There was a Ninja, some woman with green hair named Gertrude, probably my sister Vengeance, and Lord Skywalker. You know. The one that likes to snorkle.) colabed on a story! The Crystaling and my latest fic · 1:22am Mar 29th, 2016
Full discloser, I did not like the latest two parter. It bumped me in a way that this show so rarely does. Not to say it didn’t have its moments (Spike and Glimmer friending it up, Flurry ‘Destroyer of Empires’ Heart). I don’t usually write reaction fics, but as I was thinking though this I sort of realized Sunset Shimmer could very well have a field day with what was going on. Either that or a full mental breakdown.
Some points of clarification so hopefully I shouldn't have to go to war in the comments on the fic:
* No, this isn't a "It should have been Sunset Shimmer!" fic, but the parallels between her and Starlight are hard to miss and looking at the differences is kinda... disturbing...
* I don't hate Starlight Glimmer, but she feels 'incomplete' to me. Like her back story is still missing one or two crucial elements, such as why she still went to war against cutie marks over Starburst when she ultimately ended up with one very similar to his own and possibly could have followed him to Celestia's school. The only explanation the show seems to have offered up is that “she went berserk!” which is sort of a non-answer. This is possibly a first for an antagonist.
* The characters in the two parter felt off to me in a number of ways. For one, there's a few instances of characters clearly giving exposition when this is usually done through natural flowing dialogue. The fact that I could pick out lines that where clearly exposition was fairly worrisome.
* Many of the characters felt like flandarized versions of themselves and/or haven’t seemed to have learned anything from previous lessons that have tons of relevance to wat was going on. I’m looking at YOU, Twilight and Pinkie.
* Some of the characters just acted plain dumb despite the fact they should be the wisest and smartest out of the bunch. Celestia and Luna fight the weather by firing frickin’ laser beams at each cloud?! Just… wut?
It’s also worth mentioning that this fic isn’t purely a reactionary piece with Sunset functioning as an author mouthpiece. In fact, there’s so much added material that the actual content of the episode and Sunset addressing it probably makes up less than half. I’m working on the second chapter and this looks like it’ll continue.
I’m sure many disagree one or more of my points above. That’s fine. I’m not writing this fic to get anyone to see things my way if they don’t already. This fic is designed to humorously apply a critical eye to the latest two parter by bringing up points that went seemingly ignore during its creation while holding it up against the quality the show routinely gives us. Also, there’s lots of the random comedy I tend to be known for ‘round these parts.
So if the very idea of the above puts you off, feel free to give it a skip. If you're intrigued, give it a read. I hope you enjoy it.
And, as always, thanks for reading! 
Honestly, I agree with you and I am a touch worried. Some of the characters were a bit flanderized, and Celestia and Luna were...morons, in this. I still personally liked this, but as far as openings go, it could have been a lot better.
Still, Josh Haber wrote for the Friendship games, which I honestly liked quite a bit and presumably is going to work more on Season 6. Hopefully it'll pick up a bit more.
Hell, I know I'm complaining here, but I still liked the episode, faults and all.
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We have a new director helping this one along. I hope this was that person getting the 'of course people don't know who these characters are! It's the season premier' out of their system. Considering the next episode is a Maud episode, I have little reason to believe we're in serious danger... unless it opens with a lengthy recap of who Maud Pie is.
It could have been a lot worse but I agree that it was lacking in some places. You'd think that the combined powers of the mighty Dashie, the persuasive Fluttershy, and the honest Applejack could find some way to make a crowd disperse - it's like "dammit, you had one job!"
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Fluttershy especially was fairly useless these eps. She basically just filled in blanks in the conversation and helped ONE pony up when they fell while running away. As a fanfic writer, I know it's easy to have Fluttershy present but not find a use for her and have her end up as a wallflower. However, I never expected an actual episode to fall into this trap.
It was a bit lackluster. Doesn't stop me from gushing over Flurry Heart's cuteness and loving Starlight's awkwardness and her pair up with Spike
I agree a lot on the Starlight feeling incomplete thing. I was expecting years worth of shit, going through a similar kind of thing like the CMC's with being bullied, maybe to an even more severe extent. But nope! Just one time when she was a child. ONE FUCKING TIME! This is why I've been saying they need to Sunset the shit out of her, because no one liked Sunset, then Rainbow Rocks happened and she's now a fan favorite
I really liked Lily Peet's video on youtube about Starlight. Check it out.
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I have to say I agree here. Based off her opening two parter I also assumed this was some sort of DT and SS situation that went to far, but she wasn't bullied she just lost a friend, sort of lost her mind over it, and didn't get it back even when her cutie mark that could have solved her problem hit.
I understand that loosing your best and only friend can be traumatic, but that doesn't explain the part where she hates cutie marks when she got one in basically the exact thing that took her friend away and potentially means her ticket to seeing him again.
3833951 And even though only Sunburst said he didn't, neither of them tried contacting each other. I was watching the finale and was like "Did you not try contacting him? Was he shipped off to school immediately? Did your parents or his forbid you from seeing him? Did you not have enough money as an adult to travel to the school and ask what happened to him? Seriously, why didn't you do anything? Hey also, why didn't you go and join in the celebration and be happy for him?"
Writers! SUNSET THE SHIT OUT OF THIS GIRL!
Yeah
it did seem like Starlight Glimmer had more going on than
'I lost my only friend and now i'm insane" going for her
IF she really hated Cutie Marks she would not have studied magic, THAT is kinda her Mark
So from last seasons opening it REALLY seemed like she was out for control, and making herself the only user of powerful magics
The show's too busy promoting Starlight to main cast (I really hope not) to bother with her stupid backstory. Its still pretty ridiculous, and I do wonder if someday we'll find out when she got her cutie mark. While "redeemed" Starlight is mostly tolerable (and she's still a manipulator, with how she distracted Spike), I still miss her initial characterization from Cutie Markless- crazy philosophy, and seemed more like she was happily lording her power (from her cutie mark) over a bunch of other idiots who had given up their unique gifts. This really repentant version is kind of weird to watch, without a friendship laser or sympathetic backstory to really justify the really fast turnaround (not to mention how big her tantrum was basically). Not to mention how ridiculously powerful she is for a regular unicorn too, so its not like she can complain about getting a useless cutie mark (like Troubleshoes, I still feel sorry for him for what he got stuck with).
I like Sunset's backstory as its kind of sympathetic (and maybe tragic, depending on how a fic interprets her relationship with Celestia). Starlight's backstory is a bad joke. I'd sooner see the Cutie Mark Crusaders grow up into crazy anti-Cutie Mark cult leaders (before they got their cutie marks of course) due to endless DT abuse and bullying and still feel more sorry for them than Starlight.
I'm looking forward to the rest of this fic, especially the end. Wonder if Sunset will get to help put the Crystal Heart back together. Though with Sunset's inclusion, that might be even less things for the Mane Six to do. Looking forward to Sunset cutting through all the random exposition.
i am so annoyed with fans comparing sunset with starlight their are clear differences. (a fellow author pointed and i quote)
. unquote
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It not issues with them being the same character. It's that their situations are the same and Twilight has, bizarrely enough, offered more guidance to Starlight than she did to Sunset. In a strange twist of fate, handing Sunset over to the mane five was probably the best thing for her, but without Twilight really offering to take her back to Equestria in the first place (which Sunset may have very well rejected, but we don't know as the offer was not put on the table in the first movie) it feel like the right thing done for the wrong reason.
As mentioned in my post, the fic is not intended to highlight it should have been Sunset, but use her as a sort of rational focal point to deal with some of the really odd things that happen in the fic, some of them paralleling the things she's gone through and some of them feeling like rather lazy writing, E.G. the expositions, Pinkie harping on parities when it's well know that "yes, the pink pony likes parties", and Twilight taking a very analytical approach to friendship when this exact approach has failed her before.
Also, two chapters in, this fic is also tons of comedy that doesn't necessarily coincide with what happened in the episode anyhow.
3838641 Fair enough, it just that i find it annoying with certain people, (Not you different people) about that subject (Sorta became a sore point for me) i apologize for overreacting. btw i have a scene you could use
"Wait, your sending applejack to help cover things up?" Sunset asked
"Despite being honesty, applejack know better then to just tell the full on truth that cause a potential panic induce riot. it call being tactful.... plus i'm sure warning people about a alicorn baby and her unstabilize will at least keep people away. i mean they can't be that stubborn after hearing that."
Btw a chap i think you will like https://www.fimfiction.net/story/243573/141/letters-from-an-irritated-princess/crystalling-my-frozen-bones
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Hehe. I actually know the author of Letters from an Irritated Princess personally and preread ever chapter before it gets posted. There's a decent chance a few jokes I suggested are actually in that chapter.
I have no idea why the second video landed on that thumb nail, but seriously it's funnier than it looks and is sfw. Other than some rare drug references, I can watch his videos with my little brother present ... although we're talking about the same person who thinks Demon King Daimo is appropriate for toddlers to watch.
DWK ... the guy is amazing, and 95% of his parodies are better than the actual show.