Resistance is futile, you will answer questions

So one of my writing idols, bookplayer, posted a little blog with a list of questions. Right now I'm procrastinating; I should be piecing together my acting resume for my talent agency audition tomorrow, but this suddenly seemed far more interesting. And I love answering questions like this.

Much of my answers are influenced by the fan fiction I so voraciously read and enjoy on this site. I basically pick my favorite bits from everyone else's headcanon to build my own.

The Princesses:

1. How old are Celestia and Luna?
Immortal and everlasting, so basically as old as the universe.

2. How old is Cadance?
A few years older than Twilight, maybe a year or two older than Shining.

3. Were Celestia and Luna always alicorns, or did they ascend?
I think they're physical manifestations of immortal nonphysical beings, and they choose the alicorn form to better relate to the ponies they rule and protect.

4. Are Cadance and Twilight immortal?
If they wish to be.

5. Have there been other alicorns in the past?
Not sure. I won't rule out the possibility, but I can't think of any.

6. How much authority do Celestia and Luna have in Equestria?
They're the twin rulers of a diarchy. Their power is absolute, but I think most of the actual governing is left to councils at national and regional levels.

7. Does Shining Armor rule The Crystal Empire along side of Cadance?
They're prince and princess, so yes.

8. Other than Twilight, Luna, and Cadance, what relationships have been important to Celestia in her lifetime (students, close friends, lovers, family)?
I like to think she's had many students over the years and taught many things, but only two ever truly learned her lessons and thus ascended to alicorn status.

Ponies and Equestrian Culture:

9. Are there still cultural differences between earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, or is the culture homogeneous by the time shown in canon? Are there cultural stereotypes (positive or negative)?
There are very likely some cultural differences and both positive and negative stereotypes. It may be something they address in the show at some point, as it's an important lesson for everyone to learn.

10. Are there foods or items native to Cloudsdale that are uncommon on the ground? Are there foods or items on the ground that are uncommon in Cloudsdale?
I don't think the pegasi are self-sustaining when it comes to food. "Hearth's Warming Eve" indicated as much.

11. Can all unicorns learn all spells, given the time and effort spent practicing them, or is magical talent usually limited in some way?
I liken it to intelligence level in humans. Natural magical aptitude varies, and can be trained and increased up to a theoretical maximum which varies by pony. Some are just better at it than others. As such, some spells likely just couldn't be learned by some unicorns.

12. Earth pony magic: Does it exist? What is it?
I think it does. Part of it is likely just a higher average strength, but also an innate sensory connection to the things around them. Think 'Pinkie Sense', but think of her ability as an extreme high end of the spectrum. This also varies pony to pony. Perhaps some earth ponies can just feel how a plant needs care, while others are very empathetic towards their fellow ponies.

13. Some pony families we’ve seen seem to have naming conventions (the Apples, Twilight’s family) and others don’t appear to (Rarity’s family, Pinkie’s family), which is more common? Are there reasons for one or the other?
Human naming has this pattern, too, and I am subject to it. My middle name is my father's middle name, my grandfather's middle name, and was my great-grandfather's first name. Some families just feel it important to keep a common name down the line, and wealthy families seem to do it often here on Earth; I'd guess it would be a little less common than unique monikers for every member. As to why, it's just personal preference.

14. How much formal schooling is an average, middle class pony expected to complete?
Since most ponies have a specific trade or talent, I'd imagine formal schooling wouldn't need to go beyond high school before an apprenticeship or the like begins.

15. What’s the average lifespan for a pony? At what age is a pony expected to be independent of their parents?
Assuming the Equestrian calendar is equal to ours, I'd guess 100 years as a good number. Granny Smith certainly remembers a long while back. Coming-of-age probably happens a bit earlier than ours, though, and I'd guess that an independent age would be around 15. Their world isn't quite as cruel as ours.

16. Are there roughly an equal number of male and female ponies?
I'd say the overall population of Equestria is roughly equal, with Ponyville and possibly other places as an exception.

17. How informed are most ponies about things that happen in other parts of Equestria? What about other parts of the world?
Depends on the local culture. Ponyville seems to be concerned mostly with local affairs and not as much the nation at large. Most probably don't know much about the rest of the world at all, which is why Zecora was not initially accepted.

The Main Characters:

18. How old are the Mane Six? Spike? The CMC?
Since my "independence age" is around 15, I suspect Twilight to be around 17 at the very start of the first season. I don't think the seasons each equal a set period of time. The others seem to have been well-established already in Ponyville, so they're probably a little bit older or of the same age as Twilight. Spike is probably around 13, and I think dragons mature and age very slowly. I think the CMC are probably around 8 or 9.

19. Did Fluttershy remain on the ground after getting her cutie mark? Were she and Rainbow Dash friends all along, or did they drift apart for a while?
Fluttershy found that her passion was groundbound, so would likely have moved within a few years. I think she was a "late bloomer" at finding her cutie mark. I think they kept in touch at the very least. Or, alternatively, they were good friends, and Rainbow took the weather job in Ponyville to be closer to Fluttershy.

20. Rarity and Applejack both seem to have grown up in Ponyville. What were their interactions like before the show?
They were likely just acquaintances, given their distaste for each other in "Look Before You Sleep".

21. What do Twilight and Spike consider their relationship to be?
A brother-sister sort of relationship.

22. When did Pinkie move in with the Cakes? Is she a worker who rents a room, an apprentice, or is there some other relationship?
A few years prior to the first season, I think. I suspect she's an apprentice.

23. Who among the Mane Six had the best parents growing up? The worst parents?
Pinkie's parents were hard as rocks. Dash may not have had a mother figure. Applejack lost her parents when she was young. Rarity's parents are caring but not very insightful. Fluttershy and Twilight probably have the best parents of the lot. As for worst, I can't say which: none, one, or two bleak ones.

24. Why didn’t the CMC hang out more/know each other before Call of the Cutie?
It may have been very soon after they were put into school.

25. Is Scootaloo an orphan? Will she ever be able to fly?
Watch DHX air an episode about Scootaloo's parents one of these days. I think she has parents, but they don't pay much attention to her, which would explain her pursuit of approval from a hero figure. I think she'll fly one day.

26. Will Apple Bloom’s cutie mark involve an apple in some way, even if it’s unrelated to farming or baking?
It'd be hilariously ironic if it didn't, but it probably will. Maybe she'll become a florist.

27. How is Sweetie Belle’s relationship with their parents different than Rarity’s was?
Sweetie Belle caught her parents' naive and slightly inept nature. Rarity is very self-driven and organized. Likely that was a source of conflict. Rarity likely flourished when finally on her own.

Side and Background Characters:

28. Is Mr. Cake the father of the Cake twins or not?
"That makes sense, right?" That face clearly showed he had his doubts, but I'm sure he is.

29. Are Big Mac and Cheerilee an item, romantically?
I'd love to think that an actual relationship blossomed from the love potion incident.

30. How did Prince Blueblood get his title?
Perhaps it's a relation by marriage. I'm sure Celestia has married before.

31. Is Silver Spoon equally as bad as Diamond Tiara?
She's clearly a follower, but it's her own fault for not questioning the actions she's repeating.

32. Is Zecora’s magic common among zebras?
I think she's an unusually skilled herbalist, though it's not an uncommon profession where she comes from.

33. Why does Daring Do publish her stories as fiction?
So ponies don't harass her in real life.

34. Do you have a strong headcanon for any non-speaking or one line background ponies that you want to share?
Time Turner is secretly immortal and dreadfully bored with his life.

Other Species:

35. Does Equestria differentiate between speaking and non-speaking species, in terms of respect, rights and legal responsibilities? Is there some other line or scale used? (For example, how are cows classified? Diamond Dogs? A chimera?)
Since such a large number of species appear to be sapient, I think that any such creature that can demonstrate it would have basic rights at the very least. There may be a scale of responsibilities.

36. Do other speaking species form their own nations, or are all nations largely integrated, with some having larger populations of a species than others?
I think they're largely integrated.

37. Are minotaurs related to cows at all?
If I were a minotaur, I'd be insulted. That's a definite no.

38. Do all zebras rhyme?
I don't think so. Zecora's just that awesome.

39. Do zebra cutie marks work the same way as pony cutie marks?
Probably in some similar fashion, but not identically.

40. Do any species have types of magic, other than ponies and zebras?
How the heck would a griffin fly without magic? I think it's innate to the planet and all its species.

41. Is the lack of buffalo presence in Equestria cultural, or simply because most pony towns aren’t built to accommodate a full grown buffalo?
Probably a mixture of both.

Headcanon and You:

42. Do you consider official sources other than the show (comics, card game text, movies, novels, etc.) to be canon?
The comics are great, and jive pretty well with the show's canon, so I consider them to be mostly canonical. Yes to EQG as well. I haven't experienced the other kinds.

43. Do you have one headcanon that you always use, or do you switch depending on projects?
Mine changes depending on what makes the most sense to me at any one time.

44. Can you easily accept the headcanons of different writers? Do you prefer when stories match your headcanon?
If the story's good enough, it's not hard to forget my own headcanon while reading it. I don't care if it matches my own.

45. Is there a part of your headcanon that you wish was more popular among writers?
I wish I was more popular among writers.

46. Is there a popular piece of headcanon that other writers use that you dislike?
I could probably name a few pet peeves if I could remember what they are. I'll remember them when I read them again.

47. Have you ever written a story or blogpost just to explain some part of your headcanon (other than this one)?
None that I remember writing.

48. Does your headcanon influence things like your favorite pony, ship, or episode?
It can. Mostly it's the quality of the work I'm consuming that makes me like it, not my own personal preferences.

49. Would it bother you if the show proved part of your headcanon wrong? Any specific piece that would really bother you to lose?
It has happened before, and there's no sense in making a fuss about it. It's just an opinion. Though seeing that Celestia and Luna aren't the living, physical, condensed essences of the sun and moon would make them a little less badass.

50. Is there something that wasn't asked about here, but you feel like you need to explain to everyone?
Yeah.
I'm a biscuit.