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The Pre-Equestrian Era: The Middle Ages
Chapter 1: Introduction and the Rising, High, And Falling Middle Ages.
In this book we will be giving an overview of the middle ages, since the details are so many only a portion of the information known will be displayed in this book
The middle ages was a period of time that is characterized by the events that took place after the first tribal period (Where the first tribes were formed) and the second tribal period (in which the Unicorn, Pegasi, and Earth ponies tribes were formed). That is where the name "Middle" Ages comes from, as it refers to the time's standing in between the two tribal periods. This time period was where a multitude of different kingdoms were formed, most of which from different tribes from the first tribal era. The kingdoms that were formed were of very heavy division and wars did break out for various reasons many of which were related to the Earth Ponies of the time, which will be discussed in the next chapter. Three different time periods are categorized within the Middle Ages those being the Rising Middle Ages, High or Mid Middle Ages, and the Falling Middle Ages or Pre-Collapse.
The Earliest part of the Rising Middle Ages consists of the development of tribes into kingdoms. The tribes that existed had a very wide variety of different cultures and ponies (Most tribes being majority towards one race) which would serve to shape the future kingdoms that would be established. The tribes were often nomadic and traveled about the land scavenging from the wilderness, while some did establish permanent homes. Despite their lifestyles the tribes were not of a highly primitive nature, social order and basic systems of authority did exist within the tribes as made evident by written accounts from the time. These tribes typically had a selected leader figure who made major decisions for the tribe, this was the current extent of the authority system as all the other tribe members would typically be of the same role, defending and gathering for the tribe. Weapons developed during the First Tribal Period were naturally made of wood, stone, and flint, bronze being a later advancement which would lead to the development of swords. Iron wouldn't be introduced until the transitional period between the First Tribal Period and the Rising Middle Ages, when it was discovered it would lead to further advancements in weaponry, including the highly important introduction of steel. The First Tribal Period and the transitional period that followed generally did not have many conflicts between tribes but rather instead had tribes fighting against various hostile creatures, whose hides and other parts of the body were often made use of. Despite the development into kingdoms tribes did exist up until the later parts of the early middle ages. The first kingdoms were established from the unity of multiple tribes, which led to the overall developments of these newly created communities. Early castles and permanent homes were constructed as was the social structure that would shape the future social structures to come in the future. Cultural growth was also very prevalent during the time period. Weapons and armor were advanced as well with the introduction of steel, longer swords were produced as were the first polearms. Since swords were very expensive and difficult to construct the common soldier's weapon of the time was the axe, as it was cheaper and was a common tool. Mail armor, armor made entirely of iron and later steel rings, was a major development in armor from the time period. Fighting against various creatures dwindled down with the development of heavily protected communities as well as the decline of nomadic living. The first wars of the middle ages came in the later portion of the Rising Middle Ages as the kingdoms established and grew in size, few conflicts came up during this period though and it was mostly a time of development.
The middle part of the Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages (also known as the Mid Middle Ages) are so named because this was where the characteristics that make up the middle ages were at their peak. Many castles, walled cities, and other magnificent works of architecture were made during the period of time. Every successful kingdom had at least a single castle and many growing cities within its borders. Architectural development and creativity were at an all time high. Unicorn kingdoms in particular had some of the most magnificent structures sue to the high building capabilities and skillful stone carving that many unicorns had, an example being the well known Kingdom of Unihorn which was one of the most rich of the kingdoms. Less is known about pegasus architecture (Particularly in their sky cities) due to the loss of the majority of structures, however depictions do show some impressive works of architecture. Earth pony castles and structures were most often built with the notion of function over aesthetics, and as such did not have as widely decorative structures. Earth pony structures of the time however are very well constructed and thus make for sturdy and reliable structures. Defensive weapons such as mounted crossbows and catapults were very often placed throughout the walls of all castles and other important structures. Earth Pony architects obsessed over the need for defense by far the most and the designs of the castles as well as earth ponies being the first to introduce the idea of a moat, a body of water surrounding the castle. Art and literature flourished during the High Middle Ages with many different stories, poems, paintings, carvings, and other works. Art and literature whether depicting real life events or works of fiction are where a lot is learned of the Middle Ages, depictions of battle are among the most famous as well as masterfully pained pictures of landscapes, castles, and famous ponies. Stone carvings and statues are also recurring pieces of artwork and many of which were used as decorations for castles. Such statues often portrayed kings and queens, soldiers, famous knights (knights will be covered in another chapter) and creatures. The many pieces of artistic work also give a glimpse into the culture of the times as well, which varied between kingdoms but had many different commonalities. One such commonality in every kingdom is the evident importance of music in the culture, many different songs were written and instruments such as the lute were an integral part of the common culture. Though many positive aspects are present of the High Middle Ages in it's architecture, art, literature, and music, the heavy amount of conflict and war and bloodshed is an undeniable part of the High Middle Ages.
The relations between the many kingdoms were highly competitive and hostile, contributing to many wars for land and power. Unlike what some may believe there was fighting between kingdoms of the same dominant race as well as kingdoms of a different dominant race. One race in particular was the subject of the reasoning behind many wars, and that race was the Earth Ponies, who were in every kingdom due to their aptitude and natural capability in farming. Fights over land, warring competitions for power over the land, as well as conflicts caused by earth pony rebellions are present throughout the High Middle ages and war quickly became a self evident part of life for ponies. Many weapons were developed during the High Middle Ages' many wars, ranging from weapons such as from swords (now more common), axes, maces, polearms, as well as ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows. Earth ponies have produced by far the greatest known variety of sword designs. In these wars one type of fighter became renown and famous, and that was the Knight, an armored elite fighter trained from childhood in the art of combat. They were present since the Early Middle Ages but were by far the most prevalent in the High and Late Middle Ages. Becoming figures of legend, revered by the kingdoms they served and feared by the opposing soldiers who faced them. Not all conflicts were between kingdoms, some were within them. Conflicts within royal families have led to violent fighting for the throne that have even led to internal wars occurring. Another cause for internal war was revolts from the Earth ponies put under service as farmers by kingdoms of Unicorns and Pegasi, resentment was present within many earth ponies under rule of kingdoms where they were the majority and oppression towards earth ponies did exist, often resulting in wars. More on this topic will be discussed in the next chapter.
The final and shortest period of time within the Middle Ages was the Falling Middle Ages. The Falling Middle Ages had changes in culture and social order but the changes weren't as many as in the High Middle Ages, however war was still very present and some conflicts that started in the High Middle Ages even carried on in the Falling Middle Ages. The Falling Middle Ages soon became the most violent with by far the worst amount of violence and bloodshed. Most of the kingdoms to fall before The Collapse did so during the Falling Middle Ages, kingdoms were either conquered or were divided by the formations of factions and conspiracies. The kings and queens themselves often became paranoid and were quick to accuse and have executed any who were suspected of treason and rebellion. An extremely disturbing tale of the time is of a unicorn king who slaughtered nearly every earth pony under his rule for fear of rebellion, resulting in eventual famine and even cannibalism. The story itself is likely based on a true even based on the apparent situation of the time. It is likely that there was little to no peacetime during the Falling Middle Ages due to the fact that most accounts describe war and internal tension and even disorder. The events of the Falling Middle Ages soon led to The Collapse, where the wars inflicted terrible damage upon the cities and nearly every kingdom collapsed in the chaos. Further causing chaos was a mysterious plague which killed many. The event known as The Collapse will be discussed in a later chapter.
The Pre-Equestrian Era: The Middle Ages
Chapter 2: The Three Races.
In this chapter the topic of how the differences and abilities of the three main races of ponies, Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Ponies, came into play during the events of the Middle Ages.
Most of the kingdom that existed were majority towards one specific race and this carried on into the second tribal period as evident with the formation of the Unicorn, Earth Pony, and Pegasus tribes that would eventually establish the Kingdom of Equestria. This general majority to one race is present even the first tribal period. Inter-tribal interaction between tribes of different races was present however it was more common between tribes of Unicorns and tribes of earth ponies due to the fact that Pegasi were more often in the sky and only went to the ground as a means of gathering food. This fact also meant that pegasi of the first tribal era generally did not find themselves needing weapons as much due to the fact that encounters with any of the dangerous creatures that existed could be escaped via the simple act of flying. In the first tribal period Unicorns generally did not have a complex grasp on their magical abilities which is likely due to the simpler nomadic lifestyles that Unicorn tribes had. In time particularly in the transitional period from the first tribal period to the Rising Middle Ages Unicorns did experiment with their magical abilities and over time began to learn to utilize their magic for a wide variety of purposes. As for Pegasi their grasp on weather control was also generally lesser in the first tribal period but unlike Unicorns with their magic the Pegasi did not find much use for their natural abilities to manipulate the weather and thus development in weather making was limited. Earth Ponies of the first tribal period being without the advantages of magic or flight had to use their one true advantage, which was their strength. Earth Pony tribes were the ones who first developed the axe, a wedge like blade on a wooden shaft. The fact that the axe was capable of being used for woodcutting and as a weapon made it a favored tool of earth pony tribes along with the spear, though the spear was developed by tribes of all races. The sword was likely invented by Earth Ponies since unicorns by the time bronze was used were not ones to favor getting up close in fighting which was why spears, early offensive magic, and the old likely Unicorn invention of the bow and arrow were favored by unicorns. This fact also made initial armor development by far fastest for the Earth Ponies since their fights against the dangerous wildlife they might face often resulted in them utilizing their strength to try to wrestle down and slay the attacking creature. Pegasi were the first to develop the polearm, starting as iron spears and pikes and soon developing designs with axe like heads that were possibly adapted from Earth Pony axes. These weapons were likely first developed by Pegasi in the Rising Middle Ages in wake of the growth from tribes into kingdoms and the inevitable often hostile interaction with other kingdoms.
As the transitional period from the First Tribal Period to the Rising Middle Ages came along and passed Earth ponies discovered that they did not only have a gift in strength, but they also had a gift in taming the wild plants to be planted and grown via their own hooves. This discovery led to the development of Agriculture and with it the start of farming. This advancement proved to be a major one as it allowed a large group of ponies to stay in one place and be not only fed, but fed well. This resulted in the initial growth of the Earth Pony kingdoms putting them ahead of the other developing kingdoms. other kingdoms attempted to carry out their own farming only for such attempts to end in failure. Earth ponies were quickly recognized as a key to sustaining a large number of ponies, as well as generating far more food than scavenging ever could bring. As a result other kingdoms brought Earth Pony tribes into their rule and utilized them for farming. Having Earth Ponies within their kingdoms helped the emerging Pegasi and Unicorn Kingdoms to grow in size and power. Earth ponies also proved useful for construction of castles and other structures thanks to their natural strength and endurance. Despite the potential benefits Earth ponies were not employed as soldiers by such kingdoms and were generally kept only for farming and to assist in construction, effectively limiting them to lower class citizens. Resentment was present among the Earth Ponies who lived under Unicorn and Pegasus rule due to the limitation and restriction they lived under. Unicorns meanwhile were starting to further explore their magical capabilities and some even dedicated their lives to magical studies, leading to the first of unicorns who would become known as mages. During the Early Middle Ages mage Unicorns would earn themselves a higher place among the kingdoms they pledged allegiance to due to their power in magic. Even as this occurred only a fraction of unicorns had gone to deeply explore magic and an even fewer number of them would become mages, and thus the majority of unicorns primarily used bows and spears as weapons of war. Pegasi began exploring possible ways of utilizing weather manipulation as a weapon of war, particularly from seeing the destructive potential of lightning and other hostile weather occurrences. Development in tactics and techniques with polearms were also being developed. Despite being mostly farmers the Earth Ponies recruited into armies were given early forms of weapon training to develop and sharpen their skills in fighting, likely the most advanced of the time. Early kingdoms of all majority races typically had soldiers recruited from the average pony and would have them serve their duties when they were needed. Few wars came up between the kingdoms but the ones that did were mostly between Unicorn and Earth pony kingdoms. The Early wars were mostly territorial but there may have been at the least hostilities towards the Unicorn kingdoms from the Earth Pony kingdoms due to the way Earth Ponies were treated.
As the High Middle Ages came along the kingdoms grew to great size in both land and population as well as military power. Competition over power was present and escalated to war, even between kingdoms of the same race. Before kingdoms of the same race generally didn't show hostility and even allied with each other, however in the High Middle Ages kingdoms of the same majority pony were far from above violent competition for land. The need for farmland was a driving force for any of the territorial wars that had occurred, however the need for power and dominance was also a driving force as well, even some Earth Pony kingdoms went towards this path. Another cause for conflict, particularly for some Earth Pony Kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of the Sun Over The Field, was against Unicorn and Pegasi kingdoms over what they viewed as "Slavery" towards the earth ponies within those kingdoms. A prime example is the war between the Kingdom of Unihorn and the Kingdom of The Sun Over The Field, a long conflict driven by territorial disputes but also driven heavily by the latter kingdom's negative reception towards the treatment of Unihornian Earth Ponies. This conflict lasted up until the later High Middle Ages with the defeat and crippling of the Kingdom of The Sun Over The Field. Some kingdoms did evolve and were without a single majority race, The Kingdom of Prance being the most notable and clearly known example of this. This kingdom famously had both Earth Ponies and Unicorns among its armies and was among the most powerful kingdoms. Pegasi Kingdoms such as the Kingdom of The Cloud were hardly any different in regards to their tendency towards conflict. A famous war being between The Kingdom of The Cloud and The Silver Crown Kingdom, a Unicorn kingdom.
The first Earth Pony rebellions happened during the first half of the High Middle Ages but were of the greatest effect and notability in the later half of the High Middle Ages. Many of the Unicorn and Pegasi kingdoms had gone to the point where Earth Ponies had little voice in anything and were treated below citizens of the dominant race. Resentment and anger towards their monarchs escalated to the point where the Earth ponies of those kingdoms rose up and took part in violent rebellions, often in the form of attacks against the homes of majority ponies. Most of these rebellion were quickly stopped, especially the early ones, however later rebellions caused greater losses for the kingdoms that were forced to deal with them. Some rebellions ended with the Earth ponies involved fleeing the kingdom, often to join with an earth pony kingdom. This occurred more often as the decades went by and soon led to wars being triggered, Unicorn or Pegasi kingdoms declaring war on Earth pony kingdoms for accepting fleeing rebels. Battles in victory for the attackers often led to Earth ponies being kidnapped from their homes within Earth Pony kingdoms and taken into Unicorn and Pegasus kingdoms.
In the Falling Middle Ages, Earth Pony rebellion were at their highest frequency as were wars over who would have a population of earth ponies live under their banner, among the persisting territorial wars. The constant wars over Earth Ponies led to general fear and sorrow among ponies of the race, acceptance towards the wars that were seemingly over who ruled over them was dwindling and leaving many earth ponies with low morale among the populations of earth ponies within even kingdoms of their own kind. Unicorn kingdoms even fought Pegasi kingdoms over the Earth Ponies, even the few kingdoms to be more accepting of Earth ponies such as The Kingdom of Prance suffered in this time period due to the wars and attacks from other kingdoms. This warfare over territory and Earth Ponies was a major contributing factor to the warfare and chaos that eventually led up to The Collapse.
The Pre-Equestrian Era: The Middle Ages
Chapter 3: Society and Culture.
In this chapter the cultural and societal elements of the Middle Ages will be discussed. The societal elements of the various kingdoms varied heavily particularly between Unicorn, Earth Pony, an Pegasus Kingdoms particularly from the High Middle Ages onward.
During the Rising Middle Ages was when the societal structure started developing beyond the simple leader-followers structure present in the First Tribal Period. The idea of hereditary monarchies, having the leadership position passed down from a specific family line, was a product of this era. In most kingdoms the societal system was mostly the same and only beginning to evolve from the tribal leader-followers structure, however in the later Rising Middle Ages the first figures of nobility came up mainly in the Unicorn kingdoms. Societal structure in Early Pegasi kingdoms was beginning to develop the militaristic systems that would shape their future society, systems that would develop a complex rank system that would dictate a Pegasus' power on and off the battlefield. Earth pony societal order had little change from the tribal leader-followers system outside of the development of their own monarchy systems. With the old previous discovery of mining the first forms of currency were developed, mainly in the form of coins made of valuable materials. Gold would eventually become the very material that would be standard for currency, and with currency came new systems of acquiring nearly all forms of goods and would play a role in which social classes of many kingdoms ponies would fall into.
In the very late Rising Middle Ages and onto the High Middle Ages Unicorn Kingdoms in particular had systems of social classes developed which greatly effected laws and societal norms. Certain Unicorn families began to rise in wealth and would gain power to become the first Unicorns of nobility, the rise of nobility meant the rise of a new upper social class. Many families of nobility rose to power and with power gained a very high amount of influence over society to the point where they could own their own soldiers as guards and even have ownership over land granted by the monarchs themselves. Nobility also started to develop and have ownership over markets, mines, breweries, and other places with potential gain in currency. These activities led to the inevitable competition between noble families within the Unicorn kingdoms, unlike the competitions over power between monarchs however open violence wasn't present within the competitions between noble families. Later on in the High and especially in the Falling Middle Ages actions such as assassinations, poisoning, as well as sabotaging markets and other ventures of rival nobility were present in rivalries between noble families. Different levels of nobility came from which noble families were the most powerful. As for the families of Unicorns who mastered the arts of magic, mage families, would fall into a similar social class to nobility as far as level went. Some mages could be found in nobility and some mage families did take part in the activities that noble families took part in, however for the most part mage families lived as separate entities from nobility. Mage families were renown for their magical skills and made their living primarily though service to the monarch as well as providing service to nobility as well. Royal duties varied but serving in war was among the most notable services, and was where a lot of the fame Mage families gained was earned. Families of both mages and nobility did take the power they acquired to extremes particularly those with close ties to the royalty of the kingdom, utilizing their place to attempt to topple other rival families or in rare cases attempt to take over the royalty itself. A famous example comes from the later High Middle Ages when the Kingdom of Unihorn had its royalty violently removed from power by a powerful family of mages who ultimately took over the throne, their rule would last from then on until the collapse. A lower but nonetheless important type of nobility was the Unicorn Knighthood. The concept of knighthood has its origins from the late Rising Middle Ages and likely originated from Unicorn kingdoms. Knights of the Unicorn kingdoms started as high promotions for experienced soldiers however later knights were trained from very young children of noble birth. A soon to be knight would start their training at a young age, their training would be in both magic and physical weapons. Unicorn knights were also known as mageblades and were particularly respected among their kingdoms and feared among their enemies for their highly versatile and formidable fighting capabilities. The weapons and armor for Unicorn knights' weapons and armor are famous for being by far the most decorative and aesthetically brilliant of all weapons to be crafted in the Middle Ages. Despite being technically lower in nobility many knights earned very high respect, often more respect than higher noble families due to their wartime fame.
The lower social classes within Unicorn kingdoms who were Unicorns consisted mostly of skilled craftsponies, laborers, artists, as well as Unicorns of other skill based occupations. They lived with far fewer luxuries than Unicorns of nobility and most had little interaction with ponies of higher class, even if they worked in occupations under noble family ownership. These Unicorns were generally thought less of by most higher class Unicorns and the idea of a lower class marrying any of high nobility was considered a far fetched idea however it was a popular subject of many storybook tales. Such tales were often written by and more popular with lower class authors. Other stories popular among all Unicorns were fictional stories of heroes from the early times fighting against dangerous and powerful creatures. The concept of ponies as antagonists was rather rare among literature of the Middle Ages up until the later High Middle Ages when stories involving villainous warriors and even villainous rulers became popular stories. Portrayal of Unicorns in antagonist roles, particularly of villainous rulers, was prohibited by the Kings and Queens due to the fact that it was viewed as potential negative portrayal of themselves. Art was also a flourishing part of culture within the lower classes as well as in nobility. Painting was very popular and many painting techniques and fundamentals were developed by Middle Ages unicorn painters. Portraits, landscapes, and war depictions are the most common subjects of paintings from the Middle Ages. Another particularly popular form of art from the unicorn kingdoms was stone carving. The creation of stone statues as well as the intricate decorative carvings on stone structures are prime examples of how the simple ability of telekinesis allowed unicorns to create such masterful and detailed art on normally hard to work with material. Often statues depicted highly famous figures such as Kings, Queens, Knights, and Mages and were a favorite decorative piece for nobleponies and royalty alike. Ironically many of these master stone carvers were of lower social class and some even brought their family to noble status via the riches gained from their statue making. The Earth Ponies within Unicorn kingdoms as mentioned in the previous chapter were of a lower class and were generally restricted to their role and purpose as farmers.
The Pegasus kingdoms' social order was very different from that of the Unicorns. Rather than a social system that revolves heavily around nobility and royalty the Pegasi generally had militaristic social orders based on military ranking. The vast majority of all Pegasi within these kingdoms were soldiers and earned their place via service in their kingdom's army. Though leadership of kingdoms was hereditary, like in most other kingdoms, the leader was dubbed as "Commander" rather than "King" or "Queen". This was due to the fact that the one who led the kingdoms not only ran the kingdom itself but was also the main strategist and command over the army. Unlike Kings and Queens of Unicorn kingdoms the Commanders of Pegasi kingdoms typically had a far more direct role in battles, serving to make major tactical decisions and send commands to the armies they led. The first Pegasi kingdoms to establish Commandant Kingdoms likely came to be in the Rising Middle Ages. The Pegasi who lived under the rule of a Commander were divided by the ranking system, those who were the most common and least experienced in fighting were of the lowest status, from there various levels of soldiers existed within the ranks. The ranking of a Pegasus soldier dictated their authority level, emplacement in battles, and the quality of their weapons and armor. Only the best of each rank would be promoted to a higher rank and as such the higher ranks would have the fewest but best and most experienced fighters while the lower ranks would have the most but least skilled fighters. Naming for different ranks did vary between the Pegasi kingdoms though commonalities were present, the lowest rank Pegasi were usually referred to by titles ranging from "Common Soldier" "Recruit", "Firstblood", the later "Private", and even "Rankless" and were given the least quality armor and weapons. The number of ranks that came after this rank was also varied, around 7 to as many as 13 different ranks could be present within the system of a Pegasus kingdom. Common mid tier ranks would be of more common commanding roles such as "Unit Captain" or "Lieutenant" and they would receive better equipment in battle in accordance to their place. The most revered and elite Pegasi within the Pegasi kingdoms were the ones who were of the higher ranks not far from the ranks near that of the Commander. These soldiers were the Pegasi equivalent of knighthood however went by different titles such as "Steelwing", "Elite Captain", and "Veteran Wing". These were the ones who had the best equipment available and their high quality weapons and armor combined with their very high skill and experience made them formidable in combat and feared by the common enemy soldier. Unlike Unicorn knights these soldiers did not have greatly decorative weapons in armor, the quality of these was generally what visually distinguished these soldiers from ones of lower rank. The Pegasi of the closest ranks to the Commander were most commonly referred to as "Generals". Generals were the ones who retired from their careers as soldiers and took on the role of giving assistance to the Commander in tactical and governmental decisions. Their power was of a high place however they did swear loyalty to the Commander and like all of the kingdom were under the Commander's supreme rule. Takeovers of a kingdoms did exist however as many generals went to lengths to remove or even kill the Commander in order to take the position for themselves. These happenings have led to civil wars breaking out and have even resulted in the formation of splinter kingdoms being formed from the opposing general as well as his or her followers. Though most of these factions were crushed by the Commander's army some came to be growing kingdoms of their own and would form into strong independent nations.
Due to the strict, often brutal, and rank centered militaristic culture of the Pegasus Kingdoms cultural development was greatly limited and as such art and literature did not develop much let alone anywhere near the level it did in the Unicorn kingdoms. Nonfictional accounts of battles and other important events are the most common written text of the Pegasus kingdoms, limited examples of visual artwork are present and were likely made by the Earth Ponies who lived under Pegasus rule. Unlike in the Unicorn kingdoms Earth Ponies themselves were not only used for farming, rather there were also Earth Ponies who served as miners, craftsponies, as well as weapon smiths. Despite the more expanded roles Earth Ponies provided they were far from any eligibility within the Rank system, even for the lowest rank. Their social status was also generally the lowest in any Pegasus Kingdom's society, despite this Pegasus kingdoms have had by far the least Earth Pony rebellions of any kingdoms even during the Falling Middle Ages.
The Earth Pony kingdoms were by far the least progressive and most traditionalist societies of the Middle Ages. The first hereditary monarchies would come to be in the Rising Middle Ages as a step up from the traditional leader-follower system present in earth pony tribes. The monarchs often started off as tribal leaders and would gain influence over other tribes to unite them under their rule. Nobility like in the Unicorn kingdoms never came to form as the society was generally more of a socialist structure. No real social classes of any kind developed within Earth Pony kingdoms and the general idea of social classes was generally despised. Societal status was entirely around perception and respect, as such the families that can be considered of the highest status would be the ones who have earned the most respect from the community. Everypony was obligated to contribute to the community however they could and though the majority of these ponies lived as farmers plenty also lived working as weapon smiths, traders, miners, and ponies of other occupations as well. This created a more prevalent sense of community within the cities and towns that lived under Earth Pony rule and this was even present in populations of earth ponies who lived under Unicorn or Pegasus rule. One particular occupation has it's roots from Earth Ponies of the Middle Ages, that occupation being bakery. Being the first to discover agriculture and being the sole race capable of farming Earth Ponies were the first to start developing and advancing the very food they ate, the cake is a prime example as it was developed during the High Middle Ages. Many other different advancements in food came to be during the Middle Ages and such advancements contributed to the desirability of Earth Ponies in any kingdom. The Kings and Queens who would rule over the Earth Pony kingdoms relied heavily on garnering and maintaining respect from their subjects in order to keep rule over their kingdoms. Tyrannical Earth Pony rulers did exist however history had shown time and time again that such a ruler's dynasty will be short lived. Rebellions against such rulers have nearly have successfully brought down such tyrants and resulted in a change in leadership. In the very late High Middle Ages and Falling Middle Ages the monarchy system of leadership was abolished in many Earth Pony kingdoms and replaced by more complex governmental systems. The most recurring example is a simple system of voting that would place a figure of a respected family into the role of leadership should they receive the highest number of votes within a kingdom. The leader of such vote based kingdoms would often be dubbed the title of "Chancellor". A less common system was a council based system where multiple figures were voted in and would act as the leadership, very rare systems would be the ones that combined Chancellors with a council. Throughout the Middle Ages just like with Pegasi an Unicorn kingdoms violent claims to the position of leadership did occur within Earth Pony kingdoms. Such kingdoms were also no less capable of war and did wage several with other kingdoms as well each other, and from these wartimes came the Earth Pony kingdom's interpretation of the knight.
The concept of the knight was similar within Earth Pony kingdoms as it was in Unicorn kingdoms, however there were many notable differences. In Earth Pony kingdoms the army was recruited from the average pony and trained in the art of fighting, the knights were special soldiers who unlike common soldiers were taken from childhood and trained for their entire life to be the most highly skilled of all who served in an army, similar to how Unicorn Knights were recruited. The most common name for early knights was "Mailclads" in reference to the armor they used, the term Knight being adapted from Unicorn Kingdoms in the High Middle Ages. Unlike Unicorn Knights these knights would come from common though highly respected families, though the decisions on what children were chosen were very selective many children both colts and fillies had been chosen to become knights. Also unlike a Unicorn Knight who was respected for their position, Earth Pony Knights were expected to earn their respect and honor by their actions and thus many strove towards acts of heroism both on and off the battlefield. The concept of honor was present for all the kingdom's Knight's and Knight equivalents, but the culture of Earth Ponies made it to where Knights were given far more obligation than entitlement, meaning they would not be granted luxuries and would typically live with their families when not at war. Knights in peacetime would normally live as commoners since their only upper status was at wartime, they would work assisting their families in their occupations provided the knights hadn't taken occupations of their own. From this lifestyle Knights not only gained respect for their capability and even heroics in wartime, but also from the humility the knights developed from their humbling lifestyle outside of war.
Art and literature existed though wasn't as major of a component in the Earth Pony kingdom society as in the Unicorn kingdom society, this was mainly because the community focused socialistic nature of the society was the dominating element of the culture. Nevertheless art and literature was able to thrive within the Earth Pony Kingdoms. Craftsponies were the main contributors to the art of the middle ages, highly skilled painters were rare among Earth Pony kingdom societies so artistic expressions such as wood carving, textiles, and Ink drawings. Textiles were the most popular way art was developed, weaving dyed threads to make different patterns and images, paper drawings being a close second and wood carving being the oldest form of middle ages art. Literature also flourished with stories of heroes fighting evil, stories of romance, as well as myth and legend based literature being common and popular. Art forms from Unicorn Kingdoms were generally kept out of Earth Pony communities due to a general xenophobia that such communities garnered towards Unicorns and Pegasi in general. Such communities also tended to favor isolation from other non Earth pony or in some cases even Earth Pony kingdoms as well. Earth Ponies in kingdoms ruled by their own and other races the farming was expanded to the taming of other animals such as sheep, cows, and chickens to gain resources such as milk and eggs as well as non food materials such as wool.
The final types of kingdoms to be found in the Middle Ages of the Pre-Equestrian Era are those few that did not favor a particular race but rather had two or even all three races ponies within their kingdom and were without much racial favoritism or separation. The most known of these kingdoms are the Kingdom of Prance, Kingdom of Germaneigh, and the Grand Principality of Mareskow. In the Kingdom of Prance both Earth Ponies and Unicorns lived mostly as equals and were notably recruited as both soldiers and knights. In The Kingdom of Germaneigh all three races were present and treated mostly as equals and could be found in nearly all positions within a society. The Grand Principality of Mareskow was populated by both Earth Ponies and Pegasi who lived as equals. A commonality to all of these kingdoms is a social system much like that of the Unicorn kingdoms with many noble families of various power as well as power struggles. Despite this cultural similarity elements of traditional Earth Pony culture could be found within Earth pony communities in all three of these kingdoms, however the Unicorn societal system was the main order of society and even Earth Pony and Pegasus families became families of the nobility. All three of these kingdoms grew to be some of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of the Middle Ages. Seeking of power was by no means absent within these kingdoms and from that came their own wars for conquest and territory. Internal conflict also existed resulting in multiple violent changes in leadership over the time these kingdoms existed.
In summary the three main types of kingdoms fall generally under a different "istic". Unicorn kingdoms' societies of the time were generally heavily Opportunistic which is evident with the rise of nobility and the competition that came between noble families. The Pegasus kingdoms were very Militaristic in the highly military centered culture that existed within such kingdoms. Finally the Earth Pony kingdoms were very Socialistic with the community focused culture as well as the eventual abolition of absolute monarchy and development of more voting based governmental systems.
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The Pre-Equestrian Era: The Middle Ages
Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, and Tactics of War.
Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, and Tactics of War.
In this chapter the weapons and tactics of war used by the kingdoms of the Middle Ages, over the middle ages a very wide variety of different weapons were developed as well as entire systems of martial arts built around such weapons. This chapter will detail the types of weapons and armor that existed and the way they were used as well as who used them, it will also detail battlefield tactics of the middle ages.
The main types of weapons to be found in the First Tribal Period is the spear, a simple sharp end made of flint or stone that is made of stone. Unicorn, Earth pony, and Pegasus tribes all used this weapon. As the discovery of metals such as bronze and iron came about they were used for the heads of these spears making for more durable and deadly weapons. As the transitional period between the First Tribal Period and Rising Middle Ages came the Pegasi were developing the first polearms, unlike common spears the weapons were made with long wooden poles that had a bronze or iron head at the end. The purpose o the long pole of the weapon was to allow a pegasus to fight in melee combat without being forced to go to the ground. More advanced heads were developed for these weapons especially during the Rising Middle Ages, most polearm designs had a single iron and later steel spike protruding from the pole of the weapon while pieces such as axeheads and other spikes were added. Even in the Rising Middle Ages when polearms were the dominant weapon the spear did survive among Pegasus solders who used them as back up weapons as well as Unicorns who used it up until swords became highly common. As the Rising Middle Ages passed and the High Middle Ages came to be polearms underwent significant development and variation leading to the creation of polearm head design such as mace heads and hammer heads as well as new variations of axeheads. This time was also when Earth Ponies and Unicorns started using very similar pole weapons. Earth Pony Polearms in particular are the most different from pegasus polearms in having thicker poles, which were sometimes reinforced with metal pieces called langets, and for having designs optimized for catching and parrying enemy blows as well as striking in other ways than just thrusting. Certain Unicorn polearms later had langets built into them as well. The tactics of use varied greatly depending on which race used them as well as the manner in which they were held. Pegasi, the pioneers of the polearm, naturally utilized the weapons length to their advantage to allow them to strike their enemies while remaining in flight and far out of reach of any melee attack. This was mainly used against non Pegasus enemies and often involves the wielder flying past an enemy while swinging or stabbing the weapon at them or flying towards an opponent while holding the weapon forward to impale them. Similar tactics are used in Pegasus to Pegasus combat along only with a lot more maneuvering in flight. Unicorns levitated their polearms in their telekinesis and utilized the highly versatile movement the magic offered to their advantage along with the weapon's range. Earth pony polearms were attached to the side of a soldier via a saddle strap as well as other pieces such as rivets to properly secure the weapon to the soldier. Only specialized Earth Pony soldiers known as "Pole Soldiers" and Knights used these weapons as they required specific skills. The main tactic that Pole Soldiers used their weapons in was in the infamous "Impalement Charge" tactic which involved a large formation of Pole Soldiers charging forward to stab an enemy formation using the spikes of their polearms. This tactic made Pole Soldiers particularly feared by the soldiers of Unicorn kingdoms for the high casualties it could cause. Earth Pony Knights used these weapons similarly only instead of doing so in a formation they would instead gallop around the battlefield and seeking targets before charging at the targets to try to deliver the lethal stab. What made these attacks lethal was how they utilized the strength and weight of the pony in combination with the speed of the charge to deliver a strike of immense armor piercing force. Such attacks have even been documented to have pierced and broken magical shields cast by unicorns. The other pieces on the head of a weapon were used in direct fighting that was within the weapon's reach. Pieces such as axeheads, hammers, or spikes could typically be found aiming horizontal to the ground off each side of the weapon. Some polearms used by Earth Ponies did include a third piece that pointed downward, usually a spike or axehead. The former was used in conjunction with stabs and involved the soldier swinging the weapon via bodily movements and skilled hoofwork in order to try and strike or hook with the other parts of the weapon's head. The downward piece would be reserved for an attack known as the "Overhead Strike" where the soldier rears up on their hind legs and slams the weapon's head down onto the opponent. In general Earth Ponies developed the most complex general polearm martial arts, most of which being used by Knights.
The axe was a major invention of the Earth Pony tribes of the First Tribal Period, its versatility as being a tool capable of being used as a weapon and a tool at the same time. During the Rising Middle Ages it had become a common soldier's weapon for the emerging Earth Pony Kingdoms and was copied in basic design by all other kingdoms in recognition for its usefulness. The simplicity of the axe made it cheap and easy to make resulting in it's popularity as a weapon. The main changes to occur for the weapon in the High Middle Ages were improvements in the shape of the head to improve its chopping and even axeheads designed with a point to allow for stabbing attacks. Even during the High Middle Ages when swords became more popular and common the axe was still widely used by many Earth Ponies on the battlefield. The axe's main advantage over the sword is the greater potential impact and force that a strike from one of capable of delivering due to the fact that most of the weight is at the head, this advantage is likely why many polearms have axeheads on the sides of the weapon's head. A drawback to axes is that they are less nimble than swords due to the very thing that grants the axe its advantage, the location of the weight. A common circumvention of this issue was to hold the weapon closer to the blade to allow faster strikes, this however reduced the impact any swing would deliver and as such was often switched to and from gripping the end of the handle.
Wooden or stone clubs were among the weapons of the First Tribal Era, though not as commonly used as spears their capability in delivering high impact was a known useful trait for combat. Both Unicorns and Earth Ponies of the First Tribal Period utilized this weapon mainly as a weapon for injuring attacking creatures to render them vulnerable to attacks with a spear. Over time stone heads were carved into various designs and put onto wooden shafts to make the first maces. As bronze and iron were discovered and used maces were made of such materials though didn't become common until the Rising Middle Ages when iron mail armor was being developed. The mace would be developed further as steel became the go to material in the mid to late Rising Middle Ages onward. The further development of armor made the mace as well as the later to be introduced warhammer valuable tools for anti armor purposes.
The warhammer was introduced in the mid to late High Middle Ages in response to the introduction of higher quality steel armor such as coats of plates and was likely developed from the blacksmith's hammer. Warhammers typically had one side of the head be a flat, spiked, or meat tenderizer like hammer while having the other be a spike designated for armor piercing.
The sword was a weapon first developed by Earth Ponies during the transitional period from the First Tribal Era to the Rising Middle Ages, originally made of bronze and later iron, unicorns didn't start developing swords until the Rising Middle Ages . The sword saw limited use in the early to mid Rising Middle Ages even after the introduction and production of steel due to the high amount of skill and time needed just to make one sword. In the early High Middle Ages when steel production was by then at an all time high the sword became much more common and soon would undergo very different developments between the Earth Pony and Unicorn kingdoms. Stemming from the First Tribal Era Unicorns naturally favored usage of ranged weapons and were not initially favoring swords, however in the early High Middle ages specialized swords were developed mostly as backup weapons. The swords developed by unicorns are distinguished by their complete lack of any handle, reflecting how Unicorns used telekinesis and didn't need anything to actually grip on the weapon. Early unicorn swords were simple double pointed blades, which was why Unicorn soldiers more often used the term "Blade" rather than sword. Later types of unicorn swords included metal crossguards in the middle of the weapon to provide better options for parrying. The superior mobility and speed of the sword was quickly learned by Unicorns and thus the sword soon became just as common as bows and polearms. A famous weapon of the Unicorn Kingdoms was a four bladed plus sign shaped weapon commonly known as the "Lethal Star", which was a common Knight weapon. Lethal stars varied in size from smaller ones more commonly carried by infantry to the larger ones whose general width was about as much as a common sword. Common tactics for a Unicorn sword involve levitating the weapon in front and aim the point at one's opponent as to make deflecting and blocking any strikes easier and safer. One technique in counterattacking was to catch the opponent's weapon in the crossguard and move the blade like a lever on the opponent's weapon to strike them, hence the name "Lever Strike". Another technique that is particularly famous is the "Bladed Wheel" were the blade is spun around at high speed in order to be able to deliver a single strike with immense force or deflect an oncoming blow. The bladed wheel was also used to defect and chop arrows shot at the user during fights between Unicorn armies. The Lethal Star blade was a far superior weapon in the telekinetic levitation of a skilled user which was why it was favored by Unicorn Knights, the favoritism and advantages of the weapon made it an eventual standard weapon of the Unicorn Knight. Earth pony swords quite notably came in greatly wide variation, many different types of swords were developed and used by Earth Ponies. The basic sword was held in a mouth grip with a blade extending from one side, normally the right, and in all but the earliest of swords a secondary blade extending from the other side. Most swords made by Earth Ponies had one blade be the main blade while the other blade as a shorter secondary blade, exceptions did exist frequently in the form of swords with two identical length blades. All swords had a half crossguard on one or both sides of the grip to provide extra options in defense, parrying, and even offense. Along with this guard in later swords was a piece known as the lip guard, a metal piece connected to the grip which curved around where the wielder's lips would be if they were gripping the weapon. The entire assembly of the mouth grip and crossguard was most often referred to as the hilt. Many variations of blade designs existed, starting with the basic Broadsword, a wide bladed weapon with a sufficient point for stabbing. The Needlesword, a later design, was a greatly tapered sword specialized for thrusting attacks. Facecurves were swords with blades curved forward toward where the wielder would be facing, hence the name. A Hookcurve was a variant of the Facecurve that was designed with a more defined point that was curved to point where the wielder faced, designed to be optimized for hooking an opponent's weapon or limbs as well as for stabbing with the point. The Falchion was a wide cutting optimized blade designed with a more hefty blade to better chop at enemies. The rarest and arguably most unique blade was the Flamberg, a blade that oscillated in a wavy pattern reminiscent of a flame. A unique and different type of sword existed with a blade attached to the lip guard and extending forward in the direction the wielder faced, commonly referred to as a "facing point sword", these were typically made for stabbing. "Two Mouth Grips" longer swords with longer handles also known as longswords were developed during this time as well and became a very popular weapon among common Earth Pony soldiers, the name derives solely from how the mouth grip was twice the width of a pony's mouth. The purpose of the longer mouth grip was to better balance the longer blade, in general all Earth Pony swords were made to have most of the weight be at the mouth grip so as to make the blades very nimble and feel lightweight in the mouth grip. The largest of the swords to be made by Earth Ponies were called three mouth hilts and existed during the late High Middle Ages onward and were the least common of all the existing swords used by the Earth Ponies of the Middle Ages. Earth Pony martial arts with swords of any kinds were highly developed and advanced at the time of the High Middle Ages. The main stance with a typical sword involved the pony standing at an angle or even almost sideways from the opponent with the main blade held towards the opponent, this could however vary with different types of swords. A lot of different techniques with all different kinds of the swords developed by Earth Ponies were developed throughout the High Middle Ages creating some of the most advanced martial arts of the time. Most of these techniques were taught to and learned by the Earth Pony Knights along with their training in polearms.
Wrestling, grappling, as well as striking with one's hooves had been an integral part of Earth Pony martial arts from their beginnings, even as far back as the First Tribal Period wrestling and punching were used by Earth Ponies along with the weaponry developed. This carried over into the advanced martial arts developed in the late Rising and entire High Middle Ages. The bone snapping highly lethal wrestling techniques made fighting an Earth Pony in close quarters extremely dangerous for ponies of the other two races due to the naturally superior strength of earth ponies. This danger particularly influenced Unicorn martial arts towards keeping distance from the opponent and utilizing one's weapon's reach. Another tactic classified under Earth Pony hoof to hoof is the "Polebird Grounder" a technique that involves dodging, blocking, or parrying a blow from a Pegasus soldier's polearm followed by grabbing the weapon by wrapping one's forelegs around it and pulling it to bring the soldier to the ground if not disarm them. The specifics in executing this technique is to pull the polearm towards the ground in the general direction the pegasus is flying in order to more easily pull the opponent to the ground and possibly cause them injury from the impact. After the Pegasus would be grounded the Earth Pony soldier would move in still holding the polearm and go in to strike them with their current weapon. Similar techniques utilize Earth Pony polearms to strike or even stop an oncoming strike from a Pegasus' polearm. The threat of this tactic led Pegasi to develop their own hoof to hoof fighting styles which primarily utilized speed and quick reaction, along with these special types of hoof gauntlets made with built in blades, hammer, and short maces to assist in close quarters fighting. Such weapons would likely only be granted to middle to higher ranked Pegasus Soldiers. Similar hoof gauntlets featuring metal spikes or knobs built onto the bottom of the hoof gauntlet were produced by Earth Ponies.
Ranged attacks were a primary and integral weapon of Unicorns, particularly due to their inferior physical strength and endurance to earth ponies as well as their inability of flight. The bow and arrow was a development and likely Unicorn invention of the First Tribal Era, it would remain in use from then on to the entire Middle Ages timeline and would be developed into the infamous Unicorn Longbow during the High Middle Ages. The longbow was the Unicorn's primary weapon in battle since in general fighting enemies at as far a distance as possible was considered the best tactic, especially against Earth Ponies. Large formations of Unicorn archers were capable of firing off immense volumes of arrows said to be capable of bringing down armies. Despite these claims the bows and arrows rarely killed ponies instantly, rather instead they typically injured and crippled the movements of enemy soldiers. Such tactics even proved deadly towards Pegasus soldiers in flight due to the high volume of arrows. Means of counteracting archers and or defending against them were particularly developed by Earth Ponies in the forms of two specialized wagon like devices. The first was the shield wagon, a simple two wheeled wagon with an open slot for vision and another open slow for a polearm as shield wagons were mainly used by Pole Soldiers. Another type of wagon was the crossbow wagon, which had a large bow on a stock built onto a small two wheeled wagon. This ranged weapon came into wide use by Earth Ponies during the High Middle Ages beyond it's original anti archer purpose, soon going into used as a conventional Earth Pony ranged weapon. Unicorns adapted the new Earth Pony technology in the form of their own personnel carried crossbows, noticing the superior accuracy and projectile velocity to a long bow. The main drawback that limited the use of the unicorn crossbow was the slower drawing and reloading, making it more of a weapon used by certain specialized soldiers. Despite this the crossbow did remain widely used by Unicorns throughout the High Middle Ages and did receive some development and enhancement along with the Earth Pony Crossbow wagon.
A very important and significant advancement of the Unicorns during the Middle Ages was Unicorn Magic, ever since before the Rising Middle Ages Unicorns had been exploring the capabilities which the horns on their foreheads granted them. As the Rising Middle Ages came certain Unicorns started becoming highly skilled in using their magic and developed a wide variety of spells. These Unicorns would become very powerful and highly regarded within the societies they lived within. Magical arts had become immensely advanced in the High Middle Ages among the Unicorns who explored them, though by no means rare Unicorn mages were far from bring greatly common let alone majority within any kingdom. On the battlefield Mages proved quite formidable with their wide variety of offensive and defensive spells, they also proved tactically advantageous for the spells they could use to directly assist the soldiers in a battlefield, such as healing as well as enchanting arrow storms with elements such as fire. Mages were not the only ones on the battlefield to utilize magical arts. Unicorn Knights were also trained in the use of magical skills along with their training in use of swords, polearms, as well as ranged weapons such a bows. Though Knight's magical aptitude was far from that of a mag it culminated very well with their other skills to make Unicorn Knights highly formidable in battle.
Armor has a very wide history within the Pre-Equestrian Era, original armors that would be produced from the hides of slain creatures and would mostly stay primitive up until the late First Tribal Period where the first linen armor, commonly called "Gambesons" or "Akatins" as well as "Quilt Jackets". These linen and later wool jackets were among the most widely used armor in the Middle Ages, becoming the common soldier's armor thanks to it's low cost. Even after mail armor, armor made up of metal rings joined together, was introduced in the Rising Middle Ages it remained the standard armor for common soldiers in every kingdom and was even worn below mail armor for extra protection. The early Knights as well as the higher rank soldiers of the Pegasus kingdoms made extensive use of mail armor for it's flexibility and excellent damage protection. Mail remained in use for the rest of the middle ages as well as the quilted jacket even after early forms of metal plate based armor was produced in the mid to late High Middle Ages, being worn under such armors for extra protection. Early plate based forms of metal armor consisted of armor with steel plates sewn into linen to make for what was commonly called a "Coat of Plates". Full plate armor pieces were also developed into separate leg armor that was worn along with coats of plates. In the very late High and the Falling Middle ages entire armors of metal plate were developed making for the most high quality armors of the Pre-Equestrian Era. One thing to note is throughout history Pegasus soldiers of all kinds naturally did not wear as heavy of armor as Unicorns and Especially Earth ponies due to the fact that the weight would inhibit and even render inability in flight.
Here ends the chapter on weapons, armors, and tactics of war. In general weaponry of the Middle Ages was highly developed as was armor over the time frame. Each race had very different weapons and tactics that they utilized each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
The Pre-Equestrian Era: The Middle Ages
Chapter 5: The Collapse and Post Collapse.
The Middle Ages were a war torn but also advanced and even at times prosperous time in the history of ponykind. Many advancements in magic, cities, and culture came from the Middle Ages, however this period of time was not to last nor end peacefully. This chapter will focus on the fall of the Middle Ages, The Collapse.
The Falling Middle Ages are referred to as they are for a reason, that reason being the fact that the Falling Middle Age refers to the events that would lead up to The Collapse. The turmoil and chaos caused by escalating territorial wars, wars over the Earth Ponies, and inner conflicts shook every existing kingdom to its core. The wars would claim many lives and even lead to the destruction of cities and castles. No exact clear transitional period can be identified between the Falling Middle Ages and The Collapse and the event itself is steeped in a lot of mystery. What can be known about the Collapse is that it did not happen over a short time, it likely happened over the course of close to half a century if not about a full century. Accounts of the time do mention many kingdoms falling, some within the same year of each other. The infamous story mentioned in Chapter 1's status as a fictional legend or true account is up to debate however given the situation it is not far from what was possible. A major contributing component of the Collapse was a mysterious illness which spread throughout the lands of nearly ever kingdom. The Plague's historical names varied greatly, though "The Plague" as well as "The Great Illness" were the most recurring. Symptoms of the disease were documented to include much more severe cold symptoms along with many other different symptoms, generally being infected brought a lot of suffering and eventually a slow painful death. A cure was evidently never found and even magical spells from the most powerful of mages proved ineffective at anything but suppress the effects for a limited amount of time. Nearly if not all who were infected with this illness ended up dying from it. No clear method of stopping the spread of the illness could seem to be found as ponies seemed to become sick "spontaneously", this could potentially have been due to a lack of medical knowledge. Due to the nature of this illness in the way it spread so quickly and successfully infected so many throughout the kingdoms it is likely that the illness was of magical origin as no prior disease of any kind had had such an impact as The Great Illness had. One theory of the origin of this disease is that it is a creation of the Windigos, creatures mentioned in the highly documented accounts of the events leading to the formation of Equestria. Though having some evidence it cannot be confirmed that the Windigos were responsible for the Great Illness as the only documented ability that the Windigos have is that of turning the land cold. However it can be easily concluded that that the Windigos were responsible for another later major event of the collapse known historically as "The Unending Winter". As time went on in the start of collapse the weather began to shift slowly but surely towards a colder winter like climate. This happened over time however got progressively worse as time went on, the entirety of the known lands were not affected at once rather instances of cold weather came over multiple lands and got progressively worse at various times in various places. Many cities ended up buried in snow and even frozen. The increasingly destructive and hostile weather combined with the ever present plague was almost enough to stop the wars and conflicts that had occurred, unfortunately that was not the case as even with these events wars still occurred as they did in the Falling Middle Ages. The third and final event to occur and further bring the collapse was the mysterious and unnatural changes of day and night. The normal day and night cycle had mysteriously lost it's consistency and resulted in nights lasting days or vice versa as well as unnatural changes in the position of the sun and moon, there was little to no pattern in these changes. The now irregular day and night further created chaos and fear among ponies and often left already struggling crops often deprived of sunlight or even over exposed to it. The "Day Night Chaos" as it was called happened sometime during the middle of The Unending Winter. Over time the weather, chaotic day and night cycle, and plague brought down even the largest and strongest of kingdoms. Eventually what was formerly many different kingdoms was reduced to few crumbling kingdoms and wandering remnants of fallen kingdoms. The Middle Ages had ended and the medieval world and kingdoms had ended with it. However despite what many thought it wasn't the end for ponykind.
The collapse took its tole on ponykind and every kingdoms was in shambles, three particular kingdom remnants, one of each race, ended up eventually banding together to form an uneasy alliance to try and survive the seemingly apocalyptic cataclysm that befell them. They were not the only kingdom remnants however they and the other remnants to join them ended up as the only known ones to survive. The remnants of the unicorn kingdom were a combination of ponies from the then dead kingdoms of Unihorn, Cornia, and a multitude of others. Notably the latest heir to the Cornian throne, Queen and later Re-titled Princess Silver. The Remnant Pegasi came from the fallen Kingdom of The Cloud and were led by the current Commander Rainstorm. The Earth Pony remnants were by far the most mixed of ponies though the Chancellery of The Sun Over The Field, led by the Late Chancellor Cakehead, was the closest to majority. The three leaders ultimately chose to band together and traveled throughout the ruined lands scavenging whatever food supplies they could. The time they traveled is not exactly known however many accounts of the time detail entire cities and castles encased in snow covered ice, battlefields with entire armies frozen in mid combat, and other horrors discovered during the travels were entailed in written accounts. After what is presumed to be a long time the kingdoms eventually found a land untouched by the apocalyptic winter, in this land the three remnants settled and soon developed into the three tribes. This ultimately started the Second Tribal Period, which is also known as the Post-Collapse. In the Second Tribal Period a system of cooperation was eventually established between the three tribes of Unicorn, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. The Earth Ponies would willingly grow food for themselves and the Unicorns and Pegasi in exchange for the Pegasi's weather control and the Unicorn's maintenance of the now artificially controlled sun and moon. Though the relationship between the three tribes was extremely fragile and filled with tension war was completely avoided throughout the Second Tribal Era.. Despite the lack of war hatred did exist strongly between the tribes and they generally did not care about each other. only cooperating due to the apparent need for it. The Second Tribal Era would ultimately last for multiple generations up until The Unending Winter ended up reaching the lands in which the tribes resided, forcing them to move to find another faraway home.
The events of the near end of the Second Tribal Era as well the events leading to the formation of Equestria are very well documented, the day Equestria was founded is celebrated as "Hearts Warming Eve." So those events will not be detailed in this text however this book will conclude with the ultimate effects that the Middle Ages and Collapse had on how the current Equestria is. As the three tribes united and formed the new land of Equestria the ponies of the newly established kingdom formed a new society based on what was learned from the chaotic Falling Middle Ages and seemingly apocalyptic Collapse as well as the first discovery of the magical power that the simple presence of friendship and unity held. The many lessons that were ultimately learned in remembering the dark, violent, and destructive past as well as what was learned after the tribes finally united would ultimately shape Equestria into the strong, prosperous, and peaceful kingdom it currently stands as.