I know I'm not the only one that believes this is something that should be addressed, so I figured I'd make a thread for it: Forgiveness in Equestria.

I'm sorry, but it just seems so...easy to gain. Like, no matter what you do, so long as you apologize for it, you are going to be forgiven for it. I think we all know the big one that comes to mind, but I was thinking to focus on a few others.

Let's talk about what happened in, say, "Bridle Gossip"; Zecora ended up having five ponies break into her home, accuse her of cursing them and was probably on the cusps of being physically assaulted and all because of...rumors. Rumors that didn't even know were true, rumors that they didn't even bother trying to figure out if they were true or not before going to confront Zecora. Yet, they are forgiven...just like that. It...shouldn't have been that easy; if someone broke into my house, accused me, threatened me and then asked me to cook them up a herbal bath that they could do by themselves, I'd have some pretty choice words for them.

I know for a fact there are more examples I could write here, but my crap brain is drawing a blank right now. But the gist of what I'm saying is; I would enjoy nothing more than to have accusation fics where "sorry" doesn't automatically mean you are forgiven. That you have to work to be forgiven, that you have to work to prove that you've learned a lesson and this will never happen again. Especially ones where the pony in questions feels they are entitled to being forgiven for saying "sorry" and nothing else. IF anybody else can think up an example, please add it here.

This isn't show canon but this spreads to the comics too. The Siege of the Crystal Empire arc.

Oh my god that ending was so insulting on every level.

5960167 Cranky Doodle being harassed by Pinkie Pie which resulted his photo album(a gift from his girlfriend, mind you) being burned to ashes. I don't feel the need to remind everyone on what Starlight did.

Mysterious Mare Do Well? Ponyville Confidential? A Canterlot Wedding? 28 Pranks Later? No Second Prances?

5960177 Which was a shame because I enjoyed the story up to that part.

5960167 MLP is an almost dangerous breeding ground of "forgiveness" stories that do nothing but enable the forgiven to re-offend.

Why do you think we have a group called the Accusation Fic collection?

For reformed villains, I can easily see why Luna was forgiven, the only one she really targeted at first was Celestia, so no one else would've really been hurt, then Nightmare Moon shows up for a few hours in the middle of nowhere and gets blasted back into Luna. Nightmare Moon lasted all of 5 minutes pre banishment as well. Plus, everyone but Twilight was either scared of her or being an ass when she first returned after being gone for... um, let's call it 26 or so weeks. Even then, she still punished herself.

Discord was treated like crap post reformation. The only one who gave him a chance was Fluttershy, everyone else automatically assumed the worst of him and honestly it was no surprise he betrayed them, Tirek wasn't wrong when he said Discord didn't have freedom.

Sunset had to go through several months of being hated by the entire school and her friends not treating her well. She had to save everyone before being accepted.

The instant forgiveness only really applies to the Mane 7 (Starlight being 7). Spike gets put through the wringer all the time. Trixie brags during a show (that the three biggest braggarts in Ponyville didn't like)? She had her career destroyed by two idiots bringing in an Ursa. Lightning Dust was booted because some idiots broke into a military esque academy in the middle of an exercise. Meanwhile, Twilight brainwashes an entire town? Instantly forgiven. Starlight brainwashes all of Twilight's friends and doesn't realize she did anything wrong? Instantly forgiven. Someone acting a bit strange? Must be Discord, better turn him to stone... Pinkie stalks and harasses Gilda and Cranky? Obviously the other two are a problem. Also traumatizing Fluttershy to the point of making her cry twice in an episode when she's having a good time... Applejack constantly risked her family's livelihood on her pride, and technically lost the competition to Flim and Flam, also having previously caused a lot of damage to Ponyville due to it. Honestly, Rarity and Fluttershy are the only ones where I can't think of an individual example, only the many, many group ones.

5960187
To be fair, in Ponyville Confedentional, the articles were loved by everyone (including Snips and Snails) at first, and the CMC tried to stop, but they were blackmailed into continuing. Honestly, they had more punishment in that episode than any of the Mane 7 got in a single episode outside of Rainbow in Mare Do Well.

5960177 yeah I thought the ending was rushed to that arc despite liking it and the ponies all too eager to help out sombra in the end without at least thinking it over

5960238 wait broke into? I am pretty sure lightning dust was putting her whole squad into danger and not just civilian visitors

5960167 I am mostly fine by the forgiveness thing most of the time in the shwo but yeah in cases like starlight it's giving a bit too easily

Thers is one more stupid instant foregiveness crap...
ANON A MISSS
URGHHHH!

I think the biggest problem is that the reason the show makes it look so easy is because it's easier to write that way, reality and implications be damned.

How mature do all of you really expect a show rated for 2-11 year old's to get? It can hint at darker subjects like online bullying or racism but it has to leave off before it gets too dark for the kiddies. The more mature writing is what we come here to sites and groups like this for.

I brought this up about Starlight Glimmer, that she shouldn't have been so easily forgiven. But no, everyone jumps down my throat because I'm the one who said it. Yet it's fine when everyone else says the same thing I do. Now this is a thread where I simply must make the point that Starlight Glimmer should have willingly served jail time the same way Ransik willingly served at least a year in prison in Power Rangers Wild Force before his services were needed to help the Power Rangers. I make the point and I have had people who agree with me, so it's not fair if I were to get treated rotten in a thread like this. I'm sure Starlight Glimmer won't be the only thing I bring up here.

5960494 I'd say you're more lenient on Starlight than I would be, EXILE!!!!!!

...And take away her magic of course, can't have her taking away cutie marks and/or messing with time and destroying the world many times over and over again.

5960501 Yeah, while prison is usually what comes to my mind, you make just as fair points. But no, it's Discord who isn't so easily forgiven when he should be because he did far less damage than Starlight. Equestrian logic. Gotta love it!

5960177 This even extends to the expand universe with the tie in chapter books. In Princess Cadence and the Heart Song Garden, there's this filly who gets mad that Cadence didn't ask her grandfather to be the groundskeeper for the castle again, despite Cadence having just discovered the garden and not knowing the old groundskeeper is still around. So what does the filly do? Why, she sneaks into her grandfather's house while he's asleep and plants some seeds that grow into plants that leave the victim so relaxed they can't do anything. Don't see what's so bad about that yet? Well, the plants end up entangling Shining Armor and the guards with their power, meaning the Crystal Empire is practically defenseless. But what happens when said filly is found out? She gets to ride in a parade float with Flurry Heart! To be fair, the book explains why she can't just be thrown out of the empire, but that filly did NOT deserve to be rewarded like that!

5960531 Probably using the "They're just kids." excuse again

5960531 *Sigh* Common sense just doesn't seem to exist in this series.

5960670 Not anymore, at least.

5960238 And the Mane 6 were forgiven for their hypocrisy and not even bothering to find out the truth

In my opinion. My options would be to either banish all those who've made you furious throughout the series whether on the show or in the comics to places WORSE than Equestria thus giving supremacy over to the DRAGONS, OR bring over these two & let them take care of the rest: http://xebck.deviantart.com/art/Celestia-s-and-Luna-s-evil-counterparts-515288385

5960238 See, what you said about Discord and Starlight is something I've said before, but got flamed for it. ...And I've already said this, so... yeah. It gives me my own accusation fodder, though.

5960301 Yes, well, it's implied that the show is intended for people older than that.

5960605 Yeah like "You can get away with almost everything, even bad stuff like hypocrisy. All you'll get is forgiveness".

5960211 Well, he/she is Just An Average Observer.

5962261

Oh! I never elaborate on that, do I? I am female. And I'm really sorry if all of my posting is bothering people; I just like to take note of the things I see and share them with others to compare.

5962261

Yes, well, it's implied that the show is intended for people older than that.

The show was made for kids. It was intended for kids. If bronies are still thinking the show was made for them and not kids, then they're implying that they stole Lauren Faust's show from them and of course celebrated in their own greed. The show was made my Lauren Faust, not Michael Bay. How many times do I have to bring this up?

5962462 A hundred? Plus, some of those Bronies​ probably agree with the whole "Easily Forgiven" shtick

5962494 That's probably sycophancy and that phrase is probably somewhere written in the Michael Bay formula.

5962542 Yeah?

5962544 Maybe.

5962549 And now back to the topic at hand

5960167 Case in point, the Canterlot Wedding. If it was me in Twilight's shoes, I would still be pretty mad at the ponies for abandoning me. But Twilight acted like it was no big deal. What's up with that?

5962564 Do you think then she should have reacted like... this?

5962575 Exactly!! Lol

5962579 And yes, I made that comic panel myself. ...Well, with available resources such as vector art, but I did put it together. With pride.

5962587 Kudos to you, man. Keep up the good work.

5962587 My only complaint on that panel is that Shining Armor and Celestia are missing. Other than that, I like that it pretty much sums up a fitting reaction in a nutshell. So not bad. Appropriate even.

5962695 Considering what I went for, I should think it's just nitpicking that I left them out.

5960167 Another one that I think people overlooked, Fluttershy bringing the Parasprites into Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle changing their dietary needs which resulted in most of it being eaten.

5960238 I think you might want to change that to just Rarity being the only one who hasn't brought trouble to town.

5963191
I just couldn't think of an example at the time, I haven't seen all the episodes, though the ones that come to mind now are the one where Rarity lies to all the nobles and lies to Twilight on her birthday and the parasprite episode where Fluttershy keeps one. Fluttershy got off scotfree and Rarity actually came out on top. I'm sure there are plenty more, FiM has a horrible case of protagonist centered morality.

5963206 That's a very sad and uncomfortable truth. This is one of the reasons why I don't like Fairy Tail.

5962695 I'm sure they'd have the same reaction. Lol

5962575
5962579
5962695
The problem is that Twilight didn't really do much to convince them that she wasn't being possessive. She barged into the room started rambling that Cadence was evil with little to no (visible) evidence to back it up, and sent her away crying.

Are you saying they should've applauded that kind of behavior?

Twilight literally had nothing to fall back on aside from her simply saying she was evil, not to mention she wasn't exactly subtle about the situation. She came off as possessive even when she tried to tell them and the whole googly eyes thing just made her look insane, granted they should've been a little more open towards her suspicions, but Twi basically started confronting Cadence with no actual proof.

I'm not saying Twi's in the wrong here, but the rest of the mane five shouldn't get tossed under the bus just because Twi didn't handle the situation better. And can you REALLY blame them for not believing her? Brainwashed Shining was able to disprove every accusation with a perfectly logical reason and at the end of her rant, Twi was just screaming nonsense with no proof whatsoever, say you're seeing this from an outside source, would really think she ws in the right without presenting any proof?

Twilight could've, I don't know, get pictures or recordings of Cadence acting odd and present them to her friends, or speak with Celestia in private while showing the evidence to her? Or point out that that it's odd that Cadence's magic was light blue and now it's suddenly light green? If Twilight had done something like that, then maybe the others would have taken her more seriously. 

Yes, I feel bad for Twilight, but for a smart mare simply barging in with circumstantial evidence brought from jumping to conclusions and expecting everypony to just believe her on the spot was a pretty dumb move.

The mane five shouldn't be called out for being manipulated, especially when they were preoccupied with doing their JOBS.

5964208 So in short, everyone is guilty?

5964211

Everyone and no one, because at the end of the day Chrysalis manipulated everybody.

5964220 Twilight may have had nothing to prove, but her friends were supposed to take her concerns seriously, as they should have learned in "Lesson Zero". Much as you make your own point, continuity and consistency are both pretty much fucked because Twilight's friends didn't help raise awareness.

5964264
I don't disagree with you 100%, but you need to remember that this isn't the first time she is going onLoco in the Coco" over a minor thing, a la Lesson Zero and It's About Time.

That and there wasn't really anything for them to raise awareness of, as far as her friends were concerned she simply lost her temper and got possessive. If Twi had done a little more investigating and actually presented physical solid proof to her friends then they might have been more inclined to believe her instead of simply thinking she was having another one of panic attacks.

5964267 Don't you think she tried, goddammit?!