One of the mysteries of the world is the origin of Canterlot. Did the City of Spires exist before Luna's Banishment? Or the city come about after after the destruction of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters? How does the city hang off the mountain, and how big is it really?

One thing to consider is canon isn't all that good at showing us the gilded city.

Apologies to Vren55 for borrowing the name of his fic

971435 I think due to S2 E12: Family Appreciation Day, the flash back seemed to show Canterlot being built. If that's the case I'd think that Canterlot as a city didn't exist before Luna's banishment.

I figure that, like many cities in the UK, it's been around in some form for a very long time, but modern Canterlot is probably a completely new city that's been rebuilt multiple times.

971447
Unless the wiki is missing those images I don't see Canterlot being built.

971465 Well the flashback had images of scaffolding and construction, it gave me the impression of a city in the process of being built. Actually I just rewatched it, the city was entirely tents but the castle itself was already there.

971477
Are you sure it was Canterlot and not the proto-Ponyville?

971435
I would presume that it was probably built after Luna's banishment (assuming the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters was previously the capitol), but it may have existed in a less lavish form before it was promoted to Equestria's current seat of government.

In my time travel story I assumed that Canterlot is the same city that used to be Unicornia, and that Canterlot Castle is on basically the same site where the Crystal Rainbow Castle of Unicornia once stood. Keep in mind that my story borrows a lot of elements from MLP G3, and Unicornia was definitely a place we saw and visited in G3, but a lot of things were, um... different.

Canterlot was built several years after The Longest Night to serve as the new capital city of Equestria. The most masterful and architects of all species, Equine or otherwise, combined their skills to construct a city that was as beautiful as it was strong, and the most magically powerful Unicorns, including Sophos the Red, a descendant of Clover the Clever, pooled their magic to further reinforce Canterlot. This combination of engineering and magic not only allows Canterlot to hang off the side of Mt. Equis but all but ensures that the city would outlast even the mountain.

I suppose I better add my own two cents. Due to it's location at the southern tip of the Asturcón Plateau, and being south of the Tears there has been almost no pony living there until after the War of Eternal Night. Following the destruction of the old capital, Xenophon, it was determined that a new capital was to be built. The location was chosen for it is a central location, and high place to overlook the nation.

Despite what many may think it is not magic that holds up the Royal Palace, massive cantilever beams that are anchored straight into the rock of the Horn hold it. The rest of the city sits straddling the Mechlenburger River on the Asturcón Plateau. Some of the defining characteristics of the city is the fortifications on the plateau side, Canterlot being the first known city to use the star fort style defenses that grew out of the use of gun powered during the Siege of Xenophon.

The modern city grew out of the Great Fire that occurred about 300 years before the series. Only the Palace, Fort Sievresii and half of Sejr's Ward (where all major governmental building are) escaped the fire.

971435 Why don't you read my story and find out

971832
I have read your story, and I look forward to reading the next chapter

971838 Which is at Roadblock stage :P

971885
With the amount of detail you are putting in there I'm not surprised

For now, Canterlot was originally a mountain fort on the Cantering Mountain, it became the new capital after Shimmer Tail was pretty much destroyed by Celestia and Luna's fighting and Celestia moved the administration to Fort Canterlot.

As the city grew, it dropped the "Fort" and became a normal city. Celestia and the ponies spruced it up in the intervening 1,000 years.

971975
Shimmer Tail I'm guessing was the original capital?

971986
Yeah, it was located in what became the Everfree forest.

972019
Ah so your equivalent of Xenophon then. Shimmer Tail certainly sound more poetic than the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, and less of a mouthful too.

971897 I mainly have a pacing problem... not sure how to pace a scene.

Also, if you have used the MLP Twilight Teacher for a Day iOS app, you'll find out Canterlot was built by unicorns after the 3 pony races united :D

I like to think that the Canterlot we see now is built on top of Old Canterlot, the entire city was built around the gemstone mines until they had to be shut down due to greedy unicorns. By then the Pre-classical era was drawing to its conclusion and the princesses were born there. During the battle with Discord, the entire city had been shrunken to model size. Unfortunately for everypony, it remained that way. A secondary castle had been built in the Everfree forest a few centuries ago as a safe haven for alicorns.This was to remain the capital until the unfortunate events of the first Nightmare Night caused its ruin. New Canterlot was re-built from scratch to accommodate the increased population of earth pony and pegasi civilians. The tiny version of the city remains in the Museum of Magical History to this very day.

972692
Canonosity of the game is debatable

971435
Another old thread with a still-active OP - lucky!

First, my headcanon. I have the city originating as a unicorn-run gem mine in the late Classical Era. Then Discord came, and it turned out under a mountain was a decent place to hide from his chaos. Over time more refugees made their way there, and by the time of his defeat by the Princesses it was a thriving if secret community.

Still, it might well have remained a mere footnote in history if the Princesses hadn't established their new castle in the Everfree Forest and forbidden settlement west of the Canter Range. This just happened to make the town the closest point for convenient access, and many of those seeking the Princesses' aid and favour moved there and settled on the outside of the mountain. By the time the mines were played out (overmined, actually, with several dangerous collapses that led to access being restricted) the reborn nation's new centres of government had already taken shape above them. And that was just confirmed when, after the Long Night, Princess Celestia officially moved her residence there. (Although in practice, it took over a decade for the new Palace to be built - time well spent, though, as despite numerous renovations it retains the same basic frame today. Celestia's only personal specification at the time was that it look towards the old one, even though said ruin was not visible even from such a height.)

As for the city today - well, here's some interpretations by Jowybean. You really need to zoom in to properly appreciate them, I'm afraid.