The Modern Equestria Project: Overview of Technology I

Much has been learned about the Ether and its underlying principles since the days of Starswirl the Bearded. Where there was once mysticism and guesswork, there is now theory and experiment. This thought revolution has ushered in a new age for Equestria: the age of science and reason.

The changes were slow at first. Equestrians took years, decades, even centuries, to understand and master basic concepts such as gravitation, electromagnetism, and the scientific method. Then came internal combustion, steam power, radio, electronics, computing...the changes went by so fast that what was cutting-edge one month is obsolete the next. All of these coming to fruition in the span of a few centuries.

Distances shrunk. A week's canter turned into an hour's drive by the bus. A month by sea turned into a day by air, even for unicorns and earthers, as aircraft took to the sky.

The burning of coal led to the harnessing of the wind and tides, to the splitting and melding of the atom and the combustion of alcohol. Every year, more of Equestria was connected to the power grid, illuminating its cities and townships, banishing the fear that kept ponies from dancing and playing under Luna's starry night.

Advancements in science gave crippled ponies back their legs, sight, and even wings. Life expectancy increased dramatically. Disease was banished from the realm.

Cities grew rapidly, the growth fueled by industry and the increased birth rates provided by modern technology, in turn provided by the combination of Griffon engineering and Equestrian magic. The landscape changed overnight as Equestrians built taller and taller, among them ambitious urban farms and Ether collectors.

Equestria soon began putting satellites into orbit. Computers grew more and more powerful, linking into networks that bridged the realm, and later, the world. Ponies began communicating with each other in real time over these great distances.

All of this would not be possible without the growth of magic into a science of its own.