Hoofswell

Hoofswell is a city on the far northern frontier of Equestria. Declared to be the first major settlement in Equestria(disputed by Neighmegen), this town's place on the map is solidified due to its proximity to both Old Equestria.

Location
Hoofswell is situated on the border between Equestria, Prance and "Old Equestria", still a frozen wasteland. Due to wars between Earth Ponies and Pegasi early on in its history, it too has remained in the more barren parts of the world and was, for a time, isolated by the Alpples.

Colonization
After Old Equestria's fall to the Windigos, Hoofswell(or Neighwegen) was one of the first towns established in what would become the new home of ponies everywhere. Built to be the new center of power for Earth in this new Equestria, it was successful for the a long period of time, even when nearby Pegasapolis had its capital, Neighwegen, nearby. This would not last for long, however, for border conflicts and eventually all-out war was fought between the two powers.

It ended predictably; Windigos swept down and ravaged the land, leaving the former capitals of both Earth and Pegasapolis decimated and forcing the Pony Migration that would lead to Equestria's birth further down south. Left as nothing short of a ghost town for many years, it was eventually recolonized in force and integrated into Equestria as part of the "Neightherlands" area. As a border town, it would gain connections with places such as Prance and the Griffin Kingdoms to become a relatively wealthy center of trade with a sizable Griffin Population.

Pre-War Conditions
Hoofswell was an extremely rich city that many were envious of. Carrying a mixed population of Fancy and Equestrian ponies along with Griffins and even the occasional dragon, the town held many trading opportunities. In the Griffin-Equestrian War, this was both a curse and a blessing. On the borders, Hoofswell received a devastating hit to trade, and paranoia spread rampant through the population. The few Griffins that lived there were forced out or viciously attacked, however, these Griffins were able to convince passing armies that Hoofswell was either not a problem, or simply unimportant. When these actions were found out about, Hoofswell was quick to accept their old Griffin friends back.

Like the rest of the Neightherland Provinces, Hoofswell faced a large string of Griffin kidnappings, the beginning of the Griffin Genocide. Most Griffins blamed the city itself for this and quickly abandoned the now-declining center of trade. Threatening to be taken off of the map and with growing tensions between Prance, their remaining trade partner, and the New Lunar Republic, Hoofswell was quick to reject the New Lunar Republic upon news of the Griffin Genocide. Once the Ancarian Republic was formed, Hoofswell viewed them as a gift from the Princesses; a massive trading partner just on the borders that wanted peace. Even when the Ancarian Revolution began, they welcomed the blitzing Griffins into their city and the ideals of the Ancarian Republic with open arms. This would prove to be a terrible mistake.

The Hoofswell Disaster
The Griffins who returned to Hoofswell were vengeful and insulted by the fickle Equine population. With forced exile, murders, kidnappings and the Genocide itself hanging in their minds, the occupying forces of the Ancarian Republic proceeded to rape and pillage their way through the town in such a brutal fashion that it was dubbed the "Hoofswell Disaster" by Lord Sigyu, due to its ability to simply destroy any relations they had with any other town. Entire blocks of the city were burned to the ground, countless crimes, some bordering on full-blown war crimes occurred and it took a full intervention and threats of death from a division of mainly Zebra soldiers and armor to halt the destruction. The events were, however, covered up, and the brutality did not end. Although a few ponies were able to leave in the beginning of the war, they only found that the New Lunar Republic had pulled back for countless miles, leaving nowhere to tell their story.

An emergency conference resulted in the decision to not only try and give special privileges to Hoofswell as compensation, but began a large program to do the same for any Equestrian province with a preference of having Zebras handle occupation rather than more vengeful and belligerent Southern Griffins from handling it unless absolutely necessary. Troops were watched more carfully, crimes were responded to harshly, and the Ancarian Republic would do all it could to assist any occupied land with any of their desires ignored by the government along with trading benefits. This program, done mainly as a massive gamble with public relations, succeeded in many areas. Unfortunately, the damage to Hoofswell was already done. While the Ancarian Republic was able to push itself higher than the New Lunar Republic in the minds of the public, the only difference was that if faced with the choice of killing an Ancarian or a New Lunar Republican, a Hoofswell resident would kill the New Lunar Republican.

The events of the Hoofswell Disaster were heavily covered up by the Ancarian Republic and Hoofswell itself locked down. As the War continued, less people tried to escape and simply accepted their fate, the reveal of the true power of "Ramiel" serving a great purpose in this. Although the town was assisted by the programs and privileges, it is still in a lengthy reconstruction period.

Post-War
After the War ended, the Ancarian Republic retreated to leave behind "prospering ruins". With absolute hatred for both New Lunar Republicans and Ancarian Republicans alike, Hoofswell embraced the new government of Equestria after the Princesses ran off. The population views neighboring Neighmegen under a far more negative light than mere rivals, due to their support of the Ancarian Republic and distrust of the new government. With Trotterdam, however, there have even been small skirmishes between the two towns due to Trotterdam, who prospered from a far more peaceful Ancarian occupation, wishing to maintain trade with the Ancarian Republic. Hoofswell, however, has repeatedly seized or halted anything traveling between the two, resulting in grave tension that could spark major conflict at any time. On the rise to once more becoming a center of trade, the fracturing of the Neigtherlands could bring their golden age of wealth to a bloody end.

Landmarks
Although severely damaged by the war, some of the sights still stand proudly. Some of these include:

Casemates - While seen by many as a brutal reminder of the wars that passed and may continue to pass, this engineering wonder of a tunnel system that spreads underground. Signs of guerilla bases near the center fade to recently unblocked areas where refugees once fled from.

Vrijthoof - The "best square in the city" that once held two large churches dedicated to the Princesses, now being reconstructed after devastation from the war. The theatre, however, stands proudly.

New Lunar Republic
The New Lunar Republic is viewed as one of the most despicable things that has happened to Equestria in a long time. Prefering to exempt themselves from blame, the NLR is viewed as the reason that not only the war started, but the reason that the Griffin Genocide occurred. As time went on and propaganda came flooding in, the connection between the plight of Griffins, formerly their friends, and the New Lunar Republic sealed their opinion. Any New Lunar Republican entering this town would be lucky not to be attacked with the same ferocity as they were treated during the Hoofswell Disaster.

Ancarian Republic
Viewed as the "lesser of two evils", the Hoofswell Disaster still leaves a horrid taste in the mouths of many. Very view actually support the Ancarian Republic, and even less survive being in Hoofswell doing so. The combined opinions on both the NLR and the Ancarian Republic has resulted in a more isolationist, nostalgic want for the times before the New Lunar Republic was a major force. Ancarians are not welcome to the point where known Ancarian carriages or merchants passing through will be detained, causing grave problems with Trotterdam. The only safe way is to fly over or redirect through either Germaneigh or Fancee(Prance).

Equestria and Princesses
The Princesses leaving Equestria is seen as justified, but the Hoofswell dwellers are still not particularly happy about their goddesses running off. Politically, however, the new government is enjoyed and proclaimed to be far better for Equestria. The town is fully cooperative due to bad sentiments with most other factions in the area, making the rivalry with Neighmegen a point of tension; their Pegasus counterpart views the current government with distrust.