Points of Canon: S3x10 - Keep Calm and Flutter On

Not much Season 3 left.

And it’s a Discord episode, which means that there isn’t much to observe, since everything Discord does is suspect by definition.

• Rarity is caught applying some manner of perfume. It’s often presumed for obvious reasons, but I don’t think we’ve actually seen her do it otherwise. Not that we got many chances.
• “But, I still don’t get why the Princess would be so late.” Notice that hauling a stoned Discord does not, by itself, explain why is Celestia late.
• “Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria would Princess Celestia bring along someone like that?” Sigh. Sometime, someone should settle on whether “Equestria” refers to a nation, a continent, a world, or something else.
• “With all due respect, Princess Celestia, how could you bring Discord here?!” This, actually, is the only time Twilight yells at Celestia, I think…
• “But I have use for Discord’s magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil.” Celestia never ever elaborates what kind of use did she mean, and nobody cares to ask.
• It’s interesting that the stoned Discord is attached to a pedestal. Judging by how he tipped over immediately upon being stoned in The Return of Harmony, this pedestal wasn’t there before. Did they drill holes in Discord?…

• “No need, Spike. I have them right here, and I’ve cast a spell so Discord can’t take them and hide them again.”

  • Celestia definitely does not trust the Mane 6 with keeping the Elements. Never did – until this episode, where she leaves the Elements with Twilight upon conclusion.
  • I wonder why is she so sure that he can’t just break this spell. In any case, if such a spell even exists, it’s further evidence that Discord is not a higher order entity and regular magic does affect him – not that we needed any by this point.
• “Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth has agreed to take his dam apart and move it.” I wonder if beavers actually have names in Equish, or that’s Fluttershy translating the name.
• “I realize that this is a tall order, but I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t confident you could get him to use magic obediently of his own free will.” Celestia once again hints at a very specific plan to use Discord’s abilities.
• “Now, I must return to Canterlot for Equestria’s royal summit.” I wonder who else is attending it – because the only other time the word “summit” is used, it’s in reference to the Princess Summit in the Crystal Empire, during Equestria Girls. If it’s just Luna and Cadance, I’m sure Cadance could wait a few hours, and Luna is certainly not in a hurry.
• The chariot obeys the usual rules: Pegasi must flap their wings and move their legs, wheels rotate.
• “Being turned to stone doesn’t keep me from hearing every word Celestia says. Although I admit it makes rolling my eyes a challenge.” This is an explicit statement that Discord was aware while stoned, at least since The Return of Harmony, and probably before that as well.
• I am not sure if we can conclude whether the Stare works on Discord or not in this instance. Fluttershy’s disapproval does affect him afterwards, but the Stare specifically, in this scene, is inconclusive.
• Where did those bunnies around Fluttershy’s cottage come from?…
• “I really want to have a reforming spell up and running pronto.” This episode is actually the only one which mentions those are a thing. How exactly do they work is an interesting and far reaching question. Notice that Twilight’s library contains at least 19 individual works which contain a reforming spell, and as far as we can tell, they’re all available to the public with no visible restrictions.
• “But what if he makes the Elements of Harmony disappear like he did last time?” This is a rather strange question: The Elements should be irrelevant to a reforming spell.
• Rarity is the only one to attend the dinner party in a dress. Not unexpected, but considering how often she appears au naturel, worth a mention all the same.
• “Pinkie Pie, care for some gravy?” I keep forgetting what gravy is and having to look it up. While vegetarian varieties exist, and they’re probably using chocolate gravy here, it is a relatively unusual sauce for ponies to have.
• Angel once again resorts to pantomime instead of actually talking to Fluttershy. Actually, could he be mute in rabbit terms?…
• Discord uses a halo to proclaim his innocence. Halo turns up often as a symbol of such, and we never find out why ponies have such a symbol.
• It’s possible to flood much of Sweet Apple Acres by damming up only a few streams.
• “Because if I don’t, I’ll lose the one friend I ever had?” So this is a statement that Discord has never had any friends, or at least, does not remember having any. Seeing as how it’s still entirely unclear where he came from, this can be twisted whichever way you please.
• “Yes, Princess, I’m ready to use my magic for good instead of evil.” We still never find out just what he is supposed to be doing.

The biggest unanswered question is, what did Celestia need Discord for? The obvious answer is, of course, “Tirek.” However, this event is at least three or four months in the future from here. Did she ever require him for anything else?

Comments

[QueenMoriarty]

Applejack once again resorts to pantomime instead of actually talking to Fluttershy.

I think you meant Angel Bunny.

[Oliver]

4704932
Oops, fixed.

[FanOfMostEverything]

The "Discord no swiping" spell on the Elements bothers me something fierce. Presumably, Celestia set up some of the protections on the vault that housed the Elements in Castle Canterlot, so what makes this spell different and more effective than the security she thought would guard the Elements from him last time?

Also, the Smooze was clearly something to Discord, though I can't guess what.

[Comnislasher]

4704993
Some spell that specifically target Discord? And Celestia never used it on Elements vault because she never expected that Discord able to escape stone imprisonment?

[Mitch H]

Or else she's just bluffing Discord, and knows he can hear her.

All sorts of higher-order entities are regularly manipulated by pony magic. I'd certainly classify the *sun* as such.

I have some undefined notions about how Celestia might be putting Discord's magic to *passive* use in the background. Equestria's been getting better for generation after generation, as all of the 'dark places' fill up with light. We don't see it - because generally there's nothing to see, it's incremental over centuries - but something has been happening all along. Perhaps this is just another one of Celestia's little projects. I like to think that she's constantly experimenting in strange and oblique ways - not *big* projects, but little stuff. Not so much putting her hoof on the big scales, but inducing her little ponies to put their hooves on all sorts of levers, to see what happens.

Sometimes it's something sort of horrible, like the mirror pool. Sometimes it's something incremental but wonderful, like all the improvements the pegasi have made to the cloud cities, or agricultural advances and such. And sometimes it's an honest to Celestia miracle, like the discovery of zap apples, an application of insanely dangerous wild magic to the creation of something very, very pony-like and delightful.

She doesn't know what she'll do with a friend-crafted Discordian power-source, but there are all sorts of possibilities.

“Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria would Princess Celestia bring along someone like that?” Sigh. Sometime, someone should settle on whether “Equestria” refers to a nation, a continent, a world, or something else.

It's all three, of course.

[Eruantalon]

If it’s just Luna and Cadance, I’m sure Cadance could wait a few hours, and Luna is certainly not in a hurry.

On the other hoof, just how well are Luna and Celestia are getting along here? In another couple years in Celestial Advice, we see there's still a lot of tension between them; maybe Celestia really doesn't want to keep her sister waiting. (And according to at least one fic, Luna vociferously objected to having Discord released; that could accentuate those tensions.)

Alternatively, maybe Celestia would rather not talk with Discord now, either for personal reasons or because she thinks it'd delay his reformation, and she's taking an excuse.

[howard035]

Let's see...

I don't have any conceptual problems with mortal magic being able to block a spirit, that's what binding spirits is all about, and based on the S7 finale, that is quite possible to do with mortal magic. (both Starswirl's spell binding the Primal Darkness and Stygian, and the revelation that the Elements of Harmony and Rainbow Power were mortal magic all along)

I could see Celestia having one of her premonitions about Discord. I could also see crippling guilt eating away at her if say, Luna tells her Discord is awake and dreaming, and Celestia feels like eternal petrification is such a horrific torment she needs to chance letting him out to reform him. I could definitely see Celestia lying about this to the Mane 6 though, out of fear that either they wouldn't be able to use the EoH against Discord if his reformation fails, or they could but then are wracked with crippling guilt.

I think Equestria is the name of the planet, after pony scholars were arrogant enough to name it after their own nation and as the largest bastion of civilization, other races were gradually pressured into adopting it as well.

[Oliver]

4705741

I think Equestria is the name of the planet, after pony scholars were arrogant enough to name it after their own nation and as the largest bastion of civilization, other races were gradually pressured into adopting it as well.

So when Applejack sings…

We travel the road of generations
Joined by a common bond
We sing our song ’cross the pony nation
From Equestria and beyond

…does she mean that there are Apples on pony space colonies? Because otherwise, there would be no place beyond Equestria for Apples to travel the road of generations.

No, I’m pretty sure the planet is called Earth. The world, however, might be called “Equestria” in case multiple parallel worlds are accessible. See MitchH’s ’verse for a legit example.

P.S. There is some room to assume that “earth ponies” are from Earth, while pegasi and unicorns aren’t, by the way.

[howard035]

4705751 It's like moons, they use the same word to mean different things. Sometimes they say Equestria and they mean the kingdom under Celestia's rule, sometimes they mean the entire planet. Have we ever actually heard them say earth (other than earth ponies)? Part of why I'm skeptical of Earth is it seems so weird to call it that and then call "earth ponies" earth ponies. They sound like Captain Planet.

[Oliver]

4705761

Have we ever actually heard them say earth (other than earth ponies)?

Yes.

Chancellor Puddinghead: I got a newsflash for you, Cookie. The Earth is round. There is no up or down.

Princess Celestia: Of course not, my little pony. Where on Earth would you get such an idea?

Twilight Sparkle: What on Earth is that pony doing?

[howard035]

4705766 I think the latter two are more like the frequent divine references they make, but the first one is inarguable.

[Cursed Quill]

I wonder why is she so sure that he can’t just break this spell. In any case, if such a spell even exists, it’s further evidence that Discord is not a higher order entity and regular magic does affect him – not that we needed any by this point.

4704993
…or it's like the Failsafe spell, and Twilight is believing in books over reality again; Discord is perfectly capable of taking them still. We don't see it tested, do we?

and as far as we can tell, they’re all available to the public with no visible restrictions.

…if it's a pblic library, which is somewhat in doubt from s4e1.

So this is a statement that Discord has never had any friends, or at least, does not remember having any.

A thousand years in stone will give you such a crick in the neck insanity and loss of memory.
4705125
Still…or afresh?