Ranking The Reformations of FiM, From Worst to Best (Version 3) · 1:04am Apr 10th, 2018
Well, now I've reviewed the movie, it's only natural that the reformations ranking be updated. But there's been a couple other reformations to consider. Including one I'm very reluctantly including here despite my absolute detesting of it. Here's the previous version, from the end of Season 7, the only rule is I'm not including the reformation of any comics exclusive villains. And as always, this list is purely the result of my personal opinion.
16. King Sombra (Redemption Arc: IDW Main Series #34-#37)
Why I detest it: I may have included it here since the IDW comics will be covering Tempest Shadow in a couple of issues, and when I talk about that I'm afraid it's only fair to include the other villain redemption they had. But that doesn't mean I have to be fair to it. I'm not going to sugarcoat it at all. The redemption of King Sombra, like everything else in "Siege of the Crystal Empire" SUCKED and sucked badly! Not only does introducing the Umbrum take away a lot of Sombra's appeal as a villain, but having him be reformed despite being one of them, exists solely because Radiant Hope is a Mary Sue who gets to have her cake and eat it too! I'm not kidding! If not for her, Sombra never would've been brought back and never would've been able to unleash the Umbrum, which somehow were easily defeated by the same ponies who struggled against him. Not even him going off with Radiant Hope to hunt for the crystallized remains of Princess Amore can make up for how beyond horrible his redemption is! It's like they took everything great about Sombra from his "Fiendship is Magic" issue and trampled all over it for the sake of a story. And if the show wraps up without ever acknowledging this redemption, I'll be glad.
15. Juniper Montage (Redemption Arc: Movie Magic)
Why she's so low: To be honest, you can barely even call what happened with Juniper Montage a redemption arc. She was never really a threat to anyone except for a few minutes. And what little we got of her as a villain, she was absolutely shallow and terrible! She sabotages her uncle's movie, just because she's mad that some big wig actress is being cast in the lead role and she believes that she should be cast despite having no acting experience at all! Then when she gets a second chance she really doesn't deserve (they even acknowledge it in universe when her uncle says "You're lucky I even got you this job after what you did"), we see her continue to be hung up on a naive fantasy, and she can't even do her job at the mall without whining and complaining. So when she gets the only thing letting her indulge in her fantasies taken away, she gets instantly forgiven just because others did worse things with Equestrian Magic compared to her. That's not an excuse, because Sunset Shimmer had to work for her redemption, Sci-Twi felt guilty for a long time afterward, and even Starlight had to overcome her own struggles and fess up to what she did. Juniper Montage did nothing of the sort, yet she gets forgiven. If Starlight Glimmer was a warning sign for the writers that redemption is becoming an overused trope, Juniper Montage is the end result of trying to give everyone sympathy even if they doesn't deserve it.
14. Pony Trixie a.k.a The Great and Powerful Trixie (Redemption Arc: Magic Duel, No Second Prances, To Where and Back Again Parts 1 and 2, All Bottled Up, To Change a Changeling, Uncommon Bond, IDW Comics Main Series #21-#22, Friends Forever #6)
Why she moved down: Even when you include your presence in the IDW comics, the damage done to her character and redemption arc after Season 7 still stings. It's still way too soon to know if what happened in "Uncommon Bond" is light at the end of a dark tunnel, or just a stroke of luck that won't happen again. And we likely won't know until later on this season, when Trixie and Starlight get an episode to themselves in which they travel to Saddle Arabia (it sounds like a road trip comedy type of story, but the characters could make or break the episode). Already that's kind of a strike against it for me, because I really don't see why Trixie and Starlight get to be these special individuals who get to travel to Saddle Arabia. Why not Las Pegasus, a location that would make more sense for a performer like Trixie?
13. The Shadowbolts of Crystal Prep (Redemption Arc: Dance Magic)
Why they moved down: Their redemption is sort of questionable, as they willingly pressured Sci-Twi in the climax of "Friendship Games", but you could make a case for them following Cinch's orders. And that without the corruptive influence of Cinch, they're actually nice girls. But considering they were perfectly willing to steal Rarity's idea just because she hadn't turned it into a video, and even exploited this fact for their own benefit, that kind of shoots that theory down. Plus, the absence of Indigo Zapp from "Dance Magic" remains a questionable decision that we've yet to get any sort of explanation on, not that having Zapp in "Dance Magic" would've changed anything.
12. Stygian (Redemption Arc: Shadow Play Part 2)
Why he was added: Admittedly, Stygian comes into play very late in "Shadow Play". Shortly after learning that the Pony of Shadows was once an ordinary individual, we get his backstory, and then a short time later we have the final showdown and Stygian's redemption. And even then, it's implied that the darkness and Starswirl and the Pillars are more to blame for Stygian's fall than Stygian himself. Yes, I know he's since had his story elaborated on in the "Legends of Magic" series, but they only cover his gathering of the group and his fall from the light. And even then the comics lay the blame for Stygian's fate at Starswirl's hooves, despite Stygian claiming he's no hero. The only hint we get towards his redemption, is when Stygian himself responds to Twilight's first question as: "I was, once." Though whether he himself felt that, or if he just believed what Starswirl said about him, we don't know. All the same, at least Stygian's redemption makes sense. He never truly wanted to oppose the pillars, he became a villain through unfortunate circumstances and a lack of communication and confidence.
11. Princess Luna (Redemption Arc: Friendship is Magic Part 2 (Mare In The Moon), Luna Eclipsed, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, IDW Comics Main Series #5-#8, Friends Forever #7)
Why she moved down: Such a fall from grace for a fan favorite character. But much like pony Trixie, even including her comics appearances that make her redemption a center point, don't really do much to help her out. In Luna's case, it's not that her redemption was bad, it's that we never got to really see it. "Luna Eclipsed" hastily re-introduced Luna to the show and resolved her redemption arc in one episode. It wasn't until "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep" that the show even elaborated on her lingering guilt. And the comics, well the main series arc focused on her went in a million different directions and suffered from a protagonist problem, making it difficult to tell whose story it was supposed to be. And the only Friends Forever comic that mentioned Luna's past, felt like a rehash of "Luna Eclipsed". Luna's still a good character, but her redemption is almost non-exisitant. I think it's because the writers never originally intended to use Luna again, but changed their mind when they saw how popular she was with the fandom.
10. Babs Seed (Redemption Arc: One Bad Apple, Apple Family Reunion, Bloom and Gloom, IDW Comics Main Series #21-#22, Friends Forever #13, Friends Forever #36)
Why she moved down: She's moving down because new characters are being added and space has to be made. It's unfortunate, but Babs has been all but forgotten. The show hasn't acknowledged her in over two seasons now, and even the IDW comics have stopped using her. Not even the "Ponyville Mysteries" series has mentioned her.
9. Gilda (Redemption Arc: The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, Friends Forever #24)
Why she moved down: It seems like Gilda too, has been forgotten since her redemption. She hasn't even been given a cameo or any sort of mention. And it seems like despite her and Gabby, Griffonstone hasn't embraced friendship if Grandpa Gruff and "School Daze" are anything to go by.
8. Tempest Shadow a.k.a Fizzlepop Berrytwist (Redemption Arc: School Daze Part 1)
Why she's not higher: For right now, I can't put Tempest any higher than this for a couple of reasons. One, the IDW comics are going to be using her in a few issues, so we'll have to see what (if anything) changes after that. Second, Tempest was put on a bus at the beginning of "School Daze" and it feels like a very hasty excuse as to why she's not with Twilight (which I blame more on the movie writers tossing Tempest's actions into the timeline between Season 7 and 8, meaning Vogel and Dubac had to hastily find a way to explain Tempest's absence when the mane six come back to Ponyville). And third and foremost, she didn't truly begin to change until she was betrayed by the Storm King. Up to that point, she was more than willing to let Equestria suffer as long as she got her horn back. If the Storm King had kept his word (assuming it was possible for him to restore Tempest's horn and he wasn't lying), Tempest would've never defied him and he would effectively rule Equestria, with what happened in Canterlot playing out over the entire world. Her redemption only truly exists because the Storm King either lied or was an idiot. Never once prior to his betrayal did Tempest ever show anything close to regret for what she did, or even hesitation. Heck, right before "Open Up Your Eyes" Twilight called her out on her behavior, and Tempest responded with "I'm nothing like you!". Having a slightly better backstory than Starlight Glimmer doesn't mean your redemption is automatically slightly better than hers.
7. Wallflower Blush (Redemption Arc: Forgotten Friendship)
Why she's in the top half: I did consider putting Wallflower Blush lower, as quite a few people didn't agree with her actions and abuse of the memory stone, especially in the climax when she decided on a whim to just erase the Rainbooms memories entirely because they hadn't forgotten Sunset Shimmer. And admittedly, their attempts to explain why Wallflower has it out for Sunset initially fall flat. She claims in her memories that she wishes everyone could see Sunset hasn't really changed, but they never elaborate on why she thinks this despite all Sunset has done. When she just outright says she hates Sunset though, that's when she starts to gain points in my book. I like the idea that she doesn't have it out for Sunset directly, she's just jealous because Sunset has what Wallflower wishes she could have, and she resents Sunset for having what she cannot. In addition, Wallflower was the first villain in the entirety of the Equestria Girls franchise to not transform into a monster, not even when she started abusing the memory stone. Unlike Gloriosa Daisy a.k.a Gaia Everfree, who was only a villain to the Rainbooms because she wrongly targeted them for something they were no part of (thus explaining why she's not on this list), Wallflower Blush didn't even intend to become a villain. She started out using the memory stone as a reset button when she messed up. And how many of us wish we could undo things we regret, or bad memories others have of us? It's just too bad we're probably never going to see her again, because she really deserves to be part of the group after they made such a big deal out of her desire to be noticed.
6. Equestria Girls Trixie (Redemption Arc: Forgotten Friendship)
Why she was added: Unlike pony Trixie, Equestria Girls Trixie decided to drop the act and show us what lies behind that arrogant facade. And much like pony Rainbow Dash, it makes her a lot more likeable as a character as a result. After they stopped trying to make her the red herring villain of "Forgotten Friendship", getting to see a more vulnerable side of Trixie was a surprising but enjoyable change of pace. It really shows how words and actions can hurt others, even when you think it's all in harmless fun. Plus, unlike pony Trixie who never admitted to her own problems and instead just went back to being the arrogant showboater she was, human Trixie got to grow as a character. Nick Confalone seems to have learned his lesson from "No Second Prances", you can push Trixie's character only so far before it starts to become character exaggeration and even flanderization (which is what happens when character exaggeration continues unchecked).
5. Discord (Redemption Arc: Keep Calm and Flutter On, Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2, Discord and the Ponyville Players Dramaarama, Make New Friends But Keep Discord, What About Discord?, IDW Comics Friends Forever #2 and #20, To Where And Back Again Parts 1 and 2, Discordant Harmony, Main Series #57)
Why he stayed the same: From here on out the rankings remain as they were from last time (though I suspect that when "Chaos Theory" finally airs, Discord is gonna drop down significantly on this list, unless that synopsis is misleading like it was for "Rock Solid Friendship"). The only new thing to really talk about is the inclusion of the chapter book Discord and the Ponyville Players Dramaarama. The book most likely takes place between Seasons 4 and 5, and it involves Discord temporarily moving to Ponyville (he even buys a house from a sales pony) and getting involved with a local play so as to impress Princess Celestia, because she has something that once belonged to him. Something he cherishes dearly. But before long, the play starts to be sabotaged and everyone thinks it's Discord (though his friends do stick up for him rather than outright accuse him). However, Discord isn't the culprit, and he unmasks the real sabotager, allowing him to reclaim his pet goldfish named Q. It feels like a good balance between the two extremes Discord tended to go through in his post redemption episodes (He would either act like a complete jerk and try to pass his scheme off as a friendship lesson, or would be accused and treated scornfully by all the mane six minus Fluttershy before he even did anything).
4. Diamond Tiara (Redemption Arc: Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Ponyville Mysteries: Schoolhouse of Secrets and Tale of the Timberwolf)
Why she stayed the same: It turns out that the first two Ponyville Mysteries books actually do use her. And not just for a quick cameo either, she actually has a presence and a role. In the first book, she's the one who reveals to the Crusaders were Lillymoon lives, and in the second book she becomes the first one to sing Lillymoon's praises when the other students think Lillymoon fended off a Timberwolf at Zipporwhill's birthday party. It sure as heck makes up for the fact that she seems to have been forgotten in the show, and replaced by Gallus (Smolder seems to be the Silver Spoon replacement, even sharing the same voice actress in Shannon Chan-Kent). She does appear in the new opening, but only in a brief frame before we cut to Twilight's castle and she is hard to spot. I think I already mentioned her cut verse from the reprise of "We'll Make Our Mark", which I would've liked to see (but can't think of anything from "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" that would be cut to fit it in). At the least I would like it if we could get the Ponyville Mysteries series animated for a spin-off series (hey, if they're not gonna utilize Equestria Girls to its full potential, then why not give the spin-off treatment to something else that deserves it and save Equestria Girls for the next generation?).
3. Starlight Glimmer (Redemption Arc: The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2, The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2, No Second Prances, Every Little Thing She Does, To Where And Back Again Parts 1 and 2, Celestial Advice, Rock Solid Friendship, Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2, School Daze Parts 1 and 2)
Why she stayed the same: It does still feel like the writers push Starlight more than what's needed in two parters (I'm starting to get sick and tired of her being the only one who ever gets to talk reason into Twilight, why can't Starlight be in the wrong for a change?) and I'm still not entirely sure she deserves the position of guidance counselor (making her vice principal would make a lot more sense). But thankfully, the stand alone episodes are getting better at integrating her into the story without going too far. I left "The Maud Couple" out of her redemption arc, because it wasn't really critical to the plot and her past was never really brought up. In fact "The Maud Couple" built on what was established of her in "Rock Solid Friendship" and gave us a chance to see her friendship with Maud continues to grow, to the point where she's in on the plan to use a fake Maud for the surprise party. We'll have to see what Season 8 brings for her in terms of character. And before you ask, no, I have not yet read the Ponyville Mysteries series installments that come after "Riddle of the Rusty Horseshoe" (though Starlight being on the cover of one doesn't automatically mean she'll be the focus, considering the covers of the first three books had Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash respectively, yet none of them were truly the focus of the stories).
2. Sci-Twi (Redemption Arc: Legend of Everfree, Forgotten Friendship, Equestria Girls Series)
Why she stayed the same: Even with more Equestria Girls content, Sci-Twi's redemption hasn't really been a thing. She's fully integrated into the group, and everything about her from before still holds up. It does feel odd that no one questioned how Sci-Twi got out of her Midnight Sparkle persona without Sunset Shimmer though, and even the extended version of "Forgotten Friendship" didn't elaborate on that. She has gotten a few shorts dedicated to herself, including one or two with Timber Spruce that's clearly trying to push that ship. But when the shorts don't even amount to five minutes, there's really not much time to focus on the characters.
1. Sunset Shimmer (Redemption Arc: Rainbow Rocks, Friendship Games, Legend of Everfree, Forgotten Friendship, Equestria Girls Series)
Why she stayed the same: Even with all the newcomers, Sunset Shimmer remains the best in terms of overall redemption. And "Forgotten Friendship" was just another reminder of why that was so. We got a chance to see that redemption is an ongoing process, and that Sunset still does have things she can strive to do better. It was great to see a return of some of her more flawed character traits (namely her temper), as well as her returning to Equestria to make amends with Princess Celestia (and the fact that she considers her to be the second best teacher she ever had). Whatever may come of the Equestria Girls franchise from here on out, and regardless of who else may end up reformed (though I kind of hope they stop doing it all the time, the only villain left to even consider redeeming is Chancellor Neighsay, and it seems more likely that he'll be a reoccurring antagonist for the season), Sunset is likely to always remain on top.
And there you have it. Come back tomorrow (Tuesday) when we'll look at the princess rankings again. After all, there's at least one princess from the movie to consider (Princess Skystar).
I'd put DT, Starlight, and Tempest at the top and Gilda and Sunset at the bottom.
4837110 Why would you put Sunset at the bottom?
I choose to think Gilda is busy reigning as Griffonstone's first queen, but that's just me. I would have put Discord a spot or two higher, but I do admit DT beat him out with all the borderline abusive parent themes we got that episode. Put things in perspective.
4837117
Mostly because, while her post reformation stuff has been great, the initial reformation itself was just the magic blast and then her changing her attitude as a result.
Tempest didn't turn good when Storm King betrayed her. She turned good when Twilight saved her even after everything she'd done.
4837143 Which only happened because she defied the Storm King after he admitted he wasn't going to restore her horn. Prior to that, she was completely loyal to him and would've remained so had he not attacked her.
4837153
I don't seem to recall her ever being loyal to him, only to getting her horn back. And how does any of that diminish what Twilight did?
4837159 It doesn't diminish what Twilight did, but it does weaken Tempest's redemption as of now. Never one did she show any signs of disloyalty, she fully believed serving the Storm King would restore her horn, and nothing else mattered. She gladly interrogated anyone and everyone she met. Heck, Twilight pleaded with her twice not to help the Storm King, and she laughed it off.
4837162
I see it more as a "all business" kind of thing. She just wants her horn back, and will do anything to get it back. If she has to be someone's hired gun, then so be it. Her demeanor seems more like a "professional" than a "zealot" to the cause, if that makes sense.
4837162
I don't know how you missed the parts where Tempest clearly showed that she didn't care for SK's plans. And let's not forget when ST overhears Tempest's "show them what I can really do" speech and she has to hastily say that it's to serve him.
4837170 That's a throwaway line that was never elaborated on. Tempest went along willingly with aiding the Storm King, and when Twilight initially tried to persuade her otherwise, her response was basically: My friends stopped caring about me when I lost my horn, so I ran away and pledged myself to someone who promised to restore my horn if I served him.
4837203
I guess I heard a lot more conflict in her voice than you did.
Anyway, this debate is reminding me a lot of the one we had about Trixie in All Bottled Up. I guess our views on redemption are just too different.
"It does still feel like the writers push Starlight more than what's needed in two parters (I'm starting to get sick and tired of her being the only one who ever gets to talk reason into Twilight, why can't Starlight be in the wrong for a change?) and I'm still not entirely sure she deserves the position of guidance counselor (making her vice principal would make a lot more sense)."
As I've mentioned before, it really feels like the creators are trying to overcompensate for not having Sunset Shimmer in the main series by doing everything they can to make Starlight look as appealing as possible. So much so that you can practically feel the writers going "Do you guys love Starlight yet? Do you guys love Starlight yet? Please tell us you love Starlight!" Now admittedly, when the show isn't blatantly trying to shove Starlight down our throats, she can be a good character.
Know this is a bit late, but...
Let's be fair to Gruff, he's sorta set in his ways, the guy's been living like that for decades, and it'll probably take a long time for him to change. Doesn't indicate Griffonstone as a whole.
4837170
I should point out, it sounded to me like Tempest was going to overthrow the Storm King Starscream style and take power for herself with that line.
4838681 Well that still begs the question of why Gilda and Gabby haven't at least tried to talk to him. You'd think Gabby might at least make some efforts.
Also, Starlight's been in the wrong multiple times throughout the show unlike Maud Pie.
4838826 How has she been in the wrong multiple times since her reformation, and had it matter? Often times she got off scott free for bad decisions or acting rash, like when she decided to blow off an important friendship dinner to help Trixie and not tell Twilight, or when she decided to lead a malauworth to the changeling hive because she thought it would force Thorax and Pharaynx to work together, or her casting those spells on her friends and having to be told why that was wrong?
4838762
He's Gruff, I really don't think he exactly listens to others too well, that one. Stubborn as a mule. Anyways, you get my point. He's just one example of a entire kingdom we see very little of.
4838885
You're changing the goal posts now. You said why can't Starlight be in the wrong for a change? That's what I was responding to. And you just listed two times she was wrong and called out on it!
4838084
It's never once felt like that to me.
-sees Sunset Shimmer's Reformation and Redemption Arc at #1-
Me: HECK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3
You know, while I have my own headcanon of how Sombra becomint how he was, as in he was a childhood friend of Cadence who, after becoming a bit too curious while exploring some ancient ruins, became slowly corrupted by a dark artifact, and at first tried to lock himself away whenever he felt it taking control before he could temporarily suppress it,and after his resurrection it would take weeks, if not MONTHS of soul searching and the like to slowly undo the mystic corruption