Who built this place? · 3:23am Feb 24th, 2014
Setting any scene in Canterlot Castle is tricky. A lot of the layout changes according to the demands of the show's narrative. Through the course of planning Chapter 2 ("An Urgent Matter"), I realized these inconsistencies might pose a problem. My own notes elaborate on the issue:
• Entrance Hall and Grand Staircase – Depicted in “The Best Night Ever” and “The Return of Harmony, Part 1.” This appears to be a central nexus for moving throughout the castle at large. Celestia evidently greets most guests and dignitaries in this room.
• Main Hallway/Foyer – Depicted in “The Return of Harmony, Part 1” and “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1.” Although its location is unspecified, “The Return of Harmony” implies it is in the main castle grounds and close to Celestia’s throne room. The primary inconsistency arises in the form of the placement of the Elements of Harmony: “The Return of Harmony” has the Elements located at the end of the main hallway; “A Canterlot Wedding, Part 2”, however, reveals the Elements are kept in a different location (indicated by the different stain glass windows). The discrepancy may be the result of Celestia altering the location of the vault holding the Elements. For the sake of simplicity, it is my assumption the Elements are kept in a wing of the castle dedicated to protecting artifacts and other national treasures.
• Princess Celestia’s Throne Room – Could be confused for the main hallway, due to its extravagance, size, and stain glass windows; however, the throne room and the main hallway are distinct in the design of their respective stain glass windows (Celestia’s windows represent a general decor repeated throughout the castle). Both “The Crystal Empire, Part 1” and “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1” contradict one another as to the main entrance into the throne room: the former episode reveals another hallway (not the main hallway, however) while the latter episode has doors leading directly to the outside. Comparative screen shots reveal the episodes depict the same throne room.
It's times like these that I wish definitive blueprints of Canterlot Castle existed. Mystery and vagueness are great until they start butting heads. To the best of my knowledge, not even a fan-made layout of the castle exists. Time for a judgment call!
The throne room was really the pinch. I had to choose between "The Crystal Empire" and "Princess Twilight Sparkle" -- both of which are equally canon. But one had to win out for the purposes of AOFN. Clearly the designs from "The Crystal Empire" prevailed. While a door to the outside would have expedited the action, I wanted Celestia and Luna to move about the castle. The callback to "The Return of Harmony" was likewise too good to pass up.
On the plus side, I'll be paying close attention when the throne room appears again. With any luck, I can dump questions about the castle's layout onto the laps of the writers at some convention, thus cementing my place in the Hall of Geekery.
