The Equestrian Domains - Price of Loyalty Worldbuilding I · 4:31am Sep 8th, 2014
Though ponies often refer to Equestria as a unified state, the ponies from opposite corners of the nation have very little in common with one another. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the currency of the bit are the only ties beyond mere treaties and agreements that hold the nation together―though one would be hard pressed to argue that these are in any way ‘weak’ bonds. In any case, Equestria is divided into nine formal domains: highly autonomous districts with their own governments, militaries, and in some cases, language.
Most of these domains are ruled by a noble from the Equestrian Stable of Nobles, an organization comprising the wealthy, landed elite of the nation. Originally founded by the foals and grandfoals of Princess Platinum III, the Stable has, over time, accumulated more and more of the most successful of Equestria’s citizens. While all titles granted by the Stable are hereditarily inherited, the Stable also has the power to, by vote within its ranks, accept new ponies into the fold, or strip the titles of its own. Even in the modern day, it is not unheard of for new ponies to be welcomed with the title of Lord or Lady of Equestria, though the upper ranks of the organization, and the rule of Equestria’s domains, are still largely in the unfailing grip of the Line of Platinum.
Canterlot:
Population: 101,453,000
Language: Equiish
GDP: ฿ 3.6 Trillion
Founded: April 21st, 778 Age of the Tribes (8,018 years BLR (Before Luna’s Return))
Military: The Royal Guard, led by Cpt. Shining Armor.
182,000 active guardsponies, 212,000 reserves
Government: Technically, the Prince of Canterlot is the highest-ranked noble title in all of Equestria (as the most direct offspring of Princess Platinum III), and the title is thus inherited hereditarily. In practice, however, Prince Blueblood the Seventy-Fourth is a lame duck in his own domain given the reality that Princess Celestia (and more recently, also Princess Luna) make most of the major decisions regarding Canterlot’s rule. Instead, Blueblood’s value to Equestria comes in his role as the Secretary of the Treasury, where his family’s ties to the Horseatic League Bank give him a sometimes surprising level of control over the flow of money between Equestria’s domains.
Capital: Canterlot - The seat of all Equestrian government, Canterlot itself is nevertheless a small city, simply due to the lack of suitable living space available hanging off the side of a mountain. It is also a remarkably young ‘city’, having existed as little more than a mining village up until Celestia migrated there following the Twilight War, and the razing of Everfree City. Today, the price of living, and the associated luxuries, of ‘upper’ Canterlot are simply overwhelming for all but the absolute upper-crust of society, yet not more than mere minutes down the mountain, the less fortunate parts of the city (“down town” or “low town”) scrape out a meager existence mining frighteningly pure gemstones out of the mountain of dawn, almost all of which are sold to the Royal Academy of the Arcane Arts for research purposes.
Other Major Sites:
Ponyville - Home of the Bearers of Harmony... and not much else.
Everfree Forest - The former site of the Capital of Equestria (Everfree City). Currently filled with monsters and magical threats. The border is regularly patrolled by the Royal Guard, but settlements near the (expanding) edge still semi-regularly see monster attacks. While the forest is only a few miles wide at its widest point if one flies overhead or walks around, those who dare to try and cross testify that it takes no less than a week of hiking to reach the other side.
Lubuck - Economic center of Equestria, and home of the Horseatic League Bank (the Central Bank of Equestria) as well as the Equestrian Mint.
Stalliongrad (Stol’nograd):
Population: 88,616,000
Language: Stalliongradi (Stol’nogradski)
GDP: ฿ 619 Billion
Founded: June 27th, 22 Age of Equestria (7,996 years BLR)
Military: The Army and Guard of the Free and Equal Ponies of the Domain of Stalliongrad (Coloquially “The Black Cloaks”), led by Commandant Roscherk Krovyu (Blood Stroke).
447,000 active guardsponies
Government: Following the recent overthrow of Baron Frostbite in the ‘Blizzard Revolution’, Stalliongrad is ruled by Tsar Watchful Eye, an alicorn with a distinct distaste for hereditary rule, breed-based social stratification, and the concept of nobility in general. His somewhat radical ideas have earned him the ire of nearly all Stalliongrad’s nobility, exacerbated by the fact that this arbitrary alicorn is, in fact, a commoner (and at that, one with nearly no magical strength or talent to speak of). The Tsar’s ideas and rule are tempered by his two sons: Foresight, who serves as Stalliongrad’s ‘Secretary’ (a role that Foresight has purposefully not defined, and continues to expand with each passing day), and Blood Stroke, the leader of the domain’s intimidating standing army.
Blood Stroke in particular is an item of some great controversy across the courts of Equestria, as his altogether brutal, prisonless-system of law enforcement has put Stalliongrad politically at odds with the rest of Equestria, and militarily facing a growing rebellion.
Capital: Stalliongrad - The oldest city in Equestria by far, and quite possibly the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. Stalliongrad was once River Rock, the capital of the Diamond Kingdom of the ancient unicorns, and home to ponies such as Star Swirl the Bearded and Princess Platinum I. Little is known of the events leading to the change, but shortly after the founding of Equestria and the beginnings of the Eternal Blizzard, rule of the city fell to a pegasus soldier named Tsyklon. This pegasus negotiated treaties with the dragons and their ruler, Lord Krenn, to provide enough subterranean heat to grow crops and save the city from starvation―this interaction also brought aspects of draconic culture to the River Rock, including their language, which the ponies adapted into “Stol’nogradski”. Today, most of the city has been rebuilt dozens of times over, and many buildings still bear scorch marks from draconic occupation during the so-called “Dragon Wars” a mere twenty years ago. More recently, Secretary Foresight has been installing modern railroad, a newfangled ‘electrical system’, and other modern inventions, in an attempt to drag the ancient city into the modern day.
Other Major Sites:
Onyx Ridge - One of several ruined fortifications in the city, this stone monolith currently serves as the home of a massive pack of equally massive Diamond Dogs, known as ‘Vargr’ to the ponies of the domain.
The Castle of Midnight - On an island of sheer cliffs off the southern coast of Stalliongrad, this black fortress looms in the distance, visible as a silhouette on clearer days, and more notably, during thunderstorms. Though the castle was used as Nightmare Moon’s fortress during the Twilight War, both Princesses say that the castle is older than they are.
Novigrad - The so-called ‘Lost Port’ of Equestria, Novigrad was a massive merchant port prior to the Eternal Blizzard, accessible only by sea due to the massive mountains that surrounded it. Following the events of the first Hearth’s Warming, Novigrad was abandoned when the ice in the harbor began to grow too thick to break. The port has since been used only once, when Nightmare Moon’s forces under Admiral Blizzard tried (and failed) to hold back a griffon offensive. Legend has it that, to this day, huge piles of ancient bits are still stacked in the city’s coffers for anypony clever enough to reach the city without freezing to death or being eaten by the domains numerous monsters.
Prance:
Population: 62,031,000
Language: Prench
GDP: ฿ 1.1 Trillion
Founded: October 2nd, 1,147 Age of Equestria (6,871 years BLR)
Military: Le Gendarmerie, led by Marquess Haute Couture.
230,000 active guardsponies
Government: Marquess Haute Couture rules Prance by concealing her iron shoe within a velvet sock, well-beloved by her subjects for her charming smile and lively humor. When confronted with opposition, however, the Marquess is not above using her wealth, family connections, and political acumen to discredit her rivals, or deny them the resources they need to continue their opposition.
Capital: Mareis - A thriving center of culture and civilization, Mareis is also Equestria’s primary point of contact with the Elk to the south and west. As a result, the city is not only home to ponies, donkeys, and zebras, but also elk, caribou, and gazelles.
Other Major Sites:
Antlers - A city founded by elkish migrants, and thus surrounded by one of Equestria’s richest forests. In lieu of taxes, the populace of Antlers offer their care to the forest, the edges of which are tapped every five years to fuel a large part of Prance’s extensive lumber industry.
Bridleaux - Home of the Académie des Sorcellerie Bridleaux, one of the most renowned schools of arcane studies in Equestria.
Mareseilles - Site of the sprawling palace that serves as Marquise Couture’s summer home.
Trottingham:
Population: 57,179,000
Language: Equiish
GDP: ฿ 1.2 Trillion
Founded: May 10th, 513 Age of Equestria (6,237 years BLR)
Military: The Blue Army (coloquially ‘the Trotters’), led by Countess Reflection.
98,000 active guardsponies, 445,000 reserves.
Government: Count Powdered Wig of Trottingham is arguably the most powerful non-immortal in Equestria. The wealthy, aging unicorn not only rules over one of Equestria’s oldest and wealthiest domains, but also sits as the Lord-Chancellor of the Stable of Nobles, giving him some degree of veto power and an immense deal of influence over the other nobles of the nation, and first word in advising Celestia on domestic affairs.
Recent infighting between the other nobles of Trottingham over who would inherit the domain in the absence of an heir for the count were abruptly quashed when Wig entered into a public duel with Lord Spitting Image of Glasgallop over some slight at a dinner party. Lord Image currently lies in a coma in the Royal Hospital of Trottingham, and Count Wig has married Image’s daughter, Lady Reflection―at once silencing the issue of his lack of an heir, and granting him effective control over the Glasgallop region of Trottingham
Capital: Trottingham - An urban, industrial city with an unusually high population of unicorns, Trottingham is home to the Stable of the Stable of Nobles, a towering building which also plays host to the domain’s government, seated at the foot of a clocktower know as “Big Bray”.
Other Major Sites:
Glasgallop - A relatively minor city, Glasgallop is notable for the immense fertility of its surrounding countryside. Much of Prance, Bitaly, and Trottingham are fed from the miles of farmlands surrounding the city.
Shetland - Home to the ‘Little’ family, a lineage of minor nobles known for their hereditary dwarfism. The current leader of the family, ‘Long Way’, is a pegasus in the process of trying to found a new sky-city over Trottingham.
Bitaly:
Population: 55,814,000
Language: Bitalian, Cirran
GDP: ฿ 1.5 Trillion
Founded: September 2nd, 447 Age of the Sisters (1,000 years BLR)
Military: The Storm Guard, led by military tribunal.
672,000 active guardsponies, 160,000 reserves.
Government: Prince Sforzando Eccessivo (Excessive Force) is a boisterous, strong-willed noble respected by his subjects for his well-known devotion to his family, and his former participation on the Bitalian Polo team. Recent years have seen his sportsmanship ended by health issues and a growing gut, and the former wounded by the loss of his first wife, but Sforzando remains a well-beloved ruler.
Capital: Roam - Beginning life as a fortress and expeditionary settlement of Commander Hurricane and his Cirran Legions in the early days of Equestria, the oldest parts of Roam have all the stylings of a sky-city, but are firmly rooted in the dirt of Bitaly. Public forums, baths, and worn statues to ponies who have all-but been forgotten by history draw flocks of tourists to the city.
Other Major Sites:
Neighples - Site of the Storm Guard training grounds, and thus frequently home to heavy storms and rain. Given Bitaly’s enormous standing army, this city is the most fortified in all of Equestria, as the Storm Guard stand ready to protect the rest of Equestria in the event of an external war.
Floreins - Local legend holds this city to be the burial grounds of Commander Hurricane, leading to week-long annual scavenger hunts drawing in massive tourist groups and hopeful young archeologists each year to the city’s extensive “undercity”―massive inhabited tunnels that were formerly the sewers and catacombs of an older Equestria. Some small pockets of the population of Floreins even continue to speak ancient Cirran, as opposed to it’s more modern variant, Bitalian.
Tuskany - A region known for its boar refugees, who thousands of years ago fled the rise of the Suidan Warchiefs. Today, these boars are considered proud members of Equestrian society, and while sometimes discriminated against in other domains (particularly San Palomino) are gladly welcomed across Bitaly as talented architects and powerful mages.
San Palomino:
Population: 30,214,000
Language: Equiish
GDP: ฿ 912 Billion
Founded: July 30th, 1368 Age of Equestria (79 years BLR)
Military: The San Palomino Rangers, currently without a formal Marshal.
60,000 active guardsponies
Government: Duchess Red Warden of San Palomino is a noble-born unicorn swimming in a sea of common, hard-working earth ponies. While she ‘technically’ rules the plains and deserts of the San Palomino, most of the thousands of earth pony farming communities are perfectly content to look out for themselves, thank you very much. Instead, Red Warden’s role in Equestria is to look to the south and east, monitoring the activities of Warchief Khagan and his boar hordes. Most recently, with the onset of the epidemic known as the tusk rot, the threat of the boarish threat has been reduced, though the revelation of a changeling hive somewhere in the badlands of eastern San Palomino has cost the domain what reprieve it might have had in guarding vigil against Equestria’s southern threats. This taxing duty has put considerably rivalry between the Rangers and the Royal Guard of Canterlot, and left Duchess Warden with a major personal distaste for Captain Shining Armor.
Capital: San Palomino City - Only the “capital” by virtue of the Duchess’ residence there, San Palomino city is an enormous mass of informal, somewhat ramshackle houses drawn together by a gold rush that quickly ran dry. Today, its most notable feature is that it marks the southernmost tip of the Equestrian rail system, and thus serves as the hub by which travelers reach Suida and the independent principalities of Saddle Arabia.
Other Major Sites:
Appleloosa - Site of a rather embarrassing battle between the native buffalo of the north-eastern plains of San Palomino, where Sheriff Silverstar and his rangers rather disgracefully assumed that they could avert the buffalo from settler land by assaulting them with pies. A truce was reached between the races on the condition of said pies, though it did not last long…
Wounded Hoof - Following the further settlement of buffalo lands by intrepid ponies led to an uprising of the buffalo, who insisted that no amount of pies would steal more of their land. The settlers pleaded to Duchess Warden, who cordoned off all remaining unsettled land as reserved for the buffalo. While some buffalo accepted the boundaries that had been drawn, others demanded land back from the further settlers. When they began stampeding against newly settled farms and pastures. Sheriff Silverstar’s Rangers were sent in again, and when negotiations failed at Wounded Hoof Creek, said rangers used force. Today, the creek marks the physical line that no settler may cross.
Brayce Canyon - A canyon of beautiful red rock spires and hidden caverns, the lands around Brayce are home to the highest population of donkeys in Equestria.
Salt Lick City -This city is home to the Church of the Sun, a religion dedicated to worship of Celestia as the pinnacle of virtue. While Celestia initially was opposed to her own worship, she ultimately gave up her resistance after Luna’s return, when the younger sister declared that Celestia’s denials were “a test of thou faith, little ponies.” Today, Celestia subtly nudges them toward community service purposes, and otherwise tries to ignore them.
Cloudsdale:
Population: 20,762,000
Language: Equiish (or as the domain below)
GDP: ฿ 1.7 Trillion
Founded: September 2nd, 447 Age of the Sisters (1,000 years BLR)
Military: N/A
Government: Rather than nobility, the skycities of Equestria collectively known as the “Domain of Cloudsdale” are administered by a council made up of two councilors from each sky-city, plus an additional six elected by popular vote across all the skycities. Terms last for three years, but incumbency is extremely common, and there exists no limit on terms of service.
Capital: Cloudsdale - Founded by Commander Hurricane prior to the foundation of Equestria, and quite literally pushed to its current location by a quite-literal army, Cloudsdale is an ancient and sprawling metropolis, and seat of Equestria’s booming skysteel industry. Cloudsdale skysteel is used in everything from construction to the armor and weapons of every domain’s guards. Rather than employing its own guard, the domain of Cloudsdale exchanges these armaments from ‘donated’ guards, native to the domain that each city rests over. Despite this fact, the skycities remain a proudly independent domain, and are quite willing to push their cities to more preferable skies if their host domains disrespect that independence.
Other Major Sites:
Las Pegasus - Seated over northwestern San Palomino, this sky city is unique for its hospitality to non-pegasus tourists, facilitated by skysteel foundations. Because skysteel (unlike cloudstone) is solid to non-pegasi, but also itself made of clouds, these foundations allow ‘physical’ structures and objects to be constructed on cloud surfaces. The city itself hosts casinos, elaborate stageshows, and all manner of other attractions for the pleasures of Equestria’s citizens. What happens in the sky stays in the sky.
Zebrica:
Population: 17,762,000 (Only Equestrian citizens counted)
Language: Zebrican, Equiish
GDP: ฿ 450 Billion
Founded: September 2nd, ` 1394 Age of the Sisters (49 years BLR)
Military: N/A
Government: The Equestrian portion of Zebrica, acquired willingly following a ‘small’ war between Grivridge and Equestria, consists of a few hundred zebra tribes, with settlements ranging from small villages to veritable cities, as well as Equestrian settlements on the north-western shores of the continent. Apart from a few basic Equestrian laws, these cities and tribes are allowed to govern themselves. The only formal leadership in place is a military governor, currently the half-zebra Oromo Heartstone, who reports directly to Princess Celestia on interactions with Grivridge, and frequently serves as an ambassador for Emperor Magnus of the griffons.
Capital: Cairoan - A port city on the northern shores of Zebrica near Stalliongrad, Cairoan has reputation as a shady, lightly-policed port town where anything can be bought and sold for the right price. Immense fortunes of gemstones and illegally-collected treasures of the deep southern Zebrican jungled flow in and out of the harbor as the city’s lifeblood just as vital as the waters of the Neighle river.
Other Major Sites:
Altus - a lonely ruin near the mouth of the Congallop river, Altus is the only known pre-Equestrian settlement besides Cloudsdale. Archeologists and less scrupulous ponies are well known to brave the dangers of the jungle in search of ancient secrets and fame.
The Crystal Empire:
Population: 5,478,000
Language: (often archaic) Equiish
GDP: ฿ 91 Billion
Founded: December 9th, 1452 (5 years after Luna’s return)
Military: The Crystal Guard, led by Captain Shining Armor.
80,000 active guardsponies.
Government: Princess Cadance, the ‘Crystal Princess’ and ‘the Princess of Love’, is Count Wig’s rival contended for the title of most powerful mortal in Equestria. In addition to ruling the Crystal Empire, Cadance is the heir-apparent to Bitaly, and married to a stallion who, at least at the moment, commands the Royal Guard. Even with Shining Armor slowly winding down his role in Canterlot and (if rumors are to be believed) searching for a replacement, Cadance holds an almost ludicrous amount of influence across Equestria. Amongst the fiercely loyal crystal ponies whom she helped to save from the shade of King Sombra, her word may as well be fact.
Capital: The Crystal Empire - The sole glimmer of real civilization in the frozen north that makes up the rest of the domain, this city of gemstones and gem ponies is surprisingly large for its population―its geographic size is larger than even Manehattan, yet it has barely half the ponies. Celestia and Luna allege that Sombra’s rule reduced the population, and that with time, it will recover. In the meantime, the Crystal Empire has usurped most other sources in the export of enchanted and enchantment-grade gemstones, used for all manner of purposes across Equestria. Most recently, the project to clean up the remnants of King Sombra’s dangerous void crystals has finally been completed, and the black crystals themselves shipped off to Canterlot or Stalliongrad for safe keeping and magical researched approved of and overseen by the Princesses.
Hey, everybody. Hope you enjoyed that. I briefly tried to write this in a character's P.O.V., and realized that it just didn't work. At the demand of my fellow Price of Loyalty author, The 24th Pegasus, next week's topic will be on the guards of Equestria, including some military history, and an explanation of at least a few of the 'founding' dates you see above. I've also started work on maps, so when we get to the Cartography topic, you'll get to see where all these domains are in relation to one another. In the meantime, please feel free and encouraged to ask any questions you might have in the comments below. I'll try and answer them throughout the week.
Otherwise, I'll see you all next time!
-Loyal
Why does Bitaly have such a giant army?
Also, have the crystal ponies started to integrate with the rest of Equestrian society or do they keep mostly to themselves? Any attempt at estabilishing a new settlement? What do the other ponies think of their crystal brethren?
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Bitaly has a giant army for two reasons. One is cultural, as the Storm Guard see themselves as the honest heirs to the ancient 'Cirran Legions'. The other, more practically, is that with the decline of the Royal Guard as a standing army, Prince Sforzando sees an opportunity to make his forces the primary defenders of Equestria against foreign threats, like the griffons and the boars. Holding such a position comes with a great deal of power and influence, both amongst the Stable of Nobles, and with Celestia and Luna.
The crystal ponies are integrating with the rest of Equestria, but that integration is very slow. Prior to their 'banishment' with Sombra, the Crystal Ponies were an independent nation, and had more than a few rivalries with Equestria. Cadance's urgings have slowly led to their appearances in other domains, but they're also very rare in general: there are over 400 million ponies in Equestria, and only about 5 million crystal ponies.
For the most part, another settlement in the far north is simply impractical: the rest of Equestria is land more fertile and easily available, and whatever magic was wrought to create the hospitable zone around the current 'Crystal Empire' has long since been forgotten (though Secretary Foresight's obelisk project is making fair progress toward replicating it, after a fashion). Rather than carve out another chunk of icy land, the Crystal Ponies have been encouraged to repopulate their city, and to spread out amongst the already-colonized lands of Equestria.
For the most part, other ponies are accepting, but curious. Questions like "is it just your skin, or your whole body" are quite common. Some ponies show them distrust, but the far more frequent reaction that creates difficulty for the new 'tribe' is bold-faced, shameless intrigue, as academics, researches, and storytellers alike flock to these new ponies seeking stories of the ancient past, test subjects to discover a supposed "fourth" form of magic (crystal ponies do not have empatha, endura, or arcana, but instead absorb magic that comes into contact with them, and manifest it back in some very interesting ways), and other research. Worse still are ponies like the Flim Flam Brothers, whose lack of scruples is inclined to take advantage of potentially uneducated or naive ponies who don't yet have a full understanding of the modern world. For this reason, while visitors to the Crystal Empire are welcome, Shining Armor has thus far prevented any non-crystal ponies from moving into the city permanently, and has kept a small contingent of more up-to-date Royal Guards alongside his new Crystal Guard soldiers in maintaining order and protecting the new domain.
Woo! Thanks for taking the time to write this. I found it really interesting. Especially the small jokes at real world stuff and Song of Storms.
Questions:
)
) more things I'd like to ask, but if not, I'll just drop it. 
Do Ponies use the regular 12 month calendar? Or a different one? I remember from 24th's stories that they use a base 8 system...
Also, what about Manehatten? Or Fillydelphia? Where do those fall under?
How is Canterlot older than Stol'nograd? Wasn't River Rock formed waaaaaaay before Equestria? (I know you're explaining it soon, but just a small peek? Please?
Do Zebras have equal rights compared to Ponies? Are they discriminated against?
How do the Buffalo fit in with the rest of the species in your stories? I remember there were six element bearers at the start (Celly, Luna, Krenn, Magnus, Khagan and Deer/Elk guy/girl [sorry I can't remember his/her name and exact species right now]) so do the other races get any less recognition for this? (Zebras, Buffalo, Minotaur, Tigers, etc)
Also are you still making this fit in canon somewhere? Or have you just given up and just making it AU? If it's still canon, there's a few (ok, a lot
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to all our comments.
No Germane oder Denmarek? Darn. So I must settle with Prance.
Vive la Prance!
That aside. Wonderfull worldbuilding! I am looking forward to the militay writeup.
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Thank you for your answers.
Looking forward to the next posts, especially the maps!
Interesting. I was going ask how the heck Shining Armor keeps retaining his position as Captain of the Guard in fics even after he moves to the Crystal Empire with Cadance, but I guess you thought of that, too. It's still gotta be hard on the guy, administering military in two different places hundreds of miles apart.
Not specified reserve of stalliongrad guard. This is Secret information? Created a militia or something similar?
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Just because a particular landmass doesn't have a domain doesn't mean it isn't around. For central/eastern Europe, theres Lubuck, Hayburg, and similar cities. Coltpenhagen used to exist in Stalliongrad, though after the 3rd razing, it was never rebuilt. Most Scandinavian sites actually belong to the caribou, one of the subspecies of Elk, who live north of Trottingam and east of the Crystal Empire.
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I'm on my phone on break, so you get some answers now, and more later.
Equestrias 12 month Julian calendar is a compromise between the Diamond Kingdoms 10-month calendar, and the original 12 month Cirran calendar. Unicorn month names were maintained, with 2 months added that were named after Cirran Emperors (Julius and Augustus Haysar). Hurricane denied the offer of a month, citing that he "wasn't really emperor" to deserve it.
Manhattan, Fillydelphia, and other American cities generally fall in the Domain of Canterlot, unless they belong in San Palomino. The "official map" is a (woefully impressionistic) map of the Domain of Canterlot, plus the northern third of San Pal and part of the Crystal Empire.
Founding dates are when the Domain was founded, not the city. Stalliongrad is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. Cloudsdale is also older than Canterlot, but note that it only became an independent domain a thousand years ago.
PoL tries to remain canon-compliant. You may ask more questions now.
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There are no reservists in Stalliongrad; all the Black Cloaks are active duty career soldiers. Blood Stroke has no interest in paying ponies who aren't fighting, especially during an active rebellion, in the most monster populated domain in Equestria.
The same is generally true of other domains with no listed reserves. An omitted entry means there is no established concept of reserves.
Twenty years after the attack of the Dragons, there is no ready reserve. How will they compensate the loss in case of a new attack. Possibly after removal of Blood Stroke from Stalliongrad will begin the formation of a militia? It seemed to me that if Blood Stroke was not sent to Equestria, he would have been eaten by a revolution
2437507
Zebras *legally* have equal rights, as do all Sapient creatures (note: not *sentient*, but *sapient*). Cows, pigs, and other creatures legitimately too unintelligent to care for themselves (yes, cows are like that, despite the capacity for speech) are property, albeit with strict laws concerning their ethical treatment.
Zebras , camels, and buffalo in particular suffer racial discrimination due to their distinct, often misunderstood cultures. Though illegal, violence between ponies and these outsiders is not unheard of. For more on buffalo, retread the San Palomino entry.
Apart from generally being absent in high society, donkeys are the non-pony race which has it the best. They usually are treated like ugly earth ponies, with no special distrust due to how common and harmless they are perceived to be.
I'll write about non ponies in another blog post, but most races who don't have a patron god are, in one way or another, servitors to a species that does. The notable exceptions are the large cats, with their exotic empires, and the Diamond Dog clans, who are too distributed to unite, and to difficult to reach underground for any race to exert real control.
The elk is Lady Valdria.
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Nice to know. I love detailed worldbuilding.Very good work on your part.
Ooooo, awesome.
First thought, nearly half a billion, that's a bigger population than I realized we were playing with. Not surprisingly so, though, the sheer length of time pony civilization had been running under Celestia gives a lot of time for population growth (possibly too much time, actually, what does the birth rate look like?). How does this compared to the planetary pony population, as well as the population of the other sapient species kicking around?
Neat. Between the name, what we've learned about the history of the elder Element Bearers, and the comment about the castle being older than Celestia and Luna, that's a very old castle indeed.
I really like that there are elk and boar citizen populations, how sizable are they? Are there any other major non-pony populations inside the domains, either concentrated or spread out among the population?
I am already a fan of that Little family. I hope that Long Way succeeds in his cloud city project.
Thanks a lot, Luna!
Awesome analysis here, very interesting. I'm sort of surprised there wasn't much of note for Manehatten and Fillydelphia in the Equestria section, but maybe they don't mean much in the scheme of things.
You mentioned it a bit in the San Palamino section, but just how much of an effect did the changeling attack, and the subsequent revealation of their existence impact the status quo between all of these domains? Did the other races know about the changelings at all before "A Canterlot Wedding" ? How have they reacted to an brand new race (and hostile) popping up out of the blue?
Also, I am sort of getting the sense that Blueblood is going to have more of a role to play in the future of GotP. There's too much power in his hands, er hooves, to go unused. That's my take at least.
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Thanks for the answers LL! Now, for questions...
Where does the Alicorn Amulet come from in your universe?
Does Flutterbat from "Bats!" count as a Thestral? If not, are there non-thestral bat ponies?
How is everyone not out-of-their-minds-insane/suffering from PTSD after this? I checked your previous replies to my comments and you said that this happens between Season 3 Episode 10 and 12, so that puts it between when Discord gets free and "random stuff involving Crystal Empire". But Discord is still trapped now, right? Confused.
I asked 24 a few questions a while back that he hasn't replied to, not sure if you can answer them or if I should try again somewhere else. I'll ask more questions as they come, if you don't mind. Sorry if I'm being too demanding here.
I think that's it for now, sorry again for the ramblingness of this post.
Thanks!
2439836
The restriction on pony population growth, as opposed to it's human equivalent, is that there are exactly 0 countries in real life which list "death by monster attack" on their actuarial tables. Otherwise, Equestria would likely be even more populous.
Equestria is pretty much 99% of the world's pony population - the griffons have the whole 'enslave other species thing' going on, and (to borrow an excellent quote) about ponies living amongst dragons:
Non-boars don't tend to last long in Suida, save the occasional camel caravan. As far as other major races are concerned, only the Elk are truly welcoming to ponies, and ponies do occasionally live amongst the enigmatic telepaths, though few truly grow accustomed to the alienness of the Elkish mindset, and its influence on their society.
You'll be seeing more of the Castle of Midnight sooner than you might think...
Both the boars and elk mentioned are very concentrated populations - the former number a little more than a million, while the latter are only half that. In total, however, it's estimated that nearly four million elk can be found living in Equestria, spread amongst the population very widely. Most are 'criminals' in the Elkish sense (a term very far removed from it's Equestrian analogue) living out exile (the most common Elkish punishment). I'll discuss that topic in greater depth when I make one of these posts about the non-pony races. Griffons count around three million in number, and are generally concentrated in the domains of Zebrica, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot. Though generally well accepted, they have a general stereotype of being brutish and bullying. Donkeys, camels, and zebras are the most prevalent races, making up as much as a quarter of the overall population.
Hmm... I'm sure he'll be glad you're rooting for him. After all, even a Little encouragement
goes a Long Way.
2439887
Well, I wouldn't say that Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, etc. are unimportant, as they are enormous urban centers with huge populations, but by-and-large, they don't affect the way the entire setting is perceived or put-together. Lubuck was included more as a reflection of Canterlot's control over the national economy than as a notable city in-and-of itself. Also, in a world of magic and intrigue, they just aren't terribly interesting when one looks at them from a distance (this isn't to say they aren't incredibly interesting when one looks a little closer).
Your second question includes a false assumption, but I will admit that the general public of Equestria were shocked by the revelation of the Changelings. Detection spells and methods were rapidly developed, and although far from foolproof, they are reliable enough for peace of mind--especially when combined with the fact that the changeling population was, rather mysteriously, cut nearly in half during the weeks following the Canterlot attack; a fact made only stranger by the fact that no domain's guard claims to have taken part in aggressive action within the hive itself. In general, the changelings just aren't numerous enough to pose a frontal threat to Equestria. Well-fed, a changeling drone has access to all three kinds of magic, and is the equal of two skilled soldiers in battle (if not more). Starving, a drone is a barely intelligent, unskilled monster. Following their defeat by Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, the hive much more closely resembles the latter than the former.
Blueblood is an interesting character, and I found it a fun challenge to make him 'useful' without overriding the fact that he's a social abomination. You'll see more of him soonish, though not too soon.
2439836
The restriction on pony population growth, as opposed to it's human equivalent, is that there are exactly 0 countries in real life which list "death by monster attack" on their actuarial tables. Otherwise, Equestria would likely be even more populous.
Equestria is pretty much 99% of the world's pony population - the griffons have the whole 'enslave other species thing' going on, and (to borrow an excellent quote) about ponies living amongst dragons:
Non-boars don't tend to last long in Suida, save the occasional camel caravan. As far as other major races are concerned, only the Elk are truly welcoming to ponies, and ponies do occasionally live amongst the enigmatic telepaths, though few truly grow accustomed to the alienness of the Elkish mindset, and its influence on their society.
You'll be seeing more of the Castle of Midnight sooner than you might think...
Both the boars and elk mentioned are very concentrated populations - the former number a little more than a million, while the latter are only half that. In total, however, it's estimated that nearly four million elk can be found living in Equestria, spread amongst the population very widely. Most are 'criminals' in the Elkish sense (a term very far removed from it's Equestrian analogue) living out exile (the most common Elkish punishment). I'll discuss that topic in greater depth when I make one of these posts about the non-pony races. Griffons count around three million in number, and are generally concentrated in the domains of Zebrica, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot. Though generally well accepted, they have a general stereotype of being brutish and bullying. Donkeys, camels, and zebras are the most prevalent races, making up as much as a quarter of the overall population.
Hmm... I'm sure he'll be glad you're rooting for him. After all, even a Little encouragement
goes a Long Way.
2439887
Well, I wouldn't say that Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, etc. are unimportant, as they are enormous urban centers with huge populations, but by-and-large, they don't affect the way the entire setting is perceived or put-together. Lubuck was included more as a reflection of Canterlot's control over the national economy than as a notable city in-and-of itself. Also, in a world of magic and intrigue, they just aren't terribly interesting when one looks at them from a distance (this isn't to say they aren't incredibly interesting when one looks a little closer).
Your second question includes a false assumption, but I will admit that the general public of Equestria were shocked by the revelation of the Changelings. Detection spells and methods were rapidly developed, and although far from foolproof, they are reliable enough for peace of mind--especially when combined with the fact that the changeling population was, rather mysteriously, cut nearly in half during the weeks following the Canterlot attack; a fact made only stranger by the fact that no domain's guard claims to have taken part in aggressive action within the hive itself. In general, the changelings just aren't numerous enough to pose a frontal threat to Equestria. Well-fed, a changeling drone has access to all three kinds of magic, and is the equal of two skilled soldiers in battle (if not more). Starving, a drone is a barely intelligent, unskilled monster. Following their defeat by Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, the hive much more closely resembles the latter than the former.
Blueblood is an interesting character, and I found it a fun challenge to make him 'useful' without overriding the fact that he's a social abomination. You'll see more of him soonish, though not too soon.
2440154
I figured the immortals would have known, but would have the mortal elites, like those in the Stable of Nobles, have had any prior knowledge about the changelings' existence before the attack? How does Chrysalis fit into your hierarchy of power compared to Magnus, Krenn, Luna, etc? I doubt it is very high at the current moment, but what about at her full love-fuelled potential?
2440037
The Alicorn Amulet was addressed in Epilogue 1 of Honor Guard.
Flutterbat is just aesthetically Thestral-like. Twilight didn't *kill* Fluttershy.
Discord will be explained shortly. Sorry for making you wait. Rainbow's PTSD likewise has plans that cannot be shared now. That being said, I don't consider Rainbow Falls canon, and neither should you.
No pressure at all, keep those questions coming! Glad you're so engaged.
2440224
Everyone get out your scouters!
In all seriousness, a fully powered Chrysalis is analogous to Nightmare Moon: explicitly stronger in terms of sheer magical brute-force than any single member of 'the big 6'.
I can't say who does and doesn't know of her, but the Changelings had been quiet for a very long time leading up to the invasion. As Chrysalis is "chronologically immortal", she tends to play the long game.
2440362
Ah, thanks. I agree with the Rainbow Falls statement. That episode deserves a fate worse than being trapped between the Summer Lands and Tartarus for a really long time, getting constantly chased by mindless Thestrals.
On a side note, do Celestia and Luna know about those guys? And if they do, is there nothing that can be done about them?
2440465
They know. The problem is that their "sparks" (their nigh-infinite magic, and control over the sun and moon respectively) are tied to their physical bodies. In the Between, Luna and Celestia aren't any more powerful than, say, Cadance or Twilight. They're still strong and well-experienced, but not enough to survive four-hundred thestral shades. If Luna and/or Celestia could confront them one or two at a time, the story would be very different. But then, even as bad as they are, the Horde isn't the worst thing one can find in the Between.
2440990
Will we get to find out what is worse?
2441522
Oh, yes. Very yes.