Pony nobility.

Only one question - where the hell people find this nobility in canon? Actual show, excluding Princesses, have, If I remember correctly, exactly four ponies who hold noble titles - Blueblood, Shining Armor and duke and duchess of Maretonia. That all. But fanfic full of corrupt nobility, Canterlot lords and ancient noble houses who often have more power that Celestia herself. Strange.

Comments

[howard035]

It's one of my biggest pet peeves. My guess is that people start by assuming that all the members of the Canterlot elite are nobles, even though none of them are formally announced with titles (and incidentally, half of them are earth ponies, but that's another subject). Then they assume that if these snobs are nobles of the Downton Abbey variety, they must also be scheming nobles of the Game of Thrones variety as well, despite those being two highly contradictory archetypes.

Then they assume that Celestia, who has ruled over Canterlot for a millenia like a god, has been unable to find a means of systematically curbing noble abuses of power in all that time, despite many historical monarchs figuring out the trick.

[Comnislasher]

4731652

It's one of my biggest pet peeves

Same for me. Tried to argue with some writers but...

My guess is that people start by assuming that all the members of the Canterlot elite are nobles

Pretty much this. Some of the users even tried to prove to me that all Canterlot inhabitants are nobles. But after I demanded evidence they tried to pull "everyone knows this" card.
In my opinion, if someone like Jet Set and Upper Crust had any kind of titles they would flaunt it at any chance they got.

Then they assume that Celestia, who has ruled over Canterlot for a millenia like a god, has been unable to find a means of systematically curbing noble abuses of power in all that time, despite many historical monarchs figuring out the trick.

And again - fully agree. In my opinion, in the span of her lifetime, Celestia had enough time to find enough dirt to bury any noble (or common) family.

[howard035]

4732043

But after I demanded evidence they tried to pull "everyone knows this" card. In my opinion, if someone like Jet Set and Upper Crust had any kind of titles they would flaunt it at any chance they got.

Of course they would. Fancypants, who is either the mayor and/or the representative of Canterlot (see Equestria Games, the Pony Princess Summit) never gets given a title when he is formally introduced, but somehow Jet Set and Upper Crust are too humble to have it announced?

Ask those writers why they think there are so many earth pony nobles in the Canterlot elite, and if they complain tell them to count horns in "The Pony Everypony Should Know."

Celestia had enough time to find enough dirt to bury any noble (or common) family.

Dirt shmirt. It's obvious that all the Canterlot elite, even Fancy Pants, practically worship Celestia. The whole reason Rarity was able to join their group was because she was a guest of Celestia's. And again, see the crowd reaction in Pony Princess Summit for the opinion of Equestria's elite regarding their princesses.

For any kind of important Canterlot elite family, Celestia was at your 1st birthday party, your parents first birthday party, your great-grandparents first birthday party, and so on, and so on. Your honorary grandma doesn't need dirt to keep you in line.

Those same writers love to show nobles endlessly scheming to suck up to the Princesses, and Celestia makes it clear she wants ponies to be nice to each other, but of course no noble in 1,000 years has struck upon the brilliant scheme of "be nice to all the other ponies a bunch and then Celestia will like me."

[Comnislasher]

4732278

Your honorary grandma doesn't need dirt to keep you in line.

Tried to shorten post a little which most likely lead to some misunderstanding. I mean that in fanfics when nobles pul all sorts of power-play Celestia do it much longer than they and most likely do it much better than they. So when the authors tried to pull shit like "terrible nobles being assholes to everyone else and Celestia can't do anything" I find a hard time to believe that in the span of thousand years she doesn't find all sort of leverage to bend anyone to her will.

And in canon as far as I remember Canterlot elite do charity, open public galleries and in general not as bad as people like to think.

[howard035]

4732306

I find a hard time to believe that in the span of thousand years she doesn't find all sort of leverage to bend anyone to her will.

I'm sure she also has all the leverage, this is true. Heck, a bunch of them probably went to her school while they were kids.

"Lord Exchequer? I know you said the diverted funds are to be spent on infrastructure improvements, but I can't help noticing you're also refurbishing your summer home, just before the Duchess of Margrave is visiting. Is this like the time you were sent to my office in the first grade for bringing a frog into class and you said it was for science, but after I held you for a while you confessed you wanted to put it in Amber Mane's desk so she would notice you?

Tsk tsk. Of course, it does rather remind me of how your grandparents started courting..."

And in canon as far as I remember Canterlot elite do charity, open public galleries and in general not as bad as people like to think.

This is also very true. Canterlot elite may be quite stuffy, but they're more like Lord Grantham of Downton Abbey or the Overbearing Aunts from Jeeves and Wooster: A kindly sort deep down, just arrogant and out of touch. Even Blueblood is presented as a callow fool rather than some schemer out to undermine his Aunt.

Interestingly enough, there is exactly one pony who could vaguely fit the bill of scheming noble in canon: Fancy Pants. If anyone other than Blueblood is expected to have a title in Canterlot, it would be him. When he first meets Rarity, he is friendly but rather dismissive, until he learns she is a guest of Princess Celestia, whereupon he sets out to publicly befriend her. During the Princess summit he explicitly tries to trade on his clout as the representative of Canterlot to secure a special meeting with Princess Twilight.

By human standards that's not remotely sneaky, but by the standards of the show it's fairly devious. Of course, most writers who like to write about the generic "scheming noble" like to write about Fancy Pants as the One Good Noble," so this is never referenced in fanfiction.