Talk:Friendship is Magic, part 1/@comment-24791619-20170516143307/@comment-24791619-20170516192307

@Herculine	I don't mean that the whole imprisoning her sister was part of the plan. But perhaps, Celestia thought that it was time to release her and also use it to test her prize student. The intro of the first episode said:

"Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon."

But the compassion of Celestia for her sister along with knowing that she had to let Twilight leave the nest, allowed her to start the whole process.

I wouldn't be surprised if the whole overall outline of the cycle was there from the start. Including Twilight's elevation to a princess, release of Discord and even Twilight taking on a student of her own.