Sleepovers at Canterlot Castle: Seven ways Twilight could see her friends MORE than just "once a month", while staying canon-compatible. · 5:38pm Nov 10th, 2019
...That's option 1.
Here's all the other options Twilight could see her friends more often than just once a month:
- Ask Princess Luna to teach her dream walking so she can hang out with her friends in a shared dream. She does have that ability canonically.
- If the Storm King had a two-way video communication spell, then so can you
For that matter, ask Sunset and Sci-Twi to figure out how to make smart phones work in Equestria. Not mass produce them, mind you. Just have Sci-Twi mod maybe a half dozen phones and hoof them out to her friends to make regular video calls after your workday is done. Not the same as meeting in person, but better than nothing.
"They need cell-towers to function? Hmm. I wonder if I could build one or two of those, just between Ponville and Canterlot..."
- If Twilight is able teleport straight from Canterlot to Ponyville and back, she could frequently invite her friends over for sleepovers at Canterlot Castle, then teleport them back to Ponyville in the morning. (And, again, combine that with dream sharing to get the most of it.)
If you can build a permanent two-way gateway between two universes (Equestria Girls), then building one between Ponyville and Canterlot Castle should be trivial. Especially with Starswirl's help, who built that first mirror.
Once the distance is moot, Twilight's friends could visit her, even on days when she can't leave. Even if it's just for a quick chat, or to deliver snacks and a hug.
- [NEW] And I'm sure, if Rarity needs to travel the world on her "fashion adventures" to open new boutiques, Fluttershy could convince her hubby Discord to just not mess with her and just make a simple two-way portal. Not to mention, Fluttershy could just pick the rest of her friends up in her worldwide "Discord-taxi service" to go see Twilight. (He can't say no to Flutters.
) Their regular moonly meeting is still, when they all meet up, for the whole day, no interruptions, no exceptions.
It's just that there's no reason some of them, if not all at once, couldn't irregularly drop by and hang out a little, even if it's not the whole day, even if it's just for Twi's daily lunch break.
.
Speaking of establishing a two-way fast-travel-system between Ponyville and Canterlot, who's to say such a promising technology couldn't improve the lives of others? 
Imagine Luster Dawn unexpectedly running into Twilight during her 30 minute lunch break at Sugar Cube Corner, being confused about what she'd doing there today - it's not "that time of the month", after all[1]:
"Sometimes, friendships take a lot of work. But it's worth every second, every bit, every drop of sweat, just to spend a little more time with your friends."
"Wait..." Luster blinked. "Is that why you created the international gateway system?" Her jaw fell slack. "The system that allows instant travel between seven different nations, right there in Canterlot? That sparked the greatest cross-country migration of creatures in history?"
"Well, it wasn't international, originally. Just between Ponyville and Canterlot Castle."
...And the end result of such a migration was exactly the future we saw. So it's possible to bend it into being canon-compatible. 
Twilight just didn't come up with the two-way travel system until a few months after the flashback scene. 
[1] And Come to think of it, Twilight didn't upfront tell Luster about the friendship counsel from the start; instead, she told a story - she was trying to create a teachable moment.
Getting into the exact specifics of their more frequent, but shorter meetings, dream sharing and video calls would have gotten in the way of that. ...Not that Luster Dawn even knew how Equestria's government worked until the Friendship Counsel showed up in pony. 
Seriously. The assertion the episode made that Twilight only sees her friends, like, once a month, is utterly cruel and completely, horrifyingly heart-crushing and completely destroys the "happy ending" it's trying to portray. 
Not only that, but it's illogical.
"Friendship takes work." And Twilight would do anything, just to spend more time with her friends.
If that means working double-time on some months, just so she can get more time off later, then so be it. 
To assert that she never used any of the available options listed above - it's utterly absurd at best, or otherwise implies something far worse: Twilight has so little time for herself she basically never gets to see her friends. 
Even our old slice of life stories for Celestia and Luna gave them more time than that. 
Heck, even Twilight only having time to spend her 30 minute lunch break at Sugar Cube Corner, or two of her friends dropping by for even just 10 minutes every day or so would be better than what the show portrayed. 
Honestly, Twilight, the literal Princess of Friendship, being torn way from her friends, the blatant assertion she's only allowed to see them once a month (or maybe just a little more), and, oh, that the show drove the point home with a pile-driver that with Twilight taking the throne, their adventures are over and out, not just in the show, but in fanon Equestria, just completely sours everything for me.
Everything.
I constantly get reminded of it even by stories or fan comics that aren't directly post-season 9 related.
It just hurts too much. 
Not because the show ended.
But because of how they ended it.
I'm writing a story right now trying to fix the "Twilight can only see her friends once a month"-bit.
Because that is seriously, seriously messed up and just downright wrong and completely ruins pony (!) for me, I just can't get past that they'd do something like that.
YES. I do mean it. It ruins pony for me! 😖
Coming along well so far, but could use some editors / brainstorming people to help me fill in some missing paragraphs. 
Related blog posts and story prompts:
- "Dragon Science", Immortality, and how to save the ones you love in a world of magic.
- What Celestia and Luna are up to next...
- A thought: Cozy's/Chrysalis'/Tirek's reformation does not need to wait until the distant future
- Example of how a "6 months in stone" reformation-fic could go.
- The best way to save Twilight's friends and create a happy future without playing the immortality blues
. - Implied potential for alicorn-ascension by influencing the IDW season 10 comic writers to change canon itself – slightly less crazy than it sounds.
You may be interested in this group: We hate what's happened to MLP. While some of the posters are a bit on the bitter side (new people might help with that!), we've been discussing what we didn't like about the finale and how to fix it in there, including some similar things to what you posted here.
Yeah, let's maybe just stop treating the concept of canon like it's ****ing scripture and write our own stories that ignore what they have to in order to work and/or not be stupid?
5153190
Thanks.
I must admit, at a glance, the environment seems a little... toxic.
though I suppose that's to be expected given the circumstances. I guess I can't really judge.
...yeah no, I really can't.
Which post are you referring to on the "how to fix it" part? Is it this one? Seems less focused on the "how to fix" part, I'd suggest making multiple separate posts for fixing different aspects of the finale and one master-post to summarize the others.
Outside of flat out writing alternate universe endings (which I honestly would prefer, but unfortunately, not everyone is doing that
), my approach would be to try finding and pointing out loopholes to people that can be used to mend the problems, or at least lessen the damage...... the hope is to spread those headcanons to a point we get stories about it and sway the general "fanon" towards a "brighter future"... 
I have an overview for those things right on my userpage. It's not its own blog post yet, since I still occasionally revise and add to it.
5153345
Of course, now I can't find it, but I could swear we had the same image being discussed as you posted at the top. Someone might have deleted it, or the forum might have lost the thread again (it lost one earlier this week, but it came back...)?
Reminder that the Timeskip portions of The Last Problem were left intentionally vauge so that fans could fill in their own details. There's room within it for all sorts of fan interpretation. The whole "I'm moving to Canterlot and I'll never see you again" is more likely a representation of the show ending, combined with some good old fashioned Twilight freaking out.
I also don't don't quite remember the wording of the episode, but I'm pretty sure the whole Council of Harmony thing is the day where the WHOLE GROUP put aside a day to spend to together doing... leadery stuff? I dunno. It's not like she doesn't see any of them at all outside of that one interaction. At the very least, Discord has become Fluttershy's
Standtransport, so he can let her pop in whenever she wants.This community is all about reading between the lines and exploring background elements. Just because the show doesn't state something directly or has slightly odd wording doesn't mean you can't fit headcanon in there without an Alt. Universe tag. I've been really enjoying different peoples takes on Post Timeskip, and I look forward to any takes you have and what others have to say.
5153352
That's actually my image. Or, well, I cobbled that together from other people's vectors to make a point after episode 20. I did that, along with these, most of which I made in the week leading up the finale... before I'd seen what it actually was.
(Though the "What are Celestia and Luna up to next" bit has its own dedicated blog post with story ideas.)
That's... new. Never heard of that.
5153366
I think I did re-check the wording at one point... but honestly, I really don't wanna know what it was.
Way I remember it I think it was both a mix of both leadery stuff, but mostly catching up with each other.
Which seems odd if they already see each other.
Unless it's like, Fluttershy visits Twilight for tea whenever ('cause she can), Twilight and Rarity have a weekly spa date, then Dash drops by the palace to hang out, then another day AJ shows up to deliver food to the royal kitchens, then Pinkie throws Twilight her random "cheer up the big busy purple princess pony party" of the week. And of course the "Mane 5" usually hang out in Ponyville together, I mean, they're all right there... except for maybe Rarity when she's out of town or country to open (or check on) one of her many boutiques. (But I'm sure Flutters could convince her hubby to give her an instant-travel ride back and forth... much to Discord's chagrin of being relegated to taxi-driver... but hey, it's for a good cause. Could have some interesting character dynamic between Discord and Rarity.
)
And then, when each of their schedules align, they all meet up together, instead of in groups of just two, or something.
That would make sense, and wouldn't straight up contradict it.
I... haven't read many of those.
Not really in the mood, to put it mildly.
So far, I've seen these interpretations:
sad;DR)So... has anyone, anyone at all, written an anthology of positive slice of life snippets that's just about Twilight hanging out with her friends even after becoming sole ruler of Equestria? Without any of the baggage of "we don't do this often enough", "it's been so long since we did this", "it's too bad we can't do this more often", "too bad you weren't there for X", "so sad we have to go now"?
Because I could really use this right now.
5153366
It's just... somebody did this beautiful comic:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/11/6/2189081.png
And then people in the comments section on derpibooru went like "duuuuuuurrrrr, but Twilight staying in Ponyville would ruin the moral of the episode"
Like the entire point of the episode was to split up Twilight and her friends just to prove the point of "no, but we still are friends even though we can't see each other much."
And that's horrible
I honestly just took that statement as meaning "Friendship Council" business. Like solving literal friendship problems, cutie map missions 2.0 basically. As you mentioned Twiggy can teleport and also Celestia and Luna hung out in Ponyville all the time during the series. Also Dash is in charge of the air force and Rarity looks to be in an ambassadorial role.
Plus Fluttershy is romancing a chaos God who can open up portals to everywhere. Discord would practically ensure they'd stay as close as possible if only because it's Discord.
5153681
As someone pointed out to me in a review you could practically work around everything in the finale with enough imagination. The utter ambiguity of The Last Problem means you can hamfist any story idea to keep the girls alive, keep them close, work around the implied shipping (I don't mind AppleDash personally but prefer bookhorse/skypony shipping).
Besides Canon is merely a launching offpoint for fic writers and fan artists. Characters are ultimately more important than how they decided to end it. Mane Six forever. /)
5153702
Then please, please point me to the stories where they do actually hang out more than just "a little more than once a month".
Because that's not what I've been seeing so far.
5154188
Haven't read any sadly. Just my personal thoughts on the matter, have been avoiding post series fics for obvious reasons.
5153216
I wish everybody would ignore it.
The problem is they aren't.
And just seeing the stories pop up, just reading the descriptions alone, it just hurts too much
I can't even read stories set after s9, be it "present" or future.
Not unless they fix those problems. Not unless it becomes a better future.
I need that, badly, just for my own personal sanity
5154225
I've got a few half written that'll I'll upload later. Midnight shifts have been cutting into my writing time. One has Twilight kidnapping her friends to take a six month long vacation on a tropical island. Another features Celestia and Luna getting their retirement interrupted by their family who's been wondering where they've been for the last 1,200 years.
5153429
To be fair, that was probably an intended point of the episode. It's just that it's an idiotic and invalid point that should be ignored.
5154225
I recently realized something that makes all of this even stupider: the actual show writers clearly ignore any part of continuity that would get in the way of their episode, so trying to incorporate everything as-is is a fool's errand yet a trap that people keep falling into. (link to one such fool's statement of such)
[hisses at the idea of smartphones in Equestria]
Nice ideas, though. :D
"Seriously. The assertion the episode made that Twilight only sees her friends, like, once a month"
Mm, I'm not sure it did? I mean, as you say, nothing stopping them from seeing each other more often. But with them going their different ways, casually running into each other would drop; the friendship council makes sure that, whatever else might be going on, there are moonthly times set aside for all six of them to get together.
"only allowed to see them once a month"
...Am I forgetting something? Sorry, still catching up from a trip I just got back from, and my mind is occupied.
I'm sorry this is hitting you so hard. We appear to have interpreted the ending quite differently though, or... something?
5153417
I've just looked back at the transcript, and I'm moving a bit quickly at the moment, but it seems alright to me. I see how it could be interpreted your way, I think, but I don't see that it has to be.
"Future Pinkie Pie: But mostly, it's how we keep in touch. No matter how busy life gets."
I think that that second part is important. Maybe sometimes all six of them spend a couple of straight weeks in Canterlot together, or Twilight takes a trip and it happens somewhere else. (Sure, Luster Dawn apparently didn't notice anything like that, but she apparently didn't notice, at all, the council meetings, either.) But some moons, maybe even just one of them is really, really busy with something else, enough that without the council they might not interact with any of the others at all.
Also, I'm not sure the Council is restricted to meeting only once a moon (and I doubt it is; they could easily drop such a restriction if there ever was one); that's just the minimum.
[reads further in the comment]
Right, and like that; the Council makes sure all six meet up together, but I don't see anything preventing various subgroups from meeting up outside it.
And regarding some of list of interpretations:
"Twilight is always super-busy or must be in the throne room in case something unexpected comes up"
Sounds like a combined friendship and government problem, just the sort of thing for the Council to solve. :)
"Twilight visiting is a HUGE DEAL, so it apparently doesn't happen often"
Could be that they most often visit her, or all of them go somewhere else.
(Discord: "Honestly, if you're going to have me get you all together, you could at least let me pick somewhere less boring for it!")
"Twilight being able to teleport to Ponyville anytime - yet, the story having her mention that she hasn't seen the inside of Carousel Boutique in months
"
Rarity was working on a surprise and has been making sure to meet with her elsewhere in Ponyville to keep her away from it. :)
I don't know of such an anthology, though, I'm afraid.
5153429
...I don't see that as horrible? Because, well, Twilight and her friends have teleportation and Discord and the full powers of the Equestrian government and whatnot to put towards meeting up; most people don't. That point is an important one, for people who are concerned about relationships with those they really can't see more frequently. Even if we don't want bad things to happen and would prefer to avoid them, sometimes we can't, or fail; in those circumstances, knowing ways they can be less bad is valuable.
(As for why Twilight had to move in canon, I'm guessing it was because of the volume of government institutions built up in Canterlot, the difficulty of moving and rebuilding them, and Twilight not wanting to start her reign with causing that much trouble for so many people just so she could stay in Ponyville, when she has other ways of moving between them quickly anyway. I mean, for one thing, moving the number of ordinary ponies required to move the government would probably put much more strain on friendships, and those Ponyville-Canterlot relationships would have far fewer resources to shore themselves up with.)
5154383
Thank you
Thank you
I really, really, REALLY REALLY REALLY needed that.
you've given me a plausible headcanon that isn't horrible and still makes sense and doesn't outright contradict the episode
THANK YOU.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/4/16/1413286.png
5154396
Oh, my, well, I'd hoped that'd help a little, but I'm very happy it helped so very much. :)
(Hm. Might even be a short story in a group of friends in Canterlot, in the leadup to the change in rulership, getting increasingly concerned about what's going to happen to them if/when some of them have to move to Ponyville and talking to Twilight about it.)
(...Though now that you've gotten me thinking about this, I do wonder how Luster Dawn managed to miss so much. I mean, even if it really was nothing more than a once-a-moon meeting, it'd be a once-a-moon meeting of some Very Important Ponies; you'd think someone would have at least mentioned it in her presence. But eh, there are reasons Twilight sent her to Ponyville, after all (and for all we know she was even less interested in other people before Twilight took her under her wing). :))
5154411
5155483
Right, like that. :D
5154252
Wouldn't it be the other way around, though?
And who's gonna rule the country in the meantime? Spike?
...Actually, not a bad idea. Spike wants to be more respected, giving him more responsibilities closer to home makes sense. I mean, the way Luster just ignored him, he seems like the "Luna" to Twilight's Celestia. That's a problem waiting to happen - except Twilight isn't gonna let history repeat itself.
Either that or Celestia or Luna are gonna have to fill in for a while. They do have time off all the time nowadays, what's six months of helping out a friend in the face of eternity.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/359fa84c-4492-4ffc-a3fe-cca85d9f8cd3/ddi67gu-f9a78387-2b42-487e-8be0-70810be6c185.png/v1/fill/w_872,h_916,strp/celestia_filling_in_for_twilight_by_ultrathehedgetoaster_ddi67gu-pre.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTM0NCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzM1OWZhODRjLTQ0OTItNGZmYy1hM2ZlLWNjYTg1ZDlmOGNkM1wvZGRpNjdndS1mOWE3ODM4Ny0yYjQyLTQ4N2UtOGJlMC03MDgxMGJlNmMxODUucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEyODAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.Ydkjn8uSlD25BFKz5Q3zR7sbH7YxZd5avE9zreGXeuU
Vectors used: Celestia sitting on her throne, Twilight's cutie mark
I also could imagine this scenario:
PS: Reese came up with a possible "soft retcon" headcanon fix. Doesn't reverse the finale completely, but certainly makes it less horrible.
5156122
Actually was going to have them leave Flurry Heart in charge. Tiny panicking Alicorn niece left with a country the size of Australia to run is a funny image in my head. Plus why wouldn't she take Spike along on the vacation?
Though Celly and Luna would be hilarious to see back on.the throne. :D
5156177
Or pull the old roulette switcharoo: Luna stays at Canterlot to teach Spike "how to princess" as his royal advisor (without actually ruling herself, just teaching him how - possibly in disguise - this way his authority won't be undermined), while Celestia takes on Spike's duties as Friendship Ambassador, which involve a lot of travel to other nations (which is the part of her job that was waaaay more interesting to her instead of being stuck in Canterlot all the time), and Twilight goes on a six weeks long vacation with her friends.
Like, I could imagine this to be something Spike organized for Twilight as a gift. The best gift, in fact: Spending more time with her friends.
(Spike in turn already had his "time off" before that, so it's balanced out.)
But yeah, putting Flurry on the throne sounds like it could also be funny.