Tenebrae

This may have made sense back when the show only had 2 seasons. However thanks to the Cutie-Re Mark episode Faust's explanation doesn't make any sense in the context of the show. So we either take this statement as an outdated explanation of a certain event in show made by an individual who hasn't had any input on the show since season 2, or we accept it and turn Celestia into an even more incompetent ruler.

When characters can dodge lightning but are generally portrayed as slower and the like is when it becomes clear that there are certain inconsistencies that aren't meant to be taken too seriously due to the nature of the show itself. When do Unicorns shoot beams of light? They shoot beams of magic which don't move anywhere close to the speed of light. Your ignoring external context. Like Simcity11100 said the animators probably just used those visuals in order to make the scene look cool without really knowing the physics of what they are representing (a common error among writers/animators). The reason I believe Rainbow doesn't go much further than Mach 1 is that its pretty clear her Sonic Rainboom is supposed to be the equivalent of a Sonic Boom. The name is basically the same as and the sound used for it is basically the same. You say that we have to go off based on what we know and see and that is exactly what I am doing, but I always try to maintain the perspective that the animators/writers are not infalliable and that it is very possible (and common) for them to fail to represent what they truly meant to portray due to a lack of knowledge in science. That being said it is clear that those like you and those like me just view this too differently to come to an understanding. So unless the showrunners decide to explain themselves we will never consensus on this topic.

Only some of it was canonized and even then there are some minor differences. It doesn't change the fact that a large part of it was retconned and as such it is no longer credible source of information. That said it doesn't mean everything in the Journal is wrong, as Season 8 shows, however it no longer can be considered primary canon due to Season 7. Season 6 makes it very clear that Alicorns are not meant to be born as they have to earn their ascension which is why everyone was so shocked by Flurry Heart.

Nowhere. It is never explicitly stated that Celestia and Luna are artificial Alicorns. However S6E1 heavily implies that all Alicorns prior to Flurry Heart had to earn their ascension, which is why her birth caused such a commotion. The book "Journal of the Two Sisters" had stated that the two were born Alicorns however the canonicity of this book has been put into question since S7E25 changed everything the journal established regarding the Tree of Harmony and Starswirl to some extent. So essentially the people who believe the Journal is no longer canon believe Celestia and Luna to be artificial while those who believe the Journal to be canon believe that the sisters are natural.

That's precisely why I am confused. Gallus never really seemed the leader type. The problem is that none of them fit the Element of Magic, so my guess is the developers will come up with some reasoning as to why this is if they decide on going down this path.

It would be nice if there was a better reason other than because all the other spots are taken.

How could Gallus possibly be the element of Magic?

There is no canon answer to that questions thus far, however the most plausible theory is that Celestia and Luna are connected to the Sun and Moon and that as long as both celestial objects exist so too will the sisters. However people are still divided over whether or not the sisters are born Alicorns. If one was to only use the show as canon, season 6 heavily insinuates that all current Alicorns (except Flurry Heart) earned their ascension, which is why Flurry's birth caused such a commotion. It was previously established in the Journal of Two Sisters that Celestia and Luna were natural Alicorns, however some don't see this source as canon any longer as season 7 chose to retcon a large section of that book.

That's more of an assumption than anything. Its so easy to say, and almost impossible to prove. Of course factors are important, but so is the amount of power one wields. Cadance has only aged until adulthood, as have Celestia and Luna. So for all we know Cadance will also life for a long time.

It still sucks to return 1000 years later and everything and everyone you knew is gone or has changed. But perhaps I am projecting too much realism into what essentially is a TV show for little girls. The problem with power levels in MLP is that we are never given an accurate measurement on how powerful one individual is compared to another. All we know is that there some or stronger than others but never by how much. So far we know: Discord > Celestia + Luna Starswirl > Alicorn Twilight Celestia + Luna > Sombra Pony Of Shadows > Alicorn Twilight Pony Of Shadows > Starswirl Amped Chrysaliss > Celestia Chrysaliss < Alicorn Twilight Nightmare Moon < Daybreaker Alicorn Twilight >= Starlight Nightmare Moon > Celestia (presumably)

I'll agree that since we are never told her intent, assuming anything can be fallacious. Actually I know very few magical systems that hold that you are born with your full power. Regardless you cannot use this to assume the way magic works in MLP, that would be a huge assumption. I rewatched the scene and the magic surrounding Twilight doesn't look like a shield at all, and Celestia's hoof moves in with no resistance or "break" in the shield. It seems we just see things differently, I guess.

We don't know what she intended. Banishing your sister for 1000 thousand years seems needlessly cruel and our of character for Celestia so I doubt so really meant for the elements to do that. I also doubt that the elements do whatever the user wishes as I don't think the elements could ever be used to commit a terrible act. Also the Mane Six were probably not trying to purify Nightmare Moon since they had no idea she was Luna, to them Nightmare was just evil. Yes I am pretty damn sure Unicorn Twilight is weaker than Celestia, especially when she was just a foal magic outburst or not. I maintain that Twilight did not have a shield, and anyways Celestia's horn didn't glow so she was not using magic, all she did was put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder without any resistance.

A tool does not equal personal power. Especially one as powerful as the elements of harmony that are magic McGuffins. Celestia may have been able to use them solo but she was unable to use them effectively as they only banished Nightmare Moon instead of purifying her and even that was only temporary. Wielding the Elements only means that they find you worthy of it not that you are yourself very powerful, and at any rate Celestia and Luna were not able to use the full power of the Elements as they only manifested their true forms with the Current element bearers. Magical shielding? Wut? Glowy magic =/= shielding. Of course you have not seen it done elsewhere since its the only instance it happens. You are assuming far too much. Unicorn Twilight is weaker than Celestia so I would expect her to be able to deal with her spell. Discord may be powerful but even he has limits.

Fair enough on the Canon part. Celestia did not shut her down with magic, she only calmed her down. Celestia only defeated those two with the Elements of Harmony so that is not a personal feat.

The Journal has been contradicted multiple times, namely the whole part of Starswirl and the Tree of Harmony has been completely changed. That to me is enough to no longer consider it canon. Comics are secondary canon at best and they are often contradicted or they exaggerate things or make characters act differently then they do in the show, that's why I only use the show + films when discussing topics. Comics should only be used to re-enforce a point already made in the show. When has she sut down Twilight? I don't remember that in the show. Celestia defeated Sombra with the aid of her sister, so she didn't do it alone. Its never stated how Tirek was defeated the first time. She never defeats Nightmare Moon or Discord. So no, she doesn't really have a good tract record. Yes Daybreaker is her full power, but she access that full power nilly willy, nor would she want to as it turns her insane.

There is no canon basis that the sun empowers her. The Journal of the two sisters has had several elements retconned to the point where it can't be considered canon any longer. The Moon just doesn't seem to drain magic like the sun does. Celestia herself (when using Luna's cutie mark) states that the Moon is easier to move than the sun. Shown time and again? When? And besides Daybreaker isn't really Celestia, its an alter ego pyromaniac. We can't use Celestia and Luna's feat of moving the Sun and the Moon since their respective Cutie Marks makes it much easier for either of them to accomplish this. As such this feat is unquantifiable and no longer as impressive.

Well based on what Twilight said, not just any unicorn could become powerful is they wanted as they would be restricted by their cutie mark and natural talent (presumably). Also Stygian wasn't able to become strong on his own, that's why he seeked to replicate the equipement of the Pillars.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that last sentence. The way I see it, the more potent the ponie's magic, the more capable they are. Regardless we have seen that even among normal ponies there are vast differences between their members. Earth ponies: The average earth pony doesn't seem inherently physically stronger than a Pegasus or Unicorn, however we do have some individuals such as Applejack, Rockhoof and Maud pie who display extreme levels of physical strength. Pegasus: The average Pegasus doesn't seem particularly fast, but we do have some such as Lightning Dust and the Wonderbolts who can go much faster and then there is Rainboom who can break the sound barrier. Unicorn: The average Unicorn doesn't seem that powerful and according to Twilight can only learn a limited number of spells connected to their special talent. However there are some ponies whom have a cutie mark related to magic in some way such as Twilight, Starlight and Starswirl who can learn nearly any spell and are much more powerful. Though to be fair these named ponies are more exceptions rather than the rule.

Celestia and Luna are definitely not weak but they are not as powerful as some claim. We now know that 6 Unicorns were able to move the sun, though this caused them to loose their magic over time. So one would think that Celestia would be stronger than 6 ponies right? Well not necessarily, since Celestia's cutie mark is the Sun this makes it easier for her to move the sun herself as its her special talent. This can be confirmed as when Starlight switch the sisters cutie marks Celestia remarked that the Moon was even easier to move than the sun showing that there is indeed a correlation between the sisters cutie marks and their ability to move the Sun and Moon. Thus the 6 unicorns vs Celestia feat is much harder to quantify. However we know that Alicorns are more powerful than Unicorns as confirmed by Twilight, however we are never given an indication of how much stronger. Twilight with the power of 4 alicorns was able to contend with Tirek who had amassed a large amount of magic from many ponies + Discord. So does that mean that 4 Alicorns is equal to X number of ponies + Discord. Not really, since we know that Celestia + Luna were unable to defeat Discord and we know that regular ponies are able to match or even surpass Alicorns in power as seen with Starlight and Starswirl respectively. If we knew how strong Twilight is compared to Celestia and Luna we would be able to get a better answer but so far all we can say is that Twilight is probably weaker than them but by how much we don't know. However as Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker their powers seem quite potent if the episode and the Legends comic is too be believed.

The idea that Alicorns are gods is outdated fan trash that is not even worth considering as of today. While Alicorns are indeed more powerful than a typical Unicorn, Pegasus or Earth Pony, we have seen very talented Unicorns take on Alicorns and match them such as in the case of Starlight Glimmer. Even Starswirl the Bearded is confirmed to be more powerful than Twilight, however that may change in the future. In short while Alicorns are powerful they are definitely not unbeatable. The idea that Alicorns are immortal is also just another theory and it has never been confirmed. Celestia at the very least can be considered long lived which would indicate that they are indeed blessed with long life. Curiously however Word of God claims that Twilight will not outlive her friends. The Journal of the Two Sisters can no longer be considered as a truly valide source of information. The episode "Shadow Play" rewrote the interaction Starswirl and the Sisters had with the Tree of Harmony, however the episode "Pony Play" did confirm that Unicorns lost their magic from lifting the sun. This would indicate that while the show may use the Journal as reference material for future episode they are capable and willing to change lore to suit their desires. As such I believe Journal to merely be 'secondary' canon. The idea that Luna and Celestia are naturally born Alicorns is highly questionable and seemingly appears to be no longer be canon. I have already explained why I cannot take the Journal at face value anymore, as such anything that it claims and that the show implied against I will ignore. The Episode "The Crystalling" explains that Alicorn status is something that must be earned and cannot be born with (something that Megan McCathy also claims) which is why Flurry Heart's birth was such a shock. Even Celestia and Luna were baffled by such an event and claimed that it was beyond their understanding and that the birth of an Alicorn is something Equestria had never seen. Alicorns are also never treated as Gods within the show and no religious practices seem apparent.

I don't think Twilight or any one pony is capable of creating new elements. The EoH were created from the combination of the magic of all 6 Pillars of Equestria which themselves were very special. Also none of them expected their efforts to take shape as the Elements themselves. Perhaps if Twilight and her 5 friends reproduced the efforts of the Pillars a new set of elements may be created eventually.

The idea that one pony race is naturally better than others is a misconception that stems from the outliers of each race. Generally speaking an average unicorn, earth pony and Pegasus have an equal amount of magic with the only difference being the way this magic manifests itself. Unicorns are the only race with active magic which allows them to cast spells. However each unicorn is limited to spells that are related to their Cutie mark, that said there are some universal Unicorn spells that any unicorn can perform such as telekinesis. Pegasi have passive magic that allows them to fly, walk on clouds and manipulate the weather to an extent. Earth ponies have passive magic that gives them a unique connection to nature which allows them to work better with plants and animals, which seemingly allows them to produce more produce then the other two races combined. They also appear to be blessed with strong hearts. Earth ponies are not innately stronger than Pegasi or Unicorns, however most Earth ponies life lives with a greater level of physical labour than the other races which trains their bodies to be fitter, stronger and more durable. Outliers on the other hand display capabilities that far exceed the capacities of the majority of their species. -Some Unicorns such as Twilight Sparkle, Starswirl and Starlight Glimmer have Cutie Marks that relate to Magic itself which allows them to cast any spell as long as they have the aptitude and power required for it, which more often then not they do. -Some Pegasi such as Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust are much faster than others of their race and are capable of creating weather conditions only possible with several pegasi. Rainbow Dash is so talented that she capable of breaking the sound barrier and generating a Sonic Rainboom. -Earth pony outliers on the other hand are unique in that instead of being blessed with a greater connection to nature are gifted supernatural strength that far surpasses the physical capabilities of the other races. Such outliers include Apple Jack, Rock Hoof and Maud Pie. As impressive as these races and their magic are, they are however inferior to power of an Alicorn. An Alicorn is a combination of all three Pony Magics and as such contain the magic capacity of at least 3 ponies. Their magic also appears to be bestowed with unique properties as it seemingly gives one long life as well required for certain alchemical concoctions. While Alicorns are confirmed to be more powerful than a Unicorn, this does not mean that they are unreachable by members of the other races. Some of the most powerful and talented Unicorns are capable of contesting, matching and even overwhelming Alicorns, however as a general rule Alicorns are the strongest of all the pony races.

Celestia, Luna and the Royal Guard would eventually defeat her. Alternatively the EoH would also beat her. Amulet Trixie is powerful yes, probably as strong as Celestia or close enough; but there are things in MLP that can easily defeat alicorns so....

Simple. She is just shorter than her sister. Celestia seems to be the one who is abnormally tall. Besides pony heights vary from individual to individual. Big Mac, Starswirl, Fleur are all tall ponies and Rock Hoof is enormous.

I started taking an interest in MLP around the time of Season 3 and it has sort of been an on-off kind of relationship. As for the Community itself I only joined it 2 days ago . According to the rumour Gen 5 will be targeted to a more mature audience, which may allow them to expand on things and introduce more complex ideas that were not simple enough for children. Who know really? Being off topic is the best kind of topic