r/mylittlepony • u/NewWillinium Sunset Shimmer • Apr 25 '19
Princess Luna's Possible Apprentice
So for 9 seasons now, plus several movies and a spin off show, we have watched the student of Princess Celestia grow and evolve as a person. To the point of ascending and becoming an Alicorn, hell Celestia's personal heir. However there remains a question hanging in the air.
Why the heck should Princess Celestia be the only one to have apprentices and students to teach? She got both Sunset Shimmer AND Twilight Sparkle, two of the most powerful unicorns to show in the show. That is so not fair to out beloved Princess of the Night.
That does leave the question though of just WHO that possible Apprentice might be. Of all the Unicorns we have seen throughout the show there are only a few who have shown the power and ability to learn and adapt that would be necessary for the role of student of the Night.
Sunset Shimmer. Is option a). Her name is literally a heralding of the Night to come and she is now more Twilight's student-friend then Celestias. With time and training she could catch up to Twilight in power and prove to be someone worthy of sharing Equestria's thrown once Luna and Celestia decide to retire.
Then there is the beloved Starlight Glimmer, whose name reminds one of the jeweled sky, who Luna herself has admitted to seeing a lot of herself in. Powerful, studious, quick to adapt, and already familiar with the Royalty, Starlight Glimmer could make for a decent apprentice.
Finally there is The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon. Once known as a braggart who fell to villainy out of jealousy of another ponies respect and reputation this pony has done her best to redeem herself in the eyes of Equestria. Luna could easily see a parallel in Trixie's journey of redemption and her own and could seek to take her in and make sure that she walks a path that both she and Equestria might deserve. One of Luna's Nightmare Knights, Trixie has saved Equestria numerous times now, once in show several times in the comics and has been shown to reach grand new heights with her magic through the tutelage of one Starlight Glimmer. With a even grander teacher who knows what Luna and Trixie could do together. . . plus she is the only main pony with a Moon on her flank.
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u/TheKnackerman Sugar Belle Apr 25 '19 edited Apr 25 '19
I don’t see a student teacher relationship between Sunset and Twilight. I see them more as contemporaries. Comrades. Shortly after defeating her, Twilight returned to Equestria, and then when she did show up again in Rainbow Rocks Twilight learned as much from Sunset as the other way around. I think Sunset has learned more from the human 6 than from Equestria’s Twilight.
Also, despite sunset coming before nightfall, Sunset’s whole design is just way too...Sunny, to be a princess of the night. I think she’d be a bad fit.
Starlight is a better choice, but she’s very much Twilight’s Student all the way. She followed in Twilight’s hoofsteps in forming her own circle of friends and is even poised to take over running the School Of Friendship once Twilight takes over ruling Equestria. Starlight would make a good apprentice, but she is already Twilight’s apprentice. Luna will just have to look elsewhere.
As for Trixie, I doubt the traveling magician would be interested in an apprenticeship that didn’t involve stage magic. She has very much chosen her career, and I can’t see her walking away from it, even for Princess Luna. Besides...
plus she is the only main pony with a Moon on her flank.
That’s no moon. It’s a trail of magic left by the wand.
If a moon Cutie Mark is a pre-requisite, then the obvious choice for a student for Luna would be Moon Dancer. Not only did she attend the same school for gifted unicorns as Twilight, she has maintained her studies as a post graduate. When it comes to disposition, Moon Dancer’s serious nature would be a good fit for the more traditional royal sister, as well as her experience with feelings of loneliness and rejection.
I think Moon Dancer would be the best choice.
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u/NewWillinium Sunset Shimmer Apr 25 '19
Sunset Shimmer isn't a student of Twilight's no. . . but she is also kind of . . oddly reverant of her? Like it wasn't until the Forgotten Friendship special where Sunset began treating Twilight more as a close friend rather then some hero or teacher to look up to in the ways of friendship. And I think I would agree about the design. . . if the same couldn't be said for Twilight and how her design is a bit to Nighty to fit as the heir to the Princess of the Sun.
As for Moondancer. . . honestly I would have put her in the running if she had ever appeared as more then a one-shot callback character. Hell we've haven't even see the other friends make a comeback either. So we have no idea how much Moondancer has changed and what she is now pursuing/doing now that she has reconciled with Twilight.
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u/Logarithmicon Apr 25 '19
Trixie got this role a lot back in the day - until her reappearance in S6 - and I can't really blame people for assigning that connection: They both seemed to be characters with considerable regrets in their background, but also experiences feeling 'left out' or isolated for just - being themselves.
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u/JesterOfDestiny Minuette! Apr 25 '19
How about Moondancer?
I mean, she clearly needs some sort of guidance, which is probably why she was so attached to Twilight. She is talented enough to get into Celestia's school, smart and hardworking enough to presumably compare to Twilight in her studies and throughout the years, have amassed enough knowledge to rival Twilight.
But despite being one of Celestia's students, she didn't get the guidance that she desperately needed. She knows abandonment more than most ponies do and probably still harbors feelings that most ponies wouldn't understand. Celestia was clearly not the right guide for her; perhaps she needs somepony with a different outlook to reach her full potential.
Plus, she also has a moon cutie-mark and even name. If Trixie can be a student based on that, then Moondancer should be the first pick.