50 More Questions: Bookplayer's Headcanon Questionnaire · 7:39pm Apr 11th, 2014
Based on the current “50 Questions” list, Bookplayer came up with the variation below. Sit back and enjoy some headcanon!
The Princesses:
1. How old are Celestia and Luna?
Several thousand years. Luna is technically “younger” only by a few years, but thanks to her imprisonment, she lacks a thousand years’ experience and knowledge compared to Celestia. The rapid pace of change over the last millennium leaves her frequently flustered, for which she's eternally grateful to have Twilight as her crutch.
2. How old is Cadance?
A century or two. Alicorns age differently from other ponies, post-ascension. Celestia did a masterful job keeping her out of the public eye until she sensed the Empire's impending return.
3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
Ascended, though in different ways than Cadance or Twilight. Cadance’s ascension was tied to the imminent return of the Crystal Empire, with which she was linked in subtly mystical and prophetic ways.
4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
Immortal as in “invincible,” no. Immortal as in “will live forever, period,” no. So long-lived as to be effectively ageless, yes. They can be killed by sufficient damage, though their naturally high constitution and healing factors make that a difficult prospect.
5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
Possibly. The universe doesn’t have a set alicorn quota, so there could have been one or two extras floating around in the distant past. Currently there are just the four, though. There are a good many more immortals (and ageless beings) than alicorns, though.
6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
They are demigoddess diarchs. Their rule is absolute and unquestioned, in theory. In practice they’ve voluntarily delegated much of their authority to mayors, regional governors, various Councils, unrelated and non-divine Kings / Queens, and the odd elected body or leader. Also note that post-exile, Luna’s rule is more apt to be accepted out of fear or because her sister vouched for her; Celestia is genuinely loved and ponies take her word as gospel, often when she wishes they wouldn’t. On paper Equestria is now a triarchy, though Twilight’s role is very much a subordinate one in reality. Eventually she’ll assume the throne alongside her elders; for now, she can still rule in their absence (“Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1”). Outside of Equestria’s borders (Griffin lands, Zebrica, etc.), they are respected and feared, and any pronouncement they make is likely to be assigned great weight if not copied outright.
7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
Officially, no. He is Prince Consort, and royal in name only. He does serve as head of their military and as Cadance’s chief advisor. He can also rule in her absence, serving as her castellan and viceroy.
8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
A great many students, the occasional lover, and countless friends. Luna is her sister in a metaphysical sense, not biological; Celestia herself has no living blood relatives. Blueblood and Cadance are her nephew and niece in an adoptive way. Luna and Celestia have no foals of their own, a sad tradeoff off their alicorn biology.
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)?
Largely homogenous, with variations being largely localized: Cloudsdale would obviously have more Pegasus traditions extant, while earth pony towns like Ponyville (and presumable Appleoosa and Dodge Junction) would keep traditions like Winter Wrap Up alive. Canterlot seems a very unicorn-ish place, as would any other sufficiently magical site. Stereotypes are still around, though rooted in history and a grain of truth: earth ponies are strong and stubborn, pegasi are hot-headed and passionate, unicorns are snooty and brilliant.
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?
Very likely, though there isn’t much a pony can’t get her hooves on for enough bits. Trade and commerce are widespread. Pegasus foods and goods might be cheaper or of better quality in Cloudsdale, at the source, but certainly not unavailable elsewhere.
11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?
They can learn and cast anything, though they might do so poorly outside their talent. The time to learn, power and concentration required to cast, and other costs of spellcasting go up exponentially with the difficulty of the spell and the distance from the caster’s specialty. It may take Lyra a lifetime of study and practice to cast Starswirl’s time travel spell, and even then she might only travel back a few minutes. Ponies like Twilight whose talent is magic in general are extremely rare. Even then they’re limited by their internal “pool” of magical energy they can draw from. Trixie has plenty of “mana points” to draw from, a good deal more than Rarity; Twilight’s mana pool is vast.
12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?
It exists, the same way Pegasus magic exists - internally. Earth pony magic manifests in their ability to handle tools and tasks using only hooves and teeth, to grow almost anything anywhere, and to have a sense for whatever’s under their hooves. It gives them great physical strength and endurance, disease resistance, and natural healing, and insight and skills at the same things. Pegasi get wings, high dexterity, cloudwalking, storm manipulation, resistance to wind and temperature extremes, atmospheric sense and awareness, and more.
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?
Some of it is tradition, either family or local. Often there’s a hidden convention: Rarity is Rarity Belle, though other family members might ignore or forget the Belle appellation, while Applejack is really Applejack Apple. Fluttershy chooses not to use a family name out of concern that she’s an embarrassment to their proud Pegasus roots (though they might protest otherwise); anywhere else, she’d be “Fluttershy from Ponyville” or something similar.
14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?
About 8-10 years’ worth, plus time in a University or in other specialized education if desired or required.
15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?
Lifespan is Human equivalent, or slightly shorter: 60-70 normally, with good healthcare and a non-dangerous lifestyle. Independence generally takes place in the late teens. Granny Smith’s tales of being there “when Ponyville was founded” are mostly hyperbole.
16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?
About a 60/40 split, female / male. The ratio varies regionally.
17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?
As much as humans in industrialized countries were in the late 19th Century. Newspapers spread major national news to all corners, if slightly delayed. For example, Vanhoover and Las Pegasus definitely heard about the Bearers’ exploits afterwards, though they might chalk some of it up to Canterlot hype and spin (“That was mostly Celestia’s doing, she’s just giving these six mares credit out of modesty.”). Other countries (ex., Griffins) would hear the same news but might scoff at it as Equestrian propaganda, until the sun fails to rise one morning or their clouds start raining chocolate milk.
The Main Characters:
18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?
By Season Four, early 20s for the Mane Six; 9 to 11 for the CMC. Spike is mentally the CMC’s age, though he’s been around for about 14-15 calendar years; dragons age along very different timescales than ponies. Twilight is the youngest of the girls, still in her late teens at series’ start; Fluttershy is the oldest (and see #19 below).
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 stayed there, yes, but did visit Cloudsdale occasionally to see her family. It was awkward and uncomfortable for all parties. She remained friends with Dash, who came to check on her from time to time, and they wrote once in a while. Their friendship renewed when Dash moved to Ponyville. Note that they were in the same class in Cloudsdale even though Shy was older because her lack of flying sill held her back in most active / physical classes. She’d already mostly completed her academics.
20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?
Everybody in town knew both of them; they’re very public figures, and they no doubt interacted. They might have been acquaintances but not close friends until Nightmare Moon returned.
21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?
Depending on the day, Boss and Assistant, Best Friends, siblings, or surrogate mother and adoptive son. Secretly Spike thinks of Twilight as his mother; secretly, Twilight increasingly hopes this too, now that she’s an alicorn and thus sterile. Interestingly, this mirrors Twilight’s relationship with Celestia.
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?
She joined them shortly after leaving the farm and finishing her education, in her late teens. She was initially just a worker who rented the extra room upstairs, but she’s grown to be very close friends to the Cakes, just short of being like a daughter.
23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?
Twilight’s parents were loving and close, but of necessity Twilight grew up under Celestia’s wing, and she saw Celestia more than she saw her parents. Fluttershy kept polite if awkward contact with her folks after her fall to the ground. Pinkie’s were fair but dour and stern, until she got her cutie mark; they were the first ponies she taught to smile. Dash had a typical lower-middle-class family. Rarity’s affectations and airs come from her desire to live beyond her modest upbringing; she feigns embarrassment at her parents though they love each other dearly. AJ’s parents died when she was very young, and what she misses more is the idea of having had parents, since in reality she barely knew them.
24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?
AB hung out on the farm while the others spent more time in town. They knew each other from school (they cowered in fear together in S1E01), but it took Call of the Cutie to bring them together by realizing what they had in common.
25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?
Never thought much about it. I’ll go with Orphan, living with a decent foster family. I assume she’ll fly eventually, probably tied with getting her Cutie Mark.
26. Will Apple Bloom’s cutie mark involve an apple in some way, even if it’s unrelated to farming or baking?
It doesn’t need to, though it might be tangentially apple-related. Maybe a screwdriver jammed through an apple, or a saw cutting through one.
27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?
Does Sweetie actually live with Rarity? I’ll say yes, assuming her parents travel a lot and they like the friendliness, schools, and safety (ha!) of Ponyville, so they let Sweetie stay with Rarity most of the time. Otherwise she sees Rarity as a big sister with maternal overtones.
Side and Background Characters:
28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?
Yes, he’s the father. No real controversy there.
29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?
On and off. At first they dated because everyone expected them to after the incident. Now they’re genuinely good friends, trying it out to see if there’s more there.
30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?
Anciently the Blueblood line was nobility thanks to patronage (perceived, real, or imagined) from Celestia. Today they’re nobility thanks to their own political maneuvering and family wealth, though they’re secretly embarrassed by Blueblood’s antics and boorish manners. Truth is that he doesn’t have a title: “Prince” is his first name!
31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?
No. She’s a follower who’s scared to give up the lifestyle of being attached to power and riches, not because she’s scared to live without it, but because she thinks others expect it of her. It leads her to actions that keep her up at night. One day DT will do something truly wretched and Silver will have to make a very difficult choice.
32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?
No. She’s a witch doctor / shaman / wisemare. Even among Zebra mystics her skills and powers are very respectable. Note that much of what she does is based on knowledge and technical skills, not magic: it’s alchemy and herbalism more than sorcery.
33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?
They’re fictionalized accounts of her real-life adventures, which generally aren’t nearly as interesting as the novels. Imagine Howard Carter writing Indiana Jones.
34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?
Doctor Whooves is a doctor, not a timey-wimey-allons-y Timelord. He knows Derpy from around Ponyville but they don’t travel the multiverse together battling Daleks. Flash Sentry’s involvement with Twilight was limited to the EG alternate universe; back in Equestria, he thought she was cute, but then so did half the ponies she met, and he interacts with her no more or differently than any other guard would.
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?)
All sapient residents of Equestria share the same rights, duties, responsibilities, and privileges under the law, no matter their species (note that the same can’t always be said of ponies outside of Equestria proper). Intelligent beings who choose to live as bandits or predators (eg., Chimeras) are treated largely as criminals. Most Diamond Dogs are relatively industrious and eager to please; they’d consider the ones who harassed Rarity to be brigands and lazy, shiftless thieves. Species and individuals can choose how they integrate into society. Cows, for example, are easily spooked and feel exposed and vulnerable on their own, even in herds, and so they seek the perceived security of attaching themselves to pony settlements. They’re happy to be workers or servants in exchange for safety, so much so that it’s become second nature to them. Essentially they’re house elves.
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?
Some form their own nations (Griffons, Zebras), while others integrate but may concentrate locally (Diamond Dogs).
37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?
The cows think so. Minotaurs just roll their eyes and sigh.
38. Do all zebras rhyme?
Only the mystics like Zecora, who pick it up almost involuntarily as they begin to see patterns and cycles in the world around them.
39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?
They’re not cutie marks; they’re tattoos. Zebras adopt them whenever they have a revelation or “cutie mark moment” and often add to them throughout their lives as they commemorate significant events or things important to them.
40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?
They do, in a more limited fashion. See # 32 above; much of what appears as “magic” in the hooves of Deer, Camels, and others is really herbalism, alchemy, pseudo-science, rigorous training and mental discipline, and other external / learned / physical skills, as opposed to the natural magic of ponies. Dragons are an exception, though their magic is more subtle and almost unconscious.
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?
Largely cultural. See # 35 above; they’re free to travel where they will, but generally they choose to keep to themselves. Their newfound friendship with the ponies of Appleoosa is changing that, if slowly. Their physical size makes them feel claustrophobic in crowded, cramped cities like Manehattan.
Headcanon and You:
42. Do you consider official sources other than the show (comics, card game text, movies, novels, etc.) to be canon?
Secondary canon. Show first, then movies, then comics and novels, then card games and toys and other “hard” products. I like to think they’re all canon until or unless the show contradicts them. My fanfictions come right after the show in a “canon” sense, overriding the secondary sources, at least for me.
43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?
I have a single headcanon that I work from, expanding it constantly as I write and as I find great ideas in others’ works.
44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?
If a story veers too far from my own headcanon, it will have a lot of work to do to keep my interest. I most easily accept other authors’ headcanons when I can slipstream them into my own with few conflicts.
45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?
Yes.
46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?
Among others: Chessmaster Celestia (or Discord), to the point that they’d have to be near-omniscient, omnipowerful, and omnipresent to pull off the resulting scheme.
47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?
Not really. My headcanon comes out in my stories, but I haven’t written a story or blog post just to infodump my own headcanon.
48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?
Absolutely. Headcanon is why Luna is best pony, Luna Eclipsed was best episode, and TwiLuna is the Most Holy Ship, OTP Be Praised!
49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?
I can work with almost anything the show gives me, especially given that the show is, pragmatically speaking, made for little girls. They aren’t going to end the world, graphically depict dark or horrifying topics, kill anyone on-screen, have the Mane6 all get married (To stallions?!? Perish the thought!), or anything else crazy. The big one I fear they’ll address eventually is Twilight’s immortality and / or continued Princesshood / wingedness. Even then I have contingency plans.
50. Is there something that wasn't asked about here, but you feel like you need to explain to everyone?
I have a whole scheme I’m working out about changelings, though I’m still deciding on parts of it. Short version: many hives, multiple queens - not all as bent on conquest or enslavement of their neighbors as Chrysalis was - and all with varying goals. I also have a thing or three to say about Celestia and Luna’s true power levels, but that’ll deserve its own post.
Have some Best Princess (whose blush indicates she's probably reading Twilight's dream diary):
Is this the same as the previous one with different formatting, or is there differences in content?
Praise OTP. That picture of Lulu is downright infectious of all things fluffy and bubbly and cute.
Additionally, I really liked the explanation of Zebra Glyphs. I'm going to steal that one. That isn't to say I agree with everything, but I've come to realize that arguing over headcanon is the equivalent of trying to use a pogo stick on a speeding treadmill. You're going to get nowhere and ultimately look really, really dumb.
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