Cities of Equestria

by UnicodingUnicorn

Canterlot

Once upon a time there stood a Mountain. It was unlike the others, though, for it jutted out from the lush green land around like a spear point through the skin, far away from any of its own brethren. And below the mountain the wide plains and rolling hills spread, amongst which stood a Forest. This Forest, too, was unlike any of its kin, for it grew wild and ever free, its will bowing to the commands of no creature. And in the forest there sat a castle, from which ruled two sisters, one of whom raised the Sun and the other the Moon, the combined Harmony of their magic keeping away the every constant encroachments of the Forest. And they ruled the four borders of their land in an era of golden peace.

But good tidings are not ones that last, for on one fateful day, the younger fell to forces of darkness and shadow that are greed and temptation, cast away her concern for her subjects and rose up against the elder in a bloody coup that the Night may rule eternal and evermore. On that longest night, the forces of Light and Dark did battle, and as it was written in the Book of Law before the Dawn of Time, though Darkness may overcome the Light in battles the forces of good will tide over in the very end, and it was inevitably such that the younger sister was banished for fifty score years to the very plane of her own element.

Though the war was won and the delicate balance of day and night restored, chaos still reigned in the land down below. The harmony of the Magic of the Two Sisters, once proud and unbreakable, lay in shambles after the traitorous backstab of one upon the other, and the Forest began to reclaim that which was once part of it. As the nation embroiled itself in turmoil over the loss of half its reigning monarchy, the elder and her court sought to flee from the dregs of the past such that they may face the challenges of the future.

With the castle quickly falling to the irresistible pull of the wild and the citizens of the land calling for a place that they can look up to and rally upon in this time of great need, the elder searched from the shores of the East to the glades of the West for a shared place where both the commoner, and the aristocrat could cast their eyes upon and feel a common spirit burning inside. And their gaze fell upon the Mountain.
Through all this chaos and strife, the Mountain had gazed on, never flinching, always observing. Its lofty gaze fell upon the four corners of the nation, from the frozen north to the burning south and in turn, others have gazed upon its looming shadow. Upon the Mountain they started to build.

Up upon the Mountain they did built, towers upon soaring towers jutting out from the sheer side of the mountain, massive constructs seeming to defy the very laws of physics themselves, the product of the unity of the ingenuity and hard labour of the children of the Earth, the magic of the wielders of the Ether and the skill of the spawn of the Sky, as their peaks raced hand in hand with the hopes and dreams of every last soul in the nation. And the elder moved her court to this series of towers and proclaimed it the Capitol of the land.

Yet the passage of dark days heralded the passage of even darker days to come. During this period, the nation, once cohesive and strong, had splintered into small warring factions, each one individual, yet all alike in one common goal: To keep surviving in what seemed like the end of days. The fires of hardship burned stronger than before, and the elder and her court struggled through. Wars were fought, diplomacies were negotiated, minds swayed and wills cowed as bit by bit, more and more came under the banner of the nation we now know as Equestria.

Time passed, the fall of the younger soon faded into the legends of the land, yet the city grew stronger than ever, carving itself further into the recesses of the Mountain, under the always ever watchful eyes of the original towers. Migrants came and left, received titles and lost holdings, as a long and sprawling aristocracy carved itself out from the ashes of the fallen monarchy. And it was such that the pony nation, like a phoenix arising anew from the ashes of its previous existence, pulled itself together from one of the darkest days in collective memory and burned brighter than before, a beacon of peace and harmony to the rest of the world.

Yet, through all of this, the elder still remains ever watchful, ever waiting, in her highest tower, the one with the clearest view of the Moon upon the Coming of the Night after the Cessation of the Court of the Day, for the eventual arrival of the one who truly matters to the aching heart buried underneath the cold facade of the Sun Princess of Equestria.

This is the Story of the City on the Side of the Mountain, the City of Royal Nobility. Canterlot.

But this isn't just a story of what has been done, of how we have built ourselves upon the shoulders of our ancestors, and how we should admire their valiant efforts. For even to this day, through all the progress this society has made, anywhere in the four borders of this fair land of Equestria, you can always cast your sight upon the horizon and gaze upon the ever present shadow of the Lone Mountain and see it blazing in all of its opulent glory. If you do so, dear reader, please remind yourself, this is what your forebears and fellow ponies have done. Take a moment to reflect, and wonder, what have you done?

Author's Note:

This is my first story here, helpful comments are appreciated. If you like it, I will do more on other cities.

Comments

[Undead Parchment]

Wow... This was beautifully written! I dare say, you have a gift! This is a magnificent story and I hope there is more to come

[Elkophys]

1st.
Do more please

2nd.
Part of the story about The Castle of the Two Sisters is awesome.
I think it's the most logical explanation I've ever seen.

3d.
I would sugest to use capital letters here:

...from which ruled two sisters, one of whom raised the Sun and the other the Moon, the combined Harmony...

...On that longest Night, the forces of Light and Dark did battle, and as it was written in the Book of Law before the Dawn of Time, though Darkness may overcome the Light in battles...

...and hard labour children of the Earth, the magic of the wielders of the Ether and the skill of the spawn of the Sky...

~elkophys

[UnicodingUnicorn]

5532627 Thanks for the feedback! I've made the changes you have suggested.

5532590 Thanks!