@Joshua  
Yeah. Even the Storm King sent some of his scouts (most or least of them precisely) across Equestria. Just like when Queen Chrysalis conquers Canterlot with her minions just like what the Storm King did. But unlike Chrysalis, the Storm King succeed on co querying Equestria throughout the entire movie until his victory was undone at the end of the film when the Mane 6, Spike, Tempest Shadow, Capper, Captain Celaeno and her pirate crew, and Princess Skystar defeated the Storm King and his Storm Army.

@Kaden Bayne Vanciel  
Not all of Ponyville were in Canterlot. Most of Ponyville were in Canterlot. I bet the least number of Ponyville were captured, punished, imprisoned, and enslaved by the Storm King and his army offscreen. Even Mayor Mare was imprisoned in a cage by the Storm King. Just like what Trixie did in “Magic Duel”. I bet the rest of Ponyville (including Mayor Mare) make it to Canterlot in time for the Friendship Festival after the Storm King died and his army were defeated, and everything in Equestria caused by the Storm King and his Storm Empire was restored back to normal.

@Kaden Bayne Vanciel  
Seriously?! Canterlot is the capital of Equestria. And that’s where the Storm King’s reign and conquering of Equestria started. I don’t know why prior and during the events of the movie how the Storm King, Tempest, Grubber, the Storm General, Ralph and Sam, and the other Storm Creatures knew about the existence of Equestria where Tempest abandoned prior to the events of the movie and/or the tv show and the cities and landmarks of Equestria.

@Joshua  
Well, when people first watch to beginning of the movie, they thought they would never see Ponyville when they only see Canterlot. But they were wrong because they see Ponyville after the song “Open Up Your Eyes” ended. And we can see smoke rising above Ponyville which means that the Storm King and his army did invade Ponyville and Canterlot, and the rest of Equestria. And I bet it’s so hard to see Saddle Lake and the Everfree Forest in this screenshot. I bet the Storm King did also invade/conquered these locations of Equestria as well. Oh and Twilight’s Castle is missing in this shot as an animation error I guess.

@JustSomePainter11  
Not the better half. The Storm King took over/rule/conquer/invade all of Equestria!

@SunnyBlam  
You were right. This happens in “Resistance Rising” which takes place during the movie. During the invasion in Canterlot, the CMC escape to Ponyville and form the local resistance including some going to Canterlot for the Friendship Festival. After finding out that Trixie has also escaped and is hiding under the stage while Starlight Glimmer is captured by the Storm King’s forces during the Storm King’s invasion in Canterlot which is the beginning of the Storm King’s reign in Equestria, the quartet bust out Starlight and win over the local occupation force with “The Power of Friendship” and musical numbers. But they failed. So later in the movie, the CMC, Trixie, and Starlight were captured by the Storm king’s forces, taken back to Canterlot, and imprisoned in their cages while Ponyville is still burning, or being invaded, or conquered by the Storm King and his Storm Army.

Equestria looks nothing more than a sad dark reality wasteland now, and the Storm King is the very first villian in MLP to take over (half of) Equestria )=.

@Ohvist  
yeah cause it very hard to destroy blimps what with them being slow and highly flammable

Storm King: “We have one advantage that these ponies sorely lack… ZEPPELINS!”

@Kaden Bayne Vanciel  
considering that we saw Scoots and Bloom inside of cages when Princess Twilight was being delivered to be part of the ritual: this is a given.

@neo4812  
Oh I remember now, thanks

@Darth Shy  
it was after tempest sang “open up your eyes” like the very end of the song

Which scene was this?

@neo4812  
No. There’s lots of 2d animation that looks bad or mediocre, and that “something” that 3d animation can “never capture” is called your nostalgia.

@Ihhh  
that’s 2D animation for yea, oh sure there are some beautiful scenery in 3D animation but there’s just something about 2D animation art that 3D animation can never capture

Is no one else going to mention how beautiful this looks?

@SunnyBlam  
They seem to have had THAT under control. X3

I like to think that Ponyville had become a battleground like Canterlot had in the three days the M6 were out. Which explains the smoke.  
Maybe Starlight & Trixie had escaped & joined the resistance army, not being near the center of the initial chaos in Canterlot. They have experience after all.

It’s reminding me of Destiny 2 right now

@neo4812  
It’s probably because neither Tempest or the Storm King realized the sun and moon are slaves to the Staff of Sacanas while the princesses are petrified. I’m not sure the audience found out either, for that matter.

i just realized that the sun never set during the course of the movie

At this point in the movie, as Tempest’s song ends, I hear in my head “The Imperial March” or Kylo Ren’s theme.  
Add in some Imperial- or Resurgence-Class Star Destroyers, and it would be perfect!

@Joshua …

@Kaden Bayne Vanciel  
Well, it’s there, plain as day. They’re actually stupid enough to think WE never took notice of the town’s little cameo, but unfortunately for them, I consider myself a stickler for these kinds of things. X3

@Joshua I doubt the writers wanted to do anything to Ponyville, and believe they kill it off from the film.