Another round of questions and answers happened over on Lauren Faust's Twitter last night, and these are the compiled results of that! Head on down below the break for all of them!
Q: Were Celestia and Luna born as alicorns?
A: In my book, yes
Q: Also, are they gods in your book?
A: No, but extremely magical and powerful.
Q: So... Apple Bloom wearing a Blossom-esque bow... Intentional or serendipitous?
A: Neither, really. Big red bows on young girls is an old visual icon. Many characters before Blossom have had it.
Q: So the CMC-PPG comparisons are just coincidence?
A: I was aware of the similarity, but it wasn't a purposeful nod to PPG (or Kiki's Delivery Service, either.)
Q: I wondered about Everfree Forest - what happened? Did it lose its magic? Was it related to Nightmare Moon?
A: It was not related to NMM. To me, it was always supposed to continually encroach on Equestria's borders (it used to be further out, but grew over the Sisters' Castle). I had intended for it to be a constant source of wonder and threat, but things just didn’t roll out that way.
Q: What would you change in S1 using the knowledge you have now about the show and fans? Also, Derpy or Ditzy?
A: I think I would have been pushier about trying to include Luna sooner like I had hoped to. And Derpy. ;)
Q: Many fictional worlds have neat origin/creation stories. Does MLP have any/many?
A: I never thought up a solid one, to be honest.
Q: What were the other 5’s relationship before Twilight came to Ponyville? Were others friends as fillies (like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy)? Did they all know of each other?
A: They were already friends, though perhaps they grew closer after Twilight came around.
Q: Drawing characters myself, I was wondering how you got the design for Fluttershy and gummy? I love Fluttershy and I breed geckos.
A: I did a little research on baby alligators and tried my best. Fluttershy - I just sat down and started drawing until she felt right.
Q: With Celestia and Luna, did you ever decide the division of the Elements of Harmony between them?
A: I never did, but it would be fun to figure out.
Q: We know how Tara became your Twilight but how involved were you with the casting of the other actors?
A: They auditioned and the cast was chosen between me, Hasbro and The Hub.
Thanks to Ryan for compiling them this time! How convenient!
