There are several viewpoints to establish towards this place but one of them that people tend to forget is how its actual concept has managed to accomplish itself over time. I ask you a question here:

wasn´t this place inspired in Minas Tirith (Lord of the Rings) when Faust decided to design it? And indeed, it looks like the white city was replicated in terms of design....but it has also replicated its destruction and huge battles have happened in it as well.

Yes, this city has revived the entire concept of Tolkien´s idea because this place, like no other in Equestria, has been taken over in such wild ways that it leaves the 5th Avenue of New York shivering when it comes to apocalyptic situations. Do you remember the times that this place has been taken over?

>A Canterlot Wedding
>The Beginning of the End
>The Ending of the End
>The Movie (2017)

Those are the main ones but to an extent, To Where and Back Again and Princess Twilight Sparkle were episodes in which the princess kidnapped, Discord threatened Celestia and the Mane 6 in Return of Harmony or even the villain trio fooled the guards in The Summer Sun Setback. This place, despite its high class appearance at first sight, is nothing but boring because whenever you expect it the least,a whole army of changelings fly around it or a ship appears and in less than 5 minutes, the whole location becomes unrecognizable and works as the set up for the final boss. Not only that but it has had to be entirely rebuilt, changing the throne of the royal sisters in one of them.

This leaves us with unsettling ambients and images of pure chaos (especially in the movie). This city manages to exhibit the other side of the coin, darker than any other location and potentially in any other timeline,it would have worked a setting for battling RPG bosses in any video game. It could easily become the root of any possible dark force that takes it over.

Something tells me that one wouldn´t expect this to be exposed but eeeyup, its potential for becoming a post apocalyptic place is much easier than one believes at first sight and it fits horrifyingly (yet amazingly) well at that.