Theories and Headcanons General Discussion

I see there’s already a thread for the CRAZY and absurd headcanons, but this one is for them in general. Post some of your favorite or personal theories and thoughts regarding characters, histories, the land, whatever comes to mind with both the show and the EQG movies.

My first post is actually a question: Whatever became of the “Discord is Starswirl the Bearded” theories? It honestly seemed like a really good theory when I read about it but it seems to have completely vanished from discussions.

Philomena is Princess Celestia’s one constant.
 
In her thousand years of life, she’s seen generation after generation of the ponies around her grow old and die. Family… advisors… students… hundreds of years have passed, and she’s outlived them all.
 
So she doesn’t let herself get close to anypony, to spare herself the pain. Anypony but her cherished pet, Philomena. In the phoenix, she’s found a companion as long-lived as herself - someone who’s been by her side as decades turned to centuries, as everyone else has withered and gone.

@Daring-Do  
This would also explain why neither Tia nor Luna have suitors or husbands. I’m sure they attempted to have families long ago (hence Blueblood being a “nephew”) but too much heartbreak probably convinced them to never try again.

I’m coming around on Sunset and Sunburst being siblings. That’s way more family than Sunset has at this point.

Eh, the Crazy Headcanons thread tends to cover both legitimately crazy ones and just general headcanons at this point.

Princess Celestia was much more candid and straightforward with Sunset Shimmer than she was with Twilight. Sunset knew that she was being groomed as Celestia’s champion against the Nightmare Moon (though she didn’t know the full story), was taught about the Elements of Harmony (that’s why she knew to steal the Big Crown Thingy), and may have even found out about Starswirl’s incomplete ascension spell (and assumed, not without some justification, that Celestia was hoping for her to finish it and join her as an alicorn). However, all this went to Sunset’s head, and her pride and ambition made her callous, ruthless and impatient for the power and authority she thought she was entitled to. That led to the falling-out between her and Celestia, and Sunset running away into self-imposed exile. (Celestia thought it was likely that her former student had used the magic mirror to enter a parallel world, but she didn’t know for sure until Sunset showed up.)
 
As a result, Celestia ended up being overly cautious with Twilight, keeping Twi in the dark about her part in Celestia’s long-term plans for her sister and the whole Equestria, and almost letting her turn into a complete friendless shut-in because she didn’t want to risk another case of hubris with only a few years left before Nightmare’s return.

@Lurks-no-More  
This actually makes perfect sense. Very nice. Though I also think she decided to stay out of Twilight’s life to let her lead her own path, giving only a few nudges in the right direction.

Since no one replies to the thread I created for such, I will post this headcanon here.
 
So I have been considering how the Equestrian government could work, I decided to largely base it of the British government. Except, importantly, it wouldn’t be a true “constitutional monarchy” in the sense used by the nation. Importantly, the Royal Sisters have actual power and are not merely figureheads.
 
Still, to start I will mostly the same ’powers’ of the Queen. The main difference, is that the Royal Sisters can actually use these powers, while the Queen seems to be unable to use them without a political crisis arising by doing so. If any of you have other ideas, let me know.
 
————————————————————————————————————————————  
– The Royal Sisters alone, as Head of the Equestrian Armed Forces, may declare war or peace.
 
– The Royal Sisters alone may conclude treaties.
 
– The Royal Sisters, as the commanders-in-chief, may choose and appoint officers of all ranks.
 
– The Royal Sisters may convoke, adjourn, remove, and dissolve the High Council.
 
– The Royal Sisters may appoint a Head of Council of her own choosing.
 
– The Royal Sisters may dismiss the Head of Council and their Government.
 
– The Royal Sisters can choose and appoint all judges, councillors, officers of state, etc.
 
– The Royal Sisters may initiate criminal proceedings, and they alone can bestow a pardon.
 
– The Royal Sisters may refuse to sign any act or law of the nation’s High Council.
 
– The Royal Sisters may refuse to dissolve the High Council when requested by the Head of Council.
 
– The Royal Sisters may exercise the refusal of the “Princess’ Consent” (direct Monarchical assent is required for a bill affecting the prerogative, hereditary revenues or the personal property or interests of the Crown to be heard in High Council).
 
– Since the Sovereign is “first in honour, dignity and in power—and the seat and fountain of all three,’’ the Royal Sisters may bestow all public honours, including creating peerages or bestowing Orders of Chivalry.
 
 
The Royal Sisters’ other roles include the following:  
– Perform the ceremonial and official duties as Heads of State.
 
– Represent Equestria to the rest of the world.
 
– Provide a focus for national identity and unity.
 
– Provide stability and continuity in times of change.
 
– Recognize achievement and excellence (by means of awards, medals or orders).
 
– Encourage public and voluntary service.
 
– Support charities and foundations and highlight their causes.

@EquestrianScholar  
Yeah, sounds pretty plausible! Although Equestria is kind of a fantasy United States with technicolor magical ponies and all, I like it when people throw in British elements. :)

@Lurks-no-More  
Honestly, I find comparing Equestia to the United States is a bad pick. They don’t need to deal with the BS which can be found with the politics in the United States, nor does it take forever for things to get done.
 
More, most importantly, Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria for well over a thousand years by herself. She was not elected by the ponies of Equestria, but instead originally she and her sister were actually appointed by Starswirl the Bearded and the other founders of Equestria.
 
Given the fact that Equestrian citizens are not provided the option to actually vote on whether or not Princess Celestia and Princess Luna is to be their leaders, it’s not really comparable to United States government.
 
At least not directly, except perhaps an aspect here and there at best.

@EquestrianScholar  
That is what we outside the US would like to call a Monarchy.  
I can’t say Equestria reminds me of the US at all.
 
Personally given the last few episodes I think Equestria might be socialist.  
Either that or the Mane Six are rich beyond belief, given how they’re able to just randomly build an animal shelter or a cloud palace with no issue.  
At the very least animals get free health care… so that’s cool.
 
So Equestria is a Socialist Monarchy… (Perhaps even theocracy since alicorns seem to be kinda god-like…they control the SUN)  
That’s about as far from USA as you could possibly get. (Keep in mind socialism doesn’t automatically mean money isn’t important;3 Norway is a socialist democracy (also a constitutional Monarchy) but money is still important. But hospital bills are less likely to bankrupt a poor person, and if you can’t work you at least get some support.)

@Usagi-Zakura  
One detail I would added/mention is that, however other distinctions we might use, Equestria is unquestionably a Diarchy since the Royal Sisters rule together.
 
At least that is the intention, when Luna became Nightmare Moon and Celestia had to banish her inside the moon she was ruling alone. Once Luna had returned and the sisters reunited, they again begin sharing rulership as diarchs of the land.

Some more headcanon, directly related to the discussion about governments:
 
Equestria is, in principle, an absolute diarchy; all authority of the state flows from the Princesses who are nominally the supreme and superior rulers of all ponykind everywhere.
 
In practice, it works as a constitutional parliamentary diarchy, since Celestia has spent centuries setting up democratic values and governmental systems that allow the ponies to govern themselves in her name, to the point where the system would pretty much work without her and Luna. She does intervene occasionally, to veto things she doesn’t approve of, or push through stuff she believes are good for Equestria, but by and large ponies really do handle most of the governing.
 
Luna has equally vast and unlimited authority, but she’s never been that interested in bureaucracies or governmental ministries, preferring to help ponies and deliver justice on a more personal level. This is a great relief to the parliament and the various courts and ministries, who deal poorly with mercurially exuberant alicorns with very old-fashioned ideas and no indoor voice, who keep extremely unreasonable hours.