If one is to understand the circumstances surrounding the founding of Troy, one must first know its founder, Trojan Horse. Records from this period are difficult to come by, but reliable sources indicate that Trojan Horse was born approximately 130 years before the first occurrence of Nightmare Moon...

Stalliongrad, 105 BNMM

Trojan Horse stood in front of his unassuming office space on a side street that led to one of the local markets. Despite the rather substantial success he had had in his surveying endeavors, as such was his talent, he elected to keep a low profile so as to not attract the attention of the local gangs and their 'protection' services. He was a somewhat imposing earth pony stallion in his own right, his clear strength a by-product of his time working in the first few mines he surveyed, and his icy blue eyes held a similarly cold gaze at the best of times. He kept his mane and tail short and trimmed, further adding to the almost military visage he had cultivated over the years, he messed with no one, and no one dared mess with him.

He turned to the market, content that none of the loiterers on the street were planning anything towards his office, and made his way casually down the street. He had thus far in life been satisfied with a simple life, surveying new mines and quarries for local business, and living each day and week the same as the one before. He was happy, or at least he thought so. It was when he entered the market that day that he realized his simple life might actually have been missing something.

The market was abuzz with activity, but it wasn't the usual noise. Everyone there seemed to either be focused on one pony in particular, or doing their best to be obviously not looking at said pony. Trojan was intrigued at the occurence, and sought out who was causing such a stir, the crowd parted and for a moment their eyes met. Trojan, while a bit of a social recluse, was no stranger to the local politics and thus recognized the pony instantly, Mare Grace, the only daughter of the notorious Lord Stalliongrad himself and by far the most beautiful mare of the city, as well as the most dangerous. Hardly a week went by where the local paper didn't mention that a new potential suitor of the mare had been found dead, each bearing the signature mark of Lord Stalliongrad's gang.

Despite all that, and thought their eyes met for just a moment, Trojan had decided: That mare will be mine.