Anima
 
At the in-betweens of empires and nations, travel and trade commence. Ships and caravans along the same well-worn routes eventually begin to notice patterns. If every other ship and trading group tends to cross paths at a certain place, why not set up shop to provide for them?
First, Zebra convoys would set up tents, camping along the shore and bartering surplus. Then came ships, boats from Gryphon lands and Equestria, to galleons far off as the Minoan city-states. Even the bat ponies, secluded as they are, came in their carts and air-sloops. Steadily, the camps grew larger and larger, turning to the land to sustain themselves, and importing what they couldn't grow. Granite was dug out from a nearby quarry, now a lake that's prime property for the richest in town. Crystals and precious metals were mined out of pockets underground to start funds, now occupied by larger things than cave rats. Jungle and woods were cleared to start farms, with plenty more left to allow the growth of useful alchemical plants. Signs of previous, ancient settlement further north and the unknown of the region bring the curious and scholarly as well. Soon, with investors and labourers and the idea to become its own place, Anima was founded. Name taken from a Minoan text, the mind that brought the town into existence isn't known, but they've left their legacy regardless.
A council shall rule, fair as can possibly be with representatives from as many races that call the place home, where they can decide to be the place they want to be, where all are equally judged by merit, not by caste or class or birth. The town is young, only the youngest citizens call the place home by birth, but the influx of immigrants and currency ensure that won't be the case for very long.
Even so, no place is without its problems. Anima is a work in progress, no matter how bustling the central marketplace is or how gilded the Canterlot facades or varied the foods. Bustling trade and travel are prime vectors for illness, and foreign pressure from the more nationalistic arrivals are part of the growing pains of independence.
 
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Equestria
 
The Land of ponykind is well known, if not for the spread of its culture and economy, then for the very least the fact it's ruler controls the path of the Sun. Histories and fables both tell of Princess Celestia’s younger sister, once the Lunar half of the diarchy, now banished to the moon centuries before for threatening to instigate an eternal night. Princess Luna and her actions have had little effect on the path of Equestria since, however, though the period of her banishment does coincide with the formation of a nation of bat ponies. Any link between the two events is not officially stated.
Now, Equestria is home to the three races, once the three tribes. Earth pony, Pegasus, Unicorn. Though trade and migration treaties have allowed many more races to inhabit their lands. Their official policy of diplomacy and friendship (called “Harmony” by some philosophers) has made them a neutral state none would dare nor want to be on bad terms with.
Contemporary Equestrian asthetic and culture is a mixture of tribalist influences, updated with modern techniques and materials. While not as rich or distinctive as that of other nations’, Equestrian culture has made it’s way all across the world in some way, shape, or form. Much like the ponies that inhabit it.
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Minoan city-state
 
The Bovines of the city state are as colourful as their culture, being of two distinct “breeds”, as they are. The majority of the population is quadruped, with the rest of the race being bipedal minotaurs. The figure of a horned biped is the distinct sight many outside the nation associate with the people, but there is more to a Bovine than an assertive presence and large rack.
Minoan history is filled with more intellectuals than most, thanks to their detailed records and enduring architecture supporting a history richer than even the thousands-years-old Equestria without being nearly as old. Created originally from an enclave of Bovines both bipedal and quadruped, under the vision of the charismatic minotaur Asterius Taurus, “The Unbreakable”, the bovine peoples finally had a nation of their own, though many groups (all quadrupedal groups, notably) still decided to continue their lives in other nations, mostly providing dairy.
Literature and the arts are what makes Minos what it is, and Tauric legends and fables (and their direct to opera versions) are known for their depth, being taken as a form of historical record all on its own. Coincidentally, they also have one of the highest numbers of celebrations per year, and “painting the town red” is widely credited as a Minoan saying.
Many members of other races believe in the image of an assertive, imposing minotaur, but they too have their fair share of “softer” personalities - from philosophers to poets, which do their own fair share of travelling. Their music, however, remains unpopular outside the state.
Contrary to popular belief, ice cream did not originate from the Minoans, unlike most other forms of dairy.
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Selene/The Hollows
 
A secluded and relatively insular region, the home of the Bat ponies (see: Thestral, Nightkin, Lunar Pegasus, “bates”) is not one, but two places, each a community and nation in their own right. There is currently no body that claims to speak for the entire region as a whole, though unofficial sources claim that the Northern and Southern regions were once whole, formed during the same period as the banishment of Nightmare Moon. This is taken as unofficial fact, as the split between the “Vampire bats” and “Fruit bats” is almost purely cultural, with relatively minor physiological differences due to their diets.
The inhabitants of the southern end are more commonly seen outside their home region, usually in Equestrian and Gryphon territories, though they are a rare sight regardless due to their comparatively smaller population. While food in The Hollows is largely fruit centric, bat ponies do have a reputation of hemophilia and more carnivorous tastes, which is largely taboo to the almost exclusively herbivorous pony races, due to the traits of their Northern cousins. Indeed, the split between both sides of bat pony seems to have been a rather recent one, as texts from early Equestria make no mention of the bat ponies as they are now.
The Hollows is the name given by these ponies to the largest community in the area, a city built between and inside the trees of a forest sitting in a valley. More conventional buildings sit at the base of the giant trees, providing trade access and accommodation for the races that prefer living on solid ground.
Selene is the city built into a mountain, and the home of the Northern bat ponies. Rocky outcroppings structures belie a sprawling network of caves within the mountain. And the ponies that inhabit it are what most associate with the term “Bat pony", despite their more outgoing relatives. Arable land on the mountain is scarce, and so the ponies there have supplemented what little they can grow with the meat of livestock. Not even the blood goes to waste, and blood pudding is considered a delicacy. These traits are the root cause of the rumors that bat ponies are vampires, in addition to their longer, sharper fangs.
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Gryphon kingdom(s)
 
Unlike Equestria, the Gryphons have never had the luck of a nigh-immortal ruler to guide their progress. Indeed, it is often said that Gryphons are what Ponies would have become if they had not unified, albeit with less magic use. Currently, the Kingdoms’ capital is Arcadia, a coastal city built into the face of an extinct volcano. While not the oldest city, it has been the longest running capital of the Gryphons, outlasting several civil wars in the last millennia.
Each city is under the rule of a monarch, that controls the smaller towns and settlements in their territory. A High King is elected from the current rulers who then represents the kingdoms as a whole, though no such rule is required for any of the members of a noble’s court, allowing the intake of fresh blood and ideas, if they prove themselves.
Adept warriors, Gryphons have a history of fighting that goes back to ancient times, and is related to the leading theory on the similar architecture of old Gryphon and Pegasus structures. Not to say that their culture revolves around conflict, but strength, and by extension the wisdom to use it effectively. The highest in status of the kingdoms are ideally as strong as they are strategic. Economic might in the courtroom is as good as a sword in the arena. But a lord and especially a king is nothing without people to lead, and charitable spending is a win-win solution to improve society while gaining power and reputation for the individual. Incidentally, some kingdoms also implement a term of civil service for their citizens, often joining the local militia, meaning the average Gryphon citizen is likely a trained fighter as well.
Their history is also the reason for the existence of native non-gryphon populations. Ancient conquered settlements were all integrated into the then Griffon Empire, and the ponies (and hybrids) descended from them see themselves as much a citizen as any other Gryphon.
Magic use is rare among them, fueling their preference for physical means of defense such as swords and polearms, and weapons such as the pistol and longrifle are their creations. Biologically, passive magic is used a lesser extent than ponies, though they do retain the ability to walk on clouds and wield weather, with training. And those with natural talent to become a mage are known to reach higher peaks than most unicorns. Such focus reflects in their actual magic use, preferring to enhance the physical over exploring the metaphysical.
The varied, often harsher than usual terrains they inhabit come with a focus on practicality over flair when it comes to fashion, preferring simpler designs in everyday clothing and chainmail and sections of plate over the full plate more often seen in Equestrian calvary. On ceremony the trends are reversed, with brighter colours like blues, whites, and yellows on sashes to capes to robes to display one’s personal accolades.
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Changeling Hives
 
Changelings are a secretive race, even more so than some government agencies, and notoriously hard to find, much less interact with. But unlike most other races of the world, Changelings are much more divided. Multiple hives exist, all run by a single queen, often the same queen that established the hive. Each Hive and it's territories is thus, in a way, a dynasty of interrelated mini empires sharing general characteristics. It is speculated that, during development, changeling grubs establish a type of mental empathetic link with their queen, creating their hive mind. Not much else is known should this hive mind link be broken, or if a changeling decides to become independent.
Not much else is known about Changeling culture, or if they even have a culture, but it has been noted that Changelings throughout history have not always operated the same way. Current stories of kidnappings to drain victims of their emotion are but the newest in line. Rarer tales tell of groups of changelings that have integrated into towns and settlements, forming a more symbiotic relationship, or of those that are so versed in the art of seduction and romance that their effects would be near indistinguishable from mental Enchantment. No two hives can be expected to operate exactly the same.
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Zebras
 
The Zebra history has been one of long reform, over many hundreds of years, with just as wide a range as Equestrians. The earliest oral histories indicate they used to roam the grasslands, but spread outward into the rocky deserts and jungles over time. Traditionally, the life of a Zebra family was nomadic, and some still adhere to that tradition. But over time the pockets of arable land became settlements that the remaining nomadic caravans facilitated trade between, and eventually those villages became towns which became cities.
Such things happened over a thousand years ago, and the evidence of such history is clear today. The Zebras were responsible for some things which were considered very advanced for their time; mathematical and magickal concepts like the number zero and the use of runes had their starts in Zebra scholars.
But not all Zebras took to city life. A portion still retains their nomadic traditions, seeking out new lands to roam and new peoples to meet. Also, perpetuating the stereotype of rhyming witch-doctors that live in huts practicing alchemy.