@Background Pony #2E7D  

 
But Chryssi is an alicorn… and she’s using a spell…

@angrybrony  
me too

When I saw this bit, oh God, my heart.
 
Just the idea of Zecora getting struck down like that really, REALLY hurts my soul.

This is how they should do all the non-unicorn/alicorn fights. It just looks smooth and direct.

Always knew Shy had it in her. Kinda.

@TexasUberAlles  
Fix it, then. You’re the guy with the brush badge.

@Background Pony #E580  

@Background Pony #E580  
Ah yeah, that does seem to have been an AoE attack, you’re right. Hadn’t noticed that before.

@Background Pony #E962  
@TexasUberAlles
 
Um, no you can’t?
 
Look at the scene again. Fluttershy is clearly the one holding the spear and was trying to stab the changeling when Chrysalis’s spell knocks everyone over.

@Background Pony #73C7  
Mmmmaybe… but then again, maybe not. Seems like one of those situations where folks’re just gonna see what they want to see.

@Background Pony #73C7  
( _{i know it’s just cooler to think shy horse got her ass skewered in one of the bad ending futures} )

@TexasUberAlles  
one does not stab with a blunt end… catching the spear and pushing the wielder down is what was usually done when the wielder misses you.

@Background Pony #E962  
Damn, you can see Fluttershy getting stabbed  
 
_{oh holy $#!+ you’re right}  
 
Y’KNOW, FOR THE FAMILY

@Background Pony #13F0  
But the thing is there needed to be a set course of events. We have two time slots. The Rainboom moment and the moment the time spell is activated. Even if there were simple changes in the effect of at most six colts and fillies. The overall paradox should have been Nightmare Moon’s takeover. Instead we get king Sombra first and Chrysalis second. Something must have changed drastically for such different scenarios to exist. Such as a different main six, or heck even Shining armor not falling in love with Cadence. I mean if there was a single alternate future that took it’s time to explain what exactly happened differently you might have an argument. But because of the severe changes that must have happened to get to those points in time The only plausible explanation is alternate realities created by small changes made by the “Cutie Mark Magic” to balance out the lack of a unifying rainboom.

It really kills me that the fighting in the Sombra timeline was all sissy and cartoony while Chrysalis’ is 100% serious, with spears and Fluttershy outright saying “servants of Chrysalis must be DESTROYED!! >:(”.
 
Just… why?

@Background Pony #E962  
As stated it questionable wheather she’s actually attacked by anything other than Chysalis spell…yet the idea of someone we know as a main character dying so easily due to the poor timeline she was born appeals to me on some weird level.

Damn, you can see Fluttershy getting stabbed in the back.

@Background Pony #13F0
 
So would Celestia, it’s been shown many times including in this episode that frequent magic use causes fatigue.

@Background Pony #13F0  
Well we know for a fact that Celestia is usually stronger, Chrysalis implies it when she’s surprised she won so easily. Only makes her victory more impressive.

@armadiloeater  
would argue that magical talent would be in celestia’s favor. also considering she needs that energy for sustenance and to empower her magic, chrysalis would grow weaker with every magical attack.

“A cartoon for little girls.”
 
Yeah, right.

you know… for kids.

@Erosthanatos  
Yeah, it’s true that Starlight isn’t any random unicorn. Twilight even says that she has more talent for magic than any pony she has seen. As for Twilight not getting stronger I’m not so sure of that.

@armadiloeater
 
Well, Starlight wasn’t just any random unicorn, and Twilight’s “ascension” basically just gave her a new pair of wings. The former was a prodigy at magic like Twilight and Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight obviously hasn’t gotten any stronger since she became an alicorn.

@Background Pony #7A5B  
 
I don’t really care about power levels, for me the most important thing is the plan she put in place for the wedding. The video @Background Pony #A243 linked puts most of my theories in a nice coherent analyses.
 
The fact is: Chrysalis beat Celestia the moment she managed to infiltrate the palace, replacing Cadance and gaining access to Shinning Armor. When you see that in this episode a random unicorn like Starlight can keep up in a fight with an alicorn like Twilight, it really cements the fact that Power Levels Are Bullshit.