How long is 100 moons? And with it, how long since the first episode?

[Arcanel 3,041]

Now, you might be wondering, why in the world did I add the last question? Simple. If you can all recall, there was an Apple Family Reunion in the exact first episode of the show, which was how we had all met the Apple relatives in the first place.Granny Smith mentioned that the Apple Family Reunions occur each 100 moons. But therein lies the first question. Just how much is that? Well, it could have many different interpretations.

 

The first is that 100 moons means 100 nights, which would mean that since the first episode, barely more than 3 months have passed since then. While I'm not too inclinedto believe that that little has passed, the truth is, we don't really know.

 

The second interpretation that occurs to me, is that 100 moons means each FULL moon..............buuuuut I don't think there are moon phases in Equestria. Or at least, not that they show. So this is probably highly unlikely, EVEN THOUGH, it might mean a more believable timeline since the first episode until now.

 

Finally, "moons" might mean a time interpretation that is common to the Apples but not us. This is highly likely, but sadly is the one that gives us less information about.

 

And as a last thing, it MIGHT be that more than one Apple Family Reunion might have passed since the one in the first episode, therefore, more than 100 moons might have passed, regardless of how much time that is.

 

So...what do you think?

[spas-ticShotty 3,582]

I think 100 moons is Smith's exaggeration for 1 year. If so, it seem's more likely that it's been a year since the first episode in Equestrian timeline. Then again, maybe it does 100 exact moons, so maybe it really has only been 3 months. If so, a lot of shit has gone down during those 3 months . Ya know, unless Apple Family Reunion is out of order on the Equestrian timeline.

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

I think it means every full moon, last actual family reunion was when Granny smith was young.

 The pilot episode wasn't a reunion, they had just visited Ponyville to help with the preparations if I recall correctly.

[Descant 1,897]

In a series of books I'm reading, the term 'moon' as a unit of time refers to a lunar cycle, or the amount of time elapsed between every full moon. Assuming the lunar cycle takes roughly thirty days like it does here, every hundred moons would amount to about one family reunion every 295 days 2,953 days. So... Every eight years, and then some. 

 

But, considering seasons have been proven to not work the same as in our real world (As evidenced by the existence of windigos and Winter Wrap Up), and that lunar cycles are surely a different length from in our world,  considering the moon is directly controlled by Princess Luna, odds are that these reunions occur more often. After all, as far as I can remember, there have been only two winter episodes, it appears only two years would have passed, considering these episodes were not contiguous. (I may be mistaken.)

 

Edited December 26, 2012 by Descant

[Colt 555]

Well 100 moons in our world will take like 8 years as our lunar face takes close to 1 month (28 days) and there are 12 months each year.

 

I totally agree with you saying that there is not a lunar cycle as far as we have seen in the episodes every night has a full moon but there are some “clues” that could prove us wrong.

 

Not all nights in all episodes have a moon, or we cant see it leaving the chance of a “new moon”.

 

Also there are some references to the moon cycle on Luna herself and Twilight’s dad cutie marks we can see a crescent moon that is also the royal seal for the princess of the night.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Colt

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

I assumed that the 100 moons was another way of saying 100 months. I am of the opinion that the gathering in the first episode was not in the reunion schedule, and had more to do with the fact that it was the Summer Sun Celebration. I always thought that the extended family knew that the Ponyville Apples needed help catering for everypony and wanted to see Celestia so a bunch of them came to visit.

 

I could be wrong, but I think the reunion in the first episode was something unusual.

 

As for the 100 moons, it is very possible that it is a measure of time that we can't precisely translate but for the moment I'm sticking with it meaning roughly eight years.

[Concord 1,980]

I think i'd be logical for a reunion to occur once a year, so we can state from this information, that 100 moons is equivalent to a year in their world.

 

just a thought i thought of, although i like the way Descant and Colt think more, but i don't think that a reunion should occur only every 8 years... Maybe a moon is a day.

 

Edit: If the last time the reunion was organized was when Aj was a little filly, as the show shows, then i would agree on the 8 years. Can anyone confirm if it was?

Edited December 26, 2012 by Concord

[Firelord Derpy 310]

Maybe the reunion in Ponyville in the first episode was a smaller thing for more local families. While ever 100 moons they have a big one that everyone comes to.

Example: Every year my family goes to celebrate the Fourth of July with family. Not everyone comes but usually the more local families are there. Every now and again they have a huge reunion where everyone comes.

[Heart's Desire 181]

We have 13 moon cycles in a year. Because the lunar cycle and our calendar don't match up accurately. This is why you get two full moons in one month which is often referred to as a blue moon. So 100 moons divided by 13 per year gives us 7.69 years, by our timeline. Now a blue moon doesn't happen all the time so it's probably a bit closer to 8.

 

We know that Applejack was young at the last family reunion so it' hasn't been too long, but without knowing their moon cycle or how old the ponies are it's impossible to tell. Generally speaking, though, when someone refers to the term "moon" as a timeline they mean the full cycle of the moon from new to full back to new. 

 

Also, if the reunions were once a year I don't think they'd be that big a deal. For anyone who has yearly family reunions you know they get kinda boring and stressful rather than fun. Lots of families do them only every couple of years so that doesn't happen.

Edited December 26, 2012 by MoonFeather

[Arcanel 3,041]

I think 100 moons is Smith's exaggeration for 1 year.

Wait, how could that even mean 1 year?  

 

Ya know, unless Apple Family Reunion is out of order on the Equestrian timeline.

You mean it may not be chronologically in order?.... But that would imply One Bad Apple too...nah...seems too unlikely...

 

The pilot episode wasn't a reunion, they had just visited Ponyville to help with the preparations if I recall correctly.

Oh but Applejack said so herself in Applebuck Season when talking to Twilight. The conversation went:

 

Twilight: "But what about all those other relatives that I met when I first came to Ponyville? Can't they help?"

Applejack: "They were just here for the Apple Family Reunion. They're actually all over Equestria"

 

I'm thinking it WAS an Apple Family Reunion, given those statements.

 

Also there are some references to the moon cycle on Luna herself and Twilight’s dad cutie marks we can see a crescent moon that is also the royal seal for the princess of the night.

Hmmm...you're right about that... 

[Descant 1,897]

Maybe the reunion in Ponyville in the first episode was a smaller thing for more local families. While ever 100 moons they have a big one that everyone comes to.

Example: Every year my family goes to celebrate the Fourth of July with family. Not everyone comes but usually the more local families are there. Every now and again they have a huge reunion where everyone comes.

That would make sense. After all, the crowd at the reunion in the pilot episode was rather smaller than the one in Apple Family Reunion. I don't remember seeing half the ponies established in the Season 3 Episode in the Pilot Reunion, including the Appleloosa lot, the Manehattan lot (Including the Oranges and Babs Seed), nor any of the characters introduced in the Season 3 Reunion itself. Plus many of the characters in the premier episode have been seen around Ponyville, implying they live there, or at least nearby. The Pilot Reunion must have been an unofficial one to celebrate Summer Sun, much like lots of families do on the Fourth of July in our world.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Descant

[FancyPhoenix 197]

I was actually pondering this very same thing on the topic about the episode. The way I see it, is that the writers have simply forgotten the mention of Apple family reunion in the fourth episode, thus creating a plot hole in the series. In the case that there is no plot hole, I'm inclined to believe that it has actually been more than 8 years since Twilight started living in Ponyville. That's more believeable than the theory of 100 moons meaning 100 nights. In my opinion at least. Three months is way too little time for all the stuff that has been happening in Ponyville

 

Also, about there being smaller reunions for more local family members in between the bigger family reunions. Applejack clearly stated in the fourth episode that the other Apples were there for the Apple family reunion. I don't think it sounds believable that they would call a smaller get-together with the exact same name they call the big reunion. Makes no sense to me...

Edited December 26, 2012 by Jamza

[Sepraxian 36]

Do you guys really expect to hear something that precise from Granny Smith? Lunar cycles and stuff?

I personally stick to the idea that "100 moons" bears the same meaning as the, say, "over 9000" meme. Just another way of saying "a lot".

Edited December 26, 2012 by Sepraxian

[ShyForever 282]

Didn't Twilight have to write to Princess Celestia everyday? If that's the case, then I believe that 100 moons is around three months. Think about it. All of these episodes have a possibility of occurring in a three month period; this sounds the most plausible to me.

[Wingnut 6,725]

Dagnabbit, I was about to sign off and run some errands but y'all had to post a lengthy, thought provoking thread about moons and how long it's been since Episode 1.

 

My two cents: There is NO WAY it has been eight years since Twilight first landed in Ponyville. If that were so, the Mane 6 would still be in school in the earliest episodes. But there is no sign that anypony is in school except for Twilight whose studies are akin to a post secondary correspondence school of some sort. But just for the sake of discussion, let's say everypony is in school off camera and their occupations are after school jobs. Rarity, at that time, would've been an apprentice dressmaker instead of an independent businessmare. Fluttershy may also have been working with an older Ponyville animal caretaker before becoming self-sufficient in that role. AJ's, RD's, and Pinkie Pie's jobs, by comparison, appear to be things any inexperienced, adolescent pony could do with minimum training.

 

This situation might be tenable for the first few episodes. But by the time we get to Call of the Cutie most of those eight years would have passed because the CMCs have only aged slightly since then. I can see them going a year or two without cutie marks while their peers are getting them, but not eight years. However, an eight year time lapse would explain why Apple Bloom looks and sounds so much younger in the pilot than she does in any other episode.

 

It is also possible Apple Jack had a brain fart and referred to the sun celebration gathering as a reunion by mistake. As shown in my posts elsewhere, I sometimes read too much into things in this cartoon. But I agree with Sepraxion here. 100 moons is a vague expression for a long time and it isn't meant to be taken literally.

[GamerLuna7 207]

I think every moon granny smith is referring to is one year. So one moon is one year and 100 moons is 100 years. Also then the pictures granny smith showed would make sense because she was young on one and old on the second.

[Anadu Kune 668]

Well you kinda covered all the possibilities I could come up with. My thoughts....hmmmmmm.......

Well I think its written to be purposefully ambiguous. This show is written to have continuity, but at the same time they want to have a more vague time sense so that they have a little leeway to play around. 

[Flicker Sweet 3,391]

1 moon is an old term used to measure time

it is a lunar cycle (New moon to new moon)

it's not very reliable though since the moon is not always visible, and doesn't maintain a constant orbit

[joeyh3 153]

There's been a lot of debate on this "100 moons" thing, and how that equals almost eight years. It's a pretty simple explanation though: Chaos!

 

While Discord was in power, the day/night cycle lasted roughly five seconds instead of the normal twenty four hours. That means that during his regime, there was  a complete lunar cycle roughly once every two and a half minutes, instead of twenty eight days. If he was in power for three hours, than that's roughly seventy two lunar cycles, leaving it necessary for only twenty eight natural lunar cycles to occur in order to reach the "hundred moons" mark.

 

Thirteen a year times two years equals twenty six lunar cycles, for a total of ninety eight. Two more months (since it's December and MLP premiered in October) brings you two one hundred lunar cycles in only two years and two months. Perfect match. 

[Veylon 255]

There's been a lot of debate on this "100 moons" thing, and how that equals almost eight years. It's a pretty simple explanation though: Chaos!

 

While Discord was in power, the day/night cycle lasted roughly five seconds instead of the normal twenty four hours. That means that during his regime, there was  a complete lunar cycle roughly once every two and a half minutes, instead of twenty eight days. If he was in power for three hours, than that's roughly seventy two lunar cycles, leaving it necessary for only twenty eight natural lunar cycles to occur in order to reach the "hundred moons" mark.

 

Thirteen a year times two years equals twenty six lunar cycles, for a total of ninety eight. Two more months (since it's December and MLP premiered in October) brings you two one hundred lunar cycles in only two years and two months. Perfect match. 

I think if they counted all the "days" in Discord's reign they'd risk the Pony equivalent of the 1752 Calendar Riots.

 

We don't know exactly how long a "moon" is in Equestria - or even if it's a consistent time period - so we can't really know how long it is in days. For all we know, a "moon" is seven days to give some cosmological support to the concept of a "week". I do find the calculation of "roughly seven years" to be reasonable - travel in oldentimes was rough and they might have trouble affording getting everyone together every single year. On the other hand, they've got rail service, so who knows...

[Arcanel 3,041]

I think every moon granny smith is referring to is one year. So one moon is one year and 100 moons is 100 years.

The problem with this, is that Aunt Rose and Granny Smith and co. had met SIX REUNIONS ago. I'm pretty sure they aren't 600 years old.  

 

Plus, the problem I have with the time having been 8 years is, how in the world did the CMC NOT grow up after 8 years from the last Apple Family Reunion that was in the first episode? That is, to those that consider, like me, that the APR in the first episode was one. I base myself on the grounds of AJ's mentioning it herself. 

[Flutterbee 92]

Some people are pretty close but not quite right.  If you use our calender it is mixed up of a solar and lunar calender.  Ignore the solar calender for this post and we will only refer to the lunar calender.

 

A lunar week is the same as a normal week, 7 nights = 1 lunar phase, 28 nights = a full cycle.  Therefore a lunar month is 28 days.  There are 13 lunar months in a year so that = 364 nights per year.  Only one number off from our current cycle when it isn't a leap year.  The entire calender used to be based on the Lunar cycle but over time the seasons would be completely out of whack.  Winter coming earlier each year was very literal in those times, it would come precisely 1 day earlier each year.  The current mix of Solar and lunar calender was created to solve that problem keeping the 7 day week.  Not sure on this but theory has it that the calender was changed to 12 months instead of 13 over superstition that 13 was bad and 12 was good.

 

To answer the previous question, when you do the math, an apple family reuinion would happen every 7 years 9 months on the lunar calender.  I'm guessing though that it would really be every 8 years since they would want it the same season each year.  That seems about right for family reunions in my book.  Then again it is a cartoon in a different world so all of what I said was completely irrelevant.

[Wingnut 6,725]

Plus, the problem I have with the time having been 8 years is, how in the world did the CMC NOT grow up after 8 years from the last Apple Family Reunion that was in the first episode? That is, to those that consider, like me, that the APR in the first episode was one. I base myself on the grounds of AJ's mentioning it herself. 

Because Apple Bloom's speaking voice wasn't clearly settled on in the first episode, some might try to argue that they DID grow a lot over a few episodes.   People trying to “prove” eight years has passed shouldn't use production quirks to support their argument. But for everyone's education and amusement, I'm putting a little comparison together. Apple Bloom's first speaking appearance:

 

 

No way Twilight could've resisted that Apple Bloom. But an Apple Bloom sounding that young wouldn't have come across as credible for the kinds of stories planned for her, Scoots, and Sweetie Belle. Michelle Creber was probably asked to shoot for something sounding a little older in Apple Bloom's first major appearance:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulSTR_NEwB4

 

It's not unusual for voice actors to change noticeably from their first appearance. My personal favorite example of a character changing voices is Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls. She is voiced by E.G. Daily who also did Tommy's voice in Rugrats. Ironically, Season 1 Buttercup sounded a lot like Chuckie from Rugrats. Daily put a little too much “boy” in the tomboy's voice. From season 2 on Buttercup sounds much more feminine.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

8 years I believe, but I think it would be more logical for a reunion to take place every year.  I don't think it's been a year since the first episode though, more like 10 months.  I think they were there to set up or something.

[Arcanel 3,041]

Because Apple Bloom's speaking voice wasn't clearly settled on in the first episode, some might try to argue that they DID grow a lot over a few episodes.   People trying to “prove” eight years has passed shouldn't use production quirks to support their argument.

But voice aside, there's the fact their BODIES should have grown. Being just fillies, 8 years would make a HUGE change at a physical level, wouldn't it?