I figured I'd compile all of these for one of those good old fashioned "words of Faust" posts. We haven't had one in forever!
For those that are confused, over the last few days, she has run a few 30 minute long events dedicated to answering questions for the Wildlife Learning Center Indiegogo. People could donate 25 bucks for a season 1 or general production question to be answered.
Anyway, head on down below the break for all of them, from Celestia and Luna's parents to Trixie's Great and Powerful schooling.
Q: Who came up with Big Macs Eyup and what are you most proud of from your contribution to MLP?
A: I did. Proving a "girl show" could be enjoyed outside it's core audience.
Q: Where did the concept of parasprites, and Pinkie’s music to lead them away, come from?
A: It was inspired by The Pied Piper and Trouble with Tribbles.
Q: I've heard rumors that Trixie was initially a male character in planning, what were the original plans for this Trixie character?
A: Yes, Trixie was written as male in the premise. Hasbro requested a female character. Story was not changed at all.
Q: What is a plot that never made it into production? (My name is on the contributor page.)
A: The ponies meet a pony who was raised by deer and thinks he's a deer. AJ and RD argue over whether to tell him the truth! He found out on his own, and decided to stay with the deer who raised him.
Q: more conceptual question, where do all the rainbow's go that leak from RD's house? Should she call a pegasus plumber?
A: They dissipate into the atmosphere. Her house was designed before we conceived how rainbows are made. Would have done it different.
Q: Does Luna still have Nightmare Moon in her? because when she transforms into Luna, the color of her coat and cutie mark switch
A: NMM is the jealousy residing inside her that came forth. Perhaps it could be sparked again-- or jealousy in someone else.
Q: In Cutie Mark Chronicles, why did AJ leave her family behind for Manehattan? She must have broken their hearts
A: It was just wanderlust. She wanted to see the world beyond the farm.
Q: Why did Pinkie Pie come to Ponyville? Do her parents know?
A: I'm afraid I don't have a ready answer for that! But, if it were up to me, I'd say that though she loved her family, she was simply bored and wanted to go someplace where she could meet more people and have more fun. She didn't belong on a rock farm.
Q: Any more backstory to AJ's parents? They aren't ever really mentioned as an entire part of her backstory.
A: Don't know what the final canon will be, but they had passed away in my book. Never thought of how, though....
Q: So, I heard Princess Cadence was on the drawing board during S1. What was your original plan with her?
A: She was not thought up until Season 2. She was created in the story room for that episode. Want to ask a different question?
Q: How much input did you have on the visual design of the show?
A: A lot. I designed the main & major supporting cast. I hand picked the artists who designed the background style. and I reviewed and approved all artwork for season 1. I designed a lot of animals in S1 as well.
Q: What would have happened if Princess Celestia never sent NMM in the moon? Would NMM have won?
A: Yes. Celestia had no choice but to banish her sister or night would last forever. She did so with a heavy heart.
Q: I asked earlier if Cheerilee was in the original plan for the show
A: Not in the very first inception, but she was in the bible. Hasbro requested she be included, so I decided to make her the teacher of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Q: In ep1, the NMM legend says 'the stars will aid in her escape' and we see 4 stars 'freeing' her. Was there some lore behind this?
A: It was meant to sound like lore, but specifics were never figured out. It would be something fun to figure out. Are they other creatures that were banished? What did they do? Who banished them?
Q: Not a specific question, but can you tell me something fun about Trixie that isn't known? Thanks!
A: She also went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns
Q: What was the thinking behind giving Spike a crush on Rarity?
A: When I was writing the scene in the pilot where Twilight met Rarity for the first time, I needed to get across the idea that Rarity was exceptionally beautiful. I came up with the crush at that point, and it stuck!
Q: There's a rumor that u had some male character part of the mane6. Is this true and who would they be?
A: That is not true. The Mane 6 were always female.
(That's the weirdest rumor I've seen yet, and I've seen some weird ones)
Q: My question is, when developing Manehatten, would the other boroughs have been included (Ie. Bronx, Queens etc)
A: We didn't develop the city that far. If a story were to take place there and called for boroughs, we would have figured it out at that time. It seems like a good idea.
Q: How does it feel to have the power to inspire others to make the world a better place?
A: Pretty amazing and unbelievable.
Q: You told me you had a name for Berry Punch when we talked @BronyCon. Care to share that name on record? =D
A: I called her Pinot Noir! My drink of choice while working on MLP. Got me through a lot of late nights.
Q: "A Bird in the Hoof" Why did Fluttershy have Twilight's and Pinkie Pie's gala dress?
A: Oooooh! Ok. I'm afraid the answer is boring. It saved the artists time to put pre-designed clothes in the closet. It was for practical, cost-saving purposes, not creative.
Q: Where was Celestia when NMM appeared? Don't answer if you never thought of it beforehand. Don't wanna destroy anybody's theories.
A: In my mind, they were still young and still lived in the same castle together--- perhaps with their parents. It was the ruined castle in the Everfree Forest that was featured in the premiere episode. Before she appeared in Ponyvile, NMM went to Canterlot to find Celestia and use magic to banish Celestia in the Sun. REVENGE!
I imagined them with parents, yes. I wish I could've made a series just about Celestia and Luna's youth. Sigh...
Q: Were Celestia and Luna the only wielders of the Elements of Harmony? or did they have 4 others? What Elements did they represent?
A: Yes. They discovered them. They each had 3, but I never thought about who got what. Once Celestia used them on her sister, she could not wield them anymore. She had to wait for Twi and friends to reignite them.
Q: I heard but saw no proof that Ditzy Doo was actually a different pony then our Derpy. Is this true?
A: Yes. Ditzy Doo was written into Winter Wrap Up before the Derpy phenomenon started. I kept the name in my back pocket in case we ever needed a ditzy character again. When the fans started becoming obsessed with a certain cross-eyed background pony, I thought she could be Ditzy, but then you all named her and I didn't want to step on that. There was just a name, but no design for Ditzy Doo.
Q: Thanks for doing this! What was going on when Twilight was hatching Spike's egg and her magic went crazy?
A: Whoah! I didn't think anyone would ask! And just under the wire too! She had a power surge-- her first. She couldn't control it. Celestia sensed this HUGE magical ability, rushed over, and put a magical "cork" in it. She then decided to train Twilight personally, hoping she would one day learn (through friendship) how to control this magical power herself.
Q2: So Celestia had an ulterior motive!
A2: She knew Twilight would be the key to reigniting the elements.... and other stuff I planned that didn't come to be.
Q: Why did Doctor Hooves have wings in episode 16? in season 1?
A: Unless the directors had some plan I'm not aware of, it was just easier to slap a pair of wings on an already-designed earth pony than to design and build a brand new character. It was just to save time and money
Q: Spike's age: teen, preteen, elementary age?
A: I think of him as about 8 in maturity.
Q: Were Diamond Tiara & Silver Spoon meant to be interchangeable bullies, or were they different (leader/follower, or..?)
A: Meghan created those two, so she knows better. But I saw DT as the queen bee and SS as the follower. DT is slightly meaner and driven in my book. SS might have been nice if she made a different friend.
Q: For an aspiring cartoonist like myself who's stuck in the Navy for a short bit
A: The best advice I can give is to never stop drawing. Imagine you have 10,000 lousy drawings inside you that you have to get out before you're any good. Don't get discouraged, practice guarantees improvement. Keep learning. If you can't take classes, pick up art books or take online classes.
And that about covers it. Hopefully she does more!
