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.

Rainbow Dash bragging and how she keeps saying she's awesome is a flaw, but it's also an extension of her parent's upbringing. They always kept saying how she was the best at everything and it became a part of her. Personally I don't agree RD doesn't have to work hard for the things she does. Yes, she may be a talented flyer but she still had to work hard to get to the point she's today. She still needs to work hard to keep her body and wings in shape so she can continue to perform at peak levels. You don't become a great flyer without any training.

Her parents are partly to blame for that though with her cheering her on since she was a filly. To RD's credit, she felt very uneasy about her parents doing that for every little thing and at least wanted to make sure she was deserving of their support by trying to be the best, which explains her competitive nature. For me personally Rainbow Dash and Applejack do work well together. Applejack is very down to earth and has shown she has no problems taking RD's ego down when needed. Rainbow Dash can be full of herself, but she has also shown humility by admitting and apologizing for her mistakes, and that she has no problem acknowledging and supporting other ponies' skills and talents. For example, RD did seem to get quite a bit of satisfaction from Scootaloo's fanclub, and acted selfishly when she was trying to pull Scootaloo away from the Washouts, but when she realized the internal struggle Scootaloo was going through she felt terrible and immedately changed her ways.

Your post hit me on so many levels. I'm so sorry you had to go through that with your toxic friend. I had something similar happen to me as well. I had a period where I desperately wanted to be friends with him, despite the way he treated me and others. Letting go hurt a lot and left a mark on me. It also impacted my view of Rainbow Dash (and similar characters in other shows) I really didn't like Rainbow Dash in the earlier seasons either, but just like with you my opinion started to change when the Scootaloo episode came around. With the series being over RD feels like one of the most developed characters in this show IMHO.

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)

Although it does seem irresponsible in a sense to willingly release someone like Discord, I honestly do think Celestia believed this was the right choice in the end. She truly believed the Mane 6 could do it, and I doubt she would have considered it in any other situation. The alternative would have been to keep Discord locked up but then he would have inevitably escaped one day.

I think it was worth the trouble. Yes, there were lot of problems along the way (Despite his knowledge and powers Discord was mentally still a kid who had a lot to learn about social interactions) but I feel befriending Discord was also a way to keep future generations safe. Fluttershy will be gone one day but she will leave behind a more mature Discord. A Discord who can make new friends on his own and can be an ally to Twilight/Spike and future rulers. Princess Celestia knew that Discord would escape his prison again one day. I think this was something she did not want to burden future generations with.

You're right, but there seem to be few limits to Discord's chaos magic outside of magical artifacts or specialized spells. (Discord "eating" the pages with a reform spell) How do you counter someone who can remove your magic if he wants to? (Like removing Twilight's horn in Return of Harmony)

True, now that you mention it, I can't really remember him ever using combat magic against someone; he usually only seems to manipulate/transform everything around him.

Season 1: Green isn't your Color Season 2: The Last Roundup Season 3: Sleepless in Ponyville Season 4: Twilight's Kingdom Part 2 Season 5: Lost Treasure of Griffinstone Season 6: Newbie Dash Season 7: Fame and Misfortune Season 8: The Break Up Break Down Season 9: The Last Problem

That is what frustrates me the most. A friend doesn't manipulate another friend like that. If Twilight believed RD leading the cheer squad would be a good thing for her and because her enthusiasm would be exactly what the cheer squad needed she should have been honest about that. Issues with Rainbow's character portrayal aside (I've said enough about that in the past), Twilight put RD and the students through an unnecessary situation that could have ended with the cheer squad breaking up.

It could have been more acceptable if Twilight wasn't so smug about it in the end. It really felt she had manipulated Rainbow Dash.