Bookplayer's 50 Questions

Hey! Bookplayer made a questionaire blogpost about headcanons. And this guy, and this guy posted their answers.

So, now I'm doing mine, since this seems to be the popular trend.

The Princesses:
1. How old are Celestia and Luna?
Hell, I bet they don't even know. Without an exact number, I'd have to say somewhere between eight-thousand and ten-thousand years old.

2. How old is Cadance?
Roughly 28 to 35.

3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
Ascended. They were born natural ponies. The general consensus I see with them being ascended is Celly's born a unicorn and Luna's a pegasus. I see Celly as an earth pony and Luna as a unicorn.

4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
No. Celestia and Luna may be ageless because of their ties to actual physical objects, but Cadance and Twilight will eventually die. I know I'm in the minority for this idea, though. They may live half a millennium, but that'd be a hopeful guess. See #15 for a little clarification.

5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
With Discord running amok, who's to say, yes or no? I want to believe yes, but other than the four we've got now, there's been no proof for 'yes.'

6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
While they have the final say on any decision, they delegate out to a council or tribunal of some kind that's got specialized ponies for that kind of thing. There's a reason Blueblood's got that mark, after all. While searching for part of #50, I came across this little thing that explains it much better than I could.

7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
Not officially, no. His title is Prince-Consort, and he's not got any 'royal' authority. He also does handle most of the guard and military matters for the day-to-day, though Cadance has the final say, much like Celly and Luna do.

8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
I imagine she's had many students over the years, and more close friends, but as much as it pains me to admit this, I don't think she's ever taken a lover, to Blueblood's chagrin.

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)?
Of course! If there weren't, then why would there be three kinds of ponies? Pegasi families are more military-like than the others, kind of like the Kicker family in the 'Winningverse.' Each race has their own way of expressing an analogy, and it's unique based on their race. Earth ponies use architectural or plant-based terms, pegasi use wind, clouds, and storm terms, and unicorns use magic and gemstones.

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?
Kinda hard to see an actual tree in Cloudsdale, eh? Though, that would be an awesome sight.

11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?
If time and effort aren't an issue, yes. Though 'out-of-talent' range spells are exponentially harder to learn. For those, a pony must really want to learn them, or have some ulterior use for them.

12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?
Yes. Officially, through the books, it's strength of heart. This I take two ways. A pony's physical strength and endurance, and their capacity to love. An earth pony is a much juicier target to a changeling to feed on than a pegasus or unicorn, for that reason. That's why Chrysalis kidnapped Cadance, not Shining. She'd been feeding on both, obviously, but she had to incapacitate Cadance.

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 see the naming scheme coming from a traditional kind of family, like the Apples or a noble family. They're in the minority, though and the 'common' folk just use what comes to mind, not caring a lick otherwise.

14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?
Growing up in the USA, I'm going with the equivalent of standardized 12-year high schooling. College and extra schooling are always an option, though!

15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?
After much deliberation, I can't really give a full, definite age. The long and short of it is, it depends on a pony's internal magic, and how strong it is. The stronger it is, generally a pony will live longer. The answer to the second question is roughly a short time after they've finished schooling.

16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?
No. I see males making up roughly 35% of the total population.

17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?
With fast pegasi, magic, and newspapers, major events are passed around easily. Though outside Equestria, that depends on how advanced that particular country is. The Crystal Empire's still coming up to speed and, even with Equestria's help, it'll be awhile before they hit any grand milestones.

The Main Characters:
18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?
AJ's the oldest of them, at roughly 20-21. I see Flutters and Dash at the youngest, 17. Everyone else lies somewhere between. Spike is roughly 14, and the CMC are all about seven.

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?
No, she didn't remain on the ground, though it was nice. She did visit and relax often, after a stressful day! I believe the pair did drift away somewhat, but kept in contact through letters semi-regularly, at Dash's suggestion, oddly enough.

20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?
They knew of each other, but weren't friends or anything. If they met, it was really only in passing.

21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?
A mix of Mother/Daughter and Sister/Brother. With a side dish of Employer/Employee. Mostly the former, though.

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?
When? Probably only a year or two before Twilight showed up. Despite her upbringing, she spent some time in a major city like Manehatten officially getting her GED-equivalent, to prove she'd graduated. Pinkie's a lot smarter than she appears.

23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?
Twilight had the best parents, tied with Pinkie. After they'd earned their cutie marks, both families were 'supportive as hell' for their little fillies.

24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?
How much time did Sweetie spend outside, or Applebloom away from the farm? Or whatever Scoots did during her down-time? Answer: Probably not a lot, on all three accounts.

25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?
No. I did like Speven Dillberg's (Previously Tony1685) 'parents are in the guard' idea, so I'm going with that. I really didn't have anything to put here, and really liked that idea. Thanks Tony.

26. Will Apple Bloom’s cutie mark involve an apple in some way, even if it’s unrelated to farming or baking?
Not necessarily. I bet there're a lot of Apples out there with other cutie marks. As far as I think, it'll be in construction or engineering, in some way.

27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?
Their parents are 'out' a lot, be it on vacation, for work, or whatever other reason. Rarity grew up mostly on her own, learning how to take care of herself. As such, Rarity isn't really attached to her parents. Sweetie was set to grow much the same, but Rarity offered to look after her while they were gone. Instead of seeing each other as sisters, their relationship is now more mother/daughter (like Twi and Spike) than sibling.

Side and Background Characters:
28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?
Yes. Because magic.

29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?
Eh, this isn't really something I'd given much thought to, but I'm inclined to say no.

30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?
Despite his gloating about being related to Celestia, he's actually related to Princess Platinum, however distantly.

31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?
No. If I had to give both of them a scale: On a scale of one to invading Russia during the winter time, Diamond Tiara's roughly as bad as kicking Hitler out of art school. For Silver Spoon, on the same scale, one to invading Russia at wintertime, she's about as bad as interrupting the monologing Big Bad.

32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?
Not really. I see her as one of the rare shamans. A normal zebra can mix a brew, yes, but she knows how to fix many an ailment, not just the common ones.

33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?
Well, even in Equestria, would a pony believe her tales if they were true? I sure as hell wouldn't.

34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?
One. Ditzy Do/Derpy Hooves' cutie mark is bubbles. What does it mean? She's a dreamwalker. And pretty much a specialized dreamwalker for foals. Helping soothe their dreams and keep the piece in the Veil of Dreams. Note: This I adopted from a story. I can't link it here because it's a clopfic, but I can say it's name: Twilight's Plan. Specifically, from chapter ten.
Per Luna's description in the story: "Ditzy Doo is a credit to the dream walkers. As I said before, we welcome those with courage and kindness, and she has a great deal of both. She is also very good with foals."

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, kind of. If a creature can communicate verbally, it's a citizen. If a creature cannot communicate verbally, but can write or mime, or something to communicate with others easily, it's a citizen. If a creature cannot do either, then it's not a citizen.

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?
Each race has their own kingdom, except the dragons. They're more individualized.

37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?
Well, Discord is weird, after all. Take that for what you will.

38. Do all zebras rhyme?
No. Just the shamans, as that's part of their training. 'When you are at peace with all, then with your training you shall not fall.' Or something like that. It only took me two tries!

39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?
Pretty much, just they're symbolic for zebra stuff.

40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?
Griffons do, which is a mix of earth pony and pegasus magic. Not as strong as either alone, but still a mix.

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?
Yes. Buffalo are nomadic, and as such, they don't stay in an area too long. Ponies don't really cater to them, as they tend to stay away from large population centers unless necessary.

Headcanon and You:
42. Do you consider official sources other than the show (comics, card game text, movies, novels, etc.) to be canon?
Some. I consider the comics and novels canon.

43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?
I do. Actually, more than one. I've got a... 33 page word doc that I can upload, if wanted, that helps explain quite a bit about the eccentricities for some of my answers. They're probably *not* what one would expect given 'yes' or 'no' originally. The doc itself contains mostly innocuous entries that world-build, or would be for crossovers.

44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?
Yeah I easily accept other headcanons, or at least parts of them. In #43, I mentioned a headcanon doc. I've taken bits and pieces from quite a few stories I've read. Hell, entry #1 is Ditzy/Derpy's profession, that was the answer to #34. Do I prefer when stories match my headcanon? Eh, I don't really care one way or the other. Think of it this way: I'm five. I'm locked in a candy store for the night. Do I eat all the candy I can or do I look for a way out? The answer? Both. I might even find a new kind of candy I like in the process.

45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?
Of the... 45-ish entries (I think I may have skipped one or double counted one), if I had to choose one? I found it. What would each of the princesses' professions be? Not counting leadership or being a warrior.

Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight's alternate professions (Skillsets they have not counting leadership or being a warrior)
Celestia: Engineer/Blacksmith - Her mind can assess and assemble or disassemble anything with a glance. A literal savant when it comes to engineering.
Luna: Merchant/Trader - Whether captaining seafaring vessels or hauling her wares down a road, she's a master spokesmare and is considered the best merchant around.
Twilight: Scientist/Historian/Archivist - A steel trap mind ensnares any and all information thrown her way and her near-eidetic memory lets her remember, recite, and utilize it at a moment's notice.
Cadence: Psychologist/Shrink - Her natural charisma and empathetic disposition lead her to helping others with any problems they encounter. Given time, she'd be considered a 'Momma-Bear.' Nobody dares to mess with her 'children' either.

This entry's one of my favorites, and it's one of the few that're entirely homegrown. I'd had a conversation with one of my friends and he posed that question. I took it and ran like I was stealing it, though I did, technically.

46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?
Celestia's boring because she single-hoofedly runs the damn country. Seriously.
If she's buried in paperwork, how does she take on/teach a student, hold court, eat, exercise, and raise and set the sun (and moon), while having enough time to sleep? She doesn't. Delegate that paperwork away, so she doesn't spend all day doing that, then getting caught up on the rest of her schedule, and only have an hour to sleep.

47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?
Kinda. It's not released yet, though. Also, if its requested enough, I may upload my headcanon doc, and just edit that version from now on.

48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?
Not really, though it mostly only contains entries for those ponies I enjoy reading about. (For ref: Celly, Luna, Cady, Shiny, and Twilight, mainly)

49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?
Nah. Canon's canon, after all. Sure, I'll be upset, but I'll get over it. I mean, people threw a big fit at the end of season 3 when Twi turned into an alicorn. The only reason I was sad, is that best pony (Celestia, who never gets any love) wouldn't get screen time any more.

50. Is there something that wasn't asked about here, but you feel like you need to explain to everyone?
There's two things. The disparage between Celestia and Luna's power, and how they're not actually blood-related. The second is more of a minor bit, but it's still kind of a big thing, to me. It goes right along with #3.

How I believe Celestia lost to both Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis, when she raises the sun literally every day. I'm pulling this entry straight from my doc, and like myself, it contains a few little references that I hope get a laugh and relay what I mean it to.

Celestia vs Luna's Power: Partially inspired from Rites of Ascension
I imagine Celestia... much like the story 'Rites of Ascension' does, at least power-wise. In a fight, Luna is a much larger threat if you're in an urban environment. Celestia's hooves are tied in population centers, unless she wants to vaporize most of a town, including its inhabitants, she's got to reign her power in and stick to the small spells, or get physical.
Dipping into a bit of SCIENCE! to explain myself here, after a certain threshold, her magical output (into anything, spell, magic bolt, beam, etc.), instead of outputting linearly, switches to an exponential output. Small tasks, like every day magic lie well within the linear boundary, hell she can even fight, in a support role, to some extent within her linear boundary. Any combat spells past a couple simultaneous basic magic bolts require enough of her power to pass that boundary and would basically cascade 'out of control, for any normal pony.' The spell's power is drastically increased from the linear equation transforming, basically into 'OVER 9000! (WHAT 9000? THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE CORRECT!)' territory. Thus, collateral damage. Now, raising the sun counts as a 'cascade,' going past that boundary. Normally, that'd be a bad thing, but since she casts the spell literally twice every day, her control and expertise with it is so finely honed, she can keep it from having any adverse effects, and the same could be said of with the moon, too after a couple decades or so. In the mentioned story, she literally glassed a section of a desert. As in used enough power and heat to turn sand into glass, in an area of... jeez... probably twenty by twenty or more miles.
Luna, on the other hand, doesn't have this problem. She's not got Celestia's raw power (only roughly what Celestia's max linear output would be or so if it didn't transform), but has far greater control over her magic, and her spells don't cascade. She can take on an army, and not leave much impact on the battlefield, or save a hostage from a kidnapper, without harming him/her/it. In a war, Luna is the larger threat if you're in an urban environment or some place to be protected from damage at all.

Huh. I never knew how weirdly I wrote that. Anyways, this explains a little bit of why. She didn't want to vaporize Canterlot or the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters along with everypony else in them, basically. If it helps, I could draw a diagram. But I'm not artsy-fartsy enough to do it any justice.

And for the final point, I don’t' see the 'Royal Pony Sisters,' (Celly and Luna) as blood-related. Because they're ascended, they were sort of forced to get to know and work with each other. Only trial by conflict, chaos, fire, and raising a country did they grow close enough to call each other 'sister.' I see their relationship that of sisters, but they don't share any parents. This one's inspired by a few fics, among them, Becoming One with the Night. There're others, but their names are escaping me at this exact moment. I've got one in mind in particular, and I'll be damned if I can remember it's name. Thought it was 'Paradise' or something, but I can't find it. Was on deviantart, not fimfiction.

Edit - Spaced out the questions so it's not several giant walls of text. Clarified two answers.