@Background Pony #354A  
Did you watch the same show as I? Luna might appear fot the rest of the season but we will never see Celestia again. The writers never cared for Celestia__.__ Instead of exploring an interesting character, the just ignored her or made her look useless
 
That’s why I fear the whole retirement will actually happen. The year already started like crap, so why not adding more crap to it

Can they still appear for the rest of the season?

Red Flag!

@Dizzy Strings  
This is too big of a dynamic change for a season opener.Nothing shown in the trailer so far seems to be showing the main 6 struggling to rule EquestriaBack in sseason 8,you were shown glimpses of the Mane 6 teaching the students when they introduced the school

@Tirek  
All true. They’ve done a lot of heroic stuff, but that’s not the same as running a country; they just don’t know the job. I figured Sunbutt was grooming Starbutt to someday be on her level, in years if not centuries, but not this. And also, it’s true that the characters are all on their own paths. “Here, have our job, we’re splitting to Maui!” would be a really crappy thing for the princesses to do to the Mane Six and the country, but…
 
…I think we gotta wait and see how it happens. Who says it’s going to be like that? Pretty much every new development gets fans saying “OMG, ruined!” but turns out to not be nearly the disaster the alarmists assumed. Let’s all remember how it was with Twi getting wings, and then take a couple deep breaths.

@Ebalosus  
Make for a great story. Twilight Sparkles great escape from Canterlot. From her own guards!

To be honest, the longer I think about the retirement of Celestia and Luna the more it looks like the whole retirement is kind of lazy/bad writing:
 
First of all, they show never really gave Celestia any credit for anything. She was ruling for 1000 years alone and she said herself that Equestria has never had such a long time of harmony (that means Celestia had to fight all the villains). Sure, she got 1 full and the half of two other episodes for herself but Luna was for some reasons always the fandoms favorite.
 
Second, it was already risky to force Twilight to become an alicorn princess. Sure, she did many good things like saving Equestria and the Crystal Empire but she wasn’t asked if she actually wants to be a princess. It messed her whole life up, but she was luckily able to fix it.  
However now, that she has her school and life under control, she once again has to deal with a giant change: ruling over Equestria. Moreover she is (most likely) losing Celestia, her mentor and friend, as well as Luna, also a good friend.
 
With that kind of writing, they more or less are forcing Twilight and her friends to do the whole politics. It was already risky to force Twilight to change her whole live (and maybe even live goals) by turning her into an alicorn princess.  
However, now the mane 6 (and maybe others too) are forced to give up their whole life (or at least an important part of it) to fill in the hole Celestia’s and Luna’s retirement will create. In other words, AJ won’t be able to fulltime work on the farm anymore, Dash might has to leave the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy will have even less time for her animals, Rarity might have to stop doing dresses, Twilight might have to give her school away (since Starlight will either be the new headmare or part of the leadership) and so on. Pinkie will always be Pinkie  
So most of the characters have to choose between their life goals, Twilight’s school and ruling Equestria
 
So in the worst case at least 5 ruined lives, maybe even more, just because of lazy/bad writing.  
It’s like a giant middle finger in the face of the mane six and their friends: You have your own lives? Too bad, now you have to rule over Equestria because we (the writers) don’t care about your life goals.
 
 
I respect you opinions of course and I will watch season 9 (and I’ll give g5 a chance) but I really hope the whole retirement won’t happen the way it looks like. To me, Celestia and Luna are the real rulers of Equestria. Not to mention that they are immortal and while Twilight isn’t (we already got that confirmed a few years ago)
 
Before someone comments something like “It’s difficult to make an episode” or “if you don’t like it then make a better idea” here is a better idea:
 
Instead of retiring, Celestia and Luna could create something like a council, similar to what Twilight and he friends already have. There, Celestia and Luna could give away part of their politic power/work to the mane six and everyone would win. Although the mane six would be kind of “ruling” Equestria, they still would have enough time for their own life while, on the other hoof, Celestia and Luna also would have more time for their own lives (or time to actually create their own not-princess lives. They really deserve it after everything they did for Equestria :-3 )
 
 
ps: This is post is neither meant to be drama nor complaining. It’s just my opinion so please don’t start an argument;-)

@Background Pony #10CC  
Actually, I’d like to see an episode where Twilight has to handle all the diplomatic/political BS in Canterlot, with occasional cut-scenes to Celestia and Luna living it up.

@blizzard64  
Maybe they were just waiting for the right heir to the throne, since the have no kids.

@Iron Storm
 
>Implying that would be a bad thing.

Twilight: so what your telling me is I got to go kidnap Sunset Shimmer to replace me now, right!?!

Tia did control both sun and moon during NMM’s banishment, so it can be done by one. Still, I have this image of Twilight and Cadence controlling them with a sort of sun-and-moon tennis routine. You know, Twi in the south sends the sun up north to the Crystal Empire while Cadence tosses the moon back south, and then reverse it in twelve hours.

@neo4812  
As far as i know/am concerned its cannon… It was the first answer i got on google which i know shouldnt be trusted but it was a satisfactory answer

@Nick Frayser  
That could happen.

@ma3a  
is that canon?

@blizzard64  
1000? try TEN THOUSAND… I looked it up and celestia is about 10 thousand years old

Twilight would just come up with a spell that causes the sun and moon to rise and lower on their own just like in our world.

@IceKitsune
 

 

@Dizzy Strings  
Right now my thinking on it is this: This will not stick past the Opener because of the invasion of Sombra but in the finale, it will be brought up again where they will truly retire.
 
However, on the off chance, this does stick I have a feeling that episode 200 (or at least one episode this season anyway) will follow Celestia and Luna during their retirement showing what they are up to.

@Dizzy Strings  
I think it’s even more likely to have no tangible effect, whether it sticks or not.

there’s also Candance to help out, granted we never seen her raise any on the celestial body’s but that doesn’t mean she cant help

@IceKitsune  

 
Yeah, I’m sort of not sure what to think either. On the one hand, stuff like this is prime material for just being played for shock value then being undone right after it happens.
 
On the other hand, this IS the last season- so the writers could just be saying ‘screw it, anything goes’.

Well I’m sure she’ll do better at it now then she did the last time.
 

 
… I mean she can’t do worse, right?

Question:
 
Why do both princesses have to retire?  
From Celestia I understand, she has been ruled for 1000 years, but Luna has only been ruled by…. emmmm some years ago (1000 years ago) and eight years ago (in the present).