As Celestia's personal student, there was no doubt in Sunset Shimmer's mind that she was the most powerful Unicorn in Equestria. There was no spell she couldn't master, no lesson she couldn't learn...save for one.
Hoping to rectify the situation, Princess Celestia broke one of her own rules and unearthed Starswirl's Mirror, hoping that, by gazing into it, Sunset would see what she always wanted. Unfortunately, the plan worked a little TOO well, but not in the manner she hoped.
Cast out and believing herself betrayed by Celestia, a desperate Sunset decides to seek out her 'Hearts Desire' on the other side of the Mirror...to a place where she will learn the lessons Celestia so desperately wished for her to learn: that Friendship is Magic.
Chapters (7)
good luck, there are a number of these out there. from sunset to twilight to the cmc. i look forward to seeing how you tell the tale
Oooh, this will be fun. I just hope that the Griffindor Crew can help Sunset mend her emotional scars.
Interesting.... how will Sunset's arrogance stand in this new world? And just how close do she and Harry eventually become? Which House will she be sorted into? I can really only see her in Slythrin (ambitious and cunning) or Ravenclaw (knowledge and wit).
My interest is piqued, but you have a long journey ahead. Will stick to Canon... or if you deviate, by how much?
*grins widely, slams the Favorite tab* Oh yeah, this is going to be good.
I am intrigued, and you have my attention. Any idea what the upload schedule for this will be?
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Thanks again for all your help.
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I've got several chapters rough-drafted already but I like to give myself breathing space in case new show-relevant information shows up. While this is unlikely to affect Sunset given how EG is technically a branch story, better safe than sorry.
Seriously, you'd think they'd start fleshing out her character now that she's essentially the Main Character of the EG universe. Also, I wonder where she ranks in terms of power. Starlight is revealed to be about as powerful as Princess Twilight, who is apparently 'almost' as powerful as Starswirl, who was strong enough to be on BOTH teams for lowering and raising the Sun back in the day.
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There will be slight deviations, mostly due to me addressing glaring plot-holes (Children's Books amiright), but the story will mostly follow HP Canon...with a few colorful additions here and there.
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She's not quite 'scarred' yet. She hasn't accepted the fact she did anything wrong, she's still in the 'All Celestia's fault for holding me back' ala Anakin Skywalker ranting about Obi-Wan, only without Hayden Christensen's bad acting.
(Seriously, I stopped watching the Prequel Movies after the 2nd one. How that whiny crybaby became DARTH VADER I'll never understand).
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I can only hope to live up to your expectations. If not, well as you said there are plenty of other works out there.
Oh this is pretty good:
Several things I'm hoping to see.
How Sunset and Dumbledore interact with one another, especially since ol'Albus has a bit of Celestia in him (to Sunset's consternation).
If Sunset chooses Slytherin, but ends up in Griffyndor.
Hmm... I've seen so many HP fanfics and crossovers that I'm normally numb to the allure of reading one... But maybe, just maybe, this will be of equal or greater quality to that of the fic with She-Whom-Walks-On-Plush-Hooves...
Or perhaps it shall not be, and shall simply vanish someday into the ether like its successor fic from the same author. We shall simply have to wait and see...
Excellent characterizations of both Dumbledore and Celestia. I look forward to reading more.
Also, thanks for the shoutout!
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As Dumbledore explained, as Headmaster he won't be available to teach Sunset directly, though rest assured he'll be finding ways to keep her busy. His plan with Celestia is to keep her from becoming the next Voldemort after all.
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I can make no promises as I don't have the best track record, but I intend to at least finish Philosopher's Stone.
At this point in time, there is no way for him to know that. As far as he know, Harry is a quiet shy boy. Not a thrill-seeking daring do.
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He's basing his assumptions that Harry's resemblance to James is more than just skin deep. Besides, considering how he all but said 'There's something hidden on the closed off corridor' in canon, it's practically a given he wanted Harry to look into it.
It's been established that Dumbledore has been trying to prepare Harry for the time he faces Voldemort. Snape even goes so far as to accuse him of raising the boy 'like a pig for slaughter', though I think Dumbledore didn't suspect Harry was a Horcrux until the Diary was revealed, an issue I'll be addressing MUCH earlier than Ms. Rowling did.
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I sincerly doubt that the first line was intended as you say. First thing first, it was adressed to the whole school, it would entice far more people like say, the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan, then a timid overwhelmed first year. Second, it's first book Dumbledore, when he was still written as a fun old man saying crazy stuff for the lulz. Case in point, his opening speech. Thirdly, why would he think that Harry is a troublemaker when he know from Miss Figgs that he isn't?
Later in the year? Sure, I could understanf that kind of reasonment, afterall, he gave him the cape, twice.
As for the "pig" line, pig are fed to be fat. They are kept happy and then slaugthered. It is the exact opposite of being prepared to fight. So even if it was indeed established somewhere that Dumbledore was preparing Harry beyond the private lessons in the sixth book, that evidence would not make any sense.
That being said, if you wan't to interpret thing that way, go ahead. It's just not established outside of fanon.
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From what I gleaned online (at least as far as the first book is concerned) Dumbledore did not intend for Harry to get involved with any of the Philosopher's Stone business. Harry and his friends got involved on their own and when the situation got desperate Dumbledore was willing to provide them a hint. But he did not expect Harry to confront the Dark Lord let alone actually defeat him.
But yeah from what I can tell Dumbledore intended to let Harry remain ignorant of the prophecy until the time came when he would fulfill it in order to preserve his innocence. Basically he wanted Harry to have as normal a life as possible before his destined death arrived.
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On all of your points, the HP fandom is actually quite divided. There are some who think what you do about Dumbledore and his actions throughout the series, while on the other end of the spectrum there are those who see him as little better than Riddle with his manipulations throughout the series and in particular his actions and inactions regarding Harry's home life at Privet Drive. The majority of fans usually fall somewhere in the middle, seeing Dumbledore as having benevolent intentions, but suspect and misguided means of carrying out his goals, with some leaning closer to one view or the other without going to the "Up to 11" extremes.
And if you don't believe me that the HP Fandom can get quite warped, just remember that this is the series that gave us the names for the "Draco in Leather Pants" and "Ron The Death Eater" tropes, as well as the abomination known as "My Immortal"...
8840234
I am quite aware of that (thanks to the author of another Harry Potter x MLP fic on this site) but I honestly only care about what was actually shown in the source material or what the author herself has said rather than fan speculation. That being said I firmly believe that Dumbledore tried do what he thought was right but it didn't always work out for the best. For example in hindsight it probably would have been better if he just told Harry the truth from the start but it's understandable why he wanted to protect Harry from the truth.
That said if "good-intentions manipulator" is the interpretation the author is going with I'm fine with that, it's at least more inline with how the character is portrayed in the books than what others have done.
8840264
I happen to agree, though the mental exercises for rationalizing either extreme in a believable manner can be quite entertaining at times. In my case though, my headcanon is only built around what's actually portrayed in the source material, while I reject most "Word of God" interpretations because quite often "Word of God" statements can be contradicted or brought into question by Canon Source, and the world, setting and characterizations of the Harry Potter series have some holes in them large enough do drive a Death Star through once you start critically examining them, which is why the fandom is so divided on the various here's and there's of the different characters, and why it's such fertile ground for fanfiction authors to mess about with...
8840283
Yeah well frankly I'm not too picky about fan interpretations of characters as long as it makes sense. Like I said that other story's portrayal of Dumbledore got me to look up alot of stuff from the books which does occasionally lead to plot points that definitely have you scratching your head when you actually think about them.
8840312
Yeah, I'm pretty flexible about what interpretations I'm willing to follow so long as it's done well too.
If you don't mind my asking, which story are you referring to? It's probably something I've read already, but I'm still interested in what others think of them. If you're not comfortable naming it in the comments here feel free to PM me.
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Ah no problem the story I'm referring to is Magic School Days. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it though fair warning, the author leans heavily into Dumbledore bashing to the point where it has long since stopped being funny.
My only suggestion is a wording change. I don’t really like having Hagrid blush, so maybe chuckle/laugh sheepishly?
Otherwise it looks good.
If Sunset treats Harry like she would with Sunburst, I doubt that she would be too happy with Malfoy.
I'd love fro her to deal with not being the most prestigious around. I imagine having to deal with characters like Malfoy would bring a whole host of interesting communications.
also, all this talk of her being ambitious, I would almost feel cheated if she didn't end up in slytherin. I get that it might be hard for her to interact with some of the books main characters, but I really can't imagine she would be in any of the other houses unless she changes drastically.
Sunset mumbled as she watched the Matron walk away before turning her attention to the Headmaster, who continued to smile in a manner she couldn’t help but return “Um…good morning?”
"And just what do you mean by that?” the stallion, Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling at Sunset’s confusion "Do you wish me a good morning, or do you mean to say this is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
The Hobbit references are greatly enjoyed
So much potential! Only hiccup is that I feel like Dumbles AND Celestia are both so used to being mysterious, they are going to omit the fact that she contacted him and he knows... leading to a lot of hurt feelings later on for Sunny...
I even liked your author notes, where you clearly stated your reasonings (and one theory on pony psychology) that while I may have interpreted differently, are valid and I can live with.
Hope this stays strong!
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Out of all the Harry Potter crossovers I have read, this is by far the most well-constructed and written. Favorite and Tracking.
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I would be surprised if she didn't end up in slytherin especially since the author seems to be intentionally drawing parallels between her and Voldemort.
8840234
DO NOT SPEAK THAT TITLE!
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I did say it was an abomination.
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YOU LINKED TO THE ABYSS! DONT CLIKC FOR YOUR SANITY.
8840264
To be fair, Dumbledore would HAVE to be something of a manipulator considering the political clout he has. Putting aside his duties as Headmaster, he's Head of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.
However, while I don't doubt he always strives to serve the 'Greater Good', I like to think of him as more of a 'Death of Spock', needs of the many type than the 'Hot Fuzz', send Harry to his death so he can keep his power mentality.
So yes, I can understand Dumbledore wanting Harry to still have a 'childhood', especially considering how he failed Tom Riddle, but at the same time I can also imagine him using his years of experience to prepare the boy for the challenges ahead.
That being said, he's not 'Omniscient', and unlike Celestia he doesn't have the benefit of 'Prophetic Dreams' to explain his more confusing decisions (Like sending the Mane 6 to move the dragon instead of Mobilizing the Guard and doing it herself.)
Case in point, I highly doubt he was aware Voldemort was possessing Quirrel, because if he did he'd have stunned him then and there and the series would have ended with Book 1. Sure he wouldn't be able to KILL Voldemort, but imprisoning him would be just as good.
He also openly admitted to having no clue how the Chamber of Secrets was re-opened, and something tells me if he suspected Sirius' innocence he'd have used all his political clout to get him out of Azkaban, if only to ensure Grimmauld Place was secure.
So yeah, Well-Intentioned Manipulator Dumbles is my Head-canon.
8840655
Her attachment to Harry will be slow-going, but yes, Malfoy will soon learn that not everyone is willing to bend over to kiss his father's backside.
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Sunset's used to working he way up from nothing. She wasn't always Celestia's student and while Human Politics are decidedly more cut-throat than Equestrian ones her time in Celestia's court has prepared her for uppity Pure Bloods.
8840903
Sunset won't touch the Diary out of pride, but Dumbledore erased their conversation using magic just in case she does check it (he has an alternative means of communication).
As for her finding out about their conversations...well the portal will re-open in two and a half years, plenty of time for Celestia and Dumbledore to plan how to break the news.
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Please don't hurt me Princess Twilight.
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Thanks.
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Spoilers.
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Which basically means she'll either be making some Major waves in Slitherin as she breaks all the molds and out-maneuvers the "Older" students (because in reality she's probably older than the seventh years given the effects of the mirrors on physical ages) and classmates alike... or you're going to find some reason/excuse to put her in one of the other houses and have her build her power base there while cutting them off at every turn.
Either way:
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This story kind of makes me sad. Like, I'm about to cry kind of sad. It doesn't help that the music 'I'm listening to is so perfectly timed with this story (Harry Potter). This is very well written so far.
8841028
I definitely agree that it's plausible that he is a skilled manipulator given his positions, I just couldn't think of an example of Dumbledore ever really manipulating Harry in a way that intentionally put him in harms way. He often seemed to try to do whatever it took to keep Harry safe (as he does with all his students) which is why Harry and his friends often had to sneak around to investigate anything.
But it's definitely a better interpretation than blatantly evil Dumbledore.
This is really interesting so far, really excited for the next chapter
8841148
The basis of the "Manipulative" Dumbledore school of thought isn't based on him directly leading Harry and Co. into danger, so much as it's about the "breadcrumbs", (items and information, sometimes sensitive that "he should have known about and hidden more securely", sometimes seemingly benign but vital to their success, that seem to be left around willy nilly for them to find and use that a lot of people trace back to Dumbledore either rightly or not...) while seemingly "turning a blind eye" and often even rewarding what could be considered either suspension or expulsion offenses, to a Lot of what happens regarding Harry and his group of friends.
Then there's that a lot of people see his role in placing Harry in what by any Modern standard would undoubtedly be considered an abusive home, the sort that would have Child Services knocking on the Dursley's door to take away both Harry and Dudley, and how they see that "there's no way he can't know about it but still does nothing", and drawing parallels of the psychological effects of such an upbringing to children in militant states that are essentially raised to be soldiers or weapons. A harsh home life bereft of any semblance of love or affection, so he would latch onto the first person to show him any kindness and actually stand up to his abusers and protect him (Hagrid) and establish a hold over him through that connection since Hagrid is unfailingly loyal to Dumbledore and constantly parrots how "Great" he is and "Good Man Dumbledore" and how he was the only person able to stand up to and push back Tom Riddle/Voldemort during the darkest days of the war.
The "Manipulative Dumbledore" almost always works by proxy, rarely leaving a trail that can be definitively traced back to him and only getting directly involved with his designs for Harry's future destiny when either left no choice or the opportunity to do so without exposing himself as a manipulator comes around.
Now, This isn't me saying I entirely agree with this school of thought, but as I said in an earlier post, the mental exercises of logic-ing out believable circumstances behind the extreme good or bad views on Dumbledore can be quite entertaining at times.
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Ah yeah I can understand that. Though I never really agreed with the thought in regards to leaving Harry with the Dursley's since Dumbledore did have a good reason to place him there despite how he was treated. Whether or not it was the best choice is debatable (and frankly at that point it would all just be speculation) but it's hard to argue that it didn't work out well in the long run (it was the whole reason Harry ultimately was able to survive the prophecy). But at least Dumbledore did show remorse for doing that in the end.
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ah, I guess I'll have to find out how she acts. Either way, I can't wait to read more.