rainbow rocks Was Sunset really an alicorn at the time of "MPiNT"?

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Sunset Shimmer is NOT an Alicorn. Sure, she has discovered the magic of friendship, and is extremely powerful, but according to season 3 episode 13 of FiM, one needs to display 6 traits before becoming an alicorn-

 

Compassion, Charity, Optimism, Devotion, Integrity, and leadership. Coupled with the magic of friendship, these are the key ingredients for becoming an ascended alicorn. Then, and only then will "the magic inside" of them physically come out of the individual, to transform them physically into something they have become on the inside - an alicorn.

 

So in order to determine whether Sunset Shimmer is an ascended alicorn, we need to determine when she has displayed each of these 6 traits and gotten to know the magic of friendship, BEFORE "My Past is Not Today", since everyone uses that short as evidence of her being an alicorn now.

 

Example of Compassion (kindness)- the first example of this is seen in Rainbow Rocks' third act, when Sunset sympathizes with her friends, who are getting beat in the battle of the bands by the sirens, and lends her power to fight/sing alongside them

 

Example of Charity (generosity)- the first example of this could probably be in Rainbow Rocks, when Sunset voluntarily agrees to give her time to three complete strangers (the sirens) and giving them a tour of the school

 

Example of Optimism (laughter)- the most notable example is in "my past is not today", when Sunset decides to look to the future for her positive transformation, and put her negative past behind her

 

Example of Devotion (loyalty)- Sunset shows this in Rainbow Rocks, during the scene where the sirens admit to knowing all about her, trying to psyche her out and get her to turn against her friends, bringing into question their closeness and the fact that her friends didn't ask Sunset to be in their band. Sunset chooses staying with her friends, rather than falling for the sirens tactics, and abandoning them.

 

Example of Integrity (honesty)- probably in the first act of Rainbow Rocks, when she admits to not really liking Flash Sentry, and just using him to gain popularity in the past

 

Example of Leadership- i think where Sunset Shimmer first shows leader capabilities is in the scene of Rainbow Rocks, where she's able to get the huMane 5 to stop fighting with each other, first backstage, and then again when they were trapped under the stage, snapping them out of the siren's spell, and getting them to reconcile, and follow her idea in working to get out of the room together.

 

The magic of friendship- she only fully understands this at the third act of Friendship Games, where she realizes what qualities in her friends are most important, that the magic of friendship is most important, and transforms into an alicorn to defeat Midnight Sparkle

 

Because she truly doesn't exhibit the understanding of the elements of friendship until Friendship Games, where she was able to become (alicorn) Daydream Shimmer, I'm going to say that her transformation in "My Past is Not Today" was NOT her transformation into an alicorn. It was merely her phoenix manifestation. There was no horn to accompany her wings, but rather, a bird-like tail. At the time of the short, it was WAY too early for her alicornization, since it took place shortly after RR, and at the end of RR, SS was writing to twi, saying that she still has a lot to learn about friendship. To transform into an alicorn so shortly after, without meeting the requirements of exhibiting the non-physical traits of an alicorn before the magic inside of her turns her into an alicorn physically would not be possible at that point in time.

 

So no, she was not an alicorn when "My Past is Not Today" aired. It was only during the third act of Friendship Games when it became possible.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Nightmare Muffin

[Chaton 3,765]

This theory makes too much sense to me and therefore I will simply say "bravo my good fellow" and leave.

 

Toodles.

[Luminance 2,181]

I wonder upon how Sunny can relate to a phoenix. Is it because she fell into a life of mistakes, selfless want and after learning about the magic of friendship she arises from her past to live her new life. It's not definitely Alicorn ascension, but rather an like an epiphany for Sunny.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I wonder upon how Sunny can relate to a phoenix. Is it because she fell into a life of mistakes, selfless want and after learning about the magic of friendship she arises from her past to live her new life. It's not definitely Alicorn ascension, but rather an like an epiphany for Sunny.

that's exactly what it is. Her rising fom the ashes of her past, and starting fresh, turning her life around and becoming someone who she wasn't before, like a phoenix. No idea why so many people peg it as alicorn ascension.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

This theory makes too much sense to me and therefore I will simply say "bravo my good fellow" and leave.

 

Toodles.

um...thanks? I'd really rather you stay for Sunny talk, but i won't stop you from leaving

[PiratePony 8,473]

I concur with that you said. The end of Past Is Not Today was kind of symbolic, but her real transformation was at end of Friendship Games. Is she really an alicorn though? Will she be one if she goes through the portal?

 

One rebuttal to note:  when watching the director commentary of Friendship Games, someone on the panel, I forget who, said something along the lines of Sunset only having energy wings and not real wings like Twilight is "because she's not an alicorn."

[DeadAccount 4,603]

Your post seems to be pretty accurate. And I'm sorry that I have to answer with another question but... So do we have to wait for Sunset Shimmer to pony up in the EQG world and see if she sprouts wings at that moment? Princess Twilight gains wings when she ponies up in the EQG world so..

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Your post seems to be pretty accurate. And I'm sorry that I have to answer with another question but... So do we have to wait for Sunset Shimmer to pony up in the EQG world and see if she sprouts wings at that moment? Princess Twilight gains wings when she ponies up in the EQG world so..

that would be a definite yes. We know that Unicorn horns aren't shown during pony up, because Twi and Rarity lack theirs. But we still know they're unicorns because FiM. Twi gains wings, because she's an alicorn now

 

pony up is the 2.0 state that occurs through the pony's own individual transformation, rather than combined magic, as seen when Sunset absorbed her friend's elements at the end of FG, to turn into Daydream Shimmer. So while she may have become an alicorn through that method, the actuality of her being it in her pony up form has yet to be confirmed.

 

And even then, it might still be up in the air, if you take into account that they only pony up through Equestrian pony magic, and the humans resemble their pony counterparts in FiM. Since pony Sunset has been removed from FiM, well....

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I concur with that you said. The end of Past Is Not Today was kind of symbolic, but her real transformation was at end of Friendship Games. Is she really an alicorn though? Will she be one if she goes through the portal?

 

One rebuttal to note:  when watching the director commentary of Friendship Games, someone on the panel, I forget who, said something along the lines of Sunset only having energy wings and not real wings like Twilight is "because she's not an alicorn."

only time will tell. But that's if she actually goes through the portal Dunno if staff have changed their minds on that since then, or not