Scythe

It's definitely because Celestia and Luna are fighting to protect their world against powerful, chaotic, cosmic forces pulling the sun and moon and everything else in crazy directions. Just kidding. It is an interesting fantasy idea that all the ponies, including Celestia and Luna, need to work together to keep their world going.

Well, Twilight's fireworks explosion in the shape of her cutie mark before she descended seems to have 6 stars surrounding a larger one, instead of 5, as do all her banners. It could be a mistake, as she still has 5 stars surrounding a big star on her body. If it's not a mistake, it might mean there is a new Element. I really hope that new Element isn't 'Leadership'. Maybe it's the Element of Forgiveness, for messing around with other ponies' minds. I had a quick look, and other people had some good ideas for new Elements like courage, sacrifice, etc.

Rainbow Dash? Overrated? Nah. She IS awesome. She earned her love. She's proven that she works and practices hard to be where she is, she's honest, she is a good, caring friend, and she has a strong personality. Rainbow Dash for next alicorn (after Applejack). I think overrating happens to ponies we know little to nothing about. To be overrated, Rainbow Dash would need to secretly be a terrible pony.

The Changelings don't seem to have a hivemind, taking verbal orders, one sucker-kicking Rainbow Dash, having different emotional expressions on their faces (some appeared overjoyed to attack Canterlot), and the one that turned into Pinkie Pie on demand. As individuals, they shouldn't be all bad. Here's hoping for Changelings to show up in future episodes! (Another thread just reminded me about this one.)

Princess Luna masquerading as Queen Chrysalis is fun, as is trying to see it as possible and hoping the writers had planned such a twist early on. You're most likely right about this idea being wrong. I suspect the writers put less thought into the show than the fans do. You also make some good arguments. Now, If Luna is Chrysalis and she plays Cadance poorly, it could be because Luna doesn't know Cadance very well. Cadance is such a boring character that she'd be the easiest target close to Celestia. Luna can become multiple entities as she was able to become three Shadowbolts, but hundreds is hopefully past her limit. Maybe the changelings were tricked into obeying Luna. Maybe the real Chrysalis is trapped somewhere. While Cadance says changelings feed on love, they might be able to feed on any other emotion. Perhaps they were starving and didn't have time to slowly infiltrate Canterlot and a mass invasion-feast worked better? Also, outright warfare sends a more terrifying message to Celestia than a slow replacement of her ponies. Like many siblings in a disagreement, I imagine if Luna told her version of the story from the first episode, it'd be different from what Celestia said. While it'd be nice to believe Celestia all the time, she is involved in politics. Until Luna honestly explains what happened, we might not know the truth. If Luna is Chrysalis and was caught when the real Cadance showed up, it benefits Luna to pretend to be yet another shapeshifter. If her alter ego is defeated, 'Luna' is still innocent. Also, possibly Luna was stealing the love from others to give her a boost over her not-using-Elements-of-Harmony equal, Celestia. The idea that Luna is evil/Chrysalis might not go against the usable lessons of the show, as not everyone is a good potential friend or interested in being friends. I don't think we've had a back-stabbing 'friend' episode, yet. I've wondered about the Elements of Harmony (are they sentient?). They seem powerful enough to trap mighty beings, to intentionally release a being whose essence is the opposite of harmony, and to perform magic voice-activated/on their own as was seen in Magical Mystery Cure. It would make more sense if the Elements changed Twilight into an alicorn, rather than the Celestia-given tripe about 'something never done before' and 'new magic'. Join the believers in evil Luna. It's fun.

I should avoid this topic, should avoid it, should- Magical Mystery Cure was the worst episode I've ever seen. Twilight screws up, has her friends help her fix the problem, adjusts someone else's work, steals all the credit, and is rewarded. This episode also uses destiny, which is a cheap way of making things happen. Things were 'destined', rather than coming from difficult choices and logical (for a cartoon, lol) outcomes. While Twilight doesn't need to go through all the steps of A Hero With A Thousand Faces, it just seems she didn't earn such an ascension on her own, yet.

Do cartoons in Japan need to cut parts from North American cartoons to run within a certain, shorter time-frame? Raiden could be right that they couldn't translate some of the scenes, otherwise, it seems odd to remove parts.

I hoped Cerberus turned up in Ponyville for something other than a gag. I don't know if Cerberus' escape being related to Luna's cryptic actions really makes sense, but it did fit in with any crackpot-worthy set of ideas. Good luck with your fanfic, Silver Fox! I also like the idea that Celestia does have some suspicions. Go Celestia!

This episode reminded me of the Three Musketeers in a few ways, but I'm probably reading too much into it. -When D'Artagnan first meets the three musketeers, he insults them so badly they want to duel him, similar to how Babs Seed affected the CMC. They all end up being friends. -The treacherous Milady De Winter and Cardinal Richelieu are similar to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Luckily, instead of being beheaded and thrown into the river, DT/SS just end up in the mud.

AppleJack in Bridle Gossip. She was acting out of character, especially for a character that likes to help others. She's afraid of a zebra, but has no problem with a dragon, mules, gryphons, sheep, cattle, donkeys, etc. Also, I was annoyed when she didn't negotiate with the FlimFlam bros to buy their equipment, rent it, or work out some sort of cider deal.

5 episodes I didn't enjoy at all, as follows: Crystal Empire part 1 & 2 Magical Mystery Cure Spike At Your Service Games Ponies Play

While I doubt the show will ever have such an awesome twist, evil Luna was fun to think about. The Elements of Harmony Why would the Elements of Harmony change Luna if they didn’t seem to weaken Discord or change his personality either time we saw them used on him? When Discord came back he was as chaotic as ever-the anti-thesis of Harmony. If destiny wasn’t involved (destiny is cheap), Luna had a plan to free herself that took 1000 years. Did Luna plan for the Elements to appear to weaken her? She tested the new bearers before they reached the elements. Why would she let anyone claim them, knowing they’d likely be used on her-and how would she know it wouldn’t be straight back to the moon? Unless maybe Luna knew a way around the Elements’ effects from the first time and wanted Celestia to think she’d been freed. As if evil was something apart from her and not related to choices. Fairies, Changelings, and Souls of the Dead Is Nightmare Night like Halloween, when the barrier between the living and dead is said to be thinnest? Why did Luna choose Nightmare Night to visit Ponyville? Ponyville is close to Tartarus(and the mysterious Everfree) if Twilight led Cerberus back within one day/night and had time to make sure no evil creatures escaped. Did creatures-not-considered-evil escape? Was visiting Ponyville an excuse to be visible in the region? Later, someone lets out Cerberus, the guardian of Tartarus. In myth, Cerberus only allowed dead souls in, and nothing else in or out. Only a few beings have managed to beat or get past Cerberus. Orpheus had powerful, soothing music, Hercules was a demi-god with awesome strength, Fluttershy did her thing, and Twilight used a ball. Who else would be powerful enough to release Cerberus in Equestria? Who would have a use for the dead/evil monsters/gods/ZeusCelestia’s parents that Tartarus holds? In some European traditions, fairies are the souls of the dead. A word for a type of fairy? Changeling. Luna stole souls of the dead to make an army. Cadance, Shining Armour, Luna & A Canterlot Wedding Luna comes back from a 1000 year absence to discover Cadance, a perfect, loved, beautiful, new alicorn Princess close to Celestia. Did she feel replaced and jealous? Did she see a great strategic opportunity? Was she cruel and wanting to see how devastated Cadance would be to find her lover/fiancé married to someone else? I’m reminded of a quote from the Princess Bride movie by Prince Humperdinck ‘You truly love each other and so you might have been truly happy. Not one couple in a century has that chance, no matter what the story books say. And so I think no man in a century will suffer as greatly as you will.’ Where does Luna pretend to spend most of her time? It must be outside Canterlot if leaving/entering and ripping a hole in the Canterlot shield is not considered a problem by anyone/Celestia. A waiting army can’t pass through the shield, but Luna can. Some other thoughts: Did Luna hide the bridesmaids because they saw through her disguise? Were their other friends/families noticing they weren’t all there? Any other problems hiding down in those caves? Luna now knows Cadance and Shining Armour are powerful. Luckily, Cadance is later sent far away from Canterlot to the far away Crystal Empire, where she stays, far away. Current Events Luna stalks Scootaloo for a secret, nefarious reason.The Elements of Harmony create a new alicorn Princess in response to the looming threat.

Anadu Kune: You haven't insulted me, flat-out told me I'm wrong, or strangely enough, given up on me, lol. I respect that. It also seems like you've tried to see things from my point of view, as well, while I'm strugging to see Twilicorn or destiny in a positive light. Thank you for putting some order to our conversation. 1) Im not sure I see your logic here how many ponies ever get a full understanding of their talents and what they relate to? ... Twilight's talent is magic and ... She never knew her friendship itself was magic. ...her character arch showed the progression of this understanding until it reached an ultimate state. The other ponies haven't reached that point and may never as they have different goals. That's not to say they cant I could see lets say Rainbow Dash becoming a princess of loyalty, but she may never realize that as she has a different goal in mind that being the wonderbolts. You know, that's an interesting idea. Princess Dash. 2.) There has been much debate about destiny throughout the years. You are talking about the basic definition of destiny a predetermined event that must happen and dictates you. However there are different interpretations of destiny. Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer viewed destiny as just a manifestation of the Will to Live, which can be at the same time living fate and choice of overrunning the same fate, by means of the art, of the Morality and of the Ascesis. There are others but that's just one similar to one I mentioned. Though my interpretation is different as well. Also the episode indicates that an act of will through magic can indeed manipulate destiny. So we know that destiny is in fact flexible to a certain degree at least through magic. I don't think its too much of a stretch to think it may be changed through certain choices as well. So yeah I don't think you should be concerned with destiny all that much. I kind of used to be as at first I didn't like the idea of cutie marks but realized I had no problem with the concept of destiny in Star Wars and other fiction for the reasons mentioned. You slogged through Arthur Schopenhauer's depressing verbiage, too? In his essays, at one point in time, he had the stance that free will was an illusion. I may have misunderstood him, but it seemed to me that he suggested art, asceticism, and morality as a way to deal with the Will/fate controlling everyone. I'm not sure if that's a better idea than his near-antithesis Nietzsche's attitude of love fate or be depressed. I never liked the idea of destiny, but I do wonder what kind of stance on free will/destiny the show will take in the future. 3.) You have to think of why the Rainboom caused Twilight to go magic crazy. It was the connection shared with her friends, and Twilight has only ever demonstrated that glowing during times when she was using the magic of friendship through that connection. A connection she had not yet known about yet was expressing anyway. I cant see this being anything but intentional considering the amount of visual symbolism in the show. Seems pretty much to be an affirmation of their destiny to me. Not to mention it is the same writer of Magical Mystery Cure if Im not mistaken. ... I saw the Rainboom like a wave of magic crashing into Twilight, surprising her and unlocking or adding to her power. That sudden power certainly was chaotic. If it really was meant to be symbolism of a future connection, I could accept that only if there was more time travel, lol. I just can't stand the idea of destiny in something that makes me happy, not yet, at least. Unfortunately, MMC really burned my biscuits and I'm still trying to understand how it can be enjoyed and come to terms with it. Just because the masses will swallow many things doesn't mean I won't try to save them via heimlich manoeuvre, lol. If the show can put a positive spin on fate(or give the ponies free will), make me think Twilicorn truly earned her wings, and prove that it's not so lonely at the top, that'd be great! I don't want to see MLP die by the same way as Gargoyles, X-Files, Prison Break, Transformers, etc.

Before Cadance, I wouldn't have liked to see more alicorns. Now, I see them as mixed-race and not necessarily more powerful than others. I see Celestia and Luna having powers that are not related to their body. I wonder if there are other, equally powerful creatures from other races. I prefer to entertain the idea that Celestia and Luna are yin/yang, though.

People love change when it's in a direction they like. People are naturally afraid of loss, however. If the writers want to sell an idea, they need to convince the audience that the main cast are not losing relationships, power balances, connections, focus on non-Twilight characters, etc. This should not have been left to the next season, as a finale is supposed to hook the viewers rather than scare them away. I, too, was bothered by the cutie marks. I see the little stars in Twilight's cutie mark for magical talent as standing for the other Elements, friendship being magic and all. I wonder if the little stars should have changed to her friends' cutie marks? About people saying Twilight didn't deserve it because she didn't work very hard for it, I understand their point. If Twilight perfected one spell and that was creating new magic, anyone who creates or finishes a spell is creating new magic. Starswirl created over 200 spells, we're told, but he didn't understand friendship. If someone created a new spell/magic and understands friendship, does that mean Rarity or another unicorn should also be an alicorn? Celestia said that Twilight had done something never done before. Unless Celestia also doesn't understand why Twilight became an alicorn, I'd like to know what Twilight did. If it was a new magic, what kind? A new element of Harmony? What? If it was that she had friends, finished a spell, and was the bearer of an element of harmony, that's weak. I'm not expecting the 12 Labours of Hercules, just something I can swallow.

Responding to your points about Twilight's transformation: If ascending requires understanding friendship as well as Twilight does, I fully expect to see her friends and a large amount of the population as alicorns. If ascending is not about doing something new (if it was, we should see more alicorns) and is a spiritual awakening from the ultimate understanding of a pony's talent, we should see more alicorns. Where are all the alicorns? I really hope this isn't the end of Twilight's character arc, I'm certain there's more for her to learn or she'll be very boring. Responding to the other cut parts: Destiny and Free Will cannot exist together unless the definition of destiny changes. Unless, maybe someone with Free Will starts controlling others who would've had free will without such interference. Perhaps the show should have used words and ideas like 'potential' or 'most probable outcome'. I'll pretend the show used those terms. I suspect George Lucas was trying to redefine words or lost his dictionary. Glowing eyes happen whenever someone is using a fair amount of magic. (Ex: Princess Luna's eyes glowed in Luna Eclipsed, Shining Armour/Cadance in A Canterlot Wedding) Rainbow Dash is responsible for the connection through her Sonic Rainboom. I'm sure many others were affected by such a rare, giant, lucky, magical explosion. As for names, you have a good point. Besides being used for a quick ID of a pony and their talents by the writers/toymakers, I imagine the parents are forcing their hopes on their foals with names. Are all ponies named at birth, or just some Earth Ponies? I really hope Free Will exists in MLP, the ponies being stuck in a Destiny is disturbing. I support the kind of foreshadowing that is paired with good storytelling. I don't know much about the extended Star Wars universe except for some odd ideas like living beings without the Force (Yuuzhan Vong) and the anti-Force field pet of Admiral Thrawn. Writers are humans and fallible, nothing wrong with questioning them. I still expect them to put effort into something others will view. :/ To make Twilicorn work for me, I'd need to like Twilight's character less, or have answers that make sense. A season finale should hook viewers, not scare away viewers. Fans have some legitimate concerns against Twilicorn. Also, Tara Strong is known to troll for the lulz; Tara told her Twitter followers there would be no alicorn Twilight. Are you sure you want to trust what she says?

I just watched that video and thought the idea of an evil, biding-her-time, bait&switch Luna was brilliant! What a twist, and using classical ideas! Now, I'll be disappointed if the show doesn't go in this direction.

At the very, very end of the show, I'm sure we'll see a grand sunrise for a new world where anything could happen. Just before the end, I think we'll see Twilight as both ambassador and magical researcher, making new friends and travelling the world. Rainbow Dash will fill in the vacant position of Captain of the Royal Guard or become a General, rather than just a Wonderbolt. Applejack I see as either staying on the farm or becoming something like a Police Chief. Pinkie Pie, after a career as a successful entertainer goes on to become an adventuring pirate. Rarity moves beyond dresses and convinces ponies to buy bags more expensive than the bag contents. Fluttershy overcomes her fears and becomes Steve Irwin, rescuing dangerous creatures from around Equestria. Spike moves in with Rarity and becomes the world's greatest chef for any species. The CMC will finally have their cutie marks and they were nothing like what they or the audience expected, but the marks make sense in hindsight. Discord thought Fluttershy would look better as a dragon and forgets to change her back. Princess Luna becomes a vigilante, fighting from the shadows for justice. Trixie reaches every land before Twilight, making the residents distrustful of ponies when Twilight arrives.

I like Twilight. She was one of my favourite characters when I first began watching the series. I could accept her as an alicorn princess if it made sense. I don't see my biggest problem with Twilicorn or the season finale listed in your rebuttals. Destiny is extremely disturbing, and I wonder if it is easy to forget that destiny means the same thing as fate and the absence of free will. I want someone to prove that destiny doesn't exist in Equestria or that it is a wonderful thing to be embraced. My second biggest problem is also lacking in your refutations. What did Twilight do to deserve becoming an alicorn Princess? She used a voice-activated faulty spell without studying it or asking for guidance, had help returning things to normal, added some lines to someone else's spell, was blasted by the Elements of Harmony, and POOF! Alicorn Princess. Ignoring the other illogical happenings, what about the events prior to Twilight ascending are different from normal? Is Equestria like a MMORPG where by repeating the same actions over and over, you level up? Supposedly, Twilight did something never done before, and understood friendship. If anytime someone did something new and understood friendship, I think we should be seeing a strangely high amount of Princesses in Equestria. While it's been rumoured that Twilight won't leave either her friends or Ponyville (I forget which), it was a rumour. Tara Strong also said Twilight wouldn't become an alicorn. I strongly doubt all the adventure will conveniently come to Ponyville. Twilight was told she was able to ascend because she displayed all the qualities of a Princess, qualities suspiciously similar to the Elements of Harmony, minus leadership. I wonder if she can wield the Elements single-handedly, now? Also, power imbalances do affect relationships. I like this show for depicting realistic, identifiable personalities. If well written, the characters should respond believably. Also, Luke being a Jedi just proved how nearly useless Leia was. The jedi are always more important and powerful in the Star Wars movies compared to everyone else. I'm not sure what you meant. Hasbro meddling was handled well by the DHX team in the past. It was easy to suspend disbelief over Rarity's wings because we were immediately told they were temporary and delicate. I like the show not because it is a marketing ploy, but because it is entertaining. If Hasbro mandates clash with the show too much, of course I'll complain and stop watching. That foreshadowing can easily be interpreted in different ways. While Twilight wears a crown, that does not necessarily mean she will be a Princess, alicorn, or ruler. It may simply mean she/her element have leadership over the other elements. Yes, Twilight displays leadership, but so do Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Lauren is no longer in control of the show. Twilight could easily be seen as Celestia's magical apprentice rather than a political one, as Celestia does make it clear she has a powerful gift that needs focus and study. Character growth is important for everyone. The mysterious book with stars and swirls, and 'she'll be ready' bit from Crystal Empire could have meant many things other than Princess/alicorn/ruler. The Reddit rumour is inapplicable to me. Maybe someone else has thoughts on that.

Too late now, but the show should've provided clear proof of Twilight's preparation for rulership/alicornship/princesshood. We as viewers should not be required to view/know about the Brony doc to know why certain characters suddenly developed the way they did. I'm curious as to how Lauren planned to present Princess/ruler Twilight. As Lauren was not working on the show after season 2, it is interesting to hear what she originally planned, but her plans are not necessarily what will be fulfilled. As for the alicorn idea, a discussion is when ideas are grown, changed, put on hold, and sometimes discarded. I'm a little shocked they thought they could pull it off well. The evidence is still highly ambiguous. I hope the next season is written and presented so well that anyone can easily suspend their disbelief over any plot holes. Sorry, haven't played BioShock Infinite, so I'm not entirely sure how that quote fits in here. If someone's going to be a decent throne-warmer, that's an oddly ominous prophecy. Twilicorn deserves a better prophecy. Friendship Princess... Well, that's an interesting idea, as I certainly can't see Twilight ruling anything unless she is an absolute master of delegation knowing and using exactly who is better than her for every task. I might be able to accept a Friendship Princess, if she's believably written in the show's universe. As to Celestia, Cadance/Cadence, and Luna: Cadance, Shining Armour, and the Crystal Empire don't appear to have any problems other than elaborate hairstyles and worrying about hosting games. Cadance is most likely doing a fine job of ensuring peace, protection, freedom, etc if her subjects aren't mass rioting, starving, sick, confined to the Crystal Empire, etc. Then again, if the citizens are so happy the sky itself lights up with the Aurora Borealis/Australis, why haven't we seen more of that? Maybe the citizens are just incredibly complacent. Luna needs more episodes. I most likely will miss something on Celestia, working from memory here. She directly helps her subjects like when she cleaned up the Phillydelphia parasprites and gave land away to the Apples. She hosts a gala each year to meet with her subjects (PR is important), visits the towns she rules over (for cake and tea), and she met with the delegates from Saddle Arabia (this is mentioned and seen). Celestia sent the most qualified (or nearest, or least likely to question orders) individuals to help set up a summer sun celebration, deal with a sleeping dragon, and defeat an ancient shadow king.

A Canterlot Wedding! I really liked the songs, the villains' design, the battle, Celestia fighting, Luna's appearances, the villain having already won only to lose, and the giant explosion at the end. There were problems like little focus on AJ, RD, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity, but hopefully the next finale will make everyone shine.

Did Meghan listen to the whole thing? Did she mean he nailed the whole thing, some of it, or most of it? If she thought he was entirely correct, then suddenly some previously unknown things are canon: Starswirl being a student of Celestia's, and Starswirl being groomed for rulership and alicornship. I agreed with that guy's thoughts on Princesses in Equestria. Also, he does have a point about the Element of Magic having a tiara, which has irked me somewhat. Maybe he's right that Twilight has reached an affirmation that she has nothing left to learn about friendship. However, Celestia personally instructing Twilight can also easily be interpreted as guiding a powerful force in the right direction. If Celestia didn't do this, Twilight might have wasted her potential. Twilight might have been trained by someone else with more twisted ideas. I see little evidence of Celestia preparing Twilight for rulership of a kingdom. If she was preparing Twilight, any hints should have been made more clear, like shots of Twilight beside Celestia during important negotiations, law changes, etc. Instead, we see Twilight's magic shown off in front of delegates from Saddle Arabia. Does Twilight actually talk with the delegates and if so, why aren't we shown? Twilight didn't do well if she was meant to be the ambassador between species with the Buffalo, the Diamond Dogs, and any episode with non-Spike dragons. Winter Wrap Up was easy to fix because everyone in Ponyville turned their brains off and didn't remember anything from previous years. So far, it appears Twilight has been focused on magic and friendship, like a scientist. A scientist can be a ruler, of course, (looking at you, Germany), but that leaves little time for science. If Celestia wasn't preparing Twilight to replace her or rule some far off land yet to be conquered, there really wasn't much point in the Princess title, the banners, the hailing, the ceremony larger than what was given for saving the world from Discord, the new personalised chariot, etc. Perhaps I and the guy from that video have misjudged what Princess means. I guess we'll find out next season. If Celestia was preparing Twilight to replace her, why? It should not hurt to question Lauren or Meghan or anyone else. Ideas should be questioned, even if this is a show for little girls, lol. :/ How do we know Twilight is a better ruler than Celestia + 1000 years experience? Where is Celestia going? Why wouldn't Luna replace her? Why wouldn't Cadance takeover both the Crystal Empire and Equestria? Twilight as an alicorn isn't exactly a representative government, but then, neither is Cadance with the Crystal Empire Earth ponies. I hope all fans of this show will question things. I hope the show makers will, too, as it leads to better writing. Questioning saves us from yes-men and approval of such abominations as Tom Hank's 'Where the Wild Things Are' movie. (That movie was so terrible my nephew got up and went off to do something else during the middle of it.) I hope season 4 will assuage any worries I have about the show. I like this show and have grown to care about the characters. Except Rarity.

A former student returning as a villain reminds me of many kung fu movies, lol. I bet Sunset'll be super cocky and believe friends will only slow her down, until the main 6 teach her otherwise/rescue her. Then, she conveniently disappears until she returns with news of war/adventures/episode plots from far away. If they add Sunset to the show, I hope they'll answer questions like how many personal students Celestia has at once/had. How old is Sunset Shimmer compared to Twilight and where has she been all this time? Is she Luna's personal protege? Why is her name so coincidentally similar to Twilight's?

Luna's tiara swaps between her normal one and the gold/violet tiara 3 times in the season finale. 1st when Twilight walks up the steps to stand near Luna, 2nd when they first overlook the crowds from the balcony, and 3rd when the mane 6 are waving at the crowds. I had to watch the finale a second time to catch the first two swaps. I'm wondering if Cadance and Luna had some sort of contest going on between them. Edit: I never even noticed Cadance's split second hair style change or Spike disappearing until I read this thread.

I thought that was a great characteristic moment for Rainbow Dash, too! It shows she really cares about Fluttershy. I'm not too sure what to think of Rainbow Dash wanting to leave Fluttershy behind in Dragonshy, though. I like to think that she's grown as a character since then, and waking Fluttershy was proof of that.