Res-Novae, the Equestrian Colony (wip)

The Colony of Res-Novae is sizable stretch of land on the southwestern coast of the recently-discovered continent of Virelda inhabited primarily by former residents of Equestria.

Background
In the year 981 ALB, an expedition sponsored by the Equestrian Crown set out to explore and map the continent of Virelda and document the various native settlements therein. The expedition suffered many setbacks in the form of native attacks, malaria infections, and a beetle laying eggs in the expedition leader's ear. Despite the trouble, the expedition was a success.

Five years later, Princess Celestia granted approval for a colonist party to set out and establish a settlement overseas to expand Equestria's influence abroad. The first settlers established a port on the coast, named New Manehattan, which remains the economic and political center of the colony to this day.

Disagreements with the Crown
A large portion of the early settlers of Res-Novae were those who did not fit in well with regular Equestrian society. As their eccentricities played a large part in forming the culture of the colonial population, the residents typically consider themselves to be a separate people from those of the mother country and would often resist regulations and reforms that Canterlot would attempt to impose upon them, much to the dismay of the Equestrian government.

In the beginning years, a governor appointed by the Crown would have executive authority over Res-Novae. The most recent appointed governor took office in 992 after the first governor retired: an elitist Canterlot noble who the locals often referred to as "that fat, pompous idiot". This pony was particularly disliked by the residents of Res-Novae due to his superior attitude towards the colony's population.

The governor would often send the local guard to forcefully shut down businesses that he deemed "disgusting and uncivilized", such as restaurants that served meat products and saloons that allowed non-pony customers. In addition, he would shut down various manufacturing companies that produced weapons that were essential to protecting settlements on the frontier from large predatory animals, attacks from hostile natives, and gangs of criminals. Public opinion in Res-Novae had turned from generally unfriendly towards the governor, to outright hostile in a matter of weeks.

Barely a month after the noble took office, an angry mob broke into the governor's mansion and physically carried him to the docks of New Manehattan before promptly throwing him into the sea.

It wasn't long before the story reached Canterlot. The residents of Res-Novae were demanding the right to choose their own governor through a democratic process, which, in a desperate attempt to calm the angry colonists, Princess Celestia granted.

While this was met with great approval from the colonists, the Canterlot elite were in an uproar at the idea of giving such autonomy to what is supposed to be an extension of Equestria.

Society
The colony is inhabited primarily by those who emigrated from mainland Equestria. Many didn't fit in well with regular society due to individual ecentricities not being well received by Equestrian culture, such as meat eating.

Residents tend to prioritize technological development over magic usage. This is likely due to the fact that about 78% of the population are Earth ponies.

Economy
The colonial economy is driven almost entirely by private industry, with technology prioritized over magic most of the time.

Mechanized agriculture is one of the main driving forces of the economy, and in contrast to the mother country, Res-Novae farms often raise livestock for meat production.

Heavy industry, such as manufacturing, is growing at a rapid pace due to advances in technology and industrialists gaining power in the government. In fact, industry in Res-Novae is growing at a faster rate than in the mother country.

Territorial Expansion
Equestria did not intend for Res-Novae to expand beyond the borders in the original land claim as drawn during the colony's foundation. This would change when the locals began electing their own leaders. Expansionism is a policy that many residents support, with some hoping that Res-Novae's territory will someday span all the way to the eastern coast of the continent.

The Independence Movement
As Res-Novae's political and economic dependence on the mother country diminished, and with the democratization of the governorship, an ever-growing number of colonial citizens express a desire for the colony to break from Equestria and become its own nation.

The movement's current de-facto leader is Frizzen Flicker, the current and youngest governor, who was recently elected at the age of only eight. Frizzen's disdain for the mother country stems from having witnessed his father, a once-notorious but long-retired outlaw named Firecracker, killed by Equestrian authorities on their family ranch alongside his mother and uncle three years before his election.