[Work in progress. This is going to be a letter from a Canterlot history professor to a pupil, and will be further formatted as such. Some things in this letter are written in a more OOC style till I change it.]

The thriving society of Hayven Isle lives on a large island west of the Equestrian mainland in the South Luna Ocean (at the same latitude as the Nightmare Cliffs, but much farther west out into the ocean). Hayven Isle today is famous the world over for it’s tranquility and the peaceful nature of its inhabitants. It is most widely known as the rightful resting place of the Kinetic Star, which the Hayvenites keep in a sanctum near one of the two world's largest and most powerful leylines. In the world of Equestria, the magic that surrounds and binds most creatures, and makes life the way we know it, flows directly from the two main leylines that go up and down both sides of the globe. They meet at the poles and form a sort of longitudinal magic equator. There are many other, smaller leylines that split off these two and distribute magic throughout their half of the globe, but the Great Lunar Leyline (the one nearest Equestria, and opposite of the Great Celestial Leyline on the other side of the globe) is where the majority of magic flows into Equestria, The Crystal Empire, and Yakyakistan from.

The island is divided right down the middle (north to south) by the Lunar Leyline. A smaller leyline (the one that flows magic eastward towards Equestria) goes horizontally across the middle of the eastern half of the island. For the purposes of this letter, I will not talk much about this "smaller" leyline, but it's important to mention because it's the one that connects The Great Lunar Leyline with the leylines flowing magic into Equestria.

When ponies discovered and began spreading word about this powerfully mystical land, it started to be referred to as "Hayven Isle." Even that far back in ponykind's history, before ponies had a better understanding of leylines, they could tell that this was a special place with powerful significance. The name also stemmed from the hospitality of the island that became known as a haven. They realized it was quite large, and that they could establish a permanent settlement far enough from the Great Lunar Leyline to grow crops and build a village. Earth ponies discovered that the nutrient and magic-infused soil made for extraordinarily high yields of healthy, vibrant crops.

The quality of life and values of this Hayven Isle were remarkably advanced for their time. In an era where most ponies lived in disharmony and Windigos were plentiful, this shining beacon of light and reason was an early example of what can happen when ponies work together in harmony. It was common for ponies to meet in the village square of the acropolis to debate policies, exchange philosophical ideas, discuss scientific findings, and educate each other. The literacy rate was far higher than most of ponykind at the time, and the scientific method was prized and deeply ingrained in their culture. Everypony had an equal say in the political affairs of the island, and all debate was to constructive ends that lead to steady progress. The types of divides between Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi in the Three Kingdoms era did not exist in this enlightened land.

The affairs of the island were governed by an elected council composing of thirteen members called The Council of Heart and Mind. Six members represented the Hearts of Hayvenites. They consisted of poets, philosophers, musicians, and the like. The other six represented the Minds of the Hayvenites, and consisted of scientists, doctors, and engineers. The 13th seat was held by an Oracle representing Balance, who was selected through the ages by the Islanders as the pony who could unite both Heart and Mind to make decisions tempered with both the love of truth, and the truth of love. [OOC note: might be changed to a single being throughout the council's history representing Balance]

As you know, before the age of the Three Kingdoms, the unicorns of Equestria were who rose and set the Sun and Moon by connecting and interacting with the magical currents flowing from the Great Leylines, which play key part in the planet's magical connection and relation to the Sun and moon. Until the Two Sisters came along, the unicorns of the Island played a large part in the control of the Sun and Moon. When the Three Kingdoms united into Equestria, the ponies of the island opted to include Hayven Isle to further kindle the bond of friendship between ponykind. As Equestrians, the ponies of the island shared in the prosperity that followed.

Then, one thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon declared eternal night and used her Alicorn magic to prevent the outflow of magic from the Great Leylines into the world. Equestria was left in what was called "eternal darkness," and not even the world's unicorns were able to make night into day again with their magic. We all know how that ended.

What most ponies don't know, however, was what happened immediately after Nightmare Moon's banishment. The same type of bickering that went on between the ponies of the Three Kingdoms set into the population of this island on the leyline. Everypony was scared, and many ponies were furious that the world could be brought to a halt at any time at the whim of a being much more powerful than they. By the time the Sun came back up, the Hearts of the Council were arguing that they should make a way to control the Lunar Leyline so that they could at least (theoretically) prevent their island from falling to malevolent powerful beings (such as Nightmare Moon, and Discord in his first reign). If such a being came to deny them their magical access, they’d be able to control the currents of magic to disable that being’s ability to manipulate magic coming from the Leyline. Thus the fear in their hearts guided their solution.

The other half of the council, the Minds, disagreed with the prospect of a small group of ponies having the ability to deny any creature the connection to magic, arguing that it would eventually be abused. Princess Celestia and the Equestrian way of Harmony was their hope. After all, they reasoned, she banished her own beloved sister to save the world from eternal night; that was more than enough proof of her unwavering benevolence.

This disagreement grew bitter very quickly, tearing the society right down the middle in every respect. Families split up over it, and almost half the guards left their posts to join those most angry and fearful about the situation. The splitting up of the Hayvenites’ Royal Guard was particularly significant because of the large amount of them stationed there, and also goes to show the bitterly divided spirit of the time. As soon as the world was freed from Nightmare Moon's control, ponies of Heart gathered on the eastern half of the island and rallied their wisest unicorns to the leyline to conjure a way to control it. They weren't power-hungry, but were afraid of what happened and what all of this meant for the future. Even in their long lives, these old mages had never seen magic be so grossly misused as it had been by Nightmare Moon. From sheer magic, will, and fear, The Kinetic Star materialized out of the Leyline as a result, which could tap into the magic of the Lunar Leyline even if it was rendered dormant. While it couldn't flow magic to the whole world, it would at least provide a safe haven for ponykind, and allow the islanders to keep their lives going the way they knew it.

[As a related side note here, the Kinetic Star first showed it's known abilities when Nightmare Moon returned and brought about another unending night. It rose into the sky above the island and shined brilliantly, providing the ponies that lived there with light and access to the magic that kept their way of life intact. Nightmare Moon was too preoccupied dealing with the Elements of Harmony to do anything about this, and was redeemed before she got the chance.]

With The Kinetic Star, the Hearts of the island declared control of the Great Lunar Leyline’s flow, and that ponykind was now safe from being at the mercy of powerful magical villains like the ones that dotted their history. Whether the Star can cut off the flow of magic to our half of the world entirely is unknown, as it’s abilities are not well understood even today. However, it *is* known that it can at least render magic inert within a certain geographic area, as these historical events came to show.

The other half of the Hayvenites were, predictably, not accepting of this. Before long, everypony of both factions, including the guards of each, gathered to the leyline where the Leykeepers were with the Star. It’s unclear exactly what happened during the start of this confrontation, but there was intense arguing and debate. At some point in those moments, a column of the non-defected guards moved towards the Kinetic Star and the mages surrounding it, with the unicorn captain stepping forth with her horn lit up to levitate the Star into Royal Guard custody. Before she could envelop the Star, the mages lifted it up, and it flashed a blinding white light. The captain’s TK was disabled. It didn’t take long for the Hayvenites to discover that everypony’s magic had been disabled, on the entire island. The Leykeeper mages succeeded in their creation that could not only direct leyline magic for use, but also redirect it away from a geographic area (or creature) at will. The Great Lunar Leyline still flowed towards Equestria as before, but unicorns couldn’t cast spells. Pegasi couldn’t fly or manipulate weather. Earth Ponies lost connection to the earth that imbued their steadfast hearts and bodies with magic, and their crops wilted. Magic-less chaos ensued among the populace, and the guards of both factions fought bitterly over the Star. This went on for nearly 2 days, until the Hayvenite guards finally wrested the Kinetic Star out of the Leykeepers’ grasp, and use of magic was restored. There is little written record left of just what took place during those 2 days, but witnesses reported seeing glimpses of Wendigos at an altitude so high they were barely visible. These were the first recorded sightings of Wendigos since the Three Kingdoms united. It is speculated that the Wendigos were so high up because of the Star’s effects on the geographic area willed by the mages.

What ever happened during those two days, the consequences were costly enough to the ponies of Hayven Island that they and the rest of Equestria wanted to ensure that something like this could never happen again. Mediated by Princess Celestia, the two factions of Hayven Isle were gathered to come to an agreement and enact measures to prevent repeating mistakes. They convened for four months before the leaders of both sides (and Princess Celestia) signed the Pronouncement of Tranquility. The document is still what governs Hayven Isle today, and these are some of the basics of the agreement:


1.?The Kinetic Star will be rendered inert by Princess Celestia and will not leave it’s resting place in the newly-constructed Inner Sanctum.
2.?In a commitment to peace, harmony, and friendship, the island will have no permanent standing guard or official military force except the allotted defense force numbering not more than 12 members, who are to guard the Inner Sanctum.
3.?The Kinetic Star will not be destroyed but is not to be re-activated except under Royal Decree.


And thus, the foundation was laid for the Hayven Isle we know today. There are no recorded instances in history of the Kinetic Star being removed from its sarcophagus underground next to the Great Lunar Leyline since it was placed there a thousand years ago (the sarcophagus wasn't opened during the 2nd NMM incident) The Hayvenite Islanders are today known for their compassionately peaceful and non-confrontational nature, even by pony standards. In my opinion, the agreement they hammered out with Princess Celestia has worked out well for Hayven Isle and the rest of Equestria.

Regards,
Dr. Pib
PhD, Canterlot Royal University History Department
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OOC Notes
For an idea of the aesthetic of ancient Hayven Isle, here's a pic: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/420753803311185921/429122419068764172/DC-Cherry-Blossoms-1.jpg

Yes that's the Jefferson Memorial, but that's the kind of architecture they had, similar to what you'd see in an ancient Greek Acropolis.