Why was Discord forgiven so easily?

[SBaby 660]

It is most likely that true forgiveness and trust won't come soon and that grudges will keep this event from being forgotten. A lesson about grudges or a dedicated episode to forgiveness is due with Gilda or Lightning Dust present hopefully. Discord will likely hopefully be challenged in matters of conscience on this matter and i hope the Mane 6 do as well...

 

I keep thinking that guilt should be a factor to making ammends in both sides because it likely is a factor Discord was forgiven... Because they basically stabbed him in the back by not allowing him to be friends with them.

 

Think this will happen?

 

This, I could actually see.  Knowing this show, we probably won't get much of it, except for maybe in the two-parters and the occasional one-off episode.  But it would still be an interesting plot point.

 

 

On the lighter side of things, I think I've found the perfect video that sums up this topic.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2014 by SBaby

[Jammy Jellicious 16]

Without him the Mane Six would still not be able to unlock the box and there will be no kingdom for Twilight so really they owe Discord one.

[Simon 4,557]

I kind of view Discord's transformation much like the way the brony fandom started.

 

To give a little background in case people don't know what I'm talking about... the brony fandom really started on 4chan when people were basically using MLP to annoy other people with thousands of screen caps from the show.  But what started out as a bunch of people watching a show because it was ironic to be a fan of MLP as an adult male turned into a genuine love and appreciation for the show and really had a huge impact on a lot of people.

 

I kind of picture Discord's transformation in the same way.  When Fluttershy introduced the idea of friendship to Discord he went along with it because it suited him for the moment.  He got to stay out of stone, and he got to mess with the mane 6 without them being able to do anything, what could be better for the lord of chaos?  It also worked good for the Mane 6.  Celestia wanted to be able to use his magic, and calling him friend suited the situation.  But I think for the most part it was only Fluttershy that really cared for Discord.  But then, when Tirek betrayed Discord like he did, Discord realized that his friendship with Fluttershy actually did mean something to him.  And it was obvious to everybody that Discord was genuinely upset that he lost his friendship with her, so they ultimately decided to take him back as a friend.  I think at this point he will be a more genuine friend to all of the mane 6.

 

As for why they forgave him... that's what they do.  Twilight is the Princess of Friendship, not the Princess of Grudges.  Sure, to us it seems impractical that someone would forgive a person who betrayed them and Equestria on that scale, but these are ponies who embody what it means to be a friend.  Plus, I think that they all knew that they hadn't been the best of friends to him either, so really there was plenty of forgiveness to go around.

 

Plus let's be blunt here... it's a kids show and they aren't going to get parents on their sides by having the moral of the season 4 finale be, "If your friend betrays you shove him in the lowest pits of Tartarus to rot for all eternity."

 

And even if you don't buy any of that, here's a more cynical interpretation for you... they gave up the elements and have no way to control him anymore.  If they aren't his friends, they were going to have a big heap of trouble ahead of them.

[~DEATHMONGER~ 36]

Tirek mightn't have grown strong without discord, putting discord in the wrong, but Tirek wouldn't have been defeated without discord (he gave twilight her key), so, really, they shouldn't feel any different towards him.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

Without him the Mane Six would still not be able to unlock the box and there will be no kingdom for Twilight so really they owe Discord one.

 

Tirek mightn't have grown strong without discord, putting discord in the wrong, but Tirek wouldn't have been defeated without discord (he gave twilight her key), so, really, they shouldn't feel any different towards him.

You guys forget they didn't know something like this would happen... Yes seeing it after what happened makes you grateful it happened that way but that doesn't mean they're happy that it had to be this way.

[Cwanky 17,600]

I'll take aside the fact that Discord was instrumental in the defeat of Tirek for now and answer the question here. In answering this question, I will instead raise an alternative question to the OP:

 

What message would be served in punishing Discord if he was then truly a friend of the Mane 6?

 

You have to realize that the writers here were trying to emphasize that Discord  now regarded himself as truly a friend of the Mane 6, just as they had previously regarded him, or at least Twilight and Fluttershy. The fact that they were willing to forgive him despite all the terrible things he did betraying their trust as their friend and them as his friends in turn, emphasizes the message that good true friends can and will persevere through even the toughest hardships they may have in their relationships.

 

Think of it as the Bible parable of the Prodigal Son. Despite the younger son betraying the father's trust and messing up horribly, his father was still willing to forgive him and let him back into the family. That is what forgiveness is about, the willingness to absolve a person of their transgression towards you make peace and move on. Indeed it is a key part of family and friendships as we face many hardships with our own friends and family at times in life.

 

Besides it would not reflect well on Twilight's new status as a true friend of Discord, if she suddenly punched him in the face or punished him. It reflects much better on their status as friends if its shown that Discord is forgiven. Remember the show writers probably now treat Discord and the Mane 6 vice a versa as true friends towards one another, not as an antagonistic former villain relationship.

 

The point of the episode series Twilight's Kingdom, was to emphasize the theme that friendship is magic and how strong it can be. By having Twilight and the Mane 6 reconcile with Discord, this not only reinforces the positive relationship they now have, it emphasizes how strong and great true friendship can really be, even if it comes from the least expected people.   

[toonbat 28]

What is there to gain from not forgiving him?  Without the elements, there's no way to punish him (or for that matter, to control him), except by denying him friendship, or making him feel guilty.  And those only make sense if he a) considers friendship valuable, and/or he has a conscience.  Either one of the two should give at least some reasonable motivation for the mane six to forgive him.

[deadprofile 1,122]

Friendship is magic, but forgiveness holds (and creates) the bond of true friendship.

[JH24 385]

Like others have pointed out above me, one of the key moments was when the other Mane 6 saw Discord being betrayed by Tirek, him showing a very vulnerable moment and him giving the medaillon/key to Twilight. They realized Discord did know what friendship was and what it could mean, although he didn't understand everything about it.

 

Also, the Mane 6 likely realized they were to blame as well. Most of them were hostile and distrusting towards Discord, for ponies who value friendship so much it's surprising they never gave him a chance. (Except of course Fluttershy) Discord likely realized that and showed it when he was talking with Tirek.

 

When Twilight demanded that Discord should be released as well, she likely already realized she and most of her friends had failed in their task to befriend and reform Discord and that from now on she was going to make up for it.

 

 

 

Both Discord and the Mane 6 learned a valuable lesson and this would the best moment for a fresh start.

Edited May 29, 2014 by JH24

[Ianpiersonjdavis 513]

While he seemed to have a small bit of conscious about betraying everyone else, he was still shown to be completely on Tirek's side; (Soon, there won't be a single Pegasus, Unicorn, or Earth Pony that will be able to stand up against US!) even after betraying all of his 'friends'.

 

The fact that he helped them with the box was BEFORE he was presented with an opportunity to escape from the rules of Equestrian society and have both a friend AND freedom to use his powers however he saw fit.

 

At no point was there any indication that he thought Scorpan's amulet could have been a key when he gave it to Twilight, there is also the possibility that since Discord has been shown time and time again to be a liar and a manipulator even after his 'reform', so he could have been just trying to save face.

 

Finally, if there is another villain who comes along offering him friendship and is actually sincere, then how do they know he won't stab them in the back again? And the other ponies of Equestria didn't know anything about this 'reform' so for all we know they should have still regarded him as a threat since he was there helping Tirek steal all of their magic-there never were any scenes with the Princesses explaining what happened or why they should suddenly trust him again-yet, the residents of Ponyville don't seem bothered by the fact that Discord's in Twilight's new castle with them.

[baltoist 303]

its discord its not sopposed to make sense

[JH24 385]

While he seemed to have a small bit of conscious about betraying everyone else, he was still shown to be completely on Tirek's side; (Soon, there won't be a single Pegasus, Unicorn, or Earth Pony that will be able to stand up against US!) even after betraying all of his 'friends'.

 

The fact that he helped them with the box was BEFORE he was presented with an opportunity to escape from the rules of Equestrian society and have both a friend AND freedom to use his powers however he saw fit.

 

At no point was there any indication that he thought Scorpan's amulet could have been a key when he gave it to Twilight, there is also the possibility that since Discord has been shown time and time again to be a liar and a manipulator even after his 'reform', so he could have been just trying to save face.

 

Finally, if there is another villain who comes along offering him friendship and is actually sincere, then how do they know he won't stab them in the back again? And the other ponies of Equestria didn't know anything about this 'reform' so for all we know they should have still regarded him as a threat since he was there helping Tirek steal all of their magic-there never were any scenes with the Princesses explaining what happened or why they should suddenly trust him again-yet, the residents of Ponyville don't seem bothered by the fact that Discord's in Twilight's new castle with them.

 

 

When Tirek betrayed  Discord, the other Mane 6 (except Twilight)  were there to see his reaction, and he showed him a side of his character they never saw before, his vulnerable side. They realized Discord was capable of understanding friendship, and at the same time realized Discord did not see this betrayal coming, and that same thing was happening to him as he just had done to them. 

 

Twilight likely realized that her friends (the Mane 6 except Fluttershy) also carried part of the blame for Discord's betrayal and that they had failed in their task to form a friendship with him. She wanted to make up for it and give him a new chance.

 

The Mane 6 saw Discord at his most vulnerable moment, with Tirek's betrayal and Discord giving Twilight the key. He was truly sincere and they knew it. There was no hostility in the Mane 6 and Spike's reactions anymore. There seemed to be a mix of understanding and sympathy. Discord now knows the value of friendship and that you should never trade one for another just because it seems a "better deal." Losing everything made him understand what he had done and how much he regretted it.

 

 

As for the other ponies, seeing Discord hanging out with princess Twilight and the Princesses maybe eased their fears or made them understand things have changed, With the greatest villain being defeated, it was the best moment to make a fresh start. Although Discord  has his work cut out for him as he probably needs to build up more trust with most of the ponies in Equestria.

Edited June 14, 2014 by JH24

[Celli 4,338]

I support the idea that he had everything planned from the beginning.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@,Then his betrayal wasn't genuine... no... he could not have known otherwise his forgiveness wasn't true. 

[Sir Hugsalot 9,350]

I have few thoughts about this.

 

1. Without his betrayal there would be no way to open a chest. Maybe he intentionally acted that way so that Tirek could be stopped? It's kinda crazy, but Discord's twisted logic can never be understood and he already acted like this in past in order to actually help. In the very end if not this - Tirek would've never be stopped. I think that would be enough to forgive him.

 

2. It's nothing new that ponies forgive easily, in the end he was betrayed just like they were and has shown true regret, it was not same Discord anymore, never before in this show he was in such shape and I think that was enough punishment to him. There was no point in punishing him further especially since from that point he actually was loyal. 

 

3. Not forgiving him would make him bitter and later make him a "bad guy" again so obviously it was safer to just forget about him to prevent him becoming a threat in the future. 

 

Those are options that are possible in my opinion. In the end I am glad that they forgave him, he did awful mistake, but in the very end Discord's betrayal was Tirek's downfall, if Discord did not join Tirek there'd be no sixth key, no rainbow powers, only one Tirek who would find other way to get what he wants. 

[Princess Cheese Dorito 7]

On 5/23/2014 at 9:47 AM, ggg-2 said:

Yyyyyyyeah.....just something that really irked me about the season finale was that Discord was forgiven WAY too easily for helping Tirek grow so powerful. The question is, WHY? Yeah, yeah, "Friendship is Magic". But still, forgiveness is something that needs to be EARNED.

True, but this is MLP we're talking about here. 

[Brainstorm 4,112]

When he does chaos, it because he wants attention. He's not like Tirek, Storm King, and Crystalias.

[MangoFoalix 25,033]

Why are almost all villians forgiven so easily? That is because the show likes to tie up loose ends like that very quickly. Why? I have no clue, but it honestly is pretty annoying.

[Zestanor 98]

They didn’t do a great job explaining this at first. Basically, it’s because he did his time and made a truce with Celestia. His power is preternatural, so he actually has total power over natural things. I.e. he can do anything. The only exceptions we’ve seen to this are the Elements, Chrysalis’ throne, and Tirek.

Since he can do anything, and he’s not affected by any one faction (good or evil) taking control, the good guys have an incentive to make him not assist villains. Because good and evil are indifferent to him. By making a friend with Fluttershy and the others, he has more reason to be concerned with fate of the world stuff.

Celestia and Luna recognize that he is their superior, and so they really have only a superficial authority to “pardon” him.

[Kion 7,407]

Because the shows about friendship.