The Inheritors: Canonicity

Due to some destroyed headcanons from the current season's events, I feel the need to clarify the relationship with canon for The Inheritors and the point that it splits from the show's timeline. I will avoid going into specifics for spoiler reasons.

First of all, I'm going to strongly note that this is an alternate universe story, and thus there are differences from canon. For the most part, if not discussed here, these differences will be noted in the author's notes for relevant chapters moving forward. The specific point at which this story diverges from the show's canon is the Season 8 premier. The School of Friendship was founded by Twilight Sparkle, but with the exception of being later converted, along with Ponyville Castle, into the Starswirl Memorial School of Magic, doesn't play a significant role in the story. The Young 6 did attend this school, but don't play a plot-relevant role in later events; all six went on to become members of the Order of Harmony later in life, but their contributions aren't worth noting a thousand years later. Any subsequent events that occur in Season 8 and later do not happen in this AU. Those of you caught up to the Australia schedule likely know what I'm addressing with this post, but please do not discuss it in the comments for the sake of those who have not seen relevant episodes.

I have also, for the sake of this universe, made some assumptions in lore that may (probably won't, but it's possible) be disputed by canon at a later time. Such events happened long before the founding of Equestria and don't conflict with current canon, but the only one that is currently relevant is the 'Lost Continent' that has already been mentioned in Prism Star and the Nightmare Winter. We know from the first Hearth's Warming episode that ponies are not native to the areas currently known as Equestria or the Crystal Empire, but rather fled there from somewhere else. I am operating under the thought that there is another continent far to the west that ponies originally came from - 'Ponyland', we might call it, in honor of G1. Given the long time span, and the fact that no pony has ever attempted to return, it has come to be known in the present day as the Lost Continent.