YMMV / Alicorn

• Broken Base: Going by the comments on fimfiction, the biggest split between those who enjoyed the fic and those who don't is the characterization; Some feel like the characters are too mean and their conflicts too heavy to be enjoyable, while others think the Dysfunction Junction is rather the appeal of the fic in the first place.
• Catharsis Factor: Twilight getting a much needed callout in chapter 10, with Tristar of all people pointing out her ignorance of her own privilege and unfair treatment of Rainbow Dash.
• Tearjerker:
  • One scene in chapter 10 stands out regarding Rainbow and Celestria's relationship;
    • Celestia goes to check on Rainbow, finding her delirious from sickness and slightly drunk on cough drops, and letting out all her pains, insecurities, and repressed feelings. It starts with her expressing suicidality because she doesn't know what the point even is anymore after losing all her friends, her pegasus pride, and her parents, who died when she was 10, and that the only thing that keeps her going is her overblown self-confidence. She muses that she used to spend so many nights crying for her parents, but now that she has a mother, she's never felt more alone. By then, Celestia is openly weeping.
    • After the above, Rainbow asks Celestia why she wasn't good enough, why she would give her up after naming her (and Rainbow knows that she still uses the name when Celestia thinks she can't hear). She clearly meant something to Celestia, so why wasn't she good enough. She would have loved Celestia if she hadn't given her up. Celestia is so heartbroken that she can't even answer, nor shake her head when Rainbow asks if it aws becuase she didn't have a horn.
    • Before falling asleep, Rainbow calls Celestia "mom" and mutters that she really wishes she and Twilight were still friends. Celestia leaves as soon as she's sure Rainbow is asleep, unable to stand being in the same room as the daughter who's life she's ruined.
    • Luna finds Celestia later, crying harder than she did when their parents died, desperately apologizing for having ruined Rainbow's life and left her utterly broken beyond repair.
  • The ending of chapter 11.
    • Having reunited with Shining, affirmed her mother-daughter relationship with Celestia, and realized that she's been unfair to Rainbow, Twilight, in higher spirits than ever, goes to apologize and make amends with her friend. Except, while she's been gone, Whitehoof has gotten into Rainbow's head. What follows is a viscious verbal lashing as Rainbow calls Twilight out on all the ways she's been a bad friend lately, how she's been ignoring Rainbow's feelings to do whatever Celestia asked of her, how she's been degrading and made Rainbow feel stupid at every turn during their magic lessons, and how she's been jealous of Rainbow being Celestia's daughter despite Celestia having practically raised Twilight while Rainbow spent the last six years of her life as an orphan and only knew Celestia was her mother a month ago. The argument ends with Rainbow telling Twilight she hates her and doesn't need her, before flying away without giving Twilight a chance to say anything.
    • Twilight barely says anything in her defense, not only because everything Rainbow accuses her for is true and things she already feels guilty over, but because she's too scared; Rainbow very much looks the part of a sun goddess' daughter, with burning eyes and mannerisms more like a viscious predator than a pony, leaving poor Twilight almost wimpering in fear of her former friend.
    • In the aftermath, Twilight is left in tears, heartbroken because one of her best friends hates her. And to make it all worse, the Nightmare is quick to exploit the situation, turning Twilight's despair to anger at Rainbow. The chapter ends with Twilight burning the apology letter from Rarity she was supposed to give to Rainbow, echoing an earlier line from Luna likening her own fall to the Nightmare to burning bridges.

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