Introduction: Ancient Equestria
Have you ever seen a Crystal Dragon? There is a species of dragon that lives in the Crystal Mountains to the far north, they are notorious for their ravenous ferocity and priceless scales. One thing that separates the Crystal Dragon, more than anything else, from the others is their incredibly long spines protruding from their back.
Now I ask this question: do you know how to kill a Crystal Dragon? Their scales are far too thick and durable to be pierced by arrow or sword. Their scales are nearly invulnerable to magic, making that useless. The one and only way to kill a Crystal Dragon is to cut off its spines. The dragon can't live without them; no one knows why. When the spines are severed, the dragon dies in minutes.
Even with this weakness, the Crystal Dragon is still an insurmountable force for any species of pony. These dragons are only legends now, most simply died off due to their climates. Also, the mating with other species of dragons broke the bloodline of the armored leviathans.
Centuries ago, they were legends, but living ones as well. They were a true danger to any Pegasus who ventured north of their mountain borders.
The Pegasi took great pride in their warrior heritage. Their very name was a symbol of it. The word "Pegasus," in their language, translates to "Warrior Pony." It combines the Pegasus words "Pega" meaning, warrior or fighter, and "Sus," meaning pony, into one compound word. Their names for other things, including the names of the other races, are still used today by modern Equestria, such as the words: "Unicorn," and "Crystal."
The Crystal dragon was feared amongst the pegasi. In their language, Crystal or "Kristall" meant "unconquerable." They also named the northern mountain range this because of its harsh and inhospitable climate.
The ancient Pegasi had heroic epics of a Pegasus warrior seeking out a Crystal dragon. He not only survived the encounter with this beast, but discovered the dragon's one weakness. He then defeated the dragon in battle and harvested its scales. This Pegasus forged the scales into a suit of armor for himself. His ambitions didn't stop there. With the Crystal armor he led his clan on a bloody crusade to bring the other clans under his rule. He led his clan in battle after battle, crushing one after the other, no blade could pierce his armor giving him an aura of invincibility. This affected not only his friends and clan, but his enemies as well. The final clans of his conquest outright surrendered to him.
This Crystal Pony, or "Kristallsus," united all of the clans under one banner and one name: The Pegasi. He took the name Kristallsus after his conquest. The legend of Kristallsus is what unites the Pegasi. However, the Crystal armor was lost deep in the northern mountains. They say Kristallsus ventured north after his conquests. He never returned. Many non-Pegasi who hear this legend question its validity, but every Pegasus would swear by it. They would say that Kristallsus made the Pegasi strong and gave them something to be proud of.
The way of the warrior was the ideology for this kingdom; massive fortresses in the mountains provide most of their holdings on land. The unique magic of the Pegasi allowed them to use clouds as building foundations. Sprawling metropolises in the heavens provided the real territory for the Pegasi. Over a dozen airborne cities patrolled the lands of the "Dirt Walkers," making the Pegasi a looming force.
The Unicorns of ancient Equestria did not call themselves "Unicorns" at all. Instead, they just called themselves "Ponies." They were a very proud race, valuing knowledge and skill with magic above everything. Their kingdom occupied a great swath of land, with the Pegasi's land borders to the north and the Earth Ponies' to the south. Their territory stretched from the Celestial Sea to the east, to the Iron Hills in the west.
Being the first of the three races to make a universal and simplified writing and alphabet system, they were able to spread communication to the entire Unicorn race. Writing was one of the key factors in the unification of the Unicorn Empire, or in their language: "Ponee Imperii." The Unicorns became the largest of the three kingdoms as well as the most technologically advanced, their military wielding marvels such as: composite bows, steel armor, and containerized magic. Their infrastructure rivaled the mountain fortresses of the Pegasi, with great walls around their major cities, and beautiful towers of marble. Monoliths that honored the great minds of the past were scattered throughout the cities of the empire.
Art and literature were also main focuses of the aristocratic rulers of the kingdom, as well as engineering and architecture. However, magic was the critical center of all the Unicorn's endeavors. Magic was studied and tested day and night, there was a spell for almost everything. More and more powerful spells were created and entire libraries of incantations were written.
Magical pursuits such as: the ability to turn iron into gold and stones into gems, were studied and practiced. But, the one spell every Unicorn was after, whose unknown technique was sought after at an overzealous rate, was the magic of immortality. The Unicorns, even with their ability to harness magic itself, were not free from the claws of death. This terrified them to an enormous degree, driving scholars and mages to devote their entire lives to the secrets of immortality.
In the empire, the power of the mind was much more appreciated than that of the hoof.
The Earth Ponies of ancient Equestria were far less organized than they are now. They lived in several small clans that spread out across the vast southern plains of what is now northern Equestria. The majority of Earth Ponies were farmers and miners. Fighting wasn't a big priority for them, thus, military research was also not a priority. When tensions escalated between two clans, they would organize small battle groups armed with crude spears and wearing the bones of certain animals in lieu of armor. Many would wear the skulls of bulls and deer for head dresses to make them appear more intimidating. The tactic was very effective against the Unicorns who saw the wearing of dead creatures as a taboo of the highest degree. A few skirmishes of infighting occurred between the clans, but nothing too severe. The Earth Ponies were much more laid back and unorganized than the Pegasi, who lived to fight.
The Earth Ponies' territory, if the clans were united, would stretch across the entire southern plains and also occupy the Iron Hills of the west. They were called the Iron Hills for their rich deposits of ore. The clan of Earth Ponies who lived in that region were mostly miners. The unicorns often traded with this particular clan for raw materials such as: iron, copper, lead, and yellow iron which the Unicorns called "Gold." The Earth Ponies didn't see anything special about this gold, it was too soft to make tools from and was too dense for anything else. The Unicorns loved it though and that was good enough for the Earth Ponies, who gladly traded it.
The Earth Ponies didn't call themselves that before the Equestrian unification. The term "Earth Pony" was actually a derogatory name given by the Unicorns. The Unicorn word "Earth" meant, "mud," "muck," and essentially anything that has to do with the ground. The Earth Ponies called themselves the name of the clan they belonged to, there was no universal term for an Earth Pony in their language. Each clan spoke their own dialect of the same language, with minimal differences in grammar and pronunciation. The language was simple and straightforward, easy for a unicorn to learn as a second language with a little practice.
There were several Earth Pony clans, but the largest of these were the Thel, Vamin, and Krol clans. The Thel clan occupied the Iron Hills and dealt with the Unicorns and Pegasi the most. The Vamin clan occupied the largest farmland to the direct south of the Empire and was the major source of food for both races. The Krol clan was the most mysterious of the big three. They rarely interacted with the other clans, their borders being the furthest south of any of them. The only reason the unicorns gave them a second glance was they had exotic foods and materials, which a few were willing to trade. The Krol were very reserved, but, if you were able to get one talking, they would tell you fantastic tales of their homeland. They would tell you of a land much further south than than any Unicorn or Pegasus has explored. They would tell tales of monstrous beasts that inhabited an eternal forest at the very edge of the world: massive four-headed serpents with poison breath, specter wolves formed from the trees themselves, and horrid abominations of which could only exist in nightmares. The Krol's culture ran the deepest of all the clans, yet they alienated themselves from the others.
The Earth Ponies led simple lives, and they were content.
All three races lived in relative harmony, but ideological differences with the Pegasi forced the Unicorns to build up their military. This created a tense relationship between them. The ever growing demand for food and raw materials from both didn't make the Earth Ponies have warm feelings for either of the races. The Earth Ponies started to dip into crop yields they needed for themselves to please the others, which caused plenty of friction.
It was only a matter of time before tensions would get too high. Any Pegasus could tell you that a blade can only take so much abuse before it breaks.
