50 Headcanon Things · 8:51pm Apr 11th, 2014
Okay, everyone else is doing this, so… Here’s that 50 head canon question list, tailored specifically for Rites of Ascension! Complete with snark from one of my pre-readers/editors! (Also, general update on my status/health stuff will come soon.)
The Princesses:
How old are Celestia and Luna?
They can’t be completely accurate on this. When Discord came around 4000 years ago, he screwed with day/night cycles. They estimate that they are just shy of 10,000 years.
2. How old is Cadance?
Both Shining Armor and Cadence are in their late 40’s in Rites, which is similar to early to mid 30’s in human terms.
3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
Ascend. Kind of a big deal in the Rites of ASCENSION. ;)
4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
Cadence, in Rites, is a winged unicorn and is perfectly mortal with an expected lifespan of about that of an earth pony. Twilight, even as an alicorn ascendant, is ageless, though not unkillable.
5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
Yup. See chapter one.
6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
Oooohhhh, wow. Details on this are still yet to come, but I can say that they share power with the nobility, as Equestria is far, far too large to manage on their own. This is spelled out in the Equestrian Compact, which defines how responsibility is split. Further details are spoilers.
7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
The CE doesn’t exist in Rites at all. Shining is the Prince of the Lost from his marriage to Cadence, who is Princess of the Lost. They represent all those who are otherwise under-represented. Orphans, foals, minority races, towns outside official Duchy borders, prisoners, the poor, downtrodden and disabled.
8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
Many over many, many years. Too much to get into here. She does still care for her nephew Blueblood, though his antics do wear on her nerves.
9. Are there still cultural differences between earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, or is the culture homogeneous by the time shown in canon? Are there cultural stereotypes (positive or negative)?
There are quite a few differences, and stereotypes persist, including racism. See ch16.
10. Are there foods or items native to Cloudsdale that are uncommon on the ground? Are there foods or items on the ground that are uncommon in Cloudsdale?
Ooooooooh…. this is RIPE for worldbuilding… time to daydream… nothing concrete/guaranteed yet. Thanks for the idea!
11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?
There are limitations. Do they have enough magic in their wellspring? Can they pull magic from it as fast as the spell needs? Can they handle the complexity? Can they understand the spell? Can they hold enough magic in their horn for it? Lots of factors. A unicorn with a cutie mark for a particular subset of magic will find that they ‘figure out’ those spells easier, but are subject to the same limitations. The particular properties of their magic may also make their casting of a given spell in their subset more efficient or powerful than normal.
12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?
Yup. The magic of life. Makes them strong, hardy, heal quickly, and lets them grow other life (like plants) easily.
13. Some pony families we’ve seen seem to have naming conventions (the Apples, Twilight’s family) and others don’t appear to (Rarity’s family, Pinkie’s family), which is more common? Are there reasons for one or the other?
The longer a family’s history is, the more likely it is. It’s kind of uncommon outside nobility, though.
14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?
At least most of secondary school.
15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?
General expected maximums are 90/100 for male/female pegasi. 160-180+ for female unicorns, with more magically powerful ones in the higher end. Earth ponies lay in the middle. Exceptions exist. Normal expected lifespans are around 80/90 for most male/female pegasi, and around 150 for female unicorns. Most will be independent by 17-18, but after that their ‘aging’ slows compared to humans.
16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?
Yup.
17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?
Other parts of Equestria, fairly well. Newspapers do a… well, they’re there and talk about things. Outside Equestria? Unknowns abound in the general populace. More educated ponies know much more about the outside world. What else is out there, though…
The Main Characters:
18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?
In Rites, they’re in their late 30’s, which is sort of like late 20’s in human terms. Spike is in his 20’s, as are the CMC.
19. Did Fluttershy remain on the ground after getting her cutie mark? Were she and Rainbow Dash friends all along, or did they drift apart for a while?
No, she went home, but wanted to return ASAP. She studied and practiced hard to graduate the most basic requirements of flight school and HS, and went ground side as soon as she could. Dash, worried for her, followed.
20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?
Rarity did not, though she grew up in a town much like it. They did not interact much pre-show.
21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?
They don’t speak of it often, but they feel like siblings.
22. When did Pinkie move in with the Cakes? Is she a worker who rents a room, an apprentice, or is there some other relationship?
During the show, both. During Rites… spoilers!
23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?
… SPOILERS!
conantheimp (editor): Makes no sense, I know right? I mean, parents? Spoilers? XD
CvBrony: MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
conantheimp: *baps CV* Stop that
CvBrony: :( But… the evul!
24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?
School is just like that in my experience. Random chance went that way.
conantheimp: I could’ve sworn there was something about Cheerilee having multiple classes in that episode....
25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?
In Rites canon, sometime after the show, she ran away from home and didn’t return. The status of her parents is, well, spoilers. She can kinda fly, but in a very limited fashion. Put her on an adult-sized scooter or snowboard, though, and holy crap. Who the hell needs a car? (Not that they exist in Rites, I’m just sayin’.)
conantheimp: Give Twilight some time....
26. Will Apple Bloom’s cutie mark involve an apple in some way, even if it’s unrelated to farming or baking?
… SPOILERS!
27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?
Rarity was more or less an equal partner in raising her until she became old enough to move out.
Side and Background Characters:
28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?
Yup! He’s the father. While unlikely, it’s certainly possible to have both pegasus and unicorn foals with earth pony parents if the genetics and wellsprings line up right.
29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?
Nope, but they are good friends.
30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?
Inherited when his parents died in an airship accident. He is the Prince of Canterlot.
31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?
Variable but usually she’s not quite as bad.
32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?
Potion-making? Yes. She is, however, exceptionally good.
33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?
N/A for Rites.
conantheimp: In case you forgot, Season 3 and 4 are non-canon for Rites. Daring Don’t never happened, and as such as far as you are concerned, Daring Do is fictional with CV’s universe.
34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?
We’ve already seen a few. More will come! :)
Other Species:
35. Does Equestria differentiate between speaking and non-speaking species, in terms of respect, rights and legal responsibilities? Is there some other line or scale used? (For example, how are cows classified? Diamond Dogs? A chimera?)
Diamond Dogs are sapient in Rites. Cows are not. That’s one of the random few things I had to change from the show to make Rites work. No talking cows. All sapient species have the same basic rights. Citizens have a few more, such as the ability to vote in local elections. Non-ponies can be Equestrian citizens.
conantheimp: What about sheep? Goats? The people must know the truth!
Cv: Sheep, no. Goats are an in-between. Not quite sapient, but close. They need to be cared for or they’ll go feral.
36.5. conantheimp: On that note, what about so-called “dumb animals” showing limited intelligence in the show? Such as Angel Bunny knowing how to read.
Liberties taken by the show. Angel Bunny was a rat bastard, but not as smart as he was portrayed. Rites doesn’t have him around anymore. Why? Well, rabbits don’t live that long, even when cared for by Fluttershy. 16 year time skip, after all.
conantheimp: *cheers for the death of the tyrant*
36. Do other speaking species form their own nations, or are all nations largely integrated, with some having larger populations of a species than others?
Some, like Minotaurs, have no nation of their own and are citizens of the nations that do exist. They tend to be concentrated in specific regions of these nations. Zebras, Gryphons, and the horses of Saddle Arabia have their own nations. (I had to include the latter in Rites. I love the pun too much.)
conantheimp: tsk tsk, CV. You do so well at excluding S3/4 canon, and these guys make it in? I am disappoint.
CvBrony: Sorry. The force of the pun was too great. I was weak. But, they aren’t a huge focus, so it’s not an earth-shattering thing.
37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?
Nope.
conantheimp: By the same logic, Gryphons are not related to either lions or any birds of prey. Remember people, not all magical animals are actually crossbreeds ;-)
38. Do all zebras rhyme?
No, that’s Zecora’s quirk. And she doesn’t rhyme in her native tongue.
39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?
Yup, although the meanings can be much harder to discern.
conantheimp: At least for ponies :/
Cv: True, forgot that distinction. They make sense to Zebras. Ponies, not do much.
40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?
Gryphons have their own, but the details haven’t been revealed yet. Zebras have their potions. Others are spoilers. ;)
41. Is the lack of buffalo presence in Equestria cultural, or simply because most pony towns aren’t built to accommodate a full grown buffalo?
A little of column A, a little of column B. Buffalo are also relatively rare and while their range isn’t super-small, it is rather sparse.
Headcanon and You:
42. Do you consider official sources other than the show (comics, card game text, movies, novels, etc.) to be canon?
For Rites, ONLY seasons one and two, and even they have some removals. (No video games. Cows not smart enough to talk. Etc.)
43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?
Which do you think? ;)
conantheimp: WHAT other projects?
Cv: Exactly.
44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?
I’m usually just fine reading fanfic with different headcanon, for the most part. It’s extremely uncommon for it to affect me like that, with rare, rare exceptions. I got all misty-eyed at the end of “Not My Destiny,” for instance.
45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?
Yes… Although given how far it’s deviated from the show, I don’t think a lot of it ever be adapted by others unless someone writes in the Rites EU.
46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?
When Celestia is portrayed as too perfect. Other than that, not really.
conantheimp: HERESY!
47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?
48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?
Yes? Not sure how to evaluate this question…
49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?
Whoo boy…
conantheimp: But he just loves when he gets proven right ^_^ For example I recently told him he got mphmphl jklka;’sl *Is dragged away by CV for spoilers*
50. Is there something that wasn't asked about here, but you feel like you need to explain to everyone?
Giving Tia flaws is important. She can’t be all-knowing and perfect (except for CelestAI). It bugs me when she’s portrayed as ‘flawless.’ (And liking sweets doesn’t count.)
conantheimp: How does liking sweets make Celestia—ohhhhhh....
-Cv
Wait just a second
did you weasel out from answering question 45? what is it?!? I must know!
Now that's interesting. A magical element in trait inheritance?
In any case, most enlightening. And enticing, in the case of the spoilers. Thanks, Cv.
Yeah I agree wholeheartedly with people portraying Celestia as perfect. I like seeing her as having flaws, just like any other pony. That's why I loved the Wedding Episode so much. Not only does she dismiss her student's outburst out of hand and fail to notice that Cadence was not acting like herself (wedding or no wedding, a pony that caring wouldn't turn so snotty) but she is defeated by Chrysalis, complete proof that she is just as capable of making mistakes. I just wish more fanwriters would actually remember that episode with more detail.
They are? Shoot, I guess I don't follow anyone interesting
Now I'm late to the bandwagon!
Oh, the things fanfiction has done to my mind... My immediate response was "PINKIE PIE IS SHTUPPING MR. CAKE?"
Yes, shtupping is the word I used. I'm weird like that.
So, uhh, I guess I'll get on this bandwagon thing <.<
2001081
I think the only big thing is the "Celestia is imperfect" thing. He's been raging on that lately, but I know there's more...
2001112
You'll like the upcoming Encyclopedia entry ^_^
2001403
I'm actually of mixed opinion. Nobody is perfect, but you still have to take into account that Celestia is at least over a thousand years old. You don't live that long without picking up a few things...
reference to friendship is optimal huh... kinda indifferent. good story, creepy idea, writer takes it too seriously as a message, ai was a mary sue even for a super-intelligence.
i think for the story i am writing i need to make a list like this. so no one gets confused. i have my own twists. large part is ponies, and most magic creatures, are kinda hard to take down. kinda my explanation of how twilight only got put into traction after getting hit by enough force to turn a human into a stain.......... yeah.
also size differences between pony species, pegasi get telescopic vision, and far too much thought going into mental disorders that ponies have cause still partly animal........
i do like a lot of these ideas. earth ponies having a kind of life force magic. it fits pretty well.
ironically that kinda thing actuall works in this season. more than once we have seen earth ponies use enhanced strength. will say you are really missing out though, this season has been awesome.
......with angel bunny i always thought it was because of his interaction with fluttershy. most bunnies and naimals that do no itneract with ponies are definitely of lesser intelligence. those that do, with some exceptions, exhibit higher intelligence.
also angel bunny is less of a rat bastard this season. sitll a bit rude but not really abusive. even puts up with being put into an embarrassing costume.
I have to ask when will we be seeing the other mane 6? Right now we are sitting on AJ and RD in Canterlot. Pinkie is somewhere being Pinkie... oh there she is... why is she looking over my shoulder reading what i type...
Fluttershy is pregnant with Big Macs kid if what i remember reading in chapter 1 was right. and Rarity is doing her spy thing which i guess will tie in later with the story when she 1 learns someting usefull or 2 Twilight needs a spy for something.
What of the Kangaroo Klans of Faustralia?