The Purpose of Starswirl's Spell and the Nature of Twilights Transformation.

[Anadu Kune 668]

Many are speculating over the intended purpose of the spell Starswirl failed to complete. Some going on to say its a major plot hole. I myself see an explanation in the episode itself many seem to be missing. 

In the flash back when Twilight recalls trying to use the spell we see that it effects the Elements of Harmony. At that point no one knew what the spell would do though it seemed Celestia had her suspicion. The spell was completed using this phrase "from all of us together together we are friends.With the marks of our destinies made one there is magic without end".  these scenes are key. 

 

The intention of the spell seemed to be to try to amplify the magic in the Elements of Harmony. As indicated by the the scenes above. The spell directly affects the elements. However the elements are directly tied to the ponies of the current time and the ponies to the Elements. This is indicated in the first episode and also by the fact that the elements take on the shape of the pony's cutie marks. So the spell when misused unfortunately effected the ponies switching the elements and the ponies. 

 

It directly said what the error is. It seems Starswirl forgot a key word to magical items he was attempting to manipulate. They are the Elements of Harmony.  These items are only useful in conjunction with a harmonious state, that being friendship  As seen in the first episode the Elements came to life only when twilight ignited the spark of friendship realizing for the first time its importance. So it would stand to reason the elements could be amplified using a special spell of harmony increasing the harmonious state allowing the elements to be used to the fullest efficiency. Looking at Starswirl's spell its obvious why he failed, he realized the elements could be amplified but failed to understand he needed a special sort of harmony to do so, that being friendship the very bond that connects the ponies tied to them allowing the elements to be used in the first place. In Celestia's own words "You've done Something today that's never been done before. Something that even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do." Celestia isn't talking about writing magic, no nothing so trivial. She is referring to successfully fully harmonizing the Elements of Harmony with comprehension of friendship. Of course she did this by completing Starswirl's spell. This is further indicated by the appearance of Twilight's cutie mark upon her return to ponyville. There are six stars instead of the usual five. This would seem to indicated the full uni-faction of all the six ponies  and elements. 

 

Twilight's transformation

Some seem to think Celestia herself is solely responsible for this transformation. I don't think this is the case and I think this is indicated in the episode. When twilight changes the magic that changes her doesn't come from Celestia, it comes from Twilight herself. The color of the magic also seems to match up to Twilight. What does this mean? Well to sum it up in one sentence... Alicorns aren't created they are realized. At least in Twilights case. Celestias Ballad indicated that. Showing that Twilight had grown so much since that first episode and that this change was to come from that growth and new found knowledge. Celestia was merely the cataylist for that change. Now this comes to a complaint in the episode, why didn't Celestia offer Twilight a choice in becoming an alicorn? Now this bothers me too however again I think this is partially explained in the episode though not as much as the things above which is why it bothers me. It might not have really been up to Celestia at that point at least to an extent. Celestia is not the one who brought Twilight to that realm, it was Twilight. By completing the spell she reached a harmonization point realizing her new potential apparently ascending into some astral plane. As indicated by the song she was ready to start this new stage in her life. It may have been inevitable  Celestia just helped it along to comfort Twilight after all who does twilight trust more than her. Going through this experience alone could be terrifying. Much easier with the helping, supportive, and loving hand of a mother and mentor. Again this of all the points is the least explored however I still think it is indicated, but it bothers me its not explored more. 

[HeartOfSilver 41]

Wow.....just, wow. This is a FANTASTIC explanation of the whole episode! I felt there was something much deeper to it than I realized (but I watched it at almost 5 in the morning, so obviously my brain wouldn't function right), but after watching it again, I felt there was something I wasn't getting. I felt the whole episode was just a cliffhanger and foreshadowing, which it is, but there's such a deeper meaning to it. And you just told all of us about it. Now we can see it.

 

This is awesome and it goes to show the depth the writing team has for this show. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Edited February 18, 2013 by HeartOfSilver

[Anadu Kune 668]

Wow.....just, wow. This is a FANTASTIC explanation of the whole episode! I felt there was something much deeper to it than I realized (but I watched it at almost 5 in the morning, so obviously my brain wouldn't function right). I felt the whole episode was just a cliffhanger and foreshadowing, which it is, but there's such a deeper meaning to it. And you just told all of us about it. Now we can see it.

 

This is awesome and it goes to show the depth the writing team has for this show.

I think its hard to see for some because of the pacing issues. Things just go by so fast it could be hard to see. I also feel its because the show doesn't normally rely so much on the emotional context of music to tell its story. It utilizes it but not to this extent. Each song is a major part in moving the story along.

[Stalliongrad 982]

I said i want Starswirl the Bearded to be the next major antagonist. I think he purposely left out a bit of the spell to see if anyone was clever enough to see what he was doing. There was a cool rumor that Discord might actually have been Starswirl. Which if that was true it would have been very interesting to see. I think that Starswirl is the creator of most of the magical relics in Equestria. Maybe he created the Alicorn Amulet. What if he was the creator of the Elements of Harmony? It seems very unlikely that someone who wrote that many spells simply "gave up" on finishing this one. I think it can go either way. If Starswirl is a good guy maybe he will take Twilight under his wing and teach her things she hasn't learned yet. Or maybe he is a bad guy and he wants a challenge because noone has been able to come close to his skill level and that in leaving the spell partially unfinished it was like a test to find this "opponent". I don't want to get into the gloom mode again but genuinely i don't like Alicorn Twilight. If such a story arc takes place where someone like Starswirl takes Twilight in and teaches her even more greater and powerful magic i think i can grow to like the idea.

[The-Master 1,176]

Star Swirl may have even been a powerful unicorn who sought to achieve ascension to Alicornhood (thus earning immortality) but the final piece would forever remain beyond his reach, and he would never achieve the destiny he sought. Actually, if no one else is going to do that I think I may just have to use that.

Edited February 18, 2013 by The-Master

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

Thanks for the explanation.... now i dont have tha plot-hole naggy feeling anymore ..... yeah that bothered me about the episode lolz.

[GrifCannon 102]

You hit the nail on the head. One thing I'd like to add, is that I believe that while Celestia did not directly transform twilight, she has been orchastrating all the events (to a degree) leading up to it, likely from the first day she met twilight. She saw twilights cutie mark and reconized it as the element of magic and therefore took twilight under her wing. This is slightly arguable, based on if the element of magic modeled itself after twilights cutie mark, or the other way around though. Celestia then sent twilight to ponyville when she realized that twilight was turning into another Starswirl, which she didn't want as starswirl couldn't utilize friendship and control the elements. After they reformed discord, celestia used the excuse "just in case" as a reason to leave the elements with twilight, but her true motive was so that twilight would have access to them when she sent her Starswirl's spellbook.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

You have a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure if Starswirl had any involvement with the elements of Harmony. The items were Celestias and Luan's to begin with and to what was shown it the episode, Hearts Warming Eve, Starswirl was not around and most likely dead at the time.

 

I do however wonder what his spell was suppose to do in the first place and what was he expecting?

[GrifCannon 102]

You have a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure if Starswirl had any involvement with the elements of Harmony. The items were Celestias and Luan's to begin with and to what was shown it the episode, Hearts Warming Eve, Starswirl was not around and most likely dead at the time.

 

I do however wonder what his spell was suppose to do in the first place and what was he expecting?

Starswirl was most definitely around, otherwise how would luna know what he looked like when she recognized twilight's costume? And it was his apprentice that traveled with Princess platinum to found equestria. Also, Celestia's dialog during the astral plane sequence seems to indicate that she new starswirl.

[Scootalove 10,684]

Pretty much explained all in great detail. Celestia planned this whole thing from the first time she met Twilight, she knew that a very smart student like Twilight would be able to handle the duties of being an Alicorn Princess. Twilight has a lot of potential, so we all know that she would be the perfect one for royalty in general.

[GrifCannon 102]

I actually have one lingering question: What happened to the elements after twilight's transformation. She was wearing the element of magic at the time when she wrote the spell, but it disappears along with her and isn't seen again for the rest of the episode.  On a side note, there's a small animation error when fluttershy remarks "You look just like a princess." As she says this, you can see her wearing her element, but as she turns her head to look at celestia, it vanishes. None of the other mane 6 are seen with their elements after the scene in the library either.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

Starswirl was most definitely around, otherwise how would luna know what he looked like when she recognized twilight's costume? And it was his apprentice that traveled with Princess platinum to found equestria. Also, Celestia's dialog during the astral plane sequence seems to indicate that she new starswirl.

Ok, I did forget about Luna recognizing Twilight's costume and if Luna knows him maybe Celestia did to. But for Hearts Warming eve it just kinda felt like he was gone, do to the fact that Princesses Platinum brought along the apprentice and not the master. Still who knows.

 

I still believe that he had no involvement with the elements. Would his magic even work on it? 

[Anadu Kune 668]

I actually have one lingering question: What happened to the elements after twilight's transformation. She was wearing the element of magic at the time when she wrote the spell, but it disappears along with her and isn't seen again for the rest of the episode.  On a side note, there's a small animation error when fluttershy remarks "You look just like a princess." As she says this, you can see her wearing her element, but as she turns her head to look at celestia, it vanishes. None of the other mane 6 are seen with their elements after the scene in the library either.

I would assume they are still around. After all they didnt just vanish off of the other ponies. Perhaps Twilight actually bonded with her element to a higher extent. If not that I would chalk this up to either a visual continuity error or some unexplained magic thing. Im thinking its the former.

[GrifCannon 102]

His magic may have not worked on them, but he certianly would have tried given the chance. And there could be any number of reasons why he sent his apprentice with Princess platinum instead of himself.

[Anadu Kune 668]

You have a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure if Starswirl had any involvement with the elements of Harmony. The items were Celestias and Luan's to begin with and to what was shown it the episode, Hearts Warming Eve, Starswirl was not around and most likely dead at the time.

 

I do however wonder what his spell was suppose to do in the first place and what was he expecting?

He need not have been an element himself to realize they could be amplified. He had great understanding and insight into magic and probably got the idea to work on a spell to influence the elements. His lack of understanding the key role of friendship in the role of the elements was the reason he failed. I sincerely doubt he was an element himself, his lack of understanding seems to indicate this. Though its not out of the realm of possibility that he was.

[GrifCannon 102]

I've actually got this little bit of headcannon where Starswirl's apprentice was actually celestia herself. She discovered the Fires of friendship which eventually lead to her and luna being the first element bearers. They then ascended to alicorns, possibly in a similar fashion to twilight and began to rule equestria.

 

Edit: I just remembered starswirl's apprentice actually had a name, Clover the clever. So there goes that theory.

Edited February 18, 2013 by GrifCannon

[Anadu Kune 668]

I said i want Starswirl the Bearded to be the next major antagonist. I think he purposely left out a bit of the spell to see if anyone was clever enough to see what he was doing. There was a cool rumor that Discord might actually have been Starswirl. Which if that was true it would have been very interesting to see. I think that Starswirl is the creator of most of the magical relics in Equestria. Maybe he created the Alicorn Amulet. What if he was the creator of the Elements of Harmony? It seems very unlikely that someone who wrote that many spells simply "gave up" on finishing this one. I think it can go either way. If Starswirl is a good guy maybe he will take Twilight under his wing and teach her things she hasn't learned yet. Or maybe he is a bad guy and he wants a challenge because noone has been able to come close to his skill level and that in leaving the spell partially unfinished it was like a test to find this "opponent". I don't want to get into the gloom mode again but genuinely i don't like Alicorn Twilight. If such a story arc takes place where someone like Starswirl takes Twilight in and teaches her even more greater and powerful magic i think i can grow to like the idea.

Its an interesting theory. Though if true I think it would negate the message portrayed in the episode. The point seems to be that magic alone can not accomplish what the bond of friendship can. Starswirl didn't understand this like Twilight had come to and without that knowledge Starswirl was destined to fail. It wasn't that he gave up it was that he could not solve the problem for lack of understanding. or to quote Celestia again  "You've done Something today that's never been done before. Something that even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do."

 

No amount of comprehension of magic alone can accomplish what the bond between friends could, this bond comes together in the elements to form its own type of magic more powerful any other known in Equestria. In other words friendship is magic and I think this is demonstrated in this episode perhaps more than in any other.

[Toa of Ponies 259]

Great explanation of the episode dude, This just shows how good at finding forshadow I am, I just noticed the book :3 I was more focused on all the weird things Lyra was doing XD

[Stalliongrad 982]

Its an interesting theory. Though if true I think it would negate the message portrayed in the episode. The point seems to be that magic alone can not accomplish what the bond of friendship can. Starswirl didn't understand this like Twilight had come to and without that knowledge Starswirl was destined to fail. It wasn't that he gave up it was that he could not solve the problem for lack of understanding. or to quote Celestia again  "You've done Something today that's never been done before. Something that even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do."

 

No amount of comprehension of magic alone can accomplish what the bond between friends could, this bond comes together in the elements to form its own type of magic more powerful any other known in Equestria. In other words friendship is magic and I think this is demonstrated in this episode perhaps more than in any other.

 

Again very true there. But i just can't help but shake away that someone as powerful as Starswirl couldn't see the magic of friendship. Perhaps he was like Twilight before she made friends? Only booksmart?

[Kamil 315]

Edit: I just remembered starswirl's apprentice actually had a name, Clover the clever. So there goes that theory.

I think "Clover the Clever" would be a reasonable pseudonym for Celestia if she wanted to keep that specific detail a secret for whatever reason.

 

As for Starswirl having something to do with the Elements while also being presumed dead (or at least quite old) before Equestria was made and, in turn, well before Celestia and Luna came to power... I would say the Elements are approximately as old as the entire Pony species, which would make them much earlier than Starswirl no matter what point in time he lived. I don't see why Starswirl couldn't have been studying ways to make the Elements more powerful during the time when the concept of "Harmony among all ponies" was so foreign as to render the idea that such a thing could be a component to their power unfeasible. Perhaps each of the three empires had two of the Elements and he was trying to find a way to harness their legendary but at-the-time unusable power.

 

As for Luna knowing his appearance, based on her belief that Twilight's recreation was adequate I'd assume that they both learned his appearance from roughly the same source; perhaps not the EXACT book, but probably historical records or even some form of fiction simply based on his life. Presumably there would be some indication as to what Starswirl looks like somewhere in the books that Twilight reads, thus it's not necessarily unusual that Luna knows as well without actually meeting him.

 

Alternatively, Starswirl could be an alias of Dr. Whooves the Time Lord (or the other way around), allowing him to show up at multiple points in history and explaining why the location of all time travel-based knowledge in Equestria is named after him. Theoretically Twilight would notice if the single pony were mentioned anachronistically throughout the entire history of Equestria, but there's no real reason it can't be true as long as he used a different alias every time.

[Starlight Sky 374]

Love the observations made in this thread. Looks like I'm a little late to join in, but here's a mini wall of text to ignite further discussion  

 

Star Swirl's spell: Star Swirl strictly followed the path of a scholar to its final conclusion. His unfinished masterpiece (From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny, singled out alone, fulfilled) represents his approach to life. To reach one's full potential, he believed isolation and training held the key. As his verse describes a solitary journey of accumulation, Star Swirl gained knowledge for his own sake. This granted him a wealth of knowledge about magic spells, but little about the magic born through bonds with others.

 

Just how Star Swirl represents the culmination of only seeking knowledge, Twilight reveals an alternative answer. As a pony who began following a similar path, Twilight would have reached a similar ending; however, the guidance of her friends and Princess Celestia sparked a change of heart. After experiencing the magic of friendship, Twilight continued magical studies while forging ever deepening bonds with her friends. Thus, giving birth to a new answer that Star Swirl couldn't conceive. "From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end". Sharing their lives with one another has intertwined their fates- giving birth to magic that grows without limit: friendship.

 

Star Swirl attempted to create an ultimate magic with the answer found at his journey's end. Since he aimed to answer how to lead a fulfilling life and fulfill your destiny, the spell sets you on the path he followed. Singled out alone to focus on your goal without distraction. This made the Elements of Harmony a prime target since it symbolizes the unison of different elements/ponies to achieve something none could accomplish alone. While only the five pillars of the Elements of Harmony had cutie marks swapped, the citizens of Ponyville were emotionally separated and argued with one another. Twilight found her answer, which "A True, True Friend" embodies well. That connection between everypony is what makes Equestria such a magical place. It's what brings about that elusive sixth element.

 

Twilight's Transformation: Twilight's element of magic translates to friendship (Friendship is Magic), we've seen Twilight's affinity for her element increase exponentially throughout the series.

 

When Discord flipped the attitudes of the other Mane 6, Twilight's color (element) also faded. The other Elements of Harmony brought out the elusive sixth element. Only after revisiting her past lessons, did Twilight regain her inner light and become the beacon of friendship that brought the others back together. Now, the elusive element of magic brings back the base elements that created it. The influence of her friends remains with her, and she continues to draw on lessons from all of them.

 

Magical Mystery Cure showcased how perfectly Twilight represents her element. When Star Swirl's spell changes the others destinies, it takes a "True, True Friend" to restore their light. This time around, her resolve quickly leads her to the answer, and the magic she creates after the ordeal, captures her feelings and character beautifully. After Twilight completes creates the spell, the elements resonate with Twilight (when they shoot toward her); showing that she is now connected with all of the Elements. This completed understanding of friendship (aka magic, and aka harmony) accounts for her ascension to alicorn.

 

In regards to her cutie mark gaining an additional star (seen both when she reflects on how important her friends are and after she becomes an alicorn), I have a few theories, but seeing as it returns to five stars I can't be too certain.

 

The intention of the spell seemed to be to try to amplify the magic in the Elements of Harmony. As indicated by the the scenes above. The spell directly affects the elements. However the elements are directly tied to the ponies of the current time and the ponies to the Elements. This is indicated in the first episode and also by the fact that the elements take on the shape of the pony's cutie marks. So the spell when misused unfortunately effected the ponies switching the elements and the ponies. 

 

 In Celestia's own words "You've done Something today that's never been done before. Something that even a great unicorn like Starswirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do." Celestia isn't talking about writing magic, no nothing so trivial. She is referring to successfully fully harmonizing the Elements of Harmony with comprehension of friendship. Of course she did this by completing Starswirl's spell. This is further indicated by the appearance of Twilight's cutie mark upon her return to ponyville. There are six stars instead of the usual five. This would seem to indicated the full uni-faction of all the six ponies  and elements. 

 

Twilight's transformation

Celestia was merely the cataylist for that change. Now this comes to a complaint in the episode, why didn't Celestia offer Twilight a choice in becoming an alicorn? 

I agree with most of your points; just wanted to revisit some parts and/or pose other theories.

 

As mentioned above, I believe Star Swirl indirectly influenced the elements since his spell sets others on a solitary path.

 

Also, the unification of all six ponies with their elements seems to be supported by the disappearing EoH (would fit nicely with my fanon about "Eternal Elements"). Even so, Twilight did connect with all of them- which is to say, she fully understood her own element which draws from all the others. 

 

Seems like we more or less agree about Celestia's role in all this, but what do you feel should be explored further? You mention it at the end of the post, but I didn't fully follow.

 

I said i want Starswirl the Bearded to be the next major antagonist. I think he purposely left out a bit of the spell to see if anyone was clever enough to see what he was doing. There was a cool rumor that Discord might actually have been Starswirl. Which if that was true it would have been very interesting to see. I think that Starswirl is the creator of most of the magical relics in Equestria. Maybe he created the Alicorn Amulet. What if he was the creator of the Elements of Harmony? It seems very unlikely that someone who wrote that many spells simply "gave up" on finishing this one. I think it can go either way. If Starswirl is a good guy maybe he will take Twilight under his wing and teach her things she hasn't learned yet. Or maybe he is a bad guy and he wants a challenge because noone has been able to come close to his skill level and that in leaving the spell partially unfinished it was like a test to find this "opponent". I don't want to get into the gloom mode again but genuinely i don't like Alicorn Twilight. If such a story arc takes place where someone like Starswirl takes Twilight in and teaches her even more greater and powerful magic i think i can grow to like the idea.

I'm looking forward to Star Swirl's appearance in S4. My theory is that Star Swirl's unfinished spell was cast on himself; leaving him isolated from the world, perhaps as an ephemeral being that resides in the sky. Always observing, but never interacting with the world.

 

That's an amusing theory! One that's tempting to disregard, but I'm gonna run with it for a bit.

 

Star Swirl's desire for magic and knowledge shows reverence for order and discipline. Discord- the master of Chaos- just wants to have fun; Celestia refers to him as "the mischievous spirit of Disharmony", which suits someone who's only interested in personal gain.

 

Their obsessions are radically different, yet both focus on themselves. It'd be an amusing backfire of Star Swirl's spell if he was "singled out alone" as Discord. Since Fluttershy befriended him, I'd expect him to regain his original form soon. The timing of Discord's appearance in Equestria could match up with Star Swirl's  attempt at the ultimate magic (as the story of how Windigo's were banished and/or about the EoH would inspire experimentation). Personally, I don't like this version too much.

 

Being lost among the starry sky suits "Star Swirl" much better than having his personality and body twisted beyond recognition. Something far more extreme than the effect of his spell in MMC. Celestia also said, he "abandoned" the spell. In all likelihood, that can be taken at face value.

 

Unto the subject of the Alicorn amulet, it gradually corrupts the wielder's mind until hate and ill-will consumes them; effectively losing themselves to it. This relic is likely the manifestation of Windigo's from pre-Equestrian times. After the Fire's of Friendship fended them off, they fled to the artic north and took form as the Alicorn amulet- searching for a host to embody and sustain their spirit. The pony they found was King Sombra.

 

I'm about to go WAY beyond what I need to say, so I'll leave the rest of my fanon for later. Moving on to, Star Swirl and Twilight meeting. When that time comes, I believe Twilight is the one who'll be teaching Star Swirl the most valuable lesson. He may be the master of arcane magic, but the magic of friendship draws from a different source. It isn't something you control and direct like all the spells Star Swirl devised, it's the power born through meaningful bonds with others. 

 

I've actually got this little bit of headcannon where Starswirl's apprentice was actually celestia herself. She discovered the Fires of friendship which eventually lead to her and luna being the first element bearers. They then ascended to alicorns, possibly in a similar fashion to twilight and began to rule equestria.

 

Edit: I just remembered starswirl's apprentice actually had a name, Clover the clever. So there goes that theory.

My headcannon is similar. Celestia and Luna discover the Fires of friendship, which manifests itself as the Elements of Harmony. Based on Celestia's speech in S2 E1, it sounds like they harnessed the EoH in response to Discord- they may have arrived at the same answer based on accounts of Hearth's Warming Eve. Having created "new magic" and achieving great insight, they ascend to alicorns.

 

Since the Mane 6 had to retrieve the Elements from the old Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters, we know that the early rulers of Equestria (Celestia and Luna) resided in the future site of the Everfree Forest. Since the area couldn't be restored, I believe the Everfree forest was formed around the time Nightmare Moon fully awakened. After Celestia banishes her to the moon, the connection to the Elements disappears.

[TheGr3ml1n 57]

I have a theory, like many others have said, that Star Swirl could play a role in Season 4, possibly as an antagonist. The writers have mentioned that the S4 premiere will have something very "surprising" if it isn't leaked first, and considering the amount of times the show has alluded to Star Swirl, I think it's quite possible that it could be his return, somehow as a direct result of Twilight finishing his unfinished spell. It would also add nicely to the apparent "3-parter" Meghan mentioned earlier, since Star Swirl had a lot to do with the central plot of the finale.

 

Add to that the apparent "leak" that there were a few lines specifically from Star Swirl, and I think he might have a significant role in the next season of Pony. (the guy who leaked it thought that John De Lancie was reading these lines, but it seems unlikely there was much context to prove that Discord and Star Swirl are one and the same. Assuming of course, that the leak is at all legit.)

 

Imagine the story possibilities if, Twilight now an Alicorn, had to go up against her most powerful opponent yet, the one pony she used to look up to all her life, Star Swirl himself?

 

Something small to add, relating to idea that Star Swirl is dead due to how long ago he was around, there were a few things established this (and last) season that makes me suspect he might still be alive. For one, we know from "It's About Time" that Star Swirl was likely a master of spells that have to do with time. (since, you know, in the very center of the Star Swirl the Bearded wing there's a giant hourglass). Another thing that was established this season, is the existence of age spells. (which was established at the same time as the Alicorn Amulet was revealed, something that could connect directly to Star Swirl if he was, in fact, trying to become an Alicorn).

 

All of this seems to be a good set-up for the return of Star Swirl, something I think would be an awesome story-arc to once again give the show direction after Twilight's ascension to Alicornhood, as well as give her status and development purpose in the show. Not to mention, we may get some side goodies such as more info on Celestia and Luna's past (which has been hinted at multiple times), and could clear a lot of people's head-cannons.

 

 

As for the idea of Star Swirl being a regeneration of the Doctor, (something that would be doubly epic, considering that in an episode of Doctor Who, it is mentioned that the Doctor once was in Camelot and the legends of Merlin are actually based off of him), it would be a pretty risky move on DHX and Hasbro's part (copyright), but it could also nicely explain why there are so many repetitions of the Hourglass mark on different ponies (either regenerations of the Doctor, or actually Time Lords (gallopfrey?)).

Edited June 4, 2013 by TheGr3ml1n

[Iwannabeaunicorn 1]

Well, before Twilight rewrote it and she exploded, it didn't work and she didn't know what it did. So, what do you think Starswirl originally intended for this spell to accomplish?

[Sir.Flutter Hooves 2,953]

Well, before Twilight rewrote it and she exploded, it didn't work and she didn't know what it did. So, what do you think Starswirl originally intended for this spell to accomplish?

Well, Celestia did say Starswirl didn't know the magic of Friendship. I believe he wanted to create a spell to make him understand the magic of Friendship, because he was the most powerful magician in a long time.

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

@Iwannabeaunicorn,

 

We already had a topic for speculations on the purpose of Starswirl's spell, so I've merged your thread with it. Before starting a new thread, please run a search of existing ones to make sure it hasn't already been made.