Equestria

This article is about the fictional location. For the suburb of the same name in Pretoria, South Africa, see Equestria, Pretoria.

Equestria
File:Equestrian Flag MLP.png Flag of Equestria, as depicted in season 2 of the television series
Series	My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic My Little Pony: Pony Life
In-universe information
Type	Monarchy
Location	Nation of Equestria
Leader	Heads of State Princess Celestia (Head of Government from succession to the throne until abdication) Princess Luna (Head of Government from succession to the throne until abdication) Princess Twilight Sparkle (Head of Government Element of Magic) Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence (Co-Leaders of the Crystal Empire)
Key people	Senior civil government and military high command Captain of the Royal Guard Prince Shining Armor (Captain of the Guards, Prince Consort of Princess Cadence) Regents / Consorts / Heirs: Princess Flurry Heart (Heir to the throne of the Crystal Empire) Council of Friendship Spike (dragon) (Hero of the Crystal Empire, Friendship Ambassador to the Dragon Lands) Rainbow Dash (Element of Loyalty, Wonderbolts officer, School of Friendship teacher) Pinkie Pie (Element of Laughter, Friendship Ambassador to Yakyakistan, School of Friendship teacher) Rarity (Element of Generosity, School of Friendship teacher) Applejack (Element of Honesty, School of Friendship teacher) Fluttershy (Element of Kindness, School of Friendship teacher)
Affiliations	The Royal Guard
Enemies	Current: Windigos List Historically; (currently allies) Changeling Hive Griffonia Dragonlands Storm Empire Yakyakistan Discord
Currency	Bit
National language	Ponish

Equestria
The original map of Equestria, which has since been updated and expanded for the release of My Little Pony: The Movie.
Created by	Chancellor Pudding Head Commander Hurricane Princess Platinum
In-universe information
Ethnic group(s)	Ponies Demonym(s): Equestrian
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Pegasi Ponies Unicorn Ponies Earth Ponies Minority: Alicorns Thestral Ponies Mules Donkeys Dragons Griffins Draconequus Breezies Bisons Buffalos Minotaurs Yaks Zebras
Locations	List of locations Capital Region: Canterlot (Capital) Ponyville (Main Setting) Everfree Forest Winnyiapolis Neighagara Falls Frozen North: Crystal Empire Crystal Mountains Yaket Mountain Range Celestial Coast: Baltimare Manehattan Fillydelphia Sire's Hollow Hollow Shades Seaward Shoals Haysead Swamps Lunar Coast: Vanhoover Tall Tale San Franciscolt Las Pegasus Applewood Califoalnia Mysterious South: San Palomino Desert Dodge Junction Appleloosa Sonambula Sea of Clouds
Main setting	Ponyville
Federal capital	Canterlot

Equestria (/ɛˈkwɛstriə/) is a fictional nation used as the primary setting for the films, comics, video games, and animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and My Little Pony: Pony Life. Equestria hosts many intelligent and sapient creatures; the majority being ponies. Equestria resides on the Equestrian continent on a terrestrial planet, similar to Earth.

Equestria serves as the backdrop for the adventures of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, in their quest to spread the magic of friendship throughout the land. Leading Equestria are four powerful regnant coregency princesses: Celestia, the Princess of the Day; Luna, the Princess of the Night and Dreams; Cadence, the Princess of Love and Family; and Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Magic and Friendship.

Equestria's foundation is described as the result of the cooperation of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, who came together in harmony to fight the Wendigos and stop an eternal blizzard; Hearth's Warming Day is an annual holiday that celebrates its founding. The "Bit" is the official currency of Equestria and its territories. Instead of English, it is mentioned that they call their language "Ponish"; however, due to the fact that written English is seen at several times during the series, it is generally understood that this is English under a different name.

Although generally peaceful, Equestria had its share of wars and battles over the centuries, with recent conflicts involving the formerly hostile Changeling Hive, the invading Storm Empire, and the return of the Wendigos; all of which negatively impacting major settlements. Equestria was founded in the Age of Heroes by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; two sisters ruled as equals until Luna fell to evil and became Nightmare Moon. After a thousand years of banishment, Luna returned and nearly took over the realm, but was soon defeated by that generations' Bearers of Harmony and brought back to her senses, becoming once again the benevolent co-ruler of the nation. After several years of ruling the land, both sisters agreed that their protege, Twilight Sparkle, would succeed them.

History

Pre-Equestrian history

• The First Emperor of Ancient Equestria - Grogar, Father of Monsters, is first mentioned in "A Flurry Of Emotions", and first seen in "The Beginning of the End". Before The Three Tribes united as one, Grogar ruled the land that would become Equestria. He created terrible monsters to terrorize the populace; many of his creations have continued to terrorize Equestria to present day. He was confronted by a pony named Gusty the Great; Gusty took his magic bell and weakened him, and thusly, he was banished.
• The Cutie Pox Epidemic - During the "Paleopony Period," a "cutie pox" epidemic afflicted the population of ponies. Random cutie marks appear all over ponies' bodies, causing them to uncontrollably perform the talents that come with them. The cause of the breakout is never discovered, and the cutie pox disappears as mysteriously as it arrives.
• The Greatest Hero Who Ever Lived - Star Swirl the Bearded was, according to Twilight, "the leading expert at everything: Transfiguration, Dimensional-calibration, Teleportation, etc..." In his attempts to create "time spells", he instead created an "age reversal spell" and successfully used it on himself. Starswirl creates more than two hundred spells and has a wing in the Canterlot Archives dedicated to him. Over time, he created dozens of portal mirrors linking to various worlds, and traveled throughout the multiverse, accumulating vast sums of knowledge. Before his self-imposed banishment, Star Swirl participated in many important events in Equestria's early history, and is stated to have lived, at minimum, one thousand years.

Old Equestria history

The Founding of Equestria

The Fire of Friendship - The Age of Eternal Winter was a time of darkness and frozen ice that "topples the tribes' precarious peace." It was caused by the Wendigos, who fed off of the hatred between the three pony tribes. Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi tribes lived under extremely hostile conditions. The Pony tribe leaders set out to find a new land. When they all discover the same land at the same time, their feud starts over, attracting the windigos and causing another blizzard. As the tribe leaders freeze, their cohorts become friends, and the Fire of Friendship is created. The tribe leaders thaw out of the ice, make peace, and agree to share the land as one unified nation.

"Hearth's Warming Eve" describes the founding of Equestria as the result of when the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies united to defeat the Wendigos and prevent an eternal blizzard.

• The First Summer Sun Celebration - Before the arrival of Celestia and Luna, Equestria was suffering terrible hardships. Raising and lowering the sun and the moon every morning and evening required five great unicorn sorcerers to perform, and the strain placed upon them consumed so much magic they lost their powers forever. When the leaders of Equestria discovered two alicorn sisters with the talent to move the celestial bodies without draining their magic, they moved to coronate the sisters as rulers of Equestria and entrusted Starswirl with the responsibility of raising and mentoring the alicorn sisters. Star Swirl begins mentoring Celestia and Luna in magic.
• The Journal of the Two Sisters - Celestia and Luna are crowned princesses and meet Star Swirl the Bearded. The princesses begin keeping a journal. The princesses discover the Tree of Harmony. The Castle of the Two Sisters is built. Princess Amore of the Crystal Ponies establishes the Crystal Faire. Star Swirl relinquishes his duties of raising the sun and moon to the two princesses, who earn their cutie marks for doing so.
• The Founding of Crystal Empire - The Crystal Heart is discovered in the Frozen North. The Umbrum are driving deep underground due to their vulnerability to the power of the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Empire is founded. Princess Mi Amore establishes the Crystal Faire tradition.
• The Rise of the Changeling Hive - Queen Chrysalis and the Changelings are born.
• The Rise of Lord Tirek - Lord Tirek and Scorpan travel to Equestria, seeking to steal its magic. Scorpan, having come to appreciate the ponies' ways, betrays Tirek to the princesses. Tirek is banished to Tartarus for his crimes.
• The First Hearts and Hooves Day - An unnamed Earth pony prince gives the Alicorn princess a love potion/poison and starts Hearts and Hooves Day.
• The First Grand Galloping Gala - Canterlot is designed and built by Mistmane; its completion is celebrated annually as the Grand Galloping Gala.

The Pillars of Old Equestria

Main article: List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters § Pillars of Old Equestria

Six legendary ponies who defended Equestria from many threats and are responsible for creating the Elements of Harmony. By planting the Tree of Harmony, they strived to ensure that future generations could defend Equestria in its darkest hours.

• The Sirens' Song - A group of Sirens invade Equestria, causing disharmony between ponies with their singing. Stygian brings Rockhoof, Mistmane, Flash Magnus, Somnambula, Mage Meadowbrook, and Star Swirl the Bearded together to stop them, and Star Swirl banishes the Sirens to a realm without magic—the Human World known as Earth—believing they will cause no harm there.
• The Nightmare Realm - - Celestia and Luna are abducted by evil Nightmare forces from another dimension; Stygian and the Pillars join forces to rescue them. The Pony of Shadows appears to stop them. He explains that Celestia and Luna have the potential in them to become Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon; he plans to infuse them with his dark magic, bring them under his control, and use their limitless-power to take over every reality in the multiverse. Though they succeeded, Luna's heart is permanently tainted by evil, foreshadowing future events. Star Swirl, ashamed by his failure to protect Celestia and Luna, abandons his portal research. Most of the Magic Mirrors are subsequently destroyed.
• The Return of the Pony of Shadows - When an evil, alicorn-like monster called the "Pony of Shadows" arose from the abyss, Star Swirl determined that the only way to save Equestria was to send the Pony of Shadows to Limbo, a space between worlds and universes; however, to complete this task, it was needed for the Pillars to send themselves to Limbo as well. By sacrificing themselves, the Pillars locked themselves along with the villain, saving the entirety of Equestria.

The Enslavement of Love

• The Rise of King Sombra - Sombra is told by his mother that he is an Umbrum—a shadow pony—and that an army of umbrum is buried below the Crystal Empire city. Sombra enslaves the Crystal Ponies to raise his umbrum army, but he has second thoughts and refrains from releasing them.
• The Siege of the Crystal Empire - Radiant Hope helps Sombra free the umbrum army, believing them unjustly persecuted and that they deserve to be liberated. However, having witnessed the umbrum reign over the Crystal Empire, Queen Chrysalis fears their attempts to corrupt the Crystal Heart and negatively influence on Equestria, leaving it unfit for her kind to feed off of love. The umbrum are able to use magic, but they are vulnerable to the power of the Crystal Heart.
• The Fall of the Crystal Empire - King Sombra overthrows Princess Amore and becomes the new, tyrannical ruler of the Crystal Empire, enslaving the Crystal Ponies. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeat Sombra, turn him to shadow, and banish him beneath the ice of the Frozen North. Upon Sombra's downfall, a dark magic curse enacted by Sombra causes the entirety of the Empire and its population to vanished. The Frozen North is annexed by Equestria.

The Sister Princesses

Now of age, Celestia and Luna lead Equestria without the wise counsel of Starswirl, who had mysteriously vanished. While the Sister Princesses were not the first rulers of Equestria, they have ruled Equestria for most of their lifespan. The episode "Hearth's Warming Eve" portrayed them as one of the first rulers of Equestria. Their reign is characterized as a unified national identity and whose people are benevolent, integrated, prosperous, and peaceful.

• The Reign of Disharmony and Chaos - Discord and Cosmos rise to power and rule Equestria "in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness." After Cosmos is sent into the stars, Celestia and Princess Luna end the reign by collecting the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony to use them to defeat Discord. Though Discord planted "plunderseeds" to drain the magic of the Tree of Harmony, they are unable to drain the magic in time to stop the Sister Princesses from using the Elements of Harmon to petrify Discord for over a millennium.
• The Great Celestia–Luna Rift - 1,000 years before Friendship is Magic began, the taint overtakes Luna's heart, and she began to believe the ponies' preference for daytime over nighttime is evidence that they hate her. Thus, she rejected her sister and Equestria, transformed into Nightmare Moon, and attempted to create eternal night. Celestia attempted to reason with her, but was forced to use the Elements of Harmony to depose and banish her own sister to the moon.

Celestian Equestria history

The "Golden Age of Princess Celestia", as defined in the comics, is the defining point in Equestrian history as marked by Celestia's leadership; during this era, Equestria transformed itself from an underdeveloped Dark Age feudal kingdom into a superpower with an advanced economy.

After Luna's Banishment

• The E.U.P. Guard - Princess Celestia establishes the E.U.P. Guard during "the anniversary of the first Celestial year of peace". General Firefly establishes the Wonderbolts.
• The First Nightmare Night - Being physically banished did not prevent Luna from entering ponies dreams. For the next thousand years, Celestia's power maintained a "mental barrier" upon Equestrians to keep The Nightmares at bay, as Luna sought to undermine her authority. Except for "the longest night of the year", when Luna's power was strong enough to overcome Celestia's, was she able to spread fear, if only briefly; Nightmare Night is established on this day.

Dawn of the Changling Wars

• The Siege of Timbucktu - Queen Chrysalis and her changelings besiege Timbucktu; Chrysalis seizes King Orion's crown.
• The Siege of Trottingham - Princess Celestia defeats Chrysalis during the siege of Trottingham and banishes her inside a volcano.

Prelude to Friendship is Magic

• Yakyakistan Isolationism - Approximately eight years before Luna's Redemption, Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan closed off its borders to Equestria for the next "hundreds of moons".

Apples and Pears

• The Founding of Ponyville - Approximately one hundred years before Luna's Redemption, a Young Granny Smith discovers zap apples, and the Township of Ponyville is founded. The Apple family begins holding family reunions in Ponyville "every hundred moons." The ponies of Ponyville establish the tradition of "Winter Wrap Up".
• The Perfect Pear - Approximately forty years before Luna's Redemption, the Apple family starts to feud with the Pear family. Chiffon Swirl gets her cutie mark in baking with the help of Pear Butter. Pear Butter marries Bright Mac and becomes a member of the Apple family. Grand Pear and the rest of the Pear family relocate to Vanhoover. Appleloosa township is founded around this time.

Love and Family

• The Crystal Heart Spell - Approximately forty years before Luna's Redemption, a Pegasus pony orphan was found half-dead in the woods by Hollow Shades Earth ponies, with no identity or prior memories; they adopted and named her Cadence. Cadence became an alicorn after reversing a love-stealing spell cast by a unicorn pony called Prismia. After defeating her, Cadence was transported to a strange place where she met Celestia. As with Twilight's ascension, Cadence was surrounded by magical energy and transformed into an alicorn. Being the first Alicorn in millennials, Celestia recognizes Cadance's Mi Amore bloodline and potential over Love Magic, bestows upon her the title Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, adopts her as her royal niece, and enrolls her in the School for Gifted Unicorns.
• The Crystal Heart Spell - Approximately thirty years before Luna's Redemption, Shining Armor meets and falls in love with Princess Cadance; becomes foal-sitter for young Twilight Sparkle.

Rising Storm

• Fizzlepop Berrytwist - Approximately thirty years before Luna's Redemption, Fizzlepop Berrytwist loses her horn in an ursa minor attack and runs away from home.
• The Rise of the Storm Empire - Approximately twenty years before Luna's Redemption, Fizzlepop renames herself Tempest Shadow and becomes the Storm King's new second-in-command, leading his assault on Hippogriffia and driving the Hippogriffs into hiding. The Abyssinian kingdom was annexed by the Storm Empire: its capital of Panthera was later destroyed by the Storm King "out of boredom".

Sunset Shimmer

• The Rise of Sunset Shimmer - Approximately two years before Luna's Redemption, Sunset Shimmer enrolls in the School for Gifted Unicorns; her genius rivaled Starswirl's, and her reputation as a polymath and prodigy earns her recognition as Princess Celestia's personal student. With the one-thousandth anniversary approaching, Celestia had hoped that she would be the one able to redeem Luna.
• The Fall of Sunset Shimmer - Approximately two years before Luna's Redemption, Sunset Shimmer's arrogance got the best of her, causing Celestia to grow concerned over her student's future. As with Twilight, Celestia ordered Sunset to make new friends; however, with Sunset's repeated failures at making friends, Celestia tried to teach her patience and humility, using one of Starswirl's surviving magic mirrors. Her plan backfired when Sunset witnessed a possible future of herself as an alicorn. At first, the projection was of a beautiful and powerful pony, but soon became into a dark, wrathful pony who sought only to control others. Sunset was mortified by the reflection within herself, but grew ever curious. Her obsession with the mirror grew as Sunset disobeyed Celestia's orders by repeatedly breaking into the Forbidden Dark Magic wing of the Royal Library of Equestria. After weeks, Sunset and Celestia blew up at each other, leading to Celestia to denounce Sunset as her protégé. Enraged, Sunset escaped into the mirror and entered the human world; the portal connecting the two worlds would not open again for another three years.

The Cutie Mark Chronicles

• The First Sonic Rainboom - Approximately twenty years before Luna's Redemption. Rainbow Dash broke the speed of sound and magic during a race, creating a phenomenon known as a sonic rainboom. This event, the first of its kind, awarded Rainbow Dash her cutie mark, simultaneously with her future friends, the "Mane Six". This day also marks Spikes official birthday; the day Twilight hatched his egg.
  • Fluttershy falls toward the ground and is saved by a swarm of butterflies. She quickly becomes enamored with the world on the ground. Rainbow's sonic rainboom frightens Fluttershy's new animal friends. When she calms them, her cutie mark appears. Rainbow Dash befriends Gilda at Junior Speedsters flight camp. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash moves to Ponyville on her birthday.
  • Pinkie Pie is dissatisfied with her life as a rock farmer. Upon seeing Rainbow's rainboom, she is overwhelmed with happiness and throws her first party, gaining her cutie mark. Pinkie Pie moves to Ponyville and holds a party in Ponyville; this inspires Cheese Sandwich to become a party pony.
  • Twilight witnesses the Summer Sun Celebration and starts studying magic. Her parents enroll her in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. During Twilight's entrance exam to the School for Gifted Unicorns, Rainbow's rainboom causes Twilight's magic to temporarily overload. Spike is hatched from his dragon egg, Twilight obtains her cutie mark, and Celestia takes Twilight on as a personal student and protege. Celestia's gives Twilight her first assignment: to raise Spike as her child. Since no references on dragons previously existed; she literally wrote Equestria's first book on baby dragons. Twilight befriends Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Lyra Heartstrings, and Moon Dancer while attending the School for Gifted Unicorns. Over the next decade, she continued to meet—and exceed—Celestia's expectations.
  • Applejack leaves Sweet Apple Acres and moves in with her Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan. Unable to fit in among the social Manehattan elite, Applejack becomes homesick. She sees Rainbow's sonic rainboom pointing toward Ponyville. She races home to reunite with her family, and she gains her cutie mark. Applejack goes to Camp Friendship and befriends Coloratura.
  • Rarity makes costumes for a school play. As she suffers a creative block, her horn lights up and drags her off in an unknown direction. Rarity's horn drags her all the way to a giant rock. Rainbow's rainboom causes the rock to split, revealing a deposit of gems. Rarity uses the gems for her school play costumes, and her cutie mark appears. Rarity moves to Ponyville to start her own business.
• The Time Travel Incidents (See: Alternate continuity timelines):
  • Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike appear from the future.
  • The adult versions of the Mane 6 are transported to the past and meet their younger selves, creating a time paradox. In order to preserve history, Celestia seals away the memories of the younger ponies. The fact that Twilight was an Alicorn—with a cutie mark identical to the Tree of Harmony's symbol—was not lost on Celestia.

Modern Equestria history

Main article: List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes

Modern Equestrian history was dominated by a chain of events that heralded significant changes in the nation's history; all of which coincided with three key events.

• The return of Nightmare Moon and Luna's subsequent redemption and reinstatement as a diarch.
• The ascendancy of Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship to royal status.
• The Sister Princesses abdicate the throne, causing the first shift in royal power in over a millennium.

In modern times, Celestia continues to govern Equestria, adopts Cadence—the first new alicorn in centuries—as her niece, and mentors promising young ponies; her most gifted students were Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. Due to the efforts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, Equestria has been enjoying its longest period of prosperity and harmony in recorded history. Centuries of tension between the griffins, ponies, dragons, and changelings peacefully concluded, with all factions becoming unlikely allies.

This is the era most detailed by the main comics, television series, and video games, and is therefore fully canon, according to the show writers.

Year of Luna's Redemption

This time period lasted approximately one year, during which events brought about positive developments: Buffalo and ponies gained an understanding, Dragons and ponies grew friendlier, the citizens of Equestria grew to love Princess Luna instead of fearing her, the Crystal Empire regained its former glory, and many ancient villains were defeated.

• Return of Nightmare Moon - The pilot episode "Friendship is Magic" portrays the defeat of Nightmare Moon by the protagonists, using the Elements of Harmony, known as the Mane Six. Each pony is associated with one of the six Elements of Harmony: Applejack with honesty, Pinkie Pie with laughter, Rainbow Dash with loyalty, Fluttershy with kindness, Rarity with generosity, and Twilight Sparkle with magic. Episode 2 ends with the defeat of Nightmare Moon and her transformation back into Luna, who is eventually reinstated as diarch.

Season 1

• Princess Celestia sends Twilight and her friends tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.
• Traveling magician Trixie puts on a magic show in Ponyville. Twilight defeats an ursa minor, humiliating Trixie.
• Twilight and her friends meet and befriend a zebra shaman named Zecora.
• Twist gets her cutie mark. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo form the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
• Rarity makes dresses for herself and her friends to wear to the Gala.
• Rainbow Dash performs a sonic rainboom. She wins the Best Young Flyer competition in Cloudsdale and garners the attention Wonderbolt Air Chief Marshal Spitfire.
• Twilight adopts an owl as a pet and nighttime assistant and names him Owlowiscious.
• Twilight and her friends attend the Grand Galloping Gala, and an evening of unmet expectations ends in disaster, much to Celestia's joy.

The Return of Harmony

• Return of Discord - Discord first appears at the beginning of season 2. After a minor squabble between the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Discord escaping from his imprisonment as a petrified statue and turns Ponyville into the "chaos capital of the world.". He then captures Ponyville for his "World Capitol of Chaos", but is subsequently defeated and transformed back into stone. In the season 3 episode "Keep Calm and Flutter On", Discord is released again from his stone prison under Princess Celestia's orders to reform himself, which succeeds after Fluttershy treats him like a friend.

Season 2

• Princess Celestia has the rest of Twilight's friends start sending her letters about what they learn about friendship.
• Princess Luna participates in Nightmare Night.
• Twilight celebrates her birthday in Canterlot.
• Salesponies Flim and Flam visit Ponyville. The Apple family beats them in a cider-making competition.
• Spike adopts a baby phoenix and names him Peewee.
• Cranky Doodle Donkey moves to Ponyville. Pinkie Pie befriends him by reuniting him with Matilda.
• Rainbow Dash adopts a tortoise as a pet and names him Tank.
• Spike celebrates what is stated to be his first birthday since moving to Ponyville.
• Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake are born.
• Cerberus briefly strays from the gates of Tartarus and attacks Ponyville. During this time, Lord Tirek escapes imprisonment.

Ending the Changeling Wars

The Changeling Wars were a series of persistent conflicts between Equestria and the Changeling Hive, particularly against the Changeling queen, Queen Chrysalis. As masters of psychological manipulation and infiltration tactics with the ability to shapeshift, the changelings are one of Equestria's oldest and greatest threats. Faced with such an asymmetrical enemy, Equestria was forced into fighting an unwinnable irregular warfare and could not bring its full might to bear upon the Queendom, as Chrysalis's throne nullified all magic not of changeling origin.

• Changeling Invasion of Canterlot - "A Canterlot Wedding" depicts the marriage of Princess Cadance to Prince Shining Armor, the captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot and Twilight's older brother. Queen Chrysalis, a changeling who imprisons and impersonates Cadance prior to her wedding in an attempt to invade Canterlot, the capital of Equestria. Chrysalis' strength arises from her ability to consume love, so she shapeshifted into Cadence to feed off of the love Shining Armor has for Cadance. However, Twilight Sparkle discovers this, frees Cadance, and reveals Cadance's impostor before the wedding. Cadance and Shining Armor defeat the changelings with the power of their love and with help from the Mane Six.
• Changeling abduction of Equestrian leadership and Changeling Revolution - In the season six finale "To Where and Back Again", Starlight Glimmer discovers a changeling conspiracy in which all four Princesses and her friends have been replaced by doppelgangers and assembles an unlikely team of heroes to save her friends. It was at this point that the "reformed" changeling Thorax shows his fellow Changelings if they share friendship, they will no longer need to feed off of love. Subsequently, the Changelings turn against Chrysalis, accepting friendship and becoming reformed versions of themselves.
• Chrysalis's Attempt at Revenge - Less than a year later, Queen Chrysalis attempted to seek vengeance against Starlight Glimmer and the Mane 6 and regain control of the Changeling Hive by creating clones of the Mane Six. However, her plan failed after the Tree of Harmony stopped the clones from stealing the Elements and subsequently killed them. Disregarding a few minor mishaps during their day, the Mane 6 and Starlight Glimmer were left completely unaware of Chrysalis's plan.

Season 3

• Return of the Crystal Empire - The Crystal Empire is introduced in season 3 as the home of the Crystal Ponies located in the far north of Equestria. Its despot ruler, King Sombra, first appears in the two-part episode "The Crystal Empire". He was defeated by Celestia and Luna in the past and disappeared along with his empire for one thousand years. With the help of Cadance and Shining Armor, the Mane 6 venture to the Crystal Empire after it reappears. They stop King Sombra from retaking the Crystal Empire by finding the "Crystal Heart" that protects it, with help from Spike, Twilight's dragon assistant. After the event, Princess Cadance became the ruler of Crystal Empire, with Shining Armor serving as her prince regent and consort.
• Babs Seed visits Ponyville and becomes a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
• Trixie returns to Ponyville with the Alicorn Amulet and beats Twilight in a magic duel. With the help of her friends, Twilight tricks Trixie into relinquishing the Alicorn Amulet and saves Ponyville.
• Rainbow Dash becomes mentor/surrogate big sister to Scootaloo.
• Rainbow Dash enrolls at the Wonderbolt Academy.
• Princess Celestia has Discord released from his stone prison on the terms of being reformed, a feat which Fluttershy accomplishes.
• Spike returns Peewee to his parents.
• The Crystal Empire is selected as the next location for the Equestria Games.
• Twilight Sparkle completes Star Swirl the Bearded's unfinished spell and creates new magic. She is crowned as the fourth Alicorn princess in Equestria's history.
• The Return of Sunset Shimmer - Enraged by being replaced by Twilight, Sunset took the Element of Magic for her own nefarious ends, but is redeemed by Twilight Sparkle. Eventually, Twilight and Sunset are even able to keep in touch with each other via a magic journal.

Ascension of Twilight Sparkle

The era begins almost exactly a year after the return of Princess Luna; this era is notable for the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle and the opening of the School of Friendship. This period brought about increases of peace, prosperity, hope and love, as Princess Twilight continued her scientific research and made her diplomatic mission to spread the friendship to every creature in need. Large battles and conflicts against villains were also held during its time period.

Season 4

• The Return of Lord Tirek - After the centaur Lord Tirek escaped from Tartarus and stole the magic of every pony in Equestria, the princesses gave their magic to Twilight Sparkle, who was able to defeat Tirek and reimprison him in Tartarus.
• The Rainbow Rocks - Six moons after redeeming Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle returns to the human world and helps the Rainbooms defeat the Dazzlings; the sirens previously banished by Starswirl. Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk enroll at Canterlot High and turn the musical showcase into a battle of the bands.

Season 5

• The Vengeance of Starlight Glimmer - Starlight Glimmer stole the cutie marks of hundreds of ponies, twice attempted to destroy Twilight and Spike, and almost led Equestria to its complete destruction. After showing her how her actions are harming Equestria, and seeing her tragic past of losing her friend, Twilight convinces Starlight to give up her quest for revenge and give friendship another chance, and decides to take her in as her own student. (See: Alternate continuity timelines.)

Season 6

• The Crystalling - Princess Cadence gives birth to Flurry Heart, the first naturally-born Alicorn in Equestria. Starlight Glimmer reunites with her old friend Sunburst. Flurry Heart inadvertently shatters the Crystal Heart, threatening the Crystal Empire with an eternal winter. The Mane Six and their friends restore the Crystal Heart with Flurry Heart's Crystalling ceremony.
• The New Dragon Lord - During this period, the Gauntlet of Fire was held to determine the new Dragon Lord, because Dragon Lord Torch was retiring. During the gauntlet, Spike was crowned Dragon Lord, but gave the title to Ember.

Season 7

• The Celestial Advice - Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord are awarded Pink Hearts of Courage, and Starlight graduates from being Twilight's student.
• The Shadow Play - Twilight and her friends gather together the magical artifacts of the Pillars of Old Equestria. Twilight releases Star Swirl the Bearded, the Pillars, and the Pony of Shadows from limbo. The Cutie Map summons the Mane Six to the Hollow Shades. The Mane Six and the Pillars of Old Equestria free Stygian from the darkness, and the darkness is banished to limbo again.
• The Invasion of the Storm Empire - Twilight oversees Equestria's first Friendship Festival in Canterlot. The Storm King, a fearsome satyr-like conqueror of unknown origin, attacked Canterlot and captured the princesses with an army of monsters led by his unicorn second-in-command Tempest Shadow. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were able to defeat him with the help of new allies from beyond Equestria and Tempest herself.
• The Spring Breakdown - Some of the Storm King's magic leaks into the human world as the Humane 7 celebrate spring break on the Luxe Deluxe cruise ship, manifesting as a magical lightning storm. Sunset, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash discover a second portal to Equestria, and eventually use the Staff of Sacanas to absorb the Storm King's residual magic.

Season 8

• Tempest's Tale - Tempest Shadow leaves to help ponies around Equestria and spread the news of the Storm King's defeat.
• School Daze - Twilight opens the School of Friendship.
• The Rise of Cozy Glow - Cozy Glow, a pegasus filly enlisted at Twilight's School of Friendship, conspired with Lord Tirek to drain Equestria of its magic and seize political power. She was defeated by the Young Six and imprisoned next to Tirek.
• The Best Gift Ever - The Mane Six do a Hearthswarming Helper for Hearth's Warming. Pinkie Pie meets the Gift Givers of the Grove.

Season 9

• The Beginning of the End - After Celestia and Luna decide to retire and hand off the ruling of Equestria to Twilight and her friends, it sends Twilight into a tailspin of self-doubt. Around this time, King Sombra, previously presumed dead, returns after being revived by Grogar, a ram warlock from ancient times, but is defeated by the Mane Six, even after he destroys the Tree of Harmony.
• The Ending of the End - Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, and Cozy Glow turn the pony races against each other and empower themselves with the Bewitching Bell. The three villains defeat and capture most of the Mane Six, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, the Pillars, and Discord; they destroy Canterlot Castle in the process. Twilight's friends escape and regroup with her to challenge the villains. The windigos return to Equestria. The School of Friendship students reunite Equestria and convince all of Equestria's allies to assemble an army to fight the villains. The Mane Six, Young Six, and Pillars banish the windigos and defeat the villains with the magic of friendship. Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are imprisoned in stone by Discord and the princesses. Twilight is crowned ruler of Equestria, and Celestia and Luna retire to Silver Shoals. Twilight establishes the Council of Friendship with her friends.

Twilightian Equestria history

Season 9

• The Last Problem - Celestia and Luna have retired, with Twilight as the official sovereign ruler of Equestria, and Spike as her regent and royal advisor. Twilight takes ownership of the School for Gifted Unicorns. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo become full-time teachers at the School of Friendship. Luster Dawn moves to Ponyville. Gallus is the current captain of the Royal Guard, and Rainbow Dash commands the Wonderbolts. Lyra and Sweetie Drops marry. Derpy publishes a muffin-themed cookbook. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich marry and have a son. Big McIntosh and Sugar Belle have a son. Rarity opens new boutiques for non-ponies and hires Yona as an employee at Carousel Boutique. In regards to Twilight's immortality, it is currently unknown how Meghan McCarthy's comment regarding "Twilight will not outlive her friends" will be resolved in the future.

Alternate continuity timelines

Time magic features prominent as a chekhov's gun on several occasions. Discovered and/or invented by Starswirl, it allowed him to manipulate time and remain ageless. Because using it irresponsible could lead to branches in time or time loops, Celestia outlawed time magic, and all knowledge pertaining to it is held within Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Canterlot Archives.

In "The Cutie Re-Mark", several alternate versions of Equestria are depicted as a result of Starlight Glimmer changing history. In the first alternate timeline shown, King Sombra expands the Crystal Empire's borders to cover half of Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. In the second, Queen Chrysalis and the changelings have conquered Canterlot and forced many ponies into hiding. In the third, Nightmare Moon rules Equestria in eternal night after banishing Celestia to the moon. Further alternate realities include one ruled by Discord, one in which Tirek ravages the land, one in which Flim and Flam bulldoze the Everfree Forest for development, and one in which Equestria is reduced to a barren wasteland. Thanks to Twilight Sparkle's actions, these alternate realities are undone.

Inhabitants

Ponies

Ponies Equestrian
My Little Pony race
In-universe information
Home world	Equestria
Capital	Canterlot
Sub-races	Earth Unicorn Pegasus Crystal Thestral Alicorn
Distinctions	Legendary creature
Language	Ponish
Currency	Bits
Leader	Princess Celestia retired Princess Luna retired Princess Cadence Princess Twilight Sparkle Princess Flurry Heart
Notable members	Mane Six

Equestrian Ponies are sapient, quadrupedal, ungulate mammals. Distinguishable from other equine species by their facultative bipedalism, pastel coats/manes/tails, and the picturesque "cutie mark" that appears on their flanks when they find their "Special Talent"... their true purpose in life. Being capable of powerful magics, physical prowess, mastery over the earth, control over the skies, and even the heavenly bodies above, ponies have thrived in a world full of supernatural danger. Their natural penchant towards camaraderie allows for building beneficial alliances with predators—such as dragons and gryphons—who historically preyed upon them. The Equestrian pony species can be further subdivided into six subspecies: earth pony, pegasus pony, unicorn pony, crystal pony, thestral pony, and alicorn pony. Equestrian ponies are amongst of the most influential species in history—having established a powerful nation, Equestria, whose territories included much of the known world at the apex of their civilizations' existence. Other foreign nations known to have been established and/or inhabited by ponies ethnic majorities include Saddle Arabia and Maretonia.

Majority Pony ethnicities

Earth Ponies

Earth ponies possess an underlying connection to the earth, nature, and the environment that encourages the growth of plant life and a connection with wild animals. Earth pony based technology is purely mechanical and often is intended to replicate things they cannot do themselves. Earth ponies form the backbone of Equestria's economy, operating within most industries sectors involving natural resources, construction or extraction. Their natural talents in agriculture, forestry, and mining extends from plants to rock farms. Compared to pegasi and unicorns, earth ponies exhibit supernatural strength, endurance, stamina, fortitude, and durability.

Pegasus Ponies

Pegasi have the unique ability to fly and magically control the weather. This ability is powered by a pair of feathered wings, which is the distinguishing anatomical feature of pegasi compared to other pony races. Pegasi make up the majority of ponies responsible for the postal service, patrolling Equestria's airspace, and controlling Equestria's weather. Pegasi are the only pony able to naturally interact with clouds as if they were tangible; this allows them to walk on and move clouds and, by extension, control the weather (although other pony types are able to due this through artificial means using magic). In the episode "Hurricane Fluttershy", a coordinated team of one hundred pegasi demonstrate their ability to generate hurricane-force winds to funnel water from a lake.

Unicorn Ponies

Unicorns can directly absorb, wield, channel, create and manipulate magic; this ability is powered by a horn of variable length, texture, and color on their forehead. However, a unicorn's horn can be destroyed, taking away most of their magical capabilities. Unicorns are amongst the most educated and scholarly of Equestria's citizens. While other ponies' innate magical talents are "intuitive or instinctive", unicorns require decades of higher education to master any spell beyond the most basic fundamentals. Many spells and abilities are open to all unicorns, but many unicorn has a specialty, be it teleportation, transfiguration, or medicine. Generally, unicorns have a collection of various spells relating to their specialty, one being vastly more effective than the rest.

Minority Pony ethnicities (>10%)

Crystal Ponies

Crystal ponies are a subset of ponies. are a glittery crystal version of the three tribes: earth ponies, pegasus ponies, and unicorn ponies. Crystal ponies have the same magics as their non-crystal counterparts. They also have the ability to assume a glittery crystal appearance when they are in a good mood. When they are in a sad mood they assume a dull, and bland, appearance. They also have the ability to use crystal magic. This gives the ability to infuse their emotions into crystal. And thus, empower the Crystal Heart when it is needed.

Thestral Ponies

Thestral ponies are a subset of ponies. They are easily recognizable by their bat-like wings, and their slit-pupil eyes.

Alicorn Ponies

Alicorn ponies are a subset of ponies. The novel "Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell" establishes that the Alicorn Princesses are "a special breed of pony able to harness the magical powers of the Unicorns, the flight abilities of the Pegasi, and the strength of a good, true heart of an Earth Pony." Faust states that Celestia "embodies the traits of all three [kinds of ponies]". Alicorns are a unique race of pony that possess all three distinguishing features of the other pony races: the horn of a unicorn, the wings of a pegasus, and the fortitude of an earth pony. As such, this also grants them access to the inherent magical abilities of all three races. They are taller and more slender than most ponies, and known for their unnaturally long lifespan and supernatural abilities.

Non-ponies

In addition to native ponies, Equestria is inhabited by a number of Non-ponies; while ponies make up the clear majority of the Equestrian population, several other sapient species, often ungulates like cattle or the Kirin, also live in Equestria.

Zebras

Zebras are distinguishable by the unique black-and-white stripes that adorn their coats and the glyph-like Cutie Mark that adorns their haunch. Zebras are explicitly stated not to be a race of pony despite being the only other creature to feature a cutie mark. Zebras have been shown as naturally resistant to forms of mind control and cannot be detected by telepathic entities. There were a number of communities in Equestria that had zebras living and working among ponies, often as the minority. While zebra interaction with ponies was not uncommon, their strange mannerisms invited speculation and irrational fear among ponies in some areas.

Dragons

Dragons are winged, serpentine omnivores and lithovores who possess strong armored scales and breathe magical fire as a form of attack. Aside from allegiance to the Dragon Lord, dragons had no real alignment nor organized society, and most merely roamed around the land, only occasionally being spotted within the borders of Equestria. Dragons are highly competitive and materialistic, known to grow in size as they collect or hoard things.

Draconequus

Draconequus are beings of immense power, powerful enough to alter reality at a whim. Discord is the only example of a Draconequus within the main television series; however, he and others reference Draconequui as being a species, implying that there are more than one.

The species is a dragon-like chimera made from the body parts of different animals.

Government

Equestria is originally depicted as a semi-constitutional coregency, principality, eventually becoming a singular monarchy with the abdication of Princesses Celestia and Luna in favor of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Equestrian government, as described in depth by the comic and video game series, has a legislative branch, an executive branch, headed by four monarchs, and a judiciary branch, with judges appointed by region by the monarchs. The main television series, however, rarely delves into political detail on the government of Equestria—despite many principal characters being government officials—beyond its executive branch and the various political officials of the Ponyville and Canterlot townships.

Governance within Equestria's principalities demonstrate an exceptionally high level of stability, organization and communication, even across so sprawling a continent-size domain through the use of extensive ships, railroads and highways, and a postal system of quick supply storehouses, rest stops, and relay stations. Deployment of soldiers, distribution of workers, and transmission of messages could be achieved with tremendous speeds, preventing what might otherwise be a crippling disconnect and disunity throughout the nation.

Princesses of Equestria

The government is currently as of the series finale a matriarchy-monarchy: concentration of sovereignty resides with the current alicorn sovereign princess Twilight Sparkle. Royal linage has been showed to be gained in both meritocratic and hereditary means, whereby some princess have earned their position through "alicorn ascendency" (such as Twilight Sparkle), which has been depicted only once in show canon, and only achievable via an act of unprecedented heroism, or the creation of "new magic". Other princesses however have been shown to inherit royal status from parents (such as Flurry Heart). Celestia and Luna act as the Heads of State and Government. The exact extent of the Princesses' powers and influence is unknown—other than constitutional limitations Celestia placed upon herself—as the separation of powers distribution between the government branches are never specified.

Princess Celestia

Main article: Princess Celestia

Princess Celestia, the Princess of the Day, originally being the eldest monarch before her abdication and only monarch during a 1,000 year period after Princess Luna's deposition and banishment, often handles the affairs of state and diplomacy. Supreme Commander of armed forces in wartime. Celestia affected the role of the monarchy from her coronation to her abdication, and her history is inseparable and synonymous with Equestria's. From the beginning, Celestia despised tyranny and did not want to resemble a Queen or an Empress, nor be referred to as one. She preferred the title "Princess" as a sign of humility, which is how equestrian sovereigns are still addressed to this day. Celestia is the eldest of the two Royal Sisters, the longest-lived and longest-reigning Equestrian monarch—older than anyone would dare guess—acting as head ruler of Equestria for over one thousand years due to the timeless aging of alicorns. Additionally, she is responsible for the raising and lowering the sun, working in tandem with her sister Luna to ensure a night and day cycle. She is perhaps the most beloved creature in the world, being a staunch proponent for international peace, kindness and cooperation. Very little of her past before Celestia's victory over Discord is known, except that she and Luna discovered the Elements of Harmony. With these artifacts and their bearers, Princess Celestia has secured millennia-long, relative peace for a nation.

Princess Luna

Main article: Princess Luna (My Little Pony)

Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night and original diarch of Equestria before her abdication, utilizes her intimate knowledge of fear and the use of moon magic in her duties, monitoring the dreams of all creatures and protecting them from nightmares.

Princess Cadance

Main article: Princess Cadance

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love, and her husband Prince consort Shining Armor jointly serve as the "Empress and Emperor of the Crystal Empire", which is a semi-autonomous territory of Equestria with its own military guard and unique culture. Cadence, young Pegasus mare and a distant relative of the lost Princess Amore, defeated a unicorn sorceress named Prismia. Her victory transported her to an unknown magical realm where she met Celestia, who adopted the newly ascended Alicorn as her niece. After the Crystal Empire returned and subsequent defeat of King Sombra, Cadence became the rightful ruler of the Empire.

Princess Flurry Heart

Main article: Princess Flurry Heart

Cadence gives birth to an alicorn filly named Flurry Heart. Celestia and Luna both stated that "the birth of an alicorn, is something Equestria has never seen", and that it was "even beyond their understanding".

Princess Twilight Sparkle

Main article: Princess Twilight Sparkle

Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, plays a de facto role similar to that of a Foreign Minister or Secretary of State, often acting as a diplomatic figure to other nations. She had been groomed by Celestia for leadership so that she could rule after Celestia's and Luna's eventual retirement. With the aid of her friends and the Tree of Harmony, Twilight has made it her life's mission to spread the magic of friendship across the known world.

Celestia's prized pupil, Twilight Sparkle, successfully completed a number of impressive tasks with the aid of her friends, the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony. After she redeemed Nightmare Moon, thwarted the return of Discord, and helped thwart Queen Chrysalis' takeover of Canterlot, she was tasked with helping safeguard the newly returned Crystal Empire. Upon her success, Celestia and Luna agreed that she was ready to face another challenge: finishing an incomplete spell of Starswirl's. After accidentally switching her friends' cutie marks, Twilight was able to restore them to normal and complete the spell. As a result, she created "new magic" and became an Alicorn, with Celestia acknowledging her as a princess.

Twilight establishes the joint ruleship of Equestria with the Council of Friendship—currently consisting of the Mane Six—which effectively serves as her cabinet; they gather once a moon to consult issues ranging from friendship problems to national security, while in doing so, removing the risk of having time spent apart weaken their friendship.

Domestic defense

Equestria is depicted as being a mostly peaceful nation that hasn't experienced war for centuries; aside from a few judicial warships and a core defense force, there was with little need for a large professional military beyond the existing Wonderbolts, who patrols Equestria's air space, and the Royal Guards that protect the Princesses. The previous Changeling Hive conflicts were asymmetrical; a "cold war" where neither belligerents could achieve decisive victory for their side. This state of relaxed peacetime security and vulnerability were recently exploited by the invading Storm Empire, followed by a terrorist attack by villains, which forced Equestria to update their defenses in response.

Equestria first and foremost line of defence falls upon Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Mane 6, who are often called upon to defend Equestria against magical threats. An alternate timeline of the main series showed that the rulers of Equestria may choose to retain command of the armed forces when they are raised.

E.U.P. Guard

E.U.P. (Earth, Unicorn, Pegasi) Guard of Equestria was formally established in response for Equestria need for a modernized gendarmerie professional standing army and law enforcement on a federal administrative level. The E.U.P. guard were active around the time that the Pony of Shadows abducted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Under Twilight's rule the E.U.P. guard now includes non-ponies amongst their ranks.

Prior to the formal establishment of the E.U.P. Guard, forerunners were decentralized fiefdoms of militias or mercenaries. Known military forces that defended various populations in Equestria have included the Cloudsdale Royal Legion and the Mighty Helm. Pre-Equestrian rulers were seen to maintain forces of "guardsponies", with Commander Hurricane and Sable Spirit both maintaining forces of Pegasi and Unicorn guards, respectively.

Royal Guards

The Royal Guards are the pony protectors of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. The royal guard were in operation by the time Nightmare Moon began invading the dreams of ponies after turning the enslaved Nyx into the Nightmare Forces. The Royal Guard themselves have largely proven ceremonial: as any threat that the Alicorn Princesses would have needed protection from have consistently ripped through them—with the Princesses somehow protecting them—and are thus relegated to law enforcement and other mundane matters. After Flash Magnus became a drill sergeant for the guard, these guards-including some mares specified as serving under Princess Luna-were more commonly seen. The current Royal Guardcommander is Shining Armor, Royal Captain of the Guards; Gallus is later promoted to that rank.

Crystal Guard

The Crystal Guard—an E.U.P. guard subdivision—have defended the Crystal Empire for an unknown period of time, dating back at least as far as King Sombra's childhood. Members include Crystal Pegasi, Crystal Earth Ponies, and Crystal Unicorns.

Night Guard

The Night Guard—consisting of "Bat Ponies" aka "Thestral Ponies" —serve as Princess Luna's guards, though they have also been seen in the company of Princess Celestia; in an alternate timeline, several Bat Ponies served as Nightmare Moon's royal guards.

Wonderbolts

The Wonderbolts are an elite unit of Pegasi and serves as the air force division of the Royal Guards of Equestria, they are also the official police force of the city of Cloudsdale. The Wonderbolts have a proud military tradition: on the anniversary of the First Celestial year of peace following Nightmare Moon's banishment, General Firefly selected a group of fliers from among the E.U.P. guard to perform at the Summer Sun Celebration. This group would later come to be known as the Wonderbolts. Under Twilight's rule the Wonderbolts now includes non-ponies amongst their ranks. The current Wonderbolt commander is Spitfire, Air Chief Marshal; Rainbow Dash is later promoted to that rank.

National intelligence

Internal existential threats necessitate priority for covert counterintelligence, internal security and anti-monster agencies. Sweetie Drops (Bon Bon) is the only known pony associated with such organizations.

Foreign relations

Equestria successfully continues, through the diplomatic efforts of Princess Twilight and her friends, to use soft power in forging cultural, political, diplomatic, military and economic cooperation with Griffonstone, Yakyakistan, Hippogriffia/Seaquestria, Maretonia, Saddle Arabia, the reformed Changeling Hive, and the Dragonlands.

Culture

Culturally, Equestria is quite similar to the culture of the anglosphere, reflecting analogies with both the United States and Canada. The foundations of the culture were the principles of harmony, order and friendship; which helps maintain unity within the principalities through adherence culture and identity. Although Equestria encompasses several ethnic groups and cultures, the speedy means which information and orders can be moved throughout the principalities does demonstrate a high capability for maintaining peace and unity.

Holidays, observances and events

Specific events are depicted in the show. Some are regular annual occurrences; others happen more infrequently.

Major events

• Hearth's Warming and Hearth's Warming Eve: An annual holiday commemorating the Declaration of Hearth's Warming. The holiday tends to act as the national holiday of Equestria; however, the holiday's celebrations are nearly identical to Christmas, in that it is celebrated during winter and has similar traditions including decorating trees and exchanging gifts.
• Crystal Faire: An annual public holiday held in honor of Princess Cadence within the Crystal Empire. It was established by the Crystal Ponies' first empress, Princess Amore, and became their most important tradition in "renew the spirit of love and unity in the Empire so the Crystal Ponies could protect Equestria from harm."
• Festival of the Two Sisters: A public holiday, formerly known as the Summer Sun Celebration, originally held in honor of Princess Celestia as the longest day of the year. It formerly commemorated the anniversary of Princess Celestia's first raising of the sun, Celestia's battle to restore the sun to Equestria by imprisoning Nightmare Moon, and the redemption of Princess Luna; but is now meant to honor the two sisters. The event itself mostly takes place in Canterlot, and ends with Celestia raising the sun behind her.
• Nightmare Night: A Halloween-like holiday held in honor of Princess Luna, in which foals dress up in costumes and go door-to-door collecting candy. Festival activities include a carnival with various games, musical entertainment, and a tradition in which candy is offered to the effigy of Nightmare Moon. According to myth, this holiday was meant to appease Nightmare Moon, lest she visit nightmares upon the innocent and devour naughty children. In "Luna Eclipsed", though initially disgusted in the celebration of subjecting her own people to fear, Twilight helped Luna learned to understand and even embrace this dark aspect of her persona.
• Friendship Festival: An annual holiday held in honor of Twilight Sparkle. It is first depicted in My Little Pony: The Movie, where ponies from all over Equestria gather in Canterlot.

Minor events

• Cute-ceañera: A coming of age event celebrated by those who have recently gotten their cutie marks, both males and females.
• Crystalling: A special ceremony for Crystal Empire newborns that culminates in making the Crystal Heart stronger than before.
• Equestria Games: A sporting event that first appears in the season four episode of the same name. Ms. Harshwhinny is the head of the Equestria Games as well as the Games Inspector. Different years' announced hosts of the Equestria Games include Fillydelphia and the Crystal Empire.
• Grand Galloping Gala: An annual royal ball held to celebrate the completion of Canterlot after Equestria was founded. It is attended primarily by the upper class elite: to attend this event, one must possess a golden ticket.
• Hearts and Hooves Day: a Valentine's Day-themed holiday.
• Sisterhooves Social: An annual event in which "sister" teams of two compete in various contests. According to Granny Smith, the Sisterhooves Social has a loose definition of what constitutes a "sister". Because of this, non-sister teams and male ponies are allowed to participate.
• Winter Wrap Up: An annual event that involves clearing winter in preparation for spring. All ponies are assigned to one of three teams: weather, plants, or animals. Because Ponyville was founded by earth ponies, they change the seasons from winter to spring without using magic. Even after unicorns and pegasi started settling there, the tradition has continued.

Economics and society

Equestria is an egalitarian urban fantasy society with an educated, literate labor pool that has a market economy through which a wide variety of goods and services are bought and sold, both through the use of currency and the barter. Many of the stories depicted across all media focus on the performance of economic tasks: crop harvesting, production of baked goods, and the maintenance of the town.

Technology and magic

Equestrian magic is tightly integrated with Equestrian technology, with the formal study of magic forming a fundamental scientific branch. It is a natural part of the Equestrian world that may be harnessed for useful applications, and continues to influence and shape everyday life in Equestria. Many creatures possess inherent extraordinary or supernatural abilities that are magical in nature. Ponies in particular have been shown as having natural magic, each species has a magical trait or quality that are mostly unique to them. Magic aids the pegasi in weather modification, the Earth ponies in resource extraction and agriculture, and aids unicorns with scientific research and in creating useful items that benefit all ponies.

Overall, the level of technology in Equestria varies between early-to-mid 20th century, being chiefly dependent on the population density and economic prosperity of any given settlement. The wealthiest and most technologically advanced settlements lie on Equestria's coastlines; each with population densities numbering in the millions. Firearms and other gunpowder-based weaponry are unheard. Metallurgy is limited to forging and blacksmiths. Electricity and internal combustion are readily available to all but the most isolated communities. Simple machines such as pulleys and levers are widely used. Warfare, when it occurs, is mostly composed of human wave attacks and close quarters combat. All aspects of life are through machinery that supplements the natural talents of ponykind.

Ideas and concepts such as metallurgy, industrialization, mechanization, interchangeable parts, standardization of production, assembly lines, etc., are both known and depicted throughout every My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic media platform. Advanced manufacturing exists because they have clearly visible heart monitors in their hospitals. Medical technology is advanced and sanitary, with modern hospital facilities—staffed by trained medical professionals—being further supplemented with healing magic. Mass production on a large scale is available and inexpensive. Natural resources for production such as ores, lumber, textiles, petroleum and other sources, exist in abundance, with the methods of gathering and processing these resources being fast and efficient by Earth Ponies skilled in manual work. Postal service, travel, transport, and communication is relatively fast and efficient despite lacking advanced telecommunication; being limited to walking, flying, carriages, railroads, ships, and word of mouth. Teleportation, while widely known, is an advanced technique beyond most unicorns' ability to execute, and too physically exhausting to be viable. While the Princesses themselves, in effect, have access to "magical Email" (via Spike's flame) this ability is not depicted as readily available or widespread.

In terms of maritime technology, ships varies from oar and sail in terms of propulsion to advanced steamships with paddle-wheel or screw propellers. Advanced radar, sonar, or GPS are unknown; depiction of navigation is done by the stars and primitive maps and other navigational equipment.

Advancements in the sciences Equestria have achieved has taken decades or even centuries to discover. Magic in Equestria is highly developed as science, causing many useful applications ranging from industries, to combat and civilian applications. Rural or isolated communities products' are hand-crafted by specialists and therefore time-consuming to create. Due to the huge gap in technology level when compared to Equestria, the military, economy and overall standard of living is exceedingly primitive for other nations depicted throughout the franchise. In comparison to Dragonkind's culture, for example, the resulting stagnation of technological advance is enormous.

This abundance of magical technological progress is due largely in part to Equestria's compulsory education system and actual scientific research. By opening Equestria's schools, Twilight hopes to share in Equestria's prosperity gained through knowledge and friendship with the non-pony nations throughout the known world. Chancellor Neighsay and other decouncers cited unsegregated inclusiveness of non-pony creatures as a naive foolish act that inevitably threatens Equestria's national security.

Infrastructure and Industrialization

Equestria is depicted as being a heavily Tier 2 industrialization, with access to early-to-mid 20th century pre-digital technology. Commonly depicted technologies include hard fantasy/steampunk-style steam locomotive rapid transits, zeppelin airships, pegasi-powered commercial passenger aircraft, concrete-steel skyscrapers and hydroelectric dams, analog computers and electric lighting.

• Friendship Express is a transcontinental railroad used by Equestrians to travel between regions or continents within days, and is the main character's preferred method of traveling throughout Equestria. Steam-powered technology opened regions of Equestria to exploration and settlements that would not otherwise have been feasible, and forms the backbones of cross-country passenger and freight transportation networks. Since season two, the pink engine-powered train has appeared in the main title sequence; outside of the title sequence, the Friendship Express appears in dozens of episodes and the comics.
• Airships - In "Apple Family Reunion", family members are seen using airships to travel. In "Once Upon a Zeppelin", Twilight Sparkle and her family win a free cruise, which turns out to be a themed vacation experience organized by Iron Will. However, airship technology is not exclusive to Equestria: the Storm King had a fleet of airships, and Capper mentions owning one to Twilight Sparkle.

Sciences of Magic

The limitations of magic are always explained even if the reason why is unexplained or impossible. Princess Twilight Sparkle frequently researches magic phenomena using the scientific method.

• Cutie Marks - One distinctive form of natural magic shared by all ponies are Cutie Marks. Two marks appear, one on each flank, when a pony realizes their special talent or goal in life.
• Spellcasting - Raw magic channeled by unicorns and alicorns can generate spells to cause specific effects, producing a colorful aura identical to the pony's eye color and/or cutie marks.

Equestrian Artifacts

Throughout Equestrian history, an unspecified number of magical objects have been imbued with quite the range of mystical powers by the greatest mages that came before. In the Equestria Girls franchise, some of these artifacts were discovered in the "Human World"; a recurring plot element involves Sunset Shimmer and their friends tracking them down and/or removing them from the possession of humans corrupted by their magic.

• Elements of Harmony - Six magical artifacts created by the Tree of Harmony which, in turn, was created through the efforts of the Pillars of Old Equestria—and formerly wielded by Celestia and Luna—are the most powerful weapons in all of Equestria. They are gems that are depicted to be able to project rainbows powered by Friendship magic. They were used to defeat Nightmare Moon, and a thousand years later to restore her to her original form. The first five Elements were shaped like regular gems; a thousand years later, they all became shaped to resemble the cutie marks of their most recent bearers and placed in necklaces. The sixth Element, the Element of Magic, is shaped like a six-pointed star resembling the cutie mark of Twilight Sparkle, and a thousand years later is placed in a crown. The Elements of Harmony were returned to Tree of Harmony in "Princess Twilight Sparkle" so the Tree of Harmony could prevent the Everfree Forest from growing out of control. The Elements and the Tree of Harmony were destroyed in "The Beginning of the End", but it has been shown that the Mane Six are still able to harness their power despite them being destroyed.
• Crystal Heart - A magical heart-shaped crystal that the Crystal Ponies use to protect the Crystal Empire. It is powered by Love magic and is featured in the cutie mark of Princess Cadance and Princess Amore.
• Crystal Mirror - A mirror created by Star Swirl that acts as a portal to the human world. Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike use it to travel between Equestria and the human world when necessary.
• Alicorn Amulet - A magical amulet featured in the episode "Magic Duel". The amulet is designed to enhance an alicorn's magic; a non-alicorn who uses the amulet risks being corrupted. It has a built-in magical lock that prevents any pony other than the bearer from taking it off.
• Cutie Map - A magical map of Equestria first seen in "The Cutie Map". Twilight Sparkle and her friends use it to solve friendship problems across Equestria.
• Mirror Pool - An enchanted pool in the Everfree Forest that can duplicate whoever stands in front of it.
• Time Twirler - A stopwatch artifact of Starswirl's invention seen in Equestria Girls; when activated, has the power to loop time.
• Staff of Sacanas - A legendary staff first seen in My Little Pony: The Movie and used by Storm King and Princess Eris. The staff's primary function appears to be that of power absorption and amplify it to unprecedented heights. The Staff of Sacanas was wielded by the Storm King among several of his earlier conquests, using it to sack over a dozen kingdoms, and to destroy a dozen more. Under the Storm Kings ownership, it could control the weather, due to having absorbed the power of a member of Strife's species and could later control the sun and moon with the power of the Princesses of Equestria's magic. In an alternate universe, Princess Eris received the staff as well: she managed to absorb the powers of Princess Luna and claimed it could affect dreams as well and would sell the staff at an auction, allowing whatever villain who wanted it to do whatever they wished with it.
• Grogar's Bell - A bewitching bell created by the evil ram Grogar. He was the emperor of the land before the founding of Equestia (the land as it's known today was only a mere field of land and pastures) until the renowned Gusty the Great stole his bewitching well, and securely placing it at the peak of Mount Everhoof. The mountain is protected by an ancient spell and magical winds to prevent the bell from being taken. The bell allows the user to cast a spell and take the magical power of any earth pony, unicorn or pegasi, and the bell stores this magic until it is released. The bell cannot be destroyed.
• The Cloak of Clover the Clever - A magical artifact that was used to drain all of the magic out of Equestria, along with five other magical artifacts.

Flora and Fauna

Much of the flora and fauna of Equestria is similar or practically identical to those on Earth, among the species shown or referenced include cats, dogs, rabbits, snakes, vultures, and numerous plant species such as trees or grasses. In addition to those species similar to those on Earth, there are a number of typical "fantasy" species.

Magical creatures

Magical creatures in the show include but are not limited to:

• Dragons - Dragons in the show exhibit varying levels of sapience and intelligence. Some, like Spike, integrated into pony culture, while others, like the oversized and more traditionally designed Razer resemble a more beastly creature. Dragons breathe fire, eat gemstones, and are generally speaking aggressive.
• Griffons - a mythical creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, depicted in the show as aggressive and, with few exceptions, as enemies to Equestria. They reside in Griffonstone.
• Changelings - Changelings appear equine in nature and share many physical characteristics with ponies. The differences are drastic, however, in that they possess an exoskeleton similar to an insect and are capable via dark magic of changing their forms into any creature they desire at will. Up until the later seasons of the show, they were depicted as enemies of Equestria. They are the children of Queen Chrysalis, who acts as the hive mother.
• Deer - Deer are depicted as mysterious residents of the Everfree Forest. Little is known about them other than that they share a connection to the forestry and surrounding wilderness.
• Gargoyles - Creatures with a dragon-like body, bat-like wings, a long neck, and the ability to breathe fire.
• Demon - Any creature that has allowed themselves to be consumed by dark magic, transforming them into a creature with reddened skin and horns.
• Cyclops - Giant, bipedal goatmen with a large singular eye.
• Chimera - a monstrous fire-breathing creature with the body and head of a sabertooth tiger, a goat's head rising from its back, and the front part of a snake as a tail.
• Cerberus - A giant three-headed dog that guards Tartarus, a realm of eternal imprisonment.
• Centaur - Demon-like creatures with a humanoid upper body and equine lower body. Centaurs are depicted in the show as being obsessed with consuming the magic of others.
• Manticores - Monsters with the head and body of a lion, a pair of bat wings growing from their backs and the stinger of a scorpion.

Geography

Equestria is the largest equine nation, stretching across a peninsula-continent that touches both the northern arctic and subarctic poles; located on an Earth-like planet which, within the Friendship is Magic television series, has not been specifically named. Equestria reaches from the western Luna Ocean to the eastern Celestia Sea, bordering the northern Crystal Empire and the southern Queendom of Changlings.

The Equestrian continent's diverse geography ranges, biomes, provinces and settlements are modeled after or based on North American cities and the nearctic realm. The full geography of the Equestria is currently unexplored and evolving to fit the needs of the show writers, and is currently limited to a part of the continent of Equus (the Equestrian continent), which is controlled mostly by the Equestrian nation. The Equestrian-explored portion of the continent is flanked by two vast oceans, bounded to the north by the mountainous Frozen North region and extends across the northern and southern hemispheres, ending with the Bone Dry Desert that borders the Mysterious South region. However, a map included in the Friendship Is Magic film indicates vast areas beyond these regions.

The exact size or chronology of the planet is unknown. Like Earth, Equestria's world has one moon, and is depicted as being part of a solar system that includes at least four more planets. Questions regarding heliocentrism or geocentrism are complicated by the fact that Celestia and Luna can move the Sun and Moon, respectively, at a mere whim. Similar constellations exist; with the caveat that most of them are also dangerous monsters, such as Canis Major and Ursa Minor. In relation to the "Human World" its not clear if Equestria is located in a parallel universe, or somewhere in the same universe as Earth. Uncertainty about this fact also makes it difficult to determine if the Equestrian events are occurring at the same time as events on Earth, or if the entire world exists in Earth's relative past or future, with the "Magic Mirror" acting as a portal through time, rather than just space.

Notable settlements, territories, dependencies and major population centers in Equestria are identified throughout the series and used as the setting for one or more episodes. Most minor locations, or vaguely referenced areas outside Equestria, both in the television series and associated media aren't specified whether these locations are part of Equestria or not. The films, television series, and other franchise media take place in many locations and their exact affiliation with Equestria is not explored.

As the creator of the show wrote, Lauren Faust explained on various social media pages, that the Everfree Forest is west of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres is southwest, and both Fluttershy's cottage and meadow are located north of the farm, presumably between Ponyville and the forest. Canterlot is northeast of Ponyville. However, in subsequent interviews, both Faust and Jayson Thiessen mentioned that the geography and continuity of the show are fluidly defined and are subject to change as necessary, and that the production team had no official map of Equestria at their disposal.

Capital Region

The Capital Region is Equestria's foundation and "ancestral lands", where the united cooperation between the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies brought an end to Eternal Winter. The Capital Region represents Equestria's original sovereign borders before the dynastic reign of Princess Celestia; all outlying territories represent subsequent thousand year expansion of the nation's imperialist interests. Much of the Capital Regions are "crown lands"; i.e. they are legally considered public land and is apart from the monarch's private estate.

Ponyville

Ponyville
First appearance	Friendship is Magic
Last appearance	The Last Problem
Created by	The Apple Family Princess Celestia
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Township of Ponyville
Type	Township Agricultural society
Ruler	Mayor Mare
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Earth Ponies Minority: Pegasi Ponies Unicorn Ponies Donkeys Dragons Alicorns
Location	Capitol Region
Locations	List of locations Sweet Apple Acres Ponyville Town Hall and Civic Center The Castle of Friendship Carousel Boutique Rainbow Dash's Cloudominium Fluttershy's Cottage Golden Oak Public Library (destroyed) Sugarcube Corner Ponyville Day Spa Ponyville Train Station School of Friendship

Ponyville is the main setting of the entire My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic media franchise, and primary home to the Mane 6. The current elected administrator is Mayor Mare has been leading Ponyville for at least a decade. Ponyville is a young agrarian society settlement, founded a century ago by earth ponies of the Apple family on crown lands lands granted by Princess Celestia personally. A population exceeding a thousand, Ponyville's residents are mostly earth ponies with, though a fair number of pegasi (at least 100 approx.) and several dozen unicorns, and some non-ponies call it home. Ponyville is known for its agricultural produce—apples, pears, carrots, etc.—and is home of "Sweet Apple Acres", Equestria's only source of domesticated zap apple jam. Ponyville has accommodations normally reserved for larger settlements; it is a school district, a diplomatic mission, a tourist destination and a rail center—being the first/last connecting stop between Canterlot and other principalities—but Ponyville has long prided itself on its earth pony culture and its avoidance of urbanization.

Ponyville's "old-fashioned charm" atmosphere is misleading: the small town is home to a diverse cast of eccentric ponies—from grand parties hosted by Pinkie Pie, to Rarity's world renown fashions shows, too name a few—and not a single week passes without some grand adventure or crisis of sort requiring the immediate attention of its residences. Twilight's own first impression of Ponyville upon first arrival was "Everypony in this town is crazy!"

Ponyville is portrayed on the world map as a small village near the center of Equestria, within visual distance of both Canterlot and Cloudsdale. The design of Ponyville is mostly Bavarian, with a minor influence of Americana. The season 4 finale, "Twilight's Kingdom", introduces the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville as the residence of Twilight Sparkle, her assistant Spike, and her pupil Starlight Glimmer.

According to the book Art of Equestria, which describes the creation of Friendship is Magic, the creator of the series, Lauren Faust, originally proposed the name Fillydelphia (a pun on the city of Philadelphia) instead of Ponyville. The series later added Fillydelphia as a new, separate city.

Faust wrote in a comment on her DeviantArt page that the Everfree Forest is west of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres is southwest, Canterlot is northeast, and Fluttershy's cottage and meadow are located north of the farm. However, in subsequent interviews, both Faust and the supervising director and executive producer of the series, Jayson Thiessen, mentioned that the geography and continuity of the show are loosely defined and may change as necessary, and a layout artist for the series stated on December 10, 2011, that the production team had no official map of Equestria for reference.

Upon the release of Art of Equestria, however, an official map was released. It suggests that the Everfree Forest is to the east of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres to the southeast, and Fluttershy's cottage and meadow are located north of the farm.

Canterlot

Canterlot
First appearance	Friendship is Magic
Last appearance	The Last Problem
Created by	The Sister Princesses (Celestia and Luna)
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Kingdom of Canterlot
Type	Federal capital city Federal district Royal court and palace
Ruler	Lord Mayor Fancy Pants (de facto) Prince Blueblood (de jure)
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Unicorn Ponies Minority: Alicorns Dragons Pegasi Ponies Earth Ponies
Location	Capitol Region
Locations	List of locations Canterlot Castle Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns Cloud Stadium Canterlot Carousel Canterlot Historical Society Canterlot Opera House Canterlot Ancient Archives Canterlot Library of Magic Canterlot Union Station Canterlot Boutique Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop Crystal Caves

The Kingdom of Canterlot is the capital of Equestria, built on the side of the Foal Mountains. Canterlot is the setting of the royal court of Princess Celestia and Luna and the residence of Twilight Sparkle before Ponyville. Canterlot Castle is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for the Equestrian people at times of national rejoicing and mourning. The name Canterlot is a portmanteau of Camelot and canter.

Lauren Faust's inspiration for Canterlot, with its castle carved into the side of the mountain, was Minas Tirith from The Lord of the Rings. Ted Anderson and Agnes Garbowska's inspiration for ancient Canterlot was ancient Rome.

According to Lauren Faust, Canterlot was originally called "Canterbury", after the historical English city, and the name "Canterlot" was suggested by her husband Craig McCracken.

Cloudsdale

Cloudsdale
The flag of Cloudsdale at the Equestria Games
First appearance	Sonic Rainboom
Last appearance	The Ending of the End
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Free City of Cloudsdale
Type	Floating city
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Pegasi Ponies Minority:
Location	Capitol Region
Locations	List of locations Cloudeseum Summer flight camp Cloudsdale rainbow factory Wonderbolts Academy Fluttershy's parents' house. Rainbow Dash's parents' house.

Cloudsdale is a large floating city in Equestria first depicted in "Sonic Rainboom". Depicted as being within central capitol region proper, relatively near to Ponyville and Canterlot. Unlike other cities, Cloudsdale floats on a series of clouds, and is only accessible by winged creatures and creatures that have had a "cloud-walking spell" cast upon them. It is the largest known Pegasi settlement in the realm. Cloudsdale is said to be the original home and birthplace of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Cloudsdale served as the backdrop in the episodes: "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", "The Return of Harmony", "Hurricane Fluttershy", "Tanks for the Memories", and "The End of the End". In Friendship Games, Cloudsdale appears in one of the dimensional rifts opened by Midnight Sparkle. Cloudsdale is a pun on Clydesdale, a breed of horse; according to Lauren Faust, the name "Cloudsdale" was originally suggested by her husband Craig McCracken.

Everfree Forest

Everfree Forest
First appearance	Friendship is Magic
Last appearance	She Talks to Angel
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Everfree Forest Nature Reserve
Type	Enchanted forest Nature reserve Deer reservation
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Deer Wildlife Legendary creatures Minority: Zebra
Location	Capitol Region
Locations	List of locations Tree of Harmony Castle of the Two Sisters Mirror Pool Village Thicket Zegora's Hut
Population	100+ (excluding wildlife)

The Everfree Forest is a large, enchanted forest grove in the boundaries adjacent of the Ponyville township; it is usually referred to simply as "the Forest".

While technically part of Equestria, the Everfree Forest seasons have a will of their own there. The Forest is also home to an assortment of creatures, many of them dangerous; the animals take care of themselves and are truly wild; and terrible legendary monsters stalk the shadows. Among the plant species within the Forest are trees such as beech, oak, pine, sycamore, yew and knotgrass and thorn undergrowth. Though the Forest is vastly dense and wild, there are few paths and clearings due to the mutated vegetation that grow fast and wild. It is noted as being one of the few places in Equestria where magic behaves erratically for unicorns, the land cannot be tamed by the earth ponies, nor the weather be controlled by the pegasi, but instead moves on its own. The Pillars planted the Tree of Harmony here, both to keep the plethora of monsters and vegetations in check, and to utilize the hostile environment as natural protection from any who would seek out the Tree.

The forest is considered uninhabitable and regarded by ponies as the most hostile region within Equestria's borders. Travel is strictly prohibited to all Equestrians for their personal safety. Only the native Everfree Deers seem capable of calling this environment home. It is the location of the Castle of Two Sisters, the Mirror Pool, and other enchanted phenomena. Due to the forest's rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, Zecora frequently travels into the Forest for various reasons; she built her hut within to more easily harvest ingredients for her potions.

Thicket, a Deer village, is surrounded by Everfree's thick forests and steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off from its immediate hinterland. Thicket exercises tribal sovereignty—complete jurisdiction and control over the Everfree Forest territory—while recognizing that Equestria retains ultimate federal sovereignty.

The episode "Stare Master" states that the forest is filled with "many strange creatures". Subsequent episodes show that creatures from the Everfree Forest include hydras, manticores, Cragadiles (crocodile-like creatures made of stone), Timber Wolves (huge wolves made of tree trunks), sea serpents, cockatrices, Parasprites (small bug-like creatures that are highly destructive, but regarded as cute), and Ursas (large bear-like creatures with enlarged teeth and blue or purple fur).

Frozen North

The Frozen North is dominated by the Yaket Mountain Range, north of Equestria, and characterized by an alpine climate, subarctic montane ecosystems, and polar climate. It is a setting in the IDW comic My Little Pony: Friends Forever issue 36. It has short cool summers and long cold winters, and biomes consisting of taiga, treeless tundra, glaciers, exotic medicinal plants, and permanent ice sheets.

Crystal Empire

Crystal Empire
First appearance	The Crystal Empire
Last appearance	The Ending of the End
Created by	Princess Amore
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Empire of the Crystal Heart
Type	Capital city
Ruler	Prince Shining Armor Royal Advisor Sunburst
Ethnic group(s)	Majority: Crystal Ponies
Race(s)	List of species Minority: Alicorns Unicorn Ponies Pegasi Ponies Earth Ponies
Location	Frozen North
Locations	List of locations Crystal Castle Crystal Royal Library Crystal Spa Crystal Square Crystal Stadium Crystal Train Station

The Crystal Empire is introduced in season three's premiere episode. It was founded Princess Amore, a female unicorn who appears in the IDW comics' "My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic Issue #1" and whose name appears in Little, Brown and Company's "The Journal of the Two Sisters". The Crystal Empire is a non-sovereign monarchy and technically the oldest of Equestria's principalities; its existence predates it by centuries. After the conflict instigated by King Sombra, the capital vanished fom existence and the empire was annexed by Equestria.

The Crystal Heart is the empire's most sacred magical artifact, which possesses the power to absorb, magnify, and deflect emotions. The crystal ponies used it in peacetime to exponentially amplify the power of love and project hope and love across Equestria. In times of conflict, it can be used as a weapon to demoralize the armies of would be aggressors.

Celestia addresses the Crystal Empire as a sister nation that is part of Equestria, and the crystal ponies refer to themselves as Equestrian. In "The Ballad of the Crystal Empire", Twilight Sparkle mentions the Crystal Kingdom as part of the Crystal Ponies' history. It is also home to the Crystal Ponies as well as prince regent Shining Armor and princess regnant Mi Amore Cadenza, who took over the kingdom after King Sombra was defeated a second time by the Crystal Heart. Royal Magic Advisor Sunburst serves her majesty as "Royal Mentor and Foalsitter" to their daughter and royal heir, Princess Flurry Heart. The book "Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell" names the Crystal Empire as part of Equestria.

Celestial Coast

The Celestia Sea is located east of Equestria, and is analogous to the real world Atlantic Ocean. The region's biomes, climate, and geographic terrain are equally analogous to Eastern Canada and Eastern United States. The coastline is an emerging megaregion and the most heavily urbanized agglomeration of Equestria. Across the sea, to the far east lies the Griffon Continent; notable nations include Griffonstone, the Griffish Isles, Bug Bear Territory, the Lands of the Hippogriffs, and the Lands of the Dragon.

Manehattan

Manehattan
First appearance	The Cutie Mark Chronicles
Last appearance	Growing Up is Hard to Do
In-universe information
Type	Port metropolis
Ethnic group(s)	List of ethnicities Majority: Equestrian
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Pegasi Ponies Unicorn Ponies Earth Ponies
Location	Celestia Coast
Locations	List of locations Civic Center, Manehattan Bridleway Theater District The Broncos Buckefeller Center Carneighie Hall Crystaller Building Diamond District Friendship Trade Center Haypacking and Fashion Districts Hooflyn District Madisoat Mare Garden Manefair Hotel Manehattan Museum of Art Manehattan Park Maneway Grand Central Terminal Mare Statue of Friendship Rarity For You Saddle Row Stallion Island

Manehattan is based on the archipelago of Manhattan and Long Island, portrayed as a large port metropolis, with many landmarks resembling those from New York City. It is first depicted in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" and featured prominently in "Rarity Takes Manehattan". It features late 20th century technologies; including tall buildings and skyscrapers with asphalt streets decorated with electric jumbotrons, neon signs, and lampposts. Ponies' primary form of transportation are pony-drawn taxi carriages and underground metrorailway system. Manehattan is the most densely populated and ethnically diverse city in Equestria, hosting all manner of races and species, and is a major commercial, financial and cultural center. Its iconic landmarks include the Crystaller Building, Friendship Trade Center, neon-lit Bridleway Theater District, Madisoat Mare Garden, Maneway Grand Central Station, and Manehattan Park. A mirror of the Statue of Liberty, the "Mare Statue," located on Friendship Island, has become a national symbol of Equestria's commitment of peace and goodwill towards all nations.

Like Ponyville and Canterlot, Manehattan is depicted as the location of one of Rarity's boutiques, known as "Rarity for You". Notable features of the setting include conventions differing from Ponyville's, as seen in the episode, "Stranger Than Fan Fiction", and an elevated train. Starlight's Village, also called Our Town, is a community in the Manehattan region and is characterized by a semi-arid climate.

Hollow Shades

Hollow Shades was first mentioned in "Apple Family Reunion". The town first physically appeared in the Map of Equestria, a hand-drawn piece of artwork that lays out the canonical layout of Equestria, located east of Canterlot, tucked underneath a forest canopy, and hidden behind Foal Mountain.

Seaward Shoals

Seaward Shoals is portrayed as a small rocky coastal port town, similar to those of the New England region of the United States. Also called Silver Shoals or Rocky Shoals, the community is the setting of the episode "P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)". The former Princesses, Luna and Celestia, retired to this region upon abdicating the throne.

Griffish Isles

Griffish Isles, an Equestrian archipelago commonwealth, located in the Celestia Sea off the north-western coast of continental "Griffon continent", and is analogous to the real world British Isles. On the official map, it is also very close to the Bug Bear Territory. Equestrian settlements include Buckingham, Manechester, and Trottingham (a portmanteau of 'Nottingham', an English city, and 'trot', a jogging speed for horses) the regional capitol city of Griffish Isles. The Griffish Isles is first mentioned in "Stare Master"—where Rarity is making 20 gold-lined gowns for ponies there—and later mentioned in "Luna Eclipsed", "Simple Ways", and "Crusaders of the Lost Mark". It is also mentioned on Enterplay trading card series 2 #46, a card of Sir Lintsalot. Trottingham itself is said to be based on the British city of Birmingham and the ponies that inhabit it wear clothing inspired by British culture and have stereotype Cockney accents. Notable residents of Griffish Isles include Pipsqueak before a move, and Sassy Saddles before moving to the Equestrian mainland.

Luna Coast

Las Pegasus

Las Pegasus
First appearance	It's About Time (mentioned) Viva Las Pegasus
Last appearance	Friendship University
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Paradise of Las Pegasus
Type	Resort town Amusement parks Casinos Nightlife Tourist attractions
Ethnic group(s)	List of ethnicities Majority: Equestrian Minority: Many tourists of various ethnicities and language groups.
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Pegasi Ponies Unicorn Ponies Earth Ponies Minority:
Location	Luna Coast
Locations	List of locations

Las Pegasus is depicted as a floating cloud city, like Cloudsdale. Based on the cities of Las Vegas and Paradise, Nevada, Las Pegasus is portrayed as "one big party", with many hotels, resorts, nightlife, amusement parks, restaurants, arcades, and casinos. Las Pegasus was the setting of the episode "Viva Las Pegasus". Las Pegasus actively competes with Applewood and Manehatten for the title of "entertainment capitol of the world".

Mysterious South

This region is known for its arid deserts, temperate prairies and tropical rainforest biomes.

Appleloosa

Appleloosa is the most populous settlement in the region. Dodge Junction is based on the cities of the American Wild West, and is portrayed as a bustling township that mainly revolves around a cherry farm run by the earth pony Cherry Jubilee. Similar to Dodge Junction, Appleloosa, a pun of the Appaloosa horse breed, is a setting based on the cities of the American Wild West and mainly revolves around an apple orchard that is home to members of the "Apple Family". Appleloosa is depicted as bordering on the buffalo lands, home of the indigenous buffalo tribes.

The Badlands

The Badlands are in the remote desert backcountry, and are known to be populated by terrifying creatures, such as diamond dogs, giant worms, and rogue dragons.

Somnambula

Somnambula, roughly based on Egypt and North Africa, has an arid, desert climate, excluding a few oases. It is notable as a city that the pony adventurer Daring Do has saved twice. Somnambula, a heroic pegasus who rescued the prince of the Kingdom from a sphinx, is the city's namesake. The city is noted as once being ruled over by pharaohs, and is first mentioned in the episode "Stranger than Fan Fiction", and shown again in the episode "Daring Done?".

Other locations

Hope Hollow

Hope Hollow
First appearance	My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip
Last appearance	My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Hope Hollow
Type	Township
Ruler	Mayor Sunny Skies Petunia Petals (multiple businesses / government jobs)
Ethnic group(s)	List of ethnicities Majority: Equestrian Minority:
Race(s)	List of species Majority: Pegasi Ponies Unicorn Ponies Earth Ponies Minority:
Location	Unspecified
Locations	List of locations

Hope Hollow is a township located in an unspecified region of Equestria. It was primarily lead by the Skies family, who served as the mayors for at least three generations. Petunia Petals runs at least two businesses in the town, and assists the Mayor in fulfilling seven government jobs in total, making her arguably the most important pony in the town.

Mentioned locations

The setting of San Franciscolt is based on the city of San Francisco, and is mentioned in the book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell.

In episodes throughout the series and in promotional material, other locations are mentioned, but not used as settings. A partial list includes Baltimare, based on the city of Baltimore; Fillydelphia, which is based on the city of Philadelphia and was the original name for Ponyville when the show was in development; and Vanhoover, which is based on Vancouver, Canada and is described as the former home of "Grand Pear", Applejack's grandfather.

Lands beyond Equestria

Most of these nations maintain some form of official diplomatic relations with Equestria. In Season 8 premier, Equestria's allied leadership sent their children to Princess Twilight's School of Friendship as part of a cultural exchange program; when the children went missing, their parents were prepared to declare war on Equestria. After the defeat of the Storm King, at the request of Twilight Sparkle, Equestria initiated economic assistance to help rebuild war-torn regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and improve the prosperity of nations devastated by the Storm Empire. In "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issue #61-62" story Convocation of Creatures, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and Raven Inkwell take part in the Convocation of Creatures, an assembly of delegates and leaders from all across the world. At the convocation reception, she meets Princess Cadance, Queen Novo, Princess Ember, Prince Rutherford, King Thorax, and hundreds of other leaders from other regions of the world.

Allied Nations of Equestria

Saddle Arabia

Saddle Arabia is mentioned in "Magic Duel", "Road to Friendship", and My Little Pony: The Movie. Princess Celestia has hosted diplomatic representatives from this region on several occasions. Hoo'Far, a Saddle Arabian unicorn, states that Saddle Arabia has "many fans" of Trixie. The name is a play on the country of Saudi Arabia.

Maretonia

The duke and duchess of Maretonia appear in attendance of the Equestria Games in the episode of the same name. They appear again in Twilight's Kingdom and visit the Crystal Empire for a summit with Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Maretonia is also mentioned in Princess Celestia and the Summer of Royal Waves and by Cadance and Shining Armor in The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows. The name is a play on Macedonia.

Seaquestria

The Hippogriffs/Hippocampus nation in My Little Pony The Movie and in The Official Movie Sourcebook, to which they fled after their original home of Hippogriffia was destroyed by the Storm King's forces.

• Mount Aris: The location of the Hippogriff Kingdom, south of the Badlands, and located near Klugetown. Mount Aris also appears in "Surf and/or Turf" and is illustrated in "The Hearth's Warming Club" and "Father Knows Beast".
• Hippogriffia: The capital of the hippogriff kingdom, located atop Mount Aris. When Tempest Shadow infiltrates the city in an attempt to steal a magical pearl from Queen Novo, the city is destroyed in a battle between the Hippogriffs and the Storm King's forces, and is abandoned when the hippogriffs go into hiding. In the film, Twilight and her friends travel to the ruined city in search of the Hippogriffs. Hippogriffia also appears in "Surf and/or Turf", restored to its former glory.

Changeling Hive

The Changeling Hive is the home of the changelings. Here, Chrysalis is dethroned and Thorax succeeds her as changeling leader. The changelings fed on emotions, and their magic was built around them.

Dragon Lands

Dragon Lands are the home of dragons. Due to their egotistical nature, dragons do not have any formal borders or government by traditional definitions, functioning rather like adhocracy. Dragon's primary food source is that of gemstones, many of which are imported from Equestria. Since the rise of the new "Dragon Lord," the leader of the dragons, the dragons have agreed to "stop being bullies" to the ponies, and have even sent some members of their species to study in Equestria.

Griffon Kingdom

The Griffon Kingdom is primarily populated by griffons, and has acted as close allies of Equestria.

• Griffonstone is the capitol city populated by griffons. It has a rich history centered around an ancient treasure called the Idol of Boreas. As with dragons, Griffin culture is one of "every Griffon for themselves" that places value upon personal honor and wealth. Griffons are taught to bolster themselves against this hostile environments, and any display of feelings is interpreted as weakness deserving of ridicule or exploitation.

Yakyakistan

Yakyakistan is the yak kingdom. It is located north of the Crystal Empire and is ruled by the yak Prince Rutherford. Ambassador Pinkie Pie befriended the citizens, was made an "honorary yak-pony", and assimilated into their culture. Prince Blueblood and Shining Armor visit Yakyakistan for a diplomatic mission to set up a trade agreement between it and the Crystal Empire.

Abyssinia

Abyssinia is a kingdom located in the Mysterious South, south of Equestria by the Bone Dry Desert. A fairly industrious kingdom, Abyssinia has numerous cities within its borders, such as the capital city of Panthera, Tabbytown and Henry. It's a largely peaceful kingdom with kind monarchs and well-developed cities and appears to be in many ways, the cat "equivalent" of Equestria. Abyssinia is named after the real-life cat breed. The location was first mentioned in "Ponies of Dark Water" in 2016 and made its first true appearance in "Storm King". Ever since then, the location has become a consistent aspect of the My Little Pony mythos, with it being mentioned in Tails of Equestria: The Official Movie Sourcebook, Ponyville Mysteries and the Gameloft video game.

The early history of Abyssinia is quite vague. The land was ruled by an absolute monarchy of King and Queen, rather than Equestria's principality-like constitutional monarchy. Its capital of Panthera was settled on the borders of a cat-like lake by the Cat lords. Applejack and the Mane Six apparently have a history of getting arrested in Abyssinia, with Applejack claiming it was "strangely litigious".

The kingdom was annexed by the Storm Empire: its capital of Panthera was later destroyed by the Storm King "out of boredom". During the Reign of the Storm King, many cats who left Panthera moved to Klugetown and set up various merchant shop and smuggling rings. After the Storm King was destroyed by the Mane Six, the kingdom's fate was left unknown. Afterwards, the Royal family of Abyssinia attended the "Convocation of the Creatures" event at Mount Metazoa, and the Abyssinian Embassy was constructed in Ponyville. These events signified that the kingdom is recovering from the disaster and is in diplomatic relations with Equestria.

In the original map of Abyssinia, the continent was shown to be huge and vaguely L-shaped with mountainous terrain. After the release of My Little Pony: The Movie, the official location of the kingdom is currently unknown, given the known geography is mismatched with the layout of the Mysterious South. The kingdom appears to be mostly an even-temperament with large bodies of water and a decent amount of vegetation, but nearby locations such as Klugetown and the Basalt Beach are almost completely barren and dry.

Other nations

• Klugetown is a diversely-populated desert town featured in My Little Pony: The Movie, The Stormy Road to Canterlot, My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel Issue #4, Gameloft's mobile game, The Official Movie Sourcebook, and IDW's Nightmare Knights issue 4. Economically, Klugetown is depicted as being very close to a laissez-faire guildocracy, with little discipline or regulation governing trade or government, with both benign and sinister consequences. Although Klugetown tends to be lopped in with Abyssinia, Chummer remarked that the Bone Dry Desert, which surrounds all of Klugetown, was outside of Abyssinia's sovereign borders.

Notes

• This article incorporates material derived from the "Equestria" article on the My Little Pony wiki at Fandom (formerly Wikia) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License (17 September 2017).
• This article incorporates material derived from the "Celestia" article on the My Little Pony wiki at Fandom (formerly Wikia) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License (13 April 2019).
• This article incorporates material derived from the "Fictional chronology" article on the My Little Pony wiki at Fandom (formerly Wikia) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License (13 February 2020).