Why has Twilight's status as an alicorn princess gone largely ignored in Season 4? · 6:19am Mar 8th, 2014
Howdy, y’all.
I’m sure you’ve all noticed, as I have, that there have been a lot of complaints about Season 4 as a whole. Some of the most consistent ones I can think of include: Why has Pinkie Pie been so out of character all season? Why has Spike been getting the short end of the stick so much more? And why haven’t we seen/heard more about that box from the season premiere which seemed so promising?
While I have words for all of these complaints, I feel like those can wait. Right now, I want to talk about the one criticism people have with the season that seems most glaring. Why has Twilight’s status as an alicorn princess been largely ignored all season?
The issue’s not hard to notice. After all, the whole plot of Magical Mystery Cure focused on Twilight’s ascension, and the events of Princess Twilight Sparkle suggested that Season 4 would be expanding upon her new social status.
But then… nothing. Outside of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Time, Twilight’s wings and title haven’t really played into anything. None of the challenges she’s faced beyond the premiere would have been insurmountable to her as a unicorn, and being an alicorn itself hasn’t presented any new challenges either—besides learning to fly. And of course there’s the infamous scene in Rarity Takes Manehattan where she couldn’t even hail a taxi effectively.
So why has this been the case? Well, from what I can tell there are two possible explanations: a simple one and a more complex one. By and large people seem to have settled on the simpler one because… well, it’s simple. It makes sense and provides them with an answer, even if the answer is hardly satisfactory.
The simple explanation is that the writers messed it up. They introduced a character evolution in Magical Mystery Cure that they weren’t sure how to handle, and so they chose not to handle it. They’re entirely to blame, and they should’ve written the season better.
There are a few reasons that I don’t like this explanation. First, it assumes that the writers aren’t smart or creative enough to handle their own creation. They’ve pulled off some amazing things with this show and these characters in the past, so I refuse to believe this one. It also makes the fans look elitist—like they know the characters better than the writers. I believe the writers love the show just as much as we do, and it’s unfair to them to make this assumption.
Second, it takes the magic out of the show. I don’t know about all of you, but I really hate thinking of the world of Equestria as something being written and created by other people. Whether it be in the episodes, the books, the comics, fanfiction, or whatever else, I want to see Equestria as a world that exists and evolves in and of itself. Logically, of course this is ridiculous. I know Equestria doesn’t exist in the same way Earth exists. But that’s the beauty of fiction. A universe doesn’t need space in order to exist.
Finally, it’s a lazy explanation. Whenever something doesn’t make sense to me, I like to explore different avenues of thinking before coming to a decision. Sure, one answer might make sense, but does it make as much sense as that answer? Is it as satisfying? I want to see the situation as completely as possible instead of jumping on the first thing I can make sense of and bleeding it dry.
So if the writers aren’t to blame for the ignorance of Twilight’s status, then who/what is? This is where the more complex explanation comes into play. I don’t think any one thing is to blame for this supposed issue. I think this is just how Equestria works. Allow me to elaborate.
Twilight isn’t the first pony to ascend to the status of “Princess.” If the events of Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell are to be taken as canon with the show, Cadance ascended in much the same way as Twilight. It makes sense, then, that we can use Cadance’s experience as a princess as an analog for Twilight’s. It should follow roughly the same pattern, other than some minor deviations.
So what do we know about Cadance’s experience as a princess?
…anyone?
If I’m being honest, we know next to nothing about Cadance, but that’s kind of the point. Think about it. We didn’t even know Cadance existed until A Canterlot Wedding, and I think it’s a safe bet that barely anyone in Equestria knew about her either. As far as anyone knew, Celestia and Luna were the only two leaders of Equestria. So what conclusions can we draw from that?
Cadance was a princess in title only. She didn’t have any significant royal obligations, nor did she likely have to deal with any challenges involved in leading a nation. It’s very probable that her only new struggle would have been learning to use magic—since she was a pegasus before her ascension.
Even what little we do know about Cadance’s past supports this idea. If we bring the IDW comics into the mix, we can see that Cadance had a pretty normal adolescence all things considered. She went to high school, she went out on the dating scene, and she even had a job as a foalsitter. None of those seem particularly befitting of a princess if you ask me. I doubt that Celestia or Luna ever had to work low-end jobs like that.
If you consider all of that and relate it back to Twilight’s situation, Season 4 suddenly makes a lot more sense. Of course Twilight doesn’t have any significant royal duties—she’s a princess by title only. Of course she hasn’t faced any challenges that come with ruling a nation—she’s not a ruler. And of course she couldn’t use her special privileges to hail a cab in Manehattan—the ponies in Manehattan have no idea who she is (and it’s probably pretty easy to not notice her wings when they’re folded back, really).
For the most part, Twilight’s living her life normally just as Cadance did. Her status has only come into play three times in Season 4: the Summer Sun Celebration, during a national emergency, and in Twilight Time. The Summer Sun Celebration makes sense, since it’s a recognized national holiday. It made sense for her to take the leadership role when Celestia and Luna went missing, because that was the chain of command. And in Twilight Time, only the kids cared. The kids only know that she’s a princess—they don’t care if she has any substantial authority.
But I know this explanation isn’t entirely satisfactory either, and it raises a new question. If becoming a princess wouldn’t have any significant immediate impact on her life, then why did Twilight become a princess in the first place?
Again, we can look at our analog for Twilight’s situation. Why did Cadance become a princess in the first place?
While we can’t really draw any conclusive evidence, my theory is that Celestia granted Cadance the title of “Princess” so that she could be mentally prepared to step into a ruling role. Celestia must have seen the potential for leadership in Cadance, so she gave her the title in order to make her feel somewhat comfortable before throwing her into a position of real power. It makes sense if you really think about it. Cadance got introduced into the show right before the Crystal Empire came into the picture, the same Crystal Empire she now has to rule over. Had she not ascended to her status before then, she might’ve been unfit to rule on principle alone.
So what on Earth does this mean for Twilight. We’re stepping into full-on speculation territory now, but I’m guessing Twilight’s new status is going to become a major factor in Season 5, and probably even in the finale of Season 4. She’s being set up for something big by the looks of things, and she may need to be a princess in order to fill her next set of shoes.
But that’s neither here nor there. Back to the matter at hand, this whole blog post is my answer to the issue of Twilight in Season 4. Do I honestly think the writers of the show thought the situation through this thoroughly? Probably not. But, hey, it’s an explanation that makes sense, and I like it a lot more than saying, “the writers dun goofed.”
Hopefully I articulated my thoughts clearly enough here. If you have any questions or comments, or if you just wanna tell me I’m an idiot who tries too hard to rationalize creative missteps, lemme know. Or if you have any theories of your own regarding this issue or any other large criticism of Season 4, I’d love to hear ‘em. Feel free to discuss!
Keep on keeping on,
—Argon
Well reasoned, It is worth noting that a rainbow kingdom has been mentioned to appear in a future season, so that might play a part in it. While I agree that the fandom is giving the writers to little credit as of late the reverse can be true and one should be careful not to set yourself up for disappointment, at the vary least it's possible that executive meddling is forcing them to stay with an already proven formula.
Regarding Twilight becoming a princess: this was pretty much a given from episode 1, since MLP:FiM is first and foremost a cartoon produced by a toy company to advertise MLP toys to little girls. Given the lead time most animated shows work with (about a year, for MLP:FiM), this meant that the planning for episode 65—"Magical Mystery Cure"—may have begin before season 2 even started airing, given that M.A. Larson wrote the episode in November, 2011. In other words, Twilight became a princess/alicorn by fiat from Hasbro in the episode that would have ordinarily have been the end of the series. But a funny thing happened—the ratings (and probably episode download and disc sales) were so good that a fourth season was approved, and recently a fifth!
So now DHX had a problem; unlike a typical television series, pushing the reset button on the change to Twilight's status quo by the end of the fourth season premiere wasn't an option because Hasbro wanted to keep selling Princess Twilight toys. But it was also stuck with Hasbro's "slice of life" directive for most episodes. I think the end result is that the writers are trapped between seemingly conflicting directives (to bronies, anyway) and must punt on Twilight's royal status most of the time.
That being said…
…I think your reasoning is fairly sound. Let me throw in my own two bits, however.
Twilight can't get a cab in Manehatten? Is unrecognized by the general populace? First, she's not wearing any regalia, just like Cadance at the time she was foal-sitting her. Without that, and with her wings closed, she looks like just another rare—but hardly unique—pegasus-unicorn (my head canon for said animation errors). It's only when Twilight opens her wings to "be regal" that the differences (probably due to the additional presence of earth pony traits) between her alicorn wings and pegasus wings become apparent.
My personal theory is that there is a mostly unacknowledged bit of "divine right/providence/destiny" at play here. I think ponies become or are born as alicorns not just because they are—or have become—paragons of Harmony, but because they have appeared at a time when their talents will soon be sorely needed. For example, why and when did unicorns become unable to raise the sun and moon? Funny how a pair of alicorn sisters appeared at some point that could do that. Or a third with the ability to shield a forgotten empire with true love and tolerance until its defenses could be restored. Or a prospective fourth who not only learned how to unlock the five known Elements of Harmony, but had the power and ability necessary to wield the sixth, with a cutie mark that—like those of the alicorn sisters—matched a symbol present on the Tree of Harmony over a thousand years ago.
Is this what you're referring to (check the background painting of the booth)?
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To my eye, it looks suspiciously like the Tree of Harmony grew up through the ceiling of its cave and into the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters (which lies directly above it). Gee, isn't the Tree of Harmony back to full power for the first time in over a thousand years, now that the Elements have been restored to it? And the Mane Six have already spent at least a couple of days in that castle this season, either exploring, cleaning, or escaping from a comic book.
...actually, I could totally see Cheese Sandwich say that.
In any case, fantastic analysis of Twilight's status or lack thereof. It's hardly the first time we've seen a notable lack of notoriety. "Sweet and Elite" made it clear that most Canterlot ponies have no idea who the Mane Six are or what they've done, and that's a city they can see from Ponyville, with stained glass windows commemorating their deeds. In Manehattan? Fuhgeddaboudit.
Don't tell me you missed this in the library background of "Twilight Time"!
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