JH24

Those are good questions. I don't know the first one, but for the second one I would argue it's because Tirek was the most sincere in being a team player. After the Mean 3 had received their share of powers from the bell it would have been easy for Tirek to betray them and take their magic, but he never did. (Both Cozy and Chyrsalis showed hints they considered betrayal) He could have tried absorbing Cozy's Discord's magic after she got it from the bell if he wanted to. (If it works that way) Chrysalis and Cozy know Tirek once tried to take over Equestria by absorbing all the magic and they know he betrayed Discord. But are they aware he also absorbed Discord's power back then?

I think you're right with this point. I got the impression Tirek absorbs magic and converts it into a (fuel) source to strengthen his entire being. The only requirement would be that he needs to be the one who absorbs it. If he absorbs a type of magic which possesses certain traits/quirks, he could use its raw power while bypassing any drawbacks associated with it. The bell directly gives the magic it has stored to its recipient and Tirek won't have the means to "filter" it first. Theoretically, if Cozy Glow got Discord's powers from the bell and Tirek then absorbed Cozy's chaos magic; he should be able to use it in the same way as he did in season 4, but I'm just speculating.

Personally, I wasn't disappointed. Overall the progression felt right and it was nice to see the later episodes where she really felt like part of the team. As for the Wonderbolts being jerks or incompetent, I can't help but think that's partly because the writers hadn't fully decided yet on their characters. They seemed nicer in the later seasons and helped out RD a few times.

That's a very good theory. If Grogar is still alive, there's a good chance he knows his bell was activated, and will use it to find his way back into Equestria.

I'm actually glad it happened at all. The moment when it happened felt about right for me personally, but it wasn't until after Spike got wings that I realized how "restricted" his character was before. I thought Spike having wings would be weird but the animators had so much more freedom with his character afterwards.

That was unfortunately a missed opportunity. It would have been nice to have an episode where we could have seen more of Spitfire and the Wonderbolt characters themselves, like for example how they act when they're not wearing their uniforms. Megas description of the Friends Forever comic could have made for a great episode. It would definitely have made Spitfire more relatable.

I like her but mostly during the second half of the series. I got the impression the writers didn't really know what to do with her character (and that of the Wonderbolts) early on in the series. The Wonderbolts seemed like a much more closer group later on. Overall Spitfire doesn't seem like a bad pony, and she and the Wonderbolts had RD's back when she needed help.

If I remember correctly Grogar ruled Equestria thousands of years ago but was eventually defeated by a pony named Gusty the Great. Grogar's magic was sealed inside his own bewitching bell and he was banished from Equestria. The bell could not be destroyed and was hidden in a secret location. Within the Canterlot Archives was an old book which described the workings of the bewitching bell.

My impression was that Discord took on Grogar's identity based on past events. The real Grogar is either dead or still out there somewhere roaming other dimensions. For all we know the activation of his bell will lure him back to Equestria one day

Grogar would without a doubt be the most powerful opponent in the entire series. He would have knowledge of ancient magic and forgotten spells. If anyone could believably counter Discord's magic it would be him.

The first clip I came across was Pinkie interrogating Spike in "Party of One." Wow, did I get a wrong impression of Pinkie then. The first real episode I watched was "Ticket Master."

In case of Discord it was because Celestia was no longer connected to the Elements. The Mean 3 were put to stone with a combined spell. They probably won't be able to get out until someone breaks the spell.for them.

Reform. There's just something satisfying about a character changing his/her ways. Although a villain doing something good for selfish reasons can work too. Death and Tartarus both share the second spot. Even death doesn't mean a villain is gone forever.

IMHO given enough time they'll likely be reformed in the end. They already showed us the Mean 3 had the capacity for change but willingly choose not to. I feel their reformation has to be done by a new generation as there's too much bad history with the Mane 6. I'm still somewhat frustrated we never saw Chrysalis' transformation if she had let go of her hatred for Starlight.

I'd say he genuinely wants to help Twilight but is also just having fun with it. (Twilight's tendency to freak out does make her an easy target)