Equestria
| Kingdom of Equestria | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship is Magic character | |||
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| Overview information | |||
| Location | Greater Equestria[1] | ||
| Type | Kingdom See here for more | ||
| Historical information | |||
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Equestria was a country and an ancient kingdom located on Greater Equestria on the planet of Earth. The pony kingdom bordered Yakyakistan, The Crystal Empire and the mysterious South. To the east of the kingdom lied the Griffon continent and Dragon-Kirin island and to the west lies lands left yet unexplored. Equestria is shown to be a revered and in some cases, feared kingdom due to its mighty denizens and even mightier rulers.
Equestria was primarily a lush, well-forested land with a bevy of forests and jungles, but due to its sheer size, the geography of the land was varied. As such, the kingdom also contained deserts, plains and even tundras. Equestria had two unique oceans on both of its coastal boarders, both named after its two most famous rulers - The Celestial Sea and Luna Ocean respectively. Equestria appeared to be among the most technologically developed kingdoms on Earth, with numerous highly industrialized cities and a variety of advanced scientific machinery. Other advanced lands included Abyssinia and to an extent, Klugetown.
The kingdoms capital was the mountain city of Canterlot, founded by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna during the Age of Heroes. Other large cities included Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Chicoltgo and Baltimare. Ponyville is also seen as a noteworthy town due to housing the Elements of Harmony and the secret agent Bon Bon.
History
Prehistory
Earliest known aspects of Equestria's history date back millions of years. While Zecora traversed the 4th dimension, she came across a variety of ancient aspects of Equestria's history. The most ancient aspect of history she came across was a forest of dark, sentient trees that tried to attack her. From the forest, she came across a mystic potion or elixir that she used to create a cupcake capable of soothing even Angel Bunny. While traversing the dimension of time, Zecora came across a sea of prehistoric fish and jellyfish. At another point, Zecora also across the ancient days of the dinosaurs such as Brachiosaurus, Spinosaurus and similar creatures such as Pterosaurs.[2]
During the days of the dinosaurs, there existed a race of Cave ponies. Cave ponies were large, burly ponies with oddly shaped heads and thick manes. They spoke a primitive language that didn't resemble any form of known Common Equestrian. Although seemingly simpleminded, they were capable of simple leisure and enjoyed parties. Not much of their culture is known, but they appeared to worship the sun, or at least revere it, as they carved and painted depictions of the sun in their caves.[3]
Early civilizations
There were many ancient civilizations located in Equestria, presumably before the era of the Three tribes. While in the 4th-dimension, Zecora came across a civilization building Pyramids,[2] which may be connected to the Anugyptian civilization of years later. The civilization was extremely wealthy and plentiful in gold.An ancient ruler o the civilization included the mad King Anubis who ruled with an iron fist. Anubis ruled over ponies and Jackals alike but more than all, oppressed the cat population The cats eventually rose up and defeated Anubis, presumably ending his reign.[4]
Another ancient ruler of Anugypt - assuming the kingdoms are one in the same - was the infamous Cleopatrot. A vain ruler, Cleopatrot upholded the laws of her land to a T and punished those who dissented. She wasn't shown to be outwardly cruel however, merely traditional and scared of the unknown. According to Rarity, she pioneered early beauty keeping techniques and practices, famously using oils to keep her skin soft.[3]
Zephyr wars
At some point in hisory, likely before the Three Tribes era, conflicts between the Pegasus and Griffon communities rose to a boiling point. A war broke out known only as the Zephyr War in which the two sides did battle. The war was interrupted by the Hippogriff civilization, who acted as mediators as diplomats from both sides discussed the tensions. Afterwards, the two sides decided to not only call the war off and co-exist, but also create a new kingdom together in Eastern Equestria. This kingdom would evidently not last.[5]
Three tribes period
At some point, the whole of Equestria was split into three tribes. The Earth Pony tribe, the Pegasus tribe and the Unicorn tribe. These tribes were at odds with one another given the extreme and often time volatile personalities of their kings, but the tribes eventually worked together and developed a strong bond.
A recipe for magic pudding was invented in this era.[6]
Age of Heroes
Noted for its abundance of heroic ponies, the "Age of Heroes" is a period of history shrouded in legendry and wonder. It was widely believed, even by the Princesses themselves, that many of the tales and legends spoken of during this period where nothing more than filly tales, but one-by-one, many of the most famous legends were chosen to be oh so true. The starting point of the era is vague and not quite well defined but appears to be surrounding Rockhoof's famous feat of saving his village from a volcanic eruption that threatened its existence. As this story spread, several other ponies performed acts of immense selflessness, saving of entire cities or merely guiding other ponies in the process.
A young, meek, but kind and selfless pony named Stygian accidentally invited the Dazzlings into his village, turning his beloved people into stones. Stygian embarked on an adventure and gathered the six most well renowned heroes of his time; Rockhoof, Mage Meadowbrook, Flash Magnus, Somnambula, Mist Mane and Starswirl the Bearded, together, the friends defeated the Dazzlings and saved the village.
The era was filled with high adventure the likes are unknown, with many heralding stories. Perhaps the greatest adventure taken place in this era was the rescue of the Princess from the Pony of Shadows; the corrupter worlds. A quest in which the fate of all other worlds rested on the shoulders of our heroes as they battled with in-fighting, emotional turmoil and great suffering. Eventually, against all odds and due to a dark magic not quite understood by any pony, the heroes managed to save the princesses from the Pony of Shadows and infinite worlds in the process.
Despite the friendship shared by the three tribes, much of Equestria was still split in the three sides, with pony kinds sticking to themselves. Although communication between the kinds was rare, it was usually not looked down upon, but prejudice against kinds were not out of the ordinary either. Books were written about the evil of Pegasus[7] while unicorns were often considered weaklings.[8]
The Adventures of Starswirl
As fate would have it, arguably Equestria's greatest hero was also one of its greatest blights. Starswirl went on many adventures in his advanced age, one of which lead him to a dark swamp where he unknowingly sewed the seeds of what would later become Queen Chrysalis, who would later create the Changeling kingdom and enact several wars against Equestira. One of Starswirl's greatest adventures in his older age was the exploration of the multiverse. He and Princess Celestia would reguarly traverse to other worlds to study or goof off within them. While a bonding experience for the two, the trips took a turn for the worse when they discovered a world opposite of their own. In that world, Starswirl and Celestia grew close that worlds leader; King Sombra. However, the visits made the walls betwene the worlds weaker. Starswirl demanded Celestia never to go back, but she refused.
Soon later, Starswirl embarked on an adventure he never returned from.
King of the monsters
At some point in the Crystal Empire, a young Umbra named Sombra conquored the entire kingdom. Princess Celestia and Luna tried to stop the self-proclaimed "King of the monsters", but they failed. Sombra locked away his kingdom into the shadows where it laid dormant for over 1,000 years.
Chaos
At some point in the Leota region of Equestria, Discord conqueroed the land with his chaotic powers, but was eventually stopped by the Elements of Harmony.
Future
At some point in the distant future, Alien ponies and Cyberponies will rule Equestria. Whether or not they conquored the country, coexist with normal ponies or are even the evolution of ponies is unknown.[9]
Geography
Whereabouts
Equestria is located on a central continent to the east of the Unexplored West, south of the Frozen Northand north of the Mysterious South. Equestria is the largest known single kingdom, with other large kingdoms such as Yakyakistan and Abyssinia being of unclear sizes. Due to its massive size and unique placement, Equestria has incredibly varied geography, from the cozy, frozen villages to the north to the desert cities in the south and the lush acres of forest in between. Despite being a continuous kingdom, Equestria has settlements that don't seem properly incorporated into the kingdom, such as the Arimaspi Territory of southern Equestria.
Regions and sub-kingdoms
Equestria is often split into two major regions, Northern Equestria and Southern Equestria. Northern Equestria is well-known for its odd geography, with deserts and forests right next to one another, while Southern Equestria is very desert-ridden. While the kingdoms of Northern Equestria are mostly unknown, they housed the large collective cultural group of High Desert, a warrior-like culture with a strong military tradition. These idolized military ideals also found themselves in another Northern Equestria settlement, the Royal Legion of Pegasus. Southern Equestria was more well-known for its generally peaceful, calm, desert civilizations. Despite their generally peaceful nature, the region has spawned its fair share of unfair and tyrannical rulers, such as King Anubis and Cleopatrot.
Towns and cities
The capital of Equestria is Canterlot, a pearly-white city atop a mountain that bears its namesake. The first known capital of Equestria was a small settlement located somewhere in the Everfree Forest, though it did not have much of anyone living their except for Starswirl and the Princesses. Other large cities include Baltimare, Manehattan, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, New Horseleans and Applewood, while noteworthy, but smaller towns include Ponyville, Appaloosa and Cloudsdale.
Mountains
Equestria has several noteworthy mountains, such as the Foal Mountains, Smokey Mountains, Crystal Mountains, Macintosh Hills and the aforementioned Canterlot Mountain. Although it's technically within the Frozen North, it appears that the largest known mountain, Mount Everhoof, was discovered by Equestrians, given its name. An important mountain to Equestria appears to be that of Mount Palomino, which bares an impressive observatory with a lens built by Starry Eyed. An interesting mountain range includes the Arimpasi Territory, which has been depicted as being a bizarrely empty realm; devoid of flora with sharp, dreary mountains.
Although it doesn't appear to be in Equestria's land area, Mount Metazoa is extremely important to the political aspect of Equestria, as it is where the Convocation of the Creatures conferences are held.
Woodlands
Equestria is a very well-forested kingdom with many woods, forests and jungles. Perhaps the most well-known forest is the Everfree Forest, which is famed for its dark lore. Another well-known forest is the Forest of Leota in Southern Equestria. Jungles include the Forbidden Jungle and presumably others.
Bodies of water
Deserts
Culture
Art
Artworks, such as paintings, sculptures and illustrated drawings had a strong history and tradition in Equestria. Ponies, such as Leadwing,[10] Schulz[11], Mignola[11] and even dragons like Scaly Sue[12] were able seemingly make a living off their artistic careers. There were many art museums across Equestria, most notably, the Manehattan Museum of Art in the city of Manehattan.[13] Likewise, their were contests and shows, such as Princess Celestia's Extreme Art Contest, where encouraged ponies to volunteer to display their skills. Said show featured many kinds of art, such as paintings and knitted sculptures.[14]
Aside from typical artpieces, Equestria's most unique and iconic piece of art was probably their stained glass, which dotted the halls of Canterlot Castle.[15]
Architecture
"Traditional" Equestrian architecture in Central Equestria is reminiscent to real-life Germanic-styled architecture and many houses and buildings tend to reflect this.[16] Northern Equestrian architecture is moreso based off old Ancient Briton architecture, as seen in places such as High Desert.[17] Eastern Equestrian architecture tends to look more Industrial American, with cities like Manehattan reflecting this style, while southern Equestria varies from Midwest American to Egyptian inspired.
To put it mildly, businesses and companies in Equestria, especially places like Ponyville and Las Pegasus, seemed to emphasize their brand and image in their architecture. For example, businesses like Sugarcube Corner are very colorful and tell any potential customer exactly what they sell from the way their building looks.[16] Other businesses like Carousel Boutique are more "subtle" but no less elegant in their design.[16] Interesting, some establishments have been shown to be re-purposed natural features, such as Golden Oak Library and the Changeling Arts and Crafts Station, which are a tree and a cave respectively.[16][18]
Housing in Equestria tends to vary greatly from settlement to settlement. In smaller, traditional towns like Ponyville, creatures tend to live in standard, two-story houses with similar architecture, but tend to care for them in a variety of ways, such as planting unique gardens and plants in or around them.[19] Houses in Ponyville are also often depicted being away from the more commercial and cultural aspects of the town and instead seem to be split into residential zones.[16] From little of Canterlot houses has been seen, houses there seemed to be smaller, one-story, but more stylized and unique. Interestingly, and possibly due to the small amount of land, houses there down't appear to be split into residential zones as much and a few houses, like Moon Dancer's house and Dusty Page's house, were shown to be in the middle of commercial locations.[20][21]
In bigger cities like Manehattan, more ponies seem to live in apartments than houses,[13] though Cuppa Joe was shown to live in a Canterlot apartment.[22] Apartment complexes seemed to be built in their own residential zones, such as Farrier Hill. In Dragon Town, the houses emulate typical Dragon Houses, and as such, are cave-like in their appearance.[12]
Arguably the greatest accomplishment in Equestrian architecture and building history was the Friendship Express, a massive, multi-continental railway that connected not just nearly every single settlement in Equestria, but some beyond such as Griffonstone[23] and Mount Aris[24], both of which are entire continents away from Equestria.[25] Virtually every town has its own unique train station[25] and even some unpopulated regions such as Tenochtitlan appear to have their own.[26] Massive bridges and presumably artificial caves were created and carved through solid mountain to make the express way work[25], and it has proven to be incredibly effective. Not just has this system proven to be incredibly useful in keeping towns connected and allowing for ponies to constantly travel between settlements in a quick pace[27], but has proven invaluable to the defense of Equestria, allowing ponies to be transported to safe spaces during times of crises, as seen when Accord nearly conquered Equestria.[28]
In addition to the railway, some bigger cities like Manehattan have subway systems to allow for ponies to travel from one part of the city to the next.[13]
In terms of wonders and more artistic feats, several places in Equestria had rather fanciful buildings and monuments. A notable example was Mount Monument, which depicted the Princesses of Equestria though was partially destroyed when Rarity accidentally flew a plane into the statue depiction of Luna's eye.[29] Equestrians were notable for being a "castle building" society, with an impressive amount of castles built across the land. The earliest known castle was constructed in the Canterlot forest and was initially an aggressive "Armored Fortress" but was changed by Luna herself to be a kinder, gentler design and would later become Canterlot Castle, the center of the capital city.[30] At some point early in Equestra's history, they also constructed a castle in the Everfree Forest, which was known as the Castle of Two Sisters.[31] In the north, the Crystal Ponies constructed the Crystal Castle where the Amore Dynasty lived within, and in modern history the Castle of Friendship was erected in Ponyville.[32]
Many settlements have locally important structures without much importance to the rest of Equestria. Some notably important of this locations include the Space Needle of Seaddle[33], the Boxing Statue of Fillydelphia[34], the Rainbow of Hope Hollow[35] and the Statue of Liberty in Manehattan.[36] Some of these structures served as tourist attractions to some extent, like the Equestria's Largest Ball of Yarn.[29]
Literature
Equestria had a strong and historic literary tradition dating back to at least the Age of Heroes as ponies such as Starswirl the Bearded were capable of reading and writing.[37] In the modern age, Equestrian literature has expanded into countless genres and sub-genres, from self-help books[21] to books about history,[23] magic,[38] astronomy,[39] creatures[40] and of course, books of fiction.[41] Fiction books themselves had lots of different styles and genres, such as science-fiction[42], horror[42], high-fantasy[43], romance[43] and even post-apocalyptic[44]. Equestria spawned many famous authors, such as Jade Singer, who wrote the critically acclaimed Canter in the Sky.[44] Other famous authors include Edgar Allen Pony[45], Lovecolt and even the Mane Six.[46]
Among younger demographics, such as children and teenagers, comic books were also very popular, with the crime-fighting team Power Ponies being incredibly popular.[47][12] Among Dragons, the Flash Fire comic series proved to be quite popular, as it was written by a dragon author, Scaly Sue.[12] Comics, like novels, have had a variety of popular genres published in Equestria, while the most popular was undoubtably superheroes[12], their was also slice-of-life stories[48], horror[11] and adventure.[49][48] Comic book shops have been found all over Equestria, with some more notable ones being Double Midnight,[50] Dragon Comics[12] and Phoenix Comics.[48] Likewise, entire conventions dedicated to comics have appeared in Equestria, such as the Equestria Comic Con, though they seem to be dedicated to geek culture in general rather than such comics.[51]
Television
Relatively little is known about Equestrian television other that it exists. There appear to be some popular animated programs however, such as Attack on Titan and several anime series that Fluttershy was apparently aware of.[52] Twilight Sparkle apparently worked at the Ponyville TV Station for some time with a co-host named Mimorin, a Human, as they chatted with Amakuchi HKT48, an idol group in Japan confirming the age-old question that yes, Equestrian television is inter-dimensional in nature. (where have I heard that before?).[53] Some science fiction shows like Firefly have also been confirmed to exist.[54]
Places and locations
Languages
The linguistic nature of Pony languages has been a confusing subject to say the least. Tails of Equestria: A Dragon's Bounty made note that Ponies typically speak "Common Equestrian", a regular, commonly spoken language that's apparently nearly the exact same as the languages spoken by other races, including Humans. However, other languages in Equestria have been spoken. Mistmane's culture spoke there own language same with the ponies of Northern Equestria, spoke a language of there own. These however, appear to be apocryphal at best as other storylines such as Legends of Magic has ponies from all corners of Equestria communicate with no problem.
Other noteworthy, but equally mysterious, languages include Olde Equestrianne, language of the animals and the Three Tribes script. Interestingly, a number of ponies speak in a broken language, such as Aloe, implying their native tongue is not the common language, though this has not yet been properly explored in the show.
Oddly, several real-world languages have popped up from time to time. Most notably, Greek, French and Nahuatl. Due to regional merchandise, other languages have of course popped up, such as German, Japanese and Chinese, though most of these instances are of questionable canonicity.
The first ponies spoke there own language as well, which mostly revolved around Star Wars puns (go figure). Later civilizations such as the Anugyptians wrote in their own script, but appeared to otherwise speak modern Common, confusingly enough.
Behind the scenes
Just what even IS Equestria anyway?
Surprisingly, the answer to "what even is Equestria" is rather confusing as media has given different answers through the years, with it being the name of a country, continent and even planet.
In My Little Pony Adventures, Equestria was described as both a 'realm' and 'country', with realm in this context no doubt referring to kingdom. However, 'realm' can also mean a greater country with other countries within it that are independent from each other. Though this is an obscure use of the world, it may have some credence here as in the episode "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", Flim and Flam describe Canterlot as being a kingdom. Additionally, in "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone", Griffonstone itself is said to be apart of Equestria, despite being its own independent kingdom. This is additionally confused in the comic arc Convocation of the Creatures where it's revealed Equestria owed money to Griffonstone (though it was eventually discovered it didn't). Another example of this is how the Crystal Empire is often referred to and treated as apart of Equestria, despite being ruled by the Amore Dynasty.
In Canterlot High Stories: Rainbow Dash Brings the Blitz, the country that Equestria Girls takes place in was referred to as Equestria, meaning that Equestria may be a realm instead of a continent or planet.
As the political borders of Equestria was never revealed, it's unclear just what is and isn't considered apart of Equestria. It shares its landmass with Yakyakistan and Abyssinia who have not been referred to as Equestrian realms.
In stories that take place before the foundation of Equestria, the land ponies live in was still referred to as Equestria.[citation needed] This may mean Equestria is the name of a region and a country, similar to some island nations in the real world. However, this itself doesn't make sense as again in "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone" it was said Griffonstone was apart of Equestria despite being an entire continent away.
The Hippogriff Kingdom and potentially Ornithia were considered places 'beyond Equestria'.
In Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Maripore, it was revealed that the name for the continent Equestria is located on was referred to as "Greater Equestria".
In a 2019 Q&A, Big Jim indirectly referred to Equestria as being a planet[55] , however, this has been contradicted a few times as the planet has otherwise been referred to as Earth, such as in Nightmare Rarity.
References
- ↑ Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Maripore
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Friendship is Magic #25 - "To Tame the Beast"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shadow Lock - Part II
- ↑ Friendship is Magic #24
- ↑ Tails of Equestria: The Official Movie Sourcebook
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Best Gift Ever"
- ↑ "The Fall of Sunset Shimmer"
- ↑ Legends of Magic #8
- ↑ Friendship is Magic #25
- ↑ Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair - Part 1
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "A Pinkie Pie Story That Pinkie Pie Kinda Sorta Remembers"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Princess Luna and Spike
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Manehattan Mysteries - Part 1
- ↑ The Chamber of Extreme Knitting
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "The Return of Harmony"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Friendship is Magic - "Friendship is Magic"
- ↑ The Legend of Rockhoof
- ↑ My Little Pony (Gameloft)
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Flight To The Finish"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Amending Fences"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Friendship is Magic - "The Point of No Return"
- ↑ My Little Pony: Holiday Special
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Friendship is Magic - "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Surf and/or Turf"
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Map of Equestria
- ↑ Fluttershy and Daring Do
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Over a Barrel"
- ↑ ACCORD - Part 3
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Forgotten Friendship - "Reigns, Trains and Automobiles"
- ↑ Mistmane
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Princess Twilight Sparkle"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "The Crystal Empire"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "30" (Phoenix Comics variant cover)
- ↑ Queen for One Less Day
- ↑ My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "The Gift of Maud Pie"
- ↑ Starswirl the Bearded
- ↑ "The Fall of Sunset Shimmer"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Owl's Well That Ends Well"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic #neigh anything...part 2: presentable in periwinke
- ↑ "Elsewhere in Equestria"
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 From the Shadows - Part 2
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 Friendship is Magic #16
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 Twilight Goes Solo
- ↑ Convocations of the Creatures - Part 1
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Fame and Misfortune"
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Power Ponies"
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 Friendship is Magic #20 (Phoenix Comics variant cover)
- ↑ Spike
- ↑ Friendship is Magic #1 (Doublt Midnight)
- ↑ The Good, the Bad and the Ponies - Part 1
- ↑ Friendship is Magic - "Scare Master"
- ↑ Little Pony TV
- ↑ Ponyville Mysteries #1 (SDCC cover variant)
- ↑ Big Jim's Q&A On the Friendship is Magic Finale (Also Confirming AJ's Parents Died) (10/23/2019). Retrieved on 10/23/2019.
| V - E - H - DFriendship is Magic places | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries | Abyssinia • Dragon Lands • Equestria • Griffonstone • Mount Aris • Saddle Arabia • more | ||||
| Settlements | Appleloosa • Canterlot • Cloudsdale • Dodge Junction • Fillydelphia • Manehattan • Our Town • Ponyville • Seaward Shoals • more | ||||
| Establishments | Carousel Boutique • Golden Oak Library • Ponyville Schoolhouse • Rainbow Factory • School of Friendship • Sugarcube Corner • more | ||||
| Landmarks | Canterlot Castle • Castle of Friendship • Castle of Two Sisters • Changeling Hive • Crystal Castle • Grogar's lair • more | ||||
| Landforms | Canterlot Mountain • Celestial Sea • Everfree Forest • Frozen North • Greater Equestria • Mount Aris • more | ||||
| Cosmology | Planets • Stars • Universes • Other | ||||
