Does Twilight know more about friendship than her friends?

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,794]

I feel that it might be actually a stupid question and I don't know if I would be comfortable with that answer.

 

When I watched MMC for the first time, two questions popped up in my head.

The first one is actually a bunch of different, but connected questions. Why did it happen? How did it happen? And so on. I accepted that there will be at least some answers in the next season and I just have to wait for it. But the second question is one I can't answer myself. It has to do with the others, but it feels someway seperated. I mean, I can answer it, but the only answer I get, is one that feels... strange. Like I run against a wall. Wrong.

 

I can't find a better wording for it. Maybe that is because of my own understanding of its subject.

The question is:

Is Twilight Sparkle now a 'literal' best friend?

 

I think I reach the limit of my english capabilities here.

What I  saw in MMC was a Twilight who earned something by achieving a higher understanding of friendship. What I didn't see were her friends achieving a higher understanding of friendship, even though they had at least as much character development in the entire show as her. I know, Twilight is the main character, she is ('was') Celestia's student. But I never felt like she was anything but an equal leader.

And now my answer to that question before is an unpleasent 'yes'.

Because for me, she 'mastered' the magic of friendship and becoming a princess was the proof. Even if her friends helped her, she was the one to initiate that Cutie-Mark-Switch-back. She was the one to understand what was wrong with that spell. She was the one who was told by Celestia in the end, that she was the one who learned about the single aspects that her friends represent. 

So I ask myself: Are her friends 'just' her best friends but will never understand friendship as she does? Is it only bound to her to do so? Her destiny?

I know, that this is also a thing that might be answered in future episodes, but it is something that I feel at least able to interpret. Even if I don't like my answer. 

 

I feel like the episode, and what it tells me, is messing up my picture of the whole show the more I think about it. So I just ask you:

 

Is my question stupid and/or do you have a better answer than me?

Edited May 31, 2013 by StatesTheOblivious

[Sunny Fox 5,935]

@,Hi, just renamed your thread to make it a bit clearer what it's about. It's an interesting question, I guess we'll have to wait for Season 4 for the answer. 

[silverreverb 129]

well what do you mean by "best friend"? the way I see that term, its the closest friend you have. though that may be from a lack of understanding on my part /=|

 

a deeper understanding of the magic of friendship does not necessarily equate that. her friends learned many, if not all, of the same lessons along the way. many of them did come from her friends.

 

you could say her ascension was a team effort.

 

your question isn't stupid. it just stems from your interpretation of the episode

[~Starlight~ 764]

Hmm, I am not too sure about this one, maybe she tries to know about her friendship in total rather than her friends indvidually. Well that was at the beginning now I think that she knows them all personally now!

[MadPointer 75]

MMC left many questions unanswered. Everything was happening too fast without any explanations. It didn't feel like Twilight did something more impressive than something she did before.

 

The episode also implied that nopony else was able to achieve such high understanding of friendship during Celestia reign which is breaking willing suspension of disbelief.

 

It might be because writers had to put in too much stuff in 22 minutes but I find it worrisome that they can't even answer what the spell was supposed to do even though the spell was instrumental to her understanding of friendship.

 

 

Skip to 40:45

Asker: I have two questions for M.A. Larson.
Asker: In the season 3 finale, what was the original intent of Star Swirl the bearded’ spell?
M.A. Larson: What’s the other one?
[snip]
M.A. Larson: ...As for the first part, I’m gonna take the Fifth and pass it over to my left
Meghan McCarthy: Oh, I can’t...
FinalDraft: You brought it upon yourself
Meghan McCarthy: I know.
Meghan McCarthy: Um. That’s a good question. I don’t know if we went into it knowing what he thought that the end result was he was sorta working... what he was working towards... um... but.. yeah..

 

 

 

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,794]

@,Hi, just renamed your thread to make it a bit clearer what it's about. It's an interesting question, I guess we'll have to wait for Season 4 for the answer. 

Yeah, thanks. I guess typing something after less than five hours of sleep only because it's all fresh in your mind again is not a very good idea...

 

 

well what do you mean by "best friend"? the way I see that term, its the closest friend you have. though that may be from a lack of understanding on my part /=|

I didn't mean it like "best friend to someone". More abstract, like "the best friend ever, able to solve any friendship problem, always, with such a deep understanding of it that she will always be a good friend in any condition, no matter what."

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

Like all things related to Alicorn Twilight; it will just have to wait until Season 4 starts because nothing of Alicorn Twilight was really shown besides her flying. I'd say she has more knowledge of Friendship than her friends do because of the fact it's the sole reason she lives there. That alone isn't the reason she's a Alicorn though.

[Nature's Spell 526]

If you take what Celestia said to Twilight at face value, she displayed all the elements of friendship since coming to Ponyville and added the element of leadership. But this shouldn't surprise anypony since her goal was to study friendship. Implicit in studying, being a student, is mastering the subject and becoming a teacher yourself. So my answer is yes.

[Katella Avenue 28]

Wait hold on a second here. I don't think it's any more possible to learn to be 'the best' friend any more than we humans could learn to be the ideal best friend to people. I mean, that's a subjective ideal to meet and as a result there's no way anybody can 'know more' about being a good friend than someone else. Twilight's just matured as a person which is what I'm sure Celestia is referring to, but she hasn't 'won' the friendship game or anything. There are no levels in friendship.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Katella Avenue

[Scootalove 10,684]

I don't think they have a friendship game or a competition on who knows more about friendship then the other. But, we will have to wait and see in Season 4 if this ideal comes into effect.

[fluffpudge 148]

I would think so. I'm probably just repeating what's been said, but, it does seem she's the binding element of friendship- it's even in the title of the show 'Friendship is Magic.' 

While probably not a satisfying answer, it's not necessarily bad for her friends. You don't exactly need a vast understanding of friendship to partake in a friendship, to put it simply. There's nothing wrong with understanding it better or less, either. Twilight's studies are just on friendship at the moment, so naturally, she would 'know more about it' than her friends.

 

But as I said- it's not a bad fate. It doesn't affect the friendship that they have. Some people are more knowledgeable of certain subjects than other people; the same concept can be applied here. 

Edited June 1, 2013 by fluffpudge

[WishingtotheStars 15]

I don't think so because they have all learned what friendship is about together. Even though Celestia was just teaching Twilight about friendship, doesn't mean her friends didn't learn anything along with her.