So, I just finished watching season 5 on Netflix. I got to say with a few exceptions this season was not nearly as good the previous. I am late I know. The worst being the finale. I am just going to ignore white seismosaurus in the room and not discuss the multiple felonies that Starlight committed. My beef is the fact that the frickin' alicorn of magic lost a magic duel to a normal unicorn. How, that should be impossible. I mean she may have had a boost against TIrek but even without the other alicorns magic she should have steamrolled over Starlight; hell the encounter with the ursa minor seemed more challenging than Starlight. This just throws the whole continuity in the trash. Though season 4 did contradict itself with Tirek a guy who sealed up centuries ago knowing about Cadence, who is the same relative age as Shining armor if the comics are to be believed that is. Also, why would Twilight need help with timber wolves those should be easy pickings for her now? It seems that she is weaker than before her ascension save for the wings. I am sorry but how does the most magic pony lose to a communist sociopath who wants force her vision of reality on others who had not special training or special connection to well anything. I sure hope she isn't a regular on season 6 if any other pony were to be added I would say it should be Sunset Shimmer.

Any way. I would like your thoughts guys as this just seems highly illogical.

Perhaps Twilight was drained from going back in time so much. If time is like a river, it'd be much harder to go downstream into the past than upstream into the future; she may have also been shocked at first, or trying to be less agrees I've than when she tried to cut Starlight in half. Fair warning: I'be only seen the finale twice near when it came out, so my memory of it may be a bit inaccurate.

5115742 I chose to believe that Twilight's alicorn magic had not fully matured and she was not trying to kill Starlight, but yes, it was BS. As for the Timber Wolves I think Twilight was just using that as an excuses to get back to the map. I know Starlight will be in the premiere *shudders* but with any luck she will be used sparingly.

P.S. I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what the comics say their are basically paid fanfics.

One thing I think was holding Twilight back was her morality- Despite the clear and deliberate threat Starlight was presenting, Twilight didn't want to hurt her. Merely stop her.

In that respect however I think Twilight failed as a princess.

Sure she maintained the good person she is by convincing Starlight to stop, but as a princess, Twilight has an obligation to her nation and her subjects. Such responsibility occasionally demands making difficult choices - Yes, I am saying Twilight should have been willing to stop Starlight, even if it meant stopping her for good.

And even if she couldn't cross that line, at the very least she could have disabled Starlight's magic either using some kind of spell to do so... Or even cutting Starlight's horn off

Some can argue that killing should never be an option but if I can save millions of lives by ending one, I am willing to pull the trigger. It may sound callous but it's true.

5115775
I think that you are absolutely right. I can seen that her holding back could be it. Though there was one scene where she seemed to be low on magic or stamina. In regards to the point of what Starlight did being reprehensible there is no doubt. She is guilty of multiple felonies that would grant her multiple Death sentences or least life sentences with her magic removed permanently.

5115789 I also agree that Twilight did look like she was running out of energy and getting tired

Also, even before that time traveling madness, Starlight was guilty of treason against the crown by forcefully using her cutie mark removal spell on Twilight and holding her against her will, which made her guilty of kidnapping a monarch as well as national heroes

She's probably guilty of holding many ponies against their will and brainwashing them into her fascist equality hypocrisy

Her running away should also make her a fugitive from the law

And finally Her interfering with history purely out of spite makes her guilty of crimes against pony kind (like crimes against humanity)

She deserved having her horn cut off (without any anesthesia) and eternal banishment from Equestria, forbidden to return on pain of death

Her reasons for all her crimes were childish, petty, self-righteous, and dismissive of the better options she had and failure to acknowledge her own shortcomings

So yeah, I don't like Starlight Glimmer in the slightest and she in no way deserved getting off so easy without any punishment whatsoever

5115801
I find it Ironic that Sunset apparently can't go home when her crimes are nothing compared to Starlight: attempted regicide, kidnapping, conspiracy, torture, aggravated assault, Grand Larceny, Pony Slaughter by creating alternate realities resulting in many deaths, High Treason, Crimes against pony kind by partially removing a pony's soul ie. Cutiemark.

I think Sunset has simply accepted the world she lives in now to be where she belongs but she might not be ready to face her old teacher Celestia

Eeyup - Starlight is definitely worse than Sunset

5115742 Thank you! This is exactly what I think, too!

5115775

Some can argue that killing should never be an option but if I can save millions of lives by ending one, I am willing to pull the trigger. It may sound callous but it's true.

Exactly. The needs of the one do not outweigh the needs of the many.

5115789 5115801 5115821 Again, exactly, and thank you.
All of this is just exactly why I personally think that the storyline of the finale sucked, and why it's my least favorite season finale out of all the ones in the series' run.

Honestly? If there was ever a case of an episode jumping the shark, this one was definitely it.

5115742 Thanks for agreeing with me on the whole Starlight vs Twilight duel

I'm amazed how many people miss the point when it comes to this.

Twilight Sparkle, ALICORN PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE, WHEN FIGHTING WITH HER FRIENDS, HER LIFE, AND ALL OF EQUESTRIA ON THE LINE...

Sunset Shimmer was able to DIRECTLY TAKE ON THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TWILIGHT SPARKLE THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY OUTSIDE INFLUENCES OR BOOSTS MULTIPLE TIMES IN A SINGLE DAY, WHILE CONSTANTLY LEVITATING HERSELF IN THE AIR.

This isn't "Kakuzu is so epic, he once fought the god-tier Hashirama Senju and survived". This isn't "Krillin got lucky and hurt Goku with a thrown surprise rock".

This is "He's strong enough to DIRECTLY TAKE ON THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TWILIGHT SPARKLE THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY OUTSIDE INFLUENCES OR BOOSTS MULTIPLE TIMES IN A SINGLE DAY, WHILE CONSTANTLY LEVITATING HERSELF IN THE AIR.

Now, remind me again, WHAT HAS SHE DONE TO EARN THIS POWER?! Magic is supposedly friendship, and friendship is supposedly magic, SO WHAT FRIENDSHIP DID THIS BITTER SOCIOPATH HAVE TO MAKE HER SO STRONG WHEN ALL SHE HAS IS HER OWN SPITE AND VILLAIN SUE AURA?!

Also, regarding the killing rule... IN A WORLD WHERE MAGIC EXISTS, a world where methods to capture ponies magically exists, killing isn't necessary. You can throw a Power Ponies comic book at Starlight like you're Minato teleport-Rasenganning someone in the back, then cover that comic book in duct tape like you're Jotato Kujo. Any "I don't want to restrain someone's freedom by nonlethally capturing them, even though that's what prison pretty much is" person would be an idiot on par with "It's never ok to punch someone ever, even to save your life or someone else's!".