Human Nature

fmriver #1 · Aug 23rd, 2018 · · ·

I'd always wondered about the disconnect between Sunset's "plan" (calling it such is a bit generous) in EQG and her characterization otherwise. The idea that Sunset just didn't understand humans seemed to be the best fit (unless you wish to make Demon Sunset a separate character and/or mental illness).
From there, the idea that at least a portion of Sunset's "mean girl" personality was performative linked from that to explaining Sunset's rapid turnaround. Then in Forgotten Friendship, when all of Sunset's memories of CHS are erased, we essentially see a replay of how Sunset felt and acted when she entered the world, and it made it seem more likely that her "mean girl" act was in fact an act. Certainly quite a difference from the way the comics portray her entrance.

I actually like how you directed this. I wouldn't have gone as far off in the direction you did, but this is a big part of my head canon in my attempts to make Sunset's choices somewhat sensical.

ShadowLDrago

ShadowLDrago #2 · Aug 23rd, 2018 · · ·

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Twilight giggled a little while Rarity sighed dramatically. “Puns are the lowest form of humor, darling.”

Wordplay is the highest form of art!

Ri2

Ri2 #3 · Aug 23rd, 2018 · · ·

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Hmm. So...basically, Sunset's plan, fueled by a failure to understand how humans work, was to bring a bunch of teenagers to Equestria because she thought we have the ability to conjure weapons like Pinkie Pie conjures...everything, and didn't want to cause too much damage? Okay, but how exactly did she plan to fit them all through the portal, even assuming she could force it open? The portal which had the most powerful ponies in ponykind waiting on the other end?

Raistlin

Raistlin #4 · Aug 23rd, 2018 · 1 · ·

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I usually prefer Alex Warden´s interpretation about Nightmares (considering N. Moon, Demon Sunset, Midnight Sparkle, Gaia Everfree, Daybreaker, etc.. as such): they are insane by nature.
Or more exactly, a nightmare is what happens when a great magical power allows an obsession to consume the whole personality of the victim, to the point he/she cannot care about anything except following said drive. Luna´s desire for admiration for her and her nights, Sunset´s lust for power, Twilight´s curiosity regarding magic, Gloriosa´s need to protect Camp Everfree, etc...)

blackcomet1224

blackcomet1224 #5 · Aug 23rd, 2018 · · ·

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Well an army of teenagers make sense as a starting of you assume she planned to turn them into demons like she did to snips and snails. And plan to brainwash and transform more people on the other side.

Twi_Clown

Twi_Clown #6 · Aug 24th, 2018 · · ·

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9127971

If anything Demons Sunset was among the four EG demons the most sane from a relative standpoint.

At least DS had some trail of thought when it comes to ambitions, the others did things that were beyond mind fucking goals and objectives.

Midnight Sparkle somehow expect to understand magic by destroying world with powers.
Gaea tried to protect campists by trapping them with vines.....which probably would result in dead campist for starvation.
And Giant Juniper (I dunno if evil Juniper has a name, I just call her Giant Juniper)...........was deluded believing everybod loved her.

Teenagers or not, technically speaking it could have been some sort of a zombie apocalypse army, which actually has good chances of conquering Equestria.

prince

prince #7 · Aug 28th, 2018 · · ·

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9129241
technically, midnight wanted to go to equestria. she just decided that the world was in the way so she was going to destroy it. (totally insane of course, like any other tranformedby magic)

Twi_Clown

Twi_Clown #8 · Aug 28th, 2018 · · ·

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9137019
She wanted for the most part to understand magic and get it. However, his methods hardly qualify as sane............in neither contexts of villain and sane person.

FanOfMostEverything

FanOfMostEverything #9 · Aug 28th, 2018 · · ·

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Definitely the best rationale I've seen for Sunset's plan. Personally, I just figured she abandoned whatever schemes she'd had in mind once she transformed and went with a plan roughly on par with "Turn into a thorn to enrage a manticore." Magical madness makes you kind of stupid.

Also, I don't think I've ever seen Equestrian concepts get lost in translation in the human world before. Brilliant touch.

All told, this was a great bit of world and character building. Thank you for it.

9127702
Only if it's the first item in the list.

jqnexx

jqnexx #10 · Aug 29th, 2018 · 1 · ·

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9137845
Thanks. I mentioned this particular theory to you before, but the idea had always been percolating into a story. I just had to make it a little more than a headcanon dump.

The words thing comes from my own minor interest in etymology, leading to the realization that ponies would likely have a lot of words for things that we would have a hard time putting a concise phrase on, due to their wildly different set of needs.

superfun