the heartland [Lore] The Great Nimbusgait Lakes

[Jane]

The Great Nimbusgait Lakes - Sparkling Clear Waters at the Heart of Equestria

 

 

Anypony familiar with the heartland of Equestria knows well the three Great Nimbusgait Lakes. Spanning over 5000 square miles, and stretching from the Everfree Forest in the west to the foothills of Canterlot in the east, the lakes are a prime feature of the area. The lakes are named Nimbusgait, as they are a major supply of water for the weather factory in Cloudsdale - the name literally translates to "Dark Cloud Walking."

 

Though the three lakes reside in separate basins, they form a single, naturally interconnected body of fresh water. The lakes, combined with a series of rivers and streams, form a chain connecting the interior of continental Equestria with Zherbenok Bay in the North, and the ocean beyond. They were formed by glacial movement many thousands of years ago, which caused the formation of basins and filled the lakes with meltwater.

 

To the East is Lake Cumulus, the busiest and most famed of the three. the lake teems with life and activity beneath the surface, as it is home to countless fish and freshwater sea creatures. Fishing, boating, sailing, and scuba diving are all popular activities practiced in and around this lake, and its shoreline is thick with cottages and summer villas. At its northern tip is the city of Trottingham, a town that thrives on the industry the lake's presence provides, situated at the point where the water from the lake flows into the Delamare River - travelling north towards Zherbanok Bay. To its southeast it flows into Bucephalus Brook, and to the southwest, where it joins Lake Cirrus, is the Pegasus metropolis of Cloudsdale; the major weather-producing hub for most of the nation.

 

The other two lakes, despite being surrounded by fewer cities and consequently more isolated, are still rather significant. The one in the center, Lake Cirrus, is the shallowest, its water the clearest, and, consequently, the warmest of the three, and unless you are at its southernmost tip, where it meets Lake Stratus and is fed by Neighagara Falls, it is usually calm and serene. Its shoreline is sporadically dotted with small cottages and bed and breakfasts, though not to the same extent as Cumulus due to a lack of nearby towns and villages, especially along its western shore.

 

The final, westernmost lake is Stratus, which is the most elusive and mysterious of the three lakes due to its proximity to the strange magic of the Everfree Forest. Storms on this lake are dangerous and not uncommon. Its bed to the northeast is rocky and treacherous, its water is deep and cold and murky, and it feeds Froggy Bottom Bog to the south. This lake is also higher in altitude to the other lakes, and as a result of this, the point at which it throws itself into Lake Cirrus forms a waterfall, known throughout the region as "Neighagara Falls." The eastern point of this lake is especially dangerous as a result of the swiftly flowing currents as the water makes its way over the rocky lakebed towards the escarpment below.

 

In addition to being a significant source of trade for the Heartland of Equestria due to the surrounding scenery and bringing active tourism for the area, perhaps the most important use of the three lakes is this: it provides the city of Cloudsdale with an invaluable source of water. Transported to the city's weather factory using the tornado power of the pegasi, the water is then used to make rainclouds, rainbows and snowflakes for all of Equestria. This water is eventually returned to the lakes by rains and runoff.

~Hitchhikers' Guide to Equestria