Thoughts on the Nature of Party Ponies · 4:20am Jan 12th, 2019

So, this is a distinctly disorganized collection of thoughts on Party Ponies and their inner nature.

Pinkie Pie.

Party Favor.

Cheese Sandwich.

Three different party ponies, each with distinct talents and approaches, each with something about them that seems to warp reality. Pinkie... is Pinkie. Cheese and Pinkie both use their natural magic in ways that earth ponies shouldn't be capable. Party Favor, while a unicorn, can whip balloons into magical items capable of being used by others without casting spells in the process, a use of magic that seems utterly beyond even Twilight, Starlight, and other Omega-class spellcasters. I'm disregarding Pinkie's Pie Family Weirdness, which has only once been demonstrated in a non-Pie (Cheese's Cheesy Sense, though that appears significantly more limited than Pinkie's).

So, observation 1: Party ponies, beyond Pinkie, appear to be able to wield their magic in unique ways that most can't.

We also have the Goof Offs, the existence of a *rule book* for them (and presumably other Party Pony lore), and the difference between a Pinkie Promise and a "Pinkie Party Pony Promise." Breach of the Pinkie Promise, as we've seen, can be remedied by a sincere apology (even a not-too-sincere one). Its main function seems to be somehow alerting Pinkie to its occurrence.

The PPPP, however, relates to the quality of the party that will be hosted - and breach of this seems to be significantly more important to Pinkie, as when she realized that Rainbow Dash was having a miserable Birthiversary because of the rivalry between herself and Cheese she forfeited the duel and, very nearly, her position as Ponyville's party pony.

Observation 2: There seems to be a code of conduct for Party Ponies, one which goes beyond even their own individual weirdness and that they take very seriously.

Corollary to Observation 2: The existence of such a code implies the further existence of some form of organization around Party Ponies.

Now, we come to one of the most unique things about Party Ponies: Their cannons.

Pinkie's party cannon, obviously, is practically an extension of her. Cheese has a cannon of his own, and there's no reason to assume that Party Favor doesn't - or, if he actually doesn't, that he can't whip one up out of balloons given a few minutes.

The party cannons defy significant laws of reality in order to accomplish their goal. Not just in perfectly decorating a room, but in the fact that they can be set off in the middle of crowded places without harming anybody, even stored as hidden surprises to go off willy-nilly without posing a threat. And yet, we've also seem them used as weapons of war, both against the Changelings, and the Storm King.

And then we have the shady pony in Manehattan, who was so eager to con Pinkie out of her party cannon, and apparently not purely for the purpose of reselling it somewhere. Who knows why he wanted it, but he did clearly want it, even recognizing it *as* a party cannon.

Observation 3: The Party Cannon seems to be some sort of signal that one is a Party Pony.

Finally, we have the last observation - the importance of emotion in Equestrian magic.

Many times throughout the series, it is strongly implied that magic in Equestria - the fabric of its society in many ways - is entirely built around the ambient emotion. The Crystal Heart, for example, is not only important to the Crystal Empire, but spreads contentment - or horror - throughout the land. Starlight's magic is prone to reacting uncontrollably to her emotional state, particularly anger. Dark magic, while it can be harnessed through things like the Book that Spike gives Rarity, is also described as magic fueled by negative emotions. The Windigoes are fed by hatred and, seemingly, creatures of dark magic. Negative emotions also fueled Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon.

Observation 4: Equestria has a vested interest in maintaining overall happiness and contentment, in order to keep the nation prosperous and... well... happy, also keeping the Omega-class threat level to a manageable scale.

Corollary: This also helps to explain the CONSTANT parties, festivals, and celebrations throughout Equestria - if Party Ponies have a sort of pseudo-religious duty to keep spirits up, festivals would very likely be a constant event as they do their duties, similar to how Catholics might have weekly Mass.

Corollary 2: Also, note the sheer impact on reality itself when Pinkie gives up on the yovidaphone - a palpable aura of misery exists around her, all joy literally being sucked out of the world as she meanders through life.

"Shrinky," you might be thinking right now, "CLEARLY there isn't any larger organization or any of this, you're making crap up for no particular reason to explain random bits that got put into the series with, at best, minimal thought to the larger implications."

To which I say "Yes, and here we are on a fanfic site, by its nature largely dedicated to taking disparate fragments of canon and stitching them together into a different whole. Now sit down, shaddup, and tell me about your mother." Let's get back to headcanon forming!

Overall conclusion: Party ponies are the Jedi of Equestria. Only, you know, good at their jobs.

If we draw a parallel between the Force and Equestrian magic - a logical connection to make, incidentally, given the shared nature of both forces in binding their respective universes together - the similarities are pretty clear.

Jedi wield the Force - an energy that some species and individuals can tap into innately and without special training - in ways that "native wielders" can't. Party ponies wield magic in ways that are completely alien to typical unicorn magic, manipulating the fabric of reality itself through their training and skills.
The Force has a great impact on places and people who delve into its extreme forms, from Force ghosts on both sides of the aisle to entire planets shaped by the light side or dark side. This has direct parallels to the impact of emotional state on Pinkie, Starlight, and Equestria itself through the Crystal Heart.
Party cannons ~ Lightsabers: Rare weapons associated closely with the order that wields them, behaves in ways unique to that weapon, and highly personalized to the individual user, and coveted by individuals in the know for their unique attributes and in some cases, the reputation one gains by having one.
Like Jedi, the abilities of party ponies largely defy the known reality they exist within, leading some people to dismiss their abilities as superstition and exaggeration until they see them happen for themselves.

Now, why does any of this matter?

Come on, folks. There are how many dubious Star Wars/MLP crossovers on this site?

How many stories could you pull out of this concept, with OR without Star Wars impact?

Frankly, the ideas write themselves!

That, and I'm kinda sleep deprived and wanted to get this out of my brain.

Night night!