In Defense of Princess Candybutt, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Shark · 5:57pm Jun 11th, 2013
Hey, reader-types. With a lot of my creative energies going to my webcomic and its rather intimidating Kickstarter drive of late, things are a little sparse on the Pony front. Just to remind you that I exist and that I haven't forgotten about you, let me hammer down a few thoughts about Cadance, and why she has become in my eyes, if not best pony, certainly one of my favorites.
Let's not beat around the bush, to begin with. The current Princess Cadance (as a concept) is a fundamentally bad thing. Lauren Faust has never gone on public record as far as I can see about what she feels about the conversion of her unicorn princess character into the alicorn princess Cadance as she presently exists (who is now canonically confirmed as never having been a unicorn at all!) However, if I were Lauren, I'd be pretty horked about it. I've got a big thing for symmetry and union in my world-building, and if I had always had a Two Celestial Alicorn model in my head, I would be upset to find that Corporate had decided that there needed to be another one for the purpose of toy-selling, oh, and by the way, we're changing her name to something we can copyright and which also just coincidentally happens to be the name of the daughter of one of the bigwigs at Hasbro, HOPE YOU DON'T MIND. We're most of us here because of Lauren Faust's vision of this universe and the creatures in it. The good folks at DHX and other places have been remarkably, almost impossibly, good about making corporate-proscribed concepts appealing and engaging and fun (they have succeeded in actually making me want to watch "Equestria Girls", a frankly amazing feat given everything) but in the end, it's Lauren Faust's initial vision that makes this place special, and anything that bastardizes that feels like a chipping away of the specialness that drew us in.
That said, I cannot help but find the character appealing for a number of reasons, even given all the above.
1. My favorite power. In High School, I was judged as the member of my class "Most Likely to Defuse an International Incident". While that has not, er, actually come to pass, my childhood tendency to want everyone in my immediate vicinity to get along remains a big part of me today. There is something incredibly fulfilling about dissolving a conflict, about taking anger and fostering understanding in its place. It is a deeply personal satisfaction that comes from nowhere else in my life. The thought of being able to just do that for people I've never even met, people encountered only in passing as I walk past, is a little thrilling even conceptually. Blah blah blah mind control blah blah blah, but in my headcanon (and, I believe, in the actual canon, based on the few snatches of dialogue we get) Cady is not actually bending wills. She's causing people to remember the love they already have, love they've momentarily lost sight of. You give me the choice between that and the ability to find gems, I know which power I'm picking.
2. Can fly, but is tolerable. As you may surmise from my OC and my profile description, I believe winged ponies are basically the best thing ever. "Hurricane Fluttershy" and "Sonic Rainboom" are two of my favorite episodes of the series, and I have always loved the aesthetic of the mythical winged horse, from long before My Little Pony came knocking. That said... I don't really care for the pegasi we get to know. Rainbow Dash, who started out among my faves, fell quickly in my estimation when her character was a bit flanderized in Season 2. Suddenly, she seemed less a pure soul who was merely driven and did not realize the social consequences of her behaviors and more a flat-out jerk at times. And poor neurotic Fluttershy has never particularly appealed to me; she's squeaky and gentle like Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls but has none of the forthrightness that makes that character appealing. That basically left me with princesses, and at that point, we had two, neither of whom I could particularly relate to. Cadance gave me a canon winged character that I really felt like I could call my own.
3. Analogous to me. Have you seen the demographics of this fandom? I'm, like, at the top oneth percentile, age-wise. Most of y'all out there are unmarried students hovering in your early twenties. I have a full time job and an office with my name on it (and yes, I'm married). A lot of times, I do feel like the Big Sibling character to most of the people I interact with in this community; I've got stability, I've reached a position I think I am going to (God willing) maintain, and the future is no longer Wide Open. I remember being the reverse. I remember when I had big dreams, which was good because, aside from a strong family support network, I didn't have much else. My options have begun to close, and I have started to realize that I'm not going to be the hero of anyone's story. Some of you are young enough that I literally could have fathered you, had I gotten an early start of it, and yet you persist on blowing me away with talent. I feel a lot like Cadance, to you people. I sit here in my crystal castle, and yes, I am a princess and everything, but I know that, no matter how good I appear to have it, it's you guys, the younger folks, who are going to be the ones saving the world. I'm part of this world, but I'm not really one of its protagonists. And I think I'm okay with that.
TL;DR Princess Candybutt is not, and will never be, best pony. But she's got a special place in my heart. And if I ever go insane and get myself tattooed with a cutie mark, it's gonna be hers.
Thank you for reading.
Princess Candybutt is now officially my favorite nickname ever. Should fate ever see fit to provide me with even one daughter (sometime very far down the road, I hope), it will see frequent and loving use.
If I ever go insane and get myself tattooed with a cutie mark, it'll be Celestia's on my right butt cheek, With Luna's on my left.
I'm conflicted. I hate that they shoehorned the character in the show, ruining the continuity forevermore by introducing an out-of-nowhere alicorn.
That said, she's in the show. She belongs to us now, the hoardsmiths. And damn it all if we aren't going to make her amazing. It's what we do[1].
Also, about not being the hero of a story: I'm still planning to write something with Sky Scribe, Forensic Accountant of the Equestrian Civil Service, Banker's Bane, the Menace of Manehatten, &c &c.
I just need to find a good story for him.
[1] And it's also what you did with Cadance of Cloudsdale. Did magnificently well, in fact, so much so that Cadance is now a favored character of mine, mostly through your efforts.
I can see that you might not feel like the "star of the show", so to speak, but I really can't think of anybody that would qualify for that.
If I may be so bold as to say, you may very well be a hero in the eyes of some.
I am quite certain many look up to you with admiration, at the very least.
Admiration? Hah! A hero in the eyes of some? Don't make me laugh!
You cad, Skywriter! Trying to convince us all that you're good, and noble, and not all that important in the grand scheme of things. I see what you're doing. You're lulling us into a false sense of security, so you can...
...do something.
I don't know. I'm not all tricksy and squiggle-headed like some authors.
Trying to make us like Princess Candybutt? With, y'know, good and enjoyable stories about her? Heresy! (Not because, y'know, she's unlikable. I think she's quite fun. But Skywriter likes her, which means we can't have nice things!)
Also, 1138015, apologies for dragging your well-chosen words into my non-reciprocal nemesisery of Skywriter. You're absolutely right, but you shouldn't tell him that!
I can see why they did it (Princesses sell toys) and I can see how they can make it work (Alicorns vs alicorns, i.e. Immortal Demi-Goddesses and mortal winged unicorns are two different creatures), and it does open up the door for MLP to explore countries *around* Equestria where perhaps there are Princes and Princesses of their own lands (The Crystal Empire being one already) along with fantastic creatures (who mould well in plastic) and adventures (Honestly, there's a perfectly good reason none of the Mane 6 have coltfriends: Insurance rates that go with a high mortality rate)
And as for that top 1 percent of age, I'm pulling the curve upwards as far as I can. I watched men walk on the moon, live. (and now I'm discouraged they didn't find any hoofprints there.)
1138045
It's alright.
I can appreciate some good old-fashioned nemesisery (a word I now plan to use frequently).
That was... touching. Really. I don't pretend I know my Internet friends too personally, but I'm glad I kinda know you. Well, at least a little bit more than before.
If you didn't know, Cadance is also my favorite pony, and I'm glad there are also people who can see her beautiful heart. I know that her character is in good hands when you continue your CoC saga.
Faust couldn't really have had a 'two alicorn model', because when she was writing the bible alicorns were not a thing. Celestia and Luna were 'pegicorns' who used their unicorn magic and happened to have wings.
I honestly prefer what the current writers have done with alicorns in general. Making them a unification of all three pony tribes so that the leadership is coincidentally a little bit of everypony. This strikes me as apropos considering the whole Harmony thing.
Which honestly just makes her a runner up for best princess, because pegasi are the best. I wish there was actual fanart of pegasus Cadance.
Lauren Faust laid a solid foundation for the writers and storyboarders to do their thing. Most of the time we're not even aware of what 'Lauren's Vision' even was. It's in the background, and while it was certainly necessary, I came because I liked the writing, and there are plenty of individuals who are just as responsible for that if not more so.
And already you have fostered love and understanding in me.
If you ever get a tiara tattooed on your butt, I will have to ask for pictures.
I know how you feel. My favorite non-mane 6 pony tends to go back and forth between Mac and Shining (I apparently have an appreciation for big brother characters), and while Shining isn't 100% non-Faust he certainly feels like he came out of nowhere as Twilight's brother. I do wonder sometimes if that part of his character has the same origin as Cadance's wings.
Wait, waitwaitwait. You are the writer of Skin Horse? You're the Narbonic writer? Oh flark! This is...
YOU HAVE PONY FANS!
More and more each day lately, I feel this sort of thought slithering around in my chest, slowly wrapping around my heart and squeezing. Unlike the serpents in "Lady Prismia," this one seems bent on killing and devouring my dearest dreams.
Like you, I've got an office with my name on it, but sometimes that success and security feels imprisoning. If I don't take a chance on myself soon, when will I be able to do so?
Wherever life leads you, I hope you know that you are a hero: a personal one of mine. You've provided an unimpeachable testament to the fact that a fan community can produce truly sterling works of fiction; you've inspired me to develop my own writing; and you continue to write brilliant works for me and the rest of us scrawly scribblers to love.
1138109
"Skin Horse" only. "Narbonic" was all Shaenon. Glad you like it!
Wow, I literally teared up. Not sure how much was you, and how much was me not blinking, but either way, kudos to you!
Thanks for the new perspective - it helps.
And, as an aside, I read Skin Horse and love it!
I might have linked to it before, but Lawful Good Princess is another "Why I love the Cadance" blogpost, and it's a different view on the subject.
Personally I find that often when I think about Cadance, I marvel at how much she and Celestia are kinda opposites in the show. Celestia is bland flavored bland in her personality, scares the life out of everypony she approaches, and her mane and tail are so impossibly huge that they look like they're fat. Cadance may be a pink princess, but she's a pink princess with attitude, and totally approachable. Not that I don't love fanon Celestia, but in the show Cadance has the most characterization while Celestia is a marble statue.
Also, to everyone complaining about Princess Cadance being an alicorn, I submit the following counterargument:
1137982
"Princess Candybutt" went straight into my Ideas File, right alongside gems like Luna swearing with "By the tides!"
Cadence (screw the official spelling, it's not even totally consistent in Hasbro sources either!) is the sort of a character I should, by all means, dislike - she's a pink alicorn princess of Love who gets added into the show alongside Luna and Celestia without any real explanation where she comes from or anything.
And yet, I love her. She's a nice pony; she's a good pony. The Canterlot Wedding double episode sold me on her place in the setting and on her love for Shining Armor, and every time we've seen her and her husband after that, they've just made me more and more pleased with them. They're a young, heroic couple very much in love, and they fit perfectly into a heart-shaped slot in Equestria that I did not realize existed in the first place.
I only like her because I STILL maintain that the real one is back in a changeling cocoon, only surviving due to her powers of love and her usefulness to the changeling hive as a self-replenishing source of love to feed from, and the one that married Shining Armor is actually the changeling princess; Chrysalis's rebellious lovestruck daughter.
1138217>>1137982
I think I too shall adopt this one. It fits nicely with my plan to having Twilight Sparkle getting called Miss Twinklepants.
Okay, now THIS is going in my headcanon. I knew there was a non-mind controlly way of phrasing this ability, but I just hadn't gotten around to figuring it out.
I will say that I think there's more to it than that though. Just bringing back the memories of love would only work for people that still have, or at least had, love in their hearts. Making her useless against some of the truly evil stuff that can exist out there.
I think she also has the ability to directly convey the base undercurrents of love; the thrill, the security, the dedication, the trust, allowing her to show how much nicer that option is to creatures whose own evil would have never allowed them to give it a chance in the first place.
Prismia: "This... this is really what love feels like?"
Cadance: "Yes. Isn't it just..."
Prismia: "It's wonderful."
Cadance: "It feels even better when you're the one giving it."
Prismia: "All this time... I never knew... I've been so blind..."
Cadance: "Well, don't look away, because there's a lot more to see."
Prismia: "Thank you, Cadance... Thank you so much."
I consider Princess cadance to be completely awesome. I like her more than Celestia and about as much as Luna.
And I find that her existence lends to the bigger, more complicated view of Equestria that I've always favoured, rather than what was popular with the fans at the time. I saw her and though, "Okay. So, Celestia has the Sun and Luna the moon. Now we know who has Venus."
Hell, I'm only 25 and I get that feeling about the age of the fandom sometimes.
My wife is old enough to have watched the original G1 specials on TV. The puzzlement and disconnect she gets from the teeming online horde is sometimes pretty amusing.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/239/d/f/forever_alone_by_foreveraloneplz.png
And that officially makes this particular meme the most personally overused!
I am with you on Equestria Girls, I am actually kind of excited for it, even though it's not gonna be a MLP anthro re-hash of Totally Spies. Give it time though, someone will eventually WRITE a story like that.
Cadance was never particularly odious to me, shoehorned or not, and it helped I REALLY enjoyed the Royal Wedding episode. Neither though, did she really blow me away, and had it not been for the fanfiction, I doubt I would have ever really gotten attached to her.
Celestia is still best Princess.
Come now, Mr. Writer, you may not be the hero of THE story, but surely you're the hero of A story.
... On a side note, I'm almost certain you're male, but you DID say "[You're] a princess." I'll stick with "Mister Writer" until otherwise informed.
1138540
Nay, I say.
He's a he, and a Jeffrey. Says so right there on his profile page. Does that mean he cannot dream? Possibly in front of a mirror when nobody else is in the house?
Damn I can't upvote blog posts so I have to find something substantive to say...
Its interesting that some of the best stuff comes from dealing with an imposed idea, it obliquely reminds me of something Stephen Fry said about why heavily structured poetry is often better than free verse because it gives the author a structure to work with, not a wild untamed wilderness, this might also explain the appeal of fanfiction. If I told you to write about Fluttershy and a Giraffe you could start writing immediately and likely come up with something cool, if you just tell someone "write anything! Make it good!" they will be paralysed by indecision from the huge number of possibilities available.
1138336
I like the bigger world idea, up until then we'd basically had the idea of Equestria as basically centred around Canterlot, but its more interesting to have a big world with lots of weird stuff happening being occasionally referenced but never the main focus which gives the story more depth and flavour (think Discworld, or the Dark Materials books vs generic crappy fantasy). I'm hoping we get to see new locations and mythic elements in the next series.
1138336 Oh god no now I want to draw and/or write a crossover with Sailor Moon...
MAKE ALL OF THE PLANETARY ALICORN OCS!!
1138806
I have to admit, I was also thinking this.
Okay, let's do a whole mess of responding in efficient single-post format.
1138684
Undoubtedly. Poor Rarity was left with no other instruction than to make R.D.'s dress cooler, with no specific prompt, and we all saw how that turned out.
1138555
My actual affection for tiaras and my unwillingness to wear one even in the privacy of my own home due to the ridiculousness factor is a point of no small cognitive dissonance in my mind. I am totally not kidding when I say that one reason why I dream of winning the Campbell at some point in my life is the mandatory gender-blind tiara-wearing that accompanies it. Because then no one could question me.
1138540
I'm a pony princess for the purposes of the metaphor only. I can't believe I just wrote that line.
1138411
One of Cady's weaknesses in the canon material is the sheer number of loose dangly ends and questions she presents. Ironically, in terms of fanfiction, this becomes one of her great strengths and attractors.
1138312
Aw, nice Prismia moment. I wish she'd show up in fanfic more! I really like the character.
1138172
Thanks for the article link, it was a good read! I tend to think of Cady as more of that old bastard alignment from 1st edition AD&D, "Neutral Good With Lawful Tendencies" rather than a pure Lawful Good (Celestia), but canon doesn't help us a lot, and there's a lot of room for interpretation.
1138156
Thanks! Glad to hear you're enjoying the comic.
1138096
To this day I am not certain whether or not Shiny was always Twilight's brother in terms of the original pitch bible. It feels true, for whatever reason.
1138083
Will Not Happen. (1) I'd never do it on the butt, even while insane and (2) Crystal Heart, not tiara! I'm not sure I want to know about the fan who's so connected to bratty little Diamond Tiara that (s)he feels the need to get ink of her cutie mark.
1138067
A number of good points. Yes, "alicorn" didn't get added until much later when Sibsy (?) started using the term. And, yes, Faust's vision isn't everything. The pegasi as cloud-hopping weather-stewards, something that we consider absolutely integral to our understanding of the tribe, doesn't appear to have been a Faust invention, for instance. The only pegasus Cadance fanart I've seen is SilFoe's take on this scene referenced in "...Crystal Heart Spell".
1138065
Thanks for your faith in me. I'll try not to abuse it!
1138056
You've got me beat! That must have been a trip to have experienced live.
1138045
Hi, Bradel! Want some cookies, or would that mess up your nemesisism?
1138015
Thank you. It always baffles me a little that people like what I do.
1138014
I am, as ever, honored to play a little part in your universe.
1137998
ALICORN CUTIE POX!
1137982
It's just that her hinder is so pink.
Anyway, sorry for the huge spammy reply, but I thought this was better than cluttering the thread with a hundred different individual posts. Thank you all, whether or not you were individually replied to or not. Peace.
Great post, Skywriter! I appreciate your perspective and willingness to share of yourself. Like others here have done, I'd like to say that I can certainly relate to your feelings based on my own, similar place in life, with many doors closing while only a few seem to open in response. In any case, keep the faith, my friend, for so long as you can impact a single life in a meaningful way (as you've obviously done here), then you're the hero of that story.
1138172
I like Princess Candance's character for many of the same reasons. Unlike her aunts, who have the gulf of unnumbered millenia of existence between them and other ponies, Candance does feel approachable, like the cool older sister figure she was always touted as being. Not to say that Princess's Celestia and Luna aren't awesome characters in their own right, they just carry a different sort of appeal.
And besides, there's a reason why Heart Is an Awesome Power. Thanks to her inclusion into the series, we've been witness to awesome Power of Love-based heart-shaped finishing moves that would make many a magical girl proud. The fact that such displays also make the following epicness possible is just icing on the cake:
Also keep in mind, because of her signature abilities, she (along with Shining Armor) was responsible for the downfall of two, count 'em, two Season Big Bads. That ties her with the Mane 6 and trumps anything witnessed on-screen by either of her aunts thus far in the series. Princess Candance may be a pretty pink pony princess, but she is pretty pink pony princess that will totally own you when sufficiently provoked.
1138229
That's the reason why they're Equestria's Number-One Battle Couple in my headcanon:
fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/088/5/1/with_the_power_of_love_by_cherrycustard-d4ucoi0.jpg
And what else can you say other then, "That's the Power of Love."
DO IT. Tatoo yourself. Then pix.
Firstly, this was a wonderful post
.
I love how deeply you went into yourself and your love for one of the most unappreciated characters. While her history has been a pretty big mess, I never saw that as a detriment but as encouragement for fanfic authors to try and make Cadance there own way. The never-ending complaints that she's too undeveloped and boring just never sat well with me: it's not as if fandoms haven't completely overturned the reputation of a character and overhauled them, they excel at that!
Cadance is tragically under-appreciated. There is so much about her that could be fascinating material to work with, and the empty spaces in her history (which there is a lot) should spur writers to fill them. For example, why does she "love love love" everyone so much? What if she wasn't born this way, but came to be that way overtime? She doesn't have to grimdark, but filling her out and answering questions like this would be interesting to read about.
And than you have other things which I can't help but respect; to make an example, you have her sheer wisdom like Applejack. She's skilled with people and likes to defuse conflicts: you simply cannot dislike a person like this. I remember reading the "Unicorn Tooth" story and I just loved it when she made Twilight suck on her strawberry sweet because it's less traumatic that way. Simply put, I love things like that: it's the difference between knowledge and experience. It doesn't matter if she can't solve complex problems, she has smarts where it matters the most, and sort of wisdom is one that is simply irreplaceable.
While I certainly have seen no shortage of "mind control" in the fandom, I do agree with you that it's a silly leap to make. What on earth makes one think the producers would intend for something like that? It could make for interesting material in a story, but it's a dark twist on a character with nothing like that. She simply reminds people of the love they already have, and it's the ultimate tool for a mediator like Cadance.
However...
Well - no. Unless I missed something, there is nothing that says that book is actually canon, or the comics and other such-material. They are filled with interesting ideas and I would love for them perhaps to make it into the show, but I wouldn't say that it's canon.
That being said, it is an interesting book. I think what I enjoyed was that Cadance supposedly earned her "deification" (if you will) by having two rival families end a feud without her magic. This makes me believe, until then, she had been actually mediating conflicts without any "mind control". That is awesome material for a fanfiction: traveling through Equestria, spreading her love for all with only her words and determination is just screaming for a story.
I'm surprised to hear how old you are. You are absolutely right that most people, including myself, fall into the "unmarried jobless early twenties'
.
1138555>>1139038
And THAT, dear Tea, is why I was confused! Text just lacks that certain "oomph" that speech does... Ya'know what I'm saying?
...
Dreams? Nothing wrong with that! I think... 97.3% sure.
1138110
Thank you so very much. I'm flattered to have had a positive effect on your life and work, although it does make me feel a little weird to accept this sort of thing from a person whom I identify as being beyond my own skill by several orders of magnitude. Keep doing what you love to do, whatever that may be.
1139330
"...Crystal Heart Spell" has never been formally canonized, but I seem to recall someone asking this of one of the staff writers at a convention, who in turn replied that they were treating Berrow's origin story as the "real" one for the purposes of the core continuity. Whether or not it's actually mentioned is another matter entirely; it's hard to imagine this piece of trivia will ever be viewed as important enough to waste screen time with.
1139091
That overdub is eerily appropriate.
1138217
Oooh. I'm stealing that.
1138684 Oh, yes. More expansion of the world is always welcome in my book.
1139091
Agreed completely. Celestia sometimes seems "too awesome" to me. She's so insanely perfect that it makes you feel uncomfortable, whereas Cadance is clearly, young, inexperienced, and often out of her element, even to the point of woobification. It makes her endearing.
1138806>>1139001 Well, you could use Leon from the European comics (they may be bad, but they occasionally have interesting ideas), Skyla from the toys, Pluto (though she's more commonly called Erroria these days) due to the animation error, the Princess from Hearts and Hooves Day and a few from We Love Fine. Of course, like in Sailor Moon, I don't restrict to the planets theselves. Nor do I stick to just alicorns. I give Ganymede to Chrysalis, Eris to Discord, Neptune to Leo etc. It omes up every now and then in my fic seres (becomming more important over time, in fact).
1139963 Skyla would totally be Chibi-chibi.
Huh, I never knew her name was Pluto OR Erroria - I thought she was just Alula. Learn something new every day! 
About a month after the Wedding aired, Lauren posted a comment about Cadance having been a pegasus in her initial treatment. A few months after that, I tried to find the comment, but it had been scrubbed. I must have spent eight hours trying to find the comment, but I didn't see it. I very clearly remembered it because I very distinctly remembered my surprise that she had originally been a pegasus, not a unicorn.
I'm glad to see that much of this has come to light, though not quite the way either Lauren or we would have wanted. I'm also glad to see that Meghan is committed to running the show with a sound focus on story.
I also like "Cadance" better than "Skyla."
1141171
Hm. I guess there's not one authoritative story! Not surprising.
If Skyla ever makes her way from the toy line to the show as the daughter of Cady and Shiny (which is the most logical place for her to go), I will be forced to conclude that Cady and Shiny are Those Parents, y'know, the ones who name their kid "Madyysyn". Which is probably not the least in-character thing I can think of.
I found myself rewatching "A Canterlot Wedding" tonight—it's a good palate cleanser after a day of somewhat distasteful happenings—and, thanks to this blog, paying a lot more attention to Cadance as a character this time around. Like I mentioned on my own blog a week or so ago, I generally feel like there's not a lot of canon motivation to dig into with Cadance and Shining Armor, given that almost all their episodes are very plot-heavy. But watching again, and paying attention to Cadance's interactions with the Mane Six in particular, I was struck by one thing.
Cadance is the ideal older sister.
None of our main protagonists have older sisters, although AJ and Rarity (and to a lesser extent Rainbow and Twilight) all act in that capacity themselves from time to time. One could even argue the same for Pinkie vis a vis the Cake Twins and Fluttershy with respect to her animals, I suppose.
Now, obviously I'm not in the show's target demographic, but stopping for a moment to think of it from that standpoint, you'd expect that the show is essentially designed to let young girls (primarily) relate to the main characters in any particular episode. So, episodes centering on the Mane Six never have an older sister dynamic to them. Episodes centering on the CMC often do, but in those episodes, the older sister dynamic is often a key part of the plot's central conflict. So when our Mane Six characters fill the older sister roles themselves, they do it very imperfectly.
Cadance episodes, on the other hand, have a very different dynamic to them. To me, Cadance is clearly filling an older sister role in her relationships with not just Twilight but the rest of the Mane Six. "A Canterlot Wedding" explicitly calls Cadance and Twilight sisters, near the end of the episode when Shining is relating how he got Cadance to marry him.
But Cadance and the Mane Six don't have sisterly problems. Cadance openly asks for help and input from the Mane Six. She tries to fit in with their activities instead of imposing her own. She basically demonstrates the opposite of Rarity's bad sisterly behavior from "Sisterhooves Social".
It's no wonder, then, that I've heard anecdotal accounts about target demographic viewers naming Cadance as their favorite pony. Is she pink? Sure. Is she an alicorn? Sure. But I don't think those are really her selling points, except for those completely unfamiliar with the show. Cadance is awesome because Cadance is who you want for an older sister. She helps you out with things, and she's happy to give your ideas a go instead of focring her own ideas of fun on everyone else. I'd want an older sister like Cadance, too.
1143822
Very much this. She fills that archetype for all the ponies, yes ("There are my girls!" from "Games Ponies Play").
1141828
Speaking of authoritative stories, an upcoming issue of the IDW comic is going to show how Cadance and Shining Armo(u)r got interested in each other; it probably won't mesh well with that one page in the book I saw at the supermarket which explains it. However, I really hope it does, which would mean somebody's running the canon behind the scenes.
1147498
She might be a little bemused, but I doubt she'd be surprised. This may be hard to believe, but in our day-to-day interactions, I come off as a little pony-crazed.
I said, this may be hard to believe.
1147220
Though that might be cool, I doubt they're overseeing every little side publication. (Prince Léon, anyone?)
1141828
I bet "Skyla" is Shining Armor's nickname for his daughter. I mean, he's the one calling his sister "Twily".
1165461
<vaguely Chrysalis-y voice>
Please stop calling our daughter that, dear.
</vaguely Chrysalis-y voice>