Differences Between Twitterponies and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

S1E01 storybook opening Equestria landscape cropped

While Twitterponies is based on the Discovery Family (previously Hub Network) cartoon show, and takes much of its continuity and flavor from the cartoon, there are subtle differences and it takes place in a slightly different fictional universe than the show itself.

As we do scenes we establish worldbuilding and history that may conflict with as-yet unaired episodes. When conflicts occur, we usually retcon Twitterponies to stay in line with the cartoon, but some elements will be kept.

Places/Geography

TP-Equestria is a medium-sized nation around the size of a US state or European country, bordered by Dragon Lands, Griffon Lands, camel and zebra lands, and a distant India-like region called the Gajah ruled by elephants, as well as the "Wild West" area with settler ponies and existing buffalo tribes.

Show-Equestria is undefined as to its boundaries and political situation, and may be the whole of the world.

TP-Ponyville is basically identical to Show-Ponyville in appearance, except TP-Ponyville has a municipal swimming pool. TP-Ponyville is much older than Show-Ponyville and Granny Smith was not present at the founding of the town.

In Ponyville, TP's Library is called the Treebrary and functions as a public library. The show's Library is solely Twilight's house and does not appear to lend out books to Ponyville residents, also it's occasionally called Books & Branches.

History and Monarchs

TP's Princess Celestia is just over 4000 years old, and ruled with her sister Princess Luna for many centuries prior to Luna's rebellion as Nightmare Moon. The events depicted in the show's Hearth's Warming Eve episode pre-date the rise of Celestia and Luna. Alicorns are a vanishingly rare species of near-immortals that tend to rule kingdoms and have planetary-scale magic powers. If a unicorn, pegasus or earthpony is raised to the level of Princess, they grow wings and/or a horn as needed. Alicorns are not normally born to mortal families. Celestia and Luna were born to a pair of very powerful alicorns who are either deceased or ascended to a higher plane of existence.

Technology

Twitterponies use Tweetbirds as quick personal communication, sending messages to one another as well as to Twitter itself. Other technology is roughly at a late 19th-century level, with the exception of computers which are at roughly 1960. Like the show, most technological items use some kind of magic in their construction, and are powered by unicorn magic or some kind of enchantment, although electricity exists in experimental form. Twitterponies transportation includes trains, walking, flying by pegasus ponies, carriages, and Pegacoaches, pegasus-drawn flying carriages akin to taxis or limos. (and depending on the city, airships, but you'd mainly find those much farther north in the transportation and industrial dominated cities.)

Dragons

Twitterponies Dragons are a civilized culture, with a population of around a thousand dragons ruled by mlp_DragonKing and his minion mlp_RedDragon, occupying a volcanic region known as the Dragon Lands. They have their own magic system based on words of power. The show Dragons may be reasonably intelligent in their infant phase but appear to be semi-sentient at best in their adult phase, and sleep on hoards in caves.

Griffons

Twitterponies Griffons are a civilized culture in a neighboring region to Equestria, with a population of griffons ruled by a Gryphon Queen, occupying a mountainous region called the Griffon Lands. They do not appear to use magic. They have a hierarchical caste system based around coolness and awesomeness, and worship as a deity a magical dancing can with sunglasses. Their political relation with Equestria is somewhat standoffish. The show Griffons have not been developed and Gilda is the only canon griffon.

The Formula for Success

The basic formula for success in TwitterPonies: The closer you adhere to the spirit and letter and play your character accounts within the letter and spirit of the following guidelines, the more likely you are to get Followers, avoid Blockers, be Included in conversations and adventures and have fun.

The converse is true also: the further you stray from the formula, the fewer followers you'll get, the less involved you'll be in conversations or adventures, and you might get blocked.