Sunbeam Sparkle is not a good pony. She might not be pure evil, but she is ruthless, ambitious, and so power-hungry that she would even aspire to usurp Celestia's throne. Worse, she succeeds in manipulating Celestia into not only surrendering rule over Equestria, but her immortality as well.
It is often said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In most cases that’s true. Many good ponies have begun with good intentions, but slowly lost their way. However, this is not always the case. A rare few virtuous ponies have the character and strength of will to resist temptation, and are never corrupted by their authority.
Even rarer, there comes a time when gaining power makes a pony better than they were before. This is one such story.
There is so much to touch on here that I won't even try, but this... this really sells it, to me. In spite of all their flaws, characteristics, and more, these two are still mother and daughter. And not just that, but--once you get past the obvious issues here--they still care deeply about each other.
Solid opener, Chen. I'm looking forward to more!
A great showing of the inner workings of Sunbeam's mind.
I love how Sunbeam isn't just some mustache twirling villain like she would be in so many other stories, but a multidimensional character with many aspects to her personality. While still most likely evil, it isn't a senseless or stupid brand of evil.
Sunbeam and Midnight's relationship was also superb in this, and really shows how these two interact. Despite being on of the worst mothers in Equestria, Sunbeam still shows she is one.
Well, this ought to be good.
3873485
My first thought was "Opposite Star Wars scenario"
an interesting villain for this story, though one i fear is doomed to a sticky end. she may have taken celestia's power, but she is not its true wielder. and when nightmare moon arises once more, she will find herself unable to protect..............
i am sorry but i jsut realized a flaw in the story, if a smallish one. Discord would be free as a bird the moment celestia's life ended. the binds that held him in check would be broken upon the death of the last being connected to the elements and he would be causing havoc. and it took both pricnesses tofight him to a draw too.
And here I thought you disliked nobility because you didn't get the reasoning behind the concept of aristocracy...
Oh, Sunbeam Sparkle, you crack me up.
3876096
She can be just a tad hypocritical at times.
Oh mai gawd, dem fur tufts~
3876685
Trust the wisdom of Shadow on this one. Sunbeam is a sociopath. She checks off most (though not all, as you'd expect) of the boxes on the test. But just because her sense of empathy and sentiment is microscopic, it doesn't mean it can't manifest fractionally in one or two days.
No reason to think Tempus is lying, really. He might be. But it's plausible that his student might just be really good at shields. Or a quick learner.
I can't help but feel Celestia was unnecessarily harsh here, a simple training accident and a broken leg is not indicative of blatant abuse. According to Sunbeam such incidents are not only common, but considered fairly mild as well.
Did she do the right thing by taking a dangerous shortcut when there was a slower, but safer, and much healthier option overall? No, she got impatient and made a very stupid mistake; you can't force people to learn faster, they have to do it at their own pace (though that's not to say that you can't help them along to the best of your ability).
Still, what happened to her was textbook police brutality, and Celestia had to know that by punishing Sunbeam she was punishing Midnight as well. Perhaps it's because she's so much younger, but I thought she was a better mare than that, and I'm thoroughly disappointed in her.
I'm not sure how Sunbeam is supposed to become Empress from here, being a disgraced cripple, but I can honestly say that if your intention was to garner sympathy for Sunbeam and "get me on her side" as it were, then you've succeeded beautifully. Then again, I have a sinking feeling that those sympathetic feelings will soon become rather muddled.
*I would like to take this time to note that all I know about Sunbeam Sparkle is what I've read explicitly in this story so far; other than that, and hints that she might be suffering from mild sociopathy, there is very little I know for sure about her.*
I see this is tagged as "Alternate Universe." Should we assume it diverges at some point from the events of Lunar Rebellion and the rest of your canon?
....anyway, that aside, i still see a stickty end. even if she becomes better for it, her crime will come back to haunt her, even if it takes centuries.
i think i can somewhat predict what will happen. the mare in the moon will return. yet here is the difference. whatever nightmare moon did she likely had luna resisting. yet......... what if both nightmare moon and luna both wanted to destroy someone? such as the one who murdered celestia and stole her power?
i am rather itnerested now, especially if that is the course. how will she change for the better, and what fate has she damned herself to meet? best part is that i could see celestai being vulenrable enough mentally to be tricked back then. the loss of luna would way heavily on her mind even a century later.
i am curuios to see what comes to pass. could she possibly defeat nightmare moon, when all restraint is lost to her? and how long will it take for her to regret her sins?
[youtube=Us2ylGAwBnk]
... seemed relevant
Oh lovely. I can just see Midnight hammering on Celestia for wrongfully crippling her mother. Either that or she goes to Shadow and ends up crying in the Pegasus' mane that her mother was crippled for trying to be a loving mother and bringing her doll to her, despite what Celestia says.
Chen strikes again with darkness and wit! This may even beat out Lum's AU as my favorite of the month.
I was interested in seeing what all this was about. But it's a Tragedy featuring Celestia? I've been down that road before and am not willing to risk it again.
Why have you made be care about Sunbeam. Now when I'm reading Lunar Rebellion I'm going to have trouble seeing her just as that manipulative unicorn who would seduce Shadow if she thought is would work. But, then I remember this is AU, for all I know cannon Sunbeam doesn't mellow out after the war. I can't wait to see Celestia's reaction, crippling someone when they're trying to bring something to cheer up their hospitalized kid has got to be making her feel down. Enough to make her seek comfort in Shadow's embrace? Maybe?
Is it just me or was Celestia excessively harsh? It was a wound yes, but grevious? Hardly... Rather than approach Sunbeam with concern, she simply attacked. What was a war-trained unicorn to do but respond in kind? Honestly, Sunbeam is a bit strict, but hardly a bad mother so far. It may have been a challenge for her, but she hardly seems to be nearly as bad as people are making her out to be.
Celestia attacks her, and when she responds as she's been trained and conditioned too, she is then smited, heavily and crippled. Nevermind getting her to a doctor, just throw her in the dungeon. Sorry, but this Celestia NEEDS to be replaced.
Also: Author looses a few points for the entire chain, being an incredible overreaction, and Sunbeam's seemingly passive acceptance of it all.
3877132
The point where this story splits off from the main universe is about halfway through chapter one, so random backstory/worldbuilding lore that crops up will still fit. However, stuff like Sunbeam being crippled by Celestia for abusing her daughter isn't going to happen in Lunar Rebellion.
3877603
So all of The Lunar Rebellion is canon for all of this story, but the reverse is not true? Or is it an AU of TLR's AU?
Along related lines, how necessary will it be to have read TLR? Love Winning Pony, so I'm not exactly opposed to reading more of your stuff, just wondering if it'd be better to read them concurrently or sequentially.
And once more, my like of Sunbeam increases. Personally, I like her more than Shadow. I have to agree with the others that Celestia's reaction was over the top and OOC, though considering they just got out of a war might have something to do with it. Poor Sunbeam, stereotyped as a criminal because of one action (which we still don't know any details of) so now everyone assumes the worst. Still, the crippled, amputated unicorn overthrowing Celestia will make a much more interesting story than the formidable magus.
EDIT: for some reason this comment posted twice. The deleted comment was the repost.
3877800
This story is intended to stand semi-decently on its own, but given that it shares a cast with "The Lunar Rebellion" it probably will be more enjoyable if you already know the characters.
Unless Celestia's had something seriously mess her up, the crazy brutality is seriously unbelievable. I felt like I got slammed reading that. Is Celestia succumbing to the Nightmare?
3876685
She is a sociopath. Society has cultured us to believe anyone who is not in a state of mental homeostasis is completely incapable of anything other than plotting and murder and insanity.
Even a psychotic mass-murderer of a cannibal can love. Why couldn't Sunbeam?
That said, she's still quite dangerous and crazy.
3877931
It has been implicitly stated that killing the warlock's son is not her only sin. Sunbeam has been the one getting her horn bloody for quite some time to improve her own office and in the hopes of taking the throne. She is not to be pitied or treated as just misunderstood - even here in her own head we can see her designs and severity, where her priorities lie.
She is becoming better. One can only become better when they have been WORSE than what they are. Sunbeam is guilty of many horrible things, for her own ambitions - even if they helped others in the end. It's often that people grow an attachment to a character when they are seen as doing something heartfelt and ignore said character's sins. It's not a stereotype, she did kill a child, has killed others unnecessarily, and by all conjecture been involved in many plots and political twists that would have brought further misfortune and death upon others who could have been dealt with differently - all to achieve her goals. Even the darker tasks she took on for Celestia she only does to further her desires and power, which has been said and alluded to multiple times by her.
She -is- a criminal. Just that this time she did not actually do something wrong. But, can you blame anyone for thinking that she did? She all but abused Midnight in the previous story, has killed without need, was quite sadistic. Without seeing inside her head like we are, if it were you, would you honestly believe she couldn't be capable and inclined to do what she's been accused of?
kay this is intersrtting. hopefully i will not desire to simply see her cut in half and fed to diamond dogs when she finally reches hurting celestia. though if anyone can somehow balance that, it is the guy who made me love a nyphomaniac pony.
3878404 See, you're taking the same stance Celestia and Shadow are. You're drawing conclusions based on biased reports and hearsay over a case where we have neither context nor details. I'm not saying killing the foal was right, but until we get an actual account of what happened (preferably through a side story describing the events in detail), we should withhold judgment.
Now, Sunbeam has demonstrated numerous tendencies of sociopathy, Asperger's, and several other mental disorders. Yet she has not shown any signs of being a true monster. Every action she takes is calculated, and in her view, for the greater good. She honestly seems incapable of recognizing emotions or seeing morality from a "normal" perspective. This is demonstrated in her approach to child raising, viewing it as a scientific and social experiment, while struggling with emotions she hasn't experienced before (and likely didn't know she was capable of). As we have seen demonstrated in this story and the Lunar Rebellion, Sunbeam genuinely loves her daughter but isn't fully aware of what that means, nor of what typical parenting attitudes are. She has never sought to genuinely harm her daughter, and the one instance we have is the result of an unfortunate, but understandable, accident.
As for Sunbeam's other "horrendous crimes" you mentioned, please list all of them in descending order of severity so that they may be discussed in further detail. Having read the Lunar Rebellion and Midnight's Shadow, I am having a hard time remembering exactly what other details of Sunbeam's past have been discussed.
I, too, have to furrow my brow at Celestia's punishment. She permanently disables a unicorn, strips her of her rank and power over a broken leg (gravely wounded, my ass. It's a broken leg), yet she sits on her ass and twiddles her non-existent thumbs when the pegasi hack off wings?
3878826
For one, it's Asperger's. As a sufferer of that particular disorder, it would do your case better to nail that one properly. That aside, she does not show the necessary symptoms.
As for her specific crimes, they are not delved into with any true depth - it's true that we do not know the details, but you're taking her point of view when you intone 'the circumstances are required to say if it's bad or not'. The ends do not justify the means. If you believe that, this will quickly become a heated argument on the morality of sapient beings rather than what constitutes the insane and criminal.
But if you want an example, what she did to that one pegasus... Valiant or somesuch? I'd like you to tell me how that was representative of a being who deserves pity? If it had been a story on the news of a human who mercilessly and cruelly tortured someone, slicing off body parts in front of the other person's friends and family - what would you say then? "Oh but we don't know the circumstances!" The fact that it was a fight, or rather - an honorable duel, does not simply make her grievous and heinous actions disappear or turn into any sort of lighter shade.
There comes a point when you can go too far, no matter WHAT reason you are doing it for. If you don't believe that then I hope you aren't putting others in danger by being near you. Just because Sunbeam views her actions as righteous DOES NOT MAKE THEM SO. Do you realize how few people who perform acts of evil actually believe themselves to be in the wrong? They justify these things away, hide it behind causes and plans, or simply believe that any action they take is proper because it comes from them.
If you want to make this into a psychological debate, get cozy because I can go on for days.
But you brought up criminality - so let's look over that. We don't know the laws of Equestria, but we can assume the legal practices under any state governed by Celestia are at least going to be partially based on hardline ethical decisions, from how we've seen her react towards Clipping. So yes, regardless that she is referenced and inferred to have a host of other morbid marks against her that may or may not be sanctioned by the crown, and those we must assume committed by during any rise to political power in a medieval-type setting where corruption is rampant in all paths to prominence amongst a society - we know of one crime, that you seem determined to set aside and blow off. She did, in fact, kill a child.
Unless the child itself was the actual warlock, some great threat to many people, a clear and present danger? Then the child's death, though she seems to regard it as unfortunate but necessary (insanity alert) is still a completely unconscionable act perpetrated by or directly due to the actions of Sunbeam Sparkle. The fact you have so far tried to dull that horrendous event and cast it into gloom speaks that you are not interested in an unbiased discussion of events presented and conjecture made by details of which we can logically infer - and are instead moving to /defend/ a character that you are emotionally attached to.
(That aside, I do agree with you that Celestia is portrayed as a bit over the top here compared to her previous incarnation in the Rebellion. Though from what Chengar's said earlier up in this thread, Phoenix Empress seems to be a bit AU to the Lunar Rebellion, so we don't know what non-canon changes happened during the actual war to have affected this Celestia so. - We are essentially missing a great deal of information on all possible points of argument, left with details that at most we can logically reverse engineer events.)
My goodness, I was tossing and turning all night because of the actions that have been to done to poor Sunbeam Sparkle. To think that had she cared a little less for a daughter, she wouldn't have got in nearly as much trouble for her actions. Had she hid the incident and went to a lesser doctor, Midnight not be healed properly, but Celestia may not have found out about the indiscretion. Had she went straight to Celestia to smooth over the situation, rather than go home to find something to comfort Midnight, people may not have thought her so callous. It felt like every action Sunbeam did to help her daughter ended up looking like she was abusing her daughter.
3876990 My guess is that you can't *force* Celestia to abdicate the throne, you have to guilt her into it. So her being punished out of proportion would be the first step towards getting Celestia to give up on life.
I think that everybody who mentions that Celestia overreacted and thus this is OOC behavior from her (not that they're wrong per se) should remember that a war just ended. A war that was centered around old, deep scars that Celestia had (that doubtlessly left fresh ones, both physical and psychological) and thus everypony is still a touch on edge. We also don't know what happened during the war. Something could have really happened to change her. Besides, this is likely the straw that broke the camel's back with Sunbeam and Celestia. Celestia did say that she's been making excuses for Sunbeam for years, despite knowing that it was the wrong thing to do sometimes. Celesta clearly has a soft spot for foals, and does not tolerate their abuse, as seen with the Clipping incident. I think if it had been anything else Celestia wouldn't have lost her temper, but it was, to Celestia, foal abuse to a foal that Celestia doubtlessly has had a lot of exposure to, thus cares about greatly. Celestia would see that, at least on a subconscious level, as a personal betrayal. She's given Sunbeam unlimited chances and she repays her by abusing those chances and abusing her foal, on top of the fact that everypony is still recovering from a highly destructive war that, again, was centered around Celestia's biggest regret and mistake.
When you combine all of those elements, you get pissed off Tia.
Yeeeees. Let the character development flow.
3876867
She may have Asperger's actually. Though high functioning sociopathy is rather more likely.
3879021 Thank you for the spelling correction, my auto correct kept giving me "beefburgers". Before we go any further, I should point out that I'm on the milder end of the spectrum for the disease myself and I'm basing Sunbeam's "diagnosis" on its similarities to my own personality.
Let's consider the case of Valiant. What do we know? He was a Doo, born and raised in a very military culture with a high emphasis on familial bonds, personal honor, and martial strength. He was young, and like most young men, hotheaded and headstrong. He took an investigator's callous disregard for personal tragedies far too seriously and lost his temper over it. Valiant, along with several others, severely beat and then murdered the inspector over this. He then claimed to be doing the right thing and seemed to honestly expect no legal repercussions for it.
Now, let's consider this from Sunbeam's perspective. Pegasolopis is an extremely isolationist, nationalistic society of warriors who seem to derive their only pleasure from warfare. Nevertheless, they are a part of Equestria and subject to the same laws as the unicorns and earth ponies. The mutilation of a foal, for no apparent reason, has just occurred and the pegasi are vehemently trying to not only cover it up, but deny it ever happened. Valiant has just committed the murder of one of the investigators charged with looking into the crime. The Pegasopolan government refuses to turn him over and by all appearances seem to be protecting him.
Sunbeam's reaction was extreme, but let's conjecture on the goals she might have been trying to accomplish. First, she was dealing justice to a confessed murderer (and the dialogue implies she knew the inspector personally). Second, the duel served to remind Pegasopolis that they were not invincible. Third, reputation is very important to pegasi and her treatment of Valiant reinforced her own, which would increase her political power and standing among the Pegasopolan leaders.
You brought up the case of "how would I react if I heard someone had just mutilated another person on the streets." I and the general public would of course be horrified. But that is not what happened. Instead, the case is "how would I react if I heard someone had just mutilated a murderer on the streets." While still horrifying, it is not the same and the public's reaction would be mixed.
So, taking into account what I have said, while Valiant's mutilation and subsequent humiliation were extreme and easily avoidable, they were not without their own morbid cause. While we (as limited omniscient bystanders with a greater understanding of modern morality and the events within the story) look upon her actions with disgust, the actual affair is more grey.
Now, let us turn our attention to the case of the warlock's foal. Again, we do not know the details so this will be entirely conjecture and theory on my part. First, you say that killing a foal is never justified. This is not true. If a foal has been infected with plague, and that plague threatens to spread and kill a large number of others, then the death and destruction of the foal is a cruel necessity in order to preserve lives. When you consider the black magic practices of his father, the potential that the foal was carrying some form of magical or mundane danger (however unknowingly) becomes frighteningly real. As a magus and protector of Equestria, Sunbeam's duty would then become to "shoot the dog", as it were.
Let us also consider that the warlock may have been holding his foal hostage in a bid to escape; let us assume there is no conceivable way to stop the warlock without harming the foal. When presented with the dilemma of killing a foal or allowing a dangerous murderer (who will almost undoubtedly go on to kill again) to escape, a pony of Sunbeam's personality would choose "the greater good". While this does not make the foal slaying "good" or "right", it does cast a more morally grey light on the situation. Real life and real situations are not easy choices with happy endings and innocent people will always get caught in the crossfire.
I think the plague scenario more likely, considering Celestia's tolerance of Sunbeam and reliance on her advice. If it had simply been the case of "kill the child or lose the suspect", I believe she would have been far less willing to let the matter slide and Sunbeam would never have amassed as much power and influence as she did.
Personally, I think Sunbeam fits the role of an extremist antihero more than a villain.
3880057
I'm going to bed at the moment, so we can have our now more-enjoyable discussion after I eventually return to the land of the conscious. Nice to see someone who knows how to have a fun debate - been getting swamped by loudmouthed idiots lately. But before that.
"Beefburgers"? Really? I'm dying laughing over here! Sometimes wish I had a mobile just for the hilarity of autocorrect. I'd find that much too distracting to get anything done!
Eh, this alternate universe is too much like ours.
These ponies with their murderous natures keep reminding me of why I'm eventually going to wipe out the human race and replace it with my race of Kaled mutants in their battle machines.
3880152 Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, how to have a discussion on the internet.
My thoughts on the story so far though; I'm loving it.
I guess people definitely have a right to be taking sides in this one, it's very easy to. What I don't understand is how people are so adamant on being on Celestia's side based on Sunbeam's past. I know it's horrific and, yes, in this story her deeds mentioned in the Lunar Rebellion are also mentioned here and will probably be a big part of this story.
What I like to think is that, from the way Chengar has built up the post-Lunar Rebellion Sunbeam Sparkle, we're supposed to sympathise with her. Just supposed to, and we don't have to take our sympathies any further than this story. To her, her relationship with Midnight has become a sudden concern and she finds herself very much emotionally attached to the young filly, though she may hate to admit. She can't shake those feelings. While she is not an ideal role-model, she is still a mother who, from what we've read here, loves her daughter a great deal. Wether or not she loves her more than her reputation and legacy will probably be touched upon later.
And who didn't sympathise with Sunbeam in this chapter? She was accused of a crime far less heinous than Celestia and Gale made it out to be. She was trying a new training technique, it backfired. Without Sunbeam being able to get a word in, Celestia paralysed the poor soul. Celestia is clearly meant to look like the villain in this particular story. And she should, if this story is about Sunbeam dominating her power and usurping her. The conflict was brutal but necessary. Celestia is in the wrong, we all know this, regardless of the fact that we hold her in high regard usually. The story is doing what it is intending so far, so just settle down and go with it.
That's what I'm doing. I know how this chapter is supposed to make me feel. And it makes me feel that way because I know the story will be all the better for it. So I'm just going to go with it. I'm going to forget the past and focus on the present. I'm in the mindset of Sunbeam Sparkle now, I understand her plight and why this will influence her actions in the near future. I'm going along for her ride.
I am taking a side in this story. I'm taking Sunbeam Sparkle's side.
Long live the Phoenix Empress.
3882008
I agree with this reasoned comment!
I'm very glad we get to see things from Sunset's POV. After all, everyone has motivations, now we get to see her. I like how she's trying to figure out what she's actually supposed to do as a mother. The life of a Magus is what she knows, and its also something she feels very comfortable. So as opposed to learn a totally new mindset, she tries to apply the rules of a system she knows to s situation she doesn't. Considering the vast differences between these two situations, its amazing the Sunset has done as well as she as. Which I can respect.
Phoenix Empress? Doggonit I wanted to use that, and it sound so good related to Celestia or Equestria, especially if it fused with the Fire Nation.
Especially an Imperial Fuedal system. Fire Lord<Phoenix Queen/King<Dragon Emperor/ Czar King<God Empress of the sun, Solar Mare. Princess Cadence would be Love Tsarina Cadence, since Tsar is an imperial monarch equal to the Dragon Emperor. I wonder if the elements' holders would be Phoenix Queens, since they would die and come back in another pony years later. Sombra would be between King and Emperor. I would say Czar King or High King Sombra.
Aww, Middy needs all the hugs.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it rocks absolutely, too.
Processing...
Result: Statement is false.
Reply:
"Nay, Sunbeam. There is a second option that would both allow thee to be cured and thine daughter be returned to thee. Both thou and thy daughter shall be sealed in stone, and brought back when a cure is found for thine predicament."
3885079
Sunbeam knows too well Celestia´s compassion, specially for children.
Still, I cannot imagine any reasonable way such an obvious sociopath can learn to be a better person, alicorn or not. She lacks empathy, for anything bu her daughter... a little.
I expect the act of ascension will be what costs Celestia her life. She's probably just going to transfer her own power to Sunbeam, though it seems odd that Celestia had offered it to Shadow. The delay is so that Celestia can set her own affairs in order. Still, the mechanics and mechanisms are hard to discern if there are in fact two paths/potentials.
Huh. That's really not how I expected this scene to play out. I thought there would be more feigned hurt and melancholy; more guilt on Celestia's part. But this way makes more sense considering Sunbeam's personality and psyche. A part of me strongly suspects that Sunbeam's ascension is an assassination attempt gone horribly wrong, but the rest knows Celestia is too compassionate for that.
When comparing this story with the Lunar Rebellion, I'm not seeing too much difference between Shadow and Sunbeam. They're both warriors with an uncompromising set of ideals and the resolve to hold to those ideals. They also both exhibit a willingness to "shoot the dog" for the greater good of Equestria. The main difference seems to be that Sunbeam is far more decisive, more keen to act on the most pragmatic solution immediately. While Shadow struggles with resolving the discrepancy between her own well-being and her duty, making her more likely to look for alternatives before circumstances force her hoof. Both have their good and bad traits, both make good leaders, but I honestly see Sunbeam as the better choice. This is because there isn't always time to wait until the last minute looking for the "good" choice. Shadow is, by all accounts, a superb tactician in the field of battle, where every decision must be made immediately and there is no time for moral quandary. But she wouldn't do well in a more peaceful, less hectic situation such as politics and subtle maneuvering (as we've seen with the Ephorate). Sunbeam has a much better head for government and maintaining enough power to see her plans come to fruition; I would also say she has a far more level head and greater patience than her pegasus counterpart.
I get the feeling the only reason Celestia never offered Sunbeam the alicorn mantle in Winningverse canon is because her history makes her too willing to act without waiting for better solutions. She is, for all her forethought, impulsive. That said, I also find Celestia offering Shadow the mantle a bit odd. While I suppose the war might have matured the pegasus commander and beaten out her weaknesses as a leader, based on how things currently stand I don't see her faring well in a long term position. Which, I suppose, is part of the reason Shadow refused to take it up.
Excellent story with good use of a well written O.C. It's not often that we're presented with a story that makes us root for a character that's more antagonist than protagonist, and you'be managed to pull it off very well. Looking forward to reading future chapters.
hmm... 7% of the votes are down, this story must be good
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TwilighT Spakle, princess- ......... WTF celestia! you mean you could have made me an alicorn without me accidentally mindraping all my friends?
Celestia- yes and no. if i had done it this way, you would not have been an indepdendent alicorn. i am giving some of my power to this one. had i done the same to you, i would probably suffer the fate of this alternate of mine. For the only way oyu could truly grow in power is if i gave you my might. through the process you went through, a more proper process, you are completely independent from me and luna, as indepdent as cadance.......... though also, this impuslive alternate is giving some of herself to a potential enemy. i guess i was lucky not to have encountered such villains alone in my more youthful years. that time was........trying. my mind was not as stable nor wise as it is now.
3885079
She could, but Celestia wasn't about to punish Midnight any further for the disagreements between herself and Sunbeam. Imprisonment may be better than death for Sunbeam, but it would be torture for Midnight. This is a filly who cannot bear calisthenics.
Ascension requires death... fitting, considering the whole "Twilight Zone" scene in MMC, plus the scorch mark on the library floor.