canterlot [Lore] Canterlot Castle

[Bellosh]

Canterlot Castle - The Crown Jewel

 

 

No house in Equestria is as great as that of the Royal Pony Sisters, Canterlot Castle. Obstinately the source of the name of the city built around it, Canterlot Castle was constructed as a symbol of the beauty ponies could create by working together. As such, many sections of the grand palace are open to the public and used for special occasions on a frequent basis.

 

The public interior spaces of Canterlot Castle share many typical design elements. As the marble palace was not designed as a military fortress, windows tend to be large and spacey. Many of these windows are made out of stained glass, and these magnificent works of art depict scenes of everyday Equestrian life or commemorate important historical events (it’s been joked about that the royal window makers have been constantly busy ever since Princess Luna’s return). Those purple-tinted marble walls not adorned with windows are covered with decorative tapestries, marked with vivid emblems of every sort. As for the famous palace corridors themselves, their pillar-supported roofs tower far above the heads of everypony, and are accompanied by glossy checkerboard-patterned floors and red carpet walkways. Every so often, one of these corridors is connected to a balcony providing a scenic vista of Canterlot and the surrounding landscape.

 

Other sections of Canterlot Castle are off-limits to anypony but royalty and staff, and so they do not necessarily need to be extravagant. Celestia’s bedroom itself stands as a homely contrast to the state guestrooms and the rest of the castle, while hallways typically aren’t required to be extraordinarily extravagant. Here, one can also find kitchens, servants’ quarters, secluded parlors, and the private royal library. Each wing of the library is meant for royal use only and is named for an important pioneering mind in a certain discipline; for example, the wing housing instructional material on highly advanced spells is named for the great wizard Starswirl the Bearded.

 

The following is a listing of the most famous parts of Canterlot Castle. No tour of the castle is complete without a visit of these following areas:

 

The Front Lawn - The main entrance into Canterlot Castle is through the Front Lawn, a lush public greenspace surrounded by the rest of the city. Citizens of Equestria traditionally assemble on the lawn to overhear proclamations made by the princess up from a rampart-styled platform above, which can be reached from the outside by two curving staircases. Meanwhile, the main ground floor entrance into the palace lies below the platform through a large wooden gate, constantly watched over by the Royal Guard.

 

The Grand Ballroom - Not far from the entrance hall is the impressive Grand Ballroom, the primary room used for social functions like the Grand Galloping Gala. The walls of this chamber and the corridors leading to it are lined with centuries-old artwork, sculptures, and tapestries. One end of the Ballroom contains a raised area for musicians to play sedate courtly tunes; the other end provides a back exit into the castle gardens.

 

The Gardens - If the palace proper serves as a marvel of Equestrian architecture, then the Gardens separating the palace from the surrounding precipice are a showcase of Equestria’s natural beauty. The prettiest flowers, bushes, and trees from all over the land are cultivated here, and a small collection of highly diverse animal species are also kept here; many of them gifts from foreign dignitaries. In addition, a multitude of marble statues litter the grounds near the palace and the labyrinthine hedge maze at one end of the gardens. A defensive wall conveniently wraps around this natural refuge to make sure ponies and other creatures don’t accidentally walk off the cliffside.

 

The Throne Room - Princess Celestia presides over this majestic chamber; from here, the alicorn conducts much of her day-to-day affairs. The princess’s throne sits on top of a gold dais of unparalleled splendor; large gilded pots of lovely flowers flank the front-facing sides, while tiny waterfalls flow behind and keep the throne room bathed in the soothing sound of cascades. Unlike other castle corridors, each towering window in the Throne Room is of the stained-glass variety, giving this chamber an otherworldly quality as benefiting of Celestia’s domain.

 

The Hall of Harmony - Canterlot Castle’s great hall is just as awe-inspiring as the Throne Room, even if it’s simpler in design. Prestigious state ceremonies are conducted here; Princess Cadance and Shining Armor exchanged their wedding vows upon the Hall’s raised stage, and Twilight Sparkle’s coronation took place on that same stage as well. Unlike the other palace chambers, the windows in the Hall of Harmony are entirely open to fresh air to outside, and the walls correspondingly use a blue tint instead of the usual purple. From the Hall of Harmony, processions can swiftly make their way over to the platform overlooking the Front Lawn, and gaze upon the vast crowds of ponies who couldn’t witness the Hall ceremonies in person.

~Hitcherhikers' Guide to Equestria