We Can't All Be Friends is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfiction by Awesomo3000
that acts as a What If? focusing on the possibility of Starlight rejecting Twilight's offer for friendship. The story can be read here.
We Can't All Be Friends provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Not everypony bad is capable of redemption, because sometimes they just won't take it no matter how many times it's offered. The only thing that can be done for them is to stop them from hurting anypony else.
- Bittersweet Ending: Starlight is defeated and Equestria is saved, but Twilight is saddened by having to use such drastic measures to stop her enemy and not being able to redeem her.
- Brought Down to Normal: Starlight's fate in this fic is to have her magical ability permanently destroyed. She does not take it well.
- Crazy-Prepared: Before her final confrontation with Starlight, Twilight studies the Magic Abolition Spell in case she ever has to use it on her. She doesn't like the idea of using it, but Starlight forces her hoof when she refuses to change her mind even after being shown that stopping the Rainboom will destroy Equestria.
- Heroic BSoD: Twilight goes through one of these when she fails to redeem Starlight. It takes some comforting and reassurance from Spike to snap her out of it.
- I Did What I Had to Do: With great reluctance, Twilight is forced to use the Magic Abolition Spell on Starlight.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Twilight tried to use this to talk Starlight into redeeming herself. Unlike in canon, she fails.
- Redemption Rejection: The fic's premise involves Starlight doing this.
- She Who Fights Monsters: What Twilight fears will happen to her if she used the Magic Abolition Spell on Starlight. She uses it anyway with no ill effect on her morality.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Twilight really feels bad for using the Magic Abolition spell on Starlight and still tries to be friendly with her. Starlight isn't having any of it. Then again, it's highly unlikely Starlight being friendly to Twilight would have gotten her any clemency.
- Tastes Like Disdain: After Starlight is defeated by Twilight and permanently stripped of her magic to stop her from destroying Equestria, she is imprisoned in the castle dungeons. Hoping that she can still reform Starlight with The Power of Friendship, Twilight brings her a plate of cheeses, baked vegetables and buttercream cake from the celebratory banquet being held above, but Starlight kicks it away and smashes it against the wall, scattering the food everywhere.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Even after Starlight proves to be irredeemable, Twilight still does not kill her but instead uses the Magic Abolition spell on her, sentencing her to live the rest of her life without her magic AND in prison too.
- Villainous Breakdown: Starlight has one at the revelation of Twilight taking away her ability to use magic.
- What If?: What if Starlight Glimmer didn't redeem herself?
