Empire and Equestria had settled into a tense stalemate, their allies had not. Clashes between the various diamond dog packs were the most fierce, each side suffering great losses at the paws of the others. In addition, the griffons made more than one insurgency into the territory of Maretonia, each time countered by an alliance of ponies and zebra tribes. Equestria and the Empire both sent troops to assist their allies, but these forces were limited and quickly overrun.

Socially speaking, the population of both sides still supported the war. Despite the appalling losses on both sides, protests and revolts were unheard of. One must appreciate how much different Equestria was then it is now. Over a thousand years ago, war was the trade of Equestria. Conflict was the thing that all ponies knew. Remember, this is the population that overthrew the god-like Discord just over fifty years previously, at a heavy cost. And the ponies of the Crystal Empire shared much the same blood.
From a military standpoint, Equestria still had a rather large advantage over its rival. The Crystal Empire was a much smaller nation with fewer natural resources. However, whatever they lacked in military capacity they made up for with the complicated web of alliances that they had forged, for they simply had to call in a few allies to even the odds. As the snow started to melt, the war kicked back into high gear. This time, however, allies were involved.

There were numerous skirmishes and clashes as both sides probed each other and attempted to determine how much each side had fortified and re-armed. Equestria had, in the few month respite, rebuilt the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Armies, while the Empire had greatly repaired and somewhat expanded the Crystal military.

The Princesses, thinking that a swift victory was still achievable, decided to attempt to retake the fallen city of Manehattan. The two sisters dispatched the First, Second, and Third Armies of Equestria, along with three thousand supporting pony soldiers from Maretonia and five thousand buffalo. They clashed with twenty-five thousand ponies of the Crystal Empire and ten thousand griffon troops. On March 15, 2223, the Second Battle of Manehattan commenced. Battle lasted for three days, and when the smoke cleared, Manehattan was back under Equestria’s control. Victory in the battle cost over eighteen thousand Equestrian lives, along with two thousand of Martonia and four thousand of the Buffalo Tribes.

With his one of his principal possessions in Equestria lost, Sombra started to become worried. Fearing what would happen if Equestria invaded the Empire, he decided to mobilize and send the largest army his realm had ever created in a desperate attempt to cripple the Equestrian war machine before it ran him over. Mobilizing some sixty thousand troops from his own population, the massive army combined with eighteen thousand griffons, two thousand diamond dogs, and over ten thousand changelings to create an army just over ninety thousand strong.

To counter this massive threat, the Royal Sisters deployed the Tenth through the Seventeenth Armies of Equestria, along with some twenty thousand buffalo and five thousand zebra allies, for an army ninety five-thousand strong. This was a huge gamble, as these forces represent just under half of Equestria’s national army. If the battle ended in rout, the nation would be left with a crippled, at best, defensive capability.

These two massive armies met each other at Foal Mountain in the early hours of May 31, and would last for five days, finally ending on June 4. Between the griffons, changelings, and pegasi, the soldiers of the Crystal Empire held a significant advantage in the skies. The changelings allowed the Empire to have the advantage of espionage and stealth, while the solid backbone of ponies and dogs would be able to hold their own against a ground assault, at least for a while. Also, magical artifacts wielded by the Empire tended to be slightly better than the Equestrian counterparts.

By contrast, Equestria also held a few of their own advantages. The buffalo and zebra combined with the solid earth pony foundation gave Equestria and her allies a clear ground advantage. The heavy investment in military technology during the years of cold war had allowed for a technologically advanced army. The armies of Equestria were more diverse than those of the Empire, consisting of a great deal more of unicorns and pegasi. In addition, training in aerial combat and battle spells also tended to be better than that in the Empire. Soldiers in the Equestrian army also tended to have a slightly higher morale.

Each side clearly had their own advantages, so it would come down to which side made fewer mistakes. Let the Battle of Foal Mountain commence!

Battle opened in early morning with skirmishes over the ground surrounding the mountain in question. Both sides probed each other with skirmishing forces, attempting to find a place where the enemy’s defense was weak. This back and forth fighting lasted for several hours, as each general tried the other’s patience. As the fighting slowly intensified, casualties started grow on both sides. The advantage was found by the armies of the Crystal Empire around noon, who forced a small hole in the Equestrian western defense. Suddenly, armies from the Empire poured into the hole, both inflicting and receiving huge casualties. Equestria and her allies rallied and managed to drive back and defeat the Empire, but at heavy cost.

Meanwhile, the battle for the skies was raging as well. Unlike the ground combat, the fighting in the sky started around nine o’clock in the morning, started intense, and stayed that way. Greatly outnumbered, the Equestrian pegasi was in dire straits for most of the opening day. Between the changelings, griffons, and enemy pegasi, the fighting capacity of Equestria in the air was almost pitiful.

As the first day of combat ended, some seven thousand of the Equestrian soldiers and allies were dead or dying. In exchange, they had inflicted some five thousand seven hundred casualties on the Empire.

The next day, thanks to heavy security and guards, no changelings were able to enter the Equestrian Alliance’s camp. Thus, when the battle recommenced the next morning, the Equestrian forces struck the Empire’s alliance and inflicted heavy damage. No back-and-forth action for the combatants this time. Rather, the fighting started brutal and stayed that way. By the time the two armies disengaged and withdrew around one in the afternoon, over eleven thousand had been killed on both sides. The Equestrian Alliance had been decisively forced out of the skies. If Equestria was to win the battle, they had to negate the advantage held by their enemies.

The first half of the third day of battle was really more of a siege. As the Empire controlled the skies, they were able to effectively bombard the Equestrians and their allies and otherwise force them to keep in half-built fortifications that they had been sleeping in. This had more than a slight effect on morale, as talks of surrender ran rampant. Around noon, though, the general of the Equestrian allies, one General Armored Hex, had an ingenious idea. Taking anypony that could wield magic, the General had them combine forces and create an image of several thousand pegasi “charge” at the enemy troops. As the Empire moved to intercept the apparitions, she then launched an all-out assault on their air troops, supported by magical assaults. This sub-battle raged for about a half hour, and allowed Equestria to regain control of a portion of the skies. The pegasi wasted no time in fortifying their position, using clouds and weather to create something of a screen to knock enemies out of the sky.

As noon came and went, the ground theatre of the battle suddenly reopened. Fighting began as both sides attempted to take the high ground that the mountain provided. The fighting would go back and forth, with nopony truly winning the upper hoof. As the sun started to set, both sides withdrew to their territory, leaving fifteen thousand members of the Equestrian Alliance and just over seventeen thousand members of the Empire’s alliance dead.

By now, the heavy casualties had taken a severe toll on morale, for both sides had lost over thirty thousand combat troops. General Hex even considered leaving the field of battle to the Empire, for if her army was annihilated, it would weaken Equestria more than a victory would strengthen her. However, after extensive calculations and discussion with advisers, she came to the conclusion that Equestria still had a very good chance of decisively winning the battle and annihilating the armies of the Crystal Empire, so she decided to stay and fight it out.

As the fourth day of battle dawned, aware of the losses they had sustained, both sides were a little more cautious. In order to achieve victory, Equestria had to secure the skies. They could not afford to continue to trade casualties like they had been.

The fourth day, compared to the others, was much more straight-forward. Equestria, in order to negate the advantages held by the Empire, attempted to take the high ground under the cover of the early morning. Fighting over the mountain continued for several hours, with heavy losses on both sides. However, as morning went to afternoon, the tide of the battle slowly turned to Equestria’s favor, using a strategy of magical bombardment against the aerial combatants while the earth ponies and allies pushed the Empire’s ground forces around.

Finally, at almost ten in the morning, Equestria and her allies finally forced the Empire off of the mountain. Quickly establishing a fortified camp, Equestria had secured the upper hoof in this battle. Both sides realized this, and the Empire retreated to regroup, in the hope that they would be able to strike and salvage the situation. It looked grim for them, though, as in the conflict, the sky troops of the Empire were crippled, only two or three thousand of them left alive.

At last, the final day of battle came. Equestria, unlike the past engagements, had a significant portion of control over the skies. Thus, when the Empire attacked, they were pummeled by storms and lightning, much like the third day of battle for the Equestrians. The difference was that the Empire lacked the strong magical offensive, and was unable to counter the assault with the same effectiveness that the Equestrians possessed. This is not meant to say that the Empire gave up. No, the Empire, despite their odds of victory being less than zero, made a brave stand and both shed and caused to be shed huge amounts of blood that day. However, the advantages that Equestria wielded were too great, and the Empire’s final stand was annihilated, thus conclusively ending the battle and the First Invasion of Equestria.

Both sides of the battle, though, suffered greatly from the fighting. The mighty army marshaled by the Empire was utterly crushed. Only some eight thousand of the Empire and her allies survived, and a good deal of the survivors were wounded. On the other side, Equestria had to lick its wounds, too, for the Thirteenth and Seventeenth Armies were completely destroyed, while all of the remaining armies were severely depleted. It is estimated that only nine thousand Equestrian ponies were left alive, along with five thousand buffalo and one and a half thousand zebra allies.

With the end of the First Invasion of Equestria, both sides quickly realized that the war was not going to be easy. Both sides were determined to win and had massive building and military infrastructure backing up that determination, to the point that the entire world would suffer in this war. In the first year of conflict, the body count was already over one hundred thousand. And the war was just getting warmed up. Many, many more would have to die before the advantage shifted to either side.

Table of Contents
Message from Princess Twilight Sparkle
Final Years of the Equestrian Republic
The Reign of Discord
Battle and Fall of the Republic
Life Under Discord
Celestia and Luna
The Harmonious Revolution
First Battle of Ponyville
Battle of Ghastly Gorge
New Plans and the Elements of Harmony
Second Battle of Ponyville (Collapse of the Reign of Discord)
Time of Reconstruction, Beginning of the Equestrian Diarchy
Transition and Separation
Social and Economic Reform
New Challenges
Military Expansion
War with Lord Tirek
The War of Bloodied Crystals
Opening Diplomacy and Politics
The Road to War
Opening Deployments
Invasion and Counter-Invasion
Celestial and Lunar Intervention, Rebellion of the Crystal Ponies
Fall of the Crystal Empire
The Years of Brewing Storms
Shifting Ideologies and Civil Unrest
Diplomatic Crises and the One-Day War
Jealousy and Corruption
The Storm Snaps (The Lunar Rebellion)
The Lunar March
The Battle of the Night and Day
Daybreak, and Backlash
Celestial Years of Peace
The Summer Sun Celebration
Caine-Equestrian Border Crisis
The Great Shifting and Demilitarization
Founding of Modern Ponyville
A Period of Waiting and The Great Search
The Most Recent Decade (The Decade of Accelerating Change)
Rise of Princess Cadance, Rise of Queen Chrysalis
The New Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the Unification of the Changeling Empire
The Lunar Restoration, Changeling-Equestrian Diplomatic Crises
Crises in Appleloosa and Caine Attacks
The Return of Discord and Preparations for War
Political Concerns and the Battle for Canterlot (War declared against the Changeling Empire)
The Crystal Empire Returns, Beginning of the Second Crystalline-Equestrian Alliance
Reformation of Discord and Ascension of Princess Twilight Sparkle
The Tree of Harmony
The Great Battle of Ponyville, Fall of the Golden Oaks, Rise of the Council of Six
Ongoing War and Shifting Politics

Concluding Thoughts

Author's Note

Do note, this Table of Contents is subject to change at any time. The most likely reason is a lack of information from scholars or new discoveries.

The Reign of Discord

The Reign of Discord
2050-2148 AW

Ahh, the Reign of Discord. One of the most well-known phases of Equestrian History, with the possible exception of Hearth's Warming. The most likely explanation for this is it describes Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's ascension to the throne, and their "peaceful" reign ever since. The most popular explanation for their ascension is that the soon-to-be Princesses waltzed up to Discord's throne and demanded he step down. When he refused, they used the Elements of Harmony, and in one big boom - with rainbows! - , Equestria was back to normal. It was like the past hundred years of chaos never happened.

Forgive me for being unprofessional, but this explanation is full of horse@#!*.

To start, Celestia and Luna's reign has been far from peaceful. One only needs to look at the past five years for proof of this.

In addition, this account completely ignores the period leading up to this - the actual AGE of CHAOS! Or, if it is not ignored, then the entire time is summed up to be a time of "half day, half night; strange weather patterns; and out-of-control plants." This is by no means complete or reliable, and is one of the many myths of Equestria's past I hope to destroy.

Finally, this reason conveniently skips the Harmonious Revolution and the hundreds of thousands of ponies slain in the Battle of Ghastly Gorge, Equestria's worst defeat in several thousands of years, second only to the Battle of the Far North, which is the reason Celestia and Luna intervened personally in the War of the Bloodied Crystals.

Anyways, I digress.

We must remember that if it was not for the Equestrian Resistance Alliance, the makeshift warriors that perished in the Second Battle of Ponyville, and the hope that the ordinary pony had, Celestia and Luna never would have been able to defeat Discord, Equestria would still be wrapped around his claw, much that is, would not be, and much that is not, would be everyday life. In short, it is far too easy to focus on greatpony history and forget the acts of the commoners. They are the ones that make history happen. That is why, while Princess Celestia and Luna do get their share of credit, the next few chapters, I will turn the focus of this book to the ones at the bottom of the hierarchy, and the ones that are most overlooked.

Time of Reconstruction

The Time of Reconstruction
2149-2158 AW

The Reign of Discord was over. He had been defeated, thanks to the determined effort of the two sisters and the general population. His influence remained, though. While the war was over, the damage was widespread, and the population of ponies were governmentless. It is estimated that the fall of the Republic and the Harmonious Revolution had claimed over one point four million lives, military personnel only. We have no way of estimating the damage done to the civilian population. On top of this, the settlement that was the site of the Second Battle of Ponyville was reduced to rubble, alongside many other towns and cities. Pegasusoplis is the most noteworthy in this example, having been the site of at least two separate large-scale battles and countless smaller ones. Technologies were being reinvented, but progress was slow due to destroyed records, famine, and occasional changeling raids. Many challenges still faced the reborn nation. For instance, the nation had shrunk, losing the vast San Palomino Desert, Macintosh Hills, all of the coastal territories, and much more. The only possessions the nation retained was the smoking ruins of the Ponyville settlement, Pegasusoplis, the Everfree Forest, and the mountain that would later hold Canterlot. In addition, while they were very much weakened from the Revolution, the changelings held vast territories and still presented a substantial military threat. If the nation was to retain its independence, they needed allies, and they needed a strong leader.

The obvious choice for leadership, and least controversial, was the two sisters that lead Equestria out of Discord’s shadow. That is, Celestia and Luna. Everypony agreed to appoint the sisters to a temporary position of absolute leadership. This was only a temporary arrangement, and was only meant to last a year. It was renewed in 2150, and the ponies started to draw up the Constitution of Equestria in late 2150, giving the sisters near unlimited power over the fledgling nation. This solution was a less-than-universally popular decision, and would bring about political strife. That will be addressed in the next chapter.

Bear in mind, the Age of Reconstruction has never truly ended. Rather, Equestria was - and has been - continuously rebuilding and repairing the damage inflicted by Discord. Hopefully, Equestria may one day rise back to its glory and technological advancement.