The Sundering of Equestria - A Future History

An Introduction by Al-Manākh

The Sundering of Equestria is perhaps the most significant event in the entire history of western equine civilisation. So-named because of the six factions that conquered and warred over different areas of the ancient and magically-rich country of Equestria, the series of events culminating in the final battle of 1043LB arguably had a greater impact on Equestrian civilisation than any other conflict or period of social upheaval before or since.

Beginning as a civil war between the oppressive government and experienced military of Old Equestria, versus the popular revolutionary movement known as the New Lunar Republic, the war rapidly spiralled out of control. Other factions soon emerged from within Equestria to take advantage of the chaos caused by the war – most notably, the fanatical religious sect known as the Discordians, and an insectile, non-pony species native to Equestria, called the Changeling Swarm. At the same time, the governments of two of Equestria’s principle neighbours – the nearby Griffon Kingdoms (bitter after years of being ignored and disregarded by Equestria) and the gigantic industrial powerhouse of the World Empire (in their self-proclaimed role of ‘global interventionists’) – decided for their own reasons to involve themselves.

Though this terrible war has long been shrouded in mystery, recently discovered evidence has shed new light on the triggers, course, ending and impact of this conflict. Described here, with the most care possible taken to ensure its accuracy, is a new, up-to-date and factually-accurate account of the Sundering of Equestria. Although some events and characters remain unknown, opinion (popular or otherwise) is kept carefully separate from ascertained fact, which does leaves a number of blank spaces in this history, but does not compromise its accuracy.

Amongst other things, this chronicle includes: a brief history of the prelude to the Sundering; the infamous assassination of the Princess; the tale of the rise of the New Lunar Republic; a stage-by-stage account of the war’s principle battles and skirmishes; new insights into the personalities and motives of some of the war’s key figures; the violent and unexpected rise of Discordianism, and its consequences; word-for-word extracts from many famous and not-so-famous sources; the war’s ultimate ending; and how the outcome of the war led directly to the world in which we live today.

Through painstaking research and the meticulous comparison of multitudinous sources both new and old, it is possible to piece together the truth behind the legend that is the Sundering of Equestria.

The Stirrings of Revolt

The very beginning of an event is always difficult to pinpoint. Most historians will state the death of the Princess and what followed as being the spark that set off the revolution, and, to some extent, that assessment is accurate. The truth, however, is that public discontent was in the air long before the events 1031LB.

The true beginning of these events is tied in with the arrival of ambassadors from the World Empire, in the years shortly after Princess Sparkle’s ascension (approximately 1008-9LB). At that time, the World Empire (so-called because, until their ‘discovery’ of Equestria, they believed they were the only true organised state left in the world) controlled all the lands to the east of Equestria, as well as lands previously considered mythical, including many far to the distant east that nopony in Equestria had ever even heard of before. Shortly after the ambassadors’ arrival, the largely uninhabited Gallopinghost Islands off of Equestria’s eastern coast were also claimed by the World Empire, much to the detriment of the lawless natives. This caused a short-lived diplomatic dispute, which quickly ended when it was discovered that Equestria had no formal sovereignty over the islands.

More worrying to the Equestrian government than this brief dispute was the high level of militarism present in the World Empire’s representatives. All the political ambassadors came accompanied by heavily-armed guards, equipped with weapons and military technologies never before seen in Equestria, and many of the diplomats themselves held military ranks. This sudden appearance of such an immense, military powerhouse on the very doorstep of Equestria (officials at the time considered it the first viable foreign military threat to Equestria in over five thousand years) led to a dramatic rethink of internal policy by Equestrian politicians.

Several centuries prior, the military forces of Equestria had been quite large, existing in the form of the EUP Defence Forces (Earth pony, Unicorn and Pegasus, the three principle races of Equestria). However, as their existence became less necessary, they had dwindled slowly over the centuries to the point where, in 1010LB, only the Royal Guard of Canterlot (Equestria’s capital city) still remained, in the form of a glorified police force, and the Wonderbolt Flying Corps, which owed its continued existence to its famous display team.

Princess Celestia, Equestria’s alicorn ruler (and national deity), realised that, if the World Empire decided to betray its previous promises of mutually-beneficial trade and peaceful coexistence, Equestria would be helpless in the face of the Emperor’s near-limitless armies. As a contemporary chronicler noted, “After centuries of peace, we found ourselves with a glaring weakness. Peace had made us utterly unprepared for war”.

In order to remedy this situation, in 1013LB Princess Celestia introduced several new taxes and issued a series of Civil Service reforms. The new taxes immediately led to protests – as most ponies at the time naturally expected it would. Although the earliest of the new taxes (such as the Public Lavatories Tax) were minor, and prompted little more protest than angry mutterings and toilet-related editorial cartoons in the newspapers, the subsequent taxes were not so easily forgiven. The ill-fated Foal Tax – a levy taken from every household that had not produced foals, the aim being to increase the Equestrian population in time for war – led to a series of fierce demonstrations in front of the Royal Palace. Ponies felt that foal-less couples and poorer families that could not afford large numbers of children were being unjustly persecuted for reasons that they did not agree with. Many saw no need to increase or bolster their country’s armed forces, suggesting a distinct lack of aggression in the Equestrian psyche at the time, or perhaps a naivety.

Despite the protests, the taxes still went ahead, signalling the beginning of anti-government feeling amongst the previously-content populace. A key event during these protests was the personal quelling of the Cobble Street Protest by Princess Luna; the alicorn sister of Princess Celestia and Equestria’s nominal co-ruler. While displeasure with the Princess of the Sun was beginning to take hold, affection for the Lunar Princess (which had been steadily rising since her return to the political spotlight thirteen years earlier) remained.

The effects of the taxation reforms are not to be overlooked either (although other historians often have). In order to cope with the expected increase in the size of the nation’s military, most of Equestria’s Civil Services were expanded and reorganised. Most notably, the Equestrian Revenue Service was expanded to deal with the new taxes, and many more tax collectors were recruited. As a result, the common pony now saw the government as something of a bureaucratic regime; the Celestian government, being so much larger and more prominent than before, seemed now to be more distant from the needs of the common pony and far more powerful than it should rightly be.

Just to make things worse, in this time when ponies were feeling more and more oppressed by their leaders, the increase in military spending began to take effect. Soldiers of the Royal Guard became a more common sight on the streets, mainly due to training and marching exercises, but all the common pony saw was Celestia’s grip beginning to tighten over them.

It’s no wonder therefore that anti-authoritarian feeling began to rise in the mid-to-late 1020s. As the years passed, previously minor left-wing and anarchist movements began to gain more influence.

The Griffon Kingdoms Unite Again

While the above was taking place in Equestria, fearful eyes were watching from abroad. The twelve Kings and Queens of the Griffon Kingdoms – in a state of internal division as of 1015LB – had noticed Equestria’s sudden increase in military spending. Fearing that this unexpected build-up was somehow directed at them, the twelve rulers of the Griffon Kingdoms called one another and agreed to meet in a Kings Council.

The mere announcement of this event was welcome news to the populace of the Twelve Kingdoms. Sporadic, internal warfare (both nominal and actual) had long debilitated their country and, although competitive military spending had led to the development of black-powder and fuel-pump-based technology to rival the magic of Equestria, it had held back the economic development of the Griffon Kingdoms, reducing them to the status of a second-rate power. A meeting of a Kings Council, it was hoped, would signal a new time of peace and growth for the Griffon population.

For the Griffons’ leaders, however, this council was born more out of self-interest and perceived emergency that any kind of grand vision. The leaders had come to the conclusion that, with the emergence of the powerful World Empire at her borders, Princess Celestia was seeking to strengthen her own position. Either, they concluded, Celestia was in league with the World Empire, and both states were intending to conquer the Griffon Kingdoms and divide it up amongst themselves – or Celestia was planning to intimidate the Empire by invading and annexing the Griffon Kingdoms, thereby strengthening her own country whilst making the World Empire think twice about invading them.

It is perhaps characteristic of Griffon leadership at this time that none of the Kings or Queens considered that Equestria’s new policies were merely cautionary, and had nothing at all to do with the Griffons. It’s also interesting to note that, in the Canterlot documents relating to Celestia’s new policies, there is absolutely no mention of the Griffon Kingdoms; it’s almost as if Celestia didn’t consider the effect her reforms might have on them, or even consider them a potential threat.

Due to this misunderstanding of intentions, the twelve Kings and Queens unanimously agreed at the 1015LB Kings Council to temporarily unite their respective kingdoms. As part of this, their military forces would be merged and – acknowledging that Equestria was still more powerful than them combined – the leaders all pledged to increase spending on both their militaries and (with hindsight, perhaps more importantly) their weapons-development programs. Believing that the World Empire diplomats who had arrived in their country might also be spies, or at the very least plotting alongside the Equestrians, the Kings Council tried its best to keep them at arm’s length.

These aforementioned pledges and diplomatic plans were kept secret from the population at large, however. As far as the average griffon knew, the Kingdoms were uniting (not for the first time in their history), more money was flowing from the government, and things were generally looking up. The possibility of war had never seemed more distant.

Discordianism and National Tragedy

Founded sometime around 1600BLB, the cult of Discordianism is based on the emulation of the mythical being Discord and the belief that chaos is an inherent truth of reality, whereas order, stability and (perhaps paradoxically) truth are all illusions. A cross between a cult and philosophy, Discordianism was never widespread in Equestria and was likewise never considered a possible threat by the Celestian Government. It was looked down upon by society in general, but on the whole it was merely tolerated by the common pony as an unpopular minority movement.

Elsewhere, Discordianism was treated very differently. While it was mostly unheard of in the Griffon Kingdoms (griffons being, on the whole, more practical and less philosophically-motivated than ponies), in the states making up the World Empire, Discordianism was actively persecuted and thoroughly despised on both a social and political level – as it still is today. Imperial diplomats had arrived in Equestria and the Griffon Kingdoms with warnings about the danger the movement posed, and suggestions on how best to deal with the ‘problem’. While this latter view was seen as extremely worrying by liberal Equestrian politicians in the late 1020s, forthcoming events would soon prove to them that Discordianism was not as harmless as it seemed.

In late autumn 1031LB, the Princess Twilight Sparkle was undertaking a return visit to her hometown of Ponyville. Crowds of thousands lined the route, drawn from the town and beyond; a testament to the newly-ascended Princess’ popularity with the masses. As she was pulled down the main carriageway into the town, riding in the back of a unicorn-driven Royal chariot, a lone figure burst out of the cheering crowds.

Hundreds of witnesses watched as the masked stallion threw a homemade explosive device into the Princess’ chariot. Caught unprepared and unable to act in the split-second she had, the device exploded, instantly killing the young alicorn.

The assassin was immediately tackled to the ground by guardsponies and hauled off to jail, never again to see the light of day. The crowds panicked and stampeded from the scene, fearing further explosions, but at the same time impeding the doctors that tried to rush to the Princess’ aid. They arrived at the destroyed chariot within minutes – some would later criticise the doctors for being so slow to get there, but the truth is that the damage had already been done.

Later analysis of the death, from sources only recently released, has shown exactly how the Princess died – presented here, for those of you who have a morbid curiosity for such things. Others may wish to skip the following paragraph.

The autopsies show that the shrapnel (jagged metal shards) from the explosion had perforated the Princess Sparkle’s skull in three separate places, which alone would have been enough to kill her instantly. However, further pieces of metal were discovered to have severed the vertebrae of her neck in two places, suggesting that the Princess could not have felt the severe damage then done to her lower body; a significant-sized shard had cut its way through the chest cavity and out the other side, severing the lungs in two; all four legs were snapped by the force of the blast; and finally, innumerable shrapnel pieces had dug into almost every other inch of the unfortunate Princess’ body that was not destroyed by the force of the explosion.

It was a day that would live in infamy for centuries. Not only was it the first unnatural death of an alicorn in all of recorded history, but the assassination occurred in such a public place, and in such a violent way. It must also be noted here that the use of black-powder in weaponry was almost unheard of in Equestria at this time, as a result of a long-standing ban instituted by Princess Celestia, preventing the use of black-powder for violent ends. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the deceased was the most beloved Princess in living memory. A whole month of national mourning followed.

The assassin was quickly identified as political activist Gavrilo Prancer, and it was announced that he had been hired by a Discordian sect based within Canterlot. This was to remain the Celestian government’s position throughout coming events. Interestingly to historians, Prancer remained in a jail underneath Canterlot for the entirety of the upcoming conflict, and in fact only died after many years of imprisonment, of old age.

The motive for the killing, however, is still not entirely understood, just as it was then. Although the tenets of Discordianism are quite clear, it seemed impossible to many ponies at the time that such a horrific event could have been caused by a mere desire for random chaos. Conspiracy theories soon abounded.

One of the most common and influential theories was that Princess Celestia herself had ordered the assassination of the younger Princess, perhaps jealous of her popularity or wary of a usurpation. There is absolutely no evidence that this was the case, however, and in actuality recently-discovered evidence tells of Celestia as being visibly stricken upon hearing the news of her ex-student’s most untimely death.

In fact, it seems probable that Princess Celestia felt this loss very deeply, as this would help to explain her subsequent actions.

Celestian Justice

The reprisals against the Discordian sect that had planned the assassination were swift, without trial and – to the shock of all; even those who had been most harmed by Princess Sparkle’s death – impossibly violent.

Readers of a delicate disposition may wish to skip over the next four paragraphs.

On the orders of Princess Celestia, all accused and self-confessed Discordians in Canterlot were rounded up by the Royal Guard. The prisoners were then paraded through the streets of the city – to be jeered at by the populace – before being taken to Solar Square (most likely that Square was chosen as it was the only Square in the city big enough to hold all of the accused, but its name would later lead to some unfortunate implications). In common with all public events, a crowd gathered to watch.

Once there, the Discordians were first tied to large wooden posts, referred to as stakes, which had been set up in preparation for the event. Then – to the horror of the watching crowds – the prisoners were flogged with steel-tipped whips, previously used for (illegally) taming dragons. This, sources tell us, went on for some time.

Witnesses describe the soldiers doing the whipping as waiting until “the prisoners’ skin was hanging from their blood-soaked bones like so many sad, burst balloons” before they moved onto the actual execution. First of all, the stomach of each prisoner was cut open, the “grotesque bloody-white ropes” of their intestines pulled out, shown to the “screaming, but still-living” Discordians, and then were wrapped around their necks, forming a kind of noose. The prisoners’ intestines were then tied to the tops of the wooden stakes, which had been notched “for this very, horrifying purpose”.

The ropes holding the prisoners to the wooden stakes were then cut, leaving the Discordians to be hanged with their own intestines. A witness describes one of the prisoners slipping out of her ‘noose’ and falling to the ground, having her guts partially torn from her body in the process. This account tells us that the deeply unfortunate prisoner was immediately surrounded by three Royal Guardsponies and, all while writhing and screaming in agony, was brutally stabbed to death by the Guards’ spears.

According to every witness who recorded what they saw, the entire crowd was “deathly silent” throughout the whole incident.

This was truly the most horrific event ever to occur on Equestrian soil in living history – perhaps even in all known history. Its impact on what was to come cannot be over-exaggerated. The captured Discordians were the first ponies to be put to death since centuries before Equestria’s founding, and the first to be publicly punished by the state in any way in almost a millennium. In her desire for revenge, Celestia had inflicted a deep, irreparable scar on the collective psyche of Equestrian society, as well as on the psyche of every historian who has chosen to study this period.

A term was coined; “Celestian Justice”.

Retribution and the Equestrian Police State

Protests and demonstrations after the executions increased tenfold. Throughout the winter of 1031-32LB, not a single week went by when there wasn’t at least one group of protesters outside the gates of the Royal Palace. Estimations, based on witnesses’ accounts, suggest that, over the winter, groups numbering between three hundred and two thousand ponies protested a total of twenty-seven times in Canterlot. Similar demonstrations, riots and marches occurred all over the country.

In response to this, an (some historians would argue) increasingly-unstable Princess Celestia ordered a crackdown. Her excuse to the representatives of the World Empire, and members of her own government, was that these demonstrations were being orchestrated by subversive Discordian sects. It should be noted that there is little reliable evidence suggesting that this was actually the case, although Discordians were at least present in a number of protests. In every major city and town in Equestria, Martial Law was imposed. For those that are unaware of the term’s meaning, this meant that Celestia’s newly-expanded Royal Guard (now seen by many as her “personal instrument of terror”) had complete control over the main population centres of the country, and could punish ‘lawbreakers’ immediately, brutally and without needing to acknowledge even basic equine rights.

Protests that occurred were broken up, often violently. Suspected Discordians and other “enemies of the state” were rounded up and executed. Such was the horror of this that many government officials quit their jobs, unwilling to be involved in such atrocities. Their positions, on Celestia’ recommendation, were then filled by the ambassadors and representatives from the World Empire who (sources tell us) genuinely believed that they were helping to quell an “epidemic” of Discordianism; it was, and still is, the belief of many in the World Empire that anarchy is a kind of infectious disease. This continued only for a brief time, however, and over the next few months Equestrian-born civil servants willing to enact Celestia’s will were found and employed.

Sources from the time suggest that over six thousand ponies were killed during this period, but modern estimates indicate that in fact only somewhere between 2,800 and 3,300 ponies were killed over these four years. Nevertheless, to the ponies at the time, Celestia’s government had become a ruthless tyranny, with ponies dying on a scale previously unimaginable.

Anti-Celestian feeling was now beyond boiling point. The theory that Celestia had ordered Princess Sparkle’s assassination became commonly believed; her murder, the theory went, was a pre-planned excuse for Celestia to increase her control over the nation. This served to sway even those who had bought Celestia’s propaganda of peace-hating Discordians hiding under every bed.

Revolution was in the air.