Spinelspike

I agree that it would be nice to see more of Sombra or a return of him to have an episode focused more on his personality and interaction with the characters, but in the Crystal Empire episode, I didn't mind it too much that we didn't get too see him interacting a lot with other character as I don't think Sombra was really the focus of the episode, unlike previous two-parters where either the villain is the mina focus, or the villains theme or goal tied in directly with a theme happening with the main cast, whether that be discovering friendship or using love against a creature that feeds off it. Sombra really was just placed to be a threat to create obstacles for the protagonists, and he did that just fine (and we did get a backstory to him), because the episode wasn't so much focused on him as it was Twilights acceptance of taking risks and having the responsibility to take on great tasks. But yeah, I also think perhaps an episode where sombra returns would be a good appropriate place for Sombra to develop more

Exactly. Unlike the likes of Discord, Sombra was actually a threat, and as it seems now, the most threatening threat in the shows history. All of the other villains could be distracted by small details, or would take time to bath in their fabulous-ness or sing a song, or gloat at how evil they were. Sombra had a goal, and he stuck to it, he wanted to take the crystal empire over again, and with every opportunity he had, he made the most of it to accomplish that goal, only being defeated because there wasn't much else he could have done against the M6, Cadence, SA and Spike. Are the other villains bad villains? Of course not, they are all great in their own rights and great characters that have potential to become more than of what they were first portrayed as (with the likes of Discord). Everyone has their preferences to who was the best villain, but I do think people need to cut Sombra some slack, as he did do all he could to be a pretty credible and powerful threat with really no flaws he could have helped.

I can very much relate. When I started going for a brief period of not watching MLP (as I was still waiting for the new season), I too developed this strange depression and forlorn attitude that had seemingly manifested itself out of nowhere, until I realised that it was the lack of MLP I was watching that made me this way. From now on, I also try my best to watch at least one episode per day to keep my spirits up for the days ahead. Technically you could say that watching the show is healthy, since I have never watched an episode and not smiled at least once Even when seeing an old episode for the 3rd or 4th time, I always find something in the episodes that make me laugh and smile. I think I have certainly become a better and happier person since becoming a brony (and meeting all of the wonderfully nice people in our community)

That's actually I really interesting plot idea. I find Spike to be very much overlooked in terms of his importance. His role as Twilights assistant and really her oldest friend (besides Twilights family) makes Spike have a very important role in terms of how Twilight handles situations. He is always there help bring her back to reality when she needs to be brought back, and also gives her advice or asks questions Twilight perhaps didn't consider. It's a sort of surrogate mother relationship between them, and one of the most important in the show, so seeing Twilight have to make a choice between him and Celestia would be one of the most dramatic sequences in the shows history. I also like the idea of Spike's potential of becoming a full dragon used as a weapon as an interesting concept. Many villains seem to overlook him as well when he could potentially be a weapon (perhaps that's why Celestia made Twilight look after Spike in the first place), but I doubt Chrysalis would succeed in using him knowing Spike's loyalty. Perhaps we could see Spike grow bigger but learn to control it to still be in control of his actions despite being a fully grown dragon. Certainly an interesting idea I would love to see implemented somehow. Perhaps not just with Chrysalis though (Spike was at the wedding and Chrysalis paid no attention to him), as perhaps a new villain whom had been observing spike for years could make for a more interesting villain. Or if we are going for re-appearing characters, perhaps even Sombra, still bitter after Spike saved the Crystal Empire. An awesome idea all around though

Like Trixie and Discord. There are other characters that could make a reappearance like Flim and Flam, Iron Will, and Chrysalis. I've always had this idea of how Chrysalis would make a reappearance. Celestia is stricken with an illness and she has to send the six mane to retrieve the ingredients to cure her. A key ingredient would be in Chrysalis' kingdom in Badlands called royal jelly. Her kingdom would be like that of a bee hive. When Twilight and gang meets with Chrysalis they tell her what they want and what she would like in exchange. Chrysalis knowing Spike would be a full grown dragon would be a reliable ally ask to trade the jelly for Spike so she can raise him. Twilight would be in a great dilemma, would she keep Spike or save Celestia? She would have to choose between two of the most important people she cherishes. I don't know how this would conclude but it would be for an interesting plot. That's actually I really interesting plot idea. I find Spike to be very much overlooked in terms of his importance. His role as Twilights assistant and really her oldest friend (besides Twilights family) makes Spike have a very important role in terms of how Twilight handles situations. He is always there help bring her back to reality when she needs to be brought back, and also gives her advice or asks questions Twilight perhaps didn't consider. It's a sort of surrogate mother relationship between them, and one of the most important in the show, so seeing Twilight have to make a choice between him and Celestia would be one of the most dramatic sequences in the shows history. I also like the idea of Spike's potential of becoming a full dragon used as a weapon as an interesting concept. Many villains seem to overlook him as well when he could potentially be a weapon (perhaps that's why Celestia made Twilight look after Spike in the first place), but I doubt Chrysalis would succeed in using him knowing Spike's loyalty. Perhaps we could see Spike grow bigger but learn to control it to still be in control of his actions despite being a fully grown dragon. Certainly an interesting idea I would love to see implemented somehow. Perhaps not just with Chrysalis though (Spike was at the wedding and Chrysalis paid no attention to him), as perhaps a new villain whom had been observing spike for years could make for a more interesting villain. Or if we are going for re-appearing characters, perhaps even Sombra, still bitter after Spike saved the Crystal Empire. An awesome idea all around though

Don't you worry. There are plenty of people who also enjoyed/loved this episode (myself included) I don't really see what's to complain about honestly. The characters acted in character, and all had great comical moments and some great interaction between them. I think each member of the mane 6 and spike managed to get a good equal amount of screen time, with the main focus still remaining around Twilight. Personally, I didn't mind that Sombra didn't get too much to do in terms of interacting with the mane 6, because the episode wasn't about him. It was about "The Crystal Empire" as the title states, and Twilights journey to undertake a huge task given to her, as well as learning that she has to put her duty in front of her personal assignment and let her friends help her. Sombra still had an interesting backstory, and was still a pretty good threat. You always knew he was there desperate to get in, he does hinder the heroes progress, and his magic door and puzzles do reflect his evil cunning personality. Overall, I loved this episode, the characters were great, and the songs were great (even if people didn't see the point of the failure song, I still find it a good song, and it is sort of purposeful as it reflects the fact that Twilight has come to realise that now she has to be issued with these great important tasks, and that the Elements of harmony now only work for her and her friends. She isn't just singing about how she didn't expect this one task, but singing about how she realises how un-prepared she is in the future where Celestia is very liable to pass these important duties onto her whenever). We got some hilarious character interaction, I like how Spike was the one who saved the day as it really benefits his character and his relationship with Twilight, and we got to see a new civilisation, a new location, a new type of pony, and a new mystery to uncover. Nope, I don't understand the complaints this episode gets either. But as long as we all like it, who cares

1) Twilight, because....well, her magic and intelligence does give her a bit of an advantage, and she has shown evidence to be good at telling what others are thinking or feeling. 2) Well, really, I would hope that none of them would not like me or not understand me, but I suppose Applejack simply because I'm not too sporty or competitive, and try to act civilised and dignified whenever I can (rainbow dash is also competitive, but she also likes pinkie's randomness, and I do consider myself to be rather eccentric at times). But still, I would hope that I wouldn't have any quarrels with any of them 3) Rainbow dash all the way, especially in the case of "flutterdash". I mean come on, they are the oldest friends amongst the mane 6, and rainbow has shown on numerous occasions that she takes a liking to fluttershy quite a bit. She chooses her over all the rest to take her the cider selling, and I think shows the most concern and support for helping her problems. She always show's that she needs her, and does many things for her like spending time with her at the butterfly migration. In fact, rainbow and fluttershy are just casually seen together a lot, and in the canterlot wedding changeling fight, there's actually a plot second moment when rainbow pecks fluttershys nose.....awww..... 4) Pinkie.....well, she does love to make people smile, in fact it was her effort ro make her family smile that got her her cutie mark after all, so I can imagine that she would re-unite with them again for a party or to make them happy again if they became depressed. 5) Fluttershy......well, she was picked by Photo Finish for a reason 6) Pinkie Pie, as awful as it may sound, with all that cake she eats, it's possible that her heart will start to fail on her before the rest of the ponies.....but I only say that in answer to the question, as I hope that never happens to any of them

I have faith in the writers. They haven't disappointed me yet, and I doubt they will. The whole Derpy incident was mainly due to the complaints hasbro received from Soccer moms, so they couldn't do much to help that. I know that I will always be a die-hard brony, just because the show has made me a better and happier person, and the community is one the kindest I've ever been a part of. If Twilight does indeed become an Alicorn, there is always a possibility that it'll just be a temporary transformation, or that Twilight will perhaps choose to remain a unicorn in ponyville, but can be transformed back into an Alicorn when Celestia needs her to when Equestria is in danger. Have faith my fellow bronies, and let us remember that we shall always remain loyal to the show, and celebrate it for the times it has made us all smile. Let us spread the love and tolerance. Brony forever, and proud

Overall, while I always enjoy a Spike episode, I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as the likes of "Secret of my excess" or "dragon quest" (though that could be because the morals were very relevant to his character and species in those episodes) (also I guess because unlike this episode, we got some very nice rairty x spike moments in those past episodes). However, this episode was still very enjoyable and funny, and spike did actually learn a lot of lessons throughout the episode. He learns quickly that the pet's require more responsibility, and he clearly does show that he cares for them, otherwise he wouldn't take the pets back from the CMC after hearing what they were doing ,and he does become a very organised and strict leader when they try and get angel back, showing that spike can focus effectively on a task when he is required to do it. He may have lost all his gems, but at least he learned to admit that he did need to give them away when he needed to. I mean, he didn't try to argue a way out of not giving away the gems each time, nor did he try to steal the gems back, and as the episode progressed, he just gave them away without anyone even saying anything, showing that he does realise that the pets were more important than his gems. I wouldn't really call Spike greedy, he was simply providing a service for his friends in exchange for ....well, snacks.... the other ponies know that spike wanted the gems to eat, so really, they weren't even really paying him....just giving him snacks.....not really a bad deal..... Yes spike does learn in the end, that he should have focused more on what he was asked to do, but at least in the end, after all he had been through, he learnt his lesson, the pets forgave him, and as a reward, he was praised for looking after them. He certainly isn't incompetent, as there is evidence that he can look after pets well, it's just that that wasn't his main focus. Still a very good and enjoyable episode all around, with actually quite a few lessons learnt by spike along the way, though in future, I think we'd all like a bit more Rarity and Spike interaction

The game is actually surprisingly addicting, despite not having that many story elements, though it does help if you are a long time fan, because you will instantly recognise the shops, ponies and items, and references, from the shadow bolts, to the same ball that spike took in "Secret of my excess". It does require patience though, as the game will start demanding a lot of bits and gems very quickly as you progress, and without wasting gems, you will have to wait up to 12 hours just to get 5 carrot cakes. Yet, it is still very fun and addicting, and unlike other games of this genre, the likeable characters and show references make this worth playing, especially since it's free (though you may have to buy more gems and bits with real money to progress faster). Only improvement I would give is that it doesn't demand so many gems and bits for really simple tasks, but some variety in the games the ponies play would be nice too.

I think there is something about spike that we can all relate to When I myself was in my younger years, I found to have better company in girls rather than boys (though even then I didn't really have many friends), and I think "Dragon Quest" especially highlighted that quality of spike. While in context of the episode, it was clear that spike learns that it's fine to embrace who you are, and rather have good kind-hearted pony friends then the ruthless nature of his fellow dragons, but I think the subtle implied message for the audience was that it's fine to embrace your friendship, whether your a boy who prefers female friends, or a girl who prefers male friends. It's that innocence in spike that makes him love-able, as well as his sensitivity, and how much he can over-react if his friends are in danger. I really hope we get more spike episodes in future, because he has so much potential for episodes, whether that be working on his relationship with Rarity, learning more about Dragon anatomy, spike becoming angry that a lot of the time he isn't invited to parties or events (seriously, why isn't spike invited to the crystal empire despite saving it? (though we might find out next episode), and where was he at Twilights birthday in "sweet and Elite"?), or even an episode where for once, spike has to take gull responsibility for saving his friends from danger. We've seen in the past that while spike can be easily scared, his strength and courage does seem to increase whenever he is fighting for his friends as seen in "a dog and pony show" and a bit in "Dragon Quest"

I find spike to be an incredibly underrated character. Come to think, he may very well be my favourite character in the show, and it's not because of any gender or species preferences I have, but I just find something very enjoyable and special about spike's personality that really make me care for him. Yes, he may be the only main male character in a group of mainly female characters, but in some ways, I think it might be an advantage to his character. When we look at things, Spike really is the only main character that allows the other main ponies to interact with a male character. For the majority of the time, outside of Spike, we rarely see the other ponies have too much interaction with male characters, or at least not to the loving and strong-bonding extent of Spike that is. The other ponies are all clearly very fond of him and value him as a close friend. Twilights surrogate mother relationship with spike is probably one of the most touching relationships in the show. Spike strives to please her and get her approval by being her assistant and one of her oldest friends, but he also doesn't just do anything Twilight says, and he can disagree with her, but that's why he's there, to bring Twilight back to reality when she needs to be brought back, and to give her genuine helpful advice. Spike is also just one of the most comical characters as well, and his boyish nature does stop the show form becoming too cheesy at times. But spike also isn't generic. He tries to act very boyish, but deep down, he loves wearing aprons and spending time with his pony friends (something that he learnt to embrace and be proud of in "Dagon Quest"). He is also in fact rather intelligent, with his witty and sarcastic funny comments he frequently makes, but what's more comical is that he doesn't even realise most of the time how intelligent he actually is. His lack of understanding in certain areas allow the other ponies to explain things to him for the benefit of the audience, and the fact that he's a dragon gives him plenty of potential for episodes revolving around him and the qualities of dragon life. His nature also makes him the perfect candidate for certain morals, including the moral of greed (using the dragon growth cycle as a cool way to show this), the moral of jealousy (serving twilight was obviously a huge part of spike's life, and when he saw the potential of losing that occupation with owlicious, we could then relate to him at what he could potentially lose), and the moral of embracing who you are not what you are (not being pushed around by others just because you rebel the stereotype of your gender or species, thus why spike was happy to enjoy his life with his pony friends and not care about being a typical dragon). Of course let us not forget his romance with Rarity (one of the best aspects of the show in my opinion), that provides with a really nice touching and cute quality that we don't really get anywhere else on the show, and I hope to see it develop more in the future Overall, Spike is a wonderful character and is very much underrated and overlooked (even "The Best night ever" showed how easy it was for Spike to be ignored, even if he was right all along). Got to love that little dragon

As much as I understand everyone's reasons for being slightly sceptical of this potential turn the show might take, I think we should all still do our best to remain calm in this situation and at least wait until the end of season 3 for the confirmed facts to be shown. For all we know, yes, maybe Twilight does become an Alicorn, but she might end up turning down the offer at the end and revert back to normal (for reasons that could be explained in future). Perhaps it won't be permanent and instead Twilight may be able to become an Alicorn in desperate needs when the whole of Equestria is at stake. I have faith in the writers, and I doubt Celestia would intoroduce Twilight to her friends just to make her a princess and drag her away from them later. No-one can say much for certain at this moment in time, but at least for now we can keep our heads up and wait patiently. I have faith that whatever change the writers make to the show, it'll be for the best. Things are never what they seem. No need to jump to conclusions......yet