The UK Pony Comic
Majesty, the 'Queen' of Ponyland
Majesty
UK Pony Annual, 1985
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When I first thought how to explain Majesty's character in the
UK, I realised that the only way to do it would be to give her
her own character page. Unlike most ponies in the comic, whose
appearances in the comic would generally overlap with their time
in stores, Majesty was a core lynchpin in the UK pony 'canon' -
both comics and storybooks.
Although she lived in Dream Castle, however, the word "Queen"
was never officially used. The advertisment for Dream Castle
referred to her as a "Royal Unicorn", and the only time when she
was really presented crowned and robed on her throne is in the
1985 annual, as pictured above - and this was really just to
promote the ponywear outfit "Royal Pony". She appeared in this
garb throughout the annual, but not in subsequent ones. She was
more of an action leader, rather than a ceremonial one.
In spite of that, it's clear to see that she had a position of
authority and responsibility. She was a source of wisdom,
warning her pony charges about danger. She was strategic and
skilled in finding solutions, and widely knowledgeable about
Ponyland and its surrounding. She had an extensive library of
books on all kinds of subjects, from the Book of Horrors, to the
Magical World of Ponyland and the Book of Things Ponies Should
Beware Of.
She had a magic mirror, through which she could observe the
other ponies, and through which things sometimes happened (such
as the infamous "arrival" of Baby Glory and Baby Firefly.)
Her horseshoes also had the power to make her invisible. These
were the shoes that came with Dream Castle, and these were
probably the shoes that inspired the animated episode about
Mimic, the Magic Horseshoes - but they did officially belong to
Majesty and the castle, and she did use them. Occasionally one
of the baby ponies started messing with Majesty's magic tools -
and often got more than they bargained for.
If that wasn't enough, Majesty was a very skilful magic
practitioner. She could cast spells from distance, she could
communicate with ponies through song by using her horn magic and
could even open doors to other 'worlds' if she chose.
Majesty was kind, when she wanted to be. Stern, when she
thought it necessary. Downright evil on occasion - including a
few moments where she showed absolutely no mercy to those who
dared lay hands or claws on her ponies. The most famous of these
examples are turning the trolls to soap in the Trolls and the
Castle of Darkness miniworld story, and painting out a witch in
an enchanted painting in order to obliterate her.
She could also play pranks on the other ponies - such as
when she decided to send Lickety Split on a long gallop inorder
to make her lose weight, and when she turned a tree of apples
into literal crab-apples to dissuade Applejack from eating them.
These two examples highlight that greed was a particular
bugbear for Majesty, and they were not the only examples of
tricks played on ponies who liked to eat too much. And, if she
decided something Would Not Do - she would take action - like
when she sent the baby ponies down a hole to the Land of Ups and
Downs to learn how to be less selfish.
Majesty appeared in the comic from the very first issue, but
her origin story appeared in a later comic, which described her
arrival in Ponyland. She came seeking a permanent home for her
and for her pony friends. Spike was already there waiting for
her, and her arrival fulfilled a prophesy, which was that Dream
Castle was destined to belong to someone with her name. The rest
was basically history. You can click on the title below to read
the whole tale, which also reveals that Majesty and the ponies
decided to call their new home "Ponyland."
Majesty seems to have been the leader of the ponies for a long
time, even before they came to Ponyland. Even given the arrival
of the Princess Ponies, there aren't any real discussions on her
successor, or even any idea that she should not be in that
position. She is invited to parties, consulted in times of
crisis, and even paid tribute to in the occasional snow
sculpture. She gave out awards in competitions, and played an
active role in Ponyland's security.
We could argue that she was too powerful for the other ponies
to mess with, but the Fact File tips Magic Star, not Majesty, as
the most magical pony in Ponyland. Despite that, Magic Star
poses Majesty no threat. While she is clearly one of the more
magical ponies in the area, there is no sense of being
intimidated by her. She seems like a protective guardian or
mother overseeing the other ponies and their conundrums.
She also is an almost mother, because she takes in and cares for
Baby Lucky, who I consider to be her ward. Unlike most early
baby ponies, he does not live in Lullabye Nursery, but in Dream
Castle, with Majesty and Spike. Majesty pays particular
attention to his wellbeing, and arranges birthday parties for
him and Spike each June 13th.
In summary, Majesty wears a lot of hats - or crowns - in the UK
pony canon. Queen, leader, disciplinarian, fount of knowledge,
mother, and of course, guardian angel.
I see this mentioned from time to time, but I think the answer
is clearly 'no'. G4's concept canon comes from the US, where
Majesty had next to no character appearances. All of the details
listed above were unique to the UK narrative, which was not
available to children in North America at the time Lauren Faust
grew up. Celestia the pony was also originally produced in pink,
before being shifted to white, so it's not even clear what her
original appearance was meant to be.
There is no real relationship between the pony canon in the UK
and the G4 Friendship is Magic canon. Attempts to overlay
Majesty onto Celestia because of her role in the UK narrative
represents a misunderstanding of how distinct countries were in
their pony output in a pre-internet world. None of the long-term
American collectors I've known for years had even heard of the
comics when I started trading online, much less the characters
and stories in them.
It seems pretty clear that Majesty is just Majesty, and
Celestia, is, of course, Celestia.
