LONELY MULTIVERSE
The Approx Guide to Equestria
IntroductionThe Pony Principality of Equestria is a diverse country inhabited by dozens of sapient species, each contributing to the nation's proud culture of tolerance and giving the nation a reputation for compassion and kindness. Tradition and innovation have combined well in this Southwest Atlantian Oceania nation, rapidly bringing it into the modern era after centuries of isolation from the rest of the multiverse. This
Lonely Multiverse travel guide is designed to be the ultimate companion for any tourist (regardless of their species) visiting Equestria, and is loaded with every tip and bit of advice one needs to have an safe and enjoyable stay.
HistoryIt is widely believed that Equestria can trace its origins back to at least 2000 years ago, and perhaps even further. However, the early history of Equestria is shrouded in mystery, as precious few written records exist from that time period and those accounts which have survived to the modern day were passed down orally over the course of generations and frequently contradict one another.
Perhaps the most popular story of Equestria's founding is the tale of Hearth's Warming. According to the legend, the three Equestrian races once lived apart in three separate nations which often fought over resources, before being forced to cooperate to survive a particularly brutal winter brought about by magical creatures called windigos that feast on negative feelings. The unification of the tribes is commemorated each year on Hearth's Warming Day, a time spend time with friends and family.
Another popular story from Equestria's ancient past is the Tale of the Two Sisters, which has recently proven to be true. Over a millennium ago, the younger of the Regal Sisters, Luna, became bitter at her older sister and those who shunned the night in favor of the day and was transformed into Nightmare Moon and threatened to bring about eternal night. Forced to respond, Celestia banished her sister to the moon using the Elements of Harmony. It was not until just several decades ago that Nightmare Moon returned from exile and was purified by the Elements' new bearers, led by now-Princess Twilight Sparkle, returning Luna to her sister's side as one of Equestria's co-rulers.
Nearly 200 years ago, Equestria came into contact with the outside world for the first time, ending centuries of isolation brought about primarily by the country's remote location. The most important import for Equestria in the decades that followed was not trade goods, but ideas. Mechanization and industrialization were foreign concepts to the largely agrarian Equestrian society that was used to utilizing magic to produce goods that the rest of the world was using machines for. Equestria quickly set about industrializing itself, bringing the country into the modern age, but knowing of the environmental devastation other developing nations had witnessed at the same time, the Equestrians used their knowledge of the arcane to minimize the impact of pollution.
But knowledge of the outside world came at a cost, and that cost was that the outside world had knowledge of Equestria's existence, location, and magical nature. It was not long before the Equestrians faced threats from outside forces which viewed them as a threat. Some argued the Equestrians were demons inhabiting the bodies of wild horses, others viewed the ponies as a primitive race that could be enslaved and put to work. Equestria responded to these threats by building up a massive navy which was capable of keeping foreign invaders at bay, as well as by modernizing the training and equipment of its defense forces in both the Royal Army and the Royal Guard. Over the last two centuries, the Equestrians have engaged in a number of wars, nearly all of which were fought to defend Equestria's shores, with more recent exceptions in the liberation of South Covello and the Busoga Islands Conflict that were primarily meant to support oppressed groups.
Today, Equestria is an advanced country that has successfully merged tradition, magic, and technology. With an economy dominated by tourism, agriculture, and the mining of precious minerals, the Equestrians have found their niche in the international community. Thanks to its location in Atlantian Oceania, Equestria has become a travel hub for many visiting the region from around the world, and the nation is easily among the more prosperous and safe for foreigners to visit.
Geography & ClimateEquestria is both too large to be safely called an island nation and too small to be considered its own continent. However, most Equestrians live on a large landmass north of Valanora, known to Equestrians as the mainland, due to its size and role as a population and commercial center for the country.
The mainland is dominated by flat grassland and plains, though forests and hilly areas exist and are generally scattered throughout the landmass. Running north to south are the Harmony Mountains, named for Mt. Harmony near the capital city of Canterlot. The mountain range divides the mainland into eastern and western geographic regions, and was once home to dozens of active volcanoes. However, no eruption has occurred in the Harmony Mountains in at least the last 1500 years, and the range is believed to be inactive or extinct. The ancient volcanic activity on the mainland (and on many of Equestria's surrounding islands) resulted in mineral deposits from which Equestrian miners have extracted gold, silver, and other valuable materials for export.
The two most notable exceptions to the mainland's grassy majority are the Everfree Forest and Badlands. The Everfree Forest is more of a jungle than a temperate forest, and is widely considered the most dangerous region in Equestria due to its large numbers of wild carnivorous species, some of which would be considered "mythical" by foreigners. Within the Everfree Forest is the city of Everfree, located along the banks of the Stampede River and home to the largest population of non-equines in the nation. A number of more typical temperate forests surround the Everfree Forest itself. The Badlands, meanwhile, is a mix of marshland and desert near the southwestern coast, largely uncultivated and uninhabited by ponies, but is home to several other species such as changelings and buffalo.
Where things begin to get truly weird for the average tourist is Equestria's weather. Due to the magical nature of many of its inhabitants, the Equestrians are fully capable of creating, manipulating, and otherwise controlling the clouds and weather. This gives them the ability to determine where and when in rains or snows, as well any whatever other conditions they wish to create. The Equestrian government is very actively involved in coordinating the pegasi of the country to generate and control weather patterns favorable to Equestria's inhabitants (and its many earth pony farmers, in particular). As such, the odds of an Equestrian weatherpony giving an incorrect forecast are almost nonexistent, unless you happen to be in the Everfree Forest (the only region of Equestria where the weather is practically impossible to control due to a prevalence of wild magic).
TravelTravelling to Equestria is generally easy, as most methods of interregional travel are available to visitors from outside Atlantian Oceania. Most international flights to the nation arrive at Canterlot's Harmony International Airport, Manehattan's Royal International, or Stalliongrad's Friendship Heights International. However, it should be noted that pilots flying to and from Equestria internationally must receive additional certification due to the nature of the country and much of the surrounding area. Because of this additional requirement for pilots, some airlines do charge extra to cover the training fees.
Once in Equestria, there are many other options for travel. Rental cars, taxis, and buses are easy to find in the larger cities such as Manehattan, Stalliongrad, and Everfree, though one might notice that most vehicles are electric-powered. But while cars and buses are regularly used in some cities, there are also several in which their use is limited to emergency services (most notably in Ponyville and Canterlot's Old City district) or is totally banned (as is the case in Cloudsdale).
However, the limited use of automobiles is balanced out by the proliferation of trains for travel between and within cities. Some of the more prominent and historical lines (such as the Ponyville-Canterlot Express) still use steam-powered engines or high-speed trains designed to mimic the classical appearance of an Equestrian train. Subways are also a common feature in Equestrian cities, spreading underground to connect many places of interest for foreign tourists. Cloudsdale is the only city where cars, buses, and trains/subways are unavailable.
But in the end, the most common method of travel in Equestria is one's own feet (or whatever body part one has to move oneself with). Few Equestrians drive or use public transportation unless they have to, preferring to take in the clean air on their way from place to place.
Culture & SocietyReligionAny analysis of Equestrian culture and society must begin with its majority religion and guiding philosophy: Harmonism. A dualistic religion, it revolves around the physical sun and moon deities, Celestia and Luna, as well as the six principles known as the Elements of Harmony. The religion's origins are near-impossible to determination, though it is widely believed to begun shortly after ponykind first encountered Celestia and Luna over two millennia ago. Unlike other religions, Harmonism lacks a written scripture or centralized multiversal organization to create such writings, occasionally resulting in disagreements between Harmonists from different regions. For the sake of brevity, we will only be exploring the most common spiritual and secular beliefs held by those from Equestria.
As stated earlier, the central beliefs of Harmonism include the worship of the Regal Sisters (Celestia and Luna) and adherence to the Elements of Harmony. Immortal and, according to spiritual Harmonists, capable of moving celestial bodies through magic, the two Regal Sisters are worshiped (or at least respected) by ponies throughout the multiverse as living goddesses. Some have recently begun to question the actual power of the Sisters, though it is widely accepted among ponykind that they are the two most powerful magical beings in existence.
The six Elements of Harmony are Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. These Elements exist both as philosophical concepts as well as physical objects capable of great power that contain the purest magical essence of the aforementioned virtues. The philosophical aspects of the Elements are more central to Harmonist faith as a set of morals to guide one throughout life. They are, for the most part, fairly self-explanatory, except for Magic. The sixth element has been connected not only to the ability of equine Harmonists to use magical spells, but also to the drive for new knowledge or understanding. It also has been connected to the power of friendship, and is mentioned in the most common Harmonist saying: "Friendship is Magic".
However, Harmonism has expanded from its spiritual roots (particularly as more non-equines are exposed to harmonist teachings) to become a secular philosophy as well. Secular Harmonists generally try to follow the virtues of Harmonism, though they generally do not believe that the Regal Sisters are physical goddesses. The expansion of Secular Harmonism has also led to the traditional virtues being adopted and woven into other religions as well, such as Christianity. Excluding the overwhelmingly Spiritual Harmonist equine population of Equestria, one can find many of the multiverse's most common faiths among the large immigrant communities, particularly Christianity and Islam, owing to the large Banijan and Busogan communities.
LanguageTraditionally, ponies have spoken in their native Equestrian tongue; however, since the emergence of Equestria into the international community, many Equestrians have dedicated themselves to speaking multiple languages. The most common non-Equestrian language is easily English, which is spoken by approximately 70% of the population. It should be noted that some English words have been altered by Equestrians to better fit the equine majority, as the use of "everypony", "anypony", "hoofball", and other such words are modifications of the more standard English words. Mastery of many different languages is especially common among Unicorns, and as they are generally the ones more involved in business, are easy enough to find for foreign visitors. Numerous translating services exist throughout the Equestrian States, and airport bookstores generally contain a plethora of multilingual dictionaries for purchase.
FoodAs one might expect from a nation dominated by a species of herbivores, many traditional Equestrian dishes are vegetarian in nature. The proliferation of such food is also furthered by the general lack of agriculture for the purpose of raising up animals for the slaughter. To hurt another living creature is, to many Equestrians, simply unthinkable. However, Equestria is not only inhabited by equines, but also by griffons, dragons, and humans (among others). Restaurants do exist to cater to these non-equine species, and do serve a wide variety of meats imported from outside of the region. That being said, it would be unwise to be seen in public eating a hamburger made from beef or any other meat product as many Equestrians are disgusted by such foods. This can make finding food difficult in smaller cities and in the nicer areas of the larger ones. A general tip would be: if your waiter looks like a herbivore, don't ask them for a cheeseburger or steak. Equestrian cafes are fairly creative with what they can do with non-meat products, and the bread and pastries are oftentimes better than what you might find in other nations.
Drink in Equestria can also differ significantly from other nations around the multiverse, as the most popular alcoholic beverage is hard cider, found at virtually every bar, pub, and restaurant. Ponies generally refrain from drinking too heavily, but other non-human sapients such as griffons are known to consume vast quantities of alcohol in a single sitting. We advise our human readers to graciously decline any drinking challenges offered, as one is unlikely to win, and drunk griffons can be notoriously temperamental. Beer is a distant second to cider, in terms of both popularity and availability, though bars and eateries which cater to human tourists will often keep domestic Equestrian brands in stock.
Inter-Species RelationsAs Equestria is home to a wide range of species, it is practically impossible for any visitor to the country to avoid seeing a member of another species, regardless of where they might be. Unicorns could pull this off in certain neighborhoods of Canterlot, and earth ponies could do the same in isolated rural areas, though foreigners will often stumble across other species upon entry into Equestria as customs officials are perhaps the most diverse Equestrian demographic.
Relations between the three major pony races have not always been smooth, and some tensions still exist today despite the educational system's teaching of acceptance and tolerance. However, inter-species violence is very rare within Equestria, as is violent crime in general, with the possible exceptions coming from dragons, griffons, and other more naturally-aggressive species. Angering a dragon is about as dumb as it sounds, and is not advised unless one has a death wish.
Visitors to Equestria are also advised to avoid appearing speciesist to locals, as Equestrian society could be described as having a herd mentality, where an attack against or insult towards one person might be considered an attack on all those around that person. Thus, some words to avoid using in Equestria are: horse, mule, foal, or donkey. Calling a pony any of those terms is likely to result in a backlash towards the offending individual, as they are considered to be offensive unless one is actually speaking to a sapient horse or donkey, which are both easy to tell apart from ponies through their size and general lack of bright-colored fur or manes.
Handball World Cup 23 Venues
Group 4: New Indigo Arena (cap. 8,610) in Everfree
Group 5: Central Sportsplex (cap. 6,590) in Stalliongrad
Playoffs: Celestial Gardens (cap. 12,115) in Canterlot