Bookplayer posted a 50 questions thingy. I think I shall answer them. · 6:51am Apr 11th, 2014

Sounds like fun.
Whoops, almost forgot to link back. http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/308630/50-questions-mostly-about-ponies-and-equestria
The Princesses:
1. How old are Celestia and Luna?
Generally I think somewhere between 1 and two millennia for Celestia. However, I also think Luna's banishment arrested her aging, considering her to be more along the lines of "sealed" rather than simply locked up. This puts her just under a thousand, give or take a century or so.
2. How old is Cadance?
Mid 20's, like Shining. Candybutt is just a bit older, but not quite a full year.
3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
Born that way, I think.
4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
Yes.
5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
No. Sunbutt was the first.
6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
To my mind, Equestria is a constitutional monarchy, possessing shades of both English and United States governmental mechanics, and Celestia and Luna hold supreme executive power. However they do not make laws. Equestrian legislation is handled by a two house parliament. A Senate, which is the larger house and is elected by regular ponies, and something akin to the House of Lords, which is the only reason nobility are still relevant. Basically the princesses see to it that the laws are followed, and Celestia has established a bureaucracy (Ghost's Civil Service, basically) to run the country. Both princesses do still have judiciary power, and hold court however.
7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
Nope. He is a Prince now, but he does not have power in a legal sense. Now, that said, Cady strongly values her husband's input and assistance, and has more than once said the job of rebuilding a nation would be out and out impossible without him. He is also in charge of the Crystal Empire's security force.
8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
Few. She is a very private pony, especially since Luna's banishment. Those few she has taken too however she grows VERY close with. Sunset's dismissal was a very sore blow to her. To this day, she would love nothing more than to welcome Sunset Shimmer back.
Ponies and Equestrian Culture:
9. Are there still cultural differences between earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, or is the culture homogeneous by the time shown in canon? Are there cultural stereotypes (positive or negative)?
Very few, and what differences remain tend to be minor. Things such as feathermarking, or engagement rings for unicorns. Earth pony wedding ceremonies. That kind of thing.
10. Are there foods or items native to Cloudsdale that are uncommon on the ground? Are there foods or items on the ground that are uncommon in Cloudsdale?
Not as such, no, though pegasi tend to have a more varied diet that unicorns and earth ponies. They got a bit of bird in them, in a sense, and tend to enjoy seafood, and seeds. However, it is not exclusive to them, and other ponies may indulge in a wider array of foods depending on where they live. (Manehattan for instance, due to having a lot of foreign influence from being a seaport, will serve a pony damn near anything if it's legal.)
11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?
It is limited by how much magic they have at their disposal, but other than that, any unicorn can learn any spell. However, spells outside their special talent are very difficult to learn.
12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?
Yup. It's very internal, as opposed to unicorn magic. It tends to affect things in less overt ways. For instance, from bookplayer's TwiJack story, the concept of Homesteading. That's pretty much a perfect example.
13. Some pony families we’ve seen seem to have naming conventions (the Apples, Twilight’s family) and others don’t appear to (Rarity’s family, Pinkie’s family), which is more common? Are there reasons for one or the other?
I associate naming conventions with old and/or large families, as a family tradition. So it was likely less common at all times, but in modern day it's becoming even less so.
14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?
Up through high school, with university being ideal but not majority.
15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?
Surprisingly long in modern days, anywhere from 90-100 if Granny Smith is any indication. However this is is a very recent development. a few decades ago the life expectancy wasn't really seen as past 60. Ponies also mature faster, and are considered adults at around 15-16 years of age.
16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?
Eeyup
17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?
For Equestria, reasonably informed. For the rest of the world, it depends. Most scholars and bureaucrats, as a matter of course. Coastal cities tend to be more informed as well, due to traders from overseas.
The Main Characters:
18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?
Mane 6 runs from 17 (Applejack) to 20 (Fluttershy) Twilight's birthday was her 19th. Spike is about 13, assuming Twilight was roughly 10 when she got her mark. The CMC are in the 9-11 range, and from the looks of things, Sweetie at least is starting to hit puberty.
19. Did Fluttershy remain on the ground after getting her cutie mark? Were she and Rainbow Dash friends all along, or did they drift apart for a while?
She was taken back home after a bit, after she wandered into Ponyville. She met Rarity while on the ground though.
20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?
Amicable, but not friends. Generally avoided each other, but were cordial when they interacted. Certainly Rarity loved the apples.
21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?
Spike is her number one assistant. At times they are like siblings, but they didn't entirely grow up together. Though when growing up, Spike was all but attached to Twilight whenever they were together.
22. When did Pinkie move in with the Cakes? Is she a worker who rents a room, an apprentice, or is there some other relationship?
Pinkie moved in with them shortly after arriving in town. She started as an apprentice, which is why she has a room there. She doesn't rent her room, but rather her contributions to the bakery help keep it running so she can live and learn there. Apprenticeships in Equestria are considered close bonds, and the Cakes are like a second family.
23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?
Pinkie's though it wasn't entirely their fault. A few generations of rock farming breeds a certain stoicism. They had no idea what to do with Pinkie, as even before the rainboom she was an odd duck. They were not cruel to her, but there was and is a distinct gap between them. That said, they nonetheless love her as dearly as her sisters. Best parents were....well, that's very hard to say. Maybe if the show would show us the parents more...
24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?
Very little previous interaction.
25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?
No, and possibly.
26. Will Apple Bloom’s cutie mark involve an apple in some way, even if it’s unrelated to farming or baking?
Almost certainly.
27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?
It's actually not. Though Rarity has gotten a bit of distance from her parents since opening her shop, so time will tell if something similiar happens with Sweetie Belle. (NOTE: Some distance does not imply a cold relationship. Rarity is simply a very independent mare.)
Side and Background Characters:
28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?
Yup.
29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?
No. But there is some attraction. If only Mac wasn't so shy.
30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?
Entirely ancestral.
31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?
No, but not from lack of trying. Thing is, Silver may grow out of it. Diamond really might not.
32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?
It's not rare, but not every zebra is a shaman. It's a very difficult profession to learn.
33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?
To raise money for the university she works for. Twilight's mom runs the publishing house. See http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/258616/in-which-i-post-some-more-headcanon for details.
34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?
For the most part no, but thanks to the story "Bechdel's Law" I headcanon Soarin' as Twi's first time. And vice versa. Though Maybe Soarin' doesn't count as a one line background pony anymore...
Other Species:
35. Does Equestria differentiate between speaking and non-speaking species, in terms of respect, rights and legal responsibilities? Is there some other line or scale used? (For example, how are cows classified? Diamond Dogs? A chimera?)
Yes. Though it should be noted that "non-speaking" is somewhat ambigious. For instance, goats speak, but some tribes, like the ones with Iron Will, are incapable of forming words in the Equestrian language. Some, even many ponies erroneously view them as incapable of speech, and look down on them.
36. Do other speaking species form their own nations, or are all nations largely integrated, with some having larger populations of a species than others?
Griffons and Minotaurs at least have their own sovereign nation. Horses are also a separate state from the ponies. Griffons in turns have more than one culture themselves, analogous to European countries, such as Italian, French, British, Prussian, Austrian, etc. Mintoaurs are more like ancient greeks, but with a tech level to match the rest of the world. Goats are also part of Mino culture. Also, Minotaur wine is freaking STRONG. Personally i think we have Qilin in the far east as well.
37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?
Nope. Maybe very very distantly.
38. Do all zebras rhyme?
It's a shamanistic thing, so no. Though, some non shamans do so for the hell of it.
39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?
More or less.
40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?
Griffons have the classic wizards type, with wands or tomes or other implements. Minotaurs rely more on potions and alchemy. Qilin have shugenjas, basically benders, and Saddle Arabians are big on rituals.
41. Is the lack of buffalo presence in Equestria cultural, or simply because most pony towns aren’t built to accommodate a full grown buffalo?
Bison/Buffalo are very nomadic still. It ties into their magic. The have a magic that is sort of a cross between earth pony and zebra, and stampeding allows them to channel it. This is why the fertile ground in Appleoosa was right in the stampede line. That said, individuals have begun visiting pony towns and cities now that both cultures have met.
Headcanon and You:
42. Do you consider official sources other than the show (comics, card game text, movies, novels, etc.) to be canon?
In a Star Wars kind of way. Show first, then movies, then comics, then books, then card games.
43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?
I try to stay internally consistent. But I am always updating my headcanon.
44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?
Certainly. Everyone has cool ideas. Sometimes I adapt them, but even if I can't they can be quite enjoyable. Such as Skywriter's Cadance of Cloudsdale cycle.
45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?
The Buffalo and Daring Do bits. Not coincidentally, those are two I have actually made large blog posts about.
46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?
Buck. BUCK. BUCK. BUCK.
47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?
At least twice.
48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?
Occasionally, but not in a major way.
49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?
A little, but I like to think I would adapt.
50. Is there something that wasn't asked about here, but you feel like you need to explain to everyone?
Twilight is best pony.