Twilight Sparkle

Twilight Sparkle is the main character of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. She is a unicorn pony who transforms into an Alicorn and becomes a princess in Magical Mystery Cure. At the beginning of the series, she moves from Canterlot to Ponyville to study the magic of friendship. She regularly sends friendship reports to Princess Celestia. She lives in Golden Oak Library with Spike, her assistant. Twilight Sparkle represents the element of magic.

Development
Lauren Faust's of Twilight shared a similar color scheme and cutie mark to the G1 pony Twilight, who appeared in the pilot episode Rescue at Midnight Castle. Twilight Sparkle's color scheme was later changed to that of the G3 Earth pony Twilight Twinkle, with a slightly different mane and tail, but Lauren Faust said that Twilight originally had dark blue hair with a light blue stripe; Twilight Sparkle was called "Twilight Twinkle" in early scripts for the show. G1 Twilight teleports by wishing, and Twilight Twinkle likes to watch fireflies; Twilight Sparkle shares aspects from both of these ponies, with her ability to teleport and her occasional stargazing. Though she is much more studious and possesses more powerful magical abilities, she also shares a number of personality traits with the G1 Pegasus Wind Whistler, such as her tendency to rely on logic rather than instincts and her habit of using more advanced and technical terms.

In a 2008 sketch for the series bible, Twilight's cutie mark resembles that of the character Moondancer from earlier My Little Pony generations.

Lauren Faust had planned for Twilight to acquire the power of self-levitation "at some point." Following Faust's departure from the show, Twilight has used this power in the season three episodes The Crystal Empire - Part 2 and Magical Mystery Cure.

Love of books
In Friendship is Magic, part 1, Twinkleshine says Twilight is more interested in books than friends. Even after Twilight becomes good friends with the rest of the main characters, she continues to read and consult books frequently throughout the series. For example, she confidently joins a marathon after reading several books about running in Fall Weather Friends.

Rationality
Twilight tries to be rational in unfamiliar situations. During the investigation in MMMystery on the Friendship Express, Twilight tells Pinkie Pie to stop making wild accusations, and they work together to find clues and solve the mystery.

However, Twilight can be illogical in stressful situations. In Swarm of the Century, she hysterically suggests building a replica of Ponyville in less than a minute before Princess Celestia can see the parasprite infestation.

Twilight tends to be skeptical of unproven claims, such as her friends' portrayal of Zecora as an evil enchantress in Bridle Gossip, and Pinkie's Pinkie Sense in Feeling Pinkie Keen.

Knack for organization
Twilight shows her knack for organization in Winter Wrap Up. When the Winter Wrap Up becomes inefficient and uncoordinated, she steps in to organize the teams and ensure that winter is wrapped up on time. Mayor Mare gives Twilight the official title of "All-Team Organizer".

Magical talent

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History
Twilight lived in Canterlot until Princess Celestia sent her and Spike to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration and make some friends. Twilight befriends the rest of the main characters, and remains in Ponyville to continue to study the magic of friendship.

In A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1, Twilight says that Princess Cadance was her foalsitter when she was a filly.

Twilight tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders how she got her cutie mark in The Cutie Mark Chronicles. She says that when she was a filly, she studied magic on her own and wanted to attend Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. At the entrance exam, Twilight was told to use magic to hatch Spike's egg, but her magic got out of control when she was startled by Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom. Princess Celestia took note of her magical abilities and made Twilight her personal protégé.

In Magical Mystery Cure, Twilight completes an unfinished magic spell with her deep understanding of friendship. Princess Celestia tells her that Twilight is ready for the next stage of her life. She is transformed into an Alicorn and crowned a princess.

Hot air balloon
Twilight rides a purple hot air balloon in the title sequence, and uses the same balloon to fly with her friends to Cloudsdale for Rainbow Dash's competition in Sonic Rainboom. In The Return of Harmony Part 2, the ponies use it to fly with Fluttershy in order to capture the brainwashed Rainbow Dash. The balloon is used by other ponies on other occasions.

Parents
Twilight's parents first appear in The Cutie Mark Chronicles. They are supportive of Twilight's interest in magic and excitedly nod their approval when Princess Celestia offers to make Twilight her apprentice. In A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2, they attend Shining Armor's wedding and are moved to tears. They attend Twilight's princess coronation in Magical Mystery Cure.

Twilight Sparkle's mother resembles the notable G1 pony Twilight, also known as Galaxy in the original My Little Pony television series. Twilight Sparkle's father resembles the G1 pony named Nightlight, but gender-swapped.

Shining Armor
Twilight first mentions her brother, Shining Armor, in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1. Twilight says that he was her only friend before she moved to Ponyville. She then sings B.B.B.F.F. (Big Brother Best Friend Forever), a song about their close bond and how much she missed him after she moved to Ponyville.

Depiction in Equestria Girls
Twilight appears as the main protagonist of the film adaptation of the series, My Little Pony Equestria Girls. In the film, Twilight is uncomfortable with her new role as a princess and even has difficulty controlling her wings.

She and her friends head to the Crystal Empire for a princess summit. When Princess Celestia's evil ex-student Sunset Shimmer steals the Element of Magic, Twilight manages to momentarily restrain her, but the crown falls into an alternate world through a magic mirror, which Sunset Shimmer goes through herself moments after. After Celestia informs the ponies about the villainess, she sends Twilight to go to the alternate world to retrieve her crown alone, but Spike decides to go with her.

In the alternate world, she is turned into a teenage human and Spike into a puppy. She can't get the hang of being human. She eventually meets the human versions of her Ponyville friends and manages to repair the friendships that Sunset Shimmer, who she finds out that everyone in the school in the human world is afraid of due to her mean-spiritedness, had broken before Twilight arrived. Twilight decides to run against Sunset Shimmer for Princess of the Fall Formal in order to get her crown back since Fluttershy had given it to the human version of Celestia. She also develops a crush on Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend Flash Sentry. Sunset Shimmer tries many ways to get Twilight to stop her from getting the crown, such as having her cronies, the human versions of Snips and Snails, record Twilight's difficulties coping with human varieties and turning it into a ridiculing video for all of the students to see. This turns Twilight into a laughing stock, but her new friends help turn her popularity around with a song, Equestria Girls. Sunset also has the Fall Formal decorations destroyed and the blame pinned on Twilight, nearly ruining her chances to get the crown back and return home. But again with the help of Twilight's new friends, as well as many students in the school, the auditorium is cleaned and redecorated in time for the dance.

At the Fall Formal, Twilight accepts Flash Sentry's offer to dance. She's voted the Fall Formal Princess, but when Snips and Snails capture Spike, she and her friends chase the duo outside where Sunset Shimmer, in a last ditch effort to get the crown, threatens to destroy the portal leading to Equestria unless Twilight surrenders the crown. Twilight refuses, confident that Equestria can protect itself without the Elements of Harmony, but the evil unicorn-turned-human takes it by force and transforms into a demon, hypnotizing the students and teachers of the school to be her army. Twilight and her new friends manage to defeat the villainess with the power of friendship, and when Sunset Shimmer is reverted to her human form, she becomes remorseful, stating that she doesn't know where to begin with friendship since she's never had a friend. A forgiving Twilight has her new friends teach its magic to her.

After the dance, Twilight and Spike return to Equestria, Twilight feeling more confident about being a princess than before. She bumps into the pony version of Flash Sentry and blushes upon meeting him. Twilight's pony friends tease her for having a crush, but she denies it.

It is implied that Twilight has her own human counterpart in the mirror world; The human Pinkie mentions seeing a girl who looks like her (And owns a dog named Spike) in the city.

Depiction in comics
In the IDW comics, Twilight Sparkle is depicted as a wingless unicorn even in comic book issues released as recently as late September 2013; IDW editor Bobby Curnow had not heard about Twilight becoming an Alicorn princess until the public announcement in late January 2013, and wrote on the IDW Publishing Forums on May 27, 2013 "As of right now, I have the same knowledge about Princess Twilight as any of you guys. So it's not something I would want to touch in the comics until after I better see how Season 4 handles it." Twilight is depicted as an Alicorn in the preview of Little Brown's chapter book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell included in both IDW's and, is also depicted as an Alicorn on a display shown on  New York Comic Con exclusive Comics World cover RE, and is also to be depicted as an Alicorn on covers of the trade paperback books My Little Pony: The Magic Begins and My Little Pony Micro-Series Volume 1. She is not to be depicted as a princess in, but she is to be depicted as a princess in the comics from onward; Curnow wrote on the IDW Publishing Forums in late September 2013 "We've got the season 4 scripts, and I've read a good chunk of them, and feel like I have a good idea how alicorn Twilight will be handled."

Trading cards
By virtue of her brother's marriage to Princess Cadance, Twilight was listed as royalty in trading cards of Cadance and Shining Armor before the finale of season three.

Hasbro.com description
''Dutiful and intelligent, Twilight Sparkle is obsessed with one thing: studying magic! She once studied so much, she made no time for anypony else. That is until her mentor, Princess Celestia charged her with the study of a special kind of magic--- friendship! Newly converted to the joys of having friends, she uses her knowledge and unusually powerful gift for magical spells to help her companions in Ponyville. Though sometimes she gets on her "high horse" about what's right or wrong, her eagerness to learn and lend a helping hoof endear her to her new friends in Ponyville, and when the going gets tough, her big brain and love for her friends transform her into a natural born leader!''

Hasbro.com second description
''Meet Princess Twilight Sparkle! Twilight was once charged by Princess Celestia to learn about the magic of friendship and report her findings to her royal highness. Her magic increased until the day she grew wings and became a princess! The ponies of Ponyville look up to Twilight for her intelligence and admire her courtly background. As a natural-born leader, Twilight cleverly utilizes all her friends' skills and talents to achieve their mission, and oftentimes discovers new things about herself and all her amazing friends!''

Hasbro.com Equestria Girls description
''Twilight Sparkle isn't exactly feeling like herself these days. Still, the brains of most operations, this perky princess won't let anything get into her way. Even if that means transporting to another universe to reunite old friends, expose Canterlot High's most feared villain, and unite the masses before the Fall Formal so she can take home the crown. But it's all in a day's work for Twilight Sparkle, and she will use all the skills she has: her determination, her charm, and her intelligence to get the job done. Well, that, and a little bit of magic!''

Hubworld description
''For a unicorn who's new to the magic of friendship, Twilight Sparkle gets an "A+." She uses her magical powers to help her friends, and she's always ready to lend a helping hoof. Sometimes she gets on her high horse, but her love for her pals makes her a natural leader.''

''"Get your muzzle out of those books and make some friends!" That's what Princess Celestia tells Twilight Sparkle. She may be the smartest unicorn in Equestria, but Twilight Sparkle gets an "incomplete" in friendship. There's more to life than learning magic, after all — so she goes to Ponyville on a mission to make friends. There she meets five special ponies who take her on exciting adventures and teach her the most powerful magic of all... the magic of friendship!''

Teacher For a Day description
''Meet Twilight Sparkle! She loves to read and study. The Royal Princess Celestia of Equestria has charged Twilight with learning something new: the meaning of friendship! She has a powerful gift for magical spells and uses it to lead her new friends through adventures in Ponyville.''

There's no problem Twilight Sparkle can't solve, especially with the help of other ponies, a little bit of magic and guidance from Princess Celestia.

My Little Pony mobile game description
Princess Celestia's most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle loves to study and wants to learn everything about the magic of friendship.

My Little Pony magazine description

 * Intelligent
 * Artistic
 * Friendly
 * Worrywart
 * Caring

''Raised in the Queen's court in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle is a born leader. She loves to study and wants to learn everything about the Magic of Friendship.''

The Elements of Harmony guidebook
''TWILIGHT SPARKLE has a love of learning unmatched in Equestria. She is a natural leader, a patient friend, an obsessive organizer, and an avid reader. Her home in Ponyville is above Golden Oak Library, where she also serves as librarian, assisted by Spike and her pet owl, Owlowiscious. Of the six Elements of Harmony, she represents the Element of Magic. As a young filly in Canterlot, she was chosen by Princess Celestia to study the highest form of magic as the princess's apprentice. Seeing Twilight value knowledge over friends, the princess sent Twilight to Ponyville to learn the magical properties of friendship. Because Twilight not only mastered magic but also created magic of her own through such friendship, she has been bestowed with wings and the title PRINCESS TWILIGHT''.

Promotional material
A Hasbro stand displayed at Brand Licensing Europe 2012 included a poster depicting Twilight Sparkle as an Alicorn. Jayson Thiessen was not involved with the creation of the poster.

The Hub announced on January 29 and 30, 2013, in an EW.com article, Twitter and Facebook posts, and a press release, Twilight Sparkle's coronation as a princess in the final episode of season three Magical Mystery Cure, on February 16, 2013. The article and both posts are accompanied by pictures of her with both wings and horn, a dress, princess-esque shoes, and a new version of the element of magic crown. The Twitter post and the picture accompanying both posts each include the hashtag "#PonyPrincess".

4th Dimension Entertainment plush description
''A book loving and studious unicorn, Twilight Sparkle was specially chosen by Princess Celestia to be her apprentice when Twilight Sparkle was just a filly. The Princess later sent Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship.''

''Twilight Sparkle is always there for her friends, eager to help and solve any problem that anypony has. Organized and clever to a fault, her stubborn and obsessive nature sometimes gets her into trouble. She tends to favor logic over intuition, believing in only what she can prove rationally, giving her a healthy desire to ask questions. This natural curiosity aids Twilight Sparkle well on her adventures, constantly helping her solve problems and learn new, exciting things. Each day brings another lesson, and her magical powers and circle of friends both continue to grow. She currently lives in the Golden Oak Library with her young dragon assistant, Spike, and pet owl named Owlowiscious.''

With her closest friends Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle completes the Elements of Harmony – the most powerful magic in all of Equestria.

Quotes
"I'm doing scientific research. I'm observing Pinkie Pie, scientific name: Pinkius Piecus, in its natural habitat."

- Feeling Pinkie Keen

"We've learned that friendship isn't always easy. But there's no doubt it's worth fighting for."

- The Return of Harmony Part 2

"I have to finish this report to the princess summarizing all my other reports to the princess."

- Baby Cakes

"A little while ago, my teacher and mentor Princess Celestia sent me to live in Ponyville. She sent me to study friendship, which is something I didn't really care much about. But now, on a day like today, I can honestly say I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for the friendships I've made with all of you. Each one of you taught me something about friendship, and for that, I will always be grateful. Today, I consider myself the luckiest pony in Equestria. Thank you, friends. Thank you, everypony!"

- Magical Mystery Cure

"The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship!"

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls