A collection of locations upon the Equestrian World I dreamed up while thinking of ponies. Will be updated as I think of new places.

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Cumulora

A roaming, completely independent cloud country ruled by the descendants of pegasi who refused to join the exodus to Equestria. They are a proud and insular group of ponies who pride themselves on being the “true” pegasus race, and look down on those of their number who joined with the other tribes to form Equestria. While other non-Equestrian ponies maintain a level of ambivalence or at least traditional respect towards Celestia and Luna, Cumulora has, ever since its inception, flat-out refused to accept that the Princesses are the rulers of ponykind and that their power is undeserved. Through the long centuries they maintained a spirited, militaristic culture that has waned in recent years, and their heated contempt for Equestria has cooled to indifferent disdain, but the recent attacks by Discord and Changeling Queen Chrysalis have galvanized them once again to point out that the Princesses are unworthy to rule, despite both threats being quickly neutralized.

When Cumulora was formed it was much smaller than it is now, necessitating the development of a rigid, survival-based society in the face of expulsion from the Old Kingdoms by the Long Winter and windigo attacks. They started out as little more than airborne pirates, raiding and pillaging the Outlands for most of their food and supplies. But against the odds they grew in size and influence as they roamed the pre-classical pony world, accepting those pegasi that found themselves unable to adjust elsewhere. About twelve hundred years ago they experienced a steady increase in population that both increased their already fearsome reputation and stretched their resources to the limit. Several smaller cloud cities were formed to become outposts in those lands they had once harried and warred with, and instead set up more benign trade routes. Cumulora’s standing population (counting only pegasi who live there full-time) now numbers around one hundred thirty thousand strong along with numerous griffons allowed to live among them. It travels continuously around the world, maintaining contact with its satellites to remind them they are still tributaries.

Three hundred years ago one such cloud city, Altora, floated near Equestrian territory and announced that it had split off from Cumulora’s control, though still desired to remain autonomous. Today, it is a key meeting area between Equestrian ponies and griffons from around the world, enjoying a prosperous position along several important air trade routes. Altora has gradually forsaken its militaristic heritage in favor of becoming a mercantile powerhouse, though classical pegasus armor and architecture is considered quite fashionable.

The other cloud cities, by dint of remaining isolated in exotic and foreign lands for so many years, have also allowed their culture to become colored by local ones. Some are so removed from Cumulora’s strict, traditionalist environment one would never believe they were related, but they still pay regular tributes to their home city and provide soldiers and supplies in times of emergency. The largest known satellites that still declare themselves direct subjects of Cumulora are Boralis, Stratosa, Cirrisia, Pileusia, Nimbus, Altogora, Cirroca, Wispen, and Oroga. Several more exist that are in a “secondary tribute” status owing to their small size.

Cumulora’s military is small but respected and feared by its enemies. Its soldiers are masters of weather manipulation and have often used this as a means of siege and guerilla warfare against larger nations. They have fought in several major conflicts and proudly claim that they either were totally victorious, or if defeated, exacted a terrible price upon the enemy and forced them into a stalemate, though their records are rather biased.

Cumulorans are also known for having an extremely bad sense of humor and are the origin of some of the worst weather-related puns ever created.

Bayhama

A hot, wet, and in this writer’s opinion very uncomfortable place to be. The muggy climate on this immense peninsula is caused by the abnormal weather found near the Divide, and the tide of warm ocean water channeled north by the southern continents. Though some consider it a lush, jungle paradise, it is also known as a haven for the outcast and the eccentric, and the climate is perfect for numerous annoying insect species. The main part of Bayhama is covered in jungles and rainforest, dominated by the Republic of Sufir. This is inhabited mostly by okapis and bongos, both of which are quite strange in their own right. The okapi are a skittish people who like to stay mostly hidden away in remote villages, though they pride themselves on their unflinching generosity towards those lost in the endless jungles, and are masters of survival in this wet, weird environment. The bongos maintain larger towns acting as a network of closely knit city-states, and have a single port city: Kufu, a jewel of the maritime trading world. They are also mostly a nocturnal people who revel in the irony of living in sunny Bayhama, and revere the Moon. Princess Luna’s recent return to Equestria was seen as an omen of extremely good fortune, as they see her and the Moon as one and the same. They are so far unflinching in their admiration.

In spite of their openness to the outside, the bongos are strange for the fact that just about everything they do is ruled by a complex series of rituals and hierarchy. The well-traveled unicorn historian West Wind relates one incident:

“Upon the birth of a son to one of the noble houses we were invited to witness the modest celebrations. While at one of their dinner tables, I asked for the fruit first instead of the greens, which is apparently considered bad luck as I would be eating the plant ‘backwards,’ and apparently I was not meant to ask for food anyway until a confusing zig-zag pattern of other diners further up the social ladder had been satisfied. Also, attempting to levitate my food to myself was supremely bad manners, since it was supposed to be handled by the hosts and was seen as figuratively reaching ‘beyond my station.’ I was told to eat at the children’s table instead, where such raucous and wild behavior is expected.”

Fortunately, this is an extreme example peculiar to bongo nobility, and bongos on the lower rungs of society generally stick to somewhat more reasonable etiquette such as morning and evening ablutions and respecting the familial hierarchy. The okapi live on friendly terms with them and are considered equal inhabitants of the land, though the okapi enjoy confounding the bongos with their more free-wheeling lifestyles. Water dragons too inhabit many of the large rivers streaking through the thick jungles, and the majority are friendly; quite helpful since the number of monsters in the jungles is frighteningly high.

On the fringe of the Republic live the castaways of most other societies: from griffins to ponies to zebra and camels and even a few rhino! One can find at least one of every kind of creature that walks and talks, though one group of intrepid ponies claimed a large isle off the southern tip of Bayhama near Kufu several centuries back. They named it Butterfly Island in honor of the high density of lepidopterids living there, and it was dedicated it to Celestia and Luna. Surfing is a national pastime there.

Piracy runs rampant in the waters around the Arrowhead (the edge of Bayhama’s peninsula) and its accompanying Tattered Mane Archipelago, and more than a few criminals have tried to make the mazes of mangroves a shelter for their ilk; the Republic regularly patrols the region around the Arrowhead to keep these degenerates’ activities to a minimum.

2866340 is there any maps of Equestria, Official(canon) or otherwise?

like the one on top of this groups page, is it available for refferences?

A bongo antelope, in case people were wondering what they were.

Very awesome locales, here!

2866535

Not an official map but I prefer it to the official, myself. Here.

2866619 I guess it depends, the official Canon map is canon, which does have a value all on its own.

on the other hoof, if the canon map isn't puting forth the details, or the locations we're looking for, they're still worthless.

going by a common map has a feew advantages. now I have something to refer to, when someone like to connect to my stories, of I can connect to, if I'm fllowing up on others stories.

we can keep the world more detailed, without reading countles stories, that may or may not contain anything of value, not even a good description of how to find my way from Ponyville to Canterlot.

With a good map, I know how to go there. just as I could find both what is already out there, as wel as a good spot to found the next community, in case I had then need to, which I had, since I was trying to do just that.

This map seems to reach further then my current sample, which may be of some use, when ever I need the refference.

This map do explain a few episodes, even if I'm missing a few details, like where 'Vanhoover' was on my other map.

2867075
The canon map does have a god amount of detail, except I do believe it is missing a scale bar so you don't actually know how big or how far away everything is. But if you have your own mental map of Equestria then by all means use it. And as 2867983, it's a good guide even if I don't completely use it myself

2866340
I may latch onto at least part of this, I acknowledge that not everypony would be able to leave Old Home during the Exodus so I have to do something with the survivors.

2868458 that is a problem, you may need to know the distances, particularly if you're into adventures.
or i you'd need to know how long it takes to go from one community, to the other, as well as what mode of tranport was more likely used.

next stop, a city map, for each community, if they ever drew up one?
there would also be mappings of their homes, at lest, the important ponies homes?
or just samples of specifics?

2867983 ah yeah.
I'm trying to establish a community I'm currently naming 'Unity'
if it is a refference to a game, where a new world is explored,
or you prefer to see it as yet another pun, this time out of the 'Harmony'?

or is there yet another interesting explanation to such a name?
it's a community where all breeds of ponies live, as they try to escape the effects of a cult.

2869802
Doesn't help that the series hasn't done a good job on that.

For city maps well I have done some sketches of Canterlot

2870290 that IS a good point.

even a rough sketch would be very helpfull, in my oppinion.

In the end, if it comes to that, we need the maps and scematics, if we're to keep this world going, if and when it comes to that.

2871086
Canterlot is a good example on how things get weird. They can't seem to make up their mind on how the Castle is placed on the mountain and how it looks from Ponyville

2871815 that is a Problem, if you look at it from a story telling perspective.

If you're making a story as large as this, make a layout of everything, the map, the cities, and how houses and homes look, so you have them for refference when you write the story, or you'd end up painting yourself into the ProVerbial Corner.

I'd love to see how the things looks.

2872193
Not so much that in my case, I just want the castle to be on the west side of the mountain and the majority of the city to be facing north.

2872220 shouldn't be a problem, from where I'm sitting.

from how I read the map, you see the castle to the weast, as you was prefering, and the city would then be behind the mluntain, which is in shadow, and thus not seen.

not sure if this is why you chose it, but it sounds ok to me.

2872538
Except when the show clips of them approaching the castle, they show the castle on teh east side of the mountain if you keep the level ground approach to the north

2872558 I'd need a fair amount of sampe episodes to compare, which I currently can't get my hooves on, sadly.

where do I get them, these days, not just the Tube, but most sites seems to have cut me off.

2866340

I still want a Rapture or Columbia

2873027
Best bet is Amazon since they're the only ones to carry the complete seasons. I think iTunes have individual episodes but I don't how far back they go.There is still the Wiki

And honestly there isn't too much constancy, Last Round Up is case in point since they show a large flat desert at the same altitude as Canterlot.

2873098 I'd rather have all the episodes I can get, as far back as possible
guess it isn't the time to be picky?

It would have been good, had they been more carefull in writing the over all story line, had they been using a map from the start.
now it seems as if they're just childishly putting up episodes without much planning ahead. even changing what was canon characters, as much or little as said characters had been on screen before.

even if some of us may enjoy Flutter as Bat/Guy?

2873224
Congrats you discovered that we watch a cartoon that is without proper story arcs. Geographical issues are understandable since the series is set in basically one location, as the character things... different writers

2873289 still a poor excuse, even if it may have started out as mainly Ponyville.
just planning ahead, and none of this had happened.

oh well, it could make it easier for us to just chose as we please?

if they can't make up their minds, we just pick what's convenient to us, since they're already doing it?

Neighara

A land full of sun-baked grassland and deserts, marked by ancient, abandoned places the inhabitants consider both sacred and malevolent, and inhabited by numerous types of oryx, gazelle, and zebra, along with the odd pony community. The mountains and other rocky places are home to the calbis, which are close relatives of Equestria’s Diamond Dogs. They believe they are the first of the Dogs to have come into the world. Indeed, they once ruled a vast kingdom stretching across most of Neighara, but repeated disasters, wars, and plague have reduced them severely. They now live in small communities in the mountain caves and their vast networks of subterranean tunnels, which reportedly can be used to traverse most of Neighara's width and breadth, though at no less danger. Time has caused many cave-ins and allowed for all manner of monstrosities to invade once safe passages. The calbis alive today must squabble constantly with Bore Spiders and other horrible forgotten creatures in the depths for space and food. It is said there is one last great calbis city hidden deep underground, but it is often passed off as myth, and the calbis do not confirm or deny its existence. Calbis guides are highly sought after in Neighara’s desert regions, as they are the most familiar with the ever shifting, hostile landscape.

Neighara is a vast, uncivilized place, full of old magic and superstitions. The few mountains here shelter some of the world’s greatest mysteries, and the ruins of dead civilizations are occasionally washed out of the sands and stand guard over the grasslands. Some of the locals believe that these ruins literally show themselves to certain travelers they have chosen to share their secrets with. The open country outside of the cities, exposed as it is to sun and sand, is hostile and very nearly lethal to those who come unprepared, or who have not hired the help of local tribes. Not even skyships are safe, as the sandstorms here are monstrously huge, and can tear the greatest galleons out of the sky if they are caught unawares. Rumors also abound of strange, insect-like beasts living under the sands of the deserts, attacking unguarded caravans and lone travelers. In the plains and dry grasslands, monsters roam unchecked and unchallenged; the locals prefer to stay out of their way rather than hunt them down.

There are however cities to be found here, all of them founded by zebra tribes that settled down for mutual protection and trade many hundreds if not thousands of years ago. The largest of these, Ule’Pele, is a bustling hub of activity. Airships find their port of call here before leaving on exploration or trade missions. The shahs of nearby Oryxia mingle with commoners from Anteloprivo. Dogs warily sell their gem finds, eyed by avaricious tapir from Brayzil. Minotaurs look for work as bodyguards for caravans of Equestrian ponies, overseen by the trade princes of the most affluent Zebra tribes.

The trade princes are the new tribal elders in this bastion of civilization in the midst of the sand and seas of grass. Being made up of senior members of the oldest and most powerful Zebra tribes, their influence stretches from the Bridge of Sighs back to their homeland of Zebrica, and even across the sea to Equestria and beyond. They are royalty all their own, with a complex game of politics and ruthless economic calculation ruling their activities. Beneath them are those tribes that function as a working class, making up the artisans, soldiers, and potion makers. The potion makers and alchemists are the next to come beneath the trade princes in terms of importance; Zebra society always placed a heavy emphasis on brewing and herbal remedies, a holdover from their days as wandering shamanistic nomads. At the bottom of society in terms of economic influence, yet no less respected and even more beloved than any trade prince in some ways, are those Zebra that still wander the wilds, braving sand and storm and sun to hold on to their pride and their traditions. These “true tribal” Zebra are who the locals turn to when they are lost in the endless wasteland, and it is they who are the most knowledgeable when it comes to fighting monsters and the elements. It is from these fearsome desert dwellers that many of their most wandersome children come, and it is not uncommon for them to seek their fortune in other distant lands, including several who came to Equestria to learn the ways of pony magic and friendship.

All in all, Neighara is a place that seems rife with adventure for those with the bravery and skill to go looking for it. Thankfully, I am not one of those ponies.

The Broken Horn Badlands

A very flat territory bordering Neighara that gradually rises up towards the more bountiful grassland and forest of Ungolia. This region is, by all accounts, as nasty as it sounds. Travelers almost never make the journey on foot, preferring to go all the way around bordering the coasts and using mountain passes, or east through the Marengetti. The most common method to cross this region is by airship. Those who go on hoof risk a great many dangers, from bandits to long, shelterless nights at the mercy of the elements. The most confounding obstacle, however, is a vast network of canyons in which live the queer lizard-folk who call themselves the Earth-Kin. Though draconic in appearance, they are far, far smaller, and indeed bear a great deal of hatred for Dragons. After a personal conversation with one of their people, this writer notes the animosity stems not from the brutal slavery Dragons imposed on the Earth-Kin in the Age of Twilight, but because the Earth-Kin are jealous that Dragons have wings and they do not.

The Fornost Tundra

Located in the colder regions of Antlaska, yet not far north enough to be considered arctic, this unassuming region of windswept tundra and sparse pine forests was the site of one of the bloodiest battles ever fought. It was here the last great peryton (see: winged deer) leader Bjorkan Tulkas led the coalition army that defeated the malevolent and cruel entity known as the Old King and broke the helm of his greatest servant, the Unnatural Knight, before succumbing to his own injuries. Though Bjorkan perished his victory was complete, scattering the Old King’s evil servants to the four winds. Little is known about the Old King, for he was so wicked most records of him were struck from the history books by order of Bjorkan himself; indeed, all we know about him comes from the records of the conflict fought against him, aptly called “The Winter War.” It is known that he was a grave threat to the races of Antlaska, seemed to have power over ice and wind, and the struggle to defeat him was long and bitter, lasting eleven full years. Scraps of letters and journals from soldiers who survived the ordeal talk of famine and cold claiming as many lives as the fighting, of freezing cold summers without a single sighting of Celestia’s Sun, and the bitter resolve of mortal creatures forced to grapple with monsters made of ice and hatred.

The reason for the Tundra’s permanent state of frost, highly unusual given that it should be a green land for at least some months of the year, is said to be because of the malignant, lingering influence of the Old King's spirit, and indeed, this particular region is strictly avoided by all other inhabitants of Antlaska. Massive, unnatural blizzards sweep down upon the land here seemingly at random, posing extreme travel hazards. The natives claim if a poor soul is lost on the frozen soil in such a time, if they listen close they can hear the sound of far off, fearsome battle being waged, and risk being frozen solid by the spirit of the Old King as he passes by, forever wandering in search of enemies long dead, cursed to reflect alone on his crimes for eternity.

It is said that Bjorkan’s passing was mourned by none more than Celestia herself, for he was the last and greatest of his kind. At his funeral she vanished for a time, and not even Luna knew where she went. But between her disappearance and return, the setting Sun hung red and still in the sky, moving not one inch until the mourning of the Princess of Light was completed.