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Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike
Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike
- Given how often she has already saved the day, Messiah might as well be part of her job description.
- Celestia mentions that if Twilight succeeds in saving the Crystal Empire, she'll be one step closer to being ready...
- Although Twilight Sparkle has saved Equestria three times as of the end of the second season, it's been shown in episodes like Lesson Zero and It's About Time that she could have the potential of plunging it into greater peril than Nightmare Moon, Discord and/or Queen Chrysalis combined.
- Not to mention the "Pinkiecide" in "Too Many Pinkie Pies"...
- Twilight becoming a princess makes perfect sense. When a master takes an apprentice, the apprentice will one day take on the same job as the master. Princess Celestia is basically adding Twilight to the line of succession, because she recognized Twilight's potential all those years ago.
- That assumes both that Celestia plans to stop ruling at some ruling at some point, and that Twilight has an increased lifespan. Neither of those things have ever been implied. Celestia has strongly implied that she plans for Twilight to have different duties than herself.
- It also kind of ignores that Luna is already better placed as a successor.
- The phrase "adding Twilight to the line of succession", rather that "designating Twilight as her successor", should imply that Twilight would come after Luna, and probably Cadance. Also this is assuming becoming an alicorn grants the same kind of immortality or extremely long life that Celestia and Luna seem to possess.
- With Twilight's formal ascension to Princess of Friendship, its looking really likely that Cadance and Twilight are going to be the replacements for Celestia and Luna if the latter two ever permanently abdicate, die, or etc. There's another WMG below on that theme.
- Well Spike is already practically her son, and a dragon. He is potentially very powerful once he's grown up a bit.
- Each of the Mane cast will have a foal (With Rainbow Dash having a son to incorporate the male demographic) and they will inherit their mother's element of Harmony to defeat a great evil.
- They were supposed to inflict some degree of magic on the egg, but not actually hatch it, which is why we don't see a bunch of unicorns running around taking care of dragons. But maybe Celestia had a dragon back in her day.
- That makes sense. The purpose of the test was probably to see what magical methods the prospective student would use to attempt to hatch the egg, how long it would take the prospect to give up, and how the prospect would react to failure.
- This explains why the instructors started scribbling furiously on their clipboards after Twilight slumped and said "I'm sorry for wasting your time..." If she was really giving up, and had failed conclusively, there would be no need to write anymore than simply "REJECTED." Instead, they were recording how they reacted—that would be discussed and studied, and she would be contacted later to tell her how she did. That is, if she hadn't done the supposedly impossible.
Like the shattered 'Elements of Harmony' moment with Nightmare Moon, he's going to be proven wrong. Perhaps because Twilight will work out that they shouldn't be looking in the maze, but back where they began. Or something.
- What is Magic without Friendship?
- Of course, this also combined to make her way too critical of her own failings, which leads to...well, Crazy OCD Twilight.
- We saw in the "Cutie Mark Chronicles" that she had been bad at magic. They probably made fun of her because she screwed up her magic all the time.
- All it shows is that Twilight couldn't hatch the egg until the Sonic Rainboom shocked her into a Power Incontinence moment, it doesn't really show her being 'bad' at magic in general. Prior to that we see that Twilight studied really hard (and always had - look at Smarty Pants) until her parents decided to try and enrol her in Celestia's school. Going by the other stories, it looks more like Twilight had already shown an interest and aptitude for magic, it's just that the Sonic Rainboom was - like rest of the mane cast - the trigger which confirmed it as her cutie mark talent.
- Agree with this WMG. Twilight's imagery of Magic Kindergarten show her as a filly, not as her older self. It was a flashback to something that really happened, and would explain her sheer terror of going back there. And as Applebloom in Call of the Cutie and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in The Cutie Mark Chronicles found out, bullying can happen, even right under a teacher's nose.
- Twilight must've been pretty big for a filly. Not to gainsay the concept of having other kids laughing at you for some reason as it happens, but it seems more like it's the humiliation of being an adult stuck back in kindergarten.
- This. She was clearly an adult, and I am constantly irked by this mistake.
- Twilight must've been pretty big for a filly. Not to gainsay the concept of having other kids laughing at you for some reason as it happens, but it seems more like it's the humiliation of being an adult stuck back in kindergarten.
- Trixie only had one line to Twilight in Boast Busters: "That was an Ursa Minor?" She never says Twilight's name, and she specifically picks out every one of the mane cast except her at the show. The idea that the two have any sort of past together is purely fanon, and there is more evidence against it in the show than there is for it.
- There is Word of God that Trixie was also a student at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. However, its pretty obvious that if she and Twilight were there at the same time they still didn't interact much, because there is zero recognition on Trixie's part.
As a filly, Twilight might have been shyer than in the series, and instead opted to spend time with family only. Her mother might have been a librarian who allowed her daughter to read any books of her choice after Princess Celestia raising the sun helped Twilight find happiness in herself. Even when she first learned magic, she used it more sparingly than usual as demonstrated in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" where she wasn't relying on magic for turning the pages as much.
The incident during the entrance exam occurred because Twilight had magic unicorns are born with repressed the whole time, and the sonic rainboom was all that was needed to stimulate that magic into being used. And it was because Twilight was studious as a filly that she knew how to cast those spells.
On the Meta page, there's a theory about a villain who is the embodiment of order. That would be perfect for Nightmare Twilight's actions! Forcing everyone to do things efficiently, with no breaks, laughter, or lightness at all? That sounds like Twilight's OCD taken to its logical extreme.
Twilight may have been of average or below average intelligence when she was young, and only her determination to be a powerful magician like Princess Celestia was able to push her forward to the point where she was even considered for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Then the Sonic Rainboom happened, and not only did her magic become awesomely powerful, but her mind was boosted to match.
She's terrified of being sent back a grade because that happened to her at least once as a filly. If it happens again, it means that her wonderful new life of being a brilliant student and powerful magician is falling apart, and she's going to go back to what she had before. If you've read "Flowers for Algernon," you know how serious that can get.
- In hindsight, that would fit nicely. Seeing young Twilight surrounded by books in the Cutie Mark Chronicles was understandable at the time, but seeing her studying alone, rather than at school, makes even more sense if her parents took her out of the school she disliked so much (for above reasons) and tried to get her into somewhere more appropriate. And less, y'know, depressing.
But Twilight's magic talent is magic itself. She could be an omnidisciplinary magician.
This would explain how Twilight was able to do more with the Elements of Harmony than she was, and why she'd get sent to solve problems that the Princess would otherwise be better suited to handle herself (as in "Dragonshy").
- It's possible that Luna knows or at least suspects - when she visited Ponyville in "Luna Eclipsed", Luna's tones with Twi hint at a frustration and sorrow beyond mere displeasure at how the populace treats her now.
- Its looking more like Twilight was a Replacement Goldfish for Sunset Shimmer now, although the factors listed above might have been a two-for-one special with Celestia.
- That would require giving Twilight a canonical, MALE romantic partner, you, good sir/lady, should know better than that. Plus, that would require a time skip of at least 5 years, and sounds more like somebody's fanfic.
- Or more exactly, Twilight-Prime (aka Future!Twilight) was going to warn her about the whole bad future you proposed there. When Twilight danger-proofed Ponyville, she retconned the events of that future, making her Twilight-Prime. The other Twilights are going to either interpret her message differently or do the exact same thing. Lost yet?
- It is possible that probabilities were not in any way altered. This might just be the only permutation that result in the time loop breaking. Consider time lines:
This spawns a new timeline:(0a) Twilight receives information(1a) Disaster averted(2a)Twilight has no need to go back in time, and so does not go back in time and prevent the disaster(3a) Therefore 0a never occurs — the information to prevent the disaster is never received —and a disaster happens.
Repeat time line from 1. Each iteration of this loop is slightly different, and so Twilight might get more or less of the message in. The flower pot might miss; the dam might burst; but only one time line results in a break:
(0c) Twilight receives information(1c) Disaster averted, but accidents occur so that it appears Disaster not averted(2c) Twilight decides to go back in time(3) Twilight goes back to 0c
- Not likely since Pee Wee was Spike's pet then he returned him to his family.
- This could become her Start of Darkness thus leading to her Face–Heel Turn mentioned above.
- Original poster here, she can also do this to her friends. She can lash them out for siding Princess Celestia and/or Shining Armor, calling Applejack a liar, Pinkie Pie mean, Rarity a greedy nag, Rainbow Dash a traitor, and Fluttershy cruel.
- Related to the What the Hell, Hero? speech above, it can be something hypocritical the Princess, her friends, or her brother did.
- An even worse OCD freak out greater than in Lesson Zero and A Canterlot Wedding combined. With none of them letting her off the hook. Despite Twilight's apologies and asking forgiveness, they still reject her. Devastated by the fact that no one sees her as a friend/student/pupil anymore, she decides to become evil. The ponies who reject Twilight's apologies would get a What the Hell, Hero? speech from Princess Luna to her sister, Princess Candence to her husband, and/or The Cutie Mark Crusaders to the remaining five on how all of them were harsh on Twilight. Or the one delivering the speech is from Derpy Hooves of all ponies! After realizing what they've done, they went go see Twlight to for them to apologize, only to witness her turning evil...Nice Job Breaking It Everypony.
- Twilight will be tricked into turning evil, perhaps the evil force that turned Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon or King Sombra's "Door of Nightmares" would reveal Twilight that her friendship is shallow, and they're going to leave her once she's no longer useful to them anymore.
- Twilight will put on the Alicorn Amulet from Magic Duel either during or after her Heroic BSoD in anger and hatred. Thus the Alicorn Amulet doesn't just corrupt Twilight, it shatters the moment she puts it on and its magic transforms her into a raging being of destruction!
- But isn't Twilight's cutie mark a flash of light?
- I'd rather have Trixie or Lyra. But either way, introducing any new character to replace Twilight will be met with instant hatedom.
- "Twilight Sparkle, you might be an Element Bearer, you might be Celestia's pupil, and you might be the next princess to rule equestria, but that doesn't mean you're always right."
At first, it was just a for-fun guess, but the more I thought, the more it fit. For whatever reason, the Avatar Spirit relocated to Equestria.
Twilight bursts of power bares resemblance to the Avatar State, she wields immense power on her own, and as of MMC, encompasses all the powers of each 'race, perhaps a translation of bending. Building off of the most recent Avatar, Avatar Korra, they follow the personality pattern that any given Avatar has a major personality difference from the last. Korra's impulsiveness may reflect Twilight's dependance on plans and order. Also, they both have incredibly strong bonds with their friends (As all known Avatars seem to have with their friends), and both have faced off with the very spirits of chaos (Discord and Vaatu, respectively).
Speaking of Vaatu, the same is true for Princess Celestia and Raava, the spirit of order and Vaatue's eternal rival. Both have done battle with and imprisoned the spirits of chaos, both are primarily white and of immense power, and their voices even sound alike. Perhaps what first drew Celestia to Twilight was the presence of Raava (being the Avatar Spirit) inside her.
- Excess devotion to work
- Lack of flexibility
- perfectionism
- Not wanting to allow other people to do things
- Not willing to show affection(friendship troubles?)
- Preoccupation with details
- Preoccupation with rules and procedures to the point that the key part of the activity is gone(the sleepover)
- "Obsession with making lists" (hello!)
- Miserliness (then again—- a book for a child's birthday? Really, Twilight?)
- Obsessive collecting and accumulation of useless stuff (though her book hoarding might qualify.)
Most importantly, while a person with OCD is perfectly aware of their condition (which is a source of frustration and shame), a person with OCPD is often completely unaware that their behavior is abnormal and in fact considers their own behavior the norm and other people's as aberrant.
- As someone with Aspergers, I can vouch for this one, as that's a pretty good description of what it's like to have it.
- Of course everyone is a little atypical, but she does have a very polite, somewhat authoritative and very businesslike way of speaking, even with her friends. Addressing everyone like you're at a business meeting is certainly a somewhat autistic trait. I doubt anyone would ever bother to diagnose her as such though, some of the others have issues that cause them far more distress (though you never know, she might have been far worse as a child and had some really good child development Pony help her get over most of her issues).
- Considering that she has a goddess as a personal teacher, It wouldn't be surprising if Princess Celestia had a degree in foal psychology in addition to raising the sun and moon.
- I found after skimming Typelogic that most of the quirks listed in this WMG show up as natural behaviors characteristic of the INTJ personality type.
- Nah, she's more of an INTP, and besides, INTJ=/=Asperger's. Far from it, really. In reality, since she's just a character in a show, MBTI doesn't describe her as well as it does most people.
- Twilight seems to be more in line with a mild case of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder than Asperger's. Note her obsessive making of checklists, and the way she sorted her nestmaking material, as well as the way she reacts poorly to things going off-script.
- Some amount of obsessive compulsiveness is actually common in Asperger Syndrome though. Considering that one of the main difference between OCPD and AS is that OCPD doesn't have as much impaired social skills and Twilight definitely has some social impairments, I see no reason why OCPD is more likely.
- Well, the show's all but said it outright as of this writing, at least to anyone who has or knows anything about Asperger's Syndrome. It's not likely to EVER be addressed in-show, unfortunately, because...
- 1: Asperger's isn't something you can explain to a six-year-old child in a 22-minute cartoon.
- 2: Many of the adults watching don't understand the disorder enough to explain it themselves.
- 3: No one has a problem with Twilight being an aspie. It's half the reason we love her!
- It's not impossible to explain Asperger Syndrome in a children's program. There was an episode of Arthur that covered the subject. But My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic isn't really the correct show to do that.
- Fluttershy has more towards having Asperger's than just being shy and having a freaky knowledge of sewing. In some of the episodes she definitely has more going on with her than shyness, and considering that its is known that she is older than at least Pinky Pie it seems unlikely that this has do to immaturity. Regarding social empathy, she seems to show this more with animals (including spike) than with other ponies, so I don't think this is a full counter-argument. She is also shown being physically weak for a pegasus, which is often associated with Aspergers, and sometimes her actions seem odd in a non-shy way and sometimes even inconsiderate, even though she is shown to be the most benevolent pony. In some episodes she seems more autistic instead of just being shy than in others, but this may depend on the script writer. Even if she isn't autistic, she definitely has some complex pyscological problems. Depending on how you interpret Hubworld's description of her it may imply that she is more than just shy. Also I think this is interesting, it seems that "neurotypical" people seem more likely to pick out Twilight Sparkle as the ones with Aspergers (assuming that exactly one of the ponies has the disorder) while people with Asperger's seem more likely to pick out Fluttershy, from what I have seen across the Internets.
- Expanding on the above, I think it's possible that both Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy both have a case here. Just from the latest episodes alone, TS makes a strong case for herself in "Lesson Zero", and both get a moment or two in "Luna Eclipsed". Twilight Sparkle just is easier to identify (and this is from somebody who has Aspergers), while Fluttershy seems to have something more similar to Avoidant Personality Disorder.
- As someone with APD I can second that Fluttershy shows many of the symptoms and personality quirks.
- Being a troper with Aspergers myself, I think that this is possibly correct. While I'm not saying Twilight doesn't show any signs of it, she seems to show more signs of simply being a reclusive nerd than anything, thus having almost No Social Skills, which can happen to anyone. To be frank, if anyone in this show has Aspergers, it'd probably be Fluttershy. Hence why I added that as a WMG below, in her section.
- Actually, I would think she has Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) rather than Aspergers. Growing up in a household where my dad and brother were diagnosed with it, it seems more plausible. As the troper above says, she's more of a reclusive nerd than anything else, which fits more with NLD than Aspergers. People with NLD are very vocal with their knowledge, which isn't necessarily subject specific. They also are likely to become agoraphobic and appear more "difficult" than anything else.
- NVLD isn't even a diagnosis: All it is is saying that someone's PIQ is a standard of deviation higher than their PIQ, and it is most commonly associated with AS. It's supposed to imply things, but it doesn't have to.
- As someone with Asperger's, I'd say it's very likely that Twilight has it, and possible that Fluttershy has it (though I don't agree with the interpretation—I think she's just comically shy), but I don't believe either of them have been diagnosed (if the condition is even recognized in Equestria). Twilight's mild obsessive compulsiveness (I say "mild" because she doesn't count how many steps she takes to her mailbox), general social awkwardness, bad predictions of others' behavior (not only in Boast Busters, but all the time with Celestia, whom she'd spent a good deal of her life with), occasional paranoia (as in A Canterlot Wedding, where she thinks Shining Armor doesn't care about her anymore), nervous breakdowns (not just the obvious ones like Lesson Zero or It's About Time, but when she ran away crying in Winter Wrap-up I got a very strong vibe), and obviously increased intellect are a very fitting description—while Fluttershy's personality, if not just for comedic effect (we don't question why Pinkie does half the things she does), seem more likely to be another disorder, or are possibly even due to trauma earlier in life.
- I think at this point it's a definite yes that Twilight has AS. The above aforementioned knowledge Twilight possesses, plus her lack of social skills and Twilight's emotional state go to support this. However, one of the biggest ones nobody above has pointed out is her interests. They revolve almost entirely around books. Another common trait of AS sufferers is a single minded fixation on a single subject - whether it's sports, video games, cartoons etc, etc. As mentioned on the TV Tropes article, not all AS sufferers show the exact same symptoms as each other, but this plus Twilight's other mannerisms make for a very strong case. Also, fun fact - we are an Asperger's Syndrome suffer. Which Pony do most people compare us to?
- Whatever disorder she might have, she appears highly-functional enough that nobody would have ever bothered to make a diagnosis; which is common enough in the real world to be called Truth in Television.
- Another thing I've noticed is that she tends (or at least used to) pace around the library when she's worried about something (like schedules). This could be a form of "stimming" (repetitive behavior used to calm oneself). But this isn't a major thing since everyone "stims" at some point, especially when stressed, and pacing is rather mundane.
- I think that her reaction, and the reactions of the faculty indicate that the rainboom simply caused her to be startled and thus released her magical potential in an uncontrolled manner. This would mean that the event was a reaction to stress, not a symptom of a chronic condition.
Now, remember, Twilight only broke mentally, while the others were mind controlled. And she wasn't magically cured, either. She just seemed to spontaneously recover emotionally.
Perhaps this was Discord's intention all along, not to just sow chaos, but to corrupt Celestia's apprentice and take her for his own. He did seem to fixate on her during the two episodes.
- Also, she only really snaps once her friend laugh at her problem. Look at the library scene in "The Return Of Harmony, Part 2" and why she lost it then makes much more sense.
Clearly she is not a social drinker, meaning she likely gets drunk only in private. That makes her being an alcoholic more likely.
However, in "It's About Time", she went insane trying to prevent a disaster, eventually coming to the crazed decision to stop time. Such an act would condemn everypony to a Fate Worse than Death, and it had nothing to do with her magic talent being suppressed - in fact, she was planning to use it for her own means.
Therefore, whereas everypony else suffers from occasional bouts of Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome, Twilight doesn't - she's insane all on her own. The fact that she's apparently a genius only ups the danger factor.
- Did you read Asylum?
- She's not skilled enough; she's still learning her magic, and it takes her a lot of effort to pull feats such as quieting down the Ursa Minor and changing a cutie mark. But perhaps when she grows older, stronger and more skilled, she could qualify.
- From her cutie mark story, Celestia runs a magic school. After Twilight demonstrated that she was really powerful & it would be dangerous if her powers went out of control, Celestia took her in as her personal student.
- Also note that as Celestia's protegé, she seems to have been given some authority of her own, was personally requested to take care of the dragon in "Dragonshy" (which I think would normally require a military intervention or... a specialized agent, also see the mayor's WMG right below), and in "A Bird in the Hoof" she seems to have enough authority to give the royal guards an order (told the guards Fluttershy was an authorized subject in the party) and being given status reports (Philomena's disappearance and once again, the dragon in "Dragonshy")
- If by "government agency", you mean the ruling monarch, then this not only canon, but very obviously so.
The three ponies that she imagines pouting or crying when they get the bad news are (from left to right) Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. That means her first thought is to give the tickets to Applejack and Fluttershy, suggesting she likes them better than the others.
I would call this a visual Freudian Slip, and that Twilight Sparkle is unaware of this, herself (and Spike, who didn't see what the audience saw, doesn't realize it either).
- This was only the third episode, and it's really a nice bit of realism. Applejack and Twilight did the most amount of bonding in the pilot, and Twilight is obviously impressed by Fluttershy's easy defeat of the manticore as she references it in Dragonshy. She might have identified with their motives a little more as well, scholarly interest and improving their business. (As opposed to showing off, showing off, and giving themselves diabetes.)
- I'd say it has more to do with them being birds of a feather than anything they've done. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack all have introverted personality types, and they all prefer things to be straightforward and logical.
- Applejack, introverted?
- 'Introverted' does not automatically mean 'socially awkward', although in Twilight's and Fluttershy's case it does. Applejack is self-confident and good with ponies when she needs to be, but outside of family situations is entirely content to be by herself for long periods of time, doesn't require regular external validation from other ponies to remain happy, and has visible I Work Alone tendencies. Rainbow Dash and Rarity, on the other hand, actively gain energy and enthusiasm from being in crowds and basking in the approval of other ponies, and become uncomfortable if they don't get it at least occasionally. And Pinkie, of course, literally goes insane from withdrawal if deprived of frequent social contact.
- Applejack's reason—replacing Granny Smith's hip—is pretty close to being objectively the best reason, and she did have first dibs on her side. This explains Twilight's line when she becomes upset at Applejack's pie-bribery attempt later: "In fact, I'm less sure now than I was this morning!"
- Fluttershy also gave Twilight a bit of a reason to take her. Fluttershy is timid, shy, and easily hurt by others. Of all her friends, Fluttershy is the one she'd be most afraid to hurt because she'd be the most likely to take it badly. So it's likely Applejack was her first pick because her reason was her family and Fluttershy because she really didn't want to hurt her.
- Spike may know all about it! In "Lesson Zero" he constantly interrupts Twilight's imagine spots by physically interacting with them to push them off stage. He might have seen the whole series of images over her head and said nothing.
- Reiterated in "Hearth's Warming Eve". While the Mane cast are playing their roles as historical figures in Equestria history, their personalities are clearly cutting through, and Twi, AJ, and Fluttershy clearly get along as well, being the blue oni to the reds of the other three.
- The group literally represents Power Trio of Beauty, Brains, and Brawn to a tee, which is why the three work so well together.
- Or perhaps Trixie is Twilight's aunt and Older Than She Looks. (Obviously, Twilight's dad doesn't like talking about her because of the whole using-magic-to-trick-people thing.)
- Twilight's parents go through a very harsh divorce, and in a very convoluted and spiteful custody battle, Celestia steps in and rules neither parent should have Twilight after how they acted, taking Twilight in as her own. Later, Twilight's dad remarries and has Trixie. They are half-siblings.
- Trixie looks older than Twilight, maybe it was the other way around and Trixie's mom was their dad's first wife. And Trixie was raised solely by her mother which explains a few things.
- If Twilight and Trixie are related, they're probably cousins. It's the easiest possibility and most probable out of what's been mentioned on the merit that it doesn't have any unpleasantness. This is a kid's show, after all.
- Calling it now: cousins on Twilight's father's side. However, as they didn't seem to know each other beforehand, they may not be first cousins. (That, or Nightlight and his sibling simply aren't on the best of terms.)
- It naturally follows that "The Magic of Friendship" is her thesis topic.
- I'm a graduate student, and watches Twilight Sparkle's antics for stress relief. This is What Grad-School is Actually Like.
It's likely she didn't spend her entire time growing up in Canterlot without friends, but she eventually became more involved with her studies and decided at some point that she didn't need friends. This may or may not be why Celestia decided to use her in part of her Batman Gambit in the pilot.
- She is an INTJ personality type. Any friends she would've had would have been just as bright and nerdy as she was. The reason she didn't have friends in the first episode? The few she had had already left her to her obsession with her studies. The "Friends" section of the page linked above describes it thusly:"The INTJ is not likely to choose to spend time with people who they feel don't have anything to offer the INTJ. They especially like to spend time with other Intuitive Thinkers, and also usually enjoy the company of Intuitive Feelers. These personality types love to theorize and speculate about ideas, and so can usually relate well to the INTJ, who loves to analyze ideas."
- Alternately, she had friends but didn't recognize them as such. The more we see of Twilight's past, the larger her Canterlot social circle seems to have been. If we accept any of the above theories that she has some sort of personality disorder (or especially Asperger's), it's seems likely that Twilight had friends and didn't realize it.
In fact, that may have been why Twilight was so unsociable. She was probably tired of everypony pretending to be her best friend when they really wanted an in with the princess.
- This has a bit of Fridge Brilliance in it. Twilight's friends in Ponyville didn't seem to know that Twilight had a major connection to Celestia in the beginning, and thus had no reason to try to suck up to her. She realized that at some point, which is why she let them bond with her.
- Theory One: She was left on their doorstep by a mysterious mare.
- Theory Two: Her real parents were killed by an evil, love-less pony and she was left there by an elderly male pony who is the headmaster stand-in for Celestia at the magic academy and her destiny is to dispose of said evil pony using her powers of love and friendship!
- Theory Three: She was left on the doorstep of Canterlot castle where Princess Celestia discovered her, but since they didn't have the facilities to care for a foal, Celestia handed the foal over to the ponies who would be her parents. If they're actually close with the Princess or not, like if they work for her or something, is open for debate.
- Theory Four: Princess Celestia is actually her mother. She had an affair with a very talented unicorn, and gave birth to Twilight after. Worried about how the public would react to all this, she went out in secrecy and gave her up to the ponies who she selected to be the parents of the foal. Again, it's debatable if she knows them personally or not.
- More plausible after the Season 3 finale.
- Theory Five: Twilight is the third sister of Celestia and Luna. If Celestia controls the sun, and Luna controls the moon, then Twilight is meant to control the stars. Celestia sent Twilight away for her own protection after Luna's rebellion. The final episode will show Twilight becoming an Alicorn and taking her place in Canterlot alongside her sisters.
- She's an Alicorn and the series isn't ending yet. We'll see how this goes.
- Theory Six: (taken from a fic) Celestia made filly Twilight as a golem for reasons I don't currently remember, and Celestia secretly gave her to her new parents after she realized she couldn't use Twifilly for whatever it was she made her for.
- You may be referring to the theory that Twilight's body was constructed by Celestia, to be a vessel to hold Luna's spirit after she destroyed Nightmare Moon; presumably destroying Luna's body in the process. There are more than a few fan fics that take this idea and run with it.
- She's the personal student of the ruler of Equestria.
- She had a member of the royal family, a winged unicorn no less, as a babysitter.
- Her brother is Captain of the Royal Guard.
- As an addendum, said brother said his dress uniform belonged to their uncle, suggesting a tradition.
- Far from having been knighted only a few generations ago (knighthood is not hereditary), they are actually very high-ranking members of the nobility — probably dukes, but certainly no lower than marquesses — and have been since time immemorial. The reason that they do not seem stuck up or excessively formal is that they are not status-conscious; they are so confident of their place and rank that they feel no need to put on airs. Their attitude is that, howsoever they act, that's just how a duke's family is supposed to act.
- "Owl's Well That Ends Well" had Spike afraid that Twilight didn't love him anymore. He really cares about her opinion and would do anything to please her, which shows that they must have some kind of affection for each other. It also shows that he loves his job as Twilight's assistant, and won't let anyone take away his job. Also, Twilight was the only one that went looking for him after he ran away, and the only pony (with some help from the owl) that saved him from the dragon. She also says that no one could ever take his place.
And that knew each other ever since they met:
- "Secret Of My Excess" mentions how for every birthday he had, Twilight was the only one that gave him a gift. Sure he only got a book, and he didn't seem to thrilled about it, but that proves that these two stuck by each other.
- Another small example would be when Twilight takes him to the pony doctor. She takes him there as if he were just any normal filly or colt. She didn't even consider that because he's different, that they he may be treated differently. That alone seems touching.
- "Dragon Quest": In the end, when spike says the ponies are like family to him, they all, including Twilight, give him a hug, showing that they feel the same way. And the picture of baby Spike with Twilight in the final scene from "Dragon Quest" implies that she did know him from the moment he was hatched◊.
Now, as for Shining Armor, look at it from Twilight's perspective. Spike is her loyal friend. He's always willing to help her out when she really needs it, and was there for her when she first arrived in Ponyville, and has lived with her ever since. But that's the thing. She sees him everyday.
For Shining Armor, it was different. He was someone that she could look up to. He was a mentor to her, and her very first friend. He taught her things like how to fly a kite, and helped her with her magic. Spike wouldn't be able to do this. Not only would he be a baby, but in the flashbacks, Twilight didn't have her cutie mark yet. So he didn't exist yet! Shining Armor was probably her only friend before she became Celestia's pupil, and thus also before she met Spike. Twilight mentioned they drifted apart, and that's probably when the drifting happened - when Twilight became Celestia's pupil. And also, she said she hasn't seen him since she moved to Ponyville. She misses him. The song is meant to add more depth to that: it was to let the audience know what their relationship was. For Spike, we already know. Just watch "Owl's Well That End's Well" and "Dragon Quest." They're like family to each other. He's like her l.b.b.f.f (little brother best friend), and those episodes worked fine without a song because we didn't need them.
- An alternate theory that could also be accepted is: Word of God suggested that Celestia took to the initial raising of Spike, given the general lack of pony knowledge on dragon raising, only giving her to Twilight as an assistant when both were mature enough for it. Hence, the Twi/Spike relationship - prior to being sent off to Ponyville - would be more formal, and becoming more sibling as they both learned to adjust to Ponyville. This would also be consistent that leaving Shining (whom she still probably saw every day while at Canterlot), her relationship with Spike would be upgraded to the sibling nature to make up for not being around Shining.
In case you're still skeptical here:
She loves her brother like a friend.She loves Spike like a brother.
- She looks far more like Cadence then she does either of her parents
- The whole "Why is a princess foalsitting her?" issue.
- The unusually powerful magic.
- Alternatively, since age modification spells are canon, he came to the future through a different route, and is one of Twilight's recent ancestors.
- When the heck was Cadance even implied to be in grooming for taking over the Empire?
- That's really kind of stretching it, considering that being a magical prodigy is basically Twilight's shtick in the first place and so there's no reason to think that she wouldn't learn that trick just as fast as any other and that the two don't otherwise seem to have anything in common at all.
- The first time we see her teleport is when she fakes out Nightmare Moon (in a moment of understated brilliance). So no.
- The first time we see she teleport is after she was teleported by Nightmare Moon. While she was surprised to teleport by accident in The Ticket Master, Twilight having learned the spell from Nightmare Moon is still a valid theory.
- Her teleportation can also, with focus she is currently incapable of, be used as a form of time travel separately from distance.
- The longer distance a teleport is, the more effort it takes and the more time passes between the teleport.note
- So it's like the TARDIS in "The Eleventh Hour", where what was supposed to be a quick trip 5-minute trip to the moon and back ended up taking 10 years?
- I'd imagine it's more like the teleportation used in the Dragonriders of Pern novels. Like the titular dragons/riders, Twilight can teleport through space and time, to whatever destination she can envision. Also as with the Pern novels, the greater the jump through either dimension, the more taxing it is on the one being teleported. Teleporting without a clear destination in mind also tends to have major drawbacks for the user. Thankfully, the show has avoided the ones involving getting crushed to death after reappearing inside of a solid rock cliff.
- Doubt it, those seemed more like Daedalus style fake wings. Though Rarity certainly may have thought she was a god.
- Given that Twilight only had the energy to do it once, and created incredible fragile (if beautiful) wings, it's possible that as she grows older and gets better at magic, she'll be able to master the spell and give proper wings to ponies.
- Also, it's pretty clear that Celestia and Luna have wings because they are goddesses; they are not goddesses because they have wings.
- The Alicorns don't just have wings; they have all the powers of a pegasi (enhanced speed, cloudwalking, flight, weather control). The wings just represent that they are pegasi. Rarity didn't have the other powers, just flight.
- It is hypothesized that Cadence isn't a true alicorn, but "just" a winged unicorn. God-like, but not as godlike. Rarity would've have been that kind of goddess.
- And now this WMG has been Confirmed, Jossed, inverted, subverted, reverted, and with a double-inside-out half-twist did the hokey pokey and turned itself about, seeing as how a) Twilight Sparkle can turn a unicorn into an alicorn (as that's exactly what she did with herself, using Star Swirl's apotheosis spell) but b) Cadance is explicitly a 'real' alicorn, and so Rarity was just a unicorn pony with magical prosthetic wings.
- They're all apparently invulnerable. Hell, everyone except Fluttershy was slammed into a rock surface hard enough to crumble it in "Dragonshy", and both Dash and Rarity (as well as the Wonderbolts) survived more than 1600 Gs of acceleration at the climax of "Sonic Rainboom".
Yet Rarity seemed to pick up flying right away, and did well enough that she was a real contender to win the "Best Young Flyer" competition without training.
When you think about it, this makes sense: a spell to give a pony wings that only lasted for three days would be useless if it took years of training to learn to use those wings. The spell would also have to give the recipient the knowledge of how to use those wings as well.
That may have been what made the spell so difficult to cast: the caster, as a unicorn, presumably has no flight training herself, but has to impart years worth of such training in a matter of moments.
- Doesn't Twilight always act like that?
- This doesn't work because Twilight makes it pretty clear in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" that in Equestria, science and magic are one and the same. The closest you get to the opposite of Twilight's element is Pinkie Sense, and Pinkie is about as evil as a vegan cupcake.
- Implying vegan cupcakes aren't horrible affronts to the natural order.
As for the Want-it-Need-it spell? She used it during registration days. She'd zap some useless class with the spell and drive dozens of unicorns to want something like underwater basket weaving while she gets the cream of the crop picks of classes without even the need to go on the waitlist.
- The mundane uses for a want-it-need-it spell at university are ENDLESS if the item in question is finite and you're alone enough to dispell it. Noisy roomate/aide? Get them interested in a book, dispel it when they're finished. Cafeteria has a food you really like in limited quantity, and only one left? Cast the spell on a food item next to it, then remove the spell once you've got the food you wanted on your tray. Since she's obviously a grad student, its probably useful in TA work to get the lazy undergrads to focus on their tests. And so on.
- Adding to this: Rarity's couch is actually something similar, she's just simply more aware of it. The cushion she's seen sitting on at the very end is possibly another version of this.
- Alternatively, Twilight was aware of it. She was doing what happens when "Drama Queen" meets "Reality Warper".
- Supported by her uncontrollable outburst in "Cutie Mark Chronicles", and that she doesn't seem THAT tired after it.
- And some Fridge Brilliance too. Of course Twilight has to be careful. Despite how powerful she is, you don't want to invoke Mama Bear when the cub is the size of a multi-story building.
Usually Twilight only uses her horn in this process, a habit that limits the initial amount of conversion that can take place and also helps in focusing the new magical energy. This is due to her training in unicorn magic and belief that she is merely manipulating her own latent energies, she is not aware that she is making her own magic.
While using just her horn is an ingrained habit, it is by no means necessary. She can, and has on at least on occasion, used her entire body as a focus for magic making. During the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen" Twilight battles with, and eventually admits the limits of, traditional logic. At the climax of this struggle between reason and the Pinkie Sense, Twilight becomes enraged and levitates a few feet into the air before exploding into white hot flame.
This is the result of unintentionally using her whole body as a magic fusion focus without immediately expending said energy into a spell; the energy was released in a blast of light/heat/and acoustic energy which lifted her off the ground and momentarily transformed her into living torch. Thankfully, Twilight calmed down quite quickly and her trust in traditional logic shut down the full body reaction almost as soon as it started.
The fact remains, however, that every time she uses magic, Twilight is using unicorn magic, which can already manipulate the heavens, to create a power able to affect literally anything she puts her mind to. She's repeatedly turning the starter key to a bomb that could rewrite reality, or possibly just destroy it.
- So Twilight is a sourcerer
- To add to this: S4 promo material has shown a scene likely from the first episode, where the ponies gaze in awe of a new stained glass window featuring Princess Twilight. In this window there are two books represented. One is clearly Star Swirled's, from Season 3, and the other is clearly one that features Twilight's cutie mark. If we take what Celestia said in MMC, that Twilight has actually created new magic, this window suggests that Twilight's the Princess of Magic, and she will now be creating new spells - something nopony's done since Star Swirl's day - as part of her new responsibilities. This also would explain why in the same promo ads, Spike seems always to have a book and quill by his side, as to record Twilight's spells as she comes up with them.
1) Force her to interact with others and break out of her shell thereby becoming more mature and learning to take responsibility for things.
2) Due to her being the Ruler of her kingdom she had no chance to find anyone who would be able to use the Elements of Harmony and used Twilight to do so, with Twilight hopefully either finding a group to do so or leading them herself.
3) Figure out a way to use the elements to rescue her/their sister.
4) As the ruler of the country she had been brought up in a tense atmosphere. She had to do/act/say everything perfectly at all times and never had time to make friends herself. This was her best way to both do her duty and to give herself some measure of happiness that had been denied to her before. That is why she comes down to ponyville all the time to see the Mane Six as she considers them personal friends as well and lives vicariously through Twlight's letters.
- Which means she could be destined to be a great wizard.
- Alternatively, she may put it on either during or after her biggest Heroic BSoD yet thus corrupting her even more than it did Trixie!
However, has mentioned on Twilight's character page on this site, Twilight doesn't handle surprise well. At all. Most of her mistakes in magic come from when she tries to improvise magic or use magic without mental preparation beforehand. And I very much doubt she was expecting a character from a one-off episode to show up again. She lost because she gave up before she pushed past the wall to access the greater amount of her power.
Of course, we couldn't expect Twilight to beat a pony wielding the power of an alicorn... if the Alicorn Amulet refers to the power of a Celestia/Luna alicorn. However, the only alicorns we've seen have been good ponies, so why would the amulet turn those who wear it evil? Perhaps it isn't referring to the race of ponies, but the material used to create it. My guess is that the Alicorn Amulet was created by cutting the horn off of a powerful living unicorn (as the horn is also called an 'alicorn'), adding that power to the one wearing it. The pain and agony of its creation drives whoever wears it slowly insane. The design of an alicorn on the amulet is because Celestia and Luna are the greatest symbols of strength in Equestria, not because it gives might on their level.
- Twilight aged Spikenote by accident, which is a different matter than doing it on purpose. Twilight is no where near omnipotent, and the show has gone out of its way to show that proficiency in one thing does not translate to proficiency in another. She hits her limits and makes mistakes fairly often. Trixie, for all her other faults, casts her spells correctly and without error. Even if Twilight had more raw power, without control she would have just made things worse.
However, this generalization comes at a price. While she has more raw power than, say, Rarity, she can't mimic the full size of Shining Armor's shield spell because he's spent his life working on just that one spell. It is his talent, the end result of everything he wants, the spell that he pours his entire being into. Twilight just doesn't put that kind of work into it. While she can outdo him at other spells, she just doesn't have his talent for that spell. Likewise, she probably knows more types of magic than any other unicorn, possibly including even Celestia, but she doesn't have their talent or interest for their kind of magic, and therefore not their skill or ability with that magic. Even if she has more magical muscle, she won't necessarily have their control.
- Twilight does become an alicorn, but this guess is otherwise deconfirmed — the change does not occur in the series finale, she does not move away from her friends until the actual finale, the change isn't reversed and Celestia isn't antagonistic.
- Confirmed one all points.
"She'll be that much closer to being ready...", "Next level of your studies"
Twilight is going to be going through a lot this season. The main speculations are that she's going to become the Princess' successor, an Alicorn, or both. In terms of the second alone, something about that strikes me as it being along the lines of her going Super Saiyan! Therefore, she doesn't permanently change, which would then make sense because if she were to become one permanently it could spell a far too early end for the series. Celestia and Luna seem to be born as Alicorns, so it would take a long time before Twilight could permanently become one.
Imagine this Crowning Moment of Awesome for the season finale with the villain (either Sombra or Discord, by the looks of it):
"I'm a proud pony who calls Equestria home, and I'm here to defeat you. I am the pony you've heard of in legends, pure of heart, and awakened by fury. That's what I am. I AM THE ALICORN, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!
Or, for more comedic effect...
Sombra/Discord: You—you're different! What happened?! What in the fiery depths of Tartarus are you?!
Twilight: (smirks) Can't you tell? It's just like Trixie said...
Discord/Sombra: (at breaking point, knowing what's coming) No you bucking don't!!
(Sombra/Discord magic blasts her in the face)
Twilight: (leans forward unharmed, smirking) —corn.
- Alternatively, she might just decide to stay. And who's going to make her leave?
- Confirmed. Twilight remains in Ponyville after transforming and only gains responsibilities gradually over the course of the show.
- Jossed. She seems to remain an an alicorn for the foreseeable future.
- Arguably confirmed in one of the tie-in books; Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell reveals that Candance is also an "ascended" pony (a former pegasus, in fact) who became one by managing to rescue an artefact that wielded The Power of Love and turn it against a villainous pony, turning herself into an alicorn with love-based magical powers as a result.
- She will re-injure her eye, go mad with power, and become a cannibal. That is, she'll be a one-eyed one-horned flying purple pony eater.
- Alternately she can use the age spell on her friends and prevent them from dying (until they don't want to be immortal anymore).
- An alternative to the above, perhaps it could manifest as a link to the other Mane cast, since it is their 'destinies made one'.
- Or, perhaps Twilight can only fly at full speed, but has not mastered hovering or more gentle flight. Like she run, but can't walk or crawl.
- In more aeronautical terms, she has figured out how to glide, and has started to master flapping to create straight axial thrust, but has not yet mastered thrust vectoring.
- She can fly just fine. She just can't land. Justifiable since it is generally agreed that landing is the hardest part of flight — most crashes occur during this phase. Supported by the fact she crashes three times in the first episode of Season 4.
- Even though I can't find it, I remember a comic where Twilight show off her wings to her parents and they start arguing about Twilight's mom sleeping with a pegasus and Twilight just watches on. (That is the comic author's fanon, not mine. Bonus points if you can find that comic).
Could explain how the events of both Equestrian Girls as well as season 4 seem a little off to some people. It's either Twilight's Dying Dream or what's she's experiencing during her coma.
- Jossed: The other princesses spent a lot of time and energy developing her character, and she took over Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's duties after they retired.
- Doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, so Jossed.
- Considering that the only characters shown so far to use Western-style family names are the Pies and Shys, it's likelier that Twilight's family simply uses Family Theme Naming in the same way as the Apples do.
- "Sweet and Elite" put her birthday at shorty before the Grand Galloping Gala, which is implied to take place in spring given "The Ticket Master" mentions it's when every flower in its garden blooms. So either jossed or nature works oddly here.
- Friendship Day is celebrated in April in both South Africa and Singapore, so this fixes this issue. Alternatively, ponies use botanical magic to make flowers bloom artificaly for the spectacle sake.