It's pretty well established that the aging in Equestria is human based, but how old exactly are Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?

The reason I'm asking is I'm adjusting the timeframe of my current project. I had originally set it 16 years after my story Midnight Star, but I'm beginning to think that's a little too long, but due to what happens at the end of Midnight Star the timeframe is highly dependent on the age of the Cutie Mark Crusaders at the time.

1817185 9 or 10

1817185

There is no exact age, so it's up to you. Personally, I think they're in the range of 8-9 years old.

1817185

She can be as old as you want, according to canon Granny Smith is a few centuries old so...

1817185 Probably between 7 and 10. They're elementary school so they can't be that old.

1817185 I have seen some put them as young as 7. I personally think they are around 11-12 because of their maturity level. I really don't think they are teenagers as of yet.

1817185 Not old enough. Middle school age, I'd assume. Probably around the age of puberty.

1817185
Original script said Apple Bloom was 7 and I guess they're all the same age. No clue whether we count that as canon or not though since it didn't show up in the actual episode.

I guess I should mention that Midnight Star takes place about a year after Twilight's Coronation, so they're already a little older at that point. Sounds like my original thought of them being 11-12 wasn't far off from what you're all saying.

I like them as 10-12, and that's what I treat them as in my fics.

1817191
Nothing in canon confirms Granny Smith as being "Centuries old"

Ponyville is a rather small town, afterall, so I think it's fair to say that she's only ~80 years old or so.

On topic, however, I think of them as being between 8 and 10.

1817264

She was around when Ponyville was founded, which was stated to be centuries ago.

1817289
I don't recall them ever saying when Ponyville was founded.

If you can find where they did state it, please show me.

1817185

8-10 is around what I figure for these three

1817293

At some point in the Winter Wrap Up episode, sorry I couldn't be more precise but I've currently got the flu so I can't be bothered to do much of anything

1817371
Twilight does say in the beginning that "For hundreds of years," though I do think she's just misinformed or uses it as a way of saying "For a long time." While Twilight may be knowledgeable, I don't think she knows everything about Ponyville such as its age, etc. That's a bit too far fetched.

1817185
I don't deal with exact ages, but I would assume they're roughly the equivalent of sixth-graders. Middle school seems to typically be the time when kids discover hobbies and talents. I'm basing my guesstimate off of the fact that everyone else has a cutie mark.

Of course, my theory ignores people who stumble upon their talents but don't develop them, as well as people who have no discernible talent at all. That's partly because things that aren't considered talents, like being incredible at advice, would probably result in a cutie mark.

1817422

They're magical talking ponies, isn't that a bit far-fetched?

1817538
Circle arguments. If you can't come up with anything save a statement that is more than likely to just be a vast over exaggeration, then don't bother trying.
Also, why would she only be AJ's "granny" if she were literally centuries old? She'd be more like her grand grand grand mother.

So until we are actually told her age, there is nothing but an over exaggerated age of the town to lead us.

1817593

Celestia and Luna are well over one thousand years old, who's to say the average pony doesn't live longer than a human? Also, about the granny thing, people have children at different ages. I am basing my conclusions on what is in the show, while you based your conclusion on the assumption that Twilight wouldn't know about the history of the town (something which is never even remotely suggested).

1817185 I'd put them at around 8-11.

1817593 I have to agree with 1817635 , because they're right in pointing out that your suggestion hinges upon Twilight not knowing about the history of the town she works in. Given our knowledge of her neurotic and obsessive compulsion to learn as much as she can about the world, your suggestion that she is suddenly wrong in this singular instant.

And do not point to the "Lesson Zero" incident, as a refutation of her historical knowledge. That was a failing in her ability to anticipate the behavior of ponies, rather than one of historical fact.

To answer your question, 1817185 , I could go on to argue that ponies do not necessarily age like humans, citing the above conversation, along with quotes from Lauren Faust stating that she imagines ponies would physically mature faster than humans, but instead, I will merely give you a condensed figure of their age from what I know from these things I've mentioned.

Six years in age for the physical passage of time.

Eleven years in age for a rough human biological equivalency.

1817946
That she is wrong isn't impossible.

My point is that her age isn't stated clearly and we can't known her true age as a result of that. We can guess and my guess is that she isn't any older than a typical granny would be.

And again, as many people point out from time to time, it's a show about magical talking ponies. There's no way to truly determine anything. She may be centuries old, sure, but it is as likely that she's only 70.

1817371 Every time I hear someone repeat this theory, I want to bang my head against the wall.
IT"S NOT CANON, IT'S A MISTAKE MADE BY THE AUTHORS! THEY FORGOT ONE LINE FROM ONE EPISODE FROM ANOTHER SEASON WHEN WRITING FAMILY APPRECIATION DAY. THEY WERE IN NO WAY TRYING TO SAY THAT PONIES LIVE HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

In my mind, the entire episode of season two rewrites the canon of one offhand comment during season one. But if the authors are all powerful gods incapable of making mistakes to you, then go ahead and believe what you want.

1818117

Or you could, perhaps, chill the fuck out? We don't know how long ponies live, so I can believe whatever I want, as can you.

12-13

1817185 probaly 10-12

1817185

I tend to think of them as about 10-11 years old.

1817185

My head cannon:
Scootaloo: 11 yrs 3 months
Applebloom: 11 yrs 11 months
Sweetie Belle: 12 yrs 2 months

I always considered cutie marks a metaphor/sign of sexual maturity. Since they are almost at that age, my head cannon says they must be in 5th or 6th grade.

1817422
Well taking that into account, I think Ponyville is a young town. 80 years or so seems realistic considering the town's size and Granny Smith's health. Also the pictures Granny Showed in the episode about Ponyville's founding they had black and white photography and Pinkie Pie has a color camera or at least there is one that takes the picture in the intro to the show. The development of color photography could have occurred realistically within 80 years or so.

Also, maybe years are shorter in Equestria, or ponies age slower.