It was a dark and stormy night. A night fate had in fact intended to last forever, for the planet’s own rotation was in synchronicity with its orbit about its host star. One side, always facing the hydrogen furnace, had long succumbed to the searing heat and become an unforgiving arid desert where every tiniest drop of water would instantly evaporate. The other, exposed to nothing but the vastness of space, was to be engulfed in eternal darkness, unrelenting cold, and thick layers of solid ice.
Joining the halves was a strip, running from the north pole to the south pole and back up the other side, within which there were times that water could exist as a liquid, providing the conditions for biological life to find its beginning and for natural selection to take its course. Single-celled organisms appeared first; then plants, then animals, and ultimately, the sapient equines that will be the protagonists of our journey through time.
Evolution was not a fool. Too many mammalian individuals and the plant gene pool would diminish into extinction, bringing all animals down with it, for the plants were their only source of food. Too few and the higher life form would not be viable as a species. A fair equilibrium had to settle into being.
Gale-force stormy weather made survival difficult, even unlikely. A hot planetary half in which air would expand and lose its density, abutting a cold hemisphere where the same air would contract and return to fill the pressure differentials thus created, would lend itself to atmospheric convection currents of phantasmagorical magnitudes. Bacterial life may face little adversity by simply exploiting the safe harbor of solid ground, but multi-cellular creatures struggled.
It didn’t help that the planet wasn’t alone in its solar system. Gravitational pulls and tugs from other celestial bodies resulted in libration, the wobbling of the planet during its unceasing journey about the star. Any spot on the surface, even if well within the bounds of the habitable strip, experienced temperature variations too flagrant to be brushed off as negligible.
It was in this climate that a symbiotic relationship should arise. A sufficiently evolved being would be required to tap the magic of the land and allow for plants to flourish in an otherwise inhospitable environment. For the wielder of such magic, the plants would provide a source of nourishment, while for the plant the magic would be the source of life; a win-win situation.
Yet, despite all the charitable magic unleashed from the soil, the life forms had to contend also with the brutish weather. Strong winds blasted across the land and laid waste to anything painstakingly constructed. Withstanding such an element of nature was a must, but amounted to an uphill battle; the prize of ecological dominance would be open to none less than those who could tame it. Similarly, comfortable warmth was to be awarded solely to those who could manipulate the ambient temperature conditions.
The species evolved, therefore, to sport three distinct phenotypes to address each of these forms of adversity. The earth ponies would ensure the continued growth of plant life; the pegasus ponies would pacify the tornados and cyclones; and the unicorn ponies would create a balanced local climate.
Within a geologically short span of a few hundreds of thousands of generations, the population expanded. The hot side of the planet provided no space to live in; a temperature of high extremes could not be overcome by adding more heat. With increased ability in the manipulation of soil, weather and climates, however, venturing further into the planet’s dark hemisphere became increasingly more feasible, even as the land encountered there was frozen, barren and uninviting. As a side-effect of their evolution, pegasi were able to control the means of precipitation as well as the discharge of lightning, while the magic of unicorns developed to be more versatile and include spells such as that of levitation.
Socially, the ponies were a divided race. With each third of the population boasting an innate ability the others could not match, envy and distrust was the norm. The ponies lived in tribes, each of which was exclusive to one of the three pony types. Collaboration occurred out of necessity; all ponies knew that they would starve without food, that they would be unable to stay in one place if winds were allowed to reign free, and that they would freeze to death if it weren’t for the unicorns’ provision of heat, but even so, pre-history was aplenty with wars and conflicts over resources and territory.
Wishing for an end to this ever-present animosity, some groups with ambitious ideals had ventured to create new cultural standards, new political leanings and new systems of governance. Some were moderately successful; some crumbled as hastily as they were formed. Ultimately, a few held up in the competition and became places for all types of ponies who wished to put qualms and bad blood of the past behind them to coexist. One such place came to be known as the ‘equine together-land’ or, as it was rendered in the ancient tongue, Equestria.
The success of the Equestrian project was owed to several factors. One was that a strong a competent weather control leadership team emerged, which allowed all ponies a peaceful collaboration to keep winds, rainfall and temperatures balanced and in accordance with the needs of agriculture. Perhaps the most salient factor however was a founding myth that would embody the principles of harmonious coexistence upon which Equestria was founded. It was a tale of hardship and sacrifice in which the mutually begrudging tribes ultimately conquer their differences through understanding and friendship. The legend of the Windigos was born and became the cornerstone of the Equestrian culture of harmony. This story would provide later generations with the means to uphold the ideals of unity even as feelings of resentment or prejudice between the pony types occasionally resurfaced among younger folk who had not been alive during the founding.
Early Equestria was ruled by elected governments of representatives. Every office was open to three contenders, one of each pony type. This way, it was argued, the administration would consist invariably of the same number of each type of pony, ensuring equal representation. An era of peace and abundance of resources in which far less time and effort were needed just to stay alive allowed the ponies greater devotion to the development of new ideas, inventions and technologies. The earth ponies perfected farming, discovered cooking, invented meals and desserts and created an unprecedented culinary tradition. The pegasi worked out a repeating pattern of seasonal weather which would balance the needs of the ponies themselves with that of the crops. The unicorns, apart from helping to control the ambient temperature, pursued the goal of knowledge and developed first writing and recorded history, then the scientific method.
The enterprise of knowledge was spearheaded by a bearded unicorn who is today recognized as perhaps the greatest magic genius to have ever lived. Science provided a flurry of answers, inventions, and even protection from unpredictable threats to the hard-earned balance, such as one trio of dangerous creatures who used their song to enchant others to do their bidding, or a pair of travelers from a distant land, one of whom attempted to subjugate Equestria by seizing all of the ponies’ magic. His role, despite being apolitical, had been so contributory that some versions of the Windigo myth now include him as the mentor of one of the fictitious founders.
Under his auspice, experiments were conducted and theories tested. Inventions were made and machines built to serve the needs of all types of ponies. Yet one question had the populace perpetually enthralled in curiosity: Would it be possible for a single pony to combine the traits of two pony types, or even all three? Would society not benefit if everypony were unlimited in their abilities? Can science take us there?
One day, such an experiment in bioengineering came to fruition. A pregnant mare was enchanted with a carefully crafted spell which would rearrange the fertilized ovum’s genome in such a way that all the genes responsible for each pony type would be present and active. The first filly with both wings and a horn was born. Not long after, a younger sister was born of the same mother. Although the scientists insisted that their ilk be correctly referred to as triploid hybrids, the common folk quickly adopted the shorter, albeit technically inaccurate term alicorns. Although not known at the time, these natural-born alicorns would later be found to also have an unusually long lifespan.
Around the same time, a malevolent foreign power came upon the land of the ponies; a force to be reckoned with, as its magic of chaos effortlessly overpowered any defenses brought against it by the unicorns. A long-lasting era of unrest and unhappiness ensued. Yet, in spite of the torment and oppression, the strong culture of unity and friendship prevailed in the hearts and minds of Equestria; the hope for an eventual return to harmony never faded. It was within this environment that the alicorn sisters grew up: the rule of the wicked draconequus ever-present, yet imposed on a society pervaded by a common understanding of good.
Even under the regime, weather control continued as before. The ponies diligently kept a cycle of days and nights, winters and summers that was in accordance with the needs of ponies and nature alike. The alicorn sisters joined this effort and soon imagined that the daily cycle of light and temperature could be taken off the hooves of the busy pegasi and unicorns. A pair of potent magic spells were invented at this time which only the alicorn sisters would be capable of casting. These spells would create powerful holographic images far up in the atmosphere, one of which would provide a source of intense warmth and light, keeping temperatures high and the land bright, while the other would generate much less heat and keep the land in moderate darkness so as to allow for peaceful sleep. These objects hovering in the sky would come to be known as the sun and the moon, respectively.
This earned the alicorns not only their cutie marks, which represent their ability to raise and lower the holograms above and below the horizon, but also the respect and admiration of a suffering populace. The sun became symbolic for the light of hope that would shine upon those ready to take political action, while the moon represented, in the minds of many, the longed-for tranquility and peace. The sisters gradually came to believe that a change, even a revolution, could be attainable. The power of chaos was not limitless and the seeds of discord did not penetrate further into pony culture than to a mere superficial degree. All that would be needed was a sufficiently powerful source of benign magic to counter it. Over time the sisters amassed a devoted following of the politically likeminded, and despite the need for it to remain underground lest it be targeted by the corrupting influence of the establishment, it grew into a movement of unprecedented proportions. At one point, the draconequine government was very nearly the only part of Equestria still oblivious to the open secret. No surprise, then, that information almost invariably reached the dissenters earlier than it did the rulers.
So it was with the discovery of a magical tree, hidden deep within a thick forest so unnatural and inhabited by such savage creatures that none but the bravest and most curious of ponies ever dared venture thereto. The tree grew six gemlike fruits, each weak and hardly of utility on its own, but able to unleash a force of nature hitherto unheard of by ponykind when combined and wielded with skilled finesse. Such aptitude would turn out to lie firmly within the capabilities of the alicorn sisters.
After the climactic battle of magic, the invader had been imprisoned as a statue of stone. With nearly the entirety of Equestria robustly on the alicorn sisters’ side, they took over the throne of Equestria, styled themselves princesses and, by the grace of their benevolent ruling paradigm, ushered in a period of renewed order. Accordingly, the magical items instrumental in the historic victory came to be known as the Elements of Harmony.
In the years following, effort was focused primarily on the restoration of Equestria’s infrastructure, social cohesion and past wisdom. Not only were towns in disarray and buildings rendered uninhabitable, but much of the scientific findings of the pre-draconequine era had gone missing or gotten destroyed; in particular, the bioengineering spell that created the alicorns could not be recovered or reconstructed. Despite, the elder sister discovered on her own a separate way of transforming a living pony into an alicorn; although the spell would not be genetic in nature and not produce a long-lived triploid hybrid, it would nonetheless grant access to all three forms of pony magic to a single individual whose genes would only embody one type. Unfortunately, this sudden boost of power proved unhealthy to the psyche of any pony thusly bestowed; most would turn rebellious, corrupt or downright destructive, leading the sisters not only to reverse the transformations on them, but also to resolve that one’s suitability for alicornhood shall henceforth be established first through laborious training and testing.
Besides Equestria, another society of ponies that emerged from the annals of pre-history was one located just north of Equestria which embraced the magic of crystals and boasted a varied tradition and rich cultural heritage. Ultimately, however, this city-state fell into political instability and gave rise to a dictatorship that grew more oppressive as time went on. The king, as the self-appointed leader would title himself, gave official decree that his realm be referred to as an empire, and even though the bounds of his influence never expanded beyond the limits of the city, this title is still in use today.
Due to the aftermath of Equestria’s own period of upheaval, the royal sisters of Equestria did not take note of this development until such time as the crystal ponies were firmly enslaved and torture was a daily routine. A wave of shock spread through Equestrian society when news of these horrors came to light. Nevertheless, the elder sister decided against any interference in the business of the bordering state for fear of putting the well-being of her own subjects in jeopardy.
Not all of the populace of Equestria was supportive of the ruler’s inaction; the sufferers, after all, were ponies too, and with the Elements of Harmony at their disposal, the sisters would surely be victorious. Among those advocating for intervention was the younger alicorn, much to her sister’s chagrin. A diarchy strongly divided on one of the hottest political issues of the day was not a situation to be taken lightly. Despite, the elder sister maintained her position and refused to risk starting an international conflict that could potentially stretch for a long time and bring hardship and deprivation to her land.
This tense situation continued until a fateful sequence of events would come to pass. In an effort to at least improve diplomatic relations with the northern neighbors, the younger sister occasionally visited the tyrannized kingdom. With the approval of the elder sister, the goal of such diplomatic contact was the negotiation of trade agreements for mutual economic benefit. Yet behind the curtain of official diplomacy, the king’s rhetorical skills of persuasion would take a toll on the princess’s loyalty. Over time, she became convinced that her role was a thankless and subservient one; that the ponies of Equestria reveled in the warmth and beauty of the sun, but shunned the moon and slept through the night simply in order to await the next rise of daylight. She resented that a yearly celebration was held to commemorate the summer sun, but no equivalent moon festival existed. She felt overshadowed, unappreciated, became embittered and eventually allowed herself to be taken over by the influence of the king’s evil. Her bond of trust with her sister slipped away as she gradually underwent a transformation into a dark and possessed version of herself. Eventually, she gave herself a new name and openly rebelled against what she perceived as the imposing rule of the sun. The elder sister’s pleas and appeals to her reason remained ineffective. She declared, with the egotistical narcissism of a madpony, that the next setting of the sun shall be the final one and from that day forward, the night shall last forever.
Naturally, the ruler of Equestria could not allow for this plan to go through. Everypony knew full well what havoc an eternal night would wreak upon the land. Temperatures would plummet, the cycle of seasons would be disrupted and harvests would fail. The supply of food would collapse and widespread famine would ensue. With a heavy heart, she accepted that her only option at this time was to use her only weapon, the Elements of Harmony, against her own beloved sister, which banished her to the moon for a period of a thousand years.
Even though everyday life in Equestria was largely unaffected as the remaining princess took over the duties of controlling both heavenly icons, the departure of the moon princess sent waves of sadness through the land. Calls for the liberation of the northern empire intensified, especially as rumors of its king’s involvement in the corruption of the younger sister spread and were ultimately confirmed. New traditions emerged to honor the memory of what she had been before her descent into madness; most notably, a yearly festival to celebrate the mystery of the dark spread throughout pony culture and came to be known as Nightmare Night. Changed by the emotional impact of the events, the ruling alicorn gave in to the political pressure, ventured due north and engaged the Elements of Harmony once more against the tyrant of the crystal empire. Although successful in that the king became trapped in the northern ice for a thousand years, he did not yield without a last-minute counter measure whereby he deflected the banishing spell onto the whole city, causing it to disappear with him for the same long period of time, calculating that when the spell would expire, whenever that would be, he would find himself back in his realm exactly the way he had left it.
Thus, for the king, the enormous length of time was nearly inconsequential. The princess, already having outlived most ponies she had ever known, hoped that her longevity would take her far enough into the future that one day, after long and arduous waiting, she may live to see her sister again. For everypony else, however, countless generations would emerge and pass away in which the heritage of the royal sister would fade into oblivion and the stories behind Nightmare Night would gradually come to be seen as old ponies’ tales.
With the princess now alone on the throne, it became increasingly more obvious that there was an acute need for competent leaders who would, at first, aid her in her duties of ruling Equestria, but eventually, if and when the time would come for her to abdicate due to age, succeed her. Over the years, the urgency of this situation presented itself periodically as threats to Equestria kept resurfacing. Whether such a successor may be found in time remains as yet to be seen.
An essay by Twilight Sparkle
My dear student Twilight Sparkle,
As always, I am impressed with the depth of your research. However, you must tone down your use of purple prose. Not that it isn’t befitting of a purple unicorn, but ...! You also didn’t adhere to the essay structure that we discussed: Introduction, Body and Conclusion! For that, I will have to deduct marks. Despite, well done and keep up the good work!
B–
Princess Celestia
Dear Twily,
Congratulations on passing your recent test! We are so proud of you!
Twilight Velvet
Night Light
Shining Armor