Talk:Alicorns/@comment-24659719-20160327151502/@comment-27161581-20160327170231

You also find things that make it difficult to relate to that character, but with ambiguity the details can be blurred over, letting the viewer pick and choose what makes sense to them.

Hence fanon.

It is partially why tales with bare bones storylines and characterization endure so well. They never fall out of favor because of the ability of the characters to be whoever the reader wants them to be, and the plot to mean whatever seems Trevelyan to the reader. Imagination is a powerful tool, in telling fairy tales, and in other genres, such as horror, adventure, and fantasy in general.

Take Alice in Wonderland, or the Joker. Both of these characters have many different variations, and each iteration appeals to different audience members. Having an untold backstory is a powerful tool in specific situations. Sometimes the best story, is the untold one, such as how Darth Vader became Darth Vader, around when the first films were released. He was many men, and he was none of them. Celestia is the same way, she is many ponies, and none of them, who she truly is, is up to the viewer, and that is the great power of myth.