How does puberty work in MLP?

[Mysterycat 27]

Okay, now I know this is about puberty, but please keep it as clean as possible. You can mention becoming fertile and whatnot, but no graphic NSFW jokes or whatever.

Down to topic, the reason why I was wondering how puberty worked in MLP was because I heard some people likening getting a cutie mark to going through puberty.

 

Also, in the flashbacks in The Cutie Mark Chronicles and Where the Apple Lies, Fluttershy and Applejack respectively had those long, skinny legs. Is this something that happens to ponies when they go through puberty?

 

I suppose they have a point when they become fertile and I guess ponies can be straight, gay, bi or whatever, but are there any other things that happen as ponies go through puberty?
Does it affect unicorn magic?

 

Also, do cutie marks have anything to do with puberty or can a pony find their special talent and therefore get their cutie mark when they're still prepubescent?

[Tropico 225]

it works like humans or real horses i guess xD

they grow stronger. some stallions grow GOATEES...

 

I dont remember if it was stated in the show but i guess their magic becames powerful at the puberty. I like to think as a headcanon that their magic at their puberty is stronger than as kids but more unstable. Because that's what teens are 

[Red Cedar 1,407]

You can't get pregnant before you get your cutie mark. (or so the colts say to their fillyfriends...)

 

Seriously, I think cutie marks and puberty have nothing to do with each other. As evidence, see the episode where they all got their cutie marks. Fluttershy was clearly in the middle of a growth spurt, with her much longer legs and larger wings (I believe the producer described her as being in an "awkward phase") but she and Pinkie Pie got their cutie marks on the same day, even though Fluttershy was, as stated in another episode, a year older than Pinkie.

 

So, while cutie marks are a major (and much more publicly acknowledged) milestone in one's life, I don't think it has any relation to puberty.

[sweetolebob18 724]

"How does it work?" This is TVY.  It doesn't work.  I point to the Cakes + Cadence & Shiny. You get married, spend some time off screen, & a cute little baby magically appears for no discernable reason.  One of life's unsolvable mysteries. 

[cmarston1 5,952]

I kinda just assumed getting a cutie mark was the MLP version of puberty.

Edited February 6, 2017 by cmarston1

[Leave a Whisper 703]

Presumably like a real horse, only they're magical so they'll live longer and may be able to reproduce for a while. Horses reach full maturity at five years old and fertility slows after I think ten or eleven years old. Though accidents can still happen, it's rare.

 

It may also depend on the species of pony too, no one knows how long the lesser seen species lives or when they reach full maturity.

 

Do earth ponies only live about 30-35 years? Are unicorns and unipegs fertile for a longer time period because they can live for hundreds of years?

 

Do bug type ponies such as breezies, wingers and changelings live for shorter periods, forcing them to mature and breed quickly?

 

Those are my thoughts anyway.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Leave a Whisper

[CT-1138 3,180]

Puberty in real horses is very fast, to the point where a year old foal is analogous to a teenage pony. Since we know at least a year has passed since the show has started, and the CMC hasn't gotten any bigger, I'd say that MLPs are probably closer to humans in their growth and development.