For those wondering if there's actually a picture on the front of the puzzle box...

Also, we haven't had a thread post in a while and this is something to do other than the Great Tropes Folder Story Organization. Which is scaring me. A lot.

Oh, before we start: I have thought about taking on the Fifty Questions list which circulates around FimFic. And I'd do it in a minute (or three hours) if it wasn't for the fact that ninety percent of it would probably wind up as spoilers...

Here's what I see as being worth mentioning from these two. Point out others, disagree, or ask questions at will.

Princesses Can't Cook

Post-Eclipse Spontaneous Collapsing Syndrome. It's a one-off joke. Unless somepony sues.

The little staffing fight in the hallway is reinforcing a point made elsewhere: most ponies can't get their heads around the idea of the sisters fighting, and seeing/hearing it happen can lead to terror for some. There's a bit of lingering 'is this what triggers the next?' fear and for many, it's very close to the surface. Even your basic sisterly argument could trigger dread among those who can't reconcile Princesses=ponies, and that's the extremely vast majority.

"Pressed between your hooves." Adapting some sayings to pony speech gets awkward.

I'm still trying to figure out where to place Prance on a map, or how I should reconcile it as a second pony country. I currently have it as a tiny bit of the continent (towards the southeast) which absolutely refused to join Equestria during the original unification effort, the last region to do so -- and one which never did, entirely based on ego. Which has spent over a thousand years getting worse to the point where Celestia is not-so-secretly glad they never came in.

Yes, they are in fact talking about their mother.

Most of Discord's created species went extinct: some naturally, many from being hunted down and wiped out. However, a number are hanging on, which includes the Diamond Dogs. Luna notes that a number had beneficial effects: beauty in shards of chaos...

And then Luna speaks in the voice of Laughter. (Note 'barricade point'.)

Unicorn fields typically can't pick up on subtle vibration from anything held within.

Something which gets echoed in Naked Lunch later: that there are those who protest carnivore and omnivore nature when there's nothing better to do. If CUNET wasn't eternally angry, what would they do with themselveS?

There's an echo in Celestia's talk with Anise, and it comes back to A Mark Of Appeal. "Somepony has to tell me when I'm being stupid." Celestia has a hard time finding ponies who'll correct or challenge her in a fair way, although those who tell her every single thing she does is wrong are easier to come by. Luna has the same problem.

Luna and Twilight have the same eating habits. Very minor, but... Also, Luna's favorite ice cream flavor? Black cherry. Very, very black indeed.

Ice creation is an aspect of Luna's connection to the Moon, as heat comes from Celestia's link to Sun.

Pegasus magic has an easier time working within an item than unicorn workings: Luna can get to the little air bubbles in the ice cream. However, there's no conduction material, at least not in a direct chain...

And that's how Baked Equestria was made.

Again, Celestia and Luna have ramped-up reaction times.

As threatened, this is how Celestia treats burns: immediate heat-shifting can prevent some degree of damage.

The cooking efforts for both sisters are demonstrating flaws in their characters. With Luna, 'This is taking too long. How can I bring about a shortcut?' Go to Celestia and it's 'Let's presume I was doing everything correctly, so there might be something wrong with the base material...'

(Incidentally, I kept waiting for someone to propose that Celestia made that last mistake on purpose in order to get Anise yelling at her, treating her as just another student. Is that possible? What do you think?)

Luna reverts to even more formal modes of speech under stress. I generally have her only using contractions when she's very relaxed, pleased with herself, or distracted. (There is a reason for her speech patterns, and it's an old one.)

The Unregretted Death Of The Royal China.

As noted in the Comments section, I honestly didn't know/remember boysenberry was a manmade fruit when I wrote this. Let's call it a happy accident and surviving creation of Discord's. Again, you're not supposed to appreciate those...

The vocalization of memory... this is a look at the before, a rather direct one. It also establishes at least one more mare in the Original Six, who had a fighting/military background. Additionally, we're calling back to A Mark Of Appeal again: that Celestia's first encounter with a minotaur is an embarrassing memory -- and here she says things nearly went horribly wrong.

Mazein is "gallops and gallops away" from Trottingham.

Naked Lunch

So how do we look at Canterlot's population? If 'just under two percent' is non-ponies when you included the embassies, then having it as 10k or so means some ridiculously understaffed embassies. I have the place as large enough to contain multiple neighborhoods, some of which have their own names and possible subcultures. For me, it's at least 60,000 residents and comes in at the second-largest land settled zone, behind Manehattan.

(Which brings up Ponyville's census total. I keep wanting to place it in the six-to-eight thousand range.)

This is the first close look at the local griffons. Was I making excuses for Gilda? Perhaps... but some remain jerks even after that first week runs out, and you seldom fully know until the adjustment time is up. The dominance chain may show up again. (Incidentally, you can share a link with someone else, and griffons are most likely to make friends with those they consider to be equals. Even them, you'll get a little back-and-forth as they try to work out who controls the friendship.) 'Protocera' as the Republic's formal name was being held for a while, and does refer to the dinosaur species which is sometimes believed to have kicked the legend off in the first place. Their political system, like that of the States, is basically one extended dominance battle which sometimes accomplishes very little other than shoving.

Yeah, I went there.

Their attitude towards child-rearing and what Luna says about taking in the lost generations of war... for any species the griffons have ever been to war with (and such was not a rare occasion), there is generally a population from that race in Protocera. They're not a very multicultural society because most of those citizens think of themselves as griffons -- although some traditions had to be tweaked for those without wings, or who couldn't do anything with the results of a hunt. But to date, they have the most diverse population seen -- generally functioning under a single set of rules. And yes, they're as much hypocrites about vegetable sales as ponies are about meat.

There are some very rare griffons who would hurt children. What happens when the others find them can start with the Gore tag and go on from there.

The griffon inability to fill out paperwork in full is often a dominance ploy: can't hold someone to a promise they never finished making, and some use it as an attempt to set up loopholes. When signing a contract with a griffon, make sure they write everything down. Three times. With witnesses. And get a copy. (Optionally, write it all out yourself and make sure they sign.)

Most major cities have a Red List. (Ponyville has... a pet supply store which stocks some canned meat and on rare occasion, a few small pieces of the fresh stuff. In the back. Scent-masked. Those wishing major treats for their pets can wind up having to travel: Gummy's birthday present in Cutie Mark Crusaders Alpha Pack Leader was probably from Canterlot.) Very large settled zones can have a butcher shop or two, with the most cosmopolitan possessing a restaurant. Manehattan? Two. (For obvious reasons, herbivore/carnivore attempts at fusion cuisine can run into problems.) However, if a small settled zone doesn't have at least a comprehensive pet shop, a visiting carnivore will have to do their own hunting. Appleloosa would have this problem, but doesn't have the visitors to worry about -- yet.

The Treaty Of Menagerie is comprehensive and automatically extends itself to cover any new qualifying species which is discovered. It doesn't get broken on a national level because every other nation would automatically go after the violator, in force. Individual breaches... not in Equestria, for a long time. There are rumors of such, but most are fearmongering ones. (Note that the dragons don't count as a nation here, nor do the Diamond Dogs.) The permits mentioned to get on the Red List are basically notifying Equestria that you're going to sell meat, agreeing to random inspections of your merchandise forever after.

Equestria's citizenship waiting period is five years. New citizens meet Luna personally, take an oath, and receive their welcome from her. For those who might be wondering... to be born inside the borders of a nation typically does not grant automatic citizenship for that country: it's generally based on what the parents hold. (There may be exceptions.) However, most countries allow application for asylum, and to be adopted is generally to receive citizenship. For cases where the parents become citizens and had children during the waiting period, the entire family is generally brought in together.

Total count of griffon-pony marriages nationwide for Equestria: four. (It's somewhat higher in the Republic.)

Not that it matters for the local 'verse -- but if you were wondering, yes, in the iteration of the CDA, the Immigration Department formed the original core of the new agency: as those who were the most accustomed to dealing with foreign cultures and everything which came with them, they seemed like the most natural foundation.

Diamond Dogs have genuine psychological issues with spending too much time above the surface. Buffalo get a little too worked up over land ownership, and this possessiveness can extend to their personal items. Kudu are likely from the same general area as the zebras.

This is the first look at what can happen when herd instincts fully take over on a fear stimulus -- the fight-or-flight reaction taking the second option, hard. It's not pretty. (I had considered a followup showing one of the Mane Cast going down and needing to be pulled out of it. Spike has a tremendous advantage in pony society: there are things which can take him away from himself -- but this isn't one of them, and he has a chance to literally be the Last Sane Dragon in a herd of terror.) It's worth noting that it gets worse as the numbers build and the scent triggers escalate, along with the weakest-willed falling first. Resisting the urge to join one panicking pony can be less than a casual effort. Fighting back against a thousand... not so much. Some ponies will post-herd rationalize things as 'safety in numbers': others are ashamed to have given in. But when it truly gets going, it's very much a domino effect and given enough pressure, a very large number will fall.

(And yes, a pony military unit has to be very strong-willed, extremely disciplined, and able to resist everything at all times. You don't get into the Guards if you're going to just follow the first freak-out, let alone the fighting divisions. Equestria can't use the draft because so much of the population truly can't handle the stress of combat -- or rather, the instant somepony among them can't, neither can they. The flipside of this is that the Equestrian military has more individualists than a standard specimen -- by necessity.)

So now we know a little more about CUNET: they're a unicorn superiority group with severe racist/speciesist elements, working under the guise of the so-sadly-persecuted majority. (You can find the human equivalent somewhere near you, although hopefully not too close by.) Their ideal world is one where horns dominate, the other two major pony races are quietly subservient (at least until superior magic finds a way to manage without them), and nothing else is ever seen. Not nice ponies.

This was also the first glimpse of the pro-Princess press. To use a religious equivalent which may bring screams, it's sort of like having Jesus alive, well, in charge, and having a dedicated group of reporters fawning over his every move while standing ready to excuse any which might be suspect. (That fig tree? Had it coming.) Too many are Diarchy fanatics who simply can't see error in anything the thrones do, and if something still looks wrong? Clearly it's All Part Of The Plan. Neither sister is happy with that segment: ego-boosting is nice, but the thing about those who agree with you at all times is that they'll never point out a mistake. The Murdocks group has at least been known to stumble onto a legitimate point. Wide-eyed happy believing worshipers typing up their loving conclusions... not so much.

Backlash makes its first appearance in some time. It takes a desperate (or stupid) unicorn to try using their field in close-quarters combat, and most will try keeping things at the partial corona level so that the worst result is a winkout. But it's not always possible. Sometimes you have to ignite and go -- with 'pray' thrown in.

I based the design of the butcher shop -- especially the front grates -- on the chocolate shop from Thief Of Time. Which really isn't worldbuilding, but I thought I'd mention it. Similarly, the mascot sign is meant to evoke a certain Dish Of The Day.

(I'm going to wind up doing some major work on the trope page's ShoutOut section.)

The return of Sizzler. May the pony gawds help him, because no one else has managed the feat. (I do wonder if his mark might be a little more common in Protocera -- but still rare enough to be legendary.) The trial of Garleek Remshead has clearly taken place by now, and Sizzler testified. Possibly not while using very large words. We also get Wordia back for her third appearance (and second where she's named -- she is the pony challenging Luna during the lottery press conference), while getting a longer look at what a wonderful specimen of pony she truly is. Place her under glass, please. Possibly something airtight.

(I'm trying to decide exactly what Sizzler smells like. There has to be an element of raw meat in there somewhere: enough to be disquieting, but not so invasive that most ponies risk freaking out just because he's in a room...)

I already said the ability to take others along in a teleport isn't automatic -- and now there's a test involved. (Yes, Twilight formally took it.)

I'm not going to formally define 'bale' as a formal weight measurement just yet, but it's not the smallest one. Current instinct has it around 50-75lbs. (Yes, Sizzler wants a lot of meat.)

Minotaurs invented cameras. Hmm... wonder what else they came up with...

Just a little more on the division of the Courts here, but it's worth noting that a good part of the military is under Luna's domain.

I'm not defining 'rounders' as a sport just yet except to say ponies can't play it as originally created.

What Luna says about ponies being able to eat meat -- in small quantities -- is true of many Terran herbivores, as is the counter of carnivores having less chance of getting benefit from greens. So if your personal continuity has Angel Bunny threatening snacking death on all who oppose him, guess what? He can pull it off! About half an ounce at a time.

Okay, I confess: Flitter's cameo was an on-request thing. That scene also established that griffons can wear formal colors designating their employment (or station), and that shark is a delicacy. One which really fights back.

Something to keep in mind: Luna is the more open pragmatist. She's also the greater risk-taker and doesn't have as much concern about any appearance of holding the moral high ground. It can work for her, and it can backfire spectacularly. And with its second appearance, she also now has an official I Am About To Screw You Over smile.

It's the last thing some dragons see before they die.

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(Incidentally, I kept waiting for someone to propose that Celestia made that last mistake on purpose in order to get Anise yelling at her, treating her as just another student. Is that possible? What do you think?)

That was my thought, or something to that effect. But then I'm of the school that Celestia couldn't accidently make a mistake that massive.

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I think there's a compromise state there: that she decided to deliberately make an error, but didn't realize the full extent of the consequences. She's not going to put ponies in danger to make a point. A few bad results until her instructor finds the courage to criticize: maybe. BOOM: no.

the 'extremely vast majority' cannot see the Princesses as anything but Gods?

Yipes. No wonder Celestia values Twilight so much

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Pegasus magic has an easier time working within an item than unicorn workings

Isn't this something akin to massive spoiler territory right here?

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More that it's hard to see them as everyday ponies (and siblings) who fight, argue, make mistakes, prank, hold grudges, plan revenge... They just perceive the crown, hear a title, and fail to spot the mares behind them.

For those who see divinity, it's worse.

3561265

Not quite: just a point being made. Pegasi fields have to reach moisture within air, ions inside clouds, and so on down the line. In this case, Luna's reaching tiny air bubbles inside a semi-frozen liquid.

3560952

Incidentally, I kept waiting for someone to propose that Celestia made that last mistake on purpose in order to get Anise yelling at her, treating her as just another student. Is that possible? What do you think?

I might believe it if she didn't have millennia of unsuccessful cooking behind her. IT didn't occur to me that she might intentionally botch what would otherwise be, at last, a successful recipe.
Besides, it seems right that Celestia make a mistake similar in magnitude to Luna's.

Did Celestia meet new citizens during the abeyance?

Minotaurs invented cameras. Hmm... wonder what else they came up with...

Well, doorknobs, for one.

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Did Celestia meet new citizens during the abeyance?

Yes, whenever possible. (Cue CUNET grumbling about how these intruders get to meet royalty when ordinary citizens don't, which completely ignores the Open Palace sessions...)

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Something to keep in mind: Luna is the more open pragmatist. She's also the greater risk-taker and doesn't have as much concern about any appearance of holding the moral high ground. It can work for her, and it can backfire spectacularly. And with its second appearance, she also now has an official I Am About To Screw You Over smile.

It's the last thing some dragons see before they die.

I also suspect that Luna is the less patient pragmatist of the two sisters. When push comes to shove, Celestia seems to be of the "set things up so that the other pony think it was their idea" way of handling problems. Luna has fewer issues about getting her hooves dirty and in the middle of the scramble.

There's an echo in Celestia's talk with Anise, and it comes back to A Mark Of Appeal. "Somepony has to tell me when I'm being stupid." Celestia has a hard time finding ponies who'll correct or challenge her in a fair way, although those who tell her every single thing she does is wrong are easier to come by. Luna has the same problem.

Which makes anypony that can tell them that they're wrong in a fair way a very valuable pony indeed. ("With respect, your Highness, this is the worst idea you've had since the 'Cutie Mark Crusader Cutie Mark Accelerator'. I still have the burn scars from that one.")

Question mark-is the level of deference and divinity creation around the Princesses because they have/appear to have so much magic in one form or another that in the inherent sense of ponies, a "more power and more height=herd leader, even more power and even more height=divinity" reaction happens?

Theory that will have to wait until Triptych is updated/more stuff added/completed-before, Celestia was a Earth pony, Luna was a Pegasus. Cadence started out as a Pegasus and Twilight Sparkle is the first Unicorn to make it that far.

Flitter's appearance at Gerald Gristle's butcher shop was great. I could easily believe she'd enjoy upsetting CUNET. And little Killer deserves the best (until s/he can hunt on hir own).

Right now, I'd love to see Flitter startled. I wonder how she'd cope walking into Gerald Gristle's store, only to find Fluttershy fussing over an order. I mean, there is nothing she wouldn't do for a sick friend. She might cower in terror at CUNET, but she'd get past them for a friend. She'd probably be in tears as she made her order (Gerald In the middle of processing some rabbits?). But if one of her big predators needed a lot of high quality meat because they are sick...

Yeah, I'd like to see Flitter lost for words. Too stunned to snark...

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Flitter's appearance at Gerald Gristle's butcher shop was great.

Now this is where I'll respectfully disagree.
As nice of a cameo it was, what it heavily failed at was being relevant in-context.
It added absolutely nothing to the story-at-hand, and many people not familiar with Estee's other stuff no doubt went "hey, what was the point of that scene?"
General advice: if you're going to include a reference in your work, make sure it's at the very least relevant for the people who won't get it, and then a nice treat for the people who do.

As for Flitter being startled: Oh definitely!
In fact, I'd love anything by Estee featuring more Fluttershy and Flitter interactions
Especially FlitterShy

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General advice: if you're going to include a reference in your work, make sure it's at the very least relevant for the people who won't get it, and then a nice treat for the people who do.

This is true for all references, always.

I kind of find it strange that Luna, so long separated from ponies and learning the ins and outs of society would have one of her earliest major jobs basically vetting others for joining pony society.

and the herd instinct thing is interesting and kind of makes sense, but at the same time I'm not sure I can believe it. With the settles zones and wild zones it seems hard to believe there wouldn't have always been enough dangers to keep them from creating settled zone. And there's even been stuff in the show where there's been chances for stuff like that and it didn't happen. Like when Cerebus showws up in Ponyville and Pinkie does the "Does anyone want to panic with me" bit