Talk:Stygian/@comment-36700661-20181005124324/@comment-29981995-20181005200659

There's really nothing new under the sun these days, but I think some of the details do make Stygian's story unique. I don't know if it was so much jealousy that motivated him as a lack of self-worth. He's the one who brought the Pillars together, but the reason he had to bring them together was because he couldn't do the things they did. He figured he could truly become one of their comrades if he created copies of their artifacts. Unfortunately, he chose to take the artifacts without asking for them, which cast suspicion on him.

On the flip side, the Pillars-mostly Star Swirl from the looks of things-immediately assumed the worst about Stygian's intentions. They completely overlooked the fact that this guy was their friend and the one who brought them together. Instead of asking why he had done what he had done, they drew their own conclusions and cast him out as a villain. Stygian already had a low opinion of himself, and when faced with the betrayal and disapproval of the ponies he admired most in the world and who should have had his back, it's no wonder he became angry and bitter.

Throw in his run-in with a malevolent entity (who seems to be an actual being as opposed to a dark personality born of Luna embracing dark magic) who offered him the chance for revenge in order to seek its own agenda, and I think he's fairly distinctive. Even the Pony of Shadows and Nightmare Moon differ: Nightmare Moon wanted the adoration of her subjects for the beauty of the night, whereas the Pony of Shadows literally wanted darkness to consume everything, seemingly even down to the souls of the creatures who opposed him. Of course, I know others feel differently, and I can understand that-this is just my two bits.