50 Cases of Multiversal Scrying.

So, I've been seeing a lot of other people make these headcanon posts recently, and my brain just decided, "What the hay, why not." As my muse has had very little to do lately (through no fault of hers, I might add), she practically leapt on the opportunity and wouldn't leave me be (not that I don't like having her around, just that it gets ever so slightly frustrating when she's trying to bounce ideas off me 24/7) until I'd done each and every one of them.

Hence, without further ado:

The Princesses:

1. How old are Celestia and Luna?

Celestia and Luna are older than everypony/body alive currently, with the exception of Discord. As of Luna's return from exile on the Moon and subsequent release from the curse of the Nightmare, the Twin Princesses are approximately 7000 years old (This isn't including anything from before the Discordant Era, which has been all but forgotten, or the Era itself, which can't be measured with the usual means [Or, quite possibly, any means at all, save asking the draconequus xyrself {Yes, Discord doesn’t use binary pronouns. The reason for this is twofold. A: Xe finds the idea of a gender binary stupid and dull, and 2: Xe finds it more comforting to refer to xyrself with these particular pronouns}]).

2. How old is Cadance?

Cadence* is older than she looks. Though she appears to be in her early-twenties, that is a side effect of alicornhood, because she is actually thirty-four, as of her wedding to Shining Armor (*Cadance/Cadence is always the name of whomever holds the title of Mi Amore Cadenza, but the spelling does tend to vary from pony to pony, with a single recorded instance of Cad*nce).

3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?

Celestia and Luna are what are known as World-Born, which means that they, unlike most alicorns, were born as such.

4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?

There is some debate. Cadence, as a Horned Pegasus(an alicorn born a pegasus), does not have the odds in her favour as to whether she is an immortal, considering that only thirty-seven percent of known Horned Pegasi are still active in Equestrian society as of Luna's return, and that still doesn’t account for the ‘curse’ associated with her title. Twilight, on the other hoof, is something of an anomaly. As the second Winged Unicorn (an alicorn born a unicorn) in recorded history, oracles and historians alike are completely in the dark as to her immortality, or possible lack thereof.

5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?

There have been many other alicorns, of all four variations (the fourth variant being Ascendant, which is an alicorn born an earth pony). Most of these alicorns ascended during the Discordant era, and the majority of them have dropped off the radar since then.

6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?

Based on sheer power, either of the twin Princesses could rule Equestria with absolute power. However, they would both much rather Equestria govern itself, as a Republic. Due to the mass outcry of ponies against the idea, the sisters reluctantly agreed to take up the mantle of top banana, as it were, with the Stable of Representatives (A mare, a stallion, and up to two nonbinary gendered members of each pony tribe from each pony settlement) working as kind of middle ground between the Princesses and local civil servants (e.g. Ivory Scroll, Mayor of Ponyville).

7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire alongside of Cadance?

He does, though he is trying to ease his way into the role from his former one by taking up the mantle of Guard-Captain of the CEG (Crystal Empire Guard) until a suitable replacement is found.

8. Other than Twilight, Luna and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?

If asked, 'all of my little ponies' would be what Celestia herself would say. And while it is true, there are/were/will be ponies that are/were/will be more important to her than most.

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)?

There are some minor differences, the most notable being the pegasi cloudcities, but for the most part the ponies' culture has become homogeneous. Cultural stereotypes exist, more positive than negative, based on each tribe’s general opinion of the others.

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?

Aside from cloudforged items and some recipes, there is very little native to Cloudsdale that is rarer in say Ponyville, or Manehatten. Most anything grown on the ground is uncommon in Cloudsdale, and other cloudcities, but through importation, the ponies living in these cities have overcome that issue.

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

A unicorn’s magical talent is limited by ones cutie mark. Once you have your cutie mark, you can learn spells directly related to your talent with relative ease, and spells tangentially related with increased difficulty, depending on how tangential the relationship is. If you don't have your cutie mark yet, you can only learn the most basic spells, ones that most any unicorn can learn.

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

Yes, all pony tribes have magic. It is the passive antithesis to the unicorn's active (with all other pony tribes serving as the metaphorical coin's outer edge). What this means is that, while a unicorn has to physically cast their magic, earth pony magic just simply is. It varies from earth pony to earth pony, but in general, it serves as some kind of strength/resilience boosting enhancement.

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?

Equinoid nomenclature is, in a word, weird. Families like Applejack's, Twilight’s and even Rainbow's have general themes that they utilise for naming their kin (Apples, Lustre and Colour, respectively), while families like Rarity's and Fluttershy's just wing it, if you'll forgive the pun. The Pies are something of an anomaly in regards to the subject. They all seem, as far as the family record-keeper is aware, to have both a relatively human-esque name (Pinkamena, Incantessa, Blinkastasia, Maud) AND a themed* name (Limestone Pie [Incantessa], Ruby Pie [Pinkie]). (*The theme, if I didn’t make it obvious enough for you [which, if so, I apologise for], is geology.)

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

Sixish years of Primary/Elementary school. Unicorns tend to be at school longer, while Pegasi tend to have shorter educations, though there are outliers on both sides from every tribe.

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

Ponies mature much faster than humans mature, and live for much longer as well. They reach what we would call 'childhood' at age three, become equivalent to our teenagers at nine, and are fully matured at fifteen. The average pegasus is expected live to see their eightieth birthday, but not their ninetieth. Unicorns will on average see their one-hundred-and-twentieth birthdays, but very few after that. Earth ponies, renowned for their incredible strength and resilience, are more likely than not to make it a fair distance into their second century before kicking the proverbial bucket, but there are some that have managed to reach the third century and keep on going. Any other tribes have insufficient census data to give any approximations to how long they might live.

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

On a town-by-town basis, no. Most towns and cities tend to have an imbalance of ponies, resulting in up to a 3:2 variation in either direction. Equestria wide, however, settles down somewhat, with one-thousand-and-one mares for every one-thousand stallions (This, as it may be obvious, doesn’t include non-binary ponies. The reason for this is simply that the percentages get a bit weird when this extra group of ponies, all of whom do exist, is factored in).

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

Relatively. News in Appleoosa will appear in New Yoke's headlines the next day, while news from Los Pegasus will reach NY in two days and news from the Crystal Empire will get there in three. Ignoring any spy-based organizations, which don't actually exist and most certainly don't have somepony passing on information to Princess Celestia, it takes anywhere from a week to a month for news to arrive in Equestria from other continents (The spies that don’t exist would, theoretically, reduce this to an number of hours at most, if they actually existed. Which they don’t).

The Main Characters:

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

As of ‘Friendship is Magic, Part 1’, Twilight and Rainbow are twenty, Pinkie is twenty-one, AJ and Rarity are twenty-two, and Fluttershy is twenty-three(Yes, Fluttershy did say that she was a year older than Pinkie, however, at the time, Fluttershy had had her birthday that year and Pinkie hadn't). Spike was hatched when Twilight was ten, so that would make him ten (Dragons grow very slowly, have lifespans that stretch into the millenia). The Cutie Mark Crusaders are all 9 years old, with their youngest member, Scootaloo, having her ninth birthday about a month before the Summer Sun Celebration when Luna/Nightmare Moon returned from exile.

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?

Aside from a quick trip to Cloudsdale, Fluttershy lived much of her life from that point on akin to a winged Earth Pony. Her friendship with Rainbow Dash was strained for some time, but they had managed to overcome that minor hiccup about a year before Rainbow moved to Ponyville.

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

Cordial/Chummy, bordering on friendly. They were in the same class as foals and were there for each other during hardships (coughajsparentsdyingcough), but drifted noticeably when Applejack left Ponyville for Manehatten, and by the time she had returned, Applejack and Rarity were moving in different enough circles that they rarely got the chance to talk, let alone catch up, as it were. Things have drastically improved between them though since Twilight became a permanent fixture in their lives.

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

In an attempt to keep things simple, they try to think of it as a mother/son relationship, but it is actually a unique blend of mother/son, mage/familiar and sister/brother, with a sprinkling of Moiraillegiance and a pinch of BFF.

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 Mr. and Mrs. Cake about a year after she had gotten her cutie mark. She works for the Cakes, while renting the room atop the store, and the rent is deducted from her pay, as per her own request. Pinkie does consider them like a second family (She considers Twilight and co. her third family, and believes herself extremely lucky to have three families that care about her and love her as unconditionally as she does them), and genuinely loves them as she loves her parents and sisters.

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

Each set of parents had positive and negative traits, so saying definitively who was better or worse a parent than whom is an unnecessarily difficult impossibility.

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

Extraneous circumstances. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were in a different class than Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom had farm work consuming a lot of her free time (she still does, but not as much now that she's getting better at it). Scootaloo's dad was teaching her how to be ironic (he still does this, much to her mother's chagrin). Things like that.

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

No. She has both of her parents, and they ain't going anywhere anytime soon. Her inability to currently fly is a non-issue. Her wings just need more time to develop, just like her father's did when he was her age.

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

If she thinks of herself as an Apple at the time of cutiesynthesis(a term which I have borrowed from somewhere, but don't remember where), then an apple, apple by-product, or apple-motif will be a part of her cutie mark, regardless of what the cutie mark is.

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

Beyond their seemingly constant globetrotting, the dynamics are fairly similar to Rarity's. Sweetie does have some buried resentment, both for her parents and Rarity, but that is unlikely to ever manifest itself into anything(outside of the 'Sisterhooves Social' incident).

Side and Background Characters:

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

Yes. Regardless of family history, all ponies carry the potential to have foals of a different tribe (this is the cause of the occasional alicorn birth, which happens more often than some might think).

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

They considered it, but decided that it just wasn't meant to be. Some ponies (the gossipy ones) think that they might be in secret, but most anypony else thinks that's a bit farfetched.

30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?

By being born. The original Prince Blueblood (The current one is Prince Blueblood LXXV), on the other hoof, earned his title through marriage, much like Shining Armor (And was also generally a much nobler pony than his modern namesake).

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

No, but if she doesn't act on her conscience then she may well end up as bad.

32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?

More so among shaman than zebra, but as the two overlap a noticeable amount, it would appear to be as common among the zebra as Rarity's is among ponies(that is, it is a general purpose thing that the named equine is more skilled at then most).

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

Because non-fiction doesn't sell, even in Equestria. And because Ahuizotl asked nicely.

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

Where do I start? Sweetie Drops is a Planeswalker. Ditzy Doo is essentially Tony Stark. Dinky Doo already has her cutie mark, but you can't see it because it represents countermagic (the magic to stop/undo/break down magic, a highly specialised field). Vinyl Scratch has synaesthesia. There are others, but I can’t remember them right now.

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?)

In Equestria, species are divided into groups based on whether or not they have sapience. Those that do have more rights than those that don't, but the rights that non-sapients don't get are largely irrelevant for them. There is some debate as to whether some groups have been miscategorised, such as bunnies being placed in the non-sapient list, though Angel Bunny may just be an extreme outlier (he will get full sapient rights regardless, but it looks bad if you discriminate against a group because of how they look, so the Stable of Representatives is going over the matter throughout Seasons 1 & 2).

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?

Aside from more nomadic species, like buffalo, sheep and bunnies, each speaking species appears to have formed a nation or two throughout the world.

37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?

Inasmuch as humans are related to monkeys. (That is, for those of you who don’t already know for any reason [If so, then you are one of today’s lucky 10,000], they have a shared ancestor.)

38. Do all zebras rhyme?

No, but all shaman do (The rhyming style varies from shaman to shaman).

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

They are very similar, but are more open to interpretation.

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

Yes, most notably the minotaur, changelings and dragons.

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?

Mostly the first, but the second doesn't help matters.

Headcanon and You:

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

For the greater majority of it, no. However, if I see something from any of these that sounds cool or interesting, I'll make a note of it and consider trying to incorporate it later.

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

Not really, or at least, not for FiM.

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

For the most part, yes to both, provided it doesn't sound too outrageous in context.

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

Scootaloo having parents.

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

Twilight’s seemingly near constant miscasting of spells.

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

Not yet.

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

To a degree, yes. I just don't know how great that degree is.

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

Most likely not, but it depends on what they disproved (and I can still use it anyway in sufficiently alternate alternate universes). Not off the top of my head, no.

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

Despite, or perhaps because of, Fluttershy's timid nature, she spent much of her youth reading (though not to the extent Twilight did/does). Over time, her literary skills have developed far enough that she is actually one of Equestria's most well-known authors(albeit using a pseudonym), which is how she pays for most of the supplies she needs for taking care of her animal friends.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

*Cadance/Cadence is always the name of whomever holds the title of Mi Amore Cadenza, but the spelling does tend to vary from pony to pony, with a single recorded instance of Cad*nce

What about Cadænce?

It's interesting to see my headcanon influence another, especially the use of the term cutiesynthesis. It's even more interesting to see where we diverge, like Bonbon Planeswalker. (Hey, my planestrotter has an embarrassing nickname. I see no reason why I can't inflict the same thing on yours. )

In any case, thank you for sharing.

[ThiefOfPunk]

2146572 There aren't any Cadænce on any official Equestrian census records, but considering how many generations the title has been passed down through, I would be surprised if there wasn't any at some time.

Right, it was you that though that particular gem up. I wasn't sure when I made the post, so it's good to confirm a name to the idea. (And that's hardly fair. Your Planeswalker's embarrassing nickname was already a well known quantity with the fandom.)