Talk:A Royal Problem/@comment-27578467-20170719041327/@comment-27578467-20180224212947

Actually I think that's a perfectly believable explanation, but one that only feels reachable outside of the episode itself. If it truly was the product of a habit developed from extremely long-term relative solace, I would say its pretty unnecessary to show in the first place; all it does is portray her as having a somewhat unusual but pretty inconsequential habit, analogous to something like showing Cherilee washing her hands obsessively before meeting up with Big Mac in Hearts and Hooves Day. It seems clear to me, rather, that the writers intentionally made it seem like "silly Celestia didn't realize how hard it would be to work at night" to emphasize the one big character flaw on display (underestimating the difficulty of someone else's position) rather than for the purpose of deeper character building. I realize that's more a matter of interpretation, which is why I don't say much about newer episodes nowadays.