50 Questions Part II

Saw these on a couple of different blogs and I liked the idea... the list comes from here and is pretty darn comprehensive IMHO. Be forewarned that this is a very long post... but without further ado...

The Princesses:

1. How old are Celestia and Luna?
Both of them are ageless and have been in existence in one form or another since the beginning of time.

2. How old is Cadance?
Cadance I feel is roughly 25 or 26 currently.

3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
No, but they didn’t ascend; they are immortal spirits bound to watch over Equestria by an unknowable higher power and have worn many forms over their existence. Their current appearance as Alicorns is modeled after a now extinct species of pony that oversaw the world prior to the breaking of the three tribes.

4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
No, they will likely have an increased lifespan due to an increased capacity for magic, but they will eventually pass on.

5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
Yes, an Alicorn council originally ruled over Equestria long before the breaking of the three tribes but their species reached an evolutionary dead end and eventually died off, becoming myth and legend and leaving the non-alicorn tribes initially leaderless.

6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
Their authority is technically absolute and they have the final say so in all things political that goes on in Equestria; however, certain oaths that go along with their stewardship of the world prevent them from implementing this extreme level of control without a very good reason. Likewise, there is always some form of consequences that they will face when they do implement it.

7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
Yes, Shining Armor is now the Prince of the Crystal Empire and rules jointly with Princess Cadance, however, the line of succession is matriarchal and thus he primarily leads the military and leaves the majority of policies and politics to his wife.

8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
Celestia has always had at least one student from each generation that she has hoped to groom towards Alicorn status, but they have all failed up until Twilight’s and Cadance’s ascensions for various reasons. Otherwise, she was extremely close to the leaders of the three tribes and their aides in their later years (post Heartswarming) and with pony’s like Starswirl the Bearded. As she is an eternal spirit in Equine form, she cannot bear children, but she has most likely had lovers (likely of both genders) in the past when the fancy takes her.

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)?

Cultural differences still exist primarily along the lines of how their magic works and where they live and a certain amount of racial pride still exists, but the majority of the breeds work together homogeneously and while there were probably taboos about inter-breed relationships prior to Heartswarming, they have long since gone by the wayside except in isolated cases (typically in the nobility). As for cultural stereotypes, it’s hard to get past them and there are an equal number of good and bad stereotypes applicable to each breed.

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?

Cloudsdale ponies have a few things that they can refine from clouds, effectively turning them into a sort of ‘sky grass’ that they can flavor with small amounts of liquid rainbow. Unfortunately, only pegasai can eat this refined cloud and they typically do so only in an emergency because they can gain very few nutrients from it; leading to generally poor health and practical starvation. In non-emergency situations, 99.9% of Cloudsdale’s food comes from the ground.

11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?

Any unicorn can use levitation and most will have a few utility spells (such as Light Spells) in addition to a spell relating to their special talent (For Example: Shining Armor’s Shield Spell or Trixie’s fireworks), but most will not have either the drive or capacity to learn anything beyond these, let alone all available magic spells, and full-fledged spellcasters probably account for less than 10% of the whole unicorn population. The Royal Guard probably teaches their unicorns a small variety of offensive and defensive spells; but then that’s would be a job requirement and likely an exception to the rule.

12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?

It Absolutely Exists! Earth Pony Magic, however, is far more subtle than the magic of the other tribes and manifests as a connection to the natural world around them, leaving them with a much greater muscle mass and lifespan than other ponies in addition to a kind of ‘sixth sense’ that gives them a better idea about their surroundings. Individual earth pony magic manifests as bouts of extreme speed or strength, special connection to a particular type of mineral or process and most of them have a much finer level of control with their hooves than the other races.

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 think this mostly depends on family tradition, though in my own version of things, most all ponies have both a given name and a family name, they just don’t use them very often. Last names are more prominently displayed amongst high status commoners (such as Filthy Rich or Applejack Apple) or amongst the nobility (such as Fancy Pants or Twilight Sparkle). Granted, I also think it depends on how familiar ponies are with each other as to whether they address each other by their ‘full’ names.

14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?

Most ponies are expected to complete at least high school or the equivalent there of, but it also depends on family traditions. I would say the majority of them, however, have the option of leaving school when they reach a certain age and GEDs are probably available for those who don’t’ have access to formal education after a certain point.

15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?

This largely depends on the breed of pony, (see my answer to earth pony magic above) but I tend to view their ages in human terms and would say most can expect to live somewhere between 80 and a 100 years each excluding death by violence or accident. Generally, I would say they become independent at 18 but some can do so earlier than this under special circumstances.

16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?

Roughly yes, but it depends on the area they are in.

17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?

News travels slowly in Equestria except in the bigger cities; that is ponies in Canterlot, Manehatten and Las Pegasus for example probably have a much broader idea of what is going on in the world as a whole than ponies in Ponyville, Appleoosa or Hallow Shades. This is not to say that individual ponies don’t keep up on current events (Rarity and Twilight for example), but rather that most are more concerned with what is going on in their own community rather than what is going on as a whole.

The Main Characters:

18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?

All things considered, I see the ages of the Mane Six as follows: Rarity (Oldest, 24), Applejack (24, a few months younger than Rarity), Fluttershy (23), Pinkie Pie (22), Twilight Sparkle (22, a few months younger than Pinkie), Rainbow Dash (21). Spike (14 in pony years, probably 3 or 4 in dragon years). As for the CMC, I would say they are each roughly 12 or 13, give or take a few months each, though Sweetie Belle is probably the youngest. Bear in mind, these are what I consider to be their current ages. Assuming that each season counts as one year (and we’ve seen birthdays for Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie), subtract four from these numbers to get their ages at the start of the series.

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?

I would say that Fluttershy stayed on the ground for a few hours until either Rainbow or one of the Instructors came down to search for her and then returned to Cloudsdale; however I would say she immediately looked into finding a permanent home on the ground once she graduated from flight school. I would say that Fluttershy and Rainbow had always known each other, but were never close friends until Rainbow defended her from the bullies and they likely drifted apart for at least a few years as Rainbow either voluntarily left flight school or was expelled at some point.

20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?

Rarity and Applejack have most likely known each other most of – if not all – of their lives but where not overly close because of different priorities growing up (i.e. AJ working on the farm while Rarity was more into fashion and the like). Their interactions prior to the show were likely contained to school or the occasional social function such as Nightmare Night or the Summer Sun Celebration and while they were likely acquaintances because of it, I doubt they considered each other friends at the time.

21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?

I’m almost positive that Twilight Considers spike to be a mixture of little brother and apprentice in addition to being her “Number 1 Assistant” though it is possible she sees him as her son in some aspects. Spike, I would say considers Twilight to be a mixture of big sister and employer/teacher, I kind of doubt he sees her as his mother 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?

Pinkie originally was taken on as an apprentice baker by the Cakes, possibly as a favor to the Pies who would see that their daughter no longer belonged on the Rock Farm because of her talent; I doubt this was done out of cruelty or spite though and was more of a “this is what’s best for her” idea. Most likely, she sees the Cakes as beloved aunt/uncle in status and the feeling is at least partially mutual (though with a lot of exasperation on the part of the Cakes I’m sure). Her room is likely paid for out of her salary for working in Sugarcube Corner.

23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?

Rarity probably had the most estranged relationship with her parents as its doubtful they saw eye to eye on her future, not out of spite but simply because her parents seem to have an extremely dense look at fashion and similar trends. Twilight probably had the most connection with her parents and the most supportive from her family when everything is said and done. Pinkie probably has a slightly strained relationship with her parents but likely has no hard feelings, while Applejack likely didn’t know her parents long enough to have more than bare memories of them. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash I feel had only one parent each due various circumstances and are still on good terms with their families to varying degrees.

24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?

My guess to this one is that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn’t initially go Cheerilee’s school and may be transfer students after the fact; either that or they had only been there a few days as of Call of the Cutie and hadn’t introduce themselves yet. Conversely, Applebloom may have not been very popular in school (or had a lot of friends scared away by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon) and didn’t really know more than one or two ponies at that point.

25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?

No, Scootaloo is not an orphan, but likely has either only one parent who works constantly or has parents that travel a lot. I doubt she ever flies in the show but it will be a grand and glorious day if she does.

26. Will Apple Bloom’s cutie mark involve an apple in some way, even if it’s unrelated to farming or baking?

There will be something apple related to Apple Bloom’s cutie mark regardless of how things pan out. I envision a hammer and screwdriver crossed across an apple-slice.

27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?

Sweetie Belle’s parents dote on her and do everything they can to help her out, but I feel she is not overly close to them, seeing them as rather uncool or overly protective and prefers to stay with Rarity because its closer to her school and Rarity gets to go on all kinds of adventures.

Side and Background Characters:

28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?

Yes, absolutely; off-breed foals is probably a rare occurrence, but considering how the tribes have mixed I don’t think it’s that implausible.

29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?

I don’t think so. There is probably some mutual affection between them, but I think it is more along the lines of very good friends (or possibly friends with benefits) as opposed to full on romance. I’m pretty sure they grew up together and have at least tried dating in the past only to find it didn’t work out.

30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?

Most likely it is inherited through some connection to Princess Platinum or some other ancient noble family.

31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?

Silver Spoon is, I think, a somewhat odd case and falls under the ‘keep your enemies closer’ belief, meaning she sticks with Diamond Tiara primarily so she doesn’t become a victim of her bullying as well. This does not excuse some of her behavior mind you, but I have the firm belief that she and Diamond Tiara come from similarly well-off backgrounds and thus are “expected” by their families to associate with each other and Silver doesn’t seem to have much of a will of her own, leaving her primarily a toady to Diamond. Eventually, I think she’ll come to realize this status though and break away from her supposed friend in part or in whole or do her best to try to change Diamond for the better.

32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?

Zecora strikes me as a Shaman or Medicine Woman, so I would say that her abilities require either a special talent or special training to master, thus, they would not be overly common.

33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?

In addition to being a writer, I think A.K. Yearling has the whole secret agent thing going and likely works for Celestia and/or Luna (or the Diarchy in general) in at least some capacity. Her adventures help protect Equestria from various ancient evils, most of which feed off of fear in some way, and by publishing the work as fiction, she gets it out to ponies as a whole, showing them that evil can be defeated and thus, diminishes these evil creature’s power by making society as a whole less afraid.

34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?

Vinyl Scratch is, I think nobility that is extremely estranged (and possibly disowned) by her family because she refuses to play the political games that most nobles play and I’m almost certain she and Octavia are an item. Derpy Hooves is not nearly as scatterbrained as others make her out to be and was actually a very competent Royal Guard in her youth. Prince Blueblood isn’t nearly as bad as most writers make him out to be, though he’s still quite arrogant. The Night Guard who said “Hey Twilight, haven’t seen you in a while” in the episode It’s About Time has some romantic feelings for her and is possibly a former Coltfriend.

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?)

If species can speak, it is considered sentient and giving at least some rights and privileges, though to what extend depends primarily on their level of hostility. Diamond Dogs, for example probably are considered dangerous as a whole or otherwise not trusted, while Griffons and Chimera are evaluated on a case by case basis. Cows are likely kept to provide milk and paid for their services in room and board, the rest I’m not sure of.

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?

Certain groups have their own nations, the breezies for example have their own place to call home, as do Griffons and Diamond Dogs probably have their own underground societies. Most places have trade agreements with each other to some extent and open warfare or conflict is likely kept to a minimum because of this.

37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?

I don’t think so, not sure why, it just doesn’t seem too plausible to me.

38. Do all zebras rhyme?

I doubt it, most likely it is either a Focus for their shamans or some sort of spiritual geas that is required for them to maintain their connection to the spirits or whatever their source of magic may be.

39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?

Most likely

40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?

I would say that every race has at least some connection to magic on some level, though to what degree I have no idea.

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?

I think it’s cultural, as they are a nomadic race that sticks primarily to the plains for their stampeding grounds, it’s unlikely that Equestrian as a whole has met them or done any extensive interaction. As Appleoosa gets larger and the west opens up more, this will likely change.

Headcanon and You:

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

Never having read the comics or played the card game, I can’t adequately answer this question. I consider Equestria Girls canon, however, if only because it establishes the possibilities that Celestia knows about alternate realities and introduces a somewhat interesting villain.

43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?

I have a very detailed headcanon that I try to put into most of my stories, making them interrelated… however it would take a very, very long time to explain.

44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?

As far as I’m concerned, headcanon is headcanon and I can accept probably 90% of what is put out by other writers whether I agree with it or not; provided the story is an enjoyable read. The other 10% is for those who claim that only there headcanon is proper and that just ticks me off.

45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?

While I’d love for my own headcanon to be used by everyone, no, not really.

46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?

I hate it when writers portray Derpy as stupid or mentally retarded and I can’t stand the constant abuse they put Scootaloo through.

47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?

Just this one.

48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?

Not really no

49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?

No, not really, because that’s why fanfiction exists in the first place.

50. Is there something that wasn't asked about here, but you feel like you need to explain to everyone?

Not off hand, no.