Can we estimate how long Twilight Sparkle's been in Ponyville at this point?

[Jack Durango 119]

Within two seasons of the show, we've seen all four weather seasons of the ponies' world go by at least once. So, based off of these observations, episodes centering around seasons, and any slight sense of continuity in the show, can we make an estimate as to how long Twilight's been a resident of Ponyville?

 

Twilight moved in on the second day she had been in Ponyville, to stay with her new-found friends and study the magic of friendship (but you knew that, right?). She's experienced most, if not all, of the celebrations Ponyville holds throughout one typical year. However, I don't think the storyline follows a strict chronological order. "Winter Wrap Up", which was episode 11, was just two episodes before "Fall Weather Friends", episode 13, and of course fall comes before winter (this is going off of the assumption that Equestria has the same seasonal and climatal patterns as Earth).

 

There are some examples of continuity in the show that align with broadcast order:

 

- Preparing for the Grand Galloping Gala

- Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Sense", since Twilight's (and consequently our) discovery of it in the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen", has been referenced in several episodes beyond

- The battle with and defeat of Nightmare Moon

And maybe some more examples, if you can find them.

 

This makes me think that, while different episodes contain separate events that most likely happened at different times, these events were not spread out very far from one another. That being said, my guess is that Twilight has been a resident of Ponyville for...

 

A year? Probably.

 

18 months? Perhaps.

 

Two years? Possibly.

 

The show is no longer a young one, as we prepare to enter the third season of Friendship is Magic. Matters like this will hardly seem important later on, because time stops for nopony, nor any brony, and all things must progress. This is no reason we can't be sure of where we stand now, though. So as it stands, to rephrase my question, how long has Twilight Sparkle, our adorable, dedicated, studious little protagonist, been living in Ponyville?

[Doctor XFizzle 8,669]

It's OVER 9,000!!!!!!!!!

 

hours Twilight's been a member of Ponyville at least. This is assuming the calendar in Equestria is the same as ours here IRL.

[Guile 18]

Two years is a bit much in my opinion. I always thought that the GGG was mere months away when they got the tickets for it, so I think Season 2 ends within a year of the beginning of the show.

[BetaWolf 97]

It's blatantly impossible. The episodes do not occur in chronological order. In Season 1, Episode 11, it's the end of winter. Two episodes later, it's now fall. Who knows whether some Season 2 episodes take place during the events of Season 1?

[JhonHipster 124]

The episodes happen in weird order plus we don't know what season order and duration is like so we have no idea.

[My little pwny 1,392]

I've thought about this as well. I don't like the idea of them aging, however it would be nice to know how long the show has been going on. The fact that the winter episode came two shows before Fall, makes understanding how long she's been there hard.

[NavelColt 22,880]

A matter of months, maybe half a year, maybe a little over. Not over a year though, in my opinion.

[Xievie 498]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTIZXV7k2-4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

We can use this video to help figure this out. I estimate somewhere more than a year or two.

[PonyEcho 1,610]

considering that most of the seasons as well as day and night are triggered by the Pegesi and Alacorns a year in equestria may not be the same as one earth year

also take into mind that there has been a winter has happend twice once in winter wrapup and heartswarming eve so its been well over a year.

maybe a year and a half (pony years)

 

EDIT: also we have only seen them celebraite 4 birthdays Twilight's, Pinkies, Spike's(and the day the mane 6 got there cutiemarks) and Gummy's

Edited July 7, 2012 by PonyEcho

[Gikkleslick 41]

I'd say a year at least, but I'm just guessing.

[BetaWolf 97]

also take into mind that there has been a winter has happend twice once in winter wrapup and heartswarming eve so its been well over a year.

 

Hearth's Warming Eve could've taken place before Winter Wrap Up, during the same winter season. Again, there's no telling when an episode happens. The only surefire thing we can assume is, if Twilight isn't the one who writes to Celestia at the end, it happens after Lesson Zero. We don't know when Lesson Zero happens, however.

[PonyEcho 1,610]

Hearth's Warming Eve could've taken place before Winter Wrap Up, during the same winter season. Again, there's no telling when an episode happens. The only surefire thing we can assume is, if Twilight isn't the one who writes to Celestia at the end, it happens after Lesson Zero. We don't know when Lesson Zero happens, however.

 

thats possible but you would then have to take into account that the episodes arnt in order which would screw everything up like a discord equestria. also the fact the a letter has to be sent to celestia we could just count all the episodes that have a lesson in the end but what about lessons learnt outside of the episodes

(BRAIN OVERLOAD WARNING WARNING WARNING)

im ok i think the pinkie pie working my thoughts can't handle the speculations

[ZStrike37 107]

As other's have said, I doubt there is a real chronological order going on, although as you have also said, some episodes must clearly come after some others. But I think it's important to remember that Equestria likely does not follow our own seasonal patterns. Since Pegasi control the weather, it's very possible that the Running of the Leaves may come a week after Winter Wrap Up. Now could the Pegasi manipulate the weather to follow a specific pattern year-round? Sure. But the revernse is also true. Heck, for all we know, there might be two or three "winters" in a single 365-day span.

 

For my personal guess, I'm thinking a season is about a year's time in the world. Going by this, I'd say she's been around for two years. But who's to say, really? We may never know

[Thunderbolt 35]

Its Ponyville. We don't know what order the seasons are like there, so my guess would be around a year and a half.

[Radiance64 7,053]

I'd say at least half a year passed in season 1, since Twilight said in Lesson Zero that she's sent a letter to Celestia every week and there were 26 episodes, which would probably be about 25 weeks factoring in the premiere 2-parter, plus it's safe to assume that all the episodes happened before the gala thanks to the continuity between the tickets and the dresses. No idea for season 2 though, continuity was rather unclear in that one.

[Nas 2,873]

On this day, it has been 666 days since the first episode of the show premiered.

 

So, I guess you can say she's been in Ponyville for 666 days.

 

 

Yep.

 

 

.......

[MVC NVMXD JVRXD 2,406]

1 week. No more, no less.

[Magic Man 222]

Oh, I'd say about...a year? A year and a half? Yeah, that sounds right.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

It's blatantly impossible. The episodes do not occur in chronological order. In Season 1, Episode 11, it's the end of winter. Two episodes later, it's now fall. Who knows whether some Season 2 episodes take place during the events of Season 1?

 

Actually, that was a requirement stamped by Hasbro, telling Studio B to make the show "possible to watch in any order regardless of the episode number".

 

They did that for season 1, but the season finale suggests that it indeed was the last piece of the chronological puzzle. After that, season two appeared to stray far, far from Hasbro's original requirement, for whatever reason. Perhaps they are trying to make it more of a story now, with the brony fanbase booming and growing rapidly.

 

With this in mind, if anyone can organize the season one timeline together, that would be swell.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Iron Mare

[BetaWolf 97]

I've thought about this as well. I don't like the idea of them aging, however it would be nice to know how long the show has been going on. The fact that the winter episode came two shows before Fall, makes understanding how long she's been there hard.

 

What's wrong with them aging? Ponies can live to be over a thousand years old in the series. Is it ever stated that only alicorns live to be as old as Luna and Celestia?

 

As other's have said, I doubt there is a real chronological order going on, although as you have also said, some episodes must clearly come after some others. But I think it's important to remember that Equestria likely does not follow our own seasonal patterns. Since Pegasi control the weather, it's very possible that the Running of the Leaves may come a week after Winter Wrap Up. Now could the Pegasi manipulate the weather to follow a specific pattern year-round? Sure. But the revernse is also true. Heck, for all we know, there might be two or three "winters" in a single 365-day span.

 

That's also a possibility. There could be three winters in our own earth time, and seasons could appear in a different order than our own. I don't personally think much attention is given to seasons, however. In any given cartoon series, it always appears to be spring or summer unless the season is crucial to the plot. So it might not be possible to judge time based on seasons, even if they did occur in order.

[Magicon 468]

I say a year but definitely not more than two.

[moneyshredderofdeath 414]

I'd go with a year and a half. It feels right considering that's how long the show has aired, and aside from seasons jumping around there are no huge inconsistencies.