Talk:Star Swirl the Bearded/@comment-26973802-20140128191216/@comment-10390252-20140320222546

Personally, I think he's Celestia and Luna's long-lost brother. They had a falling-out a looong time ago and he's been overseas since before Discord's reign.

I like this theory because it allows him to return whenever the writers want and be a nicely ambigious figure. Is he a friend or a foe? Does he still harbour resentment towards Celestia and Luna? What exactly was that last spell supposed to do anyway?

Starswirl: She's had other names you know.

Twilight: Who?

Starswirl: Your... teacher. "Celestia" is the most common name; the one she uses the most. She's had other names too, though. "The Lonely Goddess", "The Beautiful Coward"... "The Oncoming Storm". There are parts of this world where "Celestia" doesn't mean "Light-bringer", it means "The Consuming Flame".