50 Headcanon Questions · 4:32am Jun 11th, 2014

A little slow on the draw, here is my response to Bookplayer

1. How old are Celestia and Luna?
I figure in the 4000-6000ish range, not unfathomably old, but old enough to have drastically different perspectives than other people. Also, old enough that Luna's 1000 year absence was painful, but did not yet feel like Celestia had lived the majority of her life without Luna

2. How old is Cadance?
Going with the comics on this one, same age a Shinning Armor. Her official ascension story does not have much detail other than having originally being a pegasus and having been adopted into an earth pony family. She could have ascended just before Shinning entered Canterlot Academy and was then sent there herself by Celestia. I suppose that would put her as roughly 30ish now.

3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
I figure they were born Alicorns. I imagine that the fires for friendship from the Hearth's Warming Eve play was actually their birth. Or, at least Celestia's birth, Luna may have come later.

4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
No evidence that they are, but I hope so. There is much story potential there.

5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
Hearts and Hooves Day showed us the fan named Golden Dream, an Alicorn who was subject to a love poison and failed to perform her royal duties. My headcanon is that she was the Empress of the Crystal Empire and that's how Sombra was able to take over. Seems like there is room for a few others, but they are probably very rare.

6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
I imagine they can overrule any decision they choose, but there is always a cost. Celestia has a light touch and Luna wants to reassert her authority,

7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
He seems to hold the dual positions as Captain of the Crystal Guard and Prince Consort. He has a very powerful position, but is definitely still subordinate to Cadance.

8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
Well, there is Sunset Shimmer of course. Ignoring the movie, the idea of the Prodigal Student is too rich to abandon. The previously mentioned Golden Dream probably was important too. The comics say Star Swirl was an important mentor to Celestia. Since he also taught Clover, Celestia and Luna probably knew the founders as well. They seem to have been groomed for leadership roles since before Discord's reign, who better than the founders to teach them. Current comic story arc establishes good Alt-Sombra as Celestia's lover, we'll see how that turn out.

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)?
The Pegasi are definitely a tribe apart, cloudwalking, moodwings, preening, feathermarking. There is a lot that Pegasi cant share. Additionally, the Canterlot nobility all seem to be Unicorns, and most farmers seem to be Earth Ponies, so there is plenty of room for stereotypes. They all share the same general culture though, they all speak the same language, have access to the same music, books and newspapers.

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?
Cloudcake. That is all.

11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?
All can, but few do, mostly due to a lack of interest.

12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?
Yes. Standard increased strength, durability and connection with plants and animals. I am also a fan of the ideas of Homesteading and accelerated plant growth. Full out geomancy would probably be overpowered, even compared to Unicorns,

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 suspect the family names are passed down matrilineally in general. Apples and Pies fit fine with this. As for personal names, some families will stress holding onto your born name and others will encourage choosing an adult name after gaining a cutie mark.

14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?
Schooling is in a large sense individualized. All children are taught until a few years after getting their mark, which probably translates to middle school. After that they would most likely go into apprenticeship programs. School itself seems to have relatively small classes and short days. Again this leads to more individual attention. In Equestria funding is never taken away from education, ever. To quote Cheerilee from a story I have misplaced "If we don't care about the future of our children then they won't care enough to lead it."

15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?
Probably roughly equivalent to a human lifespan, 70-90 years on average. They can be expected to become independent shortly after their apprenticeship training is completed. The training time will of course vary from profession to profession. Twilight likely had the longest career path, though Pinkie may still be an apprentice too. Pinkie may just be slower to grasp some of the non-baking responsibilities of her position. Then again, I could also see Pinkie telling the Cakes every year, or however long, that she's not quuuuite ready to graduate yet.

16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?
Probably pretty close. Maybe a 3:2 ratio of females to males. The society seems to be female dominant, but to overwhelmingly so.

17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?
Informed enough to know what a Griffon is, but not a Zebra or Minotaur. Though we do get some indications that at least some Griffons are Equestrian citizens. So, I guess they are rather insulare on the whole.

The Main Characters:
18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?
Twilight 20
Applejack 22
Rainbow 19
Rarity 21
Pinkie 19
Fluttershy 20
Spike 14
Apple Bloom 12
Scootaloo 11
Sweetie 10
But I'm open to other interpretations

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?
Rainbow probably moved to Ponyville with Fluttershy, both as support and to get away from her reputation as a 'liar' who claimed she could cause a Sonic Rainboom. This would probably be after middle school, but before the took up their apprenticeships. They probably did their apprenticeships in Ponyville, starting around the age of 16-17.

20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?
Polite, but not especially close. They were in different classes growing up. After graduation they recognized each other as upstanding members of the community by reputation, but still had little reason to associate.

21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?
Twilight would be he legal guardian, I don't think she thinks about it much beyond that. However, even if she does not think about it she certainly acts as both a big sister and a mother figure to Spike. If asked she would definitely call Spike family, but I don't think she's been asked. If asked what type of family, pre-Ponyville Twilight would quote being his legal guardian and him being her ward. Post-Ponyville Twilight would probably be sent on an existential rollercoaster.

Spike has been more social early on, so he has probably thought about it. Spike would definitely see Twilight as family, but would have difficultly quantifying the relationship. It would be further complicated for him as he would place much more importance on the times he has served has Twilight's anchor, providing a level head when she was freaking out. In the end he would probably just shrug and say the term Family was good enough.

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 doesn't appear to have been given any formal education while on the rock farm, and she appears to have moved to Ponyville quite young. She likely entered into her apprenticeship right away, possibly as young as 13-14. I like the idea that Pinkie went on Rumspringa and never came back.

23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?
Twilight's parents certainly appear to be the most responsive to their children's needs, considering the rapid successes of Twilight and Shinning. Though, Applejack's parents were probably provided the most well-rounded support. Pinkie's parents aren't bad per se, just detached and inexpressive. The entire family probably lies somewhere on the autism spectrum, and that works for them. Rarity's parents don't understand her at all, and they dump Sweetie Belle on her so often she has her own room in Rarity's boutique. Not great parenting, but it certainly fostered independence.

24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?
Call of the Cutie may represent the beginning of a new school year, the first year of middle school for the CMC.

25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?
She may be an orphan but either way she raised in a loving environment. Pegasi in general seem to have sparse information on families.

I believe she will not be able to fly on her own, even when she gets older. Probably.

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

27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?
Sweetie Belle is less aware of the parental neglect thanks the Rarity;s presence

Side and Background Characters:
28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?
Yes, but he's sadly mistaken about his genealogy.

29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?
Not yet, but they'll probably get there.

30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?
By virtue of being heir to the most ancient and prestigious noble house in Equestria. They can trace their lineage back to Princess Platinum herself. Most ancient and prestigious does not mean most well regarded.

31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?
Which is worse, the fool, or the one who follows the fool?

32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?
She is likely a powerful shaman relative to other Zebras, though not as above and beyond as Twilight is compared to other Unicorns.

33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?
Because they are fiction. A.K. Yearling is Twilight Velvet's pen name. Daring Don't was just a Fan Fic written by Rainbow Dash that she imagined happened after being hit on the head. Since it never came up again no one had the opportunity to correct her. Well, Discord would have read her entry, but he probably would have just found the whole thing very plausible, or amusing, I'm not sure which.

34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?
Pony Joe is probably a retired high ranking Royal Guard
Twilight Velvet is A.K. Yearling, before that she was a special operations member of the Equestrian Intelligence Agency

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 sophont species have equal rights. If you are a member of a species that is normally able to talk, you have full rights. Cow herds often form communes or corporations that negotiate the sale of their milk and other product, though mostly milk, to various farmers. Many cow grazing fields are actually cow owned.

Diamond Dogs are like Minotaurs, rare with the borders of Equestria. Most that are encountered would have the status of foreign visitor. Plenty of rights, but no voting until they became citizens.

Chimera are not a unified species, individual chimeric creatures pop up from highly magical places from time to time. Some are sophont, some aren't. When a sophont creature not of a recognized species is encountered they are treated on case by case basis. If they prove they do not intend to be a threat citizenship can eventually be granted. If enough similar chimeric creatures emerge at the same time a new true-breeding species may be established. This may be the origin of the Griffons.

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?
Equestria is mostly Equine, though it does seem to have a Griffin minority somewhere. As for other nations, some will be more diverse, some will be less. the Mooghul Empire is almost strictly Cattle, while the Qilna is home to Qilin, Deer, and even a few Bactrian Camels, arguable being more diverse than Equestria. The area near Saddle Arabia has several mostly homogeneous nations bordering one another. Zebras, Dromedary Camels, Arabian Horses and Karkadann border each other in succession. This has resulted in a fair amount of cultural overlap while still remaining quite distinctive from one another.

37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?
All species are related, but not especially closely, no. Convergent evolution.

38. Do all zebras rhyme?
No, mostly used by Zebra Shamans as a mind focusing technique.

39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?
Yes, though because the images can be culture specific and we have limited information on Zebra culture we would have a difficult time deciphering many of them. The reverse is also true. If, for example, Zebras considered certain stars to be bad luck a Zebra could be entirely justified in thinking that Twilight's mark means she's accident prone, or worse.

40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?
All ungulates are magical in one way or another.

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?
Equestria has only recently expanded into Buffalo territory, there has not been time for much widespread exchange. Cattle are already welcome pretty much anywhere, most are just content to stay with their herds.

Headcanon and You:
42. Do you consider official sources other than the show (comics, card game text, movies, novels, etc.) to be canon?
They are canon-lite. I'm happy to take ideas and characters from them, but I don't feel restricted by them. (Or the show for that matter, thats what AUs are for).

43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?
I admit to trying to tie together all the bits I find interesting into one epic narrative. Im trying to be more comfortable with standalone stories with radically different background assumptions, but for now its more important just to get words on a page.

44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?
I absolutely love when I encounter an interesting new headcanon and will happily twist it to my own ends. I do prefer it when stories are at least compatible with my headcanon, but its certainly not a deal breaker.

45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?
I like the idea that Starswirl eventually became Discord. The timeline is a little tight and the comics rule it out, but I could see Starswirl become disillusioned with the new Equestrian government, seeing it as totalitarian, as it probably would have been in the early days. Leaving Equestria for the Crystal Empire, failing for years to achieve Alicorn ascension, then, nearing death, he embraces the spirit of chaos, becoming its host. What better way to combat excessive order than by becoming a trickster god. After years of progressively more disruptive antics and failing to get his point across he goes for broke and tries to take of Equestria himself. Under his rule all were free and all were equal. Though he never intended anyone to die, they could not understand his point if they did. Those that did get his point usually were driven mad. They probably got better.

46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?
I think the whole Dr Whooves thing has run its course, but its not really bad or anything.

Rainbow Dash being gay. As Ponies are concerned with self-identity, and some categories of being can too easily become a straightjacket of identity, Celestia could have done away with categories like straight or gay. If a mare who happens to have only courted stallions in the past goes on a date with another mare no one would bat an eye, they just think in those terms any more. There are probably more than just the orientation categories to be done away with too. In our world we no longer think of life in terms of the great chain of being, or have the foundational concept the this is the best of all possible worlds.

At least Id like to think their world has gotten out of a few more straightjackets.

47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?
Not yet, but I hope to.

48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?
In general its made me keep an eye out for the world building features.

49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?
The only thing I would be sad to lose is the idea that Equestria is a socially progressive place. I like the epic timeline I've developed in my head, but in the end I'm flexible on it.

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

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