@evil_eric  
That’s insanely ingenius.

@The Twelfth Doctor Whoof
 
Twilight has failed recently, though. Rainbow Rocks itself is a good example that her being a princess doesn’t make her perfect at all.
 
Though maybe I’m biased because I fail to see the appeal of Sunset. I felt her redemption was completely forced and during the whole movie I couldn’t see any traits of the old power-hungry Sunset we had been presented with in the first movie or the comics.
 
So to me it felt like they slapped a completely different character there rather than an actual reformation.

@evil_eric  
You seriously need to post that on the “Crazy Headcanons” page in the forums if you haven’t already. That is brilliantly nuts.
 
By the way, I’ve been taking a close look at this cover versus Tony’s cover for the 2013 Annual. He actually did redraw it, rather than simply photoshopping in Sunset, new clothes, and a different background. The differences amongst the Other 5 are subtle, but this cover is definitely an improvement art-wise over the original. Did he trace himself? Probably to an extent, but I argue you’d have to for a call-back like this. I would, to get the basic poses down at least, then fill in the details later.

Conspiracy theory time.
 
MLP:FIM is actually an elaborate series of stories written by Sunset Shimmer, starring her real-life friends and using Twilight Sparkle as a stand-in for herself in the story. Every episode of the show is loosely based on something that happened to Sunny and friends in reality. The reason why Sunny wrote Twilight in as the main character and not a more accurate portrayal of herself is because she is fully aware of her shortcomings as a person and wondered what her life would have been like if she was more like what she wished she could be. The other five know she’s writing stories about them as magic ponies and were originally a little disturbed by it all, not to mention concerned for Sunny’s emotional health after she explained to them why she created Twilight as her avatar, but eventually warmed up to the idea and started giving her suggestions as to what their pony selves would say and do in given situations. Principal Celestia encourages Sunny in this endeavor, hoping it will help her work through the tragedies in her past.

“can we stop posing in the cold now?”
 
“no”

Freaky.

@The Twelfth Doctor Whoof  
Sunset shimmer is probably a better twilight replacement.

@FSin  
Why kill the dynamic the show has?
 
Well, I think the show itself has already done that by completing Twilight’s character arc. At this point, there really is nothing more she can accomplish except Lauren’s original goal: Becoming Celestia’s replacement. Once/if she starts down that path, it would necessarily push her away from her friends. Of course the show could try having Twi try to balance her new station with her old life, but you can only get so much mileage out of that. This is probably why, outside of the 2-parters and the occasional throwback to Twi’s other qualities, her role has been noticeably reduced since her Alicornication.
 
Sunset, meanwhile, has more growth to be had. She has probably the most potentially-interesting backstory of any character in the entire series. She is similar enough to Twilight that she could easily fill Twi’s old role of book-nerd while still providing new avenues for interaction amongst the Other 5. Most importantly, Sunset can fail; she’s a character flawed in a way that Twilight never was and certainly can’t be now (it seems the only Princess allowed to fail at day-to-day tasks is Cadance, which incidentally makes her more interesting).
 
Now I know just as well as anyone else how dangerous it is to replace a main character; more often than not it signals the downfall of a series. However, I think it can work if handled well.

@TwilightVelvetSparkle  
…seriously?
 
Are you really trying to convince anybody you have an unbiased view of this subject of the show with that username?
 
Your argument is all over the place. You concede to certain aspects of her character that are uninspiring and unrelatable, but then go off on wild aggrandizations of Twilight that make no sense and claims about Twilight you don’t back up.
 
“to the point where you can seem Twilight become Celestia”?
 
“she also has her own life as well.”?
 
“Sounds pretty relatable. How many characters actually suffer in the show?”?
 
What the hell have you even been watching? Compared to being rewarded beyond measure no matter what she does, never having to worry about money or her future beyond doing what she’s told, the other main characters have infinitely more relatable issues. The leader of the entire world cares only about Twilight’s future, barely the others at all, and does it with extreme nepotism. Twilight’s an okay character with some good personality quirks, but her lack of morality, bonds and relatability make her easily replaceable, at least in her current role.
 
Also, minimizing the character issues and character evolution of Trixie and Rainbow Dash compared to Twilight of all people to “being egotistical or a track star than a nerd”, is extremely petty.

@Background Pony #F5E3  
No…not really.
 
-No character’s backstory has been important (mane 6 wise)  
-Different characters invest different degrees of interest in others. To say Twilight views anyone less than they view her is pretty interesting assumption, and would actually be GASP, relatable! people do actually view others less than others view them, though not in a negative or cynical way, just as a matter of fact.  
-This is both true of Twilight, and a lot of characters when starting a show or anime. On one hand, she still has some literal since of being a tool, but she also has her own life as well.  
-Twilight has to cope with stress, dealing with nuances, and occasionally big issues. Sounds pretty relatable. How many characters actually suffer in the show?  
-Trixie and rainbow dash? really? Because more people relate to being egotistical or a track star than a nerd.
 
When you replace a character, you have to understand why you would do it, and what are ALL of the consequences for doing so. What does the character mean, not just to the narrative, but to the audience?
 
The only character that could replace Twilight would be Sunset, but that’s mostly because of two things: Twilight has let the princess side overwhelm the science nerd side (I won’t deny that), and Sunset has the same origin and a lot of similar aspects as Twilight, to the point where you can seem Twilight become Celestia, and Sunset Shimmer become Twilight.

@Background Pony #F5E3  
Ah, I see.

@PonyPon  
I’ve watched quite a variety of shows, and there are several aspects that can lead to a character being replaced, even or especially a lead  
-The character’s backstory isn’t important  
-The character isn’t invested in the other heroes the same way they are  
-The character is written as a tool  
-The character is written as unrelatable and/or weak-willed  
-The character suffers no relatable consequences  
-The character is surrounded by characters that can replace her in different aspects with more relatability(Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Rainbow Dash)
 
Unfortunately, while Twilight does have some interesting personality quirks, she more or less fits most of those prerequisites. Now in my experience, that doesn’t necessarily mean the character is replaced completely, only that their original character role is destroyed. Sometimes they either go through a huge self-discovery experience all at once or disappear for awhile only to come, in both cases coming out of it redefining who they are and becoming a more useful, dynamic character.
 
Twilight was a plot device character that was used to introduce us to the main characters correct? Due to her lack of knowledge of friendship and Ponyville?
 
That type of character is the most easily replaced if he or she doesn’t build strong character roots. Real friends sometimes fight. Real friends have conflicts. With Twilight being the student of the princess, they’ve never really come to blows with Twilight in a way that would impact her.

@Background Pony #E89D  
None of them should be replaced. Why kill the dynamic the show has?

@Background Pony #F5E3  
She was?
 
I never picked up on that.

@Background Pony #0F3A  
Only some fans think Rarity can be replaced.  
The staff obviously feels Twilight can.

@Background Pony #0F3A  
Yeah, keep believing that, jackass

@Background Pony #0F3A  
Twilight was written to be a replaceable character, Rarity wasn’t.
 
Twilight’s the only member of the group that doesn’t have any BFFs among the main cast.

Looks like Twilight and Rarity still have something in common after all. They both have replacements. coughCoco Pommelcough

i really like Shimmer in the Mane six in the Human World as for Twilight she’s not from this world if she want to come back go in the mirror like in the movie

I really do love seeing Sunset there.
 
I rather her keep Twilight spot in the EQG verse.

@lunafan22  
Fleecs says Twilight will still be in the comic

They wear leggings in the snow?

Rare is cute

@dynamicv  
Eyes are a lot less buggy and the designs look a lot better on the newer cover.

@RainbowDash69  
I’ll be taking her and provide her with anything she wants.