The Sparkle Essays

by food food food

On the History and Geography of Canterlot (To be Edited)

On the History and Geography of Canterlot

A Short Essay by Twilight Sparkle

The City of Canterlot is often called the ‘Crown Jewel’ of Equestria. This nickname both refers to its placement atop Mount Horn between the Unicorn Range to the west and the Foal Mountain Range to the East, as well as its status as the capital of Equestria. It holds Canterlot Castle, the Royal Palace of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, rulers of the Royal Principality of Equestria. Along with the center of Equestrian government, Canterlot is home to 735,000 citizens, with 42% Unicorn, 38% Earth Pony, and 11% Pegasus, with 9% of the population including non-ponies. The history and geography of this great city is as awe-inspiring as the city itself.

Mt. Horn was first named by the Unicorn Princess Platinum towards the end of the Great Migration and the end of the Pre-Classical Era. The mountain, located at the end of the Unicorn Mountain Range, is the tallest mountain in Equestria, measuring over 5000 meters above sea level at its peak. Though the mountain may be tall, almost all of Canterlot’s buildings are below 2000 meters, well below the cold, thin mountain air.

The first settlement on Mt. Horn was an encampment of Unicorn refugees fleeing the Northern Winter. Led by Princess Platinum, the encampment was composed of over 170,000 Unicorns, the bulk of those who embarked on the Great Migration. Princess Platinum’s advisor, Clover the Clever, created a gem-finding spell to find an entrance to the Crystal Caverns, a system of tunnels and cavities within Mt. Horn filled with magical gemstones. These gems were used to trade with the Earth Ponies on the Everfree Plains for food, as well as with the Pegasi in Pegasopolis for fair weather.

Upon this discovery, Princess Platinum founded Unicornia, comprised of the newly formed city of Canterlot and a smaller encampment at Manehatten, as well as multiple hamlets along the Unicorn Range. The declaration of this state caused a diplomatic crisis with both the Pegasi and Earth Ponies, as the limited numbers of the Pegasi military felt threatened by the larger numbers of Unicorns and the Earth Ponies of Everfree detested any forced trade.

As the tensions between Pegasopolis, Everfree and Canterlot increased, the weather began to take a turn for the worse. As crops failed, the Earth Ponies halted most trade, forcing the Pegasi to mobilize their military. Before a full scale war was called, however, Clover the Clever contacted Chancellor Puddinghead’s secretary, Smart Cookie, as well as Commander Hurricane’s bodyguard, Private Pansy, and called together the First Congress of Canterlot, in which the leaders of all three tribes would meet.

During the Congress, the winter intensified greatly, forcing the entire population of Canterlot into the caves, along with Chancellor Puddinghead, Commander Hurricane, and each of their entourages. The Windigos that caused the Northern Winter had forced the ponies to band together and travel south, routing the Pegasi military as far south as Las Pegasus, and forcing Unicorns and Earth Ponies to the cities of Baltimare and Fillydelphia.

The events of the First Congress of Canterlot are well known throughout Equestria. On that day, the three tribe leaders agreed to form a united force to combat the Windigos, forming the Equestrian Union. The momentous occasion is now immortalized as Hearth’s Warming Eve, as the following day marked the retreat of the Windigos, who have not been seen since.

Though the Windigos may have retreated and the Equestrian Union was formed, there was no designated capital of Equestria, and each city and settlement was largely independent. On occasion, congresses would be held from time to time in Everfree, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, or Manehatten, but the three races remained largely separate for much of the early Classical Era. This changed upon the releasing of Discord and his Reign of Chaos.

Ten years after the founding of the Equestrian Union, Princess Platinum had transformed Canterlot into a proto-industrial mining city that served to fund the Unicorn upper class and the building of Manehatten and other Unicorn cities. Obsessed with becoming ruler of Equestria, Platinum named herself Queen of Equestria and refused to attend the Equestrian Congress in Everfree. Soon afterwards, Platinum’s mine uncovered a chamber that contained Discord, spirit of chaos, unleashing him upon Equestria.

The unleashing of Discord was devastating to Canterlot, causing an avalanche that destroyed much of the city, though all of its inhabitants had already fled Mt. Horn. The rubble that remained was used to build Discord’s fortress. The sudden influx of refugees into neighboring cities and the strange magic emanating from Mt. Horn led Commander Hurricane to believe that the Unicorns had attacked, prompting him to use Pegasopolis to attack Mt. Horn in the Battle of the Dale. Discord created a great wind that swept the Pegasus force away, cementing his victory as Equestria's 'King of Chaos'.

Canterlot remained under Discord’s control until the newly crowned Princesses Celestia and Luna encased him in stone. The two regal sisters did not initially adopt Canterlot as their capital, though they chose to rebuild it and return it to the Unicorn Royalty under House Platinum. Instead they chose to keep the wartime capital of Everfree City and the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters as the center of Equestrian government. Celestia’s decision to maintain the Canterlot Nobility was extremely popular among those in Canterlot and Manehatten, but extremely unpopular to the ponies of Everfree and Baltimare. When Nightmare Moon’s coup in 0 BLN occurred, Celestia was forced out of Everfree and to Canterlot, where she called the Second Canterlot Congress.

During the Second Canterlot Congress, Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, and Chancellor Puddinghead agreed to recognize Princess Celestia as the ultimate ruler of Equestria, while declaring war on the newly formed New Lunar Republic. A week after Nightmare Night and the beginning of the War of Long Night, the ground forces of Everfree City convened with the air forces of Cloudsdale led by the Shadowbolts and attacked Canterlot. Though much of the city was damaged and the Royal Library was destroyed, the Battle of Canterlot was a victory for Celestia’s forces, which rallied together with reinforcements from Manehatten and Hollow Shades.

Canterlot became Celestia’s base of operations during the war, eventually being named capital, as Everfree City remained the capital of the NLR. Celestia herself led many battles, including the Battle of the Everfree Plains, in which the war was ended. Following the War, Everfree was swallowed up into the forest, and Canterlot became the capital of Equestria. In light of Canterlot’s contributions to the war, Celestia adopted the Unicorn Nobility into Equestrian Royalty, though also weakening their power.

Today, very few positions of power in Equestria are not governed by a democratically elected leader. The largely ceremonial position of Grand Mayor of Canterlot, for instance, is appointed to the heirs of Princess Platinum. The actual legislative power in Canterlot lies in the Municipal Council, which convenes once daily with either the Night Court under Princess Luna or the Day Court under Princess Celestia. This council consists of the Captain of the Royal Guard, the Chief Architect, the Grand Mayor of Canterlot, and the elected Heads of District.

During these councils, the various members would suggest actions and make requests of the Princess in the cases of changing legislation, though for the most part each official acts autonomously within their office, giving full reports to the council every week. The Heads of District ensure that the day to day activities of each district run smoothly. Among the most important districts is the Cloud District, home to many of Canterlot’s upper class, the Market District, consisting of the areas around the Mountainside Gate, and the Lower District, governing the lower portions of Mt. Horn as well as the Trans-Equestrian Railroad Hub.

Of course, the most prominent of the districts is the Palace District. Though smaller than any of the other districts, it houses the seat of power of Equestria. The Canterlot Royal Palace is a sprawling structure with many towering spires dating back to the reign of Princess Platinum. Among the rooms and buildings that make up the complex is the Royal Chamber, the throne room of the Royal Princesses (though the Thrones are usually stored away), the Grand Hall, lined with stained glass images depicting Equestria’s past, and the Royal Auditorium, where the Hearth’s Warming Eve Play is shown each year.

One feature that the Palace District boasts is the Canterlot Royal University. Centered around the Royal Observatory, a facility that boasts the most powerful telescope in Equestria, the University also contains the Royal Library, where, within the combined space of the Hall of Knowledge, the Clover the Clever Wing, and the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing, over 2 million books, scrolls, and other items are stored. The University also hosts Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, a program that seeks to further magical knowledge in young Unicorns.

Also alongside the Palace is the Royal Guard Barracks. Currently being expanded to house over 10,000 soldiers, the Royal Guard is one of the last remnants of the Equestrian Military, overshadowed only by the Wonderbolts Corps. The Guard is currently divided into two divisions of three regiments each. The Solar Guard is known for their bleached white coats and gold encrusted armor while the smaller Lunar Guard is identified by their dyed grey coats and dark purple armor. Each division is given almost identical training, equipment, and instructions by each Princess, though all answer to the Captain of the Guard.

Among each division are three regiments. The Hornguard, a specialized group made entirely of Unicorns trained in teleportation, barrier making, and battle magic, usually protect the Princesses while they are in Canterlot. The Wingguard, a far larger regiment, consist of Pegasi known for their extensive mental training. They follow the Princesses around to different locations, and many are armed with magical wingblades that allow for more effective aerial combat. The final regiment, known as the Hoofguard, is a growing force of heavily armored Earth Ponies renowned for their strength and ability to deal with large military threats. This was shown during the Changeling Crisis, when the Hoofguard’s Gate Battalion under Lieutenant Snowblind held off a force of Changelings ten times their size, allowing many of the citizens to evacuate into the train tunnels.

With the return of Princess Luna, the Night Court has resumed from 8 PM to 8 AM, while the Day Court lasts from 8 AM to 8 PM. All legislative decisions must be reviewed by the other Princess for approval, with most decrees being agreed upon by both Princesses at dawn and at dusk. Though the past few years have been erratic for the thousand year old system’s reimplementation, legislative efficiency has increased 75%.

Many people in Canterlot, however, are calling for a new system. Democratically elected representatives would make up a ‘Parliament’ that would issue federal law. Though the reign of Princess Celestia had lasted over a millennium, with Princess Luna also returning to power, the idea of creating a constitutional monarchy or a democratic republic may lead to many changes in the Crown Jewel of Equestria.

Author's Note:

Second Chapter. I hope i didn't kill anyone's headcanon.
-Edit 7/14/2013 Chapter title change, not much else.

Comments

[food food food]

2679331
Thanks! I'll see what I can do to edit it. That's what happens when you don't have any beta readers to review your work.

[Zeppo]

I'm liking the headcannon so far.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Chapter 1: I like the idea of atmography. It's probably viable in a world where the weather has to be manufactured. The explanation for the origins of rock farms and rock farmers was especially ingenious. One minor error that happens to be a pet peeve of mine: You used "millennia" when you meant to use "millennium," the singular form.

As for this chapter, not much to add, as much of it recapitulates information from the first chapter or is information that seems fairly obvious. Still, overall, this is most enjoyable thus far. I do enjoy speculative history. I look forward to more.

[food food food]

2682252
Thanks for pointing out millennia. I fixed it up.
I try to make the information feel as if it would work within the confines of the show. That's what gives it the 'obvious' feeling.
Thank you!

[MehWasAlreadyTaken]

I'd space out the things happening in the classical era. It seems so spammed atm...
Oh, and the part about the palace was a bit ccontradictory to older info; i.e. that discord shrekt canterlot. (If nothing remained, how could the palace make it?)

I'm also not sure how old this story is. Is the EUP worth taking up?