Alitheia

Thysia sent her Alicorns away in order to protect them or let them thrive elsewhere. But why keep a third with her? Was it because she still sought companionship, or what is because she wanted to keep some Alicorns with her in she sent the others to their deaths.

The time of the Alicorn Schism has been a mere horrid memory for Five Hundred Millennia, and Thysia has led her Alicorns the best she could, only using her magic to maintain the orbit of the heaven bodies. In that time, Thysia has seen her Alicorns thrive around Alitheia, forming massive kingdoms and achievements that could never be replicated. But with the coming of these kingdoms, comes something Thysia never meant for: conflict, anger...war. The Alicorns were divided into three primary kingdoms at different corners of Alitheia.

The first kingdom was the one that was built upon the ashes of the Alicorn's former kingdom. Thysia was the ruler of this kingdom and has spent all of her time educating the next generation as best as she could. As much as it saddened her to see many of the surviving Alicorns from the Great Schism age and die, she could not be surprised. Alicorns of that generation lived for only so long, and only the strongest could live for so long. Because her kingdom lay near to a top the original kingdom, her citizens changed very little. Thysia herself has also noticed a change that had begun to affect all of the first generation. This change, she concluded, was a result of Alicorns who were exposed to the Great Schism had slowly begun to physically change. Because of her custom design, Thysia maintained her Cosmic imitation form.

Among the hundreds of students Thysia trained, two of which stood out the most. The near inseparable Solaris and Artemis. Solaris was a white colored Alicorn with a mane, beard, and tail that looked as though it was made of a bright orange fire. As if the sun itself had grown on him. Artemis was near the opposite, his coat was a shade of blue closer to black, with a flowing mane and tail that vaguely resembled the stars, his eyes had become yellow with black slits, and his once feather wings had become webbed and bat-like. Solaris was very prideful and confident Alicorn, but was prone to anger that often left a room burnt. Artemis was the near opposite, almost never speaking, and when he spoke, his voice almost silenced all around it by the sheer tone.

As her most promising students, Thysia gave Solaris and Artemis a responsibility she learned she could not keep up forever. She taught them the secret of keeping the planet and Moon in orbit. As the strongest, Solaris was tasked to keep the planet orbiting by fueling the ancient spell every morning, while Artemis would refuel the Moon every evening. But by doing so, it gave the impression that Solaris was causing the Sun to rise and set, while Artemis appeared to be raising and lowering the Moon. Only Thysia, Solaris, and Artemis ever knew the true secret of the Sun and Moon.

The subjects of this kingdom were changed by the millennia; breaking off into various sub races. The Alicorns that still practiced magic, but at the expense of their own physical power and flight, soon lost their wings and near half their strength. But this allowed them to utilize their magics for everyday purposes. This race of horned, wingless ponies were known as the Unicorns. The next group of ponies were like the two halves of what Artemis looked like. One half of this sub race resembled Unicorns but were wilder looking, with heavier coats, darker manes and coats, slit eyes, and a slight curve to their horns. This race was known as the Threshals. A cousins to the Threshals, were another group of dark colored ponies that had no horns but rather bat-like wings and were more common among the night or late twilight. This race was known as the Bat Ponies.

The second kingdom, the one farthest away from Thysia, was led by the Alicorn called Hekon. His kingdom was settled on a massive continent to the east of the other kingdoms, spanned by a great ocean. The land was unsettled and was littered with numerous ecosystems; from grass plains, to rain forests, to even vast deserts. Hekon's kingdom was settled between the desert and the grass plains, along the banks of several long rivers.

Hekon, unlike many of his citizens, was one of the few who was there during the Great Schism. The long centuries have done a toll on his body, his teal shaded flesh hardening and becoming more crystal-like. His wings near useless for flight, and his magic used more to strengthen his own physical prowess. He was a rather calm and focused Alicorn, preferring to get to the source of a problem to solve it rather than go around it. As much as he used his magic, Hekon preferred to use the strength of his own body to go about the hard works that went about his kingdom.

His subjects, being the farthest from the First Alicorns' home, had under gone a metamorphosis, in which their wings have long faded and their horns shrunk to nonexistence. These new generations still maintained magic, but rather their magic only enhanced their physical power and gave them a better connection to the planet and nature around them. This new sub race was known as the Earth Ponies. Another sub group of creatures that lived within this kingdom had also developed in a similar fashion to the Earth Ponies. But unlike the Earth ponies, this sub race didn't completely lose their connection to magic by the loss of their wings and horns. Instead, this new race of white and black striped creatures became so attuned with nature and the natural forces around them, that this sub race was able to perform a slightly different style of magic with the use of horns. This sub race was know as the Zebras.

The third and final kingdom, the one that lay between the other two was a kingdom that resided in the high mountains, and many, if not all, their towns, villages, and sub areas were made entirely out of clouds. This kingdom was led by the Alicorn Valhalla, another one of the few remaining of the first generation of Alicorns who survived the Great Schism. Only the main castle was made a top the highest mountain on the continent, but almost all the citizens lived within the clouds.

Just like all of her generation, Valhalla's body had become changed. Her dark brown coat became more feather like, her wings grew larger, and her horn was used only to control the winds and weather around her kingdom. Her front hooves had slowly turned into sharp bird-like talons that allowed her to grip onto the hard rock side more effectively. Her pony muzzle slowly metamorphosed into a sharp and blunt beak, allowing her to more effectively break open the hard shelled fruits that hung high in the mountains. Even her mane had become thicker, yet shorter, creating a bestial mane, rather than a pony one. Valhalla was just like the weather she often commanded; calm on most days, but could all of a sudden become the embodiment of anger and destruction. The loyalty of her subjects was the most important thing to her.

The citizens of this kingdom were as diverse and fierce as their ruler. These sub races had long lost their horns, or their connection to the ground. They were denizens of the sky and the boundless freedom that it offered. They maintained their pony bodies, but only had the mighty wings of their former selves. This race was known as the Pegasus. The second major sub race to inhabit the skies of the third kingdom was similar to their Pegasus cousins, but more closely resembled Valhalla for the most part. Living more on the mountain side than the clouds, this sub races' hooves became paws and talons. Their tails lost their vast hairs and extended to both grip and allow better balance in the sky, and their muzzles became feather covered beaks. These sub races were known as the Hippogriffs, and the Griffons.

There are no records of what happened between the three kingdoms and the forming of the Tribunal. So it is more up to speculation, rather than ancient fact.

After another hundred thousand years, Thysia met with the rulers of the other two kingdoms and discussed a way for all Alicorn kind to live in peace and harmony. The forming of what would be known as the Tribunal was formed. Starting with only five members, the Tribunal consisted of Thysia, Solaris, Artemis, Hekon, and Valhalla. With the formation of the Tribunal, each member was given a responsibility for their seat. Thysia acted as the leader and would watch over the Tribunal as a whole. Solaris was given his task of handling the Sun and ruling the Unicorns, Artemis was given the take of handling the Moon and ruling the Threshals and Bat Ponies, Hekon was given command over the ground itself and ruling the Earth ponies and Zebras, and Valhalla was given command over the skies and ruling the Pegasi, Hippogriffs, and Griffons.

With the Tribunal established, Thysia felt she had created a peace between all Alicorns. But it was the emerging of an unknown Alicorn that brought a new found worry and fear for her. Unbeknownst to Thysia, but some Alicorns that survived the Great Schism were cast endlessly towards the dragons' domain, known as the Badlands. These Alicorns had lived in constant fear and danger. These Alicorns, too weak to reach Thysia, or any other kingdom over the eons, had to live as constant prey to the dragons. After all the long and horrid years, only one Alicorn had managed to survive. By some miracle, this Alicorn was able to flee to the North, running and flying countless miles to reach Thysia's kingdom.

When this Alicorn had arrived, Thysia was shocked by the change that afflicted this Alicorn. His coat had become black as a void, and was covered in both scales and fur. His mane was hard and spine-like, his tail was nearly serpent-like, and his muzzle had become more dragon like. Even his teeth and front hooves had become fangs and talons. Though he still looked like an Alicorn, with the only resemblance being a slightly curved and dark read horn, and his wings were still bird-like. When he was able to open his eyes, this Alicorn had green eyes that radiated a purple flame around them. This Alicorn refereed to himself as Tartaras, and Thysia took him on as her student.

There are even less references to Tartaras than there are about the three kingdoms. But it is Tartaras that will become more to the Alicorns and the less Pony species, than they would ever know or would ever want to know.

Tartaras trained under Thysia for over ten thousand years, eventually becoming another one of her top students. His magic nearly as power as Solaris or Artemis. Along with Tartaras, many other great Alicorns had soon showed great promise. These Alicorns were born a generation after the Great Schism and despite the long centuries had shown nearly no sign of the change that affected the others. These Alicorn students were all mares that worked together to strengthen the other. Celestia, Solaris' biological younger sibling, a bold and eager mare that only wanted to make her brother proud of her, with a white coated Alicorn and a flowing pink mane and tail. Luna, Artemis' biological younger sibling, quiet and caring for her brother, always feeling he was often put t the side and shoved under Solaris, with a midnight shade of blue coat and lighter blue mane and tail that was cut short.

The last were the Alicorn mare triplets, Eros, Iris, and Eris. Eros was white coated with a light green mane and tail, with a tone of voice that expressed love and compassion for all life and living beings. Iris was pale blue with a snow silver mane and tail, she was always the first to laugh and the most artist in terms to how her spells looked when cast. Eris was light brown with a white mane a tail was that was cut short and neatly groomed, she was always serious, more often trying to dissuade her siblings from foolish antics and was more of a lecturer, than a relaxer. It was these six Alicorns that Thysia saw the potential of a greater future. Thysia then decided to reorganize the Tribunal to lead the Alicorns as a much more effective society.

With the unanimous agreement of the others, Tartaras, Celestia, Luna, Eris, Iris, and Eros were allowed into the Tribunal and the seating control was reorganized. But it was due to their seat in the Triubal, that these Alicorns would become the last of the Alicorn race; with all others becoming Unicorns, Pegasus, or Earth Ponies. Over an unknown period of time, these Eleven Alicorns would not only be the ruling bodies of the greater expanding and short life spanned Pony race, but would be revered as Gods and Goddesses with different responsibilities and duties.

Thysia was the Alicorn of Fate and Wisdom, worshiped by all ponykind for her calm demeanor, her compassionate reasoning, and her endless levels of love for all life. She was always willing to speak with anypony willing to speak with her, and her authority over the other Alicorns and the newly formed Tribunal Empire was absolute; though she preferred to not undermine her fellow Alicorns. Solaris was the Alicorn of the Sun, as well as the virtue of Honor. Despite his new found responsibilities to keep the planet in orbit, keeping his promise to say it was actually the Sun he was moving, Solaris remained the same, but his reputation of punishing those who would bring about disharmony was as respected as it was severe. Artemis was the Alicorn of the Moon and the Night, choosing to only be seen or active during his time when the Moon was risen and he blanketed the skies of the kingdom with beautiful displays of stars and a race of magical star beings he named the constellations.

Hekon was the Alicorn of Truth and Courage, as well as the patron of all Earth Ponies. While remaining on the Tribunal, Hekon would often walk among the pony citizens, helping them cultivate and teaching new farming methods. He was also the leader of the kingdom's standing army, often relying on a unit of a particularly loyal clan of Earth ponies known as the Apple Core. Valhalla was the Alicorn of Loyalty and Freedom, as well as the patron of the Pegasus ponies. She was just as easily angered, yet could quickly calm as she always had, always pushing her subjects to embrace the freedom the sky could offer, as well as leading the kingdom's air force. Her favorite unit of these flying warriors were a unit of Pegasi, Griffons, and Hippogriffs that were named the Sky lions.

Celestia was the Alicorn of Magic, as well as the patron of the Unicorn ponies. She enjoyed walking among the unicorns and was known to take on several students, many of which were young mares that showed great promise in magic. Solaris was often concerned with Celestia's "enthusiasm" towards her students, but chose to let his sister stay to her own business. Luna was the Alicorn of Dreams and Keeper of the Secrets of all the subjects, which included the Tribunal. Despite being able to learn the secrets of anything, especially by visiting the dreams of those who slept, Luna gave her word to Thysia that she would never reveal anyponies secret unless it was a threat to the Tribunal of the Kingdom. But unlike Celestia or even the others of the younger generation, Luna was much too shy to speak with many of the subjects and stayed close to Artemis.

Eros was the Alicorn of Love and Compassion, tasked with maintaining the happiness of the kingdom and its subjects. This included many events to keep the ponies happy. More often, Eros asked for Iris's help when it came to organizing events and celebrations. Iris was the Alicorn of the Arts and Music, tasked with providing and helping the pony subjects with furthering culture and helping Eros to keep them happy. Eris was the Alicorn of Order and the bringer of Justice. Like many past and future kingdoms, there would often be a disagreement between ponies about a variety of things. Eris was tasked to be the judge and often police of kingdom, with the assistance of a group of dedicated ponies of all kinds called the Binding Truth to monitor the kingdom and capture any criminals.

Finally, Tartaras was the Alicorn of Morality and often the bringer of Fear. Often working together with Eris, Tartaras acted an a punishes of any ponies found guilty of a crime and would ensure that everypony was entitled to their own fair and just chance. But unlike the other Tribunal members, who were loved and worshiped by the pony and sub pony citizens, Tartaras was met with fear and very few ponies would dare speak his name. His dragon-like appearance would be the source of the primal fear all ponies felt around him and more often, Tartaras felt as though his fellow Tribual members would look at him with suspicion, But despite this harsh treatment, Tartaras loyally served his role and would commonly seek Thysia's guidance.