#assorted headcanons

General Headcanons:

Earth Ponies also have a form of magic the movie just didn't cover it (I mean, we're literally told that g4 of mlp happened in the distant past there's no way Earth Pony magic from then simply ceased to exist)

Earth Pony magic is generally assorted forms of neutralisation (e.g. resistance to Unicorn magic, ability to fall from greater heights without damage) and stuff related to the planet (e.g. greater agricultural success, ability to move dirt easier, location of jewels) but there is overlap between species in types of magic (like how Pinkie Pie seemed to have more arcane/chaotic magic)

The tree we see the gang rest under in the movie is the remnants of Twilight's castle

Celestia and Luna existed in this universe (as Celestia is briefly mentioned at the beginning of the film) but gave up their longevity when abdicating the throne to Twilight. They also gave their magic to Twilight which is why as she got older she began to manifest their traits (such as the magical mane and

Twilight also no longer exists, I imagine her life was tied to the unity between pony groups and thus as ponies grew more distrustful her life waned and eventually flickered out as pony magic also ceased to exist

Starlight Glimmer's brainwashing and subjugation of the residents of "Our Town" is part of the reason for distrust of unicorns in the modern era. (Obviously the whole story isn't there, but there are fragments of the story in the history classes. That's why so many earth ponies believe the unicorns can read their thoughts etc.)

In fact, a lot of events in g4 of mlp were misinterpreted and were what caused distrust between the pony groups.

Protagonist Headcanons:

Hitch Trailblazer:

I don't want to be too specific on how his family are no longer in the picture (as future content may prove me wrong) but I imagine they either died or are very distant/neglectful

He grew up very close to Sunny as Argyle (her dad) was one of the few ponies that was happy to take care of him. He considers her his best friend (even during the events of the movie where he implies he'll leave Sunny if she continues to break rules) and treats her like a sister

He actually likes Sprout when Sprout isn't blindly following his mother's whims. He does have moments of annoyance with him, but generally finds him an okay companion. Their relationship is generally work acquaintances with Hitch taking a leadership role at times.

His cutie mark is representative of his protective nature and his ability to lead. (I'm uncertain how canon g4 cutie marks are and whether they're triggered by learning one's special talent. If they are, he gained his through protecting some critters before they were run over by Sunny ((when she was still wobbly on her skates)).)

He remains in the pony equivalent of law enforcement after the film, but questions the laws the town upholds a lot more. He will actively question the ethics and reasoning behind decisions and will oppose laws if they do not fit the standard. He also has migrated away from the authoritative position of Sheriff and acts from a position of mediation rather than control.

After the return of magic he found himself stronger than before, and able to run faster. He also finds it easier to "understand" the animals he befriends (can't understand the language, but their emotions and intent are easier to read).

Sunny Starscout:

Sunny learnt to skate from her father, who used to do dance-skating in his early adulthood. She likes using her skates expressively, and has been known to dance with them.

Her interest in research came from her father (obviously) and she writes detailed reports on many phenomena. Unlike her father, she has more of an interest in active magic and science (Argyle was interested in the historical component of pony magic).

After the return of magic, she spent a long time writing about how the ponies learnt to channel it, and how it feels to do so. For instance, the spurts of magic that unicorns began to experience, and how pegasi (outside the royal family) learnt to fly.

Her alicorn wings and horn are made of magic, and disappear when she doesn't want them present. (They appear at will)

She found after magic returned that she could go faster on her roller skates, and that she can channel magic through various crystals.

She often turns to Hitch for advice (and then promptly ignores it) but despite her actions afterwards she always appreciates his insight

Every now and again she conducts experiments using magical materials and is dedicated to understanding different styles of magical channelling (e.g. how pegasi channel their magic into their wings to fly, but can also channel through wands ((which they previously didn't know)))

Izzy Moonbow:

Is far less superstitious than her peers due to simply observing what happened after not following their rules in a neutral context.

She still follows some forms of superstition simply because they're comforting. E.g. making a wish with eyelashes or dandelions, blessing after a sneeze, and knocking on wood. (Basically, she just ignores bad luck and participates in good luck rituals)

Even after getting her magic back Izzy uses her horn to manually pick things up. She actually doesn't like using levitation magic unless it's for larger objects because it feels weird to use

While levitation feels strange, she loves adding magic to little knick knacks to make them more special (e.g. add magic to make a crystal glow whenever you touch it,

She loves inventing things and is smarter than a lot of people give her credit for. However, she isn't super emotionally sensitive (despite her cheery appearance) and often needs to be given direct information in order to understand how others are feeling.

Once she knows how others feel though she goes out of her way to make them feel better.

Pipp Petals:

Was taught to sing from a very young age, and basically was paraded in front of the cameras. This was due to the public excitement surrounding having another member of the royal family (and thus, another pony that could "fly") (she is the second born child in the family)

Was very close with Zipp while young, but grew distant as they both got older. Zipp wasn't interested in the public performance and began to lash out about it, which frustrated Pipp because she loved the attention of the public and didn't want Zipp to "ruin it for her"

Does love her sister, but also has complicated feelings due to being the favoured child. It's not super bad, but their mother definitely found it easier to get along with Pipp because... well Pipp was down for being a media influence

While she can fly she isn't very good at it in comparison to Zipp. She is good at intricate flight-work but can't go long distances. Dance flying? Yes. Traveling? Noooooo.

Zipp Storm:

Was bad at singing when she was younger. The Queen put her in singing classes and she got better, but has a lot of distaste towards singing now because of how long it took to "get good" but then was told she was not good enough to publicly perform.

Genuinely has no interest in being a celebrity and despite getting public support back after the return of magic, she no longer lives in Zephyr Heights.

Zipp moved to Maretime Bay due to her interest in science (mainly physics and physical health) and helps with making flight-based machines & toys (e.g. kites, hot-air balloons,those gliding fairy things) she often makes them with Izzy out of recycled materials.

Generally is good with nutrition as well and helps make healthy recipes for her friends when they have trouble eating (that actually taste good). She isn't very good at cooking itself (mainly due to impatience and inattentiveness) but workshops the recipes with Sunny who loves baking.

She is good at long distance flying and also uses her wings in an acrobatic manner (as shown when she first meets Izzy and Sunny in the movie)

Antagonist Headcanons:

Sprout Cloverleaf:

Oh boy howdy this boy is a mess. He's a combination of severe anxiety and inflated ego due to his mother's poor parenting skills. Being told he was good by her, no matter what he did (when it came to being xenophobic), but also feeling supremely inferior due to her barely paying attention to him/comparing him to Hitch

His talent actually lies in plant growth and propagation.

Of course, he's responsible for his actions now, and he had to lead the clean up of the area where his machine caused mass destruction

Was close friends with Hitch when younger but they drifted apart due to the shift in professional work environment (was always assigned to subordinate roles in comparison to Hitch and Hitch took to commanding others quickly)

Post return of magic he retired from working in law enforcement

(hypothetical outcomes before more mlp content comes out!!!) After a brief period of time living with his mother he moved to a beach hut a bit outside of Maretime Bay. He has a small seaweed farm which he uses to both supplement his diet and dehydrate for selling to restaurants in Maretime Bay

Back to more in line with canon. He probably doesn't leave law enforcement but instead chooses to work on the paperwork side of things as opposed to on the field (he is shown to not enjoy/be good at fieldwork in his law enforcement)

Maybe he and Hitch rekindle their friendship?? It truly depends

Post magic return he found himself more easily able to propagate plants than before (e.g. instead of a slow growth cycle he found a seed he planted sprouted within an a day instead of 7)

Celebrían is her mother's daughter, and did spend many years as mistress of Rivendell. She is used to a certain level of control over her environment.

She is not used to having uncles asking her if she wants her white marble columns to be streaked with gold or azure, or her grandmother insisting she must have a swan-ship of her own, really dear, it's no trouble at all, why yes those are giant black pearls for the eyes.

(When asked by her father, gently, if this was really necessary, as Celebrían was more accustomed to the forest than the sea, Eärwen realized that the family may need to calm down about Celebrían. But she had the ship made anyway.)

Because even in all their ageless wisdom, her family is desperate for Celebrían to know she is loved, for her mother's sake as well as her own, and she must have choices, because she has been wounded in body and soul. Finarfin read a book on it written by a Returned Exile, and talked to his sons, and his granddaughter must not think she has no say in things. It is unconducive to recovery.

"Perhaps not this many choices," says the somewhat alarmed Exile. "This is perhaps too many choices. You don't want her to get overwhelmed."

Eventually, Celebrían gets her house, exactly how she wanted--a gentle blend of Rivendell and Lothlorien, with a healthy addition of Valinorean marvels such as plumbing and hot water, set on Tol Eressëa. There are elements she did not choose--Finrod's surprise addition of a jewelled cave, complete with a hot spring, as well as a cold-cellar stocked with Angrod's pickling experiments; nor was she expecting Aegnor's contribution of a First-Age Bëorian kitchen garden.

(Aegnor, who loves Andreth still, thousands of years on; and will love her for thousands of years more, beyond the breaking of the world.)

Celebrían's home becomes a refuge for other grey-elves, who had never seen the Trees, who feel a little out of place amongst their Valinorean kindred. She is rarely without company; there is a tower for Elwing and her birds, and her mother in law often drops in for tea.

(In hope, there are three bedrooms for her children. One of them will remain empty.)

Celebrían's home becomes Elrond's home, and it is he who arranges for a Hobbit-hole to be dug, and a Hobbit-garden to be put in, even if they will only dwell there a little while, as elves reckon time.

(Yavanna finds she adores hobbits, and though she cannot make them immortal, and defy Eru's gift, she can petition for them to live just a little longer than they otherwise might--to protect them from the fading that occurs to mortals when they come too close to the Blessed Isle. Elrond is grateful, and Gandalf delighted, and Sam's garden is beloved by Grey-Elves and Exiles alike.)

Celebrían gets along with Frodo like a house on fire, and oh how The Shire would talk, if they knew a great Elven-Lady had her own teacup in Bilbo's home.