Equestria

Equestria is the magical land where ponies live. It's vast in size, diverse and ruled by two powerful alicorn sisters – Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. From the frigid coasts of Vanhoover to the bustling streets of Manehattan, Equestria is home to ponies and other non-pony species, like griffons, buffalos, dragons, and so on.

Equestria has incredibly varied geography and climate, from the cozy snowbound villages in the North to the arid desert towns in the South and the lush acres of forest in between. Central Equestria is known for its soft climate and scenic landscapes, from the untraversable mountain chains to the rolling green hills. Most of the population and production can be found here. Much of the land is fertile and suitable for agriculture, especially in the middle and southern parts of the country, letting the inhabitants cultivate all kinds of crops: apples, carrots, oats, wheat, pumpkins, watermelons, strawberries, cherries, lemons and so on.

There are 3 subraces of ponies: Earth ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns. Earth ponies posess great physical strength and endurance but lack the benefits of additional body parts like wings or a horn. Earth ponies comprise around half of all the ponies and are mostly in charge of agriculture. Pegasi boast pairs of wings on their backs that let them fly. They are mostly in charge of weather and climate in Equestria, making sure it accommodates the needs of Earth pony farmers and helping seasons change. Pegasi have special aerial settlements built on clouds and accessible only to them, like Cloudsdale. Unicorns have horns that grow on their foreheads and concentrate immense magical energy within, letting them use it in any way as long as they know how. Some of the unicorns devote their lives to learning advanced magic, but most use it primarily for everyday convenience, like using levitation for easy item transportation. Unicorns are vital for technological and scientific progress, their magic allowing them to do what hooves can't and their long history of discoveries and breakthroughs inspiring generation after generation of new unicorn scholars.

The world is extremely Equestria-centric. Equestria sits upon the supercontinent of Equus, taking up nearly 65% of its area. Equus itself is surrounded by vast oceans and makes up approximately 58% of the planet's total landmass. Equestria shares the continent with other civilizations and races, such as the griffon kingdoms to the north-east, Yakyakistan and the missing Crystal Empire to the north, the changeling hives to the north-east, and other minor tribes and communities within Equestria itself.

The remaining 42% of the planet's landmass are comprised of the continent of Griffonia and minor islands off the continents' coasts. Griffonia is located to the east of Equus, separated from it by the Celestial Sea and the Griffonian Strait. Griffonia is home to griffons, zebras, kirins, horses, giraffes, and other smaller races and tribes. Griffons of Equus are direct descendants of Griffonian colonizers, merchants and migrants. Northern Griffonia is dominated by the powerful and advanced griffon kingdoms, the civilization of whom might be the closest to rivaling Equestria's. Southern Griffonia is dominated by a myriad of zebra states that are constantly fighting for glory and influence either with each other or with their griffon neighbors. Zebras use a different name for the continent – Zebrica, but Griffonia is the most commonly used name in Equestria. Some experts prefer calling it Griffozebrica to avoid confusion. Eastern Griffonia is dominated by the Realm of Kiria – a big and heavily centralized kirin state that pursues neutrality and boasts its ancient history and traditions. It remains largely isolated and mystified. Griffonia, a hodgepodge of different races and cultures, is perceived as a dangerous place due to how often wars and conflicts break out between nations and tribes there. Equus, on the other hoof, is perceived as rather peaceful and safe due to Equestria's strong traditions of pacifism and nonviolence.

Equestria is an absolute diarchy, one of the world's oldest countries. Legend has it that the three united pony tribes crowned Celestia and Luna as their rulers (the Equestrian calendar begins from that very day) so that the alicorn sisters could use their divine magical powers to control the celestial bodies – Celestia would raise the sun to begin the day and Luna would raise the moon to begin the night. This would usher in an era of prosperity for the pony civilization, the strongest unicorn magicians of which no longer needed to drain their powers on ensuring proper day and night alternation. Thus, Equestria obtained formal statehood.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are the only alicorns known to ponykind. Very little is known about their origin, but it is considered to be divine and otherworldly. They are one of the most powerful creatures in the world, their magic and wisdom unrivaled. However, their ability to control the sun and the moon is largely disputed by experts nowadays. They combine the strengths of all three pony races – Unicorn horn, Pegasus wings and Earth pony might. They are immortal, having stopped aging centuries ago.

The city of Canterlot in the middle of the country is considered to be the capital, holding the Canterlot Castle where the alicorn sisters reside. Equestria is divided into provinces – large administrative entities around major settlements that are governed by Provincial Heads, which are then subdivided into districts that are governed by District Heads. Since Equestria is an absolute diarchy, power can only come from two creatures – Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Therefore, every government official is their formal representative. They appoint Provincial Heads, Official Royal Secretaries (for healthcare, education, environment, the interior, etc.), the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Supreme Judge of the Supreme Equestrian Court, who then appoint the rest of the state apparatus. The Princesses are responsible for every decision and appointment their appointees make, even their mistakes and crimes, which are severely punishable for undermining the royal authority's reputation and damaging the Princesses' honorable image. The Princesses and their appointees almost exclusively appoint ponies that come from the nobility and many of its ancient dynasties – descendants of pre-Equestrian pony tribal chiefs, leaders, dukes and barons, merchants and other important ponies. As fellow royalty, the Princesses trust the nobility to run the state competently and loyally, even if it means turning the country into an aristocracy and alienating regular subjects from power.

Since no written laws exist in Equestria, all Equestrian courts and judges work by referring to the universal principles of ethics and morals. To put it more simply, the judges just think "what would Princess Celestia/Luna do in my place?" each time they have to pass judgment. The harshest punishment one can get is either public humiliation or being sent to Tartarus.

The Royal Guard is both Equestria's army and police, enforcing order and protecting the Princesses and the nation from internal and external threats. Despite being the biggest armed force in the world, it's not very formidable, the nation's strong pacifist and antimilitaristic sentiments preventing a demand for rearmament and militarization from forming.

The Equestrian society is inclusive and uninhibited but rather reactionary, having grown too fond and familiar of the Princesses and their rule to consider changing anything. However, it is still one of the most advanced out there in almost all senses. The latest inventions include the steam engine, the telegraph and the radio. While the ponykind might be one of the most successful civilizations, it doesn't make any of the other ones any less significant: griffons are known for their innovations in technology, politics, social science, trade and economy, zebras are known for their ruthless warriors and impressive traditional medicine, kirins are known for their archaic spirituality and exotic culture, changelings are known for their unique housebuilding traditions and hivemind mentality, and so on. The Equestrian national idea is outlined in its unofficial motto – Friendship and Harmony. Ponies are taught to despise antagonism and discrimination from school. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna always strive to serve as an example for their subjects – kind, benevolent, merciful, patient, reasonable, just, honest. But no society is perfect. Some of the most common crimes are theft, fraud and rape, more and more ponies are being affected by unregulated drug use, poverty is a problem in remote areas that are often neglected due to lack of representation, social inequality is present between ponies of nobility and regular subjects, weak anti-corruption measures allow it to thrive, powerful magical beasts often compromise the nation's security and stability.

Equestria's population grows in spikes that usually come after each estrus cycle. The fertility rate is well above the replacement rate, but an occasional epidemy or disaster prevents overpopulation. Same-sex relationships are fairly common and their stigmatization is largely marginalized, which is something not all outsiders are accustomed to. The invention of the steam engine led to a breakthrough in the transportation industry, introducing the train as the cutting-edge means of transportation, the cobweb of railroads now reaching most major towns and cities. The press is surprisingly free, the Royal Secretariat for Information Safety (RSMS) only filtering out blatant defamation, calls to violence and publications about a certain period of Equestria's early history – shortly after the sisters' coronation and before Luna's banishment to the moon, there was a phase of aggressive expansion, fueled by the ponies' fanatical fervor after triumphantly establishing their own state and supported by the sisters themselves, which led to many indigenous pre-Equestrian tribes being massacred and robbed of their land, some even going extinct. After the fanaticism had passed and the ponies realized what they've done, it was already too late. It's been a national trauma and a taboo topic ever since, to the point of pretending it never happened.