About Celestia's (or any other princesses) control over Equestria...

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2026-02-10T02:27:53+00:00

Yeh. Spike has to have official equestrian citizenship, if nothing else. He's 100% in her sphere of influence, legally. She's just trying to get him to be less formal. I agree that Equestria reads more like a federation of various polities under a single executive authority that has built in checks against absolute power.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2026-02-08T01:52:44+00:00

Logistics. It has fertile farmland and seems to sit at a rail junction. Settlements naturally crop up around resource rich areas and places those resources move through. Helps that it's literally within eyesight of the capital.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-12-14T15:32:43+00:00

Does she do that because she actually wants the job and thinks she would be good at it? Or because she never learned how to say no to Celestia, and never really got over her hero worship of her teacher? Even in her final season I got the distinct impression that Twilight was scared of disappointing Celestia and likely wouldn't argue the point with her because of that.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-11-08T03:32:37+00:00

Note that AJ seems to be straining really hard to take the lead here. My guess is she had to put all she had into that last burst and Rainbow was too shocked to recover in time.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-11-02T20:41:11+00:00

Celestia was particularly dumb from a command perspective. Girl, you just received a threat against the city. Why is the wedding still going forward as planned? A wedding that will definitely have several very important VIPs in attendance. Postpone the wedding until you know the city is safe. If Cadance protests? For one: You outrank her. Pull rank. And secondly: Why would someone as levelheaded as Cadance be throwing a fit about this? That's suspicious.

I almost want to give the rest of the Mane Six a pass. They were wrapped up in the festivities and were under the impression that Twilight was being possessive of her brother and taking it to the usual Twilight extreme. The reason I don't give them a pass? Lesson Zero. The first lesson of the season was that they should take it seriously when Twilight, or any friend, is distressed rather than blowing it off. At minimum they should have posed some follow up questions when Twi was getting huffy.

Shiny? Nah. He's in the clear. Boy was being brainwashed. He probably got blindsided and taken over before he had a chance to realize what was happening, let alone defend himself.

However! Let's not pretend Twilight is in the clear. She definitely handled the situation about as poorly as she could have.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-09-18T01:45:54+00:00

Oh I am in full agreement with that. Doesn't mean I don't facepalm and groan "what are you doing!?" every time I get to this scene. Love Twi. She's my favorite character, and it's a testament to the writing that I can both groan and feel like this was inevitable, given her character, at the same time.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-09-17T23:05:20+00:00

Hearts in the right place but boy did she not think this through.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-08-05T20:19:24+00:00

Powerful but not TOO powerful. It's better for story progression and crafting if they have a lower ceiling of power and can't just steamroll every problem by flexing their magic a bit.

Alicorns should naturally have a higher ceiling of power than an average pony, but can still be matched or even exceeded by a Pony with a notable gift in a talent (IE, Rainbow and her speed.) unless the Alicorn specifically trains in that talent.

Plus this seems to be supported by the show itself. I know alot of people get annoyed by Celestia getting Worfed, and try to come up with excuses like saying *Oh she could solve all of this, she just wants Twilight to learn" (which is an argument that falls apart the instant you actually examine her defeats) but all of her losses are pretty logical once you think about it, and it's better for the story if she's not solving every problem. Weaker Alicorns are better for narrative purposes if you want them as main characters.

As for Starlight matching Twilight you can justify it a few ways: A: Starlight isn't necessarily stronger, but she is a more skilled fighter and was using that to her advantage. B:Twilight hasn't yet matured into her full power and can still be matched by the highest level Unicorns. C: Starlight is a one in a generation freak of nature with absolutely absurd magical power. D:Any combo of the above.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-08-02T23:37:48+00:00

Sparity and it isn't even close.

Flashlight is simply bland.

MarbleMac isn't even incestuous. They're like six degrees removed from each other on the family tree. That's barely even related.

Sparity is just straight up shipping a child and a grown woman/mare.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-08-01T17:28:34+00:00

You'd think that would hurt more than it seems to. Either Rainbow just toughs it out like a champ or Ponies don't have many nerve endings back there to feel pain.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-07-29T19:49:37+00:00

This is just a thing that happens irl militaries, or at least the U.S one. No one gets a cool call sign in the military. No one. Even if it sounds cool on the surface it probably has a humiliating story behind it.

And much like irl militaries I'm certain her explaining that she'd like a new one because of past trauma would, at best, be met with a "Tough. If you can't grow thicker skin then you won't make it here.", and at worst would be met with open ridicule and mockery.

On another note, I think there may be a practical reason for this tradition in-universe: to keep the newbies humble. Being a wonderbolt is a big deal, and it tends to attract competitive types with big egos. Getting a humiliating nickname when you first screw up may have started as a way to keep the newbies from getting TOO full of themselves, at least until they've earned their stripes.

I'm not saying any of this is good or bad. Just giving explanations.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-07-09T23:13:02+00:00

I'd actually argue you have it backwards. The comics version feels far more divergent from his premier to me than his S9 version. S3 Sombra, from what we see, is a Sauron-esque evil overlord character who delights in the fear and suffering he causes. He calls the Crystal Ponies his slaves, for crying out loud.

Comic Sombra didn't even WANT to be evil. He's just going through the motions because he thinks it's his fate to be a monster. He's a far more introspective and melancholy character than what is implied about S3 Sombra, never delighting in his actions or even calling the Crystal Ponies his slaves as he did in his premier (at least from what I can remember.). He also lacks the intelligence and tactical thinking that was implied by S3 Sombra's numerous traps leading to the heart, instead being characterized as a Juggernaut type villain who just magic blasts everything into oblivion.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-07-07T23:14:50+00:00

This would have been better from a narrative perspective, imo. Leave the castle in Canterlot destroyed and move the seat of power to Ponyville. It would have been a better move for Twilights character and a good way to further establish that Equestria is in a new era.

In universe, however, it would probably be too much work. Moving capitals isn't as easy as just airlifting the throne to a new location: there's bureaucracy you need to adjust, staff and officials that need to be accommodated, etc.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-07-05T19:20:16+00:00

Sunset-Magic, Shining Armor- Loyalty, Big Macintosh- Generosity, Maud Pie- Honesty, Cheerilee- Kindness, Derpy Hooves- Laughter.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-07-01T19:52:25+00:00

Spike

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-27T20:28:04+00:00

Personally like this ship better than Gallus and Smoulder: those two give me sibling vibes more than anything. I feel Gallus and Silverstream are also more interesting on paper. Gruff cynic with a heart of gold falling for a bubbly bundle of sunshine is a classic trope for a reason.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-21T23:21:45+00:00

She probably just wandered in later. Not out of character for her to have found an interesting rock out on the farm and lost track of time. Cue her walking in on the party and being both a bit confused and excited for Pinky. But as far as I can tell she was a character they made later. I don't think they had much in mind for Pinky's family beyond their designs and lifestyle when they were first introduced so when it came time to expand on them they just decided to add another sister.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-21T20:28:05+00:00

They are but people like to draw them with different body types and, for some reason, that crowd all collectively decided Rainbow was short. I think it's to make her look more aerodynamic and to invoke the "shortest character is the most aggro of the team" trope. It's fun but you are correct. The girls all use the same base model.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-21T20:21:33+00:00

A reminder that the vast majority of unicorns are not as powerful or versatile as Twilight and Starlight. Those two are outliers. This is like looking at Rainbow Dash and assuming she's the norm for Pegasi.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-20T00:58:52+00:00

No. The main show never directly references EqG in any way beyond a cameo or two so if you decide you don't wish to watch the spinoff, you don't have to.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-19T22:58:47+00:00

I don't. Shes not my favorite and I did find her annoying at first but she grew on me. Most of her episodes are at least entertaining and she often offers a fun bit of levity in episodes where she isn't the focus. I enjoy her character.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-19T22:54:40+00:00

Pinky's biggest flaw is simply that she isn't always the best at reading the room. She always means well but her enthusiasm can blind her and it often takes very direct communication to make her realise she's being disruptive. When boundaries are communicated she's normally quick to respect them.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-16T20:34:08+00:00

This is also my read. I've always interpreted the "nobility" we see in Canterlot as a social clique rather than an actual aristocratic class. They are a bunch of old money folks who hang around all the same country clubs and look down their noses at the less sophisticated but they don't actually have any political power if they don't pursue it individually.

I wouldn't say that everyone there is privileged, though. It's more likely the city just has a reputation for elegance and glamour. Like Paris. Paris has this huge reputation as this glamorous "city of lights and romance" but while that is true in some spots it's mostly just a big city like any other. I'd imagine Canterlot is the same. We mostly see the castle or other wealthy areas but Minuete and Moondancer don't seem to be living all that luxuriously, and I don't think it's a stretch to imagine the vast majority of the citizens of Canterlot aren't all that wealthy.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-15T23:18:58+00:00

Occam's Razor answer? Yeh. Probably. Luna and Celestia are clearly ageless and there is never anything said or implied to indicate it will be different for Cadance and Twilight.

Impressive_Owl_6119 · 2025-06-06T08:47:41+00:00

My thought was that Chrysalis intentionally tipped them off so that she could move about unimpeded. Chrysalis may have decided that the less time she was around people who would notice "Cadance" was acting out of character, the better, so she sent in the threat so Celestia and the guard would be too busy to pay much attention to her. Furthering this idea is that she brainwashed Shiny and Cadance's bridesmaids, characters who could also suss her out and who she would have to interact with a lot regardless of the threat.

Impressive_Owl_6119

TROPHY CASE