@CronoM  
You’ve convinced me to see Rainbow Rocks. I hope you’re proud of yourself.

@matt0044  
Hate the movie? Hell no. They characterized Twilight as consistent to the show as possible, went above and beyond with the new villains and new main hero they were given, and they finally gave up on the moral blank spots they have always ignored for Twilight, and by association, Celestia, and gave a main protagonist more investment in friendship and the story then Twilight ever had, Sunset Shimmer. Hell I myself felt more invested in Rainbow Rocks then Crystal Empire, MMC, EG, PTS and Twilight’s Kingdom combined. (If they had really gave Tirek more personality and backstory, I would retract the last one)
 
One could argue ‘how is that possible’ when Rainbow Rocks barely has any of the actual other Mane 5 in it, mostly 3-4 minutes, and the rest are the alternate humans…but when you consider how much the other 5 were shoved to the side in those premiers, finale’s and movies I listed, their characterizations and importance actually were more prevalent in Rainbow Rocks.
 
I ‘hated’ the status quo before the movie. But after the movie? Well, its more like I’ve gotten complete whiplash y’know?
 
MLP since S3 has always been a weird concept. We have Celestia building up Twilight’s reputation like crazy while she has a lot of very unrelatable traits, while in comparison the other main characters progress on their development, with RD developing similar to an main focus character. Yet at the same time the movie’s method didn’t come out of no-where…certain characters like Discord, Spike, RD and even herself questioned her over-the-top status and relatability in-show, and that’s not even counting the comics where Twilight’s self-revaluations come in full force.
 
Now after the movie, it feels like the perfect setup for Sunset to take some of the central stage in S5 or S6 and initiate more character development in Twilight AND Celestia now that Celestia’s lessons are no longer infallible…
 
…but its UNPRECEDENTED! Four entire seasons of building up Twilight with Designated Protagonist traits to setup a more dynamic main character that overshadows Twilight?! This isn’t like Avatar the Last Airbender where both Aang(hero) and Zuko(anti-hero) were destined to both be main characters at the beginning. Sunset was revealed only after S3, and many main hero traits that exist in Aang and most main characters are lacking in Twilight.
 
Makes me kind of wish they had compressed S3 and S4 into one season with MMC and EG in the middle, and told the better stories after Twilight gained her wisdom from Sunset after Rainbow Rocks. You saw the movie, the narrative intentionally tore MMC’s story to pieces.

@CronoM  
So… wait, do you hate it or not?

@matt0044  
When she refused to ask Sunset Shimmer for help on the spell at the risk of dooming her friends? Convinced that ‘she should be the one to have the answers’?
 
Did you even watch the movie?
 
And I’m not hating on Twilight, I’m just sticking to the facts. She’s our designated protagonist, and she finally had her Shinji Ikari moment. (Her first one in front of her friends anyway, and most certainly the first time it was pointed out to her how she finally needs to stop thinking about Celestia’s expectations)
 
In the comics she actually started questioning her own limitations and morality BEFORE she almost got her team killed, which is why Twilight still has hope.

@CronoM  
Wow. Now that’s just bending over backwards for the sake of hate.
 
When was Twilight looking out for her own interests in Rainbow Rocks? She was just scared about letting everybody down and was trying her hardest to think of a counterspell. Are you really saying that she was selfish because of it?

@Mayojar77  
I know right?
 
How ironic that, about a year later, Twilight’s the one failing that lesson miserably by putting her own desire to fulfill expectations above saving people’s lives, while Sunset is the one sacrificing everything to help her friends.
 
Sadly, this really does qualify as an ironic situation cause of how much it nearly cost to ‘supposedly’ teach her this lesson and many others, but Twilight’s only been getting less wise while Sunset is miles ahead simply because she actually tries.
 
There’s a difference between a flawed protagonist and a designated, ineffectual protagonist like Twilight.

@Timberwolf That AND recalling Twi’s Cutie Mark: it was one big star surrounded by five little ones. I think Celestia took a hint from then on…

@Timberwolf  
Before they become friends, not before they’re born. Agh. I derped.

@gingerninja666  
Actually . . .
 
Celestia canonically knew Nightmare Moon was returning, and she could no doubt deduce when. She also had to know that NMM’s first act upon returning would be to neutralize Celestia.
 
Celestia was the guest of honor at the The Summer Sun Celebration. As ruler, she was absolutely capable of finding out the details of the festivities, including the primary food provider (Applejack), the town weatherpony (Dash), the head of decorations (Rarity) and the pony in charge of music (‘Shy).
 
She knew when Twilight got her cutie mark - on the same day as, and in fact as a direct result of, the sonic rainboom. Since friends often have a special connection even before they’re born, she could easily have investigated the rainboom and identified at least some of the Mane Six members who also got their cutie marks on the same day, from the same event.
 
She specifically arranged things so Twilight had little choice but to meet and interact with these ponies; ponies who, even then, exemplified Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty and Generosity, and who were already friends with each other.
 
Celestia had to have known that the Elements of Harmony were in the “Castle of the Pony Sisters” in the Everfree Forest, located a short walk outside of Ponyville. Note also that, aside from the dangers engineered by Nightmare Moon herself, the dreadful Everfree was surprisingly free of menace . . . as though somepony had gone through and cleared a patch of it out not long before.
 
And finally, she knew that Twilight was a pony of uncommon intelligence, power, courage and compassion. Was it a gamble? Yes, but not nearly as much of one as it first appears.

Twilight? Self-sacrifice? Are you stupid?

@Trickquestion
 
I also think her plan in the episode 1 and 2 was stupid. She had no way of knowing that all of the mane 6 would go into the forest together, or that they would all become friends, or even that all of them would be there.
 
I actually think it’s more justified with the Crystal Empire, because it was shown that tia and Luna alone could defeat Sombra if need be. (or at least he was defeatable without the elements)

I like to think that Sunset Shimmer had friends like Twilight once.
 
Had being the operative word.
 
But she drove them all away in her attempts to try and impress Celestia.
 
So self defeating.

@Prof.NightJack  
Huh.
 
Seems to me that both interpretations are correct. Using the show alone, Celestia was referring to Twilight making the altruistic choice. Including Equestria Girls means that she no doubt had Sunset Shimmer in mind as an apprentice who’d chosen the other way. Celestia’s meaning is pretty clear either way.

@Timberwolf  
It’s by what Celestia was talking of when she said that, she may of meant just in a general sense or been specifically about Sunset, we don’t know so that is what makes it headcanon.

How is this headcanon? It sounds more like continuity.

@Trickquestion
 
She’s the typical chessmaster character. Her tests are bloody insane, but she’s always in control. Except when she isn’t.

>then
 
I’m going to bloody lose it.

This is an interesting justification for the asinine test Celestia used in Crystal Empire. I still think Celestia is insane/stupid for doing it, but now at least that stupidity/insanity is in character.

It makes perfect sense now.

Might want to change that “then” to “than”. But good headcanon!

It certainly justifies the lesson a little.

“Then.”