Pony Lifespans

[DrOphthalmos 497]

I have noticed that the earth ponies get old and die. Granny Smith is one example of an elderly pony but in Hearts and Hooves Day we see an elderly earth pony (with a bubble pipe cutie mark, I thought that was funny) presiding over a funeral.

 

Then, you have the Alicorns who seem to stay youthful despite1000 years passing - I am guessing they are immortal.

 

Where do Pegasi and Unicorns fall in this spectrum? Have we seen any elderly pegasi and/or unicorns?

 

I know there have been threads speculating on how old the Mane 6 are but I am curious as to lifespans in general. Please discuss.

[Champion RD92 8,658]

I assume the lifespan of Pegasi and Unicorns are the same as Earth Ponies. I would assume that the lifespan is approximately the same as what a human's lifespan would be. Obviously Alicorns can live a lot longer, like thousands of years

[DrOphthalmos 497]

I assume the lifespan of Pegasi and Unicorns are the same as Earth Ponies. I would assume that the lifespan is approximately the same as what a human's lifespan would be. Obviously Alicorns can live a lot longer, like thousands of years

 

That would be my assumption as well - but I feel it would be better backed up if there were some elderly pegasi or unicorns in the show.

[Eenohay 318]

I have noticed that the earth ponies get old and die. Granny Smith is one example of an elderly pony but in Hearts and Hooves Day we see an elderly earth pony (with a bubble pipe cutie mark, I thought that was funny) presiding over a funeral.

 

Then, you have the Alicorns who seem to stay youthful despite1000 years passing - I am guessing they are immortal.

 

Where do Pegasi and Unicorns fall in this spectrum? Have we seen any elderly pegasi and/or unicorns?

 

I know there have been threads speculating on how old the Mane 6 are but I am curious as to lifespans in general. Please discuss.

 

There's and old pegasus in Sonic Rainboom, that looks just like a grey version of granny smith. I dont think we've ever seen any old unicorns though.

 

 

And yeah, earth, unicorns and pegasus all age and die, Alicorns dont age and are apparently immortal

Edited February 17, 2012 by Eenohay

[Strafe 594]

There's and old pegasus in Sonic Rainboom, that looks just like a grey version of granny smith. I dont think we've ever seen any old unicorns though.

 

 

And yeah, earth, unicorns and pegasus all age and die, Alicorns dont age and are apparently immortal

 

I don't think alicorns die I think they have a longer life span and superior magic ability. If you go back to the hearts warming eve episode it doesn't mention Celestia and didn't need her to rise the sun and the moon. imo alicorns are just more powerful not immortal but that's up to whoever looks at it.

[Eenohay 318]

I don't think alicorns die I think they have a longer life span and superior magic ability. If you go back to the hearts warming eve episode it doesn't mention Celestia and didn't need her to rise the sun and the moon. imo alicorns are just more powerful not immortal but that's up to whoever looks at it.

 

You contradict yourself, but I assume you meant you think they arent immortal. I do think that too, but certanly they dont age, and thus cant die of old age. Also they are very powerful, and probably never get sick, so they can life forever in theory. Still, Luna lived in the moon for a THOUSAND years, and last time I checked, there's no oxygen there.

 

Maybe they can die, but it would a really strong force to manage so.

[DrOphthalmos 497]

There's and old pegasus in Sonic Rainboom, that looks just like a grey version of granny smith. I dont think we've ever seen any old unicorns though.

 

 

And yeah, earth, unicorns and pegasus all age and die, Alicorns dont age and are apparently immortal

 

Thanks for the picture! Ha ha, she does look a lot like Granny Smith. I am surprised no one has done a Granny Smith version of the Mane 6.

 

Well, the hunt for an old unicorn continues...

[Key Gear 6,663]

I don't think alicorns die I think they have a longer life span and superior magic ability. If you go back to the hearts warming eve episode it doesn't mention Celestia and didn't need her to rise the sun and the moon. imo alicorns are just more powerful not immortal but that's up to whoever looks at it.

 

You are right. Hearth's Warming Eve doesn't mention Celestia raising the sun, but there is one thing from that episode that sort of hints at the possibility of it.

 

I have attached the image of the flag that they planted after leaving the cave. When you look at it, you see two alicorns (light and dark) and you also see the sun and moon. I would take this as evidence that some type of Alicorns were responsible for raising the sun and moon at that time.

 

I guess it is possible that the Alicorns on the flag are not Celestia and Luna, but it is still interesting to think about.

[Comet Tail 808]

You contradict yourself, but I assume you meant you think they arent immortal. I do think that too, but certanly they dont age, and thus cant die of old age. Also they are very powerful, and probably never get sick, so they can life forever in theory. Still, Luna lived in the moon for a THOUSAND years, and last time I checked, there's no oxygen there. Maybe they can die, but it would a really strong force to manage so.

It's not just a lack of Oxygen...

 

Take anything you think you know about space exposure and throw it out the window. Common knowledge is wrong.

This is space exposure:

 

Take Luna, choke her very tightly, shine a huge array of heat lights on one side of her, make them 4x times hotter, then put a cold metal plate on her other side that will never warm up (so it always feels cold), and inflate all of her insides to twice atmospheric pressure. And she's still okay.

 

That's about what it is to be on the moon without a spacesuit. Except that also leaves off the fact that any liquids (tongue, eyes, nose, throat, lungs) would instantly evaporate, and air still in the lungs would cause it to explosively decompress, causing both lungs to collapse, and it's worse than being choked, where asphyxiation takes about 30 seconds to unconsciousness, vacuum exposure literally pulls the oxygen out of your bloodstream, reversing the normal process in the lungs, so you only have about 15 seconds of consciousness (only about 10 of which are useful, before you get all woozy.)

 

Also, the difference in pressure from inside and outside would bruise the entire body (a pilot ejected at ~50,000 feet once, almost same effects as space. Survived, very badly bruised. Man sky dived from 100,000 feet, break in his spacesuit on the glove. Vacuum sucked the skin up _{(just like a pinch)} and plugged the whole. After landing, it was bruised and numb for a few hours, then returned to normal with no apparent long term effects.).

 

Also, UV radiation, the stuff that causes sunburns, is about 100x times as intense above the ozone layer. Not to mention the high-energy radiation in space that would give a human cancer after a few years (nobody really knows exaclty how long) of exposure, beyond Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field. Flying an airplane across the Atlantic (New York to London) during intense solar activity actually gives you about as much radiation exposure as getting an X-ray.

 

I live in Alabama, about 300 feet elevation. When I travel to Idaho, about 5,000 feet elevation, I can get a very mild sunburn in just a few minutes. Above the ozone layer ( ~150,000 feet), you would probably get very bad sunburns in less than a minute. Seconds, if you're easily burned like me :-P

 

So, yeah, if they're not immortal, then they're pretty darn close to it. Because she can take all that for a thousand years, and still look young XD

 

If Alicorns can die, it would probably be something like you have to cut off their horn so their magic is gone, then kill them, or cut off their head, or Twilight-vampire-style stuff which is rather graphic...

 

You are right. Hearth's Warming Eve doesn't mention Celestia raising the sun, but there is one thing from that episode that sort of hints at the possibility of it. I have attached the image of the flag that they planted after leaving the cave. When you look at it, you see two alicorns (light and dark) and you also see the sun and moon. I would take this as evidence that some type of Alicorns were responsible for raising the sun and moon at that time. I guess it is possible that the Alicorns on the flag are not Celestia and Luna, but it is still interesting to think about.

But that would mean those alicorns are dead, wouldn't it?... I, too, found it odd it never mentioned Celestia and Luna... Dunno how they fit in.

Edited February 17, 2012 by EASA - Dr. Braun

[Key Gear 6,663]

But that would mean those alicorns are dead, wouldn't it?... I, too, found it odd it never mentioned Celestia and Luna... Dunno how they fit in.

 

You know... You have a very good point there. And if those alicorns are dead, but Celestia has been around for thousands of years, then how long ago was Hearth's Warming Eve???

 

Hmm, well, at the beginning of the Hearth's Warming Eve play, Spike says that the events took place before the "peaceful rule of Celestia".

 

One possibility might be that Celestia was responsible for raising the sun and she was around at the time of Hearth's Warming Eve, but she was not yet the "ruler".

[Comet Tail 808]

You know... You have a very good point there. And if those alicorns are dead, but Celestia has been around for thousands of years, then how long ago was Hearth's Warming Eve???

 

Hmm, well, at the beginning of the Hearth's Warming Eve play, Spike says that the events took place before the "peaceful rule of Celestia".

 

One possibility might be that Celestia was responsible for raising the sun and she was around at the time of Hearth's Warming Eve, but she was not yet the "ruler".

 

I read the first two paragraphs, and I was thinking the last paragraph moments before I read it

[Nah 3,182]

Everypony, except alicorns are mortal, good enough?

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Everypony, except alicorns are mortal, good enough?

 

Alicorns may be vampiric in a way. Maybe the gems of Hamony, and 1000 year old menaces are all just an elaborate hoax to magicly siphon off the life of true heroes...the mane six being groomed for the position of sacrificial lambs to the alicorn "lifespan" ritual.

 

or not.

[Eenohay 318]

in regards to the flag discussion, it's already been brought up in the forums, and it was concluded that that was just the current flag of equestria, used to simbolize its founding. It's not like if they already had made a flag before even founding the country.

 

About equestrian history, i have two theories, in the first, discord and the alicorn sisters came after the founding of equestria, in the other, it happened at the same time, meaning that discord was the one who brought fights between the tribes, and luna and celestia who stopped them. This actually would imply that the average citizen of equestria doesnt know anything about those events

[Envoy-in-exile 101]

I don't think alicorns die I think they have a longer life span and superior magic ability. If you go back to the hearts warming eve episode it doesn't mention Celestia and didn't need her to rise the sun and the moon. imo alicorns are just more powerful not immortal but that's up to whoever looks at it.

 

You are right. Hearth's Warming Eve doesn't mention Celestia raising the sun, but there is one thing from that episode that sort of hints at the possibility of it.

 

I have attached the image of the flag that they planted after leaving the cave. When you look at it, you see two alicorns (light and dark) and you also see the sun and moon. I would take this as evidence that some type of Alicorns were responsible for raising the sun and moon at that time.

 

I guess it is possible that the Alicorns on the flag are not Celestia and Luna, but it is still interesting to think about.

 

Even if Celestia and Luna were non-existent at the time (assuming the flag was just the current one used for the play and not the ancient one), it doesn't mean that they aren't immortal. Immortality is simply the inability to die - you do not have to exist from the beginning of time to be immortal. A baby can be born yesterday and still be an immortal.

 

E.g.: Highlander

[Strafe 594]

Even if Celestia and Luna were non-existent at the time (assuming the flag was just the current one used for the play and not the ancient one), it doesn't mean that they aren't immortal. Immortality is simply the inability to die - you do not have to exist from the beginning of time to be immortal. A baby can be born yesterday and still be an immortal.

 

E.g.: Highlander

 

Sorry I shouldn't of said immortal, I meant that Celestia and Luna were not divine beings, or gods that created the world.

 

Anyway, another reason why I think they're not immortal is because they really isn't much proof, having wings and a horn doesn't make you incapable of dying.

[Eenohay 318]

Not enough proof? I believe there's plenty. I like to think thet are not infinite, since i believe they were born at some point, and will eventually die, but it would probably come either in the form of sacrifizing to save the world, or "my time in this plane has run out"

 

certanly I dont believe celestia created the world, since there are things apparently stronger than her, such as discord or the elements of harmony

[Envoy-in-exile 101]

Sorry I shouldn't of said immortal, I meant that Celestia and Luna were not divine beings, or gods that created the world.

 

Anyway, another reason why I think they're not immortal is because they really isn't much proof, having wings and a horn doesn't make you incapable of dying.

 

No definite proof, but they did live >1000 years w/o visibly aging. If they were merely a unicorn and pegasus hybrid, why are unicorns and pegasi lifespans not even close to that?

 

in regards to the flag discussion, it's already been brought up in the forums, and it was concluded that that was just the current flag of equestria, used to simbolize its founding. It's not like if they already had made a flag before even founding the country.

 

About equestrian history, i have two theories, in the first, discord and the alicorn sisters came after the founding of equestria, in the other, it happened at the same time, meaning that discord was the one who brought fights between the tribes, and luna and celestia who stopped them. This actually would imply that the average citizen of equestria doesnt know anything about those events

 

I like the second theory.

[Vinyl_Scratch 2]

Ponies don't get old, they transform to wrinkley things!

[--- 41]

Why does their moon have to be the same as our moon? The show clearly isn't taking place on our earth (Pinkie's peculiar naming aside). Maybe their moon is perfectly suited to sustaining a banished pony or two (or two dozen or HOWEVERMANY THE PRINCESS WANTS TO BAN THANKYOU!).

 

Also, maybe the alicorns are semi-immortal. In Tamora Pierce's books, there are creatures that don't get sick or grow old, but can be killed in other ways (stabbed, etc.).

 

I would guess/hope that the lifespan for pegasus and unicorns would be the same as earthponys, or else the rest of the crew is going to watch Pinkie and AJ grow old and die. Lookie, we just made Fluttershy cry!

[DJ MUFF1N D3RP 323]

I would assume that the life span of pegasi and unicorns is the same as earth ponies. There is no reason for there to be any difference between their lifespans, which we know last somewhere in the hundreds because Granny Smith was about the same age as the Mane 6 are now when Ponyville was founded and I believe that somewhere it was mentioned that Ponyville hasn't been around all that long.

[Twi Rubix 726]

Hmm, I don't know why, but I think they live longer than humans, but thats just a thought I have. Like others said, Celestia and Luna (Or just Alicorns) are pretty much immortal. They obviously do die of old age, but they live for quite a while in my mind.

[Klopp 2,050]

From the looks of things, everyponys health is extremely good. We don't often see sick ponies, and from what I can tell, they all appear to be rather fit, and not under or overweight. This would lead me to believe that they would live longer than the normal life expectancy. But the question now is; what is their average life expectancy?

 

I'd say they are meant to age the same as we humans do. We don't know how old anypony is, aside from Celestia and Luna being over 1000 years old, however there's not much we can discern from a pair of immortal princesses The best clue we've got is Grannie Smith. She has been around since the founding of Ponyville, now that raises another question; When was the founding of Ponyville?

 

Well, another observation from "Family Appreciation Day", is Diamond Tiara's great-grandfather, Stinkin' Rich. I'm going to base his age off my own Great-grandmother, who died at the age of 104 this past year. The difference between her age and my age is 84, and Diamond Tiara appears to be around the age of about 10, so add 84 and you got yourself 94 which is the age I shall assume her great-grandfather is ( Or would be, if he's dead ) So if Grannie Smith is around the same age as him, which is fairly likely, she would be somewhere between 84-104 years old. Let's just assume 104, cause the older the more likely it would seem to fall in with Ponyvilles founding.

 

Grannie Smith still seems to have a decent amount of life in her, so perhaps she could live til 120? That sounds good enough for me, ponies can live up to 120 years. Time to Wrap-up this post.

 

Long post wrap-up, long post wrap-up! (Okay, now I'm just being silly)

[Queen Cassie 3,058]

As Klopp has pointed out, how healthy everypony seems to be has a significant influence on their average lifespans. Without further information, I am willing to with what Klopp has stated and give them an approximate average lifespan of about 100 years or so. After all it is possible that Granny Smith is an anomoly, living longer than the average pony, so we wouldn't want to set the average at her age directly, but rather use it to create a comfortable safety margin.

 

The question becomes, do the subspecies have different lifespans? Do Pegasi or Unicorns live shorter lives than Earth Ponies? Or is it the Earth Ponies who live shorter lives? How important is the metabolism and other probable biological differences between a Pegasi and an Earth Pony in determining their lifespan? We can't say because we don't have nearly enough information to even derive how different they are from each other in terms of basic biology, other than the few examples we have of ponies in the show.

 

For example, we see Rainbow Dash constantly napping after frequent bursts of high activity, yet we don't see similar activity from Fluttershy, and we don't see other Pegasi anywhere near often enough to get a feel for their lifestyles. Dashie could be unique in her napping pattern, so basing an understanding of Pegasi metabolism on Dashie alone would be foolish.

 

Then there's Applejack versus Pinkie Pie. Both Earth Ponies demonstrate high energy, but one demonstrates it through long hours of physical hard work, while the other is so bubbly and hyperactive as if she's on a constant intravenous supply of caffeine. Applejack's diet is probably healthier than Pinkie Pie's, but we don't have enough information to determine how important their diets are in terms of how it affects their metabolism and general energy levels.

 

With Unicorns we have even less information. For example, where does the energy to power their magic come from? Do they draw it out of the air, tapping the energy wells of Equestria as it were? Or is it fully fueled by their own bodies? If the latter, that could mean that Twilight and Rarity would have to regularly eat far more calories than the rest of the Mane Six, possibly even the rest of the Mane Six combined. What sort of affect that might have on their overall lifespan, how healthy they'd have to be, etc...well if nothing else it might explain how Twilight stays so svelte when we never see her exercise.

 

Of course that's all just pure metabolism. It doesn't get into all the other issues behind what determines a lifespan. Frankly without more information I'm unwilling to speculate that the subspecies have differing average lifespans, and therefore would be more willing to set them all to the same number until we get some more definitive information otherwise.

 

So, as Klopp said, approximately 100 years is what I'm going with for now.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Kyronea

[Kaborer 164]

Thanks for the picture! Ha ha, she does look a lot like Granny Smith. I am surprised no one has done a Granny Smith version of the Mane 6.

 

challenge accepted

 

Close enough!

Edited February 19, 2012 by Kaborer