Was Twilight Sparkle becoming an alicorn a good thing?

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

It wasn't justified enough. Not even as requirement for the current season.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be nearly as much people questioning the subject.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Well, let's look at what's been done with the thing plotwise. In Season 4 she had to deal with not knowing what she was supposed to do, and feeling like a figurehead rather than an important part of getting the job done. And in Season 5... she's hung out in her big, empty castle with Spike, moping because she doesn't know what she's supposed to do and everyone else is off doing cool stuff. Oh, and she helped Rarity sell merchandise to Canterlot trend-followers. That was important too.

 

 

Twilight Sparkle: But I... well, it's just that Princess Luna raises the moon, Princess Celestia raises the sun, you protect the Crystal Empire, and all I seem to do is... smile and wave.

 

Not hating on Twilight, mind. Some of her recent episodes (Amending Fences, Testing Testing 1 2 3, her general gooberness in Castle Sweet Castle and other episodes) have featured some of my favorite moments with her, and have made me more of a fan than I ever was before. But when it comes to handling her status as royalty, I feel like the show hasn't done the best job. I find myself greatly appreciating the maturity and growth that got her the crown, but indifferent at best when the writers decide to touch on how stupendously important Twily is.

[Nocturnal Tempest 1]

I might be new here but I hope what I say now makes sense. 

 

  In Magical Mystery Cure near the end... Twilight's crown flared to life and the other mane six's elements all shot at her. Surrounding her in a magical field. With a flash there was nothing left but black smoke and a burn mark on the ground. Now... can anypony here not see it is possible that Twilight the Unicorn died on the spot. When she regained her hooves she was in a starry area filled with all the memories of her life. (Similar to how some religions speak of) And who would be there but Princess Celestia... Not Princess Luna nor Princess Cadance. (Both who are also Alicorns) You'd think they'd be there for her. Then from within her at the end of the song it was like her very soul lifted from her and Twilight was remade into an Alicorn. I mean it would seem realistically if you're looking at this with an adult's point of view versus a child's point of view. Would Twilight have become an Alicorn had she not been blasted by the elements? Why did she have to go to a place of stars and memories and lastly Her cutie mark appeared in the sky. (Heaven?) well it would all point that way to me. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Well that is my say on Twilight the Alicorn.  

[Thrond 3,263]

In practice? There's a lot of potential there, but a lot of it has been wasted, and since then she has become less interesting and relatable. Maybe that latter point is coincidental, as a lot of characters suffered in season 4, but I kinda feel she was hit the hardest and had her quirks sanded off. I liked the whole deal with her being insecure, but I wish that the whole idea of Twilight "finding her place" was built up better. I had a hard time being emotionally invested in that because I didn't feel the show did a good job of showing me why her role as a princess mattered. Maybe that's just because the ascension was so rushed... still don't really feel Twilight's ascension has anything to do with her character arc and motivations in the first two seasons, or even in season 3 largely. 

 

Since season 4, she's been pretty constantly anxious about her princesshood, but I feel the show hasn't really built that into anything. I can see everywhere that she's placing even higher expectations on herself than ever before, and I think that's a super interesting idea with a lot of potential, but not a single episode has actually addressed that. As I grow more comfortable with the idea of her ascension, I grow less satisfied with what the show has actually done with it. She was more interesting as a unicorn, and there's no good reason for that. By all means, what made her interesting then should be just as true now. It's frustrating. 

 

As for the act itself? It's not bad in theory, but it needed to be justified better. By which I mean even a little bit. I have trouble believing that anything in the first two seasons actually built to that, to the point that I'm not entirely convinced that becoming an alicorn princess is something that Twilight particularly wanted. Doesn't help that "Magical Mystery Cure" is terrible, but it might have been less terrible with more buildup and justification. 

 

I've come to terms with it, and it's probably helped the show evolve in ways I'm not recognizing, but it's not really justified itself to me yet. 

[cmarston1 5,959]

To be honest, I think it was a good thing to happen to the show and helped Twilight to develop even further as a character.